Celebrating Spring

I’m glad August is done. It has been a very ordinary month for me. I’ve been home sick or sad more than I’ve been at work it feels like. I am really fed up with it. I actually love my job and the kids I teach, so I have been pretty flat the last couple of days. I guess there was just too much to deal with last month.

My tulips are popping up. One of my students brought a handful of tulips (his mother deposited them at the office)for me last week. I love them. Andy planted a dozen bulbs for me last year and this will be my second bunch of flowers from him. It’s fun to watch them arrive as they are right now.

Today I went for a stroll (there was nothing brisk about it) to the local shops in the sunshine. I haven’t exercised for so long and I had to get out of the house. I was starting to feel sorry for myself-blah! I wore my hat and sunnies and I’m glad I did because I read The Age: Victorians need to slip, slop, slap in Spring.

“Victorians are being warned not to leave their sun protection until summer with the Cancer Council of Victoria saying ultraviolet (UV) ray levels are already at a point where they can cause damage leading to skin cancer.”

I listened to some podcasts I had downloaded. I love my iPod. I had an mp3 player but itunes is so easy to use. I have subscribed to some of the ABC radio programs and I have all my music on it.

Rhonda came over and it was great to have a laugh with her. The beginning of the new season I am declaring a fresh start for myself.

Enid Blyton Characters Reappear

It’s interesting to me that I was just thinking about all the old Enid Blyton books I loved to read when I was a kid and in the mornings papers was this story: Famous Five Set to Find Fame. Made me feel almost magical.
I read the ‘Secret Seven’ series, the ‘Famous Five’ of course, but loved the ‘Faraway Tree’ trilogy and ‘Wishing Chair’ set more I think. My favourite of all the many though would have to be ‘The Naughtiest Girl’ books. I am sure I only read 2 or 3 of them, yet it appears there are 8 on this site.
If you want to learn more about Enid Blyton, The Enid Blyton Society website is absolutely a must read. It’s quite amazing to see the list of writing, there are 100s of books. When I look through the list I see many other familiar books that I read as a child.

Tomorrow all will be Beautiful by Brigid Lowry

This book is a pleasure not to be missed. It is a collection of short stories, letter exchanges, dialogues and poems delicately illustrated. She writes about the joys and tragedies and leaves you feeling hopeful and alive. ‘Tomorrow all will be Beautiful’ notices the details in life that are juicy. It’s a funny, cool book that touched me and made me feel validated as a sometimes crazy, passionate, melancholy and often mistaken person. I have put my name on the list at school to read ‘Guitar Highway Rose’.

Brigid Lowry is my latest favourite. Listening to her ‘Juicy Writing’ talk on Monday, just confirmed it. I would still love to get a copy of that writing she read to us about the mother and son, so I can weep without the eyes of my year 9s on me.