"A Life worth Living is a life well lived "

Who said that? I guess it is a reminder to us to live each day as if it were your last. Effective. Worth remembering. Another cherished day. In years gone by I often felt like I was living "for tomorrow". Working hard today to make money "for tomorrow" because "who knows what tomorrow may bring?" But if I could have those days back, I would live every day like it was the only one I had. I would smile more. Laugh more. Kick back more. Not worry so much about what others thought or what impact my actions would have. Think. Think. Think. Too much thinking. And meditate. And bring on the calm. And the peace. And the harmony. Humm. And sing more instead of whingeing. And listen to nature. Listen to the breeze. Hear the birds. Feel the warmth of the sun. Bask in it's comfort. This is what is needed today. Today is all I have. I can't plan for tomorrow. I am wasting my time and not living in the moment. As Eckhart Tolle would say... Live in the NOW. I have to remind myself of that, or I may fall into old habits. Ah... today will be a harmonious and happy day. "Give us this day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it" (I know that verse from the Bible so well, and should make this my mantra). Have a wonderful day :)

And onto 2011...

Did 2010 go fast or what? So 2011 is another year to look forward to. Sure, one can look back on the journey taken so far and ask WHY. Who are we to question what Mother Nature has in store for any of us. It's how we take on the challenge and live each day to the best of our ability. I must say, in the last year, some days have been quite challenging. But 2011 and holidays and all... I reflect back that it was simply a very full year. Post Christmas, Bryce and I drove to Melbourne to see the family down south. We had a day to travel down. A day there. And another day to get home = 3 days total. The original plan was to bring "the mums" back to Sydney for a week's holiday and then to drive them both back home. Joan immediately declined saying it was too humid this time of year in Sydney. Mum said "yes" to begin with and then she declined on all further mentions of the idea. She just wanted to stay in her own place, where she was most comfortable. So we had a good catch up with both of the mums.
It was great to see Ros looking so good. Her #1 hairstyle looks quite OK. Even so, I think I will send her down another sports hat to give some variety and protect her head when out in the sunshine. Ros had a nagging pain, but as usual, she didn't complain about it, and joined in with all the usual frivolity. (She fortunately had a "pain relieving patch" on hand, should she need it). And Dougal was an absolute bundle of fun. Total FUN FUN FUN. Very cute to boot. I'm sure he'll be a wonderful companion for Ros and Dave. We saw Bron as well, and it was lovely to spend some good quality time with her too. David and June joined us all @ Ros & Dave's place for supper, and a post Christmas exchange of gifts. So it was a fun-filled night. Then home to Sydney on the 29th. Bryce is well (His most recent PSA level = 0.001 and that was great news). We have embarked on a diet/exercise regime for 2011. It eliminates "most" simple sugars from our diet and that includes too much fruit. Breakfast is the only time for fruit and that comes in the form of a smoothie. Vegetables = everything except potato. Protein is 6 times a day. 100gm/50gm/100gm/50gm/100gm/50gm. 3 hours between each meal. And 10,000 steps per day. So far so good. I'm not tired. I have energy. And I feel really good. That is a real bonus for me. (I hate that "tired" feeling). My hips have stopped aching when I move. And it's only been 4+ days. So watch this space. And HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Ros says she is doing very well, thankyou :)

... and that's what it's all about. It's about having the quality of life everyday. You have to be happy and you have to be enjoying what you are doing each day. It's also about being surrounded by and connected to people who care about YOU.
It's also about getting rid of all the rubbish and time wasting activities that encroach upon your day. So every day is then simplified and uncrowded. It's about stepping back and not getting caught up in "other people's dramas and adgendas" and taking one step at a time and savouring the moment. Eckhart Tolle talks about "living in the now" everyday. It's a purer sort of existence. Taking photographs of flowers can give you that "slow" appreciation of living things. Taking photographs of structures can give you that appreciation of the time taken to construct the object and the care in design by the creator/architect/builder. Everything has its own life. But it's an eternal lifeforce that takes one thing and turns it into another thing. So there is no beginning and no end. Garden waste is composted and feeds the seeds of plants to create new life. Cloud appreciation shows the everchanging canvass that is the sky. Every cloud is ever changing. Always a calming and equally exciting thing for me.

Long time no posting...

I don't know what it was that made me stop blogging. It must have been like writer's block. So wanted you to know that I am back on track. I will be blogging to my 4 x blogs daily. This is a really interesting life. No one knows what's around the corner for them. Why do we expect only good news OR only bad news. Why can't bad news turn into good news? Why doesn't good news satisfy us? Why do we need more and more of it?
I know that my art has really helped me make sense of some of the things in life. Sometimes you can't eloquently say what you're thinking, but you can get your emotions out through your art.
Bryce and I have been trying to understand why what has happened in our lives happens to us. Then we realised that every family goes through these ebbs and flows. No one can predict how life will be - rich, rewarding, full of health issues, downtimes, stressful times, easy times etc.
I understand now to "go a bit easier" and not to "expect too much" of myself or others. What will be will be. Don't fight it. Accept it. Move on. Make the best of every situation. Never stop being connected to what you believe in. And most of all - simply enjoy life and all its offerings.

Argh!!! This is all too much

...and so today I have taken a much needed MHD just to regain some peace and equillibrium back into my life. I'm doing too much and enjoying it all less. I'm really tired this last week. At least the sun is shining. Looks like a bit of Vitamin D will assist in today's recovery. I have the antenatal class to teach tonight. They have to do their appraisal of the course. Hope there is a few positive comments, and not all negative.

Bryce begins his holiday

Busy, busy, rush,rush! Getting ready to go. Nights 1 and 2 will be at Paul's holiday house at Hawk's Nest. The plan is GOLF! GOLF! and some more GOLF! Bryce has gone with three mates from his old work. This is to become an annual Golfing tradition. (This is it's 2nd year.) They decided to eat gourmet, this time. All the fellas cooked some component to the meal. Bryce reported that it was all delicious. A storm is brewing, so hopefully some golf will happen. On Sunday, Bryce heads north to South West Rocks, and stays a night there. We loved SWR and as a family we had 2 consecutive annual holidays there. On Monday Bryce heads to Ballina for 3 nights. He'll meet Kev there and spend some time with him there. Then on Thursday, he heads back for somewhere near Newcastle, where he'll meet Tony there for Golf there. And then home on Friday night. Happy and totally delighted from all that golf. Healing work.

An old photo of Ros, Mum and me

Here's Ros when she was in her early 20's. Ros got glasses when she was 12. We all wanted glasses. Lucky Ros. I remember having an old pair of mum's glasses without the lenses. That would do! This would be around the time when we all had permed hair. Ros' looks really nice in this pic. Quite soft. Which reminds me... I look forward to seeing a picture of Ros in her new hair. Long? short? Dark? Fair?











Do not adjust your glasses. It is really blurry. But it is a symbol of childhood days, Sandringham, a stay at home mother and 2 of her many children . Ros was always a pretty robust child. Outdoorsy. She had several regular friends as a kid. She invented "The Rose Club" which she would not let me be a member of! When I peeped through the Playhouse window, they were in there - making soap. Jars of slimy soap. I was envious. Wished I could have made jars of slimy soap too. Ah the Rose Club. Ros decorated a sign to hang on the door of the Playhouse. Ros played sport, and she did outdoorsy stuff! Ros learnt the piano from Molly Herbert. But she got "dismissed" because she was honest enough to say that she hadn't practiced. Ros was a perfectionist when it came to sewing. Mrs Gibbs at Sandy East didn't believe that Ros had hand sewn her "apron" hem, and so she made Ros unpick the whole thing because she insisted that Ros had used a sewing machine to stitch it. Something jumps up inside me - it's like the gross injustices of "The Shawshank Redemption". You feel like REVENGE!!
Ah! In those days old people seemed so old. They probably weren't though. They were probably our age. And WE"RE REALLY YOUNG!!!