Sunday, 25 October 2009

Sunday Scribblings "Shame"


Lizzy home and friend.
You can just see in the second picture Lizzy running for cover into it's home in the rocks.

G'Day,
The Sunday Scribblings prompt this week is shame.
I thought about it last night and again laying in bed this morning.
Shame is;
Having influence on the ideas and ideals of others and not using it kindly or correctly.
Bought about by not living up to the norms that are enforced on us by others, self or the media.
Enhancing or giving the truth with a twist.
Not recognizing the last comment or lying to yourself about it.
Failing to follow the personal credo you have given yourself to live by.
Remembering a time when you didn't do the above.
Something that others give to you to keep you under their control.
Not being in control and facing the consequences.
Lots more than this too......
I could give examples for each of the points above and more from my own life experience and my observations of others.
The very first time I can remember feeling shame was when I was probably 4 years old. The boy who lived next door to us was a little monster who constantly pinched and poked and hit me when ever no one was looking. One day I lost my temper with him and picked up a plank of wood then hit him in the head with it. Boy did I get in trouble for that one. I couldn't understand that he was allowed to treat me that way but I was not allowed to loose my temper back at him. As a 4 yr old I didn't separate the ideas of anger payback and self control.
Other things I am ashamed of are that I yelled and screamed at my kids when they were little. My second 2 kids would do what they were told and were reasonably easy to get along with but my eldest was a challenge. He would stand up and yell right back in my face and never give an inch. Wonder where he got that from? Hehehehe. Stubbornness may be a bit of a family trait. I never did that to my parents though. My eldest is now probably the closest of my children to me. I guess all that boils down to me admitting that my temper is the personality trait I am most ashamed of. Throughout my whole life I have completely lost my temper, enough times to count on one hand. At the time you are quite pleased that you stood up for yourself, but then later you are not. You know when you have gone too far, then you have to take the consequences. It takes a long time for me to work up to that state but when I do , people move. Basically I am a wimp, about confrontation, well, most of the time anyway. But, I won't be pushed or bullied for long before I crack. I do lots of dumb things I am ashamed of myself for doing later, but seem quite reasonable in the heat of the moment.
This subject seems to be expanding as I write and I want to add more anecdotes as I remember them.
Like the time when I was in primary school and the teacher was bullying a student who could not spell a simple word. She asked me to go next door to the class of younger pupils and get one of them to come in and show this kid how to spell the word. I was so proud she had asked me to do a message, I felt important. Then I did the message and on the way back to the classroom I told the younger kid how to spell the word. I got in trouble for that. Foiled the cruel game by the teacher though.
Or the time when I bought home a eastern long necked turtle on one of my wanderings that I had found in a dam. The lady next door went crook on me for taking it out of the wild. I felt so bad and returned it. A lesson learned by a young animal lover.
In conclusion...............Maybe shame is a trait given us to teach us a lesson......................... Yes.

******************************************
Yesterday Pete and I went to Wagga. Pete continued on to the aviation museum at Temora as they were having a flying day and he loves that stuff. I stayed in Wagga to do some gardening at (my parents) my old family home where my son and daughter are now living. My second son now thinks of the house as his. He has been living there for about 4 years now and is in the process of designing and installing a new kitchen. We went down the street and bought a great gas oven. It was originally $5,500 worth of goods but we got it for less than half price . It included the cook top, oven, range hood and a stainless steel cabinet for it to go into. Cool eh! It was the last of its kind and reduced down to get rid of it.
I also broke up the soil, fertilized mulched and replanted the garden bed along the front fence, then moved a few other plants around the yard. Should be good, if he bloody well remembers to water it this time and doesn't let it all die. When we were younger and living there, my Mum had a reasonable garden growing. Most of that had been let go. I tried to choose tough plants that don't need much care once they are established. Lets hope.
Out the front yard here where we are living now I discovered a big termite nest. I think it is a termite nest. I was weeding in the front garden bed this morning when I noticed the old prunus tree was rotten looking in the middle. I tapped it and a bit of wood broke away to reveal a hole below the tree. I put the hose in it and it took probably 10 minutes for the water to come to the top and then it started running out through some small holes that I thought were ant holes further down the yard, about 6 ft away. Oh oh.
We have a house inspection on Tuesday so I will show the real estate people when they come here. The poor owner is not going to like me, because if it is a termite nest it will cost him money to get it attended to. I hope they are not eating the house as well. Apart from that the curtains in the house are so old that they are starting to disintegrate when you touch them. Nope! my new land lord is really not going to like me.
We also have a friend here. There is a good size blue tongue lizard living in the garden edging in the front garden bed. I have not seen many this big so it must be fairly old and living here for a long time. The pictures up the top of this post show his/ her home and a close up of it having a sunbath. Isn't it a lovely critter. This one is about 14 inches top to tail. Cool. What should I name her/ him. Larry, Lizzy, Lorne or Lucy? Hehehehehehe. Love it.
I hope if the hole at the bottom of the tree out the front is a termite hole that the treatment it needs doesn't harm my lizard friend.
Blue tongues are harmless, they do have a dark blue tongue, hence the name, they eat snails and slugs and bugs so they are good to have in the garden, they puff themselves up like the one in the picture above is doing to make themselves look bigger and more fierce when they are scared. Lots of people keep them in tanks as exotic pets but you have to have a license to keep them. We have to keep an eye out for it and make sure Rufus does not discover it when he goes out the front yard.
Bye.
Love Linda.

Friday, 23 October 2009

Here's to you!

G'Day,
As promised on my last post I am back to pass on the "One Lovely Blog Award" which was given to me by my friend Merle.
Here's the rules.
1. Accept and post the award. Yep! already did that one.
2. Post the award and tell who it's from. That one too, see last blog entry.
3. Pass the award on to 15 other people who blog. Coming up.
4. Notify them. O.K. I can do that.
Here Ti's.
To share this award with me I choose.
1. Bimbimbee, because she really does have a lovely blog.
2. Shadow, the best poet and a very talented lady.
3. Sorrow, a fellow potter and kind lady.
4. Granny Smith, because she is great.
5. Krissie, my sand groper (W.A.) friend.
6. Dee, a very clever writer and regular S.S. participant.
7. Sophie, a new blogging friend.
8. Old Grizz, just because I like him.
9. Wolfie, clever bloke in Canada.
10. Tony, another clever bloke from pommy land.
11. Brad, a great potter, gardener and my very first blogging friend.
12.Wildlife Gardener, what a great artistic blog and garden she has.
13 Mountain Mumma, because everyone should know someone like Bev.
All of the above are on my side bar as my favorite reads. I am a bit silly when it comes to puters, or that is my excuse anyway, so..... I am not putting the links to them on here again because they are all on my sidebar. Click on them there and they will take you straight to their blogs.
AND.........I know ........I can't count either. Hehehehehe.
O.K. now I am off to visit the awardes and let them know.
Bye.
Love Linda.

Tuesday, 20 October 2009

One Lovely Blog Award

G'Day,
Look at that I got an award.
Given to me by my friend in Sheparton, Merle, of "Third Time Lucky" blog.
Merle's link is on my sidebar, look her up, she always has a story and a joke to share to make everybody smile.
Ah how nice!
Thank you Merlie Girl.
I will fix up the rest of it next session.
Print the rules and who I am going to pass it on to next.
See my side bar?
Ah nice.
It is late and Pete has gone to bed without me, I better go too.
Goodnight.
Love Linda.

Saturday, 17 October 2009

People

People.

I need people
People who are friends not just friendly
People who are here not obsessed with there
People who I can trust to share me with
People who are
Just are

Sunday Scribblings "Junk"

G'Day,
The Sunday Scribblings prompt this weekend is "Junk".
Well, as you know I just moved house a few weeks ago so I know all about Junk. I had a lovely cull and throw out early this week. I took about a dozen or more plastic shopping bags to the salvation army store in Tuggeranong and a large box of matching crockery that I had collected years ago, a bit at a time from the supermarket. I never had any of it out of the box so it was never used. My junk is reborn to be used by someone else who may need it more than I. The rest of the stuff was books and lots of my pottery that had been hoarded up for years . It never sold in the potter's club shop in Wagga and, well, lets face it, how much do I really need to keep. The fun is in the making not in storing it up for.........one day, for whenever, whatever, whoever.
Junk.
We all carry junk from our past in our head
Past hurts and tears, past fears and dreads
If we weigh it all up it's time to let go
Let the bad balance out with the good

Not easy to do, I know from lots of life experience that it isn't. Some things just stick. But you gotta try not to hate and let things run off your back and away from you without them getting to you too much.
Today I have been downstairs in the rumpus room going through boxes and boxes of old family photos. Sorting them out. I put them into different piles. The pile of pics of the kids going through their different age groups was by far the biggest. Making me smile, laugh and melt when I looked through them. Bringing back sooooo many memories. Pictures of beloved family members long since passed away. "Oh I must send that one to my cousin Ruthy who lost her son, Justin, a couple of years ago".
Then there was the box with all the old school reports, newspaper clippings, birthday and anniversary cards, bits from school plays, certificates and scout awards. I guess some would consider all the silly stuff I have collected over the years to be Junk. It is not to me though.
One persons Trash is another ones Treasure.
That is all I can think of today for in here.
So I will go back downstairs to the rumpus room and to sorting my Junk.
Bye.
Love Linda.

Friday, 16 October 2009

Spring at last.

G'day,
Ahhhhh! Spring at last.
I get to take pictures of pretty flowers and share them with the world.
The house we are in now has better soil that the previous one did. It has a more traditional old fashioned garden that I am sure I will love as this, my favorite season progresses.
I get to bring pretty flowers inside to perfume my spring air with posies like the one above. It contains escalonia, freesia and lavender.

Out the back in a line along the dividing fence are about 6 camellia plants. They are nearly finished their spring flowers. Here are a couple of examples of what is left.





There are a few azaleas flowering around the yard. A white one, this dark pink and a few others that are struggling and not in flower.
This is an escalonia in the back yard.
Lavender with wings, out the front.
Freesias galore. Tough little good value plants with an exquisite strong springtime perfume.
More lavender in teh front garden again.
Don't know what this little thing is but it is pretty. It is tumbling over some rocks at the edge of the driveway out the front, in full and glorious flower.
And below, pretty delicate little lily of the valley just starting to open up near the front door.
If you breathe in deeply you can almost smell spring from my pictures where ever you are, can't you? Lots of little diosma in flower too in the front bed, and little dianthus waiting to pop open in a week or so and show off their pretty flowers and perfume the air as well.
This morning I got out of the house and had my first mammogram. Nothing wrong I just thought it was time I got checked. Pete is on night duty for 4 days so I stayed out so he could sleep.I got a loaf of Vietnamese bread for lunch and brought it home. The Vietnamese make great bread. The french taught them how. I reckon it comes in second only to wood-fired Italian bread as the top bread there is. There is a little baker shop in the nearby shoping centre with all sorts of mouth watering cakes and Vietnamese breads. I resisted the cakes today. A few days back I didn't manage it and was very badly tempted. I must stay away from there when I am hungry. Hehehe.
Time to get ready for work, bye for now.
Love Linda.

Monday, 12 October 2009

Mushrooms

G'Day,
Ohhhhhh! Look at what we found in the park just a while ago when we went for a walk. Aren't they beautiful. There were lots more too but we couldn't carry them all and we didn't need to take more than this anyway.
We walked into Woden and sat down at Babar's cafe and had breakfast. These will get used for tea tonight. I will have to go and buy some steaks to have with them.
The mushies I found the other day I ate for lunch. I fried them up in a lightly greased pan with a small chopped onion and some black cracked pepper then had them with toast.
Beautiful.
This puter is really annoying at the moment. It is taking 5 minutes to load each page. Pete is going to ring Telstra up and complain. The puter as been like this since last week. This is not what we pay for. Not good enough.
SO. A big raspberry to you Telstra!!!!