TUT - Week 30 - Bubbles

Hello Everybody .....
Well I am doing my post before Mariette AGAIN....Just need to start e-mailing her my picture by end of Wednesday and not early Thursday...sorry Mariette....
It was Mariette's choice of theme this week - BUBBLES..... And once again, she took an amazing picture - She says that the reason she chose this picture this week is because it captures Maxine beautifully...

Well Done Mariette - I love the concept and the picture and the colour and clarity....

I also took  a picture of a bubble bath - I woke up with a sore back on Friday morning and later in the day, Mike ran a special bubble bath for me ...... It was wonderful - AND my back felt a lot better on Saturday morning....

I must admit - all these holidays ***have made me feel very relaxed and peaceful...Good stuff
 ***In South Africa we had all the Easter holidays - like the rest of the world...then yesterday was another Public Holiday - Freedom Day....the day 17 years ago that SA held it's first ever democratic election...then on Monday we have another public holiday.

A couple of weeks ago I posted that my sister in law (Pam) in America had Teamed up with her sister (Heidi) in New Zealand to do TUT ---- Here is the link to their blogs....Visit them - it is well worthwhile...(I hope that the links work)...

http://www.live-life-as-a-play.blogspot.com/

http://www.hidesignphotography.blogspot.com/

Since Mariette and I started to TUT, I have tried to make my posts fun and always to have a meaning or story behind the fun - This week, I really do not have anything - My mind is blank, empty,  - Does this mean that I have had a meaningless, not so fun week - NO, I don't think so...I think my mind is just very, very relaxed and chilled... A good place to be - Don't you think...So I am going to go with the flow and let my mind rest for as long as it wants....Dear Readers, I do hope that some of the other blogs you follow have some fun or/and meaningful stories this week....AND, if my blog is the only one you follow (why thank you)  - BUT, you need to get out there and start following some others...There are so many bloggers out there, with funny stories/tragic stories/meaningful stories/stories of fashion and beauty and beautiful beliefs/stories with stunning insight and all sorts of stuff-  and the list goes on and on - Try it - I assure you, you will not regret it.......Just be warned though...you can go from my blog to Pam's blog to Mariettes blog to Claire's blog to Lynette's blog (and you can follow links from all of their blogs to Andrea's blog and Heidi's blog etc) then back to mine and then you can follow some of the peoople who have commented here and find other spots AND before you know it...The afternoon is gone and you are feeling comfortable and enriched and soul restored and craft and hobby and fashion pacified...And dinner is not cooked and the bath is not run and homework is not done...Am I speaking from personal experience - Heck - yes of course - But I have had fun and I hope you do as well....Which brings me to another question - Is my life lacking something because I find so much enjoyment from reading about other people's life stories - Of Course not...My life is great...But it adds another dimension to my being to know that there are other people out there in different situations with different points of view and interests....So until next week - Lots of love 'n' BUBBLES...
P.S. - because I am just so relaxed - I have no idea for a them for next week - Please help...

TUT - Week 29 - DOWN

Wow – Second week in a row that I am doing my Thursday post on Thursday….

I chose the theme this week – It seemed a natural progression from Mariette’s “UP” last week….

I love Mariette’s picture – taken whilst crouching “DOWN” in the garden – It is pretty and simple and very elegant ….Also a lovely clear picture…

I took my picture looking down from a second floor office window at work….From this angle you can see the haphazard way that the “leaves” of the cactus (???) have grown –I also love the little bit of water collected in the one “Leaf” from some earlier rain…I was a bit disappointed that the picture does not really show how high the office window is ...

I also like this photo – taken looking down at the reflection of the moon in a puddle of water (also from rain) on our unfinished patio…Kind of interesting I think…

Then last but not least – when I let our dogs out the other day (cold rainy afternoon) for a toilet call….Ticky (my little Jack Russelle) suddenly started barking like crazy – I raced outside to see that Romanni had fallen DOWN into a trench that Mike had dug for some piping…Poor old girl could not get out on her own, but I could not let the photo opportunity pass….(much to Kayla-Fern’s disgust)..Poor Romanni looks very sorry for herself.

I have had a lot of odd thoughts on my mind (which have nothing to do with our theme) and I think my musings were kind of nutshelled together when Kayla-Fern phoned me after I had dropped her at school and was well on my way to work – She borrowed a friend’s cell phone (she does not have her own) to phone me and tell me that she had forgotten some tins that she needed for school – which I had known about…she told me about needing them once on Monday…At first I was quite angry  - just such a disruption to my morning, but being a good, dutiful mommy, who felt slightly guilty at not having remembered in the first place, I turned around and went home and organised two empty tins – as a result we are having tomotoe and onion relish with our wors rolls tonight..I then dropped the empty tins off at school and arrived at work – Late…I was telling a collegue about my terrible morning and he said “Are you sure she needed empty tins – Maybe she needed tins of stuff for a comminty type project – mmmmmmm.

My random musings that have been formulated from this experience are:

What would my mom (or anyone else’s mom) have done in a similar situation -  the fact is that she would not have been in the situation… I don’t think cell phones were invented yet… and you only got to use the office phone in life or death situations – No I would have had to admit that I had forgotten the tins and taken the consequences.  And would my mom have felt guilty after school when I told her about what a terrible day I had had because of it.  Should I have made a plan so that Kayla-Fern could participate and not get into trouble…Would it have been that serious a situation anyway, especially considering that there is a chance that they did not even get time to do the exercise….How am I going to feel if indeed she needed full tins – and will I be able to enjoy my tomotoe and onion relish tonight, if it should have gone to someone who needed it more then me…These musings are very random and I thought I would figure out a point to them as I went along – but I haven’t, so if you are still awake after wading through this nonsense…Thank you – but you can go and take a nap now….From a very confused me who is clearly in desperate need of a long weekend (thank goodness we have one this weekend) and some major chocolate input..There are few things in life that chocolate can not make better – Don’t know who said that, but it was someone wise….Lots of love and Happy Easter.

Team Up Thursday - Week 28 - UP

Hi Everyone - I do hope that you are all suitably impressed - I also hope that this is a new trend which becomes the norm again...
Mariette chose the theme this week - UP...and she aced it this week - Mariette I am so proud of you - You have grown photographically and crreatively since we started TUT...Also you are now taking pictures and then choosing a TUT theme from the picture - this means that you are starting to look at the world through TUT eyes, but not only for TUT i.e you are not relying on our weekly themes for inspiration - Well Done - If you don't normally visit Mariette's blog - do yourself a favour this week and pop by and see her achievements - She aced all the pictures ...Her picture can say more for itself then I can, so here it is ....

I took a picture of Romanni - our beautiful old german shepherd - I lay on the ground, looking UP at her....I think Mariette's picture interprets the theme a lot better then my picture does, but none the less, I am happy with my picture...I love the way that due to the angle - Romanni looks bigger then the house...

The picture is fitting - it depicts Romanni's huge love for our family and her hugely generous nature...
Well, folks that's it for this week - Well, you can't really expect to have the post on time and for it to be long - Can you now????
Pop over to Claire as well - her and Andrea are back - Guys you have been missed, but we are glad that you are back and hopefully it is to stay.....Remember, don't let life get in the way of TUT....Make TUT a part of your life....MMMMM - Me thinks I need to take some of my own advice...
Until next week, when we are doing the opposite of this week and going "DOWN"....Lots and lots of love...

Team Up Thursday - Week ??? - Colour

Hey, Hey - Still not quite making Thursday - will Saturday evening do?
I chose the theme this week..
I love Mariette's photo....the gold dust on the butterfly's wings is beautiful - She took the photo on an impromptu (If I recall correctly) trip that her and her family took to Strathon on Avon in February - Well done Mariette - Lovely interpretation of our theme..

My picture is of something that Kayla-Fern did for me about two years ago...Kayla-Fern loves writing little notes and drawing little pictures for us...

For me, this little treasure signifies that we are all able to add colour to our own lives....Just draw a picture and colour it in (Figuritively and literally)...The picture also symbolises love - and how important love is to us all - what is a child without love to and from his parents/what is a family without love for each other/what is a friend without love and lastly I am reminded of a quote that I once read - "The greatest thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother..."

To my children and my husband and my father and my family (near and far) and my friends (near and far) - I love you all - You all colour my world...Thank you

Other pictures that I like this week are...

This bright and chirpy little bird sits on a collegue's desk

I think he is just too precious - Do you think orange is a happy colour - I do, I think orange and yellow are both really cheerful colours

This colourful chair is in our reception area, unusual but nice...

Lots of love - Hope you all have a great weekend...