One of the nice things when visiting my parents in spring: The evening round with their dog. With today's sunshine it was still comfortably warm, but stil early enough in the year that the countryside wasn't full of annoying insects.
Did a big round and said hello to a couple of old trees I used to climb on when I was a kid. 
#GoodThings. Wow... I am one achy, tired, OLD-feeling woman tonight. But:
1: the Uhaul arrived and the scheduled help also showed up as planned (fabulous workers, BTW)
2: only a few things were damaged
3: it is DONE, even if it will take me probably 3 months to sort everything out and clean it up.
Time for major pain relief protocol and many pillows. 
Eldest is visiting. He's playing MudBorne, husband is playing Kingdom Come Deliverance, and I'm reading Ray Nayler's newest novel. We ate take-out and had the window open to evening birdsong for a while. #GoodThings
1: I had an incredibly kind response #today from a former student/staffer who read my new book & took the time to send me a note. It made me cry 
... none of us can ever be sure of the impact we're having on others. Don't lose heart!
2: Assuming I survive until about midnight tomorrow/Sat, I then get over a week of staycation... off work to try to get the shambles of my life reorganized! 
3: The POWER is back on. Ice storm be damned.
Today, I am thankful for good coffee, nice strangers, good friends and my excellent family.
I recommend gently annoying a family member today, like you did when you were a child. It’s also a kind of love language.
Only you know what annoys them most. Only they know your pet peeves.
That is love.
More random ramblings before I disappear into my bubble for the day.
I have loads of shitty things going on in my life just now, especially health wise, you all know that, I'm not exactly quiet about it 
The state of the world right now is terrifying, looking at the news its hard not to just give up and think what is the damn point. A relentless avalanche of fear and misery.
But.
I am still finding lots of good things. So here is a list, sort of.
1. Lots of bees and butterflies in the garden.
2. The trees are starting to bud again, everything is coming back to life after a long grey winter.
3. I have a bench to sit on and enjoy the brighter days (yes, I had to mention that again).
4. I got a flyer through the door yesterday for a garden centre, which allows me to get a free pack of bedding plants.
5. Despite being a short, fat, broken potato, I can still do the splits even if its a really bad idea - actually, maybe that one shouldn't be on the list of good things 
6. I have a roof over my head, food in the kitchen, a huge pile of books and lots of craft stuff to keep me busy.
7. I am lucky enough to have some wonderful friends, especially on here, just in case I haven't mentioned it, you lovely folks absolutely rock and get me through the shite times.
8. I have a theatre trip next week, while I have some apprehension about it, I am looking forward to being back in Glasgow for the day.
9. I still find the strength to giggle and be silly with the child each day, that right there is a damn good reason to keep going.
10. Its race week.
So many of the things listed are mundane, little things but they still give me a spark of joy. Moments of joy don't need to be huge things, they can just be those little things that make you pause and smile for a second. More than ever, I think we all need to find those moments.
Thank you, as ever, for reading my random thoughts, you may continue with your day 
This morning is gorgeous so I have the windows open. I also made scones. That means my apartment is filled with the two best scents imaginable. Spring morning and fresh scones
#GoodThings
1. Hit 10,000 steps this morning without it feeling like a chore! #YaySpring!
2. The chocolate cake I was making yesterday seems to have turned out OK 
3. Can't wait to see my friends this evening!
Today a kid rage-quit my lesson.
We were playing a Kahoot and he got a couple of answers wrong by mistyping. After one too many he just slammed his laptop closed, stood up and started packing up his bag.
Me: Dude! You can't rage quit a lesson.
Him, still packing: I'm too far into the bit to stop now, Miss!
Cue me and the class collapsing with laughter while he calmly finished packing and left. 
Just got home from a wonderful evening out! Local high school drama club was performing Sondheim's "Into the Woods". I love love love that musical, plus my manager's kid was in the show and several co-workers were going, plus it's the same high school where I was in drama club 50 years ago. So lots of good reasons to go.
But the best reason turned out to be the one I discovered after I was there, and that's what it did for my spirits. It "spoke to me" right where I am in these days. So many echoes of real life, with words that went to my mind and heart, lifted me up, said what I needed to hear. We are beset by wolves these days, we have to stick together, be brave, take action, not throw each other to the giants to save ourselves. And "sometimes people leave us halfway through the woods". Honestly, "No One is Alone" had me in tears in the dark auditorium, but in a good way. "Hard to see the light now, just don't let it go. ... Someone is on our side ... No one is alone, you are not alone."
I'm so glad I went! Did my heart good!
(And yes, the kids did a brilliant job!)
Was having kind of an out of sorts morning and then I went to the post office and all my seeds had come.
While i was on my way into the post office I put my hand in the pocket of my raincoat and found some beautiful little bumblebee earrings in my pocket that I bought last year at Pride and completely forgot about. It was such a surprise.
So I got home and planted some heirloom sweet peas from the 1600s that are supposed to be the nicest smelling variety of sweet pea on earth. I didn't even mind that it was pouring with rain while i did.
Feeling like a rather serendipitous day. Gardening is hope.
Wow, this week has wiped me out. We're short staffed at work (as predicted) so it's just been go, go, go all week. Tomorrow is a public holiday for WA but I work to the NSW public holiday schedule, so it's back to work for me while everyone else gets to laze about at home around me. Meh.
However, I did get to go to the community garden yesterday, which was fun. We harvested hops flowers (they smell delightfully herby and fresh) and dandelion root. I've chopped up the root and will roast it tomorrow to enjoy my very own cup of locally grown 'coffee'. Kind of excited about that. The hops flowers are in the freezer to be used in a relaxing tea when needed.
The long-range forecast for the current and next season, Bunuru and Djeran (autum, or roughly March -- May) is warmer than usual and also dry. I am trying to see how we can budget in a rainwater tank or two for next summer. I'm looking forward to the rain, as always at this time of year.
Failing the rain, here are the good things:
- found a ripe strawberry while watering the garden and ate it
- descaled both the washing machine and the dishwasher and cleaned the seals. That might sound very proactive of me, but I can't remember the last time I did either, so they were well overdue. However, I did feel very accomplished
- there were no eggs at the shop the other day and we were completely out and then Kid2 went hunting and found four! Woohoo!
#GoodThings for #today
1: Had a chance to download some preview songs from a cherished friend's upcoming new album... JR Richards is, as always, just... WOW. 
2: Was able to cross off 8 of the 14 must-do entries on my weekend list.
3: Read that today's subzero temps are supposed to give way to 30ish by Monday.
Today I managed to dig a little hole for a little hazelnut that lived in a pot in the drive of our old rented place for nearly five years. Through heat domes and wildfires and deaths and everything else that came down the line. Today I let it put it's little feet in the dirt, and told it that it won't always be a little hazelnut. Perseverance is everything and planting it was everything I could manage today, and that's okay. Now I'm going to rest aggressively.
So this amazing little moment happened today.
I've worked with a particular guide in Bhutan for about a decade now. He's a gentle fellow and simply the best guide I've ever had. And I've had some really great guides.
Rinzi saw my project to make a TV series in Nepal, and saw my fundraising page. He offered to shout us a brekky (one of the donation options) so he could contribute.
Today is Buddhist New Year by the way. Losar Tashi Delek!
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