It’s been a spell where I feel eternally grateful for living a fulsome and safe life. Elsewhere in the world bombs are falling, lives being torn apart, there is sickness, bloodshed and misery.  Sometimes I feel such despair at the state of humanity and helpless to make any difference I simply retreat back into my comfortable life, turn off the TV and not read newspapers.

If the last few weeks of has taught me anything  it is that it is so important to live life to the full.  Make the most of what you have and strive for all that you can.  To not do so is to squander life, something that so many other deserving people in the world don’t have.

It’s harsh world in which we live but it’s the only one we’ve got, however twisted and distorted it can get. Somewhere in the gloom lies inspiration. #lifeisrich.

Fisheye View of Hampton Court, Hereford, June 2014

Back from the commuter run I settled into enjoy my morning coffee and bagel.  Browsing my favourite blogs I found this amazing art project being run by Chase Jarvis who is Artist in Resident for a month at the Ace Hotel, NYC.  So I uploaded this picture to be part of what I am sure is a fantastic celebration of snapshots.  Seems Friday 13th is already working in mysterious ways.

It’s fascinating that when I tell people that I’ve had my in-laws to stay.  Their eyes roll up and give that grin which says “oh poor you”.  It’s sharp knocked off their face when I tell them it’s been great.  Lots of fun and wonderful to have had the extra help. I’d go as far as to say that parental cohabitation is a much underrated thing. Or perhaps I’m just still basking in the afterglow of finishing most of my summer chores.

After an extended summer break it’s all go again in the Domestic Executive office.  Getting back into the swing of work has not been hard, it’s just the balancing act between domestic and executive has started all over again.  Gone are the days of the laundry mysteriously going from the washing machine to the line to the ironing board and back into my closet with me having to do a thing.  Back are the days when I have to wear a watch and carry my phone so I don’t miss the commuter run.

I miss the banter, the background noise of the kettle working overtime.  The team work in the garden and the kitchen.  I miss the long conversations over meals on the veranda and having dog walking companions.  The void has created a temporary cloud – the one that points it’s finger at you and says “what do you expect if you move to the other side of the world?”.

Fair point.  Cruel but true.

I have grand plans but for now I wanted to get the new look up and running before getting too ambitious.  That’s code for when I get time I’ll carry on tinkering but for now we’ll make do with what we’ve got.

A quick word for those less tech savvy about finding your way around from the home page:

BIG PICTURES: the rotating big pictures on the front page are some of my favourite pictures and for now they link to a selection of posts e.g. bassets, photography, daily snap.  In time they’ll link to my photography galleries.

LITTLE PICTURES: these are the latest posts and you just click on the photo to take you there.

TWITTER FEEDS: these are the micro blog posts of both Martin and I posted on Twitter.  Daily thoughts and links we find interesting.  Don’t forget to follow if you’re a twitterer yourself.

You can of course use the navigation menus in the usual way. If you want to make it easy on yourself and get the latest posts direct you subscribe through your RSS, Twitter and Facebook from the top bar on the home page.

Hope you like the freshen up. Would love to know what you think.  Any complaints see my alter-ego!

In my day dreaming I saw bassets moving at lightening speed.  Running along with their tails in the air.  Their eyes bouncing as they bound along.  A girl can dream.  Or she can practice her shutter speed technique.  Instead of freeze framing the bassets I thought I’d try and capture them moving at speed without them having to pick up their pace at all.

Fortnum was happy with that arrangement.  Mason just chose to hide amongst the undergrowth the moment the camera was in his sights.  So if you want to imagine what a basset moving at speed might look like, here it is.

After all Big Basset’s exertions he just wanted a peaceful snooze.  Mason was more intent on some canine loving.    Can’t say Fortnum is that keen although his little brother doesn’t give up on his canine loving.

I’d love us to have a couple of alpacas of our own.  This has been a want of mine for quite some time.  Just look at that inquisitive look.

Hmm, being a bit camera shy?

Yes, this alpaca has been taking camera avoidance lessons from Little Basset.

And now for some comedy – alpaca yoga.

Oh no, being shy again.

That’s my best side.

There is no doubt I find Alpacas delightful animals they make me smile every time.

But since 2010 is the year where I said I was going to go for growth and strength signing up for a weekend designed to help you live your life passionately seemed like an interesting adventure.

And what an adventure!

At one level the weekend was part busman’s holiday and part rekindling youth.  An opportunity to experience life coaching from a coach I’ve admired from what I’ve read but didn’t know and I wanted to dance again.  Beyond knowing this I didn’t really read the small print and it’s probably a good thing as I’m sure I would have found an excuse to cancel.   I’d like to say I was brave and bold but being terrified that I would be out of my depth amongst regular retreaters was closer to the truth.

But never fear, I carefully prepared my introduction.  Answers to all those typical first sessions at group events. What I was looking for from the weekend.  What I hoped to gain.  What outcomes I was looking for.    The only problem was I wasn’t prepared for the actual question asked – “what was top of mind for me right now – what was I feeling?”  And, I had only 4 other people speaking before me to think of something relaxed and retreat-like to say.

In the event, you’ll be pleased to know I was true to my self and when my turn came I blurted out the first thing that came into my head. I can’t remember the exact words but something like “how I’m feeling right now is terrified, out of my depth………”.  And then luckily the floor to opened up and I fell into a deep hole of embarrassment.

What happened after? Let’s just say – what happens on tour, stays on tour.

Happy to tell you thought that it was a weekend of fun.  Laughter. Talking.  Listening.  Thinking.  Experimenting.  And, dancing.

Oh how we danced. I danced like I used to in nightclubs in my twenties, except there were no handbags to dance around.  I also danced like I remember we did in primary school for “movement and music”.  There was  touch of hip hop, contemporary, jazz, ballroom and ballet too, if that was your sort of gig.  I was blown away by 5rhythms dancing which was the coolest way to groove without fear that you’d get the steps wrong or stand out as the class dork. Our teacher, Sacha, was amazing – she had everyone moving from the first beat of the music and cruising till the last cord.  And, only then did you realise that you’d been dancing for 90 minutes without a break.  In all I think we danced for about 5-6 hours in total over the weekend.

Aside from dancing we spent time in nature, taking time to think about what’s important to us.  How we can do more of what we love.

I even hugged a tree.  But then regular readers will know that’s nothing new for me!

Although I wasn’t personally able to connect with some of the spirituality tools, I have a deeper sense of respect of what they can bring and how they help others to find their hopes and dreams.

There is no doubt that I learned much about myself over the weekend.  I renewed my sense of purpose towards my life as a Domestic Executive.  There were times when I was most definitely my mother’s daughter, she would have been a professional retreater I am sure.  She was a scholar of spirituality and loved to dance too.

You may be wondering if I saw “the light.”  Got “what I was looking for”.  In truth, I didn’t.  I came away with so much more. Our coach Big Stretch Coach Rosie certainly opened up new lines of thinking so I’m looking forward to the big stretches I’m now going to make this year.

Today I feel lighter and brighter than I have for a very long time.  I also have very sore legs and shoulders.  But that’s what happens when you use dancing muscles you’ve not used for a long time!

As usual this was a sedate pace for the bassets to sniff every grain of sand, chase every seagull and say hello to every passer by.  Not to mention my frequent stops to take photographs.  All round it was a wonderful breath of sea air.

The colours of the day were more blue, green and grey than the usual sandy yellows and blues we’ve come to expect.  I kind of like the change of view.  It wasn’t cold or windy just bathed in a cloak of cloud. It made Kapiti Island look quite menacing.

On the beach as well there was plenty of man made and natural creative endeavour to show.

Not to mention the seagulls which were a constant tease to the hounds who still have designs on catching them.  Almost as much as my efforts to snap them with my camera.

All in all it was a great way to spend an Easter Sunday.  You can’t beat killing time and kicking sand at the beach.

Although not that interested in French food I was captivated by the character of Julia Child played by Meryll Streep in the movie.  I had no idea at the time whether she was anything like the real Julia Child but I was still intrigued and vowed to myself I’d read the book about Julia Child’s life in France.

I read the book a few weeks ago and couldn’t put it down.  Julia Child is as captivating in print as her story was on film.  This was a remarkable woman who achieved so much in her life by following her passion in a most determined way.  Although she was undoubtedly an icon of her time the book and film about her life has inspired millions of women to follow their dreams.

There was no quick fix to Julia Child’s achievements. It was hard graft, determination and a touch of luck.  If you’re looking for some inspiration then this would definitely be a good read.  You’ll learn a little about what it takes to write a best selling cookbook but more importantly you’ll learn ways you can make the most of life.

But first I wanted to test out whether beetroot would be a welcome ingredient to our afternoon tea ritual.  By way of the suggestion of The Butcher and Baker I ventured to make Beetroot and Chocolate Brownies last weekend.  There is no doubt that this culinary combination will make your taste buds flutter.

The recipe is freely available via google so I’m not going to repeat it here.  But to make it easy, here’s one for you to click to.

The thing I like about these brownies is they are a no nonsense bake.  Melt, mix and bake.  Couldn’t be simpler.  The only thing you have to remember is not to over mix otherwise you’ll make the brownies tough. And, for heavens sake use decent chocolate.  There is nothing worse than chocolate brownies that don’t taste of proper chocolate.

I used my new baking sheet for the first time.  It was a little larger than the recipe required but I didn’t let that hold me back.  Like most things in life I’m starting to realise that the right gear will help get the job done right.  So toss out your baking sheet you got from the pound/dollar shop and treat yourself to a proper baking sheet like real bakers use.  Trust me it will change your life in the kitchen.

These brownies are light and moist and deliciously rich.  The beetroot addition added nothing for me other than making it feel like a more nutritious treat.

My final recommendation is that you gather around you a hoard of hungry folk.  This recipe makes a lot of cake and unless you’re a complete glutton it is best shared with others so save yourself from dietary excesses. Which brings me to a plea to those in the know about these things.

Where can I find recipes for cakes for just two people.  Recipes that don’t produce catering quantities of sweet delight.  I know I can freeze and just bring out what we need but that isn’t freshly baked in my book.  Any suggestions or ideas, please let me know.  My scales will be eternally grateful too.