Diving is a beautiful weightless sport. In my opinion it looks more weightless when you dive outdoors in the sunshine. Here is my daughter practising what we nick named her flying dive. She makes it look so effortless as she blends with the sky.
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/weightless/
If one of your late ancestors were to come back from the dead and join you for dinner, what things about your family would this person find the most shocking?
Back in the day, there was a saying that children should be seen and not heard. In our family all members are heard particularly around the dinner table. Our guests, particularly our children’s friends, frequently state that they can’t wait to see where the conversation at dinner goes to this time. There are many things that surprise them:
Once they go over the shock of not having a nice quiet meal with the family, I think my ancestors would get involved with some horror stories form their own time to add to the eclectic mix of conversions on the day. It is common for us to continue our crazy conversations all night by staying around the table chatting or while we play cards together to finish the evening. The following acrostic poem describes our conversations well.
Connecting
Original
Non-conforming
Vocal
Entertaining
Real
Spontaneous
Acceptancing
Trusting
Interesting
Open
Natural
Stimulating
It has been over two months since our last coffee catch-up and life has been pretty busy.
If we were having coffee I would tell you I’m feeling a little confused. I began preparing this post as I usually do, by adding links to earlier posts. However, this time, with my new WordPress version the result is a little different. I don’t know if it’s the same for everyone or only WordPress.org blogs. My next question is can anyone re-blog my posts now as this has been a problem in the past and it would be great to have it changed.
If we were having coffee I would tell you about Berry Christmas. My sister and her family do an excellent job of hosting the event—decorating their home in theme colours, preparing gift bags for everyone and organising and preparing food. We had a great day reconnecting as a family—sharing the joys and dealing with the dramas of the past year. Christmas is definitely my favourite holiday, although because I live in a different city south of my family on Christmas day it takes 3 hours to get there. I don’t enjoy the travel but Berry Christmas was worth it.
If we were having coffee I would tell you that over the Christmas period I was initially frustrated that my blog wasn’t working because of problems with my Jetpack. I tried to fix the problem, however when I couldn’t and Jetpack staff where on vacation I decided to surrender to the moment and use my time more efficiently doing other things.
If we were having coffee I would tell you how much I enjoyed my husbands and my date to the city over the Christmas New Year period. We decided to catch the ferry into Sydney. The trip along the Parramatta River takes about an hour and it was a glorious day. As it had been several years since we had caught the ferry we enjoyed every moment. We then had lunch at a little pizza restaurant at the Rocks before spending the afternoon wandering around Sydney’s Botanical Gardens. We saw many places I had never been before. It was a great way to round off 2015.
If we were having coffee I would tell you how excited I was that my first sugar cookie Christmas tree worked out so well. I iced it a blue-purple to match our berry theme and at the end of the day most of it was eaten.
If we were having coffee I would tell you about the champagne fountain trial on Christmas Day. The science of what was the best way to do it kept many people entertained and in the end they were proud of their working efforts.
If we were having coffee I would tell you about the huge moon on New Years Eve that was as mesmerizing as the Sydney Fireworks. Unfortunately, I choose not to take my camera as I am not good at photographing fireworks—a rookie error I won’t make again. The fireworks were fantastic and our viewing place, a hill, is only a 10 minute walk from my house. While we couldn’t see the fireworks coming off the bottom of the Sydney Harbour Bridge we could see the top of it through the trees. We could also see the fireworks going off up and down the Parramatta River and from the other side of Sydney. At times it was like 360 degrees of fireworks. Once the live fireworks have ended we went home to watch the taped version on television and catch the ones we missed.
https://youtu.be/viqQGXVeb8s
If we were having coffee I would tell you how much I enjoyed the second week of my holidays being a full-time writer. I spend many hours everyday working on the last stages of editing of my book. With the amount of work I did I was hoping to finish it but no I still have work to do. It is getting exciting however, as it nears completion and the next part of its journey begins. Just when I thought I had the chapters in the right order, I decided to rearrange the early chapters again and to my surprise the order I have changed it to is my second order. I think my lesson is trust your gut.
If we were having coffee I would tell you how excited I was on Christmas Eve to win the hamper at the local bottle shop. I had gone in the draw after buying two bottles of champagne for an early family Christmas party a few days earlier. It was fun investigating my laundry basket full of goodies and deciding who to give each item to.
If we were having coffee I would ask you what you have done and how you have been since we last met. Let me know in the comments what you have been up to.
Tell us about a time when you were left on your own, to fend for yourself in an overwhelming situation — on the job, at home, at school. What was the outcome?
I believe learning by doing is the only way to grow—it teaches skills that are never forgotten. Initially the situation may appear overwhelming particularly if it is based on dealing with a sudden crisis, however by using St Francis of Assisi’s quote I have found a way through many tough times.
The whole idea of sink or swim to me bring to mind pictures of young children being forced into the water by their parents as an act of love. The parents need to make sure they learn to get back to the side of the pool and save their life, if they fall into a swimming pool without an adult watching to rescue them. Initially, there is a lot of screaming and protesting. Then as the young child listens to the instructions, they are rewarded by the freedom of moving unaided in the water. They can swim and they are so proud. Nobody remembers the fear—they remember the success.
It is 12 months ago today that my husband and I accidentally discovered Mallard Cottage, Quidi Vidi, Newfoundland, Canada. We were walking in the snow enjoying the picturesque scenery as the city turned from green to white, when we arrived at our destination—Quidi Vidi Village—a small fishing hamlet just outside St John’s. We arrived mid afternoon and hungry from all the walking decided to stop at Mallard Cottage for some coffee and cake, before continuing on our journey. Boy were we surprised. Coffee and cake were $10 from memory for—all you can eat homemade old-fashioned cakes. There were about 10-12 to choose from. They were amazing. We sat and relaxed for over an hour between us tasting at least a small amount of every cake—okay I admit it some thing more than once—because we could. Unfortunately we were too busy eating to take any photos, sorry.
While we were eating our cakes the friendly wait staff began telling us of the properties history. Mallard Cottage is one of the oldest wooden buildings in North America. Originally built-in the early 1700’s it is older than our country—Australia. This felt weird to think about given the beauty of the restoration and how perfectly it blended old and new. It also turns out that our accidental find has developed a reputation as one of the best restaurants in St John’s area. No wonder we want to go back. If your ever in the area, it is well worth the visit.
In your native language which letter or character describes you best? Why?
I have always associated with the middle letter of the alphabet — M. It is the first letter of my name as well as many other things I relate to.
What is your greatest extravagance?
These days I would spend the most money on books. I love bookshops especially secondhand ones and regularly several spend hours in them and buy many books in one hit.
Do you prefer exercising your mind or your body? How frequently do you do either?
I exercise my mind daily at work so I enjoy stopping it from working with some quiet time. One way I enjoy doing this is through getting physical. Time limits the amount of exercise I do and I do miss spending time at the beach. Bring on retirement so I have more time to exercise.
List at least 5 things that makes you laugh.
What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
Our speech night went well at Toastmasters and this week I am looking forward to several laughs catching up with family.
http://ceenphotography.com/2015/11/23/share-your-world-2015-week-47/
In the grounds of the historic Bendemeer Hotel this old statue of “Speak No Evil, See No Evil, Hear No Evil” caught my eye. The concrete frogs dressed in the Australian colours of green and gold gave the tradition monkey image an Australian twist. How fitting for a pub that has served and entertained the public since 1864.
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “fun”?
I love having fun. Doing something spontaneous that involves lots of laughter. I may be in my 50’s but I am happy to play games and have fun at every opportunity.
What is your favorite time of day?
I don’t think I really have one. Although there is something beautiful about sunrise and sunset.
Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want have a evening with?
I would love to spend an evening with Louise Hay. She is a very powerful motivator and positive thinker. She thinks outside the box, has many creative ideas to solve problems and literally hundreds of positive daily affirmations. She is also the owner of Balboa Press the self-publishing company I am using to publish my book next year so I am sure she could supply some great tips.
Complete this sentence: Something that anyone can do that will guarantee my smile is…
Smile at me. I will always return a genuine smile and connect with the other person. If I smile at someone first and they return my smile, my smile gets bigger.
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 for family time celebrating my son’s birthday and my work Christmas party celebrating together the year that was 2015. This week I am looking forward to getting back to blogging more regularly as life has gotten in the way a bit recently.
http://ceenphotography.com/2015/11/09/share-your-world-2015-week-45/
I love this clever use for old toilets at the entrance to the local sewerage works at Dorrigo, New South Wales. It brought a smile to my face but I am not sure if it is because of my Australian sense of humour.
Let me know your thoughts and any other unusual ways you have seen old toilets used.
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/extraordinary/
In a Mesh gallery, show us what makes you happy. Share your ideal day, recount a memorable day in the past, or share your favorite things.
A few years ago I went for a walk with my father around the hidden places of Sydney Olympic Park.We made fascinating discoveries and really enjoyed the peace and serenity.
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/today-was-a-good-day/