Lockdown

 Another painting from my sister. Melbourne in Lockdown, I particularly like the dropped mask in the roadway. I'm wearing my mask for another 12 months just to make sure.  If it looks a bit crooked it's only because she has it propped up on a wall.  She's not taking chances either, Yeppoon is full of holiday makers, crowded the shops and the beaches. You can almost see the germs on them.

The cat and I have been out in the sun for two hours, a record for both of us. I was wearing two cloaks and a dressing gown, it's not quite warm enough for me yet.  It's supposed to be 27 degrees in the next few days, but 27 up north is not bearable according to my sister.  The apple tree is in bloom, covered in bees and a squadron of wasps, big ones.  The bad news is Daylight saving time starts on Sunday, crap, so it will probably rain next week.

It's the allergy season, thank you Mother Nature. Earthquakes all over, volcanoes going off and that photo of 5 hurricanes near Florida was awesome.  Poor California continues to burn and I hope those morons in Parliament are taking notice and making plans. Perhaps a sacrifice to the fire Goddess would be in order, I volunteer Sussan Ley on behalf of all Koalas but it might be an insult to the Goddess since Ley is completely useless to the human race.

I almost hate the new blogger as badly as I did the old one when it first appeared but I suppose I'll get used to it.  Too many bells and whistles on all social media these days and it takes ages for me to get the hang of it. Someone else has trouble getting the hang of things, I must go over to twitter to see if Scottyfrommarketing has managed to count just how many ships are waiting to dock in Sydney. And we thought Abbott was the worst PM we ever had.

Someone who'll think again about putting his big head above the parapet is Kennett. He made some unwelcome suggestions to Dan Andrews and the twitterati dumped all over Kennet, we in Melbourne have not forgotten what he did to this state as Premier.  For this pandemic we would still have an infectious diseases hospital, straight in for the Covid-19 arrivals. 

Lace and a trace of leather

 I love watching a wedding dress show which is on really late but it's worth the laugh. Fat brides, really enormous brides with humongous boobs and then there are the really really big arses, for balance so they don't fall over from the big boobs. I can throw stones, I'm leader of this bunch but I would never choose a bridal dress with strapless top and something that tries to make out there's a waist under the boobs and above the bum. And they want it fairy tale pouffy with bling but it doesn't work because they walk like draught horses. If you're paying $15,000 for a dress then you must pay for a concrete corset to wear it properly, like stand up straight, no slouching and learn how to glide and no buying 6 inch heels if you're not used to them.  I always remember Sarah Ferguson clumping down the aisle like a race to the prize.  Strapless with boobs always needs a little something to soften the shoulders so you don't look like a Sumo wrestler.

I love this dress.  I love the blush pink colour under the gauze. I love the floaty sleeves and the lace and the V neckline.  The back is just as pretty with a long train of the flower lace gauze. Now think giant boobs practically sitting on the hips without that waist.  It's the kind of dress that could suit BIG. You have to imagine it, probably think about it for about an hour until the picture jells.

And forget the really overloaded perfume flowers like lilies unless you intend to have all the bridesmaids perfume co-ordinated with the flowers.  Never mind all the guests wearing different perfumes as well. The Bride supposed to be the standout with a gentle wafting perfume that follows her into the venue not gallops through the door 5 minutes before she does.

I bought  new cologne the other day, on special. Since I can't go anywhere I'm wearing to bed, makes my dreams sweeter. It had all the citrusy ingredients I love and since it was a man's cologne (it was cheap special) it also had a touch of leather. I couldn't think how the leather would go and how did leather smell anyway.  By the time it had worn down to the base notes, I could just get a faint whiff, like wearing a new watch or walking into a shoe shop, an expensive shoe shop with delicate matching handbags or fine leather gloves, not politically correct these days. Then the smell was gone and the citrus stayed on. 

So there are your blogger influences for today and it's free.

Just one more before they grow too much

 Clio looks like she can handle a spoon but Rylee thinks hands are faster.  Jobs are tough to find in Queensland like everywhere else but I would never like to see these two in danger because of Covid-19.

Colour me happy because I managed to do another self hair cut with no ears snipped and it is now my proper shade of red instead of half white, half red and looking like a stand up cockatoo crest.  Still having trouble with shoes though and I can't break my shoe horn because I can't get out to buy another half dozen. I've found it's easier to buy them in bulk.

The Covid lockdown in Melbourne is easing a bit. I can nominate one person to visit me and the curfew has been extended for another hour.  Dan Andrews has suggested for cafes to have tables on the footpath with car parking space being the new footpath. Some streets in the City might be closed and I am just waiting for the first person to start whinging about that. The Council rates are in and now I must remember that payment is on the last day of the month not the first day as it was last year.  I have postal notes all over the computer to remind me.

I'm now going to treat myself with strong black coffee with marshmallows on top. I can live without cafe coffee but probably not muffins.

How could I have forgotten her name

And I woke in the middle of the night and remembered. Here is the lovely Clio ready to be devoured by a giant Queensland plant.

 This is a Porg from the Last Jedi. He's fluffy and cute and the cat hates him. He beat him up. This is a one pet home even if the Porg is stuffed.

I don't have a name for him yet, I'm still thinking. 

Mud Cake anyone?

 Bloody new blogger, can't work anything out.  I'll start with the bottom photo of Rylee who really does like Mud Cake. It appears she has trouble finding where her mouth is in that gorgeous face. And I am really lousy at remembering birthdays but I'm sure she turns one or two this month.  Time has begun to lose meaning this year. I thought I was very good keeping up with  my diary for the last two weeks until it turned out to be last two weeks of July. The Calendar didn't help since it was still on June.

The top photo is of a creek in Queensland (legal, they live there). Their Grandfather loved nothing better than to photograph creeks and waterfalls so I thought I would put this here for Fathers' Day.

Big sister Laura is at the top enjoying the rocks and water.  It looks really warm but the water is making me feel cold.  I won't mind being locked in for a while longer.  The North wind last week had my sinuses clogged with dust and I don't care what anyone said about it being warmer, it wasn't.

Now there is a new font size, sorry if you think you're going blind. 

Back before long.

 

Aren't they sweet?  Felted kittens, a craft I never got the hang of.  And I don't think I'm going to get the hang of this new blogger either.  Go hide in a corner for a few weeks and everything changes and I'm just not in the mood for another change.  Cutting my own hair is as adventurous as I can manage.

But let's go with a great fact.  We know the Antarctic glaciers are melting but I just found out that 3% of that melt is penguin pee.  Stands to reason, poor birds have to go somewhere but not with a damn great egg warming on your feet. All I can envisage in my mind is a great circle of penguins huddled together in a storm and someone yells "Pee" and the snow warms up a bit.  Shouldn't have started that thought, must go now, in a hurry.

Bits I'd forgotten

Cheap T-shirt, odd buttons and voila, fashion.  I don't like the colours but a pale shade with pearl buttons would be lovely even a purple T with gold odd buttons  would look great. Actually looking at it now, I really hate the buttons and the colours so I must have filed it for the idea. 

Elephant's Child this is for you. I present Star Paws with helmet and Darth Vadar eyes. The owner either has a patient cat or ended up nursing shredded arms. I know which one you'd have.

And for me a dress, sparkly dress.  By this time I bet every female would love a new dress but we still have  nowhere to go.  I'd have to wear a corset, my boobs don't hold as high as that anymore and knowing me I'd probably step on the front hem and bring the whole lot down.  It does match my red hair and my imaginary age and weight.  That doesn't sound crazy, children have imaginary friends, I have imaginary age and weight.

More covid-19 breakouts but the teams have now traced the pockets to the suburbs and it's mainly family get togethers.  I wish they would stop showing that awful footballer clearing both nostrils with his fingers then grabbing and passing the football. Yes, he is Covid Positive. Stupid coach said he was a little warm one day then raging temperature the next but was still training with the team. Now all teams of all football are running around to find a home ground well away from Melbourne. Excellent in my book, let them stay there.
Same with Trump's team for his big rally, 6 definite Covid with another 2 on the way. I wonder if he made them walk home. He certainly didn't look the same man walking away from the helicopter, tie undone and his hair gerbil askew.
Two more schools shut here for deep cleaning and I wouldn't be sending the children back but some women don't have a choice, thank you Chief Creep Minister for knocking off the free ChildCare. 
Since Parliament still isn't sitting, all Parliament salaries should be put into ChildCare where it would do a lot of good.  Now all we have to do is wait for the Eden-Monaro by- election and see what people think of the LNP but apparently the "pork barrels" have been rolling into the electorate. I want to see his miserable face the day after the candidate goes down the gutter.  

Stupid Government

Now I hope you have all watched the previous video, if I've managed to get it right.
I forgot to post with it so it we go.

Prof. Wood and his collegues  (bugger spelling) based their hand held machine on the tri-corder from StarTrek.  It has taken them years to get it perfected mainly for Malaria but it can also be configured for different diseases and virus infections. It could have been at the gangplank of the Ruby Princess plague ship and every passenger and crew member would have been tested. How much money would have been saved, how many lives saved.
So why wasn't this on hand after so much research and work had been put into it? This Government's ignorance of any kind of science and non-belief of practical science, after all the machine doesn't do happy-clappy.  The scientists did their own work, taught Phd students, taught classes and most tiring of all, wrote Grants. Hours of begging for money to keep going.  It's really a shame that they couldn't disguise it as a football clubhouse or a statue of Captain Cook.

So watch the video, take notice of the Malaria deaths because as our climate changes, mosquitos will be moving south and coming for fresh blood. DDT was touted as the best killer of mozzies but it also killed off the bugs that ate them and didn't do much for our health either. And the malaria parasite would just look around and find another vector for it's particular life cycle and on it would go.

Every Government should not have just one Minister for Science, it should have at least one Minister and 20 minions to do the leg work and investigate every invention that might save us from another pandemic. Forget the Border Force, as we've seen, a bullet won't kill a virus but a good Medical Border Force in every port will do a better job.

And just to make you really happy, a programme on tonight said that some sharks could live for 400 years. All I could think of was Dutton and Morrisson floating around our Parliament for 400 years, frightening. 

I hope I have posted this without a mistake

I love it when a dream comes true.

I knew if I looked long enough I would find the right chairs.  I only needed two and my upholsterer tells my these are not reproduction but the real deal.  I was going to cover them in the same regency stripe but it was a bit bright so I wandered over to Bangkok Thai Silk and found this pattern which I already had in strawberry and gold but that was too bright. Like Goldilocks, cinnamon and gold was just right.  It went with the mahogany wood and was the softer shade I wanted.  How well you know me, the fabric cost more than the chairs did but better to have more than not enough and I will have enough to cover the piano stool and maybe a table runner. 

The pattern in pale blue is also beautiful but not the pink, too lolly.  Another decision is to say goodbye to the $25 lounge chair after I remove the lovely feet and have them put on the new/old squashy comfortable couch. In the two years I've had that chair I have sat in it twice, it's comfortable for reading but I can't get out of it without feeling like I'm going to break the chair or me.

That's the only happy news I have.  There is nothing I can say about the Queen's Birthday Boot lickers list except for Marcia Langton, a good woman.  The fire fighters Morrison wouldn't meet and the scientists Morrison would listen too should all get medals. The Crime Minister and his cronies should get the boot.

It's a little early for Christmas but I didn't want to miss this Christmas Mouse.  Put cleaning out the Christmas box of ornaments on my "To Do" list.  
2.30 and the afternoon freeze is approaching, too late to go walking.  Every morning the same, open front door, take a deep breath and start coughing, bloody cold air.

I'm alive but winter is coming.

I'm back and can't imagine where May went when I wasn't looking.  I'm used to S.A.D. in winter and usually get out for enough sunshine before but not this year. It's been too cold and my bones don't function too well in cold. I couldn't even blog, brain had nothing in it so I wandered through ebay looking for something pretty but useless to cheer my self up.  And there is nothing quite so useless as a tiara but this was so pretty.  No doubt it will be covered with cobwebs by the time I dress one of dolls to wear it.

I did buy two lovely dining chairs, the very ones I wanted when I first started looking and a nice little chest of drawers.

The top is the same colour as the drawers, just the light from the camera. It is a really nice piece of furniture but what I really loved was the depth of the drawers, 47cm. A great size for scarves to lay out flat. I wasn't thinking about cupboards or drawers until I smacked my knee on the pine box that holds all my Christmas ornaments at the foot of the bed. Nothing like searing pain in the middle of the night.

Since my sister doesn't read this blog I feel safe with this photo.  Yeppoon had an enormous hailstorm last month and she had to run up from the lower flat to check on dear old Mary who hadn't noticed any storm. The height of fashion for Queensland, leopard skin wrap and a cereal box so the hail didn't crack her skull. At first I didn't notice she'd cut a square in the box and wondered how she could see to get up the stairs.  The back yard was covered in huge hail, I've never seen it that big in Melbourne.
She rang last week to tell me it was warmer in Melbourne than in Qld.

Following the rules, I haven't been out unless to the letter box. We have blue sky this afternoon but when I opened the front door I copped a lung full of chilled air that started the coughing and my eyes watering.  Whatever is in the letterbox can take its chances with the snails.  I think it's going to be a long winter.

My mind is drying up.

It's a shame that I kept the photo but lost the recipe.  It must be easy, just Kit Kat, white marshmallows and coloured jubes.  I'd rather just open the packets, putting it all together just to eat it seems a waste of time.  The less I do, the less I want to do.

No I will not be 'phone apping' tonight.  A sneaky contract to Amazon without including Australian bidders does not inspire trust with this government. Our Crime Minister has said all information will be held in Australia despite the face that any American company can be compelled by the US to hand over any information held in cloud storage which means it really isn't safely held in Australian hands.

Yesterday I decided to go through my mother's Hope Chest. I'm trying to collect all family papers in the one strong box to make it easier for the poor executor of my Will since my sister has refused the job.  I've just made rules for this, do not read any of her diaries. I have diaries of my own mostly written to keep the Doc up to date on her condition but to go over my father's battle with cancer and my son's death is not good in isolation. Apologies to anyone who sent cards for her birthdays but they are going in the bin. As a break, I then go and throw out books for the op shop but will they ever take anything again.

I don't think there will ever be a vaccine for the virus. It may slowly disappear in time but it will always be somewhere. Think about it, so many bodies buried with a dead virus contained but a disaster at some time in the future may bring it all to the surface. If I had a child I would not send them to school.  Write down all the things kids do at school, it's frightening.  I'd be sending mine off to school in a full hazmat suit.  Sorry for all of you locked up with fighting monsters, trying to homeschool but think of all those outback mothers in the early days, breakfast, cleaning, homeschooling, sewing, baking, feeding animals.  Those women were giants compared to us.

And now my opinion of the day regarding the mad mango. He knows he's losing everything and I believe he is wanting to go out in a blaze of glory, an assassination, a grand funeral and a giant monument.  "I almost saved America but look what they did to me".
Australians are more practical, we will wait until scooter chokes himself by putting both feet in his mouth.

Is this too sour a mood, probably.  Only because like most of us, we are sick and tired of the lies and selfishness of Politicians.  Send kids to school when you go back to Parliament and earn your pay. We won't forget $181 for a politician's lunch and $6 a day for our oldies in stinking Aged Care Homes.  I think I'll go and sweeten myself up, I just remembered a bag of musk sticks in with the tea towells.  Shows how long since I washed a dish.

Visit Qld, don't stay

I just adore this dress and this colour, it's me, totally me.

Now that we've had the eye candy, I'll tell you about my sister who is becoming quite the Queenslander, in other words, dumb, cuckoo, twit, bogan even.

She rang last week and wanted to know if I'd been to the solicitor yet, no, not until I work out what has to be changed.  She wanted me to put a note in my will saying that she did not want a funeral when she passed. You do get this, my will, her non funeral. I told her to go to the Post Office and buy a will form and do it herself.  Not only that but she wants her ashes sprinkled in the creek she played in at Ferntree Gully.  By this time I'd lost the will to live let alone sprinkle bloody ashes. Is she getting someone to bring them down from Qld or posting them? Am I supposed to get someone with a car to go there since I don't drive and doesn't she remember she has a son. I may have another 20 or 30 years before I have to worry and I won't be thinking about her getting to the big beyond before me. The only reason I'm going to my solicitor is that bit about being sound of mind and he can testify it for this week at least. The body is falling apart but it's the sound of mind bit you have to get right.  I can just see her will now, no funeral, ashes to be scattered and I leave my collection of genuine Queensland worn out rubber thongs to my sister.

Sooo black bathrooms

Matching black bathroom for the bedroom. See what I mean about the lighting? I also hate subway tiles, they remind me of Flinders Street railway station. Not fussed about the copper fixtures either. And all the reno shows I've been watching are putting in Granite etc bench tops but an Australian show yesterday had a professional on that said it was bad to put the sink underneath as the surround can chip. Finally some one with sense. Personally I love the basin that sit on top and I love the oval greenish glass ones until I found out the price so porcelain will do.

Okay so it has a chandelier in a coffered (I had to use that word, just found out what it was) ceiling. Toilet - black, if you can't see it perfectly in that chandeliered light then how about daylight.  I can't even see if the lid is up or down and it must be down according to my Feng Shui book or your money goes down the drain. I do like the square pedestal bottom but the flushing handle, for sure I would crash into that every time I sat down but I would like it on the side. Love the basin, like the marble and love the legs, love the hand towell and the mirror.  But have you noticed something missing, like toilet roll so is this a bidet with a hot fan to dry the bits? A mystery so you see what I mean about black. 

Another black hole in space.  There are curtains on the left hiding the shower and there's no way our exs would not have missed peeing in the wrong direction. Love the wall paper and the mirror.  See what I mean about the basin sitting on top of the bench, more space. Don't know about the greenery, it looks cheap unless it is a de-smelling plant.  Noticed again, no toilet roll. Don't like the ultra slim pedestal, I have a feeling I would do untold damage to that and the corner of the bench top looks a might sharpish just right for a fat hip to hit. I have to give this one an epic fail.

 

Now I'm rather partial to these tiles though but I can hear my mother now giving the one decent piece of advice that turned out to be excellent.  Always have white on the bathroom floor because of the talcum powder.  She was right, unbelievable how far powder can fly and accumulate in corners.  Worse if you use baby cornstarch powder with aloe and you should use that since Talcum is crushed mineral and Johnson's baby powder just got pulled for having adulterated stuff in the talc. I have a small heater in the bathroom to warm up the bones and if the powder floats in there, the whole bathroom smells like baking scones. Now back to the tiles, I would love them in pearl and matt hint of palest pink, just a blush, nothing more kitsch than a hot pink bathroom or purple with a gold bath, I couldn't bring myself to post that.
Go to town in the comments except if I've insulted your purple bathroom. I know it's not yours Andrew, you're more the sultry lux crimson.

Poor Antikva, crunched a fetlock again.

She blamed me for telling her to be careful and demanded to know why her bedroom hadn't been prepared and posted.  Very hard to find a black and gold over the top room but I think this does the job.  I did find a black and gold bathroom to match but it was so dark it didn't show up well.  In fact it was so dark I would have had to put in strobe lights so she would find the fittings and not fall in the bath and crunch another fetlock.
The seat at the end of the bed looks big but only because at the push of a button, a flat screen tv slides up and has been pre-loaded with every season of Midsomer Murder.

Every time I look at this I want to close my eyes and sleep.  An unexpected visitor last week had me trying to do two years house cleaning in two days. I didn't do too badly with one small pile still left which is mostly papers and plastic bags, some of mother's still with me. Now I could have sworn I'd been through all of her stuff but friend who dragged another two bags to the op-shop rang and said she'd found my enduring Power of Att. in a pocket of a purse, dated 2000.  I must check that I haven't still been carrying around in my new purse another copy.  It reminded me that I have to change my will again, more money but only needs one paragraph.  No funeral, since I intend to outlive you all but I'll send a tweet and you lot can organize the grog blog get together. I've been told that in the spirit world there is no sense of time so we can have a 20 year party and not get bored. The LNP are going to the other place so we won't be worried by them.

Take care Antikva, you only have two legs.

I'll have the best

 The dazzling Swarovski Room on the top level, mine all mine. Sometimes though I have been asked to turn all the lights on if it's too foggy for the local lighthouse. Now that I look at it I could use larger bedside tables, I could barely get a glass and the gin bottle on those. No wonder I keep dropping the glass and here I was thinking that I must make four my limit. I'll call my architect tomorrow.

Now don't worry about shouts for help or the clinking of chains, he calms down after a while.  It's not like I'm asking too much for him to just sit in a chair so I can look at him. Honestly the carry-on when I first bought him up here from the slave market and all he was going to get was a bath and a hair cut.

So absolutely cute sitting with all those rainbow bubbles floating around the bathroom and I did give him plenty of large towells.

I'd take the chains off if he didn't keep trying to run away and I suppose I'll have to let him go eventually. He says my eyes are wearing the skin off him but his sparkle just goes so well with the room.

How could I lose a bedroom?

Now I thought this would suit Annie O'Dyne although the Cheval mirror will have to go. The last thing we need first thing in the morning is a mirror especially one that big.

Plenty of chairs for you to stagger from one to the other.

A early morning tea table with room for a computer will be rolled in first thing.

Matching chair below hides a secret so let's just say you won't have to stagger on two sticks in the middle of the night looking for the ensuite. 

Now, River, I have to disappoint you with the teal colour, I've searched everywhere but cannot locate that bedroom.

I think this will do just beautifully, it has a matching Lola chair where she will be so comfortable.

No chandelier but isn't that panel in the ceiling just divine and there are chandeliers either side for book reading.

I think I would love waking up here although I would need a much larger bed, a lot of me would be hanging over the edges of this sweet bed.

The house is filling

 

Still with the bedrooms but so many pretty ones to look at.  This is for Elephant's Child, it's a bit plain but after all that Canberra smoke I thought the large window and the green view would be just the room for you.

 Every room has an en suite and this is perfect.  There is a seat in the shower, my dream. I love all the different showerheads and there is a bath but in mine that will be another seat. It's bad enough now drying my feet without falling a over t so if your preference is for a bath for reading a book or looking out the window, no seat. I rather like the soft colour, not cold (floor is heated) but warm.

A bedroom for Beth.  No chandelier, I sobbed at that but your wish was for none. You didn't mention carpet so wooden floorboards it is. I like lush carpet, warm on the feet in winter but carpet goes with chandelier and you didn't want one. Carpet can be installed the day before you arrive, just state your preference.

I wish my bedroom looked like this at the moment but like the rest of the house it's more like landfill. Now I must go and find where I put River's teal bedroom.  Such a big house, a bit like the Tardis, looks small on the outside but huge inside which is how I managed to lose a bedroom.

Still on the dream house

I did tell you that I would be putting in a glass elevator and I think this is perfect. No toiling up the stairs for us broken old tarts, we will have style. 

Now who would like the blue bedroom?  I love the buttoned blanket box at the foot of the bed but I would have my books in that.  Only the best chandeliers for my friends. I love the rug so much I would be happy to sleep on that.

Now because I so rude about dear Andrew, I've picked out a lovely room for him.  Notice all the panelling, it's sound proofing as I've heard his snoring could outdo a fog horn. Really, Highriser, I think you would look quite handsome in this room.

Leave your colour preference in the comments and I will do my best interior decorating skills for you.  Sorry Elephant's Child but I have not found one room with penguin rugs or wallpaper.  I was looking for a wall sized mural with ice and penguins but I will keep searching. 

Rain, Hail, Dust darkness and Locusts in Africa.

Look what thoughts and prayers have brought us, Armageddon, thanks scooter you creep.
So we must have an antidote to Canberra's Liberals and this is it.  Even by itself, it's a divine opal and I would have like just a plain diamond surround but lovely that the gems have picked up all the colours of the opal.  When you look at your hand you can get an idea of how big that gem is. Luscious.  

 Not only am I addicted to renovation shows but "prospectors" gets me in with the joy of digging out a large piece of aquamarine or like the other night, a bi-colour Topaz. It has nothing to do with this object and I want it badly and I know River will want it and Elephant's Child will want it.  It's a revolving garden sphere, sun shining too much just move it a little around to the shade. Room for the Gin tray, laptop, afternoon tea with cakes.  Seat looks a bit hard, throw another cushion in.  Lovely light for twilight time reading.  Winter, you say well just a stone's throw away would be a nice fire pit to throw a bit of warmth. I haven't quite worked out if the table goes up and down to accommodate our various sizes but I think it's neat.  I have just the place for it.

Make this big and it is.  My sister's latest painting and those eyes are really sharp and on point. I'm not fond of dogs, too easy to fall over but I wouldn't want those eyes staring at me for too long. She's getting on well with the painting but is finding out what humidity feels like up north.  I'm going those dogs are really spooking me.