Wonder What the Poor People Are Doing?

I have been on holidays the last two weeks but have been at home working most of the time. However last week I went down to the beach and I went for a drive to a nearby town today with a friend. We had big plans of doing so much more than we actually got done. Yet we had a lovely time. Browsing through a really interesting shop that was full of jewellery,  clothes, scarves, books and much more. We just didn't have time to look at everything. We didn't have time to go op shopping. We didn't look in all the towns we thought we would. We didn't do the food shopping we had imagined ourselves doing. We did get to stop at a local park and have some food and hot tea while the dogs had a lovely run around. While we were sitting there just chatting and laughing at the faces her six month old son was making,  while the dogs sniffed all about the place, I said 'I wonder what the poor people are doing today?' Now both this friend and I are living on very small budgets money wise but we both felt very rich and very happy to be in that situation. Money cannot buy a beautiful sunny day. Nor does it buy the easy friendship and conversation that we shared. It doesn't buy the wonderful personalities of the dogs we own or the uniqueness of her dear little boy. We are blessed to be able to spend our time like that and it made us both feel rich. It is that special time that makes the harder times so much easier to deal with.  Remember to count your blessings.

Time to reflect and regroup.

Gosh it is days since I was on here but I seem to have been flat out sorting out all the requirements of next weekends 21st. I have been back to the venue and checked out all the little things like where the power points are and where the tables will fit and what detergents and buckets I will need to bring with me. I got home late at night that day and had four phone calls one after the other which took me well up to bed time! I was exhausted! It was a very good day though as I know exactly what needs to be done and who will be doing it. I also simplified some of the ideas that were being talked of. Simple set up, simple food, simply good old fashioned fun of people all communicating with each other and all there to celebrate one person's day. At least that is my wish for the day.

It is obvious why not a lot of people do the 21st party thing but that is because it is a lot of work and not everyone has the time to do that. If you get someone else to do it for you it seems to cost a fortune. I had gone to a website looking for a venue and then had the girl chasing after me to find out what I had chosen. After a while I eventually told her that I had not used any of the commercial venues. Someone told me I was doing the CWA thing and I am not sure that it was altogether being complimentary. After some thought though, I decided that if that was how it could be described then congratulations to me and my daughter that we could find value and joy in good old fashioned ways of doing things. In fact I think it would be great if it became the new fashioned way of doing things.


Perhaps not as old time as this!

I am so happy. It has been like my beloved autumn lately. I just love this season. I love getting out of bed to cold and dark. You have to force yourself out of the warm bed and into the shower before getting dressed. Lovely breakfast to warm up your inside and then out into the day. Cold hands and toes. Into your work place. Then lo and behold within a few hours we have beautiful clear sunshine. I especially appreciate the sun as we have had so many days of high humidity which I dislike. Then when it gets to late afternoon you had better have the house closed up from letting all the sunshine in all day and get the washing in. The cool and damp soon settles in and it is nice if the animals are all bedded for the night and us people are inside where we can be dry and warm. It also means that I can use woollen jumpers and such to keep warm. Bliss in my eyes.

I see autumn as the time that lets us know that soon it will be time to hibernate and regroup our thoughts, households and gardens to be ready for the coming of spring in 5-6 months time. Perhaps this is how we should run our lives. When things seem to be not quite so bright and happening then maybe we need to just recognise that and settle back and let everything run simply and quietly. It is probably important that we should acknowledge that with a bit of quiet time (winter), our energy and that of those around us will reemerge (spring),  and before we know it everything will be moving at high speed and high energy (summer).

Then of course the cycle will find it's way back to autumn. The cycles of our life might take a lot more than three months to complete though. Here in Victoria I think the majority of decision makers have forgotten that we were a state of high rain and cold weather. Now that we have been given a little of that this year after a 12 -14 year absence, there seems to be a lot of confusion. I think people ignored the signs of autumn. To do say may be at our own peril.

Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life!

I lay awake this morning thinking about all the things I have to do and wondering where to start. I was feeling like I would cancel what I had started as it was all feeling too hard and when you are dependent on others it becomes even harder!

So the alarm finally went off and I had my shower, got breakfast and sat down to eat it in front of the replay of the previous days Sunrise episode. It wasn't long and they introduced someone by the name of Nick Vujicic. He spoke very briefly about his life and how he sees it and let me tell you it did me good. I took a deep breath and thought 'what have I got to complain about?' I have absolutely nothing and if it all doesn't work out to the standard I would like it to, then that is the way it goes! I will do my best but I cannot control other people and what they do.

I am pleased that I am giving it a good go and I can do no more than I that. So here goes 'getting on with it'! Now I have faith and belief that it will be a good day.

Here is the link to a short video which is well worth taking the time to watch. We all have our limitations. They may be physical, emotional or just a case of fear to try i.e. a fear of failure. We have to get over these fears and know that we are all only doing our best and every single best is an individual thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_qMGGCbqWA&feature=player_detailpage

Click on the link above and it will take you straight to the page. Have a look at the other videos of Nick while you are there.

I want to say though that I truly believe that each worry or problem is relevant to us. There is no problem that should be brushed off.  We often need help and that is very important. If you don't have family or friends then find someone through a community centre or a doctor.
You can always call  Lifeline in Australia 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800. They will listen to you and then be able to send you in the right direction. Most of us don't need to use these numbers but can navigate our way through issues. However it doesn't hurt to be reminded of them if only for others you might meet.

I hope you enjoy watching this young Melbourne born man who has some very thought provoking things to say. I know I have! Sometimes I need information like this rather than any other sort of self help or spiritual type info. It helps to ground me and let me move on.

What Makes You Sad?

I have felt profound sadness for the last three weeks about three very different things.

The first week there was a young girl, just turned 21, who was killed in a car crash locally. She was a passenger in her own car that was being driven by a young male. They hit a lamp post, snapping it off three feet from the ground, and the car caught fire from the fallen power lines. The picture that all this evokes for me is not pretty. I knew this girl as a contemporary of my daughter and also because she had a baby when she was only 18, who was the prettiest and sweetest little girl. I always spoke to and admired the child when I saw the little family on  the street.  This incident made me feel so very sad as that young mother had so much to live for. She was a lovely and very likable young girl and I have no doubt she has left many grieving people behind. Not least her lovely child who will now grow up without the mother she deserves. Life is so very fragile. I cannot bear the thought of celebrating your child's 21st and then two weeks later she is gone from this world. However I also believe that if our time is up it is up. Obviously that is the journey that those two young ones must take as is also the case for those they have left behind. It seems so senseless and it is hard to come to an understanding and acceptance of the death.

The very next week saw the very quick and complete removal and burning of some beautiful trees along what once used to be the Princes Highway between towns. Not only were lots of beautiful big gum trees felled they were then just burnt. Not offered for someone to use them for woodworking or for fuel. No just burnt the next day!

The local paper tells us that it had to be done because a road is going in there. The depth of my sadness is huge. I also know that other people were hurt by the sight. One lady described it as 'like a mass murder'.
It is an abuse to the earth, to people, to all the various creatures that would have called them home and an abuse to the very air we breathe. Once again it strikes me as being so senseless. If the architects couldn't find a place to put a road that didn't require so many trees being destroyed then perhaps they need to think outside the square a little. Perhaps that was not a priority in their instructions!

Then the next week I was told about a very old lady who has been forced into care against her wishes. It seems so sad to me that we are made to live a certain way that some nameless person says is appropriate. I am beginning to think that the North American Indians had it right, if as the story goes they left the old ones out in the snow. Please let me go to sleep in a blizzard and let my soul drift off to a better place whilst my body slowed down to a stop with the cold. It sounds like bliss in comparison from my perspective. I know other people who have really enjoyed and chosen to go to an aged care facility, as it gives them comfort and company that they didn't have at home. So each to their own but it is a shame that we don't have a choice in such matters. Once again it made me very deeply sad to think of this woman in a situation which she will find so hard to adjust to.

I am feeling happy now though, as I have a weekend off and time to call my own. I intend to walk in the beautiful bush and touch Mother Earth. I hope to get some lawn mowing done and some gardening. A bit of extra sleep won't go astray either. So enjoy your weekend  and remind all that care is needed when driving, say thank you to the trees and flowers that brighten up your day and give you the very air that you breathe.

Musing on Manners.

I am in the midst of organising my daughter's 21st birthday which is probably the first large scale party I have dealt with. She had all the children's parties for the first ten or twelve years but this is the big one. Also the last one!

It has been a real learning curve for me I can tell you. We sent out  invitations to approximately 140 people for a light lunch. They were due to be answered by earlier this week and with a lot of emailing to many of the younger ones we have ended up with about 95 replies. Now the day will be fairly informal and I am catering for it myself (with help) so it is reasonably flexible. I have stated and with feeling that I want no part of a wedding! How in the heck do you book a venue 12 months in advance when it is nearly impossible to get replies from people a mere 6 weeks in advance?

This initially made me very annoyed and I kept thinking how rude the people were. Now I have stopped and chewed the whole thing over in order to work out why it upsets me so much. The answer I have come up with is that good old fashioned manners is much more than saying thank you or excuse me. What good manners is really all about is thinking about others.

It is about having respect for and acknowledgement of other people! It is being aware that other people don't want to hear or smell you passing wind or burping. Other people don't want to have to wait on you to decide when or if you will reply to them. Other people don't want to hear you eating your food or slurping your drink because that can take away their pleasure of food and drink.

Further thinking on this brought me to a place where I realise that this is indicative of the way many people live today - with no respect for other people let alone for animals, trees, the earth and everything on or in it.

I think we should demand that good manners be brought back and that people should not be allowed to promise one thing and deliver another. People should be held accountable for what they do and their children should also be held responsible. I am not so sure that 'politically correct' is always morally correct.

I think manners are far more important to a fair and equitable way of life than is generally recognised. Yet when someone politely and genuinely thanks us or displays good old fashioned manners to us we feel good about that. Why is that so?

Your Path Is Always Right

If people offer their help or wisdom as you go through life, accept it gratefully. You can learn much from those who have gone before you.

But never be afraid or hesitant to step off the accepted path and head off in your own direction, if your heart tells you that it's the right way for you.
Always believe that you will ultimately succeed at whatever you do, and never forget the value of persistence, discipline, and determination.
You are meant to be whatever you dream of becoming.

Edmund O'Neill

I have no idea who Edmund O'Neill is but I really like the words above. I sent these to my daughter two years ago when she had just left College and begun University. I see that they are just as relevant to her today as she starts her second year of a three year degree and also to me and many other people I know. I also think that the path we start off on is not where we have to stay.

I think that it is great fun to just head off and see where you end up when you go for a drive or a walk in familiar surrounds. There should always be a certain awareness of safety but we certainly wouldn't be a global community if someone hadn't set off across the seas with no worry about safety. We wouldn't have put a man on the moon or sent people into space  at all. There are so many examples of people following their dream with no thought of failure  and they did succeed. There are also examples of people setting out and failing but did they have the faith and the preparedness that is required for unknown places?

I think that we as a whole are headed for unknown experiences, but with a little faith and a belief that we can deal with whatever the universe throws at us, then all will be well. If you think about it we are always headed for the unknown. Even the only two certainties in life, death and taxes, are unable to be forecast. We die when our time is due and we pay tax under instruction from government. So we have no say in what happens anyway and we all live with that with no great concern about it!

So get on with your dreams and day and enjoy it all. Life is short and we need to make the most of it. Take note of Mr. O'Neill. Have a good one.

And Further More!

I spoke on Wednesday about Mother Nature V Human Nature. Very sadly I think there has been another example of not working with Mother in Japan. I am not blaming the people of any area however as long as I can remember this sort of an earthquake has been expected in Japan. For years I have been hearing 'it is not a matter of if but when' with regard to a massive earthquake in Japan. So that is an expectation of Japan.

I personally cannot help but expect this to keep happening as Mother Earth fights back against the disrespect and disassociation that people seem to have for her. If you do not want to be so emotional/ spiritual in your thinking then imagine this. Get a plastic 2 or 3 litre milk bottle and empty it of milk. Then imagine putting water, air, dirt, mud and oil into it until it is full. Then put in a fairly thick needle and syringe and start to suck it out. It will not make any difference to the bottle for quite some time. Everything within the bottle will just move around a bit and then resettle. However it will eventually get to a point where the outside plastic of the bottle will start to fall in and change shape. If you have ever done this in some way you will know that when the shape changes it is very hard to get it to go back into it's correct shape.

Now I am sure that this is not the slightest little bit correct as far as geology and science is concerned but you know they are only guessing! When in the past millions of years has the removing of oil from 5 klms under the sea ever happened( as far as we know!) How often has water been pumped up from the under ground aquifers? How long have all the massive forests of trees, that are so very important in the plan of existence, been cut down by their millions? How long have we been pumping chemicals into the air, the water, the ground with results that we don't even know about?


The mass murder of beautiful living trees.

 You do not know what you do not know! Think about that. Sure I can say that "I don't know how they build nuclear reactors!" However I actually know something about them as I know of them. There are many, many things out there that I know nothing about and I don't even know what those things are! That is how complete my lack of knowledge is! Science and man in general is actually the same I think. I think the indigenous peoples have a far better understanding of how the world works than the Western world. It is like mothers have been instinctively cuddling and holding their babies and then some medical place does a study and says that 'cuddling and holding a baby is good for them.' Duuuh!


Peace and contentment for mother and baby.

 Anyway I hope that those with friends and family in Japan find that they are all alright. My thoughts are with those people who are in the middle of this frightening experience. I am very grateful that so far, I and those I care about, are alright. I do hope that people will start to look at the possibility that man and his unrelenting greed may be exaggerating the occurrence of these events. Every single one of us can do a little bit toward taking better care of the earth which means better care of ourselves and our future generations.

Three Days

I have just finished work for the day and I am really looking forward to three days of doing as I please. I work best in the mornings and as I am usually doing my paid work at 6am, it is a treat to still wake up early and get up and get all those boring things like vacuuming, ironing, washing, etc. done and then have the rest of the day to myself. I seem to have had a pretty busy week. It sometimes feels like I am not getting a lot done but I actually had a look around my kitchen the other day and here are some of the things I saw.


Dishcloths I have knitted, scones and zucchini bread.



Lasagna and my just picked home grown zucchini.



And then of course it all needs to be cleaned up.

 I suspect that you all do the same thing at home and/or at work. Sometimes you need to stop and take a good look at just what you have achieved. Many things will not be obvious, but if you at least give them some thought and give some acknowledgement to yourself for having done them, then you will feel greater satisfaction. I think we live in a world where more and more is expected of us and therefore we expect more and more of ourselves, but just as those who have the expectations of us often don't acknowledge that we have met their requirements so we are guilty of the same thing. Your boss/manager should be quite clearly saying 'thank you for spending extra time on blah last night. Take some time in lieu when things have settled. Just let me know when you take it.' If that sort of thing is not being said to you then you should be saying to yourself that you put in extra and that is praiseworthy. Positive self talk is very important I think and I also think that we should take every opportunity to praise others when we hear their stories of doing well.

I want to show you a funny little thing that is a later chapter with regard to my friendly magpies. I arrive home from work and within a very short space of time my family of three maggies arrive for some food. The other day I was only home for a short time and then left to go and do some pear bottling.

The pear bottling took a lot longer than we anticipated and I didn't get home until quite late in the afternoon as I took the dog for a walk on the way home. I arrived home to find the following!
What is that I hear you say!
THAT is my front door mat that has been pecked at and pulled apart. If you peer very closely in the top left hand corner of the mat there is a fluffy grey feather. Evidence was left behind. The baby of the family still has grey and white rather than black and white. The little brat! It seems I must stay at home until I have fed the family otherwise there will be payback!
People think that animals and birds are dumb! He that makes assumptions about things they cannot prove are very silly in my opinion.
I am off to to do some work so that I can enjoy my weekend.
Remember to pat yourself and your friends and family on the back. A little bit of praise goes a very long way.

Foolishness of Man

I have been a bit slow in getting to this page but here goes a spray about something that I am dumbfounded by. A friend sent me a page from a Qld paper with a full page ad in it that states Human Nature V Mother Nature. It then goes on to say that despite all the floods people are still working together and uniting in the common cause of getting themselves back on track. That is so true and very admirable so far. Lovely things to be acknowledged. However this ad then goes on to say ' We have quite simply shown that our human nature will always be far more powerful than mother nature.'

What the? Did the people who are now stone in Pompei say that before Mt. Vesuvius volcano really blew its top? Humans were not stronger than Mother Nature then! (My capitalisation of Mother Nature) What about the poor people in Christchurch? They will cope as best they can but to think that they are stronger in any way would be simply ludicrous. We will never know probably if the after shocks/earthquakes will continue or worsen or stop! We are unable to know many things about Mother Nature and if the people who put this ad in the paper were genuine then they would be saying that Human Nature should work WITH Mother Nature so that we can we can continue to have the resilience to deal with what she throws at us.


Sadly the thing that seems to be most prominent in human nature at the moment is greed.

Many houses are built on flood plains and natural water ways because some developer wants to make money and it hasn't rained for ten years so all is well! Mother Nature will just go on doing what she has always done and if humans are going to be so determined to change the face of her then they will have to suffer the consequences. It is sad that the general population still believes that someone trying to sell them the land wouldn't lie to them or sell them something that is not good for them.

I will leave that for another day though!

How I Feel to What I Think.

I have found myself reading my last post and every time I stop in my tracks when I see the bit that says about how someone feels is their responsibility. Yes I definitely wrote that for myself! I have had so many examples put in my face that it is obviously time that I worked out how to not let someone else affect the way that I feel, not only how I feel about myself but about them!
That is the marvellous thing about life isn't it? You are never too old to learn and I hope I spend the rest of my life learning.

I went and saw 'The Kings Speech' last night and found it very entertaining. I was very involved in it and the two hours that it took flew by. I was struck by a couple of things in particular, the first was how much listening people did in those days. Everyone listened to the radio. Compare that to today when people, like me right now, sit on a computer where they don't have to listen at all, or for that matter, see even. In the middle of the time between 1936 and 2011 there has been TV which I suppose is a combination of listening and watching. That is how the world around slowly but surely creeps up on us and we quickly forget that we could and did do something differently. The other thing that was really brought home to me is that royalty or not, people are people, and they struggle and feel how they feel. Money, palaces, servants, power and even true sovereignty does not mean you are immune to problems of all persuasions. Everyone has to find their own way through their problems but the support of someone who loves you is irreplaceable. Someone who loves you despite everything, gives you the courage and the strength to deal with whatever is thrown at you. Money. etc. doesn't buy that either! Look at MJ or Elvis who could not deal with their demons on their own and chose money bought assistance due to lack of trust and belief in love. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger is the saying I believe!
Here are the viewing places and times for the movie. Enjoy!
http://www.google.com.au/movies?hl=en&near=victoria&dq=the+kings+speech+in+victoria&sort=1&q=The+King%27s+Speech&sa=X&ei=B9dVTfi1KMKecP70tJ0M&ved=0CCsQwAMoBA

I have been given some exquisite hand sewn from vintage materials fish! I love them and not just because they are so unique, but I know that they were made with love and care specifically for me. That is such a blessing and they have become treasured possessions. I have also been babysitting my daughter's fish and have found that I have great sympathy for them. They were in a totally bare bowl with just stones in the bottom and there they swam round and round. I walked past this scene for a few days and then I couldn't stand it. I had to make changes that I hope the fish enjoy , even if it is for only three minutes at a time. I think they like it. The first day they were quite bothered by  all the things that had suddenly appeared and then as you can see they decided to explore.



Three minutes of exploration of a broken plant pot!

 Just as we shouldn't make assumptions about royals or other people, perhaps we shouldn't make assumptions about the understanding or memory of fish! Which brings me to another topic again. That of eating animals. I will explore that one another day.

"The smallest house is enough to nurture the gift of love."

Power and Sustainability

I had a phone call from my friends in Qld and they have the power back on and the water on again. This means that they can now make phone calls and that they can now find out via TV or radio what is happening around them. We are so dependent as a country on electricity it is ridiculous! Why do the politicians bury their heads in the sand and refuse to have any forsight whatsoever?

Surely we as the people need to think about these things and put the pressure on the powers that be to look at the possibilities that are no doubt out there. Anyway I have spoken about this in a previous blog but it gets my dander up so much I feel like I need to say it again.

The other thing that I find frustrating is that in so many aspects of my own body I have to be dictated to by money spinners. I bought glasses about two to three years ago and now they have been ever so slightly bent and I have to replace them. They cannot guarantee that they can straighten them. The transition film seems to be coming off anyway. I have always used the cleaning liquid that they gave me. These were a six hundred dollar plus pair of glasses. All the issues regarding repairs etc. were not explained to me prior to my purchase! I also get cross about this with regard to sustainability. It takes resources to make glasses. Why do people keep imagining that the worlds resources can never run out, in order to make more money. Haven't they learnt that money cannot be taken with you. There is no point at all in leaving your children loads of money if there are no resources. Mother Nature is just not responsive in any way to bribery.

I find that I am becoming more and more firm in my belief that we should treat everything on this earth with more respect. I think all you have to do is look at the havoc created in Queensland by Mother Nature and see all the people totally at the mercy of her to realise that humans are nothing but self delusional if they think that they can manage her!

I had an interesting discussion with someone today who says that they hate it when people make them feel stupid. I couldn't tell her that how she feels is totally her responsibility as that would have made her feel stupid!

It is an interesting and complicated world but we must make the most of it!

Short but Sweet?

I am going to make this a very short post today. I am impressed when I read some of the Blogs that I follow and see how much they write and the photos that they use. I have got to a stage where I have a camera with me most of the time but it is not always easy to find a topic to discuss on this page. I have spoken about balance and what I see as the slipping of transition traditions. I often speak about the environmental issues that are out there. I often look at those issues and try to find a spiritual way of thinking of them.

 So sometimes I am inclined to wander from one point of view to another. This is why I am always happy to get a comment as this means that I know that I am making  a difference to you and your thinking. It doesn't matter if you agree or disagree it just means that you have thought about the thing I am writing about. I love to talk and think about all sorts of different things. I love to hear all the different points of view. I long ago came to the realisation that there can be as many points of view as there are people in the world.
I just heard Dr. Phil say that 'reality is your perception'. Wow! That is such an interesting thought. To really think about that is to say that you can have the reality that you want. If in your perception you need to have all the 'stuff' that is advertised in order to be fulfilled, then that is your reality. My reality is that all that advertising is merely to fill someone else's purse. At the same time it empties mine and I have to do more to keep it filled. What a thought! Let me be happy with what I want from my point of view and not take on other people's opinions.


I had a lovely talk with a long time friend last night and she touched my heart with the love that flows from her. For me but mainly for her family and extended family. It was so touching to hear how happy/sad she was to have caught up with a family member who lives overseas. Sometimes we love someone so much that it hurts. To keep that vulnerability is to keep your heart open and welcoming to all the experiences of life and to feel them no matter what. Hard to do but infinitely more profound and real. My view!

It is cool today and the humidity has gone. A lovely day to be in the garden. If you are as lucky as me then I hope you are enjoying your day. I am before I head back to work.

Transition and Balance.

I am off up to the city today to have lunch with friends for their daughter's 21st birthday. It is not really a party at all but just a small gathering. For an old fashioned person like me it is sad that we don't have the symbolic transition to adulthood as in times past. She has been living with her partner for at least two years so she is already doing 'grown up' things and has established a home. She is doing what she wants so I guess that is the bottom line but it seems to me that we are losing so many defining moments of life. However in other countries there are different transition ages. In Finland it is 18 and in Nicaragua it is 15. I guess the times they are a'changin' as Mr Dylan sang so mournfully so many years ago! Maybe it should be 18 here too and forget about 21!

I also struggle to come to terms with why designers make small adult fashions for young children, especially girls, and then older children dress like mature women and mature women dress like what would once have been described as girls' fashion. It is a very strange and undisciplined world we live in from my point of view. There is a huge blurring of boundaries in many areas of life. Is this a good thing or not so good? Any thoughts welcomed.
I am old fashioned in some areas of life but not at all in others.

In looking at the flood coverage on the TV I have had been thinking about givers and takers in the world. It seems to me that people, generally speaking, are either givers or  takers. The people who are in the SES and such organisations do so as they truly want to give their help to others in whatever way is needed at any time. Then there are the people who are just busy wanting to know who is going to help them and what are they going to be given and when? In actual fact I think we should all be striving to be a balance of both these types.  I am a giver and I do myself no favours at all by being so bad at taking. I also do not do the right thing for those friends of mine who wish to give, by being so bad at gracious acceptance of their gift. I apologise to all those who I have offended by not acknowledging the true extent of my gratefulness for your friendship and giving.



My greatest gift in life and I am always grateful for her.

I had a discussion about this topic of giving and taking and I have identified that there is taking and receiving. Sometimes it is about as I said, gratefully and graciously accepting an offer of some sort from someone and at other times it is actually about taking or at least not giving. We may have to say NO I cannot help you or I do NOT want to listen to your woes today as I need time for myself or just time free of other people's moans and groans. Often the givers are not good at NO when something is asked of them and perhaps the takers are not good at YES when something is asked of them. The balance is to have as many of each overall.



Sunshine and clouds, towns and country - but are they in balance?

The ideal for all of us is to find the delicate balance of both. I think it is this that all religions, philosophies and spiritual beliefs are actually trying to address. The Bible talks of asking and you will receive and of doing for others. Personally I think as humans delivering these wisdoms we often get it wrong. The book 'The Secret' says that if you want something badly enough you will get it! I always ask why have none of these 'gurus' ever wanted good health for the planet that they live on or for good health for the people of Sudan or wherever.  Why do they all say 'look at me, I wanted lots of money and houses and now I have all that!'
That is another subject that could have no boundaries and be discussed vigorously for some time.

To change the subject I have had another day of preserving. This time with apricots and they look as gorgeous as the cherries did! Once again this pleasure was shared with a lovely lady and we had such fun and talk and laughter through the afternoon. We finished up with a walk through the park and it was a day to be thankful for. Humidity, heavy rain and sunshine, it all was of no consequence to our enjoyment of shared activities.

                                                    
In the picture above Judi is wearing an apron that she made. She made one the same for me for Christmas. I love it! I feel like a different person when I put it on. I become my grandmother or one of those farm women whom I loved and admired so much when I was a child. It is symbolic to me of a gentler and simpler time when different things were valued. When it meant that one could wash the apron and not the clothes as it was easier and cheaper to replace a ruined apron than a dress or shirt. How sustainable and simple. When did society decide that it was a symbol of feminine repression? Why is being a good homemaker a symbol of being suppressed? Is there a middle line, a balance (there is that word again!) between the woman who is proud and happy to run a thrifty and sustainable home and the woman who is working outside of the home. Can't 'having it all' mean that instead of one person having it all, that all can have what they want? Both men and women could spend more time at home keeping their own homes and possessions running well and then people wouldn't all need so much money to pay for everyone else caring for their things. It seems like a dog chasing it's tail somehow. A mere fifty years ago men repaired their own shoes, grew a large proportion of their own produce, looked after the basic repairs of house and machinery and also earned money. My father did this and he was a bank manager!

Once again it seems to me that people thought that they were not getting their fair share of the money so they have charged after that but not stopped to think that there is a balance point in everything - is there a natural law about that? - and many are now finding that they don't like life at the other end of the scale any better!

I think we have to start with ourselves though and then we can move on to the bigger picture very naturally. As we all start to find our own balance then we will move in to the balanced place in the world that we fit in. That will move others to another place, like it or not. Just as soon as we start moving things around in one place we are affecting things in another place. This can so often be in ways that we do not immediately notice but that doesn't mean it isn't happening. If we move the sofa closer to the window then we change the pattern of wear on the floor, we change the flow of light into the room which may mean we change the length of life of the plant in the room. It may mean something that we don't even really see like there may be dirt in the carpet that can't be vacuumed up and now we start to break it up by walking on it regualrly and that means that someone starts to get a bit of asthma. Would we stop to think it might be caused by moving the couch over a metre? We all live in a web of life even if we don't see it or understand it! I am pretty sure that is a natural law!

P.S. Have been to the 21st! It was very nice and the special girl looked lovely!

A Developing Story.........

I have been wondering if I would keep up with this blog but with the things that have been happening lately I have a head so full of things that I need to put them down somewhere.

If you have been looking at the TV, watching the flood disaster in Queensland, then you will see that the heading has often been 'the developing news'. It is true it is a developing story and as more water moves or another house becomes inundated then what the newsreader is saying is changing constantly. The figures of missing people keeps changing. The number of people who have lost their lives keeps changing!

To the people caught in the middle of all this it may seem like it is not changing (for the better) quickly enough! It must seem like the water is never going to go away and that the rain will never stop!

I have friends and family in SE Qld and it has really made me stop and think about the whole situation. I managed to get a text through to one friend who let me know, that though flooded in with no electricity or tap water, he and his partner and animals are alright. I have not been able to contact him since then because I am pretty sure he has a hands free phone which requires electricity and of course the mobile needs to be regularly charged! So I have to hope that no news is good news.


My fantastic LED wind up or solar torch. I wish I could have this technology in a lantern.

My 94 year old mother is okay but I have been trying to make her see that she should have jugs filled with boiled water so that if the water in her area or the electricity is affected she at least has water. We don't necessarily have infrastucture locally so even if not flooded she could lose power and water. My sister who lives not far away is going over to get a shopping list from her so that she can get her shopping done. Apparently there is panic buying in the supermarkets. People getting twenty packs of toilet paper and thirty loaves of bread. Well I guess they will be alright, but they might get lonely if that is going to be their attitude for the duration of this incident.

This is not going to be over any time soon. Three quarters of the state is inundated. This means that all airports that have been flooded will need to be totally rebuilt as the under lying structure will be damaged. The same goes for all the roads. Every house will need to be cleaned up but also have all the electricity checked for damage, make sure that the gas pipes are clean, make sure the water pipes are clean. All electricity, sewerage and water transfer stations will need to be checked and repaired. All the traffic lights will need to be repaired. I hope too many banks haven't gone under! I heard that some ATM's have run out of money. Then there are the roads which of course will be unable to cope with heavy trucks bringing in food. The railway lines will need to be checked for safety.

Do you get the picture that I am trying to paint. The wildlife that will be lost will be unbelievable. The talk is that the vast majority of cattle in Qld are dead. There will be hundreds of horses and pets lost and dead. Don't think that this will not matter because we don't know how it will affect us. If all the snakes are drowned will this mean massive mouse plagues in three months time? Will that mean we will still have no crops when we are in winter down south? We might have to start eating much more seasonally than we have for many years.  

All of this will affect us just as much in different ways. We will be affected by the loss of meat, vegetables and fruit. The weather is such here in Victoria that we will have problems with our own crops as there has been so little sunshine down here. If you do have a few things growing then certainly that will help with your food supply.



My zucchini plant growing well!

I personally feel that now is the time to think about the fact that things are constantly developing....even if we can't see them. Like flash floods we will have no warning! What will you do if there is no power and no water? Have you thought about that? Have our councils and governments thought about that? If there is no power how will we get out information. Do you have a battery powered radio? Do you have your important papers in a waterproof packet ready to be grabbed and taken with you at a moments notice? Do you have a container that you can put water in? There are so many small things that we can be doing to be more ready for whatever the 'development' is in the future. Remember we are all a part of the web of life and we need to think about what this means.

This train of thought does not have to just refer to weather events. I have a dear friend whose mother has become very ill quite quickly. It has taken a lot of tests to find out what the problem is and now the story will keep developing while the medical staff try to reverse this problem. This is another story that has been developing over weeks and days and continues to do so. Can anyone of us say for sure what is ahead of us? Have you got your affairs in order? Have you a will made that is as relevant as possible for today?

Perhaps most importantly it comes back to what you do each and every day. We have to work in order to live in this world and that is fine. If you don't like your work but don't feel that you can leave it, then at least make sure that you don't upset yourself about it. Keep focused on the fact that you are doing this work in order to get your pay cheque and make sure that you are spending that pay in a way that does give you true happiness. Often money is not needed in any way to feel your heart full of joy!


I am grateful that my passionfruit has decided to flower and fruit for me!

Remember there is always something to be thankful for! Make sure you look for it!
What am I grateful for today? That I have not had to leave my loved ones to save my life! That I have so gently been reminded that my story is 'developing' and I have to live it like that. I am grateful that my friends and family who are in Queensland are safe and well. I am grateful that I am not ill myself. I am just grateful!