Busy, busy being creative..!

Monday 29 December 2014

The Creative Adventurer Cocktail




During my Burgh Island Birthday Adventure I also completed no.2 on my 40/40 list - Have a special 'Creative Adventurer' cocktail created for me by a famous mixologist. Whoop!

I noticed on the bottom of their cocktail menu the words ‘we’d be happy to create a cocktail for you…’ Hello I thought. Here’s an opportunity. I approached the bar and spoke to Gary – the head barman and his maestro Orlando who, I discovered, has taken part in cocktail competitions around the world. Perfect!

I explained my project and the wish for a cocktail.

Of course! We’d love to do that came the reply. Now tell us what you like.

I reeled of a list of things like gin, amaretto, lemonchello, apple juice, Elderflower….it was quite a list, so they had to stop me and say – that’s enough!

Leave it with us…

Saturday came around…

After being out during the day we came back to an anonymous invitation! Ooh exciting!

We got all dressed up in our finery and headed to the beautiful peacock bar. It was really busy already. Everyone looked fabulous! As we took a seat Orlando rushed over with an envelope. For you he said!

I opened it excitedly

It was my cocktail!!!

It felt so exciting and rather exuberant! (which happened to be my word for 2014!)

Next I was beckoned to the bar so that I could make it. Joining them behind the bar was so much fun! 

Gary & I made it together and after he added some ‘magic’ it was ready to drink. It was DELICIOUS!! 

I was one happy 1930s style glamorous lady. If you ever get the opportunity to have a cocktail created for you. Do it! I’d totally recommend it!

Huge thank-you to Gary & Orlando for making it a very special experience. Something I’ll always remember.
Here’s a little film of me in action as well as the *secret* recipe. Enjoy!

The MOVIE!! If you can't see it below - click here to open it in a new window.




Hope you’ll join me (virtually) on New Year’s Eve with a Creative Adventurer Cocktail to welcome in 2015!

Here’s to 2015 – to a year brim full of Creative Adventurers!

Love to you

Morwhenna


xx



p.s If you want to know what the magic words are - drop me an email!



Wednesday 24 December 2014

Christmas Wishes & Stockings Full of Joy!

Its CHRIIIISSSSSSTTTTMMMMMAAAAAASSSSSSSS!

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Christmas. Have you been good this year? Will Santa be calling at your house!!? ;-0

If you were to write a letter to Santa now, what would you wish for? 

Why not take 5 minutes out of your day and sit quietly contemplating what you'd wish for this Christmas and on into 2015. It doesn't have to be a 'thing', it could be a feeling or an experience or something else...

What joyous things would you fill your own Christmas stocking with? 

I came across this wonderful short film the other day. And I just LOVE it so wanted to share it with you. Hope you enjoy it and maybe it will give you some ideas...It has given me some. I'm going to learn to juggle for a start!

NEVER stop PLAYING and Make BOLD Choices.




"Never Leave the playground" Stephen Jepson

Merry Christmas

Love from

Morwhenna
aka The Creative Adventurer!

xxx

Sunday 21 December 2014

Happy Yuletide to YOU!


Happy Yuletide to YOU! As you may know, Yule or Winter Solstice marks the longest night of the year. From this point on we can delight in the nights as they grow shorter and the days as they grow longer, and winter begins to recede. This ancient festival celebrates the return of the sun, the light in the darkness.  

Colour features highly in this celebration, from the reds and greens of the leaves and berries that are brought in to remind us that green life and warmth will return to the land; and bold colour contrasts such as blue and silver or black and gold said to represent the forces of day and night. 

Today I visited The Chalice Well in Glastonbury for their Winter Solstice Meditation. It was the first time I've been to one of their events and it was wonderful. It was very busy and yet at the meditation around the well head at 12.00, there was such a feeling of stillness and peace. 

During the guided meditation we were invited to visualize returning gold to the waters. A very clear image appeared in my mind of everyone standing around me completely made of golden flowing water and as the meditation progressed threads of gold flowed from each of us in to the water and lit up the well. Wow! This was an invitation that came from a tribe who live high in the mountains of Nevada (I think that's what they said!) and they have put a call out to the world to send gold back to the earth to energize her. 

I have realised that it's much more useful for me to switch to seeing the the 21st as the longest night which speaks of possibilities as opposed to the shortest day which speaks of lack. 
This is a time of rest, reflection, renewal and planning, as well as a chance to celebrate all that nature has brought and taught us this year. 

Pause for a while. Even for 2 minutes.


Yule
a poem by: Lady Lissar

the trees 
they reach their silver arms up to the sky
hoping for a glimpse of sun 
yet the sky 
cold grey 
offers no solace
their roots are buried in frost
we crave light, they cry 
suddenly 
the sun cracks the sky like an egg
sunlight spills across the joyous trees 
melting into every leaf 
new life blooms









Thursday 18 December 2014

Burgh Island Birthday

The fun starts here!

Well that’s it. I am now 40. *whoo Hoo* I have officially moved down to the next set of tick boxes on a questionnaire!

To celebrate we went to Burgh Island. A 1930s hotel off the coast of South Devon. The very place that Agatha Christie used to stay and pen her famous novels, along with Noel Coward and Wallis & Simpson, to name a few. I've wanted to go here ever since discovering it a few years years ago. It really captured my imagination. It was coming to the end of my Love What You Wear Project that actually prompted me to book it.

It's a very special place. This is also no.24 'Stay on Burgh Island' on my 40/40 list!

Taking a trip on the sea tractor!
When we arrived we were picked up from the private car park by a 4x4 and driven across the sands as the tide was out. When the tide is in you are transported by a rather massive sea tractor. Of course I HAD to go on this – so later that day when the tide was in we asked the driver and he took us out on it in the rain. It was fun!

The only thing missing from our arrival was a suitably dressed Bell Boy (just like in the Poirot Episode - Evil Under the Sun - filmed on this very Island!)

The sun shines on my Burgh Island Birthday Weekend
The hotel is a bit tired in places and worn around the edges and could do with a lick of paint but to be honest the over all feel of the place was magical. All the staff and the other guests that we met were really friendly. It must be something about being on a small island together and the fact we were all there celebrating something or other (wedding anniversaries, birthdays, honeymoon) and the upcoming ‘Murder Mystery’ celebrating Agatha Christie's book Evil Under The Sun, which she wrote in the Beach House on the island.

Other than a bit of rain when we arrived we were blessed with the most glorious weather which even meant we could sit outside on the Saturday afternoon with two other couples trying to figure out the clues to open the cryptex! It was all very Da Vinci Code!

Have we got the right answer to open it?
I thoroughly enjoyed myself especially getting dressed up for dinner, playing snooker on the original table played on by Noel Coward, having a slightly drunken game of table tennis in my evening attire and generally having fun.  We also tried out the sauna which was very relaxing so think we made the most of being there!

Outfits. I'll confess. I didn't actually make my outfit. HOWEVER they were vintage. 

Friday night outfit and a Mermaids Kiss cocktail. Am wearing a long black skirt with this gold top. 

Me and my very suave looking fella Mr CA on Saturday night.


One of my favourite things was actually going down for breakfast in the mornings. Each day I chose something different and each time it was delicious. oh yes and I must mention the bed. Soooo comfortable! We were in The Mermaid Suite. Yes I had actually booked this a year in advance once I knew there was a Mermaid Suite which overlooks The Mermaid Pool (more on the pool another time!)

The everso comfortable and rather massive bed! Delicious!

The view from our Mermaid Suite. The Mermaid pool. Where Gilda the mermaid lives
It was fun, it was relaxing and it was a fantastic way to celebrate my 40 birthday as well as complete some of the other things on my 40/40 list. More on those in the next post...


A quiet moment in the Peacock Bar. I LOVE the ceiling!



























Stunning Island view

Sunday 2 November 2014

#MinsGame

I've heard this banded about online on a few of my friends sites - but today I paid more attention to what it is. 

I discovered it's a de-culttering game created by The Minimalists - Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus who write about living a meaningful life with less stuff.

Here's what they say about it on their site: 

"Find a friend or family member. Someone who’s willing to get rid of some of their excess stuff. This month, each of you must get rid of one thing on the first day of the month. On the second, two things. Three items on the third. So forth, and so on. Anything can go! Clothes, furniture, electronics, tools, decorations, etc. Donate, sell, or trash. Whatever you do, each material possession must be out of your house—and out of your life—by midnight each day."

So by the end of November by sticking to this game I'll have gotten rid of 465 items! Blimey!

What better way to get rid of things I no longer need as I approach the BIG 40 - to make way for the new? 

So I'm in! I'm not sure I'll be able to get rid of each item by midnight that same day though as I know I'll be selling some things, so am going to make an allowance for that! I'm aiming for the 465 by the end of the month. 

Jaimie MacDonald of Made Curious and Jen Gale of Make Do and Mend Year are both taking part so I'm in good company. And seeing it shared on their sites is what inspired me to join in. Thank you ladies!

I'm a day behind so will be getting rid of three items today. Right best get on with it!!

Join us?


Saturday 1 November 2014

22 days to go..!


Today is the 01 November and this marks my final month at 39!

In case you hadn't heard ;-* On the 23 of this month I'll turn 40 and I'm feeling rather excited about it. 

Whoooo hooooo!

Why am I so excited? 

Well, it kicks off my 40/40 project and for me marks the next stage of adventures!

I've been reflecting back and have also been thinking ahead and asking myself - How do I want my next 40 years to be? ooh the opportunities that I don't yet know about!

Are you turning 40 this month too? How are you feeling about it? 

Or are you already 40 - How's your experience been? 

Maybe you'd like to join me on some of my self-imposed challenges/adventures?

Here's the full list: The 40/40 Project




Friday 12 September 2014

Resistance



Why do we sometimes resist doing what we know is good for us?

The reason I started thinking about Resistance is because it’s come up within the Doodleicious Exploration I’m currently running (which is fabulous btw, such a great group and the discoveries being well discovered – wow!)

Anyway, Resistance.

So what do you think? How come you start something [or think about starting something] then all of a sudden BAM you get hit by this feeling of resistance. I’m not saying this happens all the time – but when it does. What do you do?

Are you able to notice it and push through it – or do you feel that resistance force full on and fall over?

And where exactly does it come from?

Is it good for you?

Yes in fact sometimes it actually can be.

It’s all about patterns. Patterns that your brain has learnt and when you start to challenge these then they sit up and shout Hang on a minute this is different – what’s happening??

And usually when you start to notice resistance it can mean you are on the verge of a breakthrough...

Has this happened to you? Can you think of a time when you noticed resistance to something -  but pushed through - what happened?

And of course on the flip side resisting has its benefits. When has than been the case for you?

The Key here is understanding which resistance it is for you.

So the next time you notice it - be curious and figure out what kind of resistance it is. 

Would love to hear your personal resistance stories? Share yours with me here..;-)

Thursday 4 September 2014

Never say Can't



How often do you say the words: I can't?

 

This is one of the most inspiration films I've seen in a while and I've not been able to stop thinking about it since.

What difference would it make to totally remove the word CAN'T from my vocabulary? 
How about you?

What would that actually be like?

There is only one way to find out...!

Friday 29 August 2014

Revisiting

Photo taken at Cheddar Gorge  © morwhenna woolcock

I've been in rather a reflective space this week as a dear friend of mine came to stay who after living in the UK for over 13 years is moving back to her home town of Leipzig, Germany.  

It was FANTASTIC to see her as we’d not seen each other for quite a while even though she lives in London. We caught up on where we are now, reflected on what has been and got excited about the future. Her new adventure in particular which is full of excitement, fear, anxiousness – I’m sure you can relate to the mix of emotions that accompany a big change. ;-)

There were two places in particular that my friend wanted to visit – The Roman Baths and Cheddar Gorge. First time visits for her, third time visits for me. So we both had different experiences.

Both places have a lot to see and learn so for me it was wonderful to revisit them with fresh eyes, a super companion and to notice what I noticed this time. I was also aware that I’m a different person to the one I was the last time I visited these places. All change.

What places would you like to Revisit? 

How might you be able to experience them differently?


Love Morwhenna
xx



Spotted this chap in one of the displays at The Roman Baths. These are imprints of Roman tools and I just love the fact that a Roman tool looks like (to me) a quirky fellow. ;-) © morwhenna woolcock

Wednesday 20 August 2014

Can doodling change YOUR life?


















Yes, I think it can. 

Doodling isn't a dirty word or a waste of time as mounting research shows how beneficial it actually is for us. From helping us to relax and reduce stress to being more focused and retain more information by improving memory. Bet you weren't expecting that were you!?

I’d say that’s pretty darn cool and useful – wouldn't you? And even if you aren't a doodler –it’s never too late to start. 

I've been taking my doodles to the next level and using them specifically to gain insights into challenges I’m facing by using a technique I've created and developed which really gets right to my subconscious mind – totally bypassing my mind chatter. It's helped me on so many levels and I'd now like to share this with you. See it as a tool you can add to your well-being toolkit.

I also use it as a form of mediation as it really helps me to totally relax and to relieve pressure. 

I also find with my doodling technique a story unfolds. I've been using this particular doodling technique for a while now and I guess you could call it Intuitive Doodling.

Throughout September I am going to Doodle Daily. Would you like to join me? 

You can take part in two ways – follow along and doodle daily in your own way or if you would like a more in-depth experience and greater personal insights sign up for my daily doodle mini-exploration for £10.

WOW £10 that's very reasonable? How come? 

I want this to be as accessible to as many people as possible. As a tool you can add to your wellbeing toolkit.

By signing up I’ll share my personal technique with you and each day you’ll receive a daily prompt sent directly to your inbox. I will also be sharing my own daily doodle with you here on the blog. 

Please Note:

I’ll only run the more in-depth version if a minimum of 20 lovely folks sign up – so do share with your friends and anyone else you think could benefit from taking this mini doodleicious exploration!!!

There will also be a private facebook group for those signed up to the Mini Doodleicious Exploration, so you'll have a safe place to share your daily doodles as well as what you learn about yourself and insights as the month unfolds.  Sound good?

Starts 01 September and as the title suggests as these are doodles – they are meant to be done freely and can be as fast or as slow as you would like. 

Want to discover how doodling can help you?

YES I want to go on a mini doodleicious exploration! 

Sign up here!

THIS COURSE IS NOW RUNNING! Want to know when the next one is? Join my Playletter for updates!


Sign up to my weekly Playletter to get some cool free stuff* and an invitation to join my Creative Adventurers Playground! Oh YEAH!

You'll get a copy of the *Dream Car Visualisation Podcast and a bonus email with a Facing your Fears video! Cool eh?

All I need from you is your beautiful name & email address! It will all be emailed to you within the hour. Enjoy! *required






Here’s an interesting article about the power of doodling

Any questions? Just ask ;-)

Love and creative doodles

Morwhenna

Xx

I am SOOOOO EXCITED!!

Friday 15 August 2014

Time and a sense of Wonder.

Today I'd like to share with you one of my all time favourite TED talks. I never tire of watching this - and if you've seen this before - I'd invite you to watch it again and see what you notice this time. Personally each time I watch it - I'll either learn something new or it will inspire me in some way. (It usually makes me cry too. ;-)

It acts as a beautiful and powerful reminder of the wonder all around us, and to be grateful for this. 

So take a few moments today and see what you see where you are.





ENJOY!

Do you have a fav talk? Pls share it below and tell me how it inspires you xx

Love

Morwhenna
The Creative Adventurer
xx



>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Sign up to my weekly Playletter to get some cool free stuff* and an invitation to join my Creative Adventurers Playground! Oh YEAH!

You'll get a copy of the *Dream Car Visualisation Podcast and a bonus email with a Facing your Fears video! Cool eh?

All I need from you is your beautiful name & email address! It will all be emailed to you within the hour. Enjoy! *required








Friday 8 August 2014

Waste of Space – A Rubbish Exhibition

Bike Tyre Artwork Fiona Campbell. Photo by Morwhenna Woolcock



This week I've been helping out at the Waste of Space Exhibition at the Trinity Arts Centre in Bristol, a rather beautifully converted church.

A WASTEofSPACE is the brainchild of Pete Margerum and Annali Alletha with the vision of having a dedicated space, where traditional “waste” materials can be creatively explored. It’s ALL about waste. How much we throw away, what happens to it and what you can actually make with some of it… and you know how much I love upcycling!

Rubber inner tubes, drinks cans and plastic milk bottles have all taken on a (new) life of their own.  It’s been Fun, Interesting, Inspiring and it’s been hard work. I've really loved being part of it!

I’m not going to bombard you with facts about how long stuff takes to break down as I’m sure you’re aware of that kind of thing and sometimes I feel we can become desensitized to it.

I will share artist Fiona Hobson's work though. Fiona uses plastic bags to share important messages…


What I like most about this kind of exhibition is how it encourages us to look at things differently.

For example..Think about a plastic milk bottle. Then forget, if you will, that it’s used for carrying milk. 

Instead – look at its shape. What does it make you think of?

Look at the material used – it’s actually a nice ‘sandblasted’ sturdy plastic. Can it be cut up into something else?

How can it be given a second, or third or even fourth life?

Could it be a seagull perhaps? OK rather a leap here - but can you see where I'm going with this?

And how about flattened beer cans....











Litter Peckers by Tim Floyd, Fred Plumley & Phil Strainge

And how about rubber inner tubes….could they really be turned into a bird sculpture? Darn toot’in they can….!

So what do you think?

I think ‘Rubbish’ can look pretty darn cool…It takes a little imagination and a new perspective.






















Of course reducing the amount we chuck away in the first place is a good place to start and considering our purchases – which all sounds rather serious and so the more fun we can inject into it the better!

What 'rubbish' have you got that you could give a new life to?

Check out some more ideas here...!

Plastic Waste Lights
45 Ideas of How to Recycle Plastic
Olga and her Bottle Top House

Love and Upcycling Adventures!

Morwhenna

xx


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Sign up to my weekly Playletter to get some cool free stuff* and an invitation to join my Creative Adventurers Playground! Oh YEAH!

You'll get a copy of the *Dream Car Visualisation Podcast and a bonus email with a Facing your Fears video! Cool eh?

All I need from you is your beautiful name & email address! It will all be emailed to you within the hour. Enjoy! *required