Inner joy



This is Chook and Betsy who came to live with us
last Saturday, for the sole purpose of scratching in
 our garden.



     From My Garden

I have learned that giving with true joy gives me the  knowledge that I am really the one truly blessed by having  the ability and resources to be able to help others.


Today is the first day of the rest of my life.
I have 100% of the rest of my life yet to live.









Good morning!
 It is still very chilly in our part of the world. Yesterday it was -2 degrees. Today doesn't feel quite so cold inside our house, but outside a sneaky little wind sent chills through my bones when I went out to put water on some of my pot plants. The sun doesn't have much warmth in it yet.

I love to do things for people, not for rewards - I am embarassed if people feel they have to do things for me in return - but the pure joy in people's faces when something good has happened for them.

We have been visiting an elderly couple near us who have been done a few hard blows recently. We don't do anything that costs money or takes us out of our way. We pop in each day to see how things are going. If we are going to the shops we offer to pick up anything they might need, or we take them to do some shopping, water their garden, help to feed their animals. It's only a few minutes each day but it makes a little difference in their lives. They know somebody cares. That is a great feeling of joy for me as well.

I have been enjoying the Olympic games. It is so good to see the athletes from little known and smaller nations than ours doing well at some sports. The Games cost a lot of money, and the money COULD be spent helping other poorer nations. However, I feel that the Games contribute to world peace, and to see athletes competing beside each other in a peaceful manner does much to promote world peace - another form of giving with joy. As that peace begins to grow, passed on by peace loving nations, the world grows smaller and friendlier. I can only pray for peace, but the athletes have the ability and the resources to  take the giving to another height. Let that giving of peace continue to grow.

Peace be with you. C

Still living the dream



From My Travels

Putting others need before my own
 will be the surest way to personal happiness.

Our travel companions - on the last day of our trip in the Uk
We are at left. Our bus driver at front and tour director in red skirt
near us. This was taken at Bath in England. The next day we were in
Amsterdam. We took the rain with us to there as well.



Today is the first day of the rest of my life.
 I still have100% of  the rest of my life to live.
 The journey home was very long. We left the cruise ship at Budapest
 on Sunday at 10am. We had a 7hr wait till our plane flew out to Munich.
 We had a 5hr wait at Munich until we flew out to Dabai. Slept on the
 plane. Had another wait at Dubai and then an all night flight to Brisbane.
 We arrived in Brisbane at 6.25am on Monday morning. We lost 8hrs on the backward flight.

 We brought the rain home too.. We arrived home about midday, showered, ate lunch and slept
and slept, and washed. We are still washing and because of the rain we are drying
in the clothes dryer.
Well, the trip might be over, but the dream is still there.... and the memories,
people, places, the experiences. It is so incredible. I don't think I will ever come down
out of the clouds. Although I should.... washing dishes and washing and drying clothes, and
making the bed, and cleaning house should quickly bring me down to earth, don't you think!
I enjoyed sharing my dream and excitement with you. If I never get to do that again it won't
matter because that one was so big it will last for the rest of my life. Hope your dreams come
 true for you too.....
 And the sun has just decided to rise. C

More Magical Touring

One of the castles along the Rhine Valley

Great St Martins in Cologne

From My Travels

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.
 I still have 100% of the rest of my life to live.

Having a sense of humour and the ability to laugh at situations that aren't all they
should  be, helps to relieve tensions in my life, and place things in perspective.


Every day is so different. Being on the boat has meant that we don't have to pack up every morning and sleep in a different bed every night. We are very spoilt. We have our person who makes up our cabin every morning and changes our towels while we are at breakfast, and at night while we are at dinner, turns down our bed, leaves us the news letter, and a chocolate, and a lovely picture of a fire on the telly and music playing.

After Amsterdam we visited Cologne. We did a walking tour there, and toured over an enormous Cathedral and other local historical places.


The next day we travelled along the Rhine Valley to Rudisheim. We passed 40 castles on the way in all states of repair and loaded with history. We had a beautiful concert with 2 electric violins and an ordinary guitar. They were magnificent.
We will pass through 68 locks on the river system. We have been through more than 30 so far, most of them were on the Main River. Once we get through most of the locks we will pass on to the Danube River. 

At Rudisheim we visited a place which was a museum of musical instruments. The building in which they were housed was about 300 years old and under continuing reconstruction. We also had a coffee laced with cognac- n-i-c-e!
Today we had a Zither concert,  and a lady came to demonstrate biscuit making. 2 men were called out to be the biscuit makers with the promise of a chocolate, schnapps, a kiss and a love song. Nigel was one of those. And they had to dress up in frilly aprons. It was very funny and the biscuits turned out really well despite all the shenanigans.

Today we were in Miltenberg in Bavaria. We did a walking tour there too into the Market Platz. What a very pretty place, buildings here are round the 400 year age. We saw a castle, enormous Catholic church, Protestant Church. Some of the buildings are still owned by original families from 400 years back or carrying on the same type of business that traded 300 or 400 years ago- how amazing.

At present we are cruising to Wurzberg. They expect to arrive there in the morning at 8.30am. 

Tomy Temerson and the zither concer

t

 

 

Market platz in Milternberg

Nigel cooking cookies