Category: 31 days of Summer challenge by Soul Seaker

31 Days of Summer Lovin’: Day 16 – Dreamy

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With thanks to Soul Seaker for creating this challenge – for details and acknowledgements please click HERE.

Anna Rose, sleep well tonight

The stars are dancing on the carpet of the sky

 

Time to close your wondering eyes

Where I see the sleepiness creeping

Anna Rose, makes my heart smile, to know you give love so freely

Anna Rose, makes it worthwhile, your love makes me see things so clearly…

With thanks to NibbNltts for the video

I’ve probably shared this before but I love this gentle lullaby by Vienna Teng and it seemed appropriate to today’s theme of “Dreamy”. If I had a daughter I would sing this to her at night. I have two goddaughters and when I’m with them, their love and curiosity and enjoyment has a restorative and hopeful power.

Ginny xxx

 

31 Days of Summer Lovin: Day 11 (sorry!) – fun!

31 Days of Summer Lovin: Day 11 (sorry!) – fun!

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I’m sorry for missing days again. I’ve decided I’m going to post for the days I can but probably not all of them. There’s a lot going on for me at the moment taking all my energy and when I can’t get out much it’s hard to find a photo each day. I don’t like giving up part way through but at least this way I’m not totally giving up!

Great thanks still go to Soul Seaker for creating this challenge. Even though I’m not doing all of it you’re still opening my eyes and making me smile at things I might not have noticed otherwise.

Today is “Fun” so here is a funny -especially for Lord of the Rings fans:

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[Photo/ meme is not my own; it was sent to me, originally from funnypicsplus.com]

I must have had it on the brain since watching The Hobbit on TV the other night. It’s just my sense of humour. But I’ll stop there cause all the good puns Aragon already….

Ginny xxx

 

31 Days of Summer Lovin’ – Day 7: Refresh

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Hmmm.  This was a tricky one. I couldn’t find a suitable photo. So this is a slight cheat but it’s late and I have a long day tomorrow including my first 1:1 therapy since the PD Service took a 2 week break in therapy sessions for the summer.

Whilst staying at my friend’s we went to a great craft store and I took the opportunity to refresh 😉 my card-making and craft supplies. I bought this set of pastel and metallic gel pens.

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I think I’ll use these for some of my colouring books as well as in card making.

Good night to you all! 🙂

Ginny xxx

As ever, for details acknowledgments of this challenge created by Soul Seaker, please see here.

31 Days of Summer Lovin’ – Day 6: Night

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“Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.”

– Gandalf, in The Hobbit by J R R Tolkein.

I switched on the TV and The Hobbit: an Unexpected Journey is on. Too many fight scenes for me but I like parts of it and tonight the quotation above inspired me for this post…

It can feel like a dark night when we’re struggling with mental or physical pain, loss, distress, depression – and whatever more you are meeting with right now. When things happen to us or our loved ones that make us afraid. When we’re confused or discouraged and can’t find our path and hope seems far away. It has certainly felt dark for me in recent years and I fear dark inside myself most of all – losing the ability to hope, to love, to give, to rejoice, because the frightening memories and all-consuming emotions can obscure so much.

We don’t have to be strong all the time. We need not have great power. It is the “small everyday deeds” that make the difference in the dark night. Small actions of caring friends that show us they think there is good in me even when I don’t. Small memories, experiences or feelings I dare to share with others sometimes show me they are not disgusted or afraid of me as I fear. Small encouragements that might once have gone unnoticed now fill my heart up with thankfulness.

I am not great and I am one person like any other. I don’t know the way and my journey, especially over the last 5 years, has been very unexpected! I did not choose this path and yes, often I have become discouraged and wished it could be smoother. Yet, though this is not where I planned to be, perhaps this is where I am most needed. This is where God who brings good from everything, needs me to be; this is where He has sent me to serve and love and be moulded in His ways. I have no magic to overcome the painful parts of my experiences or the far greater hurt there is for so many people in the world. But I do have love. Small acts of “kindness and love” “keep the darkness at bay”. However small and weak we feel, who knows who we may actually be able to encourage or help through the little acts of our everyday work and tasks, often without knowing it. However much we struggle we can keep the night at bay in our hearts and in the world with these little actions.

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Ginny xxx

For details and acknowledgements of this challenge created by Soul Seaker, please see here.

PS – I’m sorry for uploading late. I have been away for a couple of nights staying at my friend’s.

31 Days of Summer Lovin’ – Day 5: BBQ

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For details and acknowledgements of this challenge created by Soul Seaker, please see here. 

I’m afraid that I have no photos at all which are relevant to “barbecue”. It has been ages since I’ve been to one, actually. We are not allowed to barbecue in the garden of the flats where I live. So today, at least going with the outdoor refreshments theme, here’s a very random photo I took having coffee outside in a street cafe with a friend.

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Something about the cup and saucer caught my eye. They were very plain but nicely proportioned with a hint of vintage about them. I love looking at old style crockery and sometimes collecting bits from thrift/ charity shops and markets.

Ginny xxx

31 Days of Summer Lovin’ – Day 4: red, white and blue

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For details and acknowledgements of this challenge created by Soul Seaker, please see here.

Since this challenge was created for July, “red, white and blue” was undoubtedly chosen for 4th July Independence Day. Being a month late and also travelling today, I could not find anything suitable for that interpretation so have gone for something totally different. No offence is intended.

Here’s my bag with red, white and turquoise (blue) flowers, travelling with me today.

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I’m staying with my wonderful friend L. and her family for a couple of days. It has been a tiring journey today and I’m glad to be at L’s, heading for bed now. Goodnight all!

Ginny xxx

31 Days of Summer Lovin’ – Day 3: Beach

Please see here for details and acknowledgements for this challenge created by Soul Seaker.

I said I’m terrible at these challenges, didn’t I! 3 days in and already I’m uploading a day late. Better late than never, as the saying goes.

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Day 3’s “Beach” prompted me to look back through my old photographs looking for some seaside shots, of which I’m sure I have many somewhere from visits to my family in Sussex. However, I haven’t as yet managed to find them. I’d like to get my photos in better order and get some favourites framed. For how much I like taking pictures, I don’t do this enough – the downside of digital photos, often on our phones as well as our cameras, is it can be easy not to get them printed so as to be able to enjoy them afterwards. As I searched through my old snaps, it was interesting revisiting many memories, as well as slightly strange because it brought home to me how much has changed in the past 6 years or so.

Here’s a photo  of the pebble beach and pier in Worthing, West Sussex, from a visit there with family a few weeks ago.

 

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Have you been to the coast recently?

Day 4 to follow later today!

Ginny xxx

31 Days of Summer Lovin’ – Day 2: Bloom

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Please see here for acknowledgments for this challenge, created by Soul Seaker.

This afternoon was so wet that Day 17’s “splash” might have been more fitting! However, I think part of the enjoyment of this challenge is being led to notice things we might not otherwise do.

I love roses. Here are some bright blooms on a market stall I often pass.

Ginny xxx

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31 Days of Summer Lovin’ – Day 1

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Thanks go to Cathy Lynn Brooks – your responses to this challenge prompted me to take part. Big thanks also go to Soul Seaker  who created this challenge – I don’t know your blog well yet but definitely will be exploring it!

The challenge was designed for July but I did not see it soon enough so I decided to do it for August instead. I’ve tried some photo challenges before and not been very good at keeping up with them. Let’s see if I can do better this time! I will take a picture every day and endeavour to post daily too but I may sometimes need to upload a few days at a time depending on my schedule.

Today is Day 1 – Outdoors. This plant grows in my friend’s garden. She gave me an off-cut which I was able to plant in my little yard and it’s the first thing I’ve grown myself! Curiously, in my yard the flowers are deep pink whereas hers are this soft lilac colour. We think the little plant must be greatly affected by differences in soil acidity.

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Ginny xxx