Canals, Canines, Kennels and Crafts

On Sunday, We spent the First whole day on our Narrowboat this year.

It was warm and I could feel the sun on my back and face for the first time in 2012. It felt delicious!

I have written about the peace and solitude we find when we spend  time on Eliza.


We discover a simpler life. A way of life that suits us and that we strive to achive every day.

However, we have decided to sell Elisa so that we can buy a Boarding Kennel business with enough land to create an animal sanctuary and to become completely self sufficient.

We want to live a simple life, pursue work for more profound reasons and to have more time and space for creativity and interesting and enjoyable activities.

We had thought we may do this by becoming part of the canal community. Finding a plot of land where we could put an art studio and create a sanctuary for Rescue animals.

We have not ruled this idea out, and continue to search for that plot of land, however, we both also  like the idea of making a go at creating our own business in an area that we both feel passionately about. We want to create a home away from home for our canine Friends. A small  home that is environmentally Friendly, Ethical, Comfortable and Good Value.

I believe that by making a small income from this,  I will have more of an opportunity to raise money to set up my animal sanctuary which I hope will compliment the paying Boarding Kennels.

Rob will "potter" and I will "create" and if we are lucky, this may also fund the animal sanctuary.

So, at the moment, we look for both that Perfect Boarding kennel business, as well as that Perfect Canalside plot of land, while hoping that someone will want to buy our home to give us the finances to do either!

On Sunday, I knew that I wanted to find the Canalside plot of land, which I always do when I am on Eliza!

Other days, I want to move straight into an exsisting business that we can develop into "Harmony Kennels"!

Who knows what will happen?

But for now, following on from yesterday's post about wanting to make use out of my camera, I wanted to share some of the photos I took on Sunday which I hope, give a sense of the peace and tranquility we find on our piece of the Canal........................................

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