Vegan Pet Food

Am I the only one in this universe who thinks this is just… WRONG!

A woman in Melbourne has developed a range of Vegan Pet Food. Which I don’t mind if we are talking rabbits but she is talking cats. Now cats are meateaters. Their teeth are designed over the millenia to eat, tear meat. Not lentils.

She also does a range for dogs - well dogs do eat some vegetable matter but they too are supposed to eat meat - that’s what dogs do - it is in their nature.

If you are a vegan and you have a pet - then in my opinion you should be forced to feed it what it naturally requires. That is - if you have a cat - feed it meat. Anything else is cruel and will probably result in your beloved moggie killing more native wildlife.

Vegan Pet Food - I can’t think of anything more ridiculous!

Crab Saga

So many things I want to blog about but they will have to wait - I get home this evening to discover one of Imogen’s hermit crabs - Whitey - has escaped! Imogen and Yiota were playing with them in our dining room and distracted by the telly (I think) Yiota left Whitey in a train carriage - when she went back - he was gone.

A desperate search revealed no sign of the missing crab and a rather hysterical 7 year old.

After looking extensively, even cleaning out the bottom of our pantry - a good excuse - we decided to take the other crab - Scarlett - out of the tank to see where she (?) would go. She led us to an empty corner.

The girls have gone to bed with Whitey still at large but we have left a crab trap. A pile of aquarium gravel next to some water… hopefully Whitey will smell out the water, and then bury him(?)self in the gravel for us to find tomorrow morning.

Otherwise I suspect we will just have to wait til the fishy smell of decaying crab alerts us to his somewhat less than healthy position.

LATE UPDATE: (10.38pm) Whitey has appeared, scuttling cautiously (is that possible) from behind the television. A happy result.

Citizen Janet

Happy Australia Day everyone!

Today, on learning that Janet was having her citizenship ceremony down at Perry Lakes I thought… “hmmm that sounds like an outside venue to me… I wonder if I will be able to see any of it?”

She was only allowed to take two guests (she took her kids with Harry on her knee) but when I arrived I discovered that while there wasn’t any seating, the tent was open at the sides so you could see everything!

It was a really nice ceremony. They had a bush band, sausage sizzle, lamingtons for morning tea, flags everywhere and stuff for the kids to do. Individuals or families were called up to the stage to recite the oath and many added a little Go the Wallabies or Aussie Aussie Aussie after the formal bit. Then our new citizens were presented with a commemorative wildflower mug, a corsage (if female) and some badges along with their certificate… and got to sign on to vote.

Afterward the kids had a go on the climbing wall. I’ve put some photos in the gallery.

Citizen Janet

Happy Australia Day everyone!

Today, on learning that Janet was having her citizenship ceremony down at Perry Lakes I thought… “hmmm that sounds like an outside venue to me… I wonder if I will be able to see any of it?”

She was only allowed to take two guests (she took her kids with Harry on her knee) but when I arrived I discovered that while there wasn’t any seating, the tent was open at the sides so you could see everything!

It was a really nice ceremony. They had a bush band, sausage sizzle, lamingtons for morning tea, flags everywhere and stuff for the kids to do. Individuals or families were called up to the stage to recite the oath and many added a little Go the Wallabies or Aussie Aussie Aussie after the formal bit. Then our new citizens were presented with a commemorative wildflower mug, a corsage (if female) and some badges along with their certificate… and got to sign on to vote.

Afterward the kids had a go on the climbing wall. I’ve put some photos in the gallery.

Clowning around

Today Imogen and Nina dressed up as clowns - yes with undies on their heads - and doorknocked to raise money for the Tsunami victims. In return for a donation they did the can-can - or rather - their version of it. They had great fun and raised $8 which we will take down to the bank on Thursday morning.

I’m really enjoying my Leonardo da Vinci lectures at UWA Extension - absolutely fascinating and lots of brainfood to feed my Italian itinerary!

How much do I hate chain emails?

Well as you can guess by the fact I’m bothering to write about them - quite a lot. I dread them - you get a sweet note from a friend about how the following is hilarious, cute, funny, inspiring, amazing etc and then the body of the email is usually quite hilarious, cute, funny, inspiring, amazing etc but not THAT hilarious, cute, funny, inspiring, amazing etc. The thing is the whole time you’re reading it you are thinking - okay what nasty thing is going to happen to me if I don’t send this to ten of my near and dear - who let me tell you will cease to be near and dear if I bombard them with this crap.

For example this little gem appeared in my inbox this morning:

“The “Hot Sex Fairy” will visit you within four days of receiving this message, provided you, in turn, send it on.

If you don’t, then you will never receive good sex again for the rest of your life. You will eventually become celibate, and your genitals will rot and fall off. This is no joke! Send copies to people you think need sex (who doesn’t?). Don’t send money, as the fate of your genitals has no price. Do not keep this message. This message must leave your e-mail in 96 hours. Please send ten copies and see what happens in four days.”

I am sorry for all my friends that wanted an improved sex life but I’m not sending the sex fairy to you. I will let you know next week if I have to visit a gynaecologist.

Of course the threat is real. Eventually I will be dead - definitely celibate then - or at least unaware - and my genitals will rot and fall off… although the liklihood is that I will be cremated before that happens. But sending this email to my friends will not stop it happening.

Apart from anything else it is so disappointing - you think you have got a nice email from someone and it turns out to be junk mail. Threatening junk mail. Please don’t do it.

Omigod somebody save me!

Sad but true… today I discovered myself gaining satisfaction from doing the laundry! What is going on. I have been away from work for too long.

Yes yes I know flat clothes are seductive. And those little fabric labels that you can iron into your kids clothing are quite fun to attach… wait. Stop. It’s happening again.

Also today discovered this horoscope site… For Scorpios.

Arty Farty

Well here we are day three of my art course and attempting portraits. Portraits are HARD.

This is me attempting to paint (with pastels) Johdi Packer. It’s not the finished version but let me tell you that the finished version doesn’t look more like her. However I figure one, it’s my first attempt at portraiture and two, as I didn’t know who she was before I read the caption I figure it doesn’t really matter.

I’m really enjoying the course and think I will keep going - practising landscapes I think. They are easier I believe because you have less preconceptions of how it should look - I mean you expect a face to have the correct proportions but you might not know what the proportions of a particular scene are… Anyway early days… My inner artist has been so buried it will take a while to surface!

Obviously (because of the pine trees) this is a sunset photo at Cottesloe. We had a bbq picnic tea there last night with Marshall and Ollie who think of it more as their back garden! It was lovely. Ollie had made a great potato salad with red onion, celery and vinegar (I think) - delicious anyway.

Then we repaired back to their flat for dessert and to check out Marshall’s plasma. Oooh-wee. Very Nice. Today Rory has been trying to find one on ebay!

I have been trying to clear some of the blockages in my brain about art and I have found that what that translates as is me wanting to clear out the house. This morning I spent long hours cleaning and sorting and moving furniture. Now I have sore feet and I’m STARVING but I feel somewhat satisfied and… clear!

I have put some photos on line from last night and our art class - you’ll find them in the gallery. One day - you never know - I might even get round to putting up the Christmas photos… sigh.

1000 recipes

Okay Baralong’s blog alerted me to this but like him I think it is a fantastic idea and I want to be part of it - using Rory’s recipes of course.

He came up with a blinder last night that I will be submitting on his behalf - spinach salad with feta, olives and pine nuts - absolutely to die for. I’m sure if and when we get a recipe book he will have come up with five more. I’m loving this culinary phase.

The welcoming the new year day was great. Really enjoyed both the mediations and the company of like minded souls. It was really nice to put the old year behind me and look into 2005. Roll on baby roll on.

Last night we went to our first workshop for Mr Cha Cha’s Ballroom. You remember… this is the Perth International Arts Festival community event where 450 couples are going to dance in formation in Forrest Place. Well we signed up and the deal is you have to go to at least five free workshops - we might go to more!!! - and a few rehearsals before the big performance night on March 6.

We turned up at the Wrightson’s Dance Studios in Murray Street at the allotted time - Rory, Mandi and I - Dad having bottled out - and it was great fun! Even Rory had a smile on his face although he found some of the moves a little - shall we say challenging. Even more fun (for me) was going to the Belgian Beer Cafe for a little apres Chimay Blue and trying to remember all the steps so we could write them down. Mandi and I doing the Mambo to no music in the middle of the pub was probably quite amusing to see but we were oblivious in our concentration.

Mandi even found a partner on the night - a bonus.

Anyway I am encouraged by Rory’s keen interest in practicing the funky moves and I’m already looking forward to next Monday night!

Hugo and Imogen spent the day at Thinking Ahead - a series of workshops for “able” children. Hugo did the How to Get Rich course and LOVED it! Tomorrow he does Robotic Manouvres - I will be interested to see how he goes. Imogen did Creative Genius and seemed a little lukewarm about the experience which was a shame. Ah well - you can’t win them all.

Back from Down South

Well as a zillion others have done we have just returned from a relaxing week down south. Getting up to the sound of kangaroos crashing through the bush. Going for an earlyish walk. Coming back to a protein shake (I’m a new convert) and then a couple of hours on the beach. Then lunch. Then games, reading or sleeping, then dinner and maybe a game or maybe sitting out on the balcony under the stars sipping some seriously nice wine yarning.

I even slept out under the stars one night which was gorgeous. The kangaroos are so tame they come right up to the house - today’s visitor had a rather large joey in her pouch.

As is our custom we spent the morning cleaning the house and this time I forwent the pleasure of the twin tub in order to take advantage of the washing machines down at the launderette. Big mistake - I should have gone with plan A and brought the sheets and towels home. (The twintub was NEVER an option) The dryer overheated and melted the rubber around one of the fitted sheets which left yellowy blotches over two other sheets - nightmare. So I had to bring them home anyway to get them sorted - anyone know a good way to remove melted rubber? Just asking.

The thing is - apart from the view - we could have a similar lifestyle right here at home. We are closer to the beach than where we stay down south - even though we can’t see it - and you can walk everywhere - so why does it take transplantation to do it?

I’m very proud of my boy tonight - he has donated his Christmas Present money ($50) to the Tsunami Appeal. Imogen had already spent all her money!

Tomorrow I’m heading to the hills for a Welcoming the New Year event at Archetrek with Mum. Should be (as Hugo would say) … interesting.

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