My favourite time of day. 5am. The sun has risen but the day is fresh.The birdsong fills the air and this morning a buzz not normally heard. The source bees taking the nectar from the blossoms. Look closely and you may see them. The thought of their enterprise and my garden providing the blossom for their honey. Yes, that brought a smile.
In response to Trent’s Weekly Smile
© irene waters 2016
Once upon a time there lived a miserly woman who hid her money under the mattress. One day she died. That night the beneficiary dreamt he was to give the cash to the poor, keeping only twenty dollars for himself. Reluctantly, as he craved wealth, he carried out these wishes buying a watch with his twenty dollars. He stuffed it into his lunch box. Coming across a diabetic man needing sugar, from his lunchbox, he gave him his jelly beans. The man stared at the watch in the apple. Thrilled, Steve Jobs paid handsomely for the apple watch idea.
This week Charli has asked us to write:
January 13, 2016 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) begin a story with, “Once upon a time…” Where you take the fairy tale is entirely up to you. Your character can break the traditional mold, or your ending can be less than happy. Elements of fairy tales include magic, predicaments, villains, heroes, fairy-folk and kingdoms. How can you turn these elements upside down or use them in a realistic setting? Write your own fairy tale.
Respond by January 19, 2016 to be included in the weekly compilation. Rules are here. All writers are welcome!
Also for those who are interested a writing competition with cash prizes, the entry fee going to help a young boy (Noah) who needs the assistance of a dog. for more information follow the links.
Our team of accomplished judges are patiently standing by and awaiting your submissions! Other than the judges, this contest is open to all Rough Writers and beyond. Please spread this contest if you can help out. It’s a great cause, only $15 to enter and a $250 first place prize with prizes for second, third and an overall grand prize randomly drawn from all who submitted to any of the 4 Paws for Noah Contests. You can use the icon to share and link back to the Contest Page.
© irene waters 2016
© irene waters 2016
© irene waters 2016
© irene waters 2016
The car gleams black
Lunar Park mirrors it makes
one fat, one thin.
In response to Cee’s Odd Ball Challenge
© irene Waters 2016
It’s hard to believe a week has gone by already. With the amount of work I have done I would have hoped only a day or two had passed by, but 7. Come on in anyway. The kettle is boiled so coffee, tea or hot chocolate?
If we “were having coffee” I’d tell you that we have done a little sight seeing with BILL and Sils and drove to Perigian Beach for lunch yesterday, to the Farmer’s market at Yandina today and the Spit. The first two we did scenic drives on the way there and the way back and they were pleasant days. They have been enjoying our weather until today when it has turned cold, windy and showery. Still they are finding it much warmer than Germany and even walked down to the river at Gympie Terrace this afternoon. We chose to stay indoors, Roger with his head in a good book and me alternating between that bl….jigsaw puzzle and my work books.
If we “were having coffee” I’d tell you that jig saw puzzle is now driving us crazy. We didn’t start with the one I took a photo of – perhaps that will be next.There isn’t much more to do but it is all the difficult bits left. We are convinced that there are some pieces missing. Muffin is enjoying having extra people to lavish attention on her whilst Bundy is happy just being with Roger.
© irene waters 2016
© irene waters 2016
If we “were having coffee” I’d tell you all our activities are starting again and on Monday we were back at Pilates. We haven’t lost as much condition as we were expecting to have lost and came away feeling quite pleased with ourselves. Sils and I had a Bowen treatment each on Thursday and I am hoping next Monday will be even easier. I don’t think I will ever obtain the level of fitness in the following video but for those of you who are Mum’s I think this is a great idea. Perhaps even suitable for grandmas.
Blog wise the Times Past challenge is still open and we have some great entries to read. That is about it for this week as I really do have to do some work. I am going on a picnic tomorrow and dancing starts back and time is getting away.
I hope you have a good week and thanks for dropping in for coffee.
Oh, I nearly forgot and I am over the moon so I can’t believe I didn’t say – I have had a piece accepted for a literary magazine. So excited.
See you next week.
Thanks to Diana for hosting our coffee mornings. Have a good week.
© irene waters 2016
© irene waters 2016
School girl learning
let me know that all the alphabet
does appear.
In response to Weekly Photo Challenge
© irene waters 2016
© irene waters 2016
© irene waters 2016
I love the idea of a community garden. We have one in Noosa which is fantastic as so many people live in apartments here. We also had one in Gloucester, The Tucker Patch, which initially I found strange as everyone had a large garden of their own, and yet they came together to grow vegetables which were then sold at the Farmer’s Market. Despite have over 5 acres garden of my own, I assisted at the Tucker Patch and learnt the real value of gardening with others.
© irene waters 2016
Coming across the Pop Up Patch in a car park in Melbourne’s Federation Square was unexpected. Apparently, I was told, there was a problem with the structure being used for car parking and so Federation Square and The Little Veggie Patch Company joined forces to create a green space on the unusable section. The view as you approach gives no hint to what lies inside. Here any member of the community can rent a square garden and plant whatever they choose. Naturally there are more vegetables than flowers but there was an abundance of petals to delight also.
© irene waters 2016
There was a little shop selling coffee so you could sit amongst the greenery, breathing in the herbs as they released their aroma as people brushed by their foliage. A shop was also onsite selling seeds from the garden, gardening equipment and books and the gardeners could put their excess produce for sale. Advice was given out for free. I imagine on a weekend the place would be alive with gardeners, tourists, conversation and laughter.
© irene waters 2016
The space also aided in keeping Federation Square a carbon neutral. Another rooftop use that was not open to the public, which also went towards creating a carbon neutral environment was the rooftop bees, part of the urban honey movement. On top of another building are 10 hives which supply Federation Square restaurants and cafés with all their honey needs. The hives yield, I’m told, around 350 kilograms of honey each year.
© irene waters 2016
If in Melbourne, Federation Square is worth a visit (do the free guided tour) and take in more than the architecture and artwork. What a wonderful public space for the city to have.
© irene waters 2016
© irene waters 2016
© irene waters 2016
© irene waters 2016
© irene waters 2016
© irene waters 2015
© irene waters 2016
© irene waters 2015
© amy Reese
I was amazed they still lived there. It was over 20 years ago… They’d severed contact when my marriage broke-down. They’d just moved, living in the paddock in a bus.
On arrival, we found no house, just a cement slab. Perhaps we had the address wrong but looking over the edge I saw the bus below. “Perhaps Cheryl died. She had leukaemia and he was too heartbroken to finish it.” I whispered to Trevor.
I knocked on the neighbour’s door and he allayed my fears.
“Nothings changed” he said. “They had so many kids, they had no time for building.”
Firstly my apologies for not getting to everyone last week. We have house-guests that are staying 2 months and my time which was already limited is more so. I will try to get to everyone this week but my apologies if I don’t.
n response to the photo prompt kindly provided by Amy Reese and the hosting by Rochelle who invites us to write a flash of no more than 100 words and link up via the blue frog on her site. If you don’t want to write have a read as there is always a varied talented selection to read.
 | Irene Waters 19 Writ… on Radio Quiz Kid – My… |
 | Kim on Radio Quiz Kid – My… |
 | Friday-Flashback-Pre… on Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge:… |
 | THURSDAY’S SPE… on Over: Thursday’s Special |
 | Mind Lab on One |
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