Art, Spirituality, Welbeing, recovery.......................

Having trouble staying focused here....................
Would like to be home in bed.
Spirituality - was told it is not always a good thing?
How does this work.
Are we designed to be selfish - to survive, from a primitive perspective.
So the concept of putting others before yourself is alien.
It is the pleasure principle mixed in with survival.
Have to do a literature review by Saturday and am struggling to find the area to go in.
Art, spirituality, well being, recovery - what works?
Being bleary at the moment is not helping.

Bubble Duty

Up early to get to the Almond Blossom Worship service @ 9.30am.
Ephesians 3: 14 - 21. Beautiful reading.
God surpasses all knowledge.
Did the power point for this, including pix of almond blossom.
Went on to Christina's for a coffee, while watching the parade.
MG's with previous almond blossom queens.
Saw lots of people - Glen and Debbie across the road, Dick flower taking photos, many others.
Including our very own premier - Mike Rann and local member Leon Bignell taking in the sights.
Julian was in the CFS truck and I saw a little smile.
Jerry walked with the violinists.
Tried out the new bakery.
Met up with Uldi & Sue & Co. and they did the rounds of the fair.
Good turn out.
I was then on bubble duty - following a sharing time of our group - the christian community.
Quite rushed as I always knew I had to leave b y 1.30pm.
Here at work now - getting hungry.
Must away...........................................

I love Cairns

Just tried to add a photo I took - I love Cairns sign. Wouldn't attach.
Anyway Cairns is alive with wildlife and hard sell.
Do this, go here, stay here and while we're at it why don't you live here?!
Electric blue butterflies, giant plaited trees, lumbering turtles, darting fishes and wandering casowarys & a beautiful amber coloured robin.
Give me another week at Cape Trib, another day at Kuranda and a boat to cruise the coast - dream on!
Need some more moulah, but think we did well with what we had.
Would like to return in the wet season - no I am not insane, would just appreciate seeing the rainforest - in rain and all lush and thriving.

I saw a turtle under the sea!

Also how could I forget the turtle, lazily swimming about the coral landscape.
The terns on Michaelmas Cay.
The young Casowary that wandered across the road in the Daintree.
Living for now-on the computer in the Hilton.

Rainforests so large they dominate the mind

I wanted rainforests.
They are all around this end of the world.
Lapping up to the reef, sponging about in the mud.
Hiding crocs, butterflies, casowarys and hordes of visitors.
Clear streams, soaring palms, vines & creepers trailing throughout the visage.
There is the world under the sea, the blue staghorns, the colourful fishes & corals, mountain ranges beneath the water.
Cairns -A settlement that has morphed into a massive tourism surge- always seeming to be on overdrive. Is Queensland always on overdrive, amped up, too full of its self?
Here is the itinrary that I recall - just realise we are talking big bikkies. $$$
I did get my buffet brekkies and the absolute thrill of the room serviced each day.
Day one - Arrival in Cairns, Thursday 3pm - lost luggage, taxi to the Hilton. Look around Cairns.
Day two - Friday - Cairns Botanical Gardens walk, 1pm rendevouz with Jan, travdelling North to Barron Gorge and Palm Cove.
Day Three - Saturday- Walk around Cairns - then long walk to HMAS Cairns
Day Four - Sunday - Kuranda railway - Kuranda - heaps of people surging up the main street of Kuranda, buttefly house - Many varieties of butterflies and viewing of the labratory, incubating catepillars.
A bit rushed, then onto the sky rail and bus home. Pix of us on the sky rail- good shots of the boys, but I look concerned.
Day Five - Cascades rainforest with Maris. 1pm bus to Bungee jump, afternoon expereince and Minjin Swing, Jerry, Julian and I. Plenty of pix.
Day Six - Reef tour on Passions, whole day snorkle and dive - long day. More pix opf the boys.
Day Seven - Cape Trib - via Port Douglas & Daintree Village - long day.
Also forgot to bring camera battery charger - major mistake. Also pulled a muscle in my left calf on day @ Botancial gardens, now recovered, me a white blubby woman - in need of a shape up.
Eating out at Mondo's times two, Cairns RSL & Salthouse. Mondo's Souvalaki a standout.
Tired now, early flight home to Willunga & Jaz & Holly Roo.

Butterflies are free

At the Hilton typing a quickblog-in Cairns.
The butterflies are free - well almost, they are in luxury digs in Kuranda.
Pretty little station is still there, surrounded by commercial intersts.
Havde to dash.
St Kilda and Adelaide game on Fox.

Mneumonic Review

Thoughts on Mneumonic - a memory device used to recall something.
Intriguing use of props brings us in to the inner emotional world of family history - we all have one, with the use of a 'plane' tree leaf - there's lots of them outside the Festival Theatre, which were wet and soggy outside. I felt a bit overwhelmed by the diverging threads of the plot - connected, overlapping but just that bit out of reach. Loved the cameos of tourists and scientists et al. Not sure about the chair metaphor Perhaps my head was so full of ideas following The Festival Ideas it was ready to burst(!) The set designs are always amazing at the State Theatre Company and this was no exception. Lots more to unpack - which is the mark of an exceptional play.
Other reviews on the site I plugged into are almost polar opposite ie very glowing or very unsettled/bad ie crap.
I guess it's not for everyone.

Mental Silence vs mental overload - mid conference spiel

I have had a letter published in The Weekend Australian Magazine - related to a joint telling of the story of a father & daughter in their struggle with living with a mental illness.
I wrote off a few letters on a weekend when there were very few residents where I work and I had time to reflect.
Would like more reflection time in my life.
The last few days have been full on with an ideas festival, a state theatre production, work - notes, proposals, problems, church, a conference on spirituality & health and in between all the domestics that have to be done.
When I am in Cairns I plan to do NO cooking or cleaning(!)
Lots of questions. Spiritual autobiographies - spirituality & ageing, mental silence vs mindfulness?
Need time to process it all.
In the State Library waiting for the conference dinner-never attended one before, but thought I would investigate.

Every one is on holidays in July - Me too!

Most of the church, work and friends I have are going AWOL.
One person has supposedly got swine flu, plus school hols and winter escapes.
Me too!
Cairns here we come.
Computer playing up again today, plus I feel slow and tired.
Still I am here.
- Mine eyes have seen the Glory of the Lord - battle hymn sung this morning - take up your sword, brother against brother, husband against wife etc.
Glory, glory, hallelujah - his truth is marching on.

My dog Oompa and threads of my memory played out in mneumonic.

Locked out of my computer today - ?Doesn't like me anymore?!
Using someone elses.
Very tired this morning - had a nap
Now done some care plan stuff.
Cold, wet and windy outside.
Mentally overloaded from yesterdays experiences.
So many ideas!
Peoples questions, but my favourite exchange was when Bob Ellis spoke in his recommendation of chiropractors, which worked for him, his dog Oompa and his Libido - which was stated in capital letters.
I then went on to see a heavy play called Mneumonic - still unravelling that.
Still too tired to explain.

A Psalm - calling out

Festival of Ideas
Mneumonic
Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl
Spirituality & Health conference
Lit Review
Almond Blossom
Girl's Brekkie
A psalm - calling out
Night night.....................

Watching the funeral for MJ after a busy day

Made all sorts of enquiries today.
Negotiations.
Tired.
Going to watch the rest of the funeral/tribute to MJ.

But I still want my own desk...........

We are family, we are one.
Songs stay in your head.
Talking about social justice and being politically active.
Write a proposal............
Gardens, notice boards, promotions.
Now I am at work, one of the few on deck.
Would love to spend the whole day writing.
Get it happening.
A desk.
A computer.
My room.
Truth be tell, I prefer to write out of the house.
Which I am doing now, of course.
But I still want the desk.............

Lifetimes converge again!
News that my sister has connected with someone I knew at my old school.
Having trouble actually recalling who??
But I am curious, a lifetime has passed, well 3 decades................
A lot to catch up on.
Melbourne still means a lot to me.
Just about to visit my mother-in-law via the supermarket and Jaz & Hungry Jacks.
Some tired people at church this morning.
Say a prayer for the tired and worn out souls.

Lifetimes converging

Insurance headaches. What car, how much? Who's driving, fill out forms, make calls.
Hassles.............................
On a totally different topic....
Family connections however loose - are still there.
My dad left it all in the too hard basket.
But I have tentatively made some reconnections. Like a lifetime has happened to all these people and somehow there is still this blood connection.
My uncle George passed away recently.
Talked with my cousin Chris & Fred. Have not had any contact with Fred for probably 3 decades.
Still have to call Stephen, who hasn't been home when I have rung.
Members from aunty Grace's family attended the funeral, but not aunty Kath's.
I had no contact with any of them when dad died - apart from a brief conversation with Chris and my cousin Tony.
Uncle John did not attend the funeral, despite it being his only surviving brother.
Lifetimes occasionally converge