After a very busy morning doing jobs I have just returned for a walk with three dogs that look like ponies and a small herd of alpacas. I realise that this is not a normal Saturday afternoon in the park with the children but it is my version. I do like alpacas because they appeal to my sense of curiosity. I am curious about them and they are curious about me. We are curious together.
It is a busy weekend with lots of family members dashing around all over the place. The rugby sevens tournament is on and Brodick is buzzing with people and the ice creams are out. The season must be underway. The resident population of the island is about 5000 but this increases at an alarming rate during the season and I am always amazed that our little island can cope. But the hotels B&Bs, shops and cafes are all looking as if they mean business this year. I think the week long power shortage just before the Easter break has made local businesses more determined to have a good season and put on a good show. There is a real buzz in the air.
It is very important to say thank you to all of you who have taken the trouble to message me about my new virtual venture 'One soul, many hearts.' I have been slightly overwhelmed with messages but I will respond to every one - it just might take me a few days. It would appear that my feeling that some of you would like to join me on this venture was correct and I am thrilled. It already sets the tone for the project with an emerging sense of community. I have also had some lovely suggestions of aspects that might be covered and I am keeping careful records of all of these. I have set up a google+ circle called 'one soul many minds' and sent invites out to people I could find that have a google+ account. If I have missed you drop me an email. If you haven't signed up for Google+ it is dead easy. Our 'one soul many hearts' group will allow us to share ideas as I begin the process of pegging down the detail. Nothing will be set in stone as the site will grow organically and reflect the interests of the readers as well as the things I feel passionate about.
Someone has already asked me if one of their friends can join the google+ circle and that stopped me in my tracks for a minute. It is a good thing to be stopped from time to time. The request made me mindful of the relatively new social networking site Medium which is grabbing the attention of some of us at the moment. It is in beta stage and therefore not open to all yet although we can all read the contributions made by a small number of writers. I have found some fascinating articles on there and I am itching to be invited to make my own contribution. The people behind it were behind Blogger before it was sold to Google so they know what they are doing. In my view they are doing the right thing limiting the membership as they have some quality control and that is reflected in the articles coming out from the site.
Back to the issue of the 'friend.' After some consideration I am saying at this stage that I am happy to invite someone to join the 'one soul many hearts' google+ group if you are recommending them. My only request is that you have briefed them on the focus of this venture as being a positive place and a force for good. Once the site is up and running there will be a members area and I hope that will include a group of like minded individuals who are community driven and want to make a real difference.
I can demonstrate what makes a real difference. As I returned home from my walk with the alpacas I discovered a carrier bag full of handmade goodies.
The work that has gone into this collection of goodies is what makes the difference. It says so much about Angela just as all the contributions have done. I have people all over the country making tulle, paper and crochet butterflies and that is exactly the point of what I am trying to do. Our efforts will bring real happiness to the communities in Zambia that the Butterfly Tree charity help. It is the 'effort' that I think is at the heart of what I am trying to achieve here. I want to work with people who are more than willing to make that extra effort despite having busy lives. It is the 'going the extra mile' theory in reality. I must just warn you that I have a bad habit of holding onto people. I have friends that go all the way back to my school days and as I have moved around the country I have held onto people. I am, of course, not expecting all of us to be involved in every project that 'One soul many hearts' gets involved in. This little virtual space will offer up projects and if it catches your imagination your contribution will always be more than welcome.
I am aware that I said I would park this idea until after the launch of the Butterfly Tree fundraising campaign and studio opening and I have clearly failed at that. I failed in the middle of the night when I had to write down my thoughts so I could get back to sleep. I think enthusiasm is catching and yesterday evening saw a huge influx of messages from you guys and your combined enthusiasm has kept this project in the front of my mind. This is social networking with an humanitarian purpose and I am not sure it gets better than that. I am realising that I am turning my 'woman of a certain age' thingy into a distinct advantage and, with your help, the future is very exciting and completely rewarding. I am privileged to be part of it.
I am off to look again at the mind map that is sort of emerging of the website but, if I am honest, this is going to take some time. That said, my late father would be delighted because this girl is really focused!
Until tomorrow. xx
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