Twentyten and a life in focus.

At the end of 2009 I find myself still moving mostly in the right direction, although slower at times than I would like. I'm finally getting a grip on time as opposed to wasting it wondering why I'm not achieving whatever I'm aiming for. Sometimes it's more about moving rather than the direction you're going. Sometimes a step(or three) backwards helps you work out how you got off course in the first place. I have moved forward in patience and perseverence, backwards in self control (although I am starting to regain some ground) and if there were medals for time management, I would so be on the podium!! I have mastered what seemed to be an impossible task back in October, and can now confidently manage both jobs without losing control of the home front or my mind. I'm also making slow but steady progress in photography, having completed several paid shoots and recieved very encouraging feedback from satisfied clients. So, I'm not really making resolutions for the New Year....except to keep walking the path I'm on.
What does Twentyten hold for you??

Classic

You are looking at a very happy camper. On Christmas morning, FF finally got to unveil the present he got me under our "unusual and interesting" pact.

....and here it is!!! This is the actual article....photographed by yours truly as soon as my hands stopped shaking.
It's a 2C Kodak JR in absolutely beautiful condition, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!! Partly because I crave anything remotely photographic, particularly older lenses and cameras, and a concertina lens has been at the top of my wish list for ever....but mostly because FF took the time to troll through ebay and track it down, complete with details of how to customise film in case I ever decide to use it. He doesn't get my camera obsession, (few people do) but he's willing to enable me, which gets him truckloads of brownie points and pole position on my top ten list of fave husbands. MWAH!!!
And to finish....a shot of yours truly and her new fave toy...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Merry Christmas

Peace, love and blessings to you and yours xox

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Attention Shoppers......In the spirit of Christmas and peace on Earth and yeah yeah whatever, I feel compelled to make the following announcement.

A certain nameless individual who didn't tell me something I really should have known about, regardless of whether I'd freak out or not, is in for a swift a** kicking and a couple of hard head knocks as soon as he re-enters Australian airspace. You know who you are. Be afraid....be very afraid. And for God's sake be careful and come back in one piece. Love you muchly, even though you SO don't deserve it. That is all.

UPDATE.....it's kinda hard to stay mad at someone when they ring you from Afghanistan to apologise for going in the first place. Love you bud xox

I could tell you...../Pimp me medieval.

but then I'd have to kill you. Providing I don't commit present-induced hari-kiri in the meantime. FF and I had this idea that we would compete to see who could buy the most original gift this year. Himself went straight out, did something, and voila, several days later a mystery package arrives on my doorstep containing said very original gift about which I am completely clueless. Sounds easy doesn't it?? NOT if you are giving to FF.....the only thing that I've heard him even mention offhandedly has been the headgear worn by Giles Coran in an episode of the Supersizers. Ever tried to make an Elizabethan Tall hat using a bad photo of Giles with part of his head obscured by Sue Perkins as a reference point?? Not the easiest of tasks, let me assure you. Fortunately, the mother of all mothers has come to the party and is currently turning a very pimp-like trilby from K mart into the cream of medieval millinery. Or at least that's what's supposed to happen. The final countdown is approaching and if things don't go according to plan, FF will be attending Christmas Day service at St Marks wearing a picture of Giles Coran, partially obscured by Sue Perkins. Not the vision I was hoping for. Bah Humbug, anyone??

Turning Ten

What happened.....



to my baby??
I'm so not ready for the whole double digit deal with second son. It was hard enough the first time. This time I can see tears. Mine, not his. His whole life has been one long investigation with me following behind sniffling every time he reached another milestone. I cried when he got too big for the sling. I cried when he got his hair cut. Not that you'd know he'd ever had a haircut in these pics. My son, Rapunzel. Sigh. And now he's about to hit double digits. Most of me is proud and happy. But a little part is crying. Softly. Wouldn't want to embarrass him now he's all grown.

Dear Santa.....

Ok, I've managed to narrow it down.....into things I would like and may actually recieve, and things I would kill for, but have no chance of getting. Which is where you come in, Fat Man.......





and in the no chance department.....




PRETTY PLEASE?????

R'n'R / boys just wanna have fun.......

and a good time was had by all.......

Morlocks/Time Out/Things I Like.....

We are back from Twin Waters after two days of R'n'R involving far too much good food and lots of sleeping in and swimming/sailing and general stuffing about. I can admit to feeling almost human again after a seemingly endless period of work/sleep/work as the morlock in the back room at Donut King and the resident target on the school crossing. I was seriously losing my famously sweet disposition and was starting to snarl at the preps while Lollipopping, so a break was definately on the cards. We took the boys and veged out together....mama mushroom and her little mushlets,lol. I am glad that we've hit the last week of school though 'cos a weekend away will only take me so far, and the driving at school is getting worse, the closer we get to breaking up day, so I'm having to chew on my tongue in order to refrain from a few choice phrases that seriously don't end with "and a Merry Christmas to you too.....feel free to come back and run me down again tomorrow". Hmmm. But, leaving both the sublime and the ridiculous behind, it's now time for my updated list of THINGS I LIKE.......

drum roll please......


LOVE this series.....nothing like a gorgeous dead guy to make your heart beat faster....




The pop up Christmas Tree....although I wanted the Emo version in shiny black, complete with sad angels noosing themselves from the branches, oh yeah.....



My fave time travelling manwich.....sigh.....

Ok, back to reality....tomorrow I hit the crossing, hopefully not literally. Morlocks ahoy!!

Winding Down.....

Thank God, the end is in sight....this week will be Kit's last week, he's having next week off, because the combination of mixed up timetables and unfamiliar teachers is driving him (and me) round the twist. He's finished all his assessment for the year, so now we wait with bated breath for the dreaded report cards to be issued. Sebi will do this week and next, only becuase I have a mammoth house clean ahead of me to get things ready for Christmas, and I'll get a grand total of nothing achieved if second son is on the premises. I still have a mass of Christmas shopping to do, although at least the boys are finished.....Kit's getting a couch for his bedroom, a new phone (the old one is still MIA on a council bus somewhere) and a few other bits...new bedding, a new desk and a couple of other things he's been eyeing off over the year. Sebi gets a lightbox for his drawing, plus new bedding and various pokemon/bakkugan related things. Himself is getting a surprise which I'm not at liberty to divulge in case he reads this. For myself, I'd settle for peace on earth and a new portrait lens (are you listening Santa??). Lollipopping finishes with the end of school....I have sorted out my Elf costume to wear on the last week, although I did switch from green to red socks after Marcus informed me I looked more like the Incredible Hulk than Missus Christmas (!!!) I'll still be working the early shift at the donut shop in between everything else, but it's actually easier when the kids are at home, since I generally finish work and get home before their lazy butts make it out of bed. Kit's quilt is nearing completion, I just need to add the wadding and the back panel. I then have a dozen pillowcases to make for various neices and nephews, time allowing. I'm planning a major budget buster at Fishpond, 'cos all my best fave books seem to live there, and I plan on getting some serious couch time over Christmas accompanied by my fave rave reads and a glass of red. Luscious!! This weekend we are off to Twin Waters for the Metroll Christmas bash, we're having two nights in a King Suite, where I will be submerging myself in the spa on Friday evening and reluctantly towelling off on Sunday morning, whilst FF does the outdoor thing with the boys. Decadence on a budget....gotta love it!!

Photoshoot

Too cute for this planet.....

Party Animals

Sebi and his best buds doing what they do best....having a blast at the bowling alley. Although Second Son doesn't officially hit double digits till January, we always celebrate before the school year ends and everyone goes on holidays. All the kids had a ball and wore themselves out eating junk food and bowling a-la Mad Max at Thunderdome. Not for the faint hearted.....



I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact that my baby is now in double digit territory.....Just when I learned the names of Thomas the Tank Engine and all his mates, we've switched to W.W.E, where grown men wear masks and throw furniture at each other in the name of entertainment. Must be a guy thing.....

Leave a message.

I knew I shouldn't have answered the phone this morning. Just ONCE I'd like some good news.

Cranky Pants

I am not pleasant company. I'm tired, (really really tired). I'm sick of being asked "where's my (insert appropriate item here)". I'm OVER the school run. I need a break before I snap and find myself standing in the dock...."Your honour, I didn't mean to post my children C.O.D to Outer Mongolia, everything went fuzzy after " mum where's my...." I throw myself on the mercy of the court. Take me away....three squares a day and all the solitary confinement you can handle. Works for me.

New Toys.....

Having a little play with my lights and backdrop before this afternoon's shoot.....



I LOVE new toys.....

Waiting for Wednesday/New Moon Mama

Wednesday is Midnight Movie Nite....Razza and I are off to see New Moon at the drive in, and I'm seriously looking forward to it!! New Moon is probably my fave read of the series, and I have high hopes that the movie will prove to be a good adaptation.
And if it's not, at least I can rest assured that there will be eye candy to spare....never a bad thing!! I was hoping to talk DS#1 into possibly viewing it with me over the weekend, if I really enjoy it on Wednesday, but alas my chances are looking slim. Too much romance, not enough carnage, apparantly. Just once, I'd like to trade one of my cavemen in on a S.N.A.G. Is it too much to ask???

Gettin' Laid....

Out of the gutter, dirty minded individuals!! I am of course referring to my floor, which FF has been slaving over all day....


Gorgeous, no?? The feet are mine, they weren't really supposed to be in the picture, but I'm not as flexible as I used to be, so it was easier to just admit I'm old and leave 'em in the shot, rather than try and get up and take another. Remind me to ask Santa for plastic hips.

Sneaky.

Yesterday a parcel arrived on my doorstep. Although it has FF's name on it, it's for me. It's my Christmas present. I don't know what it is, and it's driving me insane. FF informed me that I was allowed to "gaze at it in awe" but not to touch it, shake it or poke, prod or otherwise try and work out what's inside. Doncha just HATE that?? Grrrr. All I can tell you for sure is it's too small to be a new camera (not that that was ever going to happen), doesn't weigh enough to be Instant Vampire (just add water and presto, Edward Cullen live in your loungeroom) and isn't ticking, so a watch or a weapon of mass destruction are equally unlikely. Hmmmm. Suggestions from the audience are welcomed.

Calling all bookworms.....

There's a great contest currently running on teens read and write blog, with a chance to win some seriously awesome page turners. Go check it out and leave your details for a chance to win.....

The downside of the upside....

Today I am wacked. Probably becuase I came home from the early shift and totally tanked for 4 hours which I try not to do because I feel so bad when I eventually regain conciousness. PLus, I've had both boys off school on different days with the same bug which hasn't really helped. It's amazing how quickly you can go from "OMG this job is saving my life" to "OMG I'm so tired, bitch moan whinge....." Which I seriously don't want to do.....as far as jobs go, it's great. I can still do all the school things I need to with the boys, the money is a godsend and being really honest with myself (kinda rare lately) I like working. I like feeling that my contribution is a little more tangible than generic child raising and housework, although I'm the first one to take my hat off to anyone who can do that for 14 years and still have a smile on thier face.....but hey, my cubs are 14 and 9 now and not in need of the same amount of hands on mothering that they did five years ago. Still doesn't stop me feeling zapped though. But that's the pea under the mattress I guess....and I can live with the lumps. I've had years of preactice.

Pack Mentality/ The same kind of different.

Number One Son informed me yesterday that he's going to the local shopping centre with his mates on Saturday to hang out "till we get bored". Remember when that was the height of cool?? You and half a dozen mates wandering aimlessly through the shops with money in your pocket and no parents on the horizon. Sigh. Sometimes I look at him and think "OMG what happened to my baby". Most of the time I look at him and say "What happened to the $20 I gave you last week??" Hmmmm. I'm happy to let him go, though.....after so many years of doing it on his own and having Aspergers label him as being "different" through no fault of his own, Number One has finally found his place....with his mates. Who are all a bit different. And that's OK. Like calls to like, and there's nothing better than hanging out with the same kind of different. Especially if Mum ponies up the cash.

Addiction

I have discovered online bookstores and I am lost. I seriously need someone to snapfreeze my Visa before I go completely insane. Shopping for books is one of those rare pleasures that never gets old, and I'm in serious danger of having to extend Casa Hartwell in order to house all my new treasures. If I had unlimited cash, the two top things on my list of must haves would be every book I've ever thought about reading and fresh flowers in my house every day. Plus a whole stack of other things that I'm not gonna bother listing 'cos it'll only make me wanna rob a bank. This weeks goodies are due any day.....Jeaniene Frost's Vampire series. Love me some fang.

I just realised......

I know all the words to the Phineas and Ferb theme song. I gotta get out more......

Cracked it.

After two weeks of very early starts and some weird stress induced nightmares (remind me to tell you about the one where the donut machine warps into an evil transformer...) I have finally gotten the morning shift under control. I was about ready to admit defeat and throw in the cute pink hat, but this morning was the turning point. I actually got everything on the set up list completed on time without my head exploding. No mean feat, when you consider everything else that's going on round here ATM. Todays crisis involved a phone call from Cav Rd to say that Kit had managed to lose his mobile phone en route to school and was having a panic attack at the idea of telling yours truly. How scary must I come off?? Seriously....Kit overtops me by 4 inches and weighs at least half as much again as I do, yet apparantly I can still inspire abject terror without even trying.
SHE WHO MUST BE OBEYED.....gotta love it.

Freaky Friday

Good looking bunch, no??






Kit, Callum, Gabbie, Jade, Sam and Nick getting into the Halloween Spirit........

The Week That Was

So, another week closer to the end of school (not that I'm counting...) and another week closer to finally finishing my studio space which is languishing unloved and unpainted till the glass door man comes and does his stuff. I hate waiting.
I managed to roll my ankle on the crossing yesterday, which at the time was a 15 out of 10 on the pain factor, but has now evened out at a 6 1/2, complemented by a massive blue bruise and a lump the size of a lemon. It's times like this that you realise what a pain in the ass it is to drive a Tarago, 'cos the handbrake isn't a handbrake...it's a footbrake, which makes for serious driving issues even in an automatic. I got home OK yesterday, after Sebi crawled between my feet and released the (foot) hand brake, and I haven't had to drive anywhere today, so I'm hoping that another 24 hours will put me fully back on my feet, in time to work on Sunday. Sebi had his school camp yesterday, I was half excpecting a pick-me-up phone call (as in come and pick me up I wanna come home) but it never eventuated, so there's another 'first' we can tick off. Kit has his Halloween party tonight at his mate Gabbie's house, he's going as Death, complete with robe, mask and scythe. Delightful. Oh, and just as an added treat, the ginger cat presented me with half a lizard just after lunch. Now all I gotta do is find the other half. Yowza.

Workin' Mama /Kristian Unplugged

I'm finally starting to get the hang of the early starts, although as you can tell by the 'coke vs milk' incident, I'm still having the occasional mental lapse a-la sleep deprivation. But hey, work is work and by and large it's pretty good.
Unlike grade nine, which is driving me round the twist. Kit is pretty much on top of things for the most part, although he did manage to delete the only copy of his 1000 word SOSE assignment this afternoon, which led to much wailing and gnashing of teeth as he spent a fruitless hour trying to recover it before giving up and rewriting it....from memory, might I add. Scary child. The worst thing about high school homework is the way it takes over the entire house. We seem to exist in a constant bubble of frustration/exhaustion/aggravation that lasts for the duration of the assesment period. By the time the work gets handed in, we're all fit to collapse. The only thing that keeps me from going completely mad is the fact that at least he's not old enough to apply for a learners permit. That one'll finish me off. Yeesh.

STUPID THINGS I HAVE DONE SO FAR TODAY

Washed the remote control.
Added coke to my tea instead of milk.
and it's not 9am yet....
I'm definately not ready to tackle the rotary cutter without the certainty of serious bloodloss.

PInk Dinosaurs and other things

Well, I've lived through two shifts and I can honestly say that I come out each time knowing twice as much as I did when I went in, so considering how much I didn't know when I started, we can all be thankful it's donuts and not brain surgery!! I am starting to get the routine down, although I'm a ways away from shooting through it in two hours like Belinda, but maybe down the track a few weeks. On the upside, my kids think I smell terrific, as does FF....who needs Chanel....a little pink fondant behind the ears and I'm ready to rock, lol. I'm working starts for the next two days so I've devoted today to getting the order down on paper so I don't end up spinning in circles and curdling the cream. The weirdest deal is how it's gotten into my dreams....I'm dreaming about normal house stuff and then suddenly I notice there's a tray of pink dinosaurs on the table. I dreamt we were camping and I had to paddle a kayak to Cook Island to turn the lights on and set up the coffee machine.
Interesting if not exactly restful. Yawn.

Magical Trevor

I can fully understand why everybody loves him......can't you???

For the best seat in the house.....

....learn to share.
Somewhere under the furballs is mum's new recliner chair. It's a constant battle to see who get there first. Fortunately, they aren't adverse to sharing.
L-R. Front Row. Benson, Gyrffindor, Jasmine.
Back Row. St Francis of Assisi/ Mother of all Mothers.
Can you feel the love???

Fatal Friday/ Directions Please

Once again Fatal Friday has come and gone, and once again I have lived to blog about it, although my tongue is still bleeding. As a fully insured semi part time working mother and card carrying member of the Future Speed Bumps of Australia, I have to admit that as stupid as the average driver appears to be between Monday and Thursday, they really do save their best performances for Friday afternoons. I'm thinking that they possibly start Happy Hour at lunchtime, which leads to Heart Failure Half Hour on the crossing.
Today's episode starred "Stupid Man #1" as himself, who proceeded to park directly under the "no standing" sign on the crossing. When Teena asked him to move his car, his response was "Where do you think I should put it?" This, of course, is why my tongue is still bleeding. I just about chewed the tip off it keeping my thoughts inside my mouth, while mentally screaming
"OOH OOH PICK ME!!! I"LL TELL YOU WHERE TO PUT IT....I'VE GOT A LIST.....WOULD YOU LIKE ALPHABETICAL OR ANATOMICAL??"
Then we had Mitsubishi Mama, who thinks that it's OK to keep rolling through the crossing while you're standing there with a STOP sign as long as she winds her window down and yells. "It's OK, I wasn't going to hit anyone" (!!)
Well neither was I, but you're making me seriously reconsider it, lady.
Have a good weekend.....

Eyeball Banging

pretty much describes my level of tiredness today. Sebi came in just before 3am with a nosebleed which pretty much ended my nights sleep right then. I have a ton of editing to do, plus the garage to go through and a skip to fill before Monday, as well as the school fete on Saturday. I need one of those Berocca dancing fizzy pills. And a very large coffee. With a coke chaser. ZZZzzzzzz.....

Cosmic Karma / Hail to the Queen....

I must have been spreading my fair share of sunshine recently because today Cosmic Karma came and laid a present in my lap. I went out to get the basics for the boys lunches this morning and came home with a job offer!! And it seriously couldn't have come at a better time....I've been working to get my photography off the ground, but at the same time trying to contribute a bit extra to the house. It was my choice to be a SAHM and it's paid off big time with the boys, but they are at the age now where I'm able to look for a few hours work to help out at home and today the perfect job jumped out and kissed me. I was buying a six pack for the boys (donuts, not booze) and the owner of the Donut King told me she'd been waiting for me show up because I was the person she had in mind to work some morning shifts if I was interested. (!!!!) Scream YEAH!! So I go in tomorrow to look around and see where everything is, and then I start working three shifts a week. It's a 5am start (!!) but that doesn't really worry me (she says :P) and I'll be home in time to get Seb off to school. So all I have to do now is practice my royal wave and wait for my crown to arrive. All hail Donut Queen!! and curtsey while you do...it saves time.

Bearpit....

I happened to walk down the hall this morning and found the door to the Bearpit open....a very rare occurance as the Teenage Mutant is not the most sociable of creatures.

The bit that suprprised me more was the amount of floorspace visible from the door. I'm almost prepared to state that T.M has been engaged in surreptitious room tidying for reasons unknown to me at this time. If you check out the top left corner however, you'll notice that the bed is in it's usual state of disrepair, reassuring me that #1 son has not been genetically modified by Martha Stewart while my back was turned. Had me worried for a minute, though....

Top of the Pops.....

Here he is...King of the Popcorn People.

Kit's job trial went really well and he has scored himself regular hours at the markets on Sunday Mornings. And no, I didn't embarass him by following him around with my camera....I took this after he got home, so there!!

UNSTABLE CABLE

I am seriously de-cabled again and not happy about it. On one hand I am kinda freaked to admit what a large hole lack-of-cable has left in my obviously rather pathetic life. On the other hand I WANT MY CABLE BACK NOW NOW NOW!!!!
It's really more about background noise for me....I'm one of those fortunate individuals who can listen to TV rather than watch it, and still get the big picture, pun intended. So I put on my fave channels and chacha my way through whatever needs doing while my ears embrace the Foxbox. So of course I am completely at sea without my soundtrack, and find myself aimlessly floating through the house picking things up and putting them down in other places. I need help. Professional help. From the cable man. NOW.

Who are you....

and what have you done with my teenager??? I got home this afternoon after taking Sebi and Quinn to see Aliens in the Attic to be confronted by a spotless loungeroom, courtesy of Number One Son. Why?? He "just felt like it" apparantly.
I say go with your feelings, big fella.

WOOHOO

Bruce and I took the boys for a night of "car movies" at Yatala last night, and I got a treat that didn't involve radioactive guinea pigs or flying houses.....Yatala are running a midnight screening of New Moon at 12.01 am Thursday the 19th, so Razza and I have booked ourselves a carspace. I'm totally stoked!!

Catching up

I am back to more or less fully functioning normality after a week of beach camping with the tribe of three at Fingal Head, which I can honestly say was absolutely brilliant, dust storms and 35 knot winds aside. My idea of the perfect holiday is a large bed in a 5 star resort, accompanied by a pile of books and room service, but as this is never going to be the choice of the caveman crew, Fingal Head is probably the next best thing, as far as peace and quiet goes. The beach is beyond beautiful, which totally works for the Mad Camerawoman part of my personality, and comes complete with enough surf to satisfy the macho factor of the tribe of three.
The whole camping issue is up for debate....I spent a week frantically sweeping sand out of the tent, only to have it tracked back in by the tribe at every opportunity.
I did manage to talk finer 50% into purchasing a double camp bed, as I have never been a big fan of sleeping on the floor. We decided to dispense with the blow up mattress part, and used a double foam mattress on the bed frame, which worked OK until anyone tried to sleep on it, as the mattress tended to sink between the supports, making for a kidney puncturing nights rest and earning it the nickname "festerbed" after Uncle Fester's bed of nails.


We also had the preliminary trials of the Australian Teenage Snoring Olympics, featuring #1 son and best mate Matt, who managed to exhale Sebi out of the sleeping hutch in the middle of the night, making for three's a crowd in the Festerbed. On the upside, there was plenty of time to sit on the beach and read numerous books while the tribe performed bizarre rituals with dead fish in the pursuit of worms. Don't ask, I didn't get it then and I still don't get it now. The most bizzarre aspect of the whole week was the gathering of the clans in the laundry. At any given time, you were guaranteed to encounter half a dozen large teenage specimens lurking amongst the cold power and clothes pegs. I was convinced that they were all involved in manufacturing illegal substances from fabric softener until FF pointed out that they were all camping in unpowered sites and had to spend large amounts of time communing with the clothes drier in order to access power points to recharge their mobile phones. The fact that they spent most of their battery power texting each other from across the room never seemed to occur to them. Sad, really.
Holidays aside, things at Planet Hartwell are pretty much under control....Kit has managed to snag himself a job trial at the Sunday Markets next week, helping Phil who runs the popcorn stand. I say trial, because it involves starting at 7am, which will be a trial in itself as far as Lazarus the Teenage Walking Dead is concerned. However, we shall wait and see. I also managed to finish Sebi's quilt, which was a minor miracle, as I was ready to take a chainsaw to the Janome by the end of it. I have recovered enough to run up a pillow case to match, before girding my loins and starting a quilt for Kit.



I have also discovered the ultimate in TV viewing coutesy of the Lifestyle Channel....The Supersizers.
The series involves Giles Coran (food critic) and Sue Perkins (broadcaster) living a week in various time periods. They dress the part, learn the culture and most importantly, they eat the diet of the day. As far as cooking programs go, it makes for brilliant comedy and is high on my list of DVD series I hope to own before I die.





Bon Appetit!!

Happy Snap....

This photo pretty much sums up my holiday....



....all play and no work.
The pic was taken from the lighthouse at Fingal Head...there were two pods of dolphins playing offshore. Beautiful.

Return from Beyond....

Did you miss me?? We have returned to the land of cable internet from the wilds of N.S.W and it was some wild I can tell you....instead of the rain that usually follows me over the border, this time we got a real treat....the worst dust storm in 70 years made Fingal beach look like this at 2pm.....


As opposed to the way it usually looks.....


At its worst visibility got down to about 5 feet....it was the most bizarre deal....
the sun was totally visible to the naked eye, it just needed howling dogs and neighing horses to complete the whole "armageddon" feel.


All in all, pretty standard stuff when you holiday with the Voodoo Karma Queen.