I’m grateful

Frame of mind is about the same as yesterday. More phonecalls.. I’ve dodged them for now.

I wanted to talk about being grateful.. grateful in the face of adverstiy.

I’m extremely grateful for having the job I do. I get to Nanny kids who I know and love as they are family friends. Sometimes that isn’t so easy when you get to see them more intimately.. it’s like I’m a fly on the wall that is forgotten about but gets the occassional swipe.

I’m ever grateful for my kids. They are 3 special young lads who I adore.

MG, my eldest is weeks away from starting to drive.. OMG. He is growing up so quick. He recently was on a Venturer hike for 4 days when one of his group had a slip and dislocated his knee. With others in his group they succesfully organised shelter from the weather, first aid, called for additional support and then ended up helping in a rescue chopper evac for the injured guy. He didn’t finish hike as they should have but he came home a foot taller I’m sure. We are so proud of him.  

JD our no. 2 has been on his first adult free hike this weekend. No rescues needed although they did get lost within 20 mins of starting the hike and the amazing part of that is they were in a circular park. Anyway they had alot of fun. 15km hike with tasks they needed to complete. They carried everything they needed on their backs and made it our in one piece at the end of the day. He has been a great help to me on a daily basis. He is my shadow and I’m so fortunate to be able to take my boys with me to work each day if they want to come.

TJ.. our baby. Well he’s growing up way too fast. He is the Hotwheels maniac, not a week goes by he hasn’t bought a new car or 10. He walks to the beat of a different drum and sees everything in very different ways to the rest of us and that is fascinating to watch. He loves.. he just does. He feels deeply and caringly. He can also be totally ignorant to everything happening around him but when he looks up you can see how much he is enjoying himself by just having the chance to be.. just be.

Back to being grateful… I’m grateful that my mum is in a more positive frame of mind at the moment. She has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. She has had surgery twice and they believe they have it all but she still needs to have the radiation therapy. I’m hoping to be down there with her for a little bit of that.

I’m grateful I’m in a better place right now.. this helps.

I’ve come to visit… sadly

So what’s happening at Woodpuddle. 

Well I’m in a bit of a state. I am a leader in a scout group. I love it but over the past couple of years I have had little support from families. Sadly as other parts of my life have started to fall apart I’ve been having panic/anxiety attacks. I’m not sleeping and it is all heading back to scouts. Areas which other adults should have been supporting me in have come undone and now the group is in trouble. Of course I carry it on my shoulders as my failure and logically I know it isn’t like that at all .. but when I’m waking at all hours of the night it’s my failures I’m seeing..

So I made a huge decision for me.. I have taken a leave from scouts.. this hurts me enormously as they are all my kids too. I love them. I’ve watched them grow as they have moved through the group. I’ve seen them take risks and achieve goals they didn’t think they could. I’ve helped them and that makes me feel good…. but now.. my life has changed alot.

The Man has no job, I’m not enjoying mine at the moment, my mum is battling cancer, I have a friend who I am supporting through sexual abuse, I’m still trying to find time to do something each day important to me, that will make me feel good. I miss my friends from where we used to live.. you know it’s all there just building up for me again. I feel deserted (I know I’m not but I feel like I have been). I feel sad all the time. I’m avoiding people, I’m avoiding phone calls, I’m  not even going onto facebook… I just want to be left alone so I can get my mind back into sync with the rest of me… but I am getting calls all the time and that’s keeping my head go go go.. I have thought of taking some medication to help me sleep but then I feel zoned out which isn’t so good when I’m babysitting the next day.

So Woodpuddle is part of my looking after me. My freedom of speech.. my time to express whether with words, or art. A place I can come and whine about things and praise others.

So tomorrow I’ll start with I’m grateful….. today.. Hey I’ve come to visit.. HI.

No Blogging

I’ve been trying hard to get on here but it just isn’t working at the moment.. life is hectic and I need to work out my schedule so I balance things a lot better. So I’ll be back as soon as I can.

I like it…lol

more animals

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Crafting about

One of my aims this year is to get more involved in the crafts I enjoy. At the moment I am felting and loving it. My only problem is financing my craft. I need to buy some more wool to continue making my blanket which I am doing as felted swatched which I am practicing techniques with.. I have 3 done and need about another 100 or so..lol. I am having fun learning and the kids like to get involved too.

I am also excited at the opportunity to learn bookmaking. This is something I have dabbled in on my own but I look forward to learning this art and then putting it into practice. I found this website Hands on Paper and then from there  http://www.papergail.blogspot.com/ I look forward to finding many more that are as inspiring.

No smoking hot spot | The Australian

No smoking hot spot | The Australian.

I was emailed a link to this newspaper article this week accidentally. I had a read and found it quite interesting. 

We really are treated like idiots aren’t we? Anyway I added it here to pass the inormation around. I think we all have to make up our own minds and unless we are given the correct information that really can’t happen.

Animals at Woodpuddle

I added this at the cafe so thought I’d add it here as well.

Birds we have identified at Woodpuddle 
lorikeets
major mitchell cockatoos
kookaburras
crows (they are thanking us I believe for rescuing a baby after the storm -aren’t we lucky…lol)
pacific bazas – these birds had me in a panic as I thought they were falling out of trees sick or injured but they kind of free fall down before opening their wings and flying.. my kids were cracking up as I struggled through the brush to ‘help the birds’ who would be swooping back up out of my eyesight.. I reckon the birds were laughing too.
tawny frogmouth
brushturkey.. we play ball with him. We roll a ball or orange along the ground and the silly bird chases it then runs away and waits for us to do it again.
redtailed black cockatoos fly over regularly such beautiful elegant birds
powerful owl
minor birds
pheasant coucals
magpies – they own the house in and out.. hmm
rosellas king parrots – these birds like to interact with us.
crimson rosellas
pale headed rosellas
wood ducks
plovers

Animals visiting Woodpuddle
Cows – oh I know they aren’t wildlife as such but we don’t have cattle and yet they are often seen wandering around.
Wallabies – JD took a photo just yesterday of a Wallaby with a full pouch outside my bedroom verandah. They visit semi regularly and aren’t as skittish as they once were with us. We can open the door and watch them now and they don’t bolt.
brown snakes
carpet python
red belly black snake
green tree frogs lge and small – the little ones visit inside and especially like to sit on our tv screen..??
Bats – both the large and the gorgeous little microbats who are in the house often but are rarely seen.. we feel their presence as they fly past and occasionally catch a glimpse.
Cane Toads – TJ likes to ‘play’ with these guys. He’s looking for a huge one to give to the Gecko Wildlife show..lol
Possums – there is at least one mother and baby here on the property with the tawny frogmouth trying it’s hardest to get the baby fromthe mother.. the racket they all make is amazing.
Foxes – I was surprised to see them here and the smell… phew.
Hares – the most awkward looking animal. The debates we’ve had ‘every’ time we see these.. rabbit or hare.. I’m certain they are hares though as they don’t have the same elegance as a rabbit and they move very different.. I stand to be corrected though.
Frogs.. there are so many different varieties and they are so well camouflaged we can’t see them very well but can hear the songs of at least 6. We are trying to make a recording of the Woodpuddle Symphony