Seasons

S is for Seasons

I love the seasons in the UK, we get to see so much change almost every three months.

Spring sees the start of the new life, the flowers starting to grow and flower with the daffodils and crocuses, trees starting to bud and then blossom on them.

Image: graur codrin / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

In summer our gardens are an array of colours with all the flowers and trees full of leaves.

Image: Tina Phillips / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Autumn is great with the trees changing colour to orange, red and brown and when you see them from a distance it is such an array of colours.

Image: koratmember / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Winter, even though it is fairly barren on the flower and tree front the crispy sparkly mornings and then thick white snow are such an amazing thing to see.

Image: dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A is for April

Image: Graeme Weatherston / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This is the start of the A-Z Blogging Challenge and I have decided to try to be positive for the month of April, as I wanted a change from the normal doom and gloom this blog has become accustomed to. I am going to find positive words or pictures to go with each letter of the alphabet, wish me luck as I am not sure for some letters what I will do!

A is for April, Spring time, a time of new growth and new birth.

I love this time of year when you can get outside in the garden and start making things look tidy again (when the weather is being kind to us). This year I am going to have plenty of time to get in the garden as I am at home and TJ is old enough to be out with me, looking at worms (her new best friends) or playing with a ball, or flinging herself down the slide!

With Spring comes blossom on the trees, green leaves and colourful flowers like Daffodils and Tulips, after the drabness of winter its a welcome sight to see. Sometimes it’s almost overnight that trees are suddenly covered with leaves, and then we will be rapidly heading into May and then Summer, but lets not wish the months away but enjoy this new cycle that the trees and flowers are entering.

I love to see the lambs in the fields, and one sheep that we drive past has already had her lambs and they have been jumping about and playing in the wonderful sunshine that has come our way. There will lots of other animals ready to give birth over the next few months, and baby animals always make me smile, they look so cute and cuddly, it’s just a shame that they have to grow up!

It’s easy to smile whilst we have been blessed with the wonderful weather over the last couple of weeks, but the trees and plants will continue to grow with the rain (and many will need the water), that I will try to remind myself that the wonder of the new season is still a wonder regardless of the sun or rain outside.

So A is for April, what do you like about April?

Image: Matt Banks / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Spring Time

It’s Tuesday and I am linking up with the Snap Slappers with Five Go Blogging, the theme this week is Spring! It looks like spring at the moment, but my garden definitely needs some love and attention. I almost went and did some on Saturday seeing as the sun was shining, but laziness took over and I sat and looked at blogs instead!

My garden is not too good at the moment, I’ve just taken this picture of some of the pots that desperately need sorting:

Then I had a play with Picnik, and this is what happened, I wonder if I could get away with putting some paper flowers in the garden?

Is its spring like where you are, does it need a bit of help?  Why not join in with the Snap Slappers and have some fun?

Trying to find my Groove

Last week Kate from Kate on Thin Ice took a well deserved break from Groovy Mums, but this week she is back in full force ensuring that us mums are finding our groove. Unfortunately I am not sure if I still qualify to partake in this linky as I really have lost my groove at the moment. However I am going to try my best to see if I have done anything remotely ’groovying’ these last couple of weeks and see how I manage with the challenges she has set.

These past couple of weeks have been really tough, my mood has been gradually slipping since the second week in January, but these last two weeks have been particularly difficult so trying to find something that has been about finding my ‘groove’ is  not easy. The one thing I can think of is that I went to Toddlers today, and was motivated to do so,  last week I really wasn’t sure if I was going to go or not and then FJ was ill so the decision was taken out of my hands (luckily for me!). I also helped with the tea’s and coffee’s as the person who should have been doing it wasn’t able to come. So a very small thing, but at the moment I am trying to remind myself that baby steps are better than no steps.

1. Body – how can you use your outside space to help your body?  Is it time to sort out the garden, jazz up your yard or look into an allotment?  Being out and about more will almost inevitably help your body.

I love the spring time when I can get out into the garden, and I know that I will be able to use my body this year to sort it out. Last year we did very little outside and we have some bigish plans for this coming year. We want to have a vegetable patch, we won’t grow much but we think the children will love to help out, unfortunately I have heard that the weather is not going to be so good this weekend, so I may have to wait a few more weeks before I get out there.

2. Mind – write a short story or poem and share it with us.  It does not have to be wonderful, it just has to be yours.

I am going to pass on this one, although I would love to write a poem or a story, even if I did manage it I would be too embarrassed to actually post it.

3. Spirit – It is Lent which is traditionally a time to make positive changes.  Can you use Lent to help you move forwards in some way?

I wish I could say yes I will use Lent to make positive changes, but the way my mood is at the moment I am not sure if that will happen. I have just had my medication increased so maybe I will see a positive change with my mood and in due course see a more positive me coming out.

4. Blogging – have you considered asking for nominations for the Britmums Brilliance in Blogging Awards?  Do awards for blogging interest you at all?  There is a badge on the top of my sidebar if you want to see my name in lights.  If you would like a nomination from me, please let me know.

Last year, when I had first started blogging I couldn’t get my head round all the awards and didn’t actually take much notice, my blog was pretty small and I didn’t know enough other bloggers to really think about nominating / voting for people.

This year, however, it is very different. I understand it all a bit more, I have also been reading other people’s blogs more and so I know who I would want to nominate. I am also being brave and putting myself forward (there’s a badge top left if you feel inclined to nominate me!) for the Britmums BIB’s, for which I have selected ‘Change’ but only as you have to select just one (I would be happy with any that people think is appropriate). I will now scurry away and hide for being so bold!

5. Special Days – It is Fairtrade Fortnight.  How much do you know about Fairtrade?  Do you support it?  Find out more
http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/

I don’t know a huge amount about Fairtrade, but I do know that the people doing the actual work will get a fair payment for the work that they are doing. I think it helps communities be able to support themselves better and therefore feel better about themselves. I do support this idea and when I had my own business we did have some products that were Fairtrade. On some occasions I will not always buy Fairtrade as there are some times that British Farmers also need support.

6. The Big Question – What are you looking forward to?  Beware if the answer is nothing and then do something about it.

This is a very difficult one for me this week, as I have said I have been really struggling these past few weeks and I am pretty much taking each day as it comes and not looking very much further. However that said, Kate has said we need to so something about not having anything to look forward to so,  I will say that I am looking forward to better weather so that I can get out in my garden and start to make it look pretty with lots of colourful flowers and home-grown vegetables.

7. Daft Challenge of the Week – drop the word “dumplings” into your conversation as many times as you can this week.  Perhaps we can get “groovymumsdumplings” trending on Twitter lol?!

Ok, so not actually tried this yet, but I will see if I can and then report back next week!

8. Your Own Challenge – What has life thrown at you?  How are you dealing with the issue?  What information, tips and contacts might help you?

Well life has definitely thrown a big storm at me, I was leading a fairly ok life, with normal ups and downs and then the pregnancy with TJ and the subsequent traumatic birth has seen me extremely low and even though I have had some ups, I am having a big down again. I am lucky though, in that I have a lot of support and am getting all the help I need. The only help I am not getting and am failing to find is a replacement brain, or a magic wand. I am not sure why these are not being sold, if anyone finds either item please let me know.

That is me this week, I am struggling generally with life, but when I think about spring and all the new flowers popping up and leaves sprouting on trees I feel a little bit happy and a little bit smiley, so maybe there is still hope for me yet.

If you are in that place where you are fed up of just being ‘mummy’ or ‘sister’ or ‘wife’ or just need a place to share your journey to a better place for ‘me’ then why not join in the Groovy Mums with Kate?