Why Purple? When I first arrived in Australia, my first job was working at St Lucia, University of Queensland's main campus, processing student enrolments - paper ones! That was 25 years ago next month. I think we missed the best of the jacarandas that year, but the following year was amazing.
In October, jacaranda trees were flowering all over the place, signalling the arrival of spring and - exams! I learnt that this association was strong for those who grew up here, as it meant that the end of the academic year was approaching.
And, yes, jacaranda time means exams, for some and for me, marking...and graduation of our Masters of Mental Health Art Therapy students. At UQ - small world.
My previous experience of jacarandas, was the Jacaranda Garden Cafe in Brixton, London, where I used to live - now Craft Beer, apparently.
Some more slightly purple artwork.
This time last year, I was stressed out by jacaranda time. I was just finishing my Masters of Social Work. I have (as a result) been working full time since March, and feeling stressed in a different way. No assignments, yay, just adjusting to spending more time at work, and having to ignore the garden, blogging, and other creative pursuits most of the time. In a way, this is harder, as there is no 'end' in sight - life (unless you are a teacher) does not come packaged in semester-sized chunks - so noticing the great (big and small) stuff everyday is more important than ever.
Remembering to be grateful, I am appreciating my TOIL day off today, anticipating being on holiday in Tasmania soon, (first holiday without children, as they both are now officially adults) and listening to music (a mix tape, almost!) for this year's Woodford Folk Festival.
I enjoy reading anything by Michael Nobbs,
because he writes about how to still be creative with less time or
energy available. Michael reminds me to notice the creative milestones,
which signify progress towards our small achievements.For me, this is
almost 4 years of (fairly regular) blogging, since December 2010. 170 posts, which is over 40 a year. And almost 14,000 views.
