Day 105 in a Year of my Life

Well, it looks like the repair job on our house is going to be bigger than Ben Hur.  A major repair involving a cast of thousands and the possibility that we will have to move out for a period of time as well.  However, we still don't know exactly what's going on, so instead of stressing about what might happen, I choose this ...

Today, I am grateful for my ability to go with the flow, roll with the punches and let the universe do what it will.  I know that it will all work out in the end ... it always does :D

Looking forward to a breakfast fry up at the park in the morning, with my boys, so I'm off to get a good nights sleep, so that I can get an early start.

Nite all.

Day 104 in a Year of my Life

WILBUR HERBERT LIVES!

Poor Wilbur Herbert was in the back garden when the tornado hit almost two weeks ago.  He must have been tossed around a bit, but luckily, still managed to fall within the confines of our yard.

He was in a few pieces when we found him, but he survived and lives to travel again in our future!

Today I am grateful that Wilbur Herbert did not get tossed over the fence, through, over and beyond our town.  I am grateful that he survived because he is my trigger for some fabulous memories from last year and I don't want to lose him!

Nite all.

Day 103 in a Year of my Life

From this ...

Comes this ...

I need to be there much earlier in the day when the light is better.

The cactus plant is so harsh with sharp edges and dangerous thorns and the shape is pretty ordinary, but when it's flowers bloom, the flower is so delicate and beautiful and completely opposite to the plant itself.

I don't like cactus plants, which is why I don't grow them in my garden, but I adore the flowers and when I see them in full bloom like this, I often reconsider.

I guess that as long as the people around me grow these lovely plants, I will continue to take advantage with my camera, at the times when they are at their most magnificent.

It's nice to photograph something beautiful, instead of all the ugliness and destruction during this last 10 days.

Today, I'm grateful that Mother Nature can still show us her gentleness and beauty, after the wrath  that she shared with us on the 27th January.  That doesn't mean that I have completely forgiven her ... but I'm getting there.

Nite all.

Day 102 in a Year of my Life

Can barely keep my eyes open.

Adoring Husband and I drove into The Bay this morning and saw 'Les Mis' at the cinema.

Adoring Husband slept through a good portion of it.  He is not the slightest bit interested in

• Period Movies
• Period Musicals

It was very nice of him to sit through 3 hours of what he would probably class as his 'cruellest form of torture'!

I loved the movie and I'm glad that I saw it on the big screen because it was a spectacle to behold.

It was nice to get out together - we finally had a builder secure the house yesterday.  We've had a gaping hole for anyone to walk through for 10 days, so one of us had to be here at the house to protect ourselves against looters and the like.

Definitely time to sleep.

A photo of one of my old boys from the Seat of Knowledge, who lives in the caravan park and who survived the tornado intact.

Nite all.

Day 101 in a Year of my Life

So I think you can tell, by the quotes that I've been posting on facebook for the last week, what my frame of mind has been like.

Yes, I've been looking for positive affirmations to drag me out of the tornado tumbles.

This afternoon was a good start when about 30 of us had a barbecue at what's left of the Lion's Park.  Thirty good people.

It was very therapeutic.  It was good to talk.  It was good to listen.  It was good to be together.  Some of the regulars, and some fresh faces as well.

I had a nice time :D

Today, I'm grateful for 'debriefing' opportunities with old friends, and for the chance to develop deeper relationships with old acquaintances, where we share the bond of this dreadful disaster.  Hopefully there will be more positive bonding opportunities in the future.

Nite all.

Day 100 in a Year of my LIfe

Broken roof + windy day = scary noises.

A photographer friend posted something on facebook today and I thought it was an interesting way to compare the earlier years of our life, to how it is today.

I've used her examples and added a couple of my own.

When I was 29 ...

• I was a divorced, single parent
• I was receiving welfare payments
• I lived in Griffith
• I had three children
• I rented a commission house for $57 wk
• I feared that I was a failure
• I had part time cleaning work
• I wanted to be happy
• I had no life plan or goals - just going with the flow

Now ...

• I am married to Adoring Husband
• I live on the Fraser Coast
• I own my home
• We have 5 grown children and 4 grandchildren between us
• I fear Mother Nature
• I have 16 yrs experience with Public Service
• I am a freelance photographer
• I want to continue being happy
• I still have no life plan or goal - still going with the flow

I've learned that life can be unpredictable and can change, for better or worse, in an instant.

I've learned to soak up and enjoy the good and happy times.

I've learned that the bad and sad times don't last forever.

I've learned that I can cleanse my life of people who make me unhappy.

I've learned that life is too short.

I've learned to never say never.

I've learned to try 'almost' anything once (I draw the line at sky diving and bungie jumping!).

I've learned that it's never too late to find new good friends.

I've learned that there is always plenty more to learn.

I've learned a bunch of other stuff too, but that'll do for now.

Today I'm grateful for most of the things that I've learned along the way, and I'm grateful to still be here to hopefully learn some more.

Nite all.

Day 99 in a Year of my Life

It just happened that on Saturday, 26th January, which was Australia Day, Adoring Husband and I spent the morning at the Lion's Park.  We cooked our breakfast on the public barbecue and wandered around taking photos because of the heavy overnight rainfall and the unusually high tide.

Then the tornado hit in the early hours of 27th January.

This morning, exactly a week later, I took some photos from about the same angles as last week's shots.

Before and After shots...

I have some more to do, but it's a bit emotionally draining, so I'm not going to do them all in one day.

However, today, I am grateful for our impromptu photo shoot on the day before the tornado, because now we have a pretty accurate catalogue of 'before' and 'after'.  Sad, but true.

Today is a fragile day, so I'm taking it slowly and quietly, and licking my wounds.  It started badly, but is slowly improving.

Woman of Many Talents dropped by with her other half, the Kiwi Boy, today.

It was good to see them ... I needed to see them today, because they were away when the tornado hit and they struggled for three days to get home through the floods.  They've spent the last four days cleaning up and they were the last of our friends that we hadn't seen since it all happened.

I'm beginning to crave some comfort food - should I or shouldn't I?  I'll let you know the outcome tomorrow.

Early mark today so ...

Afternoon all.