Welcome to my blog.

My blog expresses my views and thoughts and in no way intends to offend however that does not guarantee it wont.

I write in a stream of consciousness and sometimes the odd typo or bad grammar may appear - please excuse these.

Please feel free to leave a comment if something inspires you to do so.




Sunday, August 29, 2010

Off I Go Again

I am on the road again (and the air as well) for work, off to Karratha early tomorrow morning, back on Thursday afternoon.

Will look forward to reading all your blogs when I return, and hopefully sharing some more photos of this great State of Western Australia.

xxx

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Monday, August 23, 2010

Bling Bling Goes My Heart

Now anyone who knows me, knows I am partial to a little bit of bling, mainly in the way of rings - remember this post? And anyone who has read this blog for a while will know my favourite colour is turquoise or aqua blue so imagine how in love I am with this beautiful marcasite ring from my favourite shop in Fremantle, isn't it divine? It is a shame the picture does not do it justice.




But recently I also bought 3 pairs of delicious earrings online though Madeit from Rainbow and Pearl - do pop over and check out Averil's creations - I love them so much I ordered 2 more sets of earrings yesterday. There are also some divine antique looking earrings which anyone would love.

Oh and this post is not sponsored by Rainbow and Pearl - but I love sharing the love and Averil also happens to be a blogger too.


These little olive crystals look great with my green jumper

And these are the two sets I ordered - can't wait for them to arrive.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

I May Not Be Here, But I Am Elsewhere

Today I am guest blogging @ Childhood 101 - my daughter's blog and I have posted the weekly Sunday Citar on my other blog The Glass Half Full. If you have the time pop over and visit.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Kitchen Renovations - Day 4 Update


We now have all the doors on and some of the drawers in, the others are on order as they are being custom made by the Blum drawer people as they are not a standard depth, hopefully they will be here next week. The big ones under the window have the soft closing option as they will be for our pots and pans etc.

On Monday the benchtop company will come and measure up - it will then take around 14 days to get them made and installed - they will be custom acrylic with an acrylic sink included. We end up with a seamless benchtop and flush mount sink - can not wait.

Tuesday the plaster comes back to finish cornices and patch the walls where needed.

Then we have a hiatus until the benchtops are installed. After they are done, the range hood goes in, the stove top and oven and the plumber attaches the pipes to the sink.

Then the glass splash back people arrive to measure and it takes another week or so for that to be installed.

We are so close, but yet so far as it will be mid September before we have a functioning kitchen.

Still patience is a virtue and I am so excited that we will have such a modern and lovely kitchen.

Here are some photos from today. Please let me know if you think I should go for Lime Green splashbacks given our benchtops are white as well. I still can not make up my mind. Oh and wait until you see my mixer tap - it is a beautiful cubic gooseneck design.

The breakfast bar will sit on top of the drawer unit and go all the way over to the window

Looking back towards the kitchen from our lounge over what will be the breakfast bar.
We have positioned the breakfast bar so you can sit and watch the Morning News on TV.
The fridge goes in the gap between the cupboards.

My beautiful glass doors

Waiting for these drawers

The pantry and microwave cupboard

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Kitchen Renovations Day 3

Well another interesting day in the new kitchen department - we got to see the bee hive in our wall - fresh honey anyone? Luckily for us the bees had been killed a few weeks ago, otherwise I think we would have had some very angry bees chasing us around the house.

The kitchen cupboard carcasses are in - tomorrow is doors and drawer time.

Here are a few photos.



My Sense of Helplessness

Sadness grips my heart so tight

Tears drip from my eyes

I wish I could take away your pain



Sobs held back so you can't see

Life seems so unfair

Your burden so heavy




My heart is full with regret

That I can not really help

Apart from being there




This pain that tears you apart

Is shared here within my heart

With every waking breath




I want to wrap you in my arms

To never let you go

To tell you that I love you so




And so I offer you my heart

I offer you my love

And give you some hope




You have a pair of smiling eyes of blue

That are never far from you

You know the ones I mean





Look deep within those eyes

And you will see

The sunshine shining out

Use this sun to warm your heart

That smile to lean upon

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Kitchen Renovations - Day 2 Update


Well the ceiling is now back although the cornices will be fixed later. The cupboards are out and the guy who took them out nearly blew us all up as he had not properly turned off the electricity so when he took out the stove - there was a large spark and a loud bang - how he didn't get electrocuted I will never know.

The electrician and plumber have been and done their part, but both need to come back later as well to finish.

Tomorrow and Friday the cupboards go in and Monday is measure for the benchtops.

Here are a couple of photos of where we are at currently.



Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

The Sisterhood

I am simply posing a question - what happened to the Sisterhood - you know the one where women supported other women (even strangers), the one where you showed admiration for other women who achieved, the one where you where proud of the way women showed solidarity - you know the one - right?

So why is it that there is a growing number of women bloggers worldwide that stab each other in the back, get jealous of another women's blog success and start vicious rumours and smear campaigns. Apparently there is a new type of bullying happening - cyber-bullying - and not it is not kids it is grown women who seem to be jealous of other women's success and popularity.

Surely I am not alone in thinking that this is a worrying trend.

I am thankful that the blogs I visit and the great friends and followers that I have still seem to be part of the Sisterhood for it gives me faith that these cyber-bullies are a small percentage of the women bloggers out there.

Kitchen Renovations - Day 1 Update


Well, today - 1 day ahead of schedule the wall came down - thought they were just doing the beam in the roof today, but no they took away the wall as well.

They also found the the man who fixed our sagging ceilings a few months ago did a dodgy job and so now we have a big hole in the ceiling which will be hopefully replaced tomorrow. All in all they did a great job, very little mess.

Tomorrow is kitchen rip out and turning of power and water to the kitchen.


Before

after


Before

After (apologies for blurriness)

and the new hole that we didn't expect to have

And So It Begins ... The Prequel

Today the first part of our kitchen renovation begins. They will be putting the steel beam into the roof so that they can knock down the load bearing wall. I won't be here to take photos of that part - well I don't think I will.

But before all that begins we have spent the weekend moving our old pantry and the hall stand to other parts of the house, packing boxes of crockery and some pots and pans and taking a lot of it around to our middle daughter's back room to store.

Monday night will see us move the fridge and the microwave cupboard (with microwave on top) and the last few odds and sods.

Wednesday will be the wall knock down and kitchen rip out ... the excitement begins.

Thursday and Friday the cupboards go in - minus the benchtops as we are having custom made acrylic tops and so they will be measured next Monday and will take 2 weeks to come back and install.

Then the man will come and measure for the glass splashbacks, which will take another week or so to make then install.

So we won't have a working kitchen till sometime in the middle of September, but I can't wait to see it all in place.

Here are some prequel pics, how old and sad does our kitchen look? It is funny you don't really notice, well I didn't, until I look at the pictures.

Looking towards the kitchen from our lounge area

The wall behind the black chair will be removed

Looking towards the old dining area from our new dining area
Our pantry and hall stand backed onto the wall

Our kitchen

Another view of the kitchen


Monday, August 16, 2010

Memories on Monday - Primary School Days




Primary School Days - North Perth Primary School

For the first six years of my school life I attended North Perth Primary School - the same school my Dad had gone to as a child - although funnily enough I didn't find that out until I was an adult - weird how things like that happen. Although come to think of it, Dad never much talked about himself as a child.

I loved going to school and I loved this school, it was divided into lower and upper primary - which way back then was a little forward thinking - common now but not so much then. I think part of that was because the original older buildings became the lower school when the new one was built.

Way back then each classroom had a fireplace for winter - and there was nothing better than coming in after playing and warming yourself in front of the fire. Learning to the sound of wood crackling while it burnt. The ceilings where high so the rooms never got too hot in summer and there were big high windows that opened at the top and the bottom with long ropes that hung down to open the top ones.

There were no whiteboards or even green chalkboards back then, just large blackboards at the front of the class and every one got a turn to be chalk and duster monitor. I used to love bashing the dusters together outside and watching the chalk dust floating off into the air. Had to remember not to inhale though.

Those were the days when we used to get small glass bottles of milk, with real cream on the top, delivered in crates and every child got to have one each day. My Mum used to occasionally spoil us and buy straws with strawberry or chocolate favouring inside, so as you drank your milk became favoured.

My Grade 3 Class - I am wearing my favourite dress and long white socks
Yep, that's me 2nd from the left in the front row.

When I first started writing in pen, it was with a dip pen, we didn't get biros until year 5 - doesn't that make me feel old. So from Year 4 on someone was the ink monitor and had to fill the little ink pots up each morning. There was something simple and elegant in learning to write with a dip pen - although smudging was always a problem, although we had a blotter we were supposed to use.

Life was simpler back then, no calculators or learning algebra - that was all left to high school. We learned to hand sew from Grade 1, not my favourite subject but I loved the embroidery when we got to that. We had story time right up to year 5, with our teachers taking the time once a week to read to us, just a chapter at a time from one of the old classics. I used to love to listen and now I love to read to my grandchildren (and to my children when they were younger) - making up voices for all the characters - turning the story into more than just words.

We didn't have a school canteen, but there was a 'tuck shop' over the road that when you got to upper primary you were allowed visit to buy your lunch, I used to love it when Mum would let us buy our lunch - it was a treat as it didn't happen often.

There were no big fences around our school like there are today keeping vandals out, just a waist height fence as a reminder not to run out on the road if you were chasing a ball.

But best of all we were allowed to be kids - there were no high expectations about where we were going as adults, we were allowed to learn at our pace, to just enjoy the experiences of school.


Impromptu photo of my Grade 6 Class, taken by our teacher
Can you pick me out in this photo?
Need a hint? I am standing.

I read about all this national testing and the pressures it puts on schools and students, I mean they are even talking about testing 4 year olds. I know we need to excel as a nation in the world, but not everyone can be the best, trying your hardest should be enough ... and letting small children just be children - I can't see what is wrong with that.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Oh Please ... Who Cares If She Is A Woman


Okay, now I don't normally do political posts, I do the occasional 'On My Soapbox' but not really anything truly about politics. Personally, I am a swing voter and try to make an informed choice.

I believe people's political preference is their business - however this time I have been driven to comment, as it is driving me insane. If I see one more woman interviewed on TV telling me they are voting Labor because Julia Gillard is a woman, I think I will scream.

What the hell does her gender have to do with it?

Would you vote for a clown, I mean a real clown, not those other 'clowns' we have had - just because he or she was a clown and wore clown clothes and could juggle? It is the same in my mind.

Please, make a choice made on something other than gender. I am just so over women looking like idiots when they make these types of comments. Vote for whoever you like, or don't vote at all, but please remember - gender is not a platform, a policy or a preference. As much as I am a woman and believe a woman can do anything - it is not in my opinion a reason for a political party to be voted into power.

On a lighter note, this post is not sponsored by the Liberals, the Greens
or the Australian Sex Party!!!

Colours of Friday (On Sunday) - White




I have had a little blogging lapse - to busy doing Real Life stuff - and so missed Melissa's Colours of Friday (Revisited) - White

So without further ado - here are my Colours of Friday (On Sunday) - All Natural White photos taken by me - some you may have seen before, but hopefully will enjoy seeing again.


Delicate white wildflowers speckled with dew


Spiky white wildflowers, close to the coast

Old man's beard (Clematis sp) climbing through forest


Splashes of spray as waves pound on rocks

White frangipani with sweet smelling scent

Squeaky white beach sand bordering oceans of blue

Flotsam and jetsam on golden beach sand


White frost glowing in bright morning light


Tropical flower spikes bursting to life


Soft white beach sand with resting sea birds (Silver gulls)

White clouds racing across a blue winter's sky


The bottom of cloud resting on a high peak

Warning : Making the Bed is Dangerous for your Health


Last Sunday - yes a week ago - I was making the bed and something went pop in my back and I could barely straighten up. 7 days later and it is not much better at all, in spite of massage and heat packs and trying to look after it. I think helping to move and pack our kitchen up yesterday did not help.

There will now be a health warning in my bedroom - Making Your Bed Is Bad For Your Health!!! - Leave it Messy and Unmade.

Seriously, I need a maid - is there anyone out there who would like to pop over and help?

Sunday, August 1, 2010

The Antics of Pelicans

While visiting the Monkey Mia Conservation Reserve within the Shark Bay World Heritage Area, we of course, like everyone else saw the dolphins, but I only took a few photos of them, for who did I spy but my favourite birds ... pelicans.

A small number of dolphins get fed from the beach in a controlled feeding 2-3 times every morning. The feeding includes a talk about dolphins to the visitors that flock to the area. The pelicans - between 4-8 at a time, get held at the back of the beach by a staff member holding a bucket of fish. They don't get fed until the dolphin talk and feeding is finished. That way the pelicans don't try and steal the fish from the dolphins, because the pelicans know that when the yellow bucket appears that it holds fish for them, and if they wait patiently they will be fed. They waddle up to the back of the beach and wait, making deep knocking noises in their throats, trying to boss the person with the bucket to feed them now. There is a little bit of argy bargy between them, trying to get the best spot. Then the feeding frenzy takes places. Only 1 fish each as the aim is not to teach them to be reliant on humans, rather to keep them from hurting the people or the dolphins at the beach during the dolphin feeding. (I should mention here that the small number of dolphins also only get a small amount of fish so they can still remain 'wild').

Watching the antics of these beautiful birds always brings joy to my heart. Here are my photos of the pelican show - much more fun for me than joining a line of people watching the dolphins.

and so the wait begins

and a few more arrive

and the bird gives her the eye ... come on he is thinking

and still they patiently wait, bloody dolphins getting all the attention, they think

now their mouths are watering

and their beaks are getting ready

for soon it must be their turn

but this old codger has given up hope and is dozing off

when wait - bugger - he says, they threw the fish over there

and this one smugly swallows

and the others agitate

with more fish incoming ... the squabbling begins

and now it's full on fighting, watch the silver gull caught up in between

Its all over now ... waddling away

I'll have a quick look back

and this one decided to stay.

The rest flew out to sea, soaring on the wind, they'll be back when next the dolphins come in.

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