Absence, makes the heart grow absent...

Taking a week off the blogging caper has resulted in Rusty Brain Syndrome.

I barely had time for my feet to touch the ground. I got sick as a result.

An enormous painful cold sore bloomed on my mouth, & I felt really lousy for a good bit of the time. At first I could not understand why I felt so ghastly, tired, & headachey. I fell asleep at the party for goodness sake!! Some party girl, me.

I was sorry to see V go home, & wish we had had longer to explore & discover ever new delights in the quilting & fabric areas.

Gom took us to a huge shop & V went nuts! just on the quiet, so did I, but Gom doesnt know about it yet! haha. V had a ball shopping for her 2 little granddaughters. It made me wish we had another little one to shop for.

"Who goes there?" Lining up to greet the guests!

Here is my son, giving me a hug. Usually I am the photographer, but V took this.

Here is friend B, who was assaulted. He had to have surgery, to have a plate inserted in his arm. The bone was shattered in the assault, & was much worse than the Doctors had aniticpated. (He noted, in light vein, that it was not his drinking arm that got wounded.)

V had lived in Newcastle when she was a child, so we took a nice leisurely train trip up to see the City. It was a bitterly cold day, & the wind off the sea chilled to the bone. As we walked along the waterfront, an elderly gent sought to educate us, with a long informative dialogue on the history of Newcastle. Not wishing to be rude, we kept edging away. He kept moving up closer.

In the end we bolted. We missed the train, & had to spend a chilly hour on the platform.

Here is V waiting at the station.

Here is V getting up close & personal with the party boy! I reminded her of how she had once begged me not to marry him! How the times have changed! We laugh about it all these years later.

Here we are out at yet another shopping mall!

Here is our Sweet Granddaughter at the party.

Here is Sweet Granddaughter's best friend J. She is an honorary member of our family.


Here are these two again. Having a whale of time.

Four Bananas!

V & I on the train coming home from Newcastle.

Here is sweet Honey. V loved the way she sits like this, when she wants some attention.

Now, I need to get busy & catch up with all the many blogs I have been missing over the past week or so.

V didnt really feel the cold as much as I did. I feel we have had the coldest month of winter, in August.

Beatles, I Want To Hold Your Hand.

Busy having fun...

Having too much fun ~no time to spare for blogging.

Friend safely arrived, & here she is, hiding her under some party hat.
We began to be worried about the convincing snores that were emanating from under the hat!


Here are two Weirdo's who suddenly made an appearance in the lounge!
You can see why I was somewhat disconcerted! I suspect teeth might have been an optional extra!

A hectic day in the mall, with much pounding of the feet! I get so tired after walking on the hard concrete tiles, & my bits & pieces feet & knees begin to give way to fatigue.

I will just leave you with this image;

Gom carefully got dressed nicely today, to take us out.

It has got to the stage where I have to check him out.

We went ysterday, to visit our friend who was assaulted, in the local hospital. He had to go in for surgery to his arm, because the assault had smashed the broken bone in his forearm, resulting in lengthy surgery to repair the badly damaged bone.

The day before, Gom had driven me to the Ovens. We stopped at the local village for several items, & then returned home. Suddenly I noticed an oddity in the stance of Gom. To my utter horror I realised he had his pants on inside out! The pockets were flapping out at the sides.

Aghast, I asked him about it.

"Oh yes" he airily replied, "I realised they were on inside out, when we went into the shops."

When I reacted in an appalled fashion, he declared he had not felt like dropping his trousers to change them in the middle of the Mall!

I suppose I should be glad for small mercies.

If you should see a man walking about with the pockets of his pants flapping about on the outside, you might be sure it will be Gom!

My friend V thinks it is hilarious. I tell her not to laugh, it will only encourage him!!

We are preparing for his party tomorrow night. Maybe I will get some photos fit to share...

Seals & Crofts, Summer Breeze

Has anyone noticed...?

We don't very often eat the junk foods. Not because we are virtuous. Mostly it is because we don't like it.

I do like a Pizza now & then. I am not averse to a chicken wrap with salad, very occasionally. Last time we went to get the Finger Lickin' variety of wraps, I was struck with the new slim Colonel.

Has anyone else noticed this peculiar phenomonon?
I remember the jolly, chubby cheeked old chap, with the strange wattle he hid behind his little goatee.

I remember when they changed the name from Kentucky Fried Chicken to KFC, so the dreaded fried word was not part of the image.

Next time you pass the old Colonel, stop to note the new slimmer model. Gone are the chubby cheeks. Please tell me I am not dreaming. Please tell me I am not the only one to notice the change?


We have had some sunny days, & if a spot out of the wind can be found, it has been quite pleasant. The nights seem to be cold though, & a definite reluctance to get up in the morning tinges my days.

Leo, being very reluctant about letting us groom him, had become a wild & woolly monster. I decided to take on the task of trimming him up a little, so we could see his eyes, & now I am wondering if he is chilly with the huge amounts of wool which came off.

He does not like the camera much either. I think it is the flash. I should have taken the pics outside when it was still sunny, & I wouldn't have needed the flash.
The odd short hair on his ear is not my fault, he had a particularly bad knot there, & Gom decided to deal with it- by cutting it of!!

We had a repeat performance of the wool festooned garden & Gom. After Before I had finished trimming Leo, off went Gom. I happily trimmed on, then to my horror the garden blower starts up beside me!

Scaring the hell out of me 10 years off my life. Dust & wool clouds
are whipped in frenzied fury into the atmosphere!

I leap to my feet, grab the poor dog, & rush indoors to close the doors. I try shrieking at the mad man in the clouds of wool, & dirt. (No dog droppings this time, thank goodness!) I could not believe he was making the same mistake, by forgetting to close the zip on the bag!

He finally realised, & turned the wretched thing off, & stood festooned like some crazed Snowman, or bizarre Christmas tree, with fluff & wool waving in the breeze, in clumps about his person.

"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I tried, but I didn't want to become deaf, or dusty, or woolly."

He finished & went to change his clothes. He left all the clumps of wool on the shrubs. He was aghast when I serenely carried on clipping Leo. I calmly told him, that I had not finished, & if he had told me what he was intending to do, I would have stopped him.

Today, we went to the School, to watch Small Grandson, in a production the children performed for the Grandparents. SG did not see us arrive, & I watched him singing his little heart out, & doing all the actions, & I felt so proud of him.

We were told to find 'our' children, & spend recess with them. When I found SG he as sitting in the sun, quietly eating his sandwich. He came along to be with Gom & I. He cried, because he wanted to come home with us, & didn't want to stay at school. I wondered if we had done the wrong thing, by going along.
His mother said he was quite happy that we had gone, by the time he came home on the bus.

Some days, being a grandparent is about as hard as being a parent.

Cat Stevens, Where Do The Children Play?

Islands of Pleasure..

It was so nice to recieve photos of the 2 little girls, complete with the quilts I sent them.
Here is A with her Raspberry Ripple quilt. All snug, in Auckland's filthy winter weather, at her Nanna's house.




And here is S with I Spy, also taken at Nanna's house, fending off the chills of Auckland's winter. S took 'I Spy' to school for Show & Tell, & explained to her class mates how you can play with the quilt.

I am so thrilled the girls liked their quilts. Their Nanna is, of course, Best Friend J. I have been reminiscing again about times with BFJ, when we were young, & how much fun we had together.

When we first went to the Southern City together, we had to stick together, as our culture seemed just that little bit different from our Southern countrymen.

I have blogged about this before, here.

We were teased as being from an 'inferior Island', much like the rivalry between Melbourne & Sydney. The North & South Islands had this mockery of each other's customs, & speech dialects differences.

There were certain phrases that seemed to mean something different in the Nth & the Sth. It seemed odd to BFJ & I. We had always thought there would be no differences. After all, we had come from virtually the same stock, as in English, Irish, Scottish, Welch heritage.

Auckland did seem more cosmopolitan, I suppose. There was a larger variety of heritages, in that the Dalmations, or Dallies, as they were called, had come as 'Gumdiggers', initially, & had become Vineyard owners, with wonderful names, & diverse cultural ideas. Christchurch, that Southern City seemed to be very English. Of course Dunedin, was supposedly Scottish, but we didn't get to live in Dunedin.

We were teased mercilessly, & it came as a surprise to us. We had never thought of the two Islands being seperate. We only thought of the whole country as New Zealand. Even our accents were different- who knew?

Oh, those Southerners had fun, educating us to the ways of the Southern customs. We had thought we were so worldly! How naive we were! How strange some of the couples we met!

The wife, who was never without a cigarette dangling from her mouth, & as she drank, her face would melt & almost fall off the end of her chin. Her hair would sag, her words would blur, & she turned into some ruin, in front of our eyes! She would 'freshen' her makeup. The ruby red blush on the cheeks! The scarlet lipstick, slightly off the lip line. Hideous blue eye shadow, to the brow!

BFJ & I were really shocked. We had never seen the likes of such a person. Her husband, a huge tall, thin, bloodshot-eyed, balding, drunken creature. I think he only lived for his next drink. We had never met people like these in the course of our 'sophisticated' lives!

How strange, the weekend 'sports'. The 'drunken' cricket matches, a sort of Sunday ritual, where the buses took players & parents, (some of them, to later become our in-laws, perhaps to our dismay!) & they all mostly, proceeded to get drunk! It really was eye-opening to us, sheltered as we had been, in spite of thinking we were from the 'Big Smoke', as Auckland used to be called.

Our first outing to a Country Race meeting. We dressed up, wore dresses, high heels, & were unsure of the what was entailed, really. How we laughed, in secret surprised horror, at the drunken tipsy women, all dressed in stockings, high heels, & some in hats, who sat on the grass eating pies from paper bags, & drinking beer from paper cups! The shoes, lying abandoned on the grass, shunned. So this was sophisticated Country Racing??

I had only ever been to the races as a child, & was well protected from such scenes, if indeed they had been similar. All I really remember is a horse biting my fingers, -mistakenly, I was hastily assured, as I screamed in agony & bewilderment, & was to develop a lifelong mistrust & fear of horses.

Of course, there are other memories of wonderful friends we made, who were 'normal' by our Northern standards. Quite apart from those we married! haha.

Couples, married, buying houses, having children. Leading happy lives.

One such friend, who named her firstborn after me, is coming to stay with me for a week. She will arrive next week, & I am so looking forward to her stay. She has visited us here twice before. Once with her husband, & once with a girlfriend. We always have fun, & always enjoy her stay.

Slava Grigorian, The Sounds of Rain, parts 1 & 2.

Waiting Rooms.

I seem to spend a good deal of time sitting about in Waiting Rooms. I find that often the stale magazines are of no interest at all. I can't be bothered reading made up gossip about so called 'Stars'. Most of it is rubbish & even if it were true, I couldn't care less.

If I am going to be in a Doctor's waiting room, I usually go prepared, & take my current book with me.

If I am uncertain about the length of a wait, I often amuse myself assessing & secretly 'naming' studying the other patients. I try not to overtly stare, & find I have quite a good peripheral vision.

Last Monday's visit to the 'Oven' resulted in a lengthy wait. Seated beside me was Ms Flamboyance. She had red/gold hair, & it was 'big hair', if you know what I mean. It appeared wiry, & fiery, & seemed almost like a bunch of flickering flames atop her large, cheery looking face.

She had very trendy glasses, with dark square frames with heavy side pieces. Her brilliant lime green woolly cardigan, knitted in a lumpy yarn, was teamed with a very bright purple crocheted scarf. Her bag was a huge grey snake, or possibly crocodile, skin imitation, well, I hope it was imitation!with patent leather handles, & corner trims, & buckles & bells. Well, no I lied about the bells, but it seemed to shout along with her 'outthere' shoes, & her designer looking jeans- which were probably the quietest part about her.

As I sat admiring her, I thought she looked as if she would be a fun person to know. There would never be a dull moment if she was around, I am sure. She also suggested 'Leo ness' to me. I almost asked if she is a Leo?

The next secret study was a very small, thin quite elderly woman, whose thin little hands reminded me so much of my mother's I felt like holding them. Her brushed white hair was very neat, & her clothes were pressed & clean & quiet & neat. Her quiet little voice when she spoke to the receptionist, also reminded me of my mother. Her neat shoes, soft & clean, on slightly knobbly feet. A black pair of slacks, & a warm camel coloured coat. Her bag was black, & very quiet. She was Miss Modesty, & was the very opposite of Ms Flamboyance.

Different generations, of course, but also totally different looking personalities.

Waiting in the chemist shop this morning. A large aging couple come to the counter. The wife, says to the husband "Do you want to do this?"
He replies, "No no, you are my secretary, you can handle it."
She leans into his ear, & whispers "Don't you you mean Sexetary?"
He gives a little laugh, & says "Oh yes!"

hmmm something to think about....sneaking looks at his walking stick...

My name is called, I go to collect the medication, pay & move along with my day.

Horrors. I have been doing some (gasp) housework! I am not sure how that happened but Gom was vacuuming so I did my share of cleaning, dusting, changing linen in preparation for a dear friend who is coming to stay.

Reading Ann's blog this morning, she features an old house, & wonders what is to become of it, & she mentions that she dislikes change.

I don't mind change, but it depends on where or when. I dislike the changes my body seems determined to inflict upon me. I dislike losing abilities I once had. That type of change is not nice to face.
A reminder that we are, after all, not immortal, as our 18 year old selves once thought.

My daughter loves change in her house. It is not unusual to visit her only to find she has completely rearranged every piece of furniture, or the colours on display. I tend to like my home to 'stay put', you might say. I like to have my clutter, & quilting disorder about me. It might look messy, but I know what it is about, & where everything is.

I do like the change some people afford themselves in colour schemes of their bedrooms etc. I like the way a lot of Americans seem to decorate their homes to the Seasons. It is a European thing too, I suspect. We tend to stick to the same old same old, in this Southern hemisphere. Well, when I say that, most of our family did, & most of our friends do too. With, perhaps redecoration every so often- mostly less often!

Gom likes order, & dislikes change, but he got it into his head, he wanted to change the bed quilt. Now we have one of my favourites on there, but it is also one I liked to use in the lounge. I will just have to make another I suppose.

How do you feel about change? Of any type?

Dire Straights, Love Over Gold.

L. F. T... stands for 'LIfe's Ferocious Threats'

What the hell is the world coming to, when an 18 year old thug, assualts a man with a disability?

What kind of warped freak of a teenaged 'adult', would attack a defenceless, disabled, man, with a Skateboard? In front of the man's son? Outside the man's home, in broad daylight?

One can only wonder what type of upbringing, & teaching, & homelife, would prompt a mindless young man to do something so brutal, & senseless?

It has happened to a good friend of ours. He overheard taunts to his young teen son, & went to investigate the yelling & the language.

He was then assualted in a most brutal fashion, with the skateboard, weilded by a large, strong, (but extremely cowardly, & one might think seriously, mentally limited, young 'man'), who seemed to go into some type of insane frenzy.

The resulting broken arm, & severe damage to the soft tissue in the arm, is just about unbelievable. The bruising to the ribs, horrendous to look at. He, & we, feel he could well have been killed in the brutal, unprovoked, & mindless assault.

What drives young people to do such things? The victim is known to the assailant, to be disabled. A point the assaialant has mocked, & made fun of. He cannot move quickly to avoid such assault. I fear the attacker to be beyond redemption. Who, but a coward, could attack such a disabled person.

Bullying has been a factor in this scenario. Bullying of the son. His trauma at witnessing this assault, is yet to be determined.

Police, & an ambulance were called. Ambulance staff chose to wait until the police arrived, before offering treatment. What sort of a world do we live in, where teenage thugs can intimidate authority to this extent? It is very frightening to think that such twisted young beings are here, in our midst.

The offender is 'known to Police'. They are hopeful that 'this time he will get a custodial sentence'. How sad is that.

It is, somehow, even sadder, to think he may not recieve more than a wrist slap, with a wet bus ticket.

Our family, as a whole, have felt such anger about this. Our SonIL has said he can see why vigilante groups are formed.

It appeals to the basest emotion, revenge, or redress. Who wouldn't want to get this 'germ', & punish him? It is hard to think, or feel, that he is worth the time & effort, &, expense it might take, to 'reclaim him'. What the hell are parents doing to their children??

How old is too late? To try to redeem a 'lost soul'? I have no idea, but one of the local charities I thought may offer a solution, would seem to be giving up. A man of Faith- which I don't have- has despaired.

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

On other fronts, life goes on.
I had a lovely period of time today, with my beloved Granddaughter, trying to choose the next round/s for her quilt.

We met her mother at the shop, & we all voiced opinions over various choices.
We even roped in a stranger for an opinion. We hummed & we hahhed, over the fabrics. We auditioned lots of choices. Some were too bright- right colours, but overpowering! Some perfect, but only available, in too-small amounts. DRAT!!

We danced about the shop, walking away, going back. We finally made a couple of choices. Being laundered as I write. I am confident they will look great.

****************
The 'Oven' visit was a mixed affair. I am to see the Specialist again. I am not sure about my relief. Some days it seems good. Other days it is negligible.

I had a very bad night, last night. Honey decided a 'spook' was in the house. There was some noise to indicate she may be correct. She kept barking, & I kept waking... & itching ... & itching... & itching. So the night passed.



America, Only in Your Heart.

There is Always More!

If there is one thing I have learnt, through the twisted & sometimes torturous path, of my life, it is the fact that there is always more to every story!

Often, when I read a news story, I am left feeling cheated... what is the story behind the headlines?? The bold & the bald, often leaves out the little details, which can validate, or explain, certain, otherwise puzzling, actions.

I would hasten to advise my readers, I don't belittle, or devalue, Leos! Astrological Leos, is what I am referring to here. My father was a Leo, his youngest brother was also a Leo- same birthdate! My Grandmother -Father's Mother- was a Leo. My Gom is a Leo. I have had many friends who are Leos & it seems I am drawn to Leos like a magnet. My Leo dog is a Leo! My natal chart would indicate my moon is in Leo.

Some wonderful Leos have crossed my path, & I have made friends instantly with the Leo personality. I have found the Female Leo to be quite different to the Male Leo- which is not to say I have found either to be preferrable. I love them all!

So, if you are a Leo reader, I am not picking on any of you!
I want to thank your for all your Birthday wishes to Gom. His birthday is not actually until the 16th. One of his Uncles had his birthday on 17th. They often celebrated together. Hilariously. Yes, there is always more!

His Uncle was blind. He gave his Uncle a bottle of Drambuie for one birthday. The Aunt enquired why the Uncle was smearing his face with Drambuie, in the morning? The Blind Uncle replied, he had assumed the nice shaped bottle was Aftershave! He admitted he felt like tasting it, it smelt so delicious!!


MORE....

Someone on another Blog- sorry I have forgotten who you are!- asked us to explain why or how, our blogs got their name?

Mine was named because I do believe that life is full of free treats, if we only stop to see & appreciate them! OK, some of them seem a bit backhanded, but mostly, when we stop to think about it all, they are Free Treats.

It began when I visited an elderly neighbour, & told her, I felt that smelling the fresh washing taken from the clothesline, was "one of life's free treats." She seemed a little taken aback, then agreed that she supposed it was. I have always felt that, about fresh laundry, taken off a clothesline. It truly IS one of life's free treats. There is nothing to compare. It seems to embody sunlight, & cleanliness, & all that is good about the world.

I feel that way about spring blossoms, the perfume of roses & the jonquils, freesias, magnolias. The thrill of Iceland Poppies unfolding, all crumpled & squashed, to emerge in perfection, given time. So many miracles happening each & every day- all Life's Free Treats!

My particular favourite miracle, next to babies, & small animals, are the small, humble Grape Hyacinths. I can't explain why I love them so. One of my life's mysteries.

We shared ownership with some pigs. The miracle of watching the piglets being born had to be seen, to be believed. They emerged looking like small pink rosebuds, & unfolded in glory, to become small, wonderful, warm, little piglets, suckling from their proud mother. I defy anyone not to feel moved by the sight.

*********
This next photo is a steal. I stole it from a newspaper article in New Zealand. I loved the story so much, I wanted to share it.
This cat, Tigger, is a thief. He steals off all & sundry. This photo is with some of his booty! Isn't he just gorgeous!! Who could be 'shirty' about him??

I can't find the link to the story, but he has stolen from many neighbours, & most regard it as a joke. His owner tries to wash, & return items when she can. Look at him! He seems so proud of his haul!! He hails from Timaru, New Zealand.

What a lovely, brave, heroic feline! I am sure there is MORE. Un-reported.
There must be many keen gardeners in the vicinity of Tigger! Look at how may gardening gloves he has!!

John Denver, This Old Guitar.

Did you get a 'fright' too?

Yesterday, I was full of good intentions to post, & let everyone know about Honey's ear surgery.

Spent the day in agitated suspension, on & off, wondering if I had lost the whole blog forever and/or whether I would ever get the use of it again.
I went off to check other blogs, & found many of those inaccessable also. Some seemed to be ok, & I stumbled upon bloglines, which I have never used. Could see my post, but no surrounding blogsite. I see now why some people were puzzled when I mentioned my Header pic, & ID pics.

One blog friend sent an email, letting me know it was Site Meter, causing the problems. However not being able to access the site, I couldn't delete Site Meter. A Catch 22.

All seems well today. I still have Site Meter installed.

Honey also seems ok. We were able to bring her home in the evening after her surgery, & apart from a little sulk with me, she seemed unperturbed by her ordeal.

She was hungry, & ate well. She snuggled up on Gom's lap, & gave me a few glares. In the end she snuggled up with me in the night, & all was forgiven.

Here is a view of the ugly stitches. They seem really large to me, but they are Vets, not plastic surgeons after all, & her wool will all grow back, & the scar will probably be unseen.

I didn't get a chance to speak to the vet. The waiting room was like Pet Central, with anxious owners dropping pets off for surgery on the morrow. Others, like us, were there to collect their precious little ones, following surgery. Or following clipping & grooming. Hopefully I can speak to the vet when the stitches come out, but I am sure all is well.

Honey seems very happy & well, & is eating well.

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

There really is not much other news. All the 'Leos' in my life are having birthdays this month. I struggle to remember their individual birthdays.

I phoned a cousin in New Zealand yesterday, for his birthday. He said they have been having wild weather & have been lashed with rain & cold winds. He would have been very happy & warm last evening- the All Blacks had a victory over Aussie. His sister & I didn't get the 'sport gene' & it all flows over us without a ripple!

When I worked in a busy office, the other staff used to try to tease me about the Rugby Union or the Rugby League. I really disappointed them with my reactions. Usually I was blissfully unaware there was even a game on!

I have not got anything to show in the sewing stakes. Just made a small project while Honey was away. It is not as good as it looked in the magazine, but it kept me occupied for the afternoon.

I still haven't finished my Granddaughter's quilt. I just cant decide what to use to finish it off, & am thinking I might get her to come with me to help choose some fabric. She was a little less than delighted when I completed quilts for her best friend, & her mother, & still haven't completed hers.

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

On the domestic front, we will live to fight another day. haha.

Gom has been busy painting the downstairs bathroom, & painting over the patches from the repairs to the pipe repair. He has put all the books back in the bookcases, & almost got his garage back to how he likes it.

He is girding his loins, so to speak, to have another birthday. He will be 72! How scary is that! I can't believe I am married to someone that old! haha. No wonder he is a Grouchy old Leo!

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

In the garden, my Daphne is almost finished blooming. I didn't notice the perfume as much as usual this year. It always reminds me of my mother, who loved it's beautiful citrus-y perfume. It always seemed to flower on her birthday 17th July, so we always think of her when we see or smell Daphne.

Janis Ian, I Remember Yesterday.

Playground Taunts

Remember the playground chants....
"Cowardy Cowardy Custard"

Well that is how I am feeling right now.

For some time now, our little dog Honey has had a lump on one ear. From time to time she seemed to be bothered by this lump, & would claw away at her ear.

She has been a little prone to dermatitis, & itches in the Spring. I once mentioned the lump to the Vet, when she was in a frenzy of scratching at her ear. The Vet assured me it was not the 'lump', but was sure to be an ear infection, which small dogs are prone to get.

Duly treated, & settled. However the 'lump' has contiued to morhp into something different. It now turns black from time to time, & seems to 'shed' cells, & recover to a pink 'lump'. After a fashion. Lately it has been quite vile looking, so today I took her to have it examined once more.

This time the Vet- a different one- thought perhaps it should be removed. I agreed, & tomorrow, I take my little Honey in for sugery. Albeit minor.

I know I will be on edge all day, until I can collect her again. She seems so tiny, & I hate the thought of her in any pain. She was so quiet in the Vet waiting room. So timid, & frightened. It was as if she knew. I wish our favourite Vet was going to operate. He is so good with her, & she trusts him. Perhaps he will oversee the operation. The Vet we saw this evening is a new one. Honey was not sure about her.

When we came home, Leo seemed full of concern. He sniffed Honey all over, & then paid attention to her ear.
Here, he seems to be saying, "I am OK! I dont need anything - except a good bath & a haircut!!"




Here Honey is saying, "I will just ignore all this hoo ha, & pretend it isn't going to happen!"

The ear on the left in the pic is the one to be operated upon, & the small dark patch, is where the vet took a sample, & it was bleeding when she finished. I hope it is not cancer, & if it is, I hope it is a cancer that can be 'captured'.

*********

Other exchanges today, after a shopping expedition with Hitler resulted in sharp words. The Real Mean Cusswords were brought out, in hurt anger.

The endless sifting through the packets, & tins, for duplications or OUT-of DATE items, drives me crazy. I can hear the furtive movements. I finally go out, to find the whole F***ing pantry rearranged!! Guilty looks, sneaky movements...FFS what is wrong with this man??!!

Our daughter is a homecare worker, she deals with people like this every day. I think her blood runs as cold as mine, in worry & wonder. Her Grandmother went 'nuts'. She was officially diagonsed with Alzheimers. She may have just had dementia. She took years to die. She drove all who had contact with her to the point of almost-insanity, trying to cope with her 'insanity'. Her sad, 'missing-ness'. It is so hard, to realise the person to whom you speak, has no real clue as to what you mean.

That sounds callous, but I dont mean it to be. I can't retell here, the trauma & suffering it caused to so many. I try not to think about it. I try to deny it is happening 'close to home'. But, ... I do have to wonder....

Yet, there are the bright & happy periods of normalcy. When you tell yourself you imagined the 'dodgy bits'.

I screeched at him today, that I have to leave. I cannot live with his 'oddness'. His bloody minded cruelty.

'Where would you go?' he snaps. 'You have nowhere'. It all gets too sad.

Then, the tenative apologies. The peace moves. I am too tired. I am too sad. I have not got the energy, to bolster someone else's ego.

Tomorrow, I will keep vigil for my Honey.

Pheobe Snow, Keep a Watch On the Shoreline.

Just like a baby....

Just like a baby, wind makes me grouchy. No, not the same type of wind!

The type that gets me grumpy is the weather type. It seems to be singing an evil thin song, as it sweeps down from the Mountains, & over the snowfields in the South, to make me shiver & cringe, here on the East Coast of New South Wales.

I will blame if for stagnating my quilting urge. I will blame it for making me sleep late, thereby losing half my day!

Gom & I both slept late. That is not usually my way, & I feel as if I have lost time I needed. Gom says the fact that I slept, must mean I needed the sleep. Hmmn. Perhaps he is right.

He got the vacuum cleaner out, bless his heart, & vacuumed all the floors. The vacuum is one of his toys. He likes to control it, & he recently bought a new 'Turbo' contraption to use on the hose. It seemed very good initially. When I saw him sitting with the pieces, my heart sank, & I thought 'oh well, there goes $60'.

When I dared mention that, I got snapped at, told he didn't pay $60 yes, he did, but I can't be bothered proving it!. It turned out the hose pipe was blocked, & after he reassembled the Turbo, & unblocked the pipe, the thing was sucking like crazy, & he was delighted with his toy again, & very proud of the 'repair'.

Well... if it keeps him happy, who am I to groan. He saves my back a lot of pain, by taking over the vacuuming, & that is one thing I am happy to let him control.

We went to visit our Granddaughter yesterday. She is looking a lot better now her Chicken Pox spots are beginning to fade. She has carefully avoided scratching her face, as she didnt want any scars. When her mother was little she clawed a great hole in her forehead, which did leave a scar & it has only just seemed to disappear.

I took my daughter's quilt, but she was not home, so I will have to get a photo of it another time. She later rang me to tell me how much she loves it, so it has a good home. I told her that Honey had test driven it, & given it the stamp- er- paw of approval!

I have been blog jogging this morning, & when I went to Lindi's blog, I discovered she has a Giveaway on there, of some patterns. Just what I need to freshen up my jaded talent!

Here is Lindi's link. http://lindijanej.blogspot.com/ Please go visit her, & leave her a comment, who knows you might win her prize.
She also has a list of some other giveaways. You have to be in to win!

**************
What ever happened to all those colourful things people used to say?
Those almost-curses. The ones you could say in front of your Grandmother. Or even some of the ones you wouldn't say in front of your Grandmother.

"Hell's Teeth"
"By the Cringe" (this one was taught to me by a Scotsman, & I don't think it really has any meaning, but it sounded wonderful in his rich accent!)
"By Crikey"
"Bugger bugger bum" Not for my Grandmother's ears! She got upset if we said Hell or Damn!
"You give me the screaming Mimi's" Not really sure what mimi's are but could hazard a guess...

Some of my favourites are calling someone "clown features". I caught Gom calling another driver that name & I burst out laughing. He grinned & said he has lived with me too long! Harmless really, but nevertheless, a favourite with me.

My Granddaughter, when quite small, invented one insult we now use,
"You Scungey Baghead" We have no idea where she learnt that & it cracked us all up!

Off to rug up against the blasted wind.


Randy Crawford, Almaz

What the ???

OK, I am in a confession mood.

I know I may be in danger of being stoned, or thrown out of some quilting circles.

Or the cake making circles I never joined in the first place! haha.

But I don't find I have any connection with Civil War Reproduction Fabrics. I find them rather dull, & gasp boring.
I am not sure if it is because I don't feel any connection with the American Civil War, or because of the dull colours. I just dont 'get it'?

The extremely drear colours, just don't appeal to me. My soul craves bright, cheery, even dazzling, colours.

Perhaps it is because the countries I have live in, did not have a "Civil War". The light, & the sun are brighter? I just don't understand the lack of feeling I have for those fabrics.

Maybe it is the same lack of feeling I had for movie stars? Or singing stars? Just 'famous', in a world that did not involve, or engage me?

I can admire people who use those fabrics for their patchwork, or quilts. I don't, however, want to join them or use any of those brown & humble fabrics.

Dare I confess, I have never wanted to do a Dear Jane?? gasp horror, shoot her at dawn! But how many of you agree with me? In secret, mind you!

Why would I? When I have a world of Brights to choose from? A whole new world of dazzling colours & prints? I must be a 'Strictly Modern Millie'!!


Another confession I have, is relating to "CUP CAKES"!!!

I really don't get the obsession with these things??

I realise these pictured above, are really Butterfly Cakes, in the Southern Hemisphere. Made with dobs of Sponge mix in little cup cake pans. Then you cut the tops off, & plaster them with cream & maybe some jam, before returning the tops in butterfly mode. They are a PIA to make, & quite frankly, "Life is too bloody short!!"

These pictured below, are Cup Cakes of another variety. They can also be made with dobs of sponge mixture, or whatever cake of the day, takes your fancy. Slather them with enough sickly/garish toppings, & you have CUP CAKES!! TA DA!!!!

In Spite of all the fancy toppings, they are usually rather dry. They can make an adult- or child- gag. They can, actually, become rather sickening.
I might be heard in the background, muttering, where is the dip? Where are the cheesy bits? The savouries?

Yes, OK, I know some of those can be sickening too. But they seem way more attractive than sweets... dry, or not!

There are other things I could confess to, but hell, enough is enough, about soul-baring, & exposing the ugly or deficient bits..

Give me some of your secret confessions.

I promise, I wont stand in judgement. I always urge my quitl recipients to bear in mind, the quilt in question, was made by a very clay footed human!!

"Let he who is without", & all that jazz....

Bob Dylan, I Shall Be Released.

There Was a Little Girl..

Remember the Nursery Rhyme





"There was a little girl,


Who had a little curl


Right in the middle of her forehead.





When she was good,


She was very very good,


But when she was bad, she was horrid."







The Shirley Temple look was still fashionable when I was a little girl. Curls seemed to be desirable. I had the blond hair but the stick straightness seemed most unfair.



Coupled with the fact that my mother lied to me, telling me if I ate those dry horrible crusts off the bread, my hair would grow curls.



I believed her, & in later years I told her I thought she had committed child abuse, or at least cruelty, by lying to me, & she had further decieved me, by telling me my hair was getting curly.

It was a strange fact that the usual childhood accidents that befell me were all deemed to be my 'fault'. I had a broken bone, from a fall, yes, my fault. I had a severed fingertopwell it was almost severed, someone stuffed it back on, & just bandaged it up. It aches today, & I suspect it now has arthritis. It was, of course, my 'fault'.

The almost skinned off heel - I'll take the blame for that. On & on it went.

Of course, the truth was, they were all just accidents. They were nobody's 'fault'.

When my children had their share of childhood accidents, I tended to quickly tell them it was my fault. Though of course if I was not present, I couldn't take the blame, but I kept assuring them it was not their fault. Surely, an accident is just that. No one needs to be 'at fault'.

I quickly reassure my grandchildren, it is no one's fault. Accidents happen. That is they way of life.

Today's odd sight was an elderly woman, dressed up smartly for the winter chills. Woollen trousers, nice woollen coat. Woolly scarf. The surprise to me, was her almost violent, Leopard skin patterned handbag, with leopard skin patterned shoes. I kept wondering what could possess an elderly woman to choose an animal print for handbag & shoes.

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

Our Adult Granddaughter has now got ChickenPox. Passed on by her small brother no doubt. She is very spotted, & very miserable. It certainly looks as if she is much worse then her brother had been.

He is well over his bout, has been back at school, & is bouncing all over the place. He & Granddog Oscar were having a game of tag, when we went to visit.

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

This is the flimsy of "Rainbow for Joey-Lee". A nickname for our daughter. I was making it in secret for her, as I know she just loves brights. She visited us yesterday, & caught me with the quilt on the table being basted, ready for quilting. She was overjoyed when she found out it is hers. Now I have to get busy quilting & get it bound & completed.




I played around with placement of blocks, & in the end just 'went for it.' I rather wish I had looked at a photo of placement before I sewed it all together. Never mind, I know it will be loved & enjoyed.

It is not Art, it is Utility. Combined with Love. No idea how I am going to quilt it, but it wont be anything fancy.



John Denver, This Old Guitar.

The Backwaters of the Mind

"Where is the Olive Oil?"
"What Olive Oil?" feigning ingnorance.
"What do you mean, 'What Olive Oil?' The Olive Oil that lives here? That I use for cooking!"
"I don't know. I haven't seen it."

Of course he hasn't. It lives in the exact same spot on the bench in the 'business corner' of the kitchen, every day. It has always resided there. We may buy different brands, but nevertheless, it all lives in the exact same location.

"Don't tell me you threw it out?"
"Well if the bottle was on the 'rubbish side' of the bench, I may have." Note, careful non-admission of guilt. He would have made a good lawyer. Deny Deny Deny.

Meggie stumps off down the stairs to investigate the bin. Yes, there is the bottle, half full. Lying on top of cardboard, & newspapers. How could Gom not notice that the bottle was half full? I had been preparing a potato dish. I used a little olive oil in the dish. He had swooped into the kitchen like the Kitchen Nazi, & whisked the offending bottle-in-the-wrong-location off to the garbage bin! I had probably put the dish on to cook, & momentarily left the kitchen.


We seem to be into the 'business end' of winter. It has got very much colder. It began raining yesterday, after being bitterly cold & cheerless for the day. I was very glad to get into the 'Oven' yesterday, & cook a spell. I am beginning to wonder if the UV light is having a beneficial effect. I havn't had the urge to claw myself apart since Saturday.

It is pouring with rain this morning, & seems to be getting colder since I got up at 6.45am. I have a little heater I use in this room. I am thinking of turning on the ducted air to warm our living area.

I dreamt vividly last night. Another new house. More unexpected rooms, & much space to delight me. Neighbour guests invited themselves to visit & barged in the front door. How curious. I sneaked away & left Gom to entertain them, - or not. This house was situated close to the beach front. It was built for a lot of family or friends to inhabit. There was a pool, & a wonderful garden. Some of the rooms remained furnished, & what delights they contained.

Sometimes I have a better life in my dreams than I do in reality! This particular dream had all sorts of interesting side diversions. The police came to see if we had seen a person drown. There had been a body found in the surf. They told us we were now living among the 'others'. I have an idea they meant that in a racist way.


A chance to observe humanity is always welcome.

The Biker couple, dismounting the huge bike. She, shakes out her long, Ruby Henna-dyed hair, as she removes her helmet. He, sporting a wild & woolly black & grey beard, removes his helmet, & shakes out.... his Ruby Hennaed hair!!
I smiled at the image, all the way home. They were not young Bikers. They had reached portly middle age. They must have invested considerable $$ outlay, in their leather outfits, as they surely would have had to be custom made, to accommodate added girth of the years. I will say, they both looked happy! They were not going to be 'Grey' Nomads!


It was so warm in the car, once the heater began to work, I urged Gom to 'go for a drive'. He, ever mindful of the price of petrol, declined my urging. Home we came. Let the dogs inside, & they seemed very grateful to be in the warmth.

We watched a DVD, Chaos Theory. It was quite harrowing in parts. I enjoyed most of it except of course those parts when drowsiness overtook, in the warm haze of the artificially heated air. Gom snarls me awake, & so if I get away with snoozing a little, & don't get caught, I can't exactly backtrack to catch up! Of course, it is a different story if he snoozes. With a DVD, he can't use his classic, "The commercials were on!" I don't say much, best keep the peace.

We both laughed when we read an article stating that aftery surveys, & much research, it has been discovered that old men are much Grumpier than old women. We could have attested to that - freely too, thus saving much money wasted on the research! haha.



Bob Dylan, Forever Young

Blinked- or is that Blinkered?

It seems I blinked a bit, & there was a whole new world of blogs waiting to be read, & I am dragging the chain, here.

Firstly, I was awarded again, by Ann of Ancient One's Place. I humbly thank you Ann, for the Award. I have been given this attractive award recently, but I still appreciate the thought. Please pay a visit to Ann. I am supposed to award this to 7 other awardees, & share it about. I find I cannot limit myself to 7.. it just wouldn't be fair.

I was also given this Award by Tanya, The Art Butcher. Thankyou Tanya, I love this too. I do in fact return the award to you, as your posts either have me choking to death or at least wanting tissues to mop the tears- laughter mostly, but not always. I would urge readers to visit Tanya, also.
I know the rules state that I should nominate other 7 & 5 other bloggers, respectively, & pass this along, but there are also a lot of folk who don't wish to be awarded or go through the agony of choosing recipients, so if you are reading this, please take the awards, & I know you will be worthy recipients.

**************
I have been quite busy, head down, bum up, as 'they' say.
Saturday was a beautiful sunny day here, very mild. I found it rather chilly in the house, but outside was beautiful. I basted a quilt ready to be quilted, outside on the patio table having cleaned off the assorted bird poo, & the dog pee stains, where Leo had jumped on the table, because Gom forgot to tilt the chairs.

I wanted to sew, so I decided to give the 'new' garage-sale-find-sewing machine a good workout. I took it outside, & set it up on the clean table, & sat for the afternoon quilting in the sun. It was wonderful, & the 'new' machine sewed like an absolute dream. It seems to have a hair-trigger foot control too, so it is very zippy indeed. I love it, & am very glad to have it as a backup should anything untoward happen to my Janome. The new one is a Brother Electronic, My Star 3. I paid $25 for it, & it is worth every cent!!

I am still hell bent on keeping up the sewing. Spent Saturday evening binding the newly made quilt, & Sunday morning I made a label, & it is all ready to be gifted to the recipient.

Sunday afternoon, we had welcome guests over, & we had a great time. Fun, & laughter. Laughter being the best medicine, I could not understand why I felt so tired yesterday.

I still sewed a good part of the day, but sat down to watch a DVD, & dozed off where I sat. Gom prompted me awake several times. I was off to bed early last night, & yet I am still really sleepy today. It might be the antihistamines, but I only take them at night, for the itch.


Here is progress on the back of the next one to finish I think. I had never made a Rail Fence block before, but looked at the extreme scrappiness of my stash, & decided now was the time to make one. It is very bright colours, & I think I might give it to my daughter, who is always wanting more quilts!

Here is "A Dream for Jas". It is completed, & ready to be gifted. I am pleased with the result. I feel it will always have the sun inside it, as I sat outside to quilt it, in the wonderful warming rays.

Honey 'Test drove' it on Sunday morning, & she gave it her approval. She looked quite peeved when I told her it is not for her.

Perhaps she is feeling the cold snap we are now experiencing, since her clipping. She certainly looks a smaller dog, but I have not clipped it too short, so she shouldn't be too cold.



>>>>>A side track here. I often think about the English language, & the use of words, some of which have many meanings, which I am sure makes it difficult for others to learn the language.

I find there are many words I dislike. For no particular reason. One of those words is 'scant'. There was a scant amount. She was scantily clad. There was scant space for a foothold.

No, I just don't like it.
Have you got words you dislike?


Joe Cocker, Hitchcock Railway.

Just An Udder Filler Post.

Couldnt help myself.
TCA, Mike, & many others, whose links you will find at Reverand Anaglyph or Mike's. They are responsible.

Normal transmission should resume before too long.

A Shambles of sorts...or, Confessions of a messer.

Warning! The following photos may cause extreme anxiety to "Neat Freaks"! or, even just normal folks!

OK. I have warned you all, so I feel I can now safely continue.


Having visited Mike's place, & seen his neat, plus his art, I thought to be a devil & show my extreme messy, along with some almost art.

These were taken evening. There are 3 projects underway, & they are being worked on simultaneously.

I am sure the 'neatniks' among you, will cringe in utter horror! Note the leg of the tired Bear, who guards the remote-come-scissor-holder, near the top left of the pic.
The top of the ironing board, with more shambles on a chest in the back ground. Gom comes to the door, gasps in horror, & retreats off back to his book or his TV viewing.or to tidy his endlessly-being-tidied garage- which at the moment is similar to my mess, because of a leaking shower pipe, in the downstairs shower, & the resulting disarray while the repairs are being very very slowly under-taken. The Plumber has the 'flu, & he is a friend, so no pressure on completion dates!
Now that I have 'bared all' so to speak, I feel better! Ha Ha.

Hopefully, I will have some finishes to show, but the flow has been interrupted today.

We had an electricity outage for most of the day, due to a replacement of a decaying wooden Power Pole. The one right outside our place is actually in far worse condition, but 'they' in their infinite wisdom, decided to replace the other one!

I even scrambled eggs for Gom, for brekky, but he declined the eggs. Oh well, more for me. ( I forgot, & added parsely, which he is not so keen about.) He had the coffee & toast I made him. Because of the power being off, he had to rise an hour earlier than usual, & he was a bit grumpy about that.

After my "cooking" session, in the skin treatment Tardis, we proceeded to the shops. A small business matter attended, I decided to see if it was my lucky day for a haircut.

Now of course, if you read here often, you will know of the agony of haircuts. However I seem to have found a hairdresser who 'knows his onions', so to say. He also seems to train his young assistants to recognise their 'onions'. Last time the girl did an excellent cut. Today, the Master cut my hair, & I am very pleased with the result. It is not too short, & the style is just what I wanted. A minor miracle.

Now, I am a great 'hater' of fast food outlets, mostly because I can't bear the thought of the 'food' they serve. I have never cared for hamburgers in any form. though, to be honest here, I used to make them for our children, & ourselves, & of course chose what I deemed to be 'healthy' versions, & our kids, & Gom loved them! I loathe the buns, & everything else about the commercial versions.

I think the power of advertising has rotted our heads, however. We jointly decided we would not mind trying the Wraps advertised by a certain McD's place. It is perhaps the first or second, time I have ever eaten there, in any country- neither time did I eat 'burger'.

Today, it was rather chilly, & so, having no electricity at home, we drove to the local Golden Arches. We dined in-house. In our 10+ years of living here, it is the first time we have ever been there! We had the wraps, 'Taste of Asia', I think they were called. They were delicious. The coffee, while not wonderful, was drinkable. And the 'fries' were lovely. (We managed to restrain ourselves from buying the current earth polluting plastic toys!)

I spent the remainder of the afternoon, capturing, & trimming Honey. She is a most reluctant participant in any of this. She dislikes everthing about it, the brush, the scissors, the kidding & lying. The nail clipping was not accomplished, so she is still long in the claw. Why does she let strangers cut her nails??

On the other hand, I have a dream of having a pedicure. strangers can cut my nails anytime! I want someone to cut my toenails, & give me a foot massage. I suppose I can dream on. I suspect I might be developing a hip fault, which prevents an easy tending of one foot. One is fine, but the other presents a problem.

I dislike having long toenails. I have a nephew whose 'excitement', or 'tension' activity, was to trim his toenails! I used to go shopping with my mother, who invariably cut her toenails at the end of a long day's shopping. If I have to be on my feet for prolonged periods, I notice the length of my toenails, if they are long.

I do not understand people who can wear their toenails long?? How about you?

My Granddaughter likes to paint my toenails at Christmas. It takes at least 6 months for the polish to grow off! I love to see surprised reactions when she paints different colours, & I wear sandals! Usually, no one comments, but I see their eyes return again & again to the nails. Inwardly, I chuckle.


The Verve, Album, Urban Hymns. Sad I know, but I love the melodies, particularly Bitter Sweet Symphony, & Velvet Morning.

A Few Free Treats.

This morning seemed a lovely clear day. As I hung out washing to dry, I noticed some free treats, & thought I would share some of them.

Blogger had other ideas about the order of uploading the pics, so something, which I hope is going to be a free treat for someone, is a look at a quilt top. It just has to be sandwiched & basted, quilted & bound.

It is a Dream & as is often the way with such things, it made itself as it grew. There are stars to wish upon, friends for company, & butterflies to carry the owners dreams.

I seemed to suddenly get the sewing mojo back yesterday, & spent most of the day working on this quilt top. It had been bit stalled, but suddenly decided to move forward!

This is a little treat I discovered on the pitiful little Azalea, & so I rushed in fro the camera. I think it is exquisite, & it is sort of cup shaped. Must be a small spider, as it is a small web.




This, last evening. Do we 'treat' our animals?? Do you think? Gom called to me to take the pic, -"You have now show of getting your seat!"
True, they had my cushions, & the quilt I sometimes use, & were indeed looking very cosy.

Another morning treat. The heavy dew on a lemon leaf.

A place where little secret beings dwell...

Vapours, rising like the misty dreams that vanish with the wakening day.

(which reminds me, I dreamt I picked up 2 $2 coins somewhere? in last night's dream. How odd)

Shame about the neighbour's phallic symbol tree, huh? Which is home to Mynah birds, horrible creatures they are. I think the pole is an aerial of some sort.

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

We have been out to the 'oven' for my skin.

Off to visit the Butcher for meat items. I gag when I enter the shop, & I can't help myself, I feel a little tremor for all the creatures that die for man's greed. I once knew a man who pondered such things, who suggested the animals were happy to die, as long as we offered their spirits thanks. He seemed to feel it was their 'reason for being'.

I am not sure what I believe about that thought. It is a bit like telling a clergy man that "My Invisible Friend is Better than Your Invisible Friend."

*******

I have noticed lately, that some of the Free things we get in life, are not Treats at all.

One is the far-too-loud thumpity music played in shops. It is like being assaulted to have to listen to that! Complaint seems to bring vacant surprise. I suppose they don't even hear it, or perhaps are so deaf from the constant noise, it doesn't register.

When we visited the Market, there was a young band of lads, playing their hearts out. I suspect they were quite talented in a young way. The songs they were imitating were good cover versions. The volume was horrendous though! It was also unfortunate that they were situated beside a seating area, so, being blasted was unavoidable. The stalls directly opposite were far too painful to visit! The sheer noise almost knocked me flat! I felt as it I had been beaten about the head, if I got in line with the full volume.

This day is so blue, & so clear & crisp. I am off to sew some more.

Jeff Buckley, Hallelujah.

Any Day Now..

Any day now, I will change my headline banner. Any day now, I might change the photo signature I have.

Everyone gets bored. They want change, the new, the different. The novel.

This does make me wonder about the average life of a blog. I read it is about 2-3 years at most. Perhaps I am at the end of my 'tether'?

I have gone to visit some, I felt I had some connection with, only to find it is either shut down, or 'invitation only'. And, you know what is coming... I am 'not invited'. WTF???
OK moving right along...

A question I have pondered, is, when do we learn to become 'embarrassed'? It must be a learned behaviour, emotion, state,- call it what you will.

A friend once told me his small girl-child- under one year- sat in her highchair, broke wind, loudly. He said he & his wife laughed, & when they looked at the child, she was blushing! He said she continued to be so sensitive, & he had never imagined a child to be so aware. How do we learn embarrassment?

How do we learn, what is socially acceptable , & what is not?

And when we learn we are not invited on the basketball team, or the secret society for blah or blah.
Do we laugh, or do we cry?

I think I tend to laugh. Rather after the mode of
'PLEASE ACCEPT MY RESIGNATION. I DON'T WANT TO BELONG TO ANY CLUB THAT WILL ACCEPT ME AS A MEMBER. '

I never wanted to be a 'joiner'. I don't suppose I will ever want to be a 'joiner.'



Today, we watched a movie. Helen Hunt. "Then She Found Me". I loved it. Gom hated it. Chalk & Cheese. As usual.

***************
The Glow.


We all know "the Glow".
You feel it when you meet someone, & instantly you feel 'the glow'. You know this person is magic, beyond your wildest dreams.
You know this person will transform your life.
Their thoughts, their ideas, ... & yes, their body, will transform your life. Forever.

If you are lucky, you languish in that glow. You enjoy the sensual moments of that glow.
You can actually 'wallow', in that glow. wallow is such a sensual word, when you stop to ponder. You can feel that ebb & flow, the wonderful currents, swirling about your body, in giddying eddies...How intoxicating.. How intriguing. The comfortable 'wallowing', better than a bath...

The perfumes, of seduction.. the wonderful scents, of delights, yet to be found...
Perhaps, the smell of the perfect being's body. How can you define desire? lust? longing? sensuality?
Perhaps you can't define such things??


Memories.

Neil Diamond, Barbra Striesand, You Dont Bring Me Flowers AnyMore.

Another view, from the window...

To me, this vista is spoilt, with the telegraph pole in the scene. It is a fact of our modern lives. It is to be 'lived with'. Ugly though. I don't have to like it. May have to accept it, but the 'hippie' in me protests.

This next photo is the wider view. No telegraph poles. Is it real?

I hear the TV bleating about brain disorders. Alzhiemers. A subject close to my life. A Mother-in Law who suffered, &, eventually died from the disease. It took years. Who knows the pattern of this terrible disease.

I tend to see this as the vista, more preferred. No Alzhiemers. No dementia.

Just huge threats?? Perhaps the wrong end of the telescope. I am sure. But...

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

We have very different tastes, the Gom & I. In all sorts of areas.

He likes RED meat. I don't. He loves Red, as a colour. I don't.

We can mostly overcome our differences, & agree to disagree. Certainly about food, ... as a rule.

I cooked a chicken dish, Coq au Vin. A Classic. Which I have cooked, & served, to acclaim, to guests.

Gom's verdict was.... "Bloody awful."

Wha???this man obviously has a death wish!

If you have ever cooked a classic dish for someone, & been met with such a response, I wonder how you felt/would feel?

The hurling of food is foreign to my nature. Occasionally, I will be forced out of my comfort Zone.

I was about to say I have never hurled food at the Gom, but I take that back. There was that one occasion, when he wore mashed potato, on his eyelashes, as he blinked-in utter surprise!- & it jiggled in his nostrils, & eyebrows, as they rose & fell in rage. But happy as that image may be to contemplate, it was shortlived. He blinked it all away, & sneered as I cleaned the extras off the cupboard. The joys of early marriage are such treasured memories!!

I would like to think it taught him the limits of my tolerance. But WTH?? He is a man, & they just don't get those warning signs.

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

On other fronts, I narrowly missed being annihilated under a car, this morning, on the way to Heat/Light therapy. I cursed the slowness of the f***ing driver. I could have been dispatched to the land of the lost! Bugger!

I told the nurse, enquiring of my feckingnon progress, that I will be divorced before a cure or answer is found. Sympathetic clicking noises were heard from her throat. I had the heat. I left, feeling more inclined to think it some sort of ^$***%&*%%% con!!

Sod.

Beatles, Strawberry Fields Forever.

Trivial Scribbles

A collection of the everyday trivia, that makes up most of our lives.
I was so happy to recieve an email yesterday, informing me that the gift quilts had been recieved, & were duly allotted to their recipients.

Raspberry Ripple was claimed by the eldest girl, & I could just imagine her with this quilt.

I Spy went to the younger sister, who was delighted to discover she could play with it as an I Spy game. I am told they went to sleep last night, respectively covered by their quilts, & so I hope they enjoy them.
I was very relieved to hear they had arrived safely, as I made a silly mistake when addressing them, but no harm was done, & their safe arrival was good news.


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The weekend was lovely, with Sunday being one of those 'out of the box' days. Clear skies, warm sun, little wind, & warm warm temperatures.

We travelled up to the Hunter Valley, to the Maitland Markets, which are a once a month event. It is a huge Market, with many traders. It takes some stamina to 'do' the Market. We overheard a man on his mobile phone telling someone it is the largest outdoor Market in the Souther Hemisphere. I dont know about that, but it is quite wearying to cover, & I confess, we didn't manage the whole of it!

We travelled on further up? down? the Hunter River, to a small historic town called Morpeth, which is faithfully preserved, in as original state, as it can be. This was once a busy port for the Hunter Valley, & has many lovely old buildings, which have either been restored, or retain their original condition. Lots of Antiques for sale- for large sums- equating to their age!! A lot of Craft stores too, & old wares for sale. A township which is not 'done' in a mere afternoon. We have vowed to return on a quieter day. It was very crowded, & some of the small shops, crammed with goodies, could not be inspected at enough of a liesurely pace, or enough viewing space, to be done justice.

We lunched outdoors in the hot sun, & really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere, & the wonderful sun. Considering it is Mid Winter, it was very mild! Food is quite an industry, in Morpeth on a Sunday, with many wonderfully fresh meal outlets competing for custom. We were very happy with our choice of venue.

I did take my camera, & was dismayed to discover most of my photos did not register. Idiocy on the part of the photographer I am sure, because 2 of them are excellent! I had hoped to include some, when I did a post. Oh well, next time, as they say.

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Another little matter of interest, is the 'hoarding' of 'things'.

Recently Gom & I have been having some 'serious' discussions. Maybe even 'grave' discussions is a term which could be used. he will be in the grave, if he doesn't lighten up!!

I have .... well, yes, I will call it 'mess' in my computer/sewing machine room. I don't regard it as 'mess', but it seems Gom does.
He has become so obsessed with neat that he puts the hairdryer away, while I am in the middle of drying my hair!! WTH?? & he used to be such a slob! His shoes might have spent weeks where he left them, had I not become fed up, & moved them. His clothes, shed at odd places, could languish in dirty disarray, had I not come along, & in exasperation, washed them.

When he was moaning about the ironing board being up, & looking 'untidy' when guests arrived, I pointed out to him I was using it, for my quilting. I also pointed out that I live in this house! I am not running it as a show home! I am actually living here! It is clean, though often untidy. It is lived in!! He used to be so untidy before he retired. He never cared what 'visitors might think'. I still don't worry. If they came to judge my house, well, ....they can leave.

There is just one grizzle I have. All the pictures we have on our walls are crooked, as a matter of course. No matter what I do, or how careful I am, they never remain straight. Of course I have given up caring, mostly, about this fact. Occasionally when someone comments, I will tell them that I can't fix the problem. If it really bothers them, they can try to set things straight.... or they can leave! Simple really.

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A footnote to the light torturetherapy.
There is no relief. My GP was quite surprised I have been given no diagnosis. The blood tests offer no indications or answers... which is a disappointment! I had to undergo that trauma for nothing??
Anyhow, the naked trauma goes on. The staff are very, very, very, nice!! I am bolstered by their lovely manner, & hope the feckingblinkety blink treatments work!!

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We had SG -Small Grandson- for the morning today, & what a treat he was. He did all sorts of things, & helped me do some dishes. He asked me if he was a good helper, & I assured him he was excellent. I had not seen him for a time, & it was lovely to have him here.
He gives me so much joy, just by being!


Ben Harper, Diamonds on the Inside.

You know your guests are truly relaxed when...

You know your guest is truly relaxed, when they can sit & pick their ear, & examine the pickings, with ease, & that you have succeeded as a hostess, in making them feel truly at ease, & at home.

Or, if, they can divulge the answers to questions you have long wished to enquire about, but have refrained from the asking. If they volunteer this information, you know they must trust you. You hide your glee, along with your further dismay, as you are intrigued by the information divulged. As opposed the information not yet divulged, which makes said info already divulged, somewhat irrelevant.

My Gosh Life can get very complicated! Perhaps the Captian Klink, is the best judge... I Know Nothing!

We all 'know nothing'. Do we not!

Roy Orbison, Falling.