Troll bridge

“Would I like to be a short order cook on a film shoot?” Why not, up at 5 am chopping food on the motel bed, freezing in the dawn cook up, and sweating in the midday heat. Plus fun with my business film partner in Passion Films.
Here’s part of the result what the public see!

Check the link in the blog roll or copy and paste the link below.

more waves

Last week I was describing riding a solid rock wave, surviving a job spill. Now I am in the waves at Cape Woolamai, cautiously in at my knees and still knocked over by a surprise surge of surf.  There is something exhilarating about throwing ones self into calm water with a rising wave of water looming behind that thrusts one forward until sand is felt beneath the outstretched hands and foam bubbling up all around.

I laboured up sand hills from the beach, not knowing where I would end up. I decided to walk until I ceased ruminating on work, and that is how I ended up transitioning from a flat weedy beach to wild surf.  I looked longingly at the board riders and decided to put “learn to surf on a board” on my things to achieve before I die. – Make that next autumn, when the water seems warmer and other tourists are gone.

That’s a positive thought, “surfing” taking me into the future, possibly the first one during the months of uncertainty around the work place. One that is fun, out in nature and a touch of the wild and dangerous to it (not my medium – water).  So I have ridden the “wave” bobbing through the emotions of sadness, anger, despair, that came with the loss of my team mates, and a clarity on what I need to do and say  to the management, the board to support the work and those using the service.  I have been thinking of it as a marathon, the end not being a finishing line, or summit, rather a point of clarity, a place to take action, once again it reminds me of the “stay or go” bushfire shortcut.  No shortcuts here, I am not rushed, pushed, or bullied, by anyone involved. I have decided to trust and believe no one as so many idiotic things have been said and done by all, including myself.  So there is a chance for a new begining with new staff and an acknowledgement of my strength and understanding

I’ve missed four weeks of posting. In that short space of time the working team of eight has dwindled to one.  The effects on me are multiple, bewilderment, disbelief, shock and then the side effects not sleeping, exhaustion, rumination,  questioning do I go or stay, not enough information to make an informed decision, how damaging is all this, why is there no backup, or controls in place.  Questions race through my mind, as I fear I am losing good friends and colleagues. I worry I will be seen as the enemy as I have not followed suit and resigned, or management will not support me as they suspect I might resign next.   As I prepare for another week, I changed my  blog header  to Wave Rock,  a  rock wave, high and arching, solid at a the point of breaking over the desert scrub.

It symbolically represents the state of my mind and my employment, just balancing in the upheaval, twisting and turning to keep upright.  I limit who I see, and talk to, and in the process have discovered the amazing therapy of ‘walking talking.’  The body releases tension, and the mind floats with the depth of the difficulties, and springs away in amazement at the surfboard paddlers on the cold gray river in their bright yellow safety vests.                                                                                                                                  I’ve included the full picture of the Wave rock surfer a year ago. This natural rock shape is 300 ks from Perth in Western Australia. Photos don’t do it justice as it exceeded my expectations in size, shape and colour.  Not only that the bus trip is exceedingly funny, the worlds largest dog cemetery, the smallest post office, the biggest afternoon tea, and emus and a kangaroo with a small joey bounding along side the bus at different points.

mirror mirror on the wall

A wall of mirror,  in two sections, ceiling to floor and wall to wall, is showing dark spots something is not right. It is is a lounge not a bathroom where water could get in.  My daughter decided it had to go and together we pulled off the thick solid wood frame on one side  the other side and top and bottom would not budge.  It is screwed into chipboard.  Damp chip board,  covering a leak , or part of the flood.  The project has stopped here as we collect ideas on mirror mirror off the wall.  They are becoming more refined. Rather than just hit it with a hammer , now it will be covered first with a sheet a thick bedspread on the floor and then lots of newspaper.  Then tape it in sections so the glass can fall in sections. Possibly score it with a glass cutter. The flash of an idea  to ring a glazier for the low down on huge removal of glass panels is winning.  All this to see the state of the wall behind and the effect of the Melbourne deluge.

Weird Weather

Two years ago the drought and dryness made Victorian country crispy brown. The warnings, the heat, and then the wind leading into Black Saturday were so extreme and uncontrollable.  This year we have experience the cyclone and as I write Melbourne is under flash flood conditions. Roads closed, power and lights out and the  Elwood Canal broken its banks, drains blocked my storage flooded.  So on the second anniversary of the fires I am sweeping up water and dirt moving wet cupboards clothes and plastic boxes. Then the beds  2 mattresses a bed base  so heavy although only the bottom 6 inches or so were  wet.  Pillows bedding all musty and needing airing.  A 2 hour job which ended up taking five hour with the help of dear friends and not finished.

 

Posting weekly

I promised I’d post every week.  I am. I said I’d reply to all the other posts I have read. I have. I’ve included emails and other web postings in that.   There has been some interesting reading, tips on blogging, on writing, on sales skills and negotating.  This process has lead me to face the facts. I prefer to read other people’s writing, respond to them than actually do the work myself.  So my piece gets written late, in a rush, and no clear topic or point to put across. I’ll add another comitment.   DO MY BLOG FIRST and then spend hours reading others, going off in tangents, and generally having web fun.  Here’s  a web photo to inspire you, taken early morning in the Otways Flyover walk.

why I started blogging

I started because a good friend (www.solidgoldcreativity) talked about her blog being her commitment to writing,to find like-minded people. I wanted somewhere to write and muse and  understand my involvement with wild bush fire when friends could not listen  anymore. I hoped I would get the writing commitment and in the first few weeks rush of adrenaline I did find words jumping off my finger tips . Then it became a struggle all the mean invisible editors proclaimed it was uninteresting,poor writing,and no one would read it.  The last bit is not true.   A few,  checking the stats (don’t you love doing that !), 29 in the highest day.   So out there clicks are happening. I want to say leave a comment but I realise that I read so many other blogs and don’t comment.  So the commitment is to write once a week and click and say something on every person’s blog I read at the moment I read it !

yes to postaweek in 2011

I’m taking up the challenge, a blog a week.  I thought it would be easier than it was to blog every week, although why I chose a Friday night as the writing time, now seem optomistic when blob out is more likely than a new blog.  Once the excitement and initial enthusiasm wore off and my blog mentor became employed, I missed a few weeks then a month and then…that seemed to be the end of the blogging career.Starting up again in the Second Week of the New Year, I do wonder how many bloggers will manage to make it to the 1st of January 2012 having kept their word, amidst life, the journey that happens while you are planning something else, something like what John Lennon said.  I’ll check in and see if I make it.

Stink of Pink

It is the New Year 2011 and I am catching up, on one bit of scrap paper was a scribbled ” http://www.pinkstinks.co.uk   – pink is ok punk is better.”  It was inspiring to see the changes and challenges this UK based group is bringing to the sterotyping of young girls and boys by the media and department stores.  For me it brought home the commercialisation of young children’s desires to be like and copy their parents and grandparents in daily activities.   I am questioning myself on whether organic blusher and brush was sensible for a seven year old who for the past 2 years has be asking me to buy her ‘make up that won’t give me itchy bits.’

In the seventies first readers come home from school that had Betty in the apron in the kitchen and John sitting reading the paper after work.  At least both the male and female children were playing with the dog, but that did not stop the reader returning to school with pasted over changed text and illustrations, including what I like to think of as gender neutral, equal, and what then was called ‘role reversal’.  A meeting with the head master,and teacher  did not change the reading program drastically overnight.  It did allow for some of the early feminist writers and their childrens book to come into the school and be read.  It is interesting to note one of the books involved  a small girl fighting dragons and it is being read to the third generation right now.  (Title ……   Author ….to be sourced)

Sometimes I think we have a long way to go and have look at what I have achieved -2 mortgages on four properties today, when my first attempt was met with ‘we don’t lend to women, you can only keep the house if you get your (soon to be ex) husband to allow you to stay on the title.’  He did, but can you imagine my feelings on this issue, when I was the one wanting a house and paying a good share of the mortgage.  That is until I was told if you don’t resign we will fire you. You have to stay home and care for the baby.  It is not your husband’s job.’    The husband wasn’t working and wanted to care for the baby, I was interested in working. The mortgage had to be paid and good jobs for women were opening up.

build an idea

it takes an idea to get something going and if I think too far a head I will lose heart and not do it. I want to  build a sustainable house, a bushfire safe house or even better several houses.  A dream since I was in my twenties and never taken action so going to a weekend seminar series on property I listened to a young developer talk and  she inspired me to begin.  The weekend was an introduction to a variety of subjects relating to property and generating a business and an income stream and was free.  It was fun, informative and dynamic.  I found my knowledge was reinforced I know quite a bit about property buying.

Go check it out.    www.TGRProperty.com.au/67100