And because everyone needs a little Twiggy and Marks & Sparks in their lives!

I’m off to find a catwalk, which in my case is probably the upstairs landing (aka hallway!)

When does a place become part of you?
When its history echos down to you through the ages
When it offers sanctuary from a restless world
When it’s wilderness speaks and you understand
When the tempo picks up as the sun goes down
When the locals welcome you like friends
When your spirit soars
When your in _____ [in this case, NE England]

I’ve been contemplating lately what it truly means to be in a community, in a place where you feel at home, with an internal peace which means you’ve found yourself. 

Where is home for you? Where do you feel found?

1. I love to walk by the seaside, I do it as often as possible generally at least three times a week! I find I get my best prayers in, my best planning, my best reflecting when literally surrounded by the gentle whispers in the wind and hearing the waves crash against the sand/rocks.

2. I like to explore and visit our amazing English towns and villages. We are so blessed to have beauty on our doorstep, I hope it is something I never take for granted!

3. I like to make use of all the amazing FREE art galleries, museums and tourist attractions on offer, especially in London. Having visited the capital cities in over 14 countries, honestly we are very very blessed indeed here in England with what is on offer. From the Tate to the Victoria and Albert, there is something for everyone! Unlike other cities where you have to pay entry fees, ours are mostly free to enter and explore with the option of paying for special exhibits! Don’t forget the amazing free markets literally scattered all around London as well as the free open days at theaters and in gardens. I’m already planning a trip to coincide with Open Garden Squares Weekend!

Go here to see one of my favourite London views

4. I love to simply stand on the Millenium Bridge in London, with St Paul’s in front and The Tate behind me. Not to mention Big Ben, The Houses of Parliament and the Millenium Wheel to the side. Breath taking!

5. I love to play my violin; from Vivaldi to Beethoven, Mozart to Bach.  These two violinists were serenading us all at the Helsinki airport last Christmas!

6. I catch up with friends. This is not exceptionally easy for me since my closest friends live in Australia, Canada and the USA! It means I need to be creative, since I certainly don’t have the money for large phone bills! We do try to use phone cards to chat because there are times when only a good ol’fashioned natter will do, and I think we all value our friendships enough to know it is worth spending £10 or £20 a year to encourage each other! With my local friends it is a tad easier,  in terms of free things to do, we can meet for tea/coffee/meals at each other’s homes, meet up for a walk, swim, hike or even meet up to pray! The possibilities are endless

7. Read – from the Guardian website to the New York Times, the Economist, Time, Newsweek and Spectator. I love news, I love politics, I love learning and looking at situations from different points of view! 

8. Swoon -  There is nothing like Lynne’s Tea For Joy website for my daily need to swoon (although it isn’t quite on par with Colin Firth, sorry Lynne!)

9.  Volunteer – I love love love volunteering! From running a youth group to playing a musical instrument to people in nursing homes. From providing free office work for a hospice to simply helping those in need financially or practically. Volunteering is special, fun and incredibly frugal!

10. Last but certainly not least, I love spending time with wild ponies on Dartmoor and taking photograph after photograph. Hiking up Haytor and walking among them, seeing their gentle quiet grace and stroking their exceptionally soft fur. While in your neck of the woods you might not have Dartmoor ponies, I’d encourage you to find the wildlife you do have!

If you read this, you are tagged

There are times when no words are needed, they are simply a distraction to the soul!  Frugal Trenches

Last week I was contacted by someone at the Guardian & Jam who, in conjunction with Enjoy England, is asking certain bloggers to name 3 things they do to enjoy England! Anyone who reads this blog knows I love England, having lived & worked in other countries I think we often forget just how special this country is; our history, geography, people and culture, the services, programs & initiatives which allow us as a nation to soar are second to none!  I often say I’m proud to live in England and I really am, I even have a blog tag Proud To Live In England because I feel that passionate about our country!

So today, on this reclaiming Simple Sunday, I’m going to post the 3 things I do to enjoy England and I’d love if you all participated! In fact, I’m going to send a prize for the comment I enjoy the most (you must comment by September 30)! Up to 2000 + of you read this blog a day, so get commenting  

Without further adieu the three things I do to Enjoy England!

:: I make use of the amazing countryside, beaches, lakes and rivers at my disposal! They provide free exercise, relaxation and hours of entertainment, whether it be autumn, winter, spring or summer!

:: I utilize the amazing transport system we have, which allows me to travel to visit friends & family, historical sites, exhibitions, festivals, fairs and UK based holidays! Our transport system is convenient, green, user friendly and an economical way to see this country!

:: Finally I bask in the amazing opportunities we have to enjoy animals & wildlife, whether that be through the thousands of conservation projects which almost always accept volunteers, or simply seeing the amazing natural wildlife we have living right here among us.  From owls & birds of prey to seals and dolphins, this country is filled to the brim!

There are so many other wonderful ways in which I enjoy this country! But since I was only asked for three I’ll stop there and hand over to you! What three things do you do to enjoy England? Remember to comment by September 30th!

Before I start this heartfelt post, I promised Holly I’d mention that she interviewed me for her Five Frugal Minutes With. Thank you Holly I am honored! 

There are days when I follow a link or two and feel that what I happen upon changes my soul forever. Today I happened upon a news story of a couple who were injured in a plane crash, he suffering burns over 30% of his body, she 83% of her body. He facing months of recovery, but recovery nonetheless, she facing years, yes years of surgeries (over 100 expected) because of burns to her face, neck, arms, body, back and chest; the only part of her body spared was her ponytail and her toes, yes her toes. I think of the 4 children (ages 1-6) they have, who as the story says look at pictures of their mama at night and cry themselves to sleep, often huddled together and my – heart – breaks, not only because I’ve been there, caring for children in exceptional grief, but because stories like this also show glimmers of happiness within families that make you examine your own. This couple, the Nielson’s, are surrounded by love, both from large families, they have sisters and brothers in law, parents and grandparents surrounding them. Mr Nielson’s mum has slept at his bedside for two months, Mrs Nielson’s sister has never left her side. They have family who’ve put their lives on hold to be there to become carers, family who’ve purchased a house for them because the mum, only 27 years of age, will now need help for the rest of her life, family who are there to pray, love and be. Sometimes in the depths of sadness we see joy. This story is such an example of that. 

This story makes me grieve for the loss my little inspirations had and the loss they will experience for the rest of their lives, it makes me grieve for the sibling I never really knew (unless you count our months holding hands, sucking each others thumbs, swimming around in an amniotic sac together) and the both sides of my family who don’t know, respect and love each other. My family who don’t even visit when members die, who exclude some from Christmas and Birthday celebrations, who don’t even know what a privilege it is to have each other.

And on days like today all I can do is pray, pray and hope for physical and emotional recovery for all the Nielsons, pray that wherever my twin ended up it was a good place, pray that one day my family comes back together. Each and every single day I pray for my little ones who changed my heart and soul and hope that they one day know how very much they were loved and that that is enough to warm their souls and lessen their grief.

And on days like today, I am thankful. I am thankful for so many things like my own health and the fact I live in a country where no one is faced with a medical bill in the millions. I am thankful for all the things I took for granted that Mrs Nielson may never be able to do again like turn a page and tie my shoes, but I am most thankful that I am debt free so I can give. I can now reach into my handbag, write a cheque to send to the Nielson’s recovery fund and know that the hours I worked to earn wasn’t earned to buy stuff, but instead to help a family become whole again.

If you to feel that you can give cheques can be sent to:

Christian & Stephanie Nielson Rehab Fund
P.O. Box 8850 Mesa, AZ 85214

Paying tax is a very good thing indeed. The services that are provided through the tax system, particularly here in the UK are world class. We have  an excellent free health care system where no one has to fundraise to pay for cancer treatment, or sell their house because their child has epilepsy. We have some exceptional schools, wonderful community health & social care services, council services and support. Yes, there are times I feel ill looking at the tax I pay, but then I remember that I can pick up a telephone and dial 999 and the police, fire or ambulance services will assist me.  All of this is exceptional, and I would rather pay £100 or £200 more a month to insure this, then ever ever risk having to fund my own health care or have people go bankrupt or into debt to pay for their health services.

Having said all that, let’s be honest there are people who abuse the system. No matter what the tabloids report, I do believe those people are in the minority and I do believe that welfare should be available because at the end of the day people do lose their jobs, people do become ill, people deserve compassion and support.

There are days, like yesterday, where I meet up with friends and for a moment, my belief in our public system goes out the window, a bit like the example My Eco Self shared in the previous post’s comments. I have two friends who despite good educations and ability have chosen to live on benefits. One of these friends brings home over £1500 a month, has very low rent (£250) and in the last three years has holidayed in Australia, USA and France 4x. She has the latest mobile telephone, SKY tv, a car, free daycare 3 days a week (so she gets a break), enjoys free courses (tapestry, french, first aid, computers) all paid for by the state. When they decide they want another baby, they just have it, no thought about saving up first because as my friend says “we know the benefits system means we will get an increase”. My aunt & uncle are the same, neither work and haven’t done in years, they enjoy holidays, get grants to decorate their home, have free transport etc. There are days, and I’ll admit this because I am human, that I see my friends who work like dogs on minimum wage who get next to no support and I think of myself scrimping and saving, for example only spending £13-£15 on groceries, having no mobile telephone etc and while I’m proud of that and very happy to do it, it does honestly mean that the fact that I have friends and family members who say to me they don’t believe in saving because the state will always take care of them gets to me.

Having said ALL of that, I still firmly believe in our public system, I still support the welfare & support that is available, I believe those examples above are the minority and I take exceptional comfort in knowing that if I fell, was attacked, or had a baby our wonderful services would be there. I take comfort in knowing there is no one waiting in my local hospital because they can’t afford treatment, I take comfort knowing there is no one chosing between eating or paying for medicine.

Last week a post by Deepali stuck a cord with me and as I was typing this post I remembered:

$500 to $1,200: the fee that Wasilla charged rape victims to pay for post-sexual assault medical exams, after the city cut funds

And I hope, every time I see 1 bad example of our system I remember just how fortunate we are. So I hope at the end of this month I will simply smile as I see the little box saying how much tax I’ve paid! I’ll let you know if I do!

• If I need to see a GP/family Dr I never have to think about what it will cost, co-pays or even can I afford to pay until my insurance reimburses me
• If I am referred to a specialist such as a neurologist or respirologist or obstetrician, I will not have to pay a penny
• If I am injured I don’t have to pay for the ambulance ride
• If I arrive at A& E (aka Emergency) I will have free care, free tests, free medications
• If I am admitted to hospital, I will not have to pay a penny or hope insurance covers me, or pay any co-pays, or switch hospitals to one my insurance accepts
• I will never see anyone waiting in the waiting room at a hospital because they can’t afford to pay
• I will never see the difference in care between a hospital that only accepts medi-care and one that accepts insurance
• If my future children need dentistry care, it will all be free
• If I need dentistry care it is heavily subsidised so that the average bill is only £44 = $88 which includes cleaning and cavities filled
• If my children need medication, or I am pregnant or breastfeeding or on low income/welfare or over 60 then all medications are free
• If I need medications, I only pay £7.10 = $14.20 no matter what the cost of the medication is, as it is all subsidised – this should be changing soon so that all medications are free
• If I had a baby I would have free midwifery care, pre and post birth and free visits from the Health Visitor until my child was 5!
• If I or anyone in my family needed physiotherapy or Occupational therapy or speech therapy it would all be free.
• If I or anyone in my family need immunizations there is no thought to cost as there isn’t any
• I don’t have to worry about whether I can afford the extra insurance premiums when deciding whether to expand my family
• I don’t have to worry about whether I will be able to continue to afford to pay for health insurance when I retire
• I don’t have to think about the possibility of ever facing bankruptcy do to hospital bills

There are so many other reasons to be proud of this country, over the year I am sure I will share more, but today as it is a very special Birthday I have focused on our health service. I have lived in other countries, I will never forget seeing people waiting in hospital in Washington for 3 or 4 days for treatment, I will never forget seeing a woman in Canada unable to get her finger sewn back on as she didn’t have a provincial health card (Canada does have a national health system based on the UK model, although becoming increasingly privatized, much more so than the UK and very dependent on which province you live in re what is covered, for example Midwifery is covered in Ontario but not in Alberta- but still they too should feel proud they do, although should certainly lobby for it to stop becoming privatized).

Happy Happy Birthday NHS!