Anzac Square - Brisbane

I think of all the green spaces within the Brisbane Central Business District the one that captivated me most was probably Anzac Square. My first glimpse of it was caught on our way to catch the train home after our first trip into the CBD & Botanic Gardens.

A  pretty green space viewed from a balcony on the way to the train station - I didn't realise the name or significance of the area. The next day we ventured into the city again  & approached the space from another direction. Reading the signage I realised that it was an area dedicated as a memorial to the Queensland men and women who participated in overseas armed service, named in honour of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.

The Greek Classic Revival columned structure in the middle distance is "The Shrine of Remembrance", the 18 columns of the Shrine represent the year of peace after World War 1 - 1918. The steps leading up to it also represent the year 1918 with 19 stairs in the first row and 18 stairs in the second row.

Tucked away behind the wall & under the Shrine of Remembrance is the The Shrine of  Memories. While the external wall is dedicated to those who served in WWI, the inside of the shrine is dedicated to those who served in WWII. Walking through here one can't help notice the many lives sacrificed to protect a commonwealth country.

Within The Shrine of Memories is the Eternal Flame of Remembrance held within this Bronze Urn. Carved in the coping around the top of the shrine are the battles that those from the ANZAC units figured predominantly in -  Cocos Islands, Romani, Jerusalem, Damascus, Pozieres, Bullecourt, Messines, Ypres, Amiens, Villers-Bretonneaux, Mont St Quentin & Hindenburg Line.

Building started in 1928, taking two years to complete before it was dedicated on Armistice Day in 1930. I couldn't help but feel that this city has grown around it - yet the square was not out of place.

The structure itself is made of beautiful  Helidon sandstone with stairs in Queensland granite, mellow, gentle & extremely peaceful - quite the opposite to what it is memorialising  I imagine that a Dawn Service in this setting would be quite something.

Everything about this area has been so thoughtfully planned & has such significance that I couldn't help but wish that both of my boys were there with me to see it - so this post is for them.

 

ANZAC Square - Circa late 1920's.

Oh, My - A BIG Load for a Little Guy!

This is a bit how I feel right now! Not carrying a burden - but the load is quite huge. I've been trying (& failing!!) to minimise things.
On Monday I have a man coming to give me a quote on shipping my "stuff" to Australia. I'm not making any firm descisions on what will be kept & what will go until I have the cubic meterage worked out on what is here. No use in pondering what there will be room for beforehand. I know what I'm prepared to get rid of (pretty much every bit of furniture that remains from my marriage!!lol! - that was surprisingly easy) & what I really want to keep.

After that there will be a whole lot to think about..... & a whole heap to do. Strangely enough this little guy popped into focus a few days back when I was asked a question by a friend. More about that later though - strangely enough he fits into the tale of minimising quite nicely!!

Tramping Mouse

In turn the wee tramping mouse reminded me of my son & his bloody great big Army packs...packs that they carry around quite a bit of the time...especially when they go away on exercise. This isn't even the full kit - there is also a bedroll & whatever professional equipment they carry as well.

When this photo was taken (almost a year ago today) he was checking out how he'd fit everything into his pack to go on one of New Zealands biggest military exercises in years - due to start the next month. (That exercise never eventuated - we had an earthquake that changed things somewhat & Army, Navy & Airforce were all needed here in Christchurch.) I tried on his pack this night & was staggered at the weight of it....ok, so I might have had help getting it on & off....

But one thing I do know, looking at this photo, is that we do what we have to do & carry what we need to carry in order to fulfill our dreams & desires.

Baby Boy - stand up straight, shoulders back 

(&  suck that tummy in....)

Femme Fatale

A few weeks ago I was in the general vacinity of one of my favourite plant nurseres - so decided to take the slight detour to have a quick look around & perhaps buy a succulent to fill a gap in a big bowl I have. Hey, 23 kilometers is only a slight detour.....

I didn't end up buying a small succulents. Oh no, stayed focussed & resist temptation is NOT in my current garden vocabulary.

I was lured, nay seduced, by the mysterious charms of a plant I have long dreamed of growing.  A plant that I have been unsuccessful in striking from seed I was sent...one that I know darn well doesn't particularly like cold or frosts & will sulk when moved from it's accustomed climate (in this case a huge sheltered tunnel house). But I bought it anyway.

She is sulking in as much as her lower leaves are turning yellow & dropping, as I was warned they may do. I'm not too perturbed & have a feeling that will stop soon  as there are signs of improvement.

She is also gradually putting on a display of flowers that blow my mind. 

From a rich cream when they first start to open in the morning...

Through to a deep salmon pink as they open further the on the same day...

To a wonderful combination of the two when she fully opens to exude her astounding scent in the evening.

I so wasn't prepared for that perfume. It's subtle, alluring & I can only wonder at what it would be like on a warm balmy evening (ours are somewhat crisp for this time of year!). But still it is there & so begins my love affair with this femme fatale.

I just hope I can find somewhere in Brisbane that isn't asking the same price as I paid for this 1 meter tall beauty for a small cutting!!

Off for a final sniff before bed ;)

Rose Tinted Glasses

Love that expression!! To be honest I'd far rather view the world that way than the alternative. But really this isn't about viewing the world through rose tinted glass, rather it's about viewing things with fresh eye's.

When we are young everything is brand new & life is full if firsts. As we get older we begin to take those things for granted or at least relegate them to ordinary or normal, unless we stop & look closer. If we go on holiday to a new location everything is new & different. Trees & animals are exotic, architecture & culture can be vastly different & it is all very exciting. It has the potential to make a life long impression (& often a desire to return to that place).

This is how it was for me with Brisbane in Australia. I'd traveled there twice before for holidays had loved everything about it from the heat through to the wildlife. Alas there is more to life than heat & widlife, & with the mailleman working over there for the last 5 1/2 months, I was also well aware that as a tourist taking time out to have break you aren't looking at the things that really matter should you decide to move there to live. Hence the last trip.

I needed to look at things with fresh eyes - from a different perspective. I did & although the descision has been made to move there in my heart the jury is still out.

 My new glasses - see,  no rose tinting at all, but they too have made a huge difference to how I see things!

Disclaimer: I didn't take my rose tinted glasses with me ....heck I don't even have rose tinted glasses unless you count my Didymiums.  My sunglasses are orange &that is about the last colour lens you need to wear in Brisbane!

It Took a Spider

To do what earthquakes can't!! Are you wondering what a (no doubt very small) spider could do that an earthquake couldn't? Probably not - but I am going to tell you anyway.

Poor spidey managed to scare a certain 14 year old enough for her to ask "Mummy - can I sleep in your bed tonight?".lol! Well I was led to believe that (s)he was a scary spider - because in truth I could find no evidence upon being summoned to liberate said spider from her wall & into the critter wilderness outside. And therein lay the problem.

What once was had disappeared to who knows where....probably more scared of her than she was of him. It seems that a disappearing spider is of more concern that a visible one as "it could be anywhere...and crawl into my mouth in the night"...you get the picture.

Somehow the old stock standard childhood answer "of who is bigger...you or the spider" didn't wash.... or put rest to her fears. In my bed she slept peacefully & undisturbed. Her Mother, on the other hand will say no more than "Thank goodness the earthquakes don't trigger bed sharing requests".

I guess the fear of spiders both of my girls seem to have is a somewhat valid one - I just can''t understand how/when/why they have it. It's certainly not inherited from me & I'm pretty sure their father, although he didn't actually 'embrace' spiders as far as critters go, never showed a distaste or jumpiness around them in front of the girls.

Where is all this going? Nowhere really - it just amuses me how different we all are in our tolerance of things. I don't fear the earthquakes (well not until one starts & the old heart starts pounding all over again), but they'd be more likely to be the cause of me not wanting to sleep alone than any critter big or small, hairy or slithery.

No spider photo I'm afraid - you'll just have to make do with this. Obviously someone isn't worried about Kangaroos - even though they give her more bang for buck if it came to it than our local harmless spiders ;)

Antonias Garden

There is something about gardening & gardeners that makes it amazingly simple to connect with others similarly inclined no matter where you go in the world.Gardeners are also chatty people by nature, so no special arrangements need to be made to meet up - it just happens somehow. I guess one could say that depends on where you hang out, plant nurseries, garden centres & botanical gardens are, of course, going to increase the chance of you meeting someone of a similar mind. Complete strangers connecting on a more than passing level. 

In dropping the mailleman to the train station in the early hours of Brisbane's balmy mornings I had noticed a garden that stood out in my still half asleep state. Admittedly it took a while to register (probably about 4 trips past it in all truth) that here was a real garden - one planted with an eye to design & lavished with care & attention. 

Instead of the usual few tropical trees & a bit of struggling lawn this garden looked full & lush with a house somehow blending seamlessly into it. I started to look closer each time I passed in the car & finally decided to take a walk, camera in hand, to explore some of the plants that bordered the street more closely. 

 When it comes to private gardens & peoples property I am a somewhat reluctant photographer not wanting to intrude on their privacy so I stuck to a shot from along the street & a couple of close ups of individual flowers.

 

 Caesalpinia pulcherrima - Pride of Barbados ( a member of the pea family!)

While I was busy trying to capture the true beauty & deep almost indigo blue of the above flower I became aware of someone watching me. I look up to see a figure at an open upstairs window, so I waved out & asked in hand motions if it was ok to take some photo's. I took the smile & nod I got in response as a "yes".

Shortly afterwards I met Antonia, the lovely owner of this garden & I was invited in to photograph to my hearts content. I had loads of  questions about specific plants so I asked them & I guess that Antoinia realized I was not merely  interested in taking a few good photos, but rather genuinely interested in plants & gardening. I was invited to stay for a coffee which Antoina suggested she'd make while I explored & photographed....& explore I did. 

A sloping section interlaced with rock edged gravel & grass pathways & steps it was a wonderland to me. So much so that I didn't take the usual amount of photos as I was so absorbed in the magic, the beauty...the utter peacefulness of it all.

I knew that there were many critters & a resident snake or two inhabiting the garden so I trod carefully for fear of disturbing them. Butterflies were busy fluttering around in the cool lush tropical rainforest area that Antonia had lovingly recreated out the back of her property.

It turns out that it has taken Antonia 20 years to turn what was a bare sloping section than ran with small rivers of water into what you see here. Quite obviously she is woman of determination, knowledge &  respect for the indigenous flora & fauna of her adopted country.

She has planted thoughtfully, knowing what will grow in this hot climate carefully interspersing the abundance of vividly coloured plants with plants that display the greener/cooler palettes or bloom at different times to create a environment that looks as though it has just happened naturally.

Just the right amount of man made structures to add interest, & focal points but not overwhelm the plantings.

Meandering pathways that separate only to merge again later after leading you through to a new area, each of which in turn would make me stop & hold my breath for fear of disturbing the lush beauty that lay before me.

Later, sitting on Antonia's balcony, sipping coffee & chatting (it turned out that we had more in common than just plants, both sharing a love of reading with similar tastes in authors), overlooking the tranquility of the rainforest garden she commented "Why would I ever need to go on holiday when I get to wake up to this every morning?". Why indeed!!

Rajasthan - an Impulse Buy

 or "Where Do You Get Your Inspiration" (there really should be a space for subtitles on blogger!!).

On a somewhat frantic & rushed Christmas Eve, in an attempt to avoid the larger malls by visiting more out of the way places, I happened upon a book store that I hadn't been into before. Oh dear!!

In my defense I was looking for a particular item that they would have normally stocked - so I wasn't just killing time browsing ;)

A book caught my eye as I entered the store & the thought went briefly through my head that I should buy it for myself, but it looked as though it would be a rather expensive volume, so the thought was quickly dismissed. Searching for the gift tags that I'd gone in to look for I came across the book again & discovered that it was surprisingly reasonable price wise. When I further discovered that there was 30% off store wide it suddenly became a done deal - I bought a Christmas gift to myself ......

For quite some time I took the volume to bed with me each night & lost myself in the panoramic images of a place & culture so very different & so very much older than mine. Conjuring images from a Thousand and One Nights I read the descriptions of each city, of the history, the people, of Maharajas & Moguls - their festivals, their traditions. This kind of thing spins my wheels - I can't help it & I really don't ever want to!!

When I look at the gorgeous panoramic images I cant help but notice the exotic contrasts in both landscape & buildings from the warm earth tones of some through to the refreshing white of others.The shape & style of the architecture is amazing & the hugely decorative detail  inside & outside buildings is something else - especially when you stop to consider how long ago many of them were built.

There is art & colour everywhere in "The Land of Kings"....& it seems I have managed to add another destination to my bucket list.

I find books such as this hugely inspirational, as I find myself tracing certain shapes on images with my fingers, or admiring the way a colour has aged I realise that I am trying to figure how I could include that element in a bead or a painting & before I know it I'm reaching for my sketch book!

What sort of images inspire you?

The Goddess In My Garden

Sitting outside on an overcast but warm day it was hard to ignore unmistakeable buzz of the bee's as they busily flew from bloom to bloom gathering pollen. The breeze gently moved the plants & grasses while I was planning what had to be tied back or deadheaded before what looked like the threat of rain became a reality.

Rather than stick with the job at hand my thoughts drifted to melting glass (isn't that always the way?!) then, in turn, to a gift I had received some time ago. Bear with me here.....

I've never had much by way of statuary in my gardens, but was rather taken with some of the Indonesian garden statues I had seen in Brisbane. They'd lent an air of calm grace & peacefulness to what were otherwise hot & vibrant gardens. I'd decided that "one day" I would have one.

The gift, which normally graces my windowsill in the kitchen where she sits framed against a backdrop of greenery & catches the light play all day long, that my mind went to was one of the lovely & super talented Angela Greer Garren's glass sculptures "Pillar of the Sun". I realised that I already had a beautiful piece of garden art - even if only while I was out there during the day.

So out she came to watch over me & enjoy some filtered sunlight.

Pillar of the Sun

Ang - if you read this I'd just like to say "Thank You" again - you've no idea how much pleasure this particular piece of glass has given me.

Earth Laughs in Flowers....

Quite frankly the scent & sight of flowers in the house is pretty hard to beat......something else I had forgotten. Ideally I'd be cutting my own flowers from my garden as I used to do but since at this this time of year buying fresh cut flowers becomes relatively reasonably priced I've decided that every so often I'm going to fill a vase & bring earths laughter inside.

These lightly scented asiatic hybrids have hit the post perfectly. Next I think I might just see if I can find some martagons.....

The Big City

Brisbane Central Business District is beautiful. The approaches into it - meh, not so much, but the actual hub of business & city stores interspersed with parks & green areas is actually quite lovely.

That came as a surprise to me as it was pretty much contrary to everything I've been told. I'd been told that it was packed with commercial buildings & thronging with people....& it was, but it was also very much more. Then again I guess it depends what you are looking for ;)

Thankfully a like minded friend had also told me of the Botanic Gardens & my desire to visit them was enough that I was easily lured into the thronging mass of tall buildings & people that is the Brisbane CBD. 

Bordered on two sides by the Brisbane River the actual land area isn't that huge. What it lacks in space it certainly makes up for in height.

 If you need a breathing space away from those tall buildings the City Botanic Gardens is the right place to put everything into perspective.

 The gardens are also bordered by the Brisbane River & it was refreshing to note that the buildings on the other side were considerably shorter in stature.

The city itself is a mix of old & new buildings - some with interesting names.

Shops to suit all tastes (& wallets!!!) - except perhaps the maillemans since I didn't get a chance to go in this one. 

Interesting Bronze Sculptures

 King Edward Park - one of a number of wonderful green spaces right in the middle of the city.

Transport to suit all tastes - we stuck with the train ;)

All within the space you see in the middle of this photo taken from the Mount Coot-Tha  look out.

And The Cat Came Back!!

About an hour ago a certain feline walked through the door after his longest absence yet. Never have I been so happy to see him. He's a lot thinner than he was & his very distinctive & usually quite loud "meow" was more of a kittens mewl at the front door - so much so that I wondered if I was hearing things & didn't think it was Hercules!

No one is quite sure how long he's been gone, whether it was during last Saturdays 4.8 (he usually takes off & hides but doesn't stay away if it's under a 5 mag) or before that. I know that this Mondays 5.5 mag wouldn't have helped. At any rate it's been at least 5 days & he seems a little weak so I'm hoping that things stay quiet so he'll hang around long enough to build up his reserves again.

Welcome Home Hercules.

Life - it's for the Birds

Dance as if no one is watching

 Sing as if no one is listening

Live each day as if it were your last

I have some great photo's of my trip to Brisbane in December, some of which I have put on Facebook. It seems that now, with the timeline format, later additions to your albums don't appear on it when you upload them (either that or there is yet another bug with it) so I thought I'd post some of them here over the next few weeks.

Once again  the birds captivated me & held me spellbound. They are far more raucous than the birds we have here for sure but also a lot more colourful &, even in the wild, unafraid of humans. Of course not all of them are as bold & bright as the parrots but each & every one was inspirational in it's own way.

They certainly know how to have fun, living their wee bird lives to the fullest, that's for sure.

Attention to Detail

or stop & take a closer look.

Something I have learned relatively recently is that planning & planting a garden doesn't always work out quite how you had envisioned it. It can also be a whole new level of anticlimax when you are gardening in pots & the city is put on water restrictions for the summer. 

Terracotta & clay pots become a nightmare as they dry out particularly quickly compared to plastic pots ....which I loathe - so I'm betting you can guess which kind of pots I have. So pots & water restrictions just don't play nice together...unless you have planted cactus....which I hadn't.

Years ago, in my gardening hey day, I learned how to zoom in from a less than ideal large garden grouping (often a grouping that looked a little too formal for my taste or simply an error in the choice of a certain plant) & focus on the individual plants, look closer & take them for what they had to offer rather than as how they fitted within the bigger picture of a group.To focus on the each plants unique features you can't help but view them in a positive light.

It's not something I consciously learned to do it just happened - perhaps to avoid disappointment or, more likely, the constant disturbance of plants as I felt the need to move them to somewhere they might fit in better ;)

Somewhere along the way it gave it me a good grounding for life in general. Again it wasn't a conscious effort - it just evolved somehow. I've realised that recently I've applied the zooming in process in light of what is happening here. The ability to zoom in, shut out the bigger picture, & take a closer look at things & see if I can find positives - and I always do.

Taking a 'macro' look at one thing in particular forces the brain to shut out the rest in order to be able to absorb the detail. This is not a bad thing. I've realised that no matter what, there is always beauty somewhere & often all we have to do to find it is look a little closer....pay attention to detail.

You just never know what you might find!!

A Blank Canvas

A New Year brings with it the opportunity to start afresh, nothing more, nothing less. For many it’s a time to reflect on the year that has just passed & look forward to the New Year with renewed hope & faith.

Never has this been truer than in this city. What a Year!! A  year that will be remembered as the one that our city came tumbling down, it has truly left it’s mark on both the city & on many, many of lives of those living in it.

If we Cantabrians thought that  in saying goodbye to 2010 it would be the end of a tough year, nothing prepared us for what 2011 was about to bring. It simply paled into insignificance.

On a city level many have spent the year mourning the loss of loved ones & friends, the loss of homes, jobs, incomes, schools & security. Many have left because they’ve had to & many because they felt they couldn’t go on living here.

The face of the city has changed almost beyond recognition. Once known for some of the best heritage buildings in the country - the majority have now gone, as have so many of the amenities we often took for granted. Everywhere you look people seem to be running out of the resilience we Cantabrians are said to have.

On a personal level the changes have been pretty profound as well. Job loss, health issues, upheaval  & the loss of more family members & family friends in the last 10 months than in the preceding 5 years. One almost has to wonder if the stress hastened them.

All of that said, it has also brought out the best in people. From the volunteers & groups that continue to help out through to the thousands of complete strangers showing each other a kindness, helping neighbours to clean up the silt resulting from liquefaction (yet again!) to a friendly pat on the arm, an “are you ok? “ or a hug. New connections have been made and a deeper understanding of what it is like for others going through this has been formed.

Even though we are all completely & utterly “over it” ( a nice 5.1 mag rolled through a few minutes ago as I was typing this & I’ve now lost my train of thought…again!) we’re still here, stronger, wiser, more compassionate  people because of it & right now I wouldn’t change that for anything.

If nothing else the last year has made me realise that no matter what is happening in your life, no matter how bad it may seem – you are not the only one going through it.

The New Year may not make a difference in the physical sense – but with the right attitude, & a whole heap of positive outlook it is a time to look forward & plan toward new hopes, new joys & new beginnings. A clean slate, a blank canvas full of wonderful unlimited potential….

 

This sunflower has reached it’s full potential simply because no one told it that it was meant to be a dwarf sunflower ;)

Just Wanted To Say

Nothing more needs to be added :)

This Time Of Year

I love it! Here in New Zealand the holidays start at Christmas, continue on through Boxing Day with a statutory holiday thrown in if either of those days fall on a Sunday often making for a short week the following week at the end of which the whole process starts again for the New Year celebration.

It's a time to sit back, relax & reflect. Many businesses close between Christmas & New year so the streets are somehow quieter - the pace of everything slowed down. There is no school for weeks. It's summer, it's holiday time & the atmosphere is somehow different even though many things just continue on as normal.

So why then, when I never ever naturally wake at 5.00am - even when I have to, even if a herd of rhinoceros were to stampede through my bedroom yelling out "Shoe Sale 70% off beginning in 1 hour" did I wake just before 5.00am the other morning? I read for a bit, had a wee panic when just before 5.30am there was a nice wobbly jerk & rattle, & upon leaping out of bed ready to take cover it finally occurred to me that the sky was glowing a rather nice shade of pink.

I never said I was alert - just awake. Kinda...sorta.

By the time I threw on some clothes, grabbed some gear & headed in the car to the beach I'd missed the most colourful part of the sunrise.

But still it was nice to catch what I did - & it was so quiet & peaceful.

Impressions

I wonder, if we realised what all of those impressions we absorb as young children would mean to us later, whether we would take more notice at the time. Regardless of whether we did or not, somewhere in our sub consciousness while we are blithely playing our way through childhood many things imprint on our brain & later surface again. A sight, a scent, a sound & we are transported back.

Unsurprisingly some things make more of an impression than others.... there are some that we are not even aware of, or at least later on in life we can't pin point when that memory was imprinted. Christmas brought all of this home to me this year.

I'd bought a few stems of Lilium Regal - the Christmas Lily, here in New Zealand. It's scent is absolutely amazing. I have some growing in the garden for the first time ever but didn't want to cut the few I had so purchased some instead. 

For one reason or another over recent years I haven't had Christmas lilies in the house. I'm not sure why as I always used to have them - even if I did have to pinch the stamens out because my ex-husband complained they gave him hayfever. Unfortunately removing the stamens also removed the delicious scent, but since he was often away I'd leave pinching out the stamens until I absolutely had too.

The second I got those beauties into the house I was transported back in time & realised that, to me, this was the one thing that said "Christmas" more than anything else. A fragrance. In that moment the amazing spicy, heady, intoxicating scent of those Christmas lilies was the most wonderful thing on earth.

Because of my trip to Brisbane there was no tree this year, no other decorations - just those beautiful white lilies & they spoke "Christmas" more than anything else ever has in recent years & I suspect ever could. I can't recall whether Mum had them at Christmas time when I was really young, although I remember my Uncle & Aunt had them planted right along the side of his house for many years & that there was always a vase full inside at their place.

I was more than a little pleased when my oldest son commented on the scent of the lilies on Boxing Day - it seems that the imprint was made when he was younger too.

Absolutely Positively Christmas.

Growing in my garden.

An Almost Perfect Christmas

The lead up to Christmas this year was slightly different to our normal Christmas build up. A couple of decent earthquakes, a 5.8 & 6 magnitude accompanied by a swarm of aftershocks 2 days beforehand closed down malls & shops....right as I was about to head for them.

Sometimes procrastination is good - & believe me I had procrastinated all morning about heading to the Mall & doing all those last minute things, such as....well,  pretty much everything really! Gifts, food,  you name it. I hadn't bought anything apart from my nieces & nephews presents when I was in Australia.

My intention had been to get up early Friday morning & get the last of my gift shopping done before heading to the supermarket. But I faffed around answering emails, reading a tutorial & just putting it off in general & I wasn't even sure why. I'm so pleased I did!

Just as well  I came to the conclusion that Christmas will come regardless of whether I am ready or not a few years back, that it's not dependent on the trimmings & trappings or buying into the dreadful commercialism that it seems to have become.

Still, that doesn't stop me wanting to have the house looking a little like Christmas so this year, the first in many, I had splurged on a huge bunch of Christmas lilies & long stemmed red roses. Of course that was before I remembered that all of my vases had been broken in the February quakes - so then I had to splurge on a new vase (sorry honey, if you are reading this - I forgot to mention that part & the lilies didn't really look that great sitting in a blue plastic juice jug....).

More than anything I would have loved to have brought a really nice nativity set - but the only one I could find that fitted the image in my head had a price tag of $300.00+, so was somewhat prohibitive.

I did have plans of further table decorations, a lightly gold sprayed mossy branch hung with some small antique looking cream & gold angels that I have was to accompanied by a bird cage I had picked up in Australia that I had started decorating. Having to delay my shopping until the stores re-opened on Christmas Eve saw me run out of time to complete the mossy branch one.

Christmas Day came & it was wonderful. It was spent surrounded by family & I only say almost perfect as there were  two key members of the cast missing. The Mailleman, who is of course in Australia & Baby Boy who is deployed to parts that don't observe this particular celebration. I missed both of them dreadfully as well as missing the company of my daughter in law, Kerry, as she spent the day with her family.

It's more than a little strange to think that this is potentially my last Christmas in New Zealand.

That said, more than ever this made me realise what Christmas truly means to me. It's not about the trimmings & trappings or the decor. It's not about the food, the drink or the gifts - especially whether you get or give the latest techno gadget. It is certainly not about the mass commercialism that seems to increase with every year.

Quite simply it is about being surrounded by those you care about & remembering what the day is truly celebrating; Christ's Mass. I hope that yours was as blessed as mine was.

My Christmas Wish for You

May your blessings be many

May love & laughter fill the air

May you anticipate the New Year with peace in your heart

The Grass Is Greenest Where It Is Watered.

A few months ago I read a book that had one specific passage containing a brilliant simple truth which has stuck fast in my mind;

The grass is not, in fact, always greener on the other side of the fence.
No, not at all. Fences have nothing to do with it.
The grass is greenest where it is watered. When crossing over fences, carry water with you and tend the grass where ever you may be. ~ Robert Fulghum (from "It Was On Fire When I lay Down On It")

With the mailleman away working in another country, and the rest of us here still, at times I feel as if I'm in limbo. The sense of impermanence was often bordering on the overwhelming - so there was only one thing to do and that was to start watering the "grass".

I know that the passage above is intended as a metaphor for making the most of what you have, focusing on nourishing and nurturing what surrounds you rather than wishing for more or different. However, as anyone who knows me will attest to,  in my case the way to ease that sense of impermanence was, among other things, to create a garden of some sort and to attend to those things that the property agents/landlord choose not to see to.

Of course my first stop was putting some colour into the garden - which means REAL plants, not grasses or flax, species that have something by way of colour or scent to recommend them. Of course I got cracking with all of this rule breaking before I realised that Christchurch has water restrictions this year resulting from damage done to our systems during the earthquakes.

It seems that, despite water restrictions, not only the grass is thriving.......

Ahh yes a dandelion.

Wassup Buttercup

Now this I wasn't expecting to find in the lawn - which is exactly what happens when you take the time to look closer.

Stay tuned - for this mini side trip back into gardening...at least for this season ;)

Hey, Dad - Happy Birthday Again!

Ten days ago I got a Birthday Reminder from Birthday Alarms.com telling me you would have been 83 today ...as if I could ever forget. But what really blew me away was the fact that it's heading on for 5 years since you left us so suddenly & I still haven't cancelled that alarm. I don't think I can bring myself to do it.

To be honest you haven't missed much this year & in many ways I am relieved that you're not having to see the massive changes to this city. I far prefer the images of the Christchurch that 'was',  the city portrayed in the photos & tales of your childhood & youth here, to what is going on around us.

That isn't to say that we haven't  missed you... we have, especially Mum who has had so very much to deal with alone. She's had to handle a whole lot of things that she never expected to handle & make some pretty hard decisions, but it's Mum & it will come as no surprise to you that she has come through this admirably! I expect that hearing echoes of your calm accepting voice telling us not to sweat the small stuff & that everything will work out as it should has a lot to do with that.

Remember last year I told you that Kieran & Kerry were getting married in December?  It was an amazing day, beautiful & perfect in every way. The entire family was there from Mum down to the twins that you never quite got to meet. The only thing missing was you. If you could have heard the speeches Dad, you'd know just how much you were missed & the influence & impact you had on your two eldest grandsons. 

Jeremy made a wonderful speech, full of both compassion & humour that I know would have had you chortling away....especially the part where he referred to Kieran as a hobbit! I hope that Jeremy was right & that you were looking down on us all - he said that you would be proud of Kieran, but I know you would have been equally proud of them both, & the rest of all your beautiful grandchildren including the two that you never quite got to meet.

Kieran is away on deployment now & I know you'd enjoy hearing all about things where he is. Kerry is working towards a degree in early childhood education & enjoys learning about the scientific side of human development - you'd be in your element hearing some of the things she's been learning.

They say this gets easier with time & in some ways it does....except on certain days, such as today. I've been thinking about you all day while I was in plodding away the garden. I didn't plan it that I'd be putting up the string to support the scarlet runner beans today (I know, it should have been done a week ago!!) - but that's the way it turned out. I even planted the beans, descendants of your scarlet runner beans at Estuary Road, after dinner tonight. I know you would approve!!

The girls still miss you heaps & both acknowledged your birthday on FaceBook today. I'm not sure you'd like FaceBook so much - but I'd bet you would use it just to catch up on all the latest family photo's, knowing how much you used to enjoy looking at them. Michaela found a beautiful poem & posted it....it made us all teary.

So Dad, that's another year that has gone by all too quickly. Happy Birthday to the worlds best - miss you heaps.

Love always,

Deb

P.S - Just thought you might like to see your two youngest grandchildren - these were taken at Kieran & Kerry's wedding. I wish I could put up the video, but it's far too long - besides I'm pretty sure that Kieran would harm me if I did ;)

 Sasha

Finn