Autumn is here...

So many people grumble when Autumn comes around yet it is one of the loveliest times of year in nature. It is my favourite season and this little picture reminds me that when days are sometimes "dark" it is ok to fall because each day comes with a new blessing and renewed hope.

A thought for the weekend

A thought for Thursday

A thought for Monday

A thought for Sunday

Some wonderful advice from Buddha - taken from Buddha Doodles

A new year and that is reason enough to be grateful

My friend, Tina, sent me this and I thought it was such a nice idea. I have extended it slightly as I also am someone who loves her diary. So this year I am going to try and record under the heading "Good Stuff" something to be grateful for every day in my diary. In the jar I am going to place notes of things that are really special and to be so so grateful for. This will, I know, be linked to my family and just saying that, makes me grateful. So anyway... I will try .....

A nice way to remind myself.....

Isn't this a lovely way to remind ourselves to live more peacefully and indeed to live in the moment. I still struggle with this although I am better than I was a couple of years ago. One thing that I find hard nowadays though is coming to terms with getting older. I laugh it off most of the time but in truth it does worry me. I am afraid of dying, even though I have a strong faith. My main fear centres around leaving my family behind but also I am honestly just afraid too of what happens when that day comes. Rather a gloomy post I know but oddly I wasn't even thinking about it until I started to write. So maybe the little picture that led me to writing at all is what I should fill my mind with instead. It inspires me to paint something along those lines. I am midway through a painting of a face which (as often happens) I know reflects my own image but yesterday I had started to surround it with huge flowers. This has resulted in the rather sad face becoming illuminated and the flowers are giving a whole different feel to the picture. I suspect the universe is telling me something, don't you?

Feeling blessed

I had such a lovely weekend. We went to stay with my youngest son Dan and his partner Sharna and their little boy, our youngest grandson, Jojo. What can I say without listing every moment. It was just perfect and it filled me with gratitude for being who I am.

Ouch ....

I am so sore after my fall. I think it has really shaken me up as I feel very tearful too. Having a gentle day. xx

Sometimes I wish I could just go back here for a little while....

Not too well....

I am in agony today after my fall so might be absent for a couple of days. My back, neck and head are all very painful, as is my arm. I am also very nauseous so need to get myself lying down. See you soon. xx

Done it again...

I've done it again ..... I fell right down the steps at the front of the building today and really hurt myself. I landed on the base of my spine and my arm. This was worse than last time and I really hurt so just a short note today. See you soon....don't do what I seem to be doing at the moment, stay safe.

Something to remember...

After hiding away for the best part of a week because of my unsightly mosquito bites, it struck me this morning how easily it is for me (and I guess for most of us) to suddenly feel unworthy. The horrible mess of bites on my face has made me feel so self conscious and yes .. also unworthy. I have been feeling afraid of people looking at me and wrinkling up their noses, thinking ugh. How ridiculous of me for just a few mosquito bites that will go in a week or so. Feeling so paranoid about something so trivial is a reason to feel unworthy when so many people in this world suffer real and debilitating disfigurement. But...feeling unworthy simply because of a few bites on my face is certainly not. We are all special in one way or another. I know that I have many special people in my life, family and friends and I could give each one of them their own unique reason for the "specialness". I remember when my children were small I wrote in one of my journals what I thought their main qualities were. It is lovely to read those pages again and see that those are still the beautiful personality traits that shine out from them. I think it is a rather nice idea.....think of the people in your life who really matter to you and then characterise them with one or two words that describe why. It is very revealing of how beautiful people are. I must look out my pages from that old journal and reproduce them here on my blog one day and it the meantime I am going to try out my suggestion above. I think it can only make me even more grateful for the wonderful people I am fortunate enough to have in my life.

A little and quiet place to just be....

I sort of feverishly "collect" pictures and quotes of all kinds. It is a bit of an obsession with me but I get so much pleasure from it. This is one of my all time favourites, both for the words and the dear little picture that goes with it. This is so so so what I need today so I am really going to try and find it. The update on my mosquito bites is that they still really hurt and are even more horrible to look at, red sore and disgusting. It doesn't help my mood so I am off to my little quiet place for now. :-) xx

What a few months....

Considering I have dealt with major cancer surgeries four times, I have got a bit run down these past few months with one stupid thing after another. It started with a 6 week virus back in late March that also led to bronchitis. It left me pretty washed out and I had several "toothy" problems after that then another massive upset with my adhesions from my kidney surgery which was horribly painful. I just got over that then went flying in my garden and got bashed from head to toe. Just getting over that a week or so ago, I said to my friend Julie at choir..."I feel really well again at last!" I spoke too soon as last Thursday I got another throat and ear infection and then a nasty little mozzie decided to attack my face. For the last 6 days I have being trying to deal with 7 or 8 really painful bites all around my mouth. A couple went septic and I have got to say, they have really got me down. As well as that I have to say they are pretty unsightly so it is not very nice to have to go out the house! I have tgried everything under the sun to calm them down ... to no avail... I think they might just be beginning to dry a bit today, I really hope so. Not helping my general mood ... how can something like mosquito bites make you cry... but they do and they have. There... I feel a bit better for writing it down. :-)

At least I do that......

Seeking enlightenment......

.....Mmm it really is quite a journey isn't it? :-)

For the week ahead .....

I have always really loved the Desiderata, as did my mum and we read it out for her at her funeral. I have copies all over the place, so does my daughter. We have both accumulated them over the years. The words never fail to calm me, comfort me or lift me. These few especially.....

I hope your week ahead is a happy one. I start mine off having been bitten alive by mozzies on my face of all places so feeling a bit ....... can't think of the right word....any ideas? It doesn't do my waning self confidence (that which comes with age) much good I have to say! :-) xx

Cherry Blossoms in Kyoto

How special that the Cherry Blossom symbolises spirituality and beauty.

Peace Is Every Step

Peace is every step. The shining red sun is my heart. Each flower smiles with me. How green, how fresh all that grows. How cool the wind blows. Peace is every step. It turns the endless path to joy. - Thich Nhat Hanh

The weekend always heralds a little time for me to be peacefully pottering around my small garden. Just the thought of being with my lovely flowers and seeing the ones that have just started to bloom, lifts my spirits. When you have a garden that is mostly in containers and also not very large, you really get to know all of your plants and flowers and growing year after year in a container takes a lot of effort for perennials so when I see one returning once more I always go and say "hello, lovely to see you again." Nice feeling. Happy weekend everyone. xx