Golden day after a wet and miserable week

Today I spent lunching with friends at their new home at Dromana, a town on the edge of Port Phillip Bay south-east of Melbourne. The view over the bay was transfixing with little sail boats darting around over a tranquil azure sea. Gorgeous. This was one of the magic May days you get here. It was a treat after a wet and windy week.

Stormy weather engulfing the citySunset on a gorgeous day

The week has been intense for other reasons,  with hours of work for the accreditation program and meetings about the library course. I feel like I have been working full time. I have been out a couple of times this week too for dinner and an author talk. It was Steve Tolz and he was a very engaging speaker. I am keen to read his next book Quicksand. To top it off I scratched the car door on my infamous concrete pillar.  

I tried to lodge an insurance claim four times since Friday and I have not been able to get through.  Funny thing the horoscope predicted a lot of frustration  for Friday! That was spot on. Makes you wonder sometimes.  Just when I embark on an economy drive I seem to incur more expenses.  Then I popped in to see Irene and her new extension and knocked red wine over the arm and side of her beige fabric couch. I felt absolutely terrible. It will need special cleaning. I was really distressed. I felt like I was some jinxed person.  Fortunately Irene was very forgiving. A friendship is more important than a couch. I feel a little less terrible. 

I have been thinking about Michel and Monique, my French friends who are walking the Via de la Plata this May and I have looked eagerly for an email every day this week. I was really excited to receive one today. They are walking into Salamanca tomorrow. It has been cold. When I checked my notes we had experienced the same cold weather too. I had developed bronchitis though I hadn't realised that was what was troubling me. They are finding the walk tough. They will be over halfway now so I hope that will inspire them. I remember feeling a bit tired about this stage. I was sick of living out of my backpack and being cold. When I re read my notes I remember so vividly and it is a challenge to keep moving day after day. The walking became tougher again because the terrain was starting to climb steadily as we moved into Galicia. I remember feeling quite cold a lot unless I was walking fast.  The wind was bitterly cold even though the days were sunny. Following Michel and Monique's experience even though the emails are in frequent is unsettling but also interesting. I feel like it is a validation of my own effort somehow. It makes me remember I really did that walk.

This week I have loved my painting and drawing class and pushed the creative barriers with pastels. Scared witless really. I am intrigued by the fear that consumes me sometimes when I am painting.  The worst that can happen is a failed piece of art but it is important to me to not mess it up. It is good to be on the edge of fear, failure, self doubt, self knowledge because it is exhilarating when you succeed.

 My first pastel. All those colours were scary to use on his face and yet they worked. 

The last revelation this week was a film called the Economics of Happiness. It is a few years old I think but raised some interesting concepts  about growth, globalisation, and measuring the true cost of everything. I felt there was a lot of sense to their point of view. I will try and see it again and explore the ideas more thoroughly. 

Life is good for me, busy yet interesting. I have also managed to meditate everyday bar one in my Mindful May challenge. That is a small achievement too.