It's a New Year - good!

WHAT did you say?

So last week we were driving gran back to the airport. Up ahead we could see a big fracas... police cars on both sides of the road, all the cars being pulled over on our side, we counted twenty cops!

It was a "booze bust" - you know, a breathalyzer stop.

The learner drive, who was driving, calmly announced: "I forgot to put the L plates on, and my license is on the bedside table, oh, and your wheels are illegal."

Well, I then had a revelation and discovered - the Power of Prayer.

Gran in the back seat didn't notice any of this, probably too busy keeping an eye on the speedometer. But she did ask why I kept repeating the one line, 'Hail Mary, full of grace', over and over and over.

There must have been some reason we were allowed to go through when all of the other cars got pulled over... I am still thanking God about it.

Pool shark attack!

That's my boy!

Do you want to see something purty?

Do you want to read something fun?

Then hustle on over to Persnickety Tutu - run by a feisty LA chick - you'll find it's a little bit of what you fancy.

Like good champagne, the quality is top notch!

Car soccer - it's so cool!

My new favorite sport:

Christmas kaleidoscope

My friend at Zoolatry, who I describe as the world's best with Adobe Photoshop, made this recently for her two cats. It means a lot to me, as I use the term kaleidoscope to describe the changing patterns and images of my life.

It's beginning to taste a bit like Christmas

At this time of year, I always fancy a glass of Asti Riccadonna - a fine Italian wine. Riccadonna seems to symbolise all that is Christmas for me. A time to share a glass of wine with loved ones - a warm summer time wine. Translucent bubbles that look like they belong on a Christmas tree, a gleam and a glow coming from the glass that reminds me of celebrations...

But really, I only drink it for the pale gold color and the truly persistent bead.

Dragan's pink BMW

Asked a girl what she wanted to be
She said baby, can't you see
I wanna be famous, a star on the screen
But you can do something in between

Baby you can drive my car
Yes I'm gonna be a star
Baby you can drive my car
And maybe I'll love you



Beep! Beep!
Beep! Beep!
Yeah!

Sisters

A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day, drinking iced tea and visiting with her Mother. As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter.

'Don't forget your Sisters,' she advised, swirling the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. 'They'll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you may have, you are still going to need Sisters. Remember to go places with them now and then; do things with them.'

'Remember that 'Sisters' means ALL the women... your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other women relatives too. 'You'll need other women. Women always do.'

What a funny piece of advice!' the young woman thought. Haven't I just gotten married? Haven't I just joined the couple-world? I'm now a married woman, for goodness sake! A grownup! Surely my husband and the family we may start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!'

But she listened to her Mother. She kept contact with her Sisters and made more women friends each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand that her Mom really knew what she was talking about. As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman, Sisters are the mainstays of her life.

THIS SAYS IT ALL:

Time passes.

Life happens.

Distance separates.

Children grow up.

Jobs come and go.

Love waxes and wanes.

Men don't do what they're supposed to do.

Hearts break.

Parents die.

Colleagues forget favors.

Careers end.

BUT.........

Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you. A girl friend is never farther away than needing her can reach.



When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on, praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the valley's end.

Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk beside you...Or come in and carry you out.

Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers, Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended family, all bless our life!

The world wouldn't be the same without women.

Something superb to see

I just discovered the art of Natasha Wescoat, a young American artist - she's just twenty-five. Her whimsical, rich, view of life reminds me of the Australian artist Ken Done, another personal favorite.

My goodness is she becoming popular! And she's gaining a world wide following. I particularly like her cat pictures for some reason.

Hot air ballooning in Canberra

It's a very popular past time here. In summer, in the cool of the early morning, you can hear them coming for miles. First the barking starts. Dogs don't care for hot air balloons. Then there's the loud noise as they turn on the burners and gain altitude.

In winter, the balloons float in front of the monumental Telstra Tower. All colors of the rainbow, a welcome sight on a frosty, misty morning.
Here are a couple going right over my house and then a third one landing in a park nearby.

The Abbey of San Galgano

I was here in October last year. I was on my way from Montepulciano to San Gimignano. Have you been there?



We had decided that the drive to San Galgano would be a perfect day trip on the way to San Gimignano. As we neared the abbey the roads narrowed and the trees pressed in – chestnuts, blackberry thickets, pines, olives and all manner of deciduous trees blanketed the undulating hills of the terrain we were passing through. The drive was enchanting.



On arrival, I could see the beautiful circular chapel up on the hillside above the abbey with a sword embedded in a stone inside it. Alongside it were six large pheasants in the newly ploughed field, with burnished coppery brown plumage.

It’s eerie to stand at the entrance, with the crows cawing desolately as they fly through the roofless abbey and in and out the paneless windows. The circular chapel has a sword embedded in the stone inside it.



There's so much to see and think about when you are there. It's an evocative place. I've never seen anything quite like it. It was an unforgettable experience and a memorable drive through the deeply forested Tuscan countryside.

Old car... new car

Acqua Alta in Piazza San Marco, Venice

Fiesole, up above Florence

Alessandro and I bought bus tickets, four for four and half euros and took the number 7 bus from Piazza San Marco up to Fiesole. We looked at the della Robbia inside the Cathedral, and the beautiful altar, then went to the Roman Ampitheatre.



When Florence becomes crowded, remember that there is somewhere nearby where you can go to be alone.

Old haunts in Florence

Years ago, I used to stay at the nonna's apartment in Florence, quite near the San Lorenzo markets.

I spent a week there on my first ever trip to Italy, and Nonna bought me a cream leather jacket from the market. Oh, such things bliss were made of...

Then, just a year later, we arrived at the apartment on New Year's Eve, sadly, without Nonna. We stayed for three weeks that time. The apartment was sold, and I haven't been back to the street since, though I've always wanted to go back and revisit it. Well, when your sixteen year old asks you to take him to Italy to look up the family roots, his wish was my command.

Dubai - Ibn Buttata Mall

Torcello - where Venice began

The San Giorgio bell tower with Alessandro

Alessandro and I visit the David

After being awed by the 'real' David, Alessandro and I sat out in the courtyard for a bit to talk about what we had seen. He was very interested to see the unfinished statues as well.



Then we went up in a taxi to see the 'green' David and the views from Piazalle Michelangelo.



Afterwards, we had pasta and salad lunch at one of those restaurants that line the Piazza della Signoria, with a great view of the 'third' David.