Some hits and misses this week, but if you’re playing along, you’ll know that already. Here are the hits:

1. These beauties from a gorgeous friend. How kind are PEOPLE?

Sunshine in a vase

2. This:

A drink by candlelight

A Floris to drink, in tribute to my friend. Drinking it on the balcony of my spesh mate. Candles were lit. The dearly departed did not blow them out, so that was annoying. Perhaps they were too busy visiting the homes of the beautiful children and husbands they left behind, so I guess that was okay.

3. This little fella.

Kermit the fright

He makes a racket every time there is a tiny skerrick of rain, but I’ve never seen him before. He thoughtfully chose last night to hang out on the gate when I was trying to stealthily sneak in after curfew, and almost made me squeal. I do like his “roaawk, roaawk, roaawk” though.

4. School holidays. How good are they? How sweet is it to do what you want, when you want and stay in pjs much later than what is socially acceptable? Bloody good is how good.

5. My Mum. I don’t talk about her on here because firstly, she is insanely private, and secondly, doesn’t read the blog, (and she would be cross if she knew I was talking about her on the internets), however I’ve just gotta say how lucky I am to have such a strong, centred, loving, helpful and kind lady around. She is a rock, and an awesome babysitter to boot. I couldn’t ask for more (other than for her to keep the Evil Geniuses at her joint for another week)*

*Some statements may be coloured by the fact that she is currently in possession of said Geniuses until Saturday.

So what are your hits of the week?

Did you also have a shit week, but were able to get some good stuff out of it anyway?

…From The Ashers xx

Today the following things occurred:

I did a presentation.  The computer and the projector did not communicate.  So that was fun.

I did a presentation.  For free.  From the goodness of my heart.  And I got trolled, IRL, by a dude from Deliverance (Or possibly regional Queensland.  Same-same.  Apologies to regional Queensland readers, but if you are reading this, I am not referring to you, because: computers and READING.)  So that was “fun”.  I might tell you about it someday.

I did a presentation.  AT 8am ON A SUNDAY.  If this doesn’t put me closer to someone’s god, then I give up.

Then:

I sat in as the support person, with Coco as the patient, for four hours whilst would-be paediatricians poked and prodded her, trying to figure out what the hell this rare and usual thing she has, is.  Hint: read my blog MoFos.  This is our fifth time in the hot seat.  I can’t wait for the day when I have a book called ‘One in Four’ on the best-seller list, and they can just waltz in, recognise us from the INTERWEBZ  and stop saying weird-ass shit like; “I think she her liver measures within normal limits” or “her bruising is pathological” (she just learnt to ride a two-wheeler bike MoFos) or “her dentition is normal”.*

And lastly: I have just found out that Elementary is not on tonight.  I do not know what sorcery has created this travesty, but I fear I shall be forced to go and watch that 50 Shades of Shit trailer…again.

Oh no, Sweet Baby Cheeses, I just switched over to some crap channel and I saw precocious children singing duets.  Synapses: seared.

But, because the world can only exist when there is a balance of negative and positive (Is this true?  Or an AlisonFact?**) these things also happened:

NAPOLEON DYNAMITE IS ON THE TELLY RIGHT NOW.  Forget Pretty In Pink or St Elmo’s Boring, this is the movie of EVERY generation.  (Also: I love you Channel 11.)

Also:

Flowers. Sooooo glad they are Gerbys. They might be SO 1995, but THEYDON’TSTINK

I found this cashola in a secret spot in my handbag whilst looking for a lippy. 4 pineapples and a slice of lettuce? Yes thank you.

Dunno what it is, but I’ll say YES (x4). So I might be a bit wobbly whilst writing this post. Hence, all of the boldz.

Also: The Silverback has done the food shopping for the week, AND is now doing the ironing, whilst I swill away. Schwiiiinggg!

So there you go: It’s a Sunday Night Shutdown here at The Asher’s Joint.  (Thanks for the advice Mrs Woogie).  The Evil Geniuses were allowed to stay up 47 minutes past curfew,  til 7.30pm, with a pinky swear that they would not emerge from their bedrooms until 6.30am or later.  So we shall see.  Could be a sweet deal.

Hope your weekend was a ripper, and deserving of a true Sundyniteshutdown.

Over and out.

*Sorry if you are one of those docs.  I know you were nervous.  But: normal dentition???  She has seven good teeth.

**Alison means “Little Truthful One”, so QED

….From The Ashers xxx

“I feel like I have thrived here, not because of who I am, but because of who I have come to know.”  -Sherlock Holmes (on the tv show no less.. I have no idea if the original Arthur Conan Doyle ever said such a thing.)

I like it though.

It’s a lot like life isn’t it really?  When I think about my life in the day to day, I tend to consider the smaller stuff.  The doing and the having and the wanting and the needing.  The business of going hither and thither.  The things that relate to me and my Big Three: The Silverback and the Evil Geniuses, in that, it’s all about who I am, who we are.  What we need to get done.  What makes us comfortable, happy, safe.  An introspective look, I suppose.  Based on the “I”.  It can take up a shitload of time.

When I step back a little, and take a moment outside of the minutiae of ME, I realise that it really is the connections we make, the things we get to give in this fleeting “mortal coil”  that really makes us grow, and even more, bloom, like big happy-faced gerberas.  Yelling with colour, stretching their heads up.

I guess I’m getting old, cos over here on the other side of forty, this is a thing we (I) think about.  I think about what my life is going to be about, who will miss me when I’m gone, what connections I’ve made, what differences I’ve made to the lives of people around me, what legacy will I leave.  I think less about the stuff I have (plenty) and more about the time I have left (who knows) and what I want to spend that time doing.

And for me, a big part of that is about spending time with people I love, and who love me back.

Laughing,

Connecting with the heart,

Sitting in contented silence,

And getting the best of out of each other, and hence, our own selves.

Perhaps Sherlock has solved the mystery of life.

So c’mon, share, what makes you thrive?