“We have not solved your problem. In fact, we have more questions than when we started. But we believe we are confused at a higher level and about more important things.”
Electrical Engineering Lab. SRI International.
A tip I used to pass on at parenting skills courses was to ensure that you made 6 positive comments to each child, each day and observe any changes that happened. Parents who tried this often reported back that their children’s behaviour had improved and that life in their house was generally much pleasanter.
Humans thrive in a positive environment where they get positive feedback to help them on their way. Try ensuring that you say at least 6 positive things to each person in your home, each day and let me know how you get on…
We continue to experience very mild temperatures here. Last evening I became aware of a solitary bird singing and it was not a Tui. Again this morning, I could hear the same song.
I discovered that it was a Song Thrush. I checked my book about Birds in NZ and learnt that Thrushes can breed from June to January and raise more than one clutch of eggs.
I wonder whether the birds are feeling confused with our very mild late autumn and with plenty of rain and warmth there is plenty of food around for the birds, so maybe the Thrush was calling for a mate a little earlier than usual.
The Thrush was a very welcome visitor.
We have had a dull day here with lots of rain. The light is very low but I found some splashes of colour in the late autumn garden.
Hmmm I see a colour theme here…..interesting.
I planned a day at home, taking it easy and the autumn weather has meant it was a good decision and an easy option. It has been dark, cloudy, very gusty and the autumn leaves have been scattering.
So what have been the scattering of activities of my day?
A prayer and good wishes to the people of Christchurch early this morning as I learnt that two nasty aftershocks had rocked that ravaged city early this morning. One shock was large enough to cause a brief power outage. I wish those tired, stressed people so much peace.
Humming Joni Mitchell’s song “Big Yellow Taxi” which we learnt at singing last night.
Monitoring PG, the cat to determine his intake and output. The vet was happy today to let him track on in the hope that the extra fluid interventions he has had on Monday and Tuesday this week had helped him regain his appetite. More monitoring is required just in case he needs another sub-cutaneous bolus of fluid tomorrow.
Watching more tree felling happening in our neighbour’s backyard.
Finishing a small knitted toy and trying to embroider a face on said toy……more practice needed on that skill, but the end result is good enough.
Hearing on the radio that it is 25 years since Paul Simons’ “Graceland” album was released and singing along to some of the familiar tracks off that.
More synchronicities found in the blogosphere as I find links between several blogs that I enjoy reading and one written by a woman who taught me my first computer skills way back in the late 80’s. The course was called “Computer Confidence for Women” and was nothing short of brilliant.
Collecting two books from the library which look particularly interesting for where I find myself these days.
And I took a few photos in my garden this afternoon but for some reason WordPress is not playing the upload game right now and I need to go and prepare some dinner…..
Nice day……
I see by the news that it is Bob Dylan’s 70th birthday today and also that a friend on Facebook asked the question today: “What was the first piece of music that you bought for yourself?”
I think I bought a 45rpm record of Bobby Vee singing “The Night has a Thousand Eyes”……some time in 1967 when I had enough money to pay for it myself. I recall the Big girls at primary school dancing to the early Beatles hits and Bob Dylan’s “Blow’in in the Wind” was around too.
I also remember more vividly my younger brother buying “On the Road again”, by Canned Heat in 1967 or ’68. He used some money he had been given for his birthday. Our mother was horrified at his purchase and marched him and the record back to the shop and insisted that it be returned. She very obviously felt that a 10 year old did not need “pop” music at that age! We were so disappointed as we loved that song.
I also recall listening on my small transistor radio at night to Pirate Radio station, Radio Hauraki which was the one place we could hear all the latest music off the Pop Charts.
What songs did you grow up listening to? And do you recall the first piece of music that you bought for yoursef?
” Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length” Robert Frost.
My children used to giggle and quote Jason Gunn ( a presenter on TV here) years ago who would use the phrase “Don’t pack your smellies with your meat”. I asked the grocery packer in the supermarket this week whether she remembered that phrase but sadly she didn’t (and she was old enough to know of it), so the moment was lost. Nevertheless it is sound advice and the best tip I could come up with this Saturday. Enjoy your day.
It is amazing the difference a week can make. Our neighbours have spent the last week cutting down and trimming trees in their large backyard. Several of these trees were very, very big and were shading our living area, our garden and the line on which we dry our washing.
So I am delighting in more sunshine, warmth and light in both the house and the garden. There are two more macrocarpa trees to come down and once they have gone we will enjoy more sun and warmth. I am sad to see trees being cut down but these have become unmanageable and really were unsuited to an urban garden.
We have lost some privacy but with winter drawing in the reduced need for heating in the house will be most welcome when the sun is out. What I have gained is a new view of the familiar out of my windows that face north west but also some new glimpses of things not visible before which I am enjoying.
I blogged back on April 4th this year about and I have been considering all the cutting and removal that has happened and how that could connect to us as humans living and growing.
Cutting things back, pruning and trimming in the garden can be about looking for improvements in the shape of trees, stimulating new growth in spring, allowing more light and air to filter through, getting rid of dead or damaged wood. How can we reshape our lives or routines to better suit our needs for rest, relaxation, relationship, creativity? What might we need to do now and then wait for the results to be seen in a few months time? What can we do to bring in more sustenance, nurturing, refreshment for ourselves? Are there bits of our lives that need our care and attention or that need to be finished with?
Removing trees to let in more sunshine, light and warmth seems to me to encourage us to think about obstacles and barriers that might be in our way and which we need to stop working around or that are stopping us grow and flourish.
The neighbours tell me that they are going to plant a large vegetable garden so something new is going to grow from their work and a member of my family is going to have firewood for a long time to come. Out of change comes new possibilities…….I’d love to hear your thoughts on gardening and personal growth.
Over the past few days I have experienced some really great synchronicities that have resulted in our garden getting some much needed maintenance on large trees without any hassle and done by a nice bloke called Mike. Then today I was meeting with a colleague to discuss resource sharing and I bumped into another colleague who was able to tell me of another possible opportunity to share some different resources I have in my files.
Tonight our singing group began again for the second term of the year and I got along after a long absence:-)
And I learnt today that a friend had received some very good news from her doctor.
I’m looking forward to more synchronicity……and good news.
ordinarygoodness 