Last Day of the Month

I haven't been in here very much. But there's been so much going on lately in my life that I havent had time.

This month, I did the National Novel Writing Month; and smashed it by a day... with 8 words to spare. Last year I had 16 words spare. I really know how to cut it fine, don't I?

Anyway, last night, I was watching 'The X-Files' on Viceland, when an 8-legged young Huntsman took a stroll across my living room floor. He was very young because he stopped under my kitchen table and waited there for me to get my shoes on and grab the bug spray... normally something like that knows to hide. But I came back, and he was still there looking at me as though we were going to be friends. Yeah, me? Friends with a spider - I think not! I don't know who was more freaked out, me or him... but he's dead now.

Today, I got in and started cleaning up the house. First place was my art area next to the back door. I pulled out everything and reorganised everything, throwing out 3 big bags of crap, tossing out a box of sprung pegs I was hanging onto 'just in case' I needed them. And I also threw out picture frames I didn't want anymore as well... you see charity stores aren't going to use them, so I'm saving them the trouble of throwing them out. 

Well, the table easels were sorted, the calendars were too, and the blank canvases got a home too... I'm proud to say that the boxes by the door were gone through and I now have 2 plastic boxes and that's it. This took 3 hours to do and I stopped for a drink or two of water and an ice coffee... now I just want to go to sleep after something to eat. 

Anyway, in between all of this, I went out and bought my Christmas present to myself: a pair of Instep shoes. I've been meaning to get a second pair. They're just so darned comfy.  After I got home, I was back into the cleaning out... and I got it all finished. 

Before this was done, I did 3 loads of laundry, washed up some of the dishes and put out 2 other bags of rubbish. And after the clean-out, the bin outside is now full to the brim. What a great day I've had. 

Tomorrow, I'll be doing other things around the home office to clean up, and working on a Christmas present; so it won't be so hectic. Well, until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

East Coast Bush Fires

Okay, by now, you've all heard about the huge bush fires which have been terrorising us up the east coast of Australia from the back of Sydney, up the North Coast of New South Wales and the Gold Coast and around the back of Noosa and around the back of Ipswich, Logan City and further north here in Queensland.

Anyone who knows me personally as a good friend, I'm here to let you know: I'm fine. Stressed out to nothing else, but fine. I hate natural disasters like nobody's business, and get to the point where I lose sleep and suddenly bust into what I call 'stupid tears' but it's a way of dealing with the stress. 

But I'm okay otherwise.

I'm knitting like nothing else. I made a long beanie in 3 1/2 days - and that's fast for me; as it normally takes me 2 weeks. I needed something to do to keep my mind off what was going outside. I've been decluttering day and night so I have tidy house to clunk around in during the smokey and hazy days - which are no fun because I cough during them.

We're going into our 2nd day of smoke haze; which causes Brisbane to have worse air quality than Hong Kong, Tokyo and Beijing. On Monday, I wore a mask while I drove my car. You see, I hate having my window up when I drive because I like to be able to hear the other vehicles around me; and not be locked inside my car by my window and be deaf to the world. So, I wore a mask while I drove and scored a lot of people staring at me - mind you, they were all cocooned in their cars with their windows up and in their air-conditioned comfort. Yeah, good for them, wait until they park that vehicle and have to get out and walk around without a mask on. At least I had that covered.

Am I scared about the bush fires being this close? Yes, I am. I'm as scared about them as I was when we had the Brisbane floods in 2010/11 and the news was banging on about how many roads were cut, how much water there was around the place, how much food there wasn't in shopping centres... how much fuel we should have.. how much... what we should do. Emergency kits. And speaking of, I've even had my mind playing tricks on what I should be packing if we do get told to move (which is most probably never going to happen if it rains tomorrow - which I hope it does). 

Anyway, Just letting you know, I'm okay. The smoke haze is coming back today, and I'll have to close my windows here in my home office so my computer doesn't get stuffed up by it. But you know, I washed my car two weeks ago, and it's got a fine coating of soot on it... I keep washing it off, but it keeps coming back. I'm not washing it again until this is all over! Well, anyone I know out there, I hope you're all well, you're all going okay. Take care in this and keep in touch. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.