You may (or may not!) have noticed its been a little quiet on Changing Pages over the last week or so. With one thing and another I just don’t seem to have had much free time to write! I suspect energy levels have perhaps been a little lower too with the beautiful, but rather energy sapping temperatures we are having right now. And I know I have been far less organised than I would like. However, whilst not having much time to write I have been collecting experiences and moments to write about. Visits to Petersham Nurseries, the current Orla Kiely exhibition at the Fashion and Textiles museum and a trip to the fascinating Eel Pie Island in the Thames are just some of the places I have had lots of fun visiting and look forward to sharing more of in the next couple of weeks.
During the week I was in Oxford for a couple of days. I was there for a work related course which was both inspiring and motivating and I’m looking forward to putting into practice some of what I have learned. It brought the added joy of reuniting me with someone I trained with and l last saw around the time we qualified as nurses almost 23 years ago. We had such a great time catching up and swapping stories both professional and personal and have vowed not to let another 23 years go by before we next catch up!
This weekend has been lots of fun too. My husband celebrated a big birthday earlier in the year and on Saturday we gathered as a family at Wells, our favourite Norfolk Beach for a picnic and dip in the sea before going back to my in laws to watch the England Vs Sweden World Cup quarter final on a big screen in the garden! The England win clearly made this even more fun!
So, there have been lots of big things going on all of which brought joy but as I was flicking through my photographs earlier today I realised again that joy can be found in the smallest things. The image below is of the breathtaking rose arch which surrounds the gate which takes you into my husbands parents gorgeous cottage garden. As you can see it really is spectacular and a promise of much more prettiness inside. It made me smile each time I wandered under it over the weekend. In the sunshine the pink leaves are bright and cheery and abundant. In the evening light the fairy lights which are threaded through them dance and twinkle magically.
Creation and the natural world is truly beautiful and truly full of joy.
This week I am planning to be more organised and productive! What ever your plans, have a beautiful week filled with many moments of joy.
