How did you celebrate ? Chat time

January 1, 2015 by ramblingsfromamum

Here I sit 11:00 pm on the first day of 2015.

I woke okay as did the girls (2 of my girlfriends) and Mr. S.

Our celebration began with watching some TV and the countdown to 12, watching the fireworks over and on Sydney Harbour Bridge. As we drew to the last minute, out came the sparklers, which we struggled to light in time! The sparklers though not having the same panache as the fireworks, at least didn’t scare the poor pets around us in neighbouring homes.

While I’m on this subject pet owners, if you haven’t learnt that you need to take measures to ensure your pets are safe and protected whilst fire crackers are raging around them, then please take note!

Whilst the four of us (yes the party was booming) waved our sparklers on the decking we counted down the last ten seconds.
Then it was kisses and hugs and messages of let’s hope for a better year.

Back inside, the coffee table spread with food and bottles of champagne and sparkling strawberry wine, we decided we wanted to sing. Our new TV is a smart TV, where we can watch youtubes and the Internet. So it was … Yes you guessed it KARAOKE TIME!

We all took turns in choosing songs to raise our voices too and there were some hilarious choices made, but there were also some emotional choices and not seeing my girls that night, got me teary.

We sang, we laughed, we ate, we sang some more, till our voices were croaky and our throats hoarse. Checking the time it was 4:30am.

I haven’t stayed up till that hour since I was a teenager.

This morning I got up and cooked bacon and eggs on the BBQ for everyone, as each bedroom door opened and 3 bodies with tired eyes sat down for their first breakfast of the year, there were smiles and “What a great night…morning”.

I hope you all had a wonderful celebration as did we.

You

October 12, 2014 by ramblingsfromamum

you hold me
in that space where there is safety
always
I count your love on pebbled beaches
my footsteps unsure
you balance me
I count your love on mountain ledges
huddled
scared of my surroundings
your hands reach out
I drift at times unknowing
you ground me
no doors that you won’t open
I trust
we harmonise
your voice
is love on my pillow

To the New Year

December 31, 2013 by ramblingsfromamum

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

Merry Christmas to you and to all Goodnight

December 24, 2013 by ramblingsfromamum

Best singing voices everyone – to be sung to Away in A Manger…but not the words in brackets..

Christmas in Australia (Down Under)

is just round the bend (tee hee tomorrow)

I have prepped and stressed out (no I haven’t this year it’s at Sister -in-laws)

and now hope this will end

~~~~

We shall have our nibbilies

when they first walk in the door (no her door)

then we’ll offer them a drink

one or two or maybe more

~~~

We shall sit at the table and crack

our bon-bons plastic toys and

paper hats and will look

like proper nongs ( Aussie for idiot)

~~~

I’ll stress ’bout the turkey and also the pork (not this year)

is it cooked properly through

is it done right? Yes I query

please test with your fork

~~~

I’ll consume too much alcohol (a given)

I know this to be true

and I’ll get all melancholy

just gazing at you (bleary eyed)

~~~

the entree will come first

do not know what they’ll bring (I’m bringing 3kgs of prawns with home made Sate sauce & lots of garlic)

I’m sure it’ll be delightful

and we’ll gladly tuck in

~~~

the spuds will be crunchy

the pumpkin cooked just right

the mushy peas and salads

tasty morsels every bite

~~~

Then we have our pudding

lashings of custard if you please

then there’s trifle laced with alcohol ( a given again)

oh our belts will surely squeeze

~~~

The wine will flow freely

the laughs will get loud

there’ll be memories of

past years and how we imbibed

~~~

The presents will we open we

will goo and we will will gaa

we shall say oh you shouldn’t have (eyes rolling)

you really went too far

~~~

BUT secretly we are happy

for the presents that they gave

we’re delighted and thankful

and ‘each one’ is our fave

~~~

The Carols will be playing

in the background soft and sweet

we shall eat drink and be merry

and later fall asleep (some quicker than others)

~~~

Yes, this day is for families

and ones that you love

if I start to get teary

I will blame the egg-nog (have to blame something)

~~~

The festivities will be finished

the kitchen is a mess (well hers will be)

the dishes piled up high

but at least no more stress

~~~

Then Christmas day is over and

our tummies will be full and we

daren’t go and weigh ourselves

no that would be cruel

~~~

So enjoy your celebrations

whatever you may do have

and cry or laugh hysterically

for you’re entitled too

©jmtacken 2013

I cheated – this is what I wrote last year..it’s a bit…hmmm…unless of course you sang (okay it’s still hmmm) and I added a few bits as I am not holding Christmas this year (PHEW) but as I have another Service to write ~ well I’m taking the easy way out.

Seriously though ~ how do I thank you? All of you, for your kind words, your critique, your encouragement, your care, your support. I have been on WP since July last year, last December I had posted 69 posts..up to this one 712… yes ~ that is why I called my site Ramblings.

Again seriously, this Mums from ‘Down Under’ is grateful that I have met you and developed friendships. We lost another fellow WP in October and she will be sorely missed. I will miss her, those who knew her will miss her. Everyone (no matter how corny or trite you may think this sounds) is part of a family on here. We share, we cry, we give, we take, we laugh, encourage, we are humble, we boast…sounds like a family to me.

So from me to you all, I wish each and every one of you a beautiful Christmas. Mine of course is tomorrow, so I shall have a full stomach before you even start on yours. Ours will be in 31 deg heat…yours…hmm not so much.

May you all continue to write, continue to support each other and be there for one another ~ the good – the bad and the ugly.

and like ‘Arnie’…. “I’ll be back”

Love ya’ faces

xxx

Take Care everyone, stay safe and may your Christmas Day be filled with wonderment, joy and mostly love.

Today’s Service

December 6, 2013 by ramblingsfromamum

I want to thank every one of you for your encouragement, positive vibes, crossed fingers and support leading up to today.

The Service went really well, I kept telling myself (convincing myself) that the number of people wouldn’t matter 2-20 or 200 then 250 people flowed through the doors and strangely I felt okay. The speakers were introduced, I read one of my poems, there were laughs and tears and when I had finished the amount of people that came up and spoke to me…… well I am floating on Cloud 9 right now.

So forgive me for having my ‘moment in the sun’ as a dear friend said tonight.I only post this as some of you may have been curious as to how I went, not for wanting comments or praise in return.

Mr. S and I went to the pictures and coming home I checked my phone and emails and this is what I had.

These brought tears.

Text message from the partner of the deceased:
Thank you so much for today..Sorry I didn’t speak to you but I was a bit overwhelmed and had to go home. You did an amazing job and summed M up so well. You made it sound like you knew him and we all appreciate the effort and empathy you brought today. Again from C, M and I as well as our community I want to thank you.

Email from his partner:
Jenny I wanted to thank you for today. Sorry I didn’t speak to you personally afterwards. I got home with M’s car and remembered I had left without a word to anyone. My kids also thought you were great, even our conditions, so thank you again. We were wondering if there was anyway we could recommend you to others, because we felt like you really understood everything we said to you, and you did an amazing job at representing the man that M was.

Email from his sister:
Hi Jenny
Sorry I didn’t get to meet you today, but I wanted to thank you for putting on such a lovely and appropriate service for M – it so well reflected his life and personality.

Now I need to sleep, though I am still on those clouds, it maybe hard to accomplish!

Thank you so much my WordPress family 🙂

Changes within seconds

November 1, 2013 by ramblingsfromamum

WORDS upon a page, I wrote of
love and trust ~ the mood was right
ten lines in, plying time
settling into rhythm

the phone, a girlfriend on the line
her WORDS “he’s gone” she cried
perspective changed, pattern lost
~ the feel of what I wrote

the man I knew as ‘Uncle Les’
a tumour diagnosed last month
his life ended 7.45 pm
the rhythm of his heart ~ that stopped

tumour in the brain, caused a cough
otherwise no signs~ we talk of only weeks
how fast the body breaks
how nature’s rhythm, can cease

so I sit here now ~ 9 pm WORDS that were
won’t be again, tonight ~ this night
thinking of the suffering, the son
the daughter, the family ~ his wife

she worked with mum back in 1950
a friendship to which I was a part
~ her birthday tomorrow, we were
to attend, her world now broken apart

why is life cut short, at times
it simply does, the circle as we know
and we ~ the ones left behind are useless
sympathy and condolences to show

so WORDS be gone, of what was thought
star bright skies ~ romance ~ tonight
to you the man I knew, as ‘Uncle Les’
although you weren’t

RIP dear Les, we’ll miss you
your life on earth had purpose
the Universe decided, it was
your time to go ~ WORDS

~ no rhyme or reason

~ I simply say farewell

xxx

I’ve been flying a year with WP!

September 8, 2013 by ramblingsfromamum

A little while ago, July to be exact I wrote about not having that little blue badge that WP hands out for ‘flying with them’ for a year. The reason I did not receive this then is because my orginal name started as randomramblingsfromamum ( I know a tongue twister really). Then I changed it not long after I began. So now I can say it…. drum roll
I hate maths but I’m sharing my numbers (isn’t that what we’re supposed to do?)

Posts – 590

WP Followers – 486 – thank you each and every one of you. I am enjoying this journey on WP and the opportunity to share my ramblings and meeting new and interesting people on a daily basis. You have spurred me on with your gracious comments and support and for that I am truly grateful and I hope I can continue for another year (without annoying anyone) 🙂 My writing is something that is important to me (like any writer) and what I am vehemently passionate about. To see all of you enjoying what I do, makes the late nights, the early mornings, the phone near my bed in case a thought strikes at 2am…all the more worthwhile. So once again, let me say that I thank you for your kindness and your support (quite chuffed really).

🙂

Visitors – 25,697

*******

I am also going to possibly annoy some folk by putting up the Liptember cause till the end of September. So I will apologise for this in advance, if you tire of seeing it.

*******
LIPTEMBER MONTH OF SEPTEMBER – Shaun from http://prayingforoneday.wordpress.com has kindly and generously written a blog for Liptember to help Kayla raise funds for the fight against Mental Illness. He has donated recently, as have a few of my readers. Please read and if you can donate (for those that haven’t already) we would be most grateful. Please re-blog his post too if you can, to get this out there. Thank You!

We are in the process of getting a Pay Pal address for those who have had difficulty donating.

Body Parts – Prose

August 9, 2013 by ramblingsfromamum

two arms
that I can wrap around you
like creeping vines
anchoring on the forest trees

two legs
I use to walk with and beside you
but never behind you
for we are equal

two ears
to hear your voice, the whispered words
your laugh that cracks the deepest
of silences

two eyes
that see the man you are
the good, the kind
the rock I need at times

two hands
entwining with yours
I can touch you, feel your skin
warm you when you’re cold

one nose
the smell of you after a hard days work
to smell your scent, fresh from
the shower and the aftershave you wear

one mouth
with this I say I love you
kiss your bottom lip
let’s me smile at what you say

two feet
to walk, step by step my life
with you, one foot at a time
one journey after another

one brain that let’s me know
how lucky I am
to know you, to love you
to have you in my life

Time to say thank you on my 547th post

August 1, 2013 by ramblingsfromamum

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.

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 🙂

and it’s pass the game on time

May 17, 2013 by ramblingsfromamum

This was sent to me from firsttimefreedom – Her post is here http://firsttimefreedom.wordpress.com/2013/05/15/a-little-game-given-by-a-friend/comment-page-1/#comment-108

I am tickled that she nominated to partake in this ‘game’ and I have decided to play. I hope I have done this correctly..if not – you know where to find me.

Rules:
1. Post these rules.
2. Post a photo of yourself and eleven random facts about you.
3. Answer the questions given to you in the tagger’s post.
4. Create eleven new questions and tag new people to answer them.
5. Go to their blog/Twitter and let them know they’ve been tagged.

I am on the far right of the photo, the middle one is my girlfriend (that I use to have) the one on the left is a girlfriend of my daughter whom I am very close too. This was taken before the short hair and the wrinkles (last year) The squinty, serious expression …it was an extremely hot day and I was..a little tired.

Eleven Random Facts

1. I am a devoted blogger.

2. I treasure friendships and I hurt deeply if they come to an end.

3. I’m playing this game because it was kindly sent to me, and tis rude to ignore…..hint hint 😉

4. My 58th is coming up in 2 months…of me oh my…I know…I can email you my P.O Box for flowers and gifts.

5. I love animals, horses and dogs are my faves.

6. I consider myself fairly up to date with most things in this new and advanced world …except spread sheets 😉 (that is for someone I know will comment)

7. I love my daughters, my parents and Mr. S to the end of the world and back.

8. I am impatient and moody and highly emotional.

9. I enjoy the people that I have met in my WP experience. I adore the friendships I have made, I am in awe of those that follow or to new followers who enjoy my ramblings.

10. I enjoy movies, reading when I’m not writing (so I don’t read very much) and socialising with friends.

11. I think of my life as it is and also now of the after life, for I do not wish to leave this planet, those that I love without grasping the concept that I can always be with them.

The Questions…….

1. If you had a chance to go back 5 years from today knowing what you know what would you tell yourself?

That everything would be ok, that I would find happiness and love (Mr. S and I had our 5 years anniversary yesterday)

2. If you could go back to one point in history when would it be and why?

To see my parents in their youth and meeting each other. Failing that I would like to have been in Wiltshire when Stonehenge was being built.

3. Who inspires you, be it someone in your life or not?

No one in particular. Creative people, artists be they singers, painters or writers.

4. Three things you love about yourself?

My sense of humour, my ability to write and I’m hot. 😉

5. Who would you love to meet and talk to?

My younger self.

6. What music (if any) helps you get through things?

Depends on my mood – bright happy music or sad, simply lyrics with meaning.

7. What animal would you like to be and why?

A sloth – no need to hurry, take one’s time, ‘cruisy’ life style.

8. Why do you blog and does it help you?

I blog because I enjoy it immensely. I am able to release my inner thoughts, to write from my subconscious. I also continue to blog to meet very talented people. Sometimes I feel I may ‘blog’ too much but I cannot see myself giving up.

9. Whats the funniest joke you have ever heard?

A horse walked into a bar…. Nup I got nuttin. Too many to think about and choose.

10. What brings you the biggest amount of joy?

My girls, Mr. S my parents and my friends and writing.

11. What is your favorite sweet snack?

Chocolate….chocolate…chocolate bullets…(you eat them you don’t load them) anything with sugar.

My Questions:…. (some to be taken lightly)

1. What started you blogging?

2. What are your worst and best traits?

3. What is your favourite animal and why?

4. Who would you like to meet and why?

5. What is your favourite memory?