Real...

Hello anybody still there?...

spotted on a walk - beautiful 30's looking tiles set into a wall

This is a bit like that feeling of going back to school after being off ill and wondering if your friends are still your friends, finding out what you've missed and trying to fit in again!
do you know what I mean?
I can't read all the posts I've missed so if there's anything that needs acknowledging please let me know. 
   
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Well we moved from London to Dorset... 

and a month later they eventually put in a land line and internet!

and although I've spent years thinking we'd all be better off not having the continual invasion into our lives of the internet and phones, I have to tell you, being uprooted from 'the big smoke' to the seaside may be some people's dream, but not having any contact with the outside world and your friends for over a month puts a different perspective on it.

Our mobiles don't work inside the house for some reason, so we've been standing by the front door to contact people, and as I'm a bit of a neo-luddite (according to Wikipedia) and have spurned all attempts these last couple of years to replace my simple classic nokia with an iphone it's affected me doubly.

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. ” - Alvin Toffler acknowledging Herbert Gerjuoy

perhaps it's time I joined the 21st century...

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I won't bore you with the move, what worked what didn't

and let's gloss over the fact my first trip out on my own found me going round the same roundabout four times ending up on the motorway back to London by mistake giving up and returning to the house in despair.

...memories of taking my son out when he was about six and him phoning home saying "daddy, we've driven over the same bridge three times now!"

well it was Vauxhall Bridge and I couldn't get into the left hand lane!

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Went back to London at the beginning of March for the Country Living Fair

and while there...
saw these beautiful fountain pens from a small company called

talked with a lovely lady on the stand, entered a competition for the chance to win a pen by suggesting a new colour to add to their collection
ta daa... I was one of the lucky winners!
having never won anything before it was a bit of a surprise and certainly cheered me up

This absolutely beautiful pen arrived in the post, thank you Sally!

      

it has a lovely feel and weight to it
do click on their website plooms
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Although being without the internet has been a nuisance...
not being able to find places or contact people or companies
it has had an upside
it's put a lot of things into perspective

do you know... some how I don't now feel I HAVE to be on here so much
or guilty if I don't manage to read every post from all the lovely bloggers followed
or the need to post here so often
we all have things to get on with don't we?
(especially if we ever get any nice weather)
so if you drop by and comment now and then that would be fantastic thank you xxx