My hair is fine, thin and weak but I like the colour. It's a genuine tawny, honey-blonde, and it glimmers in the sunlight...

At the cubs' school this afternoon we had the official launch of the 'You Can Do It!' program - a program designed to help motivate/educate children about the benefits of self-confidence and a positive self-image. (Sounds naff but having flicked through some of the literature it's actually a well-structured and useful curriculum.) It took place in the quadrangle between the classrooms, something that bothered me a little as it meant that everyone was going to be outside in the strong sunshine for 2 hours, but more importantly there were no chairs for the visiting parents! Yes, I'm a wuss, anyway...
Parked myself on the steps of the staff room, in the shade, and sat back with some trepidation to watch the events. I say trepidation cos I've learnt to be wary of the words '... and each class will be making a presentation...' Other parents will know exactly what I mean.
It was more entertaining than I could've hoped. <g> Each class did have something to say or show but it was all mercifully short and to the point. I got a little distracted though. There's 5 basic tenets of the 'You Can Do It!' program - Organisation, Confidence, Resilience, persistence and Getting Along - and the phrase 'never give up' kept cropping up. Cos of the way my mind works I immediately followed it, to myself, with 'never surrender' - Never give up, never surrender! being the catch phrase from the sci-fi show in the movie Galaxy Quest. And thinking of that reminded me of the movie's other well-known phrase 'By Granthar's Hammer..., which is of course what Alan Rickman's character is famous for. And thinking about Dr Lazarus led me to thinking about Snape which set me off on a whole new mental tangent... <g> Ah, I can keep myself amused for hours if necessary.
A paraolympian, Don Elgin, gave a talk about his experiences - and showed off his prosthetic leg, much to the morbid interest of some - then the kinder were divided into 4 groups and given a chance to take it in turns learning 'circus' skills, to whit (to whoo!) Devil Sticks, hoola hoops, Poi, and Diablo. It looked like everyone had fun with the activities and tell you what, some of those little preppies could keep a hoop going for ages!
Once that was over with we were given a demonstration of acrobatic/gymnastic skills by a very limber, very strong and beautifully muscled young man called Sergei the Magnificent. That was fun! And amazing - the range of movement he was putting his spine through made me wince! It was an undeniably sensuous performance though: even if the silver trousers and bare chest weren't enough some of Sergei's movements could only be described as caressing. It felt a little odd, having naughty thoughts about the star of the show while surrounded by children going oooh, aaah! : )
The afternoon rounded off with the local Mayor presenting the principal with a cheque for lots of money so we can have a brand-new sports ground made once the new school is finished, and then inside for tea and biscuits to while away the few minutes before the bell went and I could take the cubs home...
I hadn't really wanted to come along to the afternoon but I'm glad I made the effort. Sometimes being a conscientious parent can be fun...

Seeing as this old-style blog template doesn't have info-panes, I thought that every now and again I'd post a list of links of interest.
Today, it's a few web comics. (Unless stated, the links take you to the first comic.)

Sink or Swim: OMG, the tiger's got a mullet!
I've only just discovered this anthropomorphic comic but the archives go back to 2001. The story is patchy but potentially interesting, and the artwork is good, evolving from b/w to colour. There's a lot of characters, and so far (early 2002) no smut. Not sure I'm interested enough in furries to keep reading but I'll see how I go. It updates 3 times a week.
(Oh, that link's not the first in the archive, by the way, just something that made me giggle.)

Dominic Deegan: Oracle for hire.
Joules introduced me to this one. Kinda fantasy, revolving around a seer and his family and friends and enemies. B/W with the occasional colour panel, it's a complex story laced with humour and some truly awful puns. There's a little implied nudity and rudeness but a lot more violence.
I got sucked in to the story, to the point of not writing anything for two days while I caught up with the comic. <g> It seems to be more or less het but there's a few bishies I'd love to see slashed.
Updates daily.

The Order of the Stick.
Another recent discovery. A stick-figure rendering of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, complete with a useless, clueless bard, a homicidal halfling, a gender-indeterminate elf mage and references to character classes and bonuses. So, so funny!
Not especially violent, and there's been one reference to Dwarf sex. <g> Updates 3 times a week.

Sublunary.
A perpetual yaoi favourite - I get withdrawal symptoms when it's normally reliable updating schedule is interrupted. I love the artwork in this comic though the story can drag at times and there's not enough smut! Well, not enough smut to satisfy me. When there is smut though, it's explicit and beautiful.
Updates 3 times a week.

Avalon
It's interesting what you can find following links. Manga influenced dark-future, supernatural, vampires etc. There's a fair amount in the archives but the updating is sporadic by the looks of it. Not a particularly novel storyline, unfortunately, or characters, and the artwork is variable at best but there are some gorgeous individual panels that are a real treat. And it's stuffed full of bishies.
Some m/m smut (weeee! slave-fic!) and a little violence. It hasn't updated since the middle of September but I'll look in on it every now and again.

And a last one for now...
Alien loves Predator.
This is another one Joules introduced me to. Take Alien and Predator action figures, photograph then photoshop them into a comic strip set in New York and let the hilarity begin. Bizarre and sarcastic but very, very funny.
Updates once a week normally, but as the author has just become the father of twins don't expect the updates to be as regular as before. <g>

Yes, well. So that's what I do with my time when I should be writing...

Might do a list of blogs next time I get the urge to share my interests.
<g> I spose, like 'fridges and bookshelves, link-lists can tell you a lot about someone.

Ack! The cubs are off to camp in a few weeks! Good god on a stick, where's the year going?
Heh, the cubs brought home notices today, asking if there were any parents wanting to come along as well. Hah! Not on your life! Yes, I'll miss the cubs for the couple of days they're not here but not enough to want to tag along with them. : ) Besides, it's bad enough being a responsible adult on a day trip with a mob of the little horrors, I don't think I could handle three days!
Soulsis, do you have a couple of sleeping bags we can borrow, please?

The Smart Bitches had me cackling today with a post about '15 things that only happen in Romances'. The post itself was very funny (5. Laudanum will soothe the pain of anything from a minor headache to six bullets in one's left buttcheek. And it tastes like crap warmed over, but the taste is easily masked by tea. Weak tea. <snerk>) but the comments are hysterical!
I love this site - I take notes on the offchance I ever feel motivated to write a Romance...

Hee. Joules is thinking about popping over here, with Kai, for a holiday in a year or so. I'm sure the cubs and I will be able to find plenty of things to keep you entertained while you're here. <g>
Better get on with moving into a house not afflicted with CHAOS - Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome.

I've had an interesting day. Sort of. I was supposed to meet someone at the cubs' school this morning so I could give them some training in the library software but unfortunately they'd had a bingle last night and couldn't make it. I elected to stay anyway and get some work done instead of having to come back later in the afternoon. Ended up staying for 3 hours but plodded through a fair amount of cataloguing, including some niggly 'kits' bits and pieces. It was lunchtime by then so I ambled off to the nearby shopping centre and got something to eat (a bacon burger from a Golden Arches of Doom competitor. Normally won't touch them but I've been craving one for a couple of weeks so, meh.)
Then I decided to tackle the banks and see about getting a loan. My own bank was the least helpful, where I was told my loan application would 'almost certainly' be rejected. Why? Cos I'm on a government pension (single parent) and that type of income, apparently, isn't guaranteed. Oh yes, because nowadays an actual job is guaranteed stability and security. <sarcasm> So anyway, grumped out of there to try a couple of other banks. The first suggested I apply for a credit card cos they didn't lend as little as I needed, and the second happily let me fill in the forms for a personal loan...
I should hear back from them both in a few days though I'm not going to be holding my breath. Not being a customer of the other two banks won't work in my favour.

But something positive did happen today. My phone is under the cubs' father's name, and both our numbers appear on the same bill. Not a problem when we were a couple but I've been getting leary about dealing with it now we're separated.
I suggested I get my number transferred into my name - this means we'll be billed separately - then he can give me a little less 'housekeeping' each week and be wholly responsible for his own bill. Works for me! Works for him too, so that's what we'll be doing. One small baby-step towards Lutra's emancipation. <g>

I was browsing an insurance broker's site to get an estimate on contents insurance. Got to the end of the form and - for security or something - was asked to type the word I saw in the box. The word was SNAPE.
<rolling around laughing> Joules says it's a sign, but of what neither of us are really sure...

Awww. Discovered the rather endearing cockroaches I occasionally find about the house are actually a native species. (Second image down) I'm in two minds now about putting them in the freezer when I catch them, but then, they're native to Queensland not Victoria. They probly arrived in a bunch of bananas, that's how most Queensland creepy crawlies get down here.
They freak the cubs out, however, so I probly shouldn't let them have the run of the house...

Time for some pink stuff. I deserve it.

I didn't want to move house unless I could do it a: without getting into debt; and b: without having to rely on the cubs' father to make ends meet. After beating my head against those unrealistic expectations for a year I've finally admitted they're not practical goals. Unless I'm willing to stay where I am for an indefinite period (I don't think so!) I will need to get a loan to cover the bond and first month's rent, but after poking around some of the banks' online loan-calculators I believe I can borrow enough without the repayments crippling me.
Of course, this is assuming it doesn't all go arse up cos a dodgy credit history means no one will give me a loan. Oh well, if that's the case I'll just have to gird my loins and get the money the hard way, by saving. (Though I know from experience it's too easy to splurge when you've been consistently down about things for a while. You just know having that DVD/book/cutesy bit of anime kitsch will make you feel better.)
But no, I'm not going to get myself in a tizz about it all just yet. One step at a time...

However, continuing on in the vein of finally getting things done - I've made a pair of trousers! As always it's taken the imminent failure of my last remaining pair to get me moving but, lo, I now have serviceable dark-lilac linen trews, with pockets. Not only that but I'm 3/4 of the way through a more fun pair, made from a hot pink/pale red indian cotton tablecloth Soulsis found in an op-shop. <g> Once they're finished I can then choose to make up the lime/purple stripes (with fringes! Also from Soulsis) or the self-coloured green stars xmas material I picked up on sale last year. And then of course I've got 4 sarongs to make into tops. Astonishingly, some of these trews/tops will even mix'n'match!
Most won't but when has that ever bothered me? : )

Oh yes, almost forgot. In my dream last night I was traveling to meet a secluded community of friends (essentially the Islandkateers group) who now lived underground in a big, very comfortable not-quite-bunker. There was a fortress-like quality to the place - thick doors, security, wariness - but I was welcomed there. As I was visiting what was a new area for me I decided that I'd like to go out and have a look around. I was appalled at how much the train fare to the 'city' cost, and I was still dithering over whether it was worth the expenditure of not when I woke up. <g> Interesting, eh?

Mmmm... cheesegasm...
Made myself some cauliflower cheese tonight using a blue vein that was bitey enough to begin with but had matured (ie: been forgotten in the 'fridge for two weeks) into something like a stilton.
Bestest cauliflower cheese I've ever had!

Odd sort of dream this morning. Can't remember the exact details but there was an 'evil' residing in an animal. I had to kill the critter but it took a long, long time cos the thing kept resurrecting itself. When it was finally dead, I realised it'd infected another animal and I had to go through the whole process again.
Interestingly, there was an oriental-style mysticism overlying everything that happened in the dream. It didn't feel odd at all.

Standing in line at the bank yesterday I saw a man who obviously worked out in a gym. His pectorals muscles were so big it looked like his nipples had been pushed half-way to his armpits. Oh yes, very attractive.

Ahah! If you wait long enough all that you desire will be discounted. <g> Picked up a half-price copy of the book from Regency House Party, a program I thoroughly enjoyed when it was shown here last year. Fascinating read...

Words of wisdom Joules saw somewhere:

'Give me ambiguity or give me something else.'

Heh, I could live my life by that.

Chapter 23's finished - 24's started. : )

Our Government's decision to allow 'sample' GM canola crops to be grown here has been controversial to say the least.
"There won't be any cross-contamination, don't be silly!" scoffed the chemical company behind the tinkering, "Those irresponsible Greenies are just being alarmist..."
Well guess what...? >: I
Some will argue that the amount of GM material found in some of the regular crops (less than 1%) is negligible but dammit, it's there now. Thank you so bloody much, you conniving bastards.
</pissed-off rant>

... I did plan on mentioning some other, lighter things but I'm too fecking annoyed now...

Except this. This was fun.
(nicked from The Zone :)




.:Neptune:.

"You are a very passionate person, however,
this passion often remains hidden below the
surface. You have a great deal of compassion
for others and are always willing to help those
in need. You have a great generosity, sometimes
so great that you neglect yourself while giving
to others. You also have a stubborn side,
though, which serves to protect you from being
taken advantage of by those you help."


. : : Which Astrological Planet are You? : : . [10 Gorgeous Pics!]
brought to you by Quizilla

It's not often I'm traumatised by soft toys.
I saw one today, a sitting black and white cow. It was nice and soft, inoffensive - but wait, what's this tan thing sticking out of it's bottom...?
Aaaargh!
I pulled the thing and out popped an effing lion! The lion and cow were joined in the middle! I'm not sure what was more disturbing, that a predator and prey had been forced into this unnatural arrangement or the fact you can hide one animal up the others' bottom!
From what sick mind did this spring?!

Walking with the cubs to school today I glanced up at the overcast sky. The underside of the clouds were rippled like waves and for a moment it was uncannily like being under water. <g> And then the wind moved and they were just clouds again.

At the cinema with the cubs last night watching 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' (fabulous movie, have I mentioned? Lose yourself in the patterns... wow... Where was I? Oh yes...) Christopher Lee's character - Wilbur Wonka - came on screen and both the cubs twitched.
"That's Count Dooku!" came almost simultaneous gasps. <g> Heh, I think that was the highlight of the movie for them.

Chapter 23 is almost done and I've finally touched on one of the Events that signals the beginning of the last story arc. Hoorah! This is a real milestone - when I first started writing SFSG this point seemed so far away. <g>

Soulsis found these! Aren't they cute? I'd love one! A little cave on wheels.

Awww... KittenKong brought a friend home. Very pretty dark-silver tabby longhair - possibly a full or mixed maine coon judging by her tail and ruff. Friendly, too, and quite young, even though she was as big as my full-grown KK. She had a collar, was in good condition, and has been recently neutered, but damn, if she is an MC what the hell is her personal staff doing letting her wander about at night? That could be up to a thousand dollars worth of cat!
Such a cutie though! She didn't come inside but she was happy to sniff my fingers and smooch up to the window frame when I cooed at her. <g> Heh, and I think she's also the only cat that KK hasn't seen off the property. : )

<sigh> I have a finely tuned molehill-mountain skill - I'm very good at getting myself into a flap about things that are either out of my control or might not happen at all.
There's a house coming up for rent in our street, just a few doors up. It's only 2 bedrooms, and expensive (though an average price for the area) but in a lot of other respects it's ideal. However, I'm giving myself anxiety attacks over everything from moving expenses, to switching the utilities over, to keeping the rent up to date.
See what I mean? I haven't even looked at the place yet.
But no matter what I do, money is a priority consideration. I like this area but it's horribly expensive, especially if you're a low income family. I have choices - there's always choices. The cubs and I can move to a cheaper area though there's no guarantee it'll be somewhere I like (and by 'like' I mean 'feel safe'); we can stay in this area and scrape by, or we can stay right where we are, which actually isn't too bad financially even though I'm really not happy. So which would I prefer? To be emotionally or financially constrained?
Eh, I shouldn't fash. I know that if something's meant to happen the means will be found. But still, I fret...

There's been movement on the building site at school over the holidays, but not that much. The concrete slabs are down and the some of the wooden frames have gone up but it doesn't look like a lot of work for two weeks. True, the slabs are huge but the semi-detached house being built nearby made more progress than that during the same time. What can I say? Private versus government contractors?

Wonderful dream last night - one of my rare 'flying' ones. I was alternately in a car, on a bike, or self-propelled, and I was exploring some fairly rustic countryside including a rescued old brick/thatched roof barn that had been the studio of an eccentric 18th century artist. I had a look inside - it was empty, huge, and in desperate need of restoration but I was thinking of the possibilities in having such a space to work with.
Heh, I'm pretty sure I know what prompted that dream...

I've had a good morning. The cubs were up before me and they made themselves breakfast - highly unusual but very welcome on a school morning. Popped in to the supermarket on the way home and atypically checked my receipt. Found I'd been charged the full price for something that was on special so I got a full refund which meant the item was free. Bonus! And then I get home and find a parcel from Joules waiting for me! <bouncebounce>
Gorgeous little otter figurine and an otter postcard from Becky Falls in Dartmoor; usable scraps of the electric-blue organza recently utilized in the Taylor household, plus a big piece of pinky organza (that'd been in bratling's room, hadn't it?); a bizarrely cute dangle-charm from Littlesaru which makes me laugh every time I look at it (thanks, Littlesaru!); about a fortnight's worth of turkish delight flavoured hot chocolate (longer if I ration myself <g>) and two packets of Strawberry Angel Delight! <bouncebounce> Ah, I could smell it as soon as I opened the parcel. Mmmmm... mine, all mine. Mwahahahahahahah!
Thanks, Joules! <huggle>

I got another present the other day, too. The cubs' father regularly asks friends of his that are traveling to bring back snowdomes/snowglobes to feed my obsession for tourist tat. His calligraphy teacher went to Honkers last week but apparently she couldn't find any snowdomes as such (which is daft, seeing as aaaaaallll the snowdomes available in European countries are made in China) but she did find something else globish. A palm-sized glass sphere that's been hollowed out and then painted with tigers on the inside surface. Really pretty; it's sitting next to my monitor, in front of the window. The light shines through it and the picture glows. I can handle this sort of tat, as well. : )

I was very brave the other day. The young huntsman that'd been lurking on the wall for a few days was sitting on the side of my monitor! Erk! But, I managed to catch it in an empty Pringles tube then put it outside. Not sure if I'd have been able to do that if a: it'd been a full-grown spider, or b: the container had been see-through. <shudder>

The DVD of Kingdom of Heaven is mere days away from being released in Australia. I will get it, of course, must keep up my Orli-squee library of works.
And, yes, freezeframe! Now I can have a really good look at the costuming details.

I'm taking the cubs to see 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' tonight after school, but right now I'm going to put the kettle on and have a hot chocolate...

Tried something different for dinner tonight (for myself, the cubs had omelets) - a vegetables/left-over rice bake thingy. Layered rice, sliced tomatoes, zucchini, and garlic with a cheesy sauce then wacked the lot in a slowish oven for, oh, ages. Wasn't too bad though it could've done with more and sloppier sauce, and perhaps some herbs or something mixed in with the rice. And maybe a splash of white wine, too. I'll remember that for next time.

Sat down with the cubs this afternoon to watch the live-action Thunderbirds movie on telly. Aside from Parker, Lady Penelope, a gloriously understated The Hood (Ben Kingsley) and some nifty vehicle SPFX, this movie was just silly. I wasn't sure what the director (Jonathon Frakes) was trying to do with it. Kids' movie? Teen movie? Comedy? Action? It ended up a banal hodge-podge of all of those things with no real depth, but more disappointingly this was another movie that used Blurs' extremely cool 'Song 2' (the 'woo-hoo' song) in the promos but not in the movie itself. False advertising, I say. <pout>
But the cubs enjoyed it, laughing themselves silly at the goofy sound effects in the fight scenes. Heh, each to their own.

I did have a few hours to myself yesterday. I nipped up to the op-shop where I found this for only $2. I'm always happy to add to my collection of history books.
When I got home I took the opportunity to catch up on some definitely non-cub-friendly anime. I knew nothing about Technolyze before I bought the first volume but it caught my eye cos I like the 'Dark Future' genre. This was very dark, very graphic, very stylish. There was no dialogue in the first episode until ten minutes in and the prologues of the nascent stories were told in jagged snippets of intermingled action. If I hadn't read the blurb on the cover I might have had trouble working out what was happening!
Actually, no I wouldn't... I'm familiar enough with the genre to have been able to piece it together without too much trouble. : )
The animation is interesting, gritty, almost sepia in sections but realistic which is my preferred style. The stories have started slowly, which isn't such a bad thing. Instead of being confused with a bombardment of characters and plot the slow unfolding means I have a reasonable grasp of the politics of the worldframe, a solid base to build on. I'll pick up the second volume when I can afford it.
And lastly, I don't much like techno but the opening theme is brilliant! I'll be downloading that as soon as I can find it. <g>

Joules is right - I have to be more disciplined if I want to be a real writer. I'm too easily distracted, too easily discouraged. So, I have to make myself write something of SFSG every day, even if it's only a paragraph, even if I don't feel like writing anything, and despite distractions. <nods> I can do this.

Did you get home safely, Alarice? Was the puppy pleased to see you? <g>

'Orgazmo'!
That was the movie we were thinking about, Soulsis. Hah! I love the internet...

Mwahahahahahah! The cubs' father is taking them out for the day. Cor, I might have hours to myself. What shall I do? Pay bills? Go op-shopping? Pay bills and go op-shopping? <g> Plot? Plan? Write? Not going to sleep this time, <disdainful sniff> or do housework.
I need a little space, I've spent every day with the cubs these holidays.

Last night Soulsis and her chicks came 'round. Caught the cubs offguard - I hadn't said anything about it - but they had fun. They like having 'the cousins' come to visit. <g>
Soulsis organised the visit cos neither she nor I could get to Alarice's official farewell thingy (she's going back to Adelaide this weekend. Waaah! <sniffle> ) and as Alarice was here for role-playing it was a good opportunity to say goodbye. We had barbecue ribs, and chicken wings, and chocolate! Mmmmm...
Travel safely, Alarice, it's been mucho fun having you here. Come back soon! : )

Egad, the cubs go back to school on Monday! Tch, I don't feel rested at all.

I looked in my 'lists' journal this morning and was surprised to see I hadn't listed anything since January this year. I've caught up a little now. I'm onto the yellow pages of the rainbow - very uplifting.
Hee, and I bought another notebook yesterday, one with a shimmery blue/aqua/silver cover. I'm going to use it to keep things like movie ticket stubs etc. as a tangible record of things the cubs and I do. I used to keep scrapbooks for the same purpose when I was younger - it's fun looking back at them. I've still got souvenir programs and newspaper articles from concerts, plays and ballets I've seen.
I sometimes suspect there's a neat and organised person lurking inside me, striving to cope with the chaos. That would account for the dismay I frequently feel when I look at my room/house/life, ne? : )

Nicked from Onna's lj:

<rolling around laughing>

You Are A: Bunny!

These adorable woodland animals are known for their fluffy cotton tail and shy disposition. Bunnies reproduce like crazy and are found all over the world. As a bunny, you spend your days hopping through fields and chewing on grass and leaves. Your cuddly, gentle appearance is irresistable!

You were almost a: Turtle or a Groundhog
You are least like a: Parakeet or a SquirrelTake the Cute Animal Quiz!

Woke up from a very detailed dream yesterday morning. I'd got talking to a man, an actor - tall, confident and attractive without being overwhelming. He was playing the lead in a play about 3 immigrant men (Chechnyans? Czechs?) living and working somewhere like London. Can't remember the play's name but it had a reputation for violence and explicit content, being hailed as a 'realistically gritty' drama. My new friend's character was the eldest of the trio, the amoral and casually violent ring-leader. He gave me an unnerving demonstration of the character's nature (basically forcing me onto my back) and I had to keep reminding myself that it was just a role he was playing. But for all that I quite liked him and we made plans to meet the following day.
I was at the theatre after the performance (not a big audience but it included a faintly alarmed/baffled Buddhist monk) waiting to meet him, feeling nervous with those first date anticipations... and then the alarm went off. Ah well. : )

Soulsis made me an anklet! It's pink, and its got dangling fishies! Oh, and she found me another sarong to make into a top! Gorgeous orangey-pink with... fishies! <g> She knows me so well.

The 'Wallace and Gromit' movie had a 'short' showing with it, featuring the psychotic penguins from 'Madagascar'. It was quite funny, and I love the sheen on the penguins feathers.

We had a brilliant thunderstorm last night! The biggest cracka-thoom shook the house and one of the clocks fell off the wall. Exciting! The cubs came scuttling out of their bedroom to huddle with me on the couch until it was all over. Puir things. <g>

After the successful My Favourite Book poll last year the ABC is now holding My Favourite Film. I've registered, and voted for 'Velvet Goldmine'. Here's what I said about it - in 25 words or less.

A gorgeous, sensual drama about a time when anything was possible. I get something new from every viewing!

Hee.
You can vote up to 10 times. I'm pondering my next choice - 'Kingdom of Heaven', 'Silent Running'...? Ah heck, I can vote for both!

Chapter 22 is finished! This was another one that took a long time to come together but it's done now. Heh, there's only 2 more 'events' to detail (one major, one minor) before the final story arc. Meep. The end is in sight. Then what?
The rewrite of course...
Applications for the position of beta-reader can be addressed to the author. <eg>

Hn. <glancing up into corner of the lounge room> The first huntsman of the season. Didn't see many inside last year - hope that doesn't mean we can expect twice as many this year...

The cubs and I have just spent a few days with Mum. Mum'd got it into her head that we were staying for 3 nights rather than the 2 I had planned - it threw her slightly. Ah well.
First thing we did was head up to the Healesville Trolley ride. Lots of people there (nice weather, middle of the holidays) and consequently I ended up perched at the very end of the last trolley, squished between the rear diesel engine and the none too secure rail. It's moments like that I'm uncomfortably aware - because of my size - the sorts of places I won't fit.
Anyway, we trundled off, happy and smiling and enjoying the sunshine and stuff, until we got to the middle of the hill just before the tunnel (steepest rail gradient in Victoria, apparently; 1:35). The very full trolley ground to a halt, unable to make it up the slope. The drivers conferred, the front trolley was uncoupled and went off to complete the journey leaving the rear one to have another go. The driver went back to a relatively flat spot so we could take a run-up. Twice.
No luck. Just as I thought we'd have to give up on the tunnel and go back to the station, the front trolley - free of passengers - came back down the track to give us a hand. We cheered when we finally made it through the tunnel...
It was fun on the way back though. It was all downhill and we rocketed along, and now I was at the front of the trolley, with nothing between me and the track save a couple of bits of timber. Weeeeeeee! With my hair streaming out behind me I wondered if this was what it was like being a figurehead...

The next day the cubs and I wandered around the village while Mum and her friend went to the gym. The cubs found an excellent model train magazine - which they've been poring over ever since - and I stocked up on biodynamic rice. One of the things I like about where Mum lives is that there's a lot of organic/biodynamic produce readily available. It helps of course that the Biodynamic Research Institute is just down the road I guess, but I don't have to go hunting for the goods there like I have to in the 'burbs.
Once Mum and Jean had finished exercising we all piled into Mum's little car and headed up to the Patchwork Teahouse in Warburton. Had a cup of tea and picked up a handful of cute buttons, and a few scrappy bits of material for one of the projects. Didn't spend anywhere near as much as I'd anticipated, which was a good thing.

Today, the last day, we met Soulsis and her chicks to go and see the Wallace and Grommit movie. It was fun, simplistic, with most of the really funny things happening in the background. Wallace's bookshelf holds titles like 'Waiting for Gouda' & 'East of Edam', and one of the stained glass windows in the church shows the angels blowing their horns and the three wise men blocking their ears. <g> The animation was a good as ever, there were lots of in-jokes from all over the place and a number of things that had the adults in the audience chortling. I was entertained the whole way through - and the bunnies drifting about during the credits were awfully cute.
After a drink in the nearby shopping centre, Mum dropped the cubs and I off at the station to catch the train home. So good to be home... for a change. Usually I'm pretty meh about being here but today it was different. I wonder why?
It's interesting, the more time I spend at Mum's the more I like the area. I asked the cubs what they thought it would be like to live there and the M cub replied 'peaceful'. By the tone of voice I'm not sure if that was a good thing or not. Eh well, if it's meant to be...

And, hah!, I've got a yellow kougra now, too. Not bad going, really: 4 kougras, 3 different colours.

<bouncebounce> Joules has finished a lemony PWP for the Gremlins and she's drawing Bruce!
An explanation, perhaps. Bruce was the resident gremlin in my new 'puter - Carli left the old one, cos it's switched off and no fun - and now they quite happily cohabit in the new one.
Anyway, as a 'thank you' to her gremlin Butch, Joules has intro'ed Bruce to him in a ficlet. Bruce is very nummy (well, there's no complaints from Butch - or Carli, for that matter) and the sketch of him is damn close to what I see in my head. Gorgeous! <g>

The fic, 'Stranger', is in Darkside the passworded section on Joules' Wavewrights site.
Mmmm... turkish delight and blue-skinned smut. Perfect... : )

I woke up this morning to hear: "Hi-yah! Hah! Eee-ah! <whump!>"
"Are you all right?" I called from my pillow.
"Yes!" the M cub giggled. "I was being a kung-fu ninja and I went into the wall..."
And a very good morning to you too, my lovely. <g>

Cubs and I went to Puffing Billy yesterday! And it was free cos Soulsis and Becca had given us a complementary day-pass that Becca had won in a raffle! I like steam trains, have I mentioned?
Good day for it, too - not hot, not cold, no rain - and we got there in time for the first trip out so it wasn't packed. The cubs insisted on sitting in the first carriage, as close to the engine as possible, but after the first bit of soot in their eyes they decided it might not be such a good thing. We went to Lakeside, a lovely leisurely hour-long journey, then disembarked and watched the engine steam off to its next destination before ambling up the hill to the Emerald Lake Park Model Railway. Happily spent ages in there, enjoying the (miniature) scenery while the cubs zipped about taking photos and asking the operator questions, then we went for a walk around the lake. Ducks, and ducklings, and the occasional splash of a fish! It's a beautiful spot, especially at this cooler time of the year when there's no crowds.
Caught the train back to Belgrave, sitting in the very last carriage this time, then I let the cubs loose in the gift shop. Happy cubs.
And I got a snowglobe! : )
It was a good day. Thanks for the tickets, Soulsis!

Ahah! I now have a green kougra. Only blue, yellow, white, black, pink, starry - and I think, cloudy - to go. Heh.

Nicked from Moosifer Jones' Grouch:

You are a Social Liberal (75% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (16% permissive) You are best described as a: Socialist Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid

... not sure what happened to the chart thingy that was sposed to go with the result. And couldn't be bothered fiddling with the code so, meh...

Last night - as I was dropping off to sleep - the last few paragraphs of SFSG coalesced in my mind. I finally know where it's going to end! Not only that but shortly afterwards the details of the post-script spilled forth... Lucky I have notepads and pens handy in my bedroom.

Gah, busy day today. The cubs and I zipped down to Chadstone early this morning to dive around completing all the piddling little tasks that needed to be done there before diving onto the bus to go to Box Hill. (Would've been less frantic if we didn't have plans for the afternoon, anyway...)
The M cub has a blankie, his favourite doona that was left behind by the previous tenants at our last house then claimed by him. It's very tatty after several years of continual use but he's resisted even the idea of doing anything other than sewing up the gaping holes. Unfortunately the covering material is so thin and frayed now it won't hold stitches anymore and something had to be done. Given the choice of having the thing fall apart and be unusable or get it recovered, sulky cub eventually saw reason and today we went material shopping. We wandered about the store (huge store, huge selection) with him turning his nose up at all my suggestions until he spotted a novelty print that was covered in sharks. I was very happy he'd found something he liked, truly I was, so I didn't squeak too much at the price - 6 metres at $10.95 per metre - but still... However, canny creature that I am I enthused quietly to him about having the sharks on one side and a nice, plain colour on the other. He bought it, and soon found a suitable green material (that was a quarter of the price. Phew.) He's been warned he'll be without his blankie for a couple of days once I start working on it but that's fine now cos he's got a really cool shark blankie to look forward to. <g>

So, after our busy morning we went to Penny and Sarah's for afternoon tea. A nice change of pace. Heh, though after the chocolate biscuits and cake the children's pace picked up for a while.
On the way home we had to walk past a Golden Arches of Doom and one of the cubs spotted the new toy range just starting. Squeeee! Neopets! At last! And Kougras are in the first batch released. I have a red one now - such a cute widdle kitty-face - hopefully I'll be able to pick up a couple more tomorrow before they sell out. Thank heavens you can buy the toys separately from the food!

Taking the cubs to Puffing Billy tomorrow. <g>

I quite like this time of year. The sun kisses rather than bites and the street is fragrant with fresias and jonquils. The prunus on our nature strip has exploded into gorgeous pale pink blossoms and the tangle of jasmine at the front of the house wafts a wonderfully sweet and uplifting scent as I wander past.
We've had a reasonable amount of rain too so it's easy to yank the weeds out of the paddock that's laughingly referred to as our backyard lawn. KittenKong loves this, of course, all those spots of freshly turned earth for her to paddle in. Such a help, my cat... : )

It's a clock!
He looks like he's been hexed! Bwahahahahahahahah!
Who in their right mind would place the hands bang on someone's nose?
<snerk> No, I won't be bidding.

Forgot to mention we also saw the preview for Corpse Bride yesterday - another Tim Burton animation. I'd like to see it but not sure I'd enjoy it. I'm unreasonably squeamish - and getting worse as I get older - and there were a couple of things in the preview that made my stomach churn. Not sure how I'll cope with an entire movie. <g>
Mind you... it does look good...

I hate being rushed, I really do.
I was all organised this morning to take the cubs to the movies - knew which bus we'd have to catch, what time we'd have to leave - then the cubs invited their father to come with us. Okay, good, he's got a car and instead of offering petrol money I can pay for his ticket cos it'll cost about the same as day tickets for the bus. I wanted to leave home at least an hour before the session start-time despite the cinema only being 10 minutes drive away, because I know what it's like there on tight-arse Tuesdays during the holidays.
<sigh> Cubs' father hadn't woken up from his nap (he worked last night) by the time the rest of us were ready to go. <mutterfume> Then he couldn't find his wallet, and he had to get some petrol a.s.a.p. on the way down there... All right, it wasn't too bad, we got to the place with half an hour to spare but I had to suppress a wave of irritation as I saw how long the queue was for tickets. Luckily I'd suggested sent the cubs' father to the supermarket for snacks while I lined up for the tickets. That saved a little time and I was still able to make a dash to the loo before the session started.

'The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl'.
Enjoyable, predictable fluff about how you shouldn't forget your dreams, or try to destroy other peoples'. It wasn't exceptional in any way but the cubs loved it if only for the sharks. Some of the Planet Drool sequences were very clever, however, the 3D bits weren't that amazing that they couldn't have been done just as effectively with standard CGI.
BUT that would have to have been the coolest space-ship ever! <g>

What did boggle me though was how much effort our Ministry of defense is putting in to (sneaky) recruiting. The rope thingies that delineated the ticket-queue had the MoD's email addie printed on them at regular intervals. There was also a large display-stand right next to the box-office stuffed with MoD pamphlets, and on top of the poles between the rope thingies were affixed smaller versions of the MoD poster-ads. All nicely designed to catch your eye as you wait in line. Tch. I wonder how much money changed hands over the right to monopolise this prime, youth-catching site.

Oh! Previews! Almost forgot...
'Chronicles of Narnia'! <big eyes> Ohohoh I want to see that! The armour, the scenery (visit New Zealand!), the pavilions! (There's something dreadfully romantic about a well-made and bravely decorated pavilion. Yes I have spent time living in one and it's not overly convenient but... le sigh...)
And something else, can't remember the name, but it had the same writer as 'Jumanji'. There was a clue - like to guess what it was about? Two boys find an ooooold board game in the attic. It's about space-travel and its perils...
The space-cadets amongst us will probly love it for the effects if nothing else.

Oh bother. Did I miss 'Talk like a Pirate' Day again?
Aarrr, that be a nuisance...

<grumblesigh> Just watched the last episode of Dead Like Me. One of the most original and darkly funny things I've seen for ages and it only goes for 2 seasons. I shall pout...

If a 'boar' is an uncastrated male pig, what's a castrated male pig called?
<thinking really hard> Aaargh, 'Animal Farm'? Isn't Squealer one?

If in doubt, google it...
Barrow, according to Wikipedia, is a castrated male pig.

And cos I don't entirely trust Wikipedia, just checked my faithful old Oxford Concise and yes, it's in there too.
Phew. Now I won't keep myself awake pondering it. : )

But here's something else that's been niggling at me for a few days. Something, a phrase, about infamous (in-famous) meaning even more famous than famous.
I can almost hear the inflection of the speaker's voice, and I can almost see their face but the full memory just won't surface. Tch.

Mmmmm... tried out a recipe for caramel popcorn today, given (verbally) to me by Mary, the other library volunteer at the cubs' school.
150g butter and 200g jersey caramels melted together and stirred until combined then poured over a quantity of popcorn ('bout 1/3 cup of kernels), mixed thoroughly then spooned into individual paper patty pans.
Mmmmm...
Not entirely sure how much popcorn I used cos I had to salvage the good bits from 2 batches. First batch was left on the heat too long and got a little singed, while half of the kernels in the second batch didn't pop. I suspect I should've used one of the cast iron pots to spread the heat a little more evenly. Ah well, I'll remember next time.
Not surprisingly the little dollops of caramelly goodness didn't last long.

Taking the cubs out tomorrow for our first official holiday event. We're going to see a movie, probably The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3D... Could be worse - though I'd rather see the Wallace and Grommit movie. Next week, perhaps.