What did I get for Christmas?

a stand to hang bananas on

 amongst my presents were:

a florentine tray to put my tea set on

a quilting jigsaw

a spoon that weighs

and a dress up Elvis

It just goes to show that when you have a variety of interests, you will get a variety of presents!!!!


We had a quiet christmas at home with flossntossntom - and that really was the best present of all!

bit of a nicole ritchie pose there floss! 

Bullies

I am very upset.  I came home yesterday afternoon and found two lkarge digging machines roaring around on the building site next door.  The owner builder, Mark was also there doing things with his spade.  As I walked in my gate I gave him a bit of a wave but he turned his back on me and walked away.

I then looked at what used to by my garden beside the dividing space between our two properties....... this used to be a hedge that I have planted and nurtured in order to have something green to block the concrete outlook.  it is now a lot of broken plants!
When the diggers eventually stopped their horrendous noise, I went out and called Mark over - I said that at least he could have told me what he was planning to do and that he could have been a bit more courteous.  His reply was to stride across to the fence line yelling at me and, when he got within reach, he took off his gloves and shook his fist in my face as though he wanted to hit me!  He then told me that he knew I was the one who had rung the council about him taking down the tree. 

It then went from bad to worse with him cursing me for everything that had happened since he bought the property.  It seems as though my neighbour over the back is his enemy as well at another neighbour a few doors down!  The only person who is apparently alright is his adjoining neighbour on the other side who he describes as a nice old lady - in fact, she is scared of him and is just putting up with it in the hope it will stop.
He is a bully who isn't good with words and appears to have a large inferiority comples so the only way he can get his message through is to yell and offer violence.
I felt last night as if my very existence had been threatened by the shouting - this is my home and used to be my safe haven after work.  That has now been violated.  I have told Mark that if he EVER threatens me again, I will take it further.

view frrom the good side

My neighbour is trying to finish his house an move in by Christmas.  There's another scaffold up now which is a bit of a worry as the last time he had scaffold, it fell down on my side of the fence.  The impact of his monument is plane in these photos of the views from my west windows!
Above is the view from my kitchen window - at least my tree is there!  On the right is what I can see out of the family room window!

Christmas is coming

I can't believe it - early december and I actually have a christmas tree AND lights up!  The reindeer are out looking for some decorations and hoping they will get to see their sisters soon.

nice china

I have recently had a friend staying with me while she had some renovations done.  She gave me a Wedgewood tea set to say thanks - tea really does taste better out of lovely fine china!

Friends

I have been giving some thought to what friends really are.  Are they people you meet and like for a while (until they either don't like you or you don't like them) or are they a mixture of the assortment of people you meet and like in a lifetime.  Once a friend, always a friend is the solution I have arrived at.
Each friend fits into a special place - some may have been close for only a short time but are still remembered, whilst others stay with you for the rest of your life - sometimes playing a major role in your life and at others just being there somewhere, ready to come out when the moment comes.

This weekend I met up with some friends that I have not seen for about 38 years!  We all shared some time in another world in the early 70's and have since then gone on our own paths.  Two of them were really good friends and I was amazed to find that they were still as I expected and still part of my life.  Our profiles are still the same (maybe a bit larger) and the grey hair and wrinkles are definitely there but the feeling of comfort in being with them is the major thing.  Ten of us met up for drinks, dinner and lunch the next day.  We didn't try to catch up and tell everyone what we had been doing for the past lifetime - rather, we just slipped back into the friendship routine - some teasing and some serious talking, general touching and happy conversation.

A stolen day

I went to Sydney last week to meet up with some old friends and by mistake I booked my flight to arrive a day earlier than they were due.  Decided not to change it but to see it as a sign that I could have a special day all to myself in Sydney!  I arrived down there about 11am and caught the train into the city.  It was very easy - just go in the lift from the airport and arrive on the platform.  Unfortunately the station I got off at did not have a lift but I only had a small case to haul up the stairs......after carting 20kgs around Europe a couple of years ago and encountering some very steep stairs, I am learning!!  At least in Italy, there were chivalrous gentlemen around to help, whereas I think your standard Aussie is not quite so helpful!
I stayed at the Castlereagh Boutique Hotel which is right in the centre of the shopping part of town - it's also the Masonic Club - all a bit quaint and not a lot of space in my single room but all I needed.  There is a multi story building going up next door and I wsas pleased not to be given a room on that side.
Lovely afternoon shopping - bought a few essentials and then went to Aveda and had a neck and shoulder massage with some wonderful herbal lotion, followed by a cup of herbal tea, a shampoo, haircut and blowdry!  All very nice, except that they insisted on straightening my unruly hair which makes my head look a bit strange.  For years, people have known me by my full head of hair.

In the evening, I got the bus to central quay and then walked to the Opera House where I had dinner in an outdoor cafe and then enjoyed Shakespeare's Twelfth night.  It was very funny and well done - set in a modern setting with homeless people and a large mound of abandoned clothing.  Walked home and fell into bed exhausted by happy at midnight when I slept like a log for 7 hours for the first time in about 4 years!

garden's doing it right

 it might look as though I'm obsessed by my garden which is not the case.  However, I am delighted to see that after the first year with a decent rainfall in about 8 years, it is now looking like I expected to when I planted it. 

 The hedges have hedged and the little trees are growing.  the day lillies that I thought had all died have suddenly sprung to life and are looking wonderful.

 I actually had to go out and fill the birdbath up this afternoon so I hope we get some more rain soon.

Gardenia perfume

I have two gardenia hedges in flower at the moment - both different types of gardenias but each with a beautiful perfume. This one has sort of star shaped flowers and looks so healthy.  I went for a walk this morning at Kalinga Park  There were signs of recent flooding there with debris caught on trees at the height of the path.  Otherwise it was just as always with the smell of barbqs and boys in the creek finding tadpoles.
When I got back home I had a swim...........

 the house next door continues to grow and is certainly taking away a lot of light from my dining room.  At least the bricks have been rendered.......  Can you see the "portico"?  they must be rich!!!!!

visiting friends

I recently caught up with some of the girls I went to school with.  There's no point in going to reunions at school as the only people I liked there were the ones I have kept in contact.  I really have little interest in finding out what happened to the others (I'm sure they feel the same).  Here we are, looking like nearly 50 years has gone by but still looking happy!  Tall ones in the back, short in the front - never grown up!

We are very lucky to all still have our health and happiness and I hope that we can all be standing around having our photos taken when we're 80

Spring

My little garden is looking wonderful and there are lots of volunteer vegetables providing me with delicious things to eat. The flowers are lovely too and my gardenia hedge and jasmine arch smell beautifully sweet.

A friend has just been over to see me and we sat on the verandah having tea and smelling the sweetness.

Visits

I have recently returned from a trip to Melbourne to see my daughters and to Tasmania to see some very old and close friends.  Both my daughters have nice flats and are settling into Melbourne life.  We enjoyed some good dinners and talks although the weather was not really very welcoming.  I had my folding umbrella confiscated at the airport (I can't imagine what I could have done with it on the plane) and so I had to buy another one.
My friends in Tasmania have a helicopter and we flew up to another friends farm for lunch.  Here we are about to leave .....and here is a shot of their housefrom the helicopter window .

Annabel's garden was looking magnificent in the beautiful spring weather.. - Even Amelia's sheep dog had had a shampoo for spring.

rain and it's effects

Brisbane has had 100 mils of rain in the last 24 hours.  Good for the garden.  Last night I was watching the news on tv when I heard a crash and a rumble.  It was very dark and once I had ascertained it was nothing inside the house with me I went on with my evening. 

This morning I went to pick some mulberrys for my breakfast 

(don't they look nice) and when I looked down the side of the house, I saw that the scaffold for the house next door had sunk and

tipped a whole load of bricks onto my lillies and agapanthus!!  The builder had neglected to tell the brick layer that the land had been filled!!

the house next door

the house next door is getting bigger and bigger.  yesterday I came home and found they are now laying bricks.  this neighbourhood has old colonial queensland houses and for some unknown reason, the local council is allowing a "stranger" to be built in our midst.

Anyway, spring has really sprung and the rain that we have had has made the garden very pretty.  I'm even eating my own mulberrys.  My front garden is in the shape of a patchwork.  I originally thought I would have a low hedge and no trees but cars parked all over the street and the loss of trees to make way for my neighbour's new house has changed all that!

visit from a friend

yesterday a friend came for lunch.  we had travelled to India last year and enoyed reminiscing about the travel, the people and the textiles.  It seems a shame that the Commonwealth games athletes aren't supposed to go out of their village to enjoy what delhi has to offer.  I took this photo at a market in Delhi in Nov 09 - how colourful can you get.

new toy

this is my latest toy - i seem to have spent a large part of the weekend playing with it and trying to get it set up to do all the things it can do.  I now have pictures on it, the australian and it collects my email.  the next things to work out are how to connect the keyboard and put my contacts and appointments on it.

sorting out

today is the start of the clean up  - sorting out books to take to the community bookshop

home for a few days

I have had to stay home for a few days due to an infection and have had some time to look at what's going on in my garden \.  even the simple nastursiums make you feel happy and the lovely red lillies make me smile. 

In some way they make up for my new neighbour who is building the biggest house he can fit onto his block which is seriously interfering with my light!  If I thought he was doing it for the pleasure of his family I wouldn't mind but there's no doubt - he's an owner builder and is building something he hopes to sell for a lot of money.  It's amazing really how little it takes to change the face of a neighbourhood!

calmness

this is the view from my rented unit at noosa - how can you not relax with that?

and, best of all, there were some ubiquitous palm trees.  Whenever I see a palm tree, I think good thoughts!

end of a nice week

This week I worked on Monday - drove down to a coastal court and back and then went home and packed and drove up to Noosa for a few days of sun and beach.  I had a lovely unit with a deck off the living room with a family of friendly ducks quacking each morning.  I caught up with some old friends from Melbourne - it is so relaxing to spend time with those people you have known and loved for more than 40 years - nothing needs explaining and we all enjoyed each other's company.
One of my daughters has been visiting from Melbourne this weekend and I loved having her here.