Wordless Wednesday: For the May day is the great day

Storytime: Hairy Maclary’s Hat Tricks

Year: 2007
Author: Lynley Dodd
Illustrator: Lynley Dodd

SWOOSH went the wind in the tops of the trees,
swishing the branches and tossing the leaves.
It whipped around corners and blew over bins,
it buffeted birds into spirals and spins.
A blusterous, gusterous, dusterous day,
but Hairy Maclary was ready to play.

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Music Monday: April roundup

One scant week of school after Easter break was enough to push Avicii to the top of this month’s list. Well, after all the contemplation, some get-up-and-go was just what the doctor ordered!

1. Avicii (91)
2. Anonymous 4 (87)
3. Shirley Rumsey (70)

Everything You Do Matters

In a world of six billion people, it’s easy to believe that the only way to initiate profound transformation is to take extreme action. Each of us, however, carries within us the capacity to change the world in small ways for better or worse. Everything we do and think affects the people in our lives, and their reactions in turn affect others. As the effect of a seemingly insignificant word passes from person to person, its impact grows and can become a source of great joy, inspiration, anxiety, or pain. Your thoughts and actions are like stones dropped into still waters, causing ripples to spread and expand as they move outward. The impact you have on the world is greater than you could ever imagine, and the choices you make can have far-reaching consequences. You can use the ripple effect to make a positive difference and spread waves of kindness that will wash over the world.

Should the opportunity arise, the recipient of a good deed will likely feel compelled to do a good deed for someone else. Someone feeling the effects of negative energy will be more likely to pass on that negative energy. One act of charity, one thoughtful deed, or even one positive thought can pass from individual to individual, snowballing until it becomes a group movement or the ray of hope that saves someone’s life. Every transformation, just like every ripple, has a point of origin. You must believe in your ability to be that point of origin if you want to use the ripples you create to spread goodness. Consider the effect of your thoughts and actions, and try to act graciously as much as possible.

A smile directed at a stranger, a compliment given to a friend, an attitude of laughter, or a thoughtful gesture can send ripples that spread among your loved ones and associates, out into your community, and finally throughout the world. You have the power to touch the lives of everyone you come into contact with and everyone those people come into contact with. The momentum of your influence will grow as your ripples moves onward and outward. One of those ripples could become a tidal wave of positivity.

DailyOM

Foodie Friday: Thai Chicken Curry

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:
300g long grain white rice
1 tbsp sunflower oil
2 red peppers, deseeded and sliced
1 red onion, sliced
3 tbsp Thai red curry paste
1 tsp granulated sugar
400ml tin reduced-fat coconut milk
200g very fine whole green beans, defrosted if frozen
300g leftover roast chicken, shredded
Lime cheeks, to serve
Coriander leaves, to serve

Method:
1. Cook the rice to pack instructions. Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large wok or frying pan, add the peppers and onions and stir-fry for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the curry paste and sugar and cook for a minute until fragrant. Pour in the coconut milk, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes until the liquid is reduced by a third.
4. Add the green beans and chicken and cook gently for 5 minutes, until the chicken is piping hot.
5. Divide the rice and curry between 4 plates and serve with the lime cheeks and coriander leaves.