In The Beginning...

- Invictus -

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be                               

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

Any yet the menace of the years

Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

                                       William Ernest Henley

Invictus.  Unconquerable.  Watching the movie of the same name was the first time I heard the words of this poem believe it or not, and they resonated so strongly with my soul.  I, like so many of us, have been faced with challenge after challenge just trying to get along the road that has been laid down for me in this, my life path.  Sometimes I curse the inner strength that persists in fighting this battle, and wish I could just hand that over to someone else - let someone stronger who walks by my side, take my burden just for a little while, so I can just breathe for a bit, not have to be so strong so my spirit can recover and I can regroup.  Alas though, someone had far too much confidence in me when they dished out inner strength in the queue, apart from the fact that there is no one walking by my side to throw this load over too!!

So, why this blog?  

Well, I have been set on a new path in my life, under a new guiding lights, and it's something I want to share, whether it's just me that will read my musings once I have written them, or you that might get something, anything, out of them.  What is important to me is that I have reached a stage along my road where I need to do what I want to do. 

Maybe it's age, maybe not (although plucking one very obvious white eyebrow hair out this morning leads me to believe age might have something to do with it!), but it's time for me to take up this new beginning, to grab it with both hands and to run with it.  I have never been afraid of change - thank the pope cos I've been through damn plenty of it!! - and I fully embrace this new challenge with both arms wide open in acceptance of what will be, will be.

So I welcome you to my personal blog, my daily musings, my experiences with a new baby on the way, my travels and exploration of life in a new country and on a new continent , my photo's and my personal journey, and hope you enjoy the ride with me.

P.S.  I LURVE beautiful things - sayings, quotations, places, people, decor, pictures, photo's, you name it - they are what I call my SOUL FOOD cos they feed my spirit and my senses, and so you will find the look of this page will more than likely change pretty frequently ... it's my indulgence cos there are just so many beautiful ideas to choose from, I simply have to explore and show them all off!  I hope you get as much pleasure out of them as I do.  It's the simple things in life ...