Devotion to Duty

So, on 25th November this year, the lovely Cathy married the lovely Matt. Now, for most people, their wedding day (apparently) is extremely busy, but what did they find time to do? Vote! Devotion to duty in the extreme!
Check out the pic of Cathy on her way (courtesy and probably copyright--all credit to them--of the Herald Sun in their photo galleries).

Isn't that sensational? I'm all for voting, even in the UK where it isn't compulsory, so credit to them for bypassing the option of the postal vote.

Talking of which, *how* long are they taking to verify the votes??? Beks is beside herself with anticipation, and I'm not sure how much longer she'll hold out before exploding! Hurry up vote-counting-people! Provisional counts (for those of you who are interested) available here.

Ma bicyclette est jolie

Today the girls made excellent purchases, with Sara getting a bicycle helmet, Sam picking up her newly-serviced bicycle, and me getting gloves and these really cool reflectors . Cleverly, they're made by a local Melbornian, and the panniers have been shortlisted for the Victorian Premier's Design Awards: City of Melbourne Sustainabiliity Category. Check out the site and the panniers.
There may be photos of us looking tres chic on our velos tomorrow :-D
In the meantime, enjoy the fact that, a while ago, Eddie somehow found me spokeydokes!
Look how shiny and cool they are! I look well flash on the roads now, and no excuse for anyone hitting me (or, as Jim The Hippy pointed out, although I'm a moving target, I'm easier to see and therefore easier to hit... He's always helping!)
There may need to be photos of the shininess tomorrow, if I can stay awake long enough to photograph them in the dark. I wonder whether I can get some more so Sara feels much cooler than she currently does in her new bicycle helmet?

Out with the old; in with the new!

We have a new settee!
All very exciting, and comfortable, which is an improvement on the poor old futon, which is looking very sad and bedraggled these days. Sad, old, saggy futon (below), has been with me since 2002, when Michelle Regan moved out and bequeathed it to me. Since then, many people have slept on the futon including [commence futon hall of fame] me, Leah, Rosie, Jenny, Ben, Michelle #2, Mike, Lisa, Ed, Sian, Lara, Andrew, Beks, Andrew #2, my Mum and Dad. All of whom, for many years, stated that the futon was quite, quite comfortable until my Mum and Dad's most recent visit earlier this year. Having slept for lengthy periods of time (up to a month) on the futon of glory over the last 5 years, and having extolled its virtues to me many a time, this year they finally said "Gosh, the futon's not very comfortable" and "I hardly slept a wink last night" and other such things. So Ed and I went shopping and the result (of many hours' hard labour traipsing through shops and sitting on settees) is below in all its chocolatey brown yummy leather comfortable goodness!

Knitting Frenzy

This would probably be quite a normal entry, only today I saw a site which gives you a pattern to knit a womb. There's a *really* strange picture of it hanging in a tree.
You heard me!
The lovely Micki (who currently has a broken hand, so I popped round yesterday to do shopping and carrying and unpacking) and I were casually chatting, and I mentioned a knitting pattern Sam had shown me to knit a hat somewhat like an Arthurian Knight's chainmail headwear. Check out Sam (on the left) in the one her Grannie knitted for her, which arrived yesterday.

Anyway, Micki told me about the knitted womb then (bizarrely, on the same site). Now, how bored do you have to be to not only come up with the concept, but also to make the pattern???!!!

See the cuddly pink womb here (image and pattern copyright of the designer and the website):
Who wants one?!

Voting: Gunpowder, treason and plot

You may be aware that the day for Australian elections is at hand. In fact, it is on Saturday 25th November, at all council election posts near you. Find out more here. (In fact, if you aren't aware, and you aren't even registered to vote, SHAME ON YOU! Go! You should vote and then, depending on the outcome, you will be entitled to rant about the state of politics. Go on! Go now!)
Anyway, moving slightly back to the point of today's theme, I was faced the other day with an A4-sized landscape piece of paper stuck at eye-level to a lamppost on Fitzroy Street in St Kilda. Normally faced with enormous billboard-type things slung on lampposts well above my head with hideous photographs of local election candidates, I was somewhat surprised to note that the theme of the poster was also in fact about elections. In fact, it said:

VOTE 1: Bring back Guy Fawkes' Night Party

And, indeed, who can argue with that? I too would like to see the return of Guy Fawkes' Night, if only for the excitement of a nice roaring fire to warm your fingers and toes at the beginning of a November with strangely atypical (I am assured by stalwart Melburnians) weather (I refer you to the snowfall just a couple of days ago, which was more snow than they had in the Snowys the whole of last season), and a few nice fireworks (I have grown to like them since my younger days, when I am told I hid my face in her shoulder and muttered "Me no like'm the bang ones, Mummy"). I have to wonder what their other policies are, but I think perhaps they might have featured highly in my list of parties, were I eligible to vote. For those interested in the history of Guy Fawkes, check this out.
For those of you with a lyrical bent:
Remember, remember the fifth of November,
The gunpowder, treason and plot,
I see of no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
Want to make your own policies? Check out the inspirational Policy Generator. Or simply make up your own - someone, somewhere, will vote for you!

Children of the Night

I love this work. Coco-Mac on the Noise site.
My fave has to be this one. She looks like she needs taking home.
I wonder whether I could make one...?
I am feeling all crafty after the lovely Julianne (mother of Beks) went through an entire drawer of old fabrics last night while Ed and I were over for dinner, and she gave me masses of bits and pieces. Goodness knows where I am going to store them all! We won't know where to put our toesies now, what with all the pins and bobbins and scraps and scissors.
There will have to be much crafting and giving-away in the coming weeks/ months I think.

I did a bad, bad thing

Today I went shopping at lunchtime with Cathy and Sam so that Cathy could buy a fascinator from Hannii (horrible website, divine clothes) to wear with her gorgeous pink oriental/ prom style frock from Ink to Derby Day on Saturday.
She came away with the fascinator and a rather lovely short jacket to wear with the dress (incredibly the same fabric, yet a completely different shop!).
I came away from the trip with not one dress, but two (these girls are almost as much of a bad influence as Lara):
One from Alannah Hill called He Drives Me Crazy, and one from the nicolangela range in a fabulous teal....
*sigh*
Alas for my bank account, though. Ed is going to have kittens when he sees the cc this month!

The Vagaries of Coffee

How do you like your latte? Milky consistency, or creamy consistency? I mean, the lattes I have drunk in my time (and forget about the actual coffee here, because that could well have been burnt or muddy or out-of-date) have varied endlessly from the weakest skimmed milk pap to the creamiest yummiest thick goodness that I like. In between, of course, I've had coffees that professed to be lattes, which were actually flat whites with a bit of cappuccino froth on top, and flat whites with a bit of something on the top which I *think* was milk, but may just have been a bit of scum, and various other things which may not actually have been coffee at all... My vote goes to the creamy latte, please and thank you, so now I am pleased that the new barista at the Arkibar actually makes them just right.

Now Jim, on the other hand, had all sorts of issues with macchiatos (or macchiatoes?!), when in Sydney. This was because in Sydney they have no idea what a *long* macchiato is. So he had to tell them every time how to make a long macchiato, and every time they still got it wrong. (Mind you, this could also be because, in general, as everyone knows, the coffee making in Melbourne far surpasses and coffee making in Sydney). Poor Jim. He is *so* relieved to be back in Melbourne!

Ah, yes, daylight savings

You would think that it would be quite simple if someone sends you an invitation to a bbq on Saturday night stating that it's to celebrate Tim's B'day (although actually that was two weeks ago) and Daylight Savings, to make it to the bbq you have to go to the following day on time. You would think that might mean that you remember on Sunday (or even on Saturday night) to change your clocks.
But no, we blithely went to bed at 2pm (after a fantastic bbq celebration involving homebrew, sausages, red wine, local beer made from wattle, and yummy things called Clinkers*).
And then we blithely awoke at 12, and quietly assessed the possibility of an overhang (Eleri: no; Ed: yes).
And then we texted Beks to say "Oh, sorry, just woken up - will be at your bbq by 2pm".
No problem, we thought, so we had a shower, we got dressed, we pottered around and sorted ourselves out and then toddled along to the bbq.
Only to discover that there were only about 8 people left, and that the bbq (horror!) had been both cleaned and put away, and that we had missed the raffle** and everything!
We strolled through and said "Hi, sorry we're a bit late" and everyone looked at us and said we were *very* late, and we said "Ah, but surely not, for look, it is 2pm, and we said we would be here at 2" [yeah, ok, we were being a bit over-triumphant at our getting-up achievements].
At which they all collapsed, said "I told you so" to each other, and then "Ah, but no, because look, it is actually 3".
And we said "Oh".
Mind you, then we ate yummy chocolate chip biscuits made by Gayle, and lovely apple and cinnamon cake# made by Beks, and also met the lovely Paul Vout (who seems to be positively the nicest and most genuine politician I have ever met). So, vote for Vout.

However, I did make on time to The Chocolate Buddha to meet up with Rhino Rita to give her a little rhino brooch made by Klei, and have extremely yummy Age Dashi Tofu, Teriyaki Beef, Seared Tuna in lime and bamboo shoot salad, and a glass of wine in the evening, and then we looked at pictures of the snow leopards at Taronga Zoo in Sydney - yay!

*Clinkers: Oh my god. They said "want a clinker?" I said "want a what?" They said "just try one" so I did. Yummy sugary chocolate-y goodness.

**Raffles happen at money-raising events for politicians. In my opinion, in the extremely safe seat of Malvern, Paul needs all the help he can get. Besides, check out his cute smile in this photo.

# Must get the recipe.