"The Ballad of Queen Bee and Baby Duck"

I actually do not know what to say.
Here are the facts:
Zok and I went to the 'Hobart Show' (read more 4H club event than state fair), to help out at a croquet field that was put up to promote the sport and hopefully pull in new people.
I really wanted to see baby piglets, (is that a redundant to state baby and piglet together?) however apparently due to (potential) swine flu, all baby pigs stayed on their farms.
However, there were dogs, who were in charge of herding ducks, that were wearing dresses, potentially cross-dressing, this may or may not have been part of a lead up to the gay pride festival which is on late next week.
I applauded the ducks, because whether or not they were newly out of the closet, I thought both the hat and bustle took a bit of daring on their part.
Also I beat Zok in golf croquet 15 to 11, which was very satisfying.

Hush your purdy mouth.

Home again-a bit bruised and battered, as expected.
Training for a roller derby bout is a serious business. Although I got to Geelong in time for Tuesday's practice (excellent blocking practice, with cones set up to make skaters work on their timing) and followed Tuesday practice by going to the next night of 'Freshie' skating practice, this was simply not enough to prepare me for the bout. While I was in Tasmania where skating practice was often canceled or cut short for one reason or another, the Geelong skaters were skating (hard and fast) two-three nights per week, scrimmaging, and being assessed by coaches and refereed by the same.
My skating out on the concrete streets, blocking air was just not enough to bring me up to scratch. Therefore I had both my (awfully) bad and good moments during our second bout.
The next day however, was a co-ed scrimmage, mostly for the male skaters who are working towards bouting status, where I got a bit of ref training, or as I like to say 'got to be a foal on my way to Zebra-hood'.

Some highlights of my trip, (beyond my still every present, ever obvious, love for the Geelong league), was getting to promote and put up posters for our game, and other small assisting jobs such as laying track, and helping with set up and clean up of the bout, which gave me a warm feeling of being part of a team.
I also, went to a dental prosthetist, in Geelong, at Smile Care where I got a custom made mouth guard. Not only was I able to have 'I heart Zok' put into the layers, but due to its custom fit I am able to both breath and speak!
I am not a sporty person, and I have never been part of a sport before, so let me tell you that for the most part, mouth guards are awful. Many people seem to be able to cope with them but I had a hard time, and I am so, so happy to have this new one.

"It's connected to the problems that I won't take for answer"

I always feel a bit sick when I am getting ready to go on a trip. Actually, that isn't the whole truth, I feel sick when I am getting on a plane, road trips by car or bus are fine. Plane travel is such a pain these days. I phoned ahead to add baggage allowance, but the rules had changed, now to add baggage after you have booked your flight, instead of twenty dollars each way, it is forty dollars each way, or if they deem your bags over the limit at the airport, an additional eighty dollars each way.
I am not a rule breaker, so feeling as if I am right on the edge of being over the allowance makes me feel nervous.
Skate gear is basically the entire allowance, I am not even taking toiletries, I will have to buy some in Geelong. I am very low maintenance these days, but still I find the whole procedure a bit of an ordeal, as if some outside force is trying to suck away my fun.
Speaking of sucking away the fun, we (the we here in Hobart) had yet another roller derby meeting. Once again everything has changed, once again everything is the same.
I will pin my hopes on my time away, and real change happening while I am absent.
My time skating (or not skating as it were) here has made me feel like a poseur all over again. I feel a bit silly going back to Geelong for the second bout. More than silly I feel unprepared, as the teams there have been skating even harder, training even more for this upcoming event, and I have been skating circles on my neighborhood roads.
Wish me luck, because I need it.
The photos are from the courtyard, where we had our last derby meeting.
The piece in the courtyard is made of material that catches flies. At night the piece is lit up, attracting the insects.
One of the skaters, and a person I like to think of as my friend works here, for a very worthy company called 'Kickstart Arts' if you don't know about them, you should look them up, and if you can support them.

"Let me hear you balalaika's ringing out Come and keep your comrade warm "

Zok spent the day framing two prints that he bought when he was on tour in Russia. He and the band went to a market, where there was haggling, Zok is very happy when he gets to haggle. There was an added bonus of the fact that the Russian language is based on a Cyrillic alphabet. This means that the Macedonian and Russian languages share some commonalities, for example numbers. Therefore, Zok was able to really haggle with force.
If you were to come over, he would tell you how the posters started out at 10,000 roubles each but he got them for 2,000.
I love that he framed them himself, with bits found at the tip shop because when I first knew him, he had never considered shopping at a thrift store (op shop).
"Why buy something used when the stores are filled with new items"?
Over the years I have changed his perspective or perhaps this is just an example of compromise, just like the fact that we have a large, flat, television.
Which I must admit comes in handy as most movies we watch come as a DVD, and not a theater release.
We just watched 'Red Cliff', which Zok was able to get in Asia. I like to think of this movie as the Chinese Lord of the Rings. The version we saw was about six hours and when the movie ended, I was disappointed that there wasn't another disc. I loved the movie, although even our large television did not do the movie justice and if you can view this in the theater, then do so.

"Used to be one of the rotten ones and I liked you for that."

I have been living in Australia long enough that I am starting to forget the American equivalent for certain aspects of living.
Here, in Tasmania green waste is taken to the 'tip' which is a word, basically meaning dump, as in "No tipping allowed here".
Our tip is privately owned, normally the cost for our Jeep load is about $5 AU, this is reduced to $3, if we remember to bring recycling such as cardboard.
We live within a township so actually our recycling is picked up by the city.

The tip also takes salvage and random items. Each tip has a 'tip shop', which to my eyes is a free-for-all junk yard.
I don't have a lot of luck finding items in places such as these, I like my thrifting to be a bit more upscale, honestly I find the tip to be a bit like dumpster diving in a bad neighborhood, plus if you find an item there is a price for it.

However, Zok found what he wanted here, a couple of frames and some glass.
I, too found items, and I am not sure why, but both of my items were free.
The table cloth which isn't showing well via photo was thrown in by the tip shop with Zok's other purchases, and the cigar box was from a store I quite like, hidden amongst a strange array of magic items. I only wanted the box, so the lovely man separated the box out for me and gave it to me-
Gratis.

"It don't rain anymore I go outdoors where it's fun to be "

I woke up besieged by this overwhelming feeling of dejection, due to last nights practice session. I want to think "Well, she is just not unaware of how mean she is being, (or sounding) and therefore I should just let it go". But, how to get over the physical response that comes along with being spoken to in such a way?

Then I remembered that Zok is home; TODAY!
With everything my life has been comprised of, all the events and trials, so much of my pleasure is involved with eating.
No, not eating per say, meal time. Hanging out together, playing cards or four-in-a-row.
I can't pinpoint why this is, not to be able to express the feeling well.
Some sense of, not having to hurry, of being able to talk over the thoughts in my head, to hear Zok laugh away my random bits of insanity or drama.
I really need some of that about now.

"Gloomy is Sunday, with shadows I spend it all"

The midlands of Tasmania are swollen with water.
Those who know me will expect me to writer here that this bridge from 1836, (yes built by the hands and sweat of convict laborers) is the first stone bridge in Australia, but actually it is the third.
The trip to Ross was for a meeting regarding the constitution of the Van Diemen Rollers, including both North and South.
I want to go back to Ross and have a proper look around.
I am still regretting not wearing my Wellingtons so that I could have raced around to get close to one of the many, many, baby lambs that were along the roadside.
Zok is home in three days, or as the Australians say "three sleeps".