Change

My last post has been up for 19 months & today, on a beautiful warm, sunny Spring day in the Adelaide Hills, it's finally being replaced. This past year has been my toughest & most challenging & although I've attempted to write about what's happened, it's been all too difficult.

In fact it still is, but with the encouragement of some lovely friends, I've been doing a few short posts on my Instagram page. So for the time being, that's where I'll try & rediscover, little by little, my writing voice. There is a short post there about why I've been so quiet, but other stuff too & a rather lot of the delectable Miss Grace & her sweet little brother Henry.

I know that one day, when I feel ready, I'll come back to The Hedge on a regular basis. It was my happy place for a long, long time & I know it will be again. So until that time comes, I'll look forward to seeing you over at my Insta page www.instagram.com/milliestirling

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas!

So this is Christmas......another year almost over. Work has just finished & I'm done, totally & absolutely. 2013 has been full of challenges far greater than I'd expected, on many, many levels. Things have been tough, some things I've handled well, others I've totally stuffed up. I learnt that I don't do pain & incapacity well & that patience as a virtue, is a myth. But I did discover more about myself than ever before -  just how far I could push myself, how deep I could reach & what of the Orthopaedic Surgeon's post-op advice I could totally disregard without being found out!

This year I've taken on the most challenging & demanding job of my working life & I'm exhausted. Being a 24/7 on-call role, it leaves little time & energy for anything else & I think it's got a finite timeline. There are other things I want (& need) to do to feed the inner Millie & the pull to write is stronger than ever. I don't know just yet how I can accomplish this, so I guess I'll just toss it out to the Universe & see what happens. But boy, am I open to offers!

I've missed the contact & interaction posting daily here brings....I've missed it big time. It is a hugely pleasurable experience that I need to draw back into my everyday life. The demanding technical aspects of my job leave no room for creativity or expression. It needs calculated precision & perfect clinical execution to ensure the best possible outcome for the patients who need us to survive. 

To those dear Hedgies who have stuck by me this year...thank you. The messages of friendship & support that appear regularly in my Inbox bring warmth to the coldest of days! To my trusty group of long-time Bloggie mates, who still happily give me their opinions on Facebook about all matters in life & always, always have my back, I love you to bits.

After the full catastrophe here at The Hedge last year, Christmas is quieter & more restrained this time around. Baby Grace at 17 months is an absolute cherub & totally obsessed with Peppa Pig. I've heard a whisper that Santa has made some Peppa acquisitions that will make her very, very happy. 

I have 10 days Leave now, so I'm looking forward to my annual Bloggie Wonderland catch up. It's exciting to think what I'll discover in your world! 

Merry Christmas

Source: Norwood Flower Market

Into The Dusk Light

On ANZAC Day 2010 I dedicated a post to my Uncle Freddie (pictured bottom row, centre), who while commanding a Lancaster bombing mission over Germany for the RAF, was killed at the age of 24 along with his crew of 6 on March 7th 1945. Freddie from Adelaide, was a pilot with the Royal Australian Air Force, but had been seconded to command bombers for the Royal Air Force. You can read the post here .

Late last year the following email arrived in The Laurel Hedge Inbox:

Hi Millie

I read your blog post about your uncle. My grandfather was the Flight Engineer on Lancaster ME474, so would have been sitting next to your uncle on the plane. I did read that ME474 had been newly received two weeks prior to their last mission, being the maiden flight of the plane & that it had crashed into the sea off Holland, that's all we know. I do have some photos & I may have some letters somewhere which may be of interest & would be most grateful for any further information you may have. My Grandad is pictured in the back row far right.

Kind regards

Paul

You can imagine how I felt - the 68 years since that terrible night dissolved in a heartbeat. In my mind I saw the crew walking across the tarmac at Skellingthorpe, climbing into that big, noisy Lancaster & the plane taking off, heading across the English channel into the fading dusk light. I saw Paul's Grandad & my Uncle Freddie seated in the cockpit - doing the flight checks, talking about the weather conditions & maybe the task ahead. The British accents of the 6 crewmen occasionally interrupted by the flat laconic tone of the lone Aussie. The war in Europe was drawing to an end, great devastation had been delivered to both sides by similar bombing raids.  I sat for a long while at the computer, re-reading Paul's email in quiet reflection of the great loss all the families of ME474's crew have endured through the years.  

Any doubts as to why I blog were dispelled. Only 2 bodies of the lost crew were ever recovered after the aircraft ditched into the sea, Freddie's & Paul's Grandad Bill, the irony of that has not escaped me. I guess Paul was doing some research into ME474, a search engine picked up those words from my post & the link to The Hedge appeared. I shared the email with my cousin & he has now joined me in our communications with Paul.   

So, many years later, 2 families on opposite sides of the world are reunited, in remembrance of the sad bond that links us forever. 

ON THIS MOST SACRED OF DAYS

LEST WE FORGET

The Clan

It's been a tough week - my dearest friend's Dad died suddenly over the Easter weekend. R & I met each other on the first day of our nursing training some 39 years ago as 17 year olds & formed an instant bond & I met her Mum & Dad not long after. R & her family have lived overseas & interstate for the past 22 years, & although we catch up as often as we can, I still miss her every day. She was my bridesmaid & is Godmother to Son # 5. R's been back in town for the week supporting her Mum & we have spent lots of time together. Yesterday we said goodbye to her Dad & if a funeral can be truly wonderful, this one was.

Although born in Australia, her Dad carried his Scottish heritage with pride. We were close neighbours for many years when I lived in our previous house & I would often see him walking down our street with his trademark Scottish tartan cap sitting jauntily on his head..... & I always felt reassured that all was well in my world. Yesterday that same cap sat atop his casket & as the pipes played him out of the church, it was the end of an era. So this image of his clan tartan is a tribute to one of my extended clan.

Slàn leat

Hello & Goodbye

This post has taken me ages to do, I've had 3 glorious weeks of vacation & I'd almost forgotten how to collect my thoughts, dig out some pics & compose something! Anyhoo dear Hedgies WELCOME BACK!! I've had the best time 'cos I've nested. I really needed to veg out & relax at home with nothing particular on the Agenda, & its done me a power of good.

I managed to do Chrissie with a last minute sprint & it was lovely. MOTH refused to remove his hat & apron for the pressie opening ceremony. And Son #5's size 16 feet in all their glory sans shoes appeared out of nowhere. Each year I ask the kids to observe a little decorum & wear shoes to Christmas lunch & each year they ignore me.

Puppy Lulu experienced her first Christmas & loved it!

It has been birthday month, with 2 close girlfriends celebrating their special days, my beautiful Aunt clicking over 88, Son #2 turning 32, Son #4 marking his big 30 & moi having to write 56 in the sand as of last Monday. So lots of fizz wizz has been enjoyed, but it was the brandy bottle I needed to turn to after my visit to the Orthopaedic Surgeon on my birthday.

After chucking my scans up on the viewing box he informed me that I need a knee replacement. No cartilage, bone on bone, a meniscal tear & ACL damage were his observations. Unbelievable really, as while it's been annoying the 'you-know-whatsies' out of me, I'm yet to take any analgesia. To say I was dumb-founded would not be gilding the lily. Anyhoo, cutting to the chase at 56 he needs to buy me some time before heading down Replacement Highway. I'm going to have an Arthroscopy next month & he's going to try & do some urgent remedial work. Oh joy, there goes my Footy season.

The leaning tower of books on the bedside table has been replenished BIG TIME, & I get little thrills of excitement each time I see them......especially the names Giannetti & McCulloch, hugs & kisses to you both.

However I've saved the best book 'til last. I'm absolutely thrilled to tell you that I'm going to be a Glamorous Grandmother or Glammie for short! Son #4 & his delightful girl Miss K. will be welcoming their little cherub mid-year, so I'm in Glammie overdrive. On hearing the news, MOTH took immediate steps & blocked the Baby Burberry Online Store from our PC. But I have ways & means!!

I'm off to Sydney on Sunday for the week as it's the Company's 2012 Kick-Off Meeting. A huge week with a full-on Agenda, so deep breaths Miss Millie & I'll be back next weekend. I'll tweet while I'm away, although I'll have to keep things tidy to protect the guilty. It's the weekend, so go enjoy!

Images: Notonthehighstreet & Welcome

Moving Right Along

That's it, I'm done for the year. Apologies for the lack of all things Christmas here at The Hedge - the Chrissie decorations are up & my Christmas Playlist is on 24/7 trying to jump start my festive spirit, but that's about it. The (in)famous Millie sparkle has gone AWOL, but I've got 2 weeks vacation now & I'm going to make locating that lost sparkle & doing a reinstall my main priority. The second half of 2011 has been one of the most personally challenging I've experienced in a long, long time & I'm not sure I've handled it very well. Still I can't rewind that tape, so I'll just have to cop it & move right along.

This year only 2 of the boys will be gracing us with their presence on Christmas Day. #1 will be staying in Melbourne with the other side of his family, #2 is flying out to Burma tomorrow for a 4 week back-packing & filming holiday with his lovely girl, #3 is driving over from Melbourne tonight to join us briefly, #4 will be spreading his legendary good cheer at his workplace-the most remote mining site in Australia & #5 & his bride-to-be, the sweet Miss A. & puppy Tazzie will be with us. We were lucky to have 4 out of 5 home last Chrissie, so I'll take who I can get this year & be grateful.

I have a rendevous with our In-House Orthopaedic Surgeon on my birthday early in the New Year. I need to sort out a pressing issue with a very dodgy knee that has been causing me much grief this past year. The Radiology report was ominously presented to me in a black envelope & it made for a nightmare read! All the years I spent trying to impress the sons with my massive torpedo kicks playing footy with them at the park has come back to haunt me. Then it's off to the Company's Annual Sales Meeting in Sydney for a week & all the standard rah-rah stuff that brings with it.

Thank you dear Hedgies for sticking with me this year. It's been a yukky year for us here at The Hedge. The renos came to a screeching halt when MOTH's crook back appeared & put his entire life on hold for 6 months. It appears the last ditch procedure he had in Sept. is finally starting to help & he's now managing to do a few hours work each day in his business. Then there was my change of jobs & return to full-time - enough has been said about that & I'm putting all my ducks in place to effect happier times there. Chuck a few family issues in the mix & I'm over 2011.

The Hedge will be back on track next year, with the renos. ramping up again & more shocking Before & After images than ever! MOTH & I wish you all the most wonderful Christmas Day on Sunday with your precious ones. We value your comments, emails & personal contact more than you'll ever know. I love you & I love the joy this medium brings me. Onwards & upwards & let's do it all again in 2012!!

Image: Not On The High Street - Indian Garden Company

Thinking, Thinking

I washed & ironed 6 director's chair covers on Saturday arvo. I can think of better things to do with my time & yes, it's pretty apparent that I don't have enough to occupy my unstimulated brain at present.

MOTH's been trying to cheer me up & suggested all sorts of ideas for a change of jobs for me next year. He still doesn't understand why I can't be making $100K.+ a year with The Hedge. If I hear him say one more time 'Geez Mills, get cracking & get a few big sponsors & we'll be on easy street!' I'll take to him with my designer Uzi. However a recent comment by a certain lovely chum on her blog 'Isn't Millie's blog great? I think she should have her own reality show. With MOTH doing the renos in the background. It could be the Kardashians meets The Block.' has got me thinking. Over the years there have been frequent suggestions along the same line. So is it time to think radically outside the square, do an audition tape & pitch the idea to the unsuspecting network bosses for Behind The Hedge - a reality TV show. Of course just like the Kardashian's, that would mean all the boys, their partners, assorted pets & rusty cars would have to move home. Yep that would work. What do you think dear Hedgies? And if you'd like to give me some ammo for my network submission, & I reckon about 1m. Absolutely's! might just clinch it, please do vote in the poll below - ta!

'

A Sweet MOTH

With work being totally responsible for me now actually having lost the will to live (MOTH reckons trying to deal with this particular group of clients is akin to herding cats!) & a major family issue that needed me to hang the Dr. Millie Family Therapist shingle out urgently, it's been a tough, tough, tough, tough week. I'll share the family thing with you when I can get my head around it & I've lowered the level in the vodka bottle a bit more. MOTH's been his normal 'Deal it with it & move on Mills' self, but this morning he rendered me speechless.

'Hey Mills, I noticed Balhannah By Design have got a VIP shoppers night on tonight. They had a new container of stuff from France arrrive last week & one from Belgium on Monday. Mon's had to hire out the Balhannah Village Hall temporarily to fit everything in. If youse like, I can come home from work early & we can go up there together. They've got free grog, free gift wrapping & 10% off everything. Would that cheer youse up?'

Would it ever babe, fire up the Millie-mobile & let's go! Oh & if you or the girls are reading this Mon, for goodness sake if MOTH offers to man the gift wrapping table & gives you a story about his prowess in that Department - DON'T LET HIM!!!

Images: Balhannah By Design

Love From Lulu

Woof, Woof, thank you to everyone who left lovely comments about me not being too good. Millie & MOTH sprung me from Puppy ICU last night & brought me home, & boy it's good to be back. I've been doing a lot of sleeping since then, but I'm sure I'll be back to my regular puppy self in the next few days. Dr. Sophie said that I was a cat's whisker away from having to go to surgery, so I'm glad that she could do other things to make me better. I've attached a picture of the culprit that caused all the trouble. Ever since I was a little puppy, MOTH's always shared a cooked corn cob with me, it's yummy & I love it. Well I'm not allowed to have one ever again, as in my excitement to woof the kernels down on Monday, I must have bitten off more than I could chew & swallowed most of the hard cob as well.

Millie says that at $692.00 it will be the most expensive vegetable she's ever bought. But that's the breaks when raising a sweet little puppy like me. It's the weekend, so go enjoy. Love from puppy Lulu. xx

A Wonderful Evening!

Now that I can draw breath after our very big weekend, here's a few pics of the Engagement Party. It was a truly wonderful night & I was so proud of all the work Son #5 & his girl sweet Miss A had done to get their home & garden looking lovely for the night.

Here's the happy couple!

My cousin's daughter, Son #3, his girl & Son #2.

Son #4, a mate & Son #3.

MOTH & his sister in the kitchen.

The happy couple again. Someone took a couple of pics of MOTH & myself & promised to email them, so will post them when they arrive. Thanks to everyone who left messages here, on Facebook & Tweeted wishing us a fabulous night. It was just the best.

It's Party Time!

I'm back from Melbourne & straight into engagement party mode. Thank you to everyone who left great messages & emailed me re the Basic Sales Training course I had to attend. They were all brilliant & came at just the right time to get me over the line with a laugh. I've brought home a certificate that tells me apparently I can now sell - funny about that!

I've taken the next 2 days off work so I can cook, shop, clean, make up beds, do a heap of airport pick-ups, run around for the happy couple etc. We are so looking forward to Saturday night, it will be such a treat to have all the sons & their partners home to help their baby brother celebrate his betrothal to sweet Miss A. I'll let you know how it all goes & post some 'suitable' pics next week. In the meatime, let's partee!!!

Image: Notonthehighstreet.com

Many Marthas Make Light Work

Oh gosh what a week that was! It was fascinating & scary being in a room of complete strangers, but it was a good opportunity to sit quietly, listen & learn about the people I'll be working with. And boy, oh boy, are there some 'dynamic' personalities amongst them! There are several who can best be described as 'intense' & I'm sooo not used to dealing with that character trait. I found them exhausting, literally sucking the air completely from the room. It confirmed my earlier thought that I am by far the most relaxed & chilled-out employee the Company has! Life's just too short for all that jazz, & somehow I'm going to have to work on some strategies for dealing that level of dead-set serious intensity, wish me luck!

I went straight from the Airport last night to Son #5's house for a Very Important Date. Sweet Miss A. had asked me to join her & the bridesmaids to make the Engagement Party invitations. After bubbly & a yummy supper, we set to. After a week of no fun, I needed a big hit of laughter & silliness & boy there was plenty to be had, as we tried to cut along the dotted line after too many champers, tie impossibly small bows, attempt to stick tiny pearls to the cards with a recalcitrant glue gun & deal with a run-away role of double sided tape. Despite my woeful attempts, the results were spectacular - the cards are truly gorgeous & the night a great success.

It was wonderful to get home to puppy Lulu who has run MOTH ragged in my absence. He ended up taking her to work with him yesterday & despite my misgivings she had a ball. Not exactly your typical Tradie's dog, she was a big hit with everyone at the job. She's asleep on my lap as I write this, still recovering from her first foray into the world of work. A bit sad I reckon for a 9 week old!

Welcome Lulu!

Lulu came home with us yesterday a week earlier than expected & it's been bedlam! We quite expected some separation anxiety as she's been part of a large litter of 9, so has had plenty of puppy company. All was well until 3a.m. this morning when she woke & wouldn't settle back to sleep. After a 1/2hr. of pitiful crying & yelping, MOTH spent the rest of the night in one of the lounge chairs so she could see that someone was around & she hadn't been totally abandoned. We want to set the ground rules from the start, so we resisted the temptation to put her basket in our bedroom. It will be interesting to see what happens tonight!

She is personality plus, a real character & of course we are besotted. She bounces around like she has little springs embedded in her paws - too cute for her own good really! The kids are coming over tomorrow to meet her, so I'll try & take some better pics. These via my Crackberry are not good - sorry.

The first week at my new job was exhausting & I'm soooo glad we have a Public Holiday tomorrow to celebrate our Gracious Majesty's birthday. I miss my old clients to bits, & the challenge of undertaking a whole different group of products is testing me to the max. My new Company's corporate philosophy is taking some getting my head around as well. It appears that I am the most laid-back & relaxed employee they have, so I guess that means they will be on a bit of leaning curve too. Maybe by this time next year everyone will be mini-Millie's in their approach to work, now wouldn't that be something!!

Buona Pasqua

I've been feeling decidedly Italian this week. On the drive home from Melbourne, MOTH & I were reminiscing about the best food we've eaten together over the years. One stand out was a wedding anniversary celebration at the wonderful Gennaro's (R.I.P.) at Parkside. Gennaro presented us with Roast Capretto (Baby Goat) lovingly prepared by his Mamma the sous chef. It was one of those moments in life that you want time to stand still & never move on. I've managed to find a recipe that looks mighty good from chef Scott Conant - Moist Roasted Baby Goat (Capretto) with Peas, Fingerling Potatoes and Shallots here.

As Greek Orthodox Easter co-incides with the Christian calendar this year, goat has been plentiful in the market this week. So it's on the menu here at The Hedge this Easter weekend. I have the time & the enthusiasm - what a luxury.

So Buona Pasqua to you all dear Hedgies. It's the Easter break, so go enjoy.

Image: Not On The High Street

United We Stand

Like so many others, I've been deeply affected seeing the devastation & loss the horrendous floods have brought to my fellow Aussies north in Queensland.
The response by Brisbanites to their brothers in great need has been awesome. An army of 16,000 volunteers turned up on Saturday & 10,000 answered the call yesterday. I am so proud of these ordinary people who stand in a queue with their gumboots, brooms, mops, hoses & buckets. Ready to be bussed out to the houses & businesses of complete strangers in faraway suburbs. They just want to do their bit - you are legends each & every one of you.

My 3 weeks vacation has gone in a flash. We had a house full of guests for 12 days & it was bedlam. The bookings spreadsheet I had done pre-Christmas never left my hands & was an organizational God-send. I cooked, cleaned, shopped, stripped beds, washed linen, remade beds & then started the cycle all over again. I haven't opened any of my Chrissie books, seen a movie or spent an arvo on the sofa. Although I did get my priorities right & managed to hit the New Year sales for some compulsory retail therapy.

We had a lovely Christmas Day at Son #5 & his gorgeous girl Miss A's house. I was so proud of them both, they did a spectacular job with lunch. With 4 out of 5 sons home, it was inevitable that a large amount of post-prandial clowning around occurred. I have the perfect caption for the above image, but MOTH would sue!

Over the Christmas period, things got out of hand amongst the reunited brothers on occasion & I was forced to read the Riot Act to a number of the sons. You know who you are & are pictured below.

Enough said!

A much more civilized shot of the Little Darlings & MOTH for The Hedge's Christmas Album. At 6'5" MOTH looks to be the quite short in this pic, either that or Son # 2 is still growing at 31. Each Christmas I put out a request that they make an effort & dress up for lunch & every year they do - NOT!

There was another birthday for moi. The numbers 55 suddenly appeared on my speedometer last Sunday, but there's no way I'll be sticking to my speed limit this year!

MOTH's famous Christmas Lillies displayed a great deal of confusion due our cold, miserable, inclement December weather. For the first time ever, the yellow Asiatics bloomed first & were a riot of colour for weeks.

Then their White siblings made an unfashionably late appearance last week & have filled the house with their breathtaking perfume.

Lastly, I want to thank everyone for the beautiful & very generous comments left on the Our New Bathroom post. Your words have left MOTH & I positively buoyed & we are so grateful that you all managed to go the distance with us. In all the flurry of activity around here I really hadn't a chance to stop & revel in the joy of it all. However, we had a group of friends over for dinner on Saturday night & during the course of the evening I did what everyone else was doing. I wandered up to the new 'facility' instead of dashing into the grotty ensuite as normal. As I watched the nifty self-closing lid gently descend to meet the loo seat (only a mother of 5 sons can get teary-eyed over that remarkable innovation) I suddenly became quite overcome with emotion.

For the first time it really, really hit me that the Bathoom-From-Hell was no more, & in it's place was the fabulous room I've been dreaming about for so long. Back to work for me tomorrow, but it's lovely to be back here with you all. I have a big year planned, so I'd better get to it.

Images 1 & 2: Courier Mail 4: Amazon 7: Treehugger