FREE HUGS

A Birthday hug

for all those who visit Secret Hill.

With Thanks to Corey of Tongue in Cheek blog, who led me to this uplifting video.

Sit down, turn up the sound and be.

Then like this blogger, spread the word.

47

At 47 (click here)

A ROOM OF MY OWN

Space

Light

Privacy

Power

Table

Chair

Daybed

Lamp

Shelves

Storage

Large windows

Books

Radio

Tools

Tiles

Grout

Silver

Flux

Rug

Heater

Fan

White walls

Blanket

Cushion

Kettle

Dog bed

Lock

And so it begins (click here)

THROUGH THE HEDGE

The perfume of Hyacinths.
Sunshine in a wide blue sky.
Flickering shadows across the garden.

Tiny Silver Eye birds,
darting through the lemon tree.
Aphids, their 'fast food'.

Pulling onion grass from the ground,
I stand and stretch my back.
Listen........

The squeaking song of a rusty swing.
Backwards and forwards.
Backwards and.......

Childrens' voices.
" Take your shoes off an'
we can play in the sand."

"It's wet here."
"Shhh, we can put our foots in it."

MIDDLE-AGE meme

With Thanks to Zhoen...................

WHAT I'LL NEVER DO, AND THAT'S OK.

Be financially rich.
Have children.
Base jump.
Be thin.
Sing in an opera.

WHAT I'VE DONE, AND WOULD LIKE TO DO AGAIN.

Get to the top of Ben Nevis..
Belly dance ( better NOT to be thin for this!)
Work with Silver.
Watch the sunset at Red Bluff ( in Western Australia) with the Bear and a hip flask full of good malt whisky. ( See here . Added to his blog by a certain person, after reading this post!).
Skinny dip in a warm blue Greek sea.
****************************************** (there are some things I will not write in a blog).

WHAT I'VE DONE, AND WILL HAVE TO DO AGAIN.

Exercise.
Accept some verbal abuse from clients as it is often the pain /disease talking.
Housework.
Clear firebreaks every Summer.
Travel economy.

WHAT I WON'T DO AGAIN.

Dye my hair.
Wear heels higher than one inch.
Bleed every month.
Spread myself too thin.
Eat meat.

WHAT I MAY STILL GET TO DO.

Climb to the top of the Sydney Harbour bridge.
Visit Japan.
Realise my vision for the garden.
Sell some of my work.
Learn more than just basic French.
Keep trying to 'be'.


If you are middle-aged ( whatever that may be) and read this blog, consider yourself tagged. Please let Zhoen know.

EAT TOAST, DRINK COFFEE

Sunday morning. 6.00am.

The sound of the coffee grinder and the aroma of coffee drifting through the house.

Good wholemeal bread, packed full of mixed grains and seeds.

This calls for an indecent amount of butter.

Plan the day...

Gardening

Go-fering ( see previous post)

Cooking ( some vegetarian thingy)

Open curtains and see rain has washed the garden ( note to self, wear waterproof gardening gloves and find dog towels as 'Dog' will require them at the end of the day).

Will try to follow advice on my breakfast plate!

WHAT?

Delivered in thundering rain. Unloaded onto the front drive ( "please mind my Kangaroo Paws"), carried piece by piece by 'her n him' through the gate and placed under the trees in the garden.

I have been anticipating this for the last three months. A gift from the Bear and members of the family. It has involved a great deal of planning and will require measuring, cutting and building.

The Possums are in for a surprise...........a new habitat...........but not for them ( although as the years go by, I am sure they will check it out).

Mmmm..........what can it be?


( click on highlighted text for links)

DETAILS.....

Weekly 'clean' of house. Do a little more than usual because family are coming for dinner. Dog is 'blowing' his coat at the moment, so decide to vacuum in corners to remove the drifts of grey hair.

Prepare lunch. Olives and sunflower seed bread with a large Gin and Tonic ( the latter needed after all that cleaning).

Walk around garden with G and T in hand and note that after all my work removing trees limbs and debris from garden beds, the storm last night has replaced said debris. Try hard to be extremely 'Zen' about this, but resort to the glass in my hand as aid to stoical calmness.

Family to dinner. Talk, laughter, finishing each others sentences, perfect chocolate brownies with Rose-water cream ( prepared by my sil), good wine and the Niblings ( Niece and Nephew) full of chatter and delving into the book box.

Next morning at 5.30am let Dog out into garden and see the moon between the branches of the Cherry tree. Feel inspired ( having found this blogger) and rush indoors for my camera. Take what I think are truely inspiring artistic pictures of clouds scudding through the night sky and the moon looking like a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas.

Go indoors and download images..............moon does not look galleon like, indeed it looks like a tiny white dot lost in a sea of blackness and the cherry tree branches have disappeared. Note to self...............learn how to use the camera.

Make coffee, eat toast. Wish I had not had that extra glass of wine last night ( note I am not telling how many glasses of wine).

Take Dog out in the car (oh joy , oh bliss, I think that's what the howls mean) to the local market. He behaves well. I am disappointed as the market is full of the same old, same old. Walk Dog in local Bush. Pleased to see Donkey orchids nodding in the breeze. Also Native Wisteria in purple profusion along the track.

Home and open all windows and doors to let in air and the aroma of wet garden.

Breath deeply.

Find a book.

Sit.

(with Thanks to lj)

( click on highlighted text for links)

BEE'S BUM

Click to enlarge

DOG'S TALES

"Be a good Dog. I won't be long".

Dog rises from his bed by the window.

Turning, he glances over his shoulder.

He sees her get into the car.

Dog waits.

Watching.

The car disappears.

Alone in the house.

The sun glitters through the windows.

Motes of dust dance in the air.

Dog sneezes.

He raises a paw and touches the chair.

Her chair.

Dog checks the window again

and

climbs onto the chair.

Dog will be good.

He can wait.

BREAKING THROUGH

TODAY

I WILL

Pull on my old walking boots and tatty gardening clothes.

If the sun comes out, put on my hat.

Weed, weed, weed.

Plant ....

Sweet Alyssum ( Snow Crystals),

Lobelia (Midnight Blue),

Salvia (Victoria Blue).

I usually plant native flowers, so hope these thrive (but I do like blue and white flowers).

Sow Helichrysum ( paper daisy) seed in a new flower bed ( and hope for drifts of colour).

Hope the snails stay away.

Add more weeds to the compost bin.

Notice my aching back.

Stretch.

Lots of hope in gardening, isn't there?