Routinely bad...

So, Gentle Readers, it really is time for me to get my merda together and get back into some semblance of a routine.  The house looks like a bomb has hit it, there's nothing in the fridge, there's clean washing all over the house, there's dust all over the floors, there are piles of stuff to go to the charity shop, magazines and books to go to the library  and the only clean thing is my bathroom, because I can't stand a dirty bathroom.  Where's the cleaner, now that I'm working, hmm?


Trouble is, it's all built up a bit in the first 2 months of working, and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all.  


Mr Golightly has been absolutely no help because he has been, and is now, in the final stages of making this, which is going to turn our pretty much unused guest bedroom into a workroom for me, until we can come up with the $40k needed to excavate our under-house space & turn that into a workroom for both of us!  Then, he can help with the house.  Maybe.


My lovely Ma spent some quality time in an institution known as a hospital, and I felt frustrated and angry that I couldn't just pop over to be there, like I could when I wasn't working.  


Because I'm working a 9 day fortnight, I've been going to upholstery school on my off day, and then on two nights in the alternate week, and that's left me pretty much exhausted.  My etsy shop is still open & I've been selling stuff, slowly, and one of my customers from 2009 has just popped up again with some custom requests, so that's got to fit into the schedule somehow...


The new job is good, but I need to stop going in at 0700 and still being there at 1645 - that's just ridiculous.  I seem to be more productive in the afternoons, so maybe I should start at 10.00am?  Maybe.  


Last weekend I spent a fruitless afternoon trying to re-cover a piece of furniture for MGF* Kaz, and we are going back to the Hunter Valley next weekend so I can finish that off... it's a bit of a tale of woe...


No, I think I'll save it for another post.  But we did have some nice morning weather:

And I had some lovely news, my good friend Clare, from Lulu Carter, is having a baby.  I know she's wanted another baby for a long long time, and I'm thrilled for her.  Her lovely sister, Alix, also had a baby this year, and that's adding to my guilt because I have things to send and can't get myself organised enough to send them off in the post.  Gah! 


Anyway, that's it.  I've got to go and fold, wash, clean, sweep, dust, put away, tidy and shop.  Ick.  I'd rather be sewing.


Ciao!






*My Good Friend

And now I'm really annoyed

So... for a while now at the August Institution that employs me, I have spent the nanosecond that is laughingly referred to as a "Lunch Break" by reading some blogs I follow, and some I don't .. it's a harmless way to waste a bit of time, and I have even, on the odd occasion, posted a note here from the office.  There's no harm in it, as far as I can see... however...


They have now blocked access to blogs, particularly those which are hosted by Typepad, Blogspot, Blogger, LiveJournal or MySpace.  OK, so I understand about the social networking sites, I really do.  But the blogs?  What possible harm can there be from reading about Felicity & her ongoing adventure in the Kimberley?  What damage can Sharon Lee & Steve Miller possibly do to a huge filthy rich multi-national August Institution?   I'm cross, gentle readers, very cross.


Of course, my cross-ness may have something to do with the 51 hours I worked there last week, but then again, perhaps not.  I might just be a cross person who's found something new to whinge about, but I don't think so.  I like to think I'm generally upbeat & cheerful, but I'll admit to being quite vocal if I'm unhappy about something.  I am not like a lot of Aussies who will suffer stoically, internalising all rage and taking it all out on the cat/dog/child/spouse/ colleagues/opposition leader/football referees.  Really.  No, really.


Anyway, on a happier note, these were waiting for me when I got home - I love to come home to a parcel of fabric on the doorstep!

And the second best thing about buying from Japan?  6 days turnaround.  Fabulous!  When I've made something gorgeous with this, I'll post some pictures.  Honest.

And now, gentle reader, I am going off to the Small But Perfectly Formed room to finish the pouches for my WMIL*.

And I have news, exciting news, but I can't tell you yet.  Although, given that where I work has blocked access to blogs, maybe I can**!

*Wonderful Mother-In-Law

**I'm moving to work in the City!  Shhhh!

Spending the day in your pyjamas is...

very enjoyable, actually.  Sunday, it was cold & rainy.  Fascinating details of my day follow, so you may want to tune out here & come back some other time...


I got up early (7.00am), had breakfast, read Saturday's paper, did a bit of pottering to clean up from Saturday night's dinner with Nephew (and friend), went back to bed & read a bit, then got up again & tidied the Small But Perfectly Formed room - there's a limit to the amount of mess I can stand, y'know?  I can live with it for a while, but then, BAM!  I have to clean up.  I bought a bunch of magazine boxes (what are those things actually called, anyway?) from Ikea a while ago & started to sift through the two large piles of magazines on the living room floor, I moved all the crap off my sewing table, I even shifted some fabric around to make room here and there for the accumulated Holiday treasure...


Then I sewed.  I made the previously discussed pouch for Miss Jerry, using this from here:

And this, from here:

with a co-ordinating blue zip, and blue ribbon, just to keep it from being too 'dark'.  She's only seven!

And then I took it to work for the lovely buyer, without taking any photos.  Oh well, you get the idea.

I also cut out two flat pouches from this, which I love:

 oh, now, see, blogger is doing that stupid thing again where it won't put the pictures in the middle.  I hate this. 

Anyway, I'm lining the pouches with this, from here:

, which, amazingly, is the exact colour of the turquoise on the linen.  Nice, huh?  Pictures, I promise. 

And now, gentle readers, because it is 2.57AM, and I have to be up at 5.30AM, I'm going back to bed, for another attempt at sleep.  Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye... 

Working for the man...

Sorry, but is it me, or is it completely unrealistic of an employer to give you so much work that you have to stay there until midnight and regularly work seven days a week to finish something? And if you do that, are you creating a monster and making it really hard for the rest of your colleagues? Australians work more unpaid overtime than any other nation, apparently. I think it's indefensible that an organisation which can make billions of dollars profit can happily squeeze 60 or so hours a week out of somebody without paying them a red cent to do so. Unconscionable. Unethical, unprincipled, immoral. And don't give me that line about "we're paying you above-market rates so you should be fine with working a few more hours...", it's just another way of saying "we're bloodsucking leeches and we're going to squeeze every free minute out of you that we can".

When I was in my 20's, I had a job like that in a small organisation owned by 2 guys - and I wasn't making huge money here, less than $20k a year, if memory serves. These guys didn't pay overtime, they didn't pay leave loading, there were no meal allowances, and no taxis home [note here for non-Aussie readers - leave loading is something you are paid by your employer as a 'thanks for going on holidays' bonus, it's 17.5% on top of your salary & the reasons for it are lost in the mists of time, but suffice it to say, pretty much everybody gets it], they were pretty much in the 'you should be grateful to us for giving you a job' kind of employment space, rather than the "we're an equal partnership & we can't survive without each other" space I have experienced elsewhere.

I regularly worked 10 or 12 hours a day for these guys, for nothing. I gave up my Saturdays, and I even worked until 2.00am once trying to finish something. And for what? Nothing. I came to my senses and left, and they said "thanks for coming", and carried on. I could have dropped dead and they would have just kept going. So why, why, why, even in this "harsh economic climate" do employers think it's okay to expect that people will just give up their lives, for no return? The irony of it is that they proclaim they are "family friendly", and that the 'work/life balance' is really important to them. Hah! Bah humbug, I say. I refuse pointblank to do it anymore. If it means I don't get a bonus, so be it. I'd rather have a life.

On a much happier note, my lovely DSSIL* came to visit, and she brought Chloe with her, and so I was able to take a photo... she also ordered a dog from McCalls Craft M4893, some jumbo lavender pyramids, and three toilet bags, one in the box pouch style & two in the flat bottom 'toilette' bag style, so now I have no spare time... but I've started on the order already.. at least the pyramids are quick to make!

*defacto step-sister-in-law