Heidi 20 weeks

I thought you might like to see a recent picture of our puppy...every time I open my blog page and see that funny little picture of Heidi in the previous post, I think 'I need to post a new one'!  And here she is at 20 weeks - isn't she beautiful!?

our new addition

One more sleep until we go and fetch the next addition to our family (or should I say our 'pack')!  Tomorrow Heidi, our 8-week-old German Shepherd puppy will bounce into our lives and no doubt turn it upside down!  The sparse amount of spare time I once had is going to be consumed by puppy training, puppy feeding, puppy playing, and eventually puppy walking (at least an hour a day is what German Shepherds need).  Any occasional half hour that I might have used for a random blog post is soon going to vanish!  So before I disappear, here's a picture of our adorable Heidi, taken at 5 weeks.

I hope to pop back every now and then with a new photo and an update on her progress. 

Soul Sisters may be about to become a doggy blog!

daily photo #29

Ok so I'm very far behind on my daily photo posts but I am going to go back and catch up soon!  Sarah is back in Cape Town now - we had a wonderful 4 weeks with her, and we miss her very much!  Here is a picture taken at the airport just before she boarded her plane back to South Africa, via Singapore.

daily photo #16

Today was Anika's last day at her Montessori preschool.  Next term she will join Talya in the Montessory primary class at Huapai District School.  She is very excited about the move and very ready to take on this new challenge! 

As a little farewell to her old friends, we baked some cupcakes and took them along for afternoon tea.  The children sat in a circle and ate their cupcakes in complete silence!  Here's a picture of Anika after presenting Fale, the head teacher with a parting gift.

daily photo #15

After a night of heavy rain, high winds, thunder and lightning Sunday morning dawned bright and relatively sunny.  We headed off to a 3-year-old birthday party (Pirate's Ahoy!), and afterwards paid another visit to our sweet puppies.  They have grown so much in the week since we saw them!  It is going to be tough choosing which little girl will be ours (we pick on 24th July when they are 5 weeks old).  Here's one of the little girls.

daily photo #14

I spotted the green lipped mussels in the supermarket today and decided that Sarah needed to experience this New Zealand delicacy.  I cooked them in a creamy garlic white wine and tomato sauce and we ate them with spaghetti.  Glenn and I thought they were delicious but Sarah wasn't convinced (she's not a big fan of shell food and these didn't change her mind!).

daily photo #13

New Zealand is in the grips of a 'classic winter storm' (according to the papers) and it's set to be a wet wintery weekend.   But the best thing about being stuck at home, with nowhere to go is that the kitchen beckons.  Today we made pizzas for dinner.  I tried a new pizza dough recipe which Sarah had found - 500g self-raising flour (we added a little wholemeal flour as we didn't have enough white), 1 340ml bottle of beer, 1 tsp salt - mix, knead, roll out and spread with your favourite pizza toppings!  Bake in 190degC oven for 15 minutes. Molto Delizioso!

daily photo #12

It was another grey day, with not many photo opportunities. The sun made a valiant attempt to shine this morning but by the afternoon the storm clouds had rolled in once again and the rain came down in horizontal sheets.  But rain or shine, New Zealanders love their coffee.  We were out and about this morning and stopped for a flat white at The Coffee Club in Henderson.   My first ever soul sisters post included a photograph from the very same place!

daily photo #11

Today can be described in many ways and most of them begin with w - wet, wild, windy, wintery... and as my cold had really taken hold we decided it was a perfect day to be at home, with some knitting! 

For lunch we had a delicious roast pumpkin and bulgur wheat salad with a sundried tomato dressing and I remembered to take a photo before we gobbled it up...

daily photo #10

Today we ventured over to Devonport, an historical village on Auckland's North Shore. There are many quaint shops to explore there including Wild and Woolly Yarns which is bursting with beautiful yarns and inspiring projects to tackle. It is very difficult to leave there without committing to one or more knitting projects! (We did).  After our purchases we stopped at Little & Friday a quaint little cafe in Takapuna.  Their display of cakes make choosing extremely challenging. In the end Sarah and I chose to share a lemon cake and Anika had a jam and cream filled donut which was smothered in powdery icing sugar. We sat ourselves down outside at a lime-green painted crate to devour these divine creations along with their superb coffee.  The red moose was our table marker. If this was our neighbourhood cafe I'd be there every morning!

daily photo #9

Today was cold and windy, and I seem to have caught myself a virus. So after our Monday morning yoga class, we came home, made a pot of soup for lunch and watched The King's Speech on dvd.  What an inspiring movie about finding your voice (although I seem to be losing mine).
I didn't take any photographs (I meant to snap the soup but it got eaten before I a chance!).

daily photo #8

Last year our 12-and-a-half year old German Shepherd passed away and we've recently started thinking about getting a puppy. This afternoon we went to see a litter of beautiful German Shepherd puppies who are now two and a half weeks old (3 boys and 4 girls). They are just starting to find their feet and stagger around. Their mother, Andi, was happy to let us hold her puppies - she had such a lovely nature. Here's a photo of one of the boys in Talya's arms.

p.s. we've decided to get one of the girls - she'll be coming home mid August!

daily photo #7

Every Saturday morning Talya plays soccer in a mixed under 8's team called the Norwest Sharks.  This morning they were up against another Norwest team called the Sabres. The Sabres were a skilled and aggressive team of under 8 boys and the Sharks defended well but lost the match 2-5.  Talya played goalie for the first half and attack in the second half.  Here's an action shot, taken by Sarah.

daily photo #6

This morning dawned bright, clear and very, very cold!  There was a thin layer of ice on the car's windscreen as we drove to school - the first frost of this late start to winter we are having in Auckland.  After dropping the girls at school, Sarah and I headed out past Helensville through Kaukapakapa to the Kaipara Coast Sculpture Gardens - a 'unique sculpture trail set in a tranquil, rural garden oasis'.  More than 60 sculptures by artists from all over New Zealand are on display.  It was a perfect day to wander through the beautiful gardens, breathing the fresh clear air and taking in the display.  Here is one of my favourites 'Kereru' by Darryl Fagence, created in stainless steel and ruby lustre on glass.  The kereru is also known as the New Zealand pigeon.

daily photo #5

For the last eighteen months my husband, Glenn has been restoring a 1965 Ford Mustang Convertible. Every moment of his spare time is dedicated to this project! Yesterday he took the day off work to do a few errands, including getting a wheel alignment done on the Mustang. It was a beautiful clear sunny (but very cold day). Here's a picture of the car, almost ready for its 'big reveal'.

daily photo #4

The temperatures have plummeted again! The day started off grey, showery and cold but by the afternoon the skies had cleared and the sun was shining. Sarah and I had a delicious lunch at The Falls in Henderson, before doing a little bit of shopping at Kathmandu - they have a huge winter sale on now. Afterwards it was time to fetch the girls from school. I took this photograph of the water tanks at Talya's school - brightly painted with the school emblem and motto - 'Together we learn, care and grow'. It's a great little school!

daily photo #3

Anika had her ballet exam today - Rosette Pre Grade Two. There were seven little girls in her group and they all looked so pretty in their pink leotards and tights, hair up in little buns. I've snuck in two photos today - this one is of Anika having her hair done - I love the way the sunlight shines through her blonde hair:

Here is her group of girls after bring presented with their bright pink Rosette's - number 5 desperately trying to squeeze back into her spot... 

daily photo #2

This afternoon Sarah and I went walking in the hills behind the town of Helensville (about 40km north west of Auckland city). It was a sunny but cold afternoon, a brisk breeze was blowing but it felt good to be out in the fresh air. Stupidly I left my camera in the car so couldn't take any photographs on our walk but I took this shot at the end, looking back towards the sheep-dotted green hills. As you can see, some dark grey clouds were gathering - about an hour and a half later there was a huge downpour! Luckily we were safe and dry.

daily photo #1

Last night, my sister Sarah arrived from Cape Town for four weeks (I started this blog after her last trip which was just over two years ago).   We've got a long list of things we plan to do and hopefully the Auckland winter will present us with some clear sunny days (although even if it's raining we'll find something fun to do!).  I've decided to post a daily photo (taken with my point and shoot Sony Cybershot) for the next 4 weeks as a record of her stay.  Here is the first, taken yesterday afternoon - after a showery grey start to Sunday, the sun appeared in the afternoon and a beautiful rainbow appeared.  Rainbows have always been a good omen for me so no doubt lots of good times lie ahead in the next month!

Trust30 - Prompt #10: Your Personal Message

To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, that is genius. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Writing prompt: What is burning deep inside of you? If you could spread your personal message RIGHT NOW to 1 million people, what would you say?

(Author: Eric Handler)

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My response:

Turn off the television.
Go outside.
Look. Smell. Listen. Touch. Taste.
Move your body.
Breathe.
Live.

Trust30 - Prompt #8: Five Years

There will be an agreement in whatever variety of actions, so they be each honest and natural in their hour. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Writing prompt: What would you say to the person you were five years ago? What will you say to the person you’ll be in five years?
(Author: Corbett Barr)
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To my 39-year old self:
Don't wait until you're 43 to cut back on gluten and alcohol. Do it now. You'll sleep better. You'll feel better. You won't be so darn moody. I mean it!
And floss daily. Please.
Otherwise you're doing fine.

To my 49-year old self:
How's the new house?  Is it finished yet? 
Are you remembering to floss?
Remember you said you wanted to look 40 when you turned 50?  How's that going?  I really am doing everything I can - sunscreen, regular facials, yoga.  Hope it helped.
Laugh anyway. 
You are loved.

Trust30 - Prompt #6: Come Alive

Life wastes itself while we are preparing to live. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Writing prompt: If you had one week left to live, would you still be doing what you’re doing now? In what areas of your life are you preparing to live? Take them off your To Do list and add them to a To Stop list. Resolve to only do what makes you come alive.
(Author: Jonathan Mead)
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My To Stop List:
- worry about what other people think
- stew over the shape of my thighs
- fret about whether I did or said the right thing, yesterday or 20 years ago
- agonise over whether I am a good enough - mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend, yoga teacher, writer...

The only thing that is preventing me from becoming completely ALIVE is the amount of time I spend worrying. 
I resolve to stop. Today.

Trust30 - Prompt #5: Travel

If we live truly, we shall see truly. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Writing prompt: Not everyone wants to travel the world, but most people can identify at least one place in the world they’d like to visit before they die. Where is that place for you, and what will you do to make sure you get there?
(Author: Chris Guillebeau)
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My response:
I was lucky to be able to do a lot of travelling in my twenties. I backpacked around Europe, worked in New York, au paired in London. And now that I live in New Zealand I've been able to visit some of the Pacific Islands - I worked in Vanuatu for a while, and got married in the Cook Islands, holidayed in Fiji.  I love travelling and the world is full of colourful destinations.  But of all the places in the world I'd really like to visit, India is the most fascinating and enticing for me.  More specifically I'd like to visit Pune, and spend a month training at RIMYI (Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute) with the Iyengar family.  Yoga has changed my life in so many ways, and to be able to travel to the 'source' would be a dream come true.  I doubt whether this is likely to happen in the near future...not until the girls are grown up anyway! 
In the meantime, I'll keep a special Pune savings account and keep up my daily asana practice so that when I get there, my body will be able to keep up!

Trust30 - Prompt #4: Post it Question

That which each can do best, none but his Maker can teach him. Where is the master who could have taught Shakespeare? Where is the master who could have instructed Franklin, or Washington, or Bacon, or Newton? . . . Shakespeare will never be made by the study of Shakespeare. Do that which is assigned you, and you cannot hope too much or dare too much. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Writing prompt: Identify one of your biggest challenges at the moment (ie I don’t feel passionate about my work) and turn it into a question (ie How can I do work I’m passionate about?) Write it on a post-it and put it up on your bathroom mirror or the back of your front door. After 48-hours, journal what answers came up for you and be sure to evaluate them.
(Author: Jenny Blake)
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My response:
I thought about this for a while.  And after much solemn contemplation, I concluded that my biggest challenge right now is remembering to Laugh Out Loud Every Day.  Sometime between the age of 12 and 40-something, I’ve forgotten how to have fun, let go and guffaw.  I do smile a lot.  I chuckle when I hear a funny joke. I am basically happy and grateful for my many blessings.  But I take myself and my life a bit too seriously.  I cringe at my own mistakes. I worry (a lot). I fret over my To Do list...
They say 'Laughter is the Best Medicine' and even though I'm not quite ready to attend Laughter Yoga, before another solemn day passes me by my post-it question is

Trust30 - Prompt #3: One Strong Belief

It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude. - Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance


Writing prompt: The world is powered by passionate people, powerful ideas, and fearless action. What’s one strong belief you possess that isn’t shared by your closest friends or family? What inspires this belief, and what have you done to actively live it?
(Author: Buster Benson)

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My response:

I believe strongly that the key to health and happiness is awareness – and whatever one does to increase one’s awareness of self and the world around us will contribute greatly to health and happiness. Awareness means asking the right questions; staying open; waking up to the truth; making conscious choices; taking responsibility; and responding to change from a place a knowledge and power.  

This is why I practice yoga. Every time I get on the mat, I wake up.

Trust30 - Prompt #2: Today

Your genuine action will explain itself, and will explain your other genuine actions. Your conformity explains nothing. The force of character is cumulative. – Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance


Writing prompt: If ‘the voyage of the best ship is a zigzag line of a hundred tacks,’ then it is more genuine to be present today than to recount yesterdays. How would you describe today using only one sentence? Tell today’s sentence to one other person. Repeat each day.
(Author: Liz Danzico)

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My response:
Today has been a zigzag to and from this moment - I come and go; asleep, awake – the path of joy is here beneath my feet, right in front of my eyes.

Trust30 - cultivating Self Reliance

I've decided to take part in Trust30, an online initiative and 30-day writing challenge that encourages you to look within and trust yourself. Inspired by Ralph Waldo Emerson, each day from 31 May for 30 days prompts by authors from around the world will guide us on our writing journey.  

I'll be posting some (but not all) of my responses on this blog.

enthusiasm

"We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about."   -C. Kingsley

Congratulations William and Catherine!

'In the busyness of each day keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important in life and help us to be generous with our time and love and energy.' from The Sermon by the Bishop of London

44 reasons to be grateful

Today is my 44th birthday. That must qualify as my mid-forties!  I'm probably getting close to being half way through my life.  Although I plan on living well into my nineties, if not to 100.  I think that would be fun.  I might get a letter from King William, himself!  Anyway, in celebration of my birthday I've made a list of 44 things that are a blessing to me and which make my life wonderful.  And my intention for the coming year is to live more gratefully, and more gracefully. 

'Grace isn't a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. It's a way to live.' 

Jacqueline Winspear

1. I am exceptionally grateful for my husband, Glenn - his steady love, his hard work and his creative spirit.

2. I am grateful beyond words to have two healthy, happy, talented, beautiful daughters - Talya and Anika - they fill my heart, my days and our home with love and laughter.

3. I am extraordinarily grateful for my Mom, who gave me this life and who loves me exactly as I am.

4. I am infinitely grateful for my Dad, whose spirit lives on each day in my heart and whose memory I will cherish forever.

5. I am unbelievably grateful for my sister, Sarah whose generosity knows know limits, and who knows me better than anyone else in the world - she is my best friend.

5. I am eternally grateful for my brother, Raymond. He is the most steadfast man I know.

6. I am deeply grateful for my friends - far and near, old and new.

7. I am so very grateful for my health.  I am so blessed to be strong and fit. I will do whatever I need to nurture and maintain it.

8. I am incredibly grateful for Yoga - for all my teachers, and for the ancient wisdom which has been passed down through the generations and is available to us today. It has changed my life in so many ways.

9. I am grateful for my yoga students - who return each week to my classes and who remind me why I love to share the joy of Yoga.

10. I am grateful for Shelby, the most beautiful Birman in the world.

11. I am grateful for books, for writers and for the joy of language, words and stories.

12. I am grateful for our local library - and for the greater Auckland City Library service!

13. I am grateful for the internet - information, communication, connection - the world at the touch of a button.

14. I am grateful for our home - and for the Home we are going to build in the coming year - a place to put down some roots.

15. I am grateful for my South Africanness - my birth place, my roots, my history, my first home.

16. I am grateful for New Zealand - the place I live, my second home, the Land of the Long White Cloud, the place of a thousand shades of green.

17. I am grateful for international air travel!

18. I am grateful for our school, the opportunities it gives our kids, the wonderful teachers and especially the Montessori class!

19. I am grateful for my comfortable bed, and the blessing of a good night sleep.

In addition to all of the above, I am very grateful for 

20. sunshine - nothing feels better than the feeling of warm rays on bare skin.

21. fresh air and healthy lungs

22. long walks on Muriwai Beach, in fact any beach - especially at low tide

23. invigorating swims in the sea

24. butternut soup on a cold winter's night

25. homebaking

26. denim jeans

27. painted toes

28. a warm shower in the morning

29. clean sheets

30. new undies

31. red wine

32. dark chocolate

33. sauvignon blanc on a sunny day

34. fresh vegetables - pumpkin, aubergine, zucchini, capsicum, tomatoes, ....

35. fresh fruit - feijoas, pineapple, crunchy apples, peaches, plums...

36. fresh herbs, especially basil, coriander, rosemary and parsley

37. roast chicken

38. espresso coffee - 'flat white'

39. my Pandora bracelet!

40. my thick, dark brown hair

41. my walking shoes

42. hugs

43. hand written letters and cards

44. birthday celebrations!

Happy Birthday Me!

Masaru Emoto - Call to Prayer

To All People Around the World

Please send your prayers of love and gratitude to water at the nuclear plants in Fukushima, Japan!

By the massive earthquakes of Magnitude 9 and surreal massive tsunamis, more than 10,000 people are still missing…even now… It has been 16 days already since the disaster happened. What makes it worse is that water at the reactors of Fukushima Nuclear Plants started to leak, and it’s contaminating the ocean, air and water molecule of surrounding areas.

Human wisdom has not been able to do much to solve the problem, but we are only trying to cool down the anger of radioactive materials in the reactors by discharging water to them.

Is there really nothing else to do?

I think there is. During over twenty year research of hado measuring and water crystal photographic technology, I have been witnessing that water can turn positive when it receives pure vibration of human prayer no matter how far away it is.

Energy formula of Albert Einstein, E=MC2 really means that Energy = number of people and the square of people’s consciousness.

Now is the time to understand the true meaning. Let us all join the prayer ceremony as fellow citizens of the planet earth. I would like to ask all people, not just in Japan, but all around the world to please help us to find a way out the crisis of this planet!!

The prayer procedure is as follows.

Name of ceremony: “Let’s send our thoughts of love and gratitude to all water in the nuclear plants in Fukushima”

Day and Time:  March 31st, 2011 (Thursday)  12:00 noon in each time zone

Please say the following phrase:

“The water of Fukushima Nuclear Plant, we are sorry to make you suffer. Please forgive us. We thank you, and we love you.”

Please say it aloud or in your mind. Repeat it three times as you put your hands together in a prayer position.

Please offer your sincere prayer.

Thank you very much from my heart.

With love and gratitude,

Masaru Emoto

Messenger of Water

gannets

Apologies for my absence from here.  February has been a busy month!  I've been writing the occasional stone over at home sweet home but other than that blogging has taken a back seat to my yoga teacher training, and entertaining overseas visitors!

On Sunday I took my aunt down to Muriwai to see the gannet colony. They're a fascinating breed and I could stand and watch them for hours.  They glide through the air with such grace, making flight look so effortless. The chicks are growing fast and soon they will be off to Australia.   In other words, there isn't much left of our summer.  Although right now, it feels as though it might last forever!

a new month

January has come and gone and the river of stones continues to flow strongly.  I so enjoyed the project that I have decided to continue on my home sweet home blog - not necessarily daily but at least a few times a week. 

In February I plan to take more photographs again, alongside continuing to collect stones.  I'll also write a little bit more about my word of the year - JOY - and how I am hoping to cultivate more of it in my life this year.

The girls go back to school this week so our long summer holidays are officially over - but hopefully that doesn't mean an end to the lovely warm weather!

Here's a picture taken at Muriwai beach in December on a perfect summer day.  It's one of my favourite beaches - for walking, swimming and inhaling the fresh sea air!

Happy February, everyone and thank you for your comments on my stones posted in January!

I tick a few nagging tasks off my to do list
I feel lighter
freer
energised:
ready for February

honesty

'PLUMS $2 a bag (in letter box thanks)'
handwritten in black on a brown cardboard sign:
a wooden ledge displaying 6 bags of freshly picked plums
invites roadside shoppers

cyclone wilma whips around the house as I drift off to sleep
my dreams are vivid and confusing
faces not seen for years appear in places that seem strangely familiar
I am woken early by a hungry miaow

when you're covered in a warm white coat of birman fluff
the only place to curl up on a humid summer evening
is in the cool steel of the laundry sink

back in the river

We're back from our holiday up north! After a very VERY wet and stormy start the weather brightened and we had some beautiful sunny beachy days, swimming, boogie boarding, exploring rock pools, collecting shells and walking along bush trails and sandy beaches. We had no internet, virtually no cell phone coverage and no tv. Perfect!
Here is a pocketful of stones collected while I was away :

torrential rain eases to a steady downpour

I take another sip of sauvignon blanc and buy Pall Mall (Monopoly)

----

the sea is a furious cauldrom of creamy foam

a blanket of grey hangs gloomily over the pot

not quite the tranquil postcard scenes we anticipated

but no less beautiful

----

after the storm, the beach is a treasure trove of flotsam from the sea:
seed pods, sea weed, drift wood, pebbles and shells
strewn in a tidal trail across the sand
a peace offering
----
we scramble up the side of the hill to catch a glimpse of the blue bay and rocky coastline on the other side
----
a large kereru bird emerges from the depths of the puriri tree,
sated with juicy red berries -
and launches himself into the evening air
----
sometimes a memory is rose tinted and returning to the place it was made disappoints
but then there are times when returning only reinforces and expands one's stockpile of joy
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holiday

I interrupt this trickle of stones to let you know I'll be 'offline' for the next 6 days. We're heading up north to a beautiful beach town called Matapouri. I'm hoping that we'll see a little bit of that blue sky shown in the picture!

I'll be back next Thursday with a handful of stones picked up along the coast.





image by Reuben Price

the phone rings
I answer
it's my canadian cousin
calling me from yesterday

funeral

cars line the streets around our local church
people spill out of the back of the hall, standing in the midday heat
a hearse is parked across the entrance
I wonder who died:
young or old, man or woman?
someone deeply loved
will be sorely missed

friendly ferns reach their verdant fronds across the muddy path
tickling our legs as we pass

hot sticky mugginess wraps around my body
as we await the storm

Talya (my animal lover): 'Did you see that Mommy? They even said it on the tv - a dog is man's best friend!'

it seems like only yesterday that I landed in this land of the long white cloud
changing country
changing life
changing self
it's ten years and I wonder if I will ever find my way back home
to me

we can't find the gingerbread man cutter in the drawer so we make stars instead
bursting with honey and spices
deliciousness fills the house as they bake

I dash down the dune towards the sea
black ironsand scorching the soles of my feet
it's like running over hot coals

it's funny how refreshing a warm cup of tea can be on a hot summer's afternoon
I feel cooler and calmer with each sip

the subtle change in light as I step outside at 6am
reminds me that summer won't last forever

Anika: 'Daddy knows all about those cars 'cause he was alive in the olden days'
I smile.
Talya: 'But Mommy was alive then too!'
I laugh.

dawn

dull grey becomes vibrant salmon pink
as the sun casts its early rays across the morning clouds

vineyard

I am lost in thought and
almost miss
the perfect symmetry of vines
brown gnarled trunks securing them to fertile soil
fresh green shoots reaching upwards
promising fine wine

sinking my teeth into a slice of fruit-bursting spice-infused brandy-soaked Christmas cake,
I resolve to walk an extra half hour
tomorrow

holiday reading

Mister Pip's last page comes too soon and I return to my world with a thud
the only thing to do is dive headfirst into another book

soft misty rain falls gently as I walk
tiny droplets tickle my bare skin

rubbish day

green council bags
stretched tautly around their lumpy innards
await collection

warm soapy suds wash away syrupy remnants from breakfast plates

hot air balloon rises above tall trees into the still blue morning;
dragon roar of hot air lifting it higher with each flame

sea water dries to a salty skin making me tingle with summer

magenta waterfall of bougainvillea cascades down towards the winding road

Hello 2011!

Happy New Year to you all! I hope you're celebrating in the way that feels most right for you and that you wake up to a bright and beautiful 2011.

I've chosen my Word for this year and it's JOY.

Mother Teresa said this of joy: "Joy is prayer - Joy is strength- Joy is love - Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. She gives most who gives with Joy."

One of my actions to kick off this year is to take part in the River of Stones - an international writing project initiated by Fiona Robyn and her fiance Kaspa. Every day in January people around the world are going to be paying attention to what's going on around them, noticing the detail in one moment and writing it down in a short sentence - a small stone. It's like taking a photograph with words. If you'd like to join in go and visit http://ariverofstones.blogspot.com.

I'll be posting my first small stone later today :-)