birthday joys - thank you!!

i guess the birthday treats are finally over now but it has been a very lovely week or so. thanks so much to all you who called or sent cards, pressies, texts and e-mails. it made a huge difference and meant i didn't find it traumatic being away from you all, which is what i had expected. picture is to show you my birthday cake which i ordered after eating it in a cafe a few weeks ago. it is the best cake ever but sadly is all gone now (yes i am beginning to put back some weight on!). and the orchids were the most beautiful part of a series of lovely pressies from matt + fi who went out of their way to help me enjoy an aussie birthday. they were very successful.
i am rude enough to rate all my cards each year so may i announce the winner this year is becs who gets extra brownie points for trespassing in order to make me an amazing collage of graffiti photos from across the road of our house. perfect. top pressie would be more tricky but i'm certainly looking forward to wearing new orange leather flip-flops courtesy of mum. sadly its far too cold at the moment, but a family holiday up to cairns is only about 7 weeks away!!!
other news is i have moved around the corner to cath's which is the most lovely home ever. cath is an art teacher and you can see the influence of her artistic ability everywhere, i am inspired. she could not have made me feel more welcome, has made me dinner already and is giving me free rein to enjoy all her beautiful things. of course i was missing the nieces on day 1 so have in fact popped back to matt's everyday since moving! i've kept a key and will no doubt continue using it plenty.
i also have a mobile no sorted out for here at last, which is +61411602551 so if you ever fancy a chat, are near a landline and have done the maths to see that 9 hours ahead is a sensible time for me to be chatting, then feel free to text me and i can call you back very cheaply. big snag here is the limited times when we'll both be awake and not at work, but hey, worth trying.
last news has to be a mention of the football. getting up on the birthday to watch the match we had recorded was fine, but getting up at 1am to go and watch the last match live left me feeling ill all the following day. i just need more sleep that that. fortunately portugal match is at the weekend so i can at least recuperate in peace the next day. but seriously, you have to give these australians credit, not only for the 'socceroos' surprisingly good effort getting to last 16, but for all the fans who happily lose out on sleep for the sake of football. i'm not quite as dedicated as most people around me yet, but then someone pointed out to me, aussies always have to put up with these nightmare time differences to watch international sport. so if you're watching the portugal game you'll know that i'll be doing exactly the same thing on the other side of the world.

blossoming moments

its the pre-birthday eve so not sure what i'm doing typing away at 11.20pm when i have to get up soon after 6 to fit in watching the england game before work, but hey. as many of you will know only too well, i'm not too good with sleep deprivation, but what can a girl do when the world cup is on in a different time zone?! i have to admit its not quite the same sitting with matt on the sofa half-asleep in the early dawn hours. still, i figure it should be a good start to my special day.
i am a bit traumatised by the thought of a birthday without my usual week-long over-the-top celebrations with as many of you as i can muster. this is just one more reminder of how much i do miss people. big city life is leaving me lonely at times, i'm getting that strange thing where you can be lonelier amongst a load of people than if you're on your own. but rest assured i am never lonely when around the nieces who continue to be the light of my life these days. and i continue to be amazed by the ease with which i have been welcomed into this family, it is an amazing privilege. its just that one family doesn't seem enough in a place this big. so we'll see. i move to cath's at the weekend, either until i go to new zealand, or until she kicks me out, or until matt + fi buy a house and move away (in which case i may try and move with them). an offer they put in has been accepted but contracts not signed yet so we're still waiting to see if this mansion can become theirs.. will tell more if they pull it off!
i am still struggling a bit, but am able to laugh at myself a bit quicker and am enjoying the process of learning what i struggle with and what i'm not good at being flexible about. it seems so far that i consider colour, exercise, food i like, conversation that delves well below the surface, outdoors beauty, time and space alone to mull, top tunes, inspiring reading and sleep all essential to my life. try and get me to share food in a restaurant that i haven't ordered myself and you may see me panic! but i'm learning. and i'm walking to and running back from work quite often which is a fantastic result as i get my much-needed exercise and some space/time to myself. little tricks like this may well see me through i reckon.
so the plan for tomorrow is to try and fit in some calls back home to reassure myself that i am not quite so far away from all those i love, and then to enjoy the honour of celebrating with this lovely family.
my inspiring reading at the weekend came courtesy of john o'donohue in 'eternal echoes': "there are always new thoughts and experiences emerging in your life; some moments delight and surprise you, others bring you onto shaky ground... Longing awakens when there is a feeling that someone or something is away from you. When we celebrate we joyfully acknowledge and recognise the presence of some person, thing or achievement that delights us. Longing is no longer directed away towards an anticipated future. Now the present moment has blossomed. When you celebrate you are taking time to recognize, to open your eyes and behold in your life the quiet miracles and gifts.."
so despite my sometimes shaky ground and the longing for those i love not with me, i intend to celebrate, which in the presence of this family is what i do every day. it is impossible not to see before me the miracle of such beauty in a smile, a giggle, an amusing comment... my present moment is blossoming.
i hope i will keep finding times, like i had sitting on a beach in the winter sun last sunday, to remember my eternal companion who provides my sure foundation in this nomadic life.

life isn't all sunny smiles

so i've returned to the world of work, been in a hospital admin office for the last 4 days. the shock to my system is pretty bad. it just seems such a shame to be here in the right country but missing out on so many fun opportunities with the girls. still needs must, i will be needing the cash for rent, food, other essentials and i have to save for the next step of my travels from here. so i guess i am glad to be working, they're nice people i'm with - its a project office for hospital refurbishments and building projects in the area so its kind of interesting, although my tasks are so far limited to the not-so-interesting ones of folding A1 plans to archive and other filing... the end result of all this is that i'm pretty exhausted and feel i haven't enjoyed any nice times with the family since starting work. but its a 3 day weekend now thanks to the queen's birthday (i so didn't realise the queen was queen here aswell - how bizarre?!) so i hope to recover and have some more fun.
with being tired, getting into a routine i don't particularly want to be in and realising the difference between this and regular life back home, i have been a bit low the last few days, just missing people more; having my mind/heart here, in mozambique, the desert and back home; not sleeping well; feeling short of people around here to share life with; not feeling able to keep up with the frantic family life around me; not having much time/space to myself to keep up with all the changes... i don't know, just a funny time of adjustment i guess. although please bear in mind i am only talking about the last few days, so tomorrow may well be a very different story. it is always more tricky when i hear exciting news from back home though, which i can't really be a part of. don't stop sending me the news, i just long to be as much a part of your lives as always and obviously thats not possible from here. i'm aware i am missing out, all for a good cause though.
so i guess the next couple of weeks could be pretty key in getting into a better pattern where i can stick with the routine of much-needed income-generating work but still continue to get to know this beautiful family i am temporarily part of and enjoy this chance while i have it. the sydney film festival starting tonight should help! i'm off to 5 films over the next 10 days, should be good!
sadly still haven't been able to sort out my mobile thanks to the disgraceful efforts of orange back home, so will let you know a new no in time, but for now uk no still works - all reassuring texts welcome! even picture messages work - thanks SO much to the twins for sending their beautiful faces across the globe.
much much love to all you star readers, the chances are very high that you are often in my thoughts.