14 February 2019 - Heartathon

Valentines Day - our special day since I met up again with my husband on my 18th birthday. We had known each other since our school days in today's Zambia - my boyfriend was a friend of his and his girlfriend was a friend of mine and we all belonged to one happy crowd of what today would be called teenagers.  He left school and moved to Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) to join the British South Africa Police and my parents were transferred to Salisbury (Harare) just as I was leaving school two years later.  I attended the local polytechnic to do a secretarial course.  Come my 18th birthday I had quite a few girl friends but knew very few boys.  I remembered that he and two friends had joined the police so no problem my mother sent invitations to them c/o police headquarters.  He tells me that his Officer in Charge called him in to his office to say orders from HQ - he had a birthday party he had to attend!!  Only my mother would do it that way!!  The other two school friends were stationed in other parts of the country. 

He rang to confirm he would be coming and I asked him to bring more police friends with him.  Come the evening of the party he arrived, alone. I did not even let him in, I just asked where his promised friends were and sent him back to his police station the other side of the city to come back with more guys!!  Amazingly he did, we went on our first date the next day........and the rest is history. So now, 57 Valentine's Days later, we have been married for 55 years this year.

I bought this card after we had been married about 6 or so years.  We then started a tradition of using the same card each year, with a single heart representing each year.  I did add extra hearts at the time to make the record correct.  So each February it comes out with a lovely bunch of red roses and a we have special dinner that night.

13th February, 2017 - Heartathon

I have had these little hearts for a few years now.  They are part of a group that hang on the side of my wardrobe; I have used some of them in this Heartathon already.  But these are amongst my favourites.  The two crocheted ones Hawthorn made for me many years ago and the beautiful felt heart she gave  me a few Christmases back. I love the off centre hole and the gorgeous glass beads - they always look like some gorgeous sweets to me. 

12 February 2017 - heartathon

 Some years ago, while on holiday in Northumberland, we were walking along a rather deserted beach when we saw a couple standing on a rock, taking pictures of something on the ground.  Curious, we waited till they had gone then went to investigate........and this is what we found.   It was all picked out in shells and pebbles, must have taken ages to make.  What an original wedding invitation! 

11th February, 2017 - heartathon

Other bloggers have found hearts on their fridge magnets.  I too searched mine but to no avail. I have quite a few that Hawthorn and Jenn have given me over the years.   Then yesterday I looked casually again and there was one, right in front of my eyes - don't know how I missed it before, though it is very small.  I am sure you can see it too.

This fridge magnet is quite small and was given to me by my daughter-in-law years ago.  I had since put two metal bookmarks she gave me into the little holder.  The butterfly was quite happy to pose for my photograph but the chameleon was quite obstinate and insisted in leaning over.  I could either see his face or his tail, not both!!

10th February 2017 - Heartathon

Many years ago, whilst our son and daughter-in-law were still living in South Africa, Jenn embroidered this border on a hand towel for my mother who was delighted with it as it was covered in cats, each one different.  It is now mine and I use it all the time and only noticed a couple of days ago that the red background in the centre circle is actually made up of four hearts.  Maybe we are becoming more 'heart conscious' at the moment!  I will offer the excuse that it is usually folded in half longways over the towel rail right through the hearts in the centre. 

9th February 2017 - Heartathon

Some years ago now, Hawthorn kindly gave me a large quantity of lace making bobbins that had belonged to her mother-in-law.  I shared them with my daughter-in-law who loved them as much as I did and I even had two old sherry glasses that seemed very suitable to hold them. When going round the house looking for hearts I suddenly remembered that there were a pair of glass hearts on these bobbins. 

8th February 2017 - Heartathon

Once again I am going to nature to supply a heart for today.  A few years back I had some tulips in a vase on our sideboard which were actually a bit past it.  I came into the lounge in the morning and there was a beautiful heart petal lying beside the vase.  I could not resist photographing it – must have known I would need a heart picture at a later date. 

7th February 2017 - Heartathon

 Some years ago Hawthorn challenged the ladies of our Knit and Natter group to make a heart for Valentine’s Day.  I can’t remember why I did not knit or crochet a heart – though it maybe because I am not very good at them – but I ended up searching through my laces and trimmings and decorating this one I made out of  a bit of red fabric. Most fortuitously I had lace with hearts in the pattern of both pieces.  It now hangs, linked up to other hearts that Hawthorn crocheted for me over the years (I still can’t made decent heart shapes), some of which I will use on another day.

6th February 2017 - Heartathon

This set of hanging birds with a heart hangs on the side of my kitchen cupboard.  Youngest grandson gave me the original hanging of a tin plate bird, flower and heart a few years ago and then this Christmas Hawthorn gave me the bird at the bottom.  I managed to attach it to the original three and love the way it just fits in there.  In case you wonder what the object is hanging below – it is a plastic doily that I put on plain Victoria sponges and then sprinkle icing sugar on top before carefully removing it to leave a very pretty pattern on the cake.

5th February 2017 - Heartathon

Some years ago Hawthorn took us both out to Watershed Mill Skipton for a treat on my birthday. Afterwards we wandered round the whole shop and I fell in love with these wrap around, springy bracelets for an amazing £2.00 each.  I bought one each for Hawthorn,  our daughter-in-law and myself, all different and so easy to wear.  I must be very unobservant, or perhaps forgetful, but in my search around the house I saw that each end had a little silver coloured heart.  (Thanks fav daughter-in-law for the loan of your arm!)

4rd February 2017 - Heartathon

                                                          

Looking round the house for more hearts I realised how many heart shaped flowers and leaves there are in here.   I was given this gorgeous Strelitzia a few years ago for a birthday present from my son and daughter-in-law.  It is obviously very happy where it is growing as it has outgrown two pots.  This time I am keeping it in its present one hoping to contain it.  It never has less than 13 or 14 flowers at a time and as you can see – a perfect red heart!  (or 14 if I count them all!!)

3rd February 2017 - Heartathon

                                                                       

This little silk covered heart box belonged to my mother.  She was given it by friends who had lived in Hong Kong for many years.  I love it.  Some of you who have followed Hawthorn’s February blog for some years may recognise it.  It is actually a double heart entry as the lock to my charm bracelet is also heart shaped. It wasn’t till I looked back at the photograph that I realised that the picture on the bottom of the lid was actually upside down when the box is closed.  I have had it for years too and never noticed it!!

  

      

2nd February 2017 - Heartathon

2nd February, 2017 

   My second heart is a little stone found by my husband whilst walking on a beach in Northumberland on our wedding anniversary about 4 years ago whilst we were on holiday there.  Somehow he always finds heart shaped stones for me but this one was special because of the day he gave it to me.   If you look very carefully you can see a heart shaped space hidden on the accompanying stone.  

1st February 2017 - Heartathon

Hawthorn has invited me to join her in posting a heart a day until Valentine’s Day on the 14 February.  As the weather is so lousy at the moment I have set myself a challenge of finding all the hearts in and around our home.  Some of you who have been following Hawthorn for a while may recognise some of my hearts as she has used a few of mine over the years.  As I have been looking round our home I was surprised how many I could find especially as I am not one for collecting hearts.

My first heart is taken from a couple of little stickers that were on a Christmas card envelope a few years ago sent by a friend in Capetown who is sadly no longer with us.  I stuck the two little stickers on the corner of a school picture of our two grandchildren taken years ago.  I always remember our friend when I am dusting the shelves of our bookcase.