Compliments, kindness and colour

Dearest, most wonderful Bold Soul,

I hope this finds you healthy of mind, body, spirit and heart.
This week I am going to offer quite a few links. I’m realising that it’s the connecting thing that’s important :)

Recently I had 2 reminders of an old-fashioned art: the art of giving a compliment.
In the physical world, two girls in my street were singing and dancing their hearts out on a driveway near me while I was outside weeding the front garden. They shouted out “Are we any good?” and I said they had beautiful voices. They came a bit closer, and complimented my jacket, and my garden (which to my eye was thoroughly interspersed with grasses ‘going to seed’) and proceeded to tell me about singing and school and ‘make friends’ with me. It was just what I needed as a counterpoint to previous events of the day! 8- and 9-year-olds just know how to make friends. It doesn’t have to be a skill left behind in our childhood – let’s do it too!
I love Kyeli’s post about the simple art of the compliment on Kind Over Matter, too, a great reminder story.
By the way, did you know my downloadable bookmarks were in Amanda’s Kind over Matter Friday Lovelies List this week? Check out all the other lovelies, too, we’re in the most extraordinary company.

Speaking of Lovelies, I ordered some cute earrings from Gwynnie B a few weeks ago. They arrived on Friday wrapped like this (how divine!):

From the be-ribboned box I unpacked the earrings.

Aren’t they nice? Metal flowers, and purple, sparkly droppy thingies – I adore them! I converted them over to clip ons as I don’t have holes in my ears so now I can wear them happily.

I have a preview of 3 new paintings I’ve finished if you want to see, the littlest one is the nasturtium one above. On Friday they go to get framed ready for the Goodwood Christmas Market. Check them out at my new First Look page – which will, like some kind of wizarding page, be visible only sometimes (in this case, until Friday morning)!
[Later: That page now disappeared so I’ve taken off the link!]

What is it about these simple, easily grown flowers that’s so delightful? Me, I love the distinct smell, the range of bright, clear, warm colours and the sheer enthusiastic abundance of their growth.
What’s your favourite flower? What do you love about them? Let us know in the comments section below, or do you think I’m over-thinking it?! Have a chat about what you enjoy about flowers, or about anything else that speaks to you from this post :D

By the way, it seems that writing a post about re-charging your batteries doesn’t immunize you against forgetting to do so yourself! Oh dear, I did it again! In gentleness towards myself, it is a new bike, and a new concept to have to ‘charge your vehicle’. However, I do need to make the recharging more of a regular awareness! Heavy bike with no battery boost is not fun, specially when you’re also beating yourself up about the forgetting all the way back home (note to self: release old habit of telling myself off!)

You and me both need to remember to Take Care of Ourselves! We are precious and unique!
Have a lovely week,
Much love,
Meg x o