SUNSHINE

Welcome to Tuesday in Adelaide, where for the first time in a few weeks, the sun is shining.  It is amazing the difference some bright blue sky and some sunshine makes to peoples mood.    

I was in morning traffic and there were smiles, and drivers giving way and being generally courteous and home to destination took 15 minutes as opposed to the normal 25 mins.

I am impressed as to how much difference the brightness makes and am happy to share the sunshine by making this day as pleasant and happy as it can be.

Wishing you love and laughter, kindness and care, lots of smiles and a very happy Tuesday when it arrives for you.

Love and hugs,

Linda

xxx

STEVENS JOHNSON AWARENESS MONTH

Welcome to August and welcome to STEVENS JOHNSON AWARENESS month, a time to educate and increase awareness of Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

I am a survivor of this and until I contracted it in hospital in the early weeks post Liver Transplant, was totally unaware of this condition.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/stevens-johnson-syndrome/basics/definition/con-20029623

Stevens-Johnson syndrome is a rare, serious disorder of your skin and mucous membranes. It's usually a reaction to a medication or an infection. Often, Stevens-Johnson syndrome begins with flu-like symptoms, followed by a painful red or purplish rash that spreads and blisters. Then the top layer of the affected skin dies and sheds.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome is a medical emergency that usually requires hospitalization. Treatment focuses on eliminating the underlying cause, controlling symptoms and minimizing complications.

Recovery after Stevens-Johnson syndrome can take weeks to months, depending on the severity of your condition. If it was caused by a medication, you'll need to permanently avoid that drug and others closely related to it.

My recovery from this was due to the incredible nursing staff at Flinders Medical Centre who cared for me in the most amazing way.

Please learn about this condition.

Love and hugs,

Linda.

xxx

DONATE LIFE WEEK 2016

Today is the first day of DONATE LIFE WEEK  in Australia for 2016.

The challenge is to ask yourself, and those around you at to What you are waiting for?  

There is a big list of people waiting for Organ Transplants in Australia and I personally can vouch for the importance and value of this.  

I received a Liver Transplant in December 2009 because one Australian stood up and made the commitment to donate his organs after his death.

I was the lucky recipient of the liver and my life took a very big turn for the better and I have been well ever since.

I take medication and keep appointments and would actively encourage you all to sign up on the Organ Donor Register, have the conversation with your family and decide to donate your organs.

It isn't just the recipient who benefits from this  - their family and friends are impacted by the fact that the recipient is still with them.

Make the call, have the discussion, and please decide to donate your organs and help up to 8 people. 

What are you waiting for ?

Love and hugs,

Linda.

xxx

SIMPLE THINGS ON SATURDAY

It is Saturday and the sun is shining in Adelaide - and it really is the simple things that bring pleasure.

Nice coffee to start the day, laundry done and hanging in the winter breeze, vegetables chopped and chicken soup on cooking.   Some phone calls made - a special call to Henry on the farm who is 9 years old today and very excited.

It is a very ordinary weekend and to be enjoyed - the simple things of life - washing flapping in the breeze and the lovely smell of cooking.  Nice music and warmth.

I am just a simple Aussie Girl, enjoying simple things and deciding today to not watch television news or listen to radio news and I guess the world will not go into a holding pattern while I take some time out to nourish and nurture my soul.

I wish you a peaceful and gentle weekend with nice things to nurture you.

Love and hugs,

Linda

xxx

GROCERY SHOPPING DAY

Shopping is not my favourite was of passing time, but I am lucky to live close to a shopping Centre with two supermarkets, two pharmacies, a Bakery, and the best Gift Shop I have come across in a very long time.

My favourite Supermarket opens at 7.00.a.m. and my Pharmacy at 8.00.am. and most times by the time I have done the Grocery shopping, had some scripts filled it is time to pull up a chair at The Oreo Cafe for coffee and sometimes breakfast.  A call at the Post Office and the Bakery finish off an easy excursion.

The members of Staff at this shopping complex are all rather lovely and make the chore of shopping much easier and brighter.

I clearly admit how blessed I am to be able to shop locally and purchase the food I need from fresh supplies - everything from seafood to celery, coffee to cheesecake, tablets to trinkets - all at the one complex in pleasant circumstances.

I am blessed to have a warm home and food on my table and the medication I need and my lovely car to get me there.  

Have a lovely day and enjoy shopping if it is on your agenda and I hope you have a pleasant place to visit when you need to.

Love and hugs,

Linda

xxx

HOME IS THE HUNTER, HOME FROM THE HILL

Good Morning and welcome to Thursday, a happy day for this family because my son in law is arriving home (on the last leg of his (Melbourne to Adelaide) journey as I type.

He has been to Inverness, Scotland to a conference and to present a paper and been gone almost three weeks and for my daughter three weeks too long.

For me I find it hard when parts of the family are missing from the puzzle and with world affairs the way they are, I am always happy to have them arrive home safe and sound.

Today's technology allows us to monitor and watch the progress of flights which I rather nice and I have enjoyed his travels, but feel much better that in a very short time he will be back on the Terra Firma of home sweet home.

Welcome home Nick, glad to have you back home and wish you days relatively free of jet lag and time to enjoy the comforts of home.

Enjoy every member of your family and share their joy at travel and achievement and be welcoming when they return to the fold.

Love and hugs,

Linda.

xxx

CALM AFTER STORM

Welcome to Wednesday in Adelaide, where the storms of the last few weeks have eased and we are left with cold and much calmer weather today.

The sky is still a pewter grey and the sun is hiding, but the strong winds have calmed down.   We have had more rain this far this year than for the whole of 2015 and the ground is soft and water logged.   Our reservoir levels are much better than they have been for a number of years and that holds the promise of more water available for our hot summer months.

I don't mind the rain, but the wind bothers me somewhat and I am glad to be able to report that we are forecast for a few dry and sunny days.  Our winter seems cold, but is not nearly as cold as many have in the northern hemisphere.

I am blessed indeed to have a warm home, a warm and cosy bed and a tasty warm meal on my table - I certainly don't enjoy the storms but I do enjoy the calm after the storm and the warmth of home and family.

I hope your Wednesday has been a good one - or will be a good one and that you are at peace with your life.

Love and hugs,

Linda

xxx

THE WINDS OF CHANGE

Good Morning on a wet and windy Tuesday - where the winds of change are blowing.   I received a message this morning that my 16 week old Grandson is off to a Mums and Babes movie morning at the Theatre with his little friend Jasper and his Mum too.

He has a very busy social life - birthday parties, Lectures at the Art Gallery and Football Games and now the movies,  - such a different way of life for babies today from when mine were small, where I stayed home and did very little apart from a walk in the park or a trip to the Shopping Centre.   

I think it is wonderful for little ones to be "socialized" and to be out and about and I would do it all so differently if I had my time over.  I would make changes and, although my girls have become wonderful young women, they would get a different start in life.   I have learned not to be afraid of change, to go with the flow and take the good from all situations.

I have told them to "go easy on the popcorn" at the movies this morning and to enjoy the company of other Mums and babies.   

Change is not always negative, there are so many positive things to come from change - we have to learn to accept and enjoy the changes.

I am hoping they have a great outing and enjoy themselves.

You enjoy your day too.

Love and hugs,

Linda.

xxx

WARMTH ON SUNDAY

Welcome to Sunday in Australia, where the day had dawned wet and cold again but I am warm and cosy.   

Warmth comes to us in many ways - a soft blanket, air conditioning, a roaring fire, hot soup, hot coffee, a kitchen warm from cooking.   Snuggling in a warm bed, a cuddle from a loved one, holding a baby in your arms.

There is the warmth of friendship, the warmth of tender care and family and the warmth of shared conversation and laughter.

There is warmth in memories as we wander back and relive special times and celebrations and enjoy freshly made memories.

I made warm memories yesterday when I spent time with my girls and Felix, who is now 16 weeks old and very warm and responsive.  We talked, laughed and shared so much in a short time.   I felt the warmth of family and our special baby, who fell asleep in my arms.    There is no other feeling quite so warm and special than to have a baby fall asleep in your arms.

This little boy has brought so much warmth to our family and is very loved.

Have a wonderful Sunday and find warmth in your day.

Love and hugs,

Linda

xxx

THE BLISS OF SOLITUDE

Good Morning on Saturday - welcome to Saturday in the Land Down Under, where winter has us in her grip again and it has howled and blown all night long.

My wishes for you for this weekend are for happy hours, for love and laughter,

sunshine and smiles, and calm and contentment.

I wish for you solitude and time to relax and unwind, to contemplate the things that puzzle you and have you perplexed.   Don't be afraid of time alone, it is a blessing and a healing time and a time to gather strength for the times ahead.

If you are unwell, take the time to rest, refresh and restore and if it is just the humdrum and bustle of daily living that has you tired - take the time to rest.

It is wonderful to be able to give to others and to care for them, but it is also very important that you take care of yourself - 

Enjoy this new day and be present to each moment and be ready to value and enjoy the beautiful moments that will happen during this day.

Love and hugs,

Linda 

xxx

IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS

Good Morning on a grey and wet Friday morning in Adelaide - no beautiful sunrise this morning, but the day holds the promise of being beautiful just the same.

Sleep was not my companion and I spent some time thinking of how I could brighten the day for someone and I realized that it is often the little things that count and make a difference.

It is possible for each one of us to make a difference in the simplest of ways ~

Make a phone call, write a letter, smile at a stranger, bake a cake,

have coffee with a friend and be sure to listen.

When out and about be sure to be aware of the little things around you - be aware of the wonders of nature - the dew or rain drop on the rose, the leaves blowing down the street,  the white fluffy clouds and the rainbow above you.

There are so many more little things around you  - be present to the moment and be aware of the little things and let them enhance your life.

Take care as you go about your day and enjoy all that is around you and remember ~ 

it's the little things.

Love and hugs,

Linda

xxx

SUNRISE ON THURSDAY MORNING

Good Morning on Thankful Thursday and I was blessed this morning to be up and about and able to experience this beautiful sunrise.  My sky was a canvas on which was painted the most beautiful colours and scenes.

I am Thankful for so many things, and although, at times I am distressed by world events,  this morning confirmed with me how very much I have to be thankful for.   

I am alive and well and express my gratitude to my Liver Donor and his family.

Without this wonderful gift I would not be here to see the changing of the seasons, the beauty around me, my family growing and changing and continuing with their lives.

I could make a very long list of things I am thankful for and things I enjoy, but will save those for another morning.

There is one very special gift for which I am so very thankful - a beautiful little boy who is 16 weeks old and brings so much joy to me - my little Grandson.

Introducing Felix Perry

I hope that there is love and laughter, sunshine and gladness in your day and that you too can find much to be thankful for.

Sending love and hugs on Thankful Thursday,

Linda

xxx

WELCOME TO A WINTER WEDNESDAY

Good Morning on a cold winter Wednesday and there is so much truth in this quote.   Spring is pleasant and full of hope, but I am a Winter Girl and love the cold damp days and the cosy times.

There is so much to be thankful for and to enjoy - walks in the rain, splashing in puddles, wrapping up in hats and scarves and then coming home to warmth and the comfort of winter kitchen smells.    Soups, casseroles, stews, home made bread and freshly brewed coffee.  All the comfort of a warm bed, soft fluffy towels, a blanket wrap by the fire and a good book.   Hot chocolate with marshmallow and raindrops running down window panes.

The sky may be grey and the trees bare of leaves, the wind may howl and blow, but I can find so much pleasure and beauty in winter days.

I shall enjoy the changing of the seasons and the bursting and budding of springtime, but right now I am relishing the beauty of winter.

I hope you are enjoying your current season and can find joy in the little things.

Take care and be present to the moment.  

Love and hugs,

Linda.

xxx

HELLO - I'M BACK

Hello there,

It has been 16 months since I blogged and I have decided to make a comeback in a slightly different format.

It is my intention to do a short morning blog each morning relative to my life and the things happening around me.

We will share the changing of the seasons and world affairs and beautiful things, starting tomorrow Wednesday in my little corner of the world.

I shall try to find something beautiful and positive to share with you each morning and bring joy to me and to you.

Looking forward to sharing my days with you.

Love and hugs,

Linda

xxx

LOVE HARD, LAUGH OFTEN

Good evening and hello from a lovely temperate city of Adelaide, where the sun has shone all day and gentle breezes have blown.

My country is under cyclone watch on both sides - in the West Cyclone Olwyn is hammering the coast and wreaking havoc and in Queensland they are holding their breath as Cyclone Nathan bears down on them.    Adelaide is not on the coast it is a City in a Gulf and I think that protects us from much of this cyclonic weather.

I have been busy and missing in action and I apologize for that and this post will only be a short one as I am heading for bed with my book.   I don't have huge plans for the weekend so I should be back into routine and posting normally.

This lovely image above has so much of me in it (sure I am not the beautiful young thing posing here) but loving hard, laughing hard and rocking the boat are all things I relate to so well.

I am independent (fiercely so - stubborn according to my elder daughter)

I do love who I am and what I have become - i love colour and use it often.

I have shaken many things to the core but managed to stay humble and as for starting a revolution - count me in. !!

I believe in standing for what I believe even if I stand alone and one

day I just may be part of a revolution. 

Be strong, be brave and be positive and assertive and leave a gentle footprint on our earth.

Thank you for visiting the Musings of My Heart - a rebellious heart at times and one that breaks into pieces at the difficult world situations.

Love and hugs,

AT THE END OF DAY

Welcome to Tuesday evening - it has been a beautiful day weather wise here in Adelaide - sunshine, gentle breezes and blue sky.   A great to be alive day.

I have had no electricity for most of the day and it amazes me how quiet it is - but I was very pleased to have the power back on at 3.45.p.m.  The round of setting clocks and catching up on things is a routine I don't particularly enjoy but all done and settled again.

It is evening and the day is closing in and becoming cooler and it is a beautiful time of day to consider all the things that are important.

At this stage of my life I am not struggling to get a family fed and children ready for bed early - those days are over, so I do have more thinking time at this hour.

Love, family and friendship are such treasured possessions for us all.

Love is a word which means so much - as a wife, husband, mother, father, child. The love you share is special and binds us close as a family.

The love of friends is very special - it is a caring and sharing and often confiding in that "special friend" the concerns and cares of daily living - often about the family.

They are truly wonderful gifts and I cherish them and encourage you all to spread the love and cherish them too.

Gifts are wonderful both when offered and received - take the gifts of love, family and friendship and share them with your loved ones.

Life is short and should be lived to the full and make it worthwhile.

Splash in puddles, dance in the rain, make cookies with your children,

watch a storm together, give big hugs, laugh until you cry and share the love.

Dance through your life, watch the sunset and pick some flowers together and be present to each and every moment.

Thank you for visiting the Musings of My Heart - a heart that is loved, loves and values family and friends.   Life is Sweet - seize the day.,

Love and hugs,

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

Good afternoon from a very pretty day in Adelaide - sun is shining and the sky is blue and the temperature is deliciously moderate - a beautiful autumnal day.

On this International Women's Day I am thankful to those women who have gone before me and claimed many victories on behalf of all women.

This is the flag of the Women's Movement and the colours have significant meaning:

Green - Give. White - Women the Violet - Vote

"Give Women the Vote"

I have actively encouraged my children to register to vote and to claim their birthright on voting days and they do this willingly and happily.   They are daughters of a Woman of the Second Wave.  

We have come such a long way in most areas of our lives - we have women in Politics, Business, Diplomacy, Academia, Education and yet we still have much further to go.

The above six women have left their mark over recent years.

Julie Bishop - Currently Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs

Anna Bligh - First Female Premier of Queensland

Dame Quentin Bryce - First female Governor General of Australia

Dr. Catherine Hamlin - surgeon 

Julia Gillard - First Female Prime Minister of Australia

Tanya Plibersek - Federal Member for Sydney

We are very lucky to have these women active in our world.

This beautiful young woman is Malala Yousafzai who is blazing a trail for the education of girls throughout the world and in particular in her beloved Swat Valley of Pakistan and following in the footsteps of Benazir Bhutto who was assasinated.   Malala wore a shawl belonging to Benazir when she addressed the United Nations.

Be proud to be a woman and be thankful for those who have gone before, be proud of those who struggle and encourage those who are yet to come on for the cause of women.

There are so many issues where there is work to be done - equal pay,child care, education, domestic violence issues and I am thankful too to the men of this world who support and encourage the striving of women.

Am I a Feminist ? - Hell Yeah  !!

Thank you for visiting the Musings of My Heart - a heart thankful and encouraged for the cause of women generally - there is still much to be done - don't give up the cause and be sure to pass the baton to your daughters.

Love and hugs,

OUT OF STEP

Good morning from Saturday morning here in Adelaide where the weather continues to be blissful and cool.   They sky is grey this morning and holds the promise of rain, but I doubt that we are going to get more than a light shower if anything at all.

Saturday mornings are lovely and generally quiet where I live and as I didn't have to shop today I have had the whole morning at home.   My neighbour is mowing his lawns and the comforting sounds of normality surround me.

I may have shared the image above before, but it is one of my favourites and takes me right back instantly to my early childhood days when my Mother cherished the thought that her daughter may become a ballerina - but the daughter had very different ideas.    

All the lovely little girls in pink would front up to the barre and go through their steps while I would be doing somersaults and hanging upside down.   I can still hear the teacher calling my name and see my Mother's distressed face.   I didn't want to do Ballet classes and I would hide and have to be dragged kicking and screaming to class on the bus, and we would arrive late because of that.   Yet she persisted and we would go through this regime every week and still I would swing on the barre.  (A distant cousin however in later years did audition for Sadler's Wells Ballet in London) but that wasn't me !

I wanted (and did eventually get) a pony and I wanted to walk through mud and ride with the wind in my hair - I certainly didn't want to wear a pink tutu and leotard.    The thought of jodphurs with chamois leather knee pads and soft leather boots and a dark blue hacking jacket and dark blue velvet riding cap brought squeals of delight from the upside down little girl.  That little girl would sleep with her cap on her pillow and her boots alongside her bed.

I knew then what I wanted and what was right for me and in many ways I have been "out of step" all my life and have held strong opinions on many many things and have always made those opinions known.

I have taken a stand many times for what I believe in - days of Vietnam Moratorium Marches in Adelaide would see me every Friday  lunchtime protesting against the war. I have written letters to Newspapers, Parliamentarians, and Governments all over the world and today is no different.

I am vocal and loud in my support of Marriage Equality and rejoice that many countries have changed their laws so that people of the same gender who love each other can be married.   Well done to those Countries and to the States in America that have changed their laws. 37 of the 50 States of America have changed their statutes.    I have cherished friends who have now been able to marry with all the security and acceptance it brings and I rejoice for them.  It is not Gay Rights it is Human Rights.

I stand proud and tall in my rejection of the death penalty anywhere in the world and am vocal in my stance against the putting to death of the two Australian men on death row at the moment - I stand against the death pentalty for the men from Brazil, the Phillipines, France and anywhere else.

I am a mother and my heart is sore for the Mothers of these two young men - I cannot imagine the pain they feel.

There are many other causes I stand tall and proud to support - I am against Female Genital Mutilation and most definitely stand beside those of us who need a little more help along the way because of a disability.

The world is a sadder place because Stella Young left us in December and is no longer here to shed her light and humour for her cause.   Vale Stella. 

Be proud of who you are and what you believe in and stand up for it.  Do it with dignity and pride and let your voice be heard - These are some of the lyrics of a song by an Australian Folk Singer Judy Small. 

" And I'm just one voice anyway, just one brick in the wall

One brick in the wall you may be, one voice in the crowd

But without you we are weaker and our song may not be heard

One drop in the ocean, but each drop will swell the tide

So be your one brick in the wall, be one voice in the crowd  "

Be that drop in the ocean, be that brick in the wall and let your voice be heard.

Thank you for visiting the Musings of My Heart - an active and proactive heart with very strong beliefs and very great care for my brothers and sisters in this world.

Love and hugs,

IT'S A BLOOMING MIRACLE

Good afternoon from Adelaide on what could literally be taken for a true autumn afternoon, the sky is mottled grey with patches of blue and it was quite chilly earlier on.   A true and definite change in the season to be relished and adored.

The weather is a little crazy all over the world - my friend in Philadelphia claims their weather is "odd" too as it is snowing and very cold and only a few days from Spring and quite unusual for them.    Adelaide usually can count on hot days in early March - in fact the whole of March.    My younger daughter was born on March 28 and that was a very hot week, so I guess we could have some more hot weather to cope with.   Despite the thought of more heat I am thoroughly enjoying the tempting taste of autumn days.

On the other side of the world Mother Nature will be waking the spring bulbs and they will be bursting through and dancing in the spring winds.   Daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, daisies and the beautiful blossoms on the trees around us.

I love flowers and non more than the glorious golden daffodil.

When I read the quote at the top of this page I was reminded of my daffodils and how they push their way through cold and damp earth and herald spring with their beauty.   They make their presence felt and are storm tossed and yet bend in the wind and don't break.   Every flower that ever bloomed had to go through a whole lot of dirt to get there.

Life is like that for us - it seems we have to go through a lot of dirt to get where we are going and sometimes it is an immense struggle and days are difficult and long.   We must push ahead through the cold and dark and head for the light of warmer and brighter days.  When we do blossom how beautiful it is and ours is the victory.

If you are going through the struggle to get your little shoots to spring forth through the dirt - persevere, be strong and you will make progress and in time will blossom.

Look around you and take in the beauty of the gardens that you see and the flowers that bloom.    The bulbs that come from cooler climes than ours, the native flowers that grow and stun us with their beauty.   The flowering gums, the Banksia and Warratah, to name just a few. 

I wish you well as you struggle to break through and to be the beautiful blossom you were meant to be.  Let your lovely colours shine and make our world a more beautiful and happier place.

Thank you for visiting the Musings of My Heart and for sharing the joy of flowers with me today.

Love and hugs,