Sunday Scribblings #72 Goosebumps.

Mmmmm here's some things that give me Goosebumps ?

Old photo's.
MJ.
Inspiration.
Satisfaction.
Babies.
Dee.
Old songs.
Fingernails on a chalkboard.
Tales of personal achievement.
Collecting.
Beating the odds.
Blossom.
Stories people tell of loved ones.
Surprises.
Oversingers
When I feel someone watching.
Survivors.
Sensing someone or something nearby.
Winning.
A slight breeze.
The unexpected.
Feeling I've been there before.
Vibrant colour.
Metal on metal.
Good news.
The screech of brakes.
A surprise.
When Australia wins - anything.
Happiness.
A parade.
Memories.
... I've got goosebumps right now!

Tess - wasn't she lovely?

1921










1933












1942

Tess ~~~ August 8, 1921 - 2003.

What a beauty!

A Gorgeous Gift - Vintage Sewing ...

Someone watches over me - I've always known!
Good things happen to me and today was no exception. Look at the gorgeous gift of very old sewing notions that Pet brought to me! Every piece a keeper. I am tickled pink!

Lustrous silk threads on wooden reels with labels from Paris, San Fancisco and England. Beautiful buttons, three from the Queen Victoria era, maybe off the uniform of a young Englishman. Mother of pearl buttons, so cold to touch you could almost feel the sea. Five gorgeous green ones with tortoiseshell centres that will be sewn onto a favourite black jacket, tiny marcasite with diamante centres, blue glass and stunning oval striped glass as well!

Tortoiseshell stays - probably broken from firmly holding in a young ladies corseted waist. Boot buttons, still with the dirt from where they were salvaged. Silk embroidery thread with the wrapper paper label displaying "made in England" and a huge wooden spool of linen thread from Knox's in Scotland. What a huge surprise to find a small ebony cotton reel - what a gorgeous addition to a necklace that will become. A beaded tassell will cascade from the centre - only to be worn on special occasions ...

Oh My ... I am so blessed!!

Sunday Scribbling #71 DECISION.

Decision, love the word, easy for me, difficult for some.
Making the decision has always been easy. Should I shouldn’t I, will I won’t I, can I can’t I, these questions have flavoured my life, caused many to reel, to gasp with shock/horror as they asked “she’s not going to is she”? Some decisions were extremely bad, some ridiculous, some embarrassing, many on a whim, many on an impulse, most without a thought of the consequences or the effect on the people involved. Each time I prepared myself to either suffer or relish the consequences well I thought I did, invariably I left debris, yet lessons were learnt.

The decisions made for me, supposedly in my best interest, caused great personal sadness – too much to mention here! Learned behaviour was my advisor – yeah, make that decision a little voice would say – go on I dare you. Making a decision became a form of approval seeking. That was until I woke up, found the formula, came out of the fog and made the best decision; to grow up – now that was a decision!

For me the ability to make a decision is admirable. However making the decision without careful consideration can often be dangerous. Hearts broken, lives in turmoil, the outcome frequently not what was initially expected. So when I consider the decision makers who blunder along in their positions of power oft making a decision frequently with a hidden agenda I realise my decision making episodes weren’t that bad after all.

Decision making now, I'm Over it!

Sunday Scribblings #70 Phenomenon

The word for the week brought to mind one of my favourite movies Phenomenon the story of an ordinary man who sees a light descend from the sky and discovers he has super-intelligence and telekinesis. As much as I adore the movie and soundtrack I figured it was time to create my own phenomenon by not writing, for the third week in a row, on something to do with entertainment.

Perplexed, I considered some of my personal phenomenons. Survival, inner peace, total happiness, growing up when I got to 50, turning my life around, but ... that's the basis of the book! Nup, I wanted a modern day phenomenon, an observable event.

Then in the wee small hours a phenomenon occured. An Aussie guy, Cadel Evans became the first Australian cyclist, in the one hundred and fours years of Le Tour de France, to place. At 2 am I watched from my living room, Cadel finish second, with a twenty three second margin between he and the first place winner. I witnessed a real phenomenon ... Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi!!!

Tortie Love around the world ...

Blossom recovering after discovering 'tortie love' online - Yay - a whole community ...

What it'll cost in Sydney ...

$55 to busk at Circular Quay.
$1,230 to close down a block of George Street

$160,000 to appear on the Anzac Bridge billboard

$1,200 to be married in St Mary's Cathedral inlcudes bells

$6,000 to watch the New Years Eve fireworks from your balcony at the Park Hyatt

$125 to run for Lord Mayor of Sydney

$11,000 to reserve a plot at Waverley Cemetery

$7,700 to dedicate a bench in the Royal Botanic Gardens wwwbgsyd.nsw.gov.au

No matter what the cost - it's one of the most beautiful cities on the planet!

Sunday Scribbling #69 Wicked.

What else could wicked be about except Wicked the New Broadway Musical! Where we'll be wickedly whisked to where so many wicked things happened before Miss Dorothy arrived!!

Wicked is wicked, looks like it’ll be wicked, with wicked story lines, about the wicked witches of Oz! How wicked can that be and how many wicked times can wicked be used in one paragraph?

This epitomises Wicked for me! How wicked it is that the wicked Sunday Scribbling gals gave us such wicked word at this wicked time … Wicked!

Bewdiful Blossom ... can i has cheezburger ...

Thank goodness the camera work has stopped!

Hope she's not sending a pic of me to can i has cheezburger ... how embarrassment - what some cats have to put up with!!!

Happy Birthday J.S.K. 1930 - 1983.

Looking good and so in love at the Oceanic Hotel, Coogee, 1965 where the drinks were Johnnie Walker 'Red' and water and Advokaat, Cherry Brandy, and Lemonade ... marvellous memories!

Introducing Blossom ...

On Sunday I emailed the Vet telling them that 'One Down' had found a new home! The reply said they had a female, 'lap cat', 2-3 year old, desexed, tortie in need of a good home! Mention the word tortie and my heart skips a beat!

As soon as I read the reply I phoned to MJ (a tortie lover too) and within 45 minutes we were at the Vet's for an introduction! It was love at first sight! She was 'rescued' but they can't tell me from where or how and honestly I don't want to know! I took one look at her and she was mine! We spent time with her and I arranged to pick her up today! Yesterday she had surgery to remove a badly placed chip and to insert a new one. The Vet staff has named her 'Spot', not a glamorous name for a beautiful girl, so on Monday I re-named her Blossom - don't you love it??

I've been like an expectant mother. I've visited her each day, for the last three days for bonding.

Here's my little Blossom ... who has settled in marvellously, we're meant for each other!

Better photo's to follow!

Sunday Scribblings #68 HAiR.

As soon as I saw the topic HAIR the dilemma was do I write about how my mother had my long hair cut short as punishment for wagging school, when I was thirteen years old? Nah!
Do I write of my first hair dyeing experience when I came home and my hubby said I looked like I'd been hit over the head with a bottle of tomato sauce? Nah!
Or ...
"Gimme a head with HAiR, long bewdiful hair, shining, gleaming, streaming, flaxen, waxen ... remember that song ????

In June 1969 HAiR: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical premiered at the Metro Theatre in cosmopolitan Kings Cross, Sydney, Australia, after a huge success on Broadway.

WOW how controversial! Sex, drugs, anti Vietnam propaganda and nudity on stage, live, in my home town. We booked tickets and a babysitter - how riscay. I'll never forget the cast walking down the aisles of the theatre, starkers, in the bol, nude naked with nothing on - yeah Baby!!

The Sydney Daily Telegraph critique was funny by today's standards.
The wowsers were up in arms, people protested outside the theatre. There was a bomb scare reacted to with little alarm in comparison to the seriousness of threats today! The songs were silly and catchy. In 2003 it was staged again in Australia, but flopped! How times have changed!

This HAIR topic's been way more fun, can ya hear me? ... I'm still singing ...
Flow it, show it, long as god can grow it my HAiR, hair, hair, hair, hair ...

A home found for 'One Down' ...

He was sitting on the step waiting! Wondering why the neighbourhood was out, glaring at me taking yet more photo's and looking questioningly, as to why no food was being served!

It was love at first sight, as if he knew it was meant to be.

As he was lifted up for a cuddle he rested his head in the crook of her arm. He took to her with no qualms, he knew!!! When it came time to go he walked into the cat box with only a little coaxing, no cattiness, no catatonic arguing or fighting!

I made it clear that if everyone wasn't happy he was to come back as there's other people who want to adopt him. As they left his new Mum said she'd ring the vet to change his home address, it sounds like the deal is done!

They were a really sweet couple, she has photo's on her phone of their three legged tortie, who'd died recently. The wait is over for the big, beautiful boy. He'll have some certainty in his life again he'll have a warm, loving and cosy home.

She'll be calling him by his real name 'One Down' ... I cried as he left!

MiMi - Irene Alice James nee Reardon

She was a grande dame of Bondi. For forty years she lived right on the beachfront in Campbell Parade, when Bondi was an ordinary working class suburb. Rene as everyone knew her, was my Grandmother, who insisted my brother and I called her "MiMi', today would have been her birthday!

She was outrageous! Before her time! In 1919 she'd auditioned to join the Tivoli, her Irish Dad, a burly butcher, said "No". Defiantly she found a job as barmaid at the Paragon Hotel that still trades today in Alfred Street, Circular Quay, Sydney where in 1920 she met Roy. After a short courtship they wed in September 1920 and in August 1921 my Mum, their only child was born. Mimi was a larger than life character in Bondi.

Widowed in 1935 she saw the bombs come over Bondi and by the time I remember her she drank 'Est' out of tea cups and had a 'boarder' we called Poppy! She was normal really!

Born 13th July 1895, she died in November 1963 after a long, painful battle with cancer.

Here's MiMi and Moi in 1945, at the fete at the War Memorial Hospital, Waverley, (where I was born) - both looking the epitome of fashion of the day ... gorgeous!

No photo's please I'm still waiting ...

A month has gone by and the beautiful boy is still waiting. Every day I wonder is he waiting for his Dad to come home, for someone to adopt him or for me to feed him. He's wangled his way into my heart. Follows me everytime I go outside, but I'm being strong! Someone out there is going to give him a good home where he can reign supreme of that I am sure!

Checking up on who I am ...

Your Birthdate: September

You tend to find yourself lucky - both in business and in life. And while being wealthy is nice, you enjoy sharing your abundance with others. You put your luck to good use: you are very ambitious and goal oriented. Often times, you get over excited and take on more than you can manage. Your strength: Your ability to make your own luck Your weakness: Thinking you can do it all Your power color: Bronze Your power symbol: Half Moon Your power month: August

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Yay, all true, that's me ...

Slippery

Slippery : #67 Sunday Scribblings
The immediate thought was the Slippery characters I’ve known. The shonk’s, the shiester’s, the dodgie’s, the rip off artist’s who’ve stolen my goods and chattels. But ... then I thought of how more shonky the Slippery characters are who steal your heart, your trust, then, when you least expect it, they slither back to from whence they came.

Good riddance, their loss my gain, has often been my reaction. What a waste of energy Slippery characters are. To have been foolishly beguiled into thinking you’ve known where you stood hurts deep. To have generously invested rarely given loyalty to them, to have tolerated, yet treasured their childish, narrow minded opinions, along with the realisation that in the back of their tiny mind, they were surely readying themselves to bestow, a dose of their oft used Slippery, gutless tactic upon you and bugger off without so much as a courteous explanation ... should be celebrated with a resounding hip, hip hooray ... what a blessing!

To ease the hurt and appease the gut ache a good cure for an experience with a Slippery character is Slippery Elm. Traditionally used in Western herbal medicine to soothe and relieve irritation, this old North American Indian cure, derived from the bark of the Slippery Elm tree is known to alleviate heartburn by coating and ‘smoothing’ the irritated gastro intestinal tract. Especially marvellously healing when you’re sick to your gut from a dose of Slippery betrayal.

Enough dillydallying, no more analysing, no more pondering the hurt, I'm Over It, I'm grateful. Now for another dose of Slippery Elm, stick more pins in the doll and put that name in the freezer!!!

Let's talk Cake ...

I adore cake, am never over it, yearn for a fluffy sponge with lashings of cream but wheat is a no, no! A luscious cup cake has been seen in my clutches, but that's another tale!
Gluten and wheat free doesn't mean despair - years ago I discovered Rowie's when she was in East Sydney and at Fox Studio Markets!
Recently the gorgeous Rowie began creating close by! Everyone knows how strong I've been, looking the other way when I go by, how temptation has been avoided!
No more ... it's time to break out ... watch this space!

Blue Eyes & The Diva in hiding ...

Click on the pic you'll see one of them!

You can have your cake and eat it ...

92 Today!

Lenny Billy Jimmy - Born July 3, 1915 in Hinton, New South Wales.

Happy Birthday Dad! Still a good sort, still going strong!

A Couple of Lovely Poppy's.

What's your sign?

Mmmmm skimming the current 24 responses at Sunday Scribblings I’m astounded. There’s only one other who’s owned up to being the same sign as Moi. A plethora of A’s, water people, ram’s and smatterings of other signs makes me wonder, am I part of a minority, am I really one of the chosen few or have the rest of us been killed off by people who couldn’t cope?

Frequently referred to as unique, complicated, funny, perfectionists, earthy, fortunate, blessed, ambitious, analytical, wise, witty, thorough, spiritual, adaptable, honest & loyal. Habitually darker insinuations are more fun but either way, we’re the pick of some people’s bunch …

Nit picky – why wouldn’t you tell your best friend she has spinach in her teeth or the guy sitting next to you on the bus that he stinks as you hand him that can of deodorant you always carry in your bag?
Never wrong – naturally all the answers lie within!
Over excited – what’s wrong with a touch of mania?
Taking on more than is manageable – so … I work better under stress?
An excellent eye for detail – that certainly doesn’t go with that!
Critical – not being critical just giving an opinion!
Honest – what I lack in bluntness I make up in finesse!

We’re the only sign represented by a female and have very few real friends because we give extra special value to friendship to which most other people cannot commit.

Adorer of lists, knower of all, guess who’s currently in the minority at Sunday Scribblings?

An Icon on an Icon ...

Gone to Good Homes ...

Cat Sitting ...

This is the amazing cat 'One Down' aka 'Matey' I am currently feeding him and talking to him. He was the lifelong mate of my upstairs neighbour who I discovered had died. These two were inseparable. One Down with three legs, is king of the neighbourhood. He was rescued by the local police, after being hit by a car, repaired by a generous vet and fortunately, adopted by a kind, gentle man who died alone, undiscovered for four days ... so sad!

Now One Down's an orphan. He's taken up residence at the front of the building, probably waiting for his Dad to return. I contemplated adoption, but this fella is way to big, too in charge and too in love with the outdoors for me - so for now I'm cat sitting, not inside, he's still waiting ...
I did bring him in for a visit - look at him posing on the flokati - what a fine three legged specimen he is ...

Tongue in Cheek.

One of the most very beautiful places to click on every day is Tongue in Cheek where the gorgeous Corey whisks you away in photo's and texts to places you can only dream of.

She posted about a the Secret of a beautiful French maiden. Corey asked for readers to try to guess the maiden's secret! Well I took up the challenge and received a mention as well ...

This marvellous exercise comes via a weekly challenge at Sunday Scribblings - what a lovely way to spend Sunday.

What a difference 14 days makes ...

Ooo La La is it fourteen days since I was last here.
So much has happened - all good - all exciting - all life changing.

A couple of weeks ago I listened to Kaffe Fasset and it was as if the top of my head had lifted off as images and ideas about the use of colour washed through my thoughts. I know I previously mentioned this and it's still foremost in my mind. Inspiration is brewing, ideas that had lay dormant burst into my mind, all those conformist rules of colour that had teetered in my mind since school days are banished.

The colour wheel, what a lot of rot, blue and green should never be seen, where did that comes from ?? Again I pondered whether the theoretical know alls had yet checked where the horizon met the sky prior to penning that ancient adage? Kaffe reminded us that children have the ability to use colour at will, yet society, the education system and life in general is set up to dictate the use of colour in a conformist way - says who???

How excellent it was to read Robin Atkins' comments in her book, One Bead at a Time that our creative force once we get to school, the emphasis turns more to making order ... so in our school years, for many of us, the creative side begins to shut down ...

Kaffe inspired me to rediscover the lost place in my soul - I am so over the theorists' traditional, expected, use of colour - life is venturing down another path for the creative me - I am so fortunate!
Watch this space !

THE BRO.

Little Willy, in Vietnam 1966, 103 Sig. Sqn.

10 June, 1946 - 27 October, 2001.

Yo Bro!

No more off colour ...

An explosion happened in my mind on Thursday! I heard about the beauty of colour, the need for the bold, the freedom of bright, the excitement, the mood changing, the visually exciting, how hues of colour can be life changing, alter my way of thinking and looking at life ... look out!

Society has deemed we should conform, especially the use of colour. Now I want pink, orange and red, together all in the one place! Compare the drawings of kids! Notice the way they use colour ... no rules, no conformity, no restrictions, yet as we grow we're expected to tone down!

We're told blue and green should never be seen, we're shown a colour wheel, we're taught that certain colours go with certain colours, usually by a teacher in a beige cardigan! My Grandma repeatedly told me "blue and green should never be seen". Why didn't I ask "when the the sky touches the horizon is that wrong"? I'm excited, I'm on the hunt for colour ...

Look at what elizabeth lundberg morisette does with found objects from other people ... visual feasts of colour.


The teeth on the zippers in my collection are chattering, they're scared ...