A Sign, And A Promise

That’s a big sign.

We got a call on Monday to say that the owner of this house is putting it up for sale.
The agent came round Tuesday for a chat, and the photographer came round Wednesday to take photos for the listing.
Which went up Thursday.
This morning was an open house – not sure how many there will be.
My laptop charger decided that connecting to my laptop was no longer in its job description…

It’s been…a week.

Still, I spent last night and today at an online conference, which has been inspiring.
It meant that I was sat on the sofa with my headphones on while people were traipsing through the house.
Worth it!

There weren’t many visitors, but it’s possible that one (an investor) might put an offer in. If that happens we might get to stay here. Yay! 😀
Our lease is up first week of September, so hopefully we’ll know by then.

Last Sunday, on our way to church, there was a rainbow through the clouds.
It was bright, and a timely reminder that we are never forgotten, and that we can trust God with whatever comes our way.

It was brighter on our way in.
But it still lingered, arching over the prayers outside the church building before the service.

❤

Here are a couple of songs we sang at the conference.

I don’t know what the next weeks/months will bring.
Rain, or rainbows?
Either way – it’s all good!

Published in: on June 28, 2025 at 9:17 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Taking My Old Body To Sing

The beginning of last week was great!
I did stuff.
I even did more stuff!
And then my body said, “No.”

Somewhere towards the end of the week fatigue whacked me over the head, and I’ve been trying to sleep/rest enough to replenish.
I’m glad I did all the stuff last week 😀
Just might have been a bit more than my recuperating self was expecting! 😆

So, the boys are in varying stages of recovery from the “virus-that-has-no-name”. And my Babe started coughing Friday morning, and stayed in bed for a couple of days. Thankfully, he doesn’t seem to have caught what we had. Or he just heals really quick…

Today was a new day. Yay!
I still needed to sit and rest.
But I also managed the washing, and my share of the cleaning/dishes. Double yay!

In my sit-down-before-I-fall-down time I read some Mary Oliver.
Then I put my headphones on, closed my eyes, and listened to a CD I picked up a few weeks ago ($1 at a charity shop!)

Here are two poems that sang to me.
And two songs that spoke to my (weary) heart.

I Worried
Mary Oliver

I worried a lot. Will the garden grow, will the rivers
flow in the right direction, will the earth turn
as it was taught, and if not how shall
I correct it?
Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven,
can I do better?
Will I ever be able to sing, even the sparrows
can do it and I am, well,
hopeless.
Is my eyesight fading or am I just imagining it,
am I going to get rheumatism,
lockjaw, dementia?
Finally, I saw that worrying had come to nothing.
And gave it up. And took my old body
and went out into the morning,
and sang.

How Would You Live Then?
Mary Oliver

What if a hundred rose-breasted grosbeaks
     flew in circles around your head? What if
the mockingbird came into the house with you and
     became your advisor? What if
the bees filled your walls with honey and all
     you needed to do was ask them and they would fill
the bowl? What if the brook slid downhill just
     past your bedroom window so you could listen
to its slow prayers as you fell asleep? What if
     the stars began to shout their names, or to run
this way and that way above the clouds? What if
     you painted a picture of a tree, and the leaves
began to rustle, and a bird cheerfully sang
     from its painted branches? What if you suddenly saw
that the silver of water was brighter than the silver 
     of money? What if you finally saw
that the sunflowers, turning toward the sun all day
     and every day – who knows how, but they do it – were
more precious, more meaningful than gold?

Published in: on June 2, 2025 at 10:08 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Having A Laugh

I’m still climbing out of the dark chasm of feeling-absolutely-horrible.
Probably sitting somewhere between ordinary-icky-take-a-rest and ooh-let’s-go-to-the-shops-(if-we-don’t-take-too-long) right now.
Biggest Boy is not too well at the moment, although his 4-in-1 test was also negative. So, we have/had something. Just not something with an easily identifiable name 😆
I’m able to read and watch YouTube (and enjoy both!) without overdoing it. I was even able to watch church online yesterday – yay! The week before it was too much to stay upright for that long…

The weather is still cooling, and I’m hoping to do some work this week. I’m booked for a Micro Business Skills course later in June, so it makes sense to get some work done towards the business itself!

No interesting photos to share.
I have a variety of views from my window (as seen from the bed), not sure anyone wants to see a range of cloud formations…
But I have a couple of new songs I’ve enjoyed over the weekend 😀

No Beyonce.
Enjoy anyway!

…and here’s a way to have a laugh at yourself, while gently teasing your fans…
(you’ll need to put the captions on [that little “CC” button on the bottom])

Here’s to a brighter week!

With interesting cloud formations.

Published in: on May 19, 2025 at 6:56 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Love Outside My Window

I’m starting to feel human again.

Well…as much as I usually do 😆

I’ve had a cold/virus of some sort since last weekend. I had a go at one of those 4-in-1 tests from the chemist on Sunday, so – not covid, RSV, or flu 1 or 2. Yay?
It’s been a drifty, in-and-out week mostly, although the last couple of days have been easier. I’m able to sleep a bit better now – which is what I was doing yesterday when I opened my eyes to a big heart-cloud outside my window!

I think I took the photo, then rolled over and went back to sleep.

I’ve lost my voice, as well, which always feels odd.
Lots of hot, strong tea helps immensely.

I have been reading, but it took a few days to feel up to doing anything much.
I feel like I haven’t been here in a while (probably because…I haven’t been here in a while), so I don’t have a lot of sparkly, witty things to say.
But I do have flowers.
Lots of lovely flower photos, taken over a month or more, but not finding a space here yet.
This is their time to shine!
So to speak.

Wrapped flowers at Aldi. Probably for Mothers’ Day.

Also – some random street flowers.

So pretty!

And just to round off the evening…a song that found me this week.

😀

Published in: on May 15, 2025 at 11:25 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Exercising Democracy

We voted today.
The actual election day is Saturday, but we like to get in early… our area has a lot of independents running (the senate paper overflowed the voting booth), so it took a bit of research to figure out who was running for what.
A friend posted a link to Build a Ballot, which we found helpful in sorting out preferences.
Have a go! 🙂
There are also links there to the various parties’ sites – you can check out what their actual policies are. We didn’t want to waste our vote by not knowing who we were choosing. Sweet Bean spent ages weighing up different parties and policies – he’s happy to have made his choice 🙂

Although we usually go for a coffee on a Wednesday, there’s an appointment to stay home for tomorrow.
So we indulged in a Tuesday coffee!

(… and cake! ❤ )

And, speaking of democracy –
what great things can people do when they get together!
I have never been to a Pub Choir evening in person (I will one day!), but I did a few Couch Choirs in lockdown. Over the last few years they have been recording a phrase or line from Bohemian Rhapsody in every place they go. Here is the end result.

Go forth and vote!

And sing.
With coffee.
😀

Published in: on April 29, 2025 at 10:11 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Overwhelmed

He is risen!

And our lives
Our hearts
Our minds
Our spirits
Are forever changed.

Published in: on April 20, 2025 at 7:00 am  Leave a Comment  
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What Love Looks Like

It has been a good Friday 🙂

On my way in to the Good Friday service today I was feeling a bit despondent about the state of the world…reading news reports at the moment can do that to you.
I don’t know what I can do to help (except to pray, which is the first and best option).
There’s deceit and misinformation and cruelty and apathy abounding these days.
And I’m just me…but still with a responsibility to stretch, and dare, where I can to speak God’s love and hope into hurt and darkness.
I can get a bit tangled up in knots trying to make sense of what that means in the everyday.

But today is a day to remember that God so loved the world…and Jesus came to save it, rather than condemn.
Good to know the fate of the world is not on my shoulders!
I still need to offer my hands, and feet, and voice.
But I know where to go to ask the whys and hows, and where to start on the path to a new day.

This was released 16 years ago.
Still relevant.

❤

Published in: on April 18, 2025 at 10:47 pm  Leave a Comment  
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I’ve Been Framed!

Well, my self-portraits have…
I can’t say I’ve done an amazing job of framing, but they’re done. I’m working through the written assessment tonight and tomorrow, and then I’m pretty much done!
As often happens, the things I think will be easy…aren’t.
But the things I think will be hard sometimes aren’t, either! 🙂
I had frames and bits and pieces strewn around the lounge room yesterday.
Biggest Boy was a bit nonplussed to walk in the door, only to be confronted by me(s) frowning at him from the big lounge chair.

😀

On a foray into town today to look for some framing bits (unsuccessfully), I came across a new footstool.

A comfy unicorn, but it needs a bit of spot cleaning.
I seem to have gathered myself a bit of a menagerie 🙂

I’m nearly there.
Starting to feel the satisfaction of accomplishment…
I’ve got some work framed and up on the shelves.
I’ll have time for reading (yay!) over the break.
…and, of course –
Don’t forget my unicorn!

🙂

Published in: on April 16, 2025 at 10:24 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Her Story

After I found the song that had been sung at the Women’s Conference (my previous post) I started listening to some of the other songs by this group of women.
And got lost in the beauty of the stories of women in the Bible, retold.

So – if you’re hanging by a thread

…know that even when you’re washing the dishes you can still be in a holy place.

Remember, you can pick up your tambourine.
And sing through the deep waters.

Published in: on March 31, 2025 at 10:32 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Stepping Up To Burn

I had a lovely morning, spending time with friends from church at the Women’s Conference. We heard about what it means be an overcomer, and heard how some of the women had seen it in their own lives.
And we prayed.
And sang.
And listened to song.

And then went home to shine a light
in such a time as this.

Published in: on March 29, 2025 at 8:24 pm  Leave a Comment  
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