Sixth of Sixth

I have been tagged by Pink Dogwood over at Wandering Mind to share a picture and talk about it.

Specifically I have to locate the sixth picture in my sixth folder and talk about it. Not in a descriptive sort of way, but what it means to me, why I took this picture and why I kept it.

The way my photos are grouped at the moment meant that this one of Times Square in New York is the sixth photo in the sixth group of photos (I use iPhoto so my pics are grouped).


I had long wanted to visit New York. It is a city I had seen so much of and heard so much about without ever setting foot in it. It is in so many TV programmes and films that you can't help but feel you know the place. I had to see for myself though. I wanted to look out of my hotel room at night and see if the city did sleep and if it really is like it is in the movies.

One of the first places I visited after checking into my hotel was Times Square. It was early evening in November and I couldn't wait to explore despite being tired and hungry. So off I went in search of food and I found it along with bright lights and flashing adverts and people and yellow cabs and noise and bustle and music. I couldn't believe I was actually there. I took a few pics and then found coffee and food before heading back to my hotel where I also took in Grand Central Station and a fine view of the Empire State Building. I was actually in New York. Wow.

I would love it if some of my blog friends could do this fun little meme. It can be a nice quick one to do! I therefore break my 'no tagging' rule and tag:

Melody of 'Biglittlesister'
Diane of 'Forks of the Moment'
Randall of 'Musings from the Hinterland'
Kenju of 'Imagine...'
Rashbre of 'Rasbre Central'
and Nikki-Ann of 'Notes of Life'

Don't feel you have to though. If anyone else wants to do this then I'd love to see what you post!

Wit and Wisdom

When I am at work I am never, ever in any doubt as to what day it is. It simply isn’t possible with 3 calendars and a diary. I use my diary for all appointments. It is the single place where my daily schedule resides along with future appointments and significant dates. The other calendars are around or on my desk and are gifts.

I have one which was a lovely gift from Naomi of ‘Here in the Hills’. It features photos of many bird visitors to her wonderful garden and others that she has encountered in one way or another. Even on the greyest day it brightens up my little area of the office. I have another which is purely functional. It tells me the day, month year, date. That is it. The third was another gift for Christmas and is a mini page a day calendar which divulges the wit and wisdom of women. Each day there is a new quote from a noted female and they are not all about hair, clothes, shoes, handbags and babies. In fact that vast majority blow that stereotype clean out of the water. I thought I would share a few quotes that have struck a chord or made me smile here:

Whatever you want in life, other people are going to want it too. Believe in yourself enough to accept the idea that you have an equal right to it ~ Diane Sawyer

To be happy with a man you must understand him a lot and love him a little. To be happy with a woman you must love her a lot and try not to understand her at all ~ Helen Rowland

What the vast majority of American children need is to stop being pampered, stop being indulged, stop being chauffeured, stop being catered to ~ Ann Landers

I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish that He didn’t trust me so much ~ Mother Teresa

You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience by which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, “I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

I think Housework is the reason most women go to the office ~ Heloise Cruse

We choose those we like; with those we love, we have no say in the matter ~ Mignon McLaughlin

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow ~ Mary Ann Radmacher.

I kept the page this last quote was printed on and pinned it next to my desk. It reminds me to cut myself some slack on those days where I fall short of my high expectations of myself.

Here We Snow Again

Well, no sooner had the snow that had fallen at the end of the week melted, than the world where I live was painted white again. And this time there was more than before. I love it when I wake up and look out of the window to see the street where I live has been transformed into a winter wonderland. Everyday things look so pretty when covered in snow.


Of course big kid that I am, I had to go out in it and take some photos despite the lack of sun and threat of more snow (which came again the next night!). I just love the crunch of snow beneath my feet as I sink through the layers of freshly fallen fat flakes.

Of course, the flip side of the coin is how disruptive the snow has been here. As we get snow so infrequently (and when it does come it usually thaws the same day) we are often ill prepared to handle it. My little car is real wheel drive and so it likes to slip and slide around in the ice given half a chance, even when I weigh the boot down.


Our side roads have largely remained ungritted (as the UK is running short already) and so only main routes are passable, schools are closed, the mail hasn't been delivered for two days, public transport is cancelled or delayed, my rubbish bin remains unemptied, I have been working from home and my social plans have had to be cancelled.


And yet, I am still happy to see the snow. I think it must be the novelty of it all. Even though I have to go out and clear my drive. The photos here were all taken in my back garden. I think even my rusty old wheel barrow looks good with a dusting of snow! I thought about making a snow man but couldn't bring myself to disturb the perfectly smooth white blanket draped across my garden. It will rain later today and it will all melt away. I am glad I got to take some photos. Apparently this is the most snow we have had in this part of the country for 20 years!

Snow today, gone tomorrow

I am always inordinately jealous of those of you who live in countries that have real winters. With snow. Lots of gorgeous white fluffy magical flakes of snow that crunch beneath your feet. Snow that is abundant and perfect for tobogganing, skiing and snowman building. Here in the southern parts of the UK we usually get freezing rain, sleet at best. It's wet, cold and miserable and totally unsuitable for making snowballs. Yesterday however, we had snow, direct from Siberia. Sent from Russia with love.

Unfortunately it was all too transient. The world as far as I could see was white for less than 48 hours and there wasn't enough even for a snowman, let alone winter sports. I had to go out in it though and I couldn't help taking a couple of photos to capture it. The top one is off the snow falling in my back garden. Big fat flakes swirling around in front of my garden shed. The last two are of snow on a couple of my garden plants. If you look very closely you can even see a star shaped snow flake right in the middle of the second photo. I love that.

Today the sun came out and the snow melted away until only patches are left in shadowy corners of my garden. I enjoyed it immensely though, even the coldness of it all. It's an odd thing to say, but I am so glad we are having a proper winter this year. The constant rain and greyness of the last two years (summer too, just warmer rain) has really been miserable. Here's to a proper summer too.

I heart my Macbook

I had had enough. It had let me down for the last time and so I traded it in for a better model. Sleeker, whiter, faster, cooler and most importantly it worked. Yep, I traded my Windows based laptop in for a Macbook and I couldn't be happier with my decision. In fact, I wonder why I didn't do it earlier.

My laptop with Vista has been the root of all my frustration, annoyance and the cause of my need for anger management. The number of times I have just wanted to chuck the darn thing out of the window! Vista is just too slow and buggy. Fun little things I had to deal with were; the cursor regularly freezing, the screen not coming back after snoozing and the keypad not working after snoozing along with a multitude of other little annoyances. I thought about re-installing XP and getting a bigger battery but in the end I realised I wanted something quicker, more reliable and Macbooks also have iPhoto which is a much better system for dealing with digital photos IMHO. It's 13" screen has great clarity and colour and it's the right size for my lap (whereas my other laptop was a little large). The battery lasts for over 3 hours and I love it.

I can feel my stress levels decreasing already and using my computer is a pleasant experience. Time to take a relaxing moment with a cup of tea and visit some blog friends methinks! Afterall, I won't be going out much for the next few days with this Siberian weather front bringing icy temperatures and snow.