Thank-you

Thank you for all your birthday wishes and greetings. I have been spoiled by many friends, family and fellow bloggers. So far, being 40 is just fine fine fine. The flowers were given to me from my work mates and were absolutely stunning.

It's been a busy week. I am happy to say I have from today to next Thursday off work and whilst it isn't going to be slowing down much, I will get a chance to post more often.

Have a great day.

Go ahead... make my day!

If you have dropped by on this auspicious day and read this post, it's time to say hi. Lurkers - it's time to jump out of the shadows and leave a greeting. You don't have to be a blogger to leave a comment, just press "comment" as the bottom of this post - It's that simple. Heaps of comments for my 40th birthday. Wouldn't THAT be great.

Yes. Today is my 40th birthday.
It IS a momentous day for me.

It's strange and exciting and amazing and bewildering and I wonder how it is that I am 40. It sounds so OLD.

When I was a teenager I thought 30 was so far away, and 40? well I saw 40 as the beginning of the end. That was the time when people were working for ever-more in their chosen careers, with families and homes established. Lives would be pretty much routine. Destinies chosen, options limited.

Now I am here, I see it completely differently.

It's true - I don't like the extra wrinkles, but I am happy to say I can attribute most of them to a lot of laughter. I don't like the fact that my thirties are over, not because I am getting old, but because, as I get older and I see more clearly, I see I have so many more things I want to do. And whilst I feel that I am running out of time, I really don't mind being 40. It's the place to be. I still have SO much more to learn.

At 40, I am happy to say I don't care so much about what other people think or do any more. I now realise it is more important how I act and how I treat the people and the world around me. I now see it is important to do the things that make me happy. At 40, I am trying not to torture myself over things I wish I had (or hadn't) done. I am working on being more creative and following what my heart tells me, trying not to overthink everything so much.

There are SO many things for which I am grateful and proud. I am healthy and fit and live a busy life that continues to challenge me. Life is good and exciting and still holds many opportunities and surprises. So, being 40 is pretty good really. And lets face it, it's a damn sight better than not being here at all!

Quote of the Day...

"As we grow old… the beauty steals inward."
RALPH WALDO EMERSON

Festival of the Fortieth birthday...

We caught up with friends Tim and Andy on Friday night. I travelled through Africa with Tim (and others) about 19 years ago! He travelled with a mate while his girfriend (Andy) stayed in Australia for work. At the end of our trip, she was waiting for him when we arrived in London.

I have kept in touch with them - they live only about 15 minutes drive from me - and we generally catch up a couple of times a year, exchanging emails at other times for snippets of news. They are a great couple and always have entertaining stories to tell and wise words to share. Within minutes of our arrival, they had filled glasses and offered me a toast of good health and happiness in honour of my birthday. And so, the festivities began.

Andy believes (as I do) that a birthday is worth celebrating. She has a policy of stretching out the revelries for at least a week. I like her way of thinking... For a big birthday (such as 40!) her approach is to mark the occasion with a festival. Two weeks of entertainment and fun is her recommendation! So I have decided to take her advice. Two weeks it is!

And so, it started there and then, and will now continue until November 4th finishing with my party. A tad over two weeks if the truth be known, but who's counting anyway! From Friday night, the celebrations moved to sunny Point Lonsdale. Saturday night we shared a family dinner - roast lamb, with all the trimmings followed by golden syrup dumplings (my choice) as a special treat. Excellent. Thanks Mum for the great meal and everyone for the great company.

In reality I am expecting a pretty relaxed birthday, but it will not go unnoticed. Tomorrow is my last full day in my 30's and there's no turning back now. There will be cake to enjoy! No doubt about it.

It's time to party people!
Welcome to the festival of the fortieth birthday.

What I miss about London #2

Squirrels. I love them.

Apart from the fact they are cute and tiny, they have a mischievous way about them that makes them appealing. They are timid yet curious. And they are everywhere. These guys live in the middle of London and out in the country. Go to a park and have a picnic, they will come and say hello.

My first encounter with one was in the middle of winter as I walked through the local gardens rugged up in scarf, hat, coat ... layer upon layer of wool. There was a squirrel jumping through the grass looking for food and it was so cute I decided it was a worthy friend with whom to share my malteezers. So I threw one in his general direction, in a friendly manner so as not to scare him away.

Well... his little nose twitched and he came quickly upon the bounty, holding it to his face to draw in the smell. It was the size of a small football and no doubt too good to be true. It was gone within seconds.

I had a few laughs as he downed a couple more without hesitation. I watched as his eyes began to sparkle with his first sugar rush. It probably wasn't the best of things to do, but it was entertaining. In the following years, having decided malteezers weren't the healthiest of options, I fed them nuts.

One Christmas I lined up a row of different nuts just to see the reaction... A walnut, a hazelnut, a peanut and an almond.

It didn't take long for a squirrel to appear. And it didn't know where to start. It immediately went to the familiarity of the peanut. Shoved it in it's mouth, went to run away and then spied the hazelnut. It was a small balancing act, but he managed to pick it up. With bounty in hand (and ready to retreat), he glanced to his right and came upon the nut of his dreams... The walnut.

He was cartoonish in his reaction. "What do I do? How can I carry that too? What the *@?$! is THAT thing? It's huge. All my Christmases have come at once." (Yes, I believe, squirrels celebrate Christmas!) It didn't take him long to bury what was already in hand an return. I hope he burried that walnut and let it soften a little, there was no way he was going to get into it otherwise.

i heart you

i heart you
Madeleine Stamer
www.littlecircusdesign.com


This is the second piece of art I bought on Sunday from Madeleine at Little Circus Design. Love it.

A moment of madness.

Yesterday I registered for the Sussan Women's Fun Run.
Sunday 2nd December. 10km.
It was a moment of madness.
I got a bit excited.
There was an option of 5 or 10kms.
I can run 5kms now and I decided I needed the challenge.
So it had to be 10.
No time to hesitate, I logged on and registered.
Committed? Yes!
Should I be committed?
Probably!
I have never done a fun run before.
I have always said fun run was a perfect example of an oxymoron. Wondering a little about the moron bit right now...

Having said that...
I am determined to do it.
10 k i l o m e t e r s...
It sounds such a long way.
I have never run that far before.

My training buddy is confident.
She already has the training schedule.
Unfortunately she is unable to run on the day.

Thankfully I have convinced Heather to register too. We will do it together. Slow? Perhaps. And I'm OK with that. I can deal with slow. We are both pretty determined women and whilst I am under no illusions it will be a long run, we will make it.

It's a small world...

Skeleton Lovers
Madeleine Stamer
www.littlecircusdesign.com


I often do random searches of blog sites and when I come across a site I like, I bookmark it and revisit. Sometimes it becomes a regular read, other times an occasional visit. I wonder sometimes at where I find them, but with a method of random searches and cross searches, it is a game of chance. I have stumbled across some real gems from all around the world and as a result I have a HUGE list of blogs in my bookmarks.

A few weeks ago now, I was surfing down my list and clicked on a site I hadn't visited for sometime. "On my Desk" is a UK based site that profiles artists, illustrators, designers and creative folk (from all over the world) and shares the stuff on their desks. For a curious (nosey) person such as myself this site really appeals.

As I was having a browse, a piece of artwork caught my eye and I visited the artist's website; Little Circus Design. Having decided I liked some of her work, I checked where she lived and it turns out she is less than 3o minutes from my home! Amazing! I find her on a UK based site, and we both live on the other side of the world in Australia in neighbouring inner city suburbs. I emailed her, we arranged to meet, and yesterday we met (she is really nice and so relaxed) and I had a look at her artwork. I bought 2 of her pieces. It is perfect timing for my birthday as Mal is buying me one and I am buying the other.

Here is one of the pieces... it's called "Skeleton Lovers". It probably won't appeal to everyone - it's a bit quirky - but I really like it. She sells her originals and then same size and A3 limited edition prints. Check her out here if you want to see more of her work.

Kylie Minogue is suffering a mid-life crisis

Kylie is in crisis, and I know this how? It is in a magazine on the lunch table at work... "No Idea" I think! Oops, sorry, I meant "NEW Idea"... what WAS I thinking?

Apparently Kylie is in the throes of a midlife crisis. She turns 40 soon. Actually she turns 40 on the 28th May next year. That being the case, I hit this milestone some 7 months before her. In less than 2 weeks now I turn 40. I know, I don't believe it either.

Anyway, apparently Kylie worries, that once she turns 40, her fans will see her only as a novelty act and not as a sex symbol anymore! Kylie is at her wits end as to how to find a reliable man who isn't overwhelmed by her celebrity or charm. The clock is ticking and she wants a baby before it's too late. Olivier doesn't look like he's coming to the party and time is running out it seems. Things are reaching desperation point with every moment she edges nearer her 40th birthday.

Given this piece of news, it has occurred to me, that maybe I should be having a mid-life crisis too. Afterall, I turn 40 in less than 2 weeks and if Kylie's having her mid-life crisis already (7 months early), then I had better get a move on!

Where to start? How does one go about this mid life crisis malarky anyway? I have thought long and hard and here's the thing. I have decided I don't need a mid-life crisis. I am far too busy, I have so many other things to fill my time... it will just have to wait.

Lately I have noticed I have wrinkles I didn't know were possible and I now have a weekly appointment with my beauty therapist who peels my ageing skin and replenishes it with gallons of scented oils and moisturiser.

I have a regular delivery of extra strength hair dye with extra strength frizz control, guaranteed to cover all greys and flatten all the wiry hairs that stick out in all directions.

Every night I paint my teeth with whitening fluid, in an attempt to return them to their former shine. I worry my teeth will not last the distance. I haven't been to the dentist for nearly 10 years for fear they will insist they aren't worth keeping and they need to be replaced with a set of falsies.

Speaking of falsies, that appointment is booked for next week, and I don't care to know the cost, I just want to know how soon I can return to the solarium. It must be in time for my all over tan to be just right for summer.

I have enrolled in a local course in sms language. It is teaching me how to abrvE8 and txtspk. It's 2nites a wk. I'm slow. It's taking me 4eva to catch on. Y bother, u may ask... I dk. However, if I get this message... hi m8 u k? sry 4gt 2 cal lst nyt. Y dnt we go c flm 2moz? I now understand I am being asked to go and see a movie tomorrow nite. LOL.

My personal trainer is on strict instructions... there is no time to rest. Work, work, work is our motto. There is no time to waste. I have a sixpack to find within two weeks and sitting on my butt wasn't having the results I was hoping for. I need to squeeze into my bikini top and mini skirt in time for the party.

So, you can see my point. There is so much to do at this busy time in my life, the mid-life crisis will just have to wait. Besides, since I plan to live until I am 105, my mid-life crisis isn't due for at least another 10 years.

Whatever makes you happy

Do it. Life is too short.
Find something today you really want to do - something you really love - and do it. Dance, eat chocolate, sit in the sun, read a book, go fishing, go for a run, walk along the beach, talk with friends, share a drink, meditate, phone your best friend, sing, rejoice. Laugh.

Today is Friday.
Do whatever makes you happy and forget the rest!

What is it that makes you happy?
Friday night with friends is something that makes me happy.

How far have we come?

Last week I was at work when my boss walked in and informed a workmate that the tyres on her car looked flat. The two front ones, he claimed, were looking like they needed air... urgently.

"How do I do that?" came the reply.

I was not alone when I took a quick inward breath! We all looked at her in disbelief. She didn't know the last time the tyres had been checked, though she did know she had never (I repeat NEVER!!!) checked them herself!

She protested, with a smile on her face, exclaiming that she did know how to check the oil and the water and surely that was better than nothing. And yes, we had to agree, but we all asserted it was time she learnt how to check a tyre's pressure and pump it up if necessary.

My boss came to her rescue, offering to take her car and drive to a local service station to check and fill the tyres to their recommended pressure. I did suggest she go with him, but she wasn't too bothered, and he was fine with the arrangement.

Just for the record the tyre pressure was low... the recommended level was 32 and they were at 18. Thankfully she is now driving in a safer car.

Quote of the day...

I have not completed my current post and I have run out of time ... again!

Our discussions in Philosophy class last night were about perception and our view of ourselves and the world around us. Our take on reality and what is real. My Dad sent me a quote this morning. And so I thought I would share it.

"We do not see things as they are
- we see them as we are."
ANAIS NIN

Have a nice day!

Quote of the Day...

"There are no days in life so memorable
as those which vibrated to some stroke
of the imagination."
RALPH WALDO EMERSON