If I Had my Life Again.............................

Belinda Emmet (an Australian writer) wrote about all the things she wish she had done, or not cared about, after she found out she was dying from cancer.

I don't want to make my readers feel morbid and sad, but this list makes me cry every time I read it. It also makes me think about my own life/mistakes (however big or small they may have been).

My mum died at a very young age of cancer (aged 49) and I know she had her list too. Some things she asked me to include/write onto my own list were:

i) never start a new day with an old argument ( talking about our partners here). And I have kept my promise on this one.

ii)worry less, and think less about things that don’t really matter; worry is the interest you pay on a debt that may not be yours.

iii)learn to “stop and smell the roses", you'll regret it if you don't.

iv) don't save your best clothes and jewellery for a special occasion; everyday is a special occasion. There is no "dress rehearsal" in life.

v) don't follow trends religiously; be yourself. Wear your ballet tutu to the supermarket if it makes you happy.




Here's Belinda's list:

*I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

*I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

*I would have talked less and listened more.

*I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

*I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

*I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

*I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

*I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

*I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.

*I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life
*I would never have bought anything just because it was practical,wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.



What would you do if you had your life over again up until this stage?

Lets Dangle Darling!

OK, as everyone is getting ready for Spring and Summer, I thought I would show you some of the gorgeous earrings we are selling this season.


These gorgeous hoops are so Spanish/Andalucian in style. They are brass with a selection of gemstones. A similar version in silver is on our site Price:€65.00



Gorgeous silver lotus earrings. (Matching pendant with green Amethyst stone on our site.)Also available in brass. Price:€85.00


Another very Spanish influenced design in silver and with multiple gemstones (garnets). Price:€68.00


These have to be seen to see the real beauty. A customer of mine described them this week "like a gorgeous delicate ball of spun sugar". When these catch the sunlight, they really are divine (and also very light to wear). Matching necklace on our site. Price:€85.00


The Celeste Earrings are luminous gold circles lined with teal apatite gemstones.. Suspended beneath these circles are cascades of peridot, apatite and fairly traded gold vermeil faux coral branches. Length is 2.75 inches. Price: €85.00


For those that like something a little more "discreet", the Camilla Earrings are a pair of elegant 24 karat vermeil lotus hoops which have been filled with tiny, luminous white pearls. Lovely! Price: €80.00


I always get compliments when I wear these. They are glowing baby blue aquamarine drops encased in a frame of handwoven crochet. Such beauties! Price: €85.00



These large hoops, measuring 1 and 1/2 inches in diameter, are woven with a glow of tiny pink tourmaline and plum amethyst rondelles and tiny gold filled beads. These earrings really glow on the ears! Perfect for Spring/Summer. Price: €85.00

To celebrate the coming of Spring (at least here in Spain where temperatures reached 30ºC this week!) and my "March madness", I am offering all my blog and Twitter "lovelies" a 20% discount on any pair of earrings from our site. Offer ends 31 March 2011. Please enter code: SPR25 in the comments box of your order.

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE………………………….

I absolutely LOVE this poem by the great Maya Angelou.
It just resonates with me on so many levels.

A woman should have
one old love she can imagine going back to, and one who reminds her how far she has come.

A woman should have
enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own
even if she never wants to or needs to.

A woman should have
something perfect to wear if the employer or date of her dreams wants to
see her in an hour……..

A woman should have
a youth she is content to leave behind.

A woman should have
a past juicy enough that she’s looking forward to retelling it in her old age.

A woman should have
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill and a black lace bra.

A woman should have
one friend who always makes her laugh and one who lets her cry.



A woman should have
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family.

A woman should have eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems and a recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honoured.

A woman should have
a feeling of control over her destiny.

Every woman should know
how to fall in love without losing herself.

Every woman should know
how to quit a job,
break up with a lover,
and comfort a friend without ruining the friendship.

Every woman woman should know
when to try harder…...and when to walk away.

Every woman should know
that she can’t change the length of her calves, the width of her hips or the nature of her parents (still getting my head around this one!).

Every woman should know
that her childhood may not have been perfect……but it’s over (finally got this!).

Every woman should know
what she would and wouldn’t do for love.

Every woman should know
how to live alone……even if she doesn’t like it.

Every woman should know
whom she can trust, whom she can’t,
and why she shouldn’t take it personally.

Every woman should know
where to go……..
be it to her best friends kitchen table…….
or a charming inn in the woods………..
when her soul needs soothing.

Every woman should know
What she can and can’t accomplish in a day…..
a month……and a year.


Is there anything you think should be on this list, but isn't? I was thinking "Every woman should have a good, cashmere black sweater!" Frivolous I know, but it doesn't have to be deep and profound.
C'mon girls, lets add to this list.

A small drop in a big ocean

If you look to just the right of this post you will see a KIVA logo. Many customers and blog friends have asked me about this organisation and why I have chosen to donate monthly profits to them.

OK, so here is how it started. When I read the book 29 Gifts by Cami Walker (you can read it a few posts below), this organisation was mentioned. So I went to the site and researched whether it was where I wanted my money to go-and it certainly was, without a doubt .

Kiva is a non-profit-organisation with a mission to connect people through “lending” as a means to alleviate poverty. They provide safe and affordable access to capital for budding entrepreneurs in Third World countries, to help those people create a better lives for themselves and their families.

The loans are repaid over time and then the money is re-loaned to other business owners in need. As I am very against the “state benefit/hand-out culture” we seem to have created in many places (definitely in the UK and Spain!) where people feel they have a “right” to just hold their hands out and get all their financial needs met by the State, I found this organisation so inspiring.

In the past my monthly donations have gone to help someone in Peru buy a donkey, so that he can carry his wares to sell at the local market. Another recipient was a woman in Ghana who needed a loan to help her run her food stall. At the beginning I tried to focus on women entrepreneurs that needed help. But as my husband pointed out, anyone in a Third World country who is doing their best to better themselves, should be admired and helped.

Don’t get me wrong, I benefit just as much from this relationship. How?
Well when I give anonymously, knowing that my pennies will be going to help someone across the other side of the world to me; whose business progress I can follow (albeit if it is someone with 1 donkey and a cart-load of vegetables), but who will never know about me, it is SO rewarding. Secondly, this has really helped me change my mind-set of lack and scarcity which I grew up around as a child (despite my parents being very well-off!) My mothers fears of it “all disappearing” seeped into my consciousness, and subsequently I lived with this mindset for the best part of 35 years. As anyone knows this kind of mind-set is self-perpetuating. However, now, by giving every month I know my mind-set has changed, and again it is self-fulfilling. So you see, I benefit tremendously also.

This month, this is my recipient

Her name is Isabel from Peru, and she has requested a loan to help her buy supplies for her very small restaurant/eating establishment.

I would love to hear your views. Perhaps you don’t believe in organisations such as this. Perhaps you feel more charity should be done nearer home, in our own countries (I have friends who believe this).Or perhaps you feel small, personal donations are NOT going to eradicate poverty whilst we have so many dictatorial or corrupt governments, so it’s just a pointless drop in the ocean. I would really like to hear your perspective.

What I've Learned So Far...............

As I continue on my journey of the "University of Life", there are some things that I have learned that keep coming up; lessons I can’t seem to avoid. Here are some of the things I have learnt so far:

* Stop trying to convince anyone of anything.

* The Universe whispers to you first. Then it taps you on the shoulder. If you’re still not listening, it will punch you in the gut and drop you to your knees. (I've been brought to my knees a few times, and looking back it was completely necessary!)

* The worst lie you can tell yourself is “I will be happier when……….” (God! I am only just starting to "get" this!)

* If you don’t give with a true sense of joy, don’t bother giving.
I'm still doing my 29 Day Giving Challenge-(see post below) but actually finding it a real challenge. Some days I'm really stumped

* Logic has it’s limits. People who worship logic all the time tend to suffer in their happiness and relationships. (Having studied the Sciences, logic was always my first port of call. Hubby has gradually taught me how "illogical" my "logic" could be).


* You’re never as wrong as when you are sure you are right. (I LOVE this).

* It’s great to have an edge, but if you are too sharp you will cut the people around you. (One of the reasons I left my previous profession as a Criminal Psychologist. I was just cutting too many people close to me).

* It’s not easy being grateful all the time. But it’s when you feel least thankful that you are most in need of what gratitude can give you.

* I’ve learned not to worry about what comes next. (A really difficult one for me, but with the help of some great books and coaches I'm getting there).


* For me the word “doubt” means don’t. Don’t move. Don’t answer. Don’t rush forward (This one works for me EVERY time).


What have you learnt so far as you journey through the University of Life? I would love to hear some of your lessons, and how you came by them.