Well, I threw a tantrum and now I am allowed to chat using Trev's computer. He is sorry he is too busy right now to fix mine so said I can use his for Strokenet...Yeah! I guess I just miss all of you so much that it is affecting how I feel about life...or maybe it is just the plain ol' exhaustion from looking after Ray etc. Either way I will be able to host my normal chat next Tuesday night...so be there!

Just contemplating doing some sewing, you know that pile of..fix the pocket... sew on the button... does that need taking up a tad? that you always put off..and off and off? Well I guess it is time to look at those things and see what is worth keeping and what is going to be pitched out. It is usually a spring thing but as usual I am running a little late. And then there is cleaning to do, and some cupboards that need turning out. All of this is light work, something to do in my spare time...lol. I guess I don't mind too much, it is better to keep busy and not have too much time to think about life.

Reading the blogs I see that for some of us Christmas was great, a family time, a fun time, full of food and laughter and companionship. For others it was somehing to get through and look back on with some relief. I feel that some years too. Fortunately this year Mum was okay, Ray was okay, all the kids and grandkids seemed well and happy. It is a blessing sometimes for life to just be happy and stable. We all know happiness doesn't last but it is like walking through a pleasant valley on an easy path, you may know there are hills to climb ahead but for now you can just enjoy the good times.

Reading some of the letters that came with our Christmas cards was interesting. Some focussed on the travels of the friends, some of what is happening to family and friends, some on coming events. It is great to get a "real" letter these days, something you can put away and compare to next years, or find in a few years time and say: "Wow, life sure changes quickly." I send a lot of cards so I get a lot of cards. Some just come back with "love from Bill and Flo" but some have a few lines scrawled inside or a letter..those are the ones I like best. Some people we only hear from at Christmas time, that tiny contact that means "we are still here and you are still in our thoughts".

Did you make any resolutions worth keeping in 2008 and the years beyond? I challenge those of you who blog here to write a blog about your resolutions and how you will go about bringing them into being. Have a look at Cam1960's blog for real inspiration, that is a great blog! Too many resolutions dissolve in the weeks ahead. How many of us were...going to lose weight...give up smoking...exercise more... really keep in touch with good ol' Aunty June... last year and maybe even the year before that? Time to 'fess up and get it right this year...lol.

I have a pile of books to read, some Clive Cusslers given to me yesterday, a new John Le Carre, a few others of no particular note. I'll take some time to sit out on the verandah with Ray, out on the back lawn under a shady tree, or with my feet up on a stool sitting in my favourite chair. January is reading month. Doesn't REALLY explain why I bought more beads and some wool this morning but the weather will get cooler soon enough and it will be back to the hand-work again. Everything has it's season.

I think one of the secrets of happiness is enjoying whatever it is you are doing. I watched my dear old Mum today as she walked in the little courtyard in the middle of the enclosed lodge where she lives. She looked at the flowers in the garden and smiled, she sat down on the couch in one of the little sitting rooms and fell asleep, she got up and walked around the corridor and settled into a chair in the dining room. None of it seemed an effort, all of it seemed to be just part of her life. I hope it is not necessary to lose our minds in order to get the contentment that just comes from living and being and moving through life as if you belong there. I love my Mum and I know that at 89 I won't have her for much longer so appreciate the time I am able to spend with her.

Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day, I have a loverly feeling , everything's going my way. Did I mention that I also borrowed a pack of six Rodgers and Hammerstein's musicals? That should have me singing around the house if nothing else does>>>>>