A Little Bag Of Lollies

We’re getting closer to moving – should be done some time over the weekend.
Went down to the Post Office to get mail redirected, and also picked up a little bag with a smattering of the kind of lollies I remember from childhood – bananas, milk bottles, and spearmint leaves (although not the real ones in this case!) I enjoyed the little splash of reminiscing 🙂

There are a lot of boxes around at the moment.

It’s all pretty organised, though.
Tomorrow evening we’ll start with packing the truck, ready for the morning, and then it’s full steam ahead!

Still should be time for a cuppa now and then!

Published in: on July 31, 2025 at 9:37 pm  Leave a Comment  

Curls. And Cake!

I noticed today that my hair is curling.

I’ve been letting it grow out, but haven’t really been looking in the mirror much.
Could do with a bit of a brush, though. 🙂

We’re at that stage with moving where things look a bit of a mess, and a lot still to do, but when you actually look properly, it’s not too bad.
I had a bit of a frog in the throat earlier in the week, and I still feel a bit bleah – not sure whether it’s dust, or virus. I never know quite what to do with going out when I’ve got a cough/sniffle. Haven’t been going out much, anyway, and thought about giving our fortnightly cafe date a miss (mornings are hardest to get going), but went in the end. Even though there’s people around, it’s not too hard to keep my distance.
So – a quick trip out, then back to boxes, dust, and the occasional unearthing of things I’d forgotten.

But at least there was cake!

🙂

Published in: on July 25, 2025 at 11:12 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Get Packing

We’ll be moving (again) in around two weeks.
After the initial flurry, it’s getting a bit exciting now… 🙂

And I’ve been steadily filling boxes. Some days I ache, and some I’m OK. It’s all good 😀

Most days have been stay-at-home days, but we’ve also been out and about. Yesterday we had a look round the new neighbourhood (we checked out the shopping centre up the road – nice bakery!)
And we still made time for a cuppa and cake.
Or in my case – hot chocolate and cinnamon cruffin.

I’m presuming it’s a cross between a croissant and a muffin.
Sweet. Light. Just enough sugar to not be too sickly.

A bit like life at the moment?

Published in: on July 19, 2025 at 10:42 pm  Leave a Comment  
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The Purpling Cold

The skies have been beautiful lately.
As the year starts to chill into mid-winter, the evenings fade into shades of pink and lavender.
The other day was a lovely purply-to-blue sunset.

This evening, the clouds took up the hue.

Our housing future has been looking a bit cloudy.
We had another open house last Saturday. There didn’t seem to be anyone who put an offer in, but an investor from the first open house did…twice. Both offers were refused.
This Monday we got our notice to leave.
It seems the owner wants us out anyway.
We’ve looked at one place so far, which looked good online.
It…was not.
There are others bookmarked, so we’ll see how that goes 🙂

In the meantime…
we wait.
And trust.
And probably, at some point, pack.

But the moon still rises, bright in the purple blue.

And the sun throws out its fire, as it leaves for another day.

Whatever the day, there is always hope in the world.

Published in: on July 9, 2025 at 10:50 pm  Leave a Comment  
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On Being Joyful

I cut my hair today.
Well, my fringe.
And a bit off the sides.

My Babe was clipping his hair – something he does regularly. I shave the back bits, and tidy the tufts.
My hair has been growing long for a while, and gets in my eyes. For one reason or another, going to a hairdresser hasn’t been something I’ve been able to do.
So – clipper.
Long hair.
Obvious, really.

The first buzz took off a Huge Chunk of hair, and since that was right in the middle of my fringe, I had to keep going. It was a few minutes of horrified panic, mixed with grim determination. Possibly some tears.
And, really, it’s not too bad.

I’ve recently been reading a book about joy. Then, in my online reading today, there was a lot of discussion about…joy. 😀
As much as my fringe looks slightly like someone came at me with a hedge trimmer, I can find the joy in the lightness, and being able to see unobstructed. Is it perfect? No…but why do I need perfection in the way I look? I like me!
I had a shower, and everything looked a lot better. I’m snuggled into my fresh, clean sheets (changed today – yay!) with toes that have finally thawed out. Have had a hot cup of tea and a big bowl of porridge.

Life is not perfect.
But maybe songs can be?

Published in: on June 21, 2025 at 8:21 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Glimpsing The Light

It’s been a busy couple of days.
Tired, still, but I’ve been doing better.
Next week starts another round of learning (a short course on business skills), and I’ve had appointments that have taken up time, so I don’t have any words of wisdom to impart…
just some photos that I’ve taken over the last few months but that haven’t fit any posts I’ve made 🙂

Light hitting the delicate seed heads, and a faint shadow behind.

The moon!
(with a hint of stars…)

Glass, and ceramic, and sunshine on old wood.

Jelly!
Tasty and shiny 🙂

Glass, and water, in the late afternoon.

And a bright purple bouquet, catching the sunshine as I walked past.

This world holds darkness.
But there are still flashes of light, if you look for them.

Published in: on June 20, 2025 at 10:45 pm  Leave a Comment  

Under A Strawberry Moon

…or so I’ve heard.
The moon is supposed to be bigger tonight, with a pink tinge.
It does seem brighter. Still doesn’t show up well on camera.

We’ve been snuggled in duvets/jackets/unicorn-onesies the last few days. It’s a bit harder to get going in the morning – so today we…didn’t, really 😀 I think most of our virusy things are on their way out, but shivery winter mornings tend to highlight coughs and sniffles.
Got a lot of talking done, though!

I love the winter evenings, when the sky turns pink just before the darkness.

As for the strawberry moon –

I took a photo earlier in the evening, when the moon was still hiding behind the big tree. It does seem a bit pinkish.

Here’s the photo I just took – straight ahead, no hiding 🙂

Shiny!
And still a bit pinkish.

Published in: on June 11, 2025 at 8:34 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Fire In The Sky

The week has been getting better each day, and I have been getting more done. My boys seem to be brighter and happier as well! ❤
I’m trying not to fall into relapse like last week, so there have been some quick darts out into the world, and some snoozing under the covers…

While I’ve been recovering from the Nameless Virus the cactus under the stairs has been…budding?

I’m not sure if those will become flowers?

Last night I figured out night mode on my phone camera. I think.

You have to hold it very still, but outlines seem a lot crisper.

The cold nights have seen colourful sunsets.

…and the daytime cloud formations have sparkled with sunlight.

But tonight!
Fire in the sky,
as the cold night fell.

Published in: on June 6, 2025 at 9:26 pm  Leave a Comment  

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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Lounging Around

Feeling better every day 🙂
Still getting very tired (and a sore throat) – but we were out briefly yesterday (my first foray into the world for a while!).
I had to have an afternoon nap today 😆
I’ve been sitting in the lounge chair the last two days, putting my feet up on my unicorn, and catching up with my reading…
I had a bit of a backlog of library books – I’ve been getting interesting books from the library, then running out of time to read them. These last few days has been good for my brain 🙂

Unicorns.
Good for feet and books!
The big book is from Kew Gardens, about endangered or vulnerable plants.
The other one is about food sustainability, and various methods of food production across the world.
As part of my jaunt yesterday we went to the library, where I picked up a book I’d put on hold.

Someone trying to tell me something?

Hoping to get back in to my normal rhythm by the weekend.
Until then – time to read!

Published in: on May 22, 2025 at 11:26 pm  Leave a Comment