Good to Be Alive

A walk after work takes me around Weston Park and past the SIEV X Memorial. It marks a tragedy, but is a very peaceful and inspiring place. 

 

In some ways it is similar to Bougainvillea with its beautiful bright flowers but very thorny stems. This one is round the side of our house. 

As we approach Christmas, I find my energy runs out for the forced fun and the commercialisation of the days leading up to it. I content myself with the small things such as fresh air and exercise, and give myself a break if I'm not up to socialising. 

I can't tell you how satisfying it was to remove the string from the cat litter bag in one well-timed pull - it was a movement of exquisite execution. I tell you, if you can find joy in the little things; it's good to be alive.  

Cocktail Hour

A friend asked if I could bring some cocktail glasses to their place, so I had to check which style he wanted.

 

We went for a walk in Gininderry and found a friend.

And these are some of the glasses from the cocktail party, with a guest who swears she didn't drink them all...

Making and Sharing Memories

The bedside book pile continues to evolve. Him Outdoors is constantly remarking on the potential hazards of such a pile, but I think he's just not seeing things from the correct perspective. 

Sky patterns above the lake keep me company in my lunch breaks at work. 

After booking in for a routine mammogram, I treated myself to breakfast at a local cafe, and then brought armfuls of flowers indoors from the garden and plonked them in vases. I may have mentioned that I have no skill in the flower arranging department, although I love the colours and natural shapes and smells. The cats, obviously, had to judge them. 

We had a gala night for the Canberra Repertory Society to feast and raise funds. Our cast and crew table for Dead Man's Cell Food were too busy with the frivolity and lacking in funds to be too much financial assistance, but we had a good time, and at least we raised some money by attending in the first place.

Chipz came round for afternoon tea and, although I have no photos of them or the cucumber sandwiches we ate in the garden, I do have images of the Pimms glasses full of fruity goodness.

Calamity Sue gathered some friends and family and we had a memorial service for General Philosopher, where we hired a boat and went out on the water to toast his memory and walk on Springbank Island. It was a beautiful thing to do and very emotional. Tears, laughter, and stories were shared.