This time last year

Gosh was it 12 months ago! The great pastry wars!
Checking back on Australia Day last year that was part of my day.
However today it is book club and who knows what that will hold.

No way known the following photo could be of today- so warm no gloves no hat and the scarf was merely dressing us the coat!

Wet and windy!

That's what the weather forecast said... and it was ...

It's not easy getting photos of people scurrying by when you are on the 2nd floor looking out through grubby school windows but I tried!


I missed photographing the two people labouring in opposite directions trying to manage the wind, the rain and the brolly.

However on my way to the subway after work, the wind had died and the rain had stopped and the victims of the storm were in evidence along the street particularly in this rubbish bin! About 6 of them.


Having whipped out the trusty camera I decided I'd got the shot for the day and then I came across this poor victim in the gutter.


Along with the apples- how did they get there? I have heard of raining cats and dogs but apples?!
I have to say I think the garbage bin shot with the rejected and skinless brollies is my favourtie for the day.

... And the flower's name is Amaryllis! (see Saturday's posting) Went back to the supermarket to do the shopping for lunches this week and there were some of the lovely plants in flower so I checked the labels. Who knew when Shirl and I named a character in one of our pantomimes Amaryllis (loved the name and really matched the character) that I would have one blooming on my window sill in NYC!

Sundays

My usual Sunday includes time when I reflect on my week by taking out my weekly planners and my diary and my reflecting journal and looking back over my weekly goals. I decide what has worked out and what was a complete disaster. Then I create new goals for the week hoping to address the parts of my life I mucked up during the previous week and move a bit further forward with my annual goals.
This week I set myself up for the second week in a row in my bedroom rather than at the dining table. I had been to the gym and felt truly virtuous. Then it struck me that perhaps the photo of the day should be me doing my reflecting so I set the camera up on the window ledge and here I am!
The day seemed to fly by and at 3pm we (Sue, Margie, Annie Julia and I) went to see A little Night Music. It is on at the Walter Kerr Theatre (the one next door) and is starring Catherine Zeta- Jones and Angela Lansbury. What a wonderful way to spend a cool Sunday afternoon. The show was great and so were the performances.
Truly wonderful!

A night out

Last night I went to the Manhattan Scrapbooking Meetup. I haven't been since before Christmas- in fact before Tighan and Pet's wedding so well over a month but I managed to make up for some of my diminished scrapbooking pages. I managed to get 8 done and they are now in their appropriate albums and all the bits from last night are put away! Gad how organized is that. Never fear I'm not posting them all!

I chose to use Debbie's sketch for layouts from last week on GIS and had been thinking- ahh I don't use ribbon- I'll make a mess of it and the pages will turn out looking ratty but I am really pleased with them. I tried ll three variations of the page- they'll be in different albums so all will be well.

The Bloomin' road
Part of our journey through Arizona on the final leg of Route 66, April 2009

I enjoyed doing the first one so much that I thought I would try the second one

Santa Fe
from our trip in August 2009 on our "way back" to NYC

Luckily Cheryl has some great punches so it's possible to make different embellishments.

The final sketch allowed me to use smaller details from the range of photos I took of the signs along the road

Neon
Some of the signs from Route 66 final leg

Today this lovely bulb is really showing all its glory. I have no idea what plant it is. Sue picked it up (bought it) in the supermarket and has been nurturing it (watering- as we have no idea what else to do!).

It was just two chunky shoots when she brought it home and now it is the most lovely thing.

Strange or just plain clever marketing?

We had our catch up drinks at the Armani Bar.


It is on the 3rd floor of the 5th Avenue store. So after work at this amazing school in NJ



we met up in the bar at Armani's.

Annie gave us the information of where to go and meet and gave us the option of the stairs or the elevator failing to tell us that it was on the third floor. So having huffed and puffed our way up the stairs we met in this amazing spot and had a couple of glasses of wine before heading back down the stairs and out through the store.


I made it out unscathed/ without purchases whereas a couple of others in the group couldn't resist the chocolates (a gift which we almost ate after dinner) or the sunglasses (which were left behind at Annie's and yet to be collected).

Dinner at Annie's was wonderful homemade lasagna!

Getting a cup of coffee

Things are so different most morning really but on this particular morning I was waiting for a lift to a meeting. Having made my way to the part of Brooklyn nominated my ride indicated she'd be a little late and to wait in the bagel shop across from the station. And so I did... in the process I decided I could have a coffee to keep warm and while away a little of the time. I made the mistake of asking at the counter and then was directed to the "self service" area at the back of the store.

It was one of the larger self service areas in a very little store that I have seen.

One was not short of things from which to choose.

I noticed on arrival the gate to the Gowanus Yacht Club!

I have no idea of the history nor the story of this one but it caught my eye- we were quite a long way from any yacht club that I could imagine.

Shadows

The light on the way to work was beautiful had me in search of higher writing to describe the day and so to .... Shakespearean sonnets edited to meet the mood.

Full many a glorious morning have I seen
Flatter the mountain-tops with sovereign eye,
Kissing with golden face the meadows green,
Gilding pale streams with heavenly alchemy;
.....
Even so my sun one early morn did shine
With all triumphant splendor on my brow;
But out, alack! he was but one hour mine;
The region cloud hath mask'd him from me now.

Bye Bye Birdie

I really enjoyed it!

I have never seen a production of it other than the movie. The colors and the staging was really good fun. The young kids in the cast did a great job.

Oh what a night!

We had our first Karaoke Pasta night-Sue and I did the pasta- great winter warm up.

The night was such fun and everyone entered into the spirit of it. Okay so the karaoke machine (my Christmas present from Sue) had a bit of a glitch but we're resourceful and the projector with the internet meant we could sing away full of gusto (pasta and wine) and what a night it was.Dancing Queen got us into high gear and we just went on from there!
Even those who said they'd just watch joined in!

And Annie got to sing Danny Boy as did we all! She wasn't going to have that one all to herself!

It's cold outside

When it is cold outside one must rug up!

The new Sunday routine

Making a decent cup of coffe with this great machine is a great way to start Saturday or Sunday!

20-10 Challenge

The front page of my 2010 album- let's hope I manage to do 2 page layouts for each month!

Spirit- my word for 2010

Reading through blogs and message boards and chats with others I have been privy to others' processes for creating New Year Resolutions/ Goals. One aspect I found intriguing was the selection of a word to prompt one through the year.
After much thinking and reflecting (some may be surprised to hear this!) I have decided that SPIRIT is my word for 2010.

"Have you lost the plot Celia!" I can hear some say but no the word has a huge range of foci and meanings, it can mean ....

• A vital force that characterizes a living being as being alive
• Somebody’s will, sense of self or enthusiasm for living
• Somebody’s attitude or state of mind
• A sense of enthusiasm and loyalty that somebody feels through belonging to a group
• The intention behind something
• A prevailing mood or outlook characteristic of a time or place
• A strong alcoholic liquor!
• An essence
• To take somebody away quickly or in secret

Spirit is also synonymous with

• Strength
• Courage
• Character
  
• Strength of mind
• Inner self
  
• Attitude
• Determination
  
• Heart
• Essence

And following on from Chris' and Rinda (Maria)'s inspiration at Get it Scrapped! a few quotes I've found...

"Let your mind start a journey thru a strange new world. Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before. Let your soul take you where you long to be...Close your eyes let your spirit start to soar, and you'll live as you've never lived before.”

Erich Fromm

“Never forget that it is the spirit with which you endow your work that makes it useful or futile”

Adelaide Hasse

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds"

Albert Einstein

"Deep listening is miraculous for both listener and speaker. When someone receives us with open-hearted, non-judging, intensely interested listening, our spirits expand."

Sue Patton Teole

And so this year one of my resolutions is to live my life with SPIRIT!