Sunday
Selections was originally brought to us by Kim of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could
post previously unused photos languishing in their files.
The meme is now continued by River at Drifting through life. The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent. Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River. Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen.
Like River I usually run with a theme. I am a bit more random this week, and am featuring 'installations' in our town centres.
The first comes from a town centre close to home. The installation were put in quite recently (November) and I hadn't seen it until I went Christmas shopping (shudder). There are two of them facing each other titled 'I Am & I Hope' by Nathan J Lester.
On those dangling ribbons people had written their wishes and/or a description of themselves.
I only saw one description which read simply 'I am AWESOME'.
The hopes were more varied and included: I hope
'for the best',
'for mental fitness'
'for diversity'
'for biceps'.
Some less rushed day I will explore further.
I went into town one day last week to do my usual shift on the crisis line. It was a hot day, with a squillion people (conservatively speaking) rushing from shop to shop. There were other signs that Christmas is nearly here too.
I liked the wooden star benches, and suspect they are illuminated at night.
The Christmas trees are new addition. If you embiggen you might be able to read the sign which described them as a 'Live Christmas Tree Forest' and invites us to snap a selfie or hang a bauble.
I was there early and there were no selfie takers and the baubles were few and far between but I do like the live forest. And it was a hot day and the scent of pine was delicious.
Christmas is indeed very almost here. For those who celebrate I hope it is everything you could hope for.
However it is also a difficult time of year for many; including the bereaved, the lonely, the poverty stricken. With that in mind we will have a very low key Christmas and I will spend Christmas evening volunteering with Lifeline. Judging by my shift this week it will be a very, very busy night.
River posted a Sunday Selections on Saturday featuring Christmas in her part of Australia. It puts the decorations here to shame. She promised more for today too, so for much more Christmassy bling please visit her posts.
The meme is now continued by River at Drifting through life. The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent. Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River. Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen.
Like River I usually run with a theme. I am a bit more random this week, and am featuring 'installations' in our town centres.
The first comes from a town centre close to home. The installation were put in quite recently (November) and I hadn't seen it until I went Christmas shopping (shudder). There are two of them facing each other titled 'I Am & I Hope' by Nathan J Lester.
I only saw one description which read simply 'I am AWESOME'.
The hopes were more varied and included: I hope
'for the best',
'for mental fitness'
'for diversity'
'for biceps'.
Some less rushed day I will explore further.
I went into town one day last week to do my usual shift on the crisis line. It was a hot day, with a squillion people (conservatively speaking) rushing from shop to shop. There were other signs that Christmas is nearly here too.
I liked the wooden star benches, and suspect they are illuminated at night.
I was there early and there were no selfie takers and the baubles were few and far between but I do like the live forest. And it was a hot day and the scent of pine was delicious.
Christmas is indeed very almost here. For those who celebrate I hope it is everything you could hope for.
However it is also a difficult time of year for many; including the bereaved, the lonely, the poverty stricken. With that in mind we will have a very low key Christmas and I will spend Christmas evening volunteering with Lifeline. Judging by my shift this week it will be a very, very busy night.
River posted a Sunday Selections on Saturday featuring Christmas in her part of Australia. It puts the decorations here to shame. She promised more for today too, so for much more Christmassy bling please visit her posts.
Love the star-shaped benches. Also like the idea of the ribbons with wishes.
ReplyDeleteJamie Ghione: And such varied hopes as well...
DeleteI absolutely love those benches. Wow.
ReplyDeleteXO
WWW
Wisewebwoman: They are lovely aren't they?
DeletePS Could I post a picture of these benches on FB - and if so would you like me to link to your blog?
ReplyDeleteXO
WWW
Wisewebwoman: Thank you for asking. FB is a game I don't play - but yes, you are welcome to post those benches
DeleteThe wee star benches are adorable. I'd wish for biceps as well. :)
ReplyDeleteBea: I would hope for flexibility rather than biceps. I hope the star benches stay, but suspect they are a Christmas treat.
DeleteThe star benches are cool!
ReplyDeleteI kind of like how one person wished "'for biceps" in and amongst all the serious things... ;-)
Sandi: I will explore further later. I hope there is more frivolity on people's wish lists.
DeleteI love the word “squillion.” :) That’s a new one for me. The benches are indeed beautiful. As for shopping? Shudder.
ReplyDeleteEven though you are mad, I fully admire your dedication to taking the Christmas eve shift. I know many people benefit from your attention.
River Fairchild: Squillion is a useful word. Sadly it is Christmas night rather than Christmas Eve I am signed up for. I suspect that we will hear from people whose expectations for the day were either not met at all, or met in just the way they feared.
DeleteVery nice artwork, i like the idea of live trees. Thank you for the great volunteer work, it is so needed.
ReplyDeletemessymimi: I really liked the live tree forest. A lot. It smelt delightful too.
DeleteYou and River post amazing photos of everything. These are lovely!
ReplyDeleteNo wish for biceps here. I would wish for hands-that-don't-hurt. Quilting.
Susan Kane: Pain-free days would be nice wouldn't they?
DeleteI know little of depression but I can understand that Christmas must accentuate it for those who suffer, since they feel an obligation to be merry, but can’t achieve it. The amount of hype at this time of the year is nothing short of obscene.
ReplyDeleteDavid Gascoigne: I am in wholehearted agreement about the hype. And the insistence that the way to demonstate love is by spending lots of money. All of the 'family' holidays can be difficult for lots of people.
DeleteI love the star benches. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you!!
ReplyDeletefishducky: For a low key decoration they are lovely aren't they? Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to you and yours.
DeleteI too love the star benches. It's always fun to visit you, and I can almost feel the heat from those pine trees. It would be wonderful to transport myself for a while into your heat, but just until I get warmed up. :-)
ReplyDeleteDJan: I will be ogling photos from your side of the world in an attempt to cool down. We had a few blissfully cool days but the heat is ramping up again.
DeleteI love those wishing trees. Awesome idea. And those star benches. It's been so long since I've had a real Christmas tree. They are so expensive here. But I do love the smell.
ReplyDeletemxtodis123: Real trees aren't cheap here either. The last one we had was a living tree and when it grew too big for our yard a friend with a farm took it. I hope it is thriving there (he has left that farm).
DeleteI like the ribbons and the messages people have written so far.
ReplyDeleteThe benches are cute!!
And Christmas is here!
Wishing you the very best during this merry season.
A warm hug... even though the temperature outside is minus 1 C. Not too bad at this time of year! It is winter after all. And changes are we will not have a white Christmas this year.
Caterina: Minus 1 sounds lovely. By the end of the week we will be nudging 40C (104F). I hope it stops there.
DeleteMerry Christmas to you and your family.
chances, of course... and not "changes"...
ReplyDeleteCaterina: I knew what you meant. And am glad to see someone else making the same sort of mistakes I do.
DeleteI'm spending Christmas very quietly...very low-key. I did go to the annual Christmas party hosted by my landlords on Friday evening. I had a very enjoyable time spent conversing and laughing with some very nice, entertaining folk. We shared lots of laughter. The heat had been horrendous throughout the day (as it was again yesterday, the days previous)...a wild, quite frightening storm raged through around 5.45 pm...no damage, thank goodness...but it cooled things down quite a bit...thank goodness!!
ReplyDeleteI got reprimanded by my two furry mates when I arrived back home. I never go out at night...and being away for four hours, too, was a worthy of their scoldings, they figured!
Have yourself a relaxed, enjoyable Christmas week, EC. My best wishes to you and "He"...and, of course, special cuddles to Jazz. Take good care. :)
Lee: I am glad that the storm caused no damage. A friend on the South Coast of NSW had both her home and her car significantly damaged in a hail storm. It is hot here, and getting hotter. The week will be as quiet as I can manage.
DeleteThank you for your Christmas wishes - which are reciprocated.
The star seating is brilliant. There is a lot I could say about writing, "I am awesome", but it is too close to Christmas. I saw a sign the other day, "You are awesome". Indeed there are many to remember on Christmas Day who are less fortunate than probably all of your readers.
ReplyDeleteAndrew: You are awesome has a whole different flavour doesn't it? And the individual who claimed the title felt the need to capitalise it.
DeleteI do not enjoy Christmas either; the weeks of advertising and blatant consumerism seem to start earlier every year. But I will enjoy spending time with family, and count myself lucky to have a family to be with. (And hallelujah - for the first time for as long as I can remember, I am not hosting Christmas lunch/dinner!) The smell of the trees is one of the best things about the whole deal, I think.
ReplyDeleteNice photos of the star seats - they would look great lit up at night.
I admire your selflessness, EC, in giving up your time to be there for those who need someone to talk to. I hope you don't have too many calls.
Alexia: Real tree smell is a joy isn't it? Our family is spread about the place and we will get together in the New Year (when there are a myriad of birthdays).
DeleteI expect to be very busy on Christmas Night - but will be happy if I am wrong.
I love those wooden star benches. I want some! Even more lovely if they do light up at night.
ReplyDeleteWishing you much strength for your shift on Christmas night. I think it is wonderful that you are giving your time to those who need you. :)
Merry Christmas!
~Jess
DMS ~Jess: Those benches would be a wonderful addition to the garden wouldn't they? I have a brother who enjoys working with wood and I might have to talk to him.
DeleteThanks for your positive wishes. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
How clever and neat are those interactive Christmas decorations.Thanks for your regular visits to my blog. Happy Christmas to you and yours. Jo xx
ReplyDeleteJo: Thank you. I hope that the year to come is MUCH kinder to you than this one was.
DeleteI like the star seats and the forest.
ReplyDeleteA friend in Maleny follows a similar custom of hanging paper wishes in a tree.I think it's done a lot in Japan.
Off to visit River
dinahmow: In other years local Government has put up a HUGE artifical tree. I didn't see it this year, and loved the forest.
DeleteRiver did indeed post rather a lot of Christmas bling from Adelaide.
Thank you for working the phones. It can be such a terrible time of year for so many people.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the city centre installations! There is something magical about large, temporary public works of art! (yes, i removed the previous comment because i wasn't finished yet - sleep deprivation here!)
daisyfae: I am not at all surprised you are sleep deprived. The family holidays are difficult for so many. Compounded at Christmas because many support services close down.
DeleteI am a big fan of public art, and always love to see new pieces.
I like those star seat - they are different.
ReplyDeleteMany people alone at Christmas, I feel for them.
Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year..
Margaret-whiteangel: Those seats are such a simple and clever idea.
DeleteHappy Christmas and New Year to you and yours.
I like the star seats. And good for you helping those in need on Christmas eve
ReplyDeleteSue in Italia/In the Land of Cancer: It seems that most of us like the star seats. Christmas night rather than Christmas Ever - and thank you.
DeleteI really love the Star bench seats and think I might show those images to someone good with woodwork one day, se if h can make me a couple to put in my garden, near the front edge so people can sit and rest.
ReplyDeleteRiver: I was thinking of talking to one of my brothers with just the same thought.
DeleteDear EC
ReplyDeleteThe star benches are fabulous. My wish is that 2019 will be a more peaceful year for the world.
Thank goodness for people like you who give their time to help those who are struggling. Christmas can be wonderful, but for many, it is just another very difficult time.
Best wishes
Ellie
Ellie Foster: Aren't those star seat lovely - and definitely the star of this post.
DeleteI love (and share) your hope for the world.
You always find the coolest stuff to share! Merry, Merry Christmas my friend! Hugs...RO
ReplyDeleteRO: Huge thanks and hugs. I hope your Christmas is filled with joy.
DeleteOur Christmas will be low-key too. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the less fortunate people around where we live.
ReplyDeleteChristmas is a time that yanks my emotions in all directions.
I love the pictures you shared. I’ll pop over to your blog buddy’s blog to have a look.
Rick Watson: I think that Christmas yanks a LOT of people's emotions. I hope you and Jilda enjoy yours.
DeleteI always loved walking through the Christmas tree lots because the pine tree smell is so nice.
ReplyDeleteMary Kirkland: It is a delightful smell isn't it? And sings of Christmas to many of us.
DeleteOh Sue...you really are such a beautiful Soul...helping all those others less fortunate. I am truly in awe!😊
ReplyDeleteChristmas is a time of mixed emotions for me. I miss my daughter and my parents, who are no longer with us...and yet look forward to happy times spent with my husband and son.
Gosh, I do envy you spending Christmas in the sun though. It is freezing here!! Lol
Sending you lots of love and hugs...and wishing you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! xxx
Ygraine: You are more than welcome to some of our heat. Christmas Day will be hotter than I like, and the heat will climb after that.
DeleteI think many of us know those mixed emotions. Christmas reminds us of those we have lost.
Healing hugs and hopes for a happy and healthy year to come are flowing your way.
I love the stars and admire your volunteerism. How kind you are. I will be working on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I'm sure it will be very quiet, but we are always open. Christmas is very hard for many people. Everything pounds at us that it is a family affair with beautiful decorations and many goodies to eat. It's not like that for so many people.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Janie Junebug: You are so very right about the 'Christmas message' sent to us. Which must make so many people feel even worse.
DeleteI hope your Christmas Eve and Day at work go smoothly, and that you can come home and relax.
Love the star benches.
ReplyDeleteI also like the idea of a forest of live Christmas trees, where anyone could hang an ornament for everyone else to see. Seems somehow more sharing than having a tree inside a home, despite all its gaudy ornaments. When I was a child, I loved the tree at home. Now, I rarely bother to have one out. I have a plastic one in my closet, tiny, maybe 30 cm high, but I don't even bring it out. Christmas has lost its luster for me. Maybe because I live alone now.
Olga Godim: The sharing forest has more in common with 'Christmas Spirit' for me too. Even as a child I had problems with Christmas, and those have increased over the years. I hope your time over the holiday is wonderful.
DeleteYou'll go back to see the lights, right?
ReplyDeleteAuthor R. Mac Wheeler: Nope. Too crowded for me.
DeleteWhat a wonderful ideal on the ribbions. I could take this ideal and do many things with it.
ReplyDeleteWe celebrated Yule and we wrote a message on our Yule log..what we want to leave behind in 2018 and bring forward in 2019
Coffee is on
peppylady (Dora): I would love to hear what you do with the ribbon idea. And the idea of listing what you want to leave behind and what you want to increase is great too.
DeleteAnd I, love the benches, they are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteBob Bushell: They really are. Such a simple idea and appreciated across the world.
DeleteThanks for sharing the beautiful photos. Wishing you and yours a very safe and Merry Christmas. Thank you for all you do for others. You're awesome my friend.
ReplyDeleteMason Canyon: I hope your Christmas is filled to overflowing with love and laughter.
DeleteAlways nice to see your Sunday selection.
ReplyDeleteThose wooden star benches really stand out, I like them.
Christmas is not an easy time for so many, and I applaud you for you helping those in need.
Both Eddie and I send our good wishes to you.
Merry Christmas.
All the best Jan
Lowcarb team member ~Jan: Thank you and Eddie so much. I know you will have a lovely time with your family, but I also know you will be missing Graham.
DeleteCount me as adding one more voice to the din praising those clever star benches - what good use was made of the star shape.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of the forest of trees and sharing of baubles. Sometimes I wonder why we bother to put up a tree indoors but my husband likes the tradition and to be honest, if we didn't do it, I would probably end up missing the lights and scent.
Bless you for the service you will give your community on Christmas night, as well as the many other shifts you have volunteered. I expect you have a better idea than a lot of us about the dark side of Christmas from your work with this group.
Wishing you and the SP a peaceful holiday, EC, and some treats your taste buds will enjoy :)
jenny_o: Thank you. I liked both the star benches and the shared forest rather a lot. I have spent much of today cooking/preparing. I have a huge bowl of fruit salad which I will probably live on (and thoroughly enjoy) for the next week or so.
DeleteYou will be missing your daughter and her family and I hope you can Skype with them as partial compensation.
Hugs.
Hi Sue,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, my dear friend, your caring, compassionate gesture of volunteering at Lifeline on Christmas evening, is testimony to how you wish to be there for those who may be finding this the toughest time of the year. Bless you for that.
You photos, as per usual, are superb. Of course, me being a star, would love to have one of those benches.
As I type this, you are well into Christmas Eve. I wish for you a most inspirational day where you will touch the hearts of so many.
Hugs and gratitude,
Gary
klahanie: Dear Gary, it is always lovely to see you here. Thank you. I hope that the Wee Folk and Penny's spirit hold you and Tristan safe.
DeleteI'm spending Christmas with my cats. It's a ridiculously stress filled bankrupting holiday for many. I hope others decide to screw that scenario for quiet gatherings, movies, cookies, making memories, not debt.
ReplyDeleteStrayer: Hear, hear. Memories are so much better than debt any day. I hope you and the cats have a delightful day.
DeleteMerry Christmas.
ReplyDeleteRick Watson: Thank you. Very much.
DeleteI must tell you about the tradition of tying 'ribbons' in India - there are these Sufi shrines where people (of all faiths) go to pray and make a wish and tie a thread round the grilles of the balustrades or windows. Similar practices exist around some old trees as well, make a wish and tie a thread, then if the wish comes true, go and untie one. Your ribbon photos reminded me of them. The star benches are super nifty!
ReplyDeletePeace and joy to you and yours, for Christmas and for all days.
Nilanjana Bose: Thank you for telling me about that tradition. I wonder whether it inspired the sculptor?
DeleteI love your wish, and hope that it true for you and yours as well - and indeed the world.
The first structure is incredibly powerful and touching.
ReplyDeleteMay you enjoy all that makes the holidays meaningful.
Love, safety, health, and joy to you, dear EC.
Rawknrobyn: Megathanks. And to you. And here is too a much, much better year to come.
DeleteI love the installation and the star benches. Christmas is indeed a tough time for so many. Thank you for the wonderful work you do.
ReplyDeleteLady Fi: Thank you. I hope your Christmas is filled with love and laughter.
DeleteI, too, adore the star shaped benches. What a wonderful idea! Happy Christmas :)
ReplyDeletemshatch: I do hope the city centre keeps those benches. A very happy Christmas to you and yours.
DeleteSeason's Greetings and all good wishes to you.
ReplyDeleteAndrew R. Scott: Thank you.
DeleteMerry Christmas! :-) I'm also doing some volunteering this Christmas. Good on you. :-)
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.
A Cuban in London: I hope your volunteering went well and that you and yours have a thoroughly enjoyable Christmas.
DeleteMerry Christmas my Beautiful Friend! Our Christmas is quiet too. Bless you for volunteering on the lifeline Christmas evening. The holidays are hard on many! The star wooden benches are so cute! Sending you lots of love! Thank you for being you! Big Hugs!
ReplyDeleteMagic Love Crow: Thank you. Christmas (and indeed all family holidays) is hard on a lot of people. Thank you for you love and caring - and for your beautiful self.
Deletemerry christmas, love the star benches and the installations are a nice sentiment; I was glad to have something to cook to occupy my time yesterday; hope all those in the world facing crisis made it through for another day.
ReplyDeleteLinda Starr: Thank you. Every day is a day of crisis for someone isn't it?
DeleteDear EC, each year the manger scene--the creche--nudges me to become simpler in my celebration of Christmas. In the creche there are shepherds, who eked out a poor living and kings who knew luxury and animals who knew whatever kindness or mistreatment humans extended to them. It's all there--the homelessness and the poverty and the loneliness and the pain as well as the joy and the gift-giving and the circle of love that unites us all.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you volunteer on Christmas day. I used to do that but I've let go of volunteering when I gave up driving. Now, I wake and hope that I will be a blessing that day for someone. I think you are a blessing often and ever. Peace.
Dee: I hope I can keep volunteering for as long as you did. I really hope it. It is a gift to me.
DeleteYou are right about the manger scene - which I had never considered before. Thank you.
How wonderful that you volunteered with Lifeline on Christmas. I'm sure your cheerful voice was a bright spot for those people calling. Our Christmas was low-key and wonderful. Happy New Year!!! (almost...)
ReplyDeleteSusan: It is indeed very almost a New Year. How did that happen? I am glad that your Christmas was wonderful.
DeleteI think it's wonderful that you volunteer too. I hope you had a peaceful holiday and I wish you a Happy New Year!
ReplyDeletemail4rosey: I am so very grateful I found somewhere where I can volunteer. It has become an important part of my life. Thank you for your wishes - which I reciprocate.
DeleteWonderful photos. Hope your Christmas was merry and that you ring in a Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteRasma Raisters: Thank you. And to you.
DeleteHi EC - good to read you volunteered on Christmas Day and as you mention I'm sure it was busy ... so the people who needed help had a caring ear ready for them. Love the stars ... have a blessed and peaceful few days before we set off yet again - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteHilary Melton-Butcher: All the holiday season is busy. In addition to the expectations that Christmas carries many essential services (like the mental health team) operate on reduced hours.
DeleteI hope you have settled in after your move - and look forward to hearing about it.
It is so good to hear from you. I am still working on my blog issues and I have turned off Google + per a site that was instructing how to do it. Fingers crossed ... feel free to give it a try :) But, my goodness, I have missed you too. I have so much reading to do to catch up on how you are doing. We made a move and have been up to our ears in unpacking, decorating, upgrading etc. I am finally finding time to do a little Scribble Picnic and hope to expand soon ... though I am leaving for Thailand on the 13th so expansion will probably have to wait. I sure hope all is well with you ... feel free to send a g-mail if you can't comment on my blog (ajpdna@gmail.com). So good to be back and so good to hear from you :)
ReplyDeleteAndrea @ From the Sol
Andrea @From The Sol: Lovely to hear from you. Have fun in Thailand - and I will investigate your blog shortly.
DeleteI have a strangely mundane question about your post this week. Were the star benches bolted to the ground? I like the design but if anyone sat on one without someone of the same size sitting on the other side they would topple - which has me wondering whether they are ornamental
ReplyDeleteKim: I will have a look when I go into town this week and see if they are a) still there, and b) suitably anchored. They looked fairly heavy, but I take your point.
Delete