Jupiter and Jill are alright tonight.

  Yesterday morning I received notification from the publishers. At last they are happy with all the cover details, sizing, bleeding etc and have posted proof copies to me.
Excited was not the word, I was stunned. I'd hit a point where I thought I'd be re-editing forever.
But my little books are up in a plane heading for home.
Okay this is not world history, many books have been written and published but I have waded through the longing for ten years, and it's history for me.
Added to this was the news that Jupiter was having a fresh week where she was about to be visible to the naked eye for a few nights. So back and forth we went checking for the designated spot above the crescent moon.
I saw something orange, but as none of us are familiar with star gazing, it was uncertain that we had seen her.
As my husband said, if I hadn't seen Jupiter, Jupiter must have seen me.
This morning I  checked the planet news again and discovered that the orange thing I saw at 1 O'Clock above the crescent moon was indeed Jupiter.

Time for a Happy Dance...
                                    

star gazing and imploding dreams

      The final touches are falling into place for my first fiction publication, after ten years of studying, dreaming, and chasing the stars. Somehow, the galaxies have decided to dance to my song.

'      My Spinning Jupiter' is about a thirteen year old girl who doesn't want to grow up. She didn't want to stay female but it all landed on her without consent. How can you spend your years trekking the  darkest parts of Africa and the Amazon for new spiders and butterflies, if your body is dissolving into a Chemist's bank account?
       Her comfort comes from a Monarch butterfly, a Mouse Spider, and an astronomer.
Jupiter is her solace of identity with bold orange presence, volcanoes, the big red spot, and a special place in history.
       So, the book should be available in a few days or weeks.

In three days, Jupiter will become visible to the naked eye around Australia, accompanied by a crescent moon.
No telescope or binoculars needed, just the ability to stand still, focussed and forget to measure the distance.
And be careful not to stumble on the stones while you're staring at the handiwork.
                                               

the perfect website

   My beautiful Golden Orb who has protected and fed from my pear tree grubs for months seemed to be in trouble. Over the last week, I'd noticed her web was damaged each morning. 
I had dreadful images of gluttonous mynah birds swooping and gulping my friend. This seemed inappropriate in a season, when locusts are in such plague proportions that windscreens are being smothered. Drivers are having to pull off the road to remove the happy campers.
So why should these birds target my sentinel. Let them have locusts for their breakfast.
However, his perfect sturdy web reappeared each evening.

I was explaining my concern to my husband.
He saw things differently.
Each morning he would be finding the path to his car, and walk straight into the web.
He didn't mean it.
He just forgot that our spider would keep rebuilding, and so skillfully.
What a patient spider she is, and the pear tree's health is safe.
                                                    

Perfect advice = perfect results...6

You don’t need to turn on the TV

 for gossip, gobbling and grandiose gibberish. 

You only need to walk out the door to hear the chatter of the bitter and negative. 

If words could just fall to the ground and mulch up to benefit growth, it would be a calmer world. Caustic words burn, cutting conversation take root in our head-space, dulling dreams, and splitting our resolve, and we wither.

So we find ourselves in the company of some angry, some perplexed, some hurting people who throw their weathered mind space over ours, like foam extinguishing the flames of our hopes and dreams.

Where's the breath to reignite the embers?

Do we have choice to fly higher than the ground zero bleeding?

Would that choice to listen to hope that empowers and colours our peace meet us at each turn we face?

Sure. There is reason for hope in promises; hope that offsets regret.  I will live without regret, and find the power that flies in promise.