best part of the week

this week my best part of the week is deciding to take part in a writing challenge. myquillyn aka the nester over at nesting place has challenged herself to write for 31 days in october for the last six years. the last few years she has opened it up and asked everyone to come and join her, this year i've decided to join in too. above is my "button" to advertise my writing challenge which i've named "31 days of colour". i hope you will come back next month and join me on my colourful journey of words and images.

Emma 

thankful thursday

this week i am thankful for belly laughing first thing in the morning; got to love facebook. i am thankful for my eldest niece who upon seeing my frustration at working on a piece of unknown software put her arm round my shoulder in quiet reassurance as she silently watched over said shoulder. i am thankful i still have one parent whom i can ask about family history; as years gain momentum it is presence and time spent that become treasured jewels.

Emma

seascape

possibly if i lived near the sea my photos might become boring.

Emma

thankful thursday

for the second time this year i have field mice getting into my kitchen. i am thankful that the council were able to come out the next day and identify a second ingress point for the little fellas. i'm thankful too that an insect bite i sustained seems to be drying out and the infection is ebbing away rather than hospitalising me again. i am thankful for blue skies, sunshine and lunches eaten sat in my garden rather than at my office desk. september is treating us well.

Emma

what i did on my summer holiday

hello friends

it is lovely to be back in this space after taking some much needed rest and relaxation to enable rejuvenation. 

during my time away i had not just one break but two and i finally starting picking up my camera for more than just my daily photo project. i celebrated with friends getting married, i sat on a beach and got a little bit sunburnt, i drove long distances and walked almost everywhere i could, i have mostly worn sandles and was disappointed when i realised my favourite pair are breaking, i have spent time with my mum, time with my best friend and time alone, i have survived days without wifi (and what bliss that was), i finished one book and read two others, i watched the tides go out and come back in again, i drank chilled white wine and was introduced to sipsmiths summer cup, i hugged nieces i hadn't seen for months and heard about new schools and classes from both nieces and nephews, i spent time with old friends and made new ones, i laughed a lot, thought a lot and listened a lot. i realised leaves had changed colour while i wasn't watching, i discovered i could happily live by the sea and that no matter where you travel there is always someone you meet who either thinks you come from where they are from or someone who knows where you are from, i have found and much prefer barley couscous, i have marvelled at how little rain has fallen and have been grateful (for the second year running) i had beautiful weather for my holiday in the united kingdom. i have rooted through family history and have made new project plans, i have learnt my perspective is based on my life experiences just as your perspective is based on yours. i had forgotten that quite often i mix up e's, a's and i's when typing (as typing experiences has just reminded me - and yes, i typed it wrong the second time too),  i have listened with sadness to stories of too many people being taken too soon (why do they always come in threes?), i have laughed at old pick up lines still in use (i was wearing a red dress, it involved chris de burgh - if you are of a certain age you will groan too) and finally i discovered that if you give yourself enough time you finally miss the place you write in and want to come back to. 

thanks for being here when i came back for air.

Emma