sit down and sort

Days like today, aren't my favourite kind.  And, that is probably the biggest unstatement of my life.  

That's a corner of my new desk up there, nearly collapsing under the strain of pieces of paper, notebooks and other desky paraphnilia. 

Today has been a sit down and sort day.  Endless files, bits and pieces, have been whittled into submission, I have built a bonfire the size of Everst with confidential papers that are past their sellby date, and smiled as I felt the release as unneeded papers went up in flames. 

I am sorting stuff out, and it feels good - even if it isn't my favourite thing to do in the world.  Sometimes, even those things we dread, or loath to do, can feel great once we get started!

Tomorrow, well it looks like it will be filled with more of the same.  Even though I know how good this is, and I have made the choice to be positive about it.  It is tiring, and quite tedious. My brain is feeling full of fudge, figures swirl in front of my eyes, and my whiteboard with a to do list groans every time it grows, as I add things to it.

I don't hate days like this anymore, because I know how essential they are to my world, and to running a successful business.  I do though have to rather, force myself to get on with it.  Just like those law essays at university, that basically just needed me to sit down and write, rather than whiling away the hours doing anything but.  I just need to sit down and sort.

Sit down and sort - sit down and sort - sit down and sort - sit down and sort - sit down and sort

Stay in the study - sit and sort - do not pass go, do not collect your reward, just stay put and sort.

The old maximum 'fail to plan, and you plan to fail' is etched on my mind.  I know how important ticking the boxes, crossing the t's and dotting the i's are to my life.  Sure they aren't my favourite things, but they are a crucial part of my life. I know when I have my house in order, I have more time to tell stories and to do the things I love, plus it makes me feel good, to just get it done, and not have to panic when deadlines flash in neon!

How satisfying is it to get rid of stuff that we don't need, to take a machete to parts to it, and to just get stuff sorted.  I love it, I love the feeling that it gives me when I am done.  It makes me feel GOOD!

In fact I now have a growing addiction to eBay, which began last year, when I started to sell my old fat girl clothes, that now, fall off me.  Focus Nics, that story is for another blog... Are you excited?  I am can't wait to share that journey with you!

Do you have a big project you need to tackle?  I have set aside August as my tackling month. First up on my desk is paperwork, the stuff that just needs me to sit and sort, to pay attention, and not be on the computer, working on some words.  What have you got to do and how are you going to do it?

I always think it is good to have something to look forward to, on days like these.  Tonight I have an exercise class, and tomorrow a BBQ, then a photoshoot on Friday.  When I feel swamped by papers, all I need to do is look up and remember that I have set aside time for this, it is important, I need to do it, and later, I will then have time for something else.

How do you get through days like these?

That's it for now ...

Nics

Salt and Sparkle = Life Remarkable

Mother and Daughter - Sweet Shot Tuesday

My Sweet Shot Tuesday this week are a series of pics I took of my dear friend Yvonne, and her daughter Helen, at Yvonne's umpteenth birthday party.  The look of love between mother and daughter, is universal and needs no words.  Enjoy my sweet shots, because it was a sweet joy to take them.  Happy Tuesday, Folks.

I'd love to see your Sweet Shot Tuesday's this week, why don't you head over the the wonderful Darcy's blog to link up.

Have a great Tuesday.

That's it for now ...

Nics

salt and sparkle = life remarkable

stretch

I do believe we live quite rigid lives. We often move from one position to the other, without much thought for how our bodies feel. Sometimes we will give a half hearted attempt at yawning and stretching up, or over - but in the main, this is not a regular activity for most of us, instead we sit or stand still. Behind a computer, at our desks, at the cooker, even in the gym lifting weights.

I am always mystified by those who go to the gym - train, train, train - get fitter and fitter, but pay no attention to the flexibility of their bodies, to stretching out the muscles they have worked. Focusing only on what they can bench press today, or how fast they can run. Then are surprised when they pull a muscle or injure themselves. For me the most crucial part of my workout is stretching, being in tune with my body, finding out which bits are tight or which bits feel good, seeing each day a little improvement in my flexibility and strength.

Our bodies need to be flexible, they were built to bendable and to be strong. To have secure roots in what we believe, and to grow tall, but to be able to deal with the winds of life as they hit us. We want to be a willow tree incredibly strong, with many parts, and deep deep roots, firmly planted but able to withstand the pressure of the wind, due to the flexibility of our branches. This is more than an idiom for our bodies we could apply it to our lives, as well, being able to be flexible and cope with all that we deal with on a daily basis, but Ithink more on that in another post.

Are bodies are the most incredible instrument, something I think we can often forget about as we try to just get through our day. I think it's important to be thankful for the gift of the body that we have been freely given, and to give the body something back. To take a moment or two to give them comfort, for holding us up all day as we go about our daily business. To reach out those tried or aching muscles, and let them soak in a stretch.

Stretching - just simple movements, only to the best of your ability, and only for a long as is comfortable to you. Where you are right now, lift your arms out to the side, and stretch up, as you breathe in, bring your palms to touch above your head, then look up, as you breathe out let your arms come down,to your sides. Try it again, breathe in, arms come up, palms touch, you look up, then breathe out and they return to the beginning. Don't you feel better already?

I love this picture of our cat Tymone, stretched out beside the Aga. How comfortable does he look? How chilled out? How relaxed? We could all do with a bit of those three words in our day - comfort, chilled, relaxed- stretching helps us to bring these things into our day.

Try that stretch again, breathe in, arms come out, palms touch above your head, breathe out and they come down.

We can learn a lot through observing cats, dogs and other animals. When they have been resting in one position, and then they move to another, they take a moment to stretch, to ease out their muscles, and skeletons. Take a look now at your dog or cat, watch then when they get up from sleeping, see how they are so intune with their bodies that they stretch before moving forward.

Let me know if you have a favourite stretch.

That's it for now ...

Nics
Salt and Sparkle = Life Remarkable

brownies and surfing

I've just bought a new wetsuit.

Tomorrow I'm going to try it out on some of the Atlantic rollers on the North Coast of Ireland. We are bringing our body boards and going to hire some surf boards.

I can't wait to get into the water. To taste the salt, and feel the rejuvenation of the seawater against my skin. To watch the light bounce off the waves.

A gang of us our going' my brother and sister, and two of our friends, it's a mini roadtrip. There's nothing better than hanging out with mates at the shore. It's the same the world over.

Atlantic Rollers are cold, cold, cold, and although we have been brought up to swim in the sea since we were children, wetsuits really are essential. Especially if you want to ride the waves and stay in the water for longer than two minutes.

When we come out of the water shaking off the last drops there is really nothing better than something hot to drink to warm the insides. I'll be looking out our flasks tonight. Boarding is a serious work out and cups of tea or coffee, seem rather merge without something to go with them, therefore, I've made some chocolate brownies to bring. These are nutella brownies, a recipe I have invented out of necessity because just after I started cooking I discovered that someone had eaten my store of dark chocolate.

They have the perfect flaky crust, with a deep, decadent, moist centre, that melts on the tongue.

I know the gang are going to be excited when I unwrap a parchment parcel of these tomorrow.

ENJOY

Nutella Brownies Recipe

Ingredients
185g unsalted butter
185g nutella - heated slightly so it's easy to mix into the other ingredients or you can use the best quality dark chocolate
85g plain flour
50g cocoa powder
150g dark and or milk chocolate- coarsely chopped
3 large eggs
275g golden caster sugar
Capful of Vanilla extract

Method

oven - oven on to fan 160C/conventional180C/gas 4
Aga - top oven, lowest set of runners with baking shelf on top - use Aga small roasting tin, line with non stop baking paper

1 melt nutella/ broken up chocolate with butter over a Bain Marie or in the microwave - stirring occasionally to mix
2 Grease and line with baking paper a 10" baking tin or use silicon
3 Mix flour and cocoa powder
4 Whisk eggs, vanilla and sugar on high until doubled in size - this will take several minutes - the beaters should leave a deep trail in the eggs
5 Let chocolate mixture cool slightly then pour into egg mixture, mix until two mixtures are one and the colour is a mottled dark brown
6 Sieve in flour and cocoa mixture and fold in - the mixture will look dry and dusty like a desert road - add chopped chocolate pieces keep going until it gets thick and fudgy, stop before you think you should
7 Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 20-25 minutes, Aga may be 15-20 minutes, brownies are done when they have a papery cracked surface, they should be firm in the middle rather than wobbly
8 Turn out keeping them on Ge baking paper to a wire rack and let them cool
9 cut into squares and ENJOY!

That's it for now...
Have a great weekend

Nics

Salt and Sparkle = Life Remarkable

BEAUTY - Five Minute Friday

It makes me sad when people don't stop to see the beauty in themselves or in this world.

Their lives are so busy filled with - stuff and things and chaos and work - a merry-go-round that they believe doesn't give them time to breathe, let along see beauty. They step onto treadmills half asleep clutching a double esperessoc, they commute, then head to the office, where they feel they can't make the choice to even have lunch because they are so busy, there is so much to do. In the winter they begin and end their day in the dark. The light is all artificial, and blinding. The short that brings headaches. There is no room for space, or grave, no margin for error, no room for beauty.

I know that I wasn't able to live this lifetstyle, I had the choice, I tried it and it made me sick. I couldn't cope with not seeing the beauty in life, with not following the light, to find the freedom. All I saw was darkness, and stress.

I hate to feel trapped, I suppose that's why I don't do so well in cities without the ocean, for long periods of time. They destroy my soul. They make me feel like I am going to suffocate, they pull and put the light out. It's hard to turn your back on a lifestyle that offered so much, of what the world believes we should have. To followa dream that means for a time, nothing seems certain. Sometimes I wonder about what mighthavebeen had I stayed, then I remember. And with the memory comes the pain, just a nugget of it, to remind me how illI was, when I liveda lifestyle that took away beauty. I don't think I'd exist anymore if I had made the choice to live that life.

Of course the smallest things in themselves can be beautiful, like the plastic bag in American Beauty floating in the air - the beauty is there, even in the cities, I know this. All we have to do is look for it, to remember to open our eyes, and not be blinded by all that surrounds us in daily life. Take a moment to look at the light and freedom in creation.

I know in some of my darkest days, I have stood outside and looked up, to the light, be it the bluest sky, or the twinkling stars, and felt a peace in my soul. I think now particularly of a time in Holland, where I lived with a very sick and old lady, I walked out into the snow, as the twilight began to fade, to see a sky streaked with red and indigo, and at my feet light tiny crocus pushed through the snow, reminding me that spring had come.

Take a walk today, and just breathe in the beauty of the air, of what surrounds you be it man made or natural. There is beauty in the breath,the is beauty in the body, this awesome gift, that each of have been fully given. Know that YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL no matter how you feel, don't be too hard on yourself, don't surround yourself with unnecessary pressure, just know you are beautiful, a unique creation. There is not one other soul on this planet who has your DNA, or who can fulfil your purpose.

Here is a story that I think brings encouragement. Audrey Hepburn common seen as the most beautiful women on the planet believed that she wasn't she thought she was ugly, but when she entered a room she said, 'I am the most beautiful women in this room.' again and again to herself, and people where drawn to her. Try it out, seriously it works. Give it a go today and let me know how you get on.

You are beautiful. Say it, believe it, know it.

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL

Believe in beauty.

Today I'm linking up with Lisa Jo at www.thegypsymama.com head over there to write too.

That's it for now ...

Nics
Salt and sparkle - life remarkable

I believe

There's something a little crazy about feeling so excited by everything that is happening, and yet feeling tired and drained at the same time. There's a lot happening at the moment, and I am listening really seeking quiet to try to hear the way forward. It's not easy. But it will be I know deep in my spirit - Be Worth IT.

These days of mystery and uncertainty do bring a rather strange sense of reality. Something's are jumping in technicolor, while others are lazing in a haze.

All I know is that I have to create, every part of my being says - write, create and believe. This little fella, flew in our window today, and couldn't get out again. I gently picked him up in a tea towel, and brought him outside. He let me stroke him, and didn't want to fly. I think he was stunned, which gave me time to run inside, grab my iPad and get this photo of him. He's a Coaltit apparently. Just looking at his photograph, and remembering how he felt in my hands reminds me of the wonders of creation. What an intricate, and awesome world we live in.

All I know for sure, right now, to borrow an Oprahism, is that it will work out, I just need to stick with it and ride these waves out, one at a time, learning from each one. Knowing deep within my soul that I BELIEVE.

I BELIEVE IN
My God - 3 in 1
My Future
That there is hope
In Prayer
My Dreams
My experiences
The desire deep within to create
The need from every pore to write
My passions
My friends
In creation
In life

I BELIEVE

what about you - do you believe? What in?

That's it for now...

Nics

Salt and Sparkle = Life Remarkable

Brian - 50mm and announcing 31 Days of Space

Today I am linking up with the wonderful photographer Hallie Westcott, seriously go check her work out now, it is amazing.  This is a shot I took of my brother running to me to get his photo taken with his girlfriend, which you can see here.

I am loving my 50mm lense, and pretty much have been using it non stop for the past couple of months.  I have lots of pictures to share with you of my travels in Ireland, and the big party I went to in London.  Do you have a favourite lens?  If so what is it?

31 DAYS OF SPACE

Coming soon to Salt and Sparkle...

Last year when I got into reading blogs on a daily basis, I came across this wonderful blog, and the idea of 31 days to.  This October - Darcy, and her pals, are at it again - 31 days of blogging on a said subject, and I am going to join them, for the whole month of October with 31 days of Space.  I hope you will join in as well and write about something for 31 days.  If you want to get a better feel for the idea, check out 31 Days to a Better Photo - and if you like taking pictures, have a go with it, because it is amazing.  You can read more about 31 Days to here,  come on guys, you have nothing to lose, choose a topic, do some brainstorming, then come October JUST WRITE.

31 Days of Space coming soon on Salt and Sparkle ...

That's it for now.

Nics

salt and sparkle = life remarkable