The photo I never took

Here's the photo I never took, you sitting on this stool ($4) playing this guitar (freebie) singing at Recycleland with a 'sold' sign behind you and this pot ($2) on the ground 'busking' for some money. Your hair out and unkempt, skinny black jeans, singlet and boots. You definitely had 'the look' going on. I had visions of you 10 years later singing your heart out to an audience with your guitar and your stool, minus the busking pot.

As I watched you 'perform' Miley Cyrus from a distance, amused by how comfortable you looked and how carefree you were, I noticed people stopping and watching you for a brief moment before they continued on their bargain hunt, leaving either with a smile on their face or having a little chuckle to themselves. Maybe they to saw a glimpse of the future. I only wish I had a camera to capture this moment.

My wish for you dear Jilly is to always have the courage to feel comfortable in your own skin and the confidence to sing wherever you may be and whatever you may be doing.

Love you, Mum.

Feeling a bit like this

I remember when the whales had wings she said. Whatever happened? I said. It got to be too noisy with all the airplanes and other stuff, so they flew into the ocean and never came back. Some days, she added, I think about going too.

(Whales, story people)

A Real Tea Party

Today was an unexpectedly delightful day. What started out to be a fairly innocuous family baby shower became a sisterhood session involving traditional tea sets, beautifully old English plates, a lace table cloth, home made sponge cake and fresh sandwiches. What was only attended by the girls of the family saw a gathering of grandparents, aunties, nieces, cousins, sisters and daughters. This was followed by a refresh in ma and pa's pool and a couple of glasses of bubbles.

Putting all this delightfulness aside, the best part of the day was without a doubt the trip home. Jilly and I soared, windows down with 'So What' blaring, singing our lungs out and my little Pink rock chick groovin away in the front seat. An absolute 20 minutes of pure, raw, freedom filled joy...priceless...truly priceless...

Bx

Musings on a Saturday

Everday musings have become somewhat of a habit for my daily sanity. I find that they provide me with comfort, amusement or allow me to be retrospective. In particular, nature has provided the most stimulus. The abundance of flowers on a tree, the sound of the rain, the sunlight through branches, the rocks on the beach, the colour of the clouds all have caught my attention more so than normal and for that brief moment it feels like time is slowing down for me to imprint the image in my mind. I am grateful to myself for taking the time and the effort to bother noticing.

Recent musings and moments I am grateful for from all parts of life include;

• Complete peace whilst painting a canvas with the rain in the background


• Jillian saying that now she has a 'new' bedroom she thinks she will sleep in there every night.


• Joshua commenting while Jillian was helping him sort his clean and dirty clothes from his clean clothes drawers that the way to tell whether his socks are dirty or not is how crusty they feel on the soles.


• Joshua asking if I had mashed white broccoli to go with dinner (it was in fact mashed potato).


• A three level high retaining wall covered with white flowers from a tree on the top level


• Beautiful girlfriends who allow me to be honest and challenge my thinking as well as one who produced the most beautiful baby I have ever seen


• The fact that we are not in North Scotland where currently it is -22 degrees.
• The video shop has my favourite TV shows to hire, this makes me very happy.
  
• A developing garden that I know in time will provide me with my own little piece of paradise to retreat to


• A healthy family and holidays
• The photo above of Tony surfing with dolphins

I look forward to 2010 providing our family with many more moments to remember and be grateful for.

B x

Anonymous and Afar

Dear from afar

I think your letter was neither wrong, strange or surreal. At times, for reasons that we can not practically fathom we are guided towards closure or a new opening. However, I'm not sure which this is for you. People come into our lives for a season, reason or lifetime. You my friend I believe are around for a lifetime. Our contact may not be direct or regular but it will at times be present, as you say, in our mindset.

I am grateful that my life has been blessed thus far. I have a loving husband, children who are delightful if not challenging, a career that I enjoy going to work for nearly every day and girlfriends who I would be lost with out. Do you have the same, a life to be grateful for?

My passion for what I believe in has at times been a hinderence rather than a help. It is one of those characteristics that we have as individuals that defines us but needs to be kept in check. That along with my paranoia.

I am filled with a sense of warmth and nostalgia when I read your note. It cheers me to know that I have brought joy to at least one person in this life. If this is the person who I think it is, then you too have given me fond memories that will last.

I hope that 2010 brings you good fortune in all that you desire.

Briohny

Updates or Procrastination

Actually, it probably maybe a little of both. Convincing aren't I?

• the rennos are pretty much finished (big hooray here!) with our patio looking delightful and the gardens coming along nicely. The bathroom (aka termite heaven) is still yet to be done. We have resigned ourselves to the fact that we don't live/socialise/eat in the bathroom and therefore the exposed termite eaten beams/wall/window sill will just have to do for now...at least we aren't sharing this space with a colony of wood munching house destorying bugs. A friend raised an interesting question "With all the trees getting knocked down, where are the termites going?" ummmm, I think "our house" is the answer to that question.
• I could spend far too much money on plants for the garden, question - is it possible to plant too many plants? Do plants feel invasion of personal space and suffer from anxiety due to over crowding?
• 6 days til my birthday (sigh)
• very much enjoying the rain although the washing is not
• a BIG pile of marking to do (this is where the procrastination part comes in)
• report cards to be writing once the BIG pile of marking is done
• Wondering if technology makes our life easier or does nothing to help those who are time poor. I have been negligent in checking my regular blogs, updating this one, touching base with people on Facebook (still not convinced about social networking), keeping up to date with emails, downloading online courses I am suppose to be doing and providing feedback on ebay
• Emily Falconbridge is up to Q42 and I haven't finished Q1, this means the following; it's only 10 weeks until the end of the year (suggests I can still lose 10kgs in 10 weeks), a mother of 3 young children can move to another country, have a baby and be an earth woman and still find time to create, I have to get my butt into gear....hhhmmmm.... I do have a 7 hour train trip coming up.
• 30 school days left!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Joshua played his first ever game of Rugby League last week. I know this momentous occasion deserves its own blog entry and scrapbook page. It was with great reluctance that I signed the permission slip. For no formal coaching he did exceptionally well (scored a try and all). We were very, very, very proud.
• Joshua also went on a bivouac to Straddie. We hope that he continues with the cadet program into the airforce.
• Jillian is continuing to challenge us in many ways. She still refuses to sleep on her bed, with the floor being her current location (last week it was the couch). I have always maintained that as long as she is sleeping soundly, then I don't really care where she sleeps. She is falling behind in her school work and we are working at improving her understanding of the English language. Our little free spirit is feeling a little restrained, thank goodness for her fairy garden.
• green is Jillian's and my current favourite colour
• After spending some time over the past few weeks with various girlfriends I am grateful for their honesty, time and companionship that their friendship provides and acknowledge how very lucky I am to have them in my life.
• everything is and will be okay

How is it in your part of the world?

Who Moved My Cheese?

I love cheese, all kinds of cheese, vintage, chedder, creamed, camebert, dutch, smoked, grilled, it's all decedant and delightful and it goes with all sorts of other food and wine. It really is a perfect little package of goodness. I strongly belive in the good cheese can do so much that I eagerly read a book entitled Who Moved My Cheese? It really is a fabulous book about change.

Very timely for me to read. At a time where I am unsure about the direction I would like my career to head in and at a time where I need to support my knowledges about health with a little (well a large) bit of practical action, this book provided great insight into getting up and doing.

Does change scare or excite you? Have you ever said that "change is as good as a holiday"? but never really believed it? Or are holidays stressful and expensive for you and therefore, change is very much like a holiday? Me? I like change when it is convienient for me, othertimes, it is easier to make excuses as to why not to change, much like one of the characters in the book.

Essentially cheese is the 'thing' you want to achieve, the 'thing' that requires you to leave old things behind and seek out the challenges of the new. For me, I need to let go of the old cheese, of the way things were once before... a long, long time ago, and move forward to new cheeses. As Hem writes on the wall in the hope that Haw will leave his cheeseless environment and find his message, "It is safer to search in the maze, than remain in a cheeseless situation".

B x

Bucket List

There are people in your life who never cease to amaze you. My grandmother, Nana Dot, as she is affectionally known, is one of these people. She has a 'bucket list'. Today she marked off one of those items when we went to Yum Cha with her. You know what I love most about her list? It is realistic and achievable. A helicopter flight - done. High Tea in Government House - done. Using the self serve photo order machines - done. A walk through the Governer's residence - doing very soon. When asked what wasn't on the list - bungy jumping or tandem skydiving, why? Despite the fear factor, the dentures may fall out.

Got me thinking about my bucket list. Do you have one?

Marvellous May...

Henry Jones Junior

Hello, my name is Henry Jones Junior, or Indianna for short. I became a Cuskelly-Lester a little under 2 weeks ago. I came from a loving family who just couldn't have any more animals. I have a bit of a sad story as I didn't know my mum but that's okay because where I'm living now I have a mother and an uncle. They don't seem to want to play with me though. Even when I chase them around the house and nip at their legs! All they seem to do is hiss at me and swat me with their paws. They aren't very fun at the moment, but I can't wait til they want to play hide and seek with me.

I like my name Indianna, it suits me. I'm named after that awesome adventurer, Indianna Jones. Yep, that's me. King adventurer cat! I go climbing, jumping, chasing, hiding, running, playing, exploring just like Indianna Jones. Briohny wanted to call me Stitch because I like to tear things apart, bite and I go really, really fast all of the time. Tony thought Scrappy Doo would be good for me because just like Scooby Doo, I like to follow my uncle around, but Jillian and Joshua decided Indianna Jones was best.

They keep trying to take photos of me but I'm too fast for them....

Teenagers and Toddlers: Is There a Difference?

This came from Emily's blog.
I can't help but notice the similarities between the rules of a toddler and the rules of a teenager.

I've added to the rules how they relate to a teenager

The Seven Rules of a Toddler (and Teenager...added by me)

1. If I like it, it is mine. - this includes, the ipod, laptop, dvd's, socks (because you can't find your own), the favourite spot on the couch...

2. If it is in my hands, it is mine. - see above and add remote control to this

3. If I can take it from you, it is mine. - again, see above

4. If I had it a little while ago, it is mine. - hhmmm...again, see above

5. If it is mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way. - unless of course I like it, take it and then it becomes mine and never was yours to begin with because I liked it...and so the cycle goes.

6. If I am doing or building something, all of the pieces are mine. - I'm going on out on a limb here and grouping this under the heading of 'technology'. Something along the lines of 'I was watching a DVD so the TV is mine, I'm checking my emails while I have paused the DVD so the computer is also mine, as I am watching a DVD, the remote is mine, the ipod has songs to listen to while the emails are downloading, so, yep mine! Meaning nothing that I am using/holding/pausing is yours.

7. If it looks just like mine, it is mine - Summing this up in one question - 'How many pairs of headphones have been 'lost' because they look like mine?'

I'd like to add a few more to the list, those that particularly pertain to that of a teenager.

1. If I have money, I will spend it

2. If you have money, it is mine to spend

3. If it's in the cupboard or fridge or on the stove it is mine to eat

4. It is my mess in my room therefore, my choice to clean it or not

5. Leaving school shirts buttoned is called time effeciency.


Does anyone else feel like this? Feel free to add your own 'teenage rules'.

B x

Just Plain Nice

Rise up this morning'

Smiled with the risin' sun

Three little birds

Pitch by my doorstep

Singin' sweet songs

of melodies pure and true...

Do you remember the old photo booth shots? The last time I was in one of these I was 17 and with a girlfriend after a shopping spree in the City.

I forgot my camera for our Mothers Day breakfast and took the opportunity when we saw this photo booth to get some snaps for the day. I think they are far better than anything I could've captured.

This was the first year that the kids really became involved in Mothers Day. Tony took them shopping and they knew exactly what they wanted to get. In and out within an hour. (hmmm... maybe he could do the Christmas shopping too). Josh picked me a new charm for my necklace, Jilly got me the Art of Graham Base book, some jewellery and Tony picked two very cute shirts.

I hope your mothers day was as divinely simple as mine was.

Peace and Love
Briohny xxx

ANZAC Day

If I was any prouder, my heart would burst.

Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid, one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.

Douglas MacArthur

Right Now

Right Now I am

• sore from playing the Wii


• wondering how my glasses are getting dirty when they stay on my face


• thankful for our cleaning lady


• wondering how our house gets so dirty even when we have a cleaning lady


• listening to the rain


• anticipating the visit to IKEA tomorrow to re-do the kids' rooms


• wondering what my chances are of getting the kids to swap rooms


• watching lots of goodies on ebay


• editing photos


• in a happy place.

Care to share your 'right now'?

Bx

I am super excited about completing the 12 Months 12 Moments class with this person at Flourish. If you haven't been there you simply must go and boost our economy and invest in yourself. What better reasons do you have to spend some money?

Whilst trying to organise my photos for this class I realised how little I have taken my camera out this year and captured life as it is happening. A not so gentle reminder to get out there and get clicking.

B x

To Do: Blog Entry - Lists

I love lists. I love how they allow me to organise my thoughts and help clear my head. I like being able to break my lists down into what ever categories I want; work / home / days of the week / Saturday mornings.

Inspired by Kath and her 43 things before 44 I've created my own 32 things before I turn 33. Some things may be ambitious. Some things depend on something else in the list happening, some things will allow me to give a little cheer, but most of all, this list will be for me.

1. Attend Kath's tea party. The grown up one. The one with pretty frocks, champagne, lush green grass, whimsical decor and 1940's music playing in the background.

2. Sew a skirt. From scratch. A long one, made in delightful material that can be worn on weekends.

3. Get the termite damage fixed, house painted, gardens landscaped and turn the backyard into a haven complete with Bali hut, rainforest plants and a flowering Frangapani tree. Is it too much to ask for the Green Tree Frogs and running stream?

4. Lose 15 kilograms.... and not find them again.... ever!

5. As a result of losing 15 kilograms, run 15 kilometres, comfortably.

6. Get a tattoo. Only when I lose those 15 kilograms and can run 15 kilometers.

7. Re-organise my cook book into recipes I actually cook, not one's that look gloriously scrumptious in the cook books. These recipes should end up a 'to cook' pile.

8. Fly to Newcastle to reconnect with the friends we haven't seen in a very long time.

9. Re-read the 'Troy Game' series by Sara Douglass.

10. Finish the 'Chronicles of Narnia'

This list, much like life, will evolve, stall, test and hopefully reward.

Love and Laughter to you all

B xxx

Squashed Bread Roll Speaks

"Aaargh!", "Oww", "EEEE", "STOP IT!" "AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!" was the noise Josh (aka 13 yr old son) was making as I was flattening my bread roll to fit into the toaster.

Yes, he was being the bread roll.

Had a meeting in the city today....

Walked over the Goodwill Bridge in my 'sensible' shoes and a cardi and felt old....

Just what the doctor ordered

The creative part of my being has been sadly neglected of late, particularly that pertaining to photography. I'm not sure whether it is a lack of interest, couldn't be bothered or no inspiration. Enter Rachel. We 'posed' our way through a glorious afternoon outside, surrounded by greenery and country air. Thanks also to the other lovely ladies who have since posted photos from the day.

It was a happy, happy day, and for this I am eternally grateful to those that allowed it to be this way.

Love to you all

Briohny x

Chicness on Kenrose

Friday night's opening of the stunning new Fourish ScrapArte Studio was truly grand. Great products, great women, great times ahead.

Congratulations to Jan, Ruth and their devoted families for the unfaltering support that has been shown through these past 5 weeks.

We can not wait to see and be part of the Flourish journey.

B xxx