Uncluttered

 What do you see here? 

  We are officially in the week when all the numbers fall off the calendar and no-one knows what is going on. I have friends who count this as the 13th month, which does make sense, since it's not very Decemberish. It's a privilege to be needed or 'in demand' during this potentially nebulous time. But what if we're really feeling stretched or pulled in multiple directions? Here are a few ideas that I try to embrace: 1. Listening to nature. I had a radical inclination to open the window in my bedroom today. I'd been lying down, not feeling the best following a summer cold. I was amazed by the way that bird sounds flooded into my room and my whole being. 2. Noticing movement. When we do seemingly basic things such as standing up, there is a complex set of movements that goes on, involving a wide range of body parts. It's worth paying attention. I also find it rejuvenating to notice movement in nature, such as birds flying, trees swaying in the breeze, clouds f...

  Here are some of the sounds that I noticed over Christmas time: 1. Congregational singing of traditional Christmas carols and a kindly minister speaking. 2. Birds conversing beautifully with each other. 3. Television programs from news to the Vatican to well-oiled drama. 4. Happy, excited voices, earnest voices, struggling voices. 5. The thud of tennis balls. 6. Dogs barking. 7. My own inner voice, freelancing, as well as reading from books and psalms. I discovered this from Psalm 139 - For you created my inmost being. That resonated. 8. Quietness, accompanied by the tapping of keys and the hum of a refrigerator. 9. A clock ticking (and it's a bird clock!). 10. Coughing. 11. The house settling 12. Let me hearken back briefly to that exploding coke can that was thought to be 'something shifting in the night'. 13. A creaking armchair. 14. Water gushing from a tap. 15. My own breath and a bit of asthmatic wheezing! 16. Cars purring along the highway. 17. Feet and paws tappin...

What do you see here? Drawn on the morning after Christmas Day, 6:15 am, Queensland, Australia.

  School finished up about a week ago, along with most of my regular social commitments. This morning, I was struck by a resounding, almost echoing silence, in the absence of some of the voices that have been quite loud throughout the year. It occurred to me that, at the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph had also been transported to a completely different space, with new sounds and voices, and the absence of familiar ones.  I thought about the light that illuminated and guided the people in the story and was reminded of how I tracked Venus across the western sky for several months during 2016. Today, and other days, I perceived the light inside me. I know it as eternity, and it is very peaceful.  Then I pondered Jesus, in such a vulnerable state, and I felt enormously grateful for those who took care of me when I was a baby.  At that point, almost overwhelmed, I stopped and listened. Thoughts intruded. A car revved in the neighbourhood. Then I thought about returning t...

Mum has given this drawing a title but what would you call it? I wish you peace and joy. Ruth 

What do you see? No right or wrong. Creativity allowed.

  1. Diet Coke Stalactites - remove from ceiling of freezer following midnight explosion that was thought to be 'something shifting'. 2. Stand looking at bedroom, hands on hips, thinking "wouldn't it put you off your food" - in memory of Dad (good intel Paul). 3. Move any loose clothing to a washing basket. 4. View other items asking the questions - 'am I likely to use this in the next 3 months?' and 'would I buy this today if I saw it in a shop?' (thanks dear friend). If unable to answer in the affirmative for at least one of the questions, move said item to either a Lifeline or rubbish bag. If fielding a 'yes', move object to a holding zone for assignment to correct location. 5. Wish good luck to anyone having a go right now! Good luck! 6. Treat self to an extended outbreath, placing hands on heart and allowing mind to rest there a while. 7. Keep Ventolin 'on hand'. 8. See you on the other side for some recuperative cricket watchi...

  What do you see? After a short time I started glimpsing something unexpected, but I won't say as I don't want to prejudice anyone's ideas.  There is no right or wrong to this puzzle. 

Have you ever done anything interesting, creative, embarrassing or unusual as a member of an audience or crowd? Here are a few of my endeavours: 1. Mum, a friend, and I were at a pantomime in England, directly following our flight from Australia. We felt somewhat conspicuous being in the front row. Rather than just falling asleep, I recall incessantly 'coming to after nodding off'. To this day I maintain that I gained a solid appreciation for the genre of pantomime and a perception that the cast were very professional. I have no idea what the pantomime was. Jack and the Beanstalk? Probably not. I'm pretty sure I did that thing I do when super tired, which is trying to keep one eye open so that the other can have a rest. Not very effective. 2. For unknown reasons, a relative and I found a performance at the Ipswich Civic Centre hysterically funny one Easter. We weren't sitting together, but we independently decided we had better depart the scene. We met up almost 'ou...

  I see a few things here but I'm not particularly locked in on what this is. It was an interesting exercise in looking from different angles. I rotated the page numerous times, looked at small sections, cropped and viewed from a distance. Different outlooks were sometimes accompanied by changing feelings and mental vocabulary.  What do you see going on in this picture? What do you perceive?

There's ping pong or table tennis and then there's Penguin Ping Pong Air Hockey. This is a game that one of my nephews invented last night. I'd played a similar game throughout the year, but without the penguins! Anyway, the game called forth a degree of riotous, asthma-inducing fun. Superb physiotherapy after an end of year cold. I doubt we've seen the last of it, as a number of us (people in my family) are prone to, shall we say, probing the potential and limitations of an idea. Over the years, I've been involved in a range of quirky or unorthodox happenings and the time seems right to start compiling notes on some of these. The process is writing lists. I anticipate a certain resonance with these lists as they won't involve doing anything of a practical or organisational nature.  So, here goes: Quirky Stuff - List 1 1. When I was a teenager, I once walked into a 'wrong way go back sign'.  2. I was famous at my secondary school for falling off a stage ...

  And who or what do we have here? The process was drawing circles then starting to connect them. An image emerged early for me but I'm hesitant to say because of past experiences. For example, one time I might have thought I'd drawn a tree and someone said, "nice washing machine" lol.  I love the responses that people come up with on Facebook 😀. Sometime, I'll share them here in a post about creative followers.  Enjoy!

  What do you see here? I closed my eyes and drew lines, circles and squiggles. On opening my eyes, I turned the page upside down, therefore the end result isn't really what I'd had in mind. It's working for me though. 

  I wonder what you see here. The process was closing eyes and drawing some circles, then opening eyes and filling in circles and drawing connections.  I had no idea what was going on for most of it and turned the page around multiple times!

 What's occurring?

  What do you see here?