Finding joy in the everyday

I am on holidays right now (return to work on the 18th January) and I am feeling VERY HAPPY. And as my husband is having Friday off work we have decided to going on a day trip ....... Not telling you where, tune in on Saturday to see/hear all about it... Those in the icy north may be a little jealous!!! PS time for dinner - pizza (made by youngest son - it smells so good) and cheesecake with chocolate mousse.  So I better go. Bye

I have a question - and it is all about decades?  I thought I understood (and maybe I do or maybe I don't ) - but I have noticed, leading to my confusion, that some newspapers and TV's are referring to the "new decade" that we are now in.  How can this be - I would assume that the year 2001 was the start of this current decade (annoyingly known as the noughties?!) and as a result the new decade (the teenies!?) would commence in 2011. Using my argument the first year was 1, the second year was 2 and so forth until we each 10 (or 2010) which means the new decade must start on 2011. Can anyone clear this up?  According to the reliable source "Wikipedia" - I have it completely wrong and the year 2000 was the start of the noughties??  ________________________________ While I am here I would like to complain - it is currently the first week of January, Christmas has only just left the shops and Easter is 3 months away - SO WHY ARE THERE HOT CROSS BUNS FOR S...

The glowing of the candle flicking in the wind Taken last night on my dinning room table. 

A very late night last night - no we weren't celebrating New Years Eve - (we had quiet celebrations and watch a DVD) we were sitting with the dogs who were completely unimpressed with the fireworks going off in our street (illegal fireworks) and wouldn't go to sleep.  Gaia just wanted to bark at all the noise (which we couldn't let him do as responsible dog owners!) and Brenin banged endlessly on the back screen door.  Who can sleep through all that noise. It went on until 1:00am this morning - then the sun rose at 5 something and woke me up.  Very unimpressed on my first day of 2010.  However I did enjoy an afternoon sleep - but being hot I woke up with a woolly head :)!! And now it is 11:00pm and I can't stop yawning so I better go to bed.  So good night all... But before I go.. here are a couple of photos I have been playing around with tonight....    

Flowers taken in the gardens of Old Parliament House, Canberra God holds the future in His hands, With grace sufficient day by day; Through good or ill He gently leads, If we but let Him have His way. ( Robrs ) Wishing all my readers a wonderful and safe new year and I very much look forward to hearing from you in 2010.

Yesterday I went on an outing with my cousin and her husband.  Along with many hundreds of people we went to the National Art Gallery of Australia to see the Masterpieces From Paris exhibition.   I love art and having studied it at school I always jump at the opportunity to see the "real" pieces of art , rather than the reproductions in books - so when I heard that the Post-Impressionist art collection from the Musee D'Orsay in Paris (which is currently being renovated) was coming to Australia I was so excited. The exhibition contained 112 paintings, including Van Gogh's " Starry Night " (1888) which was just incredible.  In a book it looks quite flat but up close it is so beautiful - full of depth, richness and colour - almost glowing.  Another painting was " Van Gogh's Bedroom at Arles " (1889) and once again the colours are so vibrant - considering it was painted 120 years ago its just wonderful to look at. One thing I did discove...

Now that Christmas is done and dusted for another year I can relax and enjoy my week's leave (I have another one in January).  I have been sleeping in (until 8:00am) and enjoying breakfast in bed (crumpets and honey + jasmine tea - I make it myself in case you were wondering) and reading for a short while before I decide what I might do for the day!!  So far I have been catching up one some: reading (Illegal Action by Stella Rimington - one of those MI5 spy  novels) gardening (see below) - I removed a dead shrub and replaced it with 7 small plants and added mulch - still have other areas of the garden to work on baking - I wish you could smell the lime and macadamia shortbread cooking right this minute:) watching movies (including Emma, the new 2009 4 part BBC production) sleeping (just love those afternoon sleeps - Brenin the Doberman joined me yesterday) shopping at the end-of-year sales - but everything I "needed" wasn't on sale and things I didn't nee...