Wednesday, Thursday & Friday: After our trip to Hallstatt, we savoured a few lazy days in and around where we were based. We took small ventures out to the local town of Zell Am See and the surrounding areas but nothing too strenuous. On Friday, we decided that we would head to a gorge but a 45 minute drive revealed that the walkway was closed for maintenance. Instead, we re-routed ourselves towards Bad Gastein – a town with a rich history, having been made famous by its hot springs and radon-laced waters which have been believed to contain many healing qualities in times gone by. We stayed for a short while and enjoyed the urban waterfall that runs right through this place.
Saturday: After packing up, we headed to Salzburg where we had two nights booked in a hotel. Temperatures were soaring into the late 20s and, after checking in, we headed into The Old Town. Having purchased the Salzburg card which gave us free entry into many of the city’s attractions, we headed up the cable car to the impressive fortress that lies at the top. This was a great lesson in history, architecture…oh, and the views were pretty impressive too!
Sunday: Wanting to get our money’s worth from our Salzburg cards, we accomplished a lot on this day. It began with a boat ride on the River Salzach, followed by a visit to Mozart’s Birth Place. After lunch, we went in search of some of the film settings for the Sound of Music that didn’t lie within walking distance of the Old Town. It turns out that the ‘Sixteen going on seventeen’ pavilion was located right by the zoo…this led to a conversation in which we realised that we have never visited a zoo together…so we did. After sightings of rhinos (see below), bears and other fun critters, we detoured to the famous Sound of Music house before heading back to the Old Town for a final evening in Austria.
Reflections: Visit Austria if you have the chance. From the scenery and architecture to the friendly locals and tasty cuisine, there is so much to love about this place.
And…as promised…here is that baby Rhino:
Anita x
I will not claim to be an expert in politics. In fact, I would say that I often dislike politics on many levels. And yesterday in the UK was a great example as to why.
As the day progressed, my news feeds on social media began to fill up with angry and sometimes even hateful comments towards the election result. For any non-Brits who didn’t follow the election – the results came in and the UK is now under the control of a Tory (conservative) government which was a real shocker against the pre-election polls which had predicted a tight vote and possibly another hung parliament.
But what I saw yesterday was people using social media as not only a platform to air their views but many people used social media to hurt, slander, criticise and even scaremonger.
Let’s remember…
36.6% of the population should be happy with the outcome (if they’re not, then they need to re-think why they voted this way).
As for everyone else, there are many people within the remaining 63.4% who are saddened, hurt, worried and even frightened at the policies the conservative government plan to implement over the course of the next 5 years. People who are already living below the bread line and already struggling to make ends meet may face even more benefit cuts and a harder life ahead of them. Other people who are hard-working in jobs such as teachers, NHS staff and care workers who don’t know yet how the funding for their roles, and the resources they so need, will be affected. The families of the disabled and those with special needs who are supported by benefits and funding that are necessary for their quality of life (a basic human right) – and they are worried too.
And the scaremongering in the news and online doesn’t help!
Yes – it is clear from the results that the UK’s voting system lacks a degree of representative proportionality to the number of votes to the number of seats gained – the Green Party’s 1 million votes = 1 seat in the house of commons was a clear example of this. (On the other hand let’s remember that this time round it also stopped UKIP’s 3.8 million votes from gaining more than one seat too…you can’t have it all it seems…) While it is clear that reform of the UK’s voting system is needed, this remains a story for another blog post…on another day.
Yesterday, many people took to social media it seems. Some just relaying their views on the situation. But I read some disturbingly hateful and hurtful comments written by friends and strangers towards each other yesterday – based on the fact that they disagreed. To all of those people…feel free to continue if you think that written text in an online forum or on social media is the best way to air your views and have a healthy discussion about how we can move forward…but as a Christian, these are the responses I feel I should try to take:
1. We must love each other – in a real way. In our words and in our actions.
In this case – if someone doesn’t agree with you, that’s ok. Love them anyway. You dont’ have to agree with them.
“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.” – Romans 12:9-102
2. If you can’t say something nice…
“Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” – Ephesians 4:29
3. We should pray for our leaders…
Like it or not, the UK has a conservative government now and we should pray for wisdom and discernment in their working.
“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.” – 1 Timothy 2: 1-4
As Christians, we have a responsibility to respond in a moral, biblical and compassionate way towards others. God is using us everyday to fulfill His greater purpose. Let Him use you in the way He wants…
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” – Ephesians 2:10
And our role… is not to let ourselves get in the way of His greater plan…
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29: 11
It’s been a while…it’s amazing how time gets away from you. I completely intended to blog over the last couple of months but it’s amazing how time just gets away from you. We had a great trip to New York for Thanksgiving, Niagara & even squeezed in a couple of days in Iceland (definitely my favourite country so far) on our way back home to Sweden.
Anyway, as with every year, 2014 was a year of ups and downs for us. All kinds of great things have happened: moving countries, running marathons, releasing 2 new EPS, starting new musical projects, making new connections…the list goes on. But we also had some sad losses this year, including the huge personal loss of my Grandpa.
I have become quite a thinker over the last few years…I ponder on life’s events a fair amount and as we approached the end of 2014, I began to think about how little we know at the start of a new year. This was the theme for my latest blog post over at Salt of the Sound which I would encourage you to take a peek at.
2015…Here we are! What will happen? We don’t fully know. Will it be a year of successes? Lessons? Or losses? They’ll probably all weave their way in there in some way, shape or form. But we need to be content with the not knowing…and trust that it is in good hands!
Gott Nytt År (Happy New Year) from Sweden! Let’s make 2015 count!
Anita x x x
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Central Park, New York City
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View from Rockerfeller Center, New York City
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Aboard the Maid of the Mist, Niagara Falls, Canada
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Niagara Falls
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Enjoying Iceland
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Iceland in the Snow
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Iceland
PS: Photo credits go to my husband ©Ben Tatlow 2014. You can check out his Flickr page here
Today, I say goodbye to one of the most influential people in my life. Gentleness and kindness sum up my Grandpa to the very core.
Back in July, when my Grandpa was busy “directing” his own funeral, we sat down and had a tender conversation in which he asked me to write a song for him, to be played at this time. He wanted the song to reflect how he had found such peace in knowing that God is right there – so close to you – and all the time, if you just reach out to him. And here it is, Grandpa’s song: ‘Closer’.
And I am so thankful that Grandpa got to hear his song in this life. Earlier this month, we were so fortunate to travel back to the UK to see him and play him his song. His response was simply, ‘It’s beautiful’. On the morning of his passing, my aunt played the song to him only once and, after a restless night, he finally passed away with his song playing in the background. And now he is at peace.
So Grandpa….
Thank you for the memories,
for listening & advising with such gentleness and love,
for your kind & giving spirit,
for your encouragement & support,
for your love & wisdom,
for your generosity & so much more.
…you have had a huge impact in shaping who I am. And I love you.
…Until we meet again… xoxo
In the last month, we have released not one…not two…but three new releases…with the final release being today! So lucky you…you will get to hear it first.
Salt of the Sound – ‘Through the Mist’
Our brand new EP ‘Through the Mist’ contains 6 brand new tracks, based on the theme found in 1 Corinthians 13v12:
We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
You can read more about it and listen to a preview over at the Salt of the Sound website (Before you buy it here!)
Having received fantastic reviews for our first album did add an element of pressure – to really do justice to the music we were writing for this latest EP. In this way, we have been challenged to really make progress with our music, whilst still maintaining the overall meditative sound that we have created with Salt of the Sound.
Salt of the Sound ‘meditations’ (Instrumental Album)
Looking for some background music in your life? We have the perfect dinner party / social gathering / study music / pre or post-church service (basically, it works on so many levels for so many things) playlist for you. We have also released a full length album of Instrumental tracks. Download it here or listen on Spotify.
This album has already been recognised by several chillout playlists – including some non-Christian podcasts. Yes – we write as Christian musicians but it is great to see our music being used in so many different settings!
Anita Tatlow (Worship songs)
If you’ve visited my blog before, you’ve probably heard about my new worship song project – well, they’re out. You can download them here or listen on Spotify here!
How you can support us:
We are independent artists and write and produce all of our own music. We simply trust that God will take our music and use it for His glory. So if you like what you hear, here are some ways you can support our music ministry:
Download our music
Share our music – Follow us on Facebook & Twitter.
Listen on Spotify – you can follow Salt of the Sound here too!
Thank you for your support – it means more than you know!
Blessings,
Anita
