fragile things

spiders!

2005-11-22T14:21:00.000+11:00

i have always loved spiders...sometimes they make me shiver with nervy tingles, but all the same, i see no reason to do them any harm. Spiders are actually very important players in ecosystems. They do us humans a good service eating their way through insects that some of us dislike. The Australian Huntsman spiders, for example, gulp large amounts of mosquitoes, reducing the chance of us getting bitten by them and contracting diseases. Also, leaving the flies to the spiders is much more environmentally friendly than the chemical pesticides that humans spary around with abandon.
So, next time you reach for the first object you can to kill a spider that has wandered into your home, think about these points and maybe reach for a jar instead, coax it in, and return it to the great outdoors to continue its good work..

if you want more facts about spiders, click on this cutie-pie.

snails...

2005-11-14T10:17:00.000+11:00

i thought i'd write a little bit about snails...as you are all aware by now, i make it my business to respect and honour the most maligned creatures-rats, cockroaches etc ext...
Well, i think snails are amazing and do everything i can not to kill them. Wet nights find me walking my dogs with a torch so as to see and move and roving snails from the path, so i don't step on them and neither does the next person to come along...i happily let these amazing creatures much on my garden as its unlikely that they will eat the whole thing into oblivion and if they eat my vegies, its not a disaster, i can just go to the shops and buy what i need but they depend on the plants in my garden for their survival...
consider snails for a moment: they carry their home around with them, they glide smoothly on one economical 'foot', and, in the scheme of things, they tread softly on our earth causing little significant damage. How wonderful it would be if we humans could live as simply and sensitively.

Some more interesting snail facts for you. Click on a snail picture to go to the link :

Look forward to the next bulletin: SPIDERS!

a busy week...

2005-11-09T16:39:00.000+11:00

what a hectic week i'm having! i've been helping my mother move house which has primarily involved me in transporting car-loads of my own things-things i left behind when i moved to live with my partner two years ago!!! i had no idea i had so much 'stuff' stashed at her place still! i think i need to have big sort through it all and throw a lot out-i am such a hoarder though and i have all sorts of sentimental attachments to inanimate objects from my past that makes it really hard to discard anything...i have to learn to let go.

I've been putting my mind to my craft-swap and i've got a pretty fine swap "on the go", i think...i can't wait to have it finished and sent, and most of all i can't wait to receive mine. i love snail mail, it's so much better than email in that it really allows the reader to get inside the writer's world. I have had a snail-mail friendship with someone for close on 24 years now! i class her as my oldest and closest friend and i hope that we never cease communication with each other...

well, as i'm writing this at work, i have to get off now. back soon though.

i'm sorry, again...

2005-11-07T15:10:00.000+11:00

i feel terrible, i havn't 'blogged' for so long! It's not for lack of inspiration, but just a lack of time to sit down, gather my thoughts and write...
well, now here i am:

there have been many transistions:

my sister has left the country now and is settling in to her new home and job in Virginia, USA. I miss her so much but i am also happy for her and proud of her and i know she will do great things...
my mother is moving house which is all very stressful and exhausting for me and i am not even the one relocating. It's a big job helping her pack up her things, clean up and move on...
and me? well, i'm finally coming to the end of a crazy, busy, over-committed year. In 2006, i won't be a student juggling part-time work and homework anymore, which will be such a relief!

Aside from all of these things, in the recent past i have juggled the stress of my doggie with a terrible ear infection (read some sleepless nights caring for him), the never-going-away hovering shadow of disaproving in-laws (when will they accept our mutual differences and allow us to get on with our lives) and the ongoing management of my health.

Exciting things:

i'm very excited as i am about to participate in my first ever craft swap. Can't tell you who my swap buddy is now or what i'm making to send to her, but when the secret can't be spoiled i'll post details and pictures.

well that's my post for now...i will try and be more regular in future, but before i go completely, i want to tell you all to check out SPARE. Please donate to them or sponser an animal ( just 20 Egyptian dollars can save the life of so many animals per year).

ciao

i'm back, for the second time...

2005-10-19T08:50:00.000+10:00

i apologise for my absence, but this time it wasn't anything to do with being slack or busy. There has been something inexplicably wrong with our phone-line and hence, no internet service for 5 days...its amazing how dependent i am on being able to just go 'on-line' or pick up the phone to make a call...without being able to do either i felt really isolated and frustrated. It also made me reflect on how life was before i had internet access and i honestly can't remember what i did when i neded to research something-i went to the library i guess. Come to think of it, i used to spend hours in the library, especially when i was in Art School, just savouring and browsing in books. i used to pull out books from the shelf at random to see what new things i could discover, then, not wanting to leave any of my new discoveries there, i would lugg home arm-fulls of huge books and hoard them for much longer than i was supposed to ( i ended up with many library fines during that time)
i still love books and would much rather spend hours in a bookshop than looking for clothes or shoes.

This journey into memories has reminded me how much i love to hunt for information and immerse myself in books so i think i will try and allocate time to this every now and again...i don't want to become technologically dependent and forget the old ways of learning and experiencing....but have no fear, it doesnt mean i will stop blogging...
Have a great day!

"sickie" monday...

2005-10-10T14:43:00.000+10:00

well, homework won out yesterday, and today as well, to such a degree that i've taken a "sickie" to get more done ( which i havn't done yet but i promise i will as soon as i have done this post!).
So, without more ado, i'm off, to procrastinate no longer...

p.s. just thought you might be interested in a piccie of me, attending to animals as usual, its from a few years ago but the only real difference is that my hair is longer...

ciao.

sleepy sunday...

2005-10-09T15:42:00.000+10:00

trying in vain to study, but my head keeps meeting the pages of my books...the dishes need washing but i need to sleep...should i give in or fight through this fatigue? i'll let you know what happened when i next post...right now though, i'm off and i leave you with some things useful for weekend procrastination:

1. tiny grow

2. stumble upon

i thought it was about time i introduced my furry family... they are brothers, contrary to appearances...

2005-10-05T08:39:00.000+10:00

Some facts:

we love to snuggle in bed together...
they have favourite soft toys ( 'duck', 'monkey' and 'teddy') that often have to come on 'walkies'...
they are a bit of this and a bit of that ( some say a cross of jack russel terrier, staffie, pomeranian, sheltie...)
they have rescued me in my darkest times with wet kisses on my nose and licks that clear away the tears from my cheeks...
they are sometimes cheeky but always adorable...
their paws have a peculiar, yummy, toasty smell...
they are seven years old, so we are probably over half way through our lives together and i don't know what i will do without them when they are gone...

give a little...

2005-10-01T22:42:00.000+10:00

if you are wanting to give a gift to those who need you most.

exciting...

2005-10-01T22:19:00.000+10:00

...if you haven't yet signed up, do so now, and who knows i could one day be your secret swap partner....i can't wait to receive my parcels...

she's leaving...

2005-09-25T13:55:00.000+10:00

In two weeks, my littlest sister is leaving australia, for two years! she has a contract working for PeTA which is fantastic but i am going to really, truely, totally, indescribably MISS her! she and i are very close and very alike. i hope she is happy and safe-however old she gets, i just can't seem to shake the big-sister protectivness and worries.
I am making her a cuddly softie ( amongst other gifts) to take with her. It's a little sock kitty from a japanese pattern. i've tried to upload a picture of my inspiration but it won't load for some reason. Anyhow, i hope that it will look a lot like my sister's real-life pitch-black and shiny kitty (called Sushi) that will be remaining here with family.

reliability.

2005-09-21T10:29:00.000+10:00

Ok, i'm going to try and keep my posts more regular and reliable, even if it only means a 'one-liner'. I'm not known for being consistant and am always postponing and re-arranging plans, meetings, social events...however, to give me some credit, its mostly because some other urgent animal rescue or family crisis occurs.
I do have another 'secret' to share...as you have already figured out, I spend much of my extra-curricular time running after or caring for one kind of animal or another. Well, this time its cockroaches. My work is inundated with them. Being a hospital, you can imagine that anything living of a non-human origin isn't tolerated. They have some kind of poison in "the system" and poor dying cockroaches stagger out from behind desks and shelves. As all the others in my Dept. are irrationally terrified of these poor little insects, they have designated me as the cockroach remover and I scoop them up in my hand and run them outside. I know that, even if I was dying, I would rather do so out in the fresh air than on some scratchy synthetic carpet...

its been a while...

2005-09-19T13:53:00.000+10:00

because i've been busy with the hectic pace that my multi-tasking, many-faceted life takes...in the time that has been, i've saved another dog (this time one which was a victim of terrible abuse ) and he now lives in a loving home.
I have also been generally busy with other animal concerns and keeping my relationships, health and sanity in check.
Not a lot more to write now and i'm at work and doing this typing ellicitly so i'd better sign off now, but just wanted to write in and let you all know that i'm still alive...

a lost soul...

2005-09-04T12:43:00.000+10:00

i've spent half the morning trying to catch a very scared, very lost little dog that is running around our neighbourhood..we saw it when we were walking our dogs early. he/she is very bedraggled and fearful...probably been on the run for days. i got on my trusty bike and took off, with a dog-lead in my bag, and a piece of meat. i easily found the dog in a nearby garden but it promptly took off at top

speed...after circling the streets again, i saw it in a caul-de-sac...creeping close and aimimg as best as i could, i threw the piece of meat in its direction and it grabbed it gratefully...i plan to go back again this afternoon armed with a can of dog food this time...i'm not sure if i will be able to catch it on my own, but at least i can provide it a bit of joy and sustenance...

[postscript: i found out that the dog was owned and very much loved but had just managed to dig out of her garden and spend an afternoon wandering carefree]

other lives lost.

2005-09-03T13:52:00.000+10:00

So, thousands of people have most likely died in the hurricane that hit new orleans and surrounding areas...it is a tragedy that no one can deny, but how many of you have stopped to consider the other lives that have been lost:the thousands of cats, dogs, wildife, birds and farm animals that have drowned, are starving or have been injured by the disaster...
a friend told me about a report she saw on tv in which the drowned suburbs and streets were filled with the howls and cries of dogs abandoned or lost in the storm...the Humane Society of the US are doing what they can, but the immensity of the suffering and loss is overwhelming.
So, as you go about your lives today, take a moment to reflect on the voiceless ones whose lives have also been lost or damaged as a result of this terrible natural disaster...

a secret...

2005-08-27T16:33:00.000+10:00

i have a secret (well, only two other people know): our compost heap has become home to a family of rats...
Several months ago, rats started to appear in our street. The neighbours cursed, and set poison bait and traps. Some rats dissapeared, but some took refuge on our compost and have lived happily ever after-with some help from me!
Having had pet rats in the past i have a special affection for these commonly maligned creatures-they are actually highly intelligent, clean and affectionate.
Now, every night, i creep down to the back of the garden and leave a pile of yummy scraps for my ratty friends to eat...with scuttles and rustles, they pop out and grab a morsel and then are gone again into the night...

making friends...

2005-08-27T11:57:00.000+10:00

i've spent the morning making friends with some of our neighbours.

We've lived here for almost two years and have only really interacted with the 80 yr old Estonian woman, Helga, and her German Shephard, who live right next door!

But today, i met Micheal and Anthony and his elderly mum, Pat. I came to meet them over a mutal concern about a developer who plans to erect 5 unsightly unit houses on a small block of land near-by. All of us, it turns out, have many concerns about the development. i am primarily worried as the trees on the block are home to many species of wildlife ( ringtail possums, brushtail possums, black cockatoos) who will lose their homes, and probably lives, if the development goes ahead as planned...i think that my new friends and i have a strong case and we plan to fight it as far as we can...i'll keep you posted on it.

Its so nice to meet kindred spirits and i'm glad i plucked up the courage to introduce myself to them.

birthday...

2005-08-25T10:18:00.000+10:00

since we last spoke its been my birthday...i tried to keep it quiet and private but a very special person sent me a huge bunch of flowers at work which gave the game away...don't get me wrong, i love having birthdays, i have no fear of aging, its just that i get embarrassed by the fuss of cakes and silly songs at work ...so, happy birthday to me!

For my 31st year, i took the terrifying step of beginning regular therapy...i decided that i'm now too old to carry unneccessay emotional and psychological baggage...its was scary but good and i look forwad to the journey of becoming 'whole' again...

still no photos, i'm sorry...i'm working on it.

no pictures...

2005-08-20T15:41:00.000+10:00

a sleepy saturday...

dogs lounging in front of the heater...

resisting doing the same...

trying to fill the day with significant, usful 'things'...

waiting for R to get home....

wishing 8pm would arrive sooner...

cooking pizza(yum!)...

trying to make this day productive...

...so, i was going to post some images of my work, past and present, until, alas, i found the
cheap-ish camera we boght a while back is refusing to work, it just won't take even a single shot...
so, i've decided instead to settle down and begin my contribution to The Big Knit. This project is coordinated by a friend of mine. Every piece ( abstract or functional) contributed, must be of red, yellow, or orange wool, a combination of some or all...i don't have a plan for my piece so its evolving as i go...when my camera is well again, i'll post a picture.

why now...?

2005-08-18T15:37:00.000+10:00

...because 'now' feels right. its been too long since the last time i stopped all the mental and physical rushing around and made some beautiful things again...since leaving art school 12 (!) years ago, i've created in a half-hearted way and have been side-tracked by people, places and events (personal and global). but now, having just being handed a 90% definite diagnosis of chronc fatigue syndrome, it feels like the right time to settle a little and begin to create again...

a beginning...

2005-08-17T10:38:00.000+10:00

being a writer of long, long letters and somewhat of an introverted ( read 'shy') extrovert( yes, both CAN exist at the one time), i think ( hope) that i'll take to this on-line diarying like the proverbial duck-to-water...
so, here i am, and after weeks of immersing myself in the realm of 'blogging', and in the worlds of others, i am ready to create my own...
and its just a little bit scary 'cos "it takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to another" erma bombeck.