Goals six months on.

Six months ago, I wrote a blog about what I hoped would be my goals for the next six months and whether I had achieved or stuck to them. I wanted to simply look back and recap on what they were and the results.

• I grew some lettuce and planted some onions and carrots. The lettuce was an outstanding success and the carrots and onions are still in the ground but have grown poorly. I have not received any harvest from them. From this, I intend to lauch into tomatoes in pots next year.
• The swimming was stopped for while and my aim is to return soon. I can still swim on my back but haven’t made any further progress. However, I have had little opportunity to go into the pool over the past few weeks.
• Transition town activities kept going right on into the summer and we attended a big launch garden day and were fully active. However, since then we have stopped going for personal reasons but kept in touch with some people who still attend.
• Working on family relationships has been ongoing and only last week, since my Father had a stroke and one of my best friends diagnosed with cancer has it really sunk home how important those ties are. This is a renewed goal and one which will have even more focus in the next coming few months.
• The history of the arts pursuit had a lazy start but has probably been one of the most significant goals achieved. Having seen the series Desperate Romantics, concerning the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, I then went on to visit the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle in August where Isabella and the Pot of Basil by William Holman Hunt was exhibited and then to the Tate British to see more of the whole brotherhood’s work. I read the book accompanying the TV series by Franny Moyle, and then visited the Fitzwilliam museum to see a Darwin exhibition of art. This was excellent.
• I have made some progress on the gardening and am trying desperately to still decorate the house. This is due to start any day but illness from the summer and other busy events has meant it just hasn’t happened.
• My relationship with money is still fraught more times than not, but I have continued to save and are financially “better off” than I  was six months ago. I try not to worry about money so much but still feel that my finances are on a constant elastic band. Just stretched out to maximum all the time with no slack. Still, have negotiated a better mortgage and hoping to cut some work hours soon.
•  I have continued to develop my English skills and had one English lesson from a friend. On the whole though, writing and blogging has had to be put to one side over the summer and I haven’t written as much as I hoped too. I want to work on that still
• I nearly got to visit FORWARD and had the AGM on the calendar and booked. But sadly my Dad had a stroke and he was the priority. I still haven’t made it there yet and this was the third year running something had come along to stop me going. This is disappointing. I plod one with my efforts in my causes. But I am now running and hope to raise money next year for charity by taking part in the GEAR race in King’ Lynn.
• The photography is coming along, all be it a bit slow. However, the arrival of Photoshop and a mate to help me out with it has been invaluable. The photos are starting to progress and I did have a wonderful photo shoot with my Sister-in-Law  in the summer.

So there you have it. I don’t think it’s too bad at all. Some success at least. And a very worthwhile exercise to do this was. There has been one more significant thing to tell, and that is I have enrolled to study with the Open University next year.

I will now think about my next set of goals for the next six months. Know what some of them are already, like changing my job. Let’s see how they shape up.

Blog Action Day on Climate Change Oct 15th 2009

For those of you who know me on Twitter, I am concerned and passionate about climate change and what is going to happen to our planet if we do not reverse the trend of consumption, increase in green house gases, which most of us have heard as carbon dioxide, and reduce our waste and “carbon foot print”. That  means how much each of us is contributing to global warming by the way we travel, live, by, bin as rubbish, recycle our waste and use our natural resources.

I had occasion back in May to attend a superb evening where the speaker was an authority on the enviroment and climate change and this is another blog which you can see here. 

Carbon dioxide is the most widely produced green house gas. Our modern living of driving cars, operating machines and dependency on oil results in this gas been released into the atmosphere and in simple terms causes the air to warm and global temperatures to rise. If the temperature rises too much then this would have a drastic effect on sea-levels, weather, contributing both to extreme weather conditions. Floods as well as drought in different parts of the world.

Scientists have predicted when the earth may experience certain temperatures rises which would become permanent. Hot climates would become desserts, Europe would experience tropical conditions and warming seas would become acid lakes killing of marine and other bio-diversity. These are just a few examples.

My friend- a scientist, recently said we should have been doing something about this 30 yrs ago. Alternative power will not be ready before 2050. He said that unless we did something very drastic to cut our energy, the lights and power will begin to go out in six to ten yrs.

basically, he said we are already in big trouble. We will not have enough energy to go on giving us unlimited power sources.

If the temp rises to 6 degrees C then life on this planet is no more as we know it. 80% of all life will cease.

We have all been told about this, though we may not wish to acknowledge it. Many people think it is not going to happen to them. The attitute appears to be: there is enough life left to see them out. That is a selfish attitude to take.

We must act and we must act now. Some would say:

” Well, what can I do?” we are already doomed.

Each person can do many things to reduce the rise of green house gases and help preserve this planet. In the end, if we don’t, nature will have its own victory in the end. The human, like a little parasite will be wiped out by floods, war and famine as people scramble to food, land, and more temperate climates- the ones that are left. People in Bangladesh will be no more, as their country succumbs to the rising tide.

WAKE UP EVERYONE. The clock is ticking and time is running out.

At least make a start and begin to do the following TODAY.

1) Use energy-efficient light bulbs.

2) Grow your own food and waste less. This helps energy reduction in the manufacturing food process and cuts down on air miles that food has to reach us.

3) Cut down on bin waste- landfill waste omit methane- a deadly greenhouse gas.

4) Save Water.

5) Turn off appliances on standby.

6) re-cycle and re-use.

7) Stop spending and throwing away needlessly.

8) Have a compost bin.

9) Cook your own food- less packaging.

10) Use energy efficient saver plugs.

11) Change your energy, eg electricity to green sources- Wind turbines.

12) Have a water barrel in your garden.

13) Line your loft and insulate your house- a common loss of heat and contributes to green house gases.

14) FLY LESS. Use trains, buses and buy a hybrid car which uses part battery to run it and save you energy costs.

15) Invest in a wind farm.

16) Use companies that have green ethics and credentials.

17) Look up your nearest Transition Town initiative. A growing movement of towns springing up all over the UK committed to local sustainability and to reduce our dependency on oil.

But most of all national government need to help ordinary people implement these measures as some-many could  argue that this costs money of which is a prohibitive factor.

I could go on but that is a start.

Please don’t put your head in the clouds. The CO2 cloud is here and it is going to consume us all to extinction.

It may be already be too late but that is no excuse. Prolonging the effects of this means we may buy ourselves more time on that clock to halt this climate change. We can’t sit by and do nothing.

ACT NOW. THANKS

 

This blog has been written in reponse to Blog Action Day on Climate Change.  see http://www.blogactionday.org/

Why I Enjoy Walking

I enjoy walking and decided on my evening walk tonight to express a few thoughts as to why I enjoy this form of exercise. You know how you just do a thing sometimes, thinking you know why you enjoy it, but have never sat down to fully explain why to yourself, let alone to anybody else.

That’s what I found this evening when I decided to return to my blog and wanted a simple uncomplicated theme, to kick start me into writing my thoughts down once more with the question: why do I like walking?

For me, it is often the feeling of un-restriction, the freedom to wander both in steps and daydreams. On Twitter, my profile starts off by explaining that I am a daydreamer. I love to wander everywhere in my thoughts and ponderings. I think about the day, people, events and then as I gaze around my surroundings, I often place people with a connection with what I see.

I love the peace that an country walk gives me and I prefer to walk alone, though I do enjoy walking with other people as well. Sitting on my favourite fence, half-way threw my walk this evening, I sit and listen to the quiet. You see, I am often most of the time with people and get very little time to myself. There is chatter, noise, music, voices. Bramble barks, the news is on. Someone is calling me for their attention because they want to show or ask me something etc.

My time on my walks is a chance to de-clutter all that noise from my mind. It then gives me space to think and reflect on things. I make decisions on my walks, have planned assignments and even written them in my head-well the gist of them anyway. I have formed letters, written lists and thought of phone conversations and ones I need to make.

Tonight, I have observed the dragonflies overhead, the lilac heather on the pathway, heard a sound of a plane, traffic in the distance. The rustle of the trees and several dogs barking not so far away. These sounds  both being a subtle and then a louder noise layering over each other. The former being the closest, the latter being in the distance.

On my walks, as all my Twitter friends know, I look at the sky and the various clouds. I stop, gaze upwards and just be still for awhile. I love sunsets, another reason why I enjoy a twilight walk. We have some marvellous skies here in Norfolk, UK. 

My walks are often about 30 mins, rarely more than an hour. I can walk longer but this length of time is often just enough for me, unless I am planning to go out further  and see something different. Then I am happy to walk all day.

 I enjoy talking the dog for a walk. It’s companionship without chatter and the need to be other than just yourself. The dog doesn’t mind if you feel a bit glum or just don’t want to say a lot. She doesn’t notice if your drift off or lose your way-which is rare. She is happy to go wherever you go. There is no conflict over time or having a teenager in tow, itching to get back home because she is bored. Bramble, my dog  is quite happy to fit into my walking arrangements and usually makes little demands, unless she pulls at her lead or chase a rabbit. I wanted to get another dog simply because it makes you get out and exercise and I do enjoy walking my pet.

Walking is also one way I can get out and take pictures. A good excuse both to meander and take the camera at the same time. I can have a double enjoyment then. I like to share my life with people, that is so important to me, so I think I enjoy the photography because this is one way of sharing what gives me pleasure, not just what I do, or where I go with other people, but how I am connected to my surroundings and the world in general.

 Walking can be the perfect way to start a conversation. I often find on my walks I stop and talk to fellow dog walkers, or back at home enjoy relaying what I have done or seen discovered on a journey. If there is a photo to back this conversation up on flickr, then so much the better.

In Conclusion, tell me in your own words why you enjoy walking and why? Where do you walk and how often? Anything else that this walking does for you? I enjoy it for it’s simplicity and simply to often unwind after a hard and intense day at work. I can see how I have transerfered this pastime now into running. But the running I shall leave for another blog.

It’s feels good to be back to blogging!

My Diary of Week

For those of you who know me on Twitter, these are the results of my week long exercise of how I spend my time. I wanted to do this to see how I can fit 16 hrs of study in a week from next year with the OU.

It was a very interesting thing to do and overall, the work life balance, whilst very hectic at certain times, appears to have some leisure as well, variety and balance. 

The results are as follows for one week:

Work including travel 35.45 hrs. (30 hrs paid, 5.45 unpaid).

Computer time.( essentially e-mails, Internet and twitter, no flickr or blog). 12.16 hrs.

Housework. 6.04 hrs.

Leisure time( going out, chatting, resting and reading). 18.35 hrs.

TV.( wanted to do a separate log for this)  4.10 hrs. 

Phone calls. 3hrs.

Personal grooming 2.10hrs.

Shopping. 1.25 hrs.

Eating and drinking 4 hrs.

Dog walking 4.40 hrs.

Biking 25 mins.

Running 1.25 hrs.

Miscellaneous( car to service) 15 mins.

         ( meal planning for the week) 30 mins

Driving husband to work 1.15 hrs.

Usual time getting up approx 7am average.

Bedtime 23.30.

As a result of this, the following has been so far devised to help cut unpaid work, housework and meal preparation.

A new system of work to collect  stats each day. I do this now on each visit and not have to duplicate the information. I now am working with no headache of the form to do when I get home. Also being tighter on time and when I go home, not squeezing in one more thing, which can go over to the next day, eg, non-urgent phone calls, or faxes.

End of month mileage returns being collated weekly, not the headache of leaving it all until the end of the month which takes longer.

Daughter now taking up the reins of 2 hrs a week of housework which is now her earned pocket money.

Tidying up at home,as I go along. Eg, phone charger for phone not left, but put back in the draw each day before I leave for work.

Planning the week meals in advance, knowing who is cooking/ doing what and when. Having a shopping list. Shopping is quicker, less waste, so far have saved £40 on a 10 day’s worth of food on last shopping trip.

Planning left-overs meals so cooking time is less.

These are just a few pointers.

 I have sat down and taken a typical week and thought when am I going to study? Currently, I have planned one full day off a week and blocks of 2 hrs study at night when working, 3 one night when day off and 4hrs on one day off a week. It still looks pretty exhausting though. Ideally, I need to lose a day of work but I can’t see that happening yet.

Already, I have seen my organisational skills improving, both at work and at home.

That’s a good start.

Blogs, Books and other Stuff.

Hi to all my friends. 

300 pages into Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman and the book is finally holding me in it’s vice like grip, about 133 pages to go. Hoping to finish it in two days. It has been one of the longest fiction books to read. Since finishing my studies, it has taken me ages to get back  into reading for pleasure again. Kathryn wanted me to read it – a tale about apartheid and injustice, only the other way round. The blacks have the power this time, they are the crosses. The whites are the noughts. The struggle for justice, freedom and human rights is a strong one, particulary after the first half of the book. At first, I struggled with it and was bored and put it down – this is aimed at an older child audience, but  I am  determined to show my daughter that I would read it to the end and discuss it with her. That I took the time and bother, to read something she thought was good and wanted me to read, is important to me.

Whilst reading this slowly, life is great and I’m doing lots. Recognise that I can’t quite fit in all I want to do. Itching to do more reading again, both fiction and non-fiction.  Blogging is a struggle with time restraints. Onevoice needs to be the priority now and that is hard with the time available. So this blog is taking a long summer recess. I just can’t do both and this was never meant to be a time pressured thing.

Books beckon me in the book shop. Angles and Demons- Dan Brown looks thrilling. The kite Runner, can’t spell the author, and it’s sequel look appealing. The History of God by Karen Jones, an ex-nun looks fascinating. But it all takes time.

On flickr, an exciting new potential contact emerges. Geoff, my dear flickr friend, brought to my attention a guy who was talking  in pictures and words about the slum children in the Philippines and their survival, sifting through rubbish last night.   This needs to be blogged about. The human rights abuses of children in Irish care homes by Catholic nuns and priests has not left my mind. Haven’t forgotten about that either. And of course my interest in FGM will never be extinguished.

Combing that with family, gardening, running and yes, of course there’s the 30 hr per week job to do and  life is full and brimming. I am not complaining. Plan to return to onethoughtful in the autumn and going to have a very good summer.

Take care everyone and please visit me on onevoice1freedom when I can get there to write.

An Evening with a Speaker

Yesterday evening was very exciting. I nearly didn’t go. It had been a surprising up-hill week in someways. It shouldn’t have been. I had only been working since Wednesday. But that was the problem. Having enjoyed a lovely long weekend, I just could not get back into work.

Anyway, I decided to go with Mr E  to see Jonathan Neale, a climate change speaker ( author of Stop Global Warming, Change the World) who was speaking at the old Quaker’s Meeting House in King’s Lynn. It was bit of a dash, the tea dishes had been cleared five minutes before heading out the door. Boy, it was worth it.

Jonathan spoke with a clear American accent, a voice of  mighty expertise dripping from his lips. He spoke with passion. He held us and interested us. He spoke with such an insightful view. The little meeting house was packed. He did not drag on – 25 mins in total, but we could have listened to him all night. Question time next. I was not shy in the least. I held up my hand and asked.

” Given that you state that 40% of carbon dioxide is absorbed by plant-life and oceans, as examples, how will  this figure be affected by the Indonesian rain forests and those of Brazil being chopped down at an ever alarming rate? Surely, this figure will be reduced, say over the next 10-20 years? “

We gave him all our questions, on mass and he selected a few to answer. Mine was the first to be answered. His answer surprised me. Yes, it would be noticeable but not to the extent I had thought: interesting.

Afterwards was just as good as the event itself. Drinking tea, some of us, me right up there in the group, gathered around him and talked some more. Two other guys, I and the speaker, talked about population expansion and it strayed into women’s issues. I also spoke to an ex-teacher who had taught in Zambia. Our conversation was mixed around Charcoal holding in Carbon Dioxide and his thoughts over girls education. He had taught environmental science.

And, if that wasn’t enough, I also learnt the history of the Friends building by someone before the meeting. I was eager to impart this information to my dear friend Geoff who loves Listed buildings, of which the Friends Meeting House is grade II listed, C16- 17th and has stones within it from the old priory. It used to be a pub called The Old Hulk.

What a night it was. From that meeting I met a Humanist and I hope to attend a Humanist meeting on the 24th June, all about global education.

This may float very few people’s boats. But crazy or not, it’s certainly floated mine all the way down the  Quay where the Friends house is situated nearby.

A great evening. And Mr E got a lot out of it too. But that’s his tale and not mine.

A Lovely Birthday

At first we were hoping to go away for the weekend but for various reasons that was not on the cards. Then Mr E saw an advertisement for a sustainable living exhibition at the Forum in Norwich and he wanted to go there instead for his birthday day out.

This blog is just to say how simple things can often lead to one the best days out for a long time. We had a wonderful time and the day went ahead like clockwork. There were a few things to do first, always stuff to do first, but after picking up our friend at 9.30, who was looking after our daughter for the day, we were soon off.

The exhibition was good, not as many stalls as we thought there  might be, but enough to keep us interested for an hour. We saw Norwich Transition Town stand but sadly no one was Manning it, at that point, for us to talk to anybody. We are part of the King’s Lynn transition movement, but that’s another blog. I will explain what that means another time.

We had lunch in Subway. Mr E gets hungry early and then a bit of shopping. My husband was determined. No way was he going to use his Marks and Spencers voucher I had got him for his birthday.  A lovely dress beckoned and he was delighted to part with his voucher and for me to give him money instead. I was hoping he would buy clothes but that is like taking a horse to water and he just won’t drink it. So the dress was bought and he was pleased.

We took tea, wandered around Waterstones, visited the Belgian Monk pub, where I had been with three dear twitter friends a few months before. He enjoyed his two beers. Then it was off to see Star Trek. Mr E has always been a trekie fan. The film was exciting and excellent with great special effects. We saw pick-a-mix sweets before going in and laughed and scoffed some before the film had even started. Waiting for the film we sat by some tables, savouring a view of a park and the cathedral. We laughed and joked and felt like two school kids eating their sweets.

After the film, I took us for a meal. Not wanting the car to be shut in the car park for the night, we hastened back to the car, paid our £11 parking fee and headed back out onto the A47. I had just the place in mind, for a not- too- expensive bite, before the trip back. The Showground pub and restaurant by the Premier Inn provided us with a simple prawn and Salmon salad.( We were still quite full from the sweets but knew we needed to eat something).

Returning at 21.30, we finished off with a cup of tea and a tea light placed on top of his chocolate birthday cake. We sang happy birthday. By just after 22.15 Mr E, very content, was asleep.  He gets tired with his heart condition after a long day. However, he went to bed happy and with a lovely feeling of  a nice day. I am glad we have the memory of yesterday.

Today, we are out for lunch with our daughter, the friend who provided the flowers, cake and balloon pictured above, and I will be wearing my new dress, bolero matching top and beads that I bought yesterday with my pressie for Mr E. He has the cash equivalent in his pocket and I know what he will be spending that on, but that’s another blog and story.

Today

Funerals can sometimes have a weird and unexpected effect upon me. Even though I knew little of the person whose funeral I attended today, it evoked a moist eye and reflective response. It brought back times of another funeral I attended about three years ago. This generated a huge grief response from me. Again, while I was not closely related to the diceased person, the experience left me numb, frozen and in tears.

Today it did the same, only to a lesser extent, and the feelings were different. Before, it was a huge reaction to all sorts of losses and experiences that I had encountered and were learning to cope with through professional help. Today, it was more about a sense of urgency, to be thankful for life, love and friendships that I have. Also, to celebrate the progress I have made in my own life’s journey- since that last funeral.

Three years ago, I was a Christian. Today that statement, definition is very hazy. The term I give my feelings now is an agnostic position and this feels comfortable for the time being. I am not sure about where I will end up after this life. It’s not scary but it is unknown. All I do know is the incredible urge to seize the moment and live life by the day.

I could see myself laying in that box, as I looked down at the chancel, and I thought about all the people I love and care about. No one knows how much time we have.  All I do want to say, for the purpose of this blog, is what ever you want to say and do, do it. You don’t know how much time is left.

For Tomorrow.

I thoroughtly enjoyed creating the pictured floral wreath for a funeral tomorrow. It felt pleasing to have not lost my touch since my floristy training over 10 yrs ago. There is not much time to do this kind of work very often.

I thought back to my days as a florist student in the shop as I snipped and created. I loved the smell of the flowers and foliage and the company and busyness as we were all working, say on Mother’s Day.

After yesterdays frustrations with technology, it was good to be back on familar and lovable ground tonight.

Another thought was why don’t I try to combine this interest with my other passion of women’s issues. To use this skill for the good for others. A flower work shop with a minimal charge-donated to charity, or simply a women’s awarness day. I could teach people to create and wear their own buttonhole or corsage for Women’s International Day as one example.

My hesitancy and lack of confidence in people being interested often get the better of me with this kind of thing. I should just be bolder. What do you think?

This piece is for a man I hardly knew as I attend his funeral tomorrow in Lincoln. But I know I have created many pieces which have both brought joy and comfort to people’s lives. My husband is thrilled to bits with this, for his late Uncle, and it has only cost £6.OO, plus having an already existing wreath base in my workshop. Much cheaper than inter-flora and with a personal touch.

I may be little use with computers and gagets sometimes, but perhaps, I don’t have to feel so inadequate when there are other skills one possesses. I was pleased that I had not lost my ‘nack’ with this anyway and wanted to share my thoughts and feelings with you.

Blog Changes

OneVoiceIfreedom

Having deleted this post accidentally last week, let’s have a another try now.

This blog is to announce some important changes, for me anyway, as to how my posts will continue to be written and organised. Approx six months ago, I set up a new blog OnevoiceIfreedom to highlight, research and write about my deep interests in human rights, women’s issues and health. This has been sitting on the back burner, due to all sorts of reasons, but now the time has come for those concerns to take priority and be on the boil, rather on the back burner of the stove.

Onethoughtfulwoman will continue and from time to time will have general posts about other interests.  I do believe blogs are like like living things, they need to be fed regularly to sustain them, so onethoughtfulwoman will not remain idle. My wish is to use this platform  as a mini diary/ slot. Posts for the light hearted things, thoughts, pondering and rather like a log of events.

This is done with so much style and skill by one of my twiiter friendshttp://sallyinnorfolk.com/ who writes while conducting an equally busy life with great charm, wit and sustains those of us who read it with great effectiveness. I enjoy reading her posts, simple and quick to read, as you speed through the day.

Blogging for me has been such a great experience. Meeting new people, making comments, helping others and improving my writing and thinking ability. I shall still continue to reply to other blogs. However, the time has come for the focus of my own work to change. It has been easy up to now to write about things which interest me, yet which takes little time to research. Now, the harder part is yet to come with this new project.

It will still be an infant blog for some time yet. I hope readers will see it grow in statue, strength and effectiveness to a mature site over the coming months. This will require motivation, focus and a lot of effort on my part. It is so easy for the day to be squeezed with the endless things, repetitive jobs we all have to do in order to live, keep a roof over our head and pay the bills.

For me, I live a hectic, all go, yet in many ways a simple life. I appreciate that what can I really know about human rights and conditions, overseas problems when my day consists of living and working in sleepy Norfolk. UK. The dog walk on the fen or driving all around the countryside looking after people, meeting deadlines is hardly a setting for real work in human rights.

Sometimes, I WISH I could just release all those chains of mortgage, the school day and earning a living and just fly, fly away to do some good somewhere. I hope one day I can. But for now, there is much I can do and learn, network and so forth.

I am very, very serious about all of this. I don’t have forever either. Being in a health-care setting I know how fragile life is, how it can be their one minute and how the next a serious diagnosis of illness can blow you away. It is a fine line we tread. I may have years, I may have only months. What ever time I have. The starting line can really wait no more.

Ok, in order for me to organise this, some foundations have had to be laid. Having I hope finished a three and half year course, there are tons of jobs to be done in the house. Over the last three weeks, I have had a blitz on the domestic front and the way it is run. So I have a more solid base in which to organise my time. I can not work in chaos. But the dust, dishes and decorating will always be there. No environment will ever be perfect.

So here goes. Please wish me luck, and for my regular readers I already know your encouragement is with me. My writing isn’t going to become so boring, serious and all about strife and suffering, we all need a balance.

Hence on here, this will be the lighter side to life.