Monday, December 14

Be thankful

All to often we get caught up in our lives and forget to take the time to be thankful for what we have. We wander around in our own little bubble of self pity or sorrow or what ever emotion lets us feel like the poor bugger me. I know that of late I have probably been rather guilty of such actions. Or at least to preoccupied with myself to find the energy to care about others. Actually I am not really sure what it is that has been occupying my time but I recently realised that I have been self absorbed to say the least.

There is a chance that some of this is slightly justified, given dad's passing and all that but I am not really sure how long that can be used as an excuse. Especially given the fact that I think for the larger part of my emotional being I am still neglecting to really acknowledge his death, but that is a story for another day.

The story for today is heartbreaking. Actually heartbreaking is an understatement. I can not begin to explain how this has effected me. Now that the tears have finally dried I am able to type and try to share with you what I discovered.

Deciding to spend some time at Linkreferal I stumbled across a blog which in turn led me to discovering Anissa Mayhew. Now to cut a long story short. This woman is a mother to three beautiful children, the youngest of which was diagnosed with cancer. Twelve months after her daughter recieved her final treatments Anissa had not one but two strokes leaving her paralsyed.

Now I know the Lord works in mysterious ways but......

Does that not seem a little harsh? Anissa is still in hospital and while making some progress it is still only small and her family has a long, hard road in front of them. Reading about not just this woman's but her entire family's strength, courage and determination was more than uplifting. Despite the world just throwing them hurdle after hurdle they all just keep on going. Never giving up, never complaining, just trying to survive.

So if in the near future your life seems harsh or unfair, stop by here and have a read.

Friday, December 11

Oh me oh my

Going about my daily life I constantly seem to have brilliant ideas on what would make a good post. Interesting little thoughts that seem more than worthy of being shared with the wider world. Naturally though when I actually have the time to write about what ever brilliant idea I may have had earlier in the day, it has of course totally gone.

Now I know that a smart person would possibly have a notepad and pen handy at all times so that the brilliant ideas could easily be jotted down as they occur however I fear that this would still not be of much use to me. I am at best absent minded. Most of my best thoughts seem to occur when I am carrying out rather mundane activities, like hanging out the washing, or doing the dishes, possibly driving or, well I am sure you get the picture. Chances are that what ever it is I am doing, regardless of how mindless it may actually be, it it is not something I can just stop doing. If for example I walked away from the washing line to jot down my amazing idea, the chance of me returning to complete my chore would be smaller than small. It takes every once of being to get me out there in the first place I can't take the risk of leaving once I get there or my family may never have clean dry clothes.

Anyway...

The other afternoon, after dropping the kiddlie winks at my mother's I managed to take a quick peak at the shops in a bid to eliminate some of my Christmas present list. Which by the way did not really happen. It turns out that the shops I looked in were full of over priced crap that would possibly only be played with till the first week of the new year. If that. What however really disgusted me was the treadmill and exercise bike targeted at 4-8 year olds. What has the world become???

Now don't get me wrong I am all for leading a healthy active life, and I understand that childhood obesity is at an all time high and ever growing, but is this really the path we want to send our children on? Surely it would be of more use to get a ball and go and play in the park with them than purchase a piece of exercise equipment that was at least a couple of hundred dollars?

Tuesday, December 8

Carols


The other night the family and I went along to the Carols by Candlelight. Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year and each year Carols signify the start of the wonderful festive season.

As we entered through the gates with thousands of other happy families we were greeted by the sound of the pipes and drums band. The sound they can create is truly magical and I could listen to well played bagpipes for hours on end.

As I walked past I admired their kilts and wondered from which clans they were from. As a descendant from the Campbells I am always interested in the various tartans and the family behind them. I briefly thought of my dad.

We got ourselves settled and started eating our picnic dinner while we waited for the show to begin. Looking down from our seats on the hill I could see the pipes and drum band reassembling and preparing to march on stage. They truly are talented to be able to play and walk at the same time. They started playing Waltzing Matilda. I could feel my eyes start to well with tears. One because it sounded so beautiful and two because I was reminded of my dad. I knew how much he would have loved to have heard it. I wanted to tell my girls how much he would have loved it but I couldn't. The words would just not leave my mouth, unlike the tears that were now rolling down my cheeks. I really miss my dad. No like really, really, really miss him.

To top things off once the band made it on stage and finished the unofficial Australian anthem they began to play Amazing Grace. By now I was a blubbering mess. (Much like I am as I try to write this out) This was one of the songs played at Dad's funeral. And to the credit of the band they did a beautiful job, far better actually than the version we found for dad.

My darling angle of a three year old was the only person to notice my sadness. Bless her little heart. Her questions as to why mummy was sad just made the tears fall faster. It was all fixed though with the cuddle and kiss she gave me after I explained to her how the beautiful music made me think of granpa and how much he would have liked to have heard it. It never ceases to amaze me that even at her tender young age she can be so understanding. Children really are a treasure and often underestimated.

The rest of the evening was magical. It filled me with the warmest fuzziest feeling I have felt for a long time. There is something special about sitting around with candles and singing songs.

Credit for the photo goes to budog who you can find more about here

Monday, December 7

A few blank drafts

So in a bid to decide whether I should maintain Rambles or start afresh I have been looking through old posts. The first thing I noticed when I clicked on my manage posts page was that I had three entries that were only a draft. Thinking that they could be a good starting point for new posts (of sorts) I checked them out. Unfortunately they were not of much use.

One was titled Time is Fickle, which I must admit I thought was going to unveil some earth shattering discovery I had at one point made. Far from it. Apart from a title the page was blank and I am unable to recall exactly what it was that at that point in time brought me to the opinion that time is in fact fickle.

The next draft post didn't really prove to be much either. Though given it was titled Two Months!! it was not like it really held a great deal of promise. Here is what I found

And not in a good way

It has been two months since I last posted a blog. (she says with a deep sigh)

I read my last post (dated late April) before I began this post and I must say it made me chuckle, but perhaps not in a good way.

No wonder I never bothered making it anything more than a draft.

And last but not least, well in some ways it is I guess. This is what else I found

Once again I managed to spend a bit of time over at linkreferral checking out some of the great sites that fill the vast void that cyberspace can bring.

Aptly title More great links it is a shame I never managed to actually include the links.

So I guess it is no wonder that my poor old blog is struggling to maintain readers. Hmmmmm

Remember me?

Can't say I would blame you if the answer was no, after all it has been more than a while since I last posted. But hey that is life and at least I am here now.

I have been toying with the idea of starting a fresh new blog. I feel that Rambles may have become a bit stale and it is certainly disjointed to say the least. The only downside is that starting a new blog is not as easy as it seems. Sure it is just a matter of picking a template and then posting away but I want it to be a more than just your ordinary run of the mill blog. I want it to be something that is worthy of entering in blog competitions. Something that people will actually read and pass on to their friends. Something more than what this attempt has been and that all takes time and effort.

Sure I have the time, in fact I am of the opinion that I have too much time. This is based on the fact that I manage to waste such a great deal of the precious commodity. And without looking for pats on the back (though of course they are more than welcomed) it is the effort and ability that I fear my be my downside.

I guess I should clarify exactly what I mean by ability though. While it is always nice to have one's ego stroked by the hand of another I do actually believe that I have more than ample ability to share words in a manner in which is enlightening, entertaining and even informative. The trick is however in distinguishing what it is that will appeal to the widest audience and then reaching said audience. This is where I feel my ability may be slightly lacking. I have never been a writer that writes purely for myself. I write because I want people to read what ever it is I want to share. If I feel I am not being read then I find the motivation to write somewhat lacking (to say the least).

So my question for today is what can I do to get myself read? What steps (other than increasing the frequency of my writing) can I take to make this an award winning blog? (or even just something that gets read by more people)

Thursday, October 8

24 Hours and counting

Well not really counting but that is how long it has been. Not surprisingly it has not gotten easier yet. I know that eventually it will, I sorta wish that was now though. Patience has never been a strong point.

We went to the funeral home today and began organising the service. It was a somewhat surreal experience and one I am glad I haven't previously been through and certainly one I hope I don't have to repeat any time soon.

Everything was quite fitting though. From the boney old man with the drawn out face to lounges with red velvet cushions and the dark wood finishing, there was no doubt as to where we were. Even the director fitted in perfectly with her black satin top and thin strand of pearls hanging loosely from her neck. Her soft voice with a slight English accent was soothing yet irritating at the same time. She failed however to give much direction. While I thought we were easily accommodating, I guess perhaps we were not really the ideally customers.

After all we had no idea of what was supposed to happen or what the choices were that needed to be made. In fact all we really know is that our father/husband had passed and we wanted to get him put to rest as soon as possible. About the only thing we could agree on was the fact we wanted it all over with as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately for us dad left no indication as to any wishes that he had towards the matter. Actually that is not entirely true. He had made it quite clear that he did not care one way or another what we did, after all, he was dead, what did it matter to him!

Tuesday, October 6

Every new begining comes from some other beginings end


So the day that in some ways I feel I have been waiting for most of my adult life finally arrived today. One would think that after all the anticipation I would have some idea of what it would be like, but of course I had none.

I have spent many hours trying to imagine what it would be like, only truth be told no one could really predict such things, well not unless they were psychic and sadly I am not. In fact I am far from it. None of the scenarios my mind had previously created for the event bared any resemblance to the way in which it finally occurred, other than of course the final out come. And to tell you the truth of all the days I thought it would happen, today wasn't even one of them. In fact only this morning I was chirping at how well he was doing.

For those yet to work out what I am rambling about I guess I best just come out and say it. My father passed away this afternoon.

It is still all a bit of a blur really, which I imagine is only to be expected. You may in fact be wondering why after only seven and a half hours of coming to terms with it all I am even here. For me it seems the most sensible place to be. Actually ever since it happened my mind has been spinning with words that would create this post. Naturally now though my previously full brain is now not much more than an empty nest.

So on that note I might leave it for now, rest assured though I will be back. There is still much to share, like how I will adjust to life without my father. My days pretty much revolved around seeing him. Helping my two precious daughters cope with their grief will not be easy. They may not understand the concept of death but they know how much it hurts to be told they will never see their grampa again. Part of me thinks that as much as I will gain strength from them both, I will need it to pass straight to them. Time will tell and thankfully with time all will heal.

Thursday, July 9

I'm Back!








OMG!!! It has been like forever.
I can't remember when my last post was so obviously it was too long ago. I would like to say that in my absence from Blogger I have been productively sharing my insightful wisdom in other formats, but unfortunately that is not the case.

I did briefly dabble at Kidspot, however there was little with much substance and it was rather short lived. Having said that though, I do believe there was also the odd gem, here and there (if you are interested).

Reverting to old fashioned pen and paper was a novel idea, and even showed a limited increase of frequency. Yet it by no means cure my constant writer's block. Actually I don't think it is even really writer's block as I can always think of something to drivel about, if only I take the time to sit down and try.

My inability as a writer is largely, if not completely dependant on the fact that I rarely take the time to sit down and write. It is like I enjoy the notion of being a writer, but the effort, nah, not so much.

If I was the kind of person to make other excuses for my laziness and motivation I could come up with a thousand reasons as to what has prevented my from writing, busy life, mothering, schooling kids, and all the rest of it. Perhaps to a certain extent that is the case but really at the end of the day, excuses don't cut the mustard.

Any way enough of all of that for now. I have included some of my recent photos hope they take your fancy

Saturday, April 25

A Writing Frenzy


Since I already have a few sites that I regularly neglected I decided to add a new one to the list. Though naturally I have every intention of not neglecting it.

A very old and dear friend sent me a link to a site called kidspot social. She thought that the members there could be within my readership target and I have to say I definitely agree. This site is great. I strongly recommend that as soon as you finish here you check it out.

Anyway within an hour of having my first post up there I had a comment! Regular readers would know that this kind of thing really means a lot to me. I need confirmation that I am being read or I feel no inspiration to write. which is just crazy as writing always makes me feel better and helps puts things in perspective.

So I now have another post ready to put up as soon as my eldest reaches the expiry of her computer time which I am thinking is right about now!

In keeping with the tradition of recent posts I had planned to include a photo but unfortunately my beloved stock.xchng is currently down. In all the years I have been using them though this is the first I can ever recall facing such a problem so I guess I can't really complain. I am sure there is somewhere else I could go but I really can't be bothered. Instead I give to you this yellow bird who frequents my back garden. I don't know why but it is heavily attracted to me dead tree.

Monday, April 20

Death

Not exactly a lighthearted topic and generally not something that dinner table conversation is privy to. In fact, there are not many times when death is a welcomed topic for discussion. For me death is often in the forefront of my mind and has been for as long as I can remember.

I guess I should take a moment to clarify a few minor details.

When I say that death is on the forefront of my mind I actually mean that one of my first thoughts everyday is I wonder if today is the day he will finally be put to rest. I refer of course to my father.

I can not really recall the first time I had such a thought and I must say that it is only in recent times that it has reached near daily appearances. Which when you consider his current state of health is not really surprising.

When I was younger I guess it would have been fair to say that I feared the answer. My father is much older than my mother. In fact my father's first born is actually two weeks older than my mother. Not understanding the complete workings of the world I just assumed that old people died and I my dad has always been older than most.

Now however I think the day that the answer becomes yes would be a relief.

Don't get me wrong I love my father more than words here could ever explain. Not seeing him every day will be hard to adjust to and there will be a huge hole in my life for a while when he does finally pass, but watching the pain and suffering he is currently enduring is worse.

I can not begin to explain what it is like. Watching the man I have idolised for life become decrepit and frail. The one person who I truly saw as unbeatable. A tower of strength and power that few would ever be able to attain, slowly, and painfully fading away and falling to pieces.

Photo credits to Dimitri Castrique who I found on stock.xchng after searching the term death

Getting ready to explode

I have decided that my struggle to write is based firmly on the fact that I am a bottler. I bottle everything up. Much easier to get it out the way then. By tightly jamming it all into a bottle there is no need to deal with the struggles that often comes with life.

Like most people of the world I try to avoid struggles at all cost. They can be painful, if not arduous. Unfortunately though hardships and tough times are sometimes an unavoidable aspect of living. They are thrown in our direction to test our strength and make us stronger.

Depending on the struggle and the person in question, as well as fifty thousand other variables, the difficulty may or may not be successfully overcome. In the instances where the battle is not won it is more often than not just bottled up. Or swept under the carpet. Pushed out the window and otherwise ignored.

Over the years this has worked well for me. When things get too hard or I don't want to deal with whatever of life's tussles I am faced with just ignore it. I am left oblivious to any negative outcomes and I continue to sail through my existence in a self created sea of semi false happiness.

As with any container continuously filled with explosive or pressurised material there comes a time when enough is enough. When the limits are reached and the already overflowing bottle can take no more.

I fear I am at that point. Ready to explode. Unable to stop all my enclosed struggles from breaking free and forcing themselves not only to be recognised but dealt with as well.

Today's photo credits go to Caetano Lacerda I found this shot after searching the word explosion on stock.xching

Friday, April 10

It is easier to just play games...












That is why I haven't been here, writing away, pouring out my heart and soul to an anonymous audience that may or may not actually exist. Instead I have once again been suckered into the realms of virtual card collecting at Pack Rat.

The creators, Alamofire, are truly ingenious. Especially now that they have worked out how to get people to pay for the pleasure of paying. Whether or not they are actually making a profit is another question and quite frankly not the point. I assume that these people are doing something that they love, are enjoying themselves and quite possibly getting paid for it. Which in my book is essentially living the dream, so well done Josh and crew.

Some times I blame my lack of motivation or drive on my parents, particularly my mother for making my life to easy for me. I never really remember having to try to hard to do anything. Nor do I recall ever struggling or not being able to have or get something. While we were by no means a 'rich' family I had enough to remain on the outskirts of cool. I certainly never went without any of the teenage necessities, however what I had was never quite just right.

Academically I made adequate grades. Enough to show promise but at the end of the day only slightly above average. With hindsight I see that I never really exerted or challenged myself. Peers would spend hours studying to achieve the same results I achieved in half the time. For some reason though I seemed to lack the ability to push myself to really shine. A feeling that is still current in my life. I seem to have an innate ability to just accept mediocrity, actually it is more than just accept. It is more like embracing the average. Near enough is more than good enough. Any where within a 5 km radius (or thereabouts) will do.

I guess by now you are wondering what my point is.

Don't worry so am I. Random tangents seem to be my specialty, unfortunately though I have no more to offer now. Some new cards have been released so I must bid you all adieu


PHOTO CREDITS
Today's photos caused me much angst in there insertion. I am still not completely happy with the way that they look but enough time has been wasted so am letting go and moving on.

The tiger is from my own personal collection while the African Pancake Tortoise comes from Penny Mathews who can be found at stock.xchng.com

I was searching for photos tagged with laziness, there were only a few, some bears and kittens and a lady floating on the water. (which I really loved but unfortunately had issues uploading, always next time I guess) It was the animal shots that reminded my of my very lazy tiger.

Tuesday, March 31

I'm a Winner!!!

Today I received an email telling me that I had just won second prize in an online competition.

As you can imagined I was more than impressed. I could hardly believe my eyes. So what was it all about I hear you ask? Well I recently signed up to a new site called Kree-ations. It is great for mothers, those that care about the environment or craft lovers.

Please go and have a look, who knows you could be the next winner

Wednesday, March 25

Three in a row

Well sort of.

I am not sure how much of a post this will actually be. At least I am trying though.

I have been struck be a severe case of the can't be's. Actually it is not really the can't be's.
It is more of a shut down. I am drained and tired and sick of the world and most of the crap that is in it.

Ok maybe that is a bit harsh but I am sure you know where I am coming from. I at near the end of another long day that really saw not much being accomplished. To top it off, this really long day is just another to add to the succession of long fruitless days I have been experiencing lately.

Last week I lost count of the number of people who told me that I seemed flat. Personally this perplexes me as flat is somethig I certainly am not. Slightly rounded with a squishy middle is a much more accurate description.

Thanks to mordoc for todays photo. Small prize for anyone who can guess where I got it from

Oh how things can change...


This post was supposed to start like this...

I'm Pumped!!
Tonight my basket ball managed to come within two points of not losing a game. Compared to the previous deficits of sometimes well over twenty this was a huge improvement


...However by the time my lovely little laptop decided to turn itself on and open a new document for me, I found my thoughts spiraling off into their own random tangents.
Rather than the planned discussion pouring forth my mind had more pressing matters which it wanted to contemplate.

Sitting here ready type out some inspirational piece based on the great high I am getting from being part of a team all I can actually think about is

I wonder if rings make fingers swell?
If red cars go faster do red fingernails make you type faster?
I wonder how many other people are aware of the fact that their nose and ears never stop growing
?

And other such burning matters that really do not have much impact to reality at all...

Perhaps it is symbolic of my life. It feels like it is spiraling off in more than just random tangents. I am in dire need of direction, purpose and most of all a driving motivation. Stuck in a vortex of blind acceptance, I still manage to float through life based on the flow of whatever is going. There is no order, rhyme of reason.

Silver lining to all this I guess is that at least I managed a post for the second day running! (Mind you if I refer back to my original posting rules this would probably not pass as the word count is just under 200 but I am sticking with it being better than nothing!)
eds note: I took so long playing with the format of this post that it is now past midnight and therefore it has saved the date as the 25th but I assure you it is my second day in a row for posting

Many thanks to slafko for today's photo. I found this interesting image on stock.xchng.com after I pressed the randomizer button...nothing like living life on the edge hey?

Monday, March 23

Happy Birthday!!




So today is my 31st birthday.

Happy birthday to me. It is also my sister's birthday only she is 24. Having exhausted all possibilities at the toy shop my mum decided that a sister was the perfect present for my seventh birthday. As it turned out it was the best present in the whole world.

In the 24 years that we have shared our birthday, up until today, there has only been one other time when we have been apart. I hated it. My sister was over in England for her 19th. While it probably wasn't my worst birthday, (surprisingly that award goes to my 21st), it certainly won't be featuring in any best of editions either.

This year is pretty much the same. No complaints as such (apart from my sister's absence) but also not really what I would call great. There are times when the silver lining can become some what faint or tarnished and this was one of those times. I would like to point out though that I am not complaining as really all I wanted was to spend time with family and that happened so at the end of the day that is all that matters.

Anyway as seems to be happening a lot these days, this is a post that I started and failed to get to posting status in the one seating. Needless to say what ever my original point may have been, it is now lost. At least I got something out though!

Today's photo comes from banj0e who can be found on my fav photo site stock.xchng.com

Thursday, March 19

Happy St Patricks Day


Alright I know that I am two days late but I have a very valid reason. While I am far from Irish, I still hold a deep respect for the potato loving leprechauns. The colour green is number three in my all time favourite colours list.

Anyway I can hear you all saying if "St Paddy's day really means so much to you why has it taken so long to post about it?" Well there are in fact a few possibilities. Allow me to enlighten you.
  1. In true Irish spirit I got blind rotten drunk and it has taken this long for my delicate body to recover.
  2. I am just incredibly slack
  3. I have been suffering in a personal turmoil as St P Day resurrects some painful history that I do not know how to deal with. It just so happens that this is the 10 year anniversary.
  4. All of the above plus a few others that have managed to escape my mind at this particular point in time.
There are two correct answers up there, can you work out which they are? Leave a comment and let me know.

Today's image come straight from woodsy He has a great collection of images that are worth checking out. I actually think I have stumbled across some of his work in previous searches, when time permits I will confirm which ones they are.

Wednesday, March 11

Problems

One of my biggest problems as a writer is that I have a tendency to write about things that are actually part of my life. Now this on itself is not really the problem as I believe that I have a way in sharing these things in an entertaining manner and there is generally something for everyone to walk away with.

My problem lies with my readership.

As I am still only in the developmental stages of becoming a break through writer I really should promote myself to family and friends. Which means I then become very wary about what I share within my random walls...Can you begin to see the problem now?


Ed's note: This post was actually posted on the 19th of March (more than a week after it was started!!
What kind of wanna be writer have we got here? )



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Tuesday, March 10

100 Posts and a Change of Address


That's right ladies and gentlemen. A drum roll if you please. This is officially my one hundredth ramble. It has taken a little over a year but eventually I have reached a little milestone. Here's hoping that the next hundred come a little quicker :)

Anyway all this time I have actually been hosting my blog at rhiannasrandomrants, even though the header is Random Rambles. Well today I discovered that I can easily change it to be http://rhiannasrandomrambles.blogspot.com/ which I find very exciting. Of course this means that my existing links are not longer in existence. Which sorta bites a little bit. Perhaps I will have to do something about it.
Also my share button isn't working anyone have any suggestions?

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Monday, March 9

A Busy Day


I bet you were thinking that after all the work I did here on the weekend, I would now go MIA, well let me shout all you non believers down! I am here baby and I am here to write!

Well actually I just wrote a great post about my little fairy friends and how they helped me out during the day.

I must say though on the whole it has been a fairly busy day despite it being one full of changes. Everything I went to do was canceled. I had back up plans however even they went astray at times. In the end all's well that ends well I guess.

Ok so maybe my little catch cry earlier that was I here to write was a little over extended. It really is passed my bed time and I have been highly productive so I am thinking rather than ramble on about nothing I might just leave it here.

I haven't done my linkreferral links today and it doesn't look like I will get them done. (well at least not tonight) I have however washed and folded well over three loads of washing, which deserves me a huge cheer as I hate washing with a passionate vengence. My post for today at the fairy garden was also a 700+ worder so that is also worthy of a bit of a back patting!


Thanks and credit for the photo goes to Nafrea from my very fav photo site stock.xchng.
Click here to view Nafrea's profile



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Saturday, March 7

AddThis Button, please share me

So I am trying to add and AddThis button to my posts. I have somehow managed to do this on My Fairy Garden yet it is proving to be a little tricky over here on Rambles.

The joy of an AddThis button is that it allows readers to easily share any posts that take their fancy. So with the click of a button you can recommend my post to any number of social bookmarking sites.

Why would you do this?

Well firstly it would increase my exposure which may in turn increase my hits which may then in turn mean the odd extra cent for me here and there. I am a huge believer in every bit counts!

Any back to the button. If all has gone to plan the button should look like this

Bookmark and Share

Just move the mouse over it to see your options. Some may require membership but others will not. Thanks for making me feel special by sharing me with all you know.

If all goes well and according to plan then this button will be found at the end of every post. I have a terrible feeling though it will only be on post from here on in. Oh well, can't win them all I guess...

A Sign of the Times?

Excuse me if I seem a little disjointed in this post. I am still shaking from a near on encounter. Actually all it really turned out to be was a severe case of a rather over zealous imagination. Still left me feeling a little rattled though.

Here's what happened

It is rather late (after 11.30pm) on a Saturday night. I had been tirelessly working on my layout revamp and decided that it was time I take a well earned break. I ventured out to my small front patio. There was a slight cool stillness to air. Just enough to take the stickyness off the skin but not really enough to drastically reduce body heat.

Anyway, as I sat there deciding which mindless electronic device I was going to whittle my time away on I noticed a car doing laps of the complex's car park. On the third time round they parked in an undesignated area. It is not a very large area nor was it ever really thought out well.

Despite a strong urge to tell the driver to park in a designated park I figured now was not the right time to play parking inspector.

As the car doors opened I heard cheerful banter of young male voices. Followed closely by the sound of aresol spray cans. Instantly I assumed that they were in fact trying to graffiti a parked car. My next thought was, that is wasn't just any old car but it is mine!

The more I listened the more convinced I was of what was happening.

I could feel my heart begin to race as I contemplated how I would catch these little vandals. Not ever being one to feel fear, and often lacking in common sense, I got up and turned the light on and stood in a position to clearly survey the situation.

Standing there waiting for my dog to realise there may be some action about to occur, I saw four bodies move away from the cars and head towards one of the units down the far end. I took in a breath as I went to call out to them, I was overwhelmed by the aroma of deodarant.

Suddenly through the fog of their 'shower in a bottle' spray I could see what was really going on. These young men were not here for some personal vendetta against my car or me. They were here to pick up the young women from number 17.

Quickly I jumped back into the shadows and turned off the light. I must remember more often it is not always about me.

Sitting back down I willed my heart to please stop beating so hard and fast. I couldn't believe that I had actually thought so ill of people. I know that society is full of undesirables and the world is not always a nice place however for the most part I manage to block these factors out and only see the good in people.

Tonight was far from that.

At no stage did I give these guys a chance. I am just so thankful I entered the realms of reality before I actually confronted them. I guess with all the crime and horror that fills the newspapers these days I am not entirely to blame for my over reaction.

Have you ever misread a situation as badly as this?

Nothing like a coat of paint!

As some of you may remember I have recently expressed a desire to make some cosmetic changes to my rambles. Well I would like to unveil to you the new and improved Random Rambles. I still need to add a few more widget/gadget things down the side but so far I think it is a step in the right direction.

I would also like the chance to welcome the 2 new recent followers and invite anyone interested in staying up to date with the crazy world I live in to either join the followers list or hit the subscription list.

I am also a huge fan of comments so please feel free to leave any thoughts you would like to share. Nothing like knowing people are reading to keep me writing!

Let's Get Political...

As a general rule I tend to stay away from political content. There are a few reasons for this. The first being is that politics takes a lot of brain power. Now I know that I am not exactly lacking in that particular department. Quite the contrary. In fact I am well aware of my brain's capacity I just choose not to utilise the majority of it.

Now I don't know why that is, but it is.

Anyway recent events in the political sphere has caused me to think outside my own little box.

Pacific Brands, the creator of iconic Australian labels such as Chesty Bonds, King Gee and Kasyer has decided to sack some 1800 Aussie battlers. These national top sellers are now to be manufactured overseas.

Naturally public outcry has ensued. After all the current economic downturn means need to support local industry is stronger than ever. With those in the know predicting an escalation of unemployment in coming years, possibly even months, one can't help but wonder why Pacific Bonds would want to lead the way.

To add flame to the raging fire that has union members up in arms here are a few interesting side notes that you may or may not already be aware of.

It has been revealed that in the past two years The Australian Federal Government has given Pacific Bonds $14.5 million. Now while on the surface that sounds very nice and is incredibly generous, it must be pointed out that this money was essentially that of the average Australian taxpayer. And nobody ever asked them if they were interested in investing in what has turned out to be not such an Australian Company.

Apparently Pacific Brands has been planning this move for 18 months. Which is only six months after the Government first started handing out fist fulls of cash.

Pacific Brands head honchos earn ridiculously high wages which were recently raised to even crazier levels. It escapes me how you could possibly run a company into the ground, force manufacturing operations overseas and screw over so many people while taking home such a huge slice of the pie.

A large proportion of Pacific Brands Australian workers are migrants and skilled only in the textile industry

I fail to see how brands that are supposed to be representative of the Australian way of life can possibly be made overseas. Chesty Bonds and King Gee are widely seen as representing the different forms the strong Aussie bloke may take. While Kayser has the sexy yet incredible practical and sensible Aussie sheila down to a tea. There is always something to suit everyone.

Now however these great labels will be forever referred to as sell outs. When the going looked like getting tough they got going before it happened. Far cry from being Aussie I say.

So for all those out to buy some knew socks jocks or undies with the soon to be paid second stimulus package... think again... maybe blowing it on the pokies isn't such a bad idea after all, just make sure to have a drink at the same time :)

Friday, February 27

Shhhh!

A little while ago (here) I wrote of the dramas I was experiencing getting my darling eight year old to go to sleep. Well I thought that should give you an update of how things have progressed.

Before I go any further I must say that it is with great caution that I share the following with you. There are a few reasons for this.

The first is that I never really wanted this blog to be a recount of my life. I am not sure what I wanted it to be but I didn't think my life as such could be that interesting. Turns out that there is a chance it is.

My second reason is...actually I've forgotten. As I try to write this I am having two different chats, watching a movie and trying to find some decent cards in PackRat. To say I am slightly distracted is an understatement. So I guess it is no wonder I am having difficulty keeping track of my thoughts. Since I fail to recall what my second reason was I am now going to go with the notion that it was never really of much importance in the first place.

So nearly six weeks later (perhaps even more, time is not really one of my strong points) I am pleased to say that I appear to have possibly overcome my daughter's sleeping issues. Something I am sure many of you can understand. I may have spent many years thinking I was the only parent to struggle with getting children to go to sleep but recent times have helped me realise it is more than just a common parental difficulty.

How did I possibly manage such success I hear many of you cry? Well I must say that at the end of the day it was really quite easy.

All it really took was consistency, commitment and not taking any crap.

On the whole it sounds rather easy but if you are anything like myself the above can be easier said than done! Having said that though I am very proud to announce that I have successfully established a working bedtime routine with my darling 8yr old angel. Granted it is possibly a little later than what it should be but there are no tears, no arguments and everyone is left with that warm fuzzy feeling so that is really all that counts. She is asleep within 10 minutes of me leaving the room and I don't have to spend half my evening cohersing her to go to sleep.

I take her to bed, tuck her in (with special toy), sing song (What a Wonderful World), give her a kiss and say; "Sweet dreams, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite, see you in the morning light, happy and bright nighty night, I love you". Then depending on the time, lay with her and how I am feeling for between one to ten minutes. Somewhere in between it all I rub her back and face and sometimes even her arms and legs (the latter only if she has been behaving beautifully)

For me sleeping has never been an issue. I have always been able to send myself off into a deep sleep whenever I need to. Regardless of the time of day, I can make my body sleep. Even if only for 15 minutes.

Until I had children and a husband I never really realised what a gift this was, it was something I just assumed everybody could do. For years I thought that this was just the way that everybody operated but I have since discovered it is more a skill than natural ability. It appears however that nature must have some part to play as my youngest has been able to put herself to sleep as much as what I can. Thankfully my eldest seems now to be learning the ways also.

For those of you who recall the start of my post... well I have just remembered my second reason for not sharing this info earlier... I didn't want to tempt fate! I was worried that if fate heard me bragging about my success she might send me a few more difficulties to see if I could cope.
So shhhh this is our secret don't tell her!

Saturday, February 21

Has it really been 3 weeks?

Part of me feels it has been much longer, while another part struggles to think it has not been very long at all. Either it is still not exactly what you could call regular. Mind you if you were a regular reader I am sure this post would seem pretty average as it is the start of most of my posts (when ever I manage to get them up!)

Where have I been? What have I been doing? I hear you all cry. I wish that I could say I have been jet setting around the countryside or sailing the high seas but sadly that is not the case, no exciting adventures to report back with. In fact there are not even any boring ones! None the less I do have a beautiful story to share. In fact this experience has touched me so much I tried to create something new.

So what happened?

Well firstly my Dad, thought he was having a stroke so he called an ambulance. He rang me also to let me know what was going on. Did I mention that this was at 1.30am? No? Well it was. Anyway I went to his house and then followed the ambulance to the hospital. As it turned out they didn't believe there was any cause for concern but given his age, and medical history it wasn't worth the risk.

Once I was sure that Dad was all comfortably settled I headed home (even I need some sleep). As I headed out the hospital doors two women asked me if I could give them a ride home. Naturally I agreed. No one leaving the hospital in the early hours of the morning is ever having a great time and it was still another four or so hours till the first bus would be. It was the least I could do really. I have been chemically designed so that when I am at my lowest I feel inclined to help so all in all it was a winning situation all round.

While my father was not having a stroke it did turn out that he had an infection and needed medical treatment. Which also meant that he would be staying in hospital for a few days. Thankfully the hospital is fairly nearby. On one of my visits though I locked my keys in the car. Which is strange in more than one way. You see I rarely lock my car. Why I did on this day I am not really sure.

Cutting right to the chase. (I know I can ramble on a times and I fear that I was about to start!

A beautiful person, no angel, stopped and offered to drive me home to get some spare keys to solve my problem! When she pulled up and offered I nearly fell over. I couldn't believe that such kindness existed, but I assure you it does.

Saturday, January 31

Hmmmm ... ... ...

So the every day thing has not happened. Hands up all those who were surprised. Not me that is for sure. I did think though that after 31 days I might have had a few more than just 6 posts.

I am trying to find a perspective to make it look better than what it is. I mean there is no school that would really accept 6/31 as a pass mark, is there now. On no level is 5% acceptable. So how can I make 6 posts in 4 weeks a positive step to be coming a fully fledged writer?
It is slightly more than one a week so that has gotta count for something.

In a bid to make up for my slack efforts for the month I went through and published all the half posts that were left laying around. I think there were only three in total but again something is better than nothing.

Getting back to writing statistics.

Since I began this blog back in June 08 I have written (including this one) a total of 91 posts. 91 posts in 245 days. Just under 38%, a slight improvement for the month of January but still not a pass mark. Fingers crossed next month will be better!

Monday, January 26

I am, You are...

We are Australian.

For those of you not native to this great land where I reside, the above words may not sound all that familiar. For my fellow country men (and women) it will either remind you of the great band called the Seekers or a dodgy Telstra commercial that polluted our airwaves and possibly brought great shame to the above mentioned band.

Today is Australia Day. A day to celebrate all that is Australian. Beers, meat pies, big noisy utes, sports and possibly even sun burn.

In recent years there have been cries from some members of society to cease the celebrations as to them it is nothing more than invasion day. After all it was on this day some two hundred and thirty years ago that Captain Cook land in Botany Bay with the first settlers.

Given some of the atrocities that occurred in those first early years I can to some point understand why the Aboriginal community may not feel the need to remember and celebrate the day. However to me that was all in the past. I didn't personally do anything wrong and as far as I know I didn't even have any distant relatives that were involved. We can't change what has happened so let's just move on and be done with it.

So how does a true blue Aussie celebrate the birth of this great nation?

Of course it is each to their own, but to me it was all about fun and family. A nice quite day with all my family that live close by. We walked the children to the end of the road to see the ute parade, then back home for a BBQ by the pool.

For others it is about drinking as much as possible, thong throwing and possibly being a bit of a redneck. Which ever way it is I hope you enjoyed celebrating the birth of this great nation

Saturday, January 10

The Result

Ok so last night sitting outside and writing while my darling daughter went to sleep didn't work so well. None the less though I am giving it a second shot.

So what made it such a failure last night? I hear you ask. Well it certainly wasn't a case of writers block. Oh no, the words were more than willing to flow, there was no worry there. It was all her!

For some reason she decided it was battle time. Apparently as she informed me i could put an end to it all by letting her play an electronic device for half hour or an hour. Naturally I did not accommodate such a request and things went down hill from there. Alternatively she said she was happy to go to sleep on the couch, a request that was also denied.

Eventually though after much yelling and screaming and carrying on she fell asleep, as did I. So after nearly twenty minutes tonight I find myself with a similiar situation on my hands tonight. Only tonight she hasn't provided me with a list of demands that would see her sleeping in an instant.

Perhaps on some level it is slowly starting to sink in. That mum means no. For the first few years of my children's life I went to great lengths to not use the word no around them. I didn't want the negative connotation rubbing off on them.

Now however it sometimes feels as if it is all I ever say. It is not that I am an unreasonable mother, who wants to spoil all their fun, they just seem to be forever wanting to do things that common sense says is wrong or not advisable.

The joys of being a parent I guess.

Anyway it turns out that while not perfect tonight was slightly more successful than last so that is something. Not only that but I did manage to get a few words out here and there so it is a win win really. Between to day and yesterday I have managed to string together just over 1000 words so i am heading back to words my incredibly easy to attain goal. I have even done some work on few photos so I feel very productive! Guess that means I can go and be wasteful for a while.

This and That

I am not sure exactly when I last wrote but I know it wasn't yesterday. Which is not a good thing.

I just went and checked it was 5, yes FIVE days ago. I should be ashamed of myself. Two days into the new year and I am unable to find the motivation, inclination or even dedication to try and achieve an easily attainable goal.

I mean all I had to do was write at least five hundred words a day. It didn't even have to make much sense. i was happy for any old ramble to come out. As long as these little fingers typed out five hundred words a day a feat of wonder would be achieved.

But nooooo. Apparently that was too hard and I find myself starting to fail before the first week has even passed. I just don't understand why that is. Why when writing is meant to be something that I do for myself I am unable to do so.

No one is making me write every day. No one has even said I want you to write every day. It is meant to be what I want so why can't I do it? Why am I so easily distracted?

One of the mysteries of the world perhaps?

Not likely, I have a feeling I know the answer but would love to hear what you think.Followers will know that I am a big believer in looking for the positive side. In the past i have even gone so far as to say I was an optimist. Currently though I feel more comfortable being aligned to that of a realist.

As my life is that of great fortune reality involves a lot of positivity. Though sometimes it is not always easy to see.

Take tonight for example. After a incredibly exciting day which saw a beautiful rainbow lorikeet called Summer joined our family, my eldest offspring decided to turn bedtime into a battle.

At seven, nearly eight power struggles are frequent in our daily life. Sometimes she wins and sometimes I do. Then there are times when neither of us score a victory and we are both left licking our wounds.

Getting her to sleep has always been an issue. Unless everyone else was going to sleep then she didn't want to. For the first few years I was happy to share her bed time. After a while though things changed and my sleeping habits could no longer accommodate such early hours.

My days had become filled with work and house duties needed to be attended to at night. This meant that my little angel needed to be going to sleep by herself without my full attention. Somewhere along the line I discovered that on the couch in front of the TV provided the quick and easy sleep solution that I had been searching for. Even at four she was light enough to easily carry to bed once she fell asleep. Anything was worth a painless bedtime.

Naturally though there came a time when sleeping on the couch became inconvenient. Not to mention the fact her burning desire to test her precise levels of luck. As with most children she yearned to know exactly where the boundaries lay. So with time even the easy way out could become a battle.

Anyway back to the story at hand.

Tonight as the battle ensued i had what I thought was a brilliant idea. Since her biggest gripe about going to sleep upstairs was that she was lonely i could sit outside the room and do some writing. After all the whole idea of the groovy little laptop was so I could write anywhere, anytime.

So this is where you find me now. Sitting on my quaint little balcony enjoying the cool breeze that is trying to blow.
Unfortunately though my brilliant plan does not seem to be going to plan. :(
She is still fighting sleep like it is the devil itself. Perhaps it is time for a change of tactics. Will let you know how it goes!

Something is better than nothing

That is my motto for the day and the basis of this post.

Right know I can't think as my head hurts. Ten minutes ago though it was full of ideas. they were rushing around bursting with action ready to spring into fruition. I wonder if that is my my head hurts now.... too many thoughts at once.

Today has been somewhat productive in terms of writing, I have managed to steal a few moments to get some words out here and there. They are of course not the greatest words in the world but at least it is a start.

  • I have so far managed three separate blog posts which is probably enough for one day. There has to come a point when quality must begin to over ride quantity.
  • In terms of housework the house is in a reasonable condition. I did wash the dishes this morning but naturally there are still some more to do.
  • I also get a big tick for cooking one of the best dinners ever. In fact it was so good that I may actually devote a whole blog post to it but not just yet.
  • I am slowly introducing a schedule to my day. To make it an enjoyable transition the first event is a fun one.


Remember
Something is always better than nothing, the thought does not always count and it is never to late to spring into action!

Dreams and Limitations

As always the start of a new year inspires me to start writing. I am hopeful that this year it will be something that I continue you with rather than lapse into sporadic sessions on a haphazard basis.

Since my dear parents were kind enough to give me a funky little laptop for Christmas I feel some what obliged to write more regularly than in the past. There is certainly no denying that on some levels my parents are incredibly supportive. Like everyone though, even they have their limitations.

My youngest sister, who is the baby of the family has recently moved interstate. We are what some would consider as a very close knit family so the move took quite a toll on my parents, particularly my mother.

At times you would think that my sister has fallen off the face of the earth never to be seen again. In reality of course she is a mere four hour plane trip away. Her boyfriend, who she moved to be with is a pilot so she naturally gets super cheap travel and has assured us she will return regularly. With the wonders of modern technology we are able to web cam and talk to her as if she was just down the road.

Her boyfriends mother, who I have never met sounds like a lovely lady. She has gone out of her way to make my sister feel welcome and part of the family. While I find this quite comforting my mother is highly distressed by the fact that my sister seems to be settling comfortably into her new life.

It all gets back to the perspective that you take. Don't get me wrong I miss my sister greatly, she was greatly but I find comfort in the fact that she has been taken in and is not all alone. I wish that my mother could see that as well, but the ugly green eyed monster seems to be getting in the way. Since she is my mother it is obviously not possible to point out the error of her ways so instead I will listen to her complaints in silence

Thursday, January 1

Happy New Year!!!

So 2009 has arrived! Though I must say there was no bang to accompany it, at least not any near where I was. Rather than brave the crowds we opted for a quiet family event with close friends. Someone however forgot to mention the quiet aspect to the children who spent the night running around the garden screaming at monsters and ghosts.

The start of a New Years brings is often the time for resolutions and change. At least for most of the world. Personally I tend to avoid these like the plague. I love the notion of resolutions but the actual practice is something entirely different. Resolutions require dedication and commitment, both of which I am in short supply of. Not only that but the desire to change is also necessary and again I fall more than a little short.

Change, as I may have mentioned somewhere at some stage is not something I am really a big fan of. I know that change is important and it is in fact an integral part of life. Without change we become stale and stagnant. However, I really like the rut my life is in. I like knowing what is going to happen. The predictability and constants of my life provide me with a comforting stability that I don't really want to lose.

Having said that though there is a little voice inside my head which has been getting rather loud lately. No matter how hard I try it doesn't seem as if I can ignore the Wind of Change (WOC) for much longer. So it is with great reluctance that I publicly admit to the need for some personal change within my life.

In between the screams for adjustment the WOC has assured me that it is possible for things to happen slowly and with only baby steps at a time. In fact the WOC has had some very wise words that may actually be altering my deep rooted fears of change.

The first of these was that rather than use the word change I should think of it as growing or developing. This makes great sense as for the most part changes scare me, for some reason I have a negative perception of change. If I can alter my mindset as to what change is about then hopefully I will be able to begin to become more accepting of it all.

So I won't be rushing out with armfuls of resolutions, I will however take a few steps towards making a few modifications of my daily existence. I have seen numerous articles on how this is the worst time to actually begin such tasks so I will leave it a day or so before sharing with you what they will be.

If you are one of the many hundreds of thousands who have decided to make a change for the new year, I wish you all the very best with it. In fact to one and all I wish you all the very best for 2009.