The new school year starts tomorrow. Meaning that today is still holidays! Woot!
I feel very blessed that we start the new school year with a short week, because of the Australia Day celebrations. As in, the public holiday we’re having today. It makes for a lovely start to the year 🙂
Here’s wishing you a lovely week too, dear Reader!
– KRidwyn
Check out what Miss14 did to Miss11 at last week’s school fete. And Miss11 paid for the privilege!
In other news, does anyone know how to get blue hair dye out of blonde hair?
Have a learning-full week yourself, dear Reader 🙂
– KRidwyn
I’m loving my job. The learning curve is the perfect gradient, and not only is my mind constantly active, but every Friday afternoon is spent out in the sun with a dozen or so girls, learning to play golf.
It’s fun; such a change from the rest of the week.
And I get paid to do it!
Here’s wishing you a variety-filled week yourself, dear Reader 🙂
KRidwyn
Something I wrote recently:
When you’re alone and the noise from ‘society’ stops, that’s when Creation is able to slip in. Almost unnoticed. And that’s when you’re able to notice the bird calls. Recognise the sound of leaves rustling. Become aware of the the peace.
The breathing slows. Vision clears. You notice the cool air on the skin, refreshing it.
Suddenly it all seems so easy. Switching off. Tuning out from the incessant ‘go-go-go’ of the world.
Just stopping. Looking up, looking out. Looking around. Noticing – instead of how far there is to go – of how far you’ve come. Of reflecting. And yes, also, of celebrating.
Deep breath. Clear the mind. Notice the pace of life around you. Really notice. And decide when to rejoin – and rejoin the insanity on your own terms.
And then I took this photo to go with it 🙂
Here’s wishing you a refreshing week too, dear Reader!
– KRidwyn
Last week, a falling gum tree branch took out the power to my house. I wasn’t there at the time, but others were, so it was all made safe, and fixed, by the time I arrived home.
Meaning that I never got to see the live power wire sparking its danger on my front lawn; I could only imagine the culprit branch lying beside it which had aimed for the power line in its efforts to cause maximum hassle and annoyance.
Imagine my surprise then, to find this:
That tree branch, at its base? Easily 30 centimetres diameter. That’s not a ‘branch’, it was a whole ‘tree’! No wonder it took out the line – it came precariously close to goring my writing studio (okay, gardening shed) there too!
And it was a whole lot of fun to clear up, too. Just sayin’…
Have a wonderful week, dear Reader!
I caught a tweet yesterday morning:
And although I laughed at it, appreciating Stephen’s wit in revealing truth, there was definitely an element of wistful longing in there, too. That I can’t join in the NaNo fun; that November is always just so gosh-darn-ludicrous that even finding 15 minutes to write per day is tricky, and happens far less often than I’m happy with.
So, via Twitter (on the rare occasions I get to scroll through my feed during November) I watch my writer friends all participate, and I sigh and think, “If only…”
But I wonder if I *would*, if I actually were given the time and the headspace to do it.
NaNoWriMo, or NaNo for short, is a month-long writing challenge, to write a novel – 50,000 words – in the month of November. 30 days. 1,666 (ish) words per day.
Can’t do that in 15 minutes. The title stands for ‘National Novel Writing Month’ because it was started by some San Francisco Bay writers in July of 1999, who set out to each write a 50,000 word novel by August 1st. They did it, then decided to invite others to join them. 19 years later, and it’s now an international event – which I can’t join.
Not yet, at least. Not with my current level of organisational ability.
I wonder if next year, it would be an impossibility too? Because that’d be cool: to join them in their 20th year of NaNo-ing!
Should I, do you think? Would you? Something to ponder, anyway…
Have a great week, dear Reader!
– KRidwyn
So I posted last Monday about how happy I was to get back into by morning routine. I was determined to follow it, to regain the momentum I had lost. And the routine went well – for three days.
By the fourth day, I had allowed doubts to creep in. Not about my routine as a whole – I still fully believed it worthwhile – but the reason behind it.
You see, the main reason I get up so early and head to the gym is because it’s something I do for ME. It’s quiet, no-one’s around (meaning no questions or expectations) and in the stillness I can focus on God, read His word, and pray for my loved ones uninterrupted. And get 15 minutes to write! Then home by 6am, pumped and ready to face whatever the day will bring.
But the thought that my relationship with God is just another item I ‘tick off my list’ on a daily basis rattled me. Is that really all my relationship with God had come to? “That’s not a relationship! That’s just routine!” The accusation flummoxed me, and – as I so often do – I tried to counter it in my own strength.
“Of course it’s a relationship, not just an item in my routine,” I thought – and to prove myself right, I let the routine slip and tried to maintain the relationship without the structure, in amidst the myriad of ‘things’ which accost my day on a minute-by-minute basis.
I failed. My relationship with my Creator faded – and I tried still harder, because now it seemed as though the Enemy was correct and really, the routine *was* the only thing holding my relationship with God together… and I failed still more. My week ended up pretty much a write-off.
And yet, the minutes and hours passed and another week has just begun. God is still there. I am also, still here. And I can start over.
With His help, this time! Taking my questions to God, and hearing His perspective on the matter.
– Jesus, after all, got up early to spend time with God.
– *Something* has to be put first every day. Why should it *not* be God?
– It’s not bad to have God as the first person I interact with each day. It might be ‘routine’ but it’s a helpful one!
And that’s the way God designed life to be, anyway. Skills are hard won initially, but eventually become automatic. I’d love it if I automatically turned to God for everything, not just the first moments of my day! Maybe this is a first step, though.
So. Just some thoughts this Monday morning. Here’s praying you may have a wonderful week, dear Reader!
– KRidwyn
Morning routine, we meet again!
It’s been a while, but determination beats… well, quite a lot of things, actually. And I’m determined!
How about you, dear Reader? What routines do you miss when they’re not there?
And have a wonderful week!
– KRidwyn
How many shades of blue can you see here?
And here’s wishing you a colourful week, dear Reader!
— KRidwyn
Jumping straight in…
Local yokel yodels youthful jokes
And seeing as yodelling seems to have become popular again, this is a timely post 🙂
And I wonder what you thought of my tongue-twister, as well?
Have a great day, dear Reader 🙂
— KRidwyn
[The #AtoZchallenge is a daily blogging challenge which has been running for quite a few years now, with hundreds of participants worldwide. Blogging happens each day in April except Sundays, and on each letter of the alphabet, starting at A and finishing with Z.]