Finding joy in the everyday

A hotel in the Lake District, England has replaced the Bible that usually appears in all hotel room with the very popular soft porn novel, Fifty Shades of Grey . Why, because it is more interesting and a best seller!  I'm sure some visitors will get quite a surprise when they open their bedside drawer to find this erotic book to read.  Unfortunately a child could come across this book quite unexpected as it is simply in the drawer next to the bed and I know a number of parents who really wouldn't want their young ones to flick through the book. As would be expected, it caused quite an outrage, including from the local parish priest.  The owner of the hotel felt the Bible was no longer relevant in our secular society. But if anyone wants a copy of the Bible, they will need to ask for it at reception.  I suppose it isn't much different to the range of movies that are on offer in many hotels, even including X-rated films. Its just the way it all appear...

Source : Sydney Morning Herald, 20 August 2012 Mrs Fay Morley is 99 years old and for the last 17 years she has worked in her small haberdashery store in Sydney.  She opens the store five and half days per week and has no plans to retire.  And why does she do it “ Because I have to do something to stop me falling off the perch ”. If I didn't work, I would sleep in late, I would read too many novels and watch to many DVDs, I would eat too much and I get very lazy both mentally and physically.  Without children in the house I would go around the twist with boredom and lack of company. I know this because I can get like this when I am on holidays. My house doesn't take long to clean and it rarely gets messy (true, I'm a neat freak!), we don't have a huge amount of washing and our meals are simple to make and none of my family lives nearby to care for. I really wouldn't have enough to do unless I took up voluntary work. Whilst some women love being ...

A mericans throw away up to 40 per cent of their food every year, cramming landfills with at least $US165 billion ($158 billion) worth of produce and meats at a time when hundreds of millions of people suffer from chronic hunger globally, according to an analysis from the Natural Resources Defence Council. . . . the average American family of four ends up binning the equivalent of up to $US2,275 worth of food each year. ( link ) In Australia, we waste more than $7.1 billion of food each year, with Australian families throwing out $4.1 billion a year, over $1,000 per family per year (so we are doing a little than the Americans). We really need to do something about food wastage - just imagine how much money families could save if they stopped throwing away leftovers (and found ways of using it) and food that is spoiled (passed its due by date).  Not only would it save money, it would stop filling up our valuable land that could be used for something more useful than la...

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day In Australia, suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 44.  More young people die from suicide than from car accidents. Every day 6 people die from committing suicide and another 179 attempt suicide. Every year approximately 21,000 friends and families suffer as a result of someone they loved dying from suicide. Every day 1,250 people call Lifeline (crisis, suicide and mental health support) in need of someone to talk to. According to the World Health Organization, there is 1 death, every 40 seconds in the world - 1 million people die every year and another 10-20 million attempt suicide. We all probably know at least one person who has died as a result of taking their own life.  Suicide is a preventable death, however the reasons why people commit suicide are complex and difficult to solve.  As a result, suicide needs to be out in the open and talked about to remove the stigma associated wit...

To all those who leave comments, Whilst I have made some wonderful friends via blogging who leave encouraging and interesting comments I have been bombarded by anonymous people who are being picked up by Blogger as spam.  If any anonymous person leaves a comment which contains a web-link to a company or business, it will be DELETED .  This blog is not here to promote business in any way and I will not be promoting online-dating agencies.  So, once again, any comment containing a website link to a business  will be delete. Last week I had over 50 comments in spam, all containing website business addresses from perfume to plumbing and everything in between - most from overseas companies. None were from bloggers.  All have been deleted. My blog is not an opportunity to gain free advertising space.  If you are anonymous, I respect your privacy, but it you can, please leave a name so that I know you are not a company trying to promote a bu...

Home sweet home II Artist: Camille Engel  American realist artist I just love the artwork of Camille Engel, her work is gorgeous, the topics are varied and her style is amazing! I can't quite decided which theme I like the best, but I think its the birds, especailly those peeking out of the paper and those sitting on the books.  Let me know what you think of this artist.  Link to Engel's website Paused Jewel Smooth landing II Blue by you Cheeky little beggar Got book worms To kill a mocking bird Passion Souhern Belle Margo's cup and sauce Three pears Coloured by time, red series-IV Brushed up Yellow boat A glorious morning Early morning breeze Fragrant Effusions Strike a pose

T he truth, what is it? I read an interesting piece of research the other day that sums this up beautiful. Crime in Australia is on the decline—it has been for 11 years (either declining or remaining stable). Burglary is down 55% (between 2000-2009), motor vehicle theft is down 62%, murder is down 39%. However if you believe the politicians and the media, crime is out of control and needs to be dealt with by introducting tough new laws.  Researchers looked at news-reports after crime statistics were released and noticed that the media “ habitually distort, misrepresent and exaggerate the facts on crime ”. They mis-led the public, creating sensational headlines when the facts said something quite different.  The fact is, the public are being lied to, repeatedly . . . and the politicians jump on the bandwagon and continue to “ grow ” the lie . . . until we think it is the truth. Sadly, if we are told enough times that crime is "out-of-control", we will believe it. ...