wonder how 'Lil is...

thinking of you 'Lil...
hope you have a beautiful birthing memory...

I've had a nice relaxing weekend... that seems to be the best kind these days!!! It was me mum's 80th birthday today... I spent some time with her yesterday - went for a walk along The Esplanade Market... haven't done that for ages - forgot how pleasant it can be... except that me mum got too tired after a while and had to go home again (luckily she lives right across the road)... this is her with the wee Louie...

she gets worn out easily these days - kidney function is deteriorating - but she's still as active as she can be... couldn't go out today for her birthday - was already going out for lunch, and she had a public housing and tenants meeting she had to be at this arvo, then afternoon tea.. I spoke to her just before and she was fucked!!! and lunch again tomorrow... she doesn't know how she'll cope with that one!!!

I had a great day today rearranging the furniture - I've no doubt totally confused my poor old girl Allie... just couldn't help myself (oooh, sounds a bit compulsive obsessive!!!) - had to change the loungeroom around... needed a change - well, really need a holiday - and they say a change is as good as one... so the furniture is moved around a bit but the girl will get used to it soon... Brann's home most of this week so can keep an eye on her... and this is her, snoozin' ('we' do a lot of that these days!!!)

I've been reading an interesting book... The Suspicions of Mr Whicher or The Murder at Road Hill House by Kate Summerscale.

It's the true story of a child's murder, commited in 1860... it was a time when "a detective was a recent invention. The first fictional sleuth appeared in 1841 and the first real detectives in the English-speaking world were appointed the next year".

The style of writing has taken a while to get used to, but I am enjoying it... it's intriguing - there's a mystery involved... haven't finished it yet though - but the author has written another book I might have to check out... The Queen of Whale Cay : The Eccentric Story of 'Joe' Carstairs, Fastest Woman on Water - born Marion Barbara Carstairs, known as Betty and nicknamed Joe - now she sounds like one intriguing woman...


and now I've 'posted', I'm going to enjoy some lovely home grown produce... and some yummy chocolate cheesecake from acland street... oooh, can't stop thinking about munchies!!

it's a generational thing...

March is a big month to say the least in my family...

Matthew, my great-nephew, turned 16 on the 6th... Rebbecca, my niece and Matt's mum, turned 35 on the 20th, and Judy, my mother, Becc's grandmother, and Matt's great-grandmother, turns 80 on the 30th...

meet Matt... he has the 'distinction' of being the first-born great grandchild... he seems to have had a 'growth spurt' since the last time I saw him (not that long ago) - he's really starting to fill out... and he's a typical hormonal 16 year old teenage boy - you know, brooding, temperamental, non-communicative... he's a really lovely young lad, can be a right dag - but having a conversation can be like getting blood from a stone!!! same as taking his picture - there was a lot of 'cajoling' in between these photos!!!!

this is Rebbecca... she's the first-born grandchild... my first and, yes, favourite niece... and Judy, the matriarch of the 'clan'... and here's 3 generations of us womyn... the 'lad' makes it 4 generations of the family - and you don't get 4 generations of us under the one roof very often...

There was an addition to Irene's family (my friend, Rebbecca's mother and Matt's grandmother) ... the wee Gigi (she's soooo sweet - a real little cutie)... she gets 'tuckered out' really easily though - she's only 11 weeks old...

and of course Irene's boys (Louie's country cuzzins - Luscious Lucky and Handsome Harry, with the wee Loudle on the end) are a tad 'put out' at the moment...

and it was also the autumn equinox - sometime between the 20th and 24th according to the planetarium... 12 hours of daylight, 12 hours of darkness - this, of course, makes for the perfect harvest time... and, of course, that means the bottomless pit munchies!!!! oooooh - take the chocolate away... and sooooo many cakes because of soooo many birthdays!!!!

and then there's Sailor Lil... playing the 'waiting game' - getting ready to give birth... 5 days to go and counting down... and 'Lil's Capn Chris must be 'sailing' the emotional waves too...

Their babe (it's a boy) is going to be an Aries (or Aries Rising - ruled by Mars - first sign of the zodiac) - just like his mother - Lil's birthday is on the 18th April - Rebbecca and Judy are both Aries ... oooooh, scary!!!! and this is an interesting 'interpretation' of those born under Aries from AstroImage...

Positive Expression:
People born under the sign of Aries are energetic, spontaneous and outgoing. They are often courageous, ready to go bold-headed and willing to take risk. Their optimistic and enthusiastic outlook makes them exciting and stimulating company. Since Aries needs to forge ahead, individuals born under this sign generally act on impulse, enjoy challenges and the spice of danger. They excel in sport and are virtually unstoppable.

Negative Expression:
Since Aries 'acts first and thinks later' he/she often regrets his rash action at a later stage. Their impulsive and hasty nature makes them impatient, tactless, quick-tempered and aggressive. Their 'me-first' attitude sometimes turns an assertive Aries into a rude, pushy and in extreme cases a thoughtless 'bully'.

Physical and Sexual Characteristics:
Because Aries is ruled by the 'red' planet Mars, they often have a ruddy complexion with freckles and reddish hair. Aries natives' strong sex drive makes them passionate lovers, but their desire for conquest and the need to prove themselves can lead to a 'Casanova' or 'Femme Fatale' syndrome. However, they able to form stable relationships with those who respect their great need for independence.

or, if you're of the celtic tree cycle persuasion, Rebbecca, Judy, 'Lil and 'the babe' all share the Alder tree...

Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower.
- Albert Camus

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting
and autumn a mosaic of them all.
- Stanley Horowitz

nectar for a parched land

aah, it was wonderful to look out the window this morning and see the mother's healing tonic... who would have thought just a few weeks ago we were in the throes of an incredible meltdown with death and destruction affecting us all in one way or another here in Victoria...

ironic though that today sees a major 'bushfire relief' concert happening simultaneously in Melbourne and Sydney... the line-up is incredible - Melbourne's line-up includes Jet, Gabriella Cilmi, Kings Of Leon, Paul Kelly, Augie March, Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson, Liam Finn, Jack Johnson, Wolfmother, Hunters & Collectors, Split Enz, Midnight Oil, while Sydney's includes Coldplay, Wolfmother, Hoodoo Gurus, You Am I, Josh Pyke, Marcia Hines, Taylor Swift, Eskimo Joe, Jet, Icehouse, Barry Gibb - Jet and Wolfmother are playing both concerts - very noble of the young lads...

I would love to have gone... so many of my favourite (old and new) bands... but with them all spread out over 12 hours I just couldn't leave me old girl for that long... and it would be such a long day for me these days - I think 'artificial stimulants' would be a necessity to 'go the distance' (gettin' old sucks - and I did take a variety of drugs when I was younger - hey, I was growing up in the 60s & 70s!!!! - no doubt that's had an effect on the body too!!!!)

anyway, I've put together a YouTube 'thingy' featuring some of those playing at the benefit for your listening pleasure (well, pleasure might be a stretch for some!!!) - and it's taken most of the day - I just had to listen to soooo many songs... as an 'Oils' fan I find it strange that Peter Garrett can justify being a politician to himself (having been totally stymied since becoming a minister) when he sings songs like Power and the Passion - "it's better to die on your feet than live on your knees" - Short Memory, US Forces etc. - you can't change the system from within because you become a cog in the party political machine - you have to follow the party line so you can't be honest or vocal about personal political beliefs - and the labour party sold out ages ago!!!! (sorry, went off on a tangent there)... looking forward to the dvd of the concert though - surely they'll produce one... that would be a massive 'boon' for everyone affected by the bushfires - the survivors, welfare agencies, animal rescue agencies... yeah, of course they will...

now I'm going to sit back and relax... been a returns and shelving nightmare kind of week at work (ooooh, miss you in the mornings 'Lil!!!!)....

there are some mouth-watering smells coming from the kitchen teasing the senses at the moment - Brann's cooking a yummy vego indian feast for dinner - 'all's right with the world' for the time being...

so enjoy the rain and I'll finish with this quote by Susan Allen Toth from her book "England for all seasons"...

"The best kind of rain, of course, is a cozy rain. This is the kind the anonymous medieval poet makes me remember, the rain that falls on a day when you'd just as soon stay in bed a little longer, write letters or read a good book by the fire, take early tea with hot scones and jam and look out the streaked window with complacency."

once we called it eight hour day...

well, it's a very political weekend... after International Women's Day yesterday (see last post), today celebrates labour day, which has its origins in the Eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest....

"The Eight Hour Day 1856-2006

On 21 April 1856, following negotiations between building tradesmen and contractors, and with the approval of the colonial government, an eight hour day was introduced into the building trades in Melbourne. The movement was led by the stonemasons who argued that eight hours a day was appropriate in the Australian heat. It would also give them time to improve their 'social and moral condition'.

Two employers, with substantial contracts for public buildings at the Western Market and Parliament House, resisted the new working hours agreement. In response to their intransigency, the stonemasons lead a protest march from University of Melbourne to Parliament House, calling out workers at building sites on the way. Within a fortnight the contractors had given way.

Melbourne's building workers, generally without loss of pay or other conditions, had gained an unprecedented widespread and sustainable victory.

Their achievement established a national and international standard to which working people everywhere could aspire. It was widely celebrated as a world first and formed the basis of Australia's reputation as a 'workingman's paradise'.

However, only a minority of workers initially won the Eight Hour Day. Most workers, including women and children, generally worked longer hours for less pay. It was common to work twelve to sixteen hours a day." 8 hour day.org

"The Eight Hour March, which began on April 21, 1856, continued each year until 1951 in Melbourne, when the conservative Victorian Trades Hall Council decided to forgo the tradition for the Moomba festival on the Labour Day weekend." Wikipedia.

having been born on April 21st, my birthday falls on the date of a very significant win in the workers' struggle!!! I quite like that idea!!

I couldn't imagine having to work a 12 - 16 hour day (especially working with the public!)... it would send me insane!!!!!


I sometimes feel like I need this stress reduction kit after an 8 hour day (or shorter)!!!

and I'll finish this post with "Ode to the Eight Hours' Pioneers" by Hamilton Mackinnon, April 21, 1896....

In this Victoria, our dear land,

The first that dared be free,

To show the world what freedom meant

In new lands 'cross the sea

think i'm going to like this....

I was given a laptop by a very good friend yesterday - she was upgrading so I was a lucky beneficiary - it's grouse... although not having had (or used) one before, getting used to the keyboard is my major 'obstacle' but it isn't as hard as I thought it would be... just gotta find a comfortable way of typing with the keyboard on a different angle to my desktop pc... but I'll get the hang of it soon... and I'm going to ohhh, sooo enjoy being able to just sit around anywhere and do my blogging!!! - a heartfelt thanks Irene - it means I can be with me old girl Allie no matter where she is!!!!!

been doing a lot of downloading of 'stuff' I use (OpenOffice, Paint.Net, (do like this Open Source software!!!) Irfanview, SpyBot etc.) - deleting stuff I don't use - loading software - far out it takes a lot of time!!!! but doesn't time fly??!!!

Anyway, as it's International Women's Day today I just had to acknowledge sisters all over the world...

unfortunately, violence against women is still high on the agenda with the global United Nations theme being Women and men united to end violence against women and girls... Unifem Australia have also 'adopted' this theme... and if you can afford $185 for a ticket (it is a benefit after all), you might like to check out the International Women's Development Agency international women's day celebration on 22 March (it sounds grouse!!!!)... click the graphic for details...