This and That...

recently.

HOME

Years and years ago I bought this wicker chest of drawers for the Princess in a church garage sale. It is really good quality, solid and heavy and I love the Lloyd Loom type, tightly woven wicker. The butter yellow was pretty in a little girls room but the Princess is no longer a little girl and has a new set of drawers. I'm having these drawers as soon as I finish giving them a coat of fresh white paint.

SCHOOL
I really feel my teaching ability is coming back. This was recently endorsed by my classroom neighbour(thank you MH, you made my day). I am enjoying coming up with novel ideas to engage my little groups of students in the writing process. It is so rewarding to see their confidence growing and the progress they are making.

READING

I finished The Spaghetti Giraffe which is an engaging novel for young readers. The food animals in the novel will have children entranced and it has clear personal growth messages. I've now started my May, Poppy Loves Bookclub book, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Is that not the most divine name for a book? I am absolutely loving this book, the Cowboy keeps asking me why I am laughing as I am reading it!

WATCHING

We watched our last weekly drop of Designator Survivor. It finished on a cliffhanger and then I read it hasn't been picked up for renewal. This is so frustrating when you find a series you like and are left hanging like that. Then there is House of Cards, oh my goodness. These political series are full of intrigue and twists and vile characters like Frank and Clare Underwood. Can I just say how much I despise the Underwoods. If you watch House of Cards you will understand what I mean.

FAMILY
We have had lots of lovely family time. My oldest nephew flew in from Australia and came for dinner. We managed to get one of his twin brothers down for dinner as well but didn't tell him his big brother would be arriving. It was such a great surprise and fun. I loved catching up with them both. One of the Cowboy's nieces had her 18th birthday that weekend so we visited with them on Saturday and on Saturday night the Cowboy and his boy went to her party. Sunday was Mothers Day and we went out for lunch with the Cowboy's Mum and brother. Then the Wasband and the Princess and I went to visit the lovely Amah who is the Wasband's 91-year-old Grandmother and obviously the Princess's Great Grandmother. We also caught up with Aunty Eileen at the same time. Bonus. Family is everything to me.

FOOD
I haven't cooked anything new or exciting recently. We have all been, and still are unwell with Winter colds and infections so we are eating very simple meals.

FOLLOWING
My mother lives in Rawene, a very small and incredibly beautiful town in the Far North of New Zealand. Recently she pointed me in the direction of Julie Battisti, an incredibly talented artist,lino printer and photographer who also lives there. Julie's work in all mediums is absolutely beautiful. She has an online shop and has recently added cards and postcards to the shop. Julie donates a portion of her sales to charities! I spent a very happy Sunday evening exploring her website and Instagram feed.
You can find Julie on her website or Instagram
https://www.juliebattisti.com/
https://www.instagram.com/juliebattisti/

RANDOMNESS
Bowen Therapy - I have had two sessions and really feel it is making a difference. My energy levels have increased and I feel my thinking processes have improved. I'm following the after therapy instructions and walking, doing pilates leg stretches in the morning and drinking a lot of water.
Celebration - I bought myself that lovely rose ring to celebrate my recent small achievements in doing life. Because, why not!
Mindfulness - I am writing. In my journal, in a book for the Princess, my blog, my ideas notebook. I also like sitting in front of the TV and colouring in, it's super relaxing.

Thanks for reading.
Rachaelxo