Thursday, July 30, 2015

Semi-Colon

Today, I went out to suss out a tattoo parlour at Springwood. I came home with a tattoo on my wrist... yep, I did one of my daring things on my bucket list - and that was to get a tattoo.

I've been sussing out where to get a tattoo for a few weeks now and have been narrowing the search down in my area so I don't have to drive too far to get one if I want one.

But today, I went out to Old Skool Tattoo on Springwood Road and asked them about getting a semi-colon tattooed onto me. The good thing about getting one of these put onto yourself is that it tells so much about you without you saying anything to people... it tells people that you've had a rough life, lived through abuse of some kind, had depression and anxiety and have hit rock bottom; and yet you've come out the other side to live your life changed but not giving up. 

My life hasn't been perfect. I've had domestic abuse, miscarried a baby, aborted another (I hadn't had my injections to keep her) and then when I tried to get back into the dating scene, the men treated me like crap. Then, behind the scenes, in my medical life, I found my medicines caused anxiety and depression problems (which I try not to let anyone in on too much) and yet, when I talk to my therapist, he's impressed at how far I've come.

It was about two weeks ago I decided to get the semi-colon tattooed onto me; to prove to myself that I am most definitely a survivor, and will be one for a long time to come.

And you know? I'll be getting more tattoos done at the same place... I guess it's true: once you start on getting tattoos, you don't stop; it's an addiction. But I'm going to save up the cash and get the ones I really do want over the next year or so. 

The best thing I found about Old Skool Tattoos is that they sit and talk to you about what you're going to get done before you do. If you're a first-timer, they chat to you about how it's all done, where to put your first tattoo, what to expect, and how much it will hurt. They tell you how to care for your tattoo afterwards too... which is great. 
Before even going to the place, I read the reviews where people told that when you get bigger tattoos done, they put on a movie for you if it takes longer than half an hour, so you keep your mind occupied. This is good, it keeps the stress levels down and the tattooist can do his work without people sweating too much.

I found that one lady came into the room and waited it out with me because of my medical condition. The guy said I was going well. I said I was sweating, he laughed and said that was normal. And for those of you who have never had one done? Well, it feels like a cat is scratching you in the once place over and over... you want to pull away and swat it over the nose but you don't. After a little while, it feels a bit like you're scratching a bit of sunburn... then it's finished. It's been 12 hours and it's now starting to really pinch as it heals. But they gave me a cream to put onto it and I will go and put that on before I go to bed and when I get up tomorrow morning. I just have to keep it as dry as possible.

The one thing about tattoos I heard is that once you get one, you get addicted about getting them... and you know? I've begun planning on getting a few more. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Monday, July 27, 2015

After-Flu Catch-Up

It's been a long two weeks or so of me being down and out with this bug that's been going around. If I wasn't feeling yuk and without energy, I was scoffing everything in my pantry and out of my fridge... yeah, I turn into a right piggy when I'm sick for some unknown reason. 

I did go to the doctor as soon as I felt unwell and he told me that it was 'that virus doing the rounds'. Oh yay for me... not that I wanted it, but the chances of it coming back was high too.

And so this weekend I've been playing a big game of catch-up with my household chores; all the while trying to shake this nagging, dry cough. I'll be okay for about an hour, then I'll feel as though I'm going to cough up a lung... yuk! But it's going away; and that's the up-side of this.
However, I have been missing my Craft Group at Springwood for the last week - and this week, I'll be staying home as well just in case I'm still contagious; as I don't wish to pass on anything to the ladies there. 

During the weekend, I did get a lot done. There was the car which got washed, the lawn mowed, the kitchen floor washed as well. Then, the stove was cleaned, the washing up was caught up with and - just today - the laundry was done. While that's been out on the line, I've Glen-20'd the bedroom and dusted everything in there too... as well as the office and bathroom. I'm making sure this bug goes away and stays away.

Yeah, I'm feeling better, but it will be another week or so before this cough goes away for good. So, how's this Winter/Summer treating you? Better than me I hope. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Friday, July 24, 2015

This Week of Illnesses

This week, I've been trying to shake the bug that's gone around a good percentage of Brisbane. Yep, I caught it and now the cough is the only thing I need to shake... damned thing.

It's been a good week though. 

I got my large painting finished, found an Ankh at Life Line - and fixed it up in a new frame - and then sorted out some photos today at K-Mart for a new line of work I'm hoping to get out there next year to sell at my Crafty Pegs stall.

Yes, I'm constantly planning and working on new things for my stall; and they are things to keep the money coming in and people looking at new things I've made from one year to the next.

This year, I have made the table clothes six months ahead of schedule and gotten in a Lucky Dip box.  I'm really happy about this and so I'm saving up money for the next markets in September at Logan Village - which should be good.

Otherwise, this past Wednesday I learned the intricate art of Sand Art at the Logan Art Gallery.  It was lovely to learn something which is from India... I just hope I remember how to do it while I'm demonstrating it at the Arts in the Park Festival in 2 month's time. I'm also reading again and writing again too - which I'm really pleased about, as you can well imagine.

So, how's your week going? Good I hope. Mine has been okay. I just hope I can get rid of this cough before next weekend. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Feeling Better ... Except...

Yeah, I'm feeling much better now... well, except for a cough which makes me sound like a foghorn.

This will stick around for only goodness knows how long! But at least I'm over the worst of it.  From what the doctor has told me, this is the only thing that will bug me - the cough that is.

I'm doing my best with trying to get rid of it by gargling Betadine Gargle, but I now have ulcers at the back of my tongue from that... so I'll be backing off from that and using salt water from now on as sometimes this stuff causes the ulcers in the mouth, but it's great for the sore throats.

Then, there's the huge amount of Green Tea I'm drinking, the home made vegetable soup with ginger, garlic and spinach I've made (which is absolutely delicious!) and then, there's my other food I'm making all the time... and the chips and marshmallows I'm scoffing down as well.

Yes, when I get sick, I love to stuff myself silly with junk food... no, not MacDonalds, or Hungry Jacks or KFC... nothing like that, just lots of salty stuff or sugar. Stupid really, but it all seems to work out in the end with me getting better.

I've been sleeping like a log and watching a lot of daytime television - the latter I never do normally - mainly because I just don't have the energy to do anything except cough or blow my nose.  Yuk! So, there's my week of being sick with this cold... the one good thing is that I am getting my energy back.

Slowly but surely.

Well, I hope you're all feeling better than I am.  Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Dammit! I'm Sick!

I hate getting sick - and it's not that often I do catch something.  I mean, the last time I was sick with something everyone had was around 2 years ago!  Yep, that was a long time ago!

Well, I woke up with a sore throat on Monday and it's gotten worse over the last two days.  My nose is running off and on, my throat is sore and dry, and I'm having the lovely hot flushes too... yeah, menopause doesn't stop for anything.

So, with all that going on, I've had to still keep on going with paying the bills, going out grocery shopping and doing everything I normally do... and you know, today hasn't been that bad.

I got to get my work onto the wall this afternoon, treated myself to 'Reeces Pieces' at K-Mart and found that the Rochedale Fruit and Veggie Market has reopened and has better bargains than ever! So, even with my cold blasting my immune system to bits, I'm going okay.

And yes, I'm exhausted and my eyes are constantly watering. I can't hear myself swallow and can only taste chocolate; otherwise, today hasn't been bad.

I only hope I can sleep better tonight than I did last night.  Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Friday, July 10, 2015

Antarctic Conditions Arriving to Queensland

Yep!  Winter is certainly going to show its face over the next few days, and into next week - and it's beginning to get cold already and it's only 2:30pm Friday afternoon.

It's called an Antarctic Trough, where a freezing cold blast comes up from Antarctica and freezes us solid here in Australia.  Now, for a sub-tropic state, that's not good if you're not used to it; but we've had this a few times before - and I remember going to work in one of these and thankfully having a great thick parka to wear while I was working at RACQ years ago.

I've just put on some fingerless gloves to make my hands more comfortable - but really it's making typing this post a little harder than I expected. I'm raising my wrists higher than needed so I don't bump any keys by accident I don't want to press... funny, yeah, but I have to slow down my typing to make this right.

Two hours ago, I started the slow-cooker on a veggie soup so it warms up the house.  And sooner than usual, I'll be closing up the house so it's not cold... maybe it's just me, I'm not sure.  But I have felt the cold drift in over the last half hour.

Well, it's heating up overseas, freezing cold here in Australia... we were told about strange weather over the next few years.  But that's Earth for ya... an ever-changing planet. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and warm or cool, and remember, I'm always here.

Thursday, July 9, 2015

GPS Run-Around

Today started out innocently enough.  I had a nice breakfast, got myself ready and looked at what I needed to get done, then got in the car and was off to Carindale Westfield to pay part of a layby off at Rockaway's Music and look around for the QBD there to see what they had in the way of complex colouring-in books... 

Simple right?

Sure! 

Well, I got a little paid on the layby, found the QBD and found a Suncorp there too... then I found my way back to the car without getting lost!

Yay! I was very impressed with myself for that!

Then, I thought it would be good to find my way to the new market place at Bulimba and punched in the address into the GPS... which wouldn't  co-operate. Firstly it didn't like the fact that there was a 1 Stuart Street... it needed a number between 8 and 20 to start with. So, I punched in 8 and was on my way.

Well, this thing took me around the Cook's Tour of Bulimba and Hawthorne! I had never not wanted to see so much of Brisbane in all my life! 

I ended up going over the Storey Bridge twice and found myself in Fortitude Valley once where it turned me around so much I had no idea where I was... this pissed me off until I looked around on the second turn of the Bridge and found myself on the Riverside Drive at Kangaroo Point - exactly where I wanted to be!

This was really ticking me off that I had taken a long way around to get home from the place I was going to be at in three weeks' time... I just hope I can get home at a better length of time than it took me (which was 40 minutes - not counting the amount of time it took for me to get there!). 

I got home about fort-five minutes ago, was hanging out for a coffee and still hadn't paid two of my bills - not that I wanted to (and they can wait until tomorrow). Then, I had to find out when I was working at the Gallery too... which happens to be this Saturday!
Woah... this Saturday, I'm at a workshop in the morning, volunteering in the afternoon and then, I'm off to a birthday dinner of my brother's girlfriend's in that evening! What a day! 

It's only Thursday... I think I'll stay home tomorrow, pay my bills, chill out with a book and do nothing. Yeah, that sounds like a good plan.  Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.


Sunday, July 5, 2015

Busiest Few Days

I haven't been on here too much; and I have a good reason - so much has been going on!

This week was also a shopping week and I got a lot done there as well.  With all my bills showing up all at once (as they do sometimes) I've been kept on my toes and life has been anything but boring.

So, I'll start at the beginning of the past week...

We've had some rain and cold weather and so I have been doing my laundry and hanging it up inside the house, making my place look like it's never tidy. And even when I do get the laundry down, there's always more to hang up.

Last Monday, I scored myself a cool mug-holder for my counter and some tiny colourful cups at my craft group. Then, afterwards, I went out and bought a large canvas to paint on later that week at the cheap bargain store down the road. Seeing it rained for a good part of the day, I went straight home and vegged out in front of the television.

By 1st, June, I had organised all my paint, ideas and photos for the painting I was going to do for my piece for my bedroom.  I even got in and packed my work bag to leave... you see I was off to Geoff and Viv's place to spend the day and night there to work on it.
The next morning, I did just that and worked on the painting from around 11am until the same time that night. Man, did I crash! It was amazing to wake up the next day and find how much I had gotten done in one day!
While I was there that morning, I cooked pancakes for breakfast and their daughter, Zoe loved them!  She hoovered down 5 of those things and a lot of fruit, and still wanted more. After that, Geoff, Zoe and I went for a good long walk around some of the walking paths through Thorneside. This area is so pretty, and nothing like Woodridge; and the parks! I love this area, and feel so safe.  Well, before long, it was almost midday and I packed up my gear and the car and drove off home. 

On Saturday, I went out to an InHouse Publishers Open Day event. This was when they opened their doors to writers who want to get published and wish to see inside their place for one day.  It was a great few hours to hang out there and see how they worked.
I then was off to my folks' house where they were unpacking from their holiday up north. Mum gave me a lovely necklace and we talked and had some drinks and they had a late lunch.  Then, just before I left, we saved a dog from being hit by a car on their road. His name was Reg and he had run away from home on Thornhill Street - only one street away - and he didn't know his way home. So, we called the number on his collar and his owners came and picked him up. Man, was he so happy to see her when she arrived; as they had been driving around looking for him. 

Well, I went home after that and made myself dinner, worked on my new painting and then settled in for a relaxing night of watching a dvd while I knitted. Very cool... actually it was very cold last night. It's definitely a nice cold Winter here in Brisbane. Well, Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.