I smell yummy.

I went Christmas Shopping this morning (managing even to purchase Christmas Wrapping paper!!) and walked past the perfume counter at David Jones. Squirt…

Coco Mademoiselle… Sigh… Just lovely.

Anyway, the announcement …

ahem… Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my greatest pleasure to introduce to you. “Ticker”

Born at very very silly o’clock this morning. A son for Lil’ Sis and Doddle and [another] nephew for aunty deeleea. He may, or may not have a name (other than Ticker) depending on how well it seems to fit him in the coming days. He was a bit of a surprise as it was anticipated that he would be a girl…Ooops…

However, all is well! He was born in Theatre because it seemed very likely that a C-Section was required as his poor little heart kept slowing down… but in the time it took to go from the Delivery Suite to Theatre there was ‘significant movement’ as he wasn’t hanging around to wait for the doctors to get their act together.

Lil’ Sis called me earlier and sounds well and happy. I am so glad I won’t be waiting for him to arrive!! I will be able to make him one of the 1st ports of call on Saturday…

[insert happy deeleea dance]

I have to confess the faith significance was a bit wasted on me today. Every news item at 6 was about all the various church services in Sydney celebrating Good Friday… I am pretty sure God didn’t mind that after years of being in church because I had to be, I slept in this morning and spent the whole day at home.

It felt good actually, not wracked with guilt as it would have in years gone by. The absence of guilt is a very good place to live and one I am getting used to. (Personally, I think the absence of gilt is a good place too… )

I believe I had neglected to mention I picked up another web contract. This one is a simple interface job for two HTML sites, a kind of quickie job that pays well. I spent most of the day getting the template right so that the content manager can fill it up with all their own goodies. It’s the kind of work I like best actually, getting a photoshop design turned into web friendly format with none of the faffing about of putting content in, proofing etc.

Actually the job is for two of Australia’s more widely distributed Christian magazines so is a bit of a feather in my cap. Consequently I have been working pretty hard on getting the thing perfect… Tomorrow I will work on the other site with a break in the afternoon to go Christmas shopping for the family (Yes, I know it was Christmas ages ago but we are having Christmas in April this year… just because we can! (And because I was broke back then…))

All in all, the weekend is shaping up nicely with a good balance of doing nothing and doing things, of working and playing and plenty of sleeping with a bonus hour tomorrow night because of daylight saving finshing up…

Just Marvellous.

Fragrant Bath, fragrant candles and dim light, the house to myself and travel programmes on the box. The laptop has migrated to the chopping board on my lap and my favourite doona is keeping me warm.

Perfect Evening.

I’m watching a tv presenter walking the Milford Track. The one in New Zealand. A 56 km walk in some of the most glorious scenery in the world. I have never done it but the sight of it on the telly makes me feel all nostalgic for bush and greenery and tramping.

That’s probably hiking to you…

Truth is, I’m not much of a tramper. The idea of it is more attractive than the reality of dragging my upholstery up hill and down dale…

Still, if I am feeling adventurous, I might just add it to the list of things that could be done on holidays… (not the Milford Track, that is… but a ramble somewhere lovely… with a waterfall…)

NZ is a VERY good place for that sort of thing…

Speechless…

The Lion King is equally stunning second time around though I still didn’t feel as though I was IN the music in the way I really wanted to be in going back a 2nd time. I still couldn’t get it loud enough, even from the 2nd row so I imagine to get the sound quality I want it will need to be in my headphones or cranking on the stereo. So I bought the soundtrack. However, am not yet ready to listen to it for fear of dulling the experience and the song [above] that is still filling my head.

There is something about seeing such creativity expressed in movement, music, costume and lighting and in this show particularly it is so incredibly clever. And beyond that, the power of the harmony in the voices takes me closer to God, whether I want to be there or not.

To develop the ability to make people’s spirit soar. That’s what I came to college for, that’s why I sing. To have been graduated for three years of the study of singing and only just figuring that out is tragic. To be expressing that side of myself outside of church seems to be an oxymoron. However, I am sure that even when Jonah and the Wailers do their thing their harmony will have that power though we singers are not worshipping as such.

And for now, that’s plenty.