May last year

This is a photo I took in Christchurch nine months ago of a group of student musicians entertaining the passers-by on a crisp and sunny May day.

After watching on television the horrific scenes taking place in Christchurch today, I pulled out the file of images I had taken on our family trip to that lovely city last year. I can't help wondering if the people I captured with my camera are safe and well tonight.

I find it very difficult to come to terms with what has happened to our near neighbours.  Here in Brisbane we are coping pretty well with the after-effects of the flood.  Our buildings are still standing, if a little worse for wear.

I pray that the good people of Christchurch will have the strength to recover from this second major earthquake to hit them in a few short months. It's heart-breaking.

It's not the thunder I worry about ...

... it's the lightning.  And there was a lot of it this afternoon in Brisbane.  We lost power briefly - five times, and the microwave was having a breakdown, bleating pitifully each time the power switched back on, poor thing.

I took a short video of the back yard, praying that the lightning would find the trees more alluring than me.

I was going to call it A River Runs Through It, but I think that's already been done.

The authorities in their wisdom have decreed that water restrictions still apply - no watering gardens (ha!) between 10am and 4pm, or at all on Mondays.  Unless there are scary storms on Mondays, of course.

What a summer.  I'm ready for a little sun.

Let's Go Shopping

With three Fudge birthdays this month, what a perfect opportunity to do a little party shopping.  Start the ball rolling with this delightful bouquet.

Origami Heart Bouquet by My Bohemian Summer

 



Birthday Card by Sweet Simplicitee

 


Birthday Cupcake toppings from Enticing Icing

  


 


Gorgeous red necklace by Strat Designs

The party dress from Sash Couture























For more shopping ideas, pop over to BrisStyle.

Good Company

What do I have in common with these images from one of my favourite movies Spirited Away?  Did I model for the third picture?  Go to the back of the class.  No, its creator Hayao Miyazaki and I were both born in 1941, which makes me (shriek!) Seventy.  The Big Seven Oh.  Today.

I have to admit that I was dreading leaving the Swinging Sixties, but strangely enough I woke up this morning still feeling about thirty-eight - my preferred choice of age. I looked out the window and the sky hadn't fallen, the sun had risen, and when Mr Fudge laid on a champagne breakfast, I wondered why I hadn't thought of  putting my age forward a year last year.

Over the past month or so, with the impending new decade about to begin, it occurred to me that my brain would probably still function as it has done reasonably well over the last decade, and that there were so many of my contemporaries who were still out there achieving their goals.

They probably won't appreciate this, but some well known folk born in 1941 include Bob Dylan, cooking guru Delia Smith, Dick Cheney, Fay Dunaway, Jesse Jackson, singers Joan Baez and Helen Reddy

And let's not forget Neil Diamond.

If you remember when Hot August Night came out,
you too must be heading for the Twilight Zone.

Two women I admire greatly are even older than me.






















Judi Dench, my all-time favourite actress, is 77 this year and Rupert Murdoch's indomitable mother Elisabeth Murdoch is 102!  And both Dames.

My only worry is that I now find I am attracted to younger men.

Jeff Bridges is eight years younger than me, but when all is said and done, he's not a patch on Mr Fudge.

Birthdays

February is a big month in the Fudge household.  There are three birthdays and a wedding anniversary.  On Saturday evening we gathered at Chez Fudge for an early birthday celebration for our first grandchild, who will be eight in a couple of days.

He is at that wonderful stage of discovering the marvels of the universe.  Our gift to him was a telescope, for which we received a high five - the ultimate accolade.

The cake was a triumph with Birthday Boy and his three younger sisters.  For this I must thank my friend Bel of Enticing Icing who sent me an image of the incredible cake she created for her son's fourth birthday.  My version was a pale imitation of hers, with four layers of cake; vanilla, chocolate, green and pink.  The kinder were mightily impressed.

Birthday cake and ice cream ... brain freeze!

Ooooo ... that was sooooo good!

Can I have some more?

All that was left now was to hand out the party favours to take home.

In a younger life, Birthday Boy would only answer to the name Darth.  Our daughter in Sydney had sent us this YouTube which we showed the children on Saturday.  It was the icing on the cake. 

Fruit

Our middle child would never eat fruit when she was little. I blame myself to some extent, as she nearly choked on a piece of apple as a baby and that tended to make me a tad anxious. I am pleased to report that she has mended her ways and indeed her own three children devour fruit as if it were chocolate.

This bowl of luscious fresh summer fruit came about during the last of our Brisbane grandchildren's postponed sleepover a little over a week ago.   The event was put on hold during the floods, but we eventually made good on our promise.

Of course, there was a last-minute change of plans as our much anticipated trip to the Gallery of Modern Art went down the gurgler so to speak, as the riverside gallery was still cleaning up after the flood.  Little Miss Redhead's cousin had had such fun there and as they are only 16 days apart in age, we knew it would have been an experience she wouldn't forget.  We will get her there eventually.  We consoled her with Tangled, which she loved.

On the way home we popped into the supermarket to pick up some goodies for dinner the following evening, when the rest of the family was due to arrive.  We were begged to buy the peaches, blueberries and strawberries which at this time of the year are at their peak.

Baby sister's eyes lit up when dessert came around.

Middle sister was suitably impressed with her dessert, once all that nasty fruit was removed from the cake and ice cream.

We Fudges appear to be on a fruit theme this week, with The Artist exhibiting this piece of fruit at an exhibition in Melbourne.
 

And this reversible dress is hot off the machine and up in my Etsy shop.

Fruit ... what's not to love?

Queensland: down, but not out

Suddenly for all the wrong reasons, the world knows where Queensland is.  Still mopping up after the disastrous floods, now we are visited by Cyclone Yasi. 

Here in Brisbane it was a typical February day - hot, humid and uncomfortable.  Up north all hell broke loose.  On radio and television this morning, tough men broke down and cried when describing what they had gone through overnight.  I have just walked away from the television - you can only take so much bad news.

Cyclone Yasi swept boats ashore at Hinchinbrook Marina in Cardwell.
Photo: Paul Crock

But in the midst of all this turmoil, little miracles occurred.  Three babies were born in the affected areas.  How wonderful is that?  In Cairns a baby girl was safely delivered.  An English midwife who is celebrating her 25th wedding anniversary on holidays in Cairns, delivered the baby girl who will be named Lucia.  No, Yasi was certainly not on the name list!

There is concern for two missing men, and we are all hoping and praying that they are safe.  Apart from that, there were no fatalities.  Another miracle.

The Premier of Queensland will be including the cyclone affected areas in her disaster appeal and as a tribute to the little girl born in Cairns, I have put this bunting for a little girl's room up for sale in my Etsy shop.

It measures three metres including the tie ends and it has ten reversible flags.  All proceeds of the sale will go to the Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal, via BrisStyle's Handmade Ark Appeal. 

There are also two dresses in my shop with all proceeds going to the Disaster Relief Appeal. 

Party dress, Size 5



Fully lined dress, Size 3

Many other members of BrisStyle have so generously donated proceeds of their Etsy shop items to aid those affected by the disasters.  If you search brisstyle ark on the Items button, you will be sure to find something you can't live without and you will be helping out the victims of the Queensland disasters at the same time.

Traumatic times.  Oh, and it's our wedding anniversary.  Happy anniversary Mr Fudge - may the next forty-one years be as wonderful as those just passed.