Monthly Archive

I’ve had a couple of aborted attempts at this post. I thought it would be easier to write than it is. And I can just hear my mother asking me why I’m writing it, but I need to. You know how sometimes you just know? Yesterday I wrote a comment on someone’s blog about how I “had had” two boys. She’s probably wondering what on earth I meant and that clinches it.
I want to introduce you to our eldest son, James. As you can see, James had Down Syndrome and, as often is the case, he also had severe congenital heart defects (complete AV defect, for those in the know. And I mean complete). We had him for sixteen years, until he passed on three years ago. James was an exceptional boy - total and utter joy - and he passed on suddenly at home. We are so grateful that he didn’t have to go through a drawn out hospital experience.
The point of telling you all this is not to get sympathy (puhleeze, do not feel sorry for us!!! It would be a sorry case of Pity Waste!) but because I talk about James all the time and with new people there comes a point where I realise that it’s just confusing for them to not know! When people ask me how many kids I’ve got, I always stumble. Sometimes I say, “Two”, and immediately feel as if I’ve abandoned Jamie; other times I say,” We had three”, and kill the conversation flat. It’s hard for people to understand that I am not going to fall apart if they ask me a question. I have to explain that we knew James was going to die before us for twelve years before it happened. His brother and sister knew ALL their lives. No, it doesn’t make it easy. But it does make it less of a body blow.

Proud mothers can be excruciatingly boring, so I’ll try to keep this part brief. I just have to tell you a little about James. He was funny - laughed all the time (which often lead to copious farts and eventually wet pants, which made him laugh even more and us all beg him to stop!) He also loved pranking people. My mother has, on a number of occasions, set fire to oil in the kitchen (she now has a self-imposed deep frying ban!). One day, she had the electric jug on to make coffee and James, seeing the steam, yelled out, ” ‘moke! ‘moke!” She came running SO FAST that he stored that trick away and got her a few more times.
This photo is Jamie wearing Peter’s welding mask which he had smuggled to school. The teachers tried to tell him off, but he looked so funny they ended up taking photos of him instead!

We have many “James” words that we all use regularly. If you don’t want to share your drink, just tell the other person that it has ” ‘loaties” in it (floaties = back wash).
Being a teenager, he was not averse to slagging people off from time to time, so a frequent family put-down here is, “You a LOOSER!”
His speech was very difficult to understand, so if you are one of the people who heard me telling him off at the shops and thought I was mean, he may have just said, “oh, -hit!” I knew what he meant, even if you didn’t!
Grandma will by now be upset that I’m only telling you negative things, so I must say that James was never difficult behaviourly and always great fun to be with. He was obsessed with coca cola and we often heard the plea, “Good boy? Coke?” Yes, our good boy always deserved coke. Who could not love a boy whose dual career ambitions were to be a doctor and Santa???
So, now you all know James, too. And I can say, “When the boyS were little…” and you won’t wonder if I know that one of my children is a girl

Darling Daughter: who, for her entire life, has been delightful and wonderful and great company!
Dessert: we aren’t actually big dessert eaters, but every now and then a girl just needs KILOJOULES. And what better way to get lots of them, fast?
Dreams: neither my Dad nor my husband remember their dreams. Poor them, I say, because dreaming is one of the best things one can do! I dream every night and most of the time I remember them completely (or fancy I do! I guess I’ll never know for sure). It’s kind of like watching a cool movie all night with the bonus of it being interactive.
Department stores: one of my favourite ways to shop. I like the anonymity of department stores. The sales assistants leave you alone and you can poke around for as long as you like and try clothes on without feeling as if you’re being watched the whole time. I like my shopping to be a solitary experience, not a social one.
Doodling and drawing: just about every piece of paper that comes near me gets covered in scribbles. I CAN’T STOP. I’ve just started doodling on my scrapbook pages and finally I have found the way to make them truly mine.
Diamonds: need no explanation.
Dots: dotty fabrics and papers are always favourites of mine
Distressed finishes: on furniture, paper, just about everything. I love how they make things look more visually complex than they really are.
Digital camera: this little thing has changed the way in which I record life and the way I see things. I especially love using software to fiddle with the photos and create images that weren’t there before!
Drums: some time ago, Peter and I went for a late night walk along the Strand (waterfront) in Townsville. A group of drummers were set up and playing, inviting the audience to participate. They had drums of all kinds, mostly bongo-types. It was absolutely mesmerising, listening and feeling the rhythm created by twenty or so people all spontaneously playing. We watched and listened for ages.

I like to say out loud -doodle, dingbat, dozy….

Wow, this is so much fun! I’m driving my daughter nuts, though, because I have the camera permanently attached to my hand. This gorgeous lemony yellow was quite a challenge. Several things that I photographed looked this colour in the flesh but then looked quite orange on the computer. The painting is by my sister and the bottom right mystery thingy is an egg-cup.

I’m sure you’ve been wondering if I still make quilts at all. Or have I just become a ranter and poster of bad amateur photography. Well, as it happens, I have some fibre for you. This is an attempt to convince Maria (she know who she is) that these hideous blocks…

…DO have value and CAN look good. Here you are…
… Seeeeeeeeee? Nah nah nah nah nah! NOW do you want to do the block swap?

Kids, what we really need is a montage. Even Rocky had a montage.

Before I show you ANY of the cool photos I’ve been taking, answer me this - WHY AREN”T YOU TALKING TO ME????? I know you’re there. I’ve got the stats to prove it. It seems that when I went away on holiday you got the snitch with me and now I’m getting the silent treatment. Well, I’m going to be the bigger blogger and not pout anymore. Here are my White photos for A Year of Color (dang, I keep wanting to put a “u” in “colour” ). Thank you, Happy Things for this cool fun!

… that have entertained me on a wet Saturday afternoon.
Firstly, these photos that I took on my way home from the coast last week. It seems that everything is flowering right now. It was an overcast day and when I opened the car door to get out the scent of the wattle was engulfing. It was a lovely moment, out there in the bush by myself. Dad, I kind of took these for you because I thought how much you would love to see them xxx.Is it a Severe Character Flaw to laugh at the Stupid People? Or is it just a Teensy one?

…And Added Some Strychnine To Her Birth Control Pills

Pharmacist: You should probably re-sign your card.
Woman: Why?
Pharmacist: Well, you signed over the magnetic strip. You’re supposed to sign over the white part down here.
Woman: Then how would the machine read my signature? That doesn’t make any sense.
Pharmacist: No, it’s a magnetic strip. It reads the information, not the signature.
Woman: I don’t think you know what you’re talking about. That’s not how the machines work. You’re a pharmacist, not an electrician.

Then the pharmacist gave up.

–Zitomer, 76th & Madison

Overheard by: Helena

via Overheard in New York, Jul 13, 2006

I’ve finally got a grown-up, alphabetised link list! And a couple of new links, too. Say hello to green kitchen, pink iris and dangling by a thread!

Chocolate, coffee, cherry: Any and all combinations of these life-essential things (NB: cherries must be REAL, not that pink plastic, wax stuff you get in tinned fruit salad *gag*)
Cosmetics: this one I just don’t get! I ADORE cosmetics (esp. Christian Dior - another c word) but I wear makeup once in a blue moon. What is this about? Maybe it’s just the
COLOUR: this must be the Absolute Number One Major Most Important Thing Ever. I NEED colour around me. It is a constant source of pleasure and happiness and calm. I like colours that complement (blue/orange) rather than colours that do that blendy thing. Don’t have favourite colours, just favourite combinations.
Although, I do love red. Especially with duck egg blue. But it has to be Chinese lacquer red. Or that gorgeous tamarillo red…
Creativity: mine or anyone elses. Don’t care whose. Just get excited when someone comes up with a fresh, clever idea and shares it with the rest of us. Like the beautiful Pania, who painted my coffee mug!
Cinema: probably cheating, because I mean movies! I just love going to the movies. Except that I’m really picky about what I see and usually want to see movies that don’t make it as far as the Provinces. There are many advantages to living in a city - hope you Urbanites are making full use of your independent theatres and live theatre and exhibitions and, and.. WAAAHH!!!!
Cinnamon: one of the Worlds best smells (the spice, not that nasty cat who lives with my parents).
Collecting: I think this is genetic. My Dad collected stuff when he was a kid. At the risk of embarassing him hideously, let me tell you about the time he collected newspapers. I don’t get it either, but I think it had something to do with gathering evidence of history. Or something. He stored them under his bed until one day his mother decided they were a fire hazard and threw them out. Anyway, the collecting gene passed to me and subsequently my daughter. My poor husband knows that a day at the beach means driving home with the car full of shells, driftwood and pebbles. We also collect sea glass.

DON”T ASK ME WHY!!! You either do it or you don’t. There’s no fighting it.

The evidence:
Miss D gathering quartz pebbles north of Cairns.

Christmas: Everything about Christmas is fabulous! I love the presents, decorating, the smell of the tree, the food, the hugs and love.
China: never have been a Pottery Person. I love china. Especially old floral stuff. I collect milk/cream jugs (oh Lord, another collection).
Counter-Tenors: this one might be a little too perverse for public admission There is something about a male voice that has an advantage over female sopranos. They never get screechy, always sound round and rich. My favourite is David Daniels.
other c-ish musical favourites; Callas, maria
Cecilia bartoli
Cure, the
Chilli peppers, red hot
Canterbury Tales, The: funny, funny, funny. And rude. Rude and funny. The bed-swapping always gets me.
Chanel No.5 : was my favourite perfume from 1981-2006. I have a new favourite - Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker. It makes me smile every time I inhale. LOVELY. Buy some. For me.
Cake: That’s it. Just “Cake”.
Clever People Who Fix Things: Plumbers, Electricians, Mechanics and, the best, my husband, who can hang paintings, fix damaged ceilings, instal plumbing fixtures, change tyres, put up a clothesline, do anything really. I am grateful for you ALL. And in AWE.

Favourite C words to say -
cocoa, chimpanzee, Cisco (you have to say it like Pancho, ” Eh, Ceeeesco!”)

Whoever would have thought that I would suffer seperation anxiety from my computer? I just can’t believe what a relief it is to be back at the keyboard!
We had a great holiday driving from Townsville up to Cairns, Port Douglas and across the Atherton Tableland (land of a thousand waterfalls). And now I shall bore you all with my holiday snaps. Please take a seat while I turn the slide projector on. Mum, can you flick the lights off, please? Now, this is us on the beach after dinner at Clifton Beach…

And here we are at Hartley’s Crocodile Farm. Oh, the kids loved it. Didn’t you, kids?…

Mater, we took this shot just for you. There REALLY is a place called Bingal Bay, and we went there…

These guys are performers from Kuranda. They were fantastic. Effervessent and charismatic.

Phew, I can’t keep up the slide show commentary. I’M nearly asleep! (Turn the lights back on, Mum.)
One of the most startling things we saw on our trip was the damage from Cyclone Larry. I had not truly fathomed how extensive it is - mile after mile of previously dense rainforest (think Amazon jungle) now looks like this.
The canopy has been destroyed so the floor of the bush is now sunlit. The huge trees have been stripped of their largest limbs and all of their leaves. The growth that you can see in the photo is all recent. I wonder how long it will take before it is restored?
We saw countless acres of flattened banana trees (no wonder bananas are $15 kg) and were surprised by how many houses are still not repaired. Some still have tarpaulins over their roofs. Around Innisfail, which was probably hit the hardest, we saw houses with “N” spray-painted on the doors. We assumed that meant Not Habitable, because they were houses that had obviously suffered major structural damage.
As we drove through these areas I started to realise how terrifying it must be to be caught in a cyclone and thought of all those people who experienced Larry and Katrina. It was very clear to me that there is NOWHERE to go. The evidence of those 300 km winds stretched for hundreds of kilometres.
Gosh, what a cheery “I’m back” post I have written! You must be thrilled to hear from me. As soon as I get the post-hol mess sorted out, I’ll be back with my “C” list…

UPDATE: I’ve been to the supermarket and I am shocked to report that bananas in Hughenden are now $20.50 per kilo. That probably makes them about $5 each!