So I've made it ... to the end of the first month of the year!

One Day at a Time!

When I started this blog at the beginning of 2021 I said I hoped it would encourage me to sit down and write most days. It's certainly done that.

And I hoped you might enjoy it ... a few of you have been kind enough to say you have.

I've enjoyed doing some research on different subjects, but it won't always be lots of words. From time to time I'll just post a thought or something inspirational ... or at least something I think is inspirational.

But today, on the final day of January, I'm just going to share with you a little bit of what gives me pleasure.

I live on an island (Jersey, in the Channel Islands) which means we're surrounded by water.

This won't be the last you hear from me about the ocean because when I'm stressed out, when I'm under pressure, I like to walk on the beach, listen to the waves, breath into the wind.  When it's warm (or warmer than it is in the winter) I love to swim in the sea.

The power of water, and the sea, to heal, is something powerful.

The other day I visited Grève de Lecq, on Jersey's north-west coast. It was chilly but sunny and very quiet.

So today, as we turn the page on the first month of 2021, join me on the beach,

Enjoy and breathe...

This week sees the start of Lent - the 40 days of preparation for the Christian festival of Easter, so be prepared for some spiritual thinking from me in the next few days.

Today, as I begin that journey to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, I'll just share a prayer from a great woman of faith, Mother Teresa

What I love about this thought is the progression of words.

For me, it has a flow which is in itself spiritual and perfect for the coming season, as it takes us on a journey from silence to peace, via the 'busyness' of the everyday.

Be Blessed everyone!

*and if you're wondering, this picture is one of mine, taken from the cliffs above Swanage in Dorset on the south coast of England ... a really gorgeous place!

Today I'm a bit weary and a little stressed out, so I'm just sharing a sound with you which hopefully will help me, and you, feel more calm.

I filmed this earlier this week near St Brelade's Church in St Brelade's Bay in Jersey.

We've had a lot of rain recently, so the streams are running freely, and this is the water from a stream pouring into the bay near the little harbour. The tide was just coming up and the sun just going down, and in the distance you can see the wide sweep of the bay looking over to Ouaisne Bay.  That's one of my favourite bays for swimming in the spring, summer and autumn. Can't wait!

Glorious!

Enjoy!

Have you ever had one of those moments when life feels so great that you just want to smile, and laugh out loud?

I had one of those moments last week when walking on St Catherine's Breakwater in Jersey. After a stressful few weeks it felt great to just be in the fresh air and walking. I could see the French coastline in the distance ... it was Glorious! 

I've always loved St Catherine's, not just because it's also my name, but because when you walk the breakwater, it feels like you're stepping into the ocean. The breakwater is about half a mile (700metres) long so a stroll to the end and back is about a mile and it's an easy walk. Even if it's busy you feel like you're getting away from it all and it always fills me with joy, whatever the weather.

The other day spring was in the air, the sea was calm in the bay, the sun was shining and there was a bit of of breeze on the coast. As I walked to the end of the breakwater, it felt a little more windy, but I was bundled up against the chill and it was exhilarating. When I reached the end of the breakwater, looking out to sea across to the French coast, I breathed in the clean air and my heart began to soar. I found myself laughing out loud.

Now, I don't often film myself, let alone when I doing something like smiling and laughing, but I did switch on the phone-camera the other day. It's nearly a month ago that I finished work with the BBC and started a New Adventure as a freelance writer/broadcaster/PR and communications expert, and lots of my friends and family members have been so kind to check on me from time to time, to see how I'm doing. So I sort of wanted to show them not just the beauty of St Catherine's, share some sounds of the ocean, which I find so relaxing, but also that I'm doing ok in my New Adventure!

There's a quote which sums up the benefits of laughter for me and which is attributed to the English poet, satirist and politician Lord Byron, who died on this day in 1824. I'm not going to talk much about him today ... I may do that another time ... just to say he was a bit of a character, to say the least. I remember studying his poetry at school as part of our exploration of the Romantic poets of the late 18th/early 19th century, and learning about some of his physical and romantic antics! 

And from what I discovered he was a bit of a 'lad' and certainly enjoyed life.

So I can imagine him saying something like this ...

There's loads of science which indicates that smiling and laughing is good not just for our physical but also our mental health. So today I hope YOU find something which makes you Laugh Out Loud!

And if you want to smile with me ... here's my moment at St Catherine's ...

Have a great day everyone!

Today is Earth Day.

Every year since 1970 this has been annual event designed for us all to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It's grown over the decades and lots of important environmental events have happened on Earth Day.

This year on Earth Day, today, there will be a Global Climate Summit, convened by the US President Joe Biden and held virtually I'm guessing because of coronavirus. Among other things it is designed to be a 'critical stepping stone for the U.S. to re-join the world in combating the climate crisis', having agreed to re-sign the Paris Agreement.  It's just one of the events being planned today and just one example of how Earth Day continues to be a momentous and unifying day every year.  These days it's reckoned that 1 billion people in more than 193 countries will mark Earth Day in some way.

And so to MY contribution.

A couple of years ago, I recorded a series for BBC Radio Jersey with the Jersey artist and iconographer Karen Blampied.

She has created something called The Earthday Icon ... inspired by the ancient nature embedded in the Eastern Orthodox Church Calendar, which each September celebrates Creation and which has a three year cycle, ending every year with the feast of St Francis of Assisi and the Blessing of the Animals. During this liturgical time of Creation, each Sunday is dedicated to a specific aspect of creation and the Earthday icons depicts forests, land, wilderness, rivers, skies, mountains, the universe, animals, storms, oceans and more, all with spiritual significance.

Karen's inspiration is to 'highlight the need of all people to be stewards of the Earth' and this really inspires ME.

I loved working with Karen on this series and the audio we produced is still on the BBC Radio Jersey website.

So today, to mark Earth Day, I'm including the links to the programme features.

You will have to click on each link to listen ... hope you don't mind doing that. But it's really interesting!

Enjoy! And be inspired and blessed!

Earthday Icon #1 - Ocean - Karen chats to me about the role of the sea in the Creation story

Earthday Icon #2 - Flora & Fauna - Karen in conversation with me about her icon

Earthday Icon #3 Storm - Karen chats to me about depicting weather & climate in her icon

Earthday Icon #4 Cosmos - Karen talks to me about depicting God and the heavens in her icon

Earthday Icon #5 Blessing of the Animals - Discovering Karen's inspiration for the animals in her icon

*Earthday icon image copyright - Karen Blampied

It feels like summer is here in Jersey - at last.

The sun has managed to stay out for a while, temperatures are rising, the sea is gradually warming up a little and I've been swimming a few times already and loving it!

Recently I headed down to the beach at Ouaisné Bay on the west coast - at the far end of the popular St Brelade's Bay - for a late afternoon 'dip'. It was glorious!! A little bit chilly for a moment or two but once I was in, so relaxing. 

Being near the sea and listening to the sounds of the ocean, as well as immersing myself in the water, is really helpful to my mental health and wellbeing.

I'm still perfecting my movie making so please bear with me ... but after my swim I recorded some of the sounds of the waves, the wind and the distant sounds of people including those enjoying the ocean, playing in the sand nearby. 

What a wonderful world we live in! 

Have a great day everyone!

If you know a bit about me, you'll know that I love to swim in the sea.

I find it so relaxing, and so good for my mental health. The exercise, of course, is great but it's also such a calming experience, as you feel the water on your skin, the breeze on your face and, if you're lucky, the warmth of the sun on your skin.

In the summer time I do swim as often as possible, and it's been a joy this week to get in a few dips ... in between the hours at the computer ... working as a freelance writer and also concentrating a lot on researching and writing a new book.

We have lots of beautiful beaches and bays here in Jersey in the Channel Islands - some rocky coves, and some beautiful stretches of glorious sandy beaches. 

One of my favourites for relaxing and swimming is Ouaisne Bay in the south west of the island ...it's at one end of a very popular tourist beach - St Brelade's Bay - but usually much quieter.

This week I managed to get a dip there ... and it was glorious. A great opportunity to ... just breathe really.

The sound of waves gently crashing on the shoreline can take me to a different place and can really help with my anxiety and stress levels. I find the sound of the sea so soothing and so good for 'de-stressing' my life.

So today, I just want to share some of those sounds with you and hope they will help you to.

Filmed at Ouaisne Bay this week.

Have a great weekend and ... stay chilled!

Enjoy!

Every now and again on a Saturday morning I find myself slumped in front of the TV with the remote control, not particularly thinking about what I'm watching.

News? So exhausting and depressing!

Food shows? So many cooking shows with lots of so called celebrities chatting inanely about nothing ... boring! Too many of those and they're all the same.

No, I want a bit of escapism on a weekend ... sit coms and even cartoons.

Now call me childish ( I don't care actually) but SpongeBob SquarePants makes me laugh out loud. It's so silly, yet positive and uplifting.

The cartoon is about a character called SpongeBobSquarePants ... an optimistic yellow sea sponge who lives with his friends underwater, in the fictional submarine city of Bikini Bottom. He lives in a submerged pineapple and his one great ambition in life is to obtain a boat-driving license from Mrs. Puff's Boating School, but he never succeeds.

SpongeBob's favourite things to do include "jellyfishing", catching jellyfish with a net in a manner similar to butterfly catching, and blowing soap bubbles into elaborate shapes. His pet is called Gary - he's a sea snail with a pink shell and a blue body who meows like a cat. His best friend lives two houses away -  Patrick Star, a dim-witted yet friendly pink starfish who resides under a rock.

It's all completely bonkers, and of course, pitched just right for the younger viewer. 

SpongeBobSquarePants is an award winning cartoon series which has captivated the imagination of kids since 1999 - several generations of kids have grown up with him and while they are enjoying the colour and silliness they are also learning about marine life and what happens under the sea. What I didn't realise until I started investigating is that SpongeBob's creator - Stephen Hillenburg - was not just an animator but also a marine science educator and teacher.

He was passionate about the marine environment and as well as two Emmy Awards and six Annie Awards for SpongeBob SquarePants, and the Television Animation Award from the American National Cartoonists Society, Hillenburg was also honoured with an accolade from the U.S. environmental advocacy group Heal the Bay for his efforts on highlighting marine life awareness.

Sadly, in 2017, Stephen Hillenburg was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He worked on SpongeBob for as long as possible, but sadly died on November 26th 2018 at the age of 57.

So today, in his honour, I share this SpongeBob thought with you.

We can all learn from simple things - like a kid's cartoon. For children, life can seem so simple. We adults sometimes just over-complicate things!

That's why, every now and then, I like to sit and drink my Saturday coffee and eat my toast and Marmite (yes, I like Marmite) with a cheery fun-filled SpongeBob and his buddy Patrick, and all the other friends living in Bikini Bottom ... too many to mention here, but if you want to switch them on sometime you'll soon get to know them.

I know some of you will think I'm mad and say 'she's losing it in her old age' ... but, as I said before, I really don't care.

Life can be so depressing and sometimes we just need to step away and into a brighter world and trying smiling and laughing a bit more. 

So today, let's be happy. Laugh for no reason whatsoever.

Let's all be More SpongeBob!