"Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it." – Mary Oliver

Category: Looking and Listening

  • How did I go? – The Cool Bloggers Walking Club

    How did I go? – The Cool Bloggers Walking Club

    At the start of April, Elisabeth invited us to join her, walking for ten minutes each day for the month. Since I almost always walk or run for ten minutes every day I figured this would be easy and I decided to join all the other cool kids. Ambitiously I decided to pair it with…

  • A common sight … but still beautiful

    It’s not hard to spot a Rainbow Lorikeet around our place. It wasn’t always this way though. They disappeared from Melbourne in the 1920’s but are now back in greater numbers than before settlement. Experts think this is due to the flowering gums from other parts of Australia that were planted by councils and gardeners…

  • Reading, Watching, Listening August 2023

    Reading: First off a fun list … 18 Ways to Organise Your Bookshelf A couple of interesting takes on creativity and AI: ChatGPT’s intent is to eliminate the process of creation and its attendant challenges, viewing it as nothing more than a time-wasting inconvenience that stands in the way of the commodity itself. Why strive?,…

  • Seasons

    I’ve been dipping in and out of Turning of Days: Lessons from Nature, Season and Spirit. Her reflections on nature, the changing of the seasons and the way these lead her into reflection on scripture are impressive. I’ve really enjoyed her writing and her approach but ultimately it’s been hard to connect because her place…

  • Settling Well

    A few years ago, I finally completed my M. Div. It’s 18 units, and I did one each semester, so nine years of studying, which I loved. My degree culminated in a year-long thesis on Revelation and how it might shape our response to the massive ecological damage humans inflict on the planet. Suppose you…

  • Praying Mantis

    Let me keep company always with those who say “Look!” and laugh in astonishment, and bow their heads Mysteries, Yes – Mary Oliver Discovered during the garden renovation.

  • Making Memories

    I’ve been following Laura Vanderkam’s Tranquility by Tuesday challenge. The past week has concentrated on rule #6: One big adventure, one little adventure. The idea is to counter the feeling of our days running together by adding a couple of novel experiences into our weeks. By adding “adventures,” instead of wondering where the time went,…

  • In the Garden January 2023

    I had on my list for this year to do a photography project. As a start, I’ve decided to take photos of the garden each month. This will have the added benefit of documenting the changes over time in our garden. The Rules: We’re partway through the initial redesign and planting of the main garden…

  • Friday Thoughts #1

    A post about my week. Random thoughts and things that are happening. I’m progressing through the unpacking; most of the boxes are unpacked. Today’s project is the laundry. I’m hoping to get everything off the bench and into the cupboards. After that, the pantry. Everything is in but not in any sensible order. This Sunday,…

  • Walking

    Several years ago, one of my university assignments was to do a neighbourhood exegesis. This involved a two-hour walk around the neighbourhood, with a list of questions to help me notice important details. A couple of years later, I did a subject called Mission in the Australian Context. The major assignment was to do an…