tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36197617285483618822024-03-14T19:25:58.179+09:30Found along the way, news and views.If not now - then when? Musings on life, family and getting older.
Bubbles and Blinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03352916700941192842noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619761728548361882.post-29726132951972837622020-04-30T13:30:00.006+09:302021-10-14T13:27:32.714+09:30Staying socially connected while we maintain safe physically distancing.<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""verdana",sans-serif">What changes are the current restrictions having in your life? Is it hard to know what day of the week it is? Do you now spend more time on your devices? Maybe you are busier than before? Some people are trying to work from home and are also juggling the competing demands of bored children. Children who are coping with the new concept and experience of online homeschooling. Perhaps you work in an industry or occupation which is still operating. The kids are home from school, and of course, they can't go to their grandparents as they usually would as their grandparents are in a vulnerable group! The situation is different for everyone. I feel truly blessed to be living in a house with my own outside space, food in the pantry and people who I care about surrounding me.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5pkdEEYRPHAG0Gcv6jxkkfGsiaA4eJ00gzsaHf4A1XAboPAEG6eT0lZKV-_MYYALemJZEFvgTWR1K8ZZK-_gfcCPOCUtpVBOsU70YIo1yWrEumyy6QBUEdjeKBwFmkuQNzO2UblN2s0NK/s1600/is.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="247" data-original-width="341" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5pkdEEYRPHAG0Gcv6jxkkfGsiaA4eJ00gzsaHf4A1XAboPAEG6eT0lZKV-_MYYALemJZEFvgTWR1K8ZZK-_gfcCPOCUtpVBOsU70YIo1yWrEumyy6QBUEdjeKBwFmkuQNzO2UblN2s0NK/s320/is.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""verdana",sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""verdana",sans-serif">I think it is vital to take a moment and count our blessings, I am very conscious that home is not a safe space for some people, and I worry. I worry about everyone who has lost their jobs. The stress and strain about how they will cope once these restrictions are eased must be enormous. I worry about the children who are missing the opportunity to learn and experience the ups and downs of school life. In some countries, this may mean that they are also losing their main meal of the day, so I worry. I worry about all the health care workers working in busy hospitals and having to cope with the risks to their own health. I worry about the business owners facing possible financial ruin after closing their businesses down during this current crisis. I worry about our politicians and lawmakers, and I hope that they will have the good sense to know when and how to help and the courage to work together for our common good. I worry about my family, and I fear for my friends.</span></span></div>
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<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span face=""verdana",sans-serif"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">One of the crucial ways we are learning to stay safe is by 'social distancing' what a shame that this concept wasn't more accurately named – 'physically distancing' –<b> </b></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">socially; we</span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b> </b>are truly blessed to have so many ways of connecting. The 'new normal' that we are all still coming to grips with includes many forms of catching up with friends, family and business colleagues. Most of these technologies have been available for years, but now we are being pushed out of our comfort zones, and new words, like, Zoom, Webex and Teams, just trip off our tongue. I am interested in seeing what changes will stay and what will be rolled back once the current restrictions are eased. </span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face=""verdana",sans-serif">Whole new topics have sprung up on YouTube – 'getting ready for your Zoom meeting', 'looking professional in your next online meeting'. So funny, things change so fast, and it is difficult to imagine them just disappearing, so what changes are here to stay?</span></span></div>
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Bubbles and Blinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03352916700941192842noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619761728548361882.post-19338283344190794632020-04-28T17:43:00.002+09:302020-05-11T18:33:20.955+09:30Is it time to review the way we comment online.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I know this isn’t a new idea however the current noise
around the many world events and local tragedies has forced me to put pen to
paper – or in this modern age – <i>fingers
to keyboard</i>! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It’s not new to comment on the way people comment on FB
posts and other Social Media and online forums. But really, although the comments are sometimes warm,
accepting and encouraging they are very often mean, nasty and even spiteful, so
much more so than compared with the comments that people would dare to say in person?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In Australia, this is so very different from
the much-lauded ethos of a ‘fair go’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is
this just the faceless nature of social media? If it is, then, we have a lot to
answer for as we embrace all of these new mediums with little or no thought to
the ways in which they are changing our social mores forever, impacting on the
boundaries of acceptable and unacceptable behaviours and changing the way
civilised people socialise and engage in debate. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I am sometimes truly shocked to read the comments that
people are prepared to make on social media, and they make them from their
accounts which are often unsecured social profiles with an alarming amount of
personal details – do they realise?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I’ve recently read an opinion piece written by Amy Carr in
which she describes the abuse, she received after details of her action against
a barber for discrimination became known – she claims that the abuse included
rape & death threats! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Is Social Media changing society mores this much – last year
we commemorated the 100<sup>th</sup> anniversary of Armistice Day perhaps we
should remember the way the world changed during two World Wars - people
blindly followed hateful speech and behaviour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Profound changes to societal norms followed and the defence forces,
normal civilians and even children were all caught up. What followed, as we all
know, were acts of barbaric cruelty, all committed in the name of allegiance to
some power or demigod who preached ideology which supported these acts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This type of environment allows sociopathic
behaviours to be normalised and changes society forever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Never has it been so important to truly know yourself and to
have a strong moral compass. Principles
should be stronger than circumstance, a conviction is not something that we
change to suit the current moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oprah
Winfrey said, "Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that
nobody's going to know whether you did it or not."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well put – even when no one is watching –
listen to your inner voice, don’t let it be drowned out by the loud modern
world that surrounds us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can all be
better than this – when a disaster strikes the evidence is all around.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We really need strong leaders, people who are guided by good
and moral thinking, not self-interest and expediency – am I just a dreamer?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe so but we certainly need to question the
ideas and the sentiment around us, even the language being used. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ideology is a notion
best left with the gods in heaven not practised by mere mortals here on earth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Bubbles and Blinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03352916700941192842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619761728548361882.post-1189960638782241632020-04-28T16:08:00.001+09:302020-05-11T18:32:06.385+09:30Doing my small bit.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana",sans-serif;">The adage: "May you live in interesting times" is a quote which is usually attributed as a Chinese curse. When you review the literature, it doesn't appear that there is any basis for that, yet it certainly exemplifies the times we are living through.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana",sans-serif;">For most of us, I pray that this is a 'once in a lifetime event', quickly and quietly, our way of life changed; maybe forever. A virus had been detected, then they realised how quickly it could spread and how disastrous the results could be. We realised that the danger was not just for the patient but also because of the infection rate to the whole health system, which could buckle under the weight of new cases. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJW5zsN5aU9ST9yWgNNubHS6viUdznpCMYIYrg3j8dPjtwr867zigMBeI1yb6WiC223ukRr7vQLJoqdP-FLuaDEC9Jd1lThtELlCpcrQn8sltfeIy-549-4sWFXx7fYNfpo2aP28svL9h5/s1600/covid-19-cdc-image.htm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJW5zsN5aU9ST9yWgNNubHS6viUdznpCMYIYrg3j8dPjtwr867zigMBeI1yb6WiC223ukRr7vQLJoqdP-FLuaDEC9Jd1lThtELlCpcrQn8sltfeIy-549-4sWFXx7fYNfpo2aP28svL9h5/s320/covid-19-cdc-image.htm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana",sans-serif;">Close contact was quickly identified as a significant infection risk. The warm connections we once shared when greeting friends and colleagues became a thing of the past, new ways to greet friends and social acquaintances had to be adopted. Very quickly, governments in democratic, liberal nations enacted legislation and policies to limit personal freedom, liberty and movement. Closing entertainments venues and events, closing big and small businesses, churches and schools. Right-minded people weren't objecting they embraced the changes and looked for ways to make these new social and economic realities as meaningful and productive as possible. Businesses looked for new ways to operate and to maintain relationships with customers. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana",sans-serif;">Governments looked for ways to soften the blow for individuals, families and businesses while maintaining their continued focus on health care and health care workers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana",sans-serif;">A Herculean task. As an Australian, I am incredibly grateful and pleased to see the results in our country, through our joint efforts, we are lowering the infection rate and flattening the curve. My contribution to these tasks is just to stay at home and wash my hands – sounds easy! Although this contribution seems so trite, it isn't; this is a deliberate action. I have acknowledged the risk, and I know that I can't contribute to the tasks required. However, I can stay at home, minimise the risk to myself and my family and do my small part in fighting this terrible virus.</span>Bubbles and Blinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03352916700941192842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619761728548361882.post-40978637954469771312020-01-23T13:33:00.000+09:302020-04-28T14:47:44.117+09:30<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">For many people the new year is associated with making (and often breaking) resolutions. Let face it, each year our list of resolutions is usually a rehash of our previous years' failed resolutions. </span><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Be more active, lose weight, spend more time reading and less time on devices, spend more time with friends and loved ones - </em><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">sound familiar</span><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">.</em></span></div>
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<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Every year I used to prepare a list of New Year's Resolutions. Then, usually fairly early in the New Year, I would be beating myself up because I hadn't managed to keep my resolution. Give up Smoking; is one that comes to mind. Topmost on my Resolution Lists for about 10 years until finally about 12 years ago I successfully gave up! But that had nothing to do with resolutions and a lot to do with recurring bronchitis!</span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you made a list this year and you're still sticking to it, then congratulations. If you made a list and you can't remember what was on it, or why, then perhaps next year make a list before the champagne corks start flying. :)</span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This year I watched a YouTuber suggest that rather than making a list of resolutions consider creating an 'Intentions Board'. I was really intrigued by this idea, and I decided to have a look at examples on the internet and to research Vision Boards and Intention Boards. I wanted to know what they should include and how to incorporate them into my life.</span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have now decided to give it a try - this might be a better way, make visual reminders about what I want to achieve in the next chapter of my life. These will not necessarily be able to be squashed between Jan and Dec but looking ahead to the future. Looking at the things that will help me age gracefully, with excellent health, strength and vitality and looking towards tasks to be completed and dreams still to be realised. </span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Well its a bit late but I've decided to try my hand at this and just discount the last fortnight as research time. So my next task is to find a way of showcasing my 'intentions' in a way that will help me make real changes in my daily life and bring about real changes that I will feel and enjoy.</span></span></div>
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<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Each year there has been a recurring theme to most of my resolutions, like many people I'd like to think that I am making the most of my time and living the best life possible. This also means taking the best care of the physical, emotional and spiritual parts of my life, so obviously, there will be intentions on my Board about health and wellness. Still, more than that, I want my Intention Board to showcase this next chapter of my life and display the opportunities and the tasks I need to focus on to live my best life.</span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Firstly, I'm going to find a way of preparing a virtual visualisation board - this way I can take it with me. For some people, a real-life board on the wall of their office or bedroom might be best. Still, for me, I think I'll see if there is an App to do the job or maybe use Pinterest to create a Board that captures all of my plans and hopes for the coming year. </span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I will post a picture of my Board and let you know if it helps me to keep on track with my plans this year.</span></span></div>
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Bubbles and Blinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03352916700941192842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619761728548361882.post-11885375792350836842020-01-14T10:40:00.002+09:302020-01-14T10:40:39.483+09:30<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Its Jan 2020 and in Australia, you can't escape the news reporting of the horrendous bushfire that are destroying hectares of bushland, home, businesses and taking the lives of so many people as well as wreaking havoc on whole eco-systems. Such tragic news, the public are united in their grief and amazing acts of generosity are being reported every day. Celebrities, local, national and international businesses and ordinary people are digging deep to support the victims of these tragic events. Australian firefighters (many of whom are volunteers) are being supported, not just with financial assistance, but many firefighters have travelled to Australia from overseas. Truly when tragedy strikes you are able to see the good in mankind. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things, first responders moving towards danger when every sense of self-preservation tells us to flee.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There was a recent tweet on Twitter where science host Kyle Hill posted a map of the bushfires compared to the size of the USA, many Americans had no idea how large Australia was and the extent of the fires.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I'm old enough to remember many other catastrophic fire events in Australia but not the severity of these current bushfires. Time and again after these tragic events we have public inquiries into the cause and look for solutions to future proof our drought-prone country and time and again the results of these Inquiries and Royal Commissions seem to be ignored. Just last week a farmer in Queensland was fined about $1,000,000 for making his fire breaks too wide - it beggars belief! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the meantime, h</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">opefully, the rain that is being forecast for later this week gives some relief! </span></div>
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<br />Bubbles and Blinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03352916700941192842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619761728548361882.post-22877156499491570932019-09-23T13:15:00.000+09:302020-04-28T17:35:42.385+09:30<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Sometimes it's the things we say that have the power to hurt or heal the people that we love and care for and sometimes it's the things we forget to say! Words left unspoken, chances which we let pass. Isn't it amazing how words can wound our souls so much? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I've just spent time with a beautiful friend who always takes the time to verbalise her feelings and gives my soul positive affirmations which I value so much. I'm truly blessed to have people like this in my life. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Hig9yg1g833kz2IcvEdaho4nA-RFmzoSfT-affn1JqfxpTZZJYQr9beGtix3mLKIkoDh6PYkrKVvdxMKUARuVhIcwlyPaPj_eh5KBfrQIlGx1rPQPZX8kCdyo9ENYpWZK7hOv0ov-MXT/s1600/Positvie+Affirmations.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1074" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Hig9yg1g833kz2IcvEdaho4nA-RFmzoSfT-affn1JqfxpTZZJYQr9beGtix3mLKIkoDh6PYkrKVvdxMKUARuVhIcwlyPaPj_eh5KBfrQIlGx1rPQPZX8kCdyo9ENYpWZK7hOv0ov-MXT/s320/Positvie+Affirmations.png" width="214" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When my children were growing up, I tried so hard to be a positive force in their lives and to give thought to the words I spoke. I remember the teachings – words hurt if you are going to make a critical comment, make sure it is about behaviour, not the person. You are not bad, stupid or lazy. This type of behaviour is acceptable, its the behaviour, not the person that is at fault. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I tried, but of course, I often got it wrong, I just hope that I succeeded enough of the time to give them strong powerful and confident souls strong enough to cope with the world today. I try to forgive myself for the times I failed, and I promise to work harder in the future to be like my dear friend.</span>Bubbles and Blinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03352916700941192842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619761728548361882.post-67687984118943523372019-09-20T13:12:00.003+09:302020-04-28T17:47:01.183+09:30<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 20px; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.8; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 20px; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.8; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #1c1e29; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I remember hearing a song a while ago that used the parallel of the footprints we leave in the sand to the impact we have on the Earth and in the lives of people after we pass. There are lots of songs, but the one that I really found moving was the version by Beyonce. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 20px; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.8; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 20px; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.8; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #1c1e29; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">My actions or inactions do have consequences, in big and little ways we all affect the people around us, our communities, our friends and families and our partners. I hope that when my life is finished, the people who celebrate it at my funeral will agree. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "lora" , serif; font-size: 20px; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.8; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; word-spacing: 0px;"><em style="background: transparent; color: #1c1e29; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #1c1e29; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> That I gave my all, did my best, brought someone some happiness</span></em><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #1c1e29; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> and that </span><em style="background: transparent; color: #1c1e29; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #1c1e29; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I left this world a little better just because I was here</span></em><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #1c1e29; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">.
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<br />Bubbles and Blinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03352916700941192842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619761728548361882.post-64190156904586563152019-09-17T13:20:00.000+09:302020-04-28T17:48:55.654+09:30Caught up in the latest Fad!<br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1c1e29;">Have
you ever found a new interest and thought it was just you? Then you find that
without realising it you had stumbled onto the latest fad. For me, the most
recent example was triggered by the approach of a birthday. While 60 may be the
new 50, it still comes as a shock to me that I've arrived at this part of my life.
Sometimes the aches and pains are reminders enough, but then I catch a glimpse of my reflection in a mirror or in an adjacent window, and I'm shocked! That's not the way I feel inside. This body and face I show to the world are alien to me.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1c1e29;">Recently I decided to take a hard look at my face and skin and
decided that it was definitely letting the side down. Years of living in the tropics had taken
the toll on the condition and texture of my skin. Anxious to make changes and
in an attempt to turn back time, I turned to Google – as you do! So I googled –
'skincare for mature skin' of course YouTube was full of videos on the subject.
After lots of time spent watching bad videos, I finally found several excellent vloggers and started binging on their channels. Sali Hughes was one of the
first I found that made sense to me, and she seemed knowledgeable and qualified
to give advice. In one of Sali's videos, she mentioned a Skin Analysis website
maintained by Olay – so of course, you know I checked it out. With fingers
crossed, I put my details in, took the selfie and waited for the analysis to
return a skin age. The results were awful; my skin was judged 12 years older
than my chronological age! So back I went to YouTube in search of
answers and a possible solution. I binged on videos late into the night; not
knowing then that the blue light from my iPad was doing further damage to my
skin. I bought lotions and serums, increased my knowledge about active
ingredients and all of the necessary chemicals and ingredients in good skincare products. Well,
it took some time, four months actually, but I can now log into the Olay
website, and my skin is judged to be 10 years younger than my real age – yay
success. I thought this success was just my journey and then I started talking
to some friends, some my age and some younger and I realised that what I
thought was my personal journey was just a case of me being caught up in the latest fad. I
thought I had spontaneously found something new and then I realised that I had
been sucked in. I'm not sure how or when or by whom but I had been drawn in by
whoever or whatever creates the latest fads. </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1c1e29;">Was I responding to marketing that I was
sublimely seeing or is it some group consciousness? I will probably never know,
but my skin looks great, and I have so many new jars and bottles of 'stuff' to
try it will keep me amused for a while.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1c1e29;">Here are my picks of YouTube channels for women over 35
years. I have spent many hours searching for exciting and relevant advice for
mature skin. Lots of channels show very, very young attractive, women
advising about minimising wrinkles and how to treat under-eye bags! </span></span></span><br />
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<span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1c1e29;">If you are interested here are my recommendations, all of these channels offer quality advice and are YouTubers with relevant information about mature
skincare.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><em><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="color: #1c1e29;">Nadine Baggott</span></span></em><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="color: #1c1e29;"> - great skincare
and makeup advice.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><em><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="color: #1c1e29;">Lisa Eldridge</span></span></em><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="color: #1c1e29;"> - fabulous makeup
advice some skincare.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><em><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="color: #1c1e29;">Pampered Wolf</span></span></em><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="color: #1c1e29;"> - good skincare
and makeup advice - she sometimes includes her Mum in her VIdeos - Mum is 60+</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><em><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="color: #1c1e29;">Caroline Hirons</span></span></em><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="color: #1c1e29;"> - no-nonsense
skincare and makeup advice.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><em><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="color: #1c1e29;">Gothamista </span></span></em><span data-preserver-spaces="true"><span style="color: #1c1e29;">- very knowledgeable
skin-care advice.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Bubbles and Blinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03352916700941192842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619761728548361882.post-77049845133052396742018-07-05T18:32:00.000+09:302020-04-28T17:53:34.026+09:30So much to do, so little time!<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Isn't it amazing that the more we have to do the more we do, do!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">When I had young children, worked, had a busy entertaining schedule - I managed. Well almost, some days I felt a little worse for wear, but on the whole, I fitted it all in. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Nowadays I have the luxury of being retired (well almost anyway) kids are grown, the social commitments less busy and more relaxed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My husband and I just love to wake up when our body clocks tell us too and guess what, that is usually much later than we used to have to set the alarm clock. Sometimes I wonder - do you grow into a couple who likes the same things or is this why you've managed to stay together for forty years! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Anyway, side thought, we both like to sleep in, albeit perhaps not every day but indeed not the type of people who love to get up with the birds and go for long morning walks - although that does sound nice too, maybe we could give it a go.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Anyway back to main thought, how is it that the more you do, the more you get done! We are planning a trip to the UK and Ireland for seven weeks this year and suddenly its time to get organised. Time to make sure that all of the work we have promised to do is done, the house is all set up and ready for our long absence, the bills are paid, the taxes are done, the etc. etc. With all that happening, guess what, I still had time to write this Blog - maybe just wanted to remind myself of the process involved as it has been so long since I blogged. Hopefully, now I remember how to do it, I'll continue to have enough of that elusive time to write regular blogs about our travels - or is that just another good intention?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span><br />Bubbles and Blinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03352916700941192842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619761728548361882.post-13808657794223653992017-05-18T16:47:00.000+09:302020-04-28T17:55:45.222+09:30Changes...<br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I think of myself today as what is laughingly called a ‘groovy </span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Grannie,'</span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> my two kids are all </span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">grown up,</span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> and I’m very lucky to have two gorgeous grandchildren.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">My grandson thinks I’m very </span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">old,</span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> but I quickly correct him – after all he is very young!</span></i></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I was born at the end of the Baby Boomer generation.</span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Growing up was great, lots of freedoms that kids today don’t have but without some of the amazing opportunities kids today have.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">My parents worked hard to give us a happy home life and a good education.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I used to marvel at all of the amazing changes that occurred during my Mother’s </span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">life,</span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> and recently I’ve started to reflect on some of the changes that I’ve been witness too.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Every day we watch and listen to the news, and we tend to forget that historians will look back at these events and they will take on whole new meanings.</span></span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I was eleven years old when Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon, huddled around the small television in the borders common room at my school, we watched this remarkable </span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">feat</span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> and then, we just went on with our normal day, we certainly didn’t </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">realise the significance of that moment.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Later came the final Australian withdrawal from Vietnam and the end of the conflict which not only divided Vietnam but Australia. </span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Later still came the end of the Cold War and the breaking up of the Soviet Block,</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">the opening up of the Berlin Wall and the unification of Germany.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Then there was the terrible spectacle of tanks running over protesters in Tiananmen Square in Beijing.</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">1989 was certainly a year of highs and lows. Today I have travelled to Berlin and Beijing enjoying both trips, but inside me, I was conscious of earlier memories of a time when life, especially for the locals was so much more difficult. </span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">So if I had been writing this to my younger self then I would have harped on about the need to take it all in, history is being made all around us, today more than ever before the world is changing at an amazing rate. Things that today seem commonplace are likely to change and you probably won't see that change coming so enjoy it while you can, life is just a great roller coaster of a ride...enjoy.</span></span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Bubbles and Blinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03352916700941192842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619761728548361882.post-5007777037762242262017-05-17T15:41:00.000+09:302020-04-28T19:44:05.965+09:30Planning a Bucket List<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've never really had the time to think too much about the things that I would put on a Bucket List - just recently I started to ask myself - "what do I want to accomplish before I die or get too old"? It's a really interesting exercise - now that I have the luxury of this hiatus in my normally very busy life I've realised that the preparation of the list is not as easy as you would think! First thoughts; where would I like to go - what would I like to see? Hmmm, it's pretty easy to put together a list full of places to see and exotic things to do and then I realised that although I'm sure I'll spend more time holidaying now than in the past, I wouldn't be satisfied by living like a gypsy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So what is really important to me - are there experiences I would like to have, people I'd like to see, performers I'd like to see or hear? Are there projects I'd like to finish, skills I'd like to acquire? Google 'Bucket List' and it is amazing what you find. Some people have short term Bucket Lists - like, Spring Bucket List, but I think a Bucket List is bigger than this, my Bucket List has to be the BIG one! What will I regret if I don't take the time to do it?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So ... Bucket List - or, 'what is really important to me' - what would I regret not doing on my death bed? If we went to the Doctor tomorrow and got the worse possible news what would we prioritise! If you phase the question like this then the list gets turned on its head. First, on the list - spend time with the people you love - spend time doing the things you love and then and only then go out and see some of the wonderful places in the world and experience first-hand some fantastic adventures.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So my Bucket List is very much a work in progress - something else to work on during my Gap Year.</span>Bubbles and Blinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03352916700941192842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619761728548361882.post-46517154772316555062017-05-17T15:25:00.002+09:302020-04-28T19:44:31.889+09:30Update<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">OMGoodness... it is now over three years since the sale of our business and my move into semi-retirement. I started this blog to record all the changes - well that was obviously a complete waste of time! I will have to call this a review rather than a record. Maybe it is like cleaning, every now and then you have a great big cleanout and from then on it is easier to keep on track and just do a little every now and then. Well, I think that will be my plan from here on in, maybe I should try for a once of week check up - Social Media all up to date - check. HAHA - I can hear my husband laughing already. Maybe I'll just take it slow, try for a more frequent schedule than once a year - yes, that should work. Let's check back again, here, say June 2017 and see if I managed.</span><br />
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To Blog or not to blog - that was my question, I'm still not sure. After working in our own business for the last 13 years and managing during that time to take on the various challenges that business and life threw at me, I wondered...would others be interested in my story? Would I have something to say?</div>
Bubbles and Blinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03352916700941192842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619761728548361882.post-81651775447445197032014-03-11T14:48:00.000+09:302020-04-28T19:45:14.849+09:30With all due respect !!!<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: , , "open sans" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Have you ever been in a meeting and had a colleague use the phrase -'with all due respect'. In my experience, this usually means that they are about to treat you with utter disrespect and they are quite probably about to pour complete derision onto whatever opinion you have just voiced. The first time it happened I was completely unprepared and even offended by their scorn - but live and learn and I now realise that it is a phrase that can be a used when dealing with a difficult person; not that I was ever difficult of course! </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: , , "open sans" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Sometimes in a meeting situation, we have opinions and even personal agendas which may be at odds with the normal culture of the meeting. I am a woman and sometimes that fact alone meant that I've held different views or opinions than the rest of my male colleagues, regardless, if you really what to give a polite put down - "With all due respect" is just the way to do it.</span>Bubbles and Blinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03352916700941192842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619761728548361882.post-15417724413909142932014-03-11T14:35:00.000+09:302020-04-28T19:45:50.930+09:30My mother always told me...You get more flies with honey than withvinegar".<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have you ever read the little book by Robert Fulghum, "</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All I really need to know I learned in Kindergarten"? This amazing book illustrates so beautifully that if we all remember the caring and sharing lessons that we learnt as children we would work co-operatively together, treat others with respect and walk softly upon the earth. Sounds easy, doesn't it? When I was little we learnt to say please and thank you as soon as we could talk and I went on to teach this to my children. I'm pleased to say they have gone on to teach it to theirs...however, it seems sometimes that we have forgotten these lessons.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In today's retail environment it is often hard to see that the lessons learnt in Kindergarten have been retained. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My staff are constantly being surveyed about the level of customer service they provide and for the most part, the results show that they provide excellent service. However, sometimes from my office I hear customers getting really rude at the counter and even swearing at them. Customer service staff are always in a no-win situation - they try hard to calm customers down, and explain why we may be unable to fulfil everyone's wish list but unfortunately no matter how wonderful your customer service training is, how high your company standards and how customer-focused your company culture, not every transaction goes as smoothly as everyone would like. Sometimes this can be that you are unable to fulfil the customers' wishes and sometimes price may be an issue. Usually, this is completely out of the control of the customer-facing staff and it is unreasonable to have a temper tantrum at the counter. So take a breathe and remember - what would you Mother have said!!!</span><br />
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Bubbles and Blinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03352916700941192842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619761728548361882.post-44157646634979059702014-02-21T16:12:00.003+09:302020-04-28T19:48:51.099+09:30Reflections on family & friends.<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A friend of mine once told me that she kept a journal by the side of her bed to jot down the funny things her kids had said that day; tragically she lost her son a couple of years ago through suicide, I sometimes wonder if those journals give her some comfort now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I also remember another wise friend telling me when I was a new mother of two great kids. "Kids are either a pain in the neck or a lump in the throat". Now, as the mother of two grown children and the grandmother of a beautiful 3-year-old, I remember this and reflect on how right she was. No love is stronger, I will always be their greatest supporter and probably will always be blind to their faults, they are truly wonderful people and their father and I love them dearly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Over the years my children have given me my greatest highs and also my most trying and soul searching moments. I reflected on this some time ago at the wedding of the daughter of my very best friend. It was truly one of the nicest weddings that I have ever attended, everything ran like clockwork...the bride and my friend, (her mother) would have demanded nothing less and they were truly rewarded for all of their hard work with a day to remember and a special day for all of their guests. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP4RqG_uzPGUMfCtzaYpPyrtg8VG4AWaDOmHsXvTdnQEm7DypTFXl1HzEDoDiFYnFhBlM9TQmLzVKbIQs0aiU0HnfjiJOGgRTuY5KOj2VircwAb5x-7RmXFtrDl3z96c3OSn3QCCVinCFx/s1600/Family+&+Friends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP4RqG_uzPGUMfCtzaYpPyrtg8VG4AWaDOmHsXvTdnQEm7DypTFXl1HzEDoDiFYnFhBlM9TQmLzVKbIQs0aiU0HnfjiJOGgRTuY5KOj2VircwAb5x-7RmXFtrDl3z96c3OSn3QCCVinCFx/s1600/Family+&+Friends.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The wedding also gave me a chance to see a lot of old friends, many of whom I hadn't seen for years, and it was great to catch up with them and with many of their now grown-up beautiful children. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Twenty or so years ago we all had small kids, now we are grandmothers and grandfathers and we have wrinkles and so much more life experience. <i> Really it doesn't get better than that...remember my other friend the one who only has her journals!</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Life, God and whatever else you believe in has been very good to me and mine.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The words of my wise friend were also so true, my children have the ability to annoy me more than anyone else in the world but they also have the ability to break my heart and for my heart to break with each of their disappointments or setbacks. Nothing is perfect but my life is good maybe even great and I try to remember that the only thing that really matters, is that I have family and friends who love me, so I am truly blessed. I hope you are too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Bubbles and Blinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03352916700941192842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619761728548361882.post-21827879480080308802014-02-14T15:44:00.001+09:302020-04-28T19:49:59.163+09:30Valentine's Day<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I can still remember getting a Valentine's card when I was about 10 years old and still in primary school. If you knew me well and knew about the illness I had in my late teens that knocked out huge parts of my memory, you'd realise that if I can still remember it, it must have been hugely important in my life....haha.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Each year the sale of flowers, greeting cards, chocolates and jewellery soars as lovers give tangible symbols of their affection to their significant others. Apparently, in more recent years there has been fewer cards and more text messages! And although I think that seems really sad, I have a confession to admit too, my husband and I texted our mutual Valentine's Day wishes to each other this morning. Thank goodness for emoticons and stickers. :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My Valentine's Day wish to everyone - I hope that you have someone in your life that makes it special and that you get to spend time with that person today. Enjoy.</span></div>
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<br />Bubbles and Blinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03352916700941192842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619761728548361882.post-11787137869623308452014-02-11T08:10:00.002+09:302017-05-17T16:10:14.030+09:30Dancing in the Rain<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There is a great quote by Vivian Green that you often see on inspiration wall art. <i>Life isn't about waiting for the Storm to pass...it's about learning to dance in the rain. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If only we could remember this and really incorporate it into our lives - it is almost the Pollyanna answer to disappointments - <b>bad day at work</b> - o<i>h well at least you have work.</i> <b>Missed out of the promotion</b> - <i>oh well you will be more prepared for the next opportunity.</i> You see what I mean?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Maybe this is too simple but I do question the value of constantly waiting for things to change and not enjoying the wonderful things that are happening right now. So, Carpe diem - Seize the Day and have a wonderful life.</span></div>
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Bubbles and Blinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03352916700941192842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619761728548361882.post-28821942710834064172014-02-10T16:59:00.002+09:302020-04-29T01:20:06.257+09:30Getting the balance right.<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In the Australian Newspaper today there was an article that looked at the modern phenomenon of helicopter parenting or intensive parenting. Apparently, recent research indicates that mothers today actually spend more time parenting than their mothers and grandmothers did. This apparently holds true across all income and social groups. Mothers are sacrificing their own leisure and even sleep time so as to increase the amount of time available to parent and it's not just mothers, fathers too are spending more time in active parenting than ever before. So at a time with high rates of female workplace participation women are now spending even more time than ever before in child-centred parenting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I remember when my children were small - approximately 20-25 years ago - the catchphrase was - 'quality time'. Regardless of the amount of working time that parents spent away from their children and under a huge burden of guilt we would all hurry home and get out the educational toys and settle down for some quality time with our little ones. This seems to have morphed into today's findings - parents, especially mothers spend more time parenting regardless of income, education or social background and the findings now suggest that this hothouse environment may be detrimental to our children and to families - more and more stress is being placed on young families and on small children. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I always wondered what happened to all the time we gained through 'labour-saving devices' and the rise in the out-sourcing of the various household tasks, now we have the answer! More time is spent on active parenting in Australia than any other OECD country and this is more than when we had the old-fashioned male breadwinner/female home-maker family type. There is a word of caution however, the research seems to suggest that this leads to added stress on parents and children so perhaps this may not be the best investment of our time - maybe we should invest in more sandpits and less educational toys and let our children get dirty and learn by themselves through experimental play rather than organised activities like little gymnastics and ballet classes for toddlers - may be children would rediscover the wonder of their imaginations and parents might get a chance to put their feet up. Just a thought.</span><br />
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<br />Bubbles and Blinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03352916700941192842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619761728548361882.post-24749541482438084582014-01-31T15:10:00.002+09:302020-04-28T19:52:03.106+09:30Letters from an Interested Mother – 2<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Some of the things I say are worth listening too….I promise
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>It’s only now that I realise that the wise words my Mum and Dad tried to teach us were so, so true. Isn't it funny how it takes a lifetime to realise that we have so much
to learn? My younger self thought I knew
it all. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My generation, my friends, my
views, my beliefs this was what I thought was
important, we knew it all, we had cool clothes, cool music, new attitudes to
the world, to food, to the environment – move over we knew it all.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I certainly have been blessed to have lived through some
interesting times – the Women’s Movement, the end of the Cold War, the Germany Wall coming down, the end of the
Vietnam War, the rise in the awareness of the fragility of our environment and
the ever-increasing realisation that we are what we eat, and yes these were all
important movements when I was a teenager. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I've also seen the
introduction of the personal computer, (my first came with 20MB (yes that’s
right) of memory and used the DOS operating system). Then the Internet, first with just a dial-up
modem and now with talk of the NBN coming soon.
These changes have also changed the way we shop, socialise
and interact. Then there is the rise in
social media, smartphones and the need
to be electronically connected 24/7.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">For my parents, the issues were bigger and believe me much more pressing
– World War 2 for instance, my father was a pilot and was away from my mother for years. I remember when my young niece questioned why they didn't keep in touch with the phone! So much change and everything seems to be changing faster and faster, the challenge as you get older is to embrace the change and try to keep up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">There is a cute image doing the rounds on Facebook - this was childhood for a baby-boomer - that's probably me at the desk!</span><br />
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Bubbles and Blinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03352916700941192842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619761728548361882.post-49082119838994916752014-01-31T14:07:00.001+09:302020-04-28T17:44:34.514+09:30I just love lists.<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Whenever my life becomes busy and messy - I turn to my old friend the "To-Do List"</i>. I know I'm not alone in this little addiction - so much to do, so little time !!! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">First, hurry down to the local stationery store and enjoy browsing through the aisles of notebooks and diaries. I mustn't forget that there's also the App Store calling - electronic To-Do Apps for my phone or my tablet - so many choices, firstly I'll have to make a list of what I need. Nothing calms a situation as much as a crisp clean empty page - everything suddenly becomes manageable, break the tasks down into small steps and then you have the joy of ticking tasks off as you go along.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">At the moment my life is busier than normal; we are in the process of selling our business and I'm dealing with the myriad of tasks that that involves. Everything from organising contracts with lawyers to organising storage for all our business records and there are so many tasks in between. I also have to be careful that these tasks all take place in the background as the business goes on trading and clearing stock and all the other day to day tasks that have taken up my attention for the last 13 years. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Now my attention keeps drifting to what to do after the business changes hand and believe me it has already taken up several new notebooks - Places to Go, People to See, Things to Experience, Books to Read............... maybe my next business venture should be around stationery - I'll have to prepare a list of pros and cons. hahaha</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>Bubbles and Blinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03352916700941192842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619761728548361882.post-68494732054355255312013-10-23T17:35:00.000+09:302020-04-28T17:51:13.884+09:30Bubbles & Bling - a new beginning. <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It seems that shopping has taken on a whole new meaning. Now we can stay at home and not have to worry about the traffic, the weather or what to wear. We don't even need to check out the papers to see if there's a Sale on because with just a click on the mouse and the whole world of On-Line shopping opens up and many of these sites are offering constant sales and promotions. So whether we are just surfing internet sites or searching for that special treat for someone special - On-Line shopping has become an important part of the shopping experience.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Obviously, this is great news for everyone - right? Well maybe, let's think about it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If you live in a small country town or regional centre you suddenly have access to all the shopping sites and big stores just like your big-city counterparts, so that must be great - right? If you are time poor you can still find your loved ones that special gift, probably even have it delivered gift wrapped for no extra charge, so that has to be great - right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Well, one of the important things to remember with On-Line shopping is that we miss out on the social side of shopping. For the last thirteen years, I've run a business in the bricks and mortar retail world and during this time we have worked really, really hard to improve the way we do things, always trying to make sure that our customers have the very best service experience. We are lucky, we deliver both a product and the on-going support and maintenance for that product so we will probably go on trading on real estate rather than a cloud environment for a long time. The challenge for me and for many other business people is to decide whether we can incorporate more of the On-Line experience into our real-world businesses and if we can do it right then maybe we will be able to attract new customers! Maybe our experience in the bricks and mortar retail world will mean that we will be great at ensuring that the customer is still considered central to any marketing plan.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The world of On-Line Shopping can be seen as a threat or as a wonderful opportunity for business people. If we are able to investigate the possibilities that the Internet offers and see whether or not there are new opportunities just waiting for us...well me actually we will be able to continue our businesses and make use of this new marketing and retailing media but for some businesses, the Internet is probably more than just a threat it probably means the end of a way of doing business. For me, I want to ensure that I will always have plenty of Bubbles and Bling in my life and perhaps even a better work/life balance so I have challenged myself with the question - If not now - then when? Let the journey begin - it is time to take what I know and see if there are new opportunities out there.</span>Bubbles and Blinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03352916700941192842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619761728548361882.post-44193789387829276482013-10-23T17:17:00.002+09:302020-04-28T17:42:32.600+09:30Letters from my younger self.<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Wouldn't it be great to be able to go back and leave notes for
your younger self - think of the possibilities, warn the younger you about those disastrous decisions - like that perm, REALLY, if I'd only known then what I
knew after it was finished!!! Or that truly awful boyfriend, why did I waste
that amount of time and tears? The possibilities are endless. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Would we concentrate on the big or the little decisions in our
life and would we still be the person we are today? Maybe it is more important to try and pass
some of this wisdom on – well maybe! So
I am going to think carefully about some of the decisions I've made and try to
work out which ones I would recommend and which I wouldn't.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Rather than lessons to my younger self maybe I should think of
them as lessons from my older self to my children – <i>if they want to listen.</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I think if I had had a chance to visit my younger self and give some sound advice the first thing I would probably have recommended was the importance of not taking anything for granted. It is an often-quoted truism that no one ever goes to their grave wishing they had worked more! Unfortunately, it's also true that work, either paid or unpaid, does need to be done and the process can take up more time than we would like, but I'll keep this one on top of the list. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq85XrhAgaHRnx20gDhWeuVSsnUU4Fme5RUHnqtr-k1g_E1MCBTf-xTiOIJVFonN9VL9ZXTBCfEA_q3Oeg0MAmNygf3b6aAmmH9vJSH0CKjSUYxswccuBpmKkqeA5Ia3-1h2joAHbL1D3T/s1600/scan0041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Original Family Photo 1988" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq85XrhAgaHRnx20gDhWeuVSsnUU4Fme5RUHnqtr-k1g_E1MCBTf-xTiOIJVFonN9VL9ZXTBCfEA_q3Oeg0MAmNygf3b6aAmmH9vJSH0CKjSUYxswccuBpmKkqeA5Ia3-1h2joAHbL1D3T/s320/scan0041.jpg" style="cursor: move;" title="Yes she's real." width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do we have to keep her?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Over the next few weeks, I am going to consider the lessons I'd like to tell my children - in fact – I think
I will call it - Advice from an Interested Mum! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br />
So first piece of advice - Never take anything for granted, not your health, or your friends or the society you live in - join in, take part. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br />
There is a song that captures this wish beautifully and the lyrics of this song give a voice to my wish for my children - my wish for them - I hope you have a wonderful life, filled with love, peace, joy and moments that take your breathe away. I hope you always have something to strive for but still are comfortable and happy. I hope you are able to enjoy life and see the beauty that surrounds you every day and I encourage you to be open to others and to things outside your control and if the opportunity for something more outside of your comfort zone comes along, then grasp it - Dance in your own life. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I hope you never lose your sense of wonder,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">May you never take one single breath for granted,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">God forbid love ever leaves you empty-handed,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and when you get the choice to sit it out or dance</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I hope you dance...I hope you dance...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://www.elyrics.net/read/l/lee-ann-womack-lyrics/i-hope-you-dance-lyrics.html" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">http://www.elyrics.net/read/l/lee-ann-womack-lyrics/i-hope-you-dance-lyrics.html</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> - for the full lyrics.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><u>Songwriter(s)</u>:<em>Mark Daniel Sanders, Tia Sillers</em><br /><u>Copyright</u>:<em>Sony/ATV Melody, Choice Is Tragic Music, MCA Music Publishing A.D.O. Universal </em></span></div>
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Bubbles and Blinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03352916700941192842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619761728548361882.post-630100497361122142013-10-15T12:26:00.002+09:302020-04-28T19:54:14.602+09:30A year of firsts...one year on.<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Saying a final goodbye to a loved one is never easy,
saying goodbye to a beloved Mother is one of the hardest things anyone ever
does – last year on October 15</span><sup><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 6pt;">th</span></sup><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> we said a final goodbye to our wonderful mother.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Life is a journey, with a start and a finish: for some
people, it's a short journey and for some, much longer. For Mum, who was
born in 1920 it was a reasonably long journey but on the evening of October 15</span></i><i><sup><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 6pt;">th </span></sup></i><i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> 2012, it was almost over.</span></i><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I looked at Mum's broken body and I knew that we
shouldn't begrudge the fact that she was leaving us; every breath was now a
struggle, each movement was painful. She had slipped into a coma that
afternoon without any fuss and without us realising that we would never get to
speak to her again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">I didn't realise dying was such hard work but now I've
watched my Father and my Mother die and it seems their bodies become smaller
and deflate towards the end. How is it that these people, so big and
strong when we are small can seem so small and frail as they age - truly
getting old is only for the brave and my Mum was a brave woman.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Mum lived her life as a lesson in true humility; she
raised a family of seven children; all of whom are blessed for having had her
as their Mother. She maintained strong friendships throughout her life
and worked in her community for others. In the last few years, Mum's world
contracted and this was a great hardship for her. My sister did a
wonderful job of making sure that Mum was socially and physically well cared
for but Mum missed the independence she once had and tried hard to fight these
changes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Mum’s life was in Perth and my life is in Darwin and
it is a busy one; owning a small business is challenging, owning one in
the motor industry since the GFC has been especially so. I wish now I had
seen more of Mum but it is always easy to say 'what if' but the reality is that
you have to play the hand you're dealt...I learnt that lesson from my Mum.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNeoCXnrKHHQ8ARNFsA3j9xRpedmFZMTX1p1p_YpuQBJLP9oFdz4O8n-AwJpj2VPeSixyKPmJTjZ-nsDYp8CloK65lyfIjKN8lk_bN2c5cGRMbDlKAk3PUaY5Z3bG4UMDQetZSHUBRhptQ/s1600/Death.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNeoCXnrKHHQ8ARNFsA3j9xRpedmFZMTX1p1p_YpuQBJLP9oFdz4O8n-AwJpj2VPeSixyKPmJTjZ-nsDYp8CloK65lyfIjKN8lk_bN2c5cGRMbDlKAk3PUaY5Z3bG4UMDQetZSHUBRhptQ/s320/Death.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">There is a lovely poem, often quoted at funerals and written a long time ago by Canon Henry Scott-Holland which I find deeply moving and comforting.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>Death is nothing at all I have only slipped away into the next room</i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><i>I am I, and you are you, whatever we were to each other </i></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i>That we are still call me by my old familiar name</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i>Speak to me in the easy way you alway used</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i>Put no difference into your tone </i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i>Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i>Laugh as we alway laughed at the little jokes we always enjoyed together</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i>Play, smile, think of me, pray for me</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i>Let my name be ever the household word that it always was</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i>Let it be spoken without effort</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i>Without the ghost of a shadow in it</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i>Life means all that it ever meant </i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i>It is the same as it ever was</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i>There is absolute unbroken continuity</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i>What is death but a negligible accident?</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i>Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i>I am waiting for you for an interval somewhere very near</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i>Just around the corner</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i>All is well.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i>Nothing is past; nothing is lost</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i>One brief moment and all will be as it was before</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><i>How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!</i></span></span></div>
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Bubbles and Blinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03352916700941192842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619761728548361882.post-79276983868391578392013-10-10T15:26:00.000+09:302020-04-28T17:39:21.243+09:30Some things will never change. <div style="line-height: 15.0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<i><span style="font-family: "candara" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">It seems that the more devices we have to connect to family and friends the less time we actually spend connecting. What a dilemma – shall I text, email, phone, Face Time, Private Message, post, poke or Skype – just excuse me while I take a small nap to consider the possibilities !!!<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXktz3DJ7-skaJJ2WoU7iwsIZg8pCyRJQUCdrKPgSlsCYBfh9ZgJBSAU2yu1vhr5VxZFSUfvNjE5hMUDEkWJQaqpa4LzawA8IDMl9_DryNedPI-L5WnlwPZXtOySgEwbAuKj1R2lfBwzD/s1600/Mobile+Phone+on+Telephone+Box.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXktz3DJ7-skaJJ2WoU7iwsIZg8pCyRJQUCdrKPgSlsCYBfh9ZgJBSAU2yu1vhr5VxZFSUfvNjE5hMUDEkWJQaqpa4LzawA8IDMl9_DryNedPI-L5WnlwPZXtOySgEwbAuKj1R2lfBwzD/s320/Mobile+Phone+on+Telephone+Box.png" title="Original image at - www.winggirlmethod.com" width="249" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Modern Dating Rituals</span></b></td></tr>
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<i style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="font-family: "candara" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sometimes it almost feels that I am cyber stalking my family and friends – checking in to Facebook to see what the latest news and events are – always hoping for up to date of photos of people I love and still being surprised that Facebook has become the best way to keep in touch with everyone around the world. When my Mum was alive I think she was our proxy Facebook channel.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "candara" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">While I love the convenience of these forms of communication and it does seem to be quick, cheap and inclusive I also yearn for the time when we picked up the phone or wrote a card or letter to a loved one and took more than a moment to include them in our lives. One thing for sure it will be impossible to have a box of well-thumbed love letters in the future.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: red; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dating for an earlier generation</span></b></td></tr>
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Bubbles and Blinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03352916700941192842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3619761728548361882.post-66152742801945797762013-10-10T14:15:00.000+09:302020-04-28T17:38:23.161+09:30Left Brain/RIght Brain<div style="line-height: 15.0pt; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<i><span style="color: saddlebrown; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I
always thought that I would like to be more creative– popular psychology used
to tell us that it all depended on whether we were right or left-brained – so as
a bookkeeper, someone who likes lists, logic etc. I decided that creativity may
be off my agenda – surprise. Now I find
that the popular notion has been debunked – WOW – new goal – START SOMETHING
CREATIVE – EVERY MONTH. Now I know that
creative for me and creative for someone else is completely subjective but that
okay – this Blog is an example of me trying to be more creative with my life!<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijAO17RmeZPDB3OMriOZUprGvIu-Cglp0L_kOMEXAiabOvQDtBsiYL1A8YY-v6iBYMJuqL9tU8vXdHlgJ3HAE4RPHcABpX4HKEUGwf-AwUkotNF4vyFvQ4g-6cZ2MGeUIJbpbcDJcaspD8/s1600/2013-02-06-LeftBrainRightBrain21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijAO17RmeZPDB3OMriOZUprGvIu-Cglp0L_kOMEXAiabOvQDtBsiYL1A8YY-v6iBYMJuqL9tU8vXdHlgJ3HAE4RPHcABpX4HKEUGwf-AwUkotNF4vyFvQ4g-6cZ2MGeUIJbpbcDJcaspD8/s320/2013-02-06-LeftBrainRightBrain21.jpg" title="Original image at - www.cartonsaday.com" width="320" /></a></div>
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Bubbles and Blinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03352916700941192842noreply@blogger.com0