The wonders of an aftermath of a storm!...

Cyclone Oswald made its way down the Queensland coast..

 causing chaos and destruction all the way from The Gulf of Carpentaria 

 

We had over 2 inches of rain in one night..
.. huge winds caused much damage to the golf course.. huge trees toppled..
but.... thankfully all our trees remained planted!

Some good news.. some bad! 

Rising floods were measured against ones that happened just two years, almost to the day, ago! 

People just had recovered, and were once again flooded! 

But in the aftermath's of a storm.. TODAY.... calm once again is restored.. 

spiders can once again do what spiders do..

I can gather some well washed palm tree fronds from my garden.. for my vases.. 

But surely there are lessons learnt from the storms of life?

Yes indeed.. 

make sure your precious possessions are easy to pick up and go! 

 Things like all your photo albums .. have them all together.. in case of emergency.. 

 And be prepared.. Always! 

Life is after all, like a beautiful package!

 Its not just the wrapping.. it's what's inside that counts! 

And its how you deal with those storms of life! 

Have a beautiful day.. 

Its calm after the storm and I appreciate that!
And I'm thankful and grateful

Life is sweet.... musk sweets!!

I am certain all my readers/viewers of this blog post know about MUSK SWEETS?

Those delightful little pink sweets, filled with an aroma that immediately takes you back to your childhood?

I wish my computer had the sense of smell!  

My own image

These little sweets have history in every child's memory, I hope/imagine?

I know my husband, F tells of his fond memory of his grandfather, 

an ex South African cricketer, who lived with them, after his retirement. 

Come Sunday morning, the family of three boys, 

mom, dad and grandfather would head off to Church, 

as was the very traditional way in South Africa. 

The Church was The Dutch Reformed Church, where children defiantly are only seen, not heard!

The boys, 3, 6, and 9 would be lined up to sit,  next to Grandfather, mom and dad sang in the choir, 

and it was his responsibility to keep them quiet.. 

He did this with these little pink sweets!  

shh u... shu... SHUSH!... 

"Here's another one! Now keep still!"

Musk sweets are a popular confection in Australia and New Zealand, available from many different suppliers. Having withstood the test of time, musk sticks consist of a pink semi-soft stick, usually extruded with a ridged cross-section. Their flavour and aroma is quite floral, reminiscent of musk perfume. They are also called 'musk sweets' and 'musk lollies'. Also available is a fruit-flavoured variant called "Fruit sticks", which look like coloured musk sticks

Wikipedia

Australia - LifeSavers - Musk flavor - candy roll wrapper - 1950's

http://www.collectingcandy.com/wordpress/?p=3713

Now I started my heading with

'Life is Sweet'.. WHY.. 

In light of huge bush fires raging across this very vast land of Australia that we call 'home'.. 

and over 120 homes in Tasmania have been destroyed.. 

Temperatures down in Sydney went to a new record yesterday of over 45!! 

How can I say "life is sweet"?

And thus far this 2013, has delivered a huge amount of negativity, hurts, 

and disappointments, and its only 9 days old!

Just to name a few...

Friend Cheryl fell over and landed in hospital under observation, now recovering with severe bruising,

Friend Barbara also just discharged from hospital session,

Friend Koo, had a very nasty fall, skinned her chin so badly, after walking in high heeled sandals ?

Well.. its how we handle those disappointments 

and crises that makes life sweet or not!

Its what we do when we're pushed down that makes the difference to this world! 

 We've got to keep on going, no matter what is thrown at us! 

So.. 

Whatever you're looking at today.. 

remember its your outlook that matters, that the outcome! 

Suck on a musk sweet.. that will make the difference ! 

Now back to my MUSK SWEETS..

Easy to eat, they are small enough to put into your wallet, pocket, or purse, and they refresh your mouth instantly, with this pop of floral patchouli like soap bar fragrance. 

We defiantly eat with our sense of smell! 

Imagine eating without that?

But .... 

The definition of MUSK

'A substance secreted in a glandular sac under the skin of the abdomen of the male musk deer, having a strong odor, and used in perfumery'

ug! UG...u g!!! OOOH! ug! 

No.. as I said previously... 

no matter is what is thrown towards us.. its our attitude.. !!!

Pass me another one... please.. 

I see my life in pictures today...and I'm thankful..

On this Thanksgiving Weekend...

I am grateful ... thankful.. 

I see my life in pictures today.. 

Almost like viewing through a kaleidoscope.. 

Bits and pieces and colors all jumbled up, 

and yet when I spin my view finder all those jumbled up colors, and pieces 

all slowly fall into place.. 

 One piece upon another piece upon another piece, upon another piece.. 

All SLOWLY making up an end picture.. 

http://www.thefrenchtangerine.com/2011/06/inspired-purple.html

Be they in purple or blue or yellow and white.. 

all these colors make up an Image of my life..
and its this for which I am most thankful for this weekend..
These colors.
All slowly coming together..
All perfectly fitting into that special slot for them alone!
I am thankful for some of the pieces in my life's picture coming together,

 I'm thankful that even if I've only have the frame around my final picture,
at least its a start...

Do the images of your life
currently portray a true reflection of you?

a true reflection into which direction you are travelling, 

a true reflection of who you are?
Can others see your frame work?
What keeps you together?

Or do others only see blobs of mixed colors when they see you?

Do others know who you are and what you stand for?

I leave you with one image to build on.. one concrete block..

one strong hand hold in life's swaying journey 

And make the best of TODAY! 

Saturday.. you sweet thing you!

Why is my mood on a Saturday different.. I get out of bed with a lightness... an air of expectations.. joy

Colors are brighter.. the air is fresher.. I'm ready to take on the world like a Masai warrior.. 

My storeroom is overflowing with provisions.. I did shopping yesterday..  there's either a delightful Organic Roast Chook for dinner or a yummy pasta dish.. 

Had a gorgeous skype with my grandbaby, and get those updated pics daily.. love you my poppet! this nonna is sure proud of you! 

I won't wallow in self pity.. in a bathtub alone! 

And I've got company this weekend.. I can share my red with them anytime.. its good to have good inspirational company around a meal..
I wish you ALL a superb weekend.. make this one count 100!  Hope you have good weather as well.. 

You snooze, you loose! 

  

Butterflies bring change, joy, hope into my life..

I will always be attracted to butterflies.. they mean so much to me.. its also Compassionate Friends symbol..
The Butterfly
Transmutation, Dance of Joy
The butterfly is the symbol of change, joy and colour,
It is the symbol of the soul,
They remind us that life is a dance,
Not to take things quite so seriously,
They also remind us to get up and move,
Dance brings the sweetness of life.
Butterflies bright colour and joy to your life.
Look at them and remember what joy is in your
life, if it’s a lot or a little, it is still joy.
They teach us that growth and transformation
does not have to be traumatic;
It can occur gently, sweetly, joyfully,
If a butterfly totem has shown up in your life,
Make note of the most important issues in your
life, and see what needed to change.
[Lin OIberlin]

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross often speaks of the numerous drawings of butterflies she saw in the barracks at concentration camps in Europe. These lasting symbols of hope had been scratched into the wooden walls by courageous children and adults during the Holocaust.

Feeling the touch of her wings on my skin will stay will me forever!

 

Since the early centuries, the butterfly has symbolized renewed life. The caterpillar signifies life here on earth; the cocoon, death, and the butterfly, the emergence of the dead into a new, beautiful and freer existence. Frequently, the butterfly is seen with the word 'Nika' which means victory.

A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. Butterflies comprise the true butterflies (superfamily Papilionoidea), the skippers (superfamily Hesperioidea) and the moth-butterflies (superfamily Hedyloidea). All the many other families within the Lepidoptera are referred to as moths. The earliest known butterfly fossils date to the mid Eocene epoch, between 40–50 million years ago.

Memories..

 Let the memories... live again..

Please click on the above link.. it's one of my BEST song.. Indeed, it is so easy to leave me with my memories.. 

Look.. a new day has begun... This song speaks from my heart!
Thank you for the joy you gave me Rentia.. I will always miss you !