boy meets girl, boy has crush on girl, they become best friends, 14 years pass, she gets married then divorced then realises boy is still there
And I’m not letting go this time. 
What trip is complete without Willow finding books she HAS to have? I was very reserved (for me) as there was a treasure trove at the UOW bookshop that I almost had to be sedated after being starved of good reading material for so long!
I am enjoying so much not studying but because I had managed to get myself into a routine it now feels a bit strange to not HAVE to study! I’ve got a couple of books on the go at the moment and love not feeling guilty that I should be doing something else!
Oh, and I got a HD on one of the essays from this semester. Ummm, yeah …
My trip away was bookmarked with the Halloween 40th and a wedding in the Hunter. Miss Nina and I worked together years ago and I did some freelance design work for her as well. It was really lovely to be invited to share her special day with her and doesn’t she look stunning?
The happy couple – still looking gorgeous.
The centre pieces for the tables – yes, it has an elephant so I took a photo!
New friends and the beautiful Miss Nina again … maybe I need to call her Mrs Nina now!
After the awesomeness of the Halloween weekend, I flitted around to see my friends. Dropped into Buffy’s studio for tea (forgot the camera!) and then headed to Wollongong to hang with Bestie. We had discovered that we had the same Twilight tshirts but with our allegiances clearly defined! Bestie asked me along to her bookclub and we had to wear our shirts! Also got to see some other friends when we were out at dinner.
I want my own bookclub! We discussed one of my favourite books, Ernest Hemingway’s ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ and Dianetics (briefly). Was so nice to just sit with like-minded people and talk about books, writers, general things and have a laugh. Going to have to look into starting my own bookclub!
This was so brilliant! I caught up with my best friend from primary school and met two of her beautiful boys. We had reconnected through Facebook and as I was going to be near to her I couldn’t miss the opportunity to catch up with Miss A. It felt like we’d seen each other last week, not 13 years ago. It was amazing to see her again and we’ll be keeping touch! Also had lunch with another friend from high school and somehow it went from midday to 3pm in no time at all! I did have my camera but as we had both got drowned in the rain getting to the restaurant I thought it prudent to not take a picture!
Just a little pic of one of Bestie’s cats, Tasha, who does love me and jumps up for cuddles, unlike Bhudda who took to hissing at me this time around! We came to an understanding over the couple of days I was there and thankfully the hissing stopped!
This is the memorial sculpture at the duck pond on the UOW campus of Evil Duck. When I was there you had to be careful when sitting around this area because Evil Duck would terrorise people and steal things – anything from food to your assignments. It was the only uni where you could say ‘The Evil Duck stole my paper” and it was a legitimate excuse for needing an extension! So, now that the Evil Duck has taken up residence by the duck ponds of hell, the uni commissioned one of the Creative Arts sculptors to create a fitting memorial for this UOW institution and I must say it is a great sculpture. And yes the plaque does call it ‘Evil Duck’.
My Big Brother, Mr MR2, who I thought I was going to miss out on seeing this trip to Sydney because he was … at my place! Luckily he got back in time before I left and we met up at Max Brenner for lunch.
Yes that is the remains of our Chocolate crunch pizza and my dark chocolate mocha. Yum!
Some of the special decorations for the 40th birthday/halloween party
The Zombie Hello Kitty birthday cake and it was damn nice to eat too!
Me and my girl, Dove. Love you sweetheart.
Me as a 1920s flapper with the birthday boy dressed as America McGee’s Alice. He was surprisingly attractive as a woman!
Me and Chaos. So very pleased he could make the party all the way from Rocky! Been far too long since we’ve seen each other and was brilliant to catch up face to face.
Off to Wollongong, the old stomping ground, tomorrow to catch up with Bestie AND some high school friends who I haven’t seen in 16 years!!! Hunter Valley on thursday and some Burberry time, as well as Miss Nina’s wedding. So nice to not be at work, which is why the posts have been somewhat sparse, as it has become rather busy.
Happy 30th little brother of mine! Am so very proud of you and honoured that you are my brother. xx
This is my 200th post on Windy Willow. I wanted to do something special to mark the ‘occasion’ but until about 5 minutes ago I had no idea what that would be.
In my state of procrastination/perfectionism paralysis over my latest essay, I found a link on my uni’s website under the helpful section on overcoming perfectionism. Please take the time to read these most inspiring words.
March to the beat of your own drum. Listen to your heart’s symphony. Trust you are who are meant to be. Its time I did exactly that.
Will x
I try not to be political or beat a drum over mental health issues but this has made me so upset.
Obviously none of these ‘professionals’ have ever been in a place where you feel the only option you have is death. If you get to the point where you contemplate killing your own children and then try THREE methods to kill yourself you are quite clearly not thinking in any sane way. And in your ‘distorted’ world view, which it is at that time, you are doing what you think is the best thing for everyone.
How DARE the crown prosecutor say that as long as the woman stays childless, she is no threat to anyone? HOW DARE SHE MAKE THAT JUDGMENT. HOW DARE SHE. Does she have any idea what that woman has gone through? She has tried to kill herself in jail since. If you try MULTIPLE times to kill yourself that is not a sign that your mental illness is ’severe’??
Oh and I think my favourite line is:
“… abused her position of trust to kill two vulnerable children, but she acknowledged she had good prospects of rehabilitation and had shown genuine signs of remorse.”
I’m so glad we can be ‘rehabilitated’! Doesn’t that just give everyone a warm fuzzy feeling? I am gritting my teeth in anger right now.
How on earth can people with a mental illness feel safe coming forward when we are treated like second class citizens because of something that is not our fault? You are not in your ‘right mind’ when you are that depressed. You do not think rationally. You do not see right and wrong at that time as ‘normal’ people do.
I can only imagine the anguish she went through on that day she stopped her children from breathing, when she decided that life was not worth living. I can only imagine how everyday feels like more of a death sentence then what it felt to be on the brink of death.
My heart breaks for her because I know that desperation and pain only too well. I don’t know how you can ever communicate that to someone who has never been through it. And our legal system just does not give a shit, even when psychiatrists give evidence, the ones who are supposedly ‘knowledgeable’ on what she would have been going through.
I am not a legal professional. I am not a psychiatrist. I am just a woman who has been in a place where dying was better then living.
When I lived in Sydney I adored going to the Jazz meets the Symphony at the Opera House. There is something electrifying about hearing a brilliant jazz quartet, combined with the power of the Sydney Symphony and being conducted by the legendary Lalo Schifrin that gets your blood pumping and you know you have just been part of something magical.
One of the most wonderful evenings introduced me to Bix Beiderbecke when James Morrison, playing one of Bix’s own instruments, performed Lalo’s ‘Rhapsody for Bix’. Ever since I have been searching for a CD of recordings by Bix Beiderbecke, who always seemed to play second trumpet to Louis Armstrong through the 1920s. As with many Jazz maestro’s, he died too soon and was almost destined to become a footnote in the history of Jazz.
I went for a little wander after my coffee this morning. I wanted to get Kate Winslet’s ‘The Reader’ because when I saw it at the movies the projector broke half way through and I still haven’t seen the end. The first place had it for $35 but I figured if I looked around I might be able to find it cheaper. I did and got it for $16 but I also found a stand of $2 CDs. Picked up a Count Basie one and a Glenn Miller one but I also found a Bix Beiderbecke CD. I had to look at it a couple of times to register that it really was a Bix Beiderbecke recording. It absolutely made my day!
Am currently enjoying the magic of the cornet played by a true genius and thinking I better go find a copy of the Jazz meets the Symphony CD to relive Rhapsody for Bix. Bliss!
Update: I found it on iTunes! Oh how I love iTunes! If you are interested, its on the Jazz meets the Symphony #4 Metamorphosis.
