finally the sun shone

last week the sun shone. all week. it felt like summer. at the start of the week i was in bed ill. by the end i was walking around a zoo with four little people. it was much needed. all week i had felt cooped up and had wanted to be outside whenever i wasn't working. the barbecue took off it's winter coat. twice. the week had brought with it unexpected reminders of the past. some happy. some sad. some things i could do something about. others i could not.  it was great to see the animals through the eyes of excited little people. not just animals but play parks, boats and monorails. oh the joys of being two. five. six. and four months.

Emma

Morning Surprise

A few weeks ago Ellie and I bought a cactus from a church plant sale. It has sat on Ellie's window sill for several weeks and looks like this:

Yesterday morning Ellie drew back the curtains and it looked like this:

It took our breath away -the surprise at the unexpected, the beauty of the flowers. The really special part is that the flowers close in the evening, and then open again in the morning. It is our morning surprise, something small but beautiful waiting as a gift at the start of each day.

Jane

Being spoilt part 2

Today the post arrived. I wasn't expecting anything, but lying on the door mat was an enticing package.

I opened it.

Inside was this:

Inside the tin were these:

Which became these:

Thanks Em, a lovely Saturday surprise.

Jane

musings

a couple of weeks ago a person who knows me better than i know myself told me; how i am now is like i was in my early twenties. 

i am now in my early forties. 

it's taken me twice my time to regain the youthful exuberance i had. i never realised i had done a detour. never realised my path was overgrown with hedgrow. it just happened. life crowded in. crowded in with parties then responsibilities. i have no recollection of deciding i was going to do this or that, it just happened. my twenties initially were flighty, fun, adventurous. my thirties brought the realisation that i wasn't where i thought i should be. i forgot about where i wanted to be. in fact i didn't forget, i didn't even think about it. my early forties has brought growth. i can trace it back to where it started:

a digital camera. 

with that brought a whole new world. suddenly images i took were immediate. finally my mac was able to dazzle with it's true colours. no more one hour photo shop with disappointing colour. from that; a confidence to find my voice with pictures. a submission selected and published on a photo blog. the amazement, surprise and humbling acceptance of what i had captured and expressed swelled the confidence further. next a germ of a thought; the idea of starting my own blog. my oldest, bestest friend suggesting we do it together. a year on our friendship is stonger than it has ever been. a friendship that pre-dates my early twenties. through this i have found that words come easy. well maybe not easy but easier than i could ever have imagined. they have become something i want to embrace and find voice for. encouraging stories recollected and shared of comments made by family, who when reading cards i have written have been moved not just to tears but to comment that i have always been a writer. this has helped gain the realisation that this has always been there, lying in abeyance, awaiting just the right time for me to pick up and try, try, try again. 

creativity awakened. 

re-awakened. 

it has been a process. more than that. a discipline. requiring effort, time, thought. on a good day; a stream of conciousness. on a bad; i am back at school working my way through homework. only this time it is set by myself for myself to my own deadline. expressing myself. being aware of and open to life has been the change. what i thought it was about, it is not. 

what have i realised in the simplicity of it? just that. it is simple.

do what you love. 

embrace your talents. 

walk with hope. 

be joyful. 

laugh easily and long.  

take pleasure in the everyday. 

make time. 

simply; love. 

love yourself. 

love others. 

above all be true. 

true to what you have been given. 

you are the only one that can sing your song.

sing with gusto.

Emma

life's what you make it

illness has been rife for the last couple of weeks. family and friends have been laid low. big style. these past few days it has been my turn to give in to the germs that abound. as i finished my working day it struck me how easy it is to give in to negativity. positivity will always reward you. positivity will keep you warm when negativity sails you down the river.


i have these (and lots of them) in my lawn.

but i also have beautiful bluebells in the border that my lovely neighbour likes to describe as my "wild flower garden".

i've been cooped up in my office all day while the sun shines. but. i'm blessed with evening sun right outside my back door. i throw open the doors. put some music on. sing. loudly. (try not to drown out the birds song).

oh and i caught the wine just before it froze in the freezer.  

so what if i haven't made it to the shops to buy this years sundress. last years will do. i haven't had time to go for the much needed pedicure either. tonight i will sit on my deck and do it myself. in the sunshine. and. i might not yet be comfortable with the darker shade of blonde i am sporting. but. in the sunshine i can see it is not as dark as i think it is. 

life. it's what you make it. it's way to short to give in to negativity. when all else fails. do what i did. whilst listening to the radio, take a five year old by the hand and spin her round (like a lunatic) to this oldie. five year olds have never heard this song before and the idea of living on the ceiling was more than she could bear. laughter. that's the best medicine. 

Emma

busy

last week was busy. everything was manic. the week before had been similar and dates had been re-arranged. in the midst of stormy weather relief was gained by meeting friends for dinner. twice. i only had my camera once. it was good. and much needed.

Emma

Being spoilt

This week I have been well and truly spoilt.

First of all I was given this:

It is a truly thoughtful gift, handmade and perfect. It brought lots of joy to my Tuesday.

Then I received this:

I first found out about it via a photo on Facebook, it made my day.

Then after avery long day at work I came home to this:

And this:

You may spot the theme -I'm quite excited about a certain event at the beginning of June. But more than that this week I have felt very valued, and very supported. It's reminded me again how we all have the capacity to make a difference to someone's day, this week I have been very fortunate that it's been me on the receiving end.
Happy weekend everyone- time to make bunting?

Jane