A Rose By Any Other Name

Write about your first name: its meaning, significance, etymology, etc.

My first name is a hyphenated one. Least it used to be.

The story goes my name was chosen by my sister- the alternates had been Onionhead (or maybe Onion-Head) or Matilda. I quite like Matilda but I’m not so sure Onionhead would have been much fun.

My first name change was when I married. Just my surname changed. I changed all official documents and then got my first passport in this name.

The passport expired in 1998. As a parent of youngish children I didn’t bother to renew it. Holidays were now Australian based.

In 2014 I needed a passport. As a family we were having a trip to several countries of Europe. I had misplaced my original birth certificate so first had to obtain an official copy.

Seems easy, but this is when I began to be someone new ( well new to me).

My birth certificate copy had no hyphen. I called to question this and was told hyphens were no longer used. This meant my passport was now name and middle name-which no longer matched my flight tickets issued in my hyphenated name. I was thankful we’d used a travel agent even though I hadn’t wanted to, because she fixed this for us. I was concerned how this would all work when I was checking in for my flights and on arrival in Europe but it all went well.

I knew I was now an officially unhyphenated person- well in some parts of my life.

I still held a drivers licence, Medicare card, bank mortgage (in fact all other official documents other than the passport) and worked as the old me.

Around 2018 work necessitated a ‘Working with Children’ card. Contacting the relevant department they said my hyphenated names were as such aliases so I filled in the form with them and received my card- in the hyphenated form as that’s my work name.

Then Covid reared its head. When the gates first opened after several years of lockdown we needed to carry confirmation of our vaccine status in the form of an International Vaccine Card. I’d had been vaccinated ( whole other story) so I all it needed was to have the records linked from Medicare to my passport. Too easy you think. Not so!My Medicare name had a hyphen but the passport did not. They couldn’t be linked.

I had the trip of a lifetime booked to Canada and Alaska. I’d been waiting since I booked it, just weeks before the lockdown started in n 2022!. Luckily Medicare could adjust the certificate manually, after confirmation of my identity ( all with hyphens ironically). It couldn’t be linked to the passport so I had to carry a hard copy.

Then there was the organisation of the ESTA for USA and ETA for Canada. The holiday went smoothly despite all my paperwork angst.

So who am I – what’s my name? Depends who I’m with. KA, Kerry, Kerry-Anne, Kez. In my mind I’ll always be hyphenated.

Oh and if I’m not mixed up by all this- at my local supermarket there’s a friendly lady staff member who I enjoy a chat with. For some unknown reason she always calls me Tracey or Trace. I answer to it. It’s been too long now to correct it.

Road trip- most memorable without a doubt

Think back on your most memorable road trip.

Road trips are one of our favourite holiday styles. I’m the planner. No matter how long or short the trip is to be I spend time planning it to ensure we see everything we want to explore.

We have tripped with toddlers taking our first born to Queensland from Central Coast NSW. Not only did I have a lot to plan in terms of what we’d see, where we’d stop along the way and accomodation along the way, but also a lot of toddler paraphernalia planning.

We took both our kids to the Snowy Mountains when they were about a four year old boy and a three year old girl. My planning was my mistake and I’d omitted a warm hat for my daughter, but the trip was in October. My mum was insistent she had a hat, so quickly sewed the spout and handle holes of a knitted tea cosy while we visited her as part of our trip. Problem solved. We ended up needing it as it snowed at Perisher. This trip was extra special because we used coupons from Cup-A-Soup cartons to help us afford the trip. We were a single income family.

We explored the different states and territories over the years, eventually our children were having their own holidays and we still road tripped as empty nesters.

With so many to choose from, one trip still stands out in my mind as the most memorable.

You see, my daughter and her partner had moved to Coonamble in rural NSW. As beginning school teachers, permanent work was to be found there.

We had several trips there to visit them over the years.

This most memorable was in March 2018. The trip didn’t have a lot of planning. In fact, the accomodation had been chosen because it allowed date changed. So unlike me. It didn’t follow our usual taking in of scenery and chattering about the destinations on the trips.

Stopped for food at the Merriwa bakery. They make amazing pies, sausage rolls and cakes. I wasn’t hungry, food wasn’t what I wanted so I urged my husband to speed up the trip.

Mr Sensible must also adhere to the ‘Stop, Revive, Survive’ slogan. I wasn’t sure he’d survive if he didn’t get this car moving! The danger he toys with was sitting next to him.

You may be wondering why such a drab sounding road trip was so memorable.

Well, just as we arrived at our Dubbo accomodation I received the text I’d been anticipating. It changed the road trip journey from one of high anxiety to one of a thrilling destination.

“Baby born and happy. Ally is good. Ally will call you soon xx.”

Becoming a grandmother for the second time made this my most memorable of road trips.

Salty and sweet

What snack would you eat right now?

It’s just after 10:30pm on a Friday night. If I’d remembered them on my shopping list I’d be eating salt and vinegar chips-Smith’s Thinly Cut- as they have the most flavoursome, thickest coating in my opinion. My lips would smart from the vinegar and salt powder.

I’d wash them down with ice cold coke, in my favourite glass. I had the coke tonight but with a gherkin dip. Luckily I remembered to put those ingredients – sour cream, Masterfoods gherkin relish and rice crackers – on my shopping list.

Forever in love

Thursday’s SIX SENTENCES-

Write 6 Sentences. No more. No less.
Use the current week’s word STOCK.

You’ll find it here if you’d like to read some contributions and/ or contribute yourself. This is my first time.

https://girlieontheedge1.wordpress.com/

She dabbled in a little witchcraft, not the evil type, just that which brought happiness, health and love!

The ingredients for her cooking recipe spell were able to be sourced locally, mint, sage, essential oils and it was important to balance them precisely.

Her boyfriend was coming to dinner, his serve of casserole would be laced with the STOCK containing the magical ingredients, enough to make him fall in love with the first person he’d see across the table and he’d be certain never to leave her side, she already pictured her wedding day.

The stray dog wandered in through her open kitchen door, and she cursed him verbally as she tried to get him outside, his growling gnashing teeth bared.

The stirring spoon splattered the casserole gravy across her sparkling floor as she waved her arm, and the dog lapped at it hungrily.

Today her boyfriend is her devoted husband, and they have a stray pet dog that never bares his teeth and never leaves her side.

Rainy day memory

“And the rain keeps tumberlin’ down

Listen it’s a wonderful sound….

Thunder and lightning and storms on the mountain

Rivers are flowing and oceans are pounding

Winds are a-howlin’ and trees are a-shakin‘

Lightning is flashing and hailstones are falling”

These lines are from the song ‘Rain’ written by Peter Combe. I first heard it in the mid 80s. As a new teacher I taught this song to my school choir. If you haven’t listened to it before take a listen here.

I love listening to heavy rain as it plays a tune on the roof. I marvel while observing spectacular electrical storms as their fork and wiggling lines illuminate the darkness of the clouds. The rumbles and shakes from the rolling thunder completes the light and sound show. Being in a safe audience seat as hail stones dance on the ground excites me too. Hail, although it can bring destruction, still creates a air of magic akin to snowfalls.

But I only like these things when I know exactly where my family is- that they are safe from the effects of these elements.

Growing up we had a family saying, ‘ Buttas don’t drive in the rain.’ Yes, that’s my family name. Unfortunately my kids think nothing of taking off in what I see as treacherous conditions (some may just call it a bit of rain).

You see we have a reason. This is my recollection of that reason.

As a young child of five years old I remember the enjoyment of watching raindrops trickle down a glass window. I actually found rainy days fun. We wore yellow raincoats and matching gumboots if we needed to walk to school. We carried our fluffy slippers in our Globite case. We would change into these after leaving our gumboots on the classroom veranda. On very wet days my grandfather would drive us to school and pick us up. This was exciting as we usually walked to school. Then one day rain ceased being magical and became something quite traumatic.

It wasn’t a late evening, probably only around 5pm. It was a very wet and dark winter’s afternoon so my grandparents had done the school pick up. They’d stayed for afternoon tea before heading home (only a suburb away). Mum began setting the table for dinner and preparing the meal. I was watching the rain as it splattered on our tiled veranda and trickled down the steps. The venetian blinds were pulled up to give me a clear vision. In the shadows I saw two people start walking down our driveway. Their heads were stooped to protect themselves from the lashing rain. They looked muddy, dishevelled and they frightened me. My vivid imagination had given them monster qualities.

I raced to my mother as the heavy knocking sound on our wooden door echoing through the house. My mum peered through the window to see who the strangers were, at our door at such an inappropriate time. ‘

“Who’s out in this weather and at dinner time !”

We always ate dinner at 5:45pm, 5 minutes after my dad arrived home from work. Nothing stopped this.

But this did.

Mum yelled, “Oh my God,” as she peered out. I huddled in my bedroom. These were obviously dangerous people. I heard the groan of the swollen wooden door open and scratch as it dragged over the plastic cover (protection for our carpet hallway on wet days).

I heard my grandparents’ voices. Confused I emerged from my secure spot. They were dripping wet and mud splattered. Mum gathered towels for them.

They had been driving from our house crossing a small creek. The road over the creek had subsided in the muddy conditions causing their ute to sink into the creek. This creek was only about knee deep at the best of times. My grandparents thought they could push the ute back onto the tar so they could continue their trip home. It wasn’t to be so they left it and walked the 700 metres back to our place.

My dad had to drive them home. This was a chore for him as he wasn’t fond of driving, let alone in the rain, let alone at dinner time!

In what seemed like an eternity (but probably about 20 minutes) my dad was back home and we were eating our dinner. It was a sombre meal.

I don’t recall how they got their ute out of the creek and back to their place. But they must have because I remember riding in it not long after.

Messy memories

In my life the day came when the house is as clean in the evening as it was in the morning. Everything has a place and is in it. I do enjoy sitting back in a clean room devoid of clutter. There is a serenity, a feeling of accomplishing something.

Yesterday I had my four grandsons visit. Last night two slept over and this morning by midday they’d all been collected. While the kids started a good job of putting the play toys away each day, I didn’t actively encourage them, in fact I distracted them, playing favourite games with them. The toys we’d played with in the pool yesterday bob in the water, chalk drawings adorn the paths.

I’ve spent the afternoon doing nothing much more than reading the Sunday paper,and eating treats. Yes, the place might be considered untidy by some. Lego constructions, cars, toys, puzzles not completed cover the floor.

These days I find myself watching the door for the grandkids arrival and the happy noise. When they leave to go home I leave the rooms as they did for a day -as I did today- and sit amongst it, smelling and remembering the visit. Then it’s back to clean and waiting again. I’m lucky I don’t have to wait as long as some, but no doubt wait longer than others.

Memories of this weekend are precious. Cleaning is hardly a memory to cling to when the day is long, cold and lonely.

Improving my writing

doncharisma.org/2023/11/24/i-wannabe-a-writer/

Just read this post by a blogger friend- A friend I found when I first started in this world. It was the right timing for me.

Don Charisma helped me reassess my writing (some via suggestion, some from reading how/what he writes). He was a muse. I felt encouraged to try things I considered were out of my comfort zone. 

This was a friendship born through writing. I flitted in and out of the blogging world and it always seemed he would pop up somewhere on my return. It was always pleasant finding a familiar face. 

Once again I have returned to blogging. I went to the reading section, and there he was. Reading his post and then him mine, it was like of times. 

This post although from back in November resonated with me as I claw my way back in to writing. 

Timing – it’s all in the timing

Timing allows coincidence and chance an opportunity to meet head on.

100 words

Friday Fictioneers is hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields who provides us with a photo prompt. Each week’s challenge is to write a 100-word story inspired by the photo.

PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson

It’s not the dead you need to worry about- it’s the living,”  Mum’s words echoed through my ears. I began to think her right. 

My gum boots squelched in the mud as I moved slowly across fresh furrows of a truck’s wheels.

 The serenity was broken. A twig snap here, small splash there. Standing still, my mind was in overdrive. Who was here? I held my breath. Was I being watched?

Out of the trees wandered my old dog. He must have followed me. Thankful to see him I strolled home.

Behind a tree, holding a gun, stood a man-watching.

Hobbies I’ve enjoyed

I’ve been fickle in my hobbies from even a young age. I’d get super enthused, purchase all the equipment, only to box it up then eventually throw it out in search of new pleasure. 

I’ve learned instruments as hobbies. I enjoyed them all – but for just a short time. The recorder (primary school) gave way for a small electronic keyboard when starting high school. In my very early twenties I bought myself a piano. Anticipating my lack of commitment my dad made me keep the piano at my grandfather’s home. The day came when my dad sold the piano and gave me the money for it “to buy cassette tapes of music”. I played very badly. Another hobby gone. There was a guitar and a clarinet in the music hobby list at different stage too. Now it’s the ukulele. I dabble infrequently but have challenged myself to play on it daily. It’s such a fun instrument.

I’ve tried crafts. Quilling comes to mind. It seemed (and was) easy. It uses strips of paper rolled, shaped & glued, to create pictures. I bought (as always) the necessary tools. I made pictures and celebration cards. None achieved perfection, but did get better with practise.

Oh, I realise I haven’t included my calligraphy period.

Earlier it was Fimo clay creations. This is air drying clay. I made brooches, earrings, necklace dangles and little ornaments.

Cooking became the hobby when I retired in 2018. I retired early to help with my grandsons . I had lots ( too much??) time on my hands. Once a week I would cook an international meal. I’d go all out on the ingredients and creating the ambience of a restaurant with music and drinks from the country of origin. Somewhere like all other hobbies this enthusiasm slowed down. It was replaced with baking cakes and icing them creatively.

And LEGO. I was mid completion of a floral display, physical therapy for a badly broken shoulder. Unfortunately I fell ( not while constructioning the LEGO) & broke my other shoulder so completing it at that time was out of the question. I plan on starting it again…soon.

Gardening – this hobby was born out of necessity – Covid lockdowns – LONG Covid lockdowns. It was close at hand, and I had the tools and was an easy way to maintain social distancing. I transformed the backyard from a jungle to a display garden. Sporadically I still need to do upkeep on this hobby. I’ve added attempts at growing succulents now.

I also have the hobby of writing. Way back in 2011 I read about Blogging. My new hobby was found. I used it for recording my vacations, life experiences, opinions and writing fiction stories. I still blog today – though there are large time gaps between postings, but it seems I continue to return to this hobby. I’ve even completed educational courses on it.
I think I’ve only scraped the surface in my list of hobbies. It was fun reminiscing.

Do you stick at your hobbies long term or flit from hobby to hobby like a bee seeking nectar? 

Five for Silver…or Backyard strumming

I’ve had my ukulele out of its bag every day this year. Yes, two days.

It’s another challenge of mine to learn the ukulele and to play it frequently. It’s such a happy (and forgiving thankfully) instrument. I’ve even cut my long nails back. Strings and nails don’t mix well. 

I purchased my ukulele in 2019 in Waikiki. Since then I had a dream of playing ( loose term ) it around the Hawaiian Islands. I started lessons but Covid intervened. Every now and then I get it out and strum it. 

Last year towards the end of the year we spent just over a month exploring five Hawaiian Islands. Following my dream I took my ukulele along and played it on each island- however pitifully. 

Playing in font of our hotel room Hotel Coral Reef, Kapaa, Kauai

In Maui I even managed a lesson on the beach. It was one of the highest highlights of my trip. Regret not getting a photo of the experience.

Back in the accommodation, after my lesson on Kama’ole Beach Park 2.

This year ( all 2 days of it ) I’ve set up and played in my backyard. A group of magpies have started visiting. They sit close by. 

Maybe they actually enjoy my renditions of ‘Let it Be’ and ‘You are my Sunshine”. Or, they are gathering in numbers to protest.