Patra's Other Place

I started out with Patra's Place, primarily dedicated to my linen collection and stitching projects. But I kept getting side-tracked, so I decided to create Patra's Other Place for anything not related to embroidery topics. So you now have a choice. If you are interested in me, read this. If you only want to see my linen and stitching, visit Patra's (original) Place! (Please note that by clicking on any of the photos, they will be enlarged to fill your computer screen.)

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Location: Melbourne, Vic., Australia

I was married to Ken for 43 years, but he died in October 2022. So I am now alone with two cats, eight hens, and a few finches and parrots in one aviary.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Op shopping.

I've just realised why I haven't been posting much on this blog lately; I've been busy op-shopping for the past couple of weeks, and posting write ups about it to the Melbourne opshop blog. Today I met up with another opshop blogger who lives a few miles away from me. We had been keeping in touch by email and on our respective blogs, but this was the first time we have met in person. We had such fun visiting four opshops! If you want to know more, you can read about it here.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Congrats to Cadel - AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE!!!

Congratulations to our own Cadel Evans, who has just won the 2011 Tour de France.
Ken and I like many Australians, have been watching Cadel strive to win this race for the past few years. It is absolutely fantastic for Cadel and for Australia, that he has finally done it!

He is the first Australian to win in the tour's 108-year history, almost 100 years after Brian Kirkham became the first Australian to ride in the famed international race in 1914. In becoming the first Australian to win the tour, Evans' performance is sure to rank among the nation's greatest sporting achievements. All that is needed now is for Prime Minister Julia Gillard to declare a public holiday.

"Public holiday?" he laughed.
"If it doesn't hurt the economy, that's fine by me. Thanks Julia."

Here is a link to Cadel's interview on YouTube:

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Opshoppers in the news!

For two or three years, I've been posting details of my opshop bargains on Melbourne's Opshop blog. Last week I received an email from Amelia, the blog's manager - asking if I'd be willing to do an interview with a journalist about my opshop experiences. She wanted half a dozen people from all around Melbourne, and I was chosen to represent the north eastern suburbs. It sounded like fun, so I agreed.
I have just posted this item on the Opshop blog, so if you have already seen it there, skip this post.

Kathryn from City Weekly phoned me around 2 pm on Thursday, and conducted her interview over the phone. After she'd finished she said the photographer was on his way. I arranged a heap of bric brac on the kitchen table - cup and saucer sets, a couple of teapots, various plates and other household items. In the bedroom I laid out half a dozen jackets and kimono type gowns that I've bought in opshops. I didn't bother with day to day clothes like pants and tops, but I did place several pairs of shoes at the foot of the bed. I figured the photographer would select something and ask me to hang it up somewhere.

He arrived right on 3 pm, dragging a heap of photographic equipment up the stairs. I took him into the kitchen where he glanced at the table, then asked if I bought any clothes at opshops. I said yes, and took him into the bedroom. He pounced on my crazy patchwork gown and said "Perfect - put that on!". So I did, then he got me to drape myself across the other clothes on the bed, in various poses. Then he asked me to get a teapot and cup, and he would photograph me in the gown, pouring a cup of tea. I said "Not in the bedroom!", so we went back into the kitchen to do that. In the meantime, the sun had come out, so he wanted to take some pictures outside, and asked me to select a few pieces from the kitchen table to take outside. He took some photos of various items in interesting spots in the garden, then did more of me still in that gown pouring tea!!

I was almost breathless by the time he left about 3.45; he must have taken about 200 photos. I asked if I could see them one day, and he said to speak to the photo editor after the article is published in the mag, and she might supply me with a proof sheet.
It will be interesting to see the mag when it comes out - Kathryn said she would send me a couple of copies. I don't get into town very often, so it is unlikely that I would be able to obtain a copy otherwise. The photographer said there were 8 magazines published by their company, in different areas of Melbourne, and he thought I would be in a local one. My God, I just hope they don't put me on the front cover, draped across the marital bed in my dressing gown, looking orgasmic over my opshop clothes!!! Ken will have a fit, and I'd never live it down with the locals :-O

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Not much to blog about.

Truly! I am usually such a motor mouth with a lot to say and write, but lately most of my blogging has been of the stitching variety which is on the other blog. For my friends who are wondering, Ken has settled in back at work very happily, and isn't too tired at the end of the day, although he does enjoy his mid week day off. This morning, he collected his Honda bike from the local bike shop where they had been working on it. In the afternoon he had to have an ultra sound on his chest (not heart or lung related), and from there we went to visit his Mum. She is doing well at the moment, and was delighted to see us during the day rather than at night when she is tired and wants to go to bed. We spent an hour with her, and enjoyed afternoon tea as a bonus for getting to the Home at 3 pm!

Since Ken returned to work, I've been opshopping with Glenda, crafting with Val, visiting Helen, and generally doing my Own Thing. Tiger has fully recovered from his operation, and has forgiven us - ha ha! We have new neighbours on one side of our house who appear to be a decent friendly couple with two toddlers. The Neighbours from Hell on the other side have their house on the market, so with a bit of luck we will get decent people in there too...fingers crossed. Life is good!

Saturday, July 02, 2011

Tiger's loss and my gain.

Tiger's loss is not my gain - I just have two items to blog about, and joined them up into one heading.
Tiger's loss is his...um...you-know-whats. At 8 months old he was getting very frisky, and jumping on poor Topsy whenever he could catch her. She was neutered when she was about 8 weeks old, and has never known a male cat (apart from avoiding the neighbours' cats whenever they got into our yard), so she seemed bewildered by Tiger's amorous intentions. Even thought he couldn't get Topsy into 'trouble', we decided for the safety of any other female cats around that it was time for The Operation. We took him to the vet yesterday morning, mewing loudly all the way in his carry cage on the back seat of the car. A very different kitty came home with us that night. $230 later, he was sexless and microchipped, very quiet on the car trip home, and not at all friendly to us for a few hours! He kept going back into the carry cage, sniffing and scratching around in there as if looking for what he'd just lost. Ken was very sympathetic - not that he has been castrated, mind you! It's just a man thing that they feel sorry for domestic animals that have been castrated, I think.
This was taken last week. He won't be curling up like this again for a few days!


As to what I have gained, that refers to my own time. While Ken has been home, I've put most of my usual activities aside so I could spend time with him. Yesterday, he took me into where he works, and we were both surprised by the reactions of his fellow workers. They were all very pleased to see how well he was, and everyone asked if and when he was coming back to work. When his boss asked about returning to work, Ken told him what the lung specialist had said about going back part time, and the boss frowned and said "Well, you know we don't do part time here, Ken, but how many days do you want to work?" Ken said "Four days a week, with Wednesdays off" and his boss said "Oh, I guess we can work in with that!" It seems they've lost a few couriers recently due to ill health and retirement, so Ken coming back is good news for them. He asked when Ken wanted to start work again and Ken looked at me. I said quickly "Next Monday! You haven't got anything else planned for next week have you?" Poor Ken couldn't think quick enough to get out of that one, so his boss said "Done! We'll see you here on Monday!"

On the way home, Ken said "I wasn't planning to go back to work so soon. How did I get roped into returning on Monday?" and I said "Well, you've been talking about the bills coming in and not having enough money from the pension, so the sooner you go back to earning a wage, the better". He said "Oh I suppose so. You just want me out of the house so you can go back to socialising with your friends, don't you?", and I said "Something like that!" I've got next week filled up already. Lunch and a craft session with Val on Monday, the Embroiderer's Guild on Tuesday, Ken will be home on Wednesday, shopping with Glenda on Thursday, and coffee with Helen on Friday. Ah, bliss to have my life back...

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