Knitting mood continues & cardigans received

My parcel is received in Belgium with last bank holiday knitting for Leen and Celine ... the two bolero style cardigans in sparkly yarn..... Now it is Ahmed's turn, I am knitting a cardigan for him in Turkey.

It was good also that Leen appreciates the learning board I sent too - she can practice her alphabet and numbers with counting too. 

It would be good to get more interactive books and bilingual books plus education games and toys. Also some art materials for Boshra so she can paint and sell her artwork in the local markets and online. 

I am a hand to hand link up 

and can evidence your help with thanks!

This project is my life for the rest of my life for sure and there is so much we can do together in the family life rebuild. Don't forget you can help not only with donations but shopping online too with Marjorie's Yard..Marjorie's Yard Independent Consultant NYR   the commission on sales will help me with this project and expenses. Plus any ideas on fundraising let me know..

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Family Link Up - be part of the story

Donate through gofundme Thank you!

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Thank you for your help!

So wishing I could visit

Love this screen capture when Skyping Leen for her third birthday early this year. 

So so ready to have some time with Princess Leen and her sister Celine plus mama Boshra now in Belgium... My Leen first seen in Suleman Shah camp Turkey over skype then visited her when in Eleonas Camp Athens.... I am missing her growing up. So sad as I can be lonely here trapped with no funds and some health issues... and Boshra as said she feels lonely and isolated in Belgium... I just feel that me being able to actually nip over the sea to her on the ferry or if funds enough over on the Eurostar.... would help her.... we can tackle the languages together and explore all the resources available together.... I have some contacts in Brussels we could meet to help too. I am so frustrated with lack of financial freedom - so many issues to deal with as a result of lack of finances... I hope and pray in this Holy month of Ramadan my health and wealth issues are sorted out....maybe some funding will come or a good team of fundraisers for me to develop this Family Link Up to its full potential.  We have so many projects to do in life rebuilding.... A quick update from Turkey in my post now... Dante has been busy with his social work spending time with one of the refugees in hospital that needed an operation - he is such a caring person.

Princess Leen when just moved into Eleonas Camp Athens 

It would be good to get more interactive books and bilingual books plus education games and toys. Also some art materials for Boshra so she can paint and sell her artwork in the local markets and online. 

I am a hand to hand link up 

and can evidence your help with thanks!

This project is my life for the rest of my life for sure and there is so much we can do together in the family life rebuild. Don't forget you can help not only with donations but shopping online too with Marjorie's Yard..Marjorie's Yard Independent Consultant NYR   the commission on sales will help me with this project and expenses. Plus any ideas on fundraising let me know..

✿✿Shop Now✿✿

Family Link Up - be part of the story

Donate through gofundme Thank you!

✿ღ¸╭•⊰✿ GoFundMe ✿ღ¸╭•⊰✿

Thank you for your help!

New Parcel ready

I finished the cardigan I have been knitting with the wacky random colours... actually like Unicorn magic colours....I should look out for unicorn buttons and motif and knit more ... but if I could get materials to the womenfolk in Turkey they could do make so many nice creative things to sell too! The parcel I will send on Wednesday after my hospital tests..... I have some dates for Ramadan and some chocolate - there will be some more treats by Wednesday to go in the parcel..... as I can manage. 

 Those buttons found at the Canal Bank Holiday fair have set me off with knitting. They look good on this wool colouring too.

It would be good to get more interactive books and bilingual books plus education games and toys. Also some art materials for Boshra so she can paint and sell her artwork in the local markets and online. 

I am a hand to hand link up 

and can evidence your help with thanks!

This project is my life for the rest of my life for sure and there is so much we can do together in the family life rebuild. Don't forget you can help not only with donations but shopping online too with Marjorie's Yard..Marjorie's Yard Independent Consultant NYR   the commission on sales will help me with this project and expenses. Plus any ideas on fundraising let me know..

✿✿Shop Now✿✿

Family Link Up - be part of the story

Donate through gofundme Thank you!

✿ღ¸╭•⊰✿ GoFundMe ✿ღ¸╭•⊰✿

Thank you for your help!

Best wishes to the Duke & Duchess of Sussex

All the family send their heartfelt best wishes to Harry & Meghan the Duke & Duchess of Sussex. The wedding was watched by Boshra and Princess Leen and Princess Celine in Belgium... and the family in Turkey watched too... it was truly captivating from the serene way that Meghan went through the day, the fun of the pageboys and little bridesmaids.. Princess Charlotte was brilliant... and the way that Prince Charles welcomed Meghan and checked she was OK and that she looked good... and his concern and involvement of Meghan's mother... to that wonderful loving look of Harry as he meets his bride.... and wowee loved the preacher the message for us all.. Love is the way.... Transcript of Rev Michael Curry sermon on Love Makes you think of so many families apart that love one another and want to be together. 

love this past photo for Celine and can imagine that is how excited she would have looked if she saw the wedding procession go by... I hope one day they will be permitted to visit me here in the UK to see my family and to go round the castle in Windsor...... but for now I must think of how I can get some paid work & some funds to help the project Family Link Up.. I am in a very poor way at the moment unable to get to visit the girls in Belgium and need some hospital tests tomorrow - pray all will be well... as I miss seeing the girls - thank goodness for skype but I would like to go to Belgium to see them... 

It would be good to get more interactive books and bilingual books plus education games and toys. Also some art materials for Boshra so she can paint and sell her artwork in the local markets and online. 

I am a hand to hand link up 

and can evidence your help with thanks!

This project is my life for the rest of my life for sure and there is so much we can do together in the family life rebuild. Don't forget you can help not only with donations but shopping online too with Marjorie's Yard..Marjorie's Yard Independent Consultant NYR   the commission on sales will help me with this project and expenses. Plus any ideas on fundraising let me know..

✿✿Shop Now✿✿

Family Link Up - be part of the story

Donate through gofundme Thank you!

✿ღ¸╭•⊰✿ GoFundMe ✿ღ¸╭•⊰✿

Thank you for your help!

International Day of Families

Today is International Day of Families.. UN International Day of Families so it is important to remember those families that are scattered in the world having had to flee for safety.  

I have just been in Skype call with Dante in Turkey and families are busy trying to prepare for Ramadan.  Mama is visiting some of our sick family members and friends in hospital today.  I have been in contact with Boshra in Belgium and over the last week you will have seen from my last post been in a knitting mode..... it helps me while I cannot travel to Belgium to see Boshra and the girls as like when ever I knit for my family and this dear family now I can knit my loves and hugs in with every stitch.  So finished off some wool into two bolero style cardigans... and yesterday in our local wool shop in Hayes found some lovely random coloured wool that will go nicely with the fun buttons I got in the Canal Fair at the Bank holiday.... see photos below. 

If only I had funds coming in I could get materials for the womenfolk in both Turkey and Boshra in Belgium to make this too. So much I could do if I had the funds to get projects on the go.  

I am struggling financially myself but I will do without to help this family... as I am so committed to their lives being rebuilt.

Parcel just been sent in the post now with two cardigans and the educational laminated sheet for letters and numbers that I got at the Canal Fair.

It would be good to get more interactive books and bilingual books plus education games and toys. Also some art materials for Boshra so she can paint and sell her artwork in the local markets and online. 

I am a hand to hand link up 

and can evidence your help with thanks!

This project is my life for the rest of my life for sure and there is so much we can do together in the family life rebuild. Don't forget you can help not only with donations but shopping online too with Marjorie's Yard..Marjorie's Yard Independent Consultant NYR   the commission on sales will help me with this project and expenses. Plus any ideas on fundraising let me know..

✿✿Shop Now✿✿

Family Link Up - be part of the story

Donate through gofundme Thank you!

✿ღ¸╭•⊰✿ GoFundMe ✿ღ¸╭•⊰✿

Thank you for your help!

Last weekend Bank Holiday

The Bank Holiday weekend we have just had was brilliant weather and if I had had the funds would have loved to have taken the ferry over to Belgium to have had time with the Boshra and the girls.  We could have done some pre Ramadan shopping to prepare for the month ahead. Of course I am just getting back my out and about energy and confidence too from the hospital scare.  But it looks like they manage to get some fun and first experience of fun fair in the local town... Love Celine with the massive candy floss.... and looks like Princess Leen was full of adventure with mama and enjoyed the rides.
We were in different places I managed to use my freedom pass to get to Paddington on bank holiday Monday to the canal boat fair in Little Venice which was just aside the Paddington station .. but wowee would have been brilliant o have had some funds to get some of the goodies seen and give the traders a boost too..  You can see all my photo shoots of the event on this link to my cup of tea share & care blog ... Canal Boat Fair  But all the arts and crafts made me think more and more of getting Boshra and the other womenfolk active in making and designing products to sell on market stalls - would be fun going round local popular Fairs.

Love the traditional canal boat artwork this was good to show Boshra and the girls on facebook photo share... but what got me going was this button stall...awakened my creativity too! Just wish the stall was around every week now.. 

I have been busy since Monday knitting this bolero shaped cardigan for Princess Celine with some yarn I had in the house... I had been tidying a box out and found an old knitting pattern book that I used for my grandchildren.. appropriately named Princess Knits. 

It would be good to get more interactive books and bilingual books plus education games and toys. Also some art materials for Boshra so she can paint and sell her artwork in the local markets and online. 

I am a hand to hand link up 

and can evidence your help with thanks!

This project is my life for the rest of my life for sure and there is so much we can do together in the family life rebuild. Don't forget you can help not only with donations but shopping online too with Marjorie's Yard..Marjorie's Yard Independent Consultant NYR   the commission on sales will help me with this project and expenses. Plus any ideas on fundraising let me know..

✿✿Shop Now✿✿

Family Link Up - be part of the story

Donate through gofundme Thank you!

✿ღ¸╭•⊰✿ GoFundMe ✿ღ¸╭•⊰✿

Thank you for your help!

Parliament meeting on Refugees in Turkey

I was able to summon up some energy after my recent illness to get along to Parliament yesterday. Kindly helped and supported by the parliamentary staff too who were concerned about my illness, I am always touched how the staff help me and know me as Marjorie with all my campaigning and activist work. I have to keep going as it is my continued personal quest to keep updated on the wider picture of refugees in Turkey and Europe. While I am helping to befriend and care for my Syrian Family in the Family Link Up project it necessary to be informed and to network with others that are helping refugees.  I learn a lot from my Family Link up to put forward ideas and suggestions and concerns too. The meeting was organised by a Turkish group that have a centre here in London. Turkish link. There were speakers from the UNHCR too.  The main issue is this -Turkey hosts 3.4 million refugees! The numbers expanding with birth rates too! There is a need for intensive and continued help to rebuild lives, to settle families and to ensure good education and health care.  So it is important as a Global Family we link up to help.  

Whilst there are a number of macro projects from NGOs and International organisations I really feel it enhances the support of refugee families if we can befriend and be carers of families particularly those that are scattered now between Turkey & Europe... I find like many other individual carers an immense bond with my family and am able to connect to other services and projects too for them. I listen and take notice of their ideas too. Of course we as a combined family and carer/befriender have many ideas too on how to rebuild lives. The key need for all is funding to get those ideas in to action plans and measured outcomes! There can be, with good initiatives a good return on the investment of funding as lives are rebuilt and become successful. This can turn burden into benefit for any host country. 

There is no doubt that as I have witnessed, Dante and the family groups in their community do a lot of unofficial social work helping one another. They shoulder some of the burden of the most vulnerable, ensure hospital and doctor appointments are made and patients attend as needed.  

There is a wealth of skills and knowledge among the communities I am in contact with .. teachers, reporters, writers, business administrators, IT engineers, historians, artists and craftsman. There is a need to harness the skills and their ideas to help the host countries. They have a desire to help their hosts out of grateful thanks too! 

I put forward that as volunteers that are able to cross borders we can help link up traders from different regions and countries.. it would be good if there could be mayor to mayor link up of other cities in the world to help problem solve, trade network and build enterprises to enhance the host countries economies rather than be a burden. 

There was a strong discussion in the meeting of a need to help integration of refugees in the host country as the crisis continues and the population increases not so much by influx but now by birthrates.  Educational needs are prime importance with clearly the need to learn the host country language to help integration. There have been successful use of refugee doctors and nurses within the Turkish health care system. All healthcare is free at the point of need.   

Languages are always key - has I report to you in this blog it is wonderful how the younger children simply absorb the languages spoken around them.  So targeting the children early on language learning is vital. My Syrians want to learn as many languages as they can as they enjoy learning & see it has the only way to be able to build their lives in the new surroundings.  We have fun learning languages. I have been invited to learn Turkish with our Turkish communities here in London .. so looking forward to visiting the centre.  
There are some useful Links here I have found to help you read more on the situational needs in Turkey. Open Democracy article - Employment & Social Enterprise and this report pdf is useful for more intensive reading. "Turkey recognizes the role of building better labour market opportunities for refugees through the 3RP" Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan 2017-18.

It would be good to get more interactive books and bilingual books plus education games and toys. Also some art materials for Boshra so she can paint and sell her artwork in the local markets and online. 

I am a hand to hand link up 

and can evidence your help with thanks!

This project is my life for the rest of my life for sure and there is so much we can do together in the family life rebuild. Don't forget you can help not only with donations but shopping online too with Marjorie's Yard..Marjorie's Yard Independent Consultant NYR   the commission on sales will help me with this project and expenses. Plus any ideas on fundraising let me know..

✿✿Shop Now✿✿

Family Link Up - be part of the story

Donate through gofundme Thank you!

✿ღ¸╭•⊰✿ GoFundMe ✿ღ¸╭•⊰✿

Thank you for your help!

Parcel arrived today

yea just got some photos from Boshra in Belgium that the parcel arrived... love seeing Princess Leen's face light up with a new book to read and learn with.. But looking by the cardigan it may be that Leen will get some wear out of this before little sister Celine... so pretty a pattern and wool ... just wish I could get the pink circus dress from Mothercare it would go nicely.  
I was feeling down the last few days normal after pneumonia and gathering your energy but the family have helped me today... given me a surge of energy.. Dante had a talk with me on skype from Turkey and I had time with little Ahmed and the family there through my lap top.... then this now with the photos from Belgium... 

I am renewing my networking to find paid work and also looking to see if I had been shortlisted for a poetry competition... sadly just seen not as that would have brought in a £5000 first prize Poetry Society Competitions  I will keep trying to find ways to get funds in as Family Link Up is my life... I am so so ready to go and visit Boshra and the girls. I would love to travel to Turkey too to see the family and groups there again. 

It would be good to get more interactive books and bilingual books plus education games and toys. Also so art materials for Boshra so she can paint and sell her artwork in the local markets and online. 

I am a hand to hand link up 

and can evidence your help with thanks!

This project is my life for the rest of my life for sure and there is so much we can do together in the family life rebuild. Don't forget you can help not only with donations but shopping online too with Marjorie's Yard..Marjorie's Yard Independent Consultant NYR   the commission on sales will help me with this project and expenses. Plus any ideas on fundraising let me know..

✿✿Shop Now✿✿

Family Link Up - be part of the story

Donate through gofundme Thank you!

✿ღ¸╭•⊰✿ GoFundMe ✿ღ¸╭•⊰✿

Thank you for your help!