28 Hours to Go

With 28 hours to go many have already put down their tarpaulins to save a space.

The tents are up for those keen to ensure their spot isn't nabbed in the night.

And a few groups look like they're settling in for the long haul.

All for this view of the fireworks over Sydney harbour tomorrow night.

We have a casual BBQ at our place and will either walk down to watch the fireworks or catch them from our upstairs windows.

Wherever you are, have a great night and an even greater start to the New Year!

The EasternMax Olympic Cycling Tour

Just before Christmas there was some speculation about what Santa was bringing when these were found installed on the Volvo.

Sure enough, good old Santa came through with a bike for each of us.

Over the last couple of days we've had fun exploring the 35km of bike trails at Sydney Olympic Park. This is a great way to see the Olympic site as well as the old athlete's village (now the suburb of Newington) and the surrounding parks.

There's nothing like a two-hour bike ride to make you feel like you deserve another piece of Christmas pudding.

I hope everyone's had a great Christmas and Boxing Day. Now, the countdown to NYE - a big event here in our part of Sydney.

Merry Christmas everyone!

We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Good tidings we bring to you and your kin;
Good tidings for Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Oh, bring us a figgy pudding*;
Oh, bring us a figgy pudding;
Oh, bring us a figgy pudding and a cup of good cheer

We won't go until we get some;
We won't go until we get some;
We won't go until we get some, so bring some out here

We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas;
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The EasternMax clan wishes you and your kin some figgy pudding and a cup of good cheer

and

a very Merry Christmas!

*not to be confused with a "friggin' pudding" :)

Super Soaked

Today the kids bought these with their pocket money.

Trouble is, one of them got into the hands of the enemy.

And he showed no mercy.

Heavy Duty Holly Handiwork

We have a variegated Holly bush in our yard. Last year Blossom, inspired by her favourite TV show, thought it would be fun to create a Christmas wreath out of it for our front door. This morning Blossom announced that she would really really like to make another one this year.

By she she really means me.

Holly handling requires this sort of equipment. Heavy duty gloves are a must.

We re-used the wire frame Firegazer made last year from bendy wire. Much Holly was attached in a random way using small pieces of bendy wire. Then Blossom donned the gloves and applied the finishing touches (bits of red ribbon and shiny stuff recycled from last year).

Ta da! A wreath.

Now I'm off to stick band-aids on my fingers.

Oh the trouble I went to to bring you this post

Alternative title: How much you can cram into a day when really motivated

Yesterday morning when I looked at my diary I noted that I was to meet up for coffee with a friend I hadn't seen in ages but then I was free to do little bits and pieces for the end.of.term and next.week's.big.hoo.ha

Then I picked up my phone messages to hear that a meeting I was waiting to come through sometime in late January had come through at 11am the.next.day.please. Fine. I can do that.

Later that evening I went upstairs to bed and found when I tried to turn the computer off that the monitor was blank. Completely dead monitor. Great.

It was then I realised that I could go without a washing machine, I could go without a fridge (I'm talking for a day, not forever) and I could go without my car, but there was no way I could survive half a day without my computer. And a computer is useless without its monitor.

How could I talk to you all?

Decisive action was required.

This morning I rang Samsung and found, happily, that the monitor was still under warranty. They were only too pleased to help. A new monitor would be on its way in three days, four days tops.

No.

Three or Four days? I was hoping minutes.

Excuse me Mr Samsung but this is an emergency (I bet they've never heard that before). You must understand my monitor is very important to me. What can I do to get it sooner? I am prepared to drive to wherever to pick it up.

So that is how I found myself driving an hour and back, in Christmas traffic, on the almost.at.a.standstill M5 to a suburb I have never heard of to pick up a new monitor.

Just so I could write this post. For you.

I hope you all feel loved.

Borne Fruit

Look what my garden produced.

Just the one fully ripe one so far but there are many more to come. As long as the slugs don't get to them first.

Here it is in a salad.

So proud.

The week that ended well

While last week started so heavily, mourning the loss of a friend, it ended well with a lot to smile about.

I loved seeing the kids' term science projects on display. Blossom's straw bridge she designed and constructed with her friend took out the Best Design prize. PL's term project was to build a water tower out of as few pieces of A4 paper as possible. The tower had to support a full water balloon. PL's team built one out of four pieces.

I loved watching the Year 1 & 2 end of year concert. PL's class showed everything they had learnt about The Netherlands this term via two dances. What's not to love about 24 year twos performing a clog dance!

We were proud of Blossom as she received the class award for Outstanding Progress at Presentation Day.

I never tire of the inside of the Sydney Opera House. It takes my breath away every time. We saw the most fabulous production of the ballet "Manon" here on Saturday afternoon.

And I finally posted my Christmas cards.

A tortuous moment before dawn

Today I went to the funeral of a friend who fell victim to the current financial crisis.

You and I know that money doesn't matter.

He knew that money doesn't matter.

He was a level-headed gentle family man who worked part-time, by choice, and who was involved in every aspect of his four children's lives.

The demons of the market screwed with his portfolio and the demons of the night screwed with his brain. In a tortuous moment before dawn a week ago he decided that his family would be better off without him.

Today the Minister said it right. We will not talk of celebrating a life, or of God needing him more than us because that is complete and utter rubbish. We needed him here.

RIP

The (unedited) contents of my handbag: A Meme

Fe tagged me to reveal the contents of my handbag. Unlike the Glomesh adverts of the 1980s the contents had to be unedited.

I rotate between four or five handbags the most common being this cream one and a black one. Rotation means that the bags rarely get filled with major crap. The above pic represents yesterday's contents:

Socks (for Pilates, so lower north shore of me)
Glasses case (minus the glasses, I'm always leaving them in the bathroom or beside my bed)
iPod (you just never know when you need to listen)
camera (always, always in my bag)
purse
Padawan Learner's wallet (we went to spend pocket money yesterday arvo)
Blossom's purse (see above)
Pages & Pages book voucher ($5.03 remaining, PL's birthday gift from August he was trying to redeem yesterday)
Lipstick brush
Pages & Pages empty paper bag
Lippy
Mobile Phone
Supermarket shopping list
Scrunched up receipt from said shopping expedition.
Sundry bits of dust and crumb-like pieces from who.knows.where

Usually I would have a book or a notebook in there, but yesterday book reading wasn't on the cards and the kids wallets are heavy with coin so I had to lighten the load. Also, no keys in there as keys are always hanging in a set place in the kitchen so I can't lose them. And no sunnies, because they are nearly always on my face/top of my head.

So, who's ready to reveal the contents of their bag? Hmm? Whose bag do I want to see...

I tag:

Mary
Stomper
H&B
Tracey
Stacey

and anyone else who wants to join in. I tags youse all.

[gen x] damn right we're right, and we told you so too

Look what arrived in the mail on Friday - one of Le's t-shirts*. Love it. Have worn it all weekend. It makes it easy to tell who all the non-gen x-ers are because they just don't see the humour. In fact I think, Le, you need to add one more gen x t-shirt to the list:

[gen x]
we told you so

After all, apart from those war babies of the 1930s and 40s we are the ones who've spent our formative years surviving the previous financial downturn (don't make me say credit crunch). We know how to survive crappy entry-level jobs our apprenticeships making tea, running errands and doing photocopies. And we love to stand around at parties telling everyone we saw it coming.

Not that I have been, of course. I'm preferring to take the head.in.the.sand fingers.in.ears la la la la la approach. :)

*I know you want one, buy one here.

PS. No offence to the Boomers and Whiners. I loves youse all.

Friday Flashback: 80s...the taffeta period

So Le from Third on the Right suggested we have a Flashback Friday with an 80s theme. I've already given you a sneak peak at my 1980s but I hadn't shown you my Taffeta Period.

From 1985-1987 I lived in a university residential college where a highlight on our busy social calendar was the annual ball. I got pretty excited about going to these things and went all out: new dress, big hair, new makeup and always black stockings and black shoes.

I thought I had survived the 80s without resorting to white shoes but I was wrong there are photos of me in white court shoes. But, proudly, I declare that I never wore white court shoes and white stockings with a ball dress.

College ball, 1985 (17 1/2 years)

College ball, 1987 (19 1/2 years)

- actually, look I'd developed some taste and ditched the black stockings!

You'd be disappointed with the 1986 photo so I didn't put it in. No big hair, no taffeta, just a simple black dress (it did have shoulder pads 'though).

I have kept both of these dresses, although the green one was converted to a (short) skirt to wear to a ball in the 1990s (with a black velvet fitted jacket - remember that trend?). Oh, and I'm a loyal customer - my wedding dress in 1993 was made by the same place that made both of these 1980s creations.

And, in case you're wondering, that's Firegazer I've cropped out of the photos. He's shy.

"Thousands of lights were burning on the green branches..."

“Thousands of lights were burning on the green branches, and gaily-colored pictures, such as she had seen in the shop-windows, looked down upon her. The little maiden stretched out her hands towards them when--the match went out. The lights of the Christmas tree rose higher and higher, she saw them now as stars in heaven . . .” Hans Christian Andersen

We usually set up our tree on December 1, however this year after some discussion the kids agreed to set up the tree on November 30 so that daddy could be there to help. I think this is the first year that I haven't directed the placement of the baubles - that was done by the kids, as it should be. I am now the house Christmas photographer. The official tree-trimming night is accompanied by loudly-played Christmas music.

We have owned this [clearly fake] tree since Blossom was a baby and each year we choose a new bauble each, often from the David Jones Christmas Shop. Apart from those that have been given to us this tree represents 10 years of bauble-buying. I love the eclectic mix and buying the baubles slowly means that each one is beautiful and has some meaning to each of us.

Once, pre-kids, we went to a tree-trimming party where the invited children decorated the host family's tree from a large box of baubles. I love the idea of this but shudder at the reality of fifteen children grabbing baubles and fighting for a space on the tree. It was, however, a great night that the invited kids really loved.

I'm happy with our simple ritual and love the look of the tree sitting with its lights twinkling between the lounge and dining room.

Do you have a tree-trimming ritual?

She's Fairlie Forty

My fabulous friend, and partner in many crimes, Fairlie is Forty today. Hard to believe, but true. I'll be hopping on a flight in a couple of hours to wish her happy birthday in person.

"35 is a very attractive age. London society is full of women of the very highest birth who have, of their own free-choice, remained 35 for years."

Oscar Wilde

Fairlie, no-one need ever know (except anyone in cyberspace who has read this).

I say you should claim to be 35 for ever.

Happy 40th Birthday!

See you later today...


Love, M

PS. everyone, pop over and visit Fairlie at fairliearoundthetraps.blogspot.com today
to spread the birthday cheer!

Andre from the Wet Seats

A friend of mine is a devoted fan of Andre Rieu. Last year, when she was looking for a friend to go to the concert with, I said okay to buying the $385 ticket because I knew how much this meant to her and couldn't let her go by herself.

Better be good seats, I said.

Well my friend employed her usual tenacity of purpose with the powers.that.be at Ovation to ensure that we did indeed have good seats. Row M to be exact. How fitting.

It has been raining on and off in Sydney for the last week and on Saturday morning it was looking dodgy for an open-air stadium concert. Then my friend texted me:

Radio said no rain pm, thank God.

Despite these assurances I donned my boots, wore long sleeves and packed two rain ponchos.

[the first big downpour]

Good thing I did. The rain held off until after we had checked out our seats and then it came down with a vengeance. There was talk of the concert being postponed. But we took our seats, dressed in our rain ponchos, for a prompt 8pm start. The rain continued for 15 or so minutes and then stopped.

[filing in for the start, my friend assuring me that her lovely suede shoes had been waterproofed...]

The set for this concert was amazing. It was a replica of Schonbrun Palace in Vienna and was set up at the Olympic stadium lengthwise with seating for 30,000 people in front. There was room for the orchestra, two ice rinks and a replica Viennese ballroom. Next to the set were two operational fountains. Cameras were encouraged and security staff were taking photos of groups.

[the set and views from our seats]

This event is a celebration of popular classics in a concert environment. High Brow music snobs would be horrified. And, despite my own reservations, I really enjoyed the whole thing. We heard beautifully played music, watched ice-skaters, saw the Viennese Debutantes perform waltzes, saw a small ballet, listened to fabulous soprano and tenor voices and were entertained by a mass bagpipe extravaganza. Couples waltzed in the aisles. Certainly a bit different from the restraint of the Opera House.

[view from the 'mosh pit']

My friend told me that for the last 20 minutes it is de rigeur to rush down to the front and generally ogle Andre and his orchestra. So we did. It was a mosh pit for oldies in rain ponchos, and us. At that point it started to pour with rain again but the crowd didn't care at all.

As we were leaving we overheard one man say he will never go to an outdoor concert again. Bah Humbug we said, if a concert is worth going to it's worth going to in the rain.

The good ole days when a girl would not expect her pony to follow her over the jumps

Earlier this week a little package arrived in the mail for the kids from their Grandpa.

These are the Thelwell cartoon books I used to read as a child. I think they were originally at my grandmother's house. They are, in any case, well thumbed and were the source of much mirth to me as a child. I suspect these are not so funny if you (a) have never owned a horse and/or (b) know nothing of the English brand of 'horsiness'.

You see, while not a great horsewoman by any sense, I did once own one of these ponies. His name was Luke Skywalker and he was a trifle wide in the barrel. He would puff out his tummy when I did up the girth and was terribly amused when the saddle, and me with it, slid off him during a ride.

I never did have much control over this animal. He being more interested in food than taking me for a ride.

And as for showjumping...well, lets just say that Luke and I were the entertainment at pony club as he would canter up to a jump, screech to a halt and send me careering between his ears over the jump. By myself.

Love these little books. And now my kids are getting a laugh out of them too. Thanks Dad!

La Bayadere

Last night Blossom's ballet school held their concert. It's a showcase of ballet, Jazz and Contemporary from grades K-12. The day is a marathon effort. We arrived at the theatre at 1.30pm (I was on hair duty), the show went on at 6.30pm and we finally arrived home at 10pm.

This year's ballet was La Bayadere - a ballet that is spookily, given very recent events, set in India. The production was very Bollywood in parts. This year's production was big on technique and really showcased the vocational students well. Blossom's class played harem dancers.

Special credit must go to Padawan Learner. He woke up with a fever yesterday so I had to take him to the theatre with me rather than send him to school and afterschool care. He was fabulous sitting there for five hours while I did hair and another three hours through the performance. He didn't complain once despite the frilly, mostly girly, surrounds and despite not feeling the best.

So, that's it. Ballet is over for another year. We have our Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays back again. Yay, slow starts on Saturdays...