You know how some days are great for making you feel better about the bad day you had previously, well I've just had one of those today, yesterday I was miserable, ill, narrowly avoided a trip to hospital because I couldn't breathe but got off lightly after a trip to the walk in centre where I hands down refused to go to A&E, time plugged into a nebuliser with some kind of drug that made me very lightheaded, a course of steroids and an inhaler and I got to come home again and by last night I was significantly less grey than I'd been for the last couple of days.

My body has taken such a battering lately, I seem to get endlessly ill despite eating well/exercising and taking vitamins plus rarely drinking and not smoking, I should be a picture of health but it seems that stress may be the culprit, you can see in this diagram just how damaging stress can be, it simply affects all parts of your body and mind and sometimes you can be stressed without even knowing it, it's like your body lies to itself.

I'd like to think I have the answer and I sort of think I do, I know that I can't change things and make them better overnight in any aspect of my life and I know that since September sometimes life has simply been a struggle but I think after 15 years of marriage that your soulmate leaving is never exactly going to be a fun time for anyone, I just think I didn't recognise in myself just how very hard it would be/still is.

I think the answer though is to have less days like yesterday and more days like today.  Holly and I went on the metro to Cullercoats and first stopped into see Joanne and her lovely labrador Poppy at natural dog supply shop The Wandering Dog, we really love it in there and Joanne is a wonderful source of advice on healthy natural foods and treats, raw feeding and everything doggy.  After that we went down to Cullercoats bay beach and there was only Holly and I on the whole beach so we did off lead time and yay, she's still mine and didn't run off, we even played fetch and she's getting so good with her recall.

and after all of that action and running around we ended up in the Tynemouth Surf Cafe which is just the most wonderful dog friendly place and they loved Holly and even made us promise we would go back to see them again, of course we will, there will be no stopping us, we loved it and the nachos I had were utterly delicious, I think it might just be the most dog friendly place in Tynemouth but if you are planning to pop down my warning is that it does get very busy, especially at weekends.

I think I could quite happily live in Tynemouth as it's possibly the most dog friendly place in the whole of the north east of England, many of the bars, restaurants and pubs happily accept dogs and not only accept them but make a lovely fuss of them and that to me is so important, I want Holly to feel as welcome as I do, I've found there's a big difference between dog friendly and dog tolerant.

Holly is a tired puppy this evening, she's had such a busy day, she really is a tonic with her funny ways and her pretty brilliant behaviour for a puppy.  

Whatever you get up to this weekend I hope it contains, love, laughter and friendship...

Sea Fever

Yesterday was a day of 2 halves, 1 half was extraordinarily amazing, a wonderful morning spent embracing the sea air walking to Cullercoats and back again to Tynemouth all along the beautiful Tynemouth Longsands beach.  I didn't have my camera with me but I did take just a couple of Instagrams.

Being there yesterday reminded me of one of my favourite pieces of poetry by John Masefield, if you don't know it dear reader, it's called Sea Fever and goes like this - 

"I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,

And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;

And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,

And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking,

 

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide

Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;

And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,

And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

 

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,

To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like a whetted knife;

And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,

And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick’s over."

I love the sea, I always end up there whether I am stressed, happy, troubled, confused or content, I love the sounds of the sea, it's just the most calming place for me, perhaps something to do with being an Aquarian?

I can't really say anything about the other half of my day, it was just so awful, faced with the most impossible decision I can't ever make and now in a state of almost purgatory trapped within a sea of uncertainty.

I don't want to focus on that.

Today, I have 2 photo shoots in Jesmond Dene, one of my other favourite places in the North East, the woodlands I find offer quiet solace and time for reflection when I'm not working and when I am working the backgrounds provide the most spectacular photographic location.

These next 5 days are all about photography and my soul gives a happy smile that I get to go out there and do the thing I love.

Today, I hope you get to do something you love, embrace it dear reader and enjoy every single moment.