Happy as a Piglet...

Dear hearts,

Miss Mich has been discussing the finer points of what makes a woman happy with our lovely Miss Christine.

Miss Christine and Miss Mich have spent many an afternoon reclining with a refreshing G & T, comparing notes, deciding that size does in fact matter and that there are times when more than one charm at a time is necessary.

Miss Christine shares the same healthy appetite for sport as Miss Mich and dear Piglet, so it is a like minded forum for animated discussion that attempts to get to the bottom of what really makes a woman happy.

Sport and shoes immediately come to mind. Obvi...

Some would say chocolate. Miss Mich is a chip and dip girl herself, so choose your hors d'oeuvre, order your cocktail from the fit pool boy and enjoy. Now that makes a woman happy...

A good hair day and a mani/ pedi always make Miss Mich smile. Nothing like pretty fingers and toes, not to mention having all those darlings attending one. Reminds Miss Mich of her former life...sigh..

Did I mention sport?

The Bright Young Things in turn make Miss Mich happy and exasperated...would the songbird please clean the kitchen... Seriously though, without our children women are smaller of heart and less of courage.

What really makes a woman happy, Dear hearts, is a strong sense of self. The knowledge that she can do it herself, even if she does have help and even if she does exercise that option. A woman needs to know that she is strong enough to weather any man, no matter the pressure, and emerge standing all the stronger, but never bitter.

And a woman needs to believe in love to make her happy. It may not be the egg in her basket all the time, but she needs to have room just in case it appears.

With that in mind, and enough sport to make a woman smile,

Enjoy Monday.

With Love
Miss Mich

What the World Needs Now

Dear hearts,

Love.

I know what you're thinking...The biggest capital letter worthy subject. Almost impossible to tackle...and yet...

It's all about the love, is it not. And it comes in so many forms.

The pen love of which we speak often. Miss Mich's reason d'etre from 8 – 5. Sending her chickens out with said love to spread the word far and wide.

The Bright Young Things. Say no more on the subject of Mother Love. The only unconditional love around. Even though they steal my clothes, drink my cocktails and never clean the kitchen...they are all.

Sport...never have too much, never too often and never without a little love.

Miss Mich's former life did not really allow for love per say...She was in love with her lifestyle and her shoes of course, and the tennis lessons and yummy lunches with her girlfriends made the weeks pass more than tolerably, but love did not really come into it.

Whilst she loved shopping, the view from the balcony and the weekends at the coastal farm, it could be said that something may have been missing. Perhaps the sperm donor had an idea when he was moved to take up with the little and shall we say young English rose. Coming home from yet another overseas trip, the souvenirs were not as simple as a signature scarf or trinket from Harrods. The pregnant 20 yr old was something of a surprise and Miss Mich wondered how she made it through customs...(excess baggage and all..)

Miss Mich must confess to having spent the last 6 years or so avoiding the whole concept of love and all its by products...

But things are beginning to change. The songbird has discovered love with the Italian artisan of the car panel. The ups and downs are worthy of any Rossini opera. The arias we have endured at the Cottage are more than worthy of La Scala and the songbird has penned many a classic in said artisans honour.

The Sunbirds, onto their fourth clutch of eggs in the nest lovingly built by the boy, are proving to Miss Mich that love can be a good and enduring thing.

And if all else fails, the full moon, all the little fishy's and the far far north demonstrate, in the wise words of JPY, that “love is in the air...”

Miss Mich believes that it is possible that she is being shown that it doesn't have to hurt.

Having said that Miss Mich is compelled to quote the noble Bard himself: “Is love a tender thing? It is too rough, too rude, too boisterous; and it pricks like thorn”

Miss Mich is loving the whole idea of rough and tumble and is happy to subscribe to a little argy bargy in the boudoir...

So with that thought in mind, Miss Mich urges you Dear hearts, to share your love...where ever you see fit.

Enjoy Thursday.

With LOVE
Miss Mich

I Heart You

Dear hearts,

Miss Mich has been hanging out with the young folk of Gen Y, getting the lowdown on the buzz words, the culture, the issues of the day. Drilling down to where its at and who's doing who...oops, actually no, that 's Miss Mich doing you don't want to know who...decorum and discretion...obvi..

Sport aside... at a local conference for all things Next Gen at her favourite hotel by the water, Miss Mich was privy to and participating in all things current. Along with our fair Mayor and the young movers and shakers, an interesting day was had amusing one's self with the protocol of Facebook, the joy of inclusive people management and how not to “Booge Up” (read belly up) ones' small enterprise.

The question you are all asking of course, is what did Miss Mich really get out of the day? Well apart from one sassy satchel full of Gen Y feel good snacks (where was the Gen X alcohol and chip and dip?), Miss Mich had an excess of feel good emotional credits.

Apparently we have only so much emotional energy... obvi. Just ask Miss Mich at a certain time of the day at a certain time of the month how she is coping and well...if you don't have a cocktail in your hand ...be very careful asking a question you may not want the answer to...

With emotional energy in mind, Miss Mich began to see the link between emotional credits and carbon credits. In fact, it is possible to credit every noble, capital letter worthy subject with a credit.

Miss Mich is thinking of creating a foundation: “The Miss Mich Emotional Credit Offset Foundation”. Too wordy?..what about "Emo Bank"?..clearly not. How about “The Feel Good Foundation”...This I like. Not only will I be able to store and redistribute your excess emotional credits (cryogenically natch..), have the cutest little quasi -medical uniforms (think Clinique), I will be able to enjoy the full extent of Govt tax breaks and the kudos of doing all of the morning talk shows. Kochy and Mel are going to love it..

The Govt of the day is going to jump all over this Dear hearts,..Julia will be crawling over Penny to have me Consult on all things feel good. After lengthy discussion with a panel of experts selected by Miss Mich herself, this comprising of Miss Mich's best and fairest sporting partners, Sha ron Morrie and Miss Mellie to name a few, a report will be tabled. Hard copies of course to keep the Big Kahuna and Churchill of the pen world happy.

Miss Mich can see, as a result of her ground breaking work, significant changes made to OH and S, now known as OH and Emotional S. The Fair Work Act will incorporate detailed procedures, protocols and rights relating to emotional relating. Julia will be hailed as the first deputy to acknowledge tears, tantrums and little cries of ecstasy on the shop floor as your rights at work.

Penny will be thrilled that she is able to offer across the board, carbon as well as emotional offsets to the big and major corporations of the world. Peter Garrett will, I suspect, head up the Charter for the program. Tim Flannery will come on board adding some heavy weight kudos and it will be a toss up between David Suzuki and David Attenborough as to who takes on the Chair.

All in all, this will put Australia at the forefront of Emo-Sustainability, note both the capital letter and the new title. The UN will need to implement this in all the hot spots and Obama is just going to go nuts.

Dear hearts, Miss Mich leaves you to share the Emo love with her people..

Enjoy Tuesday and Emo-Sustainability.

Love
Miss Mich

Throw of the Dice...

Dear hearts,

Miss Mich would like to muse on opportunity and chance for this tete e tete.

It all came about when Miss Mich was thinking about our very own Captain James Cook. It was a certain amount of opportunity that lead Cook to being chosen as Captain of the voyage to chart the Transit of Venus. Setting sail in 1768 along with that playboy Joseph Banks to observe said Transit must have been exciting times. Despite the fact that Miss Mich is not really a cruise kind of girl..no Love Boat for her..there is nothing like the idea of adventure on the high seas...(a little trampoline love perhaps..)

The chance for Cook to become truly recognised as a sailor, navigator, chart maker as well as astronomer was his orders from the British Admiralty to discover and chart the Great Southern Continent – Terra Australis Incognita. One must send kudos to Cook across the centuries for his efforts, for if not for him Miss Mich would not be the patriotic Australian sportswoman she is so proud to be.

Whilst this is not meant to be a history lesson, (we shall save that for the Fourth Charm), one must also give a nod to the attitude of Cook and Banks to the indigenous folk of the South Pacific. In Banks own words “if we quarrel with these Indians, then we quarrel with angels”. Miss Mich loves this quote. Banks took the notion of a little island love even further by setting up home with a beautiful Tahitian girl back in the old Dart. Miss Mich does wonder what his no doubt comely wife thought of the whole pacific affair...

I suppose one could muse that Banks was taking a chance at an opportunity to good to pass up with his exotic island flower.

This brings Miss Mich to her own point of wisdom on the subject, for you Dear hearts. Where you see a chance – take it. When opportunity presents itself – go for it. Opportunities are the gifts that the universe offers you to take a chance on. Without these gems, we run the risk of missing out on experiences that will shape and change us, one would hope always for the better. Miss Mich would like to give you a snapshot of the list of opportunities and chances that she is working her way through. You may borrow these with love.

Lie under the stars in an open field
Go to a music festival and wear gumboots
Find the best Margarita possible
Indulge in a little sport under the full moon
Dance naked in high heels (even if you are a boy..)
Smell a newborn baby
Tell someone you love them
Travel
Inspire someone with your enthusiasm
Be romantic
Be foolish
Be noble at least once
Be charitable often

Be yourself always

Enjoy Thursday

With love and oppportunity
Miss Mich

May I tell you a secret?

Dear hearts,

After another glorious weekend on the water, sunning and daydreaming, Miss Mich began to ponder the question of our many lives.

As Gabriel Garcia Marquez has written, Everyone has three lives: a public life, a private life, and a secret life.

And that is just the beginning. We are all chameleons, some are just better at it than others. How many different faces do we show in the course of a day?

I do love this idea. We shift seamlessly from role to role, with the subtlety of a good priest or politician. What makes this shift easier is the perception of those to whom we present our many and varied selves.

For the majority, our public lives are our most conservative. When Miss Mich is sharing the pen love she is the epitome of professionalism. Her skirt is to her knee, her decolletage modestly covered and the only reference to sport is that of Nadal v Federer. Remarkably, negotiations are completed, the pens are still sold and the Big Kahuna and Churchill of the pen world is a happy camper. Miss Mich gently mentors her chickens with all the love of a mother hen and works with her colleagues in a most collaborative way. Decorum is well served and the business of business beetles away most efficiently.

Our private lives allow for some of our true nature to be exposed. In the cocoon of our family and domestic nests we are able to show the sides of ourselves that would most likely never be on public display. We fart, shout, lie about in hardly any underwear and are often less than polite to those we love and live with. Miss Mich herself has been known to emit noises that could be considered less than ladylike from areas considered less than public! The bright young things are in turn loving and loathsome and mother of the year spares no feelings by telling them so in a most direct manner.

It is our secret lives that interests Miss Mich the most. The whims, proclivities and desires that dare not see the light of day. Are not spoken of out loud, but dwelt on with eyes closed. Whether under the covers or simply under the cover of that public life, they do exist and whether we admit to them or not, we all have a secret life.

What do we do with this part of ourselves? Frank Warren has the best idea. Miss Mich is a bit miffed at Mr Warren as she wishes she had thought of the idea first.

postsecret.blogspot.com

Yes Dear hearts, on this very uber page you can read secret confessions from regular folk. Anonymous and honest. Miss Mich loves it. Post cards sent with confessions from simple to most exotic and beyond. Can you tell which is Miss Mich's?

The next most obvious question for Miss Mich is how many people actually live out their secret lives? It may not be as easy as simply wearing womens underwear under your policemans uniform, or sniffing womens shoes, or even letting down peoples tyres in the street. Miss Mich would love to know, anonymously naturelment, what naughty things people do, what secret lives they lead and the frisson of excitement that follows.

Enjoy Monday in secret.

With love and secret thoughts
Miss Mich

Arms Across the Ocean

Dear hearts,

What is occupying Miss Mich at the moment you ask?

Sport...obvi...

That constant aside, a lovely few days was had with Miss Mellie and the lovely Afghan. Our generous captain, the Green Guru steered us on a northern course all the way to the charming Hope Isles. Amusements such as beach cricket, sunset drinks at the Yacht Club (read picnic table on the beach...v cute) and sailing the little skiff Calypso in 25 knots of breeze kept all busy until the next cheese platter and glass of something fruity.

There was something missing, however..an absence of little fishy's. Miss Mich as you know, has a great fondness for the little darlings. Perhaps it was a bit windy, perhaps they were off in other parts of that glorious Great Barrier Reef, after all it is school (of fish) holidays...

Speaking, Dear hearts, of the oceans inhabitants, it disturbed Miss Mich greatly to hear of the crisis in Sydney's North Head...penguins savaged by assailants unknown... Trust National Parks to step into the breach..snipers on point duty just waiting to take out the penguin persecutors!...true story.

This leads Miss Mich to the question of protection. When is too much too much?

There is the mandatory mantra that mother of the year sends the Bright Young Things out the door on a Saturday night with: “If it's not on, it's not on...” Obvi..

One could just say George W. Bush...nothing like a bit of overkill there.

It appears swine flu masks may have their place given the current global pandemic that Miss Mich has commented on previously, so no more taking the bacon there...

All these capital letter worthy subjects aside, one can only protect so much, can only hold one in one's arms so much. Miss Mich's songbird, her first born daughter, has flown for who knows how long. She of the many guitars, notebooks spilling poetry and concert tickets, notes and feathers - her memories and treasure. The child who thinks and debates and never backs down from an opinion. Who loses everything, who never washes up. Who sings like an angel and drives her mother crazy. Flying to explore and discover and hang out busking for her supper.

To her songbird, Miss Mich sends her love and protection. An etherial umbilical cord stretching across the ocean to keep her on track and safe. Yes Dear hearts, Miss Mich may be getting a little sentimental here, remembering her own odyssey at the same age across continents where Miss Mich found the seeds of the sportswoman she was to become, so with a small aggravation in her eye, we will never speak of this again.

Enjoy protection and Friday.

Love Miss Mich

Where there is Smoke...

Dear hearts,

It's time for the Third Charm. The Fireman. Funny story...

It was common on the weekends for the Bright Young Things to have their buddies for a sleep over. My darling boy would organise the troops and we would tootle down to Rose Bay to buy supplies for the long night of dvd watching ahead.

Whilst the boys beetled away stocking their baskets with sugar and carbs, Miss Mich decided fish would be just the thing for her supper. Imagine her delight when two firemen stepped up to the counter to order the exact same swordfish..Now Miss Mich is not a greedy girl and was more than happy with no more than one swordfish and one fireman at a time. A pleasant discussion ensued with the fireman extracting all the vital info from Miss Mich, sadly Miss Mich knew only the beachside location of the fireman's station.

Sitting in front of a saucy French film, (don't you love Arthouse cinema), Miss Mich decided to introduce herself to said Fireman. But how??

A letter of Introduction..how very Continental...

With the envelope sealed, the dilemma that now faced Miss Mich was no name to address. It was a simple matter of writing “Please pass this on to the Fireman who had swordfish for dinner”. Excellent.

The delivery was not quite so simple. Miss Mich found herself cruising past said fire station over the course of a few days. The envelope, meanwhile was beginning to look a little wilted and dog eared and Miss Mich was beginning to feel a little like a suburban (albeit good looking...obvi) stalker.

Something had to be done.

Fortunately, that week, Miss Mellie invited Miss Mich to play lesbians and go to see kd lang. The Opera House was the perfect setting to enjoy a few glasses of something fizzy and decide on the best collective term for said girls of a feather..sadly none are printable in polite company, but suffice to say we were in fits of giggles at the many and varied options. Oh all right...Batch of Buzzcuts, Fetch of Fannies and my own personal favourite Clutch of ...well you fill in the rest..

As we drove back to the East after a most amusing evening, Miss Mich finally found the courage to deliver the letter – Miss Mellie...After pressing what at first glance appeared to be the door bell, the whole of the Eastern peninsula was woken by the fire alarm. That certainly had the boys attention. Miss Mellie duly informed the now not so sleepy firemen that the letter must be passed on to the fish eating fireman in suspenders and big boots.

Suffice to say the fireman in question did in fact call Miss Mich and sparks were kindled. A very pleasant time was had stroking the fire and searching for hoses...

At the end of that particular summer, Miss Mich had her own personal saviour of the kitten on speed dial and a healthy respect for rescue techniques...nothing like a good game of “Save me, save me – my pants are on fire!”..

Enjoy Tuesday.

Love Miss Mich