The great thing about writing a blog is that you get to think about what has happened during the week you are writing about and relive all the wonderful moments that you may otherwise have tucked away and not thought about again….

And I have had fun doing just that this week. I mentioned last week that The Core Ensemble held at St Andrews was instrumental in bringing us Erika Bleu Cespedes, a young teacher and artist working with the migrant workers families here in Lake Worth. It was wonderful because she came and worked on a picket fence mural at The Gray Mockingbird Garden which enhanced the project hugely and got a lot of youngsters and their families involved in the work at the community garden. So, last Monday and Friday after school they came to the garden and worked with Erika on producing a piece of work which I hope will last for many years to coma and remind them and the community at large of the fun they had at the garden on November 8^th 2015.Preparation for The Tom Sawyer Event had been going on for some time and many local artists had been having fun painting the picket fences to create a garden ‘art gallery’ surrounding the raised beds which are for rent to members of the community at only $90 a year. They will look amazing when in situ and I would suggest that everyone goes to see the fabulous work.

Yesterday dawned, a bright sky appearing that had no hint of white whatsoever, a good sign, no rain on the way! The barbecue was fired up and burgers and hot dogs began to sizzle and send their aroma into the air, The Neighbourhood Association was ready with popcorn popping happily and flyers and cards at the ready for new residents who arrive to have fun. Mel and Vinnie were set up with guitars and drums to entertain, Pedro and Marshall arranged the beautiful pottery that Pedro produces, candy and drinks stood in rows on the garden stand, the library was set with the fishing game, prizes at the ready, pickets were placed and paint poured with brushes set alongside, Rolando was there with birds for the installation on pickets along with drawings of the birds to colour and the scavenger hunt was set….all it needed was for the people to arrive…….which they did on the dot of eleven!

Boy did they have fun……..children bobbed apples, minus the water……they ‘fished’ at the library stand throwing the fishing line with a peg attached over the top of the curtain where library staff attached a ‘prize’, it was so much fun for the children to pull the line back to discover a prize, a very popular game….thank you to the lovely Cindy our Children’s Librarian. They took part in the scavenger hunt running around the garden to find the objects in the photos in the sheet, whooping with delight when one was spotted, running back to Karla and Jessica with the completed sheet to claim a prize of a small wooden picket fence which could be coloured and embellished….brilliant! On ,to the pickets where they could paint freely, some with their parents, some on their own.Of course, it was not only the pickets that ended up being painted…..tee shirts and hands were covered with splashes of colour and in some cases more body parts needed to be scrubbed as in the case of Charlie who painted his tummy bright yellow! And what fabulous work began to emerge, beautiful designs of flowers, plants, abstracts, lines, circles, swirling around the chosen picket and turning it into a work of art.

The children sang and drummed and danced and laughed and won more prizes and ate popcorn and hot dogs and burgers and bought drinks and candy and most of all they had a most fabulous fun day….which had been the intention all along.

All in all, a good day which was worth all the hard work!

Wednesday night is now Peddlars night in order for people to be free to visit The Bean Scene in Boyton on Thursday every couple of weeks and to allow those of the peddlars who are involved with The Bean Scene to still take part in the bike ride. This whole event was set up by a group of inventive people who want to promote and educate about good food, vegetarian and pulses, about aligning your chakras, massage, chiropractic practises and more, all on a small area of ground in Boyton Beach…..it is worth a visit to experiences the tastes, aromas, sounds or simply to feel the atmosphere!

This week I have had dinner with friends, painted with friends, taken part in a breathing course with friends and talked with friends about new projects……..all my favourite things to do and a reminder of just how lucky I am to live this fabulously peaceful and harmonious life.

I hope the coming week will bring you peace and love……enjoy!