Anzac Day

April 25th is Anzac Day, the national day of Remembrance in Australia for those who served and died in all wars and conflicts (or peace keeping missions).

The Ode to Remembrance, which is part of all services on Anzac day is part of a poem called For the Fallen, written by Laurence Binyon in 1914. The English poet worked as a medical orderly with the Red Cross on the Western Front. The poem was published in the newspaper in September, which shows you how much death & horror Binyon had seen in the first month of war. (WWI started July 28). For some reason that makes it all the more sadder to me. 

Lest we forget.

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Linking with #WordlessWednesday #KeithsRamblings #MCoW  #WWOAT and #WWOT

 

Fly away

This is on one of the neighbourhood power boxes. Very beautiful work. It's a pretyy busy road so I couldn't get t the angle I needed to be (in the middle of the road) to get the shot straight...(or my brain is crooked, which I'm begining to wonder as often my shots need to be straightened!)

Anyway, I'm flying away for a bit, back around the 25th April. #Allseasons will return then.

Enjoy the holidays. Drive safely (and slowly, double demerits).

See you in a few weeks.

Will be on Insta here. 

Linking with #WWOT

“We project to others the image of ourselves that we believe and carry in our own minds. With humble pride think well of yourself and others will do the same.” -Cloudia Charters, Comfort Spiral

 A friend of mine is getting married. She’s had rough years of marriage breakdown and rebuilding a life as a single parent. She’s now met a lovely man and they are cementing a life together. She recently made a comment about losing weight before the wedding.

It got me wondering, how do we as mature women, having lived a full life and embarked on a menopausal journey, still be reduced to this? I am not immune. I was listening to a book on menopause for another post and while my symptoms are manageable, I did start to wonder if I should take HRT to shed the pounds that have decided at this stage of life to suddenly live around my middle. I did shake that idea away but I will admit I pondered it longer than I’m proud of.

Why do we still rarely see wrinkles in movies or a size 14 on tv? Why are all our achievements eclipsed by a few pounds in the ‘wrong’ places?

We are meant to be the guiding lights for our daughters, but I find I’m learning so much more from the younger generations than those that came before me.

I was at the Sumo when the host made a joke that was deemed a ‘fat’ joke and the audience quickly turned, making it clear it was unacceptable. The MC hastily back-peddled and I was a little proud at how far we have come in this mentality, at least when it comes to others. Or is it just when it comes to men?

I am exercising more and trying to eat more cautiously but most of all it’s my thought processes I’m trying to work on. I’ve been experimenting and whenever I wear a dress I think I’m a little too out of shape for, I almost always get a compliment from a stranger. 

Even at this ripe old age, what I see in the mirror is distorted by the beauty standards of my youth. Intellectually I understand this but over-riding the critical vision is much harder.

My question – who put it in there and why is it so hard to update?

As for my friend, I told her to enjoy the dress and she will look wonderful. Confidence is like make-up that covers up our flaws…

(This was a guest post written for & originally posted on #WWWhimsy)

Linking with #HappyNow #TheRandom TrafficJamReboot #WowonWednesday #ConfidentTwosday

Being watched...

I went back to the laneway with the Mows in it while in Melbourne. They are still there though a little altered. I'm not sure why the good art gets scribbled on but for some reason it does. I felt I was being watched and then looked down and saw this:

My favourite was this one - pleasing to the eye and my humour. And out of reach of the talentless defacers.

While this wasn't art, I feel it should be. Warding off intruders, both the artists and the birds.

Linking with #WWOAT #WordlessWednesday

Ten Thousand Suns - Sydney Biennale at Chau Chak Wing Museum

The Sydney Biennale is spread around town, and one of the free gallery space where it is located is the Chau Chak Wing Museum. This little museum in Sydney Uni holds a great collection of antiquities but also space to host the visiting art collection. 

Entry is free (as always). 

Well worth a visit if you haven't been before.

The Beinnale ends June 10.

Linking with #TravelTuesday.  #WednesdayAroundtheWorld

March (lack of) Reading

I've really struggled to read anything at all this month. I hope to rectify that in the weeks off next month. So super short post this month.

The Confidential Agent - unlike The Quiet American and Honorary Consul, this book lacks the murky ethical discomfort that I had reading those books. It's easy and entertaining. Would recommend the other two books over this one.

Love Stories. I'm not loving this the way everyone else does. It's interesting and has some really great bits in it but I'm labouring through it. I think part of the problem is I'm listening to it and I might be doing better if I was reading it. Again, I'd recommend Boy Swallows Universe over this (however, the rest of the world loves this book so maybe just ignore me).

What have you been reading? Can you inspire me?

Linking with #SeniorSalonPitstop #WowOnWednesday #SundaySalon #MonthlyBookworms #Bookdate 

Five Favourite Monthly Moments - March

I feel I only just did this post but here I am again, looking back over the month to sum it up.  

1. March saw our anniversay. 25 years of marriage, 32 years together. Just wild to think about. I still can't get my head around us being so old. I squashed back into my wedding dress for dinner but the real celebration is our trip back to one of the spots we went to on our honeymoon that was delayed to fall in school holidays.

2. Lots of gigs. So much fun dancing with friends to live music.

3. Got back into exercising more - on top of my weekly big walk, I'm back on the bay run and dance class. 

4. Weekend away in Vincentia. Gorgeous part of the world.  

5. Art at the Biennale and Arthur Boyd's Bundanon.

The biggest highlight personally was getting longlisted for Furious Fiction. I've not been writing much (or at all to be honest) so to get it up there on my second attempt gave me a real boost. Even though I'm away next weekend, I'm determined to try and submit something!

What are you Five Favourite Monthly Moments?

Linking #KeithsRamblings with  #LittleLoves