The Secret Scripture

We've just chosen our May Bookgroup book and it sounds fascinating...



Nearing her one-hundredth birthday, Roseanne McNulty faces an uncertain future, as the Roscommon Regional Mental hospital where she's spent the best part of her adult life, prepares for closure. Over the weeks leading up to this upheaval, she talks often with her psychiatrist Dr Grene, and their relationship intensifies and complicates. Told through their respective journals, the story that emerges is at once shocking and deeply beautiful. Refracted through the haze of memory and retelling, Roseanne's story becomes an alternative, secret history of Ireland's changing character and the story of a life blighted by terrible mistreatment and ignorance, and yet marked still by love and passion and hope.

Bath Time

Yum - or not!

Moondoggie and I have just made cup cakes to his instructions! Luckily the base is a Coles Butter Cake Mix so at least they are basically edible, I just don't know to what degree.

He informed me that we were going to shove marshmallows in the centre of each one and then add more cake mix. This was good in theory but during the cooking process these delightful mallows started to bubble up out of the mixture and dribble down the sides of the tray!! (I am dreading to think how I am going to get it off the floor of the oven!)

We took them out - stared at them for a while and then Moondoggie declared that more mallows needed to go on top.

These have now gone all runny from the heat of the cakes and will hopefully, fingers crossed, be a taste sensation.

I think I'll bake on my own next time.

One Night With Zac

I thought it was time to tell you about our evening and share a couple of shots from our night with Zac - Our first glimpse was as we sauntered up the Red Carpet, trying to look cool and autograph worthy...
The yelling and screaming became sooo intense that we realised Zac was not far away. Sure enough he was furiously signing posters, posing with fans and generally making 100's of girls very happy.

K. and I strolled past him and I am proud to say that we were both very well behaved and apart from a momentary double take and a couple of sneaky snaps, on we waltzed up the red carpet.

After our brief encounter we were giggling like school girls and entered the theatre hoping for good luck and great seats. As expected there were none at the front - we had been so spoilt at HSM3 and we thought our luck couldn't hold - until K. spotted an ex work colleague and our luck started looking up. This lovely man ushered us into the as yet unopened theatre where our 2 solitary front seats beckoned. With massive grins from ear to ear we staked out or turf and refused to be budged. We also happened to now be in the theatre with the reserved VIP seating so we had the added fun of watching everyone arrive. The Red Carpet was being shown on the screen so we gazed at Zac (and Brett Tucker) until he himself arrived in our theatre!!!

I will admit both K and I drew in our breath and I think we both held it for the entire time he was there. STUNNING. As K. mentioned he was literally 3 feet in front of us and he was charming, and personable (and hot!). By the time he left K. and I were a ridiculous mess but we managed to keep it together long enough to actually watch the movie which is apparently why we were there. The movie was great - great fun and lovely to see Matt Perry on our screens again.

By the movies end K. and I were pretty wrung out but there were more treats in store. On the way out of the theater we were given this -

Of course K and I were the only ones to receive Zac's personal message (not) but it was a lovely touch anyway and kudos to Roadshow for making the whole evening very enjoyable. We all received loot with posters, magazines, popcorn and drinks all supplied by Roadshow!
The fun didn't stop there as we adjourned to a nearby restaurant to discuss the evening and Mr Brett Tucker also had the same idea. (see pic 3) Not only great pasta but great eye-candy too. Could 2 girls be any luckier?

Red Carpet

Tomorrow night I'm off to the Melbourne premiere of '17 Again'. I can't wait as any movie that teams Matthew Perry with Zac Efron has to be good in my book. The added bonus is that Zac will be there and there's nothing like a good perve to start the week!!

It Runs In The Family

I am so impressed.
Not many people I know are on Facebook. I don't know why, my friends just aren't in to it and in fact few of them use the computer for anything more than checking in every once in a while to read their emails. There are exceptions but in general they are Internet illiterate. (sorry girls, harsh but true)
I am constantly trying to get them to read my blogs, reply to emails, or at least know what MySpace is!!!
Imagine my surprise a few minutes ago when I received a Facebook Friend Request from..... MY MUM!!!
How cool is she!
Not only does she know more about the Internet than 90% of my friends but she is not scared to try out new technology and is always up for something new.
At the moment I am Mum's only friend so if you want to pop by and say Hi - (she's really very nice and interesting) here is her link - http://www.facebook.com/inbox/readmessage.php?t=1033809726614#/profile.php?id=1124956394

GO MUM!!!

The Slap - Discussion Questions

The Slap Christos Tsolkias

At a suburban barbecue, a man slaps a child who is not his own. This event has a ripple effect on a group of people, mostly friends, who are directly or indirectly influenced by the event.
In this remarkable novel, Christos Tsolkias turns his unflinching and all-seeing eye onto that which connects us all: the modern family and domestic life in the twenty-first century. The Slap is told from the points of view of eight people who were present at the barbecue. The slap and its consequences force them all to question their own families and the way they live, their expectations, beliefs and desires.
What unfolds is a novel about love, sex and marriage, parenting and children, and the fury and intensity - all the passions and conflicting beliefs - that family can arouse. In its clear-eyed and forensic dissection of the ever-growing middle class and its aspirations and fears, The Slap is also a deeply provocative novel about the nature of loyalty and happiness, compromise and truth. (Book dust jacket)

1. Did this book make you question your immediate resonse to Harry slapping the four year old Hugo.

2. Did Rosie breastfeeding Hugo at that age affect your opinion of her?

3. Every nationality seemed to be represented at the B.B.Q. - do you think there is a reason Tsiolkas did this? (Greek, Vietnamese, European, Indian, Aboriginal,)

4. Did you think Tsiolkas's character speech was effective?

5. There seemed to be many marital issues brought up throughout the book, infidelity, domestic violence, alcoholism. Do you think this is a true picture of a group of friends or has the author thrown in too many provocative issues for effect?

6. Do you think The way we treat our children says a lot about our culture and our society?

7. The anger in The Slap is quite confronting – so many of the characters are wracked by frustrations and ready to snap. Do you think this is an endemic problem of Australia's middle class?

8. Do you think Australia is in an age of new conservatism and over-the-top political correctness? What are your feelings about that?

It's Not That Big!

We had our first camping trip with the kids this weekend and it was a huge success. The kids loved it and a great time was had by all. The most exciting thing was the success of the new tent. Last Christmas Surfer Boy and I bought each other a tent for Christmas. I was put in charge of buying it and came home with a 16 man tent and Surfer Boy nearly had a heart attack!

It was so big we weren't able to put it up before we went as it wouldn't fit in the back yard. We contemplated setting it up in the park but thought we might get in trouble. The golden rule of camping is always to make sure you have put up your tent before you go so you know if there is anything vital missing, like the poles, or so you don't get caught in the dark trying to put up a tent you have never seen before.

We arrived at out camp site at 9.30 in the evening, it was dark, starting to rain, and we had a frigging enormous tent that we had never seen out of it's bag! Not good!

With the help of the car headlights and teamwork we had it up in a surprisingly short period of time and had the kids tucked into their new home quick as a wink.

Surfer Boy seems quite happy with the 'Taj Mahal' as it has been nicknamed, and is eating his words.

Here is the 'Taj' in all it's glory.

Yay For The Boys In Blue.

My phone beeped to tell me I had a text while I was waiting to pick up Gidget from school. It was from Victoria Police and my immediate thought was - shit... Surfer Boy has fallen off a building!! Luckily that wasn't it - it was a message that went like this...'Extreme weather in Vic expected Mon night & Tues. High wind & fire risk. Listen to local ABC radio for emergency updates....etc.' How bizarre - the police love me and are keeping me safe. It quickly dawned on me that they loved everybody, not just me, as more and more people waiting at school read their text messages!

I find it frightening that Victoria is under such fire threat this summer that the police are sending out state-wide texts! It feels surreal and a little apocalyptic.

I heard one parent comment that it would just worry people but hell, I'd rather be worried than ignorant. I had no idea we had another HOT day coming let alone 140km an hour winds!! It hopefully won't affect as as we live in the inner city but for those in outlying suburbs any warning is good based on the events of the last couple of weeks!

So Victoria Police - Thank you!