Let's sit and have a cup of tea...

Hello

It's so good to see you. Let's stop and have a cup of tea and chat.

If you were with me now I would meet you in the centre of Durham. The Sun is wonderfully bright and the world is crisp and frosty and  clear. We would comment on the weather (if you are british and so inclined that way) and then I would take your arm and lead you off to one of my favourite coffee shops. 

Down the alley and up the stairs I would take you, to a secret spot and my little slice of perfect. We would choose our teas -assam for me, and a good gooey slice of cake to share (I am a student we must remember). 

We would make our ourselves comfortable on the soft sofas and as your poured the first cup this is what I would probably tell you...

I would tell you that I have so much work it is silly, that trying to write six essays that all count towards my first year mark is getting me down a bit. I would smile though and remind you and myself that I am trying to maintain perspective. The essays will come and go and the world will keep on turning. I would tell you that my favourite place to work is still the cathedral library. It is so peaceful in there. Before I work I go and sit in the nave for a few minutes. Just being still. Thinking and praying about what needs to be done. 

I would then laugh as you told me how uni days would fly and to enjoy them while they lasted. I would  tell you that I have such wonderful friends at uni. Friends who are so similar to me, who don't mind spending hours watching friends with a big mug of tea cuddled up on a bed. Friends who bless me so much and talk sense to me when I am feeling stressed. I would enquire about your uni friends and ask if you are still in contact with them?

I would tell you that I am so bored of cold weather. That the jumpers have had their day. I would tell you that yesterday the sun shone and my mood totally shifted. I worked with my lovely sash window open and got a taste of what it will be like this summer. 

As we poured the second cup and you tucked into the cake I would tell you excitedly about the music I am doing at the moment. About the college choir I have joined and Faure's requiem which we will be singing in two weeks. I would tell you that I have picked up my flute again and joined an orchestra. We are playing film music and I have fallen in love again with the Lord of the Rings soundtrack! I would ask you if you played and instrument and if you still do? I would tell you that part of the joy of orchestra is playing with an old school friend who used to sit next to me in school bands for years. 

Time would move on as we shared life, as we laughed, as the cake became crumbs and the tea got down to the last dregs. I would talk about crafting. I would lament not being able to go on the bloggers weekend due to expensive trains but would smile at the thought of my family coming to visit soon. I would ask what projects you are working on and what layouts you had recently made. I would tell you that I am itching to make another quilt, this time with equilateral triangles! I would giggle that I really don't need more quilts.

We would end up inevitably talking about blogs. I would tell you just how amazed I am when someone comes up to me and tells me they read my blog. I would laugh and say that I assume the only people who read it are those who comment! I feel so lucky and blessed that people want to read my words and that many of those people have become my friends. I would tell you all about a lovely new blog friendship I have made and how much I am enjoying getting to know this lovely lady. I would thank you for reading my blog. 

We would stand up to go, replete from our tea, from doing life together, for friendship. 

Yes, tea with you would be very nice indeed. 

If you were with me now, what would you tell me? 

Do write a post and link it up so we can all enjoy tea with friends. The linky is open all week! 

Around Here- February edition

This is what life has looked like in February. Plenty of walks along the river bank, spending time with friends, a wonderful trip to Edinburgh, hanging out with this guy and settling into term two of Durham.

My around here pictures are the orphaned photos left behind on memory cards. The pictures that didn't quite make it to the blog post or the album. They are imperfect, they are blurry. They capture now.

If you could sum your month up in one photo, what would it be? 

P.S Tomorrow I am going to post "lets sit down and have a cup of tea". This month I am going to try and add a linky if you would like to join in and share what you would say whilst sipping on your favourite brew! 

Project Life week 8

It's week 8! I am becoming far more disorganised with my PL spreads, probably because the last few weekends have been pretty busy.

I had a lot of instagram photos this week from my lent instagram project. I contemplated putting all the photos into the spread but then decided that maybe that was overkill!

I love the two shoe photos I managed to capture last week. They were great to document the crazy weather we had- spring to winter and snow in a matter of days!

I used one of my stamped images I gave as a free download here. I found it summed up my sentiments well this week, especially regarding taking an instagram photo each day. I am contemplating doing a second set of stamped words when I next have access to a scanner.

This second page is all about keeping it real. I had a bit of a wake up call regarding work and I wanted to document that. It is important to me that PL is about recording the tough things as well as the wonderful things. I want to look through  my book at the end of the year and have a real document of life, not the edited nice version!

I made a simple quote graphic for this week, taking inspiration from the quote cards I have used the last few weeks. I have popped it in at the end of the post if you would like to copy it and have it for personal use.

Phew! A lot of things to say on these two pages but all good stuff folks!

The tea shop

We have our favourite tea shops here in Durham. Some we like for the choice of cake, some for the cozy sofas, some for the size. This was a new find. A new branch from one of our favourites. This is a tea shop that hasn't done away with table service. There is the promise of hot freshly baked scones and mis matched crockery.

It is a light airy place to chat in. The tea is cheap and a pot for two fills at least six cups. They also don't mind us halving scones or crumpets to save the pennies.

Part of me dreams of owning a tea shop like this, where the walls are white and the bunting waves in the breeze. I would love a room of mismatched chairs and tables, a wall of battered books that customers could borrow and a cozy nook by the fire where you could come and knit. The cakes would change each day and the tea would be plentiful.

Maybe. One day.

For now this tiny tea shop is a little slice of perfect.

Life right now according to instagram.

Life is busy and full and fun. I have a head full of blog posts and not enough time to get them out of my head and onto the screen.

Anyway I do have time to squeeze those instagram pictures in so here is what life looks like right now and gosh what a lot has happened in a month!

Top row left to right: Finding our student house for next year and signing the paper work, getting happy mail from my mum.

Middle row: date night with the boy to such a good film, chocolate, working and lots of tea.

Bottom row: spending a lot of time in the library, having les mis sing alongs and walking along rain washed streets.

Top row: Taking photos of crazy skye, loving working in the cathedral library,  working out that I seem to hoard train tickets!

Middle row: Such lovely walks along the river with special friends and making an instagramming commitment in lent.

Bottom row: My chosen psalm for valentines day, sweet presents in my pigeon hole and a valentines card from a friend.

Yep, instagram is still up there as my favourite app. For lent a friend and I decided to take up rather than give up. We are instagramming a psalm or a proverb for every day of lent. It is so much fun to have a photo challenge each day!

As always if you want to follow me my username is abibeach.

Thanks for stopping by.

Project Life week 7

Project life is posted later each week at the moment! Unintentional I promise! 

This week I had less photo so there is more journaling. I have found it really helpful to take a blog post each week and incorporate it into my spread. I think it will be nice to look back on those key posts in the years ahead. 

I made a few new elements again this week. I found a lovely watercolour brush set which I have been having fun playing with and a great new script font which is lovely for titles. I also used quite a few instagram photos on this page. 

Last week I used a quote for the first time on my page and really liked the effect so I decided to add another one. They are from a free download from Elise Blaha. 

Again I made two new graphics. I really like taking colours from the seafoam and olive kits I am using and making my graphics with those colours. In a sense expanding the kit and keeping the album unified! 

It is getting really exciting now to see all the pages coming together. What a lovely book this will be!

Simply a Moment

It has been a long day and my heart is sad that I have no tea bags left to make myself a brew when I get in. 

I should just head to the supermarket I think, but then again know I will be tempted by the chocolate aisle. 

As per usual after supper I head with my friends to check the pigeon holes for post. We are still innocently expectant each day, even when we know we haven't ordered anything or are expecting any post. 

Underneath each pigeon hole is a cupboard for larger parcels. More out of habit I check it and like normal there isn't anything there. 

I turn to leave but my friend seems insistent that I check again. 

This is odd I think. So I do. I still can't see anything. She laughs and points.

There in the back corner is a little box with a little note, tied up in green ribbon. 

I am so thankful to have such good friends. Friends who know that a little act like giving a box of fresh teabags can so brighten my day. 

This was a simple but blessed moment in my day last week, what was yours? 

Today I am joining in with Alexa's lovely meme, "Simply a Moment". Do stop by her blog and join in.