Thursday, September 29, 2016

Meet the Boys....

Hello Dhaaarlings...

I thought you all might like to...
 Meet the Boys...


"Spot" on the left and "Star" on the right

All settled in for a day on the couch in front of the heater... with a blanket each... but... they tend to end up sharing the same one anyway...

They have separate food and waterbowls but these also become shared items without any arguments or fights... they just wander over to each others bowl halfway through eating and finish off each others portion.
Once thay have had "Enough" from their own bowl they will stand and wait patiently for the other to have their fill before changing places and finishing off each others meal. Very nice manners.


"Spot" is the permanent resident and "Star" is a current house guest whilst his owner recovers from illness... Although you wouldn't know it from the way he's settled in... But he does come for "sleep overs" fairly regularly...

The way they behave you would think that they had been raised together from puppies despite the 3 year age difference... and when "Star" goes home... His owner brings him back for "play dates" because they start to miss each other...


I'm being stared at intensely because "Both our bowls are empty and you havent immediately re-filled them you know... Hop to it Princess!"

It's a dogs life!

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Phantom Pains...

Hello Dhaaarlings...

Princess has still not recovered from a very gruelling run up to Oklahoma!
With the usual post production flu and weeks of sleeping to make up for all the endless hours of sleep missed.



The time spent putting the show together wasn't without it's usual pressure but this year I felt there was even more unnecessary pressure due to lack of communication and over stuffed ego's among the production team.
The move to the new venue I think brought out some of the worst in the attitudes of the leadership team helping them to lose their focus from being about the kids on stage to being more about themselves.

Many of the Drama's were orchestrated by the leadership without any thought to the people that were actually effected by ad hoc decisions made... resulting in much unrest, resentment and disillusionment among the volunteers and parents. 
Platitudes about how great the costumes look isn't cutting it for me anymore... I know I can make great costumes and have a keen and eager team of parents behind me that also see the vision and are more than prepared to put in the long hours required in bringing them to life. 

The thing is...
 I can well do without the added stress of orchestrated drama by the leadership team and after this years effort have to question whose needs are being met? 

Currently I am re evaluating my ongoing involvement with the theatre group and unless things change through addressing some of my major concerns i will not be available for future productions

To top things off, before Oklahoma had even opened a "Surprise" announcement was made to the production team that the core Leadership group had procured the rights to perform "Phantom of the Opera" next year!
It seemed that I was the only one in the room that was surprised! Given the discussion that followed with other members of the broader production team obviously having prior knowledge and the decision being presented as a fait acomplie!





It was then announced that all of the costumes would be hired from another theatre company.
I expressed my major concern that the "To be hired" costumes were made to fit performers from an Adult company and many of the costumes would need to be altered to fit teenagers.... Something I doubt the hiring company would approve of and hadn't really been thought through by the team.

The response from the self proclaimed head costumier (Remember her?) came immediately and looking directly at me stated...

 ""We" can just make copies of the costumes in the sizes that "We" need"...  using the royal "We".
Meaning... "You" (Princess) can just make copies of the costumes "I" want copied...

Needless to say I was unimpressed feeling that I'd been once again left out of the loop.
I also have concerns in knowing that the volunteer sewing team that I have brought together, nurtured and supported over the years continually express their refusal to work with her due to her abrupt manner... lack of support and point blank rudeness toward them in the past... and have indicated that if I'm not involved with costumes then they won't be either.

She is still up to her old tricks of cherry picking only lead characters leaving the ensemble cast to me and the extended team and then turning out ill fitting/ugly costumes leading to last minute remakes and fixes, either initiated by me or at the directors request... the Director still refuses to address this issue despite being totally aware of it and the amount of extra work/ undue stress it creates for me and other members of the sewing team.

The week after of the show finished I requested to meet with the Director to express these concerns about next years show... I'm still waiting for a response...2 months later!

~oOo~
Exhaustion is still ruling my life with one day being reasonably good where i am at least able to function and get some work done around the house and garden and then the next day needing to spend time resting.
I'm still suffering chills/ running temperatures and have achy joints and muscles. My GP still keeps telling me that it is a virus? but can't be specific...
I'm seeing a new GP today.
Hopefully i will get some answers, but i really have to force myself to do anything at the moment and will fall asleep as soon as i sit down... Living like this is driving me mad.

~oOo~

In other news ... word seems to have got about that
I am able to do the "impossible" when it comes to odd shaped or Plus Sized  brides... I've been approached to make another wedding dress for a bride to be that cannot find a gown to fit her "off the shelf".

So despite still feeling unwell I am currently in the process of designing and making her a wedding gown for early November

~oOo~

I also have a dress to alter for a Niece for her debut. Fortunately it shouldn't cause too much angst as it really only needs alterations to remove the "Disney Princess" sleeves and some repairs to a bit a lot of the beading on the bodice. The beading is done using antique pearl seed beads which i have been fortunate enough to match!



It was an op shop find and I think will do the trick nicely... 
I'm off to see her for another fitting at the weekend, hopefully the rains will hold off long enough for us to make the trip. Last weekend we were planning to go for a visit but the weather was against us. Road closures from recent rains causing flooding prevented us from travelling so we had to cancel..
There is more rain forecast for the end of the week so I'm just hoping that it isn't enough to close the roads again as time is running out with the debut  happening in mid October which doesn't leave much time!


Sorry to inflict such a sad tale of woe upon you darlings... but that is just how life is for me at the moment..


You know I'm usually a "Glass half full" kind of gal but at the moment the bottle just seems a little bit empty...

I need to restock!

Bottoms Up Darlings...

  

Sunday, September 4, 2016

Exhaustion Rules...

Hello Dhaaarlings...


Excuse me for not being around much of late but since Oklahoma! finished I've been a little exhausted.

This years show really took it's toll on me and I still haven't recovered.

An extended bout of tonsillitis in August didn't help despite 2 courses of antibiotics and now I'm left feeling tired and drained of all energy.

The weather hasn't helped. We seem to have had the longest, coldest and wettest winter in the 13 years that I have lived here. It feel like it has been winter since May and the cold and wet weather continues. (I haven't turned the heating off since early may)

With the show being all consuming this year the garden has been very neglected and since we have had lots of rain... weeds that have been dormant for years have taken over, creating a lot of work that i don't seem to be able to find the energy to address.




On top of this, the Vacant block of land that we have lived next to since moving here has become a building site with the erection of new 2 storied apartments that now look directly into our back yard. 
Needless to say the days are filled with lots of noise from the loud and boisterous tradies and the constant sound of cement mixers, trucks, cranes diggers, nail guns, hammers and angle grinders.
From early in the morning to late in the afternoon...
Which doesn't help with my exhaustion and needing to sleep during the day some times.

Apart from the constant lethargy I'm feeling good mentally so it is not all bad.

The Empress remains well and is even better since having another cortisone shot to her troublesome hip last week. 
Back in July she got a very good report from the neurosurgeon who doesn't want another review for two years as the very small deep tumour in her brain has not changed and she remains asymptomatic...

She seems to have more energy than I do at the moment and has been beavering away in the garden (weather permitting) and has made quite the impact on troublesome weeds and overgrown vines.
She has always been a deft hand with a pair of secateurs... and the roses are all pruned and fed ready for spring which i believe has recently arrived... or so I'm told as it still feels like winter...

Our local council has implemented a "green waste" service without consulting the rate payers before spending 7 million dollars on contracts for the service and just expecting the community to fork out more money on their annual rate charge... An extra $90 a year on top of a 7% increase in rates!
There was an immediate backlash in the community refusing to accept the service or the new charges... over 2000 rate payers including myself revolted by expressing the fact that we already have systems in place to reduce our green waste... resulting in the implementation of an inspection/exemption program.

We had the inspector come to the house last week and ticked all the boxes for exemption by having the following...

a Worm Farm...Tick
a Compost Bin...Tick
a Compost heap...Tick
a Leaf blower/mulcher...Tick
a pet Dog for meat scraps...Tick (good boy Spot)
a Private Gardener to manage lawns...Tick
the Access to a trailer for removal of tree prunings and cuttings...Tick

The inspector was very impressed...
So yes... we are now exempt from extra rate charges for a service that we don't need nor would we use.
I made the suggestion that oin future perhaps they could do some community consultation on need assessment before introducing mandatory legislation that impacts on every member of the community and particularly low income households.
He just looked at me vacantly then added "I don't make the decisions"

"Well obviously the council is happy doing deals with big companies on the quiet then presenting initiatives as fait accomplie"

With that he gathered his things and made a hasty departure...

I guess the issue wasn't up for further discussion!

Anyway drlings thats me at the moment...
Still struggling on daily... doing what I can manage around the place and being kind to myself in the process...

I know that this too shall pass...

Bottoms Up Darlings