moonbears | silkannthreades

Four months ago, Nath at Beautycalypse invited me to join her Blog Hop. I didn’t hop to it immediately because I needed to first complete a similar Blog Hop for Sheri de Grom. I completed Sheri’s Blog Hop in October and posted it as Finishing What I Started……then this happened, and that happened, and…w.e.l.l…..skippity hop, hop, here I am, weeks and weeks later, with still no proper response to Nath’s lovely invitation.

So, it’s time to knuckle down, RSVP, and, thus, put my ‘blogging house’ in order .

Dear Nath, ~explorer of beauty as a philosophy of harmony, creator of BEAUTYCALYPSE, an ad-free blog about ethical excellence~

I accept your invitation to blog hop. Please enjoy my response.

Let’s hope that together we will continue to strive to live wisely and well, and with love, in 2015.

Sincerely Gallivanta

WHY DO I WRITE?

Why I write hasn’t changed much since I stated the purpose of this blog on my About page in 2012. However, for the next little while, this blog will have an additional purpose; to keep track of myself, in practical ways, but also in practices of the soul, such as gratitude ~ and love, as epitomized in this quote from St John of the Cross. “In the evening we shall be examined on love.” ( thanks Clanmother for bringing this quote to my attention 🙂 )

WHAT AM I WORKING ON?

That is the big question! And this is the big answer.

Last time I answered this, I said I was working on growing younger. I still am. It has taken me a long time to reach my numerical age, so it will take a considerable number of days to de-age all my decades. As I work on resetting my spiritual age, I am also, as you are no doubt weary of hearing,

Oh, not that story again. Do I really have to listen? I would rather go outside….. please?

rearranging and sifting and sorting through and decluttering my physical environment.

It’s a huge task, often tedious, and always challenging. Readers’ supportive comments as I intermittently blog my way through the process are wonderfully sustaining. And Nath, bless her, has offered sterling decluttering inspiration through her Blog , too. I am in awe that, in 2014, she managed to achieve her goal of discarding/giving away 5 old items for every new one bought. That’s a high standard to attain and maintain.

I would like to equal it but, currently, this is how the numbers stack up in my abode. In December and January, 22 items came into my home, either as purchases or gifts; some were new and some second-hand. All were delightful, of course, and welcomed with joy. Here’s a sample of the acquisitions.

: My new Ann Guy apron and my new cookie jar; beautiful gifts

: Cookie Jar awaiting cookies

: *Dawn Chorus; heart-stirringly gorgeous graphic novel by Ray Ching

: Moonbear Love; my ethical giveaway gift from Miss Marzipan

During the same period, I dispatched about 25 items to one of our city’s handy Ecodepots and to friends/neighbours/strangers. Before the end of this month, I hope to have a few more items, such as our second car, out the door, possibly via NZ’s Trade Me online auction site.

: Farewell, sweet juicer?

: Farewell faithful second car?

Not quite 5 to 1, but not too bad for a start. 🙂

HOW DOES IT DIFFER FROM OTHERS IN THIS GENRE?

It doesn’t really, so I am going to recycle the answer I gave on Finishing What I Started. ( Check the link in my opening paragraph, please. 🙂 )

WHAT IS MY WRITING PROCESS?

Again, I will reuse the answer given in Finishing What I Started.

Is this The End, you ask? Not quite.

I would like to invite Miss Marzipan to join the Blog Hop, but only if she has time in her hectic-creative-working woman-mother of two-marathon runner-schedule. Miss Marzipan, like Nath, cares deeply about sustainable and ethical living. Her choice of giveaway gift of Moonbear make-up bags reflects her commitment to helping the plight of the Moonbears via Animals Asia. And the product she chose is from the Italian eco, cruelty-free, fashion label Miomojo. Miss Marzipan your caring lifestyle makes a difference to me, as well as to all those creatures who cannot speak for themselves.

“In the evening we shall be examined on love.” St John of the Cross.

Right, that’s enough cluttering of the page with my words and photos. It’s back to work for me, filling up the de-acquisition box.

: Dressed for duty in another new pinny.

: A box to be filled; work to be done

* Final Note

I am deeply grateful to Angela Namoi and David Bateman Ltd for the heart-flutteringly beautiful Dawn Chorus. If we fail to live as caring eco-citizens of the world, the Dawn Chorus will become a song confined to history and legend.