Thinking In Pictures

I have been reading a very interesting book called "Thinking in pictures" by Temple Grandin.  If you are at all interested in autism or how different brains work it is worth reading.  She also has an interesting TED lecture.

Clay Land

Luckily we have had a couple of weeks of lovely  warm weather and after all the flooding the waterhole is beautiful with a nice deep spot and clayland is even bigger. Every afternoon we have been playing down there. Django made a waterslide over in clay land. He loves it - look at his face! Funny!

Sunny and I made some utensils with clay and dried them out on the big rock. The spoon is my favourite.

This is the jumping in spot. There is a nice deep hole there after the last flood.

Here is the bridge. Sunny goes back and forth over this bridge every time we are down there.

This is the camp with fire, plates and a hut. Nelson and Django spent ages setting it up.

A few rock sculptures.

The new rock pebble beach. Metres of land and Sheoak trees were washed away in the last flood.

Unfortunately the good shade tree is dying.

The nude explorer. I love going down the waterhole. (We all do). I can't think of a better way for the kids to spend their time...... (or me and Trisso).

I love that I spent my childhood afternoons in a similar way, except mucking around down the bay in the salt water, collecting jelly blubbers, making sand pies and cooking them on the big rock oven while Granny collected fish with her net and bucket, dress tucked in knickers, to put in her huge salt water tanks. I had a good childhood too.

Graveyard Train..... bit by a dog

Kitty, Daisy and Lewis......Goin up the country

    

   

I am glad I live in the country.

And this.....

In one of the buddism for mothers books, the author recommended a zen practise whereby if things are going wrong, each time something annoying or problematic happens you say to yourself "and this"........

Well today I said "and this" . I accidently left these almost finished, only 8 rows to go knitted baby pants on the couch while i helped Sunny on the potty, then the phone rang and then I found Sunny with a knitting needle in her hand. I am sure she enjoyed helping me knit and she did a good job of neatly removing the knitting needle. Unfortunately I am a very unskilled knitter who cannot pick up stitches or anything like that. I have to knit very carefully as I cannot fix any mistakes I make. Luckily my lovely neighbour can. I rode straight around there and she fixed them all up. Now they are being sewed together. They are for Sue's brand new baby boy, only three days old. Congratulations Sue!!!! Hip hip hooray!!

Walking with the giants

We went for a lovely walk through the rainforest. It was the perfect day for it - misty and damp. I think we were hobbits in Lord of the rings (though I'd rather be an elf) ..... There is nothing like a walk in the forest to calm the mind, sooth the soul and invigorate the body.

"Nature never hurries. Atom by atom, little by little she achieves her work." Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." - Lao Tzu

"It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know the sense of wonder and humility." - Rachel Carson

Embrace the chaos

Yay, the sun is shining. Yippee..... I feel full of energy when the sun is shining after rain!

Sad and soggy garden needs lots of work.

Sometimes I think it would be nice to have a one track mind. To have just one hobby or interest to think about and do. Sometimes (quite often really) my brain (and life) feels so full to overflowing with ideas and things I want to do that I just can't fit them all in. Oh well. Embrace the chaos. At least I never get bored! Today I have already made banana muffins, done some knitting, had a cup of tea, danced and sung with Sunny and done some gardening - planting seeds and weeding (not to mention the daily washing up and washing, making lunches and getting kids onto the bus) and it is only 9.30. Now we are off to preschool. (Check out the outfit Sunny chose - pretty white dress with old yellow gum boots!)

I forgot to post this the other day, it is now Thursday.... Sunny even stayed by herself at preschool that day for two hours. I came home and felt overwhelmed with so many ideas rushing around in my head of things I should do and things I'd like to do...... so instead I flopped on the couch and did some knitting.