The Roaming Stevens

Three days ago I signed up for a 30 day deal at the CLOSEST gym I could find; been there two times already and feeling like a 'million dollars' (whatever 'that' feels like ~ must be GOOD though)! Walked in and said, 'Don't SELL me anything'.  I am not interested in deals ~ I am old enough to know that I need to make 'this lifestyle' work for ME, not YOU.  I don't care if I save hundreds of dollars by signing up for a year instead of 30 days - I want to see if my self-efficacy is STRONG ENOUGH to keep me in the gym to do the work I need and want to do.  I am betting it IS - so, the business is going to be the winner, in any event! I have a strong inclination AND motivation...I watched my Mom spend the last two years of her life in bed.  That is NOT how I want to leave this Earth. And...how many times have you heard 'If you don't use it, you lose it'? YOU DO the research - if it is important to you - YOU WILL!  It does not take a ...

I will be happy to tell you ~ YOU get a 1 - day knife making workshop with Barry Gardner at Seppeltsfield's JamFactory studios ~ THAT'S WHAT YOU GET! Tinto is terribly difficult to buy a Christmas or 'any other' celebratory day present - gift buying BECOMES HARD WORK and I DREAD THE PROSPECT. So, I thought long and hard - he is an artist.  Tinto loves creating and making objects with his hands - WHY NOT A KNIFE? Have you heard of Barry Gardner?  Have you seen him on Youtube...visited his website?  Do so. You will be amazed and astounded ~ www.gardnerknives.com.   Barry is a self-made man, no doubt, but he has developed celebrity status due to the unbelivable grand and handsome knives he makes.   People from the city, the surrounding region, every state in this great nation and BEYOND...want to watch Barry work or sign-up for a knife making workshop or purchase a 'Barry Gardner' knife for their own household.   Ladies, you do NOT ha...

'WOW' ~ This was the 15th annual prize award with UniSA and Tinto and I could not be more thrilled! Constance, a thriving artist and my only sibling, had the foresight to leave an endowment in her will for a 'sculptor artist of merit'.  UniSA is the trustee of this award and manages the exhibition and the award process superbly. This year there were seven (7) students (Honours) and each and every participant happened to be female.  An 'all female' cast was most magnificent (to me!) and  we were gobsmacked by the quality of work presented this particular year.  It sounds trite to say 'each one could have been the winner', but these observations are most true this year.  There is always only one recipient of the Constance Gordon Johnson Sculpture Prize Award and we were most pleased to present the 2019 award to Izabella Shaw .   Go!  Get to UniSA on Hindley Street for a viewing of   "In Situ" and the Constance Gordon-Johnson Sculptur...

Lost my engagement ring a little while ago; was shocked and horrified at first ~ then, sad ~ then, teary and I think I was even depressed.  Tore The Maxwell House UP.  My thoughts drifted back to how I met Tinto and there is much sadness surrounding our meeting...I was only in Australia to 'help' my Mom (whom was visiting my sister, Constance) because my sister had been killed in a horrific car accident.   Mom needed me and Tinto was 'THERE' ~ always 'THERE' helping us through the darkness and the raw grief.   This is the first time I ever met him - he was an enigma - gliding in and out of my sister's home - disappearing and reappearing at all the right moments.   I turned my thoughts to what we hear at different times throughout our lives ~ 'It's only a "thing" - the ring is material - material items can be replaced.  People matter - not things.'  These words are true, without a doubt. Tinto and I have a bond that is tightly held...

UniSA is taking over my life, but that is not such a bad thing - study is quite intriguing, invigorating and enjoyable, but between writing essays and major assessments, there is very little precious time left over for the writing I love most! A few weeks back I had the pleasure of attending the Anlaby Open Garden day with a good mate and we were astonished at the amount of cars in the hay-strewn paddock!  We went on the second day, a Sunday, and we did not arrive until around 1:00pm - volunteers guided us to the space they wanted our car - families, couples, singles, vans, utes, sedans, bicycles, golf carts - hundreds of people got there any way they could! We slowly ventured in and made our way around - trying to take in all of the goodies presented to us in the marquees from hand-made jams and soaps to iron sculptures for the garden.  Everything was set up with an 'old town festival' feel to it.  We wandered through the vines, the gorgeous roses, plants and bushes ...