Thank You Letters

Perhaps we're old-fashioned, but over the years we must have sent hundreds of Thank You Letters. These began as large splodge paintings, cut up and stuck onto cards. Next was the computer phase - photographs of the children or clip art ballet dancers and the like. Now we're moving on to the real challenge. So we decided on a recipe and a technique which is as follows:

After writing your address and the date at the top, the letter itself has a pattern of just four sentences.

1. Write Thank you for.......
2. Write something that you like about the gift (or if you don't like it write something positive about it).
3. Explain how you have used the gift, or how you hope to use it.
4. Write something that shows you care about the person who sent you the gift.

To begin with we composed examples of letters out loud taking turns to think of a sentence. This turned out to be thought-provoking and fun. Even after a couple of attempts I've noticed a real improvement in using this technique to think of more interesting sentences than the usual 'Hope you are well'.

To carry out the task we bought some small notebooks and notelets. Each letter is drafted on just one side of A6 in the notebook. It is then checked for accuracy, spelling, punctuation and word flow and copied carefully into a notecard. We can then look back over the draft letters for ideas if we get stuck. The girls seem to like: the 'small' page per letter; the choice of notelets (kittens and puppies seem popular); and the envelope, stamp and posting part of the process. We've had some really good conversations about why handwritten letters, particularly Thank You Letters, might make a difference to the recipient's day and to the sender's future.

Acrostic

Flowers, I's acrostic poem,

August 2009

Something that's always interested me is I's enthusiasm for poetry. We've read quite a lot of poetry to her over the years, as we've read countless other books, but poetry seems to be her preferred form. She became fascinated by acrostic poems several years ago and always enjoys writing them. The one shown here was written for I's maternal great-grandmother's 90th birthday. I decided to look up 'acrostic' in my dictionary and found this definition: 'a poem, word puzzle, or other composition in which certain letters in each line form a word or words'. Therefore this simple literary exercise could be expanded and made much more subtle. I shall try to find some more intricate examples.

Lion Masks

Lion Masks by A and I, card, paint, collage

A and I had fun making Lion Masks when our neighbours invited them along the Lincoln Baptist Church Holiday Club to learn the story of Daniel in the Lions' den.

http://www.lincolnbaptist.co.uk

Seastar-Sandpiper

Handmade Ceramic Button from Sandpiper Gallery, Mousehole


There are several small galleries in Mousehole. I always visit Sandpiper Gallery http://www.sandpipergallery.co.uk in search of ceramic buttons and to look at the paintings and textile arts. Some wonderful paintings this year... also ceramics and wooden boats, and some beautiful wooden furniture. My favourite Mousehole gallery at the moment is Seastar http://www.seastargallery.co.uk a newer gallery, very friendly, selling jewellery, gifts and paintings, many made by female artists. In the spirit of the place, we'll be making our own art over the next few weeks, and as I couldn't afford a painting this year, we'll have a change around at home by getting some more of the girls' artwork into frames and onto walls... I've been meaning to do so for months now.

Family History

I spent several hours today mapping out some of my Family History and putting together some census information I've had in a folder for years. Even though there are many mysteries yet to be solved, I enjoy looking at the names and the patterns between them.

My favourite ancestors at the moment are: May Eleanor Richardson, Esther Tilbrook and Lucy Rawlinson. May Eleanor was my great-grandmother, Esther was my great great-grandmother, and Lucy was my great, great, great-grandmother. I like this part of the family because they go back via the Tilbrook line into farming the land in Cambridgeshire. West Wratting, Borough Green, Weston Colville, Six Mile Bottom... these are some of the Tilbrook places. I've visited them once but it might be time for another visit soon because I'd like to take some photographs.

22 Days

Just a little jotter to remind me of our days away...

... green drive into Devon day ~ splash around at Granny's day ~ "it's blue in the sky" day ~ daisies in a vase day ~ gifted to us books day ~ birthday number 12 day ~ wetsuits in the harbour day ~ sunshine now and then day ~ mermaids by the rockpools day ~ friends reunited day ~ new place Kolossi day ~ up the hill to Paul day ~ cats and chats by the harbour day ~ Seastar-Sandpiper day ~ pouring down with rain day ~ pathway to Lamorna day ~ treasure from the tide day ~ ebb and flow of years day ~ festival at Sidmouth day ~ across the field to the mill day ~ along the lanes to Silverton day ~ ending up at Joan's house day...

... and now we're back home... and the grass in our garden is very long and full of clover and buttercups!

Invisibility

"Just because a friend is invisible doesn't mean they're imaginary" said A as we drove along the lanes. "Interesting point," I replied. This was the beginning of a new conversation about Treenenee during which I discovered the following information.

First, that the pronunciation of the name is Treenunee, not Truneenee (I had assumed the latter and was corrected). Also, that Treenenee was secretly present at A's birth, having "crept in quietly". Significantly, she is now 12 years old, and was born just one day after A's older sister. Of course we celebrated the occasion with an invisible cake.