Goodbye Winter, hello Spring.

Today is the last day of Winter. This makes me happy. Very happy.

Every year I excitedly anticipate the arrival of Winter.  I lovingly look at my winter clothing and can not wait to wear it. Buy by about one month in I am craving sunshine and warmth and a lack of umpteen dozen layers. And coat. And scarf. And long boots.  And the need to put on and take off said layers each time I go form outdoors to indoors and back again, which as a Kinder teacher can be a lot.

Here in the hills Winter can be beautiful.  Mist and cloud rolling in enveloping the tall gum trees.  The chance to rug up and walk briskly to a local cafe to sit in warmth with food and drink. The ever present glass of red wine and heart warming winter cooking.

But it also brings with it a lack of sun, and no sun means no vitamin D.  I like the sun,  I need the vitamin D. It makes me happy.  It helps my bones to not hurt, and in monitored doses it makes me look less pasty.

There has been a definite lack of sunshine this Winter.  There has been a lot of rain here in Victoria… and while I am among the first to welcome the rain and it’s reservoir filling ways, the grey clouds have been hanging heavily overhead for too long. Spring will be a very welcome addition to the year, that’s for sure.

Spring brings warmth and the promise of sun kissed days to come.  I begin to lean more towards white wine. Clothes that have been tucked away come back to mind.  Sandals and thongs (flip flops not underwear) come out and so do sun hats.  I begin to think about outdoor gatherings with friends… and the days seem lighter.

The sun makes me happy.  So does it’s warmth.  It lifts my spirit.  So Spring, nice to see you, put your feet up and stay a while xxx

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Tags: arthritis, Clothes, freindship, weather, wellbeing

Hump Day Happiness

Dear Wednesday… where have you been? It feels like it should be Friday already. As the end of term three creeps closer, and the lurgies bite, as Winter seems like it may never end (although it almost has) the days begin to drag. But, the top of the hill is here, it’s a short ride to the bottom and the weekend… I can all but hear the collective sigh at that thought…

So, on we go then with this weeks hump day happiness… the  time of the week we reflect on what has made us happy the past seven days.

This week I only have one happy.  It’s a good one I promise. You see, I have been waiting for this day for just under nine months.  I knew it was coming… I have felt feet kicking through a tummy wall… I have kissed a blossoming belly… and I have laughed, and talked, and wished… but yesterday I got the good news… You see my darling friends welcomed a new member to their family. I have written of this family once before, and the loss of their precious Layla.  Their big boy has a baby brother… I am an auntie again, and the joy I feel can only be described as love for my friends and their sons.  So, that you see is more than enough for me this week.  Now, I’m off to sort out flights to wrap my arms around all four of them.

So, that’s all the happy I need this week.  Because right now, all is love at my house.

Now over to you… what has made you happy this week?

Happy Hump Day!  And welcome to the world little one, you are loved beyond words xxx

N xxx

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Tags: freindship, hump day, the family that was made, wrapped in love

Hump Day Happiness

Ah, Wednesday I wondered where you’d been hiding. So happy to see you!  Now, if you could just give Thursday and Friday a bit of a push and get them to move along quickly I’d be ever so grateful.

After a bit of a hump day hiatus, it’s good to be back in the swing of things.  I’d forgotten how much knowing I had this post coming up made me look for the happy… sometimes the happy is big things, and sometimes, like this week, it’s little things.  To me, it’s often the little things that matter most, because as nice as the big, the momentous, the thrilling are (and believe me I love a big do!) it’s easy to find the happy in them… what is not always so easy is finding the happy in the small and the every day… so that was my challenge this week, to find the happy in the small… and so then, here they are.

As you may know, I have a LOT of black clothes. So, in an attempt to get out of the black rut I wore this red cardi, with a grey top... the only black I wore was boots! I added this vintage fabric button my sister sent me last year... What's not to be happy about with that button on?

On my running leggings there are splashes of mud. Running in the rain and the low cloud, in thermal gear this week was utter, utter bliss.

The Green Eyed Girl's new sequined high tops. Seriously, what's not to smile about?

So, what has made you happy this week? I’d love to know.

Happy Hump Day!

N xxx

Tags: freindship, hump day, running

Meditation, roller coasters and teeth that light the night.

Life is long and lingering some days.   It has been for me a lot of late.  Sometimes it’s also full of underlying menace and dull ache. Sometimes I yearn for the blue sky and the kindness of sunshine, however weak and far away it’s warm rays may be. Sometimes the greyness of winter is more than the weather.

Sometimes an offer to accompany a friend on a trip to Luna Park for her daughter’s birthday celebration can surprise us both with the belly aching laughter and joy it unexpectedly brings.  Sometimes being with the carnies, the screamers, the scared, the cold and the fairly floss eating people is better than all the medicine and comfort that can be mustered.

It seems that what I needed to quieten the noise in my head was to be surrounded by the screaming, the laughing and the thrill filled fear that riding on roller coasters and vertical boat rides can bring… along with a hazy trip back into childhood safety on a merry-go-round.

As we walked out of the menacing mouth with it’s teeth all alight, there were smiles, and laughter… and lightness of spirit. Looks can be deceiving, and a wide gaping mouth on an eerie glowing clown can, it seems deliver joy after all.  On the drive home there was talk of meditation classes and the arrangement of pick ups to attend them.  Safety in numbers, and the encouragement of one another seemed like a good thing.

So perhaps this quietening I yearn can be found… and in more places than one.  While I can’t promise a trip to Luna park every week, I can decide to go to meditation… after all, if I can find peace on a roller coaster… I can find it in a chair, in the hills, with a friend by my side…

Tags: freindship, meditation, people watching

Hump Day Happiness

There has been a bit of a break in hump day posts. It’s not that there has been no happiness, more that I have not really been in a place where I wanted to post about it.  I know this is contrary to my very own reasons on why I started this post.  It’s also contrary to the rules I made up for hump day comments!  But there you go, that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

But Hump Day is back! So, here goes…

We had a very full, and very satisfying weekend here… more than enough happened to keep me happy.

• I had a whole hour on the train into the city reading.  I had Mumford & Sons on my iPod and a book in my hand… what a lovely start to the day.
• I walked through the city I love seeing the rumblings and promise of the day to come.
• I met up with the gorgeous and oh so lovely Jodie and Megan for brunch.  We chatted away like old friends, not all that surprising as we chat most days on twitter and various blogs… so we could skip all that new friend chit chat about weather, and Hubbies, and where we live and what we like, because we know all that already! It was lovely.
• The football.  Two codes in one day.  What too much? Perhaps, but we did it! Dad got us great seats at the MCG.  So, with Mum, Dad, the Blue Eyed Boy, Green Eyed Girl and Hubby I saw our beloved Pies win.  Then, Hubby, The Kids and I went to the Rugby at Docklands, and surrounded by a sea of All Blacks we watched our beloved Wallabies lose.  But the spark in the kids eyes was worth it.
• Spending an afternoon meal together with family in our lovely hills, in a small restaurant.  Great food, great wine, great family.

So, there are mine.  More than three… but that makes up for missing the last few weeks!

Now over to you.  What made you smile this past week?

Happy Hump Day xxx

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Tags: blue eyed boy, freindship, green eyed girl, hump day, twitter, weekend

The family that was made.

I have been struggling a bit with writing lately.  The words are muffled in my head and not coming out right.  So I trawled through my drafts and found this… I had forgotten to publish it.  It’s from earlier this month when I was home In Tassie… It made me smile, it made me remember sometimes all you need is friends, family and time…  so here it is.

Yesterday was one of those days you just can not plan.  It was a cool, but sunny Tassie day and I headed with The Green Eyed Girl and The Blue Eyed Boy to BestPam’s home.

We decided to walk down to the beach for a bit of fresh air.  About three blissful hours later we walked home, with four soggy, sandy kids.  It was one of those days that just happen, no money was spent, no need to seek out some over priced, over hyped amusement, we had each other, the roar of the waves, and sunshine.

Sometimes I think we can forget about these simple pleasures as we chase the tarnished rainbow of adventure parks and new movies.  Sometimes I think we forget all we need is our family… and by family I mean this and  this and this.

Sometimes all we need is people who know us and love us, and a chance to chat, and laugh, and cry, and talk about what is really on our minds… or not. This particular week in July is one our family that was made all remember for a range of reasons.  Reasons involving joy, and love, and loss and grief.  It is a week filled with tears and laughter and remembering.  It is a week filled with love.  So, thank you my Family that was made.

Tags: Best Pam, freindship, wrapped in love

Hump Day Happiness

So, here it is Wednesday again… and a whole week between posts.  It’s been a busy week here and there have been reasons to smile.  That is, after all, what this weekly post is all about! Looking for, searching out, reflecting on the happy. So, Happy Hump Day to you all… and here are my smile worthy moments.

My darling BestPam was here.  In my house.  In my kitchen.  Drinking bubbly with me.  It was great, as it always is.  We laughed, we talked, we drank, we laughed some more… we did french manicures…. at about 2am… after a wee drop of wine… as you do…

Watching my Blue Eyed Boy soaking up the history, the injustice, the tragedy that was The Titanic and the exhibition at the Melbourne Museum.  He has an amazing capacity for historic detail, and for seeing the injustice in social inequality.

Seeing Mia Freedman in real life! In the most gorgeous pink heels.

Watching my family, which includes BestPam, her GOB and her delightful kids, at the football… and our team winning! …. and just the fact that we are at a footy game, yelling out players names, yelling at the umpire… if you knew this family that was made at all… you’d be as mystified as we are at the fact we are there at all, let alone having the time of our lives!

So, Happy Hump Day to you all…. and, what made you smile this week?

Nay xxx

PS remember you can enter your own Hump Day Happiness link here!

Tags: Best Pam, blue eyed boy, freindship, hump day

Hump Day Happiness

Wednesday seemed like it would never get here this week… but here it is! Thank you for showing up this week Wednesday, much appreciated.

It has been a funny week. Starting woefully, but steadily getting better, and that’s how some weeks go isn’t it? This week I was reminded that it’s OK to have a crap day or two, and it’s OK to let it wash over you. I was also reminded that we need to be gentle to ourselves… thanks.

So, this week, it’s the things that I am thankful for as well as those that made me smile.

My Hubby, for treating me kindly, and with humour and patience.

My lovely friend who I shared an afternoon wine and chat with while our lovely children played around us.

My friends and family IRL on on line.  You made me smile again… thank you all.

So, what made you happy? What are you thankful for? I’d love to know… and for the lovely bloggers, I have a linky below, so you can share the Hump Day Happiness.

Have a great rest of the week everyone, be gentle to yourself and those around you  xxx

What made you happy this week?

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Tags: freindship, hump day, wrapped in love

A photo post

Well, we have returned from our holiday, unpacked the suitcases, washed the clothes, made the house all messy & lived in again… I feel relaxed, refreshed, and ready to take on the world again… and here are some of the reasons why…

A full moon at the family shack in the Tassie Central Highlands

Being here, and not seeing a single soul apart from Hubby & the kids.

...all is love...

The privilege of being in the World Heritage Pencil Pine Lagoon area and standing next to this...

and this...

...and this....

Eating out with Hubby on Hobart's waterfront

Time with BestPam, my sisters, kids, family... and enjoying a good Tassie Sparkling or two!

Tags: Best Pam, children, Drinking, freindship, wrapped in love

I’ll be right back… promise!

There has been a complete lack of anything on this little blog of late. Life has taken over, as has the mammoth pile of washing barely contained within the walls of our home.  Working 3 days, being on a placement 2 days, having 2 kids, wanting some semblance of a social life, and uni assignments have all conspired against the blog.

But, I have just posted a uni assignment off (for better or worse) and informed the great uni gods (via the wonder of email) that I will not be on placement for the next 2 weeks for family reasons.  I feel a bit like a politician using the now cliché line.  But you know what? It’s cliché because it’s true.  Family life has taken a back seat as I stumble through this uni/work/prac thing and it’s time to take a break.

So, tomorrow we will be headed off to Tassie, via a 9 hour boat trip, to spend time together, see friends, family, and familiar places.   I will be webless for most of the first week.  No internet.  No twitter.  No facebook. I will, however have a soft lead pencil and a moleskine.  I have posts that are simmering, waiting to come out.  I have a dear friend to feed our old cat, the fish,  and use our ripening tomatoes.  I have the chance the breathe…

See you soon lovely people xxx

Tags: blog, facebook, freindship, holiday, parenting, twitter