Not so Everyday in May ;)

Been away for a bit.  Work is pants.  This weekend was the anniversary of my dad passing away last year.  So it's all been rather odd and emotional.  But I'm still here!  This week at my social inclusion group (that title seems really trite and I'm not sure if I like it, I will have to brainstorm a new name) we made pom-poms.  Or rather tried to.  I was sure everyone would be fed up after they needed 'rescuing', but they want to have another go next week!  Must admit we did have a lot of fun, and though not many pom-poms saw the light of day we did have a lot of laughs.  And laughter's definitely the best medicine when you've been feeling 'odd and emotional' :)

Everyday in May - day 19

The past two days have been pretty pants ...

but sometimes all you need to do is look heavenwards to feel there's beauty in the world too :)

Every day in May - day 17

No pictures today.  Just a wee ramble through the world that is in my brain.  Work was okay, not thrilling but I have a little list of happy things - I received my new strings for my ukulele so no longer have an excuse not to learn how to play it; Starburst jelly babies were half price at Coles; for the first time ever my chooks did not squawk in panic when I put them to bed for the night; somebody else cooked tea and washed up for me tonight; I still have my Dr Who Lego to build as pointed out to me by my number 3 (I think his building fingers are getting itchy).  All's well with the world :)

Everyday in May - day 16

Today I made these with the ladies at the group I facilitate - they're called 'God's Eyes' and they are addictive!  There are lots of tutorials online that show you how to make them, or you may have been one of the lucky ones who made them at school.  I see lots of possibilities for these little beauties :)

3 lolly sticks - took some working out 

The reverse side looks just as interesting

Every day in May - 3 days in one!

Day 13

Did you know the WA Police Pipe Band are 50 years old?  Neither did I, but it was one of the facts I learned when they visited our number 3's school.  I adore bagpipe music, it sends a chill down my spine (in a good way).  It was good to see another side to the police - the leader was a Scotsman called Stuart, very fitting I thought and he had a great sense of humour - much to the childrens' delight he took great pleasure in ordering the teachers about :)

Day 14

Thrifting always without fail cheers me up.  Treasure this week included a cross-stitch kit, a sparkley top and some awesome orange silky fabric, all for the princely sum of $3.  For this I get to embroider a dragon, make a sequinned cushion for a fraction of the price of one I've seen in the shops and line a handbag or two.  Spot the item I didn't get at the thrift shop - a clue, it's not the sandstone!

Day 15

We're renovating the kitchen, so I had to say goodbye to my funky tiles :(  I took photos of each one -  sad I know - but now I can do all sorts of arty things with the images.  We did manage to save 2 whole tiles, which was amazing as the tile adhesive seemed to symbiotically join to the wall at a molecular level (no lie! sounds good too) so the majority smashed as they were being removed.  These are destined for mosaics.

Lots of fun had this weekend :)

Every day in May - day 12

When I feel a little down or stressed, these girls really cheer me up.

The lighter coloured hens are the ones I raised from eggs :)  Princess Leia and Angel (aka 'the blondes' when they run around squawking for no apparent reason).  Watching them do their stuff really does relax me.

And the dog loves it too xx

Every day in May - day 11

I'm too busy UNRAVELLING tonight to write - crochet that is.  I've been trying to make a 'granny circle' for the top of my lovely retro stool, but after a certain size it took on a life of its own and now resembles a woolly jellyfish!  Gah!  So it's back to the drawing board, a bit of googling, some maths to work out increases and experimentation (probably more of that than maths I think) to try and produce a more circular circle.  I am not going to give up on this!!

Apologies for no blog yesterday - it was just an awful day and I did not feel at all chatty!  So day 10 is MIA, and jolly good job too!

Everyday in May - day 10 - May musings

It seems that ageing is the topic of the moment within my circle of family and friends.  As the first anniversary of Dad passing away approaches the kids have been talking to me about it, trying to make sense of it and having a little cry, which inevitably sets me off!  But it's good to talk about Dad, and it's the first significant death that the kids have had experience of so we are all negotiating unknown territory together.  What broke my heart the other day though was HB telling me that she is ok with ageing, she's not scared of death but the thing that scares her most is that her mum and dad are getting older.  This was all mixed up with talk about Dad so it's been an emotional week!

Family and friends alike have been lamenting that they are getting older and basically falling apart!  Someone very dear to me was only today scared to admit they may finally need spectacles after having 20/20 vision for years.  As I've worn glasses since I was 25 I'm not so bothered about this - I'm the proud owner of multi-focal glasses and sunnies!  I can now see the world in 3D!  And if you think about it, how many 46 year old machines are still in good working order?!

It's all good really - the worst thing - which makes me laugh actually - is the way my joints in my knees and hips crack as I walk around, now that it's got colder.  The part that makes me laugh is the look on the kids faces when they hear the sound - they're not sure whether to be sick or give me sympathy :)

Anyway, I could burble on about this subject forever, and will most likely return to it at some point, but for now c'est finis!

Here's a little quote to finish with that's very apt, and was on my calendar for today - spooky hey?

"Ageing is annoying, but it is the only means that they have found to live long." - Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve

Goodnight lovelies x

Every Day in May - day 8

Happy Mother's Day to all mums everywhere!

I've had a lovely day not doing very much apart from crocheting a chair cover, eating croissants and homemade waffles and going for a bike ride with my number 3.  I'm trying to get practise in for a mini triathlon and he's practising for his school camp in June.  We were both awesome!


I was lucky today to have all 3 kidlets at home and they did some legitimate graffiti on a special mug for me today.  I can see quite a few cuppas being made in this :)

From a book HB bought me comes my new favourite quote: "Mums ~ tea powered.  Cars need petrol - mothers need tea"    Stuart & Linda Macfarlane.

Never a truer word said.

Every Day in May - day 7

Parts of the path leading to the library

This one was not blogged about yesterday as I have decided to have one internet free day a week for a while just to give my head a rest!  I've done it for the past 2 weekends and it really has made a difference to my sense of peace.  I won't say it has been easy though :)

Everyday in May - day 6

This a kind of 'part 2' or the continued part of 'to be continued -

this photo was taken last year at the Riverbank winery, the one we could see when having coffee yesterday - if you look you can see a teeny red house in the distance - that's the place we were at!   And we never knew ...

I had to be persuaded to post this photo, as I thought I ruined the view!  Isn't it funny how we can view ourselves so negatively?  But I'm hoping you're looking at the red house really!  Or the grass; it's so beautifully green the photo must have been taken in the autumn/winter - we don't get to see green grass that often!

Everyday in May - day 5

Thankfully my anticipated 'tough' day at work didn't transpire, instead it was rather peaceful.  Even managed to have coffee and cake at lunch time with my hubby by the river.  Very civilized, and a much better version of the day :)

The weather looks overcast, but for someone who prefers the cool of winter it was a real delight.  A day full of 'wins'!

Everyday in May - day 4

Firstly ... May the 4th be with you!

When I'm on my working days I find it difficult to get my act together and forget to take photos!  Therefore, I've looked through my archives for a pic that makes me smile - I need a bit of cheering up as I have a tough day at work tomorrow which I am not looking forward to at all!  Some loving kindness is in order, and who could look more kind or loving than our family dog?

Thanks for cheering me up C-dawg xxxx

He's not supposed to be on the sofa by the way, so shhh ... don't tell anybody ...

Every Day in May - day 3

Today's offering is a food offering.  Truthfully it's the only thing I could think of to photograph and blog about - I was so tired after work I couldn't think straight!  Must be the winter coming, I think I want to hibernate!

So this is a yummy veggie cottage pie, made for my no.3 whilst he was trying to be a vegetarian - he still loves the food, but has decided he likes meat again too - just not all the time.  It is also evidence of one of my better ideas of cooking in batches and freezing some - perfect for those wintry nights when you return home tired and don't want to think about being creative with cooking.  It's good to take a break ...

Every Day in May - day 2

I went off into the woods today with my ideas book, for a walking meditation, a conversation with myself :)  That's all I need really for a good dose of inspiration  - my trusty purple pen, my book wherein I write any little thing I want to create or think about (very handy as I often forget my ideas soon after having them as they are replaced with other ideas - I tell you, my brain never rests, which is why I'm always tired!) and the stomping ground of Torwood Forest.

I love the peace of the forest, and the fact it's virtually deserted means people don't see me talking to my dog or blowing out 'dragon breath' as I delight in the fact it's winter now and can see my own breathing!

Where's your favourite inspirational place?

Every Day in May

This post was intended to be written and published yesterday (clue is in the title), but I was distracted by a monumental phone call back home to the UK.  It was so lovely just rabbiting away to my sis about stuff only we can rabbit on about that time changed form and I had no realization of the lateness of the hour!  So I went to bed instead of writing :)

What is this 'Every Day of May' all about then?  It was a brainwave of my husband's - a mindful and gentle way to get me through the month as I approach the anniversary of my Dad's death.  The aim is to notice something that brings me joy each day, and record it somehow.  I've decided to record that moment with the camera, which was Dad's favourite method of recording life's moments.

It seemed fitting to start with one of his very old cameras - a Kodak Brownie, which I found as I was clearing out my wardrobe for decluttering purposes.  I'd squirreled away a box of Dad's stuff that I brought back with me last year, and yesterday was the first time I looked through the contents properly, remembering when I'd first seen them, and what they meant to Dad.  It was very bittersweet for me, but very therapeutic I should imagine!

So, I took a pic of the vintage camera with my smartphone, and posted it straight to Instagram last evening.  I think I can say the first day of Every Day in May happened in the correct moment somewhere on the interwebs!