2004-07-19

Gosh we are lucky in our band – well I am. I get good hair styles due to the two hairdressers, I get good cookin’ from the nutritionist and I could get jewellery made if I wanted! None of them really ask me to share my skills, but my skills aren’t as sexy (bookkeeping, management and IT).

Gilli just gave me back my charm bracelet, onto which she had affixed several new charms. Now, what are you envisioning in your head when I say ‘my charm bracelet’? I bet you see a nice silver chain, with some delicate charms such as kittens, or horseshoes, or bluebirds or other cute little silver trinkets.

Well, you’d be wrong. The chain is kinda chunky and functional. The charms are those tiny silver shields that you used to get as souvenirs in the 80s – kinda like the top end of those souvenir spoons. I have collected them over the last couple of years, though the biggest stash came from the Blue Mountains last year, where an antique shop had a whole basket full of them.

Here is an itemised list of what I have so far:

Rankin Springs – picture of a fella lying in hay in a lush field
I got this one because when I was 7 and living with my Nan, she always used to say “oh, this thing is RS” and I would say to Nan ‘what does RS stand for?’. She would answer ‘Rankin Springs’, even though it stands for Rat Shit. She thought I was too young to say such things or to know of them.

Mt Buller – snow skier with two snowy peaks and the sun shining.
Dunno why I got this one – its pretty?

Tewantin House of Bottles – picture of said house
My nan (may she rest in peace) lived in Tewantin and I have been to the house of bottles, in about the same year that John Farnham’s “Pressure Down” was a big hit (cuz I can remember singing along to it in the car).

Orange - picture of an apple
One of my dearest pals lives in Orange and I will always associate Orange with Glenny. As for the apple, well, Orange is the Apple capital…true!

Eildon, Victoria – nice scene of a water skier and a yacth on a lake.
Probably got this one cuz it is pretty.

Sovereign Hill, Ballarat – gold mine in gold etching on a slick black background
Definitely got this one because it is pretty!

Disneyland – picture of Magic Mountain
Cuz I’ve been there. This is the only non-Aussie charm.

Wellington caves – image of the phosphorus cave formations
My mum lives in Wello and we have been to these very caves.

Kurrimine – palm trees on a beach
I have no idea where this is but its just such an idyllic scene.

Crescent Head, NSW – Surfer riding a wave
This is near my home town of Taree (kinda) and it’s a cool surfer picture.

Taree! – picture of the Martin Bridge over the mighty Manning River.
My home town, y’all!!!

Nowa Nowa, Victoria – big assed logging truck full of logs.
Just the picture cuz it is so strange that a picture of a truck full of dead trees is a souvenir thing.

Orbost, Victoria – picture of a gentle looking Friesian dairy cow (the black and white ones)
Purely because of the cow.

Port Arthur, Tasmania – the colonial buildings
This one is of interest due to the fact that one of Australia’s mass murders was committed here.

Surfers Paradise, Queensland - dolphin, palm tree and a parrot on a gold background
The gold background makes it spangly but the animals and tree are kinda just whacked on there next to eachother. The parrot is as big as the tree.

And that is the tour of my charm bracelet...and you could make a real tour out of it!