TODAY'S TREASURE

Waking to the sound of rolling thunder and the welcome rain pummeling at my window.

GROWING UP

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, especially about something my mother said to me a couple of months ago, she said: "you know, I think your biggest problem is that you don't want to grow up & that you're terrified of getting old". She can be a wise woman my mother, when she wants to be. It makes me think of that line from "beautiful boy" by John Lennon:

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans".

Why do I find it so hard to live in the present...in the NOW? I find I've wasted so much precious time waiting for my life to start, it's like my mind is stuck back at the starting line waiting for the gun to go off whilst my body's running aimlessesly all over the track - like a chook with it's head cut off.

I remember reading a magazine article once about Angelina Jolie, I'd never much liked her as an actress but something she said in this interview has stayed with me. She was talking about her numerous tattoos & how she had had a number of them removed or altered. One that she'd had removed was of a window on her lower back - it's significance was that she used to spend a lot of time looking out of windows & longing to be outside, she'd had it removed, the reason being that she now lived her life "outside" all the time - this touched me & still has a profound effect upon me. It's time to stop sitting & watching, waiting for the "perfect picture" to come into view...it's time to remove the glass that stands between me & the here & now...it's time to stop looking through glass windows.

You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.

-Thoreau-

TODAY'S TREASURE

My Camelia has 12 buds on it that are just about to open - wonderful news considering I nearly killed the plant 3 weeks ago!

SWEATING LIKE A PIG

Is it possible to drown in your own sweat? I'm being serious here, if you plugged up a bathtub & sat me in it I think I could fill it by the end of the day. I was warned that the higher dose of Effexor could make me sweat more but I wasn't expecting this - I'm a diaphoretic disaster! It was manageable until the temperature hit above 25 degrees Celsius & now I'm perspiring profusely. Otherwise I'm feeling pretty good at the moment, I suppose I could go for that "I just got out of the shower" look....just don't come too close or smell under my armpits though!

THE GROUPIE

The funniest thing happened today, I was in Borders bookstore at the Jam Factory & after I completed my purchase I walked outside only to inadvertently form part of an army of sweaty teenagers, all screaming & pushing & shoving. I had absolutely no idea what was happening, I just wanted to get home. I asked a sane looking person what was going on & apparently I had become part of the fanfare of "High school musical 3" & the cast were there for the premiere. I felt so embarrassed, it took me about ten minutes to negotiate my way out of there.

TODAY'S TREASURE

Getting shat on by a crow on my way back from the grocery store. It could have been worse; it could have happened on my way to the shops. Bloody bird!

JANMAREE & SUZANNE

THE BROWN BOOK: Tales from two women caught between two worlds

I am so excited by the idea of a joint post with my friend of 15+ years Janmaree, it's going to be a blog just for women (cause lets face it men would probably find the content terribly boring). We hope to make it a celebration of femininity, full of tales & musing about being in this world but belonging to another entirely. When we were much younger we used to sit & talk for hours about secret loves, our dreams & what inspired us. I hope that through this blog we can recapture some of those moments....they were truly magical!

JOIN US AT: http://janmareeandsuzanne.blogspot.com/

TODAY'S TREASURE

After notifying a certain superannuation company about our change of address a total of 3 times, finally a letter arrives addressed correctly!

WAR

On the subject of War - shame on that silly excuse for a news program "A Current Affair" for airing such inflammatory comments about the Bali Bombers last night. To the man who lost his son in the 2002 bombings, I am deeply sorry for your loss but violence begets violence & hatred begets hatred. No doubt we will see more about this segment on the next installment of Media Watch, it was stupid & irresponsible.

Please do not interpret this as me sympathising in anyway with the Bali Bombers.

THE RED POPPY

The red poppy - the symbol of remembrance day, a flower that sprung from the bloody trenches of war. The artillery shells & shrapnel agitated the earth just enough to expose the poppy seeds to the warmth & light needed for them to germinate & flourish. Fields of them bloomed across Europe & in the spring of 1915 a valley of them greeted the ANZAC's as they landed on the shores of Gallopoli.

REMEMBRANCE DAY

ANTHEM FOR A DOOMED YOUTH

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?

Only the monstrous anger of the guns.

Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle

Can patter out their hasty orisons.

No mockeries for them; no prayers nor bells,

Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs, -

-The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;

And bugles calling for them from sad shires.
What candles may be held to speed them all?

Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes

Shall shine the holy glimmers of goodbyes.

The pallor of girls' brows shall be their pall;

Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds,

And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.

-WILFRED OWEN

GRAEME BASE

I have only just discovered the work of Graeme Base, an artist who resides here in Melbourne. I had heard of his book Animalia but had never really looked at his artwork & it's amazing. He is holding an exhibition of his work in a couple of weeks at the MARS gallery in Port Melbourne & I think I'll drag my niece along to check it out.

TODAY'S TREASURE

Buying new white bath sheets from Sheridan; seeing them come up all nice & soft & fluffy in the wash.....the only perfect towel is a white towel.

SUNDAY'S TREASURE

At the Queen Victoria markets with Jan, she was just about to purchase some women's underwear that was 3 pairs for $10 - BARGAIN! She had picked out the colours she wanted & was making her way over to the seller to make the purchase when at the last minute she realised that emblazoned accross the back of the briefs (in glitter) was "KISS ME" & "SPANK ME".....what a crack up - Jan is an extremely reserved person.

SOUTHBANK

Well yesterday was more my style of shopping, but hence I accordingly spent more money! We went to the movies to see Nights in Roadanthe last night, it was a touch too melodramatic for my liking. I didn't take my evening medication at the time I usually do due to not wanting to get drowsy - big mistake! I don't really know if it was related to the delay in the medication or what, but I almost collapsed at the train station & made it home on automatic pilot. I think I may have been overdoing things just a tad over the last couple of days.

Buy of the day: a copy of "Nigella Bites" for half price, been eyeing that book off for ages but didn't want to spend $70 on it.

LADIES

I'm off to the Queen Victoria Markets & the Arts Centre Sunday Market today, I'm up & ready to go but the others are not responding to my text messages. It's either they're still asleep or they lost out big time at the pokies last night.

Talking of me being unfeminine the other day, I always feel really girly when I'm out with Jan & Sandy - they live in track suit pants & trainers & never wear a trace of make up. Jan has to go to her neice's wedding soon so I'm having a bit of fun helping her decide what to wear.

I love the Arts Centre Sunday market - if you ever find yourself in Melbourne check them out - much better than the Queen Vic markets (they're really only good for fuit & veg):

http://www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/Whatson/Festivals/FashionandDesign/Pages/a9c39e7e-ce6b-412a-a1a2-77b5307131b5.aspx

TODAY'S TREASURE

Waiting outside the front of the DFO, sharing my hot chips with a Maltese terrier that was tied to a post - both wishing we were someplace else but enjoying each others company nonetheless.

DFO

Well I survived a day at a DFO - 6 hours! SIX BLOODY HOURS!! Yes they do have some bargains there, but there is also heaps of second rate crap too. I only spent $80 so I was quite happy with that. I went along today so I didn't have to endure tonight (the Casino), I said I was too tired & will catch up with them tomorrow - to be honest I'd just rather be at home in my PJ's drinking hot chocolate.

ECHO & NARCISSUS

Who is this who has startled the deer?
Who has filled the woods with fear.... with fear
A young man, a hunter on the chase
Oh how beautiful, how lovely his face….his face

I will follow till I know what I must say
For with me words get in the way….the way
He sees me & harks “let us two meet”
And folish me all I do is repeat.....repeat

Does he not share my new found love?
He flees and cries “enough”….enough
Ashamed I fall down in the grass
Until my time has passed….has passed

I see him now down by the spring
Gazing into its depths & wondering….wondering
At just how beautiful, how perfect he is
Until the earth below is his….is his

You can hear me call from cave, from hall
To you I am Echo, that is all…..is all
& by the spring daffodils grow tall
In remembrance of Narcissus, my love….my all

ERNIE

Ernie was a man of the sea, an abalone fisherman who craved the open waters, in his late eighties he became subject to the confines of an aged care facility. Diagnosed with end stage Prostate cancer Ernie spent most of his days in bed. On my rounds I had a habit of asking Ernie “so what’s the weather like for fishing today?” to which he would revel in embellishments of raging storms and treacherous waters. Ernie also had a habit of singing Johnny Cash songs – every Sabbath was greeted with the sounds of “Sunday mornin’ comin’ down”.

In the days leading up to his death, as Ernie slipped into unconsciousness, we nurses took over the role of recapturing the spirit of the sea & continued to play all his favourite Johnny Cash songs. I was there when Ernie died; I like to think that in that moment he was out on the sea somewhere, diving for abalone and humming along to one of his favourite tunes.

"May flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest"

-from SHAKESPEARE'S Hamlet-