7. Beautiful baths in Bath

My word they have cracked it at the Thermae Bath Spa in Bath. Just across the road from where the very impressive Roman Bath excavation and museum is you can try it out 21st century style. We went around dusk and got the full range of amazing light from the steamy roof top pool - golden fading light, captivating sunset and inky black backdrop to a bright half moon and Orion constellation. Another amazing treat to enjoy on an amazing couple of days away thanks to parents in law. I did think, as my head plunged into the naturally warm soaking shower, that this was perhaps as far away from the aceticsm of Lent as you could get. Whoops.

Nice to leave another sticker in such a beautiful place. Another chance hopefully to have someone be reminded that they're already beautiful. But it was almost as if that place makes you feel beautiful. Is that ok?

6. Beautiful Bath

It's so lovely to be sitting outside a pub after a long walk with the sun warming my face and a glass of wine warming my insides. Very difficult not to feel beautiful and see beauty all day today - and yesterday - on a couple of nights' jolly away without our children.

It's the first sticker in the countryside and where better than on a public footpath sign. I love the English networks of public footpaths. Though no doubt if I spent anytime in Scotland I would be frustrated that we have less right to roam. We have been through more kissing gates these last few days walking near Bath than I have ever before in my life as a whole. And you don't get those were there's a right to roam!

Couldn't resist photographing pretty much every sign of spring. Also came across a great Darling Doris (it's a Fat 'n' Frantic term) phone box that had been turned into a book box.

5a. A word from our sponsors

• 

  When I saw the video of the You Are Beautiful photobook project I was so inspired I immediately ordered some stickers for a Lenten discipline around our neighbourhood which I hope, through this blog, you're enjoying as much as me.
  
  Lent started only two days later and so I rustled up some fake stickers in the interim period (which I have to say are not as big or as shiny as the nice originals in the picture). And then I got a bit worried that this might not be OK with the guys behind the originals. So I emailed them... and here's their reply... nice eh??

  Matthew Hoffman
  

  Friday Feb 15 2013, 10:27am EST

  Hi Lynda,
  Thanks so much for the note! You made made some DIY ones? Awesome!
  Thank you so much for your support!
  Can't wait to see what you do with them,
  Matthew

4. and 5. The beautiful Irish

Ah the dilemmas of the international traveller. I had been looking forward to a bit of international stickering on a day trip to Dublin for a meeting with work. But I didn't make it passed the toilets at Stansted. Just so many women passing through getting stressed by their journey. Worrying whether they are beautiful enough for international travel. Wondering how much they have to spend in Duty Free to become beautiful. So I just left one there and then. In the casement of a mirror in the washing area.

And I didn't really regret it all day. Until I was in the toilets at Dublin airport on my way home. I couldn't resist. Tomorrow I will probably be holed up at home at the the in laws and they already know they are beautiful so there won't be much opportunity to sticker anywhere. Maybe I have broken some Lenten rule. But I am not too worried. It's so late now that it's almost tomorrow anyway.

3. Post office beautiful

I had to skulk around before I had a chance to sticker without an audience. And I was panicking a bit so it didn't go in a very interesting place. But I figure on the notice board of the Clapton sorting office it might get seen by a fair few people over the next weeks.

On my way home I cycled to see if I could see the Valentine craft bomb a friend had told me about. Some lovely Danish hearts on our Olympificated road furniture. Looking a little worse for wear from the rain yesterday but still full if colour and warmth and love. I love my neighbourhood!

Loving blogging from my phone :-) but it does weird things to the pics!

2. Valentine beautiful

A friend's extra Valentine challenge had me up til 1.30am but it was fun to leave a crafty heart on a railing in Hoxton. Man that place needs a bit of love. I cycle through it by the canal each day for work but only see the shiny new riverside apartments. The city side of Hoxton is one boarded up estate after another.

I nearly bailed on my first sticker opportunity. I thought it'd be nice to put it in the canteen at work where many people come and go but I realised I didn't wait anyone to see me. So in the lift it went. Nice and private stickering! On the slightly dishevelled looking no smoking notice.

Quakers believe there is 'that of God in everyone'. I think that can be interpreted as it not bring possible to be anything but beautiful.

1. Beautiful.. but not pretty

That's me... with the ashen cross still on me for'ead!

It's Lent again. It does that. Comes around every year. And me and R were a bit late in the day, looking for some inspiration for a creative journey in our neighbourhood. But suddenly her fella is tweeting a link to the You Are Beautiful video project. And I smiled. And cried. And was off donating money and ordering stickers... Only that was on Monday. And they're sending them from Chicago. And Lent starts today. So I spent a good part of yesterday designing a stop-gap sticker so that we can start stickering our neighbourhood one Lenten day at a time. Look out Clapton here we come.

And I thought I wouldn't blog about it. I'm blogging here at the moment about something totally different and it's all getting a bit out of hand. But then, something prompted me to scribe... tonight, in a small family-sized Ash Wednesday moment I was reminded that the liturgy the Lovely Chris put together for kids included these words:

I am sorry for my mistakes.
I know you love me Jesus.
You made me.
I am beautiful.
Help me love and care for each person here.
Amen.

They are words said together as the ash cross is made on the forehead. They are an approximation (and small kid-friendly version) of the more commonly used "Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return". I thought I would use my first sticker, then, on the mirror in our lounge. To remind me that I am beautiful. You can't think anyone else is beautiful until you own your own beauty, right? It will be seen regularly this Lent by all our family and each visitor to our house.

And then, by sheer luck and internet surfing, I came across this slam poet, ripping to shreds the concept of 'pretty', on the Avaaz website. I guess that's part of what the guys at http://you-are-beautiful.com/ are trying to say. There is beauty in us all. Pretty doesn't even come close.