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.
Huge thanks to Cie who gave me this wonderful Sunday Selections image.
The meme was then continued by River at Drifting through life. Sadly she has now stepped aside (though she will join us some weeks), and I have accepted the mantle.
The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent. Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to me. Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen.
I usually run with a theme. This week, and I hope you will forgive me, I am indulging myself.
Starting with more skyscapes.
I went in to town to do my usual shift at Lifeline last week. It was a chilly day, but the skies were brilliant blue and the autumnal glory is still on display.
I completed my shift and was saying goodbye to the staff when I received a VERY pleasant surprise. Last week was volunteer week and in recognition that I am the longest standing volunteer at my centre I was given a beautiful bunch of flowers. I floated towards the bus stop - and as I went past the early morning centre (where I made my usual food donation on my way in) on my way home several of the homeless people there told me how beautiful my flowers were. They were right.
River Fairchild - What a happy surprise! Recognition for work that one does without any expectation of being rewarded is the best kind. It warms the heart. You definitely deserve it. I am in awe of how much you give of yourself.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful skies and, yes, that brilliant autumnal blue is gorgeous to behold.
Hugs to you and the kitties. Hoping for a good week for all.
River Fairchild: Thank you. I get a great deal more from my volunteering than I give. The kittens have had breakfast and the next task is to get Batty to agree to his antibiotic.
DeleteOh my goodness, those flowers are so pretty.
ReplyDeleteMary Kirkland: Aren't they lovely?
DeleteThat was very nice of them!
ReplyDeleteAlex J. Cavanaugh: It was. Very, very nice.
Deletethecontemplativecat here. Lovely flowers!
ReplyDeleteThe corellas are back. The galahs must be soon. Yay!
Susan Kane: The corellas never go away - and are shrieking outside as I type. I haven't see the galahs for a while but will keep an eye out for them.
DeleteWhat a lovely bouquet! Congratulations, and kudos to you for your dedication.
ReplyDeleteAnd your sky photos are beautiful as always. It made me chuckle to see the corellas lined up on the wire - it's fun to be reminded that birds we consider 'exotic' over here are just the usual flock over there. :-)
Diane Henders: I just took the kitty litter out and the corellas were again lined up. They are now in the trees close to the house making their presence felt.
DeleteCool skyscapes! Congrats on the flowers.
ReplyDeleteMike: At the moment our skyscapes are definitely cool. I took several of those when our temperatures hadn't reached zero.
DeleteI love beautiful sunrise and sunset skyscapes, Sue, and I never tire of your gorgeous photos. And the flowers! What a wonderful surprise! They are all familiar to me and so beautiful! Richly deserved I'm sure, because you are kind and compassionate. Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Hugs to you!
ReplyDeleteFundy Blue: Thank you. I am delighted at my flowers - despite the fact that many of them don't bloom naturally at the same time. Skyscapes always fill me with joy and I have folder after folder of them stored on the PC. You have a wonderful weekend too.
DeleteBeauty is certainly all around you :)
ReplyDeleteFirstly the wonderful skyscapes, and secondly the beautiful flowers you were given and which you thoroughly deserve for the help you give others.
I hope the week ahead is a good one for you.
All the best Jan
Lowcarb team member ~Jan: I am endlessly grateful to be surrounded by beauty - and do love my photos. Thank you.
DeleteBeautiful flowers, and well-deserved, too. You do a wonderful service, EC.
ReplyDeleteKind, unexpected gestures are heart-warming. Last week I received a lovely surprise...one most unexpected. A lass who works at our local supermarket, and with whom I get on very well...she is a gentle lonely soul, and we chat a lot when I'm there doing my shopping...she arrived on my doorstep (I didn't know she knew where I lived). She had bought me a gift...a book of a series I'd been raving on about..."Daisy Jones & The Six". Her kind gesture caused me to well up, and overflow! The book, like the series, is terrific. I love it...I love both...and I love the thoughtful gesture...the kindness.
I hope the coming week is filled with kindness for you,
EC. Cuddles to Odie and Batty. I hope, too, they are doing well. :)
Lee: What a lovely gesture from your friend. I suspect I would have burst into tears on the spot.
DeletePoor Batty is back on antibiotics as he has respiratory issues. He is making me work to give them to him too.
I hope you and Shama have a lovely week.
I'm sorry to learn about dear Batty. He sure is having many battles to face, the dear little fellow. Special cuddles from me to him.
DeletePoor Batty has had such a rough start to life, I hope he is better again soon.
DeleteLee: He is having far too many battles. I will give him a cuddle from you when next he surfaces.
DeleteRiver: How I wish the vet had frequent flyer points. Both kittens have spent far too much time with them. Hopefully this is the last for quite a while.
DeleteBeautiful sunset skies and flowers.
ReplyDeleteroentare: Thank you. I was so glad of all of them.
DeleteWell your skyscapes are awesome especially the one with the "watch Cockie" or what looks like a hawk to me is watching with you. Fall is my favorite time of year partly because of the blue skies and the fall colors, but also because of the consistent 70 degree weather.
ReplyDeleteSo you are a volunteer and you were aptly rewarded for it. So that is another special thing about you that makes you a extraordinary person. I don't see any end to your qualities ... you are a truly amazing and talented women and I am so blessed to have you as a friend ... though shamefully, I am not good at letting you know that. Thank you for always being there for me, Sue. I look forward to your comments every week ... always with something nice to say. I don't know how you do all that you do, but I know everyone who knows you loves you ... including me. Stay well, my friend ...
Andrea @ From the Sol
Andrea @ From the Sol: After the difficult week you had I am surprised (and grateful) to see you here this morning. I do hope the coming week is easier on you.
DeleteThe watch cockie was a sulphur crested cockatoo. Many of them visit each day and they recognise us and are much less flighty than they are with strangers.
We were brought up to believe that we had an obligation to contribute to the community - though how we do it was left up to us. I volunteer in several places and get a great deal more from it than I give.
How lovely! Obviously the people you work with recognise your hard work and have shown their appreciation of you - the beautiful flowers demonstrate that admirably. And your skyscapes are stunning, as always.
ReplyDeleteI hope that Batty is improving again - poor chap, he has had a rough time (as have you!) I hope all goes well this week.
Alexia: Thank you. Batty is less bothered by his latest setback than we are. The poor little cat doesn't know what it is to be healthy. The antibiotics seem to be starting to work, but he has a way to go.
DeleteKeep indulging yourself, please. The sky shots are beautiful and I love how they capture the birds, too.
ReplyDeleteYou got some lovely shots from the city, too. Those flowers are gorgeous and you are SO deserving of them because of everything you do and how nicely you treat everyone.
Sorry to be so late visiting. Friday (Saturday in your world) was not a good day in my world. I'm not whining, just explaining that my GOOD hand hurt, as did the rest of my body due, in part to my inability to breathe due to the winds from the wild fires in Canada and in part from overworking at my friend Sally's house on Thursday when I brought in over 200 lbs of cat litter she had ordered from Amazon.
Take care of YOU and hug Odie and Batty, too, please.
Bleubeard and Elizabeth: You have really been in the wars lately. I hope that the smoke from the fires clears (I know that only too well) and that both arms heal. 200lbs of kitty litter is a LOT.
DeleteThe flowers are still doing really well, and making me smile every time I look at them. It was such a lovely gesture and I am very grateful.
Please give yourself and your boys a hugs too.
So nice to be recognized and be appreciated for all you do. Congrats and thanks for sharing those flowers with me!
ReplyDeleteDJan: It was totally unexpected and very, very welcome. Aren't those flowers gorgeous?
DeleteThose flowers are so beautiful. So are your sunset pictures, the two five minutes apart.
ReplyDeleteJoanne Noragon: Thank you. I was very tired that night but very glad that I made the effort to go out and appreciate and photograph that sunset.
DeleteIsn't it such fun to get flowers!
ReplyDeleteMy selections will be over here.
messymimi: It was lovely to be given the flowers. As always I look forward to your selections.
DeleteCongratulations for a well deserved recognition for your volunteer service and on being the longest serving volunteer.
ReplyDeleteIt says a lot about how caring you are.
The flowers are beautiful and make me smile.
The skyscapes photos are also beautiful. Gorgeous foliage on that yellow tree.
Take care and enjoy the weekend.
Hugs,
Julia
Julia: Thank you. There are lots of caring people there and it was lovely to have my commitment recognised. Wasn't that golden tree gorgeous? It improves that part of town no end. You have a lovely weekend too.
DeleteThat a very dramatic and beautiful sky!
ReplyDeleteYou certainly deserved that gorgeous bouquet.
Caterina: I am so grateful for the flowers - and the sky.
DeleteWhat a beautiful bunch of flowers! the variety in there is terrific. I love the golden tree and the sky with the watch cocky, and the second dusk shot.
ReplyDeleteRiver: I smiled all the way home - and still smile when I look at them. The variety blows me away. The watch cocky was great wasn't he? He flew over to our house quite shortly afterwards.
DeleteLovely gift are flowers, they look beautiful and you are so appreciated by others - how wonderful is that :)
ReplyDeleteYour selection this week, lovely, the colours of the sky are amazing and always keep us wonder of what colours will show with the next sunrise, sunset.
Take care EC.
Margaret D: I was so very touched by the gift of the flowers and, as regular readers know, I am very, very fond of both dawn and dusk.
DeleteHi EC - what a lovely thoughtful post ... how brilliant - the longest volunteer - dedicated to their cause. What a thoughtful and delightful present to receive - nothing like a bunch of cheering flowers ... they look so good. And those who acknowledged you with your flowers as you took them home. Strange sky - but so interesting to see. Poor Batty - I feel for him and all who live with him and look after each other. With thoughts for the week ahead ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteHilary Melton-Butcher: Thank you. It really was a lovely day. Tiring, as those shifts always are, but uplifting. Poor Batty indeed, though he is currently very comfortable on the bed (and has had his evening antibiotic).
DeleteYou are lovely. Just my sort. Love you. Aloha
ReplyDeleteCloudia: Thank you so much.
DeleteAmazing shots--- all of them. And you have a heart as big as all outdoors.
ReplyDeleteBill: What a lovely thing to say. What lovely things (plural) to say. Thank you too.
DeleteLove the skies, especially the first few.
ReplyDeleteJ Cosmo Newbery: I was standing in the road to take those photos on quite a chilly morning. A tradie driving out of the street gave me a very old fashioned look - and I didn't care.
DeleteSkies and flowers - two of the most beautiful subjects in the world.
ReplyDeleteJohn "By Stargoose And Hanglands": Don't forget birds, trees and water. All of them brighten my days.
DeleteNone of us volunteer for recognition, Sue, but a tribute like this once in a while is life-affirming isn't it? If anyone deserves it, it is you. Thank you from all who care, for your service and dedication, often under personally challenging conditions.
ReplyDeleteDavid M. Gascoigne: Thank you. I am pleased to say that there are lots of other dedicated volunteers at my centre, some of whom clocked up twenty years service this year.
DeleteI'm so happy you were recognized. No one deserves it more. You do so much more than you realize. Huge hugs.
ReplyDeleteSandra sandracox.blogspot.com
Sandra Cox: Thank you. Muchly.
DeleteBeautiful.
ReplyDeletewww.rsrue.blogspot.com
Regine: Both the flowers and the skies were beautiful.
DeleteThe photos of the sky and flowers are so lovely. I hope you had a good weekend and will have a great start to the new week,
ReplyDeleteRasmaSandra: Thank you - you too.
DeleteDear EC
ReplyDeleteBeautiful skies to enjoy. Congratulations on being such a committed volunteer (what a lovely and well-deserved gift) as you (and others like you) do such an amazing job!
Have a happy week
Best wishes
Ellie
Ellie Foster: The sky is so often lovely isn't it? I am in awe of some of the other volunteers who in addition to their shifts and mentoring also do training.
DeleteIt's always nice to be recognized and appreciated.. those flowers are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHena Tayeb: It was very nice indeed, and totally unexpected.
DeleteVery nice photos and congratulations on the gift bouquet. I rarely feel appreciated and I came close to saying "forget it" to writing yesterday after I was asked to do a massive rewrite on a story I submitted to an anthology. Still, because I don't know how to do anything else, I did another of my dumb Haigas this week. https://poetryofthenetherworld.blogspot.com/2023/05/resigned.html
ReplyDeleteOrnery Owl of Naughty Netherworld Press and Readers Roost: I rescued you from spam. I am so glad that you didn't say no to the rewrite - and I look forward to reading your far from dumb Haiga.
DeleteMind blowing skies, and beautiful, delicate flowers uplifting one's mood! You deserve to be surrounded by beauty and appreciation.
ReplyDeleteDUTA: Lucky person that I am, I see both. Often.
DeleteI'm so glad your huge effort with volunteering has been recognised.
ReplyDeleteI also love the purple sky
kylie: Wasn't it lovely of them - and that sky was a joy. All of those skies were a joy.
DeleteI'm so glad your service is recognised and appreciated. Congratulations! No one more deserving. The flowers are magnificent. So are the skyscapes. What a lovely post to start my week here. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteNilanjana Bose: All your comments are so supportive and encouraging - thank you.
DeleteStunning sunrises, sunsets and flowers - exquisite gifts in one way or another. Your volunteer work is inspiring EC
ReplyDeleteKim: I come from a family of volunteers and I am so grateful for that. I think all of us would say that we get more than we give.
DeleteOur family is the same EC, and I'm sure we'd all agree with you
DeleteKim: Volunteering is great isn't it? Sometimes heartbreaking, always rewarding.
DeleteBeautiful and well deserved!
ReplyDeletee: Thank you. I struggle with praise but I am so grateful and appreciative of this gift.
DeleteWonderful skyscapes - with the moon lying down, a think I never see here ;) What a wonderful surprise and simply stunning flowers.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte (MotherOwl): Aren't my flowers beautiful - and they continue to delight me. As does the sky.
DeleteThe first two sky photos have the purple hue. I love that when I see it in the sky. Those are beautiful flowers. You are very dedicated to the lifeline. I wonder how many lives you have saved in your years of service.
ReplyDeleteStrayer: I love skies like that too. We have fog this morning - which I also enjoy. I hope over the years I have helped a lot of people but will never know.
DeleteBelli i tramonti, stupendi i fiori.
ReplyDeleteBuon inizio settimana.
Giancarlo: Thank you - you too.
DeleteI love your skies and your bouquet of flowers. How nice of the staff to be so kind and thoughtful. Congratulations.
ReplyDeletegigi-hawaii: There are only a few paid staff and they do exceptional work. I am endlessly grateful for their dedication and the flowers were a lovely bonus. I hope you are starting to feel a little better.
DeleteFirst, thank you for your volunteer service. The world is better as a result of your generous efforts.
ReplyDeleteWhat gorgeous flowers!
You are forgiven for providing images of incredible skyscapes. As long as you promise to keep doing it!
A new week is here! Enjoy it!
Wally Jones: Thank you. I am so glad to have found a way to contribute to my community.
DeleteI adore skyscapes and will almost certainly continue to post photo after photo.
I hope you and Gini have a nature packed week - and am sure you will.
And so very well deserved on those flowers for your huge and compassionate commitment to such essential work.
ReplyDeleteLove the skyscapes!
XO
WWW
Wisewebwoman: There are so many people who work hard for Lifeline. I am honoured (and chuffed) to have my contribution recognised.
DeleteLovely skies at nights EC.
ReplyDeleteBob Bushell: They were - and in the early morning too.
DeleteBefore I even saw this post, I thought I'd drop by with appreciation (and a bit of love bombing) for you!
ReplyDeleteI genuinely appreciate all the beautiful things you contribute to blogland and the world, and your majestic perspective that you share so well.
Please be extra kind to your glorious self.
Hugs and much gratitude.
Rawknrobyn: I am so very grateful for the love and the support I receive here in the blogosphere. Majestic perspective isn't a title I would ever claim for myself, but thank you. Lots.
DeleteI never tire of your skyscapes, so keep on showing them, please. That is a very beautiful bunch of flowers, and I'm glad that the volunteers are appreciated. It's a very nice way to show that.
ReplyDeleteCarola Bartz: The staff are wonderful. We are supported (in so many ways) all of the time. Thank you for your kind comment about my skyscapes which I know I feature often.
DeleteOh . . . my goodness, those skyscapes are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI too, am an early bird!
Those dusk scenes, are also beautiful!
And that autumn glory, is beautiful as well!
I truly commend you on the wonderful work you do, that is absolutely great!
I would be floating "towards the bus stop" too, receiving such beautiful flowers as those!
Lon Anderson: Nice to see that you have come back to the blogosphere - and thank you.
DeleteStunning post x
ReplyDeleteaussie aNNie: Thank you. I hope Bella and her babes are doing well.
DeleteHow absolutely wonderful...your flowers. You are obviously a very special soul. So many good watchbirds watching over you.
ReplyDeleteJ C: Aren't they lovely? More than a week later they are still going strong.
DeleteWhat a gorgeous bouquet! I'm glad you included close-ups because the flowers really shine in those shots. I'm glad you received acknowledgement and appreciation for your difficult work.
ReplyDeletejenny_o: Thank you. Two weeks later the flowers are still looking really, really good.
DeleteEven better that they are lasting so well!
Deletejenny_o: How right you are. I am just home after another shift and they are still looking good.
Delete