Graeme's Rags and Riches 50th

We headed over to Bridgetown on the last weekend in November for Duncan's workmate Graeme's 50th birthday (Graeme did most of the work on our house).  The theme was 'rags and riches' which meant you could come rich, or you could come poor, or you could come rich AND poor (there were a lot of men wearing nice shirts and ties with ragged, dirty jeans).  I chose to interpret it as 'poor who became rich' (see below).  It was a great night around the fire with some rocking good tunes.  We chose to stay the night in our tent.

Rags in 2010.  Riches in 2011.  Oh yeah!

Duncan chose to come as...his boss!  Cheeky!

 

The birthday boy and his cake

 

Speech time

Adam all wrapped up in a Wiggles rug

Caitlin and two of the farm kids

The farm crew



The next morning, Graeme took us on a tour of his farm, starting with the cows

Graeme's maremma which protects his goats

One of the bulls and the maremma

It was an honour to meet Frosty, Graeme's favourite bull

5 Posts With No Comments Which I Thought Might Have Got At Least One

1.  Becoming a Christ-Like Footy Follower
2.  Lesson 9 From Sarah's School of Dating
3.  Forgiveness: The Aftermath
4.  Opinion Etiquette
5.  The Pendulum: Wisdom and Trust

Lesson Learned in 2011

Do not buy cheap underwear.

That is all.

Pre-Teens Want 'Revenge' on Bad Friends

Researchers asked a group of 267 pre-teen boys and girls about how they would feel in 16 hypothetical situations, which included friends telling their secrets to other children, friends not completing their part of a group assignment and friends not reacting compassionately to personal tragedies, such as the death of a pet.

Both sexes were just as likely to want to verbally attack the friend, threaten to end the friendship, or seek revenge against the friend.

But when it came to emotions, girls were far more affected by a disappointing friend than boys, reporting they would feel more anger and sadness.

Girls were also more likely to view the friend's transgression as a sign the pal didn't care about them.

Very interesting article indeed.  I remember the pre-teen years.  Girls can be bitchy.  In regards to girls feeling let down by their friends who don't seem to care....I feel like that now!  It's definitely not just a pre-teen thing.

Read the rest of the article here:

http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/family/parenting/8378462/mean-girls-pre-teens-want-revenge-on-bad-friends

Quote of the Day

Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.
- Oprah Winfrey

5 Thoughts on The Slap

Well, everybody else seems to be talking about this series so I thought I should share my 5c worth (it's gonna be a bit more than 2c haha).

1.  The characters are all extremely unlikable and from various conversations and blog posts, I can tell I'm not the only one to think this.  Rosie was the one who probably annoyed me the most with her 'I let my child run wild' style of parenting.  I was furious when Connie made up the lie that Hector raped her and didn't even apologise to Richie when he went in to bat for her and got in trouble over it....grrr.  I couldn't stand Koula, especially when she complains about Australia (well, go back to Greece then) and calls Aisha 'the black one' behind her back.  Harry is a bastard.  His wife, Sandi...well...why on earth does she stay with him?!?  I love character studies.  It's a sign of a good series where you get so engrossed you feel something towards the characters.

2.  But while the characters are generally horrible people, I think they reflect ourselves more than we'd like to admit.  People have been commenting on how lewd and crude the characters are, but that's what happens when you see people up close and personal, and unfortunately that's how people talk these days (come and live in a country town where, with some people, every second word is a swear word).  At first, it just looks like a normal bunch of people getting together for a barbecue, but The Slap takes you below the surface.  I have to confess that I saw bits of myself in some of the characters.  I've felt the tension between the choice of marriage/family or career.  I can remember what it feels like to be a teenage girl liking an older guy.  While some people were horrified at The Slap, I think it's a confronting but fairly accurate portrayal of the world we live in.

3.  The acting was brilliant.  William McInnes' narration was really unneccessary.  At times it felt like I was a fly on the wall eavesdropping on conversations, the dialogue was that natural.  The little boy who plays Hugo is outstanding for his age.  They picked some absolutely brilliant child actors.

4.  I think this series shows the impact that different stages of life can have on friendships - those who have kids and those who don't, and also parents who have different 'parenting strategies'.  I fully expect kids to be little turds at times, but it annoys me when parents make no effort to correct their behaviour in other people's houses (read: my house).  I was talking to a friend who is a mum to two young boys today and she was recalling an incident a few days ago when she invited lots of mums and kids over to her house.  Two of the kids (who were siblings) started trashing her house (and I mean trashing it) - climbing up bookcases and getting bubble blowing stuff out and then throwing it on the floor so there was a slippery mess everywhere; picking up ornaments, throwing them and breaking them etc.  My friend tried to gently ask the mum to get her kids to stop (since there is a rule you can't discipline someone else's child), but the mum just sat there as if nothing was happening.  My friend said she was fine with it if it was just toys everywhere or something, but it took her and her mother-in-law hours to clean up the mess.  In regards to The Slap, I don't blame Hugo for his behaviour since he had clearly had very few boundaries set for him in his life!  The scene where Hugo spits on the old man and then Rosie blames everyone else for his behaviour disgusted me.  Ok, I get that you're not supposed to have a go at parents, but seriously....even my friends who have kids themselves expect visitors to show some respect for their property and other people.

5.  I think this series will be really good for Australian TV.  It shows that you don't need a big budget to tell a compelling story.  Yay that it has already been sold overseas.

Image is from http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2011/10/06/1226160/581292-abc1-the-slap.jpg

Leave Me Alone, I'm Lonely by P!nk

I've mentioned before just how relevant I think P!nk's lyrics are - especially when it comes to marriage and relationships.  This is one of those songs (please excuse the swearing though - I think the song would be better without it).

Go away.
Give me a chance to miss you.
Say goodbye,
It'll make me want to kiss you.
I love you so much,
When you're not here,
Watching all the bad shows,
Drinking all of my beer.

I don't believe Adam and Eve,
Spent every ****** day together.
If you give me some room,
There will be room enough for two.

Tonight.
Leave me alone, I'm lonely,
Alone I'm lonely.
I'm tired.
Leave me alone, I'm lonely.
Alone I'm lonely.

I don't wanna wake up with another,
But I don't always wanna wake up with you either.
No, you can't hop into my shower,
All I ask is for one ******* hour.
You taste so sweet,
But I can't eat the same thing everyday.
Cuttin' off the phone.
Leave me the **** alone.
Tomorrow I'll be beggin' you to come home.

Go away.
Come back.
Go away.
Come back.
Why can't I just have it both ways?
Go away.
Come back.
Go away.
Come back.
I wish you knew the difference.
Go away.
Come back.