Thoughtful Tuesday

I cannot believe that the purpose of life is to be "happy." I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate. It is, above all, to matter and to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.
- Leo C. Rosten

Shaken not stirred

Friday Find

The city of Tomsk in Russia, has its own monument to slippers!
This post is brought to you by the fact it is cold and wet and grey outside so my brain can’t help but slip off into a reverie of cosy pyjama clad duvet days. Indeed I think slippers need more recognition as quiet providers of comfort and warmth.

Nb. Writing about monuments to slippers has also made me think of Edward in ‘The Slipper and the Rose’… I know what I’m watching when I get home.

Things I Love Thursday

There’s just one thing on my list this week reader:
My friend Rachel- today is her birthday- If I tried typing all the reasons this gal is special well I’d never stop typing so instead here are just a few: she’s witty, caring and trustworthy, she has great taste, (I know these are things everyone says about their best friends but that doesn’t negate their validity here).I love her optimism and her creativity, the way she creates her own path in life, she manages to be true to herself and her beliefs no matter what life throws at her. Oh and she’s super humble to boot.
Yes Rach is wonderful but don’t take my word for it go check out her blog. I am glad to be able to call her my friend and even more pleased that she keeps on agreeing to be mine too, happy birthday lovely lady.
In fact this week I am very grateful for my all my friends. I am so blessed by the people I am lucky enough to class as my nearest and dearest.

Thoughtful Tuesday

You cannot find peace by avoiding life.
- Virginia Woolf

What a fantastic weekend...and so to sleep zzzz

Source

Goodbye lovely reader,
hopefully by the time you are reading this I will be whizzing up the motorway to a lovely farm to spend the weekend with several of my favourite people

If all has gone to plan I've been super organised and scheduled this post to appear before your eyes when I am nowhere near my computer. Swish!

Anywho hope you have a splendid weekend, full of sunshine, et cetera, and I shall see you on Monday when I'll be very very sleepy, possibly quite sun-kissed, and certainly very grateful to have access to my very comfy bed again.

This conversation between two of my friends appeared on my facebook news feed when I logged on today. They're discussing travel plans for a camping trip we're all going on this weekend.
I've been so tempted to comment 'I love it when a plan comes together'.
I have thus far resisted because they don't need more proof I'm a geek!

Thoughtful Tuesday

Lives, like money, are spent. What are you buying with yours?
- Roy H. Williams

Yum
Tempura prawns & veg, sweet chilli dipping sauce and rice

I'm in love ...
His name is Merlin
He belongs to my friend S, who made the cupcake from yesterday. He's a little camera shy but isn't he lovely...

Homemade cupcake from my wonderful & talented friend S- her first time working with fondant icing.

Friday Find

Reason #4598 Why I love the UOGB

World's Smallest Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain -George, Will and Richie:

Things I Love Thursday

Thoughtful Tuesday

Today I am taking part in 'Anti-Riot - Operation Cup Of Tea'
I'm also greatly encouraged by this story of a couple from Camden town who made tea for the police who were protecting their street.

"If man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty"
Japanese Proverb

"Everybody has to believe in something.....I believe I'll have another drink." -W.C. Fields

It's another lovely sunny day here so my brother's declared it beer o'clock:

I'm sat watching a life sized Bob the Builder singing and teaching the children 'Little fish, big fish, cardboard box'. Lucky I'm at Butlins or I'd think someone had slipped something in my breakfast tea... (I'm still not entirely convinced they haven't).

Friday Find

What we call dust bunnies in English, the French call "moutons de poussière" = dust sheep.

Things I Love Thursday

Source


Here’s a little list of all the things that have caught my eye and captured my heart recently:

I’d like to start today’s tilt with a tribute to my old teacher, later headmaster, Mr William ‘Bill’ Grundy. Today was his funeral and as I couldn’t attend in person I wanted to make a personal dedication here. I met him in my first week at secondary school- he was a 6ft ex-policeman, with by that time twenty years teaching experiance, and I was a short shy 11 year old. Seven years later I'd learnt that he was a (mostly) friendly giant and I was still a short, quiet 18 year old. Mr Grundy officially taught me geography but I learnt so much over the years about life, the universe and about dealing with other people. I’ll never forget him telling me that if I could only believe in myself and the things he knew I was capable of then the world would have to watch out. A big man not just in stature but also in nature - Goodnight sir, sleep tight, you will be truly missed & never forgotten xxx

Now on to the rest of my list:

Top of my list this week family holidays- currently at Butlins with the family, we’ve been having a great, if a tad exhausting, week so far. It’s just wonderful to spend time together and to see the little ones faces light up in wonder and excitement. Think I’ll have to go on a diet when I get back, far too much booze and food being consumed, feel like an overweight blubber whale!

Similarly, also high on my list are reunions with old friends- Last weekend I met up with a couple who I got to know during my time in Japan. They are in the UK on furlough for a year spending time catching up with family/friends and introducing their daughters to English culture (before this trip, the last time they spent a prolonged period here was eight years ago). It was so lovely to see them and catch up on their personal news and on news about the other members of the team.


I got my hair chopped about a week ago.
From this:
Into this:
Ok I know it’s not actually headline news but to me it is

Best of the rest:

Radio 4 extra has had an large amount of my attention in the last couple of weeks, firstly they ran a series of new Torchwood plays ‘The Lost Files’ but mostly because they are also the home of Cabin Pressure

Refinding a package from a dear friend- Yum forgotten candy cane perfect pick me up treat if a tad unseasonal (Nb. I truly believe life would be brightened up a little if we weren’t expected to wait for 11 months in between installments of such cheer-inducing cuisine as candy-canes and mulled wine)

Groan inducing gags…my current fave-
How does Moses make his tea?
Hebrews it

Watch a Guy Recite Shakespeare With 25 Different Celebrity Impressions As with all impressionists some of his impressions are much better than others but definitely worth a watch.

Over to you reader, what’s making your week sparkle?

Lazing on a sunny afternoon

It's too darn hot. Time for some cold ice cream...
Perfect!

Thoughtful Tuesday

Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
Howard Thurman

The August Break

Well I’m late to join the party again this year I know, or should that be fashionably last minute, but I’ve decided to join in with Susannah Conway’s ‘August Break’ project. It’s a monthly project to post photos, without prompts or goals, just low key no pressure sharing with others, throughout August.
Thanks for the reminder go placidly & living yen – Check out their blogs too, if you aren’t following them already, for what I’m sure will be some wonderful photos

So here is my first offering:

I found Nemo!

Hello again, friends. It seems that I’ve been somewhat MIA the last month.
Apologies if you’ve missed me although I suspect it’s much more likely that no-one even noticed my absence. I went on holiday by mistake took an unplanned break from social media.

It’s been a busy month but an odd month too. I mentioned in a previous post that I found myself being challenged throughout the week I spent in Latvia. That challenge, or at least a part of it continued after I came home. In general I’m ok and I don’t want this entry to turn into some melodramatic self-pity party either perhaps the best thing I can say is I’ve just been battling the ‘I am nots’. It’s that little voice inside my head. It starts with over-thinking, over-analyzing, and ends with me feeling useless.

The preface to The Restaurant at the End of the Universe states:
'There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.
There is another theory which states that this has already happened.'
(Adams 1980: 3)
I feel a little bit like that describes my life situation. Fear of the ordeals playing themselves out in head-land is a hindrance, but the paralysis induced by the sheer weight of accumulated hypothetical propositions is quite possibly a worse one. How do you trust what you are going after will be something in the end that you really want? How do you know it’s the right dream?
This is my dreamspace, a creative space but it’s hard to dream big when your heart feels small and sore. It’s no excuse to stop trying though.

As I’m writing this, I’m second guessing whether I should post it. Worried about what people will think. Is this too much like a diary entry? The more time I spend in head-land, the less time I feel like I should spend in head-land. This is a lesson I seem to keep needing to learn over and over and over like a monkey with a miniature cymbal (to steal a phrase from Hot Chip)

On a brighter note my impromptu hiatus served as a nice little vacation. Like a social-networking rehab of sorts. It’s amazing how freeing it can be to let yourself off the hook …even when it’s your own projects.
Seriously though I just want to apologise for sucking so badly recently reader; I have neglected every form of social media from e-mail to blogger and...well, and everything in between (although, to be fair, I'm pretty unrepentant in my neglect of Facebook), and I'm very sorry for not really paying attention to you (yes, you reader) and for not having noticed the important/interesting (or, indeed, frivolous/banal) things that you've all been doing/experiencing.