2012

I'm going to give it a red hot go...you?

 image: a tranquil townhouse

 

a request...to you...from the first born...

Happy Monday. How about those All Blacks hey? That was a close one! 
But enough about the rugby...there are more important things on the agenda today! Those of you who've been visiting the townhouse for a while will know that the first born (my daughter Jess) works for Cleo Magazine. She's just been promoted to features/lifestyle writer...that's my girl :) She's asked if you lovely people could help with an article she's writing...

So, in her words...

Hi everyone,

I’m working on a cute story for the magazine about life advice from 9 – 90 year olds and was hoping you could share some words of wisdom someone under the age of 10 or over 80 has given you.

It could be funny, silly, profound, practical or supremely beautiful; I want to hear everything!

Please include the name and age of the person who gave you the advice.

I know you’re all super busy, so I thank you very much for your time!

Jess x

PS – a six year old once told me (in a very exasperated voice) “Jess, time comes and time goes and it doesn’t matter anymore.” Out of the mouths of babes…

Would love it if you could help my girl out...so I don't have to come up with something clever :)

soul food friday ~ perfect relationships...

I think about relationships a lot.  Probably far too much. I like this quote.  I'm not sure how true it is, but I'm willing to give Bob the benefit of the doubt...drug induced though its birth may have been. I find myself nodding along. It talks about laughter, thinking,  awareness (of yourself and the other person), acceptance, reasonableness, acknowledgement, responsibility, care...all the right ingredients for a good relationship I think. 

I don't believe there's such a thing as complete perfection in a relationship but we hold on tight and value those bits of perfection that come to us...more often than not if we're lucky...those times of pure pleasure and rightness...before the next bit of imperfection...the annoying interlude, careless word or thoughtless act comes along to bite us on the bum. Whether it's done to us, or by us. 

But what I think I know about the perfect relationship is this:

the perfection in a relationship comes from overlooking the imperfections...the ones that don't matter all that much...the tiny little gnat bites...the ones that won't be important in six weeks or at a stretch, six months.

That's my take on it anyway...what's yours and what have I missed?

image from bits of truth

my easter promise...

I have made a promise to myself...

[i know this picture has no relevance except that it has the word 'promise' in it...but I loved it...so I used it]

that over the easter/anzac day break...

I will do a couple of things.

No. 1 - some serious navel gazing. I overwhelm myself with stuff, things I 'have' to do, obligations to others, wanting to try a whole heap of things, saying yes when I should say no, thinking I can fit in more than is reasonable or realistic...you know how it goes don't you? I need a better plan. Scrap that...better plan implies I already have one. I just need a plan full stop!

No. 2 - some serious reading time. I've been neglecting my reading. Which feels like cutting off my right arm. I have a pile of unread magazines I can't jump over. Many still in their plastic wrappers. Seriously. That's just ludicrous. And a stack of books that taunt me every time I look at them. READ ME they yell!

[my pile is much bigger than this but not as pretty]

So, when the break is over I will come back to you with my plan...how I'm going to make my life easier, more productive, less challenging, more fulfilling, less manic, more organised, less ...
And if you believe that you might quite possibly be the easter bunny :)

I'm going to try though. It'll be good to give it a go.
A very happy easter break to everyone...and bless xx
Hope someone gives me some chocolate :)
all images from weheartit: entry nos 7602434, 8833534, 6148216, 8905477, 831211, 4618631

1000 awesome things by Neil Pasricha

As I went to bed last night with images of the devastating floods in Queensland searing my brain I wondered whether I should 'unschedule' this post.  But sometimes we need a distraction don't we? This is mine...
I may have been living under a rock, but I only became aware of this book

(which is apparently a worldwide best seller) and this associated blog (which apparently has won blog of the year) yesterday through reading an article on The Happiness Project blog...oh my, the ways that blog surfing can eat into your time...when you're not watching the flood coverage...but hey, I'm on holiday :)
The Happiness Project led me to this TED talk (below) and I was completely and utterly mesmerised for the 17 or so minutes it took to watch the author Neil Pasricha talk about his take on 'awesome'. I like his philosophy. It's simple. We're not talking rocket science here (that would be boring anyway). But it's simple because it's about simple pleasures, and appreciating them...which is sometimes not so simple. Not when we're in pain, or sad or weighed down by grief. Or dealing with a force of nature. 
But as Pasricha says, how awesome is it to crawl into clean sheets, hit a string of green lights on the way home, have a supermarket checkout line open and you get to be the first one through...people in parts of Queensland would certainly think those pleasures were awesome right about now I suspect.
Do take the time to view this if you can. I bet it'll put a smile on your dial :)

For me one of those simple awesome things is waking up thinking it's a work day and then realising it's actually not! Or walking outside into my little courtyard and finding that the first gardenia of the season has blossomed. What simple things (apart from donating to the flood relief fund and watching Premier Anna Bligh's graceful handling of this tragedy) do you find awesome?

soul food friday ~ the art of doing nothing...

This came to me via an email...and it made me laugh...out loud...at work

...which is OK of course...we're allowed to laugh where I work...in fact it's positively encouraged.
But then it got me thinking...why are we so afraid of having nothing to do? Why do we feel compelled to fill up our empty spaces? And when we do actually do nothing (is it even possible to really do nothing...), why do we feel guilty about it? Not all the time I know...at least I hope...but even sometimes, feeling guilty about doing nothing is bad...isn't it?
Is thinking doing nothing? No, we're thinking.
Is gazing at our navel doing nothing? No, we're...well, we're navel gazing.
Is this a generational thing? The offspring don't seem to have a problem doing nothing!
I think having nothing to do is a luxury we should allow ourselves every now and again, don't you? And I know it's much easier for some than others. I don't have small people requiring my attention every hour of the day for instance. 
Ann from My Villa Life once described me as a doer, which kind of surprised me as I consider procrastination one of my finer skills! My friend Mary told me when she commented on last week's soul food friday post to do nothing last weekend (and I tried Mary, I really did).
So is 'nothing to do' not actually a luxury, but really a necessity? Every now and then. When we can manage it. To recharge and refresh. It's an interesting question isn't it?
What's your favourite 'case of nothing to do'? I'd like to borrow a few for the weekend if that's OK.
image via stumbleupon

soul food friday ~ writing it down

Not much writing for me today on this here blog...but this image from here got me thinking...could this be a blogger's mantra... a tool for those with early onset alzheimers...or just something for really busy peeps?? For sure my brain has been so full lately that if I didn't write things down I would have absolutely no clue what I'd been thinking about! 
Have a wonderful weekend everyone. I'm going to try and get some rest...it's been a huge work week. Two massive projects delivered...two very happy clients. Fabulous team work. Gratifying, but exhausting. But nowhere near as big as Julia Gillard's week. Australia's new Prime Minister...I won't push my political leanings here, but I think she is one mightily impressive woman.
Hugs to all of you; thanks so much for your continuing support and wonderfully uplifting and often highly amusing comments. You have no idea how you've helped to get me through this particularly difficult week!!

soul food friday ~ live to smile

I really liked this quote...so much nicer than living to fight another day don't you think?  

It got me thinking about conflict and contest and how much of it there is in our language (if not our lives). We battle the traffic, we hope the best man wins, we'll 'die in a ditch' over something, or we won't, we fight an uphill battle, we run into barriers, we surrender to the inevitable, we revel in a contest of wits, we can have a clash of cultures (or colours!). We lose control, or joust for it. We use our arsenal of skills. We struggle with the housework...

It's exhausting...let's just smile today instead :)

I'm smiling, because I now have my 200th follower, thanks to Michelle at Paper Tree Design. Go and check out the beautiful things she creates if you haven't already. Thank you Michelle. I'm gobsmacked. Is it crazy to get ridiculously excited by that? Awesome you lot are, absolutely awesome!

Plus!!  Get this! My friend Mary in Canada sent me a real, live letter...mail that isn't a bill! With fridge magnets...I loooooove fridge magnets. Double awesome...thank you Mary!

soul food friday ~ if I were...

I did have another soul food post planned for today. It was about getting older, but I figured it could wait...as I'm not quite old enough just yet to have to worry about making it to next Friday. Because when I saw this post at Leah's blog, I thought doing this might be less depressing nicer. I couldn't track down where it originally started. There are, dear bloggy peeps, simply not enough hours in the day for that. You ready? OK, here we go...the pictures will give you some clues!

f I were a month, I would be October, revelling in the glory of spring, without the pesky winds of September

If I were a day of the week, I would be Saturday, with the work week over and half a weekend still ahead
If I were a time of day, I would be midnight, grateful for the day just gone and looking forward to the next
If I were a planet, I would be Earth, because of the whole Mother Earth thing (boho remember!)
If I were an animal, I would be a giraffe, elegant but a bit goofy
If I were a direction, I would be constantly changing, ready for the next adventure
If I were a piece of furniture, I would be a day bed, big and comfy and with room for two
If I were a liquid, I would be hot chocolate, a bit wicked but oh so comforting
If I were a gemstone, I would be a pearl, lustrous and tactile and slightly imperfect
If I were a tree, I would be a japanese maple, living in a courtyard sheltered from the winds
If I were a tool, I'd be a paint brush (not sure if that qualifies as a tool really but cut me some slack)...I'd be a paint brush, making everything beautiful with a simple stroke
If I were a flower, I would be a gardenia, beautiful to look at, wonderful to smell...and slightly temperamental :)
If I were a kind of weather, I would be a gentle breeze, soothing
If I were a musical instrument, I’d be a violin, but only in the hands of a classical maestro who could move others to tears with the beauty of his (or her) music...can you have a female maestro? Just wondering.
If I were a colour, I would be hot pink, but come back next week...I'll have changed my mind!
If I were an emotion, I would be joy
If I were a fruit, I would be a pomegranate, most beautiful on the inside
If I were a sound, I would be a bellbird's call, a childhood memory
If I were an element, I would be fire, warming not destroying
If I were a car, I’d be reliable!
If I were a food, I'd be a banquet, with something for everyone (technically speaking not one food, but hey, it's my list)
If I were a place, I'd be Venice, in all her magnificence
If I were a material, I would be a hand woven textile
If I were a taste, I would be a delicious one
If I were a scent, I would be coriander
If I were an object, I would be a book, well read, much loved, shared
If I were a body part, I’d be eyes, wanting to see it all
If I were a facial expression, I would be the Mona Lisa's smile, ever so enigmatic
If I were a pair of shoes, I would make sure you were comfortable wearing me and looked as good as you hoped you would


You might like to do this as well if you're stuck one day for a blog post...and I'd love to hear what you'd be! It was quite fun. And as much as I love it, if someone could tell me how to get "if I were a carpenter and you were a lady.." out of my head now, I'd be grateful.
pomegranate image from here...aka Nanette from Rummage...love her blog and...check out her Flickr stream

when it all gets a bit too much

I wish I had some time to lie on a warm rock (wish my skin was that smooth as well!)...but there's just too much going on at work...and it's important...and it can't wait...and it's spilling into leisure time...just for the moment. Starting early and finishing late. So...as much as I hate to...I'm taking a few days away from the bloggy-world...to tough it out...do what needs to be done...and try and kick a few things into touch (to mix a metaphor or three). So that I can come back and play...a little more light heartedly (I was going to say a little less burdened but that seemed far too melodramatic even for me!). Hopefully I will see you all on Friday...it's the first-born's 25th birthday and I'm sure some soul food will be in order! Take care...I'll be missing you while I'm stoically avoiding you...you beings of mass distraction you! 

bemused by garden stools

I have two garden stools...just like this one...

...but I'm thinking: why are they called garden stools?

Garden: a piece of ground or other space commonly with ornamental trees, plants etc, used as a place of recreation
Stool: a seat, either low or high, without arms or a back, usually for a single person..

...when you hardly ever find them in the garden and I've never seen anyone actually sit on one...

Just wondering...

Confession: ok...maybe, just maybe I did find a few images of garden stools outdoors, but no way was I going to let the facts get in the way of a blog post now was I?? Oh all right then..but just the one!

 images 1-10 and 14 from here; others from here

ANZAC memories

My family has a military tradition as do many Australian families. My childhood memories are strong with attendances at ANZAC Day parades and dawn services. As an adult living in Canberra my best memory of a dawn service was around this reflection pool at the Australian War Memorial..

That was in the days when only a few hundred people turned up. Now there are thousands and it has to be held outside.

I grew up knowing the excerpt from the poem For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon (1869 - 1943), that is always recited on this day that commemorates Australian and New Zealand soldiers who landed on the beach at Gallipolli in Turkey on 25 April 1915...

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

...which always ends with everyone saying 'lest we forget'. 
I have my mother's photo album that she lovingly compiled when her father returned from the Middle East at the end of World War 2. 

It's old and battered just like it should be. My father served in the Army enlisting as a very young man and fought in Papua New Guinea...he still suffers from recurring bouts of malaria.  My sister was in the Army, her husband served in Vietnam...twice, I was in the Army but thankfully long before the time women were allowed to serve in combat zones. I wouldn't want either of my children placed in harm's way like that but I honour and respect those who do, today, yesterday and unfortunately tomorrow. 

But...I need to put that outside and go and clean up from last night's dinner party...oh you should see the mess... and make some ANZAC biscuits for the first born...she insists and who am I to argue!

soul food friday ~ on a saturday!

I'm trying hard to curb my natural worry-wart tendencies...I really am. I worry (in varying degrees) about the people in my life, the quality of my work, my weight, ageing, the mortgage, what colour to paint my study walls!!  I really shouldn't...it shows (again in varying degrees) a complete lack of trust in my loved ones and their ability to live their lives, an unreasonably critical perspective on what I do (which I mostly do well), a focus on my weight gain rather than doing something about it, trying to fight the inevitability of getting older (because heaven knows the alternative is much worse!), the reality that 'owning' a house brings...and the knowledge that if I don't like the colour on my walls I can just paint right on over it!  

So along with reducing my weight (starting the Women's Weekly 21 day diet on Monday!!) I'm going to try to stop worrying so much and get a bit more zen...

Heaven knows I have enough buddhas around my house...I'll show them to you one day...they should be inspiration enough!

For now the only thing I have to worry about is the fact that my ex-husband, his new wife and his other daughter who live in Townsville (a very long way away) are coming to dinner tonight with our two children. Actually, you know...I'm really looking forward to that. Maybe they'll let me take photos and post them...or maybe not :)

Finally...a huge thank you to A-M for the extraordinarily beautiful coasters I won on her new Cape Cod Designs blog. She tells me they're now collectors items so I'll be very careful who I let use them...but I'll try not to worry too much about that!

Have a lovely weekend...it's a long one here.

image 1: tumblr image 2: colourlovers image 3: moi

time for a bit of reflection...

I've been thinking...I do it quite a lot. Well...a bit...ok, ok... sometimes. It's mostly mindless nonsense, but there are times I ask myself some very deep questions...like...is there anywhere that you CAN'T put a Venetian mirror...?

Nope...didn't think so!

Did you think I'd gone all philosophical on you...I am capable of that you know...I've been to big school!!

Now, back to business...do you have a favourite mirror?

all images found by typing in venetian mirrors here. Not one little bit of rocket science involved!