Take 1 Minute

This week there has been a terrible Tornado sweeping through Oklahoma - a wind storm so strong that at its peak it was travelling 200-210mph, making it register as an EF5 - the most powerful of category possible. More here. Its victims included babies, school children and all sorts of other wonderful caring people.
 
For home education purposes we got to examine how tornadoes come about with this science experiment in a bottle whilst holding the families affected in our compassion and thoughts.
 
Meanwhile I am reading to my youngest son The Silver Chair by C.S.Lewis, part of the Chronicles of Narnia, read its reviews on goodreads.  Near the beginning one of the characters plays too close to the edge of a cliff, kind of showing off about being on the edge. As a friend goes to the rescue he falls off the cliff edge but is carried by a strong breath of wind. Sometimes falling off the edge isn't falling in the traditional sense, its more like falling into a new existence. We spent sometime dreaming what it would be like to be blown along by the breath of a lion, knowing the breath was more powerful than gravity and you'd land safely wherever you were meant to be next.
 
This idea ties in neatly with the fact last Sunday many Christian groups celebrated Pentecost - the day when Christians remember the early church being filled with the spirit of God -sometimes referred to as the breath of God.
 
And so with all these examples in a week (and more there was the levitation trick on Britain's Got Talent - it appeared she was floating with only the help of a fan...) we've been very aware of our own breathing patterns and the power of the wind.
 
 
So I encourage you to:
Take 1 Minute to be aware of the weather, watching the effect of the power of the wind or even on a hot day longing for the gentle breeze to bring relief. 
Take 1 Minute to be aware of your own breathing or the breath of a sleeping child or partner.
Take 1 Minute to pause and offer prayers or positive thoughts towards the people of Oklahoma. 
Take 1 Minute to imagine being blown along by the breath of the universe
 
 
For more ideas on breathing and our connection to the universe see The Heart of Better Breathing or breathing and the spirit try Breath of God just some other blogs touching on this topic.
 
And enjoy the wind in your hair!

Day 3: This is really good!

OK so it doesn't look really good or worthy of that title. But to me it is really good - for starters it is about 3 rows more than I've ever managed before!

This little bit of knitting is testing me. I loathe learning to do new things; mostly because I've tried before and not succeeded. Let's face it, holey knitting, soggy cakes, burnt brownies, falling juggling balls, these things don't do much for ones self belief......

But its really good for my children to see me trying new things, to watch me handle my own disappointments, to witness me being pleased with myself and to find me doing something that doesn't involve a screen!

So thanks to Mary and Margaret for casting on for me and sorting me out when I increased from 20 stitches to 34!  I'll be needing you again soon ladies the ball of wool is running out.

A photo a day for the month of May

OK so day 1 was 'something I bought' and I didn't buy anything but my son bought me some candy floss:

Day 2: Morning Ritual

I've begun putting my hairbrush up on a ledge, partly so its tidy, partly so its in the same place tomorrow. I like to know where things are and get uppity if things don't get put back in the same place every time!

A very useful edge ledge: the top of the mirror, where a hairbrush can live. Thanks life.

Creative Edge: A Photo a Day for the month of May

Creative Edge: How about I take up the challenge of

'A Photo a Day for the Month of May'

As it will be my first attempt I'm keeping it simple - the May list I'll be following is here
http://fatmumslim.com.au/hey-its-may-photo-a-day-come-and-play/
 
I'm certainly on the edge when it comes to photography, no idea beyond point and press! But its an adventure I'm after not perfection. For those who do want to improve their photography skills take a look at this blog post then join me in the challenge.

http://digital-photography-school.com/photo-a-day-challenge-10-ways-to-jump-start-your-creative-edge

Where is this all going?

Look outside as far as you can see. See it - the horizon. It's an edge!

Though of course a horizon as such doesn't really exist, when you get there its moved on with a new place to reach. Today I was looking for a horizon and this one caught my eye - not a typical horizon but lots of images within the image to consider.

 

For ages Edge Ledge was on the horizon, something I aimed to put out there to encourage others with, but now I've done that my horizon has moved, there are new ideas floating round my head!

 

As I haven't chosen a particular topic to blog about I can use this space for anything, I just need to push ahead to the next horizon - it looks very inviting with lots of fun happening - if only I can muster the creativity and confidence to get past that blue fence barrier. And dump the rubbish negativity in the bin on the way rather than taking it with me!

 

When I was young I climbed onto a concrete structure but then felt I couldn't get down. I asked my aunt to help me and her reply was something like, "if you put that wooden chest next to the ledge you're on before you climb up again, you'll have something to get down via." Seeing she was giving me the clue I clambered down, moved the wooden chest and climbed back up. My aunt says the funniest thing was I didn't even realise the process of clambering down and climbing up again, but that I was very pleased with myself when I achieved it the second time!

 

So although I am uncertain I am going to look up and ahead, I'm going to use Edge Ledge as an adventure, to see what I can do and as I fly, you can follow me to see what fun I  have on the way and maybe it will encourage you to do the same.

 

“Come to the edge, he said. They said: We are afraid.

Come to the edge, he said. They came.

He pushed them and they flew.”

Guillaume Apollinaire French Poet

 

“Knowledge is an unending adventure at the edge of uncertainty.” Jacob Bronowski

Fortunatley, Unfortunatley.....

What did you collect when you were little? I collected novelty shaped rubbers/erasers.
Oh and for a while I collected pencil shavings!

Yes pencil shavings you see my plan was to stick them into a creative piece of art of colour and spirals, but I didn't know what to glue them onto or what glue to use. Unfortunately whilst I was being indecisive over board and glue the pencil shavings pot got knocked onto a carpet, shavings trodden on....

Fortunately I had another idea, if you rub out A LOT with a normal eraser you get lots of bits, what would happen to those bits if gathered together and melted in a saucepan? Could this make a new eraser? Unfortunately I was not allowed to use the cooker so couldn't proceed with this idea, probably a good thing as it could have been messy and smelly not something you can hide from your mum on her best saucepan!

These days I've noticed I am a collector of ideas.
I had planned to do Wordless Wednesday unfortunately missed it this week. Thought provoking Thursday?  Fun filled Friday? Then I get carried away planning but not actually doing.

I'm still a collector, I like to have complete sets of things, I need to have a complete set of resources before I can act so I shelf ideas, putting them on  my mental edge ledge for another day!

Yes this post should have a photo and once again is in danger of unfortunately not being published and sitting on the edge. I'll put it out there without a pic for now.

My Children are My Teachers

At Coffee, Cake and Craft club this week I realised two things. Number 1 this blog is in serious danger of sitting on the shelf and not actually being put out there for others to read. Number 2 I placed myself on the edge of learning crochet whilst watching my son reach for the wool and the book and he taught himself how to finger knit.

 

At the end of two hours, some people had made puppets, someone had added the next layer onto his painted canvas, RD had knitted himself a belt and yet again I had avoided learning a new skill, I was on the edge of crafting again.

 

When I was clearing up I saw that JP had made something out of the felt squares I had put on the table. My first thought was 'oh no he's used them instead of people who can craft using them.'

Then of course I saw it - JP was being my teacher - showing me how to move myself from the spacial edge of 'I might' to 'I have'. And of course I kept the edge of his cutout to remind me.

 

So to prove I've moved from I might to I have I am about to launch this blog, putting it out there for those who feel on the edge, for those who overlook society but don't feel amongst the action, for anyone who can relate to having ideas but storing them on a shelf and for friends and friends yet to be (a nicer phrase than strangers) who might want to follow me from overLook to overTook.
Edgeledge let's go!