counselling and we're not even married yet!

tonight ben and i are going to a marriage education course. funny huh? we're not even married yet and already we need counselling :) in actual fact the priest who will marry us has suggested that we do this course, and in all honesty, i am pretty open to it.

basically we sit in a semi-circle, with 15 equally pained couples, and talk about what we want out of our married life together. getting all 'out there and personal' is not a strong point for ben, or me for that matter, and as a result we have turned to humor to get us through. not that we're taking the piss or anything, it's just that we find 'funny' in even the most odd scenarios.

we have three more nights of this stuff. the tools that will make our marriage better. i suppose i should be grateful i am getting the heads up on how to make our life together more successful. how to avoid confrontation, anger and resentment. thing is, i always thought i knew that stuff. don't you just buy a dishwasher? oh what a wonderful wifey i will be...

i will, if i may, now showcase the delightful work of Emma Taylor, my florist. she has put together a sample bouquet for our wedding. hap, hap, happy days! the brief was to make it look vintage, a little 60s inspired and perhaps add a touch of australian flora and forna. I think she did remarkably well!

here is the bouquet with faux dress:

part three: the wedding.

ok, so i know that i have written some negative posts about the wedding process. one was about my mum, the other was about my mum, but i will have you know that i truly love her and want her to participate in the lovely process that ben and i are currently working towards.

she displayed a certain lovely mumminess today when she phoned to tell me who has rsvp'd so far. this tends to be a daily thing: 'so-in-so hasn't called back yet, are you sure you sent them an invite?' or 'i went out all day today and when i got back i checked the message thingy and there was nothing there??'. but today was different. she had definite news. something to talk about. apparently, in the snail mail, she had received a letter from bens lovely grand parents. they are 'very senior' (to use their own words) and still live by themselves. however, they don't like to venture out much and this was the general gist of the letter.

they told my parents that, after meeting me once, they agreed i was lovely and that they were very proud of ben and the choice he had made *choke* unfortunately they won't be coming to the wedding - that's one adventure they have to miss - but are more than keen to see the photos once they are ready. *sigh* i completely understand of course and can't wait to relay the whole day in their living room.

see! i can write nice things about this process! it's possible. just wait and see what i have to say about ben's suit search. now that's going to interesting!

a hint of a surprise...

i am currently in the middle of a project. one that i am utterly in love with. i'm not sure why, but sewing always seems to have more purpose, more enjoyment and more necessity when it's for someone you love.

the person with which i speak is a very important part of my life. i wanted to make them something that would reflect them as a person, as an artist, as my family and friend. i hope i am doing them justice. being musically inclined, you will note the style with which i have gone for. the actual finished product cannot be posted as yet; a. it's not finished. and b. said loved one comes here sometimes to catch up on me.

however, there is no reason why i can't give a few hints...





while i was taking these photos, maggie the mutt was rolling around on the floor trying to stick her nose into dusty places to retrieve god-knows-what! once she was done, she came out from the pokey search and posed for a photo. in this particular one i like to imagine she is saying, 'i know i have cobwebs on my snout and i just dont care!'

the joy one finds...

on saturday morning, after a mad 2 hour work out with maggie i ventured to a few op shops on the mornington peninsula. these are the kind of places untouched by the 'vintage rage'. these are the kind of places where good, cheap finds can be delightfully uncovered. they are also the kind of place old ladies still run, with an exercise book as their inventory and a tea cup as their cash register. *bliss*

one particular such store in blair gowrie was jam-packed with treats of all kinds. from clothes to material this place could hardly cram in another item. i was in love! i quickly found two things that stole my heart. i could have left then. right then. in fact i really ought to have. but the conversation these old ladies were having keep my feet cemented firmly in place and my hand resting on a terrible cord skirt.

- at the last meeting they were talking about costs.
- what costs. it's just us and some things.
- apparently they are looking at costs.
- i'll give them costs! how much can it be to run an op shop!
- what about wages?
- you get wages?
- no, but maybe we will.
- it's a volunteer thing. always has been. always will be. costs.what a load of ****
- are you right there?

i must have been ear wigging a minute too long. they busted me.

- yes. fine thanks.
- let me know if you need anything ok?

bigger ears perhaps?? i know it's silly but i am such a sucker for other people's conversations. there are so many other 'issues' going on in the world. each deserving of a certain amount of attention and conversation. these women reminded me how lucky we are to get away to blair gowrie every now and then. where time goes just a little slower. people volunteer for things and you can always find something as pretty as these in your local op shop:



I plan on unstitching this and washing it and stitching it back up just the way it is. so retro!



A great bright oil jug all the way from spain. i love op shops *smiles*

one saturday morning...

this weekend i decided that everything maggie thinks about is done so in three's. such as when she trots around the side of our bed in the morning, places both front paws on the doona and hits my lips with her wet nose she is saying 'wake up, wake up, wake up'. Likewise, when she is being fed and we place the bowl on the ground and she stares intently into my eyes waiting for me to say she can start munching, and somewhere in that overactive brain of hers, she is muttering 'can i start? can i start? can i start?'.

this weekend was no exception to the three rule. we drove down to blair gowrie on friday night and after a very relaxing evening, woke to the bright melbourne sunshine. maggie was repetitive from the mintue she woke up 'walk me, walk me, walk me'. in the car on the way to the beach it was 'oh my god the beach, oh my god the beach, oh my god the beach'. and of course, once we hit the sand 'throw the ball, throw the ball, throw the ball'. the only time her thoughts got single minded was when we invited her to meet us in the water and as she paddled out i could hear 'shit. going to die. must keep paddling'.

later on in the car on the way back to the beach house. her repetitive little self came back. she rolled around the back seat trying to get the sand from her coat and chanting 'i feel so dirty, i feel so dirty, i feel so dirty'. i was especially happy when she walked in the front door, waddled straight over to her blanket and lay down, head on paws, and repeated 'so tired, so tired, so tired'. who would have thought that all it takes to wear out a kelpie puppy is a 2 hour trip to the beach, 92 throws of the ball and the odd chase from a greyhound. *sigh*



maggie is very wet here, but look closely, she is also very happy.



maggie carried her ritual, of sniffing every where the ball lands, into the water.



one big shake and she was a little less wet.