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Gratitude

Last month, on a gloriously warm Easter Sunday morning, my husband and I hid tiny chocolate eggs in the bushes in our garden.

I watched as he led my second child – a petite 2 year old diva in the making – on an intrepid search…Daddy told her they were “looking for clues” as they walked along the path beside our house.

Doubtless she had no idea what “looking for clues” meant, but on discovering her first shiny, dew-covered egg beneath a tree, it was clear to her that whatever a clue was, this was one of them.

The “Clue Egg” was born.

For days after this magical weekend, every time she wanted to tackle the tricky unpeeling of foil-covered chocolate yumminess, she would sweetly ask, “Clue egg? Pease?”

That morning she followed the trail of the clue eggs until they were all uncovered, collecting as many as she could nestle in her tiny hands. It was an expedition of deliciousness.

I realised that this is what we, as sensible grown ups, should be doing every day. Following the trail of the delicious, tasting life one melting drop at a time.

Keep searching everywhere for the beautiful. The gleaming. The divine.

The tiny things that sparkle and crackle and shimmer beneath the dark bushes, hidden amongst the spiders…

The things that give you joy. That make your mouth water and your heart sing. Wonders that you can hug close to you like little treasures.

Keep looking for the things that make you thrilled to be alive.

Because they are clues….

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How To Get Past Your Well-Meaning Fears

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Have you ever used one of those draught excluders that look like long snakes? They lie across the floor along the bottom of gappy doors to stop the cold air sneaking inside.
When I lived in the UK, these snakes were really important, especially in those deep winter nights when the tip of my nose would [...]

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We Raised $120 For Haiti!

Thank you!
After my recent Help Haiti Blog Challenge, I am honoured to announce that we raised $120 for Partners In Health.
This was a project that could so easily have missed the transition from thought to action. But what we don’t do, doesn’t matter. And I’m so grateful that we did something.
So massive, unadulterated, chocolate-flavoured hugs [...]

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The Help Haiti Blog Challenge

I’m a great believer in not watching the news.
Especially since I became a parent. There is a British comedian called Al Murray (aka ‘The Pub Landlord‘) who observes that the minute you have children you suddenly find yourself more right wing. (In context this is really funny – sadly you won’t get the joke here.) [...]

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My Tiny Song Of Gratitude

On this day, 6 years ago, Antonio and I were married. It was a cold but clear November afternoon, and we were married in front of our small group of friends in the drawing room at Egerton Grey, a perfect, cosy little country house in rural Wales.

I walked in to Fritz Wunderlich singing Tamino’s aria [...]

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Imagine Using Your Twitter Superpowers For Good!

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Yes! Finally-  here is an unmissable opportunity for all you avid Tweeters/FBers/bloggers out there to flex your fingers for an excellent cause AND get to know me a little more as well (which has got to be pretty exciting, right?)
As you know, here at The Tiny Soprano I am all about achieving massive results [...]

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Some Free & Tiny Beautiful Things

I love the work that Amanda and Jenn are doing at Kind Over Matter, a site dedicated to “Kind Acts, Inspirational Art & Kind Projects”. They produce a huge wealth of free craft ideas and beautifully designed printable cards, like the “Create Positive Change” picture, or this “Love Your Inner Wild Woman” poster -

But my [...]

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How I Caught The Universe “Red-Handed”

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“It is one of the beautiful compensations of this life that no one can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.” ~ Charles Dudley Warner
The World Is Full Of Scary People Out To Get You…Right?

Some would have you believe that we live in a world where the approach of a stranger signals danger. In [...]

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Baby’s Lesson In Getting Grateful

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Despite having been through childbirth twice, I’m having to go through a number of “firsts”.

This is the first time I have had a baby in Australia.
This is the first time I am booked in to have the baby in a hospital.

My first daughter was a water birth in a Midwife-Led Unit. My second was a [...]

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