Whatever Happens I Will Be Grateful...

"He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has."

- Epictetus

I am grateful for the blessings of my daughter Philomena, and my husband, Anthony.

Today I've had the most touching opportunity to be grateful. I awoke to sunshine this morning, but it soon turned grey, and we've had some drops of rain. I rejoiced when I awoke to rain, and I rejoiced when it clouded over. It matched my mood, and I was thankful to have the opportunity to come home after mass, and after helping Philomena clean her room, sit down to enjoy a Wild Bean coffee, and read.

We've all had a nice morning doing our own little things and going into our own little worlds. This afternoon we'll come together as a family again, go out to celebrate Phil's birthday with our good friends Matt and Chelsea and their boys, Ashton and Declan.

But meanwhile, this is what we've been doing... Philomena is watching a DVD...G-Force (guinea pigs who are spies); Anthony has been reading the paper, snoozing and playing with his lego; and I've been sitting in Phil's room looking out the window watching the trees and plants sway, reading the paper, listening to Tony McManus, contemplating and being grateful for small things today. It's what I would call a perfect Sunday.

Today's title is taken from today's Qweekend article, 'From Little Things Big Things Grow'. It's a great article by Frances Whiting, and this is the sub-heading..."In the hustle and bustle of daily life, how often do we stop to appreciate the small stuff? Hailey Bartholomew did, and she started a revolution."

Her website '365 Grateful' is about Hailey's story which includes a project which is being turned into a documentary. The Qweekend article also includes other people's stories where they were touched by Hailey's quest...to be grateful for something every day, and how it changed their lives and their outlook. If you haven't got today's Sunday Mail with Qweekend, then I recommend you get it (the article isn't online yet).

Of course, there are so many things I am grateful for. But today, being at home as a little family and enjoying relative peace and quiet, and being able to read and contemplate the blessing of my little family and all the 'small things'...sipping coffee...watching the trees and plants sway, and the leaves whirl...reading the paper...reading a good book...listening to soothing music...and generally contemplating the richness of my life...

I couldn't find 'The Lea Rig' on youtube, so I'll leave you with Tony's rendition of Wonderful World...a great tune to help you feel gratitude...

Philomena's First Week of School

Philomena & her little (not in stature) friend Destiny

Prep B's classroom mascot, Spot

Monday was Philomena's first day of Prep.

Like all others who experienced what it is to have their child go to school for the first time, I felt a tugging of the heart strings of what is the start of a new phase in Philomena's life and our lives. Even now as I write this I get all teary, thinking about how quickly our children grow and how they change.

The first day was a great day, and AW, myself and Philomena's grandmother (AW's mum) came along for the big occasion. There were no tears from us or her. We knew that Philomena would be fine, and was looking forward to school. I think I was more emotional in the days preceding, thinking about the moment.

And on the day when we were told it was time to leave, Philomena gave us a big hug, kiss and 'I love you', waved goodbye and then was off to play. Everybody was happy.

So the first week went fairly well, and we seem to now have a bit of a routine. My plan this year was to let go of some roles and responsibilities, so I could focus on my fitness and my family. It's starting to be realised, and it's nice to be able to go and collect Philomena from school (we only have to walk across the road, and through the grounds to her classroom), and be able to have a lovely conversation on our walk home. When we get home, Philomena puts her things away, gets changed and then it's just me and her time to play or do whatever. And no rushing! That's a nice place to be.

We have had one little concern, but I envisaged that this might happen. On Tuesday afternoon Philomena was upset when I picked her up because she said she had no friends. When I queried her, it seems she had asked a few little girls if they would be her friend, but they either ignored her or said they already had a friend. On Thursday, the problem sought of grew and she was upset and teary, so I thought we'd have a chat to her teacher (who is just lovely).

Philomena has no problems socialising, but the thing is, she's more comfortable with older children and adults. Being an only child, she's very conversant with adults. So having to then socialise with children the same age is a bit more of a challenge, as verbally and socially she's ahead of most children her age. Basically, other kids just don't 'get her'. She often gets blank stares from little children because they have no idea what she's saying, conceptually. Philomena is also very confident, so she will just walk up to anyone, introduce herself and start talking. It's even off-putting to some adults, so imagine how much of a shock it is for children.

But I'm glad we spoke to Ms Fillery (nicknamed Miss Honey from the movie, Matilda). She suggested that Philomena's maturity is more the issue, and she had noticed how there were children who were a little lost (understandable given it's only the first week of school), and that they were working on strategies to help the children interact and connect more.

I wasn't too concerned. I know that things will work out, and that being the first week, it's all a bit confusing for all the children. We've just tried to explain to Philomena this, and to be patient, because we're sure she will have lots of friends very soon. And as Ms Fillery said, Philomena is just too beautiful not to have friends.

So Friday came, and when I went to collect Philomena, she was happy. I didn't mention anything about friends.

I did find out that the reason she was so happy was because she was chosen as the first child to take home Prep B's classroom mascot, Spot. Every Friday, someone is chosen to take home Spot the dog, and to bring him back on Monday. He comes with a scrap book and we are given one page to paste photos or whatever of how Spot spent the weekend with Philomena.

Well since Friday, Philomena and Spot have been inseparable! She told me this morning that apparently Spot didn't want to go back to school on Monday. Hmmm...I think there will be a different kind of separation anxiety, come Monday.

Day Trip to Queen Mary Falls

A couple of weeks ago, Anthony and I took some 'couple time', and went for a beautiful drive in and around Kilarney/Boonah/Rathdowney. Our actual destination was Queen Mary Falls (photos above).

With all the rain, the drive and scenery was just so beautiful, and I wondered at how green and lush the country side was. And best of all, the falls were spectacular. The trip is about a couple of hours from Brisbane, and we headed out that way via Beaudesert.

The bushwalk was only a 2km circuit, so pretty easy going, but very enjoyable. If you don't want to do the walk, there is a 100m short cut from the picnic area to the viewing platform at the top of the falls. But the walk is worth it. Especially coming to the bottom of the falls and walking across its' face. The spray off the falls is so refreshing!

The photo below is of Dagg Falls, which is about 2mins drive south from Queen Mary Falls.

On our way to Queen Mary Falls, we stopped in at Spring Creek Cafe and Cottages - a beautiful cafe (and cottages) overlooking the Condamine Gorge and The Border Ranges. It is just so relaxing. I imagined if it was my home, I could easily sit and look out over the range all day, soaking in the spectular scenery, snacking merrily, reading, and snoozing to my hearts content.













The food was divine because it's cooked on the premises! Anthony and I tucked into some warm home made bread with garlic butter and a lovely spread which I can't remember the name of now, but it had a little lemongrass in it and I polished that one off myself. Luckily Anthony wasn't fussed on that one. So the bread went down well with a much needed coffee. I now regret not coming back that way on our return trip to Brisbane, and stopping and having lunch. I think we will definitely return to Spring Creek Cafe!

The last photos are of the entrance to the cafe. I just had to take a photo of it, as it was so inviting. And also the towering 'Red Cedar' tree was spectacular.

We drove back through Boonah and Rathdowney and was drawn to some colourful gardens in Boonah. Some absolutely amazing rose bushes, and climbing roses just growing wild!

Anyway...I'm so glad that Anthony made the suggestion. It was heartfelt and we needed some alone time, as he's been travelling quite a bit recently and looks like the next 12 months he'll be even busier, travelling. The next month, he's worked out that he'll have only slept in his bed for about a total of 3 nights (one week of that we'll be on our annual sabitical to Caloundra).

I was going to fit in some photos of a magical open garden that Philomena and I went to last week in Chambers Flats, but realised that there are just too many photos, so I'll save those for my next post. :)

Home is Where the Heart Is...

I pinched this title from Frankie. I thought is was rather appropriate, as I too believe home is where the heart is. What I loved about Frankie's post, was that she was talking about people being the heart. My post is about home being where the heart. This is an excerpt (which is most of her post). I just love it because Frankie describes what I think is a recipe in richness to a T! Here it is...

"Eight years ago when I split with my husband, I moved up from a semi-rural area to an inner city suburb. It was a big move. It was scary, and I felt completely alone...but not for long.

I moved into a little street that leads to a park. But this wasn't just any street. This was a street where the neighbours care. They want to know you. They hang about on the verge and chat, day or night. The kids play on anyone's front lawn, at any time, even if you are not home. There was 'the tree' - a beautiful climbing tree that swallowed up several children at a time. On summer days when there wasn't a sign of a single child in the street, if you stood under that tree, a faint giggling could be heard. It was a good street.

My next door neighbours were the BEST. A couple in their sixties who acted as surrogate grandparents for my two (who were 3 and 6 when we moved in). They looked after me through my hip injury, took me shopping, to the physio and made sure the kids got to school. I sat with them and held their hands when their baby grand daughter died. They were like family.

We lived in that street for six years. I'll always consider it where the kids 'grew up'. And then, one day, we had to leave.

That was 3 years ago. We've still kept in contact but it's not been the same..until now. I found a house..right next door to where I lived before - in the street!"

As you might have guessed from the first couple of photos, I love cottage gardens! So much so, I am endeavouring to recreate the feeling of a cottage garden. It takes alot of thought, trial and error in getting your garden to look how you imagine it in your head. So those first two photos are examples of how I want my home to look.

The rest of the photos are of my garden. There's a long way to go, but I'm getting there. I was so excited this year, because alot of my plants flowered for the first time, and right now I'm enjoying the wafting fragrance of my star jasmine currently in flower. I can't wait for the whole side of the carport to be carpeted in it! The fragrance wafts through my home and it's just lovely.

Nodding Violet

Blue Salvia (which looks purple to the eye)

Geranium

My morning ritual (when Philomena wakes me up) is to open all the curtains, and I sit in my PJ's with a cup of tea behind the big glass doors at the entrance and I soak up the morning sun. I look out over my front garden and delight at all the colours, the sparkles of dew on the plants and spider webs. I like to see how the garden has changed and I'm always dreaming of what to do next and which plants to grow and where I'll place them. I can think and ponder about this for weeks until I'm satisfied that I've chosen the correct plant and location to achieve the 'look' that I want. It doesn't alway work out exactly as I plan though, but I learn more each time about plants and my garden.

Red Salvia

Native Violets

Native Violets, Rhododendron, Azalea

So the last plant I'm waiting to flower is my Gardenia bush. I didn't get a chance to prune it in August, so the flowers aren't as robust as last year, but I'll prune them back when they've flowered and they should come back much better the next time.

Iris

Star Jasmine (on lattice), Geranium, Daisies, Lavender, Ivy Geranium, Violas,

Agapanthus (which is about to flower)

This picture is of the front of our home. I wanted to show how the jasmine is starting to grow onto the carport, and I really love this. I can't wait for it to not only cover the lattice but also snake up and across the carport facade.

My garden is due for some more mulching and a little cleaning and pruning back, ready for the next line of showers and rain. You can see where in one of my photos of the front entrance and path with the table and chair, where the native violet has just about covered once side of the path. I'm now waiting for it to be completely blanketed on that side, and the other side is coming along nicely too.

American Wisteria (a smaller and less aggressive type of Wisteria)

And just quietly, I have to tell you that at the moment I have a new love...Climbing Roses! Well actually, I've always loved them, but I'm planning the next stage so that the entrance, or to the side of it, will be blanketed with climbing roses!

I'm going to move a beautiful palm I've got growing in a big pot, and replace it with two large pots with climbing roses. I'll be establishing a support on both walls for the rose plants. One will be red in colour and the other white and I want to intertwine them. So I'll be starting this project in the next couple of months.

You can see where my Eden Rose (Pierre de Ronsard) is growing nicely and currently blooming (the rose is out the back of my home). I've only just discovered how to get climbing roses to look more voluminous and get lots of roses, so I'll start working on getting that going, as I want to fill that whole trellis with masses of beautiful roses!

Well, that's about it. That's part of what makes my home feel like a home, and I'm very much a romantic when it comes to how it looks, and without a beautiful cottage garden, it just wouldn't be the same!

Spring is Here!

The entrance to our home

My Rhododendron flower

One of the things that really enriches my life is gardening. I love plants, flowers and trees. Gardening is truly a creative and artistic pursuit. I think for those who love gardening, their gardens are a reflection of their personalities, and give a sense of where they and how they feel at home.

It's very hard to describe the feelings that ensue, when you create something that you first picture in your mind. The end result doesn't always match that picture, but the main thing is, that you derive a sense of pleasure from not only the end result, but the process of your gardens' evolution. Because gardens are always a work in progress. It takes time for some plants to grow to their full maturity, so your garden isn't always complete.

I love cottage gardens! I love rambling, unpredictable gardens. Not too precise, but not too wild either. I love differing textures of plants, to give balance amongst the greenery, and then splashes of colour to break it up. I love the soft light of the morning sun, and my favourite part of the day is opening up the curtains and looking out to the soft splash of that morning sun on the leaves and flowers, adding light and life to the garden. I love listening to the birds in the morning, and watching the delicate flowers of the native violets in my garden, sway in the gentle breeze. I love watching the spiders in their webs and the sparkles of dew glistening on them, from the early morning.

At the moment, the azaleas are in full bloom, and they are just gorgeous! As you can see in my photos, my Rhododendron has begun to bloom. Last year, I was leaving for Kapooka and they hadn't quite bloomed. This year, at least I get to enjoy them before I leave on Friday for Bandiana. I've asked a neighbour (who also loves gardening) to take care of my beautiful garden while I'm away, which gives me so much pleasure.

So I can't wait to return to sit and enjoy my garden and watch it grow. Though I'm a bit worried about my flowers, since Philomena is a serial flower picker! She does love flowers just like me and loves to help out in the garden too. She especially loves the worms!

I Love the Rain Washing Down the Window...and I Love You...

Philomena

Philomena & Kitty-Kat


Fawn (the fairy), Lady Bug & Tinkerbell, in my pot of mint
(Photo courtesy of Philomena Warnholtz)



Tinkerbell (the fairy) in my pot of mint
(Photo courtesy of Philomena Warnholtz)







Rainy Day Dream


by Nadia Sunde


Soft as cobwebs
so the rain, falls down.
Leaving tiny diamond drops...on the ground.

And I love the rain falling down the window.
I love the sound of it on the roof.
I love the rain washing on the garden,
and I Love You.

We've got nowhere, that we need..to be.
I've made a cosy nest of blankets, for you and me.

And I love the rain falling down the window.
I love the sound of it on the roof.
I love the rain washing on the garden,
and I Love You.

I love the rain falling, down the window.
I love the sound of it on the roof.
I love the rain washing on the garden...
and I Love You...

and I Love You..

and I...Love...You.

A Mothers' Protective Instinct

Philomena's First Sunflower

"Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights,

before the dark hour of reason grows."

- John Betjeman

Last night I slept terribly. I should know better, but I watched a DVD before going to bed, and I really do need to be more mindful of the content. It's just that while Anthony is away, I tend to try to fit in some time to watch DVD's, as I rarely watch any television these days.

Last night's instalment was 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas'. You probably already know basically what it is about, but this the basic plot as per the link..."Set during World War II, a story seen through the innocent eyes of Bruno, the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a concentration camp, whose forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence has startling and unexpected consequences. "

It was an unexpected ending (as the plot alludes to), and one that left me feeling quite hollow and empty. Stories coming out the holocaust are never really uplifting, but these sorts of stories though they can put things into perspective, can also leave you wondering about the human races' penchant for creating suffering for others.

The quote is the intro to the DVD. Not only did I think it described well, a child's innocence and subsequent initiation to the selfishness, cruelty, and debauchery of adults during the holocaust (in particular, inside the concentration camps), but I thought how well the quote describes that passage from childhood into adulthood in modern times.

I was talking with a friend last night about the upcoming reuinon, as to becoming a mother, and how this for the majority, is the most influential and life changing period of our lives, and adds such a depth and dimension to our lives that we could never have imagined.

Anyway...lying in bed I was, unable to fall asleep and turning things over in my mind. Philomena was lying next to me (which she often does when Anthony is away) and I was listening to her breathing and reached out to touch her little fingers and warm hands.

I was thinking of the movie and how children are so oblivious to what is obvious to you and I, only seeing the world as living in a polyanna existence. And here we are, the 'supposed' adults, so ready to strip them of their innocence and wonder, in our bid to help them 'grow up' and mature.

Then I started to think of Philomena going to prep next year, and the experiences she's already had with bullying, disppointment, hurtful people, ignorance, rudeness, obscenities, etc, etc.

I've been thinking of how I can help prepare Philomena for the 'big, bad, world' out there. As they get older, your ability to be there for them is just not possible and in reality, not helpful to them growing and maturing. So I'm thinking of ways that I can teach her or pass on ways that she can protect herself when I am not there.

The problem is, there is only so much you can tell your children at this age. You want them to be wary of strangers and the deceit of other children and adults, but on the same token, you want to preserve their innocence and their beautiful, carefree and friendly natures. You don't want to them live in constant fear, because as we all know, this only proves to restrict them and stifle their growth, and enjoyment of everything that life has to offer.

I've starting explaining about 'stranger danger' and I've even been impelled to show her a couple of self-protection techniques when she was exposed to bullying from a (not-so-small) boy in her previous daycare. I've also tried to explain to her about bullying and about the need to protect herself, and why some children/people do what they do.

Trying to tell Philomena that there are people who do 'bad things', is such a difficult thing to do. She saw the cover of 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas', and asked if she could watch it, because she saw the picture of children on the front. It was the most difficult thing for me to try and explain that it was a movie for adults, to which she responded by badgering me and asking me what the film was about. I tried to explain her the best I could about 'Wars' and that people do terrible things to each other in war. She then asked, "even to children?". To which I replied with a look of forlorn..."Yes, even to children".

Last week there was an article in the courier mail about the increase of sexual assault in primary schools! With these sorts of stories and everything else to contend with out there, is it any wonder that parents of today fear for the safety and well-being of their children?

So I've been thinking of how I can help Philomena to become confident and strong, without taking away her innocence and love-of-life, because she is such a little butterfly. She loves people and her ability to bring sunshine and happiness to those she comes into contact with, is not lost on me. And I want her to always be herself and not be afraid to share her warmth with others. But I want her also to have the ability to be strong and assertive too, if ever the need arose.

I've always had in the back of my mind to teach Philomena martial arts when she was old enough. I think that time is fast approaching, and I will now consider how I go about doing just that. It will also be a way for me to reconnect with the 'love-of-my-life, i.e. martial arts, at a deeper level again, and it will be something that we can share and enjoy together as mother and daughter.

I'm kind of looking forward to seeing her grow and learn with the martial arts, just as I enjoyed watching the little ones grow and learn when I taught children martial arts many moons ago.

So I awoke this morning with a renewed hope, and even though sometimes the thought of all the horrible things that can happen and what adults do to children, can be overwhelming, I still believe that you should always have the best expectations in life, and so should our children.