Blog Your Heart - Jan 2012

OK - here I am with my promised blog your heart post - a little bit late, But I do hope it will be worth the wait...
Last week, for my TUM post - I mentioned that I would be swimming in the Midmar Mile next weekend...and that Kayla-Fern had participated in her first show jumping event - and it got me thinking about LIFE....
Having already competed in the previous two years Midmar, I kind of know how it goes....
At the start, there is lots of splashing and enthusiastic kicking...and sometimes I have been kicked and sometimes I have kicked someone else...It is all part of the fun - Also with all the splashing and excitement, I always swallow some water and then take a breath to cough out the swallowed water - AND swallow some more water....Once the race gets underway, everyone settles down, and I kind of find my own space in the water...it is a feeling of peace and contentment ...and lonleyness - it is the wierdest thing, surrounded by many other swimmers and lifeguards along the side of the channel that we swim in and specatators watching from the beginning and people standing and cheering at the finish, and I start to feel lonley.  I think I feel lonley, because, I am the only one who can actually finish this race....Yes, there are people there (Lifeguards) who will haul me out of the water for my own safety, but to actually finish the race, I can rely on myself and myself ONLY....
I compare my swimming race (and any other event can be the same) to life...the training that I have put in are my life skills (schooling, education, work experience etc).
My swimming training partner, is the most important people in my life (parents and husband and friends and family - both past and present), the people without whom I would not be were I am today...
The other swimmers around me, are the general people in my life that I know, my work colleagues etc - past present and future...some of them in the race may say an encouraging word or two and those are my mentors and teachers in my real life.
The lifeguards are the people who have been in my life for a reason, been there to help me through a particularly rough time, these people could be the people who are really important to me, or could just be someone who was waiting on the side lines of my life to give me smile on a bad day....Whoever these people are, I am glad that I do not have to get into the water (do Life) without them.
The hard to deal with aspects of the race - tiredness, cramping, getting kicked, irrational fears (my own personal fear, is being attacked by a shark or crocodile - even when swimming in a large swimming pool) etc, are my challenges in life, and the negative people I have met in my life's journey....Just as in live, it is not the fact that those challenges are there, but how I deal with them, that makes me the person I am....
One thing that I acknowledge about my swim, in the past is that a DNF (did not finish), was unacceptable (to me), no matter what the reason - I would rather not start, then start and not finish....MMMM - I wander if I am starting to understand that in LIFE, Failure, is not the end of the world....It is something that I have to learn to deal with and try, try again....JUST KEEP SWIMMING, JUST KEEP SWIMMING....
Lots of love

TUM - Week 4 - Art

It was my theme this week - and boy, oh boy did I struggle....The thing is I can not remember what I wanted to photograph when I suggested the theme and then could think of nothing that suited the theme as well as my original idea, which has been lost somewhere in the maze if my mind's filing system...Anyway, I eventually settled and actually was quite pleased with the way my pics turned out...I was the last to send my photo through to everyone this week, but it seems I am the first to do my blog...
My photos is of artwork, hanging in our house...This particular drawing is one (of two) that I bought from some guy at a shopping mall many years ago - I think I paid about R20-00 each - when we framed them, the frames cost a lot more then the actual pictures...

Next up we have Mariette - she was the first to send her picture through this week - sent it through on Thursday, because Maxine was poorly and she was expecting a sleep deprived Thursday night and so wanted to ensure she at least got her picture through to us...Happily, her concerns were unfounded and she did have a good night's sleep and Maxine seemed on the mend on Friday - I do hope she is now 100% Mariette.  Mariette's picture is of her Banksia vase which she bought when her and Trev were in Austrailia last year...Check her blog out, to read more about her vase....

Claire says she loved the way her photo turned out - she fell in love with an antique sewing machine and loves the detail - it is very pretty...

Claire is busy updating her blog - it is looking lovely - totally different, and already I can hardly remember what the old one looked like, and I miss it - not necessarily because it is nicer then the new look, just different and I was used to "Me (Claire), finding inspiration in everyday moments", now she is "Finding Me (Claire) - Inspiration for the Soul" - slightly different but very different...and finding oneself is our true journey...
Finally, we have Pam's wonderful arty picture...

Do you see what it is???
A fun exercise...take a picure of cracks in the sidewalk, find a picture in the cracks and embellish the picture - Fun, Clever, Artsy and Creative - just like Pam..I am sure if you check Pam's blog she will tell you more about the excercise and as always, it will be wonderful.
Some of my other pics this week: -

The partner to Mr Lion - Mrs Tiger and Kids - ok, so I know that it is not a great photo in terms of lighting in fact it is probably a bad photo, but I liked the varying degrees of darkness - That to me is ART itself...I also love the picture, the cubs playing and mom's patient expression captured in a drawing....

No words needed here - also a picture bought years ago, and one that has been treasured every single day...It is almost as though the artist used our old German Shepherd (Flag) as his model..We Can not look at this picture and not be reminded of a very special, loyal and faithful friend, who is still loved and missed, every day....It is also uncanny, that Romanni who was born in the same month that Flag died, looks so similair and has so much of his charecter - always makes me wander about reincanation...

We had a busy weekend, with a 2km swim for me (Midmar is two weeks away)....followed by "mental training" for most of the members of the Midmartian teams....

Mental Training - Railway coffee (coffee with condensed milk) and scones or breakfast and talking nonsense about how we are going to manage this race....all in good fun...

For those of you who don't know, the Midmar Mile is a mile (1.6km) open water swim, in a dam, that takes place in Feb in the Natal Midlands South Africa every year....This will be my third Midmar Mile, but it is the first year that we are doing it as a team event and the first year that Bradley and Mike are swimming...

My elements for Midmar are as follows: -

1.  Decent physical training

2.  A tailing off of the physical training about a week before, with a short (about 250m) swim on the Wednesday before, just to remind myself that I can actually swim

2.  Mental Training as listed above

3.  An Appletiser a day for the week before Midmar

4.  Toast and peanut butter on the morning of the race.

If any of the above elements are missing, then I do not believe I can achieve Midmar.

Today Kayla-Fern participated in her first competitive training show...She jumped a clear round of 60cm jumps, and got called to the JUMP OFF....out of a showing of nine participants she came sixth - We are sooooo proud of her -  and she had so much fun and that is what it is all about...

Anyway, I think I have waffled enough for one week - I need to get Kayla-Fern to bed and Brad wants to use the computer and then I have some ironing to do and some other chores, so until next time...Next week's theme is SHAPES....and I still want to do a Blog you Heart - January post....ho ho ho...Lots of love  .....

TUM - Week 3 - Night

"Night" was Claire's theme....
I am putting Mariette's picture first, as the winning photo for this week....It is absolutely amazing...Mariette says that she is really chuffed with it (you have every right to be chuffed with it Mariette) - she has not touched it up in any way - she just managed to catch the reflections like that - Well done Mariette

Claire's photo is also great - taken from the car one night on the way home from Cardiff - the only light is from the headlights...

Pam went for night time comfort...Her favourite pair of night time shoes - and a very important and valued part of her nighttime unwinding ritual - well done Pam - Lovely idea and a photo which makes me smile...

I found this week's theme, interesting and challenging...I love my little Cannon Powershot, I really do, but I still have so much to learn about the technical side of photography that taking "true" photos of night, was unobtainable for me...but with the use of the flash and standing far back from my subject, I did achieve some interesting effects (amongst several, photos of black nothingness...) I like the way the flash has lit up the foreground here and then it fades into blackness...

Here is another interesting photo - I still used the flash but stood quite far back from our hanging bird feeder...

Kayla-Fern has night time issues...Bradley is like me, when he is tired he says good night and goes to bed and straight to sleep....As Brad has gotten older, he requires less sleep so generally (during school time) - he is sent to bed at around nine, but he still settles quickly and sleeps deeply until the next morning - not much disturbs him once he is asleep...
Kayla-Fern is a totally different story - I generally start asking her to go and brush teeth and get ready for bed around quarter past eight (during school time) and if she is in bed by half past eight, she falls asleep relatively quickly - although she is a very light sleeper and will often wake once or twice during the night...If she does not get to sleep before quarter to nine... she can not fall asleep - she does all the right things, lies quitely with her eyes closed, but sleep will elude her until gone ten, then she starts panicing and crying because she is afraid that she won't be able to get up in time for school the next morning and then of course sleep becomes even more impossible...I find it so difficult not to get angry with her, because I know that it is really not her fault....BUT it is hard, because I know that we are going to have a tough time the next morning and the day is going to be a long one for her....
 Anyway, I am going to start doing my Blog your Heart, but it is getting quite late - so if I don't finish tonight - I will finish soon, so check back .....
OH - Our theme next week was chosen by me - "ART" - I can't even remember why I chose that topic, but I guess I can take a photo of anything, after all "ART is in the eye of the beholder" - OH no, that is "BEAUTY" - OH Heck - Think I might struggle with this one....

TUM - Week 2 - French

Our theme last week was French...AND I am so very late with it...Mariette updated first, and then sent out a very gentle little nag (which we all deserved) -

"Consider yourselves all told off"

Pam suggested the theme - she took a lovely vibrant photo of French Breakfast Radishes....I did not know that they existed, but I think there is lots in the fruit and vegetable world that Pam is more knowledgeable about then I am .... Fruit and Vegetables is after all her business...

Claire was so excited about her new hero -  Sylvain Guenot - a french photographer, that she took a photo of the work of his hero Jean Loup Sieff (another French photographer) - and sent it to us early...(Like nearly a whole week early).....Lovely picture Claire:-

Mariette's picture has a story - her picture is of her favourite French brand of soap....

She says "yes, I have a thing for soaps (from when I was little!) It's funny, I never buy any fancy soaps for myself, but I love having them bought for me - particularly lavender"

Mariette was not sure if she was completely happy with her picture - but I think it is a cute picture Mariette and I love the personal symbolism of it...

We have friends who have French poodles....they (the poodles) were champion models, exaclty as I would expect anyone French to be...
I chose this picture of Toby over all the others, because he is what is called a champagne which is quite rare...Kayla-Fern pointed out that if he was a horse - he would be a "chestnut"

 

 

This is Toby's father - "Buster"
Don't you just love the crossed paws....

 

To finish with - here is another one of Toby....I think by now he had had enough of being my model....

Ha - I bet you all thought....

I had forgotten (or I would not make the TUM post on time AGAIN)....well just to prove you wrong...Following is French and then Night and then maybe just maybe.....Blog your Heart - January...so make yourself a cup of coffee and get comfy - Here goes.....

TUM - Week 1

SHEWWWWWW.....Hard to believe that last time I particpated in the TUTT challenge was nearly two months ago...Much has happened, which I will try to catch you all up with some time, but for now, let us just make it known that TUTT (+1) has become TUM - Team UP Mondays, instead of Team Up Thursdays...I am hoping that having a full weekend to do our blogs by Monday instead of by end of Thursday, will help us all keep on track and on time...
(I also know that I am two challenges behind Mariette and Claire - I did take "Desk" photos, which was Claire's last suggested theme and I did not take "Word" photos although it was my suggeted theme - Catch up soon or not - the wonderful thing about blogging is that, it does not really matter...)
Anyway, our first theme for TUM is the last (unused) theme for TUTT - suggested by Mariette....
First up Mariette's gorgeous picture of some gemstones "INSIDE" a glass container...

Mariette, it is now over a year, since you and I started TUT and blogging and you have come so very far, both with your photography, but also with you life journey and I love that you are blogging about it all...Mariette's blog is worth a visit.
Without Claire, we probably would not have been on track this week - we had actually all agreed to re-start next week only, but Claire, sent her photo through about ten days early, which made us all get off our BUTTs and get organised....You really need to visit - Claire's blog to see some stunning photographs (Project 365) and some heartfelt blogging about life and being organised and stuff....It really is a treat.....
Anyway, Claire's picture of the "INSIDE" of a coffee cup in her Welsh Dresser: -

Busy Pam took a photo of the "INSIDE" of her delivery van....

Pam - has not yet updated her blog for this week, but, when she does,  Pam's blog is always well worth a visit - and in her e-mail to us with her photo she promised us wit and humuor to make up for the un-beautiful picture - there is nothing wrong with your picture Pam, but I still look forward to your special brand of blog update.
Lastly, my picture - this was not my original idea, but I am very happy nonthelsse....

I do believe that if I had have had more time, and I was not worried about the camera battery fading - I could have done much more justice to my subject - Misty is a beautiful majestic African lion in the body of an average size black house cat, and he has all the attitude of being King of our Jungle....but at the same time he is laid back and affectionate and he was quite happy to be "INSIDE" my tumble dryer as long as I needed him to be....
Thank you to my TUM buddies.....I am so glad that we are back...and I really love that we all have such different interpretations on the same theme.
Next week's theme should be really interesting - Four ladies living in Wales/England/America and Africa - "FRENCH" should really have us all thinking.....

TUTT (+1) - Guy Fawkes

Well, late again - just for a change.....I have also totally forgotten which week we are in....I just know it is more then 52, which I think is pretty good going - we (should that be I) may not always get my posting done on a Thursday and in fact sometimes, do not get my photo to my partners on time....;but to have kept on with the challenge (and still lovin' it) is a pretty good achievement, so here is a pat on the back for myself and my special "full time" partner, who has grown photographically and personally on this journey and also a big thank you and pat on the back to our two "extra" partners who have added a sparkle to the challenge in the past few months....
Our theme this week was suggested by Mariette....Guy Fawkes...every year Trev and Mariette and Maxine, buy some fireworks and have a little private fireworks display - Maxine gets very excited every year...This is Mariette's favourite photo: -

In Claire's corner of the world, they have an annual community fireworks display on the rugby field close to them...so she had lots of scope and she read up on fireworks photography prior to the event, so she set up her tripod and this is her favourite of the resulting pictures: -

For as long as I can remember, we have always been able to see some fireworks display from our own back garden, despite the fact that it has been illegal in SA for some years to set off fireworks in a residential area....every year we have had pets (mainly dogs) running away or jumping through glass windows in a terrified effort to get away from the noise...Anyway, I thought it would be easy to see some fireworks, and guess what on the night nothing, absolutely zilch/zero/neder.....so I had to improvise...My grandmother (my moms mom) was born on the 5th November - brilliant, here is a scanned picture of my mom's family, my granny, grandpa and my mom, my mom's youngest sister (my Aunt) and my mom's younger brother, (my Uncle)...My mom is the young girl with her hair in a upswept style...

Whilst I was going through, old family photos, I came across a letter, which I read without embaressment or guilt - it was not a love letter, it was thank you letter, (dated 1st August 1972) from one of my cousins to my mom and dad, thanking them for the birthday gift of $1 (Rhodesian dollar)....

what really made me chuckle and think was his comment "it came in very handy, believe me you"....First of all, I ask myself, what is considered "handy"...did it go towards paying rent in an otherwise tough month, how much petrol could he have put in his car or motorbike with it, how many groceries could he have bought with it....Considering that the Rhodesian currency no longer exists, if the dollar had kept in mint condition, what would it be worth today AND how much would a person need to recieve today, in order for it to be "very handy".....I guess like with so many things it is relative to the person and their needs at that moment in time...
That's my post for this week, next week should be challenging - Claire has suggested "DESK"....hmmmmm, thinking hard about this one....
Lots of love