Simple Things

A list of Simple things - hosted by Christina at Soul Aperture

Cooking supper for a group of friends

Standing back and admiring your own hard work. (I spend all weekend staining my deck)

Sleeping in your underwear on a hot night

Having time to read the paper

The unconditional love of a pet

Old fashioned boiled sweets

Patterns made by melting candle wax

Going ten pin bowling

The sweet smell of a rose

Children’s toys that require no batteries.

It's now time for bed and the simplest thing of all SLEEP, much needed sleep. I will see you all tomorrow night after a restful sleep and a day of work.

Another Dance Year Over

(Dance Concert Preperations 2009)

As the final curtain closes my daughter, is dressed as a sailor. She is happy, smiling and clapping on stage. She spots me waving frantically from the middle of the audience and blows me a kiss. The curtain closes and we leave the auditorium, I head to the stage door to collect her. As she exits, she greets me with a big hug and says “Mum, I have truly found my dancing home, I belong here and don’t want to change schools again”

This was Mikaela’s 7th year of dancing and our 3rd dance school. We were at our first dance school for 4 years until the teacher ripped us off (long story), then we moved to another school for 2 year. This school was very good and a lot of the dances actually become professional but with this sort of elite school comes a lot of work. Especially, for someone who is dancing for fun and enjoyment.

A typical concert day of our last school started at 7am. She had to have a full head of curls, which we had to prepare 24 hours before hand so they’d stay in. 3 hairstyles and 2 concerts (a matinee and an evening show). Finishing up at around midnight.

This year, there was one simple hairstyle – straight up in a bun and one evening show. We arrived at the auditorium at 6pm and left around 11pm.

Finally we have found a dance school, which provides a fun atmosphere, is low maintenance and one where my daughter has made friends and feels like she fits in. She has even made a pact with some of her new friends that they are all going back next year.

Now I turn my attention to organizing a 7th birthday party for Callum, and think I have left my run to late for a sports party. Lets hope I can find somewhere reasonably priced to host a party otherwise the venue becomes my home. Not something I want to deal with this year.

(Dance Concert Preperations 2008)

Christmas is Creeping

(I should point out that the 2 girls in the above picture are NOT Mikaela and me, they are one of my friends 2 beautiful daughters)

I want to thank the few people that emailed me personally to make sure all was ok. It is very nice feeling to know that my presence was missed and that people took time out to notice I have not been my regular blogging self even though they too lead busy lives. My humble blog is just one in many millions and there are plenty more to read when mine stops so it was heart warming to know that I was being thought about.

While I was away from blog land I discovered that:

· I don’t like shopping as much as I once thought I did.

· When someone parks their car on your property for 5 weeks and doesn’t move it once it becomes extremely annoying. Asking politely to move the car didn’t seem to work. Grrr why does he think it’s ok to park it on my land. Park it on your own bloody land … buddy!!!

· Ringing the council to issue a parking infringement for a car parked illegally on your land can feel good.

· The world still continues to revolve even when I rest, that it doesn’t fall apart and a rest even if short can be revitalizing.

· Making a volcano for a science fair is actually fun …. and messy.

· With the right company dance dress and stage rehearsals can actually be a hoot.

· I’m excited about watching Mikaela’s 6 annual dance concert for the first time from the audience and not side stage.

· Hay Fever can be extremely nasty especially when it hits a 9 year old girl.

· When one wound heals on the boy another one will only appear. I don’t think the term “wound free” exits for him.

· Santa needs to get his butt into gear as it appears one child has far more for Christmas than the other.

· Halloween wouldn’t work in the US if it were hot like it is here. Chocolate doesn’t do well in 30 degree heat. Lucky we don’t really celebrate.

· That short-term memory loss is not just an old people’s issue.

· Now Callum is a little more self-reliant, restaurants with indoor play centres are friend and not foe.

· Contrary to what someone told me, praying to St Anthony to find important lost items hasn’t worked and I know for a fact St Anthony has a lost property box full of my belonging yet he still refuses to help.

· Lemon Tart is yummy.

· I want to go see Disney’s Princess and the Frog movie when it hits the big screen.

· Club Penguin is for the whole family not just kids.

· The old TV show “I Dream of Jeannie” is preventing my children from getting to school on time.

· Melbourne must be the only city in the world to get a public holiday for a Horse Race. The Melbourne Cup was held yesterday and it wasn’t until 7pm that I even thought to ask what horse won! The race that stops the nation didn’t stop me.

· I totally forgot that I said I would never photograph another wedding. Maybe wedding photography is like child birth. Just after experiencing it, you say never again only to find yourself in the same situation later down the track and asking “Why”.

I hope to catch up with everyone blogs over then next few days.

Out and About in Melbourne

I never get out as much as I want to. Though, I guess we all feel like that at least from time the time anyway. If I’m making a trip in the city I’ll always bring my camera, even though heavy and bulky. Sometime I only take one or 2 photos and wonder if it was worth it. Is a sore shoulder from lugging around 3 or 4 kilos of equipment worth it for a photo or 2? … Yeah I reckon, plus it toughens me up.

This is the Melbourne (Coops) Shot Tower was built in 1890. It stands 50 metres tall and use to produce around 6 tonnes of lead a week up until the early 1960’s. In 1973 it was saved from demolition. In 1991 the sight was developed into a major retail and shopping complex. The shot tower was incorporated into the Melbourne Central Complex under a 84 metre glass and steel roof.

The Southern Star Observation Wheel is or was one of our newest attractions. This wheel cost 100 million dollars to build and was only operational for a month before buckling in the heat of the summer. It is now in the process of being pulled down and shipped overseas part by part to be repaired, costing another 20 million. Tickets to ride this wheel where $29 per adult and $17 for a child. Once back in operation I am wondering what the cost will be to ride the wheel when it re-opens. I am sure the government are going to want their money back for the cost of repairs due to the original poor engineering and structural design.

Winners R Grinners

A BIG thank you so much to everyone who entered my competition for the Halloween magnets. They printed up so well that I will now be doing a Christmas collection set …. And yes I’ll defiantly offer them as another give away as it wouldn't be Christmas with spreading a little love though the blogging community. This means if you didn’t win this time you'll have another change to do so in the very near future.

Drum Roll for the winners……

1st = Vicky

2nd = Suzy Q

3rd = Salitype

Once again a big thank you to every one for all your support. You bring sunshine to my blogging experience.

If the winner could email me their address, I’ll ship these asap to try an ensure arrival by Halloween.

A Poem - Please don't Run

We went to the park

To have some fun

But on the way home

He had to run

Oh why oh why did he run

Down that hill

Where the gravel was loose

And have a spill

Now with blood and dirt

All over his face

Mum carried him home

Like they were in the Amazing Race

Mum applies the ointments and creams

To help hime heal scratched and sore

In hope that soon

She can show you his face once more.

I have heaps to blog about, I now only need some time to do so. Oh wouldn’t that be nice.

I’m not sure why I thought a poem would be less time consuming just because there are less words. Surprisingly at least it didn’t take me any longer to write than a normal post. I take so long to write posts it isn't funny. Ideas and words don’t always flow in the same direction for me

Thank you so much for all your thoughts and advice on my last post. Although I didn’t quit my position like I had planned I do feel better about the situation. In the end a good friend reminded me that I took the job on to help move the club forward. I love my club but some times they appear to be unwilling try new approaches. I am going to do my best to make a difference and if I can’t move the mountain then I can still resign from the position and not feel bad, because at least I tired.

When Karma gets Spooky you need a GIVEAWAY.

Want free stuff? All you have to do is read this post and put up with my small whine.

Ok so today I am left feeling like Karma is a child’s ride at the local shopping centre. You know the ones, Thomas the tank or Post Man Pat’s van, you put your dollar in the slot and approximately 30 seconds later the ride is over. You’re left with a screaming kid and a lack of dollar coins in your purse.

If you haven’t already guessed…. It would be safe to say that my karma has all dried up this week. I’m on 2 committees, both are causing me some greif. On one committee I have been organizing a Halloween Luncheon, a few people on the committee didn’t want me to bother with sending RSVP emails and wanted me to over cater by a least 20 people. Not only is it a waste of money but a waste of food. Thankfully I have the social club funds and the catering contacts and so Liss will do what Liss thinks is right with the approval of a friend/another committee member.

The other position I take up on committee is the Competition Print and Digital Image Secretary at my photography club. I only took up this position about 3 moths ago not realizing the amount of work required. Time and effort I don’t really have and I would not have put my hand up for the job if I had fully understood what was involved. While I have had fantastic support by a few members of the club, all is not rosy. What is really frustrating is that everyone is happy to play by the rules until the rules apply to them. Expecting me to give them special treatment, I am dammed if I don’t agree and as I found out Monday night I am also dammed if I do agree and the genuinely forget to do what I promised even though what I promised was breaking the rules a little and shouldn’t have been done anyway. Photography club was my time for socializing and now this job makes me so busy I haven’t any time for socializing. I get to club and even before I have set up the notebook pc I am bombarded. Club is no longer fun for me, in 3 short months I have gone from eagerly leaving the kids and babysitter to now thinking I don’t want to go to club tonight, how can I get out of it. I have penned a letter of resignation to the President of the club explaining my feelings and reasons, but for now I hold onto it as I hate to let people down and I don’t like to quit.

One of the things I have been working on lately is TTV (Through the Viewfinder) photos. I don’t have the equipment to do these manually so I cheat and use Photoshop instead. If you want to know how to do this click here .

If you want one on these Ttv photos up on your fridge just leave a comment here by Thursday and you’ll go in the draw. If you put my Happy Halloween Ttv photo in your blog side bar with a link to my blog I send some extra karma your way in the form of an extra 5 entries.

1st Prize is the 4 photos posted here as Ttv fridge magnets. 2nd, 3rd Prize is a Happy Halloween Ttv fridge magnet.

Pink Thought Thursday

Today I would like to observe some time and thought for all the women who have lost the fight against Breast Cancer. Thanks to Pink Thought Thursday @ Soul Aperture.

Karmatic Theroy - My story contiunes

(would you believe Mikaela not only brought these for me but made them for me)

I’d like to think Karma exists but does it? I think the act of giving should be just that, you should not need anything in return.

Mikaela had gone to an exhibition with her Nanna on the day of the soccer presentation. The exhibition was advertised to have flower arranging for children. She wants to be a florist and we thought this was the perfect way for her to spend the day. Unfortunately when they arrived they discovered that the article in the newspaper had miss printed details and there was no flower arranging. Due to the mix up and Mikaela’s desire to be a florist she was offered a private lesson. The florist told Nanna that she had a natural ability as she held and arranged the flowers into a bouquet. WOW I was so proud and impressed that she made these.

Putting these flowers into a vase, I realized that karma is mostly appreciation. I had received my karma the moment I gave the boy my winning voucher. The smile on his face that went for one ear to the other, the hi-5 he gave me, was my karma. It made me feel glad I gave him the voucher. That same day a perfect stranger had gone above the call of duty and done something nice for my daughter. She too deserves to experience the feeling of being appreciated and so we wrote her a thank you letter.

Appreciation encourages us and lack of appreciation deters us from giving in the future. My only advice is show appreciation more and I hope you are appreciated in return.

(Mikaela in the middle of her flower arranging lesson)

Giving from the heart & Karma

Pictures from Callum’s Soccer Presentation Day.

Are you the type that always wins the raffle? Well I am not. I have a pocket full of ticket and there is abundance of prizes. First prize is drawn, then second and third and fourth and so on it goes. I stand wondering why I even stayed for the raffle, thinking I could be half way home by now. Yet I continue to stand and watch the prizes on the table in front of me disappear into the hands of other. The second last prize is announced, it’s a $30 KFC voucher. There’s twelve-year-old boy standing next to who is also in Callum’s soccer team. I have a lot of time for this boy. He’s a good kid and although I don’t know his full story I think he's had a rough trot before residing with his current cares. He says, “I want to win, I want to win”. Isn’t it funny what young people see as important? To him this $30 voucher for greasy chicken was causing excitement like it could have been $100K. I have my tickets in my hand now still hoping I’d win something with only 2 prizes left. However it was at that moment I say to myself, if I win this voucher I will give it to this boy. Purple D64 was called out as the winning ticket. It was like god or someone upstairs had heard me say to myself that I would give this ticket away. My gesture was noble enough to warrant my ticket number to be call and so I won. I collected my prize and walked back to where I was standing and handed the boy the voucher with out any hesitation. Seeing this young mans face light up was a prize in itself.

So on that day I had seen my boys excitement of receiving a participation trophy for completing his first soccer season and the joy of giving.

As we drove home from presentation day I wonder if my good deed would be paid back to me some where a long the line but not expecting it to. I was just exploring the idea of the law of karma.

Stayed tuned for part 2 of this story and please let me know if you believe you have received good karma for something you have done.

A Night's Adventure and Sore Legs

(View of Melbounre and & Hamer Hall - The Arts Centre)

Oh Liss what have you done? I hear you say. I gave a man sore legs and now he’s going to sue me. Well it wasn’t really my fault and I have sore legs too. Did I have fun getting the sore legs? If you call walking for 6 ½ hours in abnormally cold spring conditions (even for Melbourne) battling 60km per hour winds and a little rain fun. I think it was probably more funny than fun, that 2 idiots (I mean brave people) endured these conditions just to take some photos. I’ve never been so glad to return to my car in a completely empty parking lot at 11pm and it was at this point I truly understood why the other 2 people we invited had declined the invitation that morning.

(New Footbridge at Melbourne Exhibition Centre)

This weekend we were much smarter having our get together indoors at my house. A lesson in Photoshop and a bbq was planned. We had our own personal instructor, aka professional photograher and son of Mr Sore Legs. I am surprised we didn’t short circuit the power grid with the amount of notebooks, power cords, external memory drives. It looked more like a convention for technical geeks. Then a latest Canon 1D and lens got brought out and we got to play. It was camera geek heaven.!!!

(Views from Southbank and Crown Casino looking back at Flinders Street.)

Hopefully, now I understand a littler more about photoshop my work will improve. There is always hope. More practice at night photography might be a good thing too. As lease last to images are looking a little over exposed. This might be caused by sharpening will have to go back and check the full size images.

(Web Bridge at Docklands Precinct)

Pink Thoughts (Part 1)

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Each Thursday Christina from Soul Aperture is hosting Pink Thoughts.

The colour Pink symbolizes: Love, purity, kindness, energy, passion, power, courage, compassion, loyalty, faithfulness, protection, enthusiasm, romance, happiness, softness.

Qualities we as women, all possess even if we do not use all of them at the once. It seems only fitting that Pink is the colour that represents Women in western culture from the time we are born.

As my daughter says “PINK is forever” so I encourage anyone this month to buy a Pink ribbon. Help find a cure because Breast Cancer does not discriminate it affects young, women, older women, mothers, daughters, sisters, otherwise healthy women. It affects Families.

Side Note: If you don't already know, I am also blogging here, check it out.

Tiptoe Through the Tulips.

We have 2 weeks school holidays before heading back to school for the 4th and final term for the year. What to do, where to go, how to keep boredom at bay? Saturday saw, Mikaela locked up of an hour and a half completing her jazz and tap dance exams. Needing some fresh air and some outdoor time, Sunday we decided to go for a drive up to the Dandenong’s to visit the Tulip Farm.

The Tulip Farm is located about an hours drive out of Melbourne in the Dandenong Rangers. The region is a must for anyone visiting Melbourne and is a very popular weekend getaway spot for locals, offering beautiful B&B’s, gourmet eateries and produce, local art, markets, national parks and garden and plenty of walking trail.

Red and yellow tulips

Pink tulips

White tulips

Pink & White tulips

A lonely white and pink tulip in a sea of pink ones

I even found some good looking kids in the feild of flowers

There were carrige rides around the farm

Last but not least there was Dutch food

With chocolate sauce Yum Yum.

Reminds me of Someone

I took this photo today at the tulip farm and think Callum looks a spitting image of my dad. Maybe it’s the thick hair that grows so fast. Maybe it’s his steel blue eyes or his other facial feature, or even his expression. Maybe it goes deeper, maybe it because I see more than just a photo of a person and I see personality through this picture.

Callum’s Angel

I have a guardian angel, my mummy tells me so

I have a guardian angel, to watch me grow and grow

He blessed me with my blue eyes

Long legs and fair complexion

He blessed me with love and my family’s affection

He blessed me with strength and courage

He did so, sipping his cup of tea

He blessed me with my gentle nature

And my placidness as you can plainly see

He is there to guide me through life’s journey

Who knows where that may lead?

But with my guardian angel by my side

I am surely bound to succeed

Sadly I will have never known you personally

But I will always know who you are

For my mummy tells me my guardian angel is my Pa.

***

I’ll post a bit more about the tulip farm soon.

Sorry for being so nostalgic this week. I promise my next few post will be much more light hearted and up tempo. If you’re really lucky I might even try my hand at publishing some humour.

It Will Never Last.

Ever wonder how you got to where you are in life today. It’s funny how we are greeted by unexpected twists and turns. Some people make the most of the turns they are dealt and others struggle wanting to blame anyone and anything for what is wrong.

Once, in the early day of my divorce I felt I needed a new social network group, perhaps a group of friends that understood what one goes though after a separation considering I was first cab of the rank in the divorce stakes among my friends. I found a social group and before joining I went along to one of their events. I quickly realized that this was not a group for me. I was shocked at how bitter some people can be after a divorce and how long they can harbour their bitterness for. I left that evening wondering if this sort of attitude was self destructive, how could they expect their lives to improve while they house so many negative thoughts. All I knew was I didn’t want to surround myself with these types of people.

We are all human, and of course I have suffered my fair share of despair. I have worked myself up into a tizz thinking the world would end at times. The key to my survival has been good friends who provide comfort and support and not to spend too much time lurking in the dark shadowy places. I try to concentrate on the good things I have in my life and work on creating new projects and interests, infusing as many positive situations into my life as possible. This doesn’t mean I go to bed every night and not think about what I’m missing in my life. The things we desire can often consume us, it can make what we have feel less important that it actually is. I am still learning the art of controlling the desire to find the missing pieces and there are time when I wished my house wasn’t so quite, when I hear creak or a bump in the middle of the night I wish I had someone next to me that would protected me and check it out.

Society sees divorce as a failure. I was once taking a cab to the airport to visit a friend interstate. The kids were staying at my mums for the weekend. While waving goodbye to them from the taxi, the cab driver asked me my situation. I told him I was divorced. He said “People give up too quickly, they don’t even try to make it work”. How does he know I didn’t try and make it work? Why did he assume that I never gave my marriage ago and what is wrong with knowing you no longer want to be in an environment that is destructive to your mental, physical or financial health. Do some people not realise it takes 2 people to make a relationship work and if BOTH are not committed, no amount of counselling is going to give a bad relationship a new lease of life. Most people don’t just walk out on their marriage often it takes years of being treated badly for someone to conjure enough courage up and say enough is enough.

Today marks 6 years of being on my own, 6 years of discovery, 6 years of finding balance between financially supporting family and spending time with family. There have been times I never wish to never repeat, feelings of loneliness and thoughts of never finding anyone to spend the future with. Would I change it? NO. I can no longer imagine life any other way. I have my children, I am happy. I have grown as a person more than I could have ever grown in a relationship, good or bad. I have learnt much about myself. I am strong but sometimes need to be stronger, I am emotional, I am caring, I can laugh if the face of doom. I can pick myself up and continue on when kicked to the kerb, something doing this with dignity and well … sometime not so. I am hard on myself. My expatiations are high. I am loyal. I can mow the lawn (when I can’t start the lawn mover), I can change a tap washer, program the TV, cook, clean, look after children, kill mice or spiders, move heavy furniture by myself. Build furniture by myself. Yet at times I lack confidence and feel unworthy of people’s attention. I am learning to be more honest and open. I am content but still growing.

I truly believe that I would not have discovered photography if I were still married and I would not have met some of the people in my life that I know today. Although Mr. Perfect still eludes me, I no longer feel I need a man to be complete, to be successful or to be accepted by society.

So lets celebrate my life with cake. Sorry I couldn’t find have any Happy Divorce candles, birthday candles will just have to do. I’ll set my self a challenge to find to funny divorce cake decorations for next year.