To the New Year

Days

the one we left, the one we’re in, the one after tomorrow

vanished held in memory, hearts still beat, lives forge on

the year quietly disappears ~ a new year emerges amid the

flash of midnight

Changes

perhaps, resolutions? Kept for a special day when in honesty

should be at any time, we grow older, they say wiser, are we?

ready for new challenges to face, new paths to explore

along this highway

Knowing

life alters, awaiting the changes that nature may bestow

~ the unknowing, the underlying, what will come to us

shall we cry in grief, be tormented, understand

this is life

Friendships

that we held, flutter in the breeze, a dove not wanting to be held

learning who are true and who are not, new ~ giving strength

we cling, can we truly forget the pain of others lost

we are human

Writers

met along the way, virtual, not knowing of their lives, the inner

sanctum of themselves, words, lines, offerings and I wonder

as they may who we really are, what makes them tick

curious and curiouser

Humans

what brings them joy and makes them who they are

perhaps too deep but my thoughts, my thoughts alone

shall the new year bring more insight into who you

are ~ your lives

Time

that ticks, more quickly as the years pass by

once young with thoughts of many years ahead

now the time is cut by half or more and so we dread

the path ahead

Melancholy

a wine, a distant thought, those we have lost

those left behind and we still remain ~ the time unknown

grasping for those we loved not by our side

tears we weep

Breathe

take in the new year joy, the changes it will bring

hide the fears of what may come, for they may live

~I may live and tell myself be strong what ever

comes my way

Thanks

to those I’ve met this year for love, support and more

encouragement and bonding in this virtual world

I never would have guessed – no I never would

so I thank you

©jmtacken December 2013

Remember:

Roses are Red

Wine is too

Poetry is damn hard

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

and the moment you have all been waiting for…or not

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 26,000 times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 10 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

In saying the above, yes the New Year brings many thoughts, visions of perhaps events I do not want to know, but I want to say thank you to all my readers who have read my ramblings over the last year. Also thank you for your kindness and words in my new ‘career’ – all of you have been with me along this journey. My life that I share about me, my ‘penguins’ my happiness my woes…and well I’m just grateful.

If you weren’t here ~ I simply would have given this away long ago.

It is NEW YEAR’S EVE here in Australia ~ and I wish each and everyone of you a healthy, happy, love filled, peaceful and beautiful 2014 and I hope that we get to know each other even more in the coming new year.

🙂  and xxx from the Mums

TIME TO SAY THANK YOU

Where are my manners?

Right here, just my life has changed over the last few months they lapsed a little and before I knew it my last thank you was the 1st of August.  😦

So I say it now, without further ado, fuss and mushiness…ok perhaps some mushiness (I’m a Cancerian it’s inbuilt)

THANK YOU my 456 readers are now 597. My FB followers on WP are now 94 compared to 84 and my Twit – I mean Twitter followers (again who ever you are as I don’t twitter that much) 12 from 5.

So it’s a HUGE thank you – for supporting, encouraging, liking, loving, debating, grunting, laughing, smiling and crying at the words I place upon a page. From my beaty thing  ~ I am ever so grateful and appreciative and I love that I have such a wonderful, friendly WP virtual family.

images-1

see that wasn’t too mushy was it? 😉

xx

Last photos of Queensland and general rambling and updates

I could possibly bore everyone for a few nights with photographs, but I thought I don't have that right (insert Aussie humour here). So this is the last I shall put up. Captions explain where we are or what it is. Spring is just around the very large corner, we are still in the thick of cold fronts, low temperatures, storms, wind, rain here in Melbourne. Anyone contemplating coming over here please be aware of our 'nice climate' which usually runs from mid September, heating up in December through to some times March. So there is a wide scope of months to choose your visit to the Land Down Under, though in Melbourne we have had severe storms icy winds and hail at Christmas time (but that's rare thankfully).

Which reminds me if anyone has any questions about where I live or anything they would like to know about Melbourne - please do ask, I will be your virtual Travel operator.

Ah yes the holiday has finished and I have my work cut out for me doing the assignments (I want to thank everyone who read and commented and liked that post). Your words have given me that extra boost and encouragement that I needed to continue.

Oh whilst I am here, thought I'd give an update on my Penguins (mum and dad) as I haven't for a while. Mum bless her, is getting crankier by the day. They have a huge lemon tree in their backyard that is full of lemons. Now mum uses lemons umm probably 1-2 a week. Their elderly neighbour who does so much for them now that dad isn't driving came round this morning and took a bag of them (he did ask). By the time I arrived mum was quite indignant that he took some of lemons and had to trot (well waddle) outside to see how many were left on the tree.
What can I say.. it seems the smallest of things now irritate her, especially that she is so confined to the house. I can't blame her I would go stir crazy myself.

Pop stopped taking his medication the last month for his shaky hands (because the script ran out)but I have noticed as has neighbour friend that he seems to be walking better. He can lift his legs and doesn't seem to 'totter' as much. Turning around is still difficult for him however, but he made comment today that they don't feel as heavy. Were the tablets that helped his hands, causing his legs to become weak? That's my theory, so I have told him to not take them for a while.

I have ranted on again and I am tired, amazing how tired one does get when one doesn't do anything all day. No that's a lie I made my Penguins a hot lunch and some home cooked vegetable soup for their dinner, so the day wasn't completed wasted.

Thank you again for all your support guys, it really means a great deal to me.

**********************************************************************************

View from our balcony on the pool in Cairns

View from our balcony on the pool in Cairns

Mr. S and I on the train to Karunda.
Mr. S and I on the train to Karunda. Do we like the guy in the green shirt yawning? Manners anyone?

Cruising down the Daintree River.

Cruising on the Daintree River.

At Mossman Gorge

At Mossman Gorge

Just another lazy beach

Just another lazy beach

Dinner at the Raw Prawn (prawns, barramundi fish, octopus and mud crabs) oh and salad.

Dinner at the Raw Prawn (prawns, barramundi fish, octopus and mud crabs) oh and salad.

Sunrise in Cairns

Another sunrise in Cairns

Time to say thank you on my 547th post

Who would have thought?

Certainly not I (well I fib I had a rough idea) but though I waited patiently in my lounge room at the front of the house for WordPress to arrive, they didn’t, insert 😦

They did not burst through my front door with bottles of Dom Perignon, smiley faces 🙂 and helium balloons fastened to a congratulatory card filled with all those signatures and cute remarks from all that work there  (hello by the way if you are reading – doing a fab job).

So I retreated from the lounge, head hung low,  walked passed the loo on the right, through my kitchen, stopping at the fridge for a slice of ham and drink, down three steps into the family room (rumpus), opened the sliding door, turned right, then right again to come into the study where I work type incessantly.

So pretty much a year (according to the stats page) July 2012 is when I began my blogolife, the first day 21 viewers “Hello Hello are you still watching”?  Don’t fret if you’re not. We all follow, un-follow, enjoy immensely one month and get tired of the month after. It’s a fact of life, I bear no grudges. (Insert humour here please)

Today as I haven’t thanked you all for some time, I thought it the perfect opportunity to do so.

Thank You to my 455  456 WP followers to my 84 FB followers (whoever you are) and not forgetting my 5 Twitter followers.  Thank You to the 23,370 people who have knocked on my front door….unlike WP (oh well as the saying goes beggars can’t be choosers).

Thank You for keeping me sane, driving me to write, to discover more about myself and to show me what I am capable of.

Thank You for being there when I wanted to rant and rave and gave me support, kindness, encouragement and your wisdom.

Thank You for reading my short stories, my poetry, my prose and yes my ramblings.

If you know me – I don’t write these Thank You posts for reasons of what we would call here to (suck-up) in order to have the like button pushed a gazillion times more.  I say Thank You because I firmly believe that if it wasn’t for the support and following of you all, there would be no need for me even having a blogolife. I say Thank You now as I have done since I started with WordPress and ….I shall continue for as long as I blog.

Thank You for giving me the opportunity to meet you, to come into your lives whether on here or by email, to get to know you and to develop some wonderful friendships.

I APPRECIATE EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO VISIT, HIT LIKE AND COMMENT.

and who knows it’s only 8:56pm Thursday night, maybe their plane has just been delayed.

images-14

LUV YA’ FACES AND YOUR HEARTS…..Mumsy, Rambly, Mums, RM, Mumz, Jen and any other name I am known by.

xxx

PS Thank you to Cyril who followed just after pushing publish 🙂

Post Birthday- just a rambling post so don’t sweat it if you can’t relate.

Birthday’s are funny things, not in the falling on the floor wetting your pants funny, but the morning comes, you open your sleepy eyes to realise you are in fact another year older, of course you have known that for the last year as you have lived it, but on that morning you then can say you are ….. ok as in my case 58. Yes, I shudder at writing that figure.  🙂

Yesterday, I got up showered and dressed for work (though I really think that we should incorporate ‘Birthdays’ as a public holiday). I went into the office to find a beautiful bunch of  kale and hyacinths  (see that’s showing my age by actually writing what they were) and not simply saying ‘flowers’. Down the track all I’ll be able to talk about is the weather 😦 you truly know you are getting old when that starts. (I am being light-hearted here)

We didn’t celebrate last night (going out on a Friday night at our age after being at work – well we wouldn’t last 5 minutes) as we went out to dinner tonight with friends. Mr. S (gawd love him) bought me an IPad, so that I am able to write in the great outdoors, instead of being inside all the time.

Today I had a ‘nervy’ day. I get like this now and then, when bottled up emotions or underlying stress issues raise to the surface and my body let’s me know that things are getting ugly.  I had the shakes a little and was generally on edge, you know those days, you look at the housework that needs doing and you crack it with yourself because truly you couldn’t be bothered doing it, or the garden needs attention and everything seems a little out of depth.

I called in to see mum and dad, they gave me a card and $’s which is pretty much the norm for my presents from them of late (as they can’t get out of the house on their own anymore). I went in the afternoon to a ‘Spirit Circle’ event to hear my fellow fledgling mediums ‘connect’. Then back home and a 45 minute race to get ready, that was strip clothes, jump in shower, wash hair, blow dry hair, put face on, get dressed.

Then it was dinner out at an Italian Restaurant – there were 10 of us, 1st glass of champagne relaxed me a little as did the company. Entree was a dozen oysters mornay shared with a girlfriend. Mains –  fillet beef with fresh cooked beetroot, wine jus and spinach and mushrooms. Red wine to accompany the meal, followed by a dessert shared again of creme brulee, cooked pineapple and home made passionfruit sorbet…. can I tell you how YUMMY that was.? It was YUMMY.

It’s now 1:14am. I am dressed in my  jim-jams and my silly MAC is causing me grieve by not playing my Loreena CD (in fact it’s stuck and won’t eject) that’s a little issue I shall have to face tomorrow.

I posted  ‘Running’ yesterday, I think people were being overly kind in their comments, for in truth I dislike it. I went to bed after I published it and was so tempted to get up and throw it into trash.

But erk I do not like it – it was jolty, without flow, it doesn’t sit right with me, but then you have commented and I feel lousy if I trash it now. So I’m just saying, yes I posted it, but it was possible the worst piece I have written, so I thank you for reading and being so kind.  Previous pieces that I have done, I can spend so very little time on and strangely they are the ones I feel more comfortable with, the longer I spend and the more editing I do, it turns out rubbish in my eyes (I know not why). Us writers are such critical beasts.

I thank you if you have read my ramblings, I thank you all for your birthday wishes and your support in following me. I appreciate all my readers who have been with me since I commenced last year and to all my new followers.

 

🙂

Good night to you all

xx

 

 

For knocked over by a feather

This is a little Post for Merby (as I have named her) at knocked over by a feather  If you don’t follow her – why not? She has brilliantly funny posts, every day life situations and informative. So hop over and visit if you haven’t already.

She was lovely enough to write a post on me on ‘Awesome Sunday’ see below:

http://knockedoverbyafeather.wordpress.com/2013/02/23/totally-awesome-sunday-22412/

As she mentioned in her post, whilst out one morning with Mr. S  I saw a painting of the Beatles in a shop window, I immediately thought of her (as she a Beatles nut) and took a shot on my phone. Sadly, I lost it somewhere amongst the blog universe, so I share it again today for HER, (as Mr. S and I went there for breakfast again this morning) not to the shop where they had the pictures ( because that would be too weird), but the Cafe next to it.

So Merby my lovely for doing what you did, this is a a small token of my gratitude in appreciation for what you wrote about me.

PS: Unfortunately they moved the painting, so it was really tricky trying to get a worthwhile shot, due to the window reflection and the street behind me 😦

 

2013-02-24 11.39.15

But I thank you from my ‘beaty’ thing for being so kind

ONE POST 3 AWARDS – 3 sets of nominations

There I think I have covered it in the Title.

SWEET BLOGGER AWARD AND BLOGGER OF THE YEAR  (x 2) 2012

Firstly Ivonne from  ivonnemontijo  – Sex, Spirit, Soul Mates and Chocolate….Ivonne’s Journey has given me an Honourable Mention amongst others of course, a Super Sweet Blogger Award , as I do not actually accept in the sense of answering all the questions and nominating my choices. I repost the nominations that she has listed on my page so that others may have a chance to see these sites. So thank you Ivonne for being such a darling (Congrats on your Award) and I hope that by me reposting is also showing you my appreciation.

http://maryannemistretta.wordpress.com/

http://depressionexists.com

http://thewhyaboutthis.com/

http://naesnest.me/

http://eideard.com/

http://shittalkinnick.wordpress.com

http://apropheticwalk.wordpress.com/

http://notjustagranny.wordpress.com/

http://onethousandsingledays.com/

http://birdmartin.wordpress.com/

http://girlpleasegodgotthis.wordpress.com/

honorable mentions:

https://ramblingsfromamum.wordpress.com/

http://terry1954.wordpress.com/

Secondly Eunice from  nutsforteasure  nominated me for the 2012 Blog Of The Year.

Again as gratification for the Award I  have re-posted her other nominations,  so that others may have a chance to see these sites. So thank you Eunice for being the kind and lovely person you are (Congrats on your Award) and I hope that by me reposting is showing you my appreciation. Ps: – SHE HAS A CAST OF THOUSANDS!

1.http://notsofancynancy.wordpress.com/

.http://timzauto.wordpress.com/

.http://ivonprefontaine.com/

.http://bellaremyphotography.com/

.http://naomibaltuck.wordpress.com/

.http://melissahassard.com/

http://cindyknoke.com/

.http://apronhead.wordpress.com/

http://gravatar.com/ramblingsfromamum

http://wordsandherbs.wordpress.com/

http://hikingphoto.com/

Last but by all means not least is my new friend in the Blog-Is-Phere.
The 3rd Award Blogger of Year 2012 was kindly given to me by innerwildkat.wordpress.com (Kitt) who gave me the nomination, after receiving it from her friend Viveka. Thank you Kitt for my nomination and Congrats to you for receiving the Award also.
Here are her nominations and why –
Jennifer from Quirk’n It – who finds such lovely images from behind her lens.

Amadiex from The Closet Artist – who is finally finding ways to make time for her art work in the midst of her busy job at the hospital. (Ya’ll know how I feel about people who follow their dreams…)

Benjamin from Evolutions Of Art – A wonderful artist suffering from new onset Parkinson’s and with an appreciation for beautiful music.

Olivia OBryon – An awesome teacher with interesting stories…including one that proves…bad boys always have a plan.

Ramblings From A Mum – A new friend who made me realize…there are so many more gadgets that my house could use…

Organised Clutter – Whose idea of a “Literary Fantasy Dinner Party” still has me thinking about who’d be on my guest list…

Cowboys And Crossbones – Who really knows how to party…and is in Nashville, a place I’d love to visit sometime.

Sydney Aaliyah – One of the first people I met on here who also shows that the art of giving is not dead.

So to you 3 beautifully, talented and strong women I thank you for what you have done and please, my readers when you get a chance take a peek at those listed… I certainly shall 🙂

Ramblings – Flattered and Humbled

xx

What can I say but

123rf/Google

123rf/Google

123rf/Google

   Juz Sayin’

 Thank you…thank you…thank you

          & NO (though I may act it at times) that is NOT my age!

   Bless all your cotton sock’s for hitting that follow button

                     I am honoured and chuffed

                            that you appreciate my writing

       Ramblingsfromamum

               Mumsy

                 Rambly

My 100th Follower was http://biggirlspants.wordpress.com

I mention her because it seems she has only just begun her journey in the WordPress Blogging World, I mention her for another reason, her Theme for her site.

She has made entries for Day 1 and Day 2. I am sure she won’t mind me re-posting her Day 1 Journey, for she is trying to battle her own demons and become a healthier, fitter her. Please give her encourage and support.

Blabbing on a Blog is easy trying to make a difference within yourself or to others is the hard part.

ok people

this is a quick post..its evening here on the mountain, I have been in the mind set all day about changing my eating habits and inserting some sort of exercise into my layed back lifestyle……..so here is a diary of sorts to help me on my journey and inspire anyone else too along the way……

………as a yo yo dieter all my life this will be another attempt to lose weight, but maybe this time I will tone down and change my mindset.

It is all in the mind as they say and somehow I have to find that trigger and get on a healthy path……………….here we go!!!!!!!!!!!