What's good about today?

* Eating breakfast outside, enjoying the garden and the mild weather.

* The gardenias on my desk. One of my regular clients for readings, when I'm at Murwillumbah Showgrounds market, always brings me a gardenia flower. This time it was two, and they're lasting well. It's my favourite flower, mostly for that exotic scent, and also for the delicate beauty of white petals which turn gradually gold as the flower fades.

* Our guest, James, is still here. He cooks us splendiferous meals from time to time, knows how to fix computer problems, and helps out here and there with finances. Above all, he's taken on turning Andrew's health around with nutrition specifically tailored for Andrew's needs, plus lots of laughter and optimism. Apart from all that, it's just good to hang out with him after not seeing him for a number of years.

* Andrew is responding well to the ministrations and already seems much more his old self.

* The fact that I wrote two poems yesterday.

* Kind comments from people who enjoyed the walking blog I posted last night (see previous post). The realisation that the trivia of my life can be enthralling to others, and that I must be writing well for this to be so.

* New posts at the latest Haiku on Friday blog. The tender memories sparked in others by my verse on my mother.

* A new art gallery nearby is going to display and sell copies of Andrew's book at its opening exhibition, 'All's Fairy in Love and War.'

* My new metal water bottle (because I read that plastic leeches into the water). It's lightweight, and has a spill-proof lid.

* Remembering the lovely water bottle carrier with shoulder strap that I got in Peru in 1998, and have just brought back into service (because new bottle lacks a carry loop). It has dusky-hued stripes of blue, red, green and purple, based on those wonderful old Inca designs, and the strap's adjustable.

* The recipe for mosquito repellant which I got from the Neighbourhood Centre – effective without putting nasty chemicals on one's skin. It's also good for treating the stings once they've happened. Here it is, if you'd like it too:

Mozzie Repellant

Gentle enough for everyday use and helps with existing bites also

In a large spray bottle

ADD – 200mls Canola Oil
or light Olive Oil

500mls Dettol

15 drops Lavender Oil

20 drops Tea tree Oil

50 mls water

Spray all over skin daily

* The even easier tip for treating midgie bites (from an Aboriginal guide at Mingjungbal Museum): as soon as you feel the itch, lick your finger and dab the spot with saliva. It has to be your own saliva. This neutralises the itch. Both these tips are vital because I am highly allergic to mozzie and midgie bites, and the dear little creatures just love me. I wind up with welts and sometimes infections from scratching ... but not any more!

And why am I listing all these good things here? Because counting one's blessings is a kind of magick! Energy follows thought. When we think positive, we send out good vibes which attract more positivity, so the happy mood escalates, and blesses all those around us as well as ourselves. Or, put another way – expressing gratitude tells the Universe what we like and want in our lives. And writing things down, particularly for public witness, is a good way to ground them.