Guest post: Serendipity

I am absolutely thrilled to say I have been paired with Sandrine   to submit a guest post. By great good fortune, it became clear as we exchanged email ( and Sandrine explained to me what to do, it's my first time ! )  that we're a great match. We have similar interests, ideals and feeling on what is appropriate content on our respective blogs. We agreed to write our posts on the theme of 'Serendipity.' 

I thought about it a while, then as is often the case, the universe intervened.

I know there is no strict evidence of the hand of fate, however I feel sometimes that we are creating a very stylised, overly managed world - a bit of chaos and disorder can shake things up a bit. I don't really want my children growing up into world where there is only one 'right' way of doing things, I would like to encourage them to have a go at things that they enjoy and think around obstacles when they come. 

In short I believe in the hand of fate and definitely believe in serendipity. 

I posted the opening verse of a Robert Browning poem recently on my blog. It may have seemed a little, well, you know, over the top. It felt right however. Here in the UK we have had an unusually long, harsh Winter. For many it seemed that the Summer was never going to come. Suddenly the sun arrived, the flowers bloomed London started buzzing and I think we all really felt the sun's warmth in many many ways.  

Several bloggers left lovely comments in response to the poem; many of us were forced to learn it parrot fashion at school ! The lovely Sparx , leaving her comment today - the day I need to exchange guest post with Sandrine, told me that 27 years ago she wrote the very same verse, tucked it in an envelope, anonymously, and slid it under the door of her very homesick English Professors, then teaching in Canada. What a delightful thing to do.

Here's a summary.Here in London I posted the opening verse of a poem; I have been in email exchange with Sandrine in Turkey discussing our mutual appreciation of the goddess Minerva / Athena. Sparx let me know that the poem meant an awful lot to her and her university English professors in Canada. What are the odds on that ?  

Huge bowl of lentils cook slowly in chicken or other good tasty stock with garlic pepper and the odd chilli. Rinse, drain & serve with watercress, pancetta quickly pan fried and big chunk of warm bread. Yum.




This guest post was brought to you by Belgravia Wife - sort of who blogs over at Belgravia Wives.  Head over there now to see some great pieces of writing and more yummy recipes. You can subscribe to her blog here. And you can also subscribe to our blog here, or join us in the Google Connect widget  top left of this post. And then why don't you pop over to Littlemummy's to have a look at the other guest post exchanges she's hosting?