L. Lighten up! & A CELEBRATION!!!!

Lighten up lady! Let’s laugh a little and spend a few moments looking for some lovely locations on the laptop.

It’s possible to overload on the litany of lies from the long list of lunatic lumps leering at my concerns for our lives and longevity. It’s time to be light-hearted; grab some lunch of lasagne, a longneck of lager and luxuriate in a lungful of fresh air.

Luckily I’ve loaded my files with shots from lots of latitudes.

Some local

Mornington, Victoria, Australia

Landless

Tweed Heads. New South Wales

 Laird

Lunga, Scotland

Not Latex!

Some largish

Zermatt, The Matterhorn

Or Landward

Near Bright, Northern Victoria

Lamb

Luminous

Isle of Skye

Ah, this is the life. I like it!

***

I've been blogging for one year today. 

Happy Birthday!

My gorgeous children, many years ago

It feels almost like a surprise to still be here after my "main" blog's (traverselife) inauspicious beginnings. To all the amazing people who have had the confidence that you'll return, thankyou so much for clicking "Follow" ... WOW! ... I'm honoured. It's heart-warming, welcoming, accepting, supportive and humbling.

I'm in a state of wonder. I often feel like a grumpy lady up on my soapbox railing against the world. For that reason, it didn't matter if no one ever followed me, I'm writing for me, to get it out of my system, but by golly, it feels great that others connect in some way...there's others who care out there!  WELCOME!  Please comment and share when you can, I firmly believe connecting is important.

I just reread my first post - it's not so good. There are assumptions about my audience that haven't come to fruition. Few people who initially expressed an interest in bouncing off my ideas and contributing have done so, or to be more accurate none of them have. Because of that I stumbled around wondering what to say, if anything; how to write, whether to be formal or relaxed (I think it's called the voice). I frequently asked "Who am I in this blogging world?" "Do I belong?" I still feel like a babe amongst giants, but I'm improving! I've learnt how to add pictures and a hyperlink signature too! But what's this networked blogs? And when do you click on "Links to this post?"  What happens? and how does the Facebook thing work, do I make a Page so it doesn't go directly to my personal FB or what? ... so much to learn :)

Should I go back and edit to make sense for anyone who sniffs around? Maybe, but I'm having too much fun here and now to bother. What I thought would happen, hasn't.  But this is SO much better than I could ever have imagined. I'm deeply grateful that I've bumped into this generous, welcoming community of diverse bloggers from around the globe. It's opened my eyes to our common challenges as well as unique issues as people living in a difficult world.

In January, I began Jumping Aground (the title Jumping Around had already been taken) to make it easier to contribute a small stone (a short piece of writing that captures a fully engaged moment) to the River of Stones.  It's been fun to rediscover writing for pleasure, to tinker with words, maybe to find my voice as a writer, although that sounds presumptuous. I still don't consider myself to be a writer, but maybe I'm getting there - wherever there happens to be.

at home! (No worries about driving)

I'm unsure what will happen next after I've finished the A-Z Bullying over at traverselife. It's been a labour of love, grueling but rewarding. I'll need a break from it I know. Here at JumpingAground, we'll see, something will turn up. I remain deeply concerned about the environment, those with learning difficulties, education and injustice and will keep writing about that, but I also need to regain my balance and do some fun stuff too.

I'll end with my favourite verse from Sydney Carter's "Interview":

Where are you going next?
     Like you, I ask that question.
     I can only
     travel with the music.
     I am full
     of curiosity.


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A Drabble is a story told in 100 words No more, no less.

Here tomorrow: Marvellous ideas.

Over at traverselife, I'm spending the month looking at different aspects of bullying.

How to make a hyperlink signature here
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