Getting life into perspective

As all Aussies would know, a new Federal Government Budget was released on Tuesday night. Since its release there has been much talk on TV and elsewhere about how terribly hard it is going to be for everyday Aussies and it all got a bit too negative for me after a while so I took a walk outside to see if I could find something to cheer me up and get things into perspective.

After bemoaning the fact that there was no colour in the garden in the last blog post, I took a closer look at the plants growing there and came across some little gems that weren't flashy but when I uploaded them onto the computer and looked at the detail of their little delicate flowers I was amazed.

This begonia is so pretty...

 

...as is this pink camellia hidden amongst the leaves.  I just take these flowers for granted as they bloom every year regardless of ever getting any attention. Sometimes we take the good things in life for granted too don't we?

Hiding under the camellia tree are these cliveas which always remind me that spring really isn't all that far away...only a few months of winter to get through.




Also hidden near the cliveas is this flowering bromeliad with its stunning colours

 The camellia tree shelters a number of plants including this zygocactus which belonged to my mum who had it growing on her warm front verandah. I am sure that many readers of my vintage would probably have had one of these plants growing at their house when they were young. Seeing this plant brought back memories of my parents and, as I was in a pensive mood after all the talk about the budget, I thought about the hard times my parents had seen in their lives together. They were both children when World War One began, were married just after the Great Depression in Australia and had little children to protect during World War Two during which time they prepared for an imminent invasion by the Japanese. They survived these hard times and I am sure that we all will survive what is touted by the media as a 'horror budget'. 

Sometimes it helps me to look at what happens in life from a different perspective like when I was trying to capture a close up photo of the zygocactus flower. Just as I took the photo the sun came out and I thought the photo would be ruined as I was facing the sun which I believe is a no-no when taking photos. (I still have a lot to learn in that department).  However, when I uploaded it, it looked so pretty with the sun shining through the petals.

Another reason I don't feel too badly done by even though the budget is going to affect us like most other Aussie households, is because I watched part of this week's 4 Corners programme called Streets of Shame . I couldn't watch the whole programme as it was too distressing. If you happened to see the show I am sure that you also appreciate the fact that we are richly blessed in this country despite the doom and gloom around us.

Looking at life from a different perspective at times such as this is highly recommended!