Beautiful Things by Kate Gunn

Todays beautiful things are written by Kate Gunn, a lovely, warm, intelligent lady who it is my pleasure to work with from time to time.

Kate lived in County Wicklow, Ireland until heading off on her international adventures in 1999. She spent her 20’s travelling, her 30’s getting married and having babies, and is now hitting her 40’s newly single and back in her old home town.  She has written parenting features for the Irish Independent and the Huffington Post, and currently earns her pennies working for Netmums and writing freelance.

You can find her most days drinking strong coffee on her blog, Kate Takes 5, or sipping gin on Twitter.

 

The most beautiful thing I have ever seen  …

I’ve been lucky enough to have seen many, many beautiful things.  Of course my children’s faces rank up there, as do so many snapshots of their life. There are places I’ve been to that I can’t even describe the beauty of – Lake Bled in Slovenia,

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Kakadu National Park in Australia,‘The Beach’ of Leonard DiCaprio fame as seen from the side of a wooden longboat in Thailand.

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But the one that pops into my head now is of a stranger standing under an olive tree by the side of the road in sunny Spain. She was a young mother that I happened to be standing nearby. She wore a long white summer dress which billowed softly in the gentle breeze, and her long dark hair cascaded over her tanned shoulders as she gazed adoringly down at the tiny nursing baby in her arms. The beauty of motherhood in a single moment of perfection. It took my breath away.

The most beautiful thing I have ever owned …

My grandmother’s great aunts ring. My mother’s family was quite grand and passed along some beautiful heirlooms to her. Each of the girls in my family got a ring and mine was a dress ring originally owned by my grandmother’s great aunt. Two immaculate sapphires peep out of two diamond encrusted circles. It is very old and very beautiful. I remember being shown it as a little girl and couldn’t quite believe that one day it would be mine. And now it is.

The most beautiful song I have ever heard …..

Oh so many! How to choose? I’ve fallen in love with so many songs over my life time it’s impossible to choose just one. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Into my Arms, Cat Power – The Greatest, Spiritualised – Soul on Fire and Bright Eyes – First Day of my life all come to mind.

I’ll just pop this one here

The most beautiful person I know is…..

Well that one has to go to my three angels with dirty faces doesn’t it?

The most beautiful thing about me is……

Well I do like my feet. Although I realised aged 25 that I have a gammy toe… So maybe the fact that I really do believe that most people are generally lovely. Occasionally I’m proved wrong, but I’d like to think that most of the time I’m right. And that lends itself to a pretty beautiful world I’d say.