....and the winners are.........

....A couple of blogs ago, I was writing about the delights of having a sea view...and whether, if you had one.... you`d ever tire of it. I asked what kind of sights YOU could see from where you live or work--and what kind of view you`d like to have. And I promised a chocolatey prize from the amazing Shropshire chocolatier Julia Wenlock (@tootsweetsshrew) for the winner.

Well there was a fabulous response--so thankyou!

And because I`m so chuffed that you took the time and trouble to send pics, I`ve decided to award two main prizes instead of one...and a sweet treat from Julia`s shop for everyone whose picture appears on the blog.

So...a box of freshly made chocolates to Nita, for her beach views of Pwhelli (and the view in her room of Livia doing *yoga*), and another box of freshly made chocs to Kerry of Shropshire, for her views of beaches in Wales and Cornwall, and her favourite view of all, little Luke.

And for the `runners up`....mini chocolatey thankyous : to Mike in Folkestone, Judy in Warwickshire, Alec Dyche (man on the move), Roy W (man hearing moooos), Tracey the HoboFlorist from Oswestry, Cathy Brown with her view from a London office, Scott from Scott`s Snack Shack in Shrewsbury, and for sheer impudence, Mr Ian Perry for *his* shot of the Sydney harbour bridge, which fooled nobody, but made me laugh.

I`ll pop the prizes in the post on Monday--so if your name appears above, please email me your address.   janemcintyre1@btinternet.com

And thanks so much for taking part!

ps. Julia Wenlock`s shop can be found at Shrewsbury Market Hall. I defy you to pop in and not buy something!!

What`s your view? Win chocolate !!!

Harlech`s perfect. Don`t tell a soul. 

Say you lived in a beach house. Maybe you do. Every day, you wake up and see wintry waves crashing against the shore, or shining and shimmering in the sun.

It`s dynamic; changing...so you`d never tire of it, right? Or can you have too much of a good thing?

This train of thought rolled in on a chilly, bright walk along the seemingly never-ending stretch of sand at Harlech yesterday. It was a bit of a change from my regular haunt at Aberdovey, but if you time it right at either beach, it`s just you and a dozen or so other people -- and a few dogs darting in and out of the water.

Harlech, Wales.

And I always look back at the nearest houses with envy, thinking that if I could pick my favourite view to wake up to...it would be this one: sea and sun, clouds and rain but always a calming, mesmerising seascape stretching into infinity.

And then I heard about a couple I know,who`d had just that. An incredible house, high on a hill, not far from where I was standing, with a clear view of the sea. They`ve just sold up. In their early sixties, they started wondering how much of a comfort the coast would be if they fell ill. So they`ve moved inland, to a town with a hospital, shops and a station close by.

I remember sitting with friends beside the pool in their idyllic garden in rural France. Over a barbecue and a few glasses of wine, everyone gazed at their enviable view--bucolic, beautiful, unbroken.....but..boring? `It IS lovely`, said our friend. `But it never really changes. We know it so well now.` I didn`t get it. It seemed like paradise. They`ve sold the place now, and, admittedly for all kinds of reasons, are back in Britain.

`Top of the Rock`, NYC.

Fast forward a couple of years to New York and the observation deck at the Rockefeller Center. Call me fickle and pitch me a one woman tent on top and I`d be pretty happy waking up to that view, too. Ten seconds of the stunning sights and sounds of the city that never sleeps gets  my blood pumping faster than an espresso triple shot. One of the most exciting places on the planet. . But then .......looking out at London--my birthplace, has the same effect. And Paris. Oh, actually, and the Cumbrian fells. See--I told you I was fickle.

Shropshire: up my street.

Maybe it`s just a case of the other man`s grass being greener. Or just nicer than no grass at all. When I was stuck in suburbia I dreamt about living in a place like Shropshire. In a little house with trees front and back. I`m here.

So how about you--what`s the view from your home or office right now? Does it inspire you or depress you? What would be your perfect view?

Send me a picture of the view from your window today, or the view you`d love to have, and I`ll add some to the blog. And because I`m feeling generous and happy after my seaside escape, there`ll be a lovemymondays.blogspot.co.uk  prize of chocolate for the best one; from gifted Shropshire chocolatier Julia Wenlock, who runs www.tootsweetschocolates.co.uk at Shrewsbury Market Hall. OK?

Please send your pic and a note about your view... to: janemcintyre1@btinternet.com  . Pictures from anywhere in the world would be just great, and the more the merrier...so thankyou in advance.

IMPORTANT (quite large, actually ) SMALLPRINT: If nobody sends me anything, I do, of course, reserve the right to eat all the chocolate myself. Every chunk. And I`m dieting.So save me. 

FAT CHANCE!!! YOUR PICS HAVE COME IN THICK AND FAST... NO MORE FOR NOW PLEASE AS WINNERS` PRIZES ARE NOW ACTUALLY BEING MADE BY JULIA THE CHOCOLATIER.  THANKS SO MUCH...HERE THEY ARE:

Judy Mansfield: nr Banbury

From Mike Howell in Folkestone :
Hi Jane
You wanted pics from people`s houses. Ok here are 2 views from my flat in Folkestone
View 1 (left) is looking over the English Channel, on a clear day I can see across to France.
The second view (below) is overlooking the town towards Caple le Ferne the site of the Battle of Britain
Museum and statue.

Thanks Mike. Envious!

And these from Kerry in Shrewsbury:

Kerry says: This (above)  is my favourite scenic view - I just have to look at it and I feel instant relaxation - It is at Llandanwyg Beach, I go down the road towards that beach and it feels like I am going home, even now just thinking about it I can feel  the waves of relaxation taking over me.  To sit there and the big rocks at the entrance to the beach and just look out over into the sea, listening to the waves gently rolling in, bliss! :)  Saw a Dolphin in the bay the last time I was there back in September, that was a fantastic sight. 

But she adds: This is my favourite of all views, never fails to bring a smile to my face, I will never tire of this view :)

And Kerry`s third pic; added because: " I thought I'd better include another of my favourite views - This (below)  is Porth Beach just outside Newquay in Cornwall, Sunsets here are beautiful!" Thanks Kerry! And Luke!!

Thanks to Scott Stephenson (aka @wasinthenavy on Twitter,)  for this picture, below . Scott`s description: "the view from Scott's Snack Shack in Shrewsbury!... Not the most picturesque"... (but thanks for sending it, Scott...you`re also in the draw!!)

Nita`s in Pwhelli. Which, in spite of having blog readers in Taiwan, Russia, Malaysia, Texas, New York, Uzbekistan and Germany, is the closest (SO FAR) to an international entry. Nita braved subzero temperatures, (she claims...) to net these gems (er...and the one of her laundry, which has its own charms...) Anything for chocolate, probably....!

But like Kerry.....Nita`s not averse to having a go at the awwwwwwwww factor....Here`s little Livvie...`dong yoga with the Waybuloos` !! 

And back to bucolic. Or possible Friesian. Anyway...it`s peeping through the kitchen blinds at Roy Williams in Longdon on Tern in Shropshire. No privacy, sometimes, is there?!

And thanks to Cathy Brown for this one.She might live in Shropshire...but today she`s a city girl in the smoke, working close to one of the capital`s most beautiful landmarks. Cathy says: " Can't see it from my desk but the wonderful sight of St Paul's Cathedral will greet me when I go out :-) 

How about yours? ( Come in, Belize.....over....) 

Oh. Not Belize, really, or anywhere near it...but *this just in* from another (nearly) foreign correspondent who loves chocolate but clearly thinks I was born yesterday. Yes, Ian, you may have used a telephoto lens but this isn`t *the view from your window* and you`re fooling no one ;) 

OK...back to reality now...and chilly winter driving, with a picture from Alec Dyche from a different kind of of window. Here`s what he saw, and what he has to put up with as he clocks up the miles.

And a couple of late entries from Tracey, who runs Hoboflorist in Oswestry . I`ll put Tracey`s pictures in the `views I`d like to have` category --as they hold special memories:

"Allan and I married at Niagara Falls in Canada.We walked up past the Falls the day after we got married back up to the Botanical Gardens where we were married outside in the rose gardens. On our way we saw the "Dalai Lama" and his friends, followed 5 minutes later By a family of Mennonites! Wonderful memories!"

The 12 HEYs of Christmas

They`re everywhere. Glossy women`s magazines with smug pictures of Dawn French, Fern Britton, Livia Firth and Cat Deeley on the front; boasting that they`ve got Christmas `all wrapped up`.

Party canapes, making one bottle of Cava go six ways, the perfect gift guide, the ideal LBD for your shape,and that vital Christmas Day hour by hour cooking countdown will all be there. Along with
 `tantalising` glimpses into how the other half spend their big day, and some tips on `making time for me`. (Just buy one in your life, and stash it away until next year because they don`t change much.)

Or read this.

Sorry if it`s a bit irreverent. I do realise that for some, Christmas isn`t Christmas without a bit of stress.

But it doesn`t have to be. So here are my 12 `heys `of Christmas. Hey! As in revelations. Many of which I learnt the hard way...but now that I`ve seen the light, feel I ought to share with you, as it`s the season of goodwill. It would be incredibly irritating to write HEY! at the start of each one, so just think it, OK?


1) Children`s toys. Get them now. And secretly assemble them in the office, or up in the loft or somewhere. This advice comes to you after a decade of discovering, on Christmas morning, that toy kitchens, plastic play houses, ride-on horses, Barbie Jeeps and magical castles can take HOURS to put together. That`s if the instructions are in English, and you have the time and the practical skills required.Trust me on this, or risk toddler tantrums and cold turkey.

2) Christmas cards: Optional. Has it got to the stage where you have so many to write that it`s become an RSI inducing ritual? Do you actually know the names of all the family members on the card you`re writing this minute? Are you so tired and bored that your signature just a GP`s scrip-scrawl ? Maybe think about making a donation to your favourite charity in lieu of cards instead. And while we`re on the subject of cards, don`t write `catch up in the new year !!!!` if you don`t mean it. If you said it on last year`s card, or they did, and you haven`t....it ain`t gonna happen.

3) Christmas cash--one year, me and my sister realised that we were just sending cash up and down the M1. I`d send her a voucher, she`d send me one of the same value.And then we`d send cash to each other`s children. Each envelope cancelled out the one received. If the grown ups in your family really do have enough `stuff`....maybe don`t march around town aimlessly trying to find them a gift--just meet up for a fab meal out sometime soon, or make a donation to a charity that really needs the dosh?

4) Cooking. It has its place.And gives millions of people endless hours of pleasure.But if you`re not one of them....ask for help. Assign tasks. Share the load. And.... psssst. Christmas markets and festive fayres sell fanTASTic cakes and mince pies...so you don`t have to bake unless you want to.

5) Turning up unannounced. Yep..it`s the season of goodwill and there`s every reason to invite friends and family round for a drink, a knees up, a meal, or more. Surprises really CAN be fun. But if it`s the (not that interesting) couple you met on holiday five years ago who were `just passing` (just as you`re settling down for your favourite movie) ....it`s not that great. Don`t be that couple. Check first.

6) Turning up unannounced...WITH BIG GIFTS. Has this happened to you, too? Not ONLY did they take us by surprise when the room was a complete bombsite with bits of toys, satsuma peel , dog hair, fractious, overtired children and broken nut shells everywhere....but did so armed with piles of presents that, like the guests, we really hadn`t anticipated. Big, expensive gifts. Awkward? Very. Advice in these situations? a) Effusive thanks and honesty  b) Effusive thanks and shedloads of booze down their necks so they don`t notice you`re not reciprocating c) posting a small child on lookout so that you can turn off the lights if said couple approach. Not advised, as children have a habit of screaming `but mummy, we ARE in...` just when you think you have it sussed. Ring first.

7) Working on the Big Day. Lots of people have to. All the blue lighters. People in hospitals. People in hospitality. People on the radio. So while Christmas is special, for lots of reasons.....don`t beat someone up literally or metaphorically, if December 25 is `another day at the office` for someone you love. See them another time.

8) The Food Shop. I remember one year, pre Christmas Sainsbury`s was so crowded that the queues almost reached the back of the store. Most big chains have opened more tills, and got faster. But why risk it? a) do it now and stuff it in the freezer and b) are you *really* going to eat two trolley loads before the shops open again (often on Boxing Day) ? Do you need it all? I reckon we spend so much, and often waste so much on `just in case` stuff. Cut back. Eat less. Give something to your local food bank.

9) Decorations. Do it your way. If a minimal, ice-white winter wonderland with everything matching floats your boat, go for it. Brrrr...but good luck. But if you`re the terraced house I passed near Crudgington last night (December 2) with virtually every brick covered in flashing, dancing lights, and you`re keeping it that way until the new year, then thanks! It made me smile on my dark, cold journey, and looked fantastic.

10) Wrapping up presents. Ohhhhhh. So much fun when there`s time. Such a toil when it`s 1 am on Christmas day and the Sellotape`s nearly finished. And all the tags have gone.I suppose it`d be easier to wrap stuff as you get it. But it`s advice I never heed so...see you at the kitchen table at 1 am on Christmas morning, probably. Don`t lose the end of the Sello, ta. Oh, and `cheap` wrapping paper, isn`t. It rips so easily that you need twice as much to go round the gift, so you might as well buy the more expensive, thicker stuff and stay calmer.

11) What Women Want. Don`t be that man with the `rabbit in the headlight` eyes in Marks and Spencer`s lingerie department this Christmas Eve; grabbing anything that`s left (often in festive red)  because `she can always change it`, and because you checked her cup fitting with the assistant who was `about her size`. Ask her. And, while we`re on the subject...ask HIM. He may not `need` any more socks.

12) Santa Claus is coming to town....He will, and the look on your children`s faces when they realise he`s been, and has scoffed  the mince pie and beer you left out...AND that Rudolph has chewed a couple of the carrots the kids selected for him ...will stay with you forever, and make all the hard work worthwhile. And anyway...they help you see in the dark.....

Have fun xx

PS: The little felt Christmas decorations in the picture are by the lovely Kerry (aka @Kerry_pt3 . You didn`t think I was that clever did you?) And ...number 11? Um...lips are sealed but check out @tootsweetsShrews at Shrewsbury Market Hall if you want to see a big smile on Christmas morning.... !


COMMENTS:  NITA. Just Nita ‏@just3nita

@janemcintyre12 I've Done Xmas. Everything wrapped. Stamps bought and waiting to be stuck on. Even made my own tags. I've had 12 months Jane

Secret Shrewsbury: shop here and buy one.

And now...for a commercial break.

For two reasons: firstly because this is my blog and I can have one if I want to. And because sometimes, the little guys get forgotten.

So while you`re taking in Shrewsbury`s fabulous medieval past, and its connections with Dickens and Darwin, have a peek at its independent shops and businesses, too. There are lots of them scattered around the town; small bright links in the retail chain.

Just for starters: well, pretty much any of the stalls in Shrewsbury`s Indoor Market; flowers, fruit and veg, clothes and carpets, Chinese spices and champagne.

But first for a mention in Monday`s top four:

Julia Wenlock`s chocolates (@TootSweetsShrew).  I`m not kidding; her salted caramels are to die for. And big slabs of chocolate with honeycomb underneath or nuts on top. I mean...come on....

Secondly: coffee.There are so many really good, friendly places to stop in Shrewsbury now- you`re really spoilt for choice. But before you order your latte, the chicken and mustard salad at Alfie and Billy`s ( @alfieandbillys  ) on Wyle Cop is hard to beat. And they`re so friendly! Plus you can watch the world go by while you`re eating, and sneak a look over the road at the window display in Blushies. Then go there...

There`s a good selection of vintage and interiors shops--but some are hidden away. Just like Eddies. On the edge of  the shops in Longden Coleham; it`s great for a browse . I nearly didn`t stop the other day, but popped in and ended up with two sets of salad servers (one with mother of pearl handles, one set in wood and tortoiseshell; (£5.50 a pair! ) a gorgeous silk scarf, a vintage lace bag for a fiver and a couple of napkins to match a tablecloth I bought there a few months ago. A lot of beautiful things, for not very much money.

And I was just jumping back in the car to go home...and remembered the hanging baskets I bought last year from the plant shop just opposite Longden Coleham school. There are some out the front, or you can ask to go through to the back of the shop, where there`s a little yard full of bedding plants and baskets. I`d never seen this bit before, and was happy to buy from here, rather than one of the massive garden centres that take you half an hour to get round and queue.

So that`s it. No, I don`t spend all my time shopping, and I certainly haven`t got money to burn. But if there`s a smaller independent business worth shouting about, in Shrewsbury or any other part of Shropshire, allow me to shout; and maybe add your favourite, too?

Have a good day!