Sunday 29 April 2012

Weekend Wonder

There are times when I have to sit back and appreciate just how lucky I am. I have a wonderful husband and two beautiful girls.

I was having a particularly bad moment this weekend; we all know them, where the hormones threaten to overwhelm us and plunge us head first into a complete meltdown. My amazing trio launched into full on sing and car dance to:



Needless to say I was instantly smiling through my tears and do dooing along....and have being doing so for the rest of the weekend!!

I hope you all had a good weekend. What is the song that instantly cheers you up?

Friday 27 April 2012

Mad Lib Masterpiece

Just a quick post before bed to share with you my Mad Lib Masterpiece. Head over to Kicking Corners to have a look. It has definitely been fun seeing how many different directions a story can head in with just a few random words.

Happy reading, happy weekend!

Magic Moment

Spending half an hour sat with my beautiful girls playing hairdresser. I ended up with some gorgeous pigtails, plaited with the help of my other half no less. I don't know about you but I love having my hair played with. It brings back such clear and memories of my Father.

Thursday 26 April 2012

Random Thursdays goes Mad Lib

I love Kicking Corners it is, in my daughters language, my favouritest blog ever. Tonight you were going to be subjected to a wonderfully random blog about the size of rain drops. Cliff notes version; we have had every sort of rain today from big fat drops slow, big fat drops torrential, all the way to that fine drizzle that 'wets you through'. Ok, I'm bored of this already and am so glad to have a call to madness to follow, it is going to make this post soooo much more interesting!


Ok so from what I gather I have to answer a few questions and then go back to Kicking Corners to see the magic happen...Here goes:

1. Number - 7

2. Two things you need to survive - Chocolate and my family (obvious and corny...sorry)

3. Favourite Season - Spring (I like all of them but when pushed!)

4. Onomatopoeia for something repeating three times (ex: “thwack, thwack, thwack”) - Snap, snap, snap

5. Size adverb - Huge (pronounced huuowge)

6. Colour adverb - Deep

7. Scary person, thing, or animal - Me in a bad mood

8. Common greeting - 'ya alreight mi cocker' (apologies for the local dialect here I couldn't resist)

9. A complete thought, random or otherwise - Why is it some rain wets you more than other types of rain when it is all just water?

10. Verb ending in “ed” - Squished

11. What would your reply be to someone saying, “You don’t look like you want to do this. Are you afraid?” - Nah, I look like this all the time. Same as everything I say is with a sarcastic tone!

12. Place - By the sea

13. Type of building - Castle

14. Flat object - Plank

15. Verb - Learn
 
That done, and it was fun, all I have to do is visit Kicking Corners tomorrow to find out how this will translate in to my 'Mad Masterpiece'. If you fancy having a bash, go ahead, either in the comments or on your blog. Do you have the guts to surrender to the madness? Go on, 'I dare you'.  I am so excited I don't think I can wait until tomorrow.

Wednesday 25 April 2012

Feel the love

I have been so moved today by the love drifting around in the blogy world that I had to share it with you.

We all know what it is like to feel so overwhelmed by life that before you realise it that little bit of 'me time' has disappeared.

Over at Periphery there is a mission under way. Following her links to four under 4 (plus two) I was in awe of a fellow blogger and her honesty. I have joined the mission and commented on her post, offering my two pennith of support for a busy lady trying find time to write. Join the mission too, head on over, you won't be disappointed, I certainly wasn't! I have a nice new blog to follow to boot :-D

Share the love!

Lucky Heart
lucky heart found here

Tuesday 24 April 2012

200 Tuesday

So, as I said last week, 200 Tuesdays are the days are when I will let loose some of my original work. If I can bear to rip it from the pages of my note pad, virtually of course!

Do any of you have the same nervous feeling letting you words walk out into the big bad world? There is part of me that really just wants to keep them tucked up in their nice warm notebook! I guess this is a little like letting go of your kids as they grow up, writing this reminds me of a post this week over at frazzled & frumpy, which lead to a minor panic attack thinking about my girls growing up. It also had a very neat challenge to write a six word autobiography, it's harder than it may seem. Have a go in the comments here if you like, mine was 'Mother, lover, reader, dreamer, part-time writer'

Any way, I digress. I thought it would be appropriate to start where I began, less than a year ago, with poetry. Have a look and see what you think!

Door And Stone Wall
view original here

The Door

There is a door, I see it clearly
On the outside it looks a little dreary
As I enter my heart sores because
I feel like Dorothy entering Oz
Light all around and colours amazing
That wonderful smell of summer lazing
I take a deep breath, at last I'm home
While I'm here I'm never alone

I feel your touch before I see your face
Your lips on my neck, your warm embrace
We sit, we walk, we talk, we kiss
When I'm not here it's this I miss
Just as the sun begins to fall
I realise I must return through the wall

There is a door I see it clearly
On the outside it looks a little dreary
Or is the door just in my mind
To keep my thoughts of you behind
When I'm alone and feeling blue
I only have to think of you.

Thursday 19 April 2012

Random Thursdays Arrives

My first random Thursday and have my thoughts been random today!!

Have you ever noticed that you can't find something when you are looking for it? I know, I know, once you have found it you are no longer looking, that is not what I meant! I mean when shopping, if you go out with no idea of what you are looking for, or even no money to spend, then you seem to be surrounded by things you like and want to buy. The minute you have money, or have something specific you need to buy, there is nothing in sight!! This has plagued me for the last six months. I have been looking for some jewellery to wear with an outfit for a wedding and eventually today I have found it. I wanted to dance around the shop shouting HALLELUJAH at the top of my voice. My kids were grateful, however, that I refrained and opted instead to thank the assistant profusely for his patience following the half hour it took me to decide! Now all I need is........

Almost immediately after this I spent a good 15 minutes wondering what the best seagull defence technique is whilst eating an ice cream; to prevent it being stolen and eaten by said pesky birds. Do you spend your life shooing and not actually eating, thus leaving the delicious, in this case turkish delight flavoured, ice cream open to attack? Do you go for the good old fashioned stoop over the delicious treat stealing licks in between look out duty, risking an unsightly ice cream addition to your outfit? Or is the best thing to just eat and enjoy, ignoring the hawk like gaze waiting for you to become distracted leaving an opening to swoop in. Random I know, but a funny way to be distracted whilst watching boats bob on the water sat on the river bank.

view image here

Just to make this post a little bit more random I saw some beautiful sights around today so I thought I would share some images with you.



Even on a rainy day there are still those little moments that bring a smile to your face like; rainbows or simply getting soaked whilst running for cover in a down pour that arrives out of the blue, then falling about laughing because you are so wet!




Final random share for today, this cute little flower growing in the most unlikely of places; in a crevice in a wall! If this little chappy can hang on and put out such a lovely display of flowers in such a tiny and inhospitable place, surely we can hang on and put on our own display, even if things conspire to make it hard for us!


Magic Moment:

My magic moment today comes to you courtesy of my other half jumping up and down like a big kid at the window of a bakery. He had seen the biggest iced belgian bun we have ever seen, with a cherry on the top. It was nice to see his inner child make an appearance, and yes the nibble I had tasted goood! Sorry, there is no picture of this one...it didn't last long enough for me to get the camera out!!!

I hope you have enjoyed my random thoughts for today, just a little insight into my mind! What random thoughts have you had today?






Tuesday 17 April 2012

The Plan

Have you ever noticed that, some times, the random songs you hear seem to be the perfect sound track to your life at that particular moment?  Whether it is a song that pops up on you Ipod shuffle, the next song on the radio or the song choice of a singer you are watching live, some songs just resonate with you for what ever reason. Stick with me this is loosely linked to the title of this post.

Last night I was listening to a singer live who closed his set with a version of You Raise Me Up. This song has never really meant much to me before, when others around around me were sobbing into their hankies for various reasons, I just sang along thinking it was an ok song. Writing has been on my mind quite a lot of late and I had been debating when or if I could fit in regular writing into busy family life. The support of the people who follow my blog, who leave me comments to tell me that my writing doesn't completely suck has meant a lot whilst I have been dithering. As I listened to this song, having devised my blogging plan (that I will reveal in a moment I promise), I realised it was only possible for me to have even considered writing more because of your support. It is you guys 'raising me up to more than I can be' that has given me the confidence to do more and be more. Thank you for giving this song meaning for me and believing in me.

 


So without further ado, here it is, what you can expect from me on this blog going forward. My first baby step in focusing my life in words:

Two hundred word Tuesdays - Whether it is at least 200 words or more than 200 words Tuesdays will be devoted to original writing of some form. So I will be on the look out for writing challenges to keep me going with topics to write about!

Random Thursdays - My usual random comments, observations or musings but on a regular basis.

Weekend Wonders - This will be more of an occasional posting if and when something wonderful occurs on or around the weekend.

Oh, and especially for Deb over at Kicking Corners the occasional Magic Moment of the day may make an appearance. So, what do you think? Is this goal setting or what? Now all I have to do is stick to it!

Monday 16 April 2012

The Art of Skimming

I am reliably informed that it is all in the arm! The perfect position, the perfect stone...it is all nothing if not for the correct flick of the wrist.



I don't know about you, but in all my years of trying to get that stone to effortlessly bounce across the water I have always failed miserably. My attempts invariably end in one huge plopping sound and, if I am lucky, a nice fountain of water erupting from the surface where the pebble broke through.

This could be a metaphor for my life. Most of the things I attempt in my life have never been completed with finesse in any sense of the word. Getting up from my preferred cross-legged position on the floor is usually met with rapturous laughter or the attempt to cross the little stream usually ends up with me in the stream rather than at the other side!

Maybe it is time to embrace the plop and endeavour, in all I do, to just make the biggest splash I can and admire the great sound and fountain that I create.

Magic Moment of Today:
For the purposes of today's post I am borrowing an idea from my favourite blog Kicking Corners today I have a magic moment to share, so I hope she doesn't mind!

My magic moment came watching my eldest try to teach my youngest how to skim stones at the beach, when she has absolutely no idea herself! My youngest just abandoned all attempts at finesse in favour of locating the biggest stone to make the biggest splash. The sound of their giggling as the waves forced their retreat was like music. Happy memories all round!

Wednesday 11 April 2012

Light bulb moment...ping!

Ok, yes I am still alive. I know it has been a while since I posted but I have had to prioritise!

I have had a rare opportunity today to sit back and think for a while but every time I did my 'to do' lists just kept popping into my head; jobs in the house, jobs in the garden, jobs to apply for, reorganise my favourites on my browser (thanks to all the fantastic links from Kicking Corners), actually look at some of the new blogs and resources I have saved as favourites..... The list of things to do just kept getting bigger.

It was at this moment that I had some kind of weird Alice inspired daydream of drowning under scattered pages from a book, with random URL links floating around highlighted purple. Oh what Freud would do with that!!

Time to prioritise! Something I seem to be very able to do at work but when it comes to things for me I seem to have amazing difficulty! I think it was a comment from my other half today that reminded me what is important to me; when I suggested that I was going to get my laptop out on holiday I was faced with a very quizzical look, when I clarified by saying it was to post on my blog I got a why-the-hell-would-you-want-to-do-that retort. Yes, I had a light bulb moment, that little flame of anger inside that said 'why the hell wouldn't I!' That little bit of an affirmation to myself to say this is what I want to do, it is important to me and if I can't go ahead and write for a little while when I am on holiday then when can I.


view original here

I am sorry that this little slice of me time today has ended up being a very short rant. I haven't yet worked out my plan of action, but in this moment, sat here writing this, I have decided it is time I stopped playing at this and set my self some targets for my blog to start with and my other writing projects too. Wish me luck!!