Day 29 Blogtoberfest 2009 I'm loving true blood

I'M LOVING TRUE BLOOD
I've been feeling like crap today and all that's kept me going is the HBO series of "True Blood" and my knitting.

For the uninitiated, True Blood is a vampire series based on the Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris.


The first six episodes ... it's so good I'm watching them for the second time again!

Strangely ... Phil at work gave me the first book to read called Dead until Dark, (such a great name for a vampire book), and I enjoyed it although I found it a bit too much like eating fairy floss for my liking.

But having said that I did like the characters ... Sookie Stackhouse, a telepathic waitress and the vampire Bill Compton she falls in love with in the fictional Louisiana town of Bon Temps. It was also easy to understand why the books were so well loved.

So it was only a few days later I got the mini series to watch ... and it's so much better. It's passionate, erotic, exciting ... the characters are well developed, interesting and some of them are so funny ... and the opening sequence is amazing. It won an Emmy for Digital Kitchen, the production studio creators ... and when you read what went into its creation ... all I can say is they deserved it!


You have to watch this ... it has texture, grit and somehow encapsulates the rawness of True Blood.

No spoilers here from me re the plot, except to say you will get sucked in ... so find it as soon as you can.

I'm lucky to have found a few work colleagues with similar interests to shared DVDs with, and I borrowed the first season from a colleague who's bringing the next season in next week for me to watch.

I'm drooling already.

PS For the Aussies out there, Ryan Kwanten (from Home and Away) has a major role as the female lead's brother, and the female lead is Anna Paquin, who played the little girl on the Piano (the youngest ever winner of an Oscar). Does HBO ever doe anything wrong?

Day 23 Blogtoberfest 2009 Quilting competition here I come!

I've wanted to learn to quilt for so long ... and I found the perfect way to dip my toe with a fabulous competition at the Pumpkin Patch Primitives Quilt Shoppe.: A Happy Halloween Giveaway!


The stash all beautifully laid out ... such fabulous autumn colours.


Two fabulous piles of quilting goodness!

And all I, and anybody else who enters has to do to win this beautiful bundle is create a blog post AND a post a link to the giveaway ... how simple is that?

The competition closes Saturday October 31, midnight EST (that's US time) and is drawn on Sunday November 1 (US time) ... Monday my time in Australia, of course.

Fingers crossed ... quilting here I come!

Day 11 Blogtoberfest 2009 Painted building in Mordialloc

It was such a beautiful day I decided to wander around Mordialloc to explore other people's creativity ... and hit on this building.


This is the first sight of the building as you walk along the path that goes under Pompeii Bridge.

It doesn't seem to have a discernible purpose ... from the outside at least.

And for all intents and purposes this building was painted in 2004 and I've hardly taken any notice of it ... my apologies for that!

My lack of awareness is the reason behind participating in Project 365 for 2009 ... because, well, keeping my eyes on the ground wasn't finding me any money; so I was well overdue to start looking up!

It turns out the painting is done by a Mordialloc artist called Derek Kent with a number of artistic achievements to his name ... you learn something every day. His website is worth a look.


The signature by the local artist Derek Kent (2004).


The view of the building which faces the Mordialloc Creek; it's actually a view of a carnival in Mordialloc during the 1920s.


A close up of the guy watching the carnival ... love him.


The side of the building as you keep walking away from the bridge.


The side that faces the street ... celebrating indigenous culture through the flag and a spear thrower fishing.


And a close up of this last 'aboriginal' side of the building ... this was my favourite part of it.

Day 6 Blogtoberfest 2009 Letter to Miss W

Dear Miss W

I'm so sorry you and and the boy have split up ... it's such a horrible thing to happen.

I could tell you were shell shocked at first and I think that was why, at first, you thought about coming home. But that didn't last long ... and I'm glad you've decided to stay in Canada.

I think it's a brave decision and one I don't think you'll regret ... and I can already see you drawing on strengths and skills you probably didn't know you had.

Quite a few people have asked me how I feel about you having to cope with this so far from home ... with most people thinking you should come home or I should want you to come home.

But that wouldn't really work, would it? You'd insist of being left alone to work through things in your own time, and there's a snowball's chance in hell you'd let me wrap you up in cotton wool to make pain and hurt disappear.

So, in my usual way, I've tried to be there in case you want to talk anything thorugh ... especially when it comes to taking care yourself.

I've been more relaxed about you being so far from home from the time I heard you had a job, even though it doesn't pay as much as you're used to ... and I'm glad you've find somewhere to stay. A shared house seems a great idea to help you learn the ropes in Canada and it should be a good place to meet more people.

And I don't think it will matter that much that you'll be sharing with someone you work with in the long run because you won't be there forever, you're safe and with someone who'll notice if you're not around, cheap rent is never a bad thing when you have no money, and maybe sharing with others will help to rub some of the rough edges off! (PS Believe me you can be hell to share with!)

So Miss W, if I'm giving advice it will be to continue what you're doing because I'm proud of the great job you're doing ... and most of all learn everything you can from what happens to you: learn from what happened between you and the boy and how you might do things next time, learn what it takes to live with others from the shared house, and suck all the enjoyment you can out of living in another country because it's one of the most exciting things you will ever do.

Lots of hugs and kisses from everybody here ... and I hope we see you as soon as possible.

Love Mum xoxoxoxoxoxo

Day 5 Blogtoberfest 2009 Change doesn't always mean improvement

Since arriving back I've been bemused by this sign, affixed not once, but twice, to the fence next to the train station.


The first sign as you approach the station.

Now I have no problems with them fixing up this access point to the train station ... because it's always been a paid for able bodied and disabled people.

Over the 20 years of my walking to this train station I've had my share of almost landing on my arse in the wet as I run around this corner for the train ... not to mention a couple of times where I actually achieved it!

And it's no surprise given the weird angles and the bitumen paving.


Looking across the tracks to the corner ... even before you hit the corner it's on an agle and angles up more steeply as you rund the corner.

So if I, an able bodied adult in relative control of my arms and legs, have had this experience it must be hell for pregnant women and people in wheelchairs ... not to mention every other disability I can't think of right now.

Thus far the sides of the walk way now have an additional handrail ... all very useful I'm sure except there've always been handrails on the left hand side.


The extra rails on either side of the walkway (not really required) ... and a view of the corner from a different angle.

And then there are the markings on the path as you walk towards the entrance to the train.


The markings on the ground ... you can see the word landing and ramp appears elsewhere.

Do you think this means they're going to put steps in ... I suppose that might be an improvement although if I had a wheelchair or even a pram I might be a little p*%#ed at having to go the long way to get to the station entrance.

And I'm still not clear what's going to be done to address that corner that presents the biggest risk to life and limb. That's where work really needs to be done.

Stay tuned for what they do ... with extreme luck before Blogtoberfest is over!

Day 3 2009 Blogtoberfest 2009 I am creative ... Grand opening celebrations

I am creative ... that's a fact, not a mantra. I scrapbook badly, I'm an avid photographer, I'm a novice knitter ... and today I'm actually posting about my creative side. Yay!

The background is that while I was away my local scrapbook store Scraptacular moved from almost around the corner (yes, only five minutes drive from home) to about 15 minutes drive away.


The welcome sign as you walk through the door of the new door.


The display on the counter as you walk through the door ... absolutely gorgeous.


And some more of the flowers for the grand opening on the other side of the counter.

I've spent so many happy hours at the old store in Parkdale and met the most wonderful women.

The store's been sold, babies have been born ... and throughout everything the same level of service, dedication to delivering the best scrapbooking products available and for being a haven for clever, talented and caring women has been at the core of the store.

But all good things come to an end (in this case location, location, location) and the store has moved to 1297 Nepean Hwy, Cheltenham ... with today the grand opening for the new store.


The owner, Julie, cutting the opening ribbon.

This, sadly, is where creativity and this post part company because I ate food, drank cocktails, threw a few pieces of paper together ... and focussed on having a great time.


Didi and Wendy hamming it up ... can't take those girls anywhere!


Jodi laughing ... as she does most of the time.


A view across one of the tables in the scrapping room ... which is enormous (the tables and the room!).


The great spread on the nibbles table.

Sometimes it's good just to let your hair down and focus on the present ... and I'll just have to see if I can rescue the train wrecks (ie scrapbook pages) another time.

Thanks, Julie and everybody, for a great day.

Day 1 Blogtoberfest 2009 First day back at work

Despite signing up to Blogtoberfest, with its hand on heart promise to sweat over every post and to stretch my creativity ... I've decided to ditch creativity and go with pain instead!

Yes ... that's right ... my first day back at work!


How better to sum up the torture and imprisonment than my train tickets.

And it's not as though work is dull ... I get to use my intellect and creativity resolving the many things that crop up, and there are plenty of things that need resolving. (There, I managed to get creativity into the post).

And it's not as though interacting with my colleagues is dull ... I get to hone my razor sharp wit and sarcasm on them (I think I managed to get a second reference to creativity! LOL) eg:

Gary: I feel like Homer Simpson in the nuclear power plant.

Me (in horror and without putting my brain into gear before I speak): I hope you do your job better than that!

I know, I know; what was I thinking ... but in my defence you did notice I was being sarcastic before re the razor sharp wit.