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canine couture…

12 Aug


canines

Just when I thought I had seen it all when it comes to doggy haute couture

Coming home in the dark tonight, I turned the corner to see 2 men walking their dogs. All 4 ‘walkers’  were sporting high vis vests, complete with reflector strips. … and topped off by the miners lamps  on their heads.

As these four bobbing heads walked toward me shooting forth a blinding beam of brilliant white light….I couldn’t help but wonder what the poor pooches thought about their unusual fashion statement  ? Functional ? – perhaps ….. Glamorous ? – definitely not.

 

P1000234

Surry Hills, Sydney

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the perfect ratio…

11 Aug

Today I met a colleague that I had known only by email… She was as lovely in real life as she seemed in words on the small screen, however I was immediately struck by something about her appearance.

It was difficult to put my finger on … but then it hit me;  something in her proportions was out of whack.

Now before I go any further I must say that I am in a position to comment given that I am far from a petite package myself. This lovely woman was generously proportioned… certainly not obese… but tall, and fuller figured (in fact for the first time in a long while, all 177cm of me felt dainty as I stood beside her) .

BUT none of that was the issue… my observation had a lot more to do with the size of her handbag.

handbags

I was completely amused by its’ tiny size….made to look even smaller by her  extraordinary height…and it got me wondering …. what IS the perfect body to bag ratio?  Who decides and who enforces it ?

P1000266

 

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bumped off …

10 Aug

I recently had a bit to say about the seeming incongruence of bumper stickers and the people driving the cars that wore them… Since that small observation, I’ve been doing my own study taking more notice than ever, of what people are proud to ‘wear’.

From offensive to boring…  and all things in between, I’m amused by how people want to be seen…. BUT the most amusing was the BMW that I followed yesterday.

This late model & up-market vehicle, looked like it belonged in a ‘dodgem car rally’ with more bends and creases than a rally car… and it was sporting a loud and proud sticker  from Vancouver, Canada   that said … 

I Brake for animals

What the ???….Clearly he didn’t stop for anything else … I’m sure Mr BMW would be unimpressed… along with everyone else who’s  fallen victim to this guy’s driving technique.

P1000270

Q Station – North Head, Sydney

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public pimple popping

9 Aug

I’ve often commented on my penchant for ‘people watching’…. I just love to observe humans in their natural habitat especially when they are completely unaware that they are being watched .

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean in any creepy kind of way … I mean in public areas, like airports, hospitals, shopping malls and beaches… BUT also in their cars. I don’t know why people think they can sit at the traffic lights and not be seen by the people in the cars beside them.pimple pop

I’m sure you have seen it, ….. the guy that picks his nose, or girl that applies her make-up … or even sings at the top of their lungs … all completely oblivious to the world around them. BUT today took the cake.

I was stationary at the lights and the very attractive young woman in that car beside me adjusted the rear view mirror to inspect a blemish on her chin. Within a spilt second she had progressed to squeezing  with passion, twisting and contorting to get a better view and to inflict maximum pressure on that ‘pesky, pussy (why does that look wrong?) pimple’…. until it popped !!! all over the mirror.!!!

Now this was bizarre enough… but that fact that this lovely looking young woman was sporting a full & fresh face of  make-up like she was heading somewhere special,  was so in contrast  the fact she was inflicting such brutality on her face (not to mention the messy mirror)…mmmm ????

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cubicle life …

8 Aug

So many amusing things encountered in my world today … but one of the most bizarre was a (yet another)  toilet story … I have no idea why my musings often involve the cubicle… perhaps it’s something to do with slowing down and taking notice ???? …but lets not go there.

Anyway, I was working at one of our health centres and trotted off to the staff bathroom. While washing my hands I turned and noticed an A4 sized flyer blu tac’d on the partition beside me  and promising Fresh Air  (kind of amusing in a toilet block) …but bear with me.

Slide1

As I looked closer at the notice, I discovered it was a promo for a ‘new’ smoke free policy being launched across the health facility, and advising workers of their rights … Now nothing TOO unusual about that EXCEPT if you note the date at the bottom ….. it was LAST CENTURY!!! …literally !! April 1998.

This harmless sheet of paper has been housed in the four walls of the women’s toilets for 16 years and yet it’s promising that Fresh Air is COMING … I know that there is a lot of red tape and things don’t move quickly  in the Health sector … but seriously ????

I might just run a survey to see who has actually read the notice … I just wonder………

P1000242

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wiser ? or just older ??

7 Aug

I’m not proud of the fact that I have lost a few points off my licence over the past couple of years…I could make all sorts of excuses, but the fact is had 2 minor offences in 2 major demerit periods ….and the rest is history. I’ve sucked it up and moved on, but the point is, I need to be ever vigilant and super careful  on the road.

So, this morning , while sitting at a standstill in morning peak hour my phone beeped and I reached for it… As soon as I lifted it to glance at the message, I was bombarded with screaming sirens and flashing blue and red lights. I looked around and saw her … a surly looking Police Woman staring straight at me as she was trying to pull out of the sideroad and into the line of traffic.

police

At first I  FROZE….then thought I would vomit, before gradually moving forward and pulling over to the side of the road. I sat waiting for the rule book to be thrown at me… but to my shock, surprise and absolute relief, she accelerated quickly and pull out around me before talking off at breakneck speed.

‘Thank god’ I thought as I sat there for a moment reflecting on what it would mean to lose my licence …The inconvenience and the isolation not to mention the humiliation of having to tell Mr 50Something and the kids (I’m not sure which would be worse).

So the moral of the story is that it’s no good getting older if you don’t get wiser….and I think this was  one very timely warning. This morning was my wake-up call … and from this day forward my phone lives in the back of the car.

P1000238

 

 

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what’s in a label ?

6 Aug

How good is it, when one you score that perfect piece of clothing …. and you’re not even looking ? Not like that endless search for the ‘dream dress’, when you know exactly what you want and can’t find it ……I mean those opportunistic moments when you just ‘see it and have to try it on ‘ … and then you do,  AND it actually fits like a glove!!!

The dilemma begins …….Do I or  Don’t I ? – The voice in your head saying ‘no you don’t NEED another jacket’ ... and the other voice shouts ‘but it’s perfect’.shopping2

So, off I go for a long lunch and a bit more shopping to quell the voices, but I’m compelled to return right on closing time and try it once more. Then it happened.

You all know it ….it’s a familiar scene…the echoes of the shop assistant and other women in the change room all oozing compliments, and ‘you just HAVE to buy it’ ... bla bla bla.

The dilemma remained, and THEN I saw the tag …. it was XS ….. me ? extra small? that’s ridiculous.

But that’s when I realise it’s a ‘curvy girls’ store so I  guess that makes sense …. and bang my decision is made  I NEED to buy it, clearly that label matters.

Oh what complex creatures we are . .. (well dressed …but complex)

P1000233

 

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back on the B_I_G issues ….

5 Aug

One would imagine that, being empty-nesters would mean a noticeable reduction in the use of household consumables ….and to a point that is true.

However there is one item that we seem to go through at a phenomenal rate ….perhaps equal (or close to) that of the days of having both kids at home.  While we can’t live without it, we  often resent spending good money  ….just to flush it down the loo!! ..loo paper

Yep you guessed it …the humble toilet paper.

The fact that we are using it up at such a rate, has not escaped my notice…and had me wondering what is going on in the bathroom. BUT then I actually studied a new roll of toilet paper and made a cheeky discovery…

Like so many things I believe that (rather than increase the price) the rolls have been reduced… NOT that you would notice because the rolling is a little ‘looser’ or the cardboard cylinder a little fatter …meaning that the circumference of the roll looks and feels similar….Now that’s sneaky …

I wondered if I was imagining this strange phenomenon…so I ‘googled’ it only to find that the Financial Review is in full agreement with my theory … so  in a practical sense it’s enough to really give you the shits.

P1090159

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journey to the centre of the earth….

4 Aug

After a lovely night at the stunning Sydney Opera House … that last thing I wanted (or needed) was to lose my car. I mean it’s late it’s winter and home is a good hour away …..double helix

For goodness sake HOW can there be THREE level 2’s ?

Ahhh …   you see, the double helix corkscrew design means that NOTHING is straightforward.  One wrong move and you find yourself winding your way to the centre of the earth while as if by magic there is another intertwined ramp headed in the opposite direction. (AND before you ask …. TWO  glasses of  Champagne over 3 hours).

There is no doubt that these engineer types are very clever people… but is it really necessary to show off ?

P1000206

 

point that pinky properly …

3 Aug

I was surprised to see the timeless June Dally Watkins in my face as I flicked the telly on this morning.

Surprised to see that she was alive and well …and still looking like gorgeous despite her  85 years on this planet.  An Aussie icon, she has been teaching young women to be ‘ladies’ for as long as I can remember ….and  I have been pondering the process for almost that long.

Are elocution and deportment relics of a bygone day?deportment

I mean… really ? walking with a book on your head…and learning to hold your little pinky properly when you sup your cup of tea from a fine bone china cup? Do they really make you a better person ?

Don’t get me wrong… I’m sure there is merit in having manners and common courtesy… and it can’t be bad to ‘speak nicely’ rather than ‘talk like a bogan’  but I think maybe it’s the notion of turning out ladies is what troubles me.

Such a funny and old fashioned word … so I ‘googled it’ to find a definition and see if it explained why it rubs me the wrong way …

la·dy

1. A well-mannered and considerate woman with high standards of proper behavior.
2.A woman regarded as proper and virtuous or a well-behaved young girl.
3. A woman who is the head of a household.
mmm … I guess the clue might be the word ‘proper’…  I mean what exactly IS proper ?? ..In whose eyes and in what century ??

Anyway I take my hat off to you dear June, for teaching me how to choose when I need to be proper and when I can just be real.
P1000207

 

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