Counting the Days

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than
by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbors. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Mark Twain

I have had itchy feet for a while now and inspired by the wise words of Mark Twain have booked an adventure in India. There is so much of India that I have yet to see, from Agra to Jaipur and so I plan to travel from Uttar Pradesh to Gujarat exploring as much of Rajasthan as possible. I am so excited about seeing how India has changed.

Hopefully I will avoid the brunt of the Monsoon, But I don’t care. I love the fact I will be somewhere warm and doing something different and unplanned. I am intrigued to discover what hotels in India are like, and how I will cope with the public transport system.

Roll on June…

The Green Diva

I have set up The Green Diva website as a free resource for green living, healthy eating and generally being eco friendly while having fun. The site has articles about diet and exercise, green product reviews and recipes. I have decided to give veganism a go (at least until I can find a cruelty-free source of dairy). Please have a look at the site and let me know what you think!
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Snow!

Yesterday was the typical Sunday where I spent the morning pottering around the house, tidying and painting and making as I buzz from room to room. One moment I was aware of the sun streaming through the window, the next minute I look out of the window to see… yes you’ve guessed it… SNOW!

Few things captivate me as much as snow, just watching it fall is so relaxing. As a child I really enjoyed playing out in the snow, having snowball fights and building snow-people. Unfortunately over the years as a grown up (who drives a hundred mile round trip to work everyday) nothing fills me with dread as much as snow. Instead of the childlike awe of beautiful falling snowflakes my mind drifts to icy roads, black ice, poor visibility and general nightmare driving conditions. This realisation of my change of thinking depressed me, so today I was determined to enjoy the snow after returning home from work.

After changing into my furlined boots (fake obviously, I wouldn’t hurt a fly) I took my camera and went to enjoy the fresh air and pretty scenery. I definitely managed to capture my youth when wondering around in blizzard conditions. I hardly even felt the cold, it was so much fun. The size of the snowflakes was mindboggling- oh and check out the coolest snowman ever…

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If it snows a lot overnight and school is closed tomorrow then you will know what I will be doing. The British weather is notoriously unpredictable so it may rain tomorrow and all traces of snow may disappear. So if you are a snow-lover enjoy it! Anyone who has to drive please be careful, the roads are icy and black ice is everyway. Apart from that have lots of fun, I certainly intend to!

Shree Ram Krishna Centre

Please take a wander over to the Shree Ram Krishna Centre website which I am working on at the moment. It is nowhere near complete, however the pictures in the gallery section are lovely. The Shree Ram Krishna Centre is our local temple in Loughborough and holds several memories for many people as it has been there for a long time. It has been there since I was a baby so I have a soft spot for it.

Here’s to an exciting 2009

I am not really one to make New Year resolutions, I don’t believe in waiting until a certain time of year to do anything that will improve myself or my life. I do like to make plans and I have a fondness of organising things. Recently I have become very aware that life is a journey, rather than just where you bide your time till you find your destination. That would just be pointless and you wouldn’t learn much. It helps being organised when juggling different interests (Yoga being the new one in the mix!). Here are some things that I want to do to this year.

Focus purely on my business

I’ve always juggled things, apart from a spurt in 2005 where I worked purely on my art, I have always worked in education alongside my creative work. This has worked well in the past however now I need to give fuel to this creative energy that has been suppressed due to other commitments. The value that I am delivering is diminished as my mind is on other things and this leaves me dissatisfied. This year things are going to change and it is very exciting!

This image is from a series I have been working on since just before the new year called ‘Ray of Light’. I really cannot seem to stop working, and it seems like a range of greetings cards is going to be made based on this work. It has been a while since I have relished working on a project for well over a month and still retained enthusiasm for it. Let’s hope this sustains into other projects I work on!

Fit in fitness

Regular exercise is important, while I am imprisoned in this body I should make the most of it. I have started a 30 day trial of doing Yoga everyday. I need to get my breathing right, and balance my body and mind. It is proven that exercise reduces the risk of disease, increases longevity, helps achieve and maintain weight loss, enhances mood and is something that I should do to better my health. I am pretty good in the summer and walk a lot, however in the doom and gloom of winter I rarely do any physical activity. This is not good and must change, I also find I have more energy the more exercise I do. If I spend all day at my desk than I am shattered, therefore this one is an important goal in 2009.

Have more fun

I have already become more peaceful by moving away from materialism. Having fun involves bringing balance to your body, mind and soul. I want to do lots of photography, paint and draw in my free time, I am really enjoying revisiting Krishna’s pastimes whether by watching Mahabharata or reading the Srimad-Bhagavatam. I also plan to go to the theatre more and generally find activities that expand my horizons.

Random acts of kindness

Life has been kind to me and I feel like I need to give something back. I prefer not to disclose what I do as this works best when done in secret. It is fun doing something kind with no motive at all. I was probably inspired by Amelie…

The Curse

Relief so tangible I can taste it.
The concern has completely disappeared,
evaporated into an empty pit.
Harsh words contradicting all previous statements;
bring forth true realisation.
You can never understand truth driven by the ego,
nor love without compassion.
Just be happy and let the light flow;
pain is just temporary.
Though fuelled by angry and envy.
You cannot wish others ill
and hope to be fulfilled.
Let it go, and look within
Life isn’t a game to lose or win.

New Jewellery

I have been pretty busy recently and have been enjoying every minute. New jewellery designs are made using reclaimed silks, wool, gemstones and more. My current popular item are the wrapped bangles which are very bright and unusual. I have used rare salk fibres hoarded over the years (some are offcuts of saris that were adjusted to fit me). Beads and sequins are also reused from fabrics to offset the fibres I use.

My personal favourite is a turquoise bangle covered in silk fibres accented with a jade gemstone and teeny tiny reclaimed glass pendant bead.

Each piece of jewellery is one of a kind and I take commissions to your specifications. My next craft fair will be at Rawlins Community College in November where I will be selling many of these designs.

Recycling (my new obsession)

Over the last few months I have been so busy that I have missed a few bin collections, meaning I have been forced to be very discriminative about what goes in the bin until the eagerly waited next collection. So I have been recycling everything- plastics, tins and glass. I am usually good with glass and tins but plastics can get overlooked. I am lucky enough to have a composting bin and now am meticulous with recycling greens.

So why recycle? UK households created 30.5 million tonnes of waste in 2003/04, and only 17% of that was collected for recycling (stats from defra.gov.uk). There has been a lot of publicity geared towards recycling lately but how well has it worked? It is obvious that there is still a lot of waste which could be recycled that ends up in landfill sites.

Not only is recycling an excellent way of saving energy and conserving the environment it can get you becoming healthier, and save you pennies too. For example I don’t eat ready made meals, and rarely get takeout to minimise on packaging. Well okay that isn’t really my reason- I don’t really like either of them and becoming more green has helped me cut both out. Up to 60% of the rubbish that ends up in the dustbin could be recycled, and around half of waste in the average dustbin could be composted. I was surprised to read that £36,000,000 worth of aluminium is thrown away each year.

My current bug bear is the way supermarkets pack everything in plastic, and I notice that most vegetables cost MORE when buying loose rather than in those awful plastic bags. I am now trying to buy as much fresh produce locally as possible. Food tastes far yummier when it is homegrown rather than when flown over from Egypt.

Anyway I have found a really cool site which I must tell you about- remarkable.co.uk.
This site sells fun recycled items that are well-designed and made using only UK recycled materials. The company has got it spot on by showing recycled products can be fun and not dull at all. My favourites are the pencils made from CD cases, they are really cool and if I was going to buy any stationery that is where I would go.

Better late than never!

Every time I go away anywhere I have good intentions of recording it by writing a blog/ diary/ taking photographs. Unfortunately the minute I set foot off the plane everything goes out the window.

A good example is my recent trip to Amsterdam where I have some photographs, funnily enough I am not in any of them. I have a slight contempt for posed grinning photographs in front of landmarks. Why are people so desperate to show other people where they’ve been? I like to categorise photographs due to my secret OCD-like tendencies. I love to organise things and am an avid list maker. Ask me to do an itinerary and I feel like I have won the lottery. Try to take my picture and I will punch you in the face.

Anyway I digress, here is one of my favourite photographs that I took on my most recent escapade. If you want to see more check out my Flickr photos link. I was astonished at the massive number of push bikes in Amsterdam, but the Dutch have it right with the prices of fuel being hiked regularly. My next holiday will be somewhere hot…