Hand Made Wedding Stationery Website

It's been all hands on deck at Inspired by Script and I've been concentrating heavily on my Wedding Website North Yorkshire Weddings Theres still a huge amount of work to be done on it and this has to be somehow fitted in around the many commissions that seem to be coming in at the moment.
I decided to develop a few new ideas for Wedding Stationery, this time with a more contemporary feel. Perhaps they will be slightly off beat for some but I'm sure the days of Cream/Ivory and Gold are numbered. We need something fresh and appealing.
The bright Light Selection follows.....
The envelope or card (if you choose to still put them in an envelope, can be left square or cut into a point. The outer cover is a 3 fold construction and inside is a picture of the particular flower you want (or could be something you provide us with if preferred) and the invite and the photo is then mounted on a bright coloured Canson, textured, cover stock.

The card can then be sealed with a photo stamp and sent as is....without the need for an envelope, thus the card doubles up as the envelope. Choose a contracting colour for the card against the inner mounted photo and invite. The choice is yours and we have a large selection of colours to choose from....one is sure to match you theme.

Here I've shown the purple on green and the green on purple idea, both of which compliment the lavender flowers perfectly.

Choose from mounting your cards portrait (running top to bottom) or Landscape (running side by side)

You can also choose from Small, Medium or Large Photos, making the whole card personal to you and you alone. It depends on your taste.

Of course there is still the option to go more traditional and incorporate a more subtle colour theme if that suits your taste better... Remember all our designs are tailor made to suit you! And if you are happy, we are happy... so give us your ideas You can also choose to have your name printed in beautiful calligraphy on the front.... a guaranteed eye catcher!
You can choose the picture at the bottom and the invitation at the top....
Or the other way round....the choice is entirely yours.

For further details please visit our website at www.northyorkshireweddings.co.uk or email Sue direct at inspiredbyscript@yahoo.co.uk My studio phone number is on the website.

If it wasn't so serious....you'd laugh your head off!

I'm late catching up with every ones blogs. For a long time now, I've been meaning to alert you to a dear, long time friend of mine CJ. Please go and see her blog CJ's Whine and Cheeze for an amusing look at her trials and tribulations of looking after elderly parents. Please leave her a message of support....She's a gem and takes it all in her stride. CJ, I take my hat off to you my sweet. xxx And her calligraphy blog is at Pony Express Graphics

Another great site that never fails to amuse me is Johnny Virgil's 15 minute lunch. Although only a couple of months ago, when his best friend died suddenly, I thought he would never blog again. Slowly but surely he's coming back into writing again.

Both these blogs show us that even when times are tough and things sometimes feel like they will never get better....the saving grace is to find humour in the mundane and seriousness of life.

Power Pebbles - Hope, Joy, Love and Peace

Hope, Joy, Love, Peace

Just 4 examples of my Power Pebbles

The journey that each human being makes through earthly existence can have hardship as often as it is touched by joy. When we encounter adversity, the stress we feel can erode our optimism, eventually convincing us that the issues we face cannot be overcome. In truth, there is no situation so dire, no challenge so great, and no choice so bewildering that it cannot be overcome. Though we may believe that all avenues have been closed to us or that our most conscientious efforts will come to naught, we are never without feasible options. The best course of action may be veiled in doubt, but it is there. When we are honest with ourselves with regard to this simple fact, we can overcome anything because we will never stop looking for a solution to the challenges before us.

Self-trust coupled with a sturdy plan is the ultimate antidote to adversity’s tendency to inspire disillusionment in the human mind. As difficult as the obstacle plaguing you seems, it is no match for the love of a supportive universe that has been a part of your life since the day of your birth and will be with you forevermore. Try not to be misguided by your fear as this gives rise to the notion that there are problems without solutions. If you believe in your capabilities and dedicate yourself to the creation of some form of resolution, you will be surprised to discover that paths that were once closed to you miraculously open. Even if all you can do is change your perspective to turn an impediment into an opportunity to grow, you will have found the hope that is an inherent element of all hardship.

Remember that your destiny is a product of your own creation. Even when it seems you have nowhere left to turn, there is a solution waiting for you. The only insurmountable obstacles are the ones you create in your own mind—and these can only exert power over you if you let them. Uncertainty will always be a part of your existence, but perseverance and mindfulness will never fail to see you through to the other side of hardship where joy can thrive. Try and remember that no matter what life places at your feet, there is absolutely no situation that cannot be resolved with time, love, and friendship.

Namaste

(The light within me honors the light within you)

Loreena McKennitt - Dantes Prayer Calligraphy Inspired By Music

CJ posted a very valid question about whether I listen to music while I work, which ties up nicely with this post… so thanks CJ. I thought I would write about my latest piece of work Dantes Prayer by Lorreena McKennitt. I suggest that after you have read the blog post you go back and click the link and listen to the music and lyrics (in a separate window) while you read the lyrics on the photo graphs. They ‘should; be able to be enlarged…I say ‘should’ because one never knows with google! Hopefully his will give you some idea of the ‘Spirit’ and ‘Essence’ that ends up being contained within the piece. First off I type out the lyrics. This makes it personality-less, quite dead and without preconceived ideas. Then while listening to the song over and over and yes over again, I make scribbles on the sheet that probably make no sense to anyone but me. This enables me to get a feel and flavour of the song. Which words need to be large, which words need to be strong, which are quiet, loud, subdued or even extended.

Then comes the colours. Listening through the track again I scribble down the colours that the words bring to mind. This particular piece evolved colour wise all by itself. I must admit I wasn’t expecting a rainbow! A chalk pastel background was laid down and blended carefully. I should tell you at this point that the sheet of paper is a full sized sheet of Saunders Waterford.

It always pays to do a test piece. (Thanks Suzi for reminding me of what I preach to my students!) In this case I had bought new chalk pastels (caran Dache) and it was disastrous! I usually use Inscribe for pastel work and have never ever had a problem. These were greasy and oily and a right pain in the asse to write on. Never mind, we calligraphers have tricks up our sleeves to enable us to write on most surfaces. I cut the pastel back with pumice powder and it seemed to work, albeit with extreme difficulty still and the writing was painfully slow. After starting to write it out I lost patience very quickly and shelved the whole thing and decided to rework the background and start afresh.

When writing the piece out I play the CD, line for line, checking and rechecking for those loud parts and extended words while I write, stopping the CD at every line….just to make extra sure. I don’t always get it right, but that’s all part of being human.

The final touches are when you then incorporate the background music and instruments as part of the whole piece. In this case the piano was symbolised by watercolour squares and the no verbal vocal (don’t know what else to call it!) was shown as a silver thread, running upwards at the rise and downwards at the fall of the ‘whatever you cal it’.

My son has bought a DVD burner and has a video recorder. I really want to have him to video the words, play the music over the top and then edit it as a whole piece. This way the music and the calligraphy become one… and hopefully the effect will be amazing. Overall I love this piece. It’s still new, so it’s my baby and not for sale. It’s proved to me that I can still do large pieces of work despite the difficulties with my eyes and I know that through the music I can make my letter live. This kind of work is specialist. As calligraphers and Lettering Artists we get used to doing the mundane, run of the mill but keeps wolves from the door kind of jobs. This is what we trained over 10 years for! Yes folks you can become a brain surgeon in less time… and it’s a long standing joke with calligraphers. So go on…. What music inspires you? Have you created art to music and if you have, can you link to it on the comments and direct everyone to your blog? Go on, put on some music, pick up your paints, pens or whatever medium you use, dance like a deva and create!
And the next 3 pictures are the detail of the whole song, preferably looked at while the song plays in a seperate window..... here's that link again Loreena McKennitt Dantes Prayer.... ENJOY!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Personalised Baby Girl Poster - The Goddess and the Butterfly

Way back in February I blogged about my newest prints: A personalised Prayer for a baby Girl or Boy. I have been fortunate enough this week to have been asked to do one for a Christening Gift for a little girl ‘Freya’. The advantage of part print, part original is twofold. Firstly from a cost point of view it is much cheaper than commissioning one from scratch, although this can be done if wishes, but secondly and more importantly it gives you scope to add details and specific items that would be meaningful to the recipient, in this case ‘Butterflies’. (Click photo to enlarge)
Freya is the Goddess of love, beauty and fertility. She was said to have blond hair and blue eyes and is reputed to be the ‘fairest’ of all the Goddesses and people prayed to her for happiness in love. She was also called on to assist in childbirth and for the kindness of the seasons. The symbolic meaning of the butterfly is similar across most cultures and time. Invariably, this beautiful Celtic animal symbol represents transformation, inspiration, and rebirth. The concept of rebirth with the Celts is particularly of importance in terms of recycling of life – both in the spiritual and physical realms. Perhaps the bible and the Byrds extol the concept best: "To every season, turn, turn turn." This was an intimate concept with the Celts, and the butterfly – in its miraculous way symbolizes transformation and rebirth.
Further enquiries about this or other items on my blog
contact me at:
inspiredbyscript@yahoo.co.uk

What is love?

We all love a good quotation that gives us the AHA factor. This is a commission completed last week as a wedding gift....
Love is....
The magical meeting of two souls

Two souls do not finally meet
They knew each other,
all along

A concertina Book which magically transforms as a hanging.

A concertina Book which magically transforms as a hanging.

Walnut Ink on Saunders Waterford Paper.
Silver/Aluminium Leaf and gold pen.

Dreams

Below is a simple 4 fold book with hard covers I designed some time ago. This was a prototype and I had full intentions of making them into a series. Something I really must get back to!

Anyone who has a keen interest in Self Developement and Self Awareness can use the lessons learnt to help support and encourage others and in turn pass on the knowledge gleaned to help them follow their dreams....

Though you may not know precisely how to ensure that the people around you can freely pursue the paths that have long intrigued them, you can nonetheless provide them with some of the tools they need to embark upon these journeys of achievement.By offering sincere words of encouragement, praise, and support today, you may be able to motivate colleagues, friends, and family to revisit ambitions that they have previously deemed too challenging.
You will likely be surprised to discover that your upbeat words give others the strength to believe that they are capable of making their dreams come true.We can foster the spread of inspiration among those with whom we share our environment by first encouraging others to follow their dreams whenever an opportunity to do so arises and then supporting them in their efforts. Though the positive and optimistic thoughts we share may seem at first to have no effect on those individuals to whom we endeavor to offer motivation, our words can grow in significance as they are incubated in their minds and hearts.
The impact of even a simple compliment or kind word can prove intensely meaningful as most people thrive in an atmosphere in which they know their colleagues and peers believe in their abilities. The support and enthusiastic reception you offer others when they share their dreams today will ensure that you have done your part to encourage them to strive for greatness.

Fear - Choosing a New Response

A little bit of synchronicity going on here. After my post of last night! I received this, this morning from Daily OM and would like to share it with you.....

Choosing a New Response - Common Fears
Everyone has fears—it is a natural part of being human. Fear can protect us from harm by sending a rush of adrenaline to help us physically deal with potential danger. But there are times when fear may keep us from participating fully in life. Once we realize that fear is a state of mind, we can choose to face our fears, change our minds, and create the life we want to live.

Our minds are powerful tools to be used by our higher selves; like computers, storing and using data to make certain connections between thought and response. We have the ability to observe these and choose differently. No matter where the fear came from, we can create new connections by choosing new thoughts. When our souls and minds are in alignment, we create a new experience of reality. This journey requires many small steps, as well as patience and courage through the process. Here’s an example: You decide to overcome your fear of driving on the freeway. Your plan of action starts with examining your thoughts and finding a new way of seeing the situation. When you’re ready, you enlist a calm companion to support you as you take the first step of merging into the slow lane and using the first exit. Your heart may be racing, but your confidence will be boosted by the accomplishment. Repeat this until you are comfortable, with or without help, and then drive one exit further. When you are ready, you can try driving in the middle lane, for longer periods each time, until you find yourself going where you want to go. This gradual process is similar for conquering any fear, but if you find it overwhelming, you can always seek the help of a professional.

You may think that you are the only one with a particular fear, that nobody else could possibly be scared of ordinary things such as water, heights, public speaking, or flying. These types of fears are very common, and you can have great success overcoming them. Remember, it is not the absence of the fear but the courage to take action anyway that determines success. When we learn to face our fears, we learn to observe our thoughts and feelings but not be ruled by them. Instead we choose how to shape the lives we want.

What Has Calligraphy Got To do With Music?

I’ve always had a love of music. Perhaps it was one of the benefits of being brought up by a young mum and her siblings. Perhaps it’s because I was born a child of the 60’s, flower power, The Beatles, The Bachelors, Mick J, The Twist….. heavier, rock and rolling, dancing, more optimistic music than people had been used to. At 2 ½ I would go next door to Bobby and (now what was her name) anyway, Mr and Mrs Wilsons and be fully capable of stacking records and dancing to a variety of music, even singing ‘I Wanna Be Bobby’s Girl’ to Bobby Wilson, whilst doing the twist.

Dance , music and rhythm played an important part in my life, in fact right throughout my life. From Gymnastics and Ballet, to discos and musical instrument playing. I love my Djembe’s, more importantly I love playing with others. Something really special happens when you drum in a circle. Something that cannot be described even by those who experience it. The Druids would probably call it Awen. It’s a connection to something far above and outside of ourselves. Something perhaps more of the spiritual realm. Many different cultures, religions and belief systems use sound and in particular drums, in their practices.
The beat of the drum, the beat of your heart, the beat of Mother Earth…all are connected. They say if you have a heartbeat, you can drum.
Ironically, that beat and rhythm is also evident in Calligraphy. Each line of text has it’s own feeling, heartbeat and rhythm. It’s hard to explain this to a non calligrapher. During my many years of training, the similarities between Calligraphy and music was mentioned. It’s no surprise then, that the time I feel more connected to my work is when I work with song lyrics.

I still remember the first time the ‘Awen’ happened for me. I was asked to put words into an exhibition in Durham Cathedral. At the time I had discovered Enya and the song ‘How Can I Keep From Singing’ conjured up pictures, images and colours in my head. This experience was new to me and at the time I was still a relative beginner in calligraphy. The words inspired me, the melody hauntingly beautiful. I still remember the piece. A variety of blues and gold leaf. And the whole thing was done in a circle, cut into quarters by the gold leaf. The piece sold the first day it went on exhibition…. In fact I was the only one who sold anything in that exhibition. I had priced it not to sell. Many calligraphers will tell you that a newly created piece is like a baby and we get VERY attached to some things. The piece becomes like a new born child and needs to be looked at, admired, smiled at and somehow these pieces become very close to your heart. There is a gestation and incubation period which needs to be got over, before we can loose our attachment and let it go. I know all this sounds very strange, but it’s true. The connection to the spirit that went into the creating of the piece is very strong. Sometimes we feel like we had no real consciousness in creating the piece, almost as if guided by something outside ourselves.
After that I went on to create more music pieces. Some were done for commissions, others were done for myself, but always that ‘spirit/Awen/outside myself thing happened. I wonder if it’s because it’s a large piece and you do end up going into a sort of meditative trance on large pieces. It’s happened also when I wrote The Charge Of The Goddess out as a gift. I did really well on this one, I gave it away straight away…despite my inner child shouting NO NO, GIVE IT BACK, ME WANTS IT!

I love the band Runrig and have done many pieces of work with their lyrics. Both for them and fans. Unfortunately most of these were done to commission so you are never given free reign that you would otherwise have.

I was honoured to do a piece called The Fox and commissioned for Kelly Groucutt from ELO. I received a tape of a song that he wrote and performed, but was never released on the open market. The song was called The Fox. I have a photo of him with the piece but have only a black scan of the piece itself. I would have loved to have this done as a colour print, but as most of these pieces are huge, the financial costs would be unrealistic. Kelly sadly died on 19th February this year.

Kelly Groucutt always enjoyed touring and was just as happy playing with a local, little known band called Session 60 as he was doing a one-man performance in a pub. Most of all, he loved playing with Orchestra. I was fortunate to go and see him in the band play a return convert in 2006.

The last two pieces are The Fox Piece, all others are runrig. Appologies for poor quality of the photos, but they are taken from scans of 'real' photos. Thank god those days are over!

Affirmations - What they are and how to use them

I really feel like I could write a book about this, so this post will probably be much longer than I intend….. nothing new there then lol.

First off……..

For anyone who’s a cynic about these things, you really have to be committed and try them ad hopefully it will prove to you that WORDS HAVE POWER! More importantly, what you say to yourself magnifies, whether it’s negative or positive. We have all been guilty at one time or another of pulling ourselves down. It’s east to think the worst of ourselves. Usually the words we choose to use to ourselves are designed to chip away at our self esteem and confidence to such a degree in severe cases it can lead to depression and a general feeling of unworthiness. Very often these negative self beliefs have been sown by someone else. A comment made in jest can so easily play on your mind. Other times you can create them all by yourself.

If you practice Affirmations I will practically guarantee that you will see an improvement. I say practically guarantee, because you really have to WANT to change and some degree of responsibility for that lies on your shoulders.

Long before the book The Secret came out (a book I absolutely abhor by the way, as it equates money and possessions as affirmations) where was I (jumps off soap box!) yes long before The Secret and The Laws of Attraction came out, a lot of us were already practicing Affirmations.

So……

Put simply an Affirmation is ‘The 3 P’s’
It’s POSITIVE
It’s PERSONAL to you
And It’s PRESENT… ie you speak it as if it’s already happened.

If you think about it logically, a lot of negative self talk can bring you down to rock bottom. Feeding the sub conscious with thoughts that you probably wouldn’t even say to your worst enemy….
I’m so fat!
I’m so thin!
I’m so stupid!
I hate myself!
I’m just an idiot!
I’ll never have any money!
I’m always so skint!
Everyone hates me!
Everyone takes me for granted!
Etc. etc. etc….BLAH BLAH BLAH

Now if you can talk yourself into believing these things about yourself, it stands to reason that doing the opposite will make you believe the good things about yourself, and in turn attract those things to happen and right before your eyes.

So an affirmation about say….
I NEVER have enough money
Should be changed to
I ALWAYS have enough to get by on.

I am so fed up
Should be changed to
I am happy

I feel ill
Needs to be changed to
I am healthy

I actually sell Affirmation cards, but would like to do a giveaway for anyone who these cards will be of use. The idea is that you pick one card out a day and say it repeatedly to yourself. I used to write them on post it notes and leave them all over the house…on doors, fridges, mirrors…anywhere I would look frequently over the day.
How To Get Your FREE Pack…
1) Leave a comment on my blog
2) Email me direct at inspiredbyscript@yahoo.co.uk so I can email you a PDF which you can them print out, cut up and use.
3) Place the word AFFIRMATION in the subject line to save it getting lost into all the spam!
4) Please note, you MUST been signed into Blogger Anonymous comments will not be accepted and you MUST be able to read PDF Format.
5) Offer ends this Sunday (24th May) and your files will be sent early next week. This will save me missing anyone out and also save time too!

Simply open the PDF and Print onto card!

After that....if you want a set you'll have to pay for them like everyone else lol.

Books That Could Change Your Life....FOREVER!

There aren’t many of us that reach adulthood, unscathed, well balanced and well adjusted human beings. Virtually all of us at one time or another, will have events that make us sit up, take stock and look really hard and deeply at our lives. We can choose to hide away in the hopes that if we ignore it, it will go away. It doesn’t! It may take many years to rear it’s ugly head and the world feels like it’s crashing down around you. Those who bury their inner most pains, fears, sadness, anger, resentments and many other negative feelings can suffer terribly with anxiety, depression or even worse a complete and absolute nervous breakdown.

On my blog I try and be as open and honest as I can. Hopefully connecting to others and hopefully identifying ways of thinking, feeling and changing our beliefs about ourselves and life in general. We are after all, human beings with many, many emotions, some good, some bad….but at the end of the day, whatever we go through can lead to one of two things, either you’re a survivor or a victim. Be assured though, whatever your weaknesses either now or in the past, you are not alone. I hope by wearing my heart on my sleeve you may find help, inspiration, comfort and support.

We all have challenging situations in life, all through our lives. We all have to face up to our inner selves at some point in order to grow. Some of the most painful and frightening situations in our lives are the greatest teachers. With this in mind, I want to share with you, the 5 most important books that changed my life, my way of thinking and probably set me on a wonderful path of self discovery that I share with others on a regular basis. I hope that this particular blog entry comes just at the right time to help even just one person….for if it does, it will be time well spent. I hope to blog more about this over the next few weeks and for far too long, it’s where I’ve wanted my blog to go. To motivate, to heal, to inspire. I could post these on a separate blog, but feel that my main blog is where people will find it most readily. Anyway….on with the post……

YOU CAN HEAL YOUR LIFE
At 23 I was diagnosed with pre cancerous cells of the cervix. Pretty terrifying at any age, but with a 4 year old son….even more frightening. For 3 years I was told that there was nothing to worry about, and the cells could change back just as quickly. Then after repeated smears and regular check ups, they decided, well actually, we were probably wrong and you need a hysterectomy. Yeah right! Like hell I thought!
The book You Can Heal Your Life was a particularly hard one for me to read, but I found it fascinating as to how our thoughts, beliefs, fears, anxieties and anger etc. can actually lead to a physical condition, basically that I caused this on myself! Some of the book I was ready to accept, some not, some I accept now later in years, some I will never accept (and that’s my choice). However, probably the most valuable thing I learnt from the book was the power of Affirmation. Something I am still really big on today (more about this coming soon).
(read some of the book here) By the way.... just for the record...I was clear of cancer after 1 year of diagnosis with minimal treatment and have been clear ever since. While I do not advise anyone to try this route, in my case it was an option and one that I decided to take. Fortunately it worked for me.

YOU CAN'T AFFORD THE LUXURY OF A NEGATIVE THOUGHT
Just after reading this book I came across another called You Can’t Afford The Luxury of a Negative Thought. With the subheading of: For People With Life Threatening Illnesses, including life itself! I learnt many things from this book and it’s an easy one to dip in and out of. It’s been well used over the years (as have all these books I recommend!) But one of the most important things I learnt, is that if you have an illness, and one person has survived, there is no reason why you should not be the second. If no one has survived, then there’s no reason you should not be the first. This philosophy was to be proved with my long term pen friend, who had such a severe form of cancer, he should basically have been dead before he saw the consultant! As the longest anyone had survived this cancer was 6 months. I talked to him, sent him a copy of the book and kept in regular contact. He went down in the Lancet Magazine as the longest survivor of Oats cancer, living a further 8 years and dying at the grand old age of 88!

LIVING MAGICALLY
Then a chance meeting with a friend who called round for coffee, showed me the book Living Magically by Gill Edwards. A book based on metaphysics and self awareness which was to open many avenues and doors for me, and enabled me to once again look at the bigger picture and tackle the demons within. It was probably the beginning of my spiritual journey as I know it today and lead to many, many paths of self discovery. It’s not fluffy or super spiritual hocus pocus nonsense, just a good all round starting point for anyone wanting to see past the world we live in and explore new ways of thinking.
(You can browse some of the book by clicking here)

CREATIVE VISUALISATION
Along side all these books on self awareness, taking responsibility for my mental, emotional and physical health and well being came the deep need to learn to meditate. I had tried so many times to meditate but found it so hard to quieten the mind, still those thoughts and cut out the outside world. After reading and trying just one of the exercises (the pink bubble technique) I found that at last I could meditate and visualise to the extent that where I ended up, I didn’t want to come back from! Lol. The Book Creative Visualisation worked well with the other self help/self awareness books I was reading and more and more I was committing myself to take charge of myself and my own health. Some of the tools I still use today and get others to practice too, if you want to see more (read some of the book here)

FEEL THE FEAR....And do it anyway!
Feel The Fear….and do it anyway is another book I advocate. It’s a fantastic motivator which helps you move through your fears whether money, relationship, you job or other situations which hold you back in life. The aim of the book is to offer readers a path of re-learning, by means of which they can get rid of faulty thinking, feel the fear and push through it to turn anger into love and indecision into action.

SELF ESTEEM AND PEAK PERFORMANCE
I suffered severely with S.A. D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and Winters were a nightmare. Every year was the same. Once the light started to fail and the weather grew colder, my moods became so low I was probably borderline suicidal. Only sufferers of this disorder can identify with the absolute disperse that this condition brings and the abject misery that it inflicts not only on ourselves, but those around us.
I didn’t read a book by Jack Canfield, but listened relentlessly to an audio set of about 8 tapes. I listened to them back to back day in and day out while I worked. The audio book was called ‘Self Esteem and Peak Performance’. It was primarily as a sales and marketing tool but very bound up with the Self Esteem side of things. His audio books are now available to the wider public (click here for a list). Jack Canfield is now recognised as one of Americas leading motivational and life coaches. One of the ‘old school’ who probably inspired most of today’s self healing and self awareness coaches all over the world. Jack has also written or co written Chicken Soup FOR The Soul, which many of you will be more familiar.

So I share with you these books in the hope that they help someone somewhere. You are not alone. Learning about self awareness, self improvement and self help techniques to get you through is not a sign of weakness, on the contrary, it’s a sign of strength. I’m not saying that by learning and reading these books will prevent you from ever suffering again. We cannot avoid crisis’s happening. Crisis is not dependant on how rich you are, how healthy you are or how good and or clean you live your life. The just happen…to everyone at some time of other. What you will gain however are methods and tools to help guide you through, tackle those unwanted thoughts and behaviour patterns that hold you back and give you the chance to live your life in joy, happiness and wisdom.

Hints from the Gods .... and the animal kingdom!

Ok…. I admit to refusing the offer from my weekend visitor to cut the grass for me before he left (note to self – really MUST stop this independent female role!). And he telling me that men were good for some things…. Hmmmm he said with a smile on his face. Well I left it open, still needing to be convinced somewhere there, and I don’t need any shelves putting up just yet, lol.
Anyway yesterday I cut the grass. As per usual almost broke my back. I have back problems anyway, probably due to bending over with magnifiers most of my life and rounding my shoulders in the process. It’s a bit of a pain that you have to get so close to everything to see it properly….anyway bear this in mind as I tell you the rest…..


I decided while tea was cooking to go and trim the edges of the lawn with scissors. I have to use scissors because I cannot see the bottom of the edge shears as they’re too far away, rendering them useless. There I was happily snipping away around my blessing tree (a Twisted hazel) and removing the cut grass to one side. Dodger (the Chav cat from hell) sped past me at the rate of knots burping and calling as he went. Nothing unusual there either. I’ve introduced this cat to you many times. I’ve also blogged about my great fear of mice, rats, frogs, spiders and such like, in fact anything that hops, skips, jumps or runs. Now why is it that at the moment anything I say with great affirmation, seems to come back and bite me on the asse? I was bragging to said Beltane Man that my cats were pretty good and didn’t seem to catch anything….well if you discount the poor from that was got 3 times last year! I turned to my right and there it was!

Paralysed with what can only be described as mortal fear!

I quickly covered it with grass…. Although what good that would do I’ve no idea. But needed to think of a way to remove said body from lawn…. YAK YAK YAK!

I had to go in, make a cuppa and decide on my next plan of action. I avoided a stiff drink as I thought I was shaking enough. I texted said Beltane Man, expecting sympathy? A knight in shining armour (OK so he would have come but is not exactly round the corner) probably hoping for advice at the very least….result….. he laughed and said….awwww poor you, I’m sure you will deal with it….followed by, see there’s another use for me Hmph! OK OK OK! I’m starting to get the picture and more than a little synchronicity going on here!

Something then occurred….was it a mouse or a baby rat! How do I tell the difference.
Went outside, complete with gardening gloves (well you never can be too sure – could have still been alive) uncovered said furry thing took picture, covered back over and with my eyes tightly shut and on a wing and a prayer deposited it in carrier bag, then in wheelie bin.

Texted said Beltane Man again to ask the difference. (Hmmmm seems he’s becoming more useful that I thought/wanted/needed!) Beltane man tells me rats have bigger heads and I was sure it was dead wasn’t I? Because they have a great habit of playing dead! Hmmmm never looked that close and wasn’t getting it out of bin to have a look.

Now on downloading the picture and trying to look closer I’m not sure what it is. I took 3 photos all blurred. Not out of focus honest, it was my hands shaking! Now wondering of it’s a baby bird with it’s wings chewed off! And of course, Dodger is getting the blame. Blue was the only one out there at the same time and she’s far too sweet and innocent (NOT!), but I do put my money on Dodger!
If you don’t know about him here’s a mini profile…
He’s a bit of a lad. Thinks he’s my husband/God/ Partner/child…. Amongst other things and does a pretty good job of snubbing people who come into the house….ESPECIALLY MEN! It’s took Sue 6 months to even get anywhere near stroking him and this is at arms length and without eye contact. He’s a great protector of my house, providing the trouble is outside, he charges at the window growling like a lion….providing they are OUTSIDE! Anyone coming in and he’s off like a shot. He really doesn’t care for men and they know that in his eyes HE is number one and they just have to accept that, where I’m concerned, he is the main geezer. I came downstairs at the weekend to see the said husband, curled contentedly on said Beltane Mans lap!!!! For God’s sake whats happening round here! This cat accepts no one, let alone a potential male threat!

And added to that Blue thinks said Beltane mans God's gift and he's pretty stuck on her too....but there again she is a bit of a man magnet and will go to anything in trousers. Sugar, el dinosaur lady also won't leave him alone and I feel like I'm running out of support round here!

Oh yeah...some pictures of Dodge...... Here he is ruining a whole bin of woodbased cat litter! The bin is used to store the litter prior to use, but swells immensely once used, rendering it useless....

Not me, not doing anything.... just sat in here watching flies....honest!

Whos the Daddy! Extreme running is my favourite hobby....well along with abseiling!

This is me, heavily disguised as the settee throw.....
Oh yeah and me camouflaging myself as her slippers.....

And when all else fails....wrap yourself up as a christmas present....it never fails!

Joking aside, I must admit that out of all the cats I've ever had or fostered, it's a bit unnerving at times as to how human he is! Most other cats are happy being cats, but I'm not sure he knows he is one! He's a real character and I often think of this poem when referring to him.....

Macavity - The Mystery Cata poem by T S Eliot


Macavity's a Mystery Cat:

he's called the Hidden Paw--

For he's the master criminal

who can defy the Law.

He's the bafflement of Scotland Yard,

the Flying Squad's despair

:For when they reach the scene of crime--

Macavity's not there!

To read the rest of the poem CLICK HERE

Hand Made Birthday Card

As everyone who works in Blogger knows, it's a real pain if you save posts to edit later before posting. Even if I uploaded this tomorrow or even next week it would have todays date on it, so it's east for things to get lost. Before I hopefully blog my next post....I will show you this.....

A concertina card for my baby sisters birthday. The background is a watercolour, cling film wash of soft, muted, sea blues and greens

The writing is white and blue gouache and Dr. Martins Bleedproof white.....

Tied with a baby blue ribbon.
The pictures are not very clear but may just enlarge if you click on them.

Hand Made Wedding Favours

Quite by surprise I ended up doing the Wedding Favours for Paul and Sarahs Wedding. Luckily she had bought organza bags in Hot Pink, 'just in case'. Becasue of the tight time scale we had no time to really think , it had to be something simple. Mini concertinas.....

Backed with decortated squares,

a white square on top and pink heart on top of that. Hot pink ribbon to tie them together
and popped into the organza bag with a couple of Lintz chocolates...

Thanks to Suzi (see Spirit Whispers) I managed to get them done in time

Something for the weekend?

Well, best laid plans and all that! I did intend to post over the weekend, but somehow my time was filled and I never got round to it. So I’ve downloaded photos for 3 posts and all ready to upload once the writing is done.

Over the weekend a new bath panel prompted me to redecorate the bathroom, which is the first step to redecorating the whole house. And now I know that decorating and sight loss is no barrier to painting walls, there’s no stopping me! Glossing the doors will be OK but the skirting and door frames will have to be done by someone else and probably paid for. Never mind, needs must.

Had a visitor all weekend (yes, ok folks - said Beltane man! I am trying to put him off....honest! ! lol) Despite telling him I really don't want or need a man in my life right now (or for the foreseeable future come to that) he seems to be persistent, cocks his head to one side and smiles....Hmmm now getting to wonder who's kidding who! lol. Seems the defences are lowering bit by bit her.
I didn't see the full moon, but we did go out to have a look...I will admit to seeing the most gorgeous sunrise though. Time flies when you're having fun. Anyway, once he had left I swept and scraped up yet more gravel from the back garden….don’t know where THAT came from. Something in the pond moved and caught my eye…

Then closer…….

Simba! My female ginger cat! SAT IN THE POND! Now I always think she’s a sandwich short of a picnic but sat IN the pond! I'm now thinking she should be renamed Simple Simba!

Then later I found her hiding again….
In an old scratching post hovel. Probably not very unusual you may think, but the darn things never used it to hide in when it was in the house!

My veg are growing well, almost everything seems to be sprouting as it should and it’s keeping me busy watering and tending my little organic garden.

I’ve finally decided on the gravel for the back garden, so once I’ve sorted out the liner and laid that I’ll get the stones ordered. The Beltane energy certainly seems to be around!

Ceri: regarding protection for your home....have you tried a broomstick? Better still a very large baseball bat! lol. Only kidding, hunny, I know how scary it can feel living on your own and feeling vulnerable. I'm almost sure your problem was caused by the wind, it can look like theres been a tornado in my garden at times.

Let Us Be Brateful Quotation

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy;
they are the charming gardeners
who make our souls blossom.

Marcel Proust