Weekend Inspiration

How was your weekend?  I hope it was either entirely relaxing or entirely exhilarating--or something equally wonderful.  Mine was filled with good things like a meal shared with friends, a morning of watching my nephews play basketball, and a long hike through the snow in a beautiful forest near the ocean.  It was also a weekend of some serious face time with the two beasties you see in the photo above.  If you are new to The Magpie's Fancy, please allow me to introduce Scout and Dill.  As I sit on the sofa typing this post, they are asleep--Dill on the cushion beside me, snoring slightly, and Scout on the coffee table.  They may be sleeping now, but often when I am writing they are wide awake, staring at me just like you see them in the photograph.  Sometimes it seems they are willing me to write more, or maybe just to write better.  It can be unnerving, but mostly I appreciate the support.  

Speaking of writing and support, I have been loving all the emails I've been getting from folks who are playing along with the Freewrite Friday exercises.  Your feedback is incredibly inspiring.  The photo of the notebook above and the map below were sent to me by Jenner.  She has promised to send her color exercise along, too.  I can't wait to read it!  I love that her map has no words, but does have lovely paws and feet and hearts.    

Oh, and I was so excited to receive a color exercise from the amazing and talented Vicki Archer of French Essence.  Vicki's blog and her books, My French Life and French Essence, are sources of great inspiration for me, and it's a joy to share her writing exercise with you.  If you haven't tried this one yet, perhaps Vicki will inspire you:

Colour

If my colour had a mood it would be a happy one. If my colour had a face it would be smiling, it would be a bright shiny smile that would light up the darkest of glooms. My colour is the hue of my childhood and the tone of my adolescence.

Memories bounce back to life - people, places and objects come quickly to mind when I imagine my colour. My childhood bedroom was a little girl's dream to wake up in; nasty nightmares and grizzly thoughts would banish as soon as my eyes opened. My spirits would lift as the familiar came into focus.

Milestones were marked by my colour - my first and only role on the stage, my first kiss, my first valentine... my first child. My colour is as soft as a newborn's cheek and as strong as an evening sunset. My colour is as sweet as candy and as bitter as cough elixir. My colour is as loud and sharp as the flash of fireworks that light up the night sky. My colour is as long as a bolt of silk and as smooth as a reel of thread. My colour is as fragrant as the rose that flowers and perfumes my springtime.

You already know...my colour is pink.

Vicki Archer
January 2011

Wishing you a week of inspiration and adventure.  xo Gigi