11th August
"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say, I used everything you gave me."
Erma Bomback

I like to think that the gifts/talents that I might have I use to their full potential.
I love my photography, craftwork and my garden.

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“Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.”
~ Henry Van Dyke

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10th August
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."
~Leonardo da Vinci Not sure how sophisticated I am but I do like simplicity in art and design.
These can be seen in many aspects of our everyday life, mind you the supermarket trolley on the sign is a lot more simplistic the ones in real life where the wheels wobble and they never want to go in the direction you want them to!!!
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“Simplicity is making the journey of this life with just baggage enough.”
~Charles Dudley Warner
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9th August
"Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment, full effort is full victory."
- Ghandi Mahatma
Well I have certainly put full effort into my diet that I started 7 days ago. Mind you when you look at a day's meals from the Slimming World diet I have been on, the effort has not been difficult.
I am certainly looking forward to the victory of getting into size 12 clothes again!!!

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“If I want to be great I have to win the victory over myself... self-discipline.”
~ Harry S Truman quotes
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8th August
“Appreciation...acknowledges the presence of good wherever you shine the light of your thankful thoughts.”
- Alan Cohen; author I certainly appreciate all the good things that have come my way in life.
Here is a photo of two of them on the way to Abbie’s few days away with her Aunty.
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“The more one does and sees and feels, the more one is able to do, and the more genuine may be one's appreciation of fundamental things like home, and love, and understanding companionship.”
~Amelia Earhart
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7th August
"Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. you only need a heart full of grace. a soul generated by love.”
- Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-68), American civil rights leader There are many ways to help and serve others

and although I help raise funds for
Helen and Douglas House hospice in Oxford. I will always remember the day we went out into the barren land of the Gambia in an old pickup truck to visit the children of a small primary school that we had brought materials for. They were so grateful for everything that it was a really humbling experience.

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“Happiness... consists in giving, and in serving others.”
~ Henry Drummond

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6th August
"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
- Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948), Indian political and spiritual leader In trying to help others I often find that ,although I might be able to do quite a few things to help, I can not physically do everything so have to learn to say "no" occasionally. So why is it when I say “no sorry, I can’t do that” I always feel guilty?

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He who knows others is learned;
He who knows himself is wise.
~Lao-tzu, Tao te Ching

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5th August
“If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain. If I can ease one life the aching, Or cool one pain, Or help one fainting robin Unto his nest again, I shall not live in vain.”
- Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), poet

Being there for my family, listening to them and loving them as I do I find it hard sometimes not to be able to protect them from some of the hurt that they have had in their lives. However I am always there to give support and help and hope that this goes someway in lessening the pain.

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“Words and hearts should be handled with care for words when spoken and hearts when broken are the hardest things to repair.”
~ Anon

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4th August
“No person ever ended his eyesight by looking on the bright side.”
—Zig Ziglar (b. 1926), author, motivational speaker

I like to think that I can see the brightside in most given situations. Mind you sometimes life can make that a little difficult to do. Nonetheless, I endeavour to always to look on the brightside of life. Judging by this photo I am not the only one!
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Here is the first verse of a Monty Python song.
Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse.
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best...
And...always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the light side of life..
~words and music by Eric Idle