The David Blake

A couple of years ago, I started to search for my ancestors and it took my Mum and me on an amazing trip through the UK & Europe in 2004...

We never really had a lot of information about where we had come from. Mum's side was a direct link to Aberdeen Scotland through her parents Annie and Davey, and Dad's side was a bit of a mystery. Annie and Davey came out to Australia in the 20's and lost all contact with family back home in Scotland. It had been a fairly small family and as far as we knew there was no-one left in the old country. Little were we to know that there were Uncles and Aunties and Cousins galore, wanting to get in touch!

The internet is an amazing thing! With the mass of records kept by the Mormans over the years, it didn't take long before I had several generations back to Somerset in the UK through my Father's heritage. A fluke guess on the Births Deaths and Marriages site, found my Great Great grandparents and from there the world opened up! Mum's side of the family had done some paid searches through a lady in England and then the was the story of how her Dad had arrived in Australia...

In the 1920's, David Currie was a fisherman and took the opportunity to come across to Australia, on the first ever fishing trawler to cross the Atlantic. His wife followed later. The trawler was The David Blake! Mum always knew there was a copy of the ships log in the state archives but we'd never got around to getting a copy.

I mentioned The David Blake a couple of times on the genealogy boards and one day, out of the blue, I received an email from a man in Scoltland who questioned whether we were related to David Currie, a crewman on the trawler that left the port of Torry, Aberdeen on the 20th December 1920. Small World!

The link was established! Stuart had been researching the history of The David Blake for several years and was in touch with someone who knew of my Grandfather's brother who was still alive and kicking in Scotland. My Grandfather had died before I was born but I had heard tales of his adventures on the ice being chased by Polar Bears!

Then Stuart finds my Grandmother's sister - also still alive. Living in Aberdeen with her family, my Mum's cousins, and they want to get in touch!! How wonderful, we now have all of this family, we never knew existed.

Many emails and letters later, we have plans, my Mum and me! We're going to finally take the plunge and head off on a trip to Scotland. And while where there, maybe visit Italy...

To be continued.

To quilt or not to quilt...

It's been sitting sandwiched together on my spare lounge chair for a few weeks now. I really should get the sewing machine out and get it quilted but I'm stalling!

This is one of my most favourite creations. I call it Tuscan Hearts and somehow it came together just perfectly. I even have the perfect backing for it!

I'm frightened of stuffing it up though. I'm not much of a quilter but I'm just dying to give it a go...

I know it will be easy to do as straight in the ditch quilting! And it's going to look wonderful when it is finished! It's the tacking together I hate! And I can't use the safety pin method as they seem to have all disappeared... (Eliza???) lol

So for now it sits waiting and gathering dust, for me to take the next step... open up the sewing machine cabinet, thread it with sage green thread... and sew.

And the theme for July is...

Afternoon Tea At The Ritz.

July's theme will be a special collection of cream and gold - reflective of the grandure of the grand old Ritz Hotel

When Mum and I travelled to Paris, we walked past the Ritz Hotel a couple of times. We were not dressed to enter such opulence and as such did not. I now really regret not doing so!

It would have been such an exciting experience. I am sure Mum and I would have enjoyed the luxury of the surroundings and sitting down to drink tea and eat cute little cream cakes. I wonder how much it would have cost?

So our patchwork exchange for July will be inspired by that wonderful caramel kisses room above! I'd better get onto it... this will be fun!

Thank goodness June is over!

I work with a group of very talented people in a Contact Centre for Superannuation.

With the recent legislative changes to Super and the extreme media attention to it all in the past few months, we knew we would be in for a very challenging end of financial year.

In the lead up to June, we interviewed about 60 people, took on approximatley 15 new staff and put them through the intense training required to handle our customers calls. Most made it, some we lost along the way, but coming into June we felt we were ready for the onslaught.

June however proved to be bigger than Ben Hur!

With headsets ready, we began the month with some small afternoon peaks in queues. Customers were enthusiastic about providing their TFN's and wanting to know more about this government co-contribution. My staff put in good days with little unplanned leave and we were comfortably making the high service levels required by the client. We didn't know what was ahead of us...

Week 2 and disaster hit!

In all my time working in this position, the required 96% of calls being answered has just about become the god we work by. If one day we saw a 89% we made dam sure the next was 100% to even out our week.

Week 2 of June however saw up to 45 calls still queueing at 5pm with a GOS of around 28%!!!

OH-MY-GOD!!!

Suddenly we had calls in the queue ALL DAY, overtime up to our eyebrows, we all worked 8:00am to after 6:00pm at night and really did not want to talk to people once we got home. If we made 50% GOS one day, that was a good day!

A normal week for us is about 8000 calls for my team. We speak with a smile and provide excellent service to all.

In the last week of June however, we took over 17500 calls into my team. We emailed nearly 2000 procedures on how to make a last minute payment into the bank account and millions of dollars of $1000 cheques came pouring into the business!

At the end of it all? Well the smiles were still there, if not somewhat forced, but customers all received an excellent experience - if only they wouldn't all leave it to the last week next year!

Alice here I come...

It's been more than a month now and the lonely nights are starting to get to me. Received a great CD in the post last week from Wayne, showing the photos from the Canning trip. It's nice to see where he's been, even if it's just pictorally!

So, arrangements are made, I've booked the tickets (bloody expensive) and I fly to Alice next week. Looking forward to seeing the boy again - even though he says it's just so I can get his washing done! he he

I'll fly into Alice on Monday at about lunch time and will have to make my own way to the Cabin at the caravan park in town. It shouldn't be too hard to do. Wayne will get in with his group in the late afternoon and there are plans to head out to Rainbow valley for a sunset BBQ and goodbye! Will be good to see him again.

Vic's even booked us in for a romantic Hot Air Balloon flight on the Tuesday morning - should be nice.

Hope we get a chance to relax together and have a nice couple of meals in town. Packing my togs just in case it's swimmin' weather.... lol.

My Lemon Tree is Smiling

We've had Rain! Buckets and buckets of it. It began the other day and we knew we were in for a wet weekend!

Woke up this morning after a wet and windy night to find a swimming pool down the back of the yard. It will be fine - it will drain away and all will be good, but at least the wind has stopped.

Wayne rang last night and they were at Well 12 on the Canning. They had just finished having a water fight after a long dry day's driving. Sounds like they are having a great time!

It's such a large country when some of us are shivering in our boots, dodging puddles to make it home from work dry whilst others are revelling in the chance to splash a bit of water around in the name of fun.

Vic rang this morning - making sure we were all ok after the night's storm - It's nice to feel protected. He offered to come over and help in any way he can, if we need him. I wonder what he's like at cleaning out gutters? lol

Winter Solstice has left the building...

About three or four years ago I purchased some fabric online to add to my patchwork stash - it was a nice piece of green fabric with starbursts all over it. In managing the purchase, I started to chat to 'Vicki', the seller of the fabric and so began a very interesting friendship.

Although we have never met, Vicki and I have daily discussions about our lives, our families and our jobs. I truly believe she is the closest friend I have ever had! We know so much about each other!

It is amazing how similar we are. Both of us are in our 40's, both are married with a single child, she a boy and me a girl. Both LOVE collecting fabric and sewing it into amazing quilt creations. We love the same music, we adore the same fabric colours...the only thing we seem to disagree on is "The Bill. She loves it and I hate it... ha ha ha.

For a little over a year now, we have been challenging each other every month with a fabric swap. We take turns in chosing the theme for the month and build a fabric story based on things like Violet Crumble Bars, a variety of classic poems, Alice (whatever it means to you) and the latest theme, Winter Solstice - a tricky little number which left us both stumped!!!

A small package is popped in the post with a variety of fat quarters (and the occasioanl treat) and we both wait to see (read) each other's reaction! It's so much fun, even if there is pressure to get it just right! In so many months, we have picked something so similar you would think we both use the same brain.

So it's June now kiddo! What's the next theme huh???????????

A Day With The Posse

So what is this Posse I hear you ask?

It's a place I go to talk to people who are enjoying the same as me at the moment. A place where the word 'refrigerator' makes you laugh out loud. A place where it is not unusual to fling your bra across the room and don a frilly pink apron. A place where squeeeeing is an essential part of you vocabulary.

I am talking Rockbandlounge.com ....Lukas Rossi land!

Today was the day Lukas was to be interviewed on Indie radio, so my plans were to get some housework done, finish chopping up the rosebush, start on the quilting and sit down for a while and listen to an online radio broadcast. Well that was the plan anyway!

8:00am -I am up and making breakfast, ready for the day ahead. I logon to see what I have missed overnight. A couple of Posse online already. Get the washing started now.

9:00am - I sit down again to see who's there. Claire from the UK is already on, chatting to the US and Canadian Posse. The mood is gentle excitement as some join us and the link to the radio station is passed around.

10:00am - Washing on the line and I sit down again... Ahh, more Posse online. The mood is becoming more excited. GOS is discussing pink aprons and Daft has her Peanut Butter sandwhich happening. It's going to be a fun day.

11:00am Rosebush forgetten. Quilt can wait! I'm dialing up to listen to this Indie radio - the home of Canadian music. The accents are strong enough to melt the chocolate off a brownie but I'm loving the comraderie of US and Aussie Posse listening together. Just about everyone is online this day. Waiting and waiting for the promised live performances. Will Lukas share some of his new music with us today?

11:3am - Ltezza makes it aboard - my other Down Undie mate from across the pond - NZ to be exact. She's made it back in time to hear the great Lukas Live! Discussions happening around who is going to be brave enough to ring in. Fransi takes up the challenge! Brave lady!!!

12:00 noon - And it's all systems ready to go. There are promises to record for those unfortuate enough not to have listening power. We'll be posting snippents of convo to keep them in the loop.... He's suddenly on and the pages are moving faster than I can read. So much excitement as Posse Peeps post words and expressions from the Lukas file...

We take a quick break and a big breath before Lukas comes back to play his first song.

Live and accoustic, Lukas starts with Good Enough!! It is the first full performance we have ever heard of it! Tears well in my eyes as his beautiful voice fills the airways... all the Posse have tears in their eyes. We love this guy and his music so much.

Lukas does us proud and the two DJ's praise his performance. At last the world will see the talent that has been hidden beneath the black eye makeup and the "booyahs".

Now for Fransi's call. She finally manages to get through and Lukas greets her like an old friend. Questions are asked about his new car - A Terrority SUV - then the question that will go down in the history of Posse land - does it have a refrigerator in it! LOL!!!!!!!

The next song is Digital Star! Another gorgeous tear-jerking rendition! The Posse go wild and we fill the pages with oooohs and ahhhs as the broadcast winds down.

One last song and Lukas does a lovely version of Purple Rain!

More posting and reminiscing on the day and darkness falls over Penrith.

Where did the day go??????????

139 Days and counting

So the Troopy is packed to the gills, both tanks are full and my husband is on his way again for the winter.

Hi I'm Belinda. And I'm a 4WD Widow!

This will be the third year that my husband Wayne has taken to the west to give groups of customers the experience of a lifetime. Places like the Canning Stock Route and the Simpson Desert ring out with the sounds of tent pegs being hammered into the ground. Wisps of camp fire smoke mix with the misty morning air and you hear the growl of the diesel as they pull out of camp each day. It will be a wonderful adventure for all those lucky people who can take the time to explore our vast country and winter is the time to do the Outback.

I, however, have a REAL job and can't go traipsing off into the never never. How lucky he is to have this lifestyle. My daughter, Eliza and I get calls where he's lounging under a palm tree or strolling along the beach in Broome, but it is so hard when we are sitting on our own at night, dealing with the winter chills or getting on with the boring day to day life of a commuter!

So, we keep ourselves busy, in our nice tidy home, and wait for the phone to ring...139 days and counting.