Flashback Friday...

This is me (again) with my two older brothers. Summer tans and barefoot freedom. Fantastic.

I think it's Lake Eildon in the background. It is pretty full here, but now 35 years later, and after a stretch of years of drought, it is currently at 19% capacity. With 515 km of shoreline, it stores six times as much water as Sydney Harbour at full supply level. That's one hell of a lot of water!

We're going to need a lot of rain to get back to those levels again!

Just sitting... thinking...

I found this on FLICKR today here
Does anyone know if this is OK re use of photos viewable to the public on FLICKR? As long as I give credit to where I found it... is this OK?

One word...

I first saw this on Curly Pop's blog recently and since then, here and here too.
Thought I would join in the fun. I can't resist a good list afterall.

1. Where is your cell phone? Desk
2. Your significant other? Mal
3. Your hair? Brown
4. Your daughter? None
5. Your son? None
6. Your favorite thing? Family
7. Your dream last night? School
8. Your favorite drink? Water
9. Your goal? Creativity
10. The room you’re in? Studio
11. Your church? Everywhere
12. Your fear? Grief
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Tropics
14. Where were you last night? Calligraphy
15. What you’re not? Tech-savvy
16. Muffins? Mmmmm
17. One of your wish list items? Peace
18. Where you grew up? Point Lonsdale
19. The last thing you did? Email
20. What are you wearing? Nothing*
21. Your TV? Hidden
22. Your pets? None
23. Your computer? Apple
24. Your life? Rollercoaster
25. Your mood? Mixed
26. Missing someone? Daily
27. Your car? Mini
28. Something you’re not wearing? Make-up
29. Favorite store? Art
30. Your summer? Glorious
31. Like (love) someone? Yes
32. Your favorite color? Pink
33. Last time you laughed? Yesterday
34. Last time you cried? Yesterday
35. Who will repost this? Ames

*I am really - just checking you were still reading...

Have a great day everyone! If you want to join in, copy and paste, enter your own 'one word' answers and post on you blog. Have fun!

Overheard conversations...

On the week-end, I was visiting a friend in hospital and arrived just at the end of the rest period. The friend was still asleep, so I made my way to the patients sitting room to wait for a while.

I took a seat on the sofa and opened a magazine which did little to hold my attention. There was an elderly couple sitting together talking. They both sat at the only table in the room, facing each other with their hands resting together on the table between them. He was obviously a patient (being dressed in a flannelet dressing gown and slippers) and she was his wife. I know this because I had seen her arrive at the hospital a few days earlier with his walking frame and as she wheeled it along at a brisk pace, she informed us it was for her husband.

It was impossible to ignore the conversation. She spoke quite loudly and he spoke with a very proper English accent, not unlike what I would expect of an army Colonel. Their shared conversation bought a smile to my face. The first thing that got my attention was his distinct voice saying (without a hint of hesitation) that "the only thing that is keeping me going, is the strength of my love for you my darling". She smiled at him and squeezed his hand and commented about the view.

She continued with her talk of getting older and how, now that she was 84, she had to limit herself to only one visit a day. He agreed wholeheartedly, saying she was not to exhaust herself. "It's not like I'm 80 anymore you know" she replied with another smile and another squeeze of the hand.

"I do love you, my darling" he said later in the conversation and she smiled and they were silent for a moment in each other's company. She did not return his words, but she continued to smile and her face glowed. That their feelings were mutual was without question. They were there for one another and no-one could intrude on their time together.

The above image was created using WORDLE.

I am a gold girl...

You Are A Gold Girl

You're dependable and hard working. You never miss a deadline - and you're never late. You have a clear sense of right and wrong. You're very detail oriented. You get frustrated when your friends are sloppy - or when they don't follow through. You're on top of things, and you wish that everyone else was!

What Color Girl Are You?

This is my trade secret...

Whatever you can do,
or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius,
power and magic in it.
JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE

If you want to be creative.
Get going and live creatively.
Get on with it...
This is my trade secret.

Do not procrastinate.

If you have a dream.
Start living it.
If you aren't sure what it is you want to do...
start the ball rolling and do SOMETHING!
ANYTHING to start the momentum.

Things grow when they are cultivated and given a little TLC.
If you want to follow a different path or make a change, you can't do it standing still.
Be Bold. Be Brave. And as Goethe says in the above quote... begin it.

The theme for this weeks "This is..." came from Amelia at bollewangenhaptoet. The "This is..." meme was started by the very creative Angela of Three Buttons fame.

This is the winner...

Congratulations to Melbourne based jeweler Kate from The Monday Project who is the lucky winner of my first blog giveaway. I will be dropping by tonight to give her the good news. Drop by and say hi too. Kate and Sophie (Sydney based writer) set a new monthly project on the first Monday of every month and they invite everyone to take part. Hey guys - that's tomorrow! Go for it! I'll see you there!

It seems we all love the art of blogging.
Sharing of ideas, support, inspiration and a sense of community were all sentiments that were repeated in all of your comments. And I can't agree more. It is a creative outlet that continues to motivate and inspire me and colour my life. So thanks to you, for all your blogging goodness and for all your lovely comments too.

Flashback Friday...

This is my Mum at two and a half years of age. I love this photo. Believe it or not my Mum has almost dead straight hair.

I imagine she spent the night before in rags to make those gorgeous curls. I am amazed they managed to get her to smile for the photo as I imagine she would not have slept too well!

I haven't been blogging at all this week as I have been unable to access a computer. I will be back next week. Thanks for all your comments, I'll come and say hi soon I promise. Don't forget to leave a comment if you want to take part in the giveaway on the "This is" post. There is still time.

See you Sunday.
Have a great week-end everyone!