The YouTube is especially for Ascender (see the comments section!)

Milo’s nails are getting a bit long and he’s not over keen on the “scratchy cat” I bought him - the little tyke prefers to scratch my kitchen dresser. So to try and pre-empt having to sand the dresser down, P and I thought we’d find him a log he could scratch in the backyard. At the side of the house we have a small enclosed courtyard (with a five foot high wall around it) which is a really safe place for him to sniff the air, feel the breeze ruffle his fur and explore.

This morning we drove up Salcombe Hill to the woodland to find him a log - chunky but small, was what we were looking for; something a kitten could really get his claws into! After much fruitless searching (too small, too thin, too big) P found the perfect log; notice the look on his face below when he eventually found just the right one! Glee!

Before heading back, we took a short stroll along the National Trust Coastal Path to see the view over our home town; it was magnificent because the air was so clear but with no heat haze. That’s Sidmouth shoreline you can see below.

We sat and enjoyed the view before P reminded me that it was the German Grand Prix and we needed to head back home in case he missed it. He’s an ardent fan of Formula One.

When we got back we introduced Milo to his new log! He sniffed it. He explored it, He climbed on it. He sat on it. He stood on it. He explored it some more. Did he scratch it? NO!!!! Such is life.

The boys are now watching the Grand Prix together (as I type this post) - and rooting for Lewis Hamilton!

I’m thrilled to announce I’ve won another blogging award! Many Thanks to Java Queen for deeming me worthy! So without more ado: MY LATEST AWARD!

“This award is given based on creativity, design, interesting material, and overall contribution to the blogging community”

Now for the difficult part, to select just 5 bloggers to give the award to. Here are the 5 people that I think are really outstanding and incredibly inspiring bloggers (in no particular order):

1. Mark at Planet Romach. I’ve not known Mark for long but I find myself nipping over to his blog on a daily basis to see what he’s up to. He blogs about all sorts of things, from really serious matters to crazy wacky fun posts. I like him as a person as well as a fellow blogger - he is friendly, fun and unassuming - an all round nice guy I am delighted to have met in the blogging sphere.
2. Roads at The price of Love. Not only is roads an excellent writer but he is a survivor too. After his wife’s tragic death to breast cancer and alongside coping with his grief, Roads became a single dad, maintained his job, and wrote a book about his experiences, which is beautiful and profound. He charts the grieving process in all its pain and joy (yes there are moments of joy) - and in doing so reaches out to other bereaved people by sharing his experiences. I hold Roads in extremely high esteem, he is a great and talented guy.
3. Linda at Mysteryoriley. Linda is a mom who has had to go through what no mom should ever have to experience; her beloved son Owen was discovered dead in a river - and the mystery has never been solved to date. Linda started her blog as a tribute to her much loved late son and also in an endeavour to try and find out more about how he died. She writes beautifully, sharing her grief and baring her sould for all. In doing so, she too reaches out to fellow bereaved people and helps them to understand the strange and massive ups and downs of bereavement. Linda is a beautiful soul herself and her love for her son shines through the words she writes.  I have come to really like and respect Owen through his mom’s writing about him - that’s tribute indeed.
4. Tina at Tall Chick Tales.I’m sure Tina will not mind me saying that her life has not been easy in one way or another. She too has had to cope with the unthinkable - a daughter with cancer. She has had to endure a painful first marriage, financial crisis and the myriad of problems that we all fall prey to - and yet through out she remains inspirational and trusting. Tina is a lovely lady and a worthy winner in my book.
5. And last but not least: DK & DKM at  Diva Kitty- because I just love this blog! It is crazy, funny, silly, heartwarming, innocent and fun - and the mom has real talent! Diva kitty herself is adorable and I love the beautiful photos that DKM (the mom) posts on a regular basis. Keep on keeping on, DK & DKM - you’re great! You cheer up my world. And I’ll let you into a secret - it was reading DK’s blog that encouraged me to take the plunge and adopt another kitty myself after my beloved Henry died. I’d pondered on for nearly 4 years and couldn’t bring myself to make the decision. But after seeing all the heartwarming posts about DK - I knew I could wait no longer. So if it wasn’t for DK - I wouldn’t have little MIlo. Thank you DK & DKM! (Milo sends his love)

Truth is there are many other blogs I visit regularly who I think are deserving of this award - but I can only select 5. If you’re on my blog roll - I think you’re ACE!

There are apparently ”rules” for the Fabulous Five I have selected to follow - although I prefer to call them requests:
1) Choose 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award based on creativity, design, interesting material, and overall contribution to the blogger community, regardless of the language.
2) Post the name of the author and a link to his or her blog by so everyone can view it.
3) Each award-winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award.
4) The award-winner and the presenter should post the link of the “Arte y pico“blog , so everyone will know the origin of this award.
5) Please post these rules.

His mom is still feeding him and protecting him, he’s getting bigger and stronger, he’s stretching out his wings in readiness to fly - BUT he’s still here! (as the plethora of poop on the roof shows!)

Photo below taken this morning! ©

Gift Of The Seagull
by Munda

A lonely seagull flies the winds
Majestic… soaring…gliding wings
A single screech sounds from the sky
Come fly with me… come here and fly

My spirit floats to be a part
I feel the beating of its heart
My soul, one with this bird of sea
Now knows the meaning to fly free

I feel the winds caress my soul
And soar the streams without a goal
My being trembles of delight
A treasure I received tonight

The seagull’s flight of soaring high
The gift of what it means to fly

Jan Marshall Author of A Curious State of Affairs (UK & USA) remembers her dear friend, to whom her novel is dedicated.

Gilly Plaskett Broad 1944 - 1992

Below: Music for Gilly on her birthday

Dearest Gilly,

Today would have been your birthday. Of course I don’t need a special day to remember you. You’re here in my mind and my heart so frequently. Sometimes because I see a stranger in the street who by a turn of the head, or a way of laughing, or a smile, or a gesture - will remind me of you. Sometimes the likeness is so real, so believable, I feel it must be you - and I hold my breath until a closer look reveals a stranger. Then I feel newly alone.

Sometimes a book I pick up, that you gave me some forgotten Christmas or birthday long ago, will remind me of you; or a photo from my memory box. Or visiting a place where we spent a happy hour or three will bring you briefly back to me. And then I feel newly sad; newly grief struck. Newly missing you - as if you have only just gone.

Gilly I miss you still and always will. How I’d love to talk with you today and to hear your wise words - you were always so much wiser than me. How I would love to chatter and laugh in our old way - or shed a tear over something that seems important at the time, but isn’t really. How I’d like to have lunch together as we always did on our birthdays. My heart aches to do that. Do you recall how we’d both dress up to “do lunch” and we’d always have a pud, diet or not! Such happy innocent days before we knew how cruel Cancer could be.

Gilly, I still struggle to write about you, or to you, without crying. And some days I feel I have not grieved at all, even with so much time having passed since you died (16 long years now). Some days I’m lucky enough to feel your presence, but mostly I feel lonely without your friendship and you feel absent from my life. The world is a colder place without you in it.

There are no more shared birthday lunches now, full of laughter and private jokes. There are no more cold Winter days spent walking through the woods together with the dogs - or warm Spring days when the Bluebells are out and the air full of their heady perfume - as we pause to sit on our favourite log. Even the dogs are dead now. And the cats too, even my beloved Henry cat has died. I wonder if they are with you in Heaven? I would so like that to be. I dreamt once, just after Henry died - that he was sat on your lap in Heaven - and you were both waiting for me … waiting for me to arrive.

And the music, I cry every time I listen to Neil Diamond. You so loved his music. So I usually listen to him in the car when I’m alone and driving - that way my tears can be private. You bought me the album: Jazz Singer once for my birthday - I still love it.  So I’m dedicating Pretty Amazing Grace to you - for your birthday this year.

There are no more conversations with you about poetry and books and people and family. No more cups of coffee shared in your kitchen or mine, surrounded by the cats and house work that needs doing but can wait. No more renaissance woman, best friend, mentor, confidant.  I am with and yet without you every day. Until we meet again…

Happy Birthday Gilly. “To live in the hearts of those you love is not to die”

Love as always, for ever and beyond death. Wait for me a while … I will join you, eventually …

Jan

Today’s Photo Friday is entitled: Clouds

and was chosen by  Julie of  Just for Fun!

Follow the links below for other entries (I will add links as entries come in!):

Just for Fun!

Tall Chick Tales

SpatulaHandle’s

Idea Jump!

Ivey’s Story Weblog

A picture’s worth a 1000 words (beautiful poems accompany Cordie’s photos this week)

Lou of BlahBlahblog is still away travelling in Malawi  but you might like to read her blog (posted in absentia)

I love clouds and taking photos of them - and I was hoping to snap a new photo of really interesting clouds for this week’s Photo Friday. However, all did not go according to plan! There was a paucity of interesting cloudy skies - and then when I did see a really interesting cloud shape - in my rush to snap it with my camera, I managed to blur it! Such is life. I’m going to post it anyway (apologies for the poor quality of the pic!) So, as Tina would say, without more ado:

Seagull Cloud- taken last weekend in Sidmouth hovering over Lyme Bay. The seagull has its wings spread out and it’s head turned to the right of the picture. Can you make it’s beak and tail shape? I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it - it was huge by the way - it stretched right across Lyme Bay. Such a pity I blurred it!

Below, Clouds on Budleigh Salterton beach at dusk - what do you make of the cloud shape on the left of the photo?

And OK - it’s not a cloud - BUT when we visited Sidmouth a couple of years ago to find a property, we were very uncertain about our decision to move. It was a huge relocation for us - a 160 miles from our friends and most of our family. I can recall sitting outside (after viewing the property we went on to buy) discussing whether or not moving to Sidmouth was the right move. Suddenly, my husband P pointed into the air and said: “X marks the spot! So it must be the right place!” I grabbed the camera and quickly took the photo below - the X in the sky was right over the house we went on to buy. And 2 years later? Yes, it was the right move!

These are sites I came across on the Internet with absolutely inspirational photos of CLOUDS. Do take a look if you have time:

AMAZING CLOUDS

COOL CLOUDS

VERY RARE CLOUDS

MAMMUTUS CLOUDS

Oh! And one more photo! P says this photo he took of me, sums me up - because I’m sitting on the fence with my head in the clouds!

Photo Friday Advance Diary:

25th July: Author’s choice - Forbidden Photos (Have you ever visited a place where their was a sign saying: NO PHOTOS ALLOWED! - but you ignored it and took them anyway …..)

1st August: Author’s choice - Theme day: Numbers or Names (a selection of photos of numbers - house numbers or numbers of any sort OR house name plates.)

8th August: Author’s choice - Reflections (in lakes, rivers, puddles, ponds or even windows etc.)

15th August: Tina’s choice - Wildlife