Ozgirl

My Blog has moved to http://mariabinns.wordpress.com. Please come and check out my lovely new site. I am in love with it at the moment. Maybe because I have just spent the last two days putting it together and perfecting it. So come and spend a little time on my cloud..... See you soon, Maria

For more information on English/TESOL tutoring contact mariabinns@hotmail.com

I am a qualified and experienced TESOL/English teacher. I have been teaching for five years and tutoring for the last ten years. I am passionate about my work and love to encourage excellence in my students through providing them with professional and fun tutorials.

I have copies of my degrees, references and a current Federal Police Clearance available for you to see.

• Corporate Training for different industry sectors.  If a section of your company needs to improve on their written English skills including grammar, spelling, style, punctuation and expression I can devise and present a seminar or group of seminars, individualised to suit your needs.  I can also present training seminars on spoken and conversational English.  Seminars are fun, lively and engaging utilising a wide range of multimedia.
• Expat wives single or groups.  If you are an expat wife from a non-English speaking country and would like to improve your spoken or written English I can devise and present a group of tutorials to help you improve in any area.  I can organise and run conversation groups which are aimed at improving your ability to speak English.   Conversation groups are fun and relaxed.  They can be held in cafes or restaurants in Perth.  This can be a great way to introduce you to the Perth lifestyle.
• Executive English Training.  If you are an executive in Perth for a few days or longer I can help you to improve your written and spoken English while here.  I can devise an individualised program to meet your English needs.  Written English or spoken English can be taught.  I can help you improve your technical English or conversational English.
• Adult English Tutoring.  If you are a university student or adult learning English I can devise a program to help you with your difficulties in English.  I can help to edit your university assignments and  teach you to write essays and assignments of a very high standard.  I have helped many students to dramatically improve their grades at university and many others to obtain entrance into university programs.
• On-Line Tutoring and Editing.  If you are returning to your country and would like to continue your English training I can deliver on-line training and feedback.  I can also edit any papers, essays or letters that you have written in English for a reasonable fee.
• High School English/TESOL.  I have extensive experience in tutoring and teaching high school English and TESOL.  I can help you or your child to improve his/her grades at school.  I aim to push my students to reach their potential.  I can help improve essay writing, grammar, spelling, reading comprehension and conversation skills.  I have an extensive knowledge of the following subjects: Lower school English, Vocational English, Senior English, TEE ESL, TEE English and TEE English Literature.
• Primary School English/TESOL.  I have experience in tutoring smaller children in English as a second language.  These lessons are friendly and fun, using multimedia to improve your child's written and spoken English.  If you are on holiday from Japan, Korea or another country and would like your children to learn English for a few hours in the morning I can devise lessons to help your children and deliver them in the comfort of your apartment or hotel.

For more information on my fees structure please contact me on mariabinns@hotmail.com.

I look forward to hearing from you and helping to improve your skills in English.

Maria Binns

Every year I used to make resolutions that were never sustained and just made me feel guilty. Then I gave that practice away and I started scripting the year ahead. I sit down at the beginning of a new year and script the year ahead of me. I imagine a lot of things about my life in six months time and write them out as though they were already happening. This is a wonderful thing to do and believe it or not so many of the things we scripts we write actually manifest themselves. Last year I also started to write down a list called MY WILD NEW YEAR. These are the wildest, most amazing things I can ever imagine happening in that year. It is not a list of goals because you don't need to work hard to make these happen and there is no guilt if they don't happen. This is just about giving yourself freedom to dream and think of astounding possibilities. You don't even have to believe in them to write them down because just writing them down is an act of faith in itself. And guess what? One of my wildest dreams came true last year! Here are some of the things on my list for this WIlD NEW YEAR: 1. To get a book published (getting sick of rejection letters) 2. To make loads of money! 3. To be in a Bollywood film 4. To buy, renovate and sell a few houses. Wishing you a wild new year! Maria

Anais was born today at 12pm. We are all very proud of her. Please peruse photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mariabinns/75814136/.

She represents about forty hours of work and is finally finished.

Yesterday, I decided not to make clothes for Anais, so I spent the better part of a day looking for some handmade doll clothes in shops in Perth. This mission seemed fruitless but then I found myself at Strawberry Patch Baby in Subiaco (Shp 12a/ 29 Station St Subiaco 6008,Ph:(08) 9380 9885).

The shop is run by a lovely Irish lady who handcrafts exquisite baby clothes, with smocking and embroidery. I walked in and pulled out the doll who still had no hair and a gaping hole in her behind. The lady immediately understood the amount of love which had gone into this creation and said that she had a dress which may fit.

The beautiful smocked white cotton dress was a perfect,but the panties were a little too big. The lady said to leave Anais with her while I did some other shopping and she would run in the panties on her sewing machine.

On returning to the store, Anais was dressed in her knickers, which now fit properly and the lady had lovingly embroidered three tiny pink roses with green leaves onto the smocking on the front of the dress. She had put a little love of her own into this creation.

This made me think that everything we create in life is a collaborative effort. The lady in the shop helped make this doll. And without the hours of help from Emma I couldn't have made it. A lot of other people offered their advice and praise along the way.

Now, Anais will make a very special girl happy on Christmas day. I hope she loves it as much as I treasure the Raggedy Anne doll my mum made for me!

Maria

PS When in Subi next please visit Strawberry Patch Baby, and meet a lady who is putting all her love into this business. She deserves to be rewarded for it!

Creative Whims is starting on 1 January 2006!

Creative Whims is an on-line art/craft group which should be a whole lot of fun!

How does it work?  Well it is easy!  Just go to http://www.flickr.com and become a member.  You can use your yahoo id to be a member.  Then check out the latest theme for that month.  January 2006's theme is SUMMERTIME.  Then get creative.  You can make absolutely anything to do with the theme summertime from embroidering a baby's tshirt to making a teddy bear, to sewing a divine summer frock.  Be it little or large, anything is OK. 

When you have created your masterpiece take photos of it and upload them onto flickr for all to peruse.  Then be sure to invite your friends to join as well so that we can all see what people are creating.  You will be able to comment on members' creations, get new ideas, ask advice and share your own knowledge.  I am sure it will inspire you to create more amazing things.

So join us and please invite all your friends to join and let's see what we can come up with!

Start making your stuff for summertime.

Have a wild and scrumptious New Year!

Maria

In late January, this site will be moving.  I am a big girl now and am getting my very own domain.  How exciting!  I will keep you posted.

In the meantime, I will be indulging my passion for reading and making stuff!  I am starting both a Book Club in the new year and a Craft Group.  Our group will be a group which meets in Perth and also  on-line.  If you are interested please register your interest with me at this site or at mariabinns@hotmail.com.

I am so excited about all the opportunities available on-line.  I feel like a kid in a candy store.

Maria

I love textiles and all artists who takes their creativity to the extreme. 

This is why I love Kaffe Fassett (http://www.kaffefassett.com/), an English guy who has been designing the most outrageously colourful of everything for a long time.  I am particularly in love with his needlepoint and his fabrics.  I have never seen brighter more colourful fabrics (http://www.salsafabrics.com/New%20Fabrics.htm).  He really lives larger than life.

Other textiles I love:

http://www.marimekko.co.uk/ Marimekko were huge in the 60's and 70's.  A Finnish company with a lot of flair and retro textiles.  Divine.

http://search.ebay.com/liberty-fabrics_W0QQfclZ4QQfnuZ1 Liberty Fabrics.  English cotton fabrics, with floral designs.  They are timeless.  Gorgeous for patchwork and for little girls' dresses.

http://www.fabrictales.com/ Some gorgeous Japanese fabrics I found!

Enjoy!

Maria

PS Today I started to make my first soft doll.  I forgot how difficult sewing is.  It took me two hours just to cut the body out.  But I think she will be beautiful when she is finished! (http://store.sewingtoday.com/cgi-bin/voguepatterns/shop.cgi?s.item.V7985=x&TI=20016&page=2).  I think her clothes are a bit daggy so I will be making her a very funky outfit with Kaffe Fassett fabrics. 

"Alice laughed: "There's no use trying," she said; "one can't believe impossible things."
"I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."
Alice in Wonderland.

Why do my dreams sometimes seem too big to believe in? 

Sent out a manuscript today for my children's picture book.  I am glad I did it.  Talking to people it just seems so impossible to get published.  But I have decided to believe in the impossible!

How would our lives change if we were to take a lesson from the Queen and believe six impossible things before breakfast?  What would you believe in?  How would that change your actions?

Maria

 

What is the cure?

Just stop.  Live consciously.  Have a little fun.  Make a decision to place your effort in the simple again.  Make a kite out of a garbage bag and take it to the park, play cards all night with a group of friends, have a barbeque and ask everyone to bring a salad.

I believe there are things which are more seductive and powerful than money.  Magic moments spent with friends, holding a small baby for the first time, lying in bed and reading a great book, going for your first swim of the summer at Cottesloe beach, eating a delicious meal cooked with family, making a beautiful soft toy for a child, writing a poem, cuddling the cat. 

Enjoy the little moments and you may find that the pursuit of the dollar pales against it!

Some insightful reading:


Affluenza: When too much is never enough by Clive Hamilton and Richard Denniss
Voluntary Simplicity by Duane Elgin
In Praise of Slow by Carl Honore
http://www.slowfood.com/

Maria

A Virtual Christmas Gift List

(all the presents I would buy for family and friends if I had no limits):

Scott:   A golf course of your own on an island of your own (http://www.privateislandsonline.com/oceania.htm)with your own jet to fly us there and all the time in the world to play (until you feel compelled to do something else of course!).  When you get a little bored I will give you all the bricks, mortar, wood and land to build things on.

Nic:  Your very own gym that you can run and your own fitness DVD that we could launch at the casino in Monaco.  Oh, and a castle in England (http://property.org.uk/unique/castles.html) with your own staff, ponies and a few Border Collies.

Kate:  A major share in Dolce and Gabbana (http://www.dolcegabbana.it/) and a massive house in Cannes, overlooking the ocean, with a doggy palace for Dax!  And a bright red mustang convertible to match your hair. 

Milly:  Your very own fairy straight from fairyland to play with you all the time.  Your own bouncy castle that is always blown up, a bed made from pink clouds that you could sink into, a pair of glass slippers, a fluffy pink bunny rabbit and all the fairy dresses we could find!

Dad:  A yacht the size of Greg Norman's and a fulltime crew to take you anywhere in the world where you choose to go (and satellite TV of course so you dont miss the news).  Actually I heard his boat was on the market, so maybe I won't be too late.  Do you think he accepts virtual offers?

Mi:  An endless ticket around the world that you can use whenever you want.  The world's best mountain climber as your trainer, and a team to take you to the top of any peak.

Sars:  Tickets to all the major fashion shows in Paris and a presidential suite in a hotel in Paris so you can take the whole family.  You can sit next to SJP and Gwyneth and chat with them while you sip your Moet.  And you will also get your own fashion house!

Em:  Tickets to all the shows of course and your own suite too!  But also you can have a private concert with U2 at a secret location.  I will also buy you your own charity organisation helping children, that I am sure you will run brilliantly.

Mum:  I will buy you your own textile company, with your own staff to run.  You can design beautiful fabrics.  You also get a 600 year old country home just outside of Florence in the Tuscan hills.  Your house comes complete with a butler, a rose garden, olive trees and a bedroom with a huge bay window where your alarm clock is the light softly filtering in.

Jay & Veronica:  A fleet of those fantastic new Airbus A380 that you can fly around the world.  Also the QEII for a bit of fun on your holidays. 

and for me I will have all my books published.  I will win a few academy awards for some documentaries.  I will have a beautiful house perched on a hill just outside of Nice and a loft apartment in Paris. 

Oh, and I think I will be spending a lot of time on Scott's island!

Love you all.  Hope you have enjoyed receiving your virtual gifts as much as I have enjoyed giving them!

Maria