Lucky Snapping 2013 - Let's reflect

Over on Lucky Snapping 2013 the theme is 'Let's reflect' and to write about something that you thought was impossible but wasn't. 

 

 A really difficult one I have to say and I have struggled to come up with something for this, well that was until yesterday when I had a light bulb moment (doesn't happen often I have to say!!)  Yesterday was a day off and I planned to do a long training walk. My aim was 18 miles as I achieved 16.89 last week :)  So off I set on a dry sunny day which made a very nice change to the cold and pouring rain that is the normal these days.  At the moment I do the long walks (anything over 9 miles) on my own, I am not 'wired for sound' as I call it (mp3 players etc etc) mainly because I want to make sure I hear the traffic around me as I am walking on roads with no pavements and most of them are single track windy lanes, most drivers are very good they slow down and move out.  Some obviously need an urgent trip to specsavers or need to have their licence removed and of course there are the four wheeled drivers who would sooner knock me over than get their tyres in the mud and puddles on these roads!!!  As was nearly the case yesterday!!!  (Apologies to any four wheeled owners reading this - I know you are not all the same - it just makes me laugh that people down here have them but don't use them for the purpose they were built for). 

 

Anyway I digress, around the 15 mile mark the hips started to inform me that they were not that happy with today's distance and the old self doubts of  'can I actually do this?', 'have I bitten off more than I can chew this time?', 'why am I actually doing this?'  started coming into my head. It was when I was asking myself that last question and answering myself, as I do with -  'I am doing it because I have always thought it looked like a lot of fun' (I do have an odd sense of humour!!), 'it would be an incredible achievement', ' have always fancied doing a marathon' (but know I can't run one) and 'I want to',  but more importantly, 'because I can' and that is when my 'impossible' became my  'possible' I can do this walk and will do this walk.  I know it won't be easy, physically or emotionally on the day, but I know the personal sense of achievement that it will give  me will be fantastic, plus I shall be in the company of 2-3000 other ladies and gents who are going through the same experience as well.

 

So in the words of Audrey Hepburn

My half way point on my latest training route. The photo above is what is over the hedge in the bottom photo.

For those of you who are not aware of what I am trianing for take a look here

Serendipity

Over on Lucky Snapping 2013 this week a challenge was set to write about Serendipity (copied below from the blog)

Today's word is Serendipity. I absolutely love this word. If you never heard it before, it means
the act of finding something valuable or delightful when you are not looking for it
In simple words, it's taking joy out of something that you didn't expect.
It 's a stranger smiling at you and making your day.
It's your granddaughter saying " you look beautiful today ".It's a letter from an old friend you had lost contact with.
It's a song that brings back some beautiful memories.
It's a smell that makes you hungry when you weren't.

During this week, we will concentrate on the little things life brings, these little things that we sometimes are too busy to see. It is a good exercise to look for these moments during this coming week but you also can use moments having happened before and come back and add moments that will happen in the future. Remember, we are building a " Silver Lining book " for difficult times. Anything that can help you, can go inside.
You are doing this challenge for yourself, so whatever your serendipity examples will be this week or earlier, they are yours. We are all different, so if your examples only make sense to you and nobody else, that's OK. If you want to only share some with us and leave the others hidden, that's OK. If you want to explain a lot or just a little, that's OK. What is important is what you are doing for yourself.

Well having spent the week umming and arring about whether to join in or not I eventually decided I would, as I think it is a great idea and one I shall actually enjoy. So what made me smile this week unexpectedly. 
Monday evening I was sorting some photos out for the return to camera club and a club competition, as Mick walked by he stopped and his comment about the image I was looking at was "I really like that and would be happy to have it on the wall"!!!!   Well I nearly fell off my chair to be honest.  He is very supportive in my photography but we have totally different tastes and we don't usually agree, so for him to say that made my day.  Just have to decide where to put it now!! 

 

Tuesday a great walk (7miles in 1 hr 56mins) then coffee with Bob from camera club, playing with his new camera and surprised myself by pointing out all the things of interest to photograph in the cafe, the rack of colourful scarves, the selection of charity boxes etc etc we had a field day, much to the owners amusement, (just as well she knows us)
Nothing special on Wed and Thurs - though great to see everyone at camera club again.
Friday - a special friend told me something that took me totally by surprise and did leave me speechless (a very rare event I have to say) but very happy - sorry unable to share.
Today I smiled to myself when I stopped to let some cars come through a width restriction, (they had right of way) but each one put their hand up and thanked me, they didn't have to but they did and it made all the difference.