Goodbye 2023...

 Goodbye 2023, and dare I say good riddance! 

Laying ahead days linger on the horizon; may they be enriching and harmonious. 

From late June to the beginning of December I was presented with one disastrous situation after another, as the year progressed the challenges became more intense. 

Seeking solace in nature these past few months did not bestow upon me as much balance and healing as she normally does, reaching a point of defeat, where I simply let go and flowed with the energies coming my way. There is no point in fighting life, as battling that which we seemingly cannot change only emphasises the troubles. 

The last straw was having my default email address hacked, thankfully not my google one as I rarely use it. The other is gone, all contacts lost, and stupidly I had not saved regular contacts to the backup google account. Although this wasn't as disastrous as the other situations, it was something I definitely didn't need as I was only just beginning to feel life was calming down. 

 Why people feel the need to attack people they don't even know shows the sorry stated some of humanity is in. Hopefully karma will catch up with them and slap them. 

It seemed as if there was a crescendo building as the year drew closer to its end. As I look back it was almost as it everything was arranging itself to push me to a point of absolute surrender. 

Miraculously though, in each situation solutions were always there shimmering on the horizon, although when we are in reaction mode, we do not always see a miracle in waiting. 

As a new year approaches, I realise how grateful I am, even for the intense and emotional last six months, for sitting here viewing the situations with hindsight I realise that I have a strength and resilience that despite being pushed to the limits I always come out the other end thankful for making it through with enough clarity to see how blessed I am. 

Having said that though, at the end of November I was as close to the edge of breaking down entirely, some of the recent weeks have been somewhat of a blur. 

2024 what will it bring with it? 

I have a strong feeling it is going to be a more harmonious year, I feel a sense of excitement, so much so it is like there is an intangible positivity that is shrouding me these last few days. 

On waking this morning, I ventured straight out into the garden and spent an hour attuning myself to the unwavering gloriousness of our beautiful earthly mother. I appreciated the many feathered beings who flew around me, diving through the spray of the hose as I quenched the parched earth and replenished the drooping plants.

 I really am surrounded by such brilliance.

 The lessons of Mother Gaia do give me the capacity to see that life is a constant wave of dynamics that weave their way across the earth as well as into all of our lives. 

Nothing stays the same, everything is always shifting and changing, and if we are willing to relinquish control and succumb to allow life to flow around us, it will shift chaos into harmony once again...

.

I Brought Home...

I brought home a new quilt the other day and placed it on the back of a chair for what I thought would be a moment. 

Miss Bear had other ideas though, she found this a snuggly resting place and was quite adamant about not being moved...

 

Always A Pleasure...

Always a pleasure to visit my favourite cow family, anyone who spends time with cows will know that they a simply like big puppies. 

They are so affectionate and gentle.

 I have a soft spot for the regal and enormous dad of this family, in the last shot he is coming up for a pat.

 He is so adorable, yet his offspring are just the cutest and fluffiest curious beings that never fail to melt my heart, they are still a little cautious of coming too close to people, yet I am quite content to admire them from a distance...

 

Keeper Of The Shoes...

Keeper of the shoes seems to be an important job that Charlie takes very seriously.

Each day when I return from my daily escapades Charlie will spend an hour or so replacing his scent my shoes.

Depending on where I have been and what aromas have been infused into my shoes will establish how vigorously my shoes need to be rolled and sat on.

Occasionally, I also get stares of bewilderment as Charlie tries to figure out why he can smell dog...

 

During The...

During the dreadfully hot summer getting out and about becomes somewhat difficult, I am not a fan of the heat and anything over the mid 30's sees me hibernate indoors.

 Hence my daily adventures take on a different vibe as getting out into the bush is dangerous as the heat soars, so I need to get creative looking for motivation. 

Little jaunts are more favourable in the summer looking for inspiration both natural and arty. 

Stopping to have a little wander around this small park and to enjoy the railway inspired sculptures. 

All the pieces (excluding the last image) have been created using parts from the old train station and railway yard that once stood on this place in Midland many years ago. 

 

A Random Page...

 A random page from a book gracefully blowing down the street in the wind. 

Resting here as the breeze dropped to a whisper, before being teased once again to begin its dance across the road...

Impatient Visitors Waiting...

Impatient visitors waiting for seed to be thrown even before the sun has fully risen. They are extremely vocal, and they also give me quite the unimpressed stare. Although the rose chested cockatoos are beautiful, they are also destructive in the garden, so I had been limiting enticing them into the garden. This time of the year though it is breeding season, already a few babies can be heard complaining to be fed as they wait in the safety of the taller trees. With the younger mouths to feed the flock becomes very demanding and no matter how I try to hide where I feed the chickens, they always find the seed. 

After the chicks have fledged, I will begin to deter them once again so that they go back to the bushland to forage for food instead coming here for an easy meal. 

I do adore these beautiful birds, even if they do make a racket and eat so much. They are comical as well as cheeky which does endear them to me despite their demanding nature...