A rainy day at the beach, and some reflections on recent events.

When I started this weekend blog it was because I wanted to experience more out of life besides work, housework and TV. I wanted to remember the little things that can bring us huge amounts of pleasure and satisfaction and make us really feel like we’re living this life to the fullest.

The awful shooting in America the other night, where those poor people who had simply gone to see a movie and either lost their life or had their life changed forever is unbelievably sad 😦  Reading about it on a news site led me to a blog by one of the victims brothers, which led me to a blog written by the victim herself, Jessica Ghawi. She had survived a shooting in June in Toronto, only to lose her life at the hands of another gunman. My heart goes out to her family and those of the other victims. You can read her thoughts on the first shooting here Jessica’s blog

A quote from part of it:

‘I was shown how fragile life was on Saturday. I saw the terror on bystanders’ faces. I saw the victims of a senseless crime. I saw lives change. I was reminded that we don’t know when or where our time on Earth will end. When or where we will breathe our last breath. For one man, it was in the middle of a busy food court on a Saturday evening.

I say all the time that every moment we have to live our life is a blessing. So often I have found myself taking it for granted. Every hug from a family member. Every laugh we share with friends. Even the times of solitude are all blessings. Every second of every day is a gift. After Saturday evening, I know I truly understand how blessed I am for each second I am given.”

I wish we all thought like this all of the time. We’re so busy we don’t always take the time to stop and remember it’s the little things that feed our soul and rejuvenate our spirits. Appreciate the time spent with family and friends, even if it’s just chatting over a cup of tea, instead of thinking about the washing sitting on the couch or the dishes in the sink, or all the other things you could be doing instead.

I think I’ve mentioned before how lucky we are to live so close to some seriously beautiful beaches. You’ve seen pictures of some of them before, from our failed fishing trips and my beachcombing day.

I was lying in bed this morning and thinking about, of all things, Vitamin D. And how most of us don’t get anywhere near enough of it. The best source? The Sun. I thought about how Monday through Friday, I get up and get ready, hop in the car and go to work where I go straight inside to the office and spend the next eight hours, get back into a car and come home where I shut the curtains and light the fire straight away because it’s winter and it gets cold at 4.30pm and dark just after five.

Depressing.

But it’s the life so many of us live.

Well I had planned on getting some vitamin D today, but NZ is currently blanketed by rainclouds and fog. We decided to go to the beach anyway, and I’m so glad we did. We ate fish ‘n’ chips in the car, watching the waves crash out our windscreen. Then we got our wet weather gear on and went for a walk along the beach. It was beautiful; salty crisp, fresh air. The wind made our cheeks sting but it was a nice pain, it made you feel really alive. Delicious.

Have a great week everyone. Take some time out to smell a flower, read a book you’ve been longing to read, or admire the night sky for a few minutes.

And don’t forget to tell your loved ones how much you love them ♥

Yum – fish ‘n’ chips! 🙂

The view. A little blurry from the rain but still breathtakingly beautiful.

Beach Art

Sad to be leaving the beach, but also sandy and happy and with a new stick to add to her collection.

Baby Bump Update :-)

An Eviction

Some of you may remember a few months back when I bought a bird feeder and had visions of becoming the neighbourhood hang out joint for our feathered friends.  I imagined they would flock to our yard and I would become known as the Nigella Lawson equivalent of the bird world.

It was a dismal failure however, and although the birds were more than happy to eat bread from the lawn around the bird feeder, I never saw a single one eat off it 😦 As I am wont to do, I gave up on the whole thing in disgust.

I remember a few of you were helpful enough to point out though that the birds prefer the hot fat/bird seed mix in colder months, and now, ta da, Winter is here. Complete with crunchy frosts and ice filled water bowls (poor dog). So I am going to try again.

Problem – Upon closer inspection I found out the bird feeder has tenants. Eight legged ones in fact. I can’t see the spiders themselves, but judging by the amount of webs all over the place I’m thinking it’s an extended family.

Scarier still is the fact that the food I put there months ago is still there. If nature (and the dog) haven’t managed to get rid of it, then imagine how much the stuff sticks to the poor little birds insides. Eep.

This weekend I will evict the current tenants (with a hose and from a safe distance) and try again. I’ll let you know how it goes 🙂