Exquisitegifts by Pauline

For the 1st time in their 3 year marriage, a wife asked if her husband would mind making the next day's lunches for them both. Obligingly he agrees.

The next morning, the young wife asks her loving husband, 'Where is our lunch, honey?'

He replied, 'I placed it on the second shelf of the fridge. My lunch is the one on the left, and yours is on the right'

Have a look at the photo…

LOVE IT!

Yesterday I took my granddaughter back to her parents who had been staying the evening in an Hotel for Valentine. Having lunch at that hotel, we then drove back coming back through some wonderious snow scenes and finally reaching the outskirts of where I live.

(this is not the actual picture from yesterday just resembles it as I did not have a camera with me to take one)
I couldn't believe we still had so much snow left around my village close to the Cheltenham race course. On the hills surrounding us we have much snow but basically the gardens and open areas are now cleared and for the first time you can see what has been happening whilst it was blanketed in snow. I saw the first wild snowdrops - what a wonderful and happy sighting this was

Waving their delicate heads and saying 'Here we are, the first signs of Spring'
I was delighted at this sign but there was more to come. As we came back into our road I saw something else! Another beautiful and welcoming sight

How wonderful to see these pretty little crocus out too!
Of course once I got home I immediately went to inspect my garden and yes there they all were poking their heads up through the soil and I know that very soon I will have a beautiful carpet of all the spring flowers that I so love. I have buds on some Narcissus so they will be open soon. Of course all daffodils have got to get going now for Mothers Day which is March the 22nd and the following week March 29th British Summertime begins! So our spring flowers had better get going and show us their beauty which is so short lived. As for me I know I have a spring in my step at the thought of warmer weather coming and the cold and darkness of winter gradually leaving us with the promise of things much better ahead. Oh yes I love this time of year!

Extracts from From: njgill@ix.netcom.com (Nancy J. Gill)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Misc/friday the 13th origins

NARROW HOUSES
Copyright:1994 Douglas E. Winter.

"Of all superstitions, perhaps the most pervasive -- and yet least explicable -- is the aversion to the number thirteen. Many buildings (particularly hotels) tall enough to have a thirteenth floor will not number it as such. We are told that the registration of Princess Margaret's birth was delayed so that she would not be entered as number thirteen. So firm is its grip upon us that even hospitals, those supposed bastions of rational thought, decline to label their operating theaters with the number.

What is it about the 'devil's dozen' that poses such evil portent? The answer, as with so many superstitions, is biblical. Thirteen gathered in the upper room on the night of the Last Supper. 'And in the evening he cometh with the twelve. And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me.' (Mark 14: 17-18). 'Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot . . for he it was that should betray him.' (John 6: 70-71).

As for Friday the 13th: a lamentable intersection of unlucky number and dire day. 'And on a Friday fil al this meschaunce,' wrote Chaucer in 'The Nun's Priest's Tale'. The superstitions surrounding this fateful day -- particularly Good Fridays -- are numerous: a child born on Friday is doomed to misfortune; do not feed anyone butter churned or eggs laid that day. Courting, and especially marriage, on Friday is a folly. Do not move to a new home or new job on that fateful day; do not rise from an illness; and please, please do not take a journey -- for as the fishermen say, 'A Friday's sail, always fail."

This had more meat to it, more background--but was it still too neat? Well, this one appeared to back Winter up:

MAGIC AND SUPERSTITION
copyright 1968 Douglas Hill
Published 1968 by the Hamlyn Publishing Group

"Thirteen is especially unlucky terms of dinner parties, referring back to the Last Supper or the Norse feast: it is believed that one of the thirteen diners will die within a year. But the fear exists in every occurrence of the number. Throughout the western world people can still be found numbering their houses '12 1/2,' to avoid living in number 13. The state lotteries of France, Italy, and elsewhere never sell tickets with that number. Hotels and hospitals, and similar institutions, often have no room numbered thirteen; and many big hotels, like the new Cavendish Hotel completed in London in 1966, also have no thirteenth floor. Fear is also aroused if the thirteenth of the month falls on a Friday--in itself a notoriously unlucky day, largely by association with Good Friday."

Last Supper, Good Friday...yup, got all the elements. But what’s this about a Norse feast? Is that pre-Christian? Better look some more. Hmmmm, what’s this, then:

EVERY MAN'S BOOK OF SUPERSTITIONS
Christine Chaundler
copyright A. R. Mowbray & Co Ltd 1970
Published 1970 by Philosophical Library, Inc.

"When making beds, mattress should never be turned on a Friday or a Sunday. Sunday is taboo, of course, because of the biblical prohibition working on the Sabbath--the Jewish Sabbath being transferred to the first day of the week in Christian practice and Friday because of the general bad luck attributed to it. Many people consider that this attribute of Friday is due its being the day of the Crucifixion, but the belief in its ill luck probably goes much farther back in history and m have something to do with the sacrifices offered to the goddess Friga in Norse mythology.

And there is still an uneasy feeling among both seamen and passengers when a voyage begins on a Friday. If the Friday happens also to be the thirteenth day of the month apprehension is doubly strong.

Perhaps the best known of meal-time dangers is the belief that it is unlucky to sit down thirteen to table. So widespread is this superstition that most hostesses will go far out of their way to avoid such a catastrophe. Should any invited guest unexpectedly fall out leaving only thirteen for the meal, almost anyone will be dragged in to fill the vacant chair. The old belief is that the first person to rise from the table will die within a year. Slight protection against this fate is supposed by some to be afforded if all the company rise together. Nevertheless it is safer to avoid the unlucky number if possible. Usually the host or hostess will try to arrange matters so that neither a person falling out nor an unexpected guest will leave thirteen. It is thought that this superstition may have had its origin in the Gospel story of the Last Supper in the events which followed the Passover meal partaken of by the twelve disciples and their Master. Judas, who rose first from the table, was the first to die as recounted in the New Testament It is probable, however, that it goes back farther in time than that, for divination by numbers played a large part in ancient religions."

So here we have Norse Mythology again being used to link the bad character of Friday to a much earlier time than the previous references. Well, there was only one other book in the library that might be of use in the research project. Of course, it was terribly old, and written in such a fey voice! But never mind--I can make one last attempt to pin down the Norse reference:

POPULAR SUPERSTITIONS
Copyright: Charles Platt 1925
Republished by Gale Research Company, Book Tower, Detroit, 1973

"The rise of the compound Three-Ten for Thirteen is so very general all over the world, that it seems clear that to the primitive mind of early Man it had no real meaning--he stopped at Twelve. So persistent are these old instincts that, even today, we stop at "Twelve Times Twelve "in our school multiplication triplication tables, though there is absolutely no reason whatever why we should do so, except for our inherited instinct that it was, and therefore still must be, the utmost limit of mathematical thought.

Thirteen, therefore was not used as number, but as a vague word meaning anything beyond Twelve. To the untutored savage, as to the animal mind of today, anything unknown conveyed an immediate sense of danger. Thirteen was not really an unlucky number, but a fateful one--a number full of vague and unimaginable possibilities and therefore a number to be avoided by any peace-loving man.

This curious point is amply proved by the many superstitions that cluster round this number, for they are all based upon the number itself. In the majority of hotels, for instance, there is no room bearing this number, and the visitor who sleeps in the thirteenth room slumbers quite peacefully because it bears the number 14 on the door. The ill-luck, you see, is not attached to the room, but to the number, which carried to the savage mind such dreaded fear of the Unknown. Possibly that may have been a million years ago, but the fateful character still clings to the number.

Many people believe that the superstition about sitting thirteen at table dates from the Last Supper and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. That is not possible, for the idea goes back centuries earlier: but it does seem clear that this world fatality gave the idea new life and sent it bounding forward along the years to come. As a matter of fact, this was not an isolated case of at thirteen at table, for Christ and the chosen disciples worked together regularly every day, and must, surely, have risked the fateful thirteen many thousands of times.

In Scotland, Thirteen is known as the "Devil's Dozen"--a title characteristic of the worst associations of this much abused number. I have already made reference to the question of Thirteen sitting at table together. But the Romans considered that the fatality followed the number whenever and for whatever purpose thirteen people gathered together.

The Fish was an emblem of Freyja, and as such was associated with the worship of Love. It was offered by the Scandinavians to their goddess, on the sixth day of the week, i.e., Friday. I have already pointed out that many primitive customs were "adopted" by the early Christians, in order to make life easier for their converts--this was a case in point. Fish has been accepted by Catholics as the correct diet on their sixth day fast.
Unfortunately this worship of Love on the Friday of each week gradually developed--or degenerated--into a series of filthy and indecent rites and practices.

Here then we have the obvious clue to the Day's bad name--no decent man would be associated with such practices! Friday started its career as a good day, almost a sacred day--and in many countries it is still the day of all days for lovers. Then love degenerated into lust, and now the day is universally shunned!

This trick of attributing to poor old Friday all the disasters that have ever befallen Mankind is a very general one--in addition to Eve's "indiscretion," as I may call it, Friday is popularly, but not historically, supposed to have seen the murder of Abel, the stoning of Stephen, the Crucifixion, the Massacre of the Innocents by Herod, the flight of the children of Israel through the Red Sea, the Deluge (of course !), the Confusion of Tongues at the Tower of Babel and many others, right up to William Tell and the other Apple!

Give a poor dog a bad name, and you might as well hang it!"

Wow! Thirteen has been ‘fateful’ as long as there have been numbers, and Friday has been disastrous since ‘Eve.’ I think Mr. Hitt may have been misled by Spanish conspiracy theorists, anxious to give more importance to the Knights Templar, their attackers, and their defenders. And guess which group succeeded the KsT?

So that’s what I found out about the background of Friday the thirteenth. My sources weren’t impeccable, but they were the only ones available to me. I’m sure there are many other sources with other derivations. Who’s got another version? Which one’s right? Who knows?

Thank you for your support.

I no sooner seem to finish a blog, go and see other people's, make a few comments, do my emails and replies, go into Facebook and see what everyone there is doing and hey presto - it is lunchtime! I always thought that it was because I was getting older that time was speeding up - you know I think that is where the term 'over the hill' came from! As you reach the top and start the downward slide it gets faster and faster. And I guess that is where I am at. However I just wonder why our youngsters are also 'over the hill' as they too keep saying how fast the time is going!

Well I guess the answer is really easy there. In our days, we did not have all the wonderful gadgets of today. There was little TV, usually one channel, radio which meant we could sew or play cards or we would read books. We were taught how to knit and how to darn socks! Something I stopped doing when I got married! There were no computers, Wii, Xbox. We did have an opportunity to learn to play a recorder at school, I sang in the school and church choir, was a member of the girl guides and wished I had been born wealthy enough to learn to play the piano! Singing and books was my life. I even had a torch to read under my sheet after I had gone to bed! Remember those times? lol

On the whole we played outside as there were more 'toys', if you like, out there than in the house. There was trees to climb, streams to walk along, tadpoles to catch, conkers to collect for the conker battles, wild flowers to take to school. We had bare knees that were scraped regularly and we shared what little we had amongst the other children. Someone may have a doll and someone a bike - I had a long wait for my bike but when I had it I think it gave me more pleasure than my first car! I had no time for dolls preferring to play football with the lads.

Oh I used to spend hours on that bike - I would do acrobats on it, riding without hands was the norm, it became an extension of me - I went everywhere on it and it was like my best friend as apart from the odd puncture it never let me down. School became much closer as I did not have to walk - apart from when it snowed of course. It was a bit of a ladder if that bottom branch was a bit to high to reach - it was a fast get away after pinching apples that used to tempt us in someones garden and we got caught! Well we only took what we could eat and fruit was not part of our diet in abundance in those days.

In these days time was magical. It seemed to stand still in the summer months during school holidays. Hours spent on the beach (I lived close to the sea) exploring the driftwood and shells and the dunes. I once discovered a hermit living there amongst the dunes - after my initial fright I would visit him on the odd occasion - keeping my distance of course. One day he was no longer there, having moved on presumably. On another occasion, my cousin and I came across a huge huge jellyfish - we later learnt it was a 'Man of War' and deadly poisenous. Fortunately we did not touch it. It was dead and had been washed up on shore. On other days we used to pick the blueberries from amongst the bushes beyond the dunes and take them to my friends house where I would stay for tea and we would have those blueberries.

As the sun started to sink, I would realise I had better get home. No-one sent out search parties for me - no-one was worried where I was - we were a lot safer in those days. Although there was one occasion when a man called me across the road then asked me for directions and then told me he had a cramp in his leg and could I help him!! lol I was a little wild but even by then I was aware that this was not correct and I ran. I never told anyone though always fearing I would be in more trouble from my parents for having spoken to the man in the first place! Yes the song comes to mind - 'Roll out those lazy hazy crazy days of summer ' and certainly for me they were. Now one day seems only to be one minute and I do so wish I could slow it down - just a little.

Today I am intending - hoping? - to start another painting but the sun is coming out ...................

The sun is shining!! Beautiful blue skies with whisps of clouds - makes you feel that Spring is on its way and puts a spring in your step:) Unfortunately as you look down on the ground you see the snow still sitting there reminding you that we are not out of the dark winter days just yet.

However, plant a smile on your face and you will soon feel so much better - I am sitting here as I type, listening to music. I have just received through the post a book called 'Acrylics Workshop ' which later on I will get to grips with. I am hoping it is going to give me a few more tips to improve my other hobby. That of painting. I find it so relaxing and if I am feeling down it is a good place to go to within myself and try to paint something that I might just find there - a memory, or a picture I remember seeing and all my troubles go away for a while and I am at peace.

So it is off to the cinema for me shortly - the film starts at 12.00 so I will be back in early before the cold starts to bite again and the darkness falls. Have you noticed how the days are starting to lengthen? Especially with the snow on the ground it almost appears to be daylight for such a long time - the last three nights have been beautiful with the full moon creating a mystical other worldly feel to our planet. I just love the moon! During the summer months I have great difficulty as I would stay up all night just sitting under that moon and not wanting to leave to go to bed. I particularly love it over the sea - it picks up the ripples on the surface turning them to silver as they gently ebb and flow on the shoreline. The sound of them with the slight breeze rippling through makes me forget where I am and I feel I could stay there for ever. I lived abroad for a while where it was sunshine and warmth all day long and huge great moons over a placid sea at night. I had such a battle with myself as to whether I should sleep during the day or sleep during the night - I just wanted to do both! I have taken many walks along a moonlit beach under the stars and found it was equally mystical either by yourself or with a partner - provided they did not spoil the magic by speaking!

Ok I had best get myself prepared for going out - being well wrapped up is the order of the day because despite the sun it is still bitterly cold - although the ice is melting slowly but surely. The film I am off to see is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Director: David Fincher Starring: Jason Flemyng, Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Julia Ormond. I think Brad Pitt has become one of the best actors around at present - versatile and charming, his ability to turn himself into any character is great. For myself who was brought up with some wonderful actors and actresses - many of whom have passed on, it is such a pleasure to get one who I feel will be around for a long long time giving pleasure to audiences world wide.