Good grief

Well, this is it. The eve of the grief counselling course. It's weekend-long, so I am expecting to be beat by this Sunday night. Beat, but full.

Next week is Master Crimson class too. This year, I plan to study the Masters colours (having done the 13 Colour Rays healing course last year, which was all about the 13 levels of human perception - lots of 'work on yourself/heal the healer' stuff). The Masters colours are an extension of this work, where I will really start to expand my levels of responsibility and spiritual energy within myself and how to responsibly share that out toward humanity. And the biggie, the one I've been really itching to get into, starts this month too, on the 25th: Energenetics.

"Energenetics is a method of transforming the body’s cellular memory, of assisting the individual to release outmoded, genetically influenced perceptions and pathways from their etheric pattern and to create new perceptions and pathways that are no longer co-dependent but uniquely their own" - from here.

Must remember not to wear eye makeup tomorrow! Should be great, I am really looking forward to expanding my learning, as always when I take on a new course. This is it, my baby girl, my greatest teacher - I am beginning to pull it all together now and give it back out.

It's been five years. It's time.

How to get felt?

More accurately, what to make with felt?*

If, like me, you've always wanted to know... look no further! Just stumbled upon an Etsy shop that combines all my desires: making toys of distinction (and not plastic) for the Lolmeister, using my hands for good (sewing, in this case) and something time consuming to both distract me from putting my hand in the cookie jar (or making another batch) and most likely end up making me blind with dedication to doing the job properly. Oh how I love to embark on an impossibly intricate project - such as my ever-present book project that keeps growing and growing and growing. I find it always feeds my sense of low self-worth quite adequately.

Who reckons I'll never make this? *meekly putting my hand up first - beatcha's to it, all ye of little faith!* Oh how I very much want to make it. That is, if I get finished making this first... and this. With this for dessert. Damnit, why can't I have lots of wasteful, luxurious time???


* Reminds me of something I've always meant to blog about: the business name I happen to drive past routinely in a neighbouring suburb.... "Get Felt" - on a big, crazy billboard outside (I'm guessing) Mr and Mrs Felt's house. And yep, they manufacture Australian felt. How very specific.

Hearts for Tuesday

I just came across the most heartfelt idea for a grieving family that I have heard of in a long while and had to contribute to the action.

Some of you reading may already know of little Tuesday Whitt, the most delightful little girl who was diagnosed with cancer at age just 18 months and who passed away this week in the arms of her loving family. I have been heavy with sadness for their loss since coming across their blog. Tuesday is our Lolly's age (just three months between them) and so it hits even closer to home.

If you would like to add a message of strength or comfort for the family, click on the link at the right of my blog. There never seems like "enough" to say. But this one blogger alone is offering such a beautiful gesture. I think the mere sight of so many hearts with loving and supportive messages on them might go some way to cradling Tuesday's surviving family.

So many painful years ahead. But so many gorgeous memories left behind. Bittersweet.

Hangin' with Mr Pidey

Doing some weeding last week, I left the green waste bin out in the garden. Next morning, I was treated to a glorious web with this very dainty looking spider sitting at the helm.

I wonder if all the little stumpy spiders pick on this slender spider behind its back. Oooh look at meeee, I've got such looooong legs. EVER HEARD OF A HAMBURGER? Does she even EAT? I saw her just pushing that fly around, I never saw her take a bite. And she works out, like, 18 hours a day. Constantly fixing that web of hers.

Spiders are such byotches.

Must. Stop. Reading. Bloggggs!!!!

But before I do (did), I am so glad I found this entry for Rainbow Cookies.

So excited now, I can hardly sit still. Isn't it ridiculous what a bit of colour and a chance to bake something easy will do to me? Which reminds me ... to soon share with you the ludicrously easy recipe for lemon curd that my sister in-law bestowed on me while they were visiting recently. Now I finally have something to do with our billion and one lemons! Perhaps I could donate jars of the stuff out front. Become known as the Lemon Curd Lady.

Ok, maybe not.

But anyway, I swear, if I make these cookies - and then if they turn out looking good and not, like, either something colourful from Jazz's rear end or something the LGBB mashed together - I will take a photo of how ours turned out and post it here.

But only, y'know, if.

Her Morning Elegance

I think I've just been hypnotized. Highly watchable! (in an open-mouthed how'd they DO thaaaat? kind of way)

The week that was

Well. What a week for Melbourne it's been. I won't reiterate here, I'm sure those of you up with the news will have probably heard about the crazy (and unspeakably tragic) times that have hopefully now passed us. A brief summary can be found here, but it's by no means comprehensive.

Amongst the victims of the heat were two wee baby birds who had just hatched in their nest in our lemon tree. I had sheer thrills of delight - like when I was a kid, on our 2 acre property amongst the nature there - observing the mother native wattle bird tend her young. Their little beaks would appear over the top of the nest when she flew back to deliver their food.

They're dead now. One gone and the other blown out of the nest in high winds preceding a freak lightning storm yesterday morning. Its condition indicated it had probably perished days ago. I was really distraught, not so much for just these birds alone (and the poor mummy bird, who hasn't been seen since the heatwave, probably no need for her to stay around anymore), but for all the creatures - including the leafy varieties - left to fend for themselves in this relentless heat. With no water or shade. Not a pretty way to go, heat exhaustion.


Changing tone now, another victim this week was our TV. What you see here may appear to be harsh punishment ("You! Turn around and face the wall and don't you ever let me see you show us Tyra Banks' talk show ever, ever again!") but it was in fact what the doctor ordered. See, yesterday morning, a storm came through the valley here. A really intense storm with lots of lightning hitting things on the ground. I swear, if the dogs had been outside I wouldn't like to have thought what might have happened. As it was, Steve and my brother were out on the deck "enjoying" the light show and the rain. The LGBB was cradled in my arms, quite alarmed but not really petrified, and we were singing My Favourite Things (because she is now a life long fan of Freulein Maria and sings that movie's musical score randomly throughout any given day).

And then, the most enormous explosion I have ever heard rocked my house. It pulsated the floor. I bit my tongue in surprise. The girls all cowered and the telly.... well, bow your heads, readers.... it went ftzzz. And is now fast asleep. Along with its friends, the amplifier, speakers and dvd recorder.

We had no idea where the bolt had struck. Steve and my brother were rolling about on the deck in fits of shocked laughter, squinting their eyes (probably to check they were still seeing) and mouthing at my sister in-law and I through the window, Did you SEE that??? Oh my f***** dog! It was loud.

Later that day, an SES truck pulled up out front of the neighbouring house. The boys sprinted through our house down the back, following the SES worker's path down our fenceline - they guessed they'd turned up to inspect property damage related to the storm, which had now passed. And they were right.

The SES worker stopped, hands on hips, gazing up at the massive oak next door (adjacent to the LGBB's room, somewhat alarmingly). The big old tree had taken the force of the blow. It had travelled down the trunk and blown the bark clean off the tree. This is the best shot I could get over our fence.


I guess we'd better break the news to the LGBB when she wakes.

The TV is poorly. And it can't play her "the Monsters one" or her beloved Maria until further notice. Wish me luck, folks *cracks knuckles in preparation for some toddler sized heartbreak fallout*