A couple of months ago, I mentioned in passing to Mr Collier that I had never seen an orchestra live. After his initial shock, he booked us in to see the Sydney Symphony Orchestra at the Opera House. He wanted something suitably large and impactful for my first experience, so Beethoven’s Third Symphony concert was selected as the ideal opportunity. Last weekend we took ourselves up to Sydney, and I was inducted into the company of those who have had the pleasure of experiencing the music and spectacle of a symphony orchestra in person. But first! A trip on the ferry over to Watson’s Bay so that I could also…
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Why is curiosity so important?
In this month’s newsletter I wrote about curiosity and cats… here’s a sneak peek… We are born curious, have you ever witnessed a baby stare in wonder as they discover they have fingers and toes? Or a toddler taste things, stick their fingers in things or ask interminable questions? Kids are curious! The problem is that throughout our school careers answers are more acceptable than questions, so curiosity is slowly but surely drummed out of us. Big businesses tell us to stop thinking and focus on revenue. Not very inspiring is it? Curiosity is chaotic and unpredictable, and this is not at all welcome in a world that likes order…
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You got know when to fold ’em
Let me tell you a little story. For a couple of months now I have been trying to write a piece about making time for presence and cultivating my mind garden. Let me tell you…it has been a struggle! I could not find a way to say what I wanted to say no matter how many times I rewrote and rearranged the words, and then life gave me other stuff to focus on. It got to the point where I dreaded opening the document because I thought I was failing at doing something I had committed myself to do. It also stopped me writing anything else for my blogs because…
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The power of ritual
Battlefield tea and rollies A couple of years ago Mr Collier was preparing for a particularly difficult assault on an enemy position. His team had positioned themselves out of range and with good cover, and they waited for right time to begin. This was always a fraught moment. Eager to get the job done, everything planned and contingencies in place. Everyone knew their role. But there was always an element of the unknown, of possible chaos that one cannot plan for. And so, the men lingered in a state of limbo and waited for the signal to move out. At this point Mr Collier could be found off on his…
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Priming the pump
I remember the first couple of weeks after we were told to leave the office and work from home for the foreseeable future. There were days when I stayed in my pyjamas. There were weeks on end when I wore nothing but gym clothes or frumpy tracksuits that I wouldn’t be caught dead in outside the house. I even hesitated to walk up to the mail box some days. I didn’t put on a scrap of make up and mostly threw my hair up in a messy bun. I contemplated shaving it off completely at one stage. I wasn’t wearing earrings, and started to wonder if the piercings were going…
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How consistency is helping with COVID-19 anxiety
Do it again and again. Consistency makes the rain drops to create holes in the rock. Whatever is difficult can be done easily with regular attendance, attention and action. Israelmore Ayivor We’ve just launched into the eighth month of what has been one of the more interesting years in modern history. It’s time for an update on how my word of the year Consistency has been helping. As with most people I can confidently say that this year looks nothing like I expected it to. I started working from home at the end of March and the change threw me for a little while. I failed to create new routines…
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Making time to play!
I love to read! I usually have three or four books on the go at any one time depending on what I am interested in at the time, and my stack for this year has more books on it than I can conceivably read in 52 weeks. So it was alarming to me when I found that couldn’t read what I wanted to any more! At the beginning of the pandemic when everything and everyone was confused and afraid, and normal routines were changing, I found that I could not concentrate on heavy non-fiction books or articles, or even complex fiction. There was just too much conflicting information coming in.…
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What’s in my coping toolbox – Art
Get to know all about it life etc don’t disconnect, reconnect Explore what lies beneath curiouser and curiouser Find love The world is an odd place at this moment in history. I don’t like going to the shops for groceries at the best of times, but yesterday I found myself feeling incredibly anxious about leaving the house and possibly exposing myself to the virus. By the time I got home I was feeling exhausted and wanting to hide. I was annoyed because the feelings were not logical, I know the science and how to protect myself as much as possible, but they were there. And feelings are for feeling. All…
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Did I marry my cousin? Am I a Viking? Adventures in Genealogy and DNA Testing
I took a DNA test and dug into my family tree to find all sorts of skeletons. Did I marry my cousin? Is there a german spy?
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We will remember you
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the Armistice at the end of World War I. It was supposed to be the war that ended all wars. But there have been conflicts rumbling on around the world nearly continuously ever since. I attended the commemoration at the Australian War Memorial this morning and as always came home with a million thoughts whirling around. I’d like to share some with you and introduce you to my great grandfather – William St John Collier. William St John Collier My great grandfather signed on to join the 60th Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force in July 1915. Will Collier, as he was known, was…
