This week’s Weekly Photo Challenge over at the Daily Prompt is ‘Perspective’. Interesting. From my perspective, I’m determined to get a couple of posts out this week even if it has been like walking through mud.
This is because, blogging wise, this week so far is proving to be a major challenge which is one of the reasons I’ve been inordinately slow in catching up with you all. Sometimes I can’t get on other blogs as well as my own without a message saying that the page can’t load. When I do get on I can ‘like’ but I can’t comment, or, more to the point, I type out my comment and when I post it I get the same ‘page can’t load’ message so I can’t even paste my copied comment. All for nothing and explains why some of you haven’t ‘seen’ me lately.
I can’t even get on the WordPress forums for support and help for the same reason. I’ve switched from Firefox to Chrome after my laptop was wiped and restored a few weeks ago but now I’m back to Firefox again and still having the same problems! So, if anyone has any advice, please, I would greatly appreciate it as this is getting beyond a joke.
With that mini-rant out of the way, from what I can understand about the word ‘Perspective’ as used for the purposes of this challenge, it refers to the way photographers take a photo of something which, as a close-up, separate entity and out of its usual ‘perspective’, can look like something completely different. For example, what looks like a photo of a barren landscape, when panned out, turns out to be nothing more than a piece of gravel.
My camera does what I want it to do for the most part but I haven’t figured out yet how to get those really great close-ups. I’ve only had it for three years after all! I think it’s something to do with a thing called ‘Macros’ but I may just be showing my photography ignorance here. Still, I’m always up for a challenge and willing to learn. Until then though I will be improvising.
These blogging issues have wasted too much of my time so my take on this challenge may not be quite what was intended but it’s what came to my mind, particularly as I have my daughter, Aspie D, very much on my mind.
I’ve cheated because I am re-posting a poem I wrote for her on her 21st birthday last August. I hope you don’t mind! To be honest, I tried to write another poem but nothing came to me. This poem expresses all I can say right now and I thought it captured the mood of this mum’s perspective when taking this particular photo some nineteen years ago. A touch of cropping and here it is. I hope you enjoy my take on ‘Perspective – a Little Girl’s Joy’.
……………………………………………………..
My two-year old daughter looking down and away from the sun as its rays play with her eyes. Is this what is making her smile so mischievously I wonder?
Two year old daughter – Summer 1994
(c) Copyright Sherri Matthews 2014
No! This little girl has managed to lift the lid off her sandbox all by herself and is full of glee as she plonks herself down in the sand while deciding which toy to play with first. Aspie D loved her green, turtle sandbox.
My daughter playing in her sandbox – 1994
(c) Sherri Matthews 2014
Girl with the Summertime Smile
You came to me, wrapped up in love, on a too-hot summer’s day
as you took in every life-drop falling from the sky
Then seeking quiet refuge in the still of your shut-tight eyes.
Oh Summer girl of mine, with your sunflower-smile
and your cotton-dress skip;
Making beds for caterpillars and tiny pools for frogs,
Singing to the moon on a twinkle-star night;
Legs dangling from your swing as we laughed and held on tight!
Oh did that light from heaven get lost in the dark heart?
A memory of a safe, strong day
Brings a strong-comfort hope, not just for then but now.
Fight I will, this will not, ever, tear us apart.
Sweet woman-girl you are
As I offer you my hand should you take it, oh there you are!
It is always as it should be
In the near…in the chaos…in the far.
You are my daughter, you see, so here we are, you and me.
Swing free under that night-sky, sing your song of let-me-be
and I will ease your sorrow, light a way along your path.
So you keep your hope alive for I will journey with you for awhile
as you are here today, your day, and I remember
My little girl with the summer-time smile.
(c) Copyright Sherri Matthews 2013
A View From My Summerhouse 
I’ve heard of other people having problems loading WordPress blogs when using Firefox so maybe try another browser?
What an adorable little girl playing in the sand pit. And beautiful poem too.
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Thank you Rachel, I always loved my daughter’s look of pure joy and a ‘look at what I did’ expression in this photo.
I’ve tried Google Chrome too but the problems got worse so switched back to Firefox. Jude has given me some ideas as to how clear the cache from Chrome so I’m going to try that next!
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I’ve had problems with Chrome as well so lately I’ve started using Opera. So far so good.
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That’s good 🙂
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Oh Sherri! You know that poem is very special to me as I was right at the beginning of my blogging journey when I first read it and I was amazed at how you managed to express yourself to your daughter so well. In that short time I have changed and my own relationship with my daughter has changed very much for the better, I hope because of my new ability to be open and express myself.
It’s very moving indeed to see your poem afresh.
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Ahh yes Denise, how can I forget your first visit here and how we met! I’ve seen you take enormous strides in your life which shines through in your blog posts and I’m very privileged to have travelled along your path with you, and will continue to do so. How wonderful to know that your relationship with your daughter is so much better and more open. I’m so happy for you and this is so very precious to me in so many ways…
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Lovely poem and a good perspective post Sherri 🙂
and remember you are not alone with your troubles!! We even had problems with our TV signal today – or lack of – always seems to happen here when it is foggy. If I miss Gibbs though I shall be one unhappy lady 😉
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Thanks so much Jude – I got there in the end, phew 🙂
Yes, I will remember and I will keep you posted! Sorry about your TV signal, ours goes in and out sometimes but surprisingly was not bad at all during all the storms. In the town in Dorset where we lived before moving to Somerset our TV would go out all the time with the merest hint of a breeze it seemed at the time 😉
PS Hope you got to watch Gibbs…although not sure what that is!! 🙂
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NCIS – Gibbs is Mark Harmon. I fell in love with him when he was in St Elsewhere in the 1980s.
No man with grey hair should look so sexy.
(it’s the eyes) 😀
xx
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Ah, that’s what I thought. I agree, he is indeed very sexy and I remember him in St Elsewhere 😉
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Beautiful, emotion-filled poem. Thank you for sharing.
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Thank YOU so much for reading, I appreciate it very much 🙂
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What a lovely photo. Makes me want to be a two-year-old again. Great poem, too! Warms my heart.
BTW, I use Firefox, and downloaded their add-on, Adblock Plus (it’s free). Keeps those nasty ads from popping up on my screen that other bloggers have on their sites. I think it may keep malware from creeping into my computer, too. Try it just to see. Since I loaded it, my computer is working so much faster. [I’m not really tech-savvy – one of the geeks at the Geek Squad told me about it! 😉 ]
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Ahh, thanks so much Susan and yes, I know just what you mean!
Since I had my laptop problems and had to have it wiped and restored I had a whole new anti-virus and anti-malaware programme added on but I’ve not heard of Adblock Plus for ads so I will take a look. Thanks Susan 🙂
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What a beautiful poem. At least, that is my perspective. *Nav wonders if the pun will sneak through unnoticed*
Darling photo, too, Sherri. A heartwarming post.
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Ha Ha! Well, Nav need not wonder any longer as the pun was indeed noticed, by me at least 😉
So glad you enjoyed this post, thanks so much about the poem and the photo of little Aspie D 🙂
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So beautiful Sherri! I’ve seen quite a lot of bloggers complaining about this WP problem – I’ll keep an eyeball peeled if one of them posts a solution. Have a wonderful day my lovely! 🙂 XXXXXX
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Ahh, thanks so much lovely Jo!
Yes, it does seem that others are having these kind of problems. I appreciate you keeping an eyeball peeled, who knows what’s out there!!
You have a wonderful, lovely day too 🙂 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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I have read it before but I will say incase I didn’t before – a truly beautiful poem Sherri. It’s so ‘you’ to do something so amazing for your daughter’s birthday 🙂 Can you be my mum? What am I saying, I’m getting myself into trouble, here; of course, you’d be my little sister! 😉
Such sweet take on the challenge too – I am most jealous of the sandpit!
I was having the same issues as you, in Chrome. I could get onto my dashboard and I could view your blog fine, but any x dot wordpress.com blogs would not come up for me (I got ERR_CONNECTION_RESET, I don’t know if you saw/see that?). I deleted my cookies, and it seems to be working fine now. So maybe it was a completely different problem, personal to me. But it’s worth a shot.
It did all work fine in Internet Explorer, and Safari, but y’know, picky sod, I’m at home in my Chrome 😉
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Ha ha Ha ha!!!! No, I won’t be your mum (you’ve got a mumsey) but YOUNGER sister, by all means, ha!
Seriously though, thanks so much JG, yes, you said such lovely things before I definitely do remember, and again, very much taken to heart and appreciated greatly…
And talking of birthdays…and your little comment thrown in rather craftily into another comment to which I still have to reply but reply here now thus; regarding the chocolate train cake, which I also promised Jill a photo of – are you reading this Jill?? – believe it or not I have been wading through my photos trying to find it! I have a post idea and I really need that photo so I am on it!!!
Now you said something interesting which has made me think – and Jill, you can help on this one too! – I called it a sandbox but I remember that here we call it a sandpit. This is what happens to me all the time. I know I use American words without even thinking but now, to be honest, I don’t even know if sandbox is American or if I made it up! Anyway, I loved that turtle sandbox (pit) as much as the kids but of course I couldn’t actually fit inside it more’s the pity (well, at a push but let’s not get into pedantics) … 😉
Yes, I got that connection thing message too. Jude sent me some useful info about clearing away the cache in Chrome so I’m assuming that’s the same as cookies? I’m going to give it a try as I do think that might be the problem. I’m on Firefox at the moment and things are ok…for now. I haven’t used IE for years and I’m scared too after all our computer issues!!! Anyway, thanks for all the help and I’ll keep you posted 🙂
Hope you have a great, non-computer issues day … 🙂
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Ha ha! Yes, I am reading this, Sherri! 🙂 Growing up, I called it a sandbox, so I assume it’s an American word. 🙂
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So I WAS right, I didn’t make it up, phew! Thank you Jill for clearing this up. Ha Ha! You know, I just called it a sandbox without thinking twice about it but when I read Steven’s comment I remembered that I grew up calling it a sandpit. Living in the States for so long and bringing up my children there I obviously took on board a lot of American sayings and words which I still use today! The problem is that I honestly don’t know the difference sometimes! I’ll be smiling about this all day now 🙂
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You’re not going crazy, Sherri…you’ve just lived the best of both worlds. Happy Day!
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🙂
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Phew, got out of that one remarkably unscathed! Rock on, lil sista! Hey sista, flow sista, go sista, soul sistas…
Haha, I can’t wait!
‘Sandbox’ is definitely an American term. Thinking about it, it’s much nicer than ‘sandpit’, isn’t it? Nobody wants to be in a pit.
I would have been hogging it for myself, it’s so cool 😉 I was so bad with the toys when the boys were small. I was only late-20s, a boy myself 😉 “We didn’t buy that for you, Steven… it’s for two year olds.”
Cache is different to cookies – clearing the cache did not help me, but clearing cookies did. Bingo! Hope it works for you! We don’t want to all end up on I-E do we 😛
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Thanks JG! Hope you are having a lovely weekend… 🙂
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Good weekend had thanks, and you? 🙂 Kein Problem! Is it working now? Did you fix things with Chrome?
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Hi JG – Glad you had a good weekend. Ours was….mixed….due to daughter not being too well which scuppered our plans but main thing she is a bit better now. Still, it was lovely weather wasn’t it? And we love to talk about the weather, right? Things seem better now thanks and I did a few things with Chrome but still using Firefox. I think something updated on the browser and ever since then things have been better. Long may it reign… thanks again for your advice and hope things are well with you 🙂
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You’re not ‘cheating’, Sherri…your poem is even better the second time around. Oh, your daughter makes me smile, so sweet.
Blogging issues…YUCK! I’ve had my fair share. All of the blogs I follow, no longer come to my e-mail…no clue what happened. When I become frustrated with the technological side of blogging, I lose my interest when it comes to writing a post. I’ve learned the hard way, when I type a comment, I copy it first, because often it doesn’t take. So frustrating, but your post eased my stress, Sherri…thank you for that! xo
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Oh Jill, you are so lovely, thank you so much 🙂
As for blogging issues, yes, I know you’ve been having some problems too. I’ve just realised that I haven’t been getting some email notifications either so I’m sure there are a few bloggers wondering why I haven’t been over to their sites. I’ve had a few people tell me that they have ‘missed’ some of my posts too. What is going on I wonder? I’m going to try to sort out the issues with Chrome and see if that helps but this email notification business seems to be a separate issue to do with WP.
I’m just the same as you, I lose my interest with posting when I have to deal with all these frustrations and it makes it so hard to keep up with it. Still, I’m so glad that I helped ease your stress a little over all this Jill, and to know that we are not alone in this!
Oh, and I hope you read my reply to Steven’s comment above – your ears will be burning because I was talking about you – in the nicest possible way of course!
Hope your day is a little less frustrating my friend 🙂 xo
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wonderful, wonderful poem and post. and we used to have the same turtle sand box. 🙂
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Thanks so much Y, glad you enjoyed it. Oh, how fun! They were great weren’t they 😉
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Such a lovely, touching poem.
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Thank you so much Marlene 🙂
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Such a sweet poem! I re-post things sometimes too. Sorry to hear that you are having so many problems with your computer! I use Chrome, but I don’t know much about FireFox. You might have some settings on your computer or browser that got messed with or perhaps a behind-the-scenes sort of program (like Flash) needs to be updated. Look at the time and date on your computer – if these got reset and are not correct, it throws a lot of things out of whack. Sorry I don’t get around more often! I have had the darndest time getting time to read other people’s blogs lately.
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Hi Robin, lovely to see you here again! Now that’s so interesting you say that about Flash as I did get a notification to update it but something went wrong and since then come to think of it I’ve had these problems. Hmmm, now you’ve got me thinking…although my time and date is fine. Will definitely look into this Flash thing, thanks so much for the advice!
Thanks so much too for taking the time to come over and read this post, I know how it can be, I’ve been really behind too with visiting other people’s blogs. I have signed up to follow your new blog now too so hopefully I will get your email notifications when you post.
Hope things are going well and ‘see’ you soon 🙂
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What a moving and beautiful poem – and a post so in gear with our modern interweb complications! However it’s worth all that to see your writing and read your pieces.
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Thank you so much CM, as always, your support and encouragement means so much.. 🙂
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What a beautiful poem x well worth reporting x I’m having issues too with WordPress, I can’t open old posts for some reason. I get the same message as you. Strange and very annoying.
Sent by Brenda Kimmins
>
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Hi Brenda, thank you so much 🙂 Ahh, so sorry to hear that. It seems a lot of us are having these problems. It’s so frustrating to say the least, I do hope we can get back on track again soon…
Take care and have a lovely day 🙂
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A lovely post, Sherrie. And perfectly timed since you are having such issues. It’s good to focus on the beautiful.
As for the blogging issues, I’ve been having issues lately and I thought it was due to my ancient laptop that’s on its last leg. Maybe it’s not my laptop–that might be good news for me, but doesn’t help all the others dealing with the issues.
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Yes, I know you’ve been having a lot of computer problems and I’ve been wondering how you are getting along. Maybe as you say it is something else which you can resolve without having to replace it – yet!!
Thanks so much TB, I appreciate that, and yes, it is good to focus on the beautiful indeed and press through with that beauty in our hearts… 🙂
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Brilliant photos but that poem… damn that is beeeeaaaauuuutiful…. I had a similar problem a while back but as soon as I cleared my cookies all was back to normal…
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Oh wow Bulldog…..thank you so, so much……you’ve touched my heart……..
Re the cookie clearing, that’s great. Let’s see what happens when I do the same………and thanks for the advice 🙂
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Lovely pic of your girl – illustrates your poem beautifully. A great take on Perspective, Sherri.
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Thank you very much Jenny. I got there in the end! 🙂
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We have the same (or a very similar) turtle sandbox on our patio right now. I had to empty the sand out last summer, as it was getting very dirty. My grandchildren then decided to fill the turtle up with water and use it as a wading pool. I’ll have to purchase a few bags of clean sand this spring.
A wonderful ‘perspective’ Sherri! The poem and the photo of little Aspie D are beautiful. 🙂
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Thank you so much Theresa, and what a wonderful wading pool it would make too! I loved the turtle sandbox so much, we had it for years and how lovely to know that you have the same one for your grandchildren! Puts it all into ‘perspective’ doesn’t it? 😉
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THhs is such a touching, yet heart-warming poem, Sherri. Love the pics of your precious little girl. Your absolute and unconditional love for her, shines forth from your poem. Hugs to you.
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Ahh, thank you so much for your loving, kind words Sylvia, you warm my heart greatly, and hugs right back to you too 🙂
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A beautiful poem, and a loving tribute to this Summer Girl of yours with the sunflower smile.
Any time you feel overwhelmed and under-hopeful, Sherri, take out this wonderful turtle sandbox picture of your daughter, proud and happy and independent among her toys. Look at it, smile, take a deep breath, and be grateful for such a gift.
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Ahh, thank you so much Marylin, you bring great comfort to me. You always have such a wonderful way of bringing what is most important into the right ‘perspective’ – whether it be about headless chickens, giant art works in Kansas or my happy and independent two year old daughter and the young woman that she is today. I will indeed keep this photo close by and I will remember your loving, kind words to me when I look at it 🙂
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The poem leaves a big lump in my throat, Sherri. Thanks for sharing 🙂
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Ahh, bless you Jo and I thank you so much… 🙂
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Beautiful poem and lovely photos.What a lovely present to receive on your 21st – the knowledge that you are so loved and that you will have company on the journey whilst she wants or needs it. All the love you feel for her is evident in your words. Just lovely.
Re the blogging. I have had that problem with safari but I don’t think that it is a problem with WP rather a problem with safari as it happens with me any time I try to use a link to go anywhere from any program. I don’t have the problem with chrome. When you google the problem in safari you find it is quite common. People have put suggestions on forums as to what to do but I have been unsuccessful in rectifying the problem. Now to add to it I can no longer send emails. Everything has been very time and labour intensive at a time when we are all so busy.
Still we might as well smile and head off on a walk 🙂
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Thank YOU so much for your beautiful reply Irene, I’m very touched….
Oh what a nuisance this all is. I’ve had problems with my emails too and as you say, all way too time consuming when we just want to get on with the task in hand. I’ve not heard of Safari I have to admit. I’m sticking to Firefox for the time being while I try to get things sorted out with Chrome. I hope that as I type this you have been able to rectify the situation. Le’s hope that this week is less hassle for all of us…
…and yes, I agree, let’s take that walk, leave all this behind and enjoy the weekend… 🙂
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You’re daughter is so lucky to have you write a beautiful poem like that for her – I love that you call her the girl with the summer-time smile (I’m sure your response would be that you’re lucky to have her 🙂 ). One of my first memories is when I was very young and my dad made me a makeshift sandpit out of a small tin bath in the back yard. I do have a photo of me playing in it somewhere…
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The day I had my daughter it was 116 degrees (Fahrenheit!) and we didn’t have any air conditioning so I begged the hospital to keep me in for a couple of days just to cool off, even though I hated being away from my boys but they were having a great time with the grandparents! I used to call her my ‘summer-girl’ because of carrying her through a long, hot summer and so the ‘summer-time smile’ depicts her so well 🙂 I’m so glad you liked the poem Andrea, thank you very much!
Ahh, what a lovely, happy memory of your younger years. You will have to try and find that precious photo… 🙂
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Sorry to hear about your computer problem. I hope it gets solved soon. I’m glad you reported the beautiful pone for your daughter. Her smile and the joy she gave you and her family truly shines like the best of Summertime and it’s sunshine. All the best to you and your family.
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Thank you so much IT for your beautiful words. No matter what challenges she faces in life with the problems that having Asperger’s Syndrome brings, my daughter will indeed always have her gorgeous summer-time smile 🙂
I appreciate your kind thoughts for the computer issues too, I’m hoping for a problem-free week to come!
Blessings to you and your family too and I hope you are enjoying a wonderful weekend 🙂
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The poem is just too moving.
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Simply…thank you so much Evelyne…
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Loved your poem and pics of your daughter. I wish I could help you with your tech problems, but I’m computer illiterate.
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Ahh, thanks so much Donna, and you and me both when it comes to computers. Just hope that now things are better. Last week was rather trying! Hope you are having a lovely weekend my friend 🙂
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Your daughter looks so happy.
It’s a nice poem – it was beautiful when I first read it, and it still is now. 🙂 Your daughter must be truly happy to have this double special treatment. 🙂
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Hi Imelda! Yes, I do love this photo of her, she really was a very happy little girl. I remember your lovely comments from before and again, I thank you so very much and lovely to see you here. I hope things are settling down for you once again… 🙂
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I hope you get your tech stuff sorted, It is a real bummer. I am not sure if you are using MAC or PC ? I was having much of the same problem with my Mac and had to update my operating system to Mavericks. Check that your browser and operating system is the latest up-to-date version, and that your router and internet connection are working as they should be. I had to install a new router too.
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Hi Sandra, I use a PC, never have used a MAC. I was getting messages about the connection (we have fibre optic with BT) but since I made sure the browser has updated things seem to be a bit better again. I’m glad you got your problems sorted out too, but what a time waster it all is. Great when it works though 🙂
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It’s a huge time waster. It has temporarily ceased me from working on my book on my Mac. Add to that the HMRC problem that is now sorted, my wages and expenses that I had to chase for weeks, and problems with EE for almost two weeks, much more time has been washed, but we have to deal with these emergencies.
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