Whipping Up A (Sand)Storm...

Every year, Sand Sculpting Australia whip up a real treat for Mornignton Peninsula residents with a display of creative prowess on the foreshore at Frankston Beach.  This year's theme was Creepy Crawlies so with some trepidation, we tip-toed quietly through the entrance to see what was in store.

Here's a run down of what we saw:

The Entrance (for what it's worth)

Flea Circus

Sewer Connection...

...and close up of Sewer Connection friend.

Boogie Man

(or Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas)

Bed Bugs...don't let them bite!

The Exterminator...complete with plumber/builder's crack?!

Beetlemania

Lair of the Spider Queen...not for the faint-hearted!

The Hive...

...and close up of Bee Boy.  Aaaawwwww!

A Closer Look - under the magnifying glass

Enchanted Garden

Little Miss Muffet, looking a little Shrek-ish.

Alice and the Caterpillar

Roach Motel...

...and patrons enjoying a tinnie...

Ant Farm...an homage to Farmville on Facebook.

Frog Pile

and last but not least, the paparazzi in action...

(Big sister S is on the left and that's Lil Chicky on the right)

Pretty amazing huh?  All made from sand!

So there it is peeps - my last post for the year.  Thanks for coming along on the Gidday from the UK ride for 2010.  Let's make it a 'little bewdy' in 2011!

Happy New Year everyone!

A Boxing Day Test...

Well the sleeps are gone and I am on the other side of the world where the temperatures are high and the run rate is low...yes, it's Boxing Day in Melbourne!

After much eating, drinking and hysterical laughter with Lil Chicky and Company yesterday, I am now faced with the recovery phase of the Christmas period and am wondering about the following:

• When will I have a proper sleep (out out damned jetlag!)
• How much Aussie sun can a 7-years-long UK resident really stand (not used to that 'burn-y' sun any more and lasted about 45mins today);
• How much more wine/turkey can I eat/drink; and
• Are the number of books I will plough through here be a good barometer for the absolute best chilling out holiday ever?

Anyway peeps, I will do my best to keep you posted...presuming I can rouse myself out of the general lethargy and 'can't-be-bothered-ness' that appears to have taken hold.

Hope this side of Christmas finds you all replete with good food, great company...and maybe a little visit from the fat man...

Merry Christmas everyone!

6 Sleeps To Go...A Clear Path...

I woke up this morning dreading the fact I would have to trudge down the icy streets into Kingston to get my phone exchanged (long story). The radio told me (several times during my 2 hour semi-snoozing lie-in) that it was -4C, the high would be 1C and that we could expect more snow this afternoon.  Oh joy!

And then I opened the front blind to find that some kind soul had shovelled the snow from my front path! Bless...a little Christmas spirit right on my front doorstep.

I also saw a wicked snowman further down the street and found myself quite enjoying the crisp air on my face and the crunchy snow underfoot.  And just as I'm typing this, a squirrel has bounded along the railing and up into the tree, leaving a bit of a snow shower in his wake.

Sigh...I love Sundays!

Inspired By...Strictly Sparkle...

So Strictly Come Dancing is over for another year...no more ballroom frolics and latin antics (or should that be ballroom antics and latin frolics?) to fill my Saturday evenings with glamour and wistful longing...and every year there's a tiny part of me that wonders why I don't go back to it.  Obviously not at the level that these guys dance at...but that all-consuming obsessive passion that from the very first time, filled me with joy.

It makes me wonder what the next year will bring, where I will find the moments of joy and passion that seemed a little thin on the ground this year. 

There will be those small things like this week's 'snow' moments or great customer service (had a fab experience with John from Oyster Card this week).  And then there are the big changes - life as a single girl and an amazing new job to start in January - which whilst presenting some waters which have not been charted for a while, I have to admit are a little inviting.

In the meantime, there's a holiday to have and the small matter of a large gent in a red suit that may be popping in to sprinkle a little Christmas cheer.  And as life in 2010 has been a tough ride (for many people), a little more magic seems to me to be just 'the thing' for 2011.

So as there are only 13 days left in 2010, I've decided to look for a little extra sparkle every day to make sure I get plenty of practice for 2011...does welling up during the Strictly Final count?

ps...and on another matter, 1 week people, 1 week...that's 7 sleeps to go (just in case you missed the widget-thingy on my blog).  Hope you've been good this year!

pps...and congrats to Strictly winners Kara and Artem - you were my favourite!

14 Sleeps To Go...A Christmas Tune...

I woke up during the week to one of my favourite Christmas songs and with only 14 sleeps to go, I thought it was time to get festive and share a Christmas tune.

Shakin' Stevens' Merry Christmas Everyone was released in 1985 (showing my age here), spent 11 weeks in the charts and was the Christmas Number One (way before all of this X Factor/Rage Against The Machine malarky). 

And it just makes me smile ...and quite frankly, want to have a little boogie...

Enjoy!

Inspired By...The Original Single Girl

I was catching up on reading last weekend's Times magazine (and listening to some Laura Branigan, but that's another story!) and I dipped into a column that I have not read for quite sometime - Things You Only Know If You're Single written by the fabulously single Hannah Betts.

(For those of you who don't know, I am, once again, a single girl - again, another story, and unrelated to Laura Branigan.)

Anyway, the topic of singledom was this - that "Elizabeth I was the original career single". Intrigued, I read on.

Betts includes some supporting quotes (which I will share here as if you want to read the column on-line for yourselves, The Times in their commercial wisdom, will now make you pay to read their stuff) such as,

"Better beggar woman and single than queen and married"

which, while I don't subscribe to being the marrying kind, seems a little blinkered and/or extreme; and one which is entirely up my street:

"I will have here but one mistress and no master"

There is a lot written about Elizabeth, her life and her reign during the Golden Age - a lot of which I've read.  But I was inspired to go-a-googling to see if I could find a statement that would sum up how much this frivolous yet wily and conservative political genius achieved during the 44 years of her reign...

When she ascended the throne in 1558, England was an impoverished country torn apart by religious squabbles. When she died at Richmond Palace on the 24th March 1603, England was one of the most powerful and prosperous countries in the world.  (http://www.elizabethi.org)/)

So the Virgin Queen pretty much rocked her world. But I have to admit, I don't think I'd have ever been prepared to forego potential sexual misadventures for it (be honest, would you?!!)...and let's face it, THAT horse bolted a long time ago.

But Betts is right - Elizabeth I is absolutely a true hero among 'lone ranger' icons.

ps...it's exactly 3 weeks 'til Christmas today...and while the beloved widget thingy (which is on my blog for those of you receiving this by email) is still marching festively towards the 25th, the advent calendar will be marking its annual pilgrimage towards the big day in a communal fashion on the office filing cupboard...