I can be quite opinionated. I won't lie. But I don't get on my soapbox much. Really, I don't. 

But yesterday I saw this...

and it really got on my goat; goats having horns 'n all.
In Australia there has been much recent debate after commentator Mia Freedman dared to say we shouldn't call Cadel Evans (Aussie winner of the Tour de France) a hero.  I agree with her, totally, although her timing may have been a bit off. Misuse of the word hero has long been one of my pet hates. To prove, I previously wrote about it here...
And while Jonathan Adler may be a design guru, and I dare say some will be ludicrous enough to call him a design 'hero', I really wish he or his marketing minions wouldn't use a word with as much gravitas as heroic to label a porcelain horn or three. Please leave it to describe acts of courage, which this is not, unless of course people hate them. If that's the case then I can probably think of a few other words, like dopey.
This hijacking of hero/heroine/heroic makes me crazy!
They are quite nice though, those horns :)
Have a lovely weekend while I put my soapbox away in the attic. Which I don't have. Wouldn't mind one though.

Many of you will know by now that the awesome Jane from My Pear Tree House is fighting a big battle. The post she wrote [here] is one of the most brave and beautifully written pieces I've had the privilege to read. But of course it's more than that...Jane's post epitomises her grace, her sense of self, her care for others and her willingness to let us in on this...such a private battle. 

I wish Jane every bit of whatever it takes to get better. And I'm sending a Buddha image out in the hope that there is some serenity and tranquility to be gained by looking at it...and that before too long, the raindrops that look like tears will actually be tears of joy over a battle fought and won.
Please pop over to Jane's blog and give her your support if you haven't already had a chance to do that.
Bless.

Sometimes life is great...sometimes...not so. I read a post a few days ago and knew that I wanted to share it for today's soul food friday (the one day of the blogging week where I try to be moderately thoughtful and deep!).  Julienne from Mostly Older than Me wrote about the connections of the blog world, and how...all of a sudden the items we see on the nightly news or read about in the paper are real...we are connected with the people who are living them because they are happening to other bloggers, or to their families or friends.  So please go and read Julienne's post here if you haven't already...she says it much better than I ever could. And her blog is always a great read...I never miss it.

And whatever your challenges are...today, tomorrow or the next day...I hope they're small enough to be manageable and big enough to be meaningful. Or if they're overwhelming, that you know there are people...everywhere...who can help, or at least help you heal. 

Now off you go and enjoy your weekends bloggy people! And may your challenges be only of the decorating kind. I know mine will be...that bloody silver leafed chair that must be finished!! And the vampire slayer who refuses to move off my bed or the air conditioning vent in the study...

...which is where she is here...guarding the pile of material I need to do something about...that's my Certificate IV in Colour and Design stuff she's sleeping on! Note to self: find time to start that course...this weekend!! Maybe should dip into that Wisdom book as well...or would that be called procrastination?

Thank you so much to my followers, old and new. Your support means a great deal, especially during less than fabulous weeks...like this one's been.

...and, the giveaway celebrating 100 supporters will be revealed sometime over the weekend...I promise :)

image 1 from here via here ; image 2 by me from a holiday in India; image 3 by me of that wretched cat (who is lobbying for her own blog with, I'd have to say [disappointingly!] some support from you lot...not happening on my watch bloggy peeps!)

I have a thing about people being called heroes undeservedly. It's a tag that seems to be bandied about without any real thought, except perhaps when we're talking about a war or a natural disaster. You see heroics everywhere then don't you? People putting their own lives on the line for others. Sportsmen get called heroes all the time in this country. Sportsmen are not heroes people. Role models maybe, heroes no. Celebrities are not heroic...well some of them might be, but I seriously doubt it. That's what I think anyway! 
I believe that heroism and real bravery are about sacrifice and giving; often about everyday people doing extraordinary things and you don't bump up against it all that often...well not in my experience. 
But in my circle of volleyball friends there is one very brave woman; a heroine by my definition. Someone who is making a real sacrifice, though I suspect she wouldn't describe it that way. Denise is giving up one of her kidneys for her brother today in a hospital in Adelaide. She is, by her own admission, an intensely private person, but she said it was ok for me to write about this as long as it was about promoting organ donation...and it is organ donation week after all. So please take some time to think about this. There's a good website Donate Life with loads of information. And if you're not on the register, please think about that as well. If you want information about live kidney donor transplants there is information here. Apparently at least 30 percent of willing, and otherwise appropriate kidney donor-recipient pairs are incompatible, and currently can't proceed to live donor transplantation. Thankfully this is not the case for Denise and her brother. 
So Denise, you heroine (oh yes you are!), here's blessings to you both xx