World Poetry Day

I didn't realise it was World Poetry Day but apparently it is!  I adore poetry, I wrote my first poem when I was 7 years old and can still recite it by heart now.  In fairness, it's not very long!

I thought I'd take this opportunity to share with you one of my favourite poems from childhood that my Mum used to read to us.  She also had a poster of it on the kitchen wall and I'm sure she used to read it to herself when we were being mischievous and causing mayhem!

If, by Rudyard Kipling

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

It's Been a While!

I thought I'd write a quick blog as it's been so long since I last wrote anything!  I've been super busy with all sorts of stuff!  I've had numerous commissioned pieces to complete.  I absolutely love creating custom paintings for people, it makes me so happy to be able to create something in exactly the colours and style that people want.

I've also been hard at it studying for Uni.  I started the Philosophy element of my degree this year and I really love it.  I thought I enjoyed Psychology but Philosophy is just mind-blowingly awesome!  It's just so good to learn to think laterally about life, the universe, and everything.  I've got an exam in June so I've really had to knuckle down and concentrate in the last month or so.

I'm also training for Reading Half Marathon in April.  It's my first Half Marathon in five years.  I used to do a lot of running but had a car accident in 2007 which left me unable to run for some time & each time I've tried to start again, I've been plagued  with injuries.  It's been a bit of a struggle to keep at it this time but I'm determined to see it through this time even if I have to walk the whole thing!  Not least because I'm running for such a wonderful cause - Harry Moseley.  You may have read about Harry Moseley before, you can read about him on his website.  You can also see the sponsorship page for the big team of us who are running in various events over the next few months in his honour.

Last week I treated myself to a new guitar.  She's so pretty!  I've got a few acoustic guitars but I've always fancied an electro-acoustic & decided to buy one finally.  She's a dream to play & looks really, really pretty!  Hopefully I'll play more often again now that I have her!  Who knows, I may even pluck up the courage to do a solo gig eventually!  I've always sung with other musicians as I don't feel my playing is strong enough on my own but maybe with a bit more practice I could do it! 

 

 

I'm having a weekend sale!  I've reduced the prices on all original paintings and custom painting orders until midnight Sunday 15 Jan 2012.  If you'd like to purchase one of my original tree art paintings please visit my Etsy Shop.