Preferred Pursuits

I started this blog at the end of Summer last year.  I knew I had at last found a creative space to express my thoughts, feelings, emotions, values and beliefs and I started to dedicate time to creating posts that I felt were interesting, thought provoking and meaningful.

I hoped people would read them, but I believed those "people" would be my Friends.

Now,  I love my Friends, I have wonderful Friends as I have spoken about in so many other posts.
So I wondered why they didn't read my posts. Why they didn't comment and why they didn't become followers?!

I didn't really take it personally. My Friends know that I am an "ideas" kinda girl, in that  all the time they have known me, I have always talked about my ideas, all the new projects and tasks I am going to undertake!

As I have written about previously, I am striving for self actualisation and I have not been afraid to try out lots of different things to get there!

Over the last months however, I believe I have finally found my true vocation after travelling down many roads. I know now what I want to concentrate my efforts on. What I want to focus my attention on. 

I have reached this conclusion through the help of so many wonderfully descriptive, creative and imaginative blogs that I have had the pleasure of reading and becoming a follower of.

So now I understand why my Friends haven't really become avid readers of my blog.

Blogging is self expression, it's a form of creativity and productivity. It's a forum to meet other like minded indiviuals, and...................... it's kinda adddictive!!!

So I understand now, that although I share a deep connection with all My Friends, it doesn't mean that we are neccessarily like minded in everything we feel.

I have really only now started to invest the time and energy into this "blogging" world.

Ultimately, as I mentioned in previous posts, when I realised that no one else wanted to read what I'd written, I decided that keeping a record of my thoughts and activities, values and beliefs was important anyway and that the blog would just be for my benefit.

I realised however, that it would encourage me to write better and be creative if I thought someone else might read it too!

So I started to really look around the blogasphere and boy, have I found some Beautiful Blogs. Blogs that I relate to, blogs that I want to relate to, blogs by people I want to meet, blogs by people I wish I knew, blogs by people that I strive to be like and blogs by people who I feel I should have been more like.

I have learnt that, at longlast, I have a project - DragonFly Aspirations that I enjoy, that I won't get bored of and that will encourage me  to pursue the other projects that I am passionate about, because I may develop an audience of like minded individuals who will share the same beliefs.

One of the reasons I started this blog, was to highlight the issue of Animal Welfare to the attention of any readers. To get the idea of Veganism out there. This my biggest project and I am now very much involved in campaigning in any way I can.


So, that is two pursuits,  DragonFly Aspirations and AnimalAid.
I am also  going to pursue my crafts which I have been leaving on the sidelines while I try out other pursuits, that seem to  have fallen by the wayside.

After looking at all the other Fabulous Blogs, my creative juices are flowing and I am needing to "create" some recycled art projects.

I have been inspired by the artists I have come across who are using their blogs as a showcase for their work.

DragonFlyAspirations is giving me the motivation and incentive I need to get back to my Art Room, Sort out my lids, corks, ribbons, string, old clothes, old CD's, boxes, jars among others and get creating those recycled Art models that I haven't done for so long.

Two years ago, I started to make a Rather huge dragon. I moulded it out of Chicken Wire, and covered him with Paper Mache. The idea was to cover him with the many years worth of bottle tops that I have collected. This project never got finished because I went onto something else!

The wonderful photography displayed throughout many of the blogs I am following has motivated me to take a Course in Learning how to use my Camera properly! So this will be another pursuit, one that I have been procrastinating about for too long.

So there I have it. My Preferred Pursuits that sit nicely  alongside my main interests that are my Family, Dogs and the Natural World!

I am finally settled and relaxed and certain about what I will spend my spare time doing.

A long time ago, Rob and I turned away from striving after wealth and possessions to free us to pursue work for more profound reasons and to have more time and space for creativity and interesting and enjoyable activities. However we are still striving for more time and space but we know it is coming, we are heading in the right direction.
http://dragonflyaspirations.blogspot.com/2011/10/consumer-blitz.html
Like me, Rob has his Preferred Pursuits of rock climbing and pottery and yearns to be able to give more time to them. Unlike me, he has less time because he works longer hours but we can see the end to this way of life in sight now.

We Aspire to lead a sustainable, self reliant life where we can make time for the intentional activities we choose, our work, our hobbies and interests, community activities and interpersonal relationships.
We are choosing to find activities and a way of life that will improve our wellbeing -
Creative Arts, Gardening, Taking Action for Others and the planet and being at one with Mother Earth will add meaning to our lives and help us to become more fulfilled.


Here are photos of some of my creations for our"Joyfest".

And here are a Few creations that were made for us By our wonderful Friends!

 Rob made over 40 Flower holders and Lanterns:

THANKYOU TO THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE STARTED TO KEEP ME COMPANY ALONG MY BLOGGING JOURNEY AND TO THOSE OF YOU WHOSE BLOGS INSPIRE AND ENTERTAIN!

JENX

Magic Moments, Catching Sight of the Beatiful

The last week  has been one of Starts and Ends, Firsts and Lasts, Highs and Lows.

My emotions, which are delicate at the best of times (!) have ensured that I have laughed, cried, shouted, withdrawn, worried and celebrated!

So this afternoon,  I am trying to catch up with all those things that need to be done which I don't really find very exciting! Housework, paperwork, parceling up presents for Nieces and Nephews, washing and cooking dinner! (yes,  definately a domestic ungoddess!!!)

So while I do all these things which are preventing me from writing my blog, I have been taking photos of those little moments that have made me  smile, laugh and feel like I'm going to burst with pleasure! What I cannot take a photo of is the music I am listening to which are some of the favourite sounds of Karin Davis who has the Captivating, Dreamy, Floaty, Enchanting and Magical blog Moonlight and Hares. http://moonlightandhares.blogspot.com/

So here is a snapshot of what is going on around my place this afternoon!!! 

MY DOGS RELAXING, SNOOZING AND WATCHING!

COME ON MUM, ENOUGH HOOVERING, WE WANT A WALKIE!!!

THE WAY THE SUN IS SHINING GIVES THE VIEW OUT OF  MY BEDROOM WINDOW A WARM GLOW.

A REFLECTION ON THE WALL FROM THE SUN SHINING THROUGH THE COLOURED GLASS ON THE FRONT DOOR

A ROSE AND TULIPS THAT LOOK EVEN BETTER NOW IN THEIR DRIED AND SHRIVELLED UP FORM AS THEY DID WHEN THEY WERE FRESH 3 WEEKS AGO!

 GETTING OUT FOR THAT WALK IN BETWEEN "TASKS". WHEREVER WE GO, WHENEVER WE GO, STORMBY ALWAYS FINDS A BALL!

WHAT MORE CAN MAKE ME BURST WITH ANTICIPATION, EXCITEMENT AND JOY BUT THE EVIDENCE THAT SPRING IS HERE! EVEN IF I DO HAVE TO GET BACK TO MY "TASKS", SPRING IS STILL OUTSIDE THE DOOR WAITING FOR ME!


SO, I AM SIGNING OFF TO FINISH OFF WHAT I NEED TO DO BECAUSE THEN I CAN COME BACK TO MY BLOGASPACE WHICH IS WHERE I REALLY WANT TO BE THIS AFTERNOON.

THANKYOU TO THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE READING AND FOLLOWING! I AM COMPLETELY
DELIGHTED AND HUMBLED THAT I HAVE GATHERED A FEW FOLLOWERS. I HAVE SO MUCH TO LEARN AND YOU ARE ALL AMAZING WRITERS WITH CREATIVITY FLOWING FROM YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS. YOU HAVE CAPTUREED MY IMAGINATION AND FILLED ME WITH A DESIRE TO WRITE, CREATE AND ACT UPON MY WORDS.

REX, KAREN, ARLEEN AND MAURA, THANKYOU FOR GIVING ME THE ENCOURAGEMENT AND INSPIRATION TO MAKE THIS INTO SOMETHING!

YOUR BLOGS ARE PROLIFIC, PROFOUND AND PURE PLEASURE TO READ. THEY ARE ENGAGING, EXCITING AND ENCHANTING.

AT LAST, I FEEL I AM REAPING THE REWARDS OF KEEPING A BLOG. MY FIRE IS FUELLED BY ALL THE OTHER BEAUTIFUL BLOGS I HAVE DISCOVERED AND WILL BE FOLLOWING AND I KNOW THERE ARE MORE OUT THERE TO FIND!

 MY CREATIVITY IS DESPERATE TO EXPLODE AND I CAN'T WAIT FOR EVERY MOMENT I HAVE TO SPEND DEVELOPING IT!

I WROTE IN MY LAST POST AND POSTS BEFORE IT, THAT I STRIVE TO BE AN ARTIST AND AN ACTIVIST.
AT LONG LAST, I FEEL THAT I AM ON THAT PATH AND NOT STRAYING OFF WHEN IT ALL FEELS TOO MUCH. 
 I BELIEVE I AM THERE, I'M DOING SOMETHING MEANINGFUL AND REACHING OUT TO OTHERS ALONG THE WAY THROUGH WRITING AND ACTING UPON MY BELIEFS.

 LAST WEEK I RAN A VEGAN COOKERY WORKSHOP AND AM DOING ANOTHER TOMORROW.

TO ALL MY FELLOW DETERMINED, CREATIVE, PRODUCTIVE BLOGGERS OF SUBSTANCE -

YOUR CREATIONS ARE INFLUENTIAL AND STIMULATING.

THROUGH DRAGONFLYASPIRATIONS AND MOONLIGHT AND HARES, LILAC COTTAGE, STARTING OVER, ACCEPTING CHANGES, A SCULPTURED LIFE, ONE JANUARY DAY, ACORN GATHERER  AMONG MANY OTHERS, I HAVE RECONNECTED WITH MY CREATIVITY AND FEEL THE OVERWHELMING URGE TO WRITE, MAKE AND CRAFT!

THERE IS SO MUCH I WANT TO DO AND LEARN. I AM SO EXCITED BY THE PROSPECT OF WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR ME AND MY FAMILY AND HERE IS A SPACE TO DOCUMENT IT!

MY LIFE IS SPILLING OUT THE CUP, SO MUCH IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW BUT I AM GRABBING IT WITH BOTH HANDS AND TAKING EVERY CHANCE I HAVE.

AND NOW, I MUST GO AND MAKE DINNER!

Sunrays, Moonbeams, Light, Love, Peace & Hugs

JENx

Children, Changes and Choices.

This is a picture of my daughter whose zest and joy for life melts my heart and lifts my spirits every day.
Bleu has a beautiful energy that radiates from her in every moment. She is a perfect example of the importance of living in and for the moment and I often wonder at her spirit of play and contentment.

This is my son who also has an impressive engergy and passion for life and of whom I am immensely proud.
Matthew turns 17 next Friday and I can honestly say he has grown into a self reliant, quietly determined young man with a streak of the ridiculous! His tenacity and dedication to his job and future career is nothing short of incredible and I hope he will never loose his focus.

I hope that both my Children have a deep down sense of self which comes from always knowing the unconditional love of their family.

This is my husband who, as I have mentioned many times in previous posts, holds us all together with his love, protection, guidance, judgment and perspective. He offers us all a firm, supporting hand and a warm heart and strives for us all to be comfortable and happy. Rob is determined to enjoy life even though he is presently stuck in a job which can sometimes drain him of his hopes and dreams.  However, a weekend soon fixes that and Rob will once again display the drive and dedication that enables him to make the most of what he has here and now. He is a good and loyal husband and father and We are a very lucky family, and I hope a unit that is so tight, it is unbreakable.

Alot of things are changing for us as a family right now and it has been unsettling for all of us. Bleu and Matthew appear to have remained rather unaffected but it's difficult to believe that, on some unconscious level, they are not a little anxious.

Both our house and narrow boat are up for sale, and we are really just playing a waiting game now which we hope will happen by Summer.

So, my journey since starting this blog, has always had this end goal in site, and we are at the half way mark now!

Our goal is to buy an exsisting boarding kennels which we can love and nurture and make into a profitable, ethical and comfortable business so that we can concentrate on living and enjoying life. We aim to become self sustainable and to really live as simple a life as is possible as I have described in past posts.

We would like to make enough money to have the essentials and feel comfortable but we aim to concentrate on our other skills to achieve self fulfilment. Rob will make his pottery and I will concentrate on making the world a better place for our fellow inhabitants, and making part of our home, an animal sancturary.

So, our family unit is about to tested in a way it has not experienced before. But I know we'll make it and become stronger. There is so much about our old life that I will miss, so the challenge will be to make our new life as full and enjoyable as possible so that the pain of what we have left behind becomes manageable.

Family helps us to make clearer choices. Obligations become clearer and there are huge responsibilities. However, those responsibilities need not be an obstacle to creativity. In fact, we have realised that the discipline of nessecity is a Very good creative spur.

So we are moving forward into the unknown. Something that we have wanted to do for so long, but until now, the time never seemed right, it wasn't right for our Kids.

Now though, the time has come to focus our responsibilities and obligations on making something sustainable and creative, which will benefit our children and give them a legacy of 2 parents that feel so blessed and amazed each day at the wonder that is Bleu and Matthew.

Follow the journey here!

HALLOWEEN HARVEST AND HAPPY HARMONY

 I am lucky enough to be able to volunteer 1 day a week at an amazing gardening project which supports individuals who are going through mental health illness, which affects 1 in 4 of us.

Projects like these, which are sadly few and far between, are incredibly valuable.  Life is stripped back to basics and people can discover a sense of respect and wonder for nature, and experience something different from their normal lives which can be lonely, frustrating and challenging.

 Gardening allows us to truly reconnect with nature and projects such as this one, offers valualble opportunities to learn and grow and increase knowledge, understanding and experience of the natural environment.
Our environment gives us a world that has a past and present reality and provides opportunities to exercise and socialise. This project enables people, who may not have these opportunities in their day to day lives, to be a part of something wonderful which can only serve to build self belief,a sense of purpose and the realisation that we are part of something much bigger. This knowledge can help to put our problems into perspective.

 Being outdoors improves our psychological and physical health whether we are active or passive in our pursuit of enjoying the natural world. Garden colours and scents stimulate the brain.
This project allows people to relax and enjoy the outdoors while giving them the chance to work on the land, get back to nature and find out how food is produced.
There is something wonderful about going out in the morning, doing a hard days work and then actually seeing the results of our labour.
That's a real reward that money can't buy and extremely confidence boosting.

These are the pumpkins which have now been harvested all ready to be made into nutritios pumpkin soup to feed all the gardeners of the project thoughout the colder months!
Parsnips have also been harvested, some so big, that it was only possible to dig half of them out!
We also started to dig some of the celeriac last week and leeks and carrots are still being harvested.
What better than parsnip or pumkin soup with roasted celeriac, all home made and home grown.
This is about getting back to basics and working on the land with the seasons.

By giving ourselves the chance to form a relationship with the natural world, we can learn to recognise that our landscape has it's own life and it's own spirit. If we respect the natural world we can live in harmony with it and we can live off it. Our ancestors lived off the land and by the seasons, and each season presented them with new challenges, but they listened to the land and the land gave them what they needed because they were in tune with nature, they were part of it. Going back to basics means reconnecting with nature, growing our own food and protecting mother earth for us and our children. It means becoming self-sustainable and self-sufficient. We can't do any of that if we don't feel part of our natural environment, so go out, be creative, FEEL GROUNDED: - explore, plant, pick, taste, oberve, listen, take photos and indulge in the wonder that surrounds us, the wonder that is OUR world.

When Rob and I exchanged our rings during our Joyfest ceremony, these were the words that my brother spoke:

"These rings, a token of your love for one another, will serve as a reminder that all in life is a cycle, all comes to pass and passes away and comes to pass again.

May the elements bless these rings. Air for hopes and dreams; Fire for the spark of love; Water for harmony and healing; and Earth for strengh.

The circle is the symbol of the sun, the earth and the universe. It is a symbol of wholeness and peace. In the form of a ring, may it stand for you as a symbol of your love for each other, looking inwards and outwards, an embrace that binds without imprisoning, a support that reassures without restricting.

By the exchange of these tokens of your love for one another, so are your lives interlaced. What one experiences, so shall the other; as honesty and love build, so will your bond strenghen and grow.

The circle is a perfect figure, without beginning, without end, with no area of weakness. It is a symbol of the Circle of Life, of death and rebirth. This shall serve as a physical reminder of your vow, and that all things begin and end and begin again. These rings shall serve to remind you that life goes on, that these moments passs. When you are engulfed in anger or in sadness, look to your hand and remember that the wheel turns forever onward, and it is love that turns the wheel.

The symbolism of the circular rings was explained by the great native American leader, Black Elk, who said:

"Everything the power of the worlds does is done in a circle. The sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball and so are the stars. The wind in its greatest power whirls. Birds make their nests in circles..............The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle. Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing and always coming back again to where they were. The life of a man or woman is a circle from childhood to adulthood, and so is everything where power moves."

To me, these words sum up our connection with Mother Earth. We are part of her, part of nature, part of the ever changing cycle of life.

WE MUST STOP DAMAGING HER, STOP PLUNDERING HER RESOURCES AND HURTING HER INHABITANTS. WE NEED TO PROTECT OUR WORLD, GIVE HER TIME TO HEAL AND THEN NURTURE HER SO SHE AND US CAN LIVE AND WORK IN HARMONY.

MOTHER EARTH IS OUR LIFE FORCE, WITHOUT HER AND ALL HER GIFTS TO US, WE WILL PERISH.

I AM ON A JOURNEY TO BECOME SELF RELIANT AND TO LEAD A SUSTAINABLE LIFE.

I HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO BUT THIS IS MY ASPIRATION AND THIS BLOG IS HERE TO RECORD THAT JOURNEY IN ALL IT'S FORMS.

KEEP READING, GO GARDEN, TAKE A RAMBLE, JUST TAKE INSPIRATION FROM WHAT YOU READ AND FEEL!

THANKYOU!