Movies

I did go and see Beguiled and wasn't that impressed.  It was lacking the suspense that was necessary to make it a great film.  The acting was fairly forced and the best acting was done by the youngest in the cast.  Out of 10 I give it a 6 because the scene at the end of the movie was pretty good.

The following week I went to see Lady McBeth. It has nothing to do with Shakespeare but this Lady McBeth was just as murderous, maybe more so.  It was more like Lady Chatterly's Lover if lady Chatterly was psychotic.  It was slow but well acted and beat Beguiled hands down.

Last Tuesday we went to see Baby Driver.   It was very much a movie for the guys with lots of car chases and shoot 'em ups and a fairly continuous sound track.  I enjoyed it,  and worth seeing if you like going to the cinema.

My friends and I have found a cafe that sells the best scones and coffee on the Gold Coast.  The scones are always big and fresh and yummy and the coffee is very good and so we meet about an hour before the movie starts and chat and scoff down our scones. Tuesday is my favourite day in the whole week.

this and that

I took the dogs for a walk around the park this morning.  At 9.30am I was expecting to have the park all to myself but it was not so, there was quite a number of people and dogs all enjoying the sunshine.  It's the middle of winter and I think it was around 23degrees. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in Australia right now.

When The Princess moved in she set up her Stan account on our TV.  I found a great series called Acquitted and ignored the housework for a few days because it was much more important to find out who done it.  It was set in a village on a fjord in Norway and the scenery was stunning.  Now I want to go there.  But not in winter.

Hubby has this dream of living on a canal and just jumping in his boat and going out fishing whenever he wants so every now and then we go looking at houses for sale.  Unfortunately it has made me aware of how much work this house needs to get up to scratch and the thought of all the work leaves me lacking in enthusiasm of moving anywhere.    I'm thinking I'd rather stay here for ever and ever.

Tomorrow I'm going to the movies to see Beguiled with Nicole Kidman.  I hope it's good.

update

I don't like typing on this iPad but here I am doing it anyway.
Update....
The Princess has settled in well, both with us and also with her original school.  I was hoping she would take over the cooking but that didn't work out the way I hoped.  Usually she gets home exhausted and so I just step in and do it.  On the weekends her hubby comes down and they spend most of the time going out with friends.  This last weekend she went to Toowoomba so I bought a family pie that lasted us 2 nights and hubby cooked up some veggies so no cooking for me.  Yay!

Last week hubby and I went to Caloundra for a couple of days.  Caloundra is about 2 hours away up the coast.  Hubby loves Caloundra, me not so much.  I would have preferred to go to the mountains but we couldn't find any reasonably priced accommodation at short notice so Caloundra it was.  The weather was pretty rubbish  and on Sunday the rain well and truly set in  so  we packed up and went home.

Since I wrote last InTheMiddle has been made permanent in her position as a social worker and Teeny Tiny has also been made permanent.  It's pretty impressive for Teeny Tiny because the education department generally likes to keep new teachers on contract for as long as possible.  At the moment though there is a shortage of math/science teachers so I guess they want to try and keep them in the system.

The Princess brought her dog, a chihuahua cross, with her when she moved home.  I now have 2 little dogs trying to take control of my lap every time I sit down which can become very annoying at times. I guess I should be pleased the big one doesn't want to sit on me too, he weighs 35kg.

I went to see Viceroys House at the movies last week.  It's about the last days of the British Empire in India.  I like historical movies and this one was particularly well done.

Can you tell I'm running out of things to write about?
Time to go....

Today I thought I would get on my computer, clean up emails and finally post something on this blog.    The emails have been cleaned up and I have unsubscribed from a few sites that want to send me daily updates.boo to them.   So then I tried to post to blogger but it seems I have been away for so long it wants me to go through some long process involving passwords I can't remember.  Oh the pain!  I gave up.  I'm writing this on my little iPad to see if it works.  So far so good.

Christmas is coming

Today is the last day of  the school term and Teeny Tiny and The Princess start their 6 weeks holiday.  Teeny Tiny and her partner are flying to South Africa and will be spending Christmas with friends there. It will be the first Christmas she has spent away from her family and she says she is homesick already.  I can't say I have ever wanted to go there for a holiday but I'm sure she will have fun.

The Princess was offered a permanent position in the school she's been working at for the last year but it would mean losing her permanent position on the Gold Coast. After a lot of agnosing and a tearful call on the phone to me where she said she is missing our family dreadfully she decided to turn down the offer,  so she is back on the Gold Coast next year.  Her hubby is staying and working in Toowoomba for a while longer so it looks like she will be moving in with hubby and I.  Harry the dog will be pleased because The Princess takes him jogging and he loves that.  I hope she takes over the cooking because I would really, really love that.

I have yet to do my Christmas shopping.  Erk!  I really wish someone could do it for me.  My biggest problem is that I'm very indecisive so I tend to find stuff and instead of buying it on the spot I hum and har, don't buy it, go home and  decide I should have bought it, then I go back to get it only to find it is sold out.

Finally....the weather.  It has been quite hot and for the last couple of nights we have had thunder storms.  During the day the moisture rises with the heat so then it is humid.  It's good swimming weather.

The News

When I was young my mother would make me write a letter to my aunt and uncle who lived in England, every Christmas.  I would sit looking at the blank piece of paper for the longest time trying to think of what to write, a bit like what I do now in front of this computer.  My mum would tell me to write about the weather.

The weather. 
 It is hot and muggy and it's only good for swimming.  It is no good for growing vegies which have all withered or been eaten by grubs.  I went to do some weeding but was attacked by mosquitoes so I won't do that again.
I'll tell you about Melbourne weather which is a constant source of amusement for me.  For a week it reached 18c  then for one day it hit 30c then a week of 15 - 18c then one day of 38c.  Now that day was serious because they ended up getting a thunderstorm which was bad, the force of the rain made the rye grass release pollen and the wind whipped it all over the place.  The hospitals were overwhelmed with people with asthma attacks and people were dropping like flies.  Sadly 4 young people died from asthma attacks and some are still in hospital.   So after all that the very next day it was cold again.    Melbourne your weather sucks!
There is a thunderstorm heading my way as I type this.  I can hear rumbling.

My Teeth,
Even more problems which is making me sad.

The Movie
I went and saw that latest J.R Rowling movie.  I've forgotten the name of it already.  Something about fantastic creatures and where to find them.  It went for 3 hours which was about 2 hours too long.  I got bored but then all the Harry Potter movies bored me.

The daughters
I still have three.

The Dogs
I still have two.  One is sick at the moment and will no doubt cost me much money at the vets.

The Husband
Is due home any minute so I will go now and be ready to greet him appropriately....with a smile.

That is all.  Have a great day.

Cars

Yikes! Nearly 2 months since I last posted.  Bad Debstar!

Today hubby has been sitting in front of the telly watching very loud cars going round and round in circles. Apparently it is a national day of rest for anyone who enjoys motor racing. I don't enjoy it so it is not a day of rest for me. 

Once upon a time it was referred to as The Bathurst One Thousand.  That was because it is set in Bathurst and the cars drove around the track 161 times, or 1000 klm to be exact.  Then of course someone decided there was money to be made by getting corporations to pay for the naming rights.  So this year it is known as Supercheap 1000. (I had to go and ask because I really have so little interest in it). 

I have been doing very little of consequence today.  I put on a load of washing earlier and am waiting for it to finish up so I can put the washing out on the line.  It will have to be the undercover line because I expect it may rain very soon.  I miss my old washing machine. I have decided I am not fussed on the new front loader but I will just have to suck it up because we won't be buying a new one for a long time.

My dogs want to go for a walk.  I do not want to go walking because it is quite cold and very windy.  Sometimes owning a dog can be a pain.

Hopefully my next post will be more interesting.

Beach Volleyball

Today I watched the Brasillian beach volleyball girls win.  It was a good game to watch, what I saw of it,  and like any good players they made the game look easy.  I have never played beach volleyball but I have on many occasions run and jumped on sand.  It's heavy and makes you move slowly and I am sure playing beach volleyball would be hard work.  You only have to look at their physiques to tell that they work their bodies hard.
I have a problem with the clothing.  Those teeny tiny bikinis seem to me to be bloody uncomfortable.  All they seem to do is pull their pants out of their crack and pull their bras back down into place.  One of the teams, I think it might have been the Russians, wore full length body suits which looked far more comfortable for the competitors plus it had the added benefit of being sun smart. 

Could a post on washing machines be any more boring?

Last week my washing machine started playing up.  I had loaded it up with clothes, started the machine which  filled up with water then......nothing.  So I let it sit there.  I figured hubby can deal with it when he gets home. That's how I solve all my mechanical problems.  The Princess came along a few hours later and pressed 'spin' and it immediately spun out the water.  Clothes washed in my book.  They soaked, they spun...that's enough.

So I didn't bother with washing until the weekend when I got hubby to give it a try.  The machine filled up with water and then all the lights on the control board went out.  It died.  Hubby went on-line and watched a few videos on how to fix it but came to the conclusion it was never going to be fixed.  It is over 15 years after all.

More time was spent on-line trying to decide on the best washing machine at the best price then it was off to The Good Guys who advertise that they will match any price even the on-line ones.  So we managed to beat them down by $200 on the machine they had in-store AND they deliver free AND they took away the old machine.

We bought a front loader because my kids all have front loaders and they swear by them.  I have never had a front loader so this will be interesting.

Elections

When I started this blog I swore I would never talk about religion or politics but today I will because Aussie politics is a little more interesting than usual.

The Federal elections were held on the weekend and it is so close that neither of the big 2 parties can declare a win, so we could have a hung parliament,  though most are now saying that the Liberals who are currently in power may be able to hang in there with a minority government.  They are going to need the support of the independents to do that. Interesting because some of the independents are nut jobs (I'm looking at you Ms Hanson).

Regardless of who gets in I doubt Australia will move forward in any direction because the Senate look to be controlled by a bunch of Independents who are going to stop every bill going through.

OMG You should have seen the election sheet for the Senate, it was about 3 foot long. I'm not joking, it really was about 3 foot long.  The old lady next to me just kept saying, Oh my! and Where do I start?  What it looked like to me was a whole bunch of lobby groups trying to get into the Senate.  What a joke!  Unless you had read up about the parties beforehand this would have been beyond confusing and I expect a large number of people would have either voted informal or donkey.

So that's it.  If Liberal gets in I hope their desire to throw money at big business and banks and their desire to further reduce bulk billing of Medicare items is kept in check.  If Labor gets in I hope their usual need to spend money with gay abandon is kept in check.  I hope the Greens get more of a say in looking after our environment.  I hope we do not waste another cent (or $165 million) on this plebicide rubbish about gay marriage.  Just grow up, be brave and vote it in through parliament like the rest of the world has done.

And now that I have typed this I can safely say I am totally sick of thinking about politics.

Stuff

Following on from the last post.  The room is painted.  Two rooms now have carpet.  We are tossing up whether to get rid of the yellow paint in the front bedroom.  Hubby wants to paint it cream.  It's safe but boring.  Part of me wants to get rid of the yellow because it's been yellow for so long but another part of me still really likes that colour.  What to do, what to do.  Hubby is anxious for a decision.

I haven't been up to much.  Health could be better.  Much better.  Next week I go in for a biopsy on an infection that has not responded to antibiotics, even the heavy duty ones.  My specialists has been away for a week and now he is playing catch-up and it appears I am on the bottom of the list.  boo!
Enough of that, its boring.

I've seen a few movies of late.  The Lady in the Van was excellent.  The previews made it appear like it would be a funny movie but it turned out to be really quite sad.  The acting was excellent.  Another movie that did not hit mainstream cinemas was Eye in the Sky which surprised me because once again excellent acting, with Helen Mirren and Alan Rickman.  It's a spy movie focusing on modern day terrorism.  The 'eye'  bit relates to drones.  It really was an 'edge of your seat' movie.  Possibly the best movie I've seen this year.  Last week it was Florence Foster Jenkinkins with Meryl Streep.  This was someone else's choice, not one I would have gone to see normally.  It wasn't bad, a little bit funny (I did laugh out loud a few times) and a little bit sad (I didn't cry).   That's it for the movie reviews.

I'm going to my nephew's wedding tomorrow.  He's been living with his partner for 20 years but now they have a baby so maybe that's why they have decided to finally tie the knot.  I love this little family heaps and wish the very, very best for them.    Which reminds me, time to get to the shops and buy a card.  We are giving them money because after 20 years what would they need.  We figure the money can go towards their honeymoon in Fiji, or anything else really.

The end.

Not such a great idea

Hubby and I went for a quiet drink at our local bar on the weekend.  It's nice sitting out on the balcony looking at the boats, having a chat.  Sometimes we get to talk more there than we do at home. 

Anyway, I casually suggested that maybe we should invest in a queen size bed so that when The Princess and her hubby come down to visit us they will be more comfortable than they are presently sleeping in an old squeezy double bed.  He thought that was a great idea.  Then he decided we would have to move the double bed to the back room which, of late, has become our junk room.  It was supposed to be our exercise room because that is where I keep weights and the treadmill...all gathering dust.  So, much time was spent cleaning out that room of everything.  All the pictures/mirrors were taken down. The wardrobe was cleaned out.   I have been given instructions to go out and choose paint and carpet.  A new bed is suddenly becoming quite expensive and somewhat time consuming.

I don't think this was such a great idea after all!

Dream Job

In-The-Middle managed to get her dream job, working as a social worker in a hospital.  The two workplaces that she had to do her uni placements with both offered her jobs so she had a choice of a hospital (part time)  or working in foster care full time.  It was always going to be the hospital.

She called by on her first day to show me her name badge.  It read Avril xxxx, Social Worker.  She was grinning from ear to ear, she finally had confirmation that she had made it.

Hooray!  There's nothing like seeing your kids succeed.

This is weird.  I went back to read my blog and I can only see one post.  I wonder what that's about.

I'll try (almost) anything once.

That's me, on the ground.  I should have just stayed there for the entire game.


I keep saying that I want to start exercising but..well...life gets in the way.  The swimming has not been a success at all, although, there was the one day that I did swim 30 laps.  Last year I was doing that routinely.  I was going to join the gym last month but..health issues...darn it.

Anyway, on Easter Monday Teeny Tiny decided she wanted to play bubble soccer and the whole family was expected to join in.  Even  Little E thought she'd have a go and she looked so cute following her people into the court to hear the rules and regulations. Hubby opted to look after her and not run around like a lunatic.  Sensible.

You know, I was thinking this would be OK, you're surrounded by a bubble so how can you get hurt, right?  You can I discovered.  My darling girls thought it would be a hoot to run into me even though the ball was nowhere near me. And let me tell you that it is darned difficult to stand back up when you are in a plastic bubble.   At one stage I fell awkwardly and felt my hip go funny.  It still hurts if I walk too much.    The next day I felt like I'd been hit with a baseball bat I was so sore in my back.
I was not the only one, the others complained about being sore too.

Then, the next day, the infection that I had when I first started swimming made a return visit.  booo!

Don't get me wrong, it was fun and if I was younger, like about 40 years younger I just might have taken up this sport, but it most definitely was not designed for some old git to play even if there is a big plastic bubble surrounding you.