Got no Grunt

this computer of ours and it's driving me mad. I've been quiet of late due to very frustrating computer gliches and we've now reached our monthly limit - I have no idea how considering I haven't been able to use the computer, but you cannot argue with those people. So I'm quiet right now, frustratingly so. I can't even read your news so I'll have a lot to catch up on when I can....

Paint and Lego kind of day

Rain, hail and temperatures in the single digits. Definitely a lego and paint kinda day.

Adults Only

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear Pina,
Happy Birthday to you!

I had grand plans for making your day special, but some bugs we know had other ideas! I hope you are spoiled, fed, gifted with riches and loved loved loved on your day.

Love from the south to the north xx

So, so dull

Leila on the left, me on the right. Last weekend a rare night out was cancelled as Ella had a very high fever. Tomorrow night there's a long planned night at a show and dinner with dear friends, fingers triply crossed for speedy recovery with help of drugs!

Quite possibly the best park ever!

When I finally got around to checking my watch, it was 3.5 hours later and I hadn't even noticed the time passing. Our new favourite place.

Satisfaction is the sister of Frustration

That's how it feels for me most of the time. The things that frustrate me the most and demand so much of my energy to achieve ultimately give me great satisfaction.

At the risk of making myself sound completely middle aged and uninteresting, last week I managed my days and week really well and as a result was very pleased with myself. We've all been talking about sprialling food costs, it's affecting everyone the world over, so I'm trying to be better in our shopping habits. It's not so much changing what we eat, as it's one area where I'm pretty uncompromising, but changing how I shop. I have always shopped to a list but for the last six months I've been trying to shop to a menu. So, I write a list of all the meals we'll have in the coming week, then shop to the ingredients. It sounds very very dull putting it like that and I confess that I've always been a "what do I feel like tonight" cook, but in terms of managing waste, it's great. The effort expended to actually think ahead of different meals (adding in that we're trying to increase vegie intake, reduce meat even more and no carbs at night!), well I don't manage that every week - but when I do, everything falls into place.

Last week all my cooking was done every night by the time Geoff got home. Dishes done and put away, everything in order and as a result I felt better about my day's achievements, but also completely shattered. I guess it's like anything else, feeling you've done a good job, whether it's in an office or in the home, you measure by certain things and for me, last week it came together somewhat.

I haven't managed to be very crafty of late. I have 6 dolls sitting with their torsoes, arms and legs all separate from each other and little time to get them into order. I have had half a dozen tops for the girls ready to decorate, together with a couple of extras for friends, but just hadn't managed to get to them. Yesterday I whipped up one for Leila, pretty cute I think.

While I'm plugging away at this, very poor mothering skills are in play in the lounge room.

Night Garden is huge in this house. Ella likes it but Leila goes nuts for it. If you don't want them to see it and the start comes on, the little baby with the bedtime routine, forget it, more than life's worth to try and turn it off. This photo of them is this morning while Night Garden was babysitting for me.

IT Support

from my "techy" friend Sandy has resulted in a properly aligned photograph. Thanks Sandy x

I'm fed up with

blogger this week. I think it's quite possible that it's just me who is the utter moron, but honestly, doesn't anyone else have problems uploading their photos? I cannot get it to work for me. I upload them in either landscape or portrait and it rotates them. Whatever I do, I CANNOT get it right. So with that complaining, whining moment out of the way, my previous post, the one that moved me, well it isn't as moving with a photo on the wrong angle. I no longer have the paper, so I can't even try again. Aaaargh! Also it's coming before this post as the dates are saved as at creation. I need more time to figure things out.

What's wrong with her?

I'm sure that's what my fellow passengers were thinking as I cried on the train home on Friday. I just couldn't help it, something about this photograph really really moved me. The idea of being held against your will for 6 years, away from your family, your children, them not knowing what had happened to you. This photograph, the way the children are looking at their mother, the idea of being in that situation, I can only imagine the desperation during separation and the absolute exhilaration, almost being completely overwhelmed with joy at being together again. How could you do anything but cry happy tears?

Celebrity Sightings

I am new to Loobylu although I know many of you aren't. It's funny when she's so popular knowing she's in the same town as me - she sounds nice too.

It's an old post of hers, but it got me to thinking about celebrity sightings of my own - so here goes.

Back in the late 80's when my boyfriend and his friends (followed by me and mine a few years later) were in the throws of 21st birthday parties, Guy Pearce was a guest at a party we were at in suburban Beaumaris. He was in the middle of his Neighbours career and he was there with his girlfriend. I remember they didn't really talk to anyone and no-one spoke to them for fear of appearing star*****rs.

I "met" David Suzuki twice. The first time was in Vancouver in a cafe on West 3rd Ave. I was sitting there writing in my journal and he walked in with another guy and ordered coffee. I was sitting there, jaw dropped gawking like a school girl. I was trying to figure out what to say, if I should say something, if I'd appear an absolute knob if I did. I wasn't as discreet as I'd hoped, he looked at me and smiled. "I really admire you" were the words that came out - gawd! "Thanks, that's really kind", collected his coffee and walked out. My girlfriend was at UBC at the time and told me he was a lecturer there and I could go along if I wanted to - but I didn't manage it.

The second time was when David Suzuki came out to Australia for a booksigning (I think of The Sacred Balance) and we went to a bookreading/signing of his that Readings were having in Carlton. Everyone was sitting around having a drink before it started and he snuck in a side door and was just looking around with no fuss, alone. I was nearly hyperventilating again, funny, just find him so amazing, so I went over with my copy of the book (I had to climb onto the stage and walk across in front of everyone to get there) and had him sign it. This time I think I said "I think you're wonderful". He was, again, very gracious and very low key.

I fell in love with Sarah McLachlan's singing (and probably her too a little) while living in Canada in the 80's. When I was back in Melbourne I applied for my dream job as office Manager with 3RRR. I got through the interview process from something like 400 applications, through 3 interviews to be one of the final two. In the end I missed out because the other person had community radio experience. That was the only job I've ever really wanted and I was completely gutted, felt like life would have been so different if I'd been chosen... anyway. About 6 months later the EG published a note saying Sarah was touring. I called the Prince for tickets - they had no idea what I was talking about. Many phone calls later it was a typo and it was an industry only gig to promote Surfacing. I was beside myself thinking she'd be in town and that I couldn't get there. What to do? I called one of the guys (whose name I now can't recall) who I interviewed with at RRR. I told him about the situation and asked if there was any chance I could go on RRR's guest list. He said it was uncanny I'd called at that moment, for he was holding in his hand an invitation to the very gig I was talking about. Sarah wasn't his cup of tea - so we went. It was at the Continental upstairs and was amazing. We were in the front row, about 1 metre from her, she was mesmerising. Afterwards we queued to meet her, got a cd signed and had our photo taken with her - super stuff.

Sat next to Ralph Fiennes and his wife at the Notting Gate cinema - can't remember what the movie was but Geoff would. I found it disconcerting.

Sat opposite Scott Wolf from Party of Five on the Subway our first visit to NY in 2001. Geoff wasn't impressed, but I loved that show and was seriously impressed. Okay, if it had been "Charlie" I would have been even more breathless, but I was happy.

I have more, but it's bathtime here - how neglectful am I??!!

Button Swap

The lovely Ella organised a button swap recently - 5 covered buttons and a handmade item that included a covered button. I have been paired with Sherry in the US and posted her parcel today. I confess that my handmade item wasn't very unique but I've made some for myself (without the button) and have been using them every day since I made them. The buttons looked cute, it could be quite addictive, it's so easy. In the past I've only used plastic versions and you have to sew around each little circle of material in running stitch then gather it around before pressing on the back - the metal ones are much easier to use. I hope she likes them.

PS Is it just me that has so much trouble posting pictures in cubes - that is two side by side one one row and another two below? However I do it I just can't get them centred or lining up - is there a trick to it? If I do three small as above they arrive three in a row, but off to one side. If I do three medium, only two fit on one row! I do one left, one right and one centre aligned but it just won't work!

Connections

Sandy is someone I've met through my etsy shop - I guess she's what you'd call a customer, in fact my best ever customer. It was Sandy who contacted the babycino website suggesting they review my dolls, it's Sandy who has bought so much from me and it's Sandy who has been so forthcoming with the sweetest support and encouragement of my little business.

Perhaps it shows that I'm not really business minded but when Sandy contacted me most recently to ask me to make another precious piece of material (a family keepsake) into another doll's dress I suggested we do it as a swap instead of a sale. Today we received her parcel and it wasn't just posted, she'd wrapped everything so beautifully. She'd sent the material for my part of the swap, together with some kidsafe cutting knives she'd recommended to me and some gorgeous cards from her own etsy shop. You really should check out her shop, there are some wonderful things and I think her counting and alphabet cards are really unique.

Thank you Sandy, again, from all of us. x