NOW WE ARE ONE

One year ago today, I spent the morning setting up my blog template and falteringly working out my first posting. It was a mad spontaneous decision to start a blog. I had lurked around a few blogs to see what was out there after reading an article about them. Then my daughter phoned me full of how she was starting a blog. I just thought, 'What fun!', imagining rambling at some length to the world in general. With trepidation I put out my first posting and then with even greater bravardo left comments on a couple of blogs I really liked the look of. Then I went about the rest of the day wondering if I would get any comments, or would the world in general see fit to ignore me. Late that evening I returned to my blog, and yes, I actually had a comment. Guess who was my first commenter? Why, of course, it was someone who was to become a dear friend of mine in cyber world, Ms Robyn! After that, three more comments arrived, and there was no stopping me, my daughter never found the time to get her blog off the ground properly but here I still am!


What have I learnt in my first year of blogging. So much, just so much. Mostly positive, most people are nice, but you do come across one or two who let you down. I have made friends all around the world, and actually met some of them, become a Glitter Sister, have participated in both successful and unsuccessful swaps, actually ran a couple of swaps and best of all, these two things, I have learnt so much about other people's lives and found a support network of people I can discuss life with. The most important point of my blog has been though, to break through my block of many years in my art work and send my creativity soaring again. I am creating my healing spirit dolls, my other little fripperies, altering anything from cards to books. Blogging made me decide to start my Local History Group, after writing snippets about our village history on my blog. Also with exchanging customs from other cultures, I have immersed myself deeper and deeper in my English myth, folklore, herbs and magic.

Elizabeth Blackadder

Here's to the future of communicating with you all. I am not saying I will blog for evermore, but I am happy to do so at the moment, but I do know I will always find a way to communicate my Daisy ramblings and lore to the world. Raise a glass or two of pinot grigio with me tonight to celebrate this day. [It is only breakfast time for me now!]

Laura Knight

I am looking out of the window at a cloudy sky, but in among the clouds are patches of blue, and the sun is trying to shine. I had an early morning stroll down to my garden, which is looking so verdant after all the rain, some of the plants are taking beds over, but I am rather inclined not to cull them until autumn and let this garden, be of blowsy controlled chaos this summer, just letting it teeter on the edge of wildness, not too far, just a suggestion, so you can imagine secrets hidden in the plants. And there will be secrets hidden in the plants I have been collecting up all sorts of interesting bits and pieces to put between the plants and I hope to have them all in position by the beginning of June, when weather permitting, I should have done all my serious planting. The poppies have numerous heads on them. [Don't they look like green aliens emerging from the leaves?] I will have to stake these up as poppy leaves are notoriously untidy and sprawl everywhere. My beautiful pale blue irises are waiting to open and I keep scooping up and putting in pots the marigolds that have self seeded from last year.


Tara from Silver Apples of the Moon, sent me some herb seeds in the autumn and they have germinated nicely and are pushing up out of the soil in their pots. All the way from her garden in America to my cottage. I have taken delivery of four giant bags of bark chipping to recover the path between the stepping stones, and to seriously cover where the table and chairs reside. I do feel everything is happening a couple of weeks earlier this year, and hope that my garden will be able to maintain its freshness throughout the summer. Even the bedding plants are taking off earlier, I just hope that they are not finished too soon, such as before August is out.


Other items of interest to me at the moment, I am currently reading the new Barbara Erksine book, Daughters of Fire, which goes between present day Edinburgh and Yorkshire and Celtic times in those two places. I have decided as well to make a summer project of re-reading some of Thomas Hardy and reading one or two of his I have never got round to reading. I love Thomas Hardy's more rural books, especially Tess of the D'Urbervilles, a tragic soulful rural tale. This was also made into a brilliant film a good few years ago by Roman Polanski. I have spent a couple of classical evenings listening to Chopin's Nocturnes, balm to the soul, soothing yet stark, conjuring up wonderful images. Also I have been dipping back into old Paul Simon, you sometimes just forget what wonderful lyrics he writes.

James Whistler

Once again, don't forget to raise a glass with me tonight for Cats in the Kitchen Flora in the Garden is one year old today.

THE THINKING BLOGGER AWARDS [THE OSCARS OF THE BLOGS]

Sorry, just couldn't resist the above title. I would like to thank Lila of http://indigopears.blogspot.com/ for nominating me for a Thinking Blogger Award and also my stylist, my personal trainer, my hairdresser, my driver, the man who counts my money, the man that punches the paps if they take a photo of me when I am tired and emotional lol! In turn, I would like to nominate these five people:-

1. Robyn of http://goodnessgraciousmissr.blogspot.com/ There is always plenty to mull over and think about here on Robyn's site. Robyn who is obviously a kindred spirit to me.

2.Tinker of http://tinkerart.typepad.com/ It would be a much duller world without Tinker's rambling stories, funny, serious or just plaint scary they make my day no one, can ramble and go off on a tangent like Tinker.

3. Gemma of http://www.gemmashouse.blogspot.com/ A quiet blog but one with a lady in charge who has done some deep thinking and knows some very deep knowledge I believe.

4. Nature Girl of http://nature-trail.blogspot.com/ For her poetry, thoughts and wonderful artistic photographs.

5. Janet of http://jkbees.blogspot.com/ A lady who tries so hard to be true to herself and has refound her creativity mojo and has interesting points of view.

There you go those are my nominations for the Thinking Bloggers Award. I will wear my sidebar badge proudly.

I have recently added another sidebar badge that I found on Robyn's blog, which I believe originally came from this blog, http://www.tartx.com/blog/?page_id=233. I notice that more of us are using it and that Kai has talked about this issue on her blog http://kaibluecreations.blogspot.com/ . Basically, it is Blogging without Obligation, to me it means we are all busy people, we blog to put our thoughts down, to make friends with other bloggers and to receive and reply to comments. Now some people are lucky and can do this on a day to day basis, but some whether through family, jobs or just plain business doing things we enjoy, are not so on the ball as every day. Then that horrid sense of guilt and obligation creeps in, oh I better not go to bed until I have commented on so and so's blog, they might think I am not bothering anymore. This badge showing on my sidebar means, I am still visiting you and commenting, some days and weeks more than others, I work up my list and down my list of contacts, so not everyone gets a comment everyday. If I am busy I won't be around as much, but if it was anything drastic that was happening and I was not going to be around for a while I would somehow get a quick posting up to inform people. Let's keep blogging heartwarming and not let it descend into stress and disenchantment my motto will be WE LIVE FIRST, THEN WE BLOG, otherwise we would run out of things to blog about.



It is Easter Monday afternoon now, I don't know how many of you have an official or Bank Holiday added on to Easter, but now we are nearing the end of the Easter Holiday. I have had a fantastic time, well according to my idea of what I wanted to enjoy I have. Haven't been anywhere since Thursday, just in my cottage and garden. Two days of brilliant weather and two days of so so weather, so I managed to do a little bit of everything. How content I feel after allowing myself all this self indulgence. And what have I done over Easter? Well, the Easter type things first, cooked a delicious Easter Sunday Meal, drank wine, ate chocolate. Tidied round the garden, hoeing weed clearing checking up on new growth, chatting to neighbours, sitting in the sun finishing off one book I was reading and starting a Charles de Lint book I have been waiting to read. Read some delicious magazines and dreamt about owning the wonderful gardens and rooms shown in them. Watched a couple of dvds, including one of my favourite indulgent ones Practical Magic, from the book by Alice Hoffman, it never fails to cheer. Burnt some wonderful incense, the most fragrant I have had for ages. Brought a box of wonderfully illustrated children's books that were my kids and mine, out of the cupboard, as I have decided they need a bookshelf of their own so I can look at the illustrations and I can fill the cupboard up with some of the sorted boxes lying around. All in all a really good Easter, which I will finish off this afternoon, with a list making session for the garden, house and future projects. Oh, and I pulled off all the images I need for the Chunky Crow Book project I am in. I'll be assembling it this week, all 22 pages of it.



If the sun comes out again, I may return to the garden this afternoon, or if not, I will sort through the children's books and then tidy up my computer, its getting cluttered and untidy so I will start transfering things onto disc so I can empty up some more memory. I did sent out a lot of email easter cards, but I don't think you all will have got them I had some returned saying wrong email address, that was news to me, as my emails themselves have been getting through to you all. So I hope you have all had a wonderful Easter as I have had, but in your own special ways.

THE GAME IS ON

I have been involved in this email game which is absolutely fascinating me, it is very simple, but oh so interesting. You ask all your friends to reply to just you with one word that sums you up, then they can tag the rest of their contacts to do the same to them. These are the replies that came back about me, quirky, wisdom, confident, found, wonderful, calming, wise, writer, natural, flowerfairy, thorough, wisdom[again], story teller supreme, spiritual and my very favourite, at the end of my list of contacts I added on my daughter, Sweetpea, as I knew she would like to do this with her friends and her reply was BEST, I did feel a little gulp in my throat.



I tagged myself to do this meme off Maryellen, who now has a special site for memes http://oldcrowknees2.blogspot.com/ , and this was one I haven't done before. Sometimes these memes are a good way of evaluating yourself and your feelings.

Meme about 2006

1. What did you do in 2006 that you have never done before? Started my blogging life, of course.

2. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope

3. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes my little cat Pixie, on Midsummers Eve

4. What countries did you visit?
None, stayed in England this year

5. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
A piano

6. What dates from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory and why?
Midsummer's Eve [see above]

7. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No

8. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Lots of people did lots of lovely things which I appreciated and would not like to pick anyone out, except maybe my children, who are always there when we need them

9. Whose behaviour appalled and depressed you?
Our so called leader Blair and his cohort Bush -get out of Iraq now, it is a mess, too many people are being killed and for gods sake don't even consider going into Iran.

10. Where did most of your money go?
On living in a quiet rural way, with little treats of art materials, books, plants for the garden and small quirky items, oh and the occasional bottle of good wine

11. What did you get really excited about?
My new blog, and meeting so many people from around the world some of whom are now becoming firm friends of mine, explaining all this to my real world friends who don't blog and trying to make them understand how it is possible to build up a friendship in cyberland

12. Compared to this time last year, are you, a) happier or b) sadder?
Happier, as I strive for contentment and no longer storm out tackling any cause that I hear of. I now quietly try to do my bit to save the Earth and Mother Nature. Quiet and stealth can be as effective as marching and chanting

13. What was your favourite TV show in 2006?
I don't watch much TV at all, but there was one programme Lost, and now I am lost it has gone to Sky channels only

14. What was the best book you read in 2006?
I honestly don't think I can choose, I read so many good books last year, maybe I should choose a classic, Precious Bane by Mary Webb, was a wonderful evocative book of an English countryside and lifestyle now lost. The descriptions of nature were awe inspiring

15. Is there someone or something you missed this past year?
Cornwall, we didn't get there last year

16. What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?
I was fifty five and I blogged about my simple day pottering about a nearby market town, a lovely evening meal and wine. It was an unseasonably warm and sunny day for November and the countryside was at its late autumn best. It was the last sunny day of autumn and it rained after that nearly everyday until Christmas

17. What kept you sane?
Creating

18. Make up a question you want to answer here: Did you do anything that surprised you?
Yes, I started up a Local History Group and got funding for it too

19. If you could do one thing this year and not get chastised by anyone for doing it, what would you do?
No one chastises me, I am an adult with a mind of my own, not a child to be told go stand in the corner for some wrongdoing

20. If you could meet one blogger in 2007, who would you want to meet?
This is very hard, but I think among many I would have to say Robyn as it was from reading and lurking around her blog that I took my courage in both hands and began my own. She was the first blog I commented on and I was very nervous. Though I really would love to meet any of my blogging friends



That was quite interesting to do and has also made me look back on last year and think about happenings, achievements and hopes I had for this year. I have another meme here that I got from Janet's blog, I'll finish off with this one and then go and say hello to the people who's blogs I haven't been back to yet.

If you could build a house anywhere, where would it be?
Everyone must know the answer to this by now. In Cornwall on top of a hill with a stunning view of the sea from all the front windows. It is detached and surrounded by beautiful countryside, isolated, not seen from the road, perhaps hidden by trees and not too far from Penzance. It also has an amazing garden with a camomile lawn and room at the back for hens, goats and ducks and doves, not to mention the cats and a dog for my husband

What is your favourite item of clothing?
I love long swirly summer dresses faded cottons or cheesecloth that the breeze ripples worn with a battered straw hat to keep the sun off my head

Favourite physical feature of the opposite sex?
Hands are very important and of course eyes, they tell all, they are the windows of the soul

What is the last CD you bought?
Norah Jones new album

Where is your favourite place to be?
Apart from Cornwall, [see above] in my cottage, any room or the garden, I love different rooms at different times of day and depending on what activity I am doing

Where is your least favourite place to be?
Anywhere where I am dealing with officialdom and paper pushers

Where is your favourite place to be massaged?
Keep away from my feet I can'at stand them being touched. Shoulders and the back of my neck are where my tension usually is and where I need the massage



Strong in mind or body?
Strong in mind I would think, I am a terrible wimp about lifting heavy things, I could years ago but it goes for my shoulders and knees now

What time do you wake up in the morning?
Winter about eight in the morning, maybe even half eight if it is a dark grey day. Summer usually at seven or even before that if the sun is shining

What is your favourite kitchen appliance? My electric kettle and toaster for a quick breakfast, you know exactly what you can get done while one is toasting and the other boiling

What makes you really angry?
Having been dealing with my mother's move it has to be, at the moment, officialdom who are sloppy with their admin and can't give you the answers to the questions you are asking without putting you to talk to about three different people and then they give you incorrect information and you start all over again. Its not that hard to be efficient

If you could play an instrument what would it be?
I can play piano

Favourite colour?
Purple

Which do you prefer sports car or suv?
Not at all bothered, not interested in cars at all just want to get from a to b and back

Do you believe in an afterlife?
Recincarnation

Favourite childrens book?
The Secret Garden but many others too

What is your favourite season?
Late Spring when the leaves have that crumpled fresh look and are that really zingy green almost lime green at times

Your least favourite household chore?
Cleaning bathrooms

Ifyou could have one super power what would it be?
Healing

If you have a tattoo what is it?
I haven't but I wish I had the courage to have one, my daughter has two, a celtic design on the middle of her lower back and a tiny butterfly on her shoulder

Can you juggle?
I constantly juggle in life

The one person from your past that you wish you could go back and talk to?
My great great grandfather, who was a bandsmaster in the army and went all over the world and was involved in the mutiney in India and in one of the seiges

Whats your favourite day?
Any day, but A favourite day is to be woken by the sun and the birds singing after sleeping with the full moon on my pillow

FROM A TINY SPARK A BRAND NEW TOPIC IS WONDERED ABOUT

I often find that one of my blogging friends writes about something on their blog and it sort of takes on a life of his own, other people comment, including me, then I sometimes feel compelled to muse about it and then go off at a tangent and write about where the tangent led me and write about it on my site.

This time it was Gemma that started me musing. She posted Leonard Cohen's Joan of Arc on her site, saying how every so often you get a craving for some of good old Leonard. I posted agreeing that just sometimes no one else will do. I then posted that my all time favourite lines of Leonard's were ...and she brings you tea and oranges that come all the way for china... from Suzanne. When I checked that my posting was on the site I noticed that immediately above me was a posting from Lisa Oceandreamer, mentioning guess what? her favourite song was Suzanne too. This led to a lovely exchange of emails where we both discovered our images of Suzanne and her life were identical. This in turn got me looking out Songs of Leonard Cohen and indulge in repeat track playing of Suzanne. In turn this led to a discussion with husband who said Leonard Cohen had written it about a real woman called Suzanne whom he, [Cohen, not my husband lol!] had known. I said, yes, but that was nothing to do with my Suzanne, who I had imagined, my Suzanne was more of an archetype and inspired me, and that I hadn't taken the real one into consideration at all.

After satisfying my Leonard Cohen need, I then moved onto Google and found out all about the real Suzanne, I thought if you didn't know about her you might be interested in these links that explains all about her. I have also uploaded her photo and show it below. Of course, this does not make me budge one inch on the Suzanne in my head. She was created by me, and Lisa Oceandreamer it seems. http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/verdal.html and http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/verdal.html



We are still having wild winds with galeforce gusts, just the sort of day to stay indoors, so I made the most of it. I actually got into my artroom this afternoon,[Hello artroom,long time no see did you think I have forgotten about you? I'll be back lots when life resumes its even pace once more.] put some bits in pieces in order, sat down at my desk wrote a list of all the swaps etc that I am participating in, hoping I am not forgetting to write things down and pinned it to the wall. Then, oh what bliss. I actually sat on got on with one of my projects and did some hand sewing. I so enjoyed it, sitting in a pool of lamplight, wind gusting at the window, heating hissing and clanking away, incense burning. In fact, I was enjoying it so much I had to put Leonard Cohen's Songs From a Room on all over again.

I have just bought three Charles de Lint books really cheaply on Amazon Used Books, two were ones I read a long time ago but never owned copies of, plus I want to read them again, and the third was one I have not read yet Spirit in the Wires. I was just going to start reading a book called The Red Tent that quite a few people seem to have recommended, although it has been published for a few years now. Now I am thinking, should I leave that and go straight to the Charles de Lint I haven't read or ..., oh decisions, decisions. At the moment I am listening to Madeleine Peyroux, [yes still, I am besotted with it], Jamie Cullen's Twenty Something and as mentioned above Songs From a Room.

This illustration above is called The Two Gossips, isn't it adorable? I am sure it is me, in the mob cap and fingerless lace glove, busy creating while a friend visits me and we catch up in the garden on local gossip. I will admit to being a bit of a gossip, not of the mean kind, I just love to know all the news and while we are telling truths, I won't deny I am a really nosey parker at times, well, I call it interest in humanity, I like to see where people live and know what makes them tick. I have just found a fabulous project on Flikr. com called, wait for it, The Bookshelf Project. The idea is you photograph your bookshelves and upload them onto flickr. The only proviso is that you must be able to read the titles of the books. This site must have been made for me, if I ever see a photo of someone's room and there books on the shelves, I will do my best to zoom in or enlarge or whatever to try to read the book title. Please excuse me this, its just that I love books, and like to know what other people like! I do know one person that reads this blog, admitting to trying to read the titles in my bookcase when I posted photos of my cottage. YOU know who you are, and I don't blame you one bit. Well believe me, you can while away some pleasant time on this project and some people even mention which of the books they are reading now and if any are up for trading. Check it out!



Must go now Saturday evening in my cozy living room complete with glass of wine is awaiting me, oh tell the truth Daisy, well a bottle of wine and one wine glass, the other half is going to have some lager.