Love Letters

Dearest Anne,

I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own, than when you almost broke it eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant. You alone have brought me to Bath. For you alone I think and plan. Have you not seen this? Can you fail to have understood my wishes? I had not waited even these ten days, could I have read your feelings, as I think you must have penetrated mine. I can hardly write. I am every instance hearing something which overpowers me. You sink your voice, but I can distinguish the tones of that voice, when they would be lost on others. Too good, too excellent creature! You do us justice indeed. You do believe that there is true attachment and constancy among men. Believe it to be most fervent, most undeviating in - Wentworth.

- From "Persuasion" by Jane Austin

Things my mother taught me

Common Courtesies - Even among the members of your own family, don't make the mistake of assuming that you can be late without phoning ahead, or that you can borrow something without asking. Also, Never arrive home with a treat unless you have more spare to share around.

10 gentle reminders

1. Making others feel at ease is the essence of etiquette, yesterday & today.

2. There are few words more elementary or more welcomed than please & thank you

3. Good moods are contagious. Hopefully yours will be pleasantly catching.

4. Be aware & considerate of personal space- physical, visual & aural.

5. Showing respect is a gift, one that costs nothing & is endlessly appreciated.

6. Think of your tone of voice as a telegraph. To the listener it speaks volumes.

7. A short fuse does nothing but burn. Should you find yourself with one, steer clear of others.

8. Never underestimate the message that's sent by your poise and your posture.

9. Clothes count. Appropriate attire is not only respectful, it's refreshing.

10. Let common sense be your guide & graciousness your goal.

- Kate Spade-

Things my mother taught me

I usually share things that have been passed on to me from my own mother but as my husbands mother passed away just 4 days ago I thought I'd ask him to what he believed was the most important thing she had taught him. He didn't hesitate in saying - that

"people are different"

- my husband lives by this moto of tollerance & I try to ascribe to it when I can. Thank you Vilai for instilling this virtue in my husband, you will be dearly missed.

Great women from art, literature & myth

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery is one of my all time favourite tales as I'm sure it is for many other girls. Who could forget the misadventures & calamities of Anne Shirley (Anne spelt with an 'E'), the red haired orphan girl who comes to live with Marilla Cuthbert & her brother Matthew on Prince Edward Island. They had asked for a boy from the orphanage but a mix up led to them getting Anne instead & what a handful she turned out to be. Who could forget the time she dyed her hair green after the peddler on the road assured her it would turn her tresses into "a beautiful raven black" or when she nearly drowned after the boat sank when she was acting out the Lady of Shallot. One of my favourites would have to be the mouse getting in the sauce after she forgot to put the cover on it and how she described it as "a romantic way to perish.....for a mouse." Intelligent, imaginative & an incurable romantic, Anne worms her way into everyones affections, including one Gilbert Blythe - a fellow class mate whose second encounter with Anne ends up with him having a slate cracked over his head. One of my most beloved scenes is the following where Marilla & Matthew are seeing Anne off at the train station when she is heading off to college:

Marilla: I'm afraid for her, Matthew. She'll be gone so long. She'll get terrible lonesome.

Matthew: You mean, we'll get terrible lonesome.

Marilla: I can't help wishing that she'd stayed a little girl.

Matthew: Mrs. Spencer made a lucky mistake, I guess.

Marilla: It wasn't luck; it was Providence. God knew we needed her.

Matthew: Even with her queer little ways.

Marilla: I loved her for them.

Inspirational women - Juliette Binoche 1964 -

French film actress Juliette Binoche is quite possibly the most beautiful woman I have ever seen & is my favourite actress. I still recall the first time I saw her, which was in The Unbearable Lightness of Being as Tereza - I fell in love with that character, as I also did with Julie (three colours: Blue); Hana (the English Patient) & Vianne (Chocolat). To me Juliette epitomises beauty of a timeless nature and has aged so gracefully, unlike many of her contemporaries.

Great women from art, literature & myth

Take me out on the waves where
The mermaids swim & play
Where they sing songs of enchantment

& comb their tresses by day

But when darkness falls upon the sea
Don’t leave the helm case you stray
Into wild waters where ships they pass
Like ghosts on murky mists of grey

For they’ll drag you down into their depths
If you should lose your way

They'll take your life or give it back

So spare me please...I pray

Things my mother taught me

The healing power of the sun - to this day my parents will not allow me to sleep in - even when I am on holidays. When I was living with my parents my mother would enter my bedroom in the morning, throw open the curtains & start singing: "Let the sun shine in, face it with a grin. Smilers never lose & frowners never win"...." so open up your heart & let the sun shine in." Now that I'm an adult l can appreciate the benefit of exposure to sunlight & know of the many healing properties of the sun - of how light therapy can be used to combat depression; how it can also help fight bacteria & fungus & how it is essential for the body to synthesize vitamin D. Almost every living thing needs a little sunshine.

Things my mother taught me

To be upfront and to not play with peoples emotions. To never scheme or invent drama just to keep your life "exciting" or to "keep a man on his toes"- for he will soon tire of you, as will others. Games are meant for little children.

"Never idealise others. They will never live up to your expectations. Don't over analyse your relationships.
Stop playing games.

A growing relationship can only be nurtured by genuineness"

- Leo F. Buscaglia -

Delectable delight

I have discovered the best chocolate I have ever & I mean EVER tasted - Lindt excellence chilli. If you have not tried it get your hands on some - you will not be disappointed. My husband is even raving about it & he usually hates dark chocolate. At first bite you wonder where the chilli is & then there it is! - right at the back of your throat.... a strange but delectable sensation. It reminds me of that scene in Chocolat where Vianne puts chilli in the hot chocolate "to awaken the passion" - simply delightful.

Inspirational women - Annie Proulx 1935 -

Annie Proulx, the great American novelist who received the Pulitzer Prize in 1994 for The Shipping News. A champion for mature age students everywhere, Annie completed her Bachelor of Arts in History in 1969 at the age of 34. After a period of writing as a journalist and having short works of fiction published in newspapers & magazines, Annie had her fist novel published in 1992. Annie Proulx has written some of my all time favourite tales, which along with The Shipping News includes: Postcards; The Old Ace in the Hole & her short story Brokeback Mountain. Each and every one of her books that I've read have reduced me to tears, and not in a silly sentimental way but as in they have stirred up something deep inside my guts - her storytelling takes you right there, to the source of it all. Thank you for what you do Annie, you're my inspiration.

Things my mother taught me

To give of my time & my money to causes that I believe in & am passionate about. For my mother this has included working with young mothers - teaching them to sew & looking after their children at "playtime" and also the sponsoring of overseas missionaries. I still remember how excited my mum became when she & her friends had raised enough money to purchase a motorcycle for a young minister from the Phillipines. Thank you mum for fostering a spirit of Charity within me.

Great women from art, literature & myth

Titania, Queen of all the Fairies.

"I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine:
There sleeps Titania sometime of the night,
Lull'd in these flowers with dances and delight;
And there the snake throws her enamell'd skin,
Weed wide enough to wrap a fairy in'

- Oberon from William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream"-

I believe I discovered a bottled piece of heaven today - I tested L'eau D'Issey by Issey Miyake for the first time & now I just have to have it!

"It is the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory of fashion that heralds your arrival & prolongs your departure"

- Coco Chanel (on Perfume)-

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

-LEONARDO DA VINCI-

'Stressed' spelled backwards is 'Desserts'

Great women from art, literature & myth

Frida Kahlo 1907-1954 was born in Mexico City. Frida began to paint while she was an inpatient in hospital after a bus accident left her with a crushed back, pelvis & leg, leaving her in chronic pain the remainder of her life. A metal bar had impaled Frida's abdomen & uterus during the accident which subsequently affected her reproductive capabilities. As a child Frida had also contracted Polio which had left her lower limbs disfigured - it is estimated that she endured up to 35 operations during her lifetime. Frida had a special easel made so she could paint from her hospital bed, the majority of her paintings were self portraits expressing her pain & suffering as well as her sexual experimentation.

The first of the two paintings, "The broken column," depicts her body as being split apart like a cavernous fissure in a landscape left ravaged by an earthquake. Like the barren earth behind her, her body is empty - unable to nurture life, the only thing that exists is a column that is shattered to pieces and is being held precariously together by a corset & Frida's own rigid stance. Nails pierce her skin & tears drive down her checks yet her stoic expression denies the presence of any pain.

The second painting, "Self-portriat with thorn necklace and hummingbird", shows Frida with a thorny collar that is peircing her neck - leaving her once again rigid & unable to move freely. A dead hummingbird sits like a pendant on her chest - a token of her ressurection. On her shoulder sits a black monkey, symbolic of lust & sexuality - is it helping Frida get out of the thorny garland or is it helping construct the torturous necklace? And the black cat - is it steeped in superstition & bad luck or is it associated with anarchism of which Frida was increasingly an active participant? Or is Frida trying to tell us something altogether different?

Things my mother taught me

Creamy potato mash - the best mashed potatoes you'll ever have - guaranteed!

1kg of pink eye potatoes
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 large knob of butter
& extra salt (for boiling)

Peel the potatoes, cut into pieces & place in pan of salted boiling water. Boil for about 10-15 minutes (until tender & cooked through). Drain off all the water and then add remaining ingredients & mash together until creamy & smooth with no lumps.

serves 4 - Enjoy!

Inspirational women - Dorothy Porter 1954 - 2008

Dorothy Porter one of Australia's greatest poets died last week aged 54 after a four year battle with breast cancer.

Roses

a dark rose

floats

in a bowl

of light water

its scent creeps

like a slow spider

up my face

and it stings

in the eyes

so I cry

for pleasure

for no reason

in Nefrititi's rose room.

-from "Akhenaten" -

Things my mother taught me

To never hate, it takes so much energy to hate someone or something. When we chose to hate we become angry, bitter & hostile.