Monday 28 September 2015

Blood moon



Early this morning there was a Super moon and a Blood moon. As my youngest son was determined to watch it, I somehow 'set my biological clock' to it and woke up around 4.30 am. He had already seen it, an orange one, and yes there it was. Hub woke up as well and took a peek at it and we all went back to sleep.

Little did I know that it had such an impact as it is the fourth blood moon in a short time! I could have know, it was brewing for some time now, the changes I've made in my personal life and the unrest I've felt should have told me, but reading this, it all made sense really.

the astrology of the blood moon eclipse september 2015

You have probably already started to feel and see these changes in your own life, perhaps you have even begin to change your behaviours or attitudes to things. Perhaps you are now also realising that your way of being is no longer serving you.

I have! I have started to eat more healthy, to take care of my body (and mind?) more, eat less or no meat, no sugar suppliments, no instant food only fress veggies and fruit and lots of nuts. No more snacks and/or crisps as well.
Did I forget something? Yes of course I did. I am forgetting my mind... I don't meditate as much as I promised myself I would, I am too restless for it I find. I did start walking some more (with the emphasis on some) but I still have a bad back (back aches).

I sometimes feel like an emotional wreck. Let me put it this way; Last week I was watching Grey's Anatomy; Dr. McDreamy has recently passed away (for those who don't watch this series, you can find it via Google or YouTube to know what I'm talking about) and Meredith (his wife) and Amelia (his sister) were having a hard time dealing with his death. As were the viewers I think, I was... Every time they were talking about it or saying somethink profound I was crying like I wouldn't stop. All my suppressed emotions were surely but slowely coming to the surface. When Meredith said she had to do it all alone; I thought: So do I... When Amelia said; I don't want to feel; I thought: Neither do I... Or when they said; I can't do this: I thought: No, I can't do it either... and the tears came, not only for a dead fake doctor but for me who feels alone with a lovely man who can't help himself most of the time and who is trapped himself in his own emotions.

An example; Yesterday early morning we went walking with our old (almost) 14 year old dog who normally can't walk long distances but we thought we'd try it one more time. She seemed to like it but she's a dog, so she wanted to sniff every tree and stop at every tussock of grass that smelled funny. Of course there were cyclists in the forest. You know those bikes who can go through dirt and sand. So they don't have to stay on the path and ride everywhere and yell from afar; 'Attention!' so you can jump out of the way. We can, but a 14 year old dog can't... Hub was cranky about that and grumbling all the way long about them and to the dog (thankfully she didn't care one way or the other). A lovely Sunday morning walk in nature is being spoilt by an attitude like that I think, so I told him to stop being a drag and shut up about it already! The dog will walk on her own tempo and will come whenever she wants to; it's the forest which is for everyone, not only for those damn cyclists, and he'd either shut up or walk on without us. Enjoy the nature!



He was still mumbling and being whinging but I've always find that I can become calm in nature/the forest. If he wants to be a pain he can do that in his own time, not in mine. It worked I guess cause he stopped being a pain and we had a nice walk after. We saw some gorgeous mushrooms (pics on my other blog later) and after had a nice breakfast at home.

What I'm trying to say with this is; I find it still hard to accept that I do have a partner with autism who can switch his mood like the weather can change (Unexpectedly) and that I'm not always prepared for it. I'm finding it hard that I always feel myself a target or in the middle (with the boys) or maybe I'm not but it's just my feeling I am.
I need to find a balance between my work; my free-time at home, plus my 'duties' as a *coughs* house-wife which I am neglecting a lot at the moment due to my back aches and yes I'm lazy... :D
Also, my work has changed so much that all of my energy is going in there and there's not much left for here... which is not a good feeling.



So yes, change... I need a change. Desperately. I used to hate changes, but change doesn't necessarily mean a bad thing, right?

© KH

Sunday 27 September 2015

Music on Sunday; dreams


I woke up this morning from a very strange dream that stayed with me for a long time.. so I decided to make today's Music on Sunday about dreams, songs about dreams or inspired by dreams.













© KH

Thursday 24 September 2015

Treasures of Britain; Cornish Coast in Poldark



The BBC adaptation of Winston Graham’s Poldark novels was filmed at many coastal places we look after in Cornwall. The sweeping tale of 18th-century romance, shipwrecks and tin mining made use of dramatic locations including Botallack Mine.
The story follows the return of Ross Poldark, played by Aidan Turner, from the American War of Independence. Finding his Cornwall family home in ruins and his former sweetheart engaged to his cousin, he works to resurrect his fortunes and develops a new love interest.

Spectacular backdrops for filming
The breathtaking and rugged Cornish coastline and its mining heritage which we care for proved the ideal backdrop for filming Poldark, with much of the action taking place outdoors. Thanks to the income generated by location fees we’ll be able to continue caring for this stunning landscape.

A gripping late night shipwreck scene was filmed on the sandy beach of Church Cove, Gunwalloe, on the Lizard Peninsula. The shoot, which featured Aidan Turner and dozens of extras, involved carefully lighting real fires and torches on the beach.
 




Shining a light on Cornwall’s mining heritage
The engine houses perched on the cliff edge at St Agnes Head shown in the series give a sense of the scale of Cornwall’s former mining industry. This stretch of the north Cornwall coast was used to represent the Nampara Valley, part of Poldark’s family estate.
The perilously perched Botallack Mine near St Just doubles up as Wheal Leisure, the family mine Poldark tries to resurrect to bring prosperity back to the local area, and Levant Mine plays the role of Tressiders Rolling Mill, where copper extracted from the mine is processed. Both mines are part of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site.





Coastal locations bring story to life for Poldark cast
Such inspiring coastal locations had an impact on the Poldark cast. ‘So much of the piece came alive when we were filming in Cornwall and everyone found their character in the outdoors,’ said Eleanor Tomlinson, who plays Demelza Carne, Poldark’s love interest.
‘Demelza is very connected to the landscape,’ added Eleanor. ‘I also love the countryside and just enjoyed exploring all the different coves and beaches and the endless beautiful blue water, it was so gorgeous. It is such a peaceful and relaxing place.’




Cornwall with it's lovely coast is still on my list (long long list)

© KH

Source

Sunday 20 September 2015

Music on Sunday; Ralph Vaughan-Williams



Ralph Vaughan Williams is arguably the greatest composer Britain has seen since the days of Henry Purcell.
In a long and extensive career, he composed music notable for its power, nobility and expressiveness, representing, perhaps, the essence of ‘Englishness’.

Vaughan Williams was born on the 12th October, 1872 in the Cotswold village of Down Ampney. He was educated at Charterhouse School, then Trinity College, Cambridge. Later he was a pupil of Stanford and Parry at the Royal College of Music, after which he studied with Max Bruch in Berlin and Maurice Ravel in Paris.

At the turn of the century he was among the very first to travel into the countryside to collect folk-songs and carols from singers, notating them for future generations to enjoy. As musical editor of The English Hymnal he composed several hymns that are now world-wide favourites (For all the Saints, Come down O love Divine). Later he also helped to edit The Oxford Book of Carols, with similar success. Before the war he had met and then sustained a long and deep friendship with the composer Gustav Holst. Vaughan Williams volunteered to serve in the Field Ambulance Service in Flanders for the 1914-1918 war, during which he was deeply affected by the carnage and the loss of close friends such as the composer George Butterworth.

For many years Vaughan Williams conducted and led the Leith Hill Music Festival, conducting Bach's St Matthew Passion on a regular basis. He also became professor of composition at the Royal College of Music in London. In his lifetime, Vaughan Williams eschewed all honours with the exception of the Order of Merit which was conferred upon him in 1938.

He died on the 26th August 1958; his ashes are interred in Westminster Abbey, near Purcell. In a long and productive life, music flowed from his creative pen in profusion. Hardly a musical genre was untouched or failed to be enriched by his work, which included nine symphonies, five operas, film music, ballet and stage music, several song cycles, church music and works for chorus and orchestra.















© KH

Saturday 19 September 2015

Quotes and Pics 196, Meredith Grey (Grey's Anatomy) Quotes

I love watching Grey's Anatomy on tv and the things Dr. Meredith Grey says almost every time hit very close to home, or make you think; So for today I've looked up some of them and made a selection.







© KH

Thursday 17 September 2015

Treasures of Britain; Lewis



Lewis is the largest and most northern island in the Outer Hebrides, home to one of the best prehistoric sites in Scotland, and some fabulous beaches.
The main hub on Lewis is Stornoway, the largest settlement on the Outer Hebrides. Stornoway is home to the An Lanntair Arts Centre as well as Harris Tweed and jewellery outlets, the Lews Loom Centre and the soon to be re-opened Lews Castle, a heritage museum and archives.

Along the north west coast there are also lots of crafting and fishing villages, with Ness at the top. Considered to be a Gaelic stronghold, the headland at Ness juts out into the Atlantic Ocean.

No trip to Lewis would be complete without visiting the famous standing stones at Callanais, a fascinating group of nearly 50 megaliths dating from around 3000 BC. The Arnol Blackhouse is a preserved example of the many blackhouses that lie deserted on the island.

The west coast has brilliant beaches, while much of the island is made up of peat bog, the favoured habitat of a variety of rare breeding birds. The Butt of Lewis, the far northerly tip of the island, is home to many seabirds, and is an excellent spot for watching whales, dolphins and porpoises.

The stunning scenery and unique heritage of Lewis combine to make an inspiring landscape for both local and visiting artists. The communities of Lewis and Harris hold inspiring events, exhibitions and programmes to harness this creativity and have won a 2015 Creative Place Award in recognition of their exceptional contributions to Scotland’s cultural scene.


Stornoway Harbour



  Callanish Standing Stones Isle Of Lewis

 Stone Age Carloway Broch


15th century church on Lewis

Mangersta Sea Stacks

© KH

Wednesday 16 September 2015

Fog

The train brings me
Through foggy fields
This morning
It reflects my mood

Autumn is coming
Not for you
You decided to
Clear your fogginess

As much as it was
A shock, I can say
I do know the feeling
You must have had

You felt you had no
Other way out
Than the way out
And all we are left with

Is fog

© KH

I wrote this poem in the train on the morning I heard the news about the suicide of the Dutch novelist Joost Zwagerman. 

Sunday 13 September 2015

Music on Sunday; September



Do you remember that day in September, Earth, Wind and Fire sings that lyric. Well I always loved September, not only because my birthday is in that month (and my sisters, and a lot of other family members. September is a birthday month in our family) but because it means summer is over and autumn will begin soon. You can smell it already in the morning, the promise of autumn. So today, just a few days before my birthday, my gift to you is these lovely September songs; Enjoy!













© KH


Thursday 10 September 2015

Treasures of Britain, Castle Howard



This palace is best known as the shooting location of the classic British TV series Brideshead Revisited as well as the recent film adaptation.

Wikipedia Trivia:
Castle Howard is a stately home in North Yorkshire, England, 15 miles (24 km) north of York. One of the grandest private residences in Britain, most of it was built between 1699 and 1712 for the 3rd Earl of Carlisle, to a design by Sir John Vanbrugh. It is not a true castle: The word is often used for English country houses constructed after the castle-building era (c.1500) and not intended for a military function.
Castle Howard has been the home of part of the Howard family for more than 300 years. It is familiar to television and movie audiences as the fictional Brideshead, both in Granada Television’s 1981 adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited and a two-hour 2008 remake for theatres. Today, it is part of the Treasure Houses of England heritage group.




 The original series


Matthew Goode, who played Charles Ryder in the remake of Brideshead Revisited


 one of the many English novels I read in high school
and which I own now myself

Monday 7 September 2015

Back to work

Well that went fast! Two weeks is absolutely nothing, it just flies by when you don't pay attention. Back to work it is only, working with elderly people does have some disadvantage; the first lady of the day was taken to the hospital last week. So my first day back starts of with a free morning rather than working at her house. It's sad of course and I do hope she will get back on her feet really soon.

We always have the pictures to look back at and think back at some lovely days and I still have one more week in October left to look forward too!

Here a small selection of photos made in our holiday. More on my Flickr page and my Picture This photoblog.

 Deventer fountain

 Scheveningen sea side

 Wind, sea, waves what else do you need?

 Paddling in the sea

 Sculptures at sea

 Peace Palace, the Hague

 Paleis Noordeinde, work palace of the King

 Ridderzaal and fountain Binnenhof(part of government building) 

 Maas at Maastricht

 Lovely gateway near church

Statue of saint Servatius, Maastricht

© KH