Sunday Scribblings - January 30th 2011

This is my first post for Sunday Scribblings, a site where a weekly prompt is given. The prompt for this weeks is: Safe. I originally wrote this one a while ago and just changed it a little tonight. 


Transformation 


The door slammed shut 
behind me 
locked 
the key gone 


So suddenly I know 
there will be no turning back 
for a while I have ventured 
holding doors open 
grasping tight the keys 
testing out this different world 
going on mini adventures 


Yet now
this is not the Narnia 
of my childhood fantasies 
an adventure followed 
by a return to home 
it is not like travel to faraway places 
the comforts of home 
waiting


No 
I am here to stay 
the door is locked 
my safety left behind 


I will learn to live here 
transform 
from a tourist 
to a permanent resident 
in a new home 

This is a free-range blog

I am a little addicted to adding badges to my blog I think. This morning I found another one - free-range social media. Doesn't it look fantastic? It was developed by Brene Brown. I found it as I follow her blog www.ordinarycourage.com. More than just looking good though, I strongly believe in what it stands for.

By adding it I am declaring that "I will do my best to make my online space cruelty, cage and copying free." To read more about what that means, go here. Or click on the badge in the sidebar to read more or to get your own.

...and now there's free compliments

Last week I posted a link to free positive thoughts. Now there are some free compliments available. This is from the Kind Over Matter website by Amanda Oaks. To get your own copy go here. 

I really like the tear off bits at the bottom.compliments. I said that about the last poster too!

New Year's Resolutions - check in

I mentioned some resolutions in a post earlier this month.


- to participate in a river of stones
- to continue blogging
- to continue writing poetry
- to recommence 20 minutes of free writing/timed response writing


It is nearly the end of January and I thought I would do a quick check in. 


I have been participating in a river of stones and writing a small stone and posting it the same day. I have managed to do this every day. The last few days I have lost a bit of the eagerness but have continued on. I am starting to think about whether I will continue on after January. I think I probably will. It will be interesting to see how many others keep going. There is going to be another challenge in July. That should be fun too. For more information about the project go to www.ariverofstones.blogspot.com or to read my small stones www.pausingforsmallstones.blogspot.com. I am really glad I decided to do this challenge when I read about it. I have done some writing I probably wouldn't have done otherwise. I think some of my small stones will also develop into poems and parts of poems in the not too distant future. Going well! 


I have continued blogging both here and on my small stones blog. Going well! 

I haven't written a lot of poetry. This is probably because I haven't had a lot of time on my own during the school holidays. I tend to write more after I have some time alone. I have jotted a few ideas done and look forward to more writing soon. Should improve soon!


I haven't as yet done 20 minutes of writing. I have come close and almost got the writing book out the other night but then it got too late. This will probably come too when I get more time alone as long as I push myself a little. It is something I often don't feel like starting but am glad I did it afterwards. I am also thinking of making myself a jar of prompts or an envelope of prompts or maybe asking someone to make one for me. I like to write to a random topic that I may not have really thought about otherwise. Will begin soon! 


All in all, quite a good New Year's Resolutions report! 

Roma tomatoes are ready!

I picked these Roma tomatoes this afternoon. These ones are a good size in comparison to earlier ones. I'm sure they will be just as tasty. 

The January garden update

It's nearly the end of the school holidays. Just one more week until the return of routine to our lives. I am still enjoying gardening. I haven't done as much in the garden as I thought I would with more spare time. Other pursuits have grabbed my attention more recently - blogging, jigsaw puzzle, cooking, the beach etc. 


I have been picking a few tomatoes (cherry and Roma) each day. Mostly they get eaten almost straight away. Very yummy! I am surprised at the difference in taste compared to those from the shops. The chilli plants have fruit on them now and some of the basil is growing well again now. The tomato plants are looking a bit dry but are producing a reasonable amount of fruit. One of them that I have staked up is taller than me. 

A couple of days ago Brianna and I dug up half of a garden bed and planted some seeds. The only plant left in the garden bed was a single celery plant. We planted carrots, radishes, zucchini, squash, tomatoes and some basil. We put a wire grid over the top to deter cats. The last seeds we planted didn't grow as cats dug up the dirt. Hopefully these ones will fare better. I just need to remember to water them. 

Free Positive Thoughts - available here!

A gorgeous treasure came my way this morning thanks to the wonderful world of the internet. It is a poster called 'FREE POSITIVE THOUGHTS' with little rip off positive thoughts along the bottom. To read more about it and get a copy of your own, go here. It is from a blog that I have started following recently called 'Kind over Matter'. 


I think it is a gorgeous idea and love the rip off thoughts. I also love the background of the poster. It took me a while to realise the flowers were actually little hearts. 

A favourite activity - Cows in the Kitchen

"Being around kid-energy is, for me, like breathing a special kind of oxygen. Ideas spark easily and rapidly. I keep my journal handy, as I teach, to capture the ideas for later pondering." - Peter Reynolds


These words really stood out to me recently when I read the latest post from Peter Reynolds at The Stellar Cafe.


I was reminded immediately of an activity that I have done with a few classes recently. Each time it has been really enjoyed by the children and I have been amazed at the creativity of their ideas. Their ideas really do spark easily and rapidly. 

my much loved copy

The activity is based on one of my favourite children's books, Cows in the Kitchen by June Crebbin. I read the story once to the children and then again encouraging them to join in. They usually love the sing-song repetition of it. The opportunity to yell at the end is also usually a big hit. Following the reading we talk about the alliteration in the book, noticing there is a type of animal and a room starting with the same sound on each page at the start of the book. I then ask them to think of some ideas of their own - animals and places around the school. This is when the ideas have just flowed. Each child then chooses one or makes up another one and writes a sentence and draws a picture. 


Some of the great ideas and pictures have been

Puppy in the park

Cheetah on a chair

Whale on the wall

Orangutan on the oval

Giraffe in the gym

Leopard in the library

and of course, we are in Adelaide with the pandas, Wang Wang and Funi, at the zoo so we had to have

Pandas on the playground

This was such an enjoyable activity each time so I am sure I will be doing it again in the future. 

Happy Birthday Teya!

Teya handing out birthday cupcakes

Last Tuesday was my niece Teya's birthday. She turned 4. Yesterday her birthday was celebrated at a local park. It was a great day with great food and great people. 

My sister, Kate, organised some great games for the kids. They really enjoyed them. Particularly cute was the little girl who joined in musical statues then deliberately got out as Kate was giving out prizes when they got out. 

My other sister, Mel, made the fabulously cute birthday cake(s). 

Another special touch was the laminated 'thankyou for coming' notes made by Kate. 

My creative cooking adventure

I got a little creative in the kitchen yesterday. It is not that unusual for me to be creative. I don't like to follow craft 'recipes'. I will often look at them in magazines, books, web blogs etc. Mainly though I am gathering ideas and inspiration. I don't usually strictly follow instructions but prefer to do my own thing. Cooking is a different matter for me. I follow recipes in the kitchen. I am not overly particular about measuring ingredients but I don't take many risks with varying ingredients or method. I stick fairly closely to the recipe I am using. 


Yesterday though I wanted to make a cake and use some of the apricots I have picked recently. I have stewed up quite a few batches and wanted a different way to use them. I haven't been brave enough yet to try making jam. I could have searched the internet for a recipe but instead I decided to adapt one I found in one of my recipe books. It was for a berry cherry cake made with cream cheese. I substituted apricots for the berries and cherries. I wasn't sure if it would work. It did. I put it in the fridge overnight and tried a piece this morning. Quite yummy. The apricots have sunk to the bottom but that doesn't matter. The  fresh apricots add quite a bit of flavour. 

Yummy garden produce

One perfect peach 
remained unseen 
until new eyes came to visit 


This was the small stone I posted on my other blog a few days ago. I am participating in a project called International small stones writing month. Each day in January I am writing and  posting a short piece of writing about a moment from that day. 

I have an apricot tree in the backyard and next to it is another tree. I didn't know what sort of fruit tree it was. The other day my aunt and uncle came over to pick some apricots. On the way they noticed a single fruit on the tree. On closer inspection we discovered this peach. It was the only one on the whole tree. I was amazed that it had grown so big without me noticing. I thought there was no fruit on the tree so I hadn't looked. Despite the fact that I walked past it nearly every day on my way to tend the garden and to pick apricots I had never noticed it. I missed out on seeing it grow. What else do I miss out on noticing because I don't expect to see it? 

Unlike the peach, the tomatoes growing in my garden have been keenly watched by me. Each day I have been checking for changes in colour. The first ones seemed to take a long time to ripen but now more are ripening. I should have enough for a small salad soon. The first few have been eaten quickly. I have picked a few cherry tomatoes as well as some Roma ones. The Roma ones were rather small but the ones growing now are larger. 

It's apricot time of the year here too. I have picked quite a few and stewed some of them. Very yummy with cream. I will be making some apricot crumble too and maybe some jam? Brianna and I have enjoyed climbing the tree to get almost ripe apricots. There's still some more which should be ready in the next few days. 

Reflections from the river

It's almost a week into the river of stones project. It feels like a bit longer since I started a little early. So far it has been lots of fun. Each day I am writing a short piece about a small moment that day and posting it here. I have set a few rules for myself. The small stone I write is to be about something I noticed that day. I write it and post it the same day. I post one and only one small stone each day. Just one each day. Today I was tempted to break this last rule and post two. I had two that I wanted to post and was having trouble deciding which one to post. I came up with them both at around the same time. Actually I was just about to post one when I thought of another. I ended up posting the second one. 


the sound of happy
drifts out
from under my daughter's door


Just as I was about to post the first one that I had written I could hear Brianna playing in her bedroom. The door was shut but I could hear her talking away to herself. She sounded very happy as she does when she is fully involved in play. After a little contemplation I decided on my small stone for the day. I really liked the first one too but also felt like I wanted to say more about it. I decided that I would post it here so I could say some more about it. The original one was 


jigsaw puzzle


one piece
such a feeling of accomplishment
and then
I step back and see
there is so much more to do
but remember
every tiny piece matters


I'm not usually much of a puzzle person. I usually prefer to create than to put things back together. I am enjoying doing a puzzle at the moment though. 

I have been thinking about the parallels between doing a puzzle and writing small stones. I love searching for the details and learning the different shades and shapes. Sometimes the right pieces are easy to find and almost seem to jump into my hands. Other times the right piece is elusive. I love that feeling of finding the right piece, particularly after a long search. Writing small stones isn't really so different. Sometimes they come easy. Other times I write for a while before I get the words just the way I want them. 


So far it hasn't been difficult to post every day. I have posted all of my small stones for January in the morning. This is mainly because I've been keen to write and post them. So they have all been about morning things. I look forward to posting later in the day moments as the month goes on. I'm also sure that the day will arrive where I forget to post. When that happens I just plan to keep going when I remember. I have been immensely enjoying reading other people's small stones. The variety is amazing. What a great, flowing river it is at the moment. It's so motivating to know other people are writing a small stone each day. I am definitely not alone. Getting positive feedback has been a real buzz too. I am grateful to those who have taken the time to leave comments. They are very much appreciated. The posts from Fiona and Kaspalita are very motivating too as well as interesting. I especially like this one. I can definitely relate to the thoughts 'Is it any good? Is it any good? Is it any good?'


It can be a bit scary to post my writing and know that other people are probably going to read it at some stage. I worry about whether my writing will be understood in the way I meant it. I constantly remind myself that sometimes it will and sometimes it won't. Sometimes after I post I find I start liking a small stone more. Other times I think I have a fantastic one but it fades after posting. Sometimes writing a small stone can be like searching for the elusive puzzle piece. Just when you think you have the perfect piece you try it out only to find it just doesn't fit and you feel a bit silly for thinking it did. 


Just as every tiny piece of the puzzle matters and the puzzle wouldn't be the same without them, every small stone is important for the river. The river wouldn't be the same without them. 

Friend tags - which one are you?

I love these little tag monsters that Alysha drew the other day. 

"Because you're my best friend" 
"Because you're a nerd" 
"Because you're an amazing singer" 
"Because you're blonde" 
"Because you love your cap!" 
"Because you helped me in maths!" 
"Because we have been friends since Primary School!" 
"Because you're always wearing makeup!" 
"Because you're always in a good mood!"
"Because you can always cheer me up!" 
"Because you dress cool!" 
"Because I want your hair!" 


Which one would your friends tag you as? 


I particularly like "Because we have been friends since Primary School"  - wearing the school colours! 

My mind is a map

My mind is a map


My mind is a map 
Filled with crossroads of curiosity 
Dirt tracks with dead ends 
Highways linking one idea to the next 
Missing the beautiful details hiding in between 
Where a walk would satisfy, inspire 
I am the driver, the passenger, the pedestrian 
The child laying in the grass 
Looking upward at the dancing clouds 
Feeling at peace with the world 
Consumed by possibilities 


I wrote this poem about two years ago. Two years and two days ago, to be exact. It is part of the reason why I want to do more free writing (to randomly chosen topics). I wrote it on January 2nd, 2009 after I had been writing for about 20 minutes non stop. The topic I started writing about was chosen from Stephanie Dowrick's book - Creative Journal Writing. The prompt I chose to write about that day was from page 85 'When you see yourself as a little child, do you see a curious child - and if so, curious about what?' After writing for 20 minutes and just as I was about to put the pen down and book away, this poem resulted. Wow! What a great bonus. Of course that won't happen every time I write. 

(Reminder to myself - product is great but process is even better) 

Originally I called the poem 'Crossroads of Curiosity' but just renamed it 'My mind is a map' - as I wrote this post actually. The wooden tile pictured currently hangs on my wall so I see it as I walk inside. Artwork was done around April 2009.  

technology free

technology free 


I love my internet adventures 
the giddy chase 
one click leading to another 
and another 
links back and forth 


but I never just stop 
to breathe awe in 
and out 
as I do when I'm outside 
technology free

"Wild Mind" and some plans for my writing in 2011

So, I have been saying that I don't make New Year's resolutions. I have been quite proudly proclaiming that I don't do resolutions but rather choose a theme for the year. 


Now, I find myself actually making some resolutions today. I have been thinking about my writing and what I would like to change this year. One of my resolutions is to do more free writing or timed response writing and to actually try and do it on a semi-regular basis. Notice, I am not being too specific here! I am thinking that I will find somewhere to go and write for half an hour or so. Maybe the local library. I have done that before. Or maybe in my bedroom just before I go to sleep. I have done that before. As you can tell, I am still refining the details. 


I have just borrowed 'Wild Mind' by Natalie Goldberg from the library. This is one book that I plan to have very soon on my sidebar list of 'books I own and love'. There, another resolution - buy 'Wild Mind' this year! I discovered 'Wild Mind' in January, 2008 when I picked it up randomly from the library shelf. I think I was destined to find it sooner or later though! When I first read it I had been dabbling a little with timed writing exercises. Reading it inspired me to continue doing 20 minutes of writing regularly. I did for quite a while write quite regularly. I am going to reread 'Wild Mind' and hopefully be inspired again. I have been looking back over my writing and realising how useful it was for me to just write without thinking about the audience. Really just writing for myself and getting to know myself better. I want to do some more of that again. My writing recently has been more geared towards audience. There is my poetry and this blog as well as the small stones I am writing at pausing to pick up small stones. It's good to be doing that kind of writing too. It helps me to know myself better too. So, actually, I have come up with a number of resolutions


- to participate in a river of stones
- to continue blogging
- to continue writing poetry
- to recommence 20 minutes of free writing/timed response writing

the library copy of Wild Mind and my old writing book

I loved this book that I used to do the writing exercises in. It is filled with words now. I have returned to OfficeWorks many times to look for another one but they don't have them there anymore. Maybe I will find another one to love just as much soon.