Finger and Telephone Manners

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I guess it's a bit of an odd title for my blog today, but that's the first thing that came to mind. The finger is obvious; it's still throbbing away a little, though it is healing and I get reminded with everything I do as I've got this massive bandage restricting me.

The telephone manners bit is perhaps less obvious but it definitely is something that gets on my nerves.

For example; the phone rings yesterday and I answer. I hear; "who's this?". Well, you called me, so who's this? I say. That seemed to confuse the caller somewhat. Isn't it plain good manners to introduce yourself?

I know I'm probably nit-picking but whilst we are on good manners; am I the only one that gets irritated when the person behind the counter doesn't interrupt their personal conversation while they serve you? And that goes both ways, I think it is equally rude to be on the mobile while you order your coffee for example. What is that important that it can't wait those 30 seconds?

I know these are all little annoyances in the greater scheme of things, but it signifies a breakdown in human contact and interaction. And if we can't even communicate properly with eachother over these small instances, then what hope do we have of solving major differences in our world?

Love, Luck and other Learned Behaviours

Saturday

I just read a great post by Crystal Clear about luck (see link). It tied in very well with what I've been thinking lately. I've pretty much always felt lucky. Lucky to have been born in a free country, lucky to have received a great education, lucky to have a fantastic family and partner. Also lucky to have been spared great tragedies.


Of course I've had my ups and downs, but all in all things always worked out. I think a big contributing factor has been my dad, who is definitely the eternal optimist. One of his favourite sayings is; There's a solution to every problem. I believe growing up with dad's positive outlook and mum's love and protection has made me into a lucky person indeed.


Monday

I started this post on Saturday but then had to run off to go First-Birthday shopping with Mr Kiwi. We had planned this a while as we don't get that much time together. Anyway, I packed a bag with Miss M's lunch, threw in afternoon tea and dinner just in case we took long, a cardigan just in case it got cold, a book and some toys to keep her entertained, checked that we had enough nappies and wipes and off to Miranda we set.

A 40 minute drive later, we finally got a park, set up the pram, put Miss M in the pram...and realised that I'd left my handbag with my wallet at home!! Mr Kiwi always relies on me for cash and never really carries a wallet, so there we where; all ready, but no money! I was so frustrated, it's really out of character. We had a bit of a look, but the moment was spoiled, so we decided to go home and just do some stuff around the house.

I got stuck into the kitchen as we had some people coming over to visit on Sunday and I wanted to make a quiche amongst other things. I had decided on one with spinach, roast capsicum and fetta to cater for everyone including vegetarians. So, still a little cranky with myself I'm chopping away, wondering what's wrong with me, when I literally chop a slice of my right index finger off! I can tell you by this stage I was totally OVER everything.

I'll spare you the gory details but I'm off to see the doctor this afternoon as it still hasn't stopped bleeding. Everything is a challenge, especially typing, so I've been putting it off.

Anyway, to get back to the lucky thing. I guess you wonder if I still think I'm lucky? Of course I do!! I could have chopped my whole finger off for starters. This is but a small speed-hump on the road of life. And it's been a lesson too. I fancied myself quite a Jamie Oliver and have since realised that when it comes to chopping I might need a bit more practise.











Crystal Clear: luck

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Learn something new every day

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After our race out the door, we had a very enjoyable and educational time with Tomdiggleharry, Dontmesswithmum and young Brad (nice to meet you).

Tomdiggleharry definitely gave us some good tips on different aspects of YouTube so I look forward to spending some time making my channel my own.

He also floored me by fixing my memory stick which showed 'no images' as well as 'memory stick full'. I had no idea you could format the stick on the camera! I seriously thought I'd stuffed it up and was prepared to go out and buy a new one. Goes to show that it definitely pays to ask!

It was also very enjoyable to watch Miss M and Mr T have a bit of a play together. They are still a bit to little to really play games of course but you could see they were quite fascinated by each other.

After our city-visit I raced to Engadine where I fed Miss M her dinner at McDonald's and then had a play with her in the playground. They are actually real fun, no wonder these kids always want to go to Maccas. As soon as Mr Kiwi arrived we swapped cars and he set of home while I drove to Cronulla to do my other job.

I tell you by the time I got home I was thoroughly over it!

So today I got an easy day planned. Will try and get back into the jungle at the back of our house where I've been pulling weeds for days already. It's actually quite gratifying work as you see results straight away. Shame they keep growing back!

Learning something new..

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It's always a race against time when I have something on in the city. I try and work it so that Miss M has her morning sleep in her bed, otherwise she'll just be cranky all afternoon. Then I have to make sure I pack enough for her to eat (how much these littlelies eat never ceases to amaze me!), have enough nappies and wipes, change of clothes and some toys, the pram and her favourite bear so she can hopefully have a sleep.

Then I have to get myself presentable, tidy the house and off we go!

Today's venture is most exciting as Tomdiggleharry is going to give us a tutorial on YouTube. Look forward to it, as I've been groping around in the dark a bit there! Let you know how it goes...

Do you believe in past lives?

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I had a little 'me'-time on the lounge with Oprah this afternoon. The show was about this professor of psychiatry who was a world-renowned expert on past-life regression.

I have always been interested in this topic, though not necessarily a believer. I would love to meet someone like this professor who could take me there, but it isn't like I've got unexplained likes or dislikes, phobias or dreams.

Anyway, the way he got some people to remember things from a past life was through hypnotherapy. Which reminded me about something that happened to me, when I saw a hypnotherapist to quit smoking.

I had always been a really bad sleeper. I hated going to bed, as I knew I would just lie awake for ages. My parents told me the story that they had to lock me in my room (on doctor's advise)when I was a child, because I just kept getting up and thus never got enough sleep.

Later in life, it all came to a head when I became a flight attendant and jet-lag became more and more an issue. I just accepted the fact that I was a bad sleeper, and thought nothing more of it. Until this experience at the hypnotherapist...

Whilst under hypnosis I remembered back to when I was very young, about 3 years of age. My Mum was in hospital again soon after my brother was born and I was staying at my uncle and aunts place. I remembered walking in their upstairs hallway, looking for my mum. Everything was dark and brown. I was very upset and of course, my mum wasn't there.

It was liberating remembering that, as I could now make sense of the situation. I could let go of that old feeling as I understood the background (my parents did not abandon me) and believe it or not, I have never again experienced problems sleeping! As a matter of fact, Mr Kiwi finds it hard to believe when I tell him that I was once an insomniac.

Possibilities and Positivity

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I was talking to my brother earlier, who found out today that he wasn't one of the 800 people at Telstra who lost their job. Phew! On the other hand he didn't seem too worried. He had faced a similar situation earlier and I guess it taught him that it is not the end of the world. It's just the end of your comfort-zone.

I have been in my job for 15 years. Before I had Miss M I just couldn't imagine ever doing anything else. Like most other people I hated any changes that were made by management and did my share of complaining about it!

While I still enjoy what I do (well at least I did before I went on Maternity Leave), having a baby has opened up my mind to other possibilities. I've HAD to learn some new skills and I've HAD to update some old ones, but now that I've done that I remember that I CAN do whatever I put my mind to.

I still haven't got a firm plan B, but I feel confident that it'll come to me when the time is right. In the meantime I would like to say to all those people who were unfortunate enough to get the boot; use this as an opportunity to break free of your comfort-zone and head for bigger and better things. There are always possibilities if you look for them!

Where there's a will, there's a way!

Sunday Morning Mooring Adventure -Part 1-

Soon we'll set off on a Sunday Morning Mooring Adventure. We at DutchieKiwiAussie are most excited, as today we pick the site where our Petit Bateau will be moored.

The thing is, that even though we live surrounded on 3 sides by water, there is no proper boat-ramp in Bundeena. There is a sand-ramp at Bonnie Vale but to get your boat in the water there you need a kick-ass 4-wheel drive which we ain't got.

There has been much debate in Bundeena about a boat ramp, the town pretty much split down the middle with those for and against. Because we are in the National Park there are many things to consider, the impact on the environment being the main one. As much as I would like the ease of a boat ramp, I don't think I would like the amount of jet skies and motorboats it would attract.

So, we decided to get a mooring and be done with it.

I don't know if there are any boating people amongst you, but having a boat is like having a big hole in the water in which you throw hands full of money! And having the boat moored means getting insurance, locks to prevent the outboard from getting knocked-off, investing in a boat-cover to keep the bird-shit off and the rain out... the list is endless.

We have had this boat, a 16 foot, 30-odd year old, wooden Hartley trailer-sailer, for about 2 years now. When we bought her we thought; a lick of paint and " Bob's your uncle", but we quickly realised that there was more work to be done, and decided to do it all properly. It's taken a while but we are very proud of the end result. My Kiwi-man calls it his Labour of Love. Anyway, you be the judge; I'll post a photo below so you can check it out.

And now I better go and pack our sunscreen etc as it's always 'safety first'!

Have a sunny Sunday!

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Quick...before she wakes up!

The Magic Miss M is down for a sleep so I stopped my spring-cleaning activities to quickly do a bit of blogging. I just read Dont Mess With Mum's blog from yesterday and totally relate. I really don't know where the time goes. Sometimes wish there were more hours in the day than just 24, but then again, you just end up running around longer!

How wonderful is the weather? I feel like a bear coming out of hibernation; fat, fuzzy and full of wonder about the world. I LOVE spring! And I love a good spring-clean. It's great to be rigorous and chuck stuff out and feel lighter because of it.

It's also great to be able to wear less; although shorts in public are still a no-no as my fluorescent white legs, and the fuzzy state of them, may just frighten small children and adults alike!!

Ok, this was definitely NOT a world changing entry but hey, that's what it's at @ DutchieKiwiAussie's place.

Have a good One!

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When the moon hits the sky...

How absolutely stunning was the full Moon last night? I took miss M outside and danced around with her singing 'When the Moon hits the sky like a big pizza-pie-That's amore'. Of course she was delighted. It really doesn't matter that I can't sing and that I dance as if I'm wearing clogs! She thinks I put the moon there for our entertainment!

As much as I love the Moon, come bedtime she creates havoc! I have the most vivid dreams, get hot and cold sweats and wake up without fail around 3 am and can't get back to sleep til daybreak. No problem if you can have a sleep-in, but of course that is a foreign word in our house nowadays.

Anyway, it's a good thing my boxing revives me!

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And the Winner is...

...Me!

The Winner of the 8 week Bundeena Fitness Challenge is ME! Ha, do you believe it?! I blitzed it, having the greatest improvement in strength and endurance! I am proud as punch, and finally start to understand what all those fit people, that work out all the time, have been telling me for years; once you form a habit you actually get energy from working out and you miss it when you're not doing it.

I am by no means a size 0, but that was never my goal. My goal is to be strong and fit, so I can keep up with Miss M as she runs around the place. I also hope to cheat time a little. Next year the big 4-0, so fighting gravity with all I got.

I look forward to enjoying my prize; a lovely full-body massage. Ahh, 90 minutes of bliss. I think I'll wait a week or 2 with booking it, so I can look forward to it longer!

To keep up the work I started the 8 week Bikini-Bust-Out on Monday (who came up with that name?). And of course I'll keep boxing as I enjoy it so much.

Hope you all have an energetic day!

Hooroo
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The Apple of my Eye

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Capoeira

After a very busy weekend I've finally got a moment to sit down and fill you in on the latest gossip on our little DutchieKiwiAussie lives.

Little Miss M is 11 months already. And what a fantastic age it is! She changes so quickly and learns something new every day. I was amazed to notice one morning that she'd sprouted 2 more teeth (she's got 4 now) overnight. And she's learning to put her pearly-whites to good use, chomping away on crusts of bread, the edge of her play-pen, the rind of a lemon the neighbour gave her, pretty much everything she can get her chubby little hands on.

This weekend she also stood for the first time unassisted. For a whole 3 seconds!! I guess only parents can get excited about such little achievements, but I was disappointed that I wasn't quick enough with my camera.

We stayed at my sisters place on Saturday night, and Miss M loved playing with the dogs, thus far displaying absolutely no fear whatsoever, much to my delight. (see earlier blog).

On Sunday I went and visited my good friends Chris and John. I was given the biggest and yummiest muffin I've ever seen, before heading to Bondi Beach to watch Lucas in a Capoeira Demonstration. I had never heard of Capoeira before and was told that it is a cross between martial arts, dance, gymnastics and acrobatics. Apparently it was developed by slaves in Brasil who 'disguised' their fighting in this way. Anyway, it was unexpectedly entertaining and definitely athletic to watch. Some of the smaller children were amazing! (Some of the adults were very more-ish on the eye! ;)

Mr Kiwi was working all weekend so didn't get to have as much fun. Thankfully he's taking tomorrow off, so we can enjoy some quality time as a family.

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We are family!

As I get older, I become more and more aware how important family is.

I think when you're young you take for granted that they'll always be there. There might even have been a time where I would have rather seen the back of them, feeling that they didn't understand me. Nonsense of course, it was more that I was up to mischief and didn't want to get caught out!

I moved to Australia when I was barely 21. I was so excited at the prospect of living in Australia. Even as a young girl I knew that I wasn't going to grow old in Holland. So, when I met a dutch man who was living in Sydney, I thought it was a sign and off I went.

I never really considered at the time what that would have meant to my parents and my siblings. Mum told me later that she didn't want to see anyone for 2 weeks and that my brother was out-of-sorts for months.

But I was just busy discovering Sydney and setting up my new life. Of course I missed them! In those days the cost of a telephone call was astronomical so we spoke once a week, taking turns. My dad was always saying 'knock-off time' and Mum and I never really had enough time to catch up on the goss.

It wasn't until my dream went to shit somewhat (I got divorced) that I realised how much the love of your family means. And by this stage I am not just talking my immediate family. In the years I have been in Oz I have met some amazing people who have become my new extended family. They have cheered me up when I was down, let me astray on many wonderful adventures and supported me through different 'phases'.

And most recently my 888DAG brothers and sisters have shown such kindness and caring. And some of you I've never even met!

We ARE all one big family and it's a comfortable and cosy feeling to be part of that. The kind of family-support that allows you to be you is very special indeed and I treasure you all!

I hope you all have a magical day!

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Hello....anyone seen my inspiration?

Isn't it funny how some days your mind gets flooded with ideas and other days it's barren like the Simpson Desert? I've said this before and I'll say it again; lack of sleep has a lot to do with it. But some days I just feel like I've been dumbed down somehow. Stuck in an eternal cycle of waking up, tending to life's tedious tasks, and then, exhausted, going to sleep again.

I admire those that wake up each day, fighting for some important Cause. Saving the Whales, or the Planet, or lives at the hospital. People with Great Ideas and the conviction and energy to follow through.

But then I think I might be a little hard on myself. Because what greater Cause is there than raising a child? I look at little Miss M and realise that I want to be a better person for her. I want to have a better world for her. I am learing about computers because I figure it's part of being a plugged-in, switched-on parent. I am reading the labels on jars in the supermarket and have educated myself about the perils of additives etc. I want her to have the freedom and possiblities to be the best that she could be.

I guess I have found my inspiration. It was never really lost.



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Moment of Truth

Ok, time for a moment of truth.

I am afraid of dogs!

When I see one coming my way, I cross the road and hope that he can't smell the fear on me. I know which streets to avoid were there are particularly 'barky' and 'jumpy' types. My heart races, and I get sweaty palms. I can't help it.

I don't want to transfer this fear onto my daughter. So I bravely point out dogs to her on the street and do my best bark, much to her amusement.

The worst thing is that I don't like to admit it to dog-owners. Firstly they mostly have the same reply; Oh my dog doesn't bite/jump/bark/lick-your-face. But they invariably do. Secondly I feel like I'm a freak. 'How can you not like dogs? They are so loyal etc. etc."

My sister has two dogs. I'm ok with them as I've known them for a while now, and can more or less predict their behaviour. But don't expect me to get all cuddly with them, I just can't.

So there you have it, black on white. If anyone has any helpful hints; please, I am always open to suggestions!


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Happy First Father's Day My Love!

It's been a couple of days so thought I better hop on and give an update of our little lives. Of course today is Father's Day, Mr Kiwi's first one so I wanted to make it special. We started this morning at 7 am. A sleep-in courtesy of little Miss M! Presents in bed, including obligatory undies (no socks this year) and then brekkie (not in bed, way too messy!).

We were out the door at 10 am, eager to escape the house after Friday and Saterday's torrential rain. We thought we'd drive down the South Coast and see where it took us. It's such a lovely drive, with some beautiful views on the way. We ended up in the Gong, where we had fish burgers and beer in the park. Miss M loved the freedom and crawled around happily exploring every twig and leaf to be found.

As part of our conscious effort to watch less on the idiot box, we had a candle-lit music night. Listening to Pink Floyd and chatting away. Mr Kiwi loves educating me on all aspects of music, but the 70's hold a special place in his heart. I am a willing subject and find it all very relaxing.

Tonight I've got a special dinner planned with scallops, which is Mr Kiwi's favourite. But that'll have to wait till Miss M is out cold. Scallops over-cook way too quickly, so I'm not going to run that risk.

The best thing is that Mr Kiwi has tomorrow off as well, so we get another day together as a family! To me definitely the best days!

Hooroo!

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Afraid? Me?...

Several of my fellow bloggers have written about the fear they encounter in people as soon as you point a camera at them. But is an unwillingness to share yourself with the world a fear per se?


In the Macquarie Concise Dictionary it tells me that FEAR is


1. a painful feeling of impending danger, evil, trouble, etc.; the feeling or condition of being afraid.
2. a specific instance of such a feeling
3. anxiety; solicitude


(I like to look words up so I know exactly what I'm dealing with as English is my third language.)


I think that most people will agree with me that they do not feel that the camera is, in itself dangerous or evil (with the exception of those that have a phobia perhaps). So what is it about camera's that make people shy away from them?

I must say that it took me a little while to get used to it. And to stop caring whether I look good in any one particular shot. Vanity does prevail in many cases. We all like to look our best after all!


Other than the Vanity aspect (does my bum look big from this angle?) there is the issue of Privacy. Wikipedia had the following to say about Privacy which I think is quite relevant.


"Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively. The boundaries and content of what is considered private differ among cultures and individuals, but share basic common themes.

...

Privacy can be seen as an aspect of security — one in which trade-offs between the interests of one group and another can become particularly clear."



I think that for many people I encounter, the security of themselves, and particularly their children plays a big role. It's not so much the fact that I am filming them that bothers them, but that countless strangers can view the footage. I guess it prevents one from revealing oneself selectively.



Personally, I'm not afraid. But then again I am in control of the camera and of what I write, so I can be selective about what I do and don't reveal.




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Things that make me see RED

Just arrived home from a frantic day (father's day) shopping in Miranda Mall. My goodness, it was as if you'd get something for free, people everywhere! Anyroad, got all I wanted to get, so that was good. All in all a fruitful day.

I just wanted to have a whinge about some idiot drivers on the road. For those of you who don't know Bundeena; it's in the National Park, and to get there you have to drive for about 25 mins on a rather windy 2-lane road.

In itself no problem. It's really pretty and there's no traffic jams, traffic lights or speed humps. But you get the occasional idiot who thinks that the lines on the road are for decoration purposes only! They come flying around the corner, on the wrong side of the road and miss you by inches.

It makes my blood boil, and more than once have I contemplated turning around and chasing them to give these dangerous individuals a choice piece of my mind! But of course by the time you turn around, you've already lost them.

So the only thing I can do to release the pressure is to have my say on my blog.

Thanks for listening!


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Surprise Encounter

I bumped into an old friend today. Well, we used to be friends but then something happened and then we were friends no longer. For months, even years I agonised over the 'Why?' and "What If's?' until one day I decided to accept and move on.

Today brought back many memories. And questions too. What happened? I will never understand as long as I live. It's a crying shame, but there it is. Too much water under the bridge now. I wish them well. But I wish no longer for things to be different.

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Australian Story

I just remembered; did anyone else watch Australian Story on Saturday. I think it was a re-run, but anyway it was about that Aussie vlogger (video blogger; I'd never heard that expression before) Daniel Meadows.

He's basically this shy, almost reclusive guy who ends up building a network of friends on the Internet by video blogging. And falls in love with a girl who lives in the States.

To cut a long story short, he ends up going on this long trip to see her, and to also meet up with some other friends he's made on-line. His flight goes via Japan to the USA. I can't remember which port he arrives at but it wasn't NYC or LAX. He then has to transfer to a domestic flight to fly to his girlfriend's town.

But the Department of Homeland Security singles him out, sees the videos he took in Japan, and questions him about all these friends he's going to see, all people he hasn't met before, and they don't believe his story, at first calling him a terrorist. Later his "crime" was downgraded to being a risk of over-staying and working illegally, as he hasn't got a job back in Australia. He get deported on the first available flight, never gets to see the girlfriend!

She ends up saving up and does travel to Australia, where they finally meet (and might I add fall in love in the flesh). But it's only for a short holiday and he's not allowed back into the States. Even though he didn't do anything wrong. The word of the Department of Homeland Security is absolute. You can't fight it. You have no rights. His only hope now is that an Australian Government Official asks for his case to be reviewed after vouching for him.

The things that struck me about Daniel's story was first of all, that it was such a modern day romance. And no one loves a Love Story more than me! Who would have thought that being a blogger could change a person so much? (He now holds down a job and is working towards a reunion with his girl).

Secondly it made me realise that You Tube is very useful for getting stories out there that otherwise perhaps never would have been heard. Daniel is using You Tube to get his story out there. Turns out there are so many people that have had similar experiences trying to enter the States.

I gotta run, but what do you think?

Stay Safe
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It's Spring!!

I wonder how Nature knows that it is Spring today? I mean yesterday was really quite miserable and grey, but when I opened my eyes this morning; Spring is in the air! I thought there was no end to this winter. And I should be used to winters that last at least 6 months you would think... but no, not I, I never did like the cold.

I kicked off this morning with a boxing class that saw me feeling a little queasy at the end, I worked so hard. But when the nausea went away I felt very energised and more than a little proud of myself.

Then after the 'feeding of the wild animal' we played in the sun for a while. Miss M was delighted to be allowed to crawl around in just her nappies and shorts.

I'm glad she seems all better again. She came down with conjunctivitis on Friday afternoon (like Nature; how do babies know to get sick on Friday arvo when you can't get a doctors appointment to save yourself?). Daddy was sick too on Sunday, so it wasn't a barrel of laughs here!

But all that is forgotten, and I have a Spring in my step; the Sun is out and that's enough to make me smile from ear to ear today!

Hope you're all having a lovely day too!

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