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.

More things about Me Meme: I can be scary too.

I've been tagged by Fairlie because I'm sure she wants me to share that I too can be scary about knowing EXACTLY what I was doing 10 years ago because I also had a detailed diary of my first child's life. Yes, I am a fully-fledged graduate of The Failed Mother's Club and could not settle my first born. See below for further gory details.

So you know the drill. I'll answer a few questions and you'll try to figure out if I'm a crackpot/axe murderer/yummy mummy/drill sergeant. If you're not interested you can leave now but before you go here's a pretty picture of Tuesday night's sunset:

Six Places I have lived

1. On a farm, in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, 50km from the nearest town. Population of the Shire was 2500. Bus ride to school took about 1 1/2 hours depending on how many kids needed to be collected
2. Boarding school in posh suburb of Perth. Was third generation to attend the school. My history teacher also taught my Mum! (she promised she'd resign if my daughter started there). Poor Blossom, if she ends up there they'll probably install a plaque.
   
3. At a residential college affiliated with the University of WA (with Fairlie and Firegazer).
   
4. In Shenton Park, WA (post Uni. Firegazer and I lived next door to The Poolboy, and then later, The Poolboy and Fairlie...are you picking up the connections now?)
   
5. Parkville and Armadale in Melbourne, Victoria
   
6. Lower North Shore, Sydney.
   

What I was doing 10 years ago:

I was a Corporate Chick living in Melbourne with an unsettled three week old baby, no family in the State and a husband whose job meant he was in Tasmania most of the time. I kept detailed diaries of Blossom's days...

Here is my diary entry from 10 years ago:

"Blossom unsettled. Had visitor and lots of phone calls. Feeling very frazzled today and tired. Maybe getting a cold. 9.30pm Firegazer saw Blossom smile for the first time. She has been smiling on and off for a couple of days but today she had really big smiles."

I could also tell you the exact times I fed her, for how long and the contents of her nappies, but I'll spare you.

Five things on my list to do today

1. Pay Bills (done)
2. Order soil for new Veggie Garden (done)
3. Speak with PL's Occupational Therapist (done)
4. Organise lifts for kids and other matters while Firegazer and I are away next week. (done)
5. Write up functions reports (done) and organise fundraising matters for upcoming Carnival. (half done)

Snacks I like to eat

Cheese platter with Blue cheese, Quince paste, olives

Pistachio nuts

Chocolate

If I was a Billionaire

Billionaires never seem very grounded so I have no desire to be one or to have that much money. If, however, I had a few extra dollars I would renovate my house, take the family skiing overseas, and buy a Brett Whitely, a Jeffrey Smart and convince the National Gallery of Victoria to sell me one of Fred Williams' Pilbara Series. Oh and, sure, I'd give some of it away (the money, not the art). Why not. Want some?

Bloggers I think should spill the beans:

Guera

Frogdancer

Cellobella

Tracey

Rob & Melinda (tandem posts please)

Mary

Unless you don't want to reveal. That's totally okay too.

Six Facts and a Fiction

I have been tagged by West Australian blogger Cellobella to reveal Six Facts and a Fiction about myself. It's supposed to be useful facts but I found that a bit hard. So here's the random facts version. It is up to you to decide which of the following points is in fact a fiction.

1. My middle name is the same as the first name of one of the Princesses of England. But it's spelt differently.
2. Two weeks ago I bought four current-season Quinces and successfully made Quince paste.
3. I am a keen SCUBA diver.
4. I studied French for eight years but can barely put together a sentence in that language.
5. I have one undergraduate degree, one masters and two further post-graduate diplomas making me a superbly qualified housefrau.
6. I've done a bungee-jump, and loved it.
7. I'm terrified of heights, and hate flying.
   
   

So, what's your guess? Which is the porky-pie?

Aged Blogger takes on 20-somethings Food Meme

Guera tagged me for this food meme which started at Smoky Mountain Breakdown. It's trying to get me to talk about that bloggy-hip notion of food porn. Whatever that means. Food is food to me. Do I bite? Read on to find out.

The Rules

Here are the rules. Answer each of the five questions. Tag five bloggers you would like to pass the meme to. Have them link back to you and to this post as the source meme. You and they can take the graphic from here if they like.

1. What food do you consider the best “date” food? In other words, what meal or food item do you think is sexiest to eat in the company of someone you would like to look sexy around?

I’m not sure if I’ve been on anything that resembles a “date”. I met my husband at the University college we were both living at and our first meal together was probably in the college dining room (steamed Swede and unidentified meat product), or perhaps it was a packet of Samboy BBQ Chips from the munchy machine. Or, since we couldn’t stand the college food it may have been a Chelsea Pizza (Hawaiian, with bacon, cooked twice).

Despite Firegazer once chucking a piece of pizza to me from the other end of a room (in 1986) I still married him, so I was pretty easy to please. Then. Now, I would want a meal at a restaurant with well put together food and attentive but un-fussy service.

2. What well-known person would you like to share a meal with—with or without clothing. (saying whether or not clothes are involved is optional).

Now this is getting tricky because I can’t remember ever fantasising about meeting, or eating-a-meal-with, any famous person. And if I did I would definitely prefer to be in the company of others because I’m shy. So, if I was holding a dinner party I wouldn’t mind at all if The Chaser team came along because I think they could be persuaded to be funny. Viggo Mortensen and David Tennant could tag along if they wanted. Oh, and I would be fully clothed. What sort of blogger do you take me for?

3. What does your perfect breakfast-in-bed look like? (Food AND the details, please. Candles? Music? Flowers? Hot tub? Dancing girls?)

What is this? A meme for 20-somethings? Date food? Candles? Forget the candles, music, flowers and hot tub. Just a cup of tea please. And a book. And no-one bothering me. It would be best if Firegazer would leave the tea and then take the children to the movies/park/zoo for a couple of hours.

4. What do you consider the best application of whipped cream to be?

Whipped Cream? I can see where you’re going but I am over-forty people and whipped cream is so last century. But a dollop of King Island Double Cream on mud cake/cheesecake/chocolate brownie or hot apple pie would be excellent.

5. Oh-God-No, Biff, the yacht is sinking! You are sent to the galley to retrieve the food. What luxury food items do you snatch first? The champagne? The caviar? Smoked Salmon? Truffles? Chocolate? Or something else?

If the yacht is sinking I am certainly NOT going DOWN into the galley. I’d leave that to the 20-somethings. I’d instruct them to bring me the milk chocolate and make it snappy.

OK, so now I need to tag 5 people. But I'm not much of a tagger, 'coz my list will end up 10 people long (like my first try) so if you if you want to have a go at this -do so.

Tagged for the "8 things about Me" Meme

Fairlie tagged me for the "8 random things about Me" Meme. I could just devote this blog to the concept of a Meme*, however that would divert me from the purpose of the tag, which brings me to thing No. 1:

1. I am easily distracted. Hence I am blogging (again) when I am supposed to be writing my final assignment. If Firegazer finds out I'll be in BIG trouble.
   
2. I grew up on a farm in Western Australia. I came to live in Sydney 3 years ago via Melbourne (8 years) and Perth (including living at boarding school and uni residential college).
   
3. When I was preparing for confirmation (at boarding school) the Bishop asked all of us what we thought Jesus wanted us to be when we grew up. All the other girls said "a priest"; I said "an Egyptologist". This was announced to the entire school at our confirmation.
   
4. I named my first pony "Luke Skywalker". My son is obsessed with all things Star Wars. Is this my fault?
   
5. I love gifts that show that the giver has thought deeply, and/or searched long for, but not necessarily spent much money. Hence I treasure (among other gifts) my copy of The Long Ships that was found in the collection of a Norwegian who was moving house; my copies of The Caves of Steel and The Stars Like Dust which Firegazer spent weeks finding and cost $3 each and Theft by Peter Carey (that's a long story which I'll relate another time). I also love Handbags - and I really don't mind at all if they're the expensive kind.
   
6. I am finishing off my final assignment for a linguistics degree. I waited for 10 years to get the opportunity to study Linguistics.
   
7. I fear flying and worked in a job that required me to fly often, in small aircraft, across terrain with high levels of thermal activity...
   
8. Getting a cup of tea in bed on a Sunday morning will make me happy all day.

As there are no bloggers left who haven't been tagged I tag: The No. 1 Melbourne Ladies Bookclub and Books & Gossip. Eight random things about the clubs ladies!

*Meme: n. A unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another. (source: dictionary.com)

A blog meme is a type of Internet meme that requires active participation by the blogger and rarely traces back to an originating source. It's often a series of questions that a blogger answers to share some personal perspective or experience on random topics. (source: Quixtar)