Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Myths and Mistakes

It has been so long since I posted I have had to seriously consider whether I should in fact close this blog down.  What happens when you delete a blog?  Can it be found floating around the ether?  It seems a shame to remove it completely.  
 
8 pm Fairhaven beach.  A rare still day. 

It has also been so long since I posted that I am starting to get vast amounts of spam comments to delete. (Why do the autobots target inactive blogs?  Seems counter intuitive to me.)  The other mystery of course is why do I lose followers when I don't blog?   Come on guys.  Hang in there. Surely infrequent posts are better than clogging up your reader with crap? 

I usually ask for no Xmas presents, but my husband ignored me
and this is what he gave me. A giant herb pot.  And still alive, last I looked.
 
So, I thought I would pop in to say, I am still here, alive and well (touches large piece of wood).

I have just had the most wonderful holiday down at the beach. We had a full four weeks away, which is the longest period of time I have had away from Melbourne since 1998.   So long that we returned to a completely dead garden.  Well the trees are fine, but the lawn, lavender, grass trees, jasmine and bay tree are dead or on the edge of death. So sad.  Perhaps we should have planned better.  But I didn't think Melbourne would have four weeks of no rain. 


So long that when I returned I really noticed all the cars and buildings were really close together, and felt cramped and busy all of a sudden.  Amazing what a change a few weeks in a different environment can make.

We spent our holiday swimming in the scary surf, doing Nippers with the children, cooking, roasting marshmallows, watching the tennis and cricket and old James Bond films, eating and drinking and sleeping.  Oh and reading.

Roasted eggplant, mint and pomegranate seed salad. 
 
I read a book every couple of days ranging from slightly trashy to sci fit to classic.   It was completely perfect.  

Wine, driftwood and trashy paperback ('Sister' - I wouldn't bother with it) 

I should say that I am not a particularly beachy person. I burn really easily, and I just had to stand on the beach, wearing hat and SPF30 mind you, for a few Nipper sessions for all my freckles to pop back up again.   And my hair.  Oh dear.   I just had to give up on getting it straight and shiny, and popped it back most days.  At least I have hair to complain about.  I can now finally say, 18 months after it started growing back, that is is almost where it was pre-cancer.  It takes such a long time to get back, much much longer than I had expected. 

540 Nippers posing for the news helicopter to
protest lack of government funding for the surf club 
 
And I also indulged my new addiction to Kundalini yoga, thanks to my Atlantan friend Jenny for the tip. I love Maya Fiennes so much I feel calm just looking at her face:


This book is brilliant by the way.  Easily available on line. 



I cannot emphasise enough how much yoga has helped me over the last few months. I really struggle with meditation - my mind races (yes I know the point of meditation is to control this) and it is very hard to get complete uninterrupted quiet in the house.  Yoga does require quiet but it is so much more doable with loud children around, and I still manage to get into quite a meditative state.   I highly highly recommend it.   And of course, you can do the Maya Kundalini yoga at home.   I prefer this to finding a yoga class which suits me (why are they always on Tuesday mornings or Saturday afternoons?)


I wrote a little article last year for the sometimes maligned Mamamia site.  It is about the myths which float around about cancer patients.  Mamamia annoyingly changed the title to 'Mistakes' which people make around cancer patients, which is the wrong word to use of course.  They have now published it (they didn't even tell me so I have only just seen it.)

I was going to ask you all to rush over and make nice comments about it, but there is not much criticism there, so it ain't necessary. But please by all means check it out at your leisure.  It is a consolidation of a lot of things I have been thinking for a while now.  Link is here

Have you been reading the GOMI thread about Aussie Mum Bloggers?  It's getting pretty long!  Leaving aside the 5% which is just very bitchy and malicious, I think there is something to learn in there for anyone who blogs.    And I have to be honest, some of the comments did make me laugh, and others I did agree with 100%.  Just makes me happy to not be a super huge blog with lots of sponsored posts and a gazillion readers. 

Another thing about being away for so long is that I arrived home and decided I am not completely happy with my house colour.  It is kind of this colour (Bristol Flagstone), we painted it 10 years ago.  


I want to paint it white, and give it a door like this.


(via a Beach Cottage)
 
Or this:
 

 
Is a white house really annoying? Does it get dirty and dusty?   I feel it is better for a house to recede than be out there and bright, but maybe a shake up is what is required.
 
I am going to do a juice cleanse for the start of February.  Given I do green smoothies blah blah I reckon it will be quite straightforward.  I wanted to do Orchard Street but irritatingly they only service Sydney.     So I am likely to go with Schkinny Manniny.  Silly name but it looks pretty interesting. 
 
That's all for now.
 
 


 

31 comments:

Faux Fuchsia said...

That makes me sad that half your garden is dead! Welcome to the club- I am praying for rain here, things are getting DIRE.

Don't close your blog! I like it, and I don't mind that you only post sometimes.

I wish I was back at the beach too xxx

Unknown said...

Hi Jane,

I really enjoy your blog, so I hope you don't stop blogging. I really like hearing about what you have read and cooked. I have bought a number of cookbooks on your recommendation and have loved them.

I would rather read a great blog infrequently than not at all.

Amellia

Jane said...

ha I must make it clear now, I am not planning to close blog down. Compliments on blog are definitely not required or sought. Amellia - I have been cooking from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi (fantastic lots of grains and soups and meatballs and veg dishes) and I have read the incredible 'Passage' books by Justin Cronin (first two of the trilogy) They are unputdownable. I love a good apocalyptic tale.

Kate B said...

Jane, I enjoy your blog too and love your instagram snaps as well.
I teach meditation/mindfulness as part of my practice and I am all for using apps to help! My favourites are smiling minds and get some headspace
http://www.getsomeheadspace.com/
All quick and really user friendly apps of 5 -15 minutes. I love them and am getting great feedback.
I love yoga too and I once did a Kundalina class in Bali that was a little bit racy! Daughter and I nearly died of over breathing and embarrassment.
I've recently just finished the book The Science of Yoga which has been very informative and made yoga more 'real' for me. the author rates kundalini yoga as potentially very restorative.
Kate Bx

Jane said...

So relieved to hear you're not closing this gorgeous haven down, Jane. I'm not going anywhere. I'm so interested to read your thoughts on the benefits of yoga. My friend is encouraging me to join her for some Bikram yoga which I find a tad daunting - I fear I'll expire in the heat! J x

Lou said...

Hello! Oh so much to say in response to this post. Firstly please don't shut down. I think that is the saddest idea...makes me think of the line 'where do blogs go to die?' I couldn't bear it! If there is a lull in posts I just imagine that people are busy, not that they have given up. Please don't!

Really interested to hear what you write about yoga. I too have recently discovered yoga apps and doing daily yoga is starting to make a real difference to my life. The impetus for me was to help with calming the mind but also in dealing with pain. It's a very gradual process but I like the fact that I can do it when I want and not have to get the motivation to go to a class. I will check out that book. I like yoga studio app - not least because it has the most soothing voiceover and music. My kids now know when they hear her that Mummy is 'doing her yoga' so they leave me alone.

I am also glad to read that your hair grew back - this makes me happy somehow as it signals regeneration. I like that.

Glad you checked in :-)
Lou x

annie said...

Absolutely no likelihood that I will stop following and it is lovely to hear your voice again. I've just resumed work of a kind yesterday so am anticipating blogging less although I do enjoy it. The blogbots have my number too and I don't know what to do about it. Any ideas?

Daisy said...

Glad to hear you're not giving up on the blogging. I've had a break from mine for a while because I felt guilty for not posting frequently enough! The pressures in life we give ourselves! Thanks for the link too. I have found it very helpful.
Daisy xx

Jacqueline @ HOME said...

Hi Jane,
Sounds as if you all had a wonderful holiday and have been living real life and it's just lovely to see you post again and to hear that all is well.
I have been up all night for the last week and a half, watching the Aussie Open as I always do ..... gosh, it's so hot in Melbourne, isn't it ? It's lovely to see though as we are all freezing and covered in snow here in tht UK !!!!
I shall be looking out for future posts though .... no pressure !!!! haha.
Lots of love from England. XXXX

inge said...

I have the maya fineness book and would highly recommend it full of interesting information and not just for yogis. Glad you are back

Noosa Beach House said...

I still check in now and then to see if you have posted. Pleased to here you aren't going to close it down!
Sorry to hear about your garden, I hope you can revive it!
Cheers.

Pat said...

Dear Jane,
Glad to see you are back and well. My daughter (cancer free now) is a huge fan of the hot yoga. Also a lawyer BTW. Keep posting!

Anonymous said...

Hi Jane
I love reading your posts, whenever they come. No rush. My garden is dead as well, except the wonderful lambs ears, and I didn't go away at all. Worse than the drought.
GC

Slim Paley said...

Hi Jane
Glad you're back here but I am one who sees you on Instagram so I don't get in a snit if you take well deserved time off posting.
Going to Amazon to look for that yoga book-she does have a lovely face.
Very sorry to hear about your garden :-(
xxSP

Kate said...

Hi Jane,
Very much enjoy reading your lovely blog. It reminds me of the type of lovely rambling conversations I have with my adult daughters. Gorgeous. I feel like I have been lucky to enjoy the early days of ad free blogging - I know it is lovely that people can make money from their blogs but really those sponsored posts alter everything.

teamgloria said...

Jane!

So happy that you came to visit us (love that your mum had a shell like that in your house growing up). And that you're blogging again.

OM.

Sending a downward dog to NZ.

teamgloria said...

Oh god. Not NZ. Sorry! Australia.

Gulp.

*confusedlooktocamera*

JMW said...

Hi, Jane!

Hope you are well...would you mind sending me your email address? Mine is jw6111@gmail.com. I've just been diagnosed with breast cancer and wanted to chat with you, if that's ok. I start chemo this Thursday. And so my journey begins!
Jen

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josie mcbride said...

Just a welfare check to see how you are doing....hope all is well x

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