happy party

Had such a lovely time at the party! Everyone was really happy and it was just great! One friend insisted on singing (declaiming?) a song from Shakespeare to me (as a birthday thing), other people told lurid embellished stories about my youth, and a good time was generally had by all! The only thing I was a bit sad about was that my iPod playlist that I laboured long over putting together, was really only heard by the people sitting closest to the kitchen (where the music machine was). But the 2 girls working in the kitchen said they really like it, so I guess all that work wasn't completely in vain!!

Photos will follow in the next few days, although some are on my Facebook album now.

Yoga has gone a bit into abeyance as I've got my mother staying at the moment. But I'll be back to it on Wednesday, and expect to be stiff!

Yesterday we trailed round Brisbane showing my brother-in-law and his wife round various art galleries etc before their flight home in the evening. They had flown up from Sydney specially for the party, as had my nephew. Jo, the nephew had to fly back to Sydney early on Saturday morning to help organise another birthday party that night for his girlfriend's mother! So it was such a sweet thing that he came up just for my party!

Today I'm having a bit of a quiet day - you know, washing, reading, playing on the web!

Beautiful patchwork quilt

This is a photo of the beautiful quilt that my wonderful friend Doris in Cardiff gave me ... Isn't it gorgeous?! I was just stunned (although just before I left on my overseas trip I discovered she had made it for me).

Went to yoga last night ... and then when I got home in the evening I was just so exhausted! Don't know why - maybe it's just the whole 'end of year' thing! Don't know what to say about it (my yoga practice). It seems like it's just 'treading water' - waiting till I've had my Christmas break and then start again in January. I've only been able to practice 2-3 times a week this past couple of weeks. Christmas stuff has intervened!

And I've been feeling generally pretty unmotivated! Unmotivated to go out and buy Christmas presents, have not sent a single Christmas card ... maybe it's because I was away till the middle of November, and I just didn't get into the whole Christmas swing!! Ah well - there's always next year! And I saw most of the people I'd be sending Christmas cards to overseas anyway!!

Anyway - off down to Bowral (where my Mum lives) on Saturday. She told me on the phone yesterday she had lined up a whole series of social 'events' that we've been invited to! Visiting people that I haven't seen for a while, so that should be fun (on the whole anyway!)

On my iPod: Faithless - God is a DJ
(gotta love Faithless!)

A Standing Ovation!

We sang the Messiah again on Saturday night at a little country town called Boonah (set it lovely rolling countryside with hills/mountains on 2-3 sides), and we got a standing ovation! It was a beautiful performance - the soloists were wonderful and I just loved it. (Even though I do still get lost in the Amen Chorus at the end!) Really, so much of it can be read as so relevant - I mean, "How Beautiful are the Feet of him that preaches the gospel of peace" - it's about Darshan!!

So, that's it - I've put my score away for another year ...

Yoga is going well, even though I haven't been practicing as much as I'd like ... Marichyasana A is getting easier and easier. B is nowhere near anything! And with C I'm definitely seeing that I can get there, hopefully within the next year.

I finish work for the year at the end of next week. Then I'm off down to my Mum's in New South Wales for Christmas, and back up here on Boxing Day for Woodford (the Woodford folk festival). Yeay - can't wait. That is such a fantastic 6-8 days. I should be able to blog from there - I seem to remember they have an internet cafe setup there ...

on my iPod: the John Butler Trio

Back in Oz

Here I am, back in sunny Australia (unlike India where I rarely saw the sun!). Got back on Friday night, and after a slight mix-up about being picked up, finally got home around 10.30pm. Mieke pussycat was very pleased to see me!! She tried to tell me she hadn't been fed for the whole 6 weeks I'd been away, but as she was pretty much her usually plump self, I didn't believe her!!!

India already seems a long way away although it's only 4 days ago that I was sitting in a taxi driving through Bangalore to the airport, thinking 'oh, I don't want to leave'!! There's something about India that I really love. But once I got to the airport and was in the departure lounge, it was 'on to the next thing', as it were.

I went to yoga class on Saturday afternoon and spent a lot of time reminiscing with Richard about the time we were there together. The rest of the weekend I lazed around. Did some washing, unpacked my case, but there is a big pile of clothes and stuff on the floor beside my bed that I haven't summoned up the energy to deal with yet!!

Today I've been at work, in a bit of a daze. Just reading emails and telling people about my holiday!! But tonight I absolutely have to drive in to Brisbane to go to a choir rehearsal for The Messiah. I've missed 3 rehearsals already, and really I came back at this time so I would be able to sing in The Messiah, so ... :)

I'll sort out some India pictures to upload soon ... and I'm also going to set up a Flickrs account to post more photos ... Later!

On my iPod: the Alto choruses for The Messiah of course!

Centred again

The event with Maharaji is over. It went bye so fast - really didn't want it to end! After he'd left the stage, they showed a slideshow of shots from the event - lots of pictures of happy happy premies ... and the music that accompanied it was Twameva mata chapita twameva - part of Arti ... (excuse my no doubt crap spelling of sanskrit!) :) I wish I could remember what he said ... but hopefully some of it will trickle through to my consciousness in the next few days. It was just a wonderful, wonderful 4 days :) Re-focused me, reminded me of where my centre is. I truly hope I can keep that connection ...

Now I'm having to pull myself together and work out what I still need to get/organise before I fly out - which is on Tuesday! Wendi and Jack have gone - to Brisbane tonight and then flying to Portugal via London. I'll be staying with them in a couple of weeks!

Mmm - now I'm making a playlist for my iPod of inspirational music to listen to on the plane! Norah Jones - You do something to me, Aaron Neville, Every day of my life ... yum! And must put something from The Messiah in there too.

btw - my music collection is pretty old - I'm waiting for iTMs to open in Australia so I can (legally) download heaps of stuff!! There's an Aussie website called Appletalk with lots of discussion forums on it. The longest by far (about 50 pages to date) is about when oh when is the Music Store going to open here. Latest rumour is tomorrow (that's the 3rd October)but it's probably another unsubstantiated rumour!

Singing and cricket (among other things!)

Went out to lunch at a Chinese restaurant with some of the uni choir I sing with yesterday - it was fun! There were about 20 of us - we didn't sing at the restaurant (as threatened!) as there were heaps of other people there - but maybe they'd have liked it?! Who knows ... :)

We're rehearsing a whole lot of Gilbert & Sullivan stuff from Pinafore, Pirates of Penzance and other pieces - lots of 'tarantara tarantara' etc! It'll be a really fun performance, but I'll be in London when it's on! (Or maybe Portugal?) Still, I'm enjoying the rehearsals even though I won't be in it ... (But I will, I will, I will be practicing for The Messiah in November while I'm away!!)

After that I went to the afternoon mysore yoga class, which was great. (It doesn't start till 4pm so I figured 3 hours was plenty of time between eating and doing yoga if any yoga people notice)

Ended up watching the cricket on TV last night - the Ashes tour. I have to come out and say it - I'm barracking for England! I'm just fed up with Australia always winning - it gets boring! From the news this morning it looks like England is close to winning the 2nd test - hoorrayy!! (But better not get too excited in case the Aussie bottom order bowlers manage to bat better than the batsmen!) I'm dying for England to win! In fact I want them to win the Ashes, not just one or two tests!!

on my iPod/iTunes: Don Shiva - Bollywood Lounge

Daypacks, yoga and Maharaji's Keys

Went into town today, visited the travel gear shops in the Valley (Fortitude Valley). I'm looking for a new daypack. I need one that can carry my laptop too, since I'm taking that with me. I guess I can leave it where I'm staying in London when I go out, but definitely don't want to leave it anywhere when I'm in India! Specially since I'm probably going to Delhi and will end up staying in some cheap(ish) Lonely Planet-type hotel!

Found a really nice Macpac one (how appropriate, since I'm a Mac user!!) They're going to order it in and I will bring my laptop in to make sure it fits OK ...

Yesterday it was just me again doing yoga at lunchtime. Craig seems to be too busy at lunchtimes at the moment. This time I tried something different which someone suggested on the Ashtanga discussion board. Normally I just go through and do what I can in an hour. But this time I did the standing sequence, and then started from Navasana. Seems like a good idea - I think I'll alternate where I start the sitting poses from now on ...

Tomorrow I'm going to a repeat showing of the Keys videos (well, dvds) - at Amaroo. Saw them there before on the Queens Birthday long weekend, but it'll be wonderful to see them again. I remember how completely stunning they were ... I decided not to sign up for the dvds till I come back from India - well, probably not till next January really. But there's plenty of time. It's going to be wonderful - like going through the process of preparing for Knowledge again.

On my iPod/iTunes at work: Robbie Robertson - Music for the Native Americans