Day 121/366

Glass

Day 120/366

Another cold,miserable day with the rain just managing to stay away.

My Daughter and Grand Daughter spent the middle of the day with me at the opening of our local Rural Fire Brigade's station, which is celebrating the opening of the new site.

This is a timely reminder to  prepare properties for the bush fire season which begins in October.

Don't wait until then to prepare.

We have lived in the Blue Mountains for twenty four years now and over that time have come to realise that bush fire protection preparation is an on-going process.

Waiting until there is a fire threatening indicates that things have been left too late.

We will probably apply to have a bush fire hazard reduction certificate issued to implement steps to protect our "asset", that is our home and garden.

Click here if you would like to know more about how to prepare for bush fire season in New South Wales.

Day 119/366

Playing with Picasa.

Day 118/366

Autumn Harvest.

Day 117/366

Strawberries from my daughter's patio garden.

Day 116/366

Oooo...not sure about the blue.

What do you think?

The white is just primer and will end up blue too.

Day 115/366

I'm so excited about how our entertainment unit is progressing.

I can tell by some of your comments that you are too!

Here's another sneak peek.

Mr Honey Pie is a painter and decorator by trade. 

He learned his trade with what was then the New South Wales Government Railways in the old methods which included coachpainting and signwriting.

He is doing a terrific job.

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While I was at our niece's baby shower, Mr Honey Pie cut our old entertainment unit down to size.

Do you like its new look?

It will house our new entertainment system, when it eventually arrives. 

Day 113/366

I had this unit custom made about seventeen or eighteen years ago.

I sold one thousand dollars worth of family treasures at an auction to raise the funds.

It has lived in three houses over the past seventeen years or so.

Mr Honey Pie and I have contemplated selling the unit as it does not fit our needs any longer but we know that there is an influx of these types of units in the Sydney region and that we would be lucky to fetch even one hundred dollars for it.

So keep an eye out for the revamped unit over the next few days.

Day 112/366

The Colour of Morning.

Day 111/366

Colours of Autumn.

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Looking for something to photograph in this dreary weather I happened across our coffee table and realised that perhaps; I'm overdoing it in the feng shui corner.

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80 mm of rain in twenty four hours.

Not much chance of taking any photography outdoors today.

So I experimented with some glass pebbles.

Changed the light source.

Used shutter priority.

Then I created a collage.

All you south east coasters; keep dry!

Day 108/366

Tonight, we had a pink sunset.

The unusual tinge reflected off the trees gave everything a surreal effect.

Rain is predicted for the rest of the week.

In fact, news reports tell me it's already a downpour in Sydney.

Day 107/366

I'm A Winner!  

Thanks to Victoria at

Paper Squirrel who sent me to 

Scrapalicious USA's facebook page.

I am now the proud owner of this cute note book which travels everywhere with me in my handbag.

Victoria produces some gorgeous digi art and here is a card I made for Easter from one of her art works.

Why don't you visit Paper Squirrel 

to see more of Victoria's creations. 

Day 106/366

Joe's Atlantic Pumpkin.

Season one of our local Crop & Swap has come to an end and yesterday we celebrated with a lunch shared between Crop & Swappers young and old.

I thought it fitting that we should celebrate our season's end in Autumn, which also celebrates harvest time.

A heartfelt thank you to all who made it possible.

Day 105/366

Posh Bushtucker.

Day 104/366

What I'm Reading ATM - 

and another awfully long blog post.

I

It's been one of those weeks...a busy/relaxed weekend with family and then I just crashed.

I loathe it when this happens, and spend my time thinking about all the 'other' things that I could be doing.

This time I decided to go with the flow.  It was still a scary time for me though.

Two weeks ago I received a request to return to my old position as accounts officer in the marine industry.  It's only part time (job share) for six months maternity relief starting at the end of the month and I jumped at the offer.  (I think I'm needing more cognitive stimulation.)

Then the breakdown with my health and I wonder if I'm able.

Three days in bed, stomach cramps, completely fatigued and sleeping most of the day.

Early on I decided not to fight it and just to let it run its course.

So I ate little, slept lots, did a lot of reading and some knitting.

My Bowen therapist suggests that this is my body 'clearing' itself and is not such a bad thing.  This is the third bout I've had since Christmas and so I've decided to have a break from Bowen and TRE.  I can take it up again later in the year.

So, here are the books I've been reading this year.  

I finished reading Fall of Giants some time ago now.  

I'd give it a ten out of ten.

The impeccable research into World War I, the different European cultures and customs and the impact the war had on most aspects of these societies was skilfully interwoven into the personal lives of the characters without making you feel like you're reading a text book.

The language I found a little distant at times, but that could be my personal preference for a more emotive language.  A highly recommended historic novel, the first in a trilogy.

Next book I tackled was Brida by Paulo Coelho.

I have very mixed feeling about this book and I'm not quite sure what to make of it.

It appears, to me, to be a delve into Wiccan traditions, and an exploration into the Sun and Moon Traditions with a sprinkling of Christianity.

Set in Ireland, the novel failed to impress me.

Perhaps I've missed the point of his writing.

I didn't learn anything I didn't already know (except how to organize my wardrobe in the future perhaps!)

 I give a read-it-if-you-want rating!

My Daughter read Water for Elephants(Sara Gruen) prior to me reading it and gave it a I-can't-put-it-down rating.

I found it to be an entertaining read but soon tired of the the main character, although I do love how Gruen tackles aged care with gusty humour.

I give it a maybe-the-movie's-better rating. At this point I'd like to explain that I RARELY stop reading a book simply because I don't like it.  

Di Morrissey's Silent Country caught my interest because of the novel's setting.

The story is sort of a milder version of Patrick White's Voss and set in the twenty first century.

A very thoughtfully structured writing, too structured for my liking but one which explores not only the Australian film industry over two centuries but also issues dealing with Indigenous Australians, the Australian mining industry and women's place in society in the twenty first century.

A tome of a book but a very light read with a  murderous twist at the end.

After Fall of Giants, Cecilia Ahern's The Book of Tomorrow would have to be my next favourite read out of the collection.

Written in the first person, Tamara had me laughing out loud, brought a lump to my throat countless times and made me cry.

Tamara is an irascible sixteen year old who looks seventeen.

She has a lot to be angry about in her life and her search for the truth takes both her and the reader into a mother's worse nightmare.

A foul-mouthed teenager, nuns, a mobile library and  a ruined castle in County Meath, Ireland, are an unlikely mix but the combination gives the reader a run for her money.

Probably the last quarter of the book is a bit predictable but this is saved by the unexpected ending.

Fast moving, great use of the English language (sometimes coarse), highly recommended from mid-teens up.

Day 103/366

Gerbera

Day 102/366

Violets are blue (well perhaps not).

Day 101/366

Roses Are Red

Day 100/366

He bought me red roses, I made him a little gift and we spent the day with family.

Later in the year we plan to do a month's trip to what we call "Corner Country".

The past forty years have been far from humdrum.

Five pregnancies, four to full term, seven addresses, two extensions, two project built and one managed build, countless pets, camping with kids, three day train trips, and much more.

We managed to have at least one child in school continuously for twenty eight years! 

Between us we've parted with three parents and one sibling.

Sometimes it was hard work, very hard work, mostly, it's been exciting, challenging, character forming and lots of fun.

But most of all, it's been rewarding!

We have an orange house on a hill overlooking bushland and four successful children who are oh so different but all oh so ours!

And one gorgeous little Grand Daughter.

What more can one want from life?

And, since we are Sixties Children, we are rewarding ourselves with a flat screen TV and a killer sound system.

I'm already dreaming of watching and listening to countless operas in my own home as well as a travel/nature documentary or two.

Day 99/366

When Mr Honey Pie & I got married forty years ago today, we didn't stop to calculate that we'd celebrate our Ruby Wedding Anniversary on Easter Sunday!

What is the chance of that happening?

In fact, I don't think we've ever celebrated our wedding anniversary on Easter Sunday before.

Happy Easter Anniversary Mr Honey Pie!

Day 98/366

Odd one out.

Day 97/366

More Easter goodies.

Graphics from The Graphics Fairy Here.

Linked to Brag Monday

Day 96/366

A Sneak Peek!

Day 95/366

Camellia Sasanqua. 

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Perhaps summer has finally arrived.

Day 93/366

I'm almost ready for Easter!

Paper Squirrel Blogspot.

The Graphics Fairy.

Day 92/366

Enjoying the early morning sunshine.