My Parents

  

My parents had a love story.

My parents spent  57 years happily married before we lost Mum, and then Dad passed three years and 1 month later. We always knew there was something special about their story. You see my parents had all these little quirky things about them. My Mum's initials were HJ and my Dad's were JH. They were born 1 day, 1 month and 1 year apart. They went to the same school at the same time but Dad was 1 year older so they never met.Then my Mum worked with my father's cousin and she was going to try and get them together at her wedding (unbeknown to my father), but my Dad being his own man he asked her to dance and they got together without anyone's help. That was it for them and a match was made.

They married and my Dad had a good job but someone at his work was going to be sacked because the work was running out. It was going to be another man who had a few children so my Dad put his hand up and volunteered to go.So his wedding present was losing his job. But shows what a good man he was and little did he know that soon he would be going to be a father himself. 

He found a job, but it was in Darwin and they were in Brisbane. For anyone reading this that is not in Australia, Darwin is at the top of Australia and Brisbane is on the East coast so this was a huge distance. 

So they needed to be parted for a while while Dad worked up there and he also had to build a shack for them to live in. It was rough and ready in the 1950's. Not the perfect place for a new couple but it was a good way for them to make some money to buy their first house.

Now comes the reason that inspired me to write this blog. We have been going through all their things to see what we want to keep and see if there is anything we can give to people to help them out, like clothes and blankets. That would be what they would have wanted because they were as kind as the day is long.

Amongst the normal household goods and loving memento's of our childhood we found the precious diamonds of their belongings.We found Mum and Dad's love letters from the time they were parted. They had a couple of months apart until  they were both up in Darwin together and they wrote such beautiful letters.

Mum always told us their were love letters here but we never read them. But we stumbled upon them one Sunday afternoon and sat together and heard the words of a young couple in love. My Dad was always a man of few words as he got older but in his youth he speaks of his darling wife and his love for her. That he is sorry he forgot to tell her he loved her when he was speaking to her on the phone one night.

When you have lost both your parents and that unconditional love that you received all your life - to find these precious words that remind you of who they were and the love they shared it is the most amazing gift in the world. I cannot share their letters completely with you because they are our treasures but wanted to share the feelings they brought to the surface. 

All I can say to those out there who still have parents make sure you treasure them and hug them whenever you can because one day that is the one thing that you can never get back. But you will be warmed by the memories you made with them while they were here. And listen to their stories because they are your history.

Handmade by Susie and Wendy

Well it has been a few days since my sister Susie and I started our new Etsy shop with our handmade and original cards. It has been a rush loading the photos. We had been going to do this for such a long time because when you do things that you love you get that wonderful feeling inside and you go to that happy place. You want to share what you have created with others. But then you need to find an outlet.

We use our cards to give to those we love but we have gone way beyond that amount.We have also put them in different shops but sometimes you just don't get to display them where or how you would like.So Etsy has become our new shop front and we are loving it. And guess what we have our first sale. And our card is on it's way to California. Wow.So our card is travelling half way around the world. What a buzz to think of that. Let it be the first of many. And with each one we send love in the envelope. We hope it shows. Here is our little traveller.

And here are some of our favourites that we would like to share with you and we hope that they all end up travelling across the world to find new homes.

Well here I am back at the computer and it has been awhile since I last wrote. 2013 was such a whirlwind for me with ups and downs of the major kind. The year  began with me being in a very unhappy situation that really challenged my ideas about people and myself. I had to learn to dig deep and face issues that none of us like to deal with - bullying and aggression. When you have been brought up in a loving family with support and you have to face those in the world that are only interested in bringing you down it is such a shock.

But you know these tests,as painful as they are let you find who is really there when you need them. I was lucky enough not only to have that continued family support but found that my circle of friends closed ranks and gave me the confidence to fight back. Bullies should never win. We all need to be aware of the signs and look out for others because we should never let anyone suffer alone.

This was the down but following that came a burst of painting and creativity that helped pull me back to the person I am and got me on the road back to who I was. Then came a wonderful stroke of luck that got me working in a workplace that is kind and supportive. We all spend most of our day with those people we work with, even more than our families and friends. What a pleasure to want to get up in the morning and love to go to work. We all deserve that. So my year ended on a high.

Now on to the beginning of this year.

I have just started a new Etsy shop with my sister. If you have read my blog before you will know I paint and I have an Etsy shop with prints of my work also I sell jewellery using my images.

https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/WendyWinstonDesigns



My sister Susie and I have been making cards for years and love to put all our heart into them. We have spent all weekend getting organised and putting together our new Etsy shop and feel wonderful to start a new venture. I would love to share some with you here.  Or come over and see them all at
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SusieandWendysCards

       

From Mistake to Magic

Today I came into work at my usual time to start and found out that my roster had been changed and I wasn't due in for another 3 hrs.  What would I do?  Too far to be bothered going back home but I was in the city and not keen on sitting in amongst the concrete.

I decided I would head over to Southbank (Brisbane) to have a look around the parkland and pool.What a great decision.If you have never visited our fair city. You might not have seen the beautiful sculptural walkway covered in bougainvillea . It is magical. I think it is a little bit of heaven on earth. It is almost as good as walking under the Jacaranda trees when they are in bloom. Or standing on the carpet they create as the jacaranda flowers fall. That is a special memory from childhood.

Also I sat and listened to the crows and the other sounds of the city awakening.
The joggers on the pavement and the sprinklers starting, because we have had one of the driest Octobers for years.

Then to fill in a little more time I went and sat in a small café and ordered breakfast. Something I rarely do unless on holidays and as I sat writing my little blog I thought of JK Rowling all those years ago sitting in a little coffee shop writing those magical stories and dreaming of big things in her life.  I also dream big .  I dream of a time when people will see my artwork and understand the positive messages I want to share with them.  To put my art on their walls and to believe in themselves and this miraculous world we live in. A world where going to work at the wrong time can make a really great start to the day.

Hope you have a wonderful day too!!!

Day 7 pt 2

Day 7 pt 2

Hi to those who read my last blog about the wonderful time I had at Dandelyon Gifts but I put in the wrong address. It is actually at 173 Boundary St, West end which actually crosses Vulture Street. Hope you are all taking my advice and popping in tonight or even today. Sorry about the mix up in the address. Have a great weekend.

Day 7

 Day 7 

This week I was lucky enough to go to a  shop that was new to me and is absolutely delightful. It is called Dandelyon Gifts and for anyone in Brisbane you should make your way there. You will  enjoy their huge range of Art, Christmas decorations, motivational messages, beautifully hand dyed tablecloths and so many more interesting things. Saturday night they are having their last night of Christmas Preview Nights between 5 and 7.30 pm. Make sure you let them know you are going on 1300 775 616 because not only do you get to shop but they are offering a little nibble as well.

 I was really impressed by the quality of items that were available and it was the perfect mix of handmade and commercial items to make shopping interesting. I popped in for a short visit but ended up staying over an hour. What was also amazing was the warmth of the owners Julie and Greg. They are genuine, hard working  people who are creative and very community orientated.  

So as Molly Meldrum used to say "Do yourself a favour" and try a new exciting shop where you could quite easily do your Christmas shopping. It is easy to find on 173 Boundary Street, West End. I would not normally just talk so much about a business and this isn't just a fake plug for a friend. I had never met either of the owners before Tuesday nor been to their shop before. It is just so nice to see a small business with so much heart and we all need these types of small businesses because we don't want to end up with just big chain stores.

Have a look for yourself

 https://www.facebook.com/Dandelyongiftswestend 

Day 6

Day 6

This is a little bit of a cheat on my daily blog. I am running a little time poor so instead of writing a blog I send you all a bunch of beautiful pentas flowers to try and put cheer in your day. They are wonderful plants and great to put colour in your garden.  Have a lovely day and I will see you here again tomorrow.