This is....

It's been a while since I played along...

This is... what I do when I get a spare ten minutes...

Sleep, or

Have a cuppa, or

'Phone a friend!

(Although as my friends can attest, I rarely get ten minutes to myself!!)

What do you do?

Have a great day - J

Juddie from Flightless Boyds chose the topic for this week's This is.... Thanks Angela for hosting!

This is... what gives me goosebumps....

I can barely look at the photo without wincing. Yuk.

Goosebumps aplenty here! To read about why we get goosebumps, click this link here!

j

This is... my most treasured childhood possession

Teacups in Treetops came up with this week's theme, and I love it. I seem to have become a little too lax regarding this meme, and so am making today's a priority.

Hildur was a gift from an old family friend who was I think the Managing Director of Toltoys (Aust), a toy company of the 1970s and 1980s. He showered us with toys when we visited him at his office in Little Collins Street in Town.

(We would train in, or tram on the old W-class, have a morning chocolate milkshake at the Myer cafe (underground - do you remember??), and get a rissole sandwich from the Coles Cafe. We would go to the office above a bank, and press 10th floor in the lift (it had a really distinct smell). Anyway...

She WAS white, fluffy, and adorable. (She's a rabbit!).

30-odd years later, she is grey, worn, bald in patches, and floppy, but for some reason she still lives with me.

This is... my favourite outfit that expresses my individual style...

What a great This is... this week by Kitty, hosted by Angela. Check out who else is playing here.

I have no real outfit that I wear that I think celebrates me, and my style. I have a lot of interest in clothes and fashion, yet not for myself. Not a great deal is available in PLUS sizes... I do however have a Jess-uniform that serves me well for school drop-offs. I think it's very representative of me, in that I blend in and do not draw any attention to myself in crowds, which consists of...

denim jeans. Almost always.

Pony tail. Every day. I have no luck with hair...

White t shirt, 3/4 sleeve top, etc.

My RMs.

And I accessorise with hand-made jewelry and bags!

Not very original, but it's me!!

Reading in bed is the life...

Best part of being sick in bed is being able to READ. Those of you with kids will know what I mean! Anyway, I have a large stack of books I want to read, and three days in bed allowed me to devour Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (amazing stroke of six-degrees is that her lover's kids live in Australia, one in Canberra, and actually works with my best buddy here!!!) I loved the Eat section on Rome.

The Rushdie is still being read - another book that's easy to read, like hot chocolate it is enjoyable, goes down well, and you are sad when it is over. He is a master story-teller.

Pi was a gift from my Best Friend in The World before she went to Saudi for a year. I don't want to finish it!!



A reading session can only improve with 1970s and 1980s cookbooks, including a Robert Carrier classic (each 20c at oppy).

And a forgotten This is... where I craft from - my newly-stacked shelves with fabrics, linens, pillowcases, etc. Larger pieces are still in the huge chest, but this is my treasure trove!


J

This is... A day early!

This is... this week has a recycling theme.

We have a special way of recycling here. The kids are totally involved, and even point out that certain brands have too much packaging, some of which is not recyclable.


Mind you, Master 6 does go into the pantry and empty boxes that he 'needs' before they are empty... Lots of craft possibilities from recyclables. When they are deconstructed again, they go to school for art, then are recycled.

It's no secret that I frequent op-shops regularly, as why buy new when better quality often exists at a fraction of the price, and proceeds go to a good cause?

I'm a button-chick, and what I make uses recycled vintage buttons (orders taken ;-)


Some items that are labelled with the recyclable symbol are not actually ABLE to be recycled in your country. So here's what we do if we buy un-recyclables. (This is also recycled from a previous post!)

Tetra packs are NOT actually recycled in most of Australia. So we use them are cool-bags for the shopping! I also keep my current knitting in one. Daggy but oh-so-recyclable!

Thanks Angela for this meme - I love it!! Check out who else is playing along.

x

This is..... the pair of shoes I would sleep in!

So ugly they're chic ... ugg boots in the making at the Westhaven factory in Dubbo. Photos: Steve Baccon (left) and Nick Moir, from here.

Not at all something I would expect to see on Shoesday at Rosered, but they are very me, for slumming around at home, knitting on the couch, and warming the whole bod!

The Dubbo ones are the best I think, and so if you are ever up that way going to the Western Plains Zoo (so worth a visit!), check out the Ugg Boots too!!! Westhaven are a small ugg boot manufacturer in Dubbo which employs intellectually disabled workers, and hand stitches boots. Superb.

Thanks to Angela for the This is... and to Hip Hop and Banana Bread for this week's topic.

x


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This is.... my favourite book (at the moment)

My first love is reading. I have long been a book-devourer. Incredulously people ask me "did you really read all that?!", but those close to me know I am quite the speed reader. Not always of course, as some things are better when read slowly.

This is ... has been lots of fun, and it's always good reading about other people's entries. This should be rather interesting, as I will enjoy making notes and seeking out books that I like the sound of!

A FAVOURITE book is a big ask. A favourite for a long time was Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I was given this at the age of 16 by my then-boyfriend. It has always been a heavy read but a great book. Of course I then went on the Marquez-discovery, and read many, many more of his works.

Later, Siddhartha by Herman Hesse tickled my fancy.

The poetry of Alfred, Lord Tennyson has also always been wonderful to me, especially The Lady of Shalott.

When reading to kids, certain books never lose their sheen, like Each, Peach, Pear, Plum by the Ahlbergs, or Great Day for Up by the incomparable Dr Seuss.


I own most Agatha Christie novels, which are great to read quickly, read on holiday, or just immerse oneself in on a cold day. These are a treasure and a lovely little collection!

Today, my favourite book is my Oxford Concise Dictionary. This is the most thoughtful pressie I think I have ever received, as it is exactly what I wanted. Boring to many, brilliant to most!


x

This is... my trinket box

I know that I am a messy and disorganised person, and this is becoming increasingly evident in the This is... posts! My handbag, my trinket box, next one should be My Clutter!

I have several trinket boxes, each containing different treasures. A recurring theme with them is Mum, who made one, bought one, and maybe chose one. Thanks Mum :-)

This is one Mum and Dad bought for me in France - I have always loved Monet, and his waterlilies. In it is 'work' jewelry, going-out items, etc.


This is one Mum made when she was doing wheel-thrown pottery - I love the colour, the weight, the shape, the handle, everything. It contains silvery items, earrings, and earthy items.


This was given to me by Nan for a birthday I think in the 1970s or early 1980s. Made in Taiwan, it plays the theme from Dr Zhivago. It has always been a treasure itself, although it has a limited capacity...

Contents vary from a tooth, a worry stone my brother gave me from Ireland, petit point-work, old Opera glasses, etc. I love looking through it.

Thanks for this week's theme Anastasia and Angela!

x

This is..... the contents of my handbag. Really.

I am a real bag lady. My current handbag could carry a child, and has been used as a weekender bag. I just tipped it out and Miss 2 pounced, so here's the list:

Knitting (the beanie), pattern, and wool, all wrapped in a teatowel (Nan used to do this, I do too); Muesli bar (A.O apricot and almond); pencil; pens x 2; deodorant; pencil grip for Master 6; hairbrushes x 2; nappy cream; Lucas' pawpaw ointment (for lips); wrapper of kiddie sized 'Shapes' biscuits; tin of wooden threading beads to keep Miss 2 entertained; wooden bus (ditto);
small plane (ditto); Strawberry Shortcake and Lemon Meringue Pie (ditto); purse; diary; notebook; 2 sets of keys; wool for knitting up beanie; Miss 2's hat; hair elastic (me); hair elastic (her); elastic band (??); napoleon lip gloss; ultraceuticals ultra ACE hydration booster (from aeroplane); receipt; pack of fruit and nuts; pad; another handbag (!!) that I just finished; book (knitting by Anne Bartlett - borrowed from Mum); crocheted bookmark from Ruth; Video from a girlfriend (I'm taping Dr Who for her); Frankie magazine; phone; camera; pins (no idea why).

Yes, it's heavy, yes I have smaller bags, no, I am not proud of this! This is not a 'This is...' that I loved but it made me confess that my biggest source of clutter is my bag. Thanks Sharon! (Check her Lily and Iris blog out - very cool).

Next week's This is... is being chosen by Angela, and should be a fun one too. Never too late to join in - it's an interesting way to get to know people!


x

This is.....me with my favourite accessory

I have not been keeping up with This is..... and was determined to do this week's.


This handbag belonged to my great grandmother. I love it. I am going to have to replace the silk lining though as it has worn away almost entirely. I treasure it (thanks Mum!!)

As an aside, as you can see, my camera is a little basic one, hence my photos are not as crisp and fab as some of yours!

This is......what makes me laugh out loud

This is... is a 'game' many of us are playing in cyber space. It is brought to us by Three Buttons, and has included collections, mugs, Sunday lunch, and other things to share with one another.

What makes me laugh out loud is clever humour, generally British. From Fawlty Towers to Little Britain, Catherine Tate, the Royle Family, Blackadder, and many more, I can be known to cry with laughter at the dry jokes and hilarious takes on characters. Hubby and I share this, which makes it even better!