popeye the sailor man

When I was small I believed my Granda was Popeye the Sailor Man –toot –toot.


The similarities in my mind were all reasons to prove it to be true:
1. Granda lived in Belfast and therefore had a very strong accent which I had great trouble understanding as a youngster. I’m not sure what accent Popeye has, but I couldn’t understand what he was saying either.
2. In his younger years Granda was in the Army and like most well worn army men, he has many tattoo’s on his arms – just like Popeye.
3. Granda had a boat. He loved his boat, and we received photo’s of him in his boat wearing a captains hat, just like Popeye's.
4. They both had a proud flock of white grey hair
5. They both smoked a pipe out the side of their mouth

Don’t quote me on this, but I’m pretty sure he would have liked spinach too. So to me it all added up to one thing… my Granda was in fact Popeye.

Mind you, my Granda didn’t share Popeye’s bad temper, and I never saw him whirl his arm up into a spin and recoil with a giant punch. He’d sit me on his lap and tell me stories about the tattoos on his arms (like a picture book). He insisted that the tattoo of a young pretty American Indian woman with long plaits and feathers in her hair was my Mum. I’d argue that my Mum had blonde hair, and he’d wink and say “Aye, but she dies it”.

He was quiet and dignified but had a wicked sense of humour and enough pride to sink a ship. He was ever friendly, so generous, and when I stayed with them a few years back while on holidays he spoilt me rotten. He cooked me up some fresh cockles that he’d gone out and collected that morning before I woke, and he drove me all over the place showing me various sights.

While in the car driving around one day Granny inquired “Is this Tom Jones on the radio?”
“Aye Meta.” He replied, (that was my Granny’s name).
“What’s he singing? Sex Bomb???” (a little alarmed).
“Aye Meta, Sex Bomb” then he literally winked and nudged her. She chuckled. He could always turn my serious Granny into a fit of giggles.


This morning (last night on that side of the world) my Granda died.

It was two days until the anniversary of when my Granny died last year.

I'm glad I had opportunities to spend time with him and get to know him now I'm an adult. Now I know he’s not Popeye, he’s way cooler.

music music music

I've finally finished my CDs for CD Swap 2.

I'll be posting them out today to 5 folks across Australia and America. I don't want to give too much away just yet because that'd spoil the surprise for them. But I'll post more detail with the all important tracklists next week.

I ended up deciding to make 3 different CD tracklists once I got my list of people, because of age and location. I didn't want to bombard the Australian on my list with local music, like I did for the American people. And there's another CD that I made especially for one person... I'll explain why later.

I've used my photos in the cover designs, but I don't have one of those nifty lable makers, so the actual discs are a bit naff. But the music will make up for it, right?

tranquility

My Illustration Friday entry for 'tranquility'.

To me there's nothing more tranquil than clear calm water. I just can't resist lying about on a jetty or in a little boat with my feet dangling over the edge in the water...daydreaming until the clouds have changed shapes a hundred times and my toes become prunes.

Just a quick one this week as I've been busy making my CDs for CD Swap 2.

first off the ranks

Eeeeeeeeeee! I'm so excited. I just got my first CD from CD Swap 2 from Erin the Knitterista.

It came packaged in a way that made me a bit embarrassed about the amount of planning and effort I've put into my CDs. It's got a fancy CD face print which matches the front cover, AND comes with a matching motif button (which I'll definitely be wearing out tomorrow). It had stickers on the front of the package and a little note from Erin on the back of an oversized Fruits postcard.


Okay, a bit too much description... Can you tell I'm excited? I haven't even listened to the CD yet, but needless to say I'm excited about that too.

I'd better pull my finger out. I haven't sent my CDs yet, but I picked the covers up from the printer today, and my playlists have been perfected. Just a few finishing touches and the actual posting to go now. It's all been great fun, stay posted.

the awe and newness of it all

Almost everyone I know believes that they alone have the special ability to somehow attract the nutcases on the train. This morning I encountered a man. Energetically he bounded into my carriage and sat across from me.

"I’m on a train!" he pronounced enthusiastically but slurred. I smiled politely and looked away. "WOW" he went on, "And it's a Tangara!" (a model of train that was new to Sydney about 15 years ago). The smile spread wider across his face as he started to bounce in his seat. Then he looked directly at me, "I'm lucky aren't I?"
I looked up.
"I'm on a train and I've got this!" He held up a small Coke bottle. Now chuckling I asked "What's in that?" expecting him to admit to a large splash of rum.
"Coke!" he replied as proud as punch, as though it was a drink strictly reserved for birthday parties.

I quickly realised he wasn't drunk or drugged-out, as I'm prone to expect on the trains.

"Ooooo, I've got Coke and I'm on a Tangara" he shrilled, still bouncing and now slapping his hand on his thigh too. "I am so lucky, aren't I?"

His excitement was pure and his joy completely contagious. "Yes, I reckon you are" I replied, now with a smile as large as his. And I meant it; envious of his ecstatic state compared with my on-the-train-every-day drone.

We exchanged a bit more of enthusiasm about his plans for the day, and then wished each other a good day as I got off the train. The wish was sincere and it worked, I kept my wide smile all day.

It was a rare experience in its loveliness, and I was left wishing I had the special ability to attract someone like him on the trains more often.

karma

My Illustration Friday entry for 'karma'.

Fi has been one of my very best friends ever since we first met in primary school. Now her vibrant life path has led her to Tibetan Buddhism. She is very dedicated to the faith, so much so that she is on her way to a three year retreat in France and then on to become a nun.

For years she worked at the main Tibetan Buddhism Centre in the city. During this time Fi's mum (the most devoted mother I've ever met) would tell us about the centre. With her beautiful diction she would say "The kitchen has a lot of ants and cockroaches, but you mustn't harm any of them because they believe in reincarnation here. So you see, the bugs could be migrating souls." Then she'd glance from side to side, lean in, lower her voice and continue, "But when nobody is looking I'll stomp on them." Finishing with a cheeky mischievous chuckle.

she had green contact lenses and a strange habit

Just met up with some friends for a couple of drinks in the afternoon sun, and got talking about flatmates. One of my friends is currently having a toilet paper standoff with her flatmate. Everyone in the world must have at least 5 great (or not so great flatmate stories). I won’t bombard you with all of mine all at once, but one of the nicer ones had a strange habit.

She was an excentric English woman in her early 40’s. She was stylish, very cool, easy to get along with, and although she never stopped snacking on exotic canapés, I never saw her eat a full meal. Her strange habit was that when the bottom of the shower curtain started to get a little dirty or mouldy, before any of us had a chance to wash it, she would simply trim the mouldy strip from the bottom. This happened a few times, until we were left with a shower curtain that only hung down as far as our chest. Didn’t serve its purpose very well at all, the bathroom floor was always swimming, and should someone accidentally burst in on you in the shower, embarrassment was unavoidable.