This week's blog has been put together with photos that were taken by myself and Abbie. We had a photographic workshop on Saturday where I have tried to pass on some of my photographic skills to the next generation.
I think she came up with some pretty amazing shots of her Nanny and Grandad.
THANK YOU Abbie.

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1st September
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined.”
~ Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862); philosopher, writer, naturalist
Anna told us her childhood dreams:
“ We all had childhood dreams, mine was to be a vet, a musician and a fashion designer (when older). What were your dreams, and are you living them?”

My childhood dreams were quite simple. After having 3 different homes and my mother, my aunt and my grandmother all dying in the first 15 years of my life, all I wanted when I grew up were:
a home to call my own, a loving husband and 6 children. I have all these except the 6 children. This was one part of my dream that I definitely reviewed once I had given birth and started to bring up my family.

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“There is nothing like a dream to create the future.” ~Victor Hugo

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31st August
"Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart.”
~ Author Unknown

Nothing is more calming to the heart than enjoyment of nature and even though we live in the suburbs, our garden is like a little nature reserve. With birds, hedgehogs, fish and newts. During our photo shoot yesterday we found another cricket though we weren’t too sure if it was still ‘Alfie’ hanging around the garden. LOL

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"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves."
~ John Muir (1838-1914)

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30th August
"The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time."
~ Abraham Lincoln

I am the kind of person that has always lived for today, I try not to worry too much about what the future might hold because one day I will be worrying about nothing!!!
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“When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happened.”
~ John M. Richardson, Jr.

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29th August
“Dreams come in a size too big so that we may grow into them.”
~ Josie Bisset (b. 1970); Television actress

I hope Abbie has many dreams that she will grow into.

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“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”
~ Epicurus quotes
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28th August
"Within sorrow is grace. When we come close to those things that break us down, we touch those things that also break us open. And in that breaking open, we uncover our true nature.”
~ Wayne Muller; author, therapist, minister

When I have been faced with a crisis in my life I try to recall a very short quote” What doesn’t break me makes me.”
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It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.
~ Charles Darwin

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27th August
“Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you.”
~ Oscar Wilde (1854-1900); writer, playwright

I have many happy memories that can not be stolen from me. The most life changing for me was the day I married Colin over 39 years ago.

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"It is easy to feel rich any time. Just count all the things you have that money can't buy."
~ Kevin Eikenberry

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26th August
"Gracefulness has been defined to be the outward expression of the inward harmony of the soul.”
~ William Hazlitt (1778-1830); writer, essayist, literary critic

To do things graceful has not been one of my strong points in life, however over the past few months I have been doing things a lot slower. The one thing I have learnt from this is even though the job is done more slowly, it still gets done. Therefore, from now on, I am not going to rush at life but take it more slowly and enjoy it.

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Whatever the tasks, do them slowly
with ease,gracefully,
in mindfulness,
Do any tasks with the goal
of getting them over with.
Resolve to each job in a relaxed way,
with all your attention.”
~ Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Master