We’re on the first day of another three day lockdown, with restrictions continuing for a few days after that.
Seems a good time to listen to good music 😀
Here’s a cover of one of my favourite U2 songs.
It’s a collaboration involving one of my favourite bands at the moment, and it shows a bit of what’s possible, via Zoom, when we can’t meet up in person.
Creativity and collaboration have had a few detours over the last year and more, but great (and fun!) things are still possible.
❤
The last week has been a bit quiet – a period of adjusting, and reclaiming some routines.
Unfortunately, I’ve done something to my hip – not sure what, but it has involved creeping sideways occasionally and screeching when sitting down or standing up. It’s getting better, though – I walked a bit today, did some shopping and went out for a coffee… breathing out a prayer of thanks every time I could move painlessly!
Music always cheers me up, and sometimes reminds me of truth when I’m feeling unmoored.
Here’s some songs from an artist I like, reminding me where my hope comes from ❤
Now, the question is…
should I buy the album? 🤔
…or bed, since that’s where I recorded my bit for this. 🙂
Can’t see me in the little vignettes, but my voice is in there somewhere…
lots of fun!
❤
The other day I treated myself to a magazine.
I remember getting the Big Issue when I lived in the U.K., and I’ve bought it from time to time here.
It’s an initiative started in London, which has spread out to other countries – as you can see, 25 years in Australia!
Vendors come from the homeless community, or are otherwise vulnerable or marginalised. They buy the magazines, then sell them for a profit, and the money earned can make a big difference. It’s a job, and a chance to get a step up by their own endeavour.
The magazine itself? It’s professionally written and printed – not a “pity” purchase, and well worth the price.
The vendor in our city sits outside the library. At the moment it’s cold, and sometimes wet – the wind whistles through the area and can make it feel colder still. It’s the best place to catch foot traffic here, though.
Most major cities, and some smaller ones, will have vendors somewhere on the street.
The magazine is published fortnightly, so there’s probably still time to pick up the celebration issue.
If not – do yourself a favour and get the next one.
It’s a good read!
One of the bright things in my life at the moment is the opportunity to start my day with coffee and a muffin before diving into the challenges. It’s not an everyday thing, but on days like Tuesday when it’s cold and pouring, it makes things a bit sweeter.
Blueberry and lemon, with just a bit of syrupy density at the bottom…yum!
Another fun endeavour has been a minor overhaul of my wardrobe.
I’m not necessarily known for drab clothing, but recently I’ve been realising that some of my clothes have been sitting waiting for the “right” time to be worn. Recent events have reminded me that the right time is generally now…
When it’s cold and I want to be comfy, why not choose to be a unicorn?
It’s a onesie I bought a few weeks ago. The sudden freeze seemed like a good reason to test it.
Here’s the other end –
It has a tail and wings!
The rain’s gone, for now.
But I still have the unicorn option, whenever I feel like it…
😀
The last few weeks have had their challenges, and I feel like I’ve stumbled through most of the time. Some days have been a bit of a blur, some have dragged on relentlessly…colours merge and almalgamate into grey.
But sometimes – there’s a rainbow.
I’ve always enjoyed rainbows.
They’re the reward after rain, and they carry a promise.
You can sing about them, make art about them, even bake them…
and in life’s greyest moments they turn up unexpectedly, to shine a bit of hope and happiness.
There may not be a real pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but there’s always the possibility of tripping over treasure around the next corner.
Hope always rises.
Love always prevails.
Tomorrow, we say goodbye to a beautiful person.
When I think of her, I think colour, joy, dancing, and exuberant praise for her God, Whom she loved unreservedly.
Our lives may be greyer, with a sense of loss
but we will have the memories.
…and there will still be unexpected rainbows,
glimpses of gold waiting to surprise us,
and a promise to come.
One of the threads I follow in my internet wanderings is “reaction” videos, where people watch YouTube clips and react to them. Often these are classic songs that they haven’t heard before, but can also be comedy or other genres of music.
I spent a bit of time watching reactions to Johnny Cash, which led to this song – a cover of “Ring Of Fire” by an a capella group called Home Free, featuring Avi Kaplan, who was the bass for Pentatonix (because why settle for one bass when you can have two?)
I don’t really have a particular reason for posting this.
It’s just – Such Fun!
Life has been a bit out of kilter lately. My routine has changed and I haven’t fully settled into a new one yet. Most days, when I get home, I don’t have the energy to do much but sit and…blob. Drop in a heap on the couch or bed. I get things done in dribs and drabs, but it’s all a bit random at the moment.
One thing that’s easy is to wander around the internet, which is what I was doing when I found –
Blob Opera!
It’s a “machine learning experiment” (whatever that means) where you make four multicoloured blobs sing. There’s a little tutorial at the start, but I haven’t really worked out how to do it properly. It’s very soothing, though!
I’m happy just to play with it, but some people have actually managed to get them to sing recognised songs, from
Baroque
to modern classics
to pop culture…
What would you have them sing?
🙂
This is about the town where I was born and grew up. I haven’t been there in about 25 years, so it was a strange mixture of familiarity and bewilderment…
Tony Robinson is always fun to watch, and there’s a sneaky little Baldrick reference in there as well 😉
On a day when I was feeling weary,
when there were things to do, and not much strength to do them,
I came across a series of flower gardens in our town…
Poppies!
I do like them, and I’ve never been able to grow them.
Almost unassuming, but a variety of colours, and delicate petals that let the light through. They look like brightly coloured fragments of crumpled paper…
Also – bees! 🙂
❤
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 