Hamilton wishes...

Yesterday when I posted I was in Hamilton, blogging friend Cam (aka Curly Pops) commented that this was the area where she grew up. She made a few local recommendations, and today I found the wishing well in the Botanic Gardens.

The plaque read '1 wish to remember former Hamiltonians'.

It seemed the natural thing then, to make my wish for Cam.
So Ms Curly Pops, this one's for you.
May 2012 be your year.
I have everything crossed for you. X

Age doesn't guarantee wisdom...

Happiness...

Art makes me happy... pretty simple really.

London Calling...

There was a time I called London home.

I returned to Australia in 1996, having lived there for nearly 8 years, and I have missed it ever since.

It's been a long time. Too long, yes?

Well, in September, I will be returning at last. And I am totally excited. I can't wait to visit with old friends, go back to some favourite places, to see the sights, to haunt the galleries, to soak up the atmosphere.

In some ways, I feel like I'm heading home.

Welcome 2011...

Good Day Sunshine...

Good day sunshine
Good day sunshine
Good day sunshine

I need to laugh, and when the sun is out,
I've got something I can laugh about.

***

We have been in Cape May for the last 5 days and loving the beach and the warm weather. Spent a couple of days at the beach and one by the pool as the weather started to deteriorate with Hurricane Earl nearing ever closer.

Also, for the last few nights I didn't have internet which is why I haven't updated the blog as much as I had hoped. Not to worry, it was a true holiday from all outside communication and the internet and the moblie remained silent.

We are now in DC for the next 4 nights... more warm weather... and lots of walking and doing all stuff touristy! So much to see and do here. Don't worry, I'll be taking some time out for blogging too!

Strange dreams in my beautiful bedroom...

The studio is nearly finished and I will be posting photos in the next few days. In the meantime, I am happy to say, since I have cleared up my entire flat, I have my bedroom back to being a bedroom.

And I love it.

Now, I'm not sure why, but I have been having the strangest dreams. Maybe it's that I have been sleeping so soundly, I don't know. Usually I don't recall the exact details in the morning, but there have been many familiar faces and places... even the end of the world.

But the funniest of all... the other night I dreamt I was reading the classifieds and in the births, deaths and marriages section, I read an old friend's sister had had a baby... And the middle name was "Oops".

Seriously! I actually woke up laughing aloud. Too too funny. I'm glad I remembered that one!

Summer breeze makes me feel fine...

Summer breeze, makes me feel fine
Blowing through the jasmine in my mind

May you and your friends be healthy and happy...

“If you live to be 100,
I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day,
so I never have to live without you.”

Winnie the Pooh

Dreaming of escape to a simpler life...

There are days, as the summer fades into autumn and I sit at my desk after a long week-end, that I dream of escape.

I don't want much really... a peaceful view of the water, sunshine on my shoulders, sand between my toes, a pile of books, a few pens, brushes and an empty notebook... and a caravan in which to make up a mug of hot chocolate in the cooler evenings and curl up each night.

This little beauty is an Airstream Bambi, and you can buy one here. At $51,000 it's a bit out of my price range (and I think that might even be US dollars), so I'll just have to keep dreaming.

An apple a day...

Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.

NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE

Finding the path to happiness...

Can someone please tell me where I can find the path to happiness.

Getting accustomed to being on my own again...

I am house sitting. A good friend has gone traveling for 10 weeks and was happy to oblige when I offered to house sit in her absence. What a beautiful gift she has given me. Her home is a retreat in the city and I love it.

We met during my arts course last year and she has become a wonderful friend. Her home is much like her... beautiful, artistic, peaceful, welcoming and warmly embracing. It has large windows which welcome lots of light. The top level has a great vista overlooking the rooftops and allows for uninterrupted views of the hot air balloons that can be seen most mornings floating across the city. Downstairs there is a paved courtyard that is bordered by elevated garden beds and is shaded by a big leafy tree.

Tonight is a warm Melbourne evening and the breeze is whispering in the leaves outside. I ate in the courtyard which was lovely and which I will try to do so as much as I can while I am here. My own flat only has a communal garden and so this is an absolute treat.

It is night four on my own and I am feeling far more relaxed now. The first couple of nights I felt slightly unsettled at being on my own again and getting accustomed to being in a new space.

In early January, I was craving total escape. Considered throwing in my job, renting my flat and escaping up the coast to a small seaside town where I could hide from the world. Knowing I wasn't in any state to make any major decisions, I decided to postpone anything too serious for the next 6 months. And so, this next 10 weeks has become my salvation. It will allow me time to think. Time to breathe. Time.

Being alone again is a strange sensation. Mal and I broke up in September last year, and whilst we are no longer together, we are still good friends and he is still living in my flat. He has been especially amazing over the last six months or more... listened to my greatest fears and comforted me in moments of despair and tears (of which there have been many). He has been there to pick up the pieces and saved my sanity on a number of occasions. And for that I will be forever grateful.

BUT (and he knows this is the way of my world) I do like my own space. I like my own company and I have lots to keep me occupied. My house sitting stint comes at just the right time. And so, for the next ten weeks, I am on my own. And loving it.

This is what makes me happy...

1. Window Seat, 2. Beautiful bedding, 3. Frangipani 4, 4. Jump, 5. Sunny smile, 6. Scrabble Dreaming, 7. Full bowl of maltesers, 8. Deserted Beach, 9. Beautiful Shells

It seems to me, that we sometimes forget to acknowledge even the simplest of things that make our lives more pleasurable. And often we spend so much time pondering on the battles of our lives that we don't even realise how lucky, or happy we are.

I have been thinking about it a little lately. Trying to be more aware of the things that bring joy to my life. More often than not, it is the small things that make me happy. So I have made a list, for a couple of reasons... A good list makes me happy and, I have decided to list only 10 things, so I have time to go and visit everyone else's "This is" posts for this week. I hope you have all enjoyed the theme... and you have a happy Sunday.

This is what makes me happy...

A free table in the window of my favourite cafe makes me happy.

Slipping into a freshly laundered bed after a long day makes me happy.

The smell of frangipani on a warm summer evening makes me happy.

Living a creative and adventurous life makes me happy.

Summer smiles make me happy.

Using all my tiles in scrabble on a triple word score... makes me happy.

Curling up, with a good book and a full bowl of maltesers, beside an open fire makes me happy.

A walk on a deserted beach makes me happy.

Beautiful things make me happy.

BUT. ABOVE ALL.
My family and friends makes me happy. When everyone is healthy and happy - so am I. I am happy when spending time in their good company, sharing stories over a healthy meal, laughing. Being happy together. THAT is what makes me happy.

Thanks again to Angela for creating the "this is" magic

Dance a little...

Celebrate people - it's nearly the week-end.
It's time to dance...

As written in The Age

...A goofy dance started in a Brisbane office block has taken the world by storm and its creator, Matthew Harding, to the four corners of the globe and most places in between.

Harding, 31, is the latest internet celebrity to ride YouTube fame all the way to the bank, but, unlike the transient notoriety most web video stars enjoy, Harding's 15 minutes of fame have been going on for three years.

Over the past 14 months, Harding and his girlfriend have been on a tour to 42 countries for the sole purpose of filming him dancing badly at various international locations and in front of some of the world's most famous landmarks.

The result is a 4½-minute video clip, published at the end of last month, which has already attracted more than 6.5 million views on YouTube and more than 1.5 million views on Vimeo.

You can read the rest of the Article here.

This is... the theme for this week.

I have been thinking a lot lately about what it is that makes us truly happy... It is so so easy to get buried under the daily battles and forget the simple pleasures that bring us joy... the love we have for our family and friends, the tune of a favourite song, the beauty that surrounds us daily, the sounds, the visions and the smells that colour our world.

And so the theme for this week (I hope you enjoy it) is...

This is what makes me happy.

Thanks Angela for asking me to suggest the This is theme for this week.

*I have used this photo before and you get to see it again today, because I love it and it makes me happy! Have fun everyone and see you on Sunday.