Brave Intuitive Painting

This is my first completed painting for the Bloom True Intuitive Painting Course. Got quite discouraged at one point at layer five or so, but when I started the painting on Sunday I had so much fun, just fell into a groove and enjoyed it so much. Quite like the vibrant colours. While I was working on my painting, G did her own where she painted a planet. I am so incredibly grateful to have the space to paint whenever I feel like it and it is amazing to share the space with G, it's great to be together but to be completely in our own worlds.

Just Add Something Green

I am enjoying cooking so much more now that I am at home full time. I love cooking for G and I and having lunch and dinner together. It has already had such a positive impact on her trying new foods. She is a picky eater and that won't change any time soon, but at least she can have more interesting meals now and see me eat a greater variety of food.

We made pizza today, a plain cheese and ham for her so added wilted spinach and feta cheese to mine. I took a great picture, unfortunately my CF card was not in the camera :-)

A Home Made Christmas

Time to rejuvenate

 

We can ALWAYS count on Prince Albert providing us with the rest and rejuvenation that we need after a long stressful period.  Its a place that is ever special in our hearts and whenever we come here its like coming home…the Sundowner drives on Marieke Prinsloo drive, Gays Diary for local cheese, yoghurt and milk, local olives and olive oil, local nurseries to stock up on plants at half or quarter the price in Cape Town, art galleries and dinky crafts, the Swartsberg Pass..simply magnificent with its cool stream of water, and our special house we rent every year, Observatory house, it has everything we need.  Bliss.

We’ve been coming here for well on 8 years now!

Amy the Boston

 

Amy is the new love in my life…. she is our 4 year old Boston Terrier,  we initially adopted her as a companion for Joe our boxer – they don’t play together much but she just slots perfectly into our family…canvas, Joe and her can be found sprawled out on the floor together, chilling out in each others company. 

Its hard to believe that in the 2 week trial of adopting her thru Boston Rescue that I honestly was going to give her back at one point as I felt I wasn't bonding – a lesson in giving things time, well learned in this case. 

Anyway, Julia and I just love her, Nev does too but Joe is still top dog – I am probably her key mum and Julia gets jealous as she wants Amy to follow her everywhere…she is 4 years old and came with the name Amy, which we love and she suits well… I love the fact that she looks like a permanent puppy – her size and face.  She is the new baby in my life and I love how much Julia loves her – even though I think Amy may find it a bit excessive at times, Amy never shows it. 

She is a dog that needs lots of love and companionship and if you have left her for a bit she greets you with what I call her special “baked bean” dance where she bends her body round and wriggles with joy!

Limbs, Hands and Feet

 

How grateful we need to be for the use of limbs…they allow us to move, dance, swim, write, walk, balance, and loads more and in doing so provide us with so many joyful memories, swimming in the sea, mountain biking down a pass, slicing the most delicious cheese for a sunset picnic, gardening, kneading clay, mosaicing…

A few months ago a friend of ours bone cancer returned in his right leg after 8 years remission, the Dr's at the time had recommended he amputate to below the knee, but being a surfer he opted for a metal plate fusion of sorts in his ankle instead.

After feeling a lump again that wasn’t quite right he was reviewed and found to have a recurrence.  This time he chose to have the below the knee amputation – he is our age and has 2 kids and lives a life now that is giving him a lot of joy and realised he just can’t muck around with the responsibilities he has by not making such a difficult choice.

We visited him 2 days post his op and I was humbled at his positive attitude…he was upbeat and accepting of what had been done – he is an inspiration..

He has come to mind right now as while I am typing this I am having difficulty with my left hand, its nowhere near as nimble as it used to be, it  feels thick and sluggish on the keyboard and shakes a lot more– I think I would be absolutely devastated if I ever had to lose function in any limb or part of my body…I guess if it ever happened to any of us the only thing we could do is to accept it and continue to live positively and joyously.

It’s a new year

 

Time for new dreams to be cultivated and manifested,

time to let bygones be bygones or manage them accordingly.

Time to reenergise, move, dance, breathe and laugh,

time to renew, revamp, renovate.

Time to nourish, feed and care for my soul,

time to paint again (yippee), to garden, to craft.

Time to dwell on things, ideas, topics of interest and new learning's.

time to disallow preoccupation with what others may think of me,

Time to love myself as I am and to recognise the beauty of my authentic being,

to understand its the original me that people love to be around, not a false other.

And finally….TIME …to create it.