The Return of Sparkling Adventures - Merge

[Melissa19128]

The girls' feet are just so filthy.

Lauren's hung around the inner suburbs and ventured to a homeschool gathering on a beach about an hour away. And declares Melbourne "organic and natural". She hasn't seen anything yet.......... :(

My cousin has a very loose association with the homeschool group Lauren visited (currently overseas so no first hand Lauren interactions!). But my cousin has told me that the group is very posey, very look-at-me-I'm-so-organic-and-natural, while driving very large, new and expensive SUVs and sporting expensive brand name clothes. She also said it's like homeschooling is a "flavour of the month" type thing with many members.

When I saw the pic of Dell petting a chicken all I could think of was all the excrement she must be stepping in. I guess that should be the least of my worries since her big sister was playing with heavy bricks with no shoes on. :evil: It just burns me up because we all know Lauren had shoes on while walking around that farm yet her daughters go barefoot to satisfy Lauren's desire to be authentic.

[kolga]

At this point, I'm close to convinced that Lauren is just trying to kill her kids as quickly as possible. No shoes, walking through urban landscapes, working farms, or the bush. Allowing them to play unsupervised near multiple water sources, some of which (according to knowledgeable FJers) are croc-infested or highly polluted. Letting them scavenge for their own food, and take food from whatever source they find. Allowing them unlimited access to as many complete strangers as humanly possible, with as little supervision as she can manage.

She wants those children to die. Someone is going to have to convince me otherwise.

[already hungover]

When I saw the pic of Dell petting a chicken all I could think of was all the excrement she must be stepping in. I guess that should be the least of my worries since her big sister was playing with heavy bricks with no shoes on. :evil: It just burns me up because we all know Lauren had shoes on while walking around that farm yet her daughters go barefoot to satisfy Lauren's desire to be authentic.

And we all know that the girls didn't wash their feet before getting on the bus, so they're tracking god-knows-what barnyard detritus all over the area where they sleep and eat. Nice!

[ILoveJellybeans]

At this point, I'm close to convinced that Lauren is just trying to kill her kids as quickly as possible. No shoes, walking through urban landscapes, working farms, or the bush. Allowing them to play unsupervised near multiple water sources, some of which (according to knowledgeable FJers) are croc-infested or highly polluted. Letting them scavenge for their own food, and take food from whatever source they find. Allowing them unlimited access to as many complete strangers as humanly possible, with as little supervision as she can manage.

She wants those children to die. Someone is going to have to convince me otherwise.

Ive always suspected that.

Especially with how happy she is about them playing unsupervised near water after one of her kids drowned.

Imagine how much sympathy she would get from her followers to have all five of her children tragically die in accidents.

[So Many Lies]

You've forgotten the Dreads of Authenticity. She could firewalk in a kimono and war bonnet while spinning poi at a pow wow and she'd be utterly kosher because of them.

Right, right. I forgot that hair can open doors, to ,like, anywhere.

[So Many Lies]

Question for the Aussies: are didgeridoos a beloved cultural touchstone, an annoying hippie trapping, or somewhere in between?

For me (an American) they're a stereotypically Australian thing, which makes me think that you probably find it tedious to always have them associated with your country. I know there's more to Australia than kangaroos, didgeridoos, boomerangs and Men At Work.

Which brings up an interesting question. What do you see as stereotypical American things? Besides guns, of course.

Sorry to back up a little but I had to answer: I guess I instantly think of the Statue of Liberty, basketball, and to an extent, Ghostbusters and Deliverance. But these are only symbols. Please don't be offended. I have been to the USA many times (family members live there) and I love,love,love it. The gun thing doesn't really come into it for me. I mean there are red-neck Aussies, too.

About the digeridoos, they are a cultural touchstone. Very few non-indiginous play the instrument as it is a tribal knowledge thing. You have to get good at "circular breathing", too. So hard. There has been a step away from making things like boomerangs and digeridoos for the tourist market because it does lack respect. It's a bit embarrasing, and passe, maybe like Dreamcatchers in the US for example. You do see plenty of people playing them though in major cities, mainly in public spaces and of course, cultural events. But I have never seen a non-indiginous play a digereedoo. I haven't seen them in any hippy festival per se. I may be wrong. I seem to spend more time out of the country than in it and I live in a small (ish) town these days. There are, however, loads of kangaroos here, literally hopping down the street.

[miffy]

I’m also thrilled to discover that Melbourne is not only edgy and artistic, organic and natural, but family-friendly too in many ways, like this!

A small pocket of it is & really its just uni students paying quite high rent to live near bars & people like Lauren trying desperately to be cool. Shes on the edge of the eastern & inner south eastern suburbs, its all european cars & giant shopping centers here. Not edgy AT ALL! Who even says 'edgy' anymore?

[lilith]

Sorry to back up a little but I had to answer: I guess I instantly think of the Statue of Liberty, basketball, and to an extent, Ghostbusters and Deliverance. But these are only symbols. Please don't be offended. I have been to the USA many times (family members live there) and I love,love,love it. The gun thing doesn't really come into it for me. I mean there are red-neck Aussies, too.

About the digeridoos, they are a cultural touchstone. Very few non-indiginous play the instrument as it is a tribal knowledge thing. You have to get good at "circular breathing", too. So hard. There has been a step away from making things like boomerangs and digeridoos for the tourist market because it does lack respect. It's a bit embarrasing, and passe, maybe like Dreamcatchers in the US for example. You do see plenty of people playing them though in major cities, mainly in public spaces and of course, cultural events. But I have never seen a non-indiginous play a digereedoo. I haven't seen them in any hippy festival per se. I may be wrong. I seem to spend more time out of the country than in it and I live in a small (ish) town these days. There are, however, loads of kangaroos here, literally hopping down the street.

I have seen many people, make and female, who don't appear to be indigenous, playing didgeridoos at doofs, markets, festivals and other hippie gatherings.

There is a trance group that's pretty popular in the bush rave scene that features a guy on a metal didgeridoo - it makes some pretty amazing music.

[Blahblah]

"Myrtle and Jacob the pigs greet us with alacrity."

Alacrity. Alacrity? She is as annoying as a fart in a spacesuit.

[miffy]

I just read the RidgyDige blog entry. It was at Westerfolds Park, which is about 10mins away from me. :lol: The suburb the park is in is Templestowe which is as white as you could possibly get. One of the safest liberal seats (right wing) in the country, the 'golden mile' super flashy mcmansions mostly owned by chinese expats. Maybe having a chinese surname means you are still 'authentic' even if your kitchen floor is marble & you drive an AMG?

[miffy]

"Myrtle and Jacob the pigs greet us with alacrity."

Alacrity. Alacrity? She is as annoying as a fart in a spacesuit.

Apparently Buzz Aldrin pissed in his spacesuit while he was moonwalking.

[August]

Right, right. I forgot that hair can open doors, to ,like, anywhere.

The most important one being the door to your soul, SML.

[lipstickgoalie]

Apparently Buzz Aldrin pissed in his spacesuit while he was moonwalking.

Would you like to yell at the moon with Astronaut Buzz Aldrin?

(I couldn't help myself. Sorry.)

[already hungover]

Apparently Buzz Aldrin pissed in his spacesuit while he was moonwalking.

Somehow the fact that Buzz Aldrin is an utterly humorless old coot* makes anecdote this even better.

*Nothing personal, Buzz.

[lilith]

Lauren has published her phone number on Instagram. The woman is insane.

[yetanothermeg]

So who's gonna call her?

[DarkAnts]

So who's gonna call her?

More like who will put her on a calling list for some annoying advertisement.

[Blahblah]

Lauren has published her phone number on Instagram. The woman is insane.

Faaaark. Even for her that's nuts.

[Sola]

I'm surprised the farm allowed her in with bare feet. It wouldn't be allowed here due to health concerns. Farms are not hygenic places and even the cleanest and best kept farms will be one giant petri dish due to animal shit.

[lilith]

I'm surprised the farm allowed her in with bare feet. It wouldn't be allowed here due to health concerns. Farms are not hygenic places and even the cleanest and best kept farms will be one giant petri dish due to animal shit.

I very much doubt it was officially allowed here, in fact I'd bet money there were signs up saying that visitors must wear covered shoes, and that Lauren just ignored it and was lucky enough not to be pulled up on it.

I'm sure kids aren't allowed to pull bricks out if god knows where and construct homes for their ponies in the dirt with them either.

I hope the kids have access to a bath tonight.

[truthseeker]

Interesting comment on the Collingwood Farm entry:

"Your child’s home cut fringe – do u think she will be pleases by it retrospectively in years to come? My guess is that it gets your family more stares from passerbys and that’s what you relish, so your job is done."

Way to get blocked! Wonder if it was one of us? ;)

[Guest Anonymous]

I had actually been wondering if Calista had had her hair tidied up when Lauren got her dreads tuned. It looked a lot neater than usual in the photos from the park they visited there - as if someone had tried to even out her own efforts.

I hope it wasn't one of us that left the comment. I have huge concerns about small children poking sharp scissors near their eyes (and their siblings' eyes) but it seems petty and spiteful to pick on a child's appearance on a public blog that the children no doubt will be able to access in not very many years' time.

[lilith]

I had actually been wondering if Calista had had her hair tidied up when Lauren got her dreads tuned. It looked a lot neater than usual in the photos from the park they visited there - as if someone had tried to even out her own efforts.

I hope it wasn't one of us that left the comment. I have huge concerns about small children poking sharp scissors near their eyes (and their siblings' eyes) but it seems petty and spiteful to pick on a child's appearance on a public blog that the children no doubt will be able to access in not very many years' time.

It's entirely possible that if she met with social workers in relation to David's case she tidied the girls up a bit in the hotel room the night before. Lauren is savvy enough and middle class enough at heart to realise that appearance does matter in these situations and to do what she needed to do to show a social worker what he or she wanted to see.

[ladyaudley]

But my cousin has told me that the group is very posey, very look-at-me-I'm-so-organic-and-natural, while driving very large, new and expensive SUVs and sporting expensive brand name clothes. She also said it's like homeschooling is a "flavour of the month" type thing with many members.

sounds right up Lauren's alley, then.

[CheeseDeprived]

I loved the last sentence of her latest blog entry:

"I don’t know if we’ll get back to the peninsula for another meet-up for a long time, but I hope to build on the friendships we started today during the coming weeks."

In other words: "We attended that one meet-up, and now I hope we'll be able to mooch off some of these unsuspecting people during the coming weeks."