White smoke.........

Hello there - doesn't this just epitomise little girls? The long hair, the pinkness, the dolls, the tea party?? And don't forget the pink bag hanging on the chair - a present from Greatgranny for Easter which Missy seems to have laid claim to a little early! I just love love LOVE everything about it. My little Missy - growing up so fast. 

Diana is still down south with the family, and I am quite sure she and Missy are having a wonderful time together. They made a huge pizza for supper last night, so I think  may be right. Aunties are great fun.

Our crazy weather continues to flummox us all. This morning, my friend Margaret came round with her two granddaughters, seeking a warm refuge, because she is having a new conservatory built and the builders were about to knock through to their house. Believe me, you do not want to be exposed to the elements at the moment, even if the sun does shine sporadically and warm you for a few brief minutes. The snow follows just as you relax. I know this. I popped outside to try to organise the row of pots waiting to be emptied and washed and bleached before I start planting the potatoes, but the soil is rock hard. In other words, it is frozen. So I ceased and desisted. 

Talking to all of you is a much warmer option. 

Ordinary. The ordinary. The beauty of the ordinary. 

Some of you have talked about the ordinary and how it makes you see your own lives differently, and this is such a great part of my life. Don't get me wrong - dreams are essential. It is wrong to think you are destined for the ordinary and to give up hope of the extra-ordinary. Just ask a few people and you will see. The most amazing things happen to ordinary people. 

It is all about how you view life, I suppose. The mundane can be transformed just by an attitude change, and a child-like delight in the small things, and believe me, it can transform more than a brief moment. It can transform whole lives.

And on to the following day.......

On a totally different note, I am going to put comment moderation on for a while because some spam is getting through and is driving me crackers. Your comments will appear, so do not worry. The others just won't. I have had a torrent of spam in recent days clogging up my inbox and I have had enough. Sorry! Otherwise I have to put the word verification back. I just wish they would all go away. And get a proper life. 

Back to yesterday. I am not Catholic, but I was mesmerised by the wait for the white smoke to billow from the chimney in the Sistine Chapel where the conclave was happening. And, with the rest of the world, I waited to see who the next Pope would be. Pope Francis has a beautiful smile. First South American Pope. First Jesuit Pope. First Pope for over 1000 years from outside Europe.

Photo taken from Sky News on TV

He is a simple man. And yet, highly educated, intellectual, and well aware of the poverty and darker side of life. I so hope that he can clean out the Curia and rid the church of the evil which has dogged it in recent years. It will not be easy. But his chosen name seems to indicate simplicity of worship and love, and I do hope it will characterise his papacy. We will see. I did go to the entire list and CVs of all the cardinals. They are nearly all old men. Maybe new younger cardinals will be appointed now. And how has Italy got so many? 

As I said, I am not Catholic, so I do not know these things. What I did love about all the interviews with the people in the Square, was that they didn't mind who it was going to be. They were just thrilled to have a new Pope. No divisions there. That seems to be a good start. 

So that took up all of the evening.

And today, I have been to aqua with the same stand-in teacher we had on Tuesday, who was, I am happy to say, a little less frenetic than last time, although we still groaned when we left the water. And, after an exciting time doing grocery shopping with Mum and Jean, I am here to complete yesterday's post. The snow fell yesterday - but again, in polystyrene ball like flakes. Odd. They are still out there in my pots. And today it is cold again. March is not proving to be very Spring like at all so far. 

The crockpot is bubbling away - oh how I do love that slow-cooker of mine. Perfect for a cold day and lovely to come home to the smell of home-cooking in the afternoon. The other recent love I have is for orzo (pasta). One handful popped into the slow-cooker just before you need to serve dinner and it makes all the difference. 

So, the crocheted blanket is no nearer being finished, the pots have not been sterilised before I plant the potatoes, the house needs a good clean from top to bottom and my car looks as if it has survived a muddy winter. Tough. I have other things to do. Like write...............