Category Archive

Dragonfly tagged me (in the sweetest way!) for this meme recently and Kellie at Don’t Look Now also tagged me (what, Kellie, last century??) for the 7 Things meme.
So for more scintillating information about ME, read on…

Why I started my blog ?

A few years ago we left New Zealand, where we had been living for nearly nine years, and moved back to Queensland. In New Zealand I was surrounded by a great group of creative and arty types who fed my soul and enthused over my creations and generally kept me going when I wanted to stop. I didn’t realise quite how much they contributed to my life until I found myself living in a remote outback town with no real soul mates. There were nice people there who welcomed me lovingly, but I felt cut adrift creatively. Then I discovered the world of blogs. What a revelation! I realised that this was a good way to get connected again with what I felt was missing in my life. And it has been in many many ways, including some surprising ones! I didn’t expect to meet my next batch of real-life friends via blogging, but that is exactly what happened.

How I came up with the name of my blog?

I had only been reading blogs for a matter of weeks before I started my own and so I hadn’t really thought about the significance of a blog’s name or, quite frankly, I would have tried harder to choose something more relevant and meaningful. As it was, I tried all the variations of my own name first and became increasingly frustrated to find them already taken. In sheer desperation I tried two lime leaves … and it took! I guess lime leaves because I have leaf shapes on so many of my projects, I like lime green, LOVE the smell of limes and two is my favourite number (I suppose!).

Do my friends and family know about my blog? What do they think of it?

Yes, I told everyone I knew that I had started a blog. You guys, who read blogs, will understand that I expected them all to be as excited about it as I was! It took a while to dawn on me that not everyone actually “gets” blogs and I don’t think all that many of my family and friends read it. Certainly very few of them ever comment. My sister reads it (Hi, M!) and she and my brother both have blogs. So do a couple of New Zealand friends. But mostly this world is self-contained and doesn’t overlap with my life pre-blogging.

How do I write my posts?

My posts are just something that has caught my attention for some reason. Either it’s a project I’m working on or a current issue or just me venting my opinionated self. What can I say? I like the sound of my own voice. I don’t think it’s too far from the truth when critics of blogging describe it as a narcissistic activity. Personally, I have no problem with that. I don’t think you meet many bloggers who are lacking in opinions or egos.

Ever had a troll or had to delete unkind comments?

Not one in two years. I’ve certainly seen a few around, but haven’t experienced it myself.

Do I check my stats? Do I care who/how many read my blog? Do I try to increase traffic?

Well, DUH. (refer to earlier answer re: ego) Except for the increase traffic bit. I don’t even know how to do that.

What I like and dislike about blogging?

Like: I am completely blown away by the friendships in this world. It’s one of those things that you just can’t explain to anyone who hasn’t experienced it, but there is a connection that happens and it’s real. It just makes stronger my belief that most people in the world are good and that we all pretty much want the same thing - to be understood and loved. We have such an opportunity with blogging to support and touch other people’s lives. And the sharing! My goodness! You should have seen the faces on the ladies at the Post Office when I explained to them that the parcel I just received from Ali was from someone I didn’t even know! And there have been so many others…

Dislike: only ONE thing that I can think of. I so badly want to respond to every comment and comment on every post that I read. But the truth is that it eats into my day like crazy and so I get very slack about it. Then I feel REALLY guilty and sad. It’s surprising to me over and over again just how good those comments make me feel and I am so very grateful for that.

Seven (more) Weird Things About Me:

1. I hate having sticky/dirty/wet stuff on my hands (except clay. That’s art so it’s OK) which makes me Tactile Defensive which is common in the Intellectually Impaired

2. I HAVE to wet my toothbrush before I put the toothpaste on it and then again after the toothpaste is on it. I just do.

3. I’m a folder not a scruncher. Oh. Shut. Up. If you didn’t want That Much Information you wouldn’t still be reading this far into the post.

4. I always shake the milk before I open the bottle and I won’t drink it if there is less than half a litre left in the bottle. I know I’m not alone here. One of you (and I can’t remember who) was waxing lyrical recently about how the last bit in the bottle is dirty. (who WAS that??) (I bet it was Sussanah)

5. I have never eaten, nor will I EVER eat an oyster. Why would anyone want to eat something that looks like infected dirty snot?

6. I despise tardiness in others and am late for almost every single deadline I ever have.

7. I don’t especially like talking on the phone for very long (unless it’s my sister or brother or other Important People). My ear gets sore.

Blogger, taggeth thyself.

So, ages and ages ago Estea wrote a really cool post called Worth Every Penny. I thought it was brilliant. Here are my additions:

1. Origins “Never a Dull Moment” facial scrub is kind of expensive but really really good stuff.
2. Sheets. If I have one piece of advice for newlyweds/newlybonkings (oh good grief! as if I’d stop at ONE piece of advice!) it is this. Buy good sheets. Every night you will be happy in bed, even if you don’t get any.
3. Coffee. We have banned instant coffee from our home.We decided quite some time ago that we are Grown-ups now and Grown-ups don’t have enough years to waste any of them of crap coffee.
4. Every woman should own at least one Killer Bra that makes her boobs look fake. This bra (pictured above for your pleasure) makes my cleavage so damn hot I almost turn myself on.

Not pictured but equally valuable:
real garlic (Don’t even tell me if you use pre-minced, dried or *gag* powdered garlic. I will not want you as a friend any longer.)
good quality chocolate (see coffee reference above)
down pillows (see sheets reference above)

OK. Give me the scoop! What am I living without that I desperately need?

Jess and Meggie and Molly and Mary and heaps more of you have been writing these amazing statements. I believe it started here with Suse. They have intrigued me and I have found myself writing my own in my head for days. Mine became further removed from the original concept as I went along. But it made me cry. Time to put it here…

I am from Strong Women. Land-owning, moko-chinned women. Far-from-home, desperate-for-a-new-beginning women. Women who worked hard, physical work, who created, who birthed and buried. Maori and Pakeha, New Zealand women.

I am from Weetbix and Marmite and Vogel bread. But also Mum and Dad making jam in a steamy kitchen, measuring sugar, cutting plums and peaches. From duck and pheasant, plucked by Nanna, shot by Papa, making his own cartridges on the back verandah; from flounder and crayfish, caught by my uncles, drying and cleaning their nets in the sun. From whitebait, feijoas, plums and mandarins. I am from sun-ripened strawberries growing safely under old fishing nets.

I am from a sandpit, huge and deep - built by Dad, digging with my brother; Mole Holes and tunnels to China, shared baths and sandy feet.

I am from freesias, grape hyacinth and roses. But also bracken, ponga and moss. From damp bush tracks, swinging vines, tuis, fantails and bellbirds. From cold, bare legs and sweaty wool-clad torsos; from home-knitted hats and Swan-dris; from canvas packs and scroggin.

I am from a river, deep and dark. The Waikato. Forboding, menacing, comforting, home.

I am from immigrant Presbyterian straightforwardness, threat, control; softened by years to simplicity, inclusiveness, morality. I am from whakapapa, so that my family includes all things and everyone and is everpresent. I am from karakia, prayer for all things - welcome, recognition, gratitude, farewell.

I am from Christmas indulgences. Ceiling-scraper trees that leave sap on the plaster, wooden crates of soft-drink bottles, present-opening that lasts all afternoon (one at a time so everyone can see). I am from my Papa, roasting assorted fowl all morning, revelling in the luxuriousness of our lives.

I am from Nanna. From crochet and knitting, from sewing needles dangerously parked in the back of the sofa, horse racing on a transistor radio. From bags stuffed full of wool and patterns and magazines. The New Zealand Women’s Weekly.
From Choysa tea, arrowroot biscuits, 20 cents to buy yourself a creamy. I am from you.

I am from barefooted primary school days. Hand stands, four-square, school journals, muddy playing fields, thick Education Department crayons. From kids who smelled funny and boys who played rugby and girls in Grandma-knitted cardigans.
I am from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer and boater hats and school ties and timetables and Latin verbs and Chapel and matron and The Bursar and The Headmistress. I am from naughty boarders, brothers at St Pauls, sneaking hone early.

I am from wet, foggy mornings with the washing machine sloshing and my mother’s red hands.
I am from homemade clothes, Holly Hobbie-embroidered and pin-tucked. I am from Singer sewing machines, forever patient Teacher-Mother with needle and thread, hours spent looking a patterns and fabric in shops, pinking shears, pins in foam-topped plastic boxes.

I am from rides in the wheelbarrow, a Daddy with strong arms; piggyback rides, a Daddy with a strong back. Wrestling on the lounge floor, pinned in The Scissors hold. Laughing, laughing, laughing. I am from my parents cuddling in the car, flirting in the kitchen, dancing in the lounge. I am from kissing and cuddling and love.

Ko Taupiri te maunga
Ko Waikato te awa
Ko Aotearoa te iwi

Taupiri is my mountain
Waikato is my river
New Zealand is my people

If I hadn’t been tagged today for a meme, you wouldn’t have heard a peep out of me for another day or two. So send brickbats or bouquets, depending on how you feel about this, to Kate

Here’s the deal. I tell you stuff basing each thought on a letter from my name.(these are the actual rules: List one fact, word or tidbit that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your first or middle name. You can theme it to your blog or make it general. Then tag one person for each letter of your name.)

We all know I love talking about myself, so this should be easy.

K : kissing is one of my favourite activities in the whole world. My kids hate me for it, and even poor Peter probably cops more than he needs or even wants. Tough. If I love you, you WILL suffer my kisses and you had BETTER at least pretend that you like it. Here’s a funny story that rats out my sister. When she was five and my husband’s lovely brother was about twenty two, she was sitting on his knee smothering his face in kisses. He was doing his best to put up with it while having a conversation with someone else. Eventually, annoyed that he wasn’t paying enough attention to her, she asked him, “Do you like kissing me?” He responded with a “Hmmm”. Full of confidence, she shot back, “Never mind, we’ll get used to it.”

I : intuition. Is it intuition or revelation or something else altogether that hits me over and over when I meet new people? I so often know things about them that I haven’t been told. Serious things, private things. I very seldom tell them what I know, but sometimes I kind of blurt things out. I have tried to ignore this (successfully) at different times of my life. Now I wish I had nurtured it more. Maybe I will yet.

R : regret. Not too many in my life. I wish I had realised earlier in life that I owe other people nothing - no explanations, no commitments, no obligation - unless I choose to. I wish I had known at sixteen how pretty I was and that I wasn’t fat. I wish I had been braver intellectually. I wish I had questioned convention a whole lot more. That’s about it. I can live with that.

S : sister. I’m glad I have one. She is beautiful, graceful, exceptionally talented. She was born when I was 13 and, when I was 18, I married Peter and moved away.She was only five, so for a long time we didn’t know each other very well. These days I think we know each other very well. Here’s another regret - there have been times I’ve hurt her accidentally (the story above was no accident, sorry, M.) And, worse, there have been a couple of times when I knew full well that what I was about to say would hurt. I really wish I hadn’t done that. I wish I’d been a better sister, a less judgmental one, a more understanding one. It took us a while to learn to have an adult relationship. I’m so happy we’ve got there. Meredith, I love you.

T : truth. My brother has been wrestling with this one for a while (love you, too, Jon!). How does one define Truth? I suddenly feel completely unable to answer the question. I’m no longer even sure that I want to try. Isn’t Truth different for each person? What I do know for sure is that honesty is one of the most important things in my life. I value honesty above just about everything else.

and, honestly? I’m too sleepy for this!! T is for Tired.

Y: *yawn*

It probably buggers up memes not to tag people for the next round, but I far prefer to let you self-tag. So go for it.

In about 1937 (!), Tracy tagged me for a meme and, absent as I have been, I still haven’t done it. Here goes….

Seven Honest Things About Me:

(given how frequently I spill my guts on this blog, I’m not sure I’ll be able to find seven things you don’t already know!)

1. I am L A Z Y when it comes to stuff I don’t like to do (housework, ironing, paperwork) but have huge amounts of energy for stuff that interests me.

2. I hate my hair. It fell out in handfuls when I was pregnant with my third baby and never grew back. It sucks monkey crotch.

3. I still say stuff like ‘It sucks monkey crotch’. (My mother still winces when I say stuff like that.)

4. Most of the Good Ones (like “That sucks. That sucks the gay right out of Liberace’s anus.”) come from my son and his favourite terrible,internet sites (somethingawful.com) that have me in stitches, too. We share Infantile Humour as a genetic trait. My daughter just raises one eyebrow at us and shakes her head. She is Sensible, like her father.

5. Other people’s kids kind of aggravate me. I love my kids and my nieces and nephews. That’s it. (ah, stop hissing!! the list said ‘honest’!!)

6. But I do adore babies. I could have babies forever. And I LOVE teenagers. Kids start to get annoying around three and stop being annoying around thirteen.

7.I thought I was fairly wild as a teenager but now I can see that I really wasn’t (just a major pain in the ass, but still rather straight) and part of me wishes I had whooped it up a bit more. Then the Other Part of me says, “But then Mr Straight and Sensible Peter wouldn’t have wanted to be with you” and I say, “Y’know, you’re right? He is SO worth not ever having done drugs and only having been drunk once. I’m glad I stayed in Sunday School.”

There you are. Seven. Rather cathartic, really. Anyone out there not done this yet?? Tag yourself and tell us all your secrets!

We are home. I wish I could say I am pleased, but this was one of those holidays that you don’t want to end. Yes, it was THAT good!
I have been greatly enjoying the wonderful lies that so many of you have been telling, inspired by Tracey who, I must say, is the most unlikely of liars! Instead of doing her meme, I am going to tell you about my week - you can decide which points are real and which I’m lying about…

1. We stayed at this place. It was beautiful, had spectacular views over the sea and delicious soap and shampoo (lemongrass and eucalyptus).

2. Ali and I spent a morning standing three metres from lions and a tiger as they tore into huge chunks of raw meat and crunched through three inch thick bones. Did you know that when the lionesses are in heat they bonk up to ninety times a day for three days straight??

3. We ate crocodile at a teppanyaki bar.

4. Peter was in need of new clothes and we found a wonderful menswear store where we bought him a beautiful suit, pants, jacket, belt and shoes. The suit cost more than my wedding dress (Hell, the jacket and the SHOES each cost more than my wedding dress!!) and he hyperventilated when it was time to pay but he looks thoroughly gorgeous and lustworthy.

5. We were in Cairns primarily for Peter to attend a conference and the Gala Dinner was a wonderful surprise for me - the entertainment included legendary Australian band, The Black Sorrows. They were superb. Consummate musicians. If you haven’t seen Joe Camilleri perform live, you should. I think I will marry him next. Who can resist a man in a linen suit? Certainly not me.

6. On Thursday night a priest was talking to us and when he turned around his cassock was completely open down the back and he mooned us with one of the prettier boy-butts I’ve seen.

7. We snorkeled at Green Island and I swam amongst a school of coral trout that were each about 40 cm long (16″).

8. Ali and I saw a green turtle.

9. I saw a whale.

10. I got seasick on the way to Green Island and the only thing that stopped me chucking my breakfast in front of a hundred strangers was pride.

11. I ate cherry flavoured gelato for the first time in my life.

12. Peter can use an espresso machine and froth milk and I never knew it.

13. We watched Blazing Saddles on TV two days before we gave it to Peter on dvd for Fathers’ Day.

14. Sept 1 was the 26th anniversary of Peter proposing to me. Legend has it (i.e. Peter’s version of events) that we were in a terrible restaurant and he offered to “take you away from all this”. Next thing he remembers is walking down the aisle…
Of course, that IS a lie - a colossal lie - we were in a fabulous restaurant and He Proposed Properly. I know because I was there.

15. Cairns is full of tourists. FULL of tourists. I walked along the Esplanade and was the only person speaking English. It was lovely hearing so many different languages.

16. And FUNNY to see all the English tourists sunbathing in Winter!!

17. Yesterday was Peter’s brother’s birthday. Happy Birthday and kisses from Queensland!!
Peter’s brother designs Porsches.

18. A Japanese man glanced up at Peter as we walked past him on the beach and exclaimed “OH! Very strong!!”

19. Ali and I shopped until our feet ached. We had to stop and go back to the hotel because we couldn’t take another step.

20. I sat next to a man at the Gala Dinner who was Sir Les Patterson in a slightly cleaner suit. He gleefully informed me that key note speaker who addressed Life/Work Balance had said that “we should have intercourse three times a week”. The room started swaying at that point and my seasickness returned.

So, where are the lies??

This is my new bible… I can thoroughly recommend it. It’s so well-written that I understand it and, as a bonus, it’s even funny!
I’ll put it down long enough to say Hi…

About three or even four weeks ago, Kirsten dished one of these my way…

…which was very cool of her and I’ve been feeling guilty about not responding for about, ooh, three days now! (just kidding really - it’s been weeks) Thank you, Kirsten C., you rockin’ chick, you!
I happen to know countless rockin’ girls, so handing this out will be a piece of cake. I’m supposed to give five awards:
Sussanah has to be on the list, because we all know that she wants to grow up to be a debaser AND she loves her husband, and I’m very much in favour of that.
And Sarah, well, she’s the closest chick I know to a groupie! And she is a superb photographer. And when she’s not playing wii she grows mega-veges.
Nicolette is definitely a rockin’ blogger in any language.I get the impression she can make anything.
Craftymum scares me a bit. She finds more hideous craft stuff than anyone else I know, which makes her a rockin’ blogger in the same way that, say, David Lee Roth is rockin’. Remember him? Small pants, big hair? I know you know what I mean, crafty
Joni has so much energy you can feeling it exploding through the interwaves, or whatever the Internets travel on. She absolutely rocks!

I made another couple of peg aprons today for the etsy shop. I have a real thing for apple green, so it was good for the soul to use some.
I’m really enjoying making projects that don’t take too long. By the way, I haven’t forgotten that I owe some pincushions - they ARE coming, I promise!
And in case you’ve been worried about me and my phone we’re good now. We kind of have an understanding. It doesn’t demand attention from me and I only bother it occasionally.
I even got a text today from the Prodigal. It said “please please please please mummy send red rock deli chips theres money in my acct”.
What a kid! Does he miss me? No, he misses potato chips of the Right Brand!! (and thinks I would want HIM to pay for them !)

I’ve been tagged by Jade to list my Top 5 Eating Spots. After Tracey’s post about Top Ten Lists, it will be a challenge to stick to five so I’m limiting myself to eateries in four places I’ve lived.

1. Fifteen years ago Pete and I went to The Walnut Room in Brisbane. I am STILL talking about it. It rates as the absolute-no-competition-alltime-best restaurant I have ever eaten at! The food was good, but the service was outstanding. We had our own exclusive waiter and he was so discreet that he managed to refill my glass without me even noticing. Superb.

2. In Townsville we like to eat breakfast at a cafe called C-bar. The food is nice/average but we like it because we can walk there and it is right on the sea. There is nothing between us and the water. Here’s a photo that Katja blogged a while ago. Wouldn’t you love it too?

New Zealand is FULL of excellent restaurants! I’m not kidding. If you love good food, then you need to book a holiday in New Zealand NOW and go on a restaurant crawl.

3. Palmerston North is not a big place but it is chock full of great places to eat. My favourite is Bella’s. The menu is good, the food is fantastic but, again, what makes the place extra good is the service - it’s one of those lovely places where you feel truly welcomed.

4.Hamilton (my home town) is also overloaded with choice. You can’t beat Scotts Epicurean for breakfast. They make amazing homemade crumpets (nothing like the supermarket kind!) and salmon that I’d walk a hundred miles for (mind you, I seldom meet a salmon I don’t adore).

5. And a few doors down is Metropolis which is practically a Hamilton Institution. And so it should be! It’s impossible not to love the place.

If Peter and I had every dollar we have eaten in restaurants over the years, we would be able to laugh about my dying car!! But we do love a good meal
Where do you like to eat??

Rooruu tagged me to do the quilt meme that Susan in Stitches created. While it is a very fine meme, I am going to replace it with this one: The Bad Quilt Meme by Tanya.

Usual rules: Bold for things you’ve done, standard type for the rest.

Made a quilt with no knowledge, no skills, and no understanding that either are needed
- I then even had the audacity to teach it to others!! (successfully, I must add)

Created an abomination and (at the time) was proud of it
We still have one of my first quilts, known since the day it was born as The Ugly Quilt.

Created a quilt that was so hideous it made people or animals go blind

Had relatives throw a quilt you made outside in the muddy yard for the dogs to chew - hmm, probably - my relatives are too kind to admit this one.

Used severely mismatched fabric weights when piecing, for example, heavyweight denim and lightweight cotton

Didn’t pre-wash fabrics and later had them bleed all over the finished quilt

Used badly mismatched needle and bobbin thread

Puckered seams

Misaligned pieces

Ugly colors

Polyester fabrics that pilled

Thick, scratchy polyester double knit fabrics

Batting that bearded up through the fabric

Huge bird’s nests of bobbin thread that clogged the throat plate of the machine and broke the needle

Cluelessly attempted to stitch with a broken needle for several moments, thus perforating the quilt

Made stitches big enough to put your big toe through

Quilting lines that were about 6″ apart and allowed - nay, begged! - the stuffing to migrate and bunch up

Finished quilts that weren’t “square” and/or were badly blocked

Hand-tied a quilt with heavy crochet or regular yarn, which required a really huge-eyed needle which left giant holes in the quilt

Erroneously equated a quilt with a blanket, and “finished” the edge of the quilt with a blanket stitch using scratchy acrylic yarn. (See previous item)

Had to use pliers to force the needle through the quilt, yet didn’t understand that this might be a sign that something was fundamentally wrong

Backed with a 100 thread count bed sheet. (Extra points for polyester) - I miss out on the extra points, but I’ve made up for that on other questions.

Quilted with fishing line

Bled/sneezed/spilled coffee on a large section of quilt while making it

Had people compare your quilt to one they saw at Wal-Mart - not Wal-mart (we don’t have that store here, but other cheap and nasty stores? YES.

Finished a quilt and only then realized that you hated it

Gave a quilt to someone and had them be speechless - and not in a good way

Trimmed loose threads on a gift quilt at the last minute and cut a hole through the top. (Thanks to SusanInStitches for this addition.)

Sewed one or more fingers to the quilt, then had to carry the sewing machine and quilt around the house while looking for a screwdriver to remove the needle.

Created appliques with satin-stitched edges, which after a shamefully brief time became frayed-edge appliques that flapped their way free of the quilt.

OK. Who’s going to take up the baton??

Shula and Syko have both tagged me for the Random Things about me meme. Well, I did this once before but you know how I just LOVE to talk about myself so this is hardly a challenge. Sit back, relax and prepare to be enthralled…

1. I don’t swear very often. But when I do swear, you can know for sure that I have chosen to use those words and I mean it. I also quite like the horrified look on my daughter’s face when I do. Parents should appall their children from time to time. I remember as a ten year old being shocked when my mother broke a casserole dish with that night’s dinner in it and exclaimed, “Oh damn!!” (Yes, that was Extreme Language for my mother)

2.For twenty years I have been overweight and, quite frankly, it pisses me off. I think I know why I gained weight in the first place, but I can’t seem to shake it now. I’ve had a couple of good attempts in the past few years. Twice I’ve lost ten kilos. Twice I’ve put it back on. I hate it. H.A.T.E. IT!!!! I need to lose about thirty five kilos. That is a crap-load of fat. I don’t talk about it much because people who whine about needing to lose weight annoy me.

3.I’m a total hypocrite. I say that plastic surgery is shallow and terrible. But if it was offered to me free, I’d be horizontal on that gurney before you could say “Sharpen the blade, Nurse.”

4.I put a lot of energy into biting my razor tongue. My anger usually comes out as bitey sarcasm. Not very attractive, but there you go. It takes a hell of a lot of effort to be Nice and, as I get older, I’m giving in to my snarky side more and more often. I’ll probably end up one of those nasty old women with more opinions than friends. Seriously, though, I feel as if I’ve spent my whole life being NICE and I’ve used up all of my Nice Quota.

5.My house is always a mess. But then if you’ve known me for more than an hour, you knew that already. I’m too busy to clean. I resent spending time on temporary stuff. Like cleaning stuff that will be dirty again tomorrow. Or putting away things that someone else will take out again in ten minutes time. There are books to be read and films to watch and there’s love to be made, people!!!

6.The older I get, the fussier I get about material stuff (like having down pillows and Egyptian cotton sheets) and the less I care about what other people do. I don’t care if you are into rubbing a budgie over your stomach while you have elevator sex with a stranger, just as long as I can have a cashmere throw for my sofa because polyester is just nasty. I’m not sure what that’s all about but I think it’s like when geriatrics don’t care about war erupting in Eastern Europe because they are busy eating a chocolate biscuit right now and, man, that chocolate tastes good. Besides, maybe my morals are sliding south or something, but what is so bad about elevator sex with a stranger? It could turn out to be Ralph Fiennes and how many of us would boot him out at the second floor? (Yes, Mother, I know you would!)

7. I have a very black sense of humour and often I will be the only person laughing, surrounded by people who can not believe that anyone would find THAT funny.

8. I’ve felt out of step with most of the world for my entire life. It’s like I live in another dimension and I just visit the real world sometimes. My interactions with people often feel very shallow and superficial to me. I LOATHE small talk. Hate parties and balls and dinners. My close friends are the ones I can just be with; the people who don’t demand anything of me. Fortunately for me, I feel understood by my immediate family and my husband. Occasionally Peter will shake his head, but usually he just smiles.

I can’t remember how many things I was supposed to write about. Probably less than eight, but 6 and 8 don’t make much sense anyway so they don’t really count (if you figure out what they mean, let me know).

I don’t usually tag people for memes but some of you don’t reveal much about yourselves and the curiosity is killing the rest of us. So spill ya guts, Rooruu, Dy and Anina. And Sussanah, you, too, because you’re new-ish and
we haven’t got enough to hold over you yet.

It’s been far too long between lists, if you ask me! T is for:
Talent: How thankful I am for the talents I see all around me. One of my favourite net things to do is cruise artists websites and check out the extraordinary visions of others.
Tiffanys: is there a woman in the world who wouldn’t swoon over one of those little blue boxes?
Sojourner Truth: who should be every woman’s heroine and chose the best name for herself that I can imagine (and would have been COMPLETELY unmoved by a Tiffanys box!!).
Shaun Tan: if you have never seen Shaun Tan’s books and artwork GO HERE NOW. Every child (and adult) on the planet should own his books. They encourage thought and compassion and vision. Buy them now.
J R R Tolkien (but not YOU Tolstoy)
Torrents: I love rapids and wild waterfalls and monsoonal rain.
Take-off: Taking off in a plane is ALMOST as good as that intense acceleration you get on a roller coaster. I always sit with my eyes closed to really feel it. I sometimes wonder if the people around me think I’m scared…
Trysts: even the word is luscious.
Teenagers and two years olds: they remind us how to see the world through fresh eyes and they are always the BEST company.
Thin Lizzy, “This Boy” by Tom Baxter - let’s face it, ANYTHING by Tom Baxter -the man is gorgeous, “We’re Not Gonna Take It” by Twisted Sister, T-Rex, doing the Time Warp, “Three Little Maids” from The Mikado
Tea with Mussolini, Three Men and a Cradle, Thumbsucker
Tremors and tornados: I’m the only person I know who likes being in earthquakes and I have a morbid fascination with Tornados (ever since I was about eight or nine and experienced a small one). I also realise that they have tragic consequences for many people and that a large earthquake or tornado would cure my interest quickly.
Tosca, Twelfth Night: Tosca always makes me cry and Twelfth Night always makes me laugh.
Television: oh I have such a love/hate thing with TV. I so wish I could say with conceit that I don’t watch TV. It would be a lie. I don’t like much that’s on TV but there are some things I adore - Thunderbirds, Top Gear…
The Tin Drum by Gunter Grass has long been a favourite book and I really enjoyed the movie, too.
Remember Fee Waybill and The Tubes?
Traveling: I’ve done so little, but I dream of traveling constantly. I can see myself living from a suitcase for years.

thistle, tremble,tranquil,tangerine, Tallulah (I wanted to call my daughter this, but it was one of the many names my husband REJECTED), tiaras, tiger lilies, truffles

Tracey tagged me nearly a week ago to do the Real Women meme. It certainly got me thinking (but not writing!) and those brain waves must have floated out into the world cos then Stomper nominated me for a Thinking Blogger Award.

See, the problem is that as soon as anyone suggests that I might be in any way cerebral or even slightly smart, my brain atrophies. I can feel my tongue thickening. Not that that will stop a Real Woman from thinking that she has something worthwhile to say…

So, Real Women Know What They Are and What They Aren’t.

I went to one of those slightly posh private girls’ schools and two things stand out for me from my school years as having been significant in forming my beliefs about Real Women. The first is the school motto - Veritate, Simplicitate, Fidelitate. It means that we should live our lives truthfully, straightforwardly and with integrity (and I know that because I studied Latin for four years at that school. Very useful.*cough* If anyone tries to lay waste your country villa, call me - I know how to tell them to fuck off in Latin). At school I was surrounded by female staff members who really did live their lives according to the school motto and they were quite remarkable women.
The second thing that I remember is being aware of some of The Mothers associated with school -The Mothers who over-dressed in designer clothes, drove luxury cars that they didn’t own and spoke like The Queen. They were despicable. Because they were the antithesis of who we were taught to be. They pretended to be something other than what they were. It’s just such a sad way to live your life! If you don’t show the world who you really are then it must mean that you don’t think that the real you is worthy. And the rest of us miss out on the unique gifts that the real you has to offer.

Having just bagged The School Mothers, I will also state that:

Real Women Don’t Stand in Judgment of Others (or pay any attention to their own hypocrisy, it would seem!!).

Most of us try to be the best mothers we can be, most of us have stretchmarks/cellulite/wrinkly necks, most of us clean our own toilets, most of us have at least one toad in our dating past, most of us have had a child who threw a wobbly in a shopping mall, most of us will never own a pair of Manolo Blahniks, most of us could have suffered a lifetime of regret from a poor teenage choice if we hadn’t been so lucky.
Real Women have figured out that life can be hard. Some of us have had blessings beyond what we have deserved; some of us do it tough. Real Women know that we are all in this together and it’s just easier on everyone if we hold hands instead of hitting each other.

I’m meeting so many Real Women in Blogworld - that’s one of the best aspects of blogging. I won’t tag you. You can tag yourself, but I would love to see this meme continue because we all need to remind each other from time to time that we are doing a good job, that we each have a special place in the world and that NO ONE can lay waste our villas if we’re watching each other’s backs.

Maybe some of my Thinking Blogger Award nominees might take up the challenge :
megan, who makes us ALL think with her gentle observations of life
kirsten, a mother whose careful considerations of her children’s needs will bless the world
laura who is clearly a deep feeler and thinker - her sensitivities are more than itchy, rashy skin deep!
caity who thinks of others and lately has been thinking of me!
the mater whose wisdom is worthy of attention and whose humour softens life’s hardships

I think the deal is that you are supposed to nominate five others.You also get to display this badge:
If you have already been nominated, well, just regard yourself as a Thinking Superstar - none of us Real Women will disagree!

I do love a good list and this one on Kate1976s blog caught my attention. You are supposed to mark the books read, want to or again and again if it’s one you keep reading. I’ve done it a bit differently.I wonder who wrote this list? I should have highlighted all the ones I’ve never even heard of!! And added all the ones that I wish were there Maybe another day…

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown) ho hum big deal
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee) Lovely book. Bootiful, in fact.
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien) Loved all of them - couldn’t stop reading and read them all pretty much straight through during the school holidays.
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry) started it. can’t remember why I didn’t finish it.
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling) I can’t remember which of the Harry Potters this is. I read the first one and thought it was so average that I haven’t read any more. I realise that I am far from the target demographic so that isn’t surprising.
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown) so what
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling) see 11
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving) This is one of my preferred Irvings.
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden) Lovely book.
16. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Rowling) see 11
17. Fall on Your Knees(Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling) see 11 - how many of these bloody books are there??
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) excellent
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger) I HATED this BORING book. From an historical point of view I can see why it caused a stir, but I kept waiting for something, ANYTHING to happen and couldn’t wait for it to end
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold) Enjoyed it - liked the different and unexpected perspectives
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel) Liked this, too. Unlike all you smarty-pants people, it kept me unaware of the true situation for a LONG time
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte) Yowser! What a fire cracker Miss Bronte must have been!
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis) Never really loved this like my friends did.
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck) Like most Steinbeck, powerful and absorbing. Full of characters that you either want to backhand across the room or hug.
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)My son loves this book.
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb) My sister loves this one
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. The Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy) This is the single most BORING BOOK I HAVE EVER FAILED TO READ. I can scarcely describe how much I hated it. I’m so sorry, Dad.
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt) Fact or fiction, either way i loved this and found it completely engrossing.
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck) depending on the day that you ask the question, either this or No 51 is my favourite book ever. Mostly it’s this one. AMAZING. You must read it.
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens) My dad is a big Dickens fan and it rubbed off on to me.
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling) More? MORE??
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky) woo hoo! Be prepared for misery and plenty of it.
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolsoy) NO CHANCE IN HELL that I will ever read this. Sorry, Tolstoy. I HATE you. And your dumb books.
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice) Another of my son’s favs.
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller) Interesting. One of those books that has had more of an influence on me than I thought it would. Was reading Harold Pinters plays at the same time and they and this may have screwed with my head rather a lot
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery) Love it big time.
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding) READ
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)Enjoyed it at the time and now don’t remember much about it at all.
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. Tigana (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving) The most original Irving, I think. And one of the better ones.
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams) Not my cup of tea. Too many bunnies and annoying characters.
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding) Another one that has had a huge impact on me. I read this when I was about 11 or 12. Knocked my socks off and really made me think.
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)One of my least enjoyed genres so I’m not a good critic!
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)My favourite book when I was ten. Now it seems so dated! But still has impact.
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce) Never in a million years will I read this. I know this because I read about three pages and nodded off having understood nothing.

S is a cool letter. I like the shape of it. I realised when writing this list that now that I am up to Letter Number Nineteen I am becoming rather repetitive. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you can probably chant the list of my favourite books and films and musicians. There’s nothing mysterious about me, I’m afraid. Still…

Sewing: well, duh. Some times I like sewing. Sometimes it’s a pain in the butt job that has to be done.
Sleeping: I have a natural talent for sleeping. Must be half wombat. Or sloth.
Scrapbooking: I’ve tried not to get interested but it’s so hard not to buy all those really cool papers and who doesn’t want to write about themselves??
Soft things: down pillows and comforters, foamy soap, fluffy angora, babies, my daughter’s ears (ooh she’s going to hate me for that!)
Soaking in Spas (translation: jacuzzis): have a tendency to induce sleep, however, and I worry about drowning.
Starting Things: I’m very good at starting things. Not so good at finishing. I’m what you might call an “Ideas Man”. (calling all fans of The Castle!)
Nina Simone,Bruce Springsteen (don’t laugh at me!),
Dusty Springfield and one of the Great Loves of My Life, Michael Stipe.
I will love Kevin Spacey forever because of American Beauty - enough even to forgive him for K-Pax
I couldn’t take my eyes off of Tilda Swinton in Orlando.
Egon Schiele:one of my favourite painters.
Has anyone out there seen Shortbus yet? Given my love of Hedwig, I’m keen to see it, but it might be a while before I can - North Queensland is a wasteland when it comes to progressive film.
John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath is still my favourite book ever.
Salad: my favourite food, especially green salads. Which should make me skinny but sadly does not.
Silk.
Spirit: all of its meanings Go on. Pick one. OK, not strong alcohol. All the meanings except that.
Symbolism: it’s fun finding the puzzles and being all arty and enigmatic. *hahahha*
Sassafrass: I don’t even know what that is but it sounds very cool.
Singing loudly and wantonly and raucously, even, to my favourite songs.
Sneaking kisses when no one is looking.
Shoes.
Finally, in my haste to dispatch the R list, I forgot a BIG favourite - The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Sorry, Frankie. You know there’ll never be anyone else.

Today is my last day in New Zealand. The past few days have been fantastic. Mum and Dad and I have been scooting around doing Holiday Things. We visited Zealandia on Saturday. Fabulous and rather other-worldly. Ate dinner here (Salmon. Suffer, Peasants!). And…

…wait for it…

…yesterday, we went to Cirque du Soleil. Yay us! It was way cool. But you know that already (unless you’ve been on another planet for the past few years).

How about an R list?
R is for
Rivers: I’m a river and lake person. I love fresh, cold water. Makes living in a place like North West Queensland an interesting experience I’ve begun a collection of water photos…Ripples…
Remembrances and Recollections: little snippets of life saved for another day that recall the smell and sound and touch of where we were.
Real stuff: who wants fake? who wants faux? Gimme real, baby. I want Attar and Essence, not Smells Like and Suggestion Of.
Red Red Red Red Red: like a fire engine. (But, no Gary, not Brick)
Reflections: all kinds - thoughts, images. In water and glass…Risotto: I’m good at making risotto. Except when we have guests, and then it always turns to glue. My favourites are mushroom and pumpkin.
Respect: essential and all too often lacking. Hard to quantify but it’s absence is always obvious.
A short list - time to pack.

R words that are fun to say…
refuge, reef, recluse, ragamuffin

Hey! COOL!!! Just been catching up with the THOUSAND posts you guys wrote while I was away and I’ve been tagged for the FIRST TIME EVER by Di.
So, even if you don’t want to know them, here are six weird things about me (only six, cos that’s what the meme says)…

1. My little toenails are yucky. They are twice as thick as all my other toe nails and it’s not because I wear tight shoes or anything, they have ALWAYS been like that. Even when I was five. My son’s little toenails are like that too and He Blames Me. It’s always the Mother’s fault. Always.

2. A year or so ago I started having Night Terrors. You know - like toddlers have. I wake up from a deep sleep and have a hallucination that a man is in the room standing over me. I scream and scream and wake up Peter. Sometimes I even flail around and hit him. He still likes me anyway but now he wears an athletic cup to bed (that’s not true but it sounds funny).

3.I am an abysmal housekeeper. Really bad. B A D. But I am fussy fussy fussy about the way to fold the towels and if someone else folds them the Wrong Way I will re-fold them.

4.I hated veges right up until I was 22 yrs old and pregnant with my first son, James. I developed an obsession with broccoli which remained after he was born. Then, when I was pregnant with No 2 son, I became passionately enamoured of all orange vegetables. That lasted, too. Pregnancy No 3, with my daughter, was just more of the same. Now I could almost be a vegetarian. Except that I like meat.

5. I can live without sugar, but Fat is my enemy. If I remove all traces of fat from my diet, I lose weight pretty steadily. Sadly, All Things Yummy contain vast quantities of Fat. I try. Oh how I try.

6.I love people and I would describe myself as gregarious and extroverted. HOWEVER, I could happily live on a desert island with Peter for ever and ever. I have a strong streak of Hermit in me. I desperately need large quantities of Alone Time.

Hope that’s enough weirdness for you. Flibbertygibbet and Velcro, have you been tagged? You have now! And you, too, Caity. I tag you!

Of course, if you’re meme haters, I won’t get pouty or anything…

OK, this is going to be interesting! Q is for:

Quince: It must be good to be a quince. You’d never be the wrong shape.
Quiet: I need lots of quiet in my life . My kids were never allowed to be noisy inside (Noisy Games Outside) because nothing, and I mean NO THING, stresses me out more than noise(which is kind of ironic because someone who didn’t know my name once called me “That Noisy Girl”). I had a blissful experience once. I got to go inside an anechoic chamber. Apparently most people can’t stand it for more than a few minutes. I didn’t want to leave.
Quilts: well, duh.
Don Quixote: I didn’t just put this in here because I’m desperately scratching for Q words. This book is actually significant to my family. We all seem to like it and, quite frankly, it makes me cry. (No, not everything makes me cry. Just most things.)
Quills: wouldn’t it be nice to write with these sometimes? Just sometimes. I made some when I was a kid, but they didn’t work very well. I didn’t have the right kind of feathers.
String Quartets: nothing says,”Civilized Occasion” quite as well as a string quartet.
Earthquakes: I think I’m the only person I know who likes being in earthquakes. It’s kind of like being on an amusement park ride. On the other hand, I’ve never been in a nasty one
Quicksilver: The Superior Person’s word for mercury. I remember playing with mercury in the science lab at high school. Yes, Little Miss Obvious, that does explain everything!
Suzi Quatro: Remember her? Coolness personified. Didn’t she even do a guest spot on Happy Days??
Quantum Physics: I’m not going to even TRY to convince you (or myself) that I understand it, but I do find quantum physics a very interesting subject. When I’m reading about it, I GET it. As soon as I close the book, I can’t remember a single thing I read.

I think I’m at the end of my Q list already…
… I do like to say quasi, quiver and quintessential…

Peter: You knew he’d be Number One on the list, didn’t you?
Passion: of all kinds.
Purpose: essential for all of us.
Alan Parker’s movies, especially The Commitments (or The Fookin’ Commitments, as we call it).
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert: Oh, how I love thee, Priscilla! What a wonderful film! Fun, funny, beautiful, poignant, refreshing, challenging of allsorts of prejudices. (link is to the musical site!)
David Hyde Pierce as Niles Crane in Frasier: boy oh boy, can he make me laugh.
Dennis Potter’s “Lipstick on Your Collar” : it’s been years since I watched this, but it still sticks with me. It was just so different to anything I’d ever seen. I loved the blackness of it all.
Edgar Allan Poe: The Tell-tale Heart and The Fall of the House of Usher are particular favourites. I fell in love with Poe’s stories when I was a kid. The first time I read a collection that my parents owned I didn’t understand some of the stories, but they creeped me out and that was enough. Maybe this is the source of my Goth tendencies? (that and being a teenager during the punk and new romantic eras) (I still have a secret hankering for Robert Smith)
Purple and Periwinkle Blue!
Presents: I love giving them and receiving them.
Paper, pens, pencils: These would be my Desert Island Choice. Then I would never be bored.
Puppies: Who doesn’t love puppies? I find it so very hard to deny my Daughter’s dream of a puppy, but, love them as I do, I am SO past that point in my life where I need another baby…
Projects: probably the less said about these the better. They do seem to multiply when my back is turned and the whole family have to live with them.
Passionfruit, peaches, pumpkin, pasta, prawns, portobello mushrooms, pecans, roast parsnip, pink grapefruit, pilau, Black Doris plums and puff pastry.
Persian rugs and patchwork quilts!

1. What time did you get up this morning? 7.15 ish. I don’t do mornings, but today I went to a scrapbooking class e a r l y.
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds, and lots of them, baby.
3. What is your favourite TV show(s)? tv, schmee vee.
4.What is your middle name? My Mama’s name. Very unusual (but not bad like Embassy)
5. What is your favourite cuisine? French. Gimme garlic, gimme cream.
6. What foods do you dislike? Dislike food? What you talking about? Who dislikes food?
7. Your favourite flavour of crisps? plain kettle fries
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? REM singles
9. What characteristics do you despise? Mean-spiritedness, gossiping.
10. Favorite item of clothing? jeans
11. If you could go anywhere in the world on holiday, where would you go? EVERYWHERE.
12. What colour is your bathroom? White.
13. Favorite brand of clothing? Don’t own any, but love Commes des Garcons and Issey Miyake.
14. Where would you want to retire to? I have NO IDEA. Which worries me some days.
15. Favorite time of day? night - 9:00 - 12:00
16. What washing powder do you use? Who the hell wrote this crap???
17. Coke or Pepsi? Blech. With a capital lech.
18. What did you want to be when you were little? A psychologist (HA HA how hilarious is that? The crazy leading the crazy!)
18. (b) What do you want to be now? Thin.
19. Favorite sweets? Dark chocolate.
20. What are the different jobs you’ve had? Nothing of note. I am a parasite of sorts.
21. Piercings? Several ear ones. Took 29 years to get the courage for the first two, then another six months for one more. Would like some more in face but too gutless. (Does anyone know where I could get them done under general anaesthetic?)
22. Ever been to Africa? Not yet.
23. Been in a car accident? Oh come on? Do you really want me to admit this? Ahem, lets just say that I have form.
24. Favourite restaurant? Lots. All have the following in common - quiet, great food, impeccable service.
25. Favourite flower? Tiger lilies.
26. How many times did you fail your driving test? Once. But I was sick that day. Honestly, I was. High temperature, fevers, the lot.
27. What do you do most often when you are bored? I don’t get bored.
28. What is your favorite colour? Changes daily. I have favourite combinations of colours. I love Chinese Lacquer red, Slime green and black together, for instance. And scarlet and violet.
29. Lake, Ocean or River? Lakes are wonderful.
30. How many tattoos do you have? None. I change my mind too often to do something that permanent to my body. Besides, only Peter would ever see it and he doesn’t like tattoos.
31. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? I actually know this because I saw a cartoon with a sleeping egg lying in bed beside a very annoyed looking chicken who was saying, “Well, now we know the answer to THAT question, don’t we?”
32. What materialistic thing would you ask for if you had one wish to make? Money. Wouldn’t we all?

O is for…
Oscar Wilde: I do love this man “Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative.” If you have never read The Selfish Giant, you are missing out! Quick! Go here and read it now!
Orange cake: Peter’s Mum, Marie, was a wonderful cook (and a wonderful Mother-in-law). Every Saturday she baked and one of Peter’s favourites was her orange cake. One day, years after she had passed on, he had a hankering for one - so he made one himself. That was the beginning of his baking career. We have happily eaten the results ever since. He can churn out a mean choccie cake these days (known as the Quick and Dirty Chocolate Cake). By the way, I must explain the heinous shirt Pete is wearing in this photo. It’s called an “Outback Friday” shirt and is worn by business people on fridays in the Outback as part of a promotional thing. Definitely distinctive, therefore successful, I suppose!
Optimism: definitely helps in the happiness stakes to have an optimistic view of life.
Opportunities: I am often guilty of failing to see these when they are under my nose. I do try…
Opera (”OCCASIONALLY,” says Peter): I enjoy Opera a little more than he does! But we both love seeing it live. We still laugh about the night we saw “Lucia de Lammermoor”. I was due to deliver our daughter any day and as we sat down the man beside me leaned over and said, “Don’t worry. I’m a doctor.” Then the baby jumped every time they fired the cannons. Maybe you had to be there.
Oprah: I do love Oprah. She has been in my life for twenty years. And Pete has suffered me quoting her for the whole 7300 days.
Oranges are not the only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson: I loved this book. Haven’t seen the film but apparently it’s pretty good, too.
Tilda Swinton and Quentin Crisp in Orlando. The book I actually found quite boring
Overkill, overstatements, overindulgence, overdoing it…
Osculating.
Originality: What more can be said? I’ll just copy Capello and say, “Be Original.”

please tell me you got that? Or do you just think I’m more of a dork than you did before?

N is for…
New things: don’t all humans love new and novel things? I love new ideas, new babies, new shoes, new experiences, new music, freshness of all kinds.
Nanna: don’t even try to argue with me - I had the best Nanna. I grew up living next door to my maternal grandparents. They both adored little children. So much so that, after my baby sister (Meredith) banged her head on the corner of their NEW kitchen table, Pappa took a saw to it and roughly amputated all the corners. No table was more important than one of his babies. Nanna and Pappa were always kind, generous, extraordinarily patient and indulgent. Neither of them ever even raised their voice to me EVER. I knew that they loved me to bits and I loved them back. I still miss them.Nanna had a magic touch with babies. She could rock any child to sleep in minutes and stop ANY howling. This is Nanna with my daughter, who hadn’t been crying but fell asleep two minutes after Nanna held her anyway! In typical Nanna-fashion she has pulled her skirt up as a blanket for the baby (she ALWAYS wore a slip).

Naps: I’m a big believer in naps for everyone. We live in such a hot climate that I think we should have two hour lunch breaks and siestas all round. I’m serious about this. The Europeans have their priorities straight. Long family lunches and a sleep would cut down on stress unlike anything else I can imagine.
Bill Nighy : we love Bill Nighy at our house! Especially in “Love Actually” - he has the BEST line!
Liam Neeson: *lust, lust* I’m not the only one to suffer from this. Apparently, he was once described by a theatre critic as a “towering sequoia of sex.”
Nina Simone: heavenly voice.
Nosferatu: the original and the best! When I was a kid we used to watch old silent movies. This one is amazing and still really good fun to watch.
The Nightmare Before Christmas: Tim Burton makes such cool worlds.
Anais Nin: “We don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are.”

I like the sound of: neoprene, nuance.

48 things about me that you probably aren’t interested in at all but I’m going to tell you anyway

I don’t very often read funny emails that really make me laugh. Like belly-laugh, fall off the chair laugh. But this one hit the spot…

“After every flight, pilots complete a gripe sheet which conveys to the mechanics problems encountered with the aircraft during the flight that need repair or correction. The form is a piece of paper that the pilot completes, and then the mechanics read and correct the problem. They then respond by writing on the lower half of the form what remedial action was taken and the pilot reviews the gripe sheets before the next flight. Here are some actual logged maintenance complaints and problems, as submitted by QANTAS Pilots, and the solution recorded by maintenance engineers. By the way, Qantas is the only major airline that has never had an accident.

P = The problem logged by the pilot
S = The solution and action taken by the engineers

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

P: Test flight OK, except autoland very rough.
S: Autoland not installed on this aircraft.

P: Something loose in cockpit.
S: Something tightened in cockpit.

P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on backorder.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 FPM descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That’s what they’re there for.

P: IFF inoperative.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you’re right.

P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search.

P: Aircraft handles funny.
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right, and be serious.

P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with words. “

Up to ‘M’ already…

Massage: Wonderful. Bliss. Heaven on a stick.
Moon: I’m a night person. I love the moon and stars. Not so keen on the sun. Hate being hot and burn easily. Gimme moonlight and shooting stars.
This is the setting moon, taken as we were leaving on our holiday a week ago…
Marilyn Manson: I have to admit that I don’t like this guys music but I love his aesthetic. How a dweeby little guy like that can create such an amazing persona should be inspiration for us all. Why do we live so beigely?? Check out this for a magnificent wedding photo.
Malachite: gorgeous layers of green yummyness.
Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are”.
A.A. Milne: my childhood was filled with Winnie THER Pooh. I still love the poignancy and humour of these great stories and the beautiful drawings by Ernest Shepherd. Disney Pooh has never grabbed me in any way whatsoever.
Music: Music is so important to me. I can’t play any instruments (and don’t feel a need to) but I love singing (only to myself. God forbid I should injure someone!) and I listen to music most of the time that I’m alone. I like a wide range of music - Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Costello, Led Zeppelin, REM, and French and Italian opera (esp. Tosca, Madama Butterfly and Cosi Fan Tutte) and even stuff like Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette Standin’ by Her Man (although Dan Ackroyds version in The Blues Bros was pretty damn spectacular!) and Dusty Springfield Getting it on with a Preachers Son. I also realised recently how much of Dolly Parton’s music has gripped me. I will admit that I was somewhat horrified by that epiphany, but she is just so sweet and gorgeous that it’s easy to overlook what an amazing songwriter she is.
Marcella bedspreads.
The Monkees: I was in love with Micky Dolenz.
M*A*S*H, Malcolm in the Middle, Men Behaving Badly, Myth Busters (how nerdy is this? I’ve been watching this long enough now to start finding Adam rather cute. A.D.A.M. The Ginger One. Cute. ahem)
The Muppets: esp. Miss Piggy, who has been one of my role models in life, and Animal, because he’s wild.
Movies, movies, movies! LOVE movies! Some ‘M’ favourites…
Monsoon Wedding: beautiful, funny and romantic.
My Beautiful Laundrette: sweet love story with two gorgeous boys.
Moonstruck and Mermaids: Love Cher to bits - she is so great in both of these movies.
Misery: Kathy Bates was superbly creepy!
Muriel’s Wedding: if you haven’t seen this one YOU SHOULD!!! It’s brilliant.
My Name is Joe: I always enjoy Ken Loach’s movies, even though this one could have done with subtitles. That Scottish brogue can be pretty hard to follow! (ha!! when I looked for a link to this I found out that it IS subtitled in the USA)
Mushrooms: yummy.
Mohawks: one of the worlds best haircuts when done well, one of worlds worst tragedies when done poorly.
Finally, this photo has nothing to do with’M', but I drove out of town 50 km this morning specifically to take some photos of the land , and I really like this one! It’s tumbleweeds snagged in a fence. In some places the fences are completely encrusted with them!

‘M’ words I like the sound of…
maelstrom, manifesto,Medusa, machiavellian, Mephistopheles.

(why are they mostly evil???)

ps I also like Mummy and Meredith *raspberry*

“L” things I love…

Babe the Pig singing, “La la la laaa!”
Loooong lazy lunches: the kind that start at 12:00 pm and end when it’s time to make dinner
Annie Lennox: one of those wonderful artists who create an alternative world for us to all visit.
Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed, Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy: the Music of My Youth (even though it was all old by then! I never had especially conventional taste in music. Not after I outgrew The Bay City Rollers, anyway.) (be kind - I was 12!)
Landslide is a song that Pete and I both love, especially when Stevie Nicks is singing it; although I also kind of like The Dixie Chicks version.
Later…with Jools Holland has to be Must See TV for anyone who likes music.
Courtney Love: absolutely intrigues me. What a complex individual. Just when I am admiring of her refusal to follow other peoples rules, she does something atrocious that I could never agree with. She’s a sort of litmus paper for tolerance and loving our badly behaved neighbour!
John Lithgow : one of my favourite actors, ever since he played Roberta in “The World According to Garp”. She was my favourite character from the book and he played the role so gently and lovingly that I fell in love with him. Still loving him when he showed up in 3rd Rock from the Sun.

Lake Placid, Life of Brian,The Last Starfighter, Local Hero, Lord of the Rings: silly movies that I enjoy
Lost in Space and Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp: more favourite TV shows from my TV addicted primary school years. We loved it when Mata Hairi shrieked “Lancie!! Lancie!!”
The Education of Little Tree, The Little Prince: lovely books with lovely stories for when you aren’t in the mood for having your emotions shaken up and down.
Log cabin quilts: never fail to look wonderful. This is one of mine, superbly quilted by my friend Jacqui who is one of the best quilters IN THE WORLD without any doubt.
Lolly Gobble Bliss Bombs: I think (?) these are an Australian invention. It’s popcorn and nuts covered in a scrumptious *drool* caramel *slurp* *Homer J. S. gargle*

I love the words leviathan, lagoon, luscious and languid.

I’ve been blogging long enough that I suppose a meme is inevitable. I actually quite like reading other peoples - it makes me feel as if I know them better - and my brother-in-law just emailed us this one. I did learn some new stuff about him, so maybe you’ll learn new stuff about me, too (then again, probably not, cos I spill my guts constantly anyway!!).

A) Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Kiwi fruit packer (watched kiwifruit coming toward me on a conveyor all day and then dreamed about kiwifruit coming toward me on a conveyor all night).
2. Clerk at Social Security. Good grief, what an education for a sheltered sixteen year old…
3. Mummy. Best job ever.
4. Quilt tutor. Second best job ever (has aspects of jobs 2 and 3!!)

B) Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. Fargo (yeah, yeah, I know, you’ve heard it all before!)
2. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (heaven only knows how many times I’ve watched that)
3. Raise the Red Lantern. It’s so pretty that it’s like watching a painting.
4.Pulp Fiction. Grooviest sound track ever.

C) Four places you have lived:
1. Hamilton, New Zealand
2. Brisbane, Australia
3. Palmerston North, New Zealand
4. Middle of bloody nowhere, Australia (seeing a pattern here? Cross-cultural marriages can be a curse, y’know)

D) Four TV shows you love to watch:
Not the biggest fan of TV but four shouldn’t be hard.
1. Six Feet Under - series one had me ENTHRALLED. Then I got bored.
2. Northern Exposure - licking TV screen every time John Corbett (DJ Chris) came in shot. Also loved Marilyn Whirlwind (one of the best characters ever created in my opinion). NEVER warmed to Joel or Maggie - it was a show I watched for the second-tier characters. Oh oh oh! remember Ruth-Ann?? Now see that’s a great character, too.
3. Currently passionate about My Name is Earl. Very clever and wet-your-pants funny.
4.Rockwiz - Australian quiz show about music, filmed in a Melbourne Pub. It’s on SBS (the best TV station in Australia - Government broadcaster, no ads, best TV programmes from around the world) so they are allowed to swear and be naughty. As my son pointed out a couple of nights ago, “Only on SBS can you see a wang shot.” See, if it’s on a commercial station, it’s full frontal male nudity and they’d be in trouble. If it’s on SBS it’s art. We love SBS.

but I digress…

E) Four places you have been on vacation:
WTF is a “vacation”???? I’m married to a 24/7 engineer. He doesn’t DO anything else.
1. Mum and Dad’s house; visiting.
2. Other Mum and Dad’s house; visiting.
3. Assorted Australian beaches.
4. Sydney and Melbourne; shopping (my personal favourites).

F) Websites you visit daily
1. 88 of my favourite blogs (you know who you are!) via bloglines.
2. Flickr.
3. Craftster
4. My brother, my sister and me. (our websites)

G) Four of my favourite foods
1. Coffee. Don’t give me that. It is so a food.
2. Once a month I exist only for chocolate.
3. Salads with really yummy calorific dressings, such as Caesar, and crunchy toppings like almonds and pine nuts, and shaved parmesan, and roasted red capsicum and fetta cheese, and bacon but it has to be real not those nasty little lumps of puce-coloured dried stuff, and mushrooms and roast pumpkin and roast kumera and…
4. Anything with the following ingredients: garlic, mushrooms, cream.

H) Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Paris. Shopping with Ulla, being chaperoned byFlorizelle.
2. Venice with my sis, whose life ambition is drag the whole family back to the city she fell in love with!
3. New York. Badly want to go there, too.
4. Wellington. It may be shaky breaky and have the worst weather in the world, but it’s a wonderful city, God bless it’s wobbly little heart.
5. (I know it’s meant to be 4)… ____________ fill in the space with any city I haven’t visited. That’s a hell of a lot of cities, but if I had a million dollars tomorrow you wouldn’t see me for dust and I wouldn’t live anywhere, I’d just travel.

I) Four friends I think will respond:
This, I wouldn’t have a clue about. Go for it, taggees!

ps:I have found my newest favourite t-shirt (Capello, you’re going to love this site)