eight things i learnt in january

january is traditionally a time when we talk about the blues after all the celebrations of the previous month but can i tell you - my celebrating only calmed down around the 13th of the month and finally wrapped up on the 26th when the last rendezvous was attended. it has been great. and exhausting. i am again guilty of not paying as much attention to what i have learnt this month due to constant forward motion but here we go - eight things i've learnt in january.

1. tulips and anemones are amongst the only flowers to keep growing after they have been cut and put in a vase.

2.  apparently the rise in the taking of the selfie is due to our lack of recognising ourselves in photographs, given the choice of digitally altered photos of ourselves we would choose the one that is youngest and most attractive - helping to explain why people take a multitude of selfies until they get "the one" that suits their view.

3. no-one has ever received an oscar nomination for a voice only performance however the golden globes made an exception for robin williams, presenting him with a special achievement award for voicing the genie in aladdin.

4.  snakes can give you a venomous bite for up to an hour after they die; their bite reflex is the last one to leave them

5. a deficiency of zinc in your diet can cause premature greyness.

6. according to age uk there are more people in the uk aged 60 and over than there are 18 and under.

7. if you, like i, are a lover of wearing rings you might want to check out this 3 minute video of how to remove a stuck ring using only a piece of elastic and thus keeping your ring (and finger) intact - result!

8. ever think social networking doesn't work? think again. my favourite news story this month was #findmike. the story of jonny benjamin who 6 years ago was talked down from the edge of waterloo bridge over the river thames in london by a complete stranger. with the help of mental health charity rethink he lauched the campaign "find mike" (jonny couldn't remember the strangers name so dubbed him mike). with the help of the media and social networking sites such as facebook and twitter jonny #foundmike and yesterday the news emergered that not only had mike been found (mike's real name is neil laybourn) but that they had meet and jonny finally got to say the thank you he had waited six years to say. proof that social media truly can bring people together. read all about it here or watch this two minute video.

jonny (left) and neil (right)

Emma

thankful thursday

this week i am thankful for one of my constants - friendship - for contact be it in person, phone, mail or photo message. for family that say "love you" at the end of every call, for time to be creative, for long shadows thrown by low lying sun, for the heady smell of hyacinths each time I open my lounge door, for laughter in the midst of hardship, for being reminded that light will always outshine darkness, that everything happens for a reason and for joy at seeing purpose unfold.

Emma

today

a monday like any other monday. but this monday seemed like the day the radio turned away from celebration music and greatest hits of last year and melody soared over the airwaves. not earth shattering and certainly there is comfort in the familiar sounds of these tracks but the change felt up-lifting today. enjoy.

Emma

thankful thursday

this week i am thankful for miracles.  for a friend sitting in my living room ten days after having a stroke talking about how he felt someone was looking after him throughout; the more detail he retold of events, the more everyone agreed. i'm thankful regardless of good or bad circumstances in life, we are all looked after. (sometimes it takes the big bad stuff happening to make us realise the good small stuff that happens on a daily basis).

Emma

a monday bonus

this morning i woke before the alarm. even with this unusual event i managed to hit snooze numerous times before i got my weary bones out of bed. truly, i am not a morning person. racing around the bathroom and the bedroom in my usual routine of getting ready for work i managed to fire a quick email to a friend and scribble notes about ideas popping into my head before finally getting out the door and turning the key in my car ignition to start my journey to work. there the similarity with yesterday ends.

yesterday i was woken by the alarm, pressed the snooze button several (hundred) times and got out of bed at the latest possible moment, this resulted in a bathroom bedroom scene as today but no time to email friends and certainly no time for thinking up ideas. yesterday morning i managed to put crumpets in the toaster and eat them while running around looking for the scarf that wasn't where i thought i left it but once out the door i found my key fob barely opened the car door and once inside the car realised it wasn't the key fob but the car. a phone call was made. two hours later i started my journey to work.

yesterday i was gifted the unexpected gift of time. sure i put the kettle on, made tea, washed the dishes that were stacked there from sunday and cleared the kitchen but that is where the chores ended. yes i spent time outside with the lovely man who was dispatched to help me and yes i had a conversation with my elderly neighbour who i hadn't seen since she popped in for a sherry before christmas but i also grabbed half an hour to read, to think, to stare out of my window and dream. the routine couldn't be got to and while i waited for that certain time to come around again i slipped out of my work routine and into my rest routine. not until i got home from the shortened work day did i realise quite how much i needed that extra boost of time. the unexpected nature of it in a harried monday morning made it all the sweeter. it reminded me to do that more often - give myself permission to put time aside to think and dream - it's a lifeline that fleshes out purpose and gives life to decisions. and it reminded me -  sometimes it doesn't take as much time as you think.

Emma

thankful thursday

this week i am thankful for social networking. a friends husband had a stroke while away on business in another part of europe. within hours she was on a plane racing to be at his side, within a further 24 hours a private space was set up on-line for family and friends to gain access to all up to date information and encourage both of them while they were stranded in a european hospital awaiting test outcomes and the all clear to travel to another hospital bed in the uk. i am thankful for mornings that are lighter earlier, nights that are darker later, sunshine that warms my face this winter and slowing down long enough to feel rested after weeks of celebrating.

Emma

christmas snapshot

it's all about the close up.

Emma