April 30th

"Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you"
Frank Lloyd Wright

Today is not a brilliant day to go outside and study nature.
However, just looking through my lounge window

and watching the birds feed and play

is something I never get tired of doing

and in the summer months we have a family

of Hedgehogs that come along and feed every evening.

It is a really happy day,

when the first hedgehog of the year arrives!

I so enjoy sitting and watching the antics of

wildlife and on a recent holiday I watched this little

fellow dart about among the trees but stop

still long enough for me to take a photo!

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I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station,

through which God speaks to us every hour,

if we will only tune in.

~George Washington Carver

April 29th

“If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk.”
Raymond Inmon

I am so lucky to live in a village where I can walk

by the river Thames and also

enjoy a woodland walk too.

Both are only a short distance away

and give me so many photo opportunities.

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Nature is the art of God. ~Thomas Browne, Religio Medici, 1635

April 28th

Find a quote that expresses how you feel after 119 days of taking self portraits!

Not all my photos have been self portraits.

The quote that best describes how I feel is by Elliot Erwitt:

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“To me, photography is an art of observation.

It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place...

I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”

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This project has certainly opened my eyes and see the world

in a different way!
I just love taking portraits of my beautiful granddaughter so she features

here as much as I do!

April 27th

“Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us daily. ”
Sally Koch - author

What small opportunity did you grab by the horns today?

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Today I took the opportunity to sit down and relax with a DVD

that my daughter gave me for Mother's day.
It brought back memories of when we went to New York together.
Whilst we were there we came out of our hotel on a Sunday morning

with plans to walk around Central Park together.

Those plans rapidly changed when we realized that

Richard Gere was just outside the hotel filming ‘The Hoax’.
2 hours later we continued our journey to Central Park,

both star stuck and in love with Richard Gere.

Unfortunately all the shots I had with Richard Gere in had camera shake lol!
That was an opportunity that came our way that we will never forget.

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Grasp your opportunities, no matter how poor your health;

nothing is worse for your health than boredom.

~Mignon McLaughlin.

The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966

April 26th

“Live with intention. Walk to the edge.

Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon.

Laugh. Choose with no regret. Appreciate your friends.

Continue to learn. Do what you love.

Live as if this is all there is.”
Mary Anne Radmacher – author

I like to think that I do all these things.
My friends are very precious to me.
They encourage me, they cheer me up
and they are always there for me.
I have also found a new group of friends through
doing this 365 project.
They have helped me
through the sticky patch of the past few days.
There has been no pressure but just encouragement.
Thankyou.
With this project I am certainly continuing to learn and I
am doing something I love.
Today’s photo is of one of the flowers
taken from a beautiful bouquet
that my friends sent to me a few days ago.
I am so lucky.

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Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

April 25th

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
Eleanor Roosevelt - First lady

Yesterday was certainly a ‘down’ day for me but that was yesterday.
I am going to stay here and do this as much and as often as I can,

even if it might mean a few hospital pictures on here at some point!!!

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A dream that I have always had is to be an artist.
I would dearly like to be able to pick up a paint brush and paint a masterpiece.
When I was young I always loved the paint by numbers kits

and always asked for one at Christmas.
Today the nearest I come to those kits is the ‘Paintables’ water colour paper,

where you can use your paints on already printed background

and use it for a scrapbook lay out.
I also use my camera to produce pictures that I love to look at and share.

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Dreams are like the paints of a great artist.

Your dreams are your paints;

the world is your canvas.

Believing is the brush

that converts your dreams into a masterpiece of reality.”

April 24th

“Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there's love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong"
Ella Jane Fitzgerald - Jazz vocalist

Doing what I want to do and
doing what I am able to do really
is the BIG dilemma for me at the moment.
There are days when I lack total inspiration or energy
and feel that I am ready to give up on my 365 project.
When I started this project I really did want
to complete it.
However, circumstances have completely changed and
it looks like I am going to have to
take time out at some point in the near future so
I ask myself this...
"If I am not going to be able to do the project in
its entirety why carry on now?”

Maybe this prompt has made me face up to reality.

Maybe I should just take a step back .

Maybe I feel like this because I am having what I call a grey day.

Maybe tomorrow I will feel differently.

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“Letting go doesn’t mean giving up,

but rather accepting that there are things that cannot be.”

*

Maybe I should have 2 quotes here today!!

*

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up.

The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”

Thomas Alva Edison

April 23rd

"Still round the corner there may wait, A new road or a secret gate. ”
JR Tolkein - author

Life certainly can be seen as a series of corners.
Although some things in life are predictable,
most of the time we never really know
what life has in store for us.
Not knowing is what makes life fun

and interesting if a little daunting at times!

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The future is something which everyone reaches

at the rate of sixty minutes an hour,

whatever he does, whoever he is.

C. S. Lewis

April 22nd

"The real man smiles in trouble,

gathers strength from distress,

and grows brave by reflection."

Thomas Paine - Author

Today I needed a moment of quiet reflection

and

found it here!

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By three methods we may learn wisdom:

First, by reflection, which is noblest;

Second, by imitation, which is easiest;

and third by experience, which is the bitterest.
Confucius

April 21st

PRUDENCE -

1 : the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason

2 : sagacity or shrewdness in the management of affairs

3 : skill and good judgment in the use of resources

4 : caution or circumspection as to danger or risk

I am by nature a prudent person,

I always see the risk involved in any task.

In many ways I am over cautious and this can be

annoying at times.

My children always called it fussing

and now my granddaughter realises this

trait in me.

My family often tease me about this, one will say;

"What does Nanny say?"

and then the others respond in unison;

"BE CAREFUL"

Maybe I was more of a risk taker when I was young!

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The young do not know enough to be prudent,

and therefore they attempt the impossible,

and achieve it,

generation after generation.
Pearl S. Buck

April 20th

TEMPERANCE -The practice of moderation in all things.

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I try to think before I speak

and

have self- restraint in most things I do!

Temperance is not about enjoying less,

but about enjoying better.

Sometimes I choose the white grape and sometimes the red!

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Lost wealth may be replaced by industry,

lost knowledge by study,

lost health by temperance or medicine,

but lost time is gone forever.
Samuel Smiles

April 19th

JUSTICE -

Justice for me is about righting the wrongs in our society.

Sadly this does not always happen.

However, I am glad that I live in a society that

allows freedom of speech so that I can speak out,

when I feel that justice has not been done.

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Justice discards party, friendship, kindred,

and

is therefore always represented as blind.
- Joseph Addison,

April 18th

FORTITUDE -Not really the best of days for me today.

I have certainly not been able to bear pain in silence!

Hence, I have now been given morphine to help me

bear the pain I have been in this afternoon.

Lets hope that is only required short term.

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“Fortitude is the guard and support of the other virtues.”

John Locke

April 17th

CHARITY -

Todays society is often portrayed as selfish and only interested

in material gain.

However, I have found that there are

many people who are willing to give there time, money and even risk

their lives to support my favourite Charity.

I can not thank my friends and family enough,

over the years they have helped

me raise thousands of pounds for Helen and Douglas House

They have jumped out of planes, run/walked many miles

and drunk many cups of tea and coffee!!!

Without their support and people like them places like

Helen and Douglas House would not exist.

It is a sad reflection on our government that Hospices

need to rely so heavily on voluntary contributions.

Although the govenment intends to conduct a review of long-term

funding for England's childrens hospice

services, I can not see a time in the near future when

voluntary contributions will not be needed.

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“Charity begins at home, but should not end there”

April 16th

HOPE -I live in hope of a lot of things,

some are more likely

to happen than others!!!!

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“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”

Albert Einstein

April 15th

The Seven Heavenly Virtues
FAITH - I went with my instinct on this photo.

Although I try to live my life by Christian values,

I do not attend Church regularly.

However, I do have Faith.
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“Faith is a knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof.”

Kahlil Gibran

April 14th

SLOTH - is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work

I love my bed and some days just want to hide away and stay there!

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Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired.

~Jules Renard

April 13th

GREED - is the desire for material wealth or gain,

ignoring the realm of the spiritual.

It is also called Avarice or Covetousness.

Today was certainly the right day for this prompt..

Although I honestly do not think I am too greedy!

I certainly coveted a few things on my

visit today at Alexander Palace.

The BIG bonus was that Kay and I got to meet up

with some of our 365'ers in real life for the first

but

not the last time.

A lot of peeking into one anothers bags went on,

with some oooooh's and aaaaah's

and "where did you find that?"

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“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need,

but not every man's greed”
Mahatma Gandhi**

April 12th

ANGER - is manifested in the individual who spurns love and opts instead for fury.

It is also known as Wrath.

I do not get angry very often

but

when I do WATCH OUT !

I find my stomach feels as if it is

all twisted and in knots.

However, I do try to remember that:

Anger is one letter short of danger

and

take time to count to 10 before I speak.

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“For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

April 11th

LUST - is an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body.Knowing my children read this blog every day I will not be going

into to much detail here!

However, the photo and quote below just says it all.

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"True love never dies for it is lust that fades away.

Love bonds for a lifetime but lust just pushes away.”
Alicia Barnhart

April 10th

GLUTTONY - is an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires.If I am really honest I know I eat too much.

Because I keep trying to lose weight... but it keeps finding me!!!

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Gluttony is not a secret vice.

Orson Wells

April 9th

ENVY - is the desire for others' traits,

status, abilities, or situation.

Ok so this photo might not be of the prettiest baby in the world.

but

when he grows up he will be able to fly.

I do envy a birds ability to fly and see the world from a different

perspective.

Having said that there are still those in the world like my friend

here

who sometimes try to fly too LOL

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Birds have wings; they're free;

they can fly where they want when they want.

They have the kind of mobility many people envy.

Roger Tory Peterson

April 8th

The Seven Deadly Sins
PRIDE - is excessive belief in one's own abilities,

that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God.

It has been called the sin from which all others arise.

Pride is also known as Vanity

My make up drawer is a mess!

I used to have it tidy and organised!

These days my make up gets put on as

an after thought so I suppose age may have

made me less vain.

However, I am still vain enough to alter this photo

so that it looks a bit 'arty',

rather than the mess it is! LOL

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“Vanity and pride are different things,

though the words are often used synonymously.

A person may be proud without being vain.

Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves;

vanity, to what we would have others think of us.”
Jane Austen

April 7th

“Habit is the 6th sense that over rules the other 5”

HOWEVER I BELIEVE

“Our five senses are incomplete without the sixth - a sense of humor”

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Abbie and I like to have FUN with our photography

April 6th

“I would rather have eyes that cannot see;

ears that cannot hear;

lips that cannot speak,

than a heart that cannot love”
Robert Tizon

Over the last 48 hours I have been taught by two amazing ladies.

Shimelle and Karen
have given me so much inspiration

and

FUN

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Shimelle taking us through the stages of scrapbooking

and

making me realise why I love to do it.

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Karen talking from the heart and making us

laugh and cry at the same time.

I have never seen so many tissues being used

at any one time before in a classroom!

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“One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can't utter.”
James Earl Jones

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Scrapbooking helps me utter the words in my heart

April 5th

"Touch"

Today I experienced first hand the

‘Magic Touch’

of Shimelle’s cooking skills.

Her cup cakes are so yummy.

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“Kindness is more than deeds.

It is an attitude, an expression, a look, a touch.

It is anything that lifts another person.”

April 4th

Taste" - sweet, sour, salty, sharp. Simply put... everyone has a price, mine is chocolate!
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Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today.
That way, at least you'll get one thing done.

April 3rd

"Smell"

“Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles

and

all the years you have lived.”

Helen Keller

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Just a fleeting moment of a smell can certainly brings back memories.

Bread baking.

Coffee brewing.

Wet grass after a rainstorm

and even burnt toast! LOL

April 2nd

"Hear, listen" What do your ears hear today?

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“A friend is someone who helps you up when you're down,

and if they can't,

they lay down beside you and listen.”

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I am so lucky,

I have some really good friends,

who would willingly lay down beside me

and listen.

April 1st

"Look, see, view" What do you eye spy today?

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"The question is not what you look at, but what you see".
Henry David Thoreau