Today is officially the last day of winter. Summer is on it's way. Booooooo! I'm very much a winter person.....having said that, there are still things about the cold season that irk me.
1. Getting rained on (especially when I've forgotten my umbrella or struggling with bags of shopping).
2. Having to wait so long for my washing to dry. I might as well have just hung it out and let the rain wash it.
3. Being unable to sleep without bedsocks.
4. Not being able to host 'outside' events for fear of rain.
5. Colds, flu and all that jazz.
Soooo, what DON'T you like about winter? Summer people you may whinge now ;)
Monday, August 31, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Photo Friday - 'Seaside'
Hanging out with my friends Rianna (left) and Rhianon on the rocks at Frenchman Bay, near Albany.July 2002.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
It's Show Time!
Last weekend was the annual district show. I know a lot of locals just yawn when the show is mentioned but, as a newcomer, I see it as a chance to unleash my creative juices. I'd never get around to doing anything crafty otherwise. This year I entered the inaugural funky t-shirt competition with a design I created in my Year 10 art class. Ok, so it took 11 years, but I finally made it into a shirt. And I WON! WOOHOO!
My new clothing range.
I won $25 for first prize :)
My advice...NEVER work with feathers!
Neither of my necklaces won unfortunately.
I'm hoping to sell them at our local fete which is coming up in a few weeks.
My earrings which I made for myself months ago and decided to enter at the last minute. They won first prize believe it or not (prize was $2 haha).
Next year I'm going to attempt crocheting with beads :)
And NO I was not the only person to enter these competitions :P
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
St Kilda
We spent our second day in Melbourne in St Kilda. Public transport in Melbourne is excellent! The tram stops right outside our friend Jenn's house (where we were staying) and goes all the way to St Kilda. And it is SO regular compared to Perth. There is usually a tram every few minutes.
On our way to St Kilda, we stopped off at Brunswick St in Fitzroy which is one of Melbourne's more historic and grungier suburbs. Most of the buildings are old and adorned with graffiti and old posters advertising gigs which have been and long gone. I loved the interesting array of shops with their funky and alternative clothing. We found it strange though that so many of them were closed and it was mid-morning! A lot of them don't open until 10:30 or 11 but stay open until 6. Duncan wondered if it was because they were owned by young nightclubbing enthusiasts who would sleep in and stay up late and so run their businesses accordingly. Once we'd seen Brunswick St, we hopped back on the tram again.
It was my second visit to St Kilda having first visited in July 2006. Acland St (the cake street) is a must-see. We packed our own lunch to save money and ate it in St Kilda's Botanic Gardens. There we were joined by two very keen magpies. I refused to share my lunch, knowing that as soon as I did, they were bound to bring the rest of the family. However, when I noticed part of my banana was bad, I chucked it to the birds. Duncan sighed. He'd been warning me not to feed them and now he pointed at a crow who was coming to see what the commotion was and said, "Now here comes a jolly crow!"
Not for long. The two magpies soon chased him away.
We noticed a guy hanging around in the gardens, pacing around, reading the same bit of paper over and over. It was then we realised that he was an actor learning his lines and sure enough there was a filming session going on nearby with two female actors and one cameraman. We couldn't tell what show it was but as we were leaving the gardens, we noticed a van parked outside a house with stacks of filming equipment.
St Kilda Beach is not nearly as nice as Perth's beaches. It's more of a harbour really. While we were walking along, we noticed the same actors had come down to the beach and were filming another scene of the show.
I think St Kilda is nice to visit but I don't think I could live there. After a while I started to feel sick so we caught the tram back to the city. Duncan suggested it could be low blood sugar because I hadn't eaten much all day and I felt really faint. I felt better when I ate the biscuit I brought in Acland St but I really wanted to go somewhere quiet to sit down (we'd been walking and walking and walking). Duncan suggested the cinema and I convinced him to see My Sister's Keeper with me :)
Me in Brunswick St.
At St Kilda's Botanic Gardens.
Luna Park. It was closed.
Palace Theatre.
St Kilda Beach.
French people hanging out (well, it sounded like they were speaking French).
The jetty. Duncan kept pretending he was going to push me off. Horrible man ;)
Monday, August 24, 2009
Creeeeeepy!
Have you ever gone to church and come away believing that God definitely had something to say to you? Or that things that were said and did during the service mirrored what had been going through your mind recently?
That happened to me yesterday.
When I say God spoke to me, I don't mean that I think the service was tailor-made for me only and that God didn't also speak to others. Let me explain...
Our friend, Barry, preached yesterday and I'd been asking him for the last couple of weeks what he was going to preach on to which he kept telling me, "Wait and see." Well, of all the topics or passages he could have chosen, it was one that had been dominating my thoughts particularly for the last weeks but really for the last couple of years.
Forgiveness.
I've been reading a book called The Peacemaker by Ken Sande which I'm finding to be a tough read. Hence, I'm reading it slowly because I'm feeling rather delicate as it opens up some old wounds. The night before, I'd been reading a chapter which was about Matthew 18:21-35, the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant. And Barry used that exact same passage in his sermon. It was a good talk and relevant for everyone, not just me, but at the end when I felt like I was going to cry, I turned to Duncan and whispered, "God sure wants me to keep hearing about forgiveness, doesn't he."
That wasn't the only strange thing that happened yesterday. In my recent post, Replaced, I mentioned a lady at our church who plays the piano week in, week out. Well, yesterday the service leader publicly thanked her for being faithful in serving us this way. 'Faithful' was the exact same word I used in my post. I didn't write it to suggest that no-one had ever thanked her because, for all I know, she could receive regular thanks but I know what it feels like to be unappreciated. So it seems like the service leader was thinking along the exact same lines as I'd been thinking recently.
From these happenings, I can draw some possible explanations:
That happened to me yesterday.
When I say God spoke to me, I don't mean that I think the service was tailor-made for me only and that God didn't also speak to others. Let me explain...
Our friend, Barry, preached yesterday and I'd been asking him for the last couple of weeks what he was going to preach on to which he kept telling me, "Wait and see." Well, of all the topics or passages he could have chosen, it was one that had been dominating my thoughts particularly for the last weeks but really for the last couple of years.
Forgiveness.
I've been reading a book called The Peacemaker by Ken Sande which I'm finding to be a tough read. Hence, I'm reading it slowly because I'm feeling rather delicate as it opens up some old wounds. The night before, I'd been reading a chapter which was about Matthew 18:21-35, the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant. And Barry used that exact same passage in his sermon. It was a good talk and relevant for everyone, not just me, but at the end when I felt like I was going to cry, I turned to Duncan and whispered, "God sure wants me to keep hearing about forgiveness, doesn't he."
That wasn't the only strange thing that happened yesterday. In my recent post, Replaced, I mentioned a lady at our church who plays the piano week in, week out. Well, yesterday the service leader publicly thanked her for being faithful in serving us this way. 'Faithful' was the exact same word I used in my post. I didn't write it to suggest that no-one had ever thanked her because, for all I know, she could receive regular thanks but I know what it feels like to be unappreciated. So it seems like the service leader was thinking along the exact same lines as I'd been thinking recently.
From these happenings, I can draw some possible explanations:
- People at my church have been reading my blog.
- People at my church have been reading my mind (ok, I seriously hope not. That WOULD be scary!)
- God has been placing the same things that have been in my heart on the hearts of others.
It could quite possibly be a combination of the first and third options. I believe nothing is a coincidence with God.
Have you ever had an experience like this?
Friday, August 21, 2009
Marriage 101: Post-Wedding Doom
I know Duncan and I are definitely NOT the only married couple to have had this experience.
When you're dating, older married couples keep nagging you, asking when you're going to get married. Then after the wedding, they tell you it's all doom and gloom.
You'd think couples further down the marriage journey would offer newlyweds some encouragement....but they often don't. Sometimes when Duncan and I show physical affection in public we get the odd snide remark from people who have been married much longer than us. Stuff like "Get a room" or "Don't you ever stop touching each other?" It's not like we've been overly touchy-feely or anything. I just love my man!
Personally, I think some older couples are jealous of newlyweds. Perhaps they've lost the romance, passion and excitement out of their own marriage so they don't want anyone else to have it either. However, it is pretty discouraging when all you're told is negative stuff.
I know what people mean when they say that relationships change and become more 'comfortable' over the years. We've only been together for two and a half years and married for 16 months but we've started to feel this change. You start to become more comfortable in your own skin around your partner and allow them to see your 'uglier' side, secure in the fact that they love you. You can be yourself and no longer feel the pressure to impress each other like you do when you're dating.
But I don't think this should ever be a licence to just put no effort into the romance side of your relationship. People say that the warm fuzzies die off after a while and maybe they do a bit, but it sounds like they're just letting them die by not putting in as much effort. The whole "Oh Susan knows I love her. I don't need to do anything nice for her," kind of attitude.
I think Bek is right in her post For better or worse about married couples needing to make an effort to keep the 'honeymoon feeling'.
If you're married, then please offer some newlyweds some ENCOURAGEMENT. I was so happy recently when someone told me, "It only gets better." It was so nice to hear something positive for a change!
When you're dating, older married couples keep nagging you, asking when you're going to get married. Then after the wedding, they tell you it's all doom and gloom.
You'd think couples further down the marriage journey would offer newlyweds some encouragement....but they often don't. Sometimes when Duncan and I show physical affection in public we get the odd snide remark from people who have been married much longer than us. Stuff like "Get a room" or "Don't you ever stop touching each other?" It's not like we've been overly touchy-feely or anything. I just love my man!
Personally, I think some older couples are jealous of newlyweds. Perhaps they've lost the romance, passion and excitement out of their own marriage so they don't want anyone else to have it either. However, it is pretty discouraging when all you're told is negative stuff.
I know what people mean when they say that relationships change and become more 'comfortable' over the years. We've only been together for two and a half years and married for 16 months but we've started to feel this change. You start to become more comfortable in your own skin around your partner and allow them to see your 'uglier' side, secure in the fact that they love you. You can be yourself and no longer feel the pressure to impress each other like you do when you're dating.
But I don't think this should ever be a licence to just put no effort into the romance side of your relationship. People say that the warm fuzzies die off after a while and maybe they do a bit, but it sounds like they're just letting them die by not putting in as much effort. The whole "Oh Susan knows I love her. I don't need to do anything nice for her," kind of attitude.
I think Bek is right in her post For better or worse about married couples needing to make an effort to keep the 'honeymoon feeling'.
If you're married, then please offer some newlyweds some ENCOURAGEMENT. I was so happy recently when someone told me, "It only gets better." It was so nice to hear something positive for a change!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Melbourne Views
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