Thinking…. | 1000 Fields of Roses

GISHing The Day Away

Back in April I participated in a one day mini scavenger hunt for Gish. I normally do the week long one in August, but the one day hunt is fun as well!
There was another one day hunt on the 31st May (US time), which translated to 3am Sunday morning here. I stayed up long enough to get the item list, then went back to bed for a bit 🙂
This one was quite leisurely for me. I did writing or drawing items, so spent much of my day in bed with pens/pencils and paper surrounding me. I also had plenty of time for online church services and Songs of Praise – yay! Not so much for sleep…I still feel like I’m catching up.
This time around some of the planned frivolities were postponed, as the protests concerning the death of George Floyd were happening there. Other items were added to educate and bring attention to Black Lives Matters and the unfolding situation. As I was the only Australian in a group of Americans, I left most of these to whoever wanted to choose them first. That’s not to say that I don’t have strong feelings about what’s happening (and that needs its own blog post). I just felt it best to leave first choice to those more immediately affected right now…

Here are the items I did do!

59 – Using a page of an old book, magazine or newspaper, make a “blackout poem” by taking a black marker and redacting words until a poem is formed about your hope for the future.

39 – Write a haiku illustrating some silver lining of pandemic life that you have discovered.

12 – Our homes and neighborhoods are our entire world right now, but that shouldn’t stop us from having adventures – and every adventure starts with an epic, Tolkein-style adventure map. Create an adventure map of your home (including your yard, if you have one) – including the light and the dark places.

I tried to follow the style of the maps in my early edition Lord of the Rings set – not sure how well it worked…

61 – Giles Duley is a humanitarian and photographer that is one of GISH’s close friends. His photographs have changed the lives of countless victims of war. His VENT Studio project invites you to use his images and the stories he tells as inspiration for your own art. Create a charcoal drawing inspired by one of his photos. But remember his single guideline: respect the story of the person you’re representing: http://ventstudio.co

This is the photo that inspired it

singles 1

These were the only ones I signed up for to start with, but I had time for some more.

61 – Read Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack (Peggy McIntosh) and (by hand) write something the essay made you think about differently. Can be up to one page.

I’ve since seen others’ interpretations of this task, and they’ve been more like academic essays. I just jotted down what I was thinking while I read…

It was getting a bit later by this time, and I hadn’t had much sleep. I did this next one, and was quite happy with it. I couldn’t upload it to the site in the end. Apparently it was just a kind of place holder for the kids’ part of the hunt, and was not meant to be done. Oh well! 😀

78 – GISH, JR: THE “KIDS’ MENU”
FOR KIDS AND THOSE WITH CHILDLIKE WONDER

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Thinking....

on June 2, 2020 at 10:03 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: George Floyd, GISH

Breathing In

Here’s a song we sang Sunday at online church. It’s one we’ve sung quite a few times before.
With the weather getting colder recently, I’ve had a bit of a cough, so it’s been fluffy socks and warm clothes for me! These verses from the song have also been a comfort –

“It’s Your breath
in our lungs
so we pour out our praise…”

I was born and raised in North Queensland. I had various fevers, and most of the childhood diseases, growing up. I don’t remember ever having the common cold, though!
When I moved to England at 25, I had no immunity to the bugs there, and seemed to have colds on a regular basis. The blocked nose, difficulty breathing, coughing… I’d never had those before, and thought I was dying! The doctors pretty much laughed at me, but again I found comfort in the songs we sang at church. There was one in particular at that time, which included these lines –

“To You, I bow:
The King who commands my every breath,
The Man who has conquered sin and death,
My Lord and my King;
My everything.”

I don’t know what the future will bring.
But I do know a King who does!

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on May 27, 2020 at 3:06 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: Great Are You Lord, You Are My Everything

Waiting For The Dawn

For those feeling discouraged in this season…

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on May 24, 2020 at 8:00 am Leave a Comment
Tags: Andrew Peterson

Adding To The Shelf

The library’s open again! 🙂
It’s still quite restricted, though – only ten people in at a time, and it’s just to drop off and pick up. We stocked up before isolation, so had a few bags to take back the other day. I picked up a few new ones while I was there, but I’ve got my new books from the other day as well.

My library basket by the bed, complete with teddy to guard it ❤

It’s a good time to get some new books to read, but it would be easier to put the ones you want on hold. You can do it online or via the app, if you have a library card. You can look through the shelves, but there’s not a lot there at the moment, both because people took up to fifty items out before the closures, and because books that have been returned go through a quarantine period. If you put your books on hold you’ll be notified when they’re available, so you can just go in and pick them up.
Sweet Bean just went in today to pick up his DVD. I’m glad he loves the library as much as I do 🙂 Saying that, this is what he picked up…

No, it’s not a horror film…

Well, I’m off to do some reading!

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on May 23, 2020 at 7:54 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: library

Freezing In The Shadows

Is it just me, or is it freezing out there?

A cold change seems to have materialised overnight, and the overcast sky continues. I woke up late this morning, which was nice in that I got a sleep in, but also meant that I didn’t get my day going till late…
I had a list of things I wanted to do today, but it’s been hard to get motivated. You know when you just feel flat, and nothing really matters? That – plus my toes are still slightly frozen. I find that when my feet and hands are cold, it takes forever to warm up.
I wasted the morning feeling guilty about not being able to find the motivation to Do Something, although I have done the washing. Yay! I’m fortunate to not have a schedule that needs to be completed, although having appointments to be fulfilled means I have to get out there and do stuff. Feeling flat means brain power is slower, and everything is much harder. I eventually decided to give, so I am now in fluffy socks and dressing gown, thawing nicely with a hot chocolate. This post may be the extent of my creative endeavours today!
Had a look around the pots in the garden – there are seedlings still living. Life can’t be too bad if there are things growing!

…and if flowers are still blooming 🙂

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on May 22, 2020 at 2:07 pm Leave a Comment

It’s A Jungle Out There…

Anyone who’s seen a TV series called “Monk” may have given a passing thought to how Adrian Monk might handle a pandemic.
Now you can find out!

The actual Monk mini episode starts at 1:40…
There’s seems to be an opportunity to support essential workers through a link if you go to YouTube, although it might be restricted to the US (doesn’t work for me).
If you have a favourite actor or singer, it might be worth googling them to see if they’ve released any content recently – a lot of people are. Or just binge watch the shows you love!

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on May 21, 2020 at 8:30 am Leave a Comment
Tags: Mr Monk

It’s All In The Delivery

It’s been a day of books! 😀

I ordered from two separate places, and it turned out that they were both due today. One of the parcels came this morning, the other had to be picked up from the post office this afternoon (card in the mailbox). I’m not sure why the second one wasn’t delivered, since they were both supposed to be delivered by Australia Post, and we were definitely at home…

Here’s my first parcel, from an online second hand bookstore run by Save The Children Fund. I just clicked on it to have a look, noticed it was free delivery for orders over $30, then started to see books I’d been wanting to get for a while…

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Also some that just looked good…

My other delivery was a book I first saw on my birthday outing this year, and I’ve been thinking about getting it since.

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It’s lyrics and artwork by Joni Mitchell from the 70s – I’m looking forward to delving into it 🙂
Isolation has been a great chance to write and create, but it’s hard to get the impetus to actually do it! Waiting for inspiration to strike before doing anything generally means…nothing gets done. I’ve taken to trailing around with an assortment of books, so the paper’s there to write whenever I can. It’s so much easier to get stuff done when you don’t have to go searching for materials!

Let’s see what the week ahead delivers…

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on May 20, 2020 at 9:31 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: Save The Children Fund

The Murmuring Sky

My frame of reference these days is much smaller than it has been in the past. Most days the patch of outdoors I see is the back garden and the sky above the back fence. It could feel claustrophobic, but usually there’s a comforting consistency.
I’ve travelled in my past life, and seen beautiful views and magnificent natural weather patterns – from storms to snow to crashing seas. One day, I will again.
I believe there is a Creator, and that He is ever present and always listening, ready to answer our prayers. It can be much easier to see His presence in the wildness of the storms, but I also see the quiet whispers in my own little patch of sky.

“God’s splendor is a tale that is told;
his testament is written in the stars.
Space itself speaks his story every day
through the marvels of the heavens.
His truth is on tour in the starry vault of the sky,
showing his skill in creation’s craftsmanship.
²Each day gushes out its message to the next,
night with night whispering its knowledge to all.”
Psalm 19:1-2 (Passion translation)

Here’s a taste of my personal skies over the last week or so…

…and another psalm, to sing.

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on May 17, 2020 at 2:22 am Leave a Comment
Tags: Psalm 113, Psalm 19, Sandra McCracken

Standing In Line

While restrictions are lifting a bit further this weekend we’re still pretty much in lockdown. Days are slower, and it can be hard to remember what day it actually is!
There are still lines and social distancing rules in place when shopping, so that’s another chunk of waiting time to ponder the surroundings…or perhaps the deeper questions of the universe, if you’re so inclined.
I wasn’t feeling especially philosophical while waiting for my coffee at Rafter and Rose, so I took the opportunity to take photos 🙂 I hadn’t ordered ahead (order by Wednesday to pick up on Friday) so just got whatever was there, which this time meant the last iced brioche doughnut!

Isn’t it pretty?

What else did I see?

Eclectic decor, with the big lightbulbs shining over it all…

If you’re in need of pumpkins, they’ve got you covered.

And Bunnies!
Ubiquitous and diverse…

(Just a representation 🙂 )
I left with a suggestion to ponder, while savouring my coffee and doughnut…

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Thinking....

on May 16, 2020 at 1:49 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: rafter and rose

Being Mum

There’s a thing going round on Facebook asking Mums about their firstborns – the “ones that made them a mother”. I get what it’s saying, and I know having my first was a huge leap into trying to figure out the motherhood thing… I also know I didn’t stop learning with my second!

Here are my babies! Aren’t they gorgeous?
It’s quite a few years now after this photo was taken – they’re a lot taller (with more hair). They went through a rough patch a few years ago when they seemed to fight all the time but now they get on just as well as in this photo – just with much less cuddling!

I can only speak for my own family, but I suspect it’s a similar story for most. My boys have quite a lot in common – they react to some things in the same way – but in other ways they are quite different. A lot of my mothering journey has consisted of learning who they are individually and what they need from me. Mothers’ Day is a day when I get a glimpse of how they’re watching and listening to me. They both ask me what I want for days such as today; I generally tell them that I’m happy with whatever they choose, as long as they’ve thought about who I am. This can cause some angst for them, but I’ve never been disappointed ❤

Here’s their choices 😀
And yes, I know it’s not about the presents but my love language is gifts and that gives me a glimpse of what they’re thinking. I love their choices! The best gift for me, though, is that I can tell they’ve thought about me ❤

All these years on, I’ve loved my journey in getting to know these beautiful boys.
Looking forward to all the years ahead!

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