2013 The Year That Was

20132013 The Year You Were Born. 2013 on an early June morn, well before dawn.

I Wrote this as a time capsule, a snapshot of the year that my son was born, you never know it may be extremely interesting in 30-50 years.

2013 (MMXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 2013th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 13th year of the 3rd millennium, the 13th year of the 21st century, and the 4th year of the 2010s decade.

Monarch was: Queen Elizabeth II

Prime Minister of Australia was: Julia Gillard (until 27 June), then Kevin Rudd (until 18 September), then Tony Abbott.

Price of Bread was: $1.50-ish (You could buy fancy stuff for upwards of five dollars, but good old plain Coles home brand bad arse white bread was only $1)

Price of a newspaper was: $1.20

Price of a movie tickets for an Adult was: $11.50

Music: One Direction’s Midnight Memories was the biggest selling artist album of the year.

Movies: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was the top grossing movie of the year.

January: On the 4th to 20th a heat wave in south-eastern Australia resulted in several bushfires in Tasmania, but in good old Australian style on the 23rd a monsoon trough passed over parts of Queensland and New South Wales, causing severe storms, flooding, and tornadoes. Ah beautiful unpredictable Aussie weather.

February: On the 17th Australia won the 2013 Women’s Cricket World Cup in India, although I doubt most of Australia realised this as they only seem to care about Male Cricket!

March: On the 21st Prime Minister Julia Gillard made a speech apologising on behalf of the federal government to families affected by forced adoption in Australia. On the 30th The Murrawarri Republic declares its independence from the Commonwealth of Australia.

April: On the 17th Australia’s greatest racing horse since Phar Lap and one of the greatest mares in world history, Black Caviar was retired on an unbeaten record of 25 wins. Which was Good! Because the old girl deserved to live the rest of her life happily.

May: On the 3rd Harrison (Harry) Miller was born giving Jaxson a little Brother and Carissa and Danny a second son.

June: On the 26th Kevin Rudd defeats Julia Gillard 57 to 45 in an Australian Labor Party leadership spill and takes over as Prime Minister. On the 27th Riley Paul Fairbairn was born at John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle, Australia, 3.15am, 4.3 kilos.

July: On the 9th the Giant telescope Murchison Widefield Array telescope in Western Australia, goes online. On the 17th the Queensland Maroons win the 2013 State of Origin series, the team’s eighth consecutive win (Rugby league). Oh Well there’s always Next year for the New South Wales Blues! On the 22nd Prince George of Cambridge was born; Prince George of Cambridge is the son of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and the only grandchild at the time of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales. He was born in St Mary’s Hospital, London in the United Kingdom. On the 23rd the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation’s AUD $630 million New Central Office is opened in Canberra.

August: On the 3rd Simon Kruger, a seven-year-old boy, goes missing in the bush after wandering away from a family picnic. He is found by searchers the next day, and claimed that a kangaroo had kept him warm as he slept under a tree. On the 12th the Euahlayi Nation declares its independence from the Commonwealth of Australia.

September: On the 7th The Liberal/National coalition led by Tony Abbott won the 2013 federal election. Bustard! Give me back the Ranga Gillard Thanks!! (but that’s just my opinion).

October: On the 6th the Sydney Roosters defeated the Manly Sea Eagles 26–18 in the 2013 NRL Grand Final. On the 13th the 2013 New South Wales bushfires begin. The fires were the worst New South Wales had seen since the 1960s. As of 19th, 248 houses and other structures were destroyed across the state. Two fatalities were attributed to the fires and it was estimated that claims would exceed $94 million. The 2013 New South Wales bushfires were a series of bushfires across the state of New South Wales starting or becoming notable on 13th; followed by the worst of the fires beginning in the Greater Blue Mountains Area on 16th and 17th. At the peak of the fires, on the morning of the 18th, over 100 fires were burning across the state. On the 22nd the Marriage Equality Act 2013 was passed in the Australian Capital Territory, making the ACT the first state or territory to legalise same-sex marriage in Australia. But the High Court chucked out ACT’s same-sex marriage laws. After being married for less than a week, same-sex couples who wed in the ACT will have their unions annulled after the High Court ruled against the laws. Very Sad! That the Australia government is so full of morons and small minded people. One day hopefully this will change.

November: On the 5th Fiorente, ridden by jockey Damien Oliver, won the 2013 Melbourne Cup. The first Melbourne Cup horse race was run in Melbourne cup 1861, so that’s 152 years so far!

December: On the 10th the analog television signal is switched off in Victoria, completing Australia’s digital television transition. On the 11th Aussie Car manufacturer Holden announces it will cease production of vehicles in Australia by 2017. Crushed, by this news I was. On the 17th Australia regains The Ashes for the first time in seven years, after winning the first three tests of the 2013–14 Ashes series (Male Cricket). On the 28th Wild Oats XI takes line honours in the 2013 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, the yacht’s seventh win. The First Sydney to Hobart was in 1945 and the fleet comprised 9 starters and of those 9 starters, 8 yachts completed the race. The inaugural race, like all those that followed, began on Sydney Harbour, at noon on Boxing Day (26th), before heading south for 630 nautical miles (1,170 km) through the Tasman Sea, past Bass Strait, into Storm Bay and up the Derwent River, to cross the finish line in Hobart, Tasmania.

VIP

VIP: Post 65 of 365 Post Prompts for 2014.

Hey, only 300 more to go LOL!

Today’s post asks us who is the most important person in our lives and how would our day-to-day existence be different without them.

Well that’s an easy question for me = My Son.

Riley and Me

Life without my son would be; quieter, cheaper, I’d get to sleep in, I’d have privacy and time to myself. But I wouldn’t have as much love or as many smiles. There would be a hole in my soul, so large I couldn’t control and I think my existence would fade away.

Publishing Poetry

I’m in the process of putting together and publishing two poetry collections; one entitled The World Around Me and the other My Mind The Menace.

I haven’t been posting much poetry lately and the above is the reason. I’m writing this post to keep myself on track and hold myself accountable to this task. I haven’t managed to work on the project for the last two months, I’ve been flat out.  My son has started swimming lessons, going to day care and the older he gets the more of my time he needs, yeah I know excuses excuses, and really I’ve been spending any spare time reading. Like I said I’m writing this post and putting it out there so you can help keep me on track.

The World Around Me will be a collection of my poems about the things I Feel, See and Love.

My Mind The Menace Will be a collection of poems written in my darker moments (to remind us all that no emotion is permanent and moving forward is always possible).

Life Lately

I haven’t had time to post much lately, things have been rather hectic.

I’ve lost many hours and been through a great deal of stress trying to get everything organised for my son to start day care next week. So I’m already upset at the fact that I’m losing my baby boy to strangers, then I get dicked around by the government over child care rebates – NOT HAPPY JAN!!! Anyway I got it all sorted today finally, but DAMN why does everything have to be so hard!

I’m constantly on edge at the moment and it’s really starting to get on top of me – I NEED A BREAK – but as a mum I’ll never get one again. Just when I think I’m at my lowest point, in the darkest frame of mind I’ve ever been in, I get lower and it gets darker, I’m swinging like a god damn chimpanzee.

I did have a high light on Tuesday, it was my son’s first swimming lesson. I was really nervous, but Riley seemed to have a good time. He loves the water, he was one of the few babies who didn’t cry. When he was supposed to be floating on his back he kicked his legs and when he was supposed to be kicking he was just staring at the ceiling or watching the other babies – Yep that’s my boy easily distracted and doesn’t do what he’s told (sounds just like me all the way through school).

Tomorrow is February first so I’m going to get back on the band wagon with the 365 post challenge, I haven’t managed to do it for a few days now.

Also tomorrow I’ll be attending a day course on creative writing run by the Hunter Writers Centre. Really the last thing I feel like doing at the moment is going to a course in town, I’d rather stay in bed for a month straight in a dark quiet cave, but I know I’ll enjoy myself one I get there. I hope! I’m going to have to try a shut the real world out for the day.

Growing up too fast!!

Tomorrow my little baby boy will be seven months old. Today he started to wear “Toddler” Nappies, yes my seven month old son is now wearing nappies for toddlers. Riley’s not a Fat baby if that’s what you’re thinking, No he’s just a big boy! Built like a rugby player, solid and strong. I’m rather upset about it, he’s growing too fast!!!! And also tomorrow I’ll be another year older! Yep I’d say I’m not going to have a good day tomorrow, but I’ll try to stay positive!

Train Trip

So on Friday Riley had his first Train ride and his first trip to Sydney. Everything went quite well and he was well behaved, be it quite noisy on the train trying to talk to everyone in his own way, but he seemed to enjoy himself. He was so tired from his Sydney adventure that he fell asleep on my lap while I was giving him his bottle, he hasn’t done that since he was about three months old. He was fast asleep in my arms, I managed to change his nappy and put him in his sleeping bag, then into his cot all without him waking up, yep he was exhausted, and it was wonderful.Sleeping Angel

Take me home

The clock is ticking

So fucking what

When did I ever care about that

They drag me down into their den

And I’ve got to try and claw my way out again

I click my heels together

A million times

Looks like they aren’t magic

These shoes of mine

My soul bleeds and bleeds until I’m bone dry

But why the fuck can’t I just die

I sit here

But no tears can I cry

Sit here and wonder why

Please world leave me the hell alone

Please heart take me home

 

 

Riley

A Poem to My Son.

The stars up above are shining bright, I will stay close by you till its light.

Though the daylight may lead me away, I’ll always come back, love works that way.

While you lay still and dream your dreams, Loves all around you, I’ll always be on your team.

How much I love, you’ll never know, but each and every day I’ll try to show.

A big strong boy into whom you shall grow, a long happy life you shall know.

Friends and adventures, you’ll have more than a few, awesomeness inside you I grew.

You’ll love Kittens, Rats, Puppies and Quails, in fact all animals, even the ones without a tail.

Trains, Planes, Cars and 4WD’s, you’ll use them all to travel wide.

No matter how far Riley you roam from home, you’ll always have love around you wherever you go.