Quidditch through the ages...or not

Christian and I have some weird conversations whilst laying in bed. I have no idea how this one even started...somewhere in there we ended up getting onto the subject of sports.

Me - We could play Quidditch together!
C - Erm...
Me - No seriously, they have a Quidditch league here in Perth now and you run around on a field with a broomstick between your legs.
C - Pisses himself laughing It's retarded enough as it is in the books and movies, why would they make it even more retarded by running about with a stick between your legs.
Me - Quidditch in the books isn't retarded! It's a highly skilled game!
C - No it's not! They just all fly around trying to get that one stupid ball that wins the game.
I try and explain the rules of Quidditch to Christian as he has no idea.
C - ??? What the fuck? Why are there other balls involved? If getting the snitch wins the game, why don't they all go for it?
Me - Because catching the snitch doesn't necessarily win the game. If you've scored enough points to begin with, you can still win even if your seeker doesn't catch it. Besides, only the seeker can go for the snitch.
C - Why?
Me - Because they're the rules!
C - Where does it say that?
Me - In the books!
C - It specifically says that's the rule?
Me - Yes! It's the seeker's job to catch the snitch.
C - That's just his role, that's not a rule. Why can't they all look for it and whoever catches it just hands it to him?
Me - Because that's not how it works Christian!
C - Who says?
Me - Quittitch Through The Ages , that's who!
I go and find the book and throw it at him. Christian reads the book from start to end (it's not a long book).
C - There's no actual rules in here! Anyone could catch it.
Me - Gah! I give up! Flails arms around in the air.

Despite my exasperation with my husband, on Friday we actually got to spend some time together. I had arranged to have the day off so my car could get serviced and Christian came and picked me up and we headed down to Hillaries Boat Harbour to have some breakfast.
We went to Dome and they have these new fandangled electronic table trackers instead of the ye olde number on a stick. I was playing around with it and was musing out loud how it would work.
Me - So I assume they have like a map of the tables on their computer and a mini GPS thingy would mark the table that this is sitting on so they know where we are hey?
C - I doubt it.
Me - So how do you think it works then Mr Smarty Pants?
C - Not like that.
Me - So what, they just walk around and a little voice in their ear says 'Getting warmer, warmer, hotter, NO COLDER! COLDER! Warmer, warmer, hotter, hotter, BAM there they are!'
C - Neyh.
To take out my frustrations I pull faces at him all through breakfast, much to the amusement of other patrons.

After breakfast we headed out to the shops at Whitfords to kill some time before my car was ready. I bought a very cute 1920's (?) style hat (I'm not good with hat history, it may be a 1940's style hat) and we also picked up an awesome umbrella that has the handle of a samurai sword.
While we were browsing through a book exchange, my phone rang.
Me - Hello.
Voice - Hello, this is Louise from Big Rock Toyota. I've gotten the report back on your car and they suggest at 30,000kms that you have your Throttle Body Housing cleaned.
Me - I'm going to put you onto my husband because last time I got something like that done without checking with him, I got yelled at.
Pass the phone to Christian.
Me - Speak to this lady, she wants me to have the throttle housing thingy cleaned.
C - Why do you want me to speak to her?
Me - Because you know stuff.
C - How much do they want to charge?
Me - Just talk to the damn lady Christian!
C - Hi, so how much do you charge for that?
Christian's mouth literally drops open, then he starts laughing.
C - Ah no, I think we can give that a miss. Thanks.
After hanging up, I ask what she said.
C - Oh, it's normally $180 but she could drop it down to $110 for us.
Me - And that's...crazy?
C - They spray a can of stuff and run the motor for two minutes*. That's it.
Me - And this is why I give you the phone.

* This may or may not be how it actually works but this is how I remember him saying it. If it's wrong, blame me and my memory cos I'm 100% sure Christian knows what he's talking about.

Just on a final note, here are some photos of Molly. Just so you can all go 'Awwwww'.

Time travel

The problem with always having been the 'good' kid growing up is that I'm finding that every now and then I revert back to my teen years and act like everyone else was doing back then while I was busy being responsible.

And so for the past TWO weekends (yep, count em) I've found myself getting rather pissed. The first weekend Christian had some people round to celebrate his last day at his job. I hadn't planned on drinking much because I had to have an early night for my market but I didn't quite pull off that plan. It made for a rather uncomfortable day in 40C heat at the markets.
Then last night one of Christian's mates came round to watch the footy and somehow we got to talking about which pubs and clubs we've been to in town and we decided to go out. Tash had had a bit of a rough weekend and so I called her and told her to come out with us. We had pre-going-out drinkies here and then headed out to The Court for several more.

Which leaves me at lunchtime on a Sunday feeling rather seedy and looking through the few random photo albums I have on the HTPC. I came across some pics I took last winter up at my mother's place and although I'm pretty sure I have them in an album on FB I figured I'd share them on here since it's my blog and I'll do whatever the heck I want lol.

Most of them are of old figurines and things from Mum's garden.

Owl!


Purdy flowers.


I just love the fact that I found a rubber duckie in the yard. Nestled against the decaying leaves it gave me a bit of a Chernobyl feel for some reason.

I'd love to say time and spiders wait for no man but considering this is a thermometer it's a bit pointless...


My fave photo.

There's a bear in there...

My mother's freaky ashtray.

This 28 wanted...

...this chicken. Nom nom nom cheeeeeeekan!


Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes the blast from Nettie's past for today. Please remain seated until the internet comes to a complete stop and then make your way in a orderly fashion to the door. Thank you for frequenting The Natterings of Nettie and have a pleasant day.

Lights, camera, action!

Hello all :)

First of, just to start off with some cuteness, here is a picture I took of Molly. She's utterly adorable but I must admit, I felt very sad when I took this photo. I was chatting to Flora on the phone and we were talking about Molly and when I took the photo I noticed just how much she's now showing her age. We very quickly changed the subject because we both got upset and were almost in tears.


On the weekend Christian and I decided to go shopping for some light fittings (by decided I mean I said 'Let's do this' and he went 'Whatever') .
We've been in the house for roughly four years and it's been one of those things I've said we need to do for ages and we've just not got around to doing.
The house did come with some el cheapo fittings but they a) looked horrid b) set on fire easily and c) nope, looking horrid and setting on fire were enough reason for me!

We looked at a couple of the big lighting stores and eventually found our way to a small little store tucked away in some shops on the highway. As soon as we walked in, it kind of felt we'd been transported to someone's Nan's attic or a little antique shop. It was absolutely cluttered as the shop was tiny but they'd tried to display as much as they could.
The ladies there were very lovely and we ended up buying from there, mainly because the service was unbeatable.

These are the basic fittings we got for rooms that didn't need fancy lights; the study, bathroom, laundry and toilet.
The glass is frosted and has a swirly kind of pattern on it.


We got these ones for the kitchen, dining room and random area in middle (technically the dining room but it's too small for a table so we put the dining table in the 'games' room which is too small to be a games room...).
It's kind of hard to see the pattern in this photo but like the previous fittings, these are frosted but the design almost looks like there are cracks through the glass.


And finally, our 'balls of string'. They're actually made of wood and we bought these for our bedroom, the loungeroom and the entry...hall? space? meter squared bit you stand in before it becomes either the lounge or bedroom?
Anyways, so we bought the last three the lady had boxed and as we were paying at the cashier, she climbed up and took down the display model, plonked it on the counter and said 'No point me trying to sell one, happy housewarming!'.
I was just over the moon, it was so nice of her. So that one went in the spare bedroom instead of one of the plain ones.


This is ball of string lit up.


Because the bedrooms are smaller than the lounge, the light actually throws shadows on the wall. I think it's awfully pretty :)


We also bought a full length mirror which is great as it means I no longer have to go outside and try to catch my reflection in the window if I want to see how an outfit looks. We just have to mount that on the back of the bedroom door as soon as Christian nicks some double sided tape from work!

Hurrah for getting small things done!

That time of the year again!

Gosh, this past year has gone by so fast! I was very sad when I realised that this time last year, I was in Edinburgh celebrating my birthday with my best friend. I would give anything to be able to back there :(
I told Flora the other day that I miss her so much that sometimes I just want to curl up in a ball and sob. Some days I love the fact that modern technology has evolved to the point that you can connect so deeply with someone on the other side of the world but other days it hits me that this is all well and good but she is still on the other side of the world.
*sigh*

Anyways, I'm very lucky in the fact that I have some absolutely wonderful friends who happen to live much closer and so I planned a little birthday celebration to mark the timely arrival of a few new wrinkles and a grey hair! Hopefully it won't be much longer that I'll still be asked for ID!

Even though we were having a casual party here at home where babies would almost outnumber adults, I wanted to dress up. I guess the party itself was an excuse to wear my new pretties! I made Christian get a photo of me before everyone else arrived.


What can I say? I LOVE this outfit! Just wearing it makes me feel so glamourous and graceful and beautiful (of course, I'm not nearly as graceful in real life as proven when I squat down to show a little girl our colour changing solar lights, stood on my petticoat and ripped a hefty volume of it right off when I stood up but I digress...) . After I'd gotten changed, I called out to Christian 'You wanna know something?'. He mumbled back something that sounded vaguely like a 'Yes' and so I made a dramatic entrance into the study and proclaimed 'I look fucking fantastic!'.
This is the power of this outfit. It can make a woman who has little self esteem feel amazing. Worth every penny in my books!

It wasn't long before people started showing up but I must admit, I was well off my game that night as I didn't take many photos at all. It may have had something to do with the drop in temperature. It was rather chilly and so we didn't venture outside but stayed congregated in my dining room. The evening therefore felt a little different to our usual gatherings. Maybe it's the Aussie in me but I prefer sitting around the outside table in plastic chairs, watching people play darts and just generally larking about. Inside, in a more confined space people seem to be a little more reserved. Of course it was still a great time, but nothing occurred that will go down in our 'party history' (see The Great Fire Blaze of 2010 or Christian's Drunken Stagger of '08).
I did take a few photos and here is a small selection.

Sarah, Tash and I show off our awesome outfits.


Awesome outfits deserve awesome shoes. I feel I may have let the team down somewhat here but I rather liked how my ankle boots looked.


Barb and Co couldn't make it since they are being plagued with pneumonia which left Darcie feeling a little bored I think. I took a couple of photos of us together but made sure they were fun ones.


Despite the numerous newborns, we still kicked on till after midnight and by then I was dead on my feet. Getting old is exhausting ;-)
I fell into bed and it was one of those moments where it just feels so good to be in bed that you just lie there in contented bliss for a while. I fell asleep soon after only to be woken relatively early the next morning by my Dad phoning from Canada because he'd missed my actual birthday. I felt bad that our conversation was so short but sleep beckoned once more and I slept for another hour or two.

The rest of the day was mostly spent in my jarmies, reading a book, eating copious amounts of leftover cake and shopping online for more gorgeous clothes. I discovered this website which is where my outfit originated from. Now that I have made this amazing discovery, I shall skip the middleman and save myself some money...not hugely charitable of me considering I bought the dress from a local supplier but in times like these it's every woman for herself. The money I save will be enough to buy more pretties. Vain, yes. Selfish, probably. Smart, you bet!

Other than having an awesome night for my birthday, things have being going really well for me lately. I'm actually happy. Which I don't think I have been in a long while. That 'special friend' I wrote about a while back has been pulled out by the roots and kicked to the curb. Am I upset about the loss of that friendship? Of course I am. But at the end of the day, it was poisoning my self esteem and was the main reason for my cutting. I realised that I'm worth so much more than that and even though it was the hardest thing I've ever done, I also think it was the smartest thing I've ever done. It's just improved my mental health so much which obviously has had a ripple effect on other aspects of my life. Things with Christian are better than ever, I've reconnected with my sisters, my self esteem has improved. And obviously reading my blog posts will be much easier for YOU since they aren't so God damn depressing anymore!

Thanks so much though, each and every one of you for being there for me. I know most of you live far away but knowing that I was never far from your thoughts made it easier to pull through.
Love you all xoxoxo

I *heart* Old York

Several weeks ago Christian and I decided to go away for the long weekend. I understand that this is something that normal people tend to do rather regularly but we had never taken a mini vacation before. It just always seemed too much hassle to bother with, too hard to find a dog sitter, too many thing to do around the house...the list of excuses goes on.
But things have been a little rough lately and we decided that a couple of nights away would do us the world of good.

I suggested that we head down to Busselton, which is where we spent our honeymoon but Christian didn't really want to go that far away. Since we were dropping Molly off for a sleepover at my Mum's place which is already half way to York, we figured we'd give it a go. York is very small and fairly old (over fifty years!) so we knew there wouldn't be a hell of a lot to do while there but since the aim of the weekend was to relax, that was fine by us. I booked us in to the York Heritage Hotel and we were set to have a well earned break!

We arrived about midday and since we couldn't check in until 2pm, we went for a wander about and found our way down to the river. While it was very pretty to look at...

...you really wouldn't want to go swimming in in...


It was a rather overcast day and the river had lots of pretty reflections in it that looked amazing with the poles and ruins of old jetties.

One of the main attractions of the town is their swing bridge. Although the original was pulled down some years ago due to safety concerns (apparently bridges made in 1853 by convicts are deemed 'unsafe' by today's standards...) the new one stands at approximately the same site.
This is Christian looking utterly overwhelmed by the sheer excitement of being on the swing bridge.

After crossing the bridge we went for a wander down the track along the river. Lucky for us we had packed several changes of underwear because we were scared shitless by these terrifying beasts!

After lunch we checked into the hotel room and later that afternoon continued with our survey of the town. Many moons ago I did a post that included photos of some of the humorous signs that can be found in and around York. Yet again we came across some amusing ones...

I thought this was the best name for a junk shop.

In small country towns one must be flexible and adapt if one is to survive. This is especially true of small businesses. This shop sold lawnmowers, remote control cars and...

According to a newspaper writeup on the bulletin board of the town hall, this building is being developed into a collection of six small shops. The name generated much controversy and may explain why they still haven't opened yet despite passing the expected opening date.

Yes, the dog is pissing on the old man's shoes. For closeups of this sign and others for The Dog's Bollocks Emporium, see my FB album.

Times are tough at the moment in York. There was a crazy high percentage of homes and businesses up for sale; the bad economic climate has obviously had a hard effect on such a small community. Therefore one must do whatever one can to lure in a potential customer...

No exceptions!

When I had told people I was going away to York, everyone I spoke to told me I really must visit the new markets that have opened at the old mill. Apparently they used to have a market one day a month but now they have a permanent market every weekend. We thought we'd mosy over and check it out.
Turns out it's rather crap. Sorry York, I loved you and all but to draw in a crowd, you need more to tempt shoppers with than five dusty stalls in a leaky shed next to the mill that sell hand made tea cosies.

The mill building itself was much more interesting. The bottom floor contained a couple of furniture and giftware shops and Christian and I oohed and ahhed over a table that was made out of one piece of jarrah that would seat at least twenty people. It cost $25000 but really, what put us off buying it was because it just wouldn't fit in our dining room...ok...that's our story and we're sticking with it!
The next two floors held art galleries and we wandered about there for a bit but to be honest I was more interested in the wrought iron designs on the stair railings.




This is the mill from the outside. It looks rather rickety and that's because it is. Afterall, it is old (over fifty years!).



We had taken up the telescope so we could take advantage of the clear skies in such a rural location but alas, the Saturday was too overcast. We did scout for a good location though so the following night we would know exactly where would be a good spot to set up. It wasn't hard to decide upon Mt Brown. It's vantage point and open spaces were pros. However it was very cold...



That night we had an amazing dinner at the hotel restaurant (if you're ever in York you have to try the rosemary and sea salt potatoes at The York) and then we just chilled out in the room, watching telly and reading. We did discover the cons to staying at a hotel however when the noise from the bar downstairs got rather loud. Coupled with a rather rednecky rendition of 'Working Class Man' at 1am by a few drunk locals stumbling home, it was a bit of a disrupted night.

The following day we went to Gwambygine Park and did a small bush walk there and then spent the rest of the day antiquing and having a mosey around the rest of town. We had saved the Sock Factory for today so as not to over excite ourselves on the Saturday...

I was very tempted to buy a blue heeler hand puppet but Christian wouldn't let me so instead I bought two pairs of socks.
That night the skies cleared and we headed back up to Mt Brown to play with the telescope. We didn't stay for long because it was fecking freezing but we did stay long enough to find Saturn and her rings. We don't have the best lenses as yet so it wasn't exactly like looking through an observatory telescope but still, it was clearly recognisable as Saturn.

Oh, and Christian took a photo of the moon...


The following day we packed up and headed home, picking up Molly along the way. She had enjoyed herself at Mum's, a little too much. Mum is not immune to Molly's doggy wiles and played ball with her the entire weekend. Molly had trouble walking the next day...

We had a lovely weekend though and I'm hoping we can do it again soon :)

ETA - Blogger is being a bitch and isn't letting any of my links work :(
I shall come back tomorrow and try to fix them then. Apologies.

Edinburgh photos!

So it's only seven months late...but I finally got around to posting some of my favourite photos from my trip to wee bonny Scotland last year!

I actually have a good reason for it taking me so long too! Usually I upload all my pics to my own computer and then do blog posts etc from there. However, at that point my computer had decided it wasn't going to play well with others and I had upload my photos onto the HTPC in the lounge room and to do a post from there I have to sit on the floor and it's uncomfortable and my butt hurts but I am doing that right now for you people and my bum is hurting so stop your bloody whinging that this post is seven months late already!!!

*phew* Ok, now that that's out of my system, here we go!

This is our room. It will forever be our room. No one else can claim it. No one!

The ever lovely Arthur's Seat.

We are all laughing. Why? Because this dog's name is Bum. Oh yes, you heard me. Bum the dog.

Wait a second! I'm sure there was a castle here somewhere...where the heck could it have gone???


If this sign says it is so, then it must be so!

Sunshine and lollypops! Wait a minute, we didn't have lollypops...awwww :(

Our camping adventure begins!
Christian in a tree. Don't ask.

Who's in the bag? Are they wearing glasses? And a beanie? And are cold and wet? Is it Flora and Nettie? It is? Yay! I win!

Hush, the White Rabbit is sleeping!

Squirrels! Red ones at that! And a squirrel sized hat factory!

Do you think they would honour this?

I love wolfies :D

'Alice?'
'Yes dear Roger?'
'Don't look now, but there's something on the bench with us...'
'Oh dear Roger, should I get out the bug spray?'
'No Alice, I'm sure they'll scurry off soon.'
Play time!

Cawdor Castle. The crappest castle in the world. Seriously. They don't even make hats!

Horsey!


Pixie house.
Curses woman! I don't want my photo taken but I seem to be trapped in this giant web. I shall use my only defense against the likes of you...my cold, steely glare!
All dressed up, let's rock this baby naming ceremony!
Inappropriate canon behaviour. I'll just let the photos speak for themselves, shall I?

Fear him...I bloody do!
Follow the white rabbit.
And you will discover something veeeeeery interesting about Nettie...
I love this photo.

Up above the world so high...

Like a wacky Brady Bunch.
Eeep! It's a highland coo!
Don't look now but there's a furry white nose growing out of my ear!

At the zoo. According to Christian, this is apparently a wolverine. Honestly, just because he can tell the difference between a polar bear and a rock, doesn't mean he can see wolverines!

Evil King Zeph!No! Don't jump!

Boo!