8...A Meme....

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This Meme started some time ago over with Miss Savannah and more recently reared itself again over at Castle  DeVice so I thought that it was time that I gave it a go after promising myself to do it back then at Savannah's then letting myself down...

So without further ado...
Eight Answers to Eight Questions

Why did you start Blogging.

 I  originally stumbled across a little old blog called "Infomaniac" run by someone calling themself "Mistress MJ" and soon fell under her magical spell. I thought that it looked like a lot of fun and that I too could enter this wonderful and creative world of blogging. So...After Lurking around for some time and then leaving the occasional comment I took the plunge and quietly emailed the Dear Mistress for some pointers on how to go about it. Like starting a Blog I mean. Not having a computer until late last year I felt like such a beginner. She responded with some firm and very helpful guidance and so... on the 17th Of December 2009 "Palais de Steff" entered the blogosphere...With Princess at the helm.

I really enjoy the conversations I have and the comments that people leave in relation to the posts I create and put out there.

And I really appreciate the on line friendships that I have developed.

Some of my posts are of a more personal nature and others are just for pure fun and enjoyment and attempted entertainment.

And if you are reading this then I thank you for continuing to drop by...

Travel anywhere in the World with no restrictions on cost... Where would it be and why?

I would love to do a world tour, every country state and territory and just spend time with the people. using every type of transport. The touristy attraction things look nice and showy but it is what lies beneath this veneer to the world that really intrigues me.

What is it really like to have to live your life in these places. Surviving on a day to day basis. Under self serving governments and restrictive regimens. Managing things like drought, famine, flood, earthquakes, volcano's, tsunami, disease, war, sexual, religious, and ethnic intolerance.

Not knowing if you would have clean water let alone food for the next days survival.

I think that I have it pretty easy all things considered.

Does the world really care about the stock market? Or about Paris and her latest Fuck? I doubt that people looking for their next meal even know what or who it is... or could care less

Shares? You give me some of your water/food/money... we shares! 

Apart from attempting to get a handle on how folks survive....

I would also like to get away from people and just explore the natural world.

Hug a few trees. Watch a few sunrises and sets. Stand in a tropical downpour.

Say hello to some animals in the wild. .... Are there any left?

Did you have a teacher at school that had a great influence on your life? if so what?

If you managed to wade through the self indulgent drivel that I wrote accompanying the last Movie Cilp Wednesday Post 

You may  or may not have read  about a teacher that caused me much teenage angst.

He was my History Teacher and I fell in love/lust with him. And despite my lame excuses and dishonesty in not owning my true feelings at the time... which were quite unbearable... looking back... I really have a lot to thank him for.

The feelings and attraction that I had toward men then... and earlier... and I mean really masculine looking men like my teacher was... did not go away then and never have. (Show me a well built man with a 5 o'clock shadow and I still melt.)

But what he unconciously (at least I don't think he realised my true predicament and the impact that he had on me... but then I've never possessed a working gaydar...) did for me was to make me realise... right then... that I was infact same sex attracted. And despite many years of denial and embarrasing attempts to prove to everyone the contrary... I still am.

So thank you "Mr Hunky History Teacher" for allowing me to put you up on my pedestal of my Ideal man. And if you are still out there, and my gaydar wasn't working... and you're up for it... (I have wrinkles too now) and your reading this... Drop me a comment... and we can hook up!

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If you could spend a day with a famous person, who would it be? And what would you do?

There are far too many famous, infamous and wannabe famous people scattered throughout the annals of history and far too many to be bothered with today. I would really like to go back and visit the people that really mattered. Not the person titled as famous but some of the people around them that assisted in getting them to fame closest confidants, a personal secretary, a dresser, an editior or proof reader, instrument maker or tuner one of their colleagues, best friends, lovers.

Their maid or butler might be able to shed some very interesting light on the behind the scenes activities of many a famous person.

I don't particularly want to meet any of them... I might have met them already and not even known... Fame is just not that important..

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Toilet paper. Over or Under?

A Bear and a Rabbit met in the woods one day while both taking a crap.

The bear looking down to the rabbit asked...

 " Hey Rabbit... I got a question to ask you. Do you ever have a problem with the shit sticking to the hairs around your arse?"

The Rabbit looking rather startled by such an intimate question from the Bear ... thought for a while..... then looked up and replied...

" W..W.. Well... No.. I can't say It has ever been a problem for me."

And with that...

The Bear picked up the Rabbit and wiped his arse with him.

Save for keeping a cage full of rabbits next to the loo at "The Palais"... unless of course I have a bear staying over...

The toilet paper always comes off  from OVER the roll..

 

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Name the one thing in life that you would do over if possible.

I wouldn't be the person I am today without all the alchemy of lifes' rich ingredients. Being mixed, stirred, separated, added, poured out, bottled, shaken, roasted, boiled, chilled, canned, thrown out or taken away at the very time that they were.
 Sure.... things get over done, under done, stay pretty raw, go cold, curdle, come out all right, look OK but turn out different to how you thought it would, smell great until you see the mould, turn sour, go stale and even burn.
 Who has the recipe for the perfect life anyway?

 Its all about experimenting along the way Isn't it?

Tasting a little of this... Swollowing some of that... Spitting out the chunks... Regurgitaing the stuff that doesn't sit well. Like an old cow chewing it over and forcing it back down even though you didn't like it the first time around and hell maybe even getting to the point of vomiting some of the self absorbed crap and flushing it once and for all.
Some of lifes ingredients can Look Sound Taste Feel and Smell really bad sometimes but no one says you have to injest them.

And then on the other hand there are so many ingredients that are just the contrary and make such a wonderful recipe if your not to scared to give them a little try.
Compassion, understanding , tolerance, acceptance, kindness, friendship, thoughtfulness, trust, honour, self awareness, honesty
caring, sharing, selflessness,  respect and being true to yourself
A tinkture of happiness
And a spattering of love to bind it all together.

I used to look at other peoples recipe's and think, if only I'd had their ingredients, my life would be so much better, different, richer, better... I'd be forever trying to add some of their ingredients to my recipe but it never seemed to work out as good. Or would end in complete failure... I couldn't work out what the missing ingredient was.
Then it dawned on me one day...I'd been leaving out the most important ingredient. Me!

Then I realised that I was the crafter of my own very unique recipe.

 It was my recipe with a list of family ingredients inhrerited via chromozomes. Ideas, traditions and belief systems passed down verbally and through actions and observation form generation to generation.
 I discovered eventually that I had the opportunity to distil my own recipe from all of this...
Some ingredients just didn't taste right, sound right, smell right, look right, or particularly feel right. Some ingredients I discovered were well past their use by date. Some of the traditional ones had lost their impact or were too tired and worn to keep ... and as the glut of passed down traditional family recipe's festered and fermented away in my gut from year to year...
I suddenly realised that had the chance to add my own fresher healthier less self limiting ingredients, spice things up a little and create a new recipe to suit my own palette.

My recipe is still a work in progress and I have no regrets even though some of the ingredients were quite un palettable and stank at the time.
I'm still adding new ingredients and am discarding ones that have lost their potency
It is never to late to start cooking...  

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Tell us about your pets if any.

Again... if you have been a regular visitor you will already know about the passing of

"Sir Fred"

A long time companion and good mate but there is also another beastie in the mix. That being the Empresses Pampered pooch... Abby a little Shitzu/Maltese cross who is now the grand old age of 10.

She has happily taken up the cudgel from Sir Fred in running the house hold now and time shares between the Empresses and mine.

You can see her photo by scrolling right to the bottom of the page...

There are also a couple of budgerigars and several goldfish in the fernery pond.

I do miss Sir Fred

Do you live in a small or large town?

Bendigo is a growing inland city in central Victoria Australia. One of many similar towns  established in the gold rush era of the 1850's

It is about 3 hrs drive North fom Melbourne the capital city of Victoria.

The population has just hit 100,000 and continues to rise with "Tree Changers" and new young families moving up from big city life in the hope of finding it cheaper to live. I'd hate to be the one to dissappoint them.

Surrounded by native forrest and rolling farmland it feels like living in a big old country town.

Historical mid 1800 Buildings line the streets as testament to it's gold mining history and the wealth that gold generated.

Older parts of town show a wide variety of building styles through the years and many are heritage listed. Even the Palais which is an old miners cottage

has heritage listing.

Historically multi cultural with a large chinese influence. A Dragon festival is held each year over the easter break with the "Waking of Sun Loong"  the Chinese Dragon. the largest outside of mainland china in the southern hemisphere. His father "Loong" is the oldest and now is in retirement and on permanent display at the chinese museum.

There is a big arts community with the centre piece being the Capitol Theatre and the Art gallery next door. 

Ther a re many large formal public gardens and walking malls for those more inclined to shopping...

Several large lakes used for rowing and surrounded buy parkland, A brickworks and pottery museum, You can do a talking tram tour to see some of the sights around town including a couple of old goldmines, heaps of cafe's restaurants and pubs. Almost a pub on every corner.

We hold the dubious title of "Hoon" Capital of the entire country with the most cars impounded by police for idiots showing off in their cars...

And there is always some sort of festival going on and a craft and farmers market every weekend.

I guess i like it here....