Summer rain and French Champagne

Some time a go, a week or so, I bought a pot plant - a lavender. I wanted a miniature rose, but the lavender was the closest I could find. I am not the most successful gardener in the history of gardens, so when my lavender looked a bit sad a few days later, I thought I might have bought a dud, OR I might have killed it, or both.

Not wanting to give up so soon, I did a bit of emergency work. It looked like some ants were in the soil, so I used a trick my mother suggested (dish washing liquid, who would have thought) and then started watering the sad plant a little each day. I realised that where it was standing on my balcony it doesn't get touched by the occasional raindrops, so I moved it closer to the edge, especially since I went away for a few days last weekend.

I am happy to report that my little lavender has perked up, looks up, and is even shooting new little flowers. And I think a part of the magic was the unseasonal summer rain we have been getting the last few days.

I live in Cape Town, and if you ask anybody about Cape Town, they will tell you 1. We have a mountain, 2. The water is VERY cold, and 3. It rains in winter.

So the summer rain is a bit of a surprise, as it was for the birthday girl for the party I went to last night. For the last 2 months she has been telling us about this party at the fantastic venue that is the house of one of her clients, and it has a very amazing view. I can't say much about the view, as it was raining, but I CAN report that it was an awesome party, with interesting people, a fantastic venue, and of course French champagne! Definitely something worth remembering :)

Today is the first day of my 30 day novel writing challenge, and when I accomplish that goal, I might just celebrate with some more bubbles!

Cookie monster crazy

I just signed up to write a novel in November. At least 50 000 words, or 1667 a day...

On the good side, I have already figured out the storyline a long time ago, and I have commited to having it written by my next birthday, which is 6 months from now. So when I have written all that needs to be written, then at least I will have time to edit it and have something decent by my birthday...

Just as well, because I have told a friend I am going to write his biography, and the practice will do me good. Especially as his life is changing faster than I could type!

Here's to the novel.

Spring cleaning

When spring comes around, there's an air of new life in the air. Excitement, if you will.

I was looking for a document today that the resulted in me cleaning out my desk and doing some well overdue filing, without finding the right document, alas!

It is also a time for reevaluating your life and where you are going, and who you are going with. The hard part of spring cleaning is giving up on the one thing that was not really making you happy, but it has become so ingrained in your life that the thought of changing it is quite scary, and even sad to deal with.

In the spirit of spring, it is also a good time to reconnect with old friends who might have been on the side of your awareness for too long and seek out new friends who share your passion. You never know, there might even be a bit of magic...

What do we really want?

There seems to be a paradox, so often we want something different from what we have. If you grew up with curly hair, its likely you wanted straight hair. If you have been single for a while, you long after a relationship. If you have a desk job, some days you wish to do something more interesting, but if you travel a lot, sometimes you just wish to have some routine in your life.

The question remains then: What do we really want? If whatever your situation is, you wish that it would be different? Where is the key to happiness then?

 There's many paths to happiness, but one way to look at it, is as Bob Marley would say:

"Love the life you live,
live the life you love."

Beauty and Art

Sometimes we get so absorbed in our lives, that we forget to appreciate the beauty around us. Eat, sleep, work, repeat. And in the crazy rush of our humdrum lives we no longer look around, see how the seasons change, how life happens all over, and the beauty of people all around. 

And then a white squirrel runs across the road! 

I kid you not, an albino squirrel! In the street outside my house. It made me look around, see the fresh leaves of spring in the tree outside my window, the blossoms on the neighbour's tree, and the way the morning light falls on the mountain.

Its as if my eyes have been opened. My morning coffee is now a celebration of life, enjoying the gorgeous city I live in. I have my dinner on the balcony, remember to water my plants, and notice the paintings that have been hanging in my house for the whole year. 

Life seems to be in full colour again, and all because of a white squirrel!