Welll Geeeeeeze

I am connected to the net..even if it is by about 30 feet of extension cable, running down halls, around corners and across rooms because for reasons only known to the computer, our cordless modem will not stay connected - however that is a small thing compared to the plumbing problem we developed in the middle of a public holiday weekend, where toilet icky blahs and laundry waste water are making there own personal form of toxic soup outside the laundry door! annnnnnnnnd if the plumber who was meant to come this morning, who is now coming tomorrow doesn't show up at said time, I will hunt him down, then drag him here kicking and screaming, by his important little boy places *insert sadist smile* to fix my gurgling drains anddddddddddddd Goddess Bless the cruel and unusual person who invented teacher only days... the day after the school holidays ended, the day the kids were meant to go back to school, but didn't andddddddd for those of you who are wondering, yes they were about to walk out the door to school, when I noticed some tiny, weeny, minuscule print on a book stating.. term commences tomorrow. Well that really screwed my happiness ... in time I am sure I will get this step mother thing sussed.. Heck with a whole day ahead... it can only get better... in the mean time I am going to find a quiet corner and rock..

Lest We Forget

On this day, in the darkness, before dawn, the ANZAC's stormed ashore in a place now known as ANZAC cove. ANZAC DAY is not to glorify war or praise heroes, but to remember those who have served our country during times of conflict and crisis, and to reflect upon their selfless sacrifice. Today we as a family, along with thousands of other Australians and New Zealanders took time to remember our country men who did not return from service. Over a spam of 8 months, a total 36,000 Australian and New Zealand soldiers were killed or wounded at Gallipoli in 1915.
Today for me it is a time reflection also, to those men and woman in our Armed Services who have and still are serving abroad. As the partner of a man who has over the last decade seen several tours of duty, I give heartfelt thanks to the Goddess for returning him to me and for making him the man he is, with his dedication to us and to serve his country.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Just rambling

Well. the computer is up and running, it is minus a few of my graphic programmes, but they can wait for the time being!
It has been a very long ten days, and to be honest I do not feel I have coped well. Merging two families into one, is not an easy task, and at times over the last week or so I have felt almost torn in two... the Goddess only knows how others, before me have coped doing the same thing! As a kid I thought the Brady Bunch was sooooooooo cool, oh the brain washing of the television..haha
This last week my man has had the week on leave from the Navy, so we have taken Sarah to a few places she wanted to visit.. the younger children's maternal Nana has had another fall and is in hospital with a seriously broken shoulder.. after two surgeries in as many days, seems to be picking up some but the little ones have been fretting about her well being..
Sarah leaves for Melbourne on Sunday, and I feel I have not really had any time with her, well not like we have been used too. Once she would have had my undivided attention so to speak but not so now, my attention is shared. Something even at her age has felt a little odd.. This has left me feeling a little guilty from time to time.. But to spite the sometime feelings of inadequacy, it has been nice knowing she was around even if we did not have the time we had been used to in the past...
There is much more to share in here but I am lacking in time and at 10 pm I am feeling the need to seek the comfort of my bed, so will share more in the next day or so...
Tomorrow, we are heading of to the Malagua Markets and on Saturday we will be busy, as it is ANZAC Day here, a little like Remembrance Day for those of you in the US and as a Navy family we attend a Dawn Remembrance service. D also has to March out later in the morning, with one of three Platoons from HMAS Stirling, the children and I will also attend the Memorial Service with him that follows and then have lunch with the Diggers ( WW2 Returned Servicemen) and present day service personal. Soooooooo maybe on Monday things will settle to a normal buzzz around here and my routine (which I so miss) will be back to normal.....
Bright Blessings

Technical glitch n stuff

It has been a busy week, with Sarah arriving from Melbourne, the kids on school holidays and in the midst of this... our faithful computer whirred to a whinney end! We have managed a temporary Internet connection on an old computer that found it's way here from the kids old house... It's pretty clapped out and molasses in winter time runs faster, but at least it has let me connect to this even for a few minutes.
We have an IT repairman coming later this afternoon sooooooooooo all things being equal, he may be able to fix it, we are leaning towards the CPU having passed onto the great Technograve. I am a bit of a stickler for backing up things, so most of what I hoard is on two external drives... fingers crossed we will all be running to plan very shortly... Bright Blessings

The Athiest, the Christian and the Witch

I have been quiet busy today.. My 27 yr old daughter is arriving from Melbourne tomorrow night, to spend a couple of weeks with us, I have so been looking forward to it.. it will be nice. I haven't seen her since before C and R came to live with us.. She gets on well with both the children who she has meet on a couple of occasions, but it is a little different for her knowing that I am now full time care giver and step mum to them, especially under the circumstances. She is a very protective daughter, Bless her and she worries how I am coping and if I am doing to much. While not a mother herself she understands full time parenting again, 10 years after her and her brother left home is not an easy task, especially when the children have unresolved issues and grief over loosing their own mum. However I am sure all will be good..
Today I have been doing those things Mothers do before their children come home for a visit, that little bit of extra cleaning - making sure there room is homely and welcoming, not to mention baking some of those treats that they don't have away from home. While my daughter doesn't share my Pagan way of life, she does respect it, and I her Christian beliefs, so I will also make her, Miss C and Master R, fresh Easter Buns.. I must admit to being a little bit partial to the spicy wee buns myself.. It's kind of amusing at times having a Atheist, a Pagan Witch and a born again Christian all under the one roof.. it reminds me of a little but very true story and it goes like this:

The morning was ANZAC day, a little like Remembrance Day in the US.. We always attend the Dawn Parade, outdoor memorial service and traditional Navy Gunfire breakfast with the old diggers (elderly retired Servicemen) this particular year, my then 25 year old Christian daughter was home for the weekend and came with us.. Well she had never seen inside the Navy bases two churches lovely historic buildings, thankfully empty! We took her in, heck I hadn't been in a church for 20 years, nor had Derek my atheist partner except for a recent funeral.. On leaving, Sarah pointed out she wasn't fond of the statues that belonged to the Denomination of the church we were in ... At this point Derek is trying to open the door that had jammed solid... I was trying so hard to contain my mirth, Sarah's next comment was "Great now we are going to get struck by a lightening bolt, thanks ever so much Mum".. By the time the door unstuck I am almost wetting myself laughing so hard, at the irony of a Christian, an atheist and a Pagan Witch being stuck in a Church.. I said it then and I will say it again, I think this is how those weird jokes start..

Autumn Quote

Bizarre to say the least, as I have not been ill so to speak with the likes of colds and things for a few years.. but in the last 3 weeks I have had an acute Sinus infection and in the last few days I have been laid low with a head cold.. so twice in a very short time span.. maybe someone is trying to tell me something! Cold or not, I managed to make my way to the store today and pick up some wonderful rusty coloured wool, and I have been happily sitting knitting a witchy, winter shawl... if I make another it will be with a 8 ply wool instead of the chunk one I am using... it will be toasty though when I am finished..*scratches head* does Western Australia have a season, that needs toasty? if not it will look nice draped over my rocking chair! When I the camera batteries are charged I will take a photo of it so far...

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."
George Elliot

Pots n Troughs

I woke up feeling a tad shabby this morning, I am not sure if it is the remnants of the sinus infection, or the initial side effects of having just started HRT, the side effects I can do without for not only do they make me feel not so great, they make me second guess whether I have done the right thing in using HRT.. any how I digress. To spite feeling not all that flash I took myself outdoors into the autumn sunshine.. There have been some seedlings I have been waiting to put out, but was waiting for the waxing moon. So I have planted out my Broccolini and some beetroot seeds, although I am not holding out to much hope for them, while it is autumn, we are still having days up in the 90's and it is the sort of heat that fries most stuff.

My summer garden was a disaster! Not one veg made it to the table, it was quiet heartbreaking actually.. Gardening conditions here on the West Coast has been a challenge to say the least.. when you dig under the top 3 or 4 millimetres of mulch there is sand.. not sandy soil, but sand, sand castle building sand, just like at the beach.. If it was practical to bring in a load of topsoil or a couple of trailers of compost it might be a bit easier, but this isn't a house we own, and we won't be staying long term, so it is not a viable option...

After a bit of girl ingenuity and some eyelash batting *laughing*, I am growing some pretty nice looking veges... in a couple of old ammunition cases D managed to get from work, and a couple of old kids paddling pool halves from our local Freecyclers.

So I have lettuce, Silverbeet, Broccolini and tomorrow English Spinach all happy in anything that can hold dirt. Most of my herbs are in pots the mint, parsley, some of the thyme and the oregano - the sage is happy in the sand, as is one thyme plant. I plan on *spot* gardening and digging a little cow manure into the sand and putting in some Hyssop, Wormwood, Yarrow and Fennel.,so we will see how that goes.. funnily enough the garden has other things growing in it, Lavenders, Rosemary, Vincas, Wallflowers, Foxgloves ..just not the veges..
I have numerous potted plants.. and I found these amazing little plastic cauldrons, which I filled with Pansy's till I learn what will grow in sand! This urban beach living after having the country lifestyle is a challenge, one I am learning to cope with...slowly.