Loving The Everyday Every Day

Been feeling better lately ❤
Very late (early?) to bed last night, though… but – got my first two assessments in!
Yay! 😀

I got up late this morning, and it’s been a lazy sort of a day.
I still did my weekly cleaning (it is still Saturday!), but I felt free of deadlines today.
I’m finding it so much easier to get things done here.
There’s an element of improving health, and also this place being a place to rest, and smell the roses.
At least when they’re in season…
This afternoon I spent some time just listening to the different birds outside my window. They were singing up a (metaphorical) storm!
I soaked in a bath, with epsom salts.
And I tackled a wordy, but interesting, book.

Even the everyday has joy, and colour.

And, if everyday things can still surprise us –

Why not a typewriter concerto?
Although typewriters are no longer “everyday”.

Or, if you could do with a better day –

❤

Published in: on July 27, 2024 at 11:13 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Rainbows, Roses, And A Good Cup Of Tea

It’s been clear, cold, and windy lately.

Sparkly!

Good to get the washing dry, but I’ve been using extra pegs – don’t want to see my clothes winging past the kitchen window, on their way to better places 😆
Still finalising the first of my assessments. I feel like I’ve been saying that for ages, but at least the drawings are done. Just waiting on some feedback from the teacher so I can finish the question part. I thought I was getting close to the due date, but it turns out that’s in just under a month…
Today has been a more relaxed day than I had anticipated.
After the cleaning, shopping, and washing.
I sat out in my comfy chair, catching up on reading, and listening to the Penguin Cafe Orchestra.
I almost felt young again!
Had a long chat with the rest of the family, as the sun faded, and sent rainbows onto the wall.

…and the pink sky welcomed the moon.

Good night, Moon 🙂

On our grocery shopping rounds this morning, I treated myself to some rose jam.
Decided to have an “English inspired” dinner – rose jam with butter on toasted white (GF) bread, and a cup of nice, strong, milky tea.

Watching some things, a bit of music –
and so, to bed.
❤

Published in: on July 20, 2024 at 10:34 pm  Leave a Comment  
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To My Door

I haven’t got any words of wisdom today…
Just breathing thankfulness for my front door.

I was ambushed yesterday by joy,
just by coming home, and feeling so happy to have a home.
Walking up the stairs, and reaching for the door.
My door!
The door to where I belong!
❤

Sorry – I know I’m rambling.
I’m just taking stock of the good in my world, and remembering to be grateful.
It’s been a good year so far…
What will the rest of it bring to my door?

Published in: on July 3, 2024 at 10:04 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Into Tomorrow

Feels like it’s been a busy old week.
I’m getting more done lately, and using the days better.
This week, I even stayed out after dark! 😆

We were told we needed to go and see a particular movie (Unsung Hero), so we went off to Springfield cinemas on Wednesday. It seems to be a limited release, so there’s only one session a day. On Wednesday, that was late afternoon.
It was a beautiful movie, and I cried at various points.
Then afterwards, we got some food and went home again…
I’m glad we went 😀
The movie has a beautiful theme song, but this was the one I wanted to look up when I got home.

They have their own story behind the song, of course, and if you see the movie you might see when I thought of it…

For me –
this year feels like a new era, in a lot of ways.
I don’t think it’s wrong to look at the past, as long as you don’t get stuck in the murky bits.
We remember the good things – and the God things! – and then we face forward again, and keep walking.

Some days, you just have to strike a match.
❤

Published in: on June 29, 2024 at 11:09 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Being A Work Of Art

Today feels like it’s lasted for years (in a good way!)
I am tired, but happy – this week has been a time to catch up on things that have been undone for a while. Nothing that had to be done RIGHT NOW, but the sorts of things that sit behind your eyelids, and clamour for attention until they’re sorted…
I had expected to spend part of the day finishing off a drawing, but it’s still sitting on the easel, sketched in, but not complete.
So – today has been a lot of “doing”, just not for this one thing.
It’ll be waiting there for next week, and probably will be the better for it.

The doing is done, for this day.
Now, I think, I’ll just concentrate on being.

Published in: on June 22, 2024 at 9:33 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Staying The Distance

It’s hard to believe we’ve been in this house a couple of months short of a year.
I know this because yesterday we got an offer for another 12 month lease.
Yayest of yays! 😀
There’s still just over two months until this lease runs out, so they must really like us…

I am continuing to get cosy with my art space, and have spent a bit (or more) of time out there each day. I think I’m catching up with my assessments. Here’s one I did earlier –

A crumpled piece of paper!
This is the second attempt at this one – the last one was rubbish…

The cold has started to grow teeth now.
Yesterday, the evening was pretty in pink.

It even looks cold!

The roses are sleeping, remembering sunnier days, and casting petals to the memories.

And I am close to slumbering – dreaming of graphite and charcoal.
…with a lovely relaxing playlist to sleep by.
❤

Published in: on June 20, 2024 at 9:27 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Of Skulls And Sketching Places

Feels like this week has gone fast 🙂
Morning has decided it’s committed to winter, but the rest of the day hasn’t quite made its mind up…
Still keeping up (I think) with my lessons.
One of the assignments was to “draw an animal skull”.
Coles doesn’t stock those…

I was starting to worry that I might have to start hunting (or at least keep my eye out for roadkill!), but we found a friend who had a spare skull (sheep? goat?) I could borrow.
You never know what you’ll find in an artist’s shed.

Only got around to it yesterday – the bigger assignments can take hours rather than minutes. I also decided to use charcoal, a medium I probably haven’t touched for years.

Probably not my best work, but it’s going in as the final image.
It was more enjoyable than some of my other assignments (one was just…a very large rectangle. It was for practising measurement).
And my art/sun room is slowly getting arranged into a more useful configuration.

It’s been a good week.
Even my roses had a last hurrah for the summer.

Time for bed soon 🙂
But – just because I’m feeling rainbowy…

❤

Published in: on June 15, 2024 at 11:27 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Snuggled In The Corner Chair

It was probably only a few days ago when the days decided to tip over into winter.
It’s been SO COLD!!
Comparatively.
And really, only in the mornings. Late afternoons. Nights.

I like this time of year. It’s sort of crispy clear, and good for snuggling in to warm duvets, and unicorn slippers. I even did a bit of a “spring” makeover – washed the sheets, which dried quickly in the breezy cold.

A beautiful sight!

I chose the blue skies duvet cover for me, to remember the hot sunshine by.

I have also (finally) been using my art room – something I hadn’t been able to get together in the last couple of places we’ve lived in.

My desk.
Where I’m actually doing some work!

And here’s my corner(ish) chair, snuggled in its little spot, and so far still warm during the day. It’s for reading, and writing (definitely no ‘rithmetic!)
I hadn’t realised there was so much colour around it…

Rainbows, and hearts, and toes about to become toasty warm!

I am tired right now – it was a big day of cleaning and washing – but I feel like I’ve been able to do more lately. Even though I lose energy over the day, it feels like I’m starting from a higher point. It’s lovely to be able to actually do something!
Having a bit more strength in the day is great, and there are times when I feel like a child again.

Not quite to this level of activity, though.
Everything else in the song is possible 🙂

This world may be crazy.
But it is beautiful.
❤

Published in: on June 8, 2024 at 10:17 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Glimpsing The Sunshine

I was surprised to see the sun today, since the forecast had been talking about rain over the week ahead, and we’ve had downpours here lately.
I love grey days, especially when they’re just on the comfortable side of cool. I often feel a bit more energetic on those days – not sure whether it’s the “grey” or the “cool” that helps…
Still, nice to see blue skies today!

I just finished a book about sunshine.

It was written earlier in the pandemic, when people were still trying to comprehend the “new normal”. It’s a compilation of stories about people making sunshine out of life’s storms…that sounds very airy-fairy, but it’s really about those people standing in their grey cloud realities and looking for the light. You can’t just wish tragedies away, or wish the good stuff in. You can stand where you are, and find where the cracks let the light in. Or let someone close to you see them, if you just can’t get there ❤
One thing that runs through the stories is the kindness of others. That’s something that we saw during lockdowns, and have experienced at other times in our lives.
Light will always overcome darkness.

Also, clouds come in different sizes, and shades.

Look for the blue sky.
Reach for the light!

Tonight I found out that a friend had died, earlier on in the year.
We only knew each other online, and there were many others in our group who knew him better.
Still, we had various interactions, and he sent me two books that are still in my bookcases. I will get them out to look through again tomorrow.
This song came my way tonight, and I thought it fitting for this post.

I don’t think that his life was “troubled”, as such, but a long life lived kindly and openly will have pain and trouble in it. And then – rest…for someone who spread ripples of love, and shone light where the clouds had formed.

Published in: on April 6, 2024 at 9:13 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Singing A New Song

…or is it an old one?

❤

Published in: on March 31, 2024 at 12:30 am  Leave a Comment  
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