For the love of France

A couple of weeks ago I went to a hair appointment. I was a bit early so went for a walk. I ask you, was this a bad or good move? A shop was closing nearby and the flavour of interest with me at the present moment is anything French. So I bought the 2 French books, one on French women and the other on various homes and families in France. Would be an interesting experience to live there or maybe it is a case of the grass is greener perhaps? I never would, too far away from my children and little grand daughters. I enjoy reading Laura's Cooking Blog as well as The Paris Apartment and then for something really different the blog, Travelling but not in love It is written by a chap who is gay and living in Paris ..I quite enjoy the way he writes. I also like to read From Here to Eternity This is by the lady who has started out life again, left the UK and living in France on 27 acres. I quite admire her (she also has alpacas!) and wonder if I could do that..on my own,,,probably not.

Back to one of the books ; Parisiennes A Celebration of French Women
The Chapters are Love, Motherhood, Appetite , Work and Play , Out and About , Rebellion , (did you know it took till 1944 for French Women to get the right to vote? Australian women 1901 (earlier in South Aus) and American Women in 1920) Elegance and Flirtation Pictures are in black and white and amongst the pictures and blocks of text can be found comments that make one (well me anyway) think. Maybe, I think too much at times?

My favourite pastime is letting time pass, having the time, taking my time, wasting my time, living out of time-against the current.

(Francoise Sagan, Reponses)

I need to remind myself to waste some time, to take my time etc. My husband has said that he thinks blogging is a total waste of time.He is, of course, entitled to his opinion..each to their own. Right now, this minute, I am enjoying 'wasting my time'. I havent enjoyed much of late. I have had an incredibly difficult week, so difficult that it was a case of one foot in front of the other, after all what choice do I have? People and Animals depend on me. I am not ready to discuss this further, people dont understand...some people do. A friend of mine picked it up on Friday but then he understands perfectly, one has to experience it.

Another quote from the book

Take Chocolate: it will make the most evil company seem pleasant.

Marquise De Sevigne

Now this is oh, so true! No more needs to be said! I am a lover of chocolate...

Coco Chanel said

I dont understand how a woman can leave the house without fixing herself up a little, if only out of politeness. And then, you never know, maybe that's the day she has a date with destiny. And it's best to be as pretty as possible for destiny.

I looked like I was ready for a day in the garden last friday or at least, ready to clean the house..instead there I was out in public. Ms Beautiful Shoes, a colleague at my work is always, always, always a style icon. I think Coco Chanel would have been impressed. She wears tailored outfits of impeccable quality and the most beautiful shoes. Carrie Bradshaw eat your heart out! I must say I do believe I have style, when I feel inclined. Dressing up makes me feel good, too. There are those days though when it is just all too hard. I stand accused Coco. I will try to do better! A smart young relief teacher (younger version of Ms Beautiful Shoes) was in at work last week. Friday's shoes were stunning, matching her smile, and she was totally surprised that state school teachers were 'allowed' to wear jeans. Her previous permanent work was at a private school with work wear 'rules'. Mrs Organised did point out it was friday so ok for jeans! I do see teachers as role models but on some days it can alspo depend on the job. If one is moving boxes of gear and running up and down to the photocopier, inbetween duty on the oval (I once wore nice shoes that sunk into the damp grass as I walked when on oval duty,,Blunnies are so much better !)one really needs to consider what suits the day! I also remember numerous comments on my dress when I was doing relief. I enjoyed dressing up each day..the daily grind can change all that. Once again, I will have to keep in mind Coco Chanel's words. And on what we are allowed to wear: I was on a prac sharing duty with a teacher, who later became a friend, along with his wife. He is one of those men with grey/silver hair that looks dashing and has a conservative, yet smart style. I asked him about dress code because there is 'this girl at uni who has the brightest pink hair'. His answer was "that girl is my wife"! She and I went to Canberra with a group some years back, she has a real passion for life and I enjoy her company,,,not that I have seen much of her or many other people of late.

Another weekend is over! We got plenty of rain and the ground is nice and green and muddy...sold my four Rhode Island Red birds. They are excellent for breeding and showing but although I feel sorry to part with them I dont have the time for it..I sold them to people with 25 acres who will free range them and have promised the birds (2 pullets and 2 cockerals) the cockerals will not end up in a pot.


Lost a black silkie girl yesterday so that was a bit sad. Dont know why, one of her counterparts has had issues with her feet (scaly mite) so have treated them all. The one that was found passed away yesterday morning had appeared to be fine.

Good friend just phoned so nice to have a chat. Last night had my babies for the night. I asked for Jasmine and Lily as all quiet at our place and thought Mel might like to go out. Today took the dogs for a walk round the waterfront..they just love all the different smells and people and spots to sniff,,,and other dogs to talk to,,or bark at,,, Oh and I have lost some more weight lately though not actually trying to(believe me when I say that is rare, usually I only have to look at something yummy and it jumps onto my hips) and jeans are literally falling off me so went to purchase a pair. Not the cheap variety either, for the first time in my life I have paid over $100 for a pair of jeans , RM Williams so a good aussie style icon. They fit very well too but the store RM Williams section of Les Lees are going to have the hems put up for me. NO, I know slack but I dont sew.

Ciao

Easter Holiday Break

Thursday night:
Kim and Angus (our dog child) were both unwell. I was so glad to have finished at work for the break. Mind you, I still had to bring home 'Irish", the animal studies class rat. I have had three students offer/take him out of three classes of around 25 students in each class. One girl(grade nine)was very annoyed with me and made rather abrupt comments when I suggested that Irish be a term project and move on to a good home by the next school holidays. The girl who was upset(more like angry with me) does not even offer to come and help clean his cage or bring him an apple core at lunch times. Irish comes home with me on weekends and breaks and stays at school during the week. I cut up some goodies for him to eat before I go to work during the week. When I get to work in the mornings I clean his cage and talk to him, feed and water him etc. I don't have enough time to spend with him and he needs some kind of stability. He has only had 2 weekends away from me. Today, I dropped him off to a student who is taking him till Saturday so that is a nice break for Irish and myself and a good learning experience for the particular student.
Irish is in this cage as it is easy for transporting. I also have a large glass aquarium that I have had him in here at home though the mess he makes in it is a real drag to clean. If I had the time he could be 'house trained' as rats are very intelligent. I also have 2 guinea pigs that are part of the animal studies course. Don't have to ask, do you? Yes, they live here at my place, after their initial visit at school. As my husband says, I should have asked the school first if I was able to keep them at school. As the answer was no but I had already said yes to the kids..I felt I had no choice. I will have to take a pic of them.
Here is a pic of the two remaining chicks I incubated at school. I love chookies and the equipment is all my own and so I brought my incubator full of eggs to school but was disappointed to only get three chickens, two silkies and one rhode island white. The idea was to use some rhode island whites and cross them with my show quality rhode island reds but as I only got one,,,,. One silkie was born with a splayed leg and I really tried to help him/her survive but the chick only managed a few days. I took the brooder in for the four days of last week so the students could see them etc and then took them , along with Irish home on Thursday after work. The chickens will now remain here at home as they grow in the brooder. I also have a lower wattage bulb in there now.


Good Friday:
All the children came to our house for a fish meal though Luke had chicken! (children being our eldest Melanie and her 2 daughters, Jasmine and Lily plus son Peter and his fiancee Kathryn and their dog child, Chloe a 2 yr old golden lab plus newly married youngest daughter Krystal and husband Luke) Was lovely having them all round the table and I forgot to take a picture! Kim said to me later when we were talking that I am a mother hen. I wanted to have more children but he drew the line at three. I wanted a huge family. I am one of those kids who loved watching The Waltons and the Aussie show The Sullivans (they had four kids raising them through World War Two era). I was often with people much older than me when growing up, and it wasnt a childhood I would want my children to deal with. Although this has helped me in the fact I have friends of all ages and backgrounds and am a very flexible person...shut up Michelle, this is getting too deep :)

Saturday:
Kim starting to improve. His face was partially swollen and he thinks he was bitten by a spider. Angus had a very sore mouth so took him to the vet and a piece of bone was removed which had caught up in his teeth on top of palate.
We had breakfast at The Dome Cafe in Sandy Bay. Dogs are welcome so we sat on the covered verandah and attached leads to rings provided in the brickwork. Later I went into town as Target had a sale on and I bought a portable cot for $59.95. It is very solid and will be handy to have here at home. I also picked up a jumpsuit for Lily on sale plus a few stickers for scrapbooking.
Later in the day Jasmine and Lily arrived over to stay the night. Mel had asked,if I wasn't busy, maybe a couple hours babysitting? As I haven't had the girls for some time and Lily was looking at me on Friday 'Who is this person?" I was keen to have them stay over. Lily went to sleep round 7-7.30ish and slept through till 6.30ish. Jasmine and I did some scrapbooking together inbetween watching the football. We wont discuss it as my team Carlton lost by only four points. There was some questionable umpiring decisions as well.



Jasmine and I spent some time in the hot tub which was fun. This is a relatively new purchase. Mem (see post sept 2008 when she passed away) left me a small sum in her will. We put it on the mortgage (equity manager account we run) but in the end thought I would buy something with it...hence the greenhouse which she would really have approved of as she had a green thumb...and the hot tub.I guess I could say she bought Zanthe (my new doll, see previous entry)as well. Not sure what she would think of the spa purchase. It has pretty lights at night which look really good. We use the water when we empty it for the garden. This is fine as we don't use chemicals because I break out in a nasty rash. Therefore, we do need to clean and fill the hot tub more often because we do not use chemicals in it however I don't consider we are wasting water. We don't have it switched on all the time so we consider the energy we use. I do find it very relaxing! Yes, it does have a cover that is lockable. It is off for the picture!

Sunday:
Fairly quiet. I was feeling a bit down. I sometimes miss having family living at home. It was also strange not having anything on Easter Sunday. For quite a few years we used to go to the caravan we had in the park at Swansea on the East Coast of Tasmania. We don't have that any longer, though of course can still visit there. In fact as I write I know weather permitting we will be going there for the day this coming Friday and having lunch with friends, Marion and Tony at their van. Today we took our dogs for a walk. It was along the car yards strip so Kim had a wander, though they were closed and I was not particularly interested. The dogs loved their walk! We detoured on the way home to stop in and say hi to son Peter and his girl Kathryn.

Easter Monday: Today we went to Sorell market,not that I picked up much. Supported the district school raffle. We weren't gone that long, the dogs naturally behaved like we had been gone for days when we returned. One isn't allowed to take them into the markets and I don't like to leave them in the car for too long.

Tuesday and Wednesday: Tuesday morning we spent working outside. Kim was cleaning up paca poo while I swept out chook pens etc and fiddled in the veg garden. We went to a funeral at 2.30pm. My friend and work colleague has had to watch her mother in law slowly deteriorate over the past few months. Her husband Warren is very close to his mum so it has been a stressful time for them. Sadly Deb sent me a text on Saturday to advise that Lois had passed away. The funeral was very nice and the picture montage showed an incredibly smart and fashionable lady who lived a good life, helping with the red cross and raising two lovely children. She and her husband who pre deceased her ten years ago were married for forty five years so that is something to celebrate, so rare these days! The cremation was to be private so after the funeral everyone moved into an adjoining room where a very nice spread was served. I gather Lois would have liked it as she was very much into cooking and decorating the table. Kim said afterwards that he was thinking he should write down what he wants for his own funeral. Let's hope that is way down the track somewhere. Friend Maree had phoned to see if I would be home later in the day, she arrived just as we got back from the funeral so was lovely catching up with her. Maree also breeds alpacas which is how I met her(she has been mentioned in earlier posts) and has angora rabbits. She has kindly shared her expertise and brought along some of her rabbits to my animal studies classes which were very much enjoyed by the students.


These pictures were taken when Maree came to the class. Pic on right shows Maree and one of her rabbits (what a beauty!) and the next one is of me 'learning'how to use a spinning wheel. I have one but the difference is Maree actually knows how to use hers! I might add this class room is in an area that is to be redeveloped later this year.

We also had a visit from the Guide Dogs. The pictured dogs, Felix and Oscar are NOT Guide Dogs but are Stacey's own and are public relations dogs. They are aged four and a half years and five years old. I have included a not so good pic of me(veins standing out, reckon I was tired)with one of our special visitors! I have better pictures but they have students in them so cant use them on here. At school on our intranet we have a folder for this subject and students (for whom permission is given to have photos taken) can check out the pics taken during this course. The intranet is only available for perusal when at school and for school people only. One has to be so careful to protect and keep safe these days. Anyway, I gave the students a quiz I devised on this topic and associated questions in general about dogs, most of them did very well! Guide Dogs began in Tasmania in 1956 and did you know that it costs $25,000 to train a dog but there is no government funding and so the Guide Dogs raise all their own funds and have some corporate sponsorship, from places like Aurora( electricity supplier here in Tas). Hey, I got an invite for friends of Aurora to join their footy tipping..guess who is currently second on the ladder out of 815 people. Has some great prizes for the end of the season :)

I just saw on TV that Midsommer murders is starting back on channel 2 later this week. For those who do not know it, it is set in a village in England. The local detective solves muders so I dont want to liv ein the Village but I love the architecture and history behind it.

Jasmine came over for tea and stayed last night and spent the day with me today. Lily went to daycare, Mel has to pay whether she goes or not. We did some scrapbooking last night, fed animals today (we had some rain this morning , so that was exciting too!!) and I took her to Eastlands for awhile. She picked herself a few things from Chickenfeed (equivalent of a $2 shop) plus a library bag bought at the post office. Nothing for me, unless you count cough lollies because I have developed a sore throat this afternoon.

I also want to mention that yesterday I went to the local butcher as suggested by people on Backyard Poultry and got some bandsaw dust.I might add for free. It looks much like fine mince and the chooks love it.For those who are puzzled it is the dust from the bandsaw that contains the bits of meat and bone etc and is waste from the butcher. I have issues with some things involving meat however I also love to recycle. Their trash is my chooks treasure! I also asked a lady on the forum some questions about how she cares for her chooks using organic methods. I was so pleased to receive , via email, very detailed information, so if you do find the time to read this, thanks so much to Judy M.

I left a profile and joined a pen pal swap and have recieved some letters in the mail. One was a lovely which included a postcard from Seattle and some stickers. I checked out the website and blog she has. We are both animal lovers and here is a link to her fur balls page : http://evergreenrefuge.org/furballs.html We have several things in common, including collecting teddy bears. Well, I dont have a huge collection, just a small one but when I get the chance will take some pictures and post them along with some stories. I have not been in there this year but love to look at the bears at The Teddy Bear Shop which is in the city. I have several I have bought from there. Hence, too dangerous to visit!

PS I love Obama's new dog Bo. The portuguese water dog looks a lot like my Angus (a spoodle)..that is the spaniel in both dogs. I LOVE DOGS!
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PS: Earlier happenings
Friday after Easter Kim and I went to Swansea for the day. We had a lovely day sitting in the sun with friends, Marion and Tony outside their van. Lunch was a fish barbecue and we enjoyed it whilst sipping wine. We were joined by Vickii and and her four month old son Cooper. Vickii is the daughter of Al who has a nearby van. His wife and her mum , Ange passed away from ovarian cancer (aged 46, just over 2 years ago) Ange would have loved the opportunity to hold Cooper but I am sure she watches over him from above. Pic (taken on mobile phone and into the sun) of Vic and her son and Kim (my other half). The dogs pictured are Smoky who is Vic's and my dog Kali. Smoky is getting on in years and is a lovely sweet natured dog.

The good thing is, on this day, I felt alive again. With close friends and our dog companions (there were five altogether as M and T had their 2 as well) and the sun shining brightly, with food and wine to share what more could one ask for? I also felt like I was able to have a break, because with our animals home to me often means work and then there is my place of work and I fnd time relaxing is something I once did in the past (lucky I get to blog which is a form of relaxation for me!)

Here are also a couple of pics taken earlier in the month. I met my eldest Melanie down at the Onyx Bar at the casino after work one day. She was there for business (very cleverbusiness woman, my Mel) and I had a drink admiring the view whilst waiting for her. It is a big improvement on the old sports bar. I enjoyed the view, water views always have been a provider of a feeling of peace for me.


Ciao

Updating!

Greenhouse:

The greenhouse was bought via ebay. I did check out all the local places but the price was double, if not triple in some cases. This one arrived and Kim put it together. Since it has been put up we did have some heavy winds and so Kim screwed in extra screws in the base and extra bracing on the inside as at one stage we lost a sheet from it and were starting to panic. It has been fine since. One side as you can see has an inground bed. Got a load of veggie mix soil from Totally Organic and have planted mini cauliflower and broccoli in it. On the other side have moved 3 tomato plants in pots into the greenhouse as well as a capsicum plant and a couple of indoor plants that were looking the worse for wear. I havent had time to do anything really substantial at the moment but am looking forward to lots of produce eventually from both the greenhouse and the vegetable garden.

Railton (end of March)

One weekend we headed off to Railton first thing in the morning. Had never been there before. Railton is about three hours drive from Hobart.

Pictured are Bacardi and Robin Hood. The boys were wethered at the Kingston Animal Hospital and a week later delivered to their new owner, Kath in Railton. The boys are going to have a wonderful life with Kath and family. A new shelter had been built for them and some trees planted for extra shade. It is never easy saying farewell but as I only sell to good homes, one knows they will continue to have a happy Life. I have since heard from Kath and the boys have settled in well.

Latrobe:



After leaving Railton and saying a fond adieu to Bacardi and Robin Hood we headed to Latrobe. It has been a few years since we last visited and it certainly has grown. I LOVE Reliquaire it is a shop that goes and goes and goes. I suggest if you are making an enquiry it is better to contact via email as they find themsleves too busy to keep the website up to date. I bought Zanthe (the pictured doll). She was made by Jan McLean It was extravagant and very naughty but she is just so gorgeous. Can you imagine her in real life? I walked into one of the many rooms at Reliquaire and there she was! She stood out from the crowd. Last time we were in Reliquaire we bought some venetian masks and a small water fountain (which unfortunately broke when we moved last moved house) If you are into dolls, golf, betty boop, disney, science, glow in the dark, fancy dress, glamour gum boots...so you get the picture, there is something for everyone. NO, I dont personally know the owners , I just love their store. I must admit I am aware they are ex teachers and I am slighty envious of their dream come true, Reliquaire!

Off we went, heading back to Hobart. On arrival around 7ish it was a rush to feed and tend all the animals , shower, dress up and head off to a friend's big party bash. We arrived back home and fell into bed around 3ish! I was impressed with our stamina as it had been a big day!



Zanthe resides in 'the pool room'. It does have a pool table and is quite an eclectic style of room. We love to quote from the very Aussie movie, The Castle, if its special then it is off to the pool room! The painting on the wall is quite different. It is a love or hate type of painting. Friend Marion hates it and when we moved to this current home she was hoping it would end up in the shed! Friend Paul loves it and if we die has said he would be happy to have it!
I find the painting to be very thought provoking! (Just thinking I should add that we do have an alarm system ,,,...re art the way we spend, credit card gets a work out :) the art is the kids inheritance!) The Blues brothers were at one of the Harvey Norman Department stores. Kept our eye on them and was so excited when they had a sale due to moving stores and the boys went to half price so home they came! The red telephone box does have a real working phone inside though I have not plugged it in. I bought that in Sydney awhile back. Would love one of the full size old red telpehone boxes in the garden but they cost an arm and a leg if one ever does come on the market. There is a pile of games on the hearth. Battleships belongs to Kim and he has had it since childhood. We have all played it at one time or another. I have to say Dirty Minds has never been open, was given as a housewarming gift (when we moved into this current house)..same as Slam and Dare The basket of dried flowers was left here by the previous owners. Sonia and Frank had this house designed and built and then raised their three daughters here before selling to us and holidaying/working aorund the country. They are lovely people and visited here at Chrtistmas time when in the state to see their children. Um, what else? The cross/candle holders are from Portofino store here in Hobart. Bought themn when at our previous house. The mask/form on the wall was bought in Venice, Italy. Let me just pinch myself. Yes, I have really been there..such an amazing place! The Da Vinci code book was a past Mothers Day gift from my two daughters and the Thomas Hardy book I bought for myself. I enjoyed reading his novels and love the illustrations in this book. I LOVE books! (will have to do a blog entry on books at another time)

Have always loved art, though the first piece we ever bought was a print of tigers at the Sydney haymarket quite some years ago. We barely had enough money to survive in those days! I look back in fondness though because it was also a lot of fun in many ways. Am so glad our taste in art has developed since then! Mind you, still like pieces that are way out of our league. Art is not just paintings though, Zanthe is representative of art, as are our collection of masks etc. Art can be seen in many forms. I just wish I had the talent to be an artist. Pleased to say our children all love art, though their tastes vary. We introduced Krystal to Charles Billich and although we still do not own one, she does! She bought a limited edition sporting AFL print, unframed when she was 21 (cost her $1500 ) I wish I had her saving ability..she saved the money to pay for her car, deposit for a house etc. Krystal was married last December and is 24. Mind you, she was the last of our children we expected to get married. I still cannot get used to the fact that my baby is a Mrs!

Speaking of spending the other half wants a dual cab ute. Not sure we really need one, though he has got stuck in the paddock in our holden rodeo ute, single cab flat tray.

Had to take Angus to the vet today. He seemd to be troubled with a sore mouth on Thursday evening and it had not improved. Didnt take the vet long to move the offending piece of bone from his mouth. He was telling me what a well behaved dog Angus was and then Angus had to go and wee on the door to the surgery, something he would never do at home!


What a face! Cant help but love him :)




And Speaking of babies my little grand daughters are due to arrive any minute!



Ciao

Watch this space!

I am back! Will write soon to update what has been happening:

This includes a new greenhouse: Just erected anbd quite a few other things!

New chick hatched today so that was exciting with some more piping!

Am going to spend some time with my other half now but will update soon.

ciao