Law & Order: Criminal Intent



The new Criminal Intent 2009 series started in the US last week with a D'onofrio/Erbe episode and this week Goldblum/Nicholson episode was shown. I was able to view both episodes and enjoyed both teams in action.

Australia will be able to view the new series as it starts on Channel 10 next week...yay... usually we don't see this show until 6/8 months after the US season starts so the fast-tracking is marvelous.

Copacabana Beach looking South

Photo taken on my mobile(cell) phone
through the sprinkling rain.


Looking North

Winter Hobby

I am going to drop into Spotlight either today or tomorrow to check out their fabric material. I'm looking for some winter hobbies to keep myself amused while my son hogs the computer.

My mother was a dressmaker and taught all her daughters (4) how to sew and knit, would you believe I once made a men's safari suit, it look good too. lol. Also curtains, bedspreads, my wedding dress and day dresses, baby clothes and knitted jumpers, cardigans, embroidered tableclothes etc but then I found it was cheaper to buy than to make...well ... times have changed and now I must start to make my own clothes because it is getting harder and harder to buy just a simple summer/winter dress.

I know my body shape has changed over the years but really when you head off to purchase a new wardrobe and come home with comfort food, then it is time to:

• step up to the machine,
• clear off the cobwebs,
• dust off the dress patterns (yeek! did I really wear those fashions),
• find a quiet corner of the house where other inhabitants of the abode can't find you
• and knuckle down and create a new 'me'.
  

Okay, Okay! I still going to clear out the wardrobe and linen cupboard of all unnecessary clutter but the shops are open now....waiting for me and my monies.


::scratches round in purse looking for elusive notes::

::rattles piggy bank::

::checks biscuit tin::

Remembers there is such a thing as 'plastic money'.....hehehe.






I'll be back...............

Avoca Beach Picture Theatre



The doors at the back of the foyer


A sit down and a tinkle on the ivories before the show... Huh.


Lets check out the Playlist on the board outside


Hey! Everyone's favourite granny will be appearing on Mother's Day 10 May


http://avocabeachpicturetheatre.com.au/

For MOTHER’S DAY, Barry Humphries presents Dame Edna “Back With A Vengeance,” screened via satellite . (Ed:It doesn't say where it is being screened from). Dame Edna is arguably the most famous female face of the nation, her intelligence, wit and poise is envied around the world. Winner of “The Lovely Motherhood Quest” & self professed Gigastar.

-Noice-

Easter Vacation

Families playing in the Rock Pool at Avoca Beach


The pool looking a little different than it did on the rainy day two weeks ago.


Another view looking towards Avoca Beach
this lovely Autumn day.


Unfortunately for me, I had to work today but a
local elderly gentleman saw me taking these photos and
offered to take a pic of me as you can see I'm working hard.

My former Mother-in-law Millie passed away last week.

I have been divorced now for nearly 19 years but on Tuesday I went to Millie's funeral. When I was divorced, my ex and I agree we would not involved our respective families in our dramas ie no fighting over custody, no bitching about each other to family members etc. The divorce was traumatic enough within the added stress of coping with fall out from within the families.

The reason for this was that our mothers were great friends, were both widows, had each endured suffering and deprivations in their lives, and were now enjoying having a friend to go out socialising with.

No, I didn’t consider myself a martyr by putting my feelings on hold, it was just the better option in quite a traumatic time in my life. I’ve never re-married, not that I haven’t had offers lol but at the time, it was not the right time.

Anyhow, over the years what with school activities, including the big 13, 18, 21 and 30 birthdays, an engagement and wedding celebrations. I have had on-going contact with Millie over the years, so last Tuesday I went along to her funeral she was 93 years old.

I sent this except of Millie’s bio to my sisters as they weren’t able to attend the funeral.

This was the last paragraph of Millie’s bio taken from her funeral booklet read to the congregation by her niece.

Millie’s times at South Auburn were very happy times, albeit without her beloved and never forgotten husband, Tony. Living at South Auburn Millie made many friends. One very special friend was Dorothy R, Dot. After the loss of her husband Dot became a close companion to Millie, enjoying Cards, Bingo, Bowls, many Bus trips and overseas trips together. Millie was very involved with people and community. Being a member of many clubs in the area also Probus, the Gadabouts and attending church at Saint Peter Chanel’s Berala.

My daughter said she was going fine in the mass until this was read out and the others agreed. My Mum is still missed by her old friends. After the funeral my brother, children and SIL and I went around to where Mum and Dad are buried, I took a photo of the two headstones lying side-by-side with the grave number #518 etched on it. We all agreed they had the best location in the cemetery lol and the old Norfolk Pine (the largest around the area) still stands nearby.

The service for Millie was lovely with a large attendance of her extended family and friends after the funeral we went along to the Dooley Club and had a supper in the Wattle room.

I had at least 6 people come up to me and talk to me that I didn’t recognize (after 20 years) and had to ask who they were, I think it was the grey hair on old friends and former in-laws that threw me. It was getting a little embarrassing after a while. lol.

I’ve added this to my blog as it all forms part of my life. Millie and I sometimes had not agreed on some things but over the years we had learnt to respect our differences.

"I'm exhausted already but what fun I will have had."-
I wrote on Friday, February 27, 2009

Update on Family Reunion.
28th February Weekend.

Friday I worked from 9am till 3pm then did some grocery shopping so son MM had something to eat over the weekend… got home about 5pm had some dinner and then packed for weekend. I travelled up to Maitland that night to my sister, Mary arriving about 10pm then straight to bed as we were getting up at 4am to head off to Newcastle airport at Williamstown for a 6am flight. Thanked Don (bil) for driving us there said our goodbyes and then into the terminal which was crowded with travellers like us. who had grabbed the cheap fares south.

Hysterics in the house! I left my printouts for plane and train bookings in my other bag (changed at the last minute ….Yeeks!) at home. Sis started to laugh (wtf) roused on her to stop laughing (sorry sis). Grabbed my mobile phone and rang son back home at 5.30am...not happy…to get flight/train details from printed sheets…then went up to flight desk and told the lovely young woman there I was a ‘little stressed’ but here was the flight numbers…no worries she said … have a nice flight.

We arrived in Melbourne at 7.40am and wandered over to the country trains to get train out to Warragul …an hour and a half journey. We were met at Train station by my cousin, Anthea who transported us to her property where we waited for the rest of our Victorian/Tasmanian cousins to arrive.

All up there was: myself, Mary, Anthea (with daughter, Ella), sister Christine and brother,Vin ( with wife, Moira), Marianne and her sister Frances, Christopher, his brother Roger and sister Helen.


It was Fabulous and a big thanks to Anthea for organizing the day. We wandered around chatting with everyone catching up with family gossip (some I hadn’t seen since I was a teenager!) it was as if it had only been a short time since we had all seen each other. I came away wanting more time to chat and hope to return later this year. Unfortunately after Christmas is a busy time at work and I could only stay for the weekend, the next trip I will drive down and make a holiday of it I would like to see more of the families also Victoria and Tasmania.

Anyhow, later Saturday evening, Mary and I returned to Melbourne with cousins Marianne and Frances to stay the night at their late mother’s home
(my aunty had passed away the month before) and catch the 8am interstate train back to Sydney the next morning.

Up bright and early to catch a taxi into Melbourne’s Southern Cross railway station, $45 later we arrive with ½ to spare to find the platform and have a ‘chat’ with conductor/ess about our missing ticket print-out.

“No worries” we were told “ just hop on and we will let the ticket collector know”

Oh! Thank-you… Thank-you! … we said as we scurried onto the train and thank goodness, I had remembered the car/seat numbers.

On the dot the train left at 8am , and a visit from the conductor to say the booking numbers I had given them was the same as he had on his passenger notes. WooHoo.

At 7.40pm we arrived in Central Station Sydney then a 1/2hour wait on the connecting train to head up the coast to Newcastle. On arriving at 10.50pm we were picked up by nephew Eric… then a 20minute drive back to Maitland where my car was waiting. I decide to then drive home as I was due to start work at 10am the next day and the expressway would be traffic-free at that time of night.

Well! all I can say is life wasn’t meant to be easy. lol.

I don’t think I mentioned that I live on a main road and for the past 2 weeks they had been re-surfacing it –nightworks- starting about 8pm and sometimes finishing at 3am.

Well I had left Maitland at about 11.20pm Sunday evening and arrived home at 12.20am to find the ‘nightworks’ directly outside my home with the place lit up like a Christmas Tree with no car access to my driveway. I had to drive to the next block park my car and walk back pass the huge lights and machinery and roadworkers along the footpath to my driveway lugging my luggage. WTF

Needless to say I had an audience the entire way. I am tired just typing this saga out so you can imagine how tired I was heading off to work Monday morning.

No kiddies in the Rock Pool

Just three little ducks.

Autumn Storm

Looking towards Avoca Beach from outside the AV Surf Club


in the foreground is the children's Rock Pool.

Looking North towards the Northern Headland


Looking out to the Pacific Ocean at the Monstrous Waves.

I would not have liked to have been out at sea during this time.

Avoca Beach Southern Headland

There were no surf boardriders out today as the beach was closed but when it is low tide the boardies cast off from these low rocks in front and then paddle out to catch the waves coming in otherwise it's a long paddle out to get beyond the breakers to ride the waves in.


Flash Flooding Alert

Up the Eastern coast of New South Wales in the Coffs Harbour area 400ml of rain fell in 24 hours causing wide-spread flooding. The area has now been declared a Natural disaster zone....a 100 year flood.