Day 230 in a Year of my Life

I admit to being absolutely exhausted after a very long and emotional day.

Rodney's service was lovely today and I was so chuffed when the leaflet for the service was handed to me and there on the front page was the photo that I had taken of him a year ago.

It was a very emotional moment for me.  A little while later, I overheard somebody say that it was the best photo they had ever seen of him.

It made me feel a little closer to him and I felt a real connection.

It was nice to sit with the boys for the service and the 'Seat of Knowledge' was even mentioned in the eulogy.

So, please forgive me, for signing off early tonight and let me leave you with a bright, happy and colourful treasure from after the rain a couple of days ago.

Today, I am grateful to friends who love and support me through difficult times like these.  You know who you are xxx

Nite all.

Day 229 in a Year of my Life

The morning of the day that Adoring Husband was returning from Sydney (Wednesday), there was an amazing sunrise.

Unfortunately, I had work commitments and was unable to make the most of it.

I DID, however, take my camera with me and even though the location is not very picturesque, it still shows how awesome the sunrise was.

Then, on the way to the Seat of Knowledge, there was some pretty heavy dew highlighting cobwebs in the sunlight.  This was my favourite.

We've had a very wet, rainy day today, so I didn't get to spend any time at the Seat of Knowledge this morning.

It began to pour with rain as AH and left the Bakery with our coffee.  We stopped briefly at the SOK, as the boys were all scattering to head home.  I was able to give Gentleman Jim a rain poncho as he was leaving, so he didn't have to get too wet.

There was some nasty weather in southern Queensland during the night.  Pratten and Bony Mountain were both hit by severe storms.

The Southern Downs Storm Chasers called the Pratten storm a 'microburst' but they believe that Bony Mountain copped a tornado of sorts, or in their words "dropped a funnel" and say that they found the spot where it first touched ground.

They also stated that this is very unusual storm activity for this time of the year - we seem to be hearing that more and more often.

I was surprised by my emotional reaction when I first read about it and saw the photos.  Just when I think I've recovered nicely, something happens to open the wound again.

Last night there was a ten minute period when the wind picked up so strongly that the noise of it scared the dogs and they jumped up to look out the window.  It made my heart skip a beat.

I guess it's going to take a bit longer yet, to get over it.

Anyway, something nice to come out of the disaster is our new dining suite :) which I absolutely love!

Today I am grateful for bike rides in the rain, when the rain is so heavy that it literally runs down the glass of your sunglasses like a waterfall.  When it fills the lid of your take away coffee so that when you try to take a mouthful, all you get is water.  When you pedal really fast hoping to get out of the rain, but realise halfway home, that you can't get any more wet, so you slow right down and enjoy the wetness as it drenches your clothes and runs down your knees to your ankles and flicks off the back of your thongs as you pedal along.

After all, it's only water :)

Nite all.

Day 228 in a Year of my Life

Sadly, one of my boys passed away yesterday.

He had spent a lot of years, on and off, fighting different forms of cancer, but this last diagnosis hit him hard and I don't think he had any fight left in him.

These past few months were a real struggle for him.  He was in a lot of pain and unable to look after himself properly, though he fought hard to stay in his own home right to the end.

He had been in hospital for almost a week after a fall at home, when he finally gave up.

Even though we all agreed that he may not be able to fight this one out, it was still a shock to us that he lost the battle this soon.

He's no longer in pain and he doesn't have to fight anymore.  His suffering is over.

But I still feel sad.

He really liked this photo and asked for a copy.

Rest In Peace Rodney.

Today I am grateful to have known Rodney Ross.  He was one of my boys and the first one I found and hugged after the tornado in January.  It took a while, but he shared a little bit of his life with me and always gave me a cheerful 'good morning' when I arrived at the Seat of Knowledge.

We will miss you.  I will miss you.

Nite all.

Day 227 in a Year of my Life

Went to the Thermomix demonstration.

Loved it.

Trouble is ... we have in our kitchen, every single kitchen appliance and gadget that the Thermomix replaces.

That makes it really difficult to warrant spending almost $2000 for the Thermomix.

Even the time saved in the preparation of food is lost to us, because we are not workers and have all the time in the world to prepare and cook.

So, as much as I LOVE the Thermomix and would LOVE to have one permanently placed on my kitchen bench, with a bit of practical thinking, and common sense, it's probably not the smartest buy for us right now.

I think it would be ideal for a young family just starting out and where both parents work.  Space saving in the kitchen, time saving for healthy and fast family meals, time saving as far as cleaning at the end of the meal goes and the advantage of having just one gadget for so many purposes.

It would also be excellent for anyone travelling in a caravan or campervan.  The one place where you need to save space and weight, and still want the versatility to cook a variety of different meals, even in remote locations.

Great for a single person, who just can't be bothered spending time in the kitchen preparing, would find this ideal because it does everything for you,  is so fast, and healthy meals wouldn't be such a chore.

I am so tempted to write ten thousand words on the virtues of the fabulous Thermomix, so be grateful that I am ending the Thermomix story right here!

Another thing that I gained from this party was the discovery of a business that provides organic fruit, vegetables and groceries in the area .. something that I thought we had lost forever, after moving from Sydney.

I'm pretty excited about this find and can't wait to put in our first order!  Especially until our new veggie garden is established.

Today, I am grateful to Donna, the Thermomix demonstrator, for reminding me about food and environmental issues that affect our health, which I have become lazy and complacent about of late.

Time to take better care of our health by focussing on all the things we cared so much about before we moved here.

Time to sleep now.

Nite all.

 

Day 226 in a Year of my Life.

The high point of the sunset, was that it happened on the change of tide while it was low, so the light reflected beautifully on the still water.

I had hoped to share lots of knowledge today.  I'd hoped to spend a lot of time watching tutorials and learning heaps about photoshop and practising on my photos and then sharing them here.

I'd planned a whole day in self imposed solitary confinement.  I was going to be focussed and my workload was going to be intense.

My day, instead was a run of interruptions, and I didn't get longer than 30 minutes running to focus on anything.

Also, because today was a public holiday, something photography-related, that I was expecting in the mail, won't be here til tomorrow, so that was a bit disappointing too.

So I have no new knowledge to share and only a couple of sunset photos.  Ah well.

Today, I am grateful (really) for friends and loved ones, who interrupt my planned days of solitary confinement, because I know that they care about me.

Nite all.

Day 225 in a Year of my Life

I almost got my dream shot this morning.

My dream shot is a rainbow across the river at exactly the turn of the tide so that the water is still and the rainbow is reflected in it.  A shot that I missed a year or more ago.

I did learn an important lesson though - when you're in the rain with your camera, protect it between shots ...

I took about eight shots before I looked and realised my photos were spotty.  Sad but true :)

Ya live n learn!

Today, I am grateful for backyard barbecues with delicious salads, the mouth watering aroma of meat and onions cooking on the grill and home made punch.  Catching up with friends for a couple of hours.

Time for bed.

Nite all.