To all and Sundry
If you know where Sundry is, let him know this post is for him as well…
Fingers crossed the RUC will be chugging down that highway in the next week (or so) to be put up on our property in beautiful tropical North Queensland.
Because the house has been a Rugby Union Club for the past 60 years (hence my naming it The RUC) it had a couple of signs that I wanted to keep, so I removed them before the big move in case they go ‘missing’. I’ve already lost a gate – go figure. It was made especially for the internal stairs so I don’t know why anyone would take it. As my mother would say, ‘they probably needed it more than you did.’ Yeah right…
Here are some of the signs I took down
Remember – if you’re a man and you visit my house, it’s downstairs for you!
This one may go above the bar (or in the bin)
This one at the front door
I would make my own signs, but I don’t have an artistic bone in my body.
Examples below:
I got the idea for the Crazy Writer Lady sign when I was reading Robin Coyle’s post about Funny Signs last week. Now I just have to learn how to draw!
Dianne Gray author 
I actually passed a house being moved this morning. By the time I returned 90 minutes later, it had managed about 3.5km and was under much debate as it was being turned off the main road into a side road – with annoyed traffic attempting to get around it. I think the last two signs apply to me this week – just remove the word ‘writer’. 😀
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Oh dear, Suzan – that sounds about right. Ours will need to turn off the main highway and they will have to take the traffic lights out so it can fit through. And then it needs to go over the train crossing… ARGH! It should be interesting to watch the whole thing 😉
Glad you like the signs – yes – just ‘crazy lady’! 😀
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I love your own sign. Maybe we all need one of them. You could sell them and make your fortune!
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LOL! Wouldn’t that be nice! 😀
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Holy cow. Not everyday you see a house moving down the street.
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Very true! It’s so big that they have to cut it in half to move it and then put it back together again when it gets there. YIKES!
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I love these signs! You were so smart to grab them ahead of time. My favorite is the “Nothing Happened” sign, and the first Crazy Lady sign is my favorite of your two. I find this so exciting that you will be living in an rugby club. … By the way, do you pronounce RUC with a long u or a short u?
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RUC rhymes with truck 😉
I like the ‘nothing happened’ sign as well. There is also one in our local pub.
I downloaded Udraw two days ago and have been playing around with it. I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t have an artistic bone in my body 😀
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I’ve been saying RUC properly, and I disagree with your drawing assessment. I think your signs were really cute. 😉
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Great signs and good for taking them now and not later…! I so hope your RUC arrives on time – how exciting!! all the best!
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Thank you! I need all the luck and best wishes I can get with this move. I’ve actually never seen an entire house being moved before, so it should be interesting (to say the least!) 😀
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“On this site in 1897 nothing happened” that’s too funny! It’s so great that you kept these signs and preserved the history of this house.
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There’s someone who knows the entire history of the house (apparently) so I have to find him and write it all down. Before it was the Rugby Union Club it was a family home somewhere else (and was moved onto the spot it sits now). I love historical things and can’t wait to find out all about it 😉
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You’ll have to tell us about it when you do! It’s fascinating that it used to be somewhere else. A friend of mine’s house used to be somewhere else too. It would be interesting to find out where exactly.
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Thanks for the pingback! Now, where do I order my “Crazy Writer Lady” sign?
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LOL! I wish I had an artistic bone in my body! I thought about the crazy writer lady sign a lot after I read your post – now if I can just get it looking a little more professional! 😀
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Your take on it looks very professional, indeed!
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Flattery will get you everywhere! 😀
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Haha! Good stuff!!!
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So glad you enjoyed it! 😉
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Can’t beat good signage! And keep those men where they belong! Wait, though, remember Hamlet: Foul deeds will rise…
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The thing is – there is no toilet downstairs (yet) 😀
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Hahahahaha
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However, there is 200 acres of cane fields – hope no one gets lost 😉
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The first crazy writer lady sign is great – don’t sell yourself short Dianne 🙂
That toilet sign has me chuckling – such flowery lettering for every word except TOILET ha ha ha
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It’s great. I loved that sign when I first saw it and it’s old and crappy (pardon the pun) around the edges so I cut them off for the picture. I’m putting up again even though there is no toilet downstairs! 😀
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Love the signs!! Can’t wait to see it all put together.
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I can’t wait, Susan… I’m learning a lot about patience. All that needs to happen now is for the council to tick a few boxes and then it’s on the truck and on it’s way…(just wish they’d hurry up about it) 😯
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I’d love to see your house in transit, but would hate to get stuck behind it in traffic. 🙂 Exciting times for you, Dianne. You must be so happy the RUC is on its merry way. Love all the signs, especially you ‘crazy lady’ ones.
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Thank you, Sylvia – I’m really glad you like them (I need A LOT of practice!) They should move the RUC at about 3-4 in the morning because it’s a fairly busy highway they need to travel down. I can’t wait (she says gritting teeth impatiently)! 😀
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3am is a bit early to get up and photograph the RUC on the road. I hope someone’s taking pics for you.
s
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Loving the men’s………….
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It’s pretty cool and it’s going back up even though there is no ‘men’s’ downstairs! 😉
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Those are great! I love the one for the front door, and of course, your crazy writer ones. 🙂
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Thank you, Carrie! I need a lot of practice with my drawing. I downloaded Udraw the other day and have been having a ball with it! 😉
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Ooh, I’m tempted to look into that, but then I know I’d get even less writing done!
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How exciting! I love the signs – think I could do with those last two to put up around here. btw – I read Corrugated Dreaming at the weekend and I loved it. The fat purple pout that excused missing teeth, pigtails so tight they dry out eyeballs. I think my favourite line was ‘ I hate this place because when I work in the kitchen I can see my mother’s face in the tomato soup.’ I’m going to quote that in my next workshop! Sublime 😉
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That’s great, Gabriela! I’m so glad you liked it. That was the story Harper Collins chose to put first in their book ‘Enter’ which was an anthology of award winning short stories. Strangely enough I wanted to write comedy, but it came out very dark indeed! I’m really glad you’re going to quote it in the workshop (you’ve made my day!) 😀
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😉
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Wow, you must be getting excited – not long now! Loving the signs…the last two might be more effective than the do not disturb I currently use – why do people always feel drawn to do exactly what a sign asks them not to? Well, then again, I always walk on the grass…who does ‘grass’ belong to anyway, they’ve no right to ask me to keep off it!
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LOL – I always walk on the grass too, Harula! It’s so much nicer underfoot that cement 😉
I need to practice on my signs because I’m ‘artistically challenged’ – but feel free to use them (or copy with a better picture than mine!) 😀
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Well, they spelled “men’s” wrong, but downstairs really is the best place for it, deep in the basement, far from the kitchen and the parlour.
As for the Crazy Writer Lady who is trying to THINK, I can definitely relate. 😯
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I noticed men’s was misspelled – but it was a Rugby Union Club after all… 😉
The funny thing is, there is no downstairs loo yet but I’m still putting up LOL 😀
Trying to ‘think’ is one of my greatest issues. I need a lot of ‘quiet time’ even before I put pen to paper (or start tapping on the keyboard)…
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See – even you agree that men’s toilets have no place among polite company. 😉 It reminds me of that line from the Blues Brothers: “You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”
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LOL! So true (and I LOVE that movie!) 😀
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My son would go berserk. He loves rugby and Australian Rules Football.
To think or not to think? That is the question to all and sundry. 🙂
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My hubby is a huge Rugby fan so he absolutely loves the place (he remembers being in that club when he played rugby in his younger years!)
I’m such a ‘thinker’ – I really need that sign 😀
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“On this site in 1897 nothing happened” – love it!
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It’s hilarious! 😉
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Wow, how exciting! I hope you’ll take some pictures and post them. What is the square footage of your home? Love the signs! Good luck with the move.
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The actual house is about 16m x 16m and a lot of that is veranda which I love because I’m such an ‘outdoors’ type 😉 It’s a ‘classic Queenslander’ built around the turn of last century and should be pretty spectacular when we’ve finished restoring it 😀
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Hey Jill – Zen has been trying to contact you. Apparently you won her giveaway for one of my books when you commented on the interview she did with me – let us know which one you would like to read 😀
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I love how nothing happened during the whole year of 1897. Love the thoughts floating around crazy writer lady. Finger’s crossed for a smooth move, Dianne.
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Thank you my dear, Kozo! I need as many fingers (and toes) crossed as possible.
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Who can resist a good sign… my sister gave us a housewarming sign… an oldie but a goodie “pets welcome, children must be on a leash”. She knows us so well 😉
There’s an old shop sign “Goods Entrance at Rear” at the local second hand shop. At $75 I covet it but am not silly enough to part with cash. I’ll keep checking for a red discounted sticker.
As I read in the comments that you won’t actually have downstairs loo to correspond with the sign, you may consider planting a lemon tree in the interim…
Exciting news that the RUC will soon be on the move. I love that the RUC has had a few different lives. Finding out the history will be fun. It’s nice that you are giving it a proper home and its life with you will be a long & happy one.
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Thank you, dear Ella! (ps I’ve been meaning to tell you I’ve named my latest leading lady in my WIP after you – hope you don’t mind) 😉
I know the RUC was built at the turn of last century (before the 1st world war) so it has a lot of history behind it. I love restoring old things but this will be my biggest project ever!
I love the sound of your ‘pets welcome’ sign (I need that sometimes)! And I must get myself a “Goods Entrance at Rear” sign – I really hope they drop the price for you!
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I’m flattered, and I can’t claim any sort of exclusivity on any part of the name anyway… after I adopted EllaDee as an anagram of my first & middle names, I Googled it and got so many hits including a UK TV show witch.
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The show witch sounds intriguing!!! 😀 Thank you for adopting the name. It suits my character very well 😉
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At first I thought the crazy lady writer was doing an impression of Tippi Hedren in The Birds, then I noticed the writing looked like Cantonese. I have morning eyes and a writer’s imagination …
Looking forward to seeing the RUC in place. How exciting it must be waiting for it to arrive.
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Being ‘artistically challenged’ has it’s drawbacks (particularly when I have friends who are relatively ‘famous’ artists!). I need loads of practice 😀
It’s kind of exciting waiting, but more of a test of patience for me! I’m only waiting on the local council to tick one box (how long can that take!) 😉
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Great signs!I’m sure they would have come up missing… Glad this is finally underway for you!
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It’s amazing the thing people take – I’m sure the signs would have been ‘lifted’! I’m so glad things are really starting as well. I can’t wait to have it plonked on my land 😀
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You were totally right to save those signs..they are perfect and should be part of the RUC..it would be a shame if they went ‘missing’. Your mom – and you – crack me up! I can sense the anticipation…can’t wait to see it arrive on your land too! 🙂
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Thank you, Bonnie! I think my next post will just be a picture of me twiddling my thumbs – waiting, waiting…. I’m not being patient at all because I’m just too excited!
I’m trying to find out who owned the place before it became the RUC. I’ve found out it was built at the turn of the century before the first world war – but that’s about all I know at this point…
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The signs are great! I know you’re excited – you have to get up early and take pictures! You will kick yourself if you don’t. 🙂
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I just hate kicking myself! 😉 I’ll be up and waiting in the driveway with cappuccino in hand! They are going to cut it in half (it’s too big to take in one piece) and doing it over two days – ARGH! Two early mornings. Can’t wait 😀
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Love the one about 1897. I make a lot of posters for my tech lab. I wonder how I could incorporate that into my lab…
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LOL! That would be very funny! I’m sure you can buy the 1897 sign online – there is also one in our local pub (but nothing’s happened there SINCE 1897) 😉
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Glad you snagged the signs . . . sorry the gate went missing. Here’s to a smooth move. 😀
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I like your Crazy Writer Lady signs . . . she looks Mary Poppinish . . . or Nanny McPheeish.
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LOL – must be the dress (that was an accident!) I’m hideously bad at drawing, but I kinda like these ones 🙂
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Thank so much, Nancy! I guess I’ll just have to have another gate made – oh well! I really hope it’s a smooth move as well 😉
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Great News on the RUC move!! And I aboslutely LOVE the signs…you will be the envy of everyone in North Queensland…seriously. I think the RUC is a cracker. 🙂
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Awwww thank you! 😀 The RUC will be the BEST cracker in North Queensland! 😀 😀
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Those are fun signs…I’m glad you kept them! Should make some excellent conversation pieces 🙂
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I’m sure they will, Janna! I’m going to have a hunt around some of the second hand shops in town and see if I can fin anymore interesting ones 😉
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Your signs are cool chookas. I LOVE the Wagon Wheel – though I immediately thought of chocolate..marshmallow and jam 🙂 Bring on the RUC!!!!! xxx
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YAY! I love chocolate wagon wheels (isn’t it weird how they’ve gotten smaller over the years – I remember when I was a kid and they were really big!)
Come in RUC – it’s gotta get there soon…. 😀
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Amazing signs, amazing experience…moving a house. I can’t really wrap my head around it!
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I’m finding it a bit overwhelming as well. I’m not sure how they’re going to do it, but they’re supposed to be the house moving experts so I’ve got to trust that someone knows what they’re doing! 😉
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I just love your mother! And these signs are great too. 🙂
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Thanks Anna! My mother is an absolute gem 😉 I’ve decided to go on a bit of a second-hand shop hunt for more old signs 😀
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LOL! Those signs are the best decor…EVER!
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Thanks Britt! I love old signs and the history that comes with them 😉
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I expect to see an order form for the crazy writer signs on your next post!! Seems to be a great deal of interest. Will check out Udraw–sounds like fun.
Don’t you just hate waiting?!!?
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Oh Ly! I’m getting SO impatient. I never thought I was an impatient person but this has been a big test for me. There are so many boxes to tick with the local council that my head is spinning. Every time I think it’s all ready to go they come back with another one (and a monetary charge as well!) My next post should be just a picture of me twiddling my thumbs!
I’m so glad you like the crazy writer lady signs (she looks how I feel at the moment!) 😉
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i love the wagon wheel sign – if you don’t want i’d definitely would! ;0) PS – i’ve told Sundry …
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Oh Dan! Thanks for telling Sundry – YAY! 😀 😀
I’m glad you like the wagon wheel sign because I wasn’t sure about it, but I think you’ve just made up my mind 😉
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Lovely post Dianne; brought a smile on a far from “beautiful tropical North Queensland” day here. Look forward to hearing more about the RUC.
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I’m so glad you like the post. The RUC is a fabulous old building. I can’t wait to sit it on the block and take it back to it’s original beauty! 😀
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Those are wonderful signs! Super smart to grab them early. Those crazy writer lady signs are fantastic, I especially like the pumpkin head on them. 🙂 All the “think”s looked like fish bones to me at first – hahaha, you should add a couple of bats – Now I want to try to draw that…I need a ‘crazy lady’ one for my office.
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I downloaded Udraw for free about four days ago and now I think I’m addicted. I actually got it because of Becky’s comment about my book cover on your post and I’ve been trying to get the words to draw a ‘proper’ picture of a face (it’s not as easy as I thought it would be!) I need a lot of practice to get it right 😯
I love the idea of the bats! 😉
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Good luck with that! I hope you figure it out because that would be awesome for that book. You did those thought words flying around?! You are doing an awesome job!! I am excited to see what you come up with.
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YAY! I’ll let you know 😀
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Ah, but wouldn’t it be fun to build a story around that “nothing happened” sign where the characters somehow learn that something critical to their lives DID happen? 🙂
Hope that house gets there soon so you can get settled and then back into a regular writing groove!
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Great idea! I love the way you ‘think outside the box’!
I can’t wait to get back into my regular writing groove either 😦 But I have been messing around a bit with a story this morning 😉
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Wow! Good luck with the RUC. I hope it doesn’t take a shining to travel. You might want to chain it down.
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It might get itchy feet! 😉 But I hope it likes it’s new digs 😀
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Could you make me a sign my cats could read which would deter them from deliberately knocking stuff off windowsills when I am trying to write?
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What a great idea! LOL! 😀
I have a friend who puts empty plastic milk bottles on the shelves under his house so he knows if he hears them falling off there is a snake down there! I hope you don’t ever need anything like that! 😉
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Good luck, good weather and quiet roads for your big RUC move, and don’t forget to take lots of photos…
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Thank you so much, my dear – I really do need all of the above! I’m charging up my camera as we speak 😀
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Yes don’ forget the extra batteries and memory card 🙂
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oh yes! Thanks for the reminder. It may take a while and I don’t want to run out of battery or space at the crucial moment!
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Yes that can be very frustrating, I have run out of space 😦 and now always have a second memory card in my bag.
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I love reading your posts about the “house” moving adventure. Keep the photos coming. Can’t wait to see what you do with the place. I love the Crazy writer signs, too. Where do you get them? I’d like to put one above my chair! Barb
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Hey Barbara! I made the signs myself using Udraw. I only downloaded the free application a few days ago and I’ve got a lot to learn!!! 😉 I’m not nearly as artistic as you are 😀
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Good luck with the move! I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.
As for the signs, they’re fantastic! And your drawing skills are not too shabby. 😉
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Thank you, Zen. I’m actually a really crappy artist, but I’m going to start practicing every day 😀
Keep those fingers crossed – I need all the luck and help I can get with this move 😀
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I love the “nothing happened” sign too! Hilarious. And sending you all sorts of good luck vibes through my computer! I hope the move goes smoothly my friend 🙂
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Thank you so much, Amb! I can feel the vibes coming through now 😀 *taking deep breaths* and fingers crossed it all goes smoothly…
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Love all the signs! Thanks, dear lady, for liking my recent post “Billy Joe’s Night Out.”
Good luck on the ‘Rugby Union Club’ (sans club) arriving next week – my mind revels with the vision of RUC ‘chugging down the highway…’
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Fingers crossed it all goes well, Billy Ray! I’m glad you like the signs – I’m now going to check out some of the second hand places around here to see if they have any interesting ones that I can add 😉
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Moving the RUC sounds like a great adventure! I can’t wait to see how it all turns out. What made you decide to do all this? I love pub signs like those but my favorites are of course the crazy writer ones! Glad to see others feel that way too.
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The RUC move came when we decided to move back to the farm and found that our old house had been too badly damaged in the last cyclone. We were going to fix it up and move back in, but then a friend of a friend of a friend found out that the old Rugby Union Club was going to be demolished to make way for a new one. We thought that was a bit sad because it’s a beautiful building with a lot of history so they asked us if we’d like to ‘take it off their hands’ for free. We said YES! It hasn’t always been a rugby union club – it used to be a federation home that was built sometime before WW1 so we had a builder inspect it and he said it was in beautiful condition. So the rest (as they say in the classics) is history!
Sorry about the long-winded explanation 😉 I’m so glad you like the pictures!
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Thanks for that update – it all sounds so exciting! I love historical buildings like that – they have so much more character. It’s great that you’re preserving one. Good luck with the move!
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Thanks Sheila! 😉
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The ‘nothing happened here’ sign is awesome and really roused my curiosity. I love signs! And I’m with you, I wish I could make my own signs. I get these great ideas on what a sign would look like but I can’t recreate it with actual tools and material. Because I’m not handy. I’m actually quite dangerous with hammers and nails and whatnot.
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I don’t have an artistic bone in my body – otherwise I’d be making all kinds of signs! 😉
I’ve been ‘banned’ from hammering nails and climbing ladders and hubby won’t let me anywhere near power-tools ever since I nearly cut my face off with a chainsaw! LOL 😀
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Dianne, I love those signs. It’s going to be a cool place! Can’t wait to see how it all turns out. I like the signs you made, too. I know what you mean though. My own drawing skills are pretty weak. I always wished I knew how to draw.
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Wouldn’t it be lovely to just whip up a beautiful picture! I love it when people can paint and draw with ease and I sometimes wish I had that gift 😉
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Hi Dianne, I love your signs too and yes, even the ones you made. I’m a funny sign person. You must be too. Good luck with the moving of you RUC. Our neighbor had a giant house moved onto a piece of her property from about ten miles away. They had our road going into town blocked for hours, but the house looks great.
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Oh, I hope we don’t block the road for hours! That would be a little embarrassing 😉 But I do hope it looks great when it’s all finished! 😀
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Hilarious – I love the 1897 sign! 😀
Best of luck!
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Thank you! 😀
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One day the crazy writer lady sign will also be old and worn and interesting to someone many years from now!!!
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I hope so! They’ll be saying, ‘who the hell is this crazy writer lady!?’ LOL 😉
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I like the do not disturb sign. I need one ofr my office door. Naaaaah — They’d still barge in I’m sure. 😦
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D – “for” not “ofr” — fingers need a coffee break
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Oh – LOL – I didn’t even notice that!
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🙂
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It’s amazing how people can totally dismiss signs! Put it on your office door then lock it 😉
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Then they will sit at the door and whine like the dog. There is no where in the house for Mommy to hide.
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I love the signs! Especially your crazy writer lady ones! Sort of describes me as well… trying to think! 😀
I nominated you for another blog award… http://radioactiveyeball.wordpress.com/2013/02/08/very-inspiring-blogger-and-blog-of-the-year-awards/
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I’ve been over to take a look. Thank you so much, Tarina – I’m very flattered 😀
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love the signs 😀
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Thanks, Jenny! 😉
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LOL Dianne! All those signs are priceless! Especially Beware of the Crazy Writer Lady! Haha! That’s the one I’m voting for going on your front door!! Oh I bet you’re getting excited about your house delivery! By the way, I saw Sundry running by and gave him the heads up about this post! Has he shown up yet?
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Good grief – that’s who I saw running past the house screaming. Sundry can be a bit odd at times! 😀
I’m still waiting on one council approval (ummm – bureaucracy is the bane of my existence!)
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I hope Sundry isn’t on that council. But then again, that might help your chances. (I hope by the time you read this comment you will have already gotten the Ok!) 😀
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Not yet, Linda (tapping nails on the desk) 😯
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LOL … I NEED the “crazy lady writer” sign!!
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It’s a very close representation of how I really look – LOL 😀
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LOL me too!!!!
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I know why Sundry is scarce…
He took that gate you’ve been missing!
(and you didn’t hear this from me!)
Love your sign!
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LOL! That damned Sundry – I should have known it was him 😀 😀
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What a project – moving a Queenslander!
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It’s a huge project. I can’t wait until it finally arrives (I’m still twiddling my thumbs waiting on it) 😉
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Uh I love your signs!!! The only one of ours that made it through the last move says:
“Trespassers will be shot on sight. Survivors will be shot again.”
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LOL! I must get me one of those (because it’s true!) 😀
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I love signs, I have them all over my house… These are great, I especially like the last one 😉
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I’m so glad you like them, Maggie. I’m a bit of a ‘signs’ person as well! 😉
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I love the crazy writer lady design… very stylish! 😉
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I can’t believe how artistic I am! I just don’t know why the million dollar offers aren’t coming in to purchase my artwork LOL 😀
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Gotta market it as exclusive and all that smoke and mirror ad stuff. 😆
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