Stoked! Then eats, roots & leaves

Melanie at Creating Nunde has awarded me The Tree of Happiness, for "continuous eye candy and inspiration", isnt that just the coolest? Thank you Melanie!


Now, here is a sight that is not unfamiliar to Aussies, its a wombat hole. Look at it! Its so perfectly round, and what? About two feet or more across? This one is cut into a bank, but I can see where the ones that are cut into a flat patch of earth could be really really dangerous, shudder!



We hoped to spot its inhabitant, but typical Wombat! He was asleep deep inside his den and couldnt be bothered to greet his visitors. Never fear, we will find a photogenic wombat for you. One of these days we are bound to while on one of our drives, keep your fingers crossed!

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Wombats are said to only do the following: Eats, Roots & Leaves. Therefore, calling someone a 'Wombat' is considered an insult. I should now take this opportunity to explain to my little sister: When you were just a little parcel and I nicknamed you "Wombat", I had no idea of its connotations! Id just seen them in National Geographic or something and thought they were cute! Really and truly!!!

I chose this photo today, because all my time is missing. I cant find it anywhere! I thought it might have disappeared down Alice's Rabbit Hole, but remembering Im an Aussie now - thought perhaps now its Lavender's Wombat Hole. Where else could it be?

And the other half

A SECOND HALF TO MAKE 13) ...'Sugarbeet' and 'Bell Peppers'. Ah, I love it when they ask me easy stuff! "No worries! Thats beetroot and capsicum."
"Oh! Isnt that funny!" she exclaimed, "Now if I could just work out fahrenheit to celsius, Id be right." And so with a promise to drop a copy of my conversion chart in her mailbox later, all was well again in American-Australian diplomacy.

14) 544 pictures of honey on a plate in the sun. What the heck is that about? How many poses/angles/sunsparkle close ups/etc does the average professional photographer take? Assuming a similar subject, of course.

15) I collect glass, vases mostly. These days it is very hard to get good collectible glass without selling ones organs. My collection here in Australia is puny compared to my previous one. When we get overseas for a visit, I will probably need to pay excess baggage fees on the return.

16) Speaking of glass, all of a sudden I like carnival glass. Not too many years ago I would have told you it was ugly and cheap. How'd that happen? Why? Does the iridescence trigger some sort of flashback?

17) If my hands could be restored to working order, I would immediately go back to working glass - in a heartbeat.

18) Im really struggling here...writing this in bites between other tasks and looking around the house for clues as to what to say next!

19) Ok now, is this wierd? When I find one of my cats whiskers, I save it. I have a small collection of cats whiskers, standing up in a bead, in my curio. Why? Why not? Might be useful sometime. Bet most people just keep theirs inside the vacuum cleaner.

20) I live on coffee, broccoli, cheese and 70% cocoa chocolate. The Most DH shares my appreciation for two of these things. You may speculate which.

21) I think everything should make sense. Otherwise, I cant be bothered with it.
22) I am making Burritos for dinner tonight! Thats right! Im that talented.

23) Groan! Only 23 so far. So close, so close!

24) A remembered poem of mine, circa 1991? I miss Joe, he was a good friend who tried to warn me.

Jimi's wail echoes, across the silent city night
disturbs the crickets song then
rouses me from restless sleep.

On waking, I wearily ponder...
would Joe remember the words?

25) They are Chicken Burritos. They are going to be so yummy.

Whoo hoo!! Ive done it, Happy Dance!!

Twelve and a half things about me

I owe Ces Twenty Five Things about Me, and Ive been meaning to do it for a couple days now. But after I got robbed of a few hours on Tuesday - I havent been able to catch up! So here is Twelve and a Half Things about Me:

1) I abhor the telephone. I would rather Taser myself than answer or make a phone call. Text messaging is the best thing since the discovery of fire, I swear.

2) I love to write letters, and consider a good letter an art form. Sadly, everyone I know who shared this passion has either died, or disappeared!

3) I am supposed to be out doing the grocery shopping right now.

4) This is actually quite hard, coming up with so many things about oneself...

5) I very rarely wear anything besides black below my waist.

6) See how hard this is?

7) I thought I knew what love was, and that it pretty much sucked sweaty ones. Then I met The Most DH, and found out what love really is. Entirely different.

8) Ummmmm, lets see. Oh yeah! But, oh, wait. No. No, No, NO!!

9) When I was eight years old, I wrote my first dissertation. I titled it "A Comparative Analysis of Fairy Tales". My source material was a complete collection of Andrew Lang's Fairy Books (wiki), which Id found on a very high shelf in my Great Grandmother's library. They were first editions, and gorgeous.
The dissertation was lost over the years as were the original books. Years later I bought the entire series of Lang's books to revist them. Paperbacks, but still very nice. Then, unexpectedly I migrated to Australia. My friend Mary 'inherited' the collection. Cant find copies here. Boo Hoo!

10) Doesnt that make you wonder about how the world has changed for children, and perhaps wonder too, at what a curious and unusual child I was. I guess I was. Its a long story. Ive been threatening an autobiography. Im just waiting for one more person to die, then I can tell the whole infernal, sordid story.

11) Geeze, that sounds very Oculus Sinister, doesnt it. Isnt there something a little 'lighter' I can share...

12) Um, Im having surgery next tuesday to remove a painful, but supposed benign, lump from my right breast. Is that lighter? Is that Too Much Information (TMI)? Im happy about it, because it hurts whenever it is touched or even brushed against something, FOR THE LAST EIGHT YEARS. About six months ago I plucked up the courage to make a stink. I told my GP that I would aspirate a sample from it myself, and bring it to her to send to the lab. THEN she agreed to refer me to a surgeon, and now finally next tuesday I will be free of this nuisance!
Now because the hospital I am going to has a bad reputation, I will be circling the area of the lump with a magic marker in case they put me under before I can talk to the surgeon. Thier Gods better be ready to help them if I wake up with the wrong thing missing. Mark my words.

AND A HALF: A lady from down the street caught me in the garden yesterday morning. She asked if it was true that I was an American. I gave her my now standard reply, that I prefer to pretend Im Canadian - at least till we see what Obama does. She then said she had been given an American cookbook, and could not figure out what it meant by ......


To be continued???

Future Food: Cucumber

Cucumber flowers! We grew these 'apple' cukes this year. Not sure why they are called 'apple', the resemblance to a green apple isnt that strong. But The Most DH says he prefers them, so what the heck! They dont taste any different to the long green variety, to me anyway.

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Ces, I will have to try again later today! Fingers crossed!

You flatter me, I like that in a person!

Ces, of Ces And Her Dishes has undertaken to spread the love in a big way! Ive come away with four awards! They couldnt have come at a better time to give me a shot in the arm, just when Im needing it, so THANK YOU CES!!!

And Im going to share them too! Now, those of you who are either a bit shy, or a bloke - well, you dont have to do anything with them....but if you fancy having a bit of a go - please do! Your names wouldnt appear below if I didnt appreciate something, or several things, about you and your blogs. Consider yourselves all Hugged! So there!



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One Sweet Blog Award

Ces, KJ, Melanie, Merlin Princesse

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A Perfect Blend of Friendship Award

Areeiro, Barkfoot, BetteJo, Ces, KJ, Young Werther

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I Love Your Blog Award

Areeiro, Barkfoot, BetteJo, Ces, KJ, Melanie,
Merlin Princesse,
Sandy, Young Werther

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Blogger Award for Amazing Friendship

Ces, KJ,
and even in absentia: Bird Anonymous

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Be sure to visit Ces's blog, her illustrations will inspire you!

One way ticket to Australia

It was Australia Day yesterday*, and I didnt get a post written ahead. So Im very late today.

Australia Day is the day we all celebrate the arrival of the "First Fleet", or the official beginning of the colonization of Australia. Frankly speaking, I had to look that up on Wiki. As looking at it from the ground, it seemed to me just another piss up.

This clip art is interesting, there was a period of time where Britian actively encouraged Brits to go to the colonies. One incentive was exceptionally cheap fares. I havent heard many stories where people were pleased with what they found when they got here, but talking to you about that could take all day...and its late already.

On the bright side, the 'school holidays' are over now. That means Im up early tommorrow morning, about 5 should do. I will walk up and down the street and around the block. A large tin kettle in one hand, and a large metal ladle in the other. As I walk I will bang on the kettle shouting..."Wake up all you bastards! Its time to go back to school you rotten little snots!" And etc.

Trust me, they deserve it.

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* Actually, it was Australia Day today, the 26th. When I wrote this post earlier today, I suffered from an attack of 'wishful thinking'. Wishful that the excessively loud neighborhood party held yesterday (the 25th) was going to be enough for the mongrels around here.

Wasnt.

Self portrait, macro

Its scary at full size, let me tell you.

Well folks, Ive been under the weather again, and perhaps thats all it is. But Ive been wondering what the heck this whole blog thing is about. Even with two blogs, I dont feel that I am really being myself in either one. If I wanted to be more true to me here, is that wise?

And there is the whole 'free milk and the cow' thingo.

Oh, I could just put up a pretty picture everyday, but Im wondering if that has any real value. Seems to me that I should be capable of something more...meaningful? And if so, what?

Either way Friends, the immediate future may involve some stumbling around in the dark, looking for answers. Better bring a torch.

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torch = flashlight