now this CAN'T be bad

sorting through my bookself i have found at least four books i can live without: viz: 2 copies of Everywoman (hey, now i've got the internet i don't need some guy's shorthand version of what it means to be 'a woman'; one book of Medieval Drama; one copy of Amadeus (seriously crap) and a book titled "the commonsense book of sauces". I find myself compelled to keep "the observors guide to furniture spotting" (and no it's not a joke...)

can it be wrong?

in addition to throwing away wornn out furniture in the pursuit of less clutter i find myself throwing away a range of books that i either have never read, or read and hated, or just can't be bothered looking at any more. and i know this goes against all principles of good breeding, but sometimes even books just have to go. especially books by hemingway and dickens. not that i am literally throwing them out: just sending them off to a good ssecond hand book store. but i am wondering if this will incur me any karmic debt? or maybe, just maybe, a reward....

hard to stop

the trouble with throwing away furniture that one has grown tired of, is that it is hard to know where to stop. now that i am taking a good look at our furniture most of it is pretty horrible. apart from our dining table, the various beds, and one or two chests of drawers and coffee tables i'd be quite happy to start over again. so i guess i now have a home decorator goal for the next decade or so. and in the meantime, we have lots more space.

celebrations

i have to say, i am really a bit of a big kid when it comes to special occasions. birthdays, christmas even easter (once the good friday stuff is safely over) all make me entirely over excited and in need of a good lie down. and this goes for other people's birthdays as much as mine: and probably accounts for some of the anxiety i always feel about whether or not someone else is having a fab time on their birthday and for our inordinately large expenditure on balloons.

and i think what i really love the most is wrapping paper and ribbons and bows. it doesn't really matter what's in the prresent, i just loving looking around seeing gold or purple paper, and birthday cards and things like that.

of course i love the presents too. but in many ways it really is the thought that counts. and just knowing people remember is so much fun. waking up to cards (electronic and real), balloons, streamers, and a nice hot cup of tea: how much better could it get?

happy birthday to me

39. not the sexiest number in the world but a long way from being the worst. and given that at 19 and 29 i was getting divorced i hve to say that 39 is streets ahead in terms of life generally. in fact, i have to say i've never been happier. it is amazing what difference a couple of years can make: froma time where my work was crap, my nerves were shot and i spent every day in a haze of parental anxiety i now have a good job, healthy kids, the same super guy (sounds like he should have a cape!) and great friends. and on top of that i get presents!! how groovy!! i feel like i should be the one giving out the presents because i am a very very lucky girl.

and no one can comment on this because i don't need ANY more nice things from many one. i have been totally spoilt already.

thanks.

girls just wanna have fun

today one of our little friends-12 year old hannah-is coming to visit from sydney. and i am hoping that steph and cass will also have friends visiting for sleep overs. and we will also invite 12 year old cousin emily. i have no idea what we'll do with all these people, but it seems to me taht sometimes girls (and boys of course) just need the chance to get to gether, crimp each others hair, listen to music, watch movies and make patty cakes. and it is so much fun to see kids having fun that i just really can't wait.

clean slates part 2

having got such a buzz out of being able to cross a bunch of things off my 'to do' list when i finally got back to work i took it a step further this weekend but finally throwing out a bunch of furniture and stuff that i have never really liked but held onto because it was, well, furniture. most of it was the left overs of relationships past, and in its general hideousness probably neatly reflected how bad my deicision making was at those times (all though to be honest most of the hideous ffurniture was chosen for me rather than by me).

anyway: with the willing help of steph and cass we sorted through a whole bunch of stuff and have now consigned a coffee table, a filing cabinet, a side board, a chair and a whole bunch of other junk to the 'soon to be taken to the tip' pile. of cours it may well take me three months to actually cart the stuff away but at least it is outside the house now

and i can almost imagine being able to invite in someone to clean the carpet now. alle-frigging-luia.