This is a little thank you note to appreciate every single one of you. To all those who have kept me company in this space through these months; to all those who found me worthy to honour with a blog award now and again, to all those who supported this blog in many little ways that kept it alive, I thank you.
Some days when I’m low in spirit, your bright posts, comments and encouragement peps me up. Many may consider this as ‘unreal friends’ because we are all online… but I don’t think so. You all impact my life from wherever you are. You all make me a better person and for some reason, you are in my heart.
Woah! It’s two years since I started my blogging journey. I was only reminded last night when WordPress sent me a note that my site’s subscription is due for renewal.
Hmm! I had no idea when I started this affair with blogging that I would fall deeply in love with it and stick to it with such tenacity.
I honestly can’t begin to say in specifics how much this affair has made me grow. When I started, I had no iota of an idea what I was getting into – I still remember saying to myself, if the water gets too hot in here, I’ll simply climb out of the tub.
I am enjoying the choppy waters of the blogosphere and I am grateful with all my heart that I answered this call. It infuses me with such satisfaction, most especially friends that I’ve made in this space.
It’s been a wonderful experience and I thank all of you who have been here with me. You are all raising me up to be better than I was yesterday and today.
I truly wish I could have face time with a lot of people that I’ve met here. We would hug like old friends, sit, laugh, share a cocktail and many stories.
I’ll be hosting my monthly blog party this weekend, join me and celebrate.
“Friends are the family we choose for ourselves.” Edna Buchanan
I sat yesterday nursing a smoothie after work and trying to write a couple of lines before moving along, but as usual my eyes’ were drawn to passersby when the two lovely ladies strolled by leisurely chatting, laughing and hands entwined as they admired the dresses through the boutiques show glass.
My eyes trailed them for several minutes and after a while I could no longer resist going up to chat with them briefly. They shared bits about themselves and their philosophy with me and I went away feeling fuller in spirit and wearing a smile.
Indeed, friends can be found in unlikely places and a true friend will accept who you are, will hold your hand and will help you become who you should be.
Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.
When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.
On Thursday’s, I share pictures about ‘Echos of my Neighbourhood.
I would like to invite you to participate. The challenge is quite simple.
Every Thursday, share a photo of bits and pieces of wherever you are at any point in time. It could be a house, backgrounds of your neighbourhood, activities and so forth and you can tag it Echos of my Neighbourhood, add my link to your post so that I will get the ping from your post.
Every other Thursday, I will publish a post with the links of all those who participated the previous week.
This is just a fun way of getting to see more of the World around us through your eyes since we cannot all be at those places, we could, at least, see them through you.
I wonder how smooth these beauties drive.
Beautiful people
Dear Himself in a tete-a-tete.
A platter of this and that and good conversation washed down with date wine and Turkish coffee. Lovely evening 🙂
Milling around the food
Delicious 😉
Waiting and watching the children practice their Shotokan karate katas.
An enthusiastic sweet child 🙂
Watching the chef rustle up a meal on the go for me. Okay, I admit, I like food 🙂
Sizzling hot platter of pasta, shrimps, veggies, cheese and garlic bread. Yummy
Idling in traffic and watching the fountain change colour
Now the fountain is green
These are some bits and pieces of my past week, from taking children to Shotokan-karate classes, work, dinner blah, blah running helter-skelter, my wheel of life keeps rolling.
I absolutely love vintage and antique stuff. Unfortunately, I don’t have the pocket to afford them, but at least I can enjoy a good look at them, so it was a delight to run into this vintage cafe, where I can go and satisfy my eyes with eye-candy and take loads of photos 😉
I am happy that this week which has been so and so for me is coming to a close. My emotions hurtled from one end to the other all week, but a warm evening spent last night in the ambience of beautiful, intelligent friends does make one feel a lot better 🙂
We e-zoomed around various neighbourhoods on our laptops, pads, phones, and got a peek into what lovely folks are doing.
Giggles and tales: So much beauty of nature, people and fat gorgeous Cows and Geese. I like 🙂
Rosses of Donegal: absolutely gorgeous and dreamy views of Rosses area in County Donegal in North West Ireland.
Don’t horde the beauty of the life around you, just for yourself. Do share with us
Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.
When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.
She is amazing at describing love and life in her poems. She creates such beautiful images with her words. Truly, she is a talented writer and I’m so excited to have her poetry book and to continue reading through it.
❤ The lovely handbook below, ‘Blessings from heaven,’ is a beautiful gift from Ann Hayes.
She’s a lovely friend of mine back in Houston. She surprised me with it at the George Bush International airport on the day we were leaving the US for our move to Dubai. I hadn’t expected to see her, nor the blessing of the book and I always keep it with the Rosary, a gift from my brother-in-law’s trip to Jerusalem.
Though these may seem like simple things, they speak of pure thoughtfulness and sweetness to me. I never forget such gestures.
❤ There’s nothing as sweet and as pure as a baby’s playful delight and gorgeousness. For me, it’s cuteness overloaded. It always gives my heart joy to watch their simple delight.
❤ Cute little puppies spell pure carefreeness and mischief to me 🙂
Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.
When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.
From the very first poem, “Dreams,” this book captivates with passionate and perceptive words. Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha captures a broad expanse of the human experience in this book of richly layered poems.
With the ups and downs of life, sometimes, it’s difficult for your minds to clinch into a constant state of grace because most times our reflections are on auto drive on picking out the things that may not be going as we wish as against the other blessings that are pebble stones on our path and act as GPS to help us navigate back when we stray down the road of doubt and ingratitude.
Making a conscious decision to express gratefulness has made me more conscious and appreciative of the little things that I ordinarily took as a given and with this comes a greater sense of contentment and peace.
I’m totally grateful for the kindness received from those around me. To Tasha of Hit below the belt hard, I appreciate the slice of carrot cake you bought for me 😉
I’m grateful for the fact that though sometimes I fall short in my responsibilities as a parent and wife, my husband has been doing his best to remain my supportive backbone.
I don’t take these things for granted and I always encourage anyone to practice the state of gratitude not so much for the present state that you are in, but for the journey of the wonderful sense of contentment that it builds in you.
There’s always something to be grateful for and you will probably find so many when you look.
Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.
When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.
From the very first poem, “Dreams,” this book captivates with passionate and perceptive words. Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha captures a broad expanse of the human experience in this book of richly layered poems.
“It’s always good to take a little time out of your busy life to focus just on yourself and if you’ve got a friend to share a cup with, that’s goodness tasted and remembered.” Jacqueline
It’s a weekend good folks. There’s nothing like a little timeout to chill and natter with a good friend with some music in the background, or,
to chill all by yourself with a compelling good read, soft music, a warm cuppa or glass of cold drink – whichever suits you best 🙂
Enjoy. Love and light
Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.
When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.
I listen to the tinkles of the water,
the thrums of the guitar and the deep rhythm of the bass.
No words are said, as you stare deeply into my eyes.
The look caught within your pupils, mirrors all the love trapped inside
aching to flow out, a syllable at a time. Just like that soft jazz.
On Thursday’s, I share pictures about ‘Echos of my Neighbourhood.
I would like to invite you to participate. The challenge is quite simple.
Every Thursday, share a photo of bits and pieces of wherever you are at any point in time. It could be a house, backgrounds of your neighbourhood, activities and so forth and you can tag it Echos of my Neighbourhood, add my link to your post so that I will get the ping from your post.
Every other Thursday, I will publish a post with the links of all those who participated the previous week.
This is just a fun way of getting to see more of the World around us through your eyes since we cannot all be at those places, we could, at least, see them through you.
The Dates are ripening in sweet heaps and are being harvested with the bags tied under them.
A cast boot at Arabian ranches
Cute 🙂
Want some traditional coffee?
The pool looks inviting in this blistering sun.
I have no idea what it is.
Looks like a nice place to sit.
People watching
A little friend visits the office
Shopping for my girl.
Along Sheikh Zayed
The fountain is pale blue water.
This interesting statue contains all the World’s flags
Empty bobbing boat
Random building
Dates, dates everywhere! It’s the date season and the palms are burgeoning with fruits. A lot are bearing little bags that are tied under to harvest them for eating and producing various types of sweet stuff.
I’ll probably try my hand doing some date juice and see how it turns out.
The random photos were taken during the course of the week of perambulating to and fro office and about town.
From armchairs, we got to meander about and see what other folks are up to in their neighbourhoods. Let’s see some of yours 🙂
Following Seas, Luanne’s photos are so serene and lovely. Take a look. Thank you Luanne for sharing with us 🙂
Saba online: Some of these photos have mysterious quality like the cover page of a thriller. Saba thank you for joining echoes 🙂
Like Mercury Colliding: Kat always has fascinating stuff to show us. Now, these are truly interesting neighbourly trees with lots of character. Take a peek. You might find a storyline in there.
Her parents worked on circus grounds her life was a merry go round. Da threw knives and ate fire Ma a nimble gymnast he desires. They moved from town to town in colourful travelling caravans. Like rolling stone that gathered no moss most times she felt a sense of loss from all the towns they had to cross. For many times, she made a friend it always quickly came to an end.
![Friends[1]](https://acookingpotandtwistedtales.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/friends1.jpg)
![1456149614808[1]](https://acookingpotandtwistedtales.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/1456149614808121111.jpg?w=652&h=652)
![1465364479684[1]](https://acookingpotandtwistedtales.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/14653644796841.jpg)
![Friends_drinking[1]](https://acookingpotandtwistedtales.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/friends_drinking1.jpg)
a cooking pot and twisted tales 