Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Small Town Uniformity

OK, this one is a bit of a bleat. I live in a small rural town. For the most part I like the lifestyle and convenience of living here. I am not too far away from the city to get my fix of that when I want it, so I really have it pretty good.

However, I really don't understand the "uniform" mentality that seems to go on in small towns. I know I'm generalising and would like to know if this is common to all small towns. Why is it that there is such intolerance of diversity and anyone who is being unique? Why is it seen as important for everyone to think and act the same? Why can't people just be accepting and inclusive of all aspects of their community? Sometimes I feel like I am living in the past where rules were rigid and difference was unacceptable.

I think that this mentality is instilled from a very early age. It is amazing that all the main primary schools in this area insist on a uniform for the students. I tried to rebel against this when my children were young, but it was made very difficult for me as it was always my children who would suffer if they were not in correct uniform - I had many battles over this and had to allow my children to decide. I recall one time when my 5 year old was kept in class until everyone else had gone because he was not wearing uniform. What they did was, at the end of the day they said.. "now everyone who is wearing the correct uniform can leave..... Now those of you with some of the uniform can go......Now those with the school colour on can go...." Leaving the few (including my little boy) without anything like their uniform to be 15 minutes late leaving. I was parked outside waiting and getting very anxious as he did not appear (usually he was one of the first ones out the gate). What kinds of adults treat children that way? The kinds that go on to treat all people that way... they think if people are not with you they are against you, instead of just not in agreement. Anyone who dares to be different and not fit their mould is an outcast and marginalised.

Well I could go on and on... but what I'd really like to know is if this is common in other small towns. Please let me know

Friday, July 15, 2011

Life according to Camille - 2

Life's a party

I love to party. I love to laugh and I love to have fun. You may have read that I am learning guitar at the moment. This is so I can walk the talk on my newest life philosophy which is:

Every house should have a guitar and every person should learn to play 6 songs. Then wherever you go you have a party!

That is all...

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Life according to Camille - 1

The Basket:

People are forever trying to work out the point of life. What are we here for? What happens after we die? Is there a God? I think it is very simple really. Imagine when you are born you are handed a basket. You can make this basket look like anything you want - there are no rules around it. You can make it as large or small as you want. Now the point of your life is to fill that basket with experiences. Everything that happens to you, good or bad, put it in the basket and move on. The nice thing about having the basket is that every now and then you can stop and look in the basket and reflect on the things you have collected. The other nice thing is that when you don't have time, or simply don't want to, you don't have to spend time on what has happened - you can just put it in the basket until you are ready to look at it - if at all. There are no rules around whether you should ever look at these experiences, it is entirely up to you. But they all belong to you and are part of you. They may get buried in the basket by other things, never to be seen again, but they are still there somewhere. My goal in life is to have a full basket when I die.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Home Alone

We, Thrash & I, are home alone and loving it! It has been a while, the kids have grown up and are off living their lives - both happy and successful in their own way, which makes me very happy. We have had a few hiccups with getting to be by ourselves. Friends in trouble, needing a place to stay and us having a house big enough to accommodate them. But now we are alone!! I love going home and lighting the fire. Helping Thrash in the kitchen. Playing my guitar. Knitting. Being in a room with just Thrash and no-one else. Pottering around, cleaning and not cleaning, tidying and not tidying, pretty much doing whatever I please.... I am happy!

Back again

It has been quite a while since I posted here. No excuses, no apologies. Since I last wrote I have completed 2 knitting projects and am part way through a third. One day I may put up some photos of my garments. I still struggle with the looseness of my knitting and because of this I have been trying to wash-shrink a dress I completed so I can wear it well. Some things are good too big but dresses aren't one of them.
My other new obsession is playing the guitar. I have bought a guitar and with the help of various websites and numerous talented friends I have been learning chords and diligently practicing. The hardest part, after mastering changing chords, is strumming. I have given up on trying to "learn" to strum and am now just trying to hear it in my head and get something translating from there to my hand - every now and then it works, but that is fairly rare. I'm hoping that it will happen eventually. In the meantime I continue to torture Thrash with my attempts. He doesn't seem to recognise the songs I play, even when it is one I have been playing for a while. I'm not sure what he is hearing (or others for that matter) but it isn't what I hear. Of course I hear exactly what it is supposed to be, like I said earlier - I hear it in my head.