diywoman

Cup Day reflections on the race of life

~ Elizabeth Quinn ~ Leave a comment

I am not a gardener.

I have written about tending friendships as you would your garden, but my DIY credentials in the actual gardening department are non-existent. My mother, however, is a Daisy Lady: a member of the Native Australian Daisy Study Group. For the past 40 years, she has met regularly with other Daisy Ladies, not all of them ladies (in the biological sense). Sadly, there are no longer any men in Mum’s posse, but the four remaining Daisy Ladies are as passionate about native plants – and native daisies in particular – as they ever were.

Native flowers, plastic bucket, white background | See more at www.diywoman.net

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How to build your character in seven days

~ Elizabeth Quinn ~ 4 Comments

This week was a test of my character.

After enduring months of offline episodes and ‘Not secure’ messages popping up on this website, I made the decision a fortnight ago to change host servers. My previous server – a lone wolf operator in NZ – failed to send the correct passwords to allow this to happen. That is the most charitable way to describe what he did. Or failed to do.

Open laptop, man, silhouette | See more at www.diywoman.net
Photo by Tirza van Dijk on Unsplash

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Remembrance and reconciliation at Amiens Cathedral

~ Elizabeth Quinn ~ Leave a comment

The cathedral at Amiens is a soaring Gothic monument that was once a place of pilgrimage.

In the early 13th century, it was thought to house the skull of St John the Baptist. In 1218, a lightning strike of biblical proportions destroyed both church and contents. The construction of a new church began in 1220. Despite fire, faulty engineering, revolution and two world wars, it has survived intact for the past 800 years.

Amiens, cathedral, France, Somme | See more at www.diywoman.net

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On the road to becoming an author: avoid the caravans

~ Elizabeth Quinn ~ Leave a comment

The transition from writer to author is strewn with rejection emails.

Being proactive, resilient and willing to learn from your mistakes will serve you well on your path towards publication. A healthy dose of optimism doesn’t hurt either. I have just completed my first career plan at an age when some of my friends are considering retirement. Here I am, sweating on my CV, while they are swanning around in their four-wheel drives with golf sticks in the boot and a caravan attached. How I pity them.

Caravan, car, arid, road, mountain | See more at www.diywoman.net
Photo by Benjamin Zanatta on Unsplash

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Humility: recognising your strengths as well as your weaknesses

~ Elizabeth Quinn ~ 2 Comments

I’ve never been good at geography.

I only know where a country is if I’m planning to visit it, and I retain the information for about five minutes. My friend Megan got top marks in geography at university. Twice. She can yack on for hours about cloud formations and the movement of sand along a shore. I try not to let my eyes glaze over. I like to gaze skywards as much as the next person – especially if the clouds are pink and fluffy and maybe have cute little sunbeams emanating from them – but I don’t really care if they’re cirrus or cumulonimbus.

sunrise, pink, fluffy, clouds, humility, landscape, city, urban | See more at www.diywoman.net

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Crushed raspberry moments: Giving yourself permission to shine

~ Elizabeth Quinn ~ 2 Comments

The last time I was house sitting in this rural pocket of Normandy, it was three years ago in the height of summer.

The raspberry canes in the vegetable patch yielded masses of delicious berries from July through to September. I would come up from the garden with my mouth and fingers stained deep crimson – ‘crushed raspberry’ – and my bowl full to overflowing with garden produce.

fresh, vegetables, raspberries, beetroot, garden, produce, France | See more at www.diywoman.net

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