fiveandtwo

A Very Muddled Week

Ally's description, "This has been a very muddled week". So accurate.

It started last Saturday with me going to the Curves gym (recently joined to deal with stress and apalling level of fitness) and developing a blinding, excruciating headache halfway thruogh the circuit. Carted off in an ambulance. Nausea and vomiting, photophobia. In retrospect, classic migraine symptoms.

It was decided, eventually, that I'd had a sudden migraine. Fortunately, I don't have these evil headaches very often, but in the past there's been some warning: a thudding headache that doesn't go away, thirst and fatigue. One coming on suddenly was rather disturbing. I was out and couldn't get back home under my own steam. What if that happens again?

I'll go back to Curves, but I'm really nervous about doing so.

Oh, and there's nothing like a shot of morphine to deal with pain, and Stemetil for nausea/vomiting (Maxolon didn't work).

Took a couple of days to throw that post-migraine weird, disoriented state.

A long appointment sucked up Tuesday. I did fly in to work and do the pays though - disgruntled employees weren't on my agenda.

The usual routine was thrown completely by now. Transporting kids uses so much time. With Giles, mostly I drop him and some mates at the favoured surf beach, one of the other kid's parents pick them up. It's still a 1.5 hour round trip to drop them off. Sometimes, if the bus timetable works, they can catch the bus both ways. Their favoured surfing area, Red Bluff, doesn't have a bus for them to catch home. V-Line buses = strange timetables.

I managed to buy some food and pick up Leah from Lakes Entrance, where she'd stayed with a friend. Leah looked pretty crook, she could hardly speak. Criminal sore throat. GP appointment...tonsillitis? All the glands around her jaw were huge. Can only imagine the state of her tonsils. Antibiotics prescribed and duly taken. I worry about her fluid intake. It's so painful to swallow that the poor kid just isn't drinking.

Thursday: buy more food. Take Leah to A&E because she finds it hard to breathe, and looks really "flat". Leah is admitted to hospital, IV fluids perk her up a bit. But only a bit. She's on her third type of antibiotic now.

Ah, but the waiting with Leah in A&E meant reading time! Good progress made on this:

When I read As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning, well, I was going to Spain. Never did though. A friend who read it around the same time spent three months in Spain with her baby daughter.

I've enjoyed all of Laurie Lee's books. This one came from the op-shop. How lucky! A $50 book for a couple of dollars. I'm enjoying this biography.

This pre-order came too, last week:

Resisting starting it until I'm done with the Laurie Lee biography!

Back in the early 80's I read Monkey Grip. My impressionable seventeen-year-old self wanted in to that lifestyle. Never did though.

Egglites and Glow Bands

Just some pics taken recently. Clare and Ally got ""Egglites" for their birthday, and glow bracelets at a friend's party today.

Mucking around with the camera. One of the stupendous bonuses of digital. Mucking around is not expensive.

My greatest interest is light and its nuances.

I have a tripod for my film SLR, it doesn't fit my DSLR.

I like these blurry, ephemeral-looking images.

I've lent my film SLR to Linsey's best mate, she's had it for a couple of years now.

I swapped a Big Day Out ticket for two wonderful photos that were part of her year 11 folio. I've matted and framed them but undecided where to hang them.

I think my love affair with digital is its affordability. When I used film I took  loads of photos. Perhaps a quarter (if that) of each film was any good. Expensive. I had a special "photography" part of my strict budget back then. It was factored in because it was important. Most of the photos were family anyway.

The expense with digital is the photo paper, if you decide to print. I do print some, with the best paper possible, because I keep albums. Dry mount with the "who, what, when, where" description. No scrapbooking. Apologies to scrapbookers, it aint for me.

A bit o' fun with not much available light-no flash-slow shutter speed stuff.

Sometimes inspiration just happens upon you.

Greetings From The Furnace

In my old age (yes, I turned a year older yesterday - forty three!) I tolerate hot, hot days less and less. I mean, I spent the first twenty or so years of my life in the tropics and then lived for a while in Alice Springs, the heat didn't bother me. Hot was good, it was cold weather I couldn't handle.

Having a thick layer of body insulation doesn't help with heat tolerance.

We hole up inside until the afternoon and then Clare, Ally and I go to the outdoor swimming pool for some cool water therapy. Sometimes we go further afield to one of the not-too-deep swimming spots along the Tambo River.

Windows are shut and covered (kitchen featured here - it has the most interesting curtain). Ceiling fans whirl furiously. Hint for very pleasant evaporative cooling: put bathers on, hop under the shower and get all wet, stand under a ceiling fan turned on full. Lovely. Once upon a time I did it naked (very effective cooling) but but these days I'm reluctant to horrify the teenagers!

If you're a hot dog, you dig yourself a nice, cool hole in a strategic spot. This is just outside our back door, the air coming from under the house is pleasantly cool. To get full benefit you must stick your paws under.

Yes our weatherboards are disintegrating. Major project for this year: re-clad the house. I've almost saved enough. It has to be DIY though. Daunting to think about, but it'll be OK once under way...

If you're a cat you choose the coolest room in the house with a ceiling fan circulating the air just so, then you spend the rest of the day sleeping. I suspect our other cat is enjoying a sleep under the house.

Lemon  tree leaves silhouetted in the bathroom window. Before I shut that door to keep the morning heat from the rest of the house.

Please let tomorrow be cooler. I need to make plum sauce before the fruit is all scorched on the tree and the picked ones rotted. I am done with apricots - dried, jammed, chutneyed and scoffed fresh from the tree. That's a post in itself.

Flowers To Thank You

You're a tremendous bunch. Tremendous. I have felt so supported by your comments after my post about family illness and Leah's escapade. Thank you so very much.

Right now I should be dissecting a ham. Some to take away with us and some to leave at home. A dear friend has generously given us the use of their holiday unit at Cunjurong Point (near Ulladulla) for a week over Christmas. We're off tomorrow.

Being a list maker par excellence, I'm reasonably organised (except for the ham). First there's the menu for the entire week. There's only a bread-and-milk shop at Cunjurong Point (but I'm a weekly menu-maker as well). Then I have a list of things to pre-make (so I can have something resembling a holiday too). There's a list of other food items to take and, finally, a list of implements to take. This list includes things like decent knives, the camera with its battery charger, the large pasta pot, sunscreen, Father Christmas's offerings (shh)...I think I might be a tad anal.

Clare and Ally unpacked the clothes bag I'd done. Heh, apparently  I'd put in too many ugly clothes. Serves me right for trying to slip in some lovely handmade items. We've reached a compromise, however.

Cunjurong Point is a lovely spot. Quiet, with a great beach. Giles and Leah aren't too pleased about the lack of shops. They'll survive - I am looking forward to a lack of shops! Shops are insane at this time of year.

The dog, cats and chooks will be in the care of the lovely Jeannette of Pampered Paws and Whiskers.She feeds all of them and ensures they have fresh water, walks the dog, brings in the mail, puts out, and brings in, the rubbish bin. If you want she'll water your pot plants as well. Jeannette is pleasantly down to earth, and doesn't mind a bit of a yack. The whole deal is rather cheaper than kennels and cattery, and doesn't place extra tasks on rellies at this time of year.

This flower is rather special - the first from my oak-leaf hydrangea. I've had this plant for several years. This is its fourth abode, why I didn't plant it where other hydrangeas were thriving I don't know, but last year I did when I was re-establishing this garden bed after renovations. I had taken cuttings of most of the plants before the work started, so was able to re-plant with the lovelies that were thriving beforehand. It has grown now as if nothing ever happened, and hydrangeas like this South-facing, quite shaded position - of course.

Wishing all you blogland/internet lovelies a terrific Christmas. XXXXXX

Mangoes and Christmas Trees

We've been gorging ourselves on these!

Two dollars for four at one of our local fruiterers.

On Thursday I bought ten, on Friday I bought fifteen, today I bought twenty eight.

For a long time I didn't like mangoes. We had five mango trees in our yard when I was gowing up, we'd get heartily sick of them.

It was one of my chores to pick up the fallen mangoes and limes when I was a kid. These mangoes come from the town of my birth - Katherine, NT.

Of course I love mangoes now. And look at that unholy mess in the background. Numerous works-in-progress.

The Christmas tree is up, festooned with our motley assortment of decorations. I really enjoy the ritual of tree-decorating. Many of the decorations have their own story. There's the knitted ones made by my Aunty Helen, she died earlier this year. The "vintage" ones I found in a plastic bag in the shed of the first house we rented in this town - sparkly birds, cute plastic elves and the like. Wooden decorations my brother bought for us at the Vienna Toy Fair years ago. And of course the very special ones the kids have made over the years.

At night we put the twinkling lights on and it's just magic.

I've also been writing the Family Round-Up letter to go in the Christmas cards. I have to use the calendar to prompt me. So much happens in a single year! The letter goes to people I usually only keep in contact with at this time of year.

Op-Shopping and Two Requests

It's Wednesday. I did food shopping, as is usual. Then, if there's a bit left over - off I go to the op-shops.

This looks like  a length of fabric, but it was the covering of the mattress on an old fashioned camp bed. Caused me rather a lot of op-shop decision making. I didn't want the camp bed, I didn't want the mattress inner. I wanted the fabric. Camp bed probably scrapped, although it's in the shed awaiting transformation. Foam is now the base of the dog's bed.

\

A cute puzzle. Scorned by resident seven-year-olds. I think, though, if I sit down and do the puzzles with them they'll be accepted.

Covered button stuff - don't you love "no experience-no skill required". Good for... covered buttons, but also very cute pony tail elastics, embellishments of bags...and so on. I always grab them.

Souvenir teatowels. I love linen teatowels full stop.  To stumble across a cache of these, brand new, I was all a-quiver. I do love the plain and striped ones especially, but they're rather rare now. So any linen ones are welcome. Because they're used, they wear out. I always look out for replacements.

It's hard to read, but on the  bottom it says "They are rich who have true friends". A 1977 calendar tea-towel. I want to say more but I'm pressed for computer time.

More op-shop finds. Anchor Embroidery Booklet No. 3. Very pleasant graphics. I enjoy hand embroidery/sewing. These images appeal.

Swooning over these lovely vintage patterns. That pink dress in the front row. I made one very similar in my early 20s. Wore it to work regularly. This was the 80's s so considered eccentric. I loved these dresses even back then. Glad I wore that stuff in the 80's because now I am too fat! Wish I'd made more.

A new butter dish with cover ( lacking depth of field in the photography). Drat, drat, drat.

And now a request. Linsey has been doing a lot of art work using old wallpaper as the ground. Using water colour and ink mainly, doing a lot of figurative work. She's exhausted my supply of vintage wallpaper, and I've had no luck sourcing more in local op-shops. If you people would keep your eye out,  and put the word out to friends and rellies who frequent oppies. I would appreciate it. Any stuff found you can post COD (Email for the address). Floral stuff is favoured, the wilder the better!

Second request is for your experiences with food dehydrators. The last several years I've used my lovely sister-in-law's machine. A Sunbeam with the fan at the bottom. Very patchy results, uneven heat distribution, even with rotating the trays. Some fruit over dry and some  hardly done. I have read good things about the Excalibur Dehydrators, with a back mounted heat source & fan. Has anyone out there had experience with dehydrators? I have attempted drying fruit using sun. Unfortunately cloud/rain/cool weather comes. One time I was given buckets of field mushrooms. I used heaps and tried drying the rest. Going well until a Southerly change arrived. Hint: drying mushrooms inside in a low oven makes the house smell strongly of wet dog.

Cheers people.

Kiwifruit, Pruning and Other Stuff

First of all, Rhonda has honoured me with a Bloggers for Positive Global Change Award nomination. Thankyou so much Rhonda.

My favourite "people who're making a difference" blogs have all been nominated! With the exception of Nicola at NIKKI-SHELL. Nicola brought Wardrobe Refashion to the world (changing the way people acquire clothing, requiring much thought about this process), she is also involved in Sew Green and has another blog Greener by the Day which documents her efforts  to be more "green". Busy woman and making a difference.

Here're the rules:

1. When you get tagged, write a post with links to up to 5 blogs that you think are trying to change the world in a positive way.

2. In your post, make sure you link back too, so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.

3. Leave a comment or message for the bloggers you're tagging, so they know they're now part of the meme.

4. Optional: Proudly display the "Bloggers for Positive Global Change" award badge with a link to the post that you write up (click here for the image URL).

So, I polished my halo and went and picked the rest of the kiwifruit, about a bucketful, then pruned the vine which now looks all naked.

We've got a little supply of these furry fruit though.

Yesterday I pruned the grape vine, snipped a bit off the apples, then went on to a young nectarine, a buddleia and some roses.

In a burst of virtuous activity (well, necessary actually), over the past week or so I've finalised all the end-of-financial-year stuff for the business, ready to go to the accountant. Employees have their payment summaries AND I archived about three years of invoices and other stuff which I'd been avoiding for, umm, oh, two years.

Then I mended my favourite coat. The button that fell off travelled in my wallet up to Mooloolaba and back...Repaired the cuff and lining too.

In case you're rushing off to throw up. That was it. The family have had staggered viewings of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix". Leah went with friends last Thursday night. Giles went with two friends, as his birthday treat, on Friday night (friends then slept over - I took some photos of them all sleeping in the loungeroom but it was really too dark for non-flash photography!). Linsey went with friends on Saturday night. Finally, on Sunday, DH, the twins, Linsey (again) and I watched it. General consensus = good stuff. We all enjoyed different parts of the film. I would go and see it again. Each holidays we do the wildly expensive (compared to hiring) cinema experience. And it's usually staggered as above. We're now hanging out for the book on Saturday ("Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"). Pre-ordered no less. Gah, I remember reading the first three books to Linsey & Giles before Clare and Ally were born. Then it took me over a year to read the next book to them - after the twins were born. There was a plus: Linsey the refusing to read girl was actually forced to do so because I didn't read fast enough and she needed to know what happened. Linsey didn't  "read" until grade four. I just read to her each night, knowing that she had nasty teacher/student problems (I requested a change after grade one = teacher very detrimental to Linsey's ability to learn). Sadly these were not resolved until grade five when she scored a teacher who thought she was wonderfully creative. Year six ditto. Going OK since.

Some other stuff is waiting but will have to wait for another post. Regards.

Need to Sort Out.

I seriously need to sort/prioritise/work on/something about the excess of projects I have, and the constant desire to add new things before completing existing tasks.

I've been sick over Easter, still am. One of those stuff-your-head-up cold viruses. Haunting blogland is a problem - I'm attempting to curb that. Blogland is wildly inspiring. I want to make one of them, and them and so on! So much is cut out, and there's loads of "household stuff" to be done. For example: finish painting the pergola, finish painting Leah's room and the architraves in the hallway, make new couch cushions, new curtains for Clare & Ally's room, and new cushion covers for their bed cushions, new lampshade for the loungeroom lamp, new picnic bag, fabric boxes from the Lotta Jansdotter book, and the Amy Butler book respectively.

Over Easter I made a couple of pairs of "ugly pants" (long pants for myself).  That reduced the project load by two! But then I trawled through the archives of Wardrobe Refashion (more wasting time in blogland...) and I'm considering "taking the pledge". I buy few new clothes because nothing fits properly or is flattering. I make most but I am lousy at fitting so I have patchy results - thank goodness for op-shop fabric. My clothes are in constant rotation so wear out quickly, hence more ugly pants. I've four shirts cut out to make, two knit, two woven. I am borderline fitting in to clothes from the only local place that has appealing garments. Yeah, lose weight or like your size. Hmmm, I struggle with both - all the time.

Back to the subject! Last time this happened I had one of those conversations with a complete stranger which contained a revelation. The "project bag" - all unfinished projects are written on a small peice of paper and placed in a bag. You draw from the "lucky dip" and have to complete that particular item even if you don't feel like it. Well, I raced home and did this - ninety four projects! I have completed most, a couple canceled. Just a few to go. Now, in spite of this, I probably have nearly as many wips as I did before. I am loath to begin another "project bag". now, I must finish for fear of more rambling.

Hope your Easter was good!

Too Much On

I realised I'd been gone for a week. Here is why:

A seven year old birthday party - a couple of days after the actual birthday.

And this is on tonight. Our back yard is the venue for a 17th birthday party, one of Linsey's close friends. They've spent all afternoon setting up, decorating and so on. It all looks gorgeous. Three other friends have done the catering - it looks mouthwatering! This is my kind of party. All the organisation is done by someone else. Unfortunately, we don't get to take part, we're just the token adults. Linsey has the most lovely bunch of people as her peer group. She's lucky (and I'm lucky). It's a Dinner Party so the guests have come dressed quite formally - the boys are wearing suits, the girls, dresses. I could just go on in raptures...

The next busy thing:

The big built-ins, this shows the borrowing of space from the large room (which will still be a large bedroom).

Leah's side.

Hallway side. Doors are on now and we'll be spending some time over Easter painting, and a picnic in the bush.

Not Crafting

Nothing produced in the craft line, but I spent some time this afternoon cutting out. So items are in the pipeline.

On Tuesday I found a tiny injured bat on the stairs. Brought in by one of the cats I suspect. Unfortunately. There is a colony of fruit bats down by the river, but they'r much bigger than this little fellow.  Possibly the fires and dry conditions had driven it into town in search of food.

It crawled all the way up my arm and into the back of my shirt collar.

I hung it in the shed when I went to work, but when I came home it had disappeared. I'd like to think it flew away but more likely one of the cats found it . I love cats but they're a disaster for Australian wildlife.

The  "Autumn flush" is happening in the garden, especially since there's been rain.

This is the lovely  Abraham Darby, a David Austin rose, and my favourite. However, I'm very taken by Fair Bianca Pea Soup's  beautiful white David Austin. Might have to find a spot for that one in the crowded garden.

While on the subject of garden; harvested a massive zucchini earlier in the week. One of those baseball bat monstrosities that grow while your back is turned. I usually just hurl them into the chook run, but this was claimed by Clare and Ally and christened "Mr Bikini".

He has his own special bed and toy, but when I made Ally's bed yesterday I found Mr. Bikini nestled in there. He has been to school too. For quite a few years when Linsey was little (she's now approaching 17)  she had a special "doll" called Ian. Ian was a short length of 4x2 timber. She also had an invisible friend called Elfy. Sadly, when we moved to our present house when Linsey was six-and-a-half Elfy didn't come. She belonged to our old house apparently, and couldn't move. Ian came though! We are, of course, a completely normal family...

An unexpected windfall happened on us recently and I have lashed out and bought a subscription to Ottobre Design magazine and Croqzine . And I bought some back copies of each as well. The Croqzine back copies've arrived so I can't wait 'til the small fry are asleep so I can sit up in bed and read! I'm looking forward to the Ottobre Design woman copies because they have some plus size patterns which I intend to try (also the great children's clothes - a bit like the old Topkids, only better). Croqzine has an Etsy store as well, I believe.

Keep well all of you.