Welcome to Another Weekend Coffee Share!
How are you? I hope you are well and not freezing or burning to death whatever your particular situation might be. It’s Winter here and we’ve had a chilly day here just when we were starting to dream of Spring and cutting back on all the layers.
How was your week? Good, I hope.
in terms of what I’ve been up to, I finished my Freelance Writing Course with the Australian Writers’ Centre a few weeks ago. Although I’ve paid for two more courses, I put them on hold so I could just let that one sink in. I’m also needing to reorganise the house and create some decent work and storage place for me to freelance. Being organised and on the ball will be very important and isn’t something which comes naturally.
Indeed, trying to set up a work area at home is almost as challenging as pitching to an editor(which I’m sure I don’t need to explain is rather scary!!) For the last two years, I’ve been set up with my computer etc in the loungeroom where I enjoy the comfort of reverse-cycle air-conditioning and a cosy leather recliner with a dog on my lap who doesn’t seem to mind the keyboard perched across his back. However, my desk is actually parked at the other end of the house looking out onto the garden. It’s quite a lovely room with plenty of natural sunlight. However, in Summer it turns into a furnace and you need sunglasses, a hat and sunscreen at the peak of Summer. The reverse applies in Winter and it turns into an icebox. (Well, at least, by Sydney standards). As you might’ve gathered, it doesn’t have air-conditioning or heating. In fact, at the moment, my desk doesn’t even have power. When we had the solar panels installed on the roof, somehow the installers managed to disconnect the back room from power.
As if my workspace wasn’t already seriously challenged enough, it was also buried alive under layer up on layer of detritus (that sounds like a much better word than crap and clutter is too refined.)
Please don’t fall over and die from shock. For a few hours today, the desk was completely clear. I could even admire the woodgrain, which is very rare indeed. However, my triumph didn’t last. Unfortunately, all the stuff I’d piled up on the kitchen table had to move. Fortunately, not all of it went back and I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to get it clear tomorrow. Of course, I’ll need to get the power sorted out. However, in the meantime, I’ll be able to read, plan and do some old school writing i.e.as in using pen and paper.
So, getting my office situation set up is going to keep me busy for awhile but I am on my way.
Last week, as some of you would’ve already found out, we had an intriguing visitor at our place -Tallulah who was one of the baby simulation dolls which are often used as part of sex-ed. However, in this instance, Miss is doing child studies and every student had the “baby” for two days where they were supposed to respond to their cries and either change the nappy or feed them and they also needed to change their outfit. All of these tasks were monitored by its inbuilt computer system with particular attention to supporting the head properly at all times and, of course, reporting any harm. Miss had really been looking forward to the doll coming home. However, after 24 hours she changed her tune and abandoned ship. She’s had a cold and is really busy with dance, working at McDonald’s and school and was quite rational about it all in the end. She needed the sleep. Meanwhile, I wrote a post about my experience: Becoming An Instant Grandmother.
This week, I also took part in the Stream of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS for the first time. I really enjoyed it and was very pleased with the results. Here’s a link to my story: The Network Guy. In case you’re wondering, it’s about an IT Network Engineer like my husband, but this story is fictional.
Lastly, I couldn’t write about my week without mentioning two Aussie singing greats who passed away this week. Firstly, we lost the great Judith Durham from The Seekers. You might want to join me is singing along to Georgie Girl.
Then, there came heartbreak. Judith Durham was more from my parents’ era. However, the death of Olivia Newton-John was something else altogether. She’s been fighting cancer for a long time. So, it didn’t come as a surprise, but I was sad. However, instead of feeling devastated, I reflected on many happy memories and the joie de vivre she carried with her everywhere she went with her “love and light”. Personally, I can’t go past Olivia in Grease. I had a slumber party for my 13th birthday and we watched Grease on the VCR which was new tech back in 1982. One of the girls had been living in America and she’d already seen Grease 13 times and I was so impressed. Of course, that launched my own Grease marathon rewinding the tape and starting over. I have to include two songs from Grease in my ONJ tribute: You’re The One That I Want and at a slower pace: Hopelessly Devoted To You.
Anyway, that’s enough from me for this week. Now, it’s over to you.
This has been another Weekend Coffee Share hosted by Natalie the Explorer.
Best wishes,
Rowena
Beyond the Flow 
I am so impressed with your writing course and can see you in your study, once the power is connected and you can run a heater or a fan (or maybe a small air conditioner after you have sold some of your writing).
My daughter bought us tickets to see The Seekers in 2013 when they reunited. I was amused to see nearly all the audience had grey hair. My first memory of them is the song ‘Georgie Girl’ as I wanted to “shed those dowdy feathers and fly” as well. I must have been about 17. Judith Durham was the shining light in the Seekers but they were all part of a whole that just worked.
I saw Grease with my children, many times over and over on a VHS tape, just like you. It’s incredible to think how much technology has changed and yet people like Olivia Newton John stay young and beautiful on our screens even when they have left this earth.
Thanks for a thought provoking post.
Hi Rowena – I didn’t realize that we did those ‘baby’ dolls in Australia – I hope the impact of it sticks firmly in your daughter’s head (because real babies are even more demanding!) I was sad to hear of ONJ’s passing too – she was a big part of my teenage life – complete with her music on cassettes and watching Grease several times.
Wow your daughter is juggling so many things! The novelty of having a baby doll would wear out fast. Strangely my middle school never did the simulation baby assignment but other middle schools in our area did. I was told it was the worst weekend of their lives — but these are 13 year olds saying it.
Ah… organizing… isn’t it such a *thing? Lovely once it’s done, but man it can feel a tad overwhelming when you’re in the thick of it! I tackled our bedroom last weekend (which doubles as her part-time office – eek!) and while I got it done it took twice as long as I thought it might and I *almost quit half way through! So glad I didn’t though 😉 I hope your project moves along smoothly and feels absolutely *wonderful once completed!
Laughed at the ‘layer of detritus’, a constant battle!
Ah, the never ending task of office organizing. I need to block out a whole weekend day and completely overhaul my space. That may be a blog post all on its own.. Thank you for the new term, detritus!