The 7 Year Itch . . .

DH Russ and I will be celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary next Thursday 7 June. It's hard to believe that this time 7 years ago we were in the USA, preparing to tie the knot in Las Vegas.. where has the time gone?

As many of you who are regulars to my blog may know, DH Russ & I have never really been big on buying anniversary presents for each other, we usually just exchange cards and go out to dinner somewhere, so it was a big surprise when I found out this morning that he, with the assistance of my wonderful stepdaugher, Lauren, (thanks Lauren!) had actually organised a little getaway for the two of us to the Yarra Valley - one of the major wine producing regions of Victoria.

This will be the first vacation we've had since we married 7 years ago. In the intervening years, all we've done, pretty much, is work 7 days a week and I'm extremely burnt out, so this has come at precisely the right time. At first, he wasn't even going to tell me he had organised anything, but then he realised that he would have to share his little 'secret' with me, since I need to give the medical company I transcribe for at least some notice that I'll be away.

So.. it turns out we're staying in a town in the Yarra Valley called Warburton. Not being a Victorian by birth, I admit, I'd never even heard of the place until Russ told me where we were going for our anniversary. I also managed to get the name of the place we're staying in out of him - Forget Me Not Cottages. Having found the name of the cottages from Russ, of course, I just had to check them out on the web, here's the blurb from their website:

"Welcome to Forget Me Not Cottages.

We want you to escape to experience luxury, boutique accommodation designed exclusively for couples, with relaxation & romance in mind. We offer luxury, boutique Bed & Breakfast accommodation where you can enjoy the romantic tranquillity offered within our unique cottages.

Luxuriate in your private spa, immerse, relax and share the experience … indulge in front of your wood fire … pamper yourself with a relaxation massage … or simply relax, unwind & enjoy, you may never want to leave …. this is your ‘forget me not’ memory & experience.

It turns out that DH Russ has gone all out and booked the most expensive cottage - Mondo's Cottage:

"Absolute privacy, seclusion, luxury and tranquillity are yours as Mondo’s is set well away from the other cottages. The largest of the self contained cottages, your private heated spa pool is set into the cottage veranda. Inside you will find your sumptuous king bed, wood fire, full kitchen (with dishwasher) and full bathroom with claw foot bath – it will feel like a home away from home. Your kitchen is fully stocked with breakfast provisions for you to prepare at your leisure – both for continental and cooked breakfast. Mondo’s is the favourite of our returning guests and is ideal for longer stays, honeymoons or your personal special occasion."

I like the sounds of the breakfast menu too:

"Your tariff includes provisions for both continental and fully cooked breakfasts. These provisions include :

Locally smoked bacon, eggs, hash browns and tomato
Bread and mini croissants
Variety of cereals
Milk, yoghurt and dairy spreads
Juices
Plunger coffee
Variety of teas (including herbal), instant coffee and hot chocolate
Fresh fruit
Jams, spreads and tomato sauce "

So much for my diet!

Russ has it pretty much all planned.. we leave early in the morning on Wednesday 13th June, as it takes around 3 hours to drive there, stop off somewhere on the way for lunch, and then perhaps visit the Healesville Sanctuary for a few hours, before heading on to Warbuton to check into our accommodation. On Wednesday evening, we'll cook a BBQ on our verandah, with food provided by the cottages, and finish the evening relaxing in the spa. On Thursday, we're thinking of taking a wine tour of local vineyards and then in the evening partaking of some of the regional food at one of the local restaurants. On Friday, we'll check out around 11.00 am and leisurely make our way back home.

As you can probably tell, I'm really very excited about this. I keep forgetting that it's literally years since Russ & I had some 'quality time' together.. our whole lives for the past 7 years has pretty much revolved around working 7 days a week and struggling to keep our heads above water, so these few days away will not only help us to reconnect, but also give us both a much needed break from real life. I promise I'll try my hardest to remember to take my camera with me so I'll hopefully have loads of photos to share with you on our return.

As for beads.. well.. I have a few custom orders to work on over the weekend, so I doubt I'm going to have any time to work on beads for eBay, which means that in all probability, I won't have anything new to offer you until at least the weekend starting 16th June. I will try to have something to offer you, but.. no promises!

Anyway, that's pretty much all I have to share with you at the moment. I can hardly wait for our getaway. I really didn't think I'd be so excited, but I am! Thanks for checking in, and I'll catch you again next time.

Checking In . . .

Wow.. over a week since I updated my blog. Time sure flies when you're (not) having fun. I would like to say I've been so busy with socialising or having fun that I haven't had a chance to update my blog, alas, that isn't the truth. I've actually been feeling a little off-colour for the past week - sorta like I was coming down with the 'flu, tired all the time, achy muscles, etc, but it hasn't developed into anything more than that. My Mum & DH Russ also feel the same way, so, I guess it's just something going around.

Apart from that, and working in my day job, I really haven't got anything at all interesting to chat about. I'm working on a custom order today, so that will keep me busy in the studio. I also hope to put together a set of beads to offer you on eBay, however, I'm not sure if that's going to happen or not.. all depends on how long it takes me to finish the custom order and whether or not I feel well enough after that to fire the torch up again. I'll just play it by ear.

Not much else to say right at the moment. Have a great weekend, and thanks for checking in.

Creature Comforts . . .

As winter is fast approaching "down under", I often have the heater on to warm my feet whilst I'm working in my day job (you can just make out the foot pedal I use at the top of the picture). Unfortunately, I don't seem to get as much warmth as I should thanks to Tasha, who seems to think that the heater is put on for her. Could she get any closer? One day I'm sure I'm going to hear a "poof" and see her disappear in flames. I have one cat who loves the heater, and another one that loves the fan. It's true, each animal has its own personality.

I finish my day job at 12.30 pm today, and plan on spending a few hours in the studio working on a new set of beads. Check back in a few days' time to see what's new. In the meantime, have a great weekend.

MIA . . .

Sorry I've been MIA for a few days . . . I've just been keeping a low profile and in all honesty, haven't felt much like socialising. I listed a new set of beads on eBay this morning, and I hope to have another set ready to offer you on Tuesday. I'm actually quite excited about the next set . . . the test beads I made worked out perfectly, so as soon as I've put together enough beads for a set, they'll be ready to go. Mind you, with the way my bead auctions have been going lately (or should I say not going), I'm thinking of giving up beadmaking and concentrating on selling twisties - it seems that my twisty auction is more popular than any of my beads.

I thought I'd share a photo with you of my half-sister, Yvette. I caught up with her a few days ago on MSN and we had a chat. It felt quite surreal talking to her . . . the last time I saw her, she was only a tiny baby, and she's so mature for a girl her age. I hope one day to have her come down and stay with DH Russ & I so I can get to know her a little better. I also hope to get to know my other half-siblings further on down the track. Like I said before, having gone from being an only child for 38 years to having four half-siblings is going to take some getting used to.

Well . . . not really a lot else to chat about. I'm in the process of cooking dinner, so I better go check on that. Stop by on Tuesday if you'd like to check out the new beads - I really think you're going to like them.

A Life Half Lived . . .

I found out this evening that my father, Matthys Joost Rykmans, died almost 2 years ago. You might think that a strange name, but in English it loosely translates to Matthew John Rykmans, with my father's side of the family being Dutch.

It's very disconcerting to find out that your father died 2 years ago, especially when the day I found this out was on his birthday, today, 8th May. He would have been 65 years of age today. That probably goes a long way to explaining how I found this information out. Feeling particularly melancholy, I decided to contact my uncle - my father's brother - Peter, who informed me he died of emphysema two years ago in August.

I won't go into a lot of details regarding my relationship with my father, but suffice to say, he was never a true "father figure" in my life. He and my mother broke up when I was only 3 months old, and in the preceding years, I really didn't have all that much to do with him, other than the occasional weekend away at his house with his next wife, Margaret. My early memories of my father, and spending time with him, consist of me spending more time with his wife than with him. Oh, and their gorgeous Boxer dog, Bianca, and their numerous cats (my father, for all his faults, was, as I am, a cat lover), however he was never what you would call a warm or loving person, and I certainly never felt as if I meant all that much to him on my visits with him. If truth be known, I felt closer to Margaret than to him.

However, I have to say I'm still a little upset about the whole thing. I had no clue he had died. I was never informed. I didn't attend his funeral. He never even met DH Russ - nor did he know I had married almost 7 yrs ago and that I moved from Sydney to Melbourne in late 1999. His fourth wife, Marla (whom I've never met), has apparently kept his ashes at home, so I have no chance of visiting his grave site and making peace with him. Ultimately, it's a very sad situation.

I also found out, upon chatting with my Uncle Peter, that I actually have four half siblings - I knew of Michael, Yvette and Jason (although I had never met Jason, and Michael and Yvette don't remember me at all), but Shaun was a bit of a surprise. I now find myself in the position of having gone from an only child to having four half-siblings. It's going to take some time to get used to.

I also contacted Michael and Yvette this evening. I gave them my phone number and website URL, and I truly hope they keep in touch with me. They are both very young, so it might not mean all that much to them at the moment, but I'm hoping in future years, they may want to get to know me a little better, as I do them. As for Shaun and Jason, whom I've never met . . . I'm not sure what I'm meant to do about that. I have no contact number for them. Maybe they, in future, will want to get to know their big sister, and when or if that time presents itself, I'll be here waiting.

Today has certainly been an eye opener. My father has died, I find I have an extra half-sibling I never knew about, and I'm now in the position of facing my own mortality. Although my father and I were never close, and with him never having much interest in developing any sort of relationship with me, a chapter of my life is over. One of my parents has died. I suppose I should feel something more than I do . . . I do feel sad, but more for what may have been had my father been a different person - he was an extremely intelligent person, but one who was never able to show emotion and acknowledge his responsibilities. Alas, that's the way it is, and I shall have to deal with that as best I can.

So to you, Matthew John Rykmans, I have this to say. I am so very sorry you never found what you were looking for. I'm so terribly sorry you died at a relatively young age. But most of all, I'm sorry that we could not have developed a genuine father-daughter relationship. I'm sure if you had been able to get past your demons and see me for who I really was, you would have liked me . . . and I'm sure I too could have found something in you that would have made me proud to call you my father. Until we meet again, I hope wherever you are, you occasionally watch over me. When all is said and done, you were the best father you knew how to be, and I don't hold it against you that you never really knew what your role was in this relationship.

I look forward to seeing you in the next life, Dad. I'm sure we'll get it right the second time around.

Love,
Your daughter,
Suzanne

Latest Bead Offerings . . .

Here's a photo of my latest set up on eBay. I've been working on this set on and off for a few days, and I'm really pleased with the results. I hope you like them too. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to make as many beads over the past few days as I had anticipated - mainly due to the fact that I did 4.5 hours of overtime in my medical transcription job on Friday, so that meant I didn't get any time on Friday afternoon to make beads. I do finish work today at 12.30 pm, so I might make a start on a new set of beads . . . I'm really taken with the 'window' squeezed beads in this set, and want to put together a bracelet for myself. In all the years I've been beadmaking, I only own one piece of jewelry I've made with my own beads, and I'd really love a bracelet made with that style of bead. Since I'm a neutral colour sort of girl, I'm probably going to be leaning towards black and white, and depending on how much I like them, I might even make a set for eBay . . . I have a few ideas I want to try to 'jazz' things up a bit with those beads, so expect to see more of them out of me in the near future.

Okey dokey, my coffee break is over, so I better get back to work. See you again soon.

Mid Week Howdy . . .

Thanks to everyone who inquired about the website bead buyables, however, they have now sold (thank you Julie!). The good news though is that after I finish work on Friday, I hope to put together a new set of website buyables for those that missed out. I've been thinking that since I only work until 12.30 pm on Mondays & Fridays, I might concentrate my beadmaking efforts on those afternoons to working on offering you more bead buyables, and on weekends, I'll concentrate on making a set or two for eBay. Of course, with me being so fickle in nature, that could change, but that's the plan for the moment. We'll just see how it goes . . .

Nothing else interesting at all to chat about . . . my life pretty much consists of working 7 days a week, so how many exciting things could I possibly have to share with you? I've actually been feeling a little "blue" for the past few days . . . not sure why, although winter is fast approaching here down under, so maybe that has something to do with it - not that winter actually bothers me . . . if truth be known, I actually prefer the cooler weather. I guess everyone has times when they feel a little restless or down in the dumps, and I'm sure I'll shake myself out of it eventually.

Anyhoo, DH Russ is trying to cheer me up by offering to take me out for dinner this evening, so I better go put my face on, tidy my hair and get a move on. I want to make sure we're finished dinner and home in time to watch "Heroes" at 8.30 pm. Thanks for checking in, and I'll catch you again next time.