Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Leap Year!

It's a Leap Year!  And what a year it has been so far!  As of yesterday, I have been free from an abusive relationship for 13 years.  This number is my lucky one; and for it to fall on this year of 2012 is great!  So many changes are going on this year and I'm looking forward to them as well.
Today, I went out shopping and picked up the mail.  However, my mail was my phone bill... which wasn't as cheap as I hoped it to be.  How unfortunate, but I'll pay it on Friday and it'll be back to normal again next month.  I caught a free bus today to do my shopping.  How this came to be is a long story; however the short version is easier to tell.  On Monday, Roma Street Station had a power outage which caused everyone who had paid for their tickets to be stuck there with no real way to get to or from work easily.  It took hours to fix.  So, today, there was free Translink travel from first service until midnight to make up for the inconvenience.  How's that for great?  I took full advantage of it too.
Once at Triple C, I stepped off and then - only then - remember I had no money.  Yep, I had forgotten to put money across to my account... damn!  So, I did phonebanking on a public phone, transferred the funds needed and then phoned for a cab a few times and hung up.  Public phones have a buffer on them that when other people get onto the phone after you, they can find out who you called - and if you did any phone banking - they can try and get into your account.  A very dishonest thing to do, but it's something that does happen.  So, if you ever have to do this, always call another number after you so the phone remembers that last one you put in - even if nobody picks up or if it's your home phone number and you call it just quickly a few times.  At least the bank's number has been wiped.
Well, I headed off to Life Line and bought a lovely Boag's Draught Bag that was insulated and nice and clean for only $6.00!  What a deal!  For more information about it, jump over to my other blog Coin Purse Obsession there's a photo and more about it there.  I was off to Woolworths next and found plenty of food for the next fortnight and even bought a couple of apples for Little Miss Stevie to nibble on too.
Once that was paid for, I went outside and sorted out my groceries for my long walk between shopping centres.  I also had to make sure I had enough money in case too.  While I was doing that, a man sat next to me and rolled a cigarette, then lit it.  He puffed out smoke right in my face!  Disgusting!  I coughed but he didn't seem to notice until one of his friends told him what he did and he shrugged.  What an awful person!  I guess some people have no forethought about their actions on people around them.
Well, I walked off and bought myself a bottle of water and headed toward the Logan Central Plaza.  I thought it was going to be a horrible hot day, but there was a lovely cool breeze blowing and it took the edge off the heat.  I photographed a gorgeous plant in the middle of the carpark and then kept on walking.  
Soon, I was inside and I had paid $10 off my layby and was on my way to the chemist to buy what I needed there.  It wasn't long before I found myself at Coles and the lady at the front doors offered to mind my blue trolley for me (she often does so I don't have to drag it around with me; but when she's not there, the other greeters don't offer).  I let her and I was on my way to my usual shopping when I came upon a family who was going through their shopping list bit by bit as they put their Mum onto a special diet.  The husband was there with the son telling her what she could and couldn't have.  The son was being more restrictive than the husband; poor woman.  When it came to the dried fruits, they were looking at the dried apricots and dates when I reached for the Cranberries and suggested them as they weren't anything but dried and that's it.  The family looked at them and read the back and the son was really happy with what wasn't in them - salt and excess sugar - and they grabbed a packet of them.  I said they were great with meausli, in porridge or just as a snack on their own; and they were all impressed.  
However, it wasn't until I went into the next isle that I found I wasn't impressed with a few things.  A lot of the brands I'd normally use for porridge have gone to Quick Oats... and to me it just tastes like cardboard.  So, I looked at Uncle Toby's and that was $6.00 a box!  What a rip-off; and that's just for some swanky packaging when you think about it!  So, I looked down and found Quaker Oats; traditional oats.  Seeing I've never tried it before - and it was half the price of the others around - I thought to grab it and give it try.  My usual Rolled Oats by Lowans wasn't there (only in quick oats) and so I thought to try out this one.
Well, the rest of my shopping went well.  I bought some black seedless grapes, plenty of milk and all of my essentials such as shampoo condition - and I thought to try out Sensodyne toothpaste again because I the tooth that's ultra-sensitive is still playing up, so thought the new toothpaste they've put out recently might help it - and toothbrushes and other things a well.  
Once I was ready, I was out the doors with my groceries and went to the bank to cash something... I had counted up my bag of 5 cent pieces.  It counted up to $10-worth; and the teller at Suncorp gave me a $10-bill.  This is going to go toward my garden.  It may not be much right now, but it's something.  I do look forward to fixing up my yard with the money I am saving up.
When I got home and put everything away, I found in the back yard that my Blue Tongue had been and gone.  There was an imprint of where he had laid next to the pot plants; where he was yesterday.  How sweet is that?  He must have been there for hours blissfully snoozing there... how cute.  I walked to my Gloxinia bulbs and found two of the buds that had been sitting there two days ago, were now fully open!  This makes is around 10 blooms this year!  How wonderful is that?  
This has been a wonderful Leap Year for me in more ways than one.  I have enjoy this day.  It has been hot, sunny and very beautiful.  And I have enjoyed it to the very end.  I know the day isn't over yet, however I know it can only get better.  Until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember, I'm always here. 

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Organising My House

Over the last few weeks, I've been doing a fair bit of cleaning out.  However, organising is also a part of cleaning, don't you think?  I spent a good part of my mostly wet weekend organising my house.
Friday was a wet old day and I thought to get in and wash up everything in the kitchen and do a load of laundry; hanging it on the clothes horse next to the piano.  However, the day turned cold and the rain was heavy, so the house stayed closed for a good part of the day.  I also spent a good few hours on the internet stuffing around until I turned it off and decided to pull out some art books and organise them.
I had gotten these off my late-Grandma's cousin, Shirley, in the last year or so when she and her husband moved into a retirement village and they couldn't take them with them.  They knew I was into the arts; and these were the first type of how-to books you could buy from the newsagents.  There's seven folders with about ten or twelve magazines in each.  Pretty nice folders too.  I just had make sure the magazines were in numerical order and the numbers on the folders were right and clearly marked.  This didn't take very long.
Then,I looked next to where I kept them and found three old books, which to pulled out and took upstairs to store in my bookshelves.  And next to those, I found some other books about World Expo '88 and other folders and art books - really old ones - that will come in handy too.  I put them back where I found them and began cleaning up the kitchen table.
Now, on there, I had dumped a Gardening Journal along with two other gardening books that I use on a regular basis.  This year - as you know - I'm going to do up my garden and make it look and feel like a place I can escape to.  It'll be something I can move too when the time comes when I need to (when that'll be, I'm not sure).  But I'm hoping this garden will probably take about a year or two to accomplish; and I'll keep you all posted with its progress too!  Anyway, worked with the yard between the heavier showers of rain and began moving things around looking at the yard more as how it'll look as a finished product than how it looks now; and you know, I like it!
Once all that was done, and the rain really settled in, I changed into my painting clothes and looked at the self-portrait I needed to work on.  It needed some Sacred Lotus' at the bottom, however, wanting them there and drawing them on were two different things.  I tried tracing them on; but it didn't work.   So, I just drew a few of my 5-petal flowers there and they worked a treat!  It looks great!  And the colours work really well with the other colours I've chosen for this painting; very bold and beautiful.  
Today, I was online after I read the paper a little and ate breakfast and got the house opened up.  Yep!  The day had turned out to be nice, sunny and hot, so why not let the breeze through and air the place a bit?  I stuffed around online for a bit when Mum called me and told me that Dr Bloomer - our family GP - had passed away last month.  It was a shock as I hadn't heard anything about him for a long time; and yet he had known me for as long as I could remember.  It's sad that his wife hadn't called us after we had known him for such a long time and Mum and Dad still lived down the road.
Anyway, after that sad news, I went downstairs and cleaned all the walls with sugar soap where it was grotty.  The front and garage door were scrubbed down too.  The place looks good, but I do have to clean the stair well and upstairs rooms as well now; and they'll be done tomorrow, just to keep the place clean.
Then, Little Miss Stevie's newspaper was all changed over - much to her disgust - and I gave her some fresh grass seed from the back yard!  Boy! Did she love that!  I grabbed as much as I could and she ate the lot!  What a great way to spoil my little budgie!   Well!  Did she sing and blow kisses all day or what?
This afternoon zoomed around faster than I realised and before I knew it, it was 4pm.  I closed up the curtains and made myself some cheese and biscuits with some grapes and sat down to get some of the scrap scarf done while watching some reruns of 1980's sitcoms.  It's always great to watch old shows we used to watch; it shows where the television networks went right - and sometimes wrong.  Well until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember, I'm always here. 

Friday, February 24, 2012

Downpour

It's late - a half hour away from midnight - and I'm hearing the rain pour from the darkened Logan skies as I sit here in the silence of my unit complex.  Today, it rained all day, as it did yesterday and last night.  I have put it down to me planning out a new garden for my courtyard; what do you think?  
You see, whenever I do something out of character, it begins to rain or a storm hits and I have to wait until it's all over to get in and do anything about my plans.  Or I forget and it all clears up.  And then, once I remember again, well, it starts raining again.  Does this ever happen to you?
Funnier still, I have had times where I've gone on holidays and asked neighbours to water my garden.  When I've come back, they turned to me and said that all it did was rain the whole time.  It seemed I took the sunshine with me on my holiday to the coast; funny and true.  I took off to Brunswick Heads - where it was pouring rain at the time - and from the time I arrived to the time I left, it stopped raining and was sunny the whole time.  When I returned home, the sun returned with me.  It was amazing and weird.
But now, I want to make some seriously big changes in my garden and the rain is making it difficult.  So, I'm catching up with a few other things around the place; like unravelling some knitting I did two years ago.  I balled up that yarn and am going to use it all in my scrap scarf.  I have also caught up on my self-portrait; which is going really well.  This afternoon, I jumped in and did the purple background and my hair very quickly.  Now, I have to draw in the lotus flowers that I'll be sitting on with the little leaves.  Just have to make them all different shades of pink and rose; and it'll look great!  Then, I'll work on the detail work of the whole thing over the next month and it'll be ready.  I hate to rush my paintings.
I'm also catching up on reading.  There's a few books I'm currently getting my nose into right now.  'Oryx and Crake' by Margaret Atwood is a good one that I've had for a week and I've read almost 100 pages and I'm still interested in it.  Then, there's Stephen King's tome of a book '11-22-63' that I'm still struggling with; but the writing in it is amazing!  So, I'm reading bits and pieces of it once in a while and can still catch onto what's going on.
Otherwise, there's cleaning to do around the house; normally just washing up, sorting out the bills and putting out the house hold rubbish to keep myself from going batty.  I just hope this rain goes away soon so I can get to the Smart Tip soon and pick up something really good for the garden... maybe an old gate to use as a frame for some Jasmine; now that'd be nice wouldn't it?  Well, until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember, I'm always here.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Garden Review

At the beginning of this year, I pulled my potted plants into the car port and did a major clean up of the yard.  I'm pleased I did this because it gave me a chance to look around and realise that my garden really needed a big change, a big turnaround to make it look better.  It's looked the same for the last three years; and this is not good.  
So, last week, I did some modeling and the money I was paid for that has been put away to start saving for a facelift of my garden.  However, the first thing I did was buy a new Garden Journal.  I've been looking for one of these for a while now, and found a good one at 'The Book Warehouse' at Springwood for $4.95.  It's hardcover, sectioned off and covers kitchen gardens, potted plants, plants that love neglect, smalls gardens and other areas of the garden.  And the best thing is that there is plenty of blank pages for me to fill in for when I've bought a plant and want to keep a history of it.  It's a great book!  What I've noticed is that in each section, where the title page is, there's a good thick pocket where I can put newspaper clippings, seed packets, dockets or anything else I have kept for gardening.  So, there's no bits and pieces being stapled to the book, it's all inside it, in each section, nicely and neatly held together by an elastic band.  How good is that?
Now, for my garden.  I have $30 so far - untouched - and so what I'm going to do is put my change from each shopping day in my change jar and save up big to get some plants, pots and soil from Bunnings and spend a weekend enjoying my garden... getting it right.  And then sitting back and watching it settle.  And seeing we don't have a crazy neighbour running around the place telling people what they can and can't do right now, I think this year is a good year to begin working on my little bit of privacy; bit by lovely bit.  I'm going to get it looking and feeling very nice and pretty.  It will be every bit my place to escape to by the time I've finished with it as well.  
I love statues and wall hangings in gardens as well as water features.  So, what I'm hoping to do is find all kinds of different things to make my garden as creatively beautiful as possible.  A trip to the Smart Tip may not be out of the question at some point next year to see what I can find there to use as pots.  even if I find an ornate, rusted gate gate, it'll still get used against the fence as something for a plant to climb (as I love things like climbing roses or Jasmine).  
However, this is all just me thinking about what could be in the way of how my garden looks in my mind.  I want it to look a particular way and so, to have it looking like this, I have to work on my yard little by little.  When I have the money, I'll go and get what I'd like in my yard and plant it, so it's there looking great.  Well, wish me luck with my garden - and yes, I'll keep you updated with any improvements I make on it with photos and post entries as time goes on.  I just hope the fences around here get fixed up while my garden does too.  Now, that'd be a great thing!  Until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember, I'm always here.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

A Busy Week of Doctors

This week, I finally got in and did what I was supposed to get done from last week.  On Monday, I called up my GP and made an appointment with Dr. Kent Fu for Tuesday, called my dentist and made an appointment for today and cancelled Little Miss Stevie's vet appointment as I couldn't afford $100.00 or so to have her looked at.
With all that done, I thought my Monday was to myself.  I stuck around on the net, put away the shopping trolley, did the hand-washing and all the towels around the house and then decided to spend around 2 hours on the self-portrait that's sitting on the easel downstairs that afternoon.  At around 2:30pm, I received a phone call and it was the lady from CRS asking me if I had forgotten the appointment we had... and you know, I had!  So, we rescheduled for Wednesday afternoon, before my dentist appointment, and I wrote it into my day diary.
Well, Tuesday came around and I was off to the doctor's with my scans and health book to talk to Dr. Kent Fu.  He specialises in Women's Health; and when he looked at my book and the scans, he agreed that what occurred in November must never happen again and asked who I'd like to go and see.  I asked for Dr. Stephen Cook; and he agreed saying that he could find one over at Sunnybank.  However, when he looked on my records, he realised I had been to the lady (and I told him that Mum and I were not treated well there).  So, he wrote out the referral and got me to have a blood test for my hormone levels so I was ready for the appointment.  I went and got the blood works done, and then went home and made the appointment.  I will be seeing Dr. Cook in early May.
Today, I was off again to see another doctor.  This time, it was about my mouth; a particular tooth in question.  Peter Caswell is my dentist and he knew exactly which one I was there for.  He took an X-Ray and saw that I have no cavities but this tooth was next to a molar that was removed and it's known as a Virgin Tooth; which is a tooth that has no decay or fillings.  This tooth has always been in my mouth like this and the molar behind it was removed however the gum around it has receded and so it's become very sensitive over time; and once in a while it'll give me hell when I eat cold things.  Not great!  
Well, I'm grateful that I didn't have any fillings, but I'm also grateful that this tooth didn't anything major wrong with it either.  So, there was the last two days of doctors and problems.  Onward and upward... the next two days of this week are free for me to continue cleaning out the house and tidying up.  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Busy, Big Weekend!

My, my... what a busy weekend I have had!  And when I found my way home, it just seemed to keep on going!  My weekend didn't start on the usual Saturday morning in my bed.  No, it began on Friday afternoon.
I bussed it to Garden City at around midday on Friday as I had a few things to pick up and meet Geoff outside the library there by 1pm.  I took my time and wandered around the place and found myself right where I needed to be at the right time.  
He arrived and we walked to the other end of the shopping complex to find the car and pick up Vivienne who was out at Sunnybank at a lunch.  It didn't take long to get there and pick her up; however she wasn't feeling all that great as she had eaten a fatty lunch and they had been on a healthy diet for a while.  This kind of thing wasn't good for her.
Once back at their place, and settled in, I checked my e-mail for the first time in about four days and had to clean out my accounts of junk mail and other things I didn't need, do some communication with some friends on Facebook and other forums I'm normally on and found that the guy from Optus had arrived to fix my phone line.  He kept on asking if I was home; and I kept saying I wasn't.
After this, Geoff and I went out to look at some parks and places to use as backdrops for our paintings.  I took along my camera and we photographed the areas well while we had the good light; and I also posed on some rocks and while the ideas were there with us.  We soon headed off back to their place to make dinner and upload our photos and think about other poses I could do that night for the main paintings.  Both of us found that one of the half-lotus poses was our favourite... and so we're both painting it.  How's that for funny.  But as all artist's know, it's all in the interpretation.
By this time, we had eaten dinner and helped Vivienne edit her cover letter to a job she was applying for with the Royal Brisbane Hospital.  And by the time we were finished with it, it sounded great and she sent it off with her application; so all she needed to do was kick back with a few glasses of red and a movie.
The next morning, I was woken by a Magpie outside my window warbling at a morning shower.  It was nice to see him hanging out in a tree swaying back and forth... very nice.  But the funny part was that he kept on overbalancing and nearly falling out because he was big and fat!   I had had a weird dream and so for about forty-five minutes, I sat there in bed writing it in a notebook as I woke up fully.  
By around 8am, I was dressed, packed and ready to leave the house.  All I needed to do was eat breakfast. Geoff was just sitting down to a wholemeal English muffin and I pulled the rolled oats out of the cupboard when Vivienne came downstairs not looking so good.  She had been feeling awful all morning and now she was very sick and couldn't keep anything down.  So, I began making breakfast.  Geoff ended up taking her to the doctors by the time I had finished breakfast and was online for a few minutes.  But he hadn't been gone for ten minutes when his phone rang and Viv said she needed him to pick her up and bring her home.
Well, long story short, Geoff picked me up, took me to the Gallery for our shift, explained what happened with Vivienne and ended up staying home with her.  Poor Viv had an anxiety attack later that afternoon and was taken to hospital where she was cared for there.  She had had such a stressful week and such a fatty lunch and a very late night that it all caught up with her.  This could have happened to anyone; and it's happened to me many times over my life.  I've learned to live with my anxiety over time and it's hard to live with it.  However, it takes time to live with; and facing your demons takes time too.
Anyway, once home from the Gallery, I was so very tired.  I looked around, made myself something plain to eat and watched a few things on television and went to bed by 9:30pm.  Even though I didn't sleep until around 11pm - just laid there in the dark resting - I felt good yesterday.  
I got a lot done yesterday.  I read the paper, did three loads of washing, caught up with a lot online, wrote in my offline journal and did some knitting.  And this morning, I got done a fair bit more than I did last week.  I called all the doctors I was supposed to last week, washed all the towels in the house, did the hand-washing, put out the recyclables, checked the mail at the Post Office, fed the pets, put away the dirty laundry basket and my shopping trolley (with all my shopping bags in it) and then, I checked on what I had to do on my new painting.  It's looking pretty good.
So, there you have it... my busy, big weekend!  It was busy and big... and I can't believe it was only two days long!  So much happened. Until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember, I'm always here. 

Friday, February 17, 2012

A Week of Silence

I've been quite silent this week; and there's been a good reason for it.  Telstra cut my phone lines and then didn't fix them; expecting somebody else to fix them... namely my provider, Optus. 
This week has been the longest and most boring weeks of my life.  It reminded me of what my life was like without the net... and I tell ya, it was very quiet and I found, very boring.  I didn't talk to anyone, make any phone calls or visit anyone (well after Monday and Tuesday's distaters, I didn't want to go and be at my folks' house again).  Anyway, I cleaned out my the green bags in my spare room, worked on my wardrobe and then I worked on my lounge room.  I put up some hooks around the place and hung up my Peace Flags around the lounge room window and cleaned up a box I found in my spare room and painted it up and put in stuff from the coffee table, it all looks very neat and tidy.
Then, I had to go shopping and I got Mum to put money across into my key-card account.  I found that I got everything I needed and still had money left over.  It was good that when I got home, the shopping was put away quickly and I felt bored straight away.
After about a day or so, I ended up putting up with no internet and finding that I was editing my books and stories and working on my autobiography.  It's been a good week to work on my computer without the internet.  However, I really am looking forward to being back at home and working on my computer again and on the net.  Well, until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm, and remember I'm always here - well most times.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Let's Just Blame Telstra

This week, on Monday, I was sitting eating breakfast, organising myself and what calls I had to make to all different people before I jumped on the net to do some serious work online when I heard a truck pull up nearby.  I'm always curious about who's around and who's not, so I took a peek and found a Telstra van outside my neighbour's house.  It didn't stay long, so I didn't worry about it.
However I did worry when I picked up my phone and found a massive amount of static on the line.  So, I went in search of the Telstra van to find out what he was going that might be disturbing my line.  He was about halfway down the complex looking at the lines.  I explained what was happening and he said for me to talk to my service provider, but I said that the lines were Telstra lines; he didn't seem to realise what he was doing to the lines were causing the problems.  By the time I had gotten home, my phone line was dead.  I went to find the guy again, but he was gone.  So, I had to sms my folks and they called Optus who diverted my landline calls to my mobile for me until the line is fixed by them on Thursday.  
What I don't understand is that my bills come through Optus and yet the phone lines I use are owned by Telstra.  It's weird.  
So, it's really quiet at my place seeing I can't call anyone and the internet isn't in use.  Instead I've been sitting around and reading, listening to music and catching up with cleaning out other things around my upstairs bedrooms.  This is a good thing, but I'd like the use of my computer's internet back; as I am paying good money for it.  And it wasn't my fault this happened.  
Now, tomorrow, I have shopping to do, and that will have to split into two days instead of one.  I'll be going out on Thursday as well to pick up a few things I couldn't get on Wednesday.  Then, on Friday, I have to go out to Garden City to pick up something else and I'll be away for the night and half of Saturday... what a tiring week!  All because of some idiot's moves from Telstra.  I hate it that this week has had to be changed around all due to this.
Have you ever had to change your plans as suddenly as this; and have it not be your fault?  It's not the the going out that bothers me, it's the matter of having to wait for so long to have things to have things to be fixed that's the problem.  Until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember, I'm always here.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

A Brilliant Career Cut Short

Today, I read on Bookcrossing that Diva, actor and songwriter, Whitney Houston, passed away in a hotel room in Los Angeles.  What a loss to the entertainment industry this is; as well as the world of music.  
Whitney started out her life in a gospel church group with her Mother Cissy Houston, related to superstars such as Dee Dee Warwick (cousin) and Dionne Warwick (sister), it's a little wonder that Whitney would take to the music industry as easily as she did.  Her mother nurtured her talent and passion for gospel singing from a young age.  As a teenager, Whitney was already singing on the scene in New York, and records with her first young performances in the '70s and early '80s album credits with such eclectic acts as Michael Zager, Chaka Khan, Herbie Mann, the Neville Brothers, Bill Laswell's Material, and others are much sought-after collectors items.
In 1983, Clive Davis saw Whitney singing in a club in New York and signed her on the spot.  Two were spent in making her debut record; and in 1985, her self-titled album came out yielding a string of great hits such as 'The Greatest Love of All' (which became her veritable anthem), 'Saving All My Love For You', and 'How Will I Know'.  Not only did the album establish her as an important new recording artist, but it went on to sell over 12 million copies in the U.S., plus many millions more abroad. This LP set the record as the biggest selling debut album by a solo artist.  
With her second album, Whitney made history as the first female artist to make it onto the Billboard album charts #1. The new album soared past 9x-platinum on the strength of four #1 chart-toppers.  
In 1992, after establishing her place on the big screen with Kevin Costner in 'The Bodyguard', Whitney Houston, three of her hits made it onto 'The Bodyguard' soundtrack which sold over 42 million copies worldwide.  Filmwork continued for Whitney as other roles showed up for her and she starred in 'Waiting to Exhale' (1995), 'The Preacher's Wife' (1996).
By 2000, Whitney Houston received her sixth Grammy Award and was named the Best Female R&B Vocal; a month later, she was named Female Artist Of the Decade at the "Soul Train" Music Awards annual ceremonies virtually 15 years to the day since her debut single, "You Give Good Love" entered the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart on March 9, 1985.
The Guinness Book Of World Records lists Whitney as music's "most awarded female artist of all time," with an amazing tally of 411 awards (as of 2006) a tally that is certainly topped by her two Emmy Awards, six Grammy Awards, 16 Billboard Music Awards, and 23 American Music Awards, as well as MTV VMAs in the U.S. and Europe, NAACP Image Awards, BET Awards, "Soul Train" Music Awards, and so on. She received the Nickelodeon "Kids Choice" award (she was inducted into the "Kids Choice" Hall Of Fame in 1996), the Dove (Gospel Music Association) Award, and Blockbuster Entertainment Award. Whitney was inducted into the BET (Black Entertainment Television) Walk Of Fame in 1996; and received "Soul Train"'s prestigious Quincy Jones Career Achievement Award in 1998.

Being Brutally Honest

Have you ever looked around your house and thought that it was time to really get in and do a good, brutally honest toss-out?  Well, as a lot of you who have been following me for a while now know I have been cleaning out my house for a while.  And now, I'm up to a stage where I'm about to attack the wardrobes.  Yep, I've begun going through my clothes and tossing out what I don't need, doesn't fit me and letting it go to the charity bins.
Yesterday was the day it all began.  I opened the wardrobe where my skirts, shirts and jeans lived and I pulled it all out, dumped them onto the bed and checked the sizes.  Anything that wasn't a size 12 went into the charity garbage bag; and there was a lot that didn't fit me.  There were some jeans that looked like it did, but then, when I tried them on, they didn't (I had to make sure they weren't a large fit).  

Yes, that's a Sherryn Footy you can see in the centre.  I'm an AFL fan. :)
While I was putting my clothes away, I also sorted through my vintage t-shirts and thought it would do them a world of good to put them through the wash today.  And on the way through sorting them, I found a t-shirt I thought I had binned years ago.  It was my Pride Fair Day T-shirt from 2000.  Why I hadn't tossed it out is beyond me, and I didn't think twice about throwing it out, it just went straight into the charity bag unwashed and unfolded.  This is a win for me to throw out something from my past as I no longer have any connection to it - and fortunately - don't feel guilt in throwing it out.  
After around forty-five minutes, I had replaced the draw-lining, put all the jeans and shorts back.  The Winter t-shirts were in the wardrobe along with the skirts.  My Summer shirts were in the duchess and most of the laundry was put away.  I had a rubbish bag full of clothes to give away, the bath towels to fold and put away and I was done.  I was very pleased with myself; as this wasn't the only thing I had gotten done yesterday.
I had also vacuumed the bathroom floor and scrubbed the shower cubicle within an inch of its life.  That was a good part of an hour before I attacked my wardrobe.
However, today, I'm hoping to sort through all my hanging space in the other two-door wardrobe.  I have far too many dressing gowns; with about eight of them in there, I only need three really.  So, I'm going to look at them and keep the ones I want and give away the others after washing them.  Then, it'll be time to go through all my other clothes and jackets.  Now, that's going to be painful!  I do love my jackets; they all serve a purpose.  Until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember I'm always here. 

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Busy Days

Right now, I've got a sore arm.  Yep, I started a new painting and was overzealous and failed to pick up my arm support; injuring the muscles in my arm.  It hurt more yesterday than it does today, so I'll be away from the easel today as I was yesterday too.  It's a matter of resting up my arm until the muscle heals a little.  Otherwise, I have to find other things to do in the meantime.
So, I have decided to do some more cleaning out.  Yes, just like last year, I'm doing this again.  however, this time, I'm working on my storage spaces and clothes.  I have a lot of clothes that either don't fit me or I don't wear anymore; either way, they are going to a charity and I'm going to find other clothes that suit me and work on a new wardrobe (but that's for another time for me to write about, of course).
As for the storage space?  Well, I began on the spare room wardrobe and successfully filled a medium-sized rubbish bag within 45 minutes.  I was just really brutal and threw out magazines from 2006 that I didn't need and want.  I read everything, made sure I had the right things in the right piles and put back what I wanted and tossed exactly what I didn't.  And after the last few years of being honest with myself, I have found it easier and easier to be able to throw out what I don't want. 
On Wednesday afternoon, I found a medium-sized craft box that I could paint up for my coffee table, a wall hanging that has a lovely saying on it for a space next to front door and a couple of other things that I think would work downstairs... most of the other things I found ended up in the bin.  Now, I have the rest of the office to finish up and I know what needs to be done.  I need to make sure I keep nothing that isn't useful and find a use for things that are.  I have found somethings that don't belong to me; things that are other people's and I'd like to return them to their rightful owners.  However, I came upon some written work of a friend who has passed away and I don't know what to do with it.  So, I've just left a note with another fellow writer who would know who to pass it onto - or what to do with it (not that I don't want it; it's not mine to have or publish).
Anyway, today - this morning - I did get a lot done.  There's four loads of laundry out on the line, all the washing up has been one (except for one pan with dirty water in it from a day ago), the pets are happily fed, I vacuumed the bathroom (to ready it for a good clean-up) and I've checked my mail box out the front for junk mail and all my e-mail... otherwise, I've still got a lot to get done this weekend.  
The sun has just come out from behind the clouds for the first time today and it's almost midday; what a relief!  I thought it was going to be overcast all day!  After all the rain we've had, I love to see the sun here in Brisbane.  Well, until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember, I'm always here.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Changes

Since the beginning of the year, I've noticed a lot of things going on, a lot of changes happening and plenty of unusual occurrences.  It's the Year of the Dragon and it's also the year the Mayan Calendar finishes; thus meaning many things - spiritual and otherwise - are going to either come to an end, begin or reborn themselves in some way or another.  
I've met a wonderful man and we both like each other immensely.  However, as we've gotten to know each other, we have admitted that we don't wish to have a relationship this year as it doesn't feel right; and we don't want to hurt each other.  I know this sounds really strange and unlike me, but we both have this feeling we should both wait until next year.  And so, we are.  I suggested to him that we should get to know each other as friends this year and work on being as close as we can as human beings instead of being lovers; and he loved that idea.  This means we'll find out a lot more about ourselves as well as each other in twelve months than most people.  How cool is that?
Another thing I've been noticing is that I've been finding things around my house that I've 'put in a safe place for future reference'.  I'll tear the house apart looking for one thing and find another that I have looked for before and it'll just show up, with me needing it right now.  It's amazing.  A few years back, I was in a pagan shop and I bought a hard leather pouch for no real reason.  And - seeing I didn't know why I had it - I put it away and left it in with my other magic gear until last month when I pulled it out and looked at it; knowing it was this year I had to use it.  I also found a Smoky Quartz that I bought about five years ago and put away for the same reason... just to keep it safe... and once I found it, I knew exactly why I put it away.  It was because it wasn't time to use it yet.  Now, I'm finding things all over my house that I've stored in boxes and drawers where I'm suddenly in great need of them; like my Tibetan Singing Bell which has been sitting on the window sill of my computer room - behind the tower of my computer - for the last eight years.  I picked it up on Monday, went outside and made it sing for no real reason.  The whole neighbourhood went quiet for a full ten minutes!  I was amazed.  However, the moment I put it back on the kitchen table, everyone outside my back door started up fighting again like they were before.
Another change I've been noticing lately is of where I live here in Logan City; of a name change.  Now, this is something that has been bounced around for a while now.  Every few years, the politicians get this weird idea of changing Logan City's name to something else, can't think of anything and then drop the subject.  This year, they're on this soapbox more than ever.  They really want this change and I'm really wondering if it's the right thing to do.  I mean, Inala nearly had a name change because it was a crap suburb of Brisbane, and once they figured out why it didn't have a good reputation, it turned out okay.  However, Logan City is much bigger than Inala and it's got this horrible reputation where nobody will even mention the City's name on the news (oh, yes, don't you love it when the anchorpeople say:  '...and there was a fatal stabbing, (mumbles) south of Brisbane...' and you wait until the report comes up with Slacks Creek, Woodridge or Kingston when all they have to say at the beginning was Logan City.  What?  Are they terrified that we're going to come knocking on their doors or something?).  So, why change the name of Logan City when it's the reputation of this placed that needs changing, not the name.  And people wouldn't be calling it Bogan Logan - or any other such name - if some famous Bogan hadn't said it first; pointing out the elephant in the room.  Weird but true.
So, what changes have you noticed - spiritual or otherwise - have you noticed going on around you in this world this year so far?  Or haven't you noticed anything at all?  For me, they have been pretty big and obvious.  Well, until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember, I'm always here.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Busy, Relaxed Weekend

This weekend was an unusual one.  I had a lot to do, and yet it ended with me coming home late from Brisbane City in the afternoon on Sunday.  
On Saturday, I had Mum and Dad over for afternoon tea, however, I had to begin cleaning my house up on Friday night to get it nice and tidy for that occasion.  Fortunately, 'The Sound of Music' was on the television and there were some classic music on there to work to.  I got in and washed up, cleaned up the lounge room, put away the knitting, took the laundry upstairs and cleaned down the kitchen table and then washed all the floors before closing up the house and going upstairs to hang out on the net for a while and going to bed.
On Saturday, I vacuumed the downstairs, put out the rubbish, swept the floors, cleaned up the corners of the kitchen, dusted and bought Dad a Birthday pressie and a card.  Now, normally, I just get him a card, but this time I though a little pressie would be good.  I got all this fixed up in two hours as I was online until around midday or so and Mum and Dad were here by around 4pm.  I had made up a platter of food and some plunger coffee and ice tea (which I had organised the night before) and we sat down and ate and chatted.  Dad loved the coffee and nibbles, read last Sunday's paper and asked if I could play a bit of the piano for him.  I did but I have been out of practice lately; and so made a few mistakes.  Mum took some photos of me playing; which made me a more nervous and I made more mistakes (isn't that always the way?).  Then, we were out in my yard and looking around.  Dad tightened up my clothes line with two shifting spanners I had bought so it wouldn't move and Mum sat in the shade under my kitchen window and perused my yard that had grown since mid-January.  They had a lovely time looking around the place and weren't impressed with the condition of the fences; but then nobody is.  Before long, they had to go home and it was almost time for me to cook dinner.
On Sunday, I was off to New Farm Park to attend a Sunday Meditation which is held once a month with a group I'm beginning to go to.  Even though it was Dad's birthday, I really didn't want to miss this; and this was the reason why i had Mum and Dad over on Saturday for afternoon tea, to spend time with them for Dad's birthday.  They dropped me off at the ferry terminal (and Dad had never driven all the way down there, so I had to give him directions; and he was impressed that there was a round-a-bout there to get out).  And I did the silly thing and walked straight past Will and to the tree we were at last time.  So, I got out my mobile and called him and asked where he was and we ended up spotting each other across the park... really funny.
One by one, we all showed up and we were going to go to the big gazebo but decided to use one of the trees instead.  This time, we nabbed ourselves a picnic table; and there was so much food we could barely fit it all on there!  Packets of chips were ripped open, home-made cakes were brought along, dips, crackers and other great food was put out for everyone to eat.  We chatted and talked and brought out our crystals and meditated in small groups, talked about different things such as dreams and unusual occurrences and other things we don't dare talk to our families about.  This is a place - people - who have experienced things that others dismiss as an over-active imagination whereas these people don't.  I had one lady - Deb - look at my dream journals and she helped me greatly into what they mainly covered.  The one thing she was amazed at was that they were so detailed; that I remembered so much so easily and quickly; and she said that was a good thing.
Then, we got in and did our group meditation.  Deb led the Tree and Earth meditation.  It was a great one, going for around twenty minutes which just flew by!  Then, we all sat around and talked about what each of us got out of it.  I enjoyed the feeling of togetherness it brought with a group of twenty strangers and friends.  This was my first time at a large group meditation and it won't be my last.  next time, I'll have to take along some of my crystals; in particular my Rose Quartz.  
Geoff and Vivienne had to leave and were off soon after the meditation, but I stuck around for another hour or so chatting with people, watching people practice yoga moves and helping Will show people how to get the moves right.  I walked over to three of the guys who were trying out The Hero pose - and not getting it right - with Will and he said that I'd be able to do it and asked me to show them.  I took off my sandals and showed them all; with them all cringing as got onto the ground and easily did The Hero pose on the ground.  Then, I made the guys cringe more as I transformed that pose into The Child pose... with all of them saying they couldn't get their backsides down properly.  I said it's all to do with practice and getting their stretches down pat,and they agreed.  I really gotta get back into my yoga more; it's something that I'm not that flexible with right now, but it's good to know it.  
Before long, it was 4:30pm and I had a City Cat to catch.  I said my goodbyes, received three hugs (a big one from Will) and ran off to the ferry terminal and caught it to the Riverside Centre then walked up to Lower Edward Street to catch the 555 to Springwood.  It was about 100 metres to Mum and Dad's house where I could kick off my shoes and relax a little.  After such a long day, my feet were killing me as I hadn't had any arch support in my shoes; but it was a nice relaxing day.  Such a pity I got sunburnt... I did use sunscreen, but them's the breaks I guess.  Until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember, I'm always here. 

Friday, February 3, 2012

Been Given The Slip

Today, I was off to Garden City to do three things:  pick up a new battery for my camera to keep the date-stamp working, an index book and to buy a half-slip.  Sounds simple-enough doesn't it?  Well, I found the first two things easily; and paid for them cheaply enough - both being under $10.  However, I had a hell of a time finding a half-slip around Garden City.  Finding one of these things was like trying to find a Hen's Tooth; that's how rare they're becoming to find and buy now.
My first stop was Best & Less - where I thought I'd find one, but I didn't.  The young lady who helped me lamented with me, saying she understood my dilemma and said that there were people asking for the ones I was after up to ten time a day.  She'd order them in but they never arrived.  However, she did say to try out Big W, Bras & Things or - if I was really desperate - David Jones.  
I went in search of my illusive half-slip to Big W next and couldn't find one.  So, I found myself standing outside Bras & Things.  This shop spooks me to no end.  It's a store full of knickers, bras and naughty nighties... something I have always found daunting to look at in such a large number, but I took a deep breath and went inside.  After looking around the place quickly, I asked if they stocked my item and they said they didn't and to try out David Jones... actually, they were positive that D.J's had it and that store was the only place that would.
So, I walked into the large department store, found the women's section and walked around their underwear section looking for my half-slip that seemed to have gotten away from me.  Truthfully, I was beginning to forget what these stupid things looked like... until I came upon a beige one and looked behind it and found the black one I was searching for.  Ah-ha!  I found a medium-sized and checked the price:  $39.99???  Oh, my God!  Well, there went my budget for the day... my coffee at Gloria Jeans too.  Oh well, a coffee made at home is just as lovely and a hell of a lot cheaper too.  I walked to the counter and paid for my one half-slip and told the lady dressed in the uniform black that I had searched the whole of Garden City and David Jones was the only place that stocked half-slips.  She was shocked, telling me that the ones that were hanging over there where I had gotten mine had been there for three months and haven't moved!  Wow!  I told her that Best & Less had been trying to get them in for the last three months and they haven't been able to get any; now this surprised her
Well, I arrived home with my half-slip in a little David Jones bag (maybe my first and only purchase of underwear from that department store in around twenty years I've made... since I went off to New Zealand) and looked at that lovely slip.  I had spent almost two hours looking for this?  Now I know where to get the stupid things, I won't be going anywhere else for them.  Until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember I'm always here.

Thursday, February 2, 2012

....and It's Only Thursday!

I'm really tired this week... but I think it's because of what I've been up to lately.  On Sunday, I was up until 1:30am talking to Will on the phone.  He had asked me to hang out with him on Monday afternoon and we had a bit of a problem when I didn't know where the lizard on Boundary Street was; and it turns out that I thought it was a pub (makes sense seeing how many bars and pubs there are on that street!).  Well, we hung out, perused bookstores and grabbed a bite to eat back at his place; then lost track of time until around 7:30pm when I bussed it back home; missing the last bus from Garden City (oops!) and having to get Mum to come and pick me up.
On Tuesday, I was supposed to have been at a workshop but was too stuffed to go anywhere.  So, I tried to call the Gallery but kept getting the answering machine; so I gave up and just didn't go and vegged out around my place doing the laundry and cleaning up.  That was another early night for me and I crashed.
Wednesday was shopping day.  This was also the day where phone banking screwed up on me.  I put across over $200 for my day of shopping.  But it only put across $185 instead; so I came up very short by the time I came to the Chemist.  I had to spend an unnecessary amount of time at Suncorp to get my finances sorted out.  The teller was great, she said that phone banking had been screwing up lately; and apologised.  Otherwise, my shopping was good.  I got nearly everything I needed that day - well, except two things.  I need a small index book and a black half-slip.  I'll get those tomorrow morning.
Before I took off yesterday morning, I did two loads of laundry.  It was going to be a nice hot day; and I thought it would be a good idea to get it all done.  And I was thankful I did.  By the time I returned home, it was all dry and ready to bring in.  Now, all I need to do is find the time to put it all away.  
Today, I posted off a Valentines Swap to Canada, picked up my mail and did all my bits around the place before settling in on the computer today.  I'm tired, but it's been a good week.  It's Dad's birthday this weekend and I'm hoping to go to a gathering in New Farm Park then take off for dinner that night with family... we'll see what happens.   Until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember, I'm always here.