Total eclipse of the sun here in Australia, far north Queensland.....incredible!

As life's daily events continue each an every day, I must write a few words and voice my opinion on fabulous mother nature and her solar eclipse witnessed here down under today.

Just minutes ago, here in Australia's far North Queensland, we witnessed a total eclipse of the sun as per my photo. I am not a scientist nor have any real fascination with science as such, but I think it would be a little sad if I didn't acknowledge this sometimes once in a lifetime experience and praise mother nature for her work.

This photo shows the total eclipse of the sun taken just minutes ago and oh now mother nature continues to amaze me.

I really have nothing more to say. I will let the picture say the rest. Enjoy!

https://twitter.com/couturechicness/status/268458260921733120/photo/1

London Olympics....sending my hugs!

I think I would be a poor blogger if I didn’t write about the current Olympic games being held in London.

I admit, like many of my dear friends, the washing, ironing and general work has been put on hold whilst I catch up each morning and evening with the progress of Australia and no doubt as is the rest of the world and theirs. The achievements, disappointments and general euphoria of the games are relayed to us beautifully via our Australian journalists currently experiencing the excitement in London and clearly loving each minute of it.

Our wonderful Australian swimmers (and I have a penchant for our swimming prowess) are achieving well and we are so proud of them all (75% of the team, I might add, come from my home state of Queensland and naturally I must boast about this, especially having been a very decent swimmer in my youth. There must be something in the water here, pardon the pun). I was, however, nearly brought to tears yesterday when one of our wonderful female swimmers was clearly devastated she had not procured a gold medal but a silver. It was not the clear disappointment expressed in tears that I wanted to jump through the TV screen and hug her for but the words she spoke basically saying that she hoped that because she procured the silver medal and not the gold, she hoped her parents would still love her. It felt like my heart had stopped for a few seconds after hearing these words and oh how my empathy flowed to her. The questions going through my head was firstly do we have a family here who requires Olympic gold medals for satisfaction?

This became our family discussion and indeed the discussion of a plethora of Australian media for the next 24 hours but none of us could believe we had heard these words. Our fabulous Ray Warren, our legendary Australian swimming and general sports commentator clearly felt for her too the same way I did. After hearing the same words I did he sent a message to her via the TV airwaves assuring her she is much loved.  Me and mine came to the decision that this gorgeous young lady had clearly conjured a few slightly crazy thoughts in her mind over a period of time which she released by verbalising these words simply expressing her own personal disappointment and the need to confirm her need for unconditional love from those she loves and who clearly love her. Totally understandable.

This also lead to a discussion amongst ourselves in front of our television that evening, about how none of us could ever imagine the mental pressure these amazing athletes must have to endure and overcome to be able to prepare themselves and focus entirely on themselves and their events allowing them to achieve their very best, leaving no stone unturned.

Our amazing Susie O’Neill, a past Australian Olympic gold medallist was interviewed just previous to the commencement of the games. Susie stated that to be able to succeed as an elite athlete that you must become totally selfish in your journey to be coming an Olympian. Susie also stated that, since becoming a mum, she found it hard to look back and to remember just how incredibly selfish a person she was during  those years but that it had to be or you would not be able to give 110% to your sport.

I often wonder what that must feel like to be totally engrossed in your life whether it is an elite athlete and quite frankly I envy their selfishness. Clearly complete selfishness works and as we sit and watch these amazing human beings achieve greatness. We forget about what they have sacrificed and also very importantly what their families too have had to sacrifice to be able to support these young people in totality when one of them is being preened to becoming an elite athlete with an Olympic goal. My imagination cannot take me down that road but how I admire them all for it.

Mental agility, through life, is a huge asset to behold. It determines how we manage to cope or not with life’s curve balls and being able to cast aside mentally, things that really do not have any real weight in the grand scheme of things is a talent clearly to behold. One of mine told me that she very recently had had a discussion with some friends who are students of psychology; these students had been in a tutorial discussing just this subject, the Olympics and the mental preparation of athletes. The conclusion was that mental strength held 80% weight of an elite athlete’s preparation and physiology was just 20%.

So as I sit in awe of these amazing humans, whilst watching the day’s achievements and disappointments, I can do nothing but admire each and every one of them. Their disappointments and their triumphs must be experienced because that is what life consists of and I have no doubt that after such extreme mental agility as an elite athlete, their coping mechanisms with their future lives would be better than most of us.

To each and every one of them I wish them well and no matter what, ladies and gents, we, your admirers do truly love your work and I will continue to enjoy your fabulous achievements.

My shop on the corner

I have spent a lot of time driving in my car over the last six months, more so than usual for family reasons.

I love driving. I love plugging my phone in to my radio and listening to my personal music collection, music I love. (When my loved ones are with me, I also love them asking if they could skip that song or even plug their music supply in just for a change and yep, that is fine too. As they say, variety is the spice of life.) Yes it is true that I often break into song in my car and pretend to be Gaga, The Beach Boys, Cher, Michael Buble and so many more.

I used to work for a pathology company and was in charge of answering a plethora of phone calls from hospitals, doctors, nursing homes, our clinic rooms etc and can say quite honestly the job was very stressful at times. Theatre rooms calling to order more blood urgently ‘stat.’ The process of making sure you had the correct patient name, date of birth etc, relaying that info to our cross-matching lab and getting it to that hospital urgently was a real challenge. Some days it seemed that everyone in the city needed urgent blood and the end of my shift was very welcomed. I often looked over to our courier department which was just across the corridor from our nurse’s station and thought how nice it would be to be in a car and picking up pathology products from clinics, hospitals, surgeries etc and not have to deal with the urgent medical side of my job. I have digressed..

These many many trips over the last six months brought me day after day passing a particular shop on a corner which is quite dilapidated but at the same time quite appealing. Quirky, eclectic are certainly words I would use to describe this shop. It is dark brown in colour, two storeys and has a wonderful large window in the front of it allowing us to view the contents. It is a book shop but not just any book shop. It sells antiquated books including military and historical books and I am sure many others. The shop has what appears to be living quarters attached to the rear of it, also looking like they need a bit of love but I guess this is clearly what makes it look more appealing at the same time.

As I sat in my driver’s seat, day after day, taking the same route taking me past this shop, I would often imagine myself (and still do) as the owner of this lovely eclectic shop. However I am not selling military or historical books. No, I am selling my lovely handmade wares; my lovely up cycled bling denim handbags (made from preloved jeans I source from our charity shops); my hand made cushions; my hand made cards featuring gorgeous origami dresses and ladies in gorgeous hats; my hand painted coffee mugs and tea pots lovingly painted with designs which make my heart sing. These are the items adorning this lovely shop as I stand behind a small but welcoming counter, fussing over the appearance of my shop and ensuring that visitors feel very welcome and always greeting each with a smile and welcoming words.

My dream expanded with the idea of having the shop not just as hand craft shop but also as a cafe where people could come, admire and relax, have a cup of tea or coffee (yes, served in my hand painted mugs and tea poured from my hand painted tea pots) accompanied by some fabulous home-cooked food of their choice.

Naturally this leads me to needing to dream about the cafe menu. What would it include? Cooking has always been a huge part of my life and I have developed some fabulous recipes over the years, I have tried and tested recipes found in my plethora of cook books, as well as recipes which have been handed over to me from friends and family. In fact I am about to commence my third recipe book of hand written recipes I continue to accrue and which my girls continually debate amongst themselves as to who will acquire which book when I am no longer walking God’s earth. I take all of this in good stead naturally hoping that this event will not occur for a long time yet.

Back to that menu....I couldn’t possibly commence my menu without scones, jam and cream which are always a winner  with a lovely hot cup of tea or coffee and I can admit that I have a fabulous recipe for scones which rise so high they nearly touch the clouds. I would even attempt to make my own jam with berries which were in season. Next would have to be chocolate cake. Not just any chocolate cake though. It would be my chocolate and orange cake with genache.  An entire navel orange is cooked then processed, skins included to give this magnificent cake a flavour to remember and my oldest has often requested it as a birthday cake and yes, has even requested it for her eventual wedding cake. My youngest has become the best bruschetta cook so I am hoping she would allow me to follow in her footsteps and include it as some savoury offerings into my menu. I wouldn’t be happy if I failed to include some gorgeous finger sandwiches made with the freshest bread, delivered each day (oh now I must consider finding a baker who delivers maybe?) The fillings for these would include my chicken with tarragon mayonnaise; tabouleh and lovely leg ham; sundried tomato, walnut and ham; smoked salmon, cream cheese and dill and for those vegetarians and royalists good old cucumber sandwiches would be fun too. There, I think that would do.

I would ask my gorgeous loved ones to help me out on those days they could spare me. They are both great cooks and very attractive and would be nothing less than a huge asset to my dream. I think I would make the tablecloths and put my helpers in gorgeous handmade aprons. These would not be able to be too over the top and I know they would like to be included in the choice of fabric.

A dilemma whilst dreaming was if I should also offer classes in craft making? Well clearly I would need someone to manage the cafe/shop section whilst I tutored my classes. Yes, good idea. These would include basic knitting and crocheting leading to advanced classes. Basic sewing then leading to creating cushions and I may even touch on basic clothes such as pyjamas and shorts (it is quite a while since I constructed lined blazers and skirts –this was all during my pre-mother days and some time ago.) Anyway, that would be a good start.

Yep, I like this dream very much. Life would be very busy but fun too. May be I would build the business up so well that reservations would be required for this very busy cafe. Wow, reservations......that would be amazing.

That very important name for my shop, well it would have to be Creatively Couture, my current business name. I thought long and hard about this name prior to my decision and I think it sums up my work beautifully.

You would all be most welcome. Please come along with a good heart, the willingness to have a good giggle and a chat if you would, and I hope it would be a place you would enter possibly with a few of life’s troubles niggling in your head but then leave with those troubles feeling a little lighter. I hope a smile would adorn your face along with the memory of having had a wonderful experience and wanting to return soon. That would be my dream for all of us at my special shop on the corner and you have to be able to dream.

Find the creative you and turn your lows into highs

Every one of us is tested off and on through life and I am no exception. Over the last five months a loved one has been faced with a grave health situation which caused our lives to be turned upside down and quite frankly I felt my life had come to an abrupt stop. My brand new business had to be put on hold as this young lady is 100% reliant on me for the time being and that is OK. Hospital admissions followed by discharge then second daily blood tests which turned into us spending six hours each of these days waiting for blood results and future medication instructions was our life for the first three months of this year. It has basically been this way now for five months now but we are used to it I guess.

Through these months her health concerns continued but I knew that I had to have another focus because we had started to feel a little low as she could not study nor work either as she was so unwell and we have no idea how long she would be under this “medical microscope.” I can certainly say that if it wasn’t for my creative side, I would have suffered. I have always been a very keen crafter and cook and love these so so much they both make my heart sing and this has been my saving grace. My teenager had never ever shown any interest in craft and in fact I know she would agree that she found craft possibly the lowest thing on her list of things I find incredibly boring. However, after months of nothingness except hospital visits and medication changes, I suggested I teach her to crochet and to my amazement she took me up on the offer. I was so impressed with her change of heart. So she now knows how to crochet. The blanket she is creating is still a work in progress but that is OK too. You see, anything is possible.

With her happily occupied with her new creativity, I went back to stocking up for my new business www.creativelycouture.aradium.com and I am more than happy to continue to sew and stock up until we have a more definite medical outcome and I have time to spend more time on my business, finding stockists etc. On one of my 'not so great' days I sat in front of my computer and googled, trying to find somewhere, anywhere to possibly stock my wares which I thought was going to be an impossibility due to my mental attitude. How wrong I was. I have found a fab shop where I rent a space each month and that makes my heart sing. All it took was a simple email and hey presto!

It was while signing the contract for this shop space that the owner and I were chatting and I was singing the praises of this fabulous shop which supports us, the local artists and it was she who suggested that she felt that if more people were creative that possibly mental health problems would be less and I absolutely agreed and so too did my “new to the craft of crocheting” daughter. I truly believe this.

Now by being creative I don’t mean to go and buy yourself a kiln or sewing machine or easel and become Andy Warhol overnight. No, I simply mean I know we all have some creativity in us and we just need to find it. What makes you smile? Gardening, painting, drawing (even stick men), writing a blog, reading, cooking, dog walking, maybe sounds like you? These are all signs of creativity in my opinion. Sitting alone in a house/apartment day after day is not good for your mental health, research has proven this. I rented an apartment many years ago and lived by myself and I know it was the loneliest time of my life, so I am speaking from experience. Even living with friends/family and just working to pay those bills, in my opinion, is not living. We all need to have interests, each and every one of us. Creativity makes my heart sing and I know always will.

So for those of you out there who have just been ‘hit’ by some gut-wrenching news or just feel that life is just not what it should be, that nothing seems to make your heart sing, hang in there. Life can get better but you need to help find that positivity by finding your creative side and then get moving, literally, because no one can find it for you but you. Going for daily walks is great. Too lazy or just couldn’t be bothered to go for a walk......make the effort, please. You will not regret it. If you are living alone and feel low, find someone to apartment-share. If you have just lost the love of your life recently, yes feel sad for a while but please get out there and do something positive.   

I know your creative side exists. Only you can find yours. It is there somewhere. My daughter who detested craft found hers. Make an effort and free up those concerns about life. There will always be clouds in the sky but we need them to allow us to appreciate the better days and make your heart sing just as mine does, it may be a little off key some days but that is OK.

An ultracrepidarian I am not, but I know one or two

Growing up I was never really into my English classes nor reading and so my appreciation for the English language didn’t rate very high at all in my world back then. My father, however, has a verbal repertoire which would have challenged William Wordsworth if Wordsworth was still with us.

My father, having grown up in South Australia, is often mistaken for English gentry due to his pronunciations of particular words. South Australia is the state where the English gentry settled and it was a “convict free” settlement when Australia was 'invaded' by the English. I grew up being corrected often with my Queensland pronunciations of certain words. For example, dad pronounced the word ‘castle’ as if he had been educated at Oxford, England, and so his pronunciation was ‘carsel’ where as the good ol’ Australian accent simply stated it as 'casel,' much to dad’s annoyance. He would state that we were going to a ‘darnce’ where I would say dance etc. A rockmelon fruit to us was just that, a rockmelon. However a South Australian would call it a cantelope. A school case or bag to Dad was known as a port and so it went on. Back then and to this day, friends will ask me if dad is English by birth due to his fabulous Oxford accent to which I explain the first settlement story to them.

Apart from his correct pronunciation of the English language, he is also a fabulous orator along with a magnificent wordsmith. I am sure that if you walked into his abode today and peruse the various magazines and newspapers containing crosswords that not one would not have been completed by my father.

It was not until later in my life that I started showing any real appreciation of the language which clearly Dad had grabbed on to at an early age. I commenced writing letters etc to which Dad commended me on my writing prowess and is one of the reasons I now have this blog. Regardless, I think I have come of age now and can now exclaim with pride that I currently have three books I am currently reading  and my blogtastical banter has given me the freedom to exercise my talents of writing which clearly did not arrive until fairly recently.

I have clearly inherited Dad’s love for words. All through my life and particularly during my schooling I would approach Dad for some assistance with regards assignments etc. He would always captivate me with his responses which would always contain at least one word which I had no idea meant. Feeling inferior, often I would simply nod and thank him for his help and hope that by the time I reached my study desk, I could hold that word in my head long enough to clamber through the dictionary and find not only the word but also the meaning and hence be able to complete the entire conversation we had just had together which would then make sense to me. I think it was from these ‘get togethers’ that finally, I realised there was much to learn when it came to my native tongue and that I should really show more appreciation of it by learning more about it.

Consequently, as my girls have walked through their years of education, the two books which I purchased when they were very young were indeed the Concise Oxford Dictionary and the accompanying Thesaurus. These two books still adorn my bookshelf and always will until I am some ‘six foot under.’

It is just recently that I too have commenced the challenge of crosswords in my local newspaper which apparently makes me a cruciverbalist. I do so enjoy the occasional medical question which occurs sometimes and which I usually have the answer to due to my nursing background. One beauty which is not found very often at all is the word choleduchojejunostomy which is a surgical procedure of the gastrointestinal system which I learnt in my nursing days but is seldom used now but I hold on to regardless. Regardless, to be brutally honest here I have a very long way to go to even becoming remotely close to Dad’s talents but that is OK. Words like belligerent, sanctimonious, ultracrepidarian are just a few I do so love to use when I can. Autolatry is one word some may currently use to describe me as I type this blog.

Regardless, I hope that I never grow tired of improving my English vocabulary. As my darling grandfather would often say to me, ‘every day you learn something which you should file away for future reference.’ How true this statement is. So clearly I have not only my wonderful father to thank for my newly found talents but also Poppa for forecasting what I do so appreciate....the magic of words and how I do so love to refer to those extra special ones on a regular basis.

Self-praise....it should be mandatory

Oh wow, photos I can hear you say. Yes, I know, I tend to just write my blog without any photos. I figure that my Lady Lou Lettuce blog has enough lovely photos in it. However, as I have found another love in my life, sewing, I have decided to share my wares with you all. I am now selling them on EBay.

This love commenced after I sat down a week ago and created some very much needed cushion covers for our sofa. The little beauties have turned out better than expected and consequently I cannot stop sewing!

I have found a wonderful shop selling gorgeous quilting fabrics and I am using these for my creations. Yes the fabrics are a little more expensive to purchase than your average fabrics but worth it in the end. Aren't they gorgeous! As an added bonus, I have managed to perfect my zip insertion technique too and for the first time have decided to use piping on my cushions. All in all, things are great and these gorgeous creations have already started to sell in just 24 hours of being on EBay. Life is good. Interested? You will notice them in the "Home Decor", "cushions" section as they will always be propped up on my cream sofa chair as per above as you scroll through the cushion section on EBay. Overseas readers....if you are interested in them, let me know by sending me a comment via below comment section.

They can be found on EBay


Have a great day :)

That makes cents

I guess it is because of the past three years and the economic climate, every time I download a newspaper or walk past one in the news agency, the headlines seem to be topical of this economic climate. Let's face it a country can't survive without trade, tourism etc and being a proud Australian has shown me that regardless of how small, young a country is, good economic policies leads to a wealthy country and Australia is certainly right up the top of that list.

I pride myself on having taken my own advice early on and set up savings bank accounts for the girls with regular direct deposits into them. Last year my eighteen year old travelled overseas instead of presenting herself at the annual schoolies event and her savings account was her saving grace for her overseas spending monies. Actually she took far too much of the princely sum of money I had managed to save for her but as I told her, once it is gone, it is gone and therefore future savings would be her responsibility.

My youngest is 'in the same boat' with a nice little bundle but has decided to do the schoolies thing instead of overseas travel (she accompanied us overseas not so long ago and I think she is a little 'over' it for the time being.)

I was recently at lunch with some girlfriends and we we were discussing our children and the road ahead for them. I mentioned the savings accounts to them and they both commented on what a great mum I was to initate the savings. I honestly didn't think much of it back when I signed them up so I patted myself on the back for my efforts.

I often joke around with my own girls about probably not being able to leave them too much financially when I am gone. My jewellery collection will probably have to suffice which interestingly my youngest informs both myself and her sister that she would prefer my collection of hand-compiled cookbooks instead of the jewellery (yes I am a very keen cook and I am thrilled my girls have caught my 'bug'). At this point my eldest 'chimes in' and states that she too would like the recipe books. I advise them that they will just have to work that out for themselves when I am 'gone.'

The experience of being a single mum for a number of years back then, and needing to have a meeting with our then bank manager and explain to her that it will be 'me' that she will need to communicate with in future due to my ex jumping on a plane and heading back to his motherland, apparently because I just wasn't giving him enough attention (his words to the marriage counsellor, not mine) and so ending our marriage. The bank manager's response was that she always liked me more anyway, to which we both giggled like school girls, shared a cup of coffee whilst she attempted to console me and help me hold back my tears and she and I became great mates. The tears are well and truly gone I can assure you. So whilst my marriage had ended, this time was also the most character-building time of my life and I am not just saying that. It is absolutely true. I grew so much as a person and as a female some days I do feel I can take on the world.

So I managed to be able to put aside these savings for the girls which would be no more than enough to be able to assist on the purchasing of maybe a decent second-hand car, maybe but that is okay. Knowing how financially tough things are out there I also yearn to also be able to leave them well 'cashed-up' when I am gone, and wouldn't we all want the same for our children? However I know that, from my own personal experiences, having to strive for your money and ensure there is enough to pay those bills and to also have some set aside for those rainy days, makes us all the more appreciative of our purchases.

I reassure myself at these reflective times and having been able to give them a good education for which I do expect them to work hard toward a good occupation. I explain that this will allow them to fall back on their education/degrees no matter what they are dealt in life, and this is possibly the most valuable asset I can leave them and yes I am very satisfied with that. No I think that I can remove the word 'possibly' from that last sentence.

Lisbeth Salander or bust!

It is a very long time since I have been hooked on a book. I can probably count on one hand the number of books I have read in my lifetime which have totally engrossed me. The first to come to mind was "Jaws." Next from memory was "Silence of the Lambs" and though not as gripping but I enjoyed it nonetheless was "The Horse Whisperer"

In recent times and allow me to reiterate the word "recent" I cannot believe the excitement and enjoyment I am experiencing whilst reading Stieg Larsson's works commencing with "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" and oh how I loved this book. The first of Larsson's Millennium Trilogy. I have, just last week, commenced book 2, "The Girl Who Played With Fire" and again I am really enjoying the read and am very proud to be able to state that I am a quarter of the way through it already.....I hope this is the positive sign for my deep wishing to turn over a new leaf and read much much more this year and for the years to come.

I am ashamed to admit that it has been a long time since I have read a book cover to cover in less than a year. Yep, some have really bored me to distraction and hence I have left many to gather dust after just a few chapters. However thanks to the works of the now deceased Mr Larsson, I am hoping that those days are gone.

Don't get me wrong. It is not that I don't enjoy reading it is just that reading sends me off to sleep, like a good sedative, especially when reading is the last activity at night and after a busy day, this sedative always seems to triumph after the first page of any laborious book is read. But oh how things have changed in the last weeks. So much so that not only have I purchased the Trilogy as audio books, I also have them as iBooks and have paperback copies too. Yep, I am enjoying the reading that much.

The characters and a good story line are of course what make a book a good one and Larsson has certainly won on every count here. The heroine, Lisbeth Salander, a computer-hacking, bisexual who has a few grudges in life and rightly so; her boss Armansky; her friend/associate, Mikael Blomkvist, and many more make up the characters who make this trilogy such a damn good read. I find them all engrossing.

However, as a true suffragette, it is Lisbeth Salander whom I am enjoying the most. Larsson has made her into quite a dark figure, very gutsy character, always masterfully avenging her wrong-doers with such intrigue and brilliance that I am in awe of her. Her multiple disguises, her brilliance in computer hacking and her internal personal confusion and torments allows us to be both fearful of her and at the same time sympathise and empathise with her.

The non-English movies of the Trilogy have already been released. I did hear of one young man removing himself from the theatre as he found the dragon tattoo too much to cope with. Interesting. However I am looking forward to seeing the newly released English version. Yes, there are some parts of the book which are disturbing and no doubt my heart will beat a little faster during those more intense scenes but being the mother of an eighteen year old, challenging and often infuriating child who is slowly turning me into Attila the Hun in her presence (oh and this new 'me' is actually a good thing so don't worry,) it will take a lot to turn my stomach! Maybe Lisbeth is my alter ego? Who knows? Regardless, it is a great read. Thank you Stieg Larsson for your brilliance.

A shellsuit or designer clothing.....little did I know!

I was chatting recently to a group of girlfriends, some I know well, some just acquaintances, and one of the topics of conversation that came up from one of the acquaintances was how she envied the couple X as they had just acquired a new house  and had returned from a very expensive overseas holiday etc etc and I stood, not saying anything but thinking how naive this lady’s comment was. I knew exactly who she was talking about and I knew that her assumptions were, sadly, a long way from reality. In fact, it was quite the opposite reality.

If there is one thing I have learnt in my so-far 50 years of life is that one should never assume a person's wealth nor poverty by the size of the house they live in, the holidays they take, the car they drive, nor the clothes they wear especially in this fragile economic climate. The world's economic status is so precarious that real wealth can only really be determined by, at the end of the day when you sell your assets off and pay off your debt, is what you have left held in your hand.

Here is a story I can share with you. I was invited to attend an auction at one of London’s prestigious auction houses. Art was the subject of interest and let me make it clear that I was simply a guest, not there to bid. Whilst perusing the collection of interested parties gathered for a particular piece of art, a Dutch Masters painting found in someone’s attic after the passing of a loved one and found to be of incredible worth, I noted the finery most were dressed in. There was one person, however, whom quite frankly I thought belonged in the storage rooms, as she was dressed in a shell-suit, which looked like it had come from an op shop and she looked as if she was ready to go for a jog around the block. I later discovered that this lady, was indeed one of the most wealthy human beings walking the planet and who ended up procuring many fine pieces of art that day, worth a king’s ransom. The moral of this story.....don’t judge a book etc etc.

I often think of this lady, the garb she wore that day and how clearly, she was not out to impress anyone. She had me fooled! She didn't need to impress anyone and had nothing to prove to anyone. Fantastic!

Whilst reading a financial magazine late last year, the author of a particular investment article was advising what the best investment ventures were at that current time. Interestingly, property in Australia was certainly not high up on their list, nor, understandably investing in shares (apart from blue chip companies.) No, indeed, they offered a very interesting suggestion to invest in U.S. property. That is correct. They even had a photo of a house, 3 bedrooms I recall from memory, which was originally purchased for somewhere approximately $US350,000 (remembering this was before the greenback fell and pre GFC, so it would have been originally purchased for approx $AUD800,000+ give or take a few thousand.) The same house was now on the market for $US65,000, and remember the Australian dollar equalled and may have minimally surpassed the value of the greenback at the time the article was published so it is worth $AUD65,000, give or take a few dollars. Incredible! Yes, they were urging us to purchase property overseas in the great US of A " for a song" and I believe this is still being suggested. Who would've thought?

However, I have digressed slightly from my original topic of what is really a naive mindset some people have of wealth and how envy seems to be the underlying factor in so many circles. Ladies, you will have all experienced the female insecurities as you walk into a social setting and the ladies, and so too many of the men, "eye" you up and down before the routine salutation is offered. Is it Givenchy? Is it designer? Never in my case as the only time I would go so far as to by a designer outfit to don would be for my child's wedding. However I am guilty of having the 'Imelda Marcos' shoe fetish, especially during my nursing days when I was known for picking up a bargain or two in the designer shoe shops every other pay day. Those days, sadly, are long departed though I do manage to procure the odd pair now and again.

The point I am trying to make, readers, is that we are ruled by a world of media telling us to buy the best car, the biggest house, the most expensive clothes, eat at the most expensive restaurants if you want to be noticed and for what! It is not for OUR personal financial gain. Good grief how could it be? No. It is simply so that that car manufacturer, that designer or that five star restaurant accrues your hard earned monies (and this is going to hurt a lot of you but you and I know that once those credit cards appear, or that bank is contacted for that car lease/purchase, that money is your DEBT.) Oh yes, I can hear you say, 'oh but it is a good investment!' Property, yes. Expensive cars, no. They depreciate by a massive percentage the second you drive it out of the dealership.

Come on people. Let's get off that cycle of "keeping up with the Jones'" (who are fictional characters anyway), drop those " if only I could afford" laborious and pathetic banter and look around you and tell me what really and I mean REALLY makes you happy. Is it that fabulous husband who is working his butt off simply to pay off the interest on that collection of credit cards you have accumulated over the years just to keep up with the Jones' and is so fed up with it all, he is cranky, exhausted and hasn't laughed in what seems to be a lifetime? Or is it that amazing lady who holds down a job, is a fabulous wife and mother, a great homemaker and who is so exhausted, she falls into bed each evening often not being told what an incredible human being she is!  Or is it those amazing children you bought into this world, gazing at them lovingly whilst they ignore you both completely because they a so engrossed in that IPod, iPad, X-Box, bla bla bla you bought for them on those bloody credit cards?

If you haven't been listening to the media for the last three years and how that "American Dream" of wanting to have everything, clearly isn't working for those who own the star spangled banner. The ones who led us into the GFC due to their lack of financial legislation, whose housing market has gone down the shoot and who's unemployment is through the roof, then where have you been?

You don't get everything you want in life! Did your mum and dad not tell you that repeatedly whilst you were growing up? Mine sure did and so did theirs. So tell your children that too. I tell mine repeatedly. No it is not appreciated but I stand my ground and still have the one credit card I acquired when turning 18 and my limit has never changed since the year the bank gave it to me. It's cash or I don't buy it. Yep, I am a simple girl with simple tastes and appreciate everything I have every day. No, I may not end up being Australia's answer to Warren Buffet, (who I might add went from a worth of $US58 billion to $US37 billion in 2 year period due to the GFC) but then may be I will! He still buys some of his suits from Wal-mart and that says "normal" to me.

Stop envying those around you and getting down on yourself or your partner just because you don't have the latest Mercedes Benz or can't afford to go on that holiday to the Maldives, because what you really have no one can afford. Health and happiness and may be a credit card to buy those eBay bargains on line is all we need. It doesn't get any better than that! No one has everything, not even those Jones' and not even that shellsuit-clad lady I saw at the auction. Trust me, I know a number of them!

Book 'em Danno!

Never minding a bit of a verbal challenge and usually quick with my rebuttals, I am about to create some upset to a large number of the community and all I can say is "tell someone who cares people!" Cyclists....mmmmmm......yep you can feel the tension rising can't you?

The bicycle: also known as a bike, push bike or cycle, introduced in the 19th century, there are now about a billion worldwide, twice the number of automobiles. They are the principle means of transport in many regions, they provide a popular form of recreation, children's toys, fitness, transportation for military and police, courier services and bicycle racing. That's right, bike racing.

If you Google bicycle racing, one discovers that there are various forms of this sport such as road races, track cycling, mountain bike racing, cyclo-cross (that's a new one to me) etc etc, which are performed in a controlled environment in a designated area etc etc. Well, that is reassuring and if someone wouldn't mind letting our local cyclists know that riding on our city streets last time I checked, does not mean that you are all in the running for the Tour de France yellow jacket, not on my watch anyway!

I have watched the increase of road cyclists over the years and the increased testosterone flowing from so many of them. I know of a friend who had an incident with a female cyclist, watching the cyclist land on a friend's car bonnet, not knowing where the cyclist had even come from (wait for it......the cyclist was coming through changing traffic lights around a corner and thought she would make it in time! Thank goodness life was not lost) and who quite frankly is still in shock from the incident. Keeping fit in our ever- increasing technological world of "sit down in front of the PC, TV etc etc for hours on end and help increase our cholesterol levels and weight, whilst working on that spreadsheet/latest video game which I must conquer before the guys at work beat my score" is a good thing. No it's a great thing.

I admit to having purchased one of the same metal-framed modes of transportation myself and then sold it not too long after, having feared for my life whilst cycling through the suburbs while semi-trailers rush by, causing me to nearly ride into trees whilst trying to control my bike due to the wind force of these huge mechanical masses. This is something I have seen repeatedly as these crazy cyclists (yep I am using that word and I don't care) try and defy the laws of physics whilst cycling next to modes of transport 100x their size and weight. If you are that crazy (yep, again) then so be it and so be the consequences my friends and my goodness aren't there many of those. I feel sorry for the ambulance men who are eternally being called out to bicycle/traffic crashes. I know this because I have seen many.

You see the last time I checked, we have had a plethora of bike tracks created, worth millions and millions of tax payer dollars, yet so many of these crazy (yep, I am enjoying this) and selfish cyclists (and yes I know that many of you are good little cyclists who do the right thing and thank you) seem to give the appearance that it is their God-given right to cause chaos on the roads and I thought the roads were created for automobiles etc long before the cyclists donned their testosterone-driven lycra-clad bodies and seemed to take the roads as their own! Oh and God help you if you get in their way as the testosterone drains out of their sweat-soaked bodies because interestingly, just because we pedestrians/car drivers weren’t born with eyes in the back of our heads and amazingly can't see them approaching from behind, is absolutely no excuse people!

I for one am hoping that bike registration, just like cars, motorbikes etc must, will become compulsory and I do know there has been talk about it which is a positive sign. Recently, a spokesman for some cyclist association was against this idea. I can't think why (I write with much sarcasm intended!?) My keenness for this registration to come to fruition is due to the fact that if I had a dollar for each time I saw a cyclist ride through a red traffic light, or not stop at a stop sign, I would be driving a Lamborghini which I would have paid cash for and I would be rivalling Warren Buffet's fortune! How more cyclists aren't killed on the road for this arrogant and reckless behaviour amazes me but then how do I know the numbers aren't through the roof, and maybe the media are not permitted to advise us of such catastrophic events?

These bikes need to be registered so that the offenders, and goodness knows there are many of you out there, can be booked and charged accordingly. If we as drivers have to adhere to the road rules, why in heaven's name don't these maverick cyclists have to comply too? Watching the lack of respect for the local traffic rules in my area nearly every day, I am thinking that half of these characters would lose their rego in a very short period of time as they cycle through those red lights......good grief, I just saw someone do it just now! Book 'em Danno"

Beauty and the Beast

I guess I am fairly old fashioned because I am not a believer in implantations for the sake of beauty. Sure, with nursing as my background, I have always been wary of what the medical world sees fit to put inside our bodies and deem ok. Also, being the mum of a transplant recipient, I am well aware that to preserve life, risks must be taken but breast implantation etc is not a life preserver in my eyes anyway.

Therefore it saddens me when I hear that, yet again, more breast implants manufacturing has been found to be faulty. I recall that not so long ago a celebrity had her implants removed because they had begun to leak and their have been a plethora of cases similar. Now, a French breast implant company has been found to have been using a petroleum industry additive in their implants.

The lawyers defending the now defunct company have stated that such additives found in these implants are consumed by humans in our every day lives and also can be found in cosmetics.  As if that makes it all ok? According to the media, the company commenced using industrial strength silicone when it began to face financial difficulties. Sales people for the now defunct company were reported stating through their emails back as far as 2005, after implants were reported arriving at their destinations with erupted shells, that their sales were more important than what the shells of the implants were made of! (The Australian, 3/1/2012.) I am not so sure the 30,000 women throughout France and indeed the world who have had these particular implants inserted and are now being advised to seek prompt medical attention, would think that sales were more important than health.

I have absolutely no problem with corrective surgery when it comes to burn cases, car accident traumas etc which have caused terrible disfigurement to those injured. In fact, I encourage such assistance which I believe is usually very necessary both psychologically and to aid the return of their physical health. But implants just to keep up with the Jones' is not a good enough reason for such drastic surgery.

I know a couple of girls who have undergone the breast implants and tummy tucks just a few of years ago and how their recovery was long and very painful. Ironically, I have seen both only recently and quite frankly they should have saved those pennies for a nice cruise with hubby. The ' tummy tuck' is back to the weight she was prior to the surgery and the boob jobs are no longer recognisable. Admittedly, these ladies are close to, if not arriving at the doors or 'menopausal heaven' and menopause is not very forgiving when it comes to bodily changes for we girls. As the years pass, Mother Nature is going to take her course, surgery or no surgery. All you need to do to confirm what you are heading for is to watch the TV show The Housewives of Orange County etc! What amazes me about these TV glamour queens is that whilst they line up for their next surgeries, which have to be slotted in before their next big social event is that so many of their husbands/partners are already in extreme financial hardship yet they think nothing of spending these monies on their looks instead of paying their debts. Incredulous! Only in America?

No, my attitude is let nature take its course. If I was so shallow that my circle of friends only consisted of girls who looked like they had just stepped out of the glamour TV shows, then knock me over the head and put me in the nearest bin. My circle of friends are so because they bring out the best in me. I find them all intellectually stimulating, they make me laugh, they are good and caring women and that is enough for me. I don't know their bra cup sizes or where they shop for their clothes etc and frankly I couldn't care less.You can keep your silicone boob jobs thank you and I'll keep my friends!

In my opinion, these botched implant cases will be an ongoing saga which will continue to arrive at our front doors via the media for years to come and all for the sake of beauty. Look I for one would love to be able to have a breast lift and a tummy tuck. However knowing what I know about this surgery and how things can go wrong, even with the most reputable medics, I won't take the chance and I will just accept nature's course. You see I rely on my appealing sense of humour, intelligence and welcoming smile framed by my iconic bright red lipstick to hopefully hide my floors and so far this is working just fine.

To "e" buy or not to "e" buy? That is the question.

I was recently chatting to hubby about the GFC and how the economic world is clearly changing, how so many businesses and consumers have to look to the world of 'e' buying and just what this means to the retail world and indeed the changing economic world.

I mentioned during our conversation that, just prior to Christmas, I was listening to one of my fav radio stations and one of the two female presenters was telling the listeners how she had purchased all of her Christmas presents via the Internet this year. Her co-presenter then informed us that she had never purchased anything over the Internet. Naturally the Internet savvy presenter was stunned (as I was) that this was the case. Being a very keen eBay shopper myself and purchasing most of my adornments for my handbags/ handbag business via the Internet, you can appreciate my surprise and hubby’s as I told him this fact.

Later that week, I met up with some girlfriends for a "girly" lunch. One advised us that she too, had purchased all of her Christmas gifts via the net. Again, another girlfriend advised us of her having never made any net purchases. I was once again very interested and surprised.

This clearly growing trend of Internet purchasing bought me back to the conversation hubby and I was having. We both agreed that the number of shops closing down has been caused by a number of factors, one being the number of people purchasing goods online instead of physically walking into shops and making purchases. He advised me of one particular Australian businessman who actually wants the government to bring in a tax for online shopping, clearly due to his business suffering. Hubby also explained that some retail shops want to charge shoppers who come in, try on items of clothing and then leave without making a purchase. Apparently the trend is for the savvy internet shopper to go into a shop and try on items, work out the correct size and then go home and purchase that item online, thus saving you quite a substantial amount.

I can certainly see the retailer's points of view. After all they have staff to pay, rent to pay and clearly along with the GFC and the increase in Internet shopping, the retail shops are certainly suffering.

As we all know, we can now read the local papers, even any overseas newspapers/magazines online are available to us through the press of a button without having to leave the house let alone the country to purchase them and I for one love this technology and reading The New York Times too! I have a friend who purchased their house online without stepping one foot into it before signing on the dotted line. Crazy? In my opinion yes, but who am I to say what is right? Australia Post has even set up a 24 hour post office in our city to help cater for the ever increasing Internet shoppers and their purchases/returns. The facilities will soon be spreading too many other post offices to accommodate all of us.

After much deliberation, I decided to set up my business website for this exact reason. I want everyone out there to be able to purchase my goods no matter where you live.  Though I absolutely love attending our market each week to sell my wares (www.louisedempsterbags.com) I, too, came to the realisation that if you are not Internet savvy with your business, eventually you are going to be left behind.

There are a plethora of reasons for not shopping online. One reason for me being that I have declined to grocery shop online due to my preference for being a touchy-freely grocery shopper. I do not want someone else choosing my tomatoes, apples, shallots. I like choosing my fruit and veg by touching, feeling and smelling. How can I possibly use an avocado tonight for that guacamole if it is as hard as a rock when it arrives today via my online shopping? What about that lovely pineapple that grandmother taught us to smell before we bought, to test how ripe it was? You see it isn't going to work for me in this way because I need that ripe avocado for tonight and Mr online fruit and veg packing person doesn't know that.

As I sit and write these words, I must lament about how one day, I will have to succumb and abandon my touchy-feely grocery shopping and join the band wagon of online grocery shoppers. If the rest of you dictate that this is the way the world is going, then so must I. I can't see my local greengrocer leaving my local shop opened for little old me!

Until then, my friends, I hope that the world will allow me to continue to 'talk' to the fruit and veg in my shop of choice. I enjoy voicing my opinion of them and their suitability for consumption whilst standing alone chatting to 'them' whilst other shoppers wonder if I have recently escaped from a psychiatric facility due to my conversing with the item in my hand. Oh and I will continue to walk into shops and purchase that item of clothing or pair of shoes so that I get the right fit the first time and help keep the staff remain employed.

So, until you all force me to do such online shopping my friends, I remain the touchy-feely shopper today. Tomorrow? We will all have to wait and see.

Christmas gift giving and please take it back?

Here we are and it's the day after the day we celebrate when the Saviour was born. The day we celebrate Jesus Christ's birth day and we do have reason to thank Him for so many things.

On the lighter side of Christmas, it would be far too serious of me not to mention the topic that most media seem to trigger off on Boxing Day in a light hearted way and that is the day after the gift giving and oh not again! The day when we have time to reflect on those gifts we received yesterday. The day when can finally admit out loud, without having the gift-givers in the same room and within audible distance when  may have offended them. We can now voice our opinions on those Christmas presents received that we just won't be using and our plethora of audible reasons we have: it's too small; too big; not my colour; not my style; I have absolutely no use for Jamie Oliver's latest cookbook because I don't cook, never have and if I have anything to do with it, I never will during the remainder of my lifetime (of course that certainly would not be the response from me if i had received the gorgeous Mr Oliver's cookbook because those who have read various blogs know that not only do I adore him but that I adore cooking too.)

I know, I am hearing you loud and clear. So what do we do with them? Shove them in the top of that cupboard and hopefully forget they are there? Regift (I can honestly say I have never regifted though I do know that many humans walking this earth have carried out this interesting act.) Do I sell it on eBay and pray that that gift-giver is not an ebayer and discovers their gift for sale whilst they are perusing the website whilst searching for a bargain? Do we put that gift aside and donate it to the local charity shop? You must hope that that giver of the gift does not happen upon your item whilst they are, let's say in that particular charity shop, purchasing let's say some preloved denim jeans they need for their new-to-the-retail-world fabulous up cycled denim hand bag business??? Anyone you know? www.louisedempsterbags.com

This, readers, is your dilemma and decision. Personally I would choose the latter. I don'tknow, I guess it is my Catholic upbringing but I would rather a piece of clothing I wouldn't wear "in a month of Sundays" (as the chances of me fitting into that shirt in my post menopausal years-to-come is less than zero) and so I would let it go to a charity shop and to someone who would appreciate it. I would rather this than allow it to sit in a cupboard for months only to be left prey to the moths, silverfish etc then to be thrown in the bin later due to the plethora of holes in it. But hey that's just me.

On the brighter side of Christmas gift giving, this is one dilemma that I am not faced with this year. I received everything that was practical and might I add there was not one piece of clothing intended for me.....a nice change I must say. No, all my prezzies were suggested by me to my darling family and clearly they have great hearing.

So, allow me to wish you all a fun Boxing Day and I will leave you to lament on what is now your problem on just what to do with those challenging gifts you now own and don't require and no, I am not interested in your outcomes. I am sure you will handle it all admirably!

Hi, I'm Australia's correspondent for the New York Times....Nice to meet you!

Have you ever turned your current thought whilst you create that next email to send to your fellow work colleagues advising them of the next management meeting and turning that thought into something quite mesmerizing, pondering and imagining yourself in another job. You know, that dream job where you are earning twice your current salary and loving every second of that new job? Well I certainly hope you have. I for one do this regularly. Earning twice my current salary would put me barely as the average wage earner which would be nice (being self-employed having just ventured into my new business of designer handbags www.louisedempsterbags.com  is a tough gig I’m telling you, but I am loving it regardless and would love to write professionally as well.)

Moving on....so whilst I ponder this dream every now and then, whilst bent over my sewing machine, creating another handbag and thinking of the monies spent at Christmas and how I would love to buy my hubby that new car without having to take out a loan etc etc led me down this path of what if? You see loving putting my fingers to keys and create something to read regularly, takes me into this world of  standing next to a make-believe person, obviously my employer or maybe just a work colleague at a networking event and being introduced as “and I would like you to meet Australia’s correspondent for the New York Times” when I would smile, shake ‘their’ hand and say “lovely to meet you” and hoping my new acquaintances response would be “oh really, how incredibly exciting.”

Okay and now I am hearing many of you giggle under your breath and shake that head of yours whilst thinking she is such a dreamer. Yep, you are correct but I for one know that anything can happen in life...just ask Barak Obama if he ever dreamed of being president of the USA? If you don’t dream, how can you look forward to anything? My other current dreams are making a princely sum from my handbags, holidaying in Ireland and Italy, losing a number of kilograms in weight and publishing my own book! All achievable too.

Now one would naturally assume that wanting to work for NYT one would be an avid reader of NYT and that my friends has not been the case until the last few days. Due to the ever-improving world of incredible internet technology I can access this newspaper via the net and have read various articles in this large newspaper. I am really enjoying perusing the plethora of articles and choosing those of interest to read whilst sipping a cup of tea, poised over my PC. It is interesting whilst reading that it is indeed a small world regarding their similarity of articles compared to our Australian newspapers and that, although they already have a plethora of contributors, what is one more? Who can resist an Aussie?

What are my qualifications I can “hear” the editor asking me during my Skype interview? The fact that I lack a degree in journalism, in my opinion, is irrelevant. How many current authors have qualifications in literacy? Not many I am pretty sure. "How long have I been writing for?" Since grade 1 I presume. My 50 year old memory takes me back to Sister Marcelina in the classroom showing me how to hold my pencil so, yes, that must have been the beginning of my writing prowess. "My life’s experiences?" Heaps already and no doubt heaps more to come. "My interests?" Family; current affairs’ the stock exchange;  humour; the world of medicine (being a nurse); fashion; conversing with people in general; counselling; music; cooking; gardening (hence my Lady Lou Lettuce blog) designing and creating my handbags and putting fingers to keys and expressing my points of view.

So would this be enough to impress the editor? Well, frankly, why not? After all what does he/she want? This is me they are talking to. I am not the average overindulging-alcohol-consuming, cigarette-smoking desperate journalist. Well this was certainly the case some thirty years ago when I met numerous 'journos' via a family friend. I casually warned her about being careful not to go down the same dodgy road as her journo ‘friends’ whom seemed to be perpetually intoxicated whenever we met and who seemed  to be willing to sell their soul just to have an article published. I discovered this whilst chatting to them. I was advised of some of them turning up to work and submitting their work on time, and many not. At the age of 50, alcohol and me get together far less than in my younger years and my employment record re punctuality over the vast years has been A1 so who wouldn't want to employ me? Oh dear, am I dreaming again? Nah, I don't think so........

Well, let’s just wait and see if I get any offers. Maybe someone reading this fabulous blog of mine is in The States (and yes I do have readers in the USA) who might just be related/knows the editor of the NYT, mentions my blog, the editor reads it and hey presto.......yep I am dreaming again and I can dream because it is healthy and stimulating and goodness knows I love doing it.

Merry Christmas and thank you

As it is the season to be jolly (and goodness knows after this challenging year I certainly need some jollying-up) I want to wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas and a fabulous 2012.

You, my followers, have been quite incredible and as I reach my 800th visitor in the next few days, I want to thank you all for reading this blog which was only created in July this year. I have readers from all over the world and I am quite humbled knowing this fact.

Thank you for taking the time to read my points-of-view on various life issues. I hope I have put some smiles on some faces with my words and I look forward to writing more in the future and putting more smiles on faces.

Blokey blokes v girly girls

I have just returned home early from my selling my wares at the local Saturday markets, I now await the 'breakdown' guy to arrive to tell me what is wrong with my little car and hopefully repair it. I was told it would be a 90 minute window either side of 2pm (the time I requested him to come) so I have been given an early pass by hubby and daughter to make sure I am here when he turns up.

Trying to organise this visit took nearly a ‘cast of thousands’ though slightly exaggerated, that should be myself, hubby and at least five phone calls to organise it. Now, hubby has quite a decent Scottish brogue left over from his first sixteen years growing up in Scotland. When he converses on the phone, more than often, the person at the other end of the phone finds it difficult to understand him so after him advising me that they couldn’t find my car’s details on the breakdown companie's computer, regardless of the registration being at hand for them and that I needed to phone them with the VIN, which did not satisfy me at all so I took matters into my own hands. Yes, we were on their computer file and yes they would organise the breakdown man to visit us at home and to be there at a certain time etc etc once I chatted to them. Naturally, hubby was a little frustrated to think I had managed to organise it without the VIN and so be it my little Scottish thistle! Regardless, I did feel a little sorry for hubby as I realise that females organising male ‘car business’ would not have sat well with him and his maleness.

This had me wondering about female v male ‘jobs’ or ‘roles’ in general. I know the word ‘equality’ is a word that we are constantly reminded of and one which will hopefully break that ‘glass ceiling’ we girls talk about so often as the hinderer to our ‘climbing that corporate ladder’ and bringing home that equal pay. We do have a while to go and hearing recently via a third party that a young relative of mine, graduated and now in the world of laws, is quite horrified how male-dominated this profession is, regardless of the amazing increase in female lawyers. I can only hope that she and my darling daughter, who is about to commence B Laws, will be able to aid in the change this current male-dominated situation.

I however, and ladies don’t judge me too quickly here, feel quite sorry for the blokes of today. With the increased number of females qualifying and taking on what were predominantly male jobs eg medicine, engineering, accounting,  mechanics, plumbers, not to mention the fabulous Gayle Kelly now CEO of Westpac , and are now first Australian female Prime Minister, I often wonder if there is a possibility of one day having absolutely no need for males in the world and how sad that would be for all concerned. We all know the one thing men can’t do and women can is fall pregnant and carry that babe for nine months then deliver. To replace their contribution to this miracle of life is store some frozen sperm and we are it....all powerful.....finally a world dominated by females.....I am kidding myself, we already dominate the world and yes we can run the world single-handedly, possibly. It’s true though sad too.

I was brought up in a very strict and traditional Roman Catholic household where dad was the breadwinner and ex-army. Our family consists of four children, three females followed by a male. The three girls are tertiary educated and so was little bro until he gave uni away for a job in tourism. The three of us girls are very pro-female equality and dad over the years has sometimes found the three of us a little overbearing at times and I have no problem with that. ‘All’s fair in love and war’ as the saying goes.

Along with this feminist attitude during my upbringing, I ended up being a single mum of two for some eight years after a marital breakdown. I can honestly say that as shocking as this time was, it was also the time where I truly grew as a female and came to be a woman of substance. Matters when my ex would normally have dealt with, now needed my supervision and responsibility. It was I who went to visit the bank manager (female) and to give her the ‘heads up’ as hubby had left the country and it was now me she would need to liaise with. She was wonderful and we became really good friends until her transfer to a branch quite a way away. I grew an amazing backbone during these years, needing to advise hospitals (eldest was a transplant recipient), schools, kindergartens, utility companies etc etc that it was now me in charge of bills etc and as initially devastating and embarrassing it was to admit to a marital breakdown, it became the making of me as a mother and as a woman. It was now me who had to deal with everyone and everything that involved any of the three of us. I remember during my nursing training back in the early 80’s a doctor referred to me as a suffragette (I was only 19 at the time) and I was unsure how to take this. I now own that word with pride after going through the last decades.

Which brings me back to female v blokes scenario. I don’t find it daunting ringing up the breakdown service or the car service department or anyone or thing that has to do with what was once traditionally male role-taking and I think this is becoming more and more prevalent with females in today’s world. Wives/partners of our servicemen and women come to mind when I think of this fact. The waves of farewell to the brave people who travel overseas to defend our country are owned by the partners left behind to look after the families. These are the people, predominantly women, who are now left with the responsibility to raise these children in every way possible. These are the women who will have to produce a balanced life for these children she is now solely responsible for. She will be the one they rely on each and every day for every single need they have and not knowing if she will have that partner to welcome home at the end of their deployment. It is now totally up to her and oh how my admiration for these women sky rockets each time I see them on the TV. This is how I felt for those eight years as a single mum. As those of us who have been in that position knows, you don’t think about it, you just do it.

So are we becoming a ‘near’ male less society? Not according to the birth rates but in a strange way, yes. Do some men already feel they have been made redundant due to the changing roles of women? Many I am sure would say yes. I however never want that to happen. I don’t like having to take on male roles and I try to avoid them at all costs. Yes, I can even admit I sit and play ‘dumb’ sometimes when I see hubby struggling with changing that light bulb or when looking for that screw driver (the tool, not the drink) which I managed to use just last week to tighten the door hinge, constructing that new table I purchased from IKEA and fixing the sinkerator. Who fixed that hinge and that sinkerator? I think it is necessary to play the ‘maiden in distress’ occasionally. I think it is good for their manhood for them to puff out that chest whilst looking for a ‘pat on the back’ having finally completed that task set some six months ago by you and what is now finally, finally finished.

The last think I want to have to do is carry those trestles into the market for my market stall from the car park, only to slip another disc in my back whilst doing it. Nope, leave that to him. He is good at it, he has much more strength than me when it comes to carrying things and I will just sit back, smile and nod and say ‘thanks so much darling’ and just be glad that I am woman and I know I can do anything but sometimes I just don’t want to and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Mum and dad, what the?

I am not at all interested in people’s views on this blog topic because I think I have come to the end of my tether when it comes to having enough of hearing and seeing how respect and standards have diminished over the last decade or so when it comes to Gen X, Y and Is (my youngest informs me that they are generation I ie Ipods, Ipads, Internet etc) and their standard of acceptable language v my standard.

Maybe being the daughter of an army officer might have something to do with my views but I have finally accepted that the world has certainly dropped its standards in too many ways and the respect we showed our elders whilst growing up have sadly, to a very decent degree, parted company with the next generations. My peers do not use bad language so someone has let the standards down and hence it has come from somewhere right?
I can start with my children’s peers. Thank goodness the majority of them are respectful and have fabulous manners. There are a minority however where calling me by my first name without asking my permission is just ‘the norm’ and I have a problem with that. Dropping explicit language at my feet whilst engaged in conversation with myself or my offspring does not seem to phase some at all. Yes, I can assure you I do not hesitate in standing my ground, expressing my displeasure in their offensive language and asking for them to watch their ‘P’s and Q’s’ whilst in my company. This is usually followed by a forthcoming apology from them and a very red face and our next encounter is always void of such behaviour, thank goodness. I think that is a lesson in respect is it not? So why do I have to do it and not their parents? I have brought up my children with a clear understanding about language which will not be tolerated neither in our home nor in my presence EVER! As a very learned gentleman said on TV recently, if you wouldn’t say it to your grandparents, don’t say it ever!

Now I will jump onto my high horse here and blatantly state that I blame mum and dad/guardians for this decline in good behaviour. As a child I was constantly reminded about respectful behaviour and my goodness I stand by it. Many will now think how, due to the increase in divorce, parenting has become harder and parents aren’t around enough to govern behaviour which is true to a point but I say RUBBISH to letting this be blamed for increased bad language in society. I was a single mum for eight years and if I can have well behaved children then there is no excuse. Just the simple words, ‘oh your girls are so lovely and polite’ makes all my hard work worthwhile and yes it is hard work to teach your children, but worth every minute of it. There are NO excuses. The simple words ‘shut up’ are spoken by children to parents and vice versa and I have been witness to this many times recently and have become the ‘norm.’ I dislike it intensely and unless using it in a frivolous manner, do not use it in my presence thank you. Once we allow the ‘odd’ bad word into our family life, the rest of those words will follow.  

Walking through shopping centres nearly brings me to despair when overhearing these younger people drop the F word or the S word etc etc as if they use it as often as we use the word AND. It is horrifying but understandably horrifying when, if they are walking with their elders, these elders are using the same words.....I ask you? As they say you learn what you live and ain’t that the truth.

Reading some tasteless comments on Facebook from some of the younger generations makes my blood boil and I can assure you that if it appears on my youngest's FB page from a friend of hers, I will put a comment on that comment. Yep, parenting is hard work and until mine are of legal age, I will continue to parent and voice my opinion and yes you lose the odd friend because of it but they come back with more respect and having learnt a lesson.

May be it should be a New Year’s resolution for families to have a swear tin in their homes for 2012 where monies are put into it by anyone who uses bad language or is it too late? Nope, it is never too late to improve ourselves.

Beware, anyone whose children/family members/friends are in my presence and utilise bad language when conversing with me, you will remember me forever. I will not tolerate it, never have and never will so watch out!

PS, It is now some two months on since I wrote the above and I recently noted my eldest had dropped the F word on her Facebook page. Appalled at this, I took a photo of it and then proceeded to block her and then informed her of this episode, ofcourse she was very red-faced (I told you I have standards.)  Why the photo? Because she is 18 and denies all wrong-doings in her life that she is responsible for .......Sherlock Holmes has nothing on me! This little darling lives out of home, her choice not mine, and reads my Facebook page to keep up to date with home life. Not any longer. Now she has to pick up the phone and communicate with me. Perish the thought of her talking to her mother. Will she be permitted to rejoin my FB? Possibly not. It is not because I want to punish her 'until the cows come home' but I don't particularly wish to have an eighteen year old watching over my shoulder.

Time for a little Christmas cheer and some green thoughts

As we approach the festive season I need to remind myself as well as hopefully you, my readers, that, although many human beings find the Christmas season to be an absolute pain in the proverbial.... Yes I am hearing you and say there is too much materialistic emphasis put on the season and quite frankly I agree. The world economy is not prepped to allow a season of spending, spending, spending, this year. The upside for those of us who look forward to putting up the Christmas tree and preparing those popular rum balls (my grandfather’s recipe - which naturally contains copious amounts of our fabulous Australian Bundaberg Rum and just enough Madeira cake, Cocoa powder, coconut and condensed milk to soak up that rum and hopefully hold together) is that I think we have learned that the year needs a little or should I say a lot of Christmas cheer to help us rid the roller coaster ride many of us have been on.

I can honestly tell you that I have had quite enough of this year and am, frankly, looking forward to farewelling 2011 and welcoming 2012 in with gusto. It seems there has been heavy clouds hanging over many many heads throughout the year all over the world and we were no exception. We were greeted at the beginning of the year with our dreadful floods which affected us both emotionally and physically (my car went under 5 metres of water) and caused such incredible devastation and loss of life; following this was the sudden and sad loss of a loved one to be then followed with a large negative influence which attempted to fracture our family unit; as well as constantly hearing from others the hardships the flood has brought upon so many; the Japanese earthquake; the New Zealand earthquake; the Bangkok floods; our local news constantly discussing whether the hydrologists should or shouldn’t release water from our large Wivenhoe dam as they predict another big wet season is about to greet us even though it has been our driest November in many many years and so it goes on and on. Accompanying this I can tell you that it was the quietest year I have had in my five years as a stallholder at our local market as we all understandably watch our pennies and through all of this, the constant of the GEC which we have all woken up with and gone to bed with for some two years now.  Quite frankly I have had enough and it is time for some fun.

Last evening we had our annual community BBQ around our apartment pool and which was a huge success and where the common theme of conversation was just as I have said, we all need some Christmas cheer to help turn the tides. Yep, I am talking some damn good belly laughs with some smiles thrown in for good luck.

So I am asking all who read this that although so many have suffered in so many ways this year and, including me, we may not have had the laughs and good fortune we had wished for on New Year’s day this year, as we all go about our Christmas shopping, albeit low key spending for many, can we all please make an effort to find a smile and pleasant comment or two for those we encounter whilst we enter into the festive season. I mean we all know Christmas shopping time seems to release in some of us the “Grinch” type attitude (and I am talking the pre-Cindy Lou Who-let’s-show this creature what can be achieved by being nice instead of angry period) with the “serve me first and quickly and let me get-the-hell-out-of-this-shop” type of human being. Yeah, it is true, shopping is tiring and boring and futile to many but have a thought of those behind the counters serving as well as the man or woman next to you in the line-up, not to mention that person who stole your car park seconds before you set foot inside the shop. That person next to you may have lost everything in the recent floods or in the GEC; they may have just heard the worst news possible about a loved one or about themselves, they may have even just lost their job and may be just about to lose their home. It is everywhere at the moment folks and no-one is immune from any of it.

So in this busy, exhausting and financially challenging Christmas season, instead of reminding yourself how much negativity life has allowed to land on your lap as I have just allowed myself to do, remember the saying ‘what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger’ and let’s allow some green and positive thoughts creep in to our heads. Before you want to give the evil glare to that car park thief, don't! And remember, even the wealthiest of the wealthy aren’t wealthy every second of every day....just look at the stock market!

So keep those heads up, find that smile that costs nothing and do one or two random acts of kindness for someone this Christmas season and some ‘thank you’s, ‘cheers’ or a’ Merry Christmas’ to a stranger or two even though you really just don’t feel like it. Trust me, it will make you feel like a million dollars.