Technical Difficulties

We had a fantastic afternoon down at the beach, however I don't have any photo's to share, as the batteries in my camera ran out. This has been frustrating me as I have only been getting two days of camera use out of the batteries. Today I managed to find some that promise twice the power, so I'll give them a go. Instead I have included a small tryptych design I made.

The Power of Blogging

Blogger Kate Iredale www.kateiredale.typepad.com/ has been giving insights into the power of blogging and how blogs allow you the space to reveal your true self. I guess I have always been a little outspoken, so perhaps I reveal a little too much of myself here? It's liberating being your own editor, I must admit.

I found a blogspot http://postsecret.blogspot.com/ which invites bloggers to prepare a postcard for posting which reveals a secret. Some secrets are small and silly and make you laugh, others are just so sad, some shocking. Some I think they may have made up, but of course we will never know. Apparently at least one life has been spared a suicide, directly because of the release posting on this site gave them. They update every Sunday and it's worth taking a look.

Calendars

Every December I buy a calendar for the new year. Last year I picked artist Ken Done's calendar and it has been the most enjoyable I've had yet. Ken Done is a superb colourist and was popular in Australia in the Eighties with everything from tea towels and t-shirts to shopping bags and beach towels bearing his designs. It sounds like he was really commercial and I guess he was at the time.

In June last year we went to a wedding in Sydney and the reception was at the

harbourside Rocks. We had some time to spare between the wedding and the reception and wandered down around the markets there. In the main street was the Ken Done Gallery - it was fabulous! His paintings are really vibrant and prints don't do them justice.

For this years calendar I have chosen "On The Porch" which is a collection of photographs of various porches (funnily enough) You have to just imagine that you are sitting there with your favourite beverage, gazing out at the view.

This one for February is my personal favourite.

"Mum, You're Such A Hippie!

As you have probably realised by now, I am "such a hippie", as my daughter keeps telling me. And a proud one!

Happy New Year, by the way. This time last year we were sweltering under 45 degree heat, bushfires everywhere. We thought we were going to spontaneously combust! But today is sunny and mild.

I found an article in the Sunday papers about a man called Paul Wilson who has 30 years of experience in meditation techniques. He has written "The Calm Technique" and you may have heard of "The Little Book Of Calm" He has now written a book called "The Quiet" (Macmillan) which is divided into two parts: the first looks at taming the restless mind and deepening spiritual practice and living in the present. The second part is for more experienced meditators and focuses on meditation as a way to enlightenment. I haven't looked at this book yet, but it sounds quite good.

In another article he writes for the Sunday Telegraph, he suggests that if you want to learn to meditate you could start by simply "doing nothing" for ten minutes a day. Begin by giving yourself space to just "be" and then make it a habit. When I first started meditating, we used to sit for an hour. I had so much trouble, all I could do was squirm and wriggle and find endless aches and pains. But now, years later, I slip into meditation really easily, most of the time. So don't give up, it just takes practice.

I collect buddhas. This one, (see above) I bought a couple of years ago from Eumundi Markets on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. He sits under my Golden Robinia tree in the backyard and I can see him from my kitchen window. Very peaceful.