If it seems like ages since I've done one of these posts...

my lovely friend Mariska's reading spot

...that's because it is.

 

So in honour of the first of these posts for the year...

 

...this is a 'bumper' edition.

While my fellow Australians...do I sound all Prime Ministerial?...

 

...or just a complete lunatic...don't answer that!

 

...where was I? While around the country people are still battling floods or the clean up from them...

 and in the very worst cases, reeling under the grief from losing someone in such an unimaginable way...

 

...here are some soothing pictures.

 

A semblance of normal.

And let's not forget Brasil and Sri Lanka either...

 

...where getting back on your feet might not be quite so achievable as it is in our lucky country.

 

The man and I are off to Brunswick Heads today (yes, revisited...that's for Aussies who remember the radio show!) and I'll be without much access to internet and won't be able to reply to comments until I get back (sorry). I'll miss you.

So have a good week lovely people and I'll see you 'ron (that's Australian for later on if you're wondering what drugs I'm on...) 
And a special hello to new readers who might be experiencing their first top ten...

As you can see, I'm not very good at counting :)
And if I absolutely had to go camping...this would be the only way!

images in order of appearance are from: I used to be snow white but I drifted; abigail ahern (2); ak-magnolia house; apartment therapy; bijou and boheme; brabourne farm; colour me happy; design sponge (2); honey and fizz; mfamb; northern lights; the decorista; the design files (2); the inside story; this pretty space (2); tiny white daisies; verandah house; lonny; tiny house blog
phewee!

I really love KitchenAid mixers...the look of them anyway...I'm not much of a baker

...and truth be told I really don't have space for one in the tiniest kitchen in the southern hemisphere...so I thought I'd paint one...as you do :)

I'm quite pleased with it, but not sure where to put it or even if I'll keep it.

It was nice to get the paint brushes out again though...I had to blow the dust off them. The other paintings you see here are ones I did in 2000! I'm a bit partial to a still life :)
I do like a bit of art in the kitchen...how about you?

I finally picked the last of the sweet peas yesterday, pulled out the bushes and planted some tomatoes...probably too late, but with this weather who in the heck would know! 

My gardenias have been going gang busters and the roses aren't too shabby either...not bad for such a little space and I am enjoying them on the coffee table.  I managed to get my butt out from its perch in front of the tv yesterday and start a little painting.  You know how it is...if you can't have a real one, you paint a pretend one...:))

And for the real crochet deal, head on over to the very wonderful Tina's and buy one of her beautiful garlands with all proceeds from January sales going to the flood appeals.

I'm very much hoping she has hot pink cotton somewhere in her stash! 
And if that's not enough, one of my other BBFFs Kerri at Driftwood Interiors is offering the proceeds from January sales of the awesome prints in her Etsy shop as well...which artwork to choose...that's the question??

And...even more, gorgeous Janette from My Sweet Prints and her assistant Will are offering 10% of profits from sales over the next two weeks...click here. Here's a sample...

I love these girls :)

Have a lovely weekend everyone.
image 1 and 2 by a tranquil townhouse; image 3 by Tina; image 4 by Kerri with an 'i'; image 5 by Janette

All I've been able to do over the last three days is sit glued to the tv watching the flood coverage...weeping along with a mountain of Queenslanders, who are indeed a mob to be proud of...

...and knitting dishcloths! 

I kid you not. Don't laugh...they're very absorbent. Perhaps I should send them to Queensland :) And no, I don't knit them with calligraphy brushes!

There's going to be an awful lot of Chux needed to mop up this lot isn't there?

Wish I was closer so that I could help in some practical, hands on way. 
I have lived in Brisbane three times in my life due to Army postings and it's the city where my kids were born, so I have a very soft spot for it.

Just quietly, I'm a bit chuffed with the dishcloth pattern. I dreamed it up all by myself after much trial and error. There was a lovely black one too but I gave it to Richard.

There are many photos of the floods in The Australian newspaper's galleries page. The photos of Grantham are particularly heartbreaking. It's never too late to donate to the Premier's Fund...click here...the clean up bill will be just that...billions. And all extremities crossed for Goondiwindi which is holding its collective breath at the moment.

p.s. I used to knit them like this...double cotton so they are very thick...but perhaps too thick to dry out quickly enough for dishwashing and mopping up......they'll probably end up joined together as a rug for the vampire slayer!

As I went to bed last night with images of the devastating floods in Queensland searing my brain I wondered whether I should 'unschedule' this post.  But sometimes we need a distraction don't we? This is mine...
I may have been living under a rock, but I only became aware of this book

(which is apparently a worldwide best seller) and this associated blog (which apparently has won blog of the year) yesterday through reading an article on The Happiness Project blog...oh my, the ways that blog surfing can eat into your time...when you're not watching the flood coverage...but hey, I'm on holiday :)
The Happiness Project led me to this TED talk (below) and I was completely and utterly mesmerised for the 17 or so minutes it took to watch the author Neil Pasricha talk about his take on 'awesome'. I like his philosophy. It's simple. We're not talking rocket science here (that would be boring anyway). But it's simple because it's about simple pleasures, and appreciating them...which is sometimes not so simple. Not when we're in pain, or sad or weighed down by grief. Or dealing with a force of nature. 
But as Pasricha says, how awesome is it to crawl into clean sheets, hit a string of green lights on the way home, have a supermarket checkout line open and you get to be the first one through...people in parts of Queensland would certainly think those pleasures were awesome right about now I suspect.
Do take the time to view this if you can. I bet it'll put a smile on your dial :)

For me one of those simple awesome things is waking up thinking it's a work day and then realising it's actually not! Or walking outside into my little courtyard and finding that the first gardenia of the season has blossomed. What simple things (apart from donating to the flood relief fund and watching Premier Anna Bligh's graceful handling of this tragedy) do you find awesome?

Across the road from Richard's house this morning...

A kombi van converted into a ute...and a dual cabin one at that...only in Australia! And a huge surprise in conservative old Canberra. It must have taken a wrong turn somewhere :)
Put a smile on my face anyway.
image by a tranquil townhouse

I have, had ok still do have great plans for my long holiday break. There is so much I want to do around the house...but I am laid low with the stupid flu or cold, or whatever it is. It's made me completely lethargic, is driving me nuts and all I feel capable of doing is watching bad TV and knitting dishcloths! At least I'm not out shopping!

Case in point...this is the bottom part of my bedroom. It had a really, really ugly built in desk that I ripped out almost a year ago now. I have had the plastering done, but that's where its all stopped. This needs to must be painted white to match the top half...I think it's the window trim that's stopping me!

On the plus side, I did score that fabulous granny blanket you see on the chair crocheted by my great grandma quite a long time ago, and this beautiful hand embroidered and crocheted tablecloth done by her as well. I pinched it when I cleaned out mum's linen cupboard when I visited at Christmas. Bounty from doing a good deed :)

And even though my house is not at its best right now (a bit like me) I thought you might like a peek of the newly painted living room and the chandeliers that have finally made it to the ceiling and not the floor where they were stored! 

I'll do proper photos later...styled 'n all like I know you like them...that is, photos without the TV remote perched on the arm of my sofa and the cushions in the right place! And I might do a before and after...I think you'll see quite a difference. Oh yeah, and I also have big plans for painting a few canvases as well...when I'm well :)
OK, back off to the cricket now (that's how you know I'm sick...I'm watching the cricket...the men in white coats will be arriving soon I'm sure!)