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Tiny Baby-Steps Sabotaged
Dearest Readers,
I have been informed that one of my posts has been sabotaged, therefore I have had to delete it. Hearing this news upset me, as it made me realise that, it does not really matter who you are, big or small in this world, evil is just pure evil and people will go to any lengths to discredit you or abuse your platform. I am unsure who this said person was and why they would do such a thing. I just hope, none of you’s have been effected by reading that post. The particular post in question was: ‘Tiny Baby Steps ROW80 Style’. Please let me know if you have noticed any other unsual activities from any of the the other posts (I hope there is no other).
In the meantime, I want to repost the deleted post in it’s entirity as it was a pretty significant piece for me at the time. The lesson I learnt then is an important one, which I often forget time and time again, so as a valuable tool to remember, (maybe fate’s trying to remind me a few important truths), I need to take this on again. I do hope this post is as valuable to you as it is to me. Apologies in advance for some of the news below not being current; cutting any bits out would lose it’s meaning, therefore, I have kept it all together. I do hope I have made the right decision. Anyhoo, enjoy.
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Daily Inspiration – Imagined
Today’s daily inspiration is a photograph captured and edited by John, please follow the link below titled ‘Imagined’ and be inspired.
You are more than welcome to share anything that has inspired you by this piece. Should you do so, please link your blog post back to this post, or add it to the linky list below. This will be open for submission for one week, then will be closed.
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Traces of your Love – Friday Fun #1 (A Collaboration)
Traces of me lay bare,
Elevated, unaware.
Empirical nuances – filter through.
You rarely notice, it’s cruel.
You’ve grown immune to my needs,
Watching as destruction plants it’s seed.
Warmth has gone,
I should have known all along.
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Daily Inspiration – The Orb
Our very first daily inspiration is a photograph captured and edited by Shannon Rogers, please follow the link below titled ‘The Orb’ and be inspired.
You are more than welcome to share anything that has inspired you by this piece. Should you do so, please link your blog post back to this post, or add it to the linky list below. This will be open for submission for one week, then will be closed.
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New Schedule
Dearest readers, the schedule is tweaked for my convenience (timewise) and is in keeping with daily/monthly prompts/challenges I have started up on Opuss. If you fancy taking part in the Opuss challenges, or just want to be inspired, join me there or write your pieces and link your posts back to me me so I can pop by and have a read.
I will try to keep to the daily schedule; however, I will not restrict myself to it and will post as and when I can, again another element of yikici surprise playing afoot here. 
Daily Muse/Prompt:
Similar to the previous Tuesday’s Triptych Tapestry, the daily prompts will differ slightly, I will keep the concept simpler. I will share imagery every day which I hope will inspire to write anything and everything or just help you start the day with a smile.
In Addition to the Daily Prompt the Following Schedule will Continue:
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He Said She Said
I’m coming, he said
But he never did.
I promise, he said
But his promise fibbed.
I’ll hold you, he said
But his arms didn’t reach.
I’ll protect you, he said
But his strength breached.
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Silent Battles
Can you hear that?
That silence which pierces through your gut.
Can you feel how it curls into your heart with a callous tap?
Do you tread on that tightrope?
The one which stretches from within
-a space between yourself and my soul, thin.
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News Just In: Wattpad and Opuss Joys
It feels like another eternity has flown past since I last wrote a blog post. The passing times have been difficult, the road to recovery, testing, challenging and perplexing at times. A constant battle in my mind between self-doubt and belief that I can beat this, I believe I will, it will just take time and patience -something, you, my lovely readers have in abundance.
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The First Time
It’s daunting, sitting here typing away the first piece of writing I’ve done in -what feels like ages. It’s been like months since I last wrote to you…so much has happened since then; my life warped in-front of my eyes as different lifestyles were thrown at me. All of which I loved, yet was not enough for me to stay… I have become my own martyr -my own hurdle. Where stepping-stones tried to lead me home, I veered off the path, distracted by the many facets of what could be. A Red Riding Hood losing track of time. A child in a candy store. A flightless bird left at sea. A void in a bottomless pit. A nothingness in the sea of digital living. Life’s mysterious endeavours tried to overthrow me. Life did not succeed.
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Mind Matters – Isolation is a Terrible Beast
Dearest readers, as some of you may already know, I am fascinated by the workings of the human mind (always have); with my previous employment (Support Worker) I was fortunate enough to work with and support adults with numerous health conditions -including mental health. I witnessed, first hand, my own prejudice to mental health and also how ‘healthy’ people (within a professional field or not) overlooked (and still do) the simplest of needs these individuals have. Confused? Over the next few weeks/months (let’s see how I feel with my schedule), I hope to shed some light on human nature and how our mental state can develop or falter in certain situations/circumstances. Today I will attempt to analyse how isolation can be detrimental to your health and how a little outside influence can make a difference. Curious to know how? Let me explain.
Before we start, I do hope you have watched the video above (it’s about 6.30 minutes long and worth every viewed second); not watched it yet? Well, we can wait a few more minutes until you do. Ready? Ok then, here goes…
The video is a great example of how the human psyche can deteriorate without any stimulus. I hope in this article I will be able to explain this with clear evidence and insights from my observations on the job and my chance encounters in life with people I’ve met or those who are within my close family/friends circles.
During my time as a Support Worker, I have worked with many elderly and vulnerable adults, all with varying needs (some less, some more); however, what I noticed during my 5 year career-span was that they all had a common need, the need to not be isolated.
Isolated?
Yep, I too used to think that was absurd, surely they have loved ones who look after them and those care homes, they must be great…
When Tree’s Come to Life…
Whilst walking the dog, we spy a tree.
Whilst walking the dog, it calls to me.
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Roll-up, Roll-up, (My) Instacanv.as Gallery is now Open
Helloooooo to you all, hope you are well and are on target (for whatever it may be -seriously, I’m curious now, what are you all up to these days? Leave a comment below and let’s have a conversation 
). If you all are asking about moi, these past few weeks I’ve been busy spending time with my family/friends (and Megan), writing, resting and snapping away taking pictures and editing them to my hearts’ content and then sharing them on instagram and here (when I have the time to do so). This has fuelled my creative drive somewhat and other than the odd spurts of dizzy spells (which forces me away from my laptop and any long-burst of writing) I have been feeling rather positive about what is in store for me. Getting back to my art and photography has become a blessing in disguise (as had my writing last year); being able to visualise and bring together images and create imagery which people appreciates’ has been extremely satisfying -as well as it has reminded me how much I missed just doing arty stuff. So, this is me -in addition to my writing; I will be designing visual artworks when I cannot write anymore due to my dizzy-spells; hopefully my art will spur on my writing and vice-versa.
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Savvy Sunday Salutations’ to Pamela V. Mason
After a HUGE break (apologies to all my lovely subscribers) I wanted to say what a glorious day it is to welcome Pamela V. Mason to the Savvy Salutations’ guest post slot. Pamela is a wonderful person, so full of life and joy; every time I get a chance to speak with her I am met with full enthusiasm; therefore, I had to convince her to pop by and be a superb guest here on yikici and being the angel she is, she gracefully accepted. I just know her zest for life will rub off on you all… -Okay, okaaaay I’ll shush and let you enjoy Pamela’s inspirational post.
Jackpot
by Pamela V. Mason
Image linked to source
We all hit the jackpot. But do we recognize it when we do, and do we use it, enjoy it? Or fritter it away via fear and regrets?
No…not talking about money or those fifteen minutes of fame….
I’m talking about that happy place in life where you arrive and everything falls into place and works for you.
You’re no longer uncertain of yourself, afraid to take risks. It’s that comfort you feel living in your own skin, warts and all. You can quit sucking in your gut, covering up the acne scars, and smiling with your mouth closed so nobody sees your missing tooth.
It’s security in yourself and knowing who you are and where and how you fit in. What you can do well, and what you can’t. What you’re meant to do with the rest of the morning suns you have left in your life.
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Tagged Lucky 7 Style
Heya lovely readers I’ve been tagged by Sally to take part in: Lucky 7 -which is blog (or facebook) fun for authors (Sally is a good friend of mine from university and is also the author of ‘Through Mortal Eyes‘ -her superb new novel -keep an eye out for her; I will be featuring Sally as a guest blogger soon as part of Savvy Salutations too). I think this is a good way to introduce you to my current manuscript BMR; I hope you like the snippet I am about to share with you. Before we read the passage, here’s the instructions I had to follow:
-Go to page 7 or 77 in your current manuscript
-Go to line 7
-Post on your blog the next 7 lines, or sentences, as they are – no cheating
Tag 7 other authors to do the same. Seven sentences…
My manuscipt (BMR) is still in draft mode; so it’s still rough around the edges. This is from page 7, 7 lines from the 7th line.
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Challenge Issued: Paper Canvas Tapestries Collaborations (A Recap)
15th March 2012 was the one year anniversary of my blog. *dances a merry jig* Due to all that was going on as I mentioned in my earlier post (click here to read); I’ve not been able to do a midway check-in or anything fancy to celebrate. Never fear, I’m here today so we can do a quick recap to see where we are in the challenge and to celebrate the missed anniversary; I plan to write something up for this challenge too (just a separate Flash Fiction piece for fun; I’ll post it within the week or so).
So far, CMBrown, Lara Schiffbauer and Deniz Bevan have taken up the challenge (if you haven’t read what they have written, please click on the links above -in the order above- to catch up); who will be the next story-teller, you, me or them? Join us and find out.
The Challenge to you…
I want us to write a story together. How? Just like any other Flash Fiction Challenge; but with a slight twist (I can’t help myself); we will each write a paragraph (no more than 250 words per entry) to the on-going story (which will start below and continue in the comment section/linky list, I will create a page to collate all the entries.). Once we finish this rather exciting online project, I hope to publish our collected works in an eBook -either market it for free or put it on sale for a worthy cause, I usually choose children charities; but we can decide the final outcome all together once the project is completed.
What do you say? Are you in? Alrighty. Here’s the 3 (+1, just because an anniversary is coming up) images I have chosen for this challenge; I hope it gets your creative juices going; be inspired by one or more -the choice is yours.
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Making Sense of Scheduling
Image linked to its' original source.
As you all know I have been struggling with keeping to my blog schedule –I’ve changed it a few times; but it’s not turned out quite to how I’ve envisioned it to be. External factors (laptop problems & internet connection issues) and internal factors (my anxiety & bouts of low moods) have stepped in and hindered me somewhat –it’s been pretty depleting and has made me feel like quite a failure (which I know I am not) –therefore, I REALLY hate it. For this reason I’ve come up with a cunning plan which will hopefully allow me to breathe and have fun with creating fun, thought-provoking and creative articles again –all with an element of surprise. I’m DITCHING the pace of the schedule, what this essentially means is I will post articles when they are ready and not to a predefined schedule. I am hoping this will help with lessening the anxiety I put on myself as I normally focus on trying to finish an article on time and then post it when I feel it’s not ready and needs more work. By taking out the time-constraints I hope to not feel pressurised and in turn be more forthcoming with my article. The only aspect of the schedule I will be keeping to is the themes. This means when an article is ready for posting I will schedule it to be published on the relevant themed day. –so when you see a post on a Monday you will know is a Meandering Muse, Tuesdays will be challenge orientated and Flash Fictions, etc…I’m sure you get the idea.
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#MarchPhotoADay: Day 30 & 31 – Toy & Where I Relax
March Photo a Day has been a fun challenge which has stretched my mind and helped me focus on being creative with images as opposed to just words. It also has reminded me how blessed we are to be living in such a beautiful world with such wonders. To appreciate what we have and see the beauty in everything which surrounds us; the little things –however insignificant it seems is actually a delight we fail to see unless we look closer and take a moment to devour slowly. We live in a world where we rush from one extreme to the other –always having something to reach, something to accomplish, something to…well, it’s always something; we forget to stop and take a break and become attuned to what’s around us. To this end, I really enjoyed this challenge and even if I do not actively take part in the proceeding April/May/June/July/August/September/October…etc. Photo a Day challenge, I will certainly be snapping away everyday objects and events as I see them; these I will share here either as posts or just as a photo in the collections and photography sections of the blog. I hope you enjoyed the imagery I was inspired to create; here’s the final two of the MarchPhotoADay challenge:
Day 30 - Toy (Megan & her toy)
March Photo a Day: Day 18 through to 28
Helloooooo there. Missed me? I surely missed you all. I’ve had a manic few weeks and had some issues with my internet provider so I have been hanging low with my blog posts; I’ll be providing an update on Saturday with what’s happening here on yikici (or what will be happening). Until then here’s the missing 11 days of the March Photo A Day Challenge. Enjoy.
Day 18 - Corner of your house (the book-corner; loved playing with the forms in this photo)
Day 19 - Funny (An unlikely chess piece -okay, I confess, failed to come up with a witty image. This is a bronze sculpture I made at university -I was toying with the idea of chess pieces being taken out of context and then being placed on a chess-board... Well, that's the idea behind that.)
Day 20 - Before/After -after a writing session on the comfy sofa
Day 21 - Delicious -quench your thirst with tea
Day 22 - Kitchen Sink (just what it is; again playing with form and lines within the image)
