RSS

Category Archives: Observations

Stonehenge

22 Apr

We finally made it to Stonehenge yesterday; it’s been on our Places to Visit in England list since we arrived in September 2011. We didn’t want to visit too early in our tour, lest we end up with numerous houseguests who wanted to go as well. (We visited the Great Buddha in Japan about half a dozen times, and are determined not to be so repetitive here in England.) My mom has been the first visitor to show any interest in Stonehenge, so I made arrangements to get us access to the inside of the stone circle before regular opening hours. It was a treat to be so close to the giant stones with only about twenty other visitors, rather than being confined to the roped-off pathway outside the circle with the hordes of foreign tourists that were arriving by the busload as we left.

I am glad that I’ve finally been to Stonehenge, and getting up at 4:30 a.m. to arrive in time for the special access inside the stones was well worth missing forty winks. But I have to say that the whole experience left me a little underwhelmed. Stonehenge looks so big and dramatic when I see it in magazines or travel guides and appears to be set in the middle of a huge field, far from the intrusion of the modern world. In reality, the diameter of the circle isn’t nearly as wide as I expected, although the stones themselves are massive. I was taken aback by the two busy roadways between which Stonehenge is nestled–I suspect some major retouching to remove cars, fences, and power lines in published photos. I admit to also being a tad disappointed not to feel some kind of spiritual pull standing inside the ancient circle; I’d been prepared for a primal stirring of the soul thanks to countless theories about the original purposes of the temple and reports of the Druid rituals that take place there in current times.

All in all, I think my expectations of this UNESCO World Heritage Site were unrealistic. For anyone who has not yet visited Stonehenge, I suggest trying to forget all you’ve seen and read about the monument before you go. Definitely book the inner circle special access before or after regular visiting hours if you can manage it, then walk in with an open mind and simply marvel at the architectural feats that created the temple and soak in the more than 5000 years of mystery and history contained within the concentric circles of earth and stone.

 
4 Comments

Posted by on April 22, 2013 in Challenges, Monday Mix, Observations

 

Tags:

Rarity

20 Apr

HPIM1850Yes, Virginia, England does have sunsets!

I’m no gardener, but I doubt this tulip is rare (although the fact that it bloomed before my daffodils does make me wonder). No, what is rare about this photo is that the tulip was captured at sunset. Yes, sunset. In England. I’d begun to think there was no such thing. I don’t know the last time I saw a sunset here, thanks to the nearly unbroken string of cloudy, rainy, or snowy days we’ve had since this time last year. (Just a note: I haven’t seen many sunrises either, and it’s not because I was sleeping the days away.) In the rarest of occurrences, the sun was out all day today, sunup to sundown, with not a cloud to be seen. I figure the meteorological good fortune is a direct consequence of my mom’s arrival from the States; there’ll be only bright blue skies while she’s here, and it’ll be impossible for her to believe that the past twelve months have been nothing but the stereotypical dismal British weather portrayed in every movie ever set in England. I’d forgotten just how good the sun feels and how energizing it can be, even if the temperatures are only in the 50s. I could get used to this. I could practically feel my body synthesizing vitamin D while I was pulling weeds around the tulips this evening. So if the sun shines for the next two weeks, and it looks like my mom is indeed the good luck charm that has brought sunshine to England, then I’ll be begging her to stay until August when we are due to move back to America!

 
3 Comments

Posted by on April 20, 2013 in Challenges, Observations, Photography, True Life

 

Tags:

Overlooked

17 Apr

100_4417

 

I spy with my little eye…something chocolate! Can you see the foil-wrapped Easter candy tucked in the corner of the road sign? I spotted this little treasure while we were wandering around Delft in the Netherlands on Sunday morning. Made me wonder if the town had had an Easter egg hunt and this one got overlooked (it was more than six feet off the ground, so if it was a hunt geared towards young ‘uns, no wonder they missed it!), or if someone had just randomly stuffed a chocolate egg in the sign (maybe they stashed eggs all over town, like a squirrel hides acorns). I’m not normally one to pass by a piece of chocolate, but not knowing the provenance of the egg made me uneasy about testing its edibility, so I reluctantly walked away.

Seeing this forgotten egg reminded me of a family Easter many years ago. I must have been about eight, and my brother six, and we had dyed and decorated a dozen hard-boiled eggs with Mom’s help. On Easter Sunday, Dad took the eggs out and hid them all around the back yard, concealing them well in the shrubs, trees, and patio furniture. When he had finished, my brother and I were turned loose to hunt high and low, each wanting to best the other by finding the most eggs. I don’t remember now whose basket held more when we finally gave up the hunt, but I know for sure it wasn’t a tie. The twelfth egg remained hidden, despite hours of searching. We sent Dad back out to retrace his steps and find the rogue egg, but he, too, came up empty-handed. We would have accused Dad of eating it instead of hiding it, but he didn’t particularly care for hard-boiled eggs so we were pretty sure he was innocent. For days afterward, my brother and I went back out into the yard, poking in bushes, digging in mulch, climbing up trees, and turning over rocks, but each time returned to the house eggless. We thought for sure the sulfur smell of rotten egg would eventually lead us to the pastel-colored fugitive, but weeks passed without a malodorous whiff. Dad finally concluded that soon after the hunt a raccoon must have come through the yard and had it for a snack.

Wonder what kind of critter might tote off the chocolate egg hidden in the street sign?

 
2 Comments

Posted by on April 17, 2013 in How It Was, Memoirs, Observations, True Life

 

Tags:

Introspection

25 Mar

100_1731-001

I was reading Rarasaur’s latest post this morning, in which she mentioned having recently taken a quiz to assess her character strengths. Hmm, I thought, I am going to be looking for a new job in a few months, so maybe a little insight into my own strengths might be useful ammunition for sprucing up my resumé and answering questions during interviews. The quiz was a painless 15 minutes of clicking radio buttons, rating how accurately specific statements describe me on a scale from one to five. At the end, I got a link to an instant ranking of the character strengths (twenty-four were assessed) I exhibit. Note: I could have dropped $20 to get a 19-page in-depth analysis of each strength and how it manifests itself in my life, or for $40 I could have purchased a complete set of graphs, statistics, and psychobabble suitable for sharing with my coach, therapist, manager, or consultant, along with exercises for further developing each strength. Since I haven’t got a coach, therapist, manager, or consultant, I opted for the free list, displayed below for your entertainment.

Character Strength #1
Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence
You notice and appreciate beauty, excellence, and/or skilled performance in all domains of life, from nature to art to mathematics to science to everyday experience.

Character Strength #2
Prudence
You are a careful person, and your choices are consistently prudent ones. You do not say or do things that you might later regret.

Character Strength #3
Fairness
Treating all people fairly is one of your abiding principles. You do not let your personal feelings bias your decisions about other people. You give everyone a chance.

Character Strength #4
Honesty
You are an honest person, not only by speaking the truth but by living your life in a genuine and authentic way. You are down to earth and without pretense; you are a “real” person.

Character Strength #5
Judgment
Thinking things through and examining them from all sides are important aspects of who you are. You do not jump to conclusions, and you rely only on solid evidence to make your decisions. You are able to change your mind.

Character Strength #6
Leadership
You excel at the tasks of leadership: encouraging a group to get things done and preserving harmony within the group by making everyone feel included. You do a good job organizing activities and seeing that they happen.

Character Strength #7
Perspective
Although you may not think of yourself as wise, your friends hold this view of you. They value your perspective on matters and turn to you for advice. You have a way of looking at the world that makes sense to others and to yourself.

Character Strength #8
Gratitude
You are aware of the good things that happen to you, and you never take them for granted. Your friends and family members know that you are a grateful person because you always take the time to express your thanks.

Character Strength #9
Social intelligence
You are aware of the motives and feelings of other people. You know what to do to fit in to different social situations, and you know what to do to put others at ease.

Character Strength #10
Curiosity
You are curious about everything. You are always asking questions, and you find all subjects and topics fascinating. You like exploration and discovery.

Character Strength #11
Forgiveness
You forgive those who have done you wrong. You always give people a second chance. Your guiding principle is mercy and not revenge.

Character Strength #12
Kindness
You are kind and generous to others, and you are never too busy to do a favor. You enjoy doing good deeds for others, even if you do not know them well.

Character Strength #13
Humility
You do not seek the spotlight, preferring to let your accomplishments speak for themselves. You do not regard yourself as special, and others recognize and value your modesty.

Character Strength #14
Teamwork
You excel as a member of a group. You are a loyal and dedicated teammate, you always do your share, and you work hard for the success of your group.

Character Strength #15
Love
You value close relations with others, in particular those in which sharing and caring are reciprocated. The people to whom you feel most close are the same people who feel most close to you.

Character Strength #16
Hope
You expect the best in the future, and you work to achieve it. You believe that the future is something that you can control.

Character Strength #17
Perseverance
You work hard to finish what you start. No matter the project, you “get it out the door” in timely fashion. You do not get distracted when you work, and you take satisfaction in completing tasks.

Character Strength #18
Love of learning
You love learning new things, whether in a class or on your own. You have always loved school, reading, and museums-anywhere and everywhere there is an opportunity to learn.

Character Strength #19
Humor
You like to laugh and tease. Bringing smiles to other people is important to you. You try to see the light side of all situations.

Character Strength #20
Zest
Regardless of what you do, you approach it with excitement and energy. You never do anything halfway or halfheartedly. For you, life is an adventure.

Character Strength #21
Creativity
Thinking of new ways to do things is a crucial part of who you are. You are never content with doing something the conventional way if a better way is possible.

Character Strength #22
Self-Regulation
You self-consciously regulate what you feel and what you do. You are a disciplined person. You are in control of your appetites and your emotions, not vice versa.

Character Strength #23
Bravery
You are a courageous person who does not shrink from threat, challenge, difficulty, or pain. You speak up for what is right even if there is opposition. You act on your convictions.

Character Strength #24
Spirituality
You have strong and coherent beliefs about the higher purpose and meaning of the universe. You know where you fit in the larger scheme. Your beliefs shape your actions and are a source of comfort to you.

I was kind of surprised that Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence ranked as Strength #1–not that I don’t think it’s a major facet of my personality, I just expected it to rank below the next four traits. If anyone had asked me to rank Fairness, Honesty, and Judgement based on my own perceptions of how they apply in my life, I would have declared a three-way tie…and I wonder if my scores were actually tied in the survey, since these three strengths are listed in alphabetical order (if I’d paid $40 for the graphs, I’d know for sure!). If you’d asked me twenty years ago whether I thought Leadership would ever rank in my top 10 (or even top 50) character strengths, I’d have said no way, I am way too meek to be a leader. So I’m quite pleased that I’ve made significant progress in that aspect of my personality. I honestly expected Curiosity to rank higher, because I always have a million questions about everything, but maybe because I do try to filter them in order not to drive everyone around me crazy, that trait didn’t score so high on the questionnaire. I also expected Love of Learning to be much higher on the list, so I must not actually be doing as much as I think I am in that area. That’s definitely a strength I’d like to improve upon, but I bet I can figure out some strength-building activities on my own, without input from a coach, therapist, manager, or consultant (even though Creativity did only rank #21, so maybe not). Perseverance also needs to move up the list, although I’m not really surprised to see it in the bottom third. I have really good intentions in all situations, and my completion rate is outstanding when some other entity is holding me accountable, but my follow-through drops off if it’s a project I’ve set for myself and there are no consequences (other than a lack of personal fulfillment and feeling of accomplishment) if the task doesn’t get done. It does not shock me to see Spirituality as my weakest character strength. I do believe I am a spiritual person (though not a religious person, and in my mind there’s a big difference), but that is a very personal side of my personality, and not one that I explicitly share with others. I am content to let it lie at the bottom of the list, because I do think my beliefs guide the rest of my actions–I don’t knowingly cause harm, I help whenever I can, I stand up for what is right–and I’m happy to carry on doing so without any recognition of my spiritual motivation. So long as I never give anyone reason to claim that I did not act in a spiritually guided way, I feel fulfilled in that feature of my character.

So, having taken this Character Strength Assessment, I’m not convinced that it will be of much use in securing new employment…not sure Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence is a marketable skill in many fields. However, it provides fuel for some serious introspection and guidelines for personal growth, which are never bad things. In the meantime, if anyone knows of a similar assessment for career-related strengths that might actually be applicable when I attempt to re-enter the full-time workforce, I’d appreciate the link!

 
7 Comments

Posted by on March 25, 2013 in How It Is, Monday Mix, Observations, On Me

 

Focusing

23 Mar

HPIM1671I spy with my little eye

Thanks to gracious visitors to my own site, I’ve found lots of fun and interesting blogs to follow since I started my little blogging resolution in January. Thinking initially that I’d found just one more way to lose myself in the internet and hone my procrastination skills, I’m pleasantly surprised to report that I’ve actually been using these resources to fuel my imagination and expand my blogging horizons. I recently viewed a post by Cee Neuner at Cee’s Photography, where I learned about a photo challenge hosted by Ailsa Prideaux-Mooney on Where’s My Backpack? Each week, Ailsa suggests a theme, and encourages both aspiring (me) and actual (Cee) photographers to share the photos they believe best represent their interpretation of said theme. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, Ailsa had declared last week Travel Theme: Green, and though I did not submit anything for the challenge, I kept it in mind when I was walking on Thursday.

It’s amazing how much you see when you have a specific focus. Knowing that I was looking for green, my eye was drawn to stuff I know I’ve passed a hundred times without noticing. For the first time on Thursday, I noticed that one of my favorite houses along the canal route has bright glossy green shutters–in the past I’d been too busy taking in the overall imposing brick structure of the home and the mystery of its always-burning ceiling light in the second floor window to notice the shutters. I noticed how many of the canal boats sport green–from dark forest green hulls to intricately painted folk art in kelly green on the bows (one visiting boat that is not usually moored there was even christened “Greenfinch”–thanks for playing!). Of course, there were endless opportunities to photograph plants. I found an old log covered in a thick-piled carpet of spring-green moss, and some dark green clumps of snowdrops cowering in the shelter of a sturdy hedge. And then I saw the algae garden growing on the exposed wall of an empty lock along the canal (pictured above). At first, I was quite taken by all the different kinds of algae in such a small area, then by all the shades and textures of each variety. Unfortunately, being on the opposite side of the canal precluded me from taking any macro shots (too cold for a swim, and no boats in sight approaching the lock who might have let me hop aboard for a few quick snaps), but my hands were itching to pet the velvety carpet of algae on the left, glide over the slimy glop in the middle, and lift the trailing strands of the clump anchored at the top right.

Whether I ever publicly respond to Ailsa’s challenges or just use some of her past suggestions to guide future photo walks, I like the sense of purpose I felt going out in the world armed with a theme. It was a powerful experience to note how much my eyes were opened to new sights and how I gained new perspectives on familiar sights. For too long I’ve been so busy looking at the forest that I didn’t see the trees…

 
2 Comments

Posted by on March 23, 2013 in How It Is, Observations, On Me, True Life

 

Tags:

EquiNOT

20 Mar

101_3430Dear Spring,

I am writing to you on the happy occasion of the 2013 vernal equinox, and I hope this letter finds you well. I imagine you are busy preparing for your imminent arrival in the UK…aren’t you? We seem to have been left off your itinerary in 2012, and though we waited eagerly to welcome you, we simply watched as winter faded into, well, winter. April came with its showers (and drizzle and downpours and gully-washers) and never actually left–flooded fields all around the village testify to that. There have been one or two rogue days of sunshine in the past eleven months, but never enough of them strung together to resemble anything like a shift to warmer seasons. I searched through more than 700 photos taken during what should have been spring 2012 (20 March-20 June) but alas could only find a single image containing both sunshine and subjects wearing anything less than two jumpers layered under a raincoat (see above). This photo was taken on 28 May, and I had to search a further 800 photos before I could find a “summer” photo that met the same criteria (that one was date stamped 19 August).

I see by the extended forecast that snow is predicted several days next week, so it’s clear you had no intention of arriving as scheduled today. That’s okay…I can understand wanting to be fashionably late. But in my etiquette book, anything later than 1 April is just plain rude. You stood us all up last year, so there are those who loudly proclaim their doubts about your current intentions. I continue to have faith in you though, and even believe that you will come bearing gifts of sunshine, blue skies, and warm temperatures to win back the love lost by last year’s unexcused absence.

Don’t let me down, Spring. This is my last opportunity to experience your pleasant nature on this side of the pond. I’d sure hate to have to go back to the US and perpetuate the ugly rumors that are floating around over there about the weather in the UK…

Sincerely yours,
Michelle

 
1 Comment

Posted by on March 20, 2013 in Observations, True Life, What's She On About?

 

Check!

18 Mar

100_2819

I’ve got a bucket list that I started compiling during college titled, “100 Things To Do Before I Die.” There aren’t actually 100 things on the list yet–at 20, I thought it pretty conceited to presume that I knew enough about life and all the world had to offer to just scribble down a hundred dreams off the cuff. Even now at 40, I’m still reluctant to round out the list. However, one of the items I was sure of, even as a naïve undergrad, was my desire to see the Northern Lights.

We’ve just returned from four nights in Iceland, a trip carefully plotted to fall near the spring equinox because auroral activity typically peaks then (we did not know at the time that NASA had declared 2013 the year to see the Aurora Borealis thanks to a 50-year spike in solar activity). Saturday’s Northern Lights tour, which turned out to be more of a glorified hunt party, was included as part of our holiday package. Four busloads of eager tourists, armed with wide angle lenses and sturdy tripods, set out from Reykjavik at dusk to cap off a day that had been dominated by cloudless crystal blue skies; our local guides were forecasting the most spectacular display of Northern Lights of the season. As we drove away from the city lights, a low bank of clouds gathered over the mountain tops and proceeded to engulf the stars almost as fast as they appeared. Undaunted, and armed with four different meteorological reports that promised clear skies across the entire island, our fearless guides continued on to the night’s pre-selected viewing location in the national park. Gamely, we all tromped off the buses into the biting cold and spent the next hour watching the thickening clouds blot out every last star in the sky. Not ready to give up, our guides herded us back onto the buses with the promise that sources on the south coast were reporting clear skies overhead and we should move quickly to that location. Alas, upon arrival, visibility there was just as poor and the cold was even colder, so around midnight the guides finally admitted defeat and shepherded us back to our hotels, reminding us of the company’s policy to take us out again the next night (and the next, and the next…) until we finally spotted the Aurora Borealis.

Sunday dawned just as bright and cloud-free as Saturday had, so after a day spent paddling around the 100°F waters of the Blue Lagoon to chase away the lingering chill of the previous night, we once again bravely layered on all the clothing we had packed and joined the throngs for another evening of stalking. Our buses headed north out of the capital city under tantalizingly clear skies, and as the miles passed and darkness descended, we watched star after star appear magically in the heavens. Our guide alternated between apologizing for the previous night’s fiasco, disparaging the forecasting and observation skills of the various weather and space authorities the company consults when planning these nightly tours, and meekly offering optimistic promises for the evening’s success. An hour into our 90-minute drive, skies were just dark enough for the first glimmers of the Northern Lights to be visible in the skies ahead of us. The level of excitement (and relief) in the bus ratcheted up with each sighting, and we all tried to pay close attention to the guide’s tutorial on the best camera settings to capture our experience. By the time we finally alit from the bus, the sky was fairly dancing with ribbons of light. It took every last bit of self-control to allow my night vision to become fully functional before running pell-mell up the lava strewn path to claim a spot on the hill for my tripod.

This being only the second time I’ve ever used the manual settings on my trusty and much-loved, but far from professional grade, digital camera, I can’t claim any postcard-worthy shots of the lights (got everything adjusted but the ISO, darn it). While I’ve only got some blurry physical proof that I was there, the entire show is etched indelibly in my mind. Light danced across the sky like the first snowflakes that fall on a cold highway, swirling gracefully across the blacktop in the wake of the car ahead. Ribbons stretched downward into curtains, undulating back and forth like veils in an unseen breeze, their sheer green panels edged in purple and red. More than once, extremely rare (according to our guide) coronas appeared directly above our heads, the shimmering aurora radiating out in all directions from a central halo and occasionally bisected by shooting stars. Light literally flowed across the sky in rivers that brightened and faded, disappearing from the left or behind us and reappearing on the right or in front of us. There was no wrong direction to look, and if my joints had not been so stiff from the cold that I feared not being able to get back up, I would have lain flat on my back on that razor sharp bed of lava in an attempt to take it all in at once.

When the guides finally declared it was time to pack up and head back to Reykjavik, not a single passenger remembered the crushing disappointment or freezing discomfort of the previous night. As our bus headed back to the hotel, our guide was just as ecstatic as we were, assuring us that we had just witnessed the most brilliant display of Northern Lights in Iceland in a full year–high praise from someone who does this every night during the season.

Standing in the check-in line at the airport this morning, strangers offered each other the display screens of their digital cameras, and all of the small talk centered around one burning question. “Did you see the lights last night?”

Check!

 
1 Comment

Posted by on March 18, 2013 in How It Is, Monday Mix, Observations, True Life

 
← Older posts
Newer posts →