Sunday Session - Who's That Guy?

Sunday Sessions is hosted by Thea - pop over and see what's playing.

Okay - I am still not able to load the videos, so please bear with me and use the links.

I don't know about you but my music taste is eclectic but I never thought I would have Guy Sebastian on my iPod. I remember when he was on Australian Idol, I wasn't a huge fan at all. But there is something about his upbeat pop tunes that keep getting caught in my head. So this Sunday Session is all about Whos' That Guy? Oh and by the way, check out that lovely rose tattoo under his arm - it is a work of art.

Like It Like That

All To Myself

Who's That Girl - Guy Sebastian featuring Eve

Sorry Thea - only newbies this Sunday

Happy Australia Day

Australians have always been known to have a fighting spirit, to have a 'not let the buggers get us down' attitude, to stand side-by-side in times of adversity.

The start of 2011 has surely shown this to still be true, and it is when I see strangers helping strangers, or standing up for the rights of people against the insurance companies, or donating what they can to help others, or putting themselves at risk to save others - that when I am proud to say I am Australian. It is in these times that we show our true colours.

My favourite poem is I Love A Sunburnt County - I wrote this post in 2009 and I link it again just in case you missed it the first time.

Happy Australia Day - we certainly are privileged to call Australia home.

Sunday Sessions - With A Slightly Sexy Feel

Hosted by Thea, this is my first foray into Sunday Sessions.

You chose an oldie and a newbie to share.

Sorry I can not get the videos to load (after 2 hours it was still not loaded thru blogger) so just giving you the links. If someone can tell me how to do it quicker that would be great!!

I'll start with Darren Hayes' Insatiable (super steamy)

And my newbie is not that new, but reasonably new.

Muse's Undisclosed Desires

Yesterday - A Rollercoaster of Emotions - Who'd A Thunk

Yesterday (morning), all my troubles seemed so far away, how I long for yesterday .... WRONG (apologies to the Beatles for butchering their lyrics).

Well, yesterday started well, I woke and went to the pool. I came home and read some lovely blogs and wrote my Prettiness post. Something wonderful happened from that post, the gorgeous Mad Mother offered to share with me one of her beloved mother's teacups. I will tell you I cried tears of joy at her generosity. My recently heavy heart from earlier in the week was truly lifted by this.

and then IT happened and my day went to shit. I cried tears of pain, I felt my heart was being squeezed tightly with anger, I had to refrain myself from beating someone to death.

And now I sort of feel foolish. All this hurt, over something so insignificant, well not to me, but in the scheme of things ... Lori has lost her husband, Lulu and Amy have lost their lives ... and their families have lost so much. The Queensland flood victims have lost their homes and so much more. But I still feel hurt, because I really am.

So what happened, well you may remember me blogging (on my other blog) about the beautiful climbing rose that is outside my Study window. The one that comforts me, has inspired me, is a resting and feeding place for many birds, the one covered in tiny little pink flowers, the one that shade my Study from the hot afternoon sun, the one that gave me privacy from the neighbours. Well it is now a pile of sticks, not pruned, but butchered by my neighbour's son. You see, a lot of the stems and branches leaned over their side of the fence (and it seems when I say a lot I mean most), and by law, they can cut them. They even asked my hubby if it was okay if they took a little off the rose - not too much the guy said ... and now I can't open my Study blinds for the stark reality of what he is done is like I knife to my heart.

If I keep the blinds closed and then position them just right (they are verticals so slide sideways) I can still see the little green bit left on our side of the fence ... I hope that the birds will still come and visit ... but the rest well it is now gone. My hubby assures me it will shoot and come back to its glory ... but I am not so sure.

I apologize to those who have lost so much for the trivial nature of my loss ... but it still hurts.

Prettiness - I want some

I desire some beautiful delicate porcelain tea cups, maybe with roses or violets painted on them, with a gold edge and maybe some scalloping. I want to drink my tea from a proper tea cup.

Many years ago I had some and I gave them away when we all moved to mugs (oh and the kids were little and likely to break them) ... now I want some again. I can feel some shopping coming on.

This Post Is Bought To You By Mad Max ... the maddest kitten ever

Not long before Christmas we welcome the newest member of our long list of much loved pets to our home. His name is Max (Mad Max when he is hooning around the house running up walls). I had to name him with a M name, for if you look at his forehead there is an M right there in his markings.

You may ask why we got another kitten, well our old cat is now 17, he is like a family member, but 17 is old for a cat and I know that we he leaves this mortal coil, my hubby and I will mourn him very very much. In fact, I was worried that it would be enough to push my hubby back into his depression. So I thought, if we had another cat that when Jarmie passed away that at least we would have another pet to lavish with our love.

So enter Max, an 11 week old moggy, who was supposedly the quiet one of his litter. Imagine my surprised when his Mad side emerged within mere hours of him entering our house. I kid you not, he runs so fast he skids around corners, he loves climbing up scratching post and running like a loon through his tunnel. He chases balls, and dust bunnies, and flies, he eats alfoil (once when there was a tiny bit that fell on the floor) - it was in his mouth before you could do anything. He loves knocking pens off our desks and running around with them in his mouth.

Compared to Jarmie he is a flea, but he body slams Jarmie while he is sleeping, wrapping his front legs around Jarmie's neck and chewing on his ear. It is like a mouse poking a bear - but he doesn't care. For the first few weeks, Jarmie was very gentle with Max, he is getting a little rougher when they play, but he knows Max is so much smaller that he doesn't hurt him. Max on the other hand has no respect for Jarmie's age - hence the pouncing on Jarmie, ambushing him around corners and lots of other fun and games.

But the thing I love most about Max, he loves cuddles, he demands you sit down and stroke him and if you stop before he is ready, he meows at you until your start stroking him again.

He also has the cutest little tummy, see for yourself.

He so wants to go outside, but this is a close as I want him
as I know he is going to be a great hunter

This is him in my clean washing just moments after I bought it in from the line, put the basket down
for a mo and turned my back to do something else. He was quite annoyed
when I made him get out so I could put the washing away.

Oh and one other thing - he loves to help my hubby with his drumming.

My Heavy Heart

This last week or so I have found my heart is heavy with sadness, and I find myself wiping tears from eyes at odd moments especially while watching the news and sometimes while reading other's blogs. I am sure that I am not alone in how I am feeling.

I weep for the lives lost in the floods over in Queensland and in South America.

I weep for the people of Haiti still living in the ruins of their country, 12 months after the earthquake.

I weep for the survivors of the flooding in Queensland, knowing that it will take months if not years to rebuild their homes and their lives, and that some will fall into the pit of despair having lost so much.

I weep for the 9 year old innocent girl caught up in a madman's shooting rampage and for her family left to live their lives without her.

I weep for Lori and Bump and Chop having lost so much so suddenly.

I can assure you I am not depressed but my heart is so heavy with pain for those with so much to bear. I wish there was some way I could help lift their burdens. I have donated where possible but I wish I could physically hold them all and tell them that there will be sunshine in their lives one day ... and I wish that I could guarantee that I could make the promise true.

Today and Tomorrow and Yesterday

Today Lori buried her soulmate. Today Lori buried the father of Bump and Chop. Today her blogging friends take a moment to support her.

Tomorrow and each and every tomorrow after, Lori will be walking as a mother without the other half that has completed her.

On some Tomorrow in the future, when little Bump and Chop are older, she will have to find the words to explain where their Dad has gone.

My heart breaks at the thought of all the Tomorrows you have to come, but in some small way I hope that some of the Yesterdays will sometime in the future, bring you joy ... joy from the memories that you and Tony created, joy when you watch Bump and Chop and know that even though you can not see him, that Tony is there in the very heart of your two gorgeous children.

Hugs from Perth xxx

For Lori

A fellow blogger has just lost her soulmate and the father of their two young children, through tragic circumstances. Lori ... these words are for you, Bump and Chop ... Be strong my love, find the inner strength that mothers have. Wish there was more that I could do, but know that you and your babies are in my prayers and thoughts and if I could I would give Tony back to all of you. xxx

When he shall die

Take him and cut him out in little stars

And he will make the face of heav'n so fine

That all the world will be in love with night

William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

If every tear we shed for you became a star above;

you'd stroll in the Angel's garden, lit by everlasting love

- Author Unknown



Fly, fly little wing
Fly beyond imagining
The softest cloud, the whitest dove
Upon the wind of heaven's love

Past the planets and the stars
Leave this lonely world of ours
Escape the sorrow and the pain
And fly again

Fly, fly precious one
Your endless journey has begun
Take your gentle happiness

Far too beautiful for this

Cross over to the other shore
There is peace for evermore
But hold this memory bittersweet
Until we meet

Fly, fly do not fear
Don’t waste your breath, don’t shed a tear
Your heart is pure, your soul is free
Be on your way, don’t wait for me

Above the universe you’ll climb
On beyond the hands of time
The moon will rise, the sun will set
But I won’t forget

Fly, fly little wing
Fly where only angels sing
Fly away, the time is right
Go now, find the light

Beautiful lyrics from a song by Celine Dion written after the death of her niece from Cystic Fibrosis

The Unpublished Posts

I have been pondering my absence from the blogging world, wondering why I have lost the mojo. I realised that a series of unpublished posts was a sticking point for me.

There are a number of blog posts I have written, needing to get things of my chest, but they stay unpublished, like a ghost haunting me, asking me why I don't have the courage to hit the publish button.

The only reason I have, is that I don't want to hurt anyone I love. Some of the things written in these posts, would most likely, devastate some of those people. I can not bring myself to do that. And so they continue to sit there, mocking me for my weakness, stopping me from blogging, for I feel that they are the truth of who I am at the moment, and in moments not long past.

I will go and re-read them and then delete them, for I fear that while they sit there, my mojo will not come back. But what if I am wrong, what if deleting them is worse than keeping them here?

Who would have thought the truth could be so scary.