We'll get through this.

I sit and type from my secure home, only an hour from a city being brought to it's knees with flooding. I sit dry and comfortable on my lounge watching the scenes of utter devastation in towns dotting the Queensland countryside, I say goodnight to my children knowing that I will see them arise the next morning. But my heart is not the same, how can I watch scenes this tragic, hear of the loss of life, know that some families will never again see their loved ones and not be moved and changed. They say hard times bring us together, make us more unified, get us working in the same direction and that that is the backbone of our unique Australian-ness'. And it does, we've proved it already, we've done it for centuries, communities have stood strong through droughts, wars, bush fires, even an earthquake. People are so underestimated, people who on an average day, go to work, shop, meet in coffee shops or their homes to socialise are now rescuing, at times frantically with no hindrance for their own safety. They're sharing and giving.  What role models for us all. Heroes are not sports people. Heroes are the dads, the mums, the teenagers that we now see on our TV's. My love goes out to you all.

A Good Year?

As this year slides into it's close and my head prepares for 2011 I am hoping that the new year will be a vintage crop. I can't help but compare the similarities of wine production and my life. Winemakers require the right acidity in the soil, the right balance of minerals, the right amount of sun, drainage, type of grape, careful tending, the right time to harvest and an experienced person to produce a product that stands up in the market place, oh and just a pinch of luck! Raising a family, juggling work, allowing for every member to grow strong and tall in their own right, getting the physical and emotional nutrients right, pulling it all together and hoping that all the hard work pays off is what my aim is. This Christmas, my goal was to bring lots of fun back into our life after a hard year and I've come to learn that what I was after was a Christmas more akin to the ones when the girls were little and everything was cause for laughter and delight and curiosity. Now our fun times are different, they are more painting fingernails and making plans for the end of next year when Yr 12 is over. It's more about arranging the ornaments and discussing our Christmas menu.

Christmas has grown up and moved on.
Lot of happy thoughts,
x Vicki

The Rush to Save Time.

I've been thinking about relaxation. At the busiest time of the year. In a time when 'we must catch up for a coffee' is the default for hello and it was prompted by the sight of a woman sitting in a busy cafe surrounded by a long list and a pile of Christmas cards. She did not pause except to sip her coffee. Card writing used to be a long, relaxing event in December. It was often reflective and even cathartic as was gift wrapping on Xmas Eve and drinking coffee in cafes. Now we can outsource and what a time saver that has proved to be! But where does the saved time go? Is it spent talking with our loved ones, finishing that book, trying out that recipe, a long landline conversation to an interstate friend, a swim or better still a time to process our thoughts? There is no bank of 'saved hours', at the end of every day we start all over again. I've worked out my New Year's Resolution, I'm going to spend every saved minute every day, I'm going to waste my saved time on whatever attracts me in the moment. I have a feeling it will be time well spent.
Have a truly restful day,

vicki xx

A Hot Christmas.

I've been thinking about Christmas. It's hot. And in Queensland where I live we are not tied to any particular style in anything we do, our Xmas can be as'European or as Australian as we want. We can have a traditional tree adorned with glistening baubles and garlands of glitter or a contemporary tree with minimalist branches made from wire and decorated with paper hearts. We can have an elaborately set table with damask cloth, fine glassware, candles and multiple courses of roasted and baked fare or stand, whooshing the flies, dripping wet from the pool around the BBQ eating hot prawns and coleslaw with a pavlova to finish. My experience of Christmas as a child growing up in the 60's was as remote for todays's children as it would have been for me then to imagine computers. My toys were all centred on mothering, dolls and their clothes, prams, tea-sets, plastic make-up sets, kitchen appliances, paper press out dolls and their different clothes and for the well-to-do, dolls houses. My brothers presants were centred on being a 'man' pop guns, cap guns, garages with cars, train sets, plastic knives in a sheath strapped around his waist, marbles, kites, sling shots..... My yearning was for an Annie Oakley outfit. I wanted to be just like Annie! Riding horses just like the men, not being obstructed by dresses and tight shoes which pretended that you didn't have toes, laughing just like the men too! Alas for me, no matter how hard I wished and asked Santa every Christmas Eve night there would be no cowgirl outfit under the tree. It made me wonder how 'good' I had to be. Thankfully now girls are not stereotyped  at present giving and mothers don't have to sweat it out in a hot kitchen all day. And I can order gifts from Lithuania or Venice on the computer. Oh progress how great it is to finally meet you!
Merry Xmas and good cheer to all.
Vicki xx

That Christmas Feeling.

Welcome to my first post, I'd like to share happy bits and pieces of our life in Queensland following the seasons and events that shape our days. I want to mainly concentrate on the positive side of life, whilst I don't want to put my head in the sand and pretend that there is no war, famine, crime and abuse there are many blogs that deal with those tragedies and they do a far better job that I could in bringing certain issues to light, for me I want a little place of respite from the heavy side of life.

For so many people around the world December is a time to celebrate whether it's from a religious tradition or a time of getting together with loved ones. I want to bring a carefree feeling back into our family after a long and at times stressful past year. I want my two daughters, Alexandria and Chantal to be free from schol worry about projected marks, word counts and deadlines. So, I'm going to put my silly hat on for this month and overload the house with carols, candles and baking. All serious talk is being put on hold and we're going all out for fun!

How are you going to make your Christmas bright?

I hope your December and Christmas is all that you hope it to be.