Mountaingirls Musings

Cheers!

2011-11-22T16:19:00.000+11:00

The whole life of man is but a point of time; let us enjoy it.

Plutarch

Image: "Woman with Canary" by Debby Haskard-Strauss

Bin Night

2011-11-22T16:11:00.002+11:00

It is bin night. Not a big deal in the scheme of things.

But I have a friend who has volunteered to put the bins out for me and they haven't done it yet. Okay it is only 5.00 pm but I am beginning to assess my options.

Of all of the household chores I need to do, putting out the bins is the one I struggle with most of all. Fortunately I am not much of a rubbish accumulator so can afford to put the bins out fortnightly, or even less frequently, rather than weekly.

Which is why my friend is going to put the bins out.

So do I remind them? And if so at what time? The rubbish truck doesn't come around until 7 am tomorrow so there is plenty of time but I am quite sure they have forgotten.

No, maybe I being too antsy, this is the first time it is bin night for my friend and the neighbors don't have their bins out yet which would be an obvious visual prompt... well not all of the neighbors - the woman from six doors down still hasn't put hers out, and the gentleman across the road, down the end of the street near the corner has still got his tucked away.

It isn't a real problem if they don't go out tonight - they were emptied last week when I had a bout of energy but, well it IS bin night. Okay Pearl, sit back, breathe deeply .... and find a glass of wine and try not to think about being a control freak.

Image: "rubbish bin" by Semut23

It's All About the Gate

2011-11-22T15:58:00.000+11:00

... isn't it?

I have had a number of visitors to the ol' mansion recently and many of them have the annoying habit of not shutting the front gate as they come through. Now I acknowledge it is there more for decoration than any practical purpose - there are no cattle being kept in; there are no burglars being kept out - but surely there is a great unspoken rule that if you open a gate (or door for that matter) then you close it again afterwards.

On a farm it is more than a rule - it is as natural as breathing. And you only ever make the mistake of not doing it once - again, a bit like breathing. Having to chase down a trio of bobby headed calves heading in three separate directions is not my idea of fun.

So, back to my gate. No, none of my guests are the farming type so I guess I shouldn't presume the knowledge but I am also wondering if there isn't something a bit more going on.

Could it be that I am getting stuck in my ways? Could it be that I am becoming or worse still, have become) once of those people that have a black and white view on the right-ness and wrong-ness of things?

I know I have been pernickety about how the toilet paper hangs for years but that isn't a sign - that is a clear case of right (end hanging over) and wrong (end hanging under) with even the manufacturers agreeing with me. And I do like my clean glasses and mugs to sit upside down on the shelf - it keeps the dusty and everything else, another clear case of right and wrong. And I do like my bathroom towels to be neatly folded vertically and evenly balanced over the rail with the folded side facing the door .... okay I think that one is just me.

So maybe I am becoming one of those people .... just remember that I am right - and shut the gate.

Image: "The gate .... is open" by realtimelord

To Help or Not to Help

2011-11-20T17:57:00.000+11:00

I overheard an interesting conversation last week - a woman had told her husband to deny a request for help from another on the basis that as he didn't help anyone else, he shouldn't expect favors from others.

Now as the conversation went on there was a hint that the gentleman did help others, but not in the manner of frequency that the woman thought appropriate.

But setting that aside for now.

I thought we helped others because we could (skills, time, money or whatever) and because it made us better people for doing so. Maybe that isn't quite altruism, but surely most folks don't help each other with the expectation of getting something back, or considering that the person who they helped "owes" them in some way.

As much as I am cynical about the human race, please tell me I am wrong on this front. Isn't sharing ourselves in this way something that builds community, and friendships, and all of those other good concepts. And even if the other person is perceived as being selfish, would it be better to role model "better" behavior than reinforce the behavior that they are being judged for?

Yes there is a line in which if you cross it you are being used and I am certainly not advocating that we should give regardless, but that wasn't the circumstances here.

Tell me what you think and lend a hand if you can folks, lend a hand.

Image: "Tools" by spang141

Smile!

2011-11-20T17:29:00.000+11:00

You can't deny laughter: when it comes, it plops down in your favorite chair and stays as long as it wants.

Stephen King

Image: "Smile" by !scoragra

Hanging At Number 5

2011-11-20T17:18:00.000+11:00

I went to Number 5 again today - i think this shall be my new haunt. For the uninitiated, Number 5 is a new cafe located at 5 Church Street in Bellingen. Very impressive .... and it does help that friends work there so there will always be someone to chew the straw with.

In any case I went for a coffee but couldn't help, as I do, spying on what other folks had ordered. The milkshake looked particularly impressive with a dusting of cinnamon atop its foamy head. I made an appropriately impressed comment and before I knew it, was presented with a shot glass sampler. The top photo is my proof. Now I figured this would just be a regular milkshake, unworthy of a photo so I drank it before I thought about it.

I was wrong - this was a drop of heaven - real banana blended with homemade ice cream to create a thick (but not too thick) measure of lip-licking heaven. And as I was still drooling over the dregs of the glass, I was offered a chocolate one as well. Camera was immediately pulled out (bottom photo).

I shall have to investigate how they managed it but this had a real depth and roundness to the chocolate - no cheap syrup was used in its creation. To choose which one was better would require the same effort as choosing which of your children you love more - not impossible but emotionally draining.

I can also highly recommend the homemade chips - fabulous. And don't forget to ask for a serve of their own Church St mayo on the side - a delightful mix of dill and mayonnaise and other secret ingredients.

Stay tuned while I try the rest of the menu :-)

Wow What A Year

2011-11-03T07:07:00.000+11:00

It is amazing what can happen to a woman when she stops being a hermit and steps out the front door and into her community!

I am now officially the Secretary of the Northbank Community Garden for a start. I will only do it for a year - they are going through the incorporation process and there is all of the paperwork to get gone - it makes my brain cells tingle with excitement with excitement every time I think of legislation and minutes and the like lol.

Then of course there was the incredible inaugural Bellingen River Festival which surely is one of the most exciting projects I have ever been a part of. The actual day was, as the name suggests, a celebration of our River and there was bands, workshops, guided walks, a program run by our indigenous people, canoe races,a lantern parade - oh the list goes on - and all for the cost of a gold coin donation ($1 or $2).

My component was the Storytellers tent (yay!). I have spent the past few weeks running around town interviewing all sorts of people and beginning to collect photos that tell a River Story. I have started a project on ABC Pool to allow them to be used for future projects by others (and they are also all stored in the National Library). And on the day we had poets, people telling stories, a photo display as well as an audio/visual presentation.

I am now looking at pitching a program for ABC's Radio National based on storytelling and using some of the work created for the Festival.

Oh and there is my beloved Foodbox which I am actually stepping back a little - helping out with packing the boxes and other little bits - not for any reason but that I am trying to balance everything out. I was doing a newsletter and recipe development as well as media/public relations but they has been passed on to others.

Oh, and I did a quick trip to WA in July - and will be going again in three or four weeks - and yes it shall be blogged this time lol.

So all in all, 2011 has been one of my best ones yet - and there are still two months to go :-)

Rofl

2011-05-25T11:31:00.000+10:00

Laughter is inner jogging.

Norman Cousins

Image: "laughter" by lauafer

Life Doesn't Go On Forever

2011-05-25T11:25:00.000+10:00

I have been thinking a lot about the nature of life recently - or more specifically death. We, as a society, are becoming so obsessed with prolonging life I am wondering if we are forgetting how to die. No this isn't an original thought but it has been occupying my time and brainwaves.

An every increasing amount of research is being poured into curing all the ills that befall us. The healthcare costs of first world nations continue to increase somewhat out of control. The breach between the haves and have-nots continues to widen. And all for what? We are born to die.

I was listening to an ethics program last nigth that was debating whether one fo the newer cancer treatments (costing $100,000 a year) should be given to a person that might only get another three months to live, as opposed to one who's life could be extended by two or three years. I wonder of that money couldn't be better used feeding or educating hundreds for that same period.

Now this conversation is hard to have because people seem to automatically want to preserve their own lives, and the lives of their loved ones. And that is not wrong. There is also a whole lot of grey in the argument. Is someone (say the most brilliant surgeon in the world) more valuable than (say) an artist, or a farmer, or an unemployed drug addict? Is my child more worthy than the child of someone I don't know who lives in a country without the resources that Australia has? Is an extra few months so someone can witness the birth of a grandchild or an equivalent big happening worth more than those same months without the event?

I am just beginning on this one.

Image: "Holding Health" by LoverDgirlA1065

Money's Too Tight To Mention

2011-05-24T13:10:00.000+10:00

The budget is getting stretched way too tight and something has to give. I will either need to find a housemate or earn some money.

In principal the first is the easiest on my part but, if at all possible, is the one I wish to avoid. My space is so very precious to me and even if I can find the perfect person to share the place with, they will still be taking up space.

So now I look at Plan B. We have a number of markets here in town so that becomes an obvious option. The big one would be most ideal but I physically can't walk that far - no it isn't far - but it just isn't an option.

So I look to the smaller markets. They do have the advantage of being on twice a month and have just implemented a "car boot sale" type component. I need to find some more info but it would mean that the car is right next to me eliminating the need for walking. I will still need to lift and carry but I might have to suck that one up (or agree to find a housemate).

My initial idea is the rag dolls and felt bits (finger puppets, mobiles and the like). The rag dolls would be in the $20-ish range but the others would be under $10 - with the finger puppets at about $2. Maybe I could look at volume if nothing else lol. And there are the tea towels I have blinged as well.

So I have sent off my email looking for info, and in the meantime shall continue to sew sew sew :-)

I could of course get some of my work published which would be even better again .... but I think that that is a bit too much to wish for :-)

Image: "Money money money" by duchesse-2- Guermante

My Kinda Thinking

2011-05-20T12:20:00.001+10:00

I would be content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think interior decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.

Anna Quindlen

Image: "books autumn." by m0thyyku

A Question of Ethics

2011-05-20T12:13:00.000+10:00

I have attended my first meeting of the local writers group and find it incredible - not only is there a great range of people, there is also the opportunitiy to have my work critiqued.

And now I have a problem. The group meets at the local club. And the club has pokies.

I am from a state that doesn't have the ubiquitous poker machines - well they are in the casino but that is it. Over here they are in every pub and club. The money from these allegedly goes back into the community - and about5% of it actually does. The rest of it goes into promotional activities for the venue (for example cheap eats) or just into the general revenue. Most venues scream that they woldn't remain viable without these gambling mosters that flash and scream at the patrons, urging them to gamble more and more.

Now I accept that not all gamblers are problem gamblers, and there is a vast range of alternative places for one to gamble if the machines weren't there but I made a decision I wouldn't become a member of any venue that had pokies.

So now what to do. I have to join the club to attend the writers group. Do I join and compromise myself, or do I keep my principles and miss out on developing my craft in this way? I have discounted the option of discussing it with the group - when you question pokies over here, people look at you as if you had just sprouted a new head. And the two people I have mentioned it to in passing point out that I am only there to use the meeting space, and I am under no pressure or obigation to gamble so it is no big deal.

What to do, what to do ....

Image: "Gambling Gummy Bears" by radioPooh

2011-05-14T19:49:00.000+10:00

Having a dream is what keeps you alive. Overcoming challenges makes life worth living.

Mary Tyler Moore

Image: "Mirrored Reality Dreaming" by oO-Rein-Oo

The Politics of Food

2011-05-14T12:35:00.000+10:00

Writer and Masterchef judge Matt Preston made a particularly insightful comment about the politics of food the other day. His focus was on how Australia still upholds European ingredients (truffles, foie gras etc) as the peak of food perfection when we have a number ourselves.

I have extended that thought and now consider the political nature of all food. Whether it be those who have much, and those who don't have enough; to eat meat or not; food miles; ethical growing methods; price; water usage, fair trade ... the list goes on. However you look at it, food is a political issue.

And even for the consumer that ignores all else and just wants to pay the least amount possible for their food, it is political.The politicians know it and the supermarkets know it. An example I saw in the catalog of one of our big supermarkets (the one with a W) was extolling the benefits (cost and taste) of their beef as the cows had spent 100 days being fed quality grain. Sounds much better than admitting they were feedlot animals lol. And then there is the fast food company that quickly mentions in their jingle that their chickens live in fields .... when the company that supplies them doesn't sell free range products. Don't tell me they weren't buying into the politics of food.

And then there is the politics of health claims of food products which i haven't even begun to discuss here.

I look at the marketing of food differently when I have my "politics" glasses, as well as the "sell sell sell" glasses on.

Comfort Food

2011-05-14T12:15:00.000+10:00

With the help of Miss Kylie, I have perfected the Potato bake. Actually I take that back, Miss Kylie's is the most perfect of perfect so mine isn't quite that good, but it does a good impression so that makes me happy. It is funny that such a simple food had foiled me so many times before (I think it came down to just not cooking it for long enough) but bingo! I am now on a winner :-)

Aaaah!

2011-05-14T12:10:00.000+10:00

Okay that is me expressing my pain. I don't like talking about it because it sounds like I am whinging and I am sure it bores the listener rigid ... or makes them want to do something and there is nothing I can do - and I do appreciate that not only do some people have more pain than I do, they also have serious conditions to go along with it. But it is day 34 of my latest run of bad pain and I need to talk to someone so I figure this blog is as good as anything.

Now I say up front that I am not having spasms today (and haven't for the last week), and they are the factor that I struggle most with so that is one blessing. But this pain is more intense - and not only sharp, but sometimes feels like tearing. I did some research to distract myself yesterday, well looked up wiki and discovered that this latest round of pain focuses on the inguinal ligament (see I am learning human anatomy). I am still working out the name of the rest of the muscles that I can feel but it is safe to say all of the ones in the pelvic area are alive and well at the moment lol.

And it is at this time that I get increasingly frustrated by the things that I can't do. I have wanted my little patch of garden done for months now - I did start it a few weeks ago so it is half weeded, with newspaper down ready for the mulch to be added. Seriously, if I wouldn't think it would take more than an hour of no-so-hard work to finish. I have tried to pay someone for nearly a year now but can't find anyone (yes I am serious). So every time I leave the house, all I can see is the job half done. Part of me is getting frustrated enough to just finish the rest off - I mean how much more damage can I actually do to myself?

Okay so now I am getting into whinging, not having my little patch of garden looking pretty does not rank in the top 10 problems of the world .... or even the top 10 of Australia. It is just so damn (insert expletive here) frustrating.

I have been looking at marijuana for pain relief but have decided no, aside from the fact that it is illegal. For a start, it stimulates the appetite and I do not need to be putting on any more weight so that is a real consideration. The second is dosage, there would be a variation in the amount I would need to smoke each time. It may sound silly but having too much getting stoned and accidentally falling over is something I need to avoid at all costs. So that is out. So there is not pain relief options open to me at the moment.

So I come back to square one, suck it up and get on with it.

Image: "Ouch" by Kyndlefire

And So It Is

2011-05-12T17:45:00.000+10:00

We are only rich through what we give, and poor only through what we refuse.

Anne-Sophie Swetchine

Image: "Happiness part2" by Eredel

What Does History Smell Like

2011-05-12T17:01:00.000+10:00

This was a random comment that was in one of my pods and it has stuck in my mind. So what does history smell like? We see so many visual representations (real or imagined) of various moments, and in some cases we can even touch items but I must admit I have never considered what things smelled like.

My first thought went to the street of Dickensian London. With the prevalence of raw sewage (for a start) I can't imagine it smelt very pleasant. And what of the original forests of England, or Germany, or the Americas, or anywhere else? Or any pre-mankind, untouched landscape for that matter.What would the Temple of Dionysus have been like - I assume there was incense (for example) but what kind I wonder?

And then my mind goes to the fabric that made up the robes that Roman leaders were meant to have worn - were they a soft, luxurious cotton fabric, or was it more coarse? I know it perhaps a little silly but I am getting a whole new perspective on life in previous times - and a greater sensory appreciation of my own

Image: Unsure of the painting's name but I sourced it from here

Lumberjacks Perfected

2011-05-12T09:06:00.000+10:00

I don't like dates. Actually I need to clarify, I will projectile vomit if my tongue feels a date on its tastebuds. It is not something I can control. You can then imagine my "delight" when I was asked to make a lumberjack cake! Nonetheless, I girded my proverbial loins and got going. Actually time was short so I skipped the "cake" and decided "muffins" would be much more practical. Accidentally I tasted one of the extra ones - I was just trying to taste the topping but a little muffin got included. WOW! I couldn't taste the dates - even though there is a ton in there. In fact most of them appeared to have "melted" into the muffin. These are gorgeous!

After some tweaking the original recipe I have some up with what I determine to be the "perfect" Lumberjack Muffin. I couldn't decide which photo to use - the one with or without the flash - as neither is ideal, so I have included both.

1 1/2 C apple, peeled and chopped
1 C dates, chopped
1 t bicarbonate of soda
1 C boiling water
2 eggs
1 C sugar
1/2 C vegetable oil
1 t vanilla extract
1 1/2 - 2 C SR flour

Topping:
1 1/2 T butter
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C milk
2/3 C shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 180C. Prepare muffin pans - this recipe makes about 12 regular muffins AND 10 - 12 mini muffins.

Place the dates in a bowl with the bicarb and boiling water (yes there should be fizzing), making sure the dates are covered. Add the apples on top - these don't have to be fully covered by the water. Allow to stand for 10 minutes.

In a separate bowl beat eggs, sugar and oil for 3 minutes. Add the apple and date mixture (including the water) and fold. Then fold in 1 1/2 C flour until well combined. If the mixture is too loose (it should be a wet batter but not watery) add the extra flour.

2/3 fill each muffin hole. Bake for about 12 minutes until almost cooked.

While this is happening, prepare the topping. Add ingredient to a small pan and mix until butter is melted.

While still in the tray, top each muffin with a small amount of coconut mixture. Return to the oven and cook for about 8 minutes.

PS: A Lumberjack Cake recipe is pretty generic but in order to be ethical I got the original ones here and here.

Life, But Not As We Know It

2011-05-08T22:09:00.000+10:00

Normally when I stop blogging it is because I am fighting the black dog but this time I have a far better excuse - I have become a bit of a social butterfly! Yes my dance card has been full and life has been a bit of a whirl.

So, a brief summary - I have won a couple of games of Scrabble but lost a whole lot more - still laugh a lot though. I have started going to the local writers group - got some great feedback for my first piece. I have been playing Auntie with baby Aeson (who is now nearly six months old). I have been visiting with baby Finn and parents - yes he has been born and moved into his nursery is just awesome. I have been working on two paintings - finished one, not quite finished the other. I have been making rag dolls (photo and separate post to come). I have perfected a couple of recipes (separate posts to follow). The new Pool is looking fabulous and working equally as well. I have been meeting new people (who will hopefully progress to being friends). Oh, and I have done a little road trip too lol.

So, I am off to read before going to bed but will have posts and photos for tomorrow :-)

Image: "Im the social Butterfly" by making-new-art

Fruit and Vege Boxes

2011-03-24T21:44:00.000+11:00

I have joined a local initiative and received my first box today. It is part of the "eat local" efforts. So for $30 I have enough fruit and vegetables to last me nearly two weeks - so very exciting. I can get it weekly but as there is only one of me, I think I can extend it.

All the food is seasonal and within the food miles (yay). This time we got potatoes, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, parsley, cucumber, bananas, apples and tamarillos. Actually I am sure there is one or two more things - that's right - pumpkin :-)

So tomorrow I shall make my famous (with me anyway) orange vegetable and chickpea curry (vegetarian). And then I shall have enough for Saturday (election day). Actually I might even cook up a few dishes - I am thinking about a pasta with a creamy mushroom and parsley sauce - to put in the freezer. And I could even make a parsley pesto, or twice baked potatoes stuffed with herbs ... hmmm, so many possibilities :-)

I just remembered, there is some very fresh ginger in there as well - I will put some in the curry but then I am thinking about maybe making a ginger syrup to serve with a fruit salad made up of the bananas and tamarillos. And a ginger, apple and cucumber salsa which would go beautifully with (say) a pork chop.

I think I am going to love this :-)

Jewish Apple Cake

2011-03-24T21:35:00.000+11:00

3 C SR flour

2 C sugar

1 C vegetable oil

4 eggs, beaten

3 T orange juice

2 T vanilla

3 medium peeled and thinly sliced apples

5 T sugar mixed with 5 t cinnamon and ½ C chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 180 C. Line and grease a springform pan.

Combine flour and sugar. Pour in oil, eggs, orange juice, and vanilla. Beat with a wooden spoon until well blended, to yield a very thick batter.

Combine the apples and sugar-cinnamon mixture just before preparing layers. (if allowed to stand, the mixture becomes too wet).

Spoon a third of the batter into a well-greased tube pan. Add half the apples, but do not allow them to touch the sides.

Layer another third of the batter on top of the apples, add another layer of apples, and finish with remaining batter.

Bake for 45 minutes, then check to make sure cake isn’t getting too brown. If it is, cover with tin foil. Bake for another 30 minutes. Wait about an hour before removing cake.

Serve hot or cold. Delicious!

Based on a recipe I found here.

Decisions, Decisions

2011-03-24T21:28:00.000+11:00

The State Election is coming up on Saturday and I am genuinely struggling with who to vote for. The Greens are an easy first preference but that isn't going to get me anywhere so I have to decide on who is going to get my number two vote.

Option 1: The state Labor party has been in since Adam was a child and is making a real mess of things. Not to mention they are self-imploding. And, I have vowed an declared to never vote for Labor again due to their refugee policy.

Option 2: The incumbent member is from the National Party. Now he is an excellent local member - advocating for a full range of local groups (such as the local hospital) as well as having provided me personally with excellent service on the occasions that I have had to contact the office. Having said that, the party is anti-gay marriage, anti-republic, anti-so many many things that I find important. Bit of a dilemma here.

Option 3: Lunatic fringe (Christian Democrats) - not a chance.

Option 4: Independent. Hmm, well I got a flyer from an independent in the local newspaper this week (see photo). No policy details, no contact details. Being an intrepid sort I hunted him down anyway. I asked what he stood for. He replied that he would represent what we (the electorate) wanted. Sounds good but such a cop out. I explained that he wouldn't be holding a referendum before each vote so where did he stand on the popular issues. Got a heap of spin as a reply - oh he tried to sound genuine but I have been around long enough to understand it is just empty spin (with a lunatic fringe crossed with a populist tinge). And he is very focussed on the southern part of the electorate and don't believe he has any intention of doing anything real for my section. And he is incredibly naive in the small suggestions he did put forward - a policy needs to be integrated to be realistic, not just a knee-jerk reaction. Why can't an independent be a candidate who actually has real opinions - who actually stands for something real, who has a belief, a plan. I might not agree with them but it would be oh, so refreshing.

So now I am still none the wiser on where my second preference will go. Two more sleeps to figure it out ....

The Party Wrap-Up

2011-03-20T22:36:00.000+11:00

Yes last night was the night of the party and present - and it was a blast.

There is a lot to be said when there is about 40 (ish) people, most in costume (Circus theme), there is face painting for all; a Lady Gaga birthday cake, spit roast for dinner and glow sticks to wear on various body parts!

I went as a fortune teller and was fortunate enough to have my makeup done by a real makeup professional (including sparkly false eyelashes - bought when I was Miss Weasley on the Sunshine Coast a few years ago). I must admit I felt very girly and pretty :-)

I confess that I left early but I did arrive early too so I am hoping that balances out in the scheme of things. I wasn't drinking but I was so hoping I would go through a RBT on the way home - I would love to admit that whilst I was dressed up all silly, had glow sticks on my earrings - and another around my neck, I had my arms painted with "tattoos", I had stars on my face .... I was stone cold sober lol. It didn't happen but it amused me on the drive anyway.

Getting Ready for Baby

2011-03-17T17:05:00.000+11:00

It is only a couple of weeks to go now and my sewing projects are almost finished (will they ever really be done ... probably not lol). Anyway, thought I would share some photos of my efforts.

The diaper bag - fully lined, lots of pockets - and a pillow to lay bump on while he/she is being changed. And yes the actual pillow is waterproof so the cover can be taken off for washing. Hand-sewn appliques, machine sewing for the actual bag..

Rag book - learn numbers and colors and shapes. Most of it is hand sewn appliques, machine finishing. One zebra (black). Two flowers (blue). Three frogs (pink). Four bananas (yellow). Five mushrooms (pink). Six snowmen (white). Seven teddy bears (red). Eight balloons (orange). Nine hearts (brown). Ten stars (purple).

The other bits - curtains for the nursery, "cow jumped over the moon" painting, star mobile for the window, stars and moons mobile for above the cot, nappy stacker, box of bears (for random decoration).

Still to talk to Ayla about sewing some diapers but I have a couple of other projects to make in the meantime :-)

Let the Sun Shine In

2011-03-16T21:33:00.000+11:00

To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.

David Viscott

Image: "sunny day" by Megson

Buffy In Australia

2011-03-16T21:24:00.000+11:00

Yes it is true, Buffy Saint-Marie is touring Australia next moth - well a couple of dates anyway. I first "met" her when she was on Sesame Street in the mid-70's (yay I do have some early childhood memories). Apart from being an incredible singer - and playing a mouth harp (the first - and probably only - one I had ever seen) she was my first real live Indian I had ever seen. Prior to that it had been white folks, or people from the Mediterranean who were dressed up like Indians.

I can't remember what she said or did but I realized that the Native American's were a living breathing people and not just a caricature. A couple of years later when I was visiting Howard and Bev (family friend's who lived near Albany), Bev had a pile of necklace's that we were allowed to choose one from. I chose the one that most looked like Buffy's. I still have it today.

At some point in my teenage years I realized that she was a singer - and what a singer. I have really only seen her on YouTube in the intervening years.

I won't be able to make it it her concerts, but I am so very, very pleased she is coming to Oz :-)

PS: Other things I learned from Sesame Street - how to count in Spanish up to 10 (and a few other words too); how to cook a tortilla from scratch; how to say Happy Birthday in American sign language (and I could spell my name and do a couple of other words too); classical music is not all dull and boring; and, it takes folks of all shapes and sizes and colors to make a neighborhood - and it doesn't matter whether you are people or bird or monster, you have something to offer (even Oscar).

The show is so very watered down these days from what it was in the 70's - 80's - I watched it at the right time :-)

Yippee and a Dance Dance Dance

2011-03-16T00:10:00.001+11:00

Yesterday I was given the details of one of the local Scrabble groups that was looking for a new member. I rang today. A Scrabble group is a bit like a book club - you need to have a combination of people that fit to the overall purpose, group dynamics need to be right. And with some Scrabble groups they play competition rules, others are a bit more flexible. And that is on top of expected standards of play.

This group sounds perfect - they have a mixture of abilities, no one plays for sheep stations, and is social as well as game play. Yay!

The meet on Thursday mornings (yes every Thursday morning) so there is only 2 more sleeps until I get to introduce myself and play Scrabble :-)

Big yippee and a dance dance dance :-)

Image: "Scrabble" by JASONgotSEOUL

Present Time

2011-03-16T00:00:00.001+11:00

It is my much-loved Robbie's 18th on Saturday and I have been trying to figure out what to get him that doesn't involve the semi-traditional bottle of alcohol. I have settled on "pearls of wisdom" (pun intended).

I have bought a mp3 player and I am progressively filling it with music, and recipes, and podcasts and bits of philosophy and anything else I can think of. I am trying to record a little introduction to each of the pre-recorded pieces to explain why I selected them.

I know it is a bit daggy but I am hoping that I am of an age where lovable daggy is acceptable (especially as I was originally planning on doing the love a painting but he "pinched" one I gave his mother a year or so ago lol). And we do actually have a few common interests so not all of it will be from left-field.

In any case, he can put it in a back drawer and just pick it up periodically as he goes through life :-)

And, as it is a costume party, I will be dressing up (not usual for me) AND it will include a dress (which I still reserve the right to wear pants or leggings underneath but I haven't decided once and for all yet). Damn he must be special - it has been maybe 7 or 8 years since I last wore a dress :-) (and yes it does still fit). Photos to come.

I must admit I am getting a bit excited :-)

PS: There will be NO Meat Loaf - I have inflicted enough of Mr Meat on the lad already :-)

Image: "Pearls of Wisdom" by Anya-Lyssa

Imagine and Create

2011-03-14T22:07:00.000+11:00

My future starts when I wake up every morning .... Every day I find something creative to do with my life.

Miles Davis

Image: "Light painting 1" by 3mmI

Friendship Is ...

2011-03-14T21:53:00.000+11:00

I have just spent a wonderful evening with Wendy and Simon.

Simon cooked a whole snapper on the weber (stuffed with garlic, lemon, a splash of balsamic vinegar and seasonings). Wendy made an awesome salad. And there was baked potatoes (cooked in the weber) and garlic bread.

Add good conversation and lots of laughter and it was simply perfect :-)

And yes I did take the camera - I was just too busy to take photos lol

Image: "Friends" by Juliejxk

"God" Has Spoken

2011-03-13T22:20:00.000+11:00

I am reliably informed that the floods in Queensland were retribution for the deserving (or karma, depending on your perspective). Apparently the same applies in the Japanese earthquake and tsunami and nuclear meltdown.

Is it any wonder that I am an atheist?

Ray Martin Said It So It Must Be True

2011-03-13T19:37:00.000+11:00

Or "Pearl has a rant"

I am tired of spending a lifetime around the mis-informed that pick up the mis-information and run with it. I know I have had a similar rant before but it just keeps coming at me.

Why do people limit their information sources? Even if you ignore the internet, there is the choice between commercial and non-commercial radio and television in Australia. Some newspapers are more reputable than others. Heads up - mass circulating emails/tweets/facebook messages and women's magazines are no source of anything credible.

Now the world doesn't have to agree with me on everything - and to a great extent I am not even contesting my "rightness" on most issues, but I am asking folks to educate themselves and not just take the lowest common denominator of information and take it as gospel.

Current affairs example - our illustrious Opposition Leader again crying "just stop the boats". You mean the boats full of people who are claiming refugee status - which is their full legal and human right to do so. You mean those people from Afghanistan (yes that country that we are at war with and is getting the life bombed out of it, with corruption running the few bits still standing), can't understand why they want to leave.

Or to take it back to land rights when I explained to the ignoramous (that I am related to) that it didn't mean our Aboriginal people could only claim land that they had a continuous, unbroken link to ie not or back yards. Says this brainiac - well why didn't they just say that in the papers? Well they did in the media I follow ...

Or to a classic quote one of the donators of my genetic heritage - "the Aboriginals are such a primitive people - they didn't even invent the wheel". Well, you try and live in this hostile, mostly desert country for 70,000+ years without a wheel and then come back and tell me about who is "primitive" mate!

I know some of this is history, and that's okay. I can't publish the latest comments to respect the privacy of identities of those who said them but damn it pisses me off. There is no excuse for ignorance (climate change is a fallacy, the American health-system-for-all is a conspiracy of evil, Muslims are "bad") in this day and age with reputable sources of information available at the click of a button.

... breathing deeply, and stepping off the soapbox (for now) ....

* I acknowledge that mentioning Ray Martin dates this but you could insert John Laws or anyone from Fox News. And I do acknowledge that Ray martin used to be a real journalist but his years on the most commercial of commercial tv news is his lasting legacy as far as I am concerned.

The Things You Learn

2011-03-11T20:15:00.000+11:00

Ayla and Nick have chosen to use cloth diapers - saving the disposables for when they are away from home. Some time ago Ayla mentioned that she was getting them made locally for (about) $10 each. I thought it was a bit rich but thought no more of it.

Having included a nappy (diaper) stacker in the care package for baby (photos coming) it occurred to me that I could maybe include a dozen diapers in there as well. A few clicks and I have been educated to the ways of the 21 st century.

Diapers are no longer flat white squares that you fold and clip or pin. They are individually sewn and shaped like disposables - for real! There is an ongoing conversation about whether to use man-made fabrics for the padding (it has a natural wicking to help keep baby drier) or to use the natural fabrics for a more environmental approach.

I worry about how long they will take to dry - a flat one takes no time, even in wet weather. These ones can have (maybe) 5 - 10 layers of fabric in the centre area so I figure will take much longer. In any case I will find out in due course.

So now I am just waiting to get hold of the parents to see if I can make a dozen or so or whether they already have the situation covered. Terry cloth (for the inside body) is only $6-ish a metre, you can use whatever you want on the outside (I have a big fabric box for just such occasions) and then there is only the padding. Then I just need some studs to hold it together and some elastic for the leg-holes.

So modern this 21st century lol

It's A Matter of Perspective

2011-03-11T19:05:00.000+11:00

If you haven't found something strange during the day, it hasn't been much of a day.

John A Wheeler

Image: "Funny Worm" by Pekaraul

A Beautiful Idea

2011-03-11T18:59:00.000+11:00

The mother of my grandchild had her baby shower last Sunday. I was a bit pukey so stayed home (after much thought and a realization that I was being selfish in wanting to take my germs to her place, just because I didn't want to miss out) but hope to catch up with her on Monday so she can be showered again.

Instead of gifts, Ayla requested that we all bring a bead. It didn't matter what sort of bead it was - just something that represented something special about Ayla or the baby, or our relationship or whatever. It is Ayla's plan to string them all together and then wear the necklace while she gives birth - so that we all are with her. Then the necklace will be hung up in the baby's room so that he/she will always have a reminder of the special people in his/her life around her. Surely this is one of the best ideas I have ever heard of!

I have made three so far - still can't decide which one is "the one" - I will post it when I have made a decision.

Ribs Galore!

2011-03-11T18:48:00.000+11:00

I had ribs for dinner on Wednesday - with twice baked potatoes and homemade coleslaw. I was sure I had died and gone to heaven. I know I enjoy a lot of food and can't usually pick a favorite, but for my last meal I want ribs, ribs and ribs.

I am not really fussed whether they are beef or pork. I am not really fussed on what sauce or rub is used, I don't care if they are done in the oven, the slow-cooker or smoked on the webber. I am in love with ribs.

Now I would like to launch a challenge for myself to come up with the best rib recipe but I don't need to - I don't think you can make bad ribs. And I don't have a webber :-)

Sigh ....

I Wonder Why?

2011-03-11T18:42:00.000+11:00

Why do we, as the public at large, take such an interest in the downfall of people affected by addiction or mental illness (or both)? Is it merely a perverse extension of the gawkers that slow down to see a car accident? Is it a form of shaudenfreude? Would we react in the same way if it was one of our loved ones?

The local football codes seem to provide an ongoing list of people having one form of a breakdown or another. Hollywood provides their fair share too. In any case, isn't it a time to give the person space, time and privacy? Surely we must understand that they may not be in a position to make the best choices for themselves so just because they want to speak out, it doesn't mean we must provide a forum until they have finished a treatment plan. This applies more so if they refuse treatment but continue on their destructive path.

It is one thing to laugh at the proverbial clown slipping on a banana peel. It is quite another to revel in the downward spiral of someone who is ill.

My two cents for the day.

Image: "Palette World Breakdown" by farizasuka

Good Advice

2011-03-08T21:41:00.001+11:00

There are times not to flirt. When you are sick. When you're with children. When you're on the witness stand.

Joyce Jillson

Image: "Elemental Goddess: Earth" by MissShyly

Ethical Dilemma

2011-03-08T21:25:00.001+11:00

There are so many ethical choices to make each day.

To buy cheap milk from Coles - easy decision - NO. It isn't ethical for the survival of the dairy industry. The same applies to their free range eggs.

To support GM food - easy decision - NO. Graham did add a factor for my consideration - that being that many of the GM advances are really just a fast-forward of the natural breeding that farmers and producers have been doing for years. That is true but I object to the ethics of the food I eat being owned by Monsanto and co. I also object to the farmers not being able to store seed - especially those in developing nations. I really object to cross-species breeding in both plants and animals.

To support a price on carbon - easy decision - YES. It is only fair that the real price of products and services is part up for consideration in my decision making process.

To attend a wedding in Fiji - easy decision - NO. But what if it was my brother, or daughter or someone else of similar importance .... hard decision - UNSURE. I don't want to do anything to support the junta (including buying Fiji water - easy decision - NO) but if the couple had made their decision and weren't going to change it, I am not sure what I would do. I am not even sure there is even a "right" or "wrong" decision to make in this case - there are winning and losing arguments on both sides. Hmmm .... have to continue to ponder this one (and it is only a hypothetical for me).

Image: "the choice" by FaeriGirl

Delicious Dinner

2011-03-08T21:10:00.000+11:00

Had a treat tonight - fresh (yellow) pears and Jindi brie. The cheese was a gift from the fabulous Val form next door. And I did consider caramelizing the pears, and adding some rockets and walnuts to make a salad. Or crackers and other bits to have a bit of a tasting plate. But sometimes I am just a wild woman so naked (the food not me lol) cheese and pear it was.

Yummo!

Travel Thoughts

2011-03-05T15:40:00.000+11:00

It is getting close to the time where I want to book my travel back to WA for Graham and Nancy's wedding (which isn't until July but I like to be booked in early).

It will cost me $300 - $400 to fly. I don't really want to after the problems with Virgin last time. They didn't have my pre-booked wheelchair for me when we got back to Sydney and the airport was closing in about an hour. I had to walk (and I use that term very, very loosely) though to get my bag while accompanied by two apologetic (but so very patronizing) flight attendants. It was humiliating and crippling - and I am not sure which was worse.

I had a brilliant idea this morning - perhaps the train could be a viable option. Okay so it takes three days (as opposed to 7 hours) but I had a ball when I took the Indian Pacific when I moved over here. And I get to take photos! Small problem - it is $600 return. I am not saying it is poor value for money - it is just being on disability means that "money" is my issue.

How much belt tightening can I handle in the next month to get the extra money? Hmmm , need to look at budgets closely.

So Simple

2011-03-01T17:12:00.001+11:00

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

Dalai Lama

Image: "Kindness" by CarekillsKitty

Forgotten Fairy Tales

2011-03-01T17:02:00.000+11:00

There are so many fairy tales out there that I am afraid some are being forgotten - even by people of my own age, let alone those younger than myself. Okay it is one of the things that I occasionally dwell upon. I was chatting along with someone last week (I think it was on the carbon tax) and said something like "anyone would think it was a magic porridge pot" but was met with a blank look.

I blame Disney - they have taken fairy tales and made them into movies and now people kinda think that that is all the tales there is.

I know I am a book nut - I like to think it is one of my adorable quirks but I am just concerned that part of our culture is slipping away. Or maybe it is just changing.

I read with dread that they are making another version of The Great Gatsby. One 16 year old I know wasn't even aware it was a book - he just thought it was going to be a movie remake.

I know the world has gone all techno and I am not keeping up with all of that. And I hope that isn't what this is all about. And I don't expect everyone to have read Shakespeare or Tolstoy. I just think there is room for the older and the newer, and to ignore the rich and diverse world of stories, to use your imagination to conjure up characters rather than have them all presented on screen, is something that the world needs.

We get busy as we get older and there isn't necessarily time for reading the classics, but surely it is something we can do for our children while they are small, read them a story and bring them some magic before bedtime.

So long live Snow White and Rose Red, The Magic Porridge Pot, The Enormous Turnip, The Gingerbread Boy, Three Bill-Goats Gruff, The Elves and the Shoemaker and the rest of the stories that haven't been Disney-fied. May you live long and prosper (pun intended).

A Real Man

2011-03-01T16:23:00.000+11:00

Content warning if you listen to the song

In reference to my previous post I need to add comment to the latest song by Brian McFadden. Now I hope that the crap sound and over-use of (badly) played banjo will mean it dies a quiet death but with all of the controversy (and yes I am acknowledging my contribution to it) it is creating, I am sure it will be Number 1 before we can blink.

Now whether it is promoting date-rape, or just normalizing it is neither here nor there. And I do understand that Brian has said that it is a love song to his partner (weird but true).

What needs to happen if for all of those to object to not only boycott the stations that play it, but the advertisers of those stations as well. The stations need to be informed. The same goes for any businesses (clubs, stores, whatever) that play it. Money is the only language that businesses understand. It won't eliminate the song, but it will minimize its spread.

Fathers, sit down with your sons and explain why that behavior is not okay, not in a rant, but as a serious conversation. Let them know that real men stand up to other men who think abusive or disrespectful behavior is okay.

Mothers, sit down with your daughters and explain why they don't have to settle for guys who play the song, or who don't understand the basic concept of respect for other human beings. Young women and girls should know that real men do not write songs like that and call them love songs.

Fathers, let you and your friends be role models for both your sons and daughters in relation to how real men treat women.

Onya Sport

2011-02-26T18:32:00.000+11:00

For a long time professional sport has been more "business" than "sport" but that certainly hasn't stopped the crowd attending games. And at the same time as the marketing power of individuals and teams has increased, our expectation of them as role models has also risen.

I would like to think that people would be selected to be role models based on the content of their character (yes MLK) rather than their ability to run, kick, jump or whatever but it is a crazy world.

So while we cry foul when someone has an affair, drinks to much and does something dumb or just proved him/herself to be a dick is that particularly fair? Yes they are paid a fortune by both their team and sponsors and they might even be a 'star' but isn't it something of a default that our kids look up to them.

Surely we as parents or significant persons in a young person's life have a responsibility to educate them from an early age about the content of character and the wisdom in selecting our role models carefully. And while someone may be an excellent role model as a rugby player (or insert your sport of interest) , it doesn't mean he is an ideal man, father, businessman or whatever.

Added to that is the hypocritical nature of us as fans. We are disappointed when our favorites get into trouble with alcohol but we put up with all of the advertising at the games, not to mention having a brew or two while we watch. We are outraged when there is reports of match fixing or other incidents of gambling, but we sit through television coverage that provides the odds for various things literally every 15 minutes as both advertising and comments byt he commentators. We call "shame" when a player has an affair, but offer intense public scrutiny of what WAGS wear and how they act.

I am not excusing bad behaviour. I am just pointing out that there is a bigger picture in play and we as adults, parents and fans have a responsibility in all of this as well.

Image: "sport" by dragonslairfoto

All Roads ....

2011-02-25T14:38:00.000+11:00

If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there.

Lewis Carroll

Image: "Direction" by synapxe

Dreaming of Dallas

2011-02-25T14:26:00.000+11:00

I always miss Miss Weasley and her family like crazy but I am now missing my Dallas experience too. Admittedly it may just be a variation on a theme but you get that.

Last week I was hankering for food from Abuelo's big time. We have lots of "yellow box" Mexican here (Tex-Mex really) and it is really hard to get ingredients to cook real Mexican - especially in my regional area. In the end I had to compromise and fix up some black beans and make enchiladas and do it that way.

Then I got a taste for pulled pork. Now that would have to be what I would request for my last supper and fortunately it is something I can do myself. Last night dinner was a pulled pork sandwich with a side of homemade coleslaw - divine!!!!

Now, it is Red Hot & Blue that I am hankering for. I have ordered ribs from the butcher so I am thinking hickory smoked ribs with twice baked potatoes and slaw would be fabulous for a meal next week sometime. Now if I could just replicate their iced tea - I am sure they use fake sugar or something which you just won't find at my place lol.And I haven't forgotten the peach cobbler either but it isn't peach season so that might have to wait.

And there is just food from Chilli's to go :-)

I so have to figure out a way to get back there ....

Problem Fixed???

2011-02-25T14:07:00.000+11:00

I have taken the responsible, mature step and written my neighbors a letter. I used lots of "I" statements and emphasized that it one one singular behavior that I had a problem with - not the child, or them as parents. I tried to be as nice and diplomatic as possible. I thought about it for 24 hours. I got someone else to read it.

I left it at their front door last night.

And now I am playing chicken and not going to my front door to see if there is a response.

The child did do one scream this morning and was gently corrected. Since then .... nothing. He appears to have gone out. Co-incidence? Not sure - I am playing chicken - I so don't want to offend them.

Hmmm ....

2011-02-23T21:44:00.000+11:00

The only reason some people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory.

Paul Fix

Image: "Into the Maze" by BronwinRain

Patience is Not (My) Virtue

2011-02-23T21:36:00.000+11:00

Yes I have another opportunity to learn the joy of patience .... and it isn't really happening surprise, surprise lol.

After years of wanting, yearning and dreaming I have taken the plunge and have started to dreadlock my hair. I do confess that before I started it all I did check I could take them and that I should avoid washing them for as long as possible (about 5 or 6 days) out but that was about as far as my investigation went - apart from knowing that I wanted them to be fatter versions of Whoopi's version.

So on New Year's Eve day the awesome Aleena volunteered to section and backcomb for a few hours. New Year's Day I jumped out of bed all excited that I would never have to brush my "almost long enough to sit on" hair. I think that was my last moment of actual excitement.

Things I have learned since that day:

Number 1 - they take about 3 - 6 months to fully come together - depending on how much work you put into them.
Number 2 - instead of the daily routine of washing my hair, followed by a brush and a tousle (no other work involved) to get dreads happening I have had to spend a good hour or two each day rolling or crocheting the little lovelies.
Number 3 - although you can avoid all of the commercial products that oh so many companies want to flog you, there does need to be some hair product if you want to leave the house without a hat - at the moment I have conceded to use mousse and gel.
Number 4 - Wendy is great at enthusiastically encouraging me to stick with them - and spending a few hours neatening, tightening and generally fiddling.

So my hair looks closer to the non-Whoopi photo which is so NOT what I want. I did threaten to shave everything off tomorrow if there wasn't some improvement, hence the use of hair product - and the improvement over the last week (slow but sure improvement).

Now my brother's wedding isn't until the first week of July so I have plenty of time in that regards, and I live in a village that is full of hippies (and yuppies and farmers and arties with the occasional surfie thrown in for good measure) so no one is going to care if my hair is messy but I WANT IT TO HAPPEN NOW!

Sigh ....

The Problem with Neighbors

2011-02-23T16:16:00.001+11:00

When i moved into this neighborhood I was informed that it was a condition of moving in that there would be no noise - it was a quite group of retired folk, shift workers and the like so there was to be no children, no pets, no loud music, no anything antisocial in the way of noise. It suited me perfectly - and still does.

Towards the end of 2010, my delightful neighbor Victoria moved out. For the next two weeks there was the incessant noise of building teams replacing the roof, the decking and other general repairs. It drove me mad but I put up with it (except for the loud and violent swearing in which case I had to speak up).

Shortly after a new family moved in. Now this house is owned by a different person to the person who owns mine so apparently different rule applied.

They moved in with their chooks and ducks which make their noise consistently during daylight hours. They moved in their dog which likes to bark whenever they leave the house or at random hours of the day and night (especially the night). I can put up with all of these with varying degrees of patience.

What is increasingly driving me up the wall with insanity is their 20 month old child. Again I can put up with random crying, and continual calls of "dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad". What I cannot handle anymore is the high pitched squealing (not screaming, squealing like the noise that pigs make) which I have timed at occurring approximately 20 minutes out of every daylight hour. This squealing is done to get attention, if the child doesn't get his way, if he is happy .... well for any number of reasons really. And I would be lucky to hear either of his parents call him on it once a week! It is like fingernails down the chalkboard and I can't take it anymore.

Now overall I would regard the parents as being good parents, they spend a lot of one-on-one time with him, they actively and creatively play with him. He always appears clean and well fed. So in no way am I thinking that he is being mistreated - he just has a particularly unsocial skill.

I have spent months thinking about what to do. Being pretty much housebound I can't really go out every day. Nor can I move - and yes I have investigated. But apart from the actual costs of moving, this is one of the rare one storey places in town - and stairs aren't an option - especially in my price bracket. I have thought and thought and asked the advice of everyone I know but there doesn't appear to be any practical suggestions.

I admit I had a bad night and today isn't a whole lot better but he just started up again. I responded with a "stop squealing" which was only said at a volume slightly above a speaking voice (our windows align which makes the problem worse on my side). Miraculously there is silence!!!

I am split between guilt for possibly offending the father who is home at the moment, and for "disciplining" someone else's child and reveling in the space and quiet. I don't want to be a lousy neighbor - but I don't want to live next door to one either. Time will tell .... but I am always open to other alternatives.

Image: "neighbors" by estefannia

It's Official

2011-02-20T19:01:00.000+11:00

It is Sunday 20 February 2011 and one of our major supermarkets is advertising that hot cross buns and easter eggs are now available for sale.

Yes, Easter really is on the weekend 22 - 25 April ....

Hmmm ....

I'm Going to Be a Nanna!

2011-02-20T17:35:00.000+11:00

Yes in about 5 weeks I will be Nanna Pearl. Not biologically of course, but socially - which I personally think is just as fabulous :-)

Now I only had one living grandmother and she wasn't the best of role models but I think I have got this sorted - don't give baby raising advice unless asked, don't feed the child sugar or red food coloring before sending them home, have fairly consistent rules as those at home (with just a little more spoiling). Well that is my plan at this stage lol.

I do have one particularly positive memory of my grandmother and that was the treat of, when I was little, of being able to play with the lambs that were stored in the entryway cupboard. It was on top of my wish list when she recently moved into a retirement home and, well you can tell by the photo they have made their way to my place.

They aren't fancy as such - just made by Grandma from white corduroy with black fabric scraps for the feet and pink for ears - but they were all the world to me. Now I do remember them being MUCH bigger (about double the size actually) but then I was MUCH smaller so I guess that balances out. And while the embroidered eyes are just fine, they did have silver buttons at one point - but I will have to find exact matches before any changes happen there.

In any case, I was thinking how magic it would be if my first grandchild when he or she is a little bigger also loved playing with the lambs - and I was able to pass them down so that their children might also play with them. Now I do acknowledge that the world has changed and everyone is different, and the child may not be interested in the lambs (I do have other attractions of the fluffy, book or crafty varieties). I just like the thought.

Time's Are A Changin'

2011-02-20T17:18:00.000+11:00

Time's change. People change. Hey, even I have changed. But there are some changes I don't like. This week I have been missing phone calls - long chatty, rambling calls.

Now it isn't convenient to do these on the mobile/cell unless you have won lotto so that eliminates many of the many of the possible candidates. It is also necessary to have a window in your schedule that tally's with the same on the person you want to call. And having a job, family, partner or the like does preclude many of these calls from happening at all. It is also convenient if you actually like talking on the phone.

Now I certainly don't begrudge those who don't indulge for whatever reason, it is just a wishful missing for times when it did happen.

And while I have been reflecting on this, the solution wasn't far away - I spent almost two hours chatting with the awesome Graham last night and I was blessed with 90 minutes of the incredible Delma today. My cup runneth over ... now if I could just get motivated to hand-write a letter ....

Image: "Vintage phone call" by TarkinX

Thought For The Day :-)

2011-02-20T17:04:00.000+11:00

There's an old saying about those who forget history. I don't remember it, but it's good.

Stephen Colbert

Image: "History Keeper" by droopflight

Random Question

2011-02-18T22:24:00.000+11:00

How many of you know a young person (say someone under 30) who regularly wears a watch? If need be, sit and people watch along a cafe strip or in a shopping centre for a few minutes as a straw poll.

Now obviously those who need them for work (say a nurse) don't count. And I am not talking about those people who wear them as a fashion accessory periodically.

I am talking about regular folk who get up each morning, have a shower, get dressed and put on their watch - before the first cup of coffee. These are the people with a suntan watch band ... well the reverse of one anyway.

In this day and age, it appears that the cell phone has replaced the need to strap a clock to our arms.

Just something I am noticing ....

What Price Freedom

2011-02-18T22:18:00.001+11:00

Once again I find myself watching in awe people for the basic right of a vote in a free and fair election. I am somewhat overwhelmed at the bravery and fortitude shown by those that are in the streets. Some face beatings, others torture and 'disappearances' to themselves or their families.

And again I reflect on those imbeciles (I am over being polite) who live in "free" countries like Australia, the US or most of Europe that refuse to vote - or for some, to even register to vote.

No government is perfect and I wouldn't pretend to claim otherwise. I know a number of ignorants and as much as I try, I don't understand. One example (just a random) refuses to enroll and vote because 'politics is silly' but she still enjoys working as a public servant and being paid directly by the government. This same person enjoys (it is her 'right') to free health care, access to Centrelink periodically, travel overseas, the ability to call the police and have them respond in a timely manner and sending her children to school.

Voting is not a right but a privilege and while we live in a country that has freedom of speech, no secret police, and free and fair elections, not to vote is somehow sacreligious.

It's All In The Attitude

2010-12-07T19:29:00.000+11:00

I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.

Douglas Adams

Image: "About TIME" by lu05

Live, Laugh, Love

2010-12-06T19:38:00.000+11:00

It is confidence in our bodies, mind and spirits that allows us to keep looking for new adventures, new directions to grow in, and new lessons to learn - which is what life is all about.

Oprah Winfrey

Image: "Lush Love" by Belenen

Aussie Tucker

2010-12-06T19:28:00.000+11:00

I put a call out to folks about Australian food - either what "typical Aussie food" we would serve to international visitors; or what international guests would expect to eat as "typical Aussie food".

I did get a pavlova as a suggestion and lots of food including bush tucker flavors and ingredients but I ask myself if that is something that we would "typically" eat. For most folks, I think the answer would be 'no' - fabulous food, great ideas, but not "typical".

So, putting my thinking cap on, I think it would be a barbecue. It could be flash or regular; it could be steak or seafood but I think it would be a barbecue. Salads would include a coleslaw, a potato salad, a green salad and then a "chef's special" (ie whatever they wanted to throw together on the day). Dessert would include the pav, and probably a cheesecake and a fruit salad. It would be byo drinks but softies would be provided. The rest of it (including the budget) is entirely optional.

Any thoughts from others?

New Pearlcast is out

2010-12-06T19:18:00.000+11:00

I have added a new Pearlcast to the Pool website - take into account I am still learning this modern technology stuff but you can check it out here. It is an ode to Summer - with an attempt to desperately try and find the positives in my least favorite season :-)

Image: "Harvest Time by Cyron

Book Meme

2010-11-30T21:12:00.000+11:00

I got this via Facebook.

Have you read more than 6 of these books? The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here.

Bold those books you've read in their entirety, italicize the ones you started but didn't finish or of which you have read an excerpt and underline movies you have seen. Tag other book nerds.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma -Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez -
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Inferno - Dante
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - E.B. White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Image: "Reading III" by nietuzinka

2010-11-29T20:06:00.000+11:00

When you get right down to it, what we all need is a place to go .... A place where we can escape the noise of our lives and just relax.

Takayuki Ikkaku, Arisa Hosaka and Toshihiro Kawabata

Image: "Gone Swimming" by dramanrc

Flavor Trends

2010-11-29T15:13:00.000+11:00

I previously posted that I try to have a feature salad for each summer (and a soup for winter) for those times when I need to bring a plate to a barbecue or whatever.

It doesn't need to be a "fancy" recipe as such, just something a bit different. I had this one perfectly planned out - it would be a Chicken and Mango Salad with a Thai-style dressing - I even made it again a couple of weeks ago to confirm it was what I wanted. It was! Divinely delicious, healthy, reasonably priced, easy to make - tick, tick and tick :-)

And then I picked up a recipe magazine and noticed a very similar one was being featured. Obviously my original plan got canned on the spot - oh I will make it again, just not as a 'feature'.

So that means I have spent the last day or so trawling through recipe books looking for flavor ides - I am tossing a few ideas around but nothing definite so far.

What i have noticed (again) is our trends with foods and flavors - my books from the seventies relied on some weird combinations of food (think banana, cucumber and carrot or a celery and olive salad (no other ingredients or even dressing for that one) - and lots of canned goods rather than fresh alternatives. Sauces were heavy and plentiful. There was often a "lovely" circle of tomatoes or olives around the edge. Nonetheless, these recipes can easily be updated and tweaked - both in ingredients and presentation.

The aspic ones can not. I have eaten these - I even enjoyed some but then I was under 10 and didn't appreciate what I was doing. Now I somehow fear that by mentioning these joys - consider "Creamed Fish in Aspic" or "Jellied Tomato and Spiced Ham" - it will somehow inspire someone somewhere to reintroduce the "under glass" look. Don't. Please stop now. This cannot be made "nice" - no way, never, na ah. Run from the idea, forget you ever even heard it, change the subject! Just say no!

And if the chefs insist on foisting this on a new, unsuspecting generation, then it is up to us to steer these naive consumers away from the travesty that is aspic.

Overheard

2010-11-28T18:02:00.000+11:00

"...but it is my right to have a baby..."

No, it isn't. It is an honor, a privilege, a blessing, a ... well many things. Most of all it is a responsibility.

And call me judgmental if you want but the woman was close to 40, a long term drug-user/abuser with no long term partner and no financial security. Maybe if having a baby would be the trigger to settle down she could settle down first and THEN think about bringing another life into this world.

Just as puppies aren't just for Christmas, babies are for a lifetime - and the first 18 years are pretty hands on. They may not need all the latest gadgets or to follow all the trends but they do need love and stability, protection and nurturing, teaching and discipline. They take a phenomenal amount of time and an equal amount of money.

Yes it is all worth it (or at least parents tell me so - I can't have kids myself but I do get to share the joy of others) but it is a huge responsibility and a very long way to being your "right".

Image: "baby" by GenevieveAlbert

A Matter of Perspective

2010-11-27T21:28:00.000+11:00

Everywhere is walking distance if only you have the time.

Steven Wright

Image: "Shredded Wheat" by traxor1990

Where is the Real Food?

2010-11-27T21:09:00.000+11:00

Cloned animals - cows specifically have been declared as safe to eat in the UK. Now I say up front that this has been going on in South America and parts of Asia (?) for ages so it is perhaps less of a novelty and more of an inevitability than anything else.

Nonetheless I am struggling with it. Not the notion of cloning per se - lets face it, much (read "most") of our grains and vegetables come from cloned seed (think GMO) - but for ethical reasons. And I admit I have only had 24 hours to think about this so while my opinion is fixed, my reasons are yet to be concreted.

I understand that the meat and milk from cloned animals can be proved to be ok for human consumption, or at least not detrimental. And I understand that the future of food security for nations, and the planet, is dodgy to say the least and cloning of food products is possibly our only solution to maintaining our present diets. I understand that farmers have bred animals for centuries for characteristics that are beneficial to their market and that cloning can be seen as a speeding up of this process. I understand that a cloned animal can have an equal quality of life as that of a "naturally bred" animal.

What I don't understand is why we NEED cloned animals.

Our diets have changed significantly in the last fifty years, not always for the best but lets leave that argument for another day. Our portion sizes have increased significantly. Our expectations of all food all year round, and always priced cheaply seems to have become the norm.

As a result we have needed to resort to increased processed food, GMOs, fake meat and the like. "And the like" now includes cloned animals.

When will we start focusing on seasonal produce, farmed ethically and sustainable, and priced fairly? When will start focusing on REAL food, with real nutrients, with little to no processing?

Image: "Cows in the morning" by mrak9

For further info do a Google search or check out the BBC

Oh What A Year

2010-11-27T20:43:00.000+11:00

Of all the years I have lived through, this has not been a favorite - maybe the break from blogging was a hint lol. Actually, to be fair to myself, I haven't taken a break form blogging - not one day .... I just have written them in my head instead of on the computer lol.

Anyway, there have been some highlights and sunshine in amongst the clouds so I have decided to start blogging here again. Yes I know I have said that before but second time lucky lol

Image: "2010" by Balakov

Just Breathe ....

2010-07-27T15:57:00.000+10:00

When you have a dream you've got to grab it and never let it go.

Carol Burnett

Image: "a dream has arrived" by m0thyyku

Some People Are Idiots

2010-07-27T15:43:00.001+10:00

I was sitting at the doctors happily reading my Wuthering Heights when I began to listen to the conversation occurring behind me. Now the women were speaking in a voice designed to be overheard so I can't be accused of eavesdropping.

It was an interesting conversation about an email received by one of the women that was doing the rounds. In this email there was "evidence" that Muslims were out to take over Australia and that no other religious persuasions would be tolerated - we would all be in burqas. In addition, there was "evidence" that all Muslins (men and women) were paedophiles with young children "and even babies" (her voice got louder at this point so the entire surgery could hear) and this was not only tolerated but encouraged by the Koran as an essential part of the Muslim faith.

My blood pressure was rising and I could take no more. In my most polite and sweetest manner I turned around and in a voice that was firm pointed out that what she was talking about was complete an utter crap and it was very clear that she didn't have a clue what she was talking about. She insisted that because it was in a mass email it must be true. I pointed out that, even if some individuals of the faith believed what she was saying, it was not a commonly held one. Certain sects of any belief system could take off on a tangent and that was not representative of the whole. I mentioned George W and his war crimes while professing his faith, about fundamentalist Christians that blow up abortion clinics, as well as the ever popular Oklahoma bomber (another passionate Christian) that included a child care centre in his destruction. I mentioned that while these people may be purporting to represent the Christian faith their actions and ideals would not be supported by the whole. I continued on some more. I suggested that if she insisted on displaying her ignorance and circulating the email further she add a line at the top "this has been sent to me, I have no idea if it is true or not but I am sending on to perpetuate a myth in our community and further stereotype a section of the community that I know nothing about".

She laughed and said she was only joking and hoped I hadn't taken it personally.

I turned around and went back to my book.

I have no idea what she did with the email but if anyone does get it, bin it and then address the person who sent it to you. Ignorance is no defense when slanderous tripe like this is being perpetuated.

Image: "Nawal and Bator" by Susan Dirgham

Myths and Legends

2010-07-27T15:03:00.001+10:00

For the first eight (ish) years of my life I grew up in a fundamentalist Christian household. The Bible was the be all and end all on everything. Creation was absolute, dinosaurs never existed and were never to be mentioned. There was Bible study over breakfast most mornings as well as weekly attendance at church, Sunday School and a mid-week youth group. Women were second class. The body and sex were the ultimate source of shame.

One of my neighbors was vaguely interested in Greek and Roman mythology but that was considered heresy and I was not allowed to investigate myself. Our other neighbors were Catholic and well, while they were great people and fabulous neighbors, we "knew" that was even worse.

I do recall reading about Tidilick as a child but it was presented as a "pretty story" as opposed to the legends of one of our indigenous peoples. Anything that had witches, fairies or the like, that weren't one of the traditional fairy tales, were definitely off limits.

It came as a shock when I was somewhat older to discover that some people considered this fundamentalist "truth" to be a myth and that there were other trains of thought out there in the big wide world.

Since then I have been trying to catch up on the myths and legends of the world. Not just creation stories, but the whole realm of literature that explain the world around us. I am not an expert, far from it - I still confuse my Greek and Roman gods, but I am loving the journey.

Image: "Creation" by PhunkBlazt

Passion and Purpose

2010-07-26T03:24:00.000+10:00

Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path.You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.

Sir Winston Churchill

Art: "Prosperity" by Keith Mallett

$21 Challenge - Final Update

2010-07-25T16:35:00.000+10:00

My last update was Monday 12 July and that was for Days 7 and 8 - I last through to the Thursday 15 July which means I completed 11 (and a half) days on spending less than $21 on food.

To be honest, if you look at the pantry and the freezer, I could have done another week but my craving for tomato and onion sandwiches were my undoing. And to be honest, with the exception of a cup of soup, that is all I have eaten for the past two weeks - sometimes with cheese, sometimes with chillis, sometimes with Ranch dressing but always with lots of tomato and Spanish onion. Don't ask me to explain, I can't. And yes I am brushing my teeth a whole lot :-)

So I will have to try again for the full 14 days another time :-)

Image: "Coins" by lubroz

Starting Now ....

2010-07-25T16:28:00.003+10:00

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.

Anne Frank

Image: "Salt Water Romance" by Mel Williams

Home Sweet Home

2010-07-25T14:10:00.000+10:00

Some years ago I was looking at building a house. For a good nine months I searched the newspapers for the latest plans to get ideas for what I wanted. It didn't help - all I could find was things I didn't want. For a start the standard home consisted of 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and 3 living areas (family room, media room, activity room). Most had additional offices, studies and music rooms. And then there is the outdoor barbecue area, breakfast area and other such 'outside rooms'. There is only one of me and I don't want or need that much space. I can add that I am not sure the "average" family" needs that much space either - especially with the smaller block sizes available in cities.

Anyway, I ended up drawing up my own plans and life changed so they stay in a proverbial drawer. And yes it is made of straw bales.

So when I heard this week that Australian houses are bigger than everyone else in the world - including the Americans, well I wasn't surprised. Apparently our homes are close to three times the size of homes in the UK - although I am not sure if that is in total squares or just the land space (many of our homes are single storey).

So while our governments and communities and individuals struggle with the housing situation and search for a solution to very high prices, lack of land being released and general afford-ability, maybe we, as consumers, need to determine the difference between our wants and needs and stop trying to keep up with Jones, real or imagined. I mean how many of us grew up in homes with two bathrooms, or more than 1 lounge room. Yes there may have been periodic squabbles but was it really a problem?

Bring Back The Yumbo

2010-07-24T21:06:00.000+10:00

Way back in the days when the dinosaurs roamed the earth (or about 25 years ago) Hungry Jacks made the Yumbo - a delicious combination of shaved ham and plastic cheese that had been melted until it was gooey. All in a Bacon Deluxe bun.

Okay delicious might be taking it a bit too far, and it did come in a styrofoam container but it is funny how some things stick in your mind. And I do confess that for a day this week I was thinking it came with pineapple before I got the memory straight.

So it wasn't gourmet, but I would love to have a Yumbo again (and don't suggest I make my own - I want an original). Bring back the Yumbo :-)

It's All In The Attitude

2010-07-24T18:58:00.000+10:00

I am not dying, not anymore than any of us are at any moment. We run, hopefully as fast as we can, and then everyone must stop. We can only choose how we handle the race.

Hugh Elliott

Image: "The Bright Side of Life" by Marinshe

By Way of Explanation

2010-07-24T18:54:00.000+10:00

The last year has been a tough one. I live in chronic pain that is spreading. My mobility is compromised. I am socially isolated. I am living on a budget with no fat - and none of that is due to change any time soon. I am not complaining, I am just explaining my absence over the past couple of weeks.

Most days I can put a happy spin on it all but recently I have run out of energy to do so. I have been to see my doctor and we have a plan that is in the process of being implemented but I have been struggling.

I haven't wanted to complain so I haven't blogged - but I have been thinking, always thinking so I have a lot to catch up on.

Image: "Tulip VII" by WindyLife

How to Be Unpopular in One Easy Lesson

2010-07-12T19:41:00.000+10:00

Another Australian soldier has died and the media is in overdrive about him being a sacrifice and and a hero fighting for his country. Bullshit!

Okay I say right up front that the death of anyone is sad and obviously affects their family and friends. My comments are not meant to take any of that away.

But in this country people in this country CHOOSE to join the military where they learn to KILL people. They are WELL AWARE of the risks that are involved. They are receive FINANCIAL REWARD to be in the danger zone. Their families certainly are well looked with things like free rent and FINANCIAL COMPENSATION they die at work.

That differs so much from the experience of the average Australian who is contributing at least as much to their future of their country. Their families are not compensated, they have to pay for their own funerals, their expense roll in regardless.

These are not sacrificial warriors - these are men who CHOSE a violent career. There are more people who die on building sites or farms or truck drivers than who die fulfilling their need for violence - are the soldiers more "important". Not to mention those who die of cancer or young people who suicide or children which. Where is the equal help for their families?

Stop martyring those who have made a choice.

Image: "Sacrifice" by grigjr

Day 7 and 8 Reports

2010-07-12T15:59:00.002+10:00

Okay I have been buying stuff. I would like to say I had to, but no, I didn't need to, I just wanted to. I have been thinking about the expenditure - should I really be including the total bill or just to portion that I have used. Take the honey for example, there is no way I can use 1 kg of honey over the time of the challenge - or even over a few months, so to be accurate, the cost should be reflective of the amount I actually use. Is this a loophole or a reality, not really sure. In any case the full $10 is still included in the total expenditure.

Day 6 Brunch: Vegetarian Pastie (homemade) with extra vegetables

Dinner: Mushroom Pizza (homemade) (97c for the mushrooms)

Now I always insist that my pizza are the best ones I have ever tasted - and as I am dealing with my tastebuds I must be right. Actually I have never made one for someone else, so you will just have to take my word for it. It is based on a pizza bianca but there are obviously variations sometimes. Usually I make a really thin base (2 C flour mixed with 3/4 C warm water that has had a sachet of yeast activated with a little sugar for food, and 1 T olive oil kneaded and allowed to prove before being kneaded again and rolled out) with a garlic and evoo base with cheese and maybe tomato. This time I left the bases a little thicker (about1/4"), topped with the usual evoo and garlic, cheese and then mushrooms. They were drool-worthy! Crispy bottom, fluffy inside with juicy galic-y mushrooms on top. Definitely going to be made again :-)

Day 8 Brunch: Pumpkin and Chickpea stew with bread roll ($1.70 for the bread roll)

Dinner: Massaman Beef Curry with green vegetables and rice ($1.84 for the coconut milk, $1.76 for the vegetables and $1.32 for the rice)

Total expenditure so far $18.87

Image: "Coins" by lubroz

Act Your Show Size :-)

2010-07-12T15:33:00.000+10:00

One of the most obvious facts about grownups to a child is that they have forgotten what it is like to be a child.

Randall Jarell

Image: "Play with Me" by NobodyLoryo

Day 6 Report

2010-07-10T16:37:00.002+10:00

The Challenge is rolling on. Ho hum. Damn I have a lot of food in the house - I have barely made a dent in the freezer and the pantry still has a lot of options to play with. I didn't end up getting the vegetables I talked about yesterday - I had a pastie left over and needed to use up some lemons so I figure I will get them on the day I need them - and if it isn't beans and cauliflower, then I am sure there will be plenty of other options lol. And I am thinking about making a curry at some point in the next few days.

Brunch: Vegetarian Pastie (homemade)

Dinner: Tagliatelli with Lemon Sauce

Total expenditure so far: $11.08

Image: "Coins" by lubroz

Ready To Go

2010-07-10T16:25:00.000+10:00

Blue sky, check. Sunglasses, check. You, check. It is time to hit the road!

I have wanted to make this run since forever. Okay, something of an exaggeration but it has definitely been on my list of things to do. Do you want to know where we are going? Well, that is the fun of it, I have no idea. We have one week, a set amount of money and a spirit of adventure. The deal is that we start driving north and we stop about every two hours (safe driving and all of that) or whenever we get to something of a crossroads. We flip a coin to determine our next move - there are four choices - stay or go, and then north or east (being our two directions available at the moment - that bit will change as the journey develops). And we continue like that for a week.

Where will we sleep - well we have packed a camping kit just in case but I am sure we will find a pub or a hotel or caravan or something as we go along. None of that matters - this is all about adventure.

What shall we do - we shall explore and discover and talk and ... well, just be.

We have both agreed to keep daily journals - and in one year from the day of our return, to swap them so we can read each other's version of the trip.

Let the journey begin.

Writer's Prompts Daily

One Way

2010-07-10T08:09:00.000+10:00

The people I distrust most are those who want to improve our lives but only have one course of action.

Frank Herbert

Image: "Highway 548" by tfavretto

Straight From Stateline to You

2010-07-09T20:00:00.006+10:00

Boambla Rotary and Community Choir

Okay I am having a problem getting it to display properly - the link is here

Celebrate This ....

2010-07-09T19:35:00.002+10:00

Happy Birthday!
Cheers!
Congratulations!
I Love You!
Cheers!
It's A Baby!
Thankyou!
Happy New Year!
Cheers!

It is time.
It is time
to join together
   and cheer
   and dance
   and celebrate!

And it is all
Just for you ....

Writer's Prompts Daily

I Admit Defeat

2010-07-09T16:45:00.000+10:00

It has been a year since I have had to give up work and while lots of fabulous things have happened, I admit that I am not really coping with it all. I have good days but they are getting further and further apart.

The depression is back and has been since December last year. I have tried to ignore it and I have tried to fake it but it just takes too much effort and I am tired.

I went and saw my doctor yesterday. He was great. We have a plan. With a little time I will be back to being my normal happy self. I thought about keeping it to myself but I don't know why I should be shame any more than I should be for my back pain or whatever else.

And it looks like my diagnosis of diabetes was wrong lol

Image: "Black Balloon" by eNZM

Day 5 Report

2010-07-09T07:57:00.000+10:00

I may regret it but I bought honey - I had a choice out of $8.36 for 500 ml of generic honey or $10.08 for 1 litre of local (as in Bellingen) honey. I spent the $10. A huge chunk from my budget especially as I will need vegetables sometime in the next 4 ish days - ah the choices we make. Mind you I did see cauliflowers for sale at the fruit and vege shop for $2 and beans were $2/kg ... the recipe books are out.

Brunch: Take Away (free with a voucher)

Dinner: Vegetarian pastie (homemade)

Drinks: Honey tea

Total expenditure so far: $11.08

Image: "Coins" by lubroz

It's All In The Attitude

2010-07-09T07:50:00.001+10:00

Never regret. If it's good, its wonderful. If it's bad, its experience.

Victoria Holt

Image: "celebrate the difference" by 4dreamer

Day 4 Report

2010-07-09T07:41:00.000+10:00

Whoops, I didn't get a chance to post yesterday but that didn't mean I had forgotten. Actually I have had to start thinking about what money to spend - the $1 for the beans was an easy decision but then I started considering pesto - for which I have a million uses - but it is $5 for the jar (my basil isn't ready for harvesting yet). And I am running out of honey (how I don't know I always seem to have pots of it around) so do I buy more, or do I find something else to drink? And is drink included in the "feed" part of the challenge .... yes I love a good loophole.

Breakfast: Beans with toast

Afternoon Snack: Toasted cheese and tomato sandwich

Dinner: Vegetable and couscous casserole with a lamb chop

Drinks: Honey tea

Total expenditure so far: $1

Image: "Coins" by lubroz

Pork Problems

2010-07-07T10:42:00.001+10:00

Okay so I have now worked out how to buy Australian bacon (look for the pink square) not that I have found any of it yet but then I started to think about the living conditions of the pigs that will be in my bacon (or chops or whatever).

I don't want my food to have lived in a concrete cell with no experience of rutting and grass and sunshine. Yes I need to find free range pigs for the same reasons I need to find (real) free range chickens.

Back to google and the phone book lol - if I am having trouble finding a home for a chicken, I know that a pig is going to be impossible lol

Image: "Ferdinand the Pig" by sekundek

More Chicken Bits

2010-07-07T10:36:00.000+10:00

It is all too hard! Well no it isn't, it is all just giving my brain a workout. I have a response back from Lilydale and they have assured me that their fertilizer and bedding are all recycled into fertilizer.

That is all good but somehow it isn't good enough. So I now have a two pronged plan - if I need to get some chicken for something (say the birthday dinner party) I will get Lilydale.

Part 2 of the plan is to find someone with a chook pen that I can chuck a couple in every now and then and raise them for me in exchange for a fee (I don't have the land or mobility to keep my own chickens). Then it will just be a matter of chopping their heads off (I can do that) and dressing them (I can do that too). I haven't found anyone with a pen yet, and I haven't found where to buy the birds so stay tuned.

Meanwhile, I have discovered that the world keeps turning if I don't eat chicken.

Day 3 Report

2010-07-07T10:29:00.000+10:00

Okay I am already getting itchy feet and I want to go to the store - just to get one or two little things you understand. Lol - so far I have resisted but I have used my onion and run out of dressing for my sandwiches and there isn't a lot of honey left so now I have choices to make. Not that there is a lack of food in the house - I have a full freezer and a well stocked pantry.

Anyway, yesterdays report:

Brunch: Tomato, onion and cheese sandwiches (x2)

Dinner: Pasta with mushroom sauce

Drinks: Honey tea

Total expenditure so far: $0

Image: "Coins" by lubroz

Believe!

2010-07-06T15:53:00.000+10:00

Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.

Lewis Carroll

Image: "Vertical Vapor Trail and Cloud" by mountangirl (me)

Day 2 Report

2010-07-06T15:46:00.000+10:00

Brunch: Tomato and onion sandwiches (x 2) - I just can't get enough of these at the moment.

Dinner: Steak, peas, corn and over-baked chips.

Drinks: Honey tea

Total expenditure so far: $0

Image: "Coins" by lubroz

Travel Dreams

2010-07-06T15:42:00.000+10:00

I have some obvious travel plans - to get back to Dallas asap (with a detour via Alabama).

I have some dream travel plans - to tour Italy and learn regional cooking for mammas (just like everyone else I know, sigh ....).

And now I have a travel-for-the-sake-of-travel plan - to Tanzania. I want to go to look and experience and take photos. Between Kilimanjaro and the landscape and the animals and the light and the people and the culture and the colors, I think I could amuse myself quite happily for a few weeks.

Top picks would include a visit to Zanzibar, sighting the mountain (although as I am dreaming I may as well plan on climbing it), checking out the rock art, maybe swinging by the Ngorongoro Crater to see an animal or two and a wander around the delightful Dar Es Salaam.

I Believe I Can Fly

2010-07-05T08:08:00.000+10:00

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.

Mark Twain

Image: "Can you swallow this bubble?" by DWAZ4

Day 1 Report

2010-07-05T08:00:00.000+10:00

Brunch: Tomato and white onion sandwich x 2 (can someone who is not pregnant have cravings because I have them bad for these).

Dinner: Mushroom Stroganoff Soup with crusty bread.

Chop an onion and sweat in a butter/oil mix with 1 - 2 teaspoons garlic. Add 600g sliced mushrooms of whatever variety/ies you have to hand. As they begin to cook add about 1 C rice. Mix well. Add 4 C hot water/chicken stock/vegetable stock. Cook for about 15 minutes or until the rice is tender. Blitz until smooth. Serve with a swirl of sour cream and a sprinkling of parsley. As with all soups the measurements are very flexible - it is just roughly what I used, because that is what I had to hand :-)

Drinks: Lemon tea, peppermint tea

Total expenditure so far: $0

Image: "Coins" by lubroz

Letter to a Friend

2010-07-04T16:57:00.000+10:00

Dear you, I don't know if you will get this, or even know it is for you but here is hoping.

We haven't been friends for a lifetime but some days it feels that way. We are both smart, intelligent people who have shared a journey. We have laughed. we have struggled. We have both kept the lines of communication open, even when it seemed easier not to.

Now, we have entered a new phase and I don't know what it is. It could be the end, it could be confusion, it could be a break, it could be that I committed some mortal sin I am not even aware of ... it could be anything because those lines of communication are closed. I don't know whether to speak or stay silent. I don't know whether it is me or some other aspect of life.

Somehow the last couple of months have felt eggshells because the silence could mean so much.Which is ironic because we have both said to each other a hundred times "have you talked to them about it".

To be honest I am not really sure I even care what direction this new stage goes in, but the waiting is too hard. If you don't move then I will.

This is not an ultimatum, far from it. I am just laying myself out there.

Image: "Letter to Santa" by mickryan