tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-96198692011-08-13T20:49:09.793+10:00Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.comBlogger2881100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-82004449256615435252007-11-29T09:34:00.000+11:002007-11-29T09:55:25.211+11:00

My dear blogger buddies,I have been taking a break from blogging and am not sure when I'll be back. Rest assured this lapse is for good reasons - no tragedy has befallen me or the family. Quite the contrary: my new crafty life is really kicking in and the Man Who Cooks is retiring next month after 33 years with the same employer. While still exulting about my own retirement (and very much

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-51246155054889100852007-11-05T17:41:00.000+11:002007-11-05T18:37:30.912+11:00

Connie and I have known each other since our university days in the 60s and 70s in Berkeley. Although we have lived in different countries for over 3 decades (she still lives in Berkeley), we've kept in touch and have always been able to resume our friendship very easily on the rare occasions when we do see each other.Connie doesn't like being away from home very long or traveling long distances,

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-14210899943000465312007-11-02T19:38:00.000+11:002007-11-02T19:54:30.020+11:00

This was an event that took me by surprise. Thousands of young people and (ahem) supposedly more mature adults, turn out in wild and weird costumes, parading up and down the main street, photographing each other and pointing and laughing. This was my "costume": My version of the Aussie corks on the hat, which is supposed to keep the flies away from your face. I used my mom's rollers sewn onto my

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-353252430738065862007-10-29T14:20:00.000+11:002007-10-29T15:07:58.020+11:00

This was taken at a beachside restaurant where Dad and I had lunch today. Life is good.I spent the morning at the zoo, and went back again after lunch. Even though it was Sunday, there were no crowds to contend with - everyone's at the beach. I saw flamingos for the first time since a trip to Florida in the 1950s. Such a beautiful color.The galapagos tortoises were awesome. This one was quite

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-35362420126088693062007-10-24T18:41:00.000+10:002007-10-24T19:26:43.186+10:00

I will soon be in Hawaii, leaving on Friday. I'll spend a couple of weeks with my dad, have a few mai tai drinks under the 100 year old banyan tree right on the beach, eat some prime rib steaks at Chuck's Restaurant, and in general hang out. My very dearest friend from university days will be visiting there from California too, which will make it even more special.I'm not much of a beach person,

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-18818766727524942662007-10-14T20:03:00.000+10:002007-10-15T21:17:11.141+10:00

...and oh what a week it was. There's a substantial book filled with various events free or low cost to seniors, right around the state, offering something of interest to everyone. It'll take me a while to get through all the things I was interested in, but managed to get to a few events this week.One of the best things about Seniors Week is that public transport throughout Victoria is free for

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-84828636809401846252007-10-05T12:28:00.000+10:002007-10-05T13:39:26.313+10:00

I have been keeping busy with lots of fun things to do since I returned from my trip to Albury. Have been to a great new version of the Nutcracker ballet with MIL, celebrated our 36th wedding anniversary this week by going to see the musical 42nd Street (I LOVE tap dancing, and even the Man Who Cooks enjoyed the show), created books inspired by the artist book exhibition I saw in Albury, went for

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-47998059675872578872007-09-26T09:47:00.000+10:002007-09-26T13:02:43.435+10:00

I've been taking a break from blogging, and dread to think what my Google Reader will look like when I finally log in, as I haven't even been reading blogs.So this morning when I was reading the newspaper online and saw the opinion article Spend, spend, spend. It's no way to happiness, I thought, that's something that I feel strongly about and it's a ready made post. Written by Catherine Deveny

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-89159477481164141202007-09-19T11:43:00.000+10:002007-09-19T11:56:04.362+10:00

Got here yesterday by train, with the main goal in mind to visit the new Library Museum and see a special book artists' exhibition. When I arrived at the Library Museum this morning at 9.30, a half hour before opening time, there were already some people waiting to get in. By the time the doors opened, there was a veritable charge of all manner of eager library users / museum visitors towards the

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-16910356297960233822007-09-13T17:41:00.000+10:002007-09-13T18:14:01.067+10:00

This week I had lunch with four friends I've known for a long time. One of them has been housebound for a week and felt like some company. So I organised for the 3 of us to bring something over to her house for lunch and making sure we all didn't turn up with the same thing. It was fun for everyone, especially the hostess as she just had to set the table and wait for people to arrive with a

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-74279713456373680802007-09-08T17:06:00.000+10:002007-09-08T18:01:25.153+10:00

... that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.On Wednesday and Thursday this week I packed a picnic lunch and a good book and headed off for places I knew would be ideal spots for relaxing. My first choice was Ruffy Lake Park, just a short drive away. However, as I approached the car park I was confronted with maybe a dozen huge buses already there, marquees set up around some areas of the park and

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-58756603188230842322007-08-29T11:45:00.000+10:002007-08-29T12:10:37.516+10:00

At some stage I must have mentioned that I met the Man Who Cooks at International House at the University of California in Berkeley. This is a hall of residence for U.S. and international students and "its mission is to foster intercultural respect, understanding, lifelong friendships and leadership skills for the promotion of a more tolerant and peaceful world." Well, the Man Who Cooks and I

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-47104101262612743522007-08-26T18:06:00.000+10:002007-08-26T18:16:40.205+10:00

By coincidence, just as footwear discussions are raging around Bloggerworld, Melbourne's main paper yesterday had an interesting article about the tyranny that the fashion world inflicts on susceptible females.The link to the entire article is via the post title, but I'd like to quote my favorite bit here:"When I was young in the '60s, we rejoiced in liberation from stiletto heels and

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-92119261096769904092007-08-23T16:55:00.000+10:002007-08-23T16:55:36.422+10:00

Jelly had an interesting post the other day about her favorite shoes. It was so much fun to read and to look at her photos. She suggested that others do a similar post. At first I thought I'd be the wrong person to do this - my favorite footwear is very practical, either lace ups or slippers. But as I started looking around in my closets, I thought I'd do a footwear retrospective. Here

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-37765527126415953412007-08-16T08:53:00.001+10:002007-08-17T17:48:17.119+10:00

...yes, it is my birthday today. I wasn't going to mention it but Merle has spread the word on her blog, as I discovered in some comments on my last post. To celebrate we're going out tonight to see an Argentine tango group perform at the state theatre. I'm really looking forward to that!Merle has also awarded me the Nice Matters Award (and coincidentally so did Kali) - that plus having a

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-76454637079650465312007-08-14T09:57:00.000+10:002007-08-14T10:41:38.668+10:00

Like Diane recently, I often find it's hard to think of a relevant and unique title for my posts. I mean, how boring is "My weekend". But I'm afraid that would be the most relevant.A major event for me last weekend was meeting up, face to face, with yet another blogger buddy. Catsmum lives near Castlemaine, and I was delivering to her the special CD Meow made for her blogger buddies. Before I

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-60377749011903574262007-08-10T14:05:00.000+10:002007-08-10T15:08:57.957+10:00

So, I survived two full days of work this week, but for those of you who expressed concern about being sucked back into "most-time work", as Joan put it, I don't think that's going to happen. In fact the timetable is every Monday morning from 9 - 12.30, and every second Saturday morning, and even that is flexible. But having set times makes it easier for me to plan something in advance. So far

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-21345496784096218722007-08-07T20:56:00.000+10:002007-08-07T21:16:09.505+10:00

After all the hoohah I've made about how much I've enjoyed being retired over the last year, I must confess that a part time job has fallen into my lap. A couple of half days a week at a local optometrist (5 minute walk from home) shouldn't put too much of a dent in my leisure time. I'll see how it goes. This week I was needed for two full days though, and today was my first full day's work since

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-56254358270634090412007-08-05T20:35:00.000+10:002007-08-07T21:29:35.249+10:00

Recently Susie mentioned that her Australian sister in law still kept a number of her Aussie ways even after living more than 30 years in the U.S. I was curious as to which habits she maintained. When Susie replied that her SIL used her utensils in an unusual way, this got me to thinking again about why Americans have a different way of eating than Europeans and Australians.Briefly, the American

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-14827313002997125812007-08-04T10:33:00.000+10:002007-08-04T10:59:23.748+10:00

I have always loved crayons, still do, even though I haven't used them for years. When I was a kid we had a tradition of opening just one present on Christmas Eve and the rest in the morning. One year I happened to pick crayons and a coloring book for my evening present. Of course I woke up way too early on Christmas morning, probably around 5 a.m., so I decided I'd use the time to do some

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-79233557438240892552007-08-03T16:27:00.001+10:002007-08-03T16:41:57.414+10:00

Gina asked in her comment about the Shared items feature in my sidebar. This is what I wrote to her, in case other people would like to know too:The shared link is available when you use GoogleReader (like bloglines, it tells you when someone has posted something new, and has saved me heaps of time). So if you do use GoogleReader, beneath each post that comes up, there are a number of options

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-88529411950571328932007-08-02T17:31:00.000+10:002007-08-07T21:29:35.250+10:00

Today Meow and I had lunch together, near a bakery that makes those special large soft pretzels (Laugen Bretzeln) you often see in Europe and in some cities in the U.S. but they are not so common here. I do love eating those pretzels, and made a big deal of them when I found them in the Barossa Valley recently. Here's Meow and I doing a silly pose, showing off our pretzels. (Sounds rather rude,

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-38154023120025685662007-07-26T18:25:00.000+10:002007-08-07T21:18:09.707+10:00

Today I went to the Craft and Quilt Fair in Melbourne. I was a bit apprehensive about the anticipated crowds, but I got there early (9.20) and had previously planned out what I wanted to see. As I approached Jeff's Shed*, I felt a part of an army of like minded people. Marching along with me were women who, well, had that crafty look about them. It was a hoot! When I arrived the queue was not

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-46245042888680258922007-07-25T12:08:00.000+10:002007-07-25T16:20:29.866+10:00

Yesterday I met up with Lindsay (another Blogger buddy) and his wife Anne, and Gina who I've met previously. They live in Eltham, a lovely suburb of Melbourne, but had not met each other previously. We had lunch at a cafe next to the Eltham Library (yes, I did get there early to borrow some books), and then we went on to Montsalvat, an artists colony that looks like it could be in Europe. Artists

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-38630520483168800222007-07-20T11:46:00.000+10:002007-07-20T12:37:31.753+10:00

Yesterday I wound up commenting on Motherkitty's blog for the first time. I have seen Motherkitty around the Blogosphere for a while now, commenting on blogs that I have been reading. Because I am making a conscious effort to keep my blog reading to a manageable size, I rarely add new blogs to my Google Reader. But sometimes there is just something that catches my eye (OK, if the truth be known,

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-46451277596843932462007-07-18T08:38:00.000+10:002007-07-18T09:01:52.239+10:00

On the evening of the coldest Melbourne day in yonks*, do the Man Who Cooks and I choose to:sit at home in front of the TV?crank the heating up and get out extra blankets?put on extra layers of clothing?get stuck into the whiskey?all of the above?none of the above?You would be correct if you said None of the above. No, we chose to proceed with our planned tour of Melbourne's haunted buildings,

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-42682157586959238202007-07-16T11:52:00.000+10:002007-08-07T21:19:22.292+10:00

Our rainwater tank was finally delivered and installed on Friday. It has been a long wait as the suppliers could not keep up with the demand due to the drought. Now we can start collecting 5000 litres for use in the garden and pool. A hose will go under the house and out into the back garden - there's quite a fall so we won't need a pump. It started raining shortly after the tank was hooked up

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-24759685879774527872007-07-14T09:31:00.000+10:002007-08-07T21:18:09.707+10:00

...of Val's craft room! Come in and have a browse.Since the return of Techie Son in June I've had to move all my craft stuff back into my study. This room had been well set up for when I was working when I needed a desk. But as a craft room it was useless. So I moved my desk out to the kitchen/family room area, and replaced it with a table with adjustable height and a stool, so I can work

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-64288645656773120072007-07-11T08:38:00.000+10:002007-08-07T21:29:35.251+10:00

How do you take your coffee/tea?This is from Stu out in Western Australia. I have strong feelings about my coffee, so this meme is ideal for me. Whether you're a coffee or tea drinker, you too might have fun answering the questions and posting a photo of your favorite coffee cup or mug. What's your preference - coffee or tea? Mine is definitely coffee. "Regular" tea makes me cough (something

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-49585701504851660082007-07-09T21:35:00.000+10:002007-07-09T22:28:17.992+10:00

why I'm not blogging so frequently: I've been working on getting my study transformed into a craft room. It is coming along splendidly and I will post photos when it is completed.In the meantime I guess I had better try to upload some photos I took in the Barossa Valley. I hope Blogger is co-operating tonight.In the last post I mentioned that the Barossa Valley was settled by Germans in the 19th

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-5206237315768665102007-07-01T18:59:00.000+10:002007-08-07T21:22:46.889+10:00

Taking the train to Adelaide was a good move: so relaxing, read lots, dozed, gawked out the window. And Adelaide had so much to offer, we'll have to go back to visit again soon, to see the things we didn't have time for.In the trainCafe carriage, able to gawk out the windows while having quite good coffee.Beautiful glass conservatory in Adelaide Botanic GardensInside the conservatory, filled with

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-639306886206561482007-06-20T13:22:00.000+10:002007-06-20T16:21:50.123+10:00

Tomorrow we are off to Adelaide in South Australia by train, where I can gawk out the window to my heart's content for 10 hours. We will have plenty of reading matter, plus we can walk around the train, go to the restaurant carriage etc. and look forward to a week of being tourists. Coincidentally friends took the train over yesterday and we will meet them for dinner on Thursday.MIL will join us

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-46095091014459118452007-06-19T17:51:00.000+10:002007-06-19T18:14:19.106+10:00

Today I received my Chancellor's Medal, for "distinguished service" to the university. It was a wonderful gathering of about 30 people, made up of family, former colleagues, and academic staff from the humanities departments I liaised with during the 16 years I worked at the university. The Chancellor (seen holding the medal in the photo above) is a lovely, warm woman and put everyone at their

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-77766270571090801902007-06-18T12:13:00.000+10:002007-06-18T12:57:42.484+10:00

= Return Of Techie Son! He arrived home last night, and it was so good to see his smiling face. He even was good natured (after a long flight too) when I told him his room was temporarily without his big table.When he rang from Sydney I asked him how he felt about being back in Australia. He said when the plane was coming in from Sydney he got a little teary eyed, and I thought Oh no, he wants to

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-83275820920543158002007-06-16T14:55:00.001+10:002007-06-16T15:46:55.029+10:00

Tomorrow is the big day, and there seems to be lots to do to get Techie Son's room almost back to normal. As I started moving my craft stuff from the craft room, I was already lamenting the loss of that wonderful workspace, and wondering how in blazes I was going to fit everything into my study.However, I have now moved the desk you can just make out on the right of the photo to the family area

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-35907181896420501732007-06-15T12:40:00.000+10:002007-06-15T13:12:06.051+10:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure of having lunch with TWO Blogger buddies: Meow, whom I've met twice before, and Gina, who has only recently come onto my radar screen.I know it is said time and time again, but I just have to say that blogging has to be one of the best ways EVER to meet people of similar interests, people who I would have missed out on, no matter how many clubs I joined. It's actually

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-76294971913100545762007-06-12T10:53:00.000+10:002007-08-07T21:18:09.708+10:00

As some of you know, Techie Son has been studying in Berkeley since January. He will be returning home next weekend and that, dear readers, spells the end of my idyllic craft room. I am now gradually getting his room back into bedroom mode. Oh how easy it is to spread out when space is available, even using the bed for temporary paper storage. Don't know where I'll be able to use my recently

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-8797785898275862312007-06-09T16:14:00.000+10:002007-06-09T16:49:45.396+10:00

So, how many years does that make? Who's counting?My sister designed and made my wedding dress, the skirt is the softest material. The little vest is laced in front, German peasant style. The Man Who Cooks' jacket was of a rich maroon velvet. Note the flowers in my hair. Receiving my ring, made of silver, which I prefer to gold. In the second photo I was having a little laughing cry.The two

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-11785178076545858832007-06-08T16:20:00.000+10:002007-06-08T16:38:39.951+10:00

I've just finished scanning an album of photos from the early 1970s, when we were still living in Berkeley. Lots more hair back then, but some things never change. We still like our afternoon tea, that wall hanging is now on a wall of our sleeping shed up in the country, and we still enjoy going on picnics in all weathers (second photo).The mattress the Man Who Cooks is sitting on was our sofa -

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-37359565652983876432007-06-02T17:24:00.000+10:002007-06-04T11:22:54.941+10:00

Do you ever run into recipes that are just so satisfying to make in terms of the physical preparation? Well, this is one of them. Oh, and it tastes good too! Especially nice is all that ginger cut into strips rather than grated - zesty flavor!As my son went off to his casual fill in job as dishwasher at a very fancy restaurant this afternoon – Mel and I have never eaten there, but Toby gets to

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-5838867771411604282007-05-31T18:10:00.000+10:002007-06-05T09:16:35.606+10:00

Today I drove out towards the hills to meet up with Miss Eagle of Oz Tucker. She had a lovely lunch and a nicely laid table prepared for us. There was plenty to talk about, she was also a librarian at one time, is interested in food, and was very interested in my idea of taking the train all the way to Sandy Stony Point on our $3 Seniors tickets. I had brought along some of my book creations to

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-83752461461140666182007-05-30T14:18:00.000+10:002007-05-30T14:27:43.247+10:00

Susie, over at Susie's Space, mentioned recently that her first car was a VW, and a few of her readers commented that they too started out with one of those adorable, reliable cars.I was lucky to have found Gertrude, a bright yellow convertible, that reliably took us over many highways and backroads of California. Here are a couple of photos, early 1970s.Sunny California day, top down, ready to

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-60845509036669875472007-05-27T17:54:00.000+10:002007-05-27T18:36:39.683+10:00

I got this from Meow. Let me know if you want to play along too.1. The phone rings; whom do you want it to be?My parents, ringing from the U.S.2. When shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart?Of course, and I'll sometimes bring back carts that others have left. I hate the supermarkets that make you use a coin to get a cart, it seems so insulting.3. If you had to kiss again the last

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-43706790514081102672007-05-25T18:20:00.001+10:002008-04-06T18:10:39.902+10:00

Today a few of us "girls" met in the city to participate in a fundraiser for cancer research. Kimono House, a local business which specialises in importing beautiful fabrics and other items from Japan, organised demonstrations of the Japanese tea ceremony and how a kimono is assembled and worn. It was absolutely fascinating. I had been a bit sceptical of the whole tea ceremony thing, having read

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-16614852530239723922007-05-24T12:48:00.001+10:002007-08-07T21:29:35.252+10:00

Ok, this will be the last post I write on this theme, but I was thinking about the big disappointment the Man Who Cooks and I had when we were in the U.S. last year. Here in Australia, an iced coffee is a double whammy of coffee (duh) with ice cream and sometimes cream in it, served in a tall glass with straw and long spoon. This is a great appetite spoiler, a good way to have coffee when the

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-63105370433479580222007-05-23T07:47:00.000+10:002007-08-07T21:29:35.253+10:00

Last Sunday the Man Who Cooks and I wanted a nice warm drink after driving back from the country. Mr Tulk's, the state library's own excellent cafe, was not open (and why not?), so we went next door to the Queen Victoria complex, expecting to have a choice of cafes. Not so, it seems, only a very busy chocolate cafe, so we thought "great". This would fulfill two requirements: warm drink and rich

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-69048940295693671962007-05-21T09:55:00.000+10:002007-05-21T11:06:37.823+10:00

This weekend we had a brief trip to the country so we could go on an informative walk led by a knowledgable local, looking at the use and abuse of water in our local area. Goldmining from the 1850s to the 1930s had made great changes to the landscape, not all positive, but what we saw on the walk was nature's regeneration of the land since mining stopped.That was very interesting and worthwhile,

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-62289930995942687352007-05-19T09:09:00.000+10:002007-05-19T09:34:49.921+10:00

It's been a while since I've been tagged. Jeanette has tagged me to write about 7 RANDOM facts about myself. Well, this will be very random (read: no thought processes involved as we're just about to leave for Castlemaine - have to return some books to the library there, heh heh). So here goes.I love paper products, always have. I loved to collect stationery, now I create books.If I could have

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-25792742778350384442007-05-17T11:50:00.000+10:002007-05-18T17:46:23.622+10:00

...I just love to join libraries. Yesterday I was in the city and found myself near the city library. As with most public libraries these days you can become a member no matter where you live. I found some good craft books which I was able to borrow straight away. Recently I realised that all my library cards were starting to clog up a large amount of real estate in one part of my wallet, so I

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-71407436520187455332007-05-14T10:34:00.000+10:002007-05-14T10:55:11.933+10:00

... and I may be the Sherlock Holmes of Bloggerworld.A while back, Kerri alerted me to the fact that all photos were missing from my post Indulgence Days. So I went back and uploaded them again, in batches, as suggested by Alice . Today I get another message from Kerri to say that only 5 of the 7 photos are showing. Sure enough, I can't see them either. The missing ones are the last two photos I

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-34789098776207430622007-05-13T18:31:00.000+10:002007-05-21T09:54:46.186+10:00

I made a photo album of the San Francisco trip we did with MIL last year. It's 3-dimensional. MIL was delighted!

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-82957779092358575692007-05-10T21:11:00.000+10:002007-05-21T09:54:46.187+10:00

This is the book I made for my mother for Mother's Day. She called it a butterfly parade, which is really a good title for it.Butterflies have always had a special meaning for Mom. She was raised by her grandparents and was especially close to her grandfather. Near the end of his life, he told her that when he died, he would come back as a butterfly and sit on her grandmother's apron. Those were

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-19172354284329376602007-05-04T15:45:00.000+10:002007-05-04T16:05:13.118+10:00

Today was the day I met Meow for the first time, although we've been blogger buddies for a while now. We decided to meet in a library near where we were going to lunch (and more dangerously, near a wonderful scrapbooking shop), but the question was, how were we going to find each other? I had suggested we go around humming "What's new, Pussycat?" until we found each other (you'll know why this

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-62641937900731705922007-05-01T17:57:00.000+10:002007-05-14T22:46:01.414+10:00

Update (6 May) Thanks to Kerri for alerting me that the photos had disappeared from this post. I've uploaded them again and hopefully they'll stay this time. Now uploading for third time (14 May), using Peter's and Cris's suggestions.We had a few days of indulgence, staying Sunday night at the vineyard resort. The package included a beautiful 4-course dinner, and hefty breakfast. To work up an

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-84238065144385148822007-04-29T11:16:00.000+10:002007-04-29T11:30:18.762+10:00

There, I'll bet that had you puzzled. The title is a distillation of 3 topics for today's post, which won't be very long itself. And what better way to brevity than those useful bullet points:Good bye for a few days - we're going to stay at a country resort tonight, then on to our place near Castlemaine. Some of you may have thought I have said good bye to this blog as I don't post so frequently,

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-73708990086668559922007-04-22T08:21:00.000+10:002007-08-07T21:29:35.255+10:00

No, this is not a question about your favorite restaurants. I'm talking about the dining habits of those of us who started out in a two-person household, then were invaded by some hangers on (= kids), and now are back to two again (at least sometimes).When the Man Who Cooks and I met all those years ago, the preparation and consumption of food was a shared interest, dare I say, mania. Because we

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-83437151348152282372007-04-19T10:50:00.000+10:002007-08-07T21:18:09.709+10:00

There was some interest in the paperbark photo I posted, and I thought you'd like to see a photo of a picture made up of paperbark and other natural materials. I bought this in the 70s shortly after arriving in Australia, but haven't seen them for years. I think they're very charming, and portray scenes that are still, thankfully, very common in Australia.

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-22826822188987117372007-04-17T15:55:00.000+10:002007-04-17T17:39:37.146+10:00

Starting out at the driveway, ready to head up the hill.Many of our street trees are paperbarks.Here's a closeup.At the corner, I always stop to admire the collection of conifers in this garden.Here's one of the water tanks the council has started installing and periodically they are filled with recycled water which is trucked in. But why oh WHY didn't they site it near a building to be able to

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-72787448194152191002007-04-11T16:10:00.000+10:002007-04-11T17:51:59.350+10:00

I hope you've all had an interesting, relaxing and fun Easter break. I'll be visiting all my blogger buddies soon to catch up.For the second weekend in a row we drove up to Castlemaine so that we could go to some more festival events.Two events were on Sunday. At 4.30 we went to a guitar and violin concert in a mineshaft, yes! you read correctly! This horizontal mineshaft is near the town of

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-58875062508203063222007-04-02T10:45:00.000+10:002007-04-02T11:54:49.599+10:00

...I can get into Blogger this morning - last night I couldn't log onto Blogger, get into my blog, leave comments etc - thought their whole system had crashed;...Carlton came from behind to win the first game of the 2007 season;...people didn't seem to take my last post as negative, although I maybe didn't say strongly enough how much I value the bloggers I do keep up with;...we had a bit of rain

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-9169234644649733952007-03-29T15:59:00.000+10:002007-03-29T17:25:26.654+10:00

Kerri has tagged me for this meme. I may be an unusual choice though as over the past few months, ever since I had 6 weeks "off" overseas, I have taken a step back from blogging, to get more perspective on it. But I think this is something that most of us have gone through and can relate to.So what can I possibly say about why I like blogging that hasn't already been said by Kerri and others? I

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-88817415638518826262007-03-27T21:49:00.000+10:002007-03-27T22:17:32.435+10:00

Jelly left a comment on my last post concerning one of my photos: Val, have you gone blonde?! Or is it just the lighting? Whatever the case, you are looking gorgeous, too!).For a while I've been thinking about posting about my hair (boy, what a vanity topic). Since I retired - oh wonderful state of being - I thought it would be a good time to see what my hair really looks like, after having had

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-25500923708081005732007-03-27T14:56:00.000+10:002007-08-07T21:18:09.709+10:00

Hey Techie Son! Look at your room! Look at your desk!Oh, and that's NOT a box of Red Tulip chocolates on the desk - it's filled with MIL's embroidery threads that she gave me - every color of the rainbow, great for sewing books together.Look who's sitting in your oh so comfy armchair!I've been making more books in my craft room.Coptic stitching with slip caseTwo accordion books

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-74261329645201691282007-03-26T11:57:00.000+10:002007-03-27T15:36:25.766+10:00

...and now there's only one tree fern left. These have always struggled against their giant neighbors (silver birch and elm trees), and now it seems the drought has delivered the final blow.Fortunately the birds nest ferns, ginger and hibiscus are still doing well, just adjacent to the remaining tree fern.Recently in a guest post on Stu's Gardening Tips 'n Ideas blog I had photos of some of the

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-63588068689037542702007-03-18T20:51:00.000+11:002007-03-27T10:23:04.208+10:00

Saturday morning I met up with Barb and we went to the State Library to attend some talks on the new exhibition of artists books. Some of Barb's papermaker friends were there too and we had lunch at the Mr Tulk cafe, where Alice and I were last week. I also got to meet another blogger buddy, Ampersand Duck, who was in Melbourne in conjunction with the exhibition.Afterwards I had some time to

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-4041130860157342712007-03-15T13:28:00.000+11:002007-03-15T17:28:23.065+11:00

Last weekend we went to our bush block near Castlemaine. This is our empty dam, the distant figure in it, me.This was the dam in the early 90s. It took 10 years to fill to this level, but has never filled again. 1,000,000 litres... P.S. In answer to Sue's question about if the dam has partially filled since the early 90s: yes it has, and given the

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-25447919715223910562007-03-09T15:10:00.000+11:002007-03-09T15:25:24.289+11:00

We're leaving for the country late this afternoon, with a stop in Kyneton for dinner. Then on to our place near Castlemaine. The only downside is we have to be very careful driving after dark because the kangaroos choose that time to come out and play tag with any passing cars.It's a long weekend so we won't be coming back until Monday. What is Monday? It's Labour Day here in Victoria, which

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-34326365628124960342007-03-08T21:36:00.000+11:002007-03-08T22:05:38.361+11:00

Today the State Library of Victoria would have been activating its "shush" machines when Frances and I met there and had a 3 hour marathon chin wag. I don't think we stopped talking except briefly when having afternoon tea at Mr Tulk's, the library's conveniently located cafe.Talking may have also accounted for us having a temporary delay in the lift when we went to view the domed reading room

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-6531685029494718682007-03-02T13:25:00.000+11:002007-03-27T15:36:25.767+10:00

Today I thought I'd see if I would run into the same difficulties as Alice has been having uploading and keeping photos on her blog.So I've just selected a few photos from our trip to San Francisco last year, and thought I'd use Blog This from Picasa. Much to my delight I've found that it now uploads more than one at a time! The format isn't the greatest, they're all rather scrunched together,

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-7973637310885165192007-03-01T08:53:00.000+11:002007-03-01T09:00:31.631+11:00

Google Reader (link in title) is an alternative to Bloglines, and I've found it works very well, maybe because Blogger is also part of the Google empire. It's an easy way to log into your list of favorite blogs and and you see only a list of those who have posted something since the last time you visited. So there's none of this clicking on a link to see if so-and-so has finally got around to

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-56427933653682013402007-02-25T21:42:00.000+11:002007-02-25T22:32:58.648+11:00

Saturday night my beloved Carlton Blues football team won - great way to start the pre-season, and there was a real excitement amongst the fans.Today I attended a workshop learning how to do lino prints so I can decorate some of my books. I am mightily pleased with myself because I actually created something that looks like what I meant it to. Ever since primary school (a long time ago, folks,) I

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-73541546119881937812007-02-24T11:35:00.000+11:002007-02-24T11:56:00.441+11:00

Cris, in a comment on my last post, so kindly said my handwriting is "great". I however was appalled to see it when enlarged - it looks to me like a child wrote it. BUT, at least I can still use pen and paper. After years of using a computer I found that I was getting quite rusty at writing until I started learning Greek and had to make notes, and keeping a diary/journal has also helped.There is

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-76720409789164803132007-02-23T14:52:00.000+11:002007-02-23T14:49:31.399+11:00

I made this book last year and chose it as my San Francisco diary. Here is the cover and title page. I'm not sure the scanned pages below can be read, even if enlarged. And then you have to be able to read my writing! But I am having difficulty in changing the position of the scanned images, and even putting in text at the bottom of the post. I thought new Blogger was going to change all that...

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-39062843666543235842007-02-20T13:45:00.000+11:002007-02-21T15:42:02.560+11:00

Dad is winging his way up to Sydney as I type this. He'll stay there overnight before flying back to Hawaii tomorrow. As always it is a terrible wrench to say goodbye at the airport, but I'm hoping to be able to find some cheap airfares later in the year and visit him there.It was very hot while he was here, and we didn't get to do as much as we might have, but still...There was the obligatory

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-36835993543257366772007-02-15T12:07:00.000+11:002007-02-15T12:47:38.707+11:00

I was just fiddling around with the posts via the dashboard (yes I know I should be working on getting a "real" post together), and I accidentally clicked on the little arrow (>) next to the post title, rather than View. The latter may take a while to open and it will open yet another browser window. However, you usually want to just have a quick look at the contents of a post before you apply a

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-87825522342221764892007-02-12T21:54:00.000+11:002007-02-12T21:48:35.304+11:00

When I switched to "layout" just now, rather than "template", things are not as I wish them to look AND I've lost my list of Blogs I Like to Read. Anybody have any ideas or advice, other than constructing the list manually??

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-89612141512600904342007-02-12T16:26:00.000+11:002007-02-12T16:45:25.862+11:00

I see that like me, a number of you have been putting off the inevitable (switching to new Blogger) - well we hung on as long as we could! I wonder how many people there were left at the end?And now there's the question of taking advantage of some of the new features. One of those features is applying labels. Not everyone wants to do that; some of you may want to but think that the only way to do

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-83822635213582202392007-02-10T18:49:00.000+11:002007-02-10T18:59:51.885+11:00

...and I didn't have a choice! When I went to do a post (because Peter made me feel guilty about not having a new post when he visited today - thanks Peter!), I was FORCED to switch to the new Blogger NOW!Ok, so it really only took less than a minute (gee, what does that say about my blog?), but I wasn't ready. What if something weird happens, and of course I've never made a copy of my blog on a

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-1170280766800023522007-02-01T08:26:00.000+11:002007-02-01T08:59:27.290+11:00

Yesterday I was in the city and made an unplanned walk up Little Bourke Street, which is Melbourne's Chinatown. I didn't have my camera with me so I got this photo off the net. I finally got around to visiting the Chinese Museum, which I fully enjoyed and highly recommend. I spent a good hour looking at the exhibit, which on one floor even recreated various aspects of Chinese life in 1850s

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-1169515340726003262007-01-23T12:04:00.000+11:002007-01-23T12:22:20.873+11:00

Here is MIL in San Francisco's Chinatown, looking through the jam-packed shops that line Grant Avenue. (It hasn't changed in all the years I've known it.) MIL has a hard time making decisions at the best of times, and I think the sheer number of items on display defeated her. But she had a good time browsing anyway, as I did. I even had a "chop" made for me, a symbol carved into stone which is

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-1169465329350479202007-01-22T21:52:00.000+11:002007-01-22T22:29:42.300+11:00

Just to continue the theme from the last post, here is MIL with her first Irish coffee.Yum!Don't know what prompted this reaction. Maybe she'd just been told the Irish coffees had run out?

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-1169340627718425132007-01-21T11:27:00.000+11:002007-03-27T15:36:25.768+10:00

Little did I think that a day and night of rain would bring so much happiness. It has soaked everything. We didn't have to get up this morning (Sunday) at six a.m. to water the garden. And we won't be watering during the allowed evening hours tonight. The rain has also brought cooler temperatures - very refreshing.The lake at the Wilson Botanic Garden, Berwick.Yesterday we went to a wedding held

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-1168906478931369182007-01-16T10:29:00.000+11:002007-01-16T12:11:31.256+11:00

I've been reading some blogs and commenting here and there, and figured it's time for an update from me. Plenty has been happening, and that's the thing, where does one start?First I should report that Techie Son is having the time of his life, meeting all sorts of people from all over the world (he IS living in International House, after all), and one of his goals is to learn a few words of each

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-1168210974658623992007-01-08T09:45:00.000+11:002007-01-08T10:02:54.693+11:00

I can't remember whether I posted about this last year, but Techie Son applied for and was accepted to do a semester as an exchange student at the University of California at Berkeley. The whole process from first finding out about the program until today, when he leaves, has been a long one. And now here's the day of reckoning, when my "baby" leaves home for six months. Oh, yes, now I remember

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-1167876339356088152007-01-04T12:40:00.000+11:002007-01-04T13:05:39.403+11:00

Although I might have had one of the more eye-catching profile photos in Blogger, I've decided that it's time for a change. So I took myself off to Edit-Profile-Land but (re)discovered that you need to have your photo already on the web somewhere. That old horror photo I've been using had been uploaded to a post soon after my 60th birthday (here's the link for those of you who just can't get

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-1167435521530717062006-12-30T10:24:00.000+11:002006-12-30T10:38:41.600+11:00

We're off to country Victoria to celebrate New Year's, like we did last year. Bendigo is large enough to provide a party atmosphere but without the crushing crowds of Melbourne. The best thing is that our motel, the restaurant and the fireworks are all within a couple of streets of each other, so no need to drive anywhere. There's also the Wine Bank (a converted 19th century bank) where you can

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-1166925964110392442006-12-24T12:31:00.000+11:002006-12-24T14:57:28.136+11:00

Yes, I know, some of you thought I was lost to blogging forever, and it is very possible that I will not return to the level of commitment I had before I left for my 6 week holiday in the U.S. But I do not want to cut my ties totally with the wonderful world of blogging, and especially not lose contact with my blogger buddies. I have been checking up on your blogs and note that I am not the only

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-1165549088749271042006-12-08T14:04:00.000+11:002006-12-08T14:41:09.553+11:00

Yes, I've returned from the U.S. and I am 110% OK. Sincere thanks to all for sending greetings via comments and email, despite my shameful neglect of you all. It is indeed wonderful to be missed. After a fabulous 6 weeks away I have found it difficult to get back into blogging. I have been lurking in blogs occasionally and leaving comments only rarely. I am not yet ready to resume blogging but

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-1163522559659289002006-11-15T03:37:00.000+11:002006-11-15T03:42:39.730+11:00

Yesterday I rang Qantas to check on my baggage allowance, and prefaced my question with "I'm flying on Qantas flight 4 tomorrow night..." at which the passenger agent said "But QF4 leaves in the morning! That flight always used to leave around that time at night but it was changed a few years ago." Gulp! Imagine turning up in the evening, only to find that the flight left 12 hours before.I'm now

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-1162926755037064162006-11-07T10:53:00.001+11:002006-11-08T06:12:36.936+11:00

This holiday just keeps keeping on! Things were looking grim for standby to Australia tomorrow, so I started to think about Plan B. What about flying to Oz from Hawaii?? What about it indeed? So now Dad and I are flying to Hawaii tomorrow (standby, but the prospects are better), and I have a frequent flyer ticket on Qantas to Melbourne on Tuesday the 14th (***).BTW, when searching for

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-1162839982944805742006-11-06T10:35:00.000+11:002006-11-07T06:06:27.613+11:00

I have been here for 5 weeks now, and am due to start back home on Wednesday. It has been a wonderful trip. I have kept a travel diary and will gradually post snippets and of course photos when I get home and over the jet lag. The last time I looked at the stats on my digital camera I had 233 photos but I will be very selective about what I upload.One of the main highlights of my trip was the

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-1161441981429157462006-10-21T07:33:00.000+10:002006-10-22T00:48:19.366+10:00

I've just noticed the date of my post yesterday. I posted that on Friday, California time, yet Blogger "remembers" that I live in Australia and has used the date and time there. I'll go back and change that and will have to remember to change the date and time each time I post while I'm here. Or I could change the settings to West Coast time, but that might change all of my previous posts too.

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-1161383549849502622006-10-20T20:08:00.000+10:002006-10-22T00:46:50.916+10:00

Yesterday and today were important milestones in communicating with old and new friends.Yesterday I met up with a woman I had been friends with in high school and had not seen since graduating in 1963. I had tried to find her on the internet a couple of times over the years, but only found her last year through a web page associated with her place of employment. We started corresponding, and when

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-1161098766819431252006-10-18T00:52:00.000+10:002006-10-18T01:26:07.110+10:00

It was such a wrench seeing the MWC and MIL drive off yesterday (in addition to worrying about them finding their way across the Bay Bridge and to the airport - the MWC does NOT have a sense of direction!). They are both such good companions and I think we made a jolly threesome.MIL is really amazing for her 84 years, she is very outward-looking, interested in other people and places, and is

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-1161039205843703602006-10-17T08:47:00.000+10:002006-10-17T08:53:25.936+10:00

...sniff! I'm feeling a bit lost. It was so much fun, and I will eventually get around to posting about it, as well as making a slideshow. We had the most wonderful weather, saw so many things, ATE SO MUCH! In fact, I'm now off to do a walk with my brother to work off some of the calories.Thanks to everyone who has looked in at my blog and commented. I was feeling quite cut off from my blogger

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-1160506814219895192006-10-11T04:55:00.000+10:002006-10-11T05:00:14.263+10:00

Hi everyone! I'm using an internet cafe for the first time, and it's a nice walk from where we're staying. We are having a wonderful time, the weather has been beautiful, and the accommodation... well, have a look at that photo from the previous post, and it doesn't do it justice. It is so comfy and convenient and beautiful. I've been keeping a diary of what we've been doing every day, but I

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-1159656864059559672006-10-01T08:38:00.000+10:002007-02-15T11:51:23.664+11:00

Tomorrow my husband, MIL and I are off to San Francisco for a holiday. Tuesday, October 3rd is our 35th wedding anniversary, and we plan to go to the spot in the hills above Berkeley where we were married.We are renting the bottom floor of one of those gorgeous Victorian houses (click on this link to see more photos and info) on a hill in San Francisco for two weeks. Hubby and MIL will return to

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-1159444433095359092006-09-28T21:33:00.000+10:002006-09-28T21:53:53.390+10:00

Within 2 seconds of each other I have received, just by sitting here in front of my pc, two pieces of good news (one as yet unconfirmed though). First I get the "new mail" signal - uh oh, it's from Carlton. What more bad news can there be? Our absolute rock in the backline, Bret Thornton, has been having trouble with getting a new contract from Carlton, and the thought of him NOT being there next

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-1159234675940435092006-09-26T11:37:00.000+10:002006-09-26T14:45:50.430+10:00

This is a book before it is sewn together. The text papers (middle) have been bound in two places. This is the inner binding which is not visible once the book is sewn together but ensures that the text will not fall apart if disaster strikes and the binding threads break.The finished book, with three decorative wooden beads incorporated into the stitching.Inside the book (forgot to turn it!).Now

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9619869.post-1159009462927470882006-09-23T20:48:00.000+10:002006-09-23T21:04:22.950+10:00

Does anyone else get infuriated about finding every last inch of kitchen surface cluttered with dishes, glasses, cutlery, etc which would take up a fraction of the footprint it they were stacked (this is prior to putting them into the dishwasher, which of course rarely gets emptied if unprompted)? Or is it just me? Sometimes it seems like there's a contest going on: watch out, points taken off

Valhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04456736523331076619noreply@blogger.com16