Flights of Fancy.

Cloudbursts early morning! Rain just pouring down. I think this might be the wettest Summer we have ever experienced since moving to Australia.

I told Gom I didn't think we needed to bother about garage sales, but he got up & got ready so off we went. The rain had stopped, but everything was sodden, & slightly drowned looking.

The people-watching was interesting. The dear little old couple we see regularly, holding hands, supporting each other up a steep drive. Being careful not to slip on the wet concrete. He, with his little, now-bent, legs, & his gnome like ears, with their hearing aids nestling in the fuzzy holes. He cannot hear anyway, unless you are facing him. She, with her neatly combed hair, & makeup. A truly lovely couple who were prominent in the Salvation Army, & live their lives accordingly. No false Christians there.

The dark complected man, who is suspected of being a thief. He has been seen palming items into his pocket. He has a permanent expression on his face of being in pain, or disdain, perhaps from having just dined at the Heinous Anus. Who can tell. An odd waft of curry, emanates.

One wonders who would feel the need to steal from a garage sale? Mostly the items are ludicrously cheap, or can be bartered down to a satisfactory level. Not so many people out this morning. Vendors cramped in their garages, tarps dripping with rain out the front. One sale, up a very steep drive, the most glorious garden, all carefully laid out on the steep bank. Like a tropical paradise, & so lush in the rain.

We made no purchases, & my only find was this wonderful rock, with these lichens richly covering the surface. I leant over the fence to take the picture. Luckily I had taken my shots, before a huge shaggy dog, the size of a pony, came bounding out of nowhere, & barked ferociously! Scared me out of my wits!




Here are some previously posted pics of treasured old china. I have posted these for Sagittarian, who posted some of her treasures for me. This cup saucer & plate set was my mother's & I always loved the delicat pink blossoms. It is called Blossom Time, & is Royal Albert.

This pink striped jug & sugar bowl are the Czechoslovakian set I got from an Antique shop in Sydenham many years ago, for $5. I originally bought it for the bowl, which I was going to use for plants, but I fell in love with it, & have never used either item.

This Nasturtium plate was my Grandmother's & I just love it. I think it is Royal Doulton. The supper cloth it is standing on, was made by my other Grandmother, my father's mother, who did a lot of needlework, & crochet.

Finally to the Flight of Fancy.
Sewing has begun! I have actually cut fabric, been on the machine, been ironing!

No not clothes. They can wait. Ironing seams. Ironing fabric.

Sitting at the machine.
Such a gloomy grey day. Nice & cool! Ideal for sewing. My flight of fancy is that I will achieve an end result this time!

Gom seems reasonably happy to see me at the sewing again. He has his books & his video games he sometimes plays.

Hot Chocolate, You Sexy Thing.

Beached at Last.

Yesterday, I convinced Gom I would go insane if I didn't get some beach time I had to go to the beach.
He does not share my mania love for the beach, never has. In our younger days, a trip to the beach would be last on his list of preferrances.

I don't really know why I am so drawn to the sea, but perhaps it is because it was always a part of my life. We have always lived close to the ocean in New Zealand, & some of my happiest memories are of being at the beach as a child.

We went to Terrigal, which is a nice beach. It has a reputation as a great Surfing beach. It is has a very large Resort Hotel on the waterfront, & is a popular destination for Syneysiders wanting a break within reasonable distance of home.

This is not a good shot, the sand is really gold. I just wanted to capture the seaweed, torn from it's sandy bed in the deep, & cast up on the beach to dry & rot, or be washed out again by the next high tide.
Sad somehow.


Here is the view towards the Skillion. Foolish young ones jump from this point sometimes. Sometimes they don't return alive. This facing the East.

This is a bold Pelican, which was strutting about very happily sharing chips & scraps thrown by beach goers, who were enjoying food under the inevitable pine trees. I tried to get a better picture of him, but by the time we got there, he was ready to fly off.

This is facing the North, & was a portent of what was to come later. Gom said he could see a dog in these clouds, but I don't think I caught it.

We could see huge ships out on the horizon, & I tried to capture them. I didn't have zoom or long distance on either of the cameras I took, & one of them had no card. Next time I will take the larger loaner camera.

Here is the sweep of the bay, looking in a northerly direction. There were quite a few swimmers, & the surf was quite boisterous, but not really huge.

Here is trusty lifeguard equipment. I tried to get a little close up.

Here is the little jeep for zooming up & down the sand. The lifeguards are on duty for the whole of the Summer, & I think, much of our winter, which seems to still have the hardy swimmers.

I dug my toes in the lovely golden sand. I waded in the beautiful foamy salt water, like a child, venturing too far, & snatching up my jeans so they didn't get wet.

Gom, who has been down of late, carried my sandals, and never took his off. He just doesn't have the feeling for the beach, or the ocean. He stood, watching me splash in the foamy little waves.


We strolled back up past the huge Resort, to our car. We drove home, via the township, stopping at the shops for a quick purchase for the dogs.

We arrived home at 1pm. By 1.30pm the skies darkened to almost black, there was the rumble of distant thunder, then it got closer, the flashes of lightning clear & close. Down poured the rain, much like a cloudburst.

I thought of the contrast, from the beach, to the dark drenched outlook we were faced with then. As these thunderstorms approach, the air becomes so oppressive with humidity, it almost seems impossible to breath.

As the rain pounds down, & the temperature drops a little, it becomes a little easier, but still retains the heat.

I was glad we got home in time to have the dogs indoors. Leo is terrified of thunder storms & shakes violently. We try to be casual so he wont be worried, but it doesn't seem to help his terror.


Joan Baez, Blowin' Away.

Taking Umbrage.

I love the word Umbrage. We have always used it, in our family. We use it in the context of taking something as an insult. Somehow taking umbrage to something makes it sound more dignified.
As opposed to being thin skinned, perhaps, or getting offended over nothing.

"Old Uncle Herbert took umbrage at the suggestion he trim his food splattered beard".
You know the sort of thing. Perhaps a light remark from a child, "O look Aunty Myrtle is growing a beard!"
Of course, Aunty Myrtle is going to take umbrage. Probably cutting said child from the Will. Forever.

I took umbrage at a Tank-shaped old Aunt-by-marriage of Gom's, who came to visit me in Hospital after I had given birth to our son. She peered at him, sniffed, & said "Oh he got the 'Flapstick' family nose!"
The 'Flapstick' nose was a horrible large bugle-like appendage some of the Mil's family had inherited. I was apalled, & really upset. Our son didn't have the 'Flapstick' family nose, nor did any of our children, thank goodness.
Of course I never really forgave the old Tank, & it was lucky we rarely saw her.

It was a lesson to me, if you can't say anything nice, say nothing!

I was surprised to discover Umbrage also means shade, as from leaves on a tree. "He took umbrage under the oak tree"? Doesn't sound right somehow. "The Oak provided umbrage for the weary traveller"? Is that better? Somehow I don't think it will catch on, in that context.


Our Grandmother & Mother had a good stock of phrases that always made us laugh.
One of my mother's was "Casting Pearls before Swine", & she would occasionally use it about us, meaning we had cloth ears, or stubbornly refused to heed her words, of wisdom or advice.

Another was the phrase, "There, that is just the ticket!" I haven't heard that used for a long time.
Another is, "Well, I'll be a Monkey's Uncle!" Or used as "I don't know him from a Monkey's Uncle." Mind you, I don't know that that was one our mother used. It was more likely a contemporary one, used by us, with our school mates.

When I was about 13 I discovered Georgette Heyer's books, & a girlfriend & I took to using a lot words from those books to describe dismay. 'Stap Me!' was a favourite, & my brother & I still use that.

I remember my mother describing a very tight fisted man as being "As tight as a duck's b*m." It annoyed me, & in the end I asked her why she would say that. She said "Well a duck's b*m is watertight, isn't it? You can't get anything tighter than that!"



***********************
In other news.
Our daughter has her car back! Woo HOO!
Some absolutely incredible lies have been told about the whole thing.
Over the course of the last 6 weeks there have been so many lies, & fabrications, it defies belief.
The latest was yesterday morning when the mechanic told Sil, he had found the problem, "It is Rat Shit".
Stunned silence from Sil. Then he informed the mechanic that the car had been to 3 other places having various problems looked at, & no one had mentioned rat droppings. "Besides" lied Sil, "I have taken Digital Photos of the Motor, so I must look carefully at those".
Stunned silence from the mechanic. Then he hastily added, "Well it could be old Rat Shit. I will Steam Clean the motor for you!" Sil told him to do as he wished.
There would be no further monies.

End seems to be they have finally fixed the car. It is to be checked out again, by another mechanic, who basically said the RS man was a liar & a cheat. He indelibly marked a part, just to check it has been replaced.

We have the use of our car again, so perhaps I can get my walk on the beach.


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Now, how cute are these??

They are the most adorable pair of Salt & Pepper shakers. Our friend's daughter who has returned from Japan, brought them home for us! I love them, but wont use them, since I would hate to break them.

Thank you so Much A.
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For today's Odd Shot, there are these two little carved wooden containers. Since they are round, I cant really call them boxes.
I got them at a Garage sale, & the lady who sold them, told me she had bought them in Poland, & they were handmade, & are Christmas items.

I wonder if anyone out there knows if they are Polish?

This is another pic I took of them, trying to get a nice sharp image.

I am a collector of 'crap'. I love things that are different or percieved that way by me. I just fell in love with this little container. It has holes in the lid, & I suppose it is an incense holder.

I like the greens. Underneath it says 'NanJing Road. Hand painted porcelain.

Made in China'. There is a signature that looks like a pot with a lid, made out of Chinese characters.

More junk for Gom to dispose of when I either cark it, or lose the marbles!

Leo is in the dog box. He had a relapse, so he is being tethered some more.

Gom is gloomy about it, & sits on the floor beside him.

Janis Ian, Hymn, with Phoebe Snow.

The Internal Dialogue

I don't know about you, but I seem to have an internal dialogue I find almost impossible to shut up.

I get up early in the morning. Let out the dogs. Fill the jug for coffee- no fancy stuff for us, just good old instant. The days of filtering & espressoing are over. Gom's Cappucino machine rests quietly in the back of a cupboard. His days of making exotic brews are done.

The filter machine is resting there too. Too much hassle to bother with it. Now that we only have about 2 coffees a day, maximum, we dont bother about fancy.

All the while I am talking to myself, inside. ( I assure you, I dont usually talk to myself aloud- yet!) I am promising myself all sorts of nice things.
I will just have a look at the emails.
I will just check a few blogs, perhaps make a small comment or 3?
I will check out my own blog. See if any nice people have called to comment.
I will laugh a little, or cry, at other's news.
I will have my shower, & perhaps dream up a post.
I will definitely get some sewing done today. I know just what I want to make...but then there is...or perhaps...
Well, while I make up my mind, another quick check of blogs, while I eat my breakfast. Take the pills to keep the blood pressure normal. Gah I hate this rain, we have had enough. I need some dry air to breath.
Just read one more blog, then do some house work. Groan. There is ironing that needs attention. I can get by without that shirt, it can wait, I have a Tshirt that will do just as well. We have no car, I wont be appearing in public. It wont matter if I look like a refugee from the Sally bin.

The sudden dogs' barking noise interrupts the 'conversation'. Why are they rushing down the stairs, acting like they have never had a lesson in how to behave?? Door is opening. In the midst of doggy dilerium, in walks our lovely Granddaughter. She is wringing wet, perspiration is running down her face. No it isn't raining just at the moment. She has just walked all the way from SG's school, to our house. It is a very steep climb, & it is a very very humid morning. Her work uniform is soaked.

Off with her shirt, into the washing machine. Towels to dry the wet. She has time to wait for her clothing to dry. She starts work later.

Tragedy has struck though. With the damp, her glorious hair has become BIG. She hates it. It springs into curls, & goes, to use her word, POUF! She has anticipated this, & has brought her hair straightener. A dreadful weapon that Nanna hates. I love her beautiful untamed thick hair. Of course the fashion is for sleek flat & straight. Humidity is her enemy.

While she waits for her clothes to wash & dry, she is straightening her poor hair.
The POUF has to go, the little curly tendrils that rest upon her neck, must all be straightened out! Not so much as a small ringlet is to be left curly.


All the layers must be pinned up, the bottom tortured & straightened.
This Taming the Fuzz takes a long time, & a lot of energy.

It is getting there. Just have to get this front bit straight!!


Here we are. Tamed at last! Even the wayward tendrils have been heated into submission.

Clothes dry. Redress. Off to walk to work. Taking the Brolly, which has done overtime for the past 2 days.


Yesterday Gom got a bee in his bonnet over something. He tried making phone calls, but could not understand or hear the Ms Bollywood who, he said spoke English quite well, but he was unable to hear her. It was a Govt Dept, so he doubts he was speaking to India.

He decided to go & 'see someone' about it. We did not have our car. So off he went in the rain. Using the Brolly. He caught the bus. He attended to his business, decided it was too long to wait for the bus home, so he walked home. IN the rain. The Brolly being rather inadequate. He was wet all over when he arrived. If he had only waited till today or tomorrow, he would have had our car back. Stubborn old man!!

All the while he was gone, I talked to myself about siezing the opportunity to sew. I even got the cutting mat out, the fabrics. I got a really strong headache, & it wouldn't go away with drinks of water.

I gave up, took 2 Paracetamol, & just rested. I still have it today. I dont get headaches often, so maybe I'm 'Sickening" as we used to say. Yes, yes, I hear you.

This morning, before Granddaughter arrived I got out the ruler, & the cutter. Maybe tomorrow I will even get something cut!

Other efforts to sew have been thwarted by the temptation of DVDs to watch. We have seen rather a lot recently.
"Atonement" was very very good. We both enjoyed it, but I would defy a woman not to like it. Great acting, great clothes of the period. Really liked everything about it. 11/10.





This is a little 'odd shot', for today.
I really like this little Buddha. I got him for $1 at the Anglican Church fete sale. It makes me smile to think of it, every time I look at him. Somehow it pleases me no end. He lives on my kitchen window sill, & I smile at him every day. (sometimes I talk to him- out loud!)
The pot is one my Son painted. He did some really nice ones, & I was keen for him to do more, but he drifted onto other things.

I think the little plant was a garage sale find. It just seemed to suit SB's pot, & lives on the windowsill, along with Bud.

j d lang, Till the Heart Caves In.

Moving Houses

This year is the 25th anniversary of our move to permanant residence in Australia.

We arrived here on 31st January, 1983.

In some respects it seems like a lifetime ago.

In others, it is just yesterday.

In our 25 years here, we have lived in 9 different 'homes'.

The very first was a rental, which was partially furnished, & just what we required at the time. A lot of our personal belongings were being shipped by container, from New Zealand. It was quite exciting to be beginning a new chapter in our lives.

I turned 40 soon after we arrived here, & though it is a milestone birthday to some people, I barely had time to register the fact! Besides, in my mind I was 30something, still, & need not trouble myself about figures. Even bodily ones. I held up reasonably well. Not fat, not thin.

Here is Gom & Daughter J, with Son B, in the first house we bought in Australia.

Here I am in between DJ & Gom. Slightly blurred image.

Does this look like a woman who cooks 2 Carrot cakes daily!

Here is DJ, a teenager in her neat bedroom! She always kept it that way, in that house!

Here is teenage Son B. A tidy bedroom! Ghoulish in parts, but very tidy & neat.

Here is Meggie with Son B, about to rush off to work in Gom's Coffee Shop. Probably transporting Carrot Cakes as I went!

Must have been the same day, as here I am at the front door of our house, with DJ. They were about to rush off to school, me to work.

Stop sniggering, it was 1983! Fashions were ... well, different then!

I have a theory about houses. This house was neat every time we inspected it. It was a 4 bedroom house, & had a blended family living there. Between them there were 5 children, yet the house always looked neat & tidy.

I will probably blog about this first home again. We have a lot of laughs to recall from that house.

Somehow it seemed to remain that way, after we bought it. We are not a tidy family. Well, we weren't then. Gom was a worst offender at 'untidy'. Now he is quite anal about all sorts of 'tidy'. HAHA !

Over the following years we lived in all sorts of differing houses. Some rented, another we purchased. The second house we purchased was my favourite, & it was perfect for teenagers, & adults who needed to live together.

All in all, it has been quite an up & down life, living her in Australia.

I regard the stint in the Hotel as the worst. Though, I suppose it was safest finacially. The price was too high though, to my mind. I suffered ill health & a great deal of stress & grief during that period.

******

We had SG here this morning. His mother had to work early, his father was at work very early, sister working also. He was so happy that we saw him in his uniform. He was so excited, he had a second breakfast here, a Peanut Butter sandwich!

I asked him to pose for a photograph. I wanted the hat & the boots, but he wanted to just sit. So here he is.

Didn't even get his boots! I will have to try again. He is still loving it, so that is good. Another wet day, & the brolly was needed. Not cold though.

"I dont need my jumper Mum!"

*********

Am I allowed to whinge? Here is a picture of my whinge. Hideous in the extreme. And the level of itch?? 4 beestings, or or.... I just don't know.

I consulted a Chemist. He suggested Antihistamines. This pic after I have taken 2 on consecutive days. Looks like a skin specialist might be the next step.

I keep thinking of that Beatles song ... what is it? "Come Together" ~ "Hold you in his armchair you can feel my his disease"?

I thought it might be claw-marks from the Black Dog.

Now I am sure it is why the Black Dog lurks.

Beatles, The Fool On The Hill.

Black Dogs & Days.

This is our outlook today. Rain, , a few lightning bolts just to 'lighten' things. Followed of course, by Thunder. So loud & close I yelped in fright, & almost fell off my chair. My nerves are not too steady at the best of times, where sudden loud noises are concerned.

Need I say, the garden is just loving all this rain! The ferns haven't looked this happy for years!

The untidy clutter that I like, is just thriving from all the moisture. The Bromeliads, who are not supposed to mind being a little dry, seem to be particularly happy, & we currently have 4 bracts of the pink one.

The herbs are delighted. Which is just as well, as I have been eating them, as fast as they grow. The Devil's Ivy, which is just a weed now, is very vigourous. The path to the clothesline runds with rainwater. The tree fern is drooping with pleasure, & the Thyme has flopped onto the path with joy.

We have been recently spoilt, with choices of movies to watch.

We last watched Juno, & both enjoyed it. It was fun. 8/10

My favourite was The Bucket List, starring Morgan Freeman -love that man!- & Jack Nicholson. I think this movie will go down as a classic along with Shawshank Redemption. I give it 11/10. I would watch it again right now.

We have seen Flawless, with Dondald Sutherland & Charlise Theron. 9/10 Very entertaining. Charlise is flawless looking. I am not usually a blond liker, but she is lovely.

3.10 to Yuma was very gripping. I like Russel Crowe's acting, & found it an interesting movie to watch. 9/10

Charlie Wilson's War with Tom Hanks was excellently entertaining. Gom felt it was propaganda, but the ending told the truth, I felt. Tom Hanks is a great actor I feel. 9/10.

Shiloh Falls, is boring me to tears. Still have not completed watching it... do I care? zzzzzzz

There have been other notables, whose names escape me at present...haha.

************

The Black Dog continues to lurk. Weather doesn't exactly help.

I have been longing for the ocean again.

Want to salt some wounds?

************

Pondering family stories, & legends, has made me smile.

An Uncle has long loved to trout fish. New Zealand has some wild & wonderous trout laden rivers. Some of them are very hard to access, but the 90 year old Uncle has recently been taken fishing again, much to his joy.

We privately laughed, my brother & I, about the fact that a distant ancient rellie had wished their ashes scattered in one of the rivers he loved to fish. He disliked the person concerned, intensely. We were imagining how he would never eat another trout from the river if he thought the ashes had been scattered there!

I spent a part of my childhood staying with my Grandparents beside a wild river. It ran through a very deep gorge, & when it flooded it raged in wild torrents, & was extremely dangerous. I was well protected, & someone always ensured I was never in any danger from the river. How well I remember the smell of that river, & the surrounding wonderful New Zealand native Bush.

The smell of the ferns growing on the sheer cliff on the other side, from the rocks, which dripped water, & grew moss. Such a clean fresh smell. When the river ran slowly & easily, the fish could be seen darting carelessly through the lovely clear water. I loved the sounds of that river, as it spoke to me. The soft tinkle as is flowed & played gently over the rocks. The roar of the torrent when it raged in flood.

I loved the wonderful water worn rocks, with their gently rounded curves. I loved those rocks. I loved to walk on them, pick them up, take some back to the house. I loved the noise they made when they moved under my feet.

I don't remember ever swimming in that river. My mother did, when she was a child, & later, she lost her engagement ring, whilst swimming in that river. It was sadly prophetic. I wonder if it lies there still, & will remain for eternity in the mud & rocks.

Slava Grigoryan, The Sounds of Rain, Parts 1 & 2.

Persisting Down.

We had massive thunderstorms last night, but luckily we sustained no damage. Suburbs down in Sydney suffered a lot of damage, & a lot had not recovered from the last devastation, with trees down, roofs damaged or ripped off.

Our Daughter J said they lost power for 5 hours last night. We live 5 minutes north of her, & we didnt lose power at all. A lot of rain fell, & our back patio area was awash, & this morning there was further heavy rain.

Little SG went off to school in the rain, this morning happy as a lark, according to his father. We have our car back until Sunday. The lawnmower was returned too, & I was told it has spent the night in their dining room- a room they dont use, I might add!


Here are 2 cheery photos of the little gardens Mrs Nice Neighbour makes. She keeps her eye out for little items to make the gardens, & also grows all the plants herself. They make a nice change from the dingy dull grey day we have had today!
This one is a little Fountain Garden she made.
This one is a little Tea Pot garden. Very cute,

Since I have been taking photos for the Blog, I have noticed a lot of details on things, I may never otherwise have noticed for myself.

Last evening I walked into the bathroom, & saw this soft creamy moth lying on the tiles. On picking it up, I was struck by the wonderful colourings on the wings. This is a very badly focused photo, but the gold glowed with realistic gold glisters, & I didn't notice, until I looked closely.

It is probably a waste of time posting this, but you can see the spotted effect, a little. I tried to enhance it, or change it, but had no luck, & I could not get another photo, as the moth fell off my hand & disappeared.

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I have noticed there has been another Formerly Elevated Sporting Hero, in the nonsense news. This idiot, whom I will call Willie Numnutz, was once a much lauded Hero of some goofy ball sport. He was much photographed, was called handsome, & in the end he believed his own publicity.

He presented at the Sports Gala events, wearing one or other glamour puss on his arm. Eventually he was married to one of the pusses, or she may have even been his only Puss, at that time, & they were much photographed by the media, & said to be a "Golden Couple". Royalty of his particular code of balls.

The Gold Crown fell off when he was caught out, cheating with his 'Best Mate's Wife'. Princess Puss moved out. In Laws threatened beatings. Best Mate ran for cover, Best Mate's Wife hid out in the country.

Many Crocodile Tears were shed on public TV interviews, the whole sordid & sad affair was hashed & rehashed on slow media days. Juicy details kept coming to the surface. Spa pools, sneaky fumblings under the nose of spouses. It seemed the media were whipped into a frenzy, of wonderful quirky, kinky snippets, to be released slowly, so as to prolong the Public's lust for the Low Down Dirt. No doubt the Womens magazines had field days, courting exclusive interviews with the perpetrators of the Dirty Deeds. The Wounded Innocent, I am sure, featured prominently, & told their Side of The Story. I don't really know about that, as I don't buy or read those magazines, even in the wating rooms of Dentists & Doctors.

The Hero made tearful promises, when hauled over the coals by his Code. The I-don't-know-what-came-over-me, I-am-very-sorry-&-love-Princess-Puss-more-than-life, & Would-never-put-the-Game-into-disrepute-or-shame. (Though, to me, what the Hell the Code is doing, poking it's nose into the bedrooms, & knickers of the Players, rather defies explanation.) Fines were paid to the Club, I think, the Princess Puss came back to the marriage bed. All was seemingly forgiven.

But the Cracks in the Persona of Willie Numnutz had begun. They had merely been plastered over, or caked in a layer of heavy Max Factor. It was not long before Numnutz was at it again, with some other Puss. This time Princess Puss left for good. More juicy stories for the media to slather over.

I haven't followed the Numnutz saga fully. I have gaping holes in my knowledge of the story. He is however, back in the Media Spotlight. Another Miss Puss has been assaulted. Another Player in The Code has been assaulted- I think- as I say, my knowledge is shakey here.

Last night as I watched his ever balding image on the screen, I wondered how much blame should be attached to media, & a ghoulish public, for helping to create this 'monster'. He was lauded & lifted to false heights. He was made to believe he was 'Special' by continued publicity. As he spiralled into deeper & deeper murk, it seemed he craved attention, more & more. I think his Ball skills in the Code fell off. He was Let Go.

Is it ever really fair to elevate the players in these Codes to the ludicrous heights they are lifted? Their feet, after all are made of clay, just as ours are. Is the public just as guilty as the Press for creating these hideous monsters.

All because they happened to have a little talent in one part of their life.

I suppose it is akin to the movie world & the poor hunted creatures there, who become increasingly bizarre, & finally lose the plot.

Crowded House, Don't Dream It's Over.

More Past, or Passed...

SG began school today. It seems incredible to realise he is 5, & is off to begin his adventure in Education.



He rang me, bubbling, & delighted, at his first day at School! He had a wonderful day, really likes his teacher, & has a new friend- a girl! His exact words were "I had a New Friend Made!" Wow!



It turns out, she is a girl, who was one of his friends at Pre School. It is nice to think he still likes her at 'Big School'.



We could not attend his first day drop-off, nor the collection. No car.

My Daughter J said she & his Sister collected him.
Because his sister is 18, he regards her as a second mother. She regards him almost as her son, she loves him so much. With many hugs & kisses, they greeted him.
DJ said the parents with Video cameras are quite offensive really, to other parents. One little girl was tracked for meters, photos & film footage of her back collected ad nauseum. DJ could not help but wonder why?? Just how many shots of your daughter's back, walking away, do you need?



***********

I have previously posted about the car fiasco of DJ's & SIL. We lent our car to DJ to prevent her losing her job.



NEVER BUY A MITSUBISHI MAGNA!!!



I am about to name names as to the wreckers who supplied parts for this rotten car, with written guarantees, which have proved to be worthless- of course!!. If you live on the Central Coast, NSW, & want the name of this germ, I am willing to give all details!! Please email me!!



Now, we have had to lend our lawnmower, since theirs has a broken handle. It was a gift from the FIL, to his son. SIL took it to the repair @$$hole who told them it is a 'cheap thing, not worth repairing' - that is a rude fecking insult. Don't look gift horses in the mouth. What a rude swine. One hopes his camel dung hill, is infested with fleas, & his ant polulation increases daily!!



The fact that SIL left it out in the rain probably doesn't endear him to our hearts, but on the other hand, the repair man doesn't have judging rights on the price, or quality, of an article.



Our DJ said to me, when the $hitheap of a car clapped out, that she wondered what else could follow. These things come in "Threes" were her words.

I told her not to say such things, & not to tempt Murphy, or whoever.



Well, now there is the mower. What the hell is next on the list for Losers??
Or the CCTPPO??*



***********************

To Someone I Love.

You know I love you more than life.
I gave birth to you-
Perfection.

I can no longer hold the candle

At the door of your defence.



I cannot wear the mask
In the face or your pretence.



Or try to shed a light
On the path of your destruction.

Or your reasons, & excuses,

Your tides, your deduction.

I know you made the choices
for the drugs & your destruction

And your denial refuses,
To admit your wasted talent.
Your gifts untold, recluses.

Your art will remain unkown.

Your poetry - unsown.

A wasted talent

O my son,

A seed perhaps ungrown?

*******************

I suspect the Black Dog is upon me.

I just think to acknowledge the prescence.

Bob Dylan, Not Dark Yet.

Memories

Yesterday was Australia Day, 26th January. After the sun burned off the heavy thick fog, it was a fine day, a little humid, but sunny with light clouds.

Jet planes flew overhead, taking 5 years off my life, with the noise! It sounded as if they were about to land on the house. I don't think the dogs had time to react.

We didn't do anything particularly patriotic, like throw the thong- footwear, not the other type- or host a Barbie. Our BBQ fell to pieces some time ago, & since neither Gom nor I are fond of cremated meats, we never bothered to replace it. Towards the end of it's life, it only got used about once a year. That usually meant the gas bottle was empty, having leaked the contents since the last time of use, I suppose.

We manage to cater quite well without the BBQ. Gom has a Deep Fryer that he likes to use with flair. He loves his electrical gadgets, & has many, of the kitchen variety, that he desired. Not all of them get used. Partially my fault I suppose. I dont like Popcorn, & the kids are not here that often. I keep meaning to make the waffle batter, but forget. He stopped making milkshakes when our Granddaughter moved out.

There is an Icecream maker-- such a pain to use, & takes such a lot of space. Now we have a chest freezer, he would have plenty of space, but he is apt to sneak beer in there, when I am not looking, to get a quick cold batch, if friends come over.

There is a Bread Maker. That was a big hit for a while. Then the Pantry Moths got into the mix, & we rather went off the idea of a fridge full of mixes. We do have a grill, that we use to cook all our meat. It is a Breville, & we got it new for $5 at a garage sale, to replace our George Foreman, which had lost it's teflon coating. I suppose we ate it, along with bacon etc, & never knew. I am sure we will have teflon in our bodies for ever now. We actually like the Breville better, & the coating seems to be staying put. It is great for eliminating fat from the meats.

There is a Cafe Press. That used to get thrashed when our daughter & granddaughter lived with us, & still gets the occasional workout. I don't like bread- well it doesn't like me, & gives me indigestion- so I eat wraps, or Pita bread, quite often, & toast them when I can be bothered.

He also has a Pie maker, which is fine, but the cutting of the pastry to fit the dishes is a pain in the...


Here is a the sky on the eve of Australia Day.


I don't know that there were any parties nearby, today. The Noisy Neighbour-dog had his own frenzied barking party, & later the kids were out with a ball, but apart from that it was a quiet day. It is a long weekend, so we are having a bit of a gathering here this afternoon. We have invited friends, & family.


I went out yesterday, into the wilderness that is the front garden at present . It was rather like being in a steamy jungle, with all the green, vigorous growth from all the rain we have been getting. The Ginger is flowering, & I tried to get some good photos of the pretty flowers.

I hadn't realised before, what a delicate perfume the flowers have. They are prettier in real life than they look in these photos. The yellow is brighter, & the stamen are quite orangey red.

The Ginger may have been a mistake, it is tending to run amok. I found a lovely little green frog on the leaves one day, & now when I cut it back, I am cautious.

There is a woody overgrown purple Budleia, which I believe attracts butterflies, but I can never see any, though they fly over our backyard in quick flight on their way to something attractive. They never seem to stop & I cannot get a photo of one of them.

This our Cycad, which has really enjoyed the rain, & has grown new leaves surprisingly quickly, recently. I love the fact that these plants are prehistoric relics, & have been here since the dinosaurs roamed among them.

When we bought this, it was such a tiny little plant, I wondered that it might not survive. It seems happy in the wild disorderly garden of ours.

I began this post last night. I had phoned a relative I had been meaning to call for some time. She was having her dinner, & rang me back later. We talked for some time, & it was quite late when I got off the phone.

I went back to doing this post, & had added a photo of some forgotten old rellie's wedding.

Next thing I knew Gom was roaring at me to wake up!!

In the shock & blur, I must have deleted the old Rellie Wedding pic, so that will have to be for another day!

I guess you know you are addicted to the computer when you can just fall asleep whilst posting!!

Seals & Croft, East of Ginger Trees.

Pressure

Here is Leo. Tied. Wanting to be free, to run off & see what Gom is up to. Gom is repairing a small section of fence he put up to stop the dogs going & snuffling under the fence, upsetting noisy barking neighbour dog. He barks quite enough, without our dogs egging him on! It is a dull overcast day, & I had thought to get more photos, with perhaps less glare. Not having much luck, but this Grevillea is not too bad. Same old, though. Sorry I have no exotic flowers to show. Nor any exotic birds, or even interesting bugs.

We have these 'free' Begonias. They just come up whenever & wherever. I think in America, they are known as 'Volunteers'?

There were some sweet little ferns growing by the makeshift fence. Gom made short work of them, & alas, they are no more.

******************

I wanted to post about pressure today. I am feeling under pressure to get some sort of sewing done. It is me that is pressuring me. I need to get off here, stop admiring everyone elses nice quilts & get sewing! if there are any puncutation police reading this, you will note I have left the apostrophe off elses- the truth is, I am not sure where it should go.

Back in the day, when I was living other lives, I found I hated pressure. A lot of people thrive on pressure, they love to be 'on a deadline'. Somehow it gets the adrenaline pumping & they assure me it gets the best out of them.

It has the opposite effect on me. I loathe pressure, just feel flustered & upset by it. I like to take my time, spend as much time as I need for a project or task. Deadlines make me very nervous.

A large part of Hotel life was pressure. One minute the bar would be empty, the next a line of thristy drinkers would all be clamouring at the bar. Gom loved it. He shone when he was under pressure. He loved the hustle & bustle, the excitement of it all. We had an excellent bar maid, who was just so efficient under pressure. Nothing got her flustered, & she could cope as well as anyone I have ever seen.

When we were in the Inner City Hotel, for a time I was manageress of the Restaurant. When it first opened it was at the forefront of Bistro style meals, in our city. It was busy beyond our wildest dreams. Opening for lunch & the evening meal, it just boomed, & we never had time to stop or think.

I would stagger upstairs at the end of the night, & just fall exhausted into bed. If I sat down in the afternoon, I would instantly fall asleep. I could understand that sort of pressure. I didn't really enjoy it much, but I could see the point of it all, & with great staff we could have it all running smoothly.

Cooks were probably our biggest worry. Many of them did not work well under pressure. Some of them threw tantrums, & walked out. One poor boy lost most of his hair, & his skin began peeling off. Pressure, we decided, as he told us he needed to leave. Another wore Army clothes, & made huge lunges with his personal giant knives. I was terrified he would kill someone. He had to go. Another argued hysterically with customers, telling them he would never cook a well-done steak! No matter that we told him the customer can have his steak cremated if he likes.

Some of the cooks were fun. We had one with fiery red hair. He talked non stop, & told us all sorts of intimate details about his life & times. He wore very tight jeans, & he told us he didnt wear undies. Our barmaid told him he would end up sterile. He was so worried he went out & bought undies & some looser jeans.

We called him Cookie, & we once backed a winning racehorse called Excessive Talk, in his honour. It wasn't named in his honour, we just backed it in his honour.

Back to pressure. When I worked in an office in a huge company, & had to send off telexes (remember those? I wish we had had email!) & organise conference calls, I was always furious when, at the last minute executives would come begging for 'urgent' calls, tickets, telexes, faxes to be sent. I knew those execs had been sitting about on their rear ends all day, drinking gallons of awful office coffee, or in the case of the MD & the Financial Controller etc, the coffee in the percolator that we organised every morning. Just as it was time to be getting on home, in would come a flustered exec, full of pleases, & BS about why they had to get this or that done urgently. To me that sort of pressure was just infuriating.

Mostly it was rot anyway. It was to go to Europe, & most of the countries we dealt with were happily alseep, & unaware of any urgency. To his credit, my immediate boss, who was Swiss, was the most unflappable person you could meet, & he had a wonderful calm pressence. He would take the steam out of the pressure.

How do you find pressure? Do you thrive on it? Or do you fold under it?

Queen, Under Pressure.

Signs of Summer.

I love the stone fruits of Summer.
To me, biting into a plum always makes me think of encapsulated sunshine. I can taste the sun, if such a taste is possible. I also love nectarines, & peaches, apricots, & of course cherries. These are the only fruits left in the house at present. These fat, dark, delicious plums. The sweet white fleshed nectarines. Not artfully displayed. I am sure the northern folks reading this would give their eyeteeth to be able to savour these fruit, amid their cold dreary winter.

SG came with his mother, to visit yesterday. He asked if he could have the last banana to eat. Of course! said Nanna, delighted that he at least likes bananas.

Why is it that children don't seem to want to eat fruit these days.

When we were children, we loved fruit. We had 2 Nectarine trees, different varieties. Two Peach trees, likewise. Our Grandfather had built a pyramid shaped trellis for the passionfruit vines to grow over. We would sit in the 'teepee' formed by the vines, & gorge on passion fruit.

We had two 'Tree Tomato' trees- they are called Tamarillos now. They were so delicious. The frost would kill the leaves, burning them black, but we always seemed to have fruit off them. I see them in the shops here, but they are so expensive, I don't buy them. We also had a lemon tree, & we had a whole hedge of Fejoas. What a strange looking fruit they were. Wrinkly green skins, & curious white/cream flesh. They taste rather like fruit salad. I never see them in the shops here. Perhaps they dont travel well.

Our Grandmother would stew the fruit, & she also bottled a lot whenever she could. She had a huge old Welch Dresser, that stood out in the back porch, because the kitchen was too small to accommodate it, & it was always filled with preserved fruits, jams, jellies. I can remember the muslin ball hanging suspended over the pan, in the concrete tub, in the washhouse, dripping the juice from the quinces. We would eat beautiful clear quince jelly on our fresh bread. She would also preserve a lot of the passionfruit pulp, so that we had that for treats in icing, cakes or puddings.

Our mother would take us on blackberry picking expeditions to the dusty steaming paddocks where the blackberries grew in wild tangles, and the tall grasses grew, with seed heads that made us sometimes sneeze at the pollen. We would come home scratched & bloodied in patches, but happy with our black treasure, of juicy fat blackberries. I don't suppose it would be possible today, as the Blackberries are a pest to be erradicated, the farmer who leaves it growing is to be frowned upon, for his lack of diligence.

Our Grandmother would make Blackberry & apple pies, & blackberry jelly & jam, for the winter. Freezers were a thing for the future in those days, so preserving was the way to go, if you wished for produce in the winter months. When we had our Passionfruit vine, I froze the pulp, unsweetened. No hot cooking or messing about with preserving jars.

I can still see my Grandmother, standing in the kitchen in her apron, her red face shining with the sheen of perspiration, from standing & stirring the jam or jelly, or preparing the fruits for bottling. How she would have loved the idea of freezing things. She loved gadgets, & was always eager to try new things. I am sure she would have loved flying as much as I do!

Here is a picture of our Tibouchina in the back yard. It is a self sown tree, that I moved when we redid the back yard, & I was very surprised when it survived. The colour is quite true to life, in this photo.

And here is the little Prince of Orange, or Ixora. It is growing in a pot, & I keep meaning to plant it into the garden. The glare of the sun has spoilt the picture, so I still need to learn about macro!

Oscar Lopez, Fire & Fury.

Trying to Walk The Line.

Aint misbehaving... really!Leo has had a face trim, & a couple of pounds of his wool clipped off. He was very good while I did this, so that is an improvement too. I guess he figures any attention at all is ok!

We had SG yesterday, & it was so hard to convince him he was not to cuddle Leo or let him lick him.
"But he loves me Nanna!"
It is not an easy thing to stick to. Gom had a little gripe to our Daughter J this morning.
"They wont let me play with the dogs!"

We are still sharing our car with our daughter. You don't want to know the saga behind that, & it seems a farcical tale, quite beyond belief.
All I can say is, if you are thinking of buying a used car, NEVER buy a Mitsubishi Magna!!
NOW they find out they have dodgy tranmissions. NOW they find out they seem to be unrepairable.


This was the mornng view from the balcony looking to the East.


Somehow it looked a lot better than the view looking South!



We have been out & about getting small luxuries like deodorant, & vinegar.
We dont use a lot of vinegar, & the malt vinegar we had, was found to contain a large 'beast' of some sort! I am not sure how old the bottle was, but it was a bit scary to contemplate how long it might have been in there, & I had used the vinegar unaware it was lurking there.

I sincerely hope the last time I used it was for cleaning. I suspect it was, but none of us have died or been ill, so I guess no harm done.

As we came home, & drove around the large roundabout on the Highway, we saw Emergency Vehicles, Ambulance, Tow Trucks, Police, all congregated on a small road off the roundabout, that more or less leads nowhere. Just a Tyre company, a Car wash, & a Bottle shop. Of course we wondered, What the??

Then we saw a car, flipped onto it's roof. Lying there like a beetle, it's 'legs' sticking up in the air. For the life of us, we could not understand how such an accident could have happened. We didn't stop to rubberneck, or clog the traffic. We live within walking distance, & can in fact still see the vehicles at the scene. I hope no one was hurt.


*****

I never dreamt, in my youth, that I would turn into my Grandmother. I stare in disbelief, when I do look in the mirror. It is not something I want to do, these days. Who wants to realise they are now their own Grandma!

At first, when people said it, I paid no heed to what they said. Increasingly, I am beginning to realise it is true, & must have been for some time.

Not that I disliked my Grandmother. I loved her dearly. She loved me dearly, & was a wonderful Grandmother. I loved her puffy hugs, her soft body, her kind concern, & love that shone from her eyes. She seemed to be the perfect Grandma. But after all, who wants to be their grandmother, regardless of how much they loved them.

Sure, I wanted her wisdom & her breadth of knowledge. Her non judgemental ways of looking at people. Her patience & tolerance with people. Her gentility.
Selfish as it sounds, I didn't exactly want her figure. Perhaps not even her face.

I knew I was never going to turn into my mother. By the time I was about 12 I was taller than my mother, & ended up much taller, & though I was very slim when I was 19, & could share clothes with her, it was inevitable I would get a little larger as the years went on. The fact the I got a great deal larger is hard to realise.

In a way, I am glad my mother is now dead, & cannot see how large I am. haha. I always felt rather like an elephant around her, once I had grown to full maturity. Her feet were so small, she had trouble finding shoes to fit. Her tiny waist remained tiny.

I kid myself I am not gargantuan. I am puffy, like my Grandmother was. Had I taken after my paternal Grandmother, I would have been tall & angular, & looked somewhat severe. Perhaps I do look severe?

Who ever sees themselves as others do? Being the photographer, I rarely see photos of myself. I tend not to look in mirrors, if I can avoid it.

Jean Michel Jarre, Equinoxe Part V.