Tag: book

advice · challenges

Persistence ~ I Can Do It!

Joanne2 Comments

After spending hours trying to work out some glitches, here on my website, I am now tired, frazzled and frayed around the edges.

My lack of computer expertise is not helping my cause any.

What I think looks right, isn’t; and what I imagine isn’t right, so often is!

Before trying to wind down my mind for the night I decided a few words of inspiration were in order. There’s nothing worse than trying to sleep, with a mind still attempting to fix up website glitches!

High up on one of the top shelves of my book case, I caught sight of the words “You Can Do It”, running down the spine of an old, musty book.

Inside the stale yellowing pages I have found the following anonymously written words, under a very relevant title…

Persistence

“Nothing in the world can take

the place of persistence.

Talent will not : nothing is more

common than men with talent.

Genius will not : unrewarded

genius is almost a proverb.

Education will not : the world

is full of educated derelicts.

Persistence and determination

alone are omnipotent”.

Okay, so I have persistence and determination. I’ll do it.

Tomorrow…. 🙂

daughter · recipe

A Day of Stationary, Parrots, Eggs and Movies

Joanne3 Comments

Yesterday was a long day.

Worked ‘til four, drove up the coast with my eldest daughter to buy stationary, called in at the supermarket for a few bits and pieces on the way home, made dinner with youngest daughter, watched a movie, checked the time to find it was 11.30 pm and I hadn’t written my blog post for postaday2011, attended to the post, had a shower and fell asleep as my head hit the pillow!

What is it about stationary shopping that makes it so much fun? I would rather shop for pens and notebooks any day, in preference to clothes or shoes!

Does that classify me as odd? Hmm…If it does, then my daughters are odd along with me! Neither of them would pass up an opportunity to browse through a stationary shop. I suspect they actually enjoy clothes and shoe shopping, so perhaps they are more normal than their mum!

Right next door to the stationary shop is a pet store. We popped in for a quick look around, leaving perhaps an hour later! Well, we did get chatting to a very friendly shop assistant, as you do, which eventually became a full-on conversation regarding the taming of parrots!

At home, my younger daughter and I tried out a new recipe that we liked the look of, burritos with spicy pork and pineapple with avocado sauce. Yum! We’ll remember to make that recipe again. Delicious!

We found the recipe in a cookbook that my older daughter recently discovered, chock full of healthy, weight conscious recipes. There’s a vegetarian section, along with healthy versions of meat recipes. They even suggest that eggs are a healthy choice in meal!

That just goes to show you how the wheel turns. When I was a child, eggs were regarded as healthy food, containing all known vitamins to man, except vitamin C. Those were the days when a healthy breakfast consisted of toast, egg and a glass of orange juice. The juice supplied the vitamin C that the egg was lacking!

Next thing, eggs were a no-no; too much cholesterol and said to add weight, not a healthy option for the health or weight conscious person.

Many years have passed and now the wheel has turned full circle. Eggs are back in vogue!

By 8.30 pm I had myself comfortably curled up in my favourite lounge chair, eagerly awaiting the beginning of one of my all time favourite movies…”To Kill a Mockingbird” on Fox Classics.

My family regards the movie as boring. I could watch it over and over again! It would have to be one of the most simply plotted stories, with the beginning of the movie set in 1932, and following through the events in the lives over the next couple of years of the Finch family; father Atticus, his son Jem and daughter, Scout.

Their mysterious neighbour, Boo Radley, features throughout, although we do not meet him until the very end of the movie.

My heart goes out to the genteelly mannered Tom Robinson, the victim of racial prejudice and wrongly accused of a crime he did not commit.

Before seeing the movie for the first time I had read the book, “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, who based her novel upon events she had witnessed in her own home town, which took place in 1936.

The novel was published in 1960 and became an instant success, winning the prestigious Pulitzer Prize.

Immediately following “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Fox Classics decided to tempt me to remain in my chair even longer, with “The Way We Were”.

I first saw “The Way We Were” at the cinemas in Coolangatta, Queensland, many, many, moons ago! It was after seeing the movie for the first time that I became a fan of both Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand.

How could I resist taking just a quick peek at the movie? Just watch some of the beginning, not for too long, just to remind me of how much I love, love, love that movie!

It did not disappoint. The magic is still there. Mind you, I could watch it any time I wish. I have the DVD!!!

What can I say? I’m a sucker for a love story. 🙂

Australia · gratitude · inspiration · nostalgia

The Town that Time Forgot

Joanne4 Comments

???????????????????????????????Not far from my home, just over two hour’s drive north from here, is a sleepy little town, a town that time forgot.

The very first time I drove into Eumundi, which would have been over twelve years ago now, I felt right at home. The main street of the town is lined with wonderful old buildings, lovingly maintained throughout the years, preserving the rustic charm of a bygone era.

This is a town where I always feel good, no exceptions; a town with a calm energy pulsing through its tranquil, old world veins.

Despite the town’s population of a mere 500 estimated residents, Eumundi is actually a township familiar to many the world over, mostly due to the world renowned Eumundi Markets, held in the centre of the town, each and every Wednesday and Saturday morning.

Words alone cannot describe the attraction of the Eumundi Markets. Only a visit to the town in person could evoke a complete appreciation of the atmosphere, and the feelings of serenity, whilst wandering through the laneways of the colourful market stalls.

Emma and Adam at the markets.
Emma and Adam at the markets.

Nothing compares to leisurely strolling from stall to stall, whilst munching on a bag of freshly roasted macadamias (Australian bush nuts) and sipping on a cup of homemade ginger beer.

There’s so much detail in these two photos, so just click on them to enlarge.

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The home-made Ginger Beer stand.

I’m sure you can imagine my utter delight when Berkelouw Books opened up, right in the heart of Eumundi. The first time I walked into the new store, perhaps three or four years ago now, I can only liken the feeling to what I imagine it would be to have died and gone to book heaven!

The heavenly aspect of Berkelouw Books, however, is not just due to their stocking of latest addition books. Cramming the shelves of line after line of tall bookcases towards the back of the store, I discovered the biggest range of good quality second hand books that I have ever clapped eyes on in my entire life.

Now, I’ve been a browser of second hand book shops for many a year, but never before have I seen such an extensive range of pre-loved books as on display at Eumundi.

Time stood still for me as I pored over the multitude of books contained on the shelves. Upon leaving the store, I had become the proud owner of four books, written by one of my favourite authors, Daphne Du Maurier. Adding to the charm of my finds, each book had been neatly autographed by its original owner, dates included, going back to 1958. The same man had owned all four books.

The best frittata I have ever tasted came from a cafe in Eumundi. The name of the cafe escapes me now, although I could go back there today and find it in an instant. This cafe is right across the road from Berkelouw Books, on Memorial Drive.

How do I describe the magical quality of Eumundi, this sleepy town, held peacefully within the palms of a time-warp? How do I explain the feelings of euphoria I experience when visiting there?

To put it simply, I can’t explain why I feel this way, any more than I can understand whether it is a feeling unique to me, or whether others have also felt the magical touch of serenity within the timeless buildings and rolling green hills just outside of the main town centre.

Could I live in Eumundi? Yes, I could drop everything here, and move to Eumundi in an instant, even though its climate belies the four seasons I hold so dearly to my heart and constantly miss, due to living in a sub-tropical area.

The natural elation I experience during a visit to Eumundi is worth sacrificing cooler weather for…  🙂

inspiration

Priceless Treasures

Joanne4 Comments

It’s surprising how the mundane tasks, performed regularly in everyday life, can give you inspiration for writing. It happened to me today, whilst dusting and vacuuming….

I have a favourite room in my house. It didn’t start out by being my favourite, it evolved into the status. Over the years, with four children growing up in this house, what with toys scattered, crumbs dropped, drinks spilled, television and CD’s blaring, homework books covering tables, shoes left willy-nilly in the entry hallway, I found it necessary, no, make that essential, to have one room in the house for me.

The idea of being banished to my bedroom, like a naughty child, did not appeal to me one bit. Not that I have ever been the “go to your room!” kind of mum, but I hear that some mum’s do that, hence my impression.

At the front of the house we have a large room, the lounge/dining room, where all of our “good” furniture lives. It also just happens to be the room with a wall devoted to floor to ceiling book shelves. When my piano and I found each other, the perfect home for it was, you guessed it, in the lounge room.

My room is not in the thoroughfare of the house either, just one door in and out. There’s no television, no music (other than the piano), no food allowed. My favourite and most well-loved couch lives in the room, recovered in burgundy fabric about five years ago when the old fabric wore thin. The colour scheme is all deep pinks and burgundy tones, again my favourites.

When I refer to this room, it is “My Quiet Room”. When my eldest daughter calls in for a quick visit and a herbal tea, we sit in my quiet room. It is a special room; everyone knows the rules and no one dares to break them!

So, back to today. As I lovingly dusted each precious ornament, I also thought of the significance of the items in my room. We all know about “comfort food”; my special room contains my “comfort items”. These are my priceless objects of affection, although value-less to anyone else.

For example, the little wooden bookshelf, made by my father when he was still at primary school, therefore he was less than twelve years of age. I treasure that little shelf and it holds part of a series of my all-time favourite novels, by Diana Gabaldon.

On top of a cabinet near the built-in book shelves is a collection of old family photos, along with a flat brass dish, which had once belonged to my maternal grandmother.

Next to the photos and dish sits another collection; pots made by my husband for his final school exams. He used to enjoy pottery. He has a kiln and two pottery wheels, waiting for him to set up, “one day when he has the time”.

There’s the cute little cat ornament, given to me when I was a child, by an American neighbour who lived just down the road from us. She was an old lady and I enjoyed visiting her. We shared a common love for cats and she named one of her cats “Jo”, after me. When my family moved away from the area, she and I wrote letters to each other for years after.

Inside a glass-fronted bookcase I have a collection of extremely old books, some once belonging to my parents and others my grandfather owned. In amongst the books is a dictionary, the one I used as a child when doing my homework. The spine has fallen off the book and is presently sticky-taped on…Reminder To Self ~ I really must find a book doctor and have that dictionary repaired!

These items are all so very precious to me. They are reminders of friends and family whom I have loved in my life, and have loved me. And yes, I have other treasures in other rooms around the house. They just seem to monopolise my quiet room.

Enjoying my treasures, whilst dusting and vacuuming, actually made the chore more pleasurable! 🙂

Look around your own home. What priceless treasures do you have, which bring a warm glow to your heart when you see them?