happy mother's day uk version

happy mother's day, uk-style, as a mum and as a daughter. we went to the aquarium in the morning then had coffee and cakes at McTaggerts afterwards. then the wee guy went to play with his new best pal and i had an hour to myself, completely solo, photographing wave after wave crashing in on the shore. bliss! happy mother's day :)

friday forte: heel boy!

One of the best things I ever did was ignore people who told me to stop talking. I was accused of whining online, and I ignored the not-so-subtle suggestion to shut up. Talking, writing, sharing is what got me through a long voyage of self discovery and into my current sheltered harbour.
With sharing how I was feeling -and believe me I didn't share everything, not even half of what I was accused of - I discovered that it wasn't just me and I wasn't alone. There was a whole community out there online and in real life, who were either at the start of or in the middle of or were sheltering in their own harbour before the next voyage. And they were there to help, we were there to help each other.

Seeing the street art above reminds me that not everyone is so lucky. Some bow to the pressure to shut up and never find a community of navigators to help them set sail through the storms. Others keep silent for years till it's almost too late. Some don't know how to start the conversation.

If you've never seen it, try watching the Black Dog video to understand what it means be depressed, to perhaps give you the words to tell your tale, and if you're of the "oh shut up about it" inclination then maybe you'll learn something.

The black dog above is part of SANE's campaign to reduce the stigma of mental health issues and open the dialogue. Using the black dog created by artist Matthew Johnstone to explain his own experience with shutting up about depression, the campaign runs UK-wide to work on issues including research, support and improving access to treatment.

There's even a virtual black dog that recognises the value of online support and community.
Some people are smart that way!
Bon voyage :)

spt27mar14: self portrait with parent

We've been busy so I haven't blogged much.
But I have managed to complete all my writing projects into the middle of the next month. Stay tuned to find out why that's a bonus.
Today, grampa (this is the Wee Guy's preferred spelling - I know him as Dad) took us through to Dunfermline to see the abbey, the Carnegie museum and the Abbot House. Much fun and food was had by all, even though we got caught in a downpour.
This is also my first self portrait that includes my dad. He's the respectable-looking chap in the background wondering why his daughter is photographing a lamp shade.
If you want to see more of our holiday there's a more comprehensive collection of images on Instagram (look for ebbandflo) and once I get the uploadr working in Windows 8 there should be more to see on Flickr.

Beach life

Beach life #blog It's quite amazing but for this spring break the weather in Scotland has been consistently better, sunnier than our trips back during the summer. We've had sun, warm days and blue skies more often than grey and torrential rain. Makes Scotland much more inviting than usual. And I think we've been missing bad weather at home too. Win/win.

A photo posted by pomomama (@ebbandflo) on Mar 26, 2014 at 6:36am PDT

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tiny mirrors

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Museum fun

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Day at the museum

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Edinburgh :)

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spt 20mar14: picture at a museum

Kircaldy Museum, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Jet-lagged. It happens at the least expected moments. One moment, cruising along nicely and the next - it's the middle of the night.
Today - rain, in buckets.
So we went to the museum, traveling along the Fife coast by train and avoiding the wet. Grey skies, grey seas.
A welcome break in the day and a good opportunity to a. stretch the legs, and b. get reacquainted with local history.
Great cafe too.
Then this afternoon, back to catching up on writing projects - trying to stay ahead and build some slack into the system.
Not that easy with a woolly head.

Fashion notes: denim skirt and Keen boots, Value Village; coat and bag, MEC; hat and scarf, handknit

wordless wednesday: happy spring

daffs, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

welcome

welcome, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

We got here! After around twelve sleepless hours flying, we finally landed at our destination. And now we're not sure what time zone we are in.
Sweet dreams until we're back in real life.

midlife Monday: and we're off

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spt13mar14: hiding behind words

new book, new business cards

wordless wednesday: the daily pussy

in her chair

friends?

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frequency

oilbar on canvas paper

frequency

oilbar on canvas paper

frequency

oilbar on canvas paper

midlife monday: long climb

Sometimes you just gotta keep going ...

happenings

This, dear reader, is what happens when you put two adults, one iPad and GarageBand on the sofa for the evening ...

tidal forest waves

tidal forest waves, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

digital pixel pushing - Corel Painter 12

spt 6mar14: melt

a trip to the ice cream parlour, of course digital brushwork in Corel Painter

wordless wednesday: boys; inlet trail; boardwalk

boys; inlet trail; boardwalk, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

midlife monday: could be another meme on the go?

respect my symmetry #ocd #breakfast, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

I've mentioned my rotational symmetry angst previously, in that eggs must inhabit their egg box exhibiting an exacting array of rotational or reflexive patterning or .... or what?
What exactly will happen if my eggs are asymmetric?
Well ... nothing.
In the five years since I first 'fessed up to having an unusual obsession with boxed egg display, a. several other people admitted the same, and b. I cannot correlate good or bad happenings with the internal state of my egg box.
Shit happens regardless.
So this morning's egg was selected, after the usual moment pondering how to disturb the arrangement the least, consumed and the egg box returne to the fridge. The day progressed unremarkably despite the symmetry Armageddon abandoned to the dark.
The day was no better, no worse than others.
Life went on.
But I did capture the moment on Instagram.
Another midlife meme to go along with The Daily Pussy perhaps?

family Sunday sliding on snow

Raining here; snowing there. We took to the mountains for Sunday afternoon and were rewarded with falling snow and awesome trails. Soft spots, firm base, hint of powder, short lift queues. Just enough exercise to forgive the cinnamon buns apres. Quite simply, a lovely family Sunday afternoon.