Skivvy wearers of the World Fess Up!

Ah! So now it is comming to light...
We ALL have a skivvy in our wardrobe - admit it!
Do not be ashamed.
Admitting to it is the first step in recovery.

I might even wear my black one on Sunday morning when I am freezing my nipples off at the Markets at 7am.

The man had a very fround experience yesterday - he cut down one of our bamboos in the "back passage". He has been growing bamboo in our backyard for about 10 years now and really loves them. It was a painful experience for him, but we are kind of moving on from the bamboo stage. I am not quite sure what the plan for the back yard will be. I know that our retaining wall is being eaten away by white ants and it's going to cost a fortune to fix.

If anyone wants a small bamboo to plant in their back passage...we have a few for sale.

News Flash : Unknown "White" Wiggle spotted at Elermore Vale!

Yes folks.....yesterday a historic event occurred....
A white wiggle was created...
and who is this mysterious person, you may ask?
It is I....

I made a disturbing and tragic fashion decision by purchasing a white skivvy at Big W.

Why would a sane person do this you may ask?

Well, I have been having severe pains in my neck and shoulders every morning when I wake up and am putting it down to the fact that we sleep near an open window and I could be getting a chill during the night ( it doesnt help that I have a bulging disc )...so I am trying to sleep in a skivvy, where my neck and shoulders are covered and seeing if it makes a difference.
Last night was the first night...and I cannot report any great improvements yet..but I will give it a go for a week or two.

Needless to say I was given a thrashing over this particlar item of clothing by both the man and baby girl.
I will never live it down.

Also the man and I are starting a 12 week weight loss challenge today!
The man is going back on the Tony Ferguson program and I am doing a bit of a combined diet/exercise thingy.
It is 10.30 am and I am already starving!!!!!I will have to have yet another coffee!!!
I will share this with you all at Shrinking (or Starving) Witches tomorrow.
Maybe you can all suffer along with me.
It is all too easy to hide in thick and big clothing during winter.
I love the girls below, but to tell you the truth, their thighs are looking better than mine at the moment so it is time to act.

To market we shall go!!!!!

Ah yes...
It is so peaceful at 6am in the morning!
Diana and I got to Wickham Park markets at 6.30am and the place was full!!!!
We ended up doing "sad eyes" at the organisers and they told us to move in next to them...bless their cotton socks!!!

The lady next to us was pissed off cause she had been there since 5am (hmmmmm) to secure her spot, and we just "strolled" in.
Deb turned up very soon afterwards and we all stood there freezing to death, grabbing any sun that we could.
Business was slow today...I think we will not be doing Wickham Park again very soon -there was a lot of shit there, thats for sure. Do people have no taste at all?

But, I guess what is one man's trash is another man's treasure.

Leanne came over at about 9am and we had a scream of a morning.
I think Leanne bought most of what we sold this morning - God bless her!
We called it quits at 12.30...
and went to Sunny's Cafe at Islington for a decent coffee.

All in all, a good morning had by all.
The day was certainly beautiful - we all managed to get wind burn and sun burn!

Bracelet going to a good home

Last Sunday I sold a rose quartz bracelet to a lady, hunting me down via ebay, who was buying it for a friend who had just lost a baby.
She contacted me yesterday asking if she could buy some more - her friend loved the bracelet so much that she wanted to get one for all of her friends.
How nice!
I am quite chuffed about that!

The lady ended up purchasing 13 more bracelets!

Am heading to Medowie with sore arse witch tomorrow and going to the markets with Diana the now unemployed witch at the crack on Sunday....
The pensioners start to line up at 6am...
6....A....M...!!!!!!!!
yes.....6....a...m...
to get a spot at the Wickham Park markets on the last Friday of every month.
That's insane...
That means I have to get up before the sun does....
Hmmpf.
Not happy Jan!!!!!
That's even to early for a coffee.

Australia's Biggest Morning Tea!

Today was a big day.
We ran a fundraiser at the Cottage..our first big one.
I am SO proud of the work that went on at our little place today!

We raised a total of $188.20!!!!!!!
That is an amazing result.
$6.20 donations
$66.00 for tea/coffee and cake
$116.00 from sales and readings

I would like to thank everyone who came along today and donated their time and money.
I especially want to thank Deb, who trooped in at the "crack" and manned the kitchen all day long.
Also special thanks to Leanne and Lisa for doing readings and reiki.
Thank you to Diana and Kathleen who brought along their craft and creams for display and sale and to all those that donated cakes for consumption.

I could only poke my head out of the reading room from time to time and did not get my hands dirty in the sink....I was hiding!

What a great day!

Tibetan Monks in Newcastle

We went to see the Tibetan Monks at the Civic theatre today.
They had really just begun the mandala that they create in every city that they go to.
Two monks work on it at a time, in shifts, and when there is a big crowd then you may get four working on it. I guess it also depends on whether they are on track with its completion.
It was very peaceful sitting and watching the monks take on this task.
To do it over and over and over again....
It would drive me insane.


But then I am not a monk.

I went to my next tai chi lesson tonight.
Learnt another move.
It looks so simple....yet it is so complex.
I also learnt the qi gong walk ....a special walk that you do with a double breath in and one exhale out. It is supposed to be excellent for cancer patients cause it floods the body with oxygen.


I am learning not to underestimate this ancient art.

A Day at the Markets

Today I went back in time....to yet again sell goods at the Markets.
I have done this many times in my life and here I was back again.
I did a lot of market stalls when my big girl was just a baby.
I used to set up a cot and have her sitting in the back while I tried to make some extra money.It wasn't always successful, but then that's the markets for you.
Nothing has changed.
Thank you to all those girls, Jen, Deb and Michelle that turned up to give us some support today.
Kathleen and Diana joined me today and we all had sales!
Diana makes fabulous hand made face creams and oils, and even thought she just finished work last Friday, she still managed to make some items for sale today.
Kathleen makes her amazing whimsygal range of brooches and goddess dolls and she had a lady buy one and come back to buy another!
I also did not do too badly for my first attempt
All that fresh air is not healthy though....neither is getting up at 6am on a Sunday morning!
So I am suffering tonight.
A touch too much of sun and no sleep in make this old girl a little pooped out!
Our stall looked very fancy shmancy though.....I had a good day!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

My baby turns 13 tomorrow!
Officially a teenager.
We went to the hair dresser tonight for a fancy shmancy grown up hair do - so she got some streaks and a fringe!
Tomorrow we will go out for tea and on Monday she goes to see Pink in concert.

What did I get when I turned 13?...mmmmmmm.
I can't remember.

I cleaned out my undie draw today....Yes...gross. I had undies hiden in there from the 1980's I think.Ewwwwwww!!!
I found a thong ( not the one you wear on your feet ).Whatever possessed me to buy it back then, I dont know. Someone told me that they were comfortable.Maybe for someone with no arse, or a frame that is only carrying about 50kg, but not for ole' cottage cheese arse me!
So most of my undies went in the bin...I even outgrossed myself.
Once the elastic goes....it's time.
Once they are no longer white....it's time.
Once they have been sitting in your drawer for over a year and you have not worn them....it's time.
What if I had an accident and had to go to hospital in those pitiful underpants?
I would not allow them to touch me...I would have to die, I guess.
I think there is a lesson in this.

Have you all dropped off the edge of the world?

Hello!
Hellooooooo!!!!!
Is anybody out there?


Are you there now?

Come on ladies, here I am, avidly waiting for new blogs and....
and.....
Give me a sign!

Who says mother's rest on mother's day?

Was your mothers day as hectic as mine?

Sparrow fart saw me heading down to Adamstown Markets to book a site...and good thing I arrived when I did cause there was only one left.
Then I took mother down to Glendale and attempted to introduce her to a half decent cup of coffee at Brumbys.I was bitterly disappointed ( should have stuck with Macca's).The old dentures could not handle the egg and bacon foccacia so I dived on some sample danishes at the counter to save the morning from total devastation.

Then it was off to a friends place to pick up some things before said friend takes off for a two week cruise on the Whitsunday Islands ( bitch )...

Then older daughter needed a lift to her car which she left at Shortland as she was at her friends wedding on Saturday. On the way we stopped off at the cemetary to pay respects to my dad.
I got some cheeses at the supermarket on the way home to have with crackers, just to find that when we unwrapped them they were off!!!
So the man headed back to the supermarket to make a noise. He scored some exchanges and bought them home only to find that they were off too!C R A P!!!!

Then the man's niece turned up and spent a few hours at our place chatting.
So I offered some free reiki to both my daughter and the man's niece and they both said..."Heck yeah!"

Then I went out for tea with the Daniel women...to be told later that I was only invited to provide a buffer against possible uncomfortable moments and occurring during the evening.(Ah family!)
Hell, I got a free meal. I was not going to complain!

Came home bloated, full and tired.

Yep, just another day...

I DID get a beautiful hand made box from baby girl, rocky road chocolate (eye's off, it's mine) from big girl and a bouquet of tulips from the man.
NOICE!!!!!!!!

Happy Mothers Day!

Yes...it's THAT day again this Sunday. How many of us will actually score breakfast in bed?
Mmmmmm.
I have already stuffed it up by inviting my mother to breakfast at Charlestown Square (yes..I hear you say...very chique!)But at 84, my mum does not have an exotic palate...anything other than a hash brown and a cup of tea from McDonalds can send her into a bit of a spin out.

I will be heading to the Dynasty Restaurant in the evening for a family tea kindly donated by a member of the family who IS working.Should be yummy!

The man had to do another PSA test this week, to check his levels with regard to detectable levels of cancer.
But GOOD NEWS - ALL IS CLEAR!!!!!!!
This will happen every three months till the end of the year.

Please rememberthat we will be hosting a Biggest Morning Tea event on Thursday 24th May at the Cottage commencing at 10.30.We are going to do mini psychic readings, angel card readings, reiki healing and chakra balancing. Also we will have handicrafts for sale and second hand books.
Come a buy coffee/tea and cake and donate to cancer research.
Tell a friend..and better still, bring them along!

Inner Peace

: Inner peace

I am passing this on to you because it definitely worked for me, and we
could all use a little more calmness in our lives, right? By following the
simple advice I heard on the radio yesterday, I have finally found
inner peace.

The phone-in show was talking about the stress of returning to work and
the routine of the New Year. Dr. Phil proclaimed,

"The way to achieve inner peace is to complete all the things you've
started and never finished."

So, I looked around my house to see all the things I started and hadn't
finished, and before leaving the house this morning, I finished off a
bottle of Merlot, a bottle of White Zinfandel, a bottle of Bailey's
Irish Cream, a bottle of Bombay Sapphire, a packet of Jaffa Cakes, the
remainder of my old Prozac prescription, the rest of the cheesecake,
some Doritos and a Box of chocolates.

You have no idea how bloody good I feel!!!! The man is a Genius!

Please pass this on to those you feel might be in need of inner
peace...

A new move tonight!

Goody - I am going to learn my next tai chi move tonight! One move a week is about all my brain can integrate!
We spent the afernoon attending our first prostate cancer support group meeting - lots of "older" men with very thick glasses who have been through it or going through it.

There was not a great number of people there today but we introduced ourselves and the man did a bit of an impromptu talk about "his journey". It was interesting to listen to these guys and their different attitudes and stories.We were certainly the youngest ones there.

I had a great evening last night with my girls that came to the psychic development class. We did execises on seeing the aura and feeling the aura - it was so interesting and we got such great results that I think we will have a night of aura work next month at "Around the Cauldron".
You should come along to psychic development......it's fun!We have a ball!

Mind, Body, Spirit Festival and Deborah Gray!

Spent the day with some lovely ladies from the Cottage at the Mind, Body, Spirit Festival in Sydney. As usual, lots to see and buy.
I tried to be sensible about it, but the temptation was great!
I did purchase a small salt lamp, at a very reasonable sale price - and a scarf.
That was it.

But, we walked over to the stand promoting the new Spellcraft magazine and started talking to the ladies on the stand.
I was introduced to the editor of the magazine, and told her how we all thought that the mag was great and that we actually advertised in their Noticeboard section.

At that point she proceeded to introduce us to Deborah Gray, the author of many magical and witchy books, who was also at the stand doing book signings, and asked us whether we would mind being interviewed by her for her wiccan tv channel which would be seen world wide ( at some point in the future).
Of course I said, why not!
Deborah said that she had heard of Rose Cottage (see....We ARE famous) and asked us to speak about the Cottage and the work that we do there.
Yes, it would be seen internationally, as she proceeded to explain exactly where Newcastle was, and an open invitation to all and sundry went out suggesting that if they were ever visiting the area that they should drop by for a cuppa and chat!
Cool or what!!!!!
Whether this interview goes to air, or ends up being wiped...I don't now
But...we did it.
And it was damn fun!
We had a great lunch at Chinatown and brought many yummy cakes to take home with us and didn't get back home till 8pm - it would have been somewhat sooner, but we managed to get lost trying to leave the CBD ( as you do).

Ah!!!!

MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU!

Samhain

Last night at the Cottage was AMAZING! We, as a group, have truely come of age.
No more giggles, no more turning the wrong way, we even dress up and don't feel silly about it.
Ladies - you are all so inspiring. It is an honour and a pleasure to be in circle with you all.

I am SO OVER my dreams lately. I keep wandering around Wallsend, but how it must have been about 80 years ago. But then, there are some modern day buildings there, that just dont fit.
I am continually dreaming on winning money, but nothing is happening in reality.
I wake up and feel like I have completed a fifty mile hike.

The influence of the moon is still strong.

Ouch!

Yes....all my muscles now hurt!
I did one FRIGGIN (thanks Lisa) movement!!!
But I will keep practising today.Yu must let me demonstrate tonight.
You will be sooooo impressed with all 10 seconds of it.

Dreams....yes...yet again a dream about winning money. Lots of money.
Am heading down to the newsagent soon to buy my winning ticket ( although I thought I already had that one).

Maybe I am compensating in my dreams for what I do not have in reality.

Samhain, full moon...the energies are crazy.

My baby went to the Great Aussie Bush Camp today. She will be away for two days.I miss her already.
I am looking forward to ritual tonight. See you there.

Why is this so bloody difficult?

The man and I went to our first Tai Chi class tonight.
Our tutor is a little old lady who is probably about 153 years old.
She has been teaching Tai Chi since before Noah built the ark and makes it look sooooo easy.
But it is soooooo not!
We learnt one movement last night.
One movement.
By the time we remembered to bend our knees, go slow, feel the energy, hold the "ball", turn our foot, shift our weight etc...etc....oh lordy!!
Tai Chi works a lot on circulating our chi and the more our tutor talked about the principals the more witchy it all sounded.
Movements where we sweep our hands close to the earth to stir the energy then gather it in to our heart....sounds strangely familiar.
I hope I can master this...or it could send me insane!
The man thinks it's great too!