1000 Fields of Roses

Semi-Isolated Musings

Today in my state some restrictions were lifted – we could have gone out as a family on a picnic, or perhaps for a bushwalk. As it has suddenly turned colder, and our warmer duvet has a hole that doesn’t look like it can be fixed (it’s so old the fabric has perished) we took the opportunity to go to Kmart. We knew it would be busy, but it was busy… queues just to get in to the shops, and difficulty staying distanced from others. If we hadn’t needed to keep warm, we would have turned round and gone home!
Thankfully, we got most of what we needed. Sweet Bean got some new pyjamas as well – his old ones have been repeatedly patched, and there’s not enough original material to patch the latest tear! We split up to gather our bounty, so didn’t have to spend too long there.

Once we got home, it was back to doing nothing much…
I’d had a lovely breakfast before we went out – got a couple of bake-at-home almond croissants from Rafter and Rose yesterday, and had one this morning. They’re taking orders for next Friday if you want some – have a look at their Facebook page and order by Wednesday 🙂

Enjoying the sun with my unicorn slippers on 😀

I put our new bedding on the lines to air out that factory smell…

I’m enjoying the extra warmth right now!

I finally got some sewing done during the week. It’s another example of random patching, but the shirt is a favourite, and I don’t care if it looks a bit weird.

What else have I been doing?
We’ve decided to start eating a bit better in the days to come, so I had a “green drink” for lunch, which mixed into a pretty pattern.

…and I decided to get a “quarantine haircut” – my fringe has been too long for comfort, so I snipped it a bit. There seems to be way more grey than before! Perhaps it’s the light?

It was nice to be out and about again today, but I’m still not ready to be around so many people. We won’t be back unless we really need something. Hopefully we will all still remember to stay distant and stay healthy – at least for just a little longer!

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Thinking....

on May 2, 2020 at 9:08 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: rafter and rose

Still Dreaming…

Amidst all the home concerts in these isolation days, here’s Kermit, sharing a rendition of “The Rainbow Connection” from his swamp.
I remember when this first came out, and I’ve always loved it. I probably wandered round my backyard singing it when I was a kid, and it never fails to cheer me up!
Have a listen. You’ll be glad you did 🙂

Excuse me as I wipe away a tear, while grinning like an idiot…

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on April 30, 2020 at 5:09 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: Kermit, Rainbow Connection

Still Loved

My heart for the day – a random piece of crystallised ginger!

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…and a visitor to the garden – the nectar seems to be irresistible to the wildlife lately.

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In case you need a “heart” for today –

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
Ephesians 3:17-19

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on April 29, 2020 at 10:03 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: hearts

A Tiny Gish For The Homebound

I’ve done the weeklong GISH scavenger hunt for the last couple of years, and am signed up for this year’s, but yesterday was the chance to let loose on a 24 hour fun hunt. Due to the time difference (it’s U.S. based) my 24 hours started at 5am Sunday morning, so I only did five items (with a little help from Sweet Bean 🙂 ). I had fun, though!

Here they are…

Item 13 – Remember Tom Hanks in “Castaway”? Remember Wilson the volleyball? Well, we’re all going through something similar now. We’re alone and WE ARE LOSING OUR MINDS. We’ve started talking to household objects. We’ve started dressing them up and giving them names. Show us your new quarantine friend.

Item 54 – Write a moving handwashing haiku. Post it above your bathroom sink.

Item 26 – Springtime straw hats are overplayed. Show us the new hot trend: eco-friendly sun hats made from the weeds from your garden.

Item 10 – Wake up! It’s time to deliver the morning paper, on a bike, in your house, to a loved one in bed. (You’ve got a lot of deliveries to make, so you’ll have to toss it at them as you cruise by.)

Item 45 – Draw a little birdhouse in your soul. Leave the nightlight on inside the birdhouse in your soul.

Now for some sleep! 😀

Published in:

on April 27, 2020 at 10:21 am Comments (1)
Tags: GISH

Standing In The Silence

For those who stood
and are still standing.
For those who fell.

We Will Remember.

Published in:

Thinking....

on April 25, 2020 at 12:01 am Leave a Comment
Tags: Anzac Day

Using The Time As The Days Go By

I’ve been seeing these references, here and there, to the great works done by Shakespeare and others during quarantine periods. It’s interesting, and could even inspire others to great accomplishments – I hope there are some people out there making great breakthroughs!
As for the rest of us – we’re not likely to set the world on fire.
And that’s OK.

Some of us may be finding extra time to create, or learn new things. Some may be having trouble getting dressed in the morning. Many are trying to work out how they fit in a world where they are no longer employed, or are employed in areas where they are vulnerable every day. Households with children home from school are trying to mix “school at home” with everything else that is up in the air at the moment, and sometimes that’s looked… not too good.

It’s OK.

It’s fine just to sit back for a bit. Do nothing, and try to understand your new normal. Reach out for help, if you need it. Offer help, if you can. Your kids won’t be irreparably damaged if they’re not following a full curriculum by Tuesday. You don’t have to be fully dressed by 7am if you’re not leaving the house today. And sometimes, coffee and a chocolate bar is a full breakfast (just maybe not everyday!).
I’ve had lots of fleeting ideas, but have yet to put most into practice. Most of my days so far have been a series of small things, with occasional breakouts into extra energy expenditure. The pinnacle of my day today was putting my decrepit flamingo back up (it was languishing in a weedy flowerbed). Here’s my “King Lear” for Friday!

Whatever you did, or didn’t do, today – be kind to yourself.
And maybe have another piece of chocolate…
❤

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Thinking....

on April 24, 2020 at 10:13 pm Leave a Comment

Smile (In The Shadow)

Another day in isolation, and time keeps dragging on… I was thinking yesterday – it’s like a long haul flight. Eventually time ceases to have meaning, and all there is, and all there ever Was. Is. Now.
I’ve been making my way through the library haul I picked up before it all shut down. Turns out even I can’t read endlessly!
I really don’t have anything to complain about – we’re well fed and rich enough to be entertained in comfort. We get along well as a family, and are generally healthy. But…
sometimes, things boil over. Yesterday was such a day – one little stressor to the everyday, and I spilled out into over-reaction, ending up crying on the bed with remorse (and yes, annoyance!). All good now 😀

There’s always time to remember to smile, and to think about the good things (even if you need a good cry first!). Here’s some of mine from yesterday and today.

My beautiful family, who still love me even when I’m ridiculous.
Friends to talk to via Zoom.
Opening up a new bag of coffee beans.
Sunshine.
Finding books in a series I like that I never knew existed.
Chocolate. Always a plus, although you can have too much.
The sound of birds, in a clear blue sky.

A friend mentioned this song to me this morning, so I looked it up. That led me to the second song, so I’ll include that as well.

And here’s the Psalm written on that guitar –
“Hallelujah!
Praise God in his holy house of worship,
    praise him under the open skies;
Praise him for his acts of power,
    praise him for his magnificent greatness;
Praise with a blast on the trumpet,
    praise by strumming soft strings;
Praise him with castanets and dance,
    praise him with banjo and flute;
Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum,
    praise him with fiddles and mandolin.
Let every living, breathing creature praise God!
    Hallelujah!”
Psalm 150

And another passage, from a devotional I just watched :

“I am the Lord, your Holy One,
Israel’s Creator, your King.”

This is what the Lord says—
    he who made a way through the sea,
    a path through the mighty waters,
who drew out the chariots and horses,
    the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
    extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:
“Forget the former things;
    do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland.”
Isaiah 43:15-19

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on April 23, 2020 at 12:28 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: Mercy Me, Sidewalk Prophets

In The House

Just been to an evening service, in the comfort of my home.
Good to be reminded, though, that even if I’m not in a church building, I can still be in the Father’s house…
As another week starts up, may you feel Him close to you, and know that you are held safe, by the One Who is
faithful to the end,
extravagant,
forever!

Published in:

on April 19, 2020 at 7:03 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: Bethel, Cory Asbury

Outside My Door

Went for a walk yesterday. It’s been ages!
I didn’t go far, but reveled in the fresh air. Took some photos of blue skies and trees that aren’t the ones I can see from my back patio…

The light is still shining 🙂
…and here’s my heart-for-the-day!
(I didn’t see it until I looked at my photos)

On the way back home I stopped for a chat with the neighbour – we’ve got some good sized grassy areas for kids to run around in (with shoes on, because of the prickles), so we could chat while keeping our distance. They were looking at a tree with hundreds of butterflies, so I took a video, for when I need some relaxing beauty…

Here’s one of the butterflies at rest.

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on April 16, 2020 at 8:37 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: hearts

With You Right To The End

A brief memorial for Tim Brooke-Taylor, who died yesterday from complications from COVID-19.
I grew up watching the Goodies in the evenings during the week, and clearly remember a giant (but cute) destructive kitten, a peculiar beanstalk fairy tale, and a variety of funny situations whose topical and political undertones I didn’t pick up on back then. Now I am older, and apparently wiser, I still laugh when I watch it again.
For an overview, here’s a compilation clip. I’d recommend getting a DVD or finding it online, and watching the whole series.