About

(Yes, I'm a smiler... Couldn't do cool and elegant if my life depended on it!)

Hello, I'm Claire and welcome to my new blog :)

I've been pondering this for a while now, and as I tap into the Full Willow Moon energy, and begin my journey through The Artist's Way, I'm gathering writings from my other blogs in this, my new home in Blogland.

The title is quite deliberate...

It's a take on a favourite song from a favourite musician - Joni Mitchell's 'Woman of Heart and Mind' - which reflects a lot of who I am.

Art, in all its forms, is VERY important to me and speaks to the deep parts of me. But also, I'm pretty cerebral and thinking/pondering/deliberating is just what I do...

The months after the stroke (which hit 9 May 2007) were so difficult because I couldn't think straight, I couldn't speak, read or write. I struggled to watch dramas on TV as I couldn't follow what was going on; and I still struggle to read fiction if there's a large cast of characters.

But as I approach the 8-year anniversary of this traumatic event, I truly can only feel joy, hope and gratitude. It could have been SO much worse!! Had the clot been 2 cms to the right, I could have died, or been totally paralyzed and locked-in...

Unable to speak, read, write, sit up, stand, walk...

You get the idea!

Every day IS a gift, even the bad ones, as I'm here to experience them.

44 facts about me

1. I'm a typical Taurean - stubborn, earthy, love my food :)
2. I'm diabetic - Type 2 diagnosed 15 years ago
3. I'm an introverted extrovert - I love people, but I must have regular times of silence and solitude.
4. I'm a Type 4 on the Enneagram (the Overview is pretty accurate!
5. I love dark chocolate - 70%+ cocoa content.
6. I'm a life-long learner.
7. I can't speak any foreign languages, though I studied Latin, Greek and Hebrew.
8. I wanted to be an academic - I read Theology at Oxford.
9. I wanted to be a mother more :)
10. I have 3 children, but Connie died in-utero at 30 weeks.
11. My maternal grandmother was Irish.
12. I'm a life-long Liverpool FC supporter, and have a signed photo of Steven Gerrard on the wall (a gift from my Dad several Christmases ago!).
13. My paternal grandfather was a Scouser.
14. I'm a devotee of the Bloomsbury Group.
15. I met my American husband in Kenya.
16. We celebrated our silver wedding anniversary last April (2014).
17. I turned 50 the day before!
18. I collect quotes - mainly about art, literature, culture.
19. Our house is full of books.
20. I've broken both kneecaps (separate accidents).
21. I'm a former Anglican lay minister.
22. I've always been a lousy baker - much to my mother's dismay.
23. Our daughter inherited my mother's gifted-baker gene :)
24. My mother died in 2000 aged 55.
25. I was a couch potato even before the stroke - never been sporty!
26. I'm a Strictly Come Dancing fan.
27. Spring and Autumn are my favourite seasons - I endure Summer and Winter.
28. I have crushes on Simon Baker and Bradley Cooper.
29. I have a girl-crush on Jennifer Lawrence.
30. I'd love to have dinner with Grayson Perry :)
31. I always chew gum after I eat - got to look after my teeth and gums!
32. I've always been an early-to-bed, early-to-riser - need my 8 hours.
33. Toast is my favourite clothes label, but I can only afford sale, or second-hand, items :(
34. I lost my identity when I couldn't read for a year after the stroke.
35. I have learnt to write, draw, paint with my left hand - I was right-handed...
36. I don't like vinegar, anchovies, chilli, spicy curry, salad cream.
37. I'm terrified of spiders.
38. I'd love to do a parachute jump.
39. I've never been skiing.
40. I want to visit Florence.
41. I'm allergic to Elastoplast.
42. I could become a dotty cat lady in my dotage.
43. I am a sensuous person - I delight in my 5 senses and how they help me encounter the physical world, but...
44. I am a Soul having a human experience in this particular time and place.