Pretty good for an immigrant girl

Today I played the harp at the official celebrations for 150 years of Tasmanian Parliament. I played in the Legislative Council Chamber, near an imposing portrait of Queen Victoria.

Afterwards, the Hon. Michael Polley, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, presented me with a gift wrapped in shiny gold paper with the Tasmanian Parliamentary seal on top - spiffy!

I opened it on the spot to find a beautiful crystal with a laser-etching of Parliament House. Note the blissfully goofy smile of someone who feels very blessed by this moment.

I can be pretty cynical about Australian politics, but this experience was quite special. I learned some fascinating things (example: Tasmania's Legislative Council is the only one in Australia not dominated by party politics - we have more independents elected to the Council than other States do).

My chosen motif in life has been "my citizenship is in heaven", but I have been blessed by such a sense of joy in the beauty and familiarity of Tasmania in recent years. Wherever God intends to put me in the future, I feel honoured and comforted to be a part of this place. Here and now.

...because I'm composing and recording harp music...

(Oooh - do I really look that serious when I'm playing?!)

...because I'm busy cooking in a picturesque apron

really, I don't

I don't actually have a blog. I'm too busy.

I was forced to create this in order to respond to a comment on Christine Hnat's fantastic blog. Once I figure out how to use this program, I may actually be able to link to her blog.

Hopefully.