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Wrong number!

by jmgoyder

I just got an awful shock when I realized why the scary man on the phone is so angry. Let me explain:

The scary man rang me the other day on the home phone and here is how the conversation unfolded:

Me: Hello?

Scary Man: Hello.

Me: Is that … ? Sorry, who am I speaking to?

Scary Man: No, love, I’d like to know who I’m speaking to.

Me: But you rang me.

Scary Man: You got that wrong – you have rung me and hung up around seven times now.

Me: Sorry, but I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Scary Man: You ring me in the night and hang up just as I’m answering the phone. What is your name!

Me: Julie!

Scary Man: Julie who?

Me: Come on – I hate this joke thing. Who is this?

Scary Man: Oh, you hate this joke thing – so why do you keep waking me up late at night?

Me: What are you talking about? Sorry, are you the builder from Boyanup?

Scary Man: I’m not a bloody builder. Where are you ringing from?

Me: Western Australia.

Scary Man: Well I’m in Queensland, girlie and if you keep on ringing me ….

Me: I’m not ringing you – I’m so sorry – we’ve had a severe storm recently so maybe it’s the telephone wires or something?

Then, a few days later, the scary man rang again and Ming answered and this time the guy was extremely aggressive on the phone and I could hear Ming apologizing and assuring the man we hadn’t rung him.

I couldn’t work out the conundrum until I found out that I had one digit wrong in my nephew’s phone number (who I’d been trying to ring for a few days), so I thought that must be it.

Until yesterday. Yesterday, I rang Anthony’s mobile number and guess who answered – yes, it was the scary man! His voice is deep and gravelly and totally recognizable. In terror I quickly said, ‘Oh, sorry, I have the wrong number,’ and quickly hung up.

Okay, in a previous post, I described my method of ringing Anthony. Because he is slow to answer, I let the phone ring four times, hang up, then four times again and hang up and he sometimes answers on the third try. I do this around three times per day if I am not going in to visit.

I must have misdialled a few times and obviously the scary man’s phone number is similar to Anthony’s. I am now much more careful when I dial! And, since Queensland is two hours ahead of us, that explains the late night thing.

I am so glad the scary man lives in Queensland and not around the corner!

Animal Uncategorized

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Quick apology before the power goes out again!

by jmgoyder

This is just a note to my blogfellows: I will catch up with your posts soon but can’t sustain at the moment, due to our freak/freakish storm. I have had to delete most of the last two day’s worth of email notifications in order to keep my sanity – very sorry!

blogging Family Uncategorized

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Storm

by jmgoyder

We are experiencing a cyclonic storm beyond anything I have ever seen before. The electricity has just come on after 24 hours but I don’t think it will last so this is just a quick post. I think the storm has hit a lot of Western Australia. Very frightening.

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Dangerous divulgences!

by jmgoyder

I have noticed lately, that all of the blogs I subscribe to are written by people who are good people. I have also noticed that sometimes good people let something slip into their posts that is not-so-good, or not-so-pleasant, a kind of appeal to indulge the divulgence, a hesitantly heroic haha of honesty, a ferocious fault-line, a grinning uncertainty.

I like to smoke cigars

I like to sip beer

I like to swear

Obviously Godrey doesn’t approve but who cares – I am not a goose!

blogging Family Friendship Uncategorized

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Tina Turner

by jmgoyder

Husband has always adored Tina Turner and that song, “We don’t need another hero!” It’s easy to find on youtube but here is one link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1FPK5-Rm38

I hope the real Tina Turner doesn’t mind that we named a rooster (who we thought was a hen) after her, but the resemblance was uncanny and our Tina has the very same feistiness!

I rang Husband in the nursing lodge a moment ago and asked him to confirm that it was the Tina Turner song, “We don’t need another hero” that he loved so much. I even sang a bit of it on the phone which made us both laugh. He said yes.

Here are the lyrics to this famous song:“We Don’t Need Another Hero”

OUT OF THE RUINS OUT FROM THE WRECKAGE CAN`T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE THIS TIME WE ARE THE CHILDREN THE LAST GENERATION WE ARE THE ONES THEY LEFT BEHIND AND I WONDER WHEN WE ARE EVER GONNA CHANGE LIVING UNDER THE FEAR, TILL NOTHING ELSE REMAINS
WE DON`T NEED ANOTHER HERO WE DON`T NEED TO KNOW THE WAY HOME ALL WE WANT IS LIFE BEYOND THUNDERDOME
LOOKING FOR SOMETHING WE CAN RELY ON THERE`S GOTTA BE SOMETHING BETTER OUT THERE LOVE AND COMPASSION THEIR DAY IS COMING ALL ELSE ARE CASTLES BUILT IN THE AIR AND I WONDER WHEN WE ARE EVER GONNA CHANGE LIVING UNDER THE FEAR TILL NOTHING ELSE REMAINS
ALL THE CHILDREN SAY WE DON`T NEED ANOTHER HERO WE DON`T NEED TO KNOW THE WAY HOME ALL WE WANT IS LIFE BEYOND THUNDERDOME
SO WHAT DO WE DO WITH OUR LIFES WE LEAVE ONLY A MARK WILL OUR STORY SHINE LIKE A LIGHT OR END IN THE DARK GIVE IT ALL OR NOTHING
WE DON`T NEED ANOTHER HERO WE DON`T NEED TO KNOW THE WAY HOME ALL WE WANT IS LIFE BEYOND THUNDERDOME

I quite like the way my copy/paste of the above lyrics has accidentally crammed them altogether into a single wordy crush of feeling – a single paragraph and decades of meaning….

Thank you, Tina Turner.

Uncategorized Wings

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ANZAC Day

by jmgoyder

This is just one link to the history of this day; there are many others on the internet.

http://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/anzac/anzac_tradition.asp

But what has touched me most is the following comment from my new blog friend, Nia at photographyofnia.wordpress.com

Here is what she says:

First of all Thank you for visiting my blog, dear Julie. I am so glad to meet you. These photographs and your writing are so nice… My love and My prayers for you too on this Anzac Day… It is a memorial day, for us too.

In Turkey the name “ANZAC Cove” was officially recognised by the Turkish government on Anzac Day in 1985. In 1934, Kemal Atatürk delivered the following words to the first Australians, New Zealanders and British to visit the Gallipoli battlefields. This was later inscribed on a monolith at Ari Burnu Cemetery (ANZAC Beach) which was unveiled in 1985. The words also appear on the Kemal Atatürk Memorial, Canberra, and the Atatürk Memorial in Wellington:

“Those heroes that shed their blood And lost their lives. You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies And the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side Here in this country of ours. You, the mothers, Who sent their sons from far away countries Wipe away your tears, Your sons are now lying in our bosom And are in peace After having lost their lives on this land they have Become our sons as well.”

Thank you, Blessing and Happiness, dear Julie with my love, nia

I think you will agree that the above quote says it all – not just about ANZAC Day and what it means, but about life and death and the longevity of love and loyalty and maybe God.

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WordPressing problems

by jmgoyder

I don’t really want to a blog about blogging, when I want to blog about other stuff, however there are certain things about the way WordPress works which may need attention. I’m not complaining, just responding to the problems I feel need to be ‘fixed’. I will try to outline my suggestions as entertainingly as possible.

A relative just emailed me, distressed because she thought one of the posts I reblogged (and I don’t do this often) was me talking, not the original blogger, so she thought I was going to get a divorce! This misunderstanding is because the reblogger’s comment (mine) came at the end, rather than at the beginning, of the reblogged post (the brilliant writer who is not me!)

Along the same lines, everything is backwards in time; i.e you have to read your comments backwards and your ‘followers’ have to read your posts backwards. So, every time you subscribe to a blog, or vice versa, it’s a bit difficult to get to the beginning first and read through subsequent posts in an orderly fashion (you know, February to March, rather than March to February).

I find the term ‘follower’ a little strange because, for me (yes it’s just me and probably everyone will disagree) connotes with either ‘disciple’ or ‘stalker’.

Also, when someone ‘likes’ my post, I am also told by WordPress that they think it is “awesome” (and again, vice versa). Okay, I quite like my cute little nose but I don’t think it’s awesome.

I hope this doesn’t sound too cynical or rebellious; WordPress is awesome!

I’m ducking for cover now – hehe!

blogging Uncategorized

30 Comments »

by jmgoyder

Julie’s comments: This blog is one of my favourites because not only is ‘artful’ a fantastic writer, her strength of character reminds me of the eagles in the video clip – both of which are inspirational!

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by jmgoyder

This woman’s heroic journey post scoliosis surgery is inspiring, and reading her blog has helped me with Son. Thanks ‘curvyspine’!

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9 Comments »

by jmgoyder

This is one of my favourite posts on one of my favourite blogs!

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