finding-my-bliss

Following on from yesterday's post about Connections,
I quickly press 'new post button' less these thoughts escape me....

I have been visiting Dirty Footprints Studio and as synchronicity would have it
Connie is posting about connections too!
I have left comments on Connie's blog over 2 years but never
had a personal response, this doesn't matter
though because she speaks straight to my heart!

Recently Connie lost a very dear friend whom
she affectionately called 'Uncle Johnny',
Johnny was a musician, he died suddenly
read the story here

In honour of the life of her dear friend,
and all our dear friends gone before
Connie suggested we connect through
 'Piecing together the Sky', a memorial
through sky images and words describing
our heart connection.

My special friend and heart connection
died a number of years ago now,
I often wonder about him?
He was a very spiritual person, a little unusual, different
from other men I'd known, he said he thou…

'Community Connections' was adopted as
the title for our monthly village newsletter,
I was the one to come up with the title,  the others embraced it, and so it was launched.  That was some ten years ago,  it is still going strong today.  Community was my world then but more at a local level,  today my community has expanded to global proportions,  thanks to among others the British scientist  Sir Tim Berners-Lee,  who was celebrated Friday night in the opening ceremony  of the 30th Olympic Games in London  as the inventor of the world wide web!

One of the ceremony highlights,  the lighting of the olympic flame cauldron was very emotive.  A metal flower petal was carried by  each country's representative and assembled in place,  as the flame ignited all of the petals they moved together  rising as one united blossom, a spectacular vision!  This reminded me of the opening and closing  of the Lotus Blossom  which is said to represent the awakening of consciousness,  which doe…

Overjoyed is the feeling I got when I received a package marked airmail! When I opened it and read the note, I was over the moon but also choked-up,
no one had ever sent me such a lovely token.....
I had previously commented about the wonderful headbands on Suzanne's blog,
about how it had given me ideas to cover up my little bald patch
on the front hairline, due to alopecia.
To my surprise Suzanne offered to make one especially for me!
I said this would be lovely and I would
do a photo shoot of me wearing
the head-band.

You might already realise
I would rather the camera point in the opposite direction to me
but Suzanne's message spurred me on, that every-time I wear
the headband I must remember ~


"the beautiful one you are"

So here goes .....




 This is blurred and actually my favourite, I like to keep an air of mystery  you see ; ~)

Thank you so very much Suzanne,
Visit
Sperlygirl
The maker of beautiful headbands with affirmative message to boot!

BTW Have just learned…

We put out the decorations in honour of Connie Mae's
 first meeting with family
& friends.
The sun rose to the occasion, everything was in HD ~ perfect. Gifts galore, for Connie, Karen & me all our birthdays within the month.
Proud fathers comparing notes and pics, Grandpa attending to food matters, moments of contentment, and me focusing in on the little things, the tiny details!

my soft fragments,
the layers of my nest,
getting cosy and comfy,
whilst the rain continues to fall.

I have what I need for this day!
What I want though is for the sun to shine,
literally and metaphorically,
but I have to wait, to practice patience, for it is a virtue I have not perfected! Yet!

As a child I was keenly aware of being different,
I realised this when I accompanied my mum and older sister to view a vacant house that my sister was about to move into.

The conversation went something like this ~
"of course that black wallpaper will have to go,
I couldn't live with it, whoever put that on has a strange taste".

I loved the black flowered wallpaper, I didn't
see why they would want to swap it for boring old stripes!

They said I had a vivid imagination, that I'd make good on the stage,
I suppose they were right,
my imagination fiills
the inner and outer worlds of my Paradise!

On the agenda this week ~
My daughter in-law Karen's birthday today
My birthday mid week (shush !)
Stainsby Folk Festival next weekend (takes place in the fields behind my house)
Family and friends meet baby fox, Connie Mae!
Going to be busy busy!!

BTW  We have a family of Mallards on the new pond,
my love counted 9 chicks,
and one Heron hovering
nearby, Oh I can't
lo…

In a hard edged world

I gather my soft fragments

the layers of my nest

concealed high in the tree tops

my sensitive heart

Linking with
Recuerda mi Corazon

Self Portrait ~ The Headdress of Love
Continued from Monday 'Just Remember'

"If I knew what the picture was going to be like I wouldn't make it.
It was almost like it was made already ......
the challenge is more about
trying to make what you can’t think of."

The above quote from photographer Cindy Sherman - Wikipedia
is one I identify with, but in my case it's not so much about challenge
or trying, but more of an uncovering or a drawing up something from within.

Since the early learning days when I was
frightened of the big blank canvas,
or the sketch book filled with clean white pages,
scared of mark making for fear my work be judged adversely,
or meet someone else's idea of what art should look like,
since those days, my creative process has become
intuitive rather than prescriptive,
if it doesn't happen in the moment,
or as a string of moments knitted together with ease,
then I'm not at one with my work.

If I feel a contrivance, a slaving or forc…

Self Portrait

She said " This is my gift to you. I hope you'll wear
and remember the beautiful one that you are".
There is an interesting story behind this composition,  something that touched me in more ways than one, deeply. I can't reveal the story yet as  I'm waiting for the band giver to return!


A little up-date for any reader wondering.
This post is one that touches me deep as I said, it is about
body image, a subject I researched for my
art college studies. Now as an 'older woman'
I can ponder the subject from a different
perspective and how it affects
me personally!

The images above are two photos,
the underneath one is of myself merged with
a close-up of coloured glass droplets
 after using the opaque tool.

I have transformed myself into something
other, there is something mysterious
and magical about this, it's like dressing up in childhood!
I can be who I want to be!


"If I knew what the picture was going to be like I wouldn’t make it. I…

Another Friday ~
Tick-tock time for my haiku, wine and all things bliss.

It's been another one of those rainy weeks, but all feels good today ~
Cooing with sweet Connie Mae, we met at a halfway Ale House for lunch and some baby talk, though it had continued to rain our spirits were not dampened that day.
I was over the moon to receive something very special in the post from one lovely lady (more later).
I was also delighted to receive a giant canvas back with my up-loaded pic -  looked fabulous even though I say it myself  :~)
So I have a good Friday feeling,
Wishing you all a lovely W/E

Linking with other Haiku offerings ~
Recuerda mi Corazon

Yesterday whilst editing a few of my images ready for canvas,
I came across this from last year and was about to delete
but got caught in the memory, suddenly I fell in love with the image and the memory all over again. Last year was full of walks with my love and the boys to our special place, a row of five little ascending ponds in the grounds of our beloved Hardwick Hall. These were special times, me being in love with capturing every reflection that spoke to me in those pools of colour.
This year has been so different what with the incessant rain and other
restraining obstacles, but these images are like gold-dust to me, they immediately
transport me back to one of the most beautiful periods of my life.
I can retrace my steps to Paradise in the click of a mouse!
“Let the beauty we love be what we do. 
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.”  ~ Rumi
Sending my memories to ~>
Postcards from Paradise
Recuerda mi Corazon