joybrealey's blog

On the 5th of May street parties were held up and down the country, including at Downing Street, to celebrate VE Day. 

If you are looking for a unique gift to give to a loved one for their birthday or to celebrate the birth of a newborn baby, then a framed map of the stars on the day that they were born may well do the trick. 

Needlepoint is something that is seemingly becoming more and more popular. This is no doubt in part due to the increase in the cost of living as people choose to make their own pillows, wall hangings, chair covers, eyeglass cases, and Christmas stockings, to name but a few.

We are fortunate in the United Kingdom to be home to forty-nine species of butterfly and two regular migrants called The Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) and the Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus). In recent years there has been a reduction in the overall population of butterflies in the UK and around half of these forty-nine species are seeing a decline in their numbers.

I fondly remember how excited I was as a child during the Easter period. There were just so many fun things happening. At school, we would make Easter cards for our family, there would be an Easter bonnet parade, we would decorate hard-boiled eggs with different colours and the teacher would decide which they thought was the best, and there would be a play in the school hall which would tell the story of Easter.

For most people, their family including grandparents, parents, siblings, children and grandchildren are very important. They say that you can choose your friends but not your family, but the majority of people are more than happy with the family that they have. From days out, going away on holiday, having a party, and enjoying a meal together, there are many great times to be had with your family.

After the bleakness of winter, it is always nice when spring arrives. In truth, the winter we have just had was quite mild and we didn't see many of the usual storms and snow. Spring is, even after a tame winter, a much cheerier season when people are able to get out and about on a much more frequent basis, and when we see a lot more sunshine in comparison to the previous few months.

With Mother’s Day fast approaching the time has come to start thinking about what gift to purchase, if you haven’t already done so. We want it to show just how much she means and about how appreciative we are of her unwavering love and support.

This can be a busy time of year for the owners of beach huts. A large majority of beach huts in the United Kingdom are taken away for safekeeping in the Winter months to protect them from storms and other harsh elements. It is around this time when the huts are brought back in readiness for the warmer weather.

The passing of a member of your immediate family is never easy to deal with. We all deal with grief and mourning in our own way, and some find it easier to continue with their lives than others. There is no right or wrong method; the fact is that we are all different. Where we are similar is in the fact that we will all miss this special person and will look back with fond memories of the time we spent with them.