The view from my Sofa...

When walking becomes painful your world becomes restrained to what you can reach...











As much as I love the imposed rest, I will be so thankful when I can get back to interacting with the rest of the world!

Lindy xxx

(And yes I did spare you the gross photo of my knee!)

The Sun also Rises

I think I’ve mentioned before how much I love the sunrise; I never thought I’d be in this position- one where I’m up to watch the sunrise more days than I’m not. Yesterday was a particularly spectacular one. It caught me off guard; a beauty so elemental that it touched my soul at its very core.



The pinks and the purples seemed to battle for dominance over the darken grey sky, slowing pushing their way out, like arms of the universe gently caressing the morning, reassuring the day that it was not alone.



That although the sun had risen every day for the last 5 billion years, this day, would not go un announced in to the cosmos. Its dawning would not go un noticed and without fan fare.



By the time I reached work this morning the sky had mellowed, the vibrant pinks and purples had given way to a gentle golden glow, bathing the landscape. It was beautiful. It reminded me in this grey and often difficult world, that there was beauty. Beauty that is free to all, elemental and right.



This feeling stayed with me for the rest of the day. There is a word to describe this kind of feeling- numinous. A feeling of spiritual awe at the incomprehensible. I could look up the scientific explanation for why sunrise causes the sky to take on different colour, and this would explain to the how. But it would not touch on the why.

Yesterday I stopped to worship at the alter of beauty and nature. I complain about getting up early for my job all the time, and yesterday I was reminded to count my blessings. I live in a beautiful albeit sometimes difficult and dangerous cosmos. It is stunning and inexplicable to me in equal measures. Yet that is the attraction. I love the sunrise precisely because I cannot explain it. A daily reminder that somethings do not need to have a purpose, and that some feelings are worthy because of their innate existence.

Happy Thursday my friends.

Lindy xxx

(Of course I didn't have my camera with me yesterday so these pictures are ones I've taken over the last year of various mornings.)

Picture Winter: Cooling It

These photos were taken whilst visiting my Gran today, it was so nice to see her again, and I got to take some cool shots of her garden. Good family, good conversation and good photos. All in all a good day!

100th Post!

(The photos in this post are snapshots from my day based on the ‘Picture Winter’ prompt- ‘Looking Out’)

Today is my 100th blog post and this feels like a good place to stop and take stock and give thanks. I would like to give thanks to you the reader for sticking with me through 100 bumbling snap shots in to my life. To see that people are reading my writing a sharing my life is a great pleasure and comfort to me.


This is probably also a good place to answer the question, why I write a blog. Why I feel its necessary to share with the world what I had for tea or what I think of a particular book. Mostly I think it comes from my own love of blogs. I read some fantastic ones and I adore finding out how people are living their lives on the other side of the world; what people thousands of miles away from me ate for dinner or did last night. The world and the universe can seem unimaginably vast and intimidating to me, and blogs can make me feel closer to people I have never met, and likely never will.

I also think its about the process of telling a story. I’m a relatively shy person by nature and I find it hard to make new friends. I love that I can include new people in the story of my life, that I can share with people outside of my tight knit world; that I get other perspectives and other opinions that I might not hear.


I also love that it gives me an opportunity to practice my writing skills, indeed since leaving university I treasure this all the more. I enjoy the process of writing, I love thinking about what I’m going to write about during the day and I love sitting down and expressing myself though words in the evening. It is of great comfort to me to set things out, and to share my triumphs and failures with others (did anyone see last nights dinner!)

But to echo what I said at the beginning of this post I mostly love hearing everyone else's stories. To hear of peoples joys and triumphs. but also of their heartbreaks and their sorrow. I laugh, cry and rejoice along with people that I only know though the hollow tap of the keyboard and the eerie glow of the monitor. Blogs have broken my heart and picked me up at the end of a long week. They can be a window in to someone else’s soul and that is a precious thing.



You might not need to know that whilst writing this I drank a cup of camomile tea because I had a cruddy day at work and that particular herb is meant to induce calm. I also ate some left over christmas chocolates and listened to country music on itunes because it was a very bad day and these things made me feel better. But don’t you feel better for knowing it? Because I feel better for telling you. Whilst you sit there this morning or evening and drink tea, you can know that I thought of you whilst I drank mine.

Thank you for listening to me for 100 posts dear reader, heres to the next 100!

Happy Friday

Lindy xxxx

Big Picture... Controlled Chaos

Controlled chaos is probably a good way to describe my cooking. Without the controlled part. Not so much.

This is what I managed to produce for dinner tonight.



It was practically uneatable. Delia I am not. I think the sauce I used was the wrong type, it wasn't a specific stir fry sauce and I don't think I cooked for long enough.


Anyway. What do you do when its relatively late at night and dinner is un edible?

I think you get in the car in the pouring rain...

And give in to capitalism...

The are approximately over 6 billion people in the world today, which i guestimate most of which managed to cook and provide dinner for themselves and their families. I think I need to improve me my cooking skills!

The Big Picture...

One of my New Years resolutions was to take more time on doing creative things. In order to further this I decided to sign up for an online class. I think I've mentioned that back in October I won a giveaway on the wonderful blog A Beautiful Mess, and part of this was a gift certificate to 'Big Picture Classes', a site which offers online classes in things such as scrap booking and photography; and thus I signed up for a photography class called Picture Winter.

Everyday you get a prompt which gives you an idea with which to take a picture, and there is also an online class room where you can upload your pictures too.

Because of work commitments and other things I haven't quite managed to take a picture every day, but below are some of the ones I have done already.

Looking Out

A Little Sunshine (Orange)


Cracked Open


Warm Your Heart

Intended for Every Day Use

Bundle Up

Seeking Balance

Although work constraints mean that most of the photos I take are done inside because the light has gone by the time I get home, I'm finding this an excellent way to at least try to do more artistic things every day, even if it is just as simple as taking a photo.

Happy Wednesday

Lindy xxx

2010

I have to say that 2010 has been a bit of an up and down year for me. Obviously there have been some great highs- James and I brought our first home together, I finished my degree, I got a proper job; these are all good and exciting things. Yet amid all of this I have struggled with unemployment for a time, I mostly hated the last semester of my degree and I have over stressed and worried about just about every decision that I’ve made. Grown up life is scary. And after writing that it sounds to me like it was the process of this year that I have struggled with whilst I enjoyed the outcomes, which is possibly a good description.

All over the blog sphere there are plenty of inspirational posts from amazing women who are reveling in the goals which they achieved in 2010 and setting themselves new ones for 2011. This is a laudable process and I truly, truly admire people who have the self discipline and will to make these things happen for themselves on their own. I am not that girl. I struggle with motivation and general all round laziness. I need a good kick up the butt from our old friend motivation to get me doing things.

Thus I have decided to make myself small goals. Achievable goals. But goals which I think will be beneficial to me none the less. Goals where I will have help getting there. A hand to hold on my way. I am guilty of not taking the time to care enough for myself, I get too wrapped up in working, stressing and letting tiredness overcome me, so my goals are designed to help me overcome these traits.

With this in mind my aims for 2011 are centered round the idea of happiness. I want to be happier. Less worried and more accepting of ‘what will be will be’. Not complacent. But to get a greater appreciation of the idea that there are things in this world which I cannot change and that worrying about them will not help. To be generally more at peace with the world.


Photo Credit

So without further ado in 2011....

1. I want to take the time to nurture my artistic side. I love drawing, taking photos and creating things. But this often takes a back seat. I want this to change for me and spend more time making myself happier by letting myself feel free to do this sort of thing.
2. I want to create myself some ‘downtime’ one evening a week. Some time just to relax and not worry about achieving anything.
3. I want to drink more water and exercise more.
4. I want to create myself a regular posting schedule on this blog and be more disciplined in my writing.

There we go. No where near as far reaching as some of the goals I have seen people try to attempt, but these are goals which I really think will help me be happier and more focused in 2011.

I hope everyone has a relaxing and safe New Years Celebration planned. As I am working tomorrow I don’t think James and I will get much further than a bottle of wine and some time on the sofa, but still, sometimes those evenings are the best!

Its been a pleasure to write for you in 2010 and I look forward to continuing this conversation in 2011.

Stay safe, Lindy xxxx

7 Good Things Vol 5

Well I seem to be able to write about two posts a weeks at the moment. I'm going to try and aim for three in the new year, but I have so much to do between now and Christmas, that is a bit more of a long term plan!

So without no further ado, here are my 7 Good Things for this, and considering that it's Christmas week I have a little theme going on here.

1. Snow, snow, snow! I can't be the only person fervently hoping for a white Christmas can I? These pictures were taken on my way to work this morning. I quite like the blurry effect, and thus I'm going to pretend that it was a deliberate artistic choice designed to demonstrate movement in the landscape and the seasons. Yup. It takes an art GCSE to teach you how to write that kind of crap!



2. An abundance of Christmas puddings. Both my Mum and James' Nan have made us home made Christmas puddings this year which makes me very happy, as I love the stuff with a passion.



3. Fairy lights. So so pretty.



4. Christmas trees (see above!) And yes I hear you say, but Lindy you are yet to put an angel on the top and what is this, you haven't wrapped any presents to go underneath either? To which I can only reply that I haven't had a day off since the 5th of December so my mottos this Christmas go somewhat along the lines of, 'if it doesn't come from Amazon, you ain't getting it' and 'blerrg I have no time and need some more sleep!'


5. Christmas music playing in my office. Makes my day go a lot lot faster.



6. See this post. My heart has been ripped out by the generousity of people. I think Jenny and the commentators have given away nearly $20000. I could cry. In fact I did.



7. James' volunteering to do all the Christmas dinner cooking. Although this might have something to do with my inability to cook anything with out burning it, ruining it and generally making a once edible food stuff inedible, I am still incredibly grateful. A relaxing Christmas day is in my future (I sincerely hope).

Happy Christmas week!

Love Lindy xxxx

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit...

Somedays 6 am is the most unforgiving time in my day. The mornings are cold, dark and grey now. The darkness is oppressive to me. It traps me in a quiet stasis, awaiting the arrival of the day and the ensuing noise and light.

Sometimes 6am is the quiet moaning of a world not quite ready to face the day. A time which belongs only to farmers, and monks saying Vigils, each worshiping the unforgiving world in their separate but ultimately equal ways.

Some mornings 6 am mocks me, taunting me with my longings for a warm bed and a soft embrace. Forcing reality upon my world, forcing my dreams to flee to the corners of my vision.

And sometimes, at 6am, the universe throws me a bone.







It welcomes the day with a display so brilliant it can bring you to your knees. Your heart soars. You know in this moment that the un relentless, un stoppable universe has shown you a corner of perfection.

And you cry because beauty this vast and this fleeting is beyond you. The eyes and the mind and the heart can only grasp at a scrap of this wonder.

Then as quickly as it came, the universe takes it away from you. Night has handed over the reigns to day and life continues. But a small part of your heart is forever changed by being graced with such beauty upon it.

The universe forgets, but you cannot.

(Psalm 51:17)

Year of the Cat

I spent about a million hours (well okay one) trying to take a decent photo of my cat the other week. Its safe to say that I didn't succeed all that well. She is both fast and nimble. And according to these photos has a permanently guilty look on her tiny face. A difficult combination to capture well.











I generally seem to take landscape photos so if anyone has any advice when it comes to photographing animals or people I'd be very grateful.

Wish me luck, I have no inkling that I'm going to give up on this anytime soon!

Happy Thursday

Lindy xxx

(Song credit to Al Stewart on this one)

Is this the sound of sweet surrender...

James and I went for a sweet little walk this afternoon. We didn't go very far, just out around Melton, which is a little village near to the town where I work, about half an hours drive away. But it was so worth it. Sometimes I think the most beautiful places are the ones which you see often and take some what for granted.



If I had a million pounds- this would be where I would live.







I love the smokiness of this one.







All credit to the wonderfully talented James here.







This feels a bit like a still from one of those old fashioned horror movies to me.

(The title of this post comes from the new Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow song which came out earlier in the week. The 10 year old girl inside of me just squealed!)

Have a happy and peaceful Saturday my friends.

Lindy xxxx