...shipwrecked...

And one more thing...

I'm still TRYING to do the daily photo project but at the moment, all it's doing in England is RAINING! Funny how that makes it a bit difficult to take pics outside which is always my preference! Still...I'll be uploading a few once I'm home tonight...

Sea-change coming!

Full fathom five thy father lies:
Of his bones are coral made:
Those are pearls that were his eyes:
Nothing of him that doth fade
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.

~~Shakespeare, The Tempest

Time does absolutely fly when your life is in a bit of chaos. At the end of June, DAC and I ran away to the Gower to sit on the beach and talk the day away.  In the course of that day, we made BIG decisions which will have very long-term effects. I have offically decided that the only place on the planet where BIG decisions should be made is sitting on a beach with my wonderful husband and watching the sea.

SO...DAC is leaving teaching high-school and has, in fact, already worked his final day. Next, he's going to take a bit of time off to figure out how to change career paths completely. Back to university lecturing? Publishing? Library work? Or perhaps even Occupational Therapy? The world is his to command. The job we do in life to keep body and soul together should NOT make us miserable. And it is high time, I had a happy husband who enjoyed his day job!

To facilitate this, on the 12th of August we are moving to his parents house in Surrey. No rent, no council tax, no electric or water or heating bills! And they've got three empty rooms we can have to ourselves.

It's all very exciting and filled to the rim with major life changes. It's a bit overwhelming at times...especially since I haven't lived with my parents in almost 20 years. And now to be moving in with someone else's parents seems a bit strange. But hey...they've been very sweet and helpful about everything and I've always loved a challenge! It's a bit scary at times too...but that is no reason to stay ashore!

And besides, I LOVE MOVING! It always feels like a fresh start. It's the perfect time to get rid of things you're not using, to donate clothes and furniture and random things to charity, to have a major clear out in advance of moving into a new nest!

It's a big change but it's a sea-change...and that makes it all OK!

BBC NEWS | UK | Oldest WWI veteran dies aged 113

He was one year older than I fully intend to be when I die. He's an inspiration! He joined the Royal Navy Air Service (the beginnings of the RAF - he's a founding member!) in the same year that my completely amazing 94-year-old grandmother was born!

BBC NEWS | UK | Oldest WWI veteran dies aged 113.

Long-distance longevity - JSOnline

I love stories like this...they are such an inspiration. Growing older in the number of years does NOT mean someone has to grow old.

Long-distance longevity - JSOnline.

Ruebl is 90 years old, whippet-thin, and looks at least a decade younger.

On Saturday, he plans to run Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minn. Officials say he's the oldest runner to ever enter the popular marathon on the north shore of Lake Superior.

Country gifts...

Life in the country has it's challenges. Septic tank issues, anyone? No? You surprise me. At least that particular challenge is once again under control.

Thankfully, life in the country also these tiny moments that you just wouldn't get in the city. These moments are tiny gifts to be sought and savoured.

In England, there is a type of small deer called a muntjac. And we are blessed to have them all over the surrounding farmland. Despite their numbers, you don't see them often and you certainly don't see them for very long as they are extremely shy creatures. Still - you do get lucky every once in a while. Last Sunday, DAC and I were coming home from lunch and there were three in our lane - clearly a family group of a mum, dad and baby. They were so lovely and sweet and swift to move away from us. Naturally, I didn't have a camera to hand...we won't make that mistake again.

The good news is that on Thursday we were a bit luckier...

  

Wildlife...wildflowers...wildness. The gifts of life in the country...

Well...FINALLY! I was shipwrecked...until I got derailed!

I have no idea where the past 2 months have gone. It's been a fog of pain from the ankle injury (which is still not totally healed) and head colds and computer problems and worrying news from home. And in the midst of all of that, I've been completely derailed by life. A colleague at work has talked about how women walk a tightrope most days and that once you fall off, it can takes ages to get back on! It's so true.

I've thought often about the blogs and have stockpiled a few ideas. And yet...actually sitting down to write has escaped me. I have this idea that I should somehow delete this blog and start over. But...NO! I liked where this one started and I'm still curious where it's leading me. So...in the memory of my previous attempt at stealing back a little extra time in the day, I've decided that from now on...the alarm clock will be set to 5am and I'll use my extra hour and a bit catching up via email with friends and family AND writing in the blogs. Already I can feel that it's a good thing...I actually woke up and got up around 4:45 and I'm really feeling ready for the day.

There I was...derailed for weeks. But I'm very happy to report that I am once-again now very happily shipwrecked...and it's a lovely place to be. The words in the following image (thank you Karen!) have never been more accurate...shipwrecked in the English countryside brings a smile to my face!

At 105, Doris Eaton Travis, the Last Ziegfeld Girl, Keeps a Hectic Pace - NYTimes.com

At 105, Doris Eaton Travis, the Last Ziegfeld Girl, Keeps a Hectic Pace - NYTimes.com.

Another little old lady who is an inspiration...and beautiful!

YIKES! How did THIS happen?

It's been almost two weeks since I've written in here...SHOCKING! In fairness to me, I've spent most of that time with my ankle elevated and following doctor's orders to help the broken ligaments. And beyond that, we were a two laptop family until a week-and-a-half ago or so. It's amazing to me how quickly I insisted that hubby should use the one remaining laptop. Isn't that the way? Is it a "female" thing to go out of the way to make sure the other person in the house is happy? Perhaps not a female thing but I certainly have found myself following that pattern - he needed the working laptop for job applications, lesson planning (he's a teacher) and his writing (he's also a writer). And so...blogs had to be put on hold.

The good news is that the 37 day challenge was NOT put on hold. The challenge (in case anyone needs to be reminded) was to get up earlier than necessary every day for 37 days. Now - I'm not perfect but I have managed to train myself to think 6am-ish is a perfectly reasonable time to get up every day. I'm especially pleased that I've begun to wake up WITHOUT the alarm!  The other aspects of my plan (take pic every day, enjoy a little silence in the am, etc.) are gaining momentum.

I've learned quite a bit about myself during this wee experiment. I'm phrasing everything in a positive light to maintain my committments...

• I'm very good at being inconsistant - I'd like to get up at the same time every day and not just earlier in a general way.
• I'm good at multi-tasking and adding to personal challenges - and now I'm going to make it a goal to become equally good at focusing on single personal challenges.
• I can easily allow myself to be distracted from a goal - and now I'm going to make it a priority to become someone who is NOT easily distracted from a goal.

So really - I'm almost through my first 37day challenge and I'm already planning for the next one!  It's all about the numbers 3 and 7 this year! :-)

Monday...

There really isn't a great deal of news around the cottage at the moment. I'm still nursing the shipwrecked ankle. I'm still working on Chapter Four of the PhD. And, more than likely, I'll be working at home again this week.

Still - I was up with the alarm again today so I've stolen one more hour as a result of my 37day challenge!! This makes me VERY happy about life.  And I've stuck with my morning photo idea. I've even added an album to this blog which is the Daily Photos file in the upper right-hand corner of the page.  Today's photo isn't particular unique or pretty but as the description will tell you, it's a very familiar image in my life! 

I'm very pleased that I've continued to steal a bit of time each day. Yesterday wasn't a reflection of that...but then we'd been on a road tip to Wales the day before and weren't back until 1:30 in the AM. I thought that probably deserved a bit of sleep without alarm clocks. That said, by 7ish I was really just drifting in and out. My internal clock has begun to shift which I love!

Other Time Thief thoughts...with my extra bit of time each day, I've worked in the daily photo which I've already mentioned. But I've also worked in a bit of time to write in my journal and to make a daily gratitude entry. These are still a bit hit-and-miss at the moment but my goal is that by the end of this 37day challenge, I'll be doing the following Morning Meditations daily...

·         Complete gratitude journal entry – 5 things to be grateful about for that day & to keep in mind for the day.

·         Write in personal journal.

·         Plan my day.

·         Enjoy silence.

·         Review previous journal entries.

·         Take a morning photograph for ...shipwrecked... blog.

130 year old woman...I need to learn everything I can about her!!!

BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Kazakhstan's famous '130-year-old'.

And another link...proving that women are stronger and have more stamina...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_verified_oldest_people

And last but not least...my grandmother (mom's side) turned 94 on Friday 10th of April. She was born in 1915 and is one of the most amazing people it has ever been my priviledge to know. She is my hero, my idol and my inspiration! The women on my mom's side of the family live forever...it bodes well for my plan to live to 112!