Youth unemployment

I am sorry.  Did I miss something in this news report?

ABC 7.30 Report

I watched this report last night by reporter Heather Ewart.  As a mother I was interested to see what the plight of our youth is, with regards to the employment situation.  Although it does not concern me directly, both my sons have jobs and are studying, it does concern me that we (as a society, not we as in individuals) have created a generation that has bad attitude to working.

I see this all the time in my own business.  We try and employ young people, we like to give them a chance and help their career and guide them.  A huge number of them, when interviewed, have a terrible attitude to work.  They have grown up thinking the world is theirs to take, they don't need to try hard, or make an effort (I can't tell you how many candidates turn up to an interview in a hoodie, or with piercings all over their face, AND this is when they turn up at all!).  It's not like we are running a sweat shop, or even manual labour - we are interviewing them to be a computer technician.

Most have NO people skills, mumble, have done no research about our company, have a vague idea of what the job is, don't like the fact they have to start at the bottom and, in our opinion, are unemployable.  I get the impression that most of them are just going through the motions of applying for a job so they can fulfill their dole requirements.  Where have we failed them?

Of course not ALL youth are like this, we have three working for us now that are wonderful lads. They work hard, are respectful, dress well, and when asked to take the bin out (and yes, we ask everyone, including myself) they don't roll their eyes and sigh and complain.  We work hard with these boys, give them training, older mentors, a career path and emotional support when needed.  They are like our own sons.  My own sons both have very good work ethics, both had partime jobs in high school, both worked while they were at Uni, both now have very promising careers.  They were taught that you start at the bottom and work your way to the top, earning respect not demanding it.  My eldest son started his career in politics by volunteering, lots of unpaid but appreciated work.

So when I saw this young chap on the 7.30 Report lamenting the fact he can't get a job, I felt kinda sad for him.  Until it came to light that he can't find a job as the only one he wants is to be a film director!!  This is what he is studying, and this is his career!  Are you kidding me?  He was shown some manual jobs by a peer, that he declined, he said he was desperate for a job, yet appears on national television wearing a hoodie, tracksuits pants and a bad attitude.  Had he dressed neatly, changed his attitude and said he was willing to try anything, I am sure there would have been employers out there that would have given him a go. What on earth are his career guidance officer, let alone his parents, telling him?

I blame this boys parents, although I don't think they realise what they have done.  It seems so trendy these days to tell your teenagers the same fairytale you told them when they were little.  The princess always gets the handsome prince, the puppy will be saved, the tooth fairy will pay you.  Now they get told they can do anything in the world they want to do, the skies the limit.  If you don't have talent, that's ok, you can put something on YouTube and get 'discovered'.  All very well and touchy-feely, but its not how the world works.  This lad had probably been told that if he wanted to be a film director, then all he had to do was go to college and study to be one.  It was his dream and who are we to tell him otherwise? 

This 'boy' is 19.  A few generations ago, 19 was a man.  With a man's responsibilities.  If the reporter of this story could only find this lad as an example of how bad the youth unemployment is, then I would suggest her story is pretty flimsy. 

My youngest son is a musician.  He is a very good one, was accepted into WAPA (Western Australian Performing Arts) to play Bass.  Its very hard to get in, the musicians then work, and compete, to stay in and complete their degree. He has been there for 5 years now, and in his final year of becoming a music teacher.  Of course, being an artist, he has always dreamed of being a musician, making it big, earning a living from his passion.  And although he is very good, is in a very successful band, even he knows that there is a reality out there.  We would never quash his dreams (and I truly hope one day they do come true for him), but we also have a duty as parents to keep his feet on the ground and teach him how to keep food on his table.

PS:

I have told my husband that I am quitting my job and going back to uni to follow my dream of being a writer.  I won't take any job that does not employ me to write, in fact I want to be a freelance writer, with a sun filled studio and a book contract.  He will just have to support me, while I wait for my dream job to come along.  I will not accept that I may not be a good enough writer, its my dream and the world owes it to me.  I will live happily ever after and marry the handsome prince (oh wait, I already did that bit ;-)

The End.

You look too young

"To have children that age!"

I was told this three times over this past weekend and at first it made me feel really (and I mean really!) flattered.  At 48, every woman this age is looking to eek out the last of their youth.  And to be told you look young is the ultimate compliment.  Isn't it?

Well it appears my brain says no.  So attuned to being negative about myself, after the initial thrill of the compliment, this is the path my brain took us down. 

Brain: You know why you look too young for a 25 year old son don't you?

Me: Because I inherited good genes from both my parents - they both look (and act) very young for their age?

Brain: Don't be so naive.

Me: ?

Brain: What they are really saying is that you look young because you are, which means you must have had your kids when you were young, which means you are a bad girl!

Me: But I was married when I had my first baby.

Brain: Yeah, they think its because you had to get married.

Me: But I didn't, I actually fell pregnant on my honeymoon.  I was 23.

Brain: They think you were some teenage bride who got married to escape the little country town you lived it.

Me: I lived with my husband for four years before we got married and I went BACK to the little country town, not away from it.  You are just mean Brain.

Brain: Hey, don't shoot the messenger.  I am just telling you what all those nice people really think.

Me: Its not true.  They were being genuinely nice when they said I look young.

Brain: They are nice to you because you are fat and its the only compliment they can pay you.

Me: Shut up Brain, i am going to ignore you now.

My Brain and I don't get along that well, and from the above excerpt you can see why.  I was young when I married and had my first son. Well, young by today's standards.  Back then, in the 80's it was quiet normal, especially in a country town.  Breeding is important in the country!

I will admit it was hard at first, being a mum and watching my footloose friends backpack through Europe, or have careers that they could travel, or go out partying late at night.  But now, at 48, I am an empty-nester, both sins sons have their own place, girlfriends, careers and lives.  Its our turn now, and soon we will have the money to be able to backpack in style in 5, well maybe 4, star hotels and fly business class.  I have a craft room (Son #2 ex room), a reading room (Sons ex activity room) a guest bedroom (Son #1 ex room) and my very own office.  Just a few of the benefits of having your children young!

So Brain, here is a message for you.  The next time some kind person says we look too young to have adult children - you can go take a hike and I will bask in their compliment.

Thank you to those people, it made me smile.

My 40th Birthday with my wonderful boys.  xx

My husband likes candles!

I know that's not really an earth shattering statement, but if you knew Mr K you would know how much out of character this is.  Enough to dedicate a whole blog page to anyway.  And I am not talking about the white paraphin candles you get out when there is a power blackout - no, I am talking about smelly candles!

 

 

Like most girls, I like my house to smell nice.  Its been a pretty tough, uphill battle to achieve this with three males in the house, not to mention the animals and my aversion to cleaning.  So like all good housekeepers, I mask the problem with candles and oils and smelly/pretty things.  These masking attempts have always been met with bad humour from the maleness of the household, or at the very least comments such as "awww Mum, they don't half stink" or "do you have to have so many cluttering up the place" (this from a husband that thinks leaving shoes, socks, shirts, business cards, pens all over the lounge is not clutter).

 

Now that the boys have left home and Mr K and I are empty nesters, the odds are even again.  Its him against me, and those odds have tipped even further in my favour as I have four rooms that are 'mine' to his one!  Oh the candles I have been buying.  Not to mention the mood reeds or the oils.  Each room of mine has a theme - my office is vanilla, warm and inviting, yet not too relaxed.  The guest bedroom is Lilly of the Valley as its my mums favorite.  The reading room is 'calm' - lavender and rose, while the lounge room is a unisex 'seaside'.

 

 

 

Mr K is a smoker - so he has his own aromatherapy called 'yuck!'.  Now that he has his own study, he has decided that this is his room and he will smoke in there (smokers are all rebels - thats why they started in the first place!).  I don't care, as long as the doors are closed and I don't ever need to go in there -its his domain.  Its a shame however, his study is all newly painted and carpeted, so to stink it up with smoke is sad.  But, as I said, its his room.  He has a mate come over each week - confirmed bachelor, who thinks having a mans study is as it should be - gentlemen smoking pipes and cigars and swilling red wine, while the women cook and make no kitchen noise (his words not mine). 

 

After a week, Mr K sheepishly says his study is a bit on the nose and were there any masculine candles?  I am not sure if he was thinking 'camping' - the smell of campfire and burnt chops, or 'sport' the smell of wet footy socks and meat pies, or even 'boys night out'- the smell of stale beer and vomit.  I did try however, went into my favorite candle store, Dusk, and asked if there were any smells for men!  Yes, I did get a funny look, so had to go on to explain the need for a candle to cover stale cigarette smoke. 

 

Ms Dusk Girl and I made the executive decision that a 'destination' candle called Tibet - a heady blend of black tea and lychee's would be the least girly smell.  I can't really see Mr K heading off to meditate in Tibet, but I am glad it was black tea and not green as that would have been a hippy thing too far for him.  I selected a tall pillar candle, matched it with a glass plate and trotted home to present the offering to Mr K.  He opened the package, accepted that it was a candle, sniffed it, asked what the glass plate was for and proceeded to set it up and light it.  I gave him the little speech they give me every time I buy a new candle, make sure you trim the wick each time, only burn it for an hour the first time etc.

 

 

 

He puffed away in his office for hours, his candle burning away, a romantic scene if ever there was one.  Dubious about how much a candle could actually cover the pungency of smoke, I snuck into his office the next day and was very pleasantly surprised and had my olfactory senses appeased.  I almost forgot myself and thought I was indeed immersed in Tibet. 

 

The next day, he came up to my reading room, asking for the little thing-a-ma-jig that I trim the wicks with.  What!!?  Not only did he listen to me, but he was getting a little bit cardigan with matching scarf for my liking.  I have to say, I am most impressed but even more surprised that my husband now likes candles.

 

 

Ways to de-stress

I was away on the weekend and a few of the ladies in the group I was with, went into the little seaside town of Dunsborough for some shopping.  Its always fun shopping when you are on holiday - you have the time to spare to just browse and you feel you have to buy a souvenir (or two).  The ladies I was shopping with are both CEO's of their own companies, highly successful and highly driven women.  To them, retail therapy was just that - therapy.  To me, the shopping part was a feathering of the nest and not necessarily therapeutic.

I did find a treasure, a white linen (real linen!) table cloth and matching napkins.  I clutched it tightly as I waited at the counter to pay, I have been looking for this kind of quality for ages, and here it was in a little coastal town shop called The Lemon Tree.  One of the ladies I was with, older and wiser than me,  smiled at me and said you know you will have to iron those all the time to make them look nice!  I smiled back and said, yes I know - I actually love ironing napery and linens.  The shop keeper and this lady exchanged knowing glances. I confirmed to her how mad I am by going on to add, that I also love to polish silver - its my form of therapy. 

There are a number of reasons why I love this basic of all tasks: 

• I like to do things that take me to another quieter, less hurried era.
• Polishing silver reminds me of when I was a little girl and I sat at my Grandmothers table and polished her (that is now mine) silver
• Making a neat pile of perfectly ironed and pressed linen truly makes me smile
• I get a huge sense of satisfaction from making something that looks drab and dreary into something that sparkles and shines
• I like to look at my silver and pressed linen and feel I am ready for company at any time (even if the loo is dirty and the floor needs washing, at least I have wrinkle free napkins!)
• I like to care for my treasured things

It gives me a huge sense of satisfaction to turn this ....

into this ...

So there I sit at the dining table, clothes and Silvio at the ready, and while I watch and listen to TV I set about polishing away the blackness to reveal the shiny, beautiful silver.

Now who could day this wasn't satisfying work?

The weekend that was

TEC Retreat Advance

Mr K belongs to a mentoring group for CEO's.  It has been a very worthwhile and rewarding membership, one which he involves me in at certain times.  Basically the group is chaired by a retired CEO, with a world of experience and knowledge, so valuable and relevant.  The group is by invitation only, so selected CEO's are invited to join and be a part of a peer support group as well as be guided by our Chair.  Mr K's group, TEC 41, is a very tight knit and progressive group, led by a lovely man, who inspires and challenges and gently (or sometimes not!) guides. 

Once a month Mr K attends a group meeting - an all day event where there is normally a speaker, a workshop and then the peer members all take turns in discussing or airing concerns, or projects or success's.  The members are ever so supportive, and just having a third ear or twelve, makes a huge difference.  Of course there is the Chair who is exceptional at playing devils advocate.  He is famous for asking probing questions! There is also a monthly one on one with our Chair, were specific issues about our business are discussed, he guides us and offers insights into better ways of doing business.  At $1700 a month its not a cheap membership, but to our business it's been priceless.

So, to this weekend. Every year, the group goes away for a retreat - however in true CEO style they call it an advance, not a retreat!  I like that.  Last year we went to Bunbury, this year it was Dunsborough.  There was plenty of wine and food and great company - the CEO's partners all come along.  Friday night was a catered affair at one of the members 'beach shacks" - palatial doesn't even come close to describing it.  On the Saturday morning we had a seminar, about teams and leaders - very thought provoking and great speaker.  Saturday afternoon was a free for all - 3 of us women chose to spend it in retail therapy in the lovely little shops in town.  Saturday night dinner was at a surprise location, which turned out to be at Lamont's at Smiths Beach.  All very hard to take I can tell you.

Headed home Sunday after a leisurely breakfast and a heavenly sleep in.  Wonder where we will end up next year?

Here is where we stayed

View from the balcony in our bedroom - there was another balcony on the story above us that got even better views!

The 'Beach Shack' we stayed in.  Amazing



Lounge area on the top floor.  There was a huge dining area and chefs kitchen behind this

The Friday night party in full swing.  It was catered by a chef and there was french champers flowing.

Front view of the house we had party in Friday night.  As a holiday home, it was better than any house I have ever lived in!

Happy Birthday to my Darling Dad! xxx

Just one year off three quarters of a century and still a legend in his own lunchbox!  No I tell a lie - he is a legend to all that know and love him.  An amazing man in so many ways - generous (with his love, time and worldly possessions), kind (to both animals and Mum!), well respected and respectful by and to others, a man of the community and a man who lives his life to the absolute full.  A true rolemodel to his family and peers.  Better stop now before this sounds like an obituary! 

I truly admire and love my Dad very much, so this is a Birthday Hooray for him as I can't be with him in person to spoil him.  It is also, a public declaration that he has a special meal waiting for him when he is up in Perth in September.  I can't be with him this weekend as I am heading down to Dunsborough to stay in a resort (terrible) and have lots of lovely meals (even more terrible) at wineries (debaucherous) ... but I hope you know Dad - I WILL be thinking of you (well at least when I remember :-0) 

I give you my amazing and wonderful Dad - Bobby!  Happy Birthday to my Dad.

1963 - Pre Marriage

1964 - Aww a new Daddy

Missing in between are the pictures of the middle years - you know between building a house, kids, building another house, grandkids, building yet another house and finally retirement, after building the final (?) house.  I cant show these pictures as he was always with a hammer in his hand, bending over showing a carpenters crack!  (Not really, I have not yet scanned all the middle years photo's onto my PC)  That's a retirement job!  So we skip 40 years ...

2004 - Christmas - A Grange induced grin!

2008 - Stratford-on-Avon

2012 - Wattle Grove Demo Team

Three Days In

It's Wednesday evening, dinner is simmering away on the stove (authentic Italian Bolognaise sauce), I can smell it from my office.  Did I say MY office?  MY very own, no-one but me is allowed office?  It's such a thrill.  I have been silently falling in love with this room since first thing Monday morning.  But like all women who fall in love, as soon as we have them, we want to start changing them.  Just little cosmetic things, maybe a bad habit or two, they way they dress, how they do their hair - just enough change to put our own stamp on them without breaking the original character. 


Thus it is with my very own office.  It looks outside through 2 casement windows.  Sadly the view at the moment is the 4X4 Navara and some weeds.  But I have plans come Spring.  I have a desk that goes across the two windows, fresh air and light - something I missed terribly in the basement that was my old office.  The desk has my PC/monitor (all in one), a printer/scanner/fax machine (all in one), a lamp, a jar of jelly beans, a box of tissues and a pencil holder (none of them are all in one!).  That's it.  The rest gets put away every night.  I want streamlined minimalist.  I tried to even have the printer on another surface, but the tech head, aka Mr K said it had to be directly connected to my PC if I wanted to scan.  Sigh.

Now this looks messy and not calm or pretty at all.  Have to work at this

Plain old boring.  Needs colour and curtains

On my right side (yes I know all that know me are giggling at the thought of me working out which way was right!) are two bookcases, the closest one is full of work files and pretty boxes of stationery.  All neat and co-ordinated and appealing.  The other bookcase has books in the categories of : writing (I so want to pursue this again); genealogy (ditto) horse management (ditto, ditto) and a million cook books (I have some Nigella Lawson thing going where I imagine myself sitting at my desk writing family history cookbooks!)

Idea is good, execution is not.  Will make all files the same size and select better papers

Right next to my desk is a newly purchased heater - that was scored Monday as it was so cold in here, my fingers were frozen.  Also purchased this same day was a little bed for the muppet.  She is yet to be convinced it's her colour, and sometimes she gets on it, other times she prefers to sit right behind my chair, under the wheels - I have tufts of her tail fur to prove it.  The cat however thinks its devine.

Minty on one of the rare times she liked her bed

On the opposite side to the bookcases and to my left as I sit at my desk, is one of two credenza's.  This one proudly displays my horse on the top and paper and envelopes inside.  The other credenza is directly behind me, near the door, and this will be for odds and ends and ugly files I don't want to see the light of day.  Kinda like the interesting, but ugly fish in the depths of the dead sea.

Needs a lot of work - pictures behind I think

Ditto here, just plain dull.

Nothing adorns the walls yet, but don't worry, I have plans.  On the little wall between the casement windows will be a new clock like this:

Have purchased this and hung it up - looks lovely

and a pin-up board covered in a lovely fabric

Bought material today - will play in my craft room this weekend.

Some pictures on the walls, I am thinking some of the nice maps I have will suit.  Still havent really settled on a theme/colour accent so on the lookout for a fabric, or picture that I fall in love with that can be the jumping off point.

Renovation - Day 16 - Final

Sunday .. and a glorious day it is too!  Way too excited to sleep in - did a little walk thru of the renovated rooms ... lit some candles, smiled and grinned and felt so good inside.  Isn't it silly how such a simple thing as new paint and carpets can lift you and make the world seem all ok after all?

Had a lot planned to do today, so got in early with some housework (even this is easier and more enjoyable now that we are more organised).  Finished packing the trailer with junk to throw out ready to take to the tip later today.  Loaded the shelving for Mr D on top.

Mr K and I then headed out (I dont think I have been out of the house in well over a week!) to visit a few shops:

• Freedom Furniture - to look at chairs, a sofa and end tables as well as lots of other lovely things

The wingback I am ordering

The 2 seater sofa I have picked out

• Beacon Lighting - an ever so brief look in here to get a globe for Mr K's bakelite lamp, but I had my eyes scanned for when we do the lighting properly.
• A few other (not so nice) furniture shops - two of which had closing down sales.  If you saw the stuff they had in there you would not doubt why they were clossing down.  It was just awful
• Guildford - antique shops strip.  Still looking for a few old pieces for Mr K's office.
• Guildford bakery - Lunch and a scrummy chocolate roulade to take to friends for dinner tonight.

By this time, we were late for our plans to head up to Chittering and drop off furniture to friends, the boys to take the trailer to the tip and for Mrs A and I to put a lamb roast in the oven.

Tommy and Minty came up with us, these friends are the owners of Tom Dogs most favorite girl dog in the whole world!  They run and play and play and run for hours.

Lovely evening, spent eating roast and watching the Olympic dressage with great company.  Home by 9pm and not long out of bed I can tell you.

Was excited about tomorrow and the start of working from my spanking new office.  Did I say I was excited about work?  Well yes I was actually, it was a damn good feeeling to have my very own, well set up, space to work in.

Oh, and quietly, between you and me - I was glad my 'holiday' was over.  I am knackered!



Our Tommy after a afternoon's crazy playdate with Keela

Renovation - Day 15

Home stretch.  Saturday sleep in was a pipe dream as the front gate bell went at 7.30am, but I guess we did get 30mins extra.  Took a few coffee's for us and Chris, who was on his own with no sidekick - Ryan we found out was only 17 and still on the weekend sport phase of his boyhood.

Got warmed up by moving piles of books and magazines to my office and craft room.  Must have walked up that hallway 1000 times! Found 2 more boxes of books out in the carport.  Think I 'might' have a bit of a book addiction?  I then just moved from room to room, unpacking things, setting things up, preening, cleaning, with lots of admiring and smiling at how it has all turned out.  To say that I am happy with the result is a huge understatement - I am thrilled.

In the coming week, I will post in detail what each room is like, what I have plans to do there, how to decorate it etc.  For now, here is a brief photo update:

The bookcase in my office.  Have room to acquire here :-)

Reading (and obviously TV) room.  No capacity to add any books here - will have to be disciplined with the one in one out rule here.



Hall table in the reading room.  Will get a large mirror to hang above this.

Corner of the reading room waiting for a wing back chair and 2 seater sofa.

One side of the craft room.  Love the view to the garden.

Other side of the craft room - just look at all that storage!



Renovation Day 14

The Friday, the last day of our holidays, the last day of decoration.  The carpet layers are due about lunchtime, so that gives us time to clear out the lounge, in an almost "we are on holiday" approach.  Of course we didn't, we both worked and pottered and placed and organised and cleaned right up until they arrived.  In their usual fashion, the lads (Chris and Ryan) got stuck right in and within the hour my new office was all carpeted and ready for me to move in. 

More cleaning - my desk that was out in the carport, the credenza's, also in the carport.  My PC, the printer, files, office stuff - all needed a dust and wipe over.  If I never see a chux again, it will be a fine thing.  But it was oh so lovely to have everything shiny and new and clean and fresh.  I am vowing to keep it this way - surely I am old enough now to be able to play grown ups and keep my house nice.

The carpet in the lounge was looking lovely ... until ... we had a minor, well major really, disaster.  the carpet layers use a very hot iron to melt the strips that hold the carpet to the edges and to make joins.  He usually kept the iron in a (plastic ... weird) box with layers of old carpet to insulate it.  That morning he has cleaned it out, but something very wrong happened, the iron overheated and burned a hole through 4 layers of old carpet, a plastic box, out new carpet and the underlay.  Eeeek.  Poor Chris, he was so stressed, it was 4pm on a Friday and there was no time to get another batch of carpet out to us before the end of day.  There was nothing for it but to calm Chris down, give him a beer, order new carpet for tomorrow and commiserate with him that he too is human. 

The only real annoyance for us was losing an evening to put the lounge back together, and we spent the night on the patio where our lounge chairs and outdoor heater and TV were.  We huddled under blankets, with the dogs and cat and watched the opening ceremony of the London Olympics.

So much for a sleep in tomorrow, the new carpet will arrive at 7am.

Silver lining?  We have some bargain carpet for our bedroom which we were not planning to do right now, but may as well re-carpet the whole house. 

The yucky, stained, mottled, old (no not Mr K!) carpet in the lounge.

Minty's 'wee' patch.  And the elephant in the room aka the Server Cupboard

Chris the Carpet Layer - had to make him pull up his pants as he was looking more like a Plumber!

Chris - just before disaster struck.

My new office - before it gets filled with stuff

The lounge - fresh and clean and streamlined