Home is beckoning – Musings on a Monday

Welcome to my weekly Monday Musings  where I mull over the week that was.

The Gold Coast – Rising out of the sea like the Lost City

Sunshine dancing on water

Toes in the water

It’s been another big week!  I’ve spent the week with my mother, going through various things with her, walking everyday, seeing friends, visiting my father and taking him out of his aged care facility for picnics and walks along the beach.  We’ve shopped, cooked, talked and had copious cups of tea. It’s been just lovely!

I must admit a highlight has been visiting the beaches along the coast  – Tugun, Kirra, Coolangatta, Bilinga – full of warm sunshine, sparkling waters and amazing views.  As I live in the mountains, getting to the beach is something I always appreciate.  My days of dipping my toes in the warm water and watching people swim and surf are drawing to a close.  Home is beckoning.

I think that when you don’t live near your parents or your children, you actually appreciate any time you get to stay with them.  Up until now my visits have been sporadic due to work commitments and limited to leave availability, but now that I’m retired (!!??) I have time to visit more regularly and stay for longer periods.  Although we do have a very busy schedule for the next few months 🙂

My mother has lots of decisions to make and it’s not an easy time.  My siblings are not nearby and it’s hard at times with us all being so far away.  Nevertheless, it’s good to know that our visits, no matter how short, are appreciated and enjoyed.  We always make the most of our time together.

I’m now back with my youngest daughter in Brisbane for a few days before I head for home.  We are involved in yet more wedding planning and making some last minute decisions.

My husband has finished his Kokoda Track adventure and is also on his way home.  It will be good to be home together. I look forward to hearing his stories and seeing his many photos and sharing with him the time I’ve spent with family. I know to expect the hairy bushy beard he’s grown while away in the jungle, the emotional aspects of the walk, the funny stories, the scary stories and the tales of wet muddy tracks.  He always enjoys mixing with the local carriers and getting to know their stories.  He takes note of the way the students start relaxing after a few days and start including the carriers and villagers in their daily interactions. It’s a huge thing for some of the students as they’ve not travelled before and few have been to a third world country, let alone experienced anything like the village lifestyle of these locals.  It’s such a great program and a great opportunity to get out of their comfort zone, train hard and achieve something great.

Blogging updates:

I’ve not been as regular with my blogging lately due to being away and too busy with family issues but I’ve tried to stay up to date with my favourite bloggers.  Earth Day was big and the Weekly Photo Challenge had the prompt of Earth this week in recognition.  I used a beautiful photo of a hibiscus in mum’s garden as my photo in response to the challenge, Earthly Gifts,  and lucky I did, because the next night it rained and the flower was flattened!

Hibiscus

Inside a Hibiscus flower

My Wordless Wednesday pic this week was a great view looking towards the Gold Coast.  To me it looked like the Lost City rising out of the sea!

I also managed to update my Mother of the Bride series with this post – MOB fun with B2B, perhaps it’s more fun for me than the Bride to Be!

My favourite post for the week was my response to Writespiration the 52 word challenge.  The topic was Backwards, with the instruction to write it backwards as well. I decided to revisit my earlier post The Girl in the Black Hood and write a prelude for it.  I’m really pleased with how it turned out!  I’m not sure if it constitutes to being backwards but I was being creative and figure that at least I’ve gone back in time.

I’ve enjoyed reading posts about a range of topics – fashion, travel, photo challenges and midlife bloggers.  I’ve joined in a few linkups and found some great new bloggers as a result.  I’ve also been trying hard to increase my use and knowledge of Pinterest and am pleased to say, that with some help, it’s going quite well.  More on this next week!

If I’ve learnt anything this week it’s the need to communicate to family members and each other, throughout all of life’s many phases.   It’s a funny stage for me at the moment, I’m in the middle of of my life and I’m also in the middle of my family.  I have parents, and parents in law, who need my support and children who still need me, but in different ways than when they were younger.  I know I’m not alone in this but it’s certainly a different stage of my life.

Mondays are for musing and mulling over the week so feel free to join me. What have you been up to? I’d love to hear from you.

Deb 🙂

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