Winter 4

There seems to be a never ending need to add more colour..each time I take a break and come back, I see something that needs just that little bit more! It's something I like to teach at school, that you very rarely see anything that is one plain colour. Any surface reflects that which is around it. The eye sees things in 'wholesale' and fills in the details from memory..often what you saw was what you think you saw.

(Click on me for an even closer look)

Here is a close up of the lamp post and surrounding trees. It's only when you stop looking at the expanse of plain white paper around it that you can get the 'feel' of the snow and cold. ....Now where's MR. Tumnus?

Winter 3

Back to work on this one today.The background is such a mass of tangled branches in muted tones that at first it looks very complicated. The aim is to show the golden light hitting the background which will hopefully look like a bright ribbon across the 'horizon' as it were.

Sometimes I need to take a step back and do nothing to rediscover the 'fire' within. I was saying in an Email yesterday that apart from 2 weeks of exhibitions last year, a weeks holiday and a couple of 'non productive' days, I'd worked on a picture every day since 12 January 2006. I guess one can 'burn out' even doing what one enjoys!

Have decided on Sue's recommendation to look into using a 'Daylight' bulb..I need to go up to Ikea soon so will look there because I'll need a new lamp too! At present I use a desk lamp with a halogen bulb which although bright, tends to bleach out the subtleties of the colours.

Thought for the day...

Give a man a fish, and he'll have food enough for one day..

Give a man a fishing rod, and he'll find someone with whom he can swap it for a fish.

Crescent Moon

Oh Crescent moon

Celestial seductress

hanging ghost like

in the darkening July sky

loving satin white

in silky breath

and cut grass senses

covering all in milky light

I stand and drink your presence

to cast all I kneel before you

until your evening phosphorensence

washes over me and cleanses

you oh Crescent Moon

my celestial seductress

we'll keep our tryst until

you dip yourself below the houses

and I am in the dark.

(Niall Young 4Th July 1995.)

I love the light of the Moon. I can feel it wash over me. I don't write a lot of poetry these days..but I like the idea of creating pictures with words. My most prolific time of writing was around 1993-97. Perhaps I'll share a couple more.

By the way..Well done Shilpa Shetty for winning 'Celebrity Big Brother'!!!!!!!!!!

Winter 2

Easy does it!..slow progress . This is a rubbish photograph..it looks so dull. For the next one I'll take it in the daylight! One of the real problems I'm facing at the moment is the lack of daylight hours. Often I get to work in the evenings..but the subtleties of tone in the picture mean that my desk lamp changes how I see them. I've seen adverts for 'daylight' bulbs..I might try one..Do you know if they're any good?

Winter 1 second try

This is actually the second version of the picture.I had worked for a while on the sketch shown earlier but made a mess of it..(better earlier than later!!) Here I have worked for around 5 hours to get this far!..It looks very basic so far, but regular viewers of this Blog will know that only time will tell.

My 'head' has been all over the place recently. Without sounding to glum I'll just say that , yes, once again it's a time of questioning, a time of looking at what is and wondering what will be. despite a couple of days away from the page, I have worked constantly since this time last year when I started this whole adventure. Perhaps body and mind are tired, but my soul aches to reach further and further into my sight and bring forth that which can only be described visually.

Changing the subject slightly..I have managed to track down amidst piles of papers, my poetry book. I went through a period of writting poetry back inthe early 1990's. It served a purpose of sorts. I hope to publish a few selected pieces for you here at some point!

Sunrise

Here's the view from my bedroom window this morning..compare to Sunday's view!..I really meant it when I wrote the other day that the sun 'takes off' from the airport..the main runway is directly under the sun here.

Has been such a breath taking day..so much to do and such beauty all around. How I manage to cram all the joy of life into one day is beyond my comprehension. I had so little time for stillness that I was not able to do any drawing. Hopefully tomorrow will see me get back to work.

Winter 1 sketch.

There were so many wonderful scenes this morning at the park that I had to get one down on paper and turn it into a picture. Lines will wait for a while!..

As with all my work, I have to put down a pencil drawing of the scene..I also had to buy a new nib for my green pen. For those of you who are new to my posts..look back to archive material around Oct/Nov last year to see my mini drawings of the Arboretum during Autumn. This picture is about 30cm x 18cm and will be in full colour. I estimate around 50 hours of work..

It's an honour to receive comments from my readers..thank you to all who have bothered to leave their mark !...I try to visit you as often as I can..I 'd love to invite you all round for tea sometime...let me know when you're available!

A dusting of snow..'Cold snaps'

Sadly only a small amount of snow fell over night..and by lunchtime it had all but gone. To see any substantial snow, I'd have had to go up to the north of the county near Buxton/ Bakewell.As it was, I still went for a walk around the Derby Arboretum..these photos were taken this morning. The last photo shows the 'Orangery' where my exhibition is due to take place..After consultation with the Park manager I have agreed to postpone it until Easter, as the building has no heating!! and has sprung a few roof leaks. Since the exhibition was due to start in 3 weeks..I thought a delay was the best thing to do!!

Meanwhile..I hope you enjoy these 'cold snaps'...

A sticky moment

Here is my group at school today in the process of making our final piece of artwork before the exhibition. You will see each child has created a tree made of twigs stuck to card..this is then glued onto the board then Papier Mache over the top. In the two weeks remaining, we'll cover the entire surface of the boards with the trees still showing up..it will then be painted and hung.

You should have been there today..there was glue all over the place!!!But as you can see..twelve 7 year old's were totally involved and worked really hard!

(Photographs used with permission)

11:15pm..has just started snowing!!!!!!!

Lines 14..into the void

Well...I've only been showing you half the picture up until now..that's because there was nothing to show! I now plan to move into this space with the next phase...I've toyed with various combinations of figures and ideas. I've set myself a rather lofty concept to represent..do not worry dear readers!...all will be revealed.

Today the weather forecast said that temperatures are set to tumble (-5 oc tonight) and the chance of some snow!!!!!I love snow!!!In this country, we have very little snow..so when it does..the whole country snarls up as public transport fails to cope..I love it! So if it it comes over night, I'll be off down to my beloved Arboretum tomorrow morning to get some photos. Watch this space!.(or rather the one above it!)

Place of work.

I thought you might like to see the place where all my pictures are created.This, my work place is along side our bed in the rear of the house looking South.Here you can see 'Lines' in progress. My little black and white TV glows ethereally. I've been watching an adaptation of 'Swan Lake'..with Darcy Bussell (You can see she is on the screen as I took this photo!)...I watched a documentary in which she introduced the production of the ballet. Now I know I'm prone to over sensitivity..but to see her in rehearsal..the grace and beauty and absolute strength in her body made me weep..I'm not ashamed to admit that such beauty can cause me to cry!

This is the view from out of my window. I have sat here drawing..each day seeing this view..I know all the buildings and love to see the sky change through out the day. From here you can see on the left of the horizon (click to enlarge) the extreme tip of Nottinghamshire with the famous Ratcliffe-On-Soar power station..the turning point for all aircraft approaching the East Midlands Airport which is along the horizon over the roof of the large building just off centre of the photo (to the right of this building you will also note the large Gurdwara with the golden dome) . On a clear day I can see the aircraft coming in to land and taking off. The airport is incidentally in Leicestershire! The centre of the horizon is South East...a direct line from my window would see France..Italy..Egypt..Saudi Arabia..Oman and off into the Indian Ocean..looking to my left I'b be able to see Bombay and yes PS..Pune!!..if only my eyesight was better!

So there you have it...my place of work. Every day I am here...every day I gaze out at this vista..every day I am.

Lines 13 ..detail included

My life seems to be full of references to the surreal at the moment.Not only am I spending ridiculous amounts of my life dotting this picture of a dirty Eco-unfriendly noisy piece of metal, and planning a way to honour and represent my love love of womankind in a deep and ethical way. I am sitting here having wept at the coverage of Jade's eviction from Celebrity Big Brother (I'm not sad to see her go by the way!..it's more complex than that!) and laughed tears into my eyes at comedian Al Murray(genius) .. my head is also full of Groucho Marx.

The Marx Brothers have always been a passion of mine..My Mother and Father In-Law gave me a boxed set of six of their best movies for Christmas!!!!!!.. today I saw on a dedicated web site a drawing by Salvador Dali of my favourite Marx:..Harpo. Whilst the completely witty one liners delivered by Groucho will live in eternity, for me it is the silent surreal slapstick of Harpo that will live with me forever. Irreverent, anarchic and full of pathos and love, Harpo was a talented actor, musician and human. Check out the Link and discover the world of pure wonder:..The Marx Brothers. and go to 'Quotes' then Harpo Speaks!!

Lines 12

Thanks Tim! .......I've been working on the details to the platform on the left..it was quite tricky to get the right lightness of shade. But I'm happy that it's progressing again.

Have spent some time today reading and studying some of the pictures by Magritte . One of my favourite artists mentioned in previous posts. The concept of placing familiar objects together in unfamiliar combinations interests me. For example..we may be familiar with a tin opener and a marriage ceremony..but put them together and make the tin opener so big it is barely able to fit in the church...you get what I mean. Take a look at 'Personal Values' to see what I'm on about.

I don't think this current picture will develop and reflect what I've been reading about..but then again..you never know!

Bottle paintings.

I have to admit. These paintings sit around my house gathering dust and not in my consciousness most of the time. But having seen them in my post yesterday, I thought I'd feature a couple more. The idea comes from a painting by Magritte called 'Painted bottle'..others by him were more imaginatively called 'Sky' The Lady' and 'The Explanation'. They are a kind of visual paradox in that the scene continues around the bottle in a never ending way..you never get to see all of the picture at once and must turn the bottle. The large Tree bottle is painted in oil paint as is the bottle on the far left in the top picture. The others are painted using enamel paints..you could just as easily use acrylics I reckon!....The (empty) bottles were given to me by Margret and Graham (Who live over the road) The surface of the bottle is textured (a feature of this particular wine called 'Black Tower')..It would I guess be just as easy to paint on a smooth bottle..perhaps prime it first with an undercoat.

Hey!..have fun trying this one out..of course, you'll have to drink the wine first..a sacrificial act in the name of art!

Hyacinth..

I thought I'd post a picture of the lovely Hyacinth that has bloomed in my front room. A fantastic perfume fills the room..and it is so bright..January is always a dull month..The UK is being lashed by gale force winds and torrential rain today. One interesting bit of news has been the lifting of a hose-pipe ban by Thames water which has been in effect over a year!

The bottles next to the Hyacinth incidentally were painted by me some years ago.I got the idea from a piece by Rene Magritte the famous Belgian surrealist. A link I'll leave you with here to go and be amazed by!

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/M/magritte.html Scroll down..pictures at the bottom!Some are not so good..my favourite is called 'Time Transfixed'

Lines 11...Jaded

Have begun filling in various details around the rest of the train and opposite platform. Jan said to me today " you're not enjoying this one are you?"..I had to agree.

I really can't leave this post without commenting on 'Celebrity Big Brother'..readers in the US will have seen similar programmes as will others..but the series currently airing on UK 's Channel 4 has attracted the largest number of complaints for a UK TV show ever!..last count was around 21000..Basically the controversy surrounds the relationship within the group and in particular surrounding Shilpa Shetty..a household name and mega star in her own country of India, but largely unknown in UK. some group members have used language which has been interpreted by many to be racist...Some of the comments I have heard broadcast and they made me feel ashamed and angry that such ignorance can show itself in such a setting. I feel Shilpa has behaved with dignity and in maturity..The main protagonist in the incidences is Jade Goody..famous for being in Big Brother a few years ago and not winning. However she did display a huge level of ignorance whilst on the show..got very drunk and stripped naked on live TV.Behaviour I find totally distasteful and surprised that this is the basis for her fame!

Ironically, the issues surrounding racism are now on the lips of a large percentage of the population. The popularity of the programme with young people means schools are able to latch onto this subject and do some good work to promote anti-racism and positive understanding! I just pray that the outcome will be good and that all those involved will not be damned, but learn to change and make a difference in doing so.For those of you interested in the show, follow the link below.

I wish you peace.

http://www.channel4.com/bigbrother/index.jsp

Lines 10...

Managed to finish the sky..was a labour of something. I seem to be spending less and less time working over the past few days. I find that I'm thinking about 'where I am' and 'why I am' quite a lot. It was a year ago today that I started working on 'Project Spectrum' which was funded for 10 weeks by 'Arts Council England'...a grant from whom I've since become aware is very difficult to get! A year on and I've produced lots of new work..developed my technique in colour and lots of other stuff. Now on these dark, damp and cold January evenings I find I'm questioning once again...It's not a negative thing, it's part of the constant need I feel I have to apply to my art the question..."is it worth the time and trouble?" I've had some wonderful and supportive comments from some of my regular readers..these are pretty much part of the reason I continue. I'm not saying I'm that vain that I need praise to create. No!..It's more like I feel a duty to make work assessable and challenging to the eyes and minds of others...and the day that fails to take place..I must either adapt or finish!

I am aware that in many areas I am woefully ignorant and tend to respond with the typical 'man in the street' mentality...This is after all what I am..I am often being made aware that my heart is in the right place as it were. But I do tend to say the wrong things and get the wrong idea. Take the 'space thing'..it is a red herring!..if I'd thought things through I'd have realised that there is so much good to come through the exploration and adaption to what is one of Man's basic desires: To find out about the place he lives in and 'what's over the hill'. Perhaps I should direct my questions to those nations who have abysmal human rights issues whilst spending money that could be used otherwise on posturing on the global stage. (Alert! Alert!..initiate sanity mode!)..

With that..I wish you peace and happiness...

Lines 9

Well..since I've not received any comments on my last post I can only assume I've offended everybody. OK..so i don't think that space exploration is the big evil..I see poverty and oppression as the big evil. I see self centered attitudes disregard those amongst us who need a helping hand. And the massive amounts of money thrown into the sky perhaps for me is a Red Herring. Perhaps it's you and I?..perhaps it's actually at an individual level that we need to make the change. It's no good me rattling on in a self righteous way when all I actually do is sit at home drawing pictures!.......ummmmm?

Well..weather you read this or not..the pictures will still appear here.

Sunday night science lesson.

Here's another picture with my 'Star Man'(from around 1987)..a rather glamorous title for the man who thinks the universe centres around himself. In this picture I have taken the narrative a little further down the allegorical track! Now I am, all for focused single mindedness when per suing ones goals..but when held at the expense of others, it cannot be a good thing...in fact it is a catalyst for the breakdown of all we hold dear.

Some would say that the epitome of Man's distinction above all other sentient life on this planet, is 'his' ability to reason..to explore and discover, to invent and progress. To reach for the stars therefore is the ultimate in expectancy and evolution. this is so..but it is fraught with danger.

In this picture..Science becomes a religion (Shuttle on the church)..but whilst being the ultimate in engineering, the cost is measured more than billions of Dollars..it is the lives of those who pay ..those who depart this world wanting food in their mouths..clean water to drink..the freedom to think and say what they like...basic medical care.

I will forever despair as yet another group of educated white Americans and a token European are flung into orbit in a 'Tin Can' whilst no one can figure out how to save the lives of the Men Women and Children in Somalia..Lebanon..Iraq..those in the slums and ghetto's of almost every major city.....our own back yard!..........perhaps from way up there we can see them dying more clearly!?

Maybe it's all too easy to bolt metal to metal and fire it into the sky..I rant without the added bonus of education..but I hope you get what I'm trying to convey? The sole pursuit of ones selfish end might only offer death as my Star Man offers you as the viewer..The graves of the fallen litter the church of science (I'm not having a go at Scientology by the way!)...

Oh 'eck...I think I'd better have a lie down in a darkened room now..ah yes...it's bedtime!

P.S..Hello to Nina and Nigel..thanks for reading!

Lines 8..into the time machine

Would you believe it?..I spent 6 hours solid dotting (this doesn't include breaks lunch, etc...) the sky...a highly boring and intense piece of work..and I'm not finished..I have to add at least another layer over the one I've done to even out the effect! Now you could call this dedication, you could call this obsessive..you could even call me mad. But at the end..I'll have a picture that has claimed my time..mt attention..my life. Can you imagine when I exhibit my pictures how I feel when someone wonders by and just glances, then walks off?..I suppose it's a bit like wearing expensive underwear!!..You know it's there..but no one else does..and in knowing..it makes it special!

I know where I'm going now with this picture..

Lines 7..Time

Just pushing on with the boring bits at present..sky..more sky....It's been a busy day preparing for my next session at school.I decided to run a project that will last for a couple of weeks. Went down the garden to collect lots of twigs from my Willow tree. At school I got the children to firstly look at the form of a tree, then sketch some trees. I then got them to secure twigs to a piece of card in the shape of a tree..next week we'll cut them out and stick them to a long narrow board. They will then be papier mache'd over so the 'trees' show through in relief..the week after they will be painted for the exhibition.

Last night I spent ages reading the blogs I've become used to visiting. The trouble is, I look up from my screen to see a couple of hours have flown by!! Must work out a way of visiting only a couple sites a day and give it my whole attention rather than trying to cram them all in! The trouble is, there's so much that is so good!!! Loved the video on 'Love is stronger than pride'!Check out the link below!

http://devilmood.blogspot.com/2007/01/ringside-tired-of-being-sorry_09.html#comments

Lines 6 ..Drugged coffee

It seems slow going at the moment..mainly due to the fact that the picture is quite big..(on A2 sized paper) and is quite dark (whats new?) But I had to get the sky to come over to the main subject so I could begin to see what the depth of contrast I had to work towards. Sometimes I can work for ages on a dark area only to add in a darker area and find out that the first area needs going over a couple of times to increase the depth of colour/shade etc...

Today I went into the residential home to run my art group. I had a few interesting conversations about the history of he Arboretum (see earlier posts) . One of the staff gave me my Milky Coffee..those of you who've read my blog at the begining will remember the famous 'Frothy Coffee' incident where I drank what turned out to be either someones spit, or the semi disolved remains of some unswallowed medication! Today I accepted my drink and drank it. When I got home I was feeling a little giddy..(It think mainly due to me being in need of my lunch) but after a sandwich, I went upstairs and fell asleep. Maybe I had fallen victim to drugged coffee....maybe this is what the staff give to the residents to stop them running away? I told Jan about this and asked her to keep an eye on me in case I ended up snoring in my chair, drooling and incontinent. She asked me if there were any other signs she could look for as I already did the others!.....The cheek!

Jan just gave me a Wedgie!

This is a picture I made last February. It was based on a photo I took at Elvaston Castle in Derby. I dropped a pebble into the lake and this is the reflection of an Ash tree..if you can't make it out, then try standing on your head. (Readers in Australia might like to ignor the last bit of advice!)

I arrived at school today to be greeted by a class of year one children calling my name and saying.."You were Santa!"...I of course denied that it was really I that handed out the presents at the school party dressed as Santa.

I had to get to the store room to pick up some water colour paper..Through the door I could hear the children discussing me..."it was him that was Santa!"..."No it wasn't..Santa's fat!"..."it was Niall wearing a fat coat!".....

I guess you could say I was well and truly rumbled!

Tonight, Jan has to study for a part she is playing at a murder mystery party tommorow night...it's based on a famous BBC TV comedy series here in UK called 'Allo Allo' about the French Resistance during World War Two. So I happen to have the first few series on DVD..as I bent down to put a disc into the machine....she gave me a wedgie!!!! For a moment I WAS Homer Simpson!

Need less to say..revenge will be mine...Mwoah ha ha ha ha!

Lines 5

OK..I know it's a really rubbish photograph..I'll try and do better tomorrow! I've been having sleep problems the last couple of nights and I'm currently running on autopilot. Still..my children were all back at school today which gave me plenty of time to draw..sadly I didn't make the most of the time, but have added the rails in the foreground and put more sky in..will attempt to get a figure into the picture tomorrow.

I've been enjoying looking around at the Blogs I normally visit..isn't it odd that everyone else seems to do it much better than yourself. I often find myself thinking..'I wish I'd written that!'..I suppose what I write is not 'news' to me and therefore not interesting...ho hum!

By the way..PS of 'Just a mother of two' is reading 'The Time Travellers Wife'!!! If you've not read it yet then do yourself a favour and read it!

Face in the crowd

Here is an exercise I completed in 2004. It's taken from a photograph of the crowd at Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships in 1981. I love tennis and especially the era covering the middle to late 1970's. My hero of the time was Chris Evert! I decided I needed to challenge myself with this one. It took around 6 months to complete (I was working in Social Work at the time) and around 130 hours of work. i used my 0.25 mm pen and loved every minute of it. despite it being copied from a photo..it's one of the most popular pieces at my exhibitions. It's also quite large for one of my pictures (A2). I am planning something similar but altogether original for my next Exhibition. My idea is to set up a camera and photograph as many of the visitors to the exhibition as possible...I will then create an A1 size colour drawing incorporating all those faces!!!!!!

I've done very little work on 'Lines' today..however I have arrived at a few conclusions as to which direction it will take........watch this space!

I've also been introduced to the wonders of 'Orkut'. An online social networking site. I hope you are able to have a look at it sometime..? follow the link below...and join!

http://www.orkut.com/Home.aspx?xid=16361515037093176125

Lines 4 (Close up)

Here is a close up view of the work in progress.I use a 0.25mm Isograph nib which I also use on my colour pens..I've used this gauge since 1982!.. I'm not feeling particularly pleased with this so far..I think because I had started it a couple of years ago..I'm feeling as if it's a step back. So perhaps you'll forgive me if at some point I move on to another composition. I'm still interested in depicting the concept of this picture though..I am not a psychologist, and am not knowledgeable about human behaviour models..but I am fascinated in why I am like I am. I think more clearly in a pictorial, allegorical sense, and so I do my deep thinking on the page with my pen...

Lines 3

It's been ages since I worked in black and white..I'm enjoying it. The type of locomotive pictured here is no longer in service ..but is a member of a class given the name 'Peaks'. Early examples were named after the hills in the Derbyshire Peak District. They were built at the Derby Locomotive works.

Lines 2

Now I've got you all wondering where this one is going!...(It's going to London St. Pancras!). I like it when I have a notion about what I want to achieve, but still no idea about how to achieve it!..I'm trying not to use any obvious analogies..but if what I'm after comes off...you'll be surprised. Surreal is the name of the game here!.....huh?

Lines 1

Off with old and on with the new...I'm not sure if this new piece will work or not..I started this picture in 2005 whilst working a night shift at Holly House..a residential home for children in care. It's based on a photograph of a diesel locomotive at Derby railway station in 1985...The thinking behind the picture will become apparent as the days progress..but as a taster:..I have always been interested in the things that influence the kind of person I am today..I am a physical, spiritual, emotional , social and sexual being. I place 'sexual' separate from physical because to me, the driving force in all my motivation..(according to Freud) is the need to procreate my species...and as a heterosexual male, it is on this theme that I base this picture.

Confused?....lets see where this goes!

A week to remember

OK..so I said I'd write about a week that changed my life. The week in question was 30th July - 6th August 2006. Having just attended the wedding of our friend Chrissie on the Saturday..we travelled up to stay in North Berwick which is near to Edinburgh in Scotland. Our friends Kay and Geoff live there.

Jan in relaxed mood at the flat in North Berwick

It was a holiday we all needed. We hired a flat which was perfect for our needs. There followed lots of trips to the beach (only 2 mins away)..a trip to meet another old friend in Edinburgh and the celebration of Kay's birthday with a beach party.

Bass Rock..home to largest Gannet colony in British Isles

The week was special to me for two reasons. Firstly : I was encouraged to read a book which was different to the usual Science Fiction / Fantasy I'd read for 20 + years...a book that would alter my reading habits from there onwards and open my mind and heart to new experiences and education. That book was 'The Time Travellers Wife'. Recommended to me by Kay. I've always had a very deep regard for Kay..she is a woman who has come through the breakdown of a relationship and has gone to university, is studying for a degree in theology and is a mother of 3. A deep thinker who when you get to know her, has the ability to turn your concepts on their heads and challenge you to think in a new way. I am all the richer for knowing her!

Kay Dunbar

Party time down on the beach!

Secondly: Jan and I visited a coffee shop whilst in North Berwick. I picked up a pamphlet which contained an article on Blogging. I remember clearly reading it and announcing to Jan and Kay that I was thinking of having a go at writing my own Blog.

So here I am ..better read and broadcasting to the world. Having found a new outlet for my art work..I've discovered perhaps the most valuable aspect of 'The Blog':..meeting people and forming friendships with like minded people from all over the world. In particular:'PS' with whom I regularly write to and have come to learn new things about life in another culture( Read her Blog 'Just a Mother of Two' now! ..see link on left side of this blog ). I consider myself rich beyond experience with the wealth of those I count as my friends (those who know me will be aware that I have very few 'friends').

Armed with these new experiences, I look forward to the new wonders to come!

Finished Hope..The last candle.

Hope 17...Happy New Year!

I'd like to start by wishing you a Happy New Year!..may we learn to share in the freedom of speech and in doing so cultivate the deepening of understanding between us. May we learn of things wonderful and unimagined, may we see life through the eyes of another and learn to apply the things we learn in a positive and uplifting way to further peace, love and understanding!

I'm nearing the end with this one...By the end of the week I'll be done. It is said that "A week is a long time in politics". So tomorrow I'll be writing about a week that changed my life last year (I'd do it now but I'm too tired!)

So in the mean time..Can you think of one thing that changed your life last year?.