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Good Things Friday
By the time this is published, I’ll be jetting across the ocean … so that’s one good thing. Fresh Haircut I finally got my haircut and coloured. It’s been on my list for a while. The hairdresser looked back at my file and my last cut was April. When they blow dry my hair, it stays good for a few days and I got many compliments over the weekend. But I forgot to take a photo. Alpha Day Away The Alpha course usually includes a weekend away but for many people that’s difficult. We just did one day. We went to a school near the church with a really lovely…
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In the Garden October 2023
Now it’s Spring everything is taking off in the garden. When I planted it last year I chose a mainly purple, yellow and white flowering scheme. The long-purple flags went in after they would have flowered so this is the first time I’ve been able to enjoy their flowering. They tend to flower in one hit and they are winding down now. They are so bright and cheery when they do flower and go well with the yellow flowers. They open up in the morning and close again in the afternoon. I caught this one peaking out between the neighbouring everlasting daisy which has not stopped flowering all year. The…
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Good Things Friday
Inspired by Elisabeth. … and by Paul—”Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things,”— to engage in more regular appreciation of all the good things. A long overdue catch-up with my good friend The Melbourne Marathon was held on Sunday. I didn’t run, but I got to hang out for a few hours with a good friend who moved to Tasmania last year. It was so good catching up. Afterwards, she sent me the most beautiful text of appreciation for…
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Day trip to Rainbow Beach from Noosa by 2WD
While my daughter was visiting us in Noosa we went for a day trip to Rainbow Beach. Since we don’t have a 4WD we took the inland route, through Cooroy and Gympie. If you have a high clearance 4WD you can cross the Noosa River on the ferry and then drive along the Cooloola Beach Drive which would be spectacular. Arriving in Rainbow Beach mid-morning, we drove straight to the start point for the Carlo Sandlow Walk. This 2.8km walk takes you through the coastal eucalyptus forest and rainforest to reach the Carlo Sandblow. The day we went was showery, but the rain held off while we were walking. At…
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September’s Books
Exhalation – Ted Chiang I finished this in August but missed putting it in that month’s posts. This set of science fiction short stories looks at some of the big questions, grappling with what it means to be human, free will, consciousness and time and our place in it. I found the stories thought-provoking. 4 stars. Lines of note (there were several but this was one that really stood out to me): Nothing erases the past. There is repentance, there is atonement, and there is forgiveness. That is all, but that is enough. p36 Wandering With Intent – Kim Mahood This book of essays covers various topics related to the…
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I’m Voting Yes
On Saturday Australia will go to the polls to vote on an amendment to our constitution. The question being posed is: “A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?” with the alteration being: The First Peoples of Australia have suffered terrible discrimination and persecution since British settlement and continue to suffer disadvantage. In 2017 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples gathered at Uluru to extend an invitation to us in the Uluru Statement from the Heart. The Voice is the first part of that. To me, it feels like…
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Reading, Watching, Listening – September and October 2023
Reading First, a couple of new recipes that are going into our family recipe book. Orzo Minestrone with corn, zucchini and pesto … although we didn’t have pesto and it was still good. Crispy Lemon Chicken with Potatoes I’ve made this multiple times Red Kidney Bean Curry A post about choosing margin, but also about how we show up on the days when our best-laid plans fall into chaos. Is it slow? Or is it Living? The World We’ve Created. On the ubiquitous nature of technology. “I see what we all see … A sea of heads, looking down, lost in a world of our making” AI has no place…
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In the Garden September 2023
I’ve had these photos sitting on my camera since I took them in September. The section of the garden near the water feature has really bushed up, filling in a lot of the gaps, although there are some spaces where Riley dug some big holes that we might need to look at. I planted several native orchids in this section and at least one has survived and flowered this year. The flowers only last a short time but it made me happy seeing them there. The section of the garden above still has a bit of growing to do to fill in the gaps but it’s getting there. I’ve cleaned…