The week that was

Again we've been fortunate to have lots of hot, sunny weather, which is actually unseasonal for this time of year. My spirit feels uplifted when I wake to sun and warmth. After months of wearing woollens and layers it's been good to go to the cupboard and take out clothes that flow and that are light and colourful. Needless to say, it's been a good week.
The garden has been a key part of our lives here. This morning we picked lettuce and snow peas for my mum. I got a big kick out of that. Mr S is still working on building up the vegie garden. It's one step at a time depending on what resources are available. 

Out the front, Spring continues to produce surprise pops of colour. The neighbours do not attend to their garden. What blooms is what was planted in years past and behold this pink treasure lining their front fence. 

Work is good though there are new classes and new students so we are still settling. 
Daylight savings started last week so it has been a little easier to get up early. I have been trying to list a few, quick jobs for before and after school. This week I managed to hang out some washing, water the garden and do a 20 minute tidy-up. I also managed to prepare lunch one day.
We went for a walk the other evening around the lake. I haven't been in that direction for a few months so I was delighted to see ducklings and cygnets and a pelican. I've noticed that pelican seems to be there each year around this time. I do my running along the creek path or around the sports oval. There have been a number of snake sightings around water in our community so each time I go out on foot I cast my eye ahead and listen for rustling in the grass. 

Today I want to boil some eggs for my lunch this week. I'm determined to take lunch from home twice this week. Salad Monday, egg sandwiches Tuesday and possibly cheese sandwiches Wednesday. I got very specific and made sure all the ingredients were on the shopping list. 

Happy Sunday everybody!

Goals: Reading a book

One of the small delights in recent months has been getting back to reading books. Back in January I had made a list of goals for the year but reading a book was one of the more indulgent goals and one I didn’t think I would get to.

Well, I’m here now to say that I have got to it and I enjoy every moment. I must say that I have not read lots of books. In fact, I’ve only read three. I loved going back to China one hundred years ago when reading Keys to the Kingdom, by A J Cronin, with that delectable feeling of being carried away to a faraway land. Sheer delight!! I’m now reading End the Struggle and Dance with Life by Susan Jeffers. It’s my bible. It helped me get out of an enormous rut years ago and has helped me immeasurably dealing with social anxiety in my day-to-day life. I also read Herman Hesse's Siddhartha which was so easy to read and got me thinking about my own spiritual journey.

I don’t necessarily get to read a lot each week. I just try to grab a spare moment to get through a few pages.

It’s interesting how life’s little happenings conspire to bring about something bigger and better.

"I realised I would like to read again when I was decluttering  books on the bookshelf. I only keep books that resonate with me and my life and that still speak to me after years of sitting on the shelf and not being read. I decided that it would be great to read those books again.

"I have started picking up Mr S on the way home from work. It usually takes him more than two hours to get home. This means waiting at the train station, sometimes longer than expected. And there we have it – the perfect opportunity to get another chapter read!!

"One of my goals for 2015 was to reduce screen time. I have made (tiny, tiny) inroads towards that and reading is one of those ways.

So, I look forward to more book reading (you know, not the digital kind) and I can’t wait to get through my current one and experience the joy of selecting the next one.

The week that was

It's been a lovely holiday. There was time to relax and lots of sun to enjoy. For the first time in what seems forever, I had time to do some of those hard-to-get-to jobs around the house. I always enjoy working around the home when there's no rush and no pressure to get  school work and other outside tasks done. It's been wonderful to be able to stop and pause a while as the mood takes me. 

Mr S has been working on building up the vegie garden. He saw a wheelbarrow lying on the street for a few days and grabbed it one morning and brought it home. 

We've been able to sit outside and make the most of the sunshine. I would love to start every day with a cuppa and a seat outside looking out at the garden.

Spring is here and, even though I feel I've neglected the garden, there have still been many colourful delights popping up here and there.

I had a couple of lovely days on the Bellarine Peninsula. I spent some time with family and then caught up with a friend browsing in bric-a-brac shops and eating out. I really appreciated the good, long chats. 

I seem to have small piles of clutter tucked away here and there. These holidays I managed to declutter several of those piles. It's like having a detox from the outside in!!  It's quite an achievement to shake off some of those stubborn piles. I did a lot of cooking. Some dishes were more successful than others. I made a carrot cake - the cake tasted great- and am now in the process of  learning how to make icing with cream cheese - I'm not there yet!

There's more sunshine today. It always makes me feel so good. I even feel positive about tackling some of my school work. Daylight savings started today. I won't appreciate it in the morning but I'm looking forward to having extra time in the evening for gardening and running.

I hope there's some sunshine shining in your lives today. Happy Sunday and have a good week.