What I am made of

I spotted this in my google reader yesterday courtesy of likecool.com, the home of all things geeky and cool.

 

It made me think (briefly) about what I am made of.

And here is the output from that brain dump:


3.2% domesticaphobe
5.5% sewist/craftist
5.6% photographer
6.1% cook
6.7% ranty parent trying to keep the little darlings in line
11.9% bottom wiper, nose blower, tear drier, convincing sympathetic listener whilst posting on instagram simultaneously
17.2% wife and convincing sympathetic listener whilst posting on instagram simultaneously
43.8% Ninja mummy who would eradicate anyone or anything that came even close to hurting my babies so don't even think about it.

Because the bond that exists between my children and I has got stronger each day, which makes it pretty darn strong considering it was up there in the Strong Things List the day they were born. As much as I moan and whinge about their less-than-perfect behaviour, their bickering and the sea of toys to be negotiated just to have a bath, they are the most important and precious things in my world and they fill my heart (whilst reserving a little bit of space for the Mr).

Joining in with The Gallery and the theme of 'Bond' at Sticky Fingers.

Silent Sunday

365project week 4 2013

The novelty is officially wearing off.
We are over the snow.
Actually we are over the cold which was the toughest part of the week.
Thermal tights, double socks and soggy gloves be-gone.
Flat hat hair, I hate you.
Icy pavements, I dare you.
Next week I'll be moaning about the rain.
Never satisfied.

So this weeks theme is 'cosy'.

If I look up the snow will go in my eyes :-(
Dolls tucked up under their bandana blanket pretending it is a down filled duvet.
The uncosiest photo of the week. Brrr.
Lightbulb giving off a cosy glow.
Rosy lollipop fuelled cheeks.
Gulls grateful for comfort food.
Shops are cosy. And escalators are fun.

Stay warm. And dry x


Linking up with the Queen of 365, The Boy and Me. Do pay a visit.

Adventure

 

As I watched them walk ahead of me along a path we hadn't been before, I considered their excitement, the thrill of a new journey, new sights and new wonders to explore.

When you are one, you have only seen a fraction of the days you will see in your life time. You will have experienced only a small portion of the thrills and spills that will be your life. So each day can be and should be an adventure.

As we get older the proportion of newness, of glittering, exciting things decreases. The balance changes and the adventures are fewer and further between. We have seen it before, experienced it before, and it no longer has the same appeal. The outcome of the day becomes predictable. But we all love an adventure, it just seems that as we age, they are harder to come by. 

I have an idea. Can we create our own mini adventures in our day? For instance, an unexpected jaunt around the cosmetics counter? That's certainly an adventure for me these days. A new walk for you and your dog? Starting a new book? They are adventures in their own way. Admittedly, it's not quite the same as sipping a Martini in an infinity pool at the Golden Triangle Resort, Chiang Rai, Thailand (for example) but by doing a little something that is different, out of the norm, something that is new, we can create a little blip of excitement, can't we?

In the same way, I am feeling a sense of responsibility to offer my children the opportunity to have adventures. Big ones and mini ones, holidays to exciting places or treasure hunts around the garden. I want them to feel excitement, be swept away with the spirit of adventure, every day. It is my duty. That and ensuring they have done their homework.

So tomorrow, a new adventure.
What will yours be?

Joining in with The Gallery and the theme of 'Adventure' at Sticky Fingers.

Silent Sunday

365project Week 3 2013

Predictably this week's project was all about the white fluffy stuff that falls from the sky looking pretty and full of potential, but rapidly becomes that annoying slippery stuff turning our roads and pavements into a badly edited version of Dancing on Ice.

Crisp, clean and sparkly.
Dirty, wet and noseless.
Warm, not wet and industious.
Upsidedown and headache inducing.
Black and white and orange.
Snowflakes inside and snowflakes outside.
Pink and white and cold all over.

No doubt next week will be all about the wet brown slushy stuff.
Have a great week.


Linking up with the Queen of 365, The Boy and Me. Do pay a visit.

Silent Sunday

365project Week2 2013

A week to ponder, pause and procrastinate a little too much. I really must just get on with it. If only I knew what it was. In the meantime, there is always a photo that needs to be taken.

Pouting and protesting
Pondering the panorama
Peering through pages
Procrastinating over pigeons
Point of entry to private places
Peaceful pauses on pillows
Perching on pavements


Linking with the Queen of 365, The Boy and Me. Do pay a visit.

"I'll just..." and the art of procrastination

How many times today have you said, "I'll just *insert anything other than the thing you ought to be doing here*"?

A summary of my day...

"I'll just make a coffee."
"I'll just check facebook."
"I'll just flick through instagram."
"I'll just take some photos of those pigeons in that tree."
"I'll just look through instagram."
"I'll just see what the Wee One is doing."
"I'll just finish that pot of coffee."
"I'll just look at that job advert again."
"I'll just check my instagram timeline."
"I'll just build a city and play cars with the Wee One."
"I'll just make lunch."
"I'll just check my emails."
"I'll just check instagram."
"I'll just sneak a peak at twitter."
"I'll just organise my fabric stash."
"I'll just build a den with the Wee One."
"Well it's not worth filling that job application now. I'll do it later."
"I'll just make a quick cup of tea."
"I'll just write a blog post."
"Is that the time?"

Oh.

I know how to fill a day. With absolutely nothing achieved.

But there is always tomorrow. And that is the problem. Tomorrow I will set some milestones and deadlines.
Yeah. Tomorrow.

I wonder what that pigeon was supposed to achieve today?

New Year, New 365project

It appears that I am addicted and cannot let a day go by without taking at least one photograph.

So here we are again, at the start of a 365 day journey capturing what goes around and what comes around. In the case of this week, mainly sunshine.

• Gloomy outlook, precautionary measures of sun-tinted glasses required.
• Sun flare warning. Advise use filters with care.
• Localised flooding mainly around welly boots with risk of Tsunami.
• Expect sunny spells through landing window, giving way to sunglasses shadows.
• Atmospheric depression expected with removal and packing away of decorations.
• It's bleak out there. Stay in and consume comfort food.
• Raining After Eight mints. Missed that on the weather forecast.

I'll be continuing to link in to the Queen of 365, The Boy and Me. Do pay a visit.

Silent Sunday

Inspiration and Intuition (allegedly)

There once was a time when I would anticipate the arrival of January's glossy magazines with great excitement and turn immediately to the ubiquitous horoscopes eager to find out if this was going to be 'my' year. And do you know what? It was always going to be my year according to those more adept at interpreting the stars than a mere mortal such as myself.

Sucked in again this year, but feeling the pinch so not in the market for an armful of glossy advertorials, I flicked open my Sunday Times and read Shelley Von Strunckel's predictions for me (and the other 5 million or so Geminis in the UK).

Turns out, this is going to be MY year. Who knew? Let me explain (and translate the astrological metaphors into something that relates to my world.)

For you, happiness is about life brimming with stimulating activities, intriguing people and something exciting to learn about.

So far, so good. No predictions but a pretty good summary of what my life is lacking.

While you had plenty of these in 2012...

Whoa! Just hold on a second. Where? When? Define plenty. Which bus where they on then?

... there was so much chaos you couldn't really enjoy it.

Ah, now, chaos. That is back on familiar ground. Still, there must have been a pretty heavy dose of chaos for me to have missed the stimulation, intrigue and excitement that was queuing up at my front door. Mind you, I am normally holding a dog lead in my mouth, clutching an assortment of forgotten paraphernalia under an arm and gently nudging (with a heavy boot) three children over the threshold so it is quite possible a long queue of opportunities were there, although slightly trampled upon and therefore lower than my line of sight.

Now that winning combination of pursuits and people comes together more easily, often almost as if by magic.

So if were to happen upon a kindly looking lady of maturing years, who can levitate and says' "Call me Fairy Godmother." I shouldn't do a runner. Got it.

If there is any theme to this year, it's that: inspiration.

I do like a year with a good theme. I think it ties things together nicely into a neat little package that you can label 2013, so if inspiration is it then I could do worse. Last year's was chaos after all. 

During 2012 your intuition is stronger and you act on it swiftly, so much so that you can't question those impressions.

Trust me, Shelley, if my intuition says 'Here lies the path to wealth and happiness' I am all over it like a cake at a weight watchers meeting.

There is more about my feelings being deepened, romance thriving and being able to savour time with friends and family. So I can only assume that this path to wealth and happiness that my new intriguing Fairy Godmother is going to materialise from her fairy dust spangled handbag, comes with an abundance of free time generated by the home help, chef, nanny and personal assistant. Marvellous. Can't wait to get started.

A Good Eye

I am not a big one for reflection. I believe in fate and that 'this' was meant to be, so why analyse the past when you could better use your energy to create your future. Of course, as a believer in fate, I could just sit here and wait for it to happen but then where's the fun in that? Create you future and your fate will find you? Yeah, that's about right.

But, 366 days ago I started a photography project where I would take a photo a day and publish it for the world to see. Not quite the whole world has seen it (according to my blogging statistics) but it is there, should fate lead you here for the first time. It has been a lovely way for me to record my days. I can look back (for research purposes, not to reflect) and remember exactly what was happening on each day. This could also be useful for when dementia sets in.

I have chosen my favourite photo from each month of 2012 and brought them together.

They each tell a little story to me, each evokes a memory, of squatting on the pavement on the school run, or standing at the kitchen sink and day dreaming, or chasing a small person up the street, or failing to clean the bathroom, or patiently waiting for a woman to move at the coffee shop so I could capture the sun on a chair, or congratulating myself on finding the perfect twitter gates, or pacing around the sunflower patch looking for the perfect angle of sun through petals, or hoping that the warden at the airfield didn't catch me leaning on the wing of his plane, or cleaning out a mussel shell purely for photographic purposes, or laying on my stomach all the better to catch a dandelion clock in the breeze, or staring into puddles while the Big One moans he is cold.

They may not be my best photos, and none are of my children, but they make me happy because I found the right angle, at the right moment, and caught it on my camera. These photos give me the belief that I am an okay photographer and I have 'a good eye'. There's no hope for my other eye, however.

I'm linking up to The Boy and Me who has kept so many of us 365project addicts going.

An upcycled Thank you

Thank you for your readership.
Thank you for your comments, feedback and suggestions.
Thank you for filling my comment box with love (not an euphemism).
Thank you for inspiring me.
Thank you for sharing.

And most of all, thank you for your ideas, your wit and your wisdom.


I am looking forward to a busy, industrious and inspiration fueled 2013.
Although I may wait until I've had a caffeine hit before I get started.

Should you wish to say Thank You to anyone, you could do a whole lot worse than chop up some of those Christmas cards you've been given and fashion them into something homemade and personal.

Taa-dah!