Drifting through life

When I lived in my previous home, I had two more rooms than I have now. So I had a lot more stuff. Most of it useless and unnecessary. But it was mine and I liked it. Then I got this smaller flat and had to pass on a lot of that stuff. Choosing what to let go was a big, big, decision. Heart breaking. Like these two puppies...... on the far right, Vanilla Custard, more commonly known as Custard , left of him is Chocolate Fudge, more commonly known as Fudge.  Gorgeously soft and floppy, cuddly too. They were Christmas puppies, one had a red and green striped scarf, the other a red and white striped, long, stocking cap. With a pom-pom on the end. I took them to the local St Vinnies op shop, they were placed in the window and sold the next day. I miss them, and now that there is a new baby in the family, I wish I'd kept them. What baby doesn't love a stuffed puppy? At least I still have the baby polar bear, Caramel , and the long-armed monkey, Jerome.  My ...

In spite of the room still having its full quota of furniture, plus a couple of extra cushions, there is a hollowness, an emptiness. The Christmas Tree is gone. Packed away. Every single bauble is in its box and sealed. The tinsel over the doorways has been taken down. The beads and stars on the curtain rods are in their boxes. The bedroom tree and bathroom tree have been wrapped in paper and stashed in the cupboard. Ditto the sleigh. I rearranged the top of the wardrobe so that the smaller, separate section is now the Christmas Cupboard and everything is in there.  Except the Christmas Elf. I've left him on display, next to my miniature Toby Jug. It was all up for only a couple of weeks, yet now that it is all packed away for another year, the lounge room looks and feels empty. Normal non-glittery life has resumed. I have new plans in my head for next years decorating. Probably I should write those down......

Welcome back to Sunday Selections! This once-a- week-meme was originally begun by Kim of Frog Ponds Rock , as a way to showcase some of the many photos we all take, but don't get around to showing on our blogs. The rules are very simple:- 1. post photos of your choice, old or new, under the Sunday Selections title 2. link back to me, River, somewhere in your post 3. leave me a comment so that I know you've joined in and can come over and see what you've posted. I usually go with a theme for my Sunday Selections and this week I'm continuing the Christmas theme that is spreading throughout the blogosphere.  The following are photos of this year's tree, which I had to take twice because the first lot showed images of my kids in the photo board behind the tree.  I had to hang up a towel to cover it. Here it is..... My Tree 2012. The tree, the whole tree, nothing but the tree :) the bottom, the middle, the top. N...

You might have noticed I haven't been visiting much for a couple of days. My internet connection has been atrocious, or completely absent , depending on what time of day I choose to try connecting. Anyway, I'm here now and I shall make the most of it while I'm able to. At work, over the years, we have been given assorted Christmas themed items of clothing to wear during December.  Caps, (twice), aprons, (once), t-shirts, (every year since). I thought the caps and aprons needed a little jazzing up, so got busy with needle and thread and sewed tinsel on them. Then I added some more sparkle to the caps by sewing on a few of the Christmas earrings from my collection. This is the cap I'm wearing this year at the checkout. these earrings are on the front , one on either side, these two are on the sides over my ears, the bells are on either side at the back of the cap. at the crown of each cap, I've sewn a tinsel wreath. These are all ea...

For many years now, I have admired the enthusiasm and flair with which Kelley embraces Christmas. Every room in her home is  elegantly decorated, even her bathroom has a tree. This year, I have shamelessly copied one of her ideas, (although with much less flair), and I now have a tiny, tiny bathroom tree. cute, yes? Not only do I have a bathroom tree, I also have... stars in the bedroom...(there's a couple of these up on the curtain rod too), and a fruit bowl filled with tinsel and baubles. I even got out my Christmas Elf that I have owned since I was about five, we each had one of these, my sister's Elf played an accordion, my brother's Elf played a violin, and I hung a row of Reindeer along the wall to greet people as they step inside. aren't they cute?  I have tinsel across the doorways too, but none around the lightshades yet. I need the big ladder for that.

Christmas is fast approaching! What?  You already knew that? Well okay then. Now for the rest of my announcement. Bag snatchers, pickpockets, grab'n'run people. They're out there. NOW.  Well, all year round, but they're much more prevalent at this time of year. I may have touched on this topic before (last Christmas?), but I'm going into it again. And again and again if necessary. People, please beware of your surroundings! Keep your bags, purses, small electronics etc secure. I've just watched A Current Affair, with a young magician showing just how careless people are and how very, very easy it was to relieve people of their belongings. This young magician sat next to an older man who was eating his lunch and taking absolutely no notice of the young man who sat down next to his open backpack. And stole something from it.  The magician then moved on to a woman whose handbag was hanging from her shoulder, but wide open. No trouble at all...

Here is an advertisement I like. The ad is for the bookshelves, but I really like the book Christmas tree they've made in there. 

Christmas is coming up way too fast for my liking. I'm not ready for it. The heat, the crazy crowds.... I started thinking of Christmases when I hadn't been working at Coles. Years ago, I worked in a shoe factory. Clarks Shoes. Yep, the one that makes all those kids school shoes and baby and toddler shoes too. Remember Baby's First Walkers? We also made men's shoes, the Hush Puppies line, and women's shoes, which I could never buy any of because the fittings just weren't wide enough for my slabs of meat. (feet) All year, the bosses would bring in the orders and we'd jump through hoops getting them made and sent out. Christmas was a different story. Orders still had to be got out to the shops, but we'd be closing for three weeks, so there'd be a bit of a rush going on. But the atmosphere underwent a bit of a change. Tiny Christmas trees began appearing on people's work desks. Tinsel got strung around the machinery. Shiny hanging ...