I am all in for re-vamping old things that have stood the test of time and have served one well over the years. Sometimes, they are really hard to replace because they are particularly unique or just because they remind us of things that have occurred in ones life, or they mark a turning point in our lives. Either way, giving them a major overhaul keeps the cherished item in one's home, but allows it to continue being memorable, but also useful. So out came the screws, off came the seat - with a bit of grunt and grind - and away I tossed the inner dead foam to reveal a tired old piece of hardboard. What to do with it was a challenge and how was I not going to waste, but not going to buy anything new...? I wanted to make the covers washable and I also needed to still protect the board. I had a few old cushions lying around and decided to clip them into a new round shape by removing the white piping and zipper. Yes, I need to put the zipper back again, once I changed the shape and had to insert the new foam from the original square cushions. The board I re-glued, sanded back and covered with mounting board because I had surplus of that lying around. Then, I edged the circumference with good-looking, but used braid that I had collected over the years. Once I finished the seating, I repainted the chairs with gold enamel paint and the job was done! Yes, it did take a couple of days, some sewing and a bit of clever thinking, but now I have a brand new setting that will last me - quite a while longer.
Yes, its’ definitely busy at this time of year and I’m feeling the spring vibes. Everything seems to happen at the same time. Once the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers hit our city with the blossoming energy of a million and one delicious flowers, visitors seem to arrive from all corners of the globe to see what our festive region will provide. With visiting Korean Government delegations, art exhibitions, dance eisteddfods and finalising school exams – even my small platter of activities has me wondering whether it might be beneficial for this region, to share its abundance of activities with other periods of the year when our city appears non-existent. It would be truly be lovely to visit all the wonderful, award winning gardens; the food and wine festival or the FirstCoat mural event; see every dancer compete for our Sketa Oz trophies at the Brisbane Eisteddfod; have time to exhibit for events such as the Downlands College Annual Art Exhibition or to partake in family events like my son’s 21st birthday or even see Spring Polo played in Queens Park. Yes – there is just so much happening – not just here, but in every large and small town across our country. The Brisbane Riverfire Festival kicks off around now, as does Comic Con; The Desert Festival in Alice Springs and Crock Camping in Darwin; cycling and car racing events at the Gold and Sunshine coasts; museum and gallery events Australia wide; Fringe Festivals, the Burlesque Festival, Tulip and Footy Festivals; Mango events, Melbourne Southbank Festival, Sydney’s Floriade; the Blessing of the Fleet, the Oyster Festival and even the Perth Fried Chicken Mother Clucka Event! There’s just too much to do and see during spring and I love it!!! Every man, woman, child and his dog suddenly find travelling wings, to visit a least a couple of events during the school holidays; when families do their best to catch up on sharing ‘the love’. Yet, wouldn’t it be wonderful, if we could all share ‘that love’ at other times of the year, too? Maybe cities need to revisit the yearly entertainments’ schedule. Spacing things out – might be helpful. Citizens could get out more often and cities would not be competing for the same dollars, at the same point in the year. Purely my opinion of course.
I am sure, well-spaced events would bring families closer together, bond communities and would create a greater sense of attachment to our cities, which would also give families a breather from hearing the adolescent phrase – ‘there’s nothing to do’. The fact is, there’s so much to do in spring, one needs a holiday - to get over the holiday! Happy Spring Holidays! 😊 Don’t spend all your pennies at once! Treasure each and every moment - they are precious diamonds - priceless, irreplaceable and totally unique; never to be replicated and once they’re gone, they’re gone. There will be no shopping for a new one and no cubic zirconia will ever scratch the surface for these beauties. Trust me, there will be thieves lingering, who will selfishly pinch those moments from you - to fill their pot of gold. So guard your treasures well, hide them if you must, tell not a soul, for they will disappear before your very eyes.
As a species we are minuscule in the great scheme of things, but our effect on the planet since our existence, has been catastrophic.
We tell ourselves, not to worry - all will be okay and that the planet survived long before we arrived on the scene. Although, Mother Nature has never created - in the history of evolution, such a complex, selfish, self concerning species. She has outdone herself in her abilities of organic design; we have been her best and worst creation to date. The more evolved we become, the greater heights we strive to achieve - the less we see what is happening around us; the more out of touch with the balance of nature we become. We tell ourselves, there should be work-life balance - what about Mother Nature balance? Where there is imbalance, there is will be a trade off. Something else, someone else, some other species or organism must suffer as a result of the imbalance. Due care for nature; to work with and beside her must be our first and last consideration before we create, invent, borrow, pillage or destroy. We tell our kids, ‘you are not the only one on the planet’, but as adults we consider only ourselves. We behave like spoilt brats expecting the earth; expecting to receive all, to have all in the name of progress and success. Time is now. What we walk past, we accept. We are failing Mother Nature as her greatest creation; we need to make her proud. In order to help our kids, to help ourselves, to help us get ahead in our own lives. We must first consider doing something for Mother Nature - we must give back - be that plant a tree, clean up the earth’s surface - biosphere/atmosphere that we have polluted. We must learn to think of healthy disposals before we create anything, buy anything, use anything. We were given paradise - all given to us without recoil, but we are creating and living in a rubbish dump. Where everything is disposable. Charity starts at home - with nature. It all starts with time to create. For many of us, this is a never ending battle with what society wants us to do in order to partake in the world of modernity and what your heart wants and needs to do, in order to find comfort and peace of mind to take you through the wonderful journey of life.
We can all be slaves to the pay check or be slaves to pumping out hundreds of resumes a day to acquire the pay check - because that’s what you must do in order to pay the myriad of bills that enable us to live in a first world country they call technologically advanced, modern and proper. Yet, with modernity comes stress, unrealistic expectations and a way of life that can be unhealthy to one’s natural creative processes and whether or not we say, “but I don’t have time” - we need to make time and make it a priority in order to keep one’s sanity. Without attending to your natural, innate gifts, it is like cutting off a limb - it is what makes you the unique species you are. A rabbit without its ears , would it not be a guinea pig; a possum without its tail might it be a Koala. A butterfly without the ability to fly, would it even be a butterfly? The answer is no. Your gifts and talents are unique to your soul and being. One can no more switch them off than nature can stop creating life. This is the process of natural evolution - society, modernity, mankind should not demand that you even try to forgo nature’s gift. So the next time you tell yourself, “I don’t have time”, ask yourself, “If I don’t engage in my gifts, will it be at the detriment of my uniqueness and what makes me - me? Will I still be the me, nature intended me to be?” There is nothing like life to test our resilience. It prods at us with its hot iron - pushing us forward past the pain, past the difficulties, past the disbelief. It gives us reassurance when needed, direction when required and life skills to carry with us on our journey of survival. It takes great courage, a huge sense of self worth and understanding to move forward - as each step is one of blind belief, in life’s plan. Staying the course carved out for you, can be trying - to say the least and without laying down your plan of stepping stones, it is easy to detour off course. ...But if you find time to ponder, time to reflect, time to rest, gather your strength and give thanks for all you have - life can be a blast! Humbly, you take everything at face value - learn from it and move on - to even greater things.
Everything we do in life, everything we learn throughout our schooling and into our tertiary education - even in the workplace - information has at some point been written, recorded and accessed through books. Whether they are physical or digital books; texts, manuals or procedures - the data has been saved for now and forever, for future generations to enjoy and access. We are very much reliant on the process of recording the written word and without such, generations of people would not progress - could not push past the last generational successes, because they would always be reinventing the wheel. We as a society - need researchers, educators, writers to keep knowledge and information current; and we need to pass down this art form to new generations so we continue to progress and push the boundaries. Instill a love of learning and literature; create a fervent passion to discover and absorb knowledge in your family. Visit elk-publishing.com - support what we do, suggest or purchase a book for gifting. Knowledge is the best gift you can give. |
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