A Heck of a New Year...

Okay... I haven't said anything here because my New Year didn't start the way I thought it would.

Normally, I'm gardening, cleaning out, washing the car, and mainly just minding my own beez-wax - you know, doing my own thing.

But this year, well, it was different. 

I took a friend out on the first days of the year and got my car beaten up by some guy three times my size. And all I did was ask him to move his car so I didn't run into it on the way out of a very tight driveway. 

Easy-enough request - and I asked nicely as well. But it seems you can't ask anyone anything anymore, no matter how nice you are about it. He took it all the wrong way and acted as though I was in the wrong. 

Suddenly, things turned from him being a smart-arse to him kicking and punching my car! I couldn't believe it! I ran out and shoved him hard... and well, that's all I really remember. There was a lot of yelling, screaming and him wanting to hurt me. 

Once his family got him under control, and safely back inside his home, they explained that he had mental problems and anger issues. Yeah? Well, that doesn't excuse him from doing what he did to my car and then turning on me, and my friends.  

The fortunate thing was that he turned himself into the police and wants to pay for all the damages he did to my car. From what I have heard, he knew he was doing the wrong thing and couldn't stop himself. I do believe it was right for him to admit that I didn't mean anything wrong by asking him to move his car. I didn't want to damage his car - or mine - and just wanted to make sure I could get out of the driveway without incident. 

It's been less than a week, and the window he punched in has been fixed. And my insurance company has been wonderful about this whole thing. As for the massive dent in the boot (which was looked at today by Swain's), they won't be able to fix that until mid-March. Oh well, can't get everything done exactly by my timetable, right? At least she can be fixed. 
The funny thing was the guy assessing my car asked 'His Four Wheel Drive had a bull bar did it?'. I side, 'There was no vehicle involved. A guy over 6ft and built like you wouldn't believe kicked that with his feet.' the guy went very quiet and wrote down what I said, mumbling, 'Oookay.' 

Well, that was my first week of the New Year. I'm just looking forward to having my Little Green Machine back to normal again. She's halfway there... I'm not worried about her too much, so long she locks and the boot doesn't come open while I'm driving - which she doesn't - that's all that matters. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here. 

It's A Heatwave!

Yep, it's heating up big here in Australia, and it doesn't look as though it's going to stop... it appears to be getting hotter.

So, it's five days into the New Year; and I thought it was high time I jumped on here and told you all what I've been up to.

First off, I'm a little injured - not badly - just muscle soreness from twisting the wrong way; that's all.

My car's power steering pump finally gave up on me on Tuesday while I was out dropping a friend off at her place at Crestmead and I spent the longest ten minutes of my life struggling to get my car around round-a-bouts and corners and through traffic lights! It was like driving a damned tank!

So, I thought to take it to my folks' house to grab Mum's car - but that was a bad idea that night... the car's power steering came back for one last punch and scared me, and... well, let's just say it didn't end up well with one of my neighbours. We had a good chat and I ended up taking the car to my folks' house early the next morning... I was so tired that I went back to bed and slept for another few hours. 

But the heat really hit me bad; and I found that Mum's car's steering felt strange... so I left it for a bit and yesterday went and looked at the power steering fluid. It was almost empty. 

This is where I hurt myself. I twisted the wrong way as I closed the bonnet of the car, and well, pulled a muscle in my back. I'm sore as hell. But, I've been doing Yoga stretches all day... and last night I had a hot shower, stretched out the back muscles straight afterwards before going to bed, and today? Gotta say, the more I move, the better it feels. 

But I'm digressing

Um, I don't like driving a car where something 'might' go wrong if I think it's not right. So, I went and got it looked into at a place near me called Napa - it's Autobarn but not Autobarn - and the guys there were really cool, helping me find the right stuff but said yep, it looked liked it had a leak. Told me to advise Mum to get it looked at asap.

Anyway, I was on my way home when I thought to take the car for a good ol' drive... and called up Tutasi - a friend of mine (the same friend I dropped off on Tuesday) and she jumped at the chance to head out to the op-shops and look around for furniture for her and window shop for me... I'd already spend some money in the past few days; so didn't really need anything big.
We browsed through some Super Stores and she found some lovely towels and spotted great wardrobes she really needs and kept an eye out for curtains for her step-daughter's bedroom. We found some great-looking old wardrobes, but curtains were another thing.

Well, we headed home at around 3:30pm after a good day out. I had found a bottle to put my leftover Limoncello in - which was scrubbed and sanitised within an inch of its life - and then I found some gorgeous placemats to replace my peeling ones. I'm so pleased with my purchases. 

Now, this weekend, I'll be pulling down the Christmas Tree and putting away all the decorations into their respectable boxes and the townhouse will go back to everyday living.

I'll be back into declutter mode.
I'll be back into looking at packing things away to hopefully move.
I'm looking at what to paint for the following year.


Yep, this year is going to be a busy one! 

How about you? How's your year going to turn out for you? What are you plans? Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Boxing Day - aka: Christmas Recovery

Yep... this is what Boxing Day is really all about: recovering from eating and drinking so much! Well, did I eat! 

On Christmas Eve, I had most of the day to myself. All of my presents were wrapped, in a box, and ready to be loaded into the car. The Cranberry and Blueberry Christmas Cake was ready to go as well as a gorgeous fruit salad (of 3 mangos, 4 bananas, 4 yellow nectarines and 5 bunches of red globe seedless grapes and the juice of a whole lemonade tree lemon - OMG! Yummo!). Yes, my work for Christmas was done and dusted on 23rd, December... so I could chill out on Sunday for most of the day in the air-conditioner of my home office.

At around 3pm or so, I turned off the internet and the computer and got myself ready... had a shower, dressed in a dress my ginger-sister, Tutasi, brought from the USA and did my hair then loaded up the car and the eskie and headed on over to my folks' house to car pool with them to Kate's house. 

We got there around 5:30pm and grazed on nibbles... but we at outside and not inside simply because it so much cooler. We didn't wander inside until it was time to eat... or until we couldn't see outside anymore... whichever came first. 
Dinner was wonderful! There was so much food... and dessert was just gorgeous! Blueberry Trifle, Pavlova, and fruit salad (which somebody took a look at and left the lid off of while it was in the fridge), then we were all too full to do anything; and nobody really wanted to give out gifts. So, I volunteered, and the kids got a lot of gifts from a lot of people. 
Soon, though, Mum, Dad and I were off - along with Gabe and Kat - to Gabe and Kat's place to open pressies there. We arrived there and got in and opened presents together and found that they didn't put up a tree, tinsel or anything (they're not really into Christmas; but that's them... not us, or me. I love Christmas) 
Well, Riley loved her Obsidian, and was stunned that I bought her something as strange as that. Gabe took a look at it and said it was purple, no blue, no hang on... purple.. no... well, we weren't sure about the colour, but it's cool! Riley then opened her two other gifts and found I had bought an art piece by Marnie Linger and framed it... she loved it! And then, she opened her third present and found I had bought her a fold-up table easel; and loved that she could take it everywhere with her! 
I knitted Kat a towel, and she loved that it was so well-done... and soft. I said that once it wears out, she can just throw it in with the other rubbish and it'll break down in land fill as it's made from cotton, and that's a natural fibre. She was thrilled about that!
Gabe received a framed AC/DC 'Back In Black' vinyl I had spent 2 months working on... it was a right bitch trying to find the right frame for it; then realising I had to paint the brown frame black, and then work on the backing board too... it took 2 days to pull together.

Everyone loved their goodies - and all of them were either from op-shops or hand-made. This was a great plan of mine; and I'll be doing this more often in future.

The next day, was Christmas Day... I had a light breakfast, washed up, packed the car and closed up the house completely to make sure if a storm hit during the day, no rain got in while I was out.

I headed over to my Aunt's house to pick up my eskie - as I had left it there the night before - and then to my folks' house to open presents. We had a great morning in the nice cool air-conditioning for a few hours.
By around midday, I was off to Crestmead where I had been invited to a Christmas Lunch by a great friend of mine, Tutasi, and her husband. This was their first family function and I represented her side of the family; as she was meeting his side of the family (well, part of it) and this was going to be a big day.
I helped out with serving up a delicious tuna dip that Tutasi had made and then set out some of the meals as well. Then, people started to show up. Tim, Tutasi's husband pulled out a large ham from another relative's box of mangoes and accidentally dribbled oil and fat all over the white table cloth, and I helped out cleaning that off the cloth - and by the time I was finished with that, it looked like nothing had happened at all; well almost nothing. 
The day went on, and became hotter. Tutasi made sure we had plenty of nice cold bottles of water and attended to Tim's Uncle - as his Uncle is the head of the family. Blessings were said, prayers as well and a song sung by the family - in their own wonderful language - and then we all ate! Oh man, so much food! Then, there was dessert. The adults sat outside, in the heat and the children sat in the living room in the air-conditioning (lucky them!), but it's how Tim's Uncle wanted it for the day.

By around 5pm or so, I could see storm clouds gathering down near Beenleigh and coming up towards Brisbane, I said that I better get going; if I wanted to beat the storm home - and I had to drop by my folks' house to pick up my presents as they were left there for the day. I thanked them all for lunch and that it had been a pleasure meeting them all, wishing them a Merry Christmas. And then, I was on my way... it didn't take long to get back home, after picking up my presents. 

By the time I got them inside and took a shower, it was really dark outside and thundering with rain! Yep, I left at the right time! But man, I didn't eat anything for dinner, just mineral water and a bit of chocolate, and fruit... that's all. Well, that was my Christmas. How was yours? Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

First Day of July, and...

I've had a very busy day today.

First off, I cooked up myself a really great breakfast - but didn't want it. So, I tossed it out and washed the car.

Then, I cleaned the tyres, put armorald onto the important inside parts and then polished it and cleaned the headlights. 

Yep, my little car shone like a new penny! 

By this time, I was staaaarrrving! About time. But then, I thought it was a good time to take a little drive to get the water and crap out of the brakes and tyres. 

So, I took off to Simply Beans and enjoyed a lovely ice coffee and Belgian Waffles! Yummo! I read the paper a little (something I never do on a Saturday) and then took off to Bunnings and bought 2 bags of potting mix and tried to get another large $16 pot, but I could only afford the potting mix - oh well, next time!

After that, I was back on the road to Arndale and looking at Variety1. This place has a huge amount of goodies from Mont Mart... and so I bought a couple of things to send off to Mark, who is in hospital right now. I was hoping to visit him, but I've come down with a cold I caught off a 5 year old around my complex. 

Jeez, if it's not laryngitis, it's the common cold... man, where did I go wrong? 

Anyway, I'm home now, it's around 4pm and it's beginning to get cold. Last night, I was hoping to change the top sheet of my bed to another warm sheet, and when I pulled out the other sheet, I found out the hard way that I gave away the wrong bloody sheet to charity! I gave the Queen sized sheet and kept the double sheet! Damn! I knew I should never do that, give my sheets away to anyone... this has happened before.

So, now, I have to go and buy another Queen size sheet for the bed.

Anyway, I've gotten a lot done today. The yoghurt I made last night worked out - second time's a charm - and I'm looking forward to chilling out around the house tomorrow and doing some gardening in the next couple of weeks. 

Well, I'm hoping to vacuum out the car tomorrow when the car port dries out. But the car looks lovely and clean now. Well, that's me for now. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember I'm always here.

A Girl's Day Out!

Once in a while, Mum and I have a day out together. We don't really plan it, but it's always fun. Today, I picked her up at her place, piled books in the boot of my car and took off to my place (to grab more books) and then we were on our way.

She was stunned at how terrible my unit complex was. It's been left in such a state by the on-site manager (and he lives here) and yet nothing is being done by the Body Corporate to right the situation. There's a letterbox front that has been stolen, wheelie bins left out after collection day, nothing is tidy, the pool is constantly needing work, none of the trees are clipped, then there's the gardens and the units which look terrible too. But mine is one of the tidier ones - inside and out.

That's what Mum noticed when she came up to my place. Sure, there were leaves in my car port, but once inside the place she saw that my house was a home. It had a feel all of its very own; and she's pleased I've made it into a 1970's haven.

It's such a pity about what's happening outside my door.

Well! Once we were on our way, we headed towards the Logan Artist's Association at Loganlea and totally enjoyed the place. It's bigger than we first expected. there's a pottery place, a kiln area, another area for teaching and a wetlands area where you can go and sit and paint, sketch or just hang out. Then, there's Able Gallery, where you can hang your artworks. I'm hoping to get my work in there next month for the 'Black'n'White' Exhibition for the Female Form - it's for International Women's Day. 
Mum loved the place. I paid my joining fee and handed in my application form; and I've yet to do my bio for the piece (which I can hand in next week anyway) and then I'll see if it's accepted.

Once we were finished there, we drove off to Browns Plains to lunch at the Browns Plains Plaza where we both had spuds... yummo! And then, we also went off to The Really Good Bookstore to exchange some books, but we got our exchange rate for books up instead. Oh well, next time, I'll see what I can buy.

By this time, it was around 4pm! Seeing it was close to peak hour, I thought to drive home the long way around on Chamber's Flat Road and take us to the very end of it - to Kingston Road; right where we had begun our day at Loganlea. It was nice to get there... but man the sun was hot!

Once I dropped Mum off home, I wanted to come home too; so I did and snacked a little, had some water, cleaned up and enjoyed some down time to myself. 
After making some stewed apples with cranberries, I settled in for the night and enjoyed some 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' on dvd tv show; and did some work on my art piece for the exhibition. Yep, it's been a long day! How was yours? Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember I'm always here.

Last Days

It's the last day for the Christmas Rush and I hope everyone has survived it this year without too much hassle. 

I'm going okay I guess.

The car is wash, waxed, polished, cleaned and the stuff under the bonnet looks good too. Then, I took it for a drive and nearly got cleaned up on Springwood Road because a driver backed out of their driveway and didn't look where they were going. On such a wide road - where there's a huge emergency stopping lane - you'd think they'd pull into the curb before joining the traffic. But they stuck the butt of their car right out into my lane and I couldn't stop, so I had no choice but to swerve and blow the horn. It was scary and yet I wondered what would have happened if the road was more crowded... it wouldn't have gone as well as it did.

Anyway, today, I took the time to do what I needed to get done. The presents are all packed up and ready to go to my cousin's house tomorrow night. I have the makings of a pasta salad all ready in the fridge; just to throw together and take with me in my Corningware dish (I just hope nobody scratches the crap out of it) or drops it. 

And tonight, I almost got all the first bit of the Lake Como tapestry completed! I'm so pleased! It looks so great! Well, I hope you have all finished up working on what needs to be done. Until my next post, take care, stay safe this holiday season and remember, I'm always here. Merry Christmas!

All In One Morning!

Today was a 'Claus Day'. This is named as such due to one of my childhood friends who was killed in a car accident when I was young - he was only 21 years old and engaged to be married. His name was Claus Skov; and a really beautiful, sweet, charming young man from Denmark I had grown up with when him and his family migrated from that gorgeous country to Australia when I was still in primary school.
My family had to reteach them English because every second word they said was 'fuck' and 'shit'. Hey, what can I say? They climatised in Mt Isa... they picked up their English from the locals there and brought their rather broad way of speaking to Brisbane. I remember fondly how they called their first pet - a white kitten - Little Shit. It was hilarious at how my brother and I tried to get him and his sister - Lena - and brother - Lars - to change the name by asking what they were going to call their cat when it grew up... Big Shit, of course! I think we settled on Snowflake or Fluffy - I don't remember. 

But today was a Claus Day... it was lovely and sunny. There wasn't too many clouds in the sky and there was a gorgeous cool breeze to lift our spirits - just nice enough to make us stop and sigh at how nice it was. Yep, that's what a Claus Day is. It's a day where I can picture Claus approaching my folks' house just to have a cup of tea and a chat. I could see his white/blonde hair fluffing in the breeze as the sun shines off it. His shirt flapping in that breeze and that wonderful smile he had. 

Like I said, he died so long ago. It was down near Beenleigh and I don't remember quite how it all happened or the details to the whole thing; but one day he was in our lives - and the next? Well, he was just gone; along with his fiance, who died in the crash with him (only a few minutes later). Really horrible and sad isn't it? My family knew him for so long and his life ended so young. 

But yeah... I had a good day out today on this day. I got a lot done in only three hours. I checked the mail, went in the search for a tapestry frame - which are as rare as hens' teeth and just as expensive as I thought they'd be once I found one! Yep, I'm going to have to make one! 
Then, I was off to the junk store at Springwood where I found some of my Birthday Buddy's present and searched for oversized pegs to paint for the markets. I then went to a Vinnie's store in search of a tapestry frame (you know, to see if they had any just in case somebody had tossed them out), but nope, not today! I did score a very cool dinner set... very retro!... for only $10. And then? Well, I went to the bank and deposited what money I had left. 

Yes it was a lucrative day.

I came home and cleaned up the new dinner set and set about figuring out what to do with the old mis-matched one. My old 20 year-old one is chipped and has bits missing from it, so I'm going to throw it out in the bin. It's not worth giving to charity if it's not complete. Well, that was my busy morning. It was only three hours for me to get this all done! Woah! What a morning! Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Yesterday

I wasn't going to be doing anything yesterday... but then, I was asked out by my niece - who I haven't hung around alone with in ages.

Dad asked if I could take her somewhere for a few hours and I jumped at the chance of taking her to show her my piece at the Logan Art Gallery and also take her on a tour of the place.

I picked her up at around 11am, but when I arrived, they hadn't arrived home yet. Dad had taken Riley to Aunty Narelle's and Uncle Iain's place for coffee. So, I waited and texted them to let them know I was at the house. It didn't take long to return and we chatted about the plans for the next few hours.  Dad said it sounded like I had made a few good plans and Riley looked forward to seeing some nice places around Logan.

The first place we were off to was the Kingston Butter Factory. I took her here first because it's a place of historical interest and it's also got an artistic area as well. I told Riley about how it used to be a real place of industry for South East Queensland until demand became too big and they had to move production somewhere else and close down the factory. She thought that was a pity, but great the building still stood - I said that it was unused for a very long time and became very much rotted and needed a lot of fixing by the council. 
When we walked to the place, she was amazed at how pretty it was and how quiet the area is. I told her that there's the Butterbox Theatre as well inside - and that I used to work there as a volunteer too. She loved that. 
We looked at the craft area upstairs and I asked if we could look at the theatre - as it was locked up - and the lady who had the keys let us in. I told the lady I used to work with the Butterbox Theatre Company and she asked if I remember Judith (the lady who ran it) and I did. We looked inside and Riley was amazed at how big the place was. I said that there is rumoured, and I could confirm those rumours as I have experienced things with the theatre company I just can't explain away and what happened don't make sense. Riley asked who it would be haunting the place, I told her that it's known as 'the lady in white' and but she's more active at night than in the daytime and she used to be a Butter Factory worker. But then, that's only what I've been told. 

The next place I took Riley to was another historical place: the Kingston Pioneer Cemetery where the Mayes Family is buried. She loved it; as it too is quiet and off the beaten track a little. She was amazed I knew about it. I said that I found the place years ago and the Logan City Council has looked after it better by putting a fence around it and a sign up for tourists. But it's still an open cemetery and one of the first in Logan City. She was touched to see some of the oldest residents of Logan were laid to rest there - but sad that some of graves didn't have headstones. I said that some of the families could only afford the fences, but not the headstones; and it's been so long, that not even the Logan Council knows who's buried here anymore. It's really sad when that happens. I was going to take Riley to Mayes Cottage but the place was closed until Thursday.

We took off to the Logan Art Gallery. I took the back way, along Jacaranda Avenue and we showed up at the Gallery at around midday. The place wasn't very busy and I Riley was really impressed with it. I walked her around the gallery telling her the history of the whole place and how long it's been open, what was there before it and how long the building has been there. Then, I took her out to the workshop and showed her that and the store room there and out into the garden as well...she was amazed that Logan City wasn't the only city of its kind in the world. I said there was a city just like Logan City in Japan - our sister city - and we communicate with it artistically every two years. 
I showed her the exhibition where the children have done their artwork; and she was surprised at how good year 5 artwork is. I said that the way they teach children over there is different to the Western way of life; it's more structured and the kids there have less distractions. She loved the Allsorts Exhibition and saw my work and took a photo of it; marveling at the stitching and how it was just amazing on its own and so different from all the other work in the exhibition.
Then, Jillian took her out the back and she let into the world of how exhibitions are put together; and how fast exhibitions are changed over at the gallery. At some bigger galleries, they take a month to change over an exhibit, whereas at the Logan Art Gallery, it takes a little over a day to do that same thing; and the people who work at getting it all done are there from around 9am until 5pm. They are constantly working to get it all right first time around. 

After the gallery, we walked out to the car, and Riley said she learned a lot about galleries and said that it must be a great place to work at the desk of. I said it is and that I'm constantly learning new things as well. 

We went to Diggers in Logan Central for lunch. This an RSL (Return Services League) for return soldiers anyone can join. I swiped my card and because Riley was under 18, she could walk in as my visitor. We had a wonderful vegetarian lunch of feta and spinach cannelloni and huge ice coffees as well. It was great to eat a lovely meal in a nice place without having to yell over traffic or any young kids. She really liked that place; and said the meal was huge! We couldn't finish our meals, they were that big!

Before long, we were back on the road and heading back to my folks' house to meet up with my parents to take Riley home. Dad, Riley and I sat down and had a chat about what we did and Riley said it was a great day. I made a status update on Facebook - mentioning her - and she loved it. 

It was a huge few hours with my 17 year-old niece and she loved hanging out with me and seeing some places around Logan City... places she's never been to before - and one where she was revisiting after a long time. I'm so glad I could show her around in the comfort of my car and it was a lovely Winter's day too.

Well, it was a busy day yesterday and a busy one today - and there's another couple coming up too. Today was shopping day and I got out late and came home late; but with the cold weather, I wanted to take my time. It's always nice to have a day dedicated to grocery shopping; where you don't have to rush to get it done. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Back To Decluttering Fun!

Over the last week, I've had some major time on my hands; and it's been damned depressing over that time as well. I didn't have my internet and used a Hotspot Device that my Mum loaned me - so I wasn't online for as long as I wanted to be, because I didn't want to chew through the money on that.

So, once I got myself back online, I started back into the decluttering again. The top part of my wardrobe has been cleaned out and I gave away a tiny bookcase I have been using as shelves for my tiny handbags. In its place I put a basket where my tiny handbags can stay and put my 3 craft baskets up there along with 2 spare pillows that are strangely-shaped (a body pillow and a boomerang pillow). 

Then I have gotten into the habit of throwing out the rubbish in the kitchen on a daily basis and making sure I try to wash up once a day (after dinner). It's making life a lot easier for me now when I wake up in the mornings and the kitchen is so much tidier to work in. And speaking of which, I have had the kitchen pantry, fridge and under the kitchen sink all organised since January and they've stayed that way. I'm so pleased with myself that I haven't let them get messy again! 

Yesterday, I mowed the lawn, watered the garden out the front - as it's been so dry here - and out the back yard just as the sun went down, and was inside after dark and just before 'Neighbours' started (man, that show is going through so many changes... I seriously don't know if I want to see any more people leave it). 

Today, I washed the car for the first time in weeks and sorted out the vinyls collection under my stereo system. I found so many things there I didn't know where to start; but starting somewhere instead of giving up was better than nothing at all, right? Well, I found some certificates of my late-Grandpa's tests for his mouth organ exams out at Warwick inside a book for one of the 'Reader's Digest' Album Collections. They were left there by either my Grandmother or my Uncle Allan. Just as well I went through all the music album books and didn't just toss them into the box thinking they weren't worth anything... and just as well I wanted to try out one of the vinyls too, otherwise I would never have found the certificates.

Well, I called Mum and told her about them (as she's the one doing the family history and needs to know) and I put them away in a folder I've got of all his music certificates - so far - I know there's more somewhere around here. I have inherited a lot of books and things that have these hidden inside them; I just have to go through them all before giving them away.
Once I got the vinyls I didn't want anymore into the car, asked a friend online if he wanted any of them, and thought to take them to Mum and Dad's tomorrow... I packed away everything else into the space under the stereo again. There's a gap behind them, but I'll see what to do with that yet.

Well, that's my few days of cleaning up and cleaning out done for now. Two bags of Christmas Decorations are off to Vinnies on Monday. And tomorrow I'm sorting through my bathroom towels - as I have far too many for just one person. There's some there which are too tatty to be hair towels; so they're going to be stored in the shed for when I need them around the house. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Writer's Block

I've felt discouraged from writing lately. Sometimes what people say about what I write can make me feel horrible about how I speak about my life, what I do and how I run my life.

It makes me reevaluate my time and what I should and shouldn't do... and I get writer's block. 

This is never a good thing; and I try to ignore it.

I have never stopped people from writing what they feel is true to their hearts on my blog - unless it's not suitable and I remove it - but when I'm writing my blogs, I try to keep my subjects a cool as possible and on the subject they're about.

My Reading List is about books, authors, publishers and other book-related topics; and I try to make that blog feel as though you - the reader - and I are sitting down at a coffee shop to just chat happily with no stress. It's basically how I speak... mistakes and all.

This one? Well, this is basically an observation of my life and what goes on around me. I know that sounds dead boring, but really a person's personal perspective can be interesting to some and boring to others. Sometimes, it can be a little of both.

Like today - for example. My car was put in to get an oil leak fixed and it turned into something much bigger! The mechanic found so much more to be worried about and it cost me over $100 more to fix it. I talked to him about my front brakes and he ended up having to replace them... thankfully... because they weren't legal by the time they were going to fix them. 
But I had to go out and do a whole lot of the stuff while my Little Green Machine was in the shop. I ended up with Mum's car and took about 4 hours in my day working out where I had to go, getting some things at a charity store, going to the doctors to drop off a World's Greatest Shave poster and checking the mail as well as buying a cool little plunger for my bathroom (yeah, the old plumbing here has a lot to answer for... smelly!). 
When I got home, I found some numbnuts had been at my hose again! This is the second time in three months. This time, they took the screw-on tap fitting and I had to borrow one from my neighbours. So, instead of waiting for this to happen again, I've hidden my hose and taken the tap fitting from them... whoever they are. So the next time they want to take a chunk of my hose (in 3 months' time), they can't. They have to invade some other person's car port to do it.

Things have been going well otherwise...

My tattoo is healing wonderfully. I can almost wear a bra over it (yeah, it's still feeling a little like a sticker; and will for another week or two). My needlepoint is going well. I found a great frame for it for only $4.00 and I'll be getting a framing shop to help me get it all fixed up when I get it finished. And I'm learning to make corn bread... yummo! I love corn bread. Well, until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Busy Few Days

I've had the busiest few days, so much so, I haven't had much time to myself lately. Amongst the decluttering of the townhouse - which is going really well - I've been working with my next door neighbours concerning the welfare of both our places due to termites.

Yep, those nasty little critters munched on their place years ago and the people who got the place treated back then didn't repair the house. Instead, they just left it to fall apart, thinking it'd be okay. But it's not.

So, we're talking and working out what to do; seeing my place to be treated as well.

Anyway, yesterday was shopping day and I went out early to the Rochedale Fruit Markets only to have to turn around and come back because I forgot my keycards and money. I hate that. But then, everyone does that every once in a while.
I bought Dad's Birthday gift, paid off part of my vinyl of David Bowie's 'Blackstar' at the music store and then did my grocery shopping. It's been going well.

Then, today, I went out and did some small stuff which turned into big stuff. All I wanted to do was drop off my 3rd Donation Box of goodies to Vinnies, go to Spotlight to buy some more tapestry and check the mail on the way home.
I ended up at Mum and Dad's place, at the mechanic's, at the post office, at the tattooist's... anywhere but finding my way home. Sure, I passed it a number of times, but I didn't get anywhere close to pulling into the driveway for around 5 hours; on a day when I was supposed to be out for only an hour. 

Oh well, I guess the best laid plans do go astray. And this weekend is going to be spent doing something I don't want to do instead of hanging out at home... well, until my next post take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

2015 - What a Year!

It's been most certainly a busy year for me. I've gotten a lot done around my house; as well as a lot done in my life.

I still have my Little Green Machine; and it's running very well. It did have to get a look at around November as the coils stuffed up and so I was without a car for a few days. However, she's been running well since.

But at the beginning of the year, I got a lot done. The decluttering of this townhouse intensified and I threw out more rubbish and gave away more things I didn't need. I reorganised the kitchen in such a way I really didn't have to look for anything by rummaging anymore - and I discovered Lazy Suzans... yes, those retro merry-go-rounds everyone seems to be using for the fridge, pantry and even the bathroom. 

The chair I worked on in the beginning of the year came home about a month later after it was finished being reupholstered ... and now it takes pride of place in my office where I sit in it after writing for hours on end, want to chill out at the end of a long day, or just sit and read in it whenever I want to - but I never get far and end up falling asleep in the lovely thing.

I scored myself my first tattoo on my right wrist of a semi-colon; for the Semi-colon Campaign. However, I'm not stopping at just that little bit of ink - I've planned to get myself another few before my life is through. I'm saving up to get Angel Wings on the back of my left shoulder. The reason for this is personal and spiritual - besides, if I told you guys, you'd probably laugh - so I'm getting it for my own reasons. When I get a tattoo, I won't be getting it because it's cute, there will be a story behind it. This time, it's hard to explain, but when I do get it, I'll tell you why. It will be next year I'll be doing it, though.

But the year hasn't been all roses. I recently had my sun cancers removed from my arms and my right hand - talk about painful! There were 6 of them and they weren't on the surface, they had to be cut out while I knocked out (this part I didn't mind; as I didn't want to be awake for any of it). And when I did wake up, I found that the ones on the hand the doctor said he was going to burn off, he ended up cutting out. He came into post-op and told me that they were deeper than he anticipated and he had to do what he did. 
These took so long to heal and I had to really care for them - making sure they healed up properly. So, I Googled some after-surgery oils to apply; and found Coconut Oil did the trick - and man, did it work! From the first application, I could feel it working its magic on my scar on my hand. And it's only gotten better since then.

Christmas crept up on all of us. One minute it was my 42nd, Pizza Party at my brother's house with family and close friends, and the next thing you know, I was scaring the crap out of kids on Halloween and Christmas adverts were being screamed at us on the television set. Fortunately for me, I had already done most of my Christmas shopping and had only a few things to pull together - yep, I'm always prepared and start my shopping around September or so. My Christmas Cards are posted off in November and then there's the decorations to put up around the place - which were late this year, but with my hand and arms the way they were, well, I had a good excuse to be slow. But they got there.

New Year's Eve is tomorrow and there's still preparation to get done. I'm looking forward to not spending another depressing one here in the unit complex. The last one I spent here, I was on my own and there were parties going on around the place and yet people knew I was on my own, and not a single one invited me for a drink or to to hang out. So, usually, I'd head to the coast... but I went there to recover from the surgery. This time, I'll be somewhere else. We'll be chilling out and enjoying our night with friends, food and music. That's how it's supposed to be enjoyed. 

So, I hope you are all enjoying your New Year's this year with people you love, at a place you're enjoying yourself. If you're driving take care, don't rush, don't drink'n'drive... and if you've had a few, have a designated driver who will take you home or call a cab (that's what they're there for). We need to see you all into the New Year and into the future. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Horrible Week

I've had the worst week around. 

On Monday, I went okay at my Craft Group - as our class was put on hold for that day - so we could do our own thing. This is good, as I worked on my own stuff and looked at clothes from a shopping trolley, scoring well! 

Tuesday was a busy day at my folks' house. I returned home, unpacked the car, locked it up and left it alone. The next day, I found my car had been broken into! OMG! I felt so violated that I thought I was going to be sick. After calling the police to report it, they said they'd get the fingerprint people out and gave me a QP number. Yesterday, they came out around 9am and fingerprinted my car, apologising for the hold up on how long it took them to get to me. I said it was okay - seeing how they had their hands full from the investigation going on with the teenaged girl at Marsden. Anyway, the policewoman got what she needed, photographed everything and left after filling out her report. 

I could finally go out and do some much-needed shopping at the Rochedale Fruit'n'Veggie Market and other things I needed to do as well. I'm glad I did because I really needed to get away from the house. 

Yesterday afternoon, I hung out with my neighbours and we talked about what happened and they said that they'd be more aware about what goes on around here... and said it was weird that my place was picked. I said I was told if the car hadn't been accidentally unlocked - and was locked up - they would have broken a window to get in. But as it is, they found nothing of value and won't come back to it as my car is 'worthless' in their eyes.

Anyway, this is the reason why I haven't been posting here lately. I've been really wrung out and stressed. I'm getting there, but still feel tired and really need to catch up with my sleep (yeah, not sleeping well still either). Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Everything Happening At Once!

Man, I wonder sometimes what I did in a past life to have everything happen all at once... you know what I mean? 

Well, I had two doctor's appointments one day after another - and they were two specialists, which cost a huge amount of money too! One of them gave me good news, while the other said, 'Yes, those sun cancers will have to come out of your arms... see you in three weeks at Sunnybank Private at 6:30am.'

Then, while I was at the Wesley Hospital, I bought some Epilum from the chemist there - and it was the home brand stuff; which I was usually okay with. However, within three or four days, I was anything but okay. I had the sweats, had little to no appetite, was extremely thirsty and couldn't sleep; in other words: I was going through withdrawal on a major scale and had allergic reactions left and right as my skin began to crawl and itch all the time. So, on Melbourne Cup Day, I took off to my nearest chemist and tried to trade my home brand pills with some 'real' Epilum - without success; I had to take it back to the chemist I bought it from. Bummer... oh well, they understood and let me buy some more of the 'real' Epilum this time.

Anyway, later on in the morning, I drove to Mum and Dad's place because I still wasn't feeling great (and I couldn't take my next dose of medications until later that day), when on the way there, my car started stuffing up at the lights. It was missing and grumbling all the way there! Damn! So, I told Dad and we went for a drive... just when I wanted to sit down and do nothing but watch the Big Race #7 that day... no, Dad was focused on getting my car looked at all day. He had me running around the place, up and down the stairs and driving around Slacks Creek looking at mechanics to see what we could do with my little car... most of the stuff we talked about didn't stick with me, it just went straight over my head because of how horrible I felt. I don't think Dad believed me that I felt sick... just because I wasn't blowing chunks didn't mean I wasn't feeling disgusting.

Anyway, yesterday, I was at Moss Street at 8:10am after shoveling down breakfast, after a shower and after emptying out my car of anything important... Dad had found a place he had taken my late Uncle's cars to get looked at before we sold them, and he wanted me to meet him there at 8:10am... I was there before he was, the guy was great. He asked what happened and when he heard what year my car was, he knew exactly what was going on - and said he'd look at it for us.

Today, I got to pick up my Little Green Machine and she was purring along just wonderfully! I thanked Mum for loaning me her car for a day and a bit and we went our separate ways. I also had bought some lovely bananas for her and Aussie Garlic at the Rochedale Fruit'n'Veggie Market as well just so she didn't have to go to the trouble of looking for it.

What a week, right? I'm feeling so much better - but I'm stuck with medication I don't have a use for and I don't know what to do with. I might hand it over to my local doctors' and see if they can use it; seeing I can't. Well, until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Jump In And... Go!

Cars are fun!

Seriously... they are!

I love the fact that I can just jump in my little green machine and go anywhere I please at a moment's notice. 

Today, I was here at home in the morning doing chores after eating a breakfast of pancakes with fruit and lime with sugar - yep delicious stuff! Then, after midday, I got offline and thought to grab my camera and phone and get my butt out of the townhouse complex and go for a Sunday Afternoon Drive somewhere.

Where I went didn't matter... what mattered was that I ended up at a park.

I went to Lancaster Park at Waterford West; this place is better known as The Rose Garden. It's on the corner of two main roads and is such a pretty place. After taking a lot of photos of the roses and flowers there, I was off to see if Mayes Cottage was open - however it wasn't. So, I kept on driving (yeah, didn't get out of the car) until I got to Springwood Park where every man and his dog was enjoy the warm Summer-like day - even the birds were having a wonderful time in the trees eating the flowers.

I took plenty of photos of the flowers there. I took so many photos because I'm doing a themed month for my 365er's page next month; and Springtime flowers is the theme... very nice, eh?

Well, I ended up at my parent's house for a few hours and ended up feeding the birdies and then coming home at around 5pm where I made myself a delicious salad and cleaned the kitchen... the whole kitchen (well, okay, except the floor!). 

So, that was my Sunday. Busy and a great day out. 

Still... I love driving my car... no matter how far I go in it. It's so much fun.

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

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.

Driving My Car

As with most activities I looked forward to doing when I grew up, I love to drive my car.  I truly adore the independence it gives me to go anywhere around the city I live in at anytime of the day or night and how safe I feel on the roads when I'm driving it.

That's a good thing to feel in your own car.

Safe.

However, it's dreadful when other drivers on the road seem to think they either own the road or they don't know the road rules all that well.

Or they don't care.

I've been thinking seriously of getting a dash cam for my car... yeah, honestly I have.  I never had one in my last one, and now I'm back behind the wheel again, I'm hoping to get one.

This is mainly because there's been so many people who are such big idiots on the roads that I can't seem to believe what I see or experience out there.

Take today as a prime example of another driver being an absolute douchbag.  I was on my way to Garden City to get something exchanged (what that was isn't important to this story).  I was about to go under the highway - as I've done many times in my driving experience - when a white ute pulled out in front of me without indicating.  The driver didn't look over his shoulder - into his blind spot - to check to see if anyone was coming down that mostly-empty left-hand lane.  He just pulled out in front of me, causing me to slam on the brakes and blast the horn.

Man!  Did he get the surprise of his life to find my little green Astra right there!  He was less than 2 feet from hitting my car!  I screamed out my window that he was an arsehole, went around him and kept going as his mouth flapped open in shock.

The shock of how close my car came to being totalled didn't really hit me until I parked the car at Garden City and turned the engine off; and I began to shake a little and had a cry to myself that I had come within feet of having a major car accident with some dickhead who was swerving in and out of traffic without thinking.
It was then I jumped out of the car and really checked it over; making sure it was okay - and it was! But the last thing we need on our roads are people who just don't think.

It's not good to have passed your tests and get your car and have the fun time driving around.  You have to use your brain too.  

You have to be observant.

You have to think before you go.

You have to look before you let your car go.

It's just  a matter of common sense - and if you don't have that, well, you don't deserve to be on the roads.  After all, I remember well that my Dad told me many times that having a driver's license was a privilege and driving on our roads was not a right... we don't own the roads, we have to share them with others.  If you can't do that, you don't deserve to be on them. 

Happy Easter!

Woah!  It's Easter already.  That means the rego of the Little Green Machine is up to be paid (and I've paid it... yay!) and then there's its insurance and the RACQ Roadside Assistance too...but I have until the end of the month to do the other two.  I will be doing those two next week to get them out of the way.

However, this weekend is the Long Weekend for Easter.  I spent Good Friday at Mum and Dad's place where Mum played 'Crossroads' concerts on their television for 5 hours!  

Okay, this is something Dad hates, which I didn't mind for 2 hours, but having it go on continuously for 5 hours is a little much.  By the end of it, I really wanted to leave the house... I felt really bombarded by it all.  
But I was a visitor and felt I couldn't say anything.  I did stay for dinner and ended up telling Mum I didn't like what she did with the music that day; that she didn't even notice that I went quiet by around 3pm (when I do go quiet in times like that, it means I'm withdrawing and feel really exhausted from my surroundings and what quiet time... even just an hour or so).  

Today, I was out really early to the shops to pick up a few little things to take tomorrow to my friends' house.  I'm cooking up a storm when I get there.  It's going to be fun.  I'm taking my wok and making a huge stir fry... great stuff, eh?  Well, it's going to be wonderful and I'll be loving every minute too, as Will Cornivus (a mutual friend of Geoff and Vivienne's) will be there too, and he and I haven't seen each other for yonks.
While I was out, I bought Mum and Dad their Easter gift of a cute little plant and took it over there to them.  I said that may not be able to drop by before going to Viv and Geoff's place, so thought to give it to them today; and see them on Monday instead.

Anyway, while I was there, Mum was searching high and low for a shopping list and she couldn't find it.  We searched the car, her handbag and my bag and her clothes ... and we still couldn't find it.  Well, she started writing out another one when I suggested she downloads an app from the Playstore onto her phone and she'd never lose her shopping list ever again.  She did that and started writing her list out on her phone.  I'm glad I taught her about that app.  She takes her phone everywhere... and so she won't ever lose her lists again.

Well, that's been my day so far.  I've also written out a flash fiction today too; and it got 13 hits in just 45 minutes... very cool... I'm very happy about that.  It's holding on the 13 so far, but I'm hoping it'll take off more by Monday.  Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember I'm always here.  And most of all, Happy Easter!

Little Green Machine

Next month, it's been a year since I got Little Green Machine... the day before ANZAC Day actually. How brilliant is that?

And how fast did that year go?  

I'm amazed at how much I have done with my car.  From the day I received as a birthday gift from my Dad - who spotted it at a car yard at Stone's Corner - to now, I've found a lot of joy in this little car of mine.

It's been to a few good markets, taken me shopping, had one flat tyre, taken me to Brunswick Heads and back once and to Brighton and back a few times.  And all my friends love the colour, how it runs and I do love the stereo system... very, very much... which has caused my folks to nickname me 'the noisy one' instead of 'hey, our daughter's here'.

I've been catching up with so many things that I've missed out on doing over the past 20 years that I am still working on that bucket list of driving places.  I know that sounds strange, but when you've had health issues and you have to stop driving for a while, you tend to miss out on a lot of things.

I used to go ice skating at Acacia Ridge a lot when I used to drive the Celica, it was a joy for me to do that about once a month.  I used to go to the movies once a fortnight (on Tuesdays because they were cheaper) at the Hyperdome, and I would catch the most recent films.  Then, there were my trips to Stone's Corner to buy clothes that were one-offs, great styles and cheap.  

Once I gave up driving, I couldn't do any of that without adding in hours of being on a bus and bus fair... and man, that cost a lot of money!  Now?  The money I'd put into bus fair goes into the petrol tank and I don't have to wait for a bus, I just jump in the car and drive to my destination and home again when I'm ready to come home.

I didn't truly know how much I missed having a car until I had to get a cork for the terrarium in the living room and I used the GPS to get myself to Bardon - over near Mt Coot-tha.  Once I was there, I ended up having a very nice lunch at the restaurant, taking my time coming home; making it a full day out - I mean why not?  I didn't have to catch the bus.  I wasn't rushing to get to Garden City to beat the last bus at 8:15pm.  There really wasn't any hurry to be anywhere... this was when I really didn't worry.

The longer I've had my car, the more freedom I've felt.  And there's been days where I didn't want to go anywhere... not because it's not sunny, or there was a book sale, or I had a box filled to the brim with donations... I just didn't feel like going anywhere and stayed home and did some housework, read a book or cleaned out the car.  I know it was there, but there is no real need to jump in it all the time just because it's there.

I have total respect for other drivers... unless they don't have any for me.  And within this year, I've decided to buy myself a dash cam for the car, so if I am in an accident, it's all caught on it for insurance purposes.  

Today, though, I was over at my folks' place to get some work done on the paintwork.  You see, I had gone to Brighton to visit my niece, Riley, when, on the way home, I was behind a truck which had something flying and flaking off the back of it.  At the time I didn't know what it was and went around it, but when I arrived home, there were minute black flecks of crap all over my windscreen, all over the bonnet and on the supports and side mirrors... yuk!  So, today, Dad and I got some turps and rubbed it all off the car, then washed it.  We chatted about polishing the car, and he gave me some MacQuarie's Polish for the car and an applicator.  When I got home today, I waited an hour or so for the car to cool off and then rubbed the polish into it... now it looks wonderful!

Well, I'm expecting my rego renewal in the mail soon, and it'll be without a sticker... so, it'll be good to actually be able to afford my own rego on my car - for the first time in my life.  Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Not Long Now.

We have about two weeks until Christmas and I'm looking around my place and finding gifts which still need completing and wrapping... yeah, I'm hand-making some this year to save money.

I've also come down with the worse sinus ever...I know it's sinus because when I'm here at home, my nose runs like a tap, but when I leave the house, it stops.  So, it's the dust around the place which is causing my problems.  I've been doing some major cleaning to remedy this problem today and the other day too.  Now, I'm feeling better.

This week, I'll be doing a quarter shop for groceries.  I know that sounds weird, but I will.  There's things I won't need until I return from the coast.  So, I don't see the point in buying up big if I'm not going to eat much of it.  So, I'm doing a small shop and making sure I have enough non-perishables and then take a few things down the coast with me that I want to have, then come home and know I'll have some things to eat in my house.  I've always done this with my house when I'm on holidays; and it works out the best.

Now, I've been tidying up the house, cleaning it up, so I can take off and make sure I come home to a lovely clean home... let's hope that works out.  However the garden won't be so easy... it'll be something I'll be hoping to get into order when I return.  The grass has been growing so much since the rains have returned - not to mention the storms.  And I'm hoping that my Large Leaf Jade puts off more straggling bits for me to plant and I can sell them soon... it'll be a sideline for me to show at the markets, for people to buy.  I hope to have enough to sell by June next year, then I'll start again.

Anyway, I've gotta go soon.  I have some books to organise for my holiday reading.  Yep, in My Reading List, there's the Summer Fun Even 2014 I've begun again.  It ought to be great.  And seeing I have a car now, I'll be driving around around the Northern Rivers area looking at bookstores and places, taking photos of those places for you to all see... not a bad idea for a nice little road trip.  You know, a day out with my Little Green Machine and the GPS... yeah, sounds great.  Well, until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.