Motivation: Day 9 Smile (even if you have to fake it)

Sometimes in life the smiles, the motivation, the words don't come easily or readily. At times like these I fake it just to make sure my face doesn't forget what it feels like, I plod on even though it feels like I am wading through mud and  keep typing even if it is gibberish that ends up on the page (apologies if you can't understand any of this today!)

I mentioned a happy post yesterday that I wasn't in the mood to post, I am not really in a much better mood today but this might just help me fake it ;-)

My inspiration for this post is Larissa over at Papa is a Preacher. She wrote a lovely post about the beauty of being yourself.

I came to a realisation of my own over the last few months that I was drifting perilously close to becoming a mirror. Just reflecting what other people wanted to see, being what others expected me to be. All to try and be popular? be liked? I don't know.

The thing is my quirky nature kept on trying to break through, it was becoming harder than keeping an excited child contained trying to keep it locked up!

My saving grace and my wake up call was my new job. Individuality is positively encouraged and I have begun to discover what I used to love about me!

I am a hippy with a twist

I love daisy chains

Oh and daisy rings.

But they don't last long so I have a back up ;-)

I love quirky little every day things that make me smile when I use them (do you like the new box the other half got for us - there is six, all with different pictures and they fit inside each other...he knows me so well!)

May favourite welcome, my love of water and the woodlands all in one place!

My babies a such a huge part of me and if all else fails they always find a way to raise a genuine smile every now and then!

As well as my eclectic tastes in music, art work and reading materials I guess I am a quirky and eclectic person who has never really grown up at heart...and I never intend to!

Enjoy our favourite family dance tune of the moment ;-)



Here's hoping that your motivation and projects are still going well! Until tomorrow...



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!!

Weekend wonders - Getting somewhere eventually!

It has been a good weekend! Ish!! Maybe I should re-phrase that, it has been a good day, Saturday wasn't so great (catalogue of errors, don't ask!!).

I have managed to get loads done today. I finished another book, one that I have been reading for a few weeks but couldn't get into (The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas). We finally got our potatoes planted and the seeds sown in our veg patch (I know we are very behind, I am usually harvesting the first lot by now but better late than never). We did the food shopping and the girls didn't kill each other on the way round. Harri and I had a walk in the park, we sorted some old clothes for the charity shop and we even went out for tea.

Few, I am tired just writing it all down!! But I feel slightly energised that I/we have managed to get through some little jobs that have been lingering for some time and also squeezed in some little treats too.

If only Saturday had been as productive it could have been the perfect weekend.

How was your weekend? Was it productive? Relaxing? Or has it passed by in the blink of and eye?

200 Tuesdays - The White Lady

I may have gone over the word count a little today, so I will try not to waffle too much today. Except to say this short is based on one of the amazing features in my local park. Here is Harri, my eldest, in the dungeons.

The White Lady

Becs stood there frozen to the spot, the grey eyes piercing through to her soul. She could feel it, she was being judged. She was by no means pure and was sure hoping that wasn’t the criteria she would be considered on.

It seemed like a good idea at the time, juvenile but seriously what was the worst that could happen. It’s amazing what you will do when alcohol fuelled!

Twenty years ago they used to ‘hang out’ in this park. Mostly in the dungeons, which weren’t actually dungeons they used to be roman baths but dungeons sounded cooler. They sat there many nights telling stories of the White Lady who reportedly frequented the park and would appear before you if you repeated ‘White Lady’ three times in a row turning at the same time. Oh please! Becs didn’t believe it then and didn’t now.

How did she end up staring down the most famous ghost amongst her peers? A dare, yes seriously a dare! The reunion was imploding because of someone’s past indiscretions with his best mate’s girl and she sat there wondering if it was polite to leave after only half an hour. Just then Mark, Craig and Sarah spotted her from across the room. These were the people she spent most of her time with during high school and right up until she left for Africa.

‘Ya alright Becs?’ Mark said as he scooped her into a bear hug. ‘You up for ditching this joint?’

‘What did you have in mind?’ Came her reply

And thus they ended up in the dungeons with a bag of beer, all be it slightly better quality than historically, drinking and laughing as the old gang caught Becs up on what had gone on. Who had married who, who had kids, who had split. It didn’t take long for the conversation to come around to the things they used to get up to, particularly the fact that no one had had the guts to challenge the White Lady.

One ‘I dare you’ later and here she was staring her down. She was definitely beautiful, dressed in clothes from the early 1900’s that were torn to rags around one shoulder making it look like she had been attacked. Finally after what felt like a lifetime, but in reality it was mere seconds, she broke away and turned disappearing through a bricked up door way, leaving a chill in her wake.

Becs was alone, her friends long gone and the White Lady had returned to where ever she came, she felt a sense of calm. She had been judged and not found wanting. Becs would love to know what it was that the White Lady saw in her that she didn’t in herself!

Hope you enjoyed this!

Do you believe in ghosts?