Sunrise? Sunset?

Someone I used to spend a lot of time with once asked me if I preferred a sunrise or a sunset. I can't remember what my answer was (let's be honest I probably didn't get to answer, just listen to an hour or two of what he preferred).

I'm still not sure what my answer is. Both are magical, amazing, beautiful and wonder inspiring.

A sunrise holds promise. Of a new day. A new beginning. At sunrise the world is fresh and ready. I saw some fabulous sunrises travelling to work from Geelong every day. There were memorable sunrises in Maldon (of all places!), Queensland and on aeroplanes in various locations. One of my favourites was the sunrise in Western Australia, the morning after we'd watch the sunset at Cape Leeuwin.

Sunsets are different. For me, they should be a sigh of happiness at the end of a day well lived. A fitting full stop to glorious hours of daylight. I have probably seen many more sunsets than sunrises but that does not make either more special. I loved that Cape Leeuwin sunset. Watching the sunsets on the Mediterranean from the cruise ship - Santorini, Mykonos, Corfu. Venice!

Sunset - Venice, Italy. (JB2010)

Family Tree

I got a call a while back from my cousin Janie (well my cousin's daughter actually). She's been putting together the Claber family tree and wondered if I'd like a look. Mary Claber was my Grandmother, Dad's Mum. The tree is interesting and Janie's gone back a long way.

It got me started on my family tree which branches into Bentley and Andrew and then goes back to Bradbury. Susan and I had worked on a lot of this when I was over there one winter (pre 1996) and I will always remember AC helping us and the phone calls to Harold Bradbury. The horror of discovering that an ancestor, Norris Bradbury, owned the land that became Tandle Hills and gave it to the people for a penny. "Tandle Hills is our land," AC told us. Lordy what it would be worth these days!!!!

That family tree ended up scribbled on the back of a flattened out Cornflakes box and I looked after it for many years until I gave it to Joanne when we went last year. Very different to the current tree which is on ancestry.com.

It's interesting to find out about people you didn't know. For example my great grandfather, Thomas Claber, was a self actor minder which meant he watched the self acting mule, a multi-threaded spinning machine. He was killed at Gallipoli in June 1915. On Mum's side, on of Grandad's brothers was Harry Andrew. There is not much information about him but searching the records, there is a Harry Andrew who was killed at Flanders Field who seems to match. I wonder if it is him. Part of me thinks no, because surely Mum would have told me. I wish she was here to ask.

Mr Magorium

Quite a few years ago now, I went on an end of year excursion with the 3/4's at SAPS. We took them to the Sun Theatre in Yarraville to see the movie "Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium". I wasn't that impressed at the time but these days it seems to come on the t.v. a fair bit and I've noticed it contains some quirky little quotes......

"Your life is an occasion. Rise to it." (Don't you love that one?)

"We must face tomorrow, whatever it may hold, with determination, joy and bravery."

They set all the clocks in a store to sound at exactly the same time...in 37 seconds. So they wait, except...." We breathe. We pulse. We regenerate. Our hearts beat. Our minds create. Our souls ingest. 37 seconds, well used, is a lifetime."

And of course there are some fabuolous shoe quotes....
"I fell so completely in love with these shoes, I bought enough pairs to last my whole lifetime. This is my last pair."

"Mr Magorium, toy impresario, wonder afficionado and avid shoe wearer."

Monopoly

Our Boxing Day tradition is board games. For some people this means bored games but I love them! And the one I love most is Monopoly. I enjoy the original game and I am always the canon to blow people out of the water. While it's great to have the prestige row of greens (Oxford, Bond, Regent) and navy blues (Mayfair, Park Lane), there's something to be said about owning the less popular streets and pumping them up to hotel status fairly quickly. I have won by owning only Old Kent Road and Whitechapel Road with hotels.

I have also been called a pirhana when playing the game!

Now, the original Monopoly is a great classic but my favourite Monopoly is the Wizard of Oz version. Where else can you try to buy a brain, heart, courage and the way home (instead of stations)? And "streets" include Munchkinland, Emerald City and The Rainbow. Awesome.

My Left Foot

I love shoes. That was said in my last post but this post is about shoes (and feet) too. I am so excited that I won the Style Tread competition and I will be getting a pair of shoes every month for the next year!!! (Providing I don't go over the $3000 limit before that)

Since I had my foot surgery my shoe addiction has become an obsession. I think that it's because I spent so long unable to wear nice shoes - first that giant lump restricted what I could wear and then it took ages to get my feet back into shape after the surgery to take out the giant lump.

Just remember that this is how my left foot looked right after the bandages were removed:

(With apologies to the squeamish).

Anyway I will enjoy "buying" shoes. Trust me on that. I may even get a pair of higher heels in the hope that one day my big toe will feel things again and I will be able to balance on something higher than a couple of inches.

My favourite things .... shoes

Love shoes. Am loving this pair especially at the moment. And one day they will be mine.

http://www.styletread.com.au/zeeman-black.html

Dear Justy

When you were smaller and we would make up stories together, I was always the Princess and you were the funny little sidekick who hung around with me. My little squirrel friend. What a Disney movie it would have made - you and me paddling the canoe up the river singing at the top of our lungs! 

Anyway, I know that I am still a goddess who can do anything in your young eyes but tent erection is not one of my strong points. In fact, as far as I am concerned, anything less than 5 star is camping. So why choose me as the person to help you practise putting your new tent up??? 

Oh yes, that would be for my undeniable skill of picking up the phone and using my index finger to call your Godfather.

Thanks for all the laughter and amusement you gave everyone by asking!

Much love always,

Jean