AJC 2011- Itinerary 41 - Conquering FEAR

Una vida con miedo es como la vida medias." "A life lived in fear is a life half-lived." spoken by Fran, Strictly Ballroom (1992) * The Gate is pushed open by the Hand of Fate as the Spanish part of the quote slowly disintegrates: Fear is conquered. * The quote comes from One of My All Time favourite Movies, ‘Strictly Ballroom’ and is spoken by the Spanish Gypsy Grandma to Fran (our heroine) who in turn repeats it to Scott (our hero). The plot revolves around the try-outs for the Pan Pacific Grand Prix Ballroom Championship and of course conquering fears, large (will I Iose all I have been working for if I follow my heart?) to small (will my face ever clear up?) (If you have haven’t seen it and you like Ballroom Dancing, give this quirky, charming Australian film a try. 1992 Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dtfxf3FFx4) * Credits and Kits: Fran and Scott: Strictly Ballroom DVD cover: my photo and altered: Strictly Ballroom was produced by Baz Luhrman (who went on to do Moulin Rouge) and is a M&A Production. Gate photo: my own and altered. * From Tangie’s GrabBag 4 (thank YOU!) Sparkly bits: tangie_luminescence 1\tangie_luminescence_lighting3.png Clouds: tangie_luminescence 1\tangie_luminescence_clouds.png Background Paper: tangie_luminescence2\tangie_luminescence_paper6 Red Curtain with swirly floor: tangie_AlteredArtSmartStarts9 * From Tangie’s Parcel 41 Hand of Fate: Tangie’s AJC11 Parcel 41 _layer6 Font used on Spanish Quote: Smudgers Font on Hand of Fate: Time Roman Fonts swirled using the Serif Craft Artist text palette tool

· Date: 10/9/2011

AJC 2011- Itinerary 40 – DEPEND

‘In May 2006, I had to DEPEND, upon the Chivalry of Two Knightly Friends!’ The following is a True Story (or as Mr Bear would say, ‘could Only Happen to Lady North.’) In May 2006, I twisted my ankle very badly in Rosslyn Scotland and could hardly walk. This made getting around on the last leg (pun) of my UK Journey a tad difficult. I was staying at the home of a couple (both MDs) in Leamington Spa (red star on map) and was told very bluntly ‘not to put any weight on it’. Sure and I had a long train journey ahead of me to get to Heathrow (airplane stamp on map) to fly home. Stephen, (The First Knight), had wanted to have a meal with me before I left and when he phoned to make arrangements, I told him about the foot and he then Volunteered (bless him forevermore) to Drive Up To Warwickshire From London (a 2 hour journey!) pick me up, bag and baggage, drive south, have lunch on the way, and then drive me to Graeme’s home (The Second Knight) which was located on the outskirts of London, who in turn would then see me safely to Heathrow. Now if these two gentlemen were friends of long standing years, it would not be the story it is. In actual fact, these two Knights came to my rescue on the strength of only a few emails that had previously passed between us and only a single meeting each! A phone call was all it took for everything to fall into place. Since then, I have tried to ‘pay it forward’ and recently have been able to honour that commitment by hosting the delightful Ramona as she finds her way Home. Blessings to all who read this from a very Thankful Lady North! Credit and Kits: Background paper and Knights: Medieval Faire Kit – TangieDecrow Scroll Frame: Tangie’s AJC11 Parcel 40: tangie_gessomat1_3border.png UK Map: Web Images Font: Black Chancery

· Date: 10/6/2011