Daisy’s Butterfly

It's been a while since I posted some photos. These are from the beach I visited recently. I've not seen ice dunes or ice waves before!

Stop tidying!! (And yes, this is Fahrenheit! 10 degrees C)

Whilst completing a course on Psychological First Aid, I came across this quote. For me it was a gentle reminder to focus on what is important!

https://www.treehugger.com/professor-years-sitting-ancient- This is a fascinating article about the Mighty Oak and the relationship it has with humans.

I've been reading a fascinating book called 'The Reason I jump' by Naoki Higashida. The book is 'the inner voice of a thirteen-year-old boy with Autism'. I highly recommend this book. It is set in the form of questions and answers and offers a glimpse into the Autistic Mind. The quote is from the book, the question was "would you like to be normal?" What wisdom from a 13 year old!

Now that it has finally arrived at the recipient’s home I can show you our latest make! I loved making this. A new style of working and can’t wait to do more!! #creativityhelpsmentalhealth

Having worked in a shelter and fostered both cats and dogs, I feel so strongly that wherever you get your new family member from they need time. You don’t know what their life was like before, you don’t know what they are thinking or feeling, even if you get them from a breeder. It could be the first time without a parent, first time indoors, the first time they’ve met a human who doesn’t kick them every time they see them. It takes animals at least 3 months to begin to believe this is permanent, this is when they can start to feel like they can relax to settle in and feel like home, often it takes longer. Giving new family members time and understanding is so important to building a healthy relationship.

So true, don’t waste...

To say goodbye to 2020 and hello to 2021 we sat down as a family and each write individually 10 things/thoughts/ feelings we want to leave behind in 2020 (we didn’t share this) before burning them. We then sat down and panted/drew/write/printed/stuck/made a a picture/words connected to 10 things we’d like to see/feel in 2021. We will display these in our rooms as a reminder of our intentions. This time next year we’ll review them! 2020 has brought so many lessons, some I’m more grateful for than others! I’m truly grateful for your love and support. May you have a magical 2021, filled with health, happiness and laughter. #gratitude #outwiththeoldinwiththenew

I couldn’t find my embroidery hoop yesterday so instead I thought I’d try drawing the hare that’s been in a few mediations and drum journeys recently. Hare reminds us to listen carefully to others, to watch out for those trying to trick you, to not be too self-centred, to connect to the Luna cycle, and to expect changes to come in leaps. I’m not sure what his name yet, if you’ve got suggestions I’d love to hear them! #creativityisgoodforthesoul #hare #animalmessages

As the snow has started falling here, I’ve made my first soup of the season! This is possibly my favourite soup ever so I thought I’d share it. It’s vegan and gluten free!! Roast cubed butternut squash with a dusting of cinnamon and salt for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile fry in coconut oil 1 onion (diced) and a peeled, cored apple (I like Granny Smith) with some chilli powder (1 tsp adds a bit of heat) for about 10 minutes. Add the butternut squash to the pan with 1/2 cup of al...mond milk (unsweetened is best) and 3 1/2 cups of veg stock. Boil then simmer for 30mins. Blitz and serve. I add sunflowers seeds for a bit of texture. I hope you enjoy it! Let me know your favourite soup recipe! See more

This is our Lola, she was adopted from this amazing charity. We think she's really cute...please vote for her! The money raised will go towards the fantastic work the charity does. Escobar our long-term foster cat is one of EHS' sanctuary cats. He is an old boy who is currently in remission from diabetes but struggles with kidney disease, IBD and arthritis. He loves his food and is not shy in shouting to tell us he is hungry or that he wants a cuddle. Your donations go towards his vet bills among other things. We think Lola is really cute. She was found at the age of 1 with her kittens, sharing food with a skunk. We are so grateful that she is part of the family. She is a cuddly, sassy lady! Thank you for your vote!

As so many people head back into lockdown, I thought I'd share something I wrote at the beginning of the pandemic, it's called 'I hope' I hope people use this time of isolation to remember what is important in life, to realize that human connection is more important than status or material things. I hope people celebrate their newly found ‘freedom’ when we can socialize again. I hope people start to pop in on their neighbours, just to say hello, check they are well, or wheth...er they need anything. I hope children start to play in the streets and parks, rather than playing in a virtual world. I hope families and friends start to spend time on picnics, having dinner dates and go on day trips, rather than finishing that extra bit of work before going home, too tired to function. I hope people put down their phones whilst talking to friends. I hope parents play with their children, rather than making sure their latest post shows everyone how wonderful their life is. I hope people start thinking about how they can be part of and contribute to their local community, making it somewhere where everyone is welcome. I hope people realize that being grateful for what you have is much more rewarding than being disappointed with what you don’t. I hope people realize that being kind to themselves and others can make the world a better place to be. I hope that people realize that human interaction can be good for you and that life exists outside the house and the internet. I hope people spend time making memories rather than making the perfect post. I hope that people begin to realize that happiness is not found in the latest fashion, the newest car or the most fashionable phone, instead, it is found by finding peace with yourself and spending time with your loved ones (human or animal), family and/or friends. I hope that people realize the importance of being in nature and start to work together to conserve and protect their local area. Maybe this is the wakeup call we need? Maybe we just need to disconnect to reconnect Let’s reconnect to nature. Let’s reconnect with people. Let’s reconnect with life. Let’s become human kind! See more

As I’ve told you before I’ve been learning to draw and paint. This is a picture I draw of a friend’s spirit animal. I have found being creative (it doesn’t have to be successful, one day I’ll tell you about the quilt I started as part of a group 4 months ago and I’ve only completed 1 square out of 20 in week one of 4 weeks, I’m a bit behind!!) has really helped me stay mental fit this year. Why not challenge yourself to learn to do something creative?! Jikiden Reiki can also help with your mental health, pm for more information! #jikidenreiki #mentalhealth #creativity #lockdowngoals

I think it’s especially important to celebrate this day this year. With my Brownie pack I’m going to design an random acts of kindness advent calendar for us all to use. Why don’t you do the same? What you put on there?

Does anyone else find watching and listening to snow falling beautiful, relaxing, and grounding?

I think this is amazing!!

Here are a few photos from the last few weeks...so many reasons to be grateful!

These two beauties came and did a flyby for me. I'm so lucky to have seen it. They flew around the tree I was stood next to, twice!! I'm so grateful for the display. Can anyone tell me, are they red-tailed hawks?

I was woken by the smell of a skunk wafting through my bedroom window. Normally I’d be annoyed at this as I really don’t like the smell but if I the skunk hadn’t woken me I’d have missed this stunning sunrise! What a beautiful treat to start to the day, such wonderful colours. I hope you have a wonderful day. What are you grateful for today?

After a year of uncertainty, I think it’s important to support local businesses. So this year, I’m trying to buy presents and food locally ( both in UK and in Canada!). So I’m calling all friends who are self-employed/run their own business, or want to support small businesses! It doesn’t matter where in the world you are! It's interesting to see the variety in our extended circles. Post a link to your website or Facebook page below without a description just the link, it speaks for itself. Anyone who follows me can see it and visit your site. Let’s support each other xx