What I'm grateful for today:

January 7:
1. Mallorca: OK, who wouldn’t be grateful for a trip to Mallorca – all expenses paid! But, it was more than the trip itself back in September. Rather, it was the people - wonderful women - I met while there. We talked literature, Aboriginal studies, local culture. But we also talked about shopping, shoes, and boys too. I’m grateful today for a beautiful card I received from the women I met while at the EASA Conference in Palma. They were apparently out shopping before Christmas, sat for a coffee and signed a card to me. Too precious. There is mounting pressure for me to return this year… there’s at least one shop I didn’t go into. For tips on where to go and what to see in Palma keep your eye on the Sunday Telegraph as I have a travel story in soonish! The pic today is of yours truly with Dr Eva Perez and Dr Paloma Fresno from the University of the Balearic Islands.
2. Coffee in the park: Terri and I sat in the part across from our offices and had a break this arvo. I’m grateful for the simple things like twenty-minutes of talking storylines, reminiscing about conversations during our uni days - OK, so I can’t really remember much but Terri assures me I said certain things and they sound like the words I would use!
3. Old dresses that still fit: It was good to get into a dress that I’d bought for the Tranby Graduation Dinner back in 1999 – yes, 1999. It still fit, or perhaps I was larger then. Funny that the evening wear I used to don back then now gets worn to the office! It’s good to get dressed up to sit in a room alone and write! ☺
4. Roo stir-fry: it’s one of the few things I cook, so I’m grateful for the wok that I use to make myself something healthy for dinner. It’s low in fat, high in protein and then I bounce all over the place.
5. Email: It truly is a revolution in communication isn’t it? How did we ever live without it? In fact, how did we ever live without microwave ovens, where I do most of my cooking? Sorry, I digress. Yesterday I received emails from friends in far away places: Shanghai, Hawaii and Asturias. Personal emails really are separate to Facebook broadcasts aren’t they? Then again, what ever happened to the more personal handwritten letter that we would hold up and smell and read over and over again?? I need to get back into that. I used to be the world’s greatest pen pal.