Blog Hiatus

I'm having a blog holiday for a bit. I feel really bad about it too, like I'm letting the Scatterday side down. Sorry Daisies! But I need a break for a few weeks, to recharge batteries and rekindle enthusiasm.

Next week it's the letter M with the categories of Music, Dangerous, and Cold Things

This is occupying a lot of my time at the moment, big changes in our front garden, which will be terrific after it being exactly the same for over 25 years. And sadly neglected for the last 5. I'm up to my ears in garden plant research and the like. It's going to be great when it's finished.... a lot less lawn, more brick paving, limestoned garden bed walls, low maintenance.... wonderful!

Guys and Girls

It's interesting the differences between girls and boys. Steve and couple of workmates had a boys' fishing weekend away, and on Saturday, because Paul was away and Meshell was at work, I was HOME ALONE - a rare occurrence.

It was very pleasant, I pottered around doing a bit of this and a bit of that, talking to myself (I only exhibit my signs of madness when I am alone), and finally settled down for the afternoon to this...

Nothing like a bit of crochet whilst watching the football on the tellie! The Eagles lost so it's just as well I wasn't paying it my fullest attention as I had to count double crochets at the same time.

It rained and rained and rained for 7 hours on Saturday morning (heaven!!) and afterwards we were blessed with some spectacular clouds.


Next day Steve returned, exhausted and smiley. I was asked could I please upload the photos off the camera immediately so I could see the reason for his happiness. This -


Do you think he looks just a little bit happy sitting here cuddling his very large 5Kg salmon? Personally, I'd rather cuddle a puppy any day! :-)
It's been Steve's lifelong ambition to catch a salmon so he is a very happy man.
The boys had a very fulfilling fishing weekend and have talked of nothing else ever since!

Dare You

Soozadoo set a wee challenge the other day, to be brave and show ourselves as we really are. Initially I snorted and thought 'no way hozay' but when I saw that a few ladies here, here and here had taken the plunge, well.... what the hell, why not.
This is me, just woken up, brain not even working yet (which could explain why I've done this). Thankfully it was not an explosion hair day.
Right, so who else is up for it?

Chopper Squad

Steve and I both had birthdays recently, and Mum and Dad gave Steve a gift voucher for a half hour helicopter ride along Perth coastline. As it sounded like fun, I used my birthday money and bought a ticket as well.


It's interesting how different your city looks from another perspective, and how beautiful - you take where you live for granted sometimes I think. Perth has a wonderful coastline and the colours were gorgeous.

This photo is specifically for my friend Kerry. Kerry, this is the shrine of WA football - Subiaco Oval. I took this a few hours before Hawthorn came along and beat the Dockers on Saturday.

This is the Causeway at the eastern end of the city, and that piece of land in the middle is called Herrison Island. I never knew how big it was. That white dome thing behind Herrison Island is the Burswood Dome, and the tall grey blob in front of that is Burswood Casino and Resort.

One of Perth's fantastic beaches, although in the excitement of the helicopter ride, I've quite forgotten which one it is! We have fabulous white sand.

Further north up the coast is Hillary's Marina, which is heading towards the northern point of Perth suburbia. I was surprised how picturesque this was from the air, all those lovely colours. The diamond shaped white building to the left of the red roofs is what used to be called Underwater World, but I have an idea it's now called AQWA. It's a place worth visiting if you are ever in Perth.

This is the port of Fremantle, and this part here is where all the containers get stored from off the big ships. This is the start (or is it the end?) of the Swan River, where it meets the Indian Ocean.

This is the city of Perth, by gee we don't have many tall buildings compared to Melbourne or Sydney. See that long flat thing in front of the buildings? That is our controversial Convention Centre that everyone hates. If I have my facts right it's meant to represent a gum leaf, but with the appealing (not) concrete sort of colour that it is, that concept has failed dismally. Personally I think it needs some fantastic Indigenous art all over it. The bridge in the foreground is the Narrows Bridge, spanning the Swan River that you can see snaking off into the distance.


Steve is smiling, he and I had a good time. Nothing like a bit of an adventure from time to time!

I'm A Lucky Girl

It was my birthday yesterday, 48 years young. And I had the nicest day, I was surrounded by lovely people both at work and at home, I received emails and cards from friends and family, and I was thoroughly spoiled (or is it spoilt?) by my family. Would you like to see my goodies? Some were surprises and some were things I ordered and then had to wait impatiently for. :-)


First my Koigu yarn - isn't it to die for! My children bought this for me, but I had the joy of choosing my favourite colours off the internet shop, gosh it was hard to choose but I'm really happy with all of them.


This one is my favourite, I just love turquoise. Not sure exactly what I'm going to do with it yet - it's sock weight merino yarn that's hand painted so the colour variations are divine. I'm thinking I'm going to make another mitres squares cushion.


Next is another fantastic thread holder that my dear father-in-law made for me. He made me the other two a few years back, and they are so useful but as you can see I've rather badly run out of room. So he made me two more - wonderful.


This is my surprise present from Steve. Isn't she gorgeous, at least I think it's a she - what do you think? She stands about mid-thigh height and weighs a ton. We're not sure what she's made of - sandstone or limestone perhaps. She's outside my kitchen window now, under the outside light - which shines on her at night and makes her look like an angel. :-) I love her little fat tummy.


Mum and Dad surprised me with a digital photo frame - I shall have fun with that. I've taken loads of photos but they just sit on my laptop and I rarely see them, so it will be nice to have them cycling through up on a shelf in my house.

You may be wondering what those two tubes are in the front of the photo. Well, Mum has a good memory - ages ago she ordered a huge floral sticker that are specially designed for the big green wheelie rubbish bins we use outside, and I've always admired it. So she ordered me a couple - thanks Mum! I'll post a photo when I've stuck them on the bins so you can see how nice they are.


This is the present that I ordered "from Steve", with his okay of course. I swim laps regularly and for years I have longed for some sort of waterproof MP3 player to relieve the boredom. Well, I have found one after extensive searching. It's called a SwiMP3 (good name hey!) and it a very fandangled thing indeed in that it doesn't have horrible ear plugs but instead it sits against your cheekbones and conducts the sound through the bones in your skull into the fluid in the inner ear which turns it back into sound. Isn't that amazing!

I'm dying to try them out when I next swim on Monday, but in the meantime I'm charging it up and choosing loud, fastpaced music to upload to it. I have even swallowed my pride and put on a wee fashion parade so you can see what it looks like on. There are slots in them that the straps of my goggles go through and that's what keeps them in place.



Haven't I been the luckiest girl ever!

On A Meme Roll

Oh, what the heck, why don't I just spend the whole blog day talking about myself. :-)
Kate has an interesting meme on her blog and I thought I'd do it too. You use just one word for your answers. Takes a bit of thinking to come up with a single word that encapsulates your thoughts!

One Word
1. Where is your cell phone? handbag
2. Your significant other? asleep
3. Your hair? overgrown
4. Your mother? lovely
5. Your father? generous
6. Your favorite thing? wit
7. Your dream last night? forgotten
8. Your favorite drink? tea
9. Your dream/goal? hobby-farm
10. The room you’re in? family
11. Your ex? non-existent
12. Your fear? trapped
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Albany
14. Where were you last night? home
15. What you’re not? dishonest
16. Muffins? blueberry
17. One of your wish list items? skinnier
18. Where you grew up? suburbia
19. The last thing you did? Bloglines
20. What are you wearing? nightie
21. Your TV? insignificant
22. Your pet? varied
23. Your computer? laptop
24. Your life? relaxed
25. Your mood? stable
26. Missing someone? no
27 Your car? Hyundai
28. Something you’re not wearing? balaclava?
29. Favorite Store? Bunnings
30. Your summer? hot
31. Like someone? craftswomen
32. Your favorite color? aqua
33. When is the last time you laughed? dinner
34. Last time you cried? years

Tagged!

I've been tagged by Michelle and Lindi.

Here are the rules:
1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you
2. Post THE RULES on your blog
3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog
4. Tag 7 people and link to them
5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

It's taken me a few days to think about this!

1. My most favourite treat to eat is nougat. My particular favourite over the years was made by Callard and Bowser and I almost wept when I found out that production had ceased a few years ago.

2. I can sweep/mop/play pool with either hand.

3. I have slept in a water bed for 25 years. Steve and I always have trouble sleeping when we go on holiday cos there is nothing more comfortable than a water bed in our opinion!

4. I have a tragically bad singing voice. When I was 8 and was singing in my house choir at school, I remember the lead girl walking up and down our rows listening to each person while we sang as a group, and she asked me to mouth the words! I was most indignant! :-)

5. I absolutely detest coffee - both the taste and the smell. Give me glorious tea at least 6 times a day, with no sugar and double milk.

6. Whilst I make quick decisions and multi-task at a furious rate at work, at home I am very methodical and set in my ways - to the point of driving my family mad. This is very evident in my craft life - I take things slowly and deliberate over things for ages.

7. I have always wanted to do a tandem skydive. I'm thinking seriously about it when I turn 50 in a few years.

I'm not going to tag anyone specifically as it seems most people I know have already been tagged. So, I'm tagging anyone who hasn't been tagged and would like to do this! :-)

So, Who's A Bloody Idiot Then?

Yes, it is ME. I am the bloody idiot.


You see this skip? The one chocka block full of detritis, garden stuff and assorted crap from our house? The one that is absolutely stuffed full right to the top of its 3 cubic metre self? Have a guess what's in it - somewhere? Go on, have a guess....

.
.
.
.
............. The television remote control ................!!!


Halfway through the toil and sweat of filling the skip I thought I'd be terribly useful and go and grab the pile of newspapers accumulating in the house. After ascertaining that Steve had indeed finished with today's paper, I piled that on top of the rest, staggered out to the skip and flung the lot in. There! Good job done I thought, and onwards I went, pruning like a mad woman, determined to fill every little cubic that we paid $154 for.


Later in the day it became apparent that the remote control was missing. After interrogating all household members as to its whereabouts, the awful truth slowly dawned on me - it was with the newpapers that I chucked into the skip - about a metre down. Oh bloody hell!


There was only one thing for it, I had to grovel through all the crap in the skip until I found it. It was an interesting task actually. As the skip came up to my shoulders I couldn't reach into it to fossic through stuff, so I hoisted myself up and sort of pivoted on my stomach so I was leaning in and my legs were waving in the breeze (I know, I should have got a chair).
At this point it did occur to me that passing motorists must have wondered what that crazy woman was doing - that bag lady pilfering people's rubbish. And the fact she had a camera must have raised the odd eyebrow. Anyway, back to it..... eventually after moving aside cuttings, old wood and a dead computer I spied the corner of an old newspaper..........


And what is this I spy!! Eureka I have found it!


And the world is once again a happy place. :-)
And I must say that I feel quite proud of my hunting skills - even though I was the culprit that lost it!

For Tomorrow We Diet, On Pretty Plates

Steve and I have been doing a bit of spending lately. Like a new fridge - ours was about 25 years old, slowly conking out and way too small, so it's been rather fun having a new one. We bought a big Westinghouse fridge, with a skinny freezer attached alongside. I didn't think we'd need more freezer space as we have a deep freeze, but I stand corrected - it's FABULOUS having all this extra freezer and fridge room. And things are COLD!!

But rather than bore you with a photo of a rectangular white box that is chilly, I thought you might like to see our new dinner set instead - it's way prettier. We've been using the same crockery we've had for over 25 years.... a white dinner setting that was a freebie - a piece every time we did our grocery shopping at Woolworths all those eons ago. Fancy that eh. I'm not into spending a fortune on things that can break, but I do like pretty plates, and we both liked this 4 piece setting which was just under $60 at Big W. And what I was most impressed with is that the setting has 4 mugs in it, instead of cups and saucers that we never use. Noice huh.

Whenever Steve and I decided we need to shed a few kilos the only way we can do it properly and successfully is by calorie counting and writing down everything that goes into our mouth. It's a commitment for a good few months and we find it a great way to think more about eating, rather than just shovelling stuff in and trying to kid ourselves. So, over the last 10 years (which is when the weight starting creeping on) we've done this three times, so we have quite a collection of exercise books full of what we ate, what the calories added up to, what we weighed and so on. They are very handy to review. We are sensible, we don't starve ourselves and we eat regularly, basically just cutting down portion sizes a bit and cutting out as much fat as possible. And it starts TOMORROW

There's a bit of everything in this post! I took this photo at the Albany Wind Farm. It's an amazing place and impresses me no end - Albany is a large regional town in the south of Western Australia and has a population of around 30 000, and this Wind Farm produces about 70% of Albany's power needs - isn't that great! I really like this photo, it was a very cloudy day and I like the misty effect of the white wind turbines against the clouds... looks kinda spooky

I've been playing with macro photography today, testing the limitations of my camera. This photo is of a flower called Alyssum which is tiny weeny, and that ant that looks like a monster is a normal little black ant, who kindly posed for the shot. The actual photo is much larger than this, this is a tiny little crop out of the main shot, and I'm pretty pleased that the focus has stayed reasonably ok, soft but ok.

And for those who enjoy a bit of mystery, here is a macro mystery for you. What is it? When you think you've figured it out.... or if you have been driven insane and just have to know, the answer is HERE.

Orange, Stitches and Rocks

Today was varied
A play with my new camera, which I'm only just beginning to scour the surface of - it does lots of cool stuff. For anyone interested, it's a Panasonic FZ50 digital, and I've just ordered an extra macro lens for it. For today - "Orange, In Still Life" :-)


Next it was off to Spotlight with Meshell to relieve ourselves of our Christmas money. I love skipping round craft/habbi stores with my basket buying a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Best buy was three big rolls of Xmas ribbon for next to nothing, and a piece of linen that was being discontinued and was going at about 1/4 the normal price.


In the afternoon the cross stitch girls came over, and I continued on with my Kandinsky cross stitch, which hasn't been touched for a few months whilst Christmas craft took over. This is one of Kandinsky's paintings that I converted into a cross stitch pattern using some natty software.


Then finally I popped into the Radiology clinic to collect the X-rays on my big toe, which has been giving me grief on and off for a couple of years, but the last few months it's got to be a right pain in the...well... toe!
I suspected osteoarthritis as I have that in my knee, and the report certainly agreed to that and talked about degenerative and lipping and spurs, but I can't stop staring at these bloody huge rock looking things on the bone - what the freaking hell are they!!
I have no idea if they are even the problem - I'll find that out when I head back to the doctor to learn my fate. I keep staring at my foot trying to visualise big lumpy marbles that I'm seeing on the x-ray. Creepy

Little Bit Of This, Little Bit Of That

Little bit of bakin'


Little bit of stitchin'


Little bit of relaxin'


I was a bit mystified when I was reading outside (on the new lounge chair - very comfy!) - I kept seeing these lovely little rainbows dancing across the pages. And if you're curious, the book is "The Machiavelli Covenant" by Allan Folsom, and it's good!


I finally figured out they were coming from the sun shining on the diamantes on my t-shirt. Nature is very cool don't you think.

"Read"

It's my Mum's birthday today - Happy Birthday Mum xxx
I made her this bookmark to go with a nice big fat novel to get her teeth into.
She and I went out to lunch today and gutzed ourselves on Garlic Prawns. No-one does Garlic Prawns as brilliantly as the Witch's Cauldron does!

Ornamental Roofing

You know how you occasionally see cool stuff on people's roofs - chimney pots, dragons, finials and no end of clay or stone creatures. Personally, I have always coveted a gargoyle or two, the ones that perch right at the roof apex, peering downwards in a somewhat haughty and slightly threatening manner. Call me strange but I reckon they are very cool.

Well, I was surprised on my return from the local swimming pool this morning to discover that I now have my very own gargoyle! Not quite as creepy a gargoyle as I'd hoped for but hey, I'm impressed. Let me introduce you to...

GARGOYLE de la DUCK

Why is there a duck on my roof? Is this not an odd thing? And now I come to think about it I heard quacking yesterday so I think he's been around for a while. I went out to take this photo and he/she peered down at me quite unbothered, and I was chatting to him quietly so as not to scare him, and he was quite taken with this and engaged me in a gentle chattering quacky conversation.

Then he slowly waddled down the roof tiles, doing tiny little quacky noises all the while. Finally he made his way over the guttering a flew to the ground where he proceeded to walk right up to me and looked up at me expectantly!

I was his new best friend, he showed no hint of shyness at all. I was very tempted to try and touch him but restrained myself in case I scared him away. Instead I wandered around the garden and he happily followed me round. Finally I went inside and now an hour or so later I just heard him quacking up on the roof again. I have no idea what is going through this little quacker's mind and why he/she thinks our roof is a cool place to hang out. It will be interesting to see how long it stays!

Edit: The duck nicked off for a few days but now she's back - Steve spotted her this morning. She was sitting on the roof of his shed and scared him to death. Then she had a little quacky conversation with him too! AND, she brought a duck friend with her! They've gone now but I'm wondering if they are eyeing off the little fish in our backyard pond!

Tra La La

I've been busy this week, no time for blogging - it's THAT time of year. THAT being tax time. And as I am the unofficial accountant of all four members of this household it's a big job that usually requires a good three days out of my life each year.


I am now dancing around, feeling light as a feather because they are all FINISHED! And better still, Mr Taxman owes all four of us a wee tax rebate - luvly. I did my parental duty this year and sat the kids down one at a time and showed them how to complete their online tax return, so maybe I'll only need to do mine and Steves next year!

The other cool thing that has happened around here relates to rain. We have an old in-ground spa pool in the backyard that no longer works, to the point that it would cost us thousands to get it up and running again. It was lovely while it worked well, but that was rare, it was just one of those things that was always going wrong and it drove me insane - in the end I hated it.

Anyway, it's just been sitting there empty and we were toying with ripping it out completely but instead Steve had a fabulous idea - given that our country is struggling with drought....he has converted it into a rainwater storage tank for watering the garden and filling our fish ponds - 1500 litre capacity. He's piped into our roof guttering system and run that pipe across the pergola and down into the spa, which has a solid foam cover on it. This was completed a couple of weeks ago and we've been waiting with bated breath for some rain. Today was the day! You have no idea how exciting it was to see water coming out the end of that pipe!! We are feeling so darn environmental :-)

Uplifting The Spirit

I received an email yesterday that contained some wise words from Robert Louis Stevenson, and when I read them it reminded me of my most favourite wise words, ones that gladden my heart and make me feel warm inside. A guy by the name of Les Crane released a wonderful spoken recording of this with musical backdrop back in 1971, I used to have an old 45 record of it that I played repeatedly until it fell to bits.

DESIDERATA

"Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant;
They too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
It is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
Many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the council of the years,
Gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a healthy discipline,
Be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here,
and whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore, be at peace with God,
Whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy."

Author Unknown, although first copywrited by Max Ehrmann in 1927.

And if you are interested, these are the wise words of Robert Louis Stevenson

HOW TO BE HAPPY

1. Make up your mind to be happy. Learn to find pleasure in simple things.

2. Make the best of your circumstances. No one has everything, and everyone has something of sorrow intermingled with gladness of life. The trick is to make the laughter outweigh the tears.

3. Don't take yourself too seriously. Don't think that somehow you should be protected from misfortune that befalls other people.

4. You can't please everybody. Don't let criticism worry you.

5. Don't let your neighbour set your standards. Be yourself.

6. Do the things you enjoy doing but stay out of debt.

7. Never borrow trouble. Imaginary things are harder to bear than real ones.

8. Since hate poisons the soul, do not cherish jealousy, enmity, grudges. Avoid people who make you unhappy.

9. Have many interests. If you can't travel, read about new places.

10. Don't hold post-mortems or spend your time brooding over sorrows or mistakes. Don't be one who never gets over things.

11. Do what you can for those less fortunate than yourself.

12. Keep busy at something. A busy person never has time to be unhappy.

Out Of The Mouths Of Babes

This morning I donned my MP3 player bursting forth with the sounds of the Rogue Traders and set about the task of cleaning out some of the crap that accumulated in my filing cabinet. Am I the only person that still has electricity bills and bank statements from 1985?

Anyway, I finished up by looking through my "Paul" file, the memorabilia of my dear sweet boy child who is now a big 18 year old. Into the bin went receipts from the school bookshop, junior football membership and cub scout fees, and into the 'keep' file went drawings, reports and stories about such things as green scary monsters. Oh, and these two letters. This one was folded tightly as small as it could go, to be carefully opened and read, one fold at a time...






Awww, isn't he sweet.

And then there's this one...



:-)