The Blessing of The Curse

Thanks to the repeats of Foxtel I am about to line up for my third viewing of The Curse of the Golden Flower. How can I not? This time Foxtel has preceded the viewing with The Making of... Apparently, the crowd scenes which look like a cast of millions to me are only a cast of thousands. But the costumes, the colour, the lights, the sets, the action!

This is the most expensive Chinese movie ever - and I think they get more bang for their buck in Beijing than in Los Angeles. The promo has just said that if you love House of Flying Daggers, you will love this. How tantalising! But I loved House of Flying Daggers. I came out of the theatre after that movie thinking that I didn't really need to see another movie ever again - because it had everything.

The director of both movies is Zhang Yimou. I have not seen all of Zhang's work - but who can forget that beautiful and poignant movie, Raise the Red Lantern with the magnificent and beautiful Gong Li who stars again in Golden Flower. And who can forget his production of Turandot at the Forbidden City? And as if all this wonderment was not enough, Zhang has been selected to produce the Opening and Closing Ceremonies at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Quote above from here

The time of universal peace is near:

Prove this a prosperous day.

William Shakespeare

The Week-end: Part 2 - Falling among Storytellers

The Boyhood of Raleigh by John Everett Millais

A seafarer tells the young Sir Walter Raleigh and his brother the story of what happened out at sea.

On Saturday afternoon, there was a gathering at the new home of Cindy-Lee. And there I met, among others, story-tellers Cora and Doug. What interesting and stimulating conversation! And the excitement was to continue when Cora and I, the next evening, went to a performance by the Playback Theatre Company.

But before we get to that, there was a lovely, lively Sunday lunch at Kiss the Sky Cafe with Cindy-Lee, Tara and Cherie and assorted kids. Kiss the Sky was quaint and cosy - after all, this is the Dandenongs and it was a misty, cold, cloudy, rainy day

This was another adventure into story. Selected audience members are interviewed by the 'conductor' and the bare bones of a personal story emerges which the company's actors transform or playback before the eyes of the audience. The improvised performance is not only entertaining but can provide insight to the owner of the story. The performance can be moving, funny, or laden with meaning. The company only performs twice each season. Last weekend's Saturday and Sunday performances were the Winter Season. Playback theatres are an international phenomenon so there may be one near you.

The Week-end: Part 1 - The winter garden

Broad Bean - picture from Top Veg

Gardening in winter has NEVER been my thing - not even with the promise of the most beautiful and colourful spring annuals. But the habit - or lack of habit - of a lifetime has been broken. I have worked on the garden patch/es from last summer's rampaging, sexy pumpkins. The leaves from late autumn raked into big piles and rained and rained and rained upon by Melbourne's winter rain have turned into lovely mulchy humus. So this has been distributed. Soil disturbance revealed a worm or three which encouraged and reassured me no end.

Then on Friday afternoon I stepped into the plain old fashioned gardening wonderland that is Presti's Nursery on Ferntree Gully Road, Ferntree Gully and picked up some seedlings. I had already consulted Belinda's calendars (that girl is just so darn organised - and she has it all on a calendar on the kitchen wall, too!). So here is what I planted on Saturday morning:

Broad Beans

Snow Peas

Schallots

Leeks

Beetroot

Borage

The rain has seemed never ending in the last week or so with scarcely a sign of the sun so there has been some great after the planting rain. Now if the sun would put in an appearance, I am sure that would be a big help.

So, please Creator of the Universe, help this landmark Winter Garden to grow as you intend and give us in the coming spring a bumper crop.

BY THE WAY, last summer I planted rocket behind the tool shed. In typical rocket fashion, I got some harvests in but, far too soon for me, it bolted and went to seed. Now I have a lovely crop of baby rocket coming up behind said tool shed. Young, early greens.

The Light in Mid-Winter: a story for the winter solstice

To-day I go to Cindy-Lee's at Cockatoo in the Dandenong Ranges (I live in Upper Gully in the foothills) for an afternoon barbecue and story-telling and lantern-making session. Then we go to Belgrave in the evening for the Lantern Parade. For the occasion, I have written this story:

THE LIGHT IN MID-WINTER
A story for the Winter Solstice

The Earth is in winter once again. The Sun gets out of bed later to find the Day and tucks itself away earlier to bring Night.

But there is a place that we can’t touch or feel. We scarcely notice it when it is come and it is gone. It is Mid-Winter. The Winter Solstice. This is a very special time. Before this time the hours of The Sun are getting shorter and shorter. After this time, the hours of The Sun are getting longer and longer. Or we can think of it another way. Before Mid-Winter the hours of Great Darkness are getting longer and longer. After Mid-Winter the hours of Great Darkness are getting shorter and shorter.

The Sun is s-o-o important to us. It is the bringer of Life and Light. When we put our plants in the ground to grow our food, to produce beautiful flowers, and start big shady trees on their journey of life – our effort will be wasted if there is not Light. We need Light to live. And while plants and animals and human beings have adjusted and adapted to living with cold in most places on The Earth, we do need Warmth. The Sun gives us Warmth. Our life is in Light and Warmth – not in Dark and Cold.

Our bodies love to be warm. They do not like to be shivery cold.

But it is not just our bodies. We human beings are not just our bodies. We are spirit too. And sometimes, in our spirit, we do not feel warm. Sometimes, in our spirit, we do not feel full of Life and filled with Light. We feel the Dark and the Cold coming inside of us and this does not make us feel happy. Instead, we feel s-o-o sad. We don’t want to get out of bed. We don’t want to talk to people. We want to huddle into ourselves because the sunny parts of our lives feel as if they have gone away never to come again.

So what do we do when we feel dark in our spirit?

It helps to look around at the world created for us. When we make a garden we have to think of all that a plant needs. This includes thinking about the Light. If the garden is too shady because of big trees, we have to prune and shape the trees. The plants in our garden will receive more Light to grow.

We look at our spirit in the same way. We do this by sitting quietly. We sit quietly so that the spirit inside us can listen. We sit quietly so that the spirit inside us can be still and not disturbed. As we still our spirit inside us, it is like pruning and shaping that big shady tree. As we are sitting, as we are still, as we are quiet we find the Light comes to our spirit just as the Light comes to our growing plants.

A long time ago a man called George Fox learned about the Light. He said then – and his words have come down to us to this very day – I saw an ocean of darkness and death BUT – and this is a great, lovely, big BUT – and infinite ocean of light and love which flowed over the ocean of darkness.

Amberley - place of retreat

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Last year, Gina and I walked along the path beside the Yarra River in Westerfolds Park between Templestowe and Eltham. As we stood talking, we looked across the river at a steep cliff and on top of the cliff was what I thought was a rich man's mansion. Well, last weekend - the Queen's Birthday weekend - I spent three beautiful days at the "rich man's mansion".

Once upon a time it was the mansion of a rich man.

It is Amberley and I was one of 65 adults and children, Quakers, who were having a Mid-Winter Gathering. We were so comfortable. It really was a pleasant weekend. You can find more, including recipes from Amberley, at Oz Tucker.

Opp Shopping in Upper Gully

I was up at my favouritest Parents Without Partners Opp Shop in Upper Gully to-day.

To-day, Friday 13 June, and to-morrow, Saturday 14 June, they are having a Dollar Day.

They are stocked to the hilt and they want all their regulars to benefit from the sale.

As well, they want to welcome lots of newcomers too.

So, time to hotfoot it to Rose Street, Upper Ferntree Gully.

Directions:

Head east to the Dandenong Ranges,

turn right from Burwood Highway into Dawson Street, Upper Ferntree Gully

(Ferntree Gully Plaza Shopping Centre on one side of Dawson Street

and the Royal Hotel on the other side)

Take first turn to the left - along Rose Street.

Rose Street bends to the left.

On the bend look right and there it is!

Your money is well spent

because PWP at Upper Gully contributes to the support of Emergency Housing in the south-east and, in addition, pays the wages of a Social Worker to assist those in need of the housing.

The Opp Shop Fringe Festival: somebody was listening

Almost two years ago I wrote the post below. I republish it below because it looks like my Fringe Festival idea might have come true if you pop over to I Op Therefore I am. I am indebted to Gina for the tip off.


Miss Eagle is gobsmacked. Who ever heard the like - a shopping festival!

Miss Eagle realises that there are many temples distributed around Australian cities dedicated to the gods and icons of Consumerism - but a festival! What does this mean? Does it mean that Consumerism, as a free-standing religion, will now establish its own religious calendar instead of converting the feasts of the Christian calendar for its own ends? Will the Melbourne Shopping Festival become the Hajj of Consumerism with Melbourne its Mecca? Will Melbourne business offer indulgences of huge percentages off in the same way that indulgences were sold once upon a time?

Miss Eagle thinks that one of the attractions for the powers-that-be in Melbourne is that a shopping festival could be run concurrently with at least one other major event on the Melbourne calendar. Perhaps there can even be more than one shopping festival fitted into the calendar. Shopping Festival and Grand Prix! Shopping Festival and AFL Grand Final! Shopping Festival and Melbourne Cup! You see juggling the circuses of Melbourne has become a game of increasing difficulty. This year the Grand Prix and the Commonwealth Games were jostling one another in a packed calendar.

Talk about Bread and Circuses!

Now Miss Eagle cannot say how many bakeries Melbourne has but this city - which boasts that it is the sporting capital of Australia - is well set up for circuses. There are more sporting arenas within walking distance of the CBD than in any other city in the country: the MCG, Olympic Park, Rod Laver and Vodaphone Arena, Telstra Dome, Albert Park with Flemington Racetrack being only a short cab or train ride away. And we won't go into the subject of theatres and public places and spaces like Federation Square.

One thing, though, that Miss Eagle wants to know. If there is to be a Melbourne Shopping Festival how will the Opp Shop clientele such as Miss Eagle and Gina be catered for? Or will we have to establish our own Fringe Festival?

Teaching a child to pray

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Pruning at The Pad

Recent visitors to The Trad Pad came to visit the elder tree in the front garden.
These were the tree trimmers...
trimming the branches that encroached on the power lines.
These guys were great, efficient and friendly.

Miss Eagle had been pruning herself in another part of the front garden.

They kindly took all her tree branches and prunings.

The Don...Mighty River of the Peoples of Ancient Djiru...

My good friend Patricia Corowa and her daughter Virginia Kruger have been on the receiving end of wonderful photographs of the mighty Don River, just north of Bowen in North Queensland - at the northern end of the famed Whitsundays. Patricia and I grew up in Bowen - so we have memories of going out to the banks of the Don to rejoice in its raging, fast flowing waters. It was always said that the Don, in flood, was the fastest running river in Australia because of the steep and relatively short gradient from mountains to mouth.

Permaculture - the way to go

Cabin in Lee's Harmony Garden, Upper Ferntree Gully, Victoria

I want to take you for a stroll through the Harmony Gardon of my friend Lee here in Upper Gully. It seems timely. My long-time blogging friend from San Diego, California, Woofnanny has left a comment over at Oz Tucker. She is about to start her first garden! Her very first! Isn't that exciting? You can see my comments in reply.
Lee is a believer in permaculture as am I.
But Lee is a qualified permaculture designer - whereas my knowledge is picked up from Permaculture 1 and 2, hearing Bill Mollison speak in the long, long ago, and visiting various websites - not least of which is David Holmgren's.

Lee's garden is on a suburban block not far off the highway as you travel up into the Dandeong Ranges.

She has a large backyard - a few times bigger than mine.

Her front and backyards are intensively planted - and even her footpath has a garden.

Lee's garden is eclectic and highly individual - and, in some ways, quirky.

She is generous in showing her garden to the public and has raised a lot of money for charity.
Ran into her the other day taking some plants home to put in the boot!



Lee has two laundry tubs (short that sit in a cabinet in the laundry) full of worms!

Sam (above) walking the plank.








So Woofnanny - I hope you have as much fun as Lee and I do, each of us with ours. In a garden there is always change and always something to be done and something to be discovered.

Sorry, forgiveness, and a new beginning

To-day is an historic day for the Commonwealth of Australia. In the Parliament of the nation, in Canberra, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will apologise to the Aboriginal people of this nation continent for the mistreatment of Aboriginal people since European settlement began in 1788. Above all, he will apologise for the forced removal of children from their families and communities - an episode referred to as The Stolen Generations.

There has been great demand for an apology since the recommendations handed down in the Bringing Them Home report. Prime Minister John Howard, Prime Minister from 1996-2007, refused to apologise. Howard - a mean-spirited, conservative, and stubborn man - merely expressed regret but went on to promulgate the lie that no ill-treatment was carried out in living memory.

One positive effect of Howard's inaction in this matter has been to increase resolve on the part of countless Australians to see the apology carried out. Most Australians want to resolve the issues and hatreds and maltreatments of the past. We do not want the bitterness, the recrimination to continue. We want to give expression to a new way doing things which is informed by the knowledge of our history good and bad. Australians want an inclusive nation - and certainly not one where the Aboriginal people are fringedwellers socially and economically.

And so yesterday a new beginning was made with the opening of the new Parliament. For the first time in Australian history, Aboriginal people were at the centre of the ceremonial inaugurating the new parliamentary term with a Welcome to Country ceremony. Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, and Leader of the Opposition, Brendan Nelson, both made clear that as long as they had anything to do with it, Aboriginal ceremony would become an integral part of the Opening of Parliament.

To-day, Aboriginal people will stand with the Prime Minister on the floor of Parliament for the delivery of the apology. The text of the apology, set out below, was tabled in Parliament yesterday and the apology is the first item of business in the new parliamentary term.

From time to time, on this blog, Miss Eagle has discussed the topic of public forgiveness at The Eagle's Nest. It has been discussed in the context of public figures apologising, saying sorry. How then does the public respond to that apology and advise if there is an acceptance of the apology and whether forgiveness is the response?

After the apology to-day, Miss Eagle expects that we will enter - for a time - the realm of public forgiveness. The apology will be discussed. We will hear critiques and criticism. We will find out who is satisfied with and by it and who is not. To-day we formally enter the time of new beginnings - of repair and building. All Australians are not at the same place on this matter. But enough of us are to carry the day throughout the nation, to demand inclusion, to demand involvement so that Aboriginal people are do-ers, not done to: so that they are self-determining actors in their own story and that all Australians - settlers and Aboriginal people together - will build a new and equitable way of operating to bring that great tradition of a fair go to everyone.

THE APOLOGY

Today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history.
We reflect on their past mistreatment.
We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were stolen generations - this blemished chapter in our nation's history.

The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia's history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future.

We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians.
We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.
For the pain, suffering and hurt of these stolen generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.
To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry.
And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.

We the Parliament of Australia respectfully request that this apology be received in the spirit in which it is offered as part of the healing of the nation.
For the future we take heart; resolving that this new page in the history of our great continent can now be written.
We today take this first step by acknowledging the past and laying claim to a future that embraces all Australians.
A future where this Parliament resolves that the injustices of the past must never, never happen again.
A future where we harness the determination of all Australians, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to close the gap that lies between us in life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity.
A future where we embrace the possibility of new solutions to enduring problems where old approaches have failed.
A future based on mutual respect, mutual resolve and mutual responsibility.
A future where all Australians, whatever their origins, are truly equal partners, with equal opportunities and with an equal stake in shaping the next chapter in the history of this great country, Australia.

Seasons of the Soul: Ash Wednesday 2008

THE LONG WATCH

I draw aside to-day:
into the quiet, the reflection
of the pool of life.

I watch the disturbance,
the stone of my being
cast into the timeless pool…

ripples moving outward
from the centre
of the sunken stone…

circular disturbances
of small circumference
enlarging to a fading edge.

The rippling of my life
is energy into stillness
moving beyond its entry point.

The ripples, equilibrium disturbed.
The still centre sinks
under the surface.

Rippling circular to centre.
Never a straight line,
never trajectory altered.

The disturbance continues
outward…
Until, far from its centre,
it ceases.

Brigid O’Carroll Walsh
Ash Wednesday 2008
6 February 2008
© 2008

Ethical eating: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Miss Eagle has just posted on Barbara Kingsolver's book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle over at Oz Tucker. Pop over and have a read.

Burdekin Falls Dam in flood - 15 January 2007

Growing up and spending most of my life in North Queensland (Bowen, Townsville, Mount Isa), the great economic myth was to dam the Burdekin River - a mighty river in full and unimpeded flood. Then one day it did get built. The pictures above are from a gallery of pictures of the current North Queensland floods which can be accessed at The Townsville Bulletin website.

Spent a bit of time on the phone yesterday afternoon checking family were OK. My son is OK - he lives in South Townsville and it does not seem to be affected by the flooding where he is - but then that is near the mouth of the Ross River. Similarly with my friends Don and Pam who also live in South Townsville. Spoke to my sister-in-law - and they're OK. Although my niece had to go home from work (Telstra) mid afternoon because their multi-storey building in South Townsville was leaking.

My niece's home backs down to Ross River just below the Ross River Dam so I think there will be plenty of people getting out their tyres for a float down the river .The pictures of streets in Thuringowa underwater (ie Rivergum Court and Alan John and Yvette Streets) bring no element of surprise. Actually surprised Hammond Way was not rating a mention. Some of those areas should never have been built upon.

We assume from the location of the flooding that the unit Herself used to own in Hyde Park has gone under again - it has flooded twice before. There are pumps that service the drainage system in that area but they habitually fail for one reason or another. So - as you can see from The Bulletin's gallery - a lot of people (with the exception of those with damaged vehicles) are enjoying the fun in typical North Queensland fashion.

Water for beer but it's a drought in the garden

I reckon Miss Eagle can say without fear of contradiction that Denise Gadd is hopping mad. Denise blogs at The Age where she is also the gardening editor. Now the blog is in a bit of a hiatus for the silly season. Denise burst into the Opinion Pages of The Age with this piece to-day. Almost a year ago to the day, Denise was having her say with this piece.

You will have noted, dear Reader, that Miss Eagle is promoting the petition, to which Denise refers, on her blogs. Go for it Denise, I say. Anyway can we send Tim Holding a ticket to a Permaculture design course for a New Year pressie? He clearly is not a gardener and has no sympathy for those who garden. I get mad when I think of all the water that it takes to make beer - and I don't drink a drop. I presume that Tim drinks his fair share - so how about giving me some leeway with my veges, Tim!

It's not a knock off...

...it is the real thing - a real Louis Vuitton. (Dear Reader, if you have not done so already, you may find that you need to read the last paragraph of this post.)

I am not long off the phone from my sister, The Director. The phone rang. I picked it up. The first words I heard coming down the line from Brisbane were...

It is NOT a knock-off.

You will recall the quandary I was in about whether this was a knock-off or the real McCoy. Herself had been over it with a fine-tooth comb explaining to me (the Clueless One) how some interior parts were so beautifully finished - and, without doubt, the manufacturer of a knock-off would not have been bothered.

We knew that The Director's personal and corporate style would demand The Real Thing. But, there was that nagging knowledge of what a canny and crafty shopper The Director is - across the globe, even.

Well, the mystery has been resolved. As in the best mysteries, the known facts were all true - not contradictory.

Known Fact No.1

The Director's personal and corporate style demanded that this be the Real Thing. TRUE

Know Fact No. 2

The Director is a canny and crafty shopper. TRUE

The answer to the mystery is that Miss Eagle is the third owner in succession of this bag. Herself is in the queue to be the fourth.

That canny and crafty Director purchased the Louis Vuitton second hand and estimates it now to be about six to seven years old. Now, why didn't I think of that. Because another attribute of The Director is that she is Queen of Consignment Fashion - high quality second hand clothing, usually with a designer label attached purchased at a fraction of the cost of the real thing.

The Director advises that one waits until the acquisitive classes have had their fling and discard. One then moves in for the kill bargain.

I have instructions for keeping it looking good.

• Keep it in a sleeper bag made of calico. Alternatively, keep it in a pillow case. Never keep it in a plastic bag.
• Once or twice a year dust of with a wipe of whatever sort of cream you usually clean your leather goods with.

The Director advises that the bag has been to Ireland at least three times. This will mean a few other places as well like London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Tuscany and New York.

The Director notes how well I like the shape, the size, the style, the commodious-ness of the bag. She advises that I am about to find out why so many women pay so much money for such a bag. .....Mmmm the feel of luxury. But ...aaaaah the craftsmanship.

PS: The picture above is not of the actual bag. The one in question is a different shape - but matches in all other respects.

A month of Christmas - the supersized post

BEWARE! VERY LONG POST!

CHRISTMAS : The Prologue

December has been a month in which blogging has been problematic and spasmodic. First of all, there turned out to be the busy-ness of the Christmas season. This took me somewhat by surprise. This has been my first Christmas out of paid employment (I re-entered the workforce in 1977) when my health has been good. My life is scaled down and my energies are transferred into gardening and gleaning. I try to avoid membership in organisations that demand responsibilities and turning up on specific dates for meetings. I have become, through the limitations of ill health, expert in revising my plans. Not only can I retreat from Plan A to Plan B, I can retreat through the whole alphabet down to Plan Z. And without guilt - because I can't afford that.

But since September, my health is the best it has been in something like ten years. I have an occasional hiccup in the way of an "off" day but I am soon up and at it again. And I am quite determined to be up and at it again to build up stamina and endurance. Seven months of varying doses of anti-biotics have undergirded this return to health.

Financially, of course, things have had to operate on a different scale as I have become dependent on a restricted income. I learned long ago about the lilies and this lesson has been re-inforced across the years. To this early lesson has been added the principle of restoration. The precision with which the lessons of restoration have come into my life has never ceased to amaze me: even to having restored to me like for like. Not a substitute or something better - but a like object!

THE JOLLITIES BEGIN

St Thom's (in Autumn) : home base of my Community of Faith

So into this simpler and quieter time, the slightest ruffle of busy-ness can be quite surprising. I shouldn't have been surprised, though, because I had recently made two organisational commitments at St Thom's, my local community of faith.

Firstly, since about August, I have organised - along with two other women - a group called Dawn of Life. This is a support group for those who have lost their life partners through death. We are a group of about a dozen - mostly women as one would expect demographically - and we are growing as word spreads beyond the confines of St Thom's.

Secondly, there was a call for more people to participate in Open Church ministry. This is a commitment to keep the doors of St Thom's open each day, Monday to Friday, from 10am to 2pm.

So many churches in our urban/suburban centres are locked up tight against casual entry. St Thom's does not want to be part of this. We want our facility to be a place for people to come aside: to be quiet, to think, to rest, to pray. In winter time, we even provide a blanket and a heater for your comfort. We are also there if people need help or a referral relating to a need. So the fridge carries casseroles, there are vouchers for travel, for food. If needed, we have a pastoral care team to call on. Open Church sees itself very much in the Christian tradition of hospitality. Open Church = Open Door.

The time slot I was asked to fill was on Tuesday morning. The Tuesday morning timeslot happens to include a Bible Study group so, while bearing in mind my primary responsibility for being there, I participate in the Bible Study.

So here I found myself in the middle of three groups - two of which decided to have Christmas break-up lunches.

For the Dawn of Life lunch, two of us took overall responsibility i.e. having fallback positions if contributions were lop-sided. It was a great success and I had meant to take pictures. I took the camera. But was so involved in the whole thing, I completely forgot. So the beautiful table settings laden with Christmas candles, Christmas trees, and Christmas gifts can't be shown. Neither the stacks of beautiful food we had to feast upon. There is no sign of the Christmas Creche nor the large Christmas Tree. How could I have forgotten such an opportunity?

For the Bible Study break-up, my participation was not so centrally responsible but I did do the roast chickens with herb stuffing as I had done for Dawn of Life. So much nicer, we all agreed, than the over-the-counter roast chickens with the stuffing that no one seemed very keen on. Each lunch was a beautiful, friendly occasion which we all enjoyed. But as intrusions into a quiet life, they were quite eventful. Again, I forgot the camera.

But I do have some other pictures.

THE FRIENDSHIP TABLE

During the lead up to Christmas I was working on a project that has become my pride and joy. During 2007, I have discovered how much I love gleaning. I always have, I suppose, but this year it has taken on a whole new glow and focus as I have immersed myself in exploring the hard rubbish in, on and around Melbourne footpaths.

My ventures or adventures have been well rewarded.

My pride and joy (sorry, I don't have a before picture) is a dining table. It is strong and sturdy and this brought it home. It had a varnish or french polish finish but had been left in the weather. The varnish, what was left of it, had turned an olive green colour and the table top, which had borne the brunt of the elements, was rough.

Now, it is painted and decoupaged and glittered and I call it my Friendship Table and I look forward to many friendly moments around it. The pink free-form ribbon is as artistic as this non-artistic person is ever going to get, I believe.

THE GLEAN SCREEN
This was not the only glean to enter the Spirit of Christmas. In the background of the picture immediately above, can be seen a glimpse of the screen. When I first brought it home, Herself and I thought it would get painted and end up in the guest bedroom. Now, it well may be that this will happen in due course - but it ended up here in the carport with the Friendship Table. Because, you see dear Reader, the carport is where the table lives and the addition of the screen made it something else again. Through the screen we can look out to the back garden and that gives a whole new perspective. From the carport we can look out at the Dandenong Ranges National Park through a huge Red Gum on the footpath across the road. A beautiful vista.

The screen had to be decorated. This was done with floral garlands, some Christmas trimmings, and some Christian symbols. Which lead to the next thing.

THE CHRISTMAS BOWER

The ceiling of the carport was far from attractive. It is awful. But we could do nothing about that. But, delving into The Trad Pad treasures and provisions, some useful things came up. An evergreen garland, some Christmas wreaths, lace netting, and a pretty bauble - and, next thing, our live-in carport became a Christmas Bower.

One more thing needed to be dealt with. Our garden tap also lives in the carport - beside the back step. Underneath is a circle of dirt surrounded by stone with the rest of floor in the carport being concrete. Why this is so, we haven't a clue. Some months ago, I had potted lots of the pups from my chlorophytum plants. Now they have come into their own...

THE CHRISTMAS BLOGGING LUNCH

But first of all, there was the blogging lunch with Connie and Gina on the Thursday before Christmas. Connie only lives a suburb away and we had been planning to get together for s-o-o long and, at last, it did happen. It was wonderful to meet Connie. She is beautiful and vibrant and so creative. A charmer in every sense of the word. She came with flowers.

Gina will be no stranger to readers of this blog. She and Miss Eagle have been on many an adventure together. And we have more planned for '08.

One adventure will involve stirring the possum. For those of you who don't speak Strine (Australian), stirring the possum means livening things up. Livening things in this context usually means waking people up and making them think or take action. As well as opp-shop treasure hunting, Gina and Miss Eagle share a passionate concern about the direction that community care for the aged is taking. We hope to take this concern further - Gina already has with a specific blog - so expect further news. As well, we have some exploration in the pipeline. Again, expect further news.

Gina came bearing gifts - wonderful pressies. And, of course, Gina is proud of the opp-shopping that yielded these gifts on the shortest of shoe-strings. When she told me how little she paid, I accused her of opp-shop-lifting!

Gina picked up on my predelictions.

Christmas wreaths of my own making next year?

Herself has taken a liking to this & it is on display in one of her corners.

The heart shaped cookie cutters will be doing something different.

The yumminess of this is phenomenal...and with peanut butter!

And these candles are so swish!

I love biscuit and chocolate tins. These wonderful bikkies (well, I haven't opened the tin yet to taste them) has an old fashioned Aussie picture on it titled "Wet Ball" - from the dog slavering over it!

The wrapping paper! That is being kept for decoupage!

TECHNOLOGY DISASTERS

The day before our lunch my computer collapsed. My usual repairer was not taking any new work until January 2. He was helpful and provided another number but, to date, there has been no reply. Away? Overloaded with work? This had followed the "Honey, Blogger shrunk my header" episode. In the aftermath of this, I have discovered three column blogs - so if you pop over to Desert and to Oz Tucker you will notice a difference.

After a couple of days, a lot of patience and stretching my computer skills further than ever, I was able to get back in to find that my back up drive appears to have been corrupted. I can retrieve files but they will not open. These include all my pictures. I had uploaded my total collection to Picasa - from which all except a few have disappeared. I have a couple of other spots where photos are placed - but not the entire collection as I have always done with Picasa. So - so much for Picasa! Now in the last couple of days I am unable to download photos from my card through my card reader.

All this has taken time - precious time. And, as you are aware dear Reader, there are times that life has to be lived not interfered with by a computer nor talking about it on a blog!

SANTA ARRIVES IN UPPER GULLY
On the Sunday before Christmas, the CFA (Country Fire Authority) brought its usual Christmas good wishes to the citizens of Upper Gully with Santa arriving in the fire ute.

Santa arrives in Tarana Avenue...
...with his helpers
Santa and his helper greet our neighbour, Betty
The residents of Tarana Avenue farewell Santa

PS: Miss Eagle got a cuddle from Santa

JESUS: THE REASON FOR THE SEASON

The Nativity Scene at The Trad Pad

The dining room table. But we were't going to eat there.
The sideboard...
...with the collection of Rosemary's cakes...
...which don't get eaten but have become an integral party of the Christmas decor.

Then it was Christmas Eve. I attended two services: the kid-centred Family Service and Midnight Mass at St Thom's.

The theme of the Family Service was Signs. So many signs. How do we read the signs. How do we get a true perspective.

A wonderful, involving activity was a central feature - involving a hunt for angels which were signs of a jigsaw piece nearby. When it was thought all angels were found, a crucial piece was still missing. I thought there was something suspicious about the angel dangling from the Rev. Susanne's scarf and that bulge under her jacket!

All the Advent candles and the Christ Candle were lit

The floral arrangements were beautiful.

The Congregation was youthful...

...and did justice to the refreshments afterwards!

THE BIG DAY

Christmas Day was quiet - three single women in the Christmas Carport Bower. Herself, Miss Eagle, and Lee. A southern hemisphere summer Christmas lunch with seafood, cheese platters, cold chicken, salads, cold plum pudding and custard and very chilly champagne. The conversation and friendship was wonderful. And we have a plan to work on jointly. Sometime about April, we think!

THE REALLY BIG PRESSIE

Last, but not least, I want to tell you about the Christmas parcel from my sister The Director. I have taken photos - but the technology won't allow me to download. We were rather gobsmacked. A beautiful woollen shawl for me - perfect for the cool of a midnight mass - and snazzy black and white drop earrings for Herself. But the stunner was this large bag - large enough to wear on the shoulder and quite commodious. I wish you could see it, dear Reader. I know you would recognize the brand immediately. A clue? Think of an L and think of a V!

Now, Miss Eagle can be a bit clueless. She wouldn't know the difference between a Hermes and a Fendi - let alone a knock off from the real thing. Herself has a better eye - and she thinks this is the real thing.

The Director's corporate style adds up to it being the real thing. We think she would not be caught dead with a knock off LV. However, we know what a canny shopper The Director is and how she loves travelling regularly in Asia - the home of knock offs. Either way Miss E is thrilled to bits: because the bag in style and dimension suits her. So useful, so commodious. The brand? A beautiful bonus. Thank you, dear sister.