WWW: Whimsy

I couldn't resist a new WWW after babysitting on Monday.

Just for the record, I'm still ingesting new and scary sociological vocabulary each day which means this WWW is not going to be very serious.  Or relevant.  Or literary.

Whimsy {n} /ˈ(h)wimzē/
Playfully quaint or fanciful behavior or humour

I've always liked the word 'whimsy' because it sounds like its meaning.  I think there is a technical grammar term for that which I learnt pre-university and then promptly forgot.  (I promptly forgot a lot of pre-university education...especially anything mathematical or logical.  I'm not too worried about that, however, since I have seemed to retain my ability to read and write which is the main thing.  And I also remember how to make chrysanthemums turn blue and red overnight using food dye.)

There are some things which you get to learn before you even hit the educational institutions.  But only if you have a babysitter.

I love electricity & ciambotta

{Written yesterday evening, October 14th}


I'm very tempted to give a nice long spiel about Things Which We Take For Granted, inspired by my recent experience of a First World Problem (as opposed to Third World problems - which are big).

But that would be really boring and probably very uninspiring.  I'm a great believer in the philosophy that you can only really learn something properly until you've experienced it yourself.  For example, your father may tell you that the barbecue is hot, so don't you dare touch it.  But then you touch it anyway because surely there are different opinions on what 'hot' can mean.  'Hot' is what temperature exactly?  'Hot' as in we need to jump in the pool?  'Hot' as in you feel the heat radiating onto your face?  'Hot' as in adults like to drink their tea hot (I hate tea)?

More like 'hot' you'll burn your finger, and so my little brother did.  Touch the barbecue, I mean.  And burn his finger too.  At least we think he did because he tore off down the garden as soon as it happened and disappeared in the bushes for a while.

This morning I was on the internet at 7:30am because we'd received a little slip of paper in the mail telling us that the power would go off from 8:30am to some late hour.  Without thinking about it too heavily, it registered in my mind that no power equals no internet.  That's okay, I don't really need 24/7 internet access as long as I check everything in the morning...

Confessions: Play Dough and Pancakes

Who invented play dough?

And who invented pancakes?

Legendary!

Today I babysat two little boys.  It's a regular thing, so no nasty shocks or unexpected surprises to share.  I always arrive prepared for mud, dirt, slime, food on the floor, food on the furniture, food in my shoes...

smelly nappies...

grubby fingers in my hair...

yelling noises in my ear...

fingerprints on my glasses...

quivering biceps... ["ok, time to walk.  Can't you walk now?  Please walk!  I'm putting you down NOW."]

Ah yes, it is good.  Why?

City Mouse [still movie]

Confessions: Ital-Anglo Mouse

It has come to my attention that this blog has a bit of an Australian/Italian flavour to it.  I think the official term is Anglo-Italian.  Or Ital-Anglo?  Wog?  Anything?

My Nonna features quite a bit and that was entirely unplanned.  Maybe my Australian life is more multicultural than I realise.
It comes out at odd moments.  Things I think are normal, and then suddenly someone says 'Really?  You do/say that?'

I AM pretty Australian though.  It's my mum who is the child of the ethnic immigrant (I think that's an official term).

Here are some momentos of my quasi Ital-Anglo normal life..