And the Boys Play!

Oh beautiful day!

I stand at a distance & watch them play! Father & son! Actively sharing a common interest, kicking & tossing an oval shaped ball around the field. There is laughter, there is trickery, there is blokey conversation & boyish banter going on. I love it! I take it all in! I feel a need to make a mental note of this moment. So, I soak it up. The beauty of this day & of this moment! And it really is such a beautiful day.
Blue, cloudless skies above me & the warmth of the winter sun beaming down upon me, warming me from the outside in. I am so happy to be here in this moment & in this time. The air is cool, crisp & clean. So easy to breathe. Nature sings it's song behind me in the bush, birds, crickets & frogs all participants in this beautiful chorus.

It is moments like these that really matter. We must make more moments like these! No matter how hard things can sometimes be, we must take time to breathe, to play, to laugh & sometimes to just BE!

An extraordinary Woman!

Happy Birthday to You ...
Happy Birthday to You ....
Happy Birthday Dear Mum ....
Happy Birthday to You!

If I had a Birthday wish I could grant to her, it would be to take all the stressors out of her life. Remove all worry, so that she can enjoy her life!
Whilst in an endeavour to find one word to describe my mother...I came to the realisation that it was not possible to find just one word to describe her as it simply would not suffice!

My mother has taught me so much about love & life! About trust & trustworthiness! About empathy & sypathy! About responsiblity & sacrifice!

My mother is everything I have listed below & much, much more!

Nurturer

Friend

Teacher

Lecturer

Counsellor

Nurse

Chef

Taxi Driver

Protector

etc...etc...etc


An Extraordinary Woman!

Beautiful Ballerina!

My beautiful Ballerina is blossoming!

She is no longer our little water guzzling, dorothy the dinosaur twirling, little frahula.

She is just so gorgeous, this beautiful girl.

She is no longer a child & yet she is not quite a woman.

She stands at a crossroads in her life but her life is only beginning!

There is so much more to come for her.

I remember 13!

A very memorable year, as I am sure this year will be for her too.

I recall it as a learning year, and not in the academic sense of the word, but rather an awakening of new emotions & feelings, that are both exciting, sometimes scary and at times confusing

I will avail myself to her when she needs me.

I will help guide her as I vowed to do on her Christening Day.

She has such a bright, beautiful future full of wonderful possibilities.

I am her aunt, of which I am proud!

A Beautiful Woman!

Tonight I am encapsulated in a place of sadness! I built a wall that I thought was inpenetrable. A wall of protection from what was in fact inevitable. How silly was I?
There's an inner feeling of fear of what's to come. The mere thought of it fills my heart with dread & makes my stomach turn about in ways I can't describe. I dare not begin to imagine what she must be thinking or feeling right now. The most certain feeling of fear that she must be experiencing. Yes, it is true that she is old but she is first a woman, a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother , a grandmother & a friend to so many. Age is but a number....it is a stamp of experience & wisdom. It is an accumulation of birthdays, easters & christmas's .
This wonderful woman has lived, she's experienced in it's entireity the ups & downs of life on the grandest of scales. She certainly contributed in a rather large way to the worlds population and she can hold her head up high & be proud of her offspring. She did well! A proud mother she can be!
She is loved. She is so, so loved!
I wish I had the power to make things different for her. To have been able to grant her that wish, a wish that she shared with me on one of my visits with her. I would if I could Nanny! We all would! This is not going to be an easy transition for her...it's not going to be easy for the family that care closely for her....
Their love & devotion are a testmament to what a beautiful woman she is!

Things I Love ...A never ending list!

Things that I love:

I love the blessing of my mother, the woman who gave me life & gave of her life to me!

I love the gift of my sister & brother.... whom I taught me different kinds of love I giving.

I love my husband, my life partner, my protector, my confidant!

I love my boys so, so very much that at times it hurts

I love my nieces & nephew whom hold a place in my heart with my own children

I love my family & friends whom add laughter & colour to my life

I love the cool air on a winters morning & breathing it deep into my lungs

I love first light, just as the sun emerges from behind the horizon

I also love last light when the sky is pink & everything takes on a Champagne Hue

I love to hear laughter, to see smiling faces

I love to watch the ocean and wonder about life

I love to feel the sand beneath my feet

I love it when my feet sink into the soft sand at the surfs edge till they dissappear

I love the feeling of the sun on my face

I love getting into a sun warmed car when you've been frozen by the elements

I love my husbands arms wrapped firmly around my body

I love cuddles...from everyone ...everyone of course being family & friends

I love baklava, mousakka, dolmades, butter chicken, sri-lanken curry, home made chocolate fudge, bacon & eggs...Oh Damn it...I love Food! Lord help Me!

I love chocolate...in particular Lindt Balls...Mmm MM

I love lolly gobble bliss bombs because it reminds me of my Nanny

I love square ice-cream (Pauls single serves) cause they also remind me of my Nanny

I love mangos, rockmelons, grapes, pecans, cashews, pinenuts.....Here I go again....more food!

I love the perfume of the gardenia

I love writing

I love flowers but in particular red & white roses

I love going for drives on the week end

I love the atmosphere of the markets

I love other things that I don't dare mention here in this space

Oh I guess I just really love life.....living!

The Paloma Centre!

I found a photo whilst in the throngs of cleaning my humble abode. The discovery of this photo took me on a journey back in time.
I am now 11 years younger.

It is my 10th Wedding Anniversary and I arrive home from work knowing that my husband & I are going out to celebrate our special day with a nice dinner out.

After dropping the children off to my mothers he takes a piece of fabric & blindfolds me with it. The inquisition begins & I ask him question after question trying to find out what's going on. He's not going to give anything away, keeping whatever he's up to, a surprise. I finally give up & enjoy the drive which seems to go on for ages. The car stops, he asks me to wait , opens the door & takes me by the arm. He guides me into a building, warning me with every step what lies ahead..... guiding me over & up steps, wholes in the ground, rocks, path edges etc...still not allowing me to take off the blindfold. My heart is in my mouth, beating like never before, the anticipation is welling within and I almost can't breath with the excitment & mystery of the moment. My head is dizzy, I am not sure if it's because I lack my sense of sight at this moment or if it is a symptom of the thrill of the situation.

The building is quiet, not a sound to be heard. I can hear the blood rushing through the vessels in my ears & which makes me aware of the rythym of my heart, which was beating like crazy.

We pause & his arms gently wrap around my waist, I can smell him & feel the warmth of his body close to mine. The quiet room comes to life with the sound of music. A familiar song begins to play, its our wedding song. He takes the blindfold off & the first things I see is his beautiful eyes looking into mine. I can feel his heart beating against mine, we beat almost in time, which indicates to me that he is as moved by the experience as I am. We danced, my eyes welled with tears of love & appreciation for this beautiful, unforgettable display of love. His display of his love, for Me!

As we dance I look around the candle lit room & see a small dining table, delicately set for a romantic dinner for two. In this moment I am transported back in time again, back another 11 years to 1984 where we kissed for the first time. The kiss that began our journey of love together. Our first kiss at the highschool dance. I realise that we are in the Paloma Centre.

How did he make this evening happen. We were the only 2 souls in the building.

After we finish dancing he kissed me so delicately, it could have been that first kiss.

He led me to the table & once seated, a chef (who was a friend of Eddies) came to the table. He served us up a meal that I will never forget.

We laughed & talked for hours. Once dinner was finished, I expected that we were going home. He started to head for the city. He told me what we were doing. He had booked a night in the Hotel where we had spent our wedding night.

He made me feel like I was the centre of the universe, there was not another soul in the world but me. His display of love made me feel like the most loved & adored woman to ever walk this earth. I will never forget this day for as long as I live.