Wordless Wednesday....

TextureTuesday with Kim Klassen

This is the kind of Texture Tuesday I like...anything goes!!! 

I find it difficult to control my ADD/OCD/sheer lack of discipline to work to 

a set theme! must try harder!

So here's my offering, it's an old picture but one that I really like. 

I love that she has a kind of far away look about her and the way the hat

sits on her head. 

I used Kim Klassen's Serendipity on this one, just enough and not too much. 

It still has the warm colors and sunlight. I am still very much in the early stages of working with 

textures but it's easily something I can mess with for hours given the chance.

Head over to Kim's site for more Texture love!! 

What’s your passion? The sequel…sequel...

So, over the last few days I have pondered on the question posed by my good friend Spud, what's your passion? I'm linking to her post and presenting an answer of sorts.... gather round and make yourself comfortable.

Ever since I was young I wanted to be a photographer (kind of) or a writer (kind of) or combine the two and be a photojournalist (kind of). Nothing has ever been an actual passion for me. It was always luke warm with me which is weird because I am sort of an all or nothing person and tend not to be a wishy-washy fence dweller. I think that my career aspirations were wishy-washy because I honestly really wanted to jaunt around the world taking pictures and writing about my experiences whilst being taken care of by my uber-rich aristocratic husband; and no I don't mean it was a daydream... it was an all out technicolor fantasy of epic proportions!!! That's what I was passionate about, being free and answering to no one and marching to my own tune. Unfortunately those high hopes didn't amount to much when I finished school and started a career with the Civil Service. Meh... how in the heck did I let myself get caught up in all that desk job melodrama I will never know.

Since that time there has been enough going on in my life (a lot of it very exciting I might add) to keep me occupied if not totally passionate. I seem to have concentrated heavily on my family and their needs for the past ten years and although I have dabbled in hobbies here and there it wasn't until recently I rediscovered my  love of photography and writing.  I pleaded with colleagues and co-workers to let me produce monthly newsletters, I tried to be ultra-creative on crafty little committees in various groups I was involved with...

I even got hooked on scrap booking for a while, which by the way I was almost completely passionate about; while I had to time to do it! Enter child number two and my return to work and that was the end of my Creative Memories era.... deep sigh.

And then I found Blogger... oh what a revelation it was to me. Here I could write about crap going on in my life and post pictures and tell my story. I had originally intended it to just be kind of an online journal which people could read if they felt so inclined, but it has turned into so much more than that for me. It reignited in me a purpose and a means of stretching my abilities in writing and in photography and ultimately in connecting with other bloggers all over the world allowing me to do what I do best... make friends.

So maybe, just maybe I'm passionate about blogging (and all the little tangents associated with it) I have a love hate relationship with it. I actually get really fired up when I write something I think of as being halfway decent.. and then there are times when I have no ideas, zilch, zip, nada and it feels like there's something in the pit of my stomach, frustration is a horrible, horrible thing. That being the case I can only conclude that to have this spectrum of emotions about something must mean that I am in fact passionate about it. Now, don't get me wrong, I"m well aware that I should be doing myself more justice because to be perfectly frank, there has been some drivel on this blog of late. I attribute it to lack of time and concentration; I really need to give it more thought and planning than I do... sigh, sigh, and sigh again. At the end of the day it's what I love and if I continue to learn from it and enjoy what I discover through blogging then I'll continue to do it, my blog is two years old... that has to account for something, right?

So... your turn, think about it, find your passion, feed daily and let it grow....

Not my passion.....

Hate to be a downer here but I'm about to launch a rant.... recently Chez Spud has been talking about "passions" and what it is that gets you all excited. Well how about the shit that doesn't get you going? Here's some food for thought... and my apologies to Spud... yes I'm taking the negative on this.. it's been a while since my snark has had a chance to air itself.

TV.... so sick of the freakin' lack of imagination quite apparent in todays programming. I mean, American Idol... please... you've had your day and you're scraping the very bottom nae butt cheeks of the barrel and you ain't coming up with much. This formula has also been stretched over into other crap talent shows, didn't we already do all this??? Theres' nothing new... move on before you turn into a sad old circus act.

Electronics... now don't get me wrong, I truly adore my little ingenious electronic nik naks... where would I be without my cameras, my laptop, my ipod etc?? but really, you people aren't giving us a freakin' nano second before you come out with something else. Let's take a moment to rest on some laurels here shall we? Give a mid lifer like me a chance to get to know her devices before the next one comes out, I mean, why don't they just slow it down, it can't be good business sense? Surely Apple has a gazillion obsolete items that they now have to move at a lower price while they produce more of the newer stuff which probably has cost a lot to develop and make. Just slow it down people because I'm telling you one day we're all gonna say ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!

The Weather.... what's the deal man?  Horrid winters; hot, dry summers; tornadoes and hurricanes. I've about had it with this shit. Just ask my patio pots... all withered and nasty full of dead pathetic plants. Thanks a lot nature, good job there ace.

Kids... they think they know it all don't they?  Where they hell does my ten year old get off asking me if we have flood insurance????? Did I ever ask my mother that kind of impudent question? hell no I did not. Flood insurance is a personal, grown up matter and should not be discussed openly with the kids. Sheesh.

Well that's it... rant over. I'll try and muster up some positivity before tomorrow and maybe do a post on just what my passions actually are.  In the mean time, this is what's been getting my goat.. how about you???

BTW... this is a pretty good way to vent your frustrations!!! 

Odds & Sods from home

How lucky I am. I feel a little happy dance coming on. 

Being an ex-pat is nice n all, you know, having the best of both worlds.

If you're going to be anything Anglo/American is the way to go. 

The most fabulous thing of all is when I get little gifts in the mail that are 

sent remind me of home, I LOVE it. 

Sometimes I feel like a little girl again when I open the packages and when they are

full of things like sequined Union Jack pillows I am positively giddy. 

My little Burberry teddy bear in particular approved of this accent pillow, a nice

little addition to the chair he occupies in the corner of my boudoir! 

Thank you big sissy for my lovely gift, I adore it.

Then there was this surprise parcel in the mail...... from a fellow blogger no less. 

If you're a regular here you'll definitely recognize this mug.

Yes it was sent to me by non other thans Spudballo... check it out there where it 

honestly looks a lot better but I'm doing all I can to make it feel at home Stateside. 

I thought I had been keeping up with Spud's whitterings rather well until I just 

scrolled through her blog looking for the link. I'm sure she squeezes in posts after 

the fact because I seem to have missed quite a lot, and although one can never totally 

keep up with every blog, Spud's is one you ought to get to more than most.

So my dear friends, should you find any little trinket in your travels that may remind

me of home, don't hesitate to send it to me. I am easily pleased and just adore

getting things in the mail, especially unexpected little treasures like the ones above. 

I'm also known to stuff a gift or two in the mail myself so you never know! 

Happy Thursday Tous Les Monde. 

There is light... at the end of the dark, dark tunnel.

Camping lantern, originally uploaded by McGillicutty1.

Someone very near and dear to me is going through what I can only describe as sheer hell at this time... well for a while now actually. I would not wish this type of misfortune and anguish on anyone, not even the vilest of characters.
 
She's a pillar of strength and a beautiful soul, I can't imagine anything worse than being thrust into circumstances beyond your control and feeling that helplessness as you struggle to figure out an escape. I rack my brains for solutions and tiny pearls of wisdom to offer comfort at this time but just keep coming up empty. I feel inadequate as a comfort and find myself hurting for her on a regular basis. It's just a horrible and heart wrenching situation that can't be rationalized no matter how hard you ponder, analyze or break it down, and believe me I have tried all of the above.

I'm not a good at having no solutions, after all for every problem there is an answer, there has to be, otherwise how do we go on? How does she go on? what choice does she have? Every day is another blank page, a day filled with opportunity, that's what I believe. One day will be her day, her opportunity, her golden ray of sunshine when she's released from all this purgatory into a life of love and happiness, peace and security.

The lamp is my gift to her... a symbol so that she can hold on to the knowledge that there is a light at the end of the darkness, it's not a tunnel, it's complete and utter all encompassing darkness, but the light will come. I'm holding out hope with everything I have. So my friend... I'm on your side... I don't always have words to comfort you but I'm using all I have to support you from my corner, this light will soon be yours.

Wait... wtf is this?

So, been gone a week, just a little short break with the kids while they

are on summer vacay, something for them to talk about when they get back to school.

I'm back and what the hell happened to Blogger????

I'm gonna have to check all this out before I do a proper post and I don't have

time this morning, the real world beckons. (bleuugghhh, hate the real world)

in the meantime, check out TN. 

Talk at ya later!!!!!