Hammer Time!

We passed a stop sign on the plateau and somebody had taped the words 'hammer time' in white tape, under the word stop.
Totally awesome! I just wish I had been wearing some happy pants/poo catchers.
I must remember to bring some tape out with me next time we go out, so we can decorate the town with similar references to pop-culture.

Maybe, 'In the name of love', or 'Collaborate and listen'.

Driving around town would be heaps more fun.

That's not vandalism that's art!

Lee. :)

More Keenan-related news ...

Keenan played an AWESOME game of soccer yesterday so we thought we would share some pictures with you. AS his coach said, 'Keenan had a blinder' ... so much so that he was awarded the player of the match trophy for the third time. Go Keenan!!

In Balin-related news, his favourite colour is pink and he loves unicorns, lol!!

Keenan's Writing Competition Win!!

Keenan recently entered a writing competition at his school. He had to write a description of his dad and his description was chosen as the best one out of the whole school! We're so stoked with him, especially since the winning entries were displayed at the mall and Lee's parents came to see it. He's a very creative young man and wants to be a writer, actor, artist and magician when he is 'older', lol.

Lee cracked up because Keenan wrote 'multiple eye tracking experiments' when actually he does 'multiple object tracking experiments' ... people must think Lee's studying to become an optometrist, lol!!

PS: That's Balin feigning boredom, lol...

Happy 4th Birthday Balin!!

Well after three weeks of excited build-up it was finally the big day ... Balin officially turned 4!!

We had a great day - off to Paddy's Market in the morning where Baz bought a wooden snake and Keenan bought a Chinese dragon. We then had an awesome lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant.

To top it all off we had a lovely dinner at the Reef Pizzeria at Long Reef with Bim, Craig, Claudine and Ayden.

Happy Birthday Baz!!

PS: Hi Bimma!! :)

A couple more photos of the party ...

Ghosts and Ghouls party - it was HORRIFFIC!!

Well as you can all see by Rach's photos the party was an awesome success!!

I was so very very lucky to have so many beautiful people to help me out - EJ, Mick, K-J, Rach, Bim and of course Saxon!!

All of the kids came dressed up and even though my instructions for the games were dodgy they all had a great time - mostly chasing Saxon around, lol.

I don't think I did much at all on the day, poured a couple of 'potions' and braved the pinjata bashings and everything else was covered by everyone else!!

I wish we had a get together like this more often - bring on Halloween I say!!

Love you all, B xxx

PS: We topped the day off with dinner at Bliss - still dressed up, lol!!

Holidays are over ...

Well it's back to school for the Hewes family, much to our disappointment - we were all just getting used to sleeping in until 9 am and eating bacon and eggs for brunch. Keenan is probably the best 7 year old Tony Hawks Pro-Skater in the world, Balin has found every stuffed toy in the house and put it in his bead, my hands ache from so much typing and Lee is sad to have the house empty again.

Here are some photos of Saturday, Keenan's 7th birthday - we had a great day, bacon and eggs for breakfast, a walk to Long Reef for sand tobogganing and dolphin watching and then to Montezuma's for dinner - AWESOME!!

The unnecessary shortening of words for the purpose of relaxed conversation is inherently amusing ...

It's cool how for the purpose of laid back conversations or slang we shorten words.
For example when getting petrol we say "I'm heading to the servo".

We even do it with acronyms like when we go to the "R-ey" instead of going to the R.S.L.

Sometimes the whole process is reversed and words are lengthened in order to fit the format.
On occasions such as this John might become "Jonno".
Dave (which is itself a shortened version of David) may be re-established as a disyllable to become "Davo".

There seems to be no end to the usefulness of what we may call the 'casualisation' of everyday words. They're everywhere (casualised words), and it appears there exist only limited circumstances in which we are prevented from using them in "convo's".

I spoke to my brother Jeff yesterday. He informed me that my Grandmother in England had suffered a minor heart attack, in doing so this is what he said:

"Dad was just telling me that Maude had a semi "hearty" the other day hey".

She's fine now which is great but I totally commend Jeff on his ability to casualise a seemingly serious piece of news.

Lee.

My First Blog Ever

"Thkootchy doo" is how someone with a lisp says "Scoochy doo".

My question is:

Why in the world would anyone want to say that anyway?

Oh well...

Scoochy doo.

From Lee.

Finished my first 6000 words, yay!!

I am very relieved to have finished the first text out of the ten that I am writing on for the Excel Study Guide. Each text requires 6000 words of analysis!! That's 60, 000 words by 12th October - I think I'm mad! Lucky for me I really enjoy it ... rather be doing this than a 12,000 word pysch honours thesis - now that's insane!!

I'll leave you with the best poem of the 6 I had to write on, don't be worried if you're confused by it, my final verdict was that it was 'ambiguous', lol - still beautiful though!

For Precision

Yet I go on from day to day, betraying

the core of light, the depth of darkness –

my speech inexact, the note not right,

never quite sure what I am saying –

on the periphery of truth. Uphold me now,

pure colours, blacks, whites, bells on the central tone,

middays, midnights. I wander among cross-lights.

Let me be sure and economical as the rayed

suns, stars, flowers, wheels: let me fall as a gull, a hawk

through the confusions of foggy talk,

and pin with one irremediable stroke –

what? – the escaping wavering wandering light,

the blur, the brilliance; forming into one chord

what’s separate and distracted; making the vague hard –

catching the wraith – speaking with a pure voice,

and that the gull’s sole note like a steel nail

that driven through cloud, sky, and irrelevant seas,

joins all, gives all a meaning, makes all whole.

By Judith Wright

PS: If you're interested in a line by line analysis, let me know, lol :)

Where is my Mum?

Mum, are you never online for Skype? The boys and I try every morning but have no luck. They'd love to see you guys.

J
xx

A poem for EJ ... (and Tam, and Rach, and Mum)

Spending time reading and writing on the poetry of Australian poet Judith Wright made me think about another of my favourite poems by the poet Sylvia Plath, perfect for all mums.

Hope you love it too ...

Love B
xx

Kindness

Kindness glides about my house.
Dame Kindness, she is so nice!
The blue and red jewels of her rings smoke
In the windows, the mirrors
Are filling with smiles.

What is so real as the cry of a child?
A rabbit's cry may be wilder
But it has no soul.
Sugar can cure everything, so Kindness says.
Sugar is a necessary fluid,

Its crystals a little poultice.
O kindness, kindness
Sweetly picking up pieces!
My Japanese silks, desperate butterflies,
May be pinned any minute, anesthetized.

And here you come, with a cup of tea
Wreathed in steam.
The blood jet is poetry,
There is no stopping it.
You hand me two children, two roses.

A poem for Tammy ...

Below is a poem that I have to write on for the Excel Study Guide and I really love it, it makes me think of Tam for some reason - maybe it's the Chisel link but I think it's because of the tree itself and its strength and beauty.

Enjoy!!

Flame Tree in a Quarry

From the broken bone of the hill

stripped and left for dead,

like a wrecked skull,

leaps out this bush of blood.

Out of the torn earth’s mouth

comes the old cry of praise.

Still is the song made flesh

though the singer dies –

flesh of the world’s delight,

voice of the world’s desire,

I drink you with my sight

and I am filled with fire.

Out of the very wound

springs up this scarlet breath –

this fountain of hot joy,

this living ghost of death.

By Judith Wright

Jimmy and Lee are stressed!!

Well it is the holidays here and it's not really a holiday as Lee and I are both working really hard. Lee has to continue with his programming for his experiment and reading loads of 'oh so thrilling' articles on visual perception blah, blah, blah (he actually says they are 'complicated and boring', two things that don't make for much interest at all!) and I am writing away for the HSC, at least I like what I'm writing on, poetry! (Yes, it too is seen as complicated and boring - oh, and useless by most people too).

Will be posting photos of our recent trip to QLD later today - if I remember to get the CD Ej made out of the car.

J
xx

Yay .... it's Jimmy and the boys!!

Hello, hello, hello ...

I'm assuming this will be perused only by those who are related to me via blood and those unfortunates who have married into a relationship with me and mine. In this light I feel it is unnecessary to introduce who I am and who, specifically, the boys are.

So, welcome to our world, one where, hopefully, I can post photos of us all and the exciting endeavours in which we partake. I also hope to have works by myself and all of the boys added.

Please add comments below to let me know that cyberspace has not consumed my life without anyone witnessing it first.

J ...