"The existence of nearly all life on Earth is fueled by light from the sun. Most autotrophs, such as plants, use the energy of sunlight, combined with carbon dioxide and water, to produce simple sugars—a process known as photosynthesis. These sugars are then used as building blocks and in other synthetic pathways which allow the organism to grow."

 

A Sunday morning at the park

It so happened that Jamie and I had a few hours to ourselves this morning, so we decided to go to the park after breakfast!

I grabbed the camera and Jamie his scooter and sunglasses, and off we went. It was lovely and warm, and we had a great time! 

  

I can see why Jamie loves the climbing frame; at 3 years of age, it must seem a huge adventure!

Jamie loves the park and was all smiles!

Here's a more abstract view of the park...

After an hour or so we went back home (we had to greet Maddie who was on her way home from a sleepover + get ready for a birthday party!), but I had to stop with the camera once again... We have some lavender in the front garden, and it goes without saying that the bumble bees love it.

It's been a lovely Sunday, and we're finishing it off with risotto and a glass of wine/fizzy in the garden!

Norway

Our thoughts are with the Norwegian people tonight, after the two horrendous attacks on Norwegian society earlier today. These are desperate acts from desperate people, and nothing condones what they have done. FULL STOP.

"The living moment is everything."

I have always believed that we're born a blank sheet of paper; that our experiences shape us, determine where we go and what happens to us. Whilst I do still think that's partly true, I believe more and more that certain things happen to certain people for a certain reason.

I have just finished watching a BBC documentary about a teenager called Alex. At 17 years of age, he had the devastating diagnosis of bone cancer. This documentary told the story of how he chose not to let his illness dictate his life, but instead chose to live through it - he decided to fill his life with one positive experience after another, and another, and another... A last minute dream trip with friends to Australia, sky-diving in New Zealand, cliff diving in Cornwall. And marrying the girl of his dreams. He did it all, and much more, in the space of a few years. Despite aggressive chemotherapy treatment and heavy doses of drugs and painkillers,  he remained positive, not wasting a single moment or an ounce of energy, and always with a big smile on his face.

I've heard people say that beating cancer is all about your outlook and attitude. Well, if that was true, Alex would still be alive, happily married and probably looking forward to starting a family. Or going on another once-in-a-lifetime trip. But he's not. He died five days after his wedding to his girlfriend Ali.

Many spend all their time and energy planning for the future, or worrying about trivial things and meaningless decisions. Life, and time, is precious. Live today. And don't take anyone or anything around you for granted. Or, as Gandhi wisely put it: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”

Summer...?

During the dark and cold of winter, most of us want to fast forward time. We spend months awaiting light, warm, summery sunshine, flowers, butterflies, BBQ and beach visits. Once the phenomenon of summer actually arrives, it's not necessarily as we'd anticipated it would be... At this point in time, we're spending our summer trying to stay warm, and most of all, dry.