Here’s the hits of the week:

1.  These eggs.

A lovely patient gave them to me this week.  Two boxes.  They were meant for the Evil Geniuses, but, you know, the Easter ship really had sailed, and, I think it is best that they receive information on a need to know basis.  So, umm, kids, you don’t need to know about these.  I’ll take good care of them.  Promise.  Hope you aren’t reading the blog this week Liam (Or you lovely Nadine).

2.  A good week.  You know, I can admit it now, but I never really thought Coco would go to school, not formally, and I never thought she would be able to do weeks and weeks at a time without days off to rest and get her energy levels back up.  I have always known that she’s pretty sharp, but I guess I never dared hope that her life would be pretty much like other kids, at least on the outside.  This week it has been fun to look back on how far she has come, from a tiny yellow tot who was pretty touch and go for a while there, to a bright, funny little ray of golden sunshine that skips off to school every day.  Even if she has recently taken to making cawing noises like a crow at 6am.  (WTF?)

3.  Having the opportunity to pick Liam up from camp and listen to the endless chatter, each word tripping and tumbling over the next, to get it all out.  He was trashed, dirty and asleep by 6pm, and he had a wondrous time, treading his own path.  For those RRs, did he come back changed?  Well yes he did.  I noticed a quiet and  confident determination when he said he won’t be sleeping on the bottom bunk next year (he has done so for the past two years at camp).  I haven’t seen that before, usually he  will acquiesce just to keep the peace, but it seems that enough might be enough.  He is also, by his own account, braver.  He said the Giant Swing was “terrifying until I did it, then I was exhilarated.  Just like you said.”  Winning on two counts: He did it, and I was right. (Recording that right here for posterity and teenage years).

4.  I’m a bit of a reader.  I like books, paper books, with covers and scoliotic twisted spines, and pages that want to be loved with spilt food and dog ears.  But increasingly I’m doing more and more of my reading on screens.  Mainly blogs at this stage, but also a book or two.  It’s weirder than when I sold all my vinyl at the record shop in Altona and replaced it with CDs.  Here are a few of the blog posts that I liked a lot this week: Fat Mum Slim,  A Life Less Frantic, and  Anna Spargo Ryan (of course).

5.  And one last thing, regarding all things reading… I might be late to the party, but I’ve arrived.  I am currently reading a prescribed text from my astrologer (yes this is now a thing over here at The Ashers) who thinks I should write some Clit Lit (She may well have actually said Chick Lit, and I misheard her), regardless, she said I must read at least one of the 50 Shades books.  To save embarrassment at my local bookstore I have downloaded it to the iPad, and I’ve gotta say, so far I’m a bit cross about spending the $7.99.  I say a “bit cross” when what I really mean is absolutely outraged.  IS THIS FOR REAL?  Did 50% of the females of the Western World actually get through these.. things (I will not call them books, that is an insult to all of the other books on my iPad)?  I find myself getting very hot under the collar and passionate as I’m reading, not from the sauciness, but form the pure horror at the writing.  And the publishing.  And the waste of paper.  Jeez, if she says Jeez one more time I’m gonna go all Flappy Bird on my device and chuck it onto concrete.  Hard (ooh, but not as hard as Mr Grey’s throbbing member).  But I digress, what I really want to know dear RRs, is: Have you read any of them?  Did you actually like them?  And, if you don’t mind me asking, what did you like the most?  Is it just the dude, or do you like how she is such a twit?  etcetera etcetera.  Do you want me to write you a rudie book like my astrologer says?  And then, finally, why oh why did I just pay a bill online, that had a big throbbing red button saying submit when I’d finished entering the data?

And on that note, have a ripper of a weekend.. Seeya Monday.

From The Ashers xx

So, the hits of the week are….

1.  Mother’s Day.  I think it should be every Sunday.  No whinging, no working and: PRESENTS.  I would even forgo the sleep-in if required, just to have the other stuff.  Look that these cute little hands.  Have you ever?

Plus, it gave me a pretty good reason to sloth about (you know how I loathe love such behaviour) for much of the day looking like this:

I know, I can’t believe I’m posting this pic on the internet either! Me, sans makeup and with some of my loot…Note the excellent uggs I purchased for myself.

2.  Food Revolution Day TODAY Friday 16th.

Are you cooking anything with your kids?  We are doing tacos and burritos (shredded beef in the slow cooker OF COURSE).  It’s cheating a bit because we are using store bought tacos, but we are doing the tortillas from scratch thanks to BabyMac with the recipe.  Move over Taco Boy, here come the Asher Kids.  We are also making cupcakes, cooked and decorated by the kids.  They’ll be like door-stops, because I know not what it takes to make a good cupcake, and they’ll be garish, for my kids know not what it takes to make things look palatable, but we will have fun, and that, I think is Jamie’s point.  We are actually doing Food Revolution Weekend- the kids have designed the menu (yes it does involve homemade pizzas and herbs from their own garden), so according to the experts, that should make them want to eat it.  Hmmmm… I’ll get back to you on that one.

3.  Astrology charts.  Have you ever had yours done?  Well I haven’t, but just got Coco’s done, and I’m getting the rest of ours over the next couple of weeks.  It’s amazing.  And confusing.  So you need a consultation with the person to interpret it for you, but HoleyRoses it’s pretty crazy.  Tells you all sorts of stuff about the person, not in a prediction type way, but I guess it could do that, but more in an understanding why the hell they are so nut and why the do blah when they should could do blahblah, way.  In my non-professional opinion every parent should get one done for their kids.  It might help in understanding the kid you have, instead of trying to make them into the one you think they should be.  Maybe.  If you want details of the chick who did ours, let me know.  I think you can do the consult part over the phone, so you don’t have to be on the Sunshine Coast.

4.  This slightly cooler weather.  I know! Who’d have thought I’d ever say that?  But I am kind of liking getting my tootsies into some footwear that aren’t thongs, and maybe even considering a scarf one day soon.  Don’t worry, I’ll be back to my whining about the cold soon enough, but let me have just this little bit of joy.

Today. It’s not really what other people call Autumn though…

5.  These shoes.  I’m on my feet all day on a work day, so I like, nay REQUIRE a comfy pair.  In my ripe old age, I have resorted to wearing Birkis in Summer.  (Shhh, don’t tell Nikki and Jools, they’ll FREAK)  But in the cooler months I need something more.  I wear my twenty-six year old Doc Martens in full winter, but for this bit I usually get a pair of Merrills.  And then I found these:

I’m not necessarily in love with the buckle (I wanted another style but they didn’t have my size) but they are SO BLOODY COMFY that I can forgive them.  I have kind of narrow feet, so ballet flats are often too wide for me- I have to have structured ones, which aren’t very comfortable, or elastic ones, that can dig in, leaving train tracks all over my delicate princess-pods.  These are elastic but NO digging.  They rule.  And they were CHEAP, so cheap that you got some deal with the second pair half price.  #Winning.  The brand is Novo.  Nope, I’ve never heard of it either, but they have a whole shop at the Plaza so I guess they’re a chain store.  Go there now.

….That’s all folks….  And no, this is not a sponsored post (sigh).

…From The Ashers xxx

Here’s the hits of the week:

1.  Call me juvenile, but I’m reading another John Green book.  I’m not finished yet, and I know it’s going to be sad, but I can’t help it.  He is such a ripper of a writer, and, I love young fiction.  Always have, since I was a teen myself.  Maybe it makes me feel young again, or maybe it’s because the characters are just so full of potential.  I like the way they look at the world.

2.  The lovely lady who designed this blog, Anna Spargo Ryan won her category in the Writer’s Centre Best Blogs awards.  If you read her blog you’ll know why I love her so much.  Her prose just glistens with light and life and truth.  Well done Anna, you rock!

3.  This Sunday is Mother’s Day, and, not that I’m a control freak or anything, but just in case nobody in this house figures out the perfect present for me, I decided to get myself these babies:

I haven’t had Ugg Boots since about 1982.  Don’t worry, I won’t be wearing them out in public, but my goodness, I can.not.wait until Sunday arvo when the cool air comes in and I can get my little toes all toasty.  Happy Mother’s Day, me.

4.  The fact that the kids have forgotten about the Easter eggs they put in the fridge.  I moved them up the back, just in case they might forget, and then they did. Winning!

5.  And talking about books for the young people, look what I found in the local bookshop:

I can’t believe it’s still in print.  Do you remember sneaking a quick read when you went to your friend-who-has-an-older-sister’s house in the late 70s?  What a revelation in grossness it was.  I can still remember reading it with my eyes as big a moon.  My parents did WHAT?  Sweet baby cheeses, why, WHY?  So in the interests of sharing the love in all it’s gory details, I got it for the Evil Geniuses.  They have had the scientific “talk”, but I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when they read about how they came about, in full cartoon colour.  It’s gonna be epic (as the young people like to say…or random, they like to say that a lot too).

What hits do you have this week?  Have you read any of my books of the week?

…From The Ashers xx

I’m off to the Melbourne Comedy Festival Roadshow at The J tonight, so chances are I will be testing out the patency of my Menopausal pelvic floor, and attempting not to urinate with mirth on those around me, at the time that I would usually be tucked up with a cuppa and reflecting on my hits of the week for you.

So here they are, contrived a little early, during a week that was shortened due to: VET VISITS.  Did I mention I drove to BRISBANE (yes, I left The Shire) to go to the PET OPHTHALMOLOGIST?

HITS PEOPLE:

1.  Woofa Butterball Popsicle Asher the cat, may be blind in one eye (bummer for her) but doesn’t need an operation with the teeny tiny instruments flown in from El Salvador.  That puts me one up on good old George here.

2.  The following is a snarky tweet (I know, sarcastic, who me?) I sent to the Twittersphere during the #MKR final, that was then favourited by TW Week.  It made me laugh.  Apparently they didn’t read my previous tweets.

It’s my second favourite claim to Twitter fame.  The best was when I tweeted Rodney Eade when he was on AFL 360, that Bob Murphy needed a haircut, and Robbo read it out and they all laughed.  It should be noted that Bob has since had a lovely neat haircut, so, who knows how one small thing we think or say today can affect the lives of, well, one person, tomorrow?

3.  And whilst I’m on the Twitter thing, there is a man I follow over there who I follow so I can keep an eye on what he is up to, not because I like what he says.  He is extremely vehement on all manner of things, and of course, he is entitled to his opinion on how the world should be, that is his right.  He can also run his Twitter and FB however he likes.  What I don’t like is some of the horrible things he says about people I know and love.   People just doing their best in their daily lives, trying to help those who come and see them for assistance.  It gets me cross.  To soothe myself,  I like to imagine that he is coming from a place of concern for others and maybe even working for what he truly believes is the greater good.  Or maybe he is just a weasel.  IDK.

Anyway, this week he got blocked by Ricky Gervais (after Ricky warning Twitter he was going on a “blocking spree’ and blocking any negative comments).  Call me a nasty pastie, but I was a bit gleeful when I read the fallout from a blocked bully:

Oh yeah, tell the man how to run his own FB

Look at him seething (Ricky can’t even see these tweets, mind you)

4.  And on balance, to restore the nice glow of the interconnectedness of all of us, there was this lovely post on Instagram by gorgeous Smilechickie.  I love Mark Twain. ( And he doesn’t even mention Twitter… Go figure.)

5.  I’ve kept the best and possibly, maybe, dare I even say it out loud, most exciting thing until last.  Feast your eyes on this:

It’s only early days, and maybe Steve and Emma are just toying with me and my “tortured artist” sensibilities, but hey, it’s fun to think that this may one day be a thing.  And perhaps one day soon you’ll all be carrying a little part of From The Ashers around with you on your idevices or whatever it is you youngies read things on these days…  Who knows?

Aside:  I just wanted you all to know that I am of sound mind, and I am happy.  I know I post a lot of dreary stuff about people who have died and who I miss like sunshine, but please know that I am okay.  This little space that I have claimed as my part of the internet is for my musings and ramblings and yes, sometimes outpourings.  Part of me writing about the things that fire up my neurones is to bring my emotions into sharp focus so I can examine them properly and clearly.  Even to dissect them at times.  Also, I like writing about things and people that matter to me, so that they too will share this internet cubbyhole with me.  I like them sitting by my side, as my fingers fly across the keys, making the only kind of taptaptapping music I know how to create.  Thanks to all of you who have expressed concern, but I am okay.  I just have a lot of feels sometimes, is all.   As Hayls would say, Big Love xx

…From The Ashers xx

Here’s the hits…

1.  Anticipation of All Things ANZAC.  I don’t know about you, but I find this a very emotional day.  I can easily find myself crying, watching the march: the soldiers in years gone by, and now the children, who march to uphold the tradition pass me by.  Everything from the eerie first bars of the bugle, to the remembrance, to the gratitude of a day off filled with sunshine, and ANZAC biscuits and meat pies and a gutsy and traditional match of footy.  More than Australia Day, which for me has morphed into something strange over the years, ANZAC Day is one of appreciation and a strange mix of celebration of the life we have mixed with indebtedness to those who went before us.

2.  These books:

They might be for kids, but they make me cry every.single.time.

3.  SYTYCD.  I don’t care, say what you want about the show: criticise Carrie’s hair and Paula’s dress sense if you like, but these dancers are bloody awesome. I know, I know, you’re probably thinking that I’m awesome myself, what with my Solid Gold Dancer moves from the 80s, and my white man’s overbite, mixed with a good bit of Salt n Pepper’s ‘Push It’ style, but I got nuthin’ on these guys.

4.  These super-cute CR boots that the generous E.Bunny bought for Coco in lieu of choccies.

They might be kinda up there in the price stakes I guess, but if you have a kid who simply won’t wear jeans in winter, they are a pretty cool option to pair with skirts, leggings and the like.  In fact, they will probably save us a fortune this Winter, as her Summer clothes can be worn with these and a cardi, for the pissy little 2 month Queensland cold snap we have here.  Well played Easter Bunny, you fashionista.

5.  Cadbury Chocolate Caramel Eggs.  That is all.

Hit me with your hits.. What did you love this week?

…From The Ashers xx

Here’s the hits:

1.  Easter.  Best holiday ever.: four days, no drama, seafood on Friday, Hot Cross Buns on Sunday, chocolate, crisp mornings, great surf, music festivals and a feeling of redemption on Sunday.  A day to start over.  Especially useful if you spent NY Day with a hangover, this can be your new start.  So no matter what your preference is, I reckon there’s something for everyone.

2.  The blog I wrote about an Easter long ago.  Check it out in my back catalogue here.  With bonus Michael Frantil.  You might laugh if you haven’t read it, and if you have, you might like to be reminded that Michael Franti WROTE ME A SONG.

3.  Sometimes I get feedback from you guys about blog posts… And sometimes I wonder if anyone is reading along at all, but this week I got something from a TwitterMate that I’m kinda overwhelmed by.  He has always been a great supporter of the blog with RTs and the like, which I am touched by because he is not in my expected demographic I guess.  We have DM-ed each other a few times, and I know that some of the things I get all emo about resonate with him, and well as some of the stupid things the Evil Geniuses do.  Anyway, I’m gonna quote him here (he shared this on Twitter, so it’s not private):  “A week of reflection and emotions stirred by a blogger. The cathartic effect has been both intense and much needed so thankyou.”

Floored.

I know this blog is basically me parping on and indulging my own narcissism, but if I am to be completely honest with you, the real reason why I show up here every day is because I want to touch people.  We all know I’m deficient in doing that IRL, so this space is a place that I hope to do it.  With this computer and these words.  Nothing else.

Blogging the world go by

It excites and moves me to think that I can sit here ^ at my table and make something out of air that might make just one of you out there take pause, even if only for a moment, and think.  What a wonderful internetted and interconnected world we live in.  So thanks J, your comment made a week that was a bit tricky to blog in completely worth it.

4.  Another cool thing from the internet: I was reading this blog by Iris May, and I found it incredibly moving.  I too have a kid we almost lost.  And I too find myself feeling blessed that she is here. And I too sing “You Are My Sunshine”, as well as “Little Ray of Sunshine”  (the kid is pretty yellow).  I have met the author in real life, but I only “know” her from inter-land.  So I was welling up, and frankly, on the kind of day it was, I could waded around in that mood for a while, letting it permeate my day.  Next thing, my phone pinged and I got sent a pic from a boy I loved way back when, of something that many of you would think very inappropriate (so I won’t share it here- and No, it wasn’t a dickpic)  it made me laugh aloud, and just like that, pattern interrupt, and I was back smiling and sending the pic to anyone I thought might get a kick out of it.

Just.like.that.

A good thing to remember.

5.  This nail polish set:

Gwen will never steer you wrong

I don’t always do a great job in the old make-up stakes.  Due to my advancing years and The Menopause I have been trying to do better, so I got this little OPI set on a recent trip to Myer.  It’s the business.  Glides on better than the old Cutex ever did, and (almost) looks like a professional foot job.  I might even try a hand job over the long weekend.

So there you have it… A list of great stuff in my world this week.. What are your hits?

…From The Ashers xx