October | 2010 | Not Just a Granny

Archive for October, 2010

fable of the porcupine

Posted in family and relationships, Inspiration, tagged fable of the porcupine on October 20, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Fable of the porcupine
It was the coldest winter ever – many animals died because of the cold. The porcupines, realizing the situation, decided to group together. This way they covered and protected themselves; but the quills of each one wounded their closest companions even though they gave off heat to each other. After a while they decided to distance themselves one from the other but they began to die, alone and frozen.

So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or die from the cold. Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. This way they learned to live with the little wounds that were caused by the close relationship with their companions, but most important, was the heat that came from the others. This way they were able to survive.

porcupines living together

Moral of the story:
The best relationship is not the one that brings together perfect people, but the best is when each individual learns to live with the imperfections of others and can admire the other person’s good qualities.

picture 1) from: http://www.treknature.com/gallery/Africa/Namibia/photo158745.htm

picture 2) from: rachelleannemiller.com

story: compliments of my sister via email 🙂

Read Full Post »

off with their heads….

Posted in around the UK, Castles of UK and Ireland, Historical, interesting things that happen in London, things to do in London, tagged The Tower of London on October 19, 2010| 2 Comments »

The Tower of London holds many secrets and hides a bloody past behind it’s walls.

The Tower of London

Not so hidden is the place where many executions took place. The youngest person to die at the hands of the executioner was just 16 years old; Lady Jane Grey… queen for just 9 days and then beheaded!

Tower Green

If nothing else the citizens of this tiny island were a blood thirsty and violent bunch. A visit to the Tower of London is a fascinating trip back in history and parts of the tower date back to 1075 when William the Conqueror started work on what is known as The White Tower

The White Tower

– the Norman Tower; built on the south-east of the ancient Roman city to control Londoners and deter invaders. Between 1238 and 1240 Henry III expanded the castle beyond the Roman city boundary. I took a Yeoman Warder (Beefeater) tour which was highly entertaining, filled with fascinating facts and amusing anecdotes.

Yeoman Warder

This lasted for 45 minutes and the I took myself on a tour of the grounds, towers and ramparts. It always gives me a thrill to walk in the footsteps of well known figures like King Henry VIII who used to wait at the riverside gates for his brides and Ralegh who was imprisoned 3 times in the tower.

Ralegh's walk

Tower Green is the spot where 3 queens, two lords and two ladies were beheaded as traitors. Walking in the footsteps of Ralegh, Edward I and Henry III is beyond amazing, and in the medieval palace they have recreated King Edward’s chamber.

King Edward's chamber

Dotted on the ramparts are wrought-iron figures depicting soldiers and archers in battle-stance.

soldiers on the ramparts

The traitors gate,

Traitors Gate

chapels and towers make for a fascinating visit with the highlight being a visit to see the crown jewels, the most secured area in London. They are quite beyond magnificent with jewels to make your eyes water. 130 people in total live in the Tower and they host many events and on occasion re-enactments of historical events. The ravens of which there are 9 (3 for back-up) are well looked after, legend has it that if the ravens leave the palace the monarch will fall……so, as you can imagine these are the most well looked after birds in history!

the tower ravens

There are laods of guns, cannons and various items of weaponry dotted about the grounds, of which this was by far the most magnificent!

bronze 24-pounder gun and cast-iron carriage

This gun, which weights 5 3/4 tons was probably made in the Low Countries in 1607, commissioned by the Knights of Malta. It is richly decorated with a variety of images representing the Order’s Religious and Humanitarian role. It was brought to England around 1800. An awesome place to visit.

Read Full Post »

the pain of seperation and the first day of the rest of your life

Posted in family and relationships on October 17, 2010| 5 Comments »

Yesterday was the first day of the rest of her life. I always find that to be such a strange expression ‘today is the first day of the rest of my life; your life; her life; his life’……… What does it mean exactly? Isn’t every day the first day of the rest of your life?

Yesterday someone; a very special someone woke up on the day that was to be the first day of the rest of her life….she had closed a door behind her the day before and that stage of her life was no more. All that’s left is the pain of seperation.

It’s a strange thing; seperation… it’s like a little death really. In life we go through many seperations, a child starting school for the first time feels the pain of seperating from it’s Mother and very often the Mother feels the pain too, or the loss of a pet, a grandparent leaving this life, a teenager breaking up with their first love, leaving school, quitting a job and so many other situations of seperation.

You move on from something that is familiar, maybe comfortable, possibly not. Sometimes seperation is forced on you, and sometimes you initiate that seperation yourself. And if you do, is it any less painful?

A few months ago, my daughter made and took what was a momentous decision in her life, not a unique decision by any means, but certainly unique to her. After 4 years and and 2 months of marriage she made the decision to move on from a situation that was causing her a great deal of pain, becoming stifling and had changed her personality from one of bubbly and outgoing, to sad and introspective.

And although seperation is not unique, and marriages break up all the time, this seperation was the death of her dreams; the dreams she had on the day she got married – the children she had envisaged, the home she thought they would have, the experiences they would share, the places they would go and the prospect of growing old with the man she loved; all died on that day.

The pain of that seperation has been great. The decision to make the move was a tremendous strain and the actual day of moving was traumatic. And although she knows and knew at the time that the decision was the right one, still the pain it caused herself and her husband has had a heavy toll. The ripples of seperation linger on.

And when a marriage breaks up, what of the other people involved? The families of the couple – people you will never see again, the grandchildren that will now not be, the pain of a mother watching her child hurting and feeling helpless in the face of that pain, trying to find the right words, wishing to take it on herself and spare her child, yet knowing that it’s not possible, so trying to just be there and pray that with the fullness of time it will ease.

And it does, the pain of seperation eases, sometimes it take a while, maybe months, perhaps years, and yet as life goes on and new experiences occur, the pain eventually becomes a dull ache and then one day you notice it’s gone, the phone calls become positive again, the tears are less and as the pain of seperation begins to lessen, the bubbly person you once knew slowly starts to resurface, the self-confidence begins to return and then……

…..with the fullness of time a new door opens, a new love, new experiences, new dreams and so that day becomes the first day of the rest of your life.

Read Full Post »

Every Mother For Himself……

Posted in Fun Stuff, It's my life, Travel, tagged books, Ed Jones, Every Mother For Himself, travelling the world on October 15, 2010| 2 Comments »

mmm, I kinda never quite got to my blog today….been on twitter and facebook just about all day, besides taking a walk around the park again. It is looking so gorgeous now dressed in autumn’s colours. Anyhow, here I am and it is just on 11:34pm and still time to fit it in and what I really wanted to blog about today is a book. Not just any old book but a book that I discovered at a bus stop a while back ( March to be precise).

waiting for the bus 214 to Liverpool street

I was enroute to the house with a massive suitcase and although I did not have far to go, manouvering a large bag on wheels downhill is not my idea of fun so I decided to take the bus…..only one stop mind!!! Anyhow, I was standing there waiting for the bus and happened to glance back at the seat and noticed a book lying there. My initial response was regret that someone had possibly lost a book.

Every Mother For Himself - Ed Jones

Then being the good citizen that I am I thought perhaps there was some indication of the owner’s identity and I could return it to them. So I walked on over and picked it up…..mmmm, very interesting. I flipped the cover to the first page and found a sticker that said “Howdy! Hola! Bonjour! Guten Tag! I’m a very special book. You see, I’m travelling around the world making new friends. I hope I’ve met another friend in you. Please go to www……. and enter my BCID number and you’ll discover where I’ve been and who has read me, and can let them know I’m safe here in your hands”

This book has travelled the world and is listed on a website specifically created to track this and similar books on their journey round the world! How marvellous; I was entranced. So naturally I took the book home….couldn’t leave it there on it’s own now could I? Needless to say I tried to read the book…..that was 7 months ago and I have not been able to get past page 25 of 345! It is the most incredibly boring book I have ever laid eyes on! Sorry book 😦 but your story is boring. So after much debate I have decided to send you on your way, but first I will read the last page just to see how it all ends. Good luck for the rest of your journey.

Read Full Post »

dedicated to…..

Posted in news from around the world, tagged Chilean miners, overcoming adversity on October 14, 2010| 5 Comments »

Today’s blog is dedicated to the Chilean miners, their families and rescuers.

I, like many others in the world yesterday watched with bated breath as the men who had been trapped thousands of feet beneath the earth were finally, against all the odds, brought to the surface of the earth yesterday!

What a feat! It must have taken an enormous amount of emotional and mental strength to survive those days buried so far underground, not really sure that you would ever see the light of day again, never mind your loved ones. Watching the rescue yesterday left me a wreck, I can’t even begin to imagine how they must have felt, the thoughts that must have been going through their minds.

How amazing that they were able to overcome the sheer terror of being trapped so far below the earth, to have the mental fortitude to carve out a routine and create a viable living space for themselves. It is amazing to me how in the face of extreme adversity the human psyche either sinks or swims!

I guess their lives will now be altered quite radically, as they said in the news, it’s a kind of rebirth….travelling from so far below, not even sure really that they would get to the top and then quite literally being dragged out the womb of the planet….that one man’s jubilation said it all.

Now of course life will never be the same again….they will be heroes for a few days, feted by the media, held up as survivors against all the odds and the awful celebrity that comes with that…..and therein will be the next test of their endurance and ability to withstand the pressure of being in the limelight for a few days, maybe weeks and then us being the fickle public that we are will just get on with our lives and they will largely be forgotten.

I hope that they all do secure a book deal from this ordeal…..hopefully that will generate an income for them that they never need return below as miners. I hope and pray that their ordeal does’nt affect them later and they suffer unduly from survivors guilt and that they get the right amount of support they will need to adjust back to day to day living.

“I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe”. Dalai Lama

May they find what they need to cope with the days ahead, bravo to them and to their rescuers.

Read Full Post »

discovering London

Posted in Fun Stuff, Historical, interesting things that happen in London, It's my life, things to do in London, tagged All Souls Church, Barclays Bicycle hire, Beau Brummel, Burlington Arcade, Burlington House, Charing Cross station, Fortnum and Mason, Regent Street, sheep in Savile Row, St James's Church, The Haunch of Venison, Waterloo Place on October 13, 2010| 2 Comments »

As you will have noticed from yesterday’s post I went #walkabout through London again on Monday afternoon! 🙂 boring of me to say this again, but……London is my all time favourite place to be and I enjoy discovering new things each time I go walkabout! 🙂

The reason for this particular excursion was of course to see the sheep in Savile Row… that was fun, albeit not as exciting as the elephants back in 2006 and many of the other fab events that London hosts on a regular basis. So going by the indicator on the map on the Timeout website I headed towards Oxford Circus, which if the hustle and bustle is anything to go by…..is a real circus! Some time back the Mayor very sensibly approved a scheme to make the area more easily traversed (The redesigned Oxford Circus, which opened November 2nd 2009, after a two-year, £5m makeover, contains two big innovations. As well as crossing the intersection laterally, pedestrians now have a 30-second window when all traffic stops and they can go at a diagonal along a giant X marked into the junction with metal studs. Known to road engineers, slightly alarmingly, as a “pedestrian scramble”, it is modelled on the famously frantic junction adjoining Shibuya station in central Tokyo.)

Oxford Circus London

Following the general direction on the website map I passed John Lewis where I noticed a fab wall sculpture ‘Winged Figure’

Winged Figure - John Lewis on Oxford Street

After a fair amount of walking and realising that evidently Savile Row was not where they said it was I headed back towards Oxford Circus and decided to start at the top end of Regent Street and make my way down till I found what I was looking for 🙂

I absolutely love these new direction finder maps dotted around London

In so doing, I finally got to visit a church that had been on my list of ‘places to visit’ for ages – All Souls Church, Langham Place. All Souls Church is unique as the last surviving church built by John Nash, who also developed nearby Regent’s Park and Regent Street, and was completed in December 1823 at a final cost of £18,323-10s-5d, and opened in November 1824.

All Souls Church, Langham Place, London

Eventually I found my objective and thoroughly enjoyed the brief encounter.

sheep in Savile Row 🙂

Finding at myself at the end of Savile Street it was an easy decision as to where my next stop would be; just to the right I had spied what appeared to be a fascinating building that I had not seen before! Cool!

The Haunch of Venison....I know!!! what a name and what a fab building

After exploring the perimeter and being curious I ventured inside….OhMyWord!!! It is lovely! In contrast to the exterior which is old and quite grubby with the buildup of debris over the years, the interior is just fabulous!

a sweeping staircase leading up from the foyer

I will write more about this fabulous gallery in another post on my 3 Days In London.info blog. Suffice to say it is going to be added to my list of great places to visit. After a most satisfying visit looking at artwork that leaves your mouth agape, I then made my way back to Regent Street and decided to continue on to Piccadilly Circus. Enroute I passed Burlington Arcade; Burlington Arcade was Britain’s very first shopping Arcade, opened in 1819 to great acclaim and now recognised as an historic and architectural masterpiece

Burlington Arcade - Piccadilly, London

I strolled through the arcade enjoying the goods on display. Burlington Arcade is locked up at night and boasts it’s own Police Force, independent of the London Metropolitan Force. Exiting into Piccadilly I noticed that across the road was Fortnum and Mason, due a visit! But before that I was totally intrigued by a buidling on my left that certainly deserved further exploration!

Burlington House, Piccadilly, London

Burlington House was originally a private Palladian mansion expanded in the mid 19th century after being purchased by the British government. The main building is at the northern end of the courtyard and houses the Royal Academy. Again this bears further exploration! From there I then crossed over for a visit to Fortnum and Mason

Fortnum and Mason, Piccadilly, London

Whoa!! Beautiful, beautiful. The window dressings are gorgeous and the shelves inside groan with delicious goods, from the four corners of the planet as well goodies for the more macarbe occassions we celebrate.

halloween comes to Fortnum and Mason

From there I visted the Piccadilly Arcade: The Piccadilly Arcade has always offered traditional quality, luxury and style. The same is true today as it was in 1910, with a unique blend of specialist shops.

Piccadilly Arcade, between Piccadilly and Jermyn Street

As I wandered through the arcade I was whisked back into my childhood by a window display –

Toy Soldiers!!!!

My Grandfather had a fabulous collection of toy soldiers and such like when I was a kid and I remember being entranced by the little characters, and this was a trip down memory lane for me!!! I stepped into the store to take my fill of the display. The proprietor of ‘The Armory of St James’, was happy for me to take photos. 🙂 I had noticed at the end of the arcade, resplendent in the sunlight, the statue of a ‘dandy’….I am simply unable to bypass a statue without stopping to find out who and when! I then made the acquaintance of ‘Beau Brummel’ 1778-1840 and the quote: “to be truly elegant, one should not be noticed”.

Beau Brummel 1778 - 1840. to be found in Jermyn Street, St James's, London

Turning left I walked passed Princes Arcade (for which I have been unable to find much historical info)

Princes Arcade - east of Piccadilly Arcade

Princes Arcade is adjacent to St James’s Church on Piccadilly so that was my next stop! St James’s Church is one of Wren’s Churches; The foundation stone was laid on 3 April 1676 by the Earl of St. Albans and the Bishop of London and in Robert Hooke’s Diary for this date is an entry — ‘St. Albans Cornerstone layd’— which presumably refers to the event.

St James's Church - Piccadilly; a Wren church

the church is really lovely inside and imbues a sense of peace and calm. I found a beautiful marble font

beautiful marble carved font

The church boasts a magnificent organ that towers over the interior

the organ in St James's church

By now I was famished and parched……like being in the ruddy desert!!! So without further ado I set off to find somewhere to have a cuppa! I spied with my little eye…..

Costa Coffee!!! cuppachino and an almond croissant...yummy 🙂

Fully satiated and raring to go, I set off to walk the end bit of Regent Street and explore Waterloo Place where I made the acquaintance of Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale

she stands in front of a magnificent memorial to the Crimean War

memorial to the Crimean War

as well as many other fascinating memorials and statues….well worth a visit for a look into history.

memorial to Field Marshall Lord Clyde

There is a very pretty little park nearby and some gorgeous buildings with interesting facades. For cycling enthusiasts there is one of the Barclays Cycle hire stands

Barclays cycle hire

From there I skipped down the stairs past the column that supports a statue of Frederick Duke of York, 2nd son of George III that presides high on his loft with a fab view of St James’s Park and surrounding area.

Frederick, Duke of York. 2nd son of George III

There is a doorway at the base and I am curious to know if the top of the column is accessible….the view must be phenomenal. Must find out some time! A short walk took me to St James’s park which is looking so gorgeous…the weather was fabulous and it almost feels like spring rather than autumn where the citizens of our fair city and tourists alike were making the most of the sunshine

St Jame's Park just off The Mall

There is a really lovely memorial on the corner of St James’s park

memorial on the corner of St James's Park

as you walk towards Admiralty Arch. A short walk then took me past the Police Memorial,

Police Memorial adjacent to the Citadel near Horse-Guards parade

past Capt. James Cook’s statue, through Admiralty Arch and past Trafalgar Square which is really just gorgeous in the sunshine

Trafalgar Square

by now my time was running short so it was time to head home. Enroute to Charing Cross station I walked past Craven Street (where I discovered Benjamin Franklin’s house a few weeks earlier), so nipped down the steps for a quick photo. And another of the Barclays bicycle stands are right there! There are also some really lovely modern buildings in the area and I was particularly entranced by this one

beautiful day reflected in a beautiful building

then a short walk later and I was at Charing Cross station

Charing Cross Station

and so to home……………

directional signboards inside the station

what a marvellous day. I am particularly impressed with the directional signboards that now dot the city, they prove to be very helpful when you are just not quite sure where a particular road is, and also give you an approximate distance in time.

direction finder map giving you an idea of where you are in relation to where you want to go

Read Full Post »

London has to be top of the list for ‘crazy out-of-this-world things to see in the City’, city!

Posted in Fun Stuff, Interesting articles, interesting things that happen in London, It's my life, tagged bespoke tailoring, crazy things that happen in London, Prince Charles, Savile Row, sheep in Savile Row on October 12, 2010| 6 Comments »

What do an elite quarter of Mayfair, ancient buildings, bespoke tailors, a world-famous street, grass, sheep-dogs, shepherds, wool and sheep have in common? Why!…… London of course!!! 🙂

sheep ahead......not sure if they meant of the two or four legged kind!!

Where is the world would you find a field of sheep, grazing along an ‘upper’ class street in the middle of a bustling major city? London has to be top of the list for ‘crazy out-of-this-world things to see in the City’, city! Yesterday was no exception and what fun it was to see a herd of sheep, not quite dotted about the landscape but rather huddled together in the corner, in the middle of one of the most upmarket streets in Mayfair: Savile Row in London.
I am not entirely sure what I expected to find on arrival. In my mind’s eye I had a vision of rolling green, grassy hills dotted with sheep… in reality I found two seperate fenced-in areas with a huddle of very perplexed looking sheep, none too impressed with the day’s going-on!

sheep in Savile Row!!! whatever next?

Hundreds of people milling about, camera flashes going off, children shouting; a noisy stream of ebb and flow as more and more folk dropped by to witness the spectacle.

Farmerman in spiffy 'bespoke' outfit with sheep-dogs and bemused looking sheep

Savile Row, termed the “golden mile of tailoring”, has a history that stretches back hundreds of years, a row of bespoke tailors that cater to the rich, mega-rich and famous and I am sure a few hard-working folk too! It is also home to some of the most famous British tailors in the country. Synonymous worldwide with the artisty of craftmanship of Great British tailoring, Savile Row has been home to bespoke tailoring for over two centuries.
Bespoke tailoring is the Haute Couture of men’s style and Savile Row has dressed every icon of male elegance from Lord Nelson, Napoleon III, Winston Churchill, Valentino and Astaire to Sinatra, Jagger and Jude Law not to mention crowned heads, statesmen and captains of industry….names the ‘Row’ is too discreet to mention!
Yesterday’s event, part of a 5 year campaign designed to demonstrate wool’s natural, sustainable qualities and supreme versatility, the Campaign for Wool is supported by His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, who understands the need for natural solutions and recognises wool as the first choice for sustainability, durability and quality.

combed Australian sheeps woll in the Wool shed..where else!

At the event, two British herds were on display in support of the campaign, namely: Exmoor Horns (courtesy of Harry and Jane Parker – Wiltshire),

Exmoor Horns

and Bowmonts, (courtesy of Lesley and Roger Prior – Devon).

Bowmonts

Exmoor Horns are typically a hill breed, found on the high ground of Exmoor National Park – hardy and well adapted to many landscapes whether harsh or pastoral and the Bowmont sheep, a cross between Saxon Merino (75%) and Shetland (25%), they are the closest derivative the country has to Australian Merinos.
After ‘milling’ about a bit, I left to explore the further reaches of our fair city and the sheep did what sheep do….they lay down for a rest….

oooooh! me feet are killing me.... all this milling about....'aving a rest we are

very sensible!
Amongst the illustrious names of the Tailors; Anderson & Sheppard; Gieves & Hawkes and Richard Anderson to name but a few, can be found two of the suppliers of high quality wools; Fox Brothers & Co Ltd – producers of luxurious woollen and worsted cloth at it’s mill in Somerset since 1772 & Dormeuil – established 1842 by Jules Dormeuil, purveyors of the world’s finest fabrics – now spanning 5 continents.
Savile Row (pronounced /ˈsævɪl/, both vowels short with accent on the first syllable) is a shopping street in Mayfair, central London, famous for its traditional men’s bespoke tailoring. The term “bespoke” is understood to have originated in Savile Row when cloth for a suit was said to “be spoken for” by individual customers.
Savile Row runs parallel to Regent Street between Conduit Street at the northern end and Vigo Street at the southern. Linking roads include Burlington Place, Clifford Street and Burlington Gardens.

Savile Row London as you have never seen it before.....

Read Full Post »

a thought for today….

Posted in Inspiration, tagged a thought for today, quote on October 10, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate,
But that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?

Actually who are you not to be? You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some; it is in everyone.

And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give others permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from out fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Written by Marianne Williamson – an excerpt from her book – “Return to Love”.

Used by Nelson Mandela in his inauguration speech

Read Full Post »

celebrating 9 years of freedom, and finding my passion

Posted in It's my life, Travel, tagged freedom, London, passion, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious on October 9, 2010| 2 Comments »

There is a lot of talk in the Personal Development world about ‘finding your passion’ – (and they’re not referring to sex 🙂 )! In the past I wouldn’t have put much store in that kind of talk – there were lots of things I enjoyed and I had loads of interests…..but ‘passionate’ about them…no, not really!

So what does that have to do with today? Well today I celebrate 9 years of ‘freedom’ and in so doing I have also found my ‘passion’!! I arrived in London on 9th October 2001 enroute to Ireland, to help my sister celebrate her 30th birthday and for what at the time I thought would be a nice long holiday.

Cut a long story short…. I adored Ireland – I discovered what freedom meant and in the first 2 months I travelled the length and breadth of that tiny island with my delightful sister and brother-in-law, subsequently cancelled my ticket home (South Africa), and lingering for another 4 months till I was forced by law to go back to SA….which I did, but only long enough to get my Ancestral Visa and return to London. And therein lies the passion.

London had me at……no not at ‘hello’, it had me when I saw the chimney pots 🙂 Right through the years I had always maintained that I was never interested in visiting London, that if I ever visited the UK, I would merely pass through London on my way to the countryside….well fate/life/the universe had other plans for me and as we exited the underground enroute to Heathrow I fell in love. I found my passion.

Now, no rude comments please, but…..I am a fan of ‘Mary Poppins’ (don’t laugh; I have seen it 20 times already…probably more) I can even say ‘supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ backwards (ha! kidding). But seriously, London has stolen my heart. Since living here I have travelled to so many wonderful places, not only in the UK, but in USA and Europe as well and yet whenever I return to London my heart races and I get all excited.

The difference between here and there is so vast that I can’t even begin to describe it. When I look back on my life in SA it looks squished and restricted in comparison to here. I marvel at the sense of freedom in being able to walk through a city filled with history and stories, of discovering quirky and sometimes plainly absurd features and places, of visiting some of the most exquisite buildings you could not even imagine (although obviously someone did). I could talk for hours about this city and never become bored. No matter where I go there is always something new to discover. It has truly become my passion.

And in finding my passion I enjoy unending freedom. So today I celebrate 9 years of freedom and the opportunity to live in, what is to me anyway, the most beautiful, fun, interesting, amazing, wonderful, incredible…… city in the world.

Read Full Post »

the dawn chorus

Posted in It's my life, tagged dawn chorus, early morning symphony on October 8, 2010| 2 Comments »

Today was one of those days where I woke real early…urghhh!! 🙂 I rolled over and tried to go back to sleep to no avail. So with great reluctance (I am not a morning person) I stumbled out of bed, bleary eyed and peeved!!

As I traipsed down the stairs I noted that the sky was beginning to lighten (it was that early) and mused that it was probably about 6.30am…. hahaha! it was in fact 06:32 to be precise. I did not feel at all sleepy although my brain was screaming Noooo!!! it’s too early and my mouth was stretched wide in a yawn….

I decided to make myself a cup of tea and head on back to bed, and hopefully catch another hour or so of shut-eye. Then through the mists of my half-dead brain I noticed the sounds of the dawn-chorus 🙂 and that was the end of my bed-time. I am never up this early in the morning so without further ado I decided to treat myself and sit out on the verandah whilst enjoying my first cuppa of the day. I quickly spread out crumbs of bread and handfuls of seed in the hope the wee birdies might just visit while I was there.

And am I glad I did. Still darkish out, the day is surprisingly warm, albeit shrouded in mist. The trees at the end of the garden barely discernable, dripping with morning dew were ghostly in their shroud of grey.

early morning misty day in London

In the distance and nearby, birds waking up with a delightful chorus of chirps and cheeps and whirry sounds, flitted here and there, already busy in their search for sustenance. With the hot mug keeping my hands warm I wriggled comfortably into the chair, eyes shut and cosy in my cocoon I snuggled into the blanket tightly wrapped around my body and enjoyed the symphony.

What a delightful treat. And if I wasn’t such a lazy bones….I could probably enjoy that every day. Sadly the birds didn’t come down to partake in the feast, but I have no doubt that once I was gone they would be there in a flash. 🙂 and despite the overwhelming urge to go back to bed and pull the covers over my head…..now it’s really time to start the day…….

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »