IT"S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT

The biggest lesson that I ever learnt was to let people help me, even when it felt like the most unnatural thing to do.

Natasha Hinde  The Huffngton Post UK

 

cute pig

The quote above resonated with me when I read it. When my husband of 30 years decided to leave what I had thought was a happy marriage, it seemed like my world had dissolved. There seemed to be no solid ground.

I was determined to survive and make a new life for myself. At first I tried to go on as usual. I took no time off work. I didn't want to be a burden on anybody. But then my mother very wisely advised me to let people help me. I took her advice and it made all the difference.

I have always had family and friends I could rely on, but this was different. They could rely on me too, but not in the state I was in now. So I accepted help from people - close friends, my mother, my brother and my daughters.

I came through it all with a different view on accepting help. It is often easy to help others but not always so easy to accept it yourself.

I have been enjoying the holidays. It is good to have a break from tutoring. I was tutoring about 6 or 7 hours a week over the last 6 months. Each lesson only goes for an hour but I spend a lot of time preparing. I am mainly working with 8 or 9 year old boys with reading disorders. Reading disorder can take various forms so may need slightly different approaches with each child. 

Occasionally I will get a one off lesson with a senior student writing an essay. Occasionally I will have a maths lesson working with a child anywhere from year 2 to year 10. I never know exactly what I am going to do from week to week.

I enjoy it but I am certainly enjoying the break.

I am trying to get on with some gardening. I am making very slow progress.
I chopped down a  eucalyptus tree in my front garden a few weeks ago.

I noticed this beautiful new growth already. I just love the deep rich colour.

My daughter R and I picked up this table from a rubbish heap on the footpath recently.It is made of wood, plaster of Paris and wrought iron.It is pretty ghastly as it is.

I had plans for it but for now I have just put it at the end of my entry with a tablecloth on it. It's a great place to hide shoes. I added a chair that I picked up from the side of the road and painted, and a few other bits and pieces.

For some reason my mobile coverage isn't quite as good as it was and I have to sit out in the hall to get  reception,

My son-in-law bought me the box a few years ago. It has some of my little treasures in it - a seal vertebra and a piece of jade from New Zealand; some coral and a shell I found while snorkeling in Vanuatu; some paper wasp's nests from here.

Under the cloche is a piece of my daughter's artwork from a few years ago.

Peter and I have been bike riding most days either along the bike track at Lake Illawarra or along the bike track at Towradgi. I am determined to get a bit more confident before we go away in about 10 days - and I am getting better. But it is surprising how many people don't move over on the bike track. They don't realise they are taking their lives in their hands as I get wobbly once I have to go off the track to go around them, and I am likely to fall on them.

I have ridden a bike since I was a child, and always had a bike but after falling off a couple of times in the past year I became very nervous. Peter bought me a new retro bike which is a lot easier to ride, but it is still taking me a while to get my confidence back.


Below is some of the lovely scenery from our rides. We are so lucky to live in Wollongong by the lake and the sea.

 I finished another owl brooch on Wednesday. I meet with a good friend each week for a couple of hours and we do some craft together.

 This picture below shows the size of the brooch compared to a dollar coin.

Church on Sunday was pretty noisy with lots of dancing. There had been a church camp on for high school students during the previous week and it was finishing at the evening church service. The theme of the camp had been - LIMITLESS. This was written in changing coloured lights on the front stage.

It was noisy but inspiring.

And finally, a view from my back window this afternoon.

It has been raining but I never tire of the view out my back window.

Interesting sites

1.

"Lonely Houses" of Portugal

Photo source

 The 'lonely houses' of Portugal are traditional style tiny homes. Check out these photographs taken on a phone by sejkko.Click here to see more. 

2.

150 friends is the practical limit on Facebook

 

Photo source

You cannot have 1,000 real friends on Facebook. Nor 500. In fact, anything over 200 starts seeming unlikely, according to a new study. Click here to read more.

3. 

 New Ninth Planet

Photo source

 Astronomers think they may have found a new ninth planet.
 Click here to read more.