I have signed up to The Optimist Daily today and loved the item about the community in West Bengal who imptoved their environment and their lives beynd recognition by planting trees twenty years ago.

Officialdom and bureaucracy can do what they like on bits of paper but I live on the continent of Europe and am and  will always be, happilly, European!

:-)

You know I like a good question.

Here are three which I find helpful.

As I began thiis blog and focussed on simplicity I often asked myself when I was unsure of how to proceed What would be simplest? I found that i nearly always knew the answer to this question - then I just had to do it.

The second question is helpful in putting any dilemma into perspective. Is this a life changing decision? More often than not it isn't! You can also put the issue on a scale of 1 - 10 in importance....

The third question is a new one for me. My word for the year is strong and I find myself asking Does this kind of self talk/train of thought/potential action/way of dealing with this make me stronger? I've been finding this really useful.

Do you have any good questions?

..a big bunch of flowers!

Whyever not?

Give me five good reasons!

These spark joy every time I look at them, which is a hundred times a day.

Especially important when it is like this outside.

Though I have to say the red gate sparks joy whatever the weather.

What is sparking joy for you right now?

It's still January!

There is still time to do January/beginning of the new year things - refresh, reset, renew, retreat, reinvent, reconsider, revive...

I took a few days retreat to myself after coming back from my trip to the cities. I'm lucky I can plan my own time but if you have a busy life/home/work schedule can you find an hour, an evening. a day or a weekend to have to yourself?

All those re- words! Meaning again. (It's Never Too Late To Start Again is the title of a good book by Julia Cameron).

Refresh

What needs refeshing? The water in the flower vase? The paintwork? Your memory? My wardrobe needs refreshing.

Reset

I wish I could reset my sleep pattern to sleep at the same time as the rest of the world!  It would be so convenient. I am working on it. A Wim Hof Breathing Method and Meditation video helped before bed last night
What would you like to reset, and how will you do it?

Renew

A subscription? I need to renew the back of the shed and my travel insurance.  This is turning into a to-do list! But I don't mean it that way - I am just thinking of it as a prompt for slightly different ways of looking at things. You might also renew your commitment to something. Or to someone.

Retreat

Since I went on Katrina's marvellous retreat in January 2017 I have realised the value of retreating from the everyday, and intend to explore it even more. (See Katrina's blog here). There are humdreds of types of retreats or you can just invent your own.

Reinvent

Not the wheel please - is there any area in your life where you are doing that? We can reinvent ourselves to a degree. When I found the courage to call myself an artist my life changed. When I stopped calling myself a wimp I got stronger.

Reconsider

Sometimes I have to reconsider what's feasible, or a decision I've made which I am unsure about.

Revive

As nature miraculously revives the garden I have to revive my interest in caring for it.  Perhaps you would like to revive an old interest - something you loved to do as a child? Something you love that's got crowded out?

Maybe one of these words speaks to you.

I bought a little notebook long and narrow, for lists. I do like lists! It was divided into Morning Afternoon Evening and In-between.

Using it for the first time to plan my day I filled in various tasks under each heading and when I got to In-between I was about to add a few more chores when I thought No, In-between should be pause for thought, consider what I've just done, ask how successful it was, or wasn't, or how it made me feel, take a breath or a break before rushing on to the next thing....

It's quite important with big things too. A major project at work or at home, an excursion, a holiday, a family event happy or sad.

One thing about this time though - you have to take it. The chances are no-one will give it to you!

I've grown to love the In-between times, they bring me back to myself, whether it's a minute or two between phone calls, or a few days of juicing and retreat which I've had this week.


I forgot to link to Toppings Booksellers. I see they have shops in Ely, Bath, and St Andrews as well as Edinburgh.

Topping and Company Booksellers in Edinburgh is a very welcoming bookstore first brought to our attention by Karen of Cornflower Books.

Welcoming (though you are not really meant to stand on the tables..).

Beautifully fitted out,  an old clock, and rugs seats and tables, coffee, writer's talks - it has everything you would want in a bookshop. Mary found a few titles she had been looking for. It gets crowded at weekends and it's very easy to lose a friend in the warren of rooms!

The RSW exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy is very good this year. The luminous quality of Winter Sun, Cromar by Chris Bushe stopped me in my tracks.

Mary had booked tickets for the Joshua Bell concert with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields in the Usher Hall well in advance. It was breathtaking. For me the highlight of the virtuosic performance was the exuberant Four Seasons of Buenos Airies by Piazzolla. You can get a flavour of it in this 4 minute mix...or you can hear the whole Piazzolla version by other artists on YouTube.

Loved it.

We used the Edinburgh Hop On Hop Off tour bus too, and took in an exhibition and a concert and a visit to Topping's Book Shop (thank you Karen of Cornflower Books).

Click on first photo for full images.

Duke of Wellington without traffic cone (much more respectful in Edinburgh!).Original Leonardo drawings still on at the Queen's Gallery..

Look at that blue sky!

Candles and outside tables in January! Outside of Stocks where we had a very good meal.  I was surprised at how busy Edinburgh was - we couldn't get a table at Urban Angel where I had planned to have one of their scrumptious almond croissants for Sunday breakfast. But there are hundreds of places to eat.

We also ate at The Dome. Oh, the high life!

Have you explored your own home ground as if you were a visitor?

(Click on photo to see full images in this rather random selection.)

..

I was lucky to make it to Glasgow as the ferries were off due to gales later last Thursday afternoon!

I was meeting Mary. Many of you will know Mary from her comments on this blog. She is from Washington DC and I think I should persuade her to write a travel blog. She has travelled the world with family, but also independently and I picked up a lot of tips from her about what to take with you, how to pack it, what to wear to be comfortable and look good (those scarves work Mary!), how to be efficient but flexible about arrangements, pace yourself, and keep a sense of humour when things don't go as planned.

Most things did go to plan for us and the weather was kind as we began a tour of Glasgow. It's interesting seeing your own city through the eyes of a visitor.

On the way to Rogano's for dinner we meandered through Merchant City admiring the architecture and a gorgeous hat shop, Looked into MOMA and smiled at The Duke of Wellington - can you make out the traffic cones on the heads of both the Duke and his horse? I don't know who started this joke and for a long time the cones were removed by officials, but they finally gave up and the image has become a Glasgow icon (which perhaps says something about Glaswegians irreverent attitude to figures of authority). Better images here

The next day we used the City Sightseeing Hop On Hop Off bus - a really neat way to get around and I learned a few new things about my city! But first we had breakfast at Mackintosh At The Willow. Most Mackintosh interiors are private or in museums with an entrance charge so to be in this restaurant and enjoy the experience of sitting in and using the surroundings as they were meant to be used is well worth the price of breakfast (or just a coffee if you wish, but the breakfast is very good). They have a good website here.

Hopped Off for coffee at Kember and Jones and bought some food to take back to the apartment for supper.

And as I am sure you can imagine talked and talked and talked.....

The odd tick from the heater in the hall.

A crow caw.

My own breath.

Otherwise, utter silence.

I put a log on the fire and light a candle.

My head is processing all the excitement of a few days in Glasgow and Edinburgh with Mary, and I'll be posting about them soon, but today I have become aware of how important the in-between times are.

Today I am having a retreat day.

(Recycling bins of course.)

I did appreciate all your suggestions, but after reading a story about someone who hoarded old shoes, I went through the house binning all the things which once sparked joy but were now sparking regret/anxiety/guilt/sadness/nostaliiia/uncertainty and indecision.

Out went the shoes the boots the sandshoes and the slippers. The dying plant. the old breadboard which goes black when I cut fruit on it, the dusty wreath, an old bag with an inkstain on it, the packaging from the new juicer (the old one blew up!), another pair of shoes which I never really liked, some old tired underwear (is there anything sadder than old tired underwear?) and everything in the fridge past its sell by date!!

No regrets.

Feels good.

Something else which feels really good is spending some fun time with Mary from Washinton DC - long time commentator on this blog. Mary blew into uk on storm Brendan and if the next storm allows and the ferries are still running we meet tomorrow for a Scottish cities trip!

Meantime here is my own little bit of cherry blossom. Prunus subhirtella 'autumnalis'. Photographed mid-December and hanging on through the recent gale force winds.

..about this lovely project?

some beautiful things are happening in the world.

Of all the hard things in life throwing away old shoes shouldn't really rank highly. But I find it really really difficult!

The faded purple sandshoes. There's somethin.g very nice about faded sandshoes on a hot summer day in the garden or on the beach. Though I also have a faded grey pair. Maybe I'll keep the spotted laces

The slippers are pretty horrible and I was given money at Christmas for a new pair.

Apart from a pair of tan patent shoes with a silver buckle which I bought when I was about eighteen from Russell and Bromley no less, these lime green Fly shoes are my favoutite shoes ever. One of them has a big hole in the sole. I bought another pair but they are a very slightly duller green - they don't have that zing whch makes my heart sing when I look at them. There is an old fashioned cobbler in Byres Road - the kind of man who is interested in shoes - I might just ask him if anything can be done....

The little boots, ten or more years old, have been so useful. Or they were until they began letting in water. You could put them in the washing machine.

Even books are easier to part with than shoes!

What do you find hardest to let go of?

Pure white tulips.

Outer order, inner calm.

This is the title of Gretchen Rubin's latest book, but I've long been a convert to this principle.

It really works for me.

Does it work for you too?

As a beautiful finale to the festive season we went to Scottish Ballet's The Snow Queen last night.
(Scroll down on their webpage for excerpts with the wonderful Rimsky Korsakov music.)

Even the journey there was magical with snow on the Arrocher Alps and there was bright frost and moonlight on the way home over the Rest and Be Thankful.

I am both rested and very thankful!  I watched the ballet all over again at breakfast - it's on BBC iPlayer. I was able to see all the detail I couldn't see very well in the theatre.

Wonderful.

I've been writing about feeling a bit nervous about my plans for 2020.

Among other things I plan to finish editing my novel, live for a month in Venice, and start work on a big solo exhibition. 15 - 20  large paintings. Date is being decided....

No pressure then, as they say!

Gulp.

Strong is my word for 2020.

Sometimes I don't .feel strong. Sometimes I scare myself with the ideas I come up with!

Like when I had my first exhibition.

I was working at beautiful Beningbrough Hall and looked at an exhibition of paintings in the gallery there and thought I could do that. (I hadn't painted for years.) So I went to the administrator and said, diffidently, Do you think maybe I could have an exhibition here one day? Vaguely thinking a year or eighteen months away, knowing the gallery got booked way ahead. There's just been a cancellation for August - I'll put you down said Ray. This was May.

I came down the stairs from that office feeling a bit shaky and thinking What have I just done?

The exhibition was a great success and I painted and exhibited for the next twenty years.

Can you think of a time when you were thrown in at the deep end, or  jumped in yourself as I did,  and found that actually you could swim?

Scary, but exciting...

Or at least battening down the rarpaulin on the logs. Gales tonight. The Country Living magazines don't show you what hard work living in the countryside is!

To cheer myself up I went looking for the shed in prettier times....

That's better!

Did anyone else see the giant white bird and the small black one in yesterday's photograph?

I am sure it is was a good omen....or I would be if I believed in omens. :-)

A good Scottish word for grey and rainy. This was the only bright moment in the weaher today. It's been a bit like Thomas Hood's poem lately!.

It takes a little, sometimes a lot. of courage to make a new start, write on a fresh page. paint on a blank canvas.

Today I slowly took down the Christmas decorations - it always makes me a little sad. I had a very comfortable and cosy time preparing for the festive season - it felt like a time to indulge myself and relax, to take it easy, to just be. I am replacing the Christmas things with other winter decorations - I still want that hygge feeling and the weather is dull and wet and the days are still short and dark.

I have some big plans for 2020 and I'm feeling a bit nervous about them today. Will I find the energy? Have I over committed myself? What if....Self doubt creeps in - no, rushes in!

I couldn't think quite how to finish this post, and as I was scrolling down through the categories to decide which one to put it under, I realised some answers to my fears were in there.

Let me explain. I started from the top of the list -

Live Simply - well yes, I need to remember that is what I am trying to do. That grounds me a little.
Simply Beautiful. I do have some beautiful ideas for 2020.
Simply Bin It.  Could I just throw some of my fearful thoughts in the bin?
Simply Chill. Yes, I need to chill by doing something else for a bit (I listened to Private Passions BBC Radio 3)
Simply Christmas. Well I am saying goodbye to Christmas 2019 which was lovely, so of course I feel a bit sad.
Simply Do A Good Deed. I could distract myself by thinking of one....

By the time I had got down the list I was already feeling better! 

Perhaps this strategy would work for you if you need to change your mood/restore your confidence/find a way out of a mild panic? 

I'd love to think so...(the list is on the sidebar).

I finally filed  the post under Simply Live, because that is what we must do with 2020.

Live it to the full.

I do love a bargain and perhaps because I am a small size I am very lucky in the sales. In fact I rarely pay full price for anything.

This year I have bought a big warm scarf (50% off), a pair of shoes (25% off - so glad I waited) and this hat which I simply adore. (Children's department of M&S £12 reduced to £4.)

Don't laugh. It's age 6 - 10!  I'm not that small! Chilfdren these days must just have big heads....

It's my Venice hat.

Has anyone else been to the sales?

I will of course start eating sensibly again, but first I have to finish off the leftover cake, biscuits, ice cream and chocolate covered raisins because I can't possibly eat well while they are in the cupboards and the sooner I scoff them all the sooner I will be eating healthy again. I know there is a flaw in this train of thought but I can't quite see a way out. I mean it would be wrong to bin all that nice food and I have given away as much as people are willing to take (they all have their own hoard).

However, after a day of indulgence, which I didn't really enjoy, I am ready for a fresh start.

I like new beginnings, a new notebook, a new resolution, a new page, a blank canvas...

So, open all the windows - even if its raining and blowing

Empty the rubbish bins, recycle the bottles.

Ear vegetables, drink water.

Clear off one surface - even if that means just piling it all up on another surface for now...

Light a fresh candle.

Get outside. I was only going to the bottle bank but bumped into a friend and went a much longer walk. You know you will feel better for it.

Then make a cup of coffee and sit down and write about it!

Even if you don't write a blog - a new diary? Your own Thought For The Day? A new list?

Blogging is an odd thing in many ways, but it certainly makes my life more fun!

I'm off to do Fly Lady's Home Blessing Hour - I listen to her as I do it - she's so wonderful and  makes me laugh.

Laughing as I do the housework? Who'd have thought it!

Have a great day.

..we need to look after.

A perfect message for a new year from my perfect present - Charlie Mackery's The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse.