the days before today

Painting I did today ~ Flowers for Home.

so... it's been a couple of days since I posted of my days.

I got a gorgeous email from Andrea Scher on Friday.
I've been a fan of Andrea's jewellery, photography and blog for some time now,
so it was such an enormous delight to get an email from her ~
and for her to have seen Leonie Life. Way cool, people. Way cool.
Cooler than cool.

Friday was also the departmental christmas party lunch...
it is the funniest thing to attend ~ to see public servants let down their hair
and wear loud hawaiin shirts and giggle at inappropriate moments.
it reveals the very humane, colourful underside of an otherwise seemingly bland dressed in black suits sorta people.

I had a good time ~ a fun time.
Highlight of the day would have to be the dancing.
As soon as lunch was over, and the speeches were made,
the lights were darkened and the rainbow flashing lights on.
The National Press Club Dining Hall transformed into a nightclub in the day.
I love the irony of that.
And people got up and danced. Recklessly, with abandon.
With octopus arms and thematic, theatrical dance moves
(the water sprinkler, the shopping trolley, the toboggan dance, the jackhammer)
people opened out and let go.
At least, I think they did.
I know I was, so I wasn't really sure what everyone else was doing.
tee hee hee.
all i know is me and deb and lile danced like wildcats at full moon.
And we were joined by Alex, a 40~something year old programmer.
You can not judge a book by its cover people, let me just say now.
Alex may appear somewhat quiet, an IT~er who loves his family and watching election night,
but give him a dance floor and the man becomes Patrick Swayze.
I've not seen in quite some time a guy who dances because it's fun,
and dances like nobody's watching, or everybody's watching and he just doesn't care.
Total highlight of my day was attempting lavash salsa moves with him,
and failing somewhat, but still having a grand time.

And that's what it's all about isn't it?
With anything, and with everything ~
to attempt something, and whether you succeed or fail, having a brilliant time anyway.
the beauty is in the process!

the afternoon finished about 4.30pm... some went on to party more.
Not I though. Enough for me.

During the party, I found myself outside having a quiet moment,
watching the rain, sweating from the dancing,
finding myself tearing up at the sight of people smoking,
and I just wanted to walk.
Walk in the rain and find the quiet truth in me again.

And therein is my two sides of self,
the contrasts, the ironies of Leonie.
To love the dancing and the people and the limelight in one moment,
and to only want the company of trees, and rain and a quiet path the next.

~

Yesterday, we went to the fruit markets. How I love that place.
The smell, the feel, the atmosphere.
The Italian fruit store keepers calling their wares,
the Chinese bakery with their amazing smells
the deli with tasty chicken,
the garden nursery with a beautiful statue of a buddha sitting that I am dreaming of....
and the nut shop, with handmade peanut butter and our favourite ~ kri kri nuts.

Then to the library. How I love the library.
Books. Free books.
And I got a few Grass Roots magazines which I just love.
I feel so much more nourished by them than magazines like
Who and Women's Weekly and New Weekly and Women's Day
I feel sucked dry of my womanly power, creativity and joy
when I read that crap.
I noticed on one of those magazines' latest issue there is the word DRAMA on the cover three times for three different articles.
I don't want to care about drama. I don't want to read about it.
I want to read about living simply and joyfully in the realms of my own reality, not that of "celebrities"
Grass Roots magazine is that for me.
It is printed on non~bleached plantation paper.
It is organic and homegrown.
It is about sustainable living, and crafts, and doing things for yourself.
I love that attitude. The positivity just exudes off the page.

Then to the hardware store. Gawd I love the hardware store.
Chris wanted to buy an outdoor bench to put on the patio,
so he could sit and watch the mountains and the sky,
and just breath the outside air.
And I just can't say no to a reason like that, can I?
So we did!
And, I am very proud to say, he put it together.
I get all clucky when he uses tools and puts crap together.
It came all in pieces in a cardboard box, with badly written instructions,
and he got out his tools and put it together.
There's nothing like a man using tools and his hands.

Look, I'm so proud of it, I'm going to have to go out and take a picture of it for you. tee hee hee. Back in one tick.



there you go. just divine isn't it? look at the way the nuts are screwed into the wood. such care.
i'm so proud ;)

so that, my dears, was my days before today.

just gorgeous, huh?

love, laughter, lumbunctious lavendar lilting in the zephyr,
Leonie