Last summer, as I was walking around Seagrove Bay on the Isle of Wight, I happened upon the brightly painted pebble that you can see pictured above. It had been left on the beach – quite deliberately – to bring a smile to whoever was fortunate enough to find it. Wasn’t I the lucky one? And what a sweet, sweet idea! An idea worth sharing, I thought, hence the poem below. And when I return to Seagrove Bay, I shall paint a pebble and leave it for someone else to find!
I found this pebble on the beach,
Quite by chance, the other day,
Painted brightly,
Just for fun,
And hidden there along the way.
I saw this pebble lying there,
Whilst walking round the shingly bay,
Coincidence?
A random chance?
A gift to make another's day.
I'll keep this pebble from the beach,
Because it always makes me smile,
Reminding me
That joy is free,
And kindness always so worthwhile.
I’m Amber, an eight-week-old Fox Red Labrador Retriever. I thought you might like to read about some of my adventures from time to time.
Yesterday, the most paw-some thing happened…
I got adopted by my new family!
This is me with my new mum and dad. Just look at their happy faces! I like happy faces. I especially like to lick them. Mum has almost the same colour hair as me – what a great way to accessorize!
Anyhow, suddenly I got strapped into my very own car seat. At first I was all squirmy and wormy, and wriggly and giggly – but as soon as the engine started and we pulled away, I was lulled off to sleep. Good job, because it was a LONG way from Leicestershire to London. I slept the entire way, apart from when we stopped at Motorway services for a coffee break.
When we finally got to my new home, it was dark. Everything smelt strange and different. But I soon found my way around – I was beside myself at all the new things to explore.
But the very best thing of all was that there were more people with happy faces waiting to greet me! They all made such a big fuss of me. And everybody wanted to play! It was one big play fest!
Oh and by the way…I noticed there were also these two funny fur-balls, of the feline kind. But they gave me a wide berth….well, for the time being, anyway.
When it was bedtime, I settled down in my crate. I woke my mum and big sisters up a few times in the night. 1am, 3am and finally at 5:30. I just needed to know that my new family were still there.
Then….from 5:30 – 7:30am, I enjoyed a really long play with my special new friend Emily. She’s little, just like me. I like her a lot.
And then we both kind of collapsed for a little snooooozle.
I was a bit sad when some of my family members had to leave for work and school. No fair!
I can’t wait for them all to come home this evening.
I really hope you’ve enjoyed hearing about how I settled in. I will post some more ‘pup-dates’ from time to time, plus some of my very best Labrador Life Lessons – so make sure you stay tuned by subscribing!
Hi! My name is Angela. I write stories and poems for both children and adults.
Around fifteen years ago, I began to take my life-long love of creative writing to a new level and started writing Picture Books.
Like in every good story, there have been plenty of obstacles along the way! It’s been fifteen years of stops and starts, highs and lows, plus a few depressing rejections in between! But, thankfully, the story isn’t over just yet.
Some of my Picture Book stories feature:
a noisy, guitar-playing goose
a squirrel who loses a treasure
and a loveable tortoise called Hugo.
Hopefully, one day, you’ll get to read them.
Kids, Kids, Kids!
Besides writing, I’m a busy mum to four growing kids, including a set of twins! I also work as a Child-Minder, specialising in Early Years, which gives me plenty of scope for the imagination! Our house is constantly full of children (of all ages) and there is never a dull moment!
Breaking into Print!
Back in 2015, I wondered what would happen if I combined my passion for writing with my faith. Soon after, I received my first ever YES from a publisher, when two of my short stories, ‘Pitch-Black Patch’ and ‘Hidden Blooms’ were published by Keys For Kids Ministries in their quarterly devotional.
It was so much fun, that I went on to write a few more stories, some of which include:
Don’t Forget the Toothpaste
Teacups and Trainsets
One Hundred Percent
Only God Can Do That!
That’s Not My Job!
and The Doll’s House
I’ve also contributed articles and devotionals for Unlocked, Devozine and Creation Illustrated.
I love to learn all I can about the craft of writing, and have recently completed courses in Picture Book writing, plus chapter books for older readers.
I have recently discovered and joined an amazing Writer’s Group, called ‘Write For A Reason’ and I am currently working on my first kid’s Novel.
Connecting
I’m a member of the SCBWI and enjoy being involved in the writing community on Social Media. I am a firm believer in learning from and helping to encourage others along the way and love to connect with other writers and creatives.
Relaxing
When I’m not writing, chances are I’m either curled up in my favourite arm-chair, (book in one hand, cup of tea in the other), cooking up a storm for the family, or pretending to be a country singer. I’m also a bit of a novice gardener, and keen wild-life lover.
I live in London with my amazing husband, Nathan, our four kids, two Rescue Tabby Cats, and our adorable Fox Red Labrador, Amber.
Angela Jelf 