Fanny Burney and the Ghostie at Tanilba House

Took a drive with Deb and Fanny Burney ( my new name for Lisa - because of a book she picked up at the bookshop with that name, plus it suits her )to Lemon Tree Backpassage to see another of the sisterhood - Michelle.
We had a lovely lunch, fantastic conversation and then headed to the local second hand book shop where Lisa was drawn to her name sake ( Fanny ).
After saying goodbye to our sweetie Michelle we decided to head out to Tanilba Bay house ( just turn right at Coles ) for a Capt.Cook.
It was closed.
Maybe a blessing?
Lisa was good enough to park while I went over the road to take a few pics of the outside of the house.
Its a well known historic site and looks quite beautiful - using the local stone in the construction.
While standing there on the grass in what must have once been a flower garden, I felt a cold shiver run down my spine, then up, then down, then all over.
I was enveloped by this..
Mmmmmm...
Yes...
A ghostie for sure!
He did not like me standing on that spot and was totally wanting me to get off.
I walked back to the car shaking him off with no success.
As I opened the car door, Deb said she felt something wierd and asked me what did I bring along this time, while Fanny motioned me out of the car saying "stay outside and leave your friend here!"
So I sat down on the grass and asked the spirit to leave ( betcha that would have looked a treat to anyone looking through their window), while Deb and Fanny locked the car doors.
Well, he left and then I was let into the car and we continued our journey home.

I think what I encountered was the old grounds caretaker and I was disrespecting his flower garden by stepping right in the middle of it, although it was just and empty patch now with uncut grass.

Any hoo, it may be worth another visit at some point a longer conversation with the ghostie of Tanilba Bay House!
Want to come along????

Pic No:9 for 2009

Catherine Hill Bay - the old Coal Loader.

Bonny Baby News

Congratulations to Helen who birthed a gorgeous new addition to her family - little "Olivia Rose".
Blessings to her and buby!!!!!

All quiet with me at the moment..
Head down and bum up - trying to finish a painting that has proven a challenge even for someone as anal as I am..
Going out to see "Judith Lucy" tomorrow night at the Newcastle City Hall.
I love her humor, so dry and ripping, and I will be sharing the evening with my sister- in -law's daughter and her partner.
We plan to go to a Vietnamese restaurant in Darby street - so a big and special night out for me indeed!!

At a low ebb...

My 50 year old brain has asked some questions to day for which there are no answers...

Niggly things that come up when I am feeling low...
Maybe my morning with mother sparked it....
Boy she must have screwed with my brain when I was little, cause it still has an impact on my life, my choices and how I view myself and the world in general.
I really do not think that it was a purposeful thing, just a survival thing.
The tactics used worked and manipulation and guilt were the way to go.
Phew..
About time I worked that stuff out of me, but sometimes it still sits there prodding me to make less than perfect decisions which then bear consequences.
Someone take the shovel from my hand and help me stop digging the hole I am finding myself in....

Was that a ghost in my room this morning???

Now, believe me when I tell you that I am one of the biggest skeptics that there is...it takes something to bang me over the head, twice, for me to believe it.
So this morning I awoke briefly to see who I thought was my husband walking out of our bedroom going off to work.
Indeed, not anything unusual.
I remember his distinct footsteps and his image was very dark, almost in silouette, featureless.
He came from around his side of the bed and straight out the door.

Trouble is, when I asked hubby about it this afternoon, he told me that he did not come to his side of the bed and when he was there the light was on and I had the covers all the way over my head...in no way would I have been able to see him go.
So therefore...
who was it????
A mystery!!!!!!

Trifle

Remember Trifle?
The last time I made trifle was about 15 years ago....
I think I have waited long enough...
Today,
I made trifle.

Pic No:8 for 2009

This is my first attempt at painting a fountain...and I picked a hard one..
Civic Park Fountain.
This one took some work with doing the background and then air brushing in water spray and overpainting water droplets..
How did I go????

The waiting is the killer.....

Cant say much today cause it all seems irrelevent considering what one of our sisters in blog land is going through today -
Dear Michelle - I ache for you and the waiting...
It throws me back to two years ago when I was sitting twisting myself into knots before finding out that the man had prostate cancer.
I am so sorry for your mum and what she must go through and for the family who have to sit back and watch it unfold.
It is truely awful...
I am hoping that there is some good news....

Meanwhile,
the small black dog is becomming a very naughty adolescent, causing fuss and mess and wanting to be the centre of attention all the time.
Cute little bugger....

Go! Hugh good thing!

Brilliant job done by an Aussie yesterday at the Oscars.
Hard pressed not to find something to like in Hugh - singing, dancing, eloquent and hunky....you just can't please some people.
Still the bashers and the critics had their say.
What spoil sports...
I loved the fact that he didn't have an American accent, but kept his Aussie style.
What a trooper.

In my quest for a photogenic Newcastle....

Ok...dont laugh all of you local people, but I am fast realising that there is a mass of Newcastle that I have never seen and its bloody beautiful!
I took a trip of discovery to Catherine Hill Bay yesterday - never been, and there is the old coal loader sitting there over the ocean.
What a great place to photograph!
What an amazing place miles of golden sands and clear water - we DO have the most brilliant beaches in the world right here.
If that spot were in Thailand, Vietnam or Indonesia there would be hundreds of hotel lining the beachfront and tourists galore fighting for a spot near the water.
In Newcastle, we want to keep it secret, shhh...... twenty people on the beach and two lifesavers....shhh too gorgoeus to share with the rest of the world for sure.

So I snapped away happily for a half hour and am hoping that I end up with one image worth painting.

Any other favourite spots out there, beaches or bays that I should be heading to girls?

By the way...
I did not sell a thing at the exhibition on Friday night.
Poo bah, humbug....
My teacher sold the lot ( 20 paintings )
What does that say?????

What a loss!!!!

This is an unfortunate tragedy of the recent bushfires.
The website is www.brunosart.com
This is from his from page..
Welcome to Bruno's Art & Sculpture Garden. Hidden amongst the trees of the small Victorian village of Marysville is a world full of fantasy, beauty and humour.

Surrounded by the magical rainforest setting, Bruno Torfs has created one of the world's most unique and deeply inspiring experiences for art and garden lovers of all ages.

With over three hundred paintings and sculptures to discover, a journey to Bruno's is one of Australia's most special attractions.
How tragic to lose a lifetime's worth of work.

Bruno is safe but over 200 paintings and his gorgeous gardens are destroyed.

D-Day for the Windswept and Interesting Artiste!!!

Well I have just got back from the Christian Den in town where they are holding my art works captive and I must say they look damn good!
There are three artists works on display plus a phographer.
All Newcastle stuff.
Tony and I and the photographer are all very traditional works and the other bloke does quite quirky very clouroful slightly abstract works.
All very nice!
They look like they will be having a packed house tonight, so I remain forver hopeful!
Must have a glass of wine tonight as I sit nervously thinking that a whole lot of people that I do not know are looking at my pictures.
Very exciting indeed.
The man's birthday tomorrow.
He is 44.
Still a baby.
We are doing pizza tomorrow night in Hamilton ( so sorry Diana that I will miss your Witch's Kitchen )probably coffee and cake at Euro Bar.
He must be pampered all day long...
I need to take some pictures of Newcastle...some really ice spots so that I can get inspired to do more paintings..
Anyone got any ideas or favourite spots that they can recommend??

Saying goodbye to the babies!

I went in to deliver my art works today ( to the Christians!!!! ).
My babies!!!!

They are going to be stared at,
Critiqued.
Snorted at.
Snoffed at.
Possibly admired.
Maybe purchased.

I cannot go to the exhibition night as it is "by ticket purchase only".
There will be a Jazz band.
And lots of Christians. Don't get me wrong -
Nothing against Christians by the way, I used to be one!

Looking up?

Just when you thought that your mighty good plan for the year ahead was looking solid...
things start going awry!
I dont understand why we have to actually pay our bills anyway..
what a stupid idea!
Just can't seem to make a living out of being windswept and interesting it seems...
maybe because I may be windswept...but not interesting.
Damn it!

So its been raining...may as well paint! Pic No 8 for 2009

This one's a little different.
Nobby's in the afternoon sunlight.














Well, can't really do much else.
Made a spinach and cheese pie.
Some washing.
Can you believe "Bewitched" is on tv?
The original.
Samantha was a doll wasn't she?
And Endora!
And the original "Ocean's Eleven" with Sammy Davis Jnr and Frank Sinatra.

Been feeling off!

Its been a painful few days with a headache developing over the last three with the meltdown coming last night.
Today I am better.
Nothing else exciting.
Applied to do some volunteer work for the Cancer Council.
Am creating a new painting.
Am wondering how Bee's tattoo went today.
I hope she is happy.
Might see some of you next week eh?
I will be in Hamilton next Monday morning as I have to put my car in for a service,
So,anyone feel like a COFFEE?????

ON
MONDAY 16th February
at 12 Noon at "The GOURMET GOOSE" (opposite Enigma) at Hamilton.
Be there or be SQUARE!!!!

P.S.Happy Valentine's Day.

Pic No:6 and Pic No:7

Well here are the last two that I will do before the art exhibition next week.
I have to take my paintings in next Wednesday for the set up to be done.

THE SEAGULL ( very original title isnt it! )













"THE PUMPHOUSE AT NEWCASTLE BEACH"









I have painted both of these on previous occassions.
And these were the two that I was doing while attempting the Cathedral picture when I was getting frustrated with it.

This pain is just too much!

I have been watching the coverage of the bushfire devastation and I just cant anymore.
Its beyond comprehension.
People have lost family
and home,
and pets.
God, its awful.
I cant think of anything else.
And there is a permanent lump in my throat.

A new week....some are starting with nothing

As I sit sourrounded by my comfortable home, fan on and doggy at my feet..I am cast into the devastation in Victoria where some people who have been through the fires are starting this week with ...nothing.
How do you do that?
I know that...you JUST DO.
But, hell, it bwould be like your identity was ripped away from you.
You are left with nothing that identifies you with who you are.
Imagine that...
We spent uears collecting our identities...this house is mine therefore I am ...a houseowner.
This child is mine...therefore I am a mother.
These clothes are mine..therefore I have bad taste in clothes ( in my case )
etc..
you would feel naked wouldn't you, without all of this?

My older daughter did a scuba diving course on the weekend....she loved it.
She's going again next weekend for some extra dives.
Maybe the man and her can go diving together.
He used to do it when I first met him 20 years ago.
Can we find a wet suit that big?

Floods and Fire

A bit apocalyptic here in the land of OZ at the moment.
Floods and fire.
Poor people.
Poor animals.
Brave volunteers and emergency workers.
I hope it all settles soon -
I dont think that they can take much more.

Spare a thought and send them your love.
IT DOES HELP!

Pic No:5 for 2009

The church is finally done.
Hallelujah!
What do you think?

ITS GONNA BE FREAKING HOT!!!!!!

The Cathedral will NOT get the better of me!!!

Well I have been working on a new pic - Christchurch Cathedral!
You probably could hear me swear from your place!
It seemed a good idea at the time, but it slowly dwindled into an exercise in patience.
It have put it aside twice now, saying to myself...bugger this!
But today I took it into the Cottage and gave it a good going over and I think I have turned the corner...
Will probably finish it by the weekend so will post it for your critique!!
Bloody Catholics!!!!!!

Frikken Fridge!

Our fridge has been on the fritz again ( this is the one we have had for onyl 16 months ). So the men came and finally taken it away to replace the compressor.
All well and good, but we now have to wait two weeks to get our fridge back.
We have received a replacement, but it is much smaller than our fridge and by the time I put back all the jars of shit that i had, the fridge was full!!!
Where do I put the actual food????????
And,
all the fresh food that we had bought over the past two weeks has slowly gone off as the fridge was never at the right temperature.
So things had to be thrown after only a day or two.
Total crap.
We have spent so much on food lately and much of it has has to be chucked cause we are too afraid to eat it.
Anyone any ideas on compensation for this loss???
I had to remove all the food from the fridge this morning and the removalists did not come till 11.30.
So all my food was sitting on the kitchen bench for 4 hours......not good.

There is certainly some deep thinking going on out there...

Boy, reading your blogs today has been a rollercoaster ride of emotions.
Such deep, deep thoughts.
You all need to be so proud of yourselves.
Really.
For not being shallow, or hollow ( even though some of you say that you may 'feel' that way ) it is not true, because you have dared to think below the surface and feel pain and emotion.
A good thing.
A very good thing.
I think so.
I rather feel pain than feel dead, cold and nothing.
It means that I am alive and dealing with my shit.
Not always pleasant.
Often horrible.
But the growth is always there.
Pain is a signal that you are a feeling, thinking person.
If you guys ever need an ear, I am about and happy to listen, but beware that I do not console for too long.

A life not felt.....is a life not lived.

A wonder filled Sunday.

An amazing day shared with amazing women who are really putting their heart and soul into their "Year and a Day" studies.
I will not mention the allocated "task" that we received today to complete, because I am not supposed to mention it, but the unmentionable thing has left me speechless..
how do I do this????
It was amazing to turn up on Saturday night and find my "Shave for a Cure" buddy from last year, Helen had had the same idea about cutting hair....great minds think alike!
Helen does look better than I do.
Then today Jane got in on the act with a head shave and she loks gorgeous too.

I look like someone has done one of those wierd photo manipulations with the computer where you can make the eyes look bigger or smaller etc...like "twisted whiskers" and someone has made my head almost dissappear..

Happy Birthday Deb

Tonight we are going to celebrate Deb's birthday. Deb is a great woman, someone who has been through a lot and has a lot of wisdom. She really adds so much to our little group. Welcome to the fabulous 50's!!!!!

I have cut off all my hair...
It just ws not doing anything.
It looked pretty dead and horrible, but beloved husband of mine did a number 2 instead of a number 3 and now I am almost bald.
Well,
its only hair.
It will grow...eventually.

Great News!!!

Well today has been a great day.
Not only did I have a full morning at the Cottage for our first "Open Day" for 2009 but I also SOLD MY FIRST ARTWORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Am I excited and thrilled....?????????
Bloody oath I am!!!!

I want to thank Nat for being bold and making the purchase.
I dont think that she will ever know how much this sale meant to me.
My journey to paint again has been a very long one, full of avoidance and pain.
This is one of those things that I SHOULD HAVE done, many, many years ago...but found all the excuses under the sun not to.
I spent years umming and arring about it all ( you see....all I ever wanted to do was going to Uni and do a fine arts course when I left school but because of many things I never did ) and now I am so happy that I got off my fat derierre and got into it.
Just goes to show that its never too late to do what you are really passionate about..so what are you waiting for??????

Pic No:4 for 2009

This is my latest.
I am going to have an exhibition in February along with my teacher for a charity here in Newcastle to raise money...did I tell you?
I don't have any details at the moment, so i dont know how many pics I am supposed to have.
But, as I have not sold anything yet...I think that I have plenty available.

How to embarass your daughter...

Went to Kotara today.
Spent a fortune.
Now I am poor.
But I spotted a new magazine in the paper shop called "Groovy Grandmas" for females, forty and fabulous!!!!
So I bought it, to the great chagrin of my daughter who told me to stand somewhere else when I buy it.
Does anyone want a peek when I'm finished with it?
But,
you must be female,forty and fabulous.
Hmmmpfff.
I need a face lift.

Last day left before baby goes back to school!

Tomorrow I am out and about with baby girl getting the last bits together before she starts another year of school.
That is....
if I can get her off the computer.
I think she has grown into the seat, just like that poor lady in America who "grew into the couch" when she had not moved in years and they had to remove parts of her flesh as they tried to prize her off her beloved piece of furniture away from the tv set.
So we are heading to Kotara for some retail therapy.
I am still feeling rather weary and worn and am waiting for quiet solititude to force me to get into the house work.
I HAVE gone through all my clothes and sorted all the crap out, which will be going to the Smith Family.
At least that's a start.

Another new Blog

Well, I just created another blog for my paintings and have posted a few to start me off.
please go and have a look at:
Black Dog Artworks

Pic Number 3 for 2009

This one is of the new maritime Museum which is housed in one of the old buildings at Honeysuckle.
When my parents first arrived in Newcastle from Europe after WW2 they actually disembarked off the ship and walked into one of these old buldings for processing of passports etc.

Well since posting, I have had my teacher critique this painting and there are some improvements to be made.....mmmm..need a drink first!!!!

Oh the joy of staying at home and painting...

Yep that's what I did today.
Oh and spent a bucket load of money on the baby girl - she is going back to school next week and has decided that she needs EVERYTHING!!!!!
So we went to Kotara and Orificeworks.
My next pic will be finished in a day or two..
Can't wait to show you.

At last I got to see Monet

What an amazing day!
Not only was I able to spend the whole day with my family but we also headed to Sydney to catch the Impressionist Exhibition at the Art Gallery before it finishes at the end of the week.
It was amazing, moving, stunning ....
To see the real thing..
The real paintings created by these artists that I have heard about and admired ever since I read about them as a young girl.
The paintings are superb.
I had a ball.
There were still plenty of people about and sometimes it was was hard to have a good look without someones head getting in the way.

Ouch...a thousand paper cuts!!!!!

I have been stripping calendars all day and night.
This is one of those tasks that you have to do at the end of the season.
The back of each calendar has to be removed and counted and packed, then sent back to the company for reimbursment.
But, with so many to do, I have paper cuts all over my fingers.
They have bled and are ouchy sore.
They are shredded and will probably hurt even more tomorrow.
ouchy!!!!

I'M FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!

So another chapter of my life has finished.
I turn the page...
to begin a new one.

Pleased to meet you Nat!

Had the pleasure of meeting one of our bloggers today - Nat!
She came in and said hi.
Did you guys know that tomorrow is my VERY LAST DAY????????
I can finally rejoin the human race.
Then, well a break, painting, getting back into the swing of the Cottage and figuring out what my next step will be..
I have to de scale the house - three months of not getting into the housework is not a good thing..

DID YOU HAVE A BIG BOWL OF STUPID FOR BREAKFAST THIS MORNING??????

2 days to go.
I dont think I can do it..........................................................................
please pray for me.....

BOB THE BUILDER.........I WANT TO KILL YOU!

It's so loud.
Everyone dissappears.....except for all the mums and a thousand strollers with ear piercing, blood curdling screaming children.

Was it hot today?
Or what???
3 days to go....

The light may be on but nobody is home...

Today I noticed so many people with no life force in them at all.
They were going through some motions......but as I looked into their eyes, I saw nothing.
Blankness.
A void.
Like zombi - ish stuff.
Quite spooky really.
Not one, or two, but many.

Also I noticed that so many people cannot count.
I find this every year, but this year is a stand out not only amongst younger people ( none of them can count ) but older people too.
NO ONE can calculate a 75% discount.
NO ONE!!!!!!!!
Is it sheer laziness?
Or can they just not do basic math?
Everyone hands me a $50 note for a stuffing $1.25 or $3 calendar.
I am not a f#@$ing bank and neither can I get to one during the day, but, ask people for change....and they get that glazed over look on their faces and they just stare into the air as if the power has been turned off in their brains...

I think that they only know how much money they have by the colour of the notes.

I have four days left.
Four days people!!!!

Oh Lordy I cant wait.
I am suffering through two sessions of "Bob the Builder" daily.
Good thing that the man got me ear plugs.

Pic No:2 for 2009

Here is my new pic!
It caused me a lot of heartache.
Originally the pelican was on a total grassy background and it didnt look crash hot.
My art teacher suggested some ideas to improve the next one I did, but I decided to see if I could change this one...so I added the background, and I think it is a great improvement.
You can always learn from your mistakes....
This is a special painting for a very "special" member of the family that just loves pelicans.

JUST ANOTHER SHIT DAY

Well today was the icing on the Charlestown Square cake...
No,
The cherry on the icing on the Charlestown Square cake.

There was shit, human shit, on the floor near my stand and 50,000 people proceeded to step in it and drag it the length and breath of the stand so that I could gag and dry retch until the cleaners came to clean it up ( 10 minues later )...
Don't ask me how it got there - I just smelt something really bad then looked around to find.....it on the floor.

Did you think that was then end of that????
No, no, no!!!!!
Both toilet blocks, in reach of the stand were then blocked for hours, so I just had to hold on.

Then there was vomit in the closest one....
so I held on again...

dry wretch, gag some more...
then...

later that afternoon....
when it was quiet,
a cleaner approached me to say that she had just cleaned the biggest shit she had ever seen off the floor at the side of Gloria Jeans when we heard a scream coming from the other end of the stand...

Well there in the middle of Centre Court was THE BIGGEST, FILTHIEST, SHIT I have ever seen in my life.
Yes....right in the middle of the floor, yet again just a metre from my stand.
It was so huge I had to go and have a look.
It could not have been human but it was shit...it stank like shit.

The cleaners said that it must be a stray dog, but I had not seen a dog all afternoon.
I told them that this smelt like a prank by kids who had nothing better to do...

How vile and disgusting!!!!!

By the way, Gloria Jeans was FULL of customers who got an eyeful of the true style and carisma of the type of moron that comes to the Square.

Delightful......
Are you still busting to go there??????

There was an old woman who lived in a Calendar Club stand...

Only 10 days to go...
Puppy boy Maximus is in a routine where he starts to bark at 6.20 every morning and continues until I wake up and let him in the house.
NOT HAPPY JAN!
It has slowed right down again at the Square and I really do not mind.
I am back to reading my books.
Next week we will have a "Bob the Builder Show" twice daily in Centre Court to entertain me through my last days..
Boy, how thoughtful are they to do that?
I can hardly wait....
All those little kiddies running around and screaming like barbaric heathens.

Tired...

Hot night..
mosquito bites...
the man snoring..
early starts..
stock taking..
trying to finding missing calendars..
tired eys..
sick of take away food..
flabby arse..
sore feet..
awaiting a bucket load of stock..
next painting is not going well..
still getting over the flu.

Thanks guys...

Thanks for all of your positive comments about my painting!
I only have 16 days to go in my retail career and they I am FREE!!!!!!!!
I am getting more stock from a store which is closing on Sunday.
This means much work and a big headache.
Oh Goody....can hardly wait.

First Pic of 2009

I have been trying to finish this one for a few weeks now.
Thank goodness it is done.
Do you like?

Took time out today to get to it especially since the little black dog woke me at 7.15 this morning.
It was so quiet and peaceful I spent the first few hours of 2009 painting - what joy!!!!!
Am feeling better thank you all for your wishes - antibiotics have kicked in and the day off is helping!

Sick...

Very sick..
Blessed New Year to you all.

Sore, sore throat....

Can't get sick now...
Can't get sick now.....
Can't get sick now....
sore, sore throat.
Worked 8am to 5pm both Saturday and Sunday and am frazzled.

Can't get to my artwork and now the man has been busy and made me a paint/ airbrush station in the spare ( has not been finished cause we ain't got the money ) room.
It is super groovy with lights suspended from the ceiling and hooks and shit and a masonite board for hanging my canvases on for painting.
Can't wait to get in there and give it a go.....
at this point I can only look at it and sigh...

It happens every year that some arse tries to return this years' calendar to get a new one for next year claiming that we sold them this years calendar....well it happened yesterday.
It really shit me cause 1. they think I am that stupid to beleive them.
2. They have the balls to try it.
3. They are plainly tring tp rip me off.
They buy a calendar, use it all year long, keep it in good nik and then come back and try to get a new one saying that they just bought it off me and I sold them this years......
Arse holes!!!!
How tight must they be????

Christmas? It's over.....

Has everyone gone stark raving mad?????
What's with the mad shopping craziness????
Well Boxing Day sales went off with a bang yesterday - rest assured we have lost our holiday forever.
Thank you to all who could not wait one more day and have now cut the holidays short for everybody else.
Guess I won't have to worry about it next year anyway.

Today was a shit fight at the Square with normallly sane people becoming possessed by the devil himself...running and screaming.."Over there, over there"..."There's something on sale over there"...

May the Gods protect me!

Yay! I MADE IT!

FINALLY A DAY OFF!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU -
I HOPE THAT YOU ALL GET A BIT OF A REST,
SOME GOOD FOOD
AND MAYBE A GIFT OR TWO.

ALL MY LOVE AND BEST WISHES!

Wall of Fame!

You can find this "marvelous" exhibit at "Sniddys" on Beaumont street Hamilton - by the way the food is great.
We have snitzels there tonight ( to celebrate ) and they were yummy.

So tired I can't stand straight...

Twas three days before I get a day off and I was soooooo tired.
My feet are ouchy and throbbing ( those nasty varicous veins ).
You can read my legs like a roadmap to hell at the moment.

Got my paintings ready for hanging tomorrow.
Heading off after work to "Sniddys" in Beaumont street to hang 6 of my paintings on one of their walls.
How super fantastic is that...
very excited I am.
Will post a piccy of what they look like after we are done.
Hope I sell a few..
Wish me luck on this new venture guys.

Stop hitting me with the ugly stick!

I am being beaten by the ugly stick.
Too tired to do my hair,
too tired to put on any makeup or shave my legs..
too tired to find a descent pair of undies..
(Oh, I have'nt got a descent pair)
was tempted to put on my birthday panties
as all mine were hanging on the line.
What if I'd had a car accident and had to be taken to hospital
and they had to cut all my clothes off and found me wearing THOSE undies???!!!!!
Even bigger hits with the ugly stick.
Do you ever get to a point where you just hate everything and do not see the point in what you are doing???
That was me and probably another 1000 people that walked passed me today.
I MISS MY FAMILY...

Wow! The Midnight shift is OVER!!!

Well I feel like i have been shredded and stuck back together with cheap glue.....
16 hours at the Square yesterday.
At least that is over.
That is my last long one - if I was at Kotara I would be up for a few more 10pm finishes and their late one is next Tuesday.
And have you heard...
seems that some of the bigger reatilers have SMELT MONEY... and are now opening on BOXING DAY..
What shits!!!!!!!
Have we not had enough?????
Its the big guys, Woolies, David Jones and Myers....
They are just all too greedy...

Good and Bad

The last few days have been very good and also very bad.
My mother in law's brother passed away with cancer.
He was very hard to handle for the family that had to take care of him, with some dementia and of course ill health making the last few years very difficult indeed.

My NSW manager appeared with her side kick ( a bit like Hitler and Goebbles )and proceeded to tear shreds off me for having such poor sales figures, stating that I am doing the worst of all the stores in NSW..(blah, blah, blah).
They were both hideous and condescending with a dash of humiliation thrown in.
They also proceeded to tell me how I can "improve" because obviously it is something that I am not doing that is causing so much damage to my sales figures.
(Lets not mention the down turn in the economy and that the Square is under major renovations ).

But hope is on the horizon with a small new side project evolving....but it's just a bit of shhhh.
I will let you all know next week.

Other than that, tomorrow is the last night at the Cottage for 2008 and also it means one month left of Calendar Club.
Also Thursday means working from 9am to 12 midnight.
Oh goodie....
can hardly wait..

Well if its not one thing then its the other...

Yes it's true - I am one complaining biatch!!!!
First I complain that things are slow and I am not making any money.
Now I am complaining that things are too busy and I am flat out.
Yes.
Tis true.
I am one, full on, bitter, twisted complaining biatch!!!

Today was Sunday and I actually had some nice people in buying my stuff.
(See? Not complaining....)

Tomorrow the count down starts..

10 days till the fat man has his day ( oh and it's Jesus's birthday too )
Although it's not REALLY his birth date is it???

I was up way too early this morning and watched somthing called Creflo Dollar, which is a pastor from America talking about the sin of man through using his...get this...senses....
For man does not trust the word of God but goes about the world using his senses of sight, touch etc...to make his judgements about the world around him.Fancy using your own brain and making a decision for yourself!!!!!

And then I swapped to Hillsong and heard all about encouragement. At least this bloke wasn't called Creflo Dollar.But they were selling DVD's available for " a limited time only" full of encouragement and love for only $21.

Needed two cups of coffee after being made to feel totally guilt ridden for actually having feelings and using my own head to make decisions....almost bought a DVD.

and the heavens opened...

and rained down the multitudes of humanity with their bonus Christmas cheques from Uncle Kevin and they spent heaps of money..
and it was good.
Now I am over it and I want them all to go away.
Cause they are all feral.
And they make a mess.
And they abuse me for looking at them the wrong way.
And for not knowing how to be in two places at the same time.
I have had three solid days of trade and this has helped somewhat..
I am over Christmas carols, after having heard them non stop from 10am to 8pm last Thursday.
I do not want to hear, "We wish you a Merry Christmas" and any songs about Jesus ever again.
All those people buying all that shit while listening to carols and children screaming like they are having their intestines removed through their arses and husbands yelling at wives for spending money on shit ....
and the joy of it all.
Ho Hum..
Bah Humbug...
back to the Pleasure Dome tomorrow.

New masterpiece

Integrating new thoughts

Well, well, well some interesting new ideas and feelings coming through for me. Things that I have to intergrate into my life and how I live it.
I am very aware that my current reading is greatly influencing my thoughts, and as someone has already commented, reading a book is only looking at someone elses thoughts and views - do I want to believe them?
Do they suit me?
Are they influencing me for all the right reasons?
Unfortunately this stuff I am looking at makes sense, a lot of sense.... and it changes many things.

Unfortunately this time of the year is when I lose faith in everything that is good...I see and hear too much horrid stuff and have to deal with ugly people.
I am tired of the energies that I feel around me -
I am tired of standing over power lines all day long and on a hard floor...my legs hurt.
but...I am happy to say that it is nearly Christmas and that means a day or two off and the down hill stretch.
Did you know that the Square is now going to be open on New Year's Day?
The big stores like Myes, Big W and Target are going to open up while the other smaller retailers will be closed...unless they make us open. Kotara is open too - all stores, cause obviously we need another day to shop don't we??????? And we are all going to rush in at the crack of sparrow fart on New Year's Day cause we have run out of alchohol, bread and milk.....nursing our hangovers.
Sucks.....

Taking the piss....

I must admit that I love a good book and am always drawn to get very excited when I am in the middle of a good read.
I am currently half way through one called "Spook" by a lady called Mary Roach. She is quite interested in what happens to us after death and has written another book called "Stiff" about what happens to the body when we die.
There are some fascinating chapters about experiments on weighing the soul, you've heard the 21gm shit haven't you, also about mediums in the 1800's in England and allegedly where they would hide ectoplasm, that funky stuff that came with every good seance back then.....seems fannys are good for many things...lucky if you were a lady medium - men had more difficulty.
She also goes to a Mediumship College in England failing to have made a connection after three days ( yet the rest of the class was certain to have spoken to a dead soul or two ). She cites experiments that have been going on for years using psychics and mediums and even the best of the best only seem to get it right 50% of the time ( so I guess I am right up there with the best!He..he ).
She is not a skeptic.
She really, really wants to know that there is more to us than a fundamental character residing in a body for a certain period of time and then....poof....all gone.
You know it has never been proven that there is no life after death, just as there has never been proven that there is???? Scientifically that is.
I find it challenging and nurturing to my poor befuddled grossed out by society's narssisistic individuals mind.
Something to ponder and think about...
Have a good one.

Last Art class tonight

Well, I have just been to my last art class with Tony for 2008.
I managed to finish one art work - a picture of Nobby's at sunset - will post it tomorrow.
This one has taken so long as I have not had time to work on it at home, so I really only had classes to do it in.
I dont really feel very inspired at the moment, and painting has been a blessed relief.
I will be glad to really get back into it after Calendar Club has finished.
Will also be selling, so if anyone is interested, please be in touch.
Tonight's class was a bit sad for me. I have enjoyed the comfort of a tutor and knowing that I can ask for help and assistance if I dont know what to do or really stuff it up.I cant believe that I have been going to his classes for 10 months.
I know I will still keep in touch with Tony but it will not be the same as sitting in a weekly class.

Also,
to those of you who encountered me in my "she -devil from hell" mode this morning (Thursday) at the Square, namely Ivy for one, I apologise I was more than slightly ruffled by a very bad morning encountering people who decided to think of me as their personal rubbish bin and my stand as their play area.

Can my head stop hurting now?????

Have had one of those persistant headaches again...this is day three and it is wearing me out.
I am out of patience and just want to lie in a darkened corner.
But,
instead, I get to listen to not one, but two school choirs today.

Two groups of kiddies who cannot sing or play musical instruments, but do so anyway for the entertainment and annoyance of everyone at the Square.

I was ready to scream - and of course, this stops any chance of any real customers coming to the stand during this time and actually spending any money as these horrible children are placed directly in front of ME....

So from 11 to 12 and then from 1 to 2.30 I just stood around with a throbbing head twiddling my thumbs......annoyed and hating Christmas with a vengeance....

Hormonal, swearing teenagers singing about baby Jesus when they really just want to drink themselves stupid and get into each others pants is just wrong...
JUST SHOOT ME.

Only 24 days to Christmas

The Christmas lights have been turned on!
The streets are starting to light up and look really pretty.
I love this time of the year - it looks gorgeous outside and some people really go all out to dolly up their houses.
We get to enjoy it for a whole month and to heck with the electricity bill!!!!
At the Square it is deadly quiet.....
like it's just not happening.

Even Santa sits on his own for hours.
Poor Santa!

At the chance of sounding bitter and twisted...

I best not post for a while as I am getting more bitter and twisted as the days progress...one more spanner in the works has made my current situation very difficult indeed.
Sending sweet thoughts and good wishes to all....I am going to hide in my hole.

Alien rears its ugly head!

What in God's name do people eat to cause them to have annaconda size turds?
I'm sorry, but I have never seen anything like it and hope never to again.....another surprise left for me in one of the toilets at the Square....just after I bypassed the one with all the piss on the floor.....another security alert!
Guess I won't be hearing the end of this one either.....

P.S. Annaconda turd cannot be flushed...they have tried and tried.
Poor cleaners..another long Thursday.
At least the season is almost half over.

Had my second last art lesson last night.
It was a breath of fresh air to just sit and paint.
It was like going to a different planet and having a rest.
I will miss it greatly ( until I find a replacement ).

Welcome to the Pleasure Dome!

If any of you are old enough you will remember a band called "Frankie Goes to Hollywood".
They had an album called "Welcome to the Pleasure Dome" - a do-your-head-in-fest about corruption, war and human nature.
Well, I am currently sitting in my own little "pleasure dome" right here at the Square.
I watch all types of humanity walk past - for some I feel sorry, for some I have no time at all.

Some would rob you blind and then spit on you.
Some of the girls sport black eyes and craggy faced boyfriends who say "fuck" a lot.
Some mothers just let their kids run riot while they talk on their mobiles.
Some still ask whether I am selling records.
Some people are really poor - I mean really poor not "whinging poor" like most of us are when we can't go buy that new dress for the weekend....
some kids SCREAM like a banshee rising from the depths of hell!

Some people are really nice - just a few.

Some guys spit at you from the top balcony.
They leave their garbage between the calendars.
They NEVER, EVER put the calendars back where they were.

I have seen more arse cracks than I ever want to again.
I have seen more boys' cheap and creepy underwear hanging out of their pants and men scatching their balls then the normal average human being.
I am so over the creeps and pervs, the eight year old love birds who insist on deep throat kissing in the kids section of the calendar stand and who get pissed off when I tell them to "GO AWAY".

welcome to my pleasure dome!!!!!!

Choices...

We all live with the consequences of our choices, don't we?
In hindsight, would we have made those choices at all?
They may have seemed a good idea at the time.
I have made some choices to take with me into 2009.
Will they be the right ones?
Only time will tell.
But, sometimes changes just have to be made or one can, quite literally, go insane!!!!
Too many hours at the Square can send you insane!!!
Mother Mary of the ample arse ( her words not mine! ) came to visit and bought some calendars.
Helen also came to pay a visit.
Santa sat in his chair and said, "Ho, Ho, Ho" all day long.
Apparently kids are not allowed to sit on Santa's lap or have him touch them in any way - how sad that we live in a world where creepy old men feel the need to touch up kids while in a Santa costume...... and this then changes EVERYTHING.
Santa, who is a hero figure to kids all over the world, now cannot get a cuddle or kissfrom a kid who has been waiting with the greatest of anticipation all year long, nor can the kids whisper their secret wishes into his ear. They have to sit beside Santa and Santa has to stay politically correct with his hands on his knees in full view.
What have we done????

Thankyou for your gift!

This morning I got into work and did the things that I had to do - it was early, which I must be to get a park in the same universe as the Square.
I walked into the toilets to find that they were all occupied, but one door slowly opened and I woman walked ou to the hand basin to wash her hands.
I made a bee line to that cubical when......
ewwwwww....
there on the floor was one huge squashed shit!!!!
Dry wretch, heave and dusgust overcame me and I yelled at the top of my lungs...
"How disgusting!" and walked out to stop myself from heaving.
This did not phase the woman at all, but it certainly alerted everyone else within a 50 kilometre vacinity!!!!
I alerted the secrity to the "issue" and I guess the cleaners had to go in and deal with it.
I did not hear the end of it though, the cleaners kept on comming up and asking me about the gift that had been left for me.

60 Days to go!

Maybe I would glad swap a week of sitting in the orofice at BackPassage for the scum sucking life draining energies at the Square?????
Maybe, maybe?
The Christmas Tree went up at the Square last night so I have something pretty to look at.
The guards are at the gates at all entrances - so if staff thought that they could sneak in and park ( and then drive out and back in before the free 3 hours expires ) then they have another thing comming.
I have been parking in the back streets and take a stroll every morning to enjoy the only bit of sunshine that I get.
It is really only a few minutes extra if I arrive early enough - otherwise I need to hunt and kill to get a spot.
I also stop at Darby's pie bar and get a pie or cake to have with the first cuppa of the morning.
mmmmmmmm....

Bugger me!

Well its just been so flat out at the Square that half the shops are shutting at 4.30...yes
4.30.
All the upstairs food court had closed down today by 4.30 and the security gurads were running around writing down names of traders who had closed early....this is a no, no!
Then we started to do the dame thing downstairs.
All the traders in centre court were out of there by 5.15.
It's dead.
Is everyone really waiting for their Christmas bonus from Kevin?
I really think that the money will be going on hams and puddings myself.
I am always slow in the first few weeks, but it is only about 4 weeks till Christmas and no one is spending......

Oh my God, a glitch in the system....

Well folks, didn't I hit pay dirt....
I am on the lap top at work using the free wiifii connection from Macca's over the road.
Yay!!!!!!!!
This is the first connection that I have been able to get since being here.
Just happen to have my lap top doing some clean up work on files and stuff and low and behold.....the heavens have opened up.....
can it last?
I don't know....but hey,
I am going googling....see ya!!!!!

Yawn...

My days are full on at the moment..funny that, when I spend hours being so bored, yet I am immovable from my spot.
Business has not gotten better...people are keeping their money in their purses.
Don't blame them.
Everyone is feeling the pinch and I fear that it will get worse before it gets better.
It is all doom and gloom at the Square - I am over the negativity.
The unhappiness rubs off very quickly and spreads to everyone.

The man is still very sick and baby girk is a cough machine.
Back to the doctors for both of them tomorrow.
I am about as useful to everyone as tits on a bull - tired and unmotivated.

Happy Full Moon Witches!

Happy Full Moon to you all -
Sorry I could not make it to the Cottage, but I cannot really be anywhere else other than the Square at the moment...
not enough energy to go round any more..
too old for this crap.

the whole family is sick now...gorgeous girl, baby girk and the man...all snorty and snotty.
Just
dont
breath
on
me......

Do you hear that too????

My tinnitus is playing up - rather loudly buzzing in both ears like someone left the T.V.on and all there is is white noise on full volume.
Ouch!!!!
Mother is still on strike...but the man has stepped in and is now performing motherly duties so baby girk feels no need to be sorry for anythng.

I have had to give away some of my duties at the Cottage for a few weeks until after Chrissy - I am old now and cannot handle to pace.
Bugger...I know that there will be some YAADER's quietly celebrating this fact, but unfortunately for them, I will be back.

Need to paint.

Need to stop eating scorched peanuts and chocolate biscuits.

Read a book on symbols by Carl Jung, but it did my head in.

Need sleep zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Mother on Strike!

Why do things always come to a head when you are so busy that you cannot scratch yourself, let alone look wisely and calmly at a problem?
Baby girk is being a typical 14 year old - self centred, lazy and non conformist.
There is not one thing that I can ask her to do that she will take part in without a whine or whinge and I have had enough.
So I am striking...
Basic stuff like cleaning your room, helping in the house and doing your homework and really not negotiable items for any 14 year old - in this country most of their lives revolve around enjoying themselves and being social - how hard is it for these kids to do just a few things that they are asked to do, for crying out loud!!!!!
Now the man would certaily say that I have been too soft.
Yes probably.
Love is supposed to make things right, isnt it?

Anyone bought Henny Penny lately?????

Since when did one have to rob a bank to be able to afford to buy bloody Henny Penny chicken??????
Was in a hurry between work and the Cottage tonight,could not cook a decnet tea for the family, so I stopped at our local Henny Penny to buy a chook, a few pieces and some chips and frikken hell, I needed to go to the bank to get a loan first.
How expensive is that stuff????
It's only chicken for crying out loud!
I must be paying for all of the steroids that they pumped into the damn thing before they strung it up, electrocuted it and hacked it up for human consumption ( noice!! ).
Won't be doing that again soon I tell you.



Only 70 days to go.
Have been offered the possiblity of a job selling garden implements, like secateurs, clippers etc for $20 per hour. Unfortunately it is in Sydney.
Me and sharp garden implements?
and stupid customers.....
I don't think so.

So many thoughts

So many thoughts and so little time,
Which ones are yours and which ones are mine?
Which ones did I buy off the net?
Which ones did I swallow whole
and will poison me time.

Will I speak them out
or will they go stale
will I tell the truth
or create another tale?

Do I need to have these thoughts
going round and round my head?
or could I just bend over, spill them out
and empty my head instead?

I think I have thunk enough
I think I can have a rest
My brain is busting and bursting
A brain holiday would be the best

Could my brain switch off
Could it - just for one day
No thoughts, no dreams, no fears
I think I met a man today
that hadn't thought for years.

His eyes were glassy, his face was bland
He couldn't give a rat's arse
He spat, he snarled, he swore, he moaned
His life was just a farse

He would never think again he said
He slid through every day
He didnt love, he didnt need
Nor cry, nor laugh, nor play

He was a blob
He was a scurge
so meaningless, so bland
He was a walking dead soul
just exisiting in this land

I think I'll think about all this
and then I'll think some more
I think I'll just keep thinking....
and then I'll think some more

Cause I dont want to be a blob
nor be the walking dead
So I'll keep thinking all these thoughts I got
in my big fat head.

Mindnumbing Boredom

Well, I really need to blog so that this day does not go down in history as a total waste of expended energy.
At least I would have left some memory of today by a blog entry.
Business is woeful - I cannot believe how bad it is.
The only grateful thing about it all is that I do not have to go through this all year long ( hmmm Michelle? ) and be witnessing my livelyhood going down the toilet.
I pity the poor small business owner who is feeling the effects of all this scare mongering by the media and the killing of Mr.and Mrs Average's miniscule savings by fat cat arse holes who were so freaking greedy that they pissed it all up against the wall.
No one is spending money - all shop keepers are just staring into space hour after hour and no one comes.....
Other than that I am glad to be home, showered, having been greeted my the man who made a curry and cooked a cake and by baby girk who gave me the biggest kiss and told me that she missed me ( must be wanting money ) and Maximus the Pug who is just plain cute!

Where is the wicked witch from number 42?

Hello out there...where art thou oh wicked one?
Am wanting to know how Friday went and you are no where to be found????

on another note,
the Square has been slightly busier over the last two days, so I live in hope that I wont completely go down the preverbial tubes this season..
Oh Goddess of the fortunate blessings, bestow upon this weakling a mass of hungry calendar seeking plebs to pass by my humble place of business...so mote it be!

on another note,
I have two art lessons left before its all over red rover..

on another note,
tomorrow is Sunday and I get to sleep an extra hour - YAY!!!

Almost three weeks already!

My how time flies when you are enjoying yourself....I have almost been doing the Calendar Club thing for three weeks!
It will be over in a blink of an eye.
That means that Christmas is only about 9 weeks away so it's bound to get busy soon.
Start planning your Christmas shopping folks.

Still just plain...

Is mine the only plain blog site left?
I think so.
mmmmmm...never mind. I am sure that I will tart it up eventually.
I may tart myself up while I am at it.
at the moment though,
I am losing the will to live.
Being idle shits me...I honestly rather be working flat out then doing nothing at all ( so I feel for you Michelle - I am experiencing it as well ).
I have better things to do with my precious time than watch the passing parade of dudes and dudettes at the Square.
I expect that things will be slow till after Melbourne Cup - we have all been frightened to shit and back with the "end of the earth" almost upon us, so no one is spending any money. Do you blame them?
I really think that the greed of the select few has caused this whole cafuffle and all of us average people are now hurting.
I feel change in the air...

Two new creations!

These are my two latest ones.
The old shed was taken at the vineyards a few months ago. It took me quite a while to complete.
The seagull is just a bit of fluff I knocked up in a few hours as a bit of an exercise.
Hope you like them!

More paintings to come..

Well I squeezed in an art class on Wednesday night and finished a painting I have been working on for a while.... I just cannot find the time to paint and that is a bit scary.I do not want to stop now that I have started.
It is too easy to stop and just not try and I have thousands of tubes of paint at home thanks to all my friends who gave me so many for my birthday so I just HAVE TO use them.
I am also working on some small canvases that I can finish without too much of a hassle - that will stop me from getting too frustrated.
I am already finished one and halfway through another.
I will post some pics tomorrow.
I ran into the baby girks old art teacher a few days ago and she has given me some encouragement to keep going even though I am losing my art teacher soon.
Some ideas are beginning to flow.....

Well the arseholes have entered the building...

The rain must have bought them out.
The arseholes I mean, cause there were quite a few at the Square today and they all decided to invade my sacred space.
More rain tomorrow...that means more arseholes.
Can't stand arseholes.
Oh and bonus....it's Thursday night shopping.
I can hardly wait.

Maximus the Bonking puppy.

Yes, yesterday little baby Maximus, all of 4 months old attacked one of his toys and started the dreaded "humpy humpy"...
How could this be?
He is only a baby.
and today I attended a committee meeting at the Cottage and Maximus started on the poodle boy Trev.
I won't be able to take him anywhere..

Boy, this stock market thing has ripped the crotch out of the calendar sales.
This has been a disasterous start to the season.
I am sitting there for hours bored out of my little brain.
What I do want to do is sell, sell,sell...as I work on commission it really does not pay me to be doing nothing.
But what can you do?
Also our other car is terminally ill.
We need major surgery and the car is currently at the mechanic's waiting for a new artery and heart or something...
does it ever end?
I guess it will be another visit to Mr.Bank Manager soon.....
"Hello...remember us?"

Yes, yes,yes...I hear you!

Mmmmmmm,a good weekend had by all.
That's great.
Next time I will come to.

One of the sisterhood is heading to Thailand to have a brilliant time - wishing you a safe trip. eat plenty of food, have heaps of cocktails and have a great time Vicki.

Time off for YAAD - time to contemplate.
Time to refocus and move back into lessons. Also a sneaky week to catch up on homework and assignments.

My weekend was ordinary - work and boring work, but all is good. I have finished one book and am doing some tarot revision ( yes, I am still learning too ).

It's vewy, vwey, qwiet!!!!!

Where is everybody?
Oh, that's right...
they are at Stroud enjoying themselves....
and I am here, clearly not.

Nevertheless, I need to make the most of it I guess.

We have had issues with the last ritual at the Cottage.
I think the full moon had much to do with it = she can really play with our heads and hearts.

I understand all points of view.
I wish someone would have shared these concerns with me - I always get this news second or third hand, after it happens. My opinion seems not to be needed.

Maybe that is a cue to keep my opinions to myself maybe???

No worries.
I am hoping that all is well at the convent and that the ladies are behaving themselves.

I am sure that I will, as usual, get all the news second or third hand upon their return.

Reading..

One of the things that I enjoy when I start Calendar Club is the fact that I can do some reading when things are quiet and that's about 87.3% of the time at the moment.
I am reading a book given to me on my birthday by gorgeous Kylie about a woman trying to find her purpose in life. She spends three months in Italy, three in India and three in Indonesia.
I have been to the Italy bit and now I am in the throws of India as she studies at an ashram with her guru.
Great book Kylie. Thanks.
Tomorrow is my first Thursday which means a 12 hour day at the Square.
Should get some more reading done..
And I am missing out on Stroud this weekend..
boohoo...

Gobbledygook and the full moon!

Can't stand the noise...
my head is busting...
full moon..
feeling crazy..
stuffed tonight's YAAD lesson.
I guess I am just tired.
It usually takes a week for me to get into the swing of things.
Too much to do.
Going from "go slow cycle" to "crazy fucked up cycle" is doing my head in.

Bloody full moon.

97 days to go...

It's all good. First day and everything worked. Eftpos and till all in working order - always a plus.
My feet hurt from standing and I feel as if I have not had a gap of 9 months since being at the Square.

Already spied "Mr.Happy", that half wit psycho bastard from previous years. He is still being allowed to roam around the Square freely.
Should be locked up.

Also all my other freaky friends have come out of the woodwork - like moths to the flame!!!!!!

The freaky little Macedonian guy who has a nervous tick and talks about politics ( as if that interested me ).
The old guy with only two teeth in his whole head that talks about his injuries and how he used to drive taxis eight years ago ( as if that interested me )
The silent mother with the crazy son who wears his pants up under his armpits - well they don't talk...
The moron who comes every day to "just look" and will then buy one calendar ( if I am lucky ) during the sales period.

I have not seen Barramundi Man yet...but it's early days.
(He's the guy who wears the same Barramundi hat every year and goes straight to the girlie calendars for a quiet tug ) C R E E P Y!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh what fun....

I'm over it!

This working for a living gig is shit....I'm over it...


Hold on.....


I haven't started yet.

This is my first morning and I havent had my coffee yet!

Get a grip!!!

Well, it's time!

Tonight I had a most marvelous time at the Cottage with so many fabulous women ( and man ) all in their pj's and fairy wings.
It was a hoot!
From Deb's music selection of Daddy Cool classics,to the great food and gifts.
I got a total of 22 tubes of paint!!!!!
Wow........
A box of epic proportions and also a pair of nanna undies of even more epic proportions!!!!!
I got wine and crystals, a book and a mug, several charms that I intend to take with me to the Square, lotto tickets ( I won $4 on the scratchy Helen ),pastels and art book,a beautiful snake brooch made by Faerie, an Edith Paif collection CD and notebook, hand cream, oil and lip balm....if I have forgotten anything, forgive me!
It was heaps good shit!!!!!
It was great seeing everyone have a good time and you all went to so much effort to get dressed up.
We are certainly a mad bunch when we get together.
I also want to thank Lisa for letting us party at the Cottage. We made such a mess and I know Diana will be in there tomorrow at sparrow fart making it schmick for the Handfasting.
Thanks again to everyone.
It's still painful to think that I have been alive for 50 years.I should have done more, seen more, been more....by now. For me it's never enough....
But hey, I have had my Crone-ing revoked....I can wait another 5 years.
Not ready to be a Crone yet.
I am 49 and twelve months old......
Indeed, and hot in my nanna undies ( thanks Lisa ) - the man can't wait to burn them.

Picture!!!! You want a picture???!!!!!

Now, you KNOW I don't do pictures...
You will just have to wait till I see you in your jammies Saturday night...and I am sure that there will be someone there with a camera who can sneak a pic!
Shann is right - I looked good yesterday.

You missed it.

Today I could not redo the do.

But, went out to see two ladies displaying their boobs to all and sundry ( you would have loved the show, Lisa ) at the Civic Theatre called "Bustin Out".
These two gifted singers and comediennes did the whole show with exposed tits, got the audience involved, sang songs about tits,, told jokes about tits, did tit shadow puppetry and more...it was hillarious.

See you at the Cottage with bells ( fairy wings on )...
P.S. Is someone bringing a cake????????

The hair cut has happened!!!!!!

Miss Gorgeous finally talked me into the ultimate haircut experience today!
She actually booked me in and paid for my "do" as a 50th birthday present from her - how cool!!!!
We went to "Beaumont on Beaumont" and you have never seen anyone squirm in the seat as much as I did...I was glad that Miss Gorgeous was there with me!

We went from the "hair cut consultation" and "you have a small face and pointy nose, so I can't work miracles" talk to the "colour consultation" and endless questions..."do you want to go lighter or darker, do you want streaks?( oh sorry they are now called "foils" - streaks are so 1980's ).
So, of course I said, "I have no idea what I want".......
Hell....
Torture...
But away we went..
Colour done and there I sat looking like I landed from outer space with aluminium foil in my hair and gloopy colour poking out...charming.
All this time to worry........
Then, a wash and back in the hot seat for the cut.....
Shitting myself...
So he starts...
all the while saying, it WILL look good when you blow dry it.
Not giving me confidence here..
Then he dissappears.
So I stare at the mirror.
Oh God.
Then the blow dry lady comes over and starts blow drying.
I'm looking, and looking...and Miss Gorgeous turns to me and says, Well do you like it? You're looking a bit like Carol Brady ( the mother from the Brady Bunch ).
F**K!
Indeed I do.
As the blow dry lady starts with the straightening iron I then go from Carol Brady to Julie Andrews ( some of you young things would not know these people ).
So Mr. Stylist guy returns and I lay it on the line....
"Get rid of the Carol Brady look!!!!"
So he gets out his snippers and goes to work and I end up with something that I actually like very much!
Now...how do I keep it looking this way??????
It's so stressful being old!

It's so close I can smell the fear....

Yes - my birthday.
50.
SHIT!
I got my fairy wings today.
And a hideous pair of PJ's.
I will be a sight to behold.

Then it's that time of the year when my life turns to mushy wishy washy poohy pooh.
Those calendars arrived.
There is a ton of them...
Lots of very pretty ones though.
You must come and see...and let me go to the toilet.
Remember,
I will be standing there waiting for you....

Another "shit" story!

Following on from Anchell's post about the new puppy giving his opinion on her work place I will throw Maximus's effort into the ring.

This morning the puppy came inside ( he is a big boy now with his own doggy kennel outside )and was running around like a goose....
then he disappeard up the stairs into the spare room where I have my Calendar Club stuff set up and plugged in on the floor to charge.

A moment later the baby girk cries out, "Mum, Maximus has just done a poo on your Calendar Club stuff!!!"

And indeed he had!

What advanced dogs we have!!!!
they know better than we do.....

I laughed and then I cried as I had to wipe his shit off several cables and other paraphenalia!

Having a family birthday party this afternoon.....cause I am very old.

Yesterday's readings went well. I went to a private residence called "Nirvana Vista Resort" - a huge house on a hill overlooking the vineyards from all directions. Brilliant spot for next years retreat methinks....
P.S. There is a spa and horses too!!!!!

It's Saturday!

I am heading to Pokolbin today to do some readings at a private party.
Good money pickup, so I am grateful for the booking.
I will enjoy myself..for sure!

Those pesky calendars never turned up yesterday...which means that now I will have to wait till Tuesday to start and the man will be back at work, so much of the heavy lifting will have to be done by me and the mother in law who will be helpingout as she always does.

The company has really done the dirty on my friend who is handling Kotara this year. They are making her work her stand and also do the "Borders" calendars which starts in November. This is a lot of extra work for very little money as she will have to employ full time staff leaving little margin for earning money from commissions.
Why should this worry me - it doesn't as such, I just feel sorry for her being put into a situation where she had no choice but to take on both sites, or do none - and that the company is happy to force issues onto us, but when it comes to granting us a favour in return ( like the booksales ) they will not come to the party.

So two sided.

That's how it is, and I guess I will try and offer my friend as much support as I can cause I know she would do the same for me.

Less than a week to my birthday bash....have you got your wings yet?

Did you know that I am going to be ancient soon?

Yes, that day is looming on my horizon....
10 days to go..
Oh
My
God.
I will be so old!
Time to turn over a new leaf and cause some changes..
Can you teach an old dog new tricks?
Now if you asked the man that question, he would say that I am incapable of change.
Maybe I cannot change?
I guess time will tell if the getting to 50 experience is just another day or the start of something big!
Michelle says that I need to grow into my art - I agree, I have to find my own style and this will be an endeavour of mine in 2009. I guess that the structure of going to class keeps me motivated to produce art as I have to have "something" every week. I worry that if I do not have a class to go to that I will slacken off and posibly stop and I do not want to risk stopping. It will be hard enough to fit in some sort or painting while I am working.I am sure that Michelle knows that frustration well.

by the way,
I am getting one and a half tons of calendars tomorrow...
yippee ( not )..

Duped again.....

Well, the veil of Calendar Club is definately falling over my life yet again..
I had been promised a sweetener for this season, with a booksale to run and the possibility to make extra money.
That is now just another "story" concocted to make sure that I agreed to another season.
No bookclub sales.
No extra money to be earned.
All just a story.

Am I surprised?
I guess I was still hoping that something that was promised to me would be done.
I do not like being led up the garden path...
no, no, no....
I am ashamed of myself for being duped into believing that this would happen.

I guess I was hoping for a reprieve from the disasterous "Wombat" incident.
By the way, have not heard from them and had no shift in four weeks.

Every time I go to art I feel pressured to do as much as I can so that I can be prepared for when we stop....for something to carry on with..

Things are not going according to my plans....
they are going hay wire....
not happy Jan!