ANZAC DAY 2016

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.

Vale Karen

The below fragment of a tale was originally written when Oriel left us - I have added to it as I can just imagine our two Bright Souls indulging happily in Madcap Adventures as they wait for us in the Great Library Beyond....
****...
Death opened the door to a light and cheerful knock. The Woman standing there - bare of feet, bright of eye, dark of hair - looked up at him and asked "What happens now?"

YOUR CHOICE replied Death
"Ahhh..." She said with delight "Then there will be a Library - full of the books I have read and all the ones I have yet to read. And room enough for all my friends when their time comes as well"
*****
And there within the library – a smiling familiar face – curled happily within a large and comfortable chair and scribbling madly her latest novel.
The two embraced “What Shenanigans shall we wage upon the world as we wait for the others to join us?"
“Oooh let me think….” And with a wicked chuckle they both began to plot
****
[my words modelled upon the writing style and characters of Sir Terry Pratchett]

Lest We Forget

In Flanders fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
John McCrae (1872–1918)

 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.
Laurence Binyon (1869–1943)

Vale

Death opened the door to a light and cheerful knock. The Woman standing there - bare of feet, bright of eye, dark of hair - looked up at him and asked "What happens now?"

YOUR CHOICE replied Death

"Ahhh..." She said with delight "Then there will be a Library - full of the books I have read and all the ones I have yet to read. And room enough for all my friends when their time comes as well"
...

And so it was

[my words modelled upon the writing style and characters of Sir Terry Pratchett]

 

 

And when my time does come I am sure I will find a veritable mountain of books needing cataloguing for this Library-Heaven - and my friend happily curled up in her favourite chair reading her latest favourite book (and then bustling off to cook for us all)

 

Still kicking....

I know I know - I've been off lolly-gagging about the universe rather than updating vital and important blog spots.

It's that whole "work / sleep / work" grind going on over here at the moment.

But in happier memories (ie last November) - I totally walked on the most active volcano in New Zealand AND DIDN'T DIE!!!

Some suspicious characters were lurking about on our travels too!

Waving from Down Under

*pops up out of oblivion for a quick posting*

Hello all!

Just a very quick update to say that I "still aint' dead" (Pratchett reference for those in the know :D )

Currently working two jobs to make ends met - 3 days (Monday to Friday) at one centrally located in the city; and 2 days a week on the far side of the city (3 buses to reach it so a bit of a commute). The second job is a temporary 'backfill' position while someone is away on six weeks leave.  I am hoping if I make a good impression that I will be mentioned to other libraries in the Government net as being reliable and useful whenever they need someone to do a temporary coverage.

Am enjoying both jobs - very different from each other. Job one is with a teaching curriculum area; Job two - a forensic library (and no... I won't read any more of the random reports that hit my work email from now on.  First one was enough of an "eewwww" to teach me)

IN at home things. Laundry refit is almost completed.  A number of delays - mostly due to my on-going recent health dramas - have pushed the completion back a bit.  The 14th of this month will see the installation of the handmade (by my Dad) bench top - and that will be the final item.  My Dad was keen to make it from the remainder of the wooden floor panels that I have in my lounge room - so he's been labouring over it for the last month (the longest and most vital board having a major bow in it - he's been flattening it via my older brothers gym weights set)

In "going to cost me $$" renovations - I have a Contractor dropping by tomorrow to quote purchase and installation of a reverse air-conditioning unit. A very necessary thing when I will be off on holidays come November (my "once in a lifetime trip" with a friend) and my Parents have offered to come and stay and look after my cat.  Their own home is fully air-conditioned and since November over here is the end of spring in to summer - I worry about them over heating. So large financial investment about to occur that I had originally planned to do sometime next year... opps!

And since I hate having strangers enter my place if it's a mess (friends - ehhh... they can and do survive with the inevitable detritus of my busy life) - I have spent much of today cleaning and de-cluttering (mostly items that belong in the laundry but have been living upstairs for the last year due to lack of room to both renovate AND store things).  AM exhausted but it's almost done

So yes - not very exciting life but one that is productive. Being a grown up can be hard work!

Oh and in mil-support... sadly I am without anyone to support at the moment.  My last adoptee went home in early August and I decided I need to take a bit of break till my health has improved. I miss having someone to spoil and make smile so I will be looking to rejoin one of the support teams come December or the New Year (but not the group I was affiliated with 2009 until earlier this year.  Their newly acquired worship of the almightly dollar offends me greatly when always before it was "for the troops".. now it seems to be "dollars for us first"...)

Am willing to take on personal recommendations if you personally know of someone deployed and in need of Happiness parcels.  They have to be willing to have an adoptive "Nutty" Australian Auntie for the duration and not mind receiving amusing snacks once in a while *cough Musk Sticks cough*.  Contact me directly - via the email listed on my "about" page

And now I need to head off to sleep.  Much to achieve prior to the Contractors arrival tomorrow (and woe to him if he fails to arrive - I was required to swap my only day off this month to accommodate him!)

Stay safe all!

Miss me?

Sorry for the bandwidth silence - life got a little bit hectic

Three days in hospital - surgery and then another week and a half off work to recover.

It was an abscess - it formed incredibly suddenly and doubled in size during my first day at the hospital so emergency surgery was required

I'm doing much better now and looking forward to getting back to the laundry renovations in a week or two (on the last stage now - just need to install a bench and put all the cupboards together [*cough* flatpack *cough*] and I'm done)

Slow Pax

... is slow.  And more slow at blogging.

It's not that I don't really have anything to blog about, it's more "do I really want to burden my friends with my dramas?".... the Black Dog of depression has been here to visit me recently

However in less angsty news -

My 3 days a week paying job is going well. I believe I am making a solid contribution to making their digital archive collection both compliant with the Audit (Document) Act; and ensuring that the items can be accessed in to the future. 

My 1 day a week volunteer job at the Museum library is resulting in lost literary treasures being unearthed (last week's 'find' - an 1888 printed book on an Australian Expeditery adventure that seems to be the only original copy left in the world - go me!).  These items have never been included in a catalogue or list of holdings so it is a surprise to the Library staff when I unearth the rarities from the archives

I am continuing with the renovations to my laundry - and by accident - my bathroom (discovered that the window frame in there needed some derusting etc).  Let's *not* talk about how well pavement paint can bond to laundry floor cement....  Grrrrr  [multiple coats of paint stripper seem to be having an effect].  Of course I need a clean floor (slightly scuffed with a sander) before I can lay the new floor tiles... 

Oh and I have committed myself to new window blinds for the apartment - wooden look wide slats in the 'plantation' style old world charm.  Once those are installed (in 6 weeks or so...) then the lounge & kitchen renovations are complete; and it's part the first of the bedroom make over.

I'd still like to win a fortune, find true love, and help with World Peace - but those ones will have to wait for another day to be actioned.

Sorry - Dullus Paxus et Maximus - I'll check in next month and see if there is any more excitement in my life.

An ending...

Feeling sad and a bit lost tonight... after 5 years of belonging to the Troop Support group Soldiers Angels, I have resigned my membership.

I find I am no longer comfortable with how it is being managed. I do wish all those Angels still involved the very best - may you continue to show the Troops your love and kindness until they all come home

Hardest thing was writing to my current adoptee to explain just why she will be shortly receiving a "you have been re-assigned" letter... I am sure that she will find a new "official" Angel to care and support her (and if she chooses then she'll have her very own unofficial "Fallen Angel" as well)

And perhaps a new beginning...

It's been suggested by a friend (and fellow Former Angel) that I join a new group that supports the troops directly - no red tape involved - just as much support and joy that I can send.

Let's hope they accept my application - I have a lot of love, care and kindness to give and I can't think of any group more deserving than those that stand in harms way, so that the rest of us can "sleep soundly in our beds"...

Wish me luck!

Happy New Year

I hope that 2014 proves to be a good year for us all.

And that all of those troops in harms way come home safely.

New Year Resolutions....
I think I shall resolve to be a better person - speak and act as kindly as I can; be there for my friends and fellows as much as I can; and (as my mother does) accept each day as a gift - not to be squandered

Dreaming...

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas....

Or perhaps a little less heat down here in Australia

**QUEENSLAND FACES DAYS OF SCORCHING HEAT**
 *Over the next few days maximum temperatures will begin to climb well into the... 40s inland and spread East towards coastal districts by Sunday! Adding extra discomfort high humidity levels along the coast will make it feel even hotter.
*On Sunday Brisbane city is going for a top of 37c, Sunshine Coast 36c, Gold Coast 33c, however head a few kms inland and it gets nasty... Ipswich 41, Gympie 40c , Gatton 41.5c, Darling Downs 40c and Toowoomba 37c, before a cooler change only in the South East on Monday.
*The Western 3/4 of the state are likely to see max temps between 40c and 46c for the next 5 days at least.
 http://www.emergency.qld.gov.au/emq/css/heatwave.asp

Santa Boot Camp

Why oh why can I see some of my merrily military friends applying for jobs here? :)

Merry Christmas to all my friends - stay safe!

Australian wildlife at play!

December 13, 2013: Several black swans have been filmed frolicking just off shore near the Gold Coast, catching waves in and out several times before darting off

Winner - Poppy Contest!

And the winner of the Poppy Key ring is

Cinder Ella

Winning the Poppy coin would mean a lot to me. November 11 holds special significance, my grandfather and great-grandfather fought at Vimy Ridge almost one hundred years ago. I hope to Visit Vimy in 2017 and walk in the trenches. This coin would be a special keepsake for me. Hoping it becomes a reality.

Cinder - please contact me with your mailing address

Poppy Competition reminder

Six days before the competition closes...

http://marionsmeepings.blogspot.com.au/

We shall remember

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.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ode_of_Remembrance

In Flanders Fields...

Poppy Key ring competition

Each year I like to commemorate Remembrance Day (11th of November) by having a Poppy Competition.

This year the prize will be a Key Ring

The back bears the inscription RSL - Respecting the Past - Securing a future - Lest we Forget



(RSL = Returned and Services League)

 

 



In order to enter you MUST write a short paragraph on WHY you would like the Poppy Prize (what it means to you etc). And then submit it - along with your name/blogging name - as a comment to this post.


The Rules:-

Must be PG-13! (if you feel that using a rude word is required then bleep it out - let's think of the potential that one day my Mum might read this)

You do NOT need to be a regular reader of this blog to enter (sniffle... but you COULD stick around and read more - just saying)

You can be from anywhere in the world.

Past Contest winners are welcome to enter (The judge is impartial and not me)

 If you win - you will need to supply me with a mailing address. I promise to hold the information safely and never share it beyond my Post Office.

If you leave your entry under the "Anonymous" tag - please be sure to add your name or nickname at the bottom so I can track you down later should you win.

If you find that Blogger won't let you post a message or worse - it disappears into the ether - then email me directly (you can find my email address under my profile)

The Winner will need to contact me by last day of November 2013 at the latest with their mailing address or there will be a redraw.

The Winning comment will be judged on or about the 20th of November

***just in case the whole idea of writing something is wigging you out, I have included some examples on how you could frame your entry***

"I would love to win the Poppy Coin because it reminds me of the service that my *insert name/relative/friend* gave to our country"

"Would be a cool thing to have in my memorabilia cabinet - along with my other Remembrance Day badges"

November? Already?

Whoops - I am so behind with the blogging - so sorry about that.

Just a very quick update as I am due to race off to visit with my parents for lunch.

My New job continues to go well.  Three days a week - permanent part-time and really lovely people to work with.  I think I have been blessed to find this position.

My home renovations are limping along with a bit of a splutter. 
Have just taken possession of another lockable storage cupboard for my carport (it came flatpak of course so yesterday I became my alter-ego of "Assembly Girl" - fastest spanner in the universe!).  I plan to shift things out from the laundry in to the two cupboards so that I can begin the renovations in there.  Plans are for a tiled floor - removal of the old cement double sink to allow a much more compact tub to be installed (I need more bench space so this will help); installation of a proper work bench at one end so I can keep all the tools together and have somewhere sturdy to do leather work and other crafts.
By the time I am done I will have the most sparkly clean and *useful* laundry room on the block! (due to the nature of the apartment building I live in - the laundry room fronts my carport on the ground floor - luckily for me it's right below my apartment so I don't have far to descend to reach it)

So I should be able to keep any "Honey Do's" to a minimum.  Which is good since they are in reality "Dad can you's".   :)

Catch up with you all soon!

We few...

The feast day of Saints Crispin and Crispinian is 25 October

This day is call’d the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam’d,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say “To-morrow is Saint Crispian.”
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say “These wounds I had on Crispi...an’s day.”
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he’ll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb’red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.

               William Shakespeare's play Henry V in Act IV Scene iii 18-67

Memories!

...Embarrassing Memories!...

I posted this to my facebook page and then thought - Why not extend the embarrassment across the Social Media spectrum?!?

*******************

Did you know... I was once a "Calendar Girl"?

Okay so I was eleven and it's the back page of that year's Girl Guides Calendar  (aka Girl Scouts)... but still - my moment of National Embarrassment lives in posterity!

The things you find as you are desperately searching for a certification required for the new job...