my parents recently moved to a house with a gorgeous collection of flowers in the garden & since we don't have too many flowers at our house I always enjoy walking around theirs with my camera in hand
A New Outlook
My day started off beautifully today. I had 2 very dear friends come over with their babies. One is 2 weeks and one is 19months. We had a beautiful morning chatting and with lots of cuddles. The sun was shinning, there was a cool change in the air it was just a gorgeous morning. I laughed and smiled and ooohed and arrred. I felt happy, I felt content. After they left I did a quick long session in the blogging world and then headed off for my appointment in the city. I got there a little early so decided to have a walk around when I tripped and dropped my xrays and bag all over the road and skinned my toe. With blood everywhere I desperately tried to scoop everything up and get off the road before getting run over...and no...no one helped me...why is it that I constantly have a bag FULL of wipes, band aids and creams for the kids...I am the Mary Poppins of the nanny world and my carpet bag has everything a child will want or ever need but today I emptied it all out so it wouldn't be heavy for me and of course it was the day I needed it. So I hid away in a sushi train and drowned my sorrows in glorious raw salmon and teriyaki heaven! (p.s say teriyaki 10 times....how weird is that word???) Anyway I was instantly in a bad mood. I was feeling very sorry for myself. My toe was absolutly killing me, almost to the point of tears. Actually scratch that, I admit I did shed a few as I hid away in my little corner. I knew that everyone I knew was busy so I took my anger and hurt out on my dear little friend facebook. I'm a keen facebooker and I try to keep it positive and beautiful. Positive thoughts lead to a positive life. But today after humiliating myself and not getting any help and hurting my big toe I needed a big fat facebook status update cry! It actually did make me feel a lot better and I limped away to my doctors appointment. Which by the way was the most horrific experience I've had in my life. I will give you 3 words - pants down...finger - I don't think I need to say more. My toe was throbbing, I was upset, Id left my referral at home (good one Sarah!) and the last thing I felt like and was TOTALLY not prepared for was becoming close with my doctor. Lets just say I came home feeling terrible, embarrassed and sore...in more ways than one.
The tip of my toe is gone - i tried to save it and hope it will heal and all stay in one piece hahah yeah right!
So I had a bad afternoon.
But you know what....no big deal! I watched an ep of Oprah tonight and wow did I feel like the worst person in the whole entire world becasue I had let a little scratch on my toe and an uncomfortable doctors appointment ruin my entire day. On Oprah there was a couple who were foster parents to 9...NINE...special needs children and one night 8 men raided their home and shot them in the head and chest and left them to die on the floor. A women was in a plane crash and recieved burns to 80% of her body and can't even cuddle her own children after their bath yet still went on oprah with a smile on her face and showed her passion and love for life. Every day she lives with pain...pain I could never even imagine living through and she does this every day while being a mum to 4 beautiful children. And here I am complaining about a sore toe! How terrible. Yes I kicked my toe but I am thankful that I have the awareness and nerves left in my toe to feel the pain and I can still walk and have the simple pleasure of putting on a bandaid to protect it from germs which half of our world can not do! Yes I had an uncomfortable session with my doctor but I am thankful that I have the absolute amazing privilege of going to see a specialist in a private hospital where they can take care of me and help me with ANY problem I have. Some children or adults can't even afford or have the opportunity to see a doctor or nurse for their severe illnesses. I have ALOT to be grateful for and I feel very guilty for complaining about my amazing and lucky day I had today.
My post should of read this...
I had such an amazing day today which started of with a beautiful morning tea with beautiful friends. I have been having pains and discomforts after my surgery so I was so lucky to be able to have a day off work to go in and see a very well trained and experienced surgeon in a gorgeous clean room with fresh water and books to read while I wait. The doctor had to examine me but I had a clean bed to lay on with fresh clean sheets and the doctor had clean gloves and reassured me and looked after me the whole time. I was in a sterile room and treated with the most respect. The surgeon told me that he will do everything in his power to get me better and I can come back to see him at any time. On the way up I kicked my toe which hurt a lot but I am so thankful that I can walk and tripping and kicking my toe reminds me of how lucky I am and how special it is to be able to use my legs and feel all of the sensations in them. The sun was shinning and I got to eat beautifully prepared sushi that was served to me on fresh clean plates while I ate in a resturant.
I am so lucky to be alive and live where I live and have the opportunities I have. What a gorgeous life I lead! Lets hope all of the creams and bandaids that I am lucky enough to have in my cupboard heal my toe over the next couple of days. Next time I will take it a little bit easier and not be in such a hurry. Life is to beautiful to rush!
I am off to spend a glorious 4 days with my husband at a secluded cottage. Not a lot of people would ever get the opportunity to do this so I will take in every single minute and appreciate how lucky I am to have such a special man in my life and to have the wonderful opportunities we have. Have a gorgeous weekend everyone! Remember life can change in an instant - so appreciate, live and love every single minute!
x S.K.K x
In The Moment - Ice blocks on the verandah
Enjoying my In the Moment weekly post - it actually reminds me to be in the moment a some point of every day as I reach for my camera and shoot what is happening around me.
Ice blocks on the verandah - what is more in the moment than that. Sitting in the sunshine with a cool juicy ice block - half for Indi, half for me - ahh...
Just being around her also helps to be in the moment!
Have you taken time to be in the moment this week?
Wymyn and me
Whist I have an abhorrence for terms like 'wymyn' (puleese!), I have been grappling all month with the fact that I let International Women's Day slide by without a celebratory post. Back in the day, I was all about the girl power. I used to wear badges that said things like 'Billions of men, why animal test?' and 'When will someone have the balls to castrate rapists?' I went to rallies and, hell, I even did a year of Wymyn's Studies (including 'herstory') at Sydney Uni. Oh yes, I was well up on the feminist literature. I bored myself stupid.
And then, ('scuse the pun) it all just petered out.
I think it all started with the Reclaim the Night march. I didn't get why men couldn't march with us. There was a massive debate about should-they-or-shouldn't-they in 1993 and the answer came back 'they shouldn't'. Well, I didn't agree with that at all and neither did many of my friends. One of them dressed in drag and came along anyway... the reaction of our fellow marchers was anything but pretty (hey, the only way to carry a heavy load is to lighten up, ladies!). And it suddenly occurred to me that I didn't agree with the exclusiveness of feminism. I didn't think we would ever get where we needed to be without the support of the, er, myn.
I get that we had to start without them. I mean, frankly, back in Mary Wollstonecraft's day, the men were more likely to march over you than march with you. But that's kind of the point. These days (or at least back in the dark ages of 1993) men want to show support, they want to be part of the movement that says 'equal rights for all' and 'when will someone have the balls to castrate rapists?'
Then there was the whole 'gender neutral' thing. I never got that either. I think herstory has shown us that most other women didn't really get it either. Sure, a woman can do all the stuff that men can do with a little bit of help from technology (bin man, anyone?), but did she want to? Hmmm... maybe not. But at least she has the choice these days, right? At least she got to decide what her life could be like and set about making it happen. It wasn't just a given that she didn't want to be the guy lifting 185 heavy bins before sunrise. And frankly, if the bin man turned around and decided he wanted a career change and decided to stay at home and raise his six kids under five, then that was okay too (and, dear god, good luck to you, Bin Man).
But remember this, without feminism, I wouldn't even be writing this post. I wouldn't have a voice. I wouldn't have a choice. I would probably have twenty babies and pointy boobs.
So I embrace the suffragettes and I embrace those silly raunch-culture girls and I embrace the women who wrote all those seriously mad articles I ploughed through in Women's Stuides and I embrace the women who call all men rapists (actually, no I don't embrace them at all, but still). I am still very proud to call myself a feminist.
So I embrace the suffragettes and I embrace those silly raunch-culture girls and I embrace the women who wrote all those seriously mad articles I ploughed through in Women's Stuides and I embrace the women who call all men rapists (actually, no I don't embrace them at all, but still). I am still very proud to call myself a feminist.
I thank the pioneering wymyn who made it all happen for me. Who were marched over time and time again but continued to rise up and demand the right to choose. Who said 'I will not be silenced, I will not be bullied', who cried 'I matter and I'm here'. I'm sorry something went a bit wrong and your cause became deeply unfashionable. Maybe when women stop cleaning the glass ceiling, we'll realise that feminism hasn't run it's course. That there is still some heavy lifting to do.
What does feminism mean to you?
[Image by Clouded Sunny]
Pinks and Green
I loved the Pinks and Green stand at The Country Living Fair as it was so bright and colourful! Zoe, of Pinks and Green, is crazy about Danish design house Rice* and boy, does it show.
The store is stocked full of bright, colourfully printed, functional melamine cups, plates and bowls; funky, kitsch, brightly coloured duck watering cans and pretty pastel ornate candle stick holders and kitchen roll holders; decorative rafia kids toy boxes in a range of themes from the circus to the zoo. For outside, there are the cheeky gnome candles and funky fly swatters. Picnics will get brighter with the fun cocktail glasses and giant decorative velvet floor cushions.
Have a sweet day!
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