
Nothing much has changed since I posted how interesting times seem to be passing us by. Life is quiet and no news is good news is our mantra.
My sister-landlord checked in via email from the south of the border last week, sharing photos of her gorgeous new kitty, and asked “how are things with you?” I replied “all is well with us… lots of stuff happening with people we know but not with us… it’s weird… feels like being in the eye of a cyclone.”
Since the April post, more relationship break ups and other unfortunate situations have come to our notice.
Was it the influence of the Full Moon eclipse I wonder…. “Eclipses shine the bright light of truth to the part of your life that is touched by the eclipse. Most of the time, eclipses act as brilliant illuminators, revealing a condition that you were unaware existed. They can also act as catalysts to a major life decision. Also under an eclipse, you may finally understand the true character of a person near you.”
Of an evening, the G.O. and I sit with glasses of wine, exchange no news is good news, and observe it truly is extraordinary but unsettling to be steady ourselves while so many people around us going through such tough times.
Even good happens when things go awry…
Our city apartment neighbours who rent a car space to the G.O. have had a baby and are moving on. They gave us plenty of notice but I put finding a new space, via printing and mailbox dropping 100’s of flyers, on the backburner until after our Queen’s Birthday June long weekend break at Taylors Arm. The night before we left, there was a flyer in our mailbox offering a space. Too easy!
Days prior to the long weekend, Mr RHS neighbour rang to report the big old troublesome sliding glass door into our kitchen at Taylors Arm had shattered. He wasn’t sure how, it had been intact the previous day. Mrs RHS said she’d heard a noise at 2.15 am, and hypothesized maybe someone had thrown a hammer at the glass. When the G.O. called me who is in charge of such things due to my handy access to desk, computer and phone, and relayed this information, I was busy with my day job, but the thought struck me to call the insurance company. CGU* were very helpful despite my dubiously unhelpful lack of details. They advised they would treat it as an accidental glass breakage claim unless it became apparent differently, and would send a glazier out to at least assess and make the house secure. *They deserve a plug, and big thanks.
Many calls later to the G.O. from Mr RHS who upon seeing the insurance company’s glazier, thought to mention he’d mowed our lawn the previous afternoon and speculated the mower may have thrown up a rock causing the door to shatter later in the chill of night… We assume this is what happened, no-one really knows… but the door fit was crooked, never slid properly and we’ve been putting up with it thinking it was going to be a huge job to fix. The glazier was able to same day, albeit with difficulty, replace the glass in one panel and refit both panels in reverse to correct the fit, for less than our insurance excess payment. The door now slides and unlocks perfectly. *Acclaim Glass, Macksville. Ditto.
Additionally neighbourly Mr & Mrs RHS, cleaning up the shattered glass gave us the added bonus of a weekend of feeling young again. They used spray furniture polish to do a final clean of our imitation timber lino kitchen floor, resulting in us when wearing socks sliding along the slippery floor like crazy kids.

And sometimes we just plain get lucky. Prior to arriving at Taylors Arm, we did a bit of shopping in town, and called in as is our habit at Nambucca River Antiques… antiques in a loose sense of the word… it sounds better than Nambucca River Old Furniture & Stuff… Up the back of the shop was an old frame, the unusual shape of which looked familiar. I commented to the G.O. that it might just fit the 60 year old photo of Dad, and I would buy it if it did. Sure enough, when we got home, the old photograph was the same shape… I called and asked the shop owner to hold it for me, and next day we took the photo in to be sure. The shop owner was so astonished the photo fit, and pleased that I was ecstatic, he knocked a substantial discount off the price. It now hangs in pride of place in the hallway.
Last Sunday we attended the Dalai Lama’s Sydney public talk on Ethical Mindfulness. Shortly after we were seated, my favourite comedian and fellow Sagittarian, Mikey Robins, came on stage as MC. It was wonderful to hear the Dalai Lama speak but question time at the end was especially entertaining as the Dalai Lama’s sense of humour came out to play with Mikey’s.
Just before leaving the stage, the Dalai Lama approached the front of the stage and moved around head bowed in a silent blessing toward each area of the audience. I felt happy and blessed, and quietly asked for the blessing to be commuted to our greater world.
Sounds to me like several serendipitous things have happened to you and that you are in the flow of the good energies!!
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It does seem that way 🙂 And we are happy for it. I try not to get too attached to our Quiet Life, who knows when it may change but it’s good right now. And it gives us energy to be there if/when we’re needed elsewhere.
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A fantastic, newsy Blog post. I loved it !
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Thank you… and credit to you for the influence on style, which I’ve applied to content that does not quite equal that of My Barsetshire Diaries, but it’s early days yet 🙂
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I loved it so much I……
http://barsetshirediaries.wordpress.com/2013/06/21/special-awards/
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Thank you so much… I’m honoured by such a special award. You are too kind, but I love it 🙂
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I think you are blessed to be going through a “quiet time”. Enjoy it!
Funny how things turn out, isn’t it? With the car space and the glass doors? 🙂
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Oh yes, we are enjoying the quiet time, we’ve had plenty of our own interesting times. And each day, we say out loud just so the Universe can hear on all levels, a big thank you 🙂
The car space I knew would sort itself out, it always has but the door was a different stiory. At first I was thinking oh God I’ll have find a builder, it will cost thousands, I’ll have to organise funds, we’ll have to go up earlier… We just got lucky with an intrepid never give up glazier 🙂
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I love it when things work out despite the disaster they first seem, who would have thought fixing a smashed door would have worked out so painlessly?
So nice to hear those other things came together so serendipitously too, and to top it off with both Mikey and the Dalai Lama entertaining you on the same day…. well, I think that bit might not have been such a quiet time as the rest! 😉
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Yes, who have thought it would all work out so well door-wise, certainly not me when I got the call.
I booked the Dalai Lama tkx ages ago, and didn’t know Mikey was MC-ing – saw the email on the Monday am after about that and the security screening measures… so it was a huge (Mikey would say literally huge) and pleasant surprise 🙂
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It’s wonderful when things go well. I’m thinking a stone from the lawn mower and resulting cold is the best explanation for the broken glass (it’s better than thinking someone threw something at it – yikes!) 😀
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We’re thinking that too and no-one, not even Mrs RHS I’m sure, really thought anyone threw anything…
Oh yes, when things go well it’s great but I think everyone always suspects Murphy’s Law is lurking 🙂
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A lovely newsy post, most enjoyable 🙂
How lucky you are to have such wonderful neighbours in TA, reminds me of RS’s Spanish neighbours.
I really do think our lives go in circles of good and bad (yin yang), so happy you’re experiencing the yang 🙂
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Thank you 🙂
Yes, the similarities have also been noted by to RoughSeas and me. They have kind hearts.
I’m happy we’re in a yang cycle too… and I think it helps that we try to not sweat the small stuff, as they say. So many people out there are grappling with much bigger issues.
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I’m glad to read it was an errant stone and not a hammer that dealt your door’s glass the fatal blow, ellaDee, and you are definitely on the receiving end of some good fortune. I’ve learned not to question such things but to enjoy them — and hope that they are but a sign of good things to come. 🙂
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Thank you… me too 🙂 We’ve been very lucky with that house, everything that could be a drama has always turned out for the best but I’m happy we have insurance just in case.
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It seems for a world that not much is happening, you are doing a lot, which is fantastic EllaDee, I wish I had a place like that to go to, then again, I do sort of, my mum’s she lives about 4 and half hours away, I love going there, it is like I am a kid all over again. I just don’t go enough.
I really enjoyed reading your post, sounds very similar to our lives right now. I hope the eye stays over you for a long time.
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Thank you 🙂 It’s nice to get away but as you say even our quiet little worlds are still busy. I like going to Dad’s as well – he’s a couple of hours away, but with the G.O. working 6 days mostly, we only have so much time, as I know you do too.
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Glad no one was harmed by the shattering glass door. Life seems to be lots of goods and bads rolling around.
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Life is a lucky dip of goods and bads… what a week you’ve had, and yet you’ve dealt with it calmly and positively… still inspiring us all. And, you got a bit of extra attention from RC Cat… that makes you very special indeed 😉
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June was one of the best and worst months. I had a loved one in the hospital and then on bedrest for a while. I had an amazing book launch party. Then a horrible car crash. I tried my best to maintain some semblance of normal through it all. Though I had to seriously cut back on my online time for a while. RC Cat’s post was lovely indeed. 🙂
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You did well to negotiate it so smoothly… your prior planning paid off even more in the event those unexpected unfortunate eventualities 🙂
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you are in the flow dear elladee …. what bliss when life has no rapids to negotiate, for a while at least!
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Thank you 🙂 And I’m thankful for it. Also quite happy vicariously sharing in your KT adventures 🙂
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Just wandering around (unwilling to start chores around the house). Such luck finding that frame – it looks perfect!
So envious you saw the Dalai Lama. He has the most wonderful twinkling eyes and that sense of humor.
Enjoyed the calmness of this post.
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Thank you. The Dalai Lama was a hoot… I expected enlightening wisdom… got that with a dash of Dalai Lama pragmatism… and enough laughs to make me cry 🙂
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