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I love this time of year when all the young are being born in the Forest. Don't worry, their mother was close by.
24/52
6/52 It's hard to display but as you might be able to tell from this table, today in New Jersey we have 2:15 more daylight than we did yesterday and that means today we have exactly one more hour of daylight than we had at the Winter solstice. Little things like this matter to someone who needs as many hours of daylight as possible.
If you want to obsessively follow your daylight hours, here's the link: www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/trenton
“From a small seed a mighty trunk may grow.”
― Aeschylus
From little seeds grow mighty trees!
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21/52 I can't tell you how many times I think about this book. Years and years ago a teacher recommended I read The Elements of Style and it made a huge impression on me. One of the biggest take-aways for me is to be concise. I don't do much writing any more but when I do I love looking for unnecessary words I can get rid of. I also love looking at examples in the book of incorrectly written sentences and trying to guess a better way to write them before looking at the "answer". I was reading this book in bed the other night and realized I might be the only person in the world who thinks of reading Strunk and White as one of those little things...
Two thoughts:
1. I think of this book as Strunk and White - not The Elements of Style - not sure why... maybe because a larger font is used for the authors' names than for the title.
2. I realize I have now set myself up for a wee bit of self-consciousness and embarrassment about my writing on Flickr. Hmmm. Maybe this is one of those little things best kept to myself.
The little lambs are super cute when they are brand new with their fluffy white coats and pink ears.
14/52
Explore #58
23/52 Mack has one of the fur coats that sheds like crazy. No matter how much I brush him, there is always more dead fur just waiting to cover furniture and clothes. This picture is not that impressive because I've been brushing him regularly so far this season and because I'd just finished brushing him when I decided to take his picture. I've included a picture in the comments I took a couple years ago that shows what brushing Mack usually looks like.
BTW you can tell by Mack's ears that he's not thrilled being the butt of the joke.
SOOC
.......like the piglets that are running riot in the Forest at the moment. They are let out at this time of year to eat all the acorns so that the ponies don't get poisoned by them (the acorns that is not the pigs). We saw about 15 piglets on Sunday all having lots of fun. What I love about this shot and the one in the comment below is the little piggy in the background running up and down (doing zoomies Benni!)
Two more in comments below
37/52
#117 Explore
It's the little things 24/52 - spending time with family. Deb organised high tea for my birthday at Dirty Janes in Bowral in the Southern Highlands of NSW. It was all delicious.
I was out in the garden late one evening and I could hear a bird making a whole lot of noise, singing away. Eventually, I spotted it high up in a neighbour's tree quite a distance away so I went in to grab my camera so I could zoom in and identify it. It wasn't until I downloaded the photos that I could see it had insects in its beak. How the hell had it been singing I wondered and then I saw the photo below and understood.
Two more photos in comments below
Ps I think it is a goldfinch
20/52
20/52 Today was my first trip to the beach this season. The air was 91 F so the beach was crowded but the water was 54 F so no one was doing more than dipping their toes in it.
It turns out that while I was taking pictures of my toes, George was taking pictures of me taking pictures of my toes. His picture is in the comments.
Vegas is a one year old British Shorthair boarding with us for the first time. She is one of the cutest cats I've ever seen and I wanted to get a good picture of her but because she's so young she never stood still long enough for me to do so. Two of my co-workers decided to help and I'm so glad they did. I laugh every time I see Vegas' expression.
Cats seem to find me and so there will never be a need for me to go out and buy a purebred. However, after meeting many cats of very possible breed, if I were to buy a cat, it would be a British Shorthair. I've liked every one of them I've met. They all seem to be mellow, easy going, social and incredibly cute.
Now this fennel bulb must be the weirdest of little things ever. We went to one of our favourite places, Brownsea Island, last weekend as it was so hot we thought being on an island would give us some air - wrong - there was no breeze at all so still scorchio. On the way back to catch the ferry we passed the island's church and Phill commented on the wonderful light so I took a snap before we walked towards it. And as we did so we spotted a fennel bulb just sitting there on the wall. Now two things are peculiar about this, the first is obvious in that what the heck was a fennel bulb doing sitting on the church wall? where had it come from? and who had put it there? But the second is kind of spooky. Let me ask you when was the last time you discussed fennel with your other half? Exactly! Well only 5 minutes before we had been discussing a new recipe I had found with lamb meatballs and FENNEL!! Well the 'little thing' (fennel bulb) is circled in the photo below so you can see what a little thing it was when we first saw it
26/52 - half way through the year!!!!!
Welcome to my new personal challenge for 2017 - to post something that makes me happy and that is one of life's little things.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and my mother both felt this was the secret to being happy no matter what your circumstances. Doyle said: "...the little things are infinitely the most important."
This is low pressure; it's easy to find things around the house that make you happy. Everything won't be macro, a little thing could be a restaurant lunch with a friend or a walk around the neighborhood with your dog.
I'd love to have others join in on this one - it would be fun to see what small pleasures make your life happier.
(Week 1 of challenge, "It's the Little Things".)
Chickpea, AKA Pete, made us a group! Please feel free to join and post your "little things" photos. Welcome to all Flickr friends. Thanks, Pete!
...........like when you get something stuck between your teeth and can't shift it without floss which you forgot to put in your handbag. See there are bad little things as well as good little things.
30/52
It's the little things...like when your grandson actually asks to have his photo taken rather than running away to hide. 25/52
Son-in-law Boris and grandson Bernie at Bowen Park, Barton, Canberra. Day trip to Canberra to attend a Russian Bazaar and then a picnic lunch by the lake.
It's the little things... finding a new supply store for my sewing and knitting needs. Op-shop shopping at it's best! Achieve Australia is a not-for-profit opportunity shop specializing in fabric of all varieties, wool, thread, patterns and craft supplies. 7/52
It's the little things..... like ice cream with the family. 8/52 After dinner with family at home last night we all headed out to our local gelateria, Toscana Gelateria Naturale for some of their delicious gelato. Toscana Gelateria is a family business run by Lisa and Nando. Nando makes all the ice creams and sorbets himself using all fresh and natural ingredients with no added commercial syrups or flavourings. I had the panna cotta gelato - delicious!
It's been an interesting year of ups and downs.
The start of 2013 wasn't all that great with a nasty cold and then for cryin' out loud kind of irony my first ever episode (and hopefully last) of pink eye! But the pink eye stemmed a bit of creativity and I came up with Stella so that was a good thing.
www.flickr.com/photos/georgie_grrl/8347876638/
And I got drawing again .... admittedly I've slacked off lately but I will be getting back to it once I finish some more sewing projects I have on the go:
www.flickr.com/photos/georgie_grrl/8348411014/
For my birthday in February there was another first but much better than pink eye .... my first time doing karaoke! And though I was super nervous and felt like I was singing beside a jackhammer with the way my voice was shaking, it was still *much* better than pink eye. :p
And following up to that and relating my tale of stage fright terror, my friend Andrew invited me out to Choir! Choir! Choir! The first night we sang "Lola" and "Dude Looks Like a Lady" ... and I loooooooved it! And I've met some pretty awesome folks through the group. I even got to sing with the group at The Reel Asian Film Festival before watching the documentary about Arnel Pineda "Don't Stop Believin'" and we also sang this year at Toronto's Cavalcade of Lights. A big thank you to Nobu and Daveed for creating this awesome group and of course thank you to Andrew for dragging my booty out!
I played slo-pitch again this year back at York University. Ironically with a team that I had played against for years. I bumped into Angelo in my neighbourhood and he told me to contact him closer to when the season would start. I was pretty rusty in some spots but I had some good games and plays too ... hope to do it again in 2014!
In June, I went camping with some of the TOPW crew to Awenda Park. It had been ages since I had gone camping but it was really fun and I can't wait to do it again next year! Thank you to Andrew for organizing the weekend and to Michael for the ride and the company for the trip there and back. And of course to all the other fabulous camping minions that came out to play that weekend. :)
www.flickr.com/photos/georgie_grrl/9121512082/
Then in August, Laurie, Shirley, Marley and I went to Point Pelee for a Grrls Gone Wild weekend! Sooooo much fun and so many wonderfully pictureful moments! I hope we get a chance to do another road trip (or two) in 2014.
Unfortunately, 2013 brought some sadness to those near and dear to me as well ... my close friend Durwin lost his father suddenly this past summer and my friend Donna very sadly lost her young son on Christmas day. I have also received news that my dear friend Philip's mother is not doing well at all .... My heart aches for them and their families .... I give my love and support but sometimes it doesn't feel like enough. Especially when friends are far away. On a positive note, my grrl Michelle told me about this postcard project for a young boy named Wilson and I've spread word in hopes that friends will send a little something his way .... I thought Benjamin in particular would approve of such a kind gesture.
www.flickr.com/photos/georgie_grrl/11594223193/
For the year ahead, I'm looking forward to more photography ops with friends - like the Hair of the Dog walk with my fellow TOPW crew tomorrow. More sunrises, more cycling, more slo-pitch, more zombies (yes Joann - more zombies!), more Choir!, more sewing and more deliveries from and by the Pony and more wonderful banter here with you all and more sharing.
I wish you all the very best in the year ahead .... may it be wondrous and full of joy, love, good health, adventures and of course be oh so pictureful! Thank you for all your support in 2013. oxoxo
It's the Little Things 2.0 #216
like a nice cup of tea. No fancy stuff just a plain old English breakfast tea. We English will quite often offer to make each other a cup of tea in times of crisis. "what you need is a nice cup of tea", we say, and quite often that is exactly all we need:-)
You would have like this little café Janet. The tables were all covered in completed jigsaws (they also sold them there as well)
8/52
It's the Little Things: Reading a good book on a cold and cloudy day.
She wanted to read the Anne Frank Diary. And several people questioned her choice. "Are you sure? It's too hard for your age. Are you reading that book? Do you understand? Do you need help?"
I am glad that she was persistent. She spends 1 hour just to read 20 pages (much longer that her usual speed), has to stop to many times and use the dictionary to look up certain words and has to read slowly to really digest. But she is halfway of finishing the book and has been retelling the story to me. (Yep, insert mom's happy smile here).
This is Polly pony which I received for my birthday from Paige. Charlotte told me that as soon as Paige saw it she wanted to buy it for me as a present as "she knew I would love it". Not my normal kind of ornament but I was thrilled to receive it will so much thoughtfulness. I just had to take Polly out into the Forest to meet her 'family'
Not sure what the real pony thought - lol
19/52
there is nothing I like better on a cold winter day, than hanging out in the livingroom by the fireplace
Larry gave me a bag full of those pine cones that make colors when they burn. He knew I'd love them!
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.............like getting someone bigger than you to help you with dinner.
Phill and I were out in Denny Wood: he had 'wandered' off and I was waiting by the car for him to return. Whilst I was waiting I saw this little starling perched up on the pony's back. The starling was just sitting there whilst the horse was eating the grass. I then watched whilst he flew to the ground and started picking at the grass where the horse had been eating. He would then hope back on the horses back after the horse and moved forward a little, wait a moment and then fly back down to the ground to forage around where the horse was eating yet again. This happened 5 times whilst I was watching them. I figured that the horse was disturbing the ground where she was eating and the starling was taking advantage of the situation and picking up any bugs that had come to the surface. Clever little starling.
PS the bear's back - lol
Two more photos in comments below
Explore 184
48/52
..................damned mosquitoes! We never used to have them in the UK but now we do. I have bad reactions to their bites so I have to act quickly with antihistamine and a steroid cream otherwise I end up seeing a doctor
#126 Explore
33/52
Christmas dinner in Chinatown - great company, good food and an entertaining view. And no dishes to clean either. Can't complain.
I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas with friends and family! Hugs!
It's the Little Things #273
.............like being read to by child. Paige insisted on reading out loud to me. It was lovely hearing her formulate the difficult words and read the story with meaning. It took me back to my childhood when I used to read out loud to my teacher. I was really encouraged to read from an earlier age and joined the library at 5 years old. The memories that childhood books bring back to me are so intense. My very first book memory is reading the Sam Pig stories. Then sublime memories of sitting on the grass on a sunny Friday afternoon whilst the teacher read the Far Away Tree by Enid Blyton. The feeling of fear reading The Water Babies, when Tom falls into the river. How I 'ate up' the Narnia tales (the The Magician's Nephew will always be my favourites). My mother finding me lying on the sofa, sobbing, with a copy of Jenny by Paul Gallico asking me why on earth I was reading it if it upset me and me replying through sobs "because it's a lovely story sob sob" . And although I cannot remember a lot of the stories in detail, I will always remember how I felt reading them and the magic they brought me. I hope Paige feels the same.
PS - I had nothing to do with the choice of book, that was Paige's choosing and please don't worry, Molly does get her supper:-)
25/52
22/52 Memorial Day weekend is the beginning of the pool season in my townhouse complex. It's actually too rainy and cold to go in the water but it is still a happy occasion. It's another of those huge little things.
On yourself, on love, on dreams, on the joys in life, on those little things around you that make life beautiful.
It's the Little Things 2.0 #227
"All of my collars are soft fabric, and I have 8 of them. Never tight, always comfy, so this really is a Little Thing that makes me happy.
Another really GOOD Little Thing is having Mom use Liam and Hazel for modeling and giving me a break! Finally!!
I had to sit on 3 different beds with these collars draped all over me till I fell over in disgust. Something about "bad light" and "silvery black washing out", so we thought of Liam and Hazel. They love posing and frankly I'm tired of it. So today, two happy Little Things for me, Benni Girl."
4/52 Benni's It's the Little Things
i climb up on a rock
and stretch out in the sun
and close my eyes and let
my imagination run
-- lucinda williams, from "west"
.........Georgia! Now there's a little thing full of character *cough*.
Facebook conversation:
My sister "That moment when you discover your granddaughter dipped your eyeshadow brush in your pot of Tiger Balm.
Me: Georgia by any chance?
My sister: How did you guess?
12/52
"Two things about this photo: 1. When asked to choose between this and another shot my big brother, Alex, said he chose this one even though I looked like 'a big cloudy vaporous thing'! Is that kind? No, but Alex is a cat person, has two of them, and is the father of the Wild Things, so you can see where he's coming from.
2. When Dad brings home a bag of frozen yogurt from Frappe's, which I immediately recognize, there will only be two containers. Can't the man count? Umm, there are 3 hungry mouths here! Anyway, Mom shares hers with me and I eat it outside with the Owl family looking on. They don't get any. Slurp, slurp....."
by Benni Girl
11/52
................and my last and favourite of 2018. When we arrived at my sister's last weekend we were bombarded by Christmas cards that the children had written out themselves. Paige had gone a step further and written out one for each of the cats. The spelling is a bit awry on Milu (Melo) and Kaiser (Kiser) but my heart melted when I saw the effort she had gone to, even drawing little paw prints on them. Her mother knew nothing of her efforts - this was totally her own idea.
52/52 - over and out!
2/52 The book they're reading is a wonderful little book I found on clearance last week. It's title is "Really Important Stuff My Dog Has Taught Me" and it's full of thoughtful quotes from around the world.
........like having the pool to yourself. In fact having the whole spa to yourself. One of my gifts from Phill was a spa day. I had already booked the 2 January off work so I rang up the spa to see if they could fit us in and they did. The massages were so good - especially the Indian Head one: felt like jelly in her hands. Obviously, people are either going back to work or getting over New Year's Eve on that day, so next year we are going to do it again. Peace and quiet for a whole day - utter bliss:-)
2/52