There has been very little on my calendar, during September, just the usual work days. Even though I’m enjoying my job, I do feel these days like I may be getting closer to retirement. I find myself thinking about it more often. I always said that I would know when it was time. I have decided to make a major change to my life, without waiting for retirement day. I decided on this about a month ago. Actually it’s been gradually coming to this point for most of the year. My decision is to put this blog into hiatus for a time, and possibly forever. I couldn’t believe it when I read that blogger ..read more

My post this week is more about photos than words. Following are a few photos from my week with a few important words at the end. Bendigo Bloom October is the time of year that Bendigo has it’s annual festival, Bendigo Bloom. The festival is to showcase Bendigo’s amazing tulip displays. Unfortunately, this year, the festival was shortened slightly by the inclement weather, which meant the tulips didn’t last as long as they usually would. The flowering period may have been short, but it was still stunning. Garden When we moved last August, I dug up most of my many collectible irises and transf ..read more

  Listening to Audio books I love listening to audio books. I listen when I’m in the garden, in the car, and out walking. My drive to and from work takes me forty five minutes each way, so it’s a good opportunity for an audio book. I do find occasionally, that the voice of the narrator can put me off an audio book that I would otherwise have enjoyed. It may be that the voice doesn’t suit the characters in the book or the time period. I’ve found that it can also depend on how I’m feeling at the time and at another time, the narrator may not be a problem. Following are a few audio boo ..read more

Can you believe it’s the end of September already? I know I can’t. The first month of spring has flown by too quickly. The weather has been beautifulul, sunny and warm, and I’ve loved every minute that I have been able to get outside.  Last weekend, I was either  in the garden or walking for almost the entire weekend.  Honestly, I couldn’t stop smiling. Most Sundays, we make a quick trip to Bunnings, usually for the garden. Oscar loves it. He lives tge ride in the trolley but he specially loves saying hello to the people who stop to smile and talk to him. Echuca We spent a da ..read more

When I was thinking of writing a Taking Stock post, I thought it had probably been about six months since since my last Taking Stock post. I couldn’t believe it when I saw that the last one was way back in in September 2022. I haven’t posted here for the past two weeks, due to problems I’ve been having with my eyes. Since then,  I’ve had two surgeries.  After the surgeries, I was advised to stay away from the computer and devices, to avoid eye strain.  Because my last blog post was on 08 August, a Taking Stock post seems to be the ideal way to catch up. The prompts used are De ..read more

There have been very challenging times in my life, over the years, when I have had to come up with coping strategies. One of the constants through the ups and downs has been dogs. They have been with me constantly. They have walked with me, sat with me while I read and also while I cried and have been my constant shadow in the garden. I thought I’d introduce you to a few of the dogs of my life.        The Dogs of My Life Pawprints On Our Hearts stayed with me, long after I finished reading it. It wasn’t one of those books that I forgot about after reading the last page. It ..read more

This year has flown by so quickly. I know, I say this every year, but every year it seems that the months zip by faster than the last. So, time for an update of the year so far. It’s been quite an uneventful year, due to the fact that I went back to full time work in January. Since then, the alarm is set for 4.30am each weekday, as I have an early start and a 45 minute drive to work. I love the job which makes the early starts more bearable. Leave from Work At the moment, however, I’m on sick leave from work, as I’m having a health issue. I’m seeing a specialist in two weeks, so will be able ..read more

Image bendigoregion.com.au Bendigo Art Gallery Last week, I was home on leave, so decided to spend a couple of hours at the Bendigo Art Gallery, which has a great reputation for their world exclusive exhibitions. Over recent years there have been exhibitions of Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Elvis Presley and Mary Quant, just to name a few highlights. Each time, there is a new exhibition, Bendigo is bustling with tourists and visitors to our city. The  art gallery is very accessible to all, as many of their exhibitions are free. The exceptions are the worldwide exclusives, which understan ..read more

Two life changing events have occurred for me, during July, but in different years. Every year, as July approaches, I feel my mood darkening as I feel the need to focus on remembering. Usually, when I feel overwhelmed with memories, I’m able to compartmentalise them, and pop them to the side. But that’s just not possible for me in July, regardless of how hard I try. The sad memories of July are also entwined with happy memories, which I try my hardest to focus on. Craig Geoffrey Dempster 14.07.1977 – 02.11.1995 My son, who passed away in 1995 was born on 14 July, 1977. Craig was my Bastille ..read more

June is the first month of winter here in Australia.  I always approach winter with dread, as I really dislike the cold weather, so I’m happy to wave goodbye to one month of the dreaded cold weather.  So far our winter has been cold with lots of rain, more rain than usual, even for winter. This gives me many reasons to complain, but I won’t do that. Other than the weather, there have been a highlights in June. Weekend away As we usually do, we spent the King’s Birthday long weekend in June, at Port Fairy, a very pretty port/fishing town on the southern coast of Victoria. We had a lo ..read more