Beginnings

Today was:

* The start of a new contract. I knew I was in the right place when

1. I had a conversation about Pugin churches with a colleague (knowledge I picked up during my first ever Sydney Design tour with Krispin K way back in 2003)

2. I got to start reading something called The Burra Charter which is all about heritage conservation. I giggled when I got to the bit which described repairing the Hills Hoist at Rose Seidler House and tried to remember if Div's mini version had a Hills Hoist to repair...

* The first night of semester two at Design Fundamentals class. I have a big scary brief to wrestle with for the next few weeks and a big scary tuition bill to pay.

And the winner is...

*annina*, who makes the most fabulous modern mini scenes then takes great photos of them: check out her FLICKR photos here and blog here.

(Can you email me your address,*annina*?)

Been busy...

Working (as always.) End of Financial year stuff. Housework stuff. TSS stuff. You know, the usual.

Going out to listen to these guys playing Rage Against the Machine as you've (probably) never heard it before:

While also trying to consume Torchwood: Children of Earth in one bite

when I should really be applying for jobs.

A pretty typical weekend around here, really...

Giveaway time

I recently bought a copy of this book, full of enthusiasm to make a return to miniature rugmaking: Got it home and realised I already owned a copy of it (does that happen to you too?)

Rather than carting it off to the local second hand book shop I thought I'd see if any of my readers wanted it.

If you'd like me to send it to you, leave a comment and I'll pick a winner on Sunday...

Ewe made my day

Thanks to The Lark who brought back memories of The Dog Show. Sheep dog trials were prime time viewing in New Zealand in the 80s...

Just the basics

A lunch date in Kingston today gave me a good excuse to check out the inner south op shops for a change. Where I stocked up on some basics:

Black jeans: $5, Vinnies Narrabundah
White T shirt: $3.50, Salvos Fyshwick
96 pocket CD case (to keep my backup discs in): $3, Vinnies Narrabundah
2 stainless steel mixing bowls with measurements on the side: $5 (3 litre) and $3 (1.5 litre), Salvos Fyshwick

While I was at Fyshwick I bumped into Ken who tells me the opening of the new Mitchell store has been pushed back to late September/ early October at the stage.

A day in my life: July 2009

6:20am: Is that sound of the leaf blower at Dickson shops? Is it morning ALREADY? So starts the usual morning routine: up, turn on computer, toilet, feed cat, make tea.

6:30am: Check emails. Re list eBay stock. Drink tea.

7:00am: Print resume. More re listing. Turn on music.

7:30am: Make and eat breakfast. Finish eBay re listing. Start sorting out TSS end of year accounts.

8:00am: Shower. Dress. Put away clean dishes from yesterday.

8:30am: Walk across to the money machine to pick up cash and the Post Office to collect the mail then on to the bus stop to catch the bus into town.

9:00am: Job interview over coffee for a one month contract.

9:30am: Discover I have a spare half hour before I'm due at Craft ACT. I've already had a coffee. So I end up at Flip Side's sale bins and stagger out with 6 new to me CDs for a total of $41 and the happy knowledge that I don't have to wait til I get home to listen to them... 10am: Craft ACT. Meet with the Executive Director to discuss my priorities for the day. Start photographing new shop stock for our Face book page.

10:30am: Staff meeting to plan for next month's Bingo Extravaganza. Followed by more photo-taking.

11:00am: Contact Volunteering ACT to find out about the grants they are awarding to help cover volunteers' travel costs. Return to the photo-taking.

12:00 noon: Back in the shop. Sign up a new member. Start photo shopping the images I took earlier in the morning:

12:30pm: Lunchtime. I thought I was having lunch with one of the Curators from my CMAG exhibition but it turns out to be just a coffee.

1:00pm: So I head over to the food court in the mall to pick up lunch and start the search for the perfect pastry brush.

1:30pm: Back in the Craft ACT shop, I'm loading images to the Craft ACT Face book page.

2:00pm: And photo shopping.

3:00pm: And rearranging the stockroom in a more logical fashion.

4:00pm: Before chatting to a customer who asks me, after we discuss the mini wheelie bin necklaces, if I saw the dolls house exhibition last year. We talk about my collection and the plans Craft ACT has for an mini exhibition in the Crucible space next year. More intriguingly, she asks if I'd be interested in exhibiting my dolls houses in The Rocks...

4:30pm: The stockroom is as close as it's going to get to sorted this week. I admire some lovely new bracelets that have arrived which are crying out to come home with me. I meet with the Executive Director to recap the day before closing up for the night.

5:00pm: Home time. I stop in at the IGA in the bus interchange as I spot a display of my favorite Indian ready meals at a price comparable to what I'd get them for at the Indian shop in Belconnen. Palak Paneer for dinner, methinks...

5:15pm: Waiting for the 5:21pm #39 bus...

5:26pm: Which never turns up...

5:36pm: Finally on my way home!

5:45pm: Arrive home. Pour wine. Feed the cat. Turn on computer and make snack.

6:00pm: Check emails while eating snack and drinking wine.

6:10pm: Phone call from a friend.

6:50pm: Download photos from the day and photo shop them.

7:00pm: Write blog post (making up my plans for the rest of the evening on the fly.)

7:30pm: Make and eat dinner.

8:00pm: Watch an episode of The Muppet Show season 2 before retiring to bed with a library book.

9:00pm: Lights out.

Soundtrack for the day:

Radio groove volume 1
Back to mine: Röyksopp
Bare essentials volume 2
Goldenhorse: Reporter
Salmonella Dub: Salmonella Dub
Simple Minds: Graffiti soul
Rhombus: Onwards
Ralph Myerz& the Jack Herren Band: A special album
Eddi Reader: Eddi Reader

Blue (and pink and red and black and white) poles

I had to go back in daylight, didn't I?

To see more photos (mine included) check out FLICKR.

Second hand Show and Tell

It was wonderful to have time yesterday to do one of my favorite op shop loops.

First stop was Salvos Mitchell where I picked up a book and a paper making kit for $5 total (just what I need: another hobby. But for under $5 I figured it could sit in the craft cupboard until inspiration struck. And if that never happened I could donate it to the Community Arts tent at The National Folk Festival next year)
Salvos Belconnen provided me with three CDs for $4 each: Hoodoo Gurus' Ampology (especially pleased with this one as I don't have any Hoodoo Gurus on CD and this is a very comprehensive double best of collection), Norah Jones' Come away with me and The Whitlams' Torch the moon (another double CD which contained a cover version of my favorite Icehouse track)

Keeping to the music theme, at my next stop ( Y's Buys Belconnen) I picked up some recorder tuition books for $1 each. This week I rediscovered a recorder I picked up second hand ages ago and had the sudden urge to do something with it. So I'm planning to reteach myself to read music, a skill I last used about twenty five years ago. I surprised myself last night by discovered I can play Depeche Mode's Just can't get enough by ear...

And at Vinnies Belconnen I found this.... err... thingy for $3: No idea what it is but since it looked like it could be a spinny weavy type thingy I bought it on the off chance that it could be useful for Taph. Any ideas what it might be?

Still...

Today: a sleep in. A morning op shopping (treasures to be revealed tomorrow). I took myself out for brunch by the lake in Belconnen then home for some lounging on the sofa, some magazine reading and some gentle crafting.

Bliss...