What do you create with your junk mail?

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I’ve been ‘blog dipping’ again and I’ve dipped into Fiona’s blog at Planting Words. I dip in and out fairly often as I enjoy her writings and her take on life. But don’t just take my word for it, dip in yourself and see. Anyway, yesterday she wrote a clever little piece inspired by a piece of junk mail which I quite enjoyed. It got me thinking about the ‘what’ that helps us to begin a piece of writing, I mean junk mail? Well done Fiona. So when my junk mail arrived yesterday (I’m very fortunate to have a delivery every day where I live!!) instead of the usual rush to the recycling bin, I stopped and scribbled.

So here it is especially for you today a little ditty entitled ‘Pizza poetry’. I don’t expect it to win any prizes but if makes you smile, cringe or even consider an alternative to recycling junk mail then it makes my effort all worthwhile.

Have a happy weekend.

Pizza poetry

Pizzas wi’ peppers, Pizzas wi’ cheese,

Pizzas wi’ mushrooms, Lots to please.

Chicken wi’ nuggets, Chicken wi’ chips,

Chicken wi’ sauces, To last on the lips (hips?).

Pizzas wi’ flavours, Spicy and bold,

A bottle of pop, A feast to behold!

In my last post, I asked about what inspires you to blog. It set me thinking about ‘what happened during my week that was of interest to write about and share with you too’ Well I must report that the week has been full of lovely events, celebrations and meeting lots of amazing and wonderful people.

I must confess I’m less of an on line person (minimal Facebook user and a once a week blogger) and more of a face to face communicator. I like to see and talk to people in real time. I like to see the colour of a person’s eyes, the smile and laughter when a joke is shared and the look of disbelief when the tall tales are told. I do enjoy getting together with family, friends and colleagues and having a good old fashioned chat. For me that’s what I call real communication. Don’t get me wrong I do appreciate that there is a place for faster communication methods in this fast and speedy world we live in. I do sometimes wonder by engaging, are we adding to the stress and strain of our already busy lives. Maybe that is a blog post for another day!

This week there’s been lots of opportunity to do lots of the good old fashioned ‘talk talk communication’ – a lovely boat trip and picnic with The Man and friends celebrating our wedding anniversary. The day was hot, the picnic was delicious and the bubbly was chilled to perfection.

Then there was the attendance at Sue’s Inspire Day with colleagues at the delightful Bix Manor where we updated on our respective ‘life journeys’, caught up with old friends and acquired a few new skills too. I loved the African drumming workshop and if you ever need a grand boost of energy and enthusiasm to kick off a training course or event, then I wholeheartedly recommend Doug at SewaBeats – amazing!

Interesting to note that the theme of energy, music and positivity carried through my week with a carnival afternoon at the school where I occasionally work. I loved watching the children engage heart and soul with ‘When the saints go marching in’! The banging of drums, the tooting of horns and the sheer enjoyment on their faces said it all.

Yesterday I attended an excellent Women’s conference and heard from several very inspirational ladies who shared their own stories. One particular speaker, Lynn Pereira demonstrated incredible bravery and courage after a terrible acid attack.

During the week I have been inspired by so many wonderful people, those who have demonstrated courage, those who have shared fun and laughter and those who have simply been present to the moment. It’s been a great week. How was yours?

The blogging question

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I don’t know about you but sometimes when it comes to updating my blog, I simply don’t know what to write about. Sounds familiar? Maybe you are much better organised than me and work with a particular theme or an inspirational thought? I’m all for being organised and adhering to timelines and deadlines but sometimes it’s good to allow the creative juices to flow uninterrupted and without restraints to block the way. And that’s okay.

There are events which happen during the course of the day and the week and when they do I hear myself saying, “I must write about that”, but invariably what happens is that I get sidetracked and the creative thought disappears from whence it came. I could scribble it down, indeed on occasions I have done and my little moleskine notebook is full of such scribbles. But then when I read them back I sometimes leave my mind to pause on said scribbling and before I know where I am, I’m lost in a moment of meditation. I must confess it’s very therapeutic too!

Today has been one of those days. My little notebook sits open and I note the scribbles of inspirational thoughts, funny moments and words of wisdom. For another day I think.

My question for you today - who or what inspires you to blog?

What difference would a gift of education make?

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Today I learned that ‘Over 300 million children around the world do not have access to education and most likely will never learn to read or write’. This information was shared at a business breakfast meeting I attended in London. The event was organised by the charity Room to Read, a charity who believe that every child has a right to education irrespective of gender. Although I had heard of the charity previously through a friend of mine, I suppose until this morning I hadn’t really given a great deal of thought to the implications of not being able to read and write. For me, I love to read and write. I can often be found quite happily writing journals, short stories and letters, yes even in these times of speedier communication methods. I’m going to launch a ‘Polish up your penmanship’ campaign soon. Watch out for details!

I hadn’t really thought about it before now but having had the opportunity to be educated has really made a difference to me. It has allowed me to read and write and in turn improve my communication skills. The gift of education has allowed me to study, take on board additional learning and develop my career and enjoy the rewards over the years. This meant a better job and a better lifestyle. This gift of education has provided endless opportunities for me to develop my potential and that of others as I engaged with both adults and children through training programmes I’ve designed and delivered.

What difference would the gift of education make to a child who wouldn’t normally receive such a gift? What hopes and dreams might be fulfilled if we helped to make that happen?

Do you like magic with your music?

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Last night I attended an evening at our local Arts Centre to listen to the sweet and dulcet tones of Cara Dillon. Cara is a very talented folk singer from Ireland. I’ve listened to her albums and attended several of her performances over the years and with each performance she gets better and better. Her voice has a soothing, endearing and dare I say, magical quality about it. For me, her Gaelic songs are particularly haunting and beautiful. It’s as if she sings every song from her heart and soul. When she sang last night, the whole theatre seemed to embrace the magic of her words and music. I felt that we had been given a very precious gift to hold, we had, her beautiful singing voice! She sang and encouraged us to do so too. Her songs and music accompanied by her talented musician husband Sam Lakerman, told of joy, happiness and sadness too. She engaged her audience as she performed. I enjoyed how she shared something of herself through her stories, a truly authentic performer. This was Cara’s first visit to our local Arts Centre and somehow I don’t think it will be her last. If you have the opportunity to listen to Cara’s music, I encourage you to do so. I know you won’t be disappointed.

Who invites you to skip down memory lane?

Last week I was at school helping a class of eight year olds. We were learning all about the concepts of past, present and future. The teacher was explaining how the present became the past and how this became history. We talked about current events and happenings and how they would in turn become past times and history. She highlighted various events that the children could relate to and understand the nature of the lesson. She cited the local town festival that had now had a history of being fifty years old. Fifty years old! That’s quite a concept for an eight year old to grasp. This in turn generated discussion about how life was fifty years ago. What was school like then? Did children use computers? Did the children travel to school on the bus? What did they watch on television? Thanks to the internet we were able to access one or two children’s programmes of that time so long ago.

Remember Andy Pandy and Loobyloo or Bill and Ben the Flowerpot men? Like our eight year olds some of you won’t recall these delightful Watch with Mother programmes. (The short video is purely for educational purposes you understand!)

The class were rather bemused that the programmes were in black in white and not in colour. This was a novel experience for today’s eight year olds.

And when we watched together I could feel myself skipping down memory lane …

Ahhh … those were the days.

Who or what invited you to skip down memory lane recently?

A special kind of play

One of the many beautiful Oberammergau wood carvings taken by me. Artist unknown.

I’ve gone AWOL again, this time to the beautiful town of Pertisau in the Tyrol, Austria and a couple of days in the delightful village of Oberammergau in Germany. The trip was planned two years ago by my best friend and me. It seems like a long wait for a trip but this was due to the fact that the trip included a special theatre visit. We had organised to see the renowned Oberammergau Passion Play. There is a waiting list of two years for tickets to see this particular play. It is performed every ten years as per tradition and custom of the area. It had been on my ‘to see and do list’ for some time now and this year, 2010 was the year! I recall my parents going to Oberammergau some thirty years ago when I was a student at university.

The Oberammergau Passion Play originates from a vow made by the people of the village in the year 1633. It was during this time that many people in the region died as a result of the Black Death. The people vowed to portray the ‘Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ’ every ten years. Having made this particular pledge not one person in the village of Oberammergau died of the Black Death.

What’s so special about this play is that at least half the village (2500 people) are involved in the production, children as young as three and adults as old as ninety. Occasionally several members from one family may be involved in the production. All the actors are volunteers and prepare for the play at least a year before the season starts. Men will grow their hair long and acquire beards for their respective roles long before the season starts in the May. The season finishes in October and the play is performed five days a week. That’s a lot of rehearsals and performances.

To witness a production of the Oberammergau Passion Play is truly a wonderful experience. The choir, the music and the cast capture the drama, emotion and dignity of this story in the most fitting of ways. The setting, the ever changing scenes and the costumes capture the atmosphere of the event beautifully. Minutes into the performance I felt that I was no longer a spectator but someone caught up in the story of the time. The whole performance took us through varying levels of emotion. I was pleased that the two year wait for tickets was worth it. I would certainly recommend adding it to your ‘places to see’ list for 2020 and remember to book in plenty of time.

Ludwig Modl (theological advisor of the Oberammergau Passion Plays) wrote,

‘Once again they (the people) keep the vow of their ancestors in a way that remains true to the original promise. The play of redemption seeks to capture the fears and longings of the people of our times and gives them the kind of hope offered by faith. Consequently, the play is not a museum-like folk theatre, it is a theatre of the people for the people that reaches deep into life and seeks to convey hope.