Oh joy...

...two months to the day since I took up residence in my new apartment and I am finally reconnected - internet installation complete and working. After a few false starts on this, which have tested my patience with service providers sorely, I arrived home from a trip to Northern Ireland for work this week and there it was - at last. What a pleasure!

It's been interesting and challenging to observe myself in this disconnected state - it's probably not a bad thing but I've missed my webmail, skype, blogging space and other online connections to friends and family. Very much. Social networking sites (and a myriad of others) are strictly off-limits at work so apart from the occasional opportunity to go online via roving wi-fi, I've been away for much longer than felt comfortable, even for me with my need to occasionally go into hermit mode. Add to this that I've been experiencing a number of transitions at home and at work and was also ill for a while, times when it's very comforting to have support, it emphasised for me how much I value and rely on these long-distance relationships and the media that facilitates them. My world has felt that bit smaller and the world that much bigger at the same time.

But here we are, I'm back. And it was so lovely when I was able to check in briefly to find that people had been by and left thoughtful comments and messages as always - like coming home to find flowers placed on my doorstep.... Thank you! I'm very conscious that I've not been returning the favour but I hope it won't be held against me as it's not been through lack of wanting to. I very much look forward now to visiting all my blogging friends in their spaces and catching up on what everyone's been up to. 

There's been lots of travel for work going on in past couple of months but as a result of having to be up there either side of a weekend, I did spend a lovely few days recently with some friends up in Northumberland, taking in some gorgeous beaches, stately homes and gardens, cathedrals, and village markets. It was so nice to actually pause long enough to look around and enjoy some of the region that I'm usually just rushing through en route to elsewhere and I'll share some of that beautiful part of the country over the next little while.

I've also had a very special visitor for the past two weeks in the shape of my lovely mother, who came to take care of me and provide her unique brand of company, care and comfort - the perfect mix of unconditional love, gentle but firm support and the best cups of tea on the planet. And there have been some exciting plans coming together for a special event in September that I'll be travelling to a tropical island to attend and lend a hand with. Very exciting. More to follow as time progresses... 

Otherwise, really just here to savour being back in my lovely little online room where, no matter what's going on in the real world, the peonies are flowering in the sunshine outside and the company is always good. Oh joy!

♥

P.S. a few people remarked on the kaleidoscope pictures below and a couple wondered how I took them. It was just one of those try-it-and-see-what-happens things really. I put the lens of my camera against the eyepiece of one of my little kaleidoscopes, pointed them both towards the light at the window and clicked, turned the kaleidoscope and clicked again.... I had no idea what might come out, if anything, but what you see below is what happened and, like some of you, I was really pleased with them - so pretty and exactly right for the thought and feeling I was trying to capture that day. I know purists don't put much stock in this approach but I'm not a purist. I just click and see if I've caught what I was hoping for. It's not a very technical or necessarily very skilled way of doing things but it works for me *smile* That's one of the things I love about living in a digital age - in the days of expensive processing of film, I would probably not have risked firing off a few shots that might not have worked at all but there's nothing to lose from experimenting now and I really enjoy that, don't you?