Blogger issues

For a week now I have been trying to post, and change my header pic and background, to very little avail.  Finally today managed to change the pic, and it seems to post, but as for changing the background, well, that seems to be a lost cause.  The problem seems to be with our computer rather than with blogger, so I shall keep persisting and try to beat it into submission.

It's been a fairly low key week here, some singing, some uke playing, some sewing.....a top that has been on the sewing room table was finally finished this afternoon, so now the outfit for the wedding can be started......a little waffling round the garden which is flowering beautifully, and the best news of all is that we had some rain.

This is the usual view from our front verandah and driveway - we can see a long way, we think those distant hills are over 40kms away which is about 25 miles in old money.

 Rain coming.......

 .....raining.......

 ......and the view has disappeared in the clouds.

These pics were taken at different times since we moved here, our view is dependent on the weather!

This coming Sunday the Monday night choir is putting on its spring concert, the next concert is the traditional Christmas one with carols and seasonal songs.  A few of us are getting more than a little disenchanted with how the choir is run and probably won't renew our membership next year - that could be four of the sopranos gone.  More and more soloists are being brought in, and some us feel that we have very little to do except be a backing group.  It's not sour grapes because I know I have a snowball's chance in hell of ever being chosen as a soloist, so I'm not worried about being done out of my turn in the spotlight.  For Sunday's concert the men are getting to do two songs as an ensemble, while the women have none, not one, nada, zilch.  Our one song is with our musical director - while she warbles a song and shows off her high soprano we will be singing dumpty-dum behind her.  Said director's 14 year old daughter is now a choir member and gets a few solos, who said nepotism is dead?  The director also gets to choose all our songs and as she is quite devout they lean toward the religious;  there is a not-so-subtle push that the choir should be religious too, helped along by the fact that one of the local ministers and his wife also belong.  If I wanted to sing nothing but religious songs I would have joined a church choir.  While the other singers are all nice people and I have learnt quite a bit since joining, I am feeling more and more that my time there is wasted.

The Thursday night choir is much more fun!  So is the uke group, and the radio station, and sewing group, and quilting group.......it's not as though I will lack for something to do by leaving one choir.

A very sad thing happened today, a pair of sandals which I have had for many years finally gave up the ghost and had to be thrown out because the soles were breaking up.  I'd been wondering what those little bits of hard black stuff on the floor were.  They are nigh on ten years old so were getting tired anyway, but I shall still miss them!  Don't know if I can find something similar - they covered a fair bit of my feet with wide straps, and were good to wear when it's a bit too cool for dainty sandals but a bit too warm for shoes and socks.  Their passing will leave quite a gap in my (somewhat meagre) shoe wardrobe.

For some time now the carefully unshaven look seems to have been in fashion for blokes, and I for one don't care for it.  I don't mind a beard, and I don't mind a clean-shaven chin, but I do not like the unshaven look......it makes a face look dirty and unwashed.

"The beard.
Those who shave should be careful to do so every morning.  Nothing looks worse than a shabby beard.  Some persons whose beards are strong should shave twice a day, especially if they are going to a party in the evening."

That probably applies to women, too.......

Enjoy your days!

Summer is icumen in........

......so says the old song, and summer seems to have arrived here at La Chateau des Wombats with a vengeance considering that, as it's another two weeks to the spring equinox, it's still winter by the calendar.  When I was at school a thousand years ago we were taught that spring and autumn began on the equinox, but someone forgot to tell Mother Nature this year - she seems to have lost spring.

To make up for my moans about how hot it is and how much hotter the coming summer may be, here are some pics of our pretty garden flowers.....all Aussie native plants.

 Phebalium squamulosum argenteum.  (don't worry, I can't say it either)  Can grow up to two metres high.

 Philotheca 'Bournda Beauty', its maximum height should be one metre when fully grown......it will be gorgeous, and its lovely smell is related to citrus.

 Eremophila nivea , could grow up to two and a half metres and is well on the way already.  It is really pretty and we love it!  The leaves are very soft.

Eremophila 'Kalbarri Carpet', deep gold flowers with grey leaves.  If planted in the garden rather than a pot it could grow as high as two metres, but as we don't have a vacant spot in the garden it's in a pot for now.  When I saw it recently at the nursery I fell deeply in love with it and it had to come home with us.

Some people in Australia claim to not like our native plants, but how could you not love these?  They are all so different, and all so beautiful.  Just because a plant comes from overseas (every other country in the world is overseas from Australia, being as how we are an island) doesn't make it better or more desirable than something local.

Nothing much to report on the sewing front.  A shopping expedition will take place (probably the day after tomorrow, as tomorrow has taken on a life of its own) to buy the zipper for the wedding skirt, button moulds for covering as the blouse has five buttons up the back, and some el cheapo gingham to try out the sizing of the blouse pattern before cutting into that pretty green fabric.  Last week an invisible zipper foot was purchased for My Lovely New Bernina, and the video of how to use it has been watched, so I reckon I can do it.  I've been sewing in zippers since I was a teenager, even the very long ones that used to go in the fitted dresses we wore as teenagers, but have never inserted an invisible zipper before.......shows that even at my advanced age, learning a new skill is not impossible.

So far no joy on sandals to wear to the wedding either, although a local shoe shop looks promising; they have some lovely summer sandals but not in colours that would go with my fabrics.  Never mind, there are still several months to go.  In the meantime, every shoe shop I pass will have its summer stock checked out......somewhere, the right sandals will be waiting.......shoe shopping is always a fraught exercise for me.  I'm not a shoe girl.  I buy what I have to when I have to, and that's it.

My radio program is being moved again, probably to a weeknight, as programs are being shuffled round to take into account the fact that some of the announcers have resigned.  Some didn't like the changes being brought in so, rather than co-operate with the new management to find a mutually agreeable solution, they walked.  I have been told to continue as I have been so am doing just that, as there is no point in rocking a boat which is steady.

Yesterday a small group of singers including yours truly sang for our supper at an open day at the local Historical Society museum.  We enjoyed it, and our audience seemed to enjoy it too; nice things were said to us, and about us.  The recently-made long black skirt had its first wearing and was a great hit, as was the white linen shirt with smocked yoke and sleeve panels - an op shop purchase last week for the princely sum of $3.  (The label is still in business, and their new white linen shirts are priced at $279, so that makes my shirt A Very Good Bargain, don't you think?)  It was worn with a black bow in my hair and a wide-brimmed straw hat trimmed with black ribbons (which lad lain unworn in the wardrobe for some years), and I was complimented on my authentic late-19th century look......just goes to show how easily a different look can be put together.

"How to have shoes made.
The great fault with modern shoes is that their soles are made too narrow.  If one would secure perfect healthfulness of the feet, he should go to the shoemaker and step with his stockinged feet on a sheet of paper.  Let the shoemaker mark with a pencil upon the paper the exact size of his foot, and then make him a shoe whose sole shall be as broad as this outlined foot."

Would that I could.......

Enjoy your days!

Waxing lyrical

This morning our neighbour gave us a big bunch of Geraldton Wax from their garden, her husband was pruning one of their trees nearby and the secateurs slipped......that's his story, anyway.  Isn't it beautiful?

 You can see the waxy flower centres.  The original plant had pale pink flowers, but now different colours are available including this deep almost-purple; on the bush in natural light the colour is richer than it looks here.

I have admired this bush each morning on my walk, it takes me back to when I was a wee thing......12 years old or so......my mother's aunt and uncle had one in their garden.  The waxy little blooms were fascinating!  In those days growing Australian native plants was considered a very daring thing to do, as every gardener lusted after roses and other plants from overseas - which grow here with varying degrees of success.  Almost everything in our garden now is an Aussie native plant but we don't have a Geraldton Wax plant......perhaps next time there is a vacancy (because no plant lives forever and eventually some will need replacing) we might take a trip to our local nursery........

The radio program is going well on Sunday afternoon.  As part of the changes happening at the station each of the presenters was asked to pop in for a talk, which I did, and was told that to continue with the mix of music I have been playing.  I was also told that shortly my time slot will be changing and I will be going back to evening, which is good news.

The kitchen at La Chateau des Wombats is very spiffy these days, as it now has a new oven.  So far it works, and within the next few days we will try cooking a favourite slice in it.  The old oven baked very well so I need to see if this one does too, and if a tried-and-true recipe comes out the way it should -  that will be good enough for me.

The excursion to the local fabric shop yielded results, a lovely silky polyester for a new skirt - autumn colours in a splodgy print, with a light teal lining which brings out the depth in the colours - it blends beautifully with the pretty aqua cotton from my stash.  Unfortunately the green silk I remembered from my last visit had gone....the owner only gets one roll of each fabric and when it's gone, it's gone.....I bought extra fabric to make a scarf/wrap and plan to bead its ends to give it some weight.  Now for shoes and bag, shoes will probably be dressy sandals as an outdoor wedding in mid-summer in Australia could be warm and my feet swell in hot weather.

The ultrasound and x-ray had mixed results: the shoulder bones are not being pulled out of place by the torn tendon which is good news, but the painful tear is still there and will not get better by itself.  Next step is to see an orthopaedic specialist about a repair, oh dear.......not looking forward to Going Under The Knife........but if it's the only way to fix what is becoming an increasing problem then it will have to be done.

"Still more destructive of the beauty and symmetry of our women's feet have been the high, narrow heels so much worn lately.  They make it difficult to walk, and even in some cases permanently cripple the feet.  A shoe, to be comfortable, should have a broad sole and a heel of moderate height, say one-half an inch, as broad at the bottom as at the top."

Rest assured that, for the forthcoming wedding, the groom's mother will not be staggering in heels too high for her - even though she is short.

Enjoy your days!

I spy some music.......

Here is the promised pic of the engagement present.  It's not meant to be a forever heirloom, just a bit of fun.

A set of place mats with a musical theme.  It uses six different fabrics, and once cut the pieces are swapped around so that all mats use the same fabrics but in different places, as you can see.  The blue was chosen because the engagement ring has an Aussie sapphire in the centre.

The wedding will take place at the start of next February, so now I need to start thinking.....what does the mother of the groom wear?  It won't be over-the-top formal but somehow I don't think jeans would be right.  When one is short (can't do anything about that) and fat (other people tell me I am not but I think I am, thank you menopause and genetics), one doesn't look good in anything at all.  Just as well all eyes will be on the bride.  At this stage I am leaning toward a skirt and top, the skirt would be in a print with the top in a co-ordinating plain fabric.  If the skirt fabric is suitable there might even be extra purchased for a matching wrap.....I am thinking of a rather luscious green (of course), blue and brown silk I saw recently in a local fabric shop.....it was very beautiful.

Next Tuesday the shoulder has an appointment for an ultrasound and x-ray to see what is happening in there, then back to the doctor a few days later to find out the verdict and to decide what happens next.  If it should be found that an operation is necessary (and from what Emma The Nice Young Physiotherapist told me, that will probably be the case) the next decision will be timing.  If the shoulder is strapped in a sling for some weeks I won't be able to play ukulele, which will be sad.  It will also curtail some other activities such as sewing and quilting.  All in all, it may be a rather boring time; remembering back on the time my arm was plastered while it healed from its break, it was very boring indeed.  I could do crosswords, and read, provided I sat at the table - holding a book was quite painful.  Now, though, I have my fancy new electronic gadget upon which to read books!

Last Sunday my radio program had its first airing in its new time slot, as they say, and let me tell you three hours of talking on air is more tiring than two.  One of the changes in the air is to, as they say, play "more of the hits from the 80s, 90s and noughties" and if it is decided that my program will do that then I will cease presenting.  At present I play a mix of folk/blues/jazz, some old swing band music, nearly all of it from our own CDs........I lost interest in popular music in about 1975 and would be totally out of my depth playing music from later years.

This winter has been fairly mild and dry, local plants are somewhat confused and are starting to bud and send out new green shoots although spring shouldn't be starting until next month.  However that changed last night, it was very cold, and this morning we woke up to a heavy frost, frozen water in the bird baths and the news that the temperature had dropped to minus 5.6 overnight - the coldest this year.  That's 21.9 degrees if you still use old numbers.  Tonight will also be very cold, minus 4 is forecast.....but that was last night's forecast too!  It is preferable to the heat we had last summer; one can always add layers, but there are limits to what one can remove in summer, especially in public, and still maintain some sense of decorum.

"Dress at wedding receptions.
At wedding receptions in the evening, guests should wear full evening dress.  No one should attend in black or mourning dress, which should give place to grey or lavender.  At a morning reception of the wedded couple, guests should wear the richest street costume with white gloves."

And if one doesn't have any white gloves.......?

Enjoy your days!

Doo doo dooooo, lookin' out my back door.......

Although we live in a country town we aren't right in the centre of it, we live on the northern edge with no neighbours over our back fence........except for these fellers.  While having lunch today I heard 'moo' which was then repeated a few times, and looked up to see the whole herd watching me through the back window.  There are more beasties but I couldn't get them all in the shot.  The white-faced feller seems quite interested in our rosemary bush!  This is crown land leased by a local bloke who sometimes has a few horses and/or cattle which are bought, fattened up then sold again.  At present we think there may be 16 in the herd, but they don't stand still long enough to be easily counted.  At times it can smell somewhat.....rural.....when we go outside, but it is still better than where we lived in the Big Smoke.

The hill is deceptively steep too - it doesn't seem like much in this pic, but believe me - it is steeper than it looks.

It's been a very long time since we had a Wombat of the Week (WOW), there can't be too many left which haven't been shown on the blog, but this one hasn't.  It's a bag screen printed on very nice quality linen, which our son and his GF (now fiancée) gave me last Christmas along with other goodies, and it gets used a lot.  Speaking of said couple, their package has been sent and when it has been received I will show a pic here.

Lately many blogs I have looked at have mentioned bloglovin', can someone please tell me what it is, what it is for and what does it do - preferably in words of no more than four letters and no longer than one syllable?  Their website is as clear as mud.

There are some changes in the air at the radio station, my program is being shifted to Sunday afternoons and will run for three hours instead of the current two.  Could be interesting......we'll see how it goes.

Last weekend's uke concert went well, we were applauded and people said nice things to and about us.  It has been uploaded to the interwebz and you should be able to see it here; I'm in the middle.  Now we are getting into even more advanced stuff, picking tunes instead of just strumming chords, starting with "Hey Jude".

I am trying to see where in my life I can fit in that shoulder operation, I suspect the day is getting closer when there won't be much choice but to have it fixed.  Next Tuesday I see my GP to start the ball rolling, she will no doubt suggest (yet another) ultrasound, then the next step after that will be to see the specialist.  Not looking forward to Going Under The Knife, but just the same it would be nice to have a shoulder which doesn't hurt.  Let that be a lesson to you.......don't have your hands in your pockets if you should happen to trip and fall, it was a tumble a few years ago which broke my arm and tore the tendon in my shoulder.

The other night at choir we were told what to wear for next month's concert and the women are asked to wear an ankle-length black skirt, if they have one.....and thanks to my recent time sewing I do, now!

"Promiscuous introduction. 
There is a large class of people who introduce friends and acquaintances to everybody they meet, whether at home or abroad, while walking or riding out.  Such promiscuous introductions are neither necessary, desirable, nor at all times agreeable."

I'm sure none of us would do that, would we?

Enjoy your days!

You could have knocked me down........

...........with the proverbial feather!

On Monday afternoon I had a phone call from the manager of the local breast screen centre about my recent complaint.  She apologised that I wasn't given the use of a change room, said that is not their normal procedure, and staff have been spoken to so that it won't happen again.  Every woman who goes through there will now be offered one of their four change rooms.  Four!  And I wasn't even given one!  It seems that the technician thought I was anxious about the test (and so I was, but it was because I had to bare my unlovely body to the gaze of a stranger) and took it upon herself to take me straight into the screening room where I had to undress and dress in her presence without being asked if I would like privacy.  The manager noted that I had removed myself from the list for future tests, apologised once again, and asked if I would reconsider.  No, I said.  Is there anything which would make you change your mind, she asked.  Yes, I said.....when there is a machine or test which does not require me to remove one stitch of my clothing I will put my name back on the list, but until that happy day comes I am staying off.  They can name that change room in memory of me, because I won't be back.

It was a surprise to be contacted just a week after I sent in my email, and even more of a surprise to get an apology and an assurance that procedures had changed as a result.  It pays to complain, doesn't it?

You probably all think I am a pampered princess, but I'm not.....just a woman who is struggling to come to terms with changes brought about by the ageing process, and failing miserably.

* * * * * * 

Until we visited the region we had no idea that the east coast of Lake Huron in Canada was called the Sunset Coast.

If one is so inclined one can enjoy the sunset from the beach in Goderich, then race madly up the hill to watch it again from the top.  We settled for the top only.  It's a lovely town, parts of which were badly damaged when a tornado came ashore almost two years ago, on August 21, 2011, but which has kept its spirits up.  We would love to return in a couple of years to see it again......perhaps we may be able to, who knows?  It has a very nice quilt shop (I did help the local economy a trifle) and what looked like an interesting music shop which, due to our visit being on a weekend, wasn't open when we walked past.  The owner of a local restaurant where we had dinner has a son living in Australia, and when he found out we were Aussies he sat down and talked to us for a while; he really misses his son which we can relate to, as we miss our Canaussian son too.

But just think.....if said son hadn't gone adventuring off to Canada all those years ago we probably wouldn't have visited either, and we would never have seen even one Goderich sunset......let alone three!

* * * * * *

Last night we spent some time working on Hotel California for this weekend's upcoming concert, and we - all of us in the advanced group - decided that Anne (who has a strong voice and knows the song very well) would sing the verses with the rest of us joining in the choruses.  It's a song which sounds best when sung by one voice rather than by several, so now the rest of us can plink away merrily and concentrate on those tricky chords instead of the words, which is quite a relief.  There are many other songs I can do much better, including the others we have been practising for Sunday's performance.

"During the performance complete quiet should be preserved, that the audience may not be prevented from seeing or hearing.  Between the acts it is perfectly proper to converse, but it should be done in a low tone, so as not to attract attention.  Neither should one whisper.  There should be no loud talking, boisterous laughter, violent gestures, lover-like demonstrations or anything in manners or speech to attract the attention of others."

Indeed.

Enjoy your days!

Thank goodness that's done

The dreaded squish is finished and done with, and I decided I am not doing it again, I have taken my name off the list; I would only be eligible for one more free test anyway because of my age.  It wasn't great, was somewhat painful, and of course embarrassing and humiliating as always.  But what I really find confronting is the fact that the change room has disappeared.  When I first started having them back in the 90s one was shown into a waiting room, then ushered into a change room by one's self where one undressed from the waist up, replaced one's top, then went back into the waiting room until called.  Said waiting room also had magazines, a TV, and tea and coffee.  Gradually the amenities disappeared, and on my last Sydney mammogram four years ago the change room had also disappeared; one had to undress and dress in front of the technician.  Somewhat undignified I thought, but had to go along with it.  Two years ago for my first local test here there was still a change room.....but alas, last week it was back to undressing and dressing in the room with the machine and the technician.  Talk about stripping the last shred of dignity from a woman who already hates her aging body........

Never again.  I sent a comment on the breast screen website to the effect that I found the lack of a change room only added to the unpleasantness of the experience but, apart from the automated "we have received your comment" haven't yet heard from them and indeed will be surprised if I do.  As a friend said the other day, our generation is fairly modest.  Despite reports to the contrary we weren't all raging exhibitionists in our younger days, even though it was the 60s.

My cyclamen is flowering!  When we lived in Sydney I could never get them to grow, but last year I succumbed to a pretty cerise one thinking it would be showy for a short while then it would die.  It flowered, then died down as they do but didn't die completely, and recently I noticed it is flowering again. 

Isn't it pretty?  When this pic was taken it was sitting in its small pot inside the larger pot, but it has been repotted and now it lives in the striped pot.  It lives in our beer garden not far from the cerise zygocactus, and they are very cheery flowers during winter.

Yesterday I splurged and bought myself a new electronic gadget with which I can listen to music, and read books, and surf the web, and all other manner of wondrous pastimes.  It is a Samsung Galaxy and will be a very useful addition to our electronic gadgets.  Not that there are many, you know.......we still don't have smartphones, we are a couple of old dags.  Our phones are quite low tech.  

Not much to report from the sewing room, the engagement project is proceeding slowly (life has been very busy lately, what with shopping for the new electronic gadget and also for a new oven which should arrive in a few weeks) but is coming along nicely.  Uke practice is powering along and I can play the chords to "Hotel California" quite well.....all together now, 1 2 3 4, B minor strum strum strum, F sharp strum strum strum, A strum strum strum, E minor strum strum strum etc.......on a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair.......in ten days' time we will play it in public.

Last Friday a group of us from the Monday night choir sang for a local women's group and I was also asked to play uke and sing a couple of songs on my own, which were very well received.  It went well if I do say so meself, she says modestly.  We have been asked to sing for them again next month so perhaps I should learn some new songs; probably shouldn't inflict "Hotel California" on them.

Although this winter has been fairly mild the nights and mornings are cool, and while we have several frosty mornings the temperatures haven't dipped unbearably low.  Despite the sunny days it's quite cool in the shade, so the winter clothing choice of some locals makes me wonder......sweet young things wearing shorts and summery tops, with high woollen boots and thick scarves wrapped round their necks......little bare thighs blue from the cool breeze wending its way round corners.  

"Coughing, sneezing, etc.

Coughing, sneezing, clearing the throat, etc., if done at all, must be done as quietly as possible   Snuffing, hawking and expectorating must never be done in society. A sneeze can be checked by pressing the thumb or finger firmly across the bridge of the nose.  If not checked, the face should be buried in the handkerchief, during the act of sneezing, for obvious reasons."

As children, we were told "coughs and sneezes spread diseases".

Enjoy your days!