This week’s Photo Challenge is
“Peaceful”
A new day dawns in Burum Heads, Queensland, Australia
Category Archives: WordPress Challenge
Versatile Blogger Award
Thanks Elizabeth from Mirth and Motivation, I accept the award with much humbleness!
(http://eof737.wordpress.com/2011/03/21/three-gifts-heart-matters-blog-awards-blog-hops%E2%80%A6/
There are so many here who are deserving of such an award, it would be impossible to name them all, but I’m sure they all know who they are. We have so many great writers here who are funny, inspirational, compassionate, wise and helpful, some sharing their hopes and dreams with us – it’s just a great place to be!
Elizabeth has asked us to write seven random facts about ourselves so here goes:-
1. I love anything to do with nature and animals.
2. Writing has been a passion of mine since childhood.
3. Photography is another of my passions.
4. Tell me a secret and I’ll take it to the grave.
5. Loyalty is high on my list in any situation.
6. Truth always wins.
7. Family and real friends are the things that really matter in life.
Barb
Black Beauty – The Book
We have been prompted by WordPress to write about a book that changed our life.
Change is a strong word, but a book that affected my life is without a doubt,
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
(it was the only book she ever wrote).
A story as told by a horse, in his own words.
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
Black Beauty is a handsome, coal-black colt with a strong spirit.
He knew only affection and respect by his owners – until the day he had to be sold.
He then suffers terrible cruelty at the hands of some of his new owners when he is sold and re-sold.
But he has an unbreakable spirit and is determined to survive.
The book resulted in legislation protecting horses, and changed public attitude about animal pain and the fashionable practices that caused suffering for horses.
My grandfather had horses which he would harness up to a cart and trot around town selling and delivering firewood. My brothers always went with him, and sometimes he would let me go too, but not as much as I would have liked I always got a thrill out of sitting up in the front of the cart with him! I loved animals even way back then!
Horse & Cart
However, it always used to bother me the way he treated them; he never said a kind word or praised them; he always sounded so harsh with his commands. Sure, they were only work horses for us, but all animals have feelings and need to be treated with respect; in my eyes my grandfather didn’t treat them with respect. I thought they deserved better.
I don’t think he ever injured any of them, but in my eyes he didn’t treat them right, and woe-betide if I tried to show any of them affection; he would pull me away, telling me to leave them alone as I would make them soft.
I would cringe, frightened to stand up to him and say what I thought for fear of recriminations. My grandfather was a big fellow – a very strict, very austere man, and my brothers and I were all frightened of him. In fact, his size and his gruff ways frightened everyone in our family!
When I was given the book Black Beauty, (I would have been about 8), I couldn’t put it down. I felt like I was right there, in the story with the horse, feeling his pain and frustration, my blood boiling at every injustice done to him, and it affected me greatly. It touched a nerve that gave me the courage to stand up to my grandfather.
So . . . I let him have it. I told him he was unkind and cruel to the horses, making them work too hard and too long. Once I started, I couldn’t stop – he got my full wroth. He must have thought I was crazy, out of my mind! I got it all off my chest with hardly a breath in case he tried to stop me.
Can you imagine – here is this shy and very timid little 8 year old girl looking up at this big man - straight in the eye - and giving him a piece of her mind! Things like that just didn’t happen to my grandfather!
I guess I really shocked him, because he just stood there and looked at me. I was shaking in my shoes by this time, but he never said a word and we never ever spoke of it again.
Anyway, over the next few weeks I started to see a difference in the way he treated our horses; he didn’t work them as hard or as long, and I even saw him now and again talking to them and touching them – heck, he even let me play with them and ride them bareback! But we never ever spoke of that day when I stood up to him.
I guess I must have earned his respect, because from that day we became very close, and he allowed me to ride on the cart with him every time he went out – in spite of my brothers’ objections!
I would say that was the start my strong feelings of standing up for animal rights and being Passionate About Pets. It also taught me to speak out against wrong-doing of any kind, and to stand up to bullies!
I would also say that Black Beauty changed my grandfather’s life too – for the better!
It’s a great children’s book and well worth the read – an oldie but a goodie!
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New Blogs I have visited this week:
Tinkerbelle86
Writing Canvas
Knotrune
The Daily Dabbler
Weekly Photo Challenge-Refuge
I am loving the Weekly Photo Challenge, because it gives me the opportunity to combine both my photographic skills(?) and my blog which is about pets/animals.
There are numerous opportunities for great shots when you are surrounded by pets and animals of every description,
and as you know, I am passionate about pets!
Here is my entry for this week’s Challenge – Refuge.
"I is safe in here"
This little joey (a baby koala), is being hand-reared after he lost his mother. A joey’s refuge is his mother’s pouch where he feeds from the nipple until he grows to maturity. As he grows and becomes more independent, he will come out and ride on his mother’s back, but in times of danger, he hops back in for safety! It’s his refuge.
When hand-rearing a joey, a pouch is made from a blanket, a towel, (or something similar), to mimic his mother’s pouch. If they are particularly young, the pouch is heated as they need to be kept continuously warm. He will be kept in the handmade pouch for as long as he needs it, but will come out to play from time to time.
©passionateaboutpets.wordpress.com
Weekly Photo Challenge – Curiosity
Are you going to take part in the new WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge?
Every week, WordPress will provide a theme for us to get our creative juices flowing. All you have to do it take a photograph relative to the “theme”, and post it to your blog before the next Friday when a new theme will be announced. Simple!
This is my interpretation of “Curiosity”
Are You My Siblings?
“ Come and play with me guys, don’t just sit there”.
He’s curious as to whether they are going to move if he touches them!
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©passionateaboutpets.wordpress.com
Weekly Photo Challenge-Boundaries
Are you going to take part in the new WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge?
Every week, WordPress will provide a theme for us to get our creative juices flowing. All you have to do it take a photograph relative to the “theme”, and post it to your blog before the next Friday when a new theme will be announced. Simple!
There are boundaries everywhere we look – fences, rivers, gates, even the ocean is a boundary, as PiP mentions in her latest post. She was brilliant – she thought outside the square!
I guess my photo of a boundary is one of the more obvious ones, but a very necessary boundary in the case of the bird.
Haha! Can't get me!
Having said that, they do look like they are pretty good pals! But don’t get lulled into a false sense of security with these two guys – they both know that they are safe from each other and therefore,the bird is taking liberties with the cat’s nose – and the cat is letting him; he knows the bird can’t get his beak any further out of the cage!
However, it might be a different story if there was no boundary there . . . . .
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©passionateaboutpets.wordpress.com
I’m Posting Every Week in 2011!
I’ve decided I want to blog more.
A friend of mine has been encouraging me to take up this challenge for the past 3 weeks now;
she has been a true inspiration to me (thanks R), so rather than just thinking about doing it, I’m starting now
- and even though it’s almost the end of January - I promise I will catch up!
I will be posting on this blog once a week for all of 2011.
I know it won’t be easy but it might be fun, inspiring, awesome and wonderful.
Therefore I’m promising to make use of TheDailyPost and the community of other bloggers with similar goals,
to help me along the way, including asking for help when I need it and encouraging others when I can.
If you already read my blog, I hope you’ll encourage me with comments and likes, and good will along the way.
Signed
Barb Taylor
©passionateaboutpets.wordpress.com
