Wednesday 31 October 2007

Random Act of Kindness


Lucy lost a tag off her collar when we went for a walk in the park earlier this week. Thank you to the lovely Graham who returned it to us. It's most appreciated.

That random act of kindness made my day!

Friday 26 October 2007

Brisbane Craft & Quilt Fair


Brisbane Craft & Quilt Fair Oct 24, 2007 - Oct 28, 2007 Brisbane Exhibition Centre, South Bank, Brisbane, Australia


Yesterday, I went for a 'look-see' with my friend, Nadia. We were both quite excited at the lovely range of papers & beads, not to mention cross-stitch kits.

I don't do a lot of craft other than cross stitching because I think that there is enough stash in that one activity to make my workroom overflow & max the credit card. Every year, however, I make my own Christmas stationery, so yesterday I spent 3 lovely hours exploring the many stalls.

There was a glut of Swarovski & Delica beads, which I need for a future project, so I think I will return to the fair today armed with a credit card & a shopping list.

Wednesday 24 October 2007

Celebrity vs Hero

I dislike to be found old-fashioned, but I have to tell you that I simply don’t get this mass-media celebrity stuff. I'm not talking about the recognition of people who have heroic qualities, who are 'save the day' kinds of people who have achieved something of note to gain public attention (perhaps as simple as something written, something sculptured, something fought for). I'm talking about the over-the-top media worship of people who are widely-recognised & famous who command a high degree of public and media attention but who don't seem to have done anything but be in the right place at the right time.

So what brought on this blog entry? Not so long ago we had the Paris Hilton fiasco. Should she go to jail, or not? That was unavoidable mind-numbing drivel. Then, we had the Britney Spears tragedy - for goodness sake, she's aged barely more than a kid herself & trying to cope with somewhere near 6 billion people watching (& supposedly having an opinion about) her every move! I thought having my mother watching my efforts of growing up & at raising children was a hard enough gig. If I was Britney, I too would be fluffing around somewhat & wishing that I could do it in private.

Today's headlines on MSN news (& it's the fact that this is considered headline news) highlight the Spice Girls' latest supposed rows & the fact that Sharon Osbourne envies Danni Minogue.

Those of you who know me well, know that I much prefer to read 'how to' articles than about someone else's opinion of a person. I don't closely read gossip magazines nor biography genre books. I don't watch soaps or 'real life' television. It doesn't mean that I live in a vacuum, either. There are some things you can't miss, a bit like the odour of garlic that permeates it's location. I don't think that there is such thing as a 'perfect life'. In my opinion, everyone on the planet breathes in and out for themselves according to circumstance, so what life choices people make are private & personal & not our business or open for comment. Hence to the headlines mentioned above, my response is: Who cares? Let these people's disagreements & envies remain private so that those envolved can gently sort them out.

I once complained to a women's magazine editor that I thought some of the coverage of people's lives was intrusive & best left alone. Her response was that it sells magazines, so obviously everyone wants to know, & therefore it's in public interest to print every scandalous innuendo that came across her desk (Yeah right! Getting photos to go with Diana's private life got her killed. How intrusive was that?)

In an abstract early morning way, I then thought some more about life (I hate this over-analysation gene! I'm sure Niew Idea & Woman's Day publishers - neither of which I read since the response to my complaint - love readers like me). Forget the supposed envy of Sharon; why would I want to be Danni Minogue or any of the Spice Girls for that matter? I like my own life & circumstances a whole lot better.

I know that there are flaws in the following argument but let's face it, in the most superficial way imaginable, I'd not like to be Posh simply because she looks (soooo hungry &) so miserable! I've rarely, if ever, seen a pic of Posh smiling, which is a pity, because while she is, in my opinion, far too thin to be beautiful she has some lovely facial attributes. It's those damned cameras intruding on her life, no doubt! The reality is that the Spice Girls probably get along fairly well & are not on the verge of a fight all the time. With a camera shoved in my face so often by people I don't know who are asking intrusive questions I would not ask of my best friends, I'd probably be construed as bad tempered too (hell, I get considered bad tempered if I squint without my glasses). For poor old Posh, it'd be like having a bus baring down upon her on the footpath every time she walked out the door - hard work & very intrusive. Give the girls a fair go, I say!

Danni has her own set of unenvieable circumstances. Yes, she is gorgeous, & she has a successful TV & singing career, a fabulous wardrobe of clothes & probably more money than my neighbourhood will earn in a life-time, but on a personal level, she's seemingly unlucky in love, mostly noted for the the size of her thighs & the changing shape of her nose (I thought she was most beautiful before all the reported surgery) and that she is the sister of the just-as-unlucky Kylie. Sadly, who takes any note of her supposed work with AIDS sufferers & promotion of gay society except, of course, those who directly benefit? Shamefully, mass-media hysteria wouldn't make her a celebrity if that's all she did.

All that hype aside, do you know why I'd hate to be (& therefore do not envy) Danni Minogue? I'd hate to be Danni simply because she's childless. For me, I wouldn't want to contemplate a life without my husband or children & all the wonderful years of chaos & music that went with them.

It's a simple matter of opinion, I know. Why Danni doesn't have kids is her business, not yours, nor mine. I wouldn't dare express any opinion, if I had one. I simply wouldn't want to be her because she doesn't. Everything else she has would not make up for that lack, for me.

I don't know anything much about Sharon Osbourne except that she reportedly has a family comprising of three biological off-spring & an adopted child from a deceased family friend (I've heard her name but then I googled her to find out who she was). I read that it's a supposedly wacky family but am sure that the fame game probably makes it seem wackier than it would be if it was Joe Blog's family down the street. It's all an author's opinion & heresay. Anyway, the point is that if I was childless, I'd be wanting to do whatever & pay any price it takes to have three kiddies of my own. Lucky Sharon. Lucky Posh.

In my humble opinion, no gig in life beats being a parent & all it entails. Being a celebrity (famous for being famous) is a dead end game. Being a parent is to be rich, heroic & immortal. I have the finest furnishings: kids.

Monday 22 October 2007

Yeah, right!





Mischief!

Details...

Thanks for all the lovely compliments about my stitching. You readers are very encouraging!

Apart from one book on the bottom shelf, I've finished a lot of the big stuff. It's now time to go back and fill in the minutiae.

I think that this project would have been far better done on a larger count of fabric. It's supposed to be 14 count but I think it's 16 count. Hence, some of the details are lost. A pity.

Just as an aside ...

I've done enough gridding on projects to now know that you need to remove it before you begin the backstitching. Be wary of splitting the tacking threads! They come out quite easily if you take care.

Saturday 20 October 2007

Subtle Differences


Only small changes this week even though I seem to have done a fair number of stitching hours compared to the previous couple of months.

I can't believe the difference between stitching on light & dark fabrics. Black is such a challenge that I've taken to wearing magnifying glasses & using stronger light because of the colour - anything that helps!

Nevertheless, Fred's still a cutie & a joy to sew.

Bliss

Wednesday 17 October 2007

Stitching Updates


Frederick the Literate - started November 2005


Renaissance Lady designed by Joan Elliott - started September 2007


Teddy Wizard - started 1st October 2007



Fa bel tempo oggi, no?


Si, oggi è una bella giornato.

Ieri, ho avuto mia prima lezione in italiano perché in 2010 desidero andare in Italia imparare come cucinare.

Yes folks, I'm learning Italian! For my next significant birthday, Paul & I want to spend three weeks at cooking schools in France & Italy. I can already write & speak fluent French, but I don't think that wee bit of Italian for opera I studied at university is going to do me much good except when burning the spaghetti! Therefore, it's time to brush up on my day-to-day Italian.

Wish me luck!

Happiness & laughter always,

Bliss

Monday 15 October 2007


Living a somewhat nomadic life until I settled here in Brisbane, I met many people who came & went in my life, and others who stayed in contact & built life-time friendships.

I could never work out why EVERYONE didn't remain friends. As a young person, I always felt that one should aim to be friends for life & that it was a responsibility to follow through with a friendship for as long as I drew breath. Then, I learned a valuable lesson about people coming into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. I learned that it's not imperative or possible that everyone stays forever active for/with you.

The thing is to identify what positions people hold in your life. When you know which time-frame a person occupies in your world, you will know what to do for that person.

When someone is in your life for a reason, it's usually to meet a need you have expressed. They may have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. These people are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand. Sometimes there is nothing left to say.

What we must realise is that our needs have been met, our desires fulfilled, & the 'work' is done.

The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a season, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real.

But only for a season.

Lifetime relationships teach you lifelong lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.

Cherish every one of these groups of people. Rejoice in their role in your life. All are important people who blissfully enrich your existence. You, in turn, touch their lives too.
































Thursday 11 October 2007

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hairteddy

welcome spring

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