Feed of Blog

Be

I’ve been praying a fair bit since we got here, asking God what exactly we are supposed to doing here.  However, a week or so ago I started to get the sense that this wasn’t really the right prayer.  In a time of silence with Martin when we were praying for our new home the word “BE” came to me.  The question isn’t what should we be doing here but how do we be here.  Fully present to the people here, the land here, the spirit of God here.

So as we wait for jobs and more certainty about our future t I have been trying really hard to BE here.  Sometimes I do feel anxious but I keep reminding myself that God is with us and there continues to be so many blessings:

• I have been so much enjoying sitting out on the street around dusk.  As the air cools people move their chairs outside and sit and watch the world go by.  We chat about the day and the heat and whatever comes up.  Nina especially loves the donkeys that pass by or of course the dogs who she still calls Bitta.  If there other children around she attempts to play with them but she’s still entirely sure how to do that.
• I have been enjoying walking up to the “plaza de armas” with Nina.  This is the main square where people often come to meet.  Nina runs around and climbs on things and we inevitably meet with someone we know and have a chat.
•  I have been enjoying offering hospitality to different people.  Mainly Martin’s family with whom we have had a number of late nights now talking over a wine or two.
• I have been engaging with the whole slow food idea.  No food here comes in tins so everything needs to be soaked over night and then made from scratch without the aid of a pasta sauce or curry paste.  And all our water needs to be boiled.  I do still find it a little overwhelming how much thought needs to go into making food but I am starting to get there.
• I have been really valuing time at home with my amazing husband and beautiful daughter.  Sometimes the days seem very long as we don’t always do that much but I am sure there will com e a time when have jobs again and life speeds up as it does that I will long for these days.

I remember writing this back in June when we were making the decision to come and I guess it still remains true, “in the end it’s not really about what we do or don’t do. It’s just about facing the challenge that’s been put in front of us with all that scares me, excites me, thrills me, depresses me and in that trying to love those around us and been open to what they have to offer and what God gives us to offer.”

2 posts this week

Video of the Week: Hello/Inspirational Speech

This week's video is actually two videos. I tagged both of these throughout the week for video of the week, since they're thematically similar, here they are.

Enjoy.

8 posts this week

unnecessary rant

In the scheme of things this post isn’t going to change the world and is really just going to waste your time. I need to vent somewhere but the wife, son and turtles are all asleep so the blog is it.

On Wednesday I ordered something online, delivery would normally have been the next day but because Thursday was Straya Day I would have to wait until today.

Excited about my parcel arriving today I logged on to the parcel tracking to see where it was.

Ripper it was on board with the driver at 7:12am and would be delivered by 5pm.

Later in the morning I received an sms saying my parcel would be delivered today.

I didn’t leave the house for pretty much the whole day. (not because of the parcel just because my life is that exciting). I did go out for a bit in the afternoon to buy an onion and some tomatoes but Jenny was home when I wasn’t here.

At 5pm there was still no sign of the parcel.

I logged back into the tracking to see what it said.

Same as before, so maybe the courier is just having a busy day and is running late.

Then resigned to the fact that my parcel was not going to arrive I looked up how to find out about the whereabouts of my parcel that would be delivered by 5pm.

Both the company I purchased from and the courier company where closed for the weekend and I should call on Monday.

A few minutes ago I thought I would check the tracking just one last time.

It had been updated!!!!!

“Card left Not Home (private)…….What?????? There was someone here all day, where I sit I can look out the window at our driveway…

I went out in the rain to look for this ‘card left’. there is no card near our front door, on our verandah or in the letterbox.

so my parcel was returned and now there is the lovely message ‘closed for holidays’.

Jerks!

Oh, just saw one of the turtles is awake so gonna go rant to them now.

That’s better.

4 posts this week

Slip n Slide

Today was the annual Australia Day BBQ at the Carltons. The boys stayed home while I partied hard – savoury snacks, punch, salad, cricket. After four hours of said partying, I headed home promising to ask Oscar if he wanted to come play some cricket. After initially declining, he decided that yes, he did want...»

5 posts this week

how to: recycle sneakers

And not in an “Awesome! Let’s make a really ugly plant-pot or door-stop!” kind of way. My rubbish bugs me. Sometimes more than other times. Like when I bought a new pair of sneaks because the pair I was wearing had no tready grip left, and sliding on the carpet when you’re attempting to do [...]

3 posts this week

Sketches

I have made it to Coober Pedy and have spent the last two days here after driving from Bermagui to Coober Pedy in three very long days. Along the way I have seen some amazing country.

I took a couple of hundred photos along the way and this post will sketch the trip so far using the panoramic shoots I have uploaded. I love my panaromas and it was a simple way of determining which photos I would upload out of all the ones I have taken. There are more photos than these, click through any of the photos below and you’ll see them. I’m also tweeting as I go, but you’ll have to make an account and ask to follow me as my twitter account is private. If you do that though you’ll get more updates as I go along.

Having stayed at my Mum’s for three nights I headed across the roof of Australia, through Jinadbyne, Thredbo and across to Swan Hill. From sea level to 1500m+ then to the Murray I passed through some of the most spectacular scenery Australia has on offer.

In Port Augusta I stayed at The Flinders Hotel for $55 for the night. Great deal. When I said that I was coming in late they said it didn’t matter as they where available until 3am, I didn’t really think about what that meant, but as the talking and music kept me up until 3am I realized that they meant the pub was open until then. Oh well.

Thankfully this hotel didn’t include a room of people getting to know each other in noisily intimate ways, although I did get to hear about the sexpoilts of the night before while the guys in the room next door packed their car the next morning, at least I didn’t have to listen while it was happening.

They were just leaving as I came out to pack my car. Didn’t quite know where to look.

From there I started my serious Northern trip. The land started getting flatter and redder and hotter immeadiately.

Nothing much happened as I headed north, I paused at Woomera, which was an empty place, like a Ghost Town but the ghosts were all still people somewhere. Felt like a lot was going on just not anywhere I could see. They had rockets, most of which failed, and not much was said about Atomic testing. I could see the detention centre but they had boom gates a long way out.

Just when I thought the area couldn’t get any more flatter and redder and hotter it did.

1 post this week

Word for the day: weltschmertz ..

1 post this week

What’s Newsified Today January 22, 2012

Here’s the top recent articles from my favourite blogs and news sites: Google Latitude For Desktop Updated Pinterest Sending Webmasters Lots Of Traffic 5 Firefox Add-Ons for Increasing Productivity Collaborative Documentary Weaves Stories of Egyptian Revolution What Apple Is Wading Into: A Snapshot Of The K-12 Textbook Business Who Did the Most to Bury SOPA? [...]

1 post this week

More canyons

Did a speedy Empress canyon yesterday with Patrick and Trevor and a guy I don’t know called Callum. It is only 1.5hrs but it was really beautiful and really fun, lots of good sized jumps into cold water – but with my new wetsuit it wasn’t so cold . I was sitting in the middle of the canyon, about to do the abseil and staring out into the valleys of the trees. I felt so grateful be able to live here. It got a bit tentative for a little while there. I thought I might have to move back to the big smoke because the commute was getting frustrating – but something happened. And now I can stay here and live among the fresh air, the birds, the trees and the canyons.

Goodbye Red

I finally said goodbye today to the redback spider who'd moved in next to my toilet bowl. She's been around for a while, probably pinching food from all the other spiders in the bathroom. I used the toilet brush to walk her outside and find her a home in buffel grass. I hope things work out for her.

There is still the other redback living next to my toaster. She is much smaller, and maybe not old enough to go out into the world yet.

Loyalty or fidelity?

Is there a difference between loyalty and fidelity?

Ends and beginnings

The last week has been a week of ends and beginnings.  

The first and more significant end was that my grandfather passed away.  His passing was sad, but he lived a good life for nearly 90 years, loved people and was much loved in return.  Travelled up to Sydney with Andreana for 26 hours to farewell him at his funeral on Thursday.  It amazes me how good funerals can be, so good for getting grief out and getting to a place of acceptance that someone isn’t around anymore.  Mum spoke well, and the minister did a great job.

The second end was to my work at TEAR, it was also good.  I had a lovely farewell lunch with lots of people saying lovely things about me and my time at TEAR.  I feel like I am leaving a good team there to continue on the work I’ve done on IT Systems there.  

And I also started my new job with Blackbaud Pacfic. I’m working as a technical consultant there helping clients get the most out of Blackbaud’s Fundraising software in support of their missions.  The professional services team I’m working with seams really good and  I’m really excited about the oportunity to work with so many different not-for-profits.  

Sad days

I’ve just spent the past half hour trying to upload a photo onto this post but didnt’ succeed. I’ve only ever managed to do it once. I’m feeling a bit frustrated because we have lots of wondeful photos but can’t seem to share them. Probably should talk to Ryan.

Any way, I was going to say that is now nearly a week since Mil, Martin and Nina left us. Day to day life without them is just not the same. I keep finding toys or books or things Nina loved to play with and bursting into tears. I keep looking over to their cabin in the evening and there is darkness most of the time. An era has come to an end and at the moment all I feel is an big empty hole here. We have another family moving in next year and that should be good but it won’t be the same. The nice thing is that after they flew off last Sunday, our aborignal neighbours, John and Mallie invited us over in the evening. We turned up and amzingly Mallie had prepared this wonderful meal. She had set up a  table outside with a table cloth and had cheese and biscuits and olives and sundreid tomaotes and good wine, and she had made vegie soup and pasta and garlic bread and there was cheesecake for desert. I was so touched. She had put in a lot of effort and prepared food she knew we liked. I was feeling so miserable and that meal cheered me up no end. She said she had promised Mil she would look after us and she did.  Those acts make so much difference. I think we can soldier on here.

Isn’t it Ironic

turning 60 (odd part)