Last week, this funny, sweet floofie-bum turned one. He celebrated with his best friend, Millie, who joined our family in May this year. They bring us such joy.
Tag Archives: family
Hiiumaa
When the sun turns
away to southern lands
we find ourselves awake
on a strange, familiar shore
where those who’ve gone
before sleep beneath moss
in forest graves, and wild apples
jump the fences
Across the Baltic Sea
history comes full circle.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Symbol
Bob—my minion, courtesy of my husband—is a symbol of my excesses:
Too much chocolate and champagne: I, like Bob, am a candidate for the cakewalk rather than the catwalk.
Too much grieving: my father, who was affectionately called Bob (not his real name) by our extended family, died 13 years ago, but his ghost still looms at dawn.
Too strange a sense of humour: dark, subversive, and sometimes toilet.
And now I’m laughing too long and too loud.
Have a silly weekend.
😀
For more entries to this week’s WPC, see The Daily Post.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Express Yourself
Wild Child on her wedding day
the Wild Child does things
her way; crazy, gorgeous bride
magical wedding
OOO
For more entries to this week’s WPC, see The Daily Post.
Warm
Morning moon over Miyajima Island
See how the earth tips to the left?
This is my heart: a summer solstice
of all the love I’ve been given.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Gone, But Not Forgotten
My maternal grandfather had many interests and hobbies: he studied the stars (astronomically, as opposed to astrologically), played the violin and loved photography, carrying his camera wherever he went.
I don’t know if he kept a journal, but if he did, it’s long lost; however, his insatiable curiosity about so many things–from people to architecture, to history, to nature–is well documented through the many photos (in slide form) that he took over his lifetime.
He worked as a mosaic tradesman and sometimes travelled from his hometown, Durban, South Africa, by ship up the east coast of Africa to do mosaic work on buildings in exotic places, such as Lourenço Marques (now Maputo) and Beira.
On one of these trips, he took my mum and brother along, documenting the journey with his lens.
I particularly love this photo that he took on the ship of my mum making bubbles for my brother. And I love my mum’s reaction to it: “Oh, what a silly young thing I was then.”
Photo by RIP © beeblu
For more entries to this week’s photo challenge, see The Daily Post.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Adventure!
Saturday Morning Shopping – Ho Chi Minh City
For more entries to last week’s WPC, see The Daily Post.
Posted with BlogsyLena Maree
Tonight,
I think of my maternal grandmother,
(Chelsea buns, vetkoek, hugs to save the world)
passed some 30-odd years ago –
“Kari, Kari…”, her loving voice as I drift to sleep
and remember that stark day
she fell crossing the road
outside the Durban Museum
And I, five, thinking she was dead,
screamed!
But she did not let go
of my hand, and smiled
in her usual, generous way
as strangers helped her to her feet.
Always the comforter of souls –
Sweet, wonderful Lena Maree.
WPC: Family
You’ve probably heard about elephants mourning their dead, but what about cockatoos?
I often pass this family of cockies on my way to work. They’re usually feeding on seeds on the verge, playfully whirling and wheeling, and creating general cacophonous havoc.
But yesterday, they were crowded around on the road; I drove back to see what they were up to: it was a heartbreaking scene.
They were very quiet except for a few plaintive squeaks and squawks.
One kept on nudging the lifeless form on the road.
I wonder if they feel grief.
For more entries to this week’s challenge, see The Daily Post.
WPC: Joy
I confess, I love road trips, but only if there aren’t too many people involved in the planning, logistics and execution. I enjoy taking them with my mum – even though we disagree on a few fundamentals of life, we travel well together – and my husband, who is the subject of this photo. Travelling with the people I love is one of my great joys in life. 
For more entries to this WPC, see The Daily Post.
Weeky Photo Challenge: Good Morning, Big 5Oh!
“If one is lucky enough to be blessed with good health, growing older shouldn’t be something to complain about. It’s not a surprise, we knew it was coming−make the most of it.”
Betty White
“Just remember that a 6-year-old would get tired from doing a lot of what you do. I don’t see no 6-year-olds walking the golf course! Hell no!”
My niece Jayde
Like any self-preserving 50-year-old, I partied yesterday so I could have today to recover
For more entries to last week’s WPC, see The Daily Post
Weekly Photo Challenge: Nostalgic
‘Science of Nostalgia: It was first thought to be a “neurological disease of essentially demonic cause,” but it turns out that nostalgia is good for your brain. And there’s science to prove it.‘
More of this article in The New York Times
I took this (rather overexposed) photo of my nieces cooking dinner around 20 years ago when we all still lived on the African continent. We had given one of them a children’s cookbook for Christmas, and they invited us over for dinner—a three-course meal—which they cooked using recipes from the book. They were such sweet, funny munchkins – still are 😉
For more entries to this week’s photo challenge, see The Daily Post.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Companionable
Every couple of years, my mum gets on a plane and travels 12,000kms across the globe to visit us. We always try to do a girlie road-trip to a different part of the country while she is here and, this year, we headed down to Thredbo, where she was able to cross ‘Standing in snow’ off her bucket list (and I made her eat some, just for good measure ;-)).
Above is us on our way down on the ski-lift after sinking into the lovely, powdery stuff below.
For more entries to this week’s photo challenge, see The Daily Post.
Unsung Heroes
Vilakazi,
in the riots of ’76,
Henderson,
in the shadows of ’77,
Bailey,
through the dark and bitter end:
Not sacrificing themselves
for a cause,
these ordinary men,
just rescuing
our hopes,
one act at a time.
Photo by RIP – © beeblu
Love’s Journey
Image via http://www.sxc.hu
We know
it’s our unclaimed baggage
at the station,
more than a few lockers full.
We don’t go there,
travel light,
well enough,
without it.
But impossible journeys
plague
our dreams.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Love
“Old and rare books!”, we gasped in reverent unison,
as we swerved off course, making a bee-line for the shop window.
“Don’t open ’til ten”, a chap behind us on the pavement drawled, the smoke from his early morning cigarette curling around his smile. He’d obviously seen our type before.
My niece and I were in Melbourne, relishing some girl-time. The day before we had spent a wonderful day at the Melbourne Museum, where we immersed ourselves in a shared love of all things scientific –
the wild,
the weird,
OK then, the weird…
..and the seriously mind-boggling.
This day we would spend the morning traversing Melbourne’s laneways, indulging our love of shopping, architecture and art,
and the afternoon marvelling at the mysterious workings of commercial harbours (Melbourne’s has quite a colourful history but I doubt that any internet resource can provide an as wry and amusing and account as our ferry driver did :lol:).
But about that bookshop – we made a mad dash back before closing time
and what a treasure trove it is – an extraordinary collection of enthralling books,
watched over
by the largest collection of owls I’ve ever seen –
they are everywhere, roosting in glass cases,
on pelmets, in windows and on bookshelves,
and have been mysteriously multiplying for the 47 years that Kay Craddock, the bookshop’s owner, has been in business.
But Old and Rare Books was nearing closing time and we were fading fast – a love of chocolate chocolate addiction is in our genes and we hadn’t had our Koko Black fix for the day,
so, after a quick purchase for the love of my life, we exited this wonderful place.
My niece and her husband were with us for three weeks over the 2012/2013 Festive Season: a wonderful and extremely precious time. We don’t know when we’ll see each other again; we live on different continents. But a myriad of shared interests and the deepest bonds of love keep us connected.
😀 😀 😀
More about Melbourne
Food recommendations from our trip:
Koko Black (of course!)
City Wine Shop (don’t let the name fool you – this establishment is not all about wine: their food is quite delicious – and their desserts are sublime!)
Longrain – the duck salad (which we shared) was superb, as was the banana and lime sorbet- yum, yum.
And for excellent photos of Melbourne, head over to Leanne Cole’s blog – mine can never do Melbourne justice the way that Leanne’s most certainly do.
For more entries to this week’s photo challenge, see The Daily Post.
Happy New Year
We ended what has been a rather mixed year
of highs and lows
in a very good place:
with precious family and wonderful friends on our beautiful harbour.
Happy New Year, Fellow Bloggers!
Hope you have a wonderful 2013
Thanks for your community.
🙂
xoxox
Weekend Prompt: Childhood Revisited
It wasn’t smells or tastes or dear old Patchy,
or Teddy or Polly or clothes that were scratchy,
but bright orange blossoms beaming out from my walls,
retro symbols of happiness from ceiling to floor –
my first bedroom’s wallpaper sticks like glue
in my mind to this day (my sibling’s too –
at the time they thought he had chronic colic
but, it seems, brother’s wall-art was making him sick –
all those racing-cars whizzing about his head
(he confessed, years later) made him dizzy in bed).
So my first memory – wallpaper, and subtropical heat,
and the tickles of mum’s kisses under my feet.
In response to the Daily Post’s Weekend Prompt: Childhood Revisited – What is your earliest memory? Describe it in detail, and tell us why you think that experience was the one to stick with you.
A view from above
Thinking of the people of America as they recover from this devastating event.
Search Engine Poetry: Gabrielle Bryden
Blogging friend, sublime poet, awesome mom and aspiring volcanologist Gabrielle Bryden has posted this found poem on her blog in response to my Search Engine Poetry challenge.
I met Gabrielle in my early days of blogging and LOVE her poetry, which ranges from the serious to the hilarious.
She also keeps us entertained with posts about her life in Queensland with her hero – Shirl, son – Michael, daughter – Tessa, and comical dogs – Jazz and Sheba, and with her photos of the weird and wonderful critters we find on this strange continent.
She has a wicked sense of humour (read her post tags) and a fighting spirit (I wouldn’t want to mess with her ;-)).
And in the 80s, she had Big Hair.
Gabrielle’s son, Michael, was diagnosed with Autism spectrum disorder at the age of 3 and she has used her experience to create an excellent resource on dealing with the challenges of Autism and Asperger’s.
Last week, Michael turned 12 and, despite the challenges he has faced, is doing very well. He takes great photos and is shaping up to be a talented horticulturalist.
Oh, and did I mention I love Gaberielle’s poetry?
Here are links to just a few of my favourites
Ransom Note Poetry – (Listen Up Gina)
Thanks, Gabe!
😀
Image via http://www.sxc.hu
beeblu blog 
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