Middle age is that perplexing time of life when we hear two voices calling us, one saying, “Why not?” and the other, “Why bother?”
– Sydney J. Harris
Ageing can be levelling,
yet often the most fulfilling.
If memory serves me correctly.
We have not the youth,
but the wisdom, in bucketfuls.
Getting up early to go walking in summer, brings you some delightful surprises. And let’s face it, it is SO much cooler when you live in the sub-tropics. It is also a time when the animals are more active, as they too struggle in the heat and like to rest when the sun is high.
Like this family herd of Kangaroos. You won’t see any around at noon, as they will be resting in the shadows, but go walking early morning and you will see them, enjoying the free grass shoots that emerged with the recent god given rains.
Perhaps you will join me on this walk as we take a glimpse into Australian fauna.
The gorgeous roos were making the most of the recent rains and although you cannot see them in the photo, One mum has a baby, called a joey, which we have often seen at the newly created and yet to be used, sporting fields at theend of a nearby road. The roos seem to be co-existing well with the encroaching development. Let us hope it stays that way.
“One man’s trash can be another’s treasure.”
The rain gives happiness to animals and people alike. For me, rainfall and cooler days are invigorating. After years of drought, and months of never ending bushfires, the rainfall last week of showers and the occasional thunderstorm is so glorious in all its wetness! Truly manner from heaven. The drought may not be over but the grass and plants respond.
I often think about that disconnect between feelings about rain. The folks in the Northern hemisphere have had enough of it and down here we crave it more and more. There never seems to be enough, for all of Australia, or if there is, it comes down in bucketloads, far too much for us and our fragile land to absorb.
Do you get how we feel about rain in Australia?
The ducks and swans frolick in the overflowing pond, and yes, our feet get muddy.
Yet it is this lifegiving substance the earth needs to rejuvenate, to heal, for water is the essence of life.
With blue sky as far as the eye could see in the other direction, I turned and headed back home. By the lakeside, I was greeted by the local birds. They were really happy too. Except perhaps, the baby galah!
He was probably pretty hungry by the sound of his raucous call.
Along with all the other walkers around the globe, Jo’s Monday walks inspire me to share a little of my home by the sea with others around the globe.
Have a wonderful week. I plan to do so.
Bushboy has started a “Last photo” challenge and it is a fun one, that challenges us to post the last photo on our SD card or phone for Jan 31st.
Being a committed shutterbug, I do have an appropriate one tray I feel sure Bushboy will enjoy.
It is sunset over the far end of our estate. Just near the Koala tree.
#nofilter #lastphoto
I hope the sun is not setting on the future of the koala.
I’ve been working my way through this challenge mostly every day, but sometimes every second day. After all, life does get in the way of blogging challenges at times, doesn’t it?
Day 14 – Done
Day 15 – disconnect from the phone
Gosh so many of us seem to spend inordinate amount of hours on the phone. Either in scrolling social media, doing work, reading emails, reading books, scanning pictures or social media.
It’s endless and the phone seems to take more and more of our valuable communication time. I have even seen older people are scrolling through phones at coffee shops, bus stations or on trains. Even my 90 year old mother in law sends texts and uses an ipad.
Can a human race no longer tolerate boredom or sitting with nothing to do?
That valuable time to imagine, to dwell and to think.
Have we completely are we on the way to completely eliminating that from Society because we must be occupied 100% of the time?
Today I thought of it about that and read the prompt. I managed to disconnect my phone, no strike that, didn’t manage but chose to disconnect from the phone for about 8 hours at work.
It is not so hard to disconnect from the phone for more than that length of time, at work. However, I am still working on a screen.
When i have a social engagement the phone is away in my bag and ignored.
I do not check the phone while I am out with lunch with friends or having a coffee with a mate. Do you?
I am still plodding through the daily challenge of the New year, New You Challenge.
Day 13 – Cross something off your to do list – Check – done.
And of course, the task I chose was something I had to do around the house
But also,
I had time to scribble in a sketch or two – of my new project which is a compilation of traditional designs.
I also disposed of some items around the house to the charity bin and compiled a menu plan. Furthermore, I researched worm farms for the backyard.
Have you ever had a worm farm?
The soil at the Home by the Sea is challenging – saline acidic clay – so compost is an essential tool in helping the garden develop a good root system.
I was inspired to purchase a worm farm by a friend and whilst researching that topic, discovered the wonderful thing that is Ronni Kahn’s Oz Harvest Food bank. Helping redistribute food to the needy that would normally be wasted. Great news for the planet and for humanity.
She is an inspirational women and an absolute testament to finding one’s purpose in life and getting out there and doing it. Well done, Ronni. I think you must have secured another volunteer for your ranks next year.
This day is very easy to complete – Get 7 -8 hours of sleep.
I had a long luxurious sleep last night – going to bed early meant I could lie in a little, this morning. However, I am not a fan of lying in – at all…..
The mind gets bored and starts thinking a little too much, so enough lying in bed.
There is a life to be lived!
More tomorrow.
I have been remiss in posting the last week, so here is the catch up in one post:
Day 3 – Remove negativity – I am often trying to do this, even when the world rallies around handing out negative vibes everywhere. This week has been particularly trying as my son has had some incredible challenges which have not been easy to watch. But all the more reason to roll on to
Day 4 and 5 – Message someone special and Think of the Positives – Completed
My positives included a variety of things but especially being able to enjoy a restful and relaxing Christmas now that the hard work of getting the new house ready was 90% complete.
Is a home ever really finished? There always seems to be some little thing that needs doing in one’s home? Weeding the garden and attending to plants is a never-ending task; a shelf needs to be put up, photos attached to the bare Snowy Mountain white walls and there are still some boxes to unpack…. but we are concentrating on the positives here so my mind drifts back to Christmas.
Day 6 – Smile More
Very good advice
There were plenty of smiles on House Handover day – and every morning I wake up in this new house and look around at the fruits of our labour over the last year. It is a joy every day to live in this place. Sunshine, cool breezes, away from the bushfire threats and tonight, glorious rain! I felt like recording the sounds as it is a sound we so rarely here at the moment.
Day 7 – Cook a Healthy Meal – completed
I made these yummy vege frittatas with ricotta and parmesan cheese. Delicious. They freeze well too.
Day 9 – Take a long walk – I walked for 90 minutes – that should do it.
Day 10 – Do Something New – Still debating about what I can do…. I did co-start and join a Ladies Walking Group in my area. Yes, that ticks the box for this day.
Day 11- Read a good book – I finished reading Mons Kallentoft’s crime fiction novel from Sweden – Autumn Killing. A good twist at the end was a surprise. Not a bad read but I couldn’t focus on it properly as I started reading it so many months before.
Roll on Day 12…..
The third day of the challenge tells me to Remove negativity in my life – well they picked a difficult time to do that.
I am so focused on the situation with the fires and the lack of political leadership, I let fly this morning on the phone at a bigoted old conservative voter.
“But what Can they do?” I was asked by this old man.
They can fund the Fire Service, and buy planes to fight the fires.
“Ah,” the old man said, ” It is the Greenies fault, they won’t let them do anything.”
Apparently a small number of Green party politicians in the upper house of Government, prevents the Government from any kind of legislative change or action.
This is the mindset of the ignorant.
The Prime Minister does nothing, except reiterate like a broken record, “I understand people are angry,” and it transpires that the State Premier of NSW has cut funding for the Rural fire service and equipment, right before the fire season started. What impudence.
Volunteer fire fighters are fighting fires without breathing masks or protective equipment, risking their own health and lives. Unconscionable actions by the Government continue, and very little comments from those who sit in their air conditioned offices overlooking Sydney harbour or Canberra.
People are missing, thousands of homes burnt to the ground, 11.3 million acres of bush and more each moment – lost. To say nothing of the loss of animals, the loss to biodiversity and contribution of smoke and carbon to the atmosphere. Unprecedented climate conditions and the politicians do nothing.
So perhaps I really do need to remove negativity in my life today.
I am too churned up and after anger, follows sadness.
That helps no one.
I have to let it go, breathe and find a way to channel the anger into affirmative action.
Suggestions:
Every person can help. Please do what you can.
What are you grateful for?
This blog wasn’t intended as a tag a long challenge blog but bringing in the New Year seems like a good time to try something new for a month. Take a big breath and dive in, Amanda.
Um… already I see a problem.
How can I identify the goals I want to achieve in the one moment? I don’t feel that organized. Here goes:
More tomorrow at:
P.S. I would like to Challenge Chris Riley from LifeofRiley to join in.
Thanks to 40 fore Forty for initiating me joining in with the Challenge.
Tomorrow it will be six weeks since I moved into the Home by the sea and I haven’t really cooked a lot since then. Besides working and unpacking, and showing visitors around my new home, I haven’t found time to do any leisure baking. By that I mean more than what is required to sustain life!
I travel a long way to work so I often get back home late in order to avoid the peak hour traffic jams. On those nights, the MotH [Man of the House], improvises or uses the spouse-approved, (and proven), C.Y.O. method. Read: (cook your own).
Having a quiet morning this week, meant I was ready to bake something and Ju-Lyn, over at All Things Bright and Beautiful, provided the final piece of motivation I needed to get me started, posting her Honey Spice cake recipe, (which she had adapted from Anita Bean).
I was determined to try it this morning. The MotH loves having a morning tea with freshly baked treats to the point that morning tea, with him, has become something of an art form.
Sitting together over a cuppa gives us a good chance to talk in a way that we don’t do, for the rest of our busy day – he is often at the hardware, Hi-fi shop, or pet store and I am busy pottering about getting the house in order, if I am not at work.
So back to the delicious cake. It was a throw-it-all together kind of recipe – they are really the best kind, aren’t they? No stress and it cooked beautifully in my new Westinghouse oven. [smile]
I was a little short of ground almond for this recipe, so I topped the measure up with a little extra flour. The recipe adapted beautifully.
With a light dusting of vanilla or icing sugar on top, to serve, this Spice Cake is light and tasty and just the perfect accompaniment for tea.
Ju-lyn had topped the cake with lemon icing, whereas I added a dollop of home made lemon butter, on the side, for a decadent indulgence.
As the recipe worked so well, I was thinking I could even be a little adventurous and add walnuts, next time. Or even try a gluten free version for my diet conscious son.
Will you try it?
Adapted from Ju-Lyn’s Honey Cake which was adapted from Instagram @anitabean1
I have got to go have another piece now. Join me for morning tea at the Home by the Sea. I will begin posting weekly morning tea recipes.
Will you join in – posting a recipe? #joinmefortea
A Home by the Sea 
You must be logged in to post a comment.