Where is my basil? Oh how life changes! from running around and teaching the boys life skills and making sure they are confident and capable to make all the shift in their life. One has left home and he is back tonight for regular Wednesday visit and feed. The other one is doing a 'Jaimie Oliver' make over and cooking. So I rush to make  on old but favourite recipe and my herb cupboard is all rearranged the way Dan wants it. Where is my basil? - in my herb cupboard! and what have you been doing with my vegie garden and herbs? It is our herb cupboard and our garden now Mum. Oh well I found the basil and the garlic was on a shelf  I don't use  - perfect for his 6'2'' size so I struggle to get it down, get the favourit underway, wait for my other much adored son... and reflect on how life changes.......  I am so lucky!

                   One day a woman's husband died, and on that clear, cold morning, in the warmth of   their bedroom, the wife was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't anymore.   No more hugs, no more special moments  to celebrate together, no more phone calls just to chat, no more "just one minute." Sometimes, what we care about the most gets all used up and goes away, never to return before we   can say good-bye, or say "I love you." So while we have it, it's best we love it, care for it, fix it when it's broken and heal it when it's sick. This is true for marriage ... and old cars .. and children with bad report cards, and dogs with bad hips, and aging  parents and grandparents.   We keep them because they  are worth it, because we are worth it.   Some things we keep -- like a best friend who moved away or a classmate we grew up with. There are just some things that make us happy, no matter what.  

Life is important, like people we know who are  special.    And so, we keep them close!  I received this from someone who thought I was a 'keeper'!    Then I sent it to the people I think of in the same way.   Now it's your turn to send this to all those people    who are "keepers" in your life, including the person who sent it if you feel that way.  Suppose one morning you never wake up, do all your friends know you love them? I was thinking.    I could die today, tomorrow or next week, and I wondered if I had any wounds needing to be healed, friendships that needed rekindling or three words needing to be said.  Let every one of your friends and family know you love them. Even if you think they don't love you back, you would be amazed at what those three little words  and a smile can do.  

And just in case I am called home.... . I LOVE YA!!! 

 live today to the fullest because tomorrow is not  promised.

Very relevent with all the floods, 10 dead with the loss of a whole family on the Central Coast,  NSW, Australia                    ________________________________________________________________      

Forter Tuncurry are twin towns linked by a bridge across the entrance to Wallis Lake. It is 3 to 4 hours North of Sydney and has a population of around 20,000 people. During holiday periods this can balloon out to 80,000 and more because it is a very popular family tourist destination. The lake is huge but fairly shallow with a  lot of Oyster leases. It is considered to be the best suppplier of quality Sydney Rock Oysters, which I love! It is also home to a breeding colony of Pelicans - rare, Little Turns (endangered) and many dolphins.

We have two patrolled beaches called Main Beach and One Mile. One mile is 2 minutes from my home and we can hear the surf at our home. My eldest son is an active Surf Life Saver and we have just redesigned the surf club (Building Desingers) - so it will be an absolutely beautiful spot for weddings in a few more years. there are many more beaches but they can be dangerous if people do not take care. The lake has many twists and turns in its water ways so people love to go boating, fishing,  Kayaking and paddle boating. The board walk in the middle of town is falnked be many restaurants which look out onto the lake and it is a popular spot to introduce children to fishing. Our whole area has recently been deignated as a Marine Park for many reasons. We have colony of Great White Sharks at Seal Rocks (20 Minutes south), which is very popular with scuba divers from all over the world. seal Rocks has a light house and is very historical as well as being just being absolutely beautiful. It is situated in Myall Lakes National Park  - all a part of our area. House boats are fun if you want to exlpore the Myall Lakes system.

Cape Hawk look out is situated on the Highest of the three hills that used to form the rim of a very ancient volcano. Most of our area is original Gondwana Land and has rock that is up to 550,000,000 years old. This is at Ellenborough Falls 1 & 1/2  hours North. It is the highest falls in Australia and it is fabulous. Went there a few weeks ago - love it! Just before you get there you encounter Wingham and Wingham Brush - an anciet rainforest and home to the biggest colony of flying foxes. It is the area in Di Morrisey's latest book 'The Valley'.

In town you can play mini golf, do trampoling doing school holidays, go to the beaches, swiim in three enclosed baths. One is at the entrance to the Channel and frequently dolphims swim near the net to enjoy the laughter and company of humans. Sometimes you can almost touch them. There is another shallow one for little children further into the lake and then there is 'The Bull ring" on main beach - very popular. And beyong the Baths out to see are some of the best waves to be surfed so when the surf is up there are a lot of board riders out there.

There are boats  that take you cruising to see dolphins surfing the waves at one Mile or to go around the lake in comfort with a running commentary on the history of all the Lakes islands, bird lie, oyster and more. We have a lot of Pacific Cabbage Palms here. they used to be all along the east Coast of Australia but most were destroyed. Our area is the only piece of the East Ccoast that still have them in abundance . The Green Cathedral is an open air church build in the midst of the Cabbage Tree rainforest on the shoreline of wallis Lake. Many Japanese couples come to be married here because it is so special,  feels and loos so great.

When people arrive at forster they slow down to a snails pace over the bridge drinking in the crystaline blue waters - it sparkles and is intensely blue. There is so much you can do here - i can't say enough. Personally I have just played golf and we are lucky enough to have two golf courses in the one club. Tuncurry is where I played today and it is beautiful but if you can't hit then straight you will be in trouble! the two courses are very different to each other but both are near the ocean, which you can hear and  at Forster course you can see it as well.

What can I say I live in paradise and we think it is cold when we have low temperature of 6 C degrees at night! I am surrounded by beauty and I paint it when I can. My painting of One Mile Beach was bought off the wall by a client wanting a house design. He saw it and that was that. The wildlife is spectacular with black cockatoos, all manner of water birds and frogs. i have a dedicated frog pond to help them out. The dolphins are nearly always at the beach or in the lake, the whales go by twice a year on their migration path ans special tours are on during that time but frequently you see them from the beach or Bennett's Head Lookout. this is a place I go to often when itis cloudy and the sun is setting. Ocean, clouds and sunset - sensational!