lizblog

Had you said this would happen ......

I find it hard to believe, two years on, that Andy and I have come to this point in our lives. What began with a deep and long-lasting friendship, which we felt grew very readily into a marriage, is coming to an end. Or rather, should I say, reverting to what it once was. Clearly, for us, friendship is the good thing.

Yes, you have read it right, we are splitting up, divorcing and each going to live in our separate homes. My emotions are mixed and at times confused. I do know though that to separate now, while we still are friends and we still do have positive feelings for one another, gives us both the chance to remain good friends who can support one another. We gave it a good try, but each found that there were things that threw us apart and caused a great deal of tensions between us. For me, even with the tension of an impending move and trying to sort out all the practical details of separation, my stress levels have reduced and I feel more at peace with myself.

So .... my future .... I am staying in Northumberland. It has been a tough ride to find my feet here, to get to know the area and some of the lovely people who live here. To go back to Yorkshire at this point would seem like totally running away, though that was my first reaction when we decided to be apart. I even applied for jobs in Huddersfield. I think, getting an interview for one made the idea into a reality and I knew that it was the wrong thing to do. I love Northumberland. It is a beautiful county filled with friendly people. I love living by the sea. To be able to just stroll down to the beach and walk along the sand is wonderful. I work in a school where I feel at home and enjoy my teaching. It is only for another year as yet, but who knows what could happen next year. I want to stay friends with Andy. That is not easy at a distance, I know, I did it for years. Most importantly I have found a spiritual home where I feel at one with the God people. They have shown me love and acceptance, friendship and support. I don't want to walk away from that.

So, I have bought a small house in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea. It's about half a mile from where we live now. It has a little sun-drenched garden and a good back yard. It overlooks allotments and, if you look carefully, you can just see the sea from the bedroom window. It has a spare room where friends can come and stay. Hopefully I will be moving in sometime next month once all the work that needs to be done is completed, or at least well on its way.

So that is where I find myself. It's been a tough few months, but the decision has been made and it is now time to move forward and to forge something new from the tangled remains.

Newbiggin Arts Forum

Home to Roost

Monday evening was the Arts Forum meeting in Newbiggin. We had been invited to create a piece of at work based on the work of a modern artist. My artist was Kara Walker. I'd never heard of her, but dutifully looked her up on the web and found some of her pictures. Lots of silhouettes and much working with lights in the background. I couldn't recreate that, but chose a marbling effect to try to emulate the effect of the lights.

The speaker told us all about Chapbooks. He was a real enthusiast and it was very interesting. He then went on to lead a workshop about how to make a Chapbook. So we each have our own Chapbook telling us how to make Chapbooks. Very cool. :-)

Hmmmmm ........

Busy Sunday .......

Is it ready? Is it nice?

So, here it is, a glass of elderflower champagne. It is slightly fizzy, a little cloudy and very sweet.
The taste is quite nice, but much too sweet for my palate.
If I am still alive in the morning after drinking a glass full, then I will invite anyone who wishes to taste it.