Getting Lighter

Hard to believe we’ve been here just under three weeks now…
I’ve been working hard getting boxes unpacked and contents settled. Things have had to be rearranged a bit, as the storage space is different here, so that’s required getting some new bits of furniture. This, in turn, has meant I’ve had to wait to get shelves so that I can fill them 😀
Still, nearly there!

I’m still amazed at how much like home this place feels. I haven’t even missed the last place, and even though every morning I wake up to a room that is at least four times the size of our last bedroom, it doesn’t feel strange to me. I haven’t ventured out too often to the verandah yet (although I’ve got plants out there that need watering…). I also seem to feel a bit better here – not sure why. That has helped me to lug boxes about, but I still end up with days where I can’t do much of anything.
The light here can be a bit strange. All the windows are coloured glass, so the rooms don’t have much natural light (all the more reason to set up space on the verandah!).
The sun still shines in – it’s just in jewel tones and sparkly moments 🙂

Here’s the afternoon light through my “art room to be” windows.


In a lot of ways, moving here has made my life a lot lighter.
❤

Published in: on March 17, 2023 at 8:31 pm  Comments (2)  

Here. Now.

Well, we’re in.
There’s still boxes everywhere, and spaces are still a bit alien (I seem to be doing continual circuits trying to figure out the kitchen…).
Feels like home 🙂

We finalised the cleaning on the old place, and handed in the keys. Most of the places we’ve lived in before now have been a bit hard for me to part with – I tend to get attached, at least a bit. This time, I didn’t really feel much when we left, which is strange as it’s probably the place we’ve lived the longest.
Our priorities for the first day here involved sorting out a food/drink station, and making up the beds.

We were all ready to sleep after everything was finally moved in.

The view from the bed – afternoon light, and possibilities.

Of course, I’ve sorted out some of my books by now 😀

We only have a six month lease here, but are hoping to renew when it comes to it…
This place has felt like our house since we first viewed it.
Now we have to continue to shape it into our home!

Published in: on March 2, 2023 at 10:36 pm  Comments (2)  

A Place To Rest

We’ve found a home! 😀
(Yes, it’s the place with a spa bath in the corner of the main room 😆 )
It might have its problems, but then so could anywhere. In the end, we left it up to God to make the decision for us – we figured He knows the future better than we do…
Started packing again today – thankfully it was a bit cooler. We pick up the keys on Friday, but don’t have to move from here for another ten days (we had to give two weeks notice to break the lease). That makes moving a bit more leisurely, but we’ll still need to work to get everything done, cleaned and moved by then. Still, it’s exciting!

It’s also Valentine’s Day today ❤
This might set the mood…

We probably won’t be using the spa in the new place (we’ll try to cover it and make a sort of shelf/lounging space), but if we do, I don’t think it’ll be like this ^ 😆

So, now we’re moving on, to a place where, hopefully, we can rest!

Yes, I know this doesn’t quite fit (I’ve often thought I would choose it as a funeral song), but have a listen anyway…
At some point I will get photos of the new place to show it off – yay!

Published in: on February 14, 2023 at 7:44 pm  Comments (2)  
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The Behemoth Stirs…

Slowly. And frustratingly. At least, though, it got to a vaguely helpful stage.

Don’t mind me – I’ve just had another tussle with Centrelink. A form that was submitted in plenty of time, then sat there not being dealt with, until the reason it was meant to be submitted started causing problems. I left it as long as I could – no-one really wants to phone them – but I had to sort it out. Over an hour waiting, to be told by the person answering that the system was working slowly because of the thousands of people wanting stuff done, and did I think I should be able to go ahead of everyone else?
We Had Words.
Mostly to do with the fact that if they give me a date to submit something, and I do it by that date, then I shouldn’t have to deal with the fallout when they don’t do their jobs. Also that the thousands of other people are not my responsibility, and why should I be hearing about them?
If you think about it, other organisations don’t generally do this…if I put money into my bank account to pay a bill, I don’t expect them to not put it through because they have so many other accounts to deal with as well 😆 Also – if Centrelink provided systems that do what they’re supposed to do, perhaps they wouldn’t have so many people clogging up the system trying to fix what shouldn’t be broken. Just a thought.
I was told on that call that my form was now submitted. It…wasn’t. No record of it, so I had to go in to the counter to hand it over face to face. At every stage they asked me why I didn’t use the online “service”. 😆

Oh well.
It’s done now.

Another slow moving part of our lives has been trying to find a new place to rent. There have been a lot of viewing cancellations and disappointments at not being chosen for places we liked. We looked at a place this morning, and have put in an application. It’s a bit weird (the room that would be our bedroom has a spa bath in the corner), but maybe weird suits us at this stage of our lives…

Anyway, we’ll find out soon enough.
Yesterday I was feeling a bit blue. Music tends to cheer me up!

Published in: on February 9, 2023 at 9:41 pm  Comments (2)  
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Another Trip Round The Sun…

…even though it was raining some of the time!
Another birthday nearly over, and I had fun. The rain was quite nice – it’s been very hot and humid the last few days, so it was good to have a coolish day.
We went in to New Farm, did some shopping at the charity shop there, and stopped off at one a bit closer to home. I love finding the little oddities there, and I like the idea of recycling interesting things.
I got books (of course), and also these –

The cat is some sort of scent burner.

My family gave me lovely things as well, so I have been richly blessed today ❤
Ate nice food, enjoyed my day… feeling a bit tired and achy (well, I am getting older!) 😆
I’ll start on my next year tomorrow…

Here are some tiny flowers I came across today 🙂

Not sure what they are, but they’re delicate and sweet.

This may not be a flower…

❤

Published in: on February 4, 2023 at 10:05 pm  Leave a Comment  
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On The Way To The Stars

Another house we really wanted, but it went to someone else…
discouraging, but we have a couple of others to possibly have a look at.
This year seems to have been galloping on so far. We’re past the middle of January and it still seems vaguely “after Christmas”. We can’t know what this year will bring, but it seems it will bring it a bit more quickly than we might be anticipating 😆

I bought myself some virtual challenges as a Christmas/New Year present to myself, and a couple of weeks ago also received the medal for my 2022 challenge.

Front…

Back – the moon comes off, and you can wear it as a pendant.
“Per aspera ad astra” means “through adversity to the stars”.

It opens up as well, and above the medal is the back of the pendant.

I have had a few good weeks this year – I’ve even managed to get to an in person church service every Sunday this year! I feel like my joyous gallivanting has caught up with me a bit 😆 I’ve noticed that when I do too much, I can come down with a flu like thing (sore muscles/joints, cough, feeling like a balloon is swelling behind my face), which is where I’ve been this week. We stocked up with covid tests before the free ones were stopped, so I’ve done a few of those lately (covid test says “no”!).
We did manage to get out last week for a cuppa at the cafe, and a talk about the year ahead. Nice cake as well…

And while I’m thinking about flowers, here are some lovely ones I got at church this Sunday ❤

This year is still a mystery…
good thing I don’t have to worry!
🙂

Published in: on January 18, 2023 at 11:17 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Moving Right Along…

I can’t believe we’re nearly a week into the new year!

For some reason I haven’t found it as difficult to remember the date (2023 instead of 22) when I’ve had to sign things so far, so that’s a plus 😀
We’re back in the business of looking for houses. Had a look at two on Tuesday, and have put in an application for one that we haven’t yet seen, but will have a look at tomorrow. Of the two we saw, one was nice but smaller than where we are now. The other was a lot bigger, and had plenty of space at a good price. It was also a museum of the 70s (although in very good condition). The wallpaper was either metallic floral or various patterns and flocked. Some floors were tiled, some were a very plush pale cream carpet – this included the internal stairs. Pretty much every single room had different wallpaper and flooring, which was slightly disorientating. Downstairs was partly taken up with a “rumpus room”, complete with wooden bar and fake wooden beams on the ceiling. It was unfurnished, but I could almost see a pool table and dartboard in there… The kitchen was original, including the ancient dishwasher, which, when opened, had a note inside saying, “Do not use. Brokken”.

The boys hated it.
I actually quite liked it, although I can imagine it would get annoying if we lived there. I enjoyed looking round – it felt, for a few minutes, as though I’d slipped through a crack in time to my childhood. I hope someone who will appreciate it gets to move in. It’s obvious that the previous residents loved it enough to maintain it well over the decades.

The house we’re looking at tomorrow seems closer to what we want, and hopefully we’ve sorted out the problems that might have been keeping us from getting places we’ve looked at previously. We shall see!
In the meantime, this new year still needs some plans and dreams in it 🙂

Here’s a song to ponder on, and keep priorities (and promises!) in view…

Published in: on January 6, 2023 at 2:55 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Dreaming Into A New Dawn

Once more we are standing on the brink of a new year, and it’s all about goal setting and sorting “it” all out.
Of course, it’s really just another day – there’s no magic reset button, and last year’s problems don’t just disappear…

It is a chance, though, to take the time to reassess and rearrange, and to jump into the year feeling like you have a fresh new start!

I feel like last year had a lot of interruptions and false starts. I don’t really know what tomorrow will bring. I can only plan my course, and see what happens.
One of my Christmas presents was a bundle of virtual challenges, where you get to choose how to complete the challenges, and get a medal at the end of it 🙂 Some will be for physical activity – I need to get back to regular walking – but some will be for various creative activities. The 2023 medal will be for the same activity as the 2022 medal. It keeps me on a regular Bible reading schedule – one chapter = one kilometre.

I saw some fireworks from our windows, but we’re not planning to formally welcome in the new year. I hope you’ve had a good evening, however you are spending it!
Here’s a more traditional new year song…

…and a song to muse on and be inspired by.

I hope your new year brings you dreams to walk in, and hope fulfilled.
❤

Published in: on December 31, 2022 at 11:43 pm  Leave a Comment  
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The Child Who Sees Us

Amidst all the flashing lights
there are still glimpses of darkness.

We don’t really get the full experience in Australia – Christmas here is in the season of light and heat, rather than the northern hemisphere Christmas of short, cold days and long dark nights. We can still ponder on the Christ child, born into a time of darkness, come to bring light to the world.

Published in: on December 19, 2022 at 7:21 pm  Leave a Comment  
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The Silence And The Stillness

Christmas Day is just over a week away.
It’s hard to believe that this year has gone so quickly, and it seems that the bustle of the average Christmas season has passed us by.
For various reasons, and in various ways, this Christmas will be quite muted for us.
We wait.
In stillness.
In silence.
For our hearts to light, and the flame to brighten.

Usually, I love all the glitz and glitter of the trees and presents, the jingle of the bells and carols.
Sometimes, though, it’s just the right time to sit, and remember, the coming of the baby King – the beginning of the story that culminates in death, redemption, and resurrection.

And so – we hold on to faith, and we wait.
For God, in His love, will not tarry.

Published in: on December 15, 2022 at 8:03 pm  Leave a Comment  
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