Life is Cool: Looking Back....

I really love going for bushwalks, as you may have seen yesterday. On our recent bushwalk I had a few moments where I actually got to enjoy the silence of the bush and let my mind wander. I love looking ahead and seeing a bend in the path and wondering what is coming up. I love knowing that you can't quite see the next part of the journey.

I do love the mystery that life holds, wondering what things lie just ahead for me. I love dreaming of adventures. I love having adventures. I love planning the adventure, writing lots of lists of this and that. I love packing and organising things. I love airports, train stations, ferry terminals and toll booths. I get excited about airline meals and food sold at roadhouses. I love working out daily plans and googling touristy things to do. I love eagerly counting down the days until departure. I love looking forward.


In my life, I look forward a lot. I look forward to BabyCool being a bit more independent {and sleeping until 6:30am}. I look forward to Miss Z being a bit more emotionally robust. I look forward to Miss A being able to put her own winter uniform on. I look forward to going away on holidays. I really look forward to retirement - I know, I know, I really really like looking forwards a LONG time in advance.

On our recent bushwalk, I was really enjoying taking photos of bends ahead in the path. It was just such a lovely little spot. But, on a whim, I turned around and took a photo of the path I had just walked. I saw this....

BabyCool's sock. I had kind of an epiphany. If I had not turned around and looked back, I would never have found BabyCool's sock. I know, it was a sock. He has dozens. But, still. Had I not turned around at that point and looked at what I had left behind, I would have missed where we dropped the sock and we would have only noticed later when we were far away from that point.


How many times in my life have I been so busy looking forward to the next adventure that I have forgotten to turn around and look at where I have been? I stood and stared at this sock. It meant a lot. It was a good reminder to take the time to take stock and to look at the path behind to understand better the path ahead.


As I look behind me, along the journey I have travelled in life, I can see so much happiness; a great childhood, study, marriage, teaching, travel, children, friends, houses, chickens.... I have a lovely blessed life. There have been great times of sadness too; feeling misunderstood, sickness, depression, marriage break-ups in my family and amongst dear friends, natural disasters and sick children. But, the road behind me is green and leafy more than brown and barren.


Adventure is what I miss most at this stage in my life. Being a stay at home mum can be boring, repetitive, frustrating and lonely. But, adventure comes in all sorts of forms these days. I can't just jump on a plane and find myself in an exotic place for the weekend, or forego meat for the week so I can buy a gorgeous Benetton shirt. It is not just me I have to think about. Watching my girls enjoying time at the museum, seeing them swim an entire length of a swimming pool, hearing them tell their grandparents that they love them or eating donuts and pink milk in a cafe gives me {almost} the same thrill as riding a ferris wheel in Amsterdam or eating Pizza in a tiny cafe in Florence {I ate a LOT in Europe}.


I do love my life. I am blessed. Life is cool. Love it. Live it. Share it.

What things can you see when you look back along your winding path?

Life is Cool - Life is Hard Too

I took a walk along Love Street on the weekend. I spent a day talking and thinking about love. And it wasn't all chocolatey love. One of my best friends in the whole wide world asked me to meet her in a leafy trendy suburb in the big smoke for a good old girlie chat. This friend has been through a marriage break-down. It has been and is messy, complicated, difficult and is drawn in shades of grey.


It was so good to catch up with her though. Over the past few months we haven't talked much. This is due to me saying some dumb things I shouldn't have and then feeling so awful and stupid that I just didn't know where to start piecing things together again. Thankfully, this friend is gracious and kind and didn't want to lose me - bless her soul.


So, we had a day together {with wee BabyCool along for the ride}. We had a lovely morning tea in a cute cafe where the temptation of brownies and mudcakes and french pastry nearly over took me. Then we strolled for a bit and found ourselves at a ferry terminal. We thought it was such a perfect day for a boat ride, so we caught the next ferry and found ourselves in bustling markets near the city. Then after a cob of corn and a good dose of people watching, we ferried back to the leafy trendy suburb in the afternoon sun. After a scrummy burger and a final wrap up of our day, we headed our separate ways.


It is so nice to have a friend who you don't see that often, but who is still someone who is 'inner circle'. Someone who can see beyond their own self to check that others are okay. Someone who you can spend a whole day with and not struggle for something to say. Someone who appreciates a good cut of jeans and sees this as a valid discussion point.

For reasons not worth airing here, our friends have become unstitched. Torn apart. Separated. Walking through life with friends who have separated is tough. My friend's 'husband' is Mr Cool's best friend in the whole wide world. And these two are not just good friends, but CLOSE CLOSE friends... The first people we told about babies, the friends we used to go camping with, the friends we would have weekends away with and share lots of long weekends with. Peeps. Good friends.

But, as in all aspects of life, there are things to learn from this great sadness. Mr Cool and I have had to do some really focussed work on checking the health of our marriage. We have had lots of long discussions about fidelity, communication, dreams, affirmations, and the future. It is so great to be able to say that Mr Cool and I have a great marriage, we talk ALL the time, we laugh everyday, we love being together, we are the best of friends and we are so committed to our marriage that we have cemented our future.


I loved seeing that my friend is okay though. Still hurting. Still sad. But, seeing good things in her future and being excited about these things. She is still a super mum to four children and is inspiring in the way she is dealing with their tough questions and times of uncertainty. I am proud of her. She is amazing to me.


Unfortunately, she is not the first to go through a marriage break-down, and sadly, she won't be the last. On the quiet, long drive home I listened to Regina Spektor's song, 'The Call' and these words really hit home...

Just because everything's changing

Doesn't mean its never 

Been this way before

All you can do is try to know

Who your friends are

As you head out to the war

Pick a star on the dark horizon

And follow the light

You'll come back 

When its over

No need to say good bye

I guess I wanted this post to get you all thinking about your own relationships.


Are you a good friend? Do you give time to those friends who are hurting?


Is your marriage healthy? There is no time like the present to check the vital signs.

Life is Cool: Friends who Youtube

I have uber-cool friends. Of course I do. They would not, and simply could not, be my friends if they were not! The married duo of friend #214 and #215 are a force to be reckoned with.


Let me tell you about these two: they are smart, funny, witty, natty, quirky, classy and and just so awesome to have in our inner circle. Friend #214 is quite possibly the most sensible and well adjusted person on the planet. Oh my goodness, when I need a good dose of common sense or even someone to back up my fanciful daydreaming - she is my IT girl. She just knows stuff. And lots and lots of stuff. She is a journalist, a teacher, a marketing-guru-something-or-other, she is also a very dedicated and cool mum, a wife, daughter, sister and friend extraordinaire. She understands the value of talking to people and also about giving time to her friends. She is another of my keepers.


Friend #215 is the creative quirky one in the outfit. He collects things. China, Star Wars bits and bobs, Matchbox cars, Black T-shirts etc etc. The ultimate gift to give #215 would be items numbered 1, 2, 5, and 6 in a series of something. His most recent attempt at a collection was fancy beer bottles. I think it was vetoed by #214 though. He loves collecting things. He is also quite the chum with Mr Cool, they text each other when out shopping and their conversations often involve talking about shoes and jeans and haircuts and NRL, naturally. 


They have two cool kids. Very cool. I know my kids are cool. But THESE kids are 'Mambo before Big W' cool - seriously.  #214a is always decked out in funky jeans and super cute t-shirts and owns more Converse and Nike sneakers than anyone under 15 should own. Uber ... Uber cool.... #214b is a pink version of the above, oh so musk stick sweet....


Friend #215 recently entered a competition to win a new phone through Gizmodo. He needed to submit a clip of why he needed  'the shiny new Galaxy S II and all its Gingerbread Android wonders' and also 50 words.  Being techi and cool, he enlisted the work of young #214a.... Here is his youtube clip.  

Now you may think this is cute, a gorgeous little boy making his youtube debut. However, it is not... he has been on youtube a lot.... Check this out... 

This is 'Tipping Baby'

These friends are soooo cool, they had to have another baby. A girl this time. So.... here they exploit, I mean CHARM us with her footy tipping...

I am so glad I have such lovely friends, I thought that this was a good chance to share the love. Oh, and by the way, they didn't win the new mobile phone - what must it have taken? A trained elephant who can do sign language? An interview with Bill Gates? What? What could have topped that great clip... Honestly.... Please explain Gizmodo!


Below are the links to the winning clips...pfft - I still don't think they top a cute 4 year old though....


So, Who Gets A New Samsung Galaxy S II?

Life is Cool: Chook Mahal

Grandpa Cool made Miss A a Chicken Coop for her birthday. And not just any chicken coop, a 'Chook Mahal'. It is amazing. Check it out....

The gift givers.... 

Excited little girls!

From the outside it looks like this...

Incase the chickens read this post:  THIS box is where you are to lay your eggs.....

They have a nice little door to get inside when it gets cold or wet...

They eat grain. They are super sonic laying chickens, (Ingham Hisex to be exact - quite an unfortunate breed name for a chicken) they shouldn't be fed too many vege scraps according to their instructions....

This is where they roost at night..... Mr Cool likes to check on 'The Ladies' at night with a torch to see that they are all cosy....

And these... are .... 'The Ladies'. 

They like to hang out together....

I thought I should let Miss A name them, given that they are HER chickens. I allowed this knowing that they could have been called, 'Brown Chicken', 'Speckled chicken' etc.  I also knew that Mr Cool should NOT have been allowed to name them given he was thinking: 'Butter', 'Biryani', 'Jalfrezi' etc.... To my relief, Miss A did a stunning job of naming her new pets...

Rose

Lilly

Daisy

Lavender

The best part about owning chickens?  

A beautiful little girl with a toothless smile running outside in her dressing gown and Welly boots collecting her very first egg...

Thanks Grandma & Grandpa Cool, to quote Miss A, "This was the BEST present ever!"

Life is Cool - Winter and by the way I was published!

Yes, I have made it into print - it is a free publication that my church publishes called 'Transformed', which is for church folk but is also circulated throughout the community.  Some may poo-poo this small snippet of writing, but it is actually something I can hold in my hands (and show my mum!). 

I have added the text below so you can read the article I wrote about 

Winter....

I am not sure if Marion Owen from plantea.com intended for her information on bulbs to be interpreted like this, but I read her article on planting bulbs and was really encouraged about the impending Winter season.

I love the idea that bulbs are planted in the Autumn and then burst forth with the first colours of the Spring season. The glory of Tulips, Daffodils, Irises and Crocuses is such a welcome sight after the leafless grey days of Winter. 

During the short days and long evenings in Winter when we are tucked in our cosy houses eating soup and playing board games, the flower bulb is busy. It is making a good root system so that it can sustain itself through the coldest days of the season. But, the conditions need to be just right: good soil, planted at just the right depth, lots of compost and plenty of sunlight are essentials for a bulb to grow and develop into a vibrant flowering plant come Spring.

I thought that I could take these principles and apply them to myself this Winter. I am hoping that this means that Winter can be a time of reconnecting and re-energizing for Spring. 

Firstly, I am going to plant myself in some new fresh soil. I am going to be taking time to journal and ponder things that in the busyness of warmer months I have not had time to do. I have a pile of books to read and a list of things I need to study more. I want to develop deeper roots and learn more about God and how he has worked through time and in my life. I am going to make sure I have a good strong root system so that when those dark days come, I am strong and still able to flower.

As for compost, I am going to take good advice from friends and family and rake all those good intentions that have collected around my feet and turn them into good things. I am going to start changing ‘shoulds’ for ‘it would be goods’. 

Sunlight is the final aspect of a good healthy bulb. It is hard getting enough sun in Winter, but I love getting lots of the early morning sun. The clean air and time alone with my thoughts and God in the low light is great. Walking in Winter is also a great way to ensure that Spring is a time of rejoicing in Summer clothes that still fit!

I am hoping that after planting myself away for the Winter, come Spring I will be invigorated and fresh and in full flower, ready for the fun and freshness Spring brings with it. 


I am pretty pleased with how it looks. Thanks to the peeps involved for letting me write something for the magazine. It was fun!


Have you ever had anything published?

Challenge is Cool - A Photo Challenge....

I really love the blog, fatmumslim. I love the way she writes, the recipes she makes, her genuine heartfelt interpretations of life, and I love love love her blogging tips.

She posted a challenge she is going to do through white peach photography in June - taking a photo adding it onto a flickr group, it feels as if it would be tricky - but, you know what? I am going to do it. I have nothing to lose really...

So... as well as the other things I plop onto my beloved blog... I will be adding my photo challenge picture every day for the next 30...

The topics are:

Day 1: Self-portrait

Day 2: What you wore today

Day 3: Clouds

Day 4: Something green

Day 5: From a high angle

Day 6: From a low angle

Day 7: Fruit

Day 8: A bad habit

Day 9: Someone you love

Day 10: Childhood memory

Day 11: Something blue

Day 12: Sunset

Day 13: Yourself with 13 things

Day 14: Eyes

Day 15: Silhouette

Day 16: Long Exposure

Day 17: Technology

Day 18: Your shoes

Day 19: Something orange

Day 20: Bokeh

Day 21: Faceless self-portrait

Day 22: Hands

Day 23: Sunflare

Day 24: Animal

Day 25: Something pink

Day 26: Close-up

Day 27: From a distance

Day 28: Flowers

Day 29: Black and white

Day 30: Self-portrait

Day 1:  Self Portrait...

Life is Cool: Autumn

I looked out my window a couple of evenings ago and was amazed by the colours that have taken over my street. The reds, oranges and yellows drew me out of the warm, cosy house and on to the footpath where I drank in the last rays of the sun.


I love the change in Seasons. I love that the Seasons are just long enough so that by the end of one you are ready for the next. I also love how each season has its special little rituals.

Autumn for me is when I pull out my slow cooker and cook stews and casseroles, roasts and soups. Chocolate is often on my mind with a steaming hot milky coffee. I love to walk through the crunching leaves in the fabulous parks we have around us, and watch my kids ride their bikes in the cool mountain air.  Our back deck becomes a regular hangout (for washing also) as the sun floods it with warming sun.... Sigh. The freshness in the air is delightful and knowing that it is only going to get colder makes it vital to catch as many of those sun rays as I  can...


What things do you look forward to in Autumn?