who would have thought....!

I read somewhere that
every word we speak
every move we make
will have an effect

but

who would have thought
that two years ago
 a whispered aside

'I follow a blog!'
in a slightly embarrassed manner,

would lead me
to following
one blog
and then another
and another.

Would lead me to
step out and
start a blog

who would have thought
that that original whispered aside
would lead me down a track
that two and a half years later
would lead to a weekend
that I was not looking forward to
would lead to a
weekend of laughter
and love

Souk actually allowing the beautiful Kerry to hold her!!!!!!!!!

of too much wine....me!!
too much words for friends....not me!!!
(sorry inside joke!!!!)


who would have thought
that that whispered aside
would lead to me meeting
the beautiful Kerry
from a tranquil townhouse,

Thank you Kerry for giving me your time
on this weekend
that I was dreading
for making me laugh
for making me think
for reminding me that there is
still joy out there
because

tomorrow it is
one year

for Kerry
with love
xxx

My Town Part III

Last the people…

it is the people who make this town.

Source: thatkindofwoman.tumblr.com via onepinkchair on Pinterest

Country towns have a reputation for being cliquey, 

for groups not mixing; not integrating…that is not the case here! 

My friends, and they are amazing friends, 

come from town and out of town. 

They are married and single. 

They are young, middling and aged. 

They are university educated and they left school at 12 

to help raise their families.

They are many and varied but without exception they are kind and caring, 

they are generous with their time and their emotions.

Source: rocks-of-all-colors.tumblr.com via onepinkchair on Pinterest

When I lost my best friend, my partner 

suddenly and totally unexpectedly 

and really, really needed them recently,
they came. 

They came
bearing food, lawn mowers, mops and polishing cloths. 

I was fed, whether I wanted to be or not, 

my house gleamed from top to toe 

and when it became necessary
they dressed me in the clothes they no longer fitted into, 

though in truth they received the ones that were now falling off me!

They planted vegetable gardens, they weeded vegetable gardens, 

they just sat and held my hand when I needed someone, 

they found the oddest jobs to keep me busy!

Source: google.com via onepinkchair on Pinterest

Months later,
when you would expect them all to go back to their own families and lives 

I wake to the phone ringing 

and have to leap out of bed 

to make sure the dogs are locked away as the lawn is about to be mown. 

I wake to the phone 

and leap out of bed 

to be told that I have half a table to fill at the local market tomorrow. 

I wake to the phone 

and leap out of bed 

to hear that it’s a good day to play scrabble they will be around in an hour 

(It’s the first anniversary  of an important day, 

it’s Australia day, his birthday) 

but they come with lunch and dinner, some happy music and nobody mentions what day it is…where are their families, 

why at home of course!

Like all towns and suburbs this one has its problems, 

its uncontrollable kids, its petty thieves, bad language 

but that doesn’t detract from the sheer thoughtfulness, 

kindness and deep friendship 

that I have found here

And it is a pretty town to drive through  

and its positioning as the hub of the circle 

that consists of five major towns
and many smaller towns all within an hours drive

 means that everything you could wish for is within reach!

Will I leave this town now?

I still don’t know.

But I cannot think that I will ever find 

a better place to live out the rest of my days.

Thank you for listening to my story

and the images?......just because I liked them!!!!!!

xxxxx 

My town part II...the house

I have been looking at real estate in the city again

so I can be closer to my children.

For around $400,000
I can get a rundown fibro in an area that would be,
in time taken to drive through traffic,
almost as far away as I am now.
It would require a massive renovation
and would then be over priced for the neighbourhood.

Or, I can get a studio apartment in an old hotel
that has been turned into private studio accommodation,
but it would be reasonably close to the kids.

Third choice is moving to the outer area where I could possibly find
an aged two bedroom unit or townhouse…again needing massive renovations.

So what would I be leaving to move to one of these delights?

A house that we fell in love with the minute we walked through the front door,

a large house for two people
but we do have five children and lots of grandchildren
and there was room for all,
well almost!

It has a history that is romantic and fascinating

and for all those 16 years it has watched over us
and embraced us as a family.
It is one of those magic houses
that is a naturally warm and welcoming home

It stands on ½ an acre of,

admittedly, dreadfully overgrown garden
and is 45 squares of double brick Victoriana with 8’ verandahs all round.

Inside, the 14’ ceilings of beautifully patterned Wunderlich metal

give the large rooms a feeling of cosiness as the proportions are beautiful

Most of the rooms run off the 68’ x 6’ hallway
complete with exquisite stained glass doors at either end.

The many marble and timber Victorian fireplaces
are in almost perfect original condition..

Now I am being honest when I say that the kitchens and bathrooms
could do with a rebuild,
but somehow these just fit with the house and we never felt the need to improve.

There are 14 rooms
if you count the outside loo with its black and white tiles and marble step
and the studio that in one of its lives
saw the birth of hundreds of babies that now live all round Australia.
(I have met them in Brisbane and Hobart!!!)

This is all far too big for me
and it is beginning to crumble around the edges
as I can no longer give it the care it deserves
but the asking price is under $400,000!!

How can that compare with City prices?!!!!! 

my town part I

We moved here 16 years ago.

 It wasn't meant to be for long.

Over a period of 26  years we lived in Sydney, Melbourne,
Adelaide, Hobart (twice!), Brisbane 

and then it was going to be a couple here before moving on again!

It didn’t happen.

 So here I am 16 years later;
this is the longest time I have lived in the one house.
It is the longest I have lived in the one town or suburb.

Why so long here?

Is it the town?  The house?  The people?  The circumstances?
Or heaven forbid just inertia?

I can’t answer that because I think it is probably a combination of the first three
with a fair bit of the last thrown in for good measure!

But I would not even be asking myself this question if fate hadn’t stepped in and changed my life.
I can only thank God that he so wisely allowed me to be living in this town
at this time because without it
I would be in serious trouble!

Many years of living in big cities 

have shown me that knowing and liking your neighbours
is not always a given
but you can enjoy a privacy to your life that you may or may not want.

You go shopping on a Saturday morning
and it takes at least fifteen minutes to drive there,
one hour to do the shopping,
fifteen minutes waiting in the queue to be served,
ten minutes to get yourself out of the car park
and fifteen minutes to drive home.
Total 1hour and 55 minutes.

Here, I go shopping on a Saturday morning 

and it takes five minutes to walk (five minutes if I drive because I have to open gates!)
fifteen minutes to scoot around and choose my bits and pieces,
forty minutes catching up on the family tales of at least 4 local families,
ten minutes discussing the fund raiser last Tuesday and how successful it was.
two minutes to have my goods pass through the checkout.

It would take me five minutes to walk (or drive) back home 

except that I run into a friend who is dying for coffee.

One hour 55 minutes later when I arrive home 

I have shopped,
caught up on all the gossip in town,
enjoyed the company of friends and acquaintances,
scoffed a rather rich and decadent piece of cake and sipped a rich creamy coffee.

Is there any comparison between the two?

I don’t think so!

As for the house

Well that's for the next post!!!!!!

Can you tell me why......??

why this looks so
prettily elegant
so shabby chic
so romantic
here

Source: Uploaded by user via Crystal on Pinterest

and when I do it in my bedroom
or my library
or my dressing room
or my living room
it just looks
plain

untidy?


!!!!!!!!!!

Then....and...now...!

Looking for a list I had written last year I found this


August 2011


I slip
through the shadows
of this,
my life now

my lips smile,
my mouth laughs
my feet move me
in directions I know not

I wait impatiently
for the too infrequent night
when dreams
become my reality

where once more
we face the sun
and stride through it
together

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This was my weekend

March 2012

Alone, I started the car
alone, I drove
on narrow shaded roads
stopped in unfamiliar villages

Alone, I booked into an hotel
alone, I ate my meal

Together I share my lunch
with friends
together, we laugh and
together we remember

together we share the joy
of our friends.
They renew their vows
of 40 years ago
and
together, we celebrate
their life

rainbow hues
tint the shadows
of the trees,
as I drive home,
alone

life moves on
it's not the same
but....
It is,

a new beginning...