I picked one of my cats up for a cuddle today. He usually runs and hides if he thinks there is a pat coming – unless he chooses the time and place - so it was quite a treat to be able to spend some up-close time with him.

I gave him a pat and he snuggled into my jersey quite content to be there. I nuzzled my face onto the top of his head for a big smooch and nearly dropped the poor animal on the deck. He smelt very strongly of lavender! He was infused with the scent of the fragrant bush and now, so was my jersey.

Obviously he had been in the garden, thoroughly rubbing himself up against my newly planted lavender bushes. The smell was on his fur and there was no hiding where he had been. It had left its mark well and truly on him to the extent that the aroma had become part of him.

It made me think. The people we spend our time with, the conversations we have, the activities we participate in, the books we read, the programmes we watch, the places we go, the thoughts we think – they all leave their mark on us. They all have a lasting effect which can be quite marked.

Who are you associating with? Do they build you up or tear you down? Are your conversations full of doom and gloom, or encouragement and support? How do you spend your time? Are you filling your mind with negatives or positives? What ongoing influence are all these things having on you?

When others come in touch with us, what residue are we leaving behind in their lives? Are we a pleasant perfume that lifts them up or are we leaving behind something less appealing?  

So, here I am. The day has finally arrived. A website. And a blog.

I'm Marian Kerr. I live in New Zealand with my husband and my two cats who I dote on. We each have two adult children (two with partners) and also a wonderful grandson. Family is very important to me and we are pleased our new house has plenty of room for barbeques and sitting on the deck relaxing with our family and our friends. We get a lot of pleasure from our new home and our garden and we are busy putting our own stamp on them. It's lots of work, but very satisfying.

Photography is one of my creative outlets, as is an interest in art and the use of colour. The photos on this site are my own and they give me a great deal of joy.

I run Marian Kerr Consulting Limited which allows me to indulge my two other passions. Through Contemplate Life Coaching I follow my love of people and enjoy seeing people come to understand their own worth and find the power and purpose to live life the way they want to live it and achieve the things they really want to achieve. Through Write With You I pursue my love of words and work with people to help them communicate clearly and effectively in a range of media.

I'll be writing about a variety of ways we can make our lives more fulfilling and sharing ideas that pop up from what is going on around me. I will value your feedback and look forward to getting to know you all better as time goes by.

I've thought for ages about having a website and/or a blog. And I've thought... and I've thought... Then came the time to stop thinking and start doing. So here I am stepping into technology-land and joining the on-line throngs of bloggers.

I'd value your comments and input and look forward to getting to know you better.