Only Thursday

It's Friday ... no hang on, it's Thursday!

Yep, today, I forgot what day it was!

I've had one of those weeks where I've been so busy over the last week or so that my brain hasn't kept track of the days.  Sometimes this is good, and sometimes this is bad.

For example, this morning, it almost slipped my mind that I have been living here in my townhouse for 14 years. It's been that long to the date and it's gotten that way where nothing surprises me anymore. Yep, no matter what people do, I just don't feel that shock anymore.

I'm looking at doing new things though.

Today, I was very busily driving around and getting things done this morning; then came home and vegged out with my next door neighbour who was figuring out her phone and stuff before she took off to do some shopping. Meanwhile her two darling cats were lounging around us getting a pat from both of us. 

I dropped of a collection of pin cushions to the Logan Art Gallery which are going to be in the store there from October to December. Then, I bought some tiny sinkers from BCF and half a metre of size 18 tapestry from Spotlight. I checked the mail and bought some calcium pills (which I normally take at night before bed) and then scored a cute notebook and two purple ink pens from Office Works before I headed on home.

On the weekend, I'll be doing some work on pin cushions and writing. Otherwise, not too much in the way of going out. I'm hoping to get more work done on a book where the character falls in love with the reader - which is a difficult thing to do, but I believe it can be done. So, there was my day today. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

A Day In the Life...

For those who don't know what it's like to have a medical condition and medication every day, I thought to write a post about it.  

6am - First alarm goes off.  It's time for my Epilum.  Grab the phone, turn off the alarm, take my purple pill, go back to sleep.

7am - Second alarm goes off.  It's time for my Topamax.  The sun is just peaking over the roofs of my neighbours and it's cold.  Turn off my alarm take my pill and doze until 7:30am.

7:30am - Third alarm goes off and I turn that off and take my Tegritol.  The neighbourhood Islamic kids run off to school past my house talking to each other.  I wait another half hour before I get up.

8:15am - I get up, strip the bed, get dressed in my painting gear and take the laundry downstairs with my phone, glasses and anything else I remember to take in the laundry basket and put on the first load of laundry - the sheets - then put on some porridge for breakfast.  After the pot is on the stove, I open all the curtains and let in the sunlight for the day.

10:45am - all the laundry is finished.  I've washed up a fair bit of stuff, put away the Dutch Oven from last night and scrubbed the wooden board I usually use every day and it's sitting on the back of the stove drying out.  
I've taken photos of my newest line of products as I go.  There's a few new pegs I painted up last night with cracking medium and put two totally opposite colours together - and they worked! - then there were the two coathangers I hoped worked; and they did!

11:30am - I've been online for a bit now.  I've checked my e-mail, talked online with a friend and uploaded a photo on to 365Project (a photographic site where you put up a photo of something you do each day - it goes over a year - but I've been doing mine for 4 years now).  Anyway, I've take a photo of my Dutch Oven I bought years ago in Epsom, Victoria as it's a cool little thing, and put it up there.

1pm - I'm back at my craft table.  I have to get working on some normal pegs again.  There's plenty of cracked decor stuff to start the new line of products, now to keep going with the other lines I already have going.  It's good to know I have so much work to keep me busy for this month's markets.  Over the next hour or so, I get in and paint as much as I can, then I put out the rubbish and the recycling in the big bin at the back of the complex, and finally, I get myself out the front - where the sun is nice and warm - and get my nose into a book for the first time in a few weeks.  

3pm - Jeez I'm hungry!  First check the laundry... yep, most of it's dry.  Pull in the sheets and anything else that's dry and leave the rest for the sun to get until 4pm.
I take the sheets upstairs and make up the bed - moving the glory box first - and then put away any clothes that need it.  

4pm - make a pizza dough and put a towel over the bowl.  Set my iPod timer for an hour and pull in the rest of the laundry - it's still a little damp - so I pull out the large clothes horse and hang up the rest of the stuff overnight; it should be dry by tomorrow.

5pm - the timer goes off, I have all the ingredients ready for the pizza and oven turned on and ready for it too!  The television is on and the curtains have been drawn for around 45 minutes now to keep in the warmth from the day.  

6pm - time for my Epilum... I take it just as Family Feud starts and I'm sitting on my lounge eating my dessert of kiwi fruit, grapes and yoghurt and a little bit of dark chocolate.  I've made myself a nice pot of green tea too.  

7pm - time for my Topamax... Neighbours has just finished and I'm putting on a dvd of one of the seasons of 'Supernatural' as I pick up my sewing.  I'm making a hand-stitched piece for the Secret Santa deal at my craft group... it's a Tie Cushion... it's a whole lot of men's ties all tied up and stitched on to a large cushion and then their stitched to each other side to side and at their bottoms (so it gives) and then you use it as a proper cushion once the stuffing is put back in.  It's very cool... and almost finished. 

7:30pm - time for my Tegritol... sometimes I miss this by around 15 minutes, but not by long as I feel its affects pretty quick if I do.  I take this and drink my tea as I stitch more. 

9:40pm - the 4 episodes of 'Supernatural' are finished.  I've finished stitching up one tie and started on another and I'm tired.  I put away the dvd and turn off the television.

Sometimes I'll finish off the washing up, sit on the computer for an hour or so, or just head off to bed and read before turning out the light.  But I do have days where it's more busy and I'm out in the car - like my grocery days - but this is my average day at home where I do my craft work for a good part of the day and have a lot of waiting around to do for things to dry.

My medical condition hasn't always been this easy to control or medicate.  It took over a decade of tests, doctors and traveling to Melbourne and back to Brisbane to find the right doctors to get me into the right medications to finally set my Epilepsy right.  i was born with this disease (it used to be a medical condition; but has, in recent years, upgraded to a disease because of what it does to the human brain over time) and we found out over the last few years that my Epilepsy is genetic as well.  This is the reason why I don't have children.  Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Windy Old Thursday

It looked like rain today, but I did the laundry anyway.  By around 1pm or so, it was all dry because the wind snapped the towels, underwear and other clothes like flags, and the sun played peek-a-boo between the threatening grey clouds.

While it was all out there there drying, I vacuumed the house, dusted the piano, credenza and the entertainment unit.  Then, I washed the kitchen floor - which only got sugar all over it again because I'm clumsy.  
While the floor was drying, I put out the recycling and put some money across for tomorrow's outings.  Yeah, I have some things to do while I'm out and about checking the mail, collecting a few things for a Bookcrossing Valentine's Exchange thing and basically just making sure I drive safely.

Then, I sat down and put in an hour or so to do some Crafty Pegs.  While I was there, I heard some Kookaburras giggling around the place, so I grabbed the camera and looked for them.  They were on the guttering across the way out the back door.  One was sitting there, while the other was skimming the underside of the guttering for food; talk about cute!  So, I took some photos and the two Kookaburras watched me watching them. Hahaha... funny as!

At 4pm, I got in and made two pizza doughs - one that worked, one that didn't and got thrown out.  The one that worked tasted delicious!  I'm wondering what happened to the one I stuffed up.  Oh well, it happens; and after around 8 or 9 months of making pizza doughs, this is my first stuff-up.
I worked on more Crafty Pegs gear while Supernatural played on dvd - until around 10pm - before locking up the place and turning off the lights.  Then, I'm now sitting up here and writing this blog.  It doesn't sound like I got all that much done, but really I did.  

There's more to be done... more decluttering and more cleaning.

And until I blog about those, and until I upload a photo album about that, I hope you're working on your projects successfully like I am.  Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

The Heat Is On!

It's been a humid day and I still went out.  I had to go to Garden City to get some last minute Christmas Shopping done and then I could waste the remainder of my week away here at home painting my pegs and enjoying the rain and catching up on housework.

Today, I drove to Garden City, picked up a Gloria Jean Christmas mug and found out they made a Christmas Ornament - Yay! - and so I bought that too!  And then I was off to get myself a calendar for next year - another retro one - and found it down near K-Mart.  Then, I turned around and saw Riot Art just behind me and thought it would be wise to stock up on magnets for more Magna-Pegs (yeah, I know I have plenty, but you can never have too many Magna-Pegs).  But they didn't have any magnets I wanted... so I bought some dolly pegs and a tub of gold paint for when I run out of gold paint - which will be over the next month or so.

I drove home, nearly ran into a car on the way through my unit complex - only because it was illegally parked outside somebody's front door.  I called out for the owner to move it or next time I'll run into it - and that today was rubbish day and the truck will definitely run into it (seeing how fast they take the corners around here).  Then, I opened the house up and realised the heat wasn't just me... it was a really humid day!

I got changed, set up my painting gear and jumped online to check my mail.  After I stuffed around on here for about 2 hours, I turned off the computer and went outside to photograph some of my plants.  The Gloxinia is coming along so beautifully and will be in full bloom in less than a week!  I can't wait!  It's such a happy plant and there's so many little buds waiting to burst open and show how pretty and pink they are.

Tonight, I had a salad because I just couldn't be bothered cooking anything but an egg... and it was so humid!  And a few hours after sunset, it poured rain and we got some thunder and lightning... but it's still raining off and on; and the humidity is still sticking around.  I only hope I can sleep - let's just hope there's a nice breeze around tonight, eh?  Well, until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here.

Busy Morning

Today, I've been busy; and it's not yet midday.  This morning, I woke to my third alarm (I have three because of my medications to keep me on track) and once I turned that off, I thought to stay in bed.  I have no real reason to be anywhere to go anywhere today.  It was nice to stay in my new bed and just look around and knew this was my new bed; now lovely.
My sore muscles aren't as sore anymore and I do love the feel and look of my bedroom suite.  All my things are easy to get to and I'm not running around my room looking for what I need; it's all in the tallboy waiting for me to pick and choose.

But this morning I was busy.  I went and checked the mail - and there wasn't anything there - and then I walked to the service station next door and bought some milk and a roll of duct tape.  I arrived home, opened the side door and taped up the old bed I've got up on bricks next to my house in the carport properly to keep the rain out.  And the tape's holding.  If it doesn't, well I have more than enough to wrap the whole thing up!  
Then, I turned around, pulled out my old pocket knife and cut up all the cardboard boxes and put all the plastic and Styrofoam into three garbage bags.  The bags when into my wheelie bin and the cut up boxes went into the recycle bin up the back of the complex.  However, I had make room in that first.  So, I opened the lid up and pushed down the cardboard from the bedhead first, but it wouldn't go any further.  This was when my neighbour's Dad noticed I was having problems and he came and helped me.  He pulled out the large pieces and folded them down and pushed them into the bin, then he helped me put the other cut down boxes into the big bin and closed the lid up for me.  I thanked him very much for helping me and he was happy, so was I.  I thought I was going to be out there longer.  

I then, came back home, waved goodbye to him and then jumped online and checked my mail.  It's pretty quiet on here today.  I got a bit of mail, but nothing really urgent.  And I found out that somebody out there in cyberspace has been bullying somebody who's running a great page on 'Supernatural'.  This person is spreading rumours about Dakota (the page admin) where they say that she doesn't give credit to any of the artists who put in their art on the page.  This is total rot.  I've never seen her not do that since I've joined the page.  So, Dakota put out a statement less than an hour ago of what's been happening over the last few days and she's hoping it gets around to push this Tweeter out of existence and to make them stop.  There's nothing worse than a cyberbully who doesn't know the facts of a site; or one who doesn't like somebody just because they don't like them.

Anyway, I have a list of things to get done before Saturday night is gone.  I have to clean up the living room and wash the kitchen floor.  It's not really much when you think about it, but it's just fiddly stuff as a lot of stuff gets put away.  This is preparation for next week when I'm going into hospital and Mum's going to take care of me for a few days.

Now, for those who know, the Wesley Hospital is where I'm supposed to go, but I may not be getting my operation done there as it's not currently open.  My doctor has yet to contact me about getting me into another hospital... fingers crossed it's still going ahead on Tuesday, eh?  And I'm in private health insurance, so it doesn't matter which private hospital I'm in, so long the operation goes ahead.  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.  

Morning Walk and Great Coffee

Today - this morning - I made a plan.  I wanted to get a few chores done before I went out to a coffee place on Queens Parade.  Seeing I didn't know how far away it was, I thought to get in and do my chores, pack my bag and make sure I had enough money to get home by bus.  
Well, by around 9am, the chickens had been fed, their laying box was turned the right way up - with hay in it - and I had swept the floors, washed up, put away anything I needed putting away and readied myself to go out.  My new Bean Pole bag had a broken clip on it, so I taped that up and it worked well (for now) and I grabbed my sun umbrella and was out the door after I turned off the radio and locked up the house.

The walk to Eclectea Vintage Tea Shop was lovely; long, but still lovely.  Queens Parade is a long, flat road that comes off Nathan Street and it's full of WWII  homes that have been looked after well.  They're small, pretty little houses with tiled roofs and picture-perfect front gardens and medium-sized fences that line a busy road.  Back in the years they were built, this road would have been a quiet little street full of families during the war.  Now, it's an old area full of families but they're renovating the houses to either look bigger or keep them looking the same as they did when they were in their heyday.

I soon arrived at the corner crammed full of shops - from a butcher, dog-groomer, hair-dresser, organic juice shop and then, the massive store of Eclectea which took the whole corner up as its own.  When I first walked in, I thought the place was two separate entities; but I was mistaken as people walked through to the coffee house section and were greeted by the owners by name.  Their faces lit up when I walked up with a vinyl I had found in their collection - and wanted - as I was a new customer.  I asked for an ice coffee and they recommended a bottled one without a label called 'Cleanskins'.  I was curious at how good it was and so tried it out at their recommendation.  I looked around and wondered where to sit; and thought to grab a seat outside... where I could see the world go by for a while.  
The tables and chairs were all vintage living room furniture and everyone who arrived and had their morning brew lounged around happily taking in the morning sun and the nice cool breeze as they watched the traffic zip by.  Here within the boundaries of the coffee house, time seemed to stand still or slow down.  Everyone didn't want to leave; and we weren't encouraged to either, which is a good thing.  It made me feel good that I wasn't rushed away by anyone to make more room, or forced to order more just so I could stay longer... and isn't that nice when you're allowed to kick back and enjoy a place just because you want to?  
Well, I went back inside to return the bottle to the owners and found a lovely two-tone teapot hiding behind a sign.  I asked how much it was to buy and it was a good reasonable price of $10.  So, I bought not only that but some munchies for my folks too when they come to visit tomorrow and mow the lawn.  I'm looking forward to seeing them.  

So, that was my morning walk.  I totally enjoyed it.  What have you been up to lately which has been noteworthy?  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm/cool and remember, I'm always here.

Without A Hitch!

Today, went without a problem, without a hitch, without so much as another person getting in my way or being run over by anyone's stroller or trolley.  And there was a good reason for it too... I caught an 8:09am bus to Garden City.  I found that I was up nice and early because of two reasons:  to beat the heat of the day and to beat the crowds for Christmas Shopping.  But mainly to do the second one. 
When I arrived, only the three main stores were open.  So, I made the most of my time with those three open and used them while the other smaller stores were still closed.  Before I knew it, Woolworths and K-Mart had been visited and I had bought the dark chocolate and put in Little Miss Stevie's 70 or so photos to be developed in about an hour.  When I emerged from K-Mart, the other smaller stores had opened and I walked to the pet store to buy the fish feeder for the holidays.  I stayed there for a little while having fun with the birds and talking to them; they were a social little bunch.  But the store didn't have any budgies... pity it would have been nice to see some of those cute guys. 

Anyway, I bought my fish feeder and chatted to the store owner - who seemed as excited about Christmas as The Grinch or Mr Scrooge - and I could have sworn he was about to mutter 'Bah Humbug' at some point in our conversation.  I didn't stick around to find out if he was going to; instead, I went to Coles and got lost there for about 45 minutes trying to find all the things I needed there.  By some pure miracle, I did find all the things I needed (and was amazed how other people in the place did).  Otherwise, I would have been out of there sooner.  I couldn't find the cheese I wanted, and had to backtrack a few times around the dairy section, couldn't find the yoghurt or milk (so gave that a miss).  Then, I couldn't find much else either... I had to ask a few people; and found that the isles were all moved around from what I was used to.  It was strange to have a Coles that was all muddled up.  But seeing I found everything I needed - once I did - I went through the self-service check-outs and went out to the seats and organised myself.  I put all the heavy stuff in my trolley, the cold stuff in my esky and made sure I had my iPod with me and all my money too.  Before long, I was back to K-Mart to pick up the photos of Little Miss Stevie... and they were lovely.
I went to QBD to ask about the 10th book I had purchased at the Hyperdome and they told me that there was no such purchase; as it hadn't come through on their machine.  They were really apologetic about it and said that unless I had the receipt for it - which I didn't - they couldn't do anything about it.  I asked if they could call the Hyperdome store - and they did and they found it was on the computer down there, but not here.  But it still didn't count.  Bugger!  So, I still have to buy one more book.  I put that off until next year - until I really do want to buy a book; not because I want the voucher.
Then, I thought it was high time for a coffee.  My feet were hurting, I was hanging out for some sugar and a caffeine fix and really just wanted to sit down - something I hadn't done in around 4 hours.  So, I found my way to Gloria Jeans' Coffee House and ordered a nice ice coffee... yummo!  I also found they were making their Christmas Mugs again.  After complaining about them not being in circulation in 2011, I guess they had enough people asking about them to bring them back.  So, I bought one of their Christmas Mugs for $9.99 and a travel mug too.  There was another type of travel mug that was ceramic; but I didn't want to waste my money on it in case I had the horrible case of the clumsies one day in the near future; and ended up wasting $12.00 on a nice mug.  
Well!  I ended up getting into a nice conversation with older ladies who were also sitting down for a breather before going home too.  We all complained about the heat, how the storm last night didn't do anything but make the heat worse and then we were all happy about our drinks.  I made room for them at the small table I was sitting at and they asked what I was at Garden City for; and it reminded me to check on Little Miss Stevie's photos.  Well, they looked at them too.  And they just loved how pretty she was; and how it was such a pity that she was no longer with me, especially that she passed away only 2 weeks ago.  They both agreed that pets do become members of the family and really do get under your skin and into your heart.  And they were amazed as how well-cared for she was - and could see she had the utmost trust in me; right to the end. 

At around 11:15am, the ladies and I both made tracks to go home.  They were driving and I was catching the bus.  And before long, I was getting off at the Park Road stop with a few European tourists who were just learning English and finding their way around Brisbane.  They asked me in broken English where a car yard was and I told them and they were happy and grateful.  I checked the mail at the post office and was soon off home to wrap up last minute presents and put away some of the food and groceries I bought.  Ray from unit 17 dropped in and had a chat with me; and we caught up.  He said that it was sad my little bird was no longer with me; and word had gotten around that she had died.  He asked me if I was going to get another budgie; and I said yeah, it's just too darn quiet in the house. 

Well, that was my morning.  now I'm at home sitting in the air conditioning with the cicadas droning outside.  I can't wait until the weather cools off a little - if it ever does.  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here.     

The Last 24 Hours....

Christmas is such a busy time of year; and this year, I've been busier than ever - and yet, I've been here at home most of the time.
Over the last 24 hours, I've been very busy; so much so that I feel that tomorrow will have to be a restful day before the week begins.  And believe me!  Next week, I have only one day of being out and about and I don't wish to be out for too long on that day - which is my pay day - to get the last minute shopping things before Christmas Day (better known as 'The Orgy of Greed' in my family; a very tongue in cheek kinda joke I heard in a movie once) hits us once more.

In the last 24 hours, I've: 

- 4 loads of laundry, including 1 load of hand-washing
- Thrown out all my recycling into the big bin at the back of the place
- Washed up everything in my kitchen twice
- Made a shopping list on my iPod for Garden City
- Put up the Christmas Wreath in the front window of my house (then cried about missing my bird for the first time since Wednesday night)
- Made Sweet Popcorn and watched 'Love Actually' and enjoyed it
- Moved all the photos of Little Miss Stevie I've chosen for her photo album to be printed up to a thumb drive
- Sat down yesterday at 2pm and decided to keep working on my necklace wall-hanging until it was complete.  
- 10:45pm Friday night - I finished the necklace wall-hanging.
- From 2pm - 3:45pm I read a book and finished it.  
- 8pm tonight - I sanded down some old dolly pegs and painted them white, readying them to be repainted.  After two of them, I gave up and decided it was time to head off to the computer.

And so, tomorrow is going to be a day where I do almost nothing.  I'm hoping to just hang out and do some reading and enjoy the day and finish up some small bits of housework and that's it.  I got so much done in the last 24 hours, I think it's time to head off to bed soon.  I'll do nothing until Wednesday; when it's the busiest day for me to be out and about.  And all I need to do is get about 10 things at Coles and Woolworths and get about 8 things done and buy 3 calendars and buy my meds... how hard can that be only days away from Christmas Eve?  Meh!  Who am I kidding!  It's going to be a full day out.  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here.            

The Race That Stops A Nation!

I was up by around 7am, had the hot rollers plugged in and switched on, the rechargeable batteries plugged into another plug and charging and I was half-dressed and in a dressing gown so I could go and eat breakfast.  After I put my hair in the hot rollers, I wrapped a scarf around and tied it up, then went to have breakfast and fed the pets.  I took my time eating and listened to the radio while the curlers cooled down completely.
Then, too soon, it was 9:30am and I was off upstairs again to get dressed and put on make-up and shoes and take the curlers out of my hair.  Yep, I looked pretty dumb with them in, but once out, the results look good.  I was ready for a while and sat around and waited for the phone call to meet Mum and Dad out the front.  But instead of being bored, I visited next door and chatted with them for a while.  It's nice to see them some days and catch up.

Soon the phonecall came through I was off.  We drove to the TAB at the Logan Central Tavern where there was nobody there to help us with placing a bet; unlike at Springwood.  Dad hadn't thought of that, but it didn't matter, the ladies at the counter were very helpful and laid our bets for us instead.  I put down a lot of money on my bets all up and so did Mum while Dad waited for us.  This is our yearly flutter; and we enjoy it.  
The next port of call for us for the day was Lime Light Restaurant at the entertainment Centre.  This place was full as anything last year; but this year, it was almost empty with only 3 tables filled up.  there was also a grand piano in the corner and a pianist playing up some great music for a few hours before the race and while we were eating our lunch.  The music was all stuff we knew too... which was great and it was all the musician's favourite music too; which is always a plus.
The lunch was delicious.  I had a vegetarian lasagne with chips and a salad while Mum and Dad had chicken salad.  There was complimentary wine/champagne on arrival and for dessert we had Tiramisu.  Mum bought us coffee after the race and that's when they drew the sweeps.
We went into the sweepstakes and spent some money.  However I only got back $4.00, Dad got back $12.00 and Mum nothing.  At the TAB, I won $15.70 and Mum won nothing... so it was a good day for me.  Before we left the restaurant, every lady who was there received a little potted plant - of a Begonia or another little plant - and the men received a box of chocolates or a bottle of wine.  How lovely to receive something for the day.
I didn't have much for dinner - just open sandwiches and some chocolate with green tea for dessert.  But it's been a good day.  So, how did you go today?  Did you lay any bets just for today?  Or aren't you a betting person?  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here.      

My Lucky Red Socks

I have a pair of lucky red socks.  They are of a particular weave, bright red and are wonderfully comfortable.  And if I want to have a little bit of luck in the day, I wear them on my feet in any pair of shoes.  I've had these socks for years and I'm on the hunt for a new pair of red socks... but the problem is that socks aren't made the same as they used to be.  So, it looks like I'll be looking for a darner to fix these up until I find a place that sells similar socks to these.

How do I know if these socks are lucky?  Well, each time I've worn them, good things have happened to me.  For example, today... I went out to 'Go Fabrics' and found the ribbon for both knitted blankets I've been looking for!  And it cost under $15 for both of them.  However, my grocery bill was over $150 this time.  Oh well, that's how life is.  Then, when it came to catching the cab home, it only cost me $11.00; and I had exactly that in my purse!  How's that for luck?  I also found a few things I hadn't been planning on finding too.  Like, for example, at K-Mart, I found a retro-style photo frame - you know the kind where you can have about 6 photos inside the same frame - and it was only $12.00!  Very cool.  So, I grabbed that in a nice dark brown colour... it turned out to be the last one!  Lucky Last.

I have been lucky with these socks lots of times before and they have never let me down.  Like in May when I stayed overnight at my brother's house at Brighton to look after Riley for the night.  The next morning, we went to her high school's open day and wore my lucky red socks to it.  Well!  What a great day it was - and lucky too - as I found myself talking to the head of the art department about Art Waves at the Logan Art Gallery.  He wanted to know where gallery was and if he could book in tours and workshops with anyone there.  I did a good job of advertising the place and gave him the phone number and when he could call it for whatever he needed.  What luck was that?  Running into a teacher who was interested in that kind a art scheme for his high school - as well as other schools in his area.

So, do you have anything you carry with you like my lucky red socks?  Besides the usual rabbit's foot or four-leafed clover, what things have you found works for you over the years; and you've found have been wonderful in bringing you luck if/when you wear them?  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here.

Ten Years Ago Today....

Today is a special day; very special.  On this day, I did something really big, massive!  Ten years ago today - on this date - I moved out of my parents' house and into my town house I live in today.
The first time we inspected the place, it was was shown empty.  The carpets were white and clean and it felt very welcoming; much more welcoming than other places we'd been to.
I remember staying here - hanging out here - for about an hour to listen to the surroundings, on how noisy the place really was.  After all it's right next door to the Woodridge Fire Station - how noisy could that place get?  Well, we put in our application and waited... and I got the place.
Within weeks, I moved in.  Mum and Dad helped me and it only took 3 trips with their car and the trailer attached.  Not much when I think about it; but then, I didn't have much.  After all, I did live out of a spare room for two years; and I did have some things in storage facility to get too.  And by the end of the weekend, all my stuff was unpacked, the phone was connected and - by the end of the week - my address was redirected.  Yes, I was settled.

But over the next decade, I learned a lot of things about living alone.  I found people thought I was a bit of a doormat if I didn't stand up for myself.  Even if I stood on some toes, it got the message across that I wasn't to be stood on.  Strangely enough, I had people want to be friends with me.  And in a unit complex, it's good to have friends who will help you with things, but yet they're not so close they'll bug you.
I've seen my place go from a wreck to my own little castle.  The backyard was once full of weeds, yellow paper daisies, prickles and Scotch Thistles and now, it's not.  However, the yard underwent a lot of transformations before it came to the one it is now.  First, I just wanted a new lawn; and the caretaker we had then - Greg - helped me with that.  He took me out to Bunnings and even helped me out with transporting a bird bath home from a second-hand place in his truck.  Once the lawn was grown and looking good, I wanted to grow herbs and veggies; and I did!  Potatoes, carrots, zucchinis, tomatoes, capsicums, lettuce... all the good stuff!  I also grew herbs.  All kinds of herbs from Basil, oregano, sage, thyme and chilis too.  However, one by one, they all died because we had water restrictions and we weren't allowed to use our hoses.  So, there went my herb garden, and my dear green lawn until the rains came back; but it was too late.  My plants were all dead.  So, I decided to stick with plants that wouldn't die on me:  succulents.  And they were a big hit!  Since then, I've grown all kinds of them and in all kinds of pots around the yard.  However, due to some neighbours' kids being not so grown-up (as they were adults and acting their shoe size), I cleaned out my front garden completely and moved it to the safety of my back yard on a permanent basis.  My front garden is now due for a clean up, update and prune and I can't wait.

However, the interior of my house has improved markedly too.  I have seen huge changes here too.  It's a great thing to see so many things come and go in the decade I've been here.  I'm on my second fridge, third television, second stereo system, first turntable and third computer tower.  Wow!  That's a lot for ten years.  Over that time, my book collection has gone from around 100 books to over 1,000.  I moved it from the living room to my spare room - where I wasn't getting as many visitors as I thought I was going to get - and I transformed this room into a home office.  I went from owning just one bookcase to owning four.  My computer set-up is a permanent one and I no longer own a printer; as they shut down after a while.
My lounge room went from having a lawn chair and a plastic box in the middle of it to having a very comfortable lounge, coffee table and a large television to watch.  There's quite a few big pieces of furniture in the living room and each one is preloved.  I know the back-story to each piece, who owned it and where it came from; and one of them is a musical instrument.  I have Grandma's kitchen table too and my kitchen is well-established with all the things I'd ever need to cook - from a slow-cooker, rice cooker, a wok, pots and pans, 8 casserole dishes (of all shapes and sizes) to knives, equipment, spoons, wooden spoons, measuring cups and other things as well.  I have everything I need to be able to cook a good, decent meal from my very own kitchen.  So, who really needs to buy takeaway food?
But really, it's not the stuff inside the house that make my house my home. It's the history I have made with this place.  It's the art on the walls, it's the people I'm friends with around the complex, the yard I've cared for, my plants, my little budgie - who joined me in living here 7 years ago - and it's the times I've had in the walls of this place with family and friends.  My home is now my castle; and I'm proud to say it is because I've put so much effort into making my mark on it.  And as each year passes, I'll put another mark on this house's historical wall to show I once lived here.  But until that time comes, this place is my home.  So, celebrate with me this day of my 10th year of living at my townhouse; with all its ups and downs, problems and resolutions, joys and sadness... it's my home I come to when the day comes to an end.  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember I'm always here.

Ten Years On