"Without Due Care" book review 

 I just bought the magazine at the newsagent's yesterday - and the reviewer has done an excellent job. Has to be just about the best review I have had to date and I am so pleased with it. I have it on pdf - does anyone know how to add a pdf here? In a couple of days the whole review will be available on line and will add it here

Melissa took this late Monday Afternoon before she left - Its the clearest I have had done for a while and when i got over the shock of the extra throat wrinkles I had not noticed - the plethora of lines around my eyes!! That my eyes are about half as open as they used to be...well we did get our old Blue Roan cocker Spaniel's eyes lifted so she could see - may have to do the same here.I realised how much like Mum's side of the family I was becoming - and its okay - You can't be 57 and look 40! I don't mind getting older really - and would not go back to my youth for all the tea in China - I did some stupid things back then as we do when young and that i survived is nothing short of a miracle - 


But as well this week I passed Certificate II in Business Management and will pick up Certificate III at TAFE when I move to Victoria - unless I win the lottery!!! Its the first bit of paper I have received since my School certificate in 1970 - so am pretty pleased - but the teachers did coax us along which was appreciated. The nature of exams have really changed since the 70's - There was no multiple choice and you either knew it or didn't and had to really study - especially in weak areas which were for me Maths and French (ugh!).


I had a skip bin delivered yesterday and am starting the massive job of cleaning out the sheds which I haven't done for years - then get the house valued and go from there. While I am really looking forward t a new beginning in Victoria, no doubt the place looks more beautiful as I contemplate the outlook, as if packing it away in my memories. Its been a really healing place and I have marked time here since the book was published - I think things happen when they aer meant to happen and its up to yourself to take any opportunity that seems right, and then don't look back too much. It is going to be really hard leaving the memories of my young adult life here, the children and Don  - the horse we had - a taffy one called lucky whop got hit by a car, the dogs Boris, Jedda and Thorn, the cats so many we had over our forty years - but the two i take with me will represent them all I feel. Cats are like that unlike dogs.

A visit from my eldest and her husband.
Last Saturday Melissa and Chris came up for a visit which was so good. They were previously coming up to be with me because I had to have some day surgery, and they know just how I feel about surgery after Don's surgical botch up. But the surgery was cancelled and i thought they wouldn't come but they did. its been a long time since any family visited up here. They just wanted to spend a quiet time after their dreadful time this year and thats what we did - nothing much for three days.

The photo of Melissa and Chris holding the number "11" sign has significance to our family - every second time we go to a coffee shop, pub or whatever we get the number "11". It comes from our home video of "Picnic at Don Rock" in which number "11" featured - and from then on it seemed to crop up with significance. More often when we are gathered.

And in our family 17 seems to be unlucky. Chris had his leg removed 17th March (St Pat's Day), his father died 17 April, Don was killed 17 the May and my father was killed 17th June - and on it goes. Whereas 11 seems to bring good things. Not foolishly superstitious but it just seems too often these numbers figure.

We spent time in the winter sun, went out to the cemetery - some tears there for Melissa, had prawns for lunch from the seafood place nearby, watched "The Black Donnellys" series and Russell Brand's latest drank some lovely Cask Shiraz, then had a dry night!! Lots of hugs and talks, and then on the morning they left, I had to leave before them as TAFE before them... as we had exams on. We sat up and had breakfast, some lovely hugs and a few tears and then I was off. I admit to some tears when I returned home that afternoon  and no one was there. Melissa had changed the sheets, and cleaned my house...I was amazed - as she had a long trip ahead of her and a lot on her plate right now until Chris is more mobile. I loved having them... and Melissa said it was lovely to be home

A few more wet weather photos from Craggy Island - I was able to get out finally but sort of enjoyed my isolation - As the clouds lifted and the sky returned to blue again, and the sun shone the world out here became like a paradise of birds and light. There were two black swans here for a while something I haven never seen out here before. I managed to snap one or two photos of them - but only from a distance - they were very flighty so I held back as I didn't want to scare them..

Back Feb 2009 I posted similar to these

- this is my driveway and that white thing in the centre is my letter box - hopefully rain stops today or I won't have a driveway to get out of... at least I have cat food left (most important) and vino also important. I could drive through but the water is brackish due to the intermingling of salt and fresh water and won't do my precious van any good - I did go for a wade in my gumboots and its up to my knees - hence the gumboots filled up - a little chilly but good fun actually - my garbage wheelie bins were floating down near the letter box so had to take them to higher ground (out on the road) - I will retrieve the floating garbage when I am sure I won't fall into a pot hole. Thought to take my mobile out with me but was afraid of dropping it - so having no pockets in my clothes- needs must and human beings are adaptable. I am hoping it will all go down before Saturday as once again Melissa and Chris planned on coming up - last time it was an exploding tanker which stopped them on their drive up - just have to hope that the highway is cleared by then. I was really looking forward to seeing them the first time and now after being isolated for a few days am hungry for their company. I like my own company when I choose it but it is palling a bit now. So many up here have had houses flooded and equipment damaged - so I am one of the very lucky ones. The Pacific Hwy near Kempsey is planned to be closed for 6 days such is the road base damage.

 No Tafe for me today
The road into town is flooded  - and more rain expected My own road out to the access road is slightly covered but no point in using it as it leads nowhere but to the blocked road.
The first photo is a paddock and usually dry - I actually saw two swans out there this morning and I have never seen swans any where near the mid north coast of NSW. They were swans and were a dark colour.

 Some Kangaroos unconcerned by the water and yes i know I have a paddock full of Fireweed - it hasn't been dry enough in there to get a slasher in for ages

And here's my clothes dryer - costs nary a cent but it is very slow and takes up a lot of room

Its flooding here - the ferries are out the roads are out and tomorrow if the rain doesn't stop I will also be out - out of town and other things - not to worry - but this afternoon when I came back home to my street out of town a tree was fallen down and although the rain was a pelting down the neighbour offered (when asked) to help me move it - in the melee - moi fell down splatt  full force on my bottom in the mud and I mean mud as in a mud fight type of mud puddle...

Random Thinker inspired this post ( http://whyareallthegoodblognamestaken.blogspot.com ) with her camping photo taken some years back in which behind her and unknown her husband look set to swat her with a fly swatter. It reminded me of this set of photos taken 24 years ago on my 33rd birthday as I prepared to cut my cake - the first photo is as it should be but



I was greeted by "smiles" when I went down to the Chemists shop to pick up my photos and soon found out why - I had no idea and thought Don was being affectionate - a tappin me on my head - Melissa had just reached 13 and was doing her best to look cool or sophisticated in the photo a look she wore for the best part of a year and which thankfully she grew out of. Alison was at that lovely uncomplicated age just before the hormonal tribulation begins about 12 in our family. Don was 37 and I thought I was so grown up which I was I guess having a 13 year old and 10 year old...It seemed no time between then and now and I still clearly remember my thoughts ans self at that age.

Decision made.
I have been thinking for some time now of moving - we have lived here since 1976 and somehow got stuck here. Its not where I want to live my life anymore and feel like I need to see and do new things. The big issue for me was where...both girls are settled in their respective areas - and i planned to move down and live near but not too close to one of them - couldn't choose as i love them the same, but I love Melbourne much more than Sydney.


With the health issues which gave me a fright I came closer to a decision but just couldn't make it. Last Friday i went to the local hospital fro a Pre admission Clinic - as I have to have some surgery soon - (only day surgery), Turns out my ECG is abnormal and they won't do the surgery till I see a heart specialist - it is to do with the electricity in the two lower ventricles. For a long time I have had an unpleasant fluttery soreness in my chest and have told GPs about it but their comment were basically "Stress" or "anxiety" - this has been for quite some time now. I asked the anneathiatist (never can spell that bloody word) would what I was feeling relate to the abnormality in my ECG and he said yes - so after all this time and with what our family have been through with slack doctors - they do it again. My Mother dropped dead at 66 from a massive heart attack - the result of heart disease she has had since her early 50's - and I told the two GPs I went to the family history - just to be fobbed off and treated like some sort of hypochondriac - They are bloody hopeless.


At least I am onto it now - and have the appointment for next Monday - and if needing treatment will do it  - you don't muck about with heart issues nor BP issues.


So made my decision and once I get the health issues sorted - I am moving down Saltwater Cove way on the western side of Port Phillip Bay - I feel now I can have some sort of direction - and something to work towards - as this place although beautiful costs too much for me to keep, and I just feel like a new start. Also the girls were concerned that something could happen here and no one would be close by - as it turns out I am following family history re heart issues but these days so much more can be done to control these things - better to know than not to know.


But as well when I think about it, Mum also had too much stress in the years before she developed hers.  Our dad was killed by a drunk driver when she was 42 and had four of us still at home. The next years were awful for her as she had to keep going while grieving dreadfully - you see we were lucky in that Mum and dad really loved each other - so the death was harder. I don't think Mum ever really fully recovered. In what happened in the months before Don was killed and in the four year fight after, I think issues which may have not developed for another 10 years got a bit of a shove along...


I have decided that Don would not want me to keep fighting now - enough is enough and life is for the living. I have done what I could and who knows somewhere along the line the book may hit someone between the eyes and change may come - hopefully before many more die in the manner he did.


I feel so much at peace with my decision - and will continue on with TAFE so I can be "qualified" for something - need that slip of paper - but work towards tidying up the fences and paddocks, mending any glaring faults and them when ready put the house on the market. Sell it hopefully - put furniture in storage and find somewhere else in my own good time - something I wand and can afford with hopefully a bit left over to cover the move and those expenses.


Sometimes you need a big fat wakeup and mine is that its the people I love and who love me who are of paramount importance to me - everything else is just temporary.

After reading Andrew "High Riser's" post about poor old penny Wong MP receiving an "meouw" call in Parliament the other day and listening to her pretending to be outraged - I dug into the Paul Keating (ex PM) from Bankstown's treasure chest of insults and found myself wishing for some of his argy bargy instead of the weak ineffectual posers we have in there today who are so easily hurt - what about how hurt the Australian people are these days - 

There are websites devoted to Paul's http://www.webcity.com.au/keating calls but this first one is a favourite:-

On Wilson "Iron Bar" Tuckey (Liberal politician):"...You stupid foul-mouthed grub."
"Shut up! Sit down and shut up, you pig!"

"You boxhead you wouldn't know. You are flat out counting past ten."

On NSW Liberal, Rosemary Foot:
"I will be ripping her into shreds...she can go and shoot her big mouth off in the Supreme Court. We'll see how she goes there."

On Former Labour politician, Jim McClelland (over the phone):

"That you Jim? Paul Keating here. Just because you swallowed a f***ing dictionary when you were about 15 doesn't give you the right to pour a bucket of shit over the rest of us."

“The Leader of the Opposition is more to be pitied than despised, the poor old thing. The Liberal Party ought to put him down like a faithful dog because he is of no use to it and of no use to the nation.”
- On Andrew Peacock

“We’re not interested in the views of painted, perfumed gigolos.”
- On Andrew Peacock

“It is the first time the Honourable Gentleman has got out from under the sunlamp.”
- On Andrew Peacock

AND while Penny Wong is expected to be all sensitive over being cat called how about this from Juliar

PRIME MINISTER Julia Gillard tried her hand at black comedy yesterday, describing Opposition Leader Tony Abbott as ''the love child of Donald Trump and Sarah Palin''.

Seems to me the blokes can take it - so should the women - if thats how they all behave while being paid by my taxes - one in all in - maybe they could take a leaf out of the Japanese parliament and go on to fisticuffs - They are a real neamby lot in there with nary a backbone amongst them all. Throw a cat call at a female and the media goes crazy and these apologies love it - they think it makes us like them more, that they have been insulted because they are women - 

These are Paper Bark trees (I think) and they are amazing to look at - the patterns really draw you in. The second one looks for all the world like an agonised face trying to get out -






And this has to be the biggest cow plop I have ever ever seen - it dwarfs all the others and I almost trod in it as I was looking through the camera lens.

A home day for a change.
It feels like weeks since I have had a whole day at home and it is certainly needed - just to stop and step back from the world and not have to do or be anything - its heaven. I haven't taken a lot of photos of late and went around the paddocks this morning with my camera



Nothing is straight in my place I have crooked fences -

And broken fences which have been surrounded by water for months

There is water water everywhere

and plenty more to drink

but today the sun is out and it is a most beautiful day - for the first time in ages I have a sense of peace in my heart - and it feels so good.