Halloween

The shops are getting very festive, with this bra shop in St Ives taking it to the next level.

Orange and black is creeping into the window displays.

Dog walks grow more entertaining, day by day this week as the neighbourhood gets into the spirit.

Happy Halloween everyone (and stay safe, maybe mask up and def sanitise).

Linking last year's post with #Allseasons

“We are so old, we have become young again.” ― Hanya Yanagihara

 We are watching Rosehaven and last night in explaining why she hated birthdays, Emma said 'With every year, my personality becomes more inappropriate' and it hit me, that was exactly my problem.

I will see something fun to do and it gets harder and harder to find someone to do it with. I did make some friends about 10 years younger and they seem to be the ones that want to do things. My other friends are happy with just restaurants and movies most of the time. I want to try axe throwing and dress up adventures and go karting and a squillion other things - they types of things I used to pretend we were doing for the kids but now I'm doing them for me. 

I have really felt rhe weight of lockdown - two years of my life wasted while my body ages a little more. It will get physically harder for me to do things. And harder to find people to do things with. I often go to concerts alone as no one likes the music I like to dance to, or they don't want to stand for hours without a chair. I see the looks I get (of horror or amusement) from the other concert goers. Some will literally shriek in mirth 'OMG, you're so old!' (to which I reply 'OMG! I know!' and we all laugh at the weird old out of place lady).

I have no delusions of fitting in, but no desire to change. I do feel somehow justified by Emma's comment, as if this is some psyche assessment that I can accept. It also means, that if one of the writers of the show thought of that, there must be more people like me out there. I just need to find them! 

Linking with 

Smile

Someone else found this gorgeous quote "It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living."

I was walking past the garden where I always stop to smell and photograph the roses when on my dog walks and the couple were working in their yard. I told them how I always stopped and smelled their fragrant flowers and they were truly beautiful. The woman, a little confused at first, either because of her grasp of English or my mask mumbling, broke into a beaming smile. She thanked me and was clearly chuffed.

I had really only said something because I always worry they'll catch me leaning over the fence to take photos & get annoyed, but it turned into such an uplifting moment for me too. 

I guess it is always worth the time to tell people a compliment.

Linking with  #FloralFridayFoto 

Halloween treats from The Tea Cosy

 

The Tea Cosy in The Rocks is delivering a halloween box this week - with halloween surprises along with pumpkin scones and slime cream. It received a squeal of delight in our house for the  (hopefully) last day of zoom school. It's not too late to order and have a festive afternoon tea! (Not sponsored, I just thought it was cute)

Others in the neighbourhood are making the most of the excuse to decorate. 

We just started last night, but it has made my youngest happy. Not entirely sure how it will pan out in terms of what we can do, but it seems this has to be enough until we know. Very much a day by day thing as cases seem to be popping up at schools all around us.

Linking with #Allseasons  #CommunalGlobal  #WednesdayAroundtheWorld #FriendshipFriday 

Tis the season...

 

Walking the streets is becoming a festive affair.

But surely it's too early?

This is more like it...for now.

Linking with #DND #FloralFridayFoto #RubyTuesdayToo #FriendshipFriday

“You’ll never find a rainbow if you’re looking down.” ― Charlie Chaplin

GRATITUDE: I am struggling a bit to find inspiration to write. Both fiction and for the blog. I have a break coming up for a writing competition so I'm trying to wait a few more weeks before hitting pause. Thus I am grateful to Denyse for putting out this structure for a post a few weeks back, and I am falling into it's formal structure for the second month. Some times it's the tiniest of things that we are grateful for.

LOVE: My eldest is coming on a small weekend holiday with us in January - just three nights but it will be so lovely to have my family of five all together again. Our middle child was out for dinner with friends this week and I realised the sad little trio at the table was soon to be the new family dynamic. It's normal, and a good sign but sad ofr those left behind. And I've been aware for years that our youngest would become an only child but it's still sad to see that it's here, ust on the horizon.

Linking with #RubyTuesdayToo and #BlueMonday

HEALTH: I got a covid test in order to visit a centenarian safely last week, and I've been aware of 'symptoms' ever since, so I know it's all in my head When my eldest moved out, I've been clearing out all the stuff that was left behind, and that has lead the other two to follow suit with the toys and books they've outgrown. This has lead to me cleaning years with of dust at the back of bookshelves and draweres and often discovering I have a 'stuffy' nose. I then wonder if I need another test...or how long do I wait to get another test. I would love to stop being so hyper aware & question every little 'symptom'. I suspect this is my 'new normal' for awhile.

Linking with #WeekendReflection

CONNECTION: Since we came out of lockdown, I have seen all the elderly in my orbit - Grandmother and mother in law, my mother twice, my 98 year old former neighbour (who I rang as soon as the test results came in and announced I was coming over for a visit 'right now' as I'm as germ-free as I'll be because once the schools go back, I'll be high risk.  I've seen both book clubs in person, mah jong and a couple of nights out with friends. It's weird to see people, in the sense it feels as if nothing has happened and we haven't been shut off from the world for 4 months. 

APPRECIATION: All the eased restrictions and what it means we can do. I am booking tickets to plays and concerts, music bingo (for 'you have to stay in your chair' dancing) and even a boat day being planned. I am making the most of what I can, while I can. Even if we don't go into lockdown again, we will have rolling '6 day isolations' from the schools,  but until we do, I'm not wanting to waste a minute!

CARE: I am a little worried about seeing the elderly- my mum in our weekly visits in particular, now both kids are back at school. They are mixing with large groups of kids from all over Sydney (and beyond) each day and as we're all vaxxed, what if we have it asymptomatically? When those home tests come in, I'll just by a stack of those to do before visiting but for now, it does make me uneasy. How are people managing it overseas?

MEMORIES:  All our holidays keep popping up on my facebook,giving me itchy feet to start planning. All the toys and books we are discarding in the clean up are flooding me with memories of time spent reading favourite stories of playing with much loved toys.  They are making their way to the fence for others to love and enjoy.  It's a sad process for me, in a way. Those days are over, just memories.

The images are not related, but are many colours of the rainbow.

Linking with 

Share Four Somethings - October

Something Loved: I've just ordered the Halloween candy (as I'm still avoiding the supermarkets) so I hope it gets here on time. My youngest wants me to decorate the house, even if we can't do any of the other stuff. So I will next week. I love that she is making the best of it, and not really complaining about this strange twilight universe we've been living in for the last four months that saw her miss birthday celebrations and two school holidays worth of activities. 

Also in the something loved, I finally got back into the city after the 5kms restriction eased. Even in the rain I was filled with joy!

Something Read (or Said): We just read Station Eleven for book club. I can't beleive it was written back in 2014. She nails how the pandemic unfolds - how quickly it spreads and changes life. Down to the panic buying and how we miss the funny little things, like having our last cappuccino. I really enjoyed it and can't wait to watch the series. 

Something Treasured: I have missed the city so much. Last night I went with some friends to the Opera Bar. The weather was not on our side but it didn't matter. It was lovely to battle the seagulls and sip our cocktails over dinner as the sun went down. Even the train shennanigans seemed fun (they cancelled our stop literally a minute after the train left the station and half the train had to get out at Redfern to wait for another train). It was an easy and fun night, and so good to catch up in real life. 

Something Ahead We've come out of lockdown and I'm thrilled to be booking tickets and even a week away! Musicals, comedy, theatre and bands. Dinner in restaurants. Meeting friends at a bar. My diary is getting busy but it's all still tentative. I'm presuming it's all about to collapse again, but for now I will book and do what I can. I'm happy to mask up, space and sanitise. A small price to pay if I can get out and about!

My big excitement, due to restrictions, I've not seen my daughter for three weeks! She moved out and we are finally having lunch together.   I am so very excited about that!

Linking with #ShareFourSomethings #OurWorldTuesday

If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere. –Vincent van Gogh

One thing lockdown has done is highlighted detail. Looking intently to spark interest. If the scenery doesn't change, you begin to examine it close up.

Linking with #RubyTuesdayToo

Albert Einstein once said "Look deep into nature, and you will understand everything better." I don't know if you understand everything better but you do take some moments for introspection.

And nature is everywhere. On the dog walks, on the bike rides and on the urban walks.

I am very keen to get some actual walks in nature soon. Bush walks on scenic routes - bliss! 

Linking with #SundayBest

 
 Linking with #WordlessWedensday #WonderfulWednesday  #DND #Allseasons #GardenAffair and #FridayFloralFoto 

Smoke on the water

 

Just to remind us Summer is coming, there was a hideous smokey start to Sunday morning. It grew worse on our walk the further we went.

It did however, make for some interesting photos.

Linking with #WWOT #WordlessWednesday

&  #TrafficJamWeekend