Today on my walk around the suburb my attention was drawn to an usual sight. A Banksia plant was displaying several stages of the Banksia cycle all at once. There are over a 170 species of Banksias ranging in size and shape, with all but one of them native to Australia. They were first discovered by and consequently named after Sir Joseph Banks when Captain Cook discovered Australia in 1770. They are a truly an Australian original.
The photo below shows the flower in bloom. This flower was one of the last for the season.
This photograph shows the cone after the flowers have dropped off. It is here that the seeds are stored in pods until opening up. For many Banksia species this is triggered by heat – bushfires or drying out.
I love the contradiction in this photo as it shows a new cone with pods developing as well as a dried out empty cone.
In Australia the dried out cone has inspired many craft and woodwork creations. However, in many ways their greatest claim to fame is being the inspiration for May Gibbs’s Big Bad Banksia Men in her Snugglepot and Cuddlepie books. The Banksia men were the villians. They were always out to create trouble. Owing to the commonness of the species, dried cone can be found everywhere so growing up every child could relate to them. I’m sure my family wasn’t the only one to create their own Banksia boys adventures.
Today is International Coffee Day. So to honour my favourite coffee style, I have described my thoughts and what I love about coffee or in my case a cappuccino as an acrostic poem.
Connecting with others
Getting to know someone new or on a deeper level is best done over a cup of coffee. It is a safe way to spend time with someone be it at work, home or out and about in daily life. I personally also love to participate in Natalie the Explorer’s weekendcoffeeshare for the same reason.
Ageless
Coffee beans were first discovered in the 15th century. Today they are a world wide phenonium and can be enjoyed by everyone. Even if you choose not to drink caffeine you can order your coffee decaffinated. Little ones can also participate by enjoying a babyccino – a cup of frothy milk sometimes with the treat of chocolate on top like a regular cappuccino.
Protection from diseases
Regular drinking of coffee helps protect us from developing Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. It can also help protect against Type 2 Diabetes as well as other diseases including certain types of cancers.
Pay it forward
In many coffee shops in Australia you can purchase an extra cup of coffee which the coffee shop will then make at a later time for someone less fortunate than ourselves. At present with the current Delta outbreak you can also donate $5 to certain websites and buy a coffee for the nurses and doctors working tirelessly in our Covid wards and ICU’s.
Ubiquitous
I love that coffee is literally everywhere. Even driving out in the country if you need one it doesn’t take long to find somewhere selling coffee. We will often stop when traveling as it is a great way to support the locals and get to know what is around the area. We have never found anyone who wasn’t up for a chat.
Calming affects of caffeine
Coffee increases mood by increasing the dopamine levels in our brain. It also helps with focus and energy levels.
Choices
In Australia there are many choices when it comes to your favourite beverage. Although all are varieties of the same 3 ingredients -coffee, milk and milk froth, they are very different?
Expresso
Macchiato
Long Black
Cappuccino
Latte
Mochaccino
Affogato
Piccolo Latte
Ristretto
Irish Coffee
Babyccino
Improves my focus, fat burning ability as well as physical performance
Coffee’s impact on metabolism, focus and physical performance is well documented. It can also help increase pain thresholds and if I need to take Panadol, I will have it with a coffee as it increases its painkilling effect.
Nutrients and antioxidants
Coffee is a brain food and if full of essential nutrients and antioxidants. Like all good things however it is important to remember that moderation is key.
Oppurtunities open for all
I love that anyone who wants to become a barista in Australia can become one. It requires a course and to be good at it a passion for coffee. As a mental health nurse I have seen several of my patients been accepted by their communities despite their obvious disabilities because they made an excellent cup of coffee. In a non Covid world Australians in particular will travel for a good coffee.
I have enjoyed my daily takeaway cappuccino as I wrote this post. I hope you too get to celebrate International Coffee Day and enjoy your favourite coffee today.
Every year in June Australia’s biggest Rock ‘n’ Roll and nostalgia festival is held in Coolangatta. Last year we were fortunate enough to attend. Cooly Rocks On celebrates everything that was great about the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. It was like a step back in time. Lining the streets were thousands of vintage cars of every make and model. I have never seen as many proud people as the men and woman showing off their piece of history. Everyone painstakingly restored with love and styled to the associated era.
I think my favourite was called Violet Crumble for obvious reasons.
Indian motorcycles were also a huge hit with crowds. They had their own dedicated area.
I loved the Goggomobil display. These micro cars were so cute. I loved how they were decorated. I had heard of these cars before however most car shows don’t include them so I hadn’t seen them before. They were also a crowd favourite.
You can’t have a nostalgia festival without the King. Yes Elvis was there in many ways. There was a specific Elvis precinct that we didn’t go into. The lineup to get in was huge. We were lucky enough to see several of the Elvis impersonators who were performing in the precinct wandering through the street. Also to add 50’s appeal to several of the vintage cars many had Elvis portraits painted beautifully on them.
Rock ‘n’ Roll music could be heard all over Cooly. You knew you were somewhere special and I loved the effort many people went to to look the part. Rock ‘n’ Roll outfits were everywhere. I especially loved the matching outfits the regular dancers wore. It was like a step back in time to old photos of our parents as youngsters.
Spring has sprung. And just before it my 59th birthday. Both of these have recently helped drive my latest time of reflection. My final motivator is the news that to get out of lockdown we need to live with Covid -19. As Australia up until these last few months has been able to contain the virus this reality creates anxiety in most of us. The reality is however that I can only reflect on things in my life I can change and Covid isn’t one of them.
I’m a firm believer in the following quote:
My favourite way to break down powerful words is through the use of acrostic poems. So for me, reflection means:
Review where I am currently at
Explore where I want to be
Freely and honestly check my initial review
Look at what needs to be different
Enact a plan
Choose daily, weekly and monthly goals
Test and track my goals
Include in daily, weekly or monthly routines
Observe regularly what works and what doesn’t
Negotiate any changes that may be needed and enjoy the new me blossoming
For me the main areas of reflection involve:
My health
Blogging/Writing
Career/Retirement Planning
After reflecting on my health I realised daily tracking needs to be around my water intake, movement and sleep. I started doing this a few weeks ago and I have already noticed a huge increase in my energy levels.
Returning to blogging last month made me realise that over the years Inspiring Max has developed its own momentum. I was surprised that even when I haven’t been blogging, it is continuing to be read. This has inspired me to spend more time blogging. Not just writing posts but also engaging with the blogging community. Over the last few weeks I have been able to maintain 3 posts a week, which on refection is sustainable. Me getting better at planning posts will be the key.
Reflecting on this last area is in some ways out of my control. I am a mental health nurse who trained 40 years ago. I have obtained many skills over my career but have no general nursing experience. As we open up I have no idea what will be expected from me as I go about my work day. I have decided to follow my gut and see where the journey takes me. It is also tricky to plan for travel at the moment but it is certainly something I am hopeful to start in 2022.
What areas of your life are you currently reflecting on?
Last week as I was walking around my local area I found this yarn bombing event. As I had never seen one before I was intrigued. Why? What was it all about?
For anyone like me who doesn’t know what yarn bombing is – it is a form of street art, like graffiti often connected to activism in some way. Another point of yarn bombing is to mitigate the severity of barren, cold public places.
This particular laneway I agree prior to the yarn bombing was boring, desolate and barren. I would walk down Devonshire Lane twice a week last year on my way to work and it had nothing going for it. The addition of the Deafblind Connect yarn bombing event has definitely brightened up the area. The colourful event has also brought attention to the Hunter’s Deafblind community. When I looked closely at the tree coverings I noticed many different textures especially designed for the blind to enjoy.
The event occurred during Deafblind Awareness week 21st -27th June as part of a global initiative in 22 countries across the world. What a fantastic idea to bring the community together.
Sunflowers are a very special flower. They are so bright and magical. Although up till yesterday I had only seen them in small groups at the florists or growing wild beside the road.
Then a casual chat in the kebab shop changed my life. The other lady was showing my daughter and I as well as the shop attendant photos she had taken in a local sunflower field. I instantly knew what we were doing the next day, and I wasn’t disappointed.
A local award winning farmer had specifically planted the Quirindi sunflower field for locals and tourists to experience walking in sunflowers. The cost was a donation and we were able to pick our own sunflowers to take home.
I loved it. It was like nothing I had ever done before. I couldn’t believe the height of the flowers or the size of the flower stems or the leaves. I was also fascinated to learn that sunflowers follow the sun. If you ever get the chance to walk in a sunflower field don’t let the chance go by.
The various stages of opening up.
After a 4 hour trip home and some sugar in the water, today our special sunflowers are enjoying life in our lounge room.
I like to think of ideas and actions as the seeds of our life. I acknowledge and use them all because they won’t all germinate and grow. Sometimes the smallest ones on first look don’t seem to be valuable. Plant them anyway as they may surprise you and turn out be very strong. The more regular a habit you make of following ideas and steps to your goals, the more you’ll get the bonus seeds life plants in your garden. For me, just a small comment made years before has been enough to start my life going in a new direction. I didn’t even know it was happening until the harvest. In hindsight I was regularly adding to it’s growth without realizing.
You can’t start harvesting anything, if you haven’t put the required work in before hand. Prepare, plant and plow. Without the first two there is no harvest.
Many years ago I did a Dale Carnegie course. I loved it. and it certainly helped develop my people skills. For me, it was fascinating to learn and truly understand the power of asking people their story. Even a small question can led to a totally different story line.
People won’t tell you if you don’t ask, especially if you’re too busy talking about yourself. Everyone’s story is unique and helps us to understand what makes them tick.
When I was much younger I sailed with my father. He had sailed for Australia so knew a lot about how to manage the winds. I remember it fascinated me the difference a slight adjustment would make to give you an edge. My other memory of this time was that we never sailed in a westerly as they were too changeable and could easily do damage to the boat.
Back in 2016 I began what I hoped would be a tradition on Inspiring Max – my Christmas Calendar. A month of positive quotes. One for each day in the lead up to Christmas. My version of our family’s other Christmas tradition, chocolate advent calendars.
As we end this very difficult year let’s think about how we want 2021 to be. My plan is for it to involve more regular blogging and writing. What do you want to create in your future?
