Whats hiding in yours?

Come on.. admit it.. we all have one..I bet you do.. maybe even more than one..I know I do.. yes I'm talking about cupboards/wardrobes full of things that have been composting for years.  I have many.

Now those who know me know that I'm a fairly tidy person.. of sorts.. but my house of mud is a lived in home.  A home of Feral kids and wild animals.  I don't stress about Cats in the kitchen or Wombats in the cupboard's.  This is our home.. our way of living and it may not suit everyone but it suits me just fine. BUT.. never take a peak in my cupboards..NEVER !

Lucky Layla

Take the kitchen for instance.  I recently cleaned out my pantry.  Wow what a challenge that was.  It had come to the time when something had to be done because the food was starting to come back at me as I attempted to close the door.  Its amazing what one can find at the back of a pantry that had once been envisioned on the dinner plate.. but when the label says use by 2008 I figure its time to say good bye.

The bottom of my small pantry also has played a huge part in the raising of my Wombats.  They were often found hiding in there with their heads stuck in a tin of dry dog food looking very pleased with themselves.  The cry of "Mum.. the wombats in the pantry again " has often been heard bellowing around the muddy walls.  I would not change that for anything..what a great memory for the Ferals.

Do you have a drawer in your kitchen that is just full of stuff? I do.  I'm sure its very important stuff that is kept for a very specific reason, its just that I haven't found that reason yet. The old cards from my primary school days, the lock of my beloved horses mane, the countless Biro's that don't work.. ( I'm sure they will work one day! ) .  Most I have been told have a stuff drawer third from the top, but mine is the fourth drawer down.. the bottom one.. the one out of easy reach.  My drawer of stuff.. its awesome !

Wombat in the pantry

Now lets talk about wardrobes.  For those who know me know I very very rarely use an iron.  This is a piece of domestic machinery that hardly ever sees the light of day.  My clothes and those of the Ferals and Hub are lovingly taken from the clothes line where they have been flapping around in the sunshine and then sorted and stuffed.. yes I mean stuffed into the appropriate drawer or wardrobe.  These too have been known to spring back to life as I jam another t shirt or jacket in to an already disastrous cavern.  As for the drawers that hold our knickers and socks.. well its probably best I don't discuss them.  I have some pride you know !

The laundry again has no room for any more sheets and towels.  I often find long lost socks amongst the piles of neatly stuffed linen as well as many pegs from the clothes line.  This cupboard was, and I am sure will be again, a great refuge for any wombat that wants to sleep on soft bedding in the dark.  They bury themselves deep into a cosy nest and who would want to disturb that !

Maybe these messy and very unorganised cupboards/wardrobes/drawers are a metaphor for who I am?  Maybe I am tidy on the outside but messy within?  When I think of it more I think I may be right!  There is a scruffy messy Feral within myself trying to escape..its just pride and the feeling of trying to be in control that makes it all appear tidy on the surface... or maybe I just think too much !

Anyway I am sure I am not alone.  Personally I don't care about my messy drawers.  Its always a bonus when some long lost item of clothing finally sees the light of day again..it is like buying new stuff and we all know that things do eventually come back into fashion!  I don't care about wombats in the pantry or lizards in the cutlery drawers ..The Ferals are learning the finer points of messy organisation too..  But in the end I just care about a home that is happy and a refuge from the day to day goings of a busy life.

So I say.. yes if you do feel brave enough feel free to have a sticky beak within the depths of my messy areas then go ahead.  If you don't approve.. don't look..but in the end its my mess and I know where everything is ... sort of .. so it doesn't really matter does it !!

      Cheers Dilly xxx

A Friend

It has been a while since I have written.  Somehow life has yet again jumped in the way and I have found myself trying to get here but it not happening.  But now I'm back .. at least for a short time. 

I have been trying to think of something to write about, something that has meaning to me and I have come up with this:

Have you ever stopped to wonder what the people you went to school with are up to now?  How their lives have panned out or are they even still alive?  I have many times.

To be a friend you
must :

I know there are at least 4 people from my high school year that are no longer with us and I find this  very confronting.  Such young lives lost that could have in their own ways changed the world.  But what about those I used to hang out with? Are they happy.. rich.. famous? Or just average Australians like me raising kids and working for a living?

I'm lucky that I still have a circle of friends from that time.  We have all grown and forged our own paths, but when together again it is like time has stood still ... we can be the 16 year old teenagers we once were.. hopefully with out the pimples and permed hair !!!  I find it hard to comprehend that some of them have kids who are nearing the age of 20 !  I'm sure it was only yesterday I was 20 .. but here I am with a 10 and 7 year old.  I was a late bloomer !

It was only a couple of days ago that I ran into a friend in the dreaded "S word"  (see Blog ).. yep the supermarket ( yes I did have the Ferals with me too and yep they were FERAL..having a 7 year old cling to my legs and screaming while he scoots his derriere along the ground as I try to walk can be very.. how shall I say it .. character building !! ). 
 Anyway we got chatting and I realised that although we were never bosom buddies at school I really like this girl ! Its funny how time can change ones view and that we all do grow up.  She and I chatted about photography and a mutual friend.  We discussed our kids (of which one of each of ours share the same name.. great taste !) and generally just caught up.. It was great it truly was. She is someone I will definitely aim to see again.

There are some people from that time I would still run from ( read Blog.."It happened to me..Bullying ").  Time does not heal all wounds but we do move on.

I watch my Ferals attempting to make friendships and know how hard it can be.  The curly Feral does at times struggle with this.  He has a heart of gold but at times it seems he does not know how to show it.  I think it confuses him.  As for the Weed .. well he is Mr Personality and seems to cruise through.. he is one of the lucky ones.

I have made new friends during my adult life.. they are a crucial part of who I am now and who I will continue to be.  Most have seen me at my worst and at my best.  They have made me laugh and made me cry.  They are priceless. I know I have not always been the best friend I can be at all times but I will always be there if they need me .. that I can promise.

Life throws us many hurdles along the way .. its part of the experience of living, but sharing it with family and friends..true friends..can make the whole sometimes daunting experience all the easier.

So I say thanks to them for putting up with me, and to the new friends becoming nestled into my world welcome and thank you for giving me the chance to share our lives for hopefully many years to come..

         Cheers Dilly xx