Catch Up

Is it really over 10 days since I last wrote in my blog. Well, I guess I have been busy doing stuff. Not sure what really. Let me think............oh yes, the house. Renovations are still going strong. In fact, we seem to be doing more than I thought we would. Now in the front room we have all three of us sleeping. One double bed and one single bed in this teeny room. A bit squashed for all of us. There is plaster dust from one end of the house to the other. Mum is down visiting and forced to sleep on the dining room floor on a mattress hidden amongst the boxes full of stuff and piles of clothes. Not very visitor friendly but who cares. Not me.

So, yesterday - Saturday. A busy day. Took S to swimming lessons where he earnt another certificate. I was quite pleased for him. Then we went down to Mornington for the day - not K as he was working. So a long drive there and back. I bought a rather old jacket (1952 black army coat) and got it home and have realised that no-one but me likes it. Hmmmmm. Today went to T&J's house warming where there were 50 adults and 20 kids and lots of cakes. Could not eat one thing and S was totally bored out of his brain and I was close behind. Had three cups of black coffee - so desperate for something to put in my stomach.

Am back on a strict food regime after a rather nasty week of eating food I should not. Makes the whole eating process a bit dull and regimented but have no choice really.

S & K are at the Deep Purple concert tonight and it was so cute to drop them off. K went to see DP in 1971 and now taking his son in 2006. Very sweet father and son stuff I think. S was excited. I expect him to be a bit tired tomorrow.

Have decided that growing my hair long is just not an option. Too mumsy and heavy. Am making an appointment to have a proper cut - not a boring bob or "smart" thing - something funky. Have to do it this week - cannot stand having hair look like shit.

Probably have more to write, but have to go and pick up the two groupies in St Kilda.

Sleep well.

Ciao

LM

Collecting

I have always collected things. Always old things and generally unusual. I have collections of things like English money boxes, toys, souvenir wooden life buoys, wall vases, bayko and a toy car to match each car I have owned. Sometimes I just like to buy fiddly little things that I can take out and look at sometimes. Half the fun in collecting is the chase, the search and getting it for the right price. The whole part of collecting is that it has to meet certain criteria to fulfill the satisfaction of the entire process. If the item is freely available then the interest in it is diminished which I think is the main reason that older things are always more appealing to collect than new items. Older items are no longer made, not always found in large quantities and often come with a strange history that makes it all the more attractive. Once I have decided what I may like then I look on the internet to start with. Prior to the internet there was the Trading Post and Collectors magazines and not really much more. So the internet has opened a world up for collectors and united all sorts of strange hobbies and interests. Price always has to be right when collecting. If it is too much then the collector feels screwed but if it is too cheap and the seller finds out later on he has sold it for a small amount of its' value then the seller feels screwed. Having said that, there is nothing better than getting a hot bargain for a collectible item.

Years ago K was seriously into telephones. Not just any telephones but amazing museum pieces that you could never get here. We got onto a collection in England that was being sold for someone. The collection had a great history. It belonged to a guy who was murdered by his wife's lover. And now she was moving the collection on. The collection was huge but the dealer was only letting small amounts out at a time otherwise it would reduce the value of each phone. So enough were out to be tantalising for a person who was after them. Subsequently over the next twelve months K purchased a large amount and we had them shipped over where they held pride and place in the house. But, like any collection, once you have the best the interest in them goes. The chase is over. After a few years K sold the collection bit by bit to other collectors in the US. He made an enormous profit on them which was a bonus. But then the collection had to be replaced with other collections and I guess that is why we have vintage bikes now.

So, what about my collections. Well I have an absolutely enormous amount of highly collectible Bayko which is a building set from the 1960's. It is packed in boxes and occasionally I take it out and build a house. But at the moment it is in storage. My money boxes are packed away for now as are my gorgeous souvenir wooden life buoys. But I have plans for them. What other things do I have and cossett? Vintage Jet jewelry, a few vintage handbags, vintage silver marcasite necklaces and bracelets and other bits and pieces. I also have some very sweet wall vases - all old and strange. I intend to start collecting more of them but not just yet.

I would rather spend money on things I like to collect than on clothes or anything else. It is so much more satisfying and leaves me with a sense of purpose. Plus it is really so much fun.

Ciao

LM

Easter Monday

Pedalled of to the big shopping centre. Took only about 30 mins and I felt so pleased with myself and enjoyed the sun and cool breeze. I kept shopping to a minimum otherwise I would not be able to get home again. That shopping centre is a bit boring these days. All the same shops and really too big for me. Still, despite the size I always manage to bump into someone I know.

Now I am at home and about to have a cup of coffee and one of those ghastly Easter Buns I made. I will have to toast it though otherwise I may be unable to swallow it. I like them though, they remind me of my mum's baking - all hard and unpalatable. Really, cooking and baking are not my forte. I am not sure what is. Maybe bike riding.

S and K are out at the tip so I can chill out a bit.

Ciao

LM

Easter Weekend

Today is Easter Sunday and C has gone home after a lovely ten day break from Bundaberg. We had to get out of bed at 5.00am this morning so both of us were a bit bleary eyed by the time we got to the airport. I have not had a shower today and having decided just to be a dirty dog instead.

After I came home S collected the Easter eggs I decided I would bake some Easter Buns as a treat. Well, I think they have turned out to be more like fruit scones. K asked if I used wholemeal flour (a repeat of last year's disaster) and I did have to confess that although I did not use wholemeal flour, I did in fact use high fibre white flour which is pretty much the same. All in all, the result was okay and I they were quite nice immediately after they came out of the oven and were washed down with a cup of tea. However, I do think at the end of the day they will be used for door stops.

I managed to do some gardening which was nice. This is perfect weather for digging in the garden. The black earth is so full of promise. I dug in some poo pellets and unfortunately Angus has eaten some and rolled in it. Dogs are seriously disgusting.

Generally I just pottered around. Four days holiday is a bit much really.

Ciao

LM

Good Friday

Well at last a minute to write some bits and pieces down. Having C down for the week or more has been taking a lot of my spare time but I have some "me" time so now I write blah blah. A brief run down of C's stay here - don't want to bore you with all the details. We went to the Art Gallery and saw the Pissaro exhibition, went to the flower show, went to the movies and tomorrow we are going to the Dandenongs (weather permitting). She has had such a good time and has spent lots of it in the City going to the Museum and the Docklands. So I am happy for her. But man-o-man is she loud. I had an earache after I spoke to her on the mobile phone the other day.

Today is Good Friday and raining which means I was bored. That is not the whole truth. We had plans to go out to the zoo but S woke up and decided he just did not want to go. And after looking up at the grey sky I also did not feel like venturing out traipsing around the zoo. So our bedroom was emptied out and the carpet pulled up in readiness for the plasterer who is coming next week. I am totally depressed and the house in now in the worst pigsty I have seen for ages and I have nowhere to escape to and relax. Our bed is in the finished front room all on its' own and no curtains. But it is nice and light and when I wake up I can look out the window and see the top of the ugly council tree on out nature strip. We call it the broccoli tree. It just had a shave on Wednesday and now we get so much light into the house.

I have taken a photo of today's efforts in the main bedroom. Rather messy I think. Our window is so out of square that is is almost funny, but the trouble with old houses is that things move and shift and sag. To fix the window is such a major job that we have decided to just leave it. We cannot move back into the room until the whole front of the house is recarpeted which will be in a few weeks. I will be changing the tiles in the fireplace as they are just not suitable for our house. The colours in there are more Edwardian. So I am looking for plainer finishes which should not be too hard. The firemantle is just so delicious. We got it on Ebay and it is perfect for our house. Once finished the room will be painted green up to the picture rail and on the cornice. White everywhere else with gloss white enamel on the woodwork. I love green and white. So refreshing and soothing. I am so sick of beige, cream, peach and stone colours. They feature heavily in some of the houses we do at work - boring. Colour is so pleasureable to live with.

At the moment we have bits of furniture parked all around the house and in the dining room. Boxes with books and clothes stacked up. I have no bedroom furniture so all my clothes are in boxes which I have to dig through if I want something. With the house being so tiny I do notice the inconvenience. Once we have the front of the house finished I need to look for a couple of pieces of bedroom furniture. I gave all my other stuff to my neice as I only want original furniture in the house. Nearly all our furniture is old with the exception of our couch and a few other bits and pieces. I like that 1920's to 1940's plain Australian furniture. So honest and not fussy. I love pot cupboards and I plan to get three of them. I love that they never match. My favorite style is Arts and Crafts which is so beautiful and simple. I would love a house that was totally original with original furniture in it. I would never change it.

I also started going through S's bedroom and toys and have two big green bags of rubbish and that is only after a small section of storage. I found a half eaten sandwich in the cupboard. How disgusting. I also have to get rid of some of his toys which is a bit hard as S and I have a difference of opinion as to what should go and what should stay. I also looked under his bed - hmmmm, nasty. Housework has never been my strong point. But with the renovations I guess the house is much more dusty than usual.

Now it is just raining and raining and I think my planned bike ride is totally out of the question.

Well, what is for dinner? All that is in the fridge is a packet of mince (boy food I think) so it looks like mince and tatties. Not for me - I am doing a lentil thing - even if it means I will be unpopular later on!

Ciao for now.

LM

Little Sister

Well C arrived safely yesterday from sunny QLD. She was so cold that I had to take off my coat and scarf and give it to her to wear. She is so relieved to be down here. I know she wants help sorting things out with her budget and personal direction a bit. It is so nice to talk to her face to face rather than on the phone or msn only. It has been about 2.5 years since I last saw her and I can see she is so much more together now. Her studies are going well but she needs to get some part time work not just for the money but for self esteem and focuss. Too many free hours are not always a good thing. I think she will be trying for aged care area as there is a good market for that in QLD (all those retirees getting on now) and she is good with people - very kind and straight forward.

Today she is going into the city for a trip to the art gallery. She is wearing some clothes of mine, my jacked and shoes and scarf. I made her take an umbrella, lunch and gave her some money for the train and a coffee. I am sure she thought I was being a fussy thing - but I want her not to worry. I just want her to chill out and get her head together.

We started working on her budget and I think it will help her get on top of things. She really justs wants a bit of a different perspective on things. Sometimes you just get so bogged down in life you cannot see further than the front door. So it is not like I am telling her what she has to do, I am only suggesting some things to make life easier for her.

The Flower and Garden show is on this weekend so I think we may make a trip in there maybe on Saturday, not sure yet as it does depend a bit on the weather. I know she also wants to go to the museum which S will also love.

S is starting swimming lessons this Saturday. He is okay with that and it is only really to get his confidence back. Plus I think he is becoming a bit of a lazy sloth and needs to be pushed into getting off his bottom. He has also agreed to do piano lessons this year. I know he is not liking being pushed into it, but sometimes you have to do a bit of firm guiding to develop interests. He can read music so well and I think he has a natural lean to music like K had, so I really think he will appreciate it. Plus, if he sticks to it and practices he is allowed to take up another instrument which I know he wants very much and that is drums. If we don't guide him into things, he will be sitting on his arse playing xbox for the next 10 years. And that is just not an option.

We got one room painted yesterday and it looks fabulous. Green. I am going to take a picture of things soon and post it up as it is all so nice. The yellow bathroom only needs a cabinet and it will be completed.

Well, I better get back to work.

Ciao

LM

Bike Riders

I need to make a quick comment about bike riders. I mean those serious bike riders. You know the ones. They wear all the go gear, lycra and chamois shorts, stretchy lycra tops in vile colours, bike gloves, wierd shoes that go clickety click into the bike pedals and shaved legs. The bikes are made of titanium/plutonium/kryptonite or carbon fibre - whatever - and require a mortgage to pay for it. As I am pedalling along I notice them pass me by or sometimes coming towards me. Serious and grim looks on their faces, bums high in the air as for some really odd reason the bike seat is set higher than the handlebars. Their faces are set with this look of determination. They rarely use bike paths as they choose to ride on the highway usually three abreast. The purpose is to get from point A to point B. Where is the pleasure. What is being seen on the way. Do they notice the gardens or the wind or the colour of the sky? Are they thinking of their day or the next day or even the day before? Is there any peaceful contemplation along with them on the bike ride from Hell they appear to be travelling on. I am of course only assuming that they are not cruising happily judging by the scowl etched into their faces.

I mean to say - lighten up - it is only a bike ride. Enjoy it.

Ciao

LM

Sunday

Had a really pleasant Sunday. Firstly I felt as though there was an extra hour in the day which made me think I was getting something for nothing. Went for a bike ride, although only about 6 kms I think as I decided to keep the distance smaller. Still took a while as I had to do a bit of shopping on the way home. K went to the tip with a full trailer of absolute rubbish from around the garden and house which was very satisfying.

Went for a drive down to the Tyabb Packing house in the hope of finding a nice vintage bed for the spare front bedroom as C is has to have somewhere to sleep! No bed but I did buy this amazing little beach shelter from the 1960's. It is like new. Hard to explain I guess. A long piece of the most gorgeous orange, green and black striped canvas held with four wooden poles as a wind break. It has three sides and in each side is this gorgeous blue canvas pocket which can hold sunscreen and stuff like that. It all rolls up and fits in this groovy little canvas bag. I swear the colours are so bright and cheery it has never been used. Probably just sitting up in someones linen press for 40 odd years and when they die or go to a nursing home the kids just get rid of it all. I cannot wait for summer to use it. I do have a rather shabby one which I think I will send down to the op-shop. Had lunch there as we always do and could not help but notice how grown up S seems to have become. He confessed that he was not bored and quite enjoyed himself. I notice also that he is right into K. Just hangs off him and is really enjoying the father/son thing.

I also bought these two really, really daggy shirts from the awful smelly junk shop for $6.00 each. They were new but so horrible I felt compelled to give them a home. One is purple and one is striped. Both are a bit ugly but I think I can handle it and if not, well they are so cheap I can toss them out after a few wears. I almost bought a baby blue 1950's beaded cardigan but thought K may find that just a bit too smelly and shabby looking (even after a good wash). I have a strong liking for second hand clothes. I am thinking seriously about buying myself a cashmere jumper/polo neck as I think they are just divine (new of course). But then I have to handwash it and that kind of puts me off.

S conned K into buying a Jaws 3 video and I can assure you it met all my expectations. S had to admit that it was only worth $2.00 and not the $4.00 we paid for it.

S has asked me for a leather jacket but I am not sure that he is old enough for one. I don't want him poncing around like some Mario Bros dude. Maybe a denim jacket is more the go. Then again, I would not want to stifle him and his perceptions of how he wants to look.

S lost his tooth just before we left the tooth fairy came to visit whilst we were out! S asked me later on if there really was a tooth fairy or was it me. I tried really hard not to smile/laugh and just kept saying that as long as he believed in the tooth fairy she would visit. I could not bear to tell him but I could not stop laughing either at how he broached the subject. I think he knows something..... I just said to him "S, enjoy being a child and all the things that go with it". So he still believes - well he is telling me he does.

Am about to set up ironing board and you know what that means - ironing.

Ciao

LM

Catch Up Chitter Chat

Well, continuing on from the mention of the 12 km bike ride. I did it. Thursday at 6.00pm. Now today is Saturday and I have to say that I can feel in my bottom and legs that I did some rather hard pedalling. K said it would take about 40 mins - hmmmm, well it took me an hour. Pedalled along North Road with the sun shining in my eyes and peak hour traffic roaring up behind me. Had to go on the footpath a couple of times. Once I got to Nepean Highway bike path I thought that was an easy run so the bike path should be a doddle. And it would have been if not for the headwind that was with me all the way. Got to South road eventually and thought to myself how nice it would be if I was outside the front of my house and NOT at the intersection of Nepean Highway and South Road feeling hungry and thirsty. Also, by then I had decided that 12km was not my cup of tea on that day. But anyway, just pedalled along steadily, up the hills and down and along Jasper Road with the full knowledge that eventually my legs would get me to my front gate. Once home I did feel pretty tired but also really pleased with myself for making the effort. Also slept exceptionally well.

Friday I had to most relaxing day. Went with J&P to a day spa and had a lovely session in the steam room followed by a full body massage and facial. The day was topped of by a nice lunch at Circa restaurant which, whilst rather swishy, was a bit boring and had the worst service. Our lunch order was taken at about 2pm and we finally finish eating and left there at about 3.45pm. Hardly had anytime for a quick looksee down in Acland street as I had to get home. Maybe another day. Really just want to spend a few hours down there at Readings bookshop and spend $$$$. I have not been reading enough books.

In the evening I was in two minds as to whether or not do the catch up with HH friends. K talked me into it and despite my confidence that I would find it boring and be home by 10pm, I ended up getting home at 12.30 am. One of the girls was PD who is now a full time artist and has had some of her works bought by the National Gallery of Victoria. She was almost embarrassed about saying she was an artist - almost as embarrassed about me saying I am a boring bookkeeper. I was so pleased to see her and hear about her life. I think she will be catching up a lot more now.

Today I went to the Farmer's market and bought lots of delish fruit and vegies. Also picked up some venison as I think I can eat that. Really need to plonk on a bit more weight as I have dropped down to 56kgs which looks fine under clothes but really scrawny naked. Plus, makes me tired as I just do not have enough reserves for exercise or late nights. So have eaten lots more food today. Probably not food which will put on weight but more than usual to get my tummy used to it. Bought some gorgeous little apples and pears which are so yummy and will fit perfectly into S's lunchbox at school. I mean to say, some of the apples you get at the supermarket are so big that half of it gets thrown in the bin because S cannot eat it all. Also bought some really tasty choc chip cookies as I figured that I should bring home something other than vegetables. T was there directing the parking as it is a Rotary event. I did not even notice him and he pointed out where to park. When I saw him I was so surprised.

Got to wear a scarf today. I loved to get out my scarves. It is such a final movement from one season to the next and I love that. Cold and windy days are ahead and this is good for the garden and makes me stay inside and get back into the house. Then again, I love it when the weather warms up again later in the year. I just love the change of the seasons.

Have just cleaned one bathroom and am about to start the next one. House is a getting a good tidy.

As for the ironing - ah well, that is another story.

Ciao

LM