So here are some parrots. I think. Let’s just call them parrots.
(taken at Bristol Zoo – one of the best days out ever)
Walk to Work
Blog every day in May, day 17: Describe or photograph your walk to work. Or journey to work if you use transport. Is it pretty or incredibly dull? Can you find something of interest on your way?
Funnily enough, I actually did walk to work yesterday. I normally cycle but I had to leave my bike in the office on Thursday to attend a work do.
I love cycling. I love feeling the fresh air on my face. Inhaling the the seasons as they whizz by. Hearing birds or lawnmowers or even far off sirens (yes, I know that’s a little odd, but hearing far off sirens gives me a sense of space. A sense of how big the world is and how small I am by comparison. It’s somehow comforting. Like I said, I’m a little odd). When you walk though, all those sensations are magnified many times over. So even though it was drizzling yesterday, and even though I was only walking to work, it felt wonderful. And I had my trusty iPod with me so I was able to do something I never normally get to do on a work morning: take pictures! I was a very happy bunny when I eventually arrived, full of the sweet scent and sights of spring.
(the top three pictures and the middle one on the bottom were all taken on my walk. The other two just looked nice as part of the series. I’ll be taking more like this. It’s officially a Thing. My thing. Yey! I have a thing!)
18 May 2013 - 11:03 PM - how do i crop pictures in a circleeee?
Pampering
Blog every day in May, day 16 (more than half way! Can’t believe I’ve got this far): What is your ideal way to pamper yourself and relax?
When I started thinking about this question, I realized I wasn’t exactly sure what “pampering” meant. Was it just about going to a spa with girlfriends or treating yourself to an expensive manicure, or was there more to it? So I looked it up.
pam·per
1. to treat with extreme or excessive indulgence, kindness, or care.
2. Archaic. to overfeed, especially with very rich food; glut.
Ignoring the archaic meaning for a minute (I do occasionally indulge in one too many pieces of Belgian chocolate or one too many slices of toast just before bed but that’s about it – unless someone buys be a bag of crumbly fudge. Then there’s no stopping me)… That wasn’t really ignoring it, was it? Oh well. Moving on… My favorite forms of pampering (in the sense of indulging or treating myself) are as follows:
1. Plonking myself down on the sofa with a good book and a sweet cup of tea. And actually getting to read/drink something before someone starts using me as a climbing frame, decides to throw a tantrum, turns on the television or calls me to wipe their bottom/clear up a puddle of pee/extract a little brother from their hair or some other such emergency.
2. Having a bath. On my own. Without bubblegum-scented bubble bath.
3. Sleeping in. Even if it’s only until 8.30.
4. Lying on the ground. Don’t ask me why, I just love lying on the ground. Last weekend, the sunshine made a brief appearance. I moved our furniture out of the way and opened up the big doors onto our balcony. Now, I could have sat outside on a chair, but instead I chose to lie on the floorboards just inside the doors, feeling the fresh breeze mingling with the warmth of the sun. My crazy monkeys climbed all over me to get in and out, occasionally stopping for a cuddle or to poke me in the eye and it was perfect. It was also one of the best things about our Easter holiday in England: lying on my back, on my step-mum’s lawn, or in the long grass in the field next door, while Charlie and Amélie hunted for insects or happily chased each other. Bliss.
My step-mum’s lawn, by the way, is amazing. Yes, this is a complete tangent. It’s very mossy which I’m lead to understand is meant to be a bad thing. But I cannot agree. It’s like having access to the biggest mattress in the world. It’s just so soft and springy. When we first got there I was quite worried because Charlie kept on falling over. Not just the “woops, you tripped” kind of falling but the “holy mother of smoked mackerel! Who just punched you? You went flying!” kind of falling. He was all over the place. He would run towards me and then, just as I was about to reach out to hold him, he’d fly backwards, his whole body lifting into the air, landing with a thump in a pile at my feet. And then I realized: he was doing it deliberately. And with glee. Here was a boy who had grown up doing face-plants onto hard wood floorboards, pavements and city parks, suddenly realizing that he was practically bouncing when his body hit the ground. He loved it. And yes, he is a lunatic.
PS: if this blogging project isn’t indulgent, then I don’t know what is. So to anyone who has got this far and is still reading: thank you for pampering me!
Amélie, enjoying a moment of quiet solitude – I noticed that a lot of what I consider “pampering” involves quiet solitude.
17 May 2013 - 9:55 PM - In a selfish way I'm so glad you decided to do this project. I find myself laughing loudly as I read, shake my head in agreement and so on and so forth. Thank you for "pampering" me with one of the things I enjoy which is taking some time to check your blog and do all of the above. As a floor layer myself I can't wait to find me a patch of moss and try it out. Have a beautiful weekend ..full of sunny and pamperings. Is that a word?
17 May 2013 - 9:55 PM - oh. where's my mind? (shh..I know). Lovely photo of the lovely Amelie. Always.
17 May 2013 - 11:04 PM - There is no comparison between left and right. Never ever tell her to sit up ever again....so love the lefty...
18 May 2013 - 9:51 AM - I know, right, Amanda? The righthand one looks so unnatural. The lefthand one is one of my favorite ever of Amélie. It looks like a modern version of an old dutch painting, like the Girl with the Pearl Earring.
Life’s a Lesson
Blog every day in May, day 15: What is the single most important lesson you have ever had?
Not everyone has to like you.
Even well in to my 30s, I was convinced I had to get EVERYONE to like me. This is, to a certain extent, probably quite normal. Most people like the thought of being liked. Most people want other people to like them. But most people will also accept that there are some people you don’t really want in your lives. They’re either not nice people. Or they have very different values to yours. Or they’re a bad influence. These are the people that you don’t actively encourage friendships with. You don’t go out of your way to get them to like you. Because you don’t like them. But it took me nearly 35 years to learn that lesson.
For nearly 35 years, I thought I needed everyone to love me. Even people who were generally unpleasant or uncaring towards me. In fact, the meaner you were, the harder I’d try. I would even try to imitate these people, mirroring some of the nastiness or negativity, in the hope of… I don’t know… impressing them? Then, about 5 years ago something happened. I’m not sure what it was, but I remember very very clearly the moment I realized this behavior had to stop: I was sitting at my desk, at work, when an e-mail popped into my inbox. It was from an ex-colleague I hadn’t spoken to in at least a year. The message read “why did you change your profile photo on Linkedin? The new one is horrible”. That’s it. That’s all the email said. This was a colleague I had considered a friend, that I wanted to like me. I spent all day trying to think of a response, of a witty come-back. I even considered changing my photo again and apologizing. And then it hit me: what was I doing trying to get such an unpleasant person to like me?! How many other people was I playing this stupid game with? How many people had I given too many chances to? I decided to stop. I decided I didn’t want friends like that anymore. And I accepted that this decision might mean some people wouldn’t like me as much – or even at all. But I also realized, that was ok: not everyone has to like you.
It’s not always easy. There are people I’ve spent a lifetime trying to please. Old habits die hard. I often have to remind myself to walk away. Or at least to take a step back and let them decide if they want to move forward and bridge the gap. I don’t want to waste my time and energy on people who’d write to me just to tell me my profile picture is horrible. I’d much rather give it to some of the truly amazing, kind and caring people out there. My real friends.
16 May 2013 - 9:46 PM - Such a good idea Cass!!!!
16 May 2013 - 9:46 PM - We love you xxx
16 May 2013 - 9:51 PM - And I love you. I'm so lucky to have you in my life xxx
This is why I love photography
I know I’m boring everyone to death with my incessant posting right now, but I just have to post one more thing. This:
This is why I love my camera. Why I love photography. These aren’t technically or artistically “good” pictures but they are two of my favorite pictures ever. My pops reading a story my grandma wrote to my little girl (and Amélie climbing on the arm of the armchair without being told off. Now that’s real love for you! I wouldn’t have been allowed to do that!).
16 May 2013 - 2:56 AM - Yes. this is absolutely why i love it too. Dearly I might add. This is also why I reading your blog. I do love reading ..each and every word.
16 May 2013 - 4:22 AM - Thanks for bringing joy to my day. There is nothing sweeter than the bond between the grandparent and the grandchild! There's magic in the words on that glorious white screen.....called PAPER!
16 May 2013 - 7:22 PM - They tell a story and capture an honest moment. That's what matters the most. <3
by Cass
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