FYBF and Trying To Wangle My Way to a Meet...

Well, am going to join in FYBF this week. Haven't jumped on for ages and as I also haven't blogged much of late may have to link an oldie rather than a newie. Am going way back as it approaches the first anniversary of my Mother's death. This time a year ago things were bleak, but this post I wrote not long after I lost her still resonates today. For her voice echoes in my head on the days I am sinking below the waves of grief. And her love still pulls me above the turbulent sea of pain and reminds me of how very lucky I am, and how truly blessed I was to have her as my mother.

Life is Too Short.

I am also trying to con manoeuvre bribe charm my family into going up to Brisbane tomorrow. Considering Big Boy and I were up there today it is a little more difficult than usual, though the discovery of an amazing crystal shop in West End is swaying Boy 1. Boy 2 and his father are a little trickier to convince, but I am working my way around to it.

Because there is a bloggers' meet with all the lovelies I would so like to catch up with! And for some reason (and I now know I am not alone in this) the events do not show on my facebook page anymore.

Just think - you lot may be able to meet my sweet, well-behaved boys! I promise, you won't even know they are there... 

Quiet just like their mother.

Well, This Certainly Was an Unusual One!

What a mixed weekend! Bit like the girl with the curl... You know the one:

There was a little girl,

Who had a little curl

Right in the middle of her forehead.

When she was good,

She was very, very good

But when she was bad,

She was HORRID!

The good bits were incredible:

Friday night birthday dinner for a lovely new friend (and with some old ones). Great food, great company, lots of laughter (and yes Rose, I was a wild one in my youth now I think about it). It was especially good because up until about 2 hours prior to the reservation I did not think I could swing it. But thanks to my wonderful Big Boy, and two very well behaved little-ish boys (+ their two really cool mates), make it I did! Excellent night!

Saturday Nuffnang Bloggers meet. Well, what can one say about perfection? Seriously wonderful day, company unsurpassed, fantastic to meet bloggers I have only gotten to know on the web, and great to make some new discoveries to follow. Must admit the highlight (besides meeting the glorious Melissa in all her flamboyant glory) was enjoying the company of a young man named Tornado. He won my heart with very little effort.

The pictures tell the story (none of my little friend - I'll leave that to his Mum), and I've not added all as many who attended will add their's...

Kookaburra Cafe, Paddington 12.3.2011

Me 'n Melissa (Suger Coat It)

No wine involved, but the vaseline on the lens helped!

Here's trouble! Tracy (Our Life in Blog Form), cjtato (Not Tonight Dear) and Madmother.

And on Sunday we again headed off to the big smoke for a visit to the Qld Museum at Southbank. It was a good day until one experience soured it a little, but more on that in the BAD. Which has a good side too.

Which I may as well jump into now...

Friday started the negative. Harsh written words finally drove me away from a parenting website I have been a member of for five years. It is a place that has saved my sanity more than once, and where I have made some wonderful cyber and irl friends. I won't rehash too much, see my previous posts and you'll get the jist.

Saturday was good, with a little residual regret about the loss, and some major LOUDNESS at the lunch (yes, by me - I am loud but do tend to get more so when nervous).

Sunday. Well Sunday was the day of holy crap! Before we left I had an incident with a stray kitten. The little thing was out in the rain in our rainforest, I managed to coax the timid scrap to me, Big Boy went back inside to get food and a cat cage. Cat saw either Big Boy or cage as extremely distressing and so renovated my hands and wrists with a fair amount of savagery. More upsetting was the fact this little thing took off like a rocket and is still out there alone in the rain.

So we are late heading off. Go to Museum. When boys and father wander downstairs to interactive science section (where we have been many times before) I decide to hit the markets and join up with them later.

Spend my time giggling away at a badges stall, bought many for my boys (and one for me: Don't drink Drive, it is a laundry detergent), headed back to meet my men.

Walk up, Boy 1 looking distressed. Quickly becomes clear why.

They were going to call and meet me after indulging their geek side. Phone rings, am 5 metres from them go to meet up.  This is what I was then told.

Coming down lift after going across overpass to bypass traffic, 2 young asian girls were in lift with them. Doors open, they all get out. Guy (and 2 others) in beaten up old flatback ute screeches over up kerb, driver jumps out stoned out of his gourd, grabs one of the girls starts screaming "What the fuck were you looking at" with lots of racist terms. Big Boy immediately yells "Let her go. Leave her alone." Guy lets go of girl, grabs Big Boy by the shirt starts screaming "I'm going to fucking bash your head, you are dead c*nt". By this time Boy 2 has run off to hide behind building, Boy 1 is telling the guy to let go of his father, Big Boy is telling the guy to let him go or else he won't be responsible for his actions, security guard comes around corner as guy runs off, thumps another car bashing it in as he passes, jumps back in driver side, screeches off. The girl had run off as soon as he let her go. Police were rung but security guard only saw guy run off, we decided not to go any further.
But my darling oldest boy kept his head and got the number plate and make of car! God I love that boy, told him (as he sobbed in my arms - he held it together until he saw Mum), he is just like his Mum, keeps it together when the crisis is happening, falls apart afterwards.
You can imagine how both my children feel, though I told them their Dad is a hero so they should be proud. Boy 1 is now asleep in my bed after a nightmare at 4am (which is why I am awake).

What a day.

But the good did outweigh the bad.

Can't say my life is boring!

Nuffnang Qld Bloggers Meet - What a Day!

We ate, we talked, we ate, we talked. A wonderful afternoon with a terrific bunch of people.


Just what I needed after the last 24 hours!

Incriminating photos to follow...

Thank you Melissa for organising this. You did a wonderful job.






P.S. I knew we would get along fine!

It is Saturday.

"The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you're afraid and you don't know what you're afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling?"

~Holly Golightly~ Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

Today I am suffering from the mean reds. I do not want to be suffering from the mean reds for today is a special day, it is the Nuffnang Queensland Bloggers Meet. It is a joyous day, or supposed to be.

But today I am suffering the emotional hangover from yesterday's events. And probably having a few withdrawal symptoms kicking in as well. When you leave a site that has played a very strong role in your life, I guess it is to be expected and I must allow time to get rid of this feeling of failure. And loss. And disappointment. Bit like the breakup of a romance that wasn't really working anymore. You remember when times were good, in fact you tend to forget the bad and only mourn the good. It will be a while till I find my new normal I think.

I will get past this feeling of melancholy, I certainly intend to try and shed this cloud before I pick up the new friend on the way. I will laugh and chat, nod and listen. Just deep down will be a little niggle, a thought, a doubt... "What if I am not being clear, am I offending anyone, are my words being taken the wrong way?" But you won't see it because it will be hidden deep below the surface, covered by my smile.

Damn these mean reds...

HELLOOOOO Out THERE!

Well, although there were rumbles of next time, Muse Wars once again fell on its arse with only my self and the talented Ms Kakka fronting up to enter. I leave it to her to decide if she wishes to take a leap of faith and post Challenge 2. From the lack of comments on the posts I can only assume it was not to people's standards.

The traffic on my blog has slowed again also. Only around fifty individual visits a day. Is it a bit scary that the more I post the less people seem to come? Lol. If you post, they will run...

I also have several posts drifting around in my drafts folder. These are posts prompted by others, some from blogs, some from life, and I just don't know if I'll ever publish them.

And the Qld Blogger's Meet is this Saturday! What do I wear? Will my depleted energy levels be back up to standard? Will they like me? Nah, scrap the last one. They'll either love me or hate me, neither of which I can control.

We are all still feeling a bit *meh* after the week long quarantine. Hopefully we will all be feeling like normal soon. Don't like being sick, especially this sick.

Also means I am missing out on a lovely dinner this Friday, not only because I am still a little fragile (and if I went Friday I'd not make Saturday), but also as both boys have friends over for a sleepover. Which has been postponed for the last fortnight due to lurginess. And of course the dreaded finances play a part in it too because it is a flash local restaurant renowned for great food but the prices are a bit ouchie.

Lovely to be invited, though. And it certainly boosts the ego to be sorely missed (which I have been told I will be. And not just by my partner in drinking crime. Though she said it too. Just hope she doesn't decide to jog home five kms in high heels this time. Cause I'd hate to miss that).

So, sorry, bit of a fizzle this week. Life just toddling on as the world spins.