A new chapter, and a fresh start

I lost my old 'Oops I did it again' blog, so I will start again with new chapter.

I like fresh starts, and new beginnings.  It is a bit like when I was at school, and I was given a new text book.  Clean pages, all crisp and white.  No messy scrawly writing, just blank lines.  I would always say to myself 'this time, I will keep it tidy and neat......'

I have just come back from a Writing Course in France (Chez Castillon) called 'Is there a novel in you?' I was amongst some seriously talented people and experienced writers/authors.  At first I felt a little overwhelmed by it all.  Within one day though, I was coming out of my shell, and by the end of the week, my confidence had grown hugely.  I am not confident yet about writing a whole novel, as the thought is somewhat daunting.  I feel at the moment that I need to practise the art of writing.  Practise makes perfect, or so they say.

A brief news update, since my last blog which I am ashamed to say, was at the end of May last year!  My old Joseyjo blogspot seems to be out there in cyberland, but I can't actually get into it.  I will therefore start again with a new chapter, and new desire to write.

The operation last May to mend my arm went wrong, and I ended up with a new fracture and nerve damage.  My arm is what medics call functional, and that is ok with me......after all, it could have been so much worse.  I thank God for being there with me at every stage and for giving me strength and patience.

I moved out of my lovely home recently, which housed my 4 children and I for seven years.  Full of all the ups and downs of family life, the joys and the woes, it was time to move on.  I moved into a beautiful flat/apartment not so far away.  I love it here, and I feel so very blessed and happy.  It feels so right and I have a sense of peace and completeness.  I am calling it 'Shalem Beit' which means in Hebrew 'wholeness, completeness and peace'

This is a new chapter for me and the door is closing on a huge part of my life.  I have spent the last 28 years mothering, nurturing and caring for my four children.  My three eldest are now living in London, and my youngest is just finishing University, so I am now entering a new phase..... I guess you could call it the Autumn of my life.  I plan to live it in burst of colour and fruitfulness, just like the season itself, before I enter the Winter of my life.

I intend to write more, improve myself, blog more frequently, get fit so as not to get 'writers bottom'! and continue exploring the world.  I may even embark on this novel that is in my head, but time will tell.

When I was in Tanzania recently, I was given a proverb which means 'good fortune is like the wind and now it is blowing in my direction'.  I like that, and I am going to put it above my front door to remind me.  It is what I feel now, after many years of ups and downs, I have finally come full circle to where I am meant to be.