Amagreen And Awards

Firstly I would like to say a great big thank you to Jean, Shoko and Kali at The Canadian Cats, Binky and Granny at AngelsWhisper and Nicolle, of Stories of A Highly Sensitive Introvert, who nominated me for the Blogger Recognition Award and the Black Cat Blue Sea Award. I am truly grateful for their kind thoughts – please go and visit, if you don’t already know them, lovely ladies, all of them.

So. As this is a combination post, I thought I would choose a combination crystal… Amagreen. This fascinating crystal is a new one for me, so I must thank and credit the wonderful www.healing-crystals-for-you.com for the information I am relaying back to you, for as I said, this is a new crystal for me too.

So far, I have found it to be a pleasant and calming stone, with a wonderful balance of purple amethyst, white quartz and green prasiolite. It releases a loving energy filled with compassion to encourage emotional healing. It can also be used to help awaken psychic abilities.

The green element – prasiolite – is connected with the heart chakra, while both white and purple are connected with the higher head chakras; so it is a wonderful combination stone that promotes deep love and empathy; but also emotional intelligence and how to use it.

This brings me neatly to my nominations from The Canadian Cats and AngelsWhisper – wonderfully sensitive and caring ladies, and good friends who were some of the first people to befriend me here, on WordPress.

For the Blogger Recognition Award, you have to tell the story of how your blog began, I did that here. As a post-script to that story, I am currently learning how to continue the blog – not the writing aspect, but the actual technical side – gulp… – as I am not the most computer literate person in the world, and my son has always taken care of that side of things for me. However, he is writing me careful, step-by-step instructions on how to publish a post etc. to prepare me for when he leaves for university in October.

As part of the procedure for the Blogger’s Recognition Award, you also have to give two pieces of advice – well, they also remain the same. Essentially: interact. Answer comments, talk to other people, visit other blogs. I’ve made some really good friends this way. The second piece of advice is: be nice! I can’t stress that enough, there is very little point in being unkind, or unpleasant, that’s like acid indigestion. You will just rot away from the inside out. (An additional piece of advice would be make sure you’re computer literate…)

For the Black Cat, Blue Sea Award. I must thank Nicolle for nominating me – her questions can be seen here and my answers are:

1. What would you like bloggers to do more of that they aren’t doing right now?

   To be honest, I don’t really know, the blogs I follow are high quality, and easily accessible, so just keep on doing what you’re doing!

2. Tell us four things about yourself, one of which is not true, and see if we can guess…

   a) I have a secret passion for Justin Bieber

   b) I was persuaded to start an Instagram account by Gary

   c) I’m a natural brunette

   d) I have over 40 pieces of Rose Quartz

3. Describe a perfect day that balances all the things you love.

   My perfect day… hmm… a decent night’s sleep – uninterrupted preferably, by having to remove live rey from the house thoughtfully brought in by Lily. Then sunshine would be good, and just basically relaxing with the cats in the garden! (I’m so boring…)

   I’m not going to nominate any specific blogs, so I will throw them both open to anyone who would like to have a go. And, thank you, as always, to anyone who’s been kind enough to stop for a like, a look, or a subscribe.

The Royal Portrait – Princess Charlotte Oddpaw

DUCK! No, really…

I don’t usually post midweek, but I saw this group of ducks… at the foot of this tree, a single solitary white duck, and what amused me was that every so often, it would open an eye suspiciously and look around… Of course, the grouping, he exchange of suspicious looks all lent themselves to some mental captioning…

Here’s my efforts, I found them quite funny… Happy Wednesday!

“Looks like someone didn’t get the memo about fancy dress…”

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Have you ever heard the saying: “Let sleeping ducks lie…?”

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Everybody knows an odd duck.

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Cedric never really felt like he fitted in with the rest of the group…

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“Look at her! Turning up to her own daughter’s wedding wearing white!”

 

 

 

 

 

Mookaite and Model Cats

Mookaite is part of the Jasper family, which I am gradually getting to know better… Jasper is also known as the “Supreme Nurturer” and is a wonderful stone to have about you in times of stress, as it lends emotional strength and support.

It’s a good stone for anyone who works in healing and it’s a charitable psychic nudge, just to remind people to help one another.

In addition to the qualities of Jasper, Mookaite, also known as Australian Jasper, is useful in that it provides stability and balance, both mentally and physically. It can help support the immune system, promote healing and purify the blood.

Mookaite is a good directional stone as it will lay out the paths open to you and help you to choose the right one. It encourages versatility, the desire for new experiences and the confidence with which to face them.

Lily, our smallest black cat, is currently undergoing a new experience… All my cats carry themselves with the grace and elegance of a top supermodel… (watch out “London Look” girl..) but Lily is actually doing a spot of modelling.

Gary – Fiction Is Food – happened to mention that his friend Marje of Kyrosmagica was in need of a black cat… not for any nefarious purposes, I hasten to add, but to aid with promotion. Marje has written a wonderful YA book and it just so happens that a black cat is featured. Lily was only too happy to oblige and hopefully the book will be published this summer. Please do go and have a look at Marje’s blog…

Photographing black cats has its own particular difficulties, so my son informs me. The lighting has to be just right and preferably they have to have their eyes open, as Lady Joyful mentioned, otherwise you just have kind of a … furry blob. Some cats just don’t care to have their picture taken or can be a little over-enthusiastic… Ting loves to get up close and personal with the camera…

Charlie, of course, as befits a princess, is physically incapable of being anything other than beautiful on camera… think the gamine sweetness of Hepburn, the shy charm of early Diana

or the sheer “Look at me! You know I’m irresistible!” beauty of Elizabeth Taylor…

Ultimately, though, despite the fact that my little cat draws on a parade of historic beauties, she is still my little cat…

“Every cat is really the most beautiful woman in the room.”

E.V.Lucas

Hunting For Garfield

I have a wonderful friend, Garfield Hug’s blog, and we’ve known each other since I first started on WordPress, back in March this year. Do go and pay her a visit, she’s very funny, informative and a lovely person.

Obviously… she likes Garfield, so this post is really a bit of fun for her. (Although I literally COULD NOT find Garfield…)

 

I have a friend who’s very dear,
Her blog is fun and full of cheer.

She lives far away in Singapore
And by Garfield she sets great store.

To cheer her up I thought I’d find
Lots of Garfields – have I gone blind?

I hunted high, I hunted low,
Far and wide for Garfield did I go…

“I’ve not seen Garfield here in years!”
I said and then burst into tears.

It had me tearing out my hair –
Couldn’t find Garfield ANYWHERE!

I promised Garfield Hug a Garfield treat,
Perhaps you’ll find a drawing sweet!

So. Here he is in all his glory
Complete with this – a little story.

 

 

 

 

 

Alice Updated

“Don’t worry, you’ll make friends once you’ve settled in.”

“Don’t forget to work hard, we know what you students are like, out all night.”

These words fell on frightened ears as her parents left her. They left her, in the hall of residence in a nameless, faceless block in a city she didn’t know and she was afraid.

It was bleak, it was dark, it was autumn and she longed for the golden days of when she was at school. The city was brutal, it was dark and it rained. She didn’t know where she was or she felt to be so tenderly abandoned. She was not equipped for this!

The gentle county of her youth, her kind teachers and thoughtful friends, the lessons, the plans, the routine, these were things she understood.

Scornful tutors mouthed incomprehensible words in echoing lecture theatres and people laughed. She couldn’t eat, she didn’t know how. And yet, and yet, she was touched with kindness as others saw her and were drawn to this sad, lonely girl, “Alice of the Otherworld” as the darkness called her.

“Here, come out with us, have a drink, you’ll feel better!”

The tall, dark, boy laughed like a maniac with knives in his eyes and pushed the glass towards her.

She drank; and was transported. Down and down she fell, tumbling down a smooth golden tunnel that smelled enticingly of childhood and weepingly of home.

When she opened her eyes, she was lying in a field. The day was golden, and dusted with sunshine, the old oak tree she reclined against felt warm and comfortable, as comforting as her bed at home.

She sat up, and her hands touched grass, grass that slithered through her fingers as soft as silk and warm as blood. A winged rabbit fluttered by, its delicate wings etched in green, flushing pink as it startled at her presence and shied away.

And as she looked, and looked again, what at first she took for flowers, beat their wings and flew away in a chattering flock and she heard the swallows singing at home as they prepared to fly to Africa.

She sighed and laid down again. This was not home, but it would do, the echoes were familiar and some of it was comforting. She drew this atmosphere around her, like her duvet at home, and shut her eyes.

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“Ally! Ally! No! Ally, wake up! You bastard, what did you give her?”

The dark youth smiled uneasily and slid away, as her head lolled and a trickle of thin, yellow vomit escaped her smiling mouth, while the one who would have loved her grabbed his phone and cried.

Versatile Blogger Award

What a lovely surprise! Two nominations for the same award on the same day by two different blogs! Is that random… Consequently I must thank Xenia and her wonderful whippets Pearl and Eivor of Whippet Wisdom and Ella May of Testarossa for thinking of me and nominating me for this award. Please go and have a look at both of these blogs; Whippet Wisdom for beautiful photos and uplifting words and Testarossa for a wonderful combination of fashion, thoughts, travel and student advice!

The Rules For This Award:

1. Thank the person who nominated you.

2. Share the Award on your blog.

3. Share seven random facts about yourself.

4. Tag up to ten bloggers with less than 1000 followers and let them know they have been nominated.

As I had a double nomination, I thought it only fair to provide not seven, but fourteen random facts about myself…! Likewise with my nominations… here goes with fourteen random facts about me… sometimes I wonder myself…

1. I have a Kindle and a Nook, but still prefer a physical book.

2. I can fold a table napkin in the shape of a water lily.

3. Never been stung by a bee.

4. I’ve lived in a haunted house.

5. My sign of the zodiac is Cancer.

6. I hate mushrooms.

7. My grandfather was a metallurgist…

8. When my son and I saw ‘Hachi’ at the cinema, we couldn’t leave for half an hour after it finished because I was still crying.

9. I used to smoke Windsor Blue cigarettes.

10. I always carry a notebook and pen in my handbag.

11. I can make meringues.

12. I played lacrosse at school (although to be honest I spent more time hiding behind the gym…)

13. I have had four black cats since I was a little girl.

14. My phone is really annoying me at the moment. It needs to be careful in light of the fact Christmas is now not far away…

Now. This is generally where I come unstuck… my own nominations for other blogs. I started my own blog on 26^th March of this year and during that time, I have come across so many wonderful blogs and lovely people I am hard put to choose specific nominations… I have met so many people I am pleased to call friend, how do you choose?

So, here it is. Some blogs I would like to mention specially like Brian and Lily, PaperPuff, Lady Joyful, Garfield Hug’s Blog, gillyflower – oh dear it’s turning into a list, so many talented people in many different areas… yep. Can’t do it.

YOU ALL DESERVE THE VERSATILE BLOG AWARD!

Thank you as well, as always to everyone who’s taken the time to stop and read, like and subscribe!