Hello

My latest article for shesaid has just been published. Please visit the following link, leave a lovely comment if you wish. http://www.shesaid.com.au/Article.aspx?n=77558903

Cheers again - Helen

Hi

Wwoof is an acronym for Willing Workers On Organic Farms. A wwoofer is a worker. This organisation is a farm stay exchange. People work on your farm or property in exchange for food and accommodation, no money is involved. This program is available in many overseas countries, as well as Australia.

I have been a wwoof host for many years now. Some wwoofers have stayed a few days, a couple of them stayed for two months. Presently, we have a young German man (Marc) staying with us for two weeks. Marc is a fabulous example of wwoofing, and has helped enormously in many aspects of our garden. We had a terrible area of the backyard that constantly flooded. With Marc’s help, the area is now full of water loving palms and plants, much mulch, and fabulous paths of stepping stones and grey metal. He has fed chickens, cut up trimmed branches off palms, travelled to the tip with me many times this week, and today assisted with the robbing of our beehives. At all times he is a pleasant and diligent worker. A true pleasure to have as our guest. It is enjoyable when wwoofers compare their own country to ours, our customs to theirs, their beliefs to ours. The world becomes a bit smaller when you make friends internationally. One of the other many things I love about this organisation is that we can show overseas visitors what “real” Australians are like - not just the tourist destinations. Friday night saw a group of us around the ‘almost compulsory’ barbeque, drinking, talking and laughing until the wee hours. Saturday night saw Marc experience his first bonfire in the backyard.

I was an exchange student to Iowa, USA, for a year when I was 17. The kindness of the people I met overseas and their patience are virtues I have kept in my heart since then. Being a wwoof host, I hope my guests take a part of my family with them always. I feel successful when I share knowledge both ways with other people.

Check out the website www.wwoof.com.au for more information. (By the way, I cannot blog about wwoofing without mentioning the following fantastic, fabulous, forever remembered wwoofers we have had - Lara and Roberto from Italy, Michael and Sandra from Denmark, Maho from Japan, Mira from Germany, and Sima from Israel amongst others.)

Have an absolutely spectacular day!

Helen

G’day!

It’s winter. The season of cold nights, heaters and fires, cuddly jumpers and hot drinks.

Today, I want to challenge everyone reading this. Your challenge is this: Go through your home and sort out your winter jumpers, parkas, quilts, blankets, doona etc.  Most people will have some of these that they no longer use or don’t have a connection with any longer.

Second step - donate these excess items to a charity. The charity can be one of your own choosing. There are many out there that are looking for these necessary items this winter.

The benefits of this challenge will be many. You will be helping people less fortunate than yourself keep warm this winter, you will be clearing up clutter from your home, you will feel good.

Please post a comment to this blog letting us know how you went with this challenge!

Peace to all

Helen

Hi

I read lots of books. I mean L-O-T-S. In each book I inevitably discover a hidden gem, or two. On this blog, I will often mention a truly special article. There is a book by Paul Arden, called “It’s not how GOOD you are, it’s how GOOD you want to be”.

The following italised text is a direct quote from pades 50 and 51 of the book….

The Perosn who doesn’t make mistakes is unlikely to make anything.

Benjamin Franklin said, ‘I haven’t failed, I’ve had 10,000 ideas that didn’t work.’ Thomas Edison said, ‘Of the 200 light bulbs that didn’t work, every failure told me something that I was able to incorporate into the next attempt.’

Theatre director Joan Littlewood said. ‘If we don’t get lost, we’ll never find a new route.’

All of them understood that failures and false starts are a precondition of success. At the last compnay I worked for you would not be fired for being wrong, but you would be fired for not having initiatuve. It had a positive attitude to mistakes. It was a great company. Failure was a major contributor to it’s success.

You may have noticed that the spelling in the headline is incorrect. This was not an intentional idea. Lucinda made a typing error. IT was fortuitous that it happened on this page.

How often in life do we not attempt something because we fear making a mistake? What if we did it anyway, and learnt from our venture, and improved on the next go. Sylvester Stallone wrote the script for Rocky in three days, but  although a strong story, many studios declined to accept the script because of Stallone’s stipulation that he be the star and recieve a share of the profits. Eventually, Producers Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff accepted Stallone’s terms and Rocky was the box office hit of 1976. Perseverance paid off for him.

Ask yourself, as I do - Looking at Edison working on 200 light bulbs, Stallone receiving rejection after rejection, what makes one or two rejections that bad to me? Can I correct it, adjust it, revise it, redo it, change it? What can I do so that next time it gets closer to what I want. Have the end goal in sight and keep working on it. Where would we be today if Edison had given up? (Well, I wouldn’t be typing this with the lights on. lol)

Also remember, you are not alone, I am here to work with you to reach your goals and dreams - Never give up!

Helen

Hi

The very day after I blogged about scanning important documents and photographs, my sister called to tell me that our grandmother was in hospital and not expected to live long. My grandmother died later that evening.  This was very sudden and unexpected, and a very timely reminder to record all those precious memories whilst you can.

One of my most treasured possessions is a book that my grandmother filled out for me, way back in 1992. It is called “Grandmother’s Book”. A quick search on google shows that you can buy similar books today.

It is a beautifully presented book that a grandmother fills in for her grandchild. For example, on the ‘My School Days” page, the book has the words.. ‘The subject I liked most was…. because…’ and the grandmother would fill in the blanks. I learnt that my grandmother’s interests included boys, and she was proudest when she left school.

The book gives a great insight into the life of my grandmother, told by her, not by the often tainted memories of others. For example, (she was born in 1920), a world event that she remembered, and in her words… “The second world war, I was at a dance when war was declared, but we all still went on dancing. Also your Grandfather was celebrating his 21st birthday”. When I read this, I thought, that is where I get my love of dancing from.

My advice - go out and buy one of these books. Fill it out for your grandchildren, or have a grandparent fill it out for you. Keep it close by where you and other family members can look at it from time to time.

My second advice - do it as soon as you can. When I sent my grandmother a copy of this book to fill out for me, I also gave a copy to my mother for my eldest daughter, and another to my youngest daughter’s other grandmother. My grandmother and my mother have both filled out these great books, my youngest daughter’s grandmother never did. She has now passed away, and with her the great memories and stories that she could have left us.

Kindest thoughts

Helen

Hi

My second monthly magazine article is now online at shesaid.com.au.

Please take the time to go and read it, maybe make a comment if you like.

http://www.shesaid.com.au/article.aspx?n=58588050

Have an awesome day!

Helen

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Hello

Today I want to blog about memories. We live in a wonderful age of electronics. How do we keep our memories safe? How do we keep them for future generations?

After the floods and fires of recent months, I decided to scan all my photos. All the photos from my entire collection - over 30 years worth. This took weeks. Not all at once, but as I was working on my computer, I would scan these memories. Once all the photos were scanned, and all the photos that have been taken with my digital camera, I put them into one folder online. Then I created other folders, one for each of my children. Into their individual folders I put all the photos that had them in it. Next, I created a slide show, and burnt it to DVD for each of my children, and my granddaughter. I used Windows Movie Maker (came with the computer), but there are many programs out there that do this. I put music with it, and wrote words that explained the photos. It was a great gift.

Next, I scanned birth certificates, marriage documents, insurance paperwork, even my rate notices. All important documents. The thought was - if my house burnt down, what documents would I need in a hurry?

Then, I saved all the photos, the movies of my kids, the documents to several discs. I gave these discs to two friends, and asked them to keep them in a safe place for me. If anything every happens (and hopes are that they won’t), I will still have access to these important memories and important paperwork.

An added advantage of doing this (take my granddaughter for example), I put all her photos on a movie, added Kasey Chamber’s song Pony, and made it into a DVD. This was shown at her 2nd birthday party, and copies given to people who attended. Once you make it, you can copy it any amount of times. Imagine doing this for someone’s wedding anniversary, special birthday etc. A great gift for guests.

All it takes is time, a bit of computer knowledge (if you don’t have it - someone you know will), and the desire to successfully get this task done.

Have a fabulous day!

Helen

Hi

With another Anzac Day passed, I want to write about my soldiers and my youngest son.

I attended the Dawn Service this year, as I have for many years past. Yet, this year it was extra significant.

My youngest son, Joshua, rang me the day before Anzac Day. He is 19, and is just finishing his basic training in the army. Josh has invited all the members of our extended family to his Marching Out parade at Kapooka in three weeks. He is very excited. He has been in cadets since he was twelve, and always wanted to make the military his career of choice. Therefore, it is a given that we will all make it there for this special event.

Two months ago he rang me from the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, part of their training is this visit. Josh knows one of my hobbies is our family geneology, and he wanted to know what relatives of his had been in the military. It saddened me to think that, apart from his father and grandfather, and a few of my great uncles, I had no idea of who had done active service, or when.

Thank goodness for the internet. There is a website (National Archives of Australia) that is so beyond my expectations, that fabulous just doesn’t cover it. http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/recordsearch/index.aspx

Logging in as a guest was easy and free of charge,  and I was soon keying in surnames that I knew in my family tree. There is a wealth of information, and on many records they have a digital copy of the military records. Astounding information is available. Look up this site for those members of your family that have been in the military, or key in surnames and it will show what records it has.

How proud I am of all my children, and of their career choices. How proud I am of all the people who serve our country in the military, and of the families of these soldiers, sailors and airmen/airwomen.

There are different songs about Anzacs. Today I want to share with you the lyrics from a song, simply titled “The Anzac”, sung by Australian Country Singer Adam Brand.

When 1914 began
He was working on the land
With his mom and dad
He left behind his girl,
Joined up to see the world
And make his mother sad
He made it through the war Came back to town
To help his father work the fields
And rebuild his life somehow
And everybody called him “The Anzac”
That’s still what they call him now
INSTR:

He set his mind to stay
When his father passed away
And the rivers ran dry

He said I’ll take care of you mom
I’ve fought before and won
And we can win this fight

And all alone he’d work all day until he dropped
Until the place got back to best he didn’t stop
There were time’s he thought he’d been forgotten
But every night at 6 o’clock

There he’d stand for that man they called “The Anzac”
And those who gave their lives for us__
They’d stand for that man they called “The Anzac”
For fighting for the land he loved
INSTR:

At the same time every year we all remember him
At the crack of dawn we stand as one
For all our fallen friends
So drink to that man we call “The Anzac”
We will remember him
So stand for that man they called “The Anzac”
Those who gave their lives for us
Let’s stand for that man they call “The Anzac”
For fighting for the land he loved
So stand for that man they called “The Anzac”
For fighting for the land we love
We will remember them

 LEST WE FORGET!

G’day

Today’s blog will be a bit personal… and relevant. Summer is now behind us, and winter looms. Winter is traditionally a time of eating warm, filling, comfort food. A time when it doesn’t really matter if we put on a few kilos - those big jumpers and long pants will cover our sins until next summer. WRONG!

As I keep saying - success is continual improvement. Consistancy is important. It is the day-by-day actions we take that will lead to the achievement of our goals.

Fact 1 - my local swimming pool has closed down for the colder months, and I cannot swim there regularly now.

Fact 2 - a new form of exercise is needed to replace the swimming.

Fact 3 - my bicycle is available.

Taking all 3 facts under consideration, I mapped out a 15 kilometre bike ride to do 5 days a week. As I haven’t ridden a bike for many months, I will not set a time limit yet, accomplishing the ride will be the initial priority.

First day.. 4.30pm, not too hot, bike is good condition, water bottle prepared, suitable clothing and safety gear worn, fellow bike riding companion ready. Off we go. It is a beautiful ride, out in the countryside. After a few kilometres though, I notice my bike seat is not in the correctly adjusted position. After 10 kilometres I notice it more and more. After the 15 kilometres, I ride down my drive-way, fall off the bike onto the soft grass. The workmen and a few friends are standing nearby drinking cold beers. I plead for a beer, still laying down on the soft, soft grass. The beer is not for drinking, it is for the aching part of my body from the incorrectly adjusted bike seat, and it gets laughs from everyone standing nearby.

Next day, seat now correctly adjusted, off we go again. How easy would it have been to not do the second or third day, due to the aches and pains, to wait? I find that bike riding is fantastic exercise and enjoyment. Other bike riders passing by nod to you, people say hello. You feel energised being out in the open, enjoying the increased fitness levels and sense of accomplishment.

Success step for my readers - Keep up a consistant level of exercise and fitness through each week, all year long. If you are unable to continue your usual form due to seasonal changes, create a new regime. Come summer you will appreciate the continual efforts you made.

Helen

Music is Powerful!

Music can affect our moods in dramatic ways. Happy uplifting music can make us smile. Up beat music can make us dance. Sad music can depress us. What a wonderful quick way to change our mood, put on a song with a beat that will make us feel great.

Most of the time, it is our choice what music we listen to. A task for you - each day this week. Play music that makes you dance. Dance like no-one is watching. Sing out loud, sing like no-one is listening. An average song is four minutes. Not a long time, but it can make a big difference to your mood, and your attitude.

A few of the songs that I will listen to, dance to, and sing to this week will be - Proud Mary the Tina Turner version, Don’t Worry - Be Happy by Joe Dolce, Joy to the World by Three Dog Night, (Anything really by CCR), Footloose by Kenny Loggins, Fever by Peggy Lee, Fat Bottomed Girls by Queen, Hanky Panky by Madonna, I’ve Had The Time of My Life by The John Morris Orchestra (from the movie Dirty Dancing).

What will your songs be?

And finally, why not finish it off with a great resounding version of Happy Birthday to yourself, really really loud!

Helen

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