My Favorite Brother

My brother G is the bestest and most prefect brother in the whole entire world. I could list his attributes but he is taken by the delightful N so I don't want to make everyone else jealous.

Anyway, I remember only one fight with my brother. He admittedly, has no recollection of this but I am sure it is worth the telling.

It was a dark and stormy night and we went out to check the sheep. All was well until we found a dead lamb near the shearing shed. G insisted I pick it up. I refused. I was a girl and I was happy, in principle, to pick up any dead animal (I was a farm girl - or at least was convincing myself of the fact) but as he was there and he was a bloke then it was his job not mine. He was adamant that as a 'farm girl' I was perfectly capable of picking up the dead beastie. I refused.

G is eight years younger than me (probably about 10 at the time) and stomped up to the house to regale the event to mom.

They both laughed at my expense (with reasonably good humor).

Years later when G shot my dog, she was nipping at the sheep - no other option - I was eternally grateful we didn't have the same conversation over again. On the other hand, on both occasions, I should have done what I needed to do. It would have made me a better person - if only in my eyes.

Mrs Fryer's Garden

Now I need to state from the outset that this post is the impression of a child. Mrs Fryer was late when I was perhaps 10. Whilst not trying to lie I cannot say that this would be accurate from an adults perspective. Nonetheless....

Mrs Fryer was an older lady who went to the same church that we did. Mom and her were friends - I assume they had plants and flowers in common but I'm not really sure. Later on my great Auntie Joan moved in with Mrs Fryer - I think as a companion but again that is only an impression.

Mrs Fryer's house was weatherboard and I guess typical for the age it was built in. It smelt of plants and old people. I can describe the inside in detail but for some reason that doesn't seem relevant.

What fascinated me most about Mrs Fryer was her garden. I am guessing the house was on a quarter acre block but it could have been bigger. Apart from the house and a thin driveway, the rest of the block was garden. And lots of big or overgrown garden.

In modern parlance, there was lots of rooms. There was the rose garden out the front (with a million other plants - I specifically remember a Boston fern). Out the back there was what I called the jungle that, if you followed the path lead to a small grassed area. To the left was a garden shed that stepped right out of the Famous Five books I was avidly reading at the time. In front of the garden shed was a shade house with a fernery. Behind the shed was another covered area, which for some reason I don't remember as a shade house, but it was filled to overflowing - I am thinking orchids. Somewhere in amongst all of that was strawberry plants that we could help ourselves to. On the non-driveway side of the house was another jungle that backed on a paddock. And now I think about it there was a greenhouse - maybe between the jungle and the grassed areas.

My imagination ran wild as we played in the garden. There was adventure and magic and mystery. And 30 years later the thought still makes me smile and dream.

I hope that all kids have a garden like Mrs Fryer's to play in.

Spring is springing

The seasons are changing. The days are warm and sunny. This chill has gone out of the night air. The air smells of hay and jasmine. The bats are beginning to get out a bit more (yes I have 'messages' on my car to prove they are out and about).

I think autumn is my favorite season, followed by winter and then spring. And yes I will try every year to find something positive about summer (despite the fact I may have melted on the lounge room floor).

Anyway, this is the view from the porch tonight. Anytime now I will have photos of the bats to share. And for those who are wondering what I am going on about, all will be revealed in due course :-)

As much as I love winter: the snuggling in the cool weather, the comfort food, the frosty mornings, spring has its benefits. My garden will truly begin to flourish, it will be asparagus season, the light will highlight new vistas, the bird calls will grow more vocal, the bats will be out.

It will also mark my nearly-first anniversary at this house. Sometimes I think I have already been here forever - and will be here for another lifetime. That is unusual if not unheard of for me. I am almost always looking forward to the next move. But here I have found a space that envelopes me, I have found my home.

Bonobos

Every few months I show the kids at work a photo of a bonobo with the promise of a block of chocolate for the first person to tell me what it is. No one has got it yet but it is a fun little quiz. For those unfamiliar with the bonobo, check out the Wiki article, they are fascinating animals.

Breakfast

This is my breakfast. I rediscovered this recipe on Monday (thanks to CL for being the guinea pig) when I served it like this but I added a sliver or two of avocado to the salad and cooked some lemon slices and served with with the haloumi. Anyhow it was so good I am having it for breakfast today.

Red Lentil Burgers
1 C red lentils cooked for 10 - 15 minutes with 1 1/2 C vege stock
1 t each of ground coriander, ground cumin, paprika and garam masala
1 onion, chopped finely
2 slices of bread, crumbled
the rind of one lemon, grated
the juice of 1 lemon
1 egg beaten
about 2 T plain flour

Mix everything (except the flour) together, put int he fridge for 30 minutes or so. Stir through the flour. Cook in a buttered pan.

Serve with a dressing made from Greek yogurt, fresh mint, lemon juice and lemon rind.

So Says Gandhi

My fabulous Maya is having a day off from providing me with inspiring thought so I have turned to the ever - reliable Gandhi instead. Two thoughts particularly stand out for me at the moment.

"I think it would be a good idea."

"You must be the change you want to see in the world."

Comforts

I think we all have our little security blankets that, no matter what, make us feel safe. Some of mine are: fresh brown bread spread with butter, the ABC news soundtrack (radio), rain on a tin roof, 'golden' light (occurs in the late afternoon in Autumn), sleeping in my own bed, the smell of a shearing shed and the caroling of a magpie.

Fresh Pasta and Philosophy

I love food.

Admittedly not always to eat it but to cook it - to experiment with flavorings, to try new ingredients, to produce the best. I love developing recipes. I love showing newbies how to get started. I love sharing new ideas with others. I love inspiring a passion in others for good food that feeds the soul and is not just a source of fuel. I love creating masterpieces on a budget. I love the feel of kneading or cutting. I love the smell as the flavors blend and develop. I love creating something worthy of a photo. I love lying in bed at night formulating new concoctions and then awakening and starting. One of my main reasons for going vegetarian was to expand my repertoire of recipes and skills. Ok I am starting to ramble but you get the idea.

I had been planing for days to make my pea and haloumi fritters for dinner last night (I was at work and the rest of the house was having roast lamb). And then, in one of those moments of inspiration, I changed my mind and decided to make pasta instead. I vaguely recall saying something about showing them (the residents) how to do it. Anyway...

I made pasta (yes from scratch). I made a lemon and nutmeg sauce to go with it. I served it with a big green salad. Oh my gosh .... I don't usually get overly fussy about the stuff I cook because there is always something I could change or do better, but this was absolutely perfect. I should have taken a photo :-)

So I know where to go next time I want to cook it (because I just made it up as I went along), this is what I did. I made pasta (1/2 C flour plus one egg per person). I roll mine out about 1 mm thicker than it is meant to be - I find the sauce sticks better - but really it is just personal preference. Anyway, the sauce was the grated rind of 1 1/2 lemons; the juice of two lemons; 1/2 fresh grated nutmeg; 1/2 onion, finely chopped; 1 and a bit cloves of garlic, crushed; about 1 T sour cream and about the same of freshly grated Parmesan. That is for one piggy person or two regular people.

Storms and John

When John was around one of our favorite activities was to head down to the beach and watch storms come in across the horizon. The swirling clouds that changed from dove grey to a dark and angry beast were fascinating. And the shower-curtain of rain coming in for what seemed like hundreds of miles was both exciting and awe-inspiring. This obviously isn't my photo but you get the idea.

Add to that we were playing the 6IX game. 6IX is a daggy AM radio station in Perth that played music generally from the late sixties to the early eighties. And they played them in long strings of six to eight in a row. Our game was to be the first to come up with the artist and song with bonus point for the album or other relevant details. I had to cut out the points for names of drummers as John appeared to know them all.

And, of course, the obligatory couple of bottles of champagne.

I accidentally did this again today. It was another rainy day so I left for work early, got some lunch and went to Macauley's (one of the local surf spots) to watch the grey milky waves crash against the beach. And guess what, a storm came in!! Okay, on the radio was a political documentary instead of daggy music, and I had bubbly water instead of champagne but it was just magic to relive the memories.

Built to Last

This is part of an email I got this week and it really started me thinking.

I grew up in the 40's/50's/60's/70's with practical parents. A mother, God love her, who washed aluminium foil after she cooked in it, then reused it.

She was the original recycle queen, before they had a Name for it... A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones.

Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, and dish-towel in the other. It was the time for fixing things. A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress Things we keep.

It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All that re-fixing, eating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more.

There was a time when things were built to last - yes I know that is a cliche but there is some merit to it. Now if your DVD breaks down, it is more expensive to repair than replace (and besides, if you have had it for more than 30 seconds it is obsolete anyway.

My Grandma, my mom and all my Aunts made clothes for their families. Now, the fabric is WAY more than expensive than going to a department store (or even the chains) and buying a finished product complete with all of the other bits (cotton, buttons, zips, whatever) that weren't factored in with the fabric cost. Which could launch me into another rant on Fair Trade but I will get to that on another day.

We (the world I grew up in) grew fruits and vegetables for which the surplus which was shared with neighbors as well as being frozen, bottled or made into jam, pickles or chutneys. Now it all needs to be purchased which again makes the price prohibitive to make our own. Same goes for tomato sauce, mayonnaise, pestos, you name it.

So not is this all costing us money, and polluting the planet, but it exposes us to more chemicals, preservatives and other bits that I am sure aren't good for us physically or spiritually.

I belong to The Compact. I also belong to the local Freecycles.

It's not just about saving the planet but it extends to saving money, to minimizing the need to buy 'stuff': to reduce, reuse and recycle for environmental, social, financial and spiritual reasons.

And yes I have spent the first part of my morning doing minor repairs to various items of my wardrobe. So endeth my rant for the day. :-)

Happy Birthday Rob

Some time ago in the dawn of time I met Rob. Well 'met' might be incorrect because Rob was my pen friend. Rob lived in the UK and had 'special' version of UK humor which somehow correlated to mine - and a passion for Guinness :-) It was obviously a match made in heaven!

So over the next few of years we wrote, we phoned, he sent me funny faxes and weird 'presents' from a dumpster diving website that I can no longer locate (which is probably a good thing for the world at large) and a clock with rotating penguins.

And then, as I moved and he moved and email addresses changed me lost contact. I did try over the next few years to find an email address that might work but as his name is not uncommon and he had been known to switch continents periodically. That was until last October when I received

Hi

I’m trying to locate (me) who I was in contact with between 1996 and 1999 – we were email buddies.

Rae – if this is you, cast your mind back to Rob from England !

Please forgive me if I’ve got the wrong email address.

Thanks

Rob

Yes! He was back!!!!! And this time he has a gorgeous wife and three kids to share with me! There was furious emailing, a Meat Loaf cd (now you know why he is really so important to me!) and the discovery on my part of the joys of Skye. Since then he has jumped continents again - yes I am coming to visit - and continues to bring a smile to my life every I time I get the weekly newsletter.

And today is his birthday. So happy birthday my friend - thank you for your friendship over all of these years. Thank you for sharing your family with me. Thank you for finding me again. Thank you for your humor. Thank you for Meat Loaf. Thank you for being you. May this be your best birthday of all and may you party like its 1999.

Laughter and Maya

"My life has been one great big joke, a dance that's walked a song that's spoke, I laugh so hard I almost choke when I think about myself." Maya Angelou

Life always has its ups and downs but if I have learned one thing (apart from if you are making fried rice, you must cook the rice the day before) it is that it goes by much smoother if you can have a laugh on the way. And I must admit I have many moments in which I give myself a really good chuckle.

Take my car for example. In the last couple of weeks the engine has been playing up. I assumed it might have something to do with the fuel line so used some Spitfire which did improve things but certainly didn't fix things entirely. So, in true liberated female style, I decided to have a look at the engine and see what I could tinker with.

Then I lifted the bonnet....

Now I used to have a rockin' Datsun 200B and I was taught how to service it. I could change the filters and the oil, I knew my engine parts and what they did. I could even tune it using the tuning thingy. Whilst by no means claiming to be a mechanic, I wasn't useless.

My next car was a Ford Festiva. Another very reliable car - and yes I could find my way around the engine although I don't recall servicing it myself.

So with that burst of confidence (and despite my lack of tools) I opened the bonnet and then the trouble started. I couldn't find the carbie (there is a flick-flick thing there that is always worth having a fiddle with). I couldn't find the distributor cap. I couldn't find any of my filters - except the air filter but that is so bolted in as to be prohibitive. I couldn't find the spark plugs although at this point I was beginning to question my ability to anything more than breathe without being reminded so wasn't really looking very hard.

So I did the thing that all girls do, I rang my brother. There are no carbies in modern cars. There are no distributor caps in modern cars. Modern cars aren't designed for the home servicing and the filers are tucked away in inconvenient places to prevent people from even trying. There is no timing chain so I can't tune the car myself (if I had a tuning thingy). And not only that but there is now timing belts and these MUST be changed every 100,000 km - and if one breaks/explodes it can take out your engine.

My car is sitting on 130,000. So not only is there an engine in there which is useless to me (or should that read 'I am useless to it'), it desperately needs a new timing belt. And apparently these things cost about $50 but are located INSIDE the engine so cost a kings ransom to have replaced because of the labor involved in taking the engine apart. And I discover that my days as a empowered woman who can fiddle with her car are long long gone.

So what does one do ..... well think about it for a few days (there has to be a loophole here somewhere) then ring the mechanic. Oh and have a good chuckle at myself regularly.

Rain and Gardening

I am on holidays and apart from running away for some peace and quiet, I had only two real jobs to do. The first was to fix my car (happening tomorrow) as well as wash and detail it. The second was to clean up the herb garden as spring is not far away from springing.

In relation to the car, it has been raining for two days so I can almost call it clean. the detailing .... well it has been raining :-}

The garden, well I was sitting on the front porch watching the rain and trying to decide what was more pleasurable - working in the garden (assuming it ever stopped raining) or watching the rain. And then, like a light bulb coming over my head I asked myself why I couldn't garden in the rain? After all, I am the girl who loves jumping in puddles!

So I put on my crocs and, in my nearly favorite pyjamas, I got to work. I moved the sage to next to the lavender (in front of the oregano). I have clumped the chives. I removed the basil (I was going to let it regrow cos it got to over 4' last year but saved some seed so I will just start again. My garlic experiment is still travelling along. The mint (under the palm in the top corner) was in the wrong spot and I am not sure it will come back so I might need to start that one again. I am considering whether I have room for dill - probably next to the lemon grass (that was less that 1' high when I planted it less than a year ago) and am now tossing up between seeds or seedlings. The chillies are still producing but not growing much bigger (not that it is the time of the year for growth) so I have fertilized them. I picked some more lavender to put in my vase int he kitchen. I think I might start drying little bundles - maybe even taking cuttings ... actually I could do that for the rosemary too ...

I will go to the nursery tomorrow and get some seed raising mix and put the basil seeds in and get them motoring. Might even put a variety of mint seeds in too.

So, consider this the 'before' photo of my garden, and I will update the photo as the flourishing begins. And don't forget it was a barren wasteland last September and I have already had many and ongoing bountiful harvests

Rain

I love rain. I think I have always loved the rain. I moved to the other side of the continent to see rain. Not only does it cleanse the world around me, and bring life to the living creatures in my environment, it somehow seems to also cleanse my soul, my being. I feel alive and nurtured when it rains. And whether I am out playing in puddles or snuggled in bed listening to the chorus on a tin roof, it all seems perfect, complete, just the way it is meant to be.

Happiness

What a wonderful day. I walked in the rain. I ate great food that was cooked by me. I read a book. I had an afternoon nap.

Surely this is happiness :-)

The Lives of Others

I went and saw this movie yesterday. It blew me away! It was so refreshing to see a non-American-styled movie. Initially I wasn't sure I actually enjoyed it but I was challenged and inspired. I was taken on an emotional roller coaster that left me questioning my personal integrity if my situation was reversed with any of the three main characters. We had many discussions on the situations and issues that it raised.

I have been trying to put into words a 'review' that I could share here but keep coming up short. Instead, I give you the comments from the The ABC's movie show:

...The Lives Of Others is set in 1984 in East Berlin where the Stasi, or Secret Police were all powerful.

A glamorous couple, playwright Georg Dreyman, (SEBASTIAN KOCH) and actress Christa-Maria Sieland, (MARTINA GEDECK), come under suspicion.

Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler, (ULRICH MUEHE) is assigned to monitor every aspect of their lives. Christa, afraid she will not be allowed to act in future, falls prey to a government minister.

But gradually the spy, Wiesler, becomes entranced by the lives he’s monitoring from the attic and tries to protect them both.

This is most accomplished filmmaking. And it’s brave.

There is a point at which the film could end but von Donnersmarck adds a very moving coda that is so compassionate and cathartic.

He blends the political thriller with a very human story that is ultimately about the seductive nature of decency, honour and art.

Ulrich Muehe won best actor for his role in this in Germany and deservedly, he is astonishingly good and he’s surrounded by a very solid cast.

It’s a complete whole, this film, every ingredient, music, cinematography, design comes together splendidly.

I would highly recommend this movie to everyone but please don't expect some light froth and bubble.

Solveig Larsen

When Dad and I went out to dinner tonight we 'discovered' a new artist (well it actually appears that Solveig is very well established but she is new to us).

Her website is www.artangel.com.au/solveiglarsen

The site is a little out of date (by a few years according to the information on there) so let me take the opportunity of introducing some of her more current work to you.....















These paintings were huge and vibrant and alive and passionate and spectacular and powerful and .... well you get the idea. Flamenco has never looked so good.

It's My Birthday

For the first time in years I got to celebrate the actual day of my birth with my dad :-)


Here is me draped in my prezzies - sarongs and headbands - nothing like a bit of color to start the day. Please note the balloons decorating the table.





This is Dad and me with my birthday cake (a variation on a Tiramisu). We stopped for coffee and cake at the new coffee shop in Bellingen - the candles and the waitress singing Happy Birthday were an awesome surprise!!!




This is me and Dad having dinner. We went to the Federal Hotel in Bellingen - the food was great, the atmosphere awesome and the company a real blessing :-)


After nearly forgetting my birthday this year (I have been kinda busy) I was thrilled to be able to share my dad with my dad. :-)

Scrabble & Friends (or Ode to GW)

Moving to the other side of the continent had its challenges - one of the main ones that effected me last year was a bit of loneliness. Lets face it I hadn't found a job at that time, was flat broke and live 25 minutes out town.

At that time one of the most awesome friends I have ever had sent me a "surprise" - something to keep me company on the lonely winter nights. Now admittedly I did consider, for at least one second, that it might be a cat because in some very twisted way that might appear funny (oh yes, I have a burning passion for a lot of things but cats are a long way from the top of the list) but figured the logistics would be burdensome. So I waited patiently.

What my present was was a computer Scrabble game. Now I have received some great gifts of varying costs in my life but never I have I received something so incredibly valuable to me. I am a Scrabble nut and when you are lacking in new friends, it is one of the things I was really missing. I actually cried deep and hard - cried that my friend knew me so well and had put so much thought into sending this little relief package to me.

I think of this now because I still play Scrabble most every day .... well actually I aim for 5 games a day. And every time I play I think of GW and what her friendship means to me.

Thankyou my sister

Bottersnikes & Gumbles

When I was a child I had the immense joy of helping out in the school library. Not only did this give me additional borrowing privileges, it also gave me the opportunity to discover works that otherwise may have by-passed my inquiring mind.

One of my biggest joys was SA Wakefield's "Bottersnikes and Gumbles" - of the heavenly joy of walking into this charming and funny world.

For some time it was apparent that I was the only person on the face of the planet who read this book. How do I know this, a perpetual survey of friends and families. I have never even found someone who has heard of this magical offering!

It took me until I was about 32 to actually find a copy (secondhand shop 50c). Now admittedly I read it and re-read it until I could almost quote it word for word so decided that it would be a good time to 'loan' (yes I wanted it back but it could be sometime in the next 10 - 20 years) it to some very special young people in my life. All was wonderful in my world.

Once I discovered E-bay, I decided to live on the wild side and perhaps buy myself a copy of this (lets face it my loan isn't really a loan and I can think of no better place for the book to live). Imagine my surprise when I discovered that they sell for about $70 each ($30 was the lowest I have seen) - and there is a somewhat continuous trickle available in both Australia and England.

Part of me danced with sheer joy in that I was obviously not alone in my passion for this Australian classic, part of me wished I was alone again for then the price would drop back to 50c, and the other part of me wonders why they don't re-print this book! I have been watching for 2 years now and the price really doesn't vary too much.

Obviously if there were to be a re-print it, it would have to look exactly the same as the original edition ... and it should smell the same .... and the pages should have that slight yellowing .... That's not too much to ask at all :-)

Heros

How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!

Yes it is my latest Maya quote and it has got me thinking about what a hero really is. Is it just the tough but sexy underpant clad guy fighting for truth and justice and the American way. Is it the sporting star that can run faster, jump higher, or fight harder than the competition. Or maybe even a singer or actor that leads their field in one way or another.

None of these seem to apply to me at this point in life so I wonder what makes a hero for me - or, to be even more specific, who are my heroes. Do I even have heroes?

I admire many people, maybe not for their entire being but certainly for facets of their personality - I admire Bob Brown (Green's Senator) for his tenacity in sticking up for his beliefs, I admire Mother Theresa or doing what we all should but most of us don't, I admire Alexander McCall Smith for his ability to create worlds in which I feel passionately a part of, I admire Clive James for hit wit and his brilliance, I admire Martin Luther King for challenging us all to assess people on the content of their character and not the color of their skin (or where they come from, or what religion they follow, or whether they are gay or straight or somewhere in between, or how much money they have, or any of the other prejudices we adopt), I admire the Dalai Lama who always appears to smile and love and be at peace - and be willing to share all three ....

And then there are all of the heroes that I have no idea of their names - those that are the glue to our communities - those who visit the lonely or the ill, those who open their homes and hearts to children who need a safe place, those who clean our streets and our toilets, those that volunteer for Scouts or Rotary or Lions and a million of other worthy organisations, those that commit time to work in charity shops or soup kitchens or help lines, you get the idea.

How amazing to live on a planet where I am not only surrounded by heroes, but I also have the opportunity to participate in their journeys - big and small, famous and discreet, those that touch millions and those that help just one other - but knowing they are all important and they each help our world go round.

Maya Angelou

Ms Angelou is one of the most awesome woman that has ever walked the planet and I persistently refer to her for my 'Quote of the Day' (which sometimes lasts indefinitely). My most favorite is

'Do the best you can with what you've got, when you know better, do better'

but for today I have chosen

'Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.'

.

Forgiveness

I have just received this via email - no idea if it is true but the sentiment moved me...

FORGIVENESS

In the Babemba tribe of South Africa, when a person acts
irresponsibly or unjustly, he is placed in the centre of the village,
alone and unfettered.

All work ceases, and every man, woman, and child in the village
gathers in a large circle around the accused individual.

Then each person in the tribe speaks to the accused, one at a
time, each recalling the good things the person in the centre of
the circle has done in his lifetime. Every incident, every
experience that can be recalled with any detail and accuracy,
is recounted. All his positive attributes, good deeds, strengths,
and kindnesses are recited carefully and at length. This tribal
ceremony often lasts for several days.

At the end, the tribal circle is broken, a joyous celebration
takes place, and the person is symbolically and literally
welcomed back into the tribe.

I Love Light

I so love the way that light changes our perspective of things - certain light brings a sparkle to features, or a shadow changes the emotion of a scene completely. I am sure that many of my entries will focus on this theme but I wanted to make a quick start with some photos I have taken recently. Now I have never been a beach babe but since spending time there most days I have begun to really appreciate the spiritual cleansing achieved each time you stand on or near the waves, the energy that the water brings and shares, the scope of the skyscape and the effect of light on each of these considerations.

Have you every really noticed how light changes the color of leaves, and trees, and even buildings. It adds highlights and emphasis, emotion and even silhouette. It defines texture and feeling. It changes the color from, say a firey red to a deep brooding maroon. It completely changes our perspective of all things around us. I remember when I traveled through Broken Hill I described the light as though a thousand crystals had shattered.

My Space

I moved over here with the absolute intention of developing my art, being "free to be me" and being more in line with the planet and all that entails. Having said that I have a 'regular' job, don't live on a commune and do bits but somehow question how short of the true goal I sometimes fall.

Perhaps I am judging myself too harshly - I had the enormous pleasure and privilege of having my dad, step-mom and her sister stay with me recently and this is the card that Vera (step-aunt) sent me on return to home.


CREATIVITY ABUNDANCE MUSIC OF LIFE JOY LOVE HEALTH

Thank you for inspiring me to CREATE ONCE MORE.

Dearest Raelene

Thank you for your generous hospitality and allowing me to be in your creative artist's home set like a jewel in the beautiful mountains.

It was lovely to see you growing and glowing.

May your inspired paintings all find homes so they may heal hearts with their beautiful loving energy and may your beautiful creative working continue to bring you as much joy as you give.