What will they think of next?

The old... Tape Measure Belt.

Hmmm...
Can't say this is a winner with me at all.

This is my favourite book... actually I just couldn't stop at one...

I deliberated for some time over which of my 'favourite' books to include on this weeks "This is" meme. Sorry guys - I couldn't restrict it to JUST ONE. I tried... really I did. But finally I decided on three... It was a tough call and I have so many more I could have included... How could I not include "The power of One" or "The Alchemist"? And I feel almost guilty for omitting "The Book Thief" and "The Orange Girl". But here they are... just three. It is an odd collection, but all worthy of a mention.

The Man Who Planted Trees is one of my favourite stories because it is such a beautiful and universal tale. It is a story I have read a number of times now, and have given to friends and family as gifts. A link to the entire story can be found here so you too can enjoy it's magic.

Gone With The Wind is the book I read when I SHOULD have been studying for my HSC exams. You may well laugh! It is corny and melodramatic and an epic I could not put down once I had started. Afterall, how could I resist the charms of Rhett Butler and the unbreakable determination of Scarlett O'Hara. It was far more interesting than biology and Maths!

The Tattooed Flower is a recent addition to my Favourites, and I am adding it in the hope it will inspire you to track it down. It is written by a Melbourne woman (Suzy Zail) about her dying father and his experiences as a child of the Holocaust. I cried in the first pages and again in the last, and in between, it regularly took my breath away at the incredible story of survival against the odds. It is definitely worth a read.

Here is part of a review from Scribe Publications... "The Tattooed Flower is the tender and illuminating story of how a father and daughter choose to spend their last years together: Suzy discovering her father’s past as a child of the Holocaust; and her father teaching his family, by example, how to live well, love fully, and die without fear or regret.

The Tattooed Flower finds hope, love, and beauty in the saddest of places. This is a remarkable, compelling book about life’s lessons, and how one man can leave a mark and make a difference."

The subject for this weeks "This is..." was bought to you by Dees at DaisyinLaLaLand.
The "This is..." meme started by the very creative Angela of Three Buttons fame.

I am almost too scared to read everyone else's posts as I just know it will only add to the pile of books already waiting to be read. But how can I resist? Wish me luck!

What will they think of next...

I love this...
It could certainly solve a few arguments at our place!

Ever wonder if you are doing the wrong job?

Sorry for my lack of blogging recently. I have been busy (haven't we all). Amongst other things we have had a house guest for the last week. He has kept himself pretty busy for the most part and we have spent some time together too so it has been a good balance. Due to lack of space, our studio/office is also the guest bedroom and therefore access (and time) has been limited.

I have now missed two "This is" meme's and I am also wanting to catch up on my blogging and other blogger news too. Maybe I will be able to sneak some in this week at work, but right now, it's not looking too promising! Hopefully by about mid-week, I will be up and posting again.

I am at work for the next 3 days and when I arrived this morning the job rack is full and it looks like it will be a busy few days here. I often wonder if I am doing the wrong job... Hopefully change 'is a comin!'

Have a great day.

Ever wonder if you are doing the wrong job?

Banksy

I was catching up on some regular blogs last night and came across a post by Brooke at Boobooksausagedogs. It reminded me I had been intending to post about the very same artist for a while now. On the first day of my arts course we went exploring some of Melbourne's galleries and was introduced to Banksy's work (in the street not in a gallery). I had taken a photo of his graffiti in Melbourne and was going to post it - so at last - here it is.

Keeping his identity a closely guarded secret, the graffiti artist Banksy has made a name for himself with provocative images stenciled around the streets of London. This British street artist with an international reputation has also left his mark in a narrow Melbourne laneway... It's near a corner of a small alleyway just off Flinders Lane, between Degreaves and Swanston Streets.


Funny thing is, it has been valued at $400,000 due to the artist's notoriety! Melbourne council, in it's wisdom, have decided to cover (protect) the artwork (due to it's rumoured value) with a piece of perspex. Hmmm. This is totally against the intentions of the artist, and it is likely will do little to protect the original, but rather be the perfect surface for Melbourne graffiti artists to comment on the councils intellect.

I thought the Banksy website was interesting and I liked a lot of his work. It's worth a look if you are interested. There is a range of images of indoor and outdoor work and some films too. He even has a shop!

"Everything in the shop is free, simply download the file and process the artwork. This shop is for personal amusement only. Please don't use it to start a business. Thanks."

Paint your own Matryoshas...

As promised I contacted Vera who I bought the Paint your own Matryoshas Russian nesting dolls from on Ebay. She has more and can be contacted via Ebay. Her Ebay ID is: muitasovelhas.

If you click on this link you will go to her listing... good luck. I bought one set and then contacted her to ask for two and the postage was the same.

Also Lilli Boo was googling and found this link to the "Matryoshka Store" that sells them online. You might want to check prices, I think the ones I got were slightly cheaper, but definitely worth a look! There is also a shop in one of the arcades (Block Arcade) in Melbourne that sells them! Thanks for the suggestions Lilli Boo!

My Mum is amazing...

My Mum is amazing...
She turned 68 on Sunday and she rose at her regular time of 7am, dressed and then walked the short distance to the local beach and went swimming. It was only 9 degrees. It is a daily routine in Summer and she generally continues well into April when it eventually gets too cold. As she swam, I went for a walk and met her as she emerged smiling and pink from the cold and the glow of the rising sun.

My Mum is amazing...
She has raised 3 brilliant children (all now in their 40's) and loves them all despite the fact none of them have produced any Grandchildren. She has an oak trunk full of hand knitted goodies ready and waiting for gifting to friends and family with new babies.

My Mum is amazing...
She cooks an incredible traditional Christmas dinner which has been enjoyed across the years by extended family and friends from all corners of the globe. Her Christmas pudding is impossible to stop at one helping.

My Mum is amazing...
She understands the importance of silence without the need for conversation.

My Mum is amazing...
She is an extensive reader. Of course this often makes it a bit tricky to buy her books as gifts, but she always has a book at hand to recommend and a pile more at her bedside waiting to be read.

My Mum is amazing...
She has a wicked sense of fun and likes playing jokes. When she was visiting me in London once, I returned home from work on Halloween night, to find a burning jack-o-lantern in our darkened room and her draped in a sheet, waving her arms, and making ghost noises in the corner. I was in my late 20's at the time, but boy did we laugh!

My Mum is amazing...
Last year Mum was instrumental in helping 2 local elderly ladies escape the constraints of a greedy niece who was intent on locking them into a nursing home and selling their home in their absence. After a rather lengthy and stressful battle, their home is now safe and they have now returned to live in peace in their own space. With the support of Mum and a few local women who visit them daily, they will hopefully stay there for some time to come.

My Mum is amazing...
At 68, she loves a round of golf, cooks a wicked roast dinner, is a tough scrabble opponent and is a cryptic crossword guru. She always greets me with a hug and a smile and enjoys the company of a large group of friends. On Sunday she turned 68 and yet I know she still feels like she's in her 40's. No wonder we are such good friends!

Happy Birthday Mum. I love you, and just in case you didn't know, I think you're amazing.

This is my jewellery box...

This was a birthday gift when I was living in London. It has a mirror on the inside of the lid and is lined with dark red velvet. I have always been a silver person as opposed to gold and so this was the perfect gift. As a result, most of my jewelry is also silver.

The subject for this weeks "This is..." was bought to you by Anastasia.
The "This is..." meme started by the very creative Angela of Three Buttons fame.

Paint your own matryoshas Russian nesting dolls...

As you have all been asking, I bought the matryoshas dolls on EBAY. I have emailed the seller to see if she has more and if I can post her details. Stay tuned.

IKEA Madness...

We went to IKEA yesterday.

Madness. Pure utter madness. All of it. The store was filled with all the husbands and wives, mothers-in-law, children, babes in arms, couples and pensioners of Melbourne. If you live in the state of Victoria, I expect you may well have been there too. All carrying their bargains, all pushing loaded trolleys. All eyes glazed. Total madness.

Why did we go? I seem to remember a rush of blood to the head in the midst of a big clear-out and re-organise session. Necessity apparently. It couldn't wait apparently. It was a Wednesday and IKEA was intended to be a quick in and out shopping experience. Had I REMEMBERED it was school holidays I would have reconsidered. Seriously.

I live within 10 minutes of this furniture fun-park and generally I avoid it at all times of high traffic. I restrict any browsing to late shopping on a Thursday night. Generally there's me, the shelf stockers, a handful of couples and NO, I repeat NO, families. I kid you not people. THIS is the time to shop at IKEA. This is the time to avoid the queues at the cashier and the elbowed frenzy in the bargain centre. THIS is the time to avoid the madness. THIS is the time to browse without risk of pram damaged ankles, of deafness by shrieking child and Grannies taking too long in the bathrooms.

Now before you get upset all you bloggers with kids (and Grannies), I love kids and Grannies. Really I do. I just prefer not to have to tackle the hell of shopping with any that aren't related (and most of them too)!

And SO. Nearly one and a half hours after our arrival we made our escape. One shelving unit was our only purchase (I know, I know, I can barely believe it myself!) Today it will be delivered (it wouldn't fit in the Mini) and then comes the assembly. I have an allen key at the ready. Wish me luck.

To their credit, IKEA has it all. Did you know they make cars now too!

And they even supply the tools to assemble it! Gotta love that!