Friday Fever

Woohoo! It's Friday!! The weekend! I'm delighted. We're having Sushi for dinner tonight, then when the girls have gone to bed Tom and I will relax, perhaps watch movie and have another glass of wine (to follow the one we'll have with the Sushi).

There is only one little blot on the otherwise crystal clear horizon that is my weekend and that is....... The Pageant. I hate the Pageant. Some of you may remember this post from last year. I like the idea and I love doing that kind of stuff with the girls but for me, with 'the phobia' and the whole having-to-get-up-while-it's-still-dark-drive-35k-then-sit-waiting-for-4-hours-with-a-bunch-of-clowns-tormenting-me, I'm frankly not keen. I don't know what to do. The girls want to go, they're not making a fuss which kind of makes it worse. I feel like the worst the mother in the world for even contemplating not taking them. Also, if we decide to go I'm going to have to spend a considerable amount of time this evening packing provisions and chairs and entertainment into the car (you need something to do during the LONG wait). I just don't know if I can take it in my already fragile emotional state. Tom suggested we go every second year, but since we didn't tell them that it seems a pity to spring that plan on them now.

Am I being selfish? Probably.

It's not like it's the only Pageant they'll go to, there is the small local one which they are actually participating in, but it is small. And kind of lame compared to THE PAGEANT!!!! I personally prefer the small one because parking is easier, there are loads of cafes open because it's not 6am and one year Santa was drunk. So cool. And funny. What? The kids didn't know, they just thought he was slapstick-falls-over-a-lot-Santa. They liked him.

Then of course there's the other thing about The Pageant. It officially marks the start of 'The Christmas Season'. It's just something else to fill me with woe because you see....and now I'm really opening a can of worms, but here goes......I don't like Christmas. There I said it. I have my own reasons for not liking it which I may talk about at some point but the fact is I could happily do without it. For me it is utterly meaningless. Bah humbug.

However I have children, they love it and they want to go to The Pageant....come full circle haven't we?

Tomorrow's post may or may not have a photo of a clown and perhaps one of me being administered oxygen...or Last Rights...one of the two.

Oh God is it only day 6? and 'on my desk' (late)

Still here...no raids but I'm pretty sure some notes have been added to my already bulging ASIO file.

Well I'm loving this NaBloPoMo...ahem...nothing gets a girl through the day like the irritating, nagging, little thought that you haven't done today's post yet (I blame you for this Cathy). In my 'excitement' yesterday (wow! sarcasm twice already) I forgot all about On My Desk Wednesday!! What an oversight! The only guaranteed blog fodder I have all week and I forgot about it!

Here it is.

On my desk today I have... Mini Sharpies...I'm a stationery addict and these feed my habit....

....a magnifying glass......because I HATE wearing my reading glasses and want to pretend I don't need them.....

....and an Alumni membership card.

Ooh, this is like a game isn't it? Like those I spy books. 'What does this all mean?' I hear you ask. What strange project is she undertaking that requires these items?

Yeah, well sorry....nothing. They have no relevance except that they have been used sometime in the past week and no-one has put them away. Because the truth is that on my desk today there is no work, there are no projects and nothing of the remotest interest to anyone. Sorry.

This is an insult to the great institution that is 'On My Desk'. and will go down in history as the lamest post of my blogging career.

Which reminds me, speaking of careers...I'm a bit disappointed that there haven't been more suggestions for my future. Dave came up with a marvelous idea that I should become a navigator on a starship. This appealed to me enormously (I love Sci Fi) but in the end I just can't do the tight spacesuit I'm afraid.

So come on, what else is there...there will be prizes....ok, there won't be prizes but I need all the help I can get.

Obama

I wasn't going to mention it. I mean really, it's got nothing to do with me. Not my country. Not my politics. I don't have to live with it (well not in a direct way). And of course I do have that 'don't talk about politics on the blog' rule that I break all the time. I guess I'm breaking it again.

So what do I think...like you care.....too bad, you're getting it anyway. I don't have a very high opinion of many politicians. I think it takes a special kind of bastard to be a politician. My mother thought I was a Communist (and loved me anyway a RED smiley seemed appropriate here). There's only one politician of ours that I like and I really like him. The rest? Not so much. I felt pretty much the same about the US candidates...they're politicians. What's to like? Obama had some interesting things to say, but they often do don't they....until they get in. I'm not so gullible any more.

However, the vote is counted and Obama won the day and I will say this. It gives me some hope for our planet. If this is history in the making...I'll take some more of that kind of history please. Just don't f*&k it up Obama.

I wonder if ASIO will pick up my blog because I said 'Communist'...and mentioned them. Maybe I should put in 'spy' as well....and MI5.

If you don't hear from me tomorrow you'll know we've been raided.

The new addition

Well I promised photos of the newest baby in the family* and here she is.....

...meet 'M'.....notice the letter 'M' on her head? If it's good enough for James Bond's boss....

Isn't she pretty? Check out those markings....

She's very spoiled already....can you tell?

In other news today is the day that quite a lot of Australians enjoy 'the race that stops a nation'. Well it doesn't stop me. I don't care for horse racing so I boycott it. I don't attend any glitzy fashion show lunches wearing a hat. Not me, today I stayed home and had boiled eggs on toast for lunch...that'll show 'em.

*It suddenly occurred to me that not everyone would have read the first post announcing M's existence..so I should clarify that she is, unfortunately, not ours - she belongs to my sister and her family so she is in fact my kitty-niece.

Outside

We didn't end up going for a walk yesterday, just pottered about in our garden instead which is even better really. Lots of activity out there at moment, things are growing and flowering and generally showing off.

Pretty no? The light was bad so the colours didn't photograph well, but you get the idea. Don't you?

Today I am finishing some work I have to do (shouldn't take long) and then I may get on with some sewing. I'm not making much progress because I've had other priorities but if I'm productive this morning I may manage a couple of hours this afternoon.

I may also spend some time contemplating my future. The current options no longer please me. If you have any suggestions I'd be glad to hear them.

NaBloPoMo

Well it's NaBloPoMo again and this year I'm participating. I don't know if that is a particularly spectacular announcement because I've been posting just about every day lately anyway. However, I'm committed and this month will go from just about every day to every single day. I was reminded of this annual event by Cathy and I love a bandwagon so I had no hesitation on jumping on this one. I'd sort of intended to do it last year but (conveniently) forgot. So this year it is.

It will be interesting to see how many posts I will actually fill with nonsense about participating in NaBloPoMo. I'll try not to do that. Honest.

Today dawned dark and gloomy. There was a thunder storm this morning and intermittent rain since then (God, I'm even starting to sound like a weather girl). It has not been a day for going outside really and it was the same yesterday so everyone has a touch of cabin fever and we are all, frankly, a bit crabby. It doesn't help that I'm still feeling the after effects of last week's migraine. Inspired by Z I am going to stock up on migraine relief just in case...it may be years before I have another so I guess I'd better watch the 'use by' dates.

I'm spending a lot of time today on stand by near the computer waiting for updates on the latest addition to the family. No, no more babies...not human ones anyway. My sister has a new kitten, a lovely little part Bengal girl...I won't give any more details as I don't think the name is confirmed yet and it's really not my news to give, but if my sister grants permission I will post a photo soon.

I think I might go and suggest to Tom and the girls that we take a walk. None of us really mind walking in rainy weather (in fact I love it) and it might be good to get out for a while (and will give me some fodder for tomorrow's post).

I lost a day

On Thursday I woke with a mild headache. By 4pm it was worse and I had some tingling in my lips and fingers. I knew from previous experience this heralded the onset of a migraine. I don't often get them, in fact I think I've only had a dozen my whole life and it's been years since the last one. As expected it progressed as the evenng wore on, the tingling, tiredness, then a period of mental confusion where I can't remember the name of the simplest things, then nausea, then the full blown migraine headache. Tom and the girls went to Hannah's recital without me and by the time they got home I was lying in bed, in the dark, clutching a bowl in case I didn't make it to the bathroom to throw up. Any light or the slightest noise or movement was excrutiating. Lovely.

Tom bought me some lemonade while they were out and Aislin brought me a glass and held it while I sipped from a straw and Hannah sat beside me patting my hand. It was all very comforting (I don't know why lemonade helps, but it does). I assured everyone that I would be better by morning, these never last longer than a day and although I usually feel a bit weak and fuzzy the next day I will not be headachey and nauseous. Tom gave me strong painkillers and I fell into a drugged sleep.

I woke yesterday morning - headachey and nauseous. Dammit.

So I spent most of yesterday dozing and resting and generally waiting to feel better, which I did. Around bedtime. I slept soundly last night and this morning all is well.

So there you have it, the tale of the migraine. This unexpected little adventure caused me to miss a few things - like Hannah's piano recital (T made a video* for me) and of course Beltane. Because in the Southern Hemisphere it's Beltane not Samhain. Something I'll never get used to. It doesn't matter what the seasons are doing some internal clock of mine is still on a Northern Hemisphere schedule and finds it hard to accept anything different.

So yesterday I should have been doing something like this.....

Beltane Fire Festive - April 2008, Calton Hill, Edinburgh

Picture from Zimbio

But I wasn't. So to everyone, I hope you had a happy whatever spiritual event you were celebrating - be it Beltane, Samhain, Halloween or All Souls - the blessings of your tradition to you all.

*This will appear at some stage, I haven't uploaded it yet.