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This above all; to thine own self be true. 
William Shakespeare

WRITING 101 ~ 28 SEPTEMBER 2015 ~DAY  SIXTEEN~STATS

30/9/2015

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WRITING 101 ~ DAY 16: SEARCH YOUR STATS FOR A POST IDEA

   
If you don’t glean anything from your stats page, consider one of these prompts instead:

(1) If you were forced to make your blog private, would that affect your writing?

(2) Overnight, you discover you’ve gained 50,000 blog subscribers. What would you write for your next post?

(3) One day, you notice a strange stat. Write a short piece of fiction or poem that describes what you see, and/or what happens.

    I clicked on the stats button and I was amazed at the incredible way the information and figures are broken down and displayed and I can see some fruitful future posts emanating from these figures. 
    As the writer and the author of the posts that are broken down in this 
very thorough way, I have to thank you for the information that I am obviously too busy writing to amass myself, and with little time to take them in.
   This site has not been operating long enough to generate the sort of statistics that are required to fully respond to the first part of your assignment so I will attempt to make a response to one of the three suggested alternatives.


  I will plump for No.3

I have just got into the habit of checking the stats page of my WordPress blog. Today I discovered when I clicked on "Countries,"  that I have been honoured to have had one viewer from Macedonia. 

I address this to you ...
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Macedonian Flag ~ Image from the net
MACEDONIAN MAGIC

My friend, I would like to thank you
For visiting my blog this year.
I would love to visit your beautiful land
To travel to Skopje, try to understand.

I have Macedonian friends who share
Photographs on Social media here, 
Sharing your magic over the Internet,
Beautiful scenery, mountains and lakes.

My friend I would enjoy the mystery
The ancient Ottoman influences
Try to unravel the proud history
Explore Skopje's famous bazaar.

Thanks once again for tasting my blog
My friend I have no idea who you are
I will study the stats and nod my head.
You are welcome to return again.


Copyright (c) Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved.
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WRITING 101 ~DAY 15 ~  25th SEPTEMBER 2015

28/9/2015

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Day 15 Assignment: Take a Cue From Your Readers

“Without music, life would be a mistake.”

— Friedrich Nietzsche

Tell us about a time when a piece of music moved you.
Do you have an all-time favourite song? Why is it significant?
Compile a playlist of 10 tracks that represent you.

MUSICAL DRIFT
by John Yeo

"Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast.” 
William Congreve.

"If music be the food of love, play on."  
William Shakespeare .
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Image from the Net
(1) THE LARK ASCENDING 

   The piece of music that still gives rise to goosebumps whenever I hear it is    the wonderful sound of,  "The Lark Ascending," a violin solo, composed by Ralph Vaughan-Williams. It was played at the time of death of someone who was very close to me.

    It was a very sad time for me, when I first heard this beautiful sound that resonated through my mind and reached deeply into my being. I sat listening entranced, as the violin brought pictures with a flood of memories to my consciousness.           

   The music was inspired by a poem of the same name by the English poet George Meredith and is based on a skylark's song, as the little bird flies higher and higher, the violin plays softer and softer until the sound eventually fades away. 

   I think of the way a life starts out very strong and then as death approaches the soul rises higher and higher into the heavens and finally disappears into the immensity of timeless space above.

  That magical sound moved me tremendously, and I am sure it will every single time I hear it played, bringing back the magic of a little bird ascending on a Summers morning over a cornfield.

​
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Image from the Net
(2) ~ My all-time favourite song could be one of many, I would have difficulty choosing a single song, but a near close favourite would be, "My Way," sung and interpreted brilliantly by Frank Sinatra. I will plump for that as an all-time favourite for the benefit of this blog post.

  Why is it significant for me? I love the words, they always seem to inspire me to raise my aspirations as high as I possibly can, to achieve what I would like to achieve using my own initiative. 

There is a huge mass of so-called feedback out there that I can totally ignore and carry on mundane-like in, "My Way".
(3) ~ OK NOW FOR TEN TRACKS THAT REPRESENT ME!

In no particular order ~~~

  • The Lark Ascending, - Violin and Orchestra.
  • Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No2, Second movement -
  • Casa Diva - Sung by Maria Callas -
  • Time to Say Goodbye - Sung by Andrea Bocelli and Sara Brightman.
  • My Way - Sung by Frank Sinatra
  • Que Sera Sera Sera - Sung by Doris Day 
  • Bridge Over Troubled Water - Sung by Simon and Garfunkel
  • Desiderata by Les Crane
  • The Protecting Veil by John Tavener
  • Gregorio Allegri: Miserere 


This selection is the first ten tracks of many that come to mind, I would not say they represent me in any concrete fashion. They all mean something to me and they individually, bring a significant memory to mind.


Copyright © Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved.
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 WRITING 101 ~ DAY 14 ~ 24th SEPTEMBER 2015  

26/9/2015

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Image © Copyright John and Margaret
Day 14 Recreate a single day

You might sense by now that setting limits on your writing can be both liberating and productive. You’ve already experimented with word count and timed free-writes in previous assignments, so today let’s try something new: write a post that takes place during one single day.

It might seem hard, at first, to tell a compelling story with such a limited temporal horizon: you have no recourse to flashbacks, backstory, or foreshadowing (unless it’s in reference to something about to take place that same day). But the narrow confines of one single day will encourage you to zoom in on the telling detail, the meaningful exchange, and the tight, cascading succession of actions that each depends on the one that precedes it.

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A DAY OF HARD RECREATION
by John Yeo

    Morning arrives slowly, as I lie in a half awake reverie. A sort of interlude while I am lying, mulling over the events of yesterday and more importantly focusing on what Margaret and I are going to do today. 
I check the time, it is around 4am. 'Better get up I think.'

   I shower, shave and switch my computer on. This takes a short while to warm up and I clamber into my clothes and take my seat to virtually travel the world. I  check my e-mails first, then my comment flow from WordPress where I  spend some time responding to those who have taken the time to read my work and comment. Next I visit Facebook and Twitter and look in on my family and friends pages and I tick the like button many times on their various posts.  I spend some time reading the posts of my fellow writers who have tagged me with their work, I check out my writing from the previous day, and post the results on the net.

 I glance at the clock and I notice it is now 7am and I have been awake for 3 hours already. I make a morning cup of tea for Margaret and leave the house and drive to the local garage where I buy a newspaper.
  I then head off to the allotment where I spend time growing vegetables and soft fruit, I have a mental list of what needs doing and I spend a couple of glorious hours gardening. My mind, as always, is mulling over my writing projects while I work. I happily soak up the  sounds and sights of the birds and wildlife, and of course the occasional fellow enthusiast arrives  to feed their chickens or to water the greenhouse. This morning my friend  Darren, arrives early to see to his chickens, and takes the time to congratulate me on my prolific soft fruit bushes. 
  "I never seem to get that many on mine," he remarks. 
 I promise to give him a couple of cuttings next year, he is happy about that as he leaves to go to work.

 9.30am and I have done a couple of hours work, so I decide to head home for breakfast. I load the car with harvested fruit and vegetables before I leave.
 After a leisurely breakfast Margaret and I head off on a 6 mile journey, to a nearby town to shop for groceries. The traffic is quite light as the infamous school run is over at this time. 

I glance at the dashboard and notice the time is now 11.25am.
We wander around our favourite store stocking up with groceries, when there is a sudden.    "Hi! You two,"  
     "Hello how are you? Haven't seen you for ages!"
"I'm fine, my Mum is with me too!"
The four of us are excitedly chatting and blocking the aisle and eventually Margaret and I continue our shopping.
 "That was pleasant,"  I remark to Margaret. 
"Yes, doesn't she look well, and her Mum, looking that good at 90years old!"

  We arrive home at about 3pm, after visiting another store. 
We enjoy a lunch together and relax and unwind.
   "Margaret, I will plant that tray of plants  we have just bought and stain our garden furniture this afternoon. That second store we visited is a very useful place to shop."
 "I will deal with the shopping and then prepare a special meal for tonight,"
Margaret replies.
    "Then I will get on with some writing." 

 7.00pm and my mind is now totally absorbed in another world on another plane of being as I play with ideas, fashion words into a logical sequence to attract and hold a readers interest.
Margaret is creating a meal and we will soon eat together.  I interrupt her,
"Margaret can you spare a moment please."  
    "Yes!" she replies, and I begin to read my latest piece of writing to her for her approval.
Just one or two minor suggestions and adjustments and I finish the work.
 
It is now 7.30pm and we are enjoying a really nice meal together in front of the television. There is a cookery contest programme in full swing. I laugh and remark to Margaret, 
  "You would leave those contestants standing if you entered that competition! This food is absolutely brilliant, tasty, well prepared and well presented."
      " Don't be silly you are biased!" Is her modest reply.

 We watch television until around 9pm, when tiredness creeps up on me and I leave Margaret watching television and retire to bed.

Copyright © Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved

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WRITING 101 ~ 23RD SEPTEMBER 2015 ~DAY THIRTEEN ~VIGNETTES

25/9/2015

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Day 13: Compose a series of vignettes

Today, tell a story through a series of vignettes (short, episodic scenes or anecdotes) that together read as variations on the same theme. They can each be as short or long as you see fit — they don’t have to be the same length — but they need a common feature to tie them together, whether it’s a repeated phrase, a similar setting, or the appearance of the same perso
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Image © John and Margaret
A HEALING MIRACLE
by John Yeo

   The Doctor was puzzled at the symptoms, Mary was covered in an itchy rash that she scratched and scratched, sometimes she even drew blood.
  He wrote a prescription for creams and pills and sent her on her way. 
     
  The itching continued to be troublesome to Mary, in spite of the pills and cream. Doctor Jason became alarmed as there was no sign of any improvement. 
      “I saw you a whole month ago, have you followed my instructions, taken the tablets and applied the cream?” 
     “Yes,” Mary replied.
   “You have been fiercely scratching and there are some deep marks, and there has been no improvement! Perhaps I will change the tablets, add a lotion and send you to hospital for a blood test.”
     
  Mary was itching for another two weeks, then she saw the Doctor again. 
    “Oh dear!” The Doctor exclaimed. ” Ah yes, I see you have had your blood test, which seems to be normal, with very good results. I wonder if you have any known allergies? “
  “  No Doctor, not that I know of. My Mum thought it may be something like that, but no-one in our family has any allergies. My cousin, Little Joe has Asthma, but he doesn’t get spots.”
    “Hmm!” Pondered Doctor Jason. “I think we will send you off to hospital to see a Consultant. Meanwhile I will not change the cream as you appear to be better in some places, and worse in others. I can see where you have been scratching and I will increase the ointment and change the lotion.”
    “Doctor, my Auntie says the special herbal creams are best, and the natural remedies always work!”
    “Oh!” “Exclaimed the Doctor! “Yes, sometimes they can have certain effects. Bring any creams that Auntie has recommended or used on you and bring your Mother with you tomorrow please! I will get the creams analysed.””
     “Even the special homemade body cream Doctor?”
      “Especially the body cream!”
     “Yes, Doctor, Goodbye!”
  “Goodbye Mary, I will see you tomorrow.”  
     
   Mary and her Mother were early for the appointment the next day but the Doctor saw them immediately.
   “Have you brought the creams with you?” The Doctor asked straight away.
    “Yes,”! Here they are.” Said Mary’s Mum.
   “Good! Tell me Mrs Manners, do you have any spots?”
    “No, I am fine Doctor.”
    “Hmm! I would like you both to stop using this body cream at once, and I would like you both to see a consultant at the hospital together. I have managed to get an appointment for 9am on Monday, and I want to see Mary again on Tuesday.”
 
      The next Tuesday Mary was considerably better when she saw the Doctor.
  “Doctor,” Mary said. “My Mum thinks your cream has worked a miracle, and my spots are nearly all gone!”
  “That’s fine Mary! Please ask your Mother to come to see me tomorrow , and keep applying my cream.”
  “Yes, Doctor!”

Copyright (c) Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved.


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WRITING 101 ~ DAY TWELVE ~ 22ND SEPTEMBER 2015 ~ WORD COUNT

24/9/2015

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Writing 101
Experimenting with word count?

In today’s post, pay attention to the total length of your post: if you usually write posts under 500 words, aim for longer. If you tend to write a lot, be succinct.


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Image from the net
Today I aimed for a post exactly 750 Words long, not including the title and credits

AFTER SHOCK
by John Yeo 
 
    The waves of nausea were flooding through every pore of his skin. Every pain-filled nerve was screaming with shock as he came round. Uppermost in his memory was the horror of the approaching car on the wrong side of the road. 

A deafening explosion of sound resounded as the two vehicles collided, then nothing, until now, as he became aware of this excruciating pain. 
 Yet he knew there had been something, as the aftershock cut into his consciousness, he had been aware of a presence, somehow not a physical entity in the accepted or known sense. Just a calm reassuring presence that seemed to envelop his whole being from every point of his awareness. 

 He wanted to scream out loud but his voice failed him as the only sound was a silent scream of intense magnitude. A scream of helpless terror inaudible to all but the higher sensory perception of animals that hunted for food in the dead of night. He could feel a wet fluid dripping from somewhere on the side of his head, somehow he was aware of his life-blood seeping away Desperately he tried to move as the pain ripped through him at a very intense level, then nothing, as unconsciousness flooded through him again. 

 The feeling of another presence returned, but this time a female voice
 whispered,  "lie still."
 He tried desperately to voice a response through the waves of pain, overwhelming pain, viscously tearing him apart. 
 'Am I alive or dead?' He wondered to himself.
    "Lie still please, we will take you on a journey!" 
Then everything was black again, as he seemed to be transported through several layers of intense blackness that disguised the fact that the intense pain had disappeared, he was now pain-free.

   He opened his eyes and blinked as the intense bright lights dazzled him, then he became aware of a strong antiseptic smell and with a deep feeling of fright, unaware of everything. Then there was a warm friendly voice calling. "Hallo! You have come back welcome to the world again!"
 "Hallo," he murmured as an intense tiredness overcame him once again.
    Waves of sleep overcame him and the very deep blackness seemed to enclose him like a velvet glove. Next he felt a jolt of pain as he was wrenched into consciousness, he became aware of the bright lights and many voices  with machines bleeping and uniformed hospital personnel surrounding his bed.
   The variety of sensations that he experienced were frightening to his inner feelings as he felt tubes and drips in many places on his body. The bleeping of the life preserving machines, with the sound of telephones ringing in the background were beyond his experience.

  "Hallo! What is your name? Where are you from? How do you feel? What do you remember? "
The questions came thick and fast, and however much he tried to answer just a mirror reply to the greeting came to the surface. 
   "Hello!" He mimicked the tone and timbre of the voice, that  greeted him.
He heard the words without any understanding as an authoritative voice, interjected softly with the words, "brain damage."

  He kept slipping in and out of consciousness over the next twenty-four hours as he was subjected to a battery of tests,  X-rays, blood tests and finally a  brain scan.
  
This brain scan revealed extensive damage to the right hemisphere of his brain. Although he struggled hard he had no recollection whatsoever of who he was prior to the accident or any recognition of his friends or family who he rejected on sight. A very famous neurologist was handling his case aided by a highly respected psychologist. 
 It was not long before the stunned medical team drew some astonishing conclusions, although he was still physically very weak, his brain power became incredibly strong and he was soon operating at a very high intellectual level. The damaged area of his brain was actually restoring itself and the results were soon apparent in his far superior brain functions.

  Some time later he was judged fit and competent to take care of himself and he was discharged into the community, with the given name of Michael Palmer.
  Michael after a few months of treatment had become fluent in English and seven languages and revealed himself to be a genius in mathematics and science. The medical establishment were astounded! How had he accumulated such a wealth of knowledge in such a short period of time?
 
Michael's high intelligence became famous throughout the scientific world.

( POST ~ 750 WORDS)

Copyright (c) Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved
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WRITING 101~ DAY ELEVEN ~ 21ST SEPTEMBER 2015 ~ Writing Breaks

23/9/2015

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WRITING 101 DAY ELEVEN ~ 21ST SEPTEMBER 2015

As much as we love to write, it’s important to take breaks — to live your life and have new experiences, and to reflect and recharge so you can come back to your desk, ready to hit the keyboard again. Not writing allows you to gain the distance from your words, and thus perspective, which are both needed when it’s time to edit.

"Being active every day makes it easier to hear that inner voice"

— Haruki Murakami, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

"Write every day, but don’t put your life on hold . . ."

— Vincent Mars, “Writing as a Way of Life“

What do you do when you’re not writing? How do you reset and return to this dashboard, refreshed? What do you need in your day-to-day life to maintain balance: Running? Yoga? Gardening? Painting? Cooking?

Today, publish your post in any form you wish, as long as you focus on one or all of these questions.

You have an additional task for the day. Reach out to someone for an interview or collaboration. This person can be a Blogging 101 participant, 
 ~~~~~~~

THE HAPPY GARDENER
by John Yeo

 My third most important passion in life is Gardening. The second of course is Writing, both of these come far behind the first and most important passion, that will always be my wife Margaret.

 My day begins very early in the morning usually about 4am with my first session on the computer. I respond to messages and start writing for a couple of hours every day. I have to repeat  this is just the first session and I always finish my writing in the evenings.
 
 Then around 7am I usually head off to work growing vegetables on my allotment. I find this is much the best time of day to work it is always very quiet and I can get my work done almost totally undisturbed. 
 There is always a profusion of bird life keeping me company, from the cockerel that is always loudly crowing to the raucous cries of the rooks and the chattering of magpies. 
 I always enjoy working on the allotment where I get fresh-air, exercise and the satisfaction of nurturing my plants. Watching them grow from a tiny seed to proudly presenting the fruit and vegetables to Margaret, who then creates some tasty dishes in the kitchen.

  Usually several times a week I can be found gardening in our small garden at home mowing the lawn or tending the flowers in the borders. We also grow tomatoes and blueberries in tubs. 


Copyright © Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved 

For the second part of this assignment, I need a volunteer who would be willing to be interviewed or to indulge in some writing collaboration. Please leave a message in the comments section of this post. Thanks. 😋
 
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 18TH SEPTEMBER  2015 ~ WRITING 101 ~ DAY TEN ~ Virtual Coffee date

20/9/2015

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Image © John and Margaret
18th SEPTEMBER 2015 ~ WRITING 101 ~ Day 10
A VIRTUAL COFFEE DATE

It's a simple idea, but offers a bit more structure to your post — and is a lot more fun. So today, write an update post in the form of a virtual coffee date.

If this post isn't fitting for your blog, or just not your style, here's your alternative: use a coffee shop as your inspiration.

Set your poem or short story in a cafe.
Go to your neighbourhood spot with your laptop or notebook and free-write for 20 minutes, prompted by what you observe.
Love or hate coffee? Tell us why.

COFFEE TIME
by John Yeo

 I was taking tea with Margaret, who was having coffee with me. We were seated in a third-floor restaurant in the city on two comfortable easy chairs overlooking a very busy main road. This comfortable, quite busy restaurant was above one of our favourite stores. There is a row of six comfortable leather settees with cushions and tables with easy chairs to match, arranged along the windows .The main seating area has simple wooden furniture and we were lucky to have secured our chairs with a view.
We had just completed our shopping and we were relaxing, watching the world go by, both inside and outside  this busy eatery. It was just prior to the midday lunchtime and the clientele, mainly made up of retired people and mothers with young children were socialising and conversing while they enjoyed a selection of beverages and food.
 There is a free public internet connection here and although it is somewhat  unreliable and sporadic I was able to gain access.
I logged onto my social media page to find the following series of comments on a Writing 101 post I had posted earlier.....

(1) ~ MY FRIEND~"Here's some advice. Write about something that frightens you to your core. Write about something that makes you so sad you feel suicidal. Write about something so optimistic that even conceiving of it makes you look ridiculous. Write about people you love in a way that's honest. Be painfully honest. Write about something that you think will bore other people, but that absorbs you completely. Write about sex with a loved one. Write about your jealousy, or your enviousness. Write about your cowardice. Write about people you hate. Write the stories of other people. Steal them. A good writer is a loving, heart-feeling, lying, unscrupulous conniving scheming, retiring bastard."


(2) ~MY FRIEND ~  "I think that these courses are parlour games. They don't teach writing to an adult. What they teach, and how they teach it, is for semi-illiterate teenagers."


 (3) ~ MY FRIEND ~ "But that's just my view, John."

~~~~~~~~~

My response to this is as follows .....

  MY FRIEND, If I were having coffee with you I would have to thank you very much for your advice, some of which I find very good and very appealing. The first and most interesting section of your comment reveals much about you as a writer? and a person. The first three sentences although worded in an extreme sensationalist way are really quite appealing. I am aware that to hold the interest of a reader in some cases sensationalism is a must, I do feel however that one should strike a balance and allow for the calm ordinary placid side of life to intrude.

  MY FRIEND, If I were having coffee with you, I would avoid confrontation and  I would have to point out that my writing is honest when it refers to my personal relationships without the need to publicise our sex life to the reading general public. 
 I find the last few sentences incredible and I have known you for a number of years through the medium of the social media, I do read your frequent posts and I have yet to detect some of these aspects in your writing. 

  MY FRIEND, If I were having coffee with you, I would have to take issue with your second comment and confess in a purely non-confrontational way that I find the implication behind this remark really rather insulting. These  are not exactly courses in the accepted sense but a very good way of engaging with other people and indulging in some writing practice. I have yet to meet anyone who is semi-illiterate taking part in this or any other writing medium that I have enjoyed taking part in.

  MY FRIEND, If I were having coffee with you, I would have to shake hands with you and point out that I admire a person who doesn't just hold a view but is not ashamed to spill it out even if, and I quote you here......
"A good writer is a loving, heart-feeling, lying, unscrupulous conniving scheming, retiring bastard."

  But that's just my view, MY FRIEND ~
 

Copyright (c) Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved.

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750 WORDS ~ DAY NINE ~17th SEPTEMBER  2015 ~ WRITING 101 

19/9/2015

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Image from the Net
Writing 101: Day 9, Reinvent the Letter Format
Today, write your post as a letter. Approach it in any way you'd like.
Some might say a post in the form of a letter is trite and overdone, but when done well, a public a public open letter can tell a great story or get your message across..

~~~
 
A letter to my stepfather Jack, thanking him for the legacy he left me when he died without knowing anything about it.
 
Dear Jack,
   I write this public letter to you as a sincere thank-you for the joy you left behind, when you sowed the seeds of an interest in gardening, just before you passed away. 
  For years I worked in an office and lived in a flat in town, then when you became poorly, I began to help you with your garden and your allotment. The more I helped and took an interest in gardening, the closer we became and albeit  we were stepfather and son, we soon became very good gardening friends. I developed a very deep love of gardening that has permeated my very being.
   You have been gone for about twenty-five years now and I am still happily gardening. I have my garden at home that is adorned with colourful flowers and shrubs around the lawn, with many special pots of plants, fruit and tomatoes. This  garden is devoted to Margaret, my wife, whom you never had the pleasure of meeting; 
  Another  pride and joy is my allotment, I get a great deal of pleasure out of this. I still get up very early in the morning and most days I manage to spend a couple of hours of gardening there. 
  There are so many benefits to be gained from this, surrounded by the peace and the wildlife and nurturing my produce. The fresh air and exercise is good for me, and I get to meet some very friendly fellow gardeners who sometimes help with advice and spare plants. 
  Above all, I am privileged to have the satisfaction of sowing the seeds and taking care of the growing plants, sometimes against all odds of attacks by pests and plant disease.
  I enjoy the taste of the fresh organic food I bring home for Margaret to turn into delicious healthy meals, she has a passion for creative cooking. I count this as another benefit from your legacy, by sowing the seeds of a love of gardening and growing our own food.
  Little did you know the the value of those few short months we spent together! You, happily directing and fostering my interest in a passion that has grown into a way of life for me.
   Or perhaps you guessed and knew what you were doing.
       
      Thank you so much my gardening friend I remember you every day whenever I am in the garden.
   
                      Yours in grateful memorial,
                                          John
 
Copyright (c) Written by John Yeo ~ All rights reserved.

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WRITING 101 ~ DAY SEVEN ~ 15TH SEPTEMBER 2015

18/9/2015

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Image from the net. www.nikola-breznjak.com
WRITING 101

"A blank page can be intimidating. Sometimes it's helpful to use someone else's words to give you a boost. Today, use a quote or passage from something you've read to introduce your post. You'll see a similar technique at the beginning of a book or chapter in the form of an epigraph."

THE INNER PROCESS

by John Yeo

“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” 
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

 This quote is from a book that I was introduced to at school as a schoolboy, a book that I have re-read several times over the course of my adult life and I have gained something new with each read. I love the story and the hidden messages in numerous quotes running through the book, the above quote however is my favourite, I feel there are many things in life that are invisible to the eye, things that we are conscious of but do not see until we become older and wiser, or more enlightened.
 I have experienced many instances of some invisible, unexplainable force that seems to guide my actions in the choices I make. There is no visible explanation for the reason I choose to follow a certain path or course of action. My inclinations seem to arise from within, possibly from a corner of my mind that instinctively weighs up a situation and without any outside advice, acts. I am sure that the heart that is referred to in this very enlightened quote is the heart of the conscious mind. The heart of the whole person that could even be known as the elusive unseen soul of a person. An ongoing heart of a person that is forever processing all that happens by a process of seeing the whole picture from all angles that is absolutely independent of the eyes and the obvious forms of vision. This is I think what is meant by the quote.
“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” 

Copyright (c) Written by John Yeo ~ 

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WRITING 101 ~16th SEPTEMBER 2015 ~ DAY EIGHT ~ EXPANDING A COMMENT ON A POST

18/9/2015

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WRITING 101 ~Day 8 ~  EXPANDING A COMMENT ON A POST

My choice of comment that I would like to expand on is a comment 
 that I posted in response to this post by Kathy Gregory on Writing 101 ~ Day Three "One-word Inspiration"


http://ataleoftwohorses.com/2015/09/10/one-word-inspiration/


This is my  original comment .......

"A very inspiring piece of writing Kathie ~ I am very impressed by the way you drew some inspiration from all the prompts ~ Thanks for the food for thought."
 
This was Kathies response.

Hi John,
"Thanks very much for your comments, I really enjoyed writing this. Best wishes kathie"

~~~~~~~~~~

 Kathie my very first impression when I had read this was admiration for the clarity of your writing and the clever way you have managed to incorporate all the given words into your response. Loving your job is a beautiful way to use the word love and infers so much more than you actually put into the words you have written. I sense a very deep love of animals and a deep respect for the owners and people you come into contact with through your work.
  I am also very impressed with the way you describe your home as a sanctuary, a place of safety and security where above all else you can close the door and be yourself.
 Then uncertainty appears, certainly in your plans to complete another book.  You list a very comprehensive list of negativities and reasons why you will feel safer in your "comfort zone," and I sense a lot of uncertainty and concern about the decision to publish again and expose your thoughts to the world at large.
 Reading between your lines, especially the strength you reveal in the last two sentences, I feel you have already overcome these glitches in your ongoing development. I really do admire your last sentence enormously! 
With my sincere best wishes for your success with your first love, obviously your love and intuitive skills with animals and my admiration for your obvious writing skills.
I can only finish with a thank-you for an insight into your thoughts. 
I certainly will order a copy of your book.
Best wishes  John .



Picture
I have had a lot of  trouble trying to get the hang of using the methods of seamless linking as outlined in the prompt post. I have used the tried and tested method, I use all the time of copying and pasting the link into the body of my post. I will have to find the time to study this and practice the 
methods.

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