Modern comfort bliss

I love history but I'm a modern girl when it comes to home comforts. It's sheer bliss now the plumbers have finished and I've at last got central heating and hot water on tap back. I have managed perfectly fine for the past few months, hobsons choice when you have to, and I was lucky to have the shower and dishwasher but it's still lovely not to have to boil the kettle for general use of hot water for cleaning etc.

The plumbers were nice blokes, they worked hard and did a good job and I was happy to supply them with copious cups of tea and coffee. I'm happy it's all done though and I've at last got the house to myself again, this is my little sanctuary and always feel unsettled when others are about. Next month the roofing is planned and then the following month a new door so not quite all finished yet but I've got a bit of breathing space and I can at least get the inside back to semi normal. My craft table can once again be put up and put to use, my craft stuff and little collections can come out of their storage boxes. My dollhouses can be re-sited. It will take a little while but it will be nice to have it sorted again, I've missed being able to play and create.

A new national bird?

The hunt is on for a national bird to represent Britain. Currently the Robin holds the title, will he hold on to it or will another fly in and pinch his perch? Now is your chance to have a say. In the first round open until October the 31st you can vote for your top six choices out of the list on the link. Then the top six over all will be tallied up for people to make a choice between them.

Vote for Britain's National Bird

I've voted for Blackbird, House Sparrow, Mute Swan, Song Thrush, Magpie, House Sparrow.

I have to say I'm really surprised that the Raven isn't even on the list to chose from. Apart from my own personal liking for those smart corvids, they are the bird of London which by legend guard the Tower of London, it seems really odd they didn't even make the first round list.

In the Ravens absence though I've got for my friendly garden neighbour the Blackbird. He's always cheering me up with his antics, sweet song and brightly coloured beak as he wanders around my garden. Keeping fingers crossed he'll get through to the final round.

Embracing the darkness.

Magaly of Pagan Culture is having another one of her scrumptious blog parties. This time the theme is darkness and the goodness that can be found with in it. It's a delicious theme for there is indeed as much goodness in the dark as there is in the day or light.

Her brief is;

The aim of All Hallow’s Grim 2013… So Good, So Dark is to use our artistic power, intellect and heart to create posts that show the delicious goodness that blooms in the dark.

Nyctophobia, fear of the night or Achluophobia fear of the dark seems to be an inbuilt gene in many of the human race, from our earliest beginnings man has been fearful of what lurks in the dark shadows. Children have for generations been afraid of the monster hiding under the bed or in the cupboard, ready to leap out as soon as the light was turned off at night. There is also the darkness of the spirit when depression strikes, those of us who have been there know how terrifying that place can be at first. Gradually though that fear can be beat and the darkness can be seen for what it is, not somewhere terrible, but somewhere your mind goes to rest and shelter when the world is tiring it out. That initial fear of darkness can also slowly turn to fascination for many and the darkness itself has become the muse of artists in many fields, from writing, film making to music etc. Some of the greatest artistic creations have been born in darkness. Like moths drawn to a flame the dark has the power to both scare and attract at the same time. Too be seen as both a danger and as a protective shield.

There seem to be two groups of people in life, the morning larks who live for the day and the night owls who seem to come alive as the sun goes down. I'm most definitely a night owl, something that seems to have been undoubtedly inherited from my mum and her side of the family. My fathers side are all morning larks, solid sensible people and yes it must be said, at times boring but they do it with the best of intentions. My mum on the other hand had a dry but wicked sense of humor, I was brought up with her love of midnight feasts, a joy of the night and her somewhat rebelious attitude to life.

The night can bring both silent solitude for quite contemplation or joyous fun and laughter. The dangers that may lurk in the night are no more than those that are lurking in the brightness of daylight. Our ancient ancestors started many of the feasts and festivals at the going down of the sun when a new day to their minds began. Night and day are part of the same cycle, one could not exist without the other and neither half is evil. Let us embraced the dark as much as the light for there are shades of both in all of us, by accepting that we find our own balance.