Normality Will Return Shortly

I had a truly great time in the UK visiting family and friends and the icing on the cake was my brother and sister-in-law's wedding down in Wales.

 

Despite strong winds and heavy rain it did nothing to dampen everyone's spirit.  It was a totally amazing day.  Both the bride and groom looked gorgeous, the wedding service was truly beautiful and the after dinner speeches emotional and heartfelt.

 

I was surprised at just how little I picked the camera up during my visit, guess I was so caught up in all the preparations that it didn't cross my mind.

 

My husband and I arrived home Monday evening but I am still a little out of it with jet lag.  It will pass and I hope to get back up to speed soon.

In the meantime why don't you fill me in on what's been going on with you the past three weeks, I'd love to hear.

On Vacation

Anyone else get exhausted trying to get ready for a vacation?  My head is spinning from all the instructions I've had to pull together to make sure my husband and our four-legged friends are sorted while I'm away (not to mention all the pre-planning that comes with it).

 

By the time you read this post I should be up in the air making my way to the UK on a early morning flight.  See you all in three weeks when I'll be back to bore you with some holiday snaps.

 

Have fun (but not too much fun) without me.

The Bugs Are Back In Town

You know summer can't be far off when the bugs are back in town!

Sleepwalking

thwack, thwack, thwack

like a cold hard slap

the rain wakes me

 

the wind howls

I listen intently

its message incoherent

 

my vision blurred

by water soaked windows

yet I rub my eyes

 

at four in the morning

a cat purrs loudly

 as I sleepwalk into the day

The Countdown Begins

I'm excited that in just one week I will be travelling home to the UK.  This visit will be all the more special because my brother (Chris) and his partner (Sara) will be tying the knot after twenty years together.
 

My husband always laughs at the fact that I pack a week in advance (he usually packs the day of) but it has to be done otherwise I'd forget my own head.  So I'm all packed and ready to go, just counting down the days.

The only aspect I don't like is the actual travel itself.  I find it extremely stressful and wish they'd invent some kind of time travel so that I could be there in an instant instead of two airports, two car rides and 11 hours of flights later.

No Words

Sometimes there are no words, just confusion and sadness where hope and beauty should reside.

 

My thoughts are with all those affected by the Boston Bombings. xoxox

Messing About In The Water

Yesterday was the perfect day and we finally got to christen our new pool.

 

As you can see we weren't the only ones splashing about in the water.

 

Joey was content drinking from the water's edge, not fully convinced about the whole swimming thing . . . . .

. . . . while Ravyn needed no coaxing at all.

 

Unfortunately Ravyn succeeded in knocking Joey into the deep end of the pool.  Poor little thing was traumatized after his sudden introduction and has been hugging the pool fence ever since.

 

I think it was a ploy for Ravyn to have the pool to herself.

 

 

Today my husband and I celebrate our 14 year wedding anniversary.  He's a truly amazing guy and there's no one I'd rather spend my life with.

 

What did you get up to this weekend?

Then The Rain Came

 

The sun blazes with such heat it's as though it just can't contain it any more.  A soft breeze whispers through the trees which seem to suppress a giggle as though being tickled.  There's the flapping of birds wings as they flit from branch to bird feeder and back again.  Buds burst open, giving life to old limbs . . . . .

 

. . . . . and then the smell of wet grass fills the air and I continue to smile, for the rain is as much a part of Spring as the sun.  I know it's story for I've heard it before . . . there's talk of green lushness, of growth, of new life, of all the wonderful things to come.

 

As I look to the clouds drifting lazily across the sky, witnesses to all the magic happening below, my grudge against Spring for arriving late is soon forgotten.

A Promise

 

searching in the sunlight

she found what she was looking for

 

a promise

 

anxiously she tucked it away

ready to pull out on a rainy day

I Wish

 

I wish

 

to walk hand in hand

to hear the roar of the sea

 

I wish

 

to feel the wet sand

to feel how it used to be

 

I wish

 

to feel salt air on my face

to feel the waters pull

 

I wish

 

to feel your soft embrace

to hear the cries of a gull

 

I wish

 

that for just one minute

you could be here with me

 

I wish

 

life wasn't empty without you in it

but I guess it wasn't meant to be

The View From Our Porch

A stress dream woke me yesterday morning.  I groaned when I saw that it was just five o'clock and still dark outside.  Fed up and little grumpy I shuffled through the morning routine of feeding the animals and flicking the switch on the kettle.  Normally I'd curl up on the sofa with a blanket and my mug of tea but when I opened the door to let the dogs out I just couldn't resist the beautiful sky that greeted me.

 

Sitting outside on our porch I was transfixed by the changing light as dawn turned to morning.  The bird song that filled the air was so loud I'm surprised it hadn't woken all the neighbors.  Sitting there in the dark, in the ever changing light listening to nature's orchestra was a truly magical experience that is hard to put into words.

Self Portrait Series

I don't usually remember to take photos while I'm creating but as I did this piece in several sittings, and the camera was in the room at the time, I actually managed to capture some of the steps.

 

 

I knew I wanted to incorporate a snake with a face, interestingly a piece of wood molding I saw was the inspiration.

 

 

I always have to start by painting a piece black, I just can't seem to work from a white one.

 

 

I was beginning to think there was a brush thief in the house until I found the rest of my brushes lying next to the sink where I'd left them.

 

 

As you can see I added some texture to the face and applied the first coat of paint.  There will be several more layers of paint before it's finished but it's on its way.

 

What have you been working on lately?

Sloth

Many of you will have realised that this past month has been a tough one pain wise.  What makes it harder is knowing that there is no cure, it's all about trying to control it with medication.

 

When the pain is bad it can be hard to work through it and I often find myself curled up in a ball on the sofa.  I'm starting to feel like this guy (although I have to say my nails are a whole lot shorter).

I'm hoping that April is a better month, not only for me but for others too.

Aaaaaahhhhhh

 

Spent an hour this morning having all my knots and kinks worked out (and I seem to have a lot of them).  There's nothing like a great massage to make you feel like a new person.

Photo Heart Connection: March

I sit here struggling to put into words the way March has been full of contradictions but this image goes some way towards illustrating how . . . . .

 

The words 'beauty', 'art' and 'joy' are barely visible (but there if you chose to see them) for they were hard to come by this month. The play of light and dark represents not only the changing of the seasons but also the shifts in my own mood.  The lightness expresses hope . . . the red pain.  The trees demonstrate strength and the clouds dreams.

 

What image did you feel a special connection to this month?

Linking up with with Texture Tuesday and Photo Heart Connection.

Happy Easter

Recent Projects

These are just a few of the recent projects I have been working on.

 

I hope to have some finished work to share with you soon.

Scintilla Project: Life

Prompt: What would it have been like if your life had turned out the way you wanted when you were a kid?

I recall wanting to be a prison officer or a farmer . . . where those ideas came from I honestly don't know.  I was never the tough strong type and I've been known to pass out when blood and needles are involved so I wouldn't have lasted one minute inside a prison.  As for a farmer . . . all those early mornings, hard work and animal poop . . . I don't think so.

In truth I think those were jobs I came up with because everyone seemed to have it all figured out and I felt like the only one who didn't.  I didn't know what I wanted to be, what direction I wanted my life to go in and still don't.  The difference is that now I don't stress about it as much.  There are days when I feel guilty, when  think I could have done better, been better but if just one thing had been different I wouldn't be where I am now (with the man that I love living in a beautiful home ).
 

Love Bug

The vet always asks me how Connor manages to stay so clean.  It's probably because he's an indoor cat and spends a lot of time washing himself.

 

 

He's quite the snuggle partner.  Not only does he like to hog my blankets but also likes to curl up in the crook of my legs while I'm lying on the sofa.

 

 

Out of everyone in this house he has the best personality.  He's never grumpy and is such a love bug, he always makes me smile.

 

 

Right now he is curled up on my lap, purring away, kneading my leg and lifting his head for kisses.

 

 

His fur is a nightmare and gets absolutely everywhere but that's a small price to pay for such a bundle of love.

 

If only the other three animals were as easy to live with!

Scintilla Project: I Didn't Know

Prompt: The saying goes "What you don't know won't hurt you," but sometimes the opposite is true.  Talk about a time when you were hurt by something you didn't know.

 Self Portrait by Kathryn Dyche Dechairo

I didn't know

I would spent a year in excruciating pain

 

I didn't know

the depths it would take me too

 

I didn't know

how debilitating pain could be

 

I didn't know

how much strength I possessed

 

I didn't know

the majority of medicines would prove ineffective

 

 

I didn't know

 if life was worth living

 

I didn't know

I would contemplate suicide

 

I didn't know

that my husband would save me

 

I didn't know

I'd be here a year later writing this post

 

I didn't know . . . . . 

 

Birdsong

It remains cold outside but the sun is shining and bird song fills the air.  It seemed like the perfect moment to share some of my latest bird images with you.

 

I hope you've enjoyed a little glimpse into the world of my feathered friends.

Scintilla Project: Lost

Prompt: Talk about where you were going the day you got lost.  Where you alone?  Did you ever get to where you meant to go?

lanes of tarmac turned to dirt

each worse than the last

 

fear and panic my only companions

on these roads to nowhere

 

trapped in a living hell

would I ever find my way home

 

Scintilla Project: Preconceived Notion

Prompt: Write about a time when a preconceived notion or opinion (about a person, place, thing etc) turned out to be wrong.  What did it take to change your mind?
 

Sure I've used crayons and pencils, paint and felt tip pens, even glue and paper mache but no-one would have ever called me creative.  It seemed like one of those indisputable facts that just was.  I never thought to question it.

 

Then in my early thirty's a chain of events changed all that by becoming a catalyst for this somewhat strange and inspired journey I found myself on.  It was as though the 'off' switch had suddenly been switched back 'on'.

I experimented with many different mediums but loved the way I was able to lose myself in the process when I painted.  When I sold my first painting online I felt validated in some way.  That someone else truly saw me and liked my work enough to purchase it and hang it in their home.

If someone had told me all those years ago that I would have given up a career, moved to America and become an Artist I would have laughed in their face and thought them a little crazy . . . but having sold my work online and in store for the past two years, I guess the joke is on me.