Thank you for the blog love

I have so many reasons to feel gratitude at the moment. I'm grateful that our little family is safe and well on Planet Baby unlike several people close to me who are dealing with cancer. That we’re not imperilled by devastating floods. That Bass Strait separates us from that extraordinary volume of torrential water coursing through southern Queensland and northern New South Wales, wreaking havoc. That my husband is home with me, unlike lovely Lori’s. I’ve been struggling to absorb it all today. My PND has been up to its old tricks. I have anxiety gnawing away at me, causing physical pain. You know, the pit of the stomach type? I can’t imagine what those suffering out there are feeling. Their pain must be so much worse. And yet out in Blogland, in the midst of all this bad news, some of you gorgeous souls are lifting my spirits. For this, I thank you. Deeply.

To start, Tina at Rubies’ Place was sweet enough to post here about receiving her giveaway prize from me. I’m glad you found somewhere to store your needles, Tina!

Then Maureen at Daydream Living and Kate at Mamma Musing cheered me up.

I love serendipitous delights. Such as reading Maureen’s latest post and discovering that this gorgeous lady had passed onto me a Stylish Blogger Award. *Blush*. I’ve never been called ‘Stylish’ before! Thanks, Maureen – you’ve really brightened my day. And then sweet Kate at Mamma Musing passed on the same award to me here! Thanks, Kate, you sweetheart. Treat yourself and have a peek at their fabulous blogs here and here.

I now have to tell you seven things about myself and nominate three others.

Seven things about me

#1

I *adore* haberdashery. It makes me go weak at the knees! Petit details is one of my favourite haunts for haberdashery window shopping. I am lusting after these gingham-handled scissors, for instance. Oh, and don’t start me on that vintage wooden bobbin or the ribbon…I promise to post more about my haberdashery obsession soon, okay?

#2

I am a shortie.  All 155 cm of me. Or 5’ 1” in imperial (the ‘one’ inch being most important!). It can be both a blessing and a burden. A blessing when I’m on a plane and not feeling cramped like long-legged Mr PB. A burden when I have to ask for help in the supermarket to reach something on the top shelf. When younger, I used to curse my luck. Now I’ve accepted it. I just hope the pixies have taken after their father’s height genes!

#3

One of my all-time favourite films is Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Three Colours: Blue. Hauntingly beautiful and extraordinarily evocative, it features my favourite actress, Juliette Binoche, in the lead role. The cinematography is absolutely stunning. If you love thoughtful and heart-tugging films, you’ll relish this one. For years, we had this framed poster hanging in our spare room. Once Joshua arrived, it had to come down before he pulled it down!

She is just so stunning

#4

I am a sixth-generation Tasmanian. Considering that Hobart was first settled back in 1803, that means I can trace my mum’s side of the family back to the earliest colonial days. I love the sense of connection I have with this place. It’s something I want the pixies to understand and treasure as well.

#5

I adore typography. From an early age, I delighted in learning calligraphy. I enjoyed the flowing motion and uniqueness of handwriting. One of my favourite websites is My Fonts. I can wander around there for ages, just drinking in the beauty of the thousands of different fonts, particularly the script or handwriting options. I’m quite fond of their new one, Despeinada. What do you think?

#6

One of my favourite possessions is this pretty Huon Pine inlaid box I was given for my 25^th birthday. Huon Pine only grows in Tasmania. It’s an extraordinarily slow-growing tree and one of the longest-living – some trees are 3,000 years old. Hard to comprehend, isn’t it? It is sweet-smelling, almost silky to the touch, waterproof and rot-proof. It’s now a protected species and the only wood used by woodworkers is that found on the forest floor or even buried in river beds.

Here’s a close-up of its unique ‘birds’ eye’ effect which is highly prized. You can read some more about this precious wood here and here.

#7

I’m a stickler for etiquette. I have been since an early age. Somehow it assumed an importance to me not *quite* shared by my siblings (yet another example of the interesting ‘nature v nurture’ concept)! My godmother gave me Ita Buttrose’s ‘A Guide to Australian Etiquette’ for my 17^th birthday which I read cover to cover and almost committed to memory (it’s recently been re-released)! My current version is Marion von Adlerstein’s ‘The Penguin Book of Etiquette’. In this age of hecticness and instant communication, I find it comforting to follow old-fashioned courtesies such as handwritten thankyou letters. We are hoping to instil a love for such things in the pixies.

Three people to whom I’d like to pass on this award

1.   Bron at Maxabella Loves – she’s an absolute treasure in Blogland and I’m so delighted to call her my friend. She writes wittily and incisively and has an enormous heart.

2.   Fiona at Cattle, Kida and Chaos – she writes so engagingly about her life on an outback Australian cattle property and being mum to four gorgeous children.

3.   Naomi at Seven Cherubs – she writes so thoughtfully and caringly about raising her 7 children. I find her endlessly inspiring.

So, thanks for cheering me up a little, ladies. Now the Brisbane River has apparently peaked, the logistics of the clean-up and recovery from the floods will become clearer. Let’s hope those missing turn up safe and well somewhere.