november gratitude round up....

well thank you to everyone who participated in the november gratitude, i have really enjoyed reading all your posts.  i have found this november to be my best one for some time. i often find the dark months hard, particularly if they are accompanied by incessant rain! but by focusing and feeling gratitude i have been able to see joy even in the weather!

  
november felt like a good month for gratitude and we were so right as mine and georgia's initial idea linked right into thanksgiving,  so come the end of the month my blog lines were filled with post after post giving thanks in some way... and it really becomes infectious.

a little exercise i do from time to time is to write down 5 things at the end the day that i am grateful for... often this will include health, shelter,  my girls, supportive friends and family, clean water... that kind of thing...but one of my favourite posts from simone gives thanks for 'freedom,' so i will add that to my list too in future as it is so important to remember how lucky we are. please pop over and read her post.

my favourite post from georgia is this one about being , 'thankful for the things i complain about'... my favourite gratitude on her list is georgia being thankful for her slow computer because it teaches her patience. i love how she always turns things around to view them in a more positive light.

i have also enjoyed louise's beautiful photos here... and another fun post is marie's gratitude of flannel pyjamas.

so  thank you again to everyone who took a button and posted... katy, marie, louise, georgia, pomona, denise, maureen, lyn, caireen, ella and simone.  the links are on my side bar to all the participating blogs that i am aware of... if i have missed anyone please let me know.

So here we are in december... this morning was beautifully frosty... it made me think of my friend diana who loves frost.  i am starting to feel quite festive now and i have an idea for a december button... which i will share once and if i get it sorted.

 but for now a couple of requests... firstly i really need to purchase a good pair of walking, wellington boots and i want something really comfortable as i have arthritis in one foot ... i am coveting a pair of aigle boots but they are pretty pricey .. so any recommendations would be good...

also i have asked for a new iron for christmas ... not exciting you may think but exciting to me as i am a very practical girl... i need it for using with my textile and sewing work and wonder if you could help, as unlike a new sewing machine which you can try, you really don't know how good an iron will be until after you have purchased it. i am looking for one with a really good steam that is fairly substantial and maybe has a self clean button too... i am not sure about the ones which sit on a water reservoir as i have heard that these need to be emptied frequently, which i know i would not do... any iron experiences would be greatly received.

 thank you and Happy December !

x

Comments

[Jennifer]

What a great amount of gratitude going on, I was just reflecting the other day about how grateful I am for my health as it has been a rough couple of years for me. I really enjoy reading what others are grateful for, it's contagious. I hope you are able to find a good pair of boots and an iron, and I love your beautiful ornament in the picture. Love the colours.

[Sal]

My hubby would have a fit if he knew that I was giving anyone advice on an iron...or ironing! He knows that I loathe ironing!
Hope you find a good one !
I paid a visit to David and Charles yesterday...could not see your new book anywhere (although I did not ask as they were busy)...so I will buy it on good old Amazon! ;-)
xxx

[Simone]

Thank you for the mention Ginny. I also found that by reading people's thankful posts really helped me to get through November. I am afraid I can't help you with the boot and iron recommendations! x

[willow]

I won't give any iron advice because I seem to get through irons at an alarming rate - I blame teenagers who forget to switch them off!
With wellies though, I've never found them comfortable for walking very far even though once I bought some Hunter ones which cost a fortune and were really no better than my current ones from Sainsburys! Maybe a cheap pair of waterproof walking boots would be good, some that the boys had seemed to cope with walking through streams and bogs and they last a lot longer than wellies.

[The Curious Cat]

Happy December! I love the bauble photo! Very pretty! And I'm glad to hear your thankful November went well - it was very fitting. I also enjoyed reading about Georgia - it is good to try and see the positive in everything including the negative - an important lesson! :) xxx

[Pipany]

Lor' Ginny, no idea about the iron. I am using a phillips one at the moment which cost £25.00 in Asda (and which I thought was a horrendous amount of money!) and it seem quite good so far. Thank you for the November gratitude x

[Louise]

Thanks for the mention Ginny. I enjoyed participating in thankfulness and look forward to seeing your December button. A frost yesterday was a welcome relief from the wet and windy weather we have been having. I am using a Breville Extreme Steam iron, the plus points being it has a good steam and a calc clean button, a negative point is I find it quite heavy. x

[Karen - An Artist's Garden]

I did enjoy your thankfulness posts.

Would waterproof walking boots be any good for you? - they make quite lightweight ones now. I find wellington boots less supportive for walking for any extended period.

I agree with Willow about the Hunters.

"Irons" - No idea - I seem to go through them at the rate of knots.
K

[Pomona]

I walk a lot in wellies (as an agric I always have done), on the road and fields, and have always found Hunters the best without spending a fortune - I buy the boys' ones rather than the Huntress, so that the fit is very snug - I have joint problems and the good arch supports my feet better than cheap ones. I find them more comfy than proper walking boots, and if I buy them one size up I can also fit orthotics in them.

I have to iron a lot of sheets because of doing B&B and have a Tefal steam generator iron - not cheap but halves the ironing time. I wouldn't be without it now - ordinary steam irons don't generate nearly enough steam. We are in a hard water area, so ordinary irons never last more than a year before getting blocked up, but this has been fine.

Looking forward to your idea for December!

Pomona x

[French Knots]

As a sloppy sewer and slapdash housewife I have no iron input I'm afraid.
I have some RHS wellies with roses on that I got from an ebay shop, they are pretty comfy but I don't go for miles as the dog is as lazy as me.

[Pebbledash]

Hi Ginny, your month of gratitude has been wonderful to dip in and out of in the little time I've had. So I have gratitude for a few mins to be here! Thank you for the 'frosty' link, you can imagine I'm yearning for some, but it'll be a while before we have a chance of it here. Now - the business of boots. I've had a pair of Aigles for over ten years (same pair) and they're worth every penny. I walk a lot, and I can walk for miles and hours in these. I'll email you more!! And I'm with Pomona on the iron - I always go for Tefal, but having used one with a steam generator reservoir, it's worth every penny.
Lots of love
Diana x

[Mousy Brown]

Hi Ginny - I LOVE my muck boots for walking - they are extremely warm and so comfy - I walk about 3 miles a day but have gone much further in them without any problems at all. I always try and wear a good pair of socks too - If ever I get problems walking in wellies it always seems to be down to socks not boots! ps Mine are a gorgeous purple colour too which makes them even more enjoyable. x

[marie]

Hi Ginny,

I enjoyed being a part of the gratitude posts and I will definitely join you for Festive December.

Marie x