Bit late, but...

Most Christmas songs are woefully innappropriate to an Aussie Chrissy. Visions of a white christmas, frosty the snowman and sleighs are hardly helpfull when you're in front of the fan trying your best not to melt. So here's one of the better Australian adaptations. If I'd thought about it, I could have posted them regularly in the lead up to Christmas. But I didn't. So there.

This is my 100th post for the year. Woohoo I made it. Just.

Jingle bells

Dashing through the bush,
in a rusty Holden Ute,
Kelpie by my side,
esky in the boot,
kookaburra flies ahead,
laughing all along,
Oh what fun to drive and sing
an Aussie Christmas song!

Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,
Christmas in Australia on a scorching summers day, Hey!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut!,
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute.

Engine's getting hot;
we dodge the kangaroos,
The swaggie climbs aboard,
he is welcome too.
All the family's there,
sitting by the pool,
Christmas Day the Aussie way,
by the barbecue.

Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,
Christmas in Australia on a scorching summers day, Hey!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut!,
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute.

Come the afternoon,
Grandpa has a doze,
The kids and Uncle Bruce,
are swimming in their clothes.
The time comes 'round to go,
we take the family snap,
Pack the car and all shoot through,
before the washing up.

Oh! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way,
Christmas in Australia on a scorching summers day, Hey!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut!,
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute.

Merry Debriefing

Wishing everyone a belated Merry Christmas, Happy holidays, all that stuff.

I worked Christmas Day, and am currently on night shift which started on Boxing day, so not happy holidays for me yet. I've taken a week off starting tomorrow - thank (ahem) Christ! A month of extra night shifts is really taking its toll. The money's been good, but I'm not sure if it's really worth it, although some of the shifts I swapped out of were apparently quite chaotic. One of the clients inparticular has been very unsettled in the lead up to Christmas, and has attempted numerous assaults on both staff and clients. I spent Christmas evening keeping her away from a client she was targeting, and an hour ago she got out of bed and tried to attack that same client in her bed (purely and simply because she is an easy target). Thankfully I was able to stop her in time and got hit about the arms and legs instead. Nothing serious, but I'm really over working with these behaviours. I know staff are not supposed to put ourselves in danger, but I'll be damned if I'm about to let a defenseless lady get attacked in her own bed. This is the first night shift that I've had an incident, usually its the afternoon/evening shift (when I usually work most) that gets most of the problems. The difference is that during the day there are two staff on to deal with this stuff.

If I don't get the job that I'm applying for then I'm going to request a transfer. This house is dragging me down. I have lifelong experience with disability and challenging behaviours, but its the malicious intent behind it from this particular client that gets to me. I can forgive anything from a client who lashes out because of frustration and not knowing how to deal with things, but planned assault is a very different thing.

Sorry to whinge. This is not my favourite time of year as a general rule, and I guess I've been letting things get to me. I actually dealt really well with the rubbish on Christmas day, and before work had fun with my year old nephew at the family dinner, so its not all bad. Just feeling the need to debrief at the moment.

New Years should be good. Having a few mates around at my place, and I've going to get the inflatable pool set up, since it's supposed to be a scorcher. Maybe even get the BBQ going. Won't need to light it, with forecast temps of 38C should be able to just chuck the meat on and let it sizzle.

Have a good one!

Storms, Parties, and an Opportunity

It's 4am. Isn't that exciting? You're right. It isn't. Moving on.

The last couple of days have been absolutely crazy, for reasons that have very little to do with it being 2 days before Christmas (counting now as being Sunday morning rather than Sat night and not counting the day itself). The weather has been off the charts. Thursday saw flash flooding, two trams struck by lightning, and most of the train lines out of action. Friday dawned deceptively bright and sunny before the storm clouds returned bringing rain and gale force winds into the night, which continued Saturday. The temperature, meanwhile, only just dropped below summer scorcher levels on Saturday, so you can imagine how muggy it was Thurs and Friday. The rain is supposed to ease off Monday in time for a fine and sunny Christmas day.

Thursday was Rileys 1st birthday, and he had a party at the Standford Hotel, which had a great play area for all the kiddies, complete with face painting. Thankfully the storms had eased off by then so getting there wasn't a hassle. Riley slept through most of his party, but he loved his pressie from me (a singing Elmo toy) and I got a lovely giggly goodbye cuddle.

Friday Chris and I had planned what was supposed to be a Christmas BBQ for our friends. It's just as well our place is all decked out for Christmas since we were stuck inside. Chris manned the grill (thank you baby!), and we had one of those electric fat free grills going as well to cope with the truck load of meat I'd bought. Mum and Dave were also round for dinner on the way back to Castlemaine after visiting Riley for his birthday, as they hadn't been able to come down for his party. It was a good night all in all, apart from the odd spat, and I think everyone liked their pressies. I scored a board game ('Taboo'), and an inflatable pool, which will come in handy when the weather returns to normal.

[Insert segue here. It's night shift so you'll get what you're given and just be greatful that it's more or less coherent.]

I've just finished updating my resume so I can apply for a new job as a community development worker. The position is still within the same company, but a different department. The job deals with advocacy and community inclusion for people with disabilities, and sounds a great deal more rewarding then where I am now. The role is only 3 days a week, so if I got the job I would have to either still work where I am now with reduced hours, or join the casual pool on the side, but if I found I enjoyed the role I could then work towards increasing my hours. I know 4am is not the best time to be working on job applications. I'm leaving the cover letter alone for now, and will go over the resume again at a later stage, just getting started. Even without having ever worked in that specific role I still meet all the selection criteria without any embellishment, and Yooralla seems to prefer hiring from within its own ranks, so I'm feeling pretty positive about my chances. Wish me luck!

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Whoops

I've just accidentally made potato gems. They were supposed to be scones, but I must not have used enough flour.

Still quite nice, made with chives from the garden, just not what I was going for. They are really crunchy on the outside and very moist inside. I made them at work for savory afternoon snacks but I think they will go well with tomorrows roast dinner.

My insomnia has been kicking in big time the last few days. Last night I didn't get to sleep until about 5am, after going to bed at 11, and once I finally got to sleep it wasn't particularly restful. I did manage to have an afternoon nap today though, which just shows how tired I was because I hardly ever manage to fall asleep if I lie down for a nap. The good thing to come out of this is that my body hasn't realised yet that I'm on night shift, although it is only 2.15, and 3-4am is the real test.

It's going to be a pretty busy week. I finish at 9am in the morning, then go home to sleep for the day (after a night shift is the only time I go right to sleep). Chris finishes work at 4pm, which is about when I should be getting up, and then we are heading to Castlemaine (he's driving) to see mum for her birthday, coming home Tuesday lunchtime to work Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon. Thursday is my nephew Riley's first birthday, he's having a party that evening, and Friday Chris and I are having a Christmas BBQ at our place. Somewhere between all that we have to fit in a trip to the shops to get a couple of last minute pressies and stuff for the BBQ. Then I'm working night shift again Saturday and Sunday, recuperating Monday (Christmas Eve) and working Christmas afternoon and Boxing Day night shift.

I've taken a week off work after Boxing Day. I think I may need it.

For the cat people

I think anyone who has ever owned a cat will appreciate this

Out and About

It's been a pretty good day today. Yesterday, technically, since it's now tomorrow. Nothing overly exciting, shopping and stuff, but a nice relaxing day with good company.

Chris and I were heading towards the foothills for a spot of shopping so we did a loop, bought some special mugs at an Asian grocers in Knoxfield to replace some that had broken, checked out a cafe in Boronia that specialises in allergen free foods, and went on to Ferntree gully to look for a shop, which we didn't find but we enjoyed browsing and it was a nice day to be walking around. We then stopped off at Bunnings in Scoresby on the way home, and after a fair bit of browsing bought a trough, seedlings and potting mix for a herb garden, some camping chairs, citronella torches, a pedestal fan, and Chris priced some woodworking gear. Once we got home I cooked roast veges and salmon steaks with tamari for dinner, and got the herb garden set up, and Chris put the fan together. Put my feet up for an hour, and then headed off to work for my night shift.

Tomorrow I plan to fall in a heap.

Rules of Christmas decorating

It's probably important to note when contemplating my Christmas decorating that I grew up in this woman's house. While my Christmas collection has a way to go before it can even contemplate thinking about the possibility of the thought of competing with hers crossing its mind, growing up with her has resulted in several rules of Christmas decorating being thoroughly ingrained from an early age.

Rule #1 - Christmas decorations go up on the first of December and go down on the 6th of January. There is leeway allowed for Christmas parties, stinking hot lazy days and decor that takes more than a day to get sorted.

Rule #2 - Christmas decorating is like a party - once the decoration numbers have increased they will spread out to fill the house, but when the party is just getting started they should mainly congregate in one room for maximum effect.

Rule #3 - Blue is not a Christmas colour, although sometimes exceptions can be made.

Rule #4 - Collections should be grouped together, be they Santa's, teddies, cats, etc. They all like to hang out.

Rule #5 - If it sits still long enough, tie a bow on it. Or loop a tree decoration over it. Either way. Anything can be Christmassed up.

Rule #6 - Although you can get away with more during the silly season then you might the rest of the year, there is a line between festive and tacky that should not be crossed. If you want to know where this line is, visit an Indian restaurant.

Christmas photos pt 1

Since blogger is currently co-operating with photos, Its finally time to get some Christmas photos up. Since I have yet to collect a large stash of decorations, I have pretty much stuck to decorating the lounge room for now.
I've gone with the silver tree again, still standing despite the cats best efforts, swags, and assorted collections.
Here we have the little tree on the coffee table, decorated by the boy.The start of a Santa collection. I generally don't do blue for Christmas, but he was the boys Kris-Kringle last year, and I need three to call it a collection.

Another collection, this time of stuffed toys decked out with bows, hats, and Chris-moose has his own scarf.
more photos soon, for now I have to go to work

Shoesday - Christmas Edition

In celebration of the silly season, I bring you a special Christmas edition of Shoesday. I present to you a Christmas shoe wreath! It might need a bit of glue before you try sticking this on your door.I bought these while I was up in Townsville during winter, and the tropical climate necessitated the purchase of Summer footwear. They had a 2nd pair half price deal on, so since I liked both colours, I took them up on it.
The cords on these shoes are so long that, if one is so inclined, they can be tied almost to the knees. Now if you'll excuse me I have to go see an ancient Greek about a chariot.

Never buy a maths major a rubiks cube

I bought Chris a rubiks cube about a week ago, he has since solved it 3 or 4 times and won't leave it alone until he figures out the exact formula to solve it, not just how but why it works.
Never buy a maths major a rubiks cube. You'll lose him to it.

Chris has his own blog! He has only posted twice in 3 months, and may never post again, but he has a good writing style and I at least found it amusing, and have been encouraging him to post more regularly. Maybe if you ask sweetly he'll even tell you the story behind the toffee apples.

Christmas bells are ringing...

The Christmas decorations are up, have been duly photographed, and blogger is dutifully refusing to upload them, so you'll just have to wait. Ner.

The cats have been outdoing themselves in their assaults on the Christmas tree, regularly pulling bits of the silver chain down and a few decorations a day. We were woken up this morning by a loud game of Christmas bauble soccer which ranged all over the house and ended abruptly when the "ball" was confiscated. They have a lot to live up to; better not tell them that, in his youth, their uncle Oakley used to bring the whole tree down by launching himself at it from the nearest armchair, or that miss Sophie would climb to the top of the tree dislodging ornaments as she went until none remained.

In other news, Fi, Nat and I went to see Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: The Musical on Wednesday night. Ross was, unfortunately, not able to make it as his rehearsal went overtime. It was a great night, and great to be doing something different with the girls. We had great seats, close enough to spot the fluttering of a beaded lash. The show kept to the general storyline, but changed enough to keep you paying attention. They kept most of the best lines, and added a few comedic elements, lines and a lot of songs. Some changes seemed fairly pointless, for example The 'ABBA' obsession was replaced by Kylie (possibly a song rights issue), others were pretty good. The entire cast was brilliant, as were the costumes. Micheal Caton had only to walk on stage to get applause, and while you might not, at first, recognise the rest of the cast, they all had impressive resumes.

We all left with souvenirs; we all got a program, a handful of confetti which we were showered with as the three drag queens left Sydney, and ping pong balls, which were launched into the audience at the end of that scene - yes, they included it, and it was very well executed! The ping pong balls are bright pink and emblazoned with the words 'FOR EXTERNAL USE ONLY', and the silhouette of that shot from the movie when they climb Kings canyon [as Queens]; the one that's on the cover of the DVD. I also got a fitted white t-shirt, Nat got a shot glass and Fi got a cap.

Thursday was the boy's birthday. He had to work during the day but we went out for a nice dinner at an Indian resturant. We were going to go for a walk afterwards but fell in a heap instead.

Earth Dragon

This is something I sketched the other week. I think it has potential if I clean it up a bit. The Earth dragon concept is hardly original, but this is just my own take on it.

No Wonder!

I bought some rescue remedy earlier in the month, it was what mum used to give me if I was a bit shocky. Anyway I decided it would be a good thing to have around, especially in case my piercing comes out again, since last time I got quite queasy when I couldn't get it back in.

So whats the secret behind this calming solution? Well, its made up of extracts of different flowers in a grape alcohol base. Wait a minute. Flowers and grape alcohol? That sounds familiar. It even tastes like red wine. No wonder its supposed to 'help you cope with life's ups and downs'

So it turns out alcohol really is the solution to all life's problems.

Shoesday

At work we have to wear shoes with a closed toe and heel, so last summer I had to go out hunting for a pair that was suitable, but that would be alright in warmer weather. When I found this pair I fell in love with them, they are a beautiful soft leather and I really like shoes that lace up around the ankles. they also have nice detailing on the toes. The fact that I needed them for work, and that they were therefore tax deductible made these a great guilt-free purchase.

Sorry that the photos are a bit dark, it's a stinking hot day so all the blinds are closed, but they don't show up well with the flash.

Sketches #2 - dragons

I have always been fascinated by dragons, and have been drawing them from quite an early age. I draw my own particular breed of dragon, they are peaceful like Eastern dragons, and often sport an Eastern-influenced beard. Physically they mostly resemble the malevolent beasts of Western mythology in terms of being generally four legged with bat-like wings, horns and a bony ridge over the eyes.

Theses sketches are roughly in order of age, from oldest to most recent. They are all completely original apart from the first, which was based on a figurine. I recently came across this tattoo design that was clearly based on the same collectible (either that or someone plagiarized mine from my obscure early website - doubtful).

The top view of the dragon in flight was the starting point for my main assessment for year 12 studio arts in 2000. The finished version is in storage so I can't show you that. The close up of the head and neck was made into a lino stamp as a minor piece for the same class.




The pen drawing of the head and arms was to be a full sized serpentine dragon going down the corridor at my last workplace. When I left the head and first couple of sections had been cut out of balsa wood, I don't know if they ever finished it.

I also designed my dragon tattoo, which I got done in February.

Click on the images to see them larger.

Sketches #1 - Cats

I've just bought myself a sketchbook with the intention of starting drawing again, so I thought I'd get things started by posting some of my old sketches that live on the computer.

This is an A4 sketch of my old cat Smokey, probably dates back to around 2000.
The other two were based on illustrations in a book, and are both on post-it sized bits of paper.

Gratuitous cat photos

My cats are, lets face it, odd.

Suki puss is often to be found lying flat on her back. Its no use telling her that it isn't ladylike, she'll just poke her tongue out and tell you that it isn't her fault that she isn't a lady anymore, she wasn't given much say in the matter. Its just as well she has such a cute spotty belly, which is a much healthier size since earlier in the year when she was sick and lost an alarming amount of weight. If anything she's getting tubby now.


What happens when you do a spot of spring cleaning? well naturally the feline members of the household must examine newly cleared nooks and crannies, and reassert their hold over the de-fluffed areas.

Shoesday

This is probably my favourite pair of heels, Chris bought them for my birthday last year. A few of my favourite pairs of shoes happen to be red. Funny that.

Wedding Bells

Saturday was the big day for Cass and Dave, and it went beautifully. The weather cleared for a day and the rain started up again once we were all safely inside the reception hall. Cass and Dave have to be one of the best couples I know, and I am really glad they found each other.

In the bridal party we have Nat, Nadine, the lovely Bret, and I cant remember the second groomsman's name.

The reception could have doubled as Cass and my 7 year high school reunion, given that there were two tables of our year level, plus Ross who was a year below. Most of the time the GWSC group were the only ones on the dance floor as well. It was great to go to a wedding with friends (previously I had only been to family weddings and an older family friends second wedding), and to catch up with some of the people I haven't seen since high school.

No rest for the wicked

Despite being sick this has been a pretty busy week, there hasn't been much happening which allowed for things that had been building up to be taken care of.

Tuesday was spring cleaning day, in between little rests Chris and I got a fair bit of cleaning and reorganising done. Not the most fun, but very necessary. Still some things to finish off as I banged my finger and had to take some time out with an ice pack, but no lasting harm done, now I just need to get around to cleaning the bathroom. I meant to make a shoesday post, but didn't have a photo ready and got sidetracked from taking one. It takes a lot of trial and error to take a decent photo of your own feet.

Wednesday Chris and I went shopping at Knox, where among other things Chris got a nice shirt and suit jacket for Cass and Dave's wedding, and I got some sneakers which I need to return as they arn't comfortable (never buy expensive shoes at the end of a long day on your feet). While we were having coffee I also found Village cinema vouchers and a forgotten JB gift card in my bag. As JB is directly opposite the cinemas, we bought movie tickets then browsed while waiting for the movie to start. I bought the complete season of Firefly, and Muppet treasure island, which is easily the best muppet movie. We then saw 'Death at a funeral', which was frankly painful to watch, and did the grocery shopping before heading home around 10pm.

On Thursday I dropped chris off at work then headed to the Glen to get a long overdue haircut. I have a tendancy to put off getting my hair cut because I don't trust anyone to do a good job. The hairdresser I got left a lot to be desired, she was way to casual about hacking into my hair. I'm certain my hair length isn't even remotely even, as she didn't even check, and she took more off than I would have liked, however it seems to be sitting ok and it probably needed the extra length off. After the cut I did a few errands around the shops, and bought some clothes. I need to return a skirt I bought as a seam is already coming undone, and I need to get some money back from another store as I got charged seperately for two shirts that were supposed to be 2 for $x. This evening I'm going to go to Knox to exchange the shoes and I'm going to try to sort the other stuff there as both chains are at Knox as well.

Cass and Dave's wedding is tomorrow afternoon, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the weather is good. Melbourne weather is unpredictable at the best of times and during Spring all bets are off. Its supposed to be a garden wedding, to be moved indoors if its raining.

Road Trippin'

On Saturday Fi and I went for a therapeutic day trip to Castlemaine. We set off armed with an MP3 disk full of musicals, and headed up, stopping briefly at Malmsbury to show Fi the old rail bridge there (still in use, as shown by the photo taken on a previous visit). I thought Fi would like it given her appreciation of old architecture and stonework.

Once we got in to Castlemaine we went to Saff's cafe for a nice lunch in the garden then headed over to mum's, where Fi spent some quality time with Caramel, her cat whom mum adopted when Fi had to find a new home for her, and also met the kids, now 5 [I stand corrected - 7] weeks old and getting really big.

After getting Fi acquainted with mum's livestock, we headed across the block to check out the new arrivals next door, a Shetland pony mare and foal, and also introduced Fi to billy Blackadder , Ruby and Rowans father [pictured]; heavily pregnant doe Nelly; and India and Scarlett, last years goatlets.

When Fi had had enough we headed back onto mum's block, and spotted these two fly-ins by the dam, dubbed Fred and George by mum. Apparently they have been visiting mum quite regularly.

Once we got back to the house Fi gave Ruby her bottle, and we spent some time relaxing in the sun and taking in the country air and view before heading home. The trip home was spent singing along with Chicago, Rent, and The Producers. Nice to have people around who are nuts about the same stuff. I dropped Fi back and hung around until it was time to pick Chris up from work, then headed home where the cold that had been looming all day came out in force, and I've been forced into taking it easy since then. My head was far to fuzzy to post yesterday, and is still pretty bad to tell you the truth, so you'll have to excuse me if this isn't the most eloquent post.

til next time
xo

Hair!

First off a big thankyou to everyone who commented on the last post, and if you still haven't delurked, remember your comments are always appreciated!

Now its time for updated hair pics. Fi and I decided to go over it again as it didn't come out as well as we'd hoped the first time. I'm really happy with it now and have decided not to dye over it after all (at least not for a while).

ETA: Add to the new hair a new bit of shrapnel through my left [hand side, so right from your perspective] nostril, actually the same piece of shrapnel from a few months ago which came out after 6 weeks and has just been reinserted. Can I just say owie owie yowch eeeeeeeeiiiii?!?!? I was warned that it would hurt more this time because of the scar tissue as I wanted it in the same spot, and well, it did.

The Centennial post!

Well, here it is, just shy of my 1st anniversary on blogger, my hundredth post.


This is another one of those 'haven't-had-time-for-a-long-post-in-a-while-so-time-to-play-catch-up' posts. Stick around though, I'll have a dig around and find something good to end on.

Sooooo lets see, what have I been up to lately? *racks brain*. I've been spending a lot of time just hanging out with Fi lately because she was staying with her parents who live around the corner from me for a couple of weeks, so we've been making the most of it before her parents move. On Sunday Fi came over in the afternoon for a BBQ, we spent the afternoon sitting out in the sun, then I dropped her back at her parents place and went to babysit my beautiful nephew Riley while Steve and Christina went to a concert. Riley is now 10 months old and scooting all over the place. He's a cheeky little giggle-pot so we had fun. He had a nap for about 2 hours before his dinner then stayed up til Steve and Chris got home at midnight, so hopefully they will have gotten a bit of a sleep in.


On Monday night Fi called me very distressed after getting some bad news and needed to be with friends, I was busy at the time so Ross went round to her place and I met them there and we all went back to my place and got exceptionally drunk. I have discovered V (guarana) and vodka. Whoa. Makes for a good night as long as you don't plan on getting much sleep. We spent most of the night outside sitting at the table, lying on the grass, and generally mucking around. We went to bed around 3.30am. Tuesday was spent recovering.

One of the good things that came out of Monday night was that before we got too drunk we managed to work out when we are seeing the Priscilla: Queen of the Desert musical and got tickets. Now I just hope everyone coughs up the money soon since I'm about $470 out of pocket.

On Wednesday Fi and I had a girly day. We met at the shops to get hair stuff, then back to my place to bleach my hair. We used a tipping cap with the result that my hair is now multicoloured brown, blond, and a coppery ginger. My hair was still a bit damp in the photo so its not really true to colour but it gives you an idea. I was a bit nervous about overdoing it as I've never used peroxide before and was weary of my hair going brittle so we didn't leave it in as long as we could have. I am going to go over it with deep red, but might stay like this for a few days first. I go burgundy from time to time but on my dark hair it really only shows up as a tint, now it should be really vivid. As I've never bleached before this also serves as a test for 'Shave for a Cure', which involves either shaving or colouring your hair to raise money for cancer. I'm planning on doing it next year. My hair has coped fine with the bleach so now I know I can do it again and dye a really out-there colour over the top. I would only shave if I raised a huge amount of money, since my hair grows quite slowly.

Now, in celebration of my hundredth post, I want you all to delurk! If I go by my comments I only have 3 regular readers plus the odd drop in. I know I get more views then that, so leave a comment!

I will leave you with some semi random photos: me with the goats on my last visit to mums, Suki playing in her tunnel, and Sumi just looking pretty

Since blogger has been stubbornly refusing to let me upload video lately I've gone behind its back and signed up to YouTube, which was much more obliging.

This video is of Ruby and Rowan exploring their newly expanded world at two weeks old, it was taken less then three weeks ago but according to mum they have tripled in size since then.


my videos are also available here

You know what its like?

When you get something really stuck in your head and you just have to get it stuck in everyone else's? Well enjoy!


Got this classic stuck in my head thanks to yet another spoof of it. The only cure was to look it up.

Muppets rock!

xo Nadie
just a little bit evil

Shoesday

Today is 'alternative' shoesday. These goth/ punk boots were a recent purchase from Fitzroy. They may not be everyday wear in suburbia, but they will get their chance to shine. I'm planning on wearing them to 'witches in britches' for my next birthday. The photo doesn't do them justice at all, the boots have great detailing along the heal and up the back, as well as on the toe, and the heel is slightly higher then it looks in the picture.

Goings on

The last few days have been fairly eventful. This is the first time I've been able to sit at the computer for long enough to write about it. I've given up trying to upload video of the kids as I tried all week on both computers at home as well as at work.

Thursday evening I had my monthly massage and Chiro adjustment, I also had a sleep assessment and bought a memory foam pillow. I discovered fairly quickly that I'm sensitive to the pillow and went back to my old one, although the short exposure was enough that my eyes are still itchy. Friday I rang the chiropractors to see if I could return the pillow and was told that should be fine.

Friday night I was supposed to be going to Ross's production with Fi, but neither of us was up for a big night so I instead met up with Nat and Kenny to catch up over coffee, and after Kenny left Nat and I decided to check what was on at the movies across from the cafe. We ended up seeing a 9.15pm session of Hairspray, which I loved. If you like comedic musicals and dance then I highly recommend it. It was all kinds of cheesy but great fun. I got home about 11.45pm, about half an hour before Chris who had late shift.

Saturday lunchtime I went to Cass's hens party in Pakenham. She decided to have a Tupperware party, which I thought was an odd choice in place of a hens night but still fun. Nat and I stayed on afterwards and when Dave and Bret arrived mid afternoon we decided to have a poker night. We finished up just after 1am. Chris had no way of joining us after work so instead went to a local pub for a party for someone who was leaving his work. While there he agreed to swap shifts with someone who needed to get out of a Sunday shift. He beat me home by about an hour. Dave messaged me the next morning to let Chris and I know they are planning another hens/ bucks night in a couple of weeks, starting with dinner together then moving on from there. Should be good.

Sunday morning while Chris was getting ready for work Fi called to see if we were still on for a BBQ that I had sort-of-but-not-quite-arranged-depending-on-weather. Chris was annoyed that he was missing our first BBQ but it couldn't be helped that he had forgotten it was a possibility when he picked up the shift. Ross came over just before 4pm and we met Fi at the shops to get what we needed then headed back to my place for evening drinks before firing up the BBQ around 6pm. It started to get dark not long after eating so we moved inside for games which is how Chris found us. Fi left just after 8pm then Ross, Chris and I settled in under quilts to watch "Practical magic" before crashing.

Yesterday was busy in a much more mundane sort of way. I had a staff meeting at a local pub, then dropped by the chiropractors with Chris to return the pillow and was told that I couldn't return it, but if I could come back the next day to talk to the chiropractor they would see about exchanging it and using the return as a demo pillow. Chris and I went to The Glen from there and had a coffee before doing a much needed big shop. Once we got home I made risotto for dinner and we watched 'Clerks' and 'Chasing Amy'.

Today I exchanged the pillow [wish me luck with the new one] and just pottered around until it was time to go to work. Chris worked during the day and finished an hour after I started. I like having the house to myself for a bit every now and then but I'm glad we generally work similar hours, although I'd probably get a lot more blogging done if we didn't!

until next time
xo

Because you asked for it

Well, mum did at least.

I mentioned a little while ago that one of the night staff at work cares for orphaned wildlife, and has been bringing a young wallaby to work lately. I finally managed to get photos of said wallaby, although not particularly good ones since he was more interested in exploring than posing. The photo of him looking over Kylie's leg is included to give an idea of size.

Tuesday Shoesday

*Thunk* that was the sound of me jumping on the shoesday bandwagon.

It was a tough deciding which pair was most worthy of the first post, but in the end the newest pair won. I found these adorable flats a couple of weeks ago at DFO's Novo. They fit beautifully and I love the vibrant shade of red, I even had a matching handbag already!



Next time: shoesday goes goth!

Playing catch- up

Ok, I know, I know. I've been slack with the blogging. The last couple of weeks have been kinda nuts, I've been very up and down. When I've been feeling up I haven't had the time to blog, and when things have been down I haven't had the inclination. Soooo now that things have settled down a bit here's the highlights.

A fortnight ago was Chris and my 1st anniversary. To celebrate Chris got us a room at the Novotel hotel on Collins st in the city. More extravagant than he could really afford but still preeetty good. We spent Sunday in the city, had lunch at the hotel opposite Flinders st station then went and checked in and had a look at the room (very nice, but might as well not have had windows for how bad the view was). Then we walked to Southbank, checked out the Art Centre Sunday market and watched a street performer for a while before finding a cafe overlooking the Yarra for a coffee. Then we walked back down along the Yarra and went on the travelling Ferris wheel that is currently set up next to Fed Square. We then had a look around Fed square before heading back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. For dinner we went to a really nice seafood restaurant at docklands, then afterwards to Hot Chocolate, for the best coffee I have had in ages.

Wednesday I had a girls day out in Fitzroy with Fi. We decided it was time for a change and went shopping for a goth/punk outfit for me. We did the rounds of the interesting alternative shops and I ended up with a funky black coat with fluffy trim - a bargain at $20 down from $60, fantastic boots (not so much a bargain at about $130), hot lace fingerless gloves which require assistance to do up, and two pairs of footless tights, stripy bright purple and black and plain black. Fi got the same fingerless gloves, a pentagram, and wrist cuffs. We then headed to Fi's favourite goth shop to finish off the outfit but discovered that they had closed early, so we went back to Fi's to dump everything and headed to one of the local pubs for dinner and drinks. Ross joined us later and we went back to Fi's for a few hours, before Chris came to pick me up and Fi came back with us to spend the night at our place.

Thursday after breakfast Fi decided to go visit her parents while she was in the area, so Chris and I dropped her off before heading to the DFO in Moorabbin. We each got some shoes (much cheaper then the ones I bought the previous day, and probably more practical), and looked at boring home stuff like towels and casserole dishes, then went to bunnings and bought a BBQ, which we still haven't had a chance to try out.

Friday night I headed up to mums in Castlemaine. My brother Steve, SIL Christina and 9 month old nephew Riley were up for the night so for once we were all in the one spot. It took an hour longer then usual to get there as I'd forgotten that school holidays had just started, and as soon as I cleared the traffic jams the heavens opened, so after a somewhat stressful drive it was good to relax, have a meal with my family, a play with Riley, and give my goat her bottle.

Steve and co left after breakfast on Saturday and I spent large parts of the day sitting on the ridge out the back with the goats. Both kids seemed to remember me, especially Ruby, who in her first 2 days of life decided that I was her person.

Chris caught the train up on Sunday and we came home Monday evening, as the cats were prepared neither to share a house with the ever burgeoning ranks of mum's petting zoo nor to spend more than one night without their people or a change of litter.

That's pretty much it, I've been working every day since Tuesday and am now on a night shift.

I am now going to see if the brand spanking new work computer will indulge me in an attempt to upload video. USB sticks are a wonderful invention.

Goaty fun

This video is of Ruby's early attempts at gamboling at 2 days old. Rowan was still learning to support her own weight at that stage so could not join in. Aunty Robbyn watches on from outside the goat enclosure.

Kids on film!

This video of Ruby and Rowan getting to know mum Rosie was taken on Monday just after Rowan's first feed. Ruby (strawberry blonde) is about 40 minutes old, Rowan (white) is about 15 minutes old. The storm that you can hear in the background arrived about a minute after I finished filming, Rosie did well to time the birth when it was dry.

Both kids are doing well, I'll be going back up to see them next weekend.

This is my week for cute animal babies. The last two nights while handing over to the night staff, who cares for orphaned natives, I got to snuggle with 5-6 week old wallaby 'Buddy'. He has just reached the age of climbing out of his pouch and exploring, very cute!

Kidding around

I am currently staying up at mum's in Castlemaine, where at 4.30pm today I attended the birth of her goat Rosie's beautiful twin girls Ruby (firstborn strawberry blonde with white on her head, belly and ankles) and Rowan (white with caramel head and strip down her back). It was Rosie's first pregnancy, and mum's first time at caprine midwifery, both did extremely well, in fact Ruby arrived so soon that we missed her birth, mum found her when she went out for a routine check thinking we were settling in for the long haul, and Rowan was born in less then two minutes from the time her foot emerged.

Both girls take after their Saanen mother in appearance, although Ruby has her Anglo-Nubian dad's floppy ears and their colouring is a mix between the two breeds, Saanens being white and Anglo-Nubians being the equivalent of a tortoiseshell [calico] cat.

I just came in from their second bottle feed. I fed Ruby and mum fed Rowan, as Rosie is from such a good line that she’s been requiring milking for weeks now, and the kids needed the nutrients from the first milk produced. After finishing most of her bottle Ruby settled down to sleep on my lap. After we gave the girls back to a concerned Rosie, Rowan decided she wanted a bit more to drink, then also fell asleep on my lap. It was a wonderful experience but eventually we had to resettle the twins and leave Rosie to it.

Photos don't want to load at the moment so check back later, for now there are some on mum's blog.

More chickens, and feedback required

Damn breakfast menu. Can I get a side of compassion?

More chickens here


I need some feedback about my new banner. Because of the way blogger works I had to make it up of two images, the background, which should line up with the edges of the rest of the blog, and the text and picture, so I need to know if they are loading alright and lining up properly on other systems. I designed the background from scratch and the picture is also mine so no copying.