Easter colours

Little Miss Joey is interrupting her ::holiday report:: service to share with you her poor attempt at capturing Easter colours. Well, poor by Easter standards, but a fantastic piece of photography nonetheless (I really need to review if this blog is about photography or LMJ's comic vein, but I'll leave that for another day). 

I'm not a particular enthusiast of Easter as such, I must admit, but the Creative Challenge I very keenly set out to do was on Easter colours, so Easter colours I did. I was brought up Catholic and for me Easter is purple. That's that. Bunnies and eggs and almonds are all very lovely, but they're not Easter. I'm sure this is a shock to most of you, and especially to the Easter bunny, but that is the truth and I'm a speaker of the truth. At this hour, the fact that I'm a speaker is already quite impressive (it is late!).

Normal holidays will resume now. Without purple, if I may :)

a must read feature elsewhere

Dear all

I write to you from my holiday mansion (for I do things for no less than that!) with good news - there's a new feature on the block which I, for one find essential and ever so informative. My friend and fellow blogger Nicky has started a feature on English colloquialisms! Now if that's not excellent news, frankly I don't know what is and you're just being demanding. Nothing wrong with being demanding, Little Miss Joey is a great example of that, but one must know when one spots an absolute gem. And this is what Dobbin's Notes and Queries promise to be. 

I bet at this point, and in spite of your excitement with Nicky's feature, you've noticed this post does not have a photo, something unusual for Little Miss Joey. There are reasons for that, two in fact. Reason 1: this post is about Nicky's feature and sometimes photos can distract, especially those unrelated to the writing (which brings me to the next reason); reason 2: if I were to illustrate this post to match Nicky's feature, we would be looking at knockers and/or totties and I must admit I have not been photographing those lately (the Titanic was excluded, this is a happy blog not an advert for sinking ships (so many jokes I could write right now but I won't because I'm giggling heavily at my own cuteness and cleverness!)). 

Yours truly

LMJ

Holiday report II

Frequently, I am asked about cultural differences between Portugal and the UK, mainly (if not only) by Nicky. This prompted the feature ::home is:: as I like to accommodate my fan(s) requests, even though I don't always feel as inspired about this feature as I hoped... However, being in Portugal certainly makes it easier to spot the differences between PT and the UK.

As I sunbathed this afternoon, I thought about Little Miss Joey the blog and what I wanted to write about today. I realised I was just laying there, having read three books already and watched a film and slept more hours than I care to count. I actually managed to just lay there and indulge! The dolce fare niente so well popularised by Italians was coming over me and guess what? I did not feel guilty. Not a bit of guilt! Not even a tiny wee bit of it! Here I can just indulge and let myself go in whatever thoughts I have or don't have without feeling I should be more productive. I know my Grandma always said idle hands are a waste, but even Grandma allowed herself to indulge and spared the time to contemplate life. Yes, even Grandma. 

As I lay there sunbathing, I realised that even though I do love my life and my life in Oxford, there is a pressure, imaginary or not, to always do something. Enjoying the nothingness and its pleasures is odd and rare and almost impossible to achieve. Of course what I do and don't do is my own choice in the end and I guess I have more nothing time than most of my friends, but believe me, compared to real nothing, my Oxford nothing is like a heavy workout. 

In Portugal, time exists for nothing (or so I feel and the reason this is not under ::home is:: is precisely that this post is even more of an impression than the fact-filled feature ::home is:: I attempt at writing). Doing nothing for a bit is ok. And that means we have quality of life. As you may know, we don't have much else at the moment (and don't get me started on that country that coincidentally starts with an F!), but we know how to appreciate life's little things and we know that is important for our well being. The joke is obvious with our current state of affairs, but trust me on this... it is good to know how to enjoy nothing. It allows your body and mind to recover for all else you have happening. Plus it is just damn good :)

So I was saying... as I lay there sunbathing I realised something... I should do this more often!

::home is:: 25 de Abril

On 25 April 1974, Portugal changed. The Carnation Revolution I mentioned here. As you may have noticed, today is 25 April and I am here and I can really feel the importance of it all so I can't resist telling you about it once more in case you want to read it. Or find out more about it. How we managed a peaceful revolution. How Grândola Vila Morena* played on the radio took the Portuguese army to the streets starting the revolution and ending the dictatorship. How the people joined them. How listening to it is still solemn. Grândola Vila Morena is still sung today for its poem, for its musicality, for what it represents. 

25 de Abril é o dia da Liberdade.

*lyrics translation here; it's a song by Zeca Afonso, a brilliant man.

Little note: photo not by Little Miss Joey, found online but could not find the author.

::inspiring Mondays::

This week is easy. Being here is happiness. Simple as. This is not to say the list will be long... happiness is in the small things :)

About moi, I lived in the Algarve for 7 years. See how the number keeps appearing in my life? I was happy here. I was happy without knowing it and I was happy while fully aware of it. This became my first home away from home and I thought about living here permanently not really realising what that meant. I indulged in lazy Sundays with cat cuddles and slaved away in late nights of Uni work in the same measure. I studied and worked and partied and went to the beach at lunchtime and in the early evening when the light is beautiful and the sea welcomes you tenderly. I moved here a little girl and I left more of a woman, bag filled with smiles and memories and the pain of growing up tucked gently on the sides as if it could be forgotten but not quite. 

:: the four of us, in order of appearance: Dad, Mum, yours truly, little brother. 

:: in the Algarve, Portugal.

:: a tan. with me already :)

:: sunshine. in spite of the rain.

:: how we annoy in each other while still enjoying being together more than not being together. that's family love for you.

:: little brother working away on his laptop and asking my opinion.

:: Dad reading the paper. and reading more papers. I think they write papers just for him.

:: Mum humming old Portuguese songs like when we were little.

:: Portuguese food. there's nothing like it!

:: the feeling of home.

I hope you've had an amazing Easter, just as happy as mine. I had Easter almonds given by Dad, as every year; except that these were my favourite and they're now all gone... hihihi!

Holiday report I

Hello from sunny Portugal, she says omitting the not so sunny bits of the day. It has rained in the Algarve and it has been sunny too, enough for a bit of sunbathing. It's April and the heavens open, as per popular wisdom "em Abril águas mil" (in April, a thousand waters; gotta love direct translations!), so it's best to just go with the flow and enjoy the food and the chilled pace of life over here. 

Remember the hat? Well, it travelled safely to Portugal, ridiculously sitting on my head for most of the journey, only to be left in the toilet at the airport, carefully hanging behind the door. Nice! Such is life... or life with a forgetful Little Miss Joey anyway! Mum says I only don't lose my head because it's attached to my head, just like Dad... maybe it's time for me to accept she's right. 

So, lost hat and rain aside... everything else has been just great! I guess this is when you know you're in love, when most things are going less well than expected but you still feel so happy you're in it. Or there, or here, I mean! I've slept and ran and ate grilled fish and sunbathed a little and slept some more and walked slowly because I'm not in a hurry and have had nice bread every morning and photographed just a little and slept a bit more because maybe I was just a wee bit too tired. And it's the four of us again just as when we were little and I feel lucky it can be the four of us. It's the small things, isn't it? Which are actually the big things...

going

Morning all

I bet you thought you wouldn't hear from me today. To be honest, I didn't think I'd be here either, but there's this thing called wireless internet anywhere and everywhere and it's absolutely amazing! Really! So here I am, matching hat and bag ready to go to (currently not so) sunny Portugal! I have to say the hat is all lovely and whatnot but is a bit of a nuisance to travel with... as in, it goes on your head and that's about it. So leaving the house at 7am with a big sun hat was... special!

I like photographing my feet. It started off with them being an easy target, they're always there (fortunately!). And then it grew into something more (like a nice love story!). I now really enjoy it, different shoes, different angles, different grounds, or just the same, that works too. And my today my feet, together with a bus and a plane (for no man is an island) are taking me home. I may even give them a nice goot massage as a thank you. That's how grateful I am! 

Right, Little Miss Joey is waving bye bye for now. But she'll be back soon. With photos. Lots and lots of them. Cameras ready, steady, go! 

first impressions

***SPOILER***

Serious post ahead

***SPOILER***

A lot is to be said for first impressions. Dad always says you never have a second chance to make a good first impression. To an extent, I believe him. To a smaller extent, I tend to apply this in my life; life is too short to spend a lot of time on people and things and places you don't have a good feeling about from the word go.

When I first visited Oxford in October 2006 I said I could live here. That is me liking a place. I loved it in all its prettiness and green and old buildings and feeling of wisdom. I now love it, for all of the above and more, but when I moved here to work in January 2008 I wasn't that thrilled about leaving Bristol. I found it hard to settle in Oxford and what kept me going was that first impression, the memory of that feeling of having once thought I'd be able to call Oxford home (that and very long daily phone calls with dear friends!).

Sometimes though, first impressions start on the other end... dislike. For me, when that happens the natural tendency is to turn elsewhere and keep going. Yes, you may be missing out on great and lovely people, but that's part of life too - choices! You choose other great and lovely people and things and places you connect with instantly. Simple, as far as I'm concerned.

Occasionally, some of these less sweet (keeping it mild, people, keeping it mild!) first impressions of people and things slip through the net and you're faced with having to change your mind... oh dear! When do you lose that initial gut feeling and warm to them? When do you welcome them in? When (if ever) do you let go and invest in it? I don't know. Do you? And I wish I knew. For I'm finding it hard to let go, believe I may actually like this... and enjoy the ride! Because you see, on top of believing in first impressions, I also hold on to things. We nostalgic people, do that. And that makes it so much harder to leave first impressions behind... So I guess I do know... Life is about choices in the end, and I choose what I believe in.

::inspiring Mondays::

Yet another Monday has arrived and I'm feeling even happier than last Monday. At this rate, I'll reach the end of the year as the happiest little person ever, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. This is the week of my awaited return home for a family holiday and different photographic opportunities. Yay moi!

You may have realised (or not!) that I asked a question here about the facts you'd like to see covered in inspiring Mondays. The fear of having no answers went away with Dobbin's question on Mafalda, one of my childhood heroes, and my resemblance to her. So here goes.

Let's start with the obvious and meaningful, shall we? The feet photograph which I use as the image behind LMJ is inspired in Mafalda's shoes! True! And I think it works, if I can say so myself. Onto the less obvious things now. Mafalda is a little 6 year old girl concerned about the world and its problems; she asks a lot of questions and is not always convenient, but she's always adorable in her naivety and insightful remarks. See the similarities yet? Dad gave me Mafalda's books when I was six and encouraged me to read it. He then complained when I became annoying like her with all my questions and teased me about reading too much of it; but he is to blame though, as I frequently reminded him.

:: sunshine.

:: weekend strolls in the sunshine.

:: wandering around with both my cameras and ♥loving it♥!
:: huge smile throughout Sunday for no other reason other than being happy.

:: the freedom of running to end Sunday in style.

:: Wicked. I have been greenified and I loved it!

:: homemade muesli ♥

:: discovering oh so yummy natas in Oxford and planning when to give them to everyone!
:: speaking to C. some things never change. 

::post delights:: photography by D

When you have good friends who know you, you may receive post, frequently, with beautiful photographs by said friends. I do have such friends. 

seven

Seven days to go. Where?, some of you may wonder. Here. Home. A bit of home. And marking today makes it even more special because seven is my favourite number.*

My style is complete! I have the perfect beach bag and now the perfect hat! And I didn't even look for it, it found me. Literally. And then asked me to take it home, so politely I could not refuse. So I didn't. Ha!

I am ready. Me, my bag, my hat and my bikini. We're ready and keen! And now we wait seven days. And perhaps pack. At some not urgent point.

Being the impatient little person that I am, I can't obviously just seat and wait for the time to pass. Worry not for me, dear readers. I have plans. Like cocktails. And playing with the film camera which I managed to put film on all by myself (big achievement, not!). And eat the muffins my sweet flatmate baked just for moi. And run, finally. And have coffee. And knit at the knitting club. And read.

Seven.

*Little note: if you need an explanation into LMF favourites, if there are explanations for favourites... I was born on the seventh (of the eightth month, but it couldn't be completely perfect, hats off to Mum & Dad anyway for getting the day right!). My brother was born on the 27th (of a different month, but the link is there; it is my second favourite number). Seven is my lucky number too.

technorati

World domination through cuteness or wittiness starts with Technorati and this code is for them UQZG8NJFEA39

::Raining umbrellas:: e-creativity course

Hello, I'm Joey and I'm creative. I'm also cute and annoying, but that's for another day. So, Joey and creative. C'est moi. I like to create things and see, really see, things and colour and light and the whole world of opportunity that is inside each of us if we only let it out, gently. 

Let's take it further. Hello, I'm Joey and I read blogs. General blogs, funny blogs, craft blogs, decor blogs, visually inspiring blogs. Yes, I do. 

So this creative Joey (keeping the informal tone, but it shall not last!) was having a moment with a cuppa while reading blogs and voilá, Simply Hue is organising an e-creativity course. So I fidget on my chair and think I really want to do it and the present myself with the opposite view (always do this, increases my argumentative capacity when I then talk me out/in of whatever it is) and still want to do it and decide life's wishes are to be embraced and email this lovely lady with a few questions. Vicky replied the most lovely and informative email and now I'm typing this thinking May will be a really fun month for LMJ. 

I could at this point tell you all about this course and persuade you it's a must have in your lives too, but I'm sure my clever set of readers can work that out by themselves. After all, I'm aiming for world domination through cuteness or wittiness (still to be decided), not indoctrination.

The photo is related to the course, obviously. The course is a door to the creative outlet of LMJ. Plus I have a thing with doors, we all know that by now. 

::inspiring Mondays::

The most beautiful thing about this Monday is that it marks the beginning of a new week. That alone is enough to make me jump up and down with happiness, even though jumping is not on my list of permitted activities. An imaginary jump I shall do, while I speak like Yoda (my best impersonation!).

My list of facts about myself is in need of replenishment. I thought I'd make use of the comment section and let you tell me what you'd like to know. How does that sound? Openness and whatnot, pretty exciting! Keep it to simple questions though, people, Little Miss Joey likes simple, like Libertad (sneaky reference to my favourite comic Mafalda, after whom I envisage a drawing of LMJ!).

In the meantime and while you think of all the things you've always wanted to know about Little Miss Joey, I'll tell you a new thing. I love doors. I have this thing with doors and photographing them and getting photographed trying to enter random, yet always cute or imposing, doors. I have even more of a thing for red and yellow doors. I think I went a bit crazy with the colours above, but I fell in love with the final result, go figure.

:: I can't say it enough, a new Monday to mark a new week, oh joy.

:: my brother. I love that boy. 

:: having two friends offering to hoover my house for me because I can't. special.

:: friends. I cannot write this one enough because I do have the best friends ever. all mine. mine. :D

:: sunshine and warm weather.

:: playing with the film camera and realising half the photos will be overexposed. at best.*

:: Casino. yes, de Niro is my favourite actor!

:: my little light filled matchbox of a house.

:: inspiring Mondays. they make me happier.

In case you're wondering why I'm being repetitive with some bits of the list... 1. because I can; 2. because some things are always there and we should realise it regularly.

*Little note: so... the photos won't be overexposed... in fact, the photos won't be. yes, full stop there. I made a mess of getting the film out of the camera and now it is all ruined. all. looks interesting on the sofa, this wasted piece of film with a bunch of potential arty photos that will no longer be. better luck next time, you silly LMJ!!! That is, if you manage to put a new film in... humm...!

of the weekend

To put it mildly, I am so happy last week is exactly that! I was ill with two different things, both of which were pretty annoying and painful and tiring and I couldn't be happier to leave it behind me. So there, it is behind me, or behind the next paragraph which I'm sure counts as the same thing in the world of writing.

Of the weekend.

Friday night. Drinks in London with two dear good friends over wine and yummy food. I felt better instantly. We laughed and almost cried and laughed some more and I came back feeling lighter and smiling at the future. 

Saturday. Knitting club and my sweet slow pace. Oxford United match. Almost won but did not lose. What a match! Freshly made tomato and roasted red peppers and basil soup. Heaven!

Sunday. Lovely slow stroll by the river in good company with cute puppy. I think my UK-induced pale complexion is being replaced by a healthy tan. Or so I want to believe. I finally got to relax and for that I love Sundays!

The weather. Typically one discusses the weather on failure to produce a more interesting topic; not the case here. One has to discuss the weather because it was absolutely stunning and it made me oh so happy!

::post delights:: from E with love

I always said M would bring a little piece of E with him. And he did. More little pieces than I was expecting. A little parcel of adorableness and red. Oh how I love red. Isn't it just so perfect?

::home is:: Portugal

Portugal has asked for a bail-out and my heart shrinks a little for it. It is my country and I love it. I love its people, its gentle paced life, its sunshine, its immense coastline and delicious food. I love the feeling of belonging and feeling at home. Portugal is a great country with a rich and diverse history and people reading the news today may not think so. That saddens me for if only they discovered Portugal they would love it almost as much as I do. A bit about what I mean here and here. And if you haven't yet decided on your holiday destination, why not visit Portugal?

::post delights:: beach bag

I mentioned here I would be going home soon. Two weeks today to be precise, but who's counting, right? Moi!

A beach holiday, or a beach lifestyle, when done in style requires a beach bag to match it. Really, it does! Having been off the beach circuit for a while now I obviously had nothing appropriate to take to Portugal on this special occasion, but fear not, that is now sorted. My imagination led me to stripes, navy blue stripes carrying my camera and beach towel in a fashionable yet simple way. My fingers led me to etsy. This particular shop. This particular bag. The power of imagination, I tell you! I dream it and I find it; beauty!

I could have stopped this post here. It is a post about the joys of getting post and a beautiful beach bag for a few days at the beach. But realistically I could not stop there. To keep things in their little shelves though, I am separating what I want to say next in a new post, coming in a few minutes...

9 steps to a successful decluttering session

Having thought of myself as a hoarder throughtout my life (only things of great importance of course, like cinema tickets and little notes of friendship and the odd piece of fabric or 100), the idea of decluttering did not come easily to me. Yet I did it, successfully, and I believe it to be useful to share this process with the world of Little Miss Joey.

Where it all begins

1. Accept the need to declutter

Believe it or not, decluttering starts from within. It took me a month of pondering and fiddling with ideas and where I should start before I actually got round to doing it. Why was this useful? Before, I would just start the declutter and get bored and annoyed half way through having to part with my cute treasures without an end in sight or a real aim. This time however, I thought about it, I knew how much stuff (space wise) I needed to get rid off and I had a plan of action.

Plan of action

2. First things first, second things second, and so on

Think about what you want to say bye bye to and make a list (yes, I'm a list lover!), even if just a mental list, of the order you'll be tackling your decluttering in. This is a huge time saver once you actually start going. You won't feel so lost underneath those charity bags working out what you'll do next, because you already know, oh yeah! For example, for me no1 were fabrics; this would make the most obvious difference and I could use this new found storage space in different ways but I needed to know how much space I'd actually have left to work with. Number 2 were clothes. I'll spare you the rest.

3. Start big

This is not just me thinking of world domination, a prominent theme of LMJ's blog. Seriously, start big. When you get rid of the huge sofa nobody sits on, you see the space left by it, everything feels spacious and nice, and you're encouraged to continue. If on the other hand you start with the smallest items possible, it will be forever until you see a difference and you'll just give up before you've even started. This is why I started with fabrics, as said above (no questions answered on the size of my stash, let's just say it is smaller than most and bigger than some).

4. Set aside the time

Decluttering feels good in the end (believe me, been there, done that), but it's a pretty boring and intense decision making process. Make sure you have free time, preferably a weekend, to dedicate to it. You really don't want to be fiddling with your things while preparing for a formal evening ball. Really! You don't want that!

5. Bye bye packaging

Bin bags are a lot of people's favourite. Personally, I'm not a fan. I never want my place covered in bin bags. But it's a good option nonetheless; simple, efficient and easy to get. I used big shopping bags which I tend to keep from previous shopping trips; I believe if they were good enough to get the clutter in, they are more than perfect to get the clutter out and in style! And a box or two.

Lights, ready, action!

6. The actual decluttering

Now you've accepted your need to declutter (breathe, it's ok, we've all been there) and you've devised your plan of action, you're ready to go. All set? Go!

7. Breathing exercises & hydration levels

While you should keep your trips to the charity shops and/or tip to a minimum, feel free to put the recycling and other garbage items you collect in the outside bins every now and again to keep the place livable and give yourself a bit of fresh air. Oh, and make tea. Plenty of. Or drink juice. Wine may be appealing but lowers your productivity for the task at hand.

The end

8. Never (but never!) go back on your decluttering bags

Once an item is in the bag leave it there. Imagine the bag as a black hole sucking in your stuff. Once they're there, they're as good as gone. Fair enough, it's a black hole you still need to carry to the charity shop or the tip, but a black hole to you it should be. Play with me here, for your own good! I speak from experience; two of my fabrics magically found their way back to my fabric stash when I decided to organise them better for the charity shop. Shiu... noone needs to know.

9. Look around and enjoy

This is possibly the most important step of them all. Look around your now decluttered space and enjoy! Really enjoy it! Why is this important other than for immediate joy and sense of achievement? Because it will keep you from cluttering up the place. Or that's the idea anyway :)

And voilá, be happy!

Any other tips you have to help the decluttering process go smoothly? Feel free to share them, we never know when they might come handy!

Little note: the photo is not of my house, the photo is not of the inside of a house. The photo is of a happy new day beginning, just like the one after your decluttering :)

inspiring Monday

To be honest, this is a pretty uninspiring Monday. I write this from my sofa, where I have been lying for most of Sunday and today, ill and by now annoyed (yesterday I had no energy to be annoyed, but it's coming back to me now!). The minute I finished typing that last sentence, I remembered how comfy my sofa is. And inspiration flows back to my fingertips!

I should really make a list of all the ::inspiring Mondays:: facts so as not to repeat myself. What can I tell you today that will rock your world and make you think Wow, I really know Little Miss Joey much better now? I know - lemon drizzle cake is my favourite cake ever. It has replaced carrot cake and has been number one for 2 years now. And how does this make you know me better? Well, a lot can be said about a girl from her cake preferences. Clearly, I like sweet in small doses, tempered with a bit of reality. A bit of sauce to moist things up never hurt anyone. Yellow is my favourite colour. There you go, plenty of facts in one.

:: M visited. Pure bliss.

:: catching up with M over tea.

:: E's little gifts to me. sweet. beautiful.

:: M restored life to my very old film camera and taught me how to use it.

:: playing with said film camera and barely containing myself wanting to finish the film.

:: walking around photographing with M like in the old days.

:: catching up with F for longer than expected.

:: the comfiest sofa ever is mine and it's handy when you're ill.

:: chicken soup.

:: my boss. sweetest man ever.

:: friends.

In the end, ill or not ill (preferably not ill), I have a pretty good life filled with amazing and inspiring people. Yep, lucky Little Miss Joey.