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The difference between a House and a Home

By Home4 Comments

home-apartment-mill-large

My Apartment is in a former Cotton Mill. Image Illustrated by Sye Watts.


A house is a building usually with four walls, a roof, windows and doors that people live in. Whereas a home can be any sort of dwelling and is infinitely more. A home is:

  • A destination that you always look forward to arriving at.
  • A sense of belonging.
  • A place where kin come together to socialise, share meals, drink and be merry.
  • A place filled with laughter.
  • A place where birthdays, Christmas and other events are celebrated.
  • A place of mental and emotional comfort.
  • A place of physical comfort.
  • A place of good memories.
  • A place of love, affection and sex.
  • A place that can be quiet or noisy.
  • A place that may have children, pets and plants that need caring for.
  • A place of growth.
  • A place of life and death.
  • A place filled with sentimental items: photos, ornaments and artwork.
  • A place of safety.
  • A place where you can be yourself without fear of judgement.
  • A place where you can feel exactly as you do without having to explain.
  • A place you feel yourself immediately relax on entering.
  • A place of mediation and reflection.
  • A place where you can dance unobserved.
  • Somewhere that there’s always a cup of tea on offer.
  • A place where good meals are made and devoured.
  • A place filled with sentimental items: photos, ornaments and artwork.
  • A place where personal hygiene takes place.
  • A place where pyjamas are worn.
  • A place where books are read and your imagination is ignited & stimulated.
  • A place where TV and films are watched.
  • A place where music is listened to and enjoyed.
  • A place of privacy.
  • A place where some practice their faith, religion or magic.
  • A place where more than one language may be spoken, sometimes in the same conversation.
  • A place that is part of a vibrant and diverse community.

I am so fortunate. Seven years ago I bought my own apartment (see The Move) and it quickly became my own home. But what makes me feel really fortunate, is that I have several other places that feel like home. Places where friends and self-proclaimed-adoptive-families live.

Take care,

Antony



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Friday 12 August 2016

Book Review: If Someone Says “You Complete Me,” RUN! by Whoopi Goldberg

By Amazon, Books & Authors, Gay, Love & Relationships, ReviewsNo Comments
whoopi-goldberg-run-book-cover Before I start this review, I want to say that I love the all-round good egg that is Whoopi Goldberg. I love the on screen Goldberg. I love the Goldberg I’ve watched on many interviews on YouTube where she has defended the rights of gay people, the homeless, children and people who have substance misuse issues. Goldberg has been fighting the battle against AIDS, since it came onto the scene in the 80s.

Goldberg gives her advice about love and relationships in If Someone Says “You Complete Me,” RUN!. The book can be summarised in three sentences:
1. Be self aware. Know what you want from a relationship and be realistic about it.
2. Have your own life. Be comfortable alone. Have your own busy life and don’t make a new relationship your entire life. It’s good to have your own friends, social commitments, hobbies and leisure activities.
3. Communicate. Tell your potential partner what you want and don’t from the outset. Set the boundaries from the beginning and know what you’re willing to compromise on and what you’re not willing to compromise on.

At the start of a If Someone Says “You Complete Me,” RUN! Goldberg describes herself as an Realist. But at intervals throughout the book she felt like more of a Cynic.

In If Someone Says “You Complete Me,” RUN! Goldberg discusses friends with benefits or F*** buddies, mentioning that she has a few for booty calls herself. She emphasises the need to know the difference between physical and emotional needs, and for both sides to know what the deal is.

Goldberg is an inspirational icon, but there’s just nothing inspiring about this book, which is a real shame. It should be noted that she wrote this book during and after the recent death of her brother. So perhaps she was grief-stricken with a deadline looming.

There were some mildly entertaining Ask Whoopi sections throughout the book, where Goldberg responds to relationship dilemmas.

What Goldberg covers in If Someone Says “You Complete Me,” RUN! could have been covered in a 500-1,000 word article. It felt like Goldberg had put tones of unnecessary words in, that said nothing, to make up the word count.

This is not the first time I’ve been disappointed by a book Goldberg has written. I read her Book, which I reviewed here and was disappointed. I think in future, I’ll steer clear of any written works by Goldberg.

Review soon,

Antony

mental-health-wisdom-banner



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Wednesday 30 March 2016

Back To Penrhos Cottage & Visiting Animalarium Borth Zoo

By Adventures, Friends & Family, Happiness & Joy, NatureNo Comments
Wales Black Berries

Blackberries

 Last weekend a friend and I went to stay at the lovely Penrhos Cottage for some rest and relaxation. I’ve previously stayed at Penrhos Cottage, see my blog post: Mid-Wales, Part 1: The Lovely Penrhos Cottage. We spent the time catching up, enjoying nature, watching TV and reading books. It was great to have no schedule.

On the Saturday I took the opportunity to walk up into the hills and found a private garden with some miniature buildings. I hiked further up the hills and found some abandoned slate ruins. See some photos below:

Wales Garden Buildings

Private Garden Miniature Buildings 1
Wales Garden Buildings 2

Private Garden Miniature Buildings 2
Wales Slate Ruin 1

Slate Ruins 1
Wales Slate Ruins 2

Slate Ruins 2

On the Sunday we stopped off at Animalarium, Borth’s Zoo on our way home. Animalarium is a small Zoo that also takes in unwanted pets. You can really get close and interact with the animals at this Zoo. You can even buy pots of food and feed some of the animals. This animal interaction makes it an ideal place to take children. Throughout the day it had a number of free talks about some of the animals and some opportunities to see animals getting fed. My friend and I had an enjoyable time, here are some photos of the animals:

Wales animalarium lemur

Animalarium: Lemur
Animalarium Monkey 1

Animalarium: Monkey 1
Animalarium: Monkey

Animalarium: Monkey 2
Animalarium Meerkats 1

Animalarium: Meerkats 1
Animalarium Meerkats 2

Animalarium: Meerkats 2
Animalarium goat

Animalarium: Goat
Animalarium Cat

Animalarium: Cat
Animalarium Wallerby

Animalarium: Wallerby
Animalarium jaguar

Animalarium: Jaguar – Sunbathing.
Animalarium bird

Animalarium: Some sort of Bird
Animalarium calf cow

Animalarium: Calf
Animalarium Pythons

Animalarium: Pythons
Animalarium pythons sign

Animalarium: Pythons Sign

Animalarium is a small Zoo and as such felt like a place that needs more financial support. My friend and I talked about maybe adopting an animal or two there, it’s something I certainly intend to do when money is less tight.

Hope you enjoyed the update and photos.

Blog soon,

Antony



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Sunday 28 September 2014

Be Creative Everyday

By Amazon, Books & Authors, Creativity, Happiness & Joy, Inspiration, Journalism, Thinking2 Comments

Recently I’ve been thinking about being creative, but not actually doing anything creative. Creativity should be something I do everyday, as it has so many benefits, including:

  • It lights up my imagination, giving me pleasure and increasing my happiness.
  • It motivates me.
  • It is good for my mind, heart and soul. It makes my mind more active, my heart beat faster and enriches my soul.
  • It helps me deal with my feelings, good and bad. It also helps me to express these feelings.
  • It makes me a better problem-solver. When I’m feeling creative, I can come up with better solutions to problems.
  • It allows me to explore ideas.
  • It enables me to look at events, situations and people in different ways.
  • Helps me to hope for and imagine better or alternative futures.
  • It gives me hope, at times when I feel that I need it.
  • Other people’s creativity inspires me.

The way to be more creative, is to play, as children do inhibited. So when I was at Waterstones at the weekend and saw these books, I just had to pick them up. Here’s my opportunity to play and be creative:

642-things-to-draw-book-cover 642-things-to-write-about-book-cover

I picked up both of these books along with a pack of felt tip pens. I’m going to draw or write something in these books at least once a day. I’ve already started.

I’ll be posting my progress here by sharing a few scanned images. Don’t expect any drawing I do to be an artistic master piece (for that see my fabulous Illustrator friend Sye); or that any writing I do will be literary genius. Just take it for what it is – me playing. I’m aiming to post a progress update once a week.

Blog soon,

Antony



I aim for posts on this blog to be informative, educational and entertaining. If you have found this post useful or enjoyable, please consider making a contribution by Paypal:


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Tuesday 19 August 2014
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