what makes a great day?

It was about 2 weeks ago that I walked around the garden and felt a tad disappointed that my plants and lawn were looking sickly and had obviously not enjoyed our rather cold and long winter.  Everything looked a bit droopy and sad, there were lots of "holes" and to be honest, I felt disheartened and exhausted just thinking of all the work involved in getting it back to life.

I should not have been afraid (or disheartened) -  it must have been a combination of the sun, some prolonged watering and good old "bounce back" because yesterday morning everything had done a complete turnaround.  I had a lovely watering session, sipped my tea and while I watered (and sang and thought) I started planning a garden party in my head.

Michael's worst the Silky Oak - now in full bloom

How can we cut down 2 such pretty trees, aliens or not?

 2 new Iceberg roses bought in Elgin

 From our front door -  I need to sell the idea to Michael of a "room in a roof"

What a waste of such a view!!

Maybe I should agree to have the Silky Oaks removed in exchange for a "room with a view"

or a deck

or a tree house in the Silky Oaks 

 Early morning sun

A busy day and a surprise posy of fresh flowers from Janetta's lovely garden

An evening tasting wines at the Kelvin Wine Tasting, some delicious sushi with Fay, coupled with the first orders for Wine Time arriving in my Inbox, it was an awesome day.

Roll on Summer!!

you do not have to be good....

A tad tired this evening, so into my "draft archives" I go.  Maybe time to share one of my favourite poems - Wild Geese - with you.  I should read more poetry - It is good for the soul.

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes,

over the prairies and the deep trees,

the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,

the world offers itself to your imagination,

calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting–

over and over announcing your place

in the family of things

Mary Oliver

Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? 
Mary Oliver 


I want to think again of dangerous and noble things. 
I want to be light and frolicsome. I want to be improbable and beautiful 
and afraid of nothing as though I had wings.
Mary Oliver



He is exactly the poem I wanted to write. 
Mary Oliver

quite deep for a sunny saturday morning...

I have been up since 5.30 this morning and have been working at top speed.  I have watered the garden (good thinking time), I have been putting the finishing touches to the first Wine Time newsletter (taking a bit longer than I hoped but quite a lot of technical stuff involved, which takes time), I have swept the courtyard, chilled the wine bottles and made the outside look pretty because it is a perfect day to take some wine pictures for the new website.

I am now back at my computer listening to music, checking emails and enjoying a cup of tea.  Next to me is a book I have just started reading and I am so, so tempted to head into the garden and read - maybe later.

Gareth sent me an amazing link to a song that came with a story.  It is one of the most haunting songs I have ever heard and it has slowed me down and put me in a more retrospective and mellow mood.  (Janet, I now have the perfect post for your Music Monday).  I have also been organising my computer and adding stuff from my desk at office to the home computer.  All very time consuming but very necessary.

Now while filing away stuff and looking through all the files I have labelled "ideas for blog posts", I came across these questions. From Marc and Angel Hack Life - there are 50 questions, but I have chosen only a couple that got me thinking:-

How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?

29 - I always think that 29 is the right age for me.  I don't think I have changed that much since then (physically but not mentally) and I think I could cope with always being a 29 year old.

If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?

I don't think I would change a thing but travel more - sell up everything and take off travelling with family and friends along the way.

Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?

No question - Joyful will win every time - A joyful, simple life - who could ask for more?

Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?

Not sure here - Probably new memories and living in the moment is far better than dwelling on the past but imagine never being able to remember your grandparents, your father, your best friend?

Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset?  Does it really matter now?

I often tell myself this.  Will this matter next month or next year?

Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?

Often

If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?

What an awful thought.  Maybe empty the drug cabinet and be the first to go?

Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous?

Nope

This has been a great week, that has flown past too quickly, there has been lots to do and lots to think about.  A bunch of birthdays, Tom and Rykie and Hayley and Kelly who share a birthday (Kelly turned 13 on Tuesday)

kind and wise 

unique and special
hectically energetic and incredibly talkative
that's our 13 year old

Happy Birthday Kelly 

 i hope there are always enough trees for you to climb

and so it is......

Let me begin by setting the scene.  The year was 2005.  I had just had the most amazing 10 days touring the UK with my mother, sister, brother and 2 of my sons.  My mom, Dalene and I had flown over to join my brother David for his 30th birthday and he had arranged a trip to Wales and down south of England for us.  Gareth was working in London and Matthew was on a gap year in Bristol.  Dalene flew home to her girls, my mother went touring and my great friend Nicky  (aka Louise or Thelma) flew over to join me for the last two weeks of my holiday...time with Matthew in Bristol, a week long tour through Ireland, back to Gareth in London and then home.  A wonderful month of awesome memories.

Nicky and I did a Paddywagon Tour for five days in Ireland and it was all we thought it would be...and a bit more.  

We had a crazy tour guide who managed to upset most of the older people on the bus with his music.  Not Nicky and I.  We loved his music and kept asking him which artist was playing and I made a list in my little black book.  The Blower's Daughter was obviously his favourite and we ended up knowing all the words because he played it so often.  

It has one of the best opening lines ever...."and so it is..............".  

Anyway what is the point of this story?  Before we left Ireland I had to go and buy this Damien Rice CD for "the boys".   I always have this sense of excitement when I think I may be introducing them to something new that they do not know and may perhaps enjoy.  

Not to be with "and so it is".  

I got back to Bristol to play Matthew the new CD.  He knew it ("not so new Mum") but did not really like it much. I pulled it out again in London to play for Gareth and he politely asked me to "put it in the box".  Back in Cape Town, Nic who was left "home alone" was probably the least impressed when I tried to "sell" it to him.  So "their" CD became my CD and it is still No. 4 CD in my car on the CD shuttle, 7 years later. 

Whenever this song comes on, I turn the volume up and sing along (if there is no one else in the car) and my mind and heart goes back to that wonderful week in Ireland, laughing and being crazy with Nicky, and the tattooed Irish tour guide on the bus who drove everyone else on the bus crazy with his music.

And so it is

Just like you said it would be

Life goes easy on me

Most of the time

And so it is

The shorter story

No love, no glory

No hero in her skies

I can't take my eyes off you

I can't take my eyes off you

I can't take my eyes off you

I can't take my eyes off you

I can't take my eyes off you

I can't take my eyes...

And so it is

Just like you said it should be

We'll both forget the breeze

Most of the time

And so it is

The colder water

The blower's daughter

The pupil in denial

I can't take my eyes off you

I can't take my eyes off you

I can't take my eyes off you

I can't take my eyes off you

I can't take my eyes off you

I can't take my eyes...

Did I say that I loathe you?

Did I say that I want to

Leave it all behind?

I can't take my mind off you

I can't take my mind off you...

I can't take my mind off you

I can't take my mind off you

I can't take my mind off you

I can't take my mind...

My mind...my mind...

'Til I find somebody new

"And so it is.............."