The story of the Amethyst.

Amethyst is a 6 sided prism semi hard, glossy, purple, violet, Transparent to translucent variety of quartz, often used in jewellery. The name comes from the Ancient Greek, ἀ a- ("not") and μέθυστος methustos ("intoxicated"), a reference to the belief that the stone protected its owner from drunkenness; and the amethyst was worn and drinking vessels were made from it in the belief that it would prevent intoxication. So the seemingly spiritual beliefs surrounding wearing and viewing crystals have been with us for a long time. 

Mind you in ancient times a wreath of parsley was also supposed to protect against drunkenness, lol, I think there were people back in ancient times, who did not want to take responsibility for their own actions, just as there are today. Maybe they were simply, wanting, to buy the latest, snake oil treatment to prevent the concequences of their actions, rather than adapt to a healthier lifestyle.

Little changes, human nature, most of us would love an instant, 'fix it'.

I am always interested in your opinions even if they do not agree with mine.

Larger pieces of these, amethyst, crystal, cluster geodes make great decorating items.

Smaller pieces make beautiful jewellery and many attribute healing powers to them. 

I think that dwelling on all things beautiful as advised in the bible,  has a healing power, whereas, becoming obsessed with ‘things’, and attributing divine powers to them is to become gullible, far from a healing quality I would desire.   Just,  my opinion! 

I recommend viewing and appreciating, these magnificent, amethyst crystals as, one more wonderful, part, of nature’s sculpture. I marvel at the textures, lol, wonder that some things are beautiful because of their rough texture, no thinking they need best acne treatments, as we do if human faces are rough. We see age and rough worn texture in nature as beauty and a flaw in humans. As an artist I find this strange as age and wear bring character beauty to a face, in my opinion.  

 don't even attempt to try to explain the wonders of the universe or the forces of nature that combined to create such incredible things in our world other than to say it has something to do with volcanos, melting lava, bubbles and as I know from my pottery days, certain substances when cooled very slowly form crystals.

Google it if you are interested and lol, J try to find the fact from the spiritualistic myth that surrounds the commercialisation of crystals today, the only thing that detracts from their beauty is commercial hokum created by crystal sellers, unless of course you believe it. 

 

I was looking for a story on free-range eggs so I started researching what was a free-range egg and I was shocked to find out that almost any egg raised via any method in some countries could be, labelled, a free-range egg. 
I would like to think Australia has stricter standards.  

I have been to Julatten, seen the entire property and all the chickens and hens, the care they are given, the egg cleaning and packing area and I know that these hens are not only humanely cared for they are positively, loved by my friend Gem and familyThe yolks were the richest yellow and the flavour superb.

Living life in the country, working heard eating natural produce, is a healthy lifestyle, you do not see many obese people leading such a life and feeling they need to read diet pill reviews.

I will certainly be prepared to pay a little more for the free-range version now and at least hope I am encouraging this good old fashioned, beautifully natural way of producing eggs.
 

Coconut, (Cocos nucifera)
 

·         The Tree of Life

There has always been a lot of misguided nutritional advice circulating, and coconuts oil is labelled, a saturated, fat and avoided, by many people yet coconuts have been regarded as the tree of life for centuries and sustained up to a third of the world’s population as their main source of survival.

The oil of the coconut is unique and very different to the saturated fat in animal products. Coconut is highly nutritious and rich in fiber, best vitamins, and minerals.

Seeing the abundant coconuts here in north Queensland and piles of them with the sign, ‘FREE take one’, at various locations and even floating in to the shore on the tides, it’s easy to see why on many islands, coconut is a staple in the diet and provides the majority of the food eaten.

I'm enjoying this FREE off the ground, moist fresh coconut as my before swim snack :-).

Coconuts also can give you a fair whack on the head if you happen to be  in their path when they fall from the tree.  I would not worry too much about the fresh flesh and milk of the coconut doing anyone harm unless consumed in excess.  The scares about coconut are usually caused by some information but not having all the information.  

A busy life of carer duties, finding time to exercise and lead a creative life with a full time hoby business, takes some organizing. I like to keep to a simple routine with my life, follow a ‘Keep it simple and straightforward, KISS Principle.

Today as I do, most days, I divided my day into three sections representing the activities I wanted to do in each. Each activity has a clear cut in and cut out time slot. I am sticking to my new schedule and feel I am achieving more of what I want to be doing with this routine.-

Mornings is for my writing muse. I write from when I wake in the morning until midday. Usually, fitting in, four hours, of creative, work. J

Active afternoon, I fill my afternoons with swimming, abdominal exercises, stretches, this is when, if I need to shop, we head into town and usually park well away from the stores and walk a lot. Sometimes I will do housework or gardening type jobs. I love gardening, hate housework, lol, I am very, undomesticated.

I try to fit a run into my late afternoon, and now I have begun to fish for whiting off the beach, with Reg in the early evening. Tonight I learned to cast a line into the surf for the first time, quite good exercise actually and I enjoyed watching the full moon rise over the ocean, very peaceful, J, more fun than writing about colon cleanse detox. I even caught my first fish.

Evenings, after dinner, is more creative time.  J. Currently I am writing, and I strive to complete my eight-hour writing day and get to bed at a reasonable hour.  This is also the time I would paint, when I do not have, any writing project, underway. Evening creative time is about 4 hours, giving me an 8 hour, creative working day split into a morning and afternoon session, which I love.

It is a simple plan, one I find works well for me. I often ‘toy’ with making the mornings the active part of my day, but the truth is I enjoy writing the most in the mornings and evenings so that’s when I want to do this.  Keeping life simple, doing things when I enjoy doing them and setting lime limits for each activity so I don't exclude achieving a balance in my life..
 

 

My new HTC Android Desire phone has arrived. It was delivered, to the local post office, which these days look more like gift stores with all the counter displays, of toys, books, CD’s and teddy bears.

I need a little time to learn to use my phone before I comment too much about it. J. I have been rather busy tonight postponing the fun of playing with my new toy.

I found a great hairstylist, Paul, at Tamar Street Hair Studio,  on a corner, 1a/85 Tamar Street, next door to the Ballina, Post Office. 
PHe did a wonderful job, not only styled my hair well and gave me a few  natural looking foils that removed a little bad yellow colour from a previous  non expert colour job but he had the job of helping to correct the previous hair cut I had not liked.  

Paul also offers a seniors card discount, and I know gray nomads need to know where they can get a decent hair style and colour at an affordable price while they tour, so I am happy to pass along how pleased I was with his work.  

 

Reg and I have been out and about around the Goulburn Valley in Sepparton region this week and next week we will be heading over toward, Bendigo, Victoria.
We both love beeing close to nature, where we live and explore. We thrive on this Eco-therapy lifestyle.

Ecotherapy is not a fad, nor a new marketing approach for the psychology profession, and not just more “green exercise,” although it does include fitness and wellness practices.  I try to do my exercises as much as posible in nature, bushwalking is our great love. Even when we relax at home, we love to have a window view, unbroken, looking out over nature. The tranquility this brings Rus is the eco-therapy I speak of.

Some examples of recent ecotherapy research findings:
- “Equine Therapy Helps Withdrawn Vets Reconnect”
- “71% Report Depression Decrease After Green Walk”
- “Immersion in Nature Makes Us Nicer”
- “How the City Hurts Your Brain...and What You Can Do About It”
- “Connection to Nature Vital to Our Mental and Physical Health, Scientists Say”
- “Drug Addiction: Environmental Conditions Play Major Role In Effective Treatment And Preventing Relapses, Animal Study Shows”

This post is illustrated with a poster that is being made, using the art of Kathy Shell and the poem, An Irish Blessing. This may be ordered direct from the artist, through the contact pages of this web site.

I loved using my new IXUS cameraJ. Australian white Ibis, ducks and Indigo meeting a friend on our walk yesterday, taken with new camera, using the x5 zoom lense. 

The swans and ducks were easy to photograph, they swim up to me, hoping for a free feed. I want to to include more walks into my schedule, to take advantage of the 170 hectare of wetlands with rivergum forests near our summer home in Mooroopna. This excellent web site shows the location of many of the bushland reserves, in northern Victoria and the southern Riverina http://users.mcmedia.com.au/~stocky/parks.html

I have begun to help my eldest daughter by cleaning her house three times a week, as she works full time, has two young children and does volunteer work as well. As the saying goes, lol, ‘If you want something done, ask a busy person’.

I plan to do more of my painting art work now my new camera can help me achieve better bird and wildlife images to add to my on location painted, landscape art works. I plan to work on these wildlife and bird portrait paintings from my photos in the evening.

I am adjusting my time schedule so I can fit in more of some things, (walking, housework and art) and I need to become a lot more efficient in my time use for writing, to enable me to more of the other things,.

So I am devising strict times for me to work within, to help me fit in what I want and need to do.  The adjustments I need to make are:- I need to begin my mornings earlier, start writing by 8am and write more efficiently as I will not be writing at night, if I am to allow, more time to my passion for portrait painting. I need to begin my active afternoon right on the tick of the clock at 12MD, if I am to include another one as well as my own in the housework chores and I will learn to do more of my exercises at home, rather than at gym to find the time to bush walk more often and for longer. 
I have 15 minutes left of my writers must time, then this computer, goes off.

Morning is for My Writer’s Muse’J

Active Afternoons J:--exercise, active chores, gardening, and walks.

PM is for Portrait Painting Passion. J