Tuesday, August 18, 2009

The First Fastest Report for The Time Travellers Wife.

I am writing this late. Shamefully late. I only just remembered the other day that I'd been to a book club meeting and not informed my nearest and dearest (all 2 of you that read this) of the outcome.

This time we were meeting at Britt's place and I decided to take Devon with me. That way Shane could muck around outside and not have to duck inside and check on her every 6 minutes, as Cassidy will stay outside with him. I knew she'd sleep and look cute and not be a problem, so I thought, why not? She actually ended up staying awake and playing with her toys most of the time and only fell asleep in my arms towards the end while I was chatting with Britt and Alice.

So I was the first to rock up, then Bec and her mum Robyn who was staying with her from out of town. Jo managed to make it for the first time and we get along well, so I was glad she was there. Lisa was up in Broome for the weekend and Alice later arrived with some nibblies, yum!

After we'd been chatting for a while, I asked about the girls reading the book and everyone had read it. Except Bec. Now I'll be honest and say I wasn't impressed with this. We've had 3 books and she's only managed to read 1 of them and that was the crap one she'd recommended. After she admitted she only read it coz it was the only English book she could find while on her honeymoon and even then she didn't finish it! When asked why, she said she's been real busy with meetings and there's been lots of stuff on like the Hedland Cup and blah blah blah.

So you can see why I wasn't over the top about it. It feels awkward going on and talking about the major things that happened in this awesome book, nutting out the whys and wherefors, knowing that you're totally ruining the story for someone! She says she doesn't care as she'll read it anyway, but it still doesn't feel right. Maybe because I know I wouldn't read a book if someone ruined what happened like we do, we really dissect it down to the ground.

I just don't really know why she's in the book club and I won't be surprised if she ends up not coming at one time or another. I sound really mean don't I? I don't mean to be, I'm only letting go as I know only certain people read this. She's a nice girl, I don't know why she just rubs me the wrong way.

Anyway, we talked a lot about the Time Travellers Wife and dissected Henry and Clare and his time travelling gene. As I've previously said, I love love LOVED this book and was really hoping the other girls did too, which they did. Jo and I in particular went on to discuss heaps of other things we'd read and want to read; she seems to go through books as fast as I do!

I took the role of the next hostess and suggested the next book 'The Reader'. I'm really intrigued by this book, which largely involves German War crimes. The only other book I've read that even comes close to this is The Diary of Anne Frank, which was fantastic, but the fact that this book has been made into a movie is a good sign to me.
Jo was heading off to Karratha the next weekend and said she'd look in Angus and Robertson for the book for us both. Unfortunately they didn't have any copies there, so I just ordered 3 copies online. I was lucky and found a website where they would combine postage and the book only cost $11.99 each which was fantastic. Some I found were over $20 so I was pleased about that.
Once I got looking I also found The Buccaneers by Edith Wharton and Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert, so I ordered them too which gave me free postage, yay!

Some history about me. Years and years ago there was a BBC series about The Buccaneers starring Carla Gugino and Mira Sorvino and heaps of English actors that I love from my Classic Dramas. I taped it and have watched it at least 100 times since then, the video tape is getting pretty trashed. I'm keeping an eye out for a DVD copy and now I've finally found the book. Even on Ebay, I've had a hard time finding it, well, in decent condition anyway.
Madame Bovary is an Classic Drama movie that I saw years ago on the ABC and stars the amazing Aussie actress Frances O'Connor. Love it, love it, but never read it.
I have a, well I won't say bad, but I have a habit of watching and re-watching movies or show I love. Bored? Only Days of Our Lives on the telly? Put on Gimme Gimme Gimme or Buccaneers or Red Dwarf on the DVD for something funny or interesting to listen to while I do housework or scrapbook. Jodie's the same I've noticed; she'll watch her favourite movies over and over. I just get so much enjoyment out of seeing the jilting scene from Sex and The City or watching Elizabeth being crowned Queen.

So now I've got more on the way to read. And you know what? I can't wait! TTFN.

Friday, August 14, 2009

LOL cat breaks the sound barrier.


I have lots to write about wedding updates, but it's late and a game of breaking bricks on Facebook has caught my interest. So I'll write more later... meanwhile, enjoy a cat. Running. Nice. TTFN.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Campervan - Experiment Number One!

As mentioned previously, we went camping last weekend in our new poptop campervan and sadly I've just realised I haven't even taken a photo of it all popped up and sassy! Not even un-popped up either, so you'll just have to picture the glorious thing yourself. We've owned it for 2 months but the guy we bought it off was shocked when Shane told him we'd taken it out already!
It's a campervan which is towed behind the Luxey (Shane's other pride and joy) and you wind up the roof, then pop the beds out either end. It quite comfortably sleeps 2 in either bed and has 2 tables inside that flatten to become beds as well. It's so big inside it has an oven under the stove and an aircon too. Noice.
So we decided to take the thing up to Pardoo Station and give it a tryout. Pardoo is about 100 km's north up the coast on the way to Broome. We didn't go to go fishing at all though, as the tides were way out, like Indonesia out, so we'd be paddling and living and that's about it. We've been to Pardoo before, actually it was the Hedland cup weekend last year we went so we knew what we were in for. I like it as it is basically a caravan park, so it has toilet blocks, a campers kitchen, a pool and a tiny shop, so you aren't totally in the wilderness and most importantly for me, I can have a shower at night and use a proper toilet instead of a hole in the sand, ugh.
My beautiful Devon. Her first venture out as she naps so much we'd left her in the car when we walked the 50 odd metres to the water, but Shane went back and got her when we heard she'd woken up. She looked a bit shocked at first but loved being outside. It'll be better for her when she can sit up so for now we just had turns standing her in the mud so she could feel it between her toes. (Notice my tattoo, will put up a better pic later. I tried SMS'ing a pic to my friends but it wouldn't work on my stupid phone, darn).

Mummy, Cassidy and Devon. You can't tell too well but we're standing in mud; awful grey suck-your-shoes off mud. I was surprised when I got home that I still had my toe ring, I was sure it would've been gone. Was yucky to walk in as you were trying not to lose your balance or tread on a crab or something worse under the surface.

Daddy and Devon, awww.

Cassidy posing near the rocks. We walked for ages up the end and back looking for crabs to show Cassidy and found a couple too.

The girls on our first night. It was SO cold and I was up checking on them all night. It wasn't until the next morning that we realised our aircon was reverse cycle and had heating. Sigh...
I'd decided at the last minute to take along Cassidy's old high chair and use it for Devon to sit in and good I did too, it was so much easier feeding her sitting in that. As you can see she has a rusk and devoured it, she loves them!

Cassidy relaxing a'la, "I wonder what the poor people are doing today?"

Devon relaxing a'la, "Geez Mum, I hope I don't fall off this chair, I can't sit yet you know!"

My beautiful, beautiful girl. Sitting on my lap reaching for the camera.

Cassidy dressed up ready for our walk out to the islands off Mt Blaze.

We walked all the way out to the nearest island (above) only to find the water was still out further behind it! We had to thread our way across sharp coral (luckily we'd taken our thongs) and Shane sometimes had to carry Cassidy over it. We saw heaps of purple poisonous sea slugs and a couple of octopus too. We headed back soon after, a total walk of over 2 km's we figured.

Heading back to the car, we actually found a puddle of water decent enough for Cassidy to stroll in. Being August it wasn't at all hot while we were away and quite cold at night. But I must say it was good to get some sun and be out in the sunshine and wilderness. It was so quiet when we weren't making noise coz the waves were so far out. Very nice. Although hardly relaxing as you still have showers, meals, sunscreen, shoes, sand and bugs to worry about! TTFN x