While I think 'a little more deeply' about sharing and blogging (see yesterday's post) here is a photo of one of life's simpler pleasures.

This tiny siskin was so well disguised among the green leaves and grey stones that I nearly stood on it. It seemed quite unaware of my presence and pecked around quietly for about quarter of an hour or so, just inches away, as I transplanted some seedlings yesterday in warm sunshine.

Peaceful company.

The website A-List Bloggers www.alistbloggingbootcamp.com currently has a post that asks:

'What is your purpose in writing your blog?'

'I write in order to peruse myself' said writer, poet and painter Henri Michaux. I looked up 'peruse': to read or examine, typically with great care. Hmm.

I had been thinking a lot about trying to simplify my life, and writing a blog about it gave me the opportunity to put my thoughts and feelings into order, and into words.

The best advice was 'One topic at a time, and one aspect of that topic at a time'. (I don't remember where I read that.) This gave me a structure which suited me. I could break down this big subject into bite size pieces and think a little more deeply about each one....

I know that at least one of my readers writes a blog, and one has a photo blog, and at least two of you are professional writers - it would be fun if you would leave a comment telling us about your blogs and writing....please..


..the other purpose was to share my thoughts....tomorrow's post..

Someone asked 'Who inspired you to blog?'

I was given the book The Happiness Project   for Mother's Day in 2010 and found both the book and the blog really good reads. I found myself thinking 'If I  was to write a blog, what would I write about?' and the answer 'Simplicity' came so instantly to my mind that I started thinking and writing about it, just for me, and just for fun.

After a week or two I began to think about publishing it online and spent a day or two looking at the possibilities, and at the suggestion of 11 year old Andrew to use Weebly, the blog was born.

..clicking on the button that said 'publish live' was so......exciting..

The greenhouse is my happy place these days - I can garden there even when it's raining.

I don't know what happened to Auntie Jennie's Jeranium, but I kept the label....

I reach a point when I realise the clutter is holding me back from the work.

I took Gretchen Rubin's advice: 'Suffer for 15 minutes' she says.

Decide to spend 15 minutes, not a minute more, on a job you really don't want to do. Do as many 15 minute sessions as it takes....it took two to clean up my worktop in the studio (see yesterday's post).

See more at http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/2011/05/sufferfor-fifteen-minutes.html

How is your workspace looking/functioning? Is it helping or hindering your work right now....are you willing to suffer!

I have to put up a cheerful photo after that sad one of the flattened poppies, as I need cheering up myself.

Not only are all the poppies flattened now, but the wind, rain and hailstones have battered the lupins and campanula, broken some favourite pots, sent the sweet pea wigwams across the garden....

The house is OK :)

I thought of just running away to sunny Spain, but the ash cloud has stopped all flights from Scotland!

I'll recover.

I went down to the shore sketching in this - exhilerating, but I am so glad I have a cosy home to hunker down in, a good dinner in the oven, and some good books to read - we won't be going anywhere tonight. The noise is wild and roaring with the odd loud crack as a branch or a tree comes down!

I reread 'The Novel' on 5th May at Zizzi's. What a strange feeling. I think I will continue with it.

Julia said 'Keep on keeping on.'

Yess!