Wednesday

Mentors.  We look back and see people that have crossed our paths and truly made a difference.  By chance the other day I found out that a friend from long ago had passed away.  Elise was already in her 70's when I met her during my first year at university. 
I joined Amnesty International, and with an interest in the former Soviet Union I joined the newly formed Russia Co-group.  Our focus was the abolition of the death penalty in Russia.  We were an effective group, the contact for letter writers around Australia and translating letters received from parliamentarians and prisoners alike from Russia.  I travelled to Amsterdam to represent Australia and share our materials and work.
Elise, and her husband John, were great friends with an active interest in politics, art and music.  They had a beautiful home with a large library.  I house sat for them often in my 20's. I will forever be grateful that I knew her and that she demonstrated the importance of caring, and wanting to make a difference, no matter how small and showed me the joys of remaining mentally active in older years!

Sometimes it takes the passing of someone for us to look back at moments in the our life and see how we have grown. 

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Lately I have managed to steal a few moments to sew (I love my new machine).  Simple things, but sewing nevertheless.  Of course this means that my beautiful machine is a semi-permanent fixture on our dining room table for when the quiet moments present themselves.  It shares the space with a number of textbooks and piles of assorted papers, pens and pencils, as the dining table also doubles as David's desk during the university semester.

I am waiting on an adorable Japanese sewing book that I saw last week to arrive.  My heart literally began to beat faster when I saw the clothes inside.  They are exactly what I would love to dress my girls in.  Children's clothing stores, like ladies fashion, only sell what we are told is fashionable for that season, not lovely timeless pieces.  So I intend to put my sewing (and my Japanese) to the test and work my way though the book when it arrives.  Lucky for me I have found a blogger who assists with pattern translations and common terms.  And there is Audrey's Japanese teacher or my colleagues' Japanese wife to fall back on if I am really stuck.  :)

Maggie is asleep and I have been madly rushing around and taking the next little while to unpack and repack the dishwasher, make the beds and put clothes away.  But pausing for a moment at the computer it is perfect rainy weather to sit, looking out the window behind the computer and put a few thoughts down... music quietly in the background.  Then to make a cup of coffee and tackle the ironing...



David and I have been talking lately about the benefits (for all of us) in having less screen time.  Television, computers, iPads, iPhones.  It is something we want to try for term time - when school is on, we limit, at least Monday-Friday, our time on screens.

After our discussion I read this article.  I like the sound of "unplugged" but now with winter around the corner, calling for hot chocolates and heat packs, I really want a microwave!  Ours finally died about a month ago and now that Maggie has started solids remembering to defrost her pureed food at times is frustrating.  ;)

ps: I am SO glad it is the last day of term tomorrow.  Truth be told, if it wasn't for their schooling-conscious dad, my kids would have already been on holidays.