1st week of Lent, Monday – With eyes closed, listen to the world for five minutes. Allow yourself to notice the subtleties of noises and the quiet in between. Think of the ebb and flow of life through sound only.

Saturday after Ash Wednesday – With eyes closed, use your hands to hold your face. Run your hands over your features. This is the face given to you by generations of those who went before you. They live in this world because of you and your face. It is a God given face. This face [...]

Friday after Ash Wednesday – Wrapping your arms around your own shoulders, give yourself a sustained, solid hug. Lean into this hug and hold yourself up. The person you are hugging has been given to you by God. Like God, you know everything about you and still hold yourself dear. Be God’s voice. Be there [...]

Thursday after Ash Wednesday – With eyes closed, hold your own hands. Lightly draw each hand over the other, gently massaging every part. The stop and just hold your hand, feeling its warmth and life. Notice that you are a live gift to yourself. These are the hands your parents cuddled so admiringly. These are [...]

ASH WEDNESDAY – Use the well burnt match to make the sign of a cross on the back of your hand. Say ‘Dust to dust, ashes to ashes.’ These words are used at funerals to remind us that we are all part of the earth and will return to the earth in time. Close your [...]

By Flossie Peitsch LENTEN OVERVIEW: There are 40 days in Lent. (Sundays in this period are not counted as Lent.) The term Lent is derived from the word ‘lengthen’ as in ‘the days are getting longer’ in the Northern Hemisphere. Lent, a time of penitence, starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Maundy Thursday of [...]

Hi Janet,  I applied for work in Wollongong but my qualifications…and being an artist may disadvantage me! They think it will take away from me being a teacher…Education Officer at my local gallery! Humph! Too few advantages for gaining this much education! Hi, Flossie,  I agree with them. It will take away from your work [...]

Dear loved ones, Thank you so much for remembering me with a chirpy card, flowers, chocolate and champers…all favourite vices…on this special Mother’s Day. It is special because I officially have responsibility for only one of you anymore. Unofficially, of course, I will always feel responsible for you – as my mother did before me [...]

When faced with the seemingly insurmountable odds against becoming ‘an artist of note’, I frequently find myself at the point of despair. This happened again recently with my visit to Paddington where ‘real artists’ are presented daily to a buying public in the best spaces by the best galleries at the best five digit prices. [...]

This Investment Services ad caught my attention. There I was flipping through the local news, minding my own business when I read ‘Are you 55 and nearing retirement?’ Yes, I am 55 but my life in the working world is just beginning not ending…or so it seems. I have no superannuation tidily waiting for me [...]

I am relaxing today…an easy walk into Banff to pick up wine for gifts for the composer and the work/study helpers and souvenirs for those at home. So much tacky stuff to choose from! I will punish my kids for their comments about ‘Mum’s useless presents’ and this time I will only send them a [...]

What fun! Today I hiked up Tunnel Mountain. It was very treacherous – icy paths with vertical edges and me with no spikes on my shoes or poles in my hands. Later, one of the locals said she looked at the condition but wouldn’t try it but too late, I was already back! I went [...]