With thanks...
JUNE 2010
I am grateful for winter sunshine, launching The Book of Faery Magic in Melbourne, and new projects...
With thanks... Tuesday June 1...
Today I am grateful for all the lovely support Lucy and I have had for The Book of Faery Magic, with people wanting to review it here and overseas. Hooray!
I am also grateful for how wonderful Lucy is to work with, and how easily we create together, and how honourable and professional she is, and what wonderful magic we weave together...
I am grateful for all the beautiful feedback on my “with thanks” notes - I’m always happy if someone is inspired to start their own gratitude journal, because it really can help you see the world in a wonderful new way, focusing on the positive rather than the negative, seeking out the good and fun and happy and glossing over the rest. Not hiding from the difficult, or denying your feelings in any way, but choosing what it is you wish to focus on, record and remember... That’s what inspired me to write my second book...
I am grateful too that I remembered early on that starting a new project always involves lots of days where you get way less done than you feel you should, as you research and read, scrawl notes, and let ideas brew, and change, and for your mind to go off on strange tangents, as it all starts taking shape in your head, half formed and still mist-shrouded and open to where it will lead you - it’s all part of it :-)
I am grateful that NCIS was so cool tonight, and look forward to the two-art cliffhanger ;-)
And now I am grateful that it is time for bed. Sweet dreams! xx
With thanks... Wednesday June 2...
Today I am grateful for a day working at home, getting organised for the Melbourne festival, sorting out promotional stuff, posting out books and diving in to research...
I am grateful that I could spend the afternoon with my beloved, drinking chai, visiting our cute little duck friends and being surprised by how different the swam hens act when there are no babies around to bring out their nurturing, caring and sharing side...
I am grateful for the beautiful sunset, which reflected off the water of the lake...
I am grateful that I switched on the telly in time to see Bindi Irwin being interviewed. She is the most eloquent person I’ve ever heard speak! She was amazing! And so passionate about doing something to make the world a better place!
And I am grateful for a productive night with my love, working on his CD artwork (after pausing for Law & Order, of course!)...
With thanks... Thursday June 3...
Today I am grateful for the beautiful rain, but mindful of how damaging the extreme weather was further up the coast...
I am grateful I could spend part of the day snuggled up with my beloved on the couch, watching Dr Who (it being our “weekend”), and that I also did some work...
I am grateful that Labor being in government resulted in a big rise in the minimum wage, something that was impossible throughout the Howard years...
I am grateful to my faery friend Nancy for finding my first endangered creature in Fairyland, and to the creators of it for being so amazing...
I am grateful that Margie and Pete loaned us their car while they are away, so I could pick Cutes up after rehearsal, since it was raining quite heavily...
I am grateful for the sound of the bats squeaking outside my window as I type, and they swoop in and out of the gorgeous old fig tree...
And now I am grateful for bed...
With thanks... Friday June 4...
Today I am grateful that my beloved got the bus into the city with me, and carried the books I had to post out, and did that for me while I went to work. Sweet Cutes!
I am grateful that, although there were some very stressful moments, I got a lot done at the mags...
I’m grateful that the mini tornado that hit the eastern suburbs of Sydney and caused flooding in our suburb didn’t cause any serious injury or damage... Reminded me of the crazy hail storm several years ago, when I was having dinner with a friend in a cafe, and all these cars started pulling up on the sidewalk, right next to our table, trying to get undercover... Crazy weather on the eve of World Environment Day. Interesting!
And I am grateful that, although I’d planned to be very productive as soon as I got home, I swapped all that for a relaxing night, reading a strange new fiction book about mermaids in Venice, catching up on FB, drinking tea and struggling to stay awake until Cutes got home from work...
With thanks... Saturday June 5...
Today I am grateful that it is World Environment Day, grateful to all the amazing people who are so dedicated to protecting the earth and making the world a better place, and grateful that people are becoming so concerned by it all, and mobilising to take action - be it signing a petition, boycotting a multi-national (like Nestle or BP) or supporting the people who commit their lives to protecting the environment. I donated to Wildlife Warriors today because I find Bindi and her mum and their cause so inspiring...
I am grateful that during the beginning stages of a new project I can justify reading all day - it’s research! - because I had a nasty migraine and a weird nauseous tummy, and wasn’t up to much more than that...
And now, to bed... Sweet dreams all! xx
With thanks... Sunday June 6...
Today I am grateful for a fun catch up with a friend from New Zealand, lots of laughter and some strange but yummy pineapple lumps (thanks Trudie!)...
I am grateful for the beautiful walk home from the city, crunching through leaves, giggling at cute little birds and marvelling at the blue sky and the winter chill in the air...
I am grateful that I got some work done, and also played in Fairyland for a while...
And I am grateful for a sweet book, The Undrowned Child by Michelle Lovric, about a faerytale Venice circa the 1800s, protected by mermaids and a library-loving girl against hungry ghosts, vampire eels and great evil...
With thanks... Monday June 7...
Today I am grateful that all our Faery Magic books and bags and things have been picked up and sent on their way to Melbourne for the festival (and that I didn’t have to wait *all* day for the courier to arrive!)...
I am grateful (in a way!) that I spent all day watching preschool shows so I could get my head around all the characters (Dora, Thomas, Wonder Pets, Little Einsteins, Elmo and Ollie, Roary etc), although my brain has turned to mush :-) Perhaps spreading it out a little would have been wiser - eight hours straight was a bit of a challenge! Kinda fun though...
And I am grateful for a cute night in with my love, and cosy winter nights :-)
With thanks... Tuesday June 8...
Tonight I am grateful that my beloved came and met me after work, so we could walk home together in the cool winter night, stopping for thai on the way, and buying watermelon for later :-)
I am grateful to Cutes for the just-because present he gave me - the new Charlaine Harris book... Which was interesting timing, cos I read the previous three when I was in Melbourne for the last MBS :-)
I am grateful that I got all the magazine work I needed to do before leaving for Melbourne done, so it should all be designed and ready for proofing when I get back...
I am grateful that today was World Oceans Day, and I could find some wonderful causes to champion, although it was bittersweet, given the continuing environmental devastation from the oil spill :-(
I am grateful that I could curl up and watch part one of the NCIS cliffhanger with Cutes...
And I am grateful for the sweet messages I received from my faery friends :-)
With thanks... Wednesday June 9...
Tonight I am grateful for a day off, it being our “weekend” today, so I could get organised for the Melbourne festival - we’re off tomorrow, and I’m nearly packed :-)
I am grateful to my beautiful love for taking a week off work to help me...
And I will be very grateful if I dream of anything I’ve forgotten! Sweet dreams! xx
With thanks... Thursday June 10...
Today I am grateful for a fun airport adventure with Lucy and Cutes...
I am grateful to Laneth for picking us up and squishing us - and our luggage - in...
I am grateful for a fun time setting up - and for Lucy’s exotic (erotic?) dancing - she wanted me to mention that :-)
I am grateful for our amazing apartment, high up on the 22nd floor, with a view out over all of Melbourne, an entire wall of glass, so pretty, especially as the sun set, and then as all the lights came on and twinkled into the distance...
And I am grateful to Sezza for making me walk a crazy distance to find an internet cafe and post this, hee hee! xx
With thanks... Friday June 11...
Today I am grateful for the beautiful morning in Melbourne - blue skies and sunshine, water sparkling with sunbeams that disguised the usual brown of the water, refreshing, chilly breeze as I walked briskly through town to find an internet cafe to refill my tropical Fairyland fruit, and gorgeous little birds hopping around my feet :-)
I am grateful for day one of the festival - meeting lots of people, especially my faery friends Amanda and Annette, and sweet Karen, and selling some faery books, and laughing a lot, and watching Cutes do the bellydancing class opposite our stand (according to the people talking to us at the time, he was the best in the class) :-)
I am grateful for the most incredible drawings that our faery friend Laura did of me and Lucy - she is absolutely incredible!
I am grateful for the fun Lucy, Laneth, Cutes and I had...
I am grateful for a relaxed night in with my beloved, snuggling up in our cute little apartment high above the city, watching True Blood series two (who said Eric looked better in this one? Geesh! And why have they added all these revolting and gorey non-book plotlines?), and gazing out at the lights of the city...
With thanks... Saturday June 12...
Today I am grateful for a fun day two at the Melbourne MBS...
I am grateful to have met so many lovely people, and to have put a face to the name of some of my FB and faery friends...
I am grateful to Lucy, Laneth and Cutes for all the kooky delirious laughter, and that our friend Rachelle was there, and she, Lucy and I could reminisce about our Glastonbury adventure five years ago (doesn't time fly!)...
And I am grateful for a cosy, relaxing night in with my love, after a bad head scuppered our socialising plans, reading our books, watching a bit of True Blood (so weird to see it after reading the books, since there’s not much correlation), gazing out at the city lights, and snuggling up in our cosy little apartment...
With thanks... Sunday June 13...
Tonight I am grateful for a fun day three at the festival...
I am grateful to my fellow faeries - Lucy, Cutes and Laneth - for the laughter, the delirium and the chai...
I am grateful to all the lovely people who came to say hello, and all those who bought our faery book, and other fun stuff...
I am grateful to Cynthia for sending me the wonderful review of Seven Sacred Sites from a UK magazine...
I am grateful for a lovely night in with my beloved, watching Dr Who (which reminds me - there’s a healing guy near us at the festival who breathes out loudly as he goes - which sounds like the Tardis!) and House, and eating salad (so nice after a day of muesli bars), and collapsing into bed crazily early (well, 11.30) - it’s been a fun but exhausting few days!
With thanks... Monday June 14...
Today I am grateful for a fun, slightly delirious, last day of the festival.
I am grateful (and surprised and most humbled) that someone drove all the way back from Geelong to buy Seven Sacred Sites, because they’d forgotten to get it when they were at the festival the day before.
I am grateful to all the lovely people I met, to Amanda and the other Mystical Dragon folk for being so sweet to share space with, and to Michelle, Luanne, Lisa and Merissa for the catch-ups, brief though they were...
I am grateful to Lucy for all the fun we had launching our magical book out into the world, to Laneth for his help and his jokes, and to my beautiful beloved for taking a week off to come to Melbourne with me, and help me so much, and be so supportive...
And I am grateful to my faery friends for keeping my garden lush :-) xx
With thanks... Tuesday June 15...
Today I am grateful for a day in Melbourne with my beloved to relax and restore a little. So nice to not set the alarm clock (even though we woke up at the usual time), to have a slow brekkie in our little apartment, to read a bit (the new Sookie Stackhouse novel), and gaze out at the city knowing we didn’t have to be anywhere unless we wanted to be...
I am grateful for our wander through the city, and a proper yummy chai...
I am grateful that the big city Dymocks had two copies of Faery Magic and a copy of A Magical Journey... (Still makes me smile to see them in a book shop!)
I am grateful for a lazy afternoon, drinking tea and reading our books as the sunshine streamed in the full length wall of glass of our cute apartment...
And I am grateful for a lovely night in with my love, with room service, the cliff hanger NCIS and True Blood...
With thanks... Wednesday June 16...
Today I am grateful to be back home in the paradisical realm, about to snuggle up in my own bed after a week away...
I am grateful for the fun my beloved and I had travelling home, and for naughty cinnamon doughnuts...
I am grateful for the beautiful books that were waiting for me when we got back, the tax cheque that came at the perfect time, and getting Cutes’s artwork off...
I am grateful to all my faery friends for keeping my garden watered while I was away - I was most touched to see how many visitors there were..
And now, after a week of adventure and faery fun, I am grateful for bed...
With thanks... Thursday June 17...
Today I am grateful for a long and very brisk walk home in the cool dark after work - always a good way to shrug off stress...
I am grateful that the potentially sticky work situations seem to have calmed a little...
I am grateful to my dear friend Lucy for being such an inspiration today, handling things with such strength, wisdom and grace, and acting with honour and integrity...
I am grateful for orders from afar, and that Doubleday wants to stock our book...
And I am grateful for my precious beloved, who hugged me as I vented about work, and made sure we had a happy night in...
With thanks... Friday June 18...
Tonight I am grateful for the beautiful night sky as I walked home from work, with the crescent moon smiling down at me, and Saturn and Mars sparkling too. I love the mystery of the night sky :-)
I am grateful that I ticked off lots on my to-do list at the magazines...
And I am grateful that I must have got some sleep at last - I took painkillers for my nasty migraine, and Juz said I didn’t even stir when he got home from work at midnight...
With thanks... Saturday June 19...
Tonight I am grateful that the totally unplanned and last minute acoustic show went well for Juz’s band. It was amazing, and hilarious, and people loved hearing his voice more, and the familiar songs with a new twist, and all the jokes he and Matt made, most at their own expense. They may not want to ever do it again, but it was incredible.
I am grateful that I managed to scribble lots of notes for the new project while Juz was setting up, and talking to people afterwards...
I am grateful for the beautiful winter sunshine that lit up my office during the day, and the beautiful first quarter moon that was smiling down on us as we went to the gig...
And I am grateful that I didn’t have to do too much all day, since my migraine-hangover made me a bit slow, but that I did a little...
With thanks... Sunday June 20...
Tonight I am grateful for the beautiful winter sunshine...
I am grateful for the gorgeous first quarter moon, and all the energetic potential within this solstice eve...
I am grateful for a fun catch-up with Lucy, my sweet friend and partner in the weaving of magic, before she flies away to the UK...
I am grateful that, after getting pretty much nothing done today work-wise, I shrugged it off and decided I was allowed a day off... And a few hours in Fairyland :-) And I am grateful for my faery friends, who are so kind and considerate...
And I am grateful for a lovely night in with my beloved, and that we both cried during Doctor Who. Such a beautiful, powerful idea, to bring the undiscovered, tormented and vilified Van Gogh to the future for a moment, to see how history perceives him...
With thanks... Monday June 21...
Today I am grateful for the shifting energies of the winter solstice, and the symbolism of the moment from which light returns, to the land and to us... A day to go within, to look at what we’ve achieved int he past year, to reflect on friendships, and beliefs, and dreams...
I am grateful that I could share this with so many lovely friends, in messages of joy and wonder, as some celebrated Yule, and others Litha...
I am grateful for the beautiful winter day - the shortest of the year - and the crisp coolness of the air and the beauty of the waxing moon...
I am grateful that I took time to make little cinnamon, apple and nutmeg cakes, in patty pans of green and red, to encapsulate the wintry essence of the day... And I am grateful that my beloved loved them, and we could share them as we sipped chai together and caught up on our days...
Magical solstice blessings to all! xx
With thanks... Tuesday June 22...
Today I am grateful that Cutes came into the city to meet me after work, and we had yummy thai before walking home together, hand in hand, through the cool, sweet darkness... The longest night has just passed, and the days will slowly start to lengthen from now on, but I am revelling in the beauty of winter...
I am grateful I could catch up with a friend in my lunchbreak...
I am grateful that I got through the day at my crazy office job...
And now I am grateful for bed - staying up so late last night so I could call the IRS in Texas and argue with them for half an hour sapped a little of my energy for today...
With thanks... Wednesday June 23...
Today I am grateful that I got my website updated and a bunch of paperwork sorted... Not so grateful that I had to deal with mag work from home, and that it has become so much more stressful than it should be...
I am grateful for the eloquence of Kevin Rudd and Peter Garrett, and so frustrated by the apathy of so many people... Can’t believe there is a leadership spill, but either way I hope it is resolved quickly and they can get back to governing the country in such a positive way...
I am grateful to my beautiful love, who made me cups of tea all day as I worked, bought me a little chocolate bar (which was lunch, so not so bad), and snuggled up with me on the couch to watch Lie To Me and get angry about politics with me :-)
And I am grateful to all my lovely faery friends, and so happy Anita and Fizzy found my first winged unicorn, and so glad I spotted my first lemur in Sylvia and Harmony’s garden :-) xx
With thanks... Thursday June 24...
Today I am grateful that we have our first female prime minister, and that she is wonderful, but I am sad that we have lost an incredible PM in Kevin Rudd. It has been a fascinating day, where belief in what the government can achieve has been put above personal ego, and the prospect of the damage Abbott would do if elected has been at the forefront...
I am grateful for an interesting morning my beloved, watching events unfold and hearing the speeches and plans, and a beautiful afternoon together, trying to forget about work stresses and frustrations, drinking chai and feeding the ducks at our favourite park...
I am grateful to the police and ambulance workers who came pretty quickly when called after a woman collapsed in the park and was slipping in and out of consciousness, and grateful to the young school teacher who realised the woman was in trouble and called them, and who we waited with for a long time, minding the collapsed woman’s dog, until it was resolved. Conflicted though over the six people who ended up having to come (two special ops ambulance officers, two police and two other ambulance people), as at least part of the problem involved her being affected by alcohol...
I am grateful for all (well, most!) of the political debate with my friends, and am looking forward to commenting more after work tomorrow...
And I am grateful for a slightly delayed but nice night in with Cutes (although I could have skipped the second not-particularly-helpful call to the IRS)...
With thanks... Friday June 25...
Today I am grateful that my beloved came into town with me as I set off for a stressful day at work...
I am grateful that I felt less sick as the day went on, not more (nasty stress!)...
I am grateful that getting my IRS forms finished is getting closer - but frustrated that to get a passport verified correctly you have to find a notary solicitor - who charges $50 to put a stamp on the photocopy - then line up at the passport office and pay them $60 to put another stamp on it, and wait a few days until you can pick it up. Geesh!
But, after an annoying and stressy day I am grateful for a lovely catch up with a friend, dinner and cups of tea and sharing a yummy/naughty piece of some kind of chocolate creation, then meeting Cutes when he finally finished work so we could all walk home together...
With thanks... Saturday June 26...
Tonight I am grateful for the gorgeous full moon, which looked so beautiful as it rose, and so cool sailing high across the sky as we drove to Juz’s gig, with two planets sparkling too (I think it’s still Saturn and Mars, but there’s lots of viewing activity this month)...
I am grateful that the acoustic Platinum Brunette gig was so cool...
I am grateful that I caught up with an old friend there, who was playing cello with one of the other acts, and grateful for her beautiful music...
I am grateful for the faery bread!
I am grateful that I went outside between sets to watch the partial eclipse, which was awesome, especially with the huge bats wheeling overhead...
And I am grateful that after an unmotivated and uninspired few days (a result of stress at my “real” job no doubt), I am determined to properly start my new project... Full moon blessings xx
With thanks... Sunday June 27...
Today I am grateful for the beautiful winter sunshine...
I am grateful for the tiny bit of work I did do, and trying not to feel guilty for all the distractions...
I am grateful to all my Fairyland friends (especially Anita and Tulips!), for their kindness and consideration, and the wonderful spirit of sharing and togetherness I encounter, even from total strangers...
I am grateful for the intelligent, well reasoned and constructive discussions I have with FB friends about politics and social issues, and bemused that the hate-spewing guy who always lowers the tone unfriended me after he was challenged by someone who knows a lot more than he does on the topic of refugees :-)
I am grateful for a call from Margie and Pete in France (Petie is threatening all kinds of exotic French dishes for Juz when they get home)...
And I am grateful for the bit of time together that Cutes and I snatched when he finally got home from work, snuggling up to watch Dr Who (so I am grateful for the video recorder), eat watermelon and chat about our days...
With thanks... Monday June 28...
Today I am grateful for the beautiful winter sunshine. The bare trees look so pretty, the air is crisp and fresh, and the sunlight so gentle...
I am grateful for a lovely morning with my beloved, drinking tea, debating politics, watching The Good Wife, before he had to go to work...
I am grateful to my Fairyland friends, and happy I found the winged unicorn :-)
And, on a less cheery note, I am annoyed with myself for today’s mood of distraction and lack of motivation, but know the issues at my “real” job have a lot to do with it... I hate feeling this angry and frustrated (and filling in new IRS forms didn’t help!), but hopefully things will be resolved this week, and I am grateful that I can put it in perspective at least :-)
With thanks... Tuesday June 29...
Today I am grateful that my beloved met me in town after work, so we could go for a yummy dinner (cheap and cheerful thai), then walk home hand in hand in the cool darkness, chatting, gazing at the stars - and the planets - and being glad of the chill. It was the coldest June day for years today, but I loved it. Shame they make the office so hot - it was nice to get out for a quick walk at lunch...
I am grateful I picked up my notarised passport with apostille in my lunch break, and posted off all my forms and things to the IRS... Again... I hope they don’t reject me this time - it’s quite confronting to be labelled a non-resident alien and then be rejected on top of that, and I really want the tax number so we can launch The Book of Faery Magic overseas...
I’m a bit sad our video recorder packed it in tonight - and ate the tape with Sunday night’s House on it :-( But grateful that we had watched The Good Wife last night :-)
With thanks... Wednesday June 30...
Today I am grateful for winter sunshine streaming in my window and rainbows dancing on the walls of my purple office...
I am grateful for the hauntingly beautiful book The Undrowned Child by Michelle Lovric, and her Venice mermaids...
I am grateful that the last page of the magazine was “approved” today, with only a small change, and it will be ready to go to print in the morning...
I am grateful to my beautiful beloved for trying to convince me that it’s okay to procrastinate, and that I deserve to take a few days off even. Not that I believe him, but it’s nice to hear :-) And I am grateful that I remembered that I’m always like this at the start of a project - filled with doubt, frustration and procrastination...
And I a grateful for a cute night in with my Cutes, and cups of tea, and watermelon, and snuggling up together cosily under a blanket on the couch...
(And I hope this one posts cos I lost my first note, which was better than this one, but alas, it is time for bed...) xx
To return to the With Thanks homepage, click here.
The Book of Faery Magic, Seven Sacred Sites and A Magical Journey are available from bookstores across Australia, distributed by Brumby Books, and through this website.
Send Serene an email.
