Finding joy in the everyday

Artist: Kieron Williamson  Watercolourist I want you to have a look at these paintings and enjoy them before I tell you about the artist.  Kieron was born in in 2002 and is nine years old .  Take another look at these paintings, amazing for such a young boy.  By the age of six Kieron's talent was being recognised by the media and by 2009 and at his second exhibition his paintings sold out in 14 minutes, raising a total of £18,200 for 16 paintings.  A subsequent exhibition in July 2010 saw his paintings all sold within 30 minutes, at a total value of £150,000.  At the beginning of November 2010, the family revealed that they may re-locate to Cornwall to further Kieron's painting.  According to his website ( link ) Kieron divides his time between his art, football and playing his games console, in between going to school and doing all the normal things other boys his age do.  His commitment to his art sees him getting up 6am each day before sc...

Mangos are in season.  I don't like mangos at all. So whether they are in season or not usually doesn't concern me. However my husband loves mangos, in particular a hot and spicy mango chutney.  So I decided to make a chutney, one of those special things a wife does for her husband. I researched the many different recipes and found one called "Spicy Mango Chutney ( link ). I am rather please with the outcome, however I would modify the recipe slightly next time . . . not include the apple and would include the ginger that the recipe forgets to mention in the list of ingredients, but mentions later!! Four chopped mangos, very juicy. All the ingredients, minus the grated ginger which I would include next time. I like to cut everything up before I start, it makes cooking so much easier and I feel like one of those chefs on TV!! And it does like quite artistic. Bubbling away - I just love that rich colour. The finished product. In a few weeks it will be ready to...

source I love books . . . I was a late reader, it wasn't until I was 10 did I pick up a book and read it all by myself.  From that point onwards I have not put one down.  I use to read a wide selection of novels . . . some of which I would like to forget as they were not very nice!  But like most naughty teenagers, I wanted to "find out" why I wasn't allow to read "those" books, by reading them.  Anyway, I grew out of novels and now mostly read non-fiction.  I am drawn to historical non-fiction, the lives of people past.  I am fascinated about the lives of others, how they lived, what they did, their choices in life, who they mingled with and how their lives have changed ours. My choice of books may not be to everyone's taste, so I am always reluctant to recommend a book to others.  Not all my of selection are about Christians or missionaries or about people who led up-right lives, in fact some mostly certainly didn't. However, I still find the...

Apple dumplings by George Dunlop Leslie     Daily duties are daily joys , because they are something which God gives us to offer unto Him, to do our very best, in acknowledgement of His love by Edward Bouverie Pusey And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily , as to the Lord, and not unto men  Colossians 3:23  

Here are a few random photos from around my house and garden. Enjoy. And a happy weekend to you all . . . my weekend will be wet, this is perfect as I have some indoor jobs I really want to get into and wet weather will motivate me.  I plan to re-arrange my "storage" cupboard in the kitchen so things are easier to find! I also would like to finish a photo book ready for Christmas. What are your plans for the weekend? A tiny spider on the capsicum plant.  Click to enlarge and check out the hairs on his legs. A baby snail sitting on the duck in the bird bath. A Ladybird. I don't see many of these anymore. Strawberry flowers . . . I haven't seen this colour before, isn't it so delicate?  I picked my 1st strawberry the other day and it tasted so sweet. Sunset from our front porch. Ruby resting in the sink . . . why?  Who knows! "Isn't this normal"? ~oOo~

We Give Thanks by Jessie Willcox-Smith In every thing give thanks : for this is the will of God   in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18  Even though we do not celebrate Thanksgiving Day in Australia we must never forget to GIVE THANKS, not just on one day, but everyday. There are many things to give thanks for, no matter how big or tiny they might be. ★★★ I would like to give thanks in regards to my husbands job.  He will be resigning next month and even though he doesn't have a new job to go to just yet, he is already feeling less stressed and worried. Whatever happens next, I will be trust in the Lord to provide and will be thankful for whatever occurs. " The God of my rock; in him will I trust " (2 Samuel 22:3) ★★★ I thank the Lord daily for providing me employment that fits snuggly with our family and giving me the strength so I am not exhausted or stressed when I get home in the afternoon.   This allows me to c...

It is good to read stories where the consumer has won and this is an example.  It show that if you do complain about something you don't like, it may make a differences.  Kmart (Australia) has been forced to remove a line of girls underwear as it outraged some parents and I am sure you will agree.   Not only would you not want your daughters to wear them, I doubt you would want your daughters (or sons) walking past them (as they were on display in the childrens clothing section) and wondering what they all mean and asking you questions.  Knowing the sorts of questions my sons would ask when younger, there are bound to be children, who, if they saw these undies would stop and read the words on the underpants. Note: I have included a photo of the underwear at the bottom of this post. This is from the local newspaper ( link ):   The retail chain Kmart has been forced to withdraw a line of underwear for young girls that carries slogans such as "call me" and...

Rhine II (Digitally altered photo of the River Rhine) by Andreas Gurkey (1999) The above imagine is the worlds most expensive photograph. How much did it recently sell for? Are you sitting down? If not, you better be. $4.3 million (US) Are you ok? It isn't a small photo - it measures 1.8 metres x 3.6 metres - but is it worth this much? How much would you pay for it?   Previous to this record, the most expensive photograph (below) was taken by Cindy Sherman and was sold by Christies for $3.9 million. The photo below ( 99 cents II Dipychon) , also by Andrea Gurky, was bought for $3.35 million (US) in 2007. Below are a few more examples of Gurky's work . . . I'm still deciding what I think of them!  For some imagines I feel very cluttered and crowded when I look at them, over populated.  Whereas others, such as the very last imagine, I find much more soothing and calm. How do they make you feel? Hong Kong Island Kamiokande  May Day V, 2006 1996 Pra...

Picture from the December 2011 edition of the Women's Weekly Last Christmas (2010) I bought a Lions Christmas Cake which we didn't eat.  I found it in the cupboard the other day and wondered what on earth I was going to do with it ( it was still edible with a use-by date of  Dec 2012 ).  My DH and I couldn't eat it all (as we are watching our waistlines), then I remembered a recipe my friend Narelle makes at Christmas - mini Christmas puddings.  I knew I had to make them when I stumbled across the same recipe in this months Women's Weekly.   They are super easy, they make great gifts and taste great. 1 Christmas cake or pudding (700g)  (I use a medium sized Lions cake) 50g butter (melted) 1/3 cup (35g) coco powder 1/4 brandy (I used orange juice) 150g white chocolate, chopped 8 glace cherries, quartered 1. Crumble cake completely in a large bowl. 2. Melt butter, add coco powder and juice - create a paste. Combine paste with crumbles and m...

I have watched many versions of Jane Eyre and the latest one ( 2011 ) is definitely not not my favourite.  That still remains the 2006 BBC mini series ( link ) with Toby Stephens and Ruth Wilson. I ordered my copy and eagerly awaited its arrival.  So when it came on Friday I sat down and watched it and sadly it didn't live up to my expectations.  Firstly, I am not a fan of Mia Wasikowski (even if she went to school with my son!), I didn't like her in Alice in Wonderland and I didn't her like in this.  I really can't put my finger on why, but I just didn't connect. I also felt the chemistry between her character and that of Mr Rochester was lacking, or certainly not as strong as the chemistry that appears in the 2006 mini series.  This needs to be strong to hold the story together.  Perhaps due to the speed it raced through the book, the characters didn't have time to develop anything, especailly their romantic connect. When a book is turned into a film...