A Really Strange Week

There's strange weeks, and there's strange weeks.  I've had weeks where I have missed whole days and had to try and figure out what's been going on... and then, there's weeks where stuff goes on that I just don't want to figure out.

This week was one of the latter.

My weekend was one where I sat and wrote some really strange stuff.  None of it has been edited and I don't think it'll see the light of day; but I wrote it nonetheless.  It was interestingly weird and funny weird at the same time... stuff that just goes around and around in my head and eventually gets written but I don't let anyone read.

Well, Sunday was my lazy day where I just rested my arm and did nothing much.  Okay, I washed up, looked outside and photographed my garden... but it ended up with me vegging out in front of the television.
One of the neighbours, not far from me, put on some really loud music.  I don't mean, 'Oh that's annoying.' I mean, 'Crap I can hear the lyrics over my damned television!' loud... yeah... that kind of annoying.  So, I thought I was within my rights to ask them politely to turn it down a smidge.  By all means, play the music, but don't interrupt my afternoon with it... instead, they invited me to hang out.  I thought why not?  There wasn't anything much on television and I was vegging out anyway.
Within about 20 minutes another neighbour from the other side of the complex - who I don't get along with - rode past on his motorcycle, without a shirt, helmet or shoes on.  No, he's not good-looking.  He's overweight, a drunk and makes out we're friends - we're not.  He drove his bike right into the middle of the party - yeah, dangerous - and attempted to flirt with me.  I went home.  When I heard him go away, I thought that I had been invited and went back... at which point he returned - inviting himself to the gathering - and made the whole get together dreadful.  It was meant to be a chill-out, but he was rude and horrible.  I ended up going home for dinner and when I came back an hour later, he hadn't left.  About an hour after that (and after everyone watched him drink himself into a stupor and then get stoned, at which point I went home permanently), he totally wrecked the night...
He was reported to the right people about this.  However, there's too many people like this in the world, who think they can do this and it's okay to do this.  It annoyed and aggravated everyone that I found him a threat; and that - even when they stopped talking to him - he didn't leave.  However, the stranger thing still was that it wasn't until after he started smoking the pot, did he get paranoid and then sent himself home.  I wasn't there to see that, but was told the next day.

Yesterday was Melbourne Cup Day and for the first time in a long time, my family didn't have anywhere to go for lunch.  So, Mum, Dad and I had nibblies at their place and watched it on the big screen.
However, Dad and I noticed one of the horses wasn't looking well... it was sweating and its eyes were really big.  We commented on it and yet it was still raced.  After it was taken back to its stall, it laid down and never got back up.  So, even though my horse came second, I still felt we all lost in a big way yesterday because of that first horse... then not long after a second horse had to be put down because it kicked and broke its leg in a way it couldn't be fixed.

Today, I put the money I won into the bank.  Usually - in the past - I would have spent it.  But I've gotten into the habit of putting money I've made or won into the bank; which is a good habit to get into.  Also today, I spent far less money than I got out of the bank... just as well, because when I returned home, I looked at my watch and found it had stopped.  So, tomorrow, I'm off to Stones Corner to get the battery replaced.  I'm going there because where the watch was made and bought by Mum; and I don't want to take it anywhere else.  I also have to donate some clothes and items to Life Line Super Store at Logan Central and post off something overseas too.  

So, this week has been really strange - not all that busy - but just really strange, and sad too.  Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

I Got Lost...

Yep... I got lost at the new and supposedly improved Westfield Garden City.  First off, I had to fight for a parking spot... a woman walked to where her car was parked (telling me she was leaving first, so it didn't seem as though I was stalking her), got in, and then waited for me to block the traffic.  Then some, 20-something year old tried to steal the spot from me!  I cut him off in a second... he wasn't pleased, but then, he really shouldn't be trying to steal parking spaces from people who have been waiting for them longer than he has.

Well, once I was ready, the car was locked up, and I had found my way inside David Jones, I found out the place had free Wi-Fi!  Very cool... so signed up for that on my iPod, and got it, so I could look up stuff online if needs be, walked through to the main larger area of Garden City I knew and prepared myself to find StrandBags... the place I came to look at.

I got lost looking for it.

You see, I had looked for it online, and it had been shown to me in its old place - where The Pancake Manor is now - instead of its newer place - near EB Games.  It's been in the new place downstairs for over a year, and the map hadn't been changed?  Now, that's awful!  

Once I found StrandBags, I talked to the lady I had spoken to on the phone and she showed me the bag I had lusted after online - and like most things we find online, as well as ourselves - it looked so much better in real life!  I loved it even more when I saw it up close, so much so, I pulled out the $30 StrandBags Voucher I had received for my birthday from Graham (one of my sci-fi writer friends) and added on around $9.00 more and bought it.  The ladies there at the store let me look through the bag and I found it zipped up just right for lefties!  How cool is that?
Well, after I bought it, I was offered a membership card, which I said yes to and signed up to be a member of their loyalty club.  Very cool.

Once all this was finished with, I stepped out into the bustling crowds of Garden City thinking it might be time to go home; but then, thought it would be a good idea to find Riot Art... as the new section of Garden City had opened just last week, and the finishing touches were being put onto the place.

I walked past The Book Cafe, and the place seemed to just... keep... going!  I was amazed at how many more shops there were.  I found Target, The ABC Shop and a few more hair salons around the corner as well as Noosa Chocolates... woah!... now that's a place I'll have to nose around when I return.  But there was no Riot Art on the top floor.  So, I got to the end where a massive red Target sign was and I went down the electronic ramp to the level below where I started talking to a man in front of me and asked him if he had come across Riot Art and he - thankfully - pulled out a map!  But we couldn't find it.  I spotted the concierge - and they were on the phone.  Then, I saw one of the new, huge, white touch screens which were maps of the place... amazingly easy to use.  So, I typed in what I needed to know and found the place... not 100 metres away.  Very cool!  These maps were great!  The man watched me use it and thought they were great too; as he had seen a few of them dotted around the place - and it was about time they had put them in for us to use.

I found Riot Art easily, and found the store had been squished into a tinier shop than it was previously.  Actually it reminded me of the shop over at Westfield Carindale... tiny and cramped.  I walked down one isle and found the paints and brushes tucked away there, when a lady walked in after me, and I commented how tiny the place had become.  She turned to me and said my name... strange thing was I didn't remember her until she said she knew me from RACQ and we had worked together!  Man!  That was a long time ago!  I had run into Regina Chandler!  She worked on the phones in Administration when I first started at RACQ when I was 18 years old!  Amazing how fast those years have flown by.  She said she didn't know it was me until I said something... and that I was so young when I started there that I just a child really; and very immature.  I agreed with her, saying I had a lot to learn.  But I learned a lot while working there, just not as much as most people would by the time they hit 24.  She disagreed, saying I was just young and my mind was young. 
I told her I was 40 now and she said I've grown into my own by now. And we chatted about what we're doing now and I told her my health really did me no favours after I left work; that I had a rough time with it and had to stop driving my beloved Celica.  Regina thought was bad, but it's great I'm going well now.  

We were going in the same direction and so chatted while we walked towards Coles.  And after we parted company, I still almost got lost getting back to my car.... stop laughing... it's gotten really confusing at Garden City now.  I kinda liked it... but then, I kinda didn't.  I guess new things aren't liked until we get used to them.  Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Crafty Pegs Now Has A Spanky New Website!

I've been tossing up whether to do this or not and yesterday I thought to go ahead and get it done!

So, I looked up wix.com and pick a template and work on it!  Talk about fun!  This site is so easy to fluff with!  All I have to do is change the title, change then names and change the photos and choose a url and - badda-bang-badda-boom! - there's my site!  It's free of charge and lots of fun!  I can even change the back ground to something of theirs - or mine - and colours too... woah!... there's so much choice!

Anyway, instead of me talking about, how about you go and see it!

Now, I still have a few small things to fix on it, like the resume, so just ignore that, and it all look good.

Lynda's Crafty Pegs website

Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Weird Links I've Found

I thought to upload some entertaining things about us and funny things about the world around us:

40 Fascinating Facts About the Human Body 

Strange and Satirical Paintings 

Optical Illusions 

 

Busy Week Ahead

My weekend was tiring after Saturday.  I had a friend over on Sunday morning for breakfast - he had hadn't seen me in a long time - and so I got to eat with somebody instead of just scoffing into my pancakes on my own and reading the paper over my kitchen table.

It's lovely when that happens, isn't it?

I spent Sunday reading a bit, cleaning up and working on a few things around the house.  Then, I watched a bit of 'Supernatural' Season 8 and went to bed at 9:30pm.  Yeah, I was tired from being a nightowl with the Saturday night movie, then stupidly being on Facebook for about 3 hours.  So, it was catch-up time for me.

Anyway, I slept wonderfully well last night and woke to a dull, cold day this morning.  I was going out this afternoon and got up to get ready for it.  However, I forgot a lot of things and wished I had stayed home in the end... as I forgot my purse which had money in it for my craft group.  I forgot my drink container for my milk drink and I forgot a few other things that would have made my day better... and when I arrived home, there was the bag with all the gear that I needed hanging off the chair by the door to the car port!  Grrr... I was so mad at myself for forgetting it.  But then, what can ya do?

It's been raining here and cooling down; so Autumn is most definitely here in Australia.  And with the Tropical Cyclone Ita being her destructive best in Far North Queensland, I'm sure we in for a lot more rain soon; along with cooler days.  
My week is looking kind of busy this week.  Tomorrow I won't have the car as mum has Mah Jong and will need it.  This will give me time to do a few things in my car port - namely get some pegs varnished and wrapped up ready to be sold.  Otherwise, I'll be hoping to repack the stores box and stock box this week to.  I don't want to be rushing through things next week as it's going to be a busier week than this week.  So, what are you up to this school holidays - or what's left of them?  Chilling out or on the go?  Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

All For Beauty And Youth

Right now, I'm sitting at my desk with my hair wrapped in a towel after I gave it a good dousing with olive oil.  Yeah, olive oil.. I heard from somebody recently that it's so good for us on the inside and outside that it's the best thing to put through your hair to keep it nice and shiny.  It'll keep the colour of your hair, stop greys coming through and keep it from getting too oily as well... and well, I just had to try it out to see what it would do to my hair.

I mean, what's the harm?  It's oil... olive oil... it's not a chemical, it's something natural and it's cheaply bought anywhere.  So, why not?  It's not like my hair is going to fall out, right?

Well, I'm one of those people who try out things because it's interesting to try it.  And it all started when I was a teenager and reading Dolly magazine and I found a rolled oats and milk facial mask.  Mum and Grandma helped me with it and they put it on me - but wouldn't put it on themselves.  However, they did say that after we took it off that my skin looked and felt nicer and less oily.

Now, I have done some home dying with my hair - which turned out really badly - and I couldn't get the colour out.  This was until one of my friends suggested I use anti-dandruff shampoo... yay! The colour came out and stripped my hair of anything good.  So, that was the last time I did anything like that at home!  Anyway, I did get my hair permed two different ways... both were great!  But I had to moisturise the crap out of my hair or it would have made me looke like a frizzball!  So, since the perms have grown out and my hair - and I - have grown older, I think it's time I just took care of my hair the best way I know how.

So, what weird things have you gone and done with your hair, your facials, your nails and hands... any tattoos you've gotten and later regretted and now think it's funny you got them?  Well, until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember I'm always here.

Back Home Again

I came home yesterday.  I miss being in my own place, my bed and doing my own thing.  Besides, my house was pigstye and really needed cleaning up because Gabe and Kat were coming over to visit.

Anyway, I arrived home and found the neighbours were very quiet.  They didn't use their taps unless they really needed to and she did a laundry run at around 4pm instead of midnight.  I'm happy about this, but how long it'll last for is something to be seen.

Today, Gabe and Kat arrived here and they were really impressed at how much I've gotten done around here.  Gabe loved the shelving unit I bought at Sam's Warehouse and Kat needed a rest so caught some zeds on my bed; which she loved!  She said the mattress was so lovely and firm and the blanket was nice and warm as was the duvet.  
But I also let them into a project I'm getting done here with the plumber.  I'm getting all my plastic taps replaced with chrome ones because the plastic ones are old and cracked.  And then he's also fixing up sewage venting hole in the backyard which has been left open for the last 7 years; and isn't meant to be like that, so he said he'd fix that too.  Gabe reckons it'll give the place a little more class and make it easier to sell too.  Also, he's happy that I've gotten out in the car a lot too - more than he realised I would. 
Then, while we were at lunch at a Turkish place at The Underwood Marketplace, he commented that he hadn't realised how trapped I had been without a car.  I said that before I began driving again, it would take me 4 - 5 hours to get one thing done; if I was lucky.  I'd have to catch the bus to where I was going, make sure I could do what I needed to do, or get what I could get, pay for delivery if needs be, and then catch a bus - or 2 - home.  By that time, it would be late afternoon and I'd only just beat the delivery of my item home... he shook his head not realising things took so long.  I said that with a car, I could get 4 or 5 things done in 3 hours and be home and have the afternoon to myself to wash up from the morning, pull in the laundry and pay the bills.  It made life so much easier.  And grocery shopping has been cut in half because I get my fruit and veggies on the way to Coles, and I'm home a bit after midday.

Before lunch, we were at IKEA.  Man!  I truly hate that place.  It's so full of crap and things we need - and yet don't - and then we all get lost on the way out that I don't go there very often.  This was first time in over 2 years I've been there and I nearly got lost twice.  Gabe and Kat were looking at buying a new lounge, but they have to measure their old one first as there were so many to pick from.  Then, I was there to chose a chair for my art area - one which is swivell and is on wheels for easy movement, and it doesn't take up much room.  Well, I found my chair and then, a new strainer for my washing up for my knives and forks.  Then, I found a small sifter that was perfect for when I make pizzas.  All up I spent around $35.00... not bad for a day out at a massive Danish furniture store full of crap I don't need.

Well, how was your Saturday?  All good I hope.  Mine was good and full of visitors, shopping and new things from IKEA.  But we had fun while we were there.  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here.

A Very Full Weekend

This weekend has been full as full can get!  I have barely had any time to myself; and it was fun too.  Yesterday, I went out to the Logan North Library to a World-Building Workshop for sci-fi month and totally enjoyed it.  Rebecca Timmis ran it and I got more out of it than I expected.
But on the way there, I had to drop off to Mum and Dad's to pay one of their bills and then pick up some pasta on the way home.  However, as I drove up Vanessa Boulevade, I was greeted with an unexpected sign on the corner:  'Road Closed: Local traffic only'.  Seeing I was local traffic, I went through to find the roadworkers had closed the road from just before Mum and Dad's house to just before the Well-Being Centre.  I stopped at the road blocks and observed the old driveway of No. 41's and used it to get to Mum and Dad's driveway.  Some of the road workers were amazed I did; others didn't care.  But then, I had to get out of the place... and this amazed them more I did get out.  
Well, that was the fun part of the day.  When I returned to pick up the pasta, I found what they were doing to the road.  They were putting in preparations for a traffic-slowing island just beyond Mum and Dad's driveway to slow people down.  While they're doing this, they're also replacing the stormwater drains under the road too.  
A strange thing happened when I arrived that morning though.  I parked the Pajero, got inside the house, paid the bill, looked at the itinerary, then left... it took all of 10 - 15 minutes to do all that.  Well, I left by the same way I got in and by the time I arrived back to the corner Vanessa Boulevarde, there had been a head-on collusion between 2 Barina's on the corner!  There were tow trucks there, a fire engine and cops all hanging around... and I was gone only a few minutes!  How could this happen so quickly?  I was shocked.

Today, I was out and about across Logan City.  I was out the door by around 11am or so.  I picked up some Devil's Cut Bourbon & Cola for my cousin.  He was going to fix Mum's antenna for me, and I thought to give it to him.  
But first off today, I was off to Park Ridge to visit a friend - and fellow author - Letitia Coyne.  She offered to help me with plants for my garden, and I also found Gus there, my late-friend's cat.  He's settled in nicely and greeted me with his usual stuffiness, but otherwise let me pat him.  Then, we found a tick on his head!  Oh wow!  A tick!  Poor guy, he didn't like it that we pulled it off.
But then, after I collected the plants I had chosen, put then in the back of Mum's car and Letitia and I had said our farewells, I was driving down the road and I began to get itchy.  My mind began to play tricks on me about ticks.  I felt horrible and itchy and wondered if there were any on me!  Blech!  Well, instead of obsessing over it, I thought to drop off to my place and dump the plants in my back yard first... so that if there were any ticks on them, they could drop off and go where they want to go.  Besides, I really needed to grab a drink and get a few things before continuing on to my cousin's house to get the antenna fixed on Mum's car.
I called Anthony and Maria before I left my place and then headed off, and before long, I was there.  Anthony and his son Kory was just finishing up mowing the lawn when I pulled into the driveway and I left the keys on the dash of the car and he went ahead and fixed the car.  Then, I grabbed what was needed from the car and told Maria I had picked up some 'Devil's Cut' Bourbon & Cola for Anthony for fixing up the antenna and she put it in the fridge and I also brought along a plant for her to add to her plants.  
Well, she and I chatted for the time it took for the antenna to be fixed - which was only about an hour - and then I packed up and went out to the car and pulled from the back seat a Large Leaf Jade I had brought over for her.  She was amazed at it!  I told her to keep the stakes in it until the roots re-established (as I back-filled it only a few days ago) and then it would need repotting into a bigger pot next Winter.  Anthony said it was gorgeous and it would make a great addition to their plants.  He asked where I got it from, and I told him it was a pup of my original Large Leaf Jade I received 11 years ago as a housewarming gift and that this one I've given them is around 2 years old; and it'll grow really well now it's well-established.  Maria's thrilled with having a big plant like this, and happy that it's such a lovely plant.  And Kory thought it was cool plant too when he saw it.  He touched the leaves and asked what it was and I told him about it.  After finding a place for the plant on the patio, I said my goodbyes and came home.
But once home, I pulled out the vacuum and two extension cords and vacuumed out the back of Mum's car... and I found a tick rolling around the back of the vehicle!!!  So, I shook out the rug I've been using and vacuumed that too!  Then, checked the boxes I had in the back and changed the bag in the vacuum too!  And once I put away the machine, extension cords and locked up the car, I had a shower (putting my clothes completely separate from my usual laundry) and washed and scrubbed myself and washed my hair (scrubbing my head)... but I still feel itchy!  It's psychosomatic.  I know I don't have any on me, but it's something my mind is playing game on me about.  Ick, ick ick!  So, just to be completely sure, I'm going to be off to the doctors tomorrow and have them check me over completely.  I don't want to take any chances with these little buggers.  
So, how was your weekend?  Relaxing?  Or busy like mine?  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here. 

Happy International Left-Hander's Day!

Yep!  There's a day for being a southpaw!  And guess what?  I'm one of the 10% of the population who are a lefty... so don't put me down about it.  Only kidding ya!

I've got a brother, Mum and my niece who are all left-handed and Dad is the only right-handed person in my direct family.  My brother's partner is also right-handed.  And to make things even funnier, Mum, my brother, Gabe, my niece Riley and I all I have red hair!  Very cool!  

But being a lefty hasn't always been fun.  I've had to put up with smudged handwriting in school, right-handed tools when fixing my car, right-handed electronics at the bank when I had to sign something and the pen is attached for right-handed people.  However, I have found that I'm not the only one who struggled with these problems.  My family home was set up for my Dad and yet he lived with three lefties... strange that.
However when I moved out on my own, I kitted up my place to be left-hander friendly.  All the stuff in my kitchen is exactly where it would be for a left-hander; and my brother noticed how easy it is to find things, so did my Mum.  They love getting around in my kitchen as it's so easy to lay their hands on the things they need to use.  

Also, being a lefty, I'm a creative kinda person too.  I'm a writer and an artist; however the last thing came later when my Epilepsy kicked in again (a medical condition I was born with, which we have found out in the last year is genetic).  But I have used my artistic abilities in more ways than one.  My writing is developing well, and so is my painting, knitting and I'm learning to crotchet.  I've also been getting in and doing up my garden and fixing up things in my kitchen too.  But then, I don't have to be a lefty to do any of this; however, we have some very talented left-handed people in my family, including my Mum, my older brother and Riley.  We are all musical, love to draw, paint and write creatively and yet it's something our right-handed counterparts don't take as much pleasure in doing themselves.  They're more readers and quiet kinds of people than we are. 

So, do you know any great, creative left-handers?  If not, here is a list of them for you to have a look at. And if you'd like to know more about lefties, here's another link to more facts on us!  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm (or cool) and remember, I'm always here.

Rooms 3 & 4 - Kitchen & Lounge Rooms

Yesterday, I made a start on cleaning out the kitchen and lounge rooms.  But I took my time and didn't get as much done as I normally would have.  
In the kitchen, I pulled down a stack of old, cracked plates my Nan owned, wrapped them in newspaper and put them into a rubbish bag and then put them out into the bin.  These plates have been getting small cracks in the sides of them, which have been slowly growing over the last few years; and finally, two of them popped when I put hot food onto them.  So, to cut my losses, I wrapped the rest of them up and threw them out.  They're lovely plates, but if I can't put hot food onto them without them breaking, they're of no use to me; and no use to anyone else.

Anyway, once that was done, I moved the lounge and opened up the doors below the television set in the entertainment unit and pulled out everything in it.  I forgot I had so many VCR tapes of movies I had replaced.  And so, I decided to donate them to a charity.  I put my other VCR tapes - still in their synthetic bag in the back of the cabinet and then sorted everything out, making sure I threw out what I didn't want, put back dvds I wanted and the small treasure chest full of dvds too and closed it up.  I ended up with more space than I first started with.  The movies ended up out in the back of the car with the other donation stuff to be donated today.

This morning, I drove to do my shopping for the first time ever!  It was great to be able to check the mail, go and donate the things needing donating and go to Woolworths and then drive to Coles without having to walk kilometres while carrying all that stuff with me physically.  Having the car was a great convenience, and I got my shopping done in a lot shorter time than I normally do - by around half an hour - and I bought some of my fruit and veggies at Coles just to save me time too.  

I'm not as exhausted as I normally am after going shopping; which is another plus with driving a car.  But I do find driving itself exhausting itself, so there's where I get tired from it.  I really could get used to this.

There's still things to get done around here.  I'm working slowly at making the house tidy, but I'd like to work on the garden soon too.  So, this weekend, I'm hoping to get my butt to Bunnings and pick up some bags of potting mix and a large pot and a plant too with granite (to fill the bottom) and then, I'll be able to put one pot out the front and care for it.  However, first things are first:  the whole backyard's potted plants will be repotted - as needed - and then, I'll work on getting new pots for ones that need upsizing and then there's the front garden to work on next.  I can't wait! Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm (or cool) and remember, I'm always here.

Burn Out

It's Tuesday and I'm kicking back doing nothing.  Yep, zero... and I know why I'm doing it.  It's been a couple of weeks since I got back behind the wheel of a car and I'm exhausted!  Driving really does take it out of you.  
I drove on Saturday and Sunday, but I didn't rush anywhere, I made sure I was happy and not hurrying to get from point A to point B... and not stressed out.  But I still managed to burn out.  I told my brother, Gabe, and he said to take it easy and that I'd get back into the groove of it all soon.

So, today, it's a nothing day.  A day to do only what's needed and that's it.  I'll probably get in and make the bed, put out the rubbish bin and do some reading and put away the video tapes that are cluttering up the lounge room area in the entertainment unit.  Otherwise, I don't have any other plans today.  I don't want any other plans.
I have had a very busy week last week.  As you have probably read, I've spent time cleaning out two rooms in my house; and they aren't temporary clean outs, these are permanent ones.  The cleaning out I've performed it to make my house tidy in the way that's it's supposed to look always.  I don't want to have to do this again at Christmas, or Easter next year, or this time next again... ever!  I'm making sure of it.  So, I've taken my time and cleaned out slowly, taking hours and days instead of an afternoon or two.  I even bought a plastic box on wheels to store books that are on my Available List for Bookcrossing so it doesn't look untidy and is organised.  It looks good and I'm very happy with how this room looks so far... but it still has two bags of paper I need to go through, which I will do in due time.  But not today.

I do want to get in and do more with my house, but I need a rechargeable drill; something I've wanted badly, but I haven't bought because Dad has said he'd get me one but doesn't.  So, I'll buy myself one this year and use it.  There's things I want to fix around here - small things - that will make this place work better; especially in the kitchen, where I have to throw out some old cracked plates.  

But I've been trying to rush things; that's my problem.  I'm excited about having the car at my disposal and I'm ahead of myself... sounds silly I know, but I really should take it easy with driving and ease into it.  Yes, I loved driving when I was young and my first car was like an old friend; and I loved driving... and I still love driving... and that's just it, I keep forgetting how much energy it takes - excess energy I don't and haven't had in years - to drive a motor vehicle.  So, I must take it easy and realise that it's going to take time to get accustomed to it again.  This also means I've put myself back onto supplements to help keep my energy levels up where they are supposed to be to feel good enough to drive and live again while I'm driving.  Well, until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm (or cool) and remember, I'm always here. 

Room Number 1... The Bedroom!

Yesterday, I pulled back the feather duvet of my bed and opened my wardrobe to reveal what I had done to it... it was overcrowded and needed fixing up.  So, I pulled out the step ladder and pulled down all my bags and sorted through them.  I kept a good lot of the big ones and some small ones and tossed out others which I haven't used in around 5 years.  I made sure there were no tissues, receipts or anything else inside the pockets of the toss-out bags as they're going to a charity.  
Then, I rummaged around the bottom of the wardrobe and found the bag of stuff I kept from the clean out at Mum and Dad's place (you know of the tea chests?  Yeah, I didn't sort that bag out).  Anyway, I grabbed a rubbish bag and a Weetbix tin and sat on the end of my bed and sorted through the plastic bag.  Most of the stuff was old birthday cards from age 10 - 18... a lot of the people who had given me cards I had forgotten; except family.  Then, I looked around at some of the items in my bedroom and found I had quite a few things sitting around here that I had received on my 18th birthday from my friends and I'd forgotten where I gotten them from - except the jewellery box with the bow on the lid... that's from Tina Buchback.  I'd never throw that out as she gave me that when we were closer than ever.  Now, she won't talk to me when I want to talk to her... I really treasure that jewellery box.

Anyway, I grabbed the new sheets Mum and Dad bought me when I got my new bed - as they were still in their bags and wrappings - and unwrapped them and put them in the laundry basket to be washed next week; when the weather improves so I can put them away for Summer.  I used the Spotlight bags they came from as rubbish bags and really got in and threw out whatever I didn't need as I really got into my first day of the Big Tidy-Up.  Then the most unexpected thing happened!

I came across old love letters from Dan - my first boyfriend.

So, I sat down and read some of them... they were so sweet and wonderful and I found one where he wrote it with a sprained wrist.  It wasn't a very long letter, but he endured his pain, and it took him hours to write it to get it out to me.  They were lovely to read and we had only spoken on Facebook a few days ago and he wants to catch up again... to after all these years.  I haven't seen him since just before his son was born.

Anyway, by around 3:30pm, I had tidied up the bedroom, pulled back the duvet, thrown out the Spotlight bags and put the charity bags into the back of the Pajero.  First though, I wrapped up all the fragile stuff in newspaper so it doesn't break on the way to where I'm going to drop it off.  I'm hoping to work on another room soon and toss out more rubbish in one bag and charity items in another.  Well, until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here. 

It's Just Like Riding A Bike!

Have you ever heard somebody say that to you?  Yep, me too.  And a lot of the times, I never believe them because with me, I have quite a few big learning curves.  So, when it came time for me to get behind the wheel of a car again, I found it very daunting and terrifying.

I actually treated it very much like anything else I did in life... I watched the roads carefully for a few days first.  These things are like the ocean:  you can't turn your back on them for a second or you'll be up to you neck in problems, troubles and very rude drivers blaming you for their bad driving.  Then, I got behind the wheel of the car, drove it through the zig-zag of driveway of my unit complex, got to the gate, watched it open automatically ... and ... and ... turned my Mum's Pajero around and took it back to my place and parked it back in my carport.

This was over 3 years ago and I was disgusted in myself.  I was one big chicken for not doing through with it, but I just didn't have the confidence in myself to drive the car.  The traffic was more hazardous and I found that it had been too long since I drove a vehicle.  Even my brother was beginning to have his doubts about me driving again; and to think I had spent over $500 on getting my license in the first place - and it's a manual driver's license too; one of the toughest ones to get.

This time around, it took me three hours to talk myself into driving the damned car - the same car - and the one good thing I had going for me were friends who believed in me.  One of my neighbours even went to the trouble of checking to see what kind of petrol the Pajero took so I didn't screw up the engine on Mum (Premium Unleaded; just so I remember)... and the good thing is that it's on the inside of the petrol cap too, to remind me. 
Once I was out on the road, I remembered every road rule I was taught... it all came back to me in a few minutes!  I couldn't believe how quickly my brain remembered how to get back into the concentration of driving a motor vehicle... and how much fun I remember driving is!  I didn't white-knuckle it - like I thought I was going to - but it was something I will get in and do again. 

And seeing I'm enjoying it, and I'm allowed to drive, I've got big plans for this Winter.  I have wanted to fix up my garden for a long time - but catching a cab to and from Bunnings is very expensive at any time.  So, seeing I have Mum's car to use, I'll take it there and use it carry potting mix, pots and new plants into my yard as well as get myself some lovely little statues in there by the time Mum and Dad arrive home from their trip.  This will take around 4 months to do and being the colder time of year, it's the perfect time to get in and repot plants that need it and plant new plants as they're all dormant right now; and I have a few plants that need topping up and I'd like to fix up my back yard and get some of my plants into proper planters to make the yard look lovely... and then get some weed killer to get rid of the Wandering Dew that's hanging around from over the fence.

So, there's some of my plans for this year; and what I'm going to do with the car, seeing I've got access to one now.  What have you got planned?  And what have you gotten back into after a long time putting it off when you thought it was too late, too hard or you were too old?  Was it easier to get back into it than you thought?  Or was it just as difficult as you thought?  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here.

Rainy, dull Saturday

This morning, at around 6:30am, I was awoken by the great escaping black chicken. She was urgently clucking around the door of my room loudly, making sure I didn't forget her or her friends in the chook pen at the bottom of the yard.  By 7am, she was still hanging around my door, so I got up and readied myself to go outside... and you know, she was out there on the lawn waiting for me.

But today was the day where I seriously got myself packed and cleaned up the house.  So I cleared the lounge of my painting gear, put away my external hard drive and 'Aloha' pencilcase - with all its bits in it - and then I packed all my stuff out of the pantry, my vitamins and my medications into my milk crate. Then I put the freezer packs into the the freezer so they were ready for tomorrow.
My bag was next. I repacked it neatly and then put all my electronics into my Bookcrossing briefcase.  I still have a few things to go in the way of packing, but it's all last minute stuff to put away tomorrow morning after I get up.  It's mainly the sheets I have to strip from the bed and the duvet I borrowed from Gabe & Kat over the last week. The sheets are mine and I brought them with me, and I'm glad I did as we have had some pretty cold nights.... not to mention some just-as-cold days here.  But I've recovered quite well over the last week; and am feeling better as each day passes.
I am able to walk faster, sleep without painkillers, never lost my appetite, and got back into cooking within 4 days of getting out of hospital... so I was itching to get myself back on my feet again and not lay about the house, and this is good.

Also today, I've been without a computor. I'm typing this post up on a Samgung tablet - and it's driving fekkin' nuts as it's so slow to type anything on this; you're a fast typist normally.
Anyway, the reason I am without a computor is because the one I wascusing here at my brother's house started playing up on me on Wednesday, and by Friday night I found it was making strange whirring and beeping noises... and seeing my last few computers went out making those noises, I thought to save any big problems and turn it off - also they won't lose anything on the hard drives either. So, it's the tablet I'm using and this thing is frustrating.... so many darned typos which I have gone back to fix.

I am also itching to get home to my new bed, my huge collection of books and my internet system....aaaahhh, yes, no place like home. So, how has the first week of the school holidays been for you? Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm, and remember, I'm always here.

Bargains Galore!

Everything seemed to be on sale today.  But I wasn't really looking for a sale; instead, I was looking to return a leaking kettle that I bought only yesterday to K-Mart Logan Central and then head off to Garden City and find a few things I needed to ready myself for my bed to arrive next week.

So, I left home at around 9:40am and saw some poor guy get arrested across the road by the cops.  They were parked outside the house up the road from the bus stop and I had just crossed the road when they drove off.  But it made me think:  would they stop to charge me for J-walking or not?  No, they didn't.  This was weird, but I guess they had bigger fish to fry this morning.  Anyway, when I got to the stop, one of the people there and I had a laugh about what we were both thinking with the police and if they were going to stop and charge me.  But seriously, I should have waited for them to leave before going across the road.

Anyway, the bus came, we all hopped on and it took us to the Logan Central Bus Station where most of us got off and I walked to K-Mart and got my money back when I told the lady what happened to the kettle.  She was amazed it leaked as much as it did and happily gave my money back to me.  Then, I was off to catch the next bus to Garden City and do the rest of my shopping - well the majority of it anyway. 
I went to the bank first and pulled out some money and walked around to find a kettle first.  Well, do you think I could find a nice kettle which didn't cost the Earth?  Nope.  It was annoying.  I went from Robin's Kitchen to Harvey Norman and then to K-Mart and there wasn't anything I was happy with.  And on the way to Harvey Norman, the ramp escalators going up, stopped working.  There were too many heavy things on it and it shuddered to a halt; and anyone with a shopping trolley had to either wait for it to get going again or kick up their front wheels of the trolley to make it work.  Not a good thing.  So, seeing it wasn't going to work after we all got off it, I walked into shop and reported the problem to them; asking them to get maintenance out to look at it.  They weren't surprised about it and got onto them straight away.  By the time I was coming out of Harvey Norman's 10 minutes later, it was working again.

At K-Mart, I bought my mattress protector and a nice set of flannel sheets for my Queen Size bed ... and then bought plain set too just to mix'n'match; it's always nice to do that.  Anyway, I went through the self-service check-outs and found I had a lot of things and I was struggling a little with it.  
I hadn't left Robin's Kitchen empty-handed, managing to buy a pizza stone and a cutter while I was there.  Not too bad if you ask me seeing they were both half price and I only paid $12.95 for both of them.  Anyway, I still had yet to buy my kettle and didn't want to leave the shopping complex without it.  So, I went to one more place upstairs and the shop assistant there told me that Big-W was the place to score a great kettle at a good price.  And that's where I found myself... Big-W.  I found a great range of kettles and scored myself a Kambrook dome kettle for a wicked $38!  Now, how cool is that?  And before I knew it, I was at their self-service check-outs and putting my new kettle through to take it home.

But I badly needed a break... a break from walking around, from looking at products, from feeling really horribly tired.  So, I made a beeline to Gloria Jean's Coffee to get myself a nice hot bagel and a hot chocolate.  And you know?  It's just what I needed.  I read a bit of a book on my iPod and relaxed in the place, ignoring the noise of the coffee machine, the people around me chatting and anything else going on at the other tables... I was having some much-needed 'me' time; and that's just priceless to have.  But before I knew it, I had to pack up my goodies so they were able to be stored on a bus and travel-ready... I had another half and hour to go before I arrived home.  And once I did, I was so very relieved to unpack my goodies, open and try out my kettle and look at what I had bought that my disappointment didn't strike until I pulled out the sheets for the Queen Sized bed.  I had one Queen Sized Sheet set and one Single Sized Sheet Set... but do you think I could find my receipt for K-Mart?  I had put it into the bag with the sheets... and the bag had bloody-well ripped.  So, the receipt has been lost, and I'm stuck with a set of flannel sheets I can't use.
Well, I might give these to my niece.  They're purple and if I remember right, this is her favourite colour!  Oh well, can't win 'em all!  But at least I know somebody who'll use them.  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember I'm always here.  

Mid-Week

It's another Wednesday, another pay day, another shopping day to fill the house with food and groceries.  I was woken from a nice doze at 7am by the rubbish truck this morning and people running out with their bins to line them up (I had put mine out last night).  So, I snuggled under my duvet and went back to sleep as the truck grumbled closer to my house and under my bedroom window... yeah it has to come right up to the front window of my place to collect the ten or so bins.  Not a great wake-up call when it's cold and in the middle of Winter.  But I've lived here for a decade and have sometimes slept through the whole bin collection noises.

But today, I had a lot to do.  I had the pet store to go to pick up some 4-day feeders for the fish and a pump.  This is because the fish tank pump isn't looking great... it seems to be barely moving the water, so last Friday I bought some anti-algae stuff, but it hasn't worked.  And once I pulled apart some of the pump today, when I got home, I thought that it might be a fungus that's bundging it up.  So, I'll see what happens with an anti-fungus stuff; and if that doesn't work?  Well, I'll install the new pump and take out the old one, and remove the lid and put a glass lid on top.  I have just checked on the tank (it's been about 3 hours) and it's starting to move water more, but I'm sure I need the anti-fungal stuff in the water to help it clean better.

Otherwise, today, I got in and did my shopping with my shopping list on my iPod and got everything I needed on it; well, almost.  I didn't get the Nivea soap as Coles didn't have it; and yet they have everything else to do with Nivea.  Strange how that happens.  I got an all-natural shampoo and conditioner.  And while at Coles, the sample lady, Val was away from her post for a bit, and the meatballs she was cooking were beginning to burn.  So, I turned a few of them over and around.  When she came back, she was amazed somebody didn't just let them burn - and even more amazed I turned them as I'm vegetarian.  Smiling I said that I can still cook meat for anyone I have visiting for dinner.  She was so happy I do that for people; and that I know what burning meat smells like.

But today, I got home early with plenty of money in my pocket from my shopping trip.  I managed to keep over $50 spare.  However, I still have to buy fruit and veggies tomorrow morning and then I'll see how much I have left over then; and I'll be able to work with it for the next few weeks.  Then it won't be long before I'm being looked after by Mum for a week and before that I'll be getting my new bedroom suite.  However, I'll fill you guys in on what's happening in about a week or so about Mum staying here.  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here.   

Supernatural Is Awesome!

Okay, it's no secret around my family and on my Facebook page that I'm a huge fan of Supernatural.  I love the television series so much that I've changed the cover of my page to one that has 'The Road So Far' and a silhouette of the Impala driving along a darkened road with just one headlight (it's a shot from the first show of season 1.  But I love it!).  And I remember when I first watched this show all those years ago thinking it might not come to much; that I'd watch it and not worry so much of it... that I couldn't become as much of a fan of it as I did when 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' came out.

Boy, was I wrong about that!

Very wrong!

I started really getting into it and not wanting to miss any episodes of it.  My folks found it hard to get me to go on holidays when I wanted to stay home and see it on tv.  I was the same way when 'Moonlight' was on (you know the one with the vampire investigator who only worked to rid L.A. of evil?  It only went for one season).  Anyway, I was dragged off to the coast and I ended up sulking and brooding down there while I missed two episodes and the show had big scripting problems and suffered through the writer's strike in 2009 or so.  It was dreadful.

But when 'Supernatural' hit our screens, I was totally hooked from the pilot.  It was something I had never seen before with actors I'd never heard of before in it with a hot, gorgeous car I'd love to own in it.  And that's the main attraction in it.  This show built from one episode of jaw-dropping violence, supernatural themes and fast action with two very hot, delectable men in it and I just couldn't wait until the following week.  And seeing that 'Three Rivers' had been axed at the pilot, I hoped 'Supernatural' wasn't heading towards the same fate... and it didn't.  I loved it and have watched it ever since.
I boasted and bragged about it and tried to tell my family the story about it; and failed.  It's so hard to explain the whole thing of this show to anyone who doesn't watch it - and hasn't watched it from the very beginning - and they come in halfway through.  And this is something my Dad did one Monday night.  He decided to turn it on and watch an episode and found it was grotesque and disgusting.  After the first 10 minutes, during the advert break, he called me saying it was a sickening and horrible show and he doesn't know why I watch it.  I told him that he can't just jump into the middle of the season, because it's like opening a book in the middle and expecting to know what's going on... he didn't want an explanation and didn't want to know anything about it since.  However, my niece watches it and loves it and so do some of my friends.

I do love how the story is turning out.  I have just finished watching the first five seasons again; and it's been a great ride to remember what happened, who's been in it and how it's all been turned around and come back.  Now, I've gone out and ordered in seasons 6 and 7 and I'm waiting for season 8 to come out as it's still being shown on tv and a date for its release hasn't been set.  
Now, today, I've only just heard that the producers and writers have decided that there will be another two seasons on top of the ones already there... so there will be seasons 9 and 10 coming up.  And Jared and Jenson are ready and willing to step up to the plate for the job.  It's been a great show and seeing it's been so successful and the franchise is rolling along so well, they want to keep it going as the fans don't wish it to go away.  So, I'm looking forward to this whole thing and to see how far it will go. 

So, what big show series are you a fan of?  Be it 'Dark Angel', 'Buffy' or 'Angel', let us all in on your guilty pleasure of television series.  Do you own the whole series of one or the other - or all of them?  And do you have weekends where you have a marathon of particular shows?  Do tell, love to know what you all get up to with these old - and new - shows.  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here.