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Just for fun: the random, useless announcements thread!
Back then @Bunks it was a case of no sense...no feeling
I remember years ago (teenage years) when I lived at Coogee beach in Sydney, the big dare then was to jump off the rocks at the time a big wave rolled in, if you miscalculated you could easily hit the jagged rocks below...
Looks like it's still a craze...but not sure if it's the same spot...from what I remember there wasn't much in the way of flat surfaces on the rocks...
2
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
"Youth is wasted on the Young"...
1
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
Only one of these has posted, and that was just once...! Ah, the fun of welcoming new members!
After my jolk, I headed to the beach for a dip...
The water was warmer than last month and the sand was bloody hot, burning the soles of my feet...
Today we moved to level 3.2 which means up to 25 people can gather outside and more shops are open...At the end of this month hopefully we would have reach the target goal of 90% fully vaccinated, then we go to the traffic light system...
As the sun was setting yesterday evening, this blackbird decided to sing a song of sixpence...
and this afternoon I got a close up of the blackbird but s/he refused to sing whilst I was watching..
@yagr said:
I was sitting on the couch last night and realizing that I've never actually been this content in my life.
💗 I need one of those couches … The increase in contentment, equanimity, well being, stillness in turmoil, being in the zone etc. is surely a preferred state of being.
4
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
@yagr said:
I was sitting on the couch last night and realizing that I've never actually been this content in my life.
That sounds like something is going right in your life, time perhaps to consider what external factors you rely upon for your happiness?
2
Fosdickin its eye are mirrored far off mountainsAlaska, USAVeteran
We had some wet snow 3 weeks ago, and an amazing lot of trees and branches came down in the yard. Chainsaw time, but I was loath to get off my couch and start cutting and heaving - wasn't sure I was still capable of wielding the chainsaw without dismembering myself. Still, there was no help for it, so after stalling for a week I finally made the attempt. None of my limbs are missing yet, but still a long way to go before the mess is cleared up. Found a tree down on the fence, which a bear had used multiple times last summer to get into the yard and thence into the entryway of the house to consume birdseed. A small bear, but he looked quite enormous from 3 feet away. Made quite a mess in his haste to get away, but at least he didn't shit the place. Now if I ever get all the branches cut, will have to fix the fence before Cubby wakes up in the spring.
On the plus side, all that chainsawing seems to be loosening up the old joints to where I can climb the stairs a little better.
Nice @Jeroen, what a thoughtful housewarming gift ......
Around 16 years ago some friends started up a respite centre/hospice on the island, at the time there was already a hospice on the island, however the staff there only cared for patients in their homes and for the most part only saw patients during the day...the respite centre my friends set up the patients could stay at the place and the trained volunteer staff were there 24/7...
They were familiar with how hospices run, they had set up the first hospice in the UK for AIDs patients back in the 1980s...
Anyhow I became a volunteer ...
One of the friends was a Buddhist, the other a Quaker...They named the centre "The Resting Buddha"...
I was taken by the Buddha image, the Buddha looked so serene and at peace, my friends gave me a print which I framed...as you can see it's beginning to fade.... and both my friends have passed away...
Nothing is permanent
3
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
@Shoshin1 said:
Nice @Jeroen, what a thoughtful housewarming gift ......
It was wasn’t it. It’s a beautiful example of the kind of not-quite-ordinary Buddhas that one can find, I was quite taken by it.
1
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
Pod of Dolphins in the bay this morning..I didn't have my glasses on, so at first I couldn't see what the other people were looking at, it was only when I reached the far end of the beach that I saw them, they came quite close to shore, close enough for me to see them breaking water, but my jolking phone camera is not the best, so no photos, you will have to take my word for it ...I was the only person at the the end of the beach when they came in close, hmm maybe I'm special after all
...I was the only person at the the end of the beach when they came in close, hmm maybe I'm special after all
Tee Hee!
One of the side effects of calm/practice is animals enter the safety zone field. It is not the porpoise of practice (no groaning) but is an indication. We are blessed by our own being …
I went and visited a Korean Zen Nun (Aussie but ordained in that tradition) at her home yesterday with the Bhikkhunis from Newbury Monastery. A wonderful lady - very inspirational.
Went for a dip after the jolk
On my way back up the track I saw a guy with his dog coming down, he told me he had just been for a swim with the dolphins at Sandy bay (Sandy bay is in between Oneroa and Palm beach), he said they have been in the bay for a while...So off I went to Sandy bay and...it looks like they were doing around the bays..BTW the beach you can see in the background is Oneroa...
Would have loved to have gone swimming with them but I only had my birthday swimsuit with me...
Anyhow I saw a friend of my old landlady there, she said there were around a pod of twenty there the other day...So guess where my new FAVORITE beach is????
@Bunks said:
I went and visited a Korean Zen Nun (Aussie but ordained in that tradition) at her home yesterday with the Bhikkhunis from Newbury Monastery. A wonderful lady - very inspirational.
Lovely photo...At first I didn't see you in the background @Bunks ...
...I was the only person at the the end of the beach when they came in close, hmm maybe I'm special after all
Tee Hee!
One of the side effects of calm/practice is animals enter the safety zone field. It is not the porpoise of practice (no groaning) but is an indication. We are blessed by our own being …
Lovely photo...At first I didn't see you in the background @Bunks ...
Hehe yeah, the Vinaya has strict rules around nuns and Laymen not touching or being alone together without a third person. So I am trying to kind of hide away a bit in the photo.
I drove two of the Nuns there and at one stage had to get out of the car to speak to someone. I thought one of the Nuns would do it but then we realised that would mean it would just be me and one Nun alone in the car hehe.
They’re actually all just my mates really which is nice.
PD: @Bunks If you don't want to go, don't go. But maybe going could open up loadz of cool outcomes, just like staying at home... I personally didn't like some "work xmas events" because I disliked the drunken and tense atmosphere.
This one stood out for me. Practically the whole planet celebrates and has a feast and a good time, and then you decide not to participate? I know the whole baby Jesus angle is a bit over the top, but surely we can overlook that in favour of a good ole’ fashioned knees-up? By Jove?
This one stood out for me. Practically the whole planet celebrates and has a feast and a good time, and then you decide not to participate? I know the whole baby Jesus angle is a bit over the top, but surely we can overlook that in favour of a good ole’ fashioned knees-up? By Jove?
They can do as they please...as can I.
I generally celebrate around sporting events. AFL Grand Final, Boxing Day Test at the MCG, etc.
2
Fosdickin its eye are mirrored far off mountainsAlaska, USAVeteran
I don't celebrate Christmas either, I mostly just endure it, my wife being a Christmas fanatic, but I don't have the energy to really participate much.
But the useless announcement I wished to make - as I lay abed this morning attempting to muster strength enough to rise onto my hind legs, a weasel appeared about 3 feet from my head, white as snow, an avatar of some sort I do not doubt. Don't ordinarily keep a camera in bed, so no picture, but this is what s/he looked like:
@Fosdick said:
I don't celebrate Christmas either, I mostly just endure it, my wife being a Christmas fanatic, but I don't have the energy to really participate much.
1. I rarely drink anymore
2. I like my colleagues but have no urge to socialise with them outside of work
3. It’s 90 minutes from home
4. I don’t celebrate xmas
5. I’d have to organise for someone to look after my kids
Fair enough ....I don't celebrate it either...it's just another day, nothing special...If the weather's nice I go to the beach like any other day...
They were spraying the vineyard next door this morning, so I headed to the beach to try out my op shop beach tent...I can only sit upright crossed legged in it, I guess it's actually a beach tent for a baby to sleep in out of the sun...However now it's a beach meditation tent...
On the way back up I spied some solitary but gregarious little native black bees hovering around their nests in the clay bank..
I'm now at home with doors and windows open and fans going to remove any pesticide particulate matter that found its way inside....
@Fosdick said:
I don't celebrate Christmas either, I mostly just endure it, my wife being a Christmas fanatic, but I don't have the energy to really participate much.
But the useless announcement I wished to make - as I lay abed this morning attempting to muster strength enough to rise onto my hind legs, a weasel appeared about 3 feet from my head, white as snow, an avatar of some sort I do not doubt. Don't ordinarily keep a camera in bed, so no picture, but this is what s/he looked like:
Perhaps its your conscience way of saying "You're not going to weasel your way out of Xmas celebrations this year"...
I bought some shade loving plants for our garden on a family visit to a National Trust park. We had clotted cream and strawberry jam on scones. Special treat to sit in the Warm November sun.
Wetlands, river with brown trout swimming. Rare mulberry tree. Fungi pretending to be leaves. Shades of gold reigning off regal trees. As it is in London it was crowded but has two cafes, we chose the quieter one in an old stable courtyard …
Went for another skinny dip at little Palm Beach after the morning's jolk and what a pleasant surprise it was...
Dolphins arrived not long after I got there...and put on a show...then they departed
On my way back up the track, I stopped at the halfway lookout point, I spied a lone dolphin making its way across the bay, away from a group of children in the water who it had been playing with...
When it reach the far end of the bay, it decided that the children were fun, so it made its way back to them...
WOW, four times in one week....
Perhaps they knew how hard lockdowns been for some locals, so decided to brighten up their day..
4
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
1. I rarely drink anymore
2. I like my colleagues but have no urge to socialise with them outside of work
3. It’s 90 minutes from home
4. I don’t celebrate xmas
5. I’d have to organise for someone to look after my kids
My younger brother was always getting invited to post-gig parties when he was a bass player/roadie for a group. In the end, instead of declining and not hearing the end of it ("oh come on, it will be fun, you'll enjoy it, don't be a spoilsport!" etc., etc., etc...!) for half an hour, he would always say, "yep, great! Lovely, I'll be there!" and then just not bother going. By the time he met those people again, the party had long gone, or they couldn't remember him not being there, as they had probably been too drunk/stoned to remember...!
The lunar eclipse 'Blood Moon' last night.. 8 hundred year event for Aotearoa (NZ)
I had almost forgot it was due to happen at 10pm last night...I had to zoom in with my phone camera x 5, quality's not the best...but it did look magnificent through binoculars...
It's not the moon dancing...it's your mind ..or just unsteady hands
@Kotishka said:
I want to buy an hourglass. Any ideas? One hour to 30 minutes timer. Yes, meditation purposes, but also studying
Have you looked online ?
0
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
I love moon-gazing... My bed in our old house was positioned in such a way that I could actually look up through the bedroom window if ever the moon was visible, and just lie there looking at it until I fell asleep...I can't do that now, in this current abode, but we have less light pollution, so I always know when she's visible because the room is filled and bathed with light... lovely...
Comments
You were obviously having your Crocodile Dundee Moment...!
Back then @Bunks it was a case of no sense...no feeling
I remember years ago (teenage years) when I lived at Coogee beach in Sydney, the big dare then was to jump off the rocks at the time a big wave rolled in, if you miscalculated you could easily hit the jagged rocks below...
Looks like it's still a craze...but not sure if it's the same spot...from what I remember there wasn't much in the way of flat surfaces on the rocks...
"Youth is wasted on the Young"...
Only one of these has posted, and that was just once...! Ah, the fun of welcoming new members!
After my jolk, I headed to the beach for a dip...
The water was warmer than last month and the sand was bloody hot, burning the soles of my feet...
Today we moved to level 3.2 which means up to 25 people can gather outside and more shops are open...At the end of this month hopefully we would have reach the target goal of 90% fully vaccinated, then we go to the traffic light system...
I was sitting on the couch last night.
Couldn't think of a more random, useless announcement than that.
I just got up from mine about 10 minutes ago. Have now opted for my office chair...
I only lie on my couch and sit on a Swiss ball ...but not at the same time
As the sun was setting yesterday evening, this blackbird decided to sing a song of sixpence...
and this afternoon I got a close up of the blackbird but s/he refused to sing whilst I was watching..
Here's the rest of that thought...and what I originally was going to post - but then I saw the humor in stopping where I did.
I was sitting on the couch last night and realizing that I've never actually been this content in my life.
💗 I need one of those couches …
The increase in contentment, equanimity, well being, stillness in turmoil, being in the zone etc. is surely a preferred state of being.
That sounds like something is going right in your life, time perhaps to consider what external factors you rely upon for your happiness?
We had some wet snow 3 weeks ago, and an amazing lot of trees and branches came down in the yard. Chainsaw time, but I was loath to get off my couch and start cutting and heaving - wasn't sure I was still capable of wielding the chainsaw without dismembering myself. Still, there was no help for it, so after stalling for a week I finally made the attempt. None of my limbs are missing yet, but still a long way to go before the mess is cleared up. Found a tree down on the fence, which a bear had used multiple times last summer to get into the yard and thence into the entryway of the house to consume birdseed. A small bear, but he looked quite enormous from 3 feet away. Made quite a mess in his haste to get away, but at least he didn't shit the place. Now if I ever get all the branches cut, will have to fix the fence before Cubby wakes up in the spring.
On the plus side, all that chainsawing seems to be loosening up the old joints to where I can climb the stairs a little better.
It appears to be the distinct lack of external factors that is driving this.
It reminds me of this...
"The happiness of your life, depends on the quality of your thoughts"
~Marcus Aurelius~
The Buddha statue my dad just bought for his girlfriends new house… it’s a bit unusual which is why I thought I would share it. Yoga Buddha perhaps?
Nice @Jeroen, what a thoughtful housewarming gift ......
Around 16 years ago some friends started up a respite centre/hospice on the island, at the time there was already a hospice on the island, however the staff there only cared for patients in their homes and for the most part only saw patients during the day...the respite centre my friends set up the patients could stay at the place and the trained volunteer staff were there 24/7...
They were familiar with how hospices run, they had set up the first hospice in the UK for AIDs patients back in the 1980s...
Anyhow I became a volunteer ...
One of the friends was a Buddhist, the other a Quaker...They named the centre "The Resting Buddha"...
I was taken by the Buddha image, the Buddha looked so serene and at peace, my friends gave me a print which I framed...as you can see it's beginning to fade.... and both my friends have passed away...
Nothing is permanent
It was wasn’t it. It’s a beautiful example of the kind of not-quite-ordinary Buddhas that one can find, I was quite taken by it.
I have one as well.
This morning's jolk was a rainy, misty, low cloud wet one...Nice and refreshing,
Then the sun made an appearance this afternoon...
Zen Cat
Pod of Dolphins in the bay this morning..I didn't have my glasses on, so at first I couldn't see what the other people were looking at, it was only when I reached the far end of the beach that I saw them, they came quite close to shore, close enough for me to see them breaking water, but my jolking phone camera is not the best, so no photos, you will have to take my word for it
...I was the only person at the the end of the beach when they came in close, hmm maybe I'm special after all 
Pics or it didn't happen @Shoshin1
lol
Tee Hee!
One of the side effects of calm/practice is animals enter the safety zone field. It is not the porpoise of practice (no groaning) but is an indication. We are blessed by our own being …
Metta, don't leave home without it
I went and visited a Korean Zen Nun (Aussie but ordained in that tradition) at her home yesterday with the Bhikkhunis from Newbury Monastery. A wonderful lady - very inspirational.
Went for a dip after the jolk
On my way back up the track I saw a guy with his dog coming down, he told me he had just been for a swim with the dolphins at Sandy bay (Sandy bay is in between Oneroa and Palm beach), he said they have been in the bay for a while...So off I went to Sandy bay and...it looks like they were doing around the bays..BTW the beach you can see in the background is Oneroa...
Would have loved to have gone swimming with them but I only had my birthday swimsuit with me...
Anyhow I saw a friend of my old landlady there, she said there were around a pod of twenty there the other day...So guess where my new FAVORITE beach is????
Lovely photo...At first I didn't see you in the background @Bunks ...
So are you saying they did it on porpoise
Hehe yeah, the Vinaya has strict rules around nuns and Laymen not touching or being alone together without a third person. So I am trying to kind of hide away a bit in the photo.
I drove two of the Nuns there and at one stage had to get out of the car to speak to someone. I thought one of the Nuns would do it but then we realised that would mean it would just be me and one Nun alone in the car hehe.
They’re actually all just my mates really which is nice.
You are very fortunate @Bunks
You have made that fortune
We can all sponsor a worthy.
How wonderful. (Eh ma ho!)
Karma. Make it good.
Invited to work xmas party.
Don't want to go.
Should I?
Any particular reason @Bunks ?
My policy is to never turn down a party invite.
PD: @Bunks If you don't want to go, don't go. But maybe going could open up loadz of cool outcomes, just like staying at home... I personally didn't like some "work xmas events" because I disliked the drunken and tense atmosphere.
Can't you just go for a "cheeky" drink and leave?
Red sky in the morning, shepherds warning
This one stood out for me. Practically the whole planet celebrates and has a feast and a good time, and then you decide not to participate? I know the whole baby Jesus angle is a bit over the top, but surely we can overlook that in favour of a good ole’ fashioned knees-up? By Jove?
They can do as they please...as can I.
I generally celebrate around sporting events. AFL Grand Final, Boxing Day Test at the MCG, etc.
I don't celebrate Christmas either, I mostly just endure it, my wife being a Christmas fanatic, but I don't have the energy to really participate much.
But the useless announcement I wished to make - as I lay abed this morning attempting to muster strength enough to rise onto my hind legs, a weasel appeared about 3 feet from my head, white as snow, an avatar of some sort I do not doubt. Don't ordinarily keep a camera in bed, so no picture, but this is what s/he looked like:
That's a good word to describe it! Endure...
Fair enough ....I don't celebrate it either...it's just another day, nothing special...If the weather's nice I go to the beach like any other day...
They were spraying the vineyard next door this morning, so I headed to the beach to try out my op shop beach tent...I can only sit upright crossed legged in it, I guess it's actually a beach tent for a baby to sleep in out of the sun...However now it's a beach meditation tent...
On the way back up I spied some solitary but gregarious little native black bees hovering around their nests in the clay bank..
I'm now at home with doors and windows open and fans going to remove any pesticide particulate matter that found its way inside....
Perhaps its your conscience way of saying "You're not going to weasel your way out of Xmas celebrations this year"...
Great to be visited by a weasel @Fosdick
I bought some shade loving plants for our garden on a family visit to a National Trust park. We had clotted cream and strawberry jam on scones. Special treat to sit in the Warm November sun.
Wetlands, river with brown trout swimming. Rare mulberry tree. Fungi pretending to be leaves. Shades of gold reigning off regal trees. As it is in London it was crowded but has two cafes, we chose the quieter one in an old stable courtyard …
Went for another skinny dip at little Palm Beach after the morning's jolk and what a pleasant surprise it was...
Dolphins arrived not long after I got there...and put on a show...then they departed
On my way back up the track, I stopped at the halfway lookout point, I spied a lone dolphin making its way across the bay, away from a group of children in the water who it had been playing with...
When it reach the far end of the bay, it decided that the children were fun, so it made its way back to them...
WOW, four times in one week....
Perhaps they knew how hard lockdowns been for some locals, so decided to brighten up their day..
My younger brother was always getting invited to post-gig parties when he was a bass player/roadie for a group. In the end, instead of declining and not hearing the end of it ("oh come on, it will be fun, you'll enjoy it, don't be a spoilsport!" etc., etc., etc...!) for half an hour, he would always say, "yep, great! Lovely, I'll be there!" and then just not bother going. By the time he met those people again, the party had long gone, or they couldn't remember him not being there, as they had probably been too drunk/stoned to remember...!
I want to buy an hourglass. Any ideas? One hour to 30 minutes timer. Yes, meditation purposes, but also studying
The lunar eclipse 'Blood Moon' last night.. 8 hundred year event for Aotearoa (NZ)
I had almost forgot it was due to happen at 10pm last night...I had to zoom in with my phone camera x 5, quality's not the best...but it did look magnificent through binoculars...
It's not the moon dancing...it's your mind ..or just unsteady hands
Have you looked online ?
I love moon-gazing... My bed in our old house was positioned in such a way that I could actually look up through the bedroom window if ever the moon was visible, and just lie there looking at it until I fell asleep...I can't do that now, in this current abode, but we have less light pollution, so I always know when she's visible because the room is filled and bathed with light... lovely...