Summer of Love

So, 10 days in to my photo-a-day and I actually kinda forgot to take one. But that's ok. It's not a drama. We'll just roll with it.

I had a young chap at work say a profound and resonating thing to me, and I'm sure he didn't even realise how special his words were.

He finished work at 10pm and said he needed to catch a bus home. I asked him what time the bus was, and he said he wasn't sure, so I suggested maybe taking off a few mins early as it was quiet. And he said to me "it doesn't matter if I miss the bus. There'll always be another one."

In our rush rush lives, where we are always on a schedule and have routines and to-do lists and appointments, do we ever really slow down? Take the long way home for a change. Take the 2nd bus so you can just sit still at the bus stop for an extra few minutes. Catch your breath. Watch the world pass you by, just for a moment. There'll always be another bus.

Today was a good day. The postie brought me a parcel. And that made me squeak with joy. It was my sweet sweet new camera bag, a partial Christmas/birthday present from my Mumma and my sis (and also myself lol). I've been using my other one that I love and will still use for almost 2 years... it was handmade for me by Tanya Tindale and I think it's wonderful and she's so clever, but my gear just didn't fit anymore. Which is kinda a good thing because it means I have more gear ;-)

So anyway, my new (not so) little baby is a gorgeous Kelly Moore bag and it's a freaking tardis and I LOVE IT x a gazillion. It's huge. There's enough room for lots and lots of gear. And I love it. Oh yeah, I said that already.

So after I squeaked and squawked about my new bag to the postie (didn't get it), my kids (didn't care), my husbo (wondered if I was strong enough to carry it) I kinda realised that as a work-from-home-parent I don't have colleagues to bounce things off to. So I squawked to facebook.... And all my photographer friends DID get it (as well as my sisters - they always get me).
(I really must post a photo that shows it's actual size - another day. It's way huger than it looks.)

Today's blessing has absolutely nothing to do with a camera bag or facebook or posties or even my kids. Just a little something to remind you that (almost) every cloud has that elusive silver lining....

Chemotherapy sucks. Badly.
But on the plus side you don't have to shave your legs for months at a time. Or other parts I'm assuming, I didn't ask.

Edit> I've just been reminded that also mosquitoes don't like chemo blood. Win! Especially when you go camping on the Murray during peak flood water and there are a million of them around. (Thanks Brooke!)

 

Sometimes it really pays to know your limits. And when you know them, then respect them. In my case it pays to know my children's limits because their limits are consequential to mine.

I dragged my kids out to Heide today, a place none of us have been to before. I know many photographer friends love the surrounding gardens, but I had no expectations. I invited myself to tag along with my little sister and Mum and Dad for lunch and then maybe, maybe, take a stroll through the exhibition. I'm a bit of an art bogan... but I like to think I'm fairly open minded when it comes to art, especially because my sister is an artist and I dabble in the odd photography ;-)

When the first thing you see as you walk in the door is something that looks like handwriting by a 6 year old, and your almost 6yo asks what kid wrote it, I should have known what to expect...

I'm bored.

I'm hungry.

I'm tired.

Why can't I touch anything?

This is boring.

When are we going home?

So I took the kids outside for a wander. We didn't go far, just outside the door really. But the kids had a run. I lay on the grass looking through the canopy. Ivy also lay down next to me, and for a moment everything was still and happy. And then she was all: shoes off, shoes on, hat off, hat on, my feet hurt, my tummy's sore, I'm not sleepy anymore, I want to go that way, Mummy you come too................ ETC ETC.

Then I hit my limit. I was over it. I said that's it, we're going home. But we'll just go back inside to say goodbye to Nanna and GD and Aunty Jenna first. On the way back inside Ivy took her shoes and hat off again, and ran away. And then after we said goodbye and we walking back to the car I discovered that there actually was some nice looking garden with more sculptures. Just 5 more mins I said to the kids. We'll go and check out the tin cows. It was further than it looked from the path. When we got there the kids wanted to turn straight back around and go back to the car. Elliot's drink bottle was empty. And there was a hill between us and the path leading back to the car. Halfway up the hill Ivy sat down and wouldn't get up. And then took her shoes off. Again.

Today's story is not so much of a blessing, but a reminder. Sometimes it really pays to be a bogan parent and not try to instil any culture in your kids whatsoever. At 5 and 2 years of age, they don't get it or respect it.

And the moral of the story - know your limits! Gah!!!!

Happy happy new year to one and all. 2011 is going to be a bloody marvellous year. I have lots of living and loving to do. I plan on feeling well and being well. I will be a better mother. And I will be a better wife. Amongst all the goodness that 2011 promises for me personally I also have 3 dear friends getting married (two of which I am a grooms-woman for, yeehar!) which is just so exciting I can hardly wait - thankfully they're in the first half of the year otherwise I'd just about explode.


But first, a new project! The Summer of Love project continues throughout January with an added bonus - my annual photo-a-day challenge. I plan to take a photo every single day for the month of January and post a lil story to go with it, and continuing on with my loved up feeling my theme this year is Small Blessings. I plan to find the silver lining in every cloud. Whenever things looks bleak or I find my mood wavering I'm going to find a blessing to help me shake it. I can't wait to share it with you.


So here we go:
Today I worked at Village and while I was silently dreading it, I had this weird moment as I headed up the steps to work thinking that by working here I can help pay off my home loan quicker. It can help for us to afford small luxuries. I felt grateful for having a small casual job. I was working 7 hours today and boy was I grateful for the double pay! When they sent me home a couple of hours early I was a bit annoyed but then driving home I realised that I could eat dinner with my kids and bath them and get them ready for bed. And then I found Wizard of Oz on the telly and watched some of it with Ivy (who was enraptured by it) and remembered that I couldn't have done this if I worked til 7. The double pay wasn't worth it.

A dear friend of mine was having her LAST chemo treatment today. Last one. Chemo free. Won't be long and she'll have a new fuzz on her beautiful head, and be able to enjoy beer again. So today, I babysat Emily for her. We ate junk food, went shopping, watched telly, and just hung out.

Sometimes it's way too easy to forget how good life really is.
Despite the similarities, Emily (blondie on left) and Ivy (blondie on right) are NOT related.