August Break Day 30 Joy Up

All things Joyful

I posted this collage on the Joy Up facebook page yesterday as a celebration of ourselves and our journey on the August Joy Up run by Hannah Marcotti.  What I have noticed as part of this journey is my recent attraction to the colour blue which I feel is mainly attributable to blue being the colour of the throat chakra, honouring and speaking your truth.  The dragon fly has flown alongside me this month as well, yesterday I picked up a garden t-light holder with a dragon fly design and also a solar powered stepping stone with a dragon fly on it, I look forward to posting a picture of that.

I'm wondering how I can keep the joy, ease and sense of freedom that summer brings into the month of September.  I feel most connected to my garden during the spring and summer months but often lose that connection as the winter months draw in - this is something to work with I think.

How about you?....what keeps you connected to joy and freedom as the seasons change?

August Break Day 29 Bloomin Lovely

Big Clouds!

Just as I was thinking of walking the dog earlier today, the sky turned grey and ominous and we had a brief thunderstorm.  Hard to imagine that an hour or so later, the sun came down and all was beautiful and sunny. The grass was still to wet to cut, but I took the opportunity to do a bit of dead heading in the garden and I came across this solitary magnolia petal on the lawn.

Magnolia Petal

It still looked beautiful even in its early signs of decay.

Reverse side of the same petal

I am rather proud of my Magnolia Tree for managing to produce a second bloom of the year, not as prolific as the blooms in Spring, but just as welcome, even more so as August gradually slips away.

August Break Day 28 Dora Reflections

This is me, on holiday in Skye, a self portrait, reflecting back upon myself through Dora's (my campervan) wing mirror.

August Break Day 27 Skye Shell

What do you see in this shell?

August Break Day 26 And then the sun shone

Life is good when the sun shines

Featured Artist - Paper Rainbow

I couldn't be happier to introduce an extremely talented artist friend of mine Morag.  She has just recently started a blog called Paper Rainbow which is beautiful.  If you love mixed media, fairies, gorgeous landscapes, texture, adventures in mixed media, this is a blog to follow.  I love all of Morag's work, she has her own very distinctive style and she is very adventurous, using all kinds of materials and techniques and implements, the hot air gun being her creative companion.

I am very lucky to own a Paper Rainbow creation, my very own mixed media fairy picture which was a gift for my birthday this year.

Fairies Three

Please stop by her blog and say "hello".

August Break Day 25 Cat Yoga

A day in the life of Bella

August Break Day 24 Noticing

Stopped to notice the colours, shapes and textures in the gravelled area of my garden

August Break Day 23 Wings of a Cloud

I see Angel Wings

August Break Day 22 Marigolds

Marigolds and sunshine

August Break Day 21

Holiday Joy

August Break Day 20

I have had a bit of a break from the August Break as I have been on holiday, so I have 10 days worth of photos to catch up on. 

Today I have spent the majority of the day cleaning and tidying up after my holidays, I have discovered this is a ritual of mine.  I find that I need to reconnect myself with my home, and the way to do this is to love it up by cleaning,  getting the energy fresh and then introducing colour in the way of flowers and plants.  Orange has been a colour which has featured very strongly for me this year, so today I treated myself to an orange/yellow coloured pot plant and I brought some nasturtiums and  crocosmia in from the garden to lift the energy.

Orange Love

August Break Day 10 Doggy Love

My Cocker Spaniel Jasper loves giving kisses

He's very loving and today he turned 2 years old! Happy Birthday Jasper!

August Break Day 9 Kisses from the Sun

Sun Kissed Flowers

Sun Kissed Trees

Sun Kissed Beacon

Sun Kissed Skin

August Break Day 7 Jazzin for Cropped JeaNs

August is not only about Susannah Conway's August Break but I'm also participating in the August Joy Up, a journey into Joy run by Hannah Marcotti. 

Today, our joy mission was focus, as what you focus upon you expand upon.  I chose to focus upon stars, owls, peacock feathers and cropped jeans. Today I manifested magic.

Seeing Stars

Owls by Day - both of the necklaces came home with me

Peacock Feather Necklace - this came home with me too!

After seeing so many stars, owls and then finding peacock feathers, I just knew I could manifest those cropped jeans I had been seeking for so long.  And I did, they there were in Debenhams, in a sale too! 

Jazzin for Blue Jeans

And, to add to more manifestation joy, I visited my favourite shop in Blackpool called The Secret Garden which sells things all things fairy, magical, tarot, mushroom, costumes, masks and jewellery.
I found a beautiful pair of dragon-fly earrings which were a "must" purchase.

Me - modelling my new earrings

I really shouldn't be surprised that manifesting is such a magical process as some of those things I manifested are with me all the time

Stars,  dragon-fly and fairy magic on my tattoo.

August Break Day 6 Out Walking The Dog

 

 

August Break Day 5

Self Portrait - Rocking the vintage look!

August Break Day 4 Super Saturday

Love putting out my washing on a sunny day

Cleansing my crystals in the sun

"Bella" - no longer a stray cat, we have adopted her and vice versa!

What a great day for British Sport! - Well done to all our Olympic Athletes

Fairy Days

Flower Fairy Love

 

 

 

 

 

Be alert to the presence of fairies whenever you are in a garden. Even a snail trail may not be quite what it seems. Fairies use sprinklings of fairy dust to mimic these trails when they are travelling around on the ground!

On summer days, some fairies hang their washing out to dry on the webs of friendly spiders. Look out for glistening petals hanging from webs.

Many flowers have useful functions for fairies. Some use them to secure hiding places for precious objects, such as stores of magical dust.

Happy Flowers

I watched a little bit of the film, You've Got Mail the other evening.  I loved the scene where Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) brings Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) a bunch of daisies.  Her response is "don't you think daisies are the friendliest flowers?"

So, whilst out walking my dog today, I stopped to take a picture of some daisies, because as soon as I saw them I felt uplifted and I remembered the film.

Don't you think Daisies are the friendliest flowers?

I feel Daisies are friendly flowers, there is something about their openess and simplicity which makes me smile.  Could it be that we associate Daisies with happy childhood memories? .... making daisy chains and wearing them in our hair.

Fairhaven Beacon

Fairhaven Beacon

I'm taking part in Susannah Conway's August Break  and as I pass this Beacon most days when out on my dog-walk, I thought I would take a snap of it, using my Iphone 3, with the Vintage Camera app. 

I like the moodiness of it.