Oh my word. Four posts in one day. This has got to be some kind of record.

Okay. Today’s Thurday’s Three Thank-yous are…

1. The best day for a picnic – ever

I’ve never been big on picnics, mostly because I’m not huge on nature. It’s always too hot, too cold, too windy, too sunny, too many insects, too much pokey grass, etc.

However, yesterday’s mother’s group picnic at Yerrabi Pond was just gor-geous. Uninterrupted view of lake/pond, overcast sky, gentle breeze… perfection. If it wasn’t so rude, and if Arddun didn’t keep stealing Clare’s cream-and-salmon sandwiches (oh yes she did!), I would have happily fallen asleep on my picnic mat.

2. Neighbourhood watch at 6 o’clock

Lately, 6 o’clock has become this slightly odd hour, where it’s too early for Arddun to sleep but she’s starting to ramp down for the evening. And because summer evenings are nice and warm enough to saunter out to the front courtyard with a singlet on, Arddun and I have been spending about 10 to 15 minutes some evenings, just sitting on the front step and watching cars return home.

Occasionally, she’d tilt her head right back to look at me upside down, as if to say, “I’m really enjoying this quiet time with you, you know?” Because that’s exactly how I feel about those 15 minutes.

3. A clean breast of things

We formed a working bee to scrub the walls in the church building, and about 20 of us showed up on Saturday – which was heaps more than what anyone anticipated! Just blitzed through the task, which meant we could do other things around the building too. Best of all, I got to break the ice with someone whom I haven’t managed to talk normally to in, well, years. It made a difference to my day. I guess feverishly praying in the parking lot before I entered the building must have helped.