Turning Points

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In everyone's life there come turning points, sooner or later. On Monday I experienced one such occasion. From that moment on I know that my life can never be the same and that substantial changes are likely to take place from now on. On reflection, I don't want to go back to the situation I was in prior to that turning point even though I know that the changes which are likely to take place in my life are not going to be easy and are painful. I have absolute faith though, that the events created by that turning point are for my greater good and will, in retrospect, and much later be seen to be blessings in disguise. The transition stage, however, is extremely uncomfortable.

Quay Fair Day

Sang with Levow an Bys yesterday at Quay Fair Day in Penzance, part of the Golowan Festival. There was lots of music going on there during the day and many fascinating stalls. In some ways it was a shame to come home and watch England's World Cup match, but it was so hot that I felt I needed to recover from the concert and the sun.

Mazey Day, Penzance, 2010

I've just returned from Mazey Day in Penzance. There were lots of people there but fewer stalls than I remembered from previous years. I stayed to watch the Dinner Parade and was extremely impressed by all the displays which had been made and were well worth watching. I walked around for a while and then had to come home because it was so HOT in town I felt I needed to rehydrate again. I was glad that I went.

2010 World Cup

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Like many other people yesterday afternoon, I watched the England v Slovenia match. I came in late for the first part because I was returning from T'ai Chi so I missed when Defoe scored the goal, but I did watch the replay. Watched the remainder of the match on the edge of my seat. On the whole I think England played well and it was an enormous improvement over the Algeria match. But the toll it takes on my nerves should not be underestimated . . . Onwards and upwards England - I hope.

Summer Solstice

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I always have mixed feelings about the Summer Solstice. Whilst it is the longest day, and the weather is usually better, there is also the feeling that from now on the evenings are going to draw in, however slowly. I love the long evenings and all the extra light that we have at this time of year. Of course this year is particularly good as the weather is so lovely. In West Cornwall this is also the time of the year that we celebrate Golowan; and on Saturday, it will be Mazey Day which is hugely popular locally. There are parades and performances in Penzance on Mazey Day and lots of stalls to visit. Hope the weather stays fine for it.

Morrab Library Fair

Went to the Morrab Library Fair yesterday and sang with Levow-an-Bys who were performing there. This is one of the three choirs that I sing with and we sing songs from around the world. I really enjoy this choir as it is such fun and there is so much enthusiasm. I think the concert went well. The weather was beautiful and there were a variety of interesting stalls to visit.

Sunny Day Walk

Image by Strange Ones via Flickr

Went for a beautiful walk yesterday. The sun was shining and the birds were singing. There was a sufficient breeze for it not to be too hot which it would have been without one. Walked to the coast and the view was breathtaking. Spotted lots of butterflies and moths, among them the Common Blue and a 6-Spot Burnet. On the way home I spied a fox with a rabbit in its mouth heading across the field. It was all a beautiful experience.

British Summer

Never predictable the British summer. On Sunday it was wet and misty and yet yesterday and today are beautiful, everything that you could wish of a summer day. In West Cornwall, where I live, we are lucky to have a cooling breeze which takes the edge off it becoming too hot most of the time. It makes for good walking weather and shows the area to its best advantage.

St Just Rally

Yesterday my partner and I went to the St Just Rally. This is an event for steam engines, tractors and vintage cars. It usually happens anually at about this time of year and is well worth visiting. Yesterday was marred somewhat by the weather but there were still some fabulous vintage cars present. In the marquee there were stalls which sold pictures, miniature engine houses and matchstick models as well as food and drink. There was also a dog show and a bouncy castle for the kids.

Favourite Clothes

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There's something to be said for old comfortable clothes. I have a summer shirt that I wear every year and it's so comfortable that I just keep washing and wearing it until the weather changes again. It came as a shock quite recently when I remembered that I've had this shirt for over 20 years. If it finally does become unfit for wear, I think I'll have to give it a funeral after such a long friendship!

Facebook

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Today I took the jump and joined Facebook after considering it for over a year. I was concerned about the privacy issues which I kept hearing about, but today, curiosity overcame caution and I signed up. Producing a photo for my profile was a bit of a problem as I had no photos of myself on computer, being a somewhat camera-shy individual. Thank goodness for mobiles. I spent an hilarious 10 minutes taking a photo of myself and the result was probably as good as could have been expected considering the subject! Everyone is talking about Facebook and I feel that it is important to explore this particular form of social communication. It is certainly worth a try.

The Healing Power of Nature

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Sometimes you don't even have to go outside to receive the healing power of nature. We have a resident blackbird who sings outside our house at different times of the day and the song is always uplifting and beautiful to listen to. The beautiful melody that the blackbird creates makes me just want to stop everything I'm doing to listen. What a beautiful inspiration.

Living Life in the Moment

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I have been doing this off and on for a couple of months or thereabouts by now. Sadly it is often more off than on as Real Life intrudes and I get caught up in my own internal landscape, planning, worrying etc. I realise how very hard it is to live life in the now for even a few seconds let alone minutes. The mind always intervenes with it's 'yes buts' and particularly 'what ifs'. And yet all of this is only in my mind. If left to my mind I can create quite vivid pictures of any possibilities that could unfold! I feel that it is a real gift and takes considerable focus to be able to live truly in the moment for more than a few seconds, to experience what is directly in front of you. And often in those few moments there can be so much real happiness. So I persevere with the practice.

Time Off

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Since this week is half-term in the UK, I haven't been doing my usual musical activities. I have to say that I'm enjoying the break which has allowed me to engage in activities that I wouldn't normally have time for such as walks, photography, sketching and gardening. This latter activity has taken up most of my spare time during the week as our garden is becoming badly overgrown and I have spent time each afternoon dealing with the undergrowth. There is progress, but sadly it is quite slow. I do have an idea of how I would like our garden to be ideally but often time, energy and the weather work against me. Still it is something to work towards, however slowly.

Designing

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I had the opportunity today to design some new business cards for myself as I had nearly run out of the old ones after giving one to a friend I met in town earlier. I had forgotten, for quite a while, how much I enjoyed designing stuff as I haven't done any for some time. OK, it wasn't the equivalent of rocket science as I used Publisher but I was still pleased with the end result. Maybe I'll design something else soon.