Fabric memories

It's been a bit quiet at tea and contemplation lately - things are busy in other parts of my life so my energy is elsewhere just for the moment. I am however drinking large amounts of tea (what would I do without it!) and hope to have more time for blogging and writing soon.

In the meantime I've had another little story published in The Planthunter online magazine. Yay!
It's about my childhood once again - as I've said before, I really enjoy writing about my memories of this time. The theme for this month on the Planthunter is fabric, which reminded me of the fun I had with my Mum as we collected plants to use to make dye to colour the wool she had spun.

The story is called Adventures with sour sobs and lichen . Have a look if you like - I wonder what sorts of creative adventures you had as a child?

Staying with the fabric theme - this is a beautiful crochet blanket that my Oma hand made and which I now proudly own. Another special memory of her and her many talents.

Vanna xxx

TTotaler

Its been a while since I've blogged about tea so here goes ...

Yesterday my friend Wendy and I had a wonderful tea experience at TTotaler in Newtown. Going there was on my list of things to do this school holidays and I'm so glad we did!

Wendy enjoying her Chai Yoga tea - and amazing apple and orange cake.

I couldn't resist one of my favourite teas - French Earl Grey. My cake was delicious too - carrot, walnut and chai!

I love the simple style of the cafe - it sort of felt like a very comfortable old science lab that was being slowly taken over by plants as they grew quietly around us.

I'm looking forward to going back and trying more tea - the selection is large and interesting. Have a look on their Facebook page or website  - www.ttotalertea.com

Love on Father's Day

I'm missing my Dad today on my first Father's Day without him, so in his memory I'd thought I'd share something he wrote in one of his many diaries:

“The free Nelson Mandela concert in UK closed with the chair closing the celebration with 4 words –

FIRST – HUMANITY

FIRST – JUSTICE

and   I say

FIRST & LAST: LOVE.     

 

May all Dad's and all beings be peaceful and well and loved.

Vxxx

 

                                                                                               

The landscape of childhood.

I recently read these thoughts on youth and writing about childhood, paraphrased from George Eliot:

...in the landscape of youth there is nothing important, except that is where we learned to be human. Sensitivity to one's childhood landscape is a sign of moral maturity.
(In a review of Rebecca Mead's The road to Middlemarch, by Helen Elliott SMH, Feb 2014).

This idea of sensitivity to childhood resonates with me as lately I have noticed that much of my writing is about my reflections of childhood. An incident from my memory is often the starting point for further discussion about something that is pertinent in my life today. So, if as Eliot suggests, this means that I have "moral maturity" then I feel pretty chuffed! 

There are reasons for my fascination with childhood. Obviously my work with young children  reflects and influences my constant thinking about this significant time in our lives, and I agree that it is when and where we learn to be human. We learn how to relate to others,  how to move and survive in this big crazy world, and our brains and hearts take shape. I do however also believe that this learning continues our entire life and that it's never to late to change, but that's a whole other conversation.

I also had a very happy and privileged childhood and I guess that as I age I am becoming more appreciative of this fact. I know that losing my Oma (grandma) and my Dad in the last year has also made me more nostalgic for my early years, as I remember the huge impact of both of these special relationships on the person I grew up to be. I'm also reminded of my childhood and adolescence as I watch my children grow towards adulthood. The emotions and experiences that they go through often feel familiar, sometimes painful, however mostly filled with that sense of excitement for the future and the idea that anything can happen.

At the same time I also remember the feeling of really enjoying and being in the present moment which was such a special part of being a child. I know that as I grow older I am doing my best to relearn that ability to appreciate and fully experience what is happening now - be it good or bad, and let go of worrying about what has been or may happen.




 

Loving the moment! All dressed up for my brother's party with my best friend.

Home, family, friends and celebrations are all part of my 'childhood landscape'. 

(That's me on the left).



 

 

I have to admit that I have wondered if my references to childhood in my writing were in fact childish! Did it mean that my thinking and writing were limited in some way? Perhaps not deep enough for an adult? After reading these words from George Eliot, which then motivated me to think more about why this time of life is so significant for me, I do feel much more confident about this aspect of my writing - and rather morally mature!

Life and death

As I began my walk today I started by feeling so sad after hearing of the loss of the brilliant Robin Williams. It's always a weird thing to shed tears over someone you never knew personally - however being able to make people laugh and cry the way that he did is worth remembering.

As I continued to walk my spirits began to lift. It's cold today - only 12 degrees C, which for a Sydneysider is pretty chilly, but the sun was shining and as I felt it on my skin and I walked with my beautiful dog Mali beside me I felt truly alive. The park had that lovely clean and fresh atmosphere that you get after rain. The sky seemed extra blue and once again I felt so fortunate to have this wonderful space so close to home and the time to appreciate it.

It might sound a little corny, but the contrast between the sadness of death and the beauty of this day filled me with gratitude.  Being alive is such a gift and while life is full of sadness at times, the grief reminds us how precious life is and am I thankful for that. 

Cheers to tap water!!

I've just realised that as today is August 1st, it means that I have gone for a whole 7 months without buying a bottle of water!! Pretty impressive I think.

You may remember that at New Year I resolved not to buy bottled water and while I didn't think it would be too hard, I'm actually surprised at how easy it has been. Buying a bottle of water, and pretty much any bottled drink, is just not an option for me anymore. I have to admit that I have had a few sips from other's bottles, however I would rather wait until I get home, or to a source of tap water to have a proper drink, or take my own bottle filled from the tap at home. I did this often during Summer when we were going out for the day, to the pool or wherever.

It's one of those funny things about our society that so many of us choose to pay for water and then don't think twice about throwing away the bottle that it came in. I think it is a good example of how easy it is to get caught up in what everyone else does, or what marketing tells us to do, without questioning it. Why should we pay for water? Why not drink from the tap? Why is it OK to add to landfill and use up resources by drinking from plastic? Why should convenience always be the priority?

I think that making this resolution has shown me that I can make a choice about my consumption. I am also aware of how fortunate I am that I can make this choice - that I have unlimited access to clean, safe water. There are some sobering statistics about water scarcity on this UN website  -  including the fact that 780 million people do not have access to clean water.

Someone once said to me that every choice we make is also a political one. This sounds pretty heavy, however I agree to a point, because everything we do reflects our beliefs and priorities. If we believe that everything is interconnected, then our actions, whether positive or negative, sustainable or not, will impact on each other and the natural world. I hope that my small change in habit will impact positively and perhaps make others think about the choices they make when it comes to buying water, as well as reminding us to be grateful for what we have.

Cheers!

Early Memories

There was a discussion on the radio (702 ABC) today about our earliest memories and it inspired me to write and think about the early things I can recall. I find memory and the way our brains work to store memory really fascinating. I know that memory is influenced by emotions - particularly strong ones such as fear and surprise. We are programmed to remember negative things so that if we come across them again we know how to protect ourselves. I have done a lot of reading about the brain and about ways to also teach our brains to reinforce positive experiences and emotions. I do feel fortunate that my default is to be glass half full, and this positive bent means that I am generally happy and content. I believe that this has also influenced my memory as I also know that memories are reinforced each time we recall them - so that if you tend to recall happy, positive memories you seem to have more of them and vice-versa with negative ones.

It's also intriguing to me that we all remember different parts of the same experience, or recall it in various ways. My cousin Nicole often remembers things from our childhood and adolescence that I had forgotten - although I can usually find some memory of the event in the back of my mind. My friend Hilary has an amazing memory for detail in books - she remembers the names of every character and has a wonderful ability to visualise scenes. I am not known for having a brilliant memory, particularly for everyday details, however I am greatly influenced (and often overwhelmed!) by my emotions and I am aware of this when I reminisce.

So ... my earliest memory? It is a bit like a series of old polaroids with blurry edges that trigger feelings. A brown paper bag filled with Autumn leaves  - I took this for show and tell at preschool. I would have been 4 years old. I can see the bag and I can hear the crackling noise that the leaves made as I gently squashed the bag. A child in a wheelchair holding the bag of leaves and he is smiling ... I remember asking my Mum about this memory years later when I was a teenager and she confirmed that when I took the leaves in, some of the other children including this boy had a turn at holding the leaves and hearing the sound they made. I was apparently very excited about taking the leaves which I had collected from my garden to show everyone. I guess there was something special about that day, or those moments, or the people I interacted with that made them imprint in my memory. I wonder if it has had an impact on the person I am today, maybe even the choices I have made that have led to me being a preschool teacher? This memory feels very comfortable to me, and its significance in my mind sits well with the things that are important to me today.

What do you remember from your early years? Do your memories tell you something about the person that you grew up to be?