Month: November 2018

And here is my first little Ted!

Finished and waiting for the next delivery date.

There may be more to come

But this one will always be special 😊❤️

Yes that is the question……but first let me explain.

It’s been about four months since I used the library – what with going up north earlier in the year – having company when we got home – and then going off again for a few more weeks, it wasn’t necessary.  I did read during this time but not borrowed library books – well, that’s not quite true, I did borrow from the Bowen library but I didn’t take any up from here – library books that is.  As well as the few paperbacks I took to read on the cruise (and left in the book exchange) I wasn’t short of reading matter because there was a library onboard plus the book exchange cupboard and I also had books on my iPad.

And that was a very long winded way of relating the reason why I visited my local library last Saturday morning for the first time in over 4 months 🙂

With only a few letters to go I’m determined to finish the author A-Z challenge I started at the beginning of the year – these last four K, Q, V, & Y are what I call odd ones (given myself permission to forget about X)  so it was a quick look down the shelves to find something that fitted the bill and also appealed.

Job done, four books in hand it was on to the self serve check out desk.

These were introduced quite a few years ago now and at the time they were resisted by lots of the members who still continued to lined up to see if the librarian would do the deed at her desk but now are used as a matter of course.  The librarians do (willingly) assist some of the older members but once shown how just about everyone does it themselves.

Account found, books on the sensor pad, attached to account, all finished except for the paper slip with names and return dates.  That’s when I noticed an extra dialogue box on the screen.

Would I like this emailed to me?

Oh decisions….decisions 🙂

Now we’ve had downloadable books (digital books/eBooks) for what seems like a long long time ….we might not like the paperless books but these days nobody gives them a second thought.  But this was something new…….something I had to think about

That paper receipt with the book and return date information often serves as a bookmark – trouble is it often has a habit of losing itself so unless I’ve marked the returns date on the calendar I have to chase it up online at the library site.   If all that information came by email I’d have it right there in my inbox – but I’d lose my handy little bookmark.  The one I often mislaid in amongst other little bits of paper lying about on the table next to my chair!

Knowing my habit of putting things down and promptly losing them

Knowing I actually already have oodles of bookmarks I could use

I chose the paperless option 🙂

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And here we are on Monday, the day when I sit and muse about life and happenings.

I’m wondering if I’m still a resistant old stick in the mud who dislikes change….. because I had to actually think about the book name/date option or was I just confused because I hadn’t been around when that option was introduced?

What about you – are you changing your ways as new alternatives arise or do you still like things the way they were?

 

I’d just handed over some recently finished woollies and was sitting at the table laughing with other ladies (and one fella) at my Thursday night charity knitting group when I hear the words come out of my mouth.

“I’ll think about it”

Before then making knitted toys had never entered my mind – I’m more of a winter woolie person – yet I could hear all the others chattering and looking at ideas online so before the end of the evening  “I’ll think about it” became more of “I’ll see what I can come up with” lol

So many ‘things’ i thought of had so many pieces – little fiddly pieces to be sew together.  I needed something simple.  Easy to make  without worrying how it would turn out/if I’d make a hash of it.  A few hours on the net and a few coffees later

This is what I came up with.

Yes it’s a little Teddy – similar to but not the actual pattern of the one associated with the emergency charity.  Trademarked so too many restrictions on the use of that one – besides I liked the look of this one rather than theirs.

It’s strange but I’m happy to go out of my comfort zone if it’s my idea but always feel at a disadvantage when others suggest it.  This little fella has proved to me I should have got over that at my age.  I shouldn’t have to ‘think about it’ …..I should just get on and do it.!!

And if you look above – there on the left hand side of the photo is the start of another one

I’ll get on with it shortly- just have to give Ted a face first.  He needs to be able to smile at the child he is given to doesn’t he😊

 

It’s time to do some Thinking on this Thursday morning.

Fed up with boxes and consequences of maybe the wrong ones being picked I resorted to dear old social media to provide me with some totally mindless matters 😊

Not a box to be found – or at least where I was looking – however squares popped up instead

I have no idea what the correct answer to this question is because each time I start to count I lose track of which squares I’ve identified lol

So what do you think?  Just for a laugh why not have a go and see what you come up with.

(Maybe 11 ??)

Four years gone by – just like that!

This Saturday is the fourth Saturday in November

Which means it’s time for another Victorian State Election.

Election Day is when you actually see your neighbours long enough to say Hello, get to see people you knew from years ago and haven’t seen in four years, get to see people who obviously know you because they come up and say “Hello” – you say “Hello” back even though you have no idea who they are and then realise they went to school with your children.  And then realise they have their children with them – not little children but adults old enough to vote.  How did that happen lol

Most of that (and more) is before you’ve arrived at the school gates, before you’ve run the gauntlet of party faithful volunteers handing out how to vote cards, before you’ve ogled the cakes on the cake stall or smelt the sausages sizzling away on the barbecue.  All jolly good fun as long as you remember why you’re there.

Once inside the polling station there’s the line up to get your name marked off the electoral roll and receive both your ballot papers – voting is compulsory here in Australia – well it’s compulsory in that you must turn up and be marked present.  You can be fined if you don’t have a good reason for not doing so.  Of course early voting is available – but not online, it still has to be done in person.  Also you can vote at any other recognised station ‘out of your electorate’ so no worries if you can’t get to yours between 8am and 6pm.

Ballot papers in hand, it’s off to those little cardboard booths.  One thing to remember though is – don’t Tick the Box – your vote won’t count

Because it’s a preferential voting system and not a ‘first past the post’ one, the boxes beside candidates names need to be numbered. The Lower House (Legislative Assembly)  is usually straight forward- mark it the way your preferred candidate suggests which is why (unless you have thought about your vote long and hard and have a very good memory) it pays to accept one of those how to vote cards being handed out in front of the school gate 😊

But watch out when you come to the Upper House (Legislative Council) – ‘cose that’s when the fun begins.  You’ll look at the great big long sheet of paper and wonder what it’s all about.  Thankfully the Electoral Commission provide guidelines 😊

From very early Saturday morning The Golfer once again will be busy doing his duty working in a polling station at one of the local schools.  There’s quite a selection process to go through for these (paid) positions, one he went through many years and with each election there’s more ‘retraining’ so he’s been tucked away recently huddled over his Victorian Electoral Commission work book answering questions online.

I’ll vote early before the rush and spend the rest of the day wondering (as I have been doing ever since this campaign began) where are they – all the political parties involved- going to come up with the money to provide Victorians with all these new ‘things’ they are/have been promising?  Who is going to lose out when their funding is cut so money can be diverted to these new projects?

Only time will tell I suppose, so remember folks – just be careful what you wish for.  It may not turn out to your liking!

With the publicity that surrounds the troubles and woes in the world these days it can sometimes be difficult to know what news is real and what is fake.  Occasionally I get extremely fed up with it all and that’s when I take time out from watching and listening to ‘serious’ stuff, coming back to life by moving aimlessly around the web looking for a bit of light relief – and ‘that’s’ when I discover little gems that keep me from wondering ” are we all going bonkers and the end of the world is nigh”

This little video is doing the rounds again on social media.

I will unashamedly say it is just a ‘joy to watch’ and can’t keep the smile off my face as I do so.

Train travel is part of my makeup- 90% of the males on my father’s paternal line worked ‘on the railways’  in Northern Ireland.  My grandad (who I never knew, he being gone before I arrived) worked his way up from a general railway worker (aka labourer) through Fireman to Engine Driver.  I do so love train travel – but sadly (unlike Madeline) I don’t have a record of my first ride 😔

Just watch and enjoy – and smile 😎😊

 

Mmm, it certainly has been a while….those just ‘for a few weeks’ turned out to be nearly 13 😦

Lots of days reading and walking beaches, lots of days preparing for more ‘away from home’ time, lots of days enjoying faraway places, walking on beaches on tropical islands never visited before, reading and walking on a cruise ship promenade deck as well as watching the ocean pass by as we wended our way home – all that and more.

I took very few photos on our latest trip – it was another ‘rest and relaxation’ ‘enjoy the moment’ one with no strenuous outings.  We did however visit the final home of Robert Louis Stevenson (author of Kidnapped and Treasure Island among many other books)  – a now large rambling house near Apia in Samoa which has been turned into a museum.  I would have loved to spent hours browsing but you know how time is limited when you are on an organised tour 🙂

Anyway I’m home again – spending days enjoying the familiar surroundings of our suburb here in the outer east of Melbourne.  Hopefully over the next few weeks once the ‘silly season’ has finished I’ll get back to regular chats.

Bye for now
Cathy

PS – I must just add this thought