Spoil Yourself

I think it's really important to spoil yourself once in a while - or quite often - with little treats that matter just to you. Last night wasn't the weekend, but I'd had a busy week and I just needed to stop thinking about work. So I went to the DVD store via the bottle shop, snuggled up on the lounge with a nice unwooded chardonnay and watched "PS I Love You" (I was alone of course - that is definitely not a guy's movie!)

There was plenty of things I could have been doing instead - an early night, for example - but I created a little island of relaxation for myself, and faced Friday in a much better frame of mind.

So go ahead - spoil yourself!

Eat, Drink and be Merry

I love weekends. I've said this before, I know. I think it comes from having worked on Saturdays for three years recently. Now that I don't have to work six days a week, Saturday morning is a blissful awakening.

Weekends seem to revolve around the meals: Friday night gourmet pizza in front of the football; Saturday morning brunch at our favourite coffee shop; Saturday night in cooking perfect steaks (sorry, vegetarians,but company demands meat); Sunday breakfast with the papers; Sunday picnic at the river; Catch 'n' kill your own on Sunday night.

This weekend, between meals, Eliza lost her Netball Grand Final by 4 points;Paull and I talked on Skype;I did five hours (FIVE HOURS!!) of schoolwork (because my program is due tomorrow and I've been lazy) long walks and short runs with the doggies; minimal housework; and time with my favourite people. Yep, I <3 weekends.

Pic: my favourite snap from Fisherman's Wharf, SF

Just because...

....these are just beautiful, From the Met, NYC.

Resilience

Social Enterprise - what a wonderful way to empower communities. I've just been reading about Lord Mawson, who set up a national charity in the UK called "CAN" (Community Action Network). It allows 400 charitable and non-profit organisations to work together in a three-storey building, sharing resources such as fax machines, copiers, phones, even kitchens and meeting rooms. He also arranges funding for projects in vulnerable communities, so that the people themselves can take positive action in their community.

With my background in Community Development, I am enormously impressed with this model and the man who finds innovative uses for derelict empty buildings (art classes, ballet school,a creche). I know many community organisations working from tiny, drafty rooms with crippling overheads - what a great idea to join together in one lovely building.

Picture: not really gratuitous San Francisco snap

The people in your neighbourhood...

I was reminded of that Sesame Street song: "who are the people in your neighbourhood? - the people that you meet, when you're walking down the street" - this sunny winter morning as I walked the dogs. There are people I see regularly, daily even, who I've never done more than nod at or say "Good morning" to. There are some who stop to chat, and even some whose (first) names I know. There are several of us who know each other's dog's names, but not each others. There are people living nearby to whom I wave, but we have never spoken.

Suburban life? I think people speak to each other more readily in the city - what is your experience?

(picture: gratuitous NYC shot) (there's 283 to go)

Nice to be home,

but, ahh, the memories. Although walking along the river today with the winter sun on my back, kookaburras laughing hystericallly above and boats bobbing on the river was very, very nice.