Dear Reader Where do we find Joy? Finding the joy in my every day life is something I've committed myself to over the past few years. I admit I'm not always successful. I don't always like the things that pop up in my day - and sometimes the whole day appears to start miserably! Where's the joy in that? And it's been particularly hard the last few weeks. Splitting headache, double vision that's got a whole lot worse. I ended in the Emergency Department where the diagnosis was blood pressure...
7 days ago • 4 min read
Dear Reader Daylight SavingsSome thoughts We put our clocks back at 2am on April 6th, and thus Autumn is here, soon to be followed by winter. I don't know about you. I just do not understand the logic (is there any?) of this Daylight Savings practice. I was born in Queensland in Australia. Queenslanders voted not to have Daylight Savings, so in the summer we in New Zealand become three hours ahead of Queensland but only 2 hours ahead of the rest of the Eastern States. In Queensland, there is...
28 days ago • 4 min read
Dear Reader Trees and Water - and Good Company The past two weeks have been a delightful feast of 'trees and water - and good company' for me! Have you ever anticipated something that didn't happen, then, years later, it's promised to you again? Years ago, my friend Tina tried to come visit us - and for various reasons got to the airline gate and was denied her flight. AND Wednesday week ago she finally arrived - bringing her friend, Cathy, with her (now our friend too!) We planned a feast....
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader Fear - What does it mean? Can you think of a time when something you perceived as a threat was not based on actual danger, but on your own view of the situation as a threat? Have you seen this meaning of fear in your life? F - False E - Evidence A - Appearing R - Real This acronym for FEAR has always intrigued me. And over the years I've drawn comfort from knowing that my fears are not necessarily based in reality. In fact, in hindsight I see that most of my fears have been...
about 2 months ago • 5 min read
Dear Reader A gift from a Friend At coffee yesterday, my friend surprised me with this perfect specimen from her garden. I was (am) mesmerised by the perfection of its flowerheard. I can see what I've been told is true - that the sunflower is a pseudanthium made up of many small flowers. I've never seen one so delicate. I hope my photo does it justice and you enjoy it too. Sunflower I've been doing 'Swedish Death Cleaning' Do you ever come across a concept that has the potential to change...
2 months ago • 5 min read
Dear Reader Life's Lessons - Does Hindsight Bring Understanding? If you challenged me, I could never count the number of times I might have said: "If only I'd known how this was going to turn out, I wouldn't have been so upset, worried, or afraid back then." I guess you've had a similar moments - times when something that seemed bad at first led to unexpected growth, insight, or even a silver lining. Hindsight can be a wonderful thing. It lets us look back on challenging experiences and...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader Curiosity - again! I've been thinking of the C Words again! Woke up thinking of the tips people give about how to live to a ripe old age and that one of those tips is to keep curious - one of the C Words I've written of before - but today in a different capacity. From early childhood I've always been a curious person. I don't think I was one to ask the endless series of "But WHY?" questions. Me in the middle - Will I grow up with Ferocious Curiosity? For me it was often "But WHAT...
3 months ago • 4 min read
Dear Reader Feeling even better! I'm thrilled to be able to report that I'm feeling a lot better and hopeful that this may continue. I know there's a way to go, but every day I'm noticing small improvements in how I can do things. Thank you! You've touched my heart with your well wishes! We've even been able to get out in the garden. The people before us loved their gardens to be covered in river stones. Unfortunately, the stones have mixed with a lot of soil which meant that weeds and...
4 months ago • 5 min read
Dear Reader Welcome to 2025! Healthier already - I'm pleased to say I have been diligent in looking after my physical self these past few months, as I mentioned in my end of year newsletter. Also in caring for my mental health. I'm amazed to see the connections between the both and how progress from prioritising my physical health has depended on being kinder to myself mentally - no pressure to get things done, no feeling guilty for taking breaks - that sort of thing. And the rewards are...
4 months ago • 2 min read