To act or not to act…?

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Not so long ago I mentioned that one of my ambitions this year was to put a play on.  My talented boyfriend was writing the script and I was to produce it.  There was a slight misunderstanding because I started sending out enquiries about theatres to hire etc and he turned and looked at me and said, “I didn’t know you were actually serious about this.”

I am very serious about this.  Confidence darling!  All the signs are pointing towards doing this.  Well now, at the end of January the script is finished and this morning I received an email from the theatre saying that they had a cancellation for 6 months from now.  The universe is working with us to put this play on.  The universe obviously wants to see our names up in lights…I can almost smell the greasepaint already!

Can it be done though?  Can we physically put together a play in 6 months?  Things seem to be saying that we can.  First script read throughs coming up soon!

Reiki

I have done a course in Reiki in the past but I have been very lapse in recent years in practising and I wonder why when it is such a wonderful thing – energy massage.  It works on yourself and it works on others including animals; it can aid healing and relaxation.  It leaves you feeling refreshed and positive and full of energy.  When you try it on others it doesn’t sap your energy and drain you – it makes you feel better to channel your energy into helping other people.  It gives you a quiet moment to focus on yourself and to be calm in the chaos of life.  If you’re practising on someone else it allows them to let go of everything for an hour – no mobile phone ringing, no children, no family, no dinner to prepare – just you.  I guarantee you’ll go back to your life and be a different person.  The day-to-day stuff won’t phase you…if you can’t manage an hour, try ten minutes.  Have a read of the articles below to learn more…I learnt the secrets of Reiki from The Wren Clinic in London and my cousin (who is a wonderful healer!).

The 5 Reiki Precepts:

For today only: Do not anger
                         Do not worry
                         Be humble
                         Be honest in your work
                         Be compassionate to yourself and others

“Everyone needs to be touched, stroked, cuddled, fondled and held.  Without this tactile stimulation, children and adults do not grow in a healthy way.  Their emotional selves grow gnarled, crooked, bent and deformed.  They can be smoothed, straightened, and supported by touch.”  (M. Burns – Time In: A handbook for child and youthcare professionals)

Related articles

• The 5 Reiki Precepts (yvonnebergeron.wordpress.com)
• Learning about reiki (reiki-coach.net)

From “Random Acts of Heroic Love”

A quote from a book that’s a few years old now but it’s still a beautiful story and it will really make you cry!

“I love you
Until eternity ends.
Till straight bends,
Till impossible is,
Till his is hers and hers is his.
May our souls entwine
Till there is no mine,
Till there is no war,
Till now is no more,
Till our spirits sing,
And our dreams take wing.”

From Random Acts of Heroic Love by Danny Scheinmann

The butterfly

 

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“The butterfly that lives a day
Has lived eternity.”

TS Eliot

Top Secret!

Top Secret orders

Research into my own family continues – today has been a day of discoveries, day trips and revisiting my old suitcase, which is home to all the documents I have.  (The suitcase is an heirloom in itself – belonged to my grandfather I believe and is an old, brown leather one.)  On my day trip to Worthing I found several of my ancestors homes, or the sites of them – whether they were the original buildings, I’m not sure but it gives you a frisson of excitement when you walk down their street and realise that they must have walked that way too in the 1840’s.  How different their lives must have been.  This particular part of the family were boat builders and lived one street back from the sea front, close to the pier.  More excitingly, I found a local book which mentions them!  They were sailors and won several prizes in sailing competitions and were members of the local lifeboat crew.  It really came alive today…

So I went home and got the old brown suitcase out and started flicking through things.  I found cash books from the first two years of my grandparents’ marriage (1939-40) which made for fascinating reading from a time of rationing; ration books; medals; coins; letters; newspaper clippings and even a silk handkerchief with maps of occupied France and its’ rail connections.  The romantic in me likes to imagine being parachuted in behind enemy lines with only a silk handkerchief to find your way home.

Then the words “TOP SECRET” caught my eye.  How can you not be intrigued?  Date 19 May 1944.  A piece of paper that had been torn up and sellotaped  back together – this was the sort of piece of paper that surely should have been destroyed as soon as it had been read.  “The unit under your Comd is taking part in operation “Overlord“.  I have very limited knowledge of the operations of WW2, so I flicked to Google and lovely Wikipedia immediately did its’ bit.  Part of the D-Day landings – wow!  Codewords and beaches are named: JIG/KING beach, codeword KIPLING.  Considering the scale of the D-Day landings, I’m sure these bits of paper are not uncommon, but to me it is unique.  Someone I know was there and came back to tell the tale.

Family tree trails

Everyone is full of plans and ideas today of all days, but I wonder how many of them will actually come to fruition?  Is it possible to harness the hope and strength that people have today and allow it to empower them for the whole year?  I hope so…I have two projects to do this year – one of which is dependent on someone finishing their play, which I will then produce!  Yes me a theatre impresario…Cameron Mackintosh eat your heart out.

The second came to light only yesterday, but is so obvious!  One of my past times is researching into my family history.  I find it fascinating to know where I come from; who did what career; who did they marry – how did some of them get to meet in the 18th century living hundreds of miles apart? Maybe I’m just nosy.  I also love looking at old photos – you get a real feel for who your grandparents were and what they did.  The photos I have attached below were ones that I inherited for the records.

Tea party on the Wey

The ladies having tea in their boat is fantastic – one of the ladies was Aunt Win who was a bit of a photographer herself; tiny lady who lived to a very old age and was bright as a button until the end.  My grandfather is the one at the tennis party in sunglasses.  There is a whole series of photos at this tennis party and they show everyone is such high spirits – flirting, enjoying themselves and generally being silly. Lovely!

I have some stories to tell, but I think that every family has its own adventures.  So my plan is to offer my services to anyone who wants to look back into their own history.  It will be my own little part time business!   I will do the research, scan the photos in and create keepsakes and memories for everyone. So there is my idea – let’s see if I can keep the inspiration going?

A tennis party