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Nothing is lost, we’ve just been hibernating.
Are You Feeling Reluctant to Rejoin the World? The end of another seventy-seven days of lockdown has some residents of the Yarra Valley leaping out of their homes with shouts of joy, but not everyone. For some of us, the end of lockdown might be a mixed blessing. After so long at home in our quiet bubbles, the phenomenon of cabin fever may have set in. Do You Have Cabin Fever? During the winter, it’s instinctive to slow down a little and go inward. This urge helps us to stay where it’s warm and dry, creating an innate sense of hibernation. The long lockdown in the Yarra Valley has deepened…
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The Tortoise and the Hare
Do you remember this story? The one about the overly confident hare and the slow but sure tortoise who take part in a race. The Hare, brimming with self-belief and confidence, sets out quickly in the race. Full of surety that he will win, he stops to have a sleep. Tortoise on the other hand, knowing his own abilities, takes it slow and steady, with a quiet belief that he will get there in the end. The Hare sleeps too long and the Tortoise ends up the winner – the morals of this story – that slow and steady wins the over-all race, that a measured belief in yourself will…
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Teaching an old dog new tricks
Today on my list of tasks was to fix an element on our webpage that wasn’t working. It had actually been on my task list for a while but I kept putting it off as I knew it would be tricky. It was not something I could just easily do – I would need to research the problem, maybe watch a video or two and try and figure it out. I’m ok at computers but as technology develops at the speed of light, I feel I am getting further away from understanding. Dealing with technological problems now stirs feelings of doubt and inability. That feeling of not knowing, of being…
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Bloom in hope
“Spring passes and one remembers one’s innocence. Summer passes and one remembers one’s exuberance. Autumn passes and one remembers one’s reverence. Winter passes and one remembers one’s perseverance.” Yoko Ono The cold, dark days of Winter have passed and the hope of Spring has arrived. The signs of hope are all around us -from the buds of blossoms, the buzzing of the bees, the new shoots coming through the damp warm earth. The days are getting warmer and longer and there is a feeling of optimism in the air. We have all had to persevere more than ever through this past Winter and we are all a little weary. We…
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Spring is the time of renewal
My orchids have started early this year. The traditional first place winner, my maroon one, has circled and extended itself making a larger hoop of orchids. The first one out though is a delightful fairy pink; stunning, fragrant, cascading. It is symbolic of beauty – orchids are stunning, fragile, ethereal – the beauty of ballet dancers or models perhaps. Those of us with the more usual beauty would say they were as beautiful as a rose or a daisy. Still all of us were young… Spring is the time of renewal. My maidenhair fern l thought l had lost because l tried to keep it happy indoors. My constant need…
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Blogging for Success
By Deb Marks I have started a writing course that will lead to me publishing my novels. It’s an interesting method developed by a ex AFL/VFL footy player, a self described non-reading, barely literate man who has walked through all that, to be the published author of eight books. I had reservations at first. He has broken the course into modules which seem deceptively simple. What he has done is to send out a message about being determined and focused. There are many affirmations that one needs to view daily. Andrew Jobling played seniors football for St Kilda, it was a brutal time in his life being a footballer, they…
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Just add a little kindness
Lockdown 6.0 is proving to be tricky. As the numbers go up and down on a daily basis, so do our emotions. Some days we are super positive and resilient and can handle the changes and challenges of lockdown. At other times we can find it difficult, frustrating, overwhelming and just a bit too much. With our rollercoaster of emotions, we can find ourselves not being who we normally are – getting irritated at minor things, snapping at loved ones, getting upset and sad over the smallest of things. We then feel upset with ourselves for our reactions and behaviour and this begins the cycle of self-doubt, self-criticism and even…
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Don’t leave yourself wondering!
When I was at High School I was one of those kids who wasn’t particularly great at most things, but not awful either. Back then, in forms 4 and 5 you had choose a stream of learning: General, Art, Business, Trade, or Applied Science. I had undertaken Applied Science in Form 4 and only just scraped through, so a big decision had to be made, should I drop back to General or perhaps Business or have a go at Applied Science once again. I struggled on for a while searching for the right fit and finally approached my very understanding science teacher, Mr Griffin ,who spelled it out something like…
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Lockdown Feelings
We have all been here before. Coronavirus is still upsetting our normal. This time last year, we would not have believed we would still be dealing with mask wearing, social distancing, lockdowns and checking in. We have become somewhat “experts” with dealing with this effects this virus has on our regular lives. However, just because this is familiar and we have done this lockdown thing before, doesn’t mean we are “experts” when dealing the emotions it brings up. Maybe you have been able to maintain your positivity through most of it, maybe you didn’t cope so well at the start but are ok now or maybe you are still not…
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Celebrating NAIDOC Week
Prior to colonisation, there were approximately 38 Indigenous languages and 11 language families spoken throughout Victoria, many of which have now been lost. The Wurundjeri people first occupied the area that we now know as the Shire of Yarra Ranges. The Wurundjeri people take their name from the Woiwurrung language group – “wurun” meaning the Manna Gum and ‘djeri‘, after the grub found in or near the Manna gum. This NAIDOC Week we celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, across not only our local area but across all of Australia. NAIDOC Week is a time to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.…
