The sea, the sea (& a giveaway)


In my head I keep saying next year. Next year I’m doing this, next year I’m doing that. But it’s THIS year. This is the year of travel and connection (and book tours and dating). Three days in and I’m moving slowly, making juices and trying to get early nights (only to toss and turn and have bad dreams — must be clearing stuff outta my head.) This morning my new (old and bought for a song) bookshelves were delivered, so I’ve been clearing out books and rearranging what’s left. I’m starting to feel the urge to spring clean, aren’t you? Time to take the decorations down and make space for all the new that’s coming. Yes.

One slice of new this year will be my trip to North Carolina in October. I’m teaching a live one-day version of Photo meditations at Squam by the Sea and I’m so looking forward to being by the ocean, nestled into the community that Elizabeth brings together. Have you met Elizabeth? She’s one of those truly soulful women who shines so brightly you can’t help but be drawn to her. This is the fifth year she’s run her brilliant Squam Art Workshops and I’m so proud to be a small part of the fun. Teaching in New Hampshire in 2010 was a wonderful experience and I have no doubt NC will be just as good — do join us if you can!


To celebrate the launch of the new SAW site Elizabeth has very generously offered a sweet lil giveaway to you guys. The site has a new shop page where they’ll be offering one exclusive item for sale each month — for January it’s these adorable porcelain cups from Gleena. Up for grabs is a “m is for magic” cup — so cute, right? :) If you’d like to win this cup simply leave a comment on this post telling me one magical thing about YOU. In case you need some inspiration, I’ll start…

One magical thing about me is this: I always manage to make people laugh, usually by saying something silly… or naughty :)

What about you? I’ll draw the winner’s name on Friday xo

Hello 2012


I went to bed last night with a knot of excitement in my stomach. I’d had one of the most mindful New Year’s Eves in recent memory — after a decade of partying with a boyfriend who liked to do something major on NYE, I’ve come to appreciate the quieter celebrations of a decadent home-cooked dinner, a candle-lit bath to wash the old year away and freshly-laundered sheets on the bed. Candles were lit and intentions were journalled and then read aloud at midnight. It was pretty powerful stuff. So I guess it was inevitable I’d wake up with an expectation hangover — waking to a grey rainy morning after some surprisingly bad dreams.

But then I met Noah and his parents for our now customary New Year lunch in town, and returned home with a smile on my face, my perspective restored. After talking through some of my plans with my sister I remembered I’m playing the long game this year. I want to cultivate patience and take things at a steady pace rather than my usual race-panic-disappointment. So this evening, as I fill out the last pages of my workbook, I’m viewing the new year as a blank canvas, one that’s ready to be filled with the shapes and colours of my choosing.

Because I really do believe that everything is possible this year.

So with that in mind I’ve made some new desktop wallpaper* for my laptop — I thought you might like it too…

Small: 1024×768
Medium: 1280×1024
Large: 1600×1200
Extra wide: 1920×1200

* The images are for your personal use only and I retain the copyright, etc etc :)

The word

 

There’s definitely something to this choosing-a-word-for-your-year thing. For 2009 I choose visible, and put myself out onto the internet more than i’d ever done before. In 2010 I chose expand, and all areas of my life seemed to get bigger as I moved through the year. Last year’s word was compassion, and while I probably haven’t shown myself as much compassion as I could have, I still find myself on the last day of the year with a bigger heart and better appreciation of the souls that share my world.

My word for 2012 came to me about a month ago, as I surveyed everything I have to do in the new year and began to feel the pressure…

 

It’s time to find my BRAVE.

Teaching in person scares me. Going on a book tour scares me. Publishing a book that shares my heart scares the crap out of me. I will be doing all of these things in 2012, so it’s time to woman-up, grow some bigger ovaries and be BRAVE. To embrace these opportunities as exactly that — opportunities for growth, expansion and FUN. I’m also going to be getting on a lot of planes during the next 12 months — luckily I love flying — so this really will be my year of outward movement. After so much introspective writing and editing in 2011, I’m being asked to go back out into the world. And as I joked with some friends recently, I’m going to be leaving my comfort zone so many times in 2012 i may as well just move out of it permanently.

And there’s another area of my life that will require a dose of bravery next year. I have danced around the issue of finding love so many times on this blog. So many quiet declarations have been hinted at, that I was ready, that the time was right, that I wanted to find an uncle for Noah ;) And yet here I am, a few weeks away from the 7th anniversary of his death, still single. I mention the anniversary because I still reverently follow the timeline of renewal and rebirth that has been my life since everything changed in 2005, but I’m no longer held hostage to the memory of what we had. Instead, I have blossomed into a self-aware, emotionally-healed, independent woman who takes enormous pleasure in being able to look after herself ROOOOAAAARRRRRR! The creation of my business, and in turn being able to do work that means so freaking much to me, has been so unexpectedly healing on so many levels, and not just the obvious ones.

I don’t begrudge a single second of all this time on my own as it’s been the most amazing adventure. Now I’m ready to have some new adventures with a partner-in-crime.

Let the year of dating and book tours commence!

WHAT’S YOUR WORD FOR 2012?

The year in review


2011 has been a year of two obsessions: my nephew, Noah, and my book. Not a single day went by when I wasn’t thinking about one, if not both, of them. My relationship with both grew throughout the year, and both are now bigger, braver and bolder than they were just 12 months ago. There are a lot of similarities between being an auntie and an author — both roles stretch your heart wide open and help you see you are capable of so much more than you ever realised. Both require you to be skilled in nurturing and patience. Both ask you to play your best game, even when you’re tired or hormonal (or both).

I’m sitting here trying to remember what else went on in 2011…

… I started the year in full-on book writing mode, so shared some guest posts here from friends, including Fabeku, Jo and Megg

… there were lots of firsts for Noah: his first shoes :: his first birthday :: first time on a swing! :: first steps :: first time painting together :: first words :: first cuddle

… Marisa and I launched our Aquarian twins podcast

… Jen, Amanda and I completed our Polaroid book and our Pretty Polaroid Notecards arrived

… I wrote a whole honest-to-goodness book all on my own :) I wrote it, edited it, edited it some more, proof read it, prepared the Polaroids for it, consulted in the design of it, shared the cover of it, felt really effing nervous about it.

… I saw my name on Amazon for the first time!

… in January I’ll be celebrating three years of the Unravelling e-course, something I never thought could be possible

… we all took a second August Break and it was awesome

… I wrote about wisdom for Amy, intuition for Louise, recorded an a-ha moment for Jenn and talked transcendent sales with Fabeku, Chris and Alexandra

… I didn’t make it San Francisco :(

… so instead I launched a brand new course!

… this month I celebrate THREE years as an ex-smoker

… and I shared my Photography Manifesto

Favourite moment of the year: it’s a tie, between Noah giving me a cuddle and the magical spontaneous disco on Christmas Eve, when Noah got his mummy, daddy, auntie, nana and granddad all dancing around him — he’d pulled each of us by hand to the living room then stood in the middle and shook his tiny toddler booty to the music. The laughter and elation swirling around that room was the happiest I have ever seen my family.

Favourite sound: hands down, it’s the way Noah says my name: “Shoo-she”

Favourite taste sensation: all meals shared with family and friends at Jamie’s this year

Favourite email: the one my mum sent me telling me she’d just pre-ordered my book on Amazon and was so proud of me. I kept that one :)

Favourite phone call: calling Jo in tears of laughter

Favourite TV show: True Blood

Favourite tipple: champagne quoffed at Sas’s wedding

Proudest moment: helping my sister at her very first craft fair — and watching her sell loads!

Favourite blog readers: all of YOU! Thank you so much for visiting me here this year, and for all your love and support. It means so much to me — thank you xxxx

* * * * *

Other years in review: 2010 :: 2009