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Hello! Well, it's been a funny old week. In several ways it's been great - I've been off work so have been able to indulge in checking out some exhibitions and museums (The Institute of Sexology; very interesting. The Canal Museum; a bit disappointing.), getting outdoors (courtesy of London Fields Lido and the Regents Canal towpath) and, of course, a bit of editing and painting. I FINALLY finished the painting below and made a start on a couple of others - hopefully I won't stall so badly over these ones.... 
But then, of course, we had the general election. I make no secret of my disappointment at the result, which I put down to fear felt by the general public following a lot of scaremongering over the economy. Whilst economic stability is important, I firmly believe in helping those at the bottom of the social pile rather than feeding the fat cats at the top, and it worries me immensely that the services that support these people will be further squeezed - and those with next to nothing will end up with even less. However, as my yoga teacher pointed out, whilst I felt like crying on Friday when the result was confirmed, it is important to look at the situation with clarity - and, rather than stress about it, I should either put my worries to bed - or do something about them. So, whilst I am worried about what the future holds for the people I serve at work and myself as a public sector worker, I am going to focus on what I can do to alleviate the problems we face.  So, whilst there is part of me that wants to wallow in grief, I'm not going to. I'm going to pick myself up and take action. What action that turns out to be has yet to be decided, but, when I feel my resilience wavering, I'm going to remind myself of the words of Maya Angelou. And, if you ever feel the world is starting to get to you, I invite you to keep them to hand as a little self-affirmation.
Still I rise. Still I rise. Still I rise.
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So, as the Bank Holiday draws to a close, I hope everyone is feeling as smug as I am. I've had a lovely weekend thanks to my friends who joined me for a belated housewarming. In true Shelly fashion, I couldn't resist but go all out on the catering, providing food from the east - as in winkles from East London, Pork Pies from the East Midlands, and, sat firmly in centre stage, ham, stotties and pease pudding from my birthplace in the North East. I cooked the ham and the stotties myself and was really pleased with the results - will definitely be making those again!
Of course, it being a house warming party, I wanted to get my flat as pretty as possible - and managed to finish my second book case with half an hour to spare before my first guests arrived. Cutting it fine? Moi? Okay, maybe a bit...
So yes, I'm in my happy place this evening, and will be staying firmly put throughout the week, courtesy of a few day's annual leave I managed to sneak in. Of course on Thursday I will be voting, and encourage everyone to do the same. Last week I went to a talk by Owen Jones and George the Poet, and left feeling really inspired that, if we all pull together to work towards a better future, anything is possible. Not sure who to vote for? Take George's advice: think about all the things that really annoy you on a normal day and look at what the different parties are going to do about them. Pretty sound advice if you ask me... I shall leave you with a quote from George - one for life and the election: As long as you're gonna be courageous I promise you you're gonna see some changes. |
THE JUICEHere you will find my latest news, including what I have been up to and what I have been writing (and making). Hopefully you'll like what I have to say - and perhaps I will motivate you to get creative too... Archives
August 2015
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