Daybook #4

Outside my window, it's been alternately grey and sunshiny all week, switching from cool and breezy to muggy and humid. Spring is still sorting itself out.

I have been listening to Ben Rector, a new favourite Christian artist whose lovely voice, thoughtful lyrics, and mix of pop rock and folk make for easy listening. Hank, Rector's song for his baby nephew, might make you cry. Well, it made me cry.

I have been wearing a skirt that my sister made from vintage furnishing fabrics. It's so comfy and I love the detail in the pleated front. She's a clever cookie.

I am thankful that I've been able to spend almost two weeks with my Mum and littlest brother, even though the time has gone too swiftly and we've all been unwell.

I am pondering the surprising richness of my friendships with people I've come to know online. There might be a post in this somewhere.

I am reading -- well, actually I just finished -- Gregor the Overlander, an enchanting children's fantasy about a small boy who falls into a mysterious world underneath New York City. It was delicious.

I am thinking about the excellence that is the uni break.

I am creating notes for a story that is simmering on low heat.

I am hoping and praying for the people I care about the most.

One of my favourite things is taking pictures on my new camera, Clive Staples. It still makes me excited.

A picture thought I'm sharing is from the wedding day of my cousin-and-twin, Fran, to her favourite man, Josh. Mum, Lauren, Tain, and I made a whirlwind trip interstate and back (in one day) to see Fran and Josh make their mutual appreciation of each other church-official. It was truly lovely.

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Conversations:

Samantha R -- that recipe sounds amazing! Did the cookies turn out delightful? Yes, if you come to visit me I will feed you sushi and take you to see Despicable Me :).

Caitlin -- stick-togetherness is indeed excellent!

Lizzie B -- YAY! I loved catching up with you! Still resizing photos so some more will be up on facebook soon :).

Staish -- I've missed you this week! Any spaces in your schedule next week?

Stick-togetherness.

Hello?
Hello-oo?

I'm sorry; it's been a little bare and echo-ey around here lately, but dust off a chair. Things are still happening -- just outside of the internet, that's all. For one, uni break appeared and was welcomed like a tiny pink dragon bearing baskets full of cupcakes (I mean, really!). Then my mum and my little brother arrived to stay for almost two weeks! So, although some nasty mystery bug has stepped out between the cracks in the floorboards and made for some headachey evenings and general feelings of being not very happy, it's been nice to hang out and be together.

We've lazed on couches reading.
Tain and I introduced Mum to the sushi train -- and she discovered what she'd been missing out on all this time.
We've hung out at the library, because that's just cool.
We saw Despicable Me at the cinemas (watchitwatchitwatchitorelse).
We've shared the pictures, music, and memories that have elapsed over the three months we've been apart.
Mum and I watched the incredibly smart and suspenseful first season of BBC's Sherlock.
There has also been the occasional shopping trip.

Family times are good times.

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Conversations:

Caitlin -- it encouraged me, too. Madeleine L'Engle is fascinating. If you read any of her stuff, you'll have to tell me what you think.

Katie -- my writing clock needs some serious winding!

Mitanika -- I can definitely imagine God saying that :).

Eweight -- well that's funny, cos I'm a fan of you.

Meaghan -- Agreed. I should probably read this once a week for the next year.

Mr. Harvie -- puns are always welcome around here. Thank you for your comment!

Keeping the clocks wound

'There's a story of a small village where lived an old clockmaker and repairer. When anything was wrong with any of the clocks or watches in the village, he was able to fix them, to get them working properly again. When he died, leaving no children and no apprentice, there was no one left in the village who could fix clocks. Soon various clocks and watches began to break down. Those which continued to run often lost or gained time, so they were of little use. A clock might strike midnight at three in the afternoon. So many of the villagers abandoned their timepieces.

'One day a renowned clockmaker and repairer came through the village, and the people crowded around him and begged him to fix their broken clocks and watches. He spent many hours looking at all the faulty time pieces, and at last he announced that he could repair only those whose owners had kept them wound, because they were the only ones which would be able to remember how to keep time.

'So we must daily keep things wound: that is, we must pray when prayer seems dry as dust; we must write when we are physically tired, when our hearts are heavy, when our bodies are in pain.

'We may not always be able to make our "clock" run correctly, but at least we can keep it wound, so that it will not forget.'

Madeleine L'Engle
Walking on Water

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Conversations:

Mothercarey -- YAAAAAY!

Katiefoolery -- highlighters can frequently equal joy :).

Rebecca -- ah, thank you so much! What a lovely comment :).

[Q&A] one

Kicking off the Q&A posts (you can leave more questions here if you'd like)...

My mother asked: how many sleeps till I see you?

Only nine!! Nine more sleeps and then holidays and hang-outs and art galleries and Sherlock and reading and city visits and shopping and today Lauren and I discovered this amazing patisserie that we have to introduce you to. And obviously I felt like the excitement level of this occasion called for the use of highlighter pencils.

:D :D :D

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Conversations:

Samantha -- just want to take a moment to say THANK YOU for always leaving such lovely and thoughtful comments. You are champion commenter!

Jessica -- fo' shiz! ;) Thank you for your prayers, too.

Asea -- I've read Two Part Invention but I haven't read any of the Crosswicks journals. They're on my list! (And I love that we are kindred spirits. You would make a great library-trip companion, I am convinced!)

Mothercarey -- eeeee!

Daybook #3

Outside my window, it's black and starry, but it's been grey and drizzly all day.

I have been listening to Jimmy Needham's Night Lights. It's so full of joy in God and great lyrics; the album lifts the mood and points my thoughts back to where they ought to be.

I am wearing (on my feet) those orange moccasins. Bright happy feet!

I am thankful for the telephone and the way it connects me to all the women of my family. I'm not a phone person in the least, but I love that my mother and my sisters are just a speed dial away.

I am pondering a whole skein of things that's so tangled up I can't find the start or the end of the thread.

I am reading Madeleine L'Engle's Walking on Water and revelling in this insight into the mind of an artist who loves words and loves Jesus.

I am thinking about God's purposes in solitude.

I am creating a little study space that's slowly growing cosy and organised.

Beauty in the home comes via the amazing soy candles I bought at the markets last weekend. I just sniff them when I walk by, because I'm cool like that.

I am hoping and praying for my unmarried girlfriends who are waiting on God's sovereign plan in their life to become clearer.

One of my favourite things is hauling a huge pile of books and DVDs home from the library.

A picture thought I'm sharing is of a happy corner in my study. Vintage map courtesy of Anastasia. Old typewriter and camera courtesy of council garbage pickup (so I scrounged. Don't judge). Photo board made by my clever sister Lauren. Pictures from Mum and Lauren and Amanda.

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Conversations:

Ruth -- Haha!! You're just being nice.

Mothercarey -- well thank you. *hearts*

Samantha -- too right; I totally have amazing friends.

Meaghan -- to infinity and beyooooond! Um, you KNOW why that picture of me jumping isn't there, wicked lady. LOVE.

Julia -- Hee! :D

Staish -- purple eyeshadow ftw!

Weekend Journal XXIV :: State of origin.

Let me preface this post by saying that I really have amazing friends. If you want proof of their amazingness, let me tell you that Meaghan and Carla (below), who have been part of my little circle of BFFs for thirteen years now, bought me tickets down to New South Wales for my birthday gift. My mind was blown; in fact, I was kind of overwhelmed by their loveliness.

I got to spend five days with them, hanging out with these favourite girls, getting to know Carla's hubby Alastair better, catching up with my sister and niece who joined us for a sleepover, spending an afternoon with mutual girlfriends, and laughing with Carla and Meaghan's parents.

We went to an adorable market where we found amazing Hungarian (Turkish? Girls, help me out) delights which can kind of be described as a bigger, crispier, thinner version of a doughnut. It was amazing -- and not just because you kind of un-spiral it to eat.

We also jumped off stuff!
And gazed at amazing lighthouses, which are always cool.

We also ate occasional plastic food.

Carla found new ways to amuse us.

And my sister stole my camera and took strange photos of me.

'Missa Glen' was like a barbecueing phenomenon. I'm pretty sure the apron with a large Freesian cow in a field of sunflowers definitely helped with this.

There were imaginary tea parties...


And amazing pavlovas. Mm, yes.

We hung out with old friends...

And I managed to ruin this otherwise mature photo.
The guys were repeatedly drawn to the football score...
And I was repeatedly drawn to this beautiful bouquet that was in my guest room.
Thank you, my gorgeous friends. You are quite lovely and I'm so thankful for you!

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Conversations:

Elisabeth -- :D

Samantha -- yes! We're all different and we can only be who we are and seek to be available to help others with their needs. There's no point in being more openly needy simply to seem more appealing to guys.

Jessica -- that's what I would've thought, too! Although I do hear people say that confidence can be intimidating.

Staish -- you are the ideal example of this: you are open and honest about your life but don't just spill to everybody you know. I'm so glad to be your friend :).

The First Rose -- so true, Sarah! xx

Ms. Conceptions

The Boundless Show is a favourite among the podcasts I listen to. While I may not always agree with everything the show discusses or espouses, each week provides fresh and meaty listening -- good, thought-provoking discussions. This week's episode opens with a discussion about independence vs. vulnerability, inspired in part by the remarks of guys who felt that women who appear confident and personally independent send out vibes that suggest they are not interested in marriage, while girls who express neediness and vulnerability are much more appealing.

I confess that I was a little incensed by this idea. Many of us have memories of the emotional, needy girl in the youth group -- or class or Bible study or friend circle -- who monopolised attention by bringing perpetual dramas to the fore. Few of us want to be that girl. Likewise, many of us don't tend to express our needs to people outside our closest acquaintance, or we feel shy about asking for help. And there are many who have opened up to share a need and had their vulnerability ignored or belittled, leading them to learn to be more discreet about sharing. Others have a personally confident demeanour that doesn't accurately reflect what's going on inside. And sometimes, we just don't know if people have the time or even care.

It frustrated me to think that girls who put on a brave face or don't beg for assistance might gain an unwanted reputation for icy independence, and it frustrated me still more to think that there's nothing I can do about this misconception. It niggled at me to think of the unfairness of this mindset -- that girls who have needs but don't express them may be overlooked in favour of those who appear more needy -- and the fact that there's no way I can change individuals' perceptions of this. But then the penny dropped (thank you, God, for those pennies that remind us of our own wrongs and failings, and draw our attention away from those of others): the lesson is not that I have to change peoples' perceptions in order to make them look deeper -- it's that I need to look deeper.

Who in my life is putting on a brave face? Who in my life needs to know that their needs are valuable, even if they don't make a song and dance about it? To whom can I offer the chance to be vulnerable and express their neediness? Help us not just to see needs, God; help us to look for them.

Hey hey it's Q&A!

I'm not really sure how it happened, but my blog sank into silence for a whole fortnight. I'm working on a (late) Weekend Journal post with lots of pictures, but in the meantime, here's your chance for a free-for-all. Ask me any questions you want. Request recommendations. Order me to take pictures of specific subjects you'd like to see on the blog. Talk about controversial subjects. Demand a post on your favourite topic. And I will manfully attempt to address them all (see my optimism? I refer to "all").

And yes, that is my adorable niece holding a wee bouquet. Note her accessorising skills.