Page 213 - Don't, Shouldn't, Impossible, Won't, Never Haves, all words so often heard by children and used by parents and adults. Yes in times of danger such words are needed, but do we use them too often without thinking! None of us want our children to get hurt, but sometimes you learn by experience. So we should listen, and then make our own judgement, but children cannot always make that, so need guidance. If we explain the consequences instead of just stating the negative. If we listen and then act, Anything can happen, even the seemingly impossible, or at least part of it! In life we all have to make our own mistakes, and hopefully learn from them. But guidance is always welcome. I know I have made mistakes by not listening, and probably will continue to do so! And hope not to use these negative words too often.

Page 212 - Swimming against the tides of trouble! We all have tough times in our lives, and often no one else knows about them. I am terrible for telling people when things are wrong or the going is tough. But if you look in my eyes you could probably see something is not right. When people answer "yes, I'm fine" their eyes often belie the words. Yet if we only talked to someone, their small words of encouragement could be a tremendous help, and then we might make it through. Words I should learn to live by, but easier said than done. I always think my troubles are nothing in comparison to those of others. I just keep swimming against the tide. On the other hand there are those who are constantly bemoaning their life, whether their troubles are great or small, and it seems whatever is said to them makes no difference. Maybe this makes them happy?

I know with the help and encouragement of family and friends I will make my goal.

Page 211 - Appreciation. In general I appreciate my life, I am lucky to have what I need.

I do greatly appreciate those people who have talents that are shared. The great music composers who create such beautiful sounds for me to enjoy listening to. The great authors whose words open up new worlds to my imagination. The great artists who have conjured up images and objects to delight my eyes. The great cooks who magic up food to tickle my taste buds. I feel privileged to be able to share these things.

LO 30 - self portrait.

Page 210 - One, single, first! Well there is only one of me, probably a good thing!

Who - Kathy, aged 61 years

What - I am a wife, mother, nana, friend but most of all, just me! Take me as I am, life has made me what I am today! I am unique!

Where - taken at home, using my new found confidence with photography, and probably in myself too as at one time I wouldn't have taken pics of myself, let alone allow others to see them!

Why - as part of the 365 challenge on UKS

When - July 2008

page 209 - the best things in life are free! Surely one of the best free things in this world is nature, where ever you are there it is! I am lucky having countryside to walk in daily, always somewhere different. But one of my favourite places is to walk along the canal, so peaceful and colourful, ducks, geese and swans, sometimes fish, and our friendly heron! Canal boats glide up and down in the summer, canoeists practise each weekend, plenty of walkers and cyclists, but also long stretches with no sign of people. In each season the canal looks so different.

For free I also enjoy time, to myself, with my family and my friends.

Page 208 - waterlillies, I think they look so beautiful floating on water, rather regal! This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago when dh and I went to a park nearby. I can remember in the 1960's when the council landscaped this area of the park with a brick edged pond, fountains, paving, seats etc. And there were very large goldfish in there. Over the years it has been left uncared for, but now they seem to have done some work there, though the water is so dark and dirty it is a wonder any fish survive, but we glimpsed some. The waterlillies seem to be flourishing though!

Another memory of this park, though I won't go in to details, is where I went with my first boyfriend, sitting by the pond eating ice cream!

LO 28, about my love for music!

Page 207 - Water, couldn't live without it, and nor could the fruit trees! I find water quite fascinating, either rivers, lakes or the sea, and even the rain. The sound of it varies so much, soft babbling streams, the roar of waves at the sea in a storm or gently lapping waves on a calm day, heavy rain, or pattering of gentle raindrops! One thing with so many facets. Even the colour is taken from it's surroundings, blue sky, or grey, trees. And the feel, ice cold to drink on a hot day, tepid for a cooling refreshing shower or hot for a warming bath in winter.

Photo is of a fountain water feature at Canary Wharf in London, lovely to look at and very calming to listen to.

Page 206 - Ivy, looks nice, always green but can be a real pain to gardeners unless it is kept under control! Our neighbours planted ivy against a new fence we put up and over the years it has ruined the fence, holding the moisture against the wood. And it always grows over the fence so I am forever trimming it back! I know I wouldn't like to live in a house that is covered in ivy, hides too many spiders and creepy crawlies that would come in the windows!

Photo is of a gravestone, taken yesterday, lots of the graves were overgrown with ivy, such a shame!

Page 205 - Dandelion, the bane of a gardeners life! Once established, hard to get rid of, and the seeds are carried for great distances on the wind or by birds. But over the years we have cultivated them as our pet rabbits and guinea pigs loved to eat the leaves. Now whenever I see one I tend to pull it up!

Dandelion clocks bring back memories of childhood, playing with my sister and blowing the clocks to tell the time! Even now if I see one I am still tempted to pick it and blow, and have done when no one else is around!

Page 204 - Geranium, lovely flower, lots of different shades of reds and pinks, I do like them. Particularly the trailing ones in hanging baskets. They also bring back memories of my Dad growing them, nurturing them in his greenhouse, then planting them out in the garden, with military precision! This drove Mum mad, she would have liked a less formal arrangement, but he had been in the army for too long and just about everything in his life was neat and orderly!

The poor little plant in the photo is one that was left in a pot outdoors over last winter, but it survived and has bravely given me a splash of colour!

Page 203 - Opal, not a very good pic, but that is the opal I own! Michael bought it for me when we visited Andamooka, an opal mining town in the northern area of South Australia. The town was very interesting, all the information about mining opals, and some beautiful specimens on display. But one thing that struck me in the town was the house which was made completely from stubbies - little beer bottles. A great tourist attraction, but I can't find my pic of it!

Daisies are beautiful little flowers, always look so fresh! I like all daisy like flowers. Nice way to spend an afternoon is making daisy chains, my sister and I used to see who could make the longest one!

Page 202 - Chrysanthemums, lovely flowers so often used in many arrangements. They remind me so much of my Mum, they were her favourite flowers, though she never grew them in the garden. But every birthday and Christmas Dad would buy her a bouquet of "mums".

This is the last photo taken of Mum and Dad together, with my sister, before Dad died later in 1989. It was on their golden wedding anniversary.

Page 201 - Lion, what a magnificent beast, the King of the Jungle! Just like a very large pussy cat, but so deadly. Those big soft looking paws hiding the deadly claws, the lips hiding the teeth! And the males have such a beautiful mane. OK the males are a bit lazy and let the females do a lot of the hunting, but that is wildlife for you! No new men in the jungle!

I love this little sunhat dgs1 has had for a few years now, and so does he! Always has been very proud of his "lion hat" and it has served him well through the sunshine!

Sunflowers, I remember fields of them near Bordeaux on a visit to SIL, beautiful colour stretching for miles, such large, tall flowers.

Page 200 - Crab, this is my supposed star sign but as I don't believe in them, no comment! However many years ago Michael bought me this pendant inscribed with a crab, one of the first pieces of jewellery he bought for me. I remember I wore it all the time for many years, until he could afford to buy me a gold necklace. Sadly it has languished in my jewellery box for a long time. Today I have cleaned it up and put it around my neck. I have a terrible habit of always breaking the chains on my necklaces but somehow this hasn't happened to this one!

I am partial to a nice bit of crab to eat, but haven't had any for some time now! I don't own any emeralds, shame, might have to work on that one! And although I think lillies are beautiful, they do always remind me of funerals!

Page 199 - Twins, two of things! I remember as a child I often wished I had a twin, maybe a brother. Probably just a reaction to having an older sister, who felt she was the "boss". I know there is a history of twins in our family, and wondered if I might have them, but it didn't happen. Maybe a good thing. The nearest I have to a twin is my best friend of 46 years, we share the same birthday.

This statue is at Canary Wharf in London, I loved the simplicity of it, though it is life sized!

Page 198 - Bull, well my mind takes me to leather! I love the smell of leather, so distinctive, and would rather have shoes made of leather than synthetic material. They are so much nicer to wear, accomodating to my feet and let them breathe. Only downside is they need to be polished, but I was brought up to polish my shoes, so that isn't too hard!

Bulls also bring back a childhood memory. I must have been six years old, we had moved to Scotland, into a lovely old house which was an army quarter, down a lane leading to a farm. I was obviously bored and decided to go exploring. I was found admiring the bull at the farm, fascinated by the ring through it's nose, quite oblivious to any danger! I do remember being told off and being banned from going there again!

Page 197 - for the next set of quotes I have decided to try to go with the animal aspect. Today, the sheep reminds me of my spinning wheel, a thing I haven't really mastered to perfection, but have had fun trying! It is a lot harder to spin perfect yarn than it looks, and takes a lot of practise! My spinning wheel is a beautiful object, lovely dark coloured wood, and makes a gentle sound when working! I find it very relaxing trying to spin, especially out in the garden on a sunny day! I love all the different fleeces, their colours and textures. Though I will admit to preferring to buy cleaned fleeces rather than clean my own. Sheep are not as clean as they look grazing in the fields, the fleece is embedded with dirt and burrs and grass! The humble sheep has given us both textiles and food over the years. Must say I am partial to a nice lunch of roast lamb and mint sauce!

Page 196 - Pop(ular) music, well who decides what is pop? Certainly not me these days, but probably did in my youth! Don't know a lot about today's pop culture, just hear a lot of bad press about the so called Stars! Not really good role models for today's youngsters! And why does the law treat them so leniently when they break it? I probably was more up to date when the children were teenagers and living at home. Me, I'd rather choose what I listen to than have a radio presenter choose for me. And sometimes silence is so nice!

I don't have an i pod, whatever that does, but do like my cd player!

Page 195 - Disco, think this must have passed me by while I was busy bringing up young children! It seems to be an amalgamation of other types of music, but without the "Shock" value! Not really me at all!

As said, I was bringing up my first two children, busy buying our first house, learning DIY skills and generally enjoying life! If I listened to music at all it would be my choice, usually on vinyl or cassette!

Page 194 - Rock and Roll, now I do remember this but was only a young teenager at the time! I loved Elvis, and vividly remember Ricky Nelson! Then English stars came along, they always said Cliff Richard was the English answer to Elvis but I didn't think they compared! Liked the fashions that went with the music, lots of net petticoats under full skirts, really feminine!

As with all music trends, it was another teenage outlet, and this one did shock parents! Lifestyles, attitudes and even language changed, new words being coined for things! There was outrage at the gyrations of Elvis, some thought it inappropriate, but the more the adults complained, the more the youngsters loved it! Again some singers of this era of music have survived to become household names! And their music influenced future musicians!

Page 193 - Classical music, now we're talking my language! I love most classical, depending on my mood what I listen to. It is a shame that people are not taught to listen to it and understand it. The music says so much! So many emotions expressed through sound, incredible! I probably don't have a favourite, as I said, it depends on my mood! I also like to listen to tenors singing, and approve of the modern groups such as G4, Il Divo, Teatro and love Russell Watson. I do think in some cases it takes age to appreciate this type of music!

I was made to take piano lessons as a child because my sister wanted to learn, and we had to have the same opportunities. Maybe this helped towards my love of music!

Page 192 - Country music, again not really my cup of tea, but there is some cross over with the music I like. At least most country music is easy on the ears! But I don't like the real hill billy sort! Dolly Parton is probably one of the best known, and I do like some of her songs, just to listen to. Country music has been around a long time, but has evolved and there are always new artists. So I don't really associate it with any particular time in my life.

I have never tried line dancing, though have been tempted a few times but never got there! Never worn cowboy type boots, but do like to wear boots in the winter.

Page 191 - Punk Rock, my first thoughts were safety pins, I just remember these on clothing, and lots of piercings! Oh and coloured spikey hair. I must admit, punk wasn't my era at all, and I don't really know who the artists were, but it was another "rebellion" phase of music, mostly teenagers, and was anti government, anti everything! Probably as time goes on teens need to do more and more to get the "shock" value!

During the mid to late 1970's I was busy with two young children and moving back to the UK from Australia, so music was a secondary interest in my life, apart from children's songs!

Page 190 - Glam Rock, I do remember it but wasn't my cup of tea. Thought they all looked a bit ridiculous, and I couldn't repeat my parents comments on them! At the time my type of music was modern folk, such as Al Stewart, Tom Paxton, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell though I did like some rock bands! As I was also busy with career moves and getting married, and then starting a family, music wasn't the most important part of my life! Some of those "glam " rockers have gone on to make a name for themselves, and become real entertainers. I suppose this was just another phase in the evolution of music and the rebellion of teenagers!

Page 189 - Sneezy. Literally not me as I usually only manage to succumb to one cold a year, though since the advent of grandchildren this seems to have increased. My Sneezy characteristics - like to think I am organised and methodical, could take after my Dad here, and also helped by my training! I do think I am loyal, and don't like to complain unless I feel it is neccessary. One thing I definitely don't do is let people know when I am unwell, maybe that's not good!

Do I have a red nose, well, I think my complexion tends to be red anyway, just my normal colouring!

Page 188 - Sleepy, yes that's me! I used to be a night owl, hence why I always preferred to work nights, had no trouble staying up late, and could sleep in for England! Not so now, I can't seem to take late nights very well any more, and never seem to be able to lie in! I think I have other Sleepy characteristics too, I learn better with my senses, doing rather than reading! I know I'm not always logical, a source of amusement to my family who say I have my own logic! I do value my privacy, and can be very reluctant to open up to people at times, and be guarded as to the amount of information I will give. I don't day dream, apart from winning the lottery one day!

No beard again, do like green and blue, and have heavy eyelids, caused by old age droop!

Page 187 - Happy! Again, some of these characteristics are mine, and some are not! I hope I am likeable, I try to be warm, may not be physically energetic but am enthusiastic! I hope I am supportive to family and friends. I usually respond quickly either by words or actions, though some things I can procrastinate! I do like to be prompt, even to the extent of being early for appointments, this trait I have passed on to at least two of my daughters!

Yes, I think I am basically a happy person!

Orange is another colour I do not wear! I hope I smile a lot!

Page 186 - Grumpy, yes I can be grumpy with the best of them! Often when I am tired!

I have some of Grumpy's characteristics too! I do like things to run smoothly but think I cope when they don't. I value competency, and prefer efficiency. I do not always feel self confident or assertive, but this can depend on the circumstances. I do like quick results, but am prepared to put in time and effort to get the result I want! This is probably the one trait that really gets my dh, when I want jobs done there and then!

I do try not to scowl, have enough wrinkles without adding more!

Page 185 - Dopey, well the name could suit me at times! Photo has gone with the "works well with his hands" as I love to knit, sew, crochet, papercraft and bake. But I definitely don't like the exercise part of his personality, although I do enjoy walking the dog! I will pay attention to things I am interested in, but can switch off if bored by a subject. I hope I am sensitive towards people. I do love animals but not to the extent to keep a menagerie, quite happy with my dog. I can tend to take life too seriously at times.

Well, I don't have a beard, will wear green and purple, and yes, like a lot of people I think I have big ears!

Page 184 - Doc! Think the only thing I have in common with him is the medical connection! I really don't like to take the lead, though when I was working I suppose I had to if I was the one in charge, but then that is what I was trained to do! I can find it hard to make decisions, don't want to upset anyone! Yes, I can talk, but only with people I feel comfortable with! And I do like to finish what I start, not to prove myself to anyone else, but for me!

Again, no beard!

I don't wear red, doesn't suit my colouring!

I rarely wear a hat, think I look stupid in them!

Yes, I do now wear glasses for reading etc, hated them at first, now used to them!

Page 183 - Bashful - not wanting to draw attention to oneself! Could be me! I like to participate, will do my bit and join in but don't really like attention, well, not too much! This is not the same as being shy.

Well a long beard definitely wouldn't suit me, just hope I don't start to sprout any chin hairs!

Brown top, have a few of those, chocolate brown seems to suit my colouring!

Wish I had long dark eyelashes!