Candles and Poppies ... Rememberance...

Hello there...

Ooo its feeling really wintry here ... cold and windy with dreary grey skies.

Now .. I know I'm a bit late with this Poppy thing ... but I'm quite pleased with this idea .. so I thought I would share...

 It started off with me being a bit bored one day whilst standing around at work ... waiting for/or hoping for customers. So I found a nice bit of wool and decided to crochet myself a poppy and just pop a donation into the 'Poppy Box'.

The above pic is of my poppy on my furry hat.

I got such a lot of Ooo's and Ahhh's ... could you please make one for me .. so the Thursday before Remembrance Sunday ... I started crocheting like a mad thing.

 I took some wool home with me and thought I really must have everything else I need stashed away ... after all it all about Make Do and Mend!

 And you know what .. I had no black buttons ..

I sell bucketfuls of buttons each week .. I have loads of them at work .. all colours ... all sizes ... buttons that look like Toadstools ..

 but not a black button to be found at home.

So needs must ... I cut um off Hubby P's coat ... small cost to pay for remembering our soldiers who died that we might live in a free world ..

 I got a few made ... and took them to the car boot sale on Sunday ... and I sold them all in no time ... £20 .. all money to the 'Poppy Box'.

It felt nice ... so next year I will start a bit sooner and make a few more.

At home ... time to dig out the Winter Curtains ... I've given up trying to pretend winter's not here yet ... time for the thick velvet curtains.

 They are nice and thick with good linings ... no double glazing here ...

 Whilst I was at it ... washing the lightweight summery curtains and putting them away ... wiping down the window frames ... chasing away the spiders!

I took down my dingly dangly sparkly bits and gave them a wash .... I like all my bits and bobs that reflect the light ... especially when there is not such a lot of it in the wintertime.

 It could be why I so love a little candlelight ..

 I have a little candle on the windowsill and I like to light it in the evening when I have a chance to sit and enjoy its warm bright light.

I light it in remembrance of my loved ones .. 

the ones that have gone ahead of me ...

 I suppose the warmness of the flame reminds me of their warm and gentle love ... I have my memories ... as we all do ...  

thank goodness.

Alongside the candle is this old copper cigar box .... I have had this for years ... I remember as a very small child going with my Dad to a job ... 

At the time he had his own business selling and repairing TVs ..

 I use to go with him on repair jobs and be spoiled rotten by all the old folks ... 

they would feed be cake and sweeties and amuse me whilst Dad fixed their TV.

 One had a Mynah bird that could 'talk' ... don't think I have ever seen a Mynah bird since.

Back to the cigar box .... well one old Gent ... he had come to this country from Jamaica I think .. or that part of the world anyway ...

things were bad .... bit like today 

money was scarce .... poor old chap couldn't pay his bill for the repair of the TV...

So he gave Dad the box ... I remember Mum wasn't too thrilled.

I suspect we too were struggling along financially ... and a cigar box wasn't going to buy us groceries ...

Dad didn't have the business for too long ... he wasn't a business man really ... he went back to working for someone else ...

But he held on to the box ... 

Dad was a nice guy ... when he left us to go ahead he was only in his fifties ... far too young to die.

And so I light my candles ... and  remember my loved ones.

What it it stirs the memories for you?

xx