What a lovely sound to hear as I woke today … rain, rain, rain.  Here in Melbourne we have had at least seven years of drought with very few wet spells.  Today the weather bureau have promised, yes they have promised, that it will rain all day, and so far they are keeping their word.

I’ve spent the morning madly rushing around like a loon-on-speed as I’m having a party this afternoon.  Not one of those loud music and lots of booze kinda parties, better than that, it’s a scrapbooking party.  Woohoo, bring on 2 o’clock.  One of my lovely friends, Kylie, has decided to become a scrapbook consultant and I have agreed to hold a class for her.  I’ve invited lots of friends that wanted to learn the art of scrap’n, put together a beautiful thank you gift which include a full kit to make the concertina mini album I’m showing here.  I’m about to whip up a delish dip to nibble on while Kylie does her demonstration and chill a nice bottle of wine.

Thank you to all that came and read my last post, and also to those that commented here and emailed me.  I’ve had to delete the link to the Sunday program as it has now been taken off their web site but I’m sure if anyone is interested that I could get a transcript of the segment.  I’m going to leave the 1000 Hours tally  and link on my side bar so that anyone wanting to register in the future can do so.

Finally it has been twelve months since Red the wonder dog arrived at our home, he was so small and cute and now he’s big and beautiful. Happy Birthday Red!

Have a great weekend everyone.

TTFN

Mothers Day morning is the most precious time of the year for me, as I’m certain it is for all mothers.  My boys jump into our bed, smother me in hugs and kisses and proudly present me with their cards and gifts.  It is truly the best morning of the year.  Yesterday morning was wonderful and following the kisses and gift giving I settled down with a huge cup of coffee to watch the Sunday program on the telly.  In my opinion it’s one of the best shows of the week on Aussie TV.  This week they ran a story that was rather poignant to my own mothering experience, titled “Living with Autism” and after watching it I felt a real sense of validation.  

As many of you know I have a 10-year-old son with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).  We know that we are extremely lucky that he’s high functioning and unless you know he has ASD you may just think he’s got a few oddities.  He has some tell tale traits like repetitiveness, a need for routine, he misses social cues, his hand writing is atrocious and he chews things up destroying them for all time.  He’s rather loud and stubborn and if left to his own devices would eat me out of house and home.  But with all that said he’s also tremendously loving, intelligent, independent and socially responsible.

 When Lee and I were presented with the overwhelming news that Bailey had ASD we literally felt like someone turned off all the lights and we found ourselves in this deep dark pit of disappear and sadness.  The prospect of our beautiful little boy spending the rest of his life locked within himself was heartbreaking and very painful.  At this point in time I can clearly recall a voice in my head screaming, “NO, this is not going to happen to my child”.  With those words wringing in my ears I set about doing everything in my power to give Bailey the very best prospects of a happy, productive and “normal” life.   Sadly there were very few positives available to us, it was literally all doom and gloom.

I have made it my personal responsibility to only report on the positive side of our experience so that anyone who reads about our journey will walk away with a true sense of hope, knowing that there are children living with ASD who fit into society and have fulfilling and meaningful lives.  This week I was delighted to see two separate TV pieces reflecting my own views on a positive outlook on ASD.  The first was an interview with the dreamy Geoff Sewell who has a daughter with ASD.  The thing that made me smile as I watched the interview was how enthusiastic he was, he literally didn’t stop smiling as he chatted away about their experience.  Then the Sunday programs segment on Autism reported a real change in the approach to children with ASD.

(There had been a link here to the Sunday program but it no longer works so I have deleted it.) 

Two of the most appalling things that we encountered in the early days was the long delay in getting our child assessed, we had to wait over six months to see the specialists, this waiting time has now blown out to an unacceptable 18 months.  Also the extremely low level of government aid allocated to early intervention programs here in Australia.  Bailey’s total government funded aid was 2 hours a week for approximately 40 weeks, that’s it!  Without essential early intervention we miss the core time of growth and development so vital in the process of teaching children with ASD to learn how to live with their fears and develop real coping skills.

Nicole Rogerson of Autism Awareness (NSW) is campaigning to have 1000 Hours of Early Intervention per annum for 2 years for every pre-school child with autism in Australia.  You can help by registering your support here.  If we all put our heart and soul behind this campagne we can make a difference.

TTFN

Happy Mother Day to all the Mum’s out there and especially to my precious Mum.

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And here for all the Mum’s out there is an oldy but a goody, hope it makes you smile.

TTFN

You might not know this, but a lot of non-living objects are actually either male or female.  Here are some examples:

FREEZER BAGS: They are male, because they hold everything in, but you can see right through them.

PHOTOCOPIERS: These are female, because once turned off; it takes a while to warm them up again.  They are an effective reproductive device if the right buttons are pushed, but can also wreak havoc if you push the wrong buttons.

TIRES: Tires are male, because they go bald easily and are often over inflated.

HOT AIR BALLOONS: Also a male object, because to get them to go anywhere, you have to light a fire under their butt.

SPONGES: These are female, because they are soft, squeezable and retain water.

WEB PAGES: Female, because they’re constantly being looked at and frequently getting hit on.

TRAINS: Definitely male, because they always use the same old lines for picking up people.

HOURGLASS: Egg timers are female because, over time, all the weight shifts to the bottom.

HAMMERS: Male, because in the last 5000 years, they’ve hardly changed at all, and are occasionally handy to have around.

And my personal favorite…

THE REMOTE CONTROL: Female. Ha! You probably thought it would be male, but consider this: It easily gives a man pleasure, he’d be lost without it, and while he doesn’t always know which buttons to push, he just keeps trying.

TTFN

First up today I need to do a little housekeeping, in my last post I mentioned that I purchased some yarn from eBay. I said the yarn was a  “wool silk blend”, or so I thought, sadly the yarn is neither “wool” nor “silk”!  While leaving feedback on my purchase I noticed someone had commented that the “wool silk blend” they had purchased was actually synthetic and had melted letting off toxic fumes.  I quickly called my husband to read the comment and he snipped off some yarn and tested it, sure enough my “wool” melted and turned to plastic.  So the lesson here is don’t buy your yarn from a Chinese supplier on eBay, go to a nice, reputable, reliable, local supplier.  I still love my scarf and it does feel very soft but sadly it’s not what I thought.

On a much brighter note, I have a lovely new project on the go.  Last year I won a fantastic giveaway from Katie over at What Katie Did.  I recently found this great website called NexStitch which has fantastic video tutorials for crochet.  After watching a couple of really easy tutorials I set to making a lovely light lacy scarf with the beautiful 100% pure new wool that arrived in my parcel from Katie.

On another very bright note one of my favourite blogs is back, Loobylu, yeay!  Claire has posted a fun meme called “Six unimportant things about me – Celebrity Sightings”, and I have decided to join in.  So without further ado I give you my six.

When I was a young girl my sister, Jackie, worked as a hairdresser for a local television station.  Very occasionally she would take me along to work with her.  On one of these exciting days, while sitting in the wings watching all the famous people get their hair done, I met Johnny O’Keefe.  He appeared pretty old to me but hey, I was only ten!

My next celebrity sighting came when, once again, my sister Jackie went on a date with an unknown bloke named Paul Pattison.  Yeah I know, who cares!  But many moons later he went on to win an Oscar, yeah a real Oscar, for Best Makeup on the movie Braveheart.

Next up was a cheesy sighting of tennis player John Lloyd at the airport.  I dashed up, pen and paper in hand, autograph done and off he went. 

 My son Nicholas was a pretty enthusiastic dancer when he was about nine or ten and so I enrolled him in a musical theatre class at the Jamie Redfern Talent Agency.  While Nick was off enjoying his one-hour class I got to sit and chat with Jamie and his wife, he’s a really nice guy.

Now my next celebrity sighting is going to have you all turning green with envy.  As you may know I work in a bank as a teller and it has long been my ambition to serve someone famous.  Well my chance came last year when I found myself face to face with none other than Joan “The Freak” Ferguson from the Aussie TV show Prisoner, known in other countries as Cell Block H.  Yes there in the flesh stood Maggie Kirkpatrick, once again a very lovely lady, a little intimidating but very nice.

My final celebrity sighting was in the city at the Chinese New Year celebrations when I uncontrollably spouted “hello” to an unsuspecting Aussie celebrity named Denise Drysdale.  She was walking along, minding her own business, when I just couldn’t stop myself from very embarrassingly sticking my head right into her face and saying hello.  Sorry Denise if you’re reading hahahaha!

Thanks Claire for this really fun meme.  Now you all know the drill, off you go and write about your Celebrity Sightings and don’t forget to let me know so I can come and read all about it.

Have a great week everyone.

TTFN

I’m not sure who’s to blame but I have a new addiction … it’s wool!  Ever since I crocheted the ripple blanket I have found myself looking for something to do in the evenings, my fingers are literally twitching.  I have even found myself on the net browsing woolly websites, joing woolly swaps. 

Then last week I couldn’t stop myself from bidding on some lovely wool/silk blend balls over at Ebay and I won!  The moment my parcel arrived I whipped it out and began asking myself what can I do with this, how long will it take?  Well the results are in, I made a scarf … this week!!!  Whatever’s next?

The scarf’s nice and thick, just the trick for going to work and watching the football on these cold and windy days.  I just need to find myself a nice vintage hat pin to keep it closed.  Mmmmm now I wonder if they sell them online…

It’s short and sweet today as I have loads to get done this weekend. Have a great one!

TTFN

Last week my Mum popped over with two beautiful handmade quilts for my sons.  In the past Mum has made my sisters and I a quilt each and my three nieces have stunning quilts too, but Mum hadn’t attempted anything masculine before.  She went to so much trouble to make sure they are not too feminine and not too babyish, they had to be just right.  The boys loved them and will treasure them always.

Nick’s is shades of cream and green to go with his curtains.

Bailey has cream and blue.

My Mum also made the boys lovely big reading cushions using Canteen bandanas that the boys have collected over the years. 

I’ve had my quilt for a few years now and I just love getting it out and on the bed the moment the nights turn cold.

The days certainly have been chilly around here and I love it, we even had some rain over the weekend.  I really enjoy the change in season, cooler days and a bit of fog in the morning.  Each night after work I can’t wait to get home and kick of my shoes, whip off the horrid bank uniform and dive into my lovely snug tracky.  I’m even getting the crock-pot out for a gorgeous winter casserole for tonight’s dinner. 

Have a lovely week everyone.

TTFN

On March 29 of the year 2008 I began a journey, I didn’t know if I could make it but I was going to give it my all. I was determined to get to the end, soldier on even when I was tired, push through pain, fight fatigue and Just Do IT!

I set off with a few simple supplies…

Every journey starts with one step…

The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination…

Duty makes us do things well, but love makes us do them beautifully…

Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together…

And at the end of my journey I am happy to say … I DID IT!  This lovely lap rug is ready to wrap around my legs and keep me warm on those cold and chilly winter nights while I sit and watch telly. 

I can’t go without first saying thank you to everyone who has made this possible.  To those that gave inspiration I must thank Posy, Kirsty, Lucy, all at Ripple Along, my Mum for not doubting me on the first steps of this great adventure, Pam for suggesting the Ripple Row Tally, and of course my family who stuck by me even when I was ratty and tired from long nights at the hook!  And finally I must thank you; yes YOU, for leaving me such lovely comments and for spurring me on to do great things.

Thank you and Good Night!

TTFN

ANZAC was the name given to the Australian and New Zealand Army Corp soldiers who landed on the Gallipolis Peninsula in Turkey early on the morning of April 25th, 1915 during the First World War, this day is very special to Aussies and Kiwi’s.  There are many wonderful stories of courage and mateship, and traditions like the diggers march to the Shrine of Remembrance and the dawn services that are held in town centres all around the country. 

Cries of “come in spinner” can be heard as diggers play Two Up in the RSL.  Two Up was played in the trenches and, although illegal now, is permitted on Anzac Day.    Traditionally players surround a ring and take turns at being the ’spinner’; ‘come in spinner’ being the call for another spinner to come forward into the ring. The game is managed by a ‘boxer’ who oversees the game and betting and a ‘ringy’ or ringkeeper who looks after the coin tosses in the ring. The spinner offers a bet, which is matched. He then tosses two coins up into the air using a paddle known as a ‘kip’. If the coins are both heads (Heads) he wins, if they are both tails (Tails) he loses and if they are one of each (Odds) he throws again. The boxer takes a commission out of the kitty that the spinner wins. The other punters place side bets.

And then there are the legends, like Simpson and his donkey, a brave stretcher-bearer with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps at Gallipoli. He landed at Anzac Cove on April 25, 1915 and, on that first night, took a donkey and began carrying wounded from the battle line to the beach for evacuation. He continued this work for three and a half weeks, often under fire, until he was killed.

On Friday morning my Dad, husband and son will be heading off at 5am to attend the dawn service and then we all gather at my sisters for a huge BBQ breakfast around 8am.  It’s a great day and by lunch time we are all a little tipsy and ready for a nap.   

Before I go I want to share with you a poem that reflects just how I feel about this special day, so get out your tissues and enjoy…

ANZAC Day

I saw a kid marchin’ with medals on his chest.
He marched alongside Diggers marching six abreast.
He knew that it was ANZAC Day - he walked along with pride.
He did his best to keep in step with the Diggers by his side.

And when the march was over the kid was rather tired.
A Digger said “Whose medals, son?” to which the kid replied:
“They belong to daddy, but he did not come back.
He died up in New Guinea on a lonely jungle track”.

The kid looked rather sad then and a tear came to his eye.
The Digger said “Don’t cry my son and I will tell you why.
Your daddy marched with us today - all the blooming way.
We Diggers know that he was there - it’s like that on ANZAC Day”.

The kid looked rather puzzled and didn’t understand,
But the Digger went on talking and started to wave his hand.
“For this great land we live in, there’s a price we have to pay
For we all love fun and merriment in this country where we live.
The price was that some soldier his precious life must give.

For you to go to school my lad and worship God at will,
Someone had to pay the price so the Diggers paid the bill.
Your daddy died for us my son - for all things good and true.
I wonder if you understand the things I’ve said to you”.

The kid looked up at the Digger - just for a little while
And with a changed expression, said, with a lovely smile:
“I know my dad marched here today - this is ANZAC Day.
I know he did. I know he did, all the bloomin’ way”.

D. Hunter
(A veteran of Shaggy Ridge with the 2/12 Battalion in WW2)

Nuff said…

TTFN