Bad - Good
It has been so hot this month. It was the hottest start to Summer since 1958. The good thing is that one month of summer is officially over and there are only two more to go :)

Ugly - Beautiful
We have a bush growing up in front of our bedroom window. From inside the house, it is a twisted mass of twigs and branches. But when you go outside and look at it, it is a mass of green leaves and red and white flowers. Ugly on the inside, yet beautiful on the outside.

Bad - Good
We have spent many hours planting gardens and making paths. We are tired and our bodies are sore. But today I came across this... 'To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow'. I like that :)

Bad - Good
Last year we went out with friends to our favourite fish & chips place about 4 times. This year has gone by and neither of us made the effort to call the other and say 'hey, what about fish & chips?' Until tonight... why did we leave it so long? We had a wonderful time.

Bad - Good
It's two days after Christmas and my house is a mess. Paper, toys, 'things' everywhere. I don't know where to start... But it was a good Christmas and I don't regret having everyone here and I'm thankful for the gifts given to me.

Bad - Good
Did something we've never done before - braved the Boxing Day Sales! People everywhere, cars everywhere. Found what we were looking for at a fraction of the cost. That's good

Bad - Good
Christmas day. A good day. But why does it have to be so hot? I think some snow would be nice. But that won't happen, so I'm grateful for the cool afternoon breeze.

Bad - Good
Christmas eve and we have all our children and grandchildren here. It's the first time all the grandchildren have ever been all together. That's good - very good. Bad thing is it will probably be a number of years before it will happen again. That's what happens when there is so many miles separating everyone.

Bad - Good

The weather man says it is going to be a bit hotter then previously forecast for Christmas. Good thing is it won't be as hot as it was last year.

Ugly - Beautiful
Our poor farmers still haven't got their crop off and we've seen first hand the destruction of their crops. The devastation is so sad, yet there is undeniable beauty in a storm. It's a shame it causes such damage.

Bad - Good
Time has escaped me. Family members start arriving in the next few days and I haven't put up any Christmas decorations other than the Christmas tree. Even though I wanted to do it, decorations aren't what matters. It's spending time with family that is more important.

Bad - Good
Was a tough day today. While driving in my car, I heard the words of a song...
'...life makes love work...'. And I realised that yes, when you love - family, friends - sometimes it is hard work. Hard but worth it.

Bad - Good
Our pet food bill has gone up thanks to a jump in numbers in our avery. We now have 4 baby finches flying around. I didn't know such small birds could eat so much. But they are so cute and we spend many hours a week watching them and the parent birds care for them.

Ugly - Beautiful
We have a rambling pumpkin vine that has taken over my garden. I dislike it very much. But tucked away from the sun is 3 round almost ripe pumpkins. And I can't wait to pick them.

Bad - Good
Doing the weekly washing of clothing, sheets, towels etc is not something I particularly enjoyed - until now... Now I find myself eagerly looking for things to wash, because my garden needs a drink. All of my washing water is now put to good use in my garden. I really enjoying going around with a bucket and watering each plant and watching them grow.

Bad - Good
We have a cat and a dog that are allowed in the house. Needless to say, we have pet hair on our clothing and in various corners of the house. I don't like having pet hair on my clothes, but I do enjoy the companionship the pets provide. Life is full of choices, and I am happy to use a clothes brush and allow my pets inside.

Bad - Good
Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. Hard work and little evidence of the hours it takes. Is the result worth the effort? Sure is!

Ugly - Beautiful
The first stage of my new garden is complete. The weeds are gone and two new plants are out of their pots and in the ground.

Bad - Good
It is the first month of summer and we have had 3 times the average rain fall for December. I feel so sad for our farming community who still have crops to harvest. There is nothing good about the destruction of their crops and loss of income. But it is good that their dams will be full for the rest of summer. Plenty of water for their livestock.

Bad - Good
My bench is covered with dirty carrots, freshly picked broad beans, capsicums and tomatoes. It's hot and I don't want to be in the kitchen cutting up and blanching vegies. Two hours later, my kitchen is clean again and I feel very happy that I will have homegrown carrots to eat through the winter.

Bad - Good
The mulberry tree has just started fruiting and my dog has eaten more mulberries than I have. She picks them directly off the tree and eats the ones that fall. Good thing is, there are plenty more growing out of her reach. Plenty for me soon.

Ugly - Beautiful
Our overgrown hedge, bushes and lawns were dealt with today. What was shaggy in appearance before, now has straight trimmed lines. Hard work produces something rewarding. Remember the words to that song ... 'Nothing comes from nothing, nothing ever could ... '

Bad - Good
The baby Zebra Finches are chirping in their nest when the parent birds go in to feed them. Can't wait till they come out and learn to fly.
Bad thing is, we are running out of their favourite weeds. Good thing is there are less weeds in my garden.

Bad - Good
Such a big discouragement today. For a moment I felt defeated and told myself lots of negative things. Did it make me feel better? No I felt worse! I made a choice ... Keep telling myself things that would make me feel even worse, or start telling myself things that would make me feel better. Have I tried as hard as I could? Could I try harder to achieve my goal? What can I do differently to achieve my goal?

Bad - Good
This week has not gone to my plan. I wanted to do ... and ... and ...
Plans are just that - plans. If we didn't make plans, there would be no hope for the future. Do I have hope for the future? Yes. So I will make a new plan for today, tomorrow, next week, next month and even next year.

Bad - Good
There is local flooding. But the good thing is that for the first week of summer, today is unusually cold, wet and windy. There was thunder from 7am through to about 6pm. Most unusual, but I love this kind of weather. It makes me feel enthused and alive.

Bad - Good
Had a busy morning running around for my daughter. We talked and messaged each other a few times, then silence for the rest of the day. I left voice messages, text messages, tried calling every two hours. Nothing. I was convinced that something bad had happened to her because of the silence. As the hours dragged on, I was getting more worried. It turns out her phone battery died. I presumed that the silence was bad. I had no evidence that something bad had happened, but that didn't stop my mind for telling me otherwise. In future I will try not to jump to conclusions.

Ugly - Beautiful
Our Christmas tree is up. A Christmas tree in a box, a bag of red and gold tinsel, a box of baubles, bows and gold stars... On their own they are nothing. Just individual rather pretty items. But added together they create something quite beautiful. Kind of like people. On our own we can do some really good things, but working with other people we can create something quite spectacular.

Ugly - Beautiful
We have baby Finches! They are all head and body and so, so ugly! But I'm sure it won't be long before they are beautiful Zebra Finches just like their mum and dad.

Bad - Good
It is the hottest start to summer here since 1958. I struggle to find anything good about summer - other than the fact that it does eventually come to an end.And that's good!

Sad - Happy
Today I am adding Sad and Happy to my focal points.
Today is the anniversary of my mother's death. She died 22 years ago. While I feel sad at the thought of not having her in my life, I am happy that I had her for as long as I did. I know she would be so proud of the things I've done and the person that I've become.