Super ‘running’ Man on the streets of Washington DC….

On May 7, 2015 By oceangirl63In UncategorizedLeave a comment

What a great way to start a day.

Just up in DC (more to come on that) and during an early morning stroll I happened upon this man, Michael Wheeler, running for ykw and spreading a little joy and happiness along the streets of the America. And we all know that can never be a bad thing……

He lives in Kansas but hits the streets (you never know where he will pop up next) in his fashionable homemade Superman outfit every day come rain, hail or shine. Apart from this he also competes in marathons and has run seven laps around each of the Capital Buildings in the 50 states – 7 laps being a nod to the number of times the Israelites marched around Jericho.

He is an amazing man who I met not long after he had arrived in DC after running the streets during the recent Baltimore riots and prior to that he was running in Ferguson. He said his main goal was to inspire young black men.

An infectious spirit and genuine mindfulness will never goes out of fashion xx

ANZAC DAY 25th April 2015……..

On April 25, 2015October 26, 2015 By oceangirl63In UncategorizedLeave a comment

ANZAC DAY 25th April 2015…….

ANZAC Day is one of Australia’s most important national commemorative occasions. It is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders ‘who served and died in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations’. Observed on the 25th April each year, Anzac Day was originally to honor the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli against the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings and the birth of the ANZAC legacy.

Once again here in the US, we celebrated ANZAC Day with the traditional dawn service. Members of the Canadian, British, American and Australian services turned out on a beautiful but stormy Georgia dawn to commemorate this very special occasion.

The Happiest 5k on the Planet…….

On April 17, 2015October 26, 2015 By oceangirl63In UncategorizedLeave a comment

The ‘Color Run’, also known as the ‘Happiest 5km Run on the Planet’ is a wonderful and unique paint run which celebrates and promotes happiness, joy and individuality. It is really less about the run but more about having the absolute time of your life……and I certainly did that in the company of five of the best (and most fun) people I know (two Canadians and three Brits).

The run rules are very simple:

Begin the race wearing white
End the race splattered in every color of the rainbow

The color run was brilliant and just so much fun. Everyone you saw pounding the course looked happy and cheerful plus there are the very happy and enthusiastic color throwers along the way who are only to eager to douse you from head to toe in color. By the end of the race you look and feel as though you have run through an extraordinary rainbow.

The beautiful Maggie organized t-shirts for us both. Mine a kangaroo and hers a maple leaf.

Let the fun begin…..

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Before – clean and shiny

We are already planning our next color run which is due to be held in six months time. We will all be wearing white tutu’s and white tee’s and just quietly, I think Jon is the one most pleased about our up and coming race outfits xx

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need (Cicero)……

On April 10, 2015October 26, 2015 By oceangirl63In Uncategorized1 Comment

I first read the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee almost 32 years ago and have re-read it several times since. Recently I thought about the time I learnt to read as a very, very young girl and this gift is one of the things I am most grateful for in my life. I now cannot imagine a time when I will not read and of course I still love the warm feeling of a book in my hand rather than the coldness of a device. Please give me a book anytime!

I wrote a blog post last year about the book group I joined here in the US so naturally it soon came time for me to host………and I knew the perfect book! I chose To Kill A Mockingbird.

I really do love this beautifully written novel and as we all spoke during the evening about the book, I was surprised to learn that some people had never read it. Happily now though, they also love it so I guess it really is one of those alluring classics.

The novel, first published in 1960 and set in the early 1930’s, is a book that I think almost everyone has or will read at some stage in their lifetime. It is the sort of book which leaves a profound and lasting impact on its reader. I also chose the book (not only because is it a favorite of mine – right up there alongside The Magic Pudding by Norman Lindsay) but because is was also set in the South (which is where I live) and it tackled the important issues of its time. Issues which in fact are still just as relevant today.

Host duties for book club are quite painless and undemanding. You simply open the front door to your home and you welcome people in.

I made a wreath for the front door but please don’t be alarmed book purists. I recycled a book which was about to be ‘binned’ because it had no front cover and there were some pages missing…..

It turned out to be a great night of good food, good company, robust discussion and lively fun…..which could well have been fueled by the ‘Tequila Mockingbird Cocktails’ I served.

I really do enjoy being a member of this book group. Each month we read a different book, head to a different hosts’ home, enjoy different food and discuss a book. For my ‘hosting night’ I also compiled a quiz (which was very well received) of twenty questions. The questions ranged from Where did the title of the book come from (which line by Atticus) to Who was Rose Aylmer? and I also made book marks for each person in the group with memorable lines from the book printed on them.

Book marks and ‘mockingbird eggs’…..

Talking about books with like minded people will always lift ones spirits and when I do eventually return to Australia I will certainly be seeking out a book group to join.

And onto my garden. It is the season of spring currently here in Georgia and it really is a wonderful season. Everything is coming into bloom and my resident Mockingbird is nesting. My little world of my garden, its inhabitants and my books are bliss xx

Oh, and for those tortured by the question Who was Rose Aylmer?……..she was Uncle Jack’s Cat.

Happy Easter…….

On April 3, 2015 By oceangirl63In UncategorizedLeave a comment

Have a beautiful Easter……

At the end of the day in the season of Spring you should smell like dirt…..and I do!

On March 22, 2015 By oceangirl63In UncategorizedLeave a comment

The beautiful season of spring has arrived in Georgia and with it comes the pansy, the peach and cherry blossom, iris, the daffodils, tulips and the hydrangea. Winter has been cold and in many parts of America snow has thickly blanketed the landscape for many months on end. For me, after the bitter blast of winter, spring signals the country survived the arctic blast……but perhaps only just this year.

I love this time of year in Georgia. After months of cold and damp it is almost as though the whole world is coming back to life. The birds, squirrels and chipmunks (yes, I have managed to attract the shy and elusive little chipmunks into my garden) are returning, the birds are nesting (a beautiful red breasted robin has built a nest under the eave of the porch) and the bulbs I planted one spring ago are showing themselves in full splendor. Dandelions have sprung up everywhere in the lawn too but for some reason I don’t mind them. I like the shot of color they give my still frost burnt brown lawn.

The days are longer now, it is light and bright and warm and the appearance of sunshine seems to have made people a little happier. Oh, and my shoes are off which is absolute bliss!

The last three days have been very happily spend outdoors in the garden. I have been pruning, weeding, deadheading, digging, planting and mulching. And quite frankly, nothing has made me happier.

The Red Robin nest just near the front door……

Sweet but shy little chipmunk……

Peach blossom…..

As Autumn begins in Australia, I will be enjoying lovely spring in the south because as Winnie the Pooh said, “Sometimes the smallest things take up the most space in your heart”…. xx

Feeling Blessed……..

On March 15, 2015March 17, 2015 By oceangirl63In UncategorizedLeave a comment

What an incredibly beautiful day. I was very privileged to receive an invitation to attend a ‘Brit Milah’ Ceremony at the Jewish Synagogue in Macon Georgia.

The ‘Brit Milah’ is a Jewish religious male circumcision ceremony performed by the Mohel on the eighth day after the child’s birth. The baby’s name is also revealed to the world at the end of the ceremony and he was named Etan – which in English is Ethan.

What made Etan’s birth even more special is that he was born on the day the Jewish faith celebrate ‘Purim’, a holiday of miracle and joy. The ceremony was extremely beautiful and very moving and once concluded it was followed by a festive meal.

I completely understand and respect this isn’t for everyone. Opinions, beliefs and attitudes are varied on this very sacred tradition. I for one however, found the entire ceremony beautifully fascinating. It is steeped in observances and from beginning to end I was captivated.

I am honored and very humbled to have been asked to attend. I am certainly feeling blessed xx

Poor Ol’ Champ and ‘The Birds’……… Texas

On March 9, 2015 By oceangirl63In Uncategorized1 Comment

Poor ‘Champ’. Grand Champion Steer at the Fort Worth Steer Show in 1960. Met with rather an undignified end by being mounted on the wall at the Cattlemen’s Steak House in Fort Worth Texas! One day a winner the next………….

And also while in Texas we happened upon something quite extraordinary. Huge flocks of birds. More to the point…..huge flocks of birds everywhere!!

The birds in question are Grackles. Grackles are a migratory bird who leave Canada and North America during the cold and head south for a warmer sunnier winter. Given there have been massive snow and ice storms and below freezing temperatures up north who can blame them. Their numbers are huge and it is fascinating to see them however I can understand how their presence annoys the local folk of the towns and cities these birds inhabit as their numbers do leave quite a ‘mess’!! These birds are also protected by a law called the ‘Migratory Bird Treaty Act’, so once in your town there is little to be done to fend them off.

Very ‘Hitchcock’ like!!

Dallas Texas….Part III

On March 6, 2015 By oceangirl63In Uncategorized3 Comments

Aaaaaand……..back to Texas ‘la tercera parte’ (part three).

Random photographs from the Texas trip……….

Good bye big beautiful Texas………xx

Dallas Texas…..Part II

On February 25, 2015 By oceangirl63In UncategorizedLeave a comment

Aaaaaand………. back to Texas ‘la segunda parte’ (part two).

Dallas has a very vibrant and modern dining scene. We ate some pretty amazing food and indulged in some very, very good cocktails while there. One place in particular I will very happily recommend is ‘Savor’ located 2000 Woodall Rodgers Fwy. Savor really is a super modern ‘gastropub’. Great fresh food, sharing plates (because food really is a social thing!) and great cocktails with a modern twist. We sat up at their fabulous bar and luckily had a hip dude named Blake as our mixologist/waiter. Loved the cocktails he made ‘Doctors Orders’ (Prairie Gin, butternut tincture, ginger syrup and curry) and the ’15 and counting…’ (Prairie Gin (there was a theme), fernet branca, basil syrup, fresh lime, dolin blanc and black pepper). Could not recommend Savor more highly.

Klyde Warren Park – an urban open green space right in the heart of the city. This is a wonderful 5.2 acre park , built over the Woodall Rodgers Freeway, is a socially enriching space offering food trucks, a dog park, green lawns and trees, a reading room, games, restaurants, fountains, sculptures, gardens, a children’s park and so much more. We happily wandered through on a Saturday afternoon, eating our way through the immense selection from the food trucks and basically just relaxing, chilling out and enjoying.

Fort Worth Stock Yards – If you ever find yourself in Texas, (and I hope that you do) you must head on out to the city of Fort Worth. We caught the train from Dallas to Fort Worth (approximately a one hour trip) then headed by bus out to the Stock Yards. It is well worth investing a day out in the stock yards where you can visit the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, the Stockyards Museum, Stockyards Station, the Cattlemen’s Steak House and where you will see a herd of Texas Long Horn cattle being driven down the historic streets of Fort Worth.