The First Day of School

Mr Fabulous has just experienced his first day of school. Yes he had butterflies and yes he was nervous. Yes he was worried about the other "kids" and yes I asked him a few times did he have all the bits and pieces he needed.
This has been a common occurrence around the world as all the five year olds began school this year. The difference being that Mr Fabulous is not five. He does have a five in his age but it is followed by another numeral.
He has started a University course and I couldn't be more proud of him.
I know he will be amazing and I will support him all the way...........You inspire me...X

Wandering

Freedom to roam.........as I'm often on a short leash I love the chance to get out and about and wander.............
especially better if it's at night.......and in an underground tunnel.........with great company..........and no plan.......

Where do you wander?

Eden's Fresh Horses....So Sorry

Linking up with Eden and The Fresh Horses Brigade, so deep breath........
Sorry for hearing a sentence and gambling a whole families future on it.
Sorry for destroying what you thought was so rosy.
Sorry that you never looked beyond what you believed to be so perfect.
Sorry for wanting more.
Sorry that I survived.
Sorry that I allow your pretence to exist.
Sorry that you are so fake.
Sorry that you believe lies.
Sorry that I can't be bothered to correct others opinions.
Sorry that avoidance becomes acceptable.
Sorry that my time is spent and spent and then spent some more.
Sorry that you are there and I am here.
Sorry that I can't accept that this is all there is.
Sorry for your lack of care.
Sorry that you can't win. (!)
Sorry that you are stupid.
Sorry I never exposed your illegal activities.
 Sorry I can't watch as your internal organs crumple and your spine disintegrates. (Bugger)
STOP!!!!
Fast forward
That was then, I scraped through by the skin of my teeth.
 Confucius says (always wanted to type that): "A man who has committed a mistake and doesn't correct it is committing another mistake."
(Hopefully Confucius can extend his statement to women as well.)
I am well into the correcting. I am completely exonerated and free and that's my response for correcting any "mistakes" that I may have committed.
Sorry that you will never say sorry.
But the thing I'm most sorry for is that I have ugly feet........ sigh

Who,what, when,where,why?

This hand has a twin, but it was taking the photo at the time. They both spend a lot of time "doing" "things". One of those things is caring....I am a carer. I have a daughter that needs care for the rest of my life.....but then what? Who will care for her then? How long can I keep doing this?
I work  in a full time job and then as one stranger once put it "I knock off work to go home and carry bricks."
I do.
Alone.

If I want to "just breathe", take a well earned break, the right  of each individual, the pathway is frightening.
To gain a two night residential care position for my daughter the phone calls are made.... Hopeful, stressful, and if I'm lucky grateful, but not always so........often disappointed.....crushed.
I can't afford the cost of this alone.......who has a spare $1435.50 lying around. Yes $1435.50 for a two night stay.
How long can this country ignore the fact that carers are not made of steel?.......just let us breathe, just make it possible for us to always be the best we can as we prepare for the gritty road ahead. Just let us get the break we need. Stop the rhetoric and start the action.

I do it for you X

Can you use your hand to write to your local member, state member, federal member or newspaper and seek their support  for the people without a voice, the most vulnerable of our society...please?

Juicy

Inspired by Louise at Table Tonic I have today made a purchase that is just a bit exciting (and shiny.)

  Bargain.....thank you Mr Bing Lee

Ready to juice...the plastic bag helps cut down on the cleaning up. The disused pulp can also be used as garden mulch! Bonus.

I chose celery, green apple,cucumber, a peeled lemon and ginger.

Processing.

My Favourite Bloggers, Edens Fresh Horses Brigade

Up until midway through 2011 I knew blogs existed I just didn't realise the extent of the species. I have had a delicious ride through Bloggerland and have indulged myself like the addictive maniac that I am. But while wading  through the sea of syllables I have come to rest my weary eyes on a few powerhouse productions that I can't get enough of....I love how they have the ability to help me reflect, admire, inquire, laugh (lots of that) and quite blatantly sticky beak but in a reserved, respectful, admiring fashion all the time adding bits and pieces, challenges and ideas to my world. I have a limited ability to engage with "the world" as I have a demanding full time job and a daughter who has a rare chromosomal disease that requires me to be  her full time carer. So a big thank you to these ladies who open up a window to the world that I miss out on.
My favourites that I devour regularly are
Edenland
Woogsworld
Baby Mac
Pink Patent Mary Janes
Fat Mum Slim
Maxabella
French Essence
I know that I will eventually expand my list but at the moment I'm content and happy with the diversity, the wit and the creativity of this gang. X

Loving Aldi

Hate, hate, hate grocery shopping....any other shopping is fine with me. I avoid, delay, avoid some more and generally don't get around to it. But point me in the direction of the nearest Aldi and I'm grabbing my grocery bags and hitting the aisles. Recently purchased the most tender butterflied lamb, scrummy egg bacon and potato salad (seriously) and a tub of my all time favourite, tabbouleh. Yesterday all that was required was a few tomatoes that I had volunteered to pick up for a friend on my way home.......this did not happen. I came away with an amazing poster on the human body, complete with anatomical correctly labelled bits, two bottles of bubble bath, a fabulous cheesecake, five new toothbrushes, a massive bag of fruit and nuts, seriously considered purchasing a fab wine fridge..... and yes three tomatoes...... finally. Think I might head back in on Saturday.......to have another love fest. See you in aisle 4.

 

It Didn't Rain!!!!!

A night out with Rod Stewart at Hope Estate Vineyard Pokolbin.....as you do

We lined up to enter....and so did the storm clouds.

Grabbed a position (within eyesight of the food, the loos and the alcohol)

Hot Legs!

Maggie May!

Thank you Mr Stewart and the guy/girl in charge of the weather XXX

My funeral song?

Eden from Edenland has posed this question........here is my answer, it's Kentish Town Waltz by the talented Imelda May....... because I want WEEPING.....not crying but WEEPING. I love this song and I remember the moment it reduced me to a blubbering wreck of humanity....not that I'll be around to score anyones performance on the crying versus weeping aspect.

Plus, when my brother passed away my mum thought that "a nice Willy Nelson song" would be a good choice to play at his funeral........I'm sure he still haunts me over this choice and the fact that I didn't do anything to alter her choice.........so my choice has been declared............but I don't won't to rush things.

Who Packs Your Parachute?

As I turned up for another year at work I was feeling just a touch under-enthusiastic, feeling a bit ripped off that the weather had been so crap most of the time I had away from work.......I just wasn't feeling it. Then I got into some conversations with my colleagues that I hadn't seen for over six weeks and kind of got back into the swing of things....they are really OK people. What really sold me on the whole back-to-work process was this next story that was presented to us that I want to share........because after I had read it I was nodding my head and asking myself  "Who's packing my parachute?" I know I've packed a few in my time and I know that I've had a few packed for me so ........

Who packs YOUR parachute?

Charles Plumb

Who's that knocking on my door?

Will be spending the whole week trying to curb my enthusiasm......going to see Rod Stewart next Saturday night.......squeals........so digging into the vault and dusting off some classic ROD

I just won't be able to contain myself

My own critic/supporter

I just accidentally started following myself. I am confused......does this make me a follower or a leader?????????

Take me to your leader!

Hand....... Writing?

Joining up to run with the Horses and Eden at http://www.edenriley.com/

Taught by Sister Mary Hughes at Saint Patricks a long time ago

A Saturday Song

Everything feels better with music........so here's my Saturday song for me to sing (badly) along to.

Hope the bullets don't get stuck in my teeth......but you never know..........

Funkified Friday Feeling

Apart from the fact I can't believe it's Friday already, I'm frankly tired, tired, tired. It's got everything to do with being back at work and looking down the barrel of what promises to be a long, long year. So I'm going to treat myself to a Nana nap just after I indulge in one of  two of  these to conjure up some kind of 

Funkified Friday Feeling.

and to follow 

Cheers

(there will definitely be some excess baggage to remove tomorrow....but I'll deal with that later) 

Seriously I wish I was posting a picture of a plate of healthy salad and just squeezed orange juice......

note to self 

"Develop Willpower"

What's your pick-me-up?

With a little help from my friends

I'm in a strange place. I have never been here before and I have to get it right......I have to make a decision. Ten years ago I was also in a strange place and I had to make a decision and I had to get it right.......but it was a decision based on these words "Mum we really, really want to live here...."I promised I would do everything I could do to make that happen....but I was scared, afraid I couldn't do it. We had already gone through a family breakdown and it looked like we were going to wave goodbye to our home....the only home that they had ever known.
So this is what I did. I made it happen. I managed to pull it all together and keep my promise. It wasn't easy, it has been tough.
Now I'm feeling weird. Those children who so needed to be in this house, their home, are no longer living here, so what am I to do? Why do I feel so unsettled?
Today I got some answers. I had a  vision  of grand renovating schemes that involved Plan A, Plan B and a Plan C. I was going for it!
We talked it over, there were detailed discussions, there were drawings, there were ideas, time frames, cost considerations and then the real answer. It came from my friend Steve.
He gave me the answer to the reason why I was so unsettled. He explained that I am now living in my own space........it's all mine.......I am no longer anchored to one spot........I am released, I have completed my job......I can move on.
I'm not though.
I love this place.
But this old girl could do with a bit of a tart up so that's whats going to happen. I can almost hear her sigh with relief.