Poetry Gems

20th July 2011

Sadness - by me

My being stores their pain
Their words they wound me
Their emotions enter my body and will not be shaken off
My joints echo with the weight of their burdens
My mind whirls with my memories,
My regrets, my yearning for what was
And yet …..

My heart swells with the pride of being there
Of giving my all and seeing their burdens lightened
Of feeling their fears and valuing their vicissitudes
For allowing their anger and holding their sadnesses
Gently … carefully …. doing and being …….

Daily Walk Gems

Monday 8th August, 2011

Not really a walk today, just a meander round the garden. I'm going to be very sad to leave the beautiful garden that I created just last year. I ambled around, just reconnecting with the energies here, and happened on this stone. I can't remember where I found it, but I'm a bit of a stone collecting freak really! It's fascinating, I love the fossils in it.

Sunday 7th August, 2011 - walking around Brighton

Ellie and I spent about 3 or 4 hours in Brighton today, I enjoyed the strong wind and the intermittent sun, the air by the seaside really does feel different than in town. We had a really good vegetarian lunch at Iydea which I'd highly recommend for nourishing, fresh, flavourful, reasonably priced veggie grub :-)

Here's a few pics from the walking bit, I particularly love the first one -

Friday August 5th - another part of Epping Forest

A post work evening walk to chill out. We went to a piece of the forest we've visited before but headed off in a different direction. Found this lovely path that made me think of 'light at the end of the tunnel', but in this case the light is diffusing through at various places along the way :-)

Then we diverted from the path and look what we found! - Such a peaceful, serene little area -

Friday 29th July, 2011 in Knighton Wood - part of Epping Forest

Ellie and I went for a lovely evening walk to relax after our busy day. It was amazing how few people were around! I was drawn to these beautifully ethereal looking tree roots, I guess it is because the water levels in the ponds are so low at the moment that we're seeing this lovely display of tree tracery.

I am gifting myself with a daily walk - my lower legs, ankles and feet particulary need it, and here are some beautiful photos of Cheslyn Gardens in Watford, where I walked yesterday. I was absolutely spoilt for choice, and have selected just a few of the many photos I took, the gardens are stunning!

Blogger problem!

Ah well, I've spent a couple of hours trying to find out/work out how to retrieve all the missing photos from this blog, with no luck! I'll have to re-upload the missing ones I think. That hasn't worked on all the posts, so please excuse the boxes with ! left in them! I've had to completely redo some of them too, so onwards and upwards :-)

The Jan 12 River of Stones Gems

I am taking part in the Jan 12 River of Stones organised by Fiona and Kaspa of Writing Our Way Home.

I will post my 'stone' here each day :-) 1st January, 2012 Peaceful hollow, little known, Running Well, sacred water, sacred gratitude. 2nd January, 2012 Tears burn eyes suddenly, Old disappointments of failure flow as they sting. Numb .... Solar plexus hard ..... ..... And for so little!?

Art Gems

Have just found details of this art exhibition, which is going to be on in Glastonbury 6th to 14th August. It looks just amazing!

Mixed Media Art Journal Gem

9th August, 2011

Photo album personalized with Smilebox

26th July, 2011 - Here are another couple of pages, using labels from new clothes :-)

I am so loving my art journaling! I gift myself with time to play and learn more about it most days now. Here is a page I've been creating during the past week - it will be completed in a few more days.

I gessoed the page and painted it with water colour pencils, then glued on a flap out, that I've made from a paint chart -

I've enjoyed drawing on many of the coloured squares, sometimes just following my intuition, and sometimes following the name of the paint colour.

I look forward to sharing the page when it's completed.

Generosity Gem

Congratulations to 12 year old! Evie, who won the raffle for a one week stay at DreamTime House for the Luna Petagine appeal, which raised IRO £4000! Many congratulations to the fund raising team, who have now raised £100,000 in total! That's amazing!

DreamTime House Gem

Here's The latest feedback from a DreamTime guest -
We've left the house and I'd like to thank you so much for making our stay very enjoyable. The home and all was perfect and we shall cherish the memories here. I shall highly recommend your place with confidence, knowing anyone who stays will definitely be very at home. What a wonderful home from home as you say. From all my heart, much love, many blessings.

Relax, rejuvenate, revitalise your mind, body and spirit with a weekend self-catering break at DreamTime House in Glastonbury.

The accommodation is an end of terrace house set in a quiet residential area, which sleeps up to four people in two bedrooms and provides its guests with magnificent views of the Tor and Chalice Hill from both the bedroom and garden.


The property is decorated, furnished and equipped to a very high standard, including solid oak and leather furniture, hotel quality bedding, Egyptian cotton white towels and wi-fi.

The private decked garden is also perfect for enjoying a relaxing glass of wine, or providing your children with an enclosed area to play.

Glastonbury in Somerset is perhaps most known for its new age community and the myths and legends that surround the Tor as well as the annual music festival. But while the village itself has much to see and do over a weekend with its shops and eateries, the area is also conveniently located between Bath, Bristol and Wells, ensuring a plethora of places to visit for guests of all ages.

Look after the pennies

It occurred to me yesterday that I could interpret a phrase my Dad used to say in a far more positive way than I've ever done. He used to say "look after the pennies and the pounds take care of themselves". Of course I knew exactly what he meant - be frugal, save pennies whenever you can, your pounds will grow - and oh how successful that message was! I have ongoing struggles now not to be frugal, to allow money exchange to flow, to buy something that's full priced, rather than wait until it is in the sale!

As a mistress of procrastination, and just more than a tad of laziness, I spend hours and hours searching for inspirational blogs, websites, Facebook messages etc etc, in order to become inspired and get on with what I need to. I KNOW that I need to take action, that's the only way the tasks will be done, but often remain in the inactivity of reading and planning instead.

Just lately I've been drawn to the idea of taking very small steps to achieve a goal, I'm trying it, and it works! I ask myself what is one very small thing I can do towards getting to the goal I'm aiming at, and then take action. An example is that I decided to remove just one item of rubbish from the garden, and that would be fine for that day - a tiny step to clearing it. I did that and one small corner of the garden is decluttered, it feels easier than the overwhelming task of getting it all done at once.

So, back to the pennies and pounds, in the same way as penny watching provides gains in the pounds, setting mini tasks provides gains in completion of the whole goal.