Last day of February

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This winter seems really to have dragged but now we are on the last day of February. It's bright and fairly sunny here although the wind is strong and still rather cold. Looking out in the garden I could see the pussy willow and various other shrubs starting to put out leaves. The gorse is already out and looks very colourful.

Something a Little Different

The cat was on the window sill
His fur was all a-quiver
He watched the little birds outside
And fell into a dither.

Paperwork

Image by Sidereal via Flickr

Much of this week, for me, has been tied up with paperwork; checking out information and making sure everything is running smoothly, which sadly it hasn't been. Fortunately I have a very good financial consultant who is helping me sort out the problems which have arisen through no fault of mine and hopefully resolve them.

Music

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I have been through many changes in my life but I would say that one of the constants is my love of music and of either playing it or singing. Learning the very different musical system is quite hard work as it has its own rules which are internally consistent but don't seem to link to anything outside of music. I've just been doing some music theory which I find quite challenging as I don't entirely understand it but at the same time I do admire the elegance with which the system was devised.

Cyclists

Image by Yoshimai via Flickr

This afternoon when I was driving back from town I saw a number of cyclists along the road. Is this yet another sign of approaching spring along with the nest-building birds I saw recently? It certainly is a beautifully mild day here, and sunny with it. I do hope that this will last for a while.

Sparrows

Image by Anon.Rosie via Flickr

This morning when looking out of our conservatory window, I noticed the sparrows at the seed birdfeeders. I'd put one up about a fortnight ago and another one up about two days ago. I watched as sparrows went for the first birdfeeder and squabbled amongst themselves for the seeds in that one alone, while the second birdfeeder remained totally unoccupied and free. It suddenly occurred to me to wonder then, if some Higher Power looks down on mankind and sees us all squabbling about our resources in some relatively small areas of our lives when there is an option available out there free and available, which for some reason we just don't see, like the sparrows.

Spring in the Air?

Image by Sergey Yeliseev via Flickr

Quite recently I saw a jackdaw flying with twigs in it's mouth for nestbuilding. Also there seems to be more birdsong around generally. In West Cornwall today, it's a bit warmer than it has been for quite a few days and as I look out of the window now, it's bright sunshine which is so cheering. Is spring in the air? Let's hope so.

Have a Heart for Haiti Concert

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As mentioned in my previous blog, the concert to raise money to pay for shelterboxes for Haiti went ahead yesterday. We were lucky with the weather which stayed dry but the wind was pretty cold. There was six hours of very varied live music which was most enjoyable.

Have a Heart for Haiti

Image by caribbeanfreephoto via Flickr

Tomorrow, in the centre of Penzance there will be 6 hours of non-stop live music to raise funds for the work of Shelterbox, for Haiti. There will be bands and fiddlers as well as six choirs, including Mousehole Male Voice Choir, A Cappella, Mounts Bay Singers, Levow-an-Bys, Penzance Orpheus Ladies Choir and Penzance Amateur Operatic Society. It should be an enjoyable day, so do come and join us.

Pets

As a pet-lover, I was delighted to read today that pets not only help to relieve stress but cuddling them can also safeguard against cancer, according to some experts. Personally, I love my cat for himself and adore cuddling him as he's so cute and has a lovely purr. I find that the pets that I've had are each so unique with their individual personalities which seem to become more pronounced the longer you spend time with them.

Tiredness

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Tiredness is a strange phenomenon. I suppose most of us suffer from it at some point or another. Today I went swimming after an early start and a piano lesson. I'm feeling pleasantly tired from the activity and very relaxed. I'll probably sleep well tonight!

Sunshine and Showers

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This has been the story of the weather this week. Sometimes the showers have been very heavy but at least, overall, it's been mild. I'm really hoping that the weather will stay like this for next Saturday when there will be non-stop live music in the centre of Penzance to raise money for Haiti. This is called 'Have a Heart for Haiti' and over 10 choirs and bands will be performing from 1000 until 1600 hours. If the weather is like this, it will be wonderful. I will be singing a number of times with choirs in this concert so hope that it will all go well. It's such a beautiful idea and it's a chance for a lot of local musicians to help raise money for Haiti as well as to showcase their talents.

Simplicity

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It's a great idea, a life of simplicity but not so easy to do in practice, at least not for me. To even get down to the idea of simplicity, particularly in thought and action, probably takes a lot of mental clutter-clearing, which in itself is no easy feat. So many thoughts, if observed, can seem habitual, a stimulus-response to our external environment, often unchallenged mentally until we take the time to check them out. But simplicity is a great concept. So much of our lives in this technological age is complicated and seems to be getting more so. If we can start to simplify our mental and emotional responses to situations, perhaps this will make our relationship with the external world less confusing because we will have more clarity in our thoughts and actions.

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Vulnerability

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For me, one of the hardest parts of writing and relationships is the need to be in some ways vulnerable, sensitive to what is going on inside and outside of me. Yet we are all probably vulnerable in some ways and under some conditions, it's part of being human - if not a very pleasant part. But when taken at its best, it is also an opportunity for communication and sharing, for being real to another person and not hiding behind pretense, trusting that the feelings will be reciprocated. And most of the time they are.