cecilia-lenagh

Leaving for Lotus Land

2011-11-10T13:24:00.000-08:00

With impeccable timing, a friend and colleague retires today, on 11/11/11. I wish her a long and happy life, with time to play, and a great holiday to start her retirement. She has been a great colleague, and a good friend over the years. Lynn, you know who you are. All best wishes from us all.

Pelicans of Port Macquarie, May 2011

2011-05-06T22:22:00.000-07:00

A sunny Autumn day ... a human being cleaning fish ... what more could a pelican ask for?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxnm-9hPWWU

St Patricks Day 2011 Flashmob. Central Station, Sydney, Australia.

2011-03-18T01:49:00.000-07:00

2011-02-26T23:51:00.000-08:00

Just spent a couple of days in Sydney with my daughter Niamh - a combined Christmas gift from Niamh and Jim: lovely Martha Wainwright concert at the Opera House, followed by fascinating exhibition of Chinese terracotta warriors and grave goods from the excavations. My thanks to Niamh and Jim; it was a great mini-break.

Niamh and I stayed at the Rendezvous Stafford hotel in The Rocks. An ideal location for the Opera House and shopping, and the staff were very friendly and helpful. We booked a little apartment, like a minute townhouse - very cute and just right for us. Plenty to see, do and eat in The Rocks area, of course. Visited a night market and a day market: when it comes to markets, one is spoiled for choice. The area reminded me in subliminal ways of parts of London - it's now gentrified and a tourist attraction, but one could imagine it as a warren of old insanitary slum housing not so very long ago.

http://rendezvousstafford-sydney.h-rez.com/index.htm?lbl=ggl-en

February 2011

2011-02-12T22:15:00.000-08:00

Looking forward to visiting Sydney this month with my daughter Niamh, to hear Martha Wainwright at the Opera House, and to see the wonderful Terracotta Warriors at the NSW Art Gallery.

http://www.marthawainwright.com/

http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/first-emperor/

2010-12-18T14:57:00.000-08:00

Spring lambs

2010-10-09T21:46:00.000-07:00

Melbourne trip in November

2010-09-15T23:06:00.000-07:00

So looking forward to hearing Leonard Cohen live in Melbourne in November! Just made final arrangements for the trip. I have not visited Melbourne before, so that will also be a long-awaited pleasure.

I may never be lost again

2010-09-08T19:43:00.000-07:00

Spring is here, and so is my new GPS navigation device. What a blessing that will be, to someone like me! :-)

2010-06-09T17:49:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to a new article I wrote on shared parenting and communication:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Shared-Parenting---How-to-Do-it-the-Write-Way&id=4428220

Reinstate allied health professions to Better Access to Mental Health

2010-05-19T15:09:00.000-07:00

Reinstate allied health professions to Better Access to Mental Health

This is the link to the new petition about defending mental health service access. Please sign this and pass the link along to all your friends and family.

The government has delayed the planned limitation in the Better Access to Mental Health program: instead of cutting Medicare-funded 'Better Access' to mental health social workers and occupational therapists in July 2010, it will be cut in April 2011.

That's why there is a new petition about Better Access to Mental Health. Please support the continuing campaign and sign again. Signatures from the original petition will not carry forward to this one, so make sure your voice is heard!

Australians deserve Better Access to Mental Health

2010-05-16T01:40:00.000-07:00

Reinstate allied health professions to Better Access to Mental Health

This is a link to an online petition - please consider signing the petition to lobby the Australian Commonwealth Government about its latest policy to cut back mental health services. Otherwise, from 1st July 2010 there will be a reduction in affordable mental health support services under the Medicare-funded 'Better Access' scheme.

At the moment, certain accredited mental health social workers and occupational therapists, who must meet exacting criteria in training, experience and continuing professional development, are registered as Medicare providers. These therapists offer affordable services to clients referred by GPs, with the option of bulk-billing to Medicare.

In rural areas in particular, having these therapists available is literally a lifeline for many individuals and families affected by conditions such as depression and anxiety. And in a drought stricken country, grappling with the GFC, there is no shortage of stress!

The Better Access scheme has been too successful in giving Australians better access to support in tough times - let's keep it that way! Please sign the petition now and pass it along to your friends and family!

Reinstate allied health professions to Better Access to Mental Health

Browsing ...

2010-04-27T19:41:00.001-07:00

easter2010 001, originally uploaded by cecilia.au.

... in Port Macquarie Public Library, April 2010.

Reminds me of the Talking Heads' lyric: "You may find yourself in another part of the world, and you may ask yourself, 'How did I get here?'"

smelly cheese shop

2010-03-15T01:42:00.001-07:00

3 canberra 2010, originally uploaded by cecilia.au.

A lovely shop in Pokolbin Village, Hunter Valley NSW. I bought some caramelised balsamic vinegar - that cost more than I'd normally spend on a bottle of wine!

A business approach to shared parenting

2010-02-28T03:29:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to a recent article I wrote about shared parenting, and using a business skills approach to the challenge of managing shared parenting with your ex:

http://ezinearticles.com/?id=3756068

(After publishing this link, I discovered there is a whole literature on using your parenting skills in business, which reinforces the idea from a different perspective.)

On being Jeremy Bentham

2009-12-29T14:59:00.000-08:00

Almost 2010, and reminiscent of the old song ‘ ... another year older and deeper in debt’. Debt and enrolling in a Master 's program go together like a horse and carriage.

Not that I am older, of course; I have decided to stop being older. It’s my contribution to science in our time. Like Jeremy Bentham, I shall be well preserved instead.

When I began this blog, I was just trying to get to grips with new technology. New technology got a grip on me in its turn, and I am now the delighted possessor of a Kindle 2. A whole new method of book buying has opened up for me!

Praise where it's due: Wotif.com and the Ibis, Darling Harbour, Sydney

2009-08-05T17:59:00.000-07:00

I have flu again this week, following our weekend in freezing Canberra. Unfortunately, this has forced me to cancel a much looked-forward-to weekend trip to Sydney. That is so disappointing, but thanks to good customer service from Wotif.com and the Hotel Ibis, Darling Harbour, it isn't the financial loss it could have been!

Last month a childhood friend, Anne, let me know that she and her husband would be in Sydney for 3 days (last days of their trip from UK). I arranged a quick overnight visit to spend time with her, booking into the same hotel, the Ibis Darling Harbour, through Wotif.com. I noticed that the hotel property was one with a 'no refund' policy for cancellations, but I booked anyway because Anne and Jack had a reservation there.

When I realised that I couldn't make the trip, I explained the circumstances to the nice bunch of people at Wotif.com, who kindly negotiated on my behalf with Hotel Ibis. The hotel agreed that on this occasion, it would allow a cancellation and refund.

It is good to come across excellent customer service, and I want to let others know of this experience. I shall certainly be using both Wotif.com and Hotel Ibis on other occasions, and recommending them! I'm still sad to miss seeing my friends, and still in bed with flu, but at least I am not paying for a harbourside room with a view in Sydney, that I can't use, this Friday. That is a silver lining!

Niamh and Peter

2009-08-03T15:23:00.000-07:00

We just celebrated my daughter's engagement. An exciting time for the family, and a new experience for Jim and me as parents. We had a busy weekend in freezing Canberra, with much eating out and jollifications various.

Niamh is engaged

2009-06-10T01:53:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to my daughter Niamh, and her partner, Peter, who have decided to get engaged! We are all very pleased, and welcome Peter into the family.

Niamh and I are happily gathering swatches of material to play with, in anticipation of the 'planning-the-wedding-dress' game :-)

Evening Jan 2009

2009-01-25T04:55:00.001-08:00

Evening Jan 2009 009, originally uploaded by cecilia.au.

We have had a mini heatwave in NSW this week, leaving most of us feeling about as sprightly as this old horse.

2008-12-31T16:15:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year 2009 to all family and friends around the world. (The photo is from our local fireworks display last night.)

2008 was a very busy year, with lots of work and studying for me. I have now completed half of a graduate certificate in dispute resolution, trained in family dispute resolution, and have started to practice in that field. A new career direction opening up!

Here's hoping for a healthy, peaceful and productive year in 2009, for us all.

black swan and cygnets1, Floriade, Canberra 2008

2008-09-19T03:20:00.001-07:00

black swan and cygnets1, Floriade, Canberra 2008, originally uploaded by cecilia.au.

black swan and cygnets2, Floriade, Canberra 2008

2008-09-19T03:18:00.001-07:00

black swan and cygnets2, Floriade, Canberra 2008, originally uploaded by cecilia.au.

Enjoyed an all-too-brief visit to Canberra last weekend, visiting my daughters and spending a few hours at Floriade, the annual flower and garden festival. Spotted a pair of black swans with a clutch of plush cygnets.

2008-08-20T01:59:00.000-07:00

This tawny frogmouth has taken up residence in a tree near my office.

In winter, even Alphasmart Dana likes a cat nap by the heater

2008-08-03T17:38:00.000-07:00

I have recently invested in an Alphasmart Wireless Dana, in the unending quest for effective organisation of information and time across different workplaces.

I have previously enthused about the Alphasmart Neo word processor (see earlier posts in this blog). The Alphasmart Wireless Dana is rather like my beloved Neo on steroids.

The Dana has a larger screen, with PDA functionality (including touchscreen), running on Palm OS version 4. The wireless model has the ability to connect to email and internet. The Dana, with or without internet capability, can run a huge range of Palm applications, in addition to the excellent Alphaword word processor package it shares with Neo. The touchscreen allows data entry with a stylus, and Dana offers the Palm Graffiti system for handwritten entries.

If you need a PDA but are tired of the small screen and thumb board you are currently using, try Dana's wide screen and full sized keyboard! All that extra functionality - including 16MB hard drive, plus two SD slots for up to 2G of additional memory - and Dana is still a lightweight compared to a standard laptop. Like its cousin, the Alphasmart Neo, an Alphasmart Dana weighs approximately 2 pounds.

For more information on Alphasmart Dana and Neo, go to

http://www.alphasmart.com/index.html

In Australasia, go to

http://www.batterypoweredcomputers.com/

http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/

2008-05-31T04:52:00.000-07:00

It's great to see my mother and sisters again, after two years absence! We are catching up, drinking a lot of tea and watching my tiny niece playing in my mother's garden. There are eighteen years between my niece and my younger daughter, the nearest cousin in her maternal family. She's an unexpected gift for us all! At 86, my mother delights in her three year old grand-daughter. Today, Annabelle has gone to the seaside, to play with a bucket and spade :-)

2008-05-18T18:49:00.000-07:00

The view from our caravan park cabin, while we were away from home during the renovations.

2008-05-18T18:38:00.000-07:00

water hot is a glorious thing

2008-05-18T17:38:00.000-07:00

This year's big project - a much needed bathroom renovation - is almost complete. It gave me nightmares to contemplate it, but the actual work went very smoothly once it was begun. The cat moved into a cattery, we moved into a caravan park for the duration, and a team of experienced Bathroom Fairies came in and magically transformed the bathroom and laundry in our absence. I think I'll leave a sixpence under a pillow for them, since they took the old bathroom away.

We used the opportunity to go green with a new solar hot water system, too. The heat pump exchanges energy, and draws heat out of the air, to store it in the hot water tank. Good for the budget and the environment, and the government gives generous rebates for the installation!

Happy Easter

2008-03-22T21:08:00.001-07:00

Jess at rest :-)

2008-03-12T20:31:00.001-07:00

testing the technology

2008-03-10T20:17:00.000-07:00

It's March already; almost a quarter of the way through the year. Time to test my grasp of new technology and do more with this blog!

Falls Forest Retreat NSW

2008-03-02T19:00:00.000-08:00

The Falls Forest Retreat: A Gondwana Rainforest Sanctuary

Tucked away at the end of Isaacs Lane in Johns River, the Falls Forest Retreat offers comfortable accommodation and conference facilities in a lush rainforest setting. This rainforest sanctuary lies alongside Middle Brother National Park, just a 4 hour drive from Sydney (and 40 minutes from Port Macquarie and Taree). It's ideal for a short break.

I have just spent a stimulating weekend at the Falls Forest Retreat, on a writing workshop organised by Arts Mid North Coast. Great company, great food and comfortable accommodation. I'll be back!

For more information on Falls Forest Retreat, phone (02) 6556 5000, or go to www.FallsRetreat.com.au

Emotional Spring Cleaning: how writing can clean the slate

2008-01-25T03:03:00.000-08:00

Ever heard the advice ‘make lemonade if life sends you lemons’? Wise words, no doubt, but how do we rise above hurt feelings and anger, come to terms with life-threatening illness, or rebuild our lives after redundancy or the loss of a relationship?

We all acquire ‘emotional baggage’ as we travel through life. The good news is that when the baggage gets heavy, we don't all need a 12-step program or a personal therapist to ease the load. For the everyday ups and downs of life, most of us have a hidden ability to be our own therapist - to heal ourselves, in fact.

Writing is a good way to unlock this hidden power. Let your emotions out in writing, and when you see what you write, you'll begin to know what you feel. Putting those negative feelings into words may allow you to gain some control over them.

Put your deepest thoughts and feelings into words, even if no one ever reads them. In fact, don’t plan to show the writing to anyone else; write it just for you, advises Professor James Pennebaker of the University of Texas, Austin USA, a major researcher in this field.

The medium is not the message. Whether you type on a keyboard, write in ink, use pencil or chalk doesn’t matter. Writing in the air with your finger (if you don’t mind looking a bit eccentric) can work just as well.

The healing power of writing has been found to work for life’s downs and ups – we can write about events that were traumatic, or just distressing; we can write about happiness and strength that we hope for in the future. Either way, most of us will benefit by putting it into words. Our immune systems will normally improve, too, which is good for us, and bad for the common cold.

Magic formula? There is none. Spelling and grammar don’t matter in this case - knowing how to punctuate (or even just knowing how to spell 'punctuate') won't make you feel better faster. There is no ‘right way’ to write about your feelings. You are the expert on you, after all, and you’ll know best what suits you.

If you can write about your deepest thoughts and feelings for 15-20 minutes at least, without stopping, and do that for several days in a row, so much the better. If, over several sessions of writing, you develop a new perspective and see things from other points of view as well as your own, you are even more likely to benefit from your writing. When you express your thoughts and feelings in a way that makes new sense to you, the new perspective can bring new understanding and a new peace of mind. That’s the key to letting go of anger, hurt feelings and shame, and transforming those emotional lemons into a tonic.

Who knows, maybe after a few experiments you might even catch the writing habit and keep a journal. Perhaps you’ll be the next Bridget Jones! If so, well and good, but for most of us, the chance to clean the emotional slate is ample reward for a few short writing sessions.

5 top tips for expressive writing

1 Write about what crops up most often now in your thoughts and dreams.

2 Write whatever comes into your head, in the way that suits you. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar.

3 Tell yourself the story – it’s your understanding that matters.

4 You can write about positive things too – the future you want to achieve.

5 If writing about a traumatic memory becomes too distressing, STOP and do something pleasant instead. Give yourself a treat!

Further information

Opening up: The healing power of expressing emotions - by James W. Pennebaker (1997), published by The Guilford Press.

The writing cure: How expressive writing promotes health and emotional well-being - by Stephen Lepore & Joshua Smyth (2002), published by the American Psychological Association.

©: Cecilia Lenagh 2008. All rights reserved. www.cecilia-lenagh.com

Less is more for Neo-minimalist writing

2008-01-21T18:54:00.000-08:00

The writer’s notebook is a venerable tradition, frequently recommended to new writers. Some brands of notebook are legendary - Ernest Hemingway and Bruce Chatwin used the classic little black Moleskine books on their travels.

The downside is, those hastily scribbled, handwritten notes might be more accessible and indexable in a computer program, but who has time to transcribe their notebook jottings? Should today’s writer rely on the notebook computer instead of a little black book?

When you want writing-to-go, possibly with fries, a lightweight notebook laptop is one solution. However, laptops are still relatively expensive, and apt to be heavy and hot. That’s enough to make a pen and a paper notebook seem attractive again.

So is there a compromise? A writing tool that’s light, portable and not too precious to be risked out in the world of real travel? Something with a good keyboard that isn’t going to give you RSI just looking at it?

The answer may lie with the Alphasmart Neo. The Neo, a battery-powered word processor, fills the niche for the impecunious writer or the freelance journalist needing a sturdy writing keyboard that can take a few knocks. What’s more, the Neo runs cheaply for over 700 hours on 3 AA batteries – eat your heart out, laptop users! – and switches on and off in seconds. No more waiting for everything to boot up before writing down those fleeting thoughts.

In Writing Magazine (November 2007, pp12-13), Victor Paul Borg, a travel writer, swore by his Neo. As he was swearing by his Neo while using it to pound out an article somewhere ‘in remote mountains of western China’, his professional opinion carried due weight. Further research revealed a whole community of writers who like nothing better than to sing the praises of their Alphasmart Neos.

The Neo is a simple, minimalist keyboard, though it offers a thesaurus, spell checking and calculator functions. You can’t connect to the Internet or play Solitaire, but you can write in almost any environment! The keyboard is full-sized and wonderfully quiet - ideal for writing unobtrusively even in company. Some writers even use it while commuting, squeezing an extra hour or two of writing time into their daily schedule.

Happily, the Neo is compatible with Windows and with Macintosh, making it easy to bridge the gap between different operating systems if, like me, you might move writing work between home and office systems. And after work, if you favour the old nursing maxim ‘never stand when you can sit, or sit when you can lie down’, with a Neo you can recline like Cleopatra and still write.

The Neo has a small built-in screen, slightly angled, and wide enough to view several lines of text. Font sizes are adjustable and although the screen is not backlit, text definition is sharp. No need to save every half hour, either – Neo saves every keystroke automatically. You can open the Neo straight into the last file you worked in, with the cursor exactly where you left it.

If Neo has one obvious drawback, it is the fixed memory capacity. Many writers claim the Neo would be improved by having a USB port or a card slot. However, at 2MB Neo’s capacity is more than enough for most writers to get that vital first draft written without letting the Inner Critic start tweaking and editing. In fact, Neo’s miniscreen keeps one focussed on the text without the temptation to format as one writes.

Neo uses a system of eight working files, which may be switched between at the touch of a key – great for working on different projects, or separate chapters, and ideal for writers who want to keep a journal or a jottings file of ideas alongside their works in progress.

The Neo has infrared (IR) and USB for file transfer. (There’s a curious pleasure in watching the text pour onto a blank page as one transfers a file by USB.) It is possible to connect by USB or infrared to compatible printers, though probably easier to download text into a PC or Mac and print from that.

The new generation of Smart phones also pairs well with Neo; via an IR port, you can beam a text file from Neo to a suitable phone, then email it or store it on your phone to download later. (In my case, a Sony Ericsson K800i gives Neo a back-up memory.)

Alphasmart Neo is available from specialist educational suppliers, and from companies selling assistive technology for people with disabilities. Comparison shopping online is recommended – including eBay if you are looking for a secondhand bargain.

In 2007, my own Neo cost about AU$540, bought new online in Australia. Of course, for twice that amount one could purchase a basic Dell laptop with some bells and whistles. However, as a trade-off one would lose the simplicity and durability of the Neo, not to mention its marvellous, economical 700+ hours running time for every purchase of 3 AA batteries.

If you are a writer looking for an affordable laptop alternative that offers straightforward writing time, durability, portability and economical operating costs, Alphasmart Neo is this writer’s choice for 2008!

Suppliers in Britain and Australia

http://www.portabletechnology.co.uk

For Neo in Britain – a Neo, USB cord and Alphasmart
carry case costs approximately GBP 210 including VAT.

www.keytools.co.uk

For Neo in Britain - approximately GBP185 for Neo, software and manual, AC adaptor and a USB cable. This supplier offers a variety of Alphasmart bags, from GBP24.

www.batterypoweredcomputers.com

For Neo in Australia – approximately AU$540 for a Neo, USB cord, software and manual, and Alphasmart carry case, including GST.

www.moleskine.co.uk

For information on Moleskine products in Britain.

Do your own research into how writers around the world are using
the Neo:

For a friendly and knowledgeable global writers’ forum on Alphasmart writing tools,
look at:

www.flickr.com/groups/alphasmart/discuss/

For an in-depth, 4-part review of Alphasmart Neo, by writer Mark Zeedar:

www.macopinion.com

© Cecilia Lenagh 2008. All rights reserved. www.cecilia-lenagh.com

what do you want from 2008?

2008-01-20T18:33:00.000-08:00

The temptation to make improbable but heroic resolutions has faded for most of us by mid-January. But what would you like to be, do or achieve in 2008?

Here is one of my not-resolutions: Educational recycling:
Invest in an upgrade for vocational qualifications that are looking a bit dusty. Gone are the days when a post-school qualification lasted for the rest of your life.

And here's another: Keep up with new technology:
I'm venturing into blogland, where the newly evolved cyber-humans graze on RSS feeds, in vast, socially networked herds of nerds.