Blogging around blogger's block

I haven't posted a blog in a little while - this is no biggie, as you all should know by now I'm a big fan of the Slow Blogging movement.

The thing is, I've got heaps of post ideas swirling around in my head, just no motivation to write them down and hit "publish". Notice I didn't say "no time" there. I do have the time - I just have been using it to do other things lately ie. watch tv, read other blogs and boring real-life essential stuff like cooking and housework.

So here's my Public Holiday Monday-night solution - a stream of consciousness post all about what I have been up to. Rest assured it hasn't all been telly-watching and domesticity.

- Tonight I made Babymac's oven baked risotto with chorizo. I got the recipe from Fat Mum Slim's post here. Because I don't have an ipad I haven't bought Babymac's Beverley magazine, but if I did, I totally would. The meal turned out AMAZING, by the way. Loved how simple it was, and the risotto was creamy and perfect without me having to stir a single spoon!

- This weekend I got out of the city and off to my bi-annual scrapbooking camp. It was so great to de-stress, breathe the fresh air and also unplug myself from the online world for two days. I've blogged about scrapbook camp before here and here. I took this awesome shot of Perseverence Dam in the first rays of the morning. I'll hopefully blog about this camp soon.

- At work, I hit target again this month so am looking forward to a nice little bonus next pay. I'm learning that I'm financially motivated as well as knowledge-craving when it comes to my career, which is handy to know.

- We went to the movies last night to see The Fast and the Furious 6. Whoever writes, casts and directs these movies are geniuses. Just the right mix of action, drama, eyecandy, car porn and emotion to appeal to just about everybody. I was saying to hubby on the way there how it's the perfect couple movie - it has more than one thing to appeal to both sexes. Let's just say my thing is The Rock. And as anyone who has seen it and the bit after the credits knows, number 7 will add another cool star to the mix, and one that will guarantee I see it!

- I was thinking to myself about the outfit posts I like so much on fashion and lifestyle blogger's blogs, and how mine today would have been a doozy - Trackpants: Best and Less, Tee: so old i can't remember, Hoodie: KMart, Ugly orthodedic thongs: Orthoheel., I laughed a little.

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What makes Sarah, Sarah?

What makes me, me?

I am the girl who:

- feels the cold and has too many scarves

- wears glasses even though she could have contacts

- has frizzy, curly, thick hair which does not confirm or behave

- thought she would be single forever and was amazed to be proven wrong

- goes through obsessive phases; vintage china, scarves, dystopian fiction, Coke Zero, nail polish

- cannot keep her house clean and tidy, despite best efforts 

- has bad feet and will probably never wear pretty shoes again

- is finding grey hairs and is in denial about it

- still goes to the library and reads books every day

- used to go on holidays overseas by herself, and wonders where that fearlessness and thirst for adventure has gone

- cannot picture life without tv or Internet 

- loves cooking shows but cannot cook

- hates all things finance, yet works in accounts

- loves the simple things; sleep-ins, warm patches of sun on a cold day, two squares of chocolate, a hint of perfume in a crowd, the sound of the ocean

What makes you, you?

How I know winter is coming

Trying not to sound too much like Ned Stark here, but winter IS coming. You know how I know?

This morning, I was sent this, from up on the Darling Downs:

 

[source: globalfarm's instagram]

Yep. The first wood fire of the year up there. A bit nippy, I'm told. 

Also:

- my winter PJs are out of their storage box and have been washed in readiness

- I've worn a scarf

- I'm starting to covet ankle boots

- I now loathe the Artic temperatures of train airconditioning

- It's dark when I get home from work

- I'm drooling over soup and slow-cooker recipes

What do you love/hate most about the colder months?

Music love - Macklemore

 [image source]

I am digging on Macklemore at the moment. Totally loving both his tunes and the guy himself.

Why?

Well, first he made op shopping cool with "Thrift Shop". Not only was it goddamn catchy, but it contained such lyrical gems as "I wear your Grandad's clothes, I look incredible." The man does seem to love a good jacket too.

He's incredibly energetic onstage, leaping around like a goon and generally throwing his body about with great abandon. His raps are not only quick (something that I just adore), but you can actually understand him. Big tick.

Next, he brought the gay equality debate into the public consciousness with the gorgeous anthem "Same Love".

And now with his latest "Can't hold us" he's got me turning up this volume every time I hear it on the radio. And the music video features a party on sailing ship. If you know me, you know I'm obsessed with all things nautical. Another tick in the box for me.

And he credits his producer, Ryan Lewis, as a co-artist on every single. Props.

What are you listening to right now?

ANZAC Day musings

I realised something this morning. It suddenly came to me as I was lying in bed thinking about getting up and how I should have gone to an ANZAC Day service, that I really don't know much about my grandparents and their war service.

 

Image source

 

I mean, I know that they served - all four of them. I know that Grandpa B, Nanna A and Nanna B were in the Army, and Grandpa A was in the Air Force. I know Grandpa B fought with in PNG, and was at the Battle of Milne Bay. I know Nanna A was a nurse and Nanna B was in the records office. Grandpa A was in the NT at an air base.

So I googled. And I couldn't find much - how sad next to nothing of their time in the defence force is digitised! And yet I know there are photos of them all, somewhere, from this era. I have seen pictures of them in uniform - Grandpa A looking like Errol Flynn with his dashing mustache and rakish Air Force cap, Nanna A in the most surprisingly enormous stiff white nurse's cap. I'm going to make it my mission to root out the old photo albums, and scan some things.

 

Image source

They never really talked about it. Grandpa B told me only one thing about his time in New Guinea - that the rivers in the jungle were icy cold, as they came straight down off the mountains. He never talked about the fighting, or the Japanese, or his mates that died. Nanna B would sometimes mention the records office, but only how sad it was when they got the KIA and MIA lists, and they would have to send all the telegrams out to the soldier's families. Of them all, I think Grandpa A may have told me some things but I never asked him before he died.

And now I'm married into an Army family - both C's parents served (his dad for 20 years) as did his half-brother. C tried many times to get in but was rejected because of a dodgy knee. I think it broke his heart, that.

 

Image source

 

It makes me wonder - what can I do to serve? Should I do more for my country, my community? It's not something we think about much in peacetime, but it dovetails nicely with a thought I've had lately about volunteering and getting more involved.

So, as I watched the Dawn Service from Gallipoli this morning, my thoughts were not only with my family members that have served and gone, but also of what I can do besides buying a badge or a poppy.

Camera phone baby

My iphone crashed yesterday. Hard. Apps kept failing and then it had a total spack attack, trying to reboot itself and not quite being able to. It was like it was stuck in an infinite loop that only The Doctor could understand.

Anyhoo, tonight I'm backing up my photos (over 3000 of them now! WTF!), then the whole phone, then upgrading to the new iOS. Because that is a thing I should have done weeks ago.

While doing this, I noticed I take lots of photos of the same stuff. Like...

New buildings

 

Old buildings

 Stuff I see

 Stuff I wore

 

 The ground

 The ceiling

 What I ate

 What I drank 

What I baked

 And, of course, too many selfies,

What do you take photos of the most?