Monday 30 December 2013

New Year Greetings

Wishing you all a Happy and a Healthy New Year 

As we head towards 2014 I hope that you all enjoyed a happy Christmas. 
I can't wait to relax and turn the pages of my new book on 21st century Jewellery Designers. 
Soon Twelfth Night will be upon us......
...then it will be time to pack away... 
...the baubles and trinkets for yet another year 
This tree, covered in tinsel and photographs of dogs, is decorated by the pets' owners who walk them on our common. For some of the dogs, long gone, it is a memorial. There is a local law that these decorations must be removed at the beginning of the New Year.
Back over the stile towards home in time to send you all my very best wishes for 2014 from my little corner of the world to yours - these photos taken yesterday.
Travels to ponder

50 comments:

  1. Dear Rosemary, Wishing you and yours a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. I have so enjoyed your beautiful photographs and interesting posts. Looking forward to 2014 and the many and varied subjects you will send our way. ox, Gina

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    1. Dear Gina - isn't it surprising how quickly the time passes? Although I have been blogging for a little over two years now this is actually my third Christmas and New Year with blogspot. Looking forward to our continue friendship in 2014.

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  2. As always there are some lovely photos to be admired, beautiful country side . And the jewelry book looks very interesting...like a color explosion . Wish you and your family a wonderful and serene 2014 ! xx

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    1. Dear Jane - the book on jewellery was a surprise gift from my eldest son, but it is as you suggest an explosion of colour showing the most exquisite pieces of work. I look forward to our friendship during 2014.

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  3. Dear Rosemary, your corner of the world is soooooooooo beautiful! Lucky you! Your new book looks interesting and beautiful. I wish you and your family a happy new year 2014!

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    1. Dear Satu - yesterday was a lovely warm calm today so fortunate that I took some pictures then. It has been lovely watching your garden grow during the year, and I look forward to seeing what you do in it during 2014.

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  4. And a very Happy New Year to you too Rosemary, and all in your family. I'm looking forward to reading many more of your fascinating posts in 2014.

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    1. I am so pleased that I discovered your blog this year Jessica - you live and garden in a very special place. A new year feels like a clean sheet, but at the moment all I can concentrate on are the piles of duvets and towels which are needing my attention as our last guests departed this morning.

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  5. Happy New Year Rosemary! England is one of the countries I would like to live and you often travel me through your beautiful land.I was lucky to find you, hope the new year bring us more inspiration...
    Warm hugs Olympia

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    1. What a very kind comment Olympia - I have loved our shared friendship during the year especially seeing your sunny, colourful, photos. Hopefully some of my inspiration for 2014 will be coming from your corner of the world!

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  6. Hi Rosemary, I love the outdoor dog Christmas tree! Never seen or heard about something like that. What a nice way to honor our furry friends as well. I enjoyed looking at the photos that have taken from your area. You are so lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world. Wishing you and your loved once a Happy New Year 2014! Warm regards,
    Christina

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    1. Dear Christina - the tree is a fairly recent innovation by the dog owners - I think that they have been doing it for about 20 years. They leave a box at the foot of the tree so that people can contribute to a local 'animal shelter'.

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  7. Lovely photos Rosemary and I think the tree with the pictures of dogs is an excellent idea. Wishing you a Happy and Healthy New Year.
    Patricia x

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    1. Dear Patrica - I haven't come across a tree decorated like it before, but who knows, in the future may be other areas will have one too.
      Best wishes to you and all your family in 2014.

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  8. How lovely everything looks, and Ian Peters photo is quite fairytale. I do so like the idea of the dog appreciation tree and the common sense of the local law that keeps it under control. Wishing you a Happy New Year.

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    1. Lovely to hear from you Rosemary - I agree that photo is one that I would love to have taken myself. The weather was certainly more wintry looking in 2008 than it is at the moment.
      Hope you have a good 2014 and that your injuries are now fully mended.

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  9. Rosemary..I wish you and youre family a verry good and healty 2014.
    Thank you for a verry interesting blog year.

    Greetings,
    Inge, my choice

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    1. It has been lovely receiving your comments throughout the year Inge, and I look forward to our continued friendship in 2014.

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  10. Message received from WHITEANGEL which I accidentally deleted:-


    Thanks for the New Year greeting.
    Happy New Year to you, your husband and family.

    I do like your village, the view - A few nights ago there was a short travel program on the TV showing scenery, shops plus houses in your village and it was beautiful.

    I made an error and had to redo my comment :)

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    1. I do apologise Whiteangel for the accidental deletion - I suspect that the programme you saw was probably about the Cotswolds area which covers locations from Evesham and Oxford in the north to Bath in the south.

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    2. :) That's ok Rosemary..
      You are probably correct, but only mentioned Cotswold :)
      Happy New Year.

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  11. Dear Rosemary,

    I enjoyed seeing photo's of the village or little town you live in. How pretty and quintessentially English it looks :-) I still don't know which part of the UK you live, but it is pretty!! Perhaps I will come upon it when I visit England next year :-)

    What a lovely tradition the dog owners in your town have started!

    A Happy New Year to you and your family!

    Madelief x

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    1. Dear Madelief - I live in the Cotswolds which I think that you know quite well. You are right it is all very quintessentially English here mainly due to the old stone houses and stone walls.
      I really hope that 2014 is a good year for you and your girls.♥

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  12. Rosemary - I have thoroughly enjoyed your blog over the past year and wish you and yours a happy and more importantly healthy year.

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    1. Thank you Susan - I agree, health is really important to us as we get older.
      Thank you for all your kind comments over the year. I have enjoyed noticing how much life has improved for you since meeting Doug - happy walking for you both in 2014.

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  13. Such a beautiful landscape piectures Rosemary, I love the English countryside with all their magnificent public footpaths. The pet's Christmas tree on the common is so special, only in England they can do such things. I can imagine you want to relax with your new Jewellery Designers book, I think it is a little gem. I really enjoyed reading your interesting blog over the year and thank you for your nice comments.
    Wish you and yours a healthy and happy new year!

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    1. Dear Janneke - The pet's Christmas Tree is an unusual idea, but very popular with people walking the escarpment as well as the dog owners themselves.
      I am so pleased that I learnt about your blog this year, and love your latest post showing the calendar of your garden flowers.

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  14. The pet Christmas tree is beautiful. I would have placed a photo of my late dog, Barkley. Your village looks so surreal in the photos. So breathtaking. Have a Happy New Year Rosemary!

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    1. A happy and good New Year Pamela - that picture is exceptional - caught in 2008 when frost was on the ground and an early morning mist surrounded the village. It is not like that this year we haven't seen any frost or signs of snow as yet, but that can still happen out of the blue.

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  15. What a charming village in which you reside! What a sweet idea - the pet tree! Wishing you a happy 2014!

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    1. I don't actually live in the village shown down in the valley, but live on the high escarpment overlooking it.
      May be the pet tree will catch on!!
      A happy 2014 to you.

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  16. And a Happy and Healthy New Year to you and yours also, Rosemary. Beautiful pictures of the beautiful area in which you live, and I can feel the crispness of the air! The pet tree is so charming, and I can imagine how people gravitate towards it. I continue to hang special dog and cat decorations on our tree, in memory of two little family members who have now passed on. Oh, and very nice book on jewellery Santa brought to you!

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    1. The book showing jewellery is a feast for the eyes - my son bought if over from Paris where he met the author.
      It has been lovely getting to know you Patricia - looking forward to our continued exchanges in 2014. Good health and happiness in 2014.

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  17. Dearest Rosemary,
    Best wishes for a very peaceful ,healthy , happy New Year. Lots of new things and projects to come for us all in 2014.
    Your book looks divine. What a wonderful present.
    looking forward to more great posts..
    val xx

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    1. I was delighted with my surprise book from eldest son which he bought in Paris.
      Yes, let us all hope that 2014 brings a peaceful year, and that we all continue to enjoy good health.
      Happy New Year Val.

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  18. Dear Rosemary,your pictures are beautiful as always!!Wishing to you and your family Happy New Year 2014 with health and happiness!!Happy holidays!!
    Dimi...

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    1. Dear Dimi - thank you for all your lovely visits during the year and your kind comments. May 2014 be a year that is peaceful, healthy for us all, and happy too.

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  19. In all the photos, your village looks absolutely idyllic! I do like the idea of the pet tree...gives me some ideas for Darwin...
    I hope you have a lovely start to 2014 - that book looks divine and I do like the ideas you have for travel in the coming year. Don't forget, inland Andalucia is also wonderful! Axxx

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    1. Dear Annie - 'the dog tree' would perhaps be a good idea for your little family. I am sure that the children would find it therapeutic - may be in a few weeks time. The tree near us has photos of dogs on it that have been laminated to protect them from the weather.
      Inland Andalucia sounds good especially having seen your photos.

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    1. Lovely to see you♥ Happy New Year to you too.

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  21. What a beautiful post to mark the New Year, Rosemary. Wishing you health and happiness in 2014.

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    1. Dear Perpetua - I have enjoyed our exchanges over the past 12 months. A new year and a clean sheet for us all - wishing you, DH and all your family a happy, healthy, and peaceful 2014.

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  22. Dear Rosemary,

    I have been working away from my house this past week, so I am a little late in responding to this posting, but never too late in wishing you and H a happy and healthy 2014!

    The countryside around you is beautiful, and I feel the poignancy of that pet memorial tree. I recently helped friends put their aged dog to sleep, and it was nearly as sad a time for me as it was for them. The old dog had become so used to my visits that she had become — as dogs do — telepathic to my arrivals, and would wait at the door for me. Such sweet energy . . .

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    1. Dear Mark - the pet tree seems to have resonated with several 'followers'. One lady whose family lost their dog just before Christmas in tragic circumstances is thinking of doing something similar and involving her children who were really feeling the loss.

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  23. Wishing you a very happy and healthy new year Rosemary. A wonderful collection of pictures to end the year! The pet tree is a lovely thing to do and the landscape around where you live is always stunning whatever the season. Sarah x

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    1. Dear Sarah - we are so fortunate in our little country that we do not have to travel very far to see completely different landscapes and also big differences in architecture.
      I think that the pet tree has been decorated now for about the past 20 years - it seems to be an established tradition now.

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  24. Such a beautiful corner of the world! Happy New Year!

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  25. Hope you have a happy and healthy Year 2014 Nilly - look forward to reading lots more of your interesting tales.

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“You can't stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you - you have to go to them sometimes”

― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh