Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Favourite Photos Time - January!

It's a new year and so another year of photos is here!  I'm out and about more around Brisbane and you'll be seeing a lot of different kinds of photos from me this year.  And this month is just the beginning! Enjoy!
New Farm Park 1st, January, 2012
My back courtyard after a much-needed clean up

At around this time, we found out that Picnik was closing down, so anyone not paid up were offered to have a go at the Premium Effects for free until April 19th when it's going forever.  Google is taking this great photographic site away from us.

The Lizard, Boundary Street, West End, Brisbane.
 Hope you enjoyed this month's photos.  I had a ball getting out there and taking them; as I will next month!

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Dear 16-year-old Me

In today's 'Sunday Mail', I read a piece about famous people being asked to write to themselves when they were 16-years old; what they would advise them to do - or not.  I think this came from a video that was posted on Facebook about Melanoma not so long ago called 'Dear 16-year-old Me' where people who have survived Melanoma wrote a verbal letter to themselves about the dangers of the skin cancer and what they'd change about themselves.  Now, I'd like to do the same for myself; as I had big problems when I was 16 and wish I could go back and talk to me as a teen.  So, here goes:
Dear 16-year-old me,

School may seem like crap right now and your hair looks like a horrible mop of a mess, you're not popular, there's no boyfriend and you're not allowed to go to parties.  But don't worry, life does get better.  Hang in there.  Your folks have sent you to a church group because you're their youngest and a girl (believe me, they think they're doing right by you; it's just how they think).
By the time you leave school - which will be at the end of year 11 because you'll flunk out - you'll feel rotten about yourself, but know where you're going.  Do the TAFE course, but try not to lose it with the tutor (she's an idiot anyway); just walk out on her without throwing the textbook at her head.  
Love your car - the Toyota Celica - and make sure you drive it as much as you can before you have to give up driving; because it'll be a long time before you'll get out there again.  Little Vroom won't be your only car, but it'll be the one you'll remember the best.  
Epilepsy will be something you'll have problems with.  Again, patience will be something you'll learn with doctors.  And this condition will totally change your life in many ways.  You'll get into reading, painting and music is such a big way that your life will change.
Oh, don't keep going out with that dude you dated around 1999... he'll ruin your life completely.  You'll know the one.  He'll begin screaming at you for no reason.  Once he starts that, just dump him; he's not worth it - honestly.
Keep writing.  No matter what keep on writing... it hard as hell to get published, but just enjoy the fact you love telling a story and entertaining people.  And... um... your bookcase?  You know the one in your bedroom?  Yeah, multiply that by four bigger ones and you're lookin' at your collection in 2012 (and the collection keeps growing!). 
Speaking of collecting books, computers will become a big part of your life in the future.  Get used to them.  They are going to work well with you and you're going to own one in your house!  How cool is that?  But keep your eye on the ball about being published; it will happen, just not when you expect it to.  Otherwise, don't worry about school, it's a drop in the ocean.  And yes, you'll get back at one of the high school bullies later on in life - and it'll feel great!

PS:  Do go to your 20 Year Reunion... it'll be worth it! 
PPS:  And even though you avoid the sun like the plague, you'll still get a rotten sun cancer.  It'll be painful as hell and you'll be left with a scar... however, please, please, please, when you go and hang out with one of the kids at Bruns next year (you'll be 17), put some sunscreen on!  Even if you think you'll be okay; you'll get sunburnt to a crisp... and that's when the damage will happen to your leg.

So, what would you say to your 16-year-old self if you had the chance?  Lots? A little?  Nothing?  Or would a letter not be needed at all as your life turned out exactly as you planned?  I thought it would be interesting if we could talk to our 16-year-old selves.  However, the problem would be, would they believe anything we'd say?  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Wet Old Week

It's Saturday and I just had to get my butt out of the house!  So, I jumped on a bus and traveled to Garden City for a few hours; besides I had a few errands to run and didn't want to wait until Monday.  It was nice up there.  There was air conditioning, more space, lots of stores to enjoy and I got all my errands done under one roof without having to go outside - lovely.
I picked up my 'Good Reading' Magazine which was dedicated to The Year of Reading this year.  I'm thankful this is the national year of reading; as I find books an integral part of my life.  They are oxygen to me and very textile.  I love the feel of them in every way; as well as the smell of a new one and an odour of an old one.  However, there are people who just don't understand that.  Oh well, doesn't matter.
Then, I went off to Best & Less and found myself some new knickers.  Yep, I was finally sick of my underwear having holes in them; and bought some lovely pairs for $3 and $5 each!  Such bargains!  I also found a cute little camisole for $5 too.
Then, it was time to feed my stomach.  Yep, I was starving and the Pancake Manor beckoned.  I was seated outside and ordered an ice coffee and a plain short stack.  All up, it cost me around $11.00 for my meal.  Not too bad if you ask me.  And I had a good read of my magazine too.
On my way to the bus stop, I dropped into the chemist for a bottle of Saline solution and some syringes as Little Miss Stevie had scratched her eye again last night.  So, I thought to get some to wash her eye out; and seeing the bottle only cost me $4.95 and the little tubes were .80c each, I thought it would be cost effective to go with the bottle; and then I bought 3 syringes for .60c ea.  
I didn't have to wait long to catch the bus.  However, the amount of people who didn't know where to catch a bus was amazing.  An elderly couple and I directed a rather flustered old lady and her daughter to the right stop downstairs to catch the 555 to the Hyperdome (where they wished to go directly) instead of catching the 554, then two other buses; as directed by the driver of the 554 which was sitting right next to me.  I reassured her - saying I caught the bus all the time and I had been catching buses for a good part of my life - and for her to relax and everything will work out.  Then, a young teenager came up and asked which bus it was to the Hyperdome... and we had to tell her too.  
The 545 arrived soon after and I was on my way home.  And just as well; about 20 minutes after I opened the house and took some photos of my gorgeous Gloxinia, it began to pour rain; just when it hadn't been raining all morning.  How lucky is that?
Well, this arvo, I did a small load of washing and hung it out on my small clothes horse... washing all my knickers (new and old).  This got me thinking that I need a new - bigger clothes horse.  So, this is going to be my next big thing to save for.  It won't take long to save for either... about six months; that's all, but it will be worth it to have something where I can hang up a full load of washing, things on hangers and everything else I want too... and it's on wheels and folds up and stores in the cupboard.  Well, until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember, I'm always here.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Australia Day Washed Out

Australia Day is a day of independence for Australia.  This country was invaded over 200 years ago by the English and turned into a penal colony to put prisoners that couldn't be fitted into the prisons in the UK.  What a horrible thing to do to two groups of people: the Aboriginals and the convicts who were brought here to die.
Since then, Australia has become a country of independence, of Vegemite, of great intelligent people, national pride and great sporting abilities from all sides.  We have famous cricketers, famous race horses, car races, beautiful beaches, The Great Barrier Reef, a massive desert in the middle with Uluru as a main attraction (which turns the most gorgeous colours from dawn to dusk).  Yes, Australia has a lot going for it; and this includes its racism as well; which I hate to mention, and it's not all one-sided.  There's been an ongoing fight about exactly who's country this is.  If you ask me, it belongs to the Aboriginals; as they were here first by about 10,000 years.  And as much as none of us don't like it, change had to happen... but did it have to happen the way it did?  So horribly?  And did it have to take so long for the apology to come?
To me, Australia Day is a day of pride and togetherness.  However, it's better known to me as Invasion Day; as it will remind me of what the Aboriginals went through from the English and what was taken off them for the convicts to survive here.  I am from convict heritage; as well migrant heritage and I'm damned proud of it as if the decedents of the convicts are still around, it means they are the true Aussie Battlers from that time.
My Grandpa also came out from Liverpool to start a new life.  He had a choice between migrating to Canada or to here; and took one look at the brochures and picked here.  It may have been further away from home, but it led him to his future wife who lived on the Darling Downs here in Queensland... and rest - as they say - is history.
Australia Day, this year, wasn't much for me.  Mum was sick with a sinus infection and she felt pretty miserable.  So, she stuck around the home snoozing and hoping to feel better tomorrow.  My brother had something cut off his neck yesterday; so he sat around the house recovering from it.  So, we didn't get to do anything today.  Today, I hung around online, watched the overcast day drift by, caught up with an old neighbour who used to live here at the unit complex and then, took a shower, washed my hair and worked for 2 hours on my painting while listening to 'Amigos' by Santana.  Not a bad afternoon if you ask me.  Well, what did you get up to on your day?  Until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember I'm always here.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

The Quest For Happiness

Late last night, I was up late listening to the rain and surfing the net on my usual blogs to read before I headed off to bed.  On my last look at my hotmail and peruse of Romance Bandits, I spotted a new post by one of ladies there about Happiness and it got me thinking about exactly how happy people really are.
For example, what happened to me last Sunday with that young man being so rude and obnoxious to me about photographing a flower could have gone a little better from his end.  I handled it well, but really, he didn't. 
But I think we all have a time in our lives where we lose our happiness and positiveness towards life and wonder where in hell it vanished to; and that includes me, as some years back, I wasn't the happiest person around.  I thought I was happy, but it was the illusion of being happy that I was under; like most people who think they're happy when they're not.  It took a lot to admit I wasn't happy and even more to admit that I wasn't the easiest person to live with.
My Mum knew I wasn't happy, but she couldn't tell me, until one day, I realised I wasn't and called her told her as I began to cry.  It was something that surprised me.  What really made me sad was that I had been unhappy for a long time and didn't even know it.
The first thing I had to do was figure out exactly what was making me unhappy.  This took a long time to find, and I made it a kind of mission to firstly make myself happy then it might come to me as to why I was unhappy in the first place.
The very first thing I did was clean out my house.  This took a long time - years in fact - and I am happy I did it as it was while I looked through my piles of paperwork that I found my Year 12 English Senior Certificate for TAFE and that I received a High Achievement.  I hadn't known where that had gotten to and it pleased me to no end that I had passed that subject very well.  No sooner had I found that, but I also found my autographed program, tickets and receipt from the 1986 concert of when James Galway visited Brisbane when I was only 13.  I thought I had lost this!  To find these two things were the first steps to finding my happiness in life.
Cleaning out my house took about 2 or 3 years.  I had to stop a few times and make sure I wasn't throwing out anything I wanted or needed.  I cleaned out my wardrobe, my books (just things I didn't need), the kitchen, my lounge... everything.  It was amazing how many bags went off to charity that I didn't need and somebody else could use.  And giving to people who really needed it made me feel good!  You'd be amazed at how good you feel when you give without expecting anything in return.  It's a massive load off your shoulders when you give pre-loved things to somebody you don't know who will enjoy them as much as you have; and you know your things will live on again with somebody else.
Now, I have a clean out each year - you all know - to keep my house as tidy as I can.  There are a few things in certain areas that I don't get to, but I know it's something I need to work on them.  Otherwise, my kitchen and lounge room are looking good all the time.  I am enjoying my life as it's gotten better and better as each year has passed; even my older brother's noticed I'm getting back on track after all this time from my blues.  He blames the last boyfriend I was with who screwed me up; he's still angry about him and has never forgiven him.  But he does see the progress I've made lately; and thinks it's great even if it has taken a long time.  
Now, it's the beginning of a new year with new things I'm hoping to do and new plans I'd like to take a look at.  Life is better than ever before.  I am enjoying myself more than last year and I don't think anyone or anything can remove me from my happiness - not now or ever.  Until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember, I'm always here.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Rain

Since around lunch time yesterday, it's been raining off and on.  However, last night, it really began to pour.  Today, after I checked the mail, it poured down from the skies and hasn't stopped.  This kind of rain reminds me of the type of rain we received last year which triggered the floods that swept through Brisbane City; and destroyed so many businesses.  The same floods that people are still recovering from one year on.  
Last year, I was so scared of what was being reported to me; and mainly it was because of how it was being done.  There were news reports every 15 minutes about which places had been flooded, who had lost what and how many people were now without power and homes.  This kind of reporting is an effective way of terrifying people everywhere; and it's not needed.  They never did it years ago, so why did they do it last year?  
This year, it's so much more different.  Our Christmas has been and gone, school has started and we're better informed about what we need to do; also insurance companies now offer flood insurance.  I remember when I was looking for insurance for my place, I really had to hunt for one that offered that particular type of insurance as my place was in a low-lying area.  So, when I found the right one, I jumped at their offer; and ironically, they usually covered people in the country and rural areas.  However, when they found out where I lived was low-lying, they took me as a customer.  It's great CGU would do that; and the best thing is that I pay monthly so I don't feel the bite of it but I know I'm covered for flood and anything else that may go wrong.
It's really strange what rain can do to places.  How the damp of the stuff can get in and destroy things you treasure, don't you think?  I don't mind rain, but when you really want to get out and do some gardening or be outside for another reason, it puts a real damper on any projects you have planned (pun intended).  
However, you can catch up with other indoor things you haven't done in a while.  For example, today, I'm hoping to get my library here in my home office tidied up before the day out.  There's books on the floor, handbags that need hanging up, shoes, the battery-run Teac radio (for when we lose power during storms) and others things that need putting away.  This room has been neglected for far too long.  So, what do you do when the rain is intense and you can't get into the outdoor work?  Do you read, watch a good movie or snooze the day away?  Until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember, I'm always here.

Monday, January 23, 2012

The Attitude of Youth

Yesterday afternoon, I was threatened by a drunkened young man in my unit complex.  All I did was take a photograph of a flower in the front garden of his mother's unit and he came storming out - drink in hand - yelling and screaming profanities at me that what I was doing was illegal and he'd have me charged.  He went to trouble of putting down his dinner to come out and have a go at me; which really makes me wonder about how he came to conclusion it was illegal.  
Now, I must begin at the beginning.  This young man has never liked me - since his family moved in - and so over time, he has made it very obvious to me that my presence around his family (who like me very much as a close friend) isn't wanted by him.  Fair enough; I don't like him either, but you don't see me going around screaming at him.  Mainly if I don't like anyone, I usually don't say anything unless - of course - something has to be said.  
Well, after I took my one and only photo of this flower, I walked off to the pool at the front of the complex where I took more photos of flowers (mainly of Native Iris') and then when I noticed I was losing the light I needed, I made tracks back home the same way I had come; thinking he'd have gotten it out of his system about me photographing his garden.  However, it wasn't the case.  He came back out when I walked past again (this time with my camera securely in its case) and he started on me again.  The profanities were just as bad and he was still yelling at me with his drink in his hand.  I tried to calm him; then thought it was best to tell him what I thought.  I called him a piss-pot and a drunk and told him to go back inside, that I've done nothing wrong or against him; and never have.  I then turned and walked off.  He didn't follow me, but as I turned, he gave me the two-up fingers signal a few times and that was the last time I saw him as I went home.
Not long afterwards, I thought it would be in my best interest to tell my Caretaker (as he's related to this young man) and he said he'd take care of it.  A couple of hours passed by and I ate dinner and was watching television.  The young man brought the wheelie bin up, wandered around the place a bit and then went home.  I didn't take much notice until his Nanna showed up at my door in her wheelchair calling out to me.  I rushed up and opened the door.  She was scared and asked if she could hang around with me for a while; until her daughter - who is a good friend of mine - came home.  I said yes.  I looked around and found the flowers I had photographed all around my place.  His Nanna - whose name is Betty - said that he had gone and knocked all the blooms off the plants so I couldn't take pictures of them anymore, then made threats to burn my house and smash my windows.... it was awful and a little freaky to hear that he had continued his rant after I had gone home; when usually people stop, shut up and are worn out when a person is out of visual range.  But he hadn't.  Soon, Betty's daughter came home, drove straight up to my place and dropped off her own teenaged daughter and sped off home to deal with her delinquent son.  
Today, they moved.  I didn't get to say goodbye to my friends.  I don't know where they've moved to and I didn't get an apology from that young man for saying what he did.
And this really gets me about young people today; and we see it on the news all the time.  There are people like me around who are nice to others and nothing against anyone who are trodden on by these young people who think that they know everything, they own the world and they can push around everyone once they get a few drinks under their belts.  Alcohol isn't this young man's only problem; he's also got a drug problem that's adding to his demons that he must deal with - but won't.  And what really gets on my nerves about where I live is that whenever I see people like this act this way, it's because they don't know they've done this to themselves.
Exactly what is the world coming to when people won't take completely control of their own lives.  They won't take full responsibility for each and every action they make; and realise there is a reaction to what they do.  Why isn't there something that will teach the youth of today - in full colour - that there are consequences to what they do to others?  Please will somebody tell me this?  

Saturday, January 21, 2012

The End of a Photographic Era

If you haven't heard by now, Kodak is going out of business.  The company filed for bankruptcy and are closing their doors for good soon.  Now, they have been a staple diet for everyone around this nice blue planet of ours for such a long time, that I don't think I have ever not heard the word 'Kodak' and not associated it with cameras, the film industry or any other part of film since I was little. 
However, it's a matter of the company not marching on with the times that brought about its demise.  Kodak invented the first digital cameras before they came out on the market, but they didn't market them at all.  They wanted to keep people who were diligent and kept their allegiances to film within that market; and this company became the biggest producers of camera film in the world; even with the digital camera took over and people who once loved film changed over to digital cameras.  
Even I changed over from my worthy, brilliant Pentax Z10 film camera to my digital little Canon PowerShot A590 and it was a little painful, but I love my little camera now.  It takes the best photos and it's nice and light, fits in my bag and has a myriad of settings in it to suit my needs.  With my big film camera, I found it seized up in cold weather, got hot and sweated a lot in hot weather, I was forever carrying around a number of lithium batteries (because I never knew when it was going run out of juice; as one minute it worked and the next it didn't) and then there was the film.  If I kept the film for too long and didn't use it, it 'got old' and was unusuable.  And once the digital cameras came into use, I found that film for my old Pentax Z10 became so damn expensive to buy - let alone develop - I didn't bother buying the dreadfully expensive batteries (at $25 a pop, who'd want to?) and wasting my money on the film as it was just too bad if the shots didn't work out.  Also, it took up so much time trying to get them developed... so many days in the week to be out and about sending it in, then collecting it; only to find that half your shots were useless.  But that was the fun of having a film camera.  You got good at what you did; and quickly.
Kodak just didn't keep up with the times and was lost on the path that was paved with electronics, the internet and other digital items that have come our way.  The public have forgotten who they are - unless you still use a film camera - and it's such a pity; as I still have some of the film in my Pentax that I need to get out and developed as the battery died; and I'm not sure if it's used up or not.  I might just open the back door of the camera and pull it out... or better still go into Photo Continental and ask them to help me get my photos developed.  Actually, I just phoned up and found out that K-Mart don't have their dark boxes around anymore - these are boxes that are used to open cameras inside of when you know you have a film in it but you don't want light getting in.  They can help you develop what's left on the roll if you wish or just destroy it by letting the light get to it.  It's such a pity because due to Kodak going out of business, K-Mart has to close up their film photography section of their stores.  This takes two weeks.  So, it looks like I'm stuck with going to Photo Continental at Creek Road to get my camera checked out.  Damn!  I was hoping to it looked it locally.
Well, I do hope that Kodak stays a part of our lives in some way or another.  I also hope with their bankruptcy, they can work on newer innovations that can bring them back from the ashes.  Even though they may not be around anymore, and will be missed dearly by more than one generation of people around the world, I'm sure they have a few other plans (a few other Aces up their sleeve).  Until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember, I'm always here. 

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

Today, it was shopping day.  However, when I looked outside, it was also a sunny day.  So, I jumped up, dressed to go shopping and put on a full load of towels.  They were out on the line before 8am and I ate my breakfast, readied my bags and took off to the post office to pick up mail and send some off.  Then, I headed to the bus stop. 
On the way to the shops, we drove along Wembley Road and found that the Logan City Council was chopping down trees that they had planted all long the road.  These are trees that give a lot of shade and were planted there by the council; and that people park under during the long hot Summers we have to keep their cars cool.  Well!  Not anymore!  Those trees are gone!  From what I was told by a person who works in Triple C Shopping Complex, the Council also pulled up all the trees along the middle media strip along Kingston Road too.  Now, that's just a stupid and mindless thing to do in the middle of Summer in a state where we have the top Melanoma rates in the world, don't you think?

I also had the best day out shopping.  I bought a lovely skirt and green bag at Life Line - and they matched! It was something I didn't expect to find and they came in under $20 too!  Now, to find a top to match them; probably something that's in a turquoise or emerald green.  Anyway, they look great.
Woolworths had me talking to a lady with a baby Rainbow Lorikeet on her shoulder.  This little sweetheart was only 4 months old and she told me that Bodgie (as she named her last night when she picked her up) bit her only once and has been preening her since.  I said that the bird's showing affection because she's trying to bond with her; and that's a good thing.  It's also good to have her bird be familiar with other people in house as well, so she can have the family and friends come close to her physically; as some parrots can become very possessive of their owners.  Otherwise we talked food - and what not to feed her bird - and then we parted ways.
I didn't spend as much as I thought I would at Coles.  I bought a drink container that had an insulated cover around it.  With it holding over 1lt of liquid, I thought it would be great to take with me into the city or anywhere else while I'm traveling on foot; bringing my drink from home and keeping it cold with the cover and it won't leak.
Unfortunately, I had a cab driver who didn't know the area at all.  He said that he was a city cab and was sent out here and so I had to tell him exactly where to drive; even that the car gate was going to open when he parked in front of it when he was leaving my complex.  And I don't think this is a good thing; seeing he is supposed to know more about the streets than I am.  Oh well, I guess you can't have it all.
Well, right now, I'm here on the computer, the washing was brought in about 2 hours ago and it's pouring rain and as dull as it was yesterday; but humid and close instead of cold and windy.  Bummer.  I thought the rain was going to leave us alone so we could all get some laundry done.  At least I got home before it began to pour rain and not during.  Until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember, I'm always here.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Wet, Wet, Wet Days

It's wet outside.  The rain is pouring from the darkened clouds, trickling through the drains, along the clogged gutters and into the storm drains and out into the mass of drainage systems that keep our roads and other areas of our cities from becoming flooded.
However, with the pitter-patter of the rain, comes other things.  With it comes the problems of not being able to do your laundry, because there's only so much space on a fold-up clothes horse.  You can only do so much housework before you become bored as hell with it and just sit and fiddle with the things you're supposed to be sorting out.  You can very easily catch up with the supposedly-lost hours of sleep because of the darkened house and cooler breezes of the day and the subdued lighting outside.  Even your pets are feeling the same way as they curl up and snooze the day away and enjoy the lovely warm comforts of the house - especially when you've gotta go out into the wet, cold day to do the shopping, pick up some milk or just check the mail, only to return with wet shoes, ankles and umbrella less of money and with wet groceries because it was pouring rain when the cab dropped you home. 
Wet days are sometimes great, though; especially when you don't have to go anywhere.  It plays to your advantage when all you need to do is sit and read, paint, play the piano or curl up with some freshly popped popcorn - all nice and warm - and watch your favourite movie on dvd while the rain teems down outside.  It's the best feeling of all when there's a day like that; and you know, I don't get them very often.  However when I do, I like to spend my hours on the computer and do some decent writing; because there's nowhere else to be, no-one needs me around anywhere and nothing to get done outside - all because it's too darn wet.  
So, while it's pouring rain outside - day or night - what do you enjoy as your indoor hobbie?  Is it painting,reading or listening to music?  Do you design new things and sew them up, do you brave the weather and get out into the garden, slopping around in the wet mud to get your garden looking great while the soil is wet enough to mold?  Well, until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Cooler Weekend and Defrag

It's been a better weekend than it has been this week; weatherwise.  I have noticed that the clouds have scudded over the sky and the temperatures have cooled down our nights, bringing with them some lovely breezes.  And about time too!  This means we've all been able to catch up on some much-needed sleep over the last few nights.  
Last night, I ate early and put on a couple of dvds and had a vampire night; starting with the classic 'The Lost Boys' from 1986.  What a great movie!  So many great stars and they were so young!  And the great, late Corey Haim was in it along with his best friend Corey Feldman.  Both of them were only around 15 at the time they were cast and their friendship on-screen shone through.  I haven't seen this film since Corey Haim's passing... and so it was lovely to watch it again and remember him.
The other vamp film I watched was 'Dracula 2000'.  This was a massive step into the future where the internet and mobile phones are around, technology was better and music wasn't as textile as it was in the 1980's.  However, I do love this film as much as any vampire film around as it's got the same old values as any other vamp film:  old vampire shows up, he's in search for his 'beloved', he finds her, he thinks he's got her and she kills him.'  Great storyline.  And the old vampire is played by - none other than - Gerard Butler!  What a babe!  By the time both these films were finished, it was 10pm.  So, I closed up the house, turned off all the lights and went upstairs to hang around on the computer.  
However, this thing has been playing up on me lately.  It's been restarting twice over... and it would keep on doing it if I let it.  So, last night, I figured out where the defrag section of the computer was and thought it would be a good idea to get it going early today and defrag it completely.  This would take about 2 hours.  
This morning, I was up at 7:30am, dressed, turned on the computer, got the defragging going, fed the pets and went out and to buy the paper.  I chatted to Betty at unit 16 until a honey bee chased both of us away (poor little thing was only curious about where the flowers were... she wasn't interested in us; but scared us away anyway).  Then, I bought the paper and ate breakfast.
Once my morning meal was finished, I washed up, put out the rubbish, cleaned the stove, checked on the computer (and it was 61% done) and then I went back downstairs and tidied up the lounge and put on a vinyl and finished up cleaning the lounge room and putting things away.  This took up another half hour and I checked on it again and it was finished.  I restarted the computer and I took off to make my milk drink and came back upstairs to hang out on here.  It's been about 2 years since I defragged this computer; and that's not a good thing.  Computers become slow and begin to stuff up if you don't defrag them once a year.  Defragging them is their way of reorganising them; thus making them run faster, more efficiently and better and so you'll have a computer that will work better for you and you'll be able to have something that will have more than enough space on its drives too.  Another thing you can do to make your computer work better is to move things you no longer need - like excess photos or large files - onto an external drive.  I have lots of photographs, however they are stored in such a way that they don't take up a lot of space.
I have made a folder in my Pictures folder in my computer, named it the year it is for and the month we're currently in then I put all the photos I've taken for that month into that folder.  When that month is over, I go in and create another folder in that year of the next month; and so on.  It's the best way I know how to organise my photographs; and to keep track of them all too.  Once the year is over, I move all the folders into a main folder of that year, create another one for this year, and a new one for January and I've begun again.  It takes up such little space, it's amazing.  And yet, I have got all the photos I've taken for the last three years on a digital camera.  Amazing stuff... and yet, I also have other photos as well - like about 100 or so photos of Little Miss Stevie that take up next to no space.
Well, I'm expecting my parents this afternoon for afternoon tea.  We're having coffee and some Christmas Cake and a chat about what they've been up to over Christmas and NYE... me?  I'll be talking about what I did too.  Until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember, I'm always here. 

Friday, January 13, 2012

Weird, Old Friday 13th!

Weird is the word for today... really it was, is and I think this day of all days will always be.  This particular day I had to go into the city and pick up a book that had arrived from the UK for me as it was out of print and was never marketed here.  So, I thought to take off at around 11:30am and make it back to Springwood in time for my Chiropractor's appointment.  It seemed like a good plan at the time. 
First off, the bus was 10 minutes late, but we made it to Garden City on time.  How strange is that?  Then, I jumped on board a bus from the lifts immediately.  I thought my luck had changed!  It hadn't.  The man who was in front of me - sitting sideways in the bus seat - was reading 'The Courier Mail'.  I could only read the headlines - as I'm short-sighted and the larger bold print jumps out at me - and so when an article about our Solar System caught my eye (and a photo of some planets and a sun jumped out at me from the opposite page), I leaned forward to read the headline and he moved the paper to close the gap so I couldn't.  I know it's rude to read over somebody's shoulder, but that's the only thing I read over his shoulder.  This pig of man hunched his shoulders, and pulled the pages closer and closer to himself, folding the paper more and more so I couldn't see what he was reading.  I started laughing because he was being ridiculous... seeing I could easily find a netcafe in the city and google the article or just simply find myself a copy of 'The Courier Mail' for the article to read.  When we pulled in under King George Square, he even went to the extreme and folded the paper right up into quarters and shoved it into his bag and did it up... doing up the clips loudly and glaring at me as I got off the bus with a smile on my face.  The first thing I did was buy myself a copy of 'The Courier Mail'... I just had to see what the fuss was about with his newspaper being so confidential about it all; I could go as far as calling him a snob.
Once I was walking through the city, got myself a copy of the paper, been to the Lady's toilets (and no I didn't leave anything there this time!), I was off to The American Bookstore where my copy of 'Christian Slater: Back From the Edge' by Nigall Goodall was waiting for me.  I had a book voucher that Mum won years ago from The Logan Writers' Guild and she gave it back to me... this thing was worth $25!  So, I thought that after around 15 years of waiting, it was high time for this voucher to be used!  And I asked if it was still valid; and the owner smiled and said yes.  Well!  I perused the books on writing and language, pronouns and other written language uses... however there was one my eyes kept going back to.  It was 'Everything Creative Writing Book' by Wendy Burt-Thomas.  When it mentioned blogs on the front and publishing as well, I thought it would boost my non-fiction section quite well (as a few of the books from this store have in the past; and will do in the future).  So, I forked out another $6.95 and bought the book with the voucher and walked away a happy customer.
Once on the bus, I could relax for around 20 minutes - as I was getting off at Springwood and not Garden City.  So, I had time to peruse my two purchases.  I began reading the Christian Slater book and - as with the other Nigall Goodall book I own on David Tennant - it's a good, well-written book that I think I'll be able to get through easily.
On the way to Springwood, at the Eight Mile Plains Bus Station, on guy got off.  He stood, let off a loud fart and walked off, touching off his Go-Card as he went.  He didn't excuse himself or anything!  It was shocking and gross!  I couldn't believe it; and neither could the people behind me!  He had farted in the face of an older gentleman and didn't even apologise to him; now that's just disgusting!  A decent person doesn't do that; they wait until they are outside to let off a fart - if they can - and if they can't, they at least get embarrassed to have done it in the first place; not just do it and walk off as though it was something they do all the time (which it looked like this guy does!).  And the really bad thing was:  He was sitting in front of me when a girl boarded the bus at Garden City with a large stroller and she forced him to move.  He didn't want to move, but he did.  Soooo, what was he thinking of doing if he hadn't?  Fart in my face instead?  If he had, he would've been in for serious surprise of me teaching him about manners... no excuses!
I went to my Chiro's at Springwood and checked up on Mum and Dad's house before walking back to the bus station and catching my bus home.  My afternoon wasn't a stressed out one, but it wasn't really a busy one either.  However, it was eventful.  So, how did your week end?  I hope there wasn't anything bad that proved this day to be historically horrible; or did it go the other way and become a lucky day for you?  If your day turned on a dime and landed the right way up for you, let us know about it.  Until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember, I'm always here.

Heat Exhaustion

Last night, I suffered from heat exhaustion.  It was horrible.  After a dreadfully hot day out, I felt sick, constantly thirsty and didn't know what to eat.  I was tired - but not tired - and had the trots.  It was a horrible feeling.  I drank almost a full pot of tea, all of my Ginger and Mineral Water Drink and another two 500ml of water on top of the other two I had drunk that day.  
On top of all of that, the bins outside my place - which were supposed to have been collected that day - stunk to high heaven all night.  So, I was out there at midnight with a can of Glen-20 spraying every last one to keep the smell at bay; thank Gods that worked!  But I still couldn't sleep.  So, I used up my last two Gastrolyte pills and finally got to sleep at around 1am.
At 5:30am, one of the new neighbours across the court thought it would be bright idea to hammer something.  I called out what time it was and to give it a break... they did for 5 seconds and started up again.  I called out again what time it was and told them to shut up!  This time they stopped alltogether.  This was because I had finally gotten some solid sleep - and my body was recovering from the heat yesterday - and somebody thought it would be good to start something noisy (besides a car leaving to go to work; which doesn't bother me, as you get used to those noises).

Today, I was out and about.  I was feeling very blah... very ordinary... but I wasn't feeling anything as bad as I was last night.  When I returned home, I took another two Gastrolyte pills and within two hours I was feeling great!  I was also very, very hungry - starving actually - and had to say to a friend online that I needed to get some food into me; as it was the first time in over a day that I actually wanted to eat.  I ate a snack and then cooked up my home-made fried rice and scoffed into a huge serving of that... and I'm still starving.  This is a great sign... I'm on the mend, but I'm now very tired and still have to catch up with lost sleep.
When Mum called earlier this evening, I told her what happened, and she was worried.  She said that the best thing for heat exhaustion is to just drink fluids; no food.  But she's happy I'm feeling a lot better... and said that if I can survive this, I can survive pretty much anything.  So, I'm glad about that.  She also said that I did everything right - from taking a cool shower, drinking my Gastrolytes, drinking sugary drinks and eating cool foods (when I could) and lots of water - it was right... my body just had to mend.  Thankfully today was a lot cooler.
Well, tomorrow is supposed to be cooler still with a few showers... let's hope.  We really do need the rain to green up our lawns.  Until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember, I'm always here.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Another Hot Day in Brisbane City

Today, I was out and about in this dreadful heat.  But I didn't dress in my usual mini-skirt and rock'n'roll shirt.  Instead, I grabbed my Balinese wrap-around pants and the Indian shirt I wore on Christmas Day and caught the bus.  This outfit may have had me covered from head to toe, but I was cool!  Sure I sweated, but when a breeze hit, I felt so nice and cool and it was lovely to not feel the sun burning my skin.
Well, I was meeting a friend for lunch; and so I thought to kill two birds with one stone and drop off the mail to Mum and Dad's place while I was at Springwood.  So, I walked there from the bus stop, dropped the mail, grabbed a glass of water (well, it wasn't all that pleasant-tasting really) from the fridge and then I headed off down the road and grabbed some money out of the ATM.  It wasn't long before Susan showed up and we ate a lovely lunch at 'Luv a Coffee'.  She had a Club Sandwich and a Coke Zero and I had a Greek Salad and an Ice Coffee... and we talked and chatted about what we've been doing.  It was great to catch up.
Then, it was time to have a walk around and I badly needed a bottle of water and bought some mineral water... how delicious and refreshing in this horrible Summer heat!  We walked to Rockaway Music to find it was closed for around 10 minutes because the guy who was there had to go on lunch.  We waited outside the place until he came back and then Susan and I had a look around.  She was amazed at the variety of vinyls that were there.  I pointed out which ones were which and headed for the $2.00 and $4.00 box immediately and began flipping through them.  Susan grabbed a few great - higher priced - vinyls that were absolute classics.  There were some I haven't heard of yet I have heard of the band.  I found a couple of great ones - which were in good condition - played them and put them off to one side to purchase.  Then, I came across a coloured one!  It was red and by 'O Band' - a band I hadn't heard of, but when I played it, I enjoyed the beat... so that one went on my 'to buy' pile too.  All in all, I purchased $12-worth of vinyls and used my Rockaway Member's card.  
We soon left there and wandered up around the corner to see what had become of 'Trochaderos'.  Nobody had leased the place yet; and then Susan and I spotted the FDB's and took a look inside.  We spent a good 45 minutes where I stopped myself from buying anything, and Susan bought a few things for the house.  Truthfully, I really didn't have all that much money left; so thought to leave it until another day where I did.  
Susan and I left the nice coolness of Centro at Springwood at around 2:45pm.  It was horrible to have to be outside in the melting heat of the day; oh well, can't have it all I guess.  Susan dropped me off home on the way back to her place.  It's always great to see her when catch up each Christmas School Holidays.  Well, until my next post, take care, keep warm (or cool) and remember, I'm always here.

Monday, January 9, 2012

It's A Heatwave!!!

It's been a hell of a day!  Really and truly... an absolute heatwave... and it's reminded me of the song
as it's about heat.  I love how it keeps being remembered by people everywhere (I even sung in quietly while shopping one day last year when I heard it come over the radio at Coles).  However today, it was so very hot, I nearly just laid back down in bed and went back to sleep after breakfast to ignore the day.  But I didn't.
I jumped on here instead - as usual - and ended up getting off at midday... to get outside.  However, it was very hot and so I jumped back on here at around 1pm and the computer quickly overheated!  So, I took the side off and angled the tower towards the air-conditioner... however it wasn't doing it any good.  The temperature kept going up.  So, I turned it off and then took the opportunity and cleaned it out of the dust and crap with cotton buds and a washer sprayed with glasses cleaning fluid (which has alcohol in it; so it dried quickly and yet cleaned well).  
While I was waiting for the computer to completely cool off, I worked on a painting for an hour and a half, read some of the stories of 'Brief Interviews With Hideous Men' by David Foster Wallace and began reading 'The Dreaming Void' by Peter F. Hamilton.  By around 4pm or so, I wasn't bored, but I was all read out and Mum and Dad had smsed me telling me that they had had a storm down at Brunswick.  So, I called Will.  We chatted for a good long while... talking about everything from pets, birds, lizards, spiders, parents, books (and he was shocked at how many I have) then we both had to go... it was good to talk to him. 
I felt as though I didn't get a lot done, but yet I did... seeing it was so hot, I found I was reading a lot; and with the computer out of action for such a large part of the day, I felt kind of useless without it.  But I did find that having the time to read was quite refreshing.  Well, until my next post, take care, keep warm (or cool) and remember, I'm always here.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Home Made Ice Tea

My home made ice tea was such a success yesterday - and I even had a taste thought it was lovely - that I thought to add it to my recipes here for you all to have a go.  Now, this recipe is best made the night before as you'll need it chilled just right to drink during the long hot days of Summer.

Ingredients:

Two teabags of decaf Green Tea (or your favourite)
2 1/2 tablespoons raw sugar 
4 slices of lime cut into halves
Boil a full kettle

Get a heatproof bowl and pour the boiling water into it and put the tea bags into it for 10 minutes (or longer if you like your tea nice and strong).  After the bags are taken out, add the sugar.  Now it sounds like a lot, but you have remember that this will dissolve and sweeten the tea; making it taste nice once it's cold.  Let the tea go cold for a few hours then ladle it into a jug, add the lime slices and cover it over with plastic cling wrap and put it into the fridge overnight.  The next day, pour it out for your visitors - or yourself - and enjoy it in the long hot Summer.  It's lovely, sweet and refreshing on any hot muggy day.

Enjoy!

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Visitors and Vinyls

I had a good meaning to why I was in a cleaning frenzy yesterday.  I was expecting a good friend of mine to drop by.  However, she wanted to listen to the small number of her vinyls on my turntable; something she didn't own.  So, seeing she's never been to my place and Cate and I got together at her place first to find the vinyls and then came to my place.
Today, I was up with the Kookaburras... seriously I was woken up by a flock of those birds cackling their heads off.  It was nice to wake up to that kind of thing instead of people yelling at each other and going to work.  Yep, I love Saturdays; but I also hate them as it's when people get up and do their laundry really early; unless it's raining.  But today, I got up, did some handwashing and got it out on line quickly and got another load of laundry out there by 9am.
The washing was done, rubbish put out and then I cleaned out Little Miss Stevie's cage and put a lot of what was on the kitchen table in a green bag.  Compared to yesterday, I really didn't have to do much to prepare for today's visit.
Gus the normally camera-shy cat
Once I arrived at Cate's house - and got some photos of her very camera-shy cat (who really didn't know what I was doing with a large brown thing stuck in his face until he heard a 'click').  Cate was impressed I got so close... but then I did photograph Gus with my iTouch; so the cat didn't know the difference just that I was close to him and he wasn't about to move because it was too hot to.
We headed off to my place and soon we were cleaning up the vinyls and playing them on my turntable.  Cate hadn't heard the records for years; and so was impressed with how good they sounded and we were soon laughing at the titles of the songs - where there was one called 'I Won't Sleep In the Wet Spot' - while Cate drank a very nice batch of ice tea I made last night.  I got the recipe off a Bookcrossing friend in South Carolina and it worked out really well with large slices of lime in it!  I'm not much of an ice tea drinker; so I mainly made the tea for her to drink as it was such a hot day; and I knew she'd appreciate it.  With the tea, I served up some of Mum's Christmas Cake she made... and Cate and I shared that.  It was lovely to eat something nice and sweet - and yet a little Christmassy still - even though it was January; as we sat and chatted and listened to her vinyls.  
By around 4pm, Cate had enjoyed her day, the ice tea and the vinyls as well as the company of my little budgie - kept us very much amused with her clicks and whistles. I even let Little Miss Stevie out for a bit, but put her back into her cage when she tried to follow me to the kitchen and missed the turn - and my hand - while she headed straight for the glass of the back door.  Silly little bird... and she wasn't hurt either.  I did try to catch her, but she flew above my hands and over me.  Why doesn't she just let me catch her?  It would be a lot safer for her.
Cate said that my house was nice and very well cared for and that I have lovely things from all kinds of eras and they mixed well.  She felt very comfortable sitting on my lounge and enjoying the coolness of my house.  The one thing that I wished was that she could have come upstairs and seen the home office; which she couldn't do because there were too many stairs.  But Cate did get to see outside my back door and said that my yard looks nice despite the fence looking like it's about to fall down.  
Once I watched to make sure she found her way out (as I've seen many people get lost finding their way out of my unit complex), I went inside to organise myself for dinner.  I thought a pizza would be a good thing to tonight.  However, once I got it home, I found it didn't smell right.  Something in it wasn't right and I couldn't put my finger on it.  Then, it occurred to me that somebody had cut up something on the same board as they did the meat and it had rubbed off on my pizza making it smell like raw meat and rendering it inedible.  So, there went my pizza night.  I didn't take it back as I was too tired and didn't with to make a complaint against the pizza place about something they really should've been keeping an eye on.  Instead, I made a vegetarian BLT and watched 'The Brady Bunch' and 'Doctor Dolittle 2' and then jumped on here because there wasn't anything worthwhile to watch on television... jeez it's really getting bad when people are turning off their televisions at 8:30pm isn't it?  Well, until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember, I'm always here.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Housework Friday

This morning, when the alarm went off, I want to stay in bed as the nice cool morning breeze blew in through my window.  However, once 7am came around, it was no longer a cool breeze that blew in, but a warm one and I was out of bed far sooner than I thought, stripped the bed and gathered up everything to toss into the laundry basket to take downstairs for the first load of laundry.  
By the time I had that first one on, I had tightened up the clothes line with my two shifting spanners, pruned the back privet and taken a good look around the rather shabby back yard; and decided right there that this place needed a good clean-up, and today was the day I was doing it.
I went back inside, fed Little Miss Stevie, the fish too and took out the rubbish to the bin then ate breakfast.  The washing up got done (once the sink and counter got a good clean up with Gumption) and then when it became too to do that, I stopped and went out and checked the mail, signed for a parcel and bought some biscuits for a friend visiting tomorrow and then came home with a nice cold bottle of sparkling mineral water.
Once home, I paid the phone bill, pulled down the Christmas Tree and put away all the Christmas Decorations and placed all the Gloria Jean Christmas Mugs back in their boxes and then looked around at the living room.  It looked very bare without the festive cheer I've been looking at for the last few weeks... but I'm kinda glad it's all put away for another year.
I pulled out the drawers from the first China Cabinet and did them out; pulling out all the crap from them and putting back only what I'd use.  There's so many postcards, letters and bits of things I didn't know I had that I just dumped it all on the table and did out the other drawer and found a lot of tools that I used in everyday things; so I left it that way, well most of it.
After that, I made my milk drink, put on the fan and made sure Little Miss Stevie had enough fresh air and water and went onto here to stuff around for a bit.  I journaled a book I had received through the mail on Bookcrossing and I'm looking forward to reading it.  Then, I uploaded my daily 365Project photo and then I talked to a few friends on Facebook until around 1pm when I got offline as the sky had scudded over with cloud; and I thought it was time to get into the garden.
So, I unlocked the side gate and began putting the potted plants out in the car port.  Once they were all out there, I pulled out my lawn mower and did my best at mowing my lawn.  What I couldn't get done, I pulled out with my hands.  However, I found the spin-reel mower jammed and I had to clean it out.  While I was cleaning it, one of the tips of my fingers got caught in the blades and pinched!  Oh!  It hurt so bad, but caused only a blood blister under my skin; and annoyed the crap out of me for a few hours.  However, it's settled down now; even if I do feel the bruise a little when I dig my nail into it (but then you would).

After I cleaned up the yard, I put the plants back, and the lawn mower away and looked around.  It looked pretty good.  I was pleased with my work; but exhausted.  However, as I turned, I felt something alight on my skin... not sweat, it felt like rain.  So, I quickly locked up the side gate, raced around, through the house and out the back door (which I had locked from inside) and took everything off the line.  But I must have been mistaken, as about fifteen minutes passed and no rain fell.  Oh well, doesn't matter, everything was dry anyway and I could pick out of the laundry whatever I needed to wear after my shower where a lot of the garden dirt was washed down the drain too.
It was a good day of cleaning up, gardening and other things too.  Tomorrow, I have a friend coming over to listen to music and have some tea with me.  So, tonight, I made ice tea and it's currently in the fridge waiting for us to drink it.  She hasn't been here before; and I hope she enjoys being here despite the heat.  Well, until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember, I'm always here. 

Thursday, January 5, 2012

It's Not The End Of The World....

There are people out there crying out that it's the end of the world as we know on the 21st, December this year... however it's not how I see it.  If last year had anything to do with it, and the people I met, the things I did, the places I got to visit and go to; well, it's not the end of the world, but the beginning of a new one.  Well, for me it is anyway.
You see, I don't believe in the world ending just because an ancient Mayan Calendar is.  There have been other calendar changes and endings before and did the world when they did?  Nope.  There have been many predictions by Nostradamus and the Church that Jesus himself will come down upon a cloud and retrieve those who are worthy of saving and leave the sinners down here upon the Earth to roam around and destroy ourselves.  However, did that happen?  Not as far as we know... unless it did and nothing changed for anyone because Jesus took one look and realised none of us were worthwhile (only kidding).
I've begun this year with a magnificent year of new artwork on my easel, new writing in my computer, a new iTouch in my hands for Christmas and a new lot of friends I love and trust (and one of them in particular I'd like to get to know a lot better).  And it will take this year to get all this done.  However, the advent of this Mayan Calendar will not stop me.  In fact, it will only make me stronger as this is going to be a great year to think about my spiritual self instead of anything else.
I'm still a pagan but I've backed off on my witchy ways in the last few years until the last six months when things have really picked up in the world.  Over the last few days, I've cleansed and recharged all of my crystals and made them work, I've found something I bought years ago and realised it's no longer mine but now belongs to somebody else... somebody special... and spiritually, everything has been falling into place in such a way that my mind is so much more clearer than it has ever been.  I'm hoping to find what I've been searching for - whatever that is, as it will show itself eventually - and I'll be happy.
So, how will this year begin to change things for you?  Will it be for the better or hasn't anything changed for you at all?   Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Gaga-Mush Brain Day

I've been having a few days to myself; and found that I've got what I call 'gaga-mush brain'... that's where NYE has caught up with me and I can't think.  So, today, I didn't do anything much except recharge my crystals in the sun - they've been sitting around my house not doing anything for the last few years and have lost anything useful in them.
I washed up everything from yesterday, last night and today.  This included the large pot from cleaning out the fish tank!  Boy!  It's a messy job doing that.  And the fish weren't all that impressed about being moved for that half hour but they're happy now to be in nice clean water.
Once I got that done, I began a cleaning spree again.  I grabbed a rubbish bag and cleaned out the corner next to the food processor and found a lot of receipts, coin purses and things around the place that needed to be either thrown out or put away.  So, I cleaned up that spot.  It felt good to put my mind to a better use.  
Then, I remembered I had more crystals upstairs in the second draw of my dresser to cleanse.  So, I went up to the bedroom, pulled out everything and found a purple paper bag.  Not knowing what was in it, I opened it found a leather pouch.  It's something I bought and have never used... so when I handled it I found I knew it wasn't for me.  I remember buying it for an unknown reason years ago; and the people at the shop said that when the reason presents itself, I'll know who to give it to.  And today, I knew exactly it belonged to; and it wasn't me.  So, I'll be saving it up for the right person.
Anyway, once I figured out where the other crystals where and washed them, I had them out in the sun drying and recharging, I thought it would be a great time to get in and do some painting.  I worked for about 1 1/2 hours on the flowers that I haven't touched on the easel for almost a week.  It's great to get back into working on it.
It's just past 9:30pm and I've got the shopping to get done tomorrow.  Fortunately, there's not much to get done, as I had done a massive shop for over Christmas and NYE.  I'll be out and about posting off a parcel to Mum and Dad, getting my first $20 itunes card and then making sure I have all my prescriptions as well.  It ought to be a good day out tomorrow.  I should be home by around 11am if I get away early enough; if not, it doesn't matter, I'll just take my time.  Until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember, I'm always here.