Losing the 'Us'...

Dear Girl,

It will be okay, maybe not now, but soon... I promise; Heartbreak is a part of life.
Maybe it will be slow, or maybe it will hit you hard, but all of a sudden you realised there was no longer an 'Us' ...didn't you?

Yes, yes it hurts. Of course it will, you let some-one under your toughest layers, without considering how easily they could flay it from you...
But people heal, it is a part of our humanity that we can, nomatter how long it takes. -Remember not to spend so long crying over a lost skateboard that you miss the Rolls Royce thats parking right in front of you.

As far as the universe is concerned, this is simply a step in the journey; it is the rarest flower that blooms in adversity and it is through these peaks and troughs your soul will grow... When you are ready, the universe will present someone new.

If there's one thing to learn, it's that a girl has to kiss afew frogs before she finds a Prince.
Take good care of yourself, you need it now more than ever:
Don't eat Junk Food,
Don't think junk thoughts.

And remember love is infinite, and we generate as much as we consume.

...best of luck girl,
you cannot get lost on a straight road.

-

Wandering Shoeless...

There are petals in my coffee, as I write this... I think Jake put them there while I went to put my guitar away, because here they are, shredded jasmine in my cup of coffee.
I am not sure whether to leave them floating and not finish the coffee, or pick them out and ruin the tranquility of it all...
Jake! you truly are a Clever Villain: to make me choose between serenity and coffee like this!

...Little brothers, eh?

But I've allowed myself to stray here... Where was I? ...ah, yes, I was Wandering Shoeless...

Yes, finally, Summer is here! it's been nipping temptingly at our heels for a month-or-so now, but finally it has arrived: I can hear the cicadas! (Or "G'day Bugs" as 'Pa would call 'em in his rolling Queenslander-speak, --if you listen to the cacophony just right, it almost does sound like g'day,g'day,g'day,g'day repeating over-and-over.)

The hills of Pyalong and beyond are mottled brown, and I have, in my traditional summer fashion, cast aside my shoes; Only to be worn again if I happen to be going out somewhere, or helping work on one of Father's backyard projects where safety is required.
As my feet slowly regain the toughened, fireproof callous that had wasted away swathed in thick socks and runners during winter; I will spend my days roaming the house, hills and town alike, -shoeless- (with a pencil in my hair and a notebook in my pocket) until the holidays end and I am forced back into the heavy, clumsy school-shoes that would cause a rolled ankle out there on the hills...

The Christmas hype has never really been a bug to bite me, I am just glad of any excuse to see the ones I love, they live so far away...
Well, my pondering is done, my coffee is cold, my fingers itch to slide that stubby pencil behind my ear and be off, The hills are calling...

Happy Summer,
Leah Mae :)

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Yeah... like I could probably say a bunch of stuff to try and make you think that what I belive is right, but, well you have a right to what you belive in" -Billy

Thankyou Billy... wiser words aren't often spoken... each individual has the right to believe what they wish... thats a great thing to believe...
Bill, you're awseome!

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To Fly Away (sketch)

It occured to me recently that I wasn't publishing as much artwork as I used to... This little scribble is from the back of a worksheet, the teacher liked it so much, she didn't tell me off... :)

Happy Scribbling,

Leah-Mae :)

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Rain Day (The World ouside the walls)

Today was a RainDay, I mean it when I say it... our dusty, sunburnt November has been washed away with holing wind and driving sheets of H2O... The world outside the walls has never smelt so good- rising in tricky columns of steam from the warm, rain-beaten ground...

(a little pic of the cherry-tree from under the brim of my battered umbrella,)

The sound was almost deafening.. there was so much energy in the air, my hair practically stood on-end!

And the scent of it all: the bitumen, growing, blooming, winding, soft earth, frenzy, whisper, lacquered, snipped, mown, left-to-go-feral, stagnant-water, rising into oblivion, clouds, sunlight, dried-then-drenched glory that is Rainy Days!

Our water tanks overflowed (both of them):
>>
As did the guttering>>

...Now, hours later, the rain has relented to little more than a begruding drizzle (a mere shadow of the torrents that dashed our windows earlier today)... And us? ...Why, now we can enjoy the best part of all: The PUDDLES!!

Signing off with an almost childish enthusiasm;

Leah Mae, :D

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"What's the point in even having these quotes if they make no sense unless you explain the context?" -Ted

...actually dear, that's exactly the point; they're in no way intended to make any sense whatsoever (that's half the fun!) XD

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PineCones...

The Pine Tree is ageing again,
Its needles fading, vibrancy waning like the folded grey skin,
Of a Grandmother's hands...

And the PineCones...
They crunched underfoot, and crackled in my palms,
Resting gently under the tired boughs...

Creaking gently in the windless air,
Dryer than the trickling sand, of a turning hourglass,
I quivered,

The fluttering seeds, rustling,
Disconnecting from their blooming, geometric cocoons,
Settled huskily.

And I am quiet.


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QUOTE OF THE DAY

Thankyou Eleanor, your word-unscrambling abilities put me to shame.

"Is it Special?" -Eleanor

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to Aquire a Political Satire.. (or rather, create one)

Too much is blamed on the GFC, Ho Humm... XP

A Thumb-Twiddle Fiddler-Riddle...

"If a scribble 'aint a scribble would the answer make you dribble if you asked it what is was when it wasn't?"

...mmm, I don't know either, but it popped into my head just now and had the pretty cadences of a riddle worth a scribble. Gotta love the "iddles" fun for when you're sitting at school idle, just pondering and wondering and staring at the table.

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The Storyteller

Light a fire, sparks chase each

Other,

Wonder is twisted and imagination takes

Over.

Smoke of reality, watch it drift to the

Sky,

Let it curl though your fingers to whisper

Goodbye.

Joyless heart soars as a new thought is

Freed,

Buried in possibility like a just-planted

Seed.

See the watercolour dreams of a handwritten

Grace,

Far off starry lights burn softly in

Space.

You may open the door, but only peep

In,

This is the place where stories

Begin...

-

May your day be a riddle with an amusing twist!

Best of luck,

Leah Mae :)

An Awesome Discovery!!!

I was browsing the interenet just now, and stumbled across a website called '333 ways to get kicked out of Walmart' ...I can guaruntee belly laughs people... I post it here for all my mischevious friends; and anyone else out there in the mood for some trouble-making....

(Another) QUOTE OF THE DAY

Well, I guess I DID owe you guys two... this was simply too lolworthy not to post...

"I am laying on a bench over a cupboard.. further proof I am a Tool" -Mitch.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

A salute to the lolworthy dacking of Josh:

"Surprise but- NOOOOOOO!!!!" -Ian

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There are no words...

When you lose someone you love, there are no words anyone can tell you that will make it alright. No light-hearted jest will make you forget. Even for a second.
But thanks for trying guys. I appreciate it...

On the 1st if November, we received a phone-call from my uncle.
My eldest cousin, James, had taken his own life. And there are no words to descibe how I feel.
Remember my last post? the Hallowe'en one? Well why I was carving that pumpkin and writing that post they were zipping up the body-bag of my Jamie.
Think of that.
Go ahead, Pick any negative emotion in any thesaurus, dictionary, -of any language-, dodecatuple it, and then you may have a smidgeon of a concept of a word to describe a hundredth of how this came crashing down on me.... on us. And of how I remain.

My Father has two sisters and one brother, there were four of them; These four each had two children.
Together, 8 cousins; including Jake and myself... Once we were 8,
Now we are 7.
Seven cousins, and one Jamie-shaped hole.

So don't tell me it is, was, or ever will be okay; I don't want to hear it.
It is NEVER okay for ANYONE to want to take their own life. It should not have to happen. No-one should have too feel like that is their only hope. NO EXCEPTIONS. NO EXCUSES.
Here is a link to the Beyond Blue website, for anyone out there who needs to take a good long look at how they are feeling, or are concerned about the wellbeing of someone else.

You will be missed sorely, James "Jamie" Pirotta. I hope you found whatever you were looking for.

And I? I am no longer Heere nor Thare.

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If you're EVIL & you know it Clap Your Hands!

Happy Hallowe'en everyone! Though we don't tend to celebrate Halowe'en in Australia, sometimes you can't help but get into the spirit.... pardon the pun.... we started with a little pumpkin-carving, fondly nicknaming our pumpkin 'Scarface' because of the scabby grey marks under his evilly winking eye....
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How's this for scary?:

...Jakie contributed by giving the camera his best "I'm going to kill you" face with the pumpkin-carving knife.. if you look close you can see the orange bits in the blade... he makes quite the convincing murderous-psychopath, doesn't he? ...Scared the collywobbles out of Mam when she first saw 'Jake's madman-mug-shot'...

A touch of the occult to weird (or should I say 'Wyrd"?!) things up a bit... Some skillful photo-shop brings out an eerie glow from the crystal, and the symbols luminesce freakishly... it was a joke photo but I like the way it scrubbed up and decided it was worth posting....

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Blood, anyone???:

...Just kidding guys, it's portello cordial, kindergarden strength! makes a reasonably convincing table-centerpiece though- ....Kinda brings back the craving for the edible fake-blood we used in Jekyll & Hyde: Mint flavour! Ah, production memories....! mmm....

*Laughs* Well, whatever you're up to wherever you are in the world, have a great evening; and be on the watch for them boogie-men!!!

Morrigan aruna dei Samhain Sabbat, il'medora! ...translation: HAPPY HALLOWE'EN EVERYONE!

...SidewaysSmileyFace, :)

Leah-Mae.

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Spring into Summer...

It's all too easy to get caught up in the sweet domesticity of home, the subtle changes in where things are stored, displayed; how they're cleaned and maintained, or if it's the wrong season to bother with them at all... the details to be relished in how the knick-knacs inside the house can reflect the transition of the world beyond the garden.
I took the time (Sundial) to wander 'round the dwelling and snap afew things that have changed already....

The dried herbs- no longer needed for hearty winter meals, and would be out-of-sorts in the light summer salads of the warmer days... I'll soon have to store them in jars or something, 'else they'll go to waste..

The piano will be stored in our hallway until Gran can sell it, as there's no room for it in her little nursing home closet- how she must miss it!
Jake seems to have taken a liking to it, and though he can't play, has an ear to it enough to send mournful, rippling tunes echoing over the balcony in the evenings and afternoons; we've offered to organise lessons, but he doesn't appear too keen on the idea....

Our newest chookens, Nugget, Noodle, and Dumpling, have shot up while I wasn't looking... no longer the gawky fledglings I remember from our autumn frenzy to have a new chook-house ready for their arrival, they strut around with the full, glossy feathers and proud expressions of hens who lay more eggs than we can eat, and allow it to get to their vanity more than a tad!...

And finally, to the muddy gumboots stacked neatly by the back door, aside from a (very) highly unlikely late-spring flood (we haven't got our hopes up), they'll languish here until next June, peering expectantly up at us as we pass by in our floppy thongs, wishing for the months when the splashes of creeks and puddles are their pride and joy...

Yes, the hilly surrounds are browning off already, the backyard follwing in suit; and like a tiny marsupial creature, Inspiration is waking my imagination; whispering to me of Sunburn, BBQ's and sparkling sea-salt christmases.

I just LOVE summer... it's so close I can almost smell it!

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

*gasp* I officially have a stalker! ..awesome!!! XD

"Yay!!! I'm following you!!" -Captian Girl Morgan

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Hello, I come from Pyalong (photos)

My Front Gate >

The Creek Ford >

My Glorious Sky (I wake up to this) >

My home town... possibly the most beautiful place it in the world... you've not likely ever heard of it before; but I wouldn't want to live anywhere else... :)

>For the full album, go to: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/album.php?aid=2030763&id=1605892446&ref=nf

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

"sorry.... I would help you out, but my hands are covered in latex..." -Belinda

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Apple Sticker...

"HellO"
??? .."oh yeah, hi...?"
"um... you've got an apple-sticker on your forehead."
"Yes, I know; I put it there"
"Oh.. okay then... why???"

Yeah, well, listen here guys:
I PUT IT ON MY HEAD BECAUSE I WANTED IT THERE.
Okay? and yes, I am being deliberately weird.

*nyah nyah nya-nyah nyah!* :)

I like apple stickers, they have this understated insanity about them that makes them an invaluable accessory. ...I'm making a statement; guess what it is?

Wear what you want; and enjoy it, 'cos it is you and nobody else.

So yes, I do have an apple sticker on my face,
And you know what?

I LOVE it!

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

A curious though harmless wardrobe malfunction during assembly, leading to the funniest thing I've heard all day:

"WAIT! Give me 10 seconds to fix my shoe!" -Carly

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VET Music (comic) In COLOUR!!!

The long-overdue publication of the day Jake B. went crazy... we don't give him sugar anymore... XD

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"it would destroy your brain with a toothpick made of fibreglass fishing hooks" -Ted

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

A salute to the randomness of messenger conversation, you tell 'em Lee!

"Cantaloupe!" -Lee

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Bomomo- A sweet heart...

Just another little bomomo to fill in the gaps.. :)

The Backwards-People (sketch)

This was a scribble from a while ago that I scanned in recently to do some clip-art with... like most of this stuff, it's posted here on little more than a whim.
Backwards but happy;

Leah Mae (:

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"HEY! you ate all my sweets!" -Mum

I love you Mum... I'm sorry I ate all your chocolate... next time please restrain me in the presence of chocolate that is not mine....

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PussyCat (sketch) -content warning-

Yes, I know... it's in very bad taste... funny though...

A Kyneton Spring (comic)

A quiet laugh for the guys back home...

QUOTE OF THE DAY.

Weird though it may be, this quote is actually mine, so I won't bother to tag it. confused the hell out of the Robbie though..

"Robert, are you the Giant Ferret of Love?"

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While you were out: #1 (sketch)

Am open to any suggestions for other things our pets may or may not do why we aren't home, comment your suggestion if you've got and idea you want to see sketched, and I'll give it a go!

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VET Music (comic)

Meanwhile, in Room 26, the VET Music students heard their Recordings for the first time...

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

Okay, so this is an old one, but I was reminded of it this morning and just had to post it... Miss you FredDaveAndyBob, catchya sometime soon!

"I am living Proof that microwaving your babies causes long-term damage" -Richard (aka. Fred)

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Budding Blogging Buddies...

My Blog enthusiasm appears to have rubbed off on some of my Facebook-Addicted friends, which has resulted in about half of my "Blogs For Browsing" only containing only one or two posts to date.
Talking with them about it, it seems there's a universal stage of vague trepidation at the creation of a Blog; you write your first ever "Um, Hi..." post and then sit back and wonder just what the fishsticks you're going to do now.
All the looming possibilites:

What do I want to say?
Do I have a Cause I'm speaking out for?
Or am I just Mucking Around?
Should I really be telling every-one and no-one what I had for breakfast??

And so on and so forth...
These days I could almost miss that... that wondering how?, what?, and most of all WHY? They say familiarity breeds contempt, perhaps this is so, perhaps not. I think that once one becomes familiar with Blogging, it becomes like talking to an old friend- you open up and say what you're thinking, but no longer question if this is is the right thing to do.
After all, what're friends for, eh??

So this is a rallying war-cry to all my Budding Blogging Buddies!
Hit it with yer best shot Honeys, savour every delectable morsel of every post, and if after a while you don't feel like King-Kong on cocaine when you put your words, art, ect. out there, then YOU decide whether or not this is for you.

If you put a gun to my head and asked me why blog??, I'd tell you this: We do it because we like it, for the Thrill-of-the-Chase, for Having-a-Voice-and-using-it, and whatever you're getting out of it, the rest is simple:

Damn, is Blogging Fun!

-
Leah Mae :)

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I'll leave you to wonder how this one came about... :)

"This really is a rather ludicrous situation... um, pardon me, but it is quite imperative that you give my head back!" -Jake

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1 Bomomo, 2 Bomomo, 3 Bomomo, 4!

Some of my pick-of-the-litter creations from my favourite art-generator website... make your own at http://bomomo.com/ ....happy creating! Leah Mae :)

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Ah, facebook, once more you bring us laughter and joy.

"Love is like a hot chilli dipped in chocolate, it only hurts when you stop eating it" -Anne

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

To Belinda's side-splitter display pic, I award the awesome award, which means bupkiss, but its the thought that counts:

"Could you please lend me your pen? I need to stab you in the eye..." -Belinda.

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Puddles of Treacle...

For once words fail me;
Which in a way is rather infuriating, because the language is the only thing I've never stumbled on before,
But in another is so flying-by-the-seat-of-the-pants f a n t a s t i c because the moment he touches me all that confusing, constant internal dialouge goes out like a snuffed candle: all the sarcastic comments of Sarah, the broken murmurs of Y'dra, the furious arguments of Diera and Oren, and even Tanith's bleak grumblings drift away in sooty, lead-scented wisps...
The Fact that HE always seems to know what I'm thinking, putting a slender finger on my bottom lip and reminding me the words I'd forgotten I was going to say...

-Darnit, how does he DO that??!!!!

I thought I'd assigned all those kind of things to the "stuff that happens to other people" shelf, but shucky-darn if the universe keeps on hittin' -hit me like a semi jackknifed down a highway, matter-o-fact,

I used to Think that I couldn't burn off the madness of life as it built up, and that one day it would reach my eyeballs and by then I'd be so tired that I'd just stand there and be glad to drown, because I couldn't take anymore.
Then,
Splitting my veins with those electric blue eyes, and breathed infinity into my world; the oxygen rushed in and I could breathe, burning off the precious gas as fast as the atmosphere could provide.

Yes, I've alot to be thankful for, it seems. And I know exactly who I'm going to thank.
If only I could find the words....

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

A tribute to the conversational wanderings of math-class Blues

"One of these days I'll think of something funny" -Carly

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Milk, Detergent and Food-Dye....

This is an old pic I wanted to share... it still amazes me how many cool patterns we got from four drops of food-dye and two of Detergent in a saucer of milk, try it! ...Keep Smilin' :)

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

the QUOTE OF THE DAY mark 2, comes with a big TY to Ken for his awesome MSN insight:

"Lost a lot of my faith in humanity... Oh no wait...I don't have any of that...well then what the hell did I lose?!" -Ken

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The Tea Party (comic)

More randomness from last thursday afternoon... uploaded for your entertainment! :)

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Okay, so this won't happen EVERYday, but here are the words of wisdom from people I know & love:
My first ever "QUOTE OF THE DAY" comes courtesy of my "little" bro Jake, when I asked him to "say something random for my blog":

"Sod off" -Jake

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VET Music (comic)

Some strange things happen in my VET Music class... here's where I put the snippets

>A salute to Brad's awesome saxaphone-ness, chill dude, it's all good...>