Ridiculous O'clock

As usual I've woken up at a ridiculously early hour. Its Sunday, my day off from work, day of chill and being with my husband and daughter and other persona wife and crazy mum. Like my late Mum, I often enjoy going out for early morning walks by myself.

My routine when the weather is good, usually involves heading for the beach nearby armed with my mP3 player and a flask of coffee. I think the local beach hut owners and fishing community have got used to seeing me lying on the beach gazing up at the sky by now and regard my activity as perfectly normal. I've been doing this for about 3 years since suffering a bout of ill-health when I injured my neck and back. It was very frightening at the time but as I eased myself back into the working community again as a volunteer, it was suggested that I tried meditation in the open. Initially I found this very hard to do, physically, because the stones would  penetrate into my back  (which back then was still on the mend) and because I didn't know how to completely switch off,I would often have a 1001 thoughts going through my mind as soon as I hit the ground. I eventually solved this problem by acquiring a portable padded lido and then with practice I gradually tuned my mind into being at one with the sky and then myself.

Another reason for waking up so early are the cats. We have two ginger cats, one short-haired who is mine called Toffee and his half brother, big fluffy version of him called Fluffy Puffs who belongs to our teenage daughter. I know animals shouldn't really sleep on the bed but Toffee always has slept at the foot of our bed and this mutual arrangement has been fine until last year when he discovered pillows were more comfy, or to be more specific MY pillows. To curb this behaviour I wnet through a period of plucking him during the night from his comfy resting place to his rightful abode at the foot of my bed and initially it worked but now he sneaks back and lies between MY pillow and the headboard, hoping I won't spot him which is really sweet but annoying when for some unknown reason he starts purring randomly really loudly around dawn.. If this isn't enough, due to the freezing cold weather his brother now sneaks into the room and lays alongside my hubby, so now hubby has to roll over to my side of the bed which makes me feel so hot and clammy not helped by the noise the cat is emitting.  I know I really should consign them both and possibly my other half  downstairs but can't quite bring myself to yet.

Meet the Little Peeps (Eccentric Knitting)

This year I'm determined to reignite my creative side which I haven't seen since I last worked as a nursery Nurse 4 years ago. However I no longer want to do 'cute and cuddly' but quirky and eccentric. I'm trying to grow an idea at the moment where I am creating small traditional 'folky folk', kind of Little England. (The expression 'There's Nowt as Queer as Folk' does keep popping up in my mind) The finished product above is one example of what I have in mind.The lady is based upon  a friend of mine who is a member of my drumming group. She has a big personality and as you can deduce she speaks as she finds, 

In order to grow an idea I need to surround myself in lots of colour and arty farty stuff. I  need to interact with creative people and somehow reconnect with my inner child. i need to tap into wicked humour and to refine my knitting and sewing skills. i have so many ideas in my head, I need to jot them down. My  mind is awhirl with puppet and cartoon  imagery which needs to be transferred to my notebook

The guy above, the Drum Leader was delighted with his 'mini-me' and posted it on his facebook site. Such as been the reaction amongst friends that I really must get off my backside and create more little folk. I really hope this year that I create a small circle of people who I can get together with to make things locally. Perhaps by writing this blog it will attract good things and it will  happen.