It’s that time of year again. To look back and reflect on the year that has passed, the events that have taken place, the happy times, the sad times, the journeys made, the lessons taught and learned. It’s a lot to take in at times. Sometimes I don’t want to let go of the old year. You know what’s happened to you and you know you’ve made it through it all. The new year is unknown, we don’t know what lies ahead of us.
New Year Goals
As you know, I love Monday, the fresh start to the week and how positive it feels. So imagine the sparkle of a brand new year and making plans, setting goals, working towards your dreams and making things happen. I’m proud of myself because of what I achieved in 2022 and for 2023 I’m going to push myself more, to move out of the comfort zone once again and follow those dreams of mine. Is there anything you would like to do, to achieve in 2023? Let me know in the comments.
Happy New Year 2023
Thank you so much for all your support in 2022, you have been amazing. By reading my blog, commenting, having a conversation with me, following me on my socials and by streaming and downloading my debut single has meant so much to me. Your support has helped me to continue on my journey, to not give up, to keep on following these new paths of mine.
I hope you have the most happy and sparkling 2023, full of love, happiness, good health and peace.
Isn’t this just the most fabulously positive Monday? St Stephen’s Day, Boxing Day, the day after the wonderful festivities of Christmas Day. The hustle and bustle is over, the gifts are unwrapped, the Christmas dinner eaten and no doubt lots of goodies too. Today is the day to relax, maybe go for a long walk to revive ourselves from the excitement and hard work of yesterday plus burn a few calories. To meet with friends for a festive drink, to sit and watch Christmas movies with family and friends or even to just be and have some alone time.
I do love Monday. I also love Boxing Day and wearing my Christmas PJ’s, snuggled up on the sofa, watching whatever I like on TV, having a mince pie, perhaps a mulled wine and just relaxing. Monday nerd will be in full swing when Monday and Boxing Day coincide. Christmas, whether you celebrate the religious side of it or not, is a truly wonderful time. For me, Christmas Eve, Christmas Carols and Midnight Mass are the most magical things of Christmas and my favourite day of the year.
Wishing you a very happy and merry Monday and a wonderful week ahead.
Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas. I hope it truly sparkles with love and happiness for you and your families. I know that Christmas can be a very sad time for us, remembering those we have lost and thinking of our memories of Christmas past. I hope the joy of this season touches your heart and that you can feel the love of those who have gone before us, around your tree at this beautiful time of year.
The final Monday before Christmas and it’s all systems go. The hustle and bustle of the holiday period is in full swing now and although the shops may be packed out, there are long queues everywhere and you may be frantically writing cards and wrapping gifts, isn’t it just lovely? We are doing all these things to send happiness and Christmas sparkle to those we love and care about.
It really is a wonderful time of year, the love, caring and sharing amongst us all is just fabulous. Remember it’s the little things that mean the most and a smile can make a difference to someone having a stressed out day.
I’ll definitely be having my two cups of coffee to get me moving today…and breathe…and eat mince pies!
A most magical month full of happiness, joy, friendship and what can I say about the amount of sparkle that will be around – I’m in heaven.
Winter is here, Christmas is almost upon us as is the New Year. 2022 seems to me to have gone by in a flash. I think that’s what happens as you get old, the years speed up so fast it’s untrue.
Wishing you a truly magical, heart warming, love filled month.
And it’s Monday again, how fast do the weeks roll by? I cannot believe we are saying hello to December later this week and it seems unbelievable that Christmas songs are on the radio and the Christmas films are on TV already. Time goes by so fast. When we are younger it seems to take an age to grow up, to be an adult, to do things we see our elders doing. Yet when we get to adulthood we start to understand that as nice as it is to do what we want to, being an adult isn’t that easy and along with the happy times we also encounter some very hard and sad times.
It’s a wake up call when someone we love passes away and it brings home to us our own precious life and how fragile it actually it. It really is a case of being grateful for each day we are given, living life to the best of our ability, being positive, sharing our sparkle with others and absolutely loving Monday.
Good Intentions.
Monday’s are like mini New Year’s, it’s a fresh start to the week, it’s best foot forward time to work on our dreams, hopes, goals and passions. Monday truly sparkles, without having Monday we can’t work our way around to that feel good Friday. Have the most amazing day and a wonderful week.
Way back in August, the late bank holiday weekend, I attended the very first Pairc Festival in Birmingham. Our Birmingham Irish Centre moved from the city centre to South Birmingham just before the pandemic started. The Digbeth area of Birmingham, historically the Irish area of the city, is being hugely redeveloped. It’s like a maze trying to get around that area at the moment with all the building and road works, you really feel like you are going around the block numerous times to reach your destination.
People were not happy at the move. The city centre is easily accessible for people who live around the city and the suburbs and for people coming from other parts of the country to events. However, the new club has a huge open sports ground and park area and this is where this first ever Birmingham Pairc Festival was held over the August bank holiday weekend. I bought tickets for Sunday, the closing day, because one of my favourite Irish music stars was performing, Nathan Carter. Thankfully the weather held and even in the evening it was a warm, late Summer evening. The atmosphere was incredible all around the festival area. There were families, couples, singletons and groups of friends rambling around visiting the various stalls and attractions. There were picnic’s taking place, dancing, singing, music, food and of course drink but not all alcoholic. It looked like every county in Ireland was represented with the people attending the festival. I could see T-shirts and flags from all over Ireland and it was just such a wonderful atmosphere. Inclusive, happy, positive and friendly vibes were the order of the day.
Prosecco and Chips, we are such classy girls! The ice cream was eaten at 11.30 pm after a night of singing and dancing because we just wanted to and isn’t that what life is all about?
One of the main acts was Finbar Furey, an absolute legend in Irish folk music. He gave a beautiful rendition of ‘Sweet Sixteen’ which was a favourite song of my parents and the tears fell, silently, but they fell. I wasn’t alone and found myself holding hands with strangers who were also moved to tears by the music and song.
As you can see from the photo above, there was a fantastic crowd in place for Nathan Carter’s show stopping closure to the festival. The whole area was alive with happiness, music and song. It was truly a special event and I am so glad that I attended. My friend and I had the most wonderful day catching up with each other, listening to and dancing to local bands and big name bands, talking to strangers, dancing like no-one was watching (because they weren’t) and we are already looking forward to the acts being released for next year and planning another day of Irishness.
I didn’t take many photo’s or any video footage. I decided to leave my phone in my pocket and just be in the moment, all day and all evening long. It was freedom!
Oh how I love Monday’s. I’m such a nerd but you know what, I really do love Monday. It’s like a mini new year in a way. When we want to start a new plan, have a new idea, start a fitness journey or a health goal we often say ‘I’ll start on Monday’.
I’m just getting over a particularly nasty virus which laid me low for two weeks. Over the last few days I can feel my energy returning, my mojo getting back into place and my passion for my music, my song writing and my inspirational vibe getting back into sync so here I am, it’s Monday and I’m wishing you the most wonderful and positive Monday. Here’s to a truly amazing week.
I’ve always loved November. There’s something about that watery sunshine mid afternoon before it becomes dark. Setting behind tree branches which are now almost bare, the grey misty sky and the smell of the cold air. It’s a peaceful kind of month. We haven’t quite said goodbye to Autumn and we know that Winter is just a breath away. The nights draw in ever earlier, the evening chill arrives much quicker and that morning frost beckons us to drag out the hat, gloves and scarves before we open that front door and step out into the world.
November is also the calmness before the hustle, bustle and magic of December arrives in all it’s sparkling glory. November is the month to reflect upon the year that has passed. We also remember and pray for those who have gone before us, we remember and pay tribute to our service men and veterans who fought for our freedom. November is such a beautiful, quiet and reflective month, we take it at a slower pace as we prepare for the month ahead.
Enjoy this beautiful Red and golden Brown month, the wonderful silence, the patter of the rain and the rush of the wind, the pre Winter sunshine and the early morning frost. It’s such a gorgeous time of year.
Yes, I love Monday’s. It hasn’t always been the case of course. I have worked in some jobs where I hated Monday and having to go into work. That Sunday night feeling of dread every week rolled round as regular as clockwork. We get onto the treadmill of work, jobs, offices, the commute which is wonderful if you enjoy your job and just awful if you hate your job.
I also had jobs where I loved going into work and Monday wasn’t an issue at all. Poor old Monday gets a raw deal. We hear all the time ‘oh no, it’s Monday again’, ‘Monday and I have to go to work’ ‘Monday is the pits’. We should turn these things around to ‘Yes, it’s Monday’, ‘Monday and I get to go to work’ ‘ Monday is a fabulous start to a new working week’. Turning them around makes such a difference to how we perceive Monday.
When I was studying for my BSc Hons in Health and Social care with the Open University https://www.open.ac.uk/ I completed a certificate in mental health studies as part of the overall degree. For a number of years I was the administrator of a Facebook page ‘Footsteps to Mental Health’. The page was very much centred on the benefits of walking, nature and getting outdoors, on our mental health. On Monday’s I posted a positive Monday quote and this was always the most popular post of the week. It gave people a lift, they felt energised, they looked forward to the day and the week ahead. Sometimes it inspired them to make positive changes in their lives. Small steps towards the life they really wanted. Making the changes, grabbing the opportunities, doing one small thing to enhance their day. I love inspirational quotes. Some inspire me, some get me thinking and some actually get me up and moving to do things towards the life that I want. If you can make today better, you can make tomorrow better and so it continues. Small things can make a huge difference. Get out for a walk, don’t scroll for hours on social media when you first get up, don’t sit down in one place all day. You are responsible for you. If you want to make a change to your life, it starts with you.
Every week I post a positive quote on Monday, about Monday, for Monday on Instagram and I tell everyone that I love Monday. This has totally changed my approach to the start of the week. I’m excited for Monday, I’m inspired to start the new week and I love to see and respond to the comments I receive about Monday. Monday is a fabulous day.
So perhaps positive Monday may just become a thing on my blog too.
Dawn. The Sparkle Diaries. 