Explore ... has started

I've often signed up for classes but never really completed them ... I'm sure I'm not alone there.  So when I signed up for Shimelle's latest class "Explore" - I set myself a challenge, to actually try my best to follow the prompts as they appear and, as often as I can actually join in the chatter on her forum.

So here we are, Day 1 of Explore!  Yes, I've made my playbook, and taken my self portrait! eekkk ... and even written my Note to Self - so, so far, so good.  Now I do think that some of my journaling is going to be kept quite and to myself so that I can really express how I feel - but I would like to share my first page with you.

NOTE TO SELF:

18 July 2011: that's the date I'm starting Shimelle's "Explore" class - I need to get my creativitiy flowing! I've been lost for some time now, and with Mum's passing, it's just magnified things. So Jump in - that's my new motto!

Our first task, was to do a self photo - and although I did one at the beginning of the year for my "one little word" class (which is another thing that I've not done anything with) today's me, is a completely different person than I was on the 1st January. I'm not happy to be in front of the camera and as such I tend to like to photograph family members, pets or even houshold ojects - but this is a new me, who wants to do so much more - I want to learn, I want to be more creative - I want to explore who I really am, and what I'm capable of.

So Jump In Sandra! .... and don't worry if you mess up, it's only paper!

Ok, there it is is ... and also, I'm going to share my photo with you ... and well, this really is me - as I am normally and that is Nosey! ... you see, I was taking my photo in the mirror and then a delivery van pulled up outside, and true to the person I am - I had to have a little look see, and as I did - I clicked in error!  ... so of course, if it's about Explore - well, in a way I was exploring the outside lol.

and here is my front cover of my book - I first picked out pinks, as normal - but then realised I was going to try something different, I may well still add some more and tweek it a little, but for now, I'm happy with it.

Thank you for all your recent kind coments, it's meant a great deal to me - and please, feel free to nag me, if I don't do as I say, and keep up with the class :)



Back into the world of blogging

Its been a very difficult few weeks for me recently.  Some of you are aware that I lost my mother on the 1st July, and it's taken me quite some time to come to terms with it - but this isn't a sad post, instead I just wanted to explain why I've been awol recently.  I am slowly getting my act together, and I hope you all won't mind but I think I'll start my blog reading again now and afresh ... I don't think I'll be able to play catch up with past posts.

I would just like to share this poem with you from Patience Strong, who was a favourite of my grandmothers.

Life and Death

When blossom breaks on bush and spray, God speaks

to all who grieve. There is no death, He seems to say

Look up, have faith, believe.

Our loved ones pass beyond our sight. We say that

they have gone. But they are somewhere in the light -

where life and love go on.

So when you see the flower hedge, and green leaves

on the tree, remember that it is a pledge of immortality.

And I'd also like to share a layout I did a couple of years ago of my wonderful mother ... I was truly blessed to have been her daughter.

An Amazing Day

Last week, we were lucky enough to be invited out for the day to Heston Blumenthal's restaurant, for a Taste menu, then a boat trip down to Windsor for an evening of horse racing ... oh it was out of this world! 

The food, well I can honestly say, was just the best I've ever tasted - and of couse I took photos ... the first picture is 'Pome Dores' Pork Meat Fruit, Apple and Grill Bread.  The apple looked amazing, and then you cut into it ... oh WOW

This was then followed by Tea-smoked Tea with Soda Bread, after which was Pork Belly with Peppered Lion, followed by Champagne & Granny Apple Granita - and then Sherry Trifle and hand made Petit Fours .... I remember to photograph the Pork and Trife, the rest I couldn't wait to eat!

Shockly enough for me, I've already scrapped the restaurant, but I've taken so many more photos - I think a mini book will be in the making very soon.



I'll save the boat trip photos and horse racing for another post, otherwise you'll be sick of me being so excited over the day :) 

A little bit of Everything

This really is a post with a little bit of everything ... I suddenly have so much I want to share with you all.   

I love getting post ... proper post! Yes, I love emails, skype and all that but there is something really special about getting an envelope with your name handwritten on it, especially when you're not expecting anything. So imagine my delight when these came out of the envelope.

A big thank you to Michelle, for really making my morning - that's so very kind of you.  Inside reads "just because you love all things pretty".  Isn't she talented, and oh so so sweet :)

Ok next; I set myself  many challenges each year, some I manage, some I get nowhere near, but one of them was to read more - and not just magazines!  I used to read so much when I used to commute by train to work, but now working from home, I don't' tend to.  Anyway, I joined a reading group, and have so far read some very good books, some of which I wouldn't normally pick up - well the latest, is The Crying Tree, and one I would recommend.  When I first read the back, well I thought, goodness I'll cry through all of this, but that wasn't the case!  So a quick recap, from the back;

Irene Stanley thought her world had come to an end when her husband found their 15 year old son, Shep murdered in their Oregon Home.  DanielRobbin, who had spent his teenage years in & out of trouble, gave himself up to the police and was given the state's harshest sentence; death by lethal injection.

Now Nineteen years later, as the superintendent of the state penitentiary prepares to execute Robbin, Irene Stanley must reveal something she has been hiding from her family.

Her revelation stuns her family and cracks open the secrets that surrounded her son's death.  Secrets that reveal how little she understood Shep, her husband or herself.

Now it's not as morbid as it sounds, and the book jumps back and forward though time - but doesn't really touch on the actual murder, which probably helps.  It's more about how the family deal with it, and also how the prison warden copes with the event he's facing, and finally how the mother deals with the loss of her son and the true events of that day. If you're looking for something a little different, I would recommend it - I'm now looking forward to my next read, especially as I have a super bookmark too :)

And finally, although I posted this layout on the shop blog - I do want to share it with you too, as I love the photo.  It was taken on Easter Sunday, so before THE wedding!  And Simon suggested going up to London to see the flags - well, it was amazing, were were in Regent Street - and right there at the lights was a mini, a taxi and a Bus, all next to the flags. You couldn't get anything more British LOL.  So I dashed to the middle of the road and took the photo - and I'm so pleased I did. 

Ok, enough talk from me.  Goodness, I don't think I've ever done a blog post with so much chatter :)