So aggrieved at watching the BBC’s quite frankly venomous & ridiculous Election Show last night, I headed upstairs to watch some TV on the computer. I considered watching Apocalypse Now, in tribute to some of my Labour supporting pals reaction to the even early results/exit poll. Nah lets put on John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow…a kick ass gun-fu film where a villanous Triad member Chow Yun-Fat stylishly shoots his way to redemption. Kinda nodded off through that. Logged onto Sky On Demand and ended up watching an episode of the sublimly funny and magical Yonderland, a show for kids (and their parents 😉 ) , where a mildly depressed housewife travels through her pantry door to the magical kingdom of Yonderland. There she learns that she is the Chosen One to save the land from the “Negatus” and spends most of her time foiling the ridiculous plots of said darklord and calming the argumentative and childish residents, by being down to earth and wagging her finger at them pointing out how silly they are 🙂 It’s done by the same folk who do Horrible Histories on CBBC who are kinda like a modern-day Monty Python (just in case you need any more selling on it).
I’m sure there’s a post election message in there somewhere from the Universe 🙂
“E-Squared: Nine Do-It-Yourself Energy Experiments That Prove Your Thoughts Create Your Reality“
This little book has brought me so much Joy, so much AWESOME and WIN! since I first bought and downloaded it back in August of last year. It confirmed a lot of things that I’ve belived in small chunks in a hit and miss sort of way over the last 20-10 years and pulled it all in into a coherant whole.
Its written in very happy straightfoward language, without alot of the hippy-dippy gobbledygook that certain self-help/’new age’ books go into.
I kid you not when I say that your life will be transformed into a place of joy and happiness if you read and do the very easy practical experiments in the book (and of course not fall back into bad habits afterwards, although the Universe/God/Tao/Great Spirit/Thing bigger than “poor little me” does seem to keep on reminding me of the methods after I forget them).
Here’s the blurb from the Amazon page:
E-Squared by Pam Grout
E-Squared could best be described as a lab manual with simple experiments that prove reality is malleable, consciousness trumps matter, and you shape your life with your mind. Yes, you read that right. It says prove.
The nine experiments, each of which can be conducted with absolutely no money and very little time expenditure, demonstrate that spiritual principles are as dependable as gravity, as consistent as Newton’s laws of motion.
Rather than take it on faith, E-Squared invites you to prove the following principles:
There is an invisible energy force or field of infinite possibilities.
You impact the field and draw from it according to your beliefs and expectations.
Your connection to the field provides accurate and unlimited guidance.
The universe is limitless, abundant, and strangely accommodating.
Definitely fallen behind with the grand gardening plans of building up some cultivated flower beds in the back, so nature has taken its course with lots of flowers from last year’s summer meadow selection that went to seed suddenly appearing a couple of weeks ago.
In the far background is the potato sack which did us proud last year and two pots ready for tomato plants.
Been away in a secluded part of the Cotswolds for the last five days. Quality family time despite having a nasty viral cold. Each day brought some new joy or discovery and the whole break gave me some distance and perspective from my everyday life, without descending into naval gazing.
Inspirations..
Seeing everyone battle through really stinky colds and have a real good time despite of the rather glum weather.
The cottage a real calm place of healing, were it was the small touches of decoration that set the mood rather than swamping piles of ‘stuff’.
Visiting Stratford upon Avon and William Shakespear’s Birthplace. Having the ever charming Henry humbled mid charm offensive by a tall red haired actress who commanded the room with an impromptu rendition of the intro to Henry V. Seeing Evie’s interest in the history of the house. Chuckling slightly at both of them referring to it as the “Haunted House”.
Exploring Bourton on the Water, which like a lot of the area had been touched by the flooding the week before. Seeing the children’s delight at the place, which is good since this is where we are going to be staying for two weeks in the summer. A solid family day 🙂
Visiting the Roll Right Stones just up the hill from were we staying. Seeing the whole family’s spirits being lifted from deeply tired and foul to laughing and full of energy as we reached the stones. ‘Feeling’ the stones awake as I walked into the centre, and experiencing an intense (but subtle: no tales of hair standing on end here) uplift after I walked clockwise round the circle and then back into the center, which seems to have worked on all levels of my being. One immediate benefit seems to be that my cold is rapidly diminishing in power 🙂
The meal that we had at Ask Italian in Morton on the Marsh straight afterwards, which saw all the family on good form and was also inspiring in the way it was presented and content wise. I went into it thinking Pizza Express/Bella Italia and now Ask Italian, is this is going to be much of a muchness? Turned out to be yes one hand by no on the other.
Gazing up at a star filled night sky with the kids.
Seeing the Birds of Prey at the Cotswolds Falconry Centre, always a joy but this time learnt a lot more about them and their behavior and how the lure of an easy life at the centre keeps them there. How each decision is based up how much work has to be done for food.
This music seems appropriate for the way I feel 🙂
*the title reference is that Tolkien’s Shire is supposedly based upon the Cotswolds.
