Losing It

We work, we are paid....or are we? In most cases it's an electronic transfer and all the willing, hungry outlets that gobble up our hard earned income start to take their allocated amount. I have been doing that tired old dance for so long.....my "pay packet" is whittled down by each deduction that I have set up online. There's the usual suspects mortgage, health insurance, union fees, Christmas Club savings spendings and so on and so on all entitled to their portion as they fulfill their insatiable diet. Well surprise surprise when attempting to pay a bill I discovered that my earnings for the past fortnight were $0.00. YES..... NOTHING!!!! I had not one cent in my account....WHAT...I suspected there was a limited amount in there due to some unusual expenses lately including a passport renewal (hello holiday where are you?) but I had my pay coming.... right.......how wrong was I.
It appears that due to an "error" my entire pay had been deposited wrongly into another account and I was being whammied by dishonour fees left,  right and centre.
It took hours out of my day to fix this error that I had not wanted or indeed had created. Add to that a fax machine that had broken down, numerous unanswered calls and my mobile phone rapidly heading to flat line. Eventually after finding someone to talk to the error was blamed on "Malcolm" the work experience guy. This was after I had received a nasty "Well what do you want me to do about it?" enquiry from some office type, lets call her Shazza. I told her what she could do about it in a direct manner.......I think she understood.

I now how a string of dishonour fees debited from my account......thanks Malcolm........and I'm chasing up Shazza from the office so she can reimburse me.......cause I don't work for NOTHING.

We are sad : (

Today we headed to the vet at full speed. Tom, one of our budgies was sick, sick. Tom may only be a budgie but to my daughter he is a friend, a companion, a consuming interest. My daughter is disabled and has never had a friend. Ever.
So sadly Tom could not be saved.
How do I explain this loss at a level she will understand?
At the moment I have side-stepped the issue by saying Tom is still at the vets getting "fixed" by the doctor.

Sad day.

Jean Genie

It's that time. Season is a changing and it's time to reflect on the wardrobe. I've finally summoned up the courage to edit the jeans section with due reflection as to whether my body has migrated north south or east west....I'm thinking south south west. Think there's a denim obsession happening here.

Off to a new home

Say Cheese

 Another post influenced by Eden's Fresh Horses Brigade

My favourites.....

My boys...miss you all the time

My girl, working the Ipad

My guy/techno man

Stuff I do at work sometimes....mesmerising

Just add water....

Breakthrough

Birthday Drinks......yes its pink!

Totally amazed at the generosity of my friend Sal. It was my birthday and she presented me with one incredible gift.

It's not for eveyone but I am an instant fan.

 Vodka and Musk Sticks

 750ml vodka

200g packet musk sticks 

Pour out about enough vodka so that the sticks, that have been broken into smaller pieces, can be placed in the bottle.

There is probably good advice to follow such as leave for a month then the musk sticks should have dissolved, then strain to remove any residue, but we couldn't wait and sampled it straight away.

Be prepared for a ridiculously sweet flavour with that vodka ping!

I may or may not have some left in a months time to see if the flavour intensifies over time.

In Context

Offering up some words for Eden and her Fresh Horses Brigade. 
For me my inspirational words come from a long ago meeting of an immature and definitely insecure me and a man who lived on an island paradise.
I was holidaying in Paradise and having an amazing time, eyes wide open, absorbing the cultural shockwave. Then it was a case of me and my naivety "Next time I come I am staying at ................(insert name of flash resort)" This was my  preference after a month of cold water, geckos and yes the occasional glimpse of something that looked disturbingly like a rat lurking around the edge of the very, very budget accommodation I was in.
Wise man (who was probably the same age as me but a million years more learned) looked at me and in the most life-altering manner (for me) uttered these words "Same Sleep" These two words have formed the core values of my approach to what has been, at times, a life well tested.
 He meant "Same Sleep" in  reference to the fact that no matter where you end up resting your head for the night it is actually, for most, same sleep. It matters not where I am sleeping because sleep is the great equaliser. I'm asleep and my surroundings don't come into it.
I have applied the Same Sleep theory to many of the situations that we as westerners are confronted with every day.....where we live, what car we drive, how many things we can accumulate, what our social standing is, blah blah blah......I could go on and on, but the leveller for me is always, Same Sleep. This is my silent mantra which I now value more as my lifes journey has thrown up issues and situations where I could have been left striving for the unobtainable instead of being content with the status quo.

 Eden, these are my words. I consider myself fortunate to have had them gifted to me all those years ago.   Happy Birthday Eden and a beautiful Same Sleep to everyone . Try it you just might enjoy it. X

It's a Beautiful Day

One day....... two views.

 Sunshine makes it all that much better.

Been There, Done That

What makes me feel that everythings going to be ok ?
Ok, teaming up with Eden at Edenland to answer her latest Meme.
This is a difficult one to answer because I find it hard to get a grip on this one, but I do have an answer.
I have consistently throughout my life experienced a weird phenomenon that goes a bit like this. I am going about my everyday life and all that it encompasses and then BAM... it can just happen. I will be having a conversation  and I will know exactly how that conversation will go, what I will say and what the other person/s response/s will be. It never happens before the event but almost at about a 20 second fast forward pace. So I will be speaking and I will know exactly what the response will be, and then comes this feeling "I've had this conversation before."
So I'm thinking that I've lived this all before. This gives me a kind of semi-hope that life is circular and if I get it wrong this time there's a chance I can do it all again. (!) Maybe a few more rounds for me before I get it right. But do I want to?
Once is probably enough.
I do believe in guardian angels and really appreciate my guys/girls.
 Amen.

Autummer

The fifth season.