A Busy Month!

It's been a busy month; and I haven't been in here as much as I thought I'd be. But I got a lot of things done.

The garden is coming to the end of its huge, pricey and fun facelift - now all I need to do is grow a nice new, lush lawn and get the literary characters and art theme going and I'll have the garden I've been wanting for a few years. That will take a little time, hard work and funny times with Dad... I do have the paint, just don't have the know-how.

At the beginning of the month, I joined the local, Logan City Council-run gym. Well, okay, I did a trial run of it, got assessed by the trainer there and she has set me up with a great program to get me fighting fit by Summer - and I do enjoy going. It not only gets me out of the house in the mornings, but it's making look at what foods I'm eating and I'm sleeping so much better at night too! And my stress levels are lowering too.

Then, my decluttering is working out as well! I sorted out a huge lot of crap from the home office, and tossed out 3 rubbish bags of paper, shredded a whole lot of stuff at Mum and Dad's place and sorted out what was shredable and what wasn't there too! Strangely enough, putting stuff through a shredding is kinda soothing - I know that sounds weird, but it does! 

Anyway, I'm knitting away some more dish cloths - as people online are enjoying the fact they're so pretty and I've sold some in the past month too! So, I thought it'd be a good idea to keep going with them... after all, they're cotton, and they'll break down in landfill. 

So, that's my month. We here at the unit complex have had some ups and downs. There's been an ice addict who caused a lot of people to move out, and then he's moving out. My next door neighbours are moving out next week - and going to miss them terribly; as Vanessa and Matt have become such great friends to me. I hope to not lose contact with them; no matter where they live. But isn't that always the way? You find a great set of neighbours and they move too soon... oh well, can't have your cake and eat it too. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Spring Cleaning

It's August and it's time for the big Spring Clean! Just like last year, I've gotten in and started cleaning out the bigger things in the house - you know, the mattress of my bed, and tossing out some things in my house I've been walking past and ignoring.

However, this year, there's a big difference in my life. I've been going to a great gym - and loving it - and I'm looking around at making the house less cluttered in the huge sense of the word. It's gotta be more useful, better cared for and I have to be able to lay my hands on everything I want to use. 

And so, starting in the backyard, I cleaned up out there, got myself a greenhouse, replaced the batteries in the solar lights and reseeded the lawn. Now, it's a matter of making the art side of the garden look and feel better and more beautiful. 

I'm saving up money for a shelving unit in the house so I can get in and use it for my art gear; and other items from around the house - like the esky I have in my kitchen and the food processor which is hiding in the cupboard so I can get around to using it! - and then I'll be able to house my art books more effectively as well. 

Just the other night, I decluttered the living room because I couldn't stand to look at the crap around the place any longer... by 11pm, I had thrown out big bag of rubbish which had been sitting around the place. And seeing I've gotten into that, I'm looking into making sure I do get that shelving unit for myself as a birthday gift. I'll be giving away the skinny little bookcase to family once I've cleaned it up and made sure it's okay to travel. 

But that's the thing. I'm going to make sure the house is nice; and the place has the things in it so I can get to them, they're useful and only of use to me. I'm not going to hang onto anymore shit anymore. If I don't use it in a year, it's either going in the bin or being donated. 

Yeah, it's going to be a one hell of a Spring Clean for me. Well, what are you up to for your Spring Clean? Do you do a Spring Clean every year? Today, I've gotten in and cleaned the sheets, the mattress protector and pillow protectors and then, cleaned the mattress itself... big jobs to get done, but they needed to get done - and the mattress is done twice a year. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

A New Chapter

I know I've been down in the dumps over the past few months. However, there's something new happening on my horizon soon... and the death of my friend has pushed me to turn a corner in my life.

Yep, I've decided to start a new chapter in this here book of my life; something which will give a positive spin on what has been a sad thing. 

Well, I've been to the local gym three times this past week and half; and every time I've totally enjoyed myself! This morning, it was a very chilly 6 degrees celsius and I didn't want to get out of bed, but I pushed myself at 7:30am and made myself go to the gym. Pretty soon, I won't be able to wait to get my butt there! It will be a matter of me getting up as early as possible and getting in there to get my gym hour done and dusted and home again for a good healthy breakfast to get on with my day! 

The back yard it looking nice and leveled out now - as I've used 4 bags of cheap-ass potting mix on a dipping part of it before sprinkling grass seed over it and then watering it in heavily. And today, I added Seasol into the water to help it all along!

I'm looking forward to this new chapter of my life opening up more; as I work on how new things - no matter how difficult they are, or how unusual they may be - cause me to make changes to my life. I know I don't like change, but making the smallest changes to my life can - and will - turn out to be the best ones in the long run. 

Have you changed something small in your life recently, and it's changed your outlook completely? If you have, let us know about it.Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Positive Actions

It's just hit the three month mark since my dear friend passed away; and I'm seriously struggling with her death. I really miss her being in my life - even though she lived so far from me.

But it's the little things which really bug me and cause me to remember her when I least expect them to; the tiny little memories of her which come out of the woodwork when I'm minding my own business and doing other things which have nothing to do with her, which cause me to remember her the most.

I get this feeling of dread come over me when I'm reminded that she's no longer with us, in this realm... on planet Earth. This is a horrible feeling to have; and I wish it would go away. But I know it will take time.
At first I was numb and felt as though my world had caved in on itself - and this is normal. I mean, Hannah had killed herself. This isn't the Natural Order of things, which is something I believe in, and I feel as though Hannah has gone against this completely. I still think what she's done is wrong, even though her pain would have been impossible to live with for her. 

So, positive actions must be taken on my part to make this all work out, to help me get through my grief. And so, what I've been doing is fixing up my backyard and making it into something I can be happy with, making it grow into a lovely, private thing to live in. 

The next thing I've thought to do is to join a gym and get myself fit and healthy. Seeing I'm relatively healthy with what I eat, and am sleeping okay for now, I'd like to be physically healthy as well. So, that's something I've been looking into lately. And over the past week, I've joined a gym on a trial membership to see how I go with it over the next month. I think I'm going to like it there... sure it'll be hard, but that's what life is: a challenge.

There are other future plans for me to get into as well. I have the War On Waste Challenge - which has returned for another season on the ABC; and once the garden is all fixed up, I'll be right into my decluttering again and looking at only what I need in the house. Being focused through the gym will help me with that - a lot of things will be leaving my house and I'll be ready to move away from here at some point in the future. 

These are positive actions which are going to help me with my life. It's true that I hate what has happened in the past 3 months - losing a wonderful friend like Hannah to suicide is the worse thing I'd ever though would happen to me - but I must move on and get myself healthy, keep my mind on track and make sure I'm don't let depression rule my life. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.