Friday 14 February 2014

GrandBlogMom ... Guess who uses this? Ypocras an update ...


Well – you guessed right ...  young Lenny!  I have a new name: GrandBlogMom!  Sharon is BlogMom ... I’ve been elevated to the grand level ... the other age-related connotation I care to forget about!


GrandBlogMom has been a very lucky lady and received a Valentine’s Day card, an ecard and a hamper full of goodies ...

Lenny does not forget either ... he sent some flowers to Linda in the Nursing Centre ... she was so chuffed, and beaming with delight ... I couldn’t get my coat off before she was regaling me about her wonderful blooms.


In these days of American snowstorms, blizzards, floods, coastal storms, major winds, lashing rain, heat-waves in Australia ... we all need cheering up.


On Monday I went up to London to visit “The Worshipful Company of Drapers of the City of London” – thankfully on about the only dry day this week ... but each time I go to London the fields are even more flooded.


A post is coming up ... but relating back to my A-Z postings last year and the Y forYpocras entry ... I was fascinated to read in the history of The Drapers’ the following:

.. one of the benefactors is the Elizabethan antiquary, William Lambarde.  He entrusted the Drapers with the governorship of the almshouses; he also presented the Company with a handsome silver gilt cup and four gallons of ippocras (a spiced wine cordial).


Life fascinates me ... that these connections keep rolling in ... there was another, but that deserves a longer post ...


I called in to see my sister-in-law in the Chancery Lane area of London ... her advice to me and my visit was:


Avoid low lying ground – they have closed the Thames barrier to keep us dry.


I laughed, but some hours later ... the actual point dawned on me ... I was travelling on the Underground – so I was well below river, ground-water and rain level ... the Victorian structures held I am very pleased to say!


Enjoying a glass of Ypocras before it
can get stored!



Anyway enough of thinking about potential disasters, major city floods or similar nasties ... to you all on this Valentine’s Day I toast you with a glass of Ypocras, or perhaps a hot chocolate  ...



... and I can only hope for so many that the jet stream changes course very soon – it is becoming/has become very serious in parts of the UK ...


... and a very big hug to that wonderful, cheery, happy chap Lenny of Lenny's World ... who is always so thoughtful ...


Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

49 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

That was really nice of Lenny!

Jo said...

Happy Valentine's Day to you Hilary. Haven't seen you at Tina's party yet.

Lenny is so kind isn't he?

Hope the rain stops soon - maybe someone should start building an ark. I believe the measurements are in the bible.

Patsy said...

Happy Valentine's Day, Hilary. Hope you sty safe and dry.

Robin said...

Happy Valentine's Day to you. Thank you for the hot chocolate... I really needed that!

Optimistic Existentialist said...

Happy Valentine's Day Hilary!!

Suzanne Furness said...

What a lovely thing to do. Feel so sorry for all those suffering flooding.

Happy valentine's day.

Manzanita said...

You are having a perky Valentines Day, Grand Mom
Water, water everywhere except where it is a drought. Ha Wish I had a cup of hot chocolate.
Best Wishes and corny love one-liners on this Valentines day

Inger said...

I just love your interest, excitement, and love of life! It comes through and through in all your posts. Happy Valentine to you.

Denise Covey said...

Lenny is a sweetheart, isn't he? So nice that Australia got a mention in the weather department, made a change from hearing about the dastardly weather in the UK and.the US. We have been having heatwaves for months now, but we shrug and say, well it is summer. Must be puzzling to hear people complaining about the heat when you're freezing though.

Happy Valentine's Hilary! I haven't been around the blogs much...busy start of the school year here for teacher me!

Denise

Julia Hones said...

Thank you for cheering us up, dear Hilary.
Have a wonderful weekend.

Julia Hones said...

And let me add that despite all the problems, we always find inspiration in those who reach out to others.
Take care.

Anonymous said...

Lenny is such a sweetie! Happy Valentine's Day to you Hilary! : )

~Sia McKye~ said...

Well, you are a grand lady, Hilary so why not?

Lifting a return toast to you with Ypocras (love it) and agreeing, that jet stream needs to be rebent. :-)

Sia McKye Over Coffee

Mason Canyon said...

Congrats on the new title and Happy Valentine's Day to you. I am so ready for the jet stream to go away so sunshine and warm weather can come our way.

dolorah said...

Ugh, we need rain, not floods. I hope you stay dry in your travels Hilary.

Happy Valentines day to you and Lenny.

......dhole

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Alex - Lenny is so thoughtful ..

@ Jo - Lenny just stands out as a special young man ... I'll be over to Tina's party sometime soon.

Thanks for the thought about building an Ark .. I think I need some carpentry courses first!

@ Patsy - thanks .. all well here

@ Robin - the hot chocolate sounds good doesn't it .. I'm on coffee right now - waking up time.

@ Keith - many thanks ..

@ Suzanne - hope you're safe in Cornwall .. the effects of the floods on farms are just too terrible to hear about ..

@ Manzanita - GrandBlogMom is doing fine with her hamper! It's been a night of severe winds .. but my morning coffee is warming me up.

@ Inger - thanks so much .. I hope you had a lovely day with your hubby ... in drought stricken Ca

@ Denise - Lenny just warrants so many hugs .. I realised Aus has been suffering with the heat ... but honestly this weather is pretty terrible - mainly on the effects on animals ..

Thankfully it's not cold, as such, but excessive heat is something I'd rather not have either ..

Good to see you here and understand the school term situation .. enjoy it.

@ Julia - glad my posts cheer many ... and that just by reading and seeing another take on life, we can be inspired .. appreciate that thought.

@ Suzanne - isn't Lenny great and thanks for the wishes ..

@ Sia - gosh now a grand (old) lady! Would love to have a toast of Ypocras with you .. and that jet stream needs to rebend - soon please!

@ Mason - fun title isn't it ... but like you I'll raise my arm and join the fray for looking for that sun and warmth once more ..

@ Donna - you are welcome to some of our rain, but not the floods. I don't think I'm going very far in the next couple of weeks .. and so far I've been lucky in my travels.

Thanks everyone for your wishes .. hope you've all had a happy Valentine's Day ..

... yet the snow storms of 4 days sound rather much .. and now Canada ..

Stay warm/cool and safe .. cheers Hilary

T. Powell Coltrin said...

Isn't that great. And yes you should watch out--in the underground.

Happy Valentines Day (late) to you!

Rosalind Adam said...

Cheers! I'll go for the hot chocolate if I may. Being on the London Underground always gives me that slight feeling of doom. It's so... well... so underground! Keep dry and warm.

Christine Rains said...

Happy Valentine's Day! And that's so sweet of Lenny. Hope you're having a lovely weekend and that the spring does not bring more rain.

Jo said...

Weather sounds like it's going from bad to worse lately. Hope all OK in your neck of the woods. Have friends in Whitstable so I hope they are OK.

klahanie said...

Hi Hilary,

How sweet of our young buddy, Lenny. I see you now are blog related to Lenny and the lovely Sharon. Sharon and I have both resided in Leek. Such a small world.

The extremes in the world's weather is becoming worrying. I hope you're managing to stay dry.

The jet stream problem is not so much the course it's in but the fact the jet stream is moving much faster than normal. This is also a reason we have been experiencing hurricanes in England and Wales.

Bless you and our amazing buddy, Lenny.

Gary

Juliet said...

Hilary, the floods in Britain sound really alarming, so I'm glad you emerged safely from the underground, and congratulations on being a grandblogmom - how lovely to be remembered on Valentines Day. I hope the sun shines for you soon.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Teresa - Lenny made my week .. the underground might be under the ground .. yet it was a taxi driver in Holborn about half a mile away from Chancery Lane who was killed by falling masonry as she sat in her car waiting for her clients.

@ Ros - sometimes hot chocolate, sometimes yppocras! I don't mind the tube when it's not jam-packed .. I'll use the bus or my feet on those times ..

@ Christine - thank you .. just hope Spring and some dry weather comes soon ... and Lenny is just so kind.

@ Jo - we had a 24 hour storm that was horrendous ... very very windy. The coast was very battered by the pounding waves ... the worst in the west ..

@ Gary - gosh Lenny makes my heart sing at times .. and I consider myself honoured that he always thinks of Linda and I, originally my own mother. I hadn't realised Sharon had lived in Leek - hence your connection ...

We're fine down here - but what happens with the world's weather is only something we can think about and wait and see. Yes I knew about the speed of the jet-stream being 1/2 as fast again than 'normal' - I hope it gets off its rushing course. Beautiful today!

Thanks for your thoughts for us all and particularly Lenny ..

@ Juliet - the floods and storms are alarming if people don't pay attention usually ... then sadly there are the 'freak' and other deaths .. very unfortunate.

I'm delighted with my grandblogmom title! and it is lovely to be remembered on Valentine's Day, as too Linda .. funnily enough the sun is shining now with a clear blue, cold, sky - but clear!!

Thanks everyone .. lovely today .. let's hope the main storms and rain deluges have gone for a while .. have a happy week - Hilary

Gattina said...

We didn't do anything special for Valentine, except we had Sushis, that's always a treat, as they are very expensive here. I saw the terrible flooding in the UK, I am sure there must be a very strong wind in Eastbourne too and now way to walk at the seafront ! I also read your post below. We had some damages due to the storm, not here in Waterloo, but still the wind is terrible. What a weather !

Empty Nest Insider said...

Lenny is always so incredibly thoughtful! You should be a very proud Grandblogmom, Hilary! Hot chocolate sounds delicious right now. Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Julie

Anonymous said...

Way to go, Grandblogmom!

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

A belated happy Valentine's Day, Hilary!

We've had a challenging month here in the U.S. with record low temperatures and major snow and ice storms. I can't wait for Spring!

Stay safe and warm.

Susan :)

mail4rosey said...

I thought of the underground travel there too, when seeing all of the flooding that's going on.

Weather's just crazy everywhere right now it seems!!

Sherry Ellis said...

Hope you had a wonderful Valentine's Day. Lenny is a real sweetheart!

Margie said...

Hilary,
First, many thanks for the lovely comment you left on my last post, you made my day better.

Grandblogmom suits you.
You are simply grand!

Always a pleasure to read your posts.

Margie
xx

Unknown said...

Hilary, thank you for dropping by far-flung Japan. Wild weather here, too. Yamanashi has a so-called 120-year snow and has shut down. Snow is 160 cm deep at this old minka - we can't get out. Regardless, I am glad to announce that my new website introducing the sudden mystery of my art and music is now live at http://catrienross.com so I hope you can visit. Congratulations on all your news - a hot chocolate to celebrate sounds perfect right now. Wishing you all the best as 2014 horse energy gallops forward - Catrien in Japan.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Gattina - sushis are a treat as you say .. delicious thought! Eastbourne has been buffeted by the strong winds - I've tended to stay away .. but the damage is quite serious for many.

@ Julie - isn't Lenny special and I am a grandblogmom - hot chocolate it shall be - we'll sit and mull over our mugs

@ Milo - many thanks!

@ Susan - I know the States has been really pummelled with the white stuff .. I hope you're safe - and like you just some quiet weather with some sun will be wonderful ..

@ Rosey - I hope the underground is safe .. as drying that out might be somewhat challenging! The weather is having a mind of its own at the moment .. and I hope its tantrums settle down ..

@ Sherry - the Valentine's weekend was fine .. quiet! Suits me ..

@ Margie - pleasure and I just hope all goes well in a couple of week's time ...

I feel very ungrandblogmom like .. but really appreciate your comment .. and lovely to see you .. take care

@ Catrien - thanks for coming over - I know Japan is covered in snow too .. the weather is stretching us this year .. Good luck with your creative projects ..

Let's hope 2014 will let our horse energies gallop forward ..

Good to see you all - have happy weeks - cheers Hilary

Unknown said...

Thank you as always for your support, Hilary.

Julie Flanders said...

GrandBlogMom - how cute is that?? I love it! And Lenny gets extra bonus points from me for the Snoopy card. Too cute.

I can't believe the footage I've seen from the floods in the UK. So devastating and unbelievable. You're so right, we all need a little cheering up with the way the world has been lately.

Stephen Tremp said...

I saw on the History Channel how they made and employ the barriers for the Thames River. An engineering marvel to say the least.

And I'm sending some extra cheer your way riiiiiiiight ...... now.

Deniz Bevan said...

Oh how lovely that you're Lenny's GrandMom!

All that flooding is starting to scare me. I've taken the train from Dawlish to Exeter. Eerie to see it torn up like that. I hope you get some dry weather soon!

cleemckenzie said...

Your new name is perfect! I love it. And here's to always remaining fascinated with life. But I'm sure your will.

Lynn said...

That's so lovely that Lenny has so much affection for you. I like that new name! And those goodies - oh my, really lovely!

Susan Flett Swiderski said...

GrandBlogMom... what an utterly lovely designation! Lenny sounds like a rare gem. So very thoughtful of him.

Jannie Funster said...

It is amazing the tube does not get flooded, as one would imagine it might from time to time.

Lenny picked well, as you are one fine fine lady to celebrate, now and always.

take care
xoxo

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Carole - hope all is well .. Hilary

@ Julie - it is a cute nom de plum isn't it! The Snoopy card is just wonderful ..

Floods, snow, drought - we're all stuck in it somewhere .. very difficult.

@ Stephen - that film on the Thames Barrier must have been very interesting .. I see snippets now and again.

Delighted to have the cheeeer riiight now! Thanks!

@ Deniz - it's a special honour Lenny has accorded me.

Well that train from Dawlish to Exeter isn't working at the moment .. and there's no rail alternative .. not sure what they're going to do.

It's been dry for a couple of days, and certainly drier, though a storm is coming through at the end of the week ..

@ Lee - I'm a lucky grandblogmom and I do love what can be gleaned, learnt from life it's fun.

@ Lynn - it is an amazing friendship that's sprung up from Lenny - he's one incredible young man. The goodies and my name .. all very good news in my book!

@ Susan - I was so chuffed when Lenny first said you're my GrandBlogMom .. he is true spark of light and happiness in my life - I always smile and laugh when I think of him ..

@ Jannie - yes, the Victorians built well .. thankfully! I'm not sure how many repairs for water flooding they've ever had to do .. interesting to find out - well perhaps not!

Thanks Jannie - re Lenny he is one special lad ..

Thanks to you all .. lovely to see you - Hilary

Annalisa Crawford said...

Oooh, yes, I think I'd be thinking twice before going on the Tube at the moment. But, I suppose, there are millions of people who are doing that every day because they have no choice.

What lovely Valentine's gifts you received!

Anonymous said...

I too would like the jet stream to change. We haven't had hardly any winter at all! Congrats on being a grandblogmom!

Damaria Senne said...

Grandblogmom. That is such an interesting name. I love it.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

@ Annalisa - I don't like rush hours and the tube .. but I think it's probably very safe otherwise ... Isn't Lenny's thoughtfulness just wonderful ..

@ MJ - we've had a couple of days of calmer weather I'm glad to say - more rain later this week; then I agree it's been 'warm' relatively .. GrandBlogMom is a great accolade isn't it ..

@ Damaria - isn't it a fun name .. Lenny is one great young man .. and very good to meet you ..

Cheers Hilary

MorningAJ said...

I love the way life gives us little nudges from time to time. Something from the past crops up without warning and brings back a memory or just makes something else fall into place all at once.
I like to think it's Fate telling me I'm in the right place.
(I feel a blog post coming on......)

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Anne - those co-incidences keep popping up now I've started blogging - I can't seem to get away from them ... but love the learning.

Hope the blog post has now found a happy place in the blog world ..

Cheers Hilary

Sara said...

Now, if this doesn't sum YOU up in the most wonderful way...."Life fascinates me ..."

All your posts reflect your love of life and what goes on around you. WE, your readers, are the lucky ones who get to learn from Hilary's "life" education. Don't stop, okay?

Warm regards...

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Sara - this is down to Lenny -such an amazing kid.

Life does fascinate me - you are so right and I feel very honoured with your comment - I'm not stopping, but to have such a brilliant thought .. just staggers me: thank you so much ..

and very warm regards to you, Sara, too - Hilary