Find out who you are and do it on purpose... Dolly Parton

I found this quote in a scrapbooking magazine
which really resonated with me.

1. I admire and enjoy Dolly Parton's work
and who she is. I hope she has been a
mentor to many who have not yet found the
secret to life... She has certainly inspired me with her own brand of individuality, style and grace.

2. Personal integrity - being accepted for who you are and doing it with attitude. The assurance of this little pearl of wisdom gives me confidence and sets boundaries to others.

Recently I joined the Red Hatters Society - a society of high spirited and fun loving ladies approaching 50 and beyond who get together to celebrate life, are not afraid of ageing and have good unadulterated fun. I love their philosophy... I can imagine Dolly Parton in a sumptious or sassy red hat and an outrageous purple outfit - The 'code of dress' for Red Hatters. No more is asked of you than that.

The 'been there, done that' attitude is not for the Red Hatters as you will find on the Aussie Red Hatters society website www.matildarose2.com New Year address. We are a fun loving group of ladies who have spent a lifetime looking after others whether it be family, committees or community. Now it is time to play and enjoy the companionship of wonderful sisters.

So what's stopping you? http://www.redhatsociety.com/ will get you started anywhere in the world, or google Red Hat society. This is an established group of women approaching 50, who could teach you to have fun. You will soon get the confidence to wear a red hat anywhere, at any time with the sisterhood.

Luminous greens of Spring

I am lured to this place of luminosity every day around 3pm in recent days. It is a view just outside our office on a path to the Homestead (main office). ... so cooling and calming. Green is the colour of healing and who better to spread her healing hands than Mother Nature? Spring, the season of new growth colour and the promise of life! What a delight for the senses.


It is little wonder poets, photographers
artists are inspired to record these days
with artistic perspective.

I love the play on green and
dream of the chance to to sit amongst the rustling trees to paint, to meditate, just to watch the fading light as the Spring show curtain falls for yet another day.

Lemon meringue pie

A kind friend gave me one dozen
eggs from her laying hens and I have been having fun making
deliciously decadent recipes such as this
tangy pie, a true Australian favourite.
But read on for its history according to
Australian Gourmet/Traveller...
Lemon meringue pie history

My favourite recipe book these days is www.taste.com.au/ and this is the origin of my recipe for the Lemon meringue pie.

Japonica

The japonica flower is a delight to see. The flowers form, and then they form, and then they just keep forming for months and months before this delicate cascade of bells finally shows in early Spring. They take me back fondly to a wonderful trip we made to Japan in 2003.

Can you imagine dainty geisha girls with their ballet like grace

and hair adorned with delicate mauve japoncia flowers tinkling and swaying this way and that as they gently incline their pretty little faces to smile up at you?

Orchids

My favourite old orchid has finally burst into flower. The plant itself is around 30 years old and has seen many moves. The buds dotted all the way down on each of 9 spikes took so long to open this year. I wondered if they were in shock from our recent move and the extra bitey prolonged frosts we have had in Muswellbrook. They are much happier and healthier since moving to the Hunter Valley. On the coast and one block from the sea in Port Macquarie NSW we were lucky to even see one spike per year.

A drive along the Golden Highway

Saturday is my fun day and I love to go for a drive around the district particularly at the change of season. Spring in the Upper Hunter Valley is beautiful and everywhere there are signs of new life. The Golden Highway from Denman to Merriwa is alive with golden splashes of colour, perhaps not the original reason for naming this highway, but the wattle everywhere would fool you into thinking that is the reason for it's name (fools gold maybe?). Up close, the wattle is such a textural and visual experience, radiant luminescent yellow with green spikey leaves, the flowers like feathery tiny pom pons. The green and gold is so typical of Australian scenery.

View from the common room

Late winter view from the common room. This is the view looking over Aberdeen escarpment as we lunch. The days are getting longer and it is really pleasant sitting out on the verandah eating our lunch, fully catered by my workplace. The girls work very hard to provide us with interesting and varied lunch menus and we just get to sit and enjoy over happy conversations and a lot of laughs with colleagues.