I've started doing some gentle stretching exercises as given to me by the doctor and have added to the routine with some back-strengthening yoga and some flexibility postures. I've decided to do this for the next 40 days along to a beautiful mantra I discovered a month ago. This is the Adi Shakti mantra which I just adore and you can do fun little hand movements along to it, which also seem to strengthen arms and core muscles. It's like being a child again, singing along and doing the corresponding gestures! The mantra itself is designed to strengthen feminine energy, always a good one for me. Give me 40 days and I'll be like a new person, I guarantee. I'll report back how things change. :-)
Having done all my chores for the day (some this morning, some in advance yesterday evening) I am now free until 5pm, so I shall amble to a cafe and do some writing. Hurrah! Writing time. I'm so excited I can barely type this blog. I've been positively craving my writing time for days now!
the random ponderings of an ordinary person
Wednesday 24 August 2011
Clothing customisation
In the vein of saving money AND having new clothing, I've started to customise some old items.
My first was was a top, pretty colours and nice around the neckline, but too wide at the bottom. I pinched it in about 10 or so times around the hem, sewing in tiny little pleats. Looks much better now. The second was a top that I turned into a skirt. See purple skirt shown in the photo below. The black top in this photo, incidentally, was a relatively new top with a hole in it caused by a lovely dog called Boris, as he excitedly jumped up on me to say hello. He also left an entertaining stripe of what turned into scabs. Anyway, I mended this hole too, so the outfit below feels COMPLETELY new.
The fourth was a cardigan which I've had for years and have to periodically sew up all the seams as they split. All its buttons had somehow fallen off too. I sewed it back together again and added on these buttons. They're translucent but slightly coloured around the rim. A nice contrast I thought and you can just about see the different colours.
That was my evening's entertainment yesterday. :-)
My first was was a top, pretty colours and nice around the neckline, but too wide at the bottom. I pinched it in about 10 or so times around the hem, sewing in tiny little pleats. Looks much better now. The second was a top that I turned into a skirt. See purple skirt shown in the photo below. The black top in this photo, incidentally, was a relatively new top with a hole in it caused by a lovely dog called Boris, as he excitedly jumped up on me to say hello. He also left an entertaining stripe of what turned into scabs. Anyway, I mended this hole too, so the outfit below feels COMPLETELY new.
The fourth was a cardigan which I've had for years and have to periodically sew up all the seams as they split. All its buttons had somehow fallen off too. I sewed it back together again and added on these buttons. They're translucent but slightly coloured around the rim. A nice contrast I thought and you can just about see the different colours.
That was my evening's entertainment yesterday. :-)
Tuesday 23 August 2011
Hyper drive Ninki
This little Ninki is a little bit on hyper drive at the moment. I feel as if everything is happening at once - job application, two freelance projects, trying to set up my own business, trying to do my case study, helping my counselling organisation bid for new work and trying to get my book written.
On top of that it turns out that I have mild sciatica. I've had it before and much worse, so I vaguely know how to deal with it (ibuprofen, rest and gentle exercise), but it's frustrating and painful. No running or cycling, which means two buses to and a lift home from my placement (no return buses after 7.30pm - this isn't London folks!). I'm allowed only to walk fast and do some nice stretches. I guess I'd better start swimming and yoga again and cut down on the cross-trainer, rowing machine and recumbent bike machine thing. :-(
So, my focus goes inwards as I prioritise and waste not a single minute of the day. Even rest and relaxation will get timetabled. Better to do today what I can, because tomorrow may bring more demands. :-)
On top of that it turns out that I have mild sciatica. I've had it before and much worse, so I vaguely know how to deal with it (ibuprofen, rest and gentle exercise), but it's frustrating and painful. No running or cycling, which means two buses to and a lift home from my placement (no return buses after 7.30pm - this isn't London folks!). I'm allowed only to walk fast and do some nice stretches. I guess I'd better start swimming and yoga again and cut down on the cross-trainer, rowing machine and recumbent bike machine thing. :-(
So, my focus goes inwards as I prioritise and waste not a single minute of the day. Even rest and relaxation will get timetabled. Better to do today what I can, because tomorrow may bring more demands. :-)
Tuesday 16 August 2011
50 years and counting
It's 50 years today since my parents got married. I have mixed feelings.
I am impressed with their commitment and tenacity to staying together in a world where this so rarely happens, despite all their ups and downs. I wish that their life together had been easier, with more laughter and peace, fewer misunderstandings and fewer tears, and so I wish this for however many more years they have together. Laughter, peace, understanding and comfort I wish you both.
I hope that I'm able to make it that long with my love. I'm sad because my Mama's sister was married on the same day as her, not wishing her younger sister to marry before her, but she's no longer here to celebrate her long marriage, having left us for another world over a month ago. I'm amused as I remember my mother telling me that the priest almost married the wrong couples on that day 50 years ago. I'm sad because they married on the anniversary of their own parents wedding and they're also no longer here. I'm wistful as I remember the enormous feasts we used to have as children with my parents, my aunt and her husband, and my grandparents, plus a multitude of siblings and cousins. I remember the tables set outside in our garden in Veli LoĊĦinj, laden with fish, meat, bread, bean salad, potato salad, battered aubergine, tomatoes - all the vegetables locally produced, the meat locally bred and the fish freshly caught. I remember the day being full of the stress of preparation, the sweating in the hot poorly aired kitchen, and finally, the pleasure of eating our fill, lots of laughter and joking, the range of strong and flavoured aperitifs offered by my uncle with the beard, followed by cakes from the harbour, krem pite always being my favourite - layers of pastry lined with thick yellow creamy custard. We would always end the night with the guitars coming out and my Dad handing out his prepared duplicate sheets of words, so we could all sit around and have a sing-song, sometimes using harmonies.
I look back and I remember all the good times as well as the bad and so I smile. Nothing is perfect, but still I wish for a future with more of the good times than the bad for us all.
I am impressed with their commitment and tenacity to staying together in a world where this so rarely happens, despite all their ups and downs. I wish that their life together had been easier, with more laughter and peace, fewer misunderstandings and fewer tears, and so I wish this for however many more years they have together. Laughter, peace, understanding and comfort I wish you both.
I hope that I'm able to make it that long with my love. I'm sad because my Mama's sister was married on the same day as her, not wishing her younger sister to marry before her, but she's no longer here to celebrate her long marriage, having left us for another world over a month ago. I'm amused as I remember my mother telling me that the priest almost married the wrong couples on that day 50 years ago. I'm sad because they married on the anniversary of their own parents wedding and they're also no longer here. I'm wistful as I remember the enormous feasts we used to have as children with my parents, my aunt and her husband, and my grandparents, plus a multitude of siblings and cousins. I remember the tables set outside in our garden in Veli LoĊĦinj, laden with fish, meat, bread, bean salad, potato salad, battered aubergine, tomatoes - all the vegetables locally produced, the meat locally bred and the fish freshly caught. I remember the day being full of the stress of preparation, the sweating in the hot poorly aired kitchen, and finally, the pleasure of eating our fill, lots of laughter and joking, the range of strong and flavoured aperitifs offered by my uncle with the beard, followed by cakes from the harbour, krem pite always being my favourite - layers of pastry lined with thick yellow creamy custard. We would always end the night with the guitars coming out and my Dad handing out his prepared duplicate sheets of words, so we could all sit around and have a sing-song, sometimes using harmonies.
I look back and I remember all the good times as well as the bad and so I smile. Nothing is perfect, but still I wish for a future with more of the good times than the bad for us all.
Monday 15 August 2011
Special day
Today merits a mention as it is two years (and happily counting) since my first wonderful roller-blading and BBQ-ing date with my wonderful man. I can honestly say I never knew it could be this easy, this relaxing and this much fun with any single person. A discovery truly worth celebrating. May life continue in this vein.
Thursday 11 August 2011
Response to riots
I've just read an article written in response to the riots and in response to people's reactions to the riots. It's the most intelligent, thought-provoking and eloquent thing I've yet read. It's also obviously written with passion and a deep compassion.
You can access it here.
You can access it here.
Tuesday 9 August 2011
Migraine
Goodness me, I'd forgotten what they're like.
It came on about an hour ago, the first I've had in decades, other than the two triggered by altitude sickness and my bathroom ceiling falling on my head while I was showering. I suppose then I mean the first I've had in decades with no apparent trigger.
I was writing and job hunting all morning and so I hopped in the shower after lunch (my shake-up action to re-energise and re-motivate) and I suddenly realised that I couldn't see very well. A patch of vision was missing. I knew at once what it was. I looked down at my hands and my left hand had disappeared. I stretched up to the shower head, to adjust the angle, so I could wash all the shampoo out of my hair and my arms seemed like Mr Tickle's - long and wiggly. Too long. My sense of perspective was going, as well as my vision. I started to wobble, because only seeing half of your world makes it hard to stand upright, or rather, when your vision is inconsistent, there is no stability, because you have nothing solid to latch on to.
I managed to finish my shower and to dry off, aware of nothing except an increasingly large arc of brightly flashing and shifting colours to my left. I wasn't aware of any sounds or any reality outside of these colours, except the reality of my consciousness observing the unfolding events. I've never observed a migraine in this way and it was absolutely fascinating. I took some ibuprofen and crawled into bed, hiding my head under the duvet and closing my eyes to the light. I watched that arc of colour against my eyelids for some time. It was like someone was holding a blackout sheet over my vision, and with a knife had slashed an arc in the sheet. Through this arc I could see flashes of life, some kind of events being played out as if in another universe, but I couldn't quite see what was happening. It felt very frustrating to have these images just out of my line of vision. I had a sense that if only I could see clearly, I'd be able to see something very important and significant.
Eventually I woke up and realised that I'd been asleep and that the arc had gone. I still feel a little as if I'm looking out of a very dark room into a very bright world and my head is pounding, but the worst is over. I can move and walk and see again.
It came on about an hour ago, the first I've had in decades, other than the two triggered by altitude sickness and my bathroom ceiling falling on my head while I was showering. I suppose then I mean the first I've had in decades with no apparent trigger.
I was writing and job hunting all morning and so I hopped in the shower after lunch (my shake-up action to re-energise and re-motivate) and I suddenly realised that I couldn't see very well. A patch of vision was missing. I knew at once what it was. I looked down at my hands and my left hand had disappeared. I stretched up to the shower head, to adjust the angle, so I could wash all the shampoo out of my hair and my arms seemed like Mr Tickle's - long and wiggly. Too long. My sense of perspective was going, as well as my vision. I started to wobble, because only seeing half of your world makes it hard to stand upright, or rather, when your vision is inconsistent, there is no stability, because you have nothing solid to latch on to.
I managed to finish my shower and to dry off, aware of nothing except an increasingly large arc of brightly flashing and shifting colours to my left. I wasn't aware of any sounds or any reality outside of these colours, except the reality of my consciousness observing the unfolding events. I've never observed a migraine in this way and it was absolutely fascinating. I took some ibuprofen and crawled into bed, hiding my head under the duvet and closing my eyes to the light. I watched that arc of colour against my eyelids for some time. It was like someone was holding a blackout sheet over my vision, and with a knife had slashed an arc in the sheet. Through this arc I could see flashes of life, some kind of events being played out as if in another universe, but I couldn't quite see what was happening. It felt very frustrating to have these images just out of my line of vision. I had a sense that if only I could see clearly, I'd be able to see something very important and significant.
Eventually I woke up and realised that I'd been asleep and that the arc had gone. I still feel a little as if I'm looking out of a very dark room into a very bright world and my head is pounding, but the worst is over. I can move and walk and see again.
Monday 8 August 2011
The Museum of Broken Relationships
In the Zagreb upper town, we stumbled across this museum and I loved it. If you're going to Zagreb, I highly recommend it. It was only 20 Kuna, about £2, and gives you free access to another contemporary museum across town (which we didn't have time to visit, but is easily accessible by tram).
The museum provided exhibits and personal stories of people's ended relationships - mainly with boyfriends and girlfriends, husbands and wives, but also religious or political connections. I experienced a multitude of emotions and sensations including heaviness, sadness, loss, hope, desperation and, above all, catharsis. As well as providing a fascinating peek into the minds of others, it also seems to work as a wonderful therapeutic tool that enables broken hearts to heal.
You can find out more here at their website.
The museum provided exhibits and personal stories of people's ended relationships - mainly with boyfriends and girlfriends, husbands and wives, but also religious or political connections. I experienced a multitude of emotions and sensations including heaviness, sadness, loss, hope, desperation and, above all, catharsis. As well as providing a fascinating peek into the minds of others, it also seems to work as a wonderful therapeutic tool that enables broken hearts to heal.
You can find out more here at their website.
The holiday continues
Although I'm home again, my skin is still tanned, my hairs are still blonder
and some of my clothes still smell of my Mama's washing powder and the
air of the Island of Losinj. If I close my eyes I am back there.
This year I realised that although the Island still holds magic for me, its magic has lessened. I was disappointed at first to realise this, but the reason why is a good one. I used to escape there in search of peace and relaxation - now my life at home is the most relaxing place to be and so the contrast no longer exists. It's still an exceptionally beautiful place and despite eating more than the usual, including cake, I seem to have lost two kilos somewhere along the way. The land, the air and the sea are good for me and make me healthy. I walk more, climb more, swim more. My body is pushed and challenged, because I have a desire to seek and explore. My curiosity takes me further than my body thinks it can go.
As I contemplated this loss of magic, I started to recognise that the things I do there, I now also do here. I walk more, climb more, exercise more. I then realised that I've not lost any magic, but that I've been lucky enough to have gained more of it - that this magic is now present in my every day life, plus some!
I wish you all magic in your lives. As I've realised for myself, the only thing stopping you having magic and living the dream is your own mind. The secret is to be in the present moment and to hear and see what is really here in the world. The only thing holding you back is you.
This year I realised that although the Island still holds magic for me, its magic has lessened. I was disappointed at first to realise this, but the reason why is a good one. I used to escape there in search of peace and relaxation - now my life at home is the most relaxing place to be and so the contrast no longer exists. It's still an exceptionally beautiful place and despite eating more than the usual, including cake, I seem to have lost two kilos somewhere along the way. The land, the air and the sea are good for me and make me healthy. I walk more, climb more, swim more. My body is pushed and challenged, because I have a desire to seek and explore. My curiosity takes me further than my body thinks it can go.
As I contemplated this loss of magic, I started to recognise that the things I do there, I now also do here. I walk more, climb more, exercise more. I then realised that I've not lost any magic, but that I've been lucky enough to have gained more of it - that this magic is now present in my every day life, plus some!
I wish you all magic in your lives. As I've realised for myself, the only thing stopping you having magic and living the dream is your own mind. The secret is to be in the present moment and to hear and see what is really here in the world. The only thing holding you back is you.