Saturday 28 August 2010

Life's odd, isn't it?

All I'm going to say is that bits of my week away were lovely.  I spent some quality time with my lovely Ma & Hank, the dogs, the beautifully landscaped garden, did a spot of sewing and I took some nice pictures.


I also picked up Giardia, probably at the Airport (the toilets were pretty gross, I have to say) - and I've had what they so delightfully refer to as 'explosive diarrhea', which you probably didn't want to know... but if you're still reading, there are some nice pictures.








and I did a little bit of sewing... but I bought some lovely fabric at a great shop, which doesn't have a website, otherwise I'd have included the link - Handcrafters House, full of lovely fabrics, patterns, sewing machines, and really nice staff, and here's a sample, hanging on the lines drying:



Wednesday 18 August 2010

Vote early, vote often...

The truly excellent Baino, over at Baino's Banter, has provided a comprehensive guide to the upcoming Federal (read 'national') election, which is being held on Saturday.  I, along with every other Aussie of eligible age, will be required to vote, because voting is required by law, just like in Italy, and New Zealand, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Fiji, Argentina and Uruguay, amongst others.  


It's just as well it's compulsory, because if it wasn't, no bastard here would vote, that's for sure.  The old saying about 'getting the guvinmint you deserve' is very true, because we wouldn't get one.  We surely deserve no government at all, when you look at what's on offer.  Ugly madmen and evil atheists, by all accounts.  I heard a woman on the radio say that our lives were going to go to rack & ruin if we elected an atheist to run the country.  Not quite sure why the PM's lack of belief in imaginary deities should mean we're all doomed... but who understands how the minds of the religious nutters work?


Not me, that's for sure.


Anyway, remaining gentle readers, I fly tomorrow to Perth, way out West, to visit my lovely Ma & Hank for a few days.  I will try to pop in the occasional post about life in the wild wild west, and progress on the Sydney Pies quilt,  plus whatever else we get up to.  No promises, mind, as my Ma always said when I was little.


And here's a little light relief while you're waiting:




It's an oldie but a goodie - the Prince Regent standing outside the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, hanging onto the remains of a bike - his?  Who knows!


Ciao!







Sunday 15 August 2010

Ooops there goes another one

Another follower has departed, back into the ether.  Any more of these departures without an explanation & I'm going to stop doing this, I swear.  It's quite interesting, actually, what motivates people to write a blog.  I started originally over on MySpace & I still have a profile, but I never update it.  It's a bit too much the Facebook sinkhole, where you get sucked in & never fight your way out.

The first few posts I wrote were about my Dad dying, and all the dramas I had to go through to sort out his estate - he died intestate, in a typically self-centred act, and left it to friends and family to clean up the mess.  Not so bad, really, you might think, except that we hadn't spoken for 27 years, so I was a bit surprised to find out that the NSW Police considered me to be the next of kin.  

The other thing that amazed me about the whole ugly mess was how they traced me - my Dad had the original Document of Identity that we travelled to Australia on, with our full names & dates of birth - assisted passage migrants didn't need passports, in those days.  In 1984 when I was sharing a flat in Fairlight with my good friend Deb, we were burgled and the Police attended.  When the Police ran my name from the Document of Identity through the computer in 2007, they were able to match me to the 1984 burglary, then found my current address in the electoral roll and phone book.  Scary.

Anyway, I found the whole experience surreal, and so I started writing the blog.  Then I started sticking in the craft stuff, with the occasional rant about life, the universe and everything, picked up a few followers here & there, and now they're dropping like flies.  Not that I wanted thousands like some bloggers, but I do like the feeling that somebody is out there listening - apart from friends, of course (hello MM & Kaz)... 

Other news?  Went to a nice 50th Birthday lunch today, and the weather was amazing - we had hail, rain, sunshine, gusts of wind and complete calm all in the space of an hour:





  
and... Sunday night television is still shit.  So, remaining gentle readers... off to bed.  Ciao!

Sunday 8 August 2010

Sunday television is sh*t

Just thought I'd share that with you.  Mr G, having spent a busy day mowing the lawn for the first time in what looked like a decade, and then pruning the hedge between our eastern neighbour in preparation for a spring growth spurt, is sitting in his beanbag watching, simultaneously, the football score on his laptop, "Wipeout Australia" on the tv, and nibbling almonds whilst waiting for me to whip up a magnificent Sunday night repast of toasted sandwiches.  


I, on the other hand, have been extremely busy.  I went with my lovely wonderful MIL to the Mosman Town Hall today to an exhibition of embroidery, being held in Mosman Art Gallery, then we had a lovely fantastic lunch... then I came home and made these:





for lovely delightful Leanne at work... (note the lovely professional background?  It's the sewing machine cover - talk about classy)...


Edited to add:  I can't believe I used 'lovely' four times in two paragraphs.  Thanks, Baino, for pointing this out.  Woman, get thee to a Thesaurus!

Last week we were lucky enough to spend our long weekend in the freezing cold Hunter Valley - we went up on Friday night, and didn't come back until Monday night, because of course Monday last week was the August Bank Holiday - and Mr G & I both work in the Finance Sector, so we were both off!  


What'd we see?


Some interesting wildlife:



This guy stood there no more than 20 metres from us; he was at least 2 metres tall, and wasn't even slightly bothered by the dog.  He just watched us walk by, before walking (leaping?) off in his own time... 


A red-bellied black snake.  In freezing-cold August.  He, too, just sat there watching us, not bothered either.  Maybe the kangaroo & the snake were in league?


This was a kangaroo paw print.  Twice the size of my hand.  Maybe it belonged to the guy up the top?



These guys have just started their mating rituals, all twining necks and bobbing and weaving... looks like more swanlings on the way...


And a Sunday morning visitor, just a small one in comparison to the Saturday visitor - quite happily out the front of the house, nibbling away on the weeds... 


And how's this for a big tart?




Oh, pat me, please, pat me, pat me...