she thinks you have come to visit her, say hello, pat her on her head if you want to, and she will go away in a minute.
Come on in, would you like to sit in or out? It is cool in here or I have the brolly up over the table outside, you choose.
Outside will be perfect! It is such a lovely day, the sun is shining but it’s not too hot.
Sun or shade? I will choose the sun for about 15 minutes then put my hat on and eventually move into the shade, don’t mind me, I’m like an ill sitting hen this morning.
Oh! it is so good to see you, now, what would you like to drink? Tea, coffee, perhaps some juice?
“What am I having?” you ask
“I drink water in the day, with nothing in it, just as it comes if I’m out or filtered if I’m home”.
And so I would natter on nervously while I bring our drinks and a bowl of strawberries for us to nibble. We are under the umbrella and I look at you and see you smiling at me.

You would say “How’s retirement then?” and I would tell you that I am beginning to settle into it, we laugh and you ask me how I ever found time to go to work and you wonder how I fill my days and because it feels like I have known you forever I tell you.

Joy of joys you understand my passion for making things. I know that of course, that’s how we met, that’s what we both love.
You ask to see the Ragamuffin Animals and the Journals and my Artist Trading Cards that I make and never trade. I’ll go into the house with Pepsi following and fetch the things to show you. Pepsi will return with me to her new bed in the greenhouse. I don’t know why dogs do that, sit in the sun until they come to boiling point I mean, Our first dog was just the same. In a minute Pepsi will sit up and pant for England. But she won’t sit in the shade.
I tell you as I put the things on the table “There are so few people in my circle of friends that understand my love of craft, my blog and the many things I do that make me happy. Oh! I am so pleased that you came to visit.”

You tell me that you like my new blog header: I am pleased with it too. I am busy collecting together some sets of pictures so that I can change it up every few weeks. Playing with the blog, changing it, moving stuff is a hobby in it’s self.
We will banter back and forth; I want to ask you all the things that we don’t talk about on our blogs. I am very open and direct in real life, always asking questions. ‘Nosey’, my husband says; ‘Interested’, I throw back.
I tell you about Paul, how happy he is now that he has work until the autumn, how much better his health and state of mind are and I confide in you my concerns about him.
I’ll tell you that Ben is in Glasgow with his girlfriend for a couple of days for her graduation ceremony, and how happy and proud we are of her. She will be visiting again in July then she is going home to Helsinki until…we don’t know. Best not go there…

That leaves me then, but I am a bit hopeless about talking about me but I know that’s want you want to hear about.
OK. Since I turned 60 in February I have felt happier and more settled than at anytime in my life. Of course I wish I was 40 or even 50, no! not 40, my forties were difficult, I laugh, “No! not on this visit, you will miss your bus!”

I don’t miss my job but I do miss the thing I was doing, helping people to live well with dementia, helping them to find a better way of doing things but I promised my self and my family that I wouldn’t even think about it for 6 months…

I have some health issues that take me back & forth to the hospital but I am less concerned about them now.

I need to loose weight. I am thinking about having some hypnotherapy to get my mind in the right place. Yes I have had it before for something else and it worked a treat.

I am still having bad dreams but they are getting less frightening and I am disturbing the rest of the household less and less. I have stopped worrying about them now because if I have a bad night I don’t have to get up in the morning. We laugh and talk about larks and owls. I am one and you are the other.

You notice that I seem to have a lot going on over on the blog at the moment.
I laugh and tell you that I just love it, I’m feeling creative, it won’t last…
It is mostly photography based, Project 52, The Colour of Summer or summer of colour whichever, whichever.
Capture Your 365. This is the third year, it’s a habit now. No I don’t post the pictures to the blog, I have them on Flickr.
Index Card A Day for June & July. I really love this one, I like the variety of cards that I make.
Photo Art Friday, I think is my favourite meme. I have discovered a love of digital art. The community over on Bonnies blog are so friendly and supportive. It is going over to a monthly meme from August.
Sometimes when I remember I link up with Mona’s Flowers on Friday.
Helena‘s wonderful Look Up/Down and of course, Rinda’s Summer Scavenger Hunt.
Then there are the monthly memes…
Oh! my goodness, look at the time. No, leave everything, I will tidy it up later.
Oh! It was so good to see you, I will hug you because that’s what I’m like, very touchy feely, I will apologies for talking to much, I will walk you to the door and wait there until I can no longer see you.
Yes soon, we will do it again soon…Please?

Abi at Creating Paper Dreams organises this lovely outing once a month. Would you like to come over on July 27th? Stay for lunch…