A national treasure - The Yorkshire Sculpture Park

I like art. I'm no expert, but then again you don't need to be to appreciate something beautiful, inspirational or challenging, do you? I've spent many hours wandering the Tate, the National Portrait Gallery, the Louvre to name a few and all that art amidst such inspirational architecture is a moving experience.

Imagine if there were a place where you could experience such displays of inspiration, talent and genius in the most amazing gallery of all - nature itself. Well, in Yorkshire you can - at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

A friend had told me about it and kept encouraging me to go but I wasn't sure that my two small boys would be all that interested in wandering round a park with sculptures in it. I couldn't be more wrong.

In my naivety the word 'park' had not prepared me for the 500 acres where our boys could run wild. Playing 'Billy Goats Gruff' on the Haha bridge. Hugging rocket-shaped granite. Hiding in steel sculptures. Watching lambs frolic while old sheep seek shade under old oaks. Collecting leaves, acorns, sycamore helicopters and pine cones. Watching herons nesting. Banging gongs in the Jaume Plensa exhibition and trailing their hands along his windchime wall of words. Browsing the gift shop and glutting on gorgeous food.

It's a gem. If you've never been, you've got to go, and I hope this selection of photos I took there inspire you to visit!

One of the many Henry Moore sculptures at the YSP.

Two little boys eager to explore.

Giant rabbit and I mean 'giant'.

The 'Haha Bridge' or as my boys call it - 'The Troll Bridge'

Jaume Plensa's exhibition is on until 25th September.

These aren't sculptures.

Simply beautiful. And big.

Twitterholics Anonymous

My name is Michelle and I'm a Twitterholic.

A couple of years ago I found Twitter and blogged about my love of it. I was torn between my need to 'share' and my husband's total lack of understanding of why I was doing it. I said, 'I will not be forsaking Twitter. I will continue to tweet because it makes me feel good and in feeling good I am a better wife, mother and person. I'll just keep it fairly low key for now until we're back at work and then BAM! I'll be tweeting insanely all day long! My followers won't know what's hit them.'

I lied.

The pressure of work, the business of being a mum and a wife, all contributed to Twitter being pushed aside and for a while I forgot how dependent I'd become on it for information, entertainment and affirmation. For a YEAR and a HALF I went cold turkey.

Most people would say, 'So what?' and to be honest with you, at first it didn't seem like such a big deal. I still had Facebook. I watched BBC Breakfast news. I surfed the internet and bought the 'i'. But gradually I came to realise that without Twitter I was out of touch and ill-informed. Whereas before I was genned-up on all the latest developments in technology and what was happening of interest around the world and what people's take on the news was, suddenly I felt like I was the last to know. Twitter Sing-ups took place, there were births, deaths and marriages and I just plodded along oblivious of it all until it was reported on TV or in the paper.

It was like living in the days before email. Remember when you had use a post box and send letters and wait a day before it arrived and then wait another day or two for a reply. Information took time to reach you and I felt the same without Twitter. The TV news reported what had happened but I came to realise that through Twitter I could find out about things as they were happening. Items of news which were of interest to me might not make it to the mainstream broadcast and I'd miss them completely or have to make an effort to find out what was happening by searching for it.

My return to Twitter was not an easy one. I was worried about what I might find there; a bit like leaving your house unattended for a year and finding that squatters have moved in, your neighbours have moved out and your garden's a meadow. I wasn't convinced that I'd be able to just pick up where I left off but luckily for me: I was! Now it's like I never left but now I'm more addicted than ever before.

I follow more people, comment more, click on more links... Yet again, Twitter has taken over my life but I'm embracing that. The feeling of being involved in things and being on the cutting edge of information is worth it! I feel more creative - I follow creative thinkers who inspire me to use my imagination and creativity. Hence the blogging.

Thank you Twitter and all the people whom I follow and who follow me. I promise not to forsake you again. Maybe.