Monday, April 30, 2012

April's Something Different!

This month was most certainly something different; and not in a good way towards the end of it, I'm sorry to say.  However, many things happened in the beginning of this month where I was wondering how these things occurred to me and why.
First, we had Earth Hour and it was a great success.  I listened to some music I had bought the week before on my portable cd player and wrote in my journal while sitting by candle light.  Little Miss Stevie fluffed up on her swing and snoozed until the hour was over and that was that... I took photos and put them up on my Facebook page and on 365 Project and remember why I do this each year.
By the end of the first week of this month, I had donated my old television to Life Line for their building refilling in the city after it was burnt to the ground.  But when they came to pick it up, they nearly missed me.  And then, when the guy saw the old television, he complained it was 'too big'... jeez, can't I give away anything without somebody complaining about it?  It works and that's the main point of it, isn't it?  The darned thing came with its original remote and books... at least I had those with it (unlike some people who don't keep any of those things).
Good Friday came and went and I helped Gabe and Kat move from Keperra on Easter Sunday.  Mum and Dad were on the moving crew as well.  It was a full-on day of work and... what a day!  How exhausting!  But we moved 90% of their gear in one day which is great!  
During week two, not much happened.  It was a short week and I ate plenty of chocolate... however, by the end of the week, I was battling a war in the kitchen of a very different kind than when I initially when in there for.  I was hoping to sort out my cupboards and toss out what I don't need; however it ended being the Trogan War of the Cockroaches!  Aaargh!  How the hell did they get in here?  I don't care, so long I got the upper hand!  And I did! 
By week three, I had seen progress in my backyard of the first phase of my garden transformation being a success.  I also back-filled my decade-old Large Leaf Jade... and boy!  Was that a heavy tree or what!  I can't wait until I watch it grow for another decade now. 
However, buy the end of week three, we had some very sad and upsetting news about Uncle Allan.  He had been fighting Advanced Prostate Cancer and was in Palliative Care at the QEII Hospital.  I visited him on the Friday 20th and he was going well.  He was having medication that was taking away his pain and discomfort and he looked like he was going to come home the following Monday.   However, by Sunday 22nd, he had passed away peacefully in his sleep at 4am.  Mum called me up and informed me a few hours later and I spent the day sitting around eating junk food and watching television all day.
Week four had me being very quiet and feeling very isolated because nobody from my family dropped around to see if I was okay.  I spent the first two nights of that week unable to sleep and barely able to eat.  However, when Anzac Day came around, we didn't do anything for it, except try to work around the things we were doing towards Uncle Allan's service on the coming Friday.  And it was a great service.  He had family and friends show up and there was a collection of photos shown on a television screen of him which had us laughing as well as a few people telling great stories about his life.  Then, as the end of it, as we wheeled him out, his last song played.  It was 'Always Look On the Bright Side of Life' from 'The Life of Brian'... his last wish was that we all danced and sang to beat as we walked out behind him; and we did!  It was funny, sad and touching to have that song to know him by.  When he was put in the back of the hearse, we applauded and kept singing.  And until yesterday, I had that song stuck in my head... strange how things like that happen,eh? 
Otherwise, that Friday night, I lost half of my channels on my television of all the channel 10 channels (10, 1, 11 and 12) and all of the ABC channels too (ABC1,2,3 and 24).  I spent most of my weekend watching dvds because all of the programs I normally watch are on those channels; and my television couldn't pick them up!
Today, I went out to Garden City and found myself a new clothes horse.  It's one I've been eying off for about 2 years now and this year, I knew it was time to get it because just yesterday my house looked like a Chinese Laundry; with my clothes draped everywhere to dry out... I knew enough was enough!  I needed something to use that I could easily move from one room to the next and it wouldn't fall apart on me while my clothes were on it.  So, I forked out the money for it and it's being delivered tonight.  This will give me a chance to throw out the old one now that's peeling and not much use to me.  
Today is also the day - to the date - I bought Little Miss Stevie at Pet's Paradise at Logan Central.  She's been with me for seven years and is has become such a cutie and a real socialite and flirt.  While the guy from Mr Antenna was here to fix my antenna, she was chatting and whistling at him the whole time.  Most of the time, she doesn't like people like him walking past her... so there must be something about him she liked.  Dunno.  Well, it's been a fun month, a good month, a bad month, an emotion-filled month and a sad month too... until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember, I'm always here.

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Tidy-Up Sunday

It's been three days since I got in and cleaned up the house.  And yesterday seemed to slump by because it poured rain all day without rest; also I found on Friday night that I lost half of my free-to-air digital channels all in one hit by around 9pm.  This meant that all the channels that are owned by Channel 10 (10, 11, 1 and 12) were gone from my television and non-existent.  And it was another 24 hours before I realised I had lost all the ABC channels as well (these are:  ABC1, 2, 3 and 4 as well as 24 - the fulltime news channel).  So, when I wanted to watch 'The Simpsons', I couldn't - or 'Happy Days' or any other shows on 11.  
However, I was stuck with movies on the channel 7 and 9 networks; and they were okay, but not what I had planned to watch; and this brought me down.  I really wanted to watch the shows on my new flatscreen television and couldn't.  So, I called up Dad and we put our heads together and called Mr Antenna up to book a technician tomorrow afternoon to see what they could do about it all.  Fortunately, I'll be home; and hopefully I'll be able to watch the shows I've planned to watch tomorrow night - such as 'Supernatural', 'Touch' and 'Dr Who', which are all on the channels I am currently unable to watch.

Otherwise today, I spent my morning - until around 11am - tidying up my house (as I said).  I put out the gardening tools into the shed in my carport, put away the shopping trolley (with its bags inside it), did three loads of laundry - only to have to bring in 90% of it because it began to rain.  I found all the jackets and hats I've worn over the last 3 days and brought them upstairs to put away along with the rest of the shopping that needs to be put into the bathroom.  After that, I went back downstairs, wrapped up the ball of wool and needles I wasn't currently using and put them into the bag next to my lounge and made sure I had picked up all the bits of tissue, plastic bags and dockets off the lounge and put them away.  Then, I put away the user's manual for my television where it was normally stored and found all the remote controls for the dvd player, television and stereo system and put them on the coffee table so I could find them easily.  Once this was all done, I looked around, and found the lounge was a lot tidier than it was twenty minutes before!  Yay!  I had cleaned up my lounge room in record time!  All I need to do now is vacuum it and it'll be done for the week!  I'm so pleased with myself.

There is still some things to clean out in the lounge room to make it better and easier to use.  I still wish to have this room less cluttered-looking than it is as a lot of my visitors feel as though they're dodging around things when they visit; and even I do at times. And when I was walking around with my broken toe, I found getting around with the walking stick harder than I thought it was going to be.  So, I must make this room a better place to be in and make it look just as lovely as well.  This is going to take time to accomplish; but I can do it.  Well, until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

What A Week!

This has been a big, full week of emotions, loneliness and trying to keep busy.  However, it all came together in the end and we survived this week.  
Unlike most weeks, we have had a rotten week.  Uncle Allan passed away from advanced Prostate Cancer on Sunday and - despite the shock of it - we know it was a blessing for him to be out of pain and to be free of the medications he was on.  I loved him a lot, as did everyone in our family, and he will be missed greatly.  However, he did leave his mark on this world and you probably use things of his every day and don't even know it... I do and didn't know half the things he had invented in his life to make things work better than they did to make our lives easier.
But for a good part of the week, while most of my family had people to talk to, I was on my own.  I didn't have any physical contact with any family members until yesterday morning at the service where I really fell apart.  And during the first few nights of this week, I cried myself to sleep.  It's been hard to work through this on my own.  I know my friends have been there for me, however, I wish I had somebody nearby to hug me once in a while or to show me they knew what I was going through.
On Anzac Day, we didn't do anything.  It was another day of the week - except everything was closed - and so I slept in, ate breakfast, read a book and stuffed around on the net then watched a dvd.  It really wasn't much a day as we didn't go to a Dawn Service - or any kind of service - as Mum and Dad were busily working on getting Uncle Allan's service working smoothly.
Thursday was my shopping day.  And because I down to my last few food scraps, I had been forced to make fried rice and egg-based foods.  So, when I went, I had a massive list to get.  I came home and found I couldn't find space for half of it... oh well, at least, next time I won't have a problem with over-buying.  It'll be just a top-up shop and that's it.
Yesterday was a cold, wet day.  However we didn't let that dampen our spirits in saying farewell to Uncle Allan.  The service was a good, funny one; full of laughter and memories of him.  We found our way back to thinking about his house and how many parties and celebrations we had had there over the years.  He was always a wonderfully loving and generous man whose heart had enough room for everyone.  He will be missed by all who he met; no matter for how long.
Today, we have to vote for our mayors of our councils.  It's another wet, cold day and I don't want to go out anywhere.  However, if I don't, I'll get a fine.  So, there's no real choice in the matter.  That was my week... busy, emotional and rainy.  Until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember, I'm always here.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Slow Week

Since Sunday, I haven't really known what to write here; and didn't think I would begin writing until next week.  However, I'm here and feel as though it would be a good idea write here now.  
I haven't been sleeping all that well and feeling sick.  But once I get to sleep and get a little, I feel as though I didn't get enough.  So, over the last two days, I've been a walking zombi:  feeling tired, yet very much awake and feeling sick too.  Not a pleasant feeling.
On Sunday, I spent the afternoon watching 'Moonlight' on dvd and eating Maltesers and Grain Waves Chips and drinking home made ice coffee.  Yep, I fell off my usual healthy diet and straight back into my high school diet; not good for my body.  It made me feel very sick and horrible yesterday and today.
But this morning, I woke up to an overcast day and realised why I wasn't sleeping well.  Since Sunday, I hadn't been going for my walk every day; and so seeing my body had gotten used to it, I was feeling withdrawal from not going.  So, today, I put on my sneakers, ate breakfast and grabbed my iTouch and went for my morning walk.  This made me feel great!  After I got home, I mowed my back lawn, put out the rubbish and then began making a shopping list for Thursday (seeing tomorrow is a public holiday).  I was upstairs before I knew it on here surfing the net and checking my e-mails.
However, I still felt very sick in the guts; even after all that exercise, computing and making myself feel good.  And so, at around midday, I closed down the computer and went downstairs and vacuumed the lounge with the new filter on the hose.  I had empty the thing three times to get the lounge fully cleaned up!  Wow!  There was so much dirt and crap coming out of the carpet that it amazed even me how much was in it!  And when I did eventually take my shoes off, it felt so lovely on my bare feet; and less like it was just dusty and dirty between my toes.
Even after the housework, I felt sick... so I took two Gastrolytes in a glass of water and after drinking that, I was good.  And I could have gone to bed for a couple of days to catch up with what I had missed out on!  So, after this post is finished, I'll be doing just that:  going to bed immediately.  After all, it's raining outside now and I'll be able to drift off nicely.
Yes, this week is going slowly.  I decided what I'm wearing to Uncle Allan's service - right down to the handbag I'm taking and the shoes I'll be wearing.  I've thought to make sure I take it easy that day and make it a good day see family and help Mum through the day; as she was there for Uncle Allan to take him to his doctor's appointments each time.  I'll keep you all up-to-date with things as they progress.  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Very Sad News

This morning, I was sleeping in because it was a nice cool morning to do sleep, when I received a phone call from Mum.  Uncle Allan had passed away in his sleep at the QEII Hospital in the Palliative Care Unit last night.  He hadn't been there very long and they took such good care of him as well.
I'm grateful he didn't suffer and went in his sleep; as I was told by Mum that the nurse informed her that they checked on him at around 4am and he was sleeping peacefully; then went back 10 minutes later and checked on him again and he had quietly slipped away on them.

Uncle Allan was a favourite Uncle in our family.  He was always wonderfully generous and friendly.  He was a very giving man as well.  He helped me get over a bad relationship and was always there to talk to when I needed him.  It's always sad to lose a much-loved relative of the likes of an uncle.  Uncle Allan will be missed by everyone in our family; particularly his house where we had many-a party of all kinds!  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow...

I have had a hell of a week; very stressful in fact.  My Uncle Alan has been very sick has been placed in Palliative Care in the QEII Jubilee Hospital.  The section has only been open a month; and it's fantastic; and he's been in there since Tuesday morning.  He has advanced Prostate Cancer and the doctors are now controling his pain and nausea; but it's a testing time for everyone; and very hard on our nerves as well.  During this week, I've tried not to mention it here as it's not really what I'd like to tell anyone.  But it's been keeping me awake - even if I write it down in my personal journal - and so I thought to get it out.  
Yesterday, I went out to find a vacuum cleaner to replace my old one.  On the way out Dad took me to Uncle Alan's house to fix his pool so it was being cleaned.  I cleaned up his kitchen and scrubbed it within an inch of its life.  All the counters are clean, the toaster was wiped down, anything sitting out was either put in the fridge or put back into the pantry and the sinks were scrubbed out with steel wool and Jiff.  
By the time I had finished all of that, Dad and Uncle Alan's friend, Frank, had gotten the pool working well and we were off to Garden City to get my vacuum looked at.  Mum met us there (not Frank though as he went back to work) and we found there was nothing wrong with my vacuum except it needed new bags that were suitable for it and fitted it and a dust filter that would save me on bags in the first place.  So, I bought the dust filter and the guy threw in the bags for nothing.  Gotta say:  Godfrey's at Garden City is a good place to go, they don't try to sell you a cleaner for the sake of selling a cleaner.  The guy saved me from spending money on something I didn't need.  This is a good salesman.
After that, we were off in search of lunch.  Mum had seen a new sushi place called 'Sushi Deli' open up downstairs right down the other end of the place and so we went off walking there after we took my vacuum back to the car.  On the way, I dropped into a bookstore while I waited for my folks to visit the restrooms and found two books by my good friend - and author - Estelle Pinney for $10 each and they were both signed!  So, I purchased them both.  Seeing I already had one of them (which was also signed by Estelle for me), I gave it to Mum and kept the other titled 'Burnt Sunshine' to read.  Mum was thrilled to have her own copy of 'House on the Hill' and even happier to have her very own signed copy!  
'Sushi Deli' was a brilliant place to eat!  It was a proper restaurant where the food was made up and set on a track to travel past you and you made your choices as it slowly moved past.  I found a plate with a patty on it with mayonnaise and seaweed... it looked unusual; but interesting and Mum picked up one that looked similar but hers were four balls instead of a patty.  We began eating and were totally surprised that we were eating something like fish, but it wasn't fish; we didn't know what it was until we asked the staff and were informed we had eaten octopus fritter and octopus meatballs!  How delectable!  How wonderful!  How... beautifully made!  We talked Dad into trying them and we found a patty for him and he scoffed that down, then he ordered a plate of the meatballs and he scoffed into that too!  However, I found the octopus very filling and I thought to get a dessert of Pumpkin tart-like thing.  It was a not-so-sweet dessert which tasted lovely, a little sweet and totally cleaned my mouth out... topping off my meal nicely.  And for $3.80, it was just perfect!  I finished off my Sesame Green Tea and sat back totally happy with my meal.  I was just nicely full, not feeling too pinched or overfull, just contently full.
We left the restaurant after paying just over $40 for our meal and walked around Garden City looking for a key-chain wallet for Dad's keys; without success.  Then it was time to meet up at the hospital to visit Uncle Alan.  Mum had brought her car and parked it near the new car park at David Jones whereas Dad and I had parked in the old Mac & East car park - two totally different ends of the place - and so we agreed to meet up there.  
About twenty minutes later, we did and we found Uncle Alan in good spirits talking and laughing.  We stuck around for about an hour and then thought to leave him at around 3:30pm as we had to go about some errands.  Dad had a few things to do at his house still and Mum was going to take me home and pick up a prescription of meds.  After we did get my meds, Mum stuck around and looked around my newly cleaned-out kitchen and the garden.  She's getting to enjoy my yard as much as I am; and we're both finding more faults with it each time we look at it too.  So much more work needs to go into it and I've got to keep on saving up more and more money until the next phase of it comes around to make it work.  It's just a matter of time before I get it totally right and looking the way I want it to look; and even then, I don't think I'll be happy with it.  Yep, I'm a perfectionist when it comes to my little garden.

Today, I worked at the Logan Art Gallery for the morning shift with a new person on the roster: Malcolm.  He was given a lot of the work to do so he knew what he had to do.  He was answering the phone, taking messages, calling and confirming workshop people and talking to customers as well.  We chatted about all kinds of things from music to art to work and what happened to us for us to become involved with volunteer work.  He was amazed at how I can't find a job; and how many job centres I've worked with who can't find a job for me all because of my problems with numbers and my learning problems.  I said that what I can't do with maths I make up with arts and other things such as painting, gardening and writing.  
Well, it's late.  I watched an episode of 'The Voice' and was blown away by the caliber of the people who could sing but haven't gotten anywhere with their singing or haven't had the opportunity to do this kind of thing because of other things standing in their way (like their confidence, their appearance, age or because they felt their way of life made it that they couldn't reach this goal).  One girl was 19 years old and sang like Janice Joplin!  Amazing voice!  And yet when she spoke, she sounded like an angel.  None of them could believe it; and neither could I.  Anyway, it's been a long two days and I didn't sleep all that great last night; but I will tonight.  Until my next post, take care, keeps safe and warm and remember I'm always here.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Busy Few Days

Over the last few days, I've been busy around the house.  It's hard to believe that this little town house has so much to do inside it, but it does.  And after battling the cockroaches (which made my skin crawl!), I'm happy to report that I'm currently finding their little carcasses everywhere thanks to some surface spray I used a few days ago.  And I'm also putting out the rubbish every night and washing up before going to bed as well to keep the 6-legged little grots from invading my home again.
Otherwise, seeing the rain has stopped, I've been getting in and doing load upon load of laundry.  So, my clothes line hasn't been empty for the last two days; and even the clothes horse has been weighed down in the back yard as well (and this is something else I need to replace with a new, better-designed one; but that will come at Christmas when I buy myself one as a present).  
But I did get a lot of things done in the last three days.  One of them was figuring out my fitness routine.  I have begun walking in the mornings at around 9am.  Normally, I'll just dash across the road and pick up the mail and run home; however, I thought to take my iTouch with me and walk briskly to the fast music I have on it up Kingston Road, cross at the lights at Moss Street and down the other side.  Then, I cross at Randal Street and keep walking, check the mail and continue to Park Road, cross there and then up the hill to home (and you wouldn't believe how steep that hill is when you use it as a last leg instead of a first).  But today, I walked all the way down to Noel Street - to Argonaut - and crossed at Smith Road and walked home from there.  It was a good walk as I spotted the new pet store being built and noticed that there's a new fresh fruit market coming our way soon... and personally, I think it's about time!  It'd be lovely to be able to go to the fruit market with my little blue trolley, pick up some fruit and veggies the day after I get paid and then not worry about having to go to Woollies because it can get very expensive there... then all I'd need from there is my Whitacker's Chocolate and Nivea Creme Soap.  Besides, fruit shops are cheaper than the big shops most of the time.
I've begun a new scarf in the last day or two; and am a quarter way done with it already.  The stitch is Irish Moss Stitch and it's easy to do once I get into it.  The other purple scarf is almost finished; all I need to do is add nice purple tassles and it's all done!  And it's lovely, soft, cuddly and long!  I can't wait until I get a few finished up to sell.
I've also begun reading another book; a John Irving one this time titled 'Last Night In Twisted River'.  I've had this one for about two years now, and it's now I'm beginning to read my birthday books from then!  That's how many books it's taken me to get to this one; which has been on my reading pile for that long too.  And it's a good book so far; I just hope it doesn't get boring.  I'm afraid to say that 'The World According to Garp' wasn't all that interesting to me and I found the movie better than the book.  Such a pity as John Irving is a great writer.
Today, I jumped onto Picnik and found it had vanished.  Yes, it was gone; as promised by the owners.  I'm sad and am going to miss that photo editing program as it was brilliantly easy to use and really shouldn't have left us.  I did hear a rumour that Google bought it out and it's somewhere else on the net, but I'm not sure how true that is.  But we were told about Picmonkey and I've been using that one; which is promising collages soon... and I hope they bring them in as I've got some collages I made up on Picnik.  However, Google has made up a place called 'The Creative Kit' which (to the people who have used it; not me) doesn't even shine a light on Picnik or any of the other photo editing programs.  So, why did Google close down this company when it was going so well and had so many people using it?  The same reason why there's bullying in the world since day dot:  Tall Poppy Syndrome.  A big company couldn't stand seeing a small one doing well, and just had to cut them down and try too hard to be just like them and fail when all they had to do was congratulate them for their success.  Why does pride stand in the way of being the bigger man/woman and saying: 'Good on you!' instead of envy and jealousy... hey, isn't that one of the seven deadly sins?  Well, I think I'll leave that for another post!
Today, it's a nice, warm, sunny day.  The radio is playing the best of the British and Little Miss Stevie is enjoying it!  I have a fully-laden clothes line and the clothes horse is in the middle of the yard too.  Today, I have to wash the floors and dust the house... but I'd love to vacuum.  However, without a properly working vacuum, I can't.  So, I'm stuck to just dusting my house and figuring out the rest of the books in my home office.  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here.

 

Monday, April 16, 2012

Monday, Monday

Wow!  What a weekend I've had!  Most of the time, I was running around my kitchen killing cockroaches... yuk!... and nobody likes doing that!  However, it's due to the wet weather over that last few years that these disgusting critters have come inside and made themselves right at home which has caused me to take action and take back my kitchen... and eventually my home; but mainly my kitchen.
Anyway, I found more stuff in my kitchen than I thought.  I found 9 casserole dishes!  Yep, you read right - 9!  Seeing I had room for only 8 of them, I gave one of them (the one that was given to me by a neighbour and I never used) to my next door neighbour.  He appreciated it and said he'd used it.
Otherwise, I had to buy my first can of Mortein in around 5 years.  I hate using the stuff, but it works!  You see, I've been trying to keep my house as environmentally safe as possible as it keeps Little Miss Stevie well, the fish alive and me away from sickness.  But when push comes to shove with 6-legged critters, you gotta do what you gotta do!  
And today has been my first day in over a week where I have been able to work on editing my stories for a new book for Bibliotastic.  I was planning on doing up three stories and calling it 'Threepence', but I don't have that many stories that are that big.  So, seeing I only found two, I'm going to fix them up, cut them into chapters for each and call it 'Double Take'... or something along those lines.  It'll be my second adult book up for download from Bibliotastic.  I'll just have to get a good cover edited in time for its release in a few months' time.  
I've also got another book for Young Adults on the drawing board that my niece gave me the idea for.  She asked me a while back if I wrote stories for Young Adults so she could read my work.  I said I'd have a look around some of my stories and see which ones would be suitable and ended up posting off a cd to her for her to read.   Well!  She absolutely loved it!  So, I thought it would be a great idea to put those stories out there for other kids like her to download and read; so they're not left out and so publishers know I can write stories for that genre as well.  So, this makes my YA Book and the New Book (as I'm calling them for now as working titles on file) my next lot of work which I'm looking forward to getting done.
Over this weekend, while I was cleaning, my Vax vacuum cleaner died.  First it started off with the bag being full - it sucked up something from behind the credensa but I didn't know what it was; so out into the carport I was going to take it.  I pulled open the lid and gently tugged at the bag to get it out when the one of the things the hold the bags in snapped clean off!  I was disappointed, but not worried.  It was only one after all.  I grabbed the bag, took it outside with a pair of scissors and cut it open, but found nothing in it that was of value... so it must have sucked up a marble or something weird that wasn't anything interesting to me (besides, I haven't missed anything near there lately).  Then, when it came to changing the bag over, I found I didn't have any left.  Jeez!  Well, okay... I closed the vacuum and thought that it might be time to get another lot of bags; wondering how much it was going to cost me... when the darned lid wouldn't catch properly.  I pushed it and pushed it... inspected the catch and really tried to make it work without losing my patience, but it wouldn't snap closed.  It was then I realised I may need a new vacuum.  So, I bundled it up as best as I could and put it in my storage facility to keep it out of the way.
Last night, I was talking to my brother and he said that we'd look into getting a bagless cleaner for me... as I had looked online for one and found a Hoover Performance 3010 at Godferys for $149; and I thought it would go well.  We bounced around the idea of getting one off e-bay.  So, this morning, I e-mailed him the details, but he couldn't find one on e-bay for less than the amount I saw it... so I'll be getting this one for the amount I found it for!  Very cool.  However, I was searching through all my warranties this morning when I came upon the warranty for the Vax that had just broken; and Mum bought it for me in 2005... so this little vacuum cleaner has had a good long life with me of seven years.  It's outlasted my first one by a long shot! Well, until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Big Kitchen Clean-Out - Part 2

This isn't so much about the kitchen cleanout, but really about the whole organisation of the kitchen itself.  I found that once I moved a few things, I had to put the excess stuff that was sitting around in other places.  When I moved my Tupperware, I had to move the slow-cooker into the place where it all used to be.  So, it was a matter of swapping a lot of things around to make it all fit.
And I found a lot of old things I had never used; and should.  For example, I found a pile of my late-Grandmother's plates sitting at the bottom of one of my cupboards waiting for the many visitors I was supposedly going to have one of these days.  So, I pulled them out - remembering one of them was cracked - and put them onto the kitchen table to be washed up.  I also found other things around the kitchen I could use that added to the kitchen table; and ended up with a big pile of stuff to wash up on that table.
By around 3pm, I had put everything away and had only that pile of stuff on the kitchen table to wash up and place into those designated spots I had in mind for them.  And you know?  It felt great to be able to use all these old things from my Grandparent's house.  I also found a lovely glass plate in my cupboard and I've never used!  Now, how long had that been there, I'll never know!  But it will be used now I know I have it.All the glasses and smaller plates were moved and their area was cleaned up... then I found another nest of roaches!  Yuk!  They've been hiding in my Grandma's old scales... how disgusting can you get?  Well, today, when I went off to the shop to buy the paper and milk, I also bought some surface spray and sprayed up inside that thing.  I'll have to do it again in a few weeks' time to break the cycle.  I even went out on Wednesday and bought myself a new knife block to replace the old one - as you all know - and it looks great!  I do love it and it only cost me $18 at K-Mart.  Well worth it getting there; as I also got a new set of knives with it... which I've kept in their box in case I need them at a later date.
It feels great to have my kitchen nice and tidy and clean; just the way it should be.  It make me feel good and I can see where everything is; as it should be.  There's about three more cupboards to do, and that's it there, but they won't take long; and I only have to clean them out, wash up what's inside there and tidy them up.  There's no throwing out in them as I know what's inside them.  Anyway, I must be going... it's been a good weekend so far, despite the rain today.  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Big Kitchen Clean-Out - Part 1

I've had a roach problem; not a big one, but it's there.  And it's only been around since the 2010 floods.... the little buggers!  So, I decided to make a move on my kitchen today and clean it up to keep those little disgusting, filthy critters away from my kitchen as much as possible.  The first quick clean-up I did, I had to replace my knife block as they were hiding in that... and I thought that was it.

But I was wrong!

Today, as I started on my kitchen, I found I had things I didn't want anymore.  So, this cleaning out of my cupboards had more than two meanings... I was cleaning out the items in them as well!  I washed down the kitchen sink and put away the strainer, the kettle and made room for all of the things that are in the cupboards to be placed while I clean inside; then I was away and cleaning out those dirty areas with hot water, washing up liquid and Dettol.  After I wiped it all down with a towel, I then sprayed the areas with Glen-20.  Okay, that won't kill the roaches, but it'll kill any germs left behind.  Then, there was the organising of the cupboards.  I didn't want to put them back the way they were, I needed order, I needed to be able to find things at a glance... I needed to be able to open the doors and know what was there if the lights were out.  And I found it all very refreshing to be able to throw out things I don't want and don't need and give them away to a charity.
However, I also found another nest of roaches in the most unlikely place.  I have an old set of kitchen scales of Grandma's.  They're white and work well - as they're in pounds and kilograms - and so I kept them to use.  But when I was cleaning up the area where the glasses sat, I saw the evidence of a nest... the massive amount of old roach skins and poop!  It was gut-turning!  I took the scales outside and hit the base of them on the concrete hard and had around half a dozen of the creatures fall out of the bum of the thing!  Yuk!  I ran around squashing them all!  Then, I sprayed Glen-20 up inside that (yes, I know that won't kill them, but it will tick them all off and make the whole thing slippery).  I cleaned up their crap and mess and sprayed the Glen-20 on that surface just to make myself feel better because of how much of their poo was everywhere!  
Before long, and after I had cleaned out all the lower cupboards below the counter and sink and the area where the glasses sit, I looked at my watch and found it was almost 3pm. I had started this at 1pm.  Wow!  Two hours zoom by when you're working hard and playing 'Moonflower' by Santana, doesn't it?  And his music is great to work by; very inspirational.
By the time I put everything back, I found preparing dinner a lot easier.  I wasn't fighting to get dishes out of the cupboards, having problems finding a mixing bowl or trying to work on getting things to rinse properly.  Everything in my kitchen worked, fitted and was organised properly and I wasn't feeling like I was fighting with my kitchen; instead the room and I worked like a well-oiled machine... it was great.  Why hadn't I cleaned this place out before?  I'll never know; and I now wish I had done it earlier.
Well, that's all for now.  It's getting late and I've yet to wash up from dinner.  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Black Friday

It's almost 10pm and it's Black Friday - Friday 13th - and so far, it hasn't been a day of bad luck, just a few strange and funny things happening to me that turned out to be pretty good.
But it was a very busy day for me.  I had to go to Garden City to bank the money for the Leukaemia Foundation and then post off the book to them.  That went smoothly.  I bought two badges of Long Tan that looked great for Anzac Day; one for me and one for Mum.  I'm wearing one at the moment and it's got the colours on it that my Pop received and Dad wears in his memory. 
Then, I went off to Best and Less and bought myself 3 pairs of knickers and two bras costing me $31!  What a great deal!  I made sure a set of those matched in purple for next year's Purple Day for Epilepsy and they'll look good too.  The next place was Robin's Kitchen, as they were having a sale and I received an e-mail about it and thought to check it out.  It was then I remembered I needed a new whisk; so I bought myself one and used my membership card.
By the time all of this was finished, I was hungry and a little low on my sugars.  It was time for an early lunch, so I walked to Gloria Jeans Coffee and bought a medium ice coffee and a pumpkin and risotto roll.  And the roll was absolutely delicious!  Oh, I thought it was going to be all dry and yuk - like most places I've been to - but nope!  It was beautiful and lovely and sweet!  There must have been a little bit of sugar added into it as I finished the whole thing!  But I couldn't finish my ice coffee as I was full and ready to leave.
Once home, I made myself a drink, put the new underwear in the washing machine and hung it out and washed up the breakfast dishes.  Then, I paid the gas bill and turned on the radio and began tidying up for tonight.  What was tonight?  Well, tonight I was having a friend over for dinner; something I haven't had in over two years.  So, I thought to begin on cleaning up early before jumping on the computer to waste away an hour and half.
By around 3:15pm, I was off the net and ready to leave.  I had to be at my friend's - Cate's - place to help her with her cat, Gus, to take him to the vet at the Argonaut Centre down the road.  I arrived at her place at 3:50pm (because I got talking to a neighbour for a few minutes) and then we were off with Gus in the cat carrier with him meowing away not enjoying the confined space at all. The vet was pleased to meet the friend who braved being around Gus - seeing I break out in hives and sneeze like you wouldn't believe around the poor little guy - and said it was lovely that I'd do that for a friend.  I said that I'm allergic to dogs, horses and cows as well as bird dander (and I've got a budgie too). He thought it was ironic I had a bird and yet I was allergic to her. 
Well, once Gus got the all clear from the vet, Cate dropped me off home and I walked in from the gate to my mostly clean house, it was around 4:30pm.  I still had about 2 hours until Geoff arrived from down the coast (as he was on his way home from visiting is folks and family) to have a meal with me.  By around 5:15pm, I had begun cutting up the veggies for my Veggie Pasta Bake/Melt and had defrosted three hot dog buns and made some fresh garlic butter.  6pm rolled around and he showed up right on time for me to begin cooking and the rain to begin.  How's that for perfect timing! 
Well, dinner was delicious - especially with the new herbs I bought on Wednesday - and the garlic bread went down well.  Then, I made a pot of tea and brought out dark chocolate and gave him a choice of which mugs he'd like.  He picked out 'The Phantom' mug and I chose 'The Doctor' and then, we settled in to watch 'Sucker Punch'; a very cool steam-punk movie set in three different types of dimensions and yet the heroes are female and they can kick butt.  A great movie, better than I thought it was going to be.  Soon after, Geoff took off home and I locked up after washing up the remainder of the dishes.
Yep, today was a good day.  I paid my Gas Bill, got new underwear, ate dinner with a great friend and got to see a movie with a friend I hadn't seen before (the movie, not the friend).  This was a good day.  Until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember, I'm always here.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Shopping Day - Great Bargains All Around!

After a cold night last night, I dressed up in some of my nice warm Winter gear to go out shopping today.  I wore my nice purple hat and leather jacket and was lovely and warm for the day; and there was a cold breeze blowing.
I posted off a parcel and waited at the bus stop for the 545 bus and went to K & B Petstore where I bought Little Miss Stevie her seed.  Seeing her usual seed wasn't there, I bought the seed that the store supplied instead for around the same price.  Not too far from the petstore, I walked into the Spice Store.  This place has been here for a long time - over a year - but I just haven't really had the need to go into it yet, not until today.  I really needed some Tarragon and went looking for the leaves here; but couldn't find them.  I found a large 500g packet of Sweet Paprika and Oregano instead and when I came to the front counter to pay for them, I asked if the man stocked the one I was looking for and he went and found it for me.  I thanked him very much and paid $7.95 for my three lots of herbs and spices.  After grabbing two business cards - one for me and one for Mum and Dad - I was on my way to do the rest of my shopping.
I went to Life Line, but didn't find anything of interest there, so went on to Woolworths where I did my fruit and veggie shopping.  
Coles was next.  I went into Woodys' and ordered in the entire series of 'The 70's Show'... yep, I know it's a daggy series, but I find it hilariously funny and brilliant to watch.  And it's about the decade I was born in: the 1970's.  Very cool t-shirts, music and funny ways of serving up food came out of that decade... however the decor was something I loved.
Then, I went off to K-Mart in search of a new knife block.  Seeing I have to get rid of the one the roaches nested under - and in - in my kitchen, I thought to spend good money a nice one.  However, K-Mart doesn't sent empty ones.  So, I scored myself a 6-knife knife block for $18.00.  Not bad if you ask me.  I turned around and found a very nice egg-flip for $6.00 and grabbed that (seeing my old one keeps stuffing up on me).  Once I was through the checkouts, I made my way to Coles for the last leg of my shopping day.
I kept to my list and made sure I bought only what I needed; and deviated from it once to buy pizza bases.  Otherwise, I found my bottom line for groceries at Coles cost only $102.00 or so.  I'm pretty pleased with myself that I have kept to my budget and still have some money left over.  
However, my day was good right up until I caught the cab home.  The driver loaded up the boot of the car and we drove off to my place.  When we unloaded, I found out that she had put my bread in underneath the handle of my blue trolley; squashing the whole loaf of fresh bread!  You know, I had a dozen eggs in the bag before the cab showed up and only took them out because I didn't want them squashed... just as well I did take them out; I would have been pretty upset if they had been pinned under the handle with the bread like that; with everything else on top of it all.
Once I put everything inside, I went out to collect my wheelie bin, only to find that the bins outside my house hadn't been collected; only the ones outside the gate had been.  This is a sure sign of a new driver and it happens each time we get one.  They don't realise that the 20 or so bins aren't the only ones that are from inside the place and there's more inside. This causes us to have to call up the Body Corporate - or try to talk to our onsite manager - and let them know the bins up the back haven't been collected and we have to wait almost two more days to get them done.  The new driver then has to be told to come right inside so our bins don't stink out our homes (like they did earlier this year and I had to spray them all with Glen-20 to get any sleep!).
Well, that was my day... herbs & spices, bird seed, a new tv series to pay off soon (it'll arrive in May as it's being re-released then through another supplier), a new knife block and my shopping coming under budget.  A good day if you ask me.  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here. 

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Big Home Office Clean Out - Part 3


This morning, I'm onto the details of this office clean-out.  I have found that I've done all the heavy lifting of this office on Friday and Saturday and now, I'm up to the organising of the bookcases.  This is figuring out where the books in - and on - the bookcases go to make this place neater, more organised and easier to work with.  
While on the internet this morning, I dedicated around half an hour to looking into making one of the shelves in the Tall Boy Bookcase a Stephen King shelf.  I have so many of his works that I thought to put them all together so I know which ones I have and how many of them there are.  I turns out that I've doubled up on one book that I didn't know I already had a copy of:  'Christine'.  I had put the first copy away in the 4th bookcase at the back and clean forgot about it!  Now, this is exactly why I should be keeping all my SK works together; so I don't double up on them.  So, I'm going to register that one on Bookcrossing and sending it on its way to travel the world.

But before I did anything at all, I took before shots of these bookcases to make sure I know something had been done to them; a change had been made, then, I got into work!  
I moved the poetry books to the top shelf inside the 4th bookcase after I organised the books in there, moved some to the right places, thought to give one away.  Then, I shuffled them around and pushed the poetry books to back laying them on their side (as they don't fit standing up) and then, found my hand-written poetry books and ones I haven't finished and slotted them right in the front ready to be used.  The full ones are there to remind me what I've written and the other two are there to remind me to write in them.  
I've had to distribute some of the taller books that were on the Stephen King shelf so that I have the room for his works around the office.  But I found, when I looked through them, that they were anything but poetry.  Some where story idea books, one was a Book of Shadows and another was my work diary from when I worked at RACQ... wow, talk about a variety of unusual written works all together in one place!  Anyway, I got this all done in well under an hour.  However, the 2nd bookcase ( better known as the saggy bookcase) didn't get touched.  Pity, I really do want to get into that one and work hard on it.  However, the first thing I need to do is fix up the stuff on the floor in front of it.  I need to make it all vanish so I can stand in front of the bookcases without anything in the way.  My aim with this office is to have enough space to move around, yet still have my collection of handbags co-exist with my books.  Well, until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Easter Sunday

It's been a big weekend of cleaning and tidying up.  However, yesterday was a massive day for my whole family; and it began early.  I was up at around 7am, picked up the paper and ate breakfast and was ready before you knew it to go and help Gabe and Kat move house. 
However, they weren't ready.  But that didn't matter.  I jumped online and checked my e-mails, chatted with one of my friends on Facebook and ended up running off on them while they were away from the computer... oops.  Oh well, they knew I was going out for the day; just didn't know when. 
So, we picked up a 'Budget' Rental Truck and were off to Keperra to help pack the thing up carefully with all the bigger items.  Gabe and Kat had hired a covered trailer that was attached to the back of the Kombi and was going use that; but were completely taken by surprise when Dad rocked up with the truck!
Once we had everything organised and the truck up on the footpath and opened up, it was all in for work stations!  We packed, taped and packed up the cars, truck, kombi, trailer and we drove to Brighton where the new house was waiting - half-filled with furniture - for use to get in and work on unpacking everything.
The kitchen didn't take long with us three women opening up everything and putting everything away.  I was on detail.  This meant, I was pulling drawers out of dressers and putting them back in, then unloading them again at the other end.  I packed the Pajero with bags of wrapped up things from the kitchen.  I packed the Kombi with boxes for the mirror of the sideboard to lay on.  You know, little stuff.  The details usually brings it all together; and that's what I was on for over 2 hours!  
We began at around 10am and I took my first break at around midday and sat down, took a good drink of water and wondered if my feet would ever stop throbbing through my sneakers.  Probably not.  Then, I was off again after we agreed to pack up the fridge and freezer and have lunch at the new place and sit down for a more than a minute or go to the toilet.
Once things were unpacked from the truck and the Pajero and the kitchen was looking like a kitchen and less like a major shopping trip, it was time to go back to the house and pick up other things that were needed around the place.  However, I was finished.  I had walked up and down so many sets of stairs I felt as though my legs were going to fall off.  My arms were beginning to hurt and I just wanted to curl up on the lounge I had flopped down on and have a nice little snooze until next month or so.  Gabe could see how stuffed I was and suggested I stick around and take a rest; and so I said I would stay so they didn't have to take Jay with them or lock up the house this time.
It was nice to have the place to myself to stuff around.  Gabe had plugged in the television and I tuned in the digital stations for them; but they just weren't working.  I tried about 4 more times and still it wasn't working; so I gave up and listened to my iTouch for a while and read a part of a book I'm getting into before keeping an eye on the time.  I turned on the front light, figured out the lights for the living room and turned the fan down then put on my jacket because I was getting cold (really it was because my sweat from the day was making me cold) and then I checked on Jay and she was often found down near the gate waiting for them all to come back - how cute can you get?
Soon enough, they were back, pulled more stuff out of the cars and the truck and installed it all.  And Mum and Kat were off to get dinner of fish'n'chips.  I grabbed some chairs from the storage shed up the back and set the table while Gabe and Dad put together the sideboard in the lounge.  And before we knew it, they were home and dinner was served up; and we had a very quiet moment of when everyone was eating!  What a great meal!  The only interruption was when we noticed how bloody big the mosquitoes were - and then we tried to catch them; which was impossible!
Soon enough, we were off home at just before 8:30pm.  I went with Mum while Dad drove the truck solo.  It was good run and we found we made good time.  However, Mum and I came across one of the big mozzies... and then it vanished when I couldn't get it.  Suddenly, we saw a big gecko run up the inside of the windscreen on her side, jump onto the steering wheel and onto and up her arm!  Well!  She screamed loudly while batting at it wildly to get it off!  And what was I doing?  Laughing my head off, of course!  Mum absolutely hates these lizards; while I don't mind them, but do find them very annoying.  She asked me why I didn't get freaked out and I said it was because I'm not scared of them, but I don't like them all the same.
I arrived home, had a shower, jumped online and checked my mail for about an hour, then went downstairs to put a cover on Little Miss Stevie (because it was going to cool right down later on; and I knew it) and I found a big cockroach from the other night I didn't catch running along the counter!  Well!  Off came one of my flip-flops and I chased it around, found it and killed it.  That was after, I threw the large notebook, the phone (and its charger) and a few other things off my phone area.  And that was it:  I decided to tidy that area up right there.  It took another 20 minutes, but I got it done.  I got to bed at around 11pm... but at least there were no cockroaches to terrify the fish or my budgie last night.  Until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember, I'm always here.

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Big Home Office Clean Out - Part 2

Yep, today was part two of my office clean out.  Who would have thought that a tiny home office would take so long to tidy up?  Not me, that's for sure!  I came upstairs with my camera and phone and looked around at the fourth bookcase and took a quick few photos of it and got to work. 
This bookcase is situated right by the window and air-conditioner.  So, I decided to be brutal and just put everything that was in the way out in the hall until I needed it; and this included the books that were in the four 'green bags'.  I pulled everything off the top of the bookcase and used my office chair and desk to put all the notebooks... big and small... until I was ready to sort through them.
Grandpa's desk was also sorted through, and used to store some of my more bulky stationery sets.  Then, I sorted out the A4 stationery and the smaller A5 stationery and then the envelopes into their own categories and put them into their own sections side by side on the top of the desk; where they were before, but better organised.  Then, I used one of the empty 'milk crate things' for all my writing magazines and placed that next to those; and that desk was fully organised.

It took me another half an hour to organise the books on the top shelf of the fourth bookcase and cleaning up the dust with one of my dusters while the air-con cleared the office out.  Even though I sneezed a lot the place began looking better after I threw out lots of old, yellowed typing paper, un-needed things and booklets that I had ordered through the mail that I read but never used.  Each time I threw something in the bin, there was a little bit more space on the floor and around me; and I felt better and more unburdened by my junk, knowing it'll be leaving me soon.
I didn't know it would take me this long to clean up my home office.  However seeing I've been living here for a decade in September, and I'm 40 next year (yeah, I'm not worried about my age or turning that number), I think it's time my house reflected a little bit of order and tidiness that's needed in my life.  As you've seen, I've cleaned out the art area and been keeping the kitchen nice and clean; and my garden is beginning to have some money put into it.  Now, it's the rest of my house's turn.  There's going to be a lot of time put into cleaning and tidying up this place, making it look and work the way I want it to.  It will take time and effort.  There will be a lot of hour put into making sure I don't go back to leaving things on the floor and I'm hoping to get it the way I want it, however it's going to be hard.  I have noticed as I've begun doing this, it's a lot harder than I thought to get a room to a point where the floor has nothing in the way of the bookcases; and this is what I want.  However, keeping it that way is going to be that tough part.  Until my next post, take care, keep warm and safe and remember, I'm always here. 

Friday, April 6, 2012

Afternoon Clean-Out, Tidy-Up - Part 1

This afternoon, I got in and cleaned up a good part of my house soon after I grabbed the list I had written down off the post below and stuffed it into my pocket.  The first thing I did was clean the fish tank out.  I took out the castle, rocks and the fishies (put them into a separate large container with plenty of water and off to one side out of the way) and emptied the tank as low as I could get it, and then grabbed some paper towel and wiped down the glass on the inside!  So much crap came off that glass!  I knew it was dirty, but not this dirty!  Well!  Once it was finished and nice and clean, I put the wall for the fishies back up and put them back into the purified water and they were happily swimming around, it was time to do Little Miss Stevie's cage out. 
I changed over the paper, cleaned her perches and made sure she was happy with the window open and the radio going.  I also let her fly around a fair bit as she hasn't been out for a while... cute little thing!

Once I put the bin back in its place, I began putting all my art gear outside, paintbrushes in the kitchen and paint on the counter.  I grabbed the black box and put that in the middle of the back yard and gave it a once over with the broom - as it was coated with a thick layer of dust and dirt and old cobwebs - and I opened it up and found it was only half-filled with paintbrushes Mum gave me, an old painting from 2000, collage bits in containers I haven't used and corks I used to use for paintings (which I may yet use again) and my oil and chalk pastels in a plastic bag.  I also found two small sketch pads that were unopened and one that was half-used.  So, I sorted through it all and took out what I'd use, put back what was going to be storage for now and found that the box is going to be temporary until I get a cupboard for my gear.
Next thing I did was pull out the drop cloth of calico, beat it against the fence and then sweep out the area completely... I found two dead cockroaches and a lot of dirt.  So, once that was cleaned out and thrown out, I did a big toss-out of exactly what was needed and what wasn't.  I found I threw out a lot of things that had been broken or wrecked or was just too old to be used anymore.  And being brutal about this kind of thing is good when it comes to cleaning out... you have to do it or you'll never be able to move that clutter out.
After I had all that cleaned away and the overflowing bag of rubbish out in the wheelie bin, I looked at the kitchen sink and realised that I just had to wash up a little... so I did.  It felt good to tidy up two areas of my house.  However, I needed a pick-me-up and got in and made an ice coffee and cut up a hot cross bun with butter on it... yummo!  

By around 2:30pm, I had finished my afternoon tea and was ready for my next project.  I grabbed my camera and two phones and headed upstairs to the office.  It was time to tackle the amount of space I didn't have for my books.  I had to make space for them and begin moving them around so there was space.  I took before photos, turned the camera off and got into it.  
I wanted my old books to fit into the bookcase by themselves.  And so, I pulled out my gardening section and put them in. This meant I had to move the filing of magazines and newspapers to where I had others near the door of my home office.  I then wanted all my photo albums together - well most of them - and so I moved my photos from the UK to the saggy bookcase and found the large one didn't fit.  So, I simply swapped shelves where the journals were kept and put my UK photos with the NZ photos and I was happy... as they were both massive photo albums and the others were slightly smaller.  I looked on top and wanted to change how they were stacked and grabbed the ladder and began pulling them down.  Then, I bumped a small book on the bottom at the back and it slid behind the bookcase!  Bummer!  I had to remove the hat stand my handbags hung on, pull down all my books and put them onto the floor and then remove one of the large door stoppers and rock the whole bookcase forwards to get the book to slide and roll towards me - which fortunately it did!  Then I pushed the whole bookcase up against the wall, shoved the door stop under the foot of the bookcase to stop it from leaning forwards (as its dynamics are all wrong! Instead of leaning back when it's full, it leans forwards!  Who designed this stupid thing got it all wrong and is as bad at maths as I am!) and then sort through the books and find the bigger ones to put on the bottom of the top of the case and work up from there to smaller books.  This is so none of the books fall down the back... how good is that for an idea?
Once I got that done, I had to tidy up a little, throw out some other things, calendars that were way outa date and then take photos of the difference I made to the office since an hour or so before.  By this time, it was about 4:15pm and I was stuffed.  I wanted something to eat and it was beginning to get cold.  My office was beginning to look better too.  There's more space on the shelves and I'm looking forward to attacking these bookcases again soon to make them work better and better each time I organise them.
Well, it's very late and very quiet.  My back neighbours have left their back light again - how rude! - which is a signal that they've gone away.  Why people do this is silly when so many people stay home over Easter... well, we'll never know why they do silly things like this.  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here.

Easter Plans

It's the four-day weekend everyone's been looking forward to since New Year's Eve; and there's plans afoot!  I know it!  So, what are you doing with your time for the next four days?
I have a few things planned for around the house.  While I'm listening to music on the my stereo and turntable, I'll be cleaning out the house a little more.  Seeing the office looks better - and I was brutal with a lot of things here - I'm hoping to throw out a lot of things around the house this afternoon and tomorrow as I'll be busy on Sunday.
I'm also hoping to catch up with some painting and knitting and working on some of a new book I'm editing a few of my stories for.  This time, they are longer, larger stories; and there will only be three of them in a bigger book.  So, I won't have to worry about trying to fit many little stories into a certain amount of space.  I'm so glad my first book:  'Graveyard Shift' took off so well.  And now, I'm hoping to have this next one up and running within the next few months.  I have noticed one thing in the stories that I wrote - the longer ones - and that is that they are needing more changes than I first thought and there's a lot less punctuation problems than I had before.  I'm happy about that.
Well, today, the pets have been fed, I've watered the plants outside, the washing up is all done, the rubbish is put outside in the wheelie bin and I've done most of what I wanted to do online.  However, the main things I need to do is offline; and it's all very busy, manual work.
There's two Australia Post Packs to fill, books to shelve properly, Little Miss Stevie's cage to clean, the fish tank to empty and wipe out completely, the floors to clean, the dusting to do, the carport to sweep out, filing of paid bills and bank statements.  Then, I have to tidy up the art area next to the back door and clean it up and measure it up for something second-hand to put there for all my art equipment (and I know a good second-hand store I'd like to suss out on Logan Road where a bookstore used to be).  
Then, that'll be my afternoon all done... today. It's a busy afternoon and I hope to get everything I have listed down done and completed.  I'll let you know after the weekend's all finished up if it does get all done. 

Yesterday, I had a busy day out.  It was a good one day.  The sun was out and it wasn't too hot with a lovely breeze.  I went off and caught the bus to Springwood to Mum and Dad's house.  I was there for around 20 minutes before I had an appointment at the chiropractors down the road. 
After my adjustment, and being told that my fall hadn't undone that previous adjustment as much as she thought, I decided to take a walk to 'Rockaway' at Centro and have a look around.  It a few minutes' walk away and I thought it would be nice to see what was down there.  While flipping through the records in the $4.00 lot, I found a 'The Pretender' vinyl by Jackson Browne in great condition.  So, I pulled that out.  And then, I saw 'The Steve Miller Band' for $9.99... with some songs I love from the 80's; and got that.  
There was a Y-Gen who was just getting into collecting vinyl in a big way.  He asked me a few questions about how to care for vinyls and clean them.  He had bought the cleaning fluid on sale, but I said that just plain water in a spray bottle and a lint-free cloth is just as good... as vinyl is delicate and so to use water is probably the best thing to use and not solutions as the solutions can eat away at vinyls slowly without you noticing whereas water doesn't.  We really got talking about records and which ones were good, which brands were great to collect.  Then, he asked me about my first one I had and I told him the first three that started it off; and that I still had them and they still played.  He was amazed and asked how long they last for.  This was a question I couldn't answer as I haven't been alive long enough to know.  So, if anyone knows how long vinyls do last for, please leave a comment and let us all know.  Well, must be going.  I have a lot of work to do and time keeps on ticking away... so until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember I'm always here.  And I wish you all a Happy Easter!  

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Donating to Charities

I have been buying things from Life Line - and other charity stores for years.  Now it's time for me to give back.  Actually, I give back plenty.  Mum and I often make runs to the Endeavour Foundation to donate a lot of things we don't need around our houses but are useful for other people who don't have anything.  It makes me feel good too.
Last week, the massive Life Line Warehouse in Woolloongabba burnt down and they lost the lot; mainly furniture.  And just after they asked for help on Triple M here in Brisbane, I phoned up and offered up my old television and HD box along with the remotes, books and cords to them both.  This is so somebody else could have a chance to watch digital television like everyone else.

Today, the guys came buy to pick them up - along with the cabinet the tv sat on.  However, they nearly missed me.  They drove through, turned the last corner and didn't come down to my end; instead turning around to leave.  But really, they couldn't find my unit. So, I followed them up and they came back and found me.  Now, the television, HD Box and cabinet are all gone to a better place; to people who I know will use it.  And if they don't and it gets thrown out, well, I guess that's how it all goes.  
I was told by the guy who came inside and looked at the appliances that normally they don't take my type of televisions.  This is mainly because people can pick them up for a few dollars in second-hand stores; but he'd take it off my hands anyway, seeing it's in good condition and a nice set.  
I'm so pleased I have more space now in my lounge room.  Now, I can do more with the area.  What have you given away to charity in the past where others have let your appliances, clothes or other things live on again; instead of having to throw them in the bin and add to landfill. Well, until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here.