One ends and another begins

One what? Season, relationship, job...the list goes one.

The Sydney Comedy Festival ended and the Sydney Writers Festival begins.

I've spent the last month heading to comedy shows all over town with friends. One friend came more times than most, so for our last show, a 9.30 slot, we went for dinner at 20 Chapel in Marrickville.

It really felt liked we'd been in this bubble, an alternate universe for the last four weeks so it did feel appropriate to send off the good times in style. I also got to know this friend a little better, in our relaxed catch ups and bonding over the shows - discussing what we thought of them.

It's interesting, while always about laughter, I found a lot of the comedy shows quite thought provoking on serious subjects. I am hoping the writer's festival is equally engaging.

The writer's festival sent all my 18 tickets in one long PDF, so I spent quite some time saving individually and sending onto the different friends. 

One thing I like about all these festivals, while being great fun and usually low cost entertainment, they're a great way to catch up with a range of different friends. It's easy to fall into habits but these appeal to different groups for me, and it's also great to have outings that don't centre on food or drinks. They are also not necessarily a big time commitment, so usually I was home before 9pm, unless I kicked on to a second show. The Sydney Writer's Festival will be the same for me. 

Do you like going to author talks? Do you think of these types of festivals as 'seasons'?

One of the talks we wanted to go to but missed out on was on Sleep. The author is talking in this podcast, which I found quite interesting. 

"Peace builds bridges, whereas hatred is the builder of walls. You must decide, in life: either I will make bridges or I will make walls." Pope Francis

 

I am writing this watching Eurovision, early Sunday morning here. There are many barely veiled social commentaries, from an Equality tshirt to the need for music to unite us. 

The Rainbow Map was released this week, and I was quite shocked at how badly Italy and Monaco did on LBGTQI rights and protections, and of course the massive fall by the UK.

I know Australia is not perfect. In recent data, in Australia 68% of LBGTIQA+ employees are not out to everyone at work. As someone form the Inner West in Sydney (righteous, rainbow heartland), I find this incomprehensible the figure is so high! However, I'm guessing I'm blinded by my privilege. No one would query me talking about my husband and no one would yell abuse at us if we walked down the street holding hands. It would never occur to either of us that we needed to pretend we were 'just friends' for safety - in fact as a woman, it's probably safer for me to talk about my husband and sadly more so to walk with him!  This contrasts with the 35% of LBGTIQA+ Australians that have experienced verbal abuse in the last 12 months.

While we have made progress in recent years, with our referendum on Marriage Equality, we can do better. The City of Sydney put out this graphic.

We can all be the stones that build the bridges to unity and equality. 

Back to Eurovision. The voting was crazy! But it is a joyous fun way to forget the troubles of the world and see how much we share with the people of the world, regardless of nationality and our differences.

"Songs are here to help us: they build bridges from heart to heart". Mary Gauthier

My vote went to Estonia...possibly because I was drinking espresso at the time ;)

Linking with #GardenAffair #SundayBest

The girl I used to be

I titled this photo Self Portrait:Too big for my boots because of what I discussed back in this post - no need to go over that trauma.

I had a melt down when I discovered I was older than Peter Dutton (Seriously, how is that possible?) and a friend said "Age is just a number" but it's not. I seem to be constantly saying goodbye to the girl I used to be. I'm not able to wear certain things or people pat me on the head (seriously) for being at a festival. Please tell your kids not to pat old ladies on the head, it's not the feel good thing they think it is. I feel the disconnect with the people around me. I see it in their eyes or kind smiles. 

As I said goodbye to these shoes, which I used to love and felt very glamorous in, I was sad. They've been in my wardrobe for parties for about 22 years. There's no point in even replacing them as the height would give me back and calf problems the next day.

Don't get me wrong, I loving my life, I do plenty of fun things. I'm working on balance, bone density and flexibility so I can physically keep doing fun things. But there is a physical toll with ageing that I'm very aware of.  And then there's all the changes in life with the kids moving on, which is great (for them) but sad for me. 

I get us all together to play and it makes me SO happy. I love watching them laugh and interact like they used to when they were little, running around joyfully. My little entourage for so many years.  I guess I just miss those days and who they made me.

There is that saying that one day you lift your child and carry them for the last time. But this is everything. One day we do something for the last time and never know it. We are in a constant state of goodbye. Even down to wearing shoes or an outfit for the last time.

"Gather ye rosebuds while ye may" and all that....or my favourite by Benjamin Franklin "Do not squander time, for that's the stuff that life is made of".

The Monkees had a song "The Girl you used to be" but I can't find it so signing off with this one which has nothing to do with anything except I used to love it. And please note, this lady is inspiring me to keep moving and not hold myself back. 

Linking with #WeekendReflection #MySundaySnapshot #MondayMusicMovesMe #Stylewithasmile (bit less of a smile regarding footwear tho!)

 

Street finds

There are two good street libraries on my dog walk so I am constantly seeing what's there and finding books for friends.

I found this one and was today years old when I discovered Casanova was real person who escaped from prison. I always thought he was fictional! 

There is one street library that often has psychology text books in it so I think the post-it's may not be personal, but I love that they left them in the book. I'd never heard of these people or the 8 Passengers vlog but I'll admit I went on a google frenzy and might read the book.

I love that even a book title can broaden your horizons.

While in Melbourne I wandered around early Sunday morning, waiting to meet my friend for breakfast. I discovered this little laneway and decided to follow it in between the buildings.

What was waiting for me were these murals.

Because of the narrowness of the walkway between the buildings it was hard to get the photos but it was really lovely to be surrounded by these gorgeous ladies.

There is joy to be found in the simplest things, if you look.

Linking with #TrafficJamReboot #MuralMondays and #StackingtheShelves #SundaySalon #SundayPost #Bookdate

 

Mother's Day - not for everyone

I have a lovely Mother's Day - on the actual day I celebrate my mum, and we went to Lotus in the city again, with my sister and two of the kids (who usually go to my Mother in law's to see the cousins but that wasn't happening this year so my husband went on his own).

Tonight we head out bowling with my kids because I want to play laser tag with them (and there's bonus arcade games thrown in so it's a full children's party type deal. Ha!)

My husband got me lovely tulips. But this is not the Mother's Day celebrations I want to talk about.

Mother's Day is an incredibly painful time for lots of people. They have difficult relationships with their Mothers. They are estranged from their kids. They've suffered loss. They can't have kids. There are a million reasons why they choose not to celebrate or struggle to get through the day.

In a chat about the opt out emails from shops, a woman said "I know it's woke but I'm sick of them" because she felt everyone was sending them and my friend responded she was all for it because "Mother's Day is a sh!tshow". I personally am mindful of how many of my friends have a hard time, so I have a social media blackout that day - I posted about Finland playing Sandstorm in shops and on the radio at the same time on the same day to celebrate it's 20 year anniversary. I feel I don't want to add to anyone's discomfort. I was at my happy celebration, I shared it with the people I needed to share it with. In person.

I saw this post for the first time though it's apparently been around for years. It was shared by two of my friends having a hard day. for different reasons. I think there's plenty of food for thought in it. 

However, as with all these things, each to their own.

Linking with #SeniorSalonPitstop  #TalkaboutitTuesday #HappyNow (I know this is a little unhappy, but I had happy celebrations but I also get happiness feeling I'm not adding to anyone's stress or discomfort).

#Allseasons linky runs  from Thursday to Wednesday each week. 

Link one post that shows something seasonal. Traditional weather wise, a seasonal nature marker or a seasonal celebration. 

Make sure you link back to this  #AllSeasons post. 

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Tell us about....Thursdays

Thursday for me is the day 2 of my F1 podcasts drop - Late Braking F1 and Idiots of F1. Formula for Success also dropped this day until Eddie Jordan died. I'd listened to it that day and then 2 hours later the news broke. It hit hard, having watched F1 since the days of Jordan racing. This podcast is well worth listening to even though it's no longer current, for the interviews with past drivers and stories of legendary moments in racing from people who were there.

Thursday is named after the God of Thunder (or Jupiter, depending on your language). The why is less clear, just that the Romans chose to name the days after the 7 deities.

Sue has mentioned the poem - so I'll share the Monkees variation on it.

As a child, our librarian at primary school read us the Noel Streatfield novel Thursday Child. Funnily enough I don't remember anything else about it, except Mrs Corocran announcing it was time for more Thursday's Child. 

Memory is strange. We often don't get concrete details, just vague things that stick and we hold as a memory.

I guess now  The Thursday Murder Club would be the book people think of. Long before that, G.K Chesterton wrote his detective thriller 'The Man who was Thursday - A Nightmare'. However, John Steinbeck wrote Sweet Thursday and that's how I want to view the day. It's the day after Lousy Wednesday (a day that's bad from the start); Sweet Thursday is sunny, clear and a day when anything can happen!

So I'm wishing you a Sweet Thursday. or like Avicii says Thursday's 'Waiting for love'

Linking with #TellUsAbout #StackingtheShelves #TheBookDate #SundaySalon #SundayPost #MondayMusicMovesMe

Tell us about....Blooming

 When I googled the meaning, the first thing that popped up was "used to express annoyance or for emphasis" which is funny because the first thing that popped into my head was "blooming marvellous" which I thought was from Pygmalion but I can't seem to find the quote. However there are many, many flower shops with that name....

It also, of course means to flower, and for people to flourish, to come into full beauty or health or for fire, colour or light to become radiant or glowing. 

As my body seems to be endlessly creaking along, I don't feel like I'm blooming at all. Working on moving more in the upper body. Working on engaging my intellect a little more. Gotta use it or lose it, as they say.

The flower photos are the new rose in our garden. It was taken in the morning dog walk and again in the afternoon. A lesson in how quickly things can change if in the right place (& if you notice them). The beauty of blooming is not just the end result, it's the transformation and growth and all the imperceptible changes along the way. So if you are not feeling you're flourishing, don't be disheartened. Keep taking more steps to make it so. You can feel blooming marvellous along the way.

At a guess, when I go out for today's dog walk it will be dying. So there's the lesson. Bleak before my second coffee kicks in, but true. All the more reason to follow Luther Burbank's advice “Don’t wait for someone to bring you flowers. Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul.”

Linking with #HappyTuesday #Floralfridayfoto #GardenAffair #NaturesNotes #TalkaboutitTuesday

Lizard

 While I was hoping to get some great bird shots in Byron, I didn't. The birds were there but the good photos were not.

Every morning doing yoga I'd eye off the shots but never actually capture them.

However, the lizards were everywhere and more patient with me.

There's a close up from one in a restaurant here.

Linking with #NautresNotes #WWOT #WordlessWednesday #WildbirdWednesday #AwwMondays  #WaterThursday