A little bit of whimsy...

Your fairy is called Feather Hailfrost

She is a protector of the lonely.

She lives in high places where the clouds meet the earth.

She is only seen during the first snow of winter.

She wears pale blue like the sky. She has cheery turquoise wings like a butterfly.

Get your free fairy name here!

Christmas cooking...

I am running very late this year with making my Christmas puddings - but here is the very beginnings of them - fruit soaked in brandy overnight... As I type, one is in the crockpot slow cooking for 18 hours the other smaller pudding steaming away in the saucepan on the stove.

I love Christmas pudding but because it is so rich I cannot eat too much. I always have a serving on Christmas Day but save my second helping for Boxing Day when all the stress of Christmas Day is over and I can kick back and relax and with my new Christmas book.. Heaven!!!

I am feeling quite chuffed as I have all but one present left to buy and a third of them are already wrapped...

Bees...

E's life drawing teacher's partner has designed and created these bees for the Eureka Tower in Melbourne. E was there today as the very tricky business of installing them started. There are 11 bees in total and it has taken over a year to get them to this stage. Today each bee had to be partly assembled before being hoisted to their new 'hive' Up until today they have been housed in a large warehouse near the city and E was lucky enough to get a sneak preview some months ago when her class visited. She says one can only appreciate their size when you are standing along side one of them.

And so this is Christmas...

Hmmm... Life for me, as for most of the Christmas celebrating world is just silly at the moment. I work in retail - a book shop - and if I hear one more person say 'I would like to buy a book' - I will lean over the counter and grab them by the throat - of course in a bookshop that is what you are expected to buy - a book!!! Although to be fair so many retail businesses these days 'cross hatch' with other merchandise. To be honest I am wondering where the book business is going to - we seem to be in the race to be the best cut throat-ing, best price-ing, discounting, etc, etc with the rest of the retail world. I understand that everyone likes the best value for their money - me included - but I do make it a point not to harass the poor b****y customer service person. I like many 'behind the counter' people cop the frustrations of the PP (paying public) on a regular basis - most people forget we are the 'foot soldiers' and do not make the rules but simply have to follow orders. I can not help that last month's catalogue had the same book two dollars cheaper or that K-Mart, Woolies, Myer, Discount books or (put your own favorite here) had the same book at 25,30,50% off - nor do I want to hear about it - if they do why don't you go there and purchase it from them.

I know I am getting exceedingly grumpy at people who come in their lunchtime tap their foot and sigh whilst looking pointedly at the watch that they have to stand in a line with all the other foot tapping, sighing watch watching customers. I cannot help that God made a choice not to clone me into at least four others who can answer your questions, answer the phone, gift wrap, listen to how a wonderfully, genius, gifted your offspring, better half, close and/or distant relative is at reading Shakespeare in multiple languages. No I am not psychic or clairvoyant I don't know what your distant cousins third child likes to read... Yes I do gift wrap - but not when you have a line of other customers reaching to Christmas Day behind you. Yes we do have gift vouchers - now called card gift cards starting in price from $10 to $1000 - and yes that does means you can't have one for $9.50.

A customer came into the shop and asked if I would help him choose a book for a child it went something like this...

Are you looking for a boy or a girl? ( Start with the obvious first)
Girl - she's my son's defacto wife's child - not his though...
Age?
Let's see (with a scratch of the head) - about six perhaps seven no more than eight... I think...
Do you know what she like to read???
No.. (This is where a bookseller starts with the most likely and works outward)
Were you thinking of a picture book or a chapter book???
Something with words...
Do you know what her reading standard is????
(Customer just looks at me when I ask this question)
Would she like something about fairies perhaps... (Terrrible I know but standard girl question)
Nup - she lives in the country (And that says????)
How about a Girl's Own type adventure book
Nup - she's got brothers..
What about this one? (book on zoo animals)
Nup - she only knows farm animals (child is on a farm)
What about this one? (picture and story to do with farming)
Nup - she lives on a farm wouldn't wanna read about it she just needs to look out the door..
You don't know what she reads??
Nup - was told to get a book...

This conversation went on for the best part of 10 minutes as we walked around the childrens section. I pulled out every type of book that I could think of but the best comment was when I thought of a lovely picture book about the beach..

Here Sir this one is very popular...

He barely glances at it before handing it back...

Couldn't have that one. It's about water - they haven't got none.. There's a drought you know... And she lives in the country...

With that he said he had to go and 'get further instructions' and strode out of the shop leaving me gob smacked.

My work mate who had heard most of it looked around the shop before saying there wasn't a hidden camera was there????

And then onto the next customer... 'I'd like to buy a book for... '

and so this is Christmas...

The people you meet...

A picture of me and an 'over the top' sandwich board cartoon sculpture of Edith the cat outside the CAE - Centre for Adult Education. E had to empty all her year's work from her locker as well as collect her assessment pieces - so there we were at 9am - on a Saturday morning parked in Degraves st Melbourne (people who know of Degraves street know that parking is minimal as it is a narrow, short little street mostly given over to small cafes with outside dining) making numerous runs to the car loading it up with art folios, paintings and dear Edith who has spent a semester in a cupboard waiting to come home...

Of course now that it is home - where do we put it all!!!!!!

MixTape Vol 1 & 2

E bought both Volume 1 & 2 of MixTape from Sticky for me... I haven't had time as yet to actually sit down and read them but they look interesting. I had read about MixTape in my blog travels...

Update...

G'day everyone - how time flies when one is having so much fun - or isn't that how the saying goes???? Sometimes I feel that I shall meet myself coming back as life seems to be a continual round of going to work, coming home and all that is sandwiched in between... What have I done in the last 3 weeks or so from my last entry... Now let me think... In no particular order

* Met T from DownUnderDiscourse - another stitching blogger who welcomed me into her home with unreserved hospitality and friendliness. Thanks T for a lovely day - I have L's list for his books if you care to email me. Most titles are still in print but may have to be ordered at your local bookshop.

* Said a heartfelt goodbye to A from Feather Stitching and her mum J as A steps off onto her new adventure in another state. Although I have only seen A not more than half a dozen time over the last couple of years I felt very sad (for me) as I waved she and her mother off on Sunday night. But I have promised both A and myself a visit to her new home when she gets settled :).

* P and I went to the Oxfam second hand book sale over in Eltham - we set ourselves a price ceiling and both of us stuck to it - wonders of wonders!!!! I picked up some titles which I have been wanting to read for $2 each - cheaper than the library really. I have started a 'beside the bed' reading list in my sidebar for anyone who is interested. I tend to browse at people's bookshelves when I go visiting as it interests me to what they read. At the moment I have mixed feelings at the direction the book industry is taking - it seems less about the magic of books and more about 'making a sale at all costs' and retail undercutting...
We also took the opportunity to visit G from Patra's Place and of course her husband K whilst we were in Eltham.

On a very different topic I have been tuning into 'The Abbey' on a Sunday night on ABC television. It was a three part reality programme about five women from different walks of life who enter the abbey to take part in a 33 day residential retreat within the confines of of Jamberoo Abbey.

When the ABC had first called for volunteers to take part in this programme I was excited at the prospect of applying- unfortunately at the time I had also started a new job and with reluctance I let the possible opportunity slip by. So when I first saw the promo for the upcoming programme I made sure that I tuned in.

What can I say about the programme that 1263 comments on Monday's abbey forum didn't say.

It took me back to a time in my life when I was involved with a personal development seminar and whilst there is certainly no comparison to The Abbey - that time took me on a journey - very similar to that of the women and it proved quite a ride. But that is where any similarity ends - the Abbey was about so much more. I have provided links to the ABC site for you to have a browse.

I thought that the programme was wonderful and it left me feeling after each episode quite reflective about my own life. I have tried to put how I felt and still do feel into words but somehow the exact words elude me. For a while now I have felt that my life was missing some intrinsic element - something which was just out of reach - just beyond my grasp. I am not saying that watching The Abbey answered what that element is but it was comforting to see how others struggle with similar inner feelings. Yesterday the forum - over a 2 hour period- had 1263 comments about the programme with more than I cared to count views expressed along a similar vein. What is it that we are missing??? In this day and age of such technological advancement we seem to be moving further and further away from our core being - what ever that means to the individual. Many people it seems are seeking, a path to Enlightenment/ The Source or whatever. I find it ironic really that in our continual attempt to have everything we want we seems to have less than before.

As I watched the day to day life within the Abbey I saw the Benedictine nuns live a life of order, silence and strict adherence to pray and yet I haven't seen such contentment and peace. It was as though they knew their place in the scheme of things - the bigger picture - and wanted for nothing more than to fulfill that. Before I attract too many comments about 'the good old bad old days and religious orders' I just want to say that having reached this time in my life I too wish that I had such a profound sense of peace and contentment that was so obvious on the ABC programme.

The Abbey has had quite an affect on me as a viewer - I can only begin to imagine what it must have been like for each of the five participants and how it will continue to influence their lives now and in time to come...