Wordless Wednesday 2 - Door to St Wulfram's Church

See inside here.

Linking up to Wordless Wednesday here

Word for the Week

Ummm, this week's Word out of the bag of Rediscovery Cards is another one I have mixed feelings about...

I think it's because the first thing I thought of was the ghastly talent show Opportunity Knocks, which aired for years and was probably the instigator of much of today's 'get famous, get rich quick' mentality. And those entrepeneur gurus who see every friendship, every contact as a business 'opportunity'...

Then, I Googled quotes about Opportunity and found some wonderful ones, like this:

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed 

in overalls and looks like work.

Thomas Edison

Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, 

for beauty is God's handwriting.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ageing is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength

Betty Friedan

The rich raspberry background is the same colour as Support and Hope, which is interesting to me as arguably the way to make the most of any opportunity one needs both Support and Hope...

This week we await our son's A level results and we hope he's got the grades to go to uni to read Psychology. Further education is such an opportunity to meet new people and experience new things, to leave home and move onto the next stage of adulthood.

But it's not just big Life opportunities, I think of when I see this Word, as to me every moment, every breath is an opportunity to be and do the best we can in whatever situation we find ourselves today.

I'd love to know what you think of/feel when you see this week's Word :-)

August Full Moon Dreamboard

Before I share this month's Dreamboard, I want to show this which I bought last month from Jane Samuelson. The 'poem' sits in the beautiful pouch and perfectly expresses why I love the moon so much... she never shouts like the sun, she always whispers...

                                                                              Click on image to enlarge

... and yes, I wore the necklace as I made the Dreamboard :-)

This month is a Hazel Full Moon - a very significant tree for the Celts connected with wisdom.
Amy Palko asked this question:

What veils are keeping you from seeing your Truth?

I'm afraid I can't remember where any of this images originally came from, but each time I make my Full Moon Dreamboard, I realize I've been collecting such beautifully evocative images for years now, without knowing why... And each month this is the perfect way to gather them together.

The two quotes are

Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging.

Joseph Campbell

The question is not what you look at, but what you see.

Henry David Thoreau

I wasn't at all melancholy when I made this page, but melancholia is my natural default position... By this I don't mean sadness per se, but a sensitivity to the feelings of others, empathy, a certain delicacy of spirit.

This time, I made a wee tag which I've tied to the spiral spine. On the back is written another of Amy's journal prompts 

Hazel rods were traditionally used as divining rods for finding water. And under the image of the woman/goddess on the front of the tag, I put these stickers

Kindness is a very under-rated quality. It's that gentleness of spirit I think of whenever I remember the Dalai Lama quote: 'Kindness is my religion' and this from Mother Teresa

In the top right of the page is a postcard from Liz Lamoreux showing a soul mantra locket which says 'Open up and Live', under that is a picture of an open door with a raven/crow, and this quote from Emily Dickinson:

Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough.

Then at the bottom of the page are two black and white images - a medieval-looking woman and a feather - on which I've written:

Thus am I a feather on the breath of God.

Hildegard von Bingen

Hildegard is one of my favourite mystics - such an incredibly talented, inspirational woman!!

So that's my August Dreamboard! Once again I'd really appreciate any thoughts, insights... Each month I gain so much from your wise comments, so thank you :-)

Focus on Life Week 32: Fresh air

Summer in England continues to be sunny and dry (great for the ripening crops!), and thankfully the temperatures have dropped a tad, and occasionally there have been actual breezes (gosh!)

So I did as Sally suggested - I got outside in the fresh air on my scooter...

... can't wait for these blackberries to ripen - hubby makes delicious jam :-)

PS Autumn must be just around the corner - this started on TV this week - hooray!!

Paint Party Friday

A friend came for coffee the other day armed with paint goop (made with flour and water paste) for me to try making my own wrapping paper - one-handed...

Here's my first attempt dragging different implements through the paint

It IS messy, but it's also FUN :-)

Joining the Party here