time goes by and life goes on...

 

 my old girl’s been gone for over a month now and still i yearn for the feel of her – sometimes it feels like my whole body is aching, craving to touch her, every nerve screaming out for that sensory pleasure - i so miss caressing her… i still see her out of the corner of my eye, i look for her and talk to her, i end conversations with 'hey gang' and then look around to see the boy but no girl, i miss sharing my food with her - she loved all food, sweet and savoury... i miss her... i still weep, but then i feel her in everything around me so i get on with life…

we shared last thursday, april 21st though – my 56th birthday and the anniversary of her death exactly 4 weeks before… after a lovely visit from larry and lottie who came bearing gifts, my girl and i shared a ceremony to celebrate the occasion – surrounded by flowers and scented candles (soy wax of course) i placed some of allie’s ashes into the beautiful keepsake i purchased from furry souls… the keepsake is lovely to hold – hand-made, heart-shaped in brass and pewter which just fits into the palm and has an incredibly sensual feel... furry souls also have a memorial page and this is my tribute to my sweet beauty...

i spoke to some lovely, caring womyn during the preceding weeks when allie’s time was getting nearer – womyn who had started their own businesses to help grieving people deal with the impending loss of their companion animals, their best friends, their family members…

allie’s passing was well honoured, beautiful and serene for the old girl and me… emma whiston from my best friend was such a compassionate and caring vet who came to our home with such a calming presence… she encourages those close to be there too so as brann had known and loved her for years i invited him, and my brother darrell came too – he just adored her and was in awe of her resilience… there was one very close friend who was absent, irene, but sadly with her changing life circumstances at the time it was unable to be... but allie knew she was a friend and was loved by her... the girl was in her element – she felt love all around her when her time came, all hands were caressing her… it was a beautiful passing…

caroline higgins from paws and reflect came and collected her body for cremation a few hours later – i appreciated those fews hours, having her body here without being whisked straight away was very calming and therapeutic in the letting go, the accepting… caroline came with a beautiful purple body bag in which she placed the old girl very respectfully – another honouring of my beautiful friend…

she returned in a black scatter tin and has been surrounded by orchids which have dropped from the plant over the last month... it was given by colleagues at work (although i suspect it was mainly thanks to kirsty, katherine and amanda) to mark allie's passing with something living – a beautiful gesture and a stunning plant – and a plant that can be divided to make more living memories of my girl, each containing some of her ashes…

if you share your life with a companion animal i can’t recommend the above people highly enough when your friend’s journey is coming to an end… they understand the bond and give the respect deserved...

here’s a slideshow of my beautiful friend over the years, from 1996 when she came into my life at 4 years of age, to 2011...

as they say, 'time heals'... it was allie's time and she lived to a grand old age - 19, but the tears still flow at times... my girl will always be in my heart and memories though... and i know that she would expect me to rescue someone else, to give another babe a chance, a home, but that will be in the future - i'll know when it's the right time, when i'm being called - but for now it's shadow's time to have me to himself for a while... 

i've had the last week off - it was an opportune time to take the minimum amount of my own leave while having the maximum amount of days off due to the public holidays, but it's back to work tomorrow - i needed that break though to reflect and reminisce, and it turned out to be a very pleasurable time with visits from kirsty, and michael and lottie, being taken out for dinner by steph and pete, lunch shouted by the mother and aunt (which meant food from veg out to go - neither felt well enough to get out so they paid and lunch and i came to them), and then i had a lovely dinner cooked for me on monday evening by brann... it's been nice to catch up with friends - a lovely birthday week...

looks like i'll be blogging again - it's time to come back to it but i don't know how regularly yet... so many topics to blog about, but this post is enough for today...

changing the world - one small step at a time...

you know, as a palestinian sympathiser / supporter I never thought I’d have reason to say “go israel”!!!! unfortunately for the palestinian people it’s not in relation to their struggle or plight – but fortunately for animals israel may be proving itself to be a leading voice against the brutal fur trade…

according to unleashed australia “israel is on the verge of becoming the first country to completely ban fur. on 2nd september israel will vote on whether to ban the production, import and export of fur.”

sickeningly the 'price of fashion' for humans is paid by non-human animals - did you know millions of minks, raccoons, foxes, rabbits, dogs, cats and other animals are skinned alive, anally electrocuted, poisoned, beaten to death or drowned for their fur?!

how many animals are horrifically slain for one fur coat?

disturbing isn't it!!! why not add your voice and urge israel to 'help make fur history'?  change has to start somewhere - and hopefully spread rapidly...

concerned people do have a voice by way of petitions and protests - as evidenced in Catalonia on 28th July, when it became the first major region in mainland Spain to ban bullfighting!!!! yay for caring, compassionate people!!!!

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world.

Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” ... Margaret Mead

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on an up note for me and my weekend... i had the 'malmsbury mob' come to visit so i got to see my wee loudie-dude, irene and the rest of the gang... we walked, talked, ate and mellowed out with a relaxing smoke... it's always a lovely time when the 'country clan' comes down...

the following photo shows me, louie (it's a pity you can't see the detail in his little black face - it's very expressive) and the grey boy is old man lucky... mind you, there was a bit of a power struggle / territorial dispute going on - my lap was the desired prize and both were vying for more of it - looks like louie had the 'upper paw' when the photo was taken - he's spread out more!!!!

alas, that's it for now - it's time to do some 'domestics'...

a long time coming...

it's a time to celebrate for the sisterhood - julia's prime minister... like her or not, it's groundbreaking (or should that be ceiling-shattering?!) herstory in the making here in australia - we finally have a female in the 'top job' - she's intelligent, articulate, and has a good sense of humour - she's from a working class background, is proud of her heritage and believes in social equity - she was the national president of the australian union of students, then became a solicitor with slater & gordon ("... a law firm focussed on servicing the needs of unions and their members, in particular in the area of workers compensation.") and after 3 years became a partner in the firm - it was here she earned respect from the unions as an advocate for people's rights (and still maintains their support) - she was appointed chief of staff of the victorian opposition in 1996 and moved into the federal sphere in 1998... she is a supporter of womyn's rights and is pro-choice... she's not religious, nor is she married - she is very much her own person - she certainly appears to have more going for her than any of australia's previous male prime ministers or any current challengers!!!!

but unfortunately she hasn't been voted in by the people yet, although with an election just around the corner she may just romp it in - labor's approval rating has already risen since she became pm!!!

why has it taken so long to vote in a womon? since obtaining the vote in 1902 (thanks to the committed suffragists) it took until 1921 for edith cowan to be elected to an australian parliament when she won a seat in the western australian legislative assembly...

it then took another 22 years for womyn to be elected to federal parliament when dorothy tangney became senator for western australia and enid lyons was elected to the house of representatives in 1943...

since then there have been numerous womyn elected to federal politics, but it's taken far too long for us to place a womon in 'the top job'... for a once politically progressive country, we've been lagging a tad behind in political gender equality here in australia, as this list of womyn who have attained the highest office in their respective countries attests:

Sirimavo Bandaranaike, prime minister of Sri Lanka - 1960, 1970, 1994

Indira Gandhi, prime minister of India - 1966, 1980

Golda Meir, prime minister of Israel - 1969

Isabel Peron, president of Argentina - 1974

Elisabeth Domitien, prime minister of Central African Republic - 1975

Margaret Thatcher, prime minister of Great Britain - 1979

Maria da Lourdes Pintasilgo, prime minister of Portugal - 1979

Lidia Gueiler Tejada, prime minister of Bolivia - 1979

Dame Eugenia Charles, prime minister of Dominica - 1980

Vigdis Finnbogadottir, president of Iceland - 1980

Gro Harlem Brundtland, prime minister of Norway - 1981, 1986, 1990

Milka Planinc, federal prime minister of Yugoslavia - 1982

Agatha Barbara, president of Malta - 1982

Maria Liberia-Peters, prime minister of Netherlands Antilles - 1984, 1988

Corazon Aquino, president of Philippines - 1986

Benazir Bhutto, prime minister of Pakistan - 1988, 1993

Kazimiera Danuta Prunskiene, prime minister of Lithuania - 1990

Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, prime minister of Nicaragua - 1990

Mary Robinson, president of Ireland - 1990

Ertha Pascal Trouillot, interim president of Haiti - 1990

Sabine Bergmann-Pohl, president of German Democratic Republic - 1990

Khaleda Zia, prime minister of Bangladesh - 1991, 2001

Edith Cresson, prime minister of France - 1991

Hanna Suchocka, prime minister of Poland - 1992

Kim Campbell, prime minister of Canada - 1993

Sylvie Kinigi, prime minister of Burundi - 1993

Agathe Uwilingiyimana, prime minister of Rwanda - 1993

Susanne Camelia-Romer, prime minister of Netherlands Antilles - 1993, 1998

Tansu Ciller, prime minister of Turkey - 1993

Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, president of Sri Lanka - 1994

Reneta Indzhova, interim prime minister of Bulgaria - 1994

Claudette Werleigh, prime minister of Haiti - 1995

Sheikh Hasina Wajed, prime minister of Bangladesh - 1996

Mary McAleese, president of Ireland - 1997

Pamela Gordon, premier of Bermuda - 1997

Janet Jagan, prime minister of Guyana - 1997

Jenny Shipley, prime minister of New Zealand - 1997

Ruth Dreifuss, president of Switzerland - 1999

Jennifer M. Smith, prime minister of Bermuda - 1998

Helen Clark, prime minister of New Zealand - 1999

Mireya Moscoso, president of Panama - 1999

Vaira Vike-Freiberga, president of Latvia - 1999

Tarja Halonen, president of Finland - 2000

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, president of the Philippines - 2001

Mame Madior Boye, prime minister of Senegal - 2001

Megawati Sukarnoputri, president of Indonesia - 2001

Maria das Neves, Prime Minster of Sao Tome and Principe - 2002

Beatriz Merino, prime minister of Peru - 2003

Luisa Diogo, prime minister of Mozambique - 2004

Angela Merkel, chancellor of Germany - 2005

Yulia Tymoshenko, prime minister of Ukraine - 2005

Michelle Bachelet, president of Chile - 2006

Micheline Calmy-Rey, president of Switzerland - 2006

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, president of Liberia - 2006

Han Myeong-sook, prime minister of South Korea - 2006

Portia Simpson Miller, prime minister of Jamaica - 2006

Pratibha Devisingh Patil, president of India - 2007

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, president of Argentina - 2007

Borjana Kristo, president of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzogovina - 2007

Zinaida Greceanii - prime minister of Moldova, 2008

Dalia Grybauskaite - president of Lithuania, 2009

Laura Chinchilla - president of Costa Rica, 2010

Kamla Persad Bissessar, prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, 2010

and of course Aung San Suu Kyi should have been prime minister of Myanmar in 1990, but the military government refused to recognize the results of that election!

there's a lot of herstory there - and Julia Gillard finally adds australian representation to that list - way to go sister!!!!

unfortunately all i can see is the same labor party that sold out their rank and file decades ago - once considered the left-wing alternative, it's definitely moved much further to the right these days - could julia change that? but it is scary to think what the right faction of the party might expect of her in throwing their support behind her and getting rid of one of their own!! all i can hope is that she's strong enough to not sell out for the sake of the position, and is able to maintain her leftist politics and social conscience - and her own identity... it will no doubt be an interesting political time ahead!!!

but unless there's a dramatic change in the federal political scene it will be hard to entice me to vote - perhaps the newly established and soon to be registered animal justice party  could be part of  the change i've been waiting for - unless of course julia and the labor party choose to end animal cruelty, put a stop to animal abuse and exploitation, support the universal declaration on animal welfare - and then there's social justice....

changing times...

you may (or may not) have noticed i've changed my  blog a tad - the header actually... hey, they say a change is as good as a holiday... so i went on a 'journey of discovery', scrolling through image after image... i had a minimum requirement - it had to contain a womon, a book, and an animal...

well, i found a graphic i really liked... it's by an artist named Jim Warren - "From the wild & whimsical to the sweet & sensuous, for over 40 years Jim Warren has been painting his way into the hearts and minds of people the world over. Already considered a "living legend of the art world", Jim continues to surprise and amaze"... opposite is his original and i just couldn't resist it... i love the illusion of the sand as mattress, and the water as blanket... i might have to use more of his graphics on my blog!!!!

i may one day even change the colour scheme of my blog - or not - but that is certainly for the future...

anyway i've spent quite some time on this little project so the post is short because now i have to go and tend to me mother - she needs some shopping and just can't get out (pity her son, my brother, doesn't think to drive over and help out - yeah, he's got a car, but when you need him there's always a reason he can't make it)... she's been really unwell - a bad cold on top of everything else - so long as it doesn't evolve into pneumonia she'll be okay (sort of)... but she's just about had enough now because her kidney disease is wearing her out... weakness, fatigue and inability to go anywhere are taking their toll...

an early sensory treat...

what a delight it was walking into the supermarket today and being enveloped by the wonderful fragrance of jonquils...  they're known as mid-winter through spring flowering bulbs so they're a tad early - but i'll enjoy 'jonnies' whenever they want to bloom... i don't think there's anything more beautiful than scented flowers - i remember when i was young you could actually smell a florist shop 'a mile away' (my that seems like an aeon ago - huh, not the case now so i was taking the opportunity to buy three bunches - a bargain at $6 a bunch - i would have bought more but unfortunately that was all that was left!!!)...

The world seems sad

mid winter's gloom,

But all is well

when the jonquils bloom.

(from the plantanswers website)

along with daffodils, jonquils are part of the narcissus genus - their botanical name being narcissus jonquilla - narcissus is derived from the greek word narke - meaning deep sleep, numbness. stupor or paralysis - there are varied interpretations out there so take your pick... some attribute the naming of the flower to its narcotic fragrance...

of course there is mythology and folklore associated with the origins and medicinal properties of the plant...

"Myths tell their own version of how the flower came to be. Long ago, according to Greek mythology, a mountain nymph named Echo fell madly in love with a mortal named Narcissus. He was a handsome but vain youth who was preoccupied with his own interests: hunting and admiring his good looks. He rudely ignored Echo’s efforts to interest him, so she sadly hid in a cave, suffering in grief until she died and faded away. Only her voice remained, which still haunts caves and canyons today. After her death, Narcissus became so absorbed in looking at his reflection in the water, that one day he fell in and drowned. The gods changed him into the flower that bears his name to remind us of the consequences of vanity and egoism. Similar versions of this myth exist in Roman, Arabic, Egyptian, Spanish, and Portuguese cultures.

The Romans believed that sap from the daffodil could heal wounds. However, it contains tiny sharp crystals called calcium oxalate that may actually irritate the skin. These crystals keep animals from eating the plant and are the reason that when daffodils are combined with other flowers in a vase, other flowers will wilt.

The powerful perfume of the daffodil can sometimes be overpowering, a reference to the word narcotic, which is related to narcissus. Although narcissus bulbs are poisonous, they have been used for centuries in medicines when mixed with other ingredients."  from authorsden

and who could forget dali's famous surrealist representation - metamorphosis of narcissus... an article by Rosa Maria Maurell i Constans entitled "Dalí and the Myth of Narcissus" makes interesting reading on his interpretation of ovid's version of the myth...

perhaps narcissus was gay - another interpretation expounded by some - you can listen to "narcissus and ameinias - gay love story" here... and then there was the brilliant and ebullient (but now deceased) performer and 'gay icon' freddie mercury who deserves a mention here for his reputed quote "i'm as gay as a daffodil, my dear"... now he was the true epitome of a narcissist if ever there was one!!!!

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you might remember i mentioned getting new glasses a couple of posts ago... it hasn't been going too smoothly... there was a promise of them being ready within 10 days of my eye test - well, after a few phone calls and 17 days later they were finally ready for me to collect on friday - i'd arranged to leave work early, taking toil for the saturday morning (i was working the full day at st kilda!!!!) - i was soooo looking forward to getting them... i happily headed off to the optometrists, tried them on and wouldn't you know it - i couldn't read a thing with them... distance, that was okay but hey, i need to be able to read too... i was one very disappointed and pissed off womon... so close, and yet so far!!!! so i had to go through the tests again so the 'measurements' could be checked... yep, seems like the laboratory fucked up - after waiting so long i had a feeling something was going to be wrong!!!!! so it looks like another 'less than 10 days' wait... at least i got me old ones tightened while i was there - who knows how long they'll have to last!!!!

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and here's an update on stefania's and pietro's travels - they started out in malta, then it was on to italia - according to steph's latest email they're in ascoli piceno, near the apennine mountains - i'm checking out a trip tracker widget at the moment but am having problems embedding - i'll keep working on that one... she says ascoli is a lovely medieval town with a population of approximately 50 thousand... it's full of interesting medieval buildings and a roman bridge dating back to the augustan era... oh, she also says it's cold!!!!

and hopefully the next post will have an update with really good news about the land in malmsbury... things are looking good for a sale soon so fingers crossed!!!!

a costly addiction...

but then, aren't they all!!!!

i do wonder why the government chose cigarettes over alcohol to recoup some of their losses from 'failed schemes' such as the insulation debacle - of course alcohol would have been my preference knowing its impact on my life (and on the lives of countless others who have dealt with an alcoholic) - these days it's a very rare purchase for me!!!

but unfortunately it was ciggies that went up yesterday – a 25% price hike - i paid $16.15 for a pack of 25s… that was in 7/11 (not my usual 'haunt') – 'only' $14.75 in iga today… smoking a pack of 25s a day has finally become way too expensive … now’s the time to go back to the cheaper option of rollies… so it'll be the occasional pack of 20s (i do prefer tailor-mades in a mull!), with drum menthol my preferred tobacco (yep, strange preference when i don't smoke menthol cigs!!)... i actually preferred rollies for a number of years - champion ruby originally, then drum - but neither came with such a wonderful graphic on the pouch like this 'vintage' chewing and smoking tobacco...

and no, i'm not ready to give up at the moment - that would just add more stress to dealing with me old 'girls' and their needs, life in general with its ups and downs, work and it's physical and mental stresses and strains (it's been another frenetic working week after a public holiday) and dealing with some of the idiosyncratic public isn't always easy!! nope, it's not the right time yet - and i don't want to, so therefore i don't have the right mind-set...

nah, my best solution is to just carry my tobacco in future and save me ready-rolleds for home - now that should save me some money (sorry to those street people that used to 'benefit' - i would give away 2 per day (but that was my limit) - that won't be happening now - blame the government please, don't abuse me)!!!! i'll share my tobacco with anybody, but the reaction used to be "oh, tobacco - you smoke menthol?! um, nah, ahh, no thanks, it's ok..." guess the drop-off in people 'botting' was one of the influencing factors years back to smoking menthol tobacco... i mainly drifted back to tailor-mades because when working and 'on-the-move' they're just easier!!

talking of 'mull' (i 'fleetingly' mentioned it in the second paragraph) - this is a strain of dope that'd make a stunning colour display in the backyard - it's called purple haze - ohhh for the decriminalisation of dope - i could even contemplate growing this beautiful plant in my courtyard then - and i'd save so much money!







but of course, it's more likely to end up being legalised and then monopolised and patented by the big tobacco companies and possibly look something like this...

there's been a lot of activity in the stairwell here today... someone movin' out... so i thought i'd check online and see which flat was being vacated - and couldn't believe how much they're asking for it... $330 per week!!! that's $80 a week more than my place... granted, it does look a tad more modern inside so it's been renovated at some stage - but it's only a 1 bedroom flat with a balcony... at least i've got a courtyard... and with me old girl still ploddin' on i was offered another lease here with no rent rise (or property inspection apparently) so i've decided to stay here a bit longer... the land's been put into the hands of agents now but even if it sells quickly it'll take a few months to get the paperwork in order and my 'retreat' built... so hopefully summer/autumn of 2011 will see me in malmsbury... sad isn't it that $20,000 would do what i need, but due to life's 'hurdles' (don't think i need to expand on those!) it's way out of my financial league...

changing topics altogether, i've been wanting to try agave syrup (used in numerous sweet vegan recipes i've come across) so when i 'happened upon' some while shopping i just had to buy a bottle (and immediately make some vegan pancakes!!)... it's been compared to maple syrup and honey - it's a similar consistency with a flavour (i think) somewhere between maple, golden syrup and treacle... it's definitely yummy and can be used in baking or just poured over pancakes and waffles... it's cheaper than maple syrup - but then it is somewhat quicker to produce - the plants are harvested at around 8-10 years compared to the maple tree, which isn't mature enough to 'tap' until 40-70 years of age!!!!

ohhh, did i mention it comes from the same plant as tequila??? "... agave nectar is juice from the Mexican agave plant grown in the volcanic soil around Guadalajara —the same juice that, when fermented, becomes tequila. The nectar is extracted by heating up the plant’s pineapple-shaped core, then pressing it. When the juice drips out, it can be either filtered—to make agave syrup—or fermented to make tequila..." from an article "nectar of the tequila gods"

actually the nectar can be extracted from most varieties of agave - but tequila only comes from "agave tequilana", commonly called blue agave, tequila agave, mezcal or maguey... it's also being used in cocktails these days - apparently it goes well in - surprise, surprise - tequila based cocktails!!

and yes, the pancakes and syrup were deeeelicious!!!!!!!

incidentally, it's may day today...  i've written about it before so if you're interested you can read my previous post may day...pagan and political...

i hope to start mapping steph and pete's travels in my next post - they've been to malta and have 'hit' rome now so i might make a start on that tomorrow... but you know how it goes - the best laid plans and all of that... we'll see...

food, glorious food...

far out - two posts in as many days - it's been a while since i had the time, energy or incentive!!!!!

i've been checking out a lot of vegan ‘foodie’ blogs and sites lately looking for inspiration – there are so many out there - sweet, savoury and downright weird - from the ‘far out that looks incredible but who could be bothered going to all that trouble’ to the ‘wow, that’s so easy and looks so yummy', and then the 'what the fuck... you've gotta be kidding'!!!!

i’m learning about replacement ingredients for old favourites – i've just discovered that nutritional yeast is supposed to add a cheese flavour to sauces – I’ll find out what it tastes like tonight because I’m making that good old comfort food for dinner - baked macaroni and cheese - just right for this almost wintry Sunday!!!

i got the recipe from a book called 'vegan yum yum' - a new book from work (but it just might be worth buying) - a vegan cookbook with photos - that's rare... there's also a vegan yum yum website - created by lauren ulm, a very talented and 'crafty' young womon...

if you're at all into cupcakes and decoration, check out her knit night cupcakes or her  hand-dipped ice-cream cone cupcakes - amazing (but yeah, who could be bothered -obviously for some it's a very therapeutic activity - i'm happy to just look and wonder "do they taste good???") or maybe you'd rather check out the YouTube video...

 

or have a look at cupcake kitteh's decorating style....

you wouldn't think it after all of that but i'm not even a big cupcake eater!!! the creativity of some people never ceases to amaze me though - it's certainly worth sharing...

 

okay, i think that's enough about food - for now... there'll be plenty more later... now that i've decided it's going to be a curling up and relaxing day, i might do some reading...

 

i've just finished 'pretty little things' by jilliane hoffman - working as an assistant state attorney must have been harrowing at times, but certainly adds a chilling reality to her novels – and no doubt her latest title has its basis in sexually abhorrent crimes she’s had to prosecute... internet chat rooms, unhappy and malleable  teenagers, false identities, sexual predation – a problem becoming more widespread in this technological age – a frightening reality woven into a wonderful example of the suspense genre – I couldn’t put this one down... I’d have to say it’s her best to date!!!

so now it's just a matter of deciding what to read next... i've picked out two books - all i have to do is make a choice...

'resurrection' by tucker malarkey - "the author .. weaves the discovery of the Gnostic gospels into an elegantly written thriller..."

or 'ordeal' - a memoir by linda lovelace, who died at the age of 53 in 2002 - "Linda Boreman starred as Linda Lovelace in Deep Throat ... She later wrote a book, Ordeal, about her experiences, and became an outspoken opponent of the porn industry."

or maybe i'll watch a movie... decisions, decisions... guess i'll just have to go and have a bong and mull it over...

what a strange week…

it was a lovely long weekend with no work - an enjoyable friday evening with irene visiting and leaving louie to stay until Monday – then catching up with steph and pete monday afternoon - they're going to italy for a few months so won't see them for a while - we ambled down fitzroy street, found somewhere outside to sit and shared a bottle, some food and wonderful conversation.

unfortunately all good things come to an end and my four glorious days off work were fading into a memory already - it was time to get back to reality and work…

and the mountain of returns in the chute room that greeted us on tuesday morning was just a taste of the week to come!!!!! it’s been absolutely chaotic at st Kilda all week… everyone’s just been soooo weary…

so, as you'd expect, none of us were looking forward to working the weekend - especially with the system down all weekend for network maintenance - luckily (for me) I was only doing 1-5 today – but after the frantic week would we survive the day with our sanity intact???

well, what a surprise when i arrived - i walked into a very sparsely populated library – there was hardly anyone on the computers, nor were they booked up for the rest of the day – unheard of on a Saturday – and happy staff!!!! it was a tad surreal!!!!

there had even been an extra staff member arranged for desk – I think there was an extra shelver too - everything that could be done without the system (shelving and interfiling dvds) was pretty much up to date – i can’t remember us ever being ‘over-staffed’on a saturday or everything being 'calm and relaxed' (in a fantastical 'this can't last' sort of way) in the 12 years i’ve been at the library!!!!

so of course, in good team spirit I offered to stay for the lunch cover and then go home if there were too many of us – and to my surprise my offer was accepted - thanks Kitty - our weekend budget has been a bit 'over-extended' lately too so it worked out well all ways round (hope the sunday team have the same 'cruisie' time we did... although who knows what happened when den and i left at 3... and aren't i glad that i don't work mondays - now that's going to be a day of pure horror!!!! good luck everyone...)

cool, i could do some shopping at the health food store and then come home early to my furry companions – if i was lucky there wouldn’t be any piss to clean up because i hadn’t been gone long – now that’s wishful thinking with me old girl’s incontinence!!!

but how fortuitous the timing… walking down loch street just around the corner from home i noticed a beautiful black labradoodle (just like the one opposite only, well, black - more a greyish black) looking very distressed, very lost… he was trying so hard to find a familiar smell – and when he just ran across the road and almost got hit by a car i couldn’t just leave him to a terrible fate so i crossed over and started talking to him – he came straight up to me and snuggled - he was a friendly boy – jet was his name – and luckily he had a mobile phone number on his tag – well, even more lucky was the fact that i had my mobile with me (i quite often walk out of my flat without it!!!!)

and yes, his human companions were frantically searching for him – he’d made his quick escape when someone opened the gate… we exchanged more pats and nuzzling while we waited for his family to find us, and then jet and i said farewell, told each other how nice it was to have fleetingly crossed paths, and went our separate ways…

ahhh, all’s well that ends well…

this'n'that...

had a very pleasant afternoon visit from larry the librarian on monday - we shared a bottle, some food, had a smoke together and caught up on each other's lives (i'd have more regular updates if you went back to your blog you 'turncoat' twitterer and facebooker!!!)

it was me mother's birthday on tuesday so it was a trip around to spend a bit of time with her... 'armed' with flowers, gifts and a bag of books from a friend (there's a library in the community room so once she's read them they go downstairs for the rest of the residents - all donations gratefully accepted!!) - it was only a short stay though because she get's really tired... she did ring the next evening to say what a thoroughly enjoyable time she had - doesn't take much these days - kidney disease is giving her a 'rough ride'... here's a few more early pics of her...

at a work ball with a friend approx. 1947

she can't remember the year this one was taken but the fashion was very WAAAF inspired...

taken around 1949...

i received an email from a friend on wednesday evening that led me to an article about smoking 'tailor-made' cigarettes that every vegan and vegetarian should know about...

"Cigs contain pig's blood, academic says. 

Cigarettes may contain traces of pig's blood, an Australian academic says with a warning that religious groups could find its undisclosed presence "very offensive"

University of Sydney Professor Simon Chapman points to recent Dutch research which identified 185 different industrial uses of a pig - including the use of its haemoglobin in cigarette filters." ... read more here

i was horrified... guess i'll have to think about a return to rolling my own ... i used to smoke rollies - champion ruby or drum menthol depending on how the mood took me... is there no end to the heinous uses humans will put anything animal to??

i came across a really good vegan recipe site yesterday - the post punk kitchen - i'll definitely be trying out some of the recipes from here...

i 'lashed out' and bought an ebook the other day - after seeing the beautiful pictures of the 71 recipes contained in the book (yeah, pics only on this site - you have to pay for the book before you get the recipes!!) - i just had to have it - they look mouth-watering...

"Gunter took up a Pastry Chef apprenticeship in 1971 and when he immigrated to Australia in 1987, he started his catering business “Gunter’s Gourmet Gateau” and later, “Gunter’s Cafe and Continental Cake Shop” on the South Coast of NSW.

In 1999 his dedication to a vegan diet inspired him to continue his passion for baking and adapting traditional recipes to his vegan lifestyle."

guess i might have to make something to take into work one day.... yeah, one day... until then i'll just drool over the pictures!!!!

i had a bit of a 'meltdown' at work on wednesday - allie had a wee regress - back to weeing in her sleep (that'll teach me for changing the lounge and bedroom around and don't i feel bad!!!!) - worry about her, judy and life in general got me really down, totally depressed and unable to cope with work on thursday (i had a wee regress too)...

but then Sailor Lily called in yesterday afternoon bearing some lovely treats to cheer me up - such a lovely thought... thanks Lil, the loving earth chocolate is quite delish and part of their philosophy is - "Conscious Consumerism : healthy - sustainable - fair - the 3 fundamental principles of Loving Earth and define the strict criteria, which we use to source and develop all of our products" - everything is vegan, gluten free and low GI... they're a melbourne based company that believes in fair trade and they work with indigenous communities here in australia and around the world... you can read more about them here...

okay, now i've spent some time blogging i might start reading jilliane hoffman's newest novel 'pretty little things' ... so enjoy one of the only things worthwhile from this christian (but once pagan Eostre) celebratory time... a 4-day long weekend!!!!!