41 posts tagged “flamingo”

Mr FD leaves to hit the business road again

 Feelings of guilt made me rise from my bed and cook a hot breakfast for MR FD as he is going away on a trip for the rest of the week. He rushed around finding and forgetting things and then we had the excitement of discovering that yet again our ensuite shower is leaking and water has been dripping down into the rumpus room below...will need to contact building contractors to come and fix AGAIN. So MR FD had the fun of decimating the downstairs bathroom instead.

After MR FD left (kiss kiss hug hug on the driveway to entertain the neighbours) I stood in the kitchen and once again decided that all the bloody birds were soon going to drive me mad with their tweeting, chirping, cooing and screeching, so I went for a walk. It was just after 9 by this time, on the cusp of the time for any civilised lady to be out in the heat, but it was either that, or to start collecting stones and hurling them at the bloody birds, whom strangely I really enjoyed the first couple of days this week...

We live in a very quiet suburb, but today, I guess because everyone had already left for their JOBS, it was even quieter than normal. I saw one young Mum with her toddler and pram baby sitting in the playground two streets away. No doubt she was enbarking on the exhaust them early in the morning so that they will have an early nap trick. Good luck to her - never worked for me.  I also noted that sun shades have been erected over the basketball court and the play equipment at the park. Good work!

I was treated with great suspicion by a strange burmese mix cat in one street. Once it decided I was not to its liking it scurried off home. It had the strangest tail, all stripes like a tiger, or a lizard tail. I didn't want to make friends with it either so was not insulted. I suspect it was not a well liked cat.

A mother having an early morning meltdown echoed from one house. Ah the joy of school holidays, I am sure that anyone passing our home in years past would have heard much the same...to think of it, they probably still hear the same now. Mr FD and I have a way of speaking to each other from different rooms, and oft have to repeat our point because someone is not listening.

Daughter 2 called to say that she had picked up the 2 cds on sale at Borders that I wanted, but when she got home she discovered that she had been charged $5 too much for one CD. Bad Borders as now she has to go back and ask for a refund and she charges clients hundreds of dollars an hour for her time, and I hope she doesn't charge me... I hate it when stores make a big splash about their sale items and then don't have the right info in their computers and their staff don't know what items are on sale. Never happened when I managed bookshops....(and look where that got me in my career!!!!)

Have checked my email - no one loves me. Have been deemed to have met the minimum requirements by one University that I have applied for, but my first preference is still processing me. Offers go out on Jan 15th....time passes slowly. Still no jobs appearing - wake up world!

Daughter 1 rose from her bed at 10am - ah the joy of teacher's on holidays- and we debated the conflict in the middle east for a few minutes. Sad situation all around. The things we do to each other...Huxley said that "Maybe this world is another planet's hell". I think it is often our own hell. Couldn't we just blow a whistle, stick the cornflakes box between each group and say, "You there, and You there, and if I hear a peep out of either of you, you will both be sorry. Don't make me come back here!" ?

Full life isn't it? Remember that old airline jingle where they sang "come fly with me"? It is rattling in my head but my mind has altered it to sing "Come suffer with me". See it as your civic duty, I am your charity case!

The Dictionary of Daily Wants (publishes approx 1859)  stated that “ It is a well-ascertained fact, that the infusion of tea in silver or pressed metal pots is stronger than that produced in black or other kinds of earthen-ware… it is further certain that the silver or metal ware pot, when filled a second time, produces worse tea than the earthenware vessel, and that is is a advisable to use the earthenware pot, unless a silver or metal one can be procured sufficiently large enough to contain all at one that which might be required.”

The History of High Tea

Tea Tasting Glossary

http://www.flamingodancerblog.com/

Please come and visit and tell me what you think of the new living arrangements. Suggestions welcome. Sign in and walk around see how it fits.

I will start putting up more original material on http://www.flamingodancerblog.com/ now that it is in the end stages.

When I arrive at the meeting, in my neck brace, and explain that I am taking pain medication and so may be functioning on my own planet at times, please don’t ask if I will share the meds and finish with a laugh.

I may be forced to ensure that you feel the pain first.

That’s right, stare at me like I am a freak of nature at the traffic lights when I do my neck stretching exercises while waiting for the go signal.

It’s not like I can’t see you picking your nose with your index finger so far up your nostril you are about to pierce your right frontal lobe. You swarf.

Swarf : small dwarf-brained human mammal, most often male 

The Bold and the Beautiful is going to be on television at 6pm weeknights!

News of world events, or Brooke and Ridge... must they make us choose?

Unemployed is the new black.

I’m sorry. I don’t think I am different to you. I am an individual, but I am also the same as a good many other people. I am however narcissistic to a degree and I don’t think that is a bad thing. My narcissism is what creates and maintains my individualism and independence and allows me to survive in my world.

I do not feel that I have to inflate my individualism for fear of vanishing. I was born, thus I inherited the earth, what more do I need than that?

I also believe that the fact that I do not suffer from hugely inflated individualism makes me a solid, supportive partner, strong parent, reliable friend, and constant in an emergency. I like that about me and I think others appreciate it to.

As I matured through my forties I feared becoming invisible and vowed that I would not allow it to happen to me. I plotted and planned to stop it happening. I now know that it would never have happened, because just by living my life, living the big and the small things of everyday life and engaging with other people makes me visible. I crafted my own watermark just by living the life that I wanted.

So, going “placidly amid the noise and haste” has been the best thing for me. I don’t need to add to the cacophony to be a somebody or a something. I am already. A little individualistic flamingo dancing from time to time is just enough to keep the spirit glowing and the heart pumping.

Happy if you want to dance along.  We all have the same dance card.

So damn hot today and I had to tag along with Daughter 2 playing defence as she bought a fridge, washing machine, and television. We ran out of time to buy a couch - that apparently is next weekend! joy

First Daughter 1 and I drove over to the apartment that Daughter 2 shares with her friend, and we had to drop Daughter 2 off to collect her car from being serviced, then over to the real estate agent to pick up the keys to the new apartment that Daughter 2 is renting, solo -  enough of sharing with friends who eat all your food and then try to charge you interest if you borrow a postage stamp - we were going to start shopping then but it was SO DAMN HOT and some tummies were rumbling so we stopped off for lunch that may have involved desserts. Oh and we just HAD to have a wee look in the gift store next to the restaurant as one must.

Then onto furniture shopping. It is rather strange when you are the MUM of grown children. You have to let them ask the questions and take the lead, but at the same time give a little of the experience that you have gained over time to help them avoid the mistakes that you made. So I kind of walk three paces behind like Prince Phillip behind the Queen, and let the condescending little salesmen treat me like a dodo until the end when I come in with my questions. I can still zing them with a few and today took much delight in letting them know the extent of my knowledge of how LG and Sony have been price fixing in the USA, so don't treat me like an idiot mister! On the other hand you can't undermine your adult child and they have to gain the life lessons too. I have perfected a rather vague routine that looks like I am staring at all the pretty things, but at the same time I am listening to the spiel. Daughter 2 was great though and even managed to get a few hundred dollars knocked off their "best" price.

Next week end Daughter 2 is starting to move so we will no doubt have our list of chores given to us. I am blessed with such wonderful children, I marvel at them and often wonder if I have the right children as they are so much better people than I, that I don't mind letting them take advantage sometimes. Not too much, but a little. I have never been able to understand parents who say "right you have finished high school off you go" or parents who will sacrifice their children over a new partner, especially when that partner knew they had children when they met. Love me love my kids would be my proposition. I brought them into the world, well if not this lot some other three children because I know that I produced three at some time, and they are mine until the day I die. I don't own them, but I owe them support and love, unconditional love. Mr FD and I may not always agree with them, but we know that no matter what we will always be there to help pick up the pieces. That is what a parent does.

And you know what - the reward is all mine. I always receive three times as much as I give.

Mental Health Day, Doona Day, Chucking a Sickie, No Show Day, call it what you will but I am not going to work today. I can't take the Cry Me a River Sisters (SWKK and The Assistant) Today.

not playing today

Besides we don't get paid out for our accumulated sick days so in the great Australian tradition we all plan to use them up before we are shown the door on, Ho Ho Ho Home you go, and stay there Christmas Eve!