Emma

I picked up this Jane Austen novel in a second hand booksale. I’d just caught part of Clueless on the telly - you know the movie with Alicia Silverstone - and it seemed like serendipity to then come across the book the story is based on.

So I read it. I last read the book when my orchid hunter was born. I went through a Jane Austen phase and read all of her novels and even a biography when the novels ran out. And of course I caught the movie.

It’s not my favourite JA novel but it is still quite charming. The English class system is thrown sharply into focus as Emma compares the various standings of the people around her as only one near the top of the pile can. The manners are charming too. It is hard to imagine calling someone Mr or Miss these days - unless they are a former teacher perhaps, and would anyone really be scandalised if you were to call someone by their first name?

Hmmm well I do still cringe to remember how I addressed the then Prime Minister of Australia once… “Hi Paul” I (dare I say) gushed… well perhaps not gushed… but I was certainly somewhat casual. Hey I was young and probably overexcited.

So apart from Prime Ministers, and former teachers who probably still scare you a bit, and very old people - who else do you address with social title - why I spoke to the Administrator of Christmas Island just the other day (he’s like the governor) and he told me to call him Neil… can you think of anyone?

Question

Do I deserve pizza tonight…?

Groover’s away, it’s wet and cold…

I’m sure pizza is good for sniffly noses and stuffed up sinuses…

On not having a pet

I never thought I’d grow up and live in a house without pets. My dog when I was growing up was a black labrador/corgi cross - think labrador face, shortish legs and stout. Her name was Hannah. I used to lie in bed of a morning and hear her thunder up the stairs, along the corridor, the door would fly open and she would leap onto the bed.

At Easter time she would sniff out our Easter Eggs and scoff them.

She was a waggy friendly dog, slightly overweight and a terror on bin day.

We also had a cats. My first cat was a black and white fluffy cat called Tinkerbell. We also had Samson - a very large ginger cat with a flatulence problem. And finally Mr B, also known as Fred. Who was grey and white and turned up in our garage with his leg caught in his collar. A visit to the vet and he was ours.

I had a mouse too, which got eaten by a kookaburra, but that was a sad little tale which I won’t go into here.

So why am I not a pet owner now? I’m a grown up. I can do what I like. I’m obviously in the minority, not having a pet.

Well I guess I’m out of practice. Groover has never been a pet owner. His father was a pilot and so they were always away - not an ideal scenario for pet owners. Also he’s allergic to cats.  And so is my orchid hunter(Hugamuga).

And the longer I live without pets the harder it is for me to like them. I’m not that keen on being sat on by affectionate cats now, and even feel slightly sneezy around them - can you catch allergies or is it low tolerance? And dogs? Well they do smell a bit and I cringe when they lick me. When our rabbit ran away, another sad tale, I was half relieved.

Does that make me a bad person? Am I depriving my children?

They never ask for a pet, well not since Butterfly ran away.

“We don’t need one because we go on holidays too often”, Says my daughter. What a practical girl. “But I wouldn’t mind fostering a pet on the holidays when we’re at home…”

Hmmm I don’t think so.

Can I imagine us ever having a pet?

If I did it would be a small yappy dog - like my brother-in-law’s Puffy. That I didn’t have to take for walks twice a day. And I’d have to work from home. I don’t think it’s fair on the dog to be out every day.

It could be a while before that happens.  Like, post-divorce. :)

Snot

Snot is my life at the moment. Snot and tissues. If I’m without tissues, I sneeze.

Isn’t it funny how you often sneeze in threes. I rarely sneeze just the once and I’m a violent sneezer. Is sneezer a word? Anyhoo, I’m sick. I’ve done the inhales, I’ve rubbed mum’s essential oil mix on my feet (and anywhere else I could reach). I’ve drunk straight lemon juice and eaten salad for lunch. Still sick.

I’ve given my details to the lady in the pharmacy and got me some DRUGS.

Unluckily of course this cold happened to happen on the day of my interview, but fortunately we’re having a break from bridge this week so I got to bed early to feel sorry for myself.

And now that I have me some DRUGS, I’ll soon be able to go back to the office to infect everyone else.

What? Where do you think I got this thing from anyway?!

Shopping to impress

I went shopping on Saturday to buy a suit for my interview.  It’s not easy to find a suit that… well… suits!

Eventually I found a Perri Cutten suit that was lovely but too eveningy - if you know what I mean… I needed something a bit more… hip hop and happenin’.

Also it was $710 and I didn’t want the job that badly.

Today with a cold dulling my senses I went home early to “prepare” and found myself in a clothes shop looking for a colourful top to go with my black pants.

I selected several pieces off the racks and started trying things on.  Nothing I chose really “did” it for me. I tend to go for wide bottomed pants and tighter tops but the lass in the store found this top that just made me look pregnant - which is okay if you are and not, if you’re not, if you know what I mean - funky pregnant but pregnant - anyway she suggests I try the top on with skinny leg pants.

Well I never go for the skinny leg - not having them you see - but I humoured her, and even wore a wide belt just below the bust and voila.  I looked good!

And felt good - despite the cold - having bought two pieces I would never have chosen by myself.  Which just goes to show… that I’m not a fashionista, one, and two not to completely ignore  the suggestions of the sales staff.

It’s over

Had the interview which included two presentations today.  Now the waiting begins… and knowing the organisation I work for that will take weeks. :)

I think I went okay.  I will be disappointed only if they choose neither of us.  If they choose my colleague I will be more than happy going back to the floor as I miss my old role. 

It’s kind of fun being in an interview situation.  The challenge of answering curly questions on the spot takes me back to exam days… and this one was particularly inventive with bits of audio thrown in to comment on and a role play. 

Of course I did the role play with Groover when we got home and he told me what I should have said so next time I’ll be fantastic!

Ah well… if I hadn’t caught a cold yesterday I’d be drinking wine right now… :)

The Orchid Hunter

My resident orchid hunter wanted to show me the donkey orchids at Shenton Bushland this weekend. They were fabulous. Heaps of donkey and cowslip orchids which are always so lovely to find. Then at the Save the Children booksale we heard the Pink Fairy orchids were out at Bold Park.

We found them and some spectacular spider orchids - at least three varieties and donkeys and cowslips.

Eventually.

If you go, head up to Banksia walk via Possum walk. There are heaps just at the corner of Thornbill and Banksia.

The orchids are in more abundance at Shenton but spiders are special. :)

The street won’t be the same without them

Sure we won’t have those little figs squishing up between the tread of our sandshoes but neither will we have the beautiful shade and lovely curves of their bulbous roots.  I felt sad today as I watched them chop these trees down.  And sad now as I sit here and listen to the chainsaws.

I’m going out.

   

Showing off to my boy

I got to meet Andrew Hanson from The Chaser’s War on Everything last Sunday at the ABC Open Day.

Yes. The Crazy Warehouse Guy.

My numberoneson’s favourite.

Ner ner! :)

Remind me never to go out with Kevin Rudd…

When you have had a few drinks obviously your complete recollection of events is not going to be perfect. I accept that, I think that just passes the commonsense test. But when I checked with Warren (Snowdon), that was certainly our recollection, and both our recollection is that we were out of there before much time had elapsed. (AM)

So just when we think dear old Kev has some personality and doesn’t let his Christianity get in the way of a good time, we hear him say “we were out of there before much time had elapsed”.

Yawn. 

I knew it was too good to be true.

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