I love Australia’s beaches in winter. The smell of the salt air, the crash of the waves and the feel of sand under my feet. It all adds up to total relaxation for me. These beaches—Nelson and Blenheim on the South Coast of New South Wales are joined by Jervis Bay National Park. As a result I had a memorable, mindful bush and beach walk—my favourite ways to connect with nature all in one afternoon
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/off-season/
“And they lived happily ever after.” Think about this line for a few minutes. Are you living happily ever after? If not, what will it take for you to get there?
Unlike in the fairy tales where happily ever after just happens — in the real world, it needs to be worked on. There is no magic formula. Relationships take two people sharing, working and dreaming together to create a happily ever after. If one person is planning in one direction and the other in a totally different direction, unless there is a compromise or connection drawing both plans together — their happily ever after is at risk.
My husband and I are living in the happily ever after the best way we can. Nearing retirement we are getting excited about how closer to our dreamed happily ever after we can get when we no longer have to work.The following acrostic poem describes what we blend into our happily ever after plan as we adjust it.
Harmony
Attitude
Positivity
Purpose
Insight
Life
Yearning
Express emotions
Vitality
Enjoyment
Respect
Adaptability
Freedom
Tolerenace
Empathy
Responsibility
My earlier post on secrets of a happy marriage can be found at https://www.inspiringmax.com/loving-advice/
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/happily-ever-after/
Put together a musical playlist of songs that describe your life, including what you hope your future entails.
Music is powerful. It is part of my everyday life and is a great reminder of the past and motivator for the future. My present life playlist includes the following songs:
This song reminds me of my early years. It gives me motivation to continue with whatever goal I am seeking at the time.
https://youtu.be/MUBnxqEVKlk
I have loved this song since I was a teenager. Helen Reddy is Australian and the fact that her song was changing the world for women everywhere made me realise I could do anything I set my mind to. It was the anthem of International Women’s Year in 1975.
I am proud to be Australian. This song describes the history of the Australian people and reminds me—we are all one.
The final two songs give me motivation to set goals and work hard to achieve them. They remind me that I can choose how things impact me. By pushing myself, I can achieve things I never thought possible and become stronger in every way.
Would you prefer a one floor house or multiple levels?
I prefer a house on one level. It makes it easier to live in and opens out the house. As I am beginning to age, I will make sure my next house is on a single level—just-in-case it is the last house I buy. Afterall, stairs and old age don’t mix.
When we lived in Wagga Wagga, country New South Wales, we had a great house built on one level. The previous owners liked the design so much that they rebuilt the exact design in their new suburb. If we ever built I definitely would consider it myself.
If you have a TV, would you prefer the TV in the living room or another room?
I prefer TV’s to be in either the lounge room or the family room. These rooms are places people congregate in, although in a perfect world maybe my home would have a designated home theatre room. The one place I don’t like a TV is in the bedroom as it disturbs my sleep.
When you leave a room, do you turn the lights off behind you or keep the lights on throughout your house most of the time? Explain your answer.
When I leave a room I prefer to leave the light on unless I know I won’t be returning to that room for over an hour. I think it is cheaper than turning lights on and off regularly. My husband however has other ideas and he is always trying to get me to turn lights off.
What’s your favorite room in your home?
I don’t really have a favourite room. However, I spend most of my time on my computer in the family room at the back of the house. I have also managed to make it my own by decorating it in purple and adding my Mickey Mouse collection.
Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
Last week my father came for a visit and brought me some editing of my book he had finished. It is always exciting to get feedback from others on the progress ogf my book. This week is my daughters 21st birthday and I am looking forward to helping her celebrate with parties at home.
http://ceenphotography.com/2015/05/11/share-your-world-2015-week-19/
You’re throwing a party — for you! Tell us all about the food, drink, events, and party favours you’ll have for your event of a lifetime. Use any theme you like — it’s *your* party!
I love to celebrate my birthday. I take the day off work and do something fun—its my way of reminding myself that I am special. For my significant birthdays however I throw a party to share with my friends and family. My parties are simple affairs held at home.
Food is either a good old Aussie BBQ or pre-made finger food requiring heating only on the day. Everyone always loves my choices:
Save some room for the sweet options:
All of this is washed down with a few glasses of champagne or cocktails. Clever conversation is what follows—with maybe the odd party game or two. Basically whatever we feel like doing. My last party was my 50th birthday a few years ago. Remembering the food for this prompt has helped me as I am plan my daughters 21st celebrations over the coming weeks. Here’s a glass of bubbles to celebrate.
Photo Credit: Google Images
Regarding your fridge, is it organized or a mess inside?
My fridge usually starts off the week organised as I clear it out every Sunday to co-inside with the weekly garbage collection. I have my own system to keep it organised—dairy on the second shelf, leftovers on the third shelf, chocolate on the bottom and large items on the top shelf. My husband however doesn’t care for my system and put things wherever he can find a space.
Have you ever been a participant in a parade? What did you do?
When I was a teenager in the 1970’s I participated in the Mattara parade in Newcastle. Mattara was held during the last week in September and celebrating the people of Newcastle and the arts. This festival is over 50 years old and includes people from all walks of life. I remember feeling very proud to march in the parade representing the Girls Brigade.
How do you stand out from the crowd?
It depends on which crowd I am in as to how I stand out. I don’t deliberately try to stand out but I usually find my own way based on my personality. If |I am interested in what is going on I will start talking and using open sentences give people enough information that they are interested in finding out more. If not I like a chameleon will blend in with the environment and not let others know anything specific about me.
How many bones, if any, have you broken?
I broke my right arm skate boarding when I was 15, my right little toe in the Newcastle earthquake and my right foot when a girls gymnastics beam fell on it about 7 years ago during agynastics set-up.
Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
Last week I was grateful that I recovered from illness in less than 24 hours.
This week I am looking forward to celebrating 100 years of the ANZAC spirit.
http://ceenphotography.com/2015/04/13/share-your-world-2015-week-15/
First held in 1823 at Parramatta, Sydney’s Royal Easter Show has grown to be the largest event held in Australia and the 6th largest in the world. Due to its growing size it has moved localities twice and is now held at Sydney Olympic Park in a purpose built facility. In 1891 Queen,Victoria bestowed the right for the show to be officially called Royal. Attending the show is fun for all ages and my experience is that you run out of time to see everything not that you are bored with nothing to do. Each year the shows theme is “city meets country” and it can be found in the following activities:
The following photos are from the show a few years ago as unfortunately I was unable to attend this year do to other commitments.
#A-Z Challenge
A throwaway shot, or purposefully unfocused? This week, find beauty in a blur.
One easy way to blur photos is when they are taken at a live musical. My selection for this challenge was taken at Hong Kong Disneyland’s—The Lion King. It was an amazing constantly moving show on a small stage so blurred photos were common. Through their blur I can still see the passion 3 years later.
Although Australian I choose to drink wine not beer. It wasn’t until our recent trip to Canada that I began to learn about beer. At lunchtime on New Years Eve in Montreal my husband and I had lunch at The 3 Brewers Microbrewery and decided to try a beer float. Our beer float consisted of 6 beers all made on site:
I was excited. This was a new experience for me, the beers were beautifully presented and looked appertising—something I would have never consider possible before. And now for the test—what were my thoughts. I tried all beers in order as they looked to get stronger as they went.
White – I enjoyed this unusual beer. It was light with a gingery feel and had a pleasant after taste. I could definitely trial a larger glass later.
Blonde – I had tried blonde beers before so the taste wasn’t unusual. It was wheaty and fruity and whilst pleasant it wasn’t my favourite.
Amber – Described by the microbrewery ” as a specialty found nowhere else” I did enjoy this beer. It had a light, caramel flavour that went particularly well with my lunch—Beef and Mushroom Poutine.
Brown – This was my least favourite beer. I found it a strong, malty flavour that I felt took over. It was interesting to try.
Christmas Cheer – Made only for the month of December this beer was very enjoyable. It had a fun, light, festive taste. The flavours did remind me of Christmas. It was one of my favourites.
Portobello – This beer was dark and strong. Surprisingly, I didn’t find it bitter like other strong beers so I did enjoy it although only in small quantities.
It was a fun, practical learning experience and I am glad I took the risk. I will gaining more beer knowledge as the opportunity presents.
#AtoZChallenge
How do you communicate differently online than in person, if at all? How do you communicate emotion and intent in a purely written medium?
Communication is key. It is at the centre of everything we do. To me all forms of communication need to be consistent—written, verbal and body language. How I communicate is my brand. Working in mental health I nurture moving forward, making changes to encourage growth—both in myself and others.
Several years ago I did not realise how different my written and spoken word naturally were. I had just begun writing my book and given my first draft chapters to my collaborator. After reading them her response was—”the information is great but it needs to be in your voice that is what people connect with.” She was right. My written word was stiff and formal. It didn’t flow and wasn’t welcoming. This was a pivotal point in my writing career long before I started blogging. The way I communicate orally and in writing work when they are the same. My writing voice needed to change.
Now everything thing I write except formal work document as based on a conversational tone—my natural voice. I don’t use the shortened text message for of communication—I don’t like it. If I am writing a text message I write it exactly as I would ask it—clear and concise—so there is no misunderstanding. When using emotion and intent I describe the situation using the writing formula—show don’t tell.
If I am unsure how to phrase a sentence in my voice I memorise the sentence and re write it how I remember it. From my experience this puts it in the order I say it. This is particularly helpful when I am writing speeches. I rarely use long complicated sentences—they confuse me. I like easy to understand communication—in life and on-line.
My experience is by using this method even when I need to say difficult things they are taken well and the change I want is nurtured without the other person getting defensive. My aim is to respect all people I interact with—known or unknown—bringing inspiration and positivity into their world and hopefully brightening their day.
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/its-a-text-text-text-text-world/