Soars to Your Beautiful ~ Alessia Cara

"Scars To Your Beautiful"

She just wants to be beautiful
She goes unnoticed, she knows no limits,
She craves attention, she praises an image,
She prays to be sculpted by the sculptor
Oh she don't see the light that's shining
Deeper than the eyes can find it
Maybe we have made her blind
So she tries to cover up her pain, and cut her woes away
'Cause covergirls don't cry after their face is made

But there's a hope that's waiting for you in the dark
You should know you're beautiful just the way you are
And you don't have to change a thing
The world could change its heart
No scars to your beautiful, we're stars and we're beautiful
Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
And you don't have to change a thing
The world could change its heart
No scars to your beautiful, we're stars and we're beautiful

She has dreams to be an envy, so she's starving
You know, "Covergirls eat nothing."
She says, "Beauty is pain and there's beauty in everything."
"What's a little bit of hunger?"
"I could go a little while longer," she fades away
She don't see her perfect, she don't understand she's worth it
Or that beauty goes deeper than the surface
Ah oh, ah ah oh,
So to all the girls that's hurting
Let me be your mirror, help you see a little bit clearer
The light that shines within

There's a hope that's waiting for you in the dark
You should know you're beautiful just the way you are
And you don't have to change a thing
The world could change its heart
No scars to your beautiful, we're stars and we're beautiful
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
And you don't have to change a thing
The world could change its heart
No scars to your beautiful, we're stars and we're beautiful

No better you than the you that you are
(no better you than the you that you are)
No better life than the life we're living
(no better life than the life we're living)
No better time for your shine, you're a star
(no better time for your shine, you're a star)
Oh, you're beautiful, oh, you're beautiful

There's a hope that's waiting for you in the dark
You should know you're beautiful just the way you are
And you don't have to change a thing
The world could change its heart
No scars to your beautiful, we're stars and we're beautiful
Whoa-oh-oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
And you don't have to change a thing
The world could change its heart
No scars to your beautiful, we're stars and we're beautiful

This is all she wrote, Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard.

Credit: Alessia Cara ~ Soars to Your Beautiful

For A New Beginning ~ John O'Donohue

In out of the way places of the heart,
Where your thoughts never think to wander,
This beginning has been quietly forming,
Waiting until you were ready to emerge.

For a long time it has watched your desire,
Feeling the emptiness growing inside you,
Noticing how you willed yourself on,
Still unable to leave what you had outgrown.

It watched you play with the seduction of safety,
And the gray promises that sameness whispered,
Heard the waves of turmoil rise and relent,
Wondered would you always live like this.

Then the delight when your courage kindled,
And out you stepped onto new ground,
Your eyes young again with energy and dream,
A path of plenitude opening before you.

Though your destination is not yet clear,
You can trust the promise of this opening,
Unfurl yourself into the grace of beginning
That is one with your life's desire.

Awaken your spirit to adventure;
Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk;
Soon you will be home in a new rhythem,
For your soul senses the world that awaits you.



I am heading towards a much needed recovery wherein it has regained hope within myself....

Cindy @North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard.

A Little Behind

I have been a little behind on blog posts lately, okay you got me, I have been a lot behind !  Good reasons though as I have had a Family Reunion, my daughter-in-law, grandchildren, and a best friend all visit us last week, and I feel I have been just darn busy.

I had a one month follow-up appointment with my Doctor yesterday.  I have lost 20 pounds since February (oh it is soooooo slow coming off).  He is very happy with the progress I am making, and have made, telling me I am a *star* patient (now that makes one feel pretty good, even at the best of times).

I feel after years of being on a roller coaster ride, I have been given my life back, and most days it feels really damn good.  I still experience small bouts of anxiety, however have not had a "full blown" anxiety attack since I have been on the new medication of mood stabilizer, Lamotrigine.  I could resent the fact I was not diagnosed until this late in life, but why do that when we can only move forward, and this I believe I am now doing in a better frame of mind.  I still have "bad" days, but everyone does so I would never expect to be an exception to the rule, even though I am sure I would kinda like not have any "bad" days ... *smile*.

I barely got any photos at this year's Masterson Reunion, however I had no problem getting my Uncle Reg to pose for me.

Here you go Uncle Reg, your honorary mention ! xo

From left to right, Briar, Chloe, Liz, Aiden & Connor.  They had a great time staying with us and got to spend two glorious weather days at Sauble Beach.  The Tuesday evening Poppa & I took them all to see Ice Age at the Drive-in movie in Owen Sound.  Precious memories in the making it was.

For the past month I have been walking early in the mornings, trying to be out of the house before six a.m., as it is cooler and I love trying to "catch" the sunrises.  My girlfriend, Shannon, went one morning with me, since I was not to take her photo, I have shared a photo of the view I am blessed with each morning I walk.

That was pretty much my last week in a nutshell, or should I say the "highlights" of it, as there was lots more then just this going on I am sure ... you know, the usual housework, meetings, Aussies, etc...

Speaking of Aussies, here are a couple of "fun" photos of two our our Aussies:

Bandit is pictured here with our rescue kitty, Paisley, who we acquired at the end of June.  His look is one of "really, you are going to leave me alone with "it" again!".  Never a dull moment with a kitten in the household.  Rob and I have never had a kitten before, as in the past we have adopted older cats, our one living until she was 15 years old.

This is a very rare photo of Portia in Paisley's bed, and Bandit is his, as Paisley usually monopolizes the "big" bed all to herself.

The other day I captured a great video of Paisley and Portia playing together, which can be viewed on The Checkerboard Aussies' Facebook page, by *clicking* HERE, and scrolling a bit down in the newsfeed.  Like I said, never a dull moment usually at our house.

Tomorrow afternoon I head into the Owen Sound Hospital for the "dreaded" mammogram.  Unfortunately it is a very necessary thing to have done, and because of my Mother, her sister, and both my sisters having had cancer, it is really important for me to go to my yearly appointments.  After the experience with my Mom having one at 80 years old to find she had aggressive breast cancer.  Yes you are never too old to have a mammogram !

After my appointment I am heading down to New Hamburg to my son & daughter-in-laws.  We have a friend getting married Saturday.  Rob has to stay behind to "hold down the fort" so to speak, and look after the Aussies and kitteh.  I have offered to take photos at the wedding, should they not have anyone else.  This offer was readily accepted so I hope I can manage to take a few nice photos for them.

Well I think I have managed to catch up with myself, so this is all she wrote this day, Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard.

Truly Blessed

It wasn't only a month a go or so that I had ran into my friend, Diana, who I used to volunteer with when I was part of the VON SMART Exercise Program a couple of years ago.  Diana share with me about her Niece, who resides in Scotland, telling me that she had Bi-Polar and had also suffered for years.

Diana told me her niece, Angela, had written a book and when they were going to go back across the Pond she was going to get a copy of the book for me.  Well..... this past weekend in pulls Diana and her husband, Alex.  She had sent for the book and had it mailed over here for me !!!  Yes, I am truly blessed with wonderful caring friends and family.

Angela's book gives her personal experiences first-hand through her writings and poetry.  Can You Hear Me Now? is available online by *clicking* HERE.

Thank you Diana ! now the holiday weekend is behind me I can now take some time every day and begin digging in to reading Angela's book, Can You Hear Me Now? Finding My Voice in a System That Stole It.

I can somewhat relate to Angela in the respect of finding healing in her writings, as I know blogging these past years have been therapeutic for me at times, plus it gives me something to look back on where I was at certain times in my life.  How do you reflect back on your life? do you keep a journal? photo albums? scrapbooks? 

I am certain I have mentioned before how hard our well water is.  There is iron and magnesium in it, and not sure what else.  Even with a Water Softener it still isn't as soft as I think it should be.  We have sent a sample of water away to determine exactly what is in it and what system we can purchase to take some of the minerals out of it.

In the meantime our bathroom still needs cleaned of the rust stains the well water leaves behind, and this is how I combat it.  Never the most pleasant task to be done in the house.

Cleaning the bathroom is not on the top of my list of the most favourite things that I want to do, however someone has to do the "dirty work" and my name got picked for the job !  

Even though my feet are very bruised from all the walking I have been doing the past couple of weeks, I never tire of the view on my very early morning walks ..... this morning was no exception.  I do love sunsets, but I also LOVE the sunises I am so fortunate to witness most mornings.

Temperatures have been sky high this Summer, with very little rain here.  We have been trying to stay cool by running our little window air conditioner on the cheap hydro times which is from 7 pm until 7 am each day.  Other then that we keep our ceiling fans going constantly to keep the air flow, and our windows all closed up to keep the heat OUT where it belongs.  Sleeping hasn't been too bad, as there has been a couple of nasty nights, however nothing we can't live with.  I do NOT want to complain as I am NOT a Winter person, so Spring, Summer & Fall suits me just fine.

It really is a bonus when we go out in our vehicles, as of course they are air conditioned ! and out on the motorcycle is even better if we ever find ourselves any time to do so.

How do you "beat the heat"?

I had some "happy" mail today from my blogger friend, Lynn.  We have been exchanging note via snail mail the past couple of months (thanks for initiating Lynn), which has been fun to get.  Lynn has a Foodie Blog that you may find & enjoy by *clicking* HERE.

I don't think I can ever say enough, "I am truly blessed with such great friends and family members, who most certainly know who they are.  Thank you xo

Not much more to say this day, Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard.

Early Mornings

The past couple of weeks I have been having myself some early mornings, leaving the house anywhere from 5:30 to 6:00 am, so I can get my daily walk in before the heat has saturated the day.

I take photos of the sunrise over Colpoy's Bay, where I walk beside pretty much each day.  I have entered a few of my photos in a #PictureOntario contest that the Ontario Chamber of Commerce has on right now, so fingers crossed that at least one of my photos gets viewed.

As usual I love sharing and being shared with ..... I hope you enjoy the scenery as much as I do.

Bandit has been a great walking partner each morning.  He keeps the pace and never talks back to me or complain (not that any of my other walking companions do either, Sharon, BJ, or Lynn).

Rob and I have been enjoying our company this weekend, and the weather has been absolutely stellar for the Civic Holiday Weekend.

Portia and Bandit, especially Bandit as he is over with them all the time, have also been enjoying "Auntie" Vicki's company.  Vicki does "spoil" her own doggies, and our Aussies as well.

Things to do and places to be, so for now I am off and running, Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard.

**Please respect the ownership of my photos, and request permission if shared with photo credit given to me.  Thank you.

Busy, Busy & Busier

Yes since I have been feeling 100% better I have been busy, busy & busier like there has been no tomorrow !

Last weekend I headed down to my Son, Paul's, where I had a great visit with them all.  Paul & I even picked up my sister Donna, and we all went shopping at Costco Kitchener together.  A short visit with my sister, but still nice to see her in person.

This week I was very happy to have lunch with my Auntie Gladys, and my first Cousin, Cindy.  They travelled up to Wiarton, and of course we had lunch at the Green Door Cafe.

What else have I been upto that has been keeping me so busy, one might ask? well I have been going 90 at trying to loose the 60 lbs I put on last year from all the meds I had been taking.

I have been trying my best to get out twice a day, however that is not always possible, but I have been usually getting out before 6 am for a morning walk averaging about 1.67 miles at a time.

I use two apps on my Iphone to track my walking throughout the day.  One is Endomondo and the other is Pacer.  Love both apps as they keep me on-track.  I also use an app called "Fitness Pal" to keep track of my 1200-1400 a day calorie intake.  

More info on Endomondo, *click* HERE, on Pacer, *click* HERE (free download app for iphone), and My Fitness Pal, *click* HERE.  All these apps have been very instrumental in my weight loss endeavours.  To date I have lost 17 lbs since February, and also some inches off my thighs, stomach and waist.  Trust, you, me, it has been a difficult journey some days, but I am persistent as I want to get back at my "normal", or "old" weight.

What else have I been up to, other then the every day humdrum of housework? well I have been back taking a few photos again ...... while out on my early morning walks along the beautiful Colpoy's Bay.

I usually take a "new" photo each morning on my walk, as it is every changing.  Really I am fortunate that we live in such a beautiful Ontario area.

This weekend is the Civic Holiday weekend.  Our friends, Vicki & Doug arrived today to visit over the weekend.  I am thinking the weather is to be amazing, so perfect for them to have a little holiday away from their home.

Speaking of friends, I think I will stroll on over to their RV to have myself a wee visit with them, Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard.

Happy Weekend

This past weekend had been a happy weekend for us as we had our youngest son, Paul, his wife, Liz, and our grandchildren, Josh, Aiden, Chloe, Briar & Connor arrive on our doorstep late Saturday afternoon.

Once they had arrived we had a bit of bbq'd hamburgers, along with potato salad, then headed on out for some fun at Berford Lake.

It only took me about 6 photos to finally get Paul to *smile*.  The kids all loved exploring the shoreline as well as swimming.

Josh was in his glory catching crayfish of all sizes !

We must not forget Missy Mercedes, who also had a fun weekend with us.

Sunday morning we at some more fun at Wiarton's Bluewater Park, then had lunch before the "family" headed back to their own home.  Thank goodness they have a van ! however I still think they could also use one of those car top carriers .... to stuff even more into.

We always love having the grandkids come up for a visit.  This is the first time they have been up since Christmas.  Rob's daughter and her two boys will be coming up soon to a cottage close by they have rented.  Hopefully we will be able to spend some "quality" time with them while they are here.

I got started back this morning on my early morning walks.  I usually head out just before 6 am.  Nice and quiet at that time in the morning.

The scenery is forever changing looking out across Colpoy's Bay.  I try to get a different photo each day.

After walking this morning I spent the day doing the usual morning routine, then adding to the day by cutting the lawn and pulling some twitch grass out of my flowerbed (lots more still to pull, dang stuff).  Other then that is has pretty much been a mundane kind of day here, Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard.