EASTER BUNNY VISITS AGAIN

A very shy little visitor came this afternoon, if he hears the slightest sound he is off and away. He is so sweet and I do wonder where his mother is! I've heard it said that you get different coloured rabbits when there are a lot around, maybe it is true as when we went to our farm I did see a beautiful ginger rabbit...and there were indeed heaps of rabbits there. Can you see the (evil!) Indian Mynah bird lurking in the background? They are a real pest in this little town, frightening away the native birds that we would normally find here. I have seen flocks of twenty or thirty here coming in, enjoying themselves in their rather 'arrogant' way! There is an eradication programme happening, hopefully the numbers will lesson over time with more people involved.

Some of the luscious quinces on the tree here, I will have to do something with them. Kate has a delicious poached quince recipe which I will try. When I was in NZ last year she had some in the freezer knowing how much I love them. Delicious! I'll see how energetic I am before the Mynahs eat them all!

There is an old gardenia bush here, tucked in under a shrub, totally neglected and yet seems to have one or two flowers almost all the time. I adore them and love to have one under my nose! The richness of the scent alongside the clear beautiful creamy white, positively soul replenishing! My mother had two large gardenias in pots which she nurtured and everytime I stayed with her she would have a gardenia on my bedside table. It seemed to be every time, maybe it wasn't but memory makes it so! 

Have a good week!

BIKE RIDING AND MORE

Another photo of the new bikie! This time on my 84 yr old friend's bike, the one I first tried out. She rides every day with her daschund, Gus riding in the basket and no, he doesn't have a helmet!

I've been out this morning on a quiet back road near where we are living, gum trees lining the road, farm land beside the road, no traffic. I went nearly two ks altogether so my furtherest ride yet. What was lovely for me was the scent of the gums beside me, the scent you miss as you drive past them in an air conditioned car. It took me back to my childhood...I rode a bike from just aged five, two miles to school...and of course two miles home. A big haul for a five year old in the summer heat, then of course in all the different weather, heavy frosts in the winter, thankfully no snow! Our parents didn't pick us up in a car if the weather was inclement, we had to tough it out! Don't think I'm complaining as I'm not. It was just a fact of life. It was a lovely memory for me this morning though, the deliciousness of the fresh eucalyptus took me right back. It wasn't always fun and games...in Spring time we would often be bombarded by swooping magpies attacking us. We would stop before THE TREE where they lurked, then pedal for all we were worth and be very happy to think we had evaded them! Sometimes there was a snake on the road and we would have to work out whether it was safe to tear past or what else we could do. We never tackled one, just somehow avoided the snake!

This post wasn't to be past memories but...

Sometimes when I was older, I left the little school when I was almost eleven to put it all in perspective, I would ride my horse to school. There was a horse paddock in the school grounds where the horse munched away until it was 'hometime'. One afternoon as I went to ride home, my horse threw me and took off! The teacher of this little country school who always rode his bike to school, hopped onto his bike and followed my untrusty steed, caught him and then led the horse back, still riding his bike! It does make me laugh to think of it, as it did at the time! I dId hop back on and rode home to tell my story, another adventure to relate! 

And a lovely picture that was in a Melbourne paper last weekend..

The power of love, the look in the eyes, beautiful!

Have a happy day, me too after I have done some ironing that has been hanging around, seemingly for weeks!

A YANTRA MORNING MEDITATION

Last week our little local library held a painting/meditation morning. I couldn't resist, two of my 'things' together! The leader for the morning was so well prepared...paints, brushes, backing boards and several sheets for each of yantra designs, (I had never heard of a yantra...like a mandala ), lovely thick A2 paper and beautiful music. The idea was to focus on the 'colouring in' as you painted and listened to the beautiful meditation music. Rather like focusing on a mantra. Each yantra had a different message to add to the mix. I've tried to put a link in for you 

but can't so suggest you search images for yantras, there are heaps to see

My colours were much brighter than the photo shows...we had to choose three colours so I chose blue for a favourite colour, orange for one I felt I needed and dark brown for one I don't like. Then at the end I chose yellow for an extra as I thought it needed some sunshine as well. All the other pieces done on the day were different to mine, more subdued and all beautiful. Mine looked almost garish...but cheerful although I did feel rather as though I needed to be more delicate in the things I do....until I read the quote at the top of the page more carefully...

I honour the uniqueness of my journey in life! It was a real reminder of the uniqueness each of us possesses, that we follow our own star, even when this way may make life difficult for us. It reminded me of a quote I read a few days ago, 'if you follow the herd you are bound to walk in 's..t'. For me it has been a struggle often to remember to walk my own path, still is at times as I was brought up to be very conservative, to not offend anyone, to be 'nice' at all times and so on. I'm still reminded, even at the meditation...one woman asked if anyone was hot, nobody spoke up except I did say I was just right. The next thing she did was to speak to the leader and the door to outside was opened wide. It was COLD! I was too polite to suggest that  perhaps the open door could be closed a little and too polite to put my jumper on as the 'hot'woman was sitting next to me and I didn't want to hurt her feelings! How do you spell der, durr, duh! I'm not sure but for goodness sakes, how very polite and how disrespectful of my own feelings! 

I really enjoyed my morning, the time flew past and thoughts came and went without being important, a real 'chill out' morning, no worries, no 'when are we going to get our own home' sort of thoughts, very therapeutic.

Enjoy your chilling out time...in whatever way is right for you! We need some EVERY DAY!

SPECIAL VISITORS

Our visitor this morning! It is the third time we have seen him/her. The first time I was positive he was a pet escaped from somewhere and went out armed with a towel to help me catch him! No chance! He as he has to be a wild bunny, timid and shy and fleeing as soon as he knew I was there, and albino. So pretty! The next visit was when three year old Jono was here and we were able to catch a glimpse of him from inside the house. And then today...E called me and I crept outside with the camera and eventually tracked him down hiding in the agapanthus. Maybe he actually is the young Easter Bunny and will be back here at Easter, hope so anyway!

We have been lucky enough to have had two other special visitors in the last month. The first was a very dear and creative cousin from the UK, in Australia for her two yearly visit. She lives in a remote part of Derbyshire on a farm which has been a 'must do' visit for all of us on this side of the world. It is beautiful there, the Peak District with it's hills and valleys. The house is nestled into the side of a steep hill, a public walking path literally behind the house. It was lovely to have her here, lots of talking and catching up on family news. Never a long enough visit when you know it will be two years until we see her again!

Our next visitor was a very old friend...another creative one! She arrived with a lovely bunch of lilies which lasted for a week...I've only just thrown them out. I love having flowers in the house and even more when they belong to a huge bunch like this. E does give me flowers sometimes but my treats from him are usually more practical, wood for the fire, cups of tea in bed, I was going to add new tyres for the car but had better change that to a new car as we have just bought a new car...wonderful! I'm really very spoilt even though it isn't always flowers!

You might remember we bought this painting from her exhibition a few months ago and it is the only painting we have on the walls here. And I think will be the first to hang in our new house...when it comes!

E went to a wood working exhibition when L was here so for the first time in a very long time we had quiet time together. Our four children each spent a lot of time together when we were all much younger, we did too of course! We went 'up the street' in our little town, bought the Saturday papers, went to the op shop where Mrs Vase Lady, me, had to buy a vase, the me who has heaps of wonderful vases had to buy one....mine are all packed! L looked and looked to see if she could find something to take home but sadly missed out this time! Then I had the supermarket and L went across the street to the ALREADY READ BOOKSHOP.  I nearly lost her there, she was,in heaven and came out later with three books. I can't recall what she bought but I came out with Perfume From Provence, first published in 1935, written by Lady Fortescue! Very similar to the Peter Mayle set in Provence as well. The drawings by E.H. Shepard are as you can imagine them to be, very Winnie The Pooh-ish! And this is why I couldn't resist the book. Next stop was a local cafe for coffee for L and tea for me, something I haven't done since we moved here. Then a drive around the town looking at areas where we would like to buy, picking up some beautiful fresh basil and tomatoes from a stand on the side of the road. Home, then lunch, a read of the papers and while L picked up my paints...and painted, I lay on the couch reading my murder mystery. L is one of those people who just gets on with whatever is happening, she has a sense of the ridiculous along with her sense of humour, and at the moment is getting on top of and dealing with breast cancer...in her own inimitable way. Life goes on as normal and she isn't going to waste a single minute. She is a very special friend and this time was so precious.

And now for a laugh..at myself! I've been trying out my new bike, a three wheeler! I rode an ordinary bike two miles there and back to school, from when I was 5 but haven't ridden much since those junior school days. So,aged 72, I'm off again....

 

Not a very flattering photo but there I am, helmet and all!  I haven't ventured out onto the road yet as we have a large area of bitumen close to the house so I have been doing circuits here and so far all is going well. I think years of bike and horse riding have stood me in good stead and I'm able to easily keep my balance...hopefully it isn't a case of pride goes before a fall! Another very dear friend, an artist as well, is 84 and she has been riding her three wheeler around her suburb for 5 kms...for 4-5 years so with some encouragement from her, at the much younger age of 72, I decided to get going too! The area where we are doesn't have hills than goodness, I mightn't be so chirpy if there were! 

I'm sorry this is such a long post, I've tried to split it into two but can't manage to do so. I won't mind if you don't get to the bottom but if you are reading this you have managed to do so!

BOOKS AND MORE

Synchronicity is a strange thing which happens in all sorts of ways. For me it is often in the novels I'm reading. I read a book which has an unusual name and then the very next book I read has exactly the same UNUSUAL name! It happens a lot, so just one of life's little mysteries. 

However this time I'm amazed with the last few books I've read, all set in the 1930-1945 period, all connected in some ways to the Second World War. And in this latest batch of synchrocities I'm including a fascinating talk about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, their very empty and unfulfilling lives, her jewellry...interesting as she had a penchant for paste jewellry included in her amazing pieces. There were monograms on pretty well everything but the kitchen sink although maybe it was too! The set of measuring spoons in the kitchen had their initials entwined with a coronet above! Maybe the furniture was exempt?! All to remind everyone that they were royalty...sort of. I did think there must have been enormous insecurity for them. All I can say is thank heavens that King George VI became king in his place, from all I have read a very sincere genuine man who gave his all to the people.

Some of the books I've been reading have touched on the Windsors and also some of the English aristocracy who were impressed with Hitler. It must have been a very strange time before the war. I was born during the war and lived on a farm in rural Victoria and my life was not touched in any way that I'm aware of.

The Perfume Garden was about the Spanish Civil War which in a way was the prequel, (what a word!) to the Second World War, and a time I know little about. Although a novel it was based on fact. The atrocities committed then were on a par with anything we hear about modern day times. It is the old 'man's inhumanity to man'. I don't understand any of it, thank goodness! And it is good to reflect on all the decent and genuine people we see all the time, the kindnesses that abound.

My last piece of synchronicity to do with this time period was seeing The Book Thief on Sunday afternoon. What an amazing film, the superb acting, everything about it. I couldn't say I enjoyed it, more endured the emotions that the film invoked.

 I think I need a break from this period, get back to a good old murder mystery!! Not too gruesome though and a story when I can skim through anything nasty!