TBR 2017...Bk 17/52: Working Class Boy By Mr Jimmy Barnes

Really enjoyed this book.  This is a 2016 memoir of James Dixon Swan aka Jimmy Barnes.
It tells of of his childhood in Glasgow and in Adelaide. It is a journey through trials and tribulations of immigration, domestic violence, alcoholism, anger and fear.
This certainly was not I expected to read when I picked this up but I was definitely engaged in this memoir.  Thank-you for sharing Jimmy. Very much looking forward to the next book...Working Class Man. Bring it on.

Week 22 & 23: The 2 Big Boys Birthdays//Nannie Darlings 2nd Birthday//Singleville Update

A couple weeks of birthdays in this family.  June 1st...My son turned 22,...EB Games voucher...tick ...happy boy...tick.  Son-in-laws 26th birthday on same day...tattoo voucher...tick...happy boy...tick. We had a family Pot-Luck dinner to celebrate boys birthdays a few days later and we do like to get together at every available chance we can muster. This was our first pot-luck meal and it amazingly well, without a hitch, every person/couple bringing a main and a dessert.
With this fam-bam now all together in one town it seemed only fair to the hosting family that everyone chipped in and man what a great idea it was...the variety of food was amazing (no double ups) and the cost was minimal to each person/couple. And there was even doggie-bags to take home YAY!

NEXT...

Happy 2nd Birthday Nannies Darling xoxo

This lil precious beauty means the world to me. This picture captures her taking time out on her special day eating her ice-block...slow down Baby Girl...time is just going so fast and Nannie can't keep up. 2 years full of wonderful memories, lots of kisses and cuddles, plenty of laughs and good times. I know we have so much more to look forward to. Nannies Darling captivated me right from the start, stole a piece of my heart and I am at her mercy forever...and her handsome 5 week old brother is following suit. I am spellbound by them both now...and also done for lol.

Emerson and Ashton.

So in another subject entirely child-free is my continuing journey in Singleville.  Mentioned in previous posts I am trying to get the hell out of Dodge (Singleville) so to speak. Taking my time but God loves a tryer right?  I go to the local bar for Karaoke Nights and it has been bought to my attention that a certain man has been making eyes at me lol.  So I have spent the last couple of times at Karaoke Night scoping out the scene and have found that he is indeed showing interest from afar. As of Friday just been, I pulled up my big girl panties and I have accomplished the following in regards to this man:

• I found out his name (Randall)
• I have communicated with him
• He has a sense of humor
• I have sat at the same table with him and we had a 'group talk' as such lol

Progress has been made and the communication lines has been opened. Another YAY for me. Slowly but surely...I am a little bit scared that if it goes any slower I will miss out...So hurry up Karaoke Night at the local!!

Movie Review...Miracles From Heaven

What a wee charmer of a movie. Great performances by Jennifier Garnier and Eugenio Derbez and just quietly, Martin Henderson is as handsome as ever. 
When Christy discovers her 10year old daughter Anna has a rare, incurable disease, she  becomes a ferocious advocate for her daughter healing as she searches for a solution.  After Anna has a freak accident climbing a tree with her sister, an extraordinary miracle unfolds in the wake of her dramatic resue that leaves medical specialists mystified, her family restored and their community is inspired. This movie is based on a true story.  3.5 / 5 stars. 

"That's alright Mom.  Not everyone is gonna believe. And that's ok. They'll get there when they get there."- Anna Beam

Mama's Day 2017

Run Down on This Mama's Day (bullet-pointed for detail)

• First and foremost...attended to the bloody cats that demand attention 30 minutes before my 7am alarm goes off, doesn't matter what time I set it for, you can guarantee these fur-babies of mine will awaken me. Don't know why I bother setting one, should just use them, they sure are as regular as clockwork. 
• Settle back in bed, no point going back to sleep, send Happy Mamas Day messages across the globe via social media to all the special Mama's in my world.
• Alarm goes off...Oh look fur-babies its time to get up...that's right, you guys have been feed/watered/toileted and baby-talked too and are now back off to sleep...me, time to get up and start this whole getting ready for work thing.
• 3 hours and 3 cups of coffee later AND at work...Check social media...it is now jam packed with Mamma Day Posts...some are pretty darn cool and some leave you wondering.
• First born texts me a Happy Mothers Day and lets catch up tomorrow and shop for your present message which would of been nice TODAY...TODAY is Mothers Day.
• Lunchtime and second born arrives at work empty handed with a verbal Happy Mothers Day and a sorry I forgot to bring your pressie, I'll drop it round on my way home from work tomorrow. 
• Again...TODAY is Mothers Day.
• Said pressie will now be presented as a Christmas gift that I will receive in December...if I am lucky.
• So he's here on the food court suggests we get some lunch and he calls Dutch...Well at least he paid for his own this time. And we did have an enjoyable lunch.

Rest of shift was uneventful and I began to wonder if they had changed the day of Mothers Day this year but alas, no they haven't...only in my children's heads has it been changed lol.
And yes...it appears I am looking forward to tomorrow,  to celebrate '1 day past Mothers Day'.

Movie Review...Jack Reacher, Never Go back

Who doesn't like a movie with Tom Cruise on it. Always enjoy this actors movies.
Tom Cruise returns as Jack Reacher in this sequel based on Lee Child's bestselling novel Never Go Back, which finds the itinerant problem-solver (Tom Cruise) accused of murder, and learning that he may have a child he has never met. 
When he returns to his old base he finds Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders) a Army Major he had been communicating with has been arrested. Suspecting foul play, Investigator Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) springs into action  and Jack embarks on a mission to prove that the head of his old unit is innocent. After crossing paths with the law, Reacher must now go on a mission to uncover the truth behind a major government conspiracy that involves the death of U.S. soldiers.

TBR 2017...Bk12/52..The Apartment By Danielle Steel

I am a big Danielle Steel fan but I have to say that this one did take me a bit to get into. But once past the long intro, The Apartment got its flow on and became a decent-enough read. Good characters with alot happening and going on in their lifes...I just felt like I was waiting for something more.
That's normally not the go for me and Danielle Steel. I have to admit that Danielle Steel is a guilty pleasure of mine and usually I can't put her books down and I am for-filled with her novels.

2.5 Star rating.

Nannies Prince Arrives//Four Generation Photos//Nannies Darling

ASHTON KELLER LEWIS...Arrived May 3rd 11.45am Weighing 9lb1oz.

Nannies Prince has finally arrived...much to the relief of his Mumma. This lil' precious is a week old now and both Mumma and baby are doing well. So extremely proud of my daughter for delivering another beautiful grand-baby for me to adore. He such a wee snuffler I call him my lil' hedgehog lol.

This be Nannies Darling and she is such a wee character...love love love her to bits. Words can not express the extreme and over-whelming love I have for this beautiful lil' being. Cheeky, funny, gorgeous lil' nearly 2 year old. Gosh 3 weeks and she'll be 2!!! Wow...were did the time go?

And this is the UN-edited 4 generation picture...well it was the best we could come up with.  It ended up being a crazy time and the kiddies didn't want to co-operate, my son decided smiling was over rated and refused to smile and I had come straight from work so didn't have time to prepare so slapped together some form of outfit from the daughters wardrobe...no make up or hair done...just a crazy vibe happening BUT you know what...wouldn't of had it any other way.

4 Generations/Mumsie Visiting/Altering Future Travel Plans.

This is me...with my Mumsie, my daughter and my granddaughter...such big love for them all.
The man in the background is Scott...said daughters partner and the father of my beautiful grandbaby. As you can see in the photo...my daughter is expecting their 2nd baby...a grandson for me YAY...and his arrival is expected any day now...no rush grandson lol.
My mummy has come for a visit for 2 weeks and I am loving having her with me.  All our talks, laughs, stories and catching up. Mum loves her 2nd hand shops so we hit them with a passion and got some super bargins. But I did discover that Mumsie isn't as mobile as she once was and I quess realization that Mumsie IS 75, now has hit me.  I miss her like crazy when we are apart and enjoy every moment I can get with her. I am so lucky to have her around still.

We have discovered however that she is not suited to travelling on her own anymore.
So for Mum to visit, it is easier to fly her to us. Most times my cousin (or her children) comes down from Auckland and collects her and takes her to the airport and its a straight through flight to Dunedin. With Mum living about an hour North of Rotorua , we decide to fly her from there to Dunedin.  Her good friend would be driving her to the airport and wait with her etc. It was about 3.5 hour flight - with 1 stop over in Christchurch. It seemed to be alright and she seemed to be happy with that arrangement. Oh Lordy...once in Christchurch, Mumsie tried to board 2 different planes (she was trying to be a big girl and do things herself) that weren't going to Dunedin and finally staff  helped her board the right plane, with the final destination of Dunedin.
 My mum is 75 and gets quite anxious with this sort of stuff and ends up confused and in a fluster. I ended up collecting a very tired and over-anxious mother from the airport. My poor Mumsie. Back to straight through flights from Auckland lol.
So lets enjoy ourselves Mumsie while your here and worry about the return flight in 2 weeks.

Movie Review...Fast and The Furious 7.

Oh My Gosh...This movie has to be the biggest tear-jerker I have watched this year!! I couldn't deal with the last 10 minutes and sobbed uncontrollably for the next 15 minutes after watching it.
But that aside...the fight scenes between Jason-The Rock and Vin-Jason...f**king awesome !!!
A part of me feels guilty for enjoying the car crashes, stunts and the fight scenes so much, when I know coming is the very emotional ending tribute to Paul Walker.

An interview with Jason about Fast and the Furious 7

'It's not new, it's not fresh but it's real'

Love this interview too. 

'Clearly humble'

Emotional ending

Waiting...

If you don't wanna talk to me,

just tell me.

If you don't wanna see me,

just tell me.

If the words I say, don't interest you,

just tell me.

If the way I look don't suit you,

just tell me.

Don't just leave me hanging,

as if I mean nothing,

Don't leave me wondering,

and over-thinking.

Just tell me...I deserve that from you.

Waiting...

Sea Side Bach.

Been on my first 1st date in 25 years *Bashful Face* and to be honest...I had a blast and am very intrigued to see if this goes any further. *Fingers crossed*

Not your standard run of the mill first dates but never the less it qualifies. You know the standard date where you meet in a public place and have something to drink or eat but it's just the 2 of you talking and getting to know each other, maybe you're first visual/ interaction etc??

So...I have been talking to this 'Cowboy' for a week...7 days of texting and phone calls only, when he says that he's having a bbq on Thursday night (Easter weekend here) come over and meet the hombre's *Holy-Shit Face* Of course I casually accept. I mean I know all there is to know right...his occupation, his cell number, his address, his hobbies, spoken to a hombre of his and they've been friend for 8 years, and a whole heap of other things that make him a real person. No worries.

This will be our first visual of each other and I will be walking into a bbq/party situation on his turf with his hombre's and don't really know what the host looks like (yes I had seen pics but they were those abstract kinda ones)...And the biggest problem I had with the situation was...WTF do I wear??? At the moment, here in NZ it is Autumn and there is some sort of weather cyclone thingy hovering about the country, pelting my town with driving rain, soaking everything in its path but that wasn't going to deter me. 

So I loaded up with the thermals...sexy things that they are...woolen gloves and hat and big blardy head to toe puffer jacket...I mean it was a bbq, party in the garage so it will be col right???.  No...no it not when there are several heating sources available to keep the cold at bay...I nearly became the entertainment for the evening...stripping off the layers so I didn't pass out from heat exhaustion or worse yet...sweat everywhere. 

I head out to the address given and drove past his house a couple times (like a stalker) before I parked up about 100 meters down the road...I nearly talked myself out of going in but i could here the music and people having a good time and I thought well it cant be that bad...could it? I got my shit together and proceeded to enter the property.

This is the conversation I'm having with myself whilst standing in sight of said party-goers completely gob-smacked.

'WTF...he told me that he lived in a wee seaside bach and if he stood on his tippee toes he could see  the ocean'  I am standing looking a  f**king 2 story beach-front condo with an amazing view of the beach and the little beach-side village!!! I guess the only time he'd have to stand on tippee toes (he's 5ft 8in) to see the ocean would be when he was on his wrap around glass deck to look over the pot plants there. And those were my first words to him...Wee seaside bach my arse!  And that was the beginning of our first date. 

Let me tell you...it really was a great night...he was a perfect and attentive host (to me)*blushing now* his hombre's were freaking awesome and so welcoming and we danced and sung ourselves stupid into the wee hours of the morning...in his bar, in the garage. There was even a couple of kisses *Really Blushing Now* and some hand holding.

So yes all in all it was the best first date ever and I do hope there's more to come. 

PLEASE...Let there be more to come. 

 

Seriously Both Covers Are The Bomb Diggity Bomb Version of 'Creep'

Post Modern Jukebox RadioHead Cover ft Haley Reinhart

Post Modern Jukebox RadioHead Vintage Soul Cover ft Karen Marie

TBR 2017...Bk11/52 Island of Glass

ISLAND OF GLASS  Nora Roberts Book 3 of The Guardians Trilogy

Annika - a mermaid
Sawyer - time traveler with a magic compass
Riley - an archaeologist werewolf
Doyle - an immortal warrior
Bran - an Irish sorcerer
Sasha - an artist and seer

This group of gifted strangers, called together by the three moon goddesses, has seen battle and have had success. They are no longer strangers on individual quests, but guardians on their final quest. They have fought fiercely and loved passionately. Well, Sasha, Bran, Sawyer and Annika have, loved passionately - that is.
This final quest to find and secure the Ice Star will be a supreme test for Riley, the archaeologist werewolf and Doyle, the immortal warrior. This is their love story as well.

A very enjoyable and captivating read and a great wrap up to end the series.  I shall miss these 6 Guardians.

Nora Roberts is one of my favourite authors and I simply devour her books. It was her 3 Sisters Island Trilogy that started my love for her and I have never looked back or found one of her books that I haven't liked. 

TBR 2017...Book 10/52. Fire Bound.

So reading novels is another 'something' that I'll add into the mix of things that I like to do. And my local library indulges this pleasure for me.
Some of me ole favourite authors are: JRWard...Danielle Steel...Patricia Cornwell...Sherrilyn Kenyon...Christine Feehan...Nora Roberts...Lucinda Reilly and The Seven Sisters series is a new addition this year. I'm gonna try Lee Childs and J D Robb this year too.
My aim is 1 book a week, though I read 54 books last year AND I started reading again in late February after a 1 year?? break. I have a lot of books to catch up on, series that I have got part way though and need to finish or get up-to-date with along with recent works of my favourite authors.
I have already read 10 out-of 52 books this year (a couple behind actually) and have just started on my 11th book. (Nora Roberts Bk 3 of The Guardians Trilogy)
If your into Paranormal Romance novels try this series.

Christine Feehan...Fire Bound (Sisters of the Heart #5)

This is the fifth installment in Feehan's "Sisters of the Heart" series. It tells the story of Lissa (Giacinta)and Casimir. Lissa has secrets that she has kept from her adopted sisters, and one of those secrets has her leaving Sea Haven on a mission she does not expect to come back from. Casimir Prakenskii has been recruited by his brothers to follow her and keep her safe. They fall in love quickly and it can get intense with some very erotic and graphic love scenes. Big fan of Christine Feehan, even though she is a new author me and this is my first series of her books I've read.

Movie Review...Jupiter Ascending.

"Jupiter Ascending" is a Fantasy/Sci-Fi. 
It tells the story of Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis), who was born under a night sky, with signs predicting she was destined for great things. Caine (Channing Tatum), a genetically engineered ex-military hunter, arrives on Earth to track her down, it is only then, does Jupiter begin to glimpse the fate that has been waiting for her all along. Jupiter is destined to be a heiress of intergalactic nobility.
Jupiter Ascending has some absolutely spectacular highs, including an astonishingly complicated chase over and through Chicago. The special effects are often outstanding and many of the action set pieces are handled quite skillfully. It has an interesting plot if somewhat confusing at times. The story line can be hard to follow with so much happening all the time. 2 stars (and one just for Channing Tatum).

Dating Site Disaster.

I signed up on a dating site....Yip I signed up on a dating site. This by far is the craziest thing that I have done in my years as being a single woman. I have opened the door AND my eyes to this big, wide world of dating.

BACKGROUND...7 years divorced and 1 'short' interlude of about 1 month...I am definitely out of the game. I focused on bringing my children up and releasing them into this crazy ass world as beautiful, as-unbroken-as-I-could-get-them, productive, law-abiding members of society and I am pleased to say I believe I have succeeded. Needless to say, I wasn't interested in another relationship AT ALL, and the 'short' interlude I had was disastrous.  So I remain single. I'm not intending to be on my own for the rest of my life and I am quite happy being a strong, self-sufficient, independent women but I think it's time to start this 'dating' game. 

THIS DATING SITE I'VE SIGNED UP ON...Forget it. Its been 3 days and 30+ candidates and already I am OVER it.  Nowhere on my profile does it say I wish to see a picture of your penis and within the first couple of messages when I'm asked do you want to swap pics, I didn't realize that it was suppose to be of extended male sexual organs!
Actual conversation
MrPenis: Good morning. How are you?
Me: Not so bad thanks...Whats your plans for the day?
MrPenis: Just finished an 55 hr week so looking forward to some down time...do you have a photo??
Me: Sure
MrPenis: {DICK PIC SENT}
I feel like I'm on a porn site rather than a dating site...not that I have any experience on this.  So delete my profile it is and I'll stick to doing this the old fashion way. You know person to person. Maybe then I won't see so many male sexual organs on the first meeting??

MOVIE REVIEW...Lucy

MY REVIEW...Lucy...

Prof. Norman (Freeman) says "We (humans) use 10 percent of our brains. Dolphins, at 20 percent, evolved bio-sonar so sophisticated science can't match it"  
Watch Lucy evolve 100 percent.

It started out quite interestingly, Scarlett Johansson as the leading lady find herself in a serious situation after the guy she has been dating only a week, cons  her to do a job for him. The film loses some pace in the middle part and gets totally lost in the showdown. In the end it's just too much scientific babble it seems to forget to entertain in the midst of all. At least the action scenes and editing tricks work. Great car chase scenes. They were entertaining.

Lucy, is an action-thriller that tracks a woman accidentally caught in a dark deal who turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic. And throughout it all, Johansson is a cool and calm presence. Morgan Freeman, always a pleasure to watch.

NEXT BLOG...

After wiping the slate clean here (last 7 years of invaluable S.H.I.T) posts and re-starting, I had to go on a search for blogs to follow.  Alot of the blogs I had followed were non-existent or just weren't my cup of tea anymore. So after 3 days of searching (and I don't know how else to do this) I found a current blog that I still liked  The Bloggess and scrolled her "I fucking love these people and not just because they support my wine-slushy habit" peeps and started getting a list together of must read blogs.
P.S I'm Naked and his Just Snipe Left post made me a dedicated follower and lead me into my journey bouncing all over Bloggerville, (by pushing NEXT BLOG button) through political blogs, learn how to speak foreign language blogs, space program blogs, redecorating and rejuvenating blogs, dog-breeder blogs and so many more blogs on subjects that doesn't really fit into what I wanna read on a daily basis and have only gathered 13 blogs...I know 13 blogs and 2 of those are ones from my previous blogging times. HELP!!!
Oh and the other blogs that I have found and suit my reading pleasures are in the AWESOME PLACES TO BE side panel thingy...yip just over there on the right...

A Day in the life of a Facilities Assistant.

My job entails the facilities upkeep in the small mall I work for and I take most aspects of my job seriously...so when I receive a phone-call from an irritate 'facilities user' I was mystified. (in other words, she went to the toilets and there was no toilet paper in all 4 cubicles) I thought whateva lady...talk about exaggerating but to my disbelief... ALL 4 CUBICLES HAD NO TOILET PAPER. Why is this mystifying you ask?? Because not even 2 hours prior I had filled up those suckers with toilet rolls and now there was none??? GONE all GONE  and these babies are locked...They didn't run out...there was no cardboard inners left behind, nothing but air.

 I kept opening and shutting the dispensers thinking they might just reappear but after 5 minutes of going backwards and forwards through all 4 cubicles and shaking my head and scaring the 'facility users' with my muttering and cursing, I refilled dispensers and I headed out into the mall to locate these 'jumbo roll toilet tissue' thieves...I had my 'freak on' I was on a mission and anyone and I mean anyone, that had an oversize hand bag/backpack/pram/baggy pants/puffer jacket...they were scrutinized.  End result...Nada/Nothing/Zilch...what did I expect aye? To actually find 8 jumbo rolls of toilet paper in someones puffer jacket? Find it in a pram underneath a sleeping baby? On an old lady that just popped them into her handbag as gifts for her struggling university student Granddaughter? No they were definitely long gone and no chance of returning.
Do you know what I think happened??? A broke/creative woman got a surprise marriage proposal via text message (Which she accepted) whilst in the restrooms and was told she had 1 hour to meet her beloved at the church to get hitched...Her new best friends (ladies that were in the other 3 cubicles) instantly became her bridesmaids and together they took the rolls of toilet paper to make her the best budget wedding dress ever (because she was broke and creative)

Yip that works for me.
And since I supplied the gown, you would think I would of got an invite!!!

Pandorum...Movie Review.

PANDORUM...My Review.

Two astronauts awaken in a hyper-sleep chamber aboard a seemingly abandoned spacecraft.  They can't remember anything. Who are they? What is their mission? With Lt. Payton staying behind to guide him via radio transmitter, Cpl. Bower ventures deep into the ship and begins to uncover a terrifying reality. Slowly the spacecraft's shocking, deadly secrets are revealed.

There's a constant, unrelenting feel of terror, tension, and dread, thanks mainly to the movie's overwhelmingly dark, metallic, deliberately unsettling sets. Alien creatures threaten to jump out from every dark corner, and the soundtrack's alarming use of screeching noises adds to the general unease. 

Enjoyable movie that didn't bore me to death, kept me engaged till the end.

Nerve...The latest movie I've watched

My Review on NERVE. 
So its a thriller based around gaming and social media. There is plenty of suspense and suspicion to keep you watching and humorous enough to get a giggle. I enjoyed it for what it was.

Vee Delmonico, when pressured by friends to join the popular online game Nerve, decides to sign up for just one dare in what seems like harmless fun. But as she finds herself caught up in the thrill of the adrenaline-fueled competition partnered with a mysterious stranger (Ian), the game begins to take a sinister turn with increasingly dangerous acts, leading her into a high stakes finale that will determine her entire future.

Dark times.

After living in Southland for 4 years, I made the decision to move back to Dunedin.

Now Dunedin was the town I lived in for most of my life right up until  mid 2012. It held some very precious memories of the best times of my life...it was the town that my main squeezes lived in, my kids grew up in and my mum lived in.  But in 2011 when my marriage finally ended and we separated. ..Dunedin became my hell. 

My only support through it all was a handful of beautiful people who, to this very day are my lifelines. My Mum and 4 of the wisest ladies I know...they held me and my mid-teenage children together, while the rest of 'them' went into destruction mode to tear us down. Friends and family became our worst enemies, nastiness and negativity about everything me and my children did or didn't do, constant battling...18 months I lasted before I couldn't take it anymore.  One morning I woke up in my mums one bedroom flat to a phone call that saved me. I'd lost my house, most of my so call friends, the exs mother hated me, my kids were raging adults now, my daughter had got a job and started flatting, my son also started working on the railways but in Southland, I had given up on university, couldn't cope...was jobless and homeless, living with my mum.

That phone call saved me. I was offered a lifeline 'Come stay with us for awhile...I could do with a hand' It was my cousin, they lived in a huge farm house down Southland (my son was there as well). Didn't take much convincing...I had nothing to lose, already lost it. 2 weeks later I was beginning my Southland adventure and what an adventure that was 😉

Love this song...

I'm Back...AGAIN lol

Yes, again...I'm back.  Lets get the juices flowing and the momentum going. Lots has happened, some possibly revealed and some we will never speak of again.
Going to treat this as a new beginning...in a familiar place.

Lets begin with my church visit tonight...
I have started re-attending Nations church (after a break of like 8 years)
The reason I attend this particular church (Nations) is because its a bit more contemporary, I love the music and singing and the community atmosphere.  I go for some spiritual refreshment.

STRETCHING was the theme tonight.  Going beyond your comfort zone and stretching past it...stretching your faith to encompass your goals and dreams. Stretching out to someone in need and helping them. Everyone was advised to stretch out during the upcoming week.  I think I have just accomplished that task...I stretched out and grabbed my coffee cup and took a big gulp...I feel quite satisfied.