Finding joy in the everyday

My hand - photography by Joluise "The hand is the physical part of the brain." Immanuel Kant We use our hands every day. Life without them would be such a struggle, but we do take them for granted.  They have: prepared many home cooked meals, cleaned the house for our loved ones, held many books to read to our children, changed nappies,  tucked babes into bed, placed bandaids on cuts, wiping away tears, cared for the sick and weary, helped others, planted and grow food,  touched and showed love, ..... The other day I decided to take a photo of my hand and what I saw I didn't like. My hand were wrinkled, beginning to show their age and wasn't as slender as I thought they was. It was a hand that had seen work. I was reluctant to post the photo on my 365 photography project as it wasn't as glamorous as I wanted it to be.  What was interesting, I wasn't alone in my views. Other photographers also commented about being r...

ABIBLIOPHOBIA Fear of running out of things to read. Do you suffer from this illness? Mine is more the fear of not having enough time to read all the books I have or might buy!

Your act of kindness,  though it may be small, may be the answer to others prayers Kerry Boone

The 9th of February is " Read in the Bathtub Day " . . . now, as a book lover, this is an important thing to know about as it gives me an extra excuse to pick up my book and read it. According to the website, I need to: Disconnect the phone, lock the door, turn down the lights and pick out your favourite book safe in the knowledge that all you've got to worry about is enjoying yourself.  Why not splash out on some scented candles, posh bubble bath and - for the most adventurous - a rubber ducky to keep you company? I am not a great bath person and I am not one for reading in the bathtub (the water goes cold too quickly), so whilst this sound inviting, I might just keep on reading my book on the couch or bed as I normally do.  For those who love a bath . . . enjoy!! But . . . according to the same website . . . its LIBRARY LOVERS MONTH!! So keep on reading, not that I ever stop!!! What are you reading at the moment?  I am reading " I am...

Farm summer by Fred Swam Summertime cats I don't think I could get to the end of summer without including a page on cats enjoying the sunshine!!  For all of you who don't like cats, some of these paintings are quite lovely regardless of the cat and often the cat is very small! There's no need for a piece of  sculpture in a home that has a cat. (Wesley Bates) Artwork and idea is sourced from: link by Dmitrij Levin by Dmitrij Levin - this is one of my favourites:) I can almost feel the coolness of the path on a warm summers day. Persis Clayton Weirs Summer Afternoon by Persis Clayton Weirs Unexpected company by Jim Daly In the garden by Alexey Zajsev Summer cat by Fred Swan Summer Valerij Khlebnikov Cats in the laundry basket by Brownd Elizabeth Oh, Summer by Elena Hlebnikova by Non Grigorij Losev Dianne Whitney-Searle Debbie Cook Cat in the field by Lidia Dinner Siesta by Ljudmila Navrodskaya ...

Ruby - just for you Mrs Santos (click on to enlarge) Every day in 2012 I took at least one photo. I plan on doing the same in 2013. Each photo was edited and uploaded to my 365project.org account . This might sound like a lot of work, but it wasn't.  Whilst some days it can be a challenge to think of ideas, most days it is simply a joy to find something beautiful or interesting to capture.  Fields of Gold (click on to enlarge) The most valuable lesson I learnt from this project was that beautiful is all around us and can be found in the most unexpected places, you just need to start looking.  Just need to open your eyes.  Even a shopping trolley can be an interesting photo.  (click on to enlarge) Most people walk around with their eyes shut or with blinkers on and don't notice even the smallest things. Who would have thought a bunch of radishes could be so interesting or a shopping trolley lying on its side, lost in an a...

I bought a cookbook the other day (yes, another . . . !!) called Double Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld.  Its a lovely cookbook, well set out, food that normal people cook with ingredients in ones pantry, photos that look yummy and has a chatty feel about it. It you look at the Amazon link, there are a couple of recipes included on the page.  But what is interesting is the use of vegetables purees. She adds cauliflower puree to her lemon chicken, she adds carrot puree to her granola even her Caesar dressing contains cauliflower puree! She cooks up a large amount of vegetables - cauliflower, spinach, carrot, pumpkin, sweet potato, zucchini etc and individually purees each vegetable until smooth (in the food processor with a tiny amount of water) and places 1/2 cup portions into zipper-lock freezer bags.  These are then frozen and used when required - in soups, stews, pastas, curries, sauces you name it  . . . she puts puree where you least expect ...