Revival

A message from Brigid ....

I have been a blogger since 2005. At the height of my blogging busy-ness, I had "a small stable" of blogs on different topics: social and political commentary; desert spirituality; food; waste and ....

A few years ago I called time and ceased blogging altogether - although there was an occasional post. I had called it quits. I am an aged woman these days with a couple of serious illnesses. I am not allowed to drive. I am no longer active in organisations. I think it fair to say that I am housebound. I am active on Facebook, although I am not there as often as once I was. I have decided to embark on a re-entry into the blogging world ... beginning with The Trad Pad and, possibly, a return to my food blog, Oz Tucker. I have always used a lot of photographs on my blogs ... and I miss not being out and about with my camera.

The Trad Pad has been my blog for the lovely things of life. The controversial or political has seldom intruded. Occasionally, the spiritual has found its way in, but I kept spirituality for the blog, Desert. I don't yet know if I will revive that. I will stick pretty much to food and the lovely things of life. If I have some regularity with those two categories, I feel that I will be doing well. I hope that, with this blog new friendships can be formed and old friendships renewed; new lovelies discovered; new reflections can enter into the meaning of modern life. I would love to hear from you - particularly if you have suggestions for new topics to enter into the conversation. So, it is a new year. Let's see what it has in store, what it can bring to us. And I hope that those who share the spirit of The Trad Pad can spread the message of a world of beauty, the creativity of humanity, and the joys of simplicity and tradition. ~~~ February, 2017

Friday, April 07, 2006

A Tailor of Gloucester mouse


Recently, Jane over at yarnstorm mentioned The Tailor of Gloucester. Miss Eagle thought it should be known that one of those nimble fingered mice lives at The Trad Pad. You see, Herself has a soft spot for the Beatrix Potter story. As a little girl doing speech classes, she had to learn The Tailor of Gloucester for an exam. So it has a special place in her heart and her home.

Thursday, April 06, 2006

The Journey after Lapbanding - 6

Readers of The Trad Pad will know that back in December last year Miss Eagle had the gastric lapbanding operation. She is the third person in her extended family to have this operation done. Below is a comment by a member of her family, a young man in his twenties, who has had the operation too. Miss Eagle thought readers might find his remarks of interest and, perhaps, helpful.

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The difference the band has made in my life is remarkable. The only downside is I now get gas, which is just a side effect of my digestion process being slowed down. If you ever get this problem, which I’m told is reasonably common, I suggest a product called Mintec. It's just peppermint oil in a capsule, but it's a bit of a miracle cure for me. The freedom to indulge my love of clothes and shop where I like has been wonderful, and the difference in my fitness is amazing. I'm training for a marathon at the moment, not something I would have ever even conceived of pre-band. I rarely get sick anymore, I had a minor cold early last year, but that's all, I used to get flux and chest infections at the drop of a hat.

It's not just that I eat less, I find myself mentally better equipped to make different food choices, I don't have the same appetite for heavy food that I used to, and enjoy fresh veges more than I ever thought I would.
The difference the band has made in my life is remarkable. The only downside is I now get gas, which is just a side effect of my digestion process being slowed down. If you ever get this problem, which I’m told is reasonably common, I suggest a product called Mintec. It's just peppermint oil in a capsule, but it's a bit of a miracle cure for me. The freedom to indulge my love of clothes and shop where I like has been wonderful, and the difference in my fitness is amazing. I'm training for a marathon at the moment, not something I would have ever even conceived of pre-band. I rarely get sick anymore. I had a minor cold early last year, but that's all. I used to get flux and chest infections at the drop of a hat.

It's not just that I eat less, I find myself mentally better equipped to make different food choices, I don't have the same appetite for heavy food that I used to, and enjoy fresh veges more than I ever thought I would.

Food has become something that on one hand I don't care about anymore and on the other care deeply about. I no longer care much about the fat content or how 'fattening' food is anymore, because I know it's not going to put on weight. On the other hand I have become quite passionate about the quality of my food, I have no issue if something is dripping in cream, just as long as it's high quality cream sourced from an ethical dairy. The guilt of eating something like that in the past meant that I couldn't care less what the quality of it was, just the quantity, now that the guilt and loss of control are gone, I can focus on really enjoying it. I no longer see food as good or bad, just high quality and low quality.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

The Collecting Chemist of Elsternwick - 3

This sign in the collection of The Collecting Chemist of Elsternwick is deserving of its very own post. It is a bit special. It is special because:
  • it is bilingual
  • it is two sided.


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The Collecting Chemist of Elsternwick - 2

The Collecting Chemist of Elsternwick not only collects signs. He collects Apothecary's Jars. These were very difficult to get good shots of because they are up high out of harm's way and are such magnificent sets so that they are sitting side by side on the high up shelves. Please take a trip to Glen Huntly Road and see for yourself, dear reader. You will be well rewarded.

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The Collecting Chemist of Elsternwick -1


Geoff and Sue Szwarcbard's Guardian Pharmacy at 393 Glenhuntly Road, Elsternwick has a treasure trove of items from chemist shops of yesteryear. Their chemist shop is quite ordinary. It looks like it could have been there a very long, long time but gets "modernised" every few decades or so. It is not large and spacious and bright like really modern pharmacies found in shopping malls. No this is a very traditional squeezed in chemist shop in a suburban shopping strip in the main street of Elsternwick. The first clue is the signs hanging in the doorway as one enters from the street.


The signs in the collection are metal - in some cases complete with rust.



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Tuesday, April 04, 2006

The technique of delight: Timothy Spall

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There are actors Miss Eagle lusts after - like Sean Connery. There are actors who cheer and enchant her - like Martin Clunes and Nigel Havers. There are the young and the beautiful who stun the ageing Miss Eagle - like Johnny Depp. And then there is the category of sheer delight: delight in his skill, delight in his characterization, delight in his diversity of roles and delight in such wonders being wrapped in an ordinary and seemingly unchangeable bloke. This is the beloved Timothy Spall. The pleasure he has given is beyond measure.

Miss Eagle is prompted to tell you about the wondrous Timothy in coming across this article this week.

Bank Place - where the corporate and legal world meet

At the financial end of town, between Collins Street and Little Collins Street, is Bank Place.





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Monday, April 03, 2006

A Grand Prix winner


I saw this car in Sydney Road, Brunswick yesterday. As you can see, it claims to be off to the Grand Prix. Now which year was that?

Sunday, April 02, 2006

Street art at Balaclava - 2

Between the wall above next to Hudson in William Street off Carlisle Streeet in Balaclava
and the group of businesses below
is an art framing shop which has no street art on its frontage.
I wonder why?
Is it because the owner considers that only art in a frame is really art?





Street art at Balaclava - 1

I love this little man sitting behind his cloud.
I love the flower in his shirt pocket.
In fact, I love him so much he is now on my 'puter desktop.
He decorates the wall below -
sitting to one side in splendid isolation
from a larger work which is part of the seating
for a hole in the wall cafe off Carlisle Street, Balaclava.
There is seating along the wall as if it were a bus stop.

Perhaps the wall can be read like a newspaper - since it has its own opinion page

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