They're back............. Filling in on Fridays....

I think I like these fill-ins because they appeal to the cloze freak in me...but maybe you have be a teacher to get it....

1. If only cats could talk then it would save so much time trying to figure out what the "Yeeeooowll" means.......this time.
2. Poppies in a vase reminds me of my Grandpa who used to grow them.
3. I think of chocolate when I haven't got a single piece in the house.
4. A sense of perspective is the most special thing life has given me.                             

Birthdays

I think I've had my last birthday party, at least that's the plan.  This year I celebrated my birthday for so long that I almost didn't do anything on the day itself.  

It began with a weekend away with some of my dearest friends in the beautiful Yarra Valley.  Weeks ago we thought it might be a plan to celebrate the 230 years we "0" birthday people had amassed by this year......three of us wondering how it came to be our 60th, and the baby celebrating his 50th.  Jackie did what she does best and organised the bookings, the money, the rooms, the dinner, and probably the weather too.  Ev promised to wear different shoes and Ali threatened to decorate her mobility aids.....and in a flash our weekend arrived.

 

Here we are on the lawn in the middle of the afternoon, beginning the celebration.  I'm sure Greg had a wine glass too, but its hidden!

On the weekend of my birthday I filled the house with friends, truly a wonderful sight, and we talked and ate and drank the evening away.  There were my oldest friends, women from school with whom no explanations for anything are ever necessary and with whom I can have half conversations of unfinished sentences with perfect clarity.  There were friends from workplaces with whom I share so much that is ridiculously funny and politically incorrect and totally incomprehensible to anyone else.  There were my parents holding court in different rooms, my sister-in-law and niece and our resident big friendly South African weaving in and out with bottles of champagne and putting faces to names.  There were Si's mates who have become my friends too and who graciously agreed to come and collectively reduce the age-range by several years.  Jackson outdid himself and produced an enormous baklava which Kim turned into my birthday cake - without candles, since I hid them.  It was a great party, even if I say it myself.

On my actual birthday there were several anti-climaxes and in the end I opted for fish and chips out of paper, accompanied by good champagne.  Mmmm....scallops.....Good Grief, they're $2 each!

Simon would have been 27 this year and as always I had mixed emotions when visiting his grave.  Its a beautiful place where birds always sing and fly about above my head and land on the water nearby and splash about, and as usual the drizzling rain stopped and for a brief time it was sunny.  I like to believe this is Simon's way of telling me he knows I'm there.  I cleaned his stone, like generations of women have done in the past, and walked around the gardens to take in the changes each season brings.  When I came back to say goodbye, the tree above dripped a solitary raindrop onto his name and I joined in.  It is so hard to believe that he wont walk past, wont drive in, wont come sliding down the hall in his socks.

 

This is my final birthday present, a remarkable collection of origami hearts, each folded by someone on staff at my workplace, and arranged and framed by the irrepressible Bee who donated the book she hated most to be torn up and folded.  On the back is a key to whose heart is whose.  I cant wait to hang it in the best place in my studio.

It cant be this long...........

....but it is, since last I opened this blog and put pen to paper.  Except that its finger tips to keyboard, but old habits (and expressions) die hard.

Have absolutely no money left in the discretionary budget now after thinking I was so clever and replacing my leased laptop with a tablet.  That was the easy bit, and its a lovely new toy, albeit with a small screen, but what are spectacles for after all?  Barely an hour had gone by when it became clear that new little devices do not like clunky old printers....a new driver?  Forget it, a whole new GPS more like it, so back to the store and a new printer/scanner/alarm clock/oven purchased for less than the price of my old ink cartridge.  And I'm joking about the last two options...........but only just.

Settling in with my now wireless tablet, in front of the fire and wanting music in the background but ......dead amplifier.  This ancient piece of equipment is the last of a tower of technology purchased secondhand from a car dealership 30 years ago.  You'd have to ask Peter why he did that, but since he's not here to reply, I can suggest that the quirkiness of it probably appealed to him, and it would have been cheap.  Luckily no-one was videoing the song and dance it took to replace the old with the new; I merely say that I am now an expert in speaker wiring, torch juggling and squeezing myself into spaces only meant for cats.

I've missed musing here in the silence............  Note to self, remember to write instead of holding conversations with oneself.

Last of the lists.....Week 4 (and a bit)

22.  Today I saw.....

• magpies in the garden scratching their beaks on the rose bush
• bees under the clothes line
• the kitchen bench for the first time in days
• two red Mini Minors
• umbrellas made from green leaves

23.  Things I wish I'd learned to do....

• ride a bicycle
• speak another language
• play the piano

24.  Things I collect....

• books about the alphabet
• flower arranging frogs
• postcards
• decorative eggs

25.  Things I lost and wish I could replace

• my wedding ring
• my first camera
• the photos in my wallet

26.  Books on my 'to read' list

• Judging a book by its lover by Lauren Leto
• The wonder box by Roman Krznaric
• Saint maybe by Anne Tyler
• Hallucinations by Oliver Sacks
• The Opal Desert by Di Morrissey

27.  Today I'm wearing

• Black jeans and t shirt
• Black sandals
• Red jacket
• Black and white reading glasses
• silver jewellery

28.  Guilty pleasures

• chocolate
• grilled haloumi
• reading a book from start to finish without stopping 

29.  Lists I make

• shopping
• UFOs
• things to pack
• Birthday presents
• Christmas presents

30.  Things I'd rather be doing

• reading
• eating
• exploring 

...and if you go to my other blog you'll see what I did with this list as inspiration.

The list of week 3

15.  Shopping List items (from the perpetual one)

• milk
• meat for the cats
• tea (lemon and ginger)
• double sided tape
• black cherry yoghurt

16. Dream jobs

• genealogy librarian
• hot air balloonist
• reader of new books
• wild life photographer

17. Songs that evoke memories

SCT & JK

• theme from Doctor Who - the music of my childhood
• The Blues Brothers soundtrack - instant reminder of my son
• Wonderful World - instant reminder of my husband
• South Pacific soundtrack - instantly transports me to my parent's living room and everyone singing along
• .......too many to list - its a list in itself!!

18. Things that make it Thanksgiving.....hmmm....we dont celebrate it in Australia, so a quintessential Day here is Melbourne Cup Day (which is NOTHING like Thanksgiving at all).....

• sunshine
• champagne
• wonderful clothes
• beautiful horses
• roses

19. Recipes I want to try

• overnight jam made with berries and chia seeds
• individual chocolate puddings
• Jamie Oliver's korma curry
• something that uses verjuice
• calamari

20. Places I'd love to visit (oh this is a list like music....and in no particular order)

• Pompeii
• Egypt
• everywhere in Italy
• everywhere in Turkey
• Canada
• Uluru
• Bungle Bungle Ranges



Bungle Bungles




• ........have to stop somewhere!

21. Things to do this Spring (because on this side of the world its not Autumn)

• replace the lavender hedge
• make the last 2 mosaic posts
• make space for family coming to stay
• go on holiday!!

The Lists.....Week 2

And now we're into the second week, and the list topics are even more interesting.

8.  In my bag.....

• hand cream, nail file, lipstick, brush & comb
• phone
• money
• notebook & pen
• a collection of stickers
• a handful of business cards from the market last weekend

9.  Favourite websites......(apart from my creative friends)

• http://www.websudoku.com/
• http://www.bom.gov.au/index.php?ref=hdr (my local Meteorology Bureau)
• http://www.henrilechatnoir.com/ (that very bored cat and his thieving film-maker)
• http://www.imdb.com/ (to answer the questions I cant)
• http://trove.nla.gov.au/ (online resources of the National Library of Australia)
• www.librarything.com (a catalogue for your library)
• https://www.maggiebeer.com.au (an iconic Australian chef)

10.  On my wishlist...........

• travel to Italy
• keep bees
• have a garden full of birds and butterflies

11.  My TO-DO list today.......

• put resources on a USB for my student teacher
• eat a healthy lunch
• ring my cousin to make some plans for Christmas Day

12.  Daily Rituals

• get up an hour later (its a non-teaching day)
• make the bed before having a shower
• check emails
• complete the daily sudoku before the tea gets cold
• water the pots on the front porch

13. DIYs I want to try

• tile around the new bench
• a log cabin quilt (which might just turn out to be a pin cushion instead)

14. Things I love about life

• surprises lurk in unexpected places
• every day is a new one
• there's always a to-do list for tomorrow
• it includes friends and food

The Lists....Week 1

Working from the top...........'cos that's the way I am.  Lists for week 1

1.  Things about myself .......

• leave things til the last minute
• forever multi-tasking
• rather go out with friends than almost anything else
• like to have all the facts

2.  Things I'm good at ..............

• driving
• talking
• samauri sudoku
• opening champagne

3.  Things I would like to get done this month.....

• remember to complete the lists
• make the Christmas puddings
• empty the ironing basket
• finish my Book Group book before the night we discuss it

 4.  Things I'm listening to.......

• ABC Melbourne radio
• my "stay focussed" playlist on Spotify
• The Cat Empire
• Fat Cat complaining that dinner hasn't arrived

5.  Weekend goals........

• pull out the rest of the old lavender bed
• plant the daphne
• make the boxes for my bookmarks
• make the bed

6.  Favourite words......

• apoplectic
• cromulent
• precipitation
• chocolate

7.  Blog goals.........

• write more regularly
• update the look
• comment on the things I like because no-one sees a smile
• decide if I really want to maintain them both 

....more next week.

Thursday 13s

Have been down in the dumps lately - no energy for anything, but today.........here are the first 13 things I accomplished before noon........

1.  slept in for the first time in weeks
2.  revived three pot-plants that were birthday presents, and which don't like sitting by the front door where the rain doesn't reach
3.  remembered to re-schedule a medical appointment
4.  rang the dentist and discovered a cancellation for today (ouch...)
5.  added clothes to the collection for recycling
6.  brushed the cat (his favourite thing apart from eating)
7.  paid three bills
8.  filed them instead of leaving them on the desk "for later"
9.  scrubbed the shower recess
10. made the bed
11. backed up my laptop
12. discovered the kitchen bench under many papers
13. got dressed just before it turned into the afternoon

....which meant that my afternoon was busy too and I made the most of a sunny winter's day.  Not exciting things on a world scale, but good enough for me today.

Favourite things

Rosemary, this is for you.  This is the Richmond Birdwing butterfly.  I fell in love with it a million years ago when I belonged to a Science Club and we raised money to save its habitat.  We sold t shirts and I've still got mine, with a very faded print on the front (and a hole where I caught it on something in the garden).  

Here's another picture, this time a REAL one.......

Thursday 13s

Today is so wet underfoot that most of my day has been spent inside, or dashing between raindrops to get under cover (when I did venture out to replenish the pantry shelves).  So its inside, heater on, draught stopper against the door, papers spread out on the table........

Thirteen things I have read today are.........

1.  The Age, dated Tuesday 11th June, because I forgot it was in the bottom of my basket
2.  a business card to check whether a missed call was the person I thought it might have been
3.  a recipe book to check ingredients for biscuits I'm making for a friend
4.  a text on my phone
5.  a letter informing me that I've been called to jury service in a week or two
6.  the blurb on the back of a book I cant remember buying
7.  The Age, dated Wednesday 12th June, because I knew it was there but I hadn't read the edition from the day before
8.  some facebook posts from my friends
9.  the list of ingredients on a package
10. my shopping list in the supermarket
11. today's edition of The Age
12. my holiday itinerary
13. a blog post which reminded me that today is Thursday

...and the day is only half way through.  But the biscuits are baked and the house smells wonderful, the rain continues to fall, and that new book beckons.

Unconscious Mutterings

Free association is described as a "psychonanalytic procedure in which a person is encouraged to give free rein to his or her thoughts and feelings, verbalizing whatever comes into the mind without monitoring its content." Over time, this technique is supposed to help bring forth repressed thoughts and feelings that the person can then work through to gain a better sense of self.

That's an admirable goal, but for the purposes of this excercise, we're just hoping to have a little fun with the technique.
I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Rubbish ::  bin
2. Court ::  date
3. Bangs ::  old fashioned hairstyle
4. Affinity ::  appreciation
5. Wholesome ::  bread
6. Jessica ::  Tandy
7. Trumpet ::  call
8. Treatment ::  facial
9. Happening ::  A blast from the past.......
10. Pain ::  sadness

Unconscious Mutterings

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Progress ::  change
2. Wife ::  apron
3. Denim ::  jacket
4. Wow ::  factor
5. Jacket ::  black and white
6. Studio ::  photographs on a wall
7. Boyfriend ::  Peter
8. Tablet ::  I don't want an iPad
9. Hidden ::  valleys
10. Closer ::  and closer

Thursday 13s

After this morning's exercise........13 things about walking 

1. walk with a friend 
2. keep to the left 
3. remember to take water 
4. .....and a raincoat 
5. don't get between a waterbird and its favourite puddle 
6. stop and take in the view 
7. look out for bicyclists on a shared path 
8. b-r-e-a-t-h-e 
9. take the alternative route every other day 
10. listen 
11. avoid piles of duck poo 
12. bring a hankie 
13. .....and don't forget which pocket the car keys are in.

Friday Fill-ins

1. Right now I'm just about ready for bed.
2. Reading until the small hours is my well known quirk.
3. Are you on the same page?
4. Get the work done first, then take a bath to recover!
5. That's why I'm in my dressing gown already.
6. Dr Who is one of my favorite tv shows ever!
7. And as for the weekend, on Friday I was looking forward to going to the movies, today my plans included getting those plants into the garden at last and Sunday, I want to get to the market!

Friday Fill Ins

1. If I could go anywhere on a road trip, I'd go to back to England and spend more time, take more photos, explore more.
2. Life is something I don't understand, but I gather it doesn't make any difference even if you do.
3. Easter makes me think of Simon and a bowl full of eggs.
4. Yoga is the best way to relax!
5. It looks like Spring on the other side of the world, but here its just beginning to get cooler at night, and so it looks like......Autumn.
6. A handful of almonds is one of my favorite healthy snacks.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to an early night, tomorrow my plans include making a dessert for Kim and Sunday, I want to have lunch with my extended family!

Friday fill-ins

1. The wind blew wildly and a branch of the willow tree fell onto the clothes line.
2. Sunshine and a good book make me feel warm and happy all over.
3. The smell of scones makes me think of my grandmother.
4. When I am feeling lazy I dont bother getting dressed til after lunch.
5. Brilliant yellow is my favorite color after black.
6. The door creaked and a dusty cat came in.
7. And as for the weekend, on Friday I'm looking forward to dinner with Emmy, on Saturday my plans include making up the guest room and Sunday, I want to catch up with the gossip from Tasmania!

Friday Fill-ins

1. Bert Kaempfert's music reminds me of weekends listening to Dad's music choices.
2. So I've put it all out of my mind naturally.
3. ...and I'm packing my bags for a holiday with Kim.
4. Music I probably wouldn't choose: blues.
5. Put the kettle on, I'm thirsty.
6. Someone without her own cup dips her donut in my tea.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to finishing some indexing, tomorrow my plans include buying Marea's birthday present and Sunday, I want to make her card!

Friday Fill-ins (a week late)

The only neat bit of the garden....

1. Paisley makes me think of a green and blue dress my Grandmother made me when I was about 12.
2. Doesn't matter what sort of hat I wear, I look ridiculous.
3. Where is the mirror - I need to comb my hair now I've taken that hat OFF.
4. Sometimes I wonder if its all been worth it in the end?
5. Sometimes, less is just not enough.
6. What on earth is a Grey Poupon ?.
7. And as for the weekend, that Friday I was looking forward to sitting back with my feet up, the next day my plans included looking for fresh blackberries at the market and Sunday, I wanted to get into the garden!

Friday Fill-ins

Sunny Melbourne

1. In New England, I'd be a tourist with so many places to visit.
2. The concept of LOTS of snow is not possible in Melbourne, unless its fake!.
3. Ahhhh, working part-time...bliss.
4. Reading in the garden is my favorite thing to do nowadays.
5. Last night, I had a dream about being on holiday.
6. Yesterday I finished two books which is the perfect way to reduce the pile - and make room for more!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to the predicted cool change, tomorrow my plans include going to the market and Sunday, I want to catch up with Bee!

Friday Fill-ins

1. Sniff, sniff...what is that smell? Ah-ha, RAIN at last.
2. I'm just not a sports fan, I'd rather be reading.
3. What in the world made you ask?
4. My favourite environment is peace and quiet.
5. One of my dreams is to go back a year.
6. Why is common sense granted to so few? 
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to finishing the place-cards, tomorrow my plans include finishing the editing and Sunday, I want to put my feet up!