…or – “The Flower Lady Strikes Again!” 😀
There’s a lady at church who hands out flowers every week – birthdays, anniversaries or when someone just needs cheering up. Some are planned (she must have a list of special days somewhere) and some are given to people she feels God is leading her to. It’s an amazing and important ministry!
Tomorrow is my birthday (yay!) so it was my turn this week. Sweet tiny roses, in beautiful pinks and oranges – just what I wanted ❤
Aren’t they lovely?
My Babe is out all day tomorrow, so he took me out for breakfast this morning at our favourite place.
Looking around the place this morning, it felt almost like I imagine a run down, but formerly genteel, stately house in a jungle would look like…
…with added fairy lights.
Also hearts…and dragonflies!
It’s nearly midnight now.
I’ll finish with a song we sang last night – went with a friend to a church service, where we were replenished and inspired.
I think I may take this as my birthday song! 🙂
The new school year, that is!
It’s two days in, and things are going well – looks like Sweet Bean will be able to keep on top of the increased workload, and he seems optimistic about it.
I still haven’t figured out everyone’s schedules yet… there are things I want to do this year, but I have to work out where the gaps are to fit it all in.
I’ve been feeling better this week, and have been managing to get to the pool for some exercise in the mornings. There are fresh flowers blooming each day, like this cactus flower next door (it was a bit more exciting earlier in the morning – obviously doesn’t do well with the later day, or possibly the heat)
Lovely fragrant frangipanis – I collect the fallen flowers for the house.
I don’t know what these are. Somehow, they remind me of pincushions.
We were watching yesterday’s Spicks and Specks at lunch today, and one of the answers was a song I haven’t heard in years! It was under the heading “Concept Albums” and, as Myf said, it used to be on children’s television All The Time… if I’m remembering correctly, there was Sesame Street, Play School, then “Butterfly Ball”. I saw it so many times as a child – I remember enjoying it, and I’m pretty sure I wandered around the house singing it 🙂
I had to look it up after (and share with Sweet Bean). I felt like the years just fell away… not sure I quite realised back then just how weird it was, though 😉
I wasn’t planning to post today. We don’t really celebrate Australia Day in our house, partly because the years spent living overseas made it seem less important to me, and partly because of the “Change The Date” views. For the record, I have no issue with changing the date. If the day is just about celebrating the whole of the nation, and all the good things in it, then there can be no reason not to change it, and the hope of healing and reconciliation if we do.
Nevertheless, I thought that something along the lines of “Love is all” would be OK to post today.
Just to finish – here’s a thought on changing the date…
Here’s a song that’s been going round Facebook (and presumably other social media?), and for good reason…
It’s a beautiful song, with a heartbreaking backstory, and touches the spirit as well as the tear ducts. I am old enough to be looking from both sides of the generational circle, and pondering the cycles of life… I could try to wax eloquent here, but I don’t think the song needs my commentary. We’ll all hear with our own histories.
For some reason that song reminds me of this song – even though it’s completely different, and joyful as well! If you need cheering up, have a listen, and enjoy the cheeky cameo 😀
Live life forwards,
mindfully,
cheekily 😉
and with joy and camaraderie!
❤
Yesterday we went to the big annual Lifeline Bookfest, which is still ongoing – finishes Monday 27th January at 6pm. Friday night goes until 9pm, and there are bands as well! There are $1, $2.50 and high quality sections, and games, DVDs and stationery are included in the mix. I got some books to add to various series I’m collecting, and some cool stationery items as well.
I didn’t really look at the high quality section, and only skimmed the $2.50 section. I had somewhere to be at 2pm, and it tends to become a bit of a blur when you look at every table – there are a lot of books! I’m happy with my small haul, though 😀
In other news… there’s been some lovely rain, although not as much as we’d like. Our yard has been unmowed for a while, so there’s been tufts of grass, but it wasn’t until I sat on the patio that I realised that I can no longer see the planting boxes…
The rain (actual or threatened) has also brought out the ants, and I’ve found them in unwanted places. That includes my comfy chair – it’s hard to relax when you get bitey ants randomly roaming through your clothes… I vacuumed everything I could find, but I think it’s just that our chairs are on the ants’ pathway. I haven’t had any so far this afternoon!
The birds are singing.
There’s a breath of air that feels like a possible storm.
I’m feeling comfortable in myself – and I’ve just had some (raw, organic) cheesecake.
It’s been a big year so far…
Australia’s just been through fire, and it’s going into flood (at least in some areas). As I type, I can look out my window at the black clouds gathering. There’s a cool breeze blowing, and the birds are getting quite noisy out there!
We haven’t had as much rain in our neighbourhood as was promised, but it’s more than we’ve had in what seems like forever. There are still some fires in Queensland, but not the state of emergency that we’ve had… instead it’s flash flooding in some areas.
A land of droughts and flooding rains, indeed…
A change is coming, but what that change will bring remains to be seen.
We’ve seen the outpouring of giving, and of community, these last weeks. Here’s hoping that the spirit of generosity continues and grows – even when there’s no catastrophes in front of us. May we be willing to change our minds, and change our hearts, if it is necessary for the future to be brighter!
We went out for coffee this morning – I’ve been sick and weary most of this year so far, and Babe was disappointed with a series of projects that crashed at the last minute. The coffee date was meant to be a celebration of finally finishing everything. We decided to celebrate the morning and being together anyway…
It was lovely 🙂
What will I reflect this year, in feast or in famine?
Who knows?
I’ll just keep enjoying the coffee
…and looking for the light.
We’re well in to the new year (or at least it’s been over a week – feels like longer!). I’ve not been 100% well, but today was better – got a lot done (Yay)!
Went to the cafe early on. It was very busy, so we had to sit at a wooden bench. Not overly comfortable, but lovely light through the pot plants…
This was a sweet little pot 🙂
It feels like a good time to be chasing the light – whatever that means in practical terms!
I was sitting on the patio the other day, and a dragonfly was hovering around the garden.
We get a lot of them around our place. I tried to take a closer photo, but it kept taking off if I moved. It came back to the same stick, though… apparently a bare stick is a dragonfly’s favourite lookout for prey.
They’re beautiful, in all their different guises. We sometimes get bright blue or red ones, but this was a bright gold, glinting in the sun.
Dragonflies appear to symbolise various things, in many countries, but most often the symbolism revolves around life, change and transformation. Watching my visitor gave me a chance to contemplate the possible transformations in the year ahead…
Not a bad way to spend a morning!
It’s a new day, new year, and the dawn of the new ’20s.
Will we be dancing the “new” Charleston whilst quaffing champagne? I don’t think I’ll go with the champagne, but dancing seems the thing to do…
We saw in the new year by drinking Grapetise with the boys, and pulling Christmas crackers that I’d bought cheap from the post Christmas sales. We toasted to new experiences, then went to bed. Such excitement!
I don’t do New Year Resolutions, but it’s still a good time to think about what this year can bring. To say goodbye to the dying year, and look ahead to the dawning light.
My Aunt sent me a card, which references Tennyson’s “Ring Out, Wild Bells” – here’s the full text.
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Ring out the grief that saps the mind
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.
Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.
Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes
But ring the fuller minstrel in.
Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.
Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.
Seems like a call to wipe out the old year entirely… I’m sure some of us feel like doing that!
Yesterday I binged on some ofmy favouriteepisodes of Doctor Who. Looking back, it seems like they all talked about feeling lost in this world, unnoticed and unappreciated by others, and feeling like you have nothing to give. Happily, each ended with the respective characters finding their worth in one way or another. This is one of my favourite scenes!
If there is anything I want for this year, it’s that we all find where we’re meant to be – our place in the world, our worth, and the people who love and need us.
Let us arise and soar into the wild sky!
A quote from Vincent – “Be clearly aware of the stars and infinity on high. Then life seems almost enchanted after all.”
We’re in that week between Christmas and New Year, when everything seems to stop (or at least slow down…) We’ve had the glitz and bustle of Christmas, and are drifting into a fresh year. It’s a time to rest and to take stock of what’s past before travelling on.
If you’ve read the Narnia books, especially “The Magician’s Nephew”, you may think of the Wood Between The Worlds, a place where you land while using the magic rings – a peaceful, drowsy but “rich” place, a stopping place between worlds.
We’ve been reading, catching up on things, mostly resting so far this week (also eating far too much chocolate!). It’s been lovely cool weather, so it’s easy to dream… Soon enough it will be back to the daily round. At the moment –
a bit of creativity, a bit of eco consciousness, a bit of inspiration.... hopefully not a lot of pompousness and blathering :D
i'm not entirely sure what's going on here... let's travel along and see...
1000 Fields of Roses 