Friday 29 January 2010

What to call this post?

Shall I call it "Learning a new perspective" or perhaps "There are some awesome people out there"?

My recent pursuit of new interests and wants has introduced me to all sorts of folk...but what has struck me most just lately is the kindness, caring attitude and generosity of some people. People I barely knew six months ago have helped me progress so much. People have even given up their free time to teach me ( and Mr Doxie ) new things we want to learn. When I have struggled they have stretched out a hand to help...on a few occassions when I have stepped out of my comfort zone, I've found myself in fight or flight mode...I have really wanted to run ( to say I felt traumatised a few times just lately is no exageration ) but I haven't, because people have recognised what was going on and stepped in to help... teaching me that if I take a deep breath and work through my fears I can get through the scary stuff and I WILL progress and get somewhere. When I later thanked one guy and confessed to him that I wanted to leave and never come back, he said " We wouldn't have let you!" I don't know how that reads on the page, but how it was said was really quite lovely and then I realised that you should never let the *obscenity*'s
get you down ( or take you down with them ) because there are far more beautiful folk out there who are willing to catch you when you fall and not only that, but hold you up high afterwards.


I am in a very happy place just now. Apart from having recent good news about health in the family, I guess it is all part of the evolving Doxie. I feel blessed to have met some of the folk I know... and they are teaching me a new perspective on life ( or maybe it is the old perspective that got buried somewhere along the way ) basically I am focusing on the positive, I am learning to see with "new eyes" ( as my friend Min would say ). I am seeing what I want and like, learning that to get there I need to ignore the spanners in the works... As I write this on one subject, I realise this applies to everything... including something my driving instructor has been trying to get into my head...don't focus on the fact you made a mistake, focus on putting it right! :o)

Woohoo...now I know what to call this post...

Accentuate the positive, Eliminate the negative!!!

I think I have just chosen myself a signature tune for 2010.


Doxie, loving life!

Thursday 28 January 2010

It gave me a fright...

...so goodness knows what it did to her!!!

Whilst on my latest driving lesson we were zooming along the dual carriage way ( well I felt like I was zooming, Mr P would probably say I was tootling lol )...I could hear an odd noise and thought maybe I had done something wrong and the gear box was arguing with me... but as we got to a bend at the bottom of the hill,I realised the noise had been people sounding their horns in the distance...what were we confronted with ?...an elderly driver going the wrong way!!!!!!That was an eye opener...that phrase "always expect the unexpected" comes to mind.

...Anyhow luckily where she had got to, if she drove along a short distance she could have zipped across to another road when some traffic lights changed so I don't think she was somewhere she couldn't have escaped from...but either way it was a shock.

I totally mucked up my bay park today. The bays were on a curve, I dunno if that started me off on the wrong foot. That said however, Mr Patience did word something in a way that clicked today... I think I may be beginning to understand what I have been doing wrong with the steering wheel when trying to go from full lock to straightening up.

...Oh by the way I have booked in for my theory test...I am dreading that more than the practical, but it is a means to an end and can't be avoided. :-/

Doxie...Ho hum.

Thursday 21 January 2010

I'm getting there...

My driving instructor was pleased with me today...I was making progress in a couple of manoeuvres I had been finding difficult and apparantly I am planning ahead much more.

I was nagged nicely about getting the theory out of the way, something Mr Doxie has been telling me to do for quite some time...I think I am confident enough to book that in now, so it looks like I could be driving solo sometime in the Spring, fingers crossed! :o)

Dox

Wednesday 20 January 2010

The question is...

... What is the worst time to be asked to be a photographic model?

I know the answer to that question...When you washed your hair the day before and let it dry naturally whilst wondering around the zoo. Then the next day (the day in question ) the only pressing things were a driving lesson ( and I am sure my instructor doesn't care whether his pupils look like they have been dragged through a hedge backwards) and a shoot where you are thinking everyone, including yourself are going to have their lenses pointing at a pretty young model ( note not a middle aged housewife!) so you didn't bother styling it!!!

AND

You are knackered and look it...the reason being you didn't go to bed until 3 o'clock in the morning because you were getting pics ready for an exhibition.

AND

You have makeup on at 8pm that you put on at 8am and just plastered a bit more on top to at least give the impression that you might be human and not something that just crawled out from the crypt!

AND

When you are wearing jeans with dobermann footprints on

AND

Worst of all you feel extremely nauseaous as you are fighting a migraine and really only attend that night thinking when you've given your pics in you can go home to bed.

...oh and I forgot when you are wearing a frilly top with snowboots!

Well if all that made sense, you can guess what happened to me during my first group portraiture session.. There were 2 mobile "studios" set up and only 1 model so I was asked to fill in...now don't get me wrong... if I was prepared and none of the above I would have thought "what the heck, just have a go for a laugh" but, well, erm, CRINGE! What's the betting they won't ask me again? LOL.

Doxie who is not about to make it big in the modelling world

Spring is only weeks away...honest

Guess what we saw in the shops today? SEED packets. My friend was looking forward to growing veg, that really made me think "the time to plan is NOW". We may have yucky weather right now but that doesn't mean we can't start thinking of sunshine!
Another thing on the to-do list. I will grow different things this year though. This year I will be thinking of architectural shapes in the garden for the photography side, maybe Sea Holly, Teasles etc. Any suggestions on good plants to grow with this in mind gratefully recieved!

Doxie, looking forward to Spring. :o)

Action man will never be the same!

Okay, you remember quite some time ago I posted under the subject of storage? Well, all Action Man fans leave the room now or skip to another post...either that or prepare for years of counselling...You have been warned...

... the solution was a fishing tackle box to store my cosmetics in...well I found I had the closest thing already indoors without having to go out to the fishing shop...DS was throwing out his army green Action Man assessory box!!! It is perfect! I didn't see the irony in it until DH commented that Action Man would be laughed out of town if anyone saw it...I was going to take the stickers off but have decided against that as it amuses me silly every morning when I plonk it next to me to do my face!

Sorry Action man, I hope you have a sense of humour!!

GI Doxie

Being spontaneous

So often I think...Wouldn't it be nice to XYZ but something stops me and I don't for some reason. Well today I thought "What the heck" and phoned LB to see if she wanted to meet for a cuppa...well I am so glad I did as the answer was yes! She had an appointment and I had a few chores to do locally which she accompanied me for on foot...this meant we both got a little exercise which is always good...then we zoomed off to the appointment in her car, she did her thing and we ended up going for lunch and a spot of shopping rounded off with LB kindly treating me to a yummy cup of coffee in the bookshop! :o)

I thoroughly enjoyed my spontaneous day and I think LB did too... She is a naughty girl though...I ended up buying myself a new top, drinking coffee when I'm trying to give up caffeine ( though it was worth it, yum!) and buying stuff for DH in the chocolate shop which she lured me into ( I didn't even know it existed until today!)!!! I told her my good friend should be called my bad friend as I gave into temptation when I was with her LOL. Taking responsibility for my own actions, moi? Nah, that's boring lol.

Be spontaneous today you never know someone else might just be in the same mood...and that's another happy day in the memory bank to look back on! Even Mr Doxie will have benefited by my spontaneity when he finds the chilli flavoured chocolates I have left on his pillow. :o)

Doxie :o)

Thursday 7 January 2010

It's snow joke trying to...

...drive in Winter weather! (Sorry couldn't resist!)

We are having the worst Winter weather for 25 years and today I ventured out in it for a driving lesson. Some folks might think it rather mad but I felt it was a great opportunity...there will eventually be a time when I get caught out in the slippery white stuff on my own and I would rather my FIRST time be sat next to someone who knows what they are doing, or what I should be doing. It was a bit scary at times but mostly not the horror I thought it was going to be. I learned about getting the speed up on the downward part to make it back up the hills ( something I would have chickened out of if I was on my own and it was the first time I was out in it ), I learned how to get out when stuck in a rut in the snow by inching forwards and backwards continuously. I also learned that my instructor is way better at making a snowball than me!...in my defence, I did not have gloves on!

All in all it was a good experience and I am pleased to say the only casualty was one of my false finger nails...I just hope I lost it lobbing a snowball back and NOT in his car or that would be a gross find when he next hoovers it out, eek!

I do hope I can remember all he taught me today and it keeps me safe in the future.

Save driving and keep warm everyone.

Edited to say when I went out again it was quite scary when I didn't have the guts to get the speed up when approaching a hill...we slid all over the place, but somehow I managed to get to the top, only just though. It was a BIG learning experience and yes now I know that sometimes you just HAVE to do things even if it scares you. Phew!

Doxie :o)

Sunday 3 January 2010

Quality friend time

Last night ( or early this morning ) we came back from a super evening round at my friend's new house. After a delicious dinner we retired to the sitting room for some serious catching up and general silliness and laughter.

I did wonder if we might have to stay the night...the weather was so cold and icy when we came to leave in the small hours the car doors were stuck closed...when we did get in and got moving there was sheet ice all over the place. We did get home safely, no thanks to the local council who had yet again failed to grit the very steep hill we had to get up to get home. :o/

My friend did say something which quite upset me when I got to thinkng about it...she told me that when we stopped spending lots of time with other on a regular basis ( We used to see each other a few times a week, but had a change of circumstances ) she felt bereft. Now that is strong wording and I know she means what she says because of the type of lady she is. Isn't it sad that life should get so crazy that we let really important friendships and fun times get squeezed out. Yes I missed the 3 of them terribly but if you are like me you never think that other people could possibly be missing your company as much as you are missing their's. I think there is a lesson to be learned here, and I will try my utmost this year to always have a date set in my diary when we will next be seeing my much loved friends.

Keep up with those who are special to you, just knowing some people makes the world a better place, and you always feel better for seeing them. life is too short to let these friendships slip.

Take care all,

Doxie

Friday 1 January 2010

Best Wishes for 2010

Well it's here finally! Happy 2010 to all.

Our lovely neighbours invited us in to see in the New Year. They thoroughly spoilt us with homemade cooking and lots of booze. I took a few homemade bits around too and by the end of the evening or should I say 3.30am when we left we were stuffed but happy. :o)

It's funny how you can live right next to someone and not know that they share the same interests as yourself. It seemed what ever subject came up, it was something we had in common. Life is so busy, usually we just find time to say a quick "hello" on the doorstep or drop a parcel off...these guys live right next door and yet we didn't know that we spend alot of weekends doing the same things or at least dreaming of doing the same things. I feel a New years resolution coming on...get to know the neighbours better and make time to spend some leisure time together!

On the subject of resolutions, I wonder what you dear reader have set yourself up for? Myself, well it is a bit of a one off for me...by my birthday I want to have a six pack and ask one of our portrait photographer friends to paint me in light and take a pic as a record that once in my life I looked after myself!!!( okay you can get up off the floor and stop laughing now!) The day after I will start letting it all go again probably, but I know from experience that when I am working out I feel at my best, I have boundless energy, my skin clears and I feel like a teenager, pain free and care free...which begs the question, why don't we keep these things up? Oh if only I could answer that.

I do feel that this is THE year. I will hopefully have passed my driving test which means I can really start being me! I am so looking forward to having that independence, and I can't wait to pay back all the little kindnesses that friends have shown to me...I will enjoy kidnapping them for the afternoon and taking them out for surprise dinners and such.I will be able to persue my business plans which I have been playing with for the last couple of years. I will be able to start running again, sounds odd I know when you don't need a car to run, but this means I can drive to more scenic and suitable places. I plan to entertain at least once a month, with certain changes we have been making this seems very do-able.Life begins in 2010.Happy happy, happy!

Doxie