Favour....

EDIT: This is an old post. Ignore the words, just linking the photo.

I'm looking at things a little differently....I left it too late to buy tickets to Field Day to see Rufus du Sol so before I start scouting scalpers, I thought I'd try to win one. If you could vote for my photo of Furnace, and get me to Field Day, I'd really love it. I know what your thinking. How very mature for an old lady...but you know, why should young people get all the fun? Click here to vote for this pic:

Linking with #GardenAffair

Full moon

Sometimes we have to feel small to realise how little it all matters.

I've had a stressful few weeks listening to people deal with the unimaginable, and I hadn't realised how it was wearing me down. Being helpless is a very emotionally eroding state (being a fixit kind of gal). Yet there are times in life when it is all there is.









As I watched the moon rise over the water, I felt at peace again. I felt lucky to be able to enjoy such simple things, and happy to be away from it all.

Sydney is a very beautiful city in an amazing world.




What are you loving this week? Linking with #SkyWatch and #GaleriaHimmelsblich




Taken at the gorgeous Currawong Beach Cottages (more pics here)

Outgrowing Holidays

This weekend we booked our trip to Currawong. We used to go en masse - about 40 of us, annually, but this year, with the HSC and having booked a year in advance, I just forgot about it. So it was just us, and a couple of friends. Some friends came for lunch on the Saturday, but basically, instead of a hoard of children, it was all adult friends.







We played tennis and golf and lazed on the beach.

The kids had fun and most of all, it was very easy and relaxing.

I had been thinking whether we'd come to the end of the road with these places, now that the older kids would not want to come. However, the place is so beautiful and the forced relaxation because there's nothing to do (no tv, no work, no sights to see), it is quite cathartic these days.

You avoid the traffic 'getting out of Sydney' and after the boat ride, are only an hour from home, yet you feel a world away.












Sometimes you don't outgrow a place, the place evolves to your needs.

Have you changed your holidays as the kids grew up? Do you miss what you used to do?


Linking with  #AwwMondays for the Wallaby....so sweet!

Further reading on Currawong and here. Currawong is in Sydney, but accessible only by boat (or lengthy bush walk).

Start and Finish

Just a reminder that the landscape looks very different looking ahead at the start and looking back at the finish.


















A wise man once said to me 'Looking back, this journey wasn't nearly as difficult as it appeared to be when we first began it' or as the fabulous Augusten Burroughs says 'Once you're in it, it's okay'.

Linking with #WWOT #PictorialTuesday #TheRandom #WordlessWednesday #SundayBest  #WeekendReflection, #MySundayPhoto and #MyPhotoFriday

A new step backwards in mamahood

My eldest finished school, had the formal, turned 18 and yesterday hopped on a plane and headed to Thailand. I told her to let me know when she arrived at the hotel, but then I didn't need to hear from her (though it would be nice to see some photos!). This was a big step for me, as she regularly texts to 'touch base' if missing from the house (so I know she got home from the party or got to work from school etc). While I'd love to hear her daily news, I thought it would be good for her independence (and more importantly, a lesson for me to keep my worry in check). This is a big milestone, this turning 18. Not so much for the kid, but for the parents. Giving freedom and independence is as hard a step for us, as any of the previous milestones for the child leading up to it. It's only day 1 but I'm hoping I can last the week without contacting her. Wish me luck!





As for gratitude, a few weeks back I did the Mushroom Racing. A couple of friends and I hearded out to Eastern Creek to dress as characters from Mario and go karting. There were games set up on the lawn - and if I'm honest, I would have happily paid the money to have a nerf gun war.  I really delighted in that.
As for the karting, I didn't come last but I was def in the bottom five. I may watch a lot of motor sport but my skill is evidently in the armchair.

So I'm grateful that I can still find new things that make me squeal with joy and excitement. I'm grateful we live in an age where people are coming up with creative new ways to entertain and I get to experience them, regardless of my age. I'm even more grateful I have like-minded friends, happy to give these kooky things a punt!











What are you loving this week? #GlobalBlogging #TwinklyTuesday  #KCACOLS and #StayClassyMama

Saying goodbye to the memories.

I was trying to get rid of 'stuff' in my daughters room, and I decided to empty out the dressing up box. In it I found my teen's old Flash outfit. For two years, around 3-5, he followed me everywhere in that suit, with the hood on.
Over a decade ago.
Where did that time go? We march on so busily and forget so much until prompted.
Suddenly, those little funny people that take up so much of our day are adults that come and go independently and occasionally dine with us.
I love who they are now, I love seeing all the prospects in their life but sometimes when I see these items that have such snapshots of a specific time in their little lives, I miss those days.
I hung the dressing up clothes on the fence for people to take and a short time later, Flash was gone. I am so happy a new kid will get to love this suit, and I'm hoping I get to see a little Flash roaming our streets again.

Do you get triggered by forgotten memories?

Linking with #AwwMondays because this makes me go Awwww ...(though maybe not the rest of you)

The Best Cake I have eaten...

Like the rest of the world, and most of Instagram, my favourite cake is BlackStar Bakery's Strawberry and Watermelon cake.

For my birthday each year, I zip off and sneak myself a piece. If we have visitors from overseas, I take them some. If we have a gluten free dinner guest, I also put in on the menu for dessert.

If you haven't had it, I suggest you try it. Light and fluffy, refreshing and sweet.



What's the best cake you're eaten? Do you have a favourite birthday cake?

Linking short and sweet (boomtish) with #MakroTex or see it repeatedly on my Insta over the years....

Sunlight is painting. Nathaniel Hawthorne

Sometimes just the light that something is viewed in transforms it completely.

When my father died, there was never going to be a way to change his loss nor mine, but I could focus on the other aspects of his life, the great things we shared and how lucky we were to get the time we had together.

May your days always have a surprising glow.

Linking with #WordlessWednesday  #WWOT #WWOAT #ThruMyLens #PictorialTuesday #WeekendReflection, #MySundayPhoto #MyPhotoFriday and #SundayBest

Good and Bad...

I am angry at the Liberals move to stop covering the firefighters with their new cancer legislation. It's disgusting. As the bill moves to the Upper House I would ask people consider emailing Fred Nile (F.Nile@parliament.nsw.gov.au) and asking him to please support the firefighters who already have work related cancer and to amend the Deemed illness bill to include backdating it 6 months.

I had tickets to Childish Gambino, and when he cancelled, I got us tickets to Mandy Patinkin. It was a great show and I'm really thankful I got to see it. He chose a number of Randy Newman songs, which made me bubble with delight. He also did a fascinating Bohemian Rhapsody, as full opera.

The story I want to share, which relates back to this post, is when he talked about how he'd made a commercial as a 17 year old, and his father wanted him to do a business degree, to have something to fall back on. He said 'I didn't want to fall back on anything. There was no plan B, this was it.'. As the cheques from the ad kept coming in, his father realised he had the commercial for 7up to fall back on...

For some reason I can't embed the song, but here's Mandy's version of the Queen classic.

Loving that I get to our beautiful Opera House as much as I do and see so many gloriously creative performances.

What are you loving this week?

Linking with #PhotoTunes (sorry the clip won't embed) #OurWorldTuesday (just for the photos) #GlobalBlogging #KCACOLS, #Sundayinmycity  and #TravelTuesday

The Unstoppable Stan Lee

I was sad to have the news flash across my phone this morning and read that Stan Lee passed away. He was 95, but he was one person that lived life right up to the end, and is a lesson to us all in persisting with doing what you love.

He tells a story of how in the forties (in his twenties), he'd go to parties and people would make fun of him for working in comics. They'd ask "When are you going to get a real job?" Fast forward fifty years and he's in Hollywood films and travelling the world meeting millions of adoring fans. He'd come to Australia for ComicCon, well into his nineties!

His other story he told was when Marvel was wanting to wrap up his original characters because sales were down. He asked for them to give him one more year. All the flagging characters were wrapped up into the hugely successful Avengers, and a new life was born. One that we know has turned into a booming franchise.

Even if you don't read comics, you know Stan Lee. As an avid comic reader, I get a fangirl fluster of excitement when his cameo appears in each film.

May we take these lessons of his success into our own lives. Just because we aren't successful yet, doesn't mean we need to give it up. Just because people don't see the value in what we do, doesn't mean it isn't something worthy. Just because it's failing, doesn't mean we need to give up completely on something we love. Nothing is failed until we stop.

It is a lucky man who can say, as Stan Lee did in 2006 "I don't really see a need to retire as long as I am having fun."

While the man is now gone, may his magnicent Marvel Universe continue to make us do just that.

As he himself often signed off, "'Nuff Said!"

Linking with #StayClassyMama #DreamTeam #FridayFeature and #TwinklyTuesday

I'm linking also a reminder that no matter what our role in life, we can use our influence to cry out for what is right. Here are some articles where Stan Lee cried out racism during the Civil Rights movement.

Remembrance Day 2018

Today marks 100 years since Armistice Day, and around the world people are marking the 11th hour of the 11th day in the 11th month with two minutes silence.

May we never see such futile waste again.
May we learn from history.
May we never forget.

The art students at Hurlstone Agricultural High School made an art installation for Sculpture in the Vineyards which runs from 2nd to the 18th of November in the Hunter Valley. Comprising of ceramic poppies in a field, there are also 32 ceramic helmets, one for each country that was involved in WWI.

 (Teachers Jo Ross and Margo Gabsi guided the students through the project. Photo Credit: Margo Gabsi)

Linking with 

 for OLD TIMES. I would have thought this was history we wouldn't repeat and yet....

Down in the dumps - Share the dignity #Itsinthebag

I've been a little down in the dumps lately, I suspect because I'm not sleeping well and it's having a knock on effect into everything else.
So, as you may remember, one of my favourite cheer me up activities is to sort out my xmas charity donations. Share the Dignity's #Itsinthebag drive is one of my favourites, giving toiletries and goodies in a bag to homeless women. This year the drop off locations are at Bunnings, and the drive is from the now until 1st December. (For those that don't have the time or interest in putting together a bag, you can sponsor a bag here).









This year I've done five - an adult one and a teen bag, mum & bub and also for transman and nonbinary person. If you get a period, you get a bag as far as I'm concerned.







As for what I'm loving, one of my children finished school! I am so thrilled for her and excited by the next adventures that lay ahead, whatever they may be! The HSC stretched over three weeks which is just way too long. (As I have one kid still in primary school, I feel a long way to go before I'm out of the woods, but I'll take each celebration for what it is!). I don't feel sad or like it's an end of an era, I'm just excited by all the change that's coming her way.

What do you do to lift your spirits?
Will you be doing #Itsinthebag?
Got a school leaver? Are you happy or sad?

Linking this old post with #Blogtober but it is coming up again....

You can't put a forty year old head on a teenager

I have written and rewritten a post on the disgusting behaviour of those 34 schools that asked to be exempt from clauses in the Anti-Discrimination act. I am deeply ashamed that my former school is there and I am somehow tainted by their actions. I just don't seem to be able to get the words out right in my anger, so I will continue to work on that post.

However, I will talk today about a nagging memory that popped up as a result. There was some bullying of a girl when her friends found out she was lesbian in year 11. I was not part of it, nor was I one of her friends, however I'm wrestling with anger and shame that I did nothing. I was only vaguely aware of what went on but I didn't befriend her or tell the popular girls they were redneck small minded jerks from the suburbs. I didn't tell a teacher. I have been questioning if the school actually did instill this discrimination and I just was oblivious to the nuances. If I'm honest, I was actually surprised it was such a Christian school. We only had church services once a term (at my previous school we went twice a week!).

I have said before that Nanette really made the penny drop. As a mum, I am devastated that this sort of shame can be inflicted on a child from society or their parents, and I vowed never to let that happen - if I witnessed it, I would speak up. And now I'm wondering if I am the person that inflicted this on people, with careless words and thoughtless attitudes? Did my school make me think LBGTQI people were some how inferior? Did I do nothing not because I was a very shy child with low self esteem, but because part of me didn't care, or didn't see it as the disgusting behaviour that I view it as now? My memory is terrible on all things, not just this, but I can't help turning the incident over in my head, trying to remember it clearer.

I was discussing it with a friend and she said "You can't put a forty year old head on teenage shoulders. And you can't expect them to behave the way you would now". I understand, and I agree and yet I still can't put the nagging feeling to rest.

If you don't see the problem with what these schools have done (other than show a gross neglect in the duty of care of their students well being), let me quote Father Rod "Schools that teach a culture of discrimination are essentially forming students to have a world view that is contradictory to law." That is the ultimate problem with what these schools have done in writing that letter. Shame on them and thank you Father Rod for speaking out so quickly on behalf of the vulnerable minority, and most of all, on behalf of the children. Thank you also SCEGGS and Cranbrook for standing your ground and standing up for the well being of ALL your students. You have probably saved a lot of them severe mental distress and taught them there is nothing to be ashamed of. Words are meaningless without action.

“There are plenty of good reasons for fighting,...but no good reason ever to hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty Himself hates with you, too." Kurt Vonnegut.

Linking with #GlobalBlogging (for those around the world, Sydney is in uproar that 34 Anglican schools have written a letter asking to keep their right to be exempt from certain clauses in the discrimination act (pertaining to the ability to sack or expel LBGTQI staff or students, and pregant women - tho no one seems to care about the women. It has caused much distress to past and present students.)

For the record, I'm waaaaaay over 40 but my friend used that word so I'm keeping it!

Share My Snaps! Blue Skies and Flowers

Even when you're stuck in a rut, there's still plenty of beauty to be found. Just go outside....

As I've said before, sometimes it's the little things that make life worth living.

Linking with #FloralFridayFoto 

Support

I had to be the support person in court last week for a friend. At one point the barrister came over and said to the mother "The most noble and worthwhile thing you can do in this life is to stand by your child, and you've done an excellent job at that".

It's not always easy being a parent and it's definitely not always fun, but when the going gets tough, just remember it is worthwhile.

Linking with #StayClassyMama  #DreamTeam #TwinklyTuesday #Yourthestar   #WeekendReflection #SundayBest and #MySundayPhoto