Drowned rat puppy...

The Man finally got the pictures off his fone from when the pup when for his impromptu swim...

Me the Adulteress

Okay - I'll admit it. I have been cheating on PTYS and posting a bit on a LiveJournal account.The stuff I post over there is a tad bit more personal than here. It's kinda more like the angst filled diary I kept when I was a teenager (consider yourself warned) but if you want an insight into another aspect of me feel free to check it out. Some of the posts are private, so if you wanna read those you'll have to friend me (I'm GingerThomas over there - bonus points if you can figure out why hint: think literary characters)

As well as facebooking, I have also started plurking a bit if you wanna find me over there.

So I am still around - it's just a matter of knowing where to find me :)

A really important care label

y

knitting for psychos

stumbled upon this mildly disturbing website today...

Beeched ez, broo!

Because it's beach season, and it makes me giggle*

*yes, us Aussies are so simple that the mere mispronunciation of vowels by our cousins across the Tasman has us collapsing in giggles.

Plinkten.... hehe
chups...hehe
i can't choo, broo...hehe
teeheeheehee :)

have i been living under a rock?

Docs do pumps...and they are so very funky...

My inner punk/goth/emo says "gimme-gimme-gimme"

More cute modcloth...

Re-usable toothpicks...




and cute kitchen utensils...




Oh...
and I so WANT this dress - even the name is cute - the Carmen Sandiego Dress!

Inspiring window shopping...

How cute is this! - found on moncloth.com.

rockin xmas tree

rockin xmas tree, originally uploaded by pierretheyarnsnob.

I got this teeny tiny table top xmas tree when it was no longer needed at work. Turns out it is the perfect size for my emergency sock club keyring 'ornaments'!

I LUFF my knitters xmas tree!

cccxiv - Kate Hudson gets crafty to cut costs at Christmas

hmm.. this article was obviously written by a muggle - everyone knows that these days you don't save any money by knitting.

Sure you get better value by knitting - but saving money? Unless you are re-claiming yarn from op-shops you're not really 'saving' money by knitting. And then wouldn't the bigger story be "Kate Hudson goes bargain trawling at the thrift store"??

I like that when I knit I can spend approx $50 on (somewhat budget) yarn and get a lovely pure wool sweater, made to high standards that completely suits me. But if I really wanted to save money I could buy clothing made in China much cheaper (obviously not made out of the same quality fibre, but it would still perform the function of clothing me and keeping me warm).

Perhaps I should write in and explain the value of knitting.

I can buy a months worth of socks for the price of a really purdy skein of sock yarn - or at least 3 pairs for the cheapest ball of sock yarn. And that's before you add in all the hours labour - even at minimum wage you're looking at looking at about $200 for a single sock...

The loss of a colleague

No longer a close friend of mine, but someone I went through all the stages of my interviews, recruitment, basic training and some of my application course with him. Sometimes he was pure mischief, trouble or a headache - but he was always good for a laugh. The world shall miss out on many a joke with the loss of him.

NAVY MOURNS LOSS OF SUB-LIEUTENANT JAMES BENNETT

Royal Australian Navy Officer, Sub-Lieutenant (SBLT) James Bennett, has been tragically killed in an accident at Devil’s Pool, Babinda Boulders, 70 kilometres south of Cairns.

SBLT Bennett went missing on 30 November 2008 when he fell victim to strong currents while swimming at the popular tourist destination. He could not be reached by the other members of his party.

An extensive search involving the Queensland Police, the North Queensland Fire and Rescue Service and an Emergency Services specialist dive team located a body on 2 December, which was today confirmed as SBLT Bennett.

“Our deepest condolences are extended to James’ family and friends during this very sad time,” Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Russ Crane, AM, CSM, RAN said.

“This is a tragic accident that has touched many of our Navy family. James was a promising young junior officer full of potential. He will be sorely missed.”

SBLT Bennett was serving in the Mine Hunter Coastal HMAS Norman, which was visiting Cairns before returning home to Sydney, NSW.

Norman was returning from a very successful South East Asia deployment, during which he participated in Exercise Bersama Lima in the South China Sea and the Minor War Vessels Fleet Concentration Period in the North Australian Exercise Area.

Media release taken from the DOD website

cccxii - designer fashion?

So at the store today I was reading a magazine (shop til you drop) while waiting in the queue - and while I was flicking through one of the fashion layouts I came across a pair of knit cable hotpants...

just like these - but in an off white/ cream colour


These pics are from the Shakuhachi spring/summer show (photo courtesy of the Grazia website) - and looking at the picture in the magazine they seem to be made out of cotton. The first thing that came to mind...

saggy butt!

...and it's only $130 for the privilege. Reckon we'll see them in the next VK S/S?

However - trolling through all the other pictures from the Shakuhachi show I turned up this dress. Too bad that ugly tie-dyed rag is covering it up - I think it's actually quite pretty. It seems to be the same cable pattern as on the shorts.

cccxi - contact...

Trying to track down snail mail addresses for everyone. It seems you can find out everything else about everyone else in facebook except this. Funny how ppl live such public lives but still don't want to share this...

If you don't think I have your snail mail address please send it too me :)

CCCX - Kniterature with the Harlot and sans Dolores...

Oops - sorry to leave you hanging after my last post. I seem to have lost track of a week or so. In fact, I lost track of the fact it was November and was planning to join up for daily blogging for the month to get back into the swing of things. Perhaps December shall be the month of daily blogging for me...

Anyway - what did I recieve in the mail to make life so sweet after a crummy day of commuting?? Only two of the worlds cutest books ever...

The Yarn Harlot's newest book - Free Range Knitter
...and...
Franklin's book of cartoons - It Itches!

First of all - I have to say that this...

Is the best book written by the Harlot since this...


These books are not the "knitter-beware" instruction manuals about how to get the most out of your knitting while still remembering the knitting goddess watches when you swatches (and gives you tangles and ill fitting garments when you don't) - which is what the Harlot has been force feeding us anually for the past couple of years...

(okay - I will probably get some hate mail here if I don't clarify this. The Harlot's recent books have been preaching to the choir - They are kinda like a really rich chocolate mudcake - one piece and you are perfectly content and statisfied. Eating the cake makes you feel ill and slightly queasy at the thought of mud cake for the next little while. Read all the Harlot books one after another, and you'll begin to get sick of them too...)

ahem...

These Harlot books - books of essays - are for all knitters (not just those Knitters with a capital "K".) If you know a social knitter in your life (as opposed to us die-hard Addict Knitters who live, eat, sleep and breathe yarn) they will enjoy this book of funny, sweet or just downright gorgeous annecdotes that relate to knitting without feeling like they need to start spending all of the play money on yarn (I hear some people have other entertainments to waste cash on... Like food...)

This is also the type of book you could give to a casual knitter who has no knowledge of the interwebs, thinks blogs are something unfortunate that comes out of your nose when you sneeze and a ravelry is a hootenanny good time spelt wrong. Those knitters out their that have never heard of Ms. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee or the Yarn Harlot would not miss out on single word of enjoyment typed in this book.

So far The Free Range Knitter has accompanied me each way on my daily commute. The book is about the same size as a paperback novel, but hardcover - so once you take the dustcover off it is perfect to keep in your bag. The annecdotes and essays are a good length too - my 15-25 minute commute meant that I could read 1 or 2 stories a trip - a great way to block out the rabble on public transport.

A great gift for yourself (or if you're really feeling generous, someone else) so go and find yourself a copy. And if you haven't read The secret life of a knitter - find that one too.

Now my lunchbreak is up, so I need to get back to work. Kniterature on Franklin's first solo publication will have to wait until the next post. I'll try not to leave it so long... okay.... ?

(PS - for those wondering, the Man, Pupster and I have moved to the inner North Eastern 'burbs of Melbourne... and I now have interwebs at home, but my computer can't hack these hot pre-summer days too well, hence the blogging during the lunch hour)

CCCIX - Commuter Hell...

Yesterday Connex (AKA Melbourne Public Transport) chewed me up and spat me out.

My morning run was interupted by a delayed train, followed by a late train - which was pack to full capacity and NO-ONE at my station could get on and at which stage I went hunting a tram (that drops me off a kay down the road from work, rather than the 200m re: train station)

The afternoon run was worse. After noticing the train at my station wasn't going anywhere, which was followed by a mass-exodus of people out of the train station I decided that the tram would be my friend for the second time that day. Except every passenger in the NorEastern suburbs was told at earlier train stations to get on that tram to Clifton Hill station where they would be able to catch a connecting train. FIVE trams went by without stopping at all (because they were packed) in the forty minutes I sat at my tram stop. The next tram stopped and a slim little lady of asian persuasion got off. I decided that if one person got off, one person could fit on and spent quite a bit of time redefining my personal space. At Clifton Hill station all the train commuters got off and I actually got a seat (and my core body temperature dropped back to normal levels again due to recieving actual air flow)*.

I thought this was the last of my woes. Alas, no. To complete the trifecta of badluck ticket inspectors got on the tram. And my 10 x 2hr ticket had expired that morning. After explaining that I couldn't purchase a ticket due to the earlier crush, and after hanging on the the rails by my fingernails I just collapsed into the first vacant seat without any further thought of purchasing a ticket I was directed to the metcard machine. Where I discovered that, in anticipation of actually catching a train that day, I had no coins on my person (and tram machines don't take notes.) At that point I got off the tram before any details were taken and words such as 'infringement' and 'fine' were thrown about. Lucky for me The Man was able to cruise by and pick me up...

When I got home I discovered my luck had changed.... (see next post)


*Apparently a jumper was the cause for the shutdown of the line between the city and Clifton Hill station. Grr...

CCCVIII - Want to own your own home during these tough economic times*?

Starting at just $80 (plus postage) I am certain some husbands would find this to be 5 star luxury...

This sturdy and weather durable wooden Dog Kennel with Balcony is double level for double the comfort!

Constructed from robust wood, this double story doggy home consists of two sections. There is the snug downstairs bedroom where your pet will be protected from all weather conditions. Then there is the upstairs open-air balcony with stair access!

Spoil your canine best-friend with this luxurious Dog Kennel with Balcony!

FEATURES:
Dog Kennel with Balcony.
Double story doggy home.
Enclosed downstairs bedroom.
Upstairs open-air balcony with stair access.
Constructed from robust wood.
Sturdy and weather durable.
Dimensions: 57 x 50 x 65cm.

I particularly like the use of the term "bedroom". I guess enough families are replacing traditional breeding with furkids that the cubby house needed to be updated too.

I think that if we got this for Pierre he'd need a little doggie suit of armour (or chain mail) so he could complete guard duty on the upper turret...

*or, it's monday and I'm feeling silly...

CCCVII - switching it up..

Decided I needed a second sidebar - and while I was there I had a play with the 'boring' colourscheme, opting for something a little more high contrast.

I lost a couple of my widgets, so it may take a while to get things back to normal.

Anyway - let me know what you think of the changes...

CCCVI - speaking of brain/thought/head problems...

A link for The Man -

Here is a great article by Terry Pratchett about his experience with early onset Alzheimer’s.

I particularly like this quote:

'When you have cancer you are a brave battler against
the disease, but when you have Alzheimer’s you are an
old fart'

And this picture:
My two cents - while there is nothing glamorous about illness and disease, dementia (and depression) do seem to be at the severely unfashionable end of the malady scale. I'm glad that one of my favouritest authors is forward enough to talk publicly about his own personal demons.

Oh, and one wonders whether there could be some new anthropomorphic personifications appearing in Discworld - Terry, feel free to introduce Aunty Dee to the rest of the world...

CCCV - A little less exhausted...

I think I may be getting back into the swing of this full time job thing. Today I actually had energy to go to the shops before coming home and collapsing on the couch :)

The new job is going well - the office is small and friendly, and very keen to help out an eager young upstart who wants to learn the ropes. I love the freedom of not being a uniform -but it does make for some hesitation in the morning while I am deciding what to wear (twice now I have driven into carpark just in time to see my train pullout of the station - luckily I have calculated a little leeway into the travel plans.)

Unfortunately my new life is having a bit of toll on the pupster - poor Pierre is at home for up to 12 hours without my company. He is rather hyperactive when I get home, and then switches to burr mode.

The Man and I knew that we needed to pay some extra attention to the furkid, so on lovely sunny Sunday we took him for a walk along the river. Wanting to give him a little extra freedom, we let him off the lead while we walked along the boardwalk. All fine and dandy until Pierre started bounding down the steps. At the rivers edge he stopped, sat, and stared into the perfectly still water, with algae and reeds sticking out... before leaping into the river...

Now might be a good time to tell you just how much papillons HATE water - the surest way to turn my adorable puppy into the mutt from hell is to turn close the door to the bathroom, turn on the tap and watch him panic!

...so we are fairly certain that Pierre didn't realise that he was jumping into water, and not onto solid ground.

For what felt like forever, the pupster completely disappeared. When he finally popped up (doggy paddling for his little life) The Man was emptying his pockets getting ready to jump in after the pup, while I was laying stomach down on the deck trying to fish out Pierre (that bronze medallion training from high school finally paying off). The Man picked up on what I was trying to do, lay down next to me and had the extra length in his arms to actually lift the dog out of the drink.

The Man took a few photos of our glorified drowned rat with his phone, but due to a software and/or cable problem I can't share them with you.

However, the river dip did solve the green paws problem:)

CCCIV - it ain't easy being green...

green feet pierre, originally uploaded by pierretheyarnsnob.

Pierre went for a run outside post lawn clipping.....his feet match his coat.

3 hours later his legs are still radio-active!

(yes - the photo sucks, but the pupster wouldn't sit still long enough for a better shot)