I Want A Loris

After my last photo I thought I'd better share something cute!

Classic Photography

I know this photo is really wrong but I couldn't stop laughing. That kid is REALLY ugly!

Top Marks Miley

When I got on Twitter today I came across this post from Miley Cyrus. Her comment about this photo is a good example of why I am happy for Miley to be a role model for my seven year old daughter.

'Just F.Y.I my legs DO NOT look like this in real life. That's the magic of a computer my friends. Just thought I would be honest. ' Miley , twitter

FIRE!!!

We had an interesting start to the day yesterday. At 6.45am there was a knock on the door which woke me out of a deep sleep. I cursed the knocker under my breathe and stumbled to the door. When I asked who it was a lady responded - 'Next door is on fire you have to get out!' Well as you can imagine that woke me up pretty effectively.
The kids had woken when they heard the knock so we all pulled on our ugg boots and jumpers, I grabbed the phone, and we headed out of the house. Sure enough next door had smoke billowing out of the roof and things didn't look good. (That's my house on the right - the one down wind of the fire)



Someone must have called the fire brigade just before I did and they turned up within minutes of us leaving the house. As they arrived flames started shooting out of the top of the roof and the wind fanned the flames toward our house. I started to feel rather stressed as I watched the flames lick our roof. The hoses came out not a minute too soon as far as our house was concerned and the firemen immediately started hosing down our roof and the side of the house while they tried to enter the burning house.
5 fire engines, three police cars and a watching helicopter later and they had the fire under control and I felt confident enough to take the kids in to our lovely neighbours for a cuppa and a breakfast of chocolates (the kids thought that was just fantastic). We weren't allowed back into the house for a couple of hours but when they accompanied me back in we found that the water damage they had warned me of had not eventuated and apart from some toxic fumes and the stink of smoke, all was well at Castle Kiely.

By lunchtime, Gidget was back at school and Moondoggie and I had a lovely view of fire trucks and firemen for most of the afternoon.

By the way the burning house was in the final stages of a major renovation and the owners were not living there. Luckily no personal items were lost, just the annoyance of lengthy delays on their now not so renovated home. I'm not sure yet what the damage is but I would assume the inside is pretty much destroyed. Funnily enough, after all the drama the workmen nailed the roof back down and from the street you would not know anything had happened.

So.. a massive thank you to the mystery lady who happened to be taking a walk and warned us of the fire, and to the fabulous firemen who saved my house!

(By the way Surfer Boy had already left for work and missed all the drama - I called him to tell him what was happening and I don't think he quite believed it until he saw the photos.)

BOOKGROUP - FINGERSMITH

It's book group tonight and we are reading the novel 'FINGERSMITH' by Sarah Waters. A few years ago we read her first book - 'Tipping The Velvet' and it was fabulous, so when I saw this in the bookshop earlier this year I had to buy it. I'm yet to find out what the other girls think but those I have spoken to throughout the month have been loving it.

I'm facilitating the discussion tonight and in my research I came across this trailer for the BBC production of 'Fingersmith'. For those of you who aren't readers, I've heard this production is fantastic, as is their 'Tipping the Velvet' production.

Wish me luck and I'll let you know what they think.

Blankie

This morning while cleaning out the top of the kids wardrobe I came across this blanket

which is the twin of the one Moondoggie had as a baby..

not looking quite the same after 5 years of extreme love! Gidget had dummies - Moondoggie has had this blanket. He sleeps with it, he carries it in his fist when he's feeling anxious, he rubs it on sores when he's hurt himself. Apparently it can fix and soothe anything.

Here he is with both of them! He was flabbergasted when he saw what it originally looked like. He keeps asking if I am sure they were exactly the same. The problem is he is now looking lovingly at the new one!! Best it disappear again before we're stuck with the stink'n blankie for another 5 years.

S.M.G. Watch

Thanks Just Jared

Beatle Meets Destiny

Imagine your name is John Lennon, only everyone calls you Beatle. And then you meet your dream girl and her name is Destiny McCartney. But what if you're already with the perfect girl?A novel about change, chance and everybody doing the wrong thing.

A friend of mine arrived for a breakfast date a week or so ago, clutching a new book with a big smile on her face. Apparently she had heard about this book somewhere and then had it recommended highly by our local bookshop guru. She couldn't wait to show me knowing how much I love young adult fiction.

The book was 'Beatle Meets Destiny' and I made her promise I could read it as soon as she's finished.

Fast forward to Sunday when Surfer Boy rang to tell me a friend of ours was in the newspaper - phone cut out - and I never found out what she was in for.

Fast forward to Sunday evening and while out with the same friend I mentioned I needed to find the paper as someone I knew was in it but I had no idea what for - when I told her who it was she shrieked!! ' THAT'S WHO WROTE MY BOOK!!!'

It turns out that the book she was so excited about is written by Gab Williams, the wife of my dear friend Wilbur.

What I love most about this is that 'Beatle Meets Destiny' is all about signs and destiny and chance and I feel that is exactly how this book came to me.

Of course I went straight across the road and bought it.

And I'm so excited to say that I absolutely love it.

I couldn't stop reading and I really cared about these characters. It was so refreshing to read a story that was not only set in such a familiar setting, but the emotions and actions of the characters were also familiar.

All the young adult fiction I have read lately deals with dark and angsty subject matter, or the bitchy youth of the upper crust (Luxe is fabulous but ridiculous!).

What I loved most about this book was that these teenagers were all well adjusted, loved, and in the most part - happy. How refreshing. They were also dealing with very similar things to what I remember dealing with waaaay back in the late 80's. I know many things have changed for teenagers since then but the basic tenets are the same, and Gab writes with a very true voice and a lot of humour.

I can't speak highly enough of 'Beatle Meets Destiny' and look forward to Gab's next book of which there had better be one or else!

.

(P.S. the book has just been optioned to be made into a major feature film.)

Beautiful

Amanda Seyfried will always be Veronica Mars' very dead best friend to me and I am loving this photo from her latest photo shoot for Allure magazine.

Would you look at those eyes!

MELBOURNE!

I don't know if you saw this in The Age - but in case you missed it like I nearly did you may get a smile out of this...
YOU know you're from Melbourne if …
- When diarising anything in September you first consult the footy fixture.
- You were shocked when you found out not all street directories are called Melway.
- When everyone knows where a bar, cafe or restaurant is you no longer want to go there.
- You know Sunshine, Rosebud and the Caribbean Gardens are not as good as they sound.
- You consider yourself a socialist yet you drive a European car and have a cleaner.
- You'd rather sit next to Guy Rundle on a plane than Guy Pearce.
- You've attended a children's party that had rice-paper rolls, cous cous salad, croquembouche and a pinata.
- You or someone you know has received a grant.
- It's not Noosa, it's Noysa. It's not snow it's the snoy. And it's Malvern now, not Chadstone, thanks to rezoning.
- You refer to rococo furniture as "very Franco Cozzo".
- You felt betrayed when you discovered Melbourne was not the only place in the world with trams.
- You think the slogan on our licence plates should be "Melbourne. The Coffee Is Shit Anywhere Else", "Melbourne. Go To Sydney. We Hate Tourists" or " Melbourne. What School Did You Go To?"
- You know the word ''Moomba'' means Up Your Bum, White Man.
- You're not happy Melbourne has been voted the World's Most Liveable City. You'd prefer it was voted "Most Enigmatic, Tortured And Slightly Dangerous City".
- You think the only person who looks good with a moustache is Ron Barassi.
- You've looked out the window of Puffing Billy and waved like an idiot at the cars at the railway crossing. And you've watched Puffing Billy pass as you sat in a car at the railway crossing, and waved like an idiot.
- You think beyondblue does great work but you hate the way it makes Jeff Kennett look good. Which is depressing.
- Any music by Paul Kelly makes you suddenly think of the Nylex sign and something about making gravy.
- When you meet someone from Kew, you always ask "Near Kew?"
- Jon Faine shits you but you can't switch him off.
- You've been to the Royal Melbourne Show and the scariest ride is the train home.
- You don't get the jokes about the Yarra. Or Melbourne weather.
- When you hear the word ''Bougainville'' you think of Northland.
- You don't judge people on their looks, wealth or status but on the bread they buy, the coffee they serve and the newspaper they read.
- You know a kid with two mummies.
- You pretend the Sydney-Melbourne rivalry doesn't exist. Which it doesn't. Because Sydney doesn't care. And that really shits you.
- You brag Melbourne is the creative capital of Australia, but your walls are full of signed football jumpers.
- When someone says thanks you say, "No Dromanas."
- When you hear the word ''Easter'' the first thing you think of is the Royal Children's Hospital Appeal and Zig and Zag. And then you quickly think of something else.
- If someone is referred to as a ''showbag'' you know it means they're cheap and full of shit.
- Your kid's favourite foods are sushi, spanakopita and felafel. Which are also the names of the three kids they sit next to at school.
- If a friend gets a new boyfriend or girlfriend, your first question is, ''Who do they barrack for?''
- You think if we all ignore Federation Square, Docklands and Robert Doyle they'll go away.
- You can list all the ingredients in pesto. And you're three years old.
- Cup Day. Gambling at 9am. Drunk by noon. Broke at 3.20pm. Asleep by 4pm. Hungover at 5pm. All while at work.
- You think Aberfeldie is a tartan, Coonan's Hill is a wine and South Wharf is in Sydney.
- Chopper Read, Ned Kelly, Squizzy Taylor, the Morans and the Williamses. Sure they're crims, but we all agree they've given the place colour.
- You lose respect for friends if they move over the other side of the river.
- When holding a dinner party, you know the point is to serve food no one has ever heard of, from a country people didn't know existed, bought from a little shop they'll never be able to find.
- You were against the casino but, you have to admit, it does keep the bogans out of the city.
- Pot, cantaloupe, potato cake and hook turn. Build a bridge and get over it.
By Catherine Deveny

And He's Actually My Age!

I went and saw The Ugly Truth last night at the spur of the moment and gee am I glad I did! The beautiful Gerard Butler provided me with many lustful thoughts and I have had a little smile on my face all day today thanks to him.

I think it was a good film, although I may be wrong as I was really only watching Gerry and have very little idea about the rest of the movie!

Aaaah! It's so fun having a crush.

Look Who I Found!!!

I'm very excited - look who I'm following on Twitter -

Yes indeedy it is the divine Mr Christopher Atkins!!!! I couldn't believe my luck when I stumbled across him. He was beautiful in Blue Lagoon but he completely won my heart when he played Frederick in 'The Pirate Movie'. He was hilarious and cute as always, with - who knew - major vocal talents ('How Can I live Without Her' being a perfect example)

Personally I think he is looking fantastic and I can't wait to see what he's up to now. Maybe I'll tweet him and see if he replies - Aaaagh! Too exciting!

NEW MOON TRAILER

I just posted this over at Stars Hollow but I am so excited about it that I had to post it here too. Wooooow! How am I going to be able to wait until November?

Hot Twitter Tip

carriebickmore Ben cousins in GQ mag..do yourself a favour ladies!!

about 5 hours ago from Tweetie

We owe you one Carrie.

Not Sure.

Being a big Alexis Bledel fan I was a little disappointed in her outfit choice for the Teen Choice Awards this year. It doesn't seem to fit her properly and her hair isn't doing anything for me. What do you think?

She's Done It Again

Xanadu

You'll never guess what I did last night!
I went ROLLER SKATING at the Sunshine Skate Rink for 'Dance and Skate' night! Before you mock, it was fantastic. I went with three other equally mad friends and we had so much fun.

We even listened to 'Wired For Sound' on the way there to get us in the mood.

After a bit of a practice on the beginner lane, we hit the floor and I could have sworn we were back in the early 80's. The only difference was the tunes - Joan Jett had a run but we were sadly ignorant of the rest of the DJ's suspect choices. The smoke machine was a winner though, as was the low lighting which gave us a pleasant sense of anonymity.
Break time and we hit the snack bar for some chips and a coke and a well earned rest - tiring business this skating.

Quite a few text messages came through this morning, all of them inquiring as to whether we had suffered any injuries! Oh what little faith.

All four of us came home unscathed but raring to go again. Me thinks this skating lark may become a regular outing. Cheap, hilariously funny, great exercise, music, really bad snacks - seriously, what could be better? (Lorelai would have come!)

Fancy A Sausage?

I know what the brother-in-laws are getting for Christmas this year!

Lamb Love

Hey look - we got a write-up on the Little Lamb Blog! How exciting. Caitlin had some lovely things to say - (must remember to send her that cheque) Check it out... http://littlelambtales.blogspot.com/2009/08/little-lamb-chalks-one-up.html

It doesn't need to be boring...

There is an severe lack of gorgeous laundrys on the web so I can see why this one is often talked about. I'm not sure why they need 3 front loaders but I definitely know why they need those 3 ginger jars! I am a huge fan of the ginger jar and actually have some winging their way to me as we speak. Maybe I should buy some for the laundry too... so much to think about.... so many places you can use a ginger jar...

found here

Mud Room?

While on the subject of the laundry room, I'm thinking I might incorporate a mud room into the laundry.

Somewhere to hang those pesky coats and scarves, nooks for schoolbags, sport stuff etc.

This house will see the kids right through their school years so I want to make sure I remember that and design accordingly.

Found here -

Found here -

Found Here -

Found Here -

LAUNDRY

We are in the middle of designs for our house extension and even though I am loving every second - I need some suggestions. Does anyone have any tips for the laundry? Alex and Kell both think a drying cupboard is essential, and I'm contemplating a fold down ironing board and 'flour bin' style cupboards for darks and lights! I'm sure there are more great ideas out there so please comment and let me know.

I'm also loving this idea of pigeon holes for specific items..

Twitter Update

daxshepard1 People who take pleasure in correcting other people should also take pleasure in slamming their head in a car door.

about 5 hours ago from mobile web

Never Really Gone - Tas Blizzard

It has been a year today since we lost Tasman Blizzard. My love and thoughts go to all his family and friends who will be marking this anniversary.

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Tas - far right with The Meanies

Tas - second from right with The Meanies

Lucky Freddie

Jeepers - Can this lady look any better? I think she may have taken the prize as cutest pegnant lady ever!!