Suddenly silenced #oneweek #allaboutyou

Last week was one of those weeks where you are left wondering as my son would say ‘what the heck?’

It has been an incredibly sad week. In a period of 48 hours we got news of three souls that where no longer with us. Two lost to the thief that is cancer and one tragic little young life whose brave hearted and selfless parents made the agonising decision to prevent their little one from suffering any more. Heart-breaking and so unfair.

I sat in the car after dropping the kids off at school and nursery with that empty space feeling. Where you almost don’t want to move for fear that life is going to just continue on, barging through the sadness and racing away into the next thing.

I didn’t move. Not for a while.

Then instead of going home and sorting piles of washing, clearing up the discarded cheerios, return those calls and emails that were silently, unrelentingly bleeping on my phone. I drove to one of the prettiest places i know in this city at this time of year and i just walked with the slow leisure of someone who, at the moment, was just looking after herself. I tried to notice things with new eyes. Eyes that appreciate the here and now, the time we have, the glimpse of light that is our life and how we must try and seize every precious moment of it.

The spring is so pretty, so vibrant. So alive.

I sat on a bench for a while and a lady sat near me.  She was all flustered and sat down with a thud. She had a large notebook on her lap and flipped it open in a business like way and started to dial a number on her phone. Whoever she called was met with a very chipper and short ‘Hello Stephen its me, now about that wallpaper…’

I listened to her for a while, her conversation moved onto the colours of paint she was picking out and how small the room was. Stephen must have said something funny because she let out a loud chuckle and grinned into the phone.

I wondered what we must look like?

Two people sat on the same bench but having very different emotions. Funny how life carries on. Funny how we can’t all feel the loss of another life. Why the sadness of one person doesn’t somehow reach out and touch another. How we don’t all feel a wrench when another soul takes their last breath. But i guess that is what keeps the wheel of life turning. That whilst there are those suffering great hurt there are those experiencing great joy. Surely its the very promise that the sadness we may feel will pass and start to fade, not forgotten, but replaced by a different sort of status quo that is well with our souls.

Balance.

On this beautiful spring day when there were demands a plenty on my time, i took a moment to be still and promised to ‘carpe diem’

 

one week

Mother.Wife.Me
Follow:

International Blog Swop Day..

A few weeks ago I signed up to International Blog Swap Day – a project that has been jointly organised by the Digital Parents Network in Australia, and Tots 100 in the UK. Bloggers from each country were paired up, and invited to guest post on each other’s blogs. I signed up and didnt think a whole lot more about it and then i got an email with the address of my ‘penpal’ swop. I was really thrilled when instantly recognised the blog of the lovely Ruth at Dorkymum. Who is actually a british blogger who now lives in Tasmania. The little Island that is part of Australia. It was pretty incredible that we got paired up and if you want to see why head over to her blog and read my post,there’s a little bit of news in there somewhere 😉 

But first here is what Ruth had to say and check out some of her amazing images below as well!!

It feels very odd to be the Australian half of this international blog swap! I have spent thirty years of my life living in the UK, and only nine months living in Australia. But last September I moved with my family from Harpenden to Hobart – from the Home Counties to the Holiday Isle – so I guess it’s time to get my head around the fact that I am now an Aussie blogger.

G’day, mate.

A quick blurb about where I live now. Tasmania is an island state that lies south of mainland Australia. In terms of landmass, it’s roughly the size of Ireland, but only has a population of around 500,000 – about the same as Edinburgh. Almost 45% of the island is held in reserves, national parks and World Heritage sites. Hobart serves as Australia’s connection with Antarctica – the great red icebreaker Aurora Australis spends the winter in port here – and there are often French and American research vessels in the harbour too. When we travel back to the UK to see friends and family it will three flights, several thousand dollars and at least thirty hours of travel time. Tasmania is, by any standards, pretty remote.

Living on this island at the edge of the world, there is of course a long list of things that I miss about the UK. I miss Jon Snow and his colourful ties. I miss Marks and Spencers granny pants. I miss sitting down on a Saturday morning and spending a couple of hours working my way through the Guardian. I miss Pickled Onion flavour Monster Munch (although I’m delighted to have found a shop here that sells Irn Bru – my other guilty pleasure!). I miss looking in my purse and immediately being able to pick out the correct change. I miss Gap Kids and Clarks shoe shops. I miss Innocent Smoothies and Ella’s Kitchen Fromage Frais. I miss CBeebies. GOSH do I miss CBeebies!

But honestly? The transition to life in Australia has been a lot easier than I expected it to be, and all three of us have settled in very quickly. The people here are incredibly friendly. From postmen to policemen to plumbers, everyone makes time for a chat and a smile, and they do all they can to help and make your life easy. The education system feels a lot more relaxed than it did in the UK – lots and lots of time outdoors and a focus on play based learning – and my little boy is thriving in his new environment. The food is incredible – there is fresh, delicious, local, seasonal produce in every shop, and dozens of quality restaurants ranging from Mexican street food to Asian fine dining. I love that we can drive twenty minutes in one direction and be on top of a mountain, twenty minutes in the opposite direction and be on a deserted, beautiful beach. There are festivals and farmers markets, museums and monuments, street art and bookshops and poetry slams aplenty.

For our little family, Tasmania is the perfect place to be. I guess I’m going to be an Aussie blogger for a little while longer.



Follow:

#silentsunday

TheBoyandMe's 365 LinkyWeekly Top Shot #94OneDad3Girls

Follow:

Tree huggers!! #countrykids #Bibs2014

The trees are starting to look amazing aren’t they? Its that time of year when they really start to break out of those winter duds. With the lighter evenings as well it feels like there is a slow shift in the pace of our evenings. In the winter it can feel like tea comes soon after the end of school. But with the lighter, sometimes sunnier evenings it feels like there is loads of time before we need to start to thinking about evening routines and bedtimes. It feels nice to let those things go now. More like they way the spanish do it, although sadly without the siesta!!

One of the kids favourite things to do is to climb. Having a hardened outdoor, cliff climber as a Dad was probably always going to effect that! If there is a tree around then there will be one or all of my kids and my husband will be up it with me left holding the coats and the dog at the bottom!

A great place to climb trees is a local park, which has some grand, old trees with low, swinging branches that have probably had centuries of kids hauling themselves up onto them, scraping their knees and getting grubby. 🙂

Its lovely when the sun puts in an appearance through the leaves as well. This was one of those times when i didn’t have my DSLR with me, I have used this park many times for portrait sessions, it lends itself beautifully to family shots as there are so many places for a family to interact and play together. So it was out with the iphone and whilst the images might not have the pin tight sharpness of my DSLR they are still as valuable.  “the best camera is the one you have with you” (chase Jarvis 2010)

Good times.

I am chuffed to have been nominated for a BIBS aware again this year. Thats Brilliance in Blogging. I have been nominated in the ‘photography’ category and if you would like to go and vote for me to get into the finals then please follow this link. I am just incredibly honoured that there are folk that took the time to nominate me. thank you xx

 

 

 

 

VOTE FOR ME BiB 2014 PHOTO

Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

Follow:

Moving outside of the ordinary… #magicmoments #whatsthestory

 

 

This morning I wasn’t really feeling up for a big long run. But i needed to do one, im following a program for my next half marathon and the weekend is the only time i can crank up some miles. So i needed to go. Forced myself out of bed and into running gear. It was one of those mornings where i just couldn’t be bothered.

No really, i couldnt. So much so that i decided to stick with the park route and build the miles up through circling it a few times. Something i really hate doing. Its not that it isn’t a gorgeous park, its one of the best and it is rightly so very popular with runners and exercisers at all times of the day, but i just dont like the ‘hamster on a wheel’ feeling it has.

Anyway i stuck with it because its easy, i know it and i didn’t have to work out in my head what would be a 12 miles + route.

When i got the the park it was quiet, it was still early so there were few people around. Gradually people started to appear and I found myself avidly people watching that I soon forgot just how many times I was going over the same ground. It wasn’t long before the tiredness that I was feeling in my legs had been forgotten and the little community of runners and characters there were circling this great city park on a sunny Sunday morning drew me in. 🙂

Some notable mentions go to.

1. The man who was walking with intent. Plugged into the biggest ear speakers i have seen since the 80’s. He was strutting along throwing his arms in Saturday night fever type motions. I first saw him I thought that maybe it was some  warm up routine that he was doing but then I saw him again on another lap and  he was still walking bobbing along to the beat and throwing some crazy shapes with his arms.  I love that he just kept on doing what he was doing and regardless of how many 10 K half marathon trainers went past him he just carried on walking step to the beat and doing his own thing.

2. Next there were two cyclists who I saw the entire time I was there. Every time they lapped me i noticed them. They were head to toe in cycling Lycra, and on what must’ve been very expensive racing bikes. They had those aerodynaminc helmets, their heads were down and they were sharing the slipstream with each lap.  Their speed was totally consistent and reminded me of the racers we saw in the velodrome back in 2012.  I may have even picked up a little bit of a slipstream as they went past.

3. Next up the two pensionable age ladies I would say, running in denim jeans, smart overcoats and denim jacket chiffon scarf. They were wearing trainers maybe as bit of a token gesture  but it looked like they had totally just stepped out of a cafe and decided on going for a bit of a run. I can’t imagine they got into a sweat but their complete contrast to everybody else in lycra running gear and garmin pacer watches made me smile.

4. A couple of pensioners heading off to the lake with their huge replica model tall ship sailing boats, complete with tiny skippers and white billowing sails. I wanted to photograph them really bad, like i did all the characters that i saw.

5. A large group of ‘friendly’ runners that i was unlucky enough to be going in the opposite direction to. Chattering loudly, laughing and dragging a reluctant small dog along with them. I jumped into the road and narrowly avoided getting squashed. I noticed as i went past  that the dog they had seemed to have a sign attached to its back with a harness. It looked like a reversing light..?

6. A guy, who must have been in his 60’s or maybe even 70’s. Who burned past me on one of my laps. No fancy gear, just shorts, a t shirt and a battered pair of runners. I sped up a little as he past..well you know there is a little bit of a competitor in all of us, but he was far to fast for me to keep pace with. So i settled for being incredibly in awe of someone who probably has his free bus pass being so fit and fast!

All life was there and i actually really enjoyed being part of a little community for a short time!

Just goes to show how important it is to shake things up once in a while!!

 

 

Follow: