"It's Not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." Abraham Lincoln

Dear Babyboomers

"It's not the years in your life that count.  It's the life in your years"......Abraham Lincoln. How true at this time of our lives.  Since I have been exploring the concept of "Secrets of Successful Retirement", and sharing it with you, retirement has taken on a more positive note. Instead of feeling like a 'has been' there has been a shift towards making the years count.  Whatever that means to you, to me or to others.

Listing a few concepts gathered so far, to make the years count.
7/3/10 - One is project - replacing the idea/concept of goal setting, which doesn't really work when you are changing pace and direction - better to have projects which enable us to have something to work towards, to feel engaged in, to feel excited about.
The other from your statement is....... "taking me out to places', which is also the philosophy of getting out there and doing rather than being a passive observer which can tend to happen. Whether or not, the places are distant and foreign, or near but on a deeper level, is immaterial. The important element is exploring new horizons

9/3/10 - "Yet", what a great word. Three little letters that mean so much more...at a future time. I think YET should be added to our COG - Crazy Ole Women, list of words. It's the perfect word for a retired boomer...your extra time, your excellent time.  It allows one to still have time to realise ambitions, dreams, unfulfilled desires

13/3/10 It seems that I have become an old model rather than a role model. Invisible to most everyone. And yet it is this invisible cloak that has liberated me. I can spend an entire day absorbed in my work without even a glance in the mirror. For me the blueprint to retirement is not to retire. I plan to spend every precious moment creating, designing, reading, recording, expanding.

Which seems to be a good time to show what 'Not retiring means to Renotta. Love your beautiful hat.  Why don't we bring back more hats, Babyboomer Women? Why don't we all decide to wear an 'image enhancing hat' this week whilst we are stranded between seasons. We would love to hear your ideas on making the years count.
Cheers Clara

Welcome to my journey as I photograph something I create everyday for a year... RRT

http://www.shopatnextdoor.com/

Chain, Chain, Chain March 24th

Chain, Chain, Chain...I love this chain. I made a three foot long chain of some of my favorite beads with links of hammered pewter wire.

Hat Trick...March 23rd

Loom knit wool, felted and reconstructed into a fanciful hat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Stranded...March 22nd

Stranded between winter and spring. Six foot strand of beads woven back and forth to create this multiple strand necklace. Copper, pearls, turquoise, jasper, serpentine.

 

To view or add comment, click on comments at bottom of page or send an email - clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au or visit my website at www.babyboomerconnections.com.au

You can never have too many cookbooks plus handy hints from Clara

Dear Babyboomers
R wrote  - B (Husband) says you can never have too many cookbooks. There is always the trunk of your car or the basket on your bicycle to store them. Although he prefers that you stick with Italian as that is the true food of the earth. I am looking forward to my little herb garden this summer with fresh basil, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Oh dear, I feel a song coming on.

Clara - these are my favourite Italian cookbooks.

Plus there are other unconfessed stashes, apart from the magazines under the couch.  There are two large folders with recipes cut from magazines, Good Living etc, then there is an envelope folder with cut out recipes ready to be filed or put in the Recipes folder on the net. 
One of the aspects that bother me about this (and G brings it up occasionally) is that one of the symptoms of ageing (ie apart from the dreaded upper arms and emerging gigantic hairs on the chinny chin chin)  is that some of us collect newspaper articles or tie up bundles of magazines and keep them.  Can you ask B if this is the next step please as I may need to buy some more string. 

Re - Silver Spoon - the recipes are relatively simple but the methods cater for the Italian housewife of the past whose main role in life was to cook perfect pasta (many would not trust a new wife and would remain sceptical  that even after many years, that their precious son was being fed as well as she fed him. A whole new concept of MOG Mother of Groom.) 
Now I, Clara, on the other hand, have some handy hints to bring this splendid book up to date. 
Firstly, I rarely cook a chook, preferring thigh pieces for their ease and juiciness.(Sorry but what can I do without Spell check? Talk to Mr Google) 
Here there could be memories of Dad decapitating a beloved hen.  I was attached to all of them as I fed them their steaming aromatic mix each morning, the smell of which remains with me; and had names for them all.  BUT - OK it was Christmas.  Alright I didn't actually see him do the deed but saw the outcome ie a headless chook running around the yard, which is really spooky. It may seem two-faced when I say that we didn't mind playing with the dismembered feet of the unfortunate chook and learnt some biology by pulling the emerging sinues(?) to delight in how the feet closed  and opened.
OK - Chicken pieces which I would cook in the oven. Oven - a whole new subject.  I love ovens!!! Why is this so?  Because even though I am passionate about cooking I also choose to have a life.  The oven allows me to do my thing with the food, occasionally sealing and reducing the wine content or drinking it, adding herbs, sauce etc, then wop it in the oven which then takes over then I can do other things.  (I haven't forgotten about Time Management, just haven't had time).  G cooks a fantastic meal once a week usually from Silver Spoon and follows the recipe ; let me tell you SNAGS, coming home to the fragrant aroma of reducing wine with garden herbs has to be an aphrodesiac (?)!!
But he has learnt from me - and wops it in the oven to finish the magical process.

Moving on with our recipe - I know my BIL, brother in law Umburto from Tuscany, would disagree with me here, but I usually reduce the oil or butter, not quite as much as I used to because I know it adds so much flavour - however I still like wearing tight jeans.  If you sear in a little butter and oil the flavour is still there and (sorry Umbi) I don't believe that adding too much more is worth the extra trip to the gym or whatever one does.

I question removing the garlic - a true Italian surely would not do that and complete my critique by saying where are the herbs?
My philosophy on herbs could go on for ever but another time and place.  Enough to say "Why just do it if you can overdo it?"
I wonder if there is a can of baked beans in the pantry - to me creating wonderful meals is an act of love and G is in Vietnam.
Cheers Clara

To view or add comment, click on comments at bottom of page or send an email - clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au or visit my website at www.babyboomerconnections.com.au

Meal Supremo takes over from Vienamese Cuisine

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R wrote -
Clara,

So you're probably having tea and crumpets and I'm having a glass of wine while I cook pollo alla ratatouille, page 924, Silver Spoon............

Our meal was supremo! Served on a bed of pasta with parmesan. Lovely. Lots of left overs for tomorrow. Tons of food and I halved the recipe.
Love
Renatto and Roberto

Clara - luv your new names!

Chicken Ratatouoille
Pollo Alla Ratatoutille
Sounds like to serve 8
2 oz butter  - 6 tblsp olive oil -
2 onions  - quartered
3 courgettes - (zucchini)
2 aubergines - (eggplant) cut into cubes
3 red or yellow peppers - halved, seeded and thickly sliced
4 tomatoes, peeled, quartered
Chicken pieces -  whole chicken divided up
2 garlic cloves  S & P
Heat half the butter and half the oil in a pan, add the courgettes,aubergines, and peppers. Season w  S & P - Add tomatoes,  and simmer for about an hour.

Heat remaining oil and butter  in another pan and add chicken and garlic - stir until golden brown - and cook for a further 30 mins .  Discard garlic and add to the vegetables

Prago xxx



To view or add comment, click on comments at bottom of page or send an email - clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au or visit my website at www.babyboomerconnections.com.au

Reluctant Blogger asks Questions ? Why 'Should I Contribute?' Why Do You Use Pen Names?

Dear Babyboomers and Rita  - Have Your Say!
Comment from a valued friend......
Good lord woman ! Have you set that site up? And who are you talking to??     
It’s marvellous!   
Go ahead and transcribe whatever you wish.

I have the feeling that I ‘should’ make time to join in this activity/connectivity/blog you have going but I can’t quite get with it inside myself. How do you know who you’re talking with if you’re all using pen-names? How do I contribute anyway? (IF I ‘got with it’ ?)


Welcome VF (Valued Friend) - Thanks -  No 'Shoulds' - you taught me that -  Love your questions....

 Who am I talking to? ....... To others in my position - the GFC has reduced my limited super - bugger - and I would like to draw you into where I am at - and unashamably down the track when we attract like minds, I am going to do a bit of Affiliate Marketing which interpreted, means that  hopefully there will be sufficient like minds so that when I get Mr Google to suggest a few products that will enhance our lives that there maybe some income; if you click on some antiageing product - etc,  Price per click  - perhaps 30c per click which may help to meet my wants rather than my needs.
Which is one of the reasons I am blogging - the intrinsic reason is that I  love connecting with all you guys out there, and want and need to contribute towards 'Successful Retirement', whatever it means to you.


 The web is a marvellous  place to speak your piece  to other like minded women  or  SNAGS - but - I don't put myself in a position where my "Identity could  be taken over...... because I know that no-one else could cope with being me so it is purely protecting others".
I would love you, and like-minds out there to contribute ideas towards what I call 'A blueprint to successful retirement and beyond' but you need to have your own voice/identity -  I would be out of order to assume you would be prepared to publish a lovely personal comment.  Which is why in acknowledging the amazing capacity we have to communicate, it is also necessary to feel safe in saying your piece which may mean anonimity (where are you Spellcheck?)
Cheers Clara
To view or add comment, click on comments at bottom of page or send an email - clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au or visit my website at www.babyboomerconnections.com.au

Babyboomer Women relating to Marilyn French book 'The Love Children'

Dear Babyboomers 
R wrote - Started Marilyn French's last book, The Love Children. So far so good.

 http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/ review this as follows

The Love Children (2005)
A novel by Marilyn French


Marilyn French's 1977 novel The Women's Room epitomized the feminist movement and became one of the most influential books of our time. Now she has captured the complexities of life for the daughters of the Women's Room generation in her highly anticipated new novel The Love Children.


It is the late 1960s in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Grateful Dead is playing on the radio and teenagers are wearing long hair and blue jeans. Jess Leighton, the daughter of a temperamental painter and a proto-feminist Harvard professor, is struggling to make sense of her world amid racial tensions, Vietnam War protests, and anti-government rage. With more options than her mother's generation, but no role model for creating the life she desires, Jess experiments with sex and psychedelic drugs as she searches for happiness on her own terms. In the midst of joining and fleeing a commune, growing organic vegetables, and operating a sustainable restaurant, Jess grapples with the legacy of her mother's generation.

Clara - Can't wait to read it - sounds great -  set in the era we are revisiting especially with G being in Vietnam.  Love your mobius scarf - silk screened with a photo - I had a Silk Screen Cottage Industry in the 80's but my mind boggles at being able to silk screen knits. 
Still haven't forgotten Time Management or Looking in Mirrors.
Cheers Clara



Welcome to my journey as I photograph something I create everyday for a year... RRT

In Ruins...March 21st
Continuous Scarf silkcreened with a photo I took of indian ruins in New Mexico

http://www.shopatnextdoor.com/

To view or add comment, click on comments at bottom of page or send an email - clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au
or visit my website at http://www.babyboomerconnections.com.au/

Vietnamese Cooking - the basics

Dear Babyboomers   (Warning - this post will most likely contain spelling errors - Blogger, in their wisdom, have removed Spellcheck along with the Video function.?????????  Not a happy blogger but others feel the same so hopefully these functions will be restored.  I was in the Spelling Remedial class at College in the days when spelling was important and only squeaked through in the last session - I used to spend so much time studying the spelling demons- perhaps this is why I didn't have much awareness of Vietnam.)

Re - Cook Books
R -  I have been searching for the dish you cooked from 'The Silver Spoon - and have just found it.  Florentine Beef Stew - Straccotto Alla Fiorentina.   We were really happy that you and B (Husband) have adopted this bible of Italian Food  too.  The recipes are always deliciously simple. By the way I received a lovely thank you note from future MOG after the Italian dinner so please tell B it was worth the risk. 

There are so many fabulous books out there which guide us re cooking and eating.  Can I ask B, why it is that even though I have heaps of Cook Books, and am confident re producing great food, that I somehow desperately want to still buy YET another one, which looks to be exactly what I have always wanted and needed.  This is the only area where these symptoms show through strongly.  Do I have a syndrome? There is absolutely no more room on the book shelf and the other day I was guilty of storing some cooking magazines under the couch so things are getting desperate.

Now that I have confessed I feel better and ready to start on  Dinner Party, Vietnamese Style, since it is obviously topical and G might be encouraged to pick up a few local hints (or at least buy me a regional cookbook).  it's good also to plan when you don't have to deliver.

I love Asian food and could eat it every night. 

Gỏi cuốn - Summer Rolls are a good example of tangy, crunchy.
Recipe tomorrow
Vietnamese cooking style has taken the lighter aspects of Chinese and Thai cuisine, and combined them with the subtlety of the French. It's all about mixing tangy heat with herbs, crunchy salad vegetables and seafood.
Wikipedia - Vietnamese cuisine is a style of cooking derived from the nation of Vietnam with fish sauce, soy sauce, rice, fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables all commonly used. Vietnamese recipes utilize a very diverse range of herbs, including lemongrass, mint, Vietnamese mint, long coriander and Thai basil leaves. Traditional Vietnamese cooking is greatly admired for freshness of the ingredients and for the healthy eating style.

The most common meats used in Vietnamese cuisine are pork, chicken, fish, and various kinds of seafood. The Vietnamese also have a strong vegetarian tradition influenced by Buddhist values.  The cuisine of South Vietnam has historically been influenced by the influx of southern Chinese immigrants, French colonists and other nationalities.
The basics include:-
Herbs - Basil - (Thai basil is available from Asian Grocery stores), Mint (Vietnamese Mint is really easy to grow and is quite peppery) but the ordinary varieties will suffice.
Sprouts - Mung-bean sprouts add crunch - they have a short shelf life so ensure there is no browning.
Green Mangoes  Should be hard to the touch - an unripe mango - the harder the better, can substitute.
Fish Sauce - an essential condiment

Ready to go - 
More tomorrow with extra local hints from G
Cheers Clara

To view or add comment, click on comments at bottom of page or send an email - clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au
Visit my website on http://www.babyboomerconnections.com.au/

Good Morning Vietnam

Good Morning Vietnam http://www.projectvietnam.com/

G wrote Hello Darling - Always great to get your thoughts on return from dinner in the evening, Na Trang is very busy this weekend as they have a big celebration on as part of Vietnam 1000 year celebration with Ho Chi Minh centre stage. much loved father of modern Vietnam. Ian and  a couple of the others from past years projects have special invitations to attend, so tomorrow we all 7 do this then move on on Sunday to Vung Tou.

In answer to your question - The beer is quite good, in Hanoi they have 2 - 3 kegs on the side of the footpath; they put in the top valve then a tap and pour the beer straight into your

glass, Fresh and cold, I don't know how they get it cold.
In Na Trang it comes from the traditional tap on the Bar, a bit more upmarket. 

Other than that, the way they do things on work projects, deliveries etc is as different to our world as is Venice, except it's all done on bicycle!!

Clara - We could sell  both cars and just ride bikes.  1000 year celebrations - mind blowing.  My knowledge of Vietnam is mainly in the context of the Vietnam War and even then that is scant.  I began Teaching  in the mid 60's, and perhaps the busy process contributed to me missing out on a lot of background so this is a great opportunity to extend  my knowlege and do some googling.


How is the food?  Is it very spicy and hot?  Are the French bakeries still there or indeed is there much French influence?  How does it feel to be back there after all this time?

Keep safe Darling



Members of 7RAR disembark from a landing craft at Vung Tau for their second tour of duty in Vietnam, February 1970.

Already a popular resort before the war, Vung Tau came to be used by Australian and American servicemen as a rest area.

To view or add comment, click on comments at bottom of page or send an email - clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au or visit my website at www.babyboomerconnections.com.au

Recording first time baby says 'Granny'. Granny or a Nonna like me?

Dear R and other Babyboomers out there,

R wrote (she is a COG - crazy old Gal, like me and is going to be a granny soon - yeah!!!) -


- I'm toying with the idea of a camcorder, perhaps as simple as the kodak Zi8. I like the idea of the external microphone to capture sounds like, yes, the first time baby says granny! Didn't find one at Walmart, so the search is still on, with that being half the fun. I use a nikon D200 that was a gift from B back a few years. I love it, and admit to also not beginning to use all its features. I need to get back to the basics of depth of field and all that good stuff again. So much to learn. My problem is not what to do with my time, but how to find time to do everything I want to do. So perhaps we should add time management TM to our SR list. I often feel like a jack of all trades, master of none because I love so many things. My blog project has been great as it pulls everything together for me. There is much to be said for having a full plate. No time to wallow in the mire. Now that leads me to .....

you guessed it... Come on Baby light my fire, now is not the time to retire. List of words that rhyme with retire:


admire, buyer, dyer, dire, fire, higher, hire, liar, mire, plier, sire, tire, wire
Feel a song coming on?        Clara -   .....Your Energy I admire........
Talking about recording Grandchildren's first words, are you going to be a Granny, Nana, or a Nonna like me?
The name I chose for myself in this role , which I know suggests, correctly, that I was struggling somewhat with the whole concept, ..... was 'Nonna". Why not "Nana" which was the traditional name for the role in my family? Probably because I was in denial at the time and could not yet relate to the image/stereotype. I was not ready for the role; circumstances were complicated.   I am now really comfortable with the role-name as it allows paternal grandmothers to be 'Nana" and be different from me the 'Nonna'.


Nonna is of course, Italian, for grandmother (grandfather is Nonno) and even though I am not Italian, I feel that I have a soul / mindset that embraces what it means to be a nonna. The extended family is still alive and well in Italy and in Europe. People don't travel to the extent that they do from Australia, NZ or USA. I believe that children grow well in an extended family situation and recent studies suggest that children who have influence / caring from grandparents are ahead of the rest.


My grandparents were there for me or at least the grandmothers were. By the time I had any real awareness the grandfathers had passed away as many of them did in those days - silent sufferers who probably ignored symptoms until it was too late, except for Great Grandpa (paternal) who lived to 100 and received a telegram from the Queen. He said to me as we were about to move on to Australia "You are so fair that you could be an albino except for your eyes." Sometimes grandparents talk like that, as though you are really not there and that you are like a family specimen to be examined for your attributes etc.


A cot in your studio sounds lovely.  Using discarded broken pieces from another life as in today's piece, Flotsam, is a beautiful concept. Not only 'Everything old is New Again' but more than that when 'discarded, broken' becomes beautiful.
Cheers Clara
ps - I am not ignoring your TM - Time Management - just haven't had enough time.
Welcome to my journey as I photograph something I create everyday for a year... RRT




Flotsam...March 20th

Flotsam, discarded odds and ends. Pottery shards are just that, discarded broken pieces from another life. A land fill of sorts that pops up through the soil much like the first green shoots of spring. I decided to finally make something of my favorite shards in hopes that they will last in time in someone's collection, rather than become flotsam.

To view or add comment, click on comments at bottom of page or send an email - clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au or visit my website at http://www.babyboomerconnections.com.au/

Good Morning Vietnam

  Hi guys
G wrote - I can't send photos as all the computers here are old models, don't have card readers, if I find one I will send a few. We are in Na Trang today which is a small coastal town known for it's fishing and pearl industry. The pace is much slower here so easier to appreciate. I am finding it hard to get a good sleep, the beds are Futons, bloody hard mattress, hard to get comfortable, however its all clean -  good otherwise, can't complain for $25 a day. The beer from the bier hoi (beer hall) is regulated to 4000 dong which is about 25 cents a glass, you just have to sit in the gutter with the locals to drink it, very social here??

Clara - Looked up Na Trang  - Looks like a fusion of the past/present.  It must feel strange being back there under different circumstances.

Futons - the bed from Hell  - why do they do it?  Is the beer good?
Love Clara









To view or add comment, click on comments at bottom of page or send an email - clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au

Keys to Successful Retirement - now is our time!

Dear Babyboomers
R wrote (she is a COG  - crazy old Gal, like me) -

"I envy you your Thursdays with Liz (TWL). What a wonderful combination, a good friend, laughter and photoshop. I have been exploring photoshop elements for years now, most of the time by myself and crying more than laughing. But isn't it great? Our cats look wonderful on my patio, very compatible and happy. Remember what John Travolta said in the movie Michael, laughter is the way to true love. Three more important keys to successful retirement...laughter, love and good movies.


Speaking of which, I love your muvee! What a delightful surprise. I was out for a walk yesterday and photographed a bubbling spring on our hillside. When I got back to look at the photo, it just wasn't the same without the wonderful sound and movement. So that does it, I'm on my way to Walmart, another key to SR (successful retirement). Not shopping at Walmart, but continuing to pursue new interests, challenging oneself to go to the next level. And there it is again, the key to SR, don't retire. Start up something new...let's twist again.
Clara fication - Successful retirement - that's it!  Whatever turns you on - whatever project you take on - it doesn't have to be creative or positive or anything except what you want to do.  Because now is our time.  Yeah!!!!  How  good is that?      Let's Twist Again....LTA 
We babyboomer women and others, understand ages and stages, and now it's our turn to make the most of our time.  If we don't, we also know that no-one else will do it for us. 

Tech Stuff - Thanks for writing down the BLOGGING, COGGING terms.  I am going to display them so newcomers understand.  it takes a while to get your head around Blogger, which is (have to be careful as he might be listening) simple but not really.  Like most web stuff, it boils down to a series of simple steps, but my experience is that there often seems to be a missing link. G would say "Yes Darling", meaningfully.
And while I'm on the subject, why do they have to update all the time? Why does it have to change, like  -  can't we get used to it and feel confident and comfortable for a while? Today there was an entirely different format which does my head in but I know that is the way of the world today - yes it was an improved function but......
I am going to list the Successful Retirement stuff in my website so it is all together.

What have you bought at Walmart? Your photos are just beautiful as they are  - but you are right - we BB women challenge ourselves to go to the next level - whatever that may be - but only if we feel like it. The camera I use is a Canon - wonderful gift from the stars of "The Wedding".  I haven't even explored it's capacities YET. 
Keep laughing.  It uses the best muscles.
Not more snow......
Luv Clara

Welcome to my journey as I photograph something I create everyday for a year... RRT


Coral Bells...March 18th 

It's 60 degrees out, and there is not a patch of snow anywhere. I walked the property, surveying the critter damages to my plantings. I found this little patch of coral bells that somehow survived the winter and the rabbits. I thought it was an appropriate place to take this photo. The weather forecast for the weekend is SNOW!







Necklace of stone and glass designed to go with tomorrow's piece.

To view or add comment, click on comments at bottom of page or send an email clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au   We would love you to share your creative ideas.

Babyboomer Women in the Grip of the Blog

Dear R and other Babyboomers
On Thursday at 2, Liz comes over and we play around with Photoshop. We met at a Community Evening College last year where a very officious young lady attempted to teach Photoshop in eight easy lessons with a test at the end. Liz and I didn't get it - loved what PS could do but just didn't get it - which is not surprising since it is a very sophisticated program. We felt like the naughty girls in the class just as if we were right back there with all you babyboomers. We now explore Picassa, with issues like - how do you store photos, when do you use Picassa rather than Photoshop etc.
So now when we meet, we attempt to find our way through the wilderness, usually spending much of the time laughing belly laughs at what we create. The blind leading the blind but we have fun and we are moving forward!!?? Today's effort below.

Another retirement wisdom coming up for the blueprint - we can continue to make vibrant connections with others when we engage in similar interests.

So your cat now sits with mine both adorned with your beautiful neckpieces.
Cheers Clara
ps I have to name my cat now that she is a celebrity.




Brown Cat meets White Cat (He He!)

"I have a neckpiece too."















Welcome to my journey as I photograph something I create everyday for a year... RRT

Post Note...March 17th









Loom knit silk poncho with pottery shard neck piece.

Posted...March 16th





Neck Piece of jasper and pewter with shard pendant

Playing around with what will work - seems to be a limit - all trial and error since there is no clear blueprint here either. Also working on the Music aspect - I know where to go - when I decide to take the time- at present we have abrupt cutoffs.

Video - Just a quick one to show your fabulous work. Obviously it would need to be in order, with captions - but it would be good to go on U tube etc. with the appropriate music and challenge. Let's do it - Let's twist again like........ Let's do some marketing together.

Love Clara

Good Morning Vietnam

Visit my website at http://www.babyboomerconnections.com.au/

Good Morning Vietnam http://www.projectvietnam.com/

Good Morning my heroes - now I know that you, Graham, have arrived in Hanoi, then I can relate.
Now you are back there.

Thanks Guys, from the bottom of our hearts.

Love Clara

Project Vietnam

Love what you are doing.
•Refurbishment of communal health stations in rural areas.
•Refurbishment and renovation of living quarters at schools and selected orphanages in rural areas.
•Education programs in hospitals.
•Supply of medical equipment and textbooks.
•Construction of an orphanage building in Cambodia.
THE VISION: To meet the medical equipment, health and education needs of the people of Vietnam and any bordering country, using professional input from Australia, Vietnam and such bordering country in developing programs in specific areas to improve their quality of life.

Project Vietnam Inc. is accredited with the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) and Peoples' Aid Coordinating Committee of Vietnam (PACCOM).

Mobius Strip becomes Creative - doing the intrinsic twist!

Dear Babyboomers R and others
R wrote "We have created a mobius, a continuous strand that has no beginning or end but has a unique twist to it.
Clara - What is she talking about? I googled 'Mobius' which then came up with 'Mobius Strip'.
I taught this to Year 3 in Science (learning a heap along the way). Amazing concept and yes we have created this VIA COGGING.
It all came flooding back in that Science lesson, where some got it right and others .......... so I was extremely busy doing the intrinsic twist.


A Möbius strip made with a piece of paper and tape. If an ant were to crawl along the length of this strip, it would return to its starting point having traversed every part of the strip without ever crossing an edge - and then the next exercise was to divide the strip !!!!!!????

You know that I will have to go there at some stage but not now.



A wedding ring designed as a Möbius strip. Rather lovely I thought, especially since we have a wedding coming up.

Clara says - R - http://www.toroidalsnark.net/mkmb.html
takes you to an amazing web site which describes knitted mobius strips (I am doing my research before seeing your Mobius inspired piece. Can't quite understand why she does this though.)






Escher's Version of a Mobius Strip -

He is one of my heroes.












Welcome to my journey as I photograph something I create everyday for a year... RRT


Mobius...March 15th

R - This Mobius Scarf is loom knit and joined to make it a continuous piece with a half twist. Featured here with neck piece of carved jade beads and fossil cabochon pendant.

Möbius strips have found a number of surprising applications that exploit a remarkable property they possess: one-sidedness. Joining the ends of a strip with no half twist produces a simple belt-shaped loop with two sides and two edges -- impossible to travel from one side to the other without crossing an edge. But, as a result of the half twist, the Möbius Strip has only one side and one edge!

To view or add comment, click on comments at bottom of page

Successful Retirement - draft blueprint

Dear Babyboomers

R wrote - Please tell G that I am preparing Stracotto Alla Fiorentina (page 801 in The Silver Spoon.) I'm off to lard the beef.

Clara - R, I'm sending your message to him via this blog because he's (G) on his way to Vietnam
to join a friend he was with during the war, who has set up "Project Vietnam", to participate in an aid program. More to follow.

Just need to get this success thing posted first before we move on to Vietnam. Just a beginning - this is what this blog/ site is all about - your input Babyboomers, to put together a draft blueprint.

"I have thought long and hard about the concept of 'Success' over the years and find a definition of it to be elusive - like with the word 'Love' which means a lot of differing concepts to people at various stages of their lives, depending on their age /stage/perception.

To me, 'Success held elements close to 'by one's own efforts, or a team effort ie the achievement of personal /project goals.

I compiled this when it was relevant to work goals but what I am working on now is a retirement model.

• "Goals and work ethics need to be endorsed/evolved by both management and staff, (who is the staff, who is the management? ........)
  The goals, perhaps to be replaced by the word 'Projects', whilst being challenging , also need to be realistic and achieveable. To be successful in a retirement environment requires emotional intelligence, which embraces the elements of positive relationships and appropriate knowledge.
• Above all the 'team' is the vital word, which means that the common goals take over from the individual roles of members of the team, whatever team that may constitute, when the pressure is on.
• Please add

Cheers Clara

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Granny/Nanny Bloggers get technical / Dances with Daughters

Dear Babyboomers and others
R wrote - "NOGGING, nanas / nonnas blogging (cogging) I love that. I will add it to my log of COGS. You realize there is no end to this COGGING. We have created a mobius, a continuous strand that has no beginning or end but has a unique twist to it. Perhaps the women's movement was more successful in creating liberated sons than daughters. Perhaps that is why young women today will be more successful in their marriages, and perhaps they will not even know why.


Clara - Chogger - children - it's endless. We must send it to Blogger for some extra rights such as tuition. It now occurs to me that our kids/children need our past to help them with their future. "We give them the gift of our experience" - we need not only to continue COGGING but to do some KOGGING or CHOGGING too. I haven't ever heard of the word 'mobius' so need to look it up. I agree and had already written the word 'endless' before I read your word.

If you see a few changes in the blog, it is due to my lovely neighbour who looks and sounds just like Tom Cruise (so shall be named Tom), who is an IT expert. He is one of your so called liberated sons and spends quality time with his children - "even dances with daughters - 5 and 8 ". I was a single parent with children 4 and 6 onward, so missed out on such beautiful experiences.

Welcome to my journey as I photograph something I create everyday for a year... RRT


Thought you might enjoy seeing what you are missing. On my first attempt at Faux Forsythia my model fell over and my Hope Springs Necklace broke in a zillion pieces. There I was picking up beads midst rabbit and deer droppings. Back to the drawing board to restring the necklace. Next photo shoot was more successful.


Faux Forsythia...March 14th

In an effort to brighten a very bleak environment, I added silk forsythia to the bare branches. It just seemed the thing to do.

I wanted to work with the bright gold and as a result a happy mistake resulted with my off the shoulder "poncho". Having only two small cones of yarn to work with, I knit a long rectangle with no garment in mind. After a bit of draping and seaming I came up with a new twist to the ancient poncho. Fun!

Clara - Fun / functional / funky / featuring Babyboomers best feature - shoulders. Love the off side draping which helps to create a fabulous layered look. ps you did a great job putting together Hope Springs Necklace - It looks better than ever.

Cheers Clara

Technical stuff - all you need to do to set up a similar 'muvee' /video as per yesterday, is to first download a free Google program called Picassa. Once you have done that I will guide you through a few simple steps. One other tech point was which Tom suggested that I download Google Chrome as an alterative to Internet Explorer which I did and found that Blogger worked better even allowing me to cut and paste within the program which I hadn't been able to do previously. He suggested that I keep both going for a while until it becomes obvious which one works best.

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Successful Pram Moms Down Under

Dear Babyboomers
R wrote - "What goes around comes around" might be appropriate here. I see more and more young women who have chosen to be successful stay at home moms, stroller moms. Would that be pram moms down under? There are days that my store is filled to capacity with strollers, children and moms. Young women, coupon in hand, looking to economically outfit themselves for a soccer game or the PTA. I am always encouraged by this. My own daughter is definitely following this path as she prepares for her son's arrival. Yes, a boy! This will be a new venture indeed. I'm thinking along the lines of like grandmother, like grandson as I make room for a crib in my studio!

Clara - Wonderful news! Now you can become a nanny COGGER, a NOGGER!!! I am already a nonna of three with the count between G and myself being 12. My daughter also is looking forward to this path down the track if all goes well. I, too, find it encouraging to see all the proud mums pushing prams. Perhaps they will be more dare I say, 'successful' at marriage than our generation, without the history of the women's movement. I do ask myself how did this influence my expectations, and how did we expect the guys to catch up with us, given their conditioning.

I found a piece I wrote on Success (very subjective word)- will post it tomorrow. I did it!!!! First of many videos - I love them - they make me happy and I feel clever and successful.

Cheers Clara

Welcome to my journey as I photograph something I create everyday for a year... RRT

Clara's Cat
Hi, what's your name? I like your neckpiece.











Hope Springs Eternal...March 13th
This may not look very hopeful, but for me it is like the first daffodil of spring. My stone cat has only recently emerged from his four month hibernation under three feet of snow. I adorned him with a neckpiece of faux amber, glass and brass beads with a pendant made from a vintage button my mother gave me.



Lunch at Balmoral


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Our daughters don't even know they have been liberated.

Dear Babyboomers
R wrote,"I tested the waters today by trying to enlist my 30 something employees in a discussion of the the women's movement. Nothing, nada, zip. I fear we have done such a great job of liberating our daughters that they don't even know they have been liberated. In fact, it seems the most important items on their agenda are Facebook (their faces), the latest episode of Housewives of Orange County and how they look in a pair of jeans. I long for a meaningful discussion of a great book or a critique of a movie rather than a reality show. It seems that I have become an old model rather than a role model. Invisible to most everyone. And yet it is this invisible cloak that has liberated me. I can spend an entire day absorbed in my work without even a glance in the mirror. For me the blueprint to retirement is not to retire. I plan to spend every precious moment creating, designing, reading, recording, expanding. I hope we will be cogging for a long time to come."

Clara - I doubt if you will ever be invisible - your creativity and energy will rule that one out. However, "and yet it is this invisible cloak that has liberated me", is a very liberating concept to me. It takes me beyond my ego, my self as I present to the world, to a deeper level, where I can just be 'me'.

Our daughters are not really as different as the 70's feminists expected they would be - 'You've come a long way, Baby', appears from my observation of successful women, to put a lot of pressure on them to juggle work with family life. No doubt, however, if they choose this path, the climate is more supportive and their partners more aware of sharing the load. We should make sure that our daughters are taught this aspect of history in order to help them develop a perspective and if they choose to, take important aspects from the lesson and apply it to their lives

'Life is not a series of isolated ponds and puddles;
It is a river which flows from the past to the future
Only in the most literal sense are we born on the day we leave our mother's womb
In the larger, truer sense, we are born of the past - connected to it's fluidity,
Both genetically and experientially"......

Our children have grown up in a different pond, but it is all connected. They inherit what has evolved before their time, then like us, have their opportunity to make the most of it in order to survive and grow.

The process of writing has given me a new perspective (not always comfortable) where in looking to the past, patterns do emerge:- Creativity - always a different way of looking/thinking ; Enhancement of self and environment - (I love to decorate) ; Love of great food ; a passion for preparing food - creatively yet with health ; and wine (not always great but quaffable) ; Joyful appreciation and love of children, in particular facilitating their creative development ; and in latter years a love of writing, having fun with web pages which allows me to express the many ideas I/others have to share (children's books are on the agenda.)
Above all, the need / appreciation of loving stable family / friendship relationships emerges with prime importance. I have a need to be authentic and hope that my voice is true.

ps - the word 'successful' is one which today seems to refer to women who are out there in the work force. Society needs also to value highly the success of stay at home mothers for their stable contributions to the well being of the next generations.
Cheers Clara

http://www.shopatnextdoor.com/

Welcome to my journey as I photograph something I create everyday for a year...

Loom knit cardi with hand printed birds, worn with flower necklace.

Bird Bath...March 12th


Hand printed as well. Is there no end to your creativity?

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I was a woman moving silently through the women's movement.

Dear Babyboomers of all ages

R wrote, "Well C, you out did yourself with this picture. My heart just jumped. I actually have dreams about the niddy noddy, quite complex ones in fact. It was my salvation at the time and I guess still is. I'm in a bigger, newer version today, but I still have my place to go. I never really entered the work world in the traditional sense. I never encountered all that you write about because in fact I created my own perfect job where I was chief, cook and bottle washer. No glass ceiling or harrassment for me. I took all the things I love; fashion, design, photography, marketing, writing and created a job. Then I hired myself. In my heart I know I'm the only one I could have worked for. I was a woman moving silently through the women's movement. C, I really need a loom to lean over and a cup of coffee to continue this discussion. It is so complex and I fear a topic that has gone by the wayside for alot of women, young and old alike. I will continue my crusade to enlist COGGERS to join us in our virtual niddy noddy world. Cog on!

Clara - I had actual, not virtual goosebumps when I read this. R, I need a loom to lean on too. Your description is powerful and inspiring, where you demonstrate that you have achieved what most people dream about ie creating your own perfect job and hiring yourself, thereby the job becoming an extension of you.

It brings up the eternal question in my mind - "What am I going to be when I grow up?" ...............

Perhaps a writer........... Maybe I am already doing it by being a COGGER, where I can pull together the strands of my life, and create new ones, such as photography and marketing. Who would ever have thought that i would find so much pleasure/passion in doing this - it's all about communicating - with the computer being the very clever tool.

Great to see signs of Spring. How quickly it happens. Autumn is glorious here - the humidity has gone, the sun still hot with welcome coolness in the air. Great for gardening, not that these need much looking after. Cheers Clara

Welcome to my journey as I photograph something I create everyday for a year... RRT

Spring Showers Bring Flowers...March 11th

Neckpiece of copper and faux amber.

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