It's Been Weird

I've had weirdness happen here at home on a daily basis of late. First off, the computer had it's turn of being sulky - yes, computers sulk if you don't use them. 

I spent 6 weeks away and my computer wasn't used, so it got a few little things wrong with it - and man did they turn out to be expensive things!

Well, this week, I went shopping for groceries, and then today I paid for my registration on the car - but only 6 months because things got expensive with the computer - and scored myself a credit/debit card from the post office, so I can buy things online. This will be handy for me when I want to buy something from Bunnings or Eckersleys and don't want to go in-store - instead I'll get it either send to my PO Box or delivered.

Anyway, I'm well... truly I am. 

When I go out, I make sure I don't go out for any longer than I need to. Today, I was out the door before 8am, to get something done for my car - and it was finished before 8:30am. They were great about it all. I got them to adjust the catch on the boot on my car too - as they had told me to bring the car in if it wasn't catching properly.
After I paid for that, and was gone - hopefully for the last time - I drove to my folks' house to sign some papers and email them back to a doctor for next week's appointment. He's calling me on the phone; instead of actually seeing me - which is the going thing at the moment with doctors. 

Then, I was off to the post office to pay for the rego on my car, and get the credit/debit card I mentioned, and then I was checked my mail at the post office at Slacks Creek and then I headed home. 

Once home, I showered, stripped my bed and put my sheets in to wash. Man, am I tired! Two days in a row, I've gotten up before 7am and have been out the door just about 7:30am... and I'm home before 10am. It's a busy week too, with my gas bill to pay, laundry, washing up to get done, the rest of my Christmas lights going up, the garden to look at, and the hope of mowing my lawn this weekend. 

Isolation in this day an age means not going out for coffee with a friend, not hugging your parents when you don't live with them, keeping yourself active and lifting weights at home, and making sure you do everything at right. Today, I forgot my mask - and I felt awful about it. 

But the computer's working again, and that's a good thing. It was a small thing which got it going, and once the people at Super Geek and I figured out what was going with it, it was all good. Now, I have the time to save up for some things around the place... but I am doing some serious work on my garden. Yeah, isolation makes you want to make your yard pretty so you have somewhere to be. 

Well, I hope you're going okay in your isolation situation wherever you may be. So, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Keeping Yourself Sane

In these weird-ass times, it's important to keep yourself sane. It's difficult to sleep, hard to get something to eat which you'll want to eat, and it's even more difficult to get motivated in the mornings. Yes, you just don't want to get out of bed anymore; thinking there's no point in getting up - because there's nothing to do, nowhere to go and not much point in getting out of bed until 1pm.

Well, I'm afraid to tell you this, if you keep doing that to yourself, you will actually put your system at risk of catching this virus and you will get sick.

If you think that sounds negative, well, I don't mean to be - it's the truth about being depressed and also being mentally exhausted. We are all feeling this right now and it's a matter of doing a few things which will put you onto a more normal keel.

Get to bed and get up at your regular times.

I know that sounds like a no-brainer, but there's you out there who are going to bed a midnight and getting out of bed at 2pm and then complaining you have no energy and don't want to get out of your pajamas and you're sitting around watching television all day or sitting around surfing the net all day on your phone. This is not healthy... and what's worse for you is to call up for take-away and have those 'zero-contact' delivery show up. I'm telling you right now, there's no such thing as zero-contact. They have to make your food, right? Well, they're touching it there... make it yourself.

And speaking of which: 

Get in and cook your meals yourself.

Cooking is the great equaliser. You will find out what kind of cook you are when it comes down to it. Are you the gourmet where you have a herb garden outside in the greenhouse? Or are you the baked beans on toast cook? Well, after a while the baked beans on toast will get very old - and believe me, it'll get old very quickly. 

Organise yourself

Organise your day as though you're going out to work. Yes, this is a good way of getting in and working from home, or making it as though you are. We all have a lot of time on our hands now. And there's no better time to get in and take a good look at where your house is at than now. Have you got too many books? Have you got clothes that no longer fit (or you haven't worn in over a year?), are you looking at furniture which you're sick of. Now is the time to look at your finances and start to save up for the new furniture, put away anything you don't want to donate when we're allowed to donate again, and it's time to get in and start looking at how you want your house to look and feel.
This will be a great time to learn new things as well. Get in and work on your garden. Learn how to cook that meal your Grandmother used to cook for those family gatherings you've always wanted to know how to cook. Read that series of books you've had in your bookcase - now it the time because we all have the time.

Get dressed, Show Up.

Yes... that's the ticket! You get up at 7am every morning, get your butt into some every day clothes (no not those boxer shorts you wore yesterday - real clothes from your wardrobe, and not a Halloween costume) and you show up in your kitchen and actually make yourself something to eat, a cup of coffee and look outside. You may be on complete lock down where you're not allowed outside at all, or you can go out into the garden, but you have to get your ass out of bed, out of your pajamas and into your life. 

We're all feeling really ... blah... right now. And it's because we can't see each other, we can't hug our parents or our loved ones. We can't take our friends out to lunch and have a good gossip about everything. But this isn't forever; and we will get through this. And while we're putting up with the crap hand we've been dealt, we can all stand together (at the social distance of 1.5m) and get it that life will go on. 
So, take care of yourself. Get in and work on that great American/Australian/life-long novel/series of paintings/lot of music - whatever you've been meaning to get into - and chill out. I've always been told that my house is my castle... and you know? It's true. And for those of you who are not treating your house as your castle - as your retreat - you're seeing it all wrong. You're seeing your house as a prison, a halfway house, instead of the place you escape to get away from the world. This is how we must see our houses right now - they are our castles, not prisons. We're not trapped at home, we're safe in our castles. 

Social Distancing

Yesterday, I went out to do my grocery shopping; and I got up at 5:30am to do it. I decided to take advantage of the early trading hours for people on a pension and disability pension - and I mean, why not? I could get some things for myself which aren't normally there. 

So, I arrived half an hour early and was one of the first in line with one other lady, who looked like she was stretching for a marathon. No, seriously, she did. I think she had been there another half hour before me; so her feet may have been sore. I wiped down my trolley with a disinfected wipe and gave her one and she asked if I had gloves - unfortunately I didn't. So, she went out to her car and got 2 freezer bags for me. How nice was that?

Well, the doors opened as the crowd gathered at 7am and we all walked in calmly showing our pension cards and the first place I went to was the toilet paper... there were 3 of them left. One guy was walking away with one 6-pack, I grabbed one and gave another lot to another lady... such a pity there wasn't any for anyone else. I felt really sad for everyone else who wanted toilet paper. 
I walked around calmly getting the rest of my things on my list - and some of the things I didn't need - and found my way to the checkouts, where they told me they couldn't use my bags. Um, okay... I guess.

I haven't bagged up things to fast in my life! The girl did things so I could lay my hands on them and they weren't mixed up too much - thankfully. But my cold items were too much for one bag; so after paying, I moved out of the way of the next customer quickly and pushed myself against the closed door of Coles and pulled out another bag from my baggies to rebag my cold items. This was when a woman walked past, glaring at me: 'Hey, move out with all of that!' the man behind her snapped at her, 'Are you blind? Can't you see she's rebagging things, you stupid bitch! And hey you moved towards her!' I looked up at her, smiling and ... well, gave her a good mouthful of what not to do when you're confronting a person who hasn't had much sleep - and is a little depressed about this situation.
By the time I had organised myself, she had moved on and I lost her in the crowd. The man asked if I was okay, and he said that I was okay doing what I did; and not to let it get to me. 

What a nice person he was. But woah, what an awful person she was!

Anyway, that was only part of my day out. I went to Bunnings and had to wait half an hour to get in because they have special trading hours for the tradies and medical staff between 7 - 9am. I think that's a great idea; and I didn't mind in the least in waiting at all. I bought 2 pots, 3 bags of garden soil, a cute little pot on the bargain trays and a Frangipani for $10 also on the bargain tray too... now not a bad morning looking around. When I got home, I unloaded absolutely everything, emptied out the esky and put everything away. 

It's difficult to clean and make sure everything is clean. You see, there's a video making the rounds about how to clean your groceries from the USA, and the man in it says to leave your groceries in your garage for up to 3 days because the virus will be on it and it'll let it die. And he says to wash your vegetables and fruit in hot washing up water and laundry liquid... something I've never ever heard of here. A friend of mine, from the USA told me that she leaves her groceries in her garage for weeks and months, as storage. I told her that it's simply not possible because of how Australian homes are built. We have such a hot country, we can't seal off everything because it'll grow mold and get too wet. We don't have attics or basements either due to that problem as well. Australian homes are designed to let the air through, to cool down in Summer and warm up in Winter... it's just how it all works. And our garages aren't completely sealed. The newer houses are probably like this, but the older houses are not. 

Well, as you can see, there's some problems with how some of us see the virus affecting us all. I'm still wondering what's true and what's not. I'm still having problems with what is the truth. 

Voting Day?

It's just plain nuts to have today - of all days - to have people to go out and vote. I mean, why would you expect people to leave their homes when we have been ordered to stay at home, and not be in contact with others - then suddenly tell us that 'oh yeah, you have to vote for your mayor!' 

Sure, that sounds like a brilliant plan to infect us all!

Idiots!

Well, I voted earlier this week and the place was a madhouse. Parking was crap, I got sanitiser all over my hands and the pencil I was going to use (thank goodness for the huge container of it - and there being too much in one pump) and I was in there, and out of there as fast as I could.

But once home, I thought that it would be a good idea to stay home unless I really need to go out anywhere to do stuff. 

And in all honesty, it's the best way to be. 

In the next week, I'm hoping to get my butt out to Bunnings to pick up 2 pots and more potting mix (as I have some more gardening to do) and maybe see if there's any other plants I can grab to make my garden look better. Then, there's petrol to get for my car I have to get too. If there's cheap petrol before pay day, I'll get it - if not, well, I'll just deal with expensive petrol. 

But everyone is working in a knee-jerk way. I've heard that in the USA, trucks on their way to shopping centres are being pulled over by citizens and held up at gun point and robbed of their load. And now, it's the national guard which is delivering those goods - not truck drivers. It's getting really hairy over there, safety-wise. 

However, here, people are just stripping the shelves of toilet paper, paper towels and tissues - the latter two we can't flush down the toilet (but some people don't know that). And yet, I have to think about what will happen when I run out of toilet paper as well. It's just something I'll be thinking about - and I guess you all will think about as well.

Now, it's gotten to a time where I think we have to all start thinking before we act, thinking before we say something. It's time we stopped acting as though this is the end of the world.

This is not the apocalypse. If it was, Mother Nature would give us some certain signs. For example: the birds would be a sure sign that something was wrong. Animals would be stampeding because they'd feel and smell something was wrong. So, no, it's not the apocalypse. 

So stop acting as though it is.

This is a glitch in our health - not just a few people, but all of us. It's a plague and yes, it will affect all of us. So, it's a good idea to start thinking about how your behaviour is going to affect people around you, and stop acting as though you're the only - and last - person on the planet. You're not. We're going to lose a lot of people in this. Rich people, poor people, old people, young people... so start looking at how you act around the rest of the Human Race before you do something stupid. 

Yes, I said stupid - because people out there who are panicking are acting stupid, single-minded and panicky... and panic rubs off on others. It takes one person to make everyone else to change from being normal, level-headed and calm. So, when you do go out and do your shopping, be calm, stick to the limits we are told there are, and keep your distance with people. We're all in this thing together.

Mid-Week Work

It's Wednesday, and I was up at 7:30am - but not by my own choice. Neighbours were fighting over whether he was allowed to go out and she wouldn't move her car because they had to stay home - he flipped out and, well, the fight continued inside their home.

Yep, it's going to be like this for a while, isn't it?

More restrictions are happening around Australia as of midnight tonight. So many more things are closing which are non-essentials; and I heard there's $20,000 fine for crossing the Queensland/New South Wales border if it's not for work purposes.

Yesterday was my last day out for a while. I have enough food in my pantry and in my fridge and freezer; and my doctor has advised me to stay home. Because I have Epilepsy, it's not a good thing to go out; and it's even worse because I could catch this and if it goes to my lungs (which this thing does in the worse cases), there's nothing they can do to help me. I am allergic to a lot of things they normally give people; and do it's just simply dangerous to go out for me.

Anyway, I stocked up on potting mix, and tried to buy some plants for the garden - which was easy for one, but non-existent for the other. There's plenty of garden soil, but no herbs or edible plants for the garden... yep they're all wiped out by people who think this is an apocalypse. I ended up with a patio lime tree - which isn't bad, but looks nice in my yard.

Being in isolation was all bad for me; right up until I thought to make it better. I pulled out the Christmas lights and put them up today, then started putting away some serious things - like some of the clothes I had washed, shoes and hangers from when I was at my brother's house. 

Yep, things are starting to pull together; and I'm starting to get a hang of the isolation thing. I'm a natural introvert, but when I'm told to stay home, for some unknown reason, I want to go out... how ironic is that? Well, until my next post, stay safe, keep in touch and remember I'm always here.

Corona Virus

Since January, we've all known one thing: the Corona Virus has been spreading across our home planet and killing, hurting and making a lot of us very sick. 

At first, I was all 'it's just a flu, it's just a virus!'

But now, it's begun to interfere with my life in more ways than anything else. 

Pub, clubs, casinos, cafes, restaurants, gyms, libraries and other indoor public places are going to be closed as of midday today. 

Supermarkets and shopping centres are still open. 

This is a scary thing for everyone to live with, but it's not going to be forever. It's temporary. And if we all calm down on the toilet paper buying (as we all need to use that stuff for our butts - not just those who are hoarding it in their garages thanks), we can get through this. 

I've tried to donate things to Vinnies but have been told that we can't donate anything because of the Corona virus. So, it looks like we have to hoard things at home until this is over. But I was able to buy thing from there - how weird is that?

Anyway, I've noticed that there's less traffic on the roads since places have been closing and people are self-isolating themselves at home. And that's not all. The night times are eerily silent around my area - no music, no people walking around, no cars, no parties,... nothing. It's creepy in a strange way. 
At around 10pm, all the lights are out and there's a weird silence in the area, and that should make us all feel okay, but it doesn't make me feel good at all.

So, how are you doing with the stay-at-home gig? I'm okay during the day, but once the sun goes down, I get nervous and weirded out at every sound. Is that just me? Or is everyone feeling like this?

Six Weeks

I've been away for a month and a half and a lot has happened.

Well, I went and house-sat my brother and his girlfriend's house at Brighton here in Brisbane, and pet-sat too, and it was a totally different experience from where I normally live.

For one thing, it was by the sea, and it was gorgeously quiet and pretty. I was looking after 6 chickens who all laid their eggs in relative privacy and 3 of which enjoyed a pat when I went into their pen. 
Then, there was Ellie the dog. First off, she didn't really want to hang out with me, but then, after my niece moved in with her boyfriend, she was cool about sleeping in the cottage in her own little bed. And she got used to sleeping at the foot of my bed in her bed... which was just the cutest thing! 
I became accustomed to her waking me a few minutes before my alarm and she got used to going for drives with me around the shore... and to cool parks and cafes at around 8am to socialise. She was so cool with people greeting her and patting her that she looked forward to our mornings out together. Ellie even made a friend, Kevin, who totally enjoyed hanging out with us and chatting. 

Then, the Corona Virus hit the news and people panicked. I wondered about how bad it was going to get; and it spread like you wouldn't believe... the panic I mean. The media hasn't done us any favours in this either. So, I'm hoping to look at staying at home more, instead of being around the social events. 

How fortunate I'm an introvert - yes social outings make me very nervous.

Well, it's been 6 weeks away and I'm looking at getting a bigger greenhouse, so I can grow my own vegetables... I've been keeping a second pantry for some years now, so I'm not worried about shopping centres. But from what I've been seeing on the news on Facebook, it's been getting violent out there. 
And on the way home today, I dropped into the Rochedale Fruit Market and people were being okay with each other, but I could feel a tension in the air. Nobody was talking to each other, not like it used to be. I smiled at people and said hi, but was greeted with a scowl. 

This virus is freaking people out, and everyone has to remember that we're all in this together. You can't treat people like shit and not expect the same in return - all because you're terrified that it'll get you. Take a breath, and please stop hoarding things.

Yes, it's a virus which is highly contagious.

But so was all the other virus' they told us about... and we are all still here - right?

In this time of what is happening in the world of closing down schools, and libraries, and people getting sick (and believe me it's not everyone - it's the old and people who have immune problems), it's a good idea to look inwards and realise what you are to be thankful for. 

For me, I'm healthy. I have a roof over my head and books to read (which I've been meaning to read for years), and now I will get the chance to. I have a house to clean out better, a garden to tend to. I'm writing books, painting and finishing artwork from a few months ago... if I have to stay home, well, this is what will be done. And really, it's not going to be so bad. 

Woah, What a Month!

This month has been horrible. Truly it's been horrible for me. This is why I haven't been in to write anything. I didn't know what to say about anything.

First off, after my last post, I went out with a friend for coffee and as I took her home, I asked one of her neighbours if he could move his car and he took it all the wrong way and treated me like crap. Then, attacked the car, kicking in the boot/trunk. And when I defended my property, he turned and punched in one of the windows... well, it was on for young and old after that! I don't remember much from it as my brain has protected me from the trauma of it all, but really, it's just been awful.
I got the window fixed and the boot will be fixed in a couple of months' time. I'm just taking each day as it comes - and some days are good and other days are crap. My PTSD is back with avengence; playing tricks on me and I'm aware of every single tiny noise around my place. I hate it I'm jumpy now. 

Well, if that wasn't bad, I came down with viral laryngitis last week - and as I kicking it out of my system - it turned into viral bronchitis! This week, I got an x-ray done to see if it had affected my lungs and my doctor found something going on with my heart. So, today, I'm getting a Doppler ECG done... all of this in one week. 

What a pain in the arse.

But I'm just taking one thing at a time to get everything done right. 

You see, I've been told to chill out and take care of myself. My doctor has given me orders to chill out and not stress, get early nights and just do whatever I want to do to enjoy life... and that's what I'm going to do. And that's how I'm going to get better. 

I'm sorry I haven't been here, but I just didn't want to load all of this on any of you. But this has been my horrible month. But, hey! It can only get better, right? Well, until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

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. 

48 Hours

It's only 48 hours before the beginning of 2020.

So much has happened in this decade, so many things have gone on. So many great people who have come into our lives have been lost - in our personal lives and in the film and music world. 

I mean, David Bowie, Robin Williams, Prince, Paul Walker, Leonard Nimoy, Luke Perry, Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds (one day after her daughter), Elizabeth Taylor, Bill Paxton, Tom Petty, Aretha Franklin... and there's so many more of the people who changed the music and movies in our lives. A lot of us loved them, and will always be changed by them and their voices. Many more of them will always be missed by us all, no matter how many years pass. 

This year has been a difficult one for me as I lost another lot of friends who were close to my heart. One of them was my ex-boyfriend, Mark Davey. Even though we didn't date for very long, and I broke it off (because I wasn't ready for a relationship and really didn't want to hurt him - but I did), we did stay friends. However, as he became more sick with cancer, he pulled away from everyone around him. It still hurts to think and talk about him; but it's been only a couple of months. What does hurt the most is that Mark and I share a birthday, and that really will hurt a lot next year; not having him around to celebrate with me. 
I do have quite a few of his paintings in my house now. There's the first one he gave me on our first date - which is in my bedroom. It's the bunch of flowers he gave me, 'because these don't die.' I love them. Then, we bartered when I gave him a book on Frida Kahlo, and I scored on of his sculptures. Then, when his family gave some of his paintings to the LAA, I picked out 'Changing Positions' and wondered if there were any other Hibiscus ones around... and found a good-sized purple hibiscus painting, which nobody wanted. So, I took that one. They are all in my house; and I love them.

I've lost another few friends in my life who were close to my heart. Sue Notary passed away in June here in Brisbane, and I was going to go to visit her the following week. I couldn't make her service. She and I have been friends for some years, and I met her on a Facebook group. What a lovely lady to know. 

But this year, I've been painting and working on my next exhibition next year. It's been something which has been keeping me busy. During this past Winter, I worked on the upkeep of my garden and it's been looking good too. I moved things around, and have begun to throw things out. 
And on Christmas Night, I sat down and filled 6 rubbish bags with junk to throw out in the bin outside! On Boxing Day, I filled another 2 bags and tossed them in the bin outside. Then on 28th, December, I filled another 3 rubbish bags and threw them out in the bin too. Yes, I was on a roll! My bin is almost full, and I'm almost finished in cleaning up house - not quite done, but almost. I still have to clean out things and put things away. There's still so much to get done, and yet, it's just 2 days away from the New Year.

I wonder if I'll make it to before it's the New Year. I'm hoping so. What about you? Are you madly cleaning out the house for the new decade - like me? Or are you still working on getting in and working on the leftovers in the fridge from last week? Only kidding. I don't have any leftovers in my fridge; as on 27th, December, I had to go shopping and pick up some groceries. Well, that's all from me right now, until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.