Busy Monday Morning

The weather has turned nice and warm around Brighton; and for this, I'm glad as I can get in and do some laundry.  So, this morning, I slept in a little as I couldn't sleep last night.  Bummer... dunno why, I just couldn't.  
By around 8am I was up and had fed the chickens and changed over their water, then made sure they were happy by giving out some pats to a few of them.  They didn't seem to mind.  I programmed the computer in the house to be on Triple M for the day and ate breakfast, washed up everything and wiped down all the counters after I opened up the front blinds and door to let through the lovely breeze.  
It was around 9am by this time and I grabbed all the towels in the bathroom - except the hair towel - and put on a load of towels; then sorted out what needed to be washed from my room, then collected together all the clothes pegs I could find on the deck from the clothes horse (this meant pulling the laundry from last Thursday).

It took me about an hour or so to do all the rest of the laundry.  The sun is out and the wind has picked up nicely; without a single spit of rain coming from it!  How good is that?  What a lovely day for the laundry to be done.

While that was being done, I made sure I had everything on my shopping list on my iPod.  Now, this shopping list app I have is brilliant.  You get it off iTunes for free and it's called shopshop.  You can have up to 4 shopping lists and call them whatever you want.  I have all 4 of them used up, calling them: Garden City, Shopping List, Fruit'n'Veggies and Brighton.  It's a great way to keep my shopping lists separate and working... and yes I have an on-going list too called: List for 2013 which is a list of items I want to get for my house for this year.  Pretty cool, eh?
Well, yeah, I got my shopping list done, the house tidied up and some of the paper read - eventually.  Then, I watched an old classic movie of 'Goodbye Mr Chips' with Pete O'Toole in it - the 1969 remake of the original black and white version; which I like the best.  But O'Toole does a pretty good job anyway.  

For the rest of today, I'll be hopefully getting my laundry dry and keeping an eye on the weather so it does dry in some way.  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm/cool and remember, I'm always here.
  

Lazy Hazy Sunday

It's a lazy Sunday... lazy indeed.  I've done virtually nothing all morning but be on here since around 9am.  However, I've been up and about since 7am doing chores and walking up to the shop to get a paper that I never returned home with. Silly me, I forgot my $2.00 to buy it.  Oh well, never mind.  I know roughly what's on the tv by channel surfing.  

On the way home, I ran into a young woman who had two Labradors - one golden and one chocolate.  Both these dogs were still in the puppy stage and not fully trained.  While she was trying to text somebody, they spotted me and nearly tripped her up!  Talk about funny.  I did her a favour and patted the dogs while she stood there and texted whoever she needed to so the two didn't wrap the leads around her or take her for an unexpected run somewhere.  They were the friendliest dogs around... unlike the one I came across on the way to the shops.
That one was a large dog, heavily built with a muzzel around his mouth.  The owner pulled the lead short quickly on approaching me and held the dog close as we exchanged greetings.  And as he passed, the dog was clearly not pleased with me being that close as he growled at me.  I wasn't worried; as dogs normally don't worry me if they're controlled like that. 

Well, once back at the house, I was on chicken feeding duties.  The girls were so excited to see me with their corn and lettuce... and then I gave them feed and checked the coup where they overturned the laying box (again!). 
Then, it was my turn to eat.  I opened the blinds and turned on the radio and didn't want to make a mess this morning.  So, I just ate my muesli and listened to the radio for an hour before jumping online to upload some photos.  

Otherwise, it's just gone midday and I'm happy to say, today it going to be a day of doing nothing much. Yep, a lazy Sunday it's going to be... nothin' like one of those, eh?  I have done a few things around the place, like sweeping up the paths and tidying up the dirt the chickens throw around he place.  Since it's turned out to be a nice day, I've got in and done that with a broom and the rake... so the garden looks nice and tidy now, while the chickens looked on in wrapped interest of where they'll dig up next this afternoon.  

As for me?  I'll probably be either painting or reading.  It all depends on what I feel like doing.  I have to also do a shopping list for this Wednesday to get myself into Sandgate Township and back... that will be yet another adventure to talk about.  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm/cool and remember, I'm always here.

Saturday!

I woke to birds outside and a little bit of rain.  But I woke just as my alarm was beginning to go off; and I thought that was cool.  I heard the chickens and wondered if they had found another way to get out, so went down there in my pajamas to check on them and found they were all in the coup.  Seeing I didn't have anywhere to really be today, I went back to bed.

An hour later, my alarm woke me again.  This time I stayed in bed for another half an hour and then decided it was time to get up and feed the chickens and have some breakfast.  
With the FM Classic station going, I ate my breakfast and planned what I had to do today; namely to make sure the house was cleaned up, washing up was done from this morning and to see if my laundry had dried from the other day.  And I wanted to have a shower to wash my hair too; as it was a warm night. 

After I got the washing up done, I swept the floors, put out the rubbish and wiped down all the counters, cupboard doors and fridge and looked at the time.  It was going onto 9am and I had had my shower by this time too.  All my planned chores had been done and dusted... even the chickens were happy; but my laundry was still not dry.  

Tonight, a couple of my friends are coming over for dinner.  I've planned on making a nice dish for them of vegetarian pasta.  I hope it all works out.  We ought to have a good night as I've never had people over here before.  
I'm sure to find some great music on their collection to play - or if all else fails... I'll plug in my iPod and play an album off that instead.  In any case, we ought to have a great time here.  

So, what are you plans over the weekend?  Mine are to paint, read and hang out with friends over dinner.  Sounds pretty sweet, eh?  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here.

The Longest Quick Shop I've Ever Done

Today, I thought it was high time I left the house and took off into Sandgate Township by bus.  This house has been a nice little haven, but I was beginning to need a few things from Woolworths and so, I organised myself this morning after breakfast, after putting Houdini - the forever escaping chicken - back in the coup with the other chickens and feeding them all and then organising some money for myself too.  I checked the time tables and found that the time I wanted to catch the bus and the time the bus actually came were a long way apart; so I decided to walk up to 'My Beads' and have the clasp on my new necklace replaced.  The lady who was there today wasn't the same as the other lady who was there the other day.  So, I had to explain what happened with the necklace.  Fortunately, she understood completely and offered up a few other solutions in the clasp family.  Then she saw how bad I really was with clips and offered up a toggle; and we found this was so much better!
After having a bit of a chat with her, I was on my way to see if Pete's Corner Store had what I needed for the chickens.  However, it didn't.  But it does have a wide variety of books and magazines, two of each I picked out and bought.  Before long, I was outside and found the 311 Wiz bus coming along, so I caught that into Sandgate.  It didn't take long to get there - all of 10 minutes - and I was soon walking in to Woolworths to do my shopping.  

But it was trip home that took far longer than I anticipated.  I went back to the bus stop that I got off at - thinking it would be the one which would also take me home.  Boy!  Was I wrong about that!  I waited for half an hour and it didn't come.  I had some people tell me one thing, then others tell me something else.  Then, one lady came by and she said I was at the wrong stop and it was best if I caught the bus outside Woolworths... and yes, that was right!  The driver who brought me home, was the same one who took me into Sandgate.  And by the time I got home to my brother's house, it was past 1pm.  I had caught the bus at around 11am.  What a day!  The good thing is that I had gotten everything I needed and really wished I had taken in my shopping trolley... well, I'll learn next time I go in that no matter how small the shop, I'll take in my trolley.

When I arrived home - thanks to the driver dropping me off at the right stop when I asked him to take me to the nearest stop to Gabe & Kat's house - I found Houdini out of the coup again!  It was time for me to check the hutch for eggs anyway.  And as I did, I turned and found Houdini squeezing herself under the gate of the coup!  Cheeky little chicken!  I found a piece of timber and lodged it under the gate and this made sure she didn't get out.  

Well, that was my day.  How was yours?  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here.

A Fine Day

This morning, my alarm woke me at 6am; but nearly slept through it.  However, it was until around 7am when I heard a chicken clucking outside my door that I jumped out of my bed, dressed quickly and raced out there and found the new brown chicken looking for me.  As I opened the door to the guest house, it turned around on the deck and looked at me as though I was the one who had been lost all this time.  Silly thing came running up to me for a pat and I asked what the hell it was doing out of the enclosure; and happily put her back with the other girls.
Soon enough, I got their breakfast together of freshly cut corn off the cob and shredded lettuce and plenty of seed; then prepared myself breakfast.  I uploaded Triple M online (as Gabe and Kat don't own a real stereo system like I do) and left the radio going all day.

By around 9:30am, I was trying to upload a photo and found some of the ones I took early this morning were blurry.  So, out came the camera again and I walked out into the garden to find the flowers again.  And who should I see wandering around outside the chicken coup again?  The brown chicken... she's got a cool name, but I renamed her Houdini as she gets out all the time.  For the rest of the day, I walked around the yard and made sure she didn't get out... silly to have to do that; but it's to make sure she stayed put.

This afternoon, I spent time talking to a friend on Facebook who lives down the coast near Dreamworld.  He and I had a good laugh over Neighbours and he kept forgetting where I currently was.  After that, I pulled out the easel and worked on my painting for around an hour and a half before putting it away and watching a bit of television and letting the chickens out - as I'm supposed to - until around 6pm; when they wouldn't go back inside the coup.  Eventually, they did, and I closed up the gate after checking for eggs (we got 2) and then coming back to the house for something to eat. 

Today was a relaxing day.  I spent tonight painting pegs and listening to the rain on the roof.  Yes, it's still raining at night; but the sun was out all day today.  I really should have done some laundry, but didn't trust the weather.  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm/cool and remember, I'm always here.

Brighton - Day One

It's only been an hour or so since Gabe and Kat took off to the airport on their holiday to New Zealand and I'm already making up a shopping list to get a few things from the shop up the road.  The next door neighbour has been spending that hour mowing his lawn - or destroying it - and the council workers out the front have been pouring concrete to make a footpath.  

We had a gorgeous breakfast this morning of pancakes, tea and coffee.  And Mum and Dad arrived to take them to the airport while I stayed here to wash up and organise myself to care for this place.  I asked Mum to drop in on my place to put my cordless phone on charge as I don't like the battery in it going flat.  Gabe said not to worry about it, but really it's not  good for it; especially seeing it's a new battery and I don't leave it off the charge for more than a day.  I'm looking forward to working on my books here at the house; as it's a lot quieter here than at my place.  And then there's plenty of space to work with my art too... and there's Riley's easel as well I can borrow.  Fortunately, that is a used one and it's got paint on it already, so I don't have to worry about getting paint on it again.  It's a nice old one too, something you don't find in art shops anymore, good old artist's easels that don't fall down.

I do have books here to read to keep up-to-date with and other things I'd like to do as well all in the privacy of the house.  The good thing about here is that there's a bus stop not far from the house and it'll take me straight to the centre of town... well Sandgate Station anyway.  
Today, though, I have to get myself to the corner store and buy some milk, grapes and a hair brush too as I forgot mine.  Otherwise I'll be okay until Sunday, when I buy the paper early in the morning.  Well, until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm/cool and remember, I'm always here.

A Very Long Day

It has been the longest day! My day started at 7am at Logan City. It took me to Springwood, Eagle Farm and then to Toombul Shoppingtown before my brother and I finally arrived at Brighton, where I'll be spending a week or two caring for their chickens and their house. 
While we were out and about I scored a wicked umbrella which looks like a Samurai sword and we ate the worse sushi ever! By the time we arrived home we both felt very average and I had a pounding headache.  So, after a fair bit of water and two painkillers and fresh air I was feelings whole lot better. 
Soon I was unpacked and Gabe was readying the place and himself so I could care for this place as easily as possible. The chickens were allowed out and we fed them. He showed me around the yard too. And before long, Kat arrived home. Before she did, he and I went to the post office up the road to pick up a parcel and I paid for my PO Box rental. The people there said I was a long way from home and thought it was nice that I was here looking after my brother's house while he was on holidays.

Well, we had dinner of home made pizza and watched a comedy series off the net. Now it's getting really late. Now I'm sitting up in bed listening to the wind outside rustling the trees. I hope I can get to sleep tonight. Until my next post take care, keep warm/cool and remember, I'm always here.

Monday Monday

Yep, today is going to be so busy, I just had to write it down twice!  I've gotten most of my stuff together and now, it's a matter of making sure I have everything on my to-do list packed and done around the house.  Then, tomorrow, I can happily take the tv in to get fixed - or held onto and fixed - by Panasonic.  

Today fined up a little for the first time in ages; but this gave me a little time to pull my house together and open all the doors and windows to let the air through so it doesn't feel so musty and closed up.  I can get in an vacuum this afternoon and dust too; which is a good thing.  After all, the washing up is up to date and I have yet to wash the floors and put the feeder in the fish tank for the fishies.

Thankfully, I got the lawn mowed last week and I'm looking forward to getting everything else done and fixed up before 10pm tonight.  Actually, it'll all be finalised by around 5pm this afternoon; seeing I'm a little ahead of schedule.  And doesn't it make you feel great when a lot of what you plan falls right into place?  Sure!  Of course it does.
Mostly the rain helped me along with my organising and packing because there wasn't anything else to do seeing how much rain we received over the last few weeks.

Really, I don't have that much to do in the way of finishing up my packing.  There's just the small things that need to be put away into my toiletries bag and a few little things - like my dream journal and dream dictionary - and that'll be it.  I know I'm only going for two weeks, but the last time I was at my brother's house I didn't take along my dream journal or dictionary and I had some really vivid dreams and couldn't write them down or look them up.  So, I decided this time to make sure I had everything I'd need to be comfortable.  Besides, I get my best story ideas from my most interesting - if not terrifying and uneasy-feeling - dreams.  

Well, it's time for me to take off from here for a few days.  The next time I post here, I'll be most probably at Brighton... you never know, I may put in some links of where I am.  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm/cool and remember, I'm always here.    

Last Minute Stuff

It's Sunday night and I'm onto the last minute packing for the next two weeks.  Fortunately, I have had the assistance of an app on my iPod to help me.  I put up two to-do lists onto it and I've gotten almost everything done on both; very cool.

It's been great today.  The rain has been really good in getting me working on packing - which was easy enough - and cleaning; which was even easier.
So far, 95% of my gear is packed and 3/4 of the housework has been done.  I'm happy with my progress today.  I have yet to post off two parcels tomorrow and, hopefully pay for my PO Box tomorrow as well.  Then, that'll be all my bills paid for and everything tied up neatly.  I'm not expecting any bills to arrive until next month; and that's a good thing.

The washing up has been done, I've soaked two plates of paint to take with me and I'm going to clean up the painting gear ready to go tomorrow night.  So, all I need to do is get myself ready completely by Tuesday afternoon; after my tv is fixed up at Eagle Farm (it's being looked at by Panasonic there, and hopefully they'll be able to fix it.  If not, they may have to replace it).  

I'm looking forward to this holiday away.  I'll have some art to work on, books to read and music to play while I'm there.  It's going to be great.  I'm also taking two recipe books of mine to use while I'm there; and with the chickens there in residence, I'll have plenty of eggs to eat.  And even thought it'll be raining, I'm sure I'll be able to keep myself interested in what I'm doing.
So, what do you do when the weather goes to extremes like it has here, for long periods of time?  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm and remember, I'm always here.    

Packing

Okay, I've left this until the last few days to tell you guys.  I'm going on a holiday.  I'm house sitting for a bit at my brother's house.  This ought to be a lot of fun as it's over at Brighton again - just like last October, but not.
This time, I'm going to be at another house where they own it, not rent it.  And this time, the place is going to be a lot different.  The chickens don't get out and Jay won't be there; which will be a pity because I really did enjoy having her around when I was there last time.  Let's face it, she was great company - even though she was pining after Kat and Gabe by Thursday morning; which wasn't good.  I did try throwing the ball for her and took her for a walk every day and hung out with her all the time but she just wanted her owner home.

It hasn't been easy to pack for this trip this time around, though.  With the weather wet, wet and ... hell... wet... getting laundry done and dry has been a real challenge.  I have gotten all my sheets done, dried and changed over, all my clothes I want to wear for the time away washed and kept separate.  I've organised myself some food to take with me in a milk crate, arranged my art supplies in my art box, am taking along my shopping trolley and making sure that what I take is easy to pack and unpack.  I don't want to have too much stuff where it'll be plastic bags hanging off things; just a few things and that's it and I'll have all I need with me in some concise pieces and that's all.  

Over the last week, I have been picking up stuff at Garden City, doing my shopping, picking up only a little of the fruit and veggies I need at The Big Apple and paying all the bills that have come through.  I wrote out a to-do list on my iPod and have done a few of the things on it to get organised - this list has everything to do with packing so I don't forget anything.  There's still a lot of cleaning to do; but I'll do that tomorrow when my jeans are nice and dry and the clothes horse is put away.  
Then, there's the car port to sweep out, the floors to wash, the vacuuming to do, the toilets to clean, the bathroom to tidy, the rest of the laundry to put away (after I pack what I need to) and then I can finish organising my holiday stuff.  I have a feeder for the fish; and I have yet to clean out their filter today too.  So, there's a bit to do around the place.  However all of this will only take about a day or so do do, not to worry.  And it's the small stuff I worry about when I pack, not the big stuff; as they say, it's the devil in the details that make the big stuff worthwhile.  Until my next post, take care, keep safe and warm/cool and remember, I'm always here.