It's Awards TIme

Last week I mentioned two awards that had been bestowed upon me and my little blog. As yet I have not paid them the attention they deserve. So here goes!

Katie at Nested has passed on this lovely award to me.

Now it has no rules so I am just going to basque in the glow of such a lovely award from one of the few blogs that I read with a truly authentic voice, thank the lovely Katie and then bestow the award on the blogs I will mention in a minute.

My second award came winging it's way from my favourite photographer and friend Lee Johnson. This is a guy with impeccable taste and an eye for what works, so the fact he has passed this award on to me makes me smile...a lot! Thank you Mr Johnson!

And to the rules...always with the rules, sheesh.

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and include a link to their site. (Check!)
2. Add the Versatile Blogger Award picture to your blog post. (Check!)
3. Nominate 7 fellow bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly and include a link to their site.  (Ooooo, I will think about this one...stay tuned!)
4. Let them know you have nominated them. (Yeah, yeah. Let me decide already!)
5. Share 7 random facts about you. (Well 7 is my lucky number but I think y'all know everything there is to know about me by now. Apologies if I bore you!).

7 Random Facts About Me - Because I'm not random at all ;-)

1. I love panda's. To the point I have a tattoo of one!

2. I have way too many unfulfilled ambitions which includes learning to play the bass guitar.

3. I name my cars...generally strong male names (and I need ideas for a new addition to our family - the Other Half has brought home a beautiful new play thing but it has no name. Ideas on a postcard please)

4. I love the Ocean; it's sound, it's rhythm. Especially sailing on it, however I don't like swimming in it!

5. I close my eyes if I want to experience something more deeply.

6. I read faster on my Kobo but prefer the feel and smell of a book in my hands.

7. When I was younger I bleached my hair to get rid of the red highlights that ran through it. Now I actively colour my hair varying shades of copper and red.

The Magic 7 Blogs

Getting not one but two shiny awards for utter greatness:

Deb at Kicking Corners

Jewels at Frazzled and Frumpy

The Masked Mom

Michelle at Buttered Toast Rocks

Larissa at Pappa is a Preacher

Adam at Blogs and Boulders

aeye at Shouldn't Life be More Than This?

These are all fabulous blogs and apologies to these wonderful writers that I have not been as dedicated to my reading of blogs as I should lately....forgive me? (fluttering eyelashes and everything!) What I am trying to say is nip over, take a look and leave them some love!

Finally I will leave you with this tune that seems perfectly appropriate to me at the moment.

Our Adventure

We're home, exhausted but home, packed full of memories of our adventures. Memories of smiles and discoveries, of objects seen to go with lessons learnt and stories heard. Of famous artists found for the first time and explosions in a lab. Of hotels and beds squashed together, of train travel over ground and underground. Such beautiful sweet memories I will hold forever, some of them captured and shared.

see original here on Pintrest

So this is our London.

 Day One - Off we go.

Our trip begins! Why are train stations always so cold?

And a two hour journey needs some entertainment!

When I visit London I can't stop looking around and noticing things that make me smile!

I love travelling on the tube. I also discovered that I love the look of wonder on my girls faces and the inquisitory discussions we had about trains travelling underground.

 

However we didn't go to London for the transport links. First stop...The British Museum.

The look of wonder and amazement and voracity with which Munchkin 1 went from one exhibit to the next. Devouring every Egyptian artifact and explaining their significance to me. Canopic jars are seriously disgusting might I add!

The next stop....for Mummy!

A flying visit, yes. But still I stood in awe at the Kings Library. This picture does not do the sheer scale and number of books justice!!

Day 2 - Open top bus tour!

I can't believe how much the girls enjoyed this. Even ice cold toes and noses didn't deter them for quite some time!

 Tower Bridge

 Big Ben, with the London Eye in the background

Reconstruction of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.

St Paul's Cathedral

A whistle stop tour of the Poetry and Dreams exhibition in the Tate Modern. Introducing Munchkin 1 to the likes of Picasso (who's work is ugly, by the way - her words not mine!)

Then on to Trafalgar Square and a visit to the National Gallery. We got involved in a feather and wing art installation. Listened to a story teller use the art work in the gallery to tell a story (really great) and then introduced Munchkin 1 to the likes of Monet (who she loved - that's mi girl!) Cezanne and Van Gough.

Day Three - Time to go home, nearly!

A trip to the Science Museum - Daddy's day ;-)

A demonstration of how to make a rocket fly into space and a quick experiment to see if the Munchkins could power electrical equipment with pedal power. I won't disconnect from the grid just yet though!

 

That left just enough time for a quick stop at Harrods....Oh how the other half lives!!

However I did discover some gorgeous lifts!

Oh and some cute friends too!

That was a packed couple of days, time to go home.....we're beat!

What special memories have you made this week?

I will leave you with this, Within Temptation. Nothing at all to do with London or the sweet memories made. It is however totally beautiful and the final gorgeous discovery of this break. Back to work tomorrow!

PS - In the last few days I have been bestowed 2 blog awards. One from the fabulously talented and witty blogess Katie at Nested and the other from my dear friend; the obnoxiously talented photographer and blogger Lee Johnson. I promise I will graciously accept these awards and compose appropriately lengthy speeches to said acceptances in due course! Today I think I have overloaded you lovely readers enough.....Stay tuned ;-)

Random and very linky Thursday

The blank screen...... I haven't ever been really stuck for something to write before. But sitting here with the blank screen in front of me I find myself with no real news to fill you in on, nothing to complain about and nothing even particularly random to report......

Ah ha, light bulb moment, I am going to have a bit of a linky post....why didn't that occur to me before??

Katie at Nested has made me laugh out loud this week through just sheer honesty.

Loki at The Modfather posted a comic this week which was not only amazing it inspired a little sketching of my own. I had an image in my head and it actually turned out the way I wanted it too, which is odd for me I tend to doodle and if it turns out ok then so be it.

A friend has recently started a new blog, check it out it's ace! Blogs and Boulders come on the name is great, no?!?

Finally I had a fabulous walk yesterday. It was amazing in many ways that I cannot hope to explain here, but one thing that made me smile so much was getting out into the unbroken snow. I tried to take a photo to convey this but as usual me and my iphone did a pathetic job. Photography might be on my bucket list, but I don't think this lifetime would be enough time to scrape together even a few decent shots. It is for this reason that I will link to my favourite photographer to illustrate my point with much more finesse. Head over to Lee Johnson Photography he posted some gorgeous photos yesterday that capture the gorgeousness of the winter landscape so much better than I could ever hope to do.

So, I will leave you with this;

Unbroken snow, so crisp, so perfect,

Lay endless out before us, 

Behind us lay a map of our time.

Fairy Tales and Forests

If some one said 'forest' to you, what would your first thought be?

Ok, had your thought?

My other half's initial reaction is to shout back (please imagine appropriate accent), "Run Forest, run!" Which makes me giggle every time!

If you were in a forest or woodland area what direction would your mind wander in?

Slight tangential paragraph, hang in there it will make sense!

I love working in a library. Simply for the fact that librarians are amazing at finding books, how much more amazing is it when they get to know your quirks and when a random book crosses their path they know you will be interested in it! I'll tell you....totally amazing. A colleague has done this for me recently and I took a look at the book in question today, oh and I have fallen for the book within the first few pages!

Sara Maitland - Gossip from the Forest (The tangled roots of our forests and fairytales) 2012

It starts with the dedication; ".... the true princess (No green vegetables were hurt testing of this hypothesis)"

Then continues with the definition of 'gossip'  and goes on from there. See I told you that I was going somewhere with that ;-)

She talks about the earth before the last ice age and what was left behind after the melt. And this line caught my imagination.

"And so once upon a time it was all forest. Forest enough to be lost in it forever"
 

Ooooo, did you get a shiver?? I did. The next couple of pages (which is as far as I have read) she goes on to talk about how, whilst camping in a forest, the conversation she was having made it's way to fairytales. I have to say, with the way she describes the forest they were in I think that is where my mind would have wandered.

 

For more from this talented photographer visit Lee Johnson Photography

Here's a challenge; if you can go out into a forest great, if not your imagination is your greatest tool. Imagine you are in a forest or wooded area, now where does your mind go? If it is a particular fairytale, which one? Is it even fairytales at all? Let me know in the comments or turn it into a blog post if you like and link back. I will complete the challenge and report back next week, including any other gems from Maitland's book I discover.

Happy dreaming.

 

Day 22 NaBloPoMo December - Sing Along Saturday

Yet another Christmassy treat for you. Festive lights and Bryan Adams, what more do you need??

We are nearly there now!! 3 more sleeps :-D

Oh and seeing as I exceeded 5,000 page views today I thought I would celebrate with an extra song. I love this song and it is pretty spot on for how I feel today too, even if it isn't really Christmassy!

Day 19 NaBloPoMo December - Home

Loki at The Modfather was talking yesterday about home and how she is glad to be back in Lancashire.

Having not lived outside of Lancashire I cannot claim to have felt this way. However, what I have had recently is an overwhelming relief that I didn't follow my dreams and move far far away. Once upon a time, and also in the not so distant past, the thoughts and often detailed plans were hatched to move away. I am talking anything from the south of this country to clear across the big pond to the land of dreams. What I thought I wanted was to get away from was where I lived, I realise what I actually wanted to get away from was me. I didn't like who I was. I was an old and hagged version of me, I hated what I had become, I hated my job...the list goes on.

Now, I'm in a much better place, I like me and I don't really care if others do too or not. This has de-misted my eyes and I can see much clearer. Being able to look around me and see what is here, along with the talented art of Lee Johnson has allowed me to appreciate what I almost gave up.

So; inspired by Loki, with thanks to Lee, this is my home, this is Lancashire.

 

(Lee has kindly allowed me to post one of his shots here...I am soooo lucky. Please bob over and take a look, as well as being super talented he shows Lancashire in the most beautiful ways)

 

 

Home

 

When I was young

I used to dream

Of sailing the ocean wide

Take myself across the sea

To the promised land

 

There was a moment

A desperate time

When the dream took flight

I searched, I planned

It was close enough to touch

 

Back then we stayed

It was too far away

Right now I see

The reason was more than you

It was inside me too

 

For now I see, I appreciate

All that is around

The beauty of this green isle

It's many secret corners

Yet so close to the ocean grand

 

I am where I belong

The woodlands and hills

Beauty in solitude

Or side splitting laughter

This is my promised land

 

Seeing as it is nearly Christmas and I have had a special request (see tomorrow), there will be a Christmas song every day from now until Christmas.

 

Please listen to this one, I stumbled upon her voice whilst searching You Tube for different Christmas songs. Her sound is beautiful and hypnotising and altogether amazing, this is Maria Mena

 

 

How do you feel about where you live? Will you be home for Christmas?







Day 12-12-12 NaBloPoMo December - Friends

 

 

see original here

 

 

I've been searching all my life

For someone just like you

I can be there in times of need

And you would be there for me too

 

I always smile when you pop up

Because chatting is so effortless

Face to face or via text

Though laughing has some side effects

 

It seems you are what I was searching for

You plug a hole inside me

A connection with the world and more

I just wish you saw what I see.

 

I have had many friends in my life, some who I still count as my friends some who are no longer in my life. Recently I have come to see what I have been missing, friendship as a two way street. It is a long time since I have had that!! Many people have been awol when it came time to be there for me, many more simply aren't close enough.

 

In a little twist of my life I have realised I have the final piece of my puzzle; I have my other half, I have my babies, I enjoy my job, developed a hobby that I enjoy and now I have a few close friends who make my world complete (even if they don't live on the same continent). You know who you are and I thank you for being in my life. 



Day 2 NaBloPoMo December - Small Frosty Stones

The Start of the Christmas Season

Sparkling glitter sprinkled over night
Crunching leaves and grass
Giggles and smile and smoking breath
Then a final twinkle in the darkness








As a side note, a friend has posted the most gorgeous and intriguing picture on his blog this week. Take a look here and before you read any of the post or comments answer this question....What do you see? Let me know here because it has really captured my imagination!

Day 16 NaBloPoMo - Red Riding Hood

So I have loved fairy tales all my life, although up until fairly recently I had only really heard about the most popular ones. Until Deb sent me down the rabbit hole with this post sparking a little obsession. I now own a copy of the Joseph Jacobs book she featured, along with a few other collections of fairy or folk tales (yes they have taken over one whole shelf of a bookcase and then some). I am so glad that I found Deb and her love of fairy tales that rekindled the love in me. As an adult experiencing the tales they hold a whole new depth that I didn't understand before.

Last weekend I was treated to a sneaky peak of some photos a super talented friend of mine had taken for a commission, hence I can't share them with you :-( but you can take a look at his blog and other work here. Any way I digress, in amongst these shots was a little girl, in the forest, wearing a red coat. I'm sure you can already guess where my mind was heading, but it was helped along by the look of the photo, it had kind of a timeless quality to it. If not for the jeans and modern coat it could have been straight out of a fairy tale!

So for the second Fairy Tale Friday we are therefore off for a walk in the woods to Grandma's house:

Little Red Riding Hood is a classic fairy tale with many incarnations. From Perrault's brutal, dark and almost sexual story with no happy ending. Through the Grimm's version where the huntsman saves the day. To the 2011 film staring Amanda Seyfried, hinting at earlier versions of the tale where Red Riding Hood unwittingly cannibalises her own grandmother along with the added twist of young love. Whoever said that fairy tales were for kids needs their heads looking at!!

I have never really been sure about this tale. It's moral was all too blatant for me, Red is always a little too naive and not mentioning the general absurdity of cutting open the wolf to find Red and her grandmother perfectly unharmed after spending a good half hour plus with no access to oxygen. However, the imagery of the girl in a forest wearing a red cape and skipping off to her grandmother's cottage is so iconic, it gets under my skin and starts the cogs a turning in my mind.

Do you ever find yourself wishing the characters in a story would do something different? Does your mind ever wander off thinking what if......? Take a chance, do it! Fairy tales come from generations of story tellers telling and re-telling their tales. I hurts my brain sometimes to wonder how many times tales like Little Red Riding Hood changed before people like the Grimm Brothers wrote them down and preserved them. Was the tale a true story about a girl in the next village who wandered off in the forest and met an unfortunate end? Has it just morphed into this fantastical fairy tale with a happy endings because the world was (is) too full of horror that we needed to believe there are happy endings somewhere?

Just for a little side enjoyment here is a rendition of Roald Dahl's twist on the classic

Are you up for a challenge? For next Friday, take Little Red Riding Hood and make it your own. Re-tell it the way you want to, modernise it, tell the story of what happened next. You can either post it on your blog and pop the link in the comments or e-mail me your story and I will post it here next week. Go be the story teller of your clan and lets see what direction Red goes in.

Random Thoughts: There's Good News and There's Bad News!

So, until today my search for a new writing schedule has fallen flat on it's face. Then riding in on her fairy tale stead and providing the solution is Deb over at Kicking Corners. I am going to attempt to blog on a daily basis supporting and motivating Deb on her way to 'the deadline'. In the process I will  motivate my self on the way to a slimmer me and to boot I have my new writing schedule, at least for the next 25 days any way!

That being said I have struggled for the last week trying to find something to write about or coherently order my thoughts. One walk today, a few moments to myself in the fresh air and I am there, however you are now all going to be subjected to a random assortment of things that have crossed my mind in the last few days:

I'll start with the 'bad news' I don't know about you but when faced with the question 'There is good news and bad news, which do you want first?' I always go for the bad first, jump right in and get it out of the way! Yesterday was the funeral of a wonderful lady who I have know since my Father was ill. Her passing was a shock, the service was simple and perfect, there were tears and a smidgen of regret that adult life has taken over and I have not spent enough time keeping in touch regularly with the people that matter. I thought I would share Mary Frye's poem with you that was read out at the funeral. I always touches my heart.

Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there; I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond glints on snow,

I am the sun on ripened grain,

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning’s hush

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circling flight.

I am the soft star-shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there; I did not die.

While I was there I paid a little visit to my Dad, I sat there beating my self up on the inside for not visiting more often and feeling like I failed somehow. However, I realised today on my walk that visiting the square of grass in a cemetery where his ashes just happen to be buried isn't when I really 'visit' him. I 'visit' him every time I remember him, every time I tell my girls about Grandad Neil, every time I remember the good times; which in the end is all you are left with to carry in your heart. When I die I want my ashes to be spread somewhere with good memories, that way when I am 'visited' people will remember the good times and not the sadness!

Not from today's walk but a quick five minute walk in the rain that I had on Sunday that made me feel free, if only for a minute!

Ok, morbid talk over! Next  you get my random rant. On Saturday in the Guardian Tim Lott wrote about communication in his column and the distinct lack of it in relationships. I realised that this lack of communication is a generally human trait in all relationships; marital, parental, close or generic friedships. We never really say what we are actually thinking! Conversations go a little like this:

"What's up" (real meaning: you ok you seem down and I am worried?)
"Nothing, except the sky" (really want to reply: 'Actually you are really doing my tree in' or 'Well seeing as you have asked I really just want to know what is on your mind and what you are thinking because I am really not sure')

We go through life being polite and bottling up everything that we actually feel and want to say for fear it may offend the person we are talking to and above all else we don't want to jeopardise that relationship by saying what we actually think. Occasionally virtual communication is more open, you can type out what you want to say but then deleteit or re-write if you think you might regret it, a luxury not available in verbal communication. I can't make up my mind if this is actually a healthy way to go through life or not but this is the way we live. May be occasionally we should just say what is on our minds and just see what happens...what do you think?

Finally my motivational slot.....Ahhh but I can't decide between these two so you are getting both, the general gist: seize the day, seize the moment. Say what you want to before the moment has passed, do what you need to do and meet that deadline, reach for the stars and see how far we get.

'Death or Glory'

Let's 'Make a move'

Sorry about the apparent Lostprophets addiction at the moment!

PS Shameless plug, my friend has completed his latest project and his book is finished, take a look it's amazing but then I am a little biased: Photo's you want to dive into.



Weekend Wonders - Unexplained Absence

You may have noticed, you may not, that I have been somewhat absent around the blogsphere of late. I am truly sorry that I haven't had the time to read and comment as I usually do, I promise that I will catch up eventually!

I volunteer with a group that helps to look after our local park and make sure it is a fabulous place for people to use. Wednesday 20th June was not only my eldest daughters 8th birthday, it was also the 100 year anniversary of Marsden Park being opened to the public. As part of the Friends group I helped to organise a mass celebration for the centenary, which was yesterday. We had a brass band, traditional Lancashire clog dancers, sporting activities, magic shows, Punch and Judy shows, a travelling zoo, various stalls, along with the local nursery joining us with their annual garden party and a wonderful historic exhibition charting the history of the park right back to the 1600's when it was a private family estate.

On Friday we had rain of Biblical proportions with localised flooding. It had me awake all night wondering if we were even going to be able to continue with the event that we had all spent so much time on. Come Saturday morning the rain had stopped and following some adjustments with the site plan the event got under way, all be it a little delayed and a couple of activities down due to flooding problems. The rain that was fore casted for Saturday stayed away until just before the end of the event and more people came to support us than I could have hoped for. All in all a great day was had by all who attended, which made up for the stress of organising it!!

Follow this link to some great photos of the event, I was so busy I didn't have chance to take any myself!!

In short I should have some time spare now I am not sat up till the wee hours of the morning finalising the logistics for the event and will be able to get back to reading your lovely insights and commenting as usual, not to mention I have some serious writing to do!!!! First though, some sleep!!

For now I will leave you with some of my favourite parts of the park visit the Friends of Marsden Park Site if you are interested in the history.

The Sundial (taken by Harriett)

The Troll Bridge

The Wishing Gate (taken by Eleanor)

My Girls Favourite Place!!

200 Tuesday - 1000 page views

You can't imagine the size of the smile on my face right now, all because I when I switched on my computer up popped my blogger page and I was at 1000 page views exactly.

When I first started blogging I didn't think anyone would be in the slightest bit interested in my ramblings but here I am, still blogging and up to 1000 views. Ok so I know this isn't really that big a deal but it has made my day today. I almost feel that I should have written something special for this post but I am just too tired to come up with anything new tonight, a notebook special it will have to be!! (who knew working with books could be soooo tiring, I hope I get used to this soon, what is the use of having books at you fingertips if you can't stay awake to read them???)

This poem was inspired by a photo taken by...yeah you guessed it; Lee Johnson. Check it out here. It's strange how some images just lead to words forming in your head, that is what happened here, a poem with no links to real life from a photo where only a third is real.

The Cafe

Alone I sit two biscuits on the plate

Wondering what we'll discuss on our date

For such a long time I have been blue

Waiting to meet at our secret rendezvous

I hear the bell over the door, but dare not look up

A hand over mine wrapped around my cup

I look up to see the warmth of your smile

And wonder why I worried all the while

The smile in your eyes projects to my face

As you pull me into your warm embrace

We talk a while about music and art

Until the streets begin to get dark

Alas we must say goodbye to our cafe

I treasure these times, always happy

From within your arms I whisper 'miss you'

Counting the moments to our secret rendezvous.

PS Thanks to everyone who has stopped my to read what I write, you make me smile!!



A Week of Goodbyes

My week started by saying goodbye to my car. Now as goodbyes go this one was surprisingly easy; Bob was my re-bound car, the young sporty number that seemed like a good idea at the time but we grew apart, he just wasn't a good fit for our family. I always feel like car show rooms are akin to dating agencies. You go in and tell the salesman what you want from your car; the colour, taste in music, the feel of the ride and they set you up with potentials to road test. As first dates go our test drive was great and a couple of weeks later we have a new member to our family. He hasn't settled into a name as yet but he has an uncanny resemblance to Chick Hicks from Cars or may be a French Inspector, he has that kind of moustache!

Tonight should have been goodbye to my old, knackerd but comfy bed and tomorrow hello to a nice new one with added storage. I say should but that is a whole other story...

Tomorrow does see my last day at work. I may have only been there for three and a half years but I have met some amazing people and I'm going to find it really hard to say goodbye. I have learnt a lot, grown so much in myself whilst I have been there and even though I am going on to better things, I am really going to miss seeing everyone on a daily basis. I hope I have the strength to maintain connections with those that are really important to me and not let it drift to just the obligatory Christmas card, that would just be an insult to the friendships that have grown.

I hope this can put it a little more eloquently than I have so far:

Goodbye is the hardest word to say

It has a very final way

With connotations of forever

And undertones of never

Which make it stick in my throat

And renders me unable to talk

Warm, wet, saltiness traces my cheeks

My heart will hurt for many weeks

But there is an alternate way

Another word for us to say

See you later, ta ta for now

We will meet again somehow

Many tears will still be shed

My heart will still feel like lead

Love and friendships last forever

Between us there is no never

How long apart there is no knowing

Now give me a smile to keep me going

To all those that I am saying 'see you later, aligator' to; thank you for everything and I will see you around!!

Check out the perfect picture to this post here. Now pass the tissues I think I am going to need them!!

Mad Men and Cameras

200 Tuesdays comes to you courtesy of a talented and inspiring friend of mine this week. You may have noticed I have finally uploaded a profile picture. After much searching I realised I hated every picture I have that has my face on it and I also couldn't find any other picture I thought was right.

A.eye touched on the reason in this post, I just don't like being the centre of attention. I am very introverted and much prefer to be on the other side of the camera or computer screen.

Ever one to face the things I don't like and always wanting to do things well, I smiled very sweetly and managed to get Lee, the friend I mentioned above and before on this blog, to take some decent shots of me for use on my blog and other things.

We had a really great laugh, wandering round in the local park in the lovely spring sunshine, stopping every now and then to take a few photos. So, today I thought I would share the poem I wrote whilst trying to ignore the camera!!

Mad Men and Cameras

Look here, look there

Growl just like a bear

Eyes open, eyes closed

You know you want to strike a pose

Flash on, flash off

Look down your nose like a toff

Sit here, stand there

Imagine that you just don't care

Big lens, wide lens

'This ok?' Well that depends

Now smile, look up

That's great, it's a wrap!

What is it like for you being the centre of attention? Do you thrive there or are you more like me, introvereted and reserved? How do you cope when you are thrust into the lime light?

Never Enough Hours...

As I rushed out of the door this morning, ushering my seven year old, who has no sense of urgency what so ever, out before me, it reminded me of a poem I wrote last year and knew in that moment what to post tonight.

It was inspired by a photo from my favourite photographer, a very surrealist picture that embodies what modern life has become!

For more images check out Lee Johnson's blog http://leejohnsonphotography.blogspot.com/p/gallery.html

Slaves to Time

Keep up we're going to be late

The morning mantra to the school gate

When did life stop being so simple

Memories of childhood beginning to dwindle

Oh to be a Time Lord and slow the tick-tock

No longer having to worship the clock

So much to do, so little time

To keep life balanced, a very fine line

Sorry Mr Davies, no time to spare

There is no time to 'stop and stare'

Make like the white rabbit, don't get left behind

As we are all Slaves to Time.

I was reading Lo Johnston's blog today (http://lojwriting.blogspot.com/) and one of the tips for improving your blog is to post frequently. This has been a feature in a number of blogs I have read since discovering this cyber world. Yet the problem is and probably always will be....Time! Although many will say; if this is what you want to do, if you really love to write or blog or anything for that matter, you will find time (I am trying honestly).

My time seems to be, silly o'clock at night when the rest of the house is asleep; aside from our hamster, Phileas, who is nibbling on nuts as I type tonight. When do you find your time to do what ever it is that you love?

Finding time to write!

Well we are certainly in the run up to Christmas now. The time of year when there is so much to do and so little time!!
I visited Lee's exhibition last week, stunning work as usual, some shots I hadn't seen before and the atmosphere of the exhibition in such a beautiful setting was amazing. I was certainly inspired by some of the shots, now all I need is the time to write! I will have to squeeze it in between putting up the Christmas decorations and playing Santa! I love this time of year; the magic, the giving, the family time and the pretty sparkliness everywhere. This time of year has really come to life since I became a parent, it is full of sneaky elves who spy for Santa and faires who put up the decorations everywhere. The hard thing is remembering all the rules from year to year!! The wonder on their faces when the presents appear overnight, it makes all the effort worth it!!
So for now I had better get my self organised...let the magic begin.

All quiet on the Western front

Apologies for not having written for a few days, I am currently indulging my Twilight passion! I am in the middle marathon session of all the films in preparation for seeing the new Breaking Dawn Part 1 film this week. I can't help but love the films that have been fantastically adapted from such well written books. Stephenie Meyer really knows how to get you invested in the characters. Having read all the books it is equally satisfying to see the relationships develop on screen. You can take the supernatural out of the equation and it would still be a fantastic love story; girls meets boy, gets into trouble, he protects her, they fall head over heels, it all goes a little wrong, she nearly ends up with another, then they work it out and have happily ever after with a few bumps along the way! Who wouldn't want the fairy tale!!! Ok so I'm off to enjoy. In the meantime, don't forget to check out Lee Johnson's exhibition at Marsden Old Hall this week, I can't wait to have a look round and hopefully get some inspiration. Keep a look out on here for any new pieces I share.

Free to Fly

After thinking for a while today I thought I would take a break from the past and spend a little time on the present. I figure a thank you is just about over due!!
There isn't a chance in hell that I would be writing, let alone putting what I have written out there for the world to see, without the support of a good friend of mine. He has provided inspiration with his beautiful photographs and encouraged me to believe in myself when it comes to all things artistic. Please follow the links on my page to Lee Johnson's Photography blog and other pages. His work is truly gorgeous and I hope you like it as much as I do!!! Here are a few words to say thanks to a friend:

You've no idea the things you say
I have no way to ever repay
The kindness and support you give
It helps me breathe, it lets me live
You've shown me things from your world
Said the right things when reading my blurb
You make me laugh when I feel like crying
You're a great friend, and no I'm not lying
Without your inspiration I'd be a bore
You encourage my imagination to sore
I just wanted to say as I pass on by
Thank you for showing me how to fly

http://leejohnsonphotography.blogspot.com/