I'd like to think that I would do a lot of things differently if I knew exactly how long I had left .... I'd get my affairs in order; get rid of all the clothes that I might fit into someday and all the magazines I've been hoarding for the time that I have the leisure to really go through them; get rid of all the scrapbook and cardmaking supplies that I've been saving for the chance to sit down and turn into works of art; work out what to do with my "treasures"
- my collection of staffordshire china and ruby glassware; throw out (recycle) all the cards and paper and momentos that I've saved for sentimental reasons; spend all the money on travel and just leave enough for funeral expenses; get rid of all the family history information and photographs that i have collected over the past twenty years because no one else in the family is the slightest bit interested and work on filling all my dreams on my bucket list.
In reality, I'd probably keep doing much the same as I already do .... work five days a week so I can have a 4-5 week overseas holiday each year, take lots of photos, read lots of books and keep hoarding piles of junk that someone will come along and put a match to or dump at one of the charity shops after I finally leave this "mortal coil"

Ohiwa Harbour, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, April 2008

New Zealand - travelling around the North Island in a motorhome for twelve days .... I don't know if we will survive each other cooped up 24/7 for that length of time but I've already downloaded all my CDs to my iPod and my camera is set to go (except for the new lens I've promised myself before I go) and I have plenty of books on my Kindle so I should be right!!
Last year, I was suffering from a major depression from about October until after Christmas and I am determined that it won't happen again so this is one way to ensure that it doesn't!!

The furtherest I've travelled from home (as the crow flies) is Dingle Peninsula, Ireland. It is 17,250 kilometres (10,830 miles) but it was really a toss-up between anywhere along the west coast of Ireland.
I'm taking a relatively "short" trip this year to the east coast of USA to New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont.
I don't know that it is possible to get further from home than the west coast of Ireland - I'll probably take holidays where I cover more mileage (like my super trek from Australia to New York to Niagara to San Diego to Tijuana to LA to the Grand Canyon to Las Vegas back to San Diego up to Minnesota to Philadelphia to New Jersey back to New York and then back to Melbourne (with associated side-trips) but I doubt that I would be at a further point from home than Ireland's West Coast.

I think we've forgotten how to interact as families - everywhere I look I see couples, groups of friends and family groups sitting together and texting or on their mobile phones!! Not talking to the people they're with but carrying on animated conversations (loudly!!) with people they would rather be with!! I especially hate how people can't be bothered to ring for a special day like a birthday or Christmas or to pass on news. Instead they kill several birds with one stone and send a generic text or email ccing or bccing everyone on their contact list. I'd rather not get a birthday wish than get an impersonal text or email. Of course, it's probably my fault because I don't reciprocate or send texts myself!!!

Bower Bird Nest

I can't throw anything away ... I'm the original hoarder and just know that the article that I read in a magazine will be the perfect inspiration I need for writing ...or that other article has the perfect tip to solve my photography problems. Or I'll want to re-read that book further down the track ... or I'll lose 5 kgs and fit back into those jeans - but maybe I'd better hang on to these other jeans just in case I put another 5 kgs on ..... or maybe ... I'm sure you get the picture!!
I have dreams where I'm about eighty years old, living on my own in this derelict house with magazines and books piled on every surface, interesting jars and bottles on every window ledge and baskets full of ribbons, paper and embellishments everywhere just waiting for me to make more cards and scrapbooks. There's boxes of clothes in every room waiting for me to fit in them and there's photos in stacks waiting to be framed and others already framed waiting for me to hang them on the walls. And of course, there's piles of stuffed toys in the corners and everyone of them has a story and a memory of their own!! In my dreams, the council workers are knocking on the door because my home is a fire and health hazard and there are doctors standing by waiting to commit me because of my collectormania!!!

Rainbow Castle

Rainbow - it symbolises ...... sunshine after rain..... happiness after sorrow ..... healing after pain .... the promise of life after death ..... peace after war ..... hope after disappointment

Smoke Tinged Halloween Moon

Halloween has traditionally not been celebrated in Australia - even though the last few years have seen Halloween merchandise creeping into the shops in an effort to entice Australians into buying up big and entering into the spirit. Every year, after Halloween is past, the spooky stuff goes on the discount shelf. I don't think anyone does Halloween like the Americans.

Portugal Beja Sunshine

It depends on which side of the bed I got out of that morning ,,,,, somedays when the sun is shining, it's easy to be an optimist .... it's easy to look forward to good things happening and unimaginable that things can go wrong. Other days, when the sky is grey and the traffic is heavy, and everyone is bitching and complaining about the workload, or their health or the boss .... I feel like everything is dreary and that I just can't cope with anything one minute more and that I'm the world's worst pessimist. Then .... someone cracks a joke or says something nice or supportive and the whole world's okay again and I can cope with anything .....

I've lived for over half a century and can honestly say that I have only two MAJOR regrets and things that I would change - the first is not making the most of my opportunities when I joined the Navy almost straight out of school .... I was too busy running wild, learning about sex and how to drink alcohol. Who knows where I might have ended up!!!
The second was when I was fostering a lovely girl and she told me that she felt guilty about how good I was to her, because I wasn't her kind of people and that she had no intention of staying. Instead of discussing it with her and working through the issues, I helped her to leave and go on to a series of unsuitable placements ,,,, the last I heard, she was running wild, skipping school and hanging out with totally unsuitable kids. I tried several times to see her and perhaps try again but without luck. I was so disappointed that I never tried to foster again and I've always felt that that was a mistake.

Sunshine on my face in spring
The warmth of the sun after a long grey and gloomy winter is so uplifting to the soul

The song of birds as they build their nests
Birdsong is the music of earth's renewal of life each year

My favourite music in the background as I work
reminds me of people I've met and places I've been and good and bad things that have happened during my lifetime

Watching my dogs at play
reminds me that life is meant to be joyous, uncomplicated and fun and lived in the moment. It is not something to be dreaded but rather it is meant to be anticipated and savoured and LIVED!!!!

Hearing unexpectedly from friends and familly
reminds me that I am not alone - that there are people who care about me and think of me every now and then.

Cardmaking, photography and scrapbooking
provide creative outlets that compensate for the mandaneness and madness and pressure of the working week. Cardmaking and scrapbooking allow me to have colour and beauty in my life and taking photos allows me to explore my environment and appreciate the play of light and shadow on the world around me. I love to look at other people's photographs and admire the creativeness of the art that they produce through the lens of their cameras (and with the aid of Photoshop and similar programmes!!)

Relaxing with a good book
opens me up to new worlds and experiences that I would not normally encounter (for good or bad ..... depending on the book of the moment). It expands my vocabulary and my mind and encourages me to explore my own life more deeply.

The smell of a Sunday roast
reminds me of a time when Mum would cook for the whole family and a roast was a special treat. It takes me back to a time when Mum and Dad were still alive, us kids still had the wide world ahead of us, there was no pollution or genetically modified food, vegetables came from Dad's garden and life was good .......

Planning my next holiday
because I am going to see and experience scenery, food, people and customs that are not part of my general day-to-day life. The anticipation and decision-making are as much a part of travel as the actual holiday - reading brochures, watching TV documentaries all play a part in deciding where, when and how to spend the next holiday!!

Receiving compliments for a job well-done
because it means my efforts are appreciated and valued. It inspires me to work harder and to learn new skills and gives me a reason to get out of bed and go to work - especially on a Monday morning!!