Monthly Archives: October 2008

WA

The house-sitting chemist

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On a recent trip to Geraldton, I was looking for another camera bag after I lost the second one in two weeks and a hostess gift for dinner that night – and as luck would have it, not only did the local chemist include a camera shop it also had a Darrell Lea stand. Brilliant.

I took my camera bag and box of hard centres to the counter and I met Kristy.

Kristy’s story

Kristy has lived in Geraldton for about two and a half years. Originally from Adelaide, Kristy and her husband Bruce decided to up sticks and travel around Australia. They bought a four wheel drive and a caravan and signed up as housesitters.

For seven years (seven!) they travelled everywhere. They soon became known as trustworthy sorts and were in high demand – getting repeat business they were lukewarm about taking – it was kind of “been there done that”.

“I loved the adventure of sleeping in someone else’s sheets, in someone else’s bed with someone else’s view… it wasn’t the same if we’d already stayed there.”

They stayed in all sorts of houses, several of them home to millionaires and in between stayed and travelled in their caravan. They couldn’t imagine settling down.

One day, they were travelling to Halls Creek in the North-East Kimberley. Halls Creek was one of the places where gold was discovered for the first time in WA. I think it was second after Ennuin. You can also catch a small plane to fly over Purnululu National Park to see the Bungle Bungles and you might stay here if you want to visit the Wolfe Creek Crater. It’s the town at the northern end of the Canning Stock Route. It’s remote.

Anyway as they travelled along the highway towing their caravan they were caught in a willy willy. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, it’s like a dust devil or whirlwind, a very small tornado.

The caravan was swept up and bashed against an embankment and as it was thrown up so was the four wheel drive.

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Time seemed to slow as it does in those life-threatening situations, Bruce turned to Kristy and told her that he couldn’t do anything and he was sorry but he thought they were going to die.

The 4WD flipped but the caravan snapped them back and the car crashed to the ground.

The car and the caravan were completely written off. Shattered.

Kristy and Bruce walked free.

The truck driver couldn’t believe it – he was sure they were both going to be dead.

Kristy and Bruce took the loss of their trailer and 4WD as a sign that maybe it was time to settle down and, after briefly checking out Mandurah (why do people live there? asks Kristy) and Perth as too cold, settled in Geraldton to be near their daughter.

Thank you Kristy for telling me your story – it was inspirational.

PS:  I should say in the interest of accuracy that Kristy isn’t actually a chemist,  she does work at the Chemist though.  (If you’re in the US, a chemist is a drug store or pharmacy)

Club Half As Small As You

A group half as small as me

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One of my new bloggy finds is a blog called Half As Good As You by Casey.

She was moaning about how hard it was to lose weight and somehow in comments a bunch of us decided that maybe online motivation would work. Well why not? Nothing else seems to… for me anyway.

So Club Half As Small As You was born and it’s free – bar a little commitment.

It’s about finding a group of peers who will encourage you to get fit and maybe in the process lose a little of that excess weight… you know, the saddle bags, the love handles, the bingo wings… etc.

To start with – like any old fashioned 12-step program – an acknowledgement of the problem is in order:

My name is Cellobella and I need to get fit and lose weight.

Next – the answer’s to the Club Half As Small As You questionnaire:

1. What motivates you and why do you want to do this challenge? It may be that you’re training to run a 10K or merely just to be able to walk to the mailbox and not break a sweat (don’t worry, I fall on this end of the spectrum).

What motivates me?  Plainly not much. 🙂  However the only success I’ve had is peer pressure.  That is exercising with a group.  I’m doing this challenge because I’ve tried other stuff and it hasn’t worked and who knows… it might even be fun.

2. What is your long term goal? Do you want to lose weight or just tone your body. Are you trying to fit into your old prom dress for your upcoming reunion? Do you want to want to “pump yourself up” like Hans and Frans? Spill it.

I want to want to exercise – and I’m hoping that feeling those endorphins rush around my body from physical activity will become addictive.  In the process losing some weight would be a good thing.

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10 kilograms would be nice.

4. What tools are available to you? Treadmill, elliptical, jogging stroller, ThighMaster, Trampoline. Maybe a rabid dog to chase the weight off?

Sandshoes.  Bathers.  Goggles. Running shorts.  And I could go to the gym.

5. How often can you exercise? Be realistic here but try to make as much time as possible. This might include stepping AWAY from the blog for a couple of nights a week. I know, *gasp*. I’m crying on the inside too but it needs to be done. Fatty. Ok, that was mean and it won’t happen again. I promise.

3-4 times a week is probably realistic.  I theoretically could exercise every day if I got up early enough.  I find that it has to be in the morning or I don’t.

6. What do you plan on doing? Beer curls, switch the remote to the other hand for a few days, start smoking more. Maybe you want to actually exercise and start eating better? I hear that never works but go ahead and try if you want.

Reduce alcohol intake.  Take salads to work for lunch.  Get up at 6am and go jogging (gasp!).

7. What has worked for you in the past? Let us in on your secrets, what has worked for you before and how you went about it. We won’t tell.

The last time I lost a LOT of weight I was breastfeeding and had managed to contract Giardia… I was also following the “Fit for Life” food combining principals.   Given the first two are out I guess I’ll try healthy eating and exercise.

There. That wasn’t so hard. Want to join us? Head over to Casey’s to find out more.

Etiquette, rant

A taxi rant – it’s all about service people!

10 Comments

This is her problem not mine and yet… and yet…

Let me tell you the story.  I flew into Perth today from Geraldton where I’ve been the last couple of days – stories coming soon – I met so many interesting people – but anyway…

The queue for a taxi was exhaustingly long but I had my book and was quite happy to read it as I shoved my bag with my foot.  

As we waited a voice apologised over the PA system and said that taxis had been called.  

Fine, whatever… I’d got to a good bit.

Anyway eventually I’m at the front of the queue and I have a woman driver who looks friendly, she pops the boot and helps me load my small case and laptop.

“Where to love?”

“Please take me to work in the city.” I had to pick up my car.

Was it my imagination or did she sigh?

Anyway I settled back and read my book and sooner than I wanted – I’d got to another good bit – we were pulling up outside my workplace.

I hand over my cabcharge.

These days they are those little cards with a magnetic strip down the back – thinnish cardboard.

“Do you have another card?”

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“Thanks, I hate these cards, they never work in my machine – even when I use two together.”  She swipes the cards repeatedly.

“Dammit I’m going to have to use a slip.”

So making conversation – as you do in the awkward silence while waiting to sign the slip – I say “Are you just starting your shift?”

“Yes just started.  And I came all the way down Dianella for this.”

As if it were my fault.

I was speechless.

“Can you get your own bag out of the boot?”

“Er yes… of course.” I say and scoot out of the cab.

And I’m SO angry.

Angry at her for making me feel bad because she didn’t get a big fare to, I don’t know, Bunbury or something and even more angry with myself for feeling bad!

And the ironic thing?  As she drives off I notice that she’s the driver of a Silver Service cab.

Yeah.  Right.

Blogging, Books

Great Australian Bushfire Stories by Ian Mannix

I’m guest reviewing Great Australian Bushfire Stories over at Aussie Bloggers today.

Find out why I will never move to the Perth Hills.

Never.  Nah ah.
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And why I reckon this book is worth a read.

🙂

Hugamuga, Parenting, Travel

First Job

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My boy started his first job today.  Yes.  A proper job requiring a bank account, commitment and well… work.

He’s doing the paper round.  

He’s being paid 10 cents a paper and delivering about 130 papers.  He has 24 hours to deliver them.  So far he’s done half and spent nearly two hours doing it.

You do the math.  He’s not being paid much but he is being paid and not by me.

I’m so proud of him.

He’s still to work out the most efficient way of delivering papers.  At the moment he has a satchel which can only carry about ten papers – and he’s on his bike – so he has to continually come back and forth to the paper depot – read house – to stock up.

But I have confidence he will.

So what has brought on all this industriousness?

Well he has the opportunity to go on a trip with World Challenge, a trip which will cost $7,000.  That’s a lot of dough but fortunately (for us) the team at World Challenge believe that part of the challenge is to raise the money yourself – by working.
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Oh and he wants to buy – and build – his own computer.

The paper round is a first step.

Can you remember your first job?  I worked in Dad’s office for my first job – photocopying in the library.  There was a tea lady who remembered what you liked to drink – in those days for me it was white tea with two sugars – and left a couple of biccies on your desk in the morning and in the afternoon.

Brilliant.

The other thing I remember is getting my pay in a little brown envelope – in cash – down to the cent.

It was SO satisfying.

I think kids miss out a bit on that these days with everything going electronically.

Mind you… it will be easier to save that $13!

rant, Work

Knobs on it!

15 Comments

Warning: Rant ahead.
What is it with young people these days?  Do none of them learn to drive properly?

Twice this year so far I’ve come up against people – both in their early 20s – who can’t drive the work car because they don’t know how to drive a manual.

When I was a young lass everyone learned manual gear changes.  

In fact, I’ve never owned anything other than a manual car.

Now I don’t know whether manual 4WD’s are better than automatic ones – possibly it makes no difference – but that’s not the point… 

It’s just laziness!

And it’s soooo irritating.  
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Honestly it’s not that hard to learn – my 13-year-old can drive a manual car – and it means that you can drive any car.

It’s like never learning to ride a bike when you were young. What’s up with that?!  I did in fact meet someone who had to hire an enormous tricycle on Rottnest Island because they couldn’t ride a bicycle.  

Yes.  They did look like a big knob.

I’m over it.

Get with the program people and spend the time to learn how to drive manually.  Do us ALL a favour.

Jeez Louise!

And I can tie a proper Windsor knot too, but don’t get me started.

Extracurricular, Film, WA

Mamma Mia! A Kimberley girl

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After a long day at work I thought I’d treat myself by forgoing yet another work dinner – hell I’d had a work breakfast – and head down to Sun Pictures to see a movie.

You can probably guess which one.

I’d missed the season in Perth so I was excited to see it showing on the 6.45 session.  I couldn’t convince anyone to come with me but I didn’t care – Mamma Mia at Sun Pictures sounded like something I just couldn’t pass up.

If you’ve never been to Broome, Sun Pictures is an icon.  It’s an old outdoor cinema – 90 years old – basically a corrugated iron shed with rows of those sling back chairs.  These days it sits directly under the flight path for the airport – and by directly under I mean about 800m from the start of the runway.

It’s quite unnerving to be sitting their under the starts singing away (in my head) to Mamma Mia as a plane roars up flashing with lights landing at Broome airport.  Unnerving but exciting.  Luckily the timing was excellent and lets be honest there are not too many moments that are critically quiet in Mamma Mia.

Oh I loved the film!  Sure it’s scmaltzy but in a good way.  The scenery is beautiful, the singing surprisingly good – especially from Meryl – Pierce is more of a worry – the choreography is excellent.  Any flaws in the film you simply dismiss because you feel so damn good.

After the film finished I decided to find some colleagues and see if they wanted to head out to Goolarri media for the finals of Kimberley Girl.

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So while yes it is a model competition it is more about learning to accept yourself and be proud of who you are.

The girls were beautiful and strutted their stuff like they owned the catwalk.  It was empowering just watching them.  The place was packed and the crowd loud and supported.

I had a blast.

The great thing about Broome is that it is so casual… so my – now slightly pink with Pindan – sandshoes can be worn anywhere and with anything. 

People don’t even iron up here.  I think most of the creases fall out with the humidity anyway and boy is it humid!

So you find me lying on my hotel bed, weary yet feeling good, trying to decide whether to go to bed or maybe just read one more chapter of Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer – a book I bought for Dippity at the airport and which I’ve totally become immersed in… Have you read the twilight series?

Okay, I’m rambling now.  Catch you soon, CB xx

Introspection, WA

Broome-time reunion

8 Comments

I’m in Broome today for work – I know, what a bitch of a job eh? – anyway I’m strolling through Chinatown trying to find a sandwich at 3pm – not easy – I almost had to go to Subway – when I spot a girl I knew at school.

She reminded me that it has been 25 years since I left high school this year.  25 YEARS!

How old did I feel?  As old as her at least.

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It was like that at the 20th reunion – I left with the realisation that there’s a reason why I don’t see that many people from school… they weren’t my friends then and the passage of time – with little or no contact – has not changed things.  I see the people I liked at school, and if I liked them and I don’t see them – well that’s usually because our lives have gone in different directions.

Still, it wasn’t a particularly comfortable feeling.  I wonder if the same applies to facebook?

Extracurricular, Work

An insight into the Australia Day Awards

5 Comments

This year I was invited to sit on the WA panel to select the 2009 WA candidate for the Australian of the Year awards… filling in for my boss.

I felt completely unworthy to judge such amazing men and women and as I read through the applications – neatly filed for me – I felt even more selfish and callow.  And humble.

Anyway I made my notes and my shortlist and went along to the meeting in which we were to discuss and vote for our candidates.

We were upstairs in a board room at a city hotel and found ourselves with coffee in hand and mints at the ready sitting around a large U-shaped table… cabinet style.

The chairman sat at one end and explained to us how we would select the candidates.  First Australian of the Year WA, then Senior Australian, Youth and finally Local Hero.
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First up we each put forward our top 5 shortlist.  Then after some discussion we had a second vote – this time giving 3 points to our top candidate, 2 for our second and 1 for our third.  Then we looked at the candidates again to make sure we were happy with the way the votes fell.

I was pleased to see one of my favourites make it into the top group.  Maybe I could do this judging thing. 🙂

It was a really rewarding day and I felt proud to be an Australian with all these fabulous worthy extraordinary people really contributing to my society and making Australia a great place to live.

Anyone can nominate anyone else and really, if you know someone who is worthy of recognition it is a worthwhile thing to do.  Next year’s round will open around July 1, 2009.

Books

Breath by Tim Winton

4 Comments

I think this is Tim Winton’s best novel.  He has lost his earlier pretentiousness.  His writing is spare, evocative and compelling. 

The tale is told by a paramedic in his 50s who attends an accidental hanging.   He knows it’s accidental because of events in his youth, and so you are drawn into this tale of coming of age.  Of a young boy becoming a teenager, who with his friend become acolytes of an enigmatic surfer.  A surfer who encourages them to risk everything for the rush that comes with living on the edge.

The rush that cuts through everything to make you feel alive.

It’s also the story of friendship, and of chips that we carry with us from childhood.

I felt a little creeped out by the book.  You want to like your hero right?  Instead I felt repelled.  But perhaps it was more that I was repelled at how easily he slipped into character traits that were less than seemly.  Maybe slipping into them is easier than we’d like to think. 

Groover thinks the book describes Tim.  I don’t like to think of him as that creepy myself.

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One other small niggle:  I hate the way Tim uses Angeles and Sawyer for the town names.  I find it a distraction and it gives me the irrits. 

I’d be interested in your thoughts.  Have you read Breath?

List of reviews

SMH article

The Australian