New rule

When I started this blog I wasn't looking for a legion of readers. It was for family and friends to read my pointless musings, if they felt like it...or not. It was to give me an outlet for my ranting occasionally. It was to get the idiotic ramblings out of my head and well...somewhere else. Obviously it's not private, if it were the internet probably wouldn't be the best place for it now would it?

But imagine my surprise when I looked at that little stats thingy yesterday and found some unknown readers out there!!!! Yes, I know you're there, I saw you. From all sorts of places. Even Whyalla. My but you're a quiet bunch aren't you? Who is the reader in Hobart? Can I move in with you please? Because I'd like to live in Tasmania. And all you Americans - do you know, my sister? She lives over there too.

Now, there aren't 100s of you, certainly not thousands like some people have. But you are there and you cannot hide. So the new rule is you're not allowed to read this blog unless you comment. All of you.

Ok, it's not a rule but it would be nice if just once in a while someone said something, it gets really lonely you know. So talk to me, and you strangers - say hello!!! I won't bite I promise, well if you annoy me I might snap a little but not much.

As for my family and friends reading this. Just because you have email access doesn't mean you're off the hook either.

Stop lurking you lot. SOMEBODY SAY SOMETHING.

Please?

Should we start the Ark?

The rain isn't slowing down any and this was our creek yesterday....

The same time last week it was bone dry, not a drop of water in it.

Now, it is only a creek so it's not huge, only 3 or 4 feet at it's deepest, but still....3 days to this!!

I never get bored having this at the bottom of the garden.

Possums dancing

Well, the rain hasn't stopped, it went all day and all night and it's still going. Hallelujah! It has been wonderful.

The down side of all this glorious rain is the relentless drumming on the roof above our bedroom that kept me awake half the night. Seriously, it is like a dozen possums in stilettos are having a barn dance up there. It's so bad that the first time I heard it (last winter) I truly believed it was the possums and demanded that my happily snoring husband wake up and go and scare them off (at 3am in a rain storm). He assured me it wasn't possums but water falling off the trees. I won't go into the details of the scathing (on my part) discussion that ensued. Suffice to say he remained patient and continued to assure me that it was not possums and....well...he was right. Smart arse.

Anyway...fast forward to last night and there it was again. He has promised to climb a ladder and remove the overhanging branches this weekend so I can get some sleep (especially since we are forecast rain for a few more days and there's likely to be some more this winter I suspect). He is a wise and sensible man who holds to the reasoning that 'if Mama's not happy, nobody's happy'. I'm not quite sure what he means by that, but if it means I get what I want that's good.

Because I couldn't sleep I was prowling the house at intervals throughout the night. I had forgotten how ghastly 'middle of the night' television is - holy crap it's bad. I finally fell into an exhausted sleep at about 2.30am and I had the 4 year old alarm clock wake me up at 5.07am. After I strangled cuddled her I decided it was just easier to get up. So today I'm tired. Very tired and slightly edgy.

I now have a community service announcement. If you have had less than 3 hours sleep do not, I repeat, do not, take 2 children and go shopping for school uniforms - in the rain. Being tired is not conducive to this activity.

I won't bore you with the details of how many shop assistants incurred my wrath, or how I managed to restrain myself from violently shoving a Clarks 'Piper' black lace up shoe up the a%#e down the throat of the less than efficient salesgirl in Fairley's. Or what I said to the woman who just WOULD NOT GET OUT OF MY EFFING WAY in Kmart. Or the outcome of turning around to see my two children splashing about ankle deep in a puddle in the middle of main street. The Department of Child Services were not called but that's only because the witnesses are now buried in that building site next to the bank.

I think need a nap.

Frogs and Rain

Yesterday we found a frog in the garden.....

And today....finally.....it is raining...

So there is much cause for excitement.

Unlike my Northern Hemisphere friends who are wondering what has happened to Spring, down here we are hoping that Autumn will arrive. Much of the country is in drought, the farmers are desperate, the gardens are dying and water restrictions are in place. We need rain.

Interview with a vampire

Heather over at Nabbalicious sent me 5 interview questions which I will attempt to respond to here ...

1) Do you like haggis? My aunt used to date a really charming and lovely Scot, and we were all horrified to learn that his favorite food was haggis. I just wonder -- is this typical?

While it is typical that all Scots are charming and lovely, it is not typical that they all eat haggis, wear kilts, have red hair or say ‘hoots mon’ (whatever that means). I have had haggis in the past, I don’t eat haggis now but may one day if someone creates a vegan version. However, I doubt that will happen. I just can’t see tofu stuffed into a pair of old pantyhose being a suitable substitute for this sheep’s innards delicacy.

2) What has been the hardest adjustment you've had to make to living in Australia when you're from another culture? Or has it been a cinch?

The heat - I actually miss not being able to feel my toes and my pale blue skin burns if exposed to sunlight for more than 30 seconds. I’m a shadow dweller, rather vampire-like in my aversion to the burning Australian sun.

Cold beer - Scotland is cold, we don’t need to be ingesting more cold and so our systems reject it. My (Australian) husband has been known to microwave my beer to approximately body temperature, this is the optimum temperature to drink beer if you’re a Scot (I apologise to any Scots out there that actually enjoy cold beer – freaks).

Apart from that it’s been a cinch.

3) What has been the happiest moment of your life so far?

It’s a toss up between the moment I discovered it was possible to get hot cross buns with chocolate chips in them or the day I found out Haigh’s dark chocolate has no added milk – vegan heaven.

Of course it goes without saying that when my daughters were born and my wedding day were pretty happy too. There is nothing suspicious about the fact that the chocolate came first.

4) What are your all time favorite books and movies? Least favorite?

I always find it difficult to answer questions like this, trying to narrow down favourite books and movies is impossible for me. I also wonder if anyone actually reads people’s favourite book and movie lists, I don’t. Ironically I have a recommendations section on my blog, as if anyone cares. There are many, many books and movies that I like. I will cheat a bit and say the movie I’ve seen that I liked best in the past month has to be ‘V for Vendetta’. The book I’ve liked best in the past month is ‘Spirituality of Adult Education’, and I didn’t actually like it that much, this is sad but true. The only reading I’m really doing just now is for academic purposes so I’m not suggesting everyone rushes out and buys this.

My least favourite in both categories are legion, I won’t start because a rant will ensue.

5) What talent do you wish you had?

I would really like to be able to turn base metals into gold. However I’m led to believe that this alchemical talent is fairly rare and it is extremely unlikely that I will perfect it. It would be nice if I could though.

Update

I forgot to add the rules in case anyone else wants to do this..

1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”

2. I will respond by emailing you five questions.

3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

At the going down of the sun....

Anzac Day - 25 April 2007

Rested... and smug about it

You'd think, wouldn't you, that having my husband and children away for a week would result in prolific blogging. Well, in case you hadn't noticed, it didn't. Quite the reverse in fact. I couldn't bring myself to go near the computer at the end of every day. Mainly because the entire day had been spent at the computer writing essays. Four of them in total. It was exhausting and I very nearly went insane (and we'll have no smart arse comments regarding my sanity thank you Moy).

Anyway, they're back and I'm back. The children had a ball, feeding sheep, collecting eggs, four wheel driving with their Uncle, partying with friends and getting up between 5 and 6 am. Every. Single. Morning.

Their father didn't fair so well. He chose to sit up most nights drinking whisky and talking agriculture with his father and brother. This is not a good prelude to a 5am wake up call. Did he learn? Did he hell. He came back from his 'rejuvenating' break totally knackered. So I quite enjoyed being smug about how well rested I am. Despite the marathon essay writing I got plenty of sleep.

Here's a photo I like to call 'Country Living Photo Shoot'

Happy Easter

The eggs we dyed and decorated on Good Friday.

Failed Parenting 101

Last weekend Hannah, who is 6, was playing with a toy coat hanger, basically a piece of moulded plastic with a hook on it. Because as we all know toys need something to hang their clothes on. Anyway, at some point she decided that the best place for this was in her mouth, about the same time her father decided to sit back and bumped her so that the piece of plastic went to the back of her mouth and scratched her throat. As soon as the initial drama was over we ok, I forgot all about it.

Fast forward to last night. Hannah tells me that her teacher sent her to get a glass of water because her throat was so sore. Yes, 5 days later it still hurts and she hadn't complained (well only once or twice).

So off to the doctor we go today. Not our usual doctor I might add, another one in the same practice who, amazingly, had a several appointments available on the Thursday before the Easter long weekend when every other doctor is screaming for mercy from the endless stream of patients with sudden urgent ailments. It soon became obvious why she had so many available appointments, but I digress.

So the quack* doctor examines Hannah's throat with her tiny wee maglite. She then turns to me giving me a look that I imagine regularly turns men to stone, fortunately I was somehow immune - my ovaries are my protection perhaps, and says 'does she often have tonsilitis?'. Puzzled I say 'no' to which she replies, rather accusingly, 'well, she has now and her glands are right up, didn't you feel them?' Now I don't know about other parents, but me, well I rarely check my childrens' glands. With my kids I cuddle them a lot, yell at them occasionally, read to them, cook for them, wash their clothes, generally care for them but check their glands - nope, never done it. I am then subjected to a lengthy discourse on viral tonsilitis. As an afterthought she adds 'oh and she has an ulcer on that scratch in her throat'.

So have I failed in some way? Are we supposed to regularly check for swollen glands in children that otherwise seem perfectly healthy? Is it a twice daily requirement, like toothbrushing?

Was my mother supposed to do mine and should I have been doing my own these past 30 odd years?

Anyway, the outcome of all this is Hannah has to gargle soluble Disprin and take Panadol for any temperatures or pain she experiences. Hannah is pretty excited she LOVES to gargle.

*Did you notice I've learned to strike through in HTML? Such a proud day.

Plague Mary

Well I'm ill. Very, very ill. I couldn't go to work today, in fact I could barely get out of bed. It seems to be some sort of flu-like virus. A bit like a head cold on steroids. My head aches, my nose has stopped functioning in a nose-like way, it seems to be blocked with cement. I feel sick, I have been sick, but most of the time I just feel nauseous. My ears are agony, it feels as though someone is sticking hot pokers into them at varied intervals to surprise me. Believe me...it surprises me. My skin hurts, all of it. I think even my hair hurts.

The 'friend' (who I suspect infected me with her vile bacteria) said it does indeed sound like what she had. And then she said (quite cheerfully I thought) 'oh, you'll be sick for a week...forget about Easter'. FORGET ABOUT EASTER??? But it's EASTER ...... the chocolate, the hot cross buns, the chocolate chip hot cross buns and oh yeah church...whatever....but the CHOCOLATE!!!!! Did I mention the chocolate?

Consequently in my consumptive (and distressed) state I feel unable to spend hours at the computer (that's how I know I'm really sick) so this your lot for today.

Office progress

Over the weekend I took steps to resolve my messy desk issue. We have a room that is to be used as an office, however we haven't yet made it into an office as we are still trying to get around to painting it. So as a 'temporary' measure I have my desk and laptop in the lounge room - that is 'temporarily' for the last 18 months!!! Last Friday after looking at the piles of paper on my desk, on the floor and on top of the bookcase, and then blogging about it, I decided that we should just make the office an office and worry about the painting at a later stage when we have more time. So on Saturday we moved into the office. It's not quite finished there is still stuff to put away but my books are now on a bookcase (oh joy!!) my files are, well......filed, my papers are pretty much sorted and my desk is clear. Guess what? I can find stuff. If I want something I can reach out and get it...straight away! My coffee cup, this morning, is sitting in a sea of empty space. It has at least a foot square all to itself.

One thing I'm learning this year is acceptance. I so want to move forward with the painting and renovating but we have committed to my finishing Uni as well as working part time and continuing with workshops and coaching and I have just had to accept that at this stage the removations will have to wait. In about 7 months (!) time I will be finished Uni and then we are home free!! So what if it means I have to take everything back out of the office to paint it? So what if it means a little bit longer with bare floors and hideous wallpaper in the laundry and toilet. Let's face it, it's not going anywhere! I'm sure I'll still have days that it all frustrates me but I know that 7 months will pass in no time and then look out....I'm going nuts with the paint brush!