Crypt Stitch

18 days to go...

Yep, I know. It's been a while between drinks, hasn't it Dear Reader? Had a bit on my mind, and a lot on my to do list. But I feel like rambling just now, and I am pretty sure you will sit still long enough to listen to me.
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19 days to go, and counting. I am nervous, and excited, and anxious and overwhelmed and jumping up and down, all at once. It is exhausting being me. And we aren't even there yet.
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I am exercising. Always exercising. Or thinking about exercising. And it's not like I have become one of those sweet but misguided gym junkies who get high on the exercise. I am driven but loathing of the exercise. Mostly of the stairs. I hate stairs. And I know I have to do it to be ready, or an approximation of. I live at see level for goodness sake, and I am going to be climbing stairs, serious STAIRS, at over 4000 metres. Shit. So back to the stairs, and the consequent sweat and beetroot face and jelly legs. And yet somehow my arse is still big enough to have it's own atmosphere. Weird.
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Sewing? Yep, there has been none. Well not of any consequence. Why? See above. STAIRS. My sewing room is tidy and patiently awaits my return. I think I will re-do the sewing obsession thing when I come home, yule will only be 8 weeks away then. And I will have conquered the stairs on the Inca Trail by then, or have died trying.
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Lists. So many lists. Like stairs. Do you see a theme? Lists of things to buy, things to take, things to do before I go, things that need to be done while I'm away, things to ask my long suffering travel agent (she must roll her eyes when she sees yet another e-mail from me).
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Drizzle outside today, the most precipitation we have had in weeks. I am eyeing off my moon calendar to see when I can plant some veg.
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I will miss this little peanut while I'm gone - she'll turn 16 on Oct 13th
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Drooooool...

Hola! (See how well my Spanish is coming along?). Not really feeling 'it' at the moment, so posts are scarce - rare as hens teeth as they say. I've gone into hibernation mode. But I had to share this. I nearly wet my pants when I saw it. Now you can drool too!

Sigh.
Find the recipe here - yum!

And right now, I have trouble keeping this out of my head. I hope you like it too (isn't the fashion...awesome, and terrifying all at once?)

Fear not, Dear Reader, I will return post haste!

Birthday Shenanigans - Part Three: Grave Goods

For our final installment, Dear Reader, a trip to Kurri Kurri Cemetery.
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There were quite a lot of headstones depicting accidental colliery deaths, and at least three from deaths in the conflict in France in World War I - interesting. There were, however, no burials pre 1900 that I could find. We will have to go for a visit to Sydney or right into Newcastle, me thinks.
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A few random shots then?

I find the unmarked sites the most moving. I know that the majority of seemingly empty plots contain someone whose marker has long gone, but it is the ones that someone tried to ensure remained marked despite limited resources that speak volumes of love and remembrance.

And finally, I loved the way this headstone was set out - reminded me of advertising from that era (particularly, I thought of 'soap' for some reason. And ideas?)

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That, Dear Reader, concludes this pictorial edition of my Birthday Shenanigans! Now go do something useful.

Birthday Shenanigans - Part Two: Fungi and Assorted Accoutrements

Part Deaux. There was a lot of fungi. More than I remember noticing anywhere else before. But I could have also noticed more because my super powers are now kicking in. Happens when you turn 35, so I hear.
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But I have MORE than just fungi for you today. "What else do you have for us oh wise and beautiful Goddess?" I hear you ask? Well, quit pestering me and just scroll down for goodness sake.
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A thing of beauty

But where is the fungi, you ask? Patience, grasshopper.

Spot the bug, on it's looooong journey up or down...

A very important sign - good advise. Should also be displayed at shopping malls.

There were goth fungi, but my shot of them is not so great. Use your imagination a little on this one.

I didn't break it off for the shot. I found it this way. Honest.

Deep, dark rain forest...

And the grand finale?

Morning tea at the cafe. Warm scones with jam and cream. Look Mum, I tried the cream! Cause I am a big gal now.
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Had your fill of fungus? Good. Tomorrow, you and I shall have a grave affair...

Birthday Shenanigans - Part One: Grevillea

For my 35th Birthday (and yes, it does deserve a capital B) my brother and I visited the Hunter Botanical Gardens, and then Kurri Kurri Cemetery. Then I had a yummy dinner with the Family (again a capital F, but not because they are The Mob), followed by lots of giggles at Time Zone and the movies (Star Trek) with both of my Brothers. A good day, yes? And I got some fab pressies to boot. Want to see some pics? I hope so, since I'm not really giving you a choice.
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For todays installment: Grevilleas at the Botanic Gardens. I love their spidery flowers, and mostly forgive them their gaudy colours. (click to get super-duper large photos of awesomeness)
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Spot the ants!

Tiny gossamer spider webs.

Thorny ivy leaf, so pretty and spikey!

Autumn dew drops on lemon - looks edible.

Tiny bugs inside

Pink new growth in autumn - like a lot of our native trees and shrubs. And again the finest of spider silk.

This is, of course, a Banksia, not a Grevillea, but she deserved to be seen damn it.

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Wow. That was a lot of photos - not bad for my wee point and click camera! Despite the sunny disposition of the Banksia, all of these were taken on a grey and mostly miserable day - much as it has been for the last week or more. As soon as the sun shines again, I will try to take some half way descent photos of the new stuff for the shop. I'm not procrastinating. Really.
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Tomorrow, we shall explore the fascinating world of fungi. Yes, I am serious.

Cemetery Finds...

A few pics from an excursion to a couple of local cemeteries on the weekend. The oldest headstone we found was 1893 - a big reminder of how young this area is in terms of white settlement. I don't believe it morbid to want see the love expressed in honouring of family and friends - the effort in chiseling away someones statistics, a quote or two, and perhaps a rose or clasped hands or, in one case, a suspiciously dead looking bird. I so enjoyed the history of the cemeteries I visited in New Orleans - and how I would love to visit those in Europe. I'm sure there will be some interesting finds in South America...

Now I've just got to learn how to tart (or creep!) them up on Photoshop...I think I may go visit some older cemeteries in Newcastle for my birthday tomorrow (sounds like fun to me!)

A Pox on Ye!

I'm in a treasury! Woo hoo!

Course, I can't figure out how to post a pic OF the treasury here, so you will have to go look yourself. And hey, if you know HOW to post said pic, let me know won't ya?

The treasury expires on my birthday. That's a little weird right?

Flashback Friday

AckaDacka
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Being Australian, AC/DC will always hold a special place in my extraordinarily large heart, an awesome, endearing Australian rock band. Despite the fact they have lived in the US for most of my lifetime. In fact, AC/DC is really TWO bands, the Bon Scott AC/DC band, and the Brian can't-remember-his-last-name AC/DC band. And while Brian technically has been the lead singer for many, many moons longer than Bon, and though Brian spends a good deal of his stage time belting out tunes once screeched lovingly by Bon, and though I haven't done a tally but I'm pretty sure the Brian version have released about three times more albums than the Bon version...AC/DC will forever be all about Bon Scott for me. Despite the fact the man died when I was six, and Brian's raspy vocals on "You Shook Me All Night Long" seemed to play ad nauseam all through my high school career (as though it was our non-so-much-angsty-as-boozed-up youth-anthem). So Bon Scott themed tunes for you today, Dear Reader. Good Goddess what dags those men were. Can't blame it all on the 70's either I don't believe. Here are some of my favs, head bang and rock out with glee, Dear Reader...

It's Thursday already!

So I'm running around like a chook with its head cut off of late. I know it is coming on to winter, and therefore there are less 'light'hours, but I am starting to think that may hap someone has filched a couple of extra ACTUAL hours out of the standard issue 24. I'm just not sure where the time goes, and yes I have checked in all the usual places, and some un-usual ones too. I'm fairly sure I haven't developed narcolepsy, or some other obscure medical condition that may account for the lost time. And I'm confident we can check Aliens off the list (no recollection of any 'probing' in any case, ha ha). Did you know it is a mere 17 weeks until my epic journey? Shit.
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Any way, no time for anything more elaborate, here is a picture of a tree.
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(From a visit to Sydneys Botanic Gardens a  couple of years ago).
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Ahhhh...I love trees. Just looking at a picture (not a bad one even if I do say so myself) of a tree gives me a little zen-bliss-tickle. And yes, that is official terminology. Is it ok to want to be a tree when you grow up?
Flashback Friday tomorrow, Dear Reader, I promise.
Behave.

I'm back!

I'm back! Yep here I am, right here. Did you miss me Dear Reader? I wish I could say there was a great and dramatic happening that befell me to prevent my blathering on here, but alas, it is a mundane 'lack of steam' that was the culprit. Yes, I was steamless. But I am bursting with ideas anew, and will endeavour whole heartedly to converse with you more frequently, if only to appease the voices in my head. Yes, the voices. My leg is asleep, but Akasha is comfortable, and we all know that the happiness of the feline is of the utmost importance, so I shall type to you from askew, ignoring the knot forming in my neck from my awkward position.
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Went and saw the X-men Wolverine thingy this afternoon. Wow, Jackman and Reynolds, so drool worthy I came out of the cinema dehydrated. I confess to being a sometime arm-chair-stalker of Ryan Reynolds; yes, the majority of the voices and I agree we are destined to be together. DO NOT mention that Scarlett woman. Hideous. I will share with you a picture I had as my wallpaper for some time, Dear Reader, only because I have deemed you most worthy.

Good Goddess. Le sigh. Le purrrrr.
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Big days ahead, Dear Reader, there will be a BIG shop update (once I take some photos), a SALE (woo hoo!) and MY BIRTHDAY! Almost too much excitement to bare! And if I can figure out this Photoshop jigger I will be able to bring you fancy-pants banners exclaiming the excitement!
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Do your best to behave, won't you?