Our tree!
😀
Hello, my Renaissance angel!
…presiding over our tree.
Now I can sit down with a mug of gingerbread milk and watch Elf.
Lifting The Heavy
There’s been some beautiful heavy rain today. It’s made it easier to do the housework that’s needed doing – cooler days make the heavy work bearable.
The end of the school year means doing the more in depth cleaning that doesn’t get done so regularly (although much more often than once a year!) At least I can use the conversion chart that came with my virtual races to add some more distance to my challenges… the housework I’ve done today converts to around 10km. This gives me a sense of achievement, but I can also say that I felt every one of those kilometres!
Sweet Bean is embarking on his new adult life. Today was spent changing various accounts over to their adult versions, and was also the day to start applying for jobs. It won’t be too long before I have to start doing that as well, but I have a couple of weeks yet.
Everything is new and fresh, for the moment.
That sense of accomplishment is satisfying. Unfortunately, there is always more to do…
I shall bask in satisfaction until then, and enjoy my soundtrack for today!
😀
A Penguin Appears!
…and a splash of creativity graces the world!
I went to the library the other day – books are one of the necessities of life 🙂
The librarian who was on duty at the time saw me admiring the little blu tack figures on the frame of computer, and said that she made them when she had some time.
So cute!
😀
When I passed by today I noticed that there was a tiny baby penguin there as well.
We are lead to believe that “genius” is something that only a small group of people possess. We are often taught to seek the one “true” answer to something, rather than thinking outside the box to see if there’s a better one – every school generation seems to have a new way to do maths problems, and the old ways are no longer used.
I was listening to a zoom call recently, and we heard that genius is far more prevalent than we were told. The word itself seems to come from a root that suggests an “inborn power” that doesn’t seem to be reserved for the fortunate few. We all have something that we are born to do, and that we are good at.
That won’t necessarily be a blu tack penguin 😀
…but it may be –
a beautiful garden,
the best apple pie,
the ability to fix any car you come across,
making delicious school lunches, every day, for 12 years,
creating a home that people love to visit,
being the person who can organise the neighbourhood to have barbeques for every conceivable occasion…
or we could all be the person with a smile so big, and a heart so wide, that everyone knows they’re safe and loved and welcome.
What’s your genius?
❤
The First Day After
Yesterday’s final exam excitement for Sweet Bean turned into today’s low key celebration…
There were errands to run in town, so we eventually met up at the Handmade Markets in the mall.
Had a look round.
Shared some chips.
I found a new friend at one of the stalls.
(I think her name is Mavis 😀 )
Did the shopping.
Picked up some nice food for a celebratory lunch.
So lovely to spend the morning all together as a family!
❤
Waiting For The Wind
I quite like dandelions.
They are generally unassuming, but delicate.
Glowing golden in the sun, then fading into gossamer.
Just waiting to be blown by the wind to new adventures…
…often seen as weeds (and I know they can take over the yard!), but also good for health – and salads 🙂
Also, they are really quite beautiful ❤
And they remind me of this verse –
“Though I am lowly and despised,
I do not forget your precepts.
Your righteousness is everlasting
and your law is true.
Trouble and distress have come upon me,
but your commands give me delight.”
Psalm 119:141 – 143
Doesn’t matter how insignificant you think you are…
you are still beautiful!
Just catch your breath,
and wait for the next fresh breeze to come your way…
First To Be Second
So I’m the first in the family to have had both vaccinations…
The rest have had their first – since they’re all adults now (and how weird that is to say!) they all came to the decision on their own.
I went in yesterday morning, felt OK most of the day. Got chills and shivering last night, a bit feverish today, but I figure I’ll just take it easy for a couple of days.
Treated myself to an almond croissant – not sure if I would be up to cooking – and had a lovely big cuppa tea with it. Much as I love coffee, sometimes tea is the only thing that works 🙂
I still have lots of books to read, and DVDs to watch…
Proof! 😆
That’s a bit redder and hotter today…
I think it must be time for another cup of tea!
All The Pretty Things…
I love jewellery.
I don’t tend to wear it a lot, but I love looking at it. Each piece is like a miniature work of art.
Here are a few pins that I bought recently – I have been looking at them for a while, and I had some money spare, so I thought I’d treat myself.
A couple of arty inspirations –
…and a couple of “get through the day/it’ll all be ok” pins –
And just as a bonus – my new kittycorn nightlight!
Enjoy this video (sorry it’s a bit wobbly), or you can always get your own 🙂
The Princess And The Jab
Still figuring out Fridays – my Babe goes in to uni for a full day on Friday, and I’m planning to go fairly regularly to a group on the other side of town. We leave early – he goes to catch the train, I go for coffee at my favourite cafe, a bit of shopping, then the bus to the group meeting. So far I’ve done the whole journey once… there have been other appointments to get to!
This time I was booked for my first Pfizer vaccination. I got in to town about 7am, but my appointment wasn’t until 10ish. Managed to while away an hour over coffee and a muffin, then had a look in the charity shop.
Had a bit of a chat with the nice man who manages the shop a few times a week. I was feeling a bit apprehensive about the jab (I don’t like needles!), although I don’t believe I was in danger of being injected with microchips, or other similar theories. I did my research 🙂 While I’m sure there is a risk attached to the vaccine (which is explained by the administering doctor/nurse when you get it), there’s also a risk to taking ibuprofen or panadol, or any medication you might need otherwise. For me, it comes down to assessing the risk/benefit ratio… I believe it is the right thing for me to do.
Nevertheless, I was apprehensive.
We discussed the possibility of another lockdown (which didn’t happen in the end) and I said I was off for my jab. He told me about his experience, which basically boiled down to explaining to the doctor that he was needle-phobic and worried about it hurting and when would it be done, at which point the doctor said they’d already done it while he was talking 😆 I’ve heard from others that it was a bit of a non-event…still, there’s a bit of sheer terror cowering away in the back of the skull about some things.
I get a lot of my clothes from charity shops. I also pick up beautiful bits and pieces.
As we were talking, he was arranging some jewellery in the glass case under the counter. I noticed a lovely crown ring, and then a couple of tiaras.
Did I need them? Well, of course not! But I decided that I deserved to feel a bit princessy that morning.
I got to my appointment a little early, so I was finished early. Didn’t really feel it – just a bit of a sting as the needle went in – and then I sat out in the waiting room again for fifteen minutes in case of reactions. Then off to the bus and home.
I hadn’t scheduled anything for the rest of the day (except some lovely salted caramel ice-cream – in case of fever 🙂 ) but didn’t notice anything much. Have had a bit of pain today at the injection site, and felt a bit tired and achey. That’s possibly just a normal Saturday for me, though.
Visual proof 😉
It’s a bit hard to get a selfie of your upper arm.
I’m not planning anything strenuous for the next few days…thankfully I am well stocked with books!
A Sudden Blossoming
In my head, I know it’s spring…
When I stop to assess the weather and temperature, I’m not as sure.
There have been pleasant mornings – that crisp, cool spring feeling to wake up to. There have also been cold mornings, and afternoons that are so hot I’ve been tempted to put the air conditioner on.
Regardless of all this, the garden has quietly decided to fling forth flowers, in various types and sizes. My garden beds have started to look more colourful. Even the succulents are flowering!
At the front, the little plants are coming alive again. This has been helped by my finally tying up the lavender so it doesn’t suffocate them…
The little bright, happy flowers (whose names I can’t remember…) were just budding in the morning
but had fully opened by the afternoon. They do change throughout the day, though.
More red flowers in the back garden – again, no idea what they are. I’d even forgotten they were there, until they decided to make their presence known 🙂
My lavender is flowering beautifully, for the first time, I think. The rosemary also has lovely pale blue flowers.
Here’s where at least some of my lavender ended up. It smells better as it dries.
So there you go.
Spring snuck up on me!
One more photo, taken a few weeks ago now.
More like summer – colours, dry look about it, the fact it’s a weed (it’s been pulled out now). This is outside a shop we go to. I liked the composition, took a chance and took the photo…
I hope there are flowers coming to life around you, even if they have to break through dry, hard ground to grow…
❤
