A Balance of Life

My Zen Garden

I am by nature a fiercely independent and private person and not one to share personal issues and so when faced recently with a diagnosis of having breast cancer, my life took on a very different approach. I realised very quickly that I would have to be reliant on many people such as medical and hospital staff for my operation and at the beginning of my course of chemotherapy and radiation with ongoing hospital and oncology visits. 

It is a time when independence and privacy may have to take a back seat in allowing friends and family to reach out and offer assistance and understanding when needed. 

This disease, which affects many lives both young and old can be devastating and difficult to understand in coming to grips with just what has happened to turn your world upside down, but this will be a journey of deep meaning and close contact with many.

Journeys are not always easy but can bring togetherness with others in keeping a very positive outlook in accepting each day as it comes. 

When you are living with balance in your life, you are living with peace and harmony every day and it is pivotal to your mental and physical state of wellbeing.

We are faced at present with a virus on an unprecedented scale that has claimed many lives globally and having to live in a lockdown situation not knowing if medical appointments will be postponed or even cancelled is a very real concern.

So, we should live each day in the moment with love and compassion then happiness will follow and take us through those moments of uncertainty and anguish. 

I will leave you with a quote from a dear friend, T.R.Taylor, Artist.

"Go with the flow and know that all is well,
 See all around and peace will fill your life.
 Be at one, at one with all,
 and know that life is well.
 Be as you are and yearn for nothing more.
 for this is life and joyous it can be."

Be mindful of others and stay safe.

The Beauty and Wonder of Nature

On my walk the other day, I came across this rather different looking trunk of a tree. As I looked at it I thought, were the branches trimmed without thinking of the outcome or was this meant to make a statement or reveal the beauty of nature depicting a beautiful slender figure of the human form.

There are some that would find this picture inappropriate to publish and others that would see this as art, depending on the creative mind, and yet again, some that may think it a bit of a laugh. Regardless of how one perceives this tree of nature, there lies beauty within for those who wish to see it. 

A Story of Three Trees 

Once upon a mountain top, three little trees stood and dreamed of what they wanted to become when they grew up.

The first little tree looked up at the stars and said: “I want to hold treasure. I want to be covered with gold and filled with precious stones. I’ll be the most beautiful treasure chest in the world!”

The second little tree looked out at the small stream trickling by on its way to the ocean. “I want to be traveling mighty waters and carrying powerful kings. I’ll be the strongest ship in the world!”

The third little tree looked down into the valley below where busy men and women worked in a busy town. “I don’t want to leave the mountain top at all. I want to grow so tall that when people stop to look at me, they’ll raise their eyes to heaven and think of God. I will be the tallest tree in the world.”

Years passed. The rain came, the sun shone, and the little trees grew tall. One day three woodcutters climbed the mountain.

The first woodcutter looked at the first tree and said, “This tree is beautiful. It is perfect for me.” With a swoop of his shining axe, the first tree fell.

“Now I shall be made into a beautiful chest. I shall hold wonderful treasure!” the first tree said.

The second woodcutter looked at the second tree and said, “This tree is strong. It is perfect for me.” With a swoop of his shining axe, the second tree fell.

“Now I shall sail mighty waters!” thought the second tree. “I shall be a strong ship for mighty kings!”

The third tree felt her heart sink when the last woodcutter looked her way. She stood straight and tall and pointed bravely to heaven.

But the woodcutter never even looked up. “Any kind of tree will do for me,” he muttered. With a swoop of his shining axe, the third tree fell.

The first tree rejoiced when the woodcutter brought her to a carpenter’s shop. But the carpenter fashioned the tree into a feedbox for animals.

The once beautiful tree was not covered with gold, nor with treasure. She was coated with sawdust and filled with hay for hungry farm animals.

The second tree smiled when the woodcutter took her to a shipyard, but no mighty sailing ship was made that day. Instead, the once strong tree was hammered and sawed into a simple fishing boat. She was too small and too weak to sail on an ocean, or even a river; instead, she was taken to a little lake.

The third tree was confused when the woodcutter cut her into strong beams and left her in a lumberyard.

“What happened?” the once tall tree wondered. “All I ever wanted was to stay on the mountain top and point to God...”

Many, many days and night passed. The three trees nearly forgot their dreams.

But one night, golden starlight poured over the first tree as a young woman placed her newborn baby in the feed box.

“I wish I could make a cradle for him,” her husband whispered.

The mother squeezed his hand and smiled as the starlight shone on the smooth and the sturdy wood. “This manger is beautiful,” she said.

And suddenly the first tree knew he was holding the greatest treasure in the world.

One evening a tired traveller and his friends crowded into the old fishing boat. The traveler fell asleep as the second tree quietly sailed out into the lake.

Soon a thundering and thrashing storm arose. The little tree shuddered. She knew she did not have the strength to carry so many passengers safely through with the wind and the rain.

The tired man awakened. He stood up, stretched out his hand, and said, “Peace.” The storm stopped as quickly as it had begun.

And suddenly the second tree knew he was carrying the king of heaven and earth.

One Friday morning, the third tree was startled when her beams were yanked from the forgotten woodpile. She flinched as she was carried through an angry jeering crowd. She shuddered when soldiers nailed a man’s hands to her.

She felt ugly and harsh and cruel.

But on Sunday morning, when the sun rose and the earth trembled with joy beneath her, the third tree knew that God’s love had changed everything.

It had made the third tree strong.

And every time people thought of the third tree, they would think of God.

That was better than being the tallest tree in the world.

Apologies for the length of this story.

Have a great day and take the time to look at Nature's beauty.

NETBibleTagger, Provided by bible.org

Time

Time - a small word with endless meaning.

There are so many writings about 'Time' the dictionary meaning is written as, 'the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present and future regarded as a whole'.

Time exists in our every moment of activity or inactivity, in our very being and never ceases.

Is it not also important that we manage our time to build upon friendships and relationships, to spend time with family and the community enjoying a sense of purpose and caring for one another and not be wasting time on anger and hurt causing pain and misery.

Music, poems and quotes have been written depicting that little but very meaningful word.

To name a few -

Proverb; Time and tide wait for no man

Music ; Enya

              Who can say where the road goes
               Where the day flows, only time........

                Activist Pete Seeger

                 A time for every purpose under heaven
                 A time to be born, a time to die.......

Poem;      By a dear friend

                  Time moves ever onwards
                  And nothing stays the same......


A more serious blog for me this time although not actually saying anything that has not already been said, however, perhaps food for thought on how we spend our time.

Thank you for reading this.

Have a great day

Putting a 'Spring' in your step

I am currently recovering from a major operation, not life threatening but when you have had good health for most of your life, it comes as a hindrance, and at long last starting to feel back in the land of the living and feeling good. It is most distressing and frustrating to find yourself in a position where for a time, you are totally reliant on others to get you through the early days of being incapacitated.

Without the help of my caring and understanding husband, who has been on the other end of my frustrations, and dear friends who have offered assistance and encouragement, my recovery would have been so much longer. A gently reminder of the saying "wake up and smell the roses" comes to mind and to be thankful for every day we do indeed wake up to enjoy another day on this earth.

So with hope and determination this short time of feeling useless and out of sorts, I will spring back with a vengeance and get back  into my routine of walking, gardening and all the other little things I have missed. Now Spring is here with all the blossoms and new growth and Summer on it's way, makes for a time of joy and pleasure to look forward to.

So, on a more happy note, here is an extract from the Hums of Pooh (you can put your own little tune to this)

🎵🎵🎵🎵

Oh, how the butterflies are flying
Now the winter days are dying
And the primroses are trying
To be seen

Oh, the honey-bees are gumming
On their little wings and humming
That the summer, which is coming,
Will be fun.

For the Spring is really springing,
You can see the skylark singing,
And the buebells which are ringing,
Can be heard.............

Have a happy day and make the most of everyone of them

Friendship

True friendship is a rare harmony

My husband and I  attended the wedding of my best friend's son. It was indeed a marvellous affair and the bride was exquisite and beautiful in her wedding dress. In fact, the whole wedding party looked very elegant. I felt so privileged to share this special day amongst good friends, some of whom I had not seen for quite some time, but felt like it was yesterday.

A daily meditation  from 365 Tao,

In the distant past, there was once a young and wealthy statesman who was on a diplomatic mission.Pausing by a river at night, he heard the haunting sounds of a lute. A passionate musician himself, he took up his own flute and eventually found a goatherd sitting on an old ruin.In those days, an aristocrat would not associate himself with a commoner, but the two men struck up a friendship through their music.Their playing was smooth and natural as flowing water.

Once a year, the ambassador and the goatherd would renew their friendship, though they had the chance to play their music with others during the rest of the year, each man declared that he had found just true counterpart.

The ambassador tried for many years to lift the goatherd out of his poverty, but his friend steadfastly refused. He did not want to pollute their friendship with money.

Years later, when the ambassador was gray haired, he went to the appointed spot, but his friend was not there. He tried to play alone, but his melody for forlorn. Finally someone came to tell him that his friend had starved to death during a recent famine. This news made the ambassador despondent. He was caught in the agony of knowing that he had the money to save his friend, and yet he understood the man's values as well. In sorrow, the ambassador broke his lute. "With my friend gone from the world, who will I play music for?"

Those truly linked don't need correspondence,
When they meet again after many years apart
Their friendship is as true as ever


Enjoy a wonderful day amongst friends

A Moment of Reflection

I attended a funeral the other day, it was the 93 year old mother of my best friend. A very sad time. However, the service was very nice and quite relaxing. There were  memories shared, some sad and some very funny, and of course a time when family and friends get together to reflect with their own memories of our dear friend.

I was very close to my friend's mother and we had many a time of laughter and reminicing about her past life as a land army girl and the hard times she encountered growing up, but through all that she and her late husband emigrated from the UK with two teenagers and they made a good life for themselves. There will be a void in our lives for a while until the sadness and loss eases but life will go on and we will all continue on our path to wherever that may lead us.

In my reading of Tao, Death is the opposite of Time.
We cloak it in meaning and make up stories about what will happen to us, but we don't really know.
When a person dies, we cannot see beyond the corpse.
What dies is merely the identity.
Only the clothes and decoration falls.
What dies is only our human meaning.
There is always someone naked underneath.
Once we understand who that someone is, death no longers bothers us.
Nor does time.

On a happier note, have a lovely day filled with sunshine and happiness

Life Lessons and Learning

A good friend wrote 'everyday is a school day' how true that is, do we ever stop learning, I truly hope not. I try to learn something everyday which sometimes cannot be achieved but I do try.

My memory is not so good and when I do learn something new I really try hard to hang on to it and retain it in my mind or better still I have a tendancy to write things down.

I am at present reading 365 Tao daily meditations and the message of this book is that one can actually apply the open and accessible ideas of Tao directly to one's life. One of the chapters is headed -

Learning

Learning is the fountain of youth

No matter how old you are

You musn't stop growing

The following is an extract from Life Lessons Readings

Gandhi once said, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” There’s no doubt that every day is a gift, and the gift is an opportunity to live, to learn, and to grow.

Be a student of life, Indulge in it and absorb all the knowledge you can, while you can. You may have to loose some things to gain some things, and you may have to learn some things the hard way. That’s OK. All experiences are necessary. The purpose of your life is to live it in full, to partake in it to the utmost, to reach out with an open mind and an honest heart for the newest and richest experience being offered.

There are many lessons in life and we can all learn something to take with us through our own lives just do not stop looking and learning.

Have a fun filled day....learn something new!

To Simply be the Best You Can

I have recently joined a poetry group where poems are shared and discussed. One limerick poem caught my eye which was to be a simple man with a simple plan and to do the best I can. A thought most of us would like to follow.

Life can throw many hurdles in our path and for some these hurdles are too high to overcome or move out the way, but with the help of friends and family these paths can be opened to allow one to shine and be the best they can.

This was my response to the limerick:

Simple words and simple lives are simply just the best
Accepting this and you will find a solution to the rest
Your worth will soon astonish
and then it will abolish
The thought "not good enough" to simply be impressed



Have a Happy day

The Sound of Silence

I wonder how often we actually stop to listen to the sound of silence. Not often enough. Life is so busy and hectic at times we forget to appreciate what is around us.

Do we ever take the time to watch a blade of grass fluttering in the breeze or a butterfly gently land on a flower and see the glorious colours they possess as they stretch their wings, all in a moment of pure silence.

I have read that the sound of silence is an illustrated seranade to the art of listening to one's inner voice amid the noise of modern life.

A little story.....

 

Some times silence is the only friend you want near you. Embracing the silence is to embrace life itself. There is so little silence, and yet it is everywhere if you just look hard enough. Nothing can truly break it, yet you can never grasp it. The tiny clicking of keys, the vent on a computer, cars passing by, dogs whining. It is never with you, not even while sleeping. How can something that is always there be so hard to reach, so hard to touch, so hard to grasp at? I must say silence is a good friend, a friend that rarely visits. Never to talk to you, but you hear it always. Never to look at it, but you see it everywhere. We cannot achieve true friendship with silence as human beings. We speak too much and listen too little. We don't take note of the small silences but rather the loud actions. Stop and listen, stop and hear your best of friends whispering to you and you alone. Do you hear him? Are you attempting to fathom what you hear? Don't try, for that subject is outlying for a mortal to attempt to understand, just listen. Enjoy the sweet sounds of silence. Alas the sweet silence must go again as you come back to your life, as you enter the noises and the actions of society once more. You feel at ease now....you feel relieved....almost as though you have spoken with a friend you hadn't seen in a long time....You just want to go back and listen once more.

The deepest sound is silence

Have a wonderful day 

The Fine Art of Writing

I remember as a school girl writing essays and my writing book being passed around the class being told I had lovely writing.  This was quite embarrassing to say the least, however, I did have some pride in the way I wrote and was therefore quietly pleased.

I always wanted to own a fountain pen and so I bought myself a calligraphy pen and I loved writing with this pen, I enjoyed writing with the broad tip.

I miss handwriting, there is a very personnal touch to a letter written by hand. I would take some time to write particularly as I enjoyed writing which became almost a story, before I knew it I was on to my third page of writing just about everything that had or was about to happen at that particular time. My sister gave me a diary one Christmas and I religiously wrote something in it everyday for many years. I still have my diary and often read it, however, I have given up daily jottings of events.

Sadly, typrwriters took the place of handwriting and now the computer and technology has superceded even the good old fashioned typewriter to a stage where we no longer need bother about handwriting making the written word almost extinct.

There are many different cultures that have very artistic lettering such as the Japanese. I have a friend who is learning to paint in Japanese calligraphy and I have to say this is indeed a fine art to be able to do which is very interesting and lovely to look at.

I would like to think that perhaps one day the fine art of handwriting will appear once more giving joy to those who enjoyed doing so.

Have a marvellous day and try handwriting your next letter, you may even enjoy the feeling.

Be kind to one another

Hope

I have only now discovered that the other day a very lovely elderly couple who live in our community have lost their home. Whilst they were enjoying a night out, their home was burned to the ground. All they were left with were the clothes they were wearing and their car. Home and possessions gone forever. Our thoughts go out to them.

It is times such as these we realize there are those worse off than ourselves.


In a fleeting moment all is gone forever
A lifetime of memories up in smoke
Pain and tears break a heart in two
And things will never be the same again.

But life goes on and we pick up the pieces
With help from friends and family
We see a light ahead, a way forward
That light is what we call hope.


Spare a thought for those who have suffered great loss

Enjoy your day

Stay Calm and Collected

In my last blog I was looking for a new tablet to replace my old tired one. I had to make a decision as to what make I would purchase. After careful consideration and taking into account the useful information from friends, I decided to stay with once again an Android tablet. I must say, I was wavering towards an Apple iPad, however, since my laptop and smart phone would not be compatible this made my choice that much easier.

I am now faced with the problem of setting my old tablet to a factory setting to delete all my data. This is, I may add no mean feat. As I set up the new tablet, all my data from the old one synced perfectly through, this is great I thought. But wait a minute, if  I now do a reset will I lose my photos and music on all devices???? so, I did a few experiments to find that indeed yes, I would lose my photos and music if I deleted them from the old tablet even when I disable the syncing from all devices.

Having had the guidance from a friend and checked on Google for answers, I find that after five days of reading, trying and totally being frustrated, I am back at square one with an old tablet holding all my data and feeling totally inadequate at reading and listening to instructions to effectively do what should be a simple function as this. One would think that in this day and age of technology, to simply press a button would do the job, of course what is the right button, now there is a thought!!

I guess there is only one solution for me I shall have to succumb to having this done by a qualified technician and pay for my inadequacy. I could of course put my old tablet in a drawer and forget about it.......or could I? No, I doubt that very much, I like to have these things tied and sorted having peace of mind that precious photos and the like are not going to come back and haunt me and become an issue of concern if the old device is once again reserected.

One consolation, I am enjoying my new tablet and learning the various functions that it has to offer and to stay calm and collective in the hope I find a solution and put all this frustration behind me and move forward to less demanding projects.


Have a happy day and don't sweat the small stuff!!

Decisions, decisions

I am in the process of replacing my tired Android tablet. But, what to choose.....having looked online for comparisons and shopped personally, I am in a conundrum. Do I go for Apple or Microsoft. Will it be iPad, Windows or Android. Will I choose WiFi, cellular or both. What colour even, how many gigabytes. Oh to have a technical mind. It's all too much at a senior age!!

A friend has advised I go with Apple, however, having only known and worked with Microsoft I am reluctant to change. I suppose if I make a wrong choice I only have to live with it for a few short years as batteries lose their power and storage can be an issue, although I am told 'get icloud' storage will no longer be  a problem and those thousands of photos can be kept safe, that's a relief then. So, yet another decision to be made.

No doubt in the weeks to follow I will eventually be sitting at home with a brand new toy, trying to come to grips with all the features to explore. Happy days!!

Don't worry, be happy!

The Return Home

A few snaps from my trip

I have just returned from a wonderful six weeks holiday in Scotland, taking in a trip to Paris for seven days and a long weekend with my Niece and partner in England.

The whole trip seemed like a whirlwind, having something to do each day and to visit family and friends, not enough time to spend with each only a few days or hours with some, although it was quality time and very enjoyable and memorable.

The weather was not too kind to us, however, when the sun did come out, it was very hot.

The time spent in the air was quite tiring, the first flight out of New Zealand was eleven hours to Hong Kong, then ten hours to London and another hour to Edinburgh. The same on the way back.
To sit in a chair for such long periods can be quite stressful, however, the movies, music etc in flight was not too bad. Then came the meals, my do we eat an awful lot of food, albeit very tasty and healthy then there is the nice glass of wine which assists in keeping the mind in a slight trance of wellbeing, well for some it does! So, after all the activities of meal time it is time to settle down to try and sleep, huh! no chance, not so easy to sleep in the upright position moving from one side to the other so you watch another film, then another and by this time your eyes are hanging out for sleep.
But, time moves on and its time for another meal and at last the descent down to our destination.

I did this same routine four times and by the time I got back to New Zealand although I had a marvellous time, I was ready to get home to a normal routine and familiar sights and a well earned sleep.

My husband had had six weeks of looking after the house, the garden and the dogs, and he did a splendid job too. I wondered if my dogs would have forgotten me, no they had not. I was sniffed, nuzzled and followed from room to room, they were happy Mum was home.

It is always nice to go away, but so much nicer to come home.

Having said all that, roll on the next trip back to Scotland, Och Aye the Noo!!

Have a brilliant day

A Paris Experience

I have just spent seven days in Paris on holiday with my sister. The weather was absolutely beautiful, every day sun and warmth.

Our apartment was centrally located on the outskirts of Paris in Belleville. It was quite a large village with a very nice church in the centre and lots of village shops, restaurants, cafes and of course wonderful patisseries much to the detriment of our figures.

We went out each morning to the metro and walked long distances each day visiting various places of interest. Having been in Paris three years ago we had seen most of the big attractions, however, we did return to Montmartre which I personally enjoyed.

We again took a trip on the Canals through Notre Dame and the East side of Paris. It was a really hot day and copious amounts of water was consumed. Each afternoon we would return to our apartment hot, exhausted and sore feet, but having had a marvellous time.

Paris is a very romantic city evident by the young and older couples walking hand in hand in leisurely conversation. Being school holidays there were also many families with young children. A very popular city for tourists of all cultures. I find it really rewarding when I can speak a few of the popular French words, I think it shows you try to fit in.

Our last day arrived and heading off to the Charles De Gaulle airport, the sun was hot and feeling a little sad to be leaving, we boarded our plane and said Au Revoir to France.

Arriving back in Bonnie Scotland to.........yes mist and rain, I will never get used the Scottish weather again as the winters in New Zealand are often like the Scottish summers. And so, back to cooler temperatures and for myself back to sweatshirt and track pants for warmth.


Have a lovely day

A Woodland Nature Walk

On a walk the other day I came across a lovely little woodland, Calais Muir, believed to be 120 years old, it had three way marked nature trails, of various distances. At the entrance of this woodland stood two very nice sculptures of wooden deer, apparently there are roe deer around and hopefully I will catch sight of one before my trip ends. There were also upright poles one of which had inscribed on it "Fairies, Goona, hags and Giants

During my walk I looked for a  buzzard's nest which apparently sits high on a tree, unfortunately, I was unable to find this, perhaps another day like the deer I hope to see.

I was amazed at the number of dogs that I encountered, all shapes and sizes and all perfectly behaved, so very relaxing and very nice to see. I do miss my own dogs when I am away, however, to see and be able to approach a strange dog to have a pat is always a bonus.

I am off to Paris with my sister for seven days to enjoy once again the sights we visited three years ago, namely the canals through Notre Dame and to Montmartre to once again find and listen to the Whistling Lady, a real treat, and of course to visit and sample the French patisseries with their delicious food. There are many sights and places to see, however, we enjoy the hospitality of the locals in the little village where we will be staying.

A tale to describe a "Hag"

An "ambivalent" character in Scottish myths was the "hag", the Goddess, the Gaelic Cailleach and the Giantess, a divine being who is harmful. The hag is also considered a "healer" and helpful during childbirth and is divine and said to have "long ancestry and incredible longevity". She is also known as "at once creator and destroyer, gentle and fierce, mother and nurturer"

Until next time," Au Revoir", when I may have some tales of my time in Paris.

Enjoy your day

The Scottish Kelpie

A week into my visit back to my homeland has been met with a very cold wind chill and dull days. However, today's outing which was a beautiful hot day took us to Falkirk, Stirlingshire, visiting the Falkirk Wheel and the home of the unique sculptures of the Scottish Kelpies

 

The Scottish Kelpie is a shape changing aquatic spirit of Scottish legend it's name may derive from the Scottish Gaelic words 'cailpeach' or 'colpach', meaning heifer or colt. Kelpies are said to haunt rivers and streams, usually in the shape of a horse.

 

But beware......these are malevolent spirits! The Kelpie may appear as a tame pony beside a river. It is particularly attractive to children - but they should take care, for once on it's back, t's sticky magical hide will not allow them to dismount! Once trapped in this way, the Kelpie will drag the child into the river and eat them.

These water horses can also appear in human form. They may materialize as a beautiful young woman, hoping to lure young men to their death. Or they might take on the form of a hairy human lurking by the river, ready to jump out at unsuspecting travellers and crush them in a vice-like grip.

A common Scottish folktale is that of the Kelpie and the ten children. Having lured nine children on to it's back, it chases after the tenth. The child strokes it's nose and his fingers become stuck fast. He manages to cut off his finger and escapes. The other nine children are dragged into the water, never to be seen again.


So the next time you are strolling by a pretty river or stream, be vigilant; you may be being watched from the river by a malevolent Kelpie........

Have a lovely day

The Secret of Happiness

I was asked the other day "what is happy". For a moment I was unable to answer, then I thought about it and came up with these:

Happy -  when I feel content perhaps in the garden strolling around with my dogs

Happy - when I think of something funny that someone has said that makes me feel good

Happy - passing someone on the street and they give you a smile

Happy - Feeling satisfied with a job well done

Happy - Having a sense of trust and confidence in someone

.
There was once a boy who hardly had any toys or money.
Nevertheless, he was a very happy little boy. He said that what made him happy was doing things for others, and that doing so gave him a nice feeling inside.

However, no one really believed him; they thought he was loopy.
He spent all day helping others, dispensing charity to the poorest, and looking after abandoned animals. Very seldom did he ever do anything for himself.

One day, he met a famous doctor who thought the boy's case was so peculiar that he decided to investigate him. So, with a complex system of cameras and tubes, the doctor managed to record what was happening inside the boy. What he discovered was surprising.
Each time the boy did something good, a thousand tiny angels gathered around the boy's heart and started tickling it.

That explained the boy's happiness, but the doctor continued studying until he discovered that we all have our own thousand angels inside us. Unfortunately, he found that, as we do so few good things, the angels spend most of their time wandering about, bored.

And so it was that the secret to happiness was discovered. Thanks to that little boy we now know exactly what we have to do to feel our hearts being tickled.

To be happy is to appreciate who you are and what you've got, life can be fun

Have a very Happy Day

Returning "Home"

The New Forth Bridge, The Rail Bridge and Road Bridge

Soon I will be winging my way to Scotland for a six week holiday, it will be four years since I have been back, not that I expect to see many changes in the countryside or weather patterns, the changes I will see however, will be in my sister's grandchildren. This is when you realize that the years are ticking by and the youngsters are growing up and I will no doubt be looking up at them and they looking down to me. Also, an additional New Bridge over the River Forth which I will be looking forward to seeing.

As we get older we tend to look at life a little differently, with a view that perhaps in this instance for me, this may be the last time I will visit my birth place and meet up with family and dear friends. I do not like the thought of not seeing everyone again and so I shall go with the thought that I will be back one day.

I found this little story which is so true in many ways:

When you are little you love your house, no matter what. It’s your castle, your playground. Your fortress of solitude. No one has a porch as big as yours, and certainly they’ve never seen a deck and rope swing like the one you have out back. No sir. Then you grow up, move away. If you’re lucky, your parents stay — but every time you go back to visit, it gets just a bit smaller. Perhaps a tad shabbier. You stay away for a long time. When you finally go back home, you’re shocked. It’s run down, dusty, falling apart in places. At first you wrinkle your nose, but the more you look around, the harder you look, you see it. Those bits that you loved peek back at you. Your favourite reading spot is still there. And you realize you could never quit it entirely. In fact, you dream that maybe someday it could be your house. And you could fix it, make it better than it ever was. Maybe you can. Let’s hope so.


Enjoy your day

A Yachting Legend

Another picture taken from a walk through the Hatea River tracks. With the America's cup being contested at this time, I thought this lovely kayak scene looked very serene and calm, which is a far cry from the incidents and excitement of the yacht races being undertaken in Bermuda at the moment. Of course living in New Zealand I am hoping that 'Team New Zealand' will once again bring home the cup.  I guess time will tell.

A short insight into the legendary Sir Peter Blake

Sir Peter Blake is a New Zealand-born yachting legend

Famously, Sir Peter Blake is the only sailor to have taken part in the first five Whitbread Round the World races - now known as the Volvo Ocean Race.

Held every four years, the race follows a general route from Europe, south through the Atlantic Ocean, around the tip of Africa, and then across the southern ocean.

Blake first sailed in the Whitbread in 1973 - 74. In 1989 - 90, he skippered Steinlager to an unprecedented clean sweep where his team walked off with line, handicap and overall honours for each of the race''s six legs.

The following year (1991), he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth. 

America’s Cup Brought in at the last minute to manage New Zealand''s 1992 America''s Cup challenge, Blake led the Kiwi team to the challenger finals with NZL-20. However, it was Italy that finally emerged from the controversial Louis Vuitton Cup series to face the US for the America''s Cup.

In 1995 Blake came back as the syndicate head of Team New Zealand. Sailing NZL 32 Black Magic, the Kiwi team made a clean sweep, beating Dennis Conner''s Stars & Stripes 5- 0 and providing one of the most dominating performances in America''s Cup history.

During the 1995 series, Blake became famous for his lucky red socks. A gift from his wife, he wore the same pair throughout the entire 1995 America''s Cup challenge.

Governor General Catherine Tizard described the 1995 America''s Cup win as New Zealand''s proudest day since Sir Edmund Hillary''s conquest of Everest in 1953.

In 2000 Blake led Team New Zealand in only the second non-American defence of the Americas Cup - beating Italians Prada 5 - 0.

After the 2000 success, Sir Peter Blake stood down from Team New Zealand.

2001: Tragic death Tragically - on 5 December 2001 - pirates shot and killed Blake while he was on an environmental exploration trip in South America, monitoring global warming and pollution for the United Nations.

The two-month expedition was anchored off Macapá, at the mouth of the Amazon delta, waiting to clear customs. At around 9pm, a group of six to eight armed, masked robbers boarded the Seamaster.

As one of the robbers held a gun to the head of a crewmember, Blake sprang from the cabin wielding a rifle used to ward off polar bears. He shot one of the assailants in the hand before the rifle malfunctioned.

Blake was fatally shot in the back, and two other crew members suffered knife-wounds. The remaining seven were unhurt.

Authorities eventually captured the pirates and sentenced them to an average of 32 years each in prison.

The Sir Peter Blake Trust was established - with the support of the Blake family - in December 2003 with the aim of helping New Zealanders "to make a positive difference for the planet through activities that encourage environmental awareness and action, and leadership development".

Have a good day