MY AUGUST DELIGHTS
As I mentioned at the beginning of January when I chose "Delight" as my Word of the Year, I thought I'd round off each month with three delights. August has been a month of rainy days mixed with a sunshiny day here and there to keep our spirits up. It's also been a month where both of us have been sick with a flu-y virus that has left a lingering cough behind. Give it another week or two and I'm sure we'll be back to full health - and grateful that the cold season is in the rearview mirror.So, without further ado here are my three delights from August...a family travel delight, a family combined birthday delight, and a family member delight, with a delightful quote to round it all up....
Our daughter and son-in-law left Perth at the end of July to do a full lap of Australia in their 4WD and camper pod. They had a sad start after one of their beautiful cat babies got sick and had to be put to sleep while they were too far away to be able to return home. But since then they've had fantastic weather up in the north of the State, time to relax and go through the grieving process and then continue on. They're sharing really fun video updates on their Instagram page - so if you're interested in quick snippets of the beauty of Australian gorges, red dirt, animal life, and more, then feel free to follow them and enjoy the journey.
You can find them at Wasley Travels.
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| The beginning of the journey... |
DELIGHTFUL BIRTHDAYS
The middle of August was all about a combined birthday celebration for my lovely husband and our delightful granddaughter. We had to miss out on having the whole family together (the travellers were thousands of kilometres away...) but it was still a special time to enjoy together. Our son remembered that my husband wrote a novel many, many years ago - we purloined the manuscript and he had it printed. It was a combined family effort of proof-reading, editing, author bio, cover picture and back page-blurb writing, and much more - but the end result was such a great surprise for him - it'll never make the NY Times Best Seller list, but it'll be a fun family memory.
DELIGHTFUL MUM
I was wondering what else to share for August and then my Mum sent me this photo:
This is my mum standing next to her dream car that she spotted when she was out and about having lunch with my brother. I love that my 83 year old mum would jump into a red sports car without a blink and zip off down the street if she was given the chance.
Aging can be a little daunting at times, but with a role model like her in my life, it looks like it can also be a lot of fun. I love that she's always positive, always up for an adventure, always chatting to strangers (even though I roll my eyes while I wait for her to finish). She's just happy, content, and living her best life - and that's my goal for aging well too. So a big hug and shout-out to my delightful Mum. xx
A QUOTE ABOUT LIVING DELIGHTFULLY
How lovely is this quote? We must definitely get back to doing more things for the sake of delight...
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Hi Leanne, I will peak at “Wasley Travels.” I am always interested in new places and adventures, especially when I indirectly know the people. An exceptionally thoughtful and poignant gift for your husband. What fun, to make it a family effort. Your Mom looks amazing for 83. A good point on not needing to be productive. I love the family photos, Leanne! 💕Erica (your email came in just as I am organizing the next few weeks on my laptop - a nice mental break and reading it with a smile)
ReplyDeleteHi Erica - it's always lovely to hear from you. I did warn Erin and Luke that I was sharing their adventure here today and they may get random views from unknown women - they thought that was fabulous :D Mum will be pleased at the compliment - and yes, she is amazing and a great example of how to age well and to do it with a smile. Enjoy your planning time and I'm glad you got a little break from it with me. xx
DeleteThank you Leanne for those kind words about me. I do feel happy and positive about getting older and having my three kids all living close by since I moved south has a lot to do with my contentment. Mum 🥰
ReplyDeleteHi Mum - you are my shining star for how to do the next few decades - I love your positivity and sparkle - I may not quite hit your benchmark, but I'm inspired to be my best self and to enjoy this third third of life. xx
DeleteHi Leanne. Your mom sounds lovely, and how nice that she is such an inspiration to you. I'm glad your month was filled with such delights. Christina Daggett ♥️
ReplyDeleteHi Christina - yes, my mum is gold. I think she's actually improved with age - so there's hope that I will too :D x
DeleteWhat a lovely post!! Those pictures of your husband and granddaughters are precious, as Erica noted above, and a truly extraordinary gift and way to honor him. He will have that memory, and book, forever. Speaking of forever, my hat is very much off to your Mum. I am working towards having that spirit towards life that one would jump in a red sports car and drive off. She is very much an inspiration to probably all of us! I too, used to get a little fidgety when my Mom would start up conversations with perfect strangers. And now I do it. All. The. Time. Thank you for this delightful post!
ReplyDeleteHi Kristine - he just loved the gift because I think all authors have a secret longing to be published and this gave him that moment of joy and a keepsake to remind him of it all - there were enough copies for us all to have one - and the kids got theirs autographed :D And yes, my mum is definitely an inspiration of how we should all make the most of the years we're given - and I've been known to chat to complete strangers regularly too (much to my children's horror!)
DeleteHi Leanne, I am glad you warned the kids about random women stalking their Insta account. It was such a delight, I am now a follower. Oh, to be young, brave, and adventurous again. They are driving through some serious water - maybe you'll want to skip those. Love the surprise for your husband - a labor of love from everyone involved. The look on his face is priceless. And, your Mom! She looks like she belongs in that red sports car. Delightful post, with lots of smiles. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Suzanne - I thought it would be a great IG account for the more adventurous travellers to have a look at (and maybe follow). They were chuffed to think that others would be interested and their posts are always such fun. I worried a bit about the crocodiles and how far away they are, but they're loving it all and sending regular "we're still alive" updates to keep my heart calm. :)
DeleteRoss loved his book even more than we expected, and yes, Mum would be in that car in a heartbeat given half a chance!
Sorry you've been feeling bad with the flu-stuff...but it's nice to hear you found delight amongst it. What a fabulous idea to have his book printed!
ReplyDeleteHi Pat - it's really good to be feeling good again - the flu-y thing was fairly miserable for a couple of weeks, but it always makes me appreciate good health when it returns (and not blowing my nose all the time!!)
DeleteHi Leanne - Sorry to about the cat... Really sad. ... But that's life. ...
ReplyDeleteGlad to read about your delightful things of August. Glad for your mom who is still young at heart. Very inspirational.
(My latest post: Real-world lessons from younger folks)
Hi Pradeep - I think losing a pet is always sad, but sadder when they don't have children, so their pets are even more special - and add that to being so far away, they were really sad. Having beautiful weather and scenery helped smooth the edges.
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