Saturday, June 28, 2014

At the Movies: 'Constantine'

John Constantine is a demon hunter.  He was born with the gift of The Sight - which he considers a curse - and he can see what most cannot.  When he was a teenager, he killed himself and was clinically dead for 2 minutes.  He went to Hell and came back, finding this made his 'gift' worse.  

So, he's trying to buy his way into Heaven - seeing he's now fighting another battle... Lung Cancer.  He's a chain smoker and has terminal cancer, which is becoming worse as the days and weeks progress.  At the same time, his sources advise him of the Blade of Destiny; and that it's been found.  The Blade of Destiny is the spearhead which pierced the side of Christ at his crucifixion.  It was lost for a long time, the spear it was attached to also lost, but the spearhead itself was still intact and a nail of the True Cross has been imbedded into the piece itself and wired in; thus making it a very Holy and powerful piece to possess.  Possessing the Blade of Destiny makes the owner indestructible - and in the wrong hands it can turn the powers of Heaven, Hell and Earth around and make the delicate balance we know and trust into Anarchy.  This would allow demons through from Hell and Angels from Heaven to fight their own battles on Earth; and this is some thing John doesn't want happening.

Then he meets Angela, whose sister has died at the local hospital.  The doctors and police are saying it was a suicide - but she believes it was something else; and she seems to be running into John everywhere... from the hospital to her local church, she wonders if he's following her.  But then, she realises he is the person she needs to track down - and being a cop herself makes that a whole lot easier.  However, once she does, she finds he's a complete arsehole to her and throws her out; not wanting to know her problems... that's until he sees what's following her around - demons.

In between the demons and angels, Satan and the underground clubs where werewolves, vampires and other underworld creatures socialise - and John Constantine and his partner in crime, Chad, introduce us to, we are taken on a huge, incredible rollercoaster ride through Constantine's world, to Hell and back as he fights demons, deals with his own nightmares and dreadful health issues and self-loathing, only to come out the other side with a great feeling of wanting more.


I had never heard of Constantine until my brother introduced the movie to me in 2005 - when 'Supernatural' started its first season and I told him about it.  When I borrowed it from Blockbuster video, I watched it three times, returned it and then bought the Platinum Double Disk Edition... and what an edition!  It has everything on it; from interviews with the directors and producers to deleted scenes to alternate endings!  What a brilliant movie!  I absolutely recommend this film to anyone who loves the supernatural kind of film; and this was the film Keanu Reeves did after he finished 'The Matrix'... so he was still lean and mean after that film to do this one!  

Friday, June 27, 2014

A Busy Weekend Ahead

I was up before 8am this morning, and I could still see my breath.  Yep, Winter is most definitely here in Queensland.  On Facebook, my cousin, Anthony put up photos of the ice he found on his van before he went to work this morning.... now that's something!  Ice on our vehicles - I haven't seen that since I was around 7 years old or so... but then, I haven't seen ice on our windscreens since high school.  Oh!  Wait until we have to scrap that off our cars!  

Anyway, I dressed quickly and got into doing some housework before breakfast - and during it too.  I started the laundry and by the end of eating my pancakes, I had 3 loads of laundry out on the line.  It was full to the brim with clothes, sheets and pajamas.  I had gone out to my folks' house yesterday and changed their bedding from Summer sheets to Winter sheets; and thought to wash their sheets today - seeing I had some laundry to do today too.
While the last load of laundry was being done, I got in and washed the car.  It badly needed a good wash.  As I hosed it down, one of my neighbours who live down near the front of the complex was working out his new phone nearby spotted me and he called out.  He said that he had seen the car and thought I moved out; but I said no, it was a new addition to my life since my bird died.  He was sad to learn my little bird had passed away, and hoped that I was okay.  But he thought my Little Green Machine looked sweet, asking all the usual questions of where I got it from and looking at the space inside and how clean it was and everything.  I said that I've been washing it every week since I got it and vacuuming it out every few weeks too... and this week is a vacuum week with a dust-buster.

After we said our seeya's, and I got in and finished the car, I hung out the last load of washing and started in on the washing up in the kitchen.  I got halfway through it and really needed a break.  I had been going for about 2 hours straight and I really needed a break.  So, I let the water out and cleaned up the lounge room, bringing into the kitchen the teapot and anything I left on the coffee table last night.  I then sorted out what I'd need for my Queen Bees Craft Group on Monday and put it all in my late-Grandma's knitting bag all ready for me to work from tonight.  The purple travel box went back out the back in the craft area so I can fill it back up again with paint and pegs and brushes on Monday morning.  Otherwise, the loungeroom got tidied up and now, all I need to do is dust and vacuum this afternoon and it'll look lovely for the weekend.

By around 11am, I really needed my coffee drink.  So, I made sure I had turned off the washing machine and made my drink and headed upstairs to put some clothes away with my camera and phones... then hopped online to check my mail and to work on some of my books today for next month's romance group.  It should be good. 
The house is looking better each time I have a go at decluttering it.  It's taking more time the more I go through things, but that's expected as I moved toward going through this last room of the home office.  Anyway, that's my day of work to get done.

Tomorrow, is another busy day out and about.  I'm off to the Romance Writer's group and then home to pack the car for the Creative Markets for Sunday.  And then, I'll be out the back yard to mow the lawn and tidy up the yard and make some dinner once the afternoon turns cooler.  Then, I'll have an early night and be up at 5am on Sunday morning and be off to the Springwood Road State School for the Creative Markets... my brother, Gabe and his girlfriend, Kat are coming to this one.  I can't wait!  Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Busy Day Today

Today I'm hoping to get a few things done while I have the stamina.  It's cold here as there's an Antarctic Wind charging up the coast making us all freeze through a cold snap.  So, I'm hoping to be able to get in and do some work around here in the way of making a difference around my home.

This morning, the first thing I did was put a Command Hook on the inside of one of my wardrobe doors so I can hang up a couple of my handbags.  I'll be adding to that hook with more Command Hooks so there's more use of them and I can put my bags away, rather than have them on the floor.

Then, I moved the old bathroom mirror from inside the spare room wardrobe to behind the bedroom door... it gave me more room in the wardrobe and I was less likely to break it accidentally.  I have a few other things to get done before the day's out here, but I need a box for my wrapping paper stuff for Christmas and Birthdays next week while I'm out shopping.  

Anyway, I'm going to finish tidying up the bedroom by putting away the clothes on the chair and all the cushions too.  Then, I'm going to get in and vacuum as well and dust too; and that bedroom will be complete.  The hall table will get a dusting and I'll finish doing out the bathroom and give the floor a once over and that will be finished up too.  I've yet to get the curtain for it though - that will still take time to do.

Downstairs, I have to wait for the hand-washing to dry - this will take until later this afternoon - then I'll put away the clothes horse, fold the laundry, put away some hand-stitching stuff, dvds, clean up the lounge and dust the place then vacuum and lounge room and wash all the floors.  The downstairs will look better than it used to; as it's easier to clean than it used to be. 

Now, there's a few things that still have to be looked into - like the home office - but I have left this room until last as it's the toughest room to work in.  I have so many things to organise in here that this will be my final attempt at working on it.  If I can't pull this room together this time around, I'll just leave it the way it is, accepting it for what it is - a junk room.  I hate saying this, but it will have to be something I hate and despise until I get my head around what is in here - junk - and I can let it go without thinking I'm going to worried about it.

Decluttering is a highly personal thing.  Nobody can really help you with it, you can only do it yourself and it takes courage to take on your own house by yourself... and once you do start letting go of things you don't need, it does become easier.  Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here. 

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Lazy, Crazy, Cold Kinda Week

Yeah... I have a feeling this week is going to be anything but lazy and relaxing.  Yesterday, I was out and about at my craft day with the ladies teaching me how to attach ties to fabric.  I took a tiring two hours to just attach the top of one!  Oh well, so long I had fun doing it.

Then, today, I've been doing a lot of things I didn't want to do; and yet, I had to get them done.  I washed the sheets and got my handwashing done.  Then, I put away clean laundry.  And then, I varnished the last of the Beautiful Coathangers for the Creative Markets next week.  Soon, I have to get myself into doing a stock take of what I have so I'm ready for counting this time next week.  Oh, yay, how much fun is that?

Anyway, it's been exhausting... I didn't even finish breakfast or take my vitamens, but it's been a busy morning of housework, talking to Body Corporate people from over the fence and finding out about things I didn't know about the caretaker of my complex.

Then, this afternoon, I'm hoping to get a few other things done around here.  I'm hoping to work on getting my handbags put away, hung up inside the wardrobe doors on proper hooks - well some of them anyway - and sorting through some of the bags of crap around here.  I want to sort through the rubbish and throw that out and put the books to one side to sort through too and move around here too.

Hopefully, I'm going to get my nose into some Romance Writers works this afternoon.  It's a cold day, it ought to be worth the read and edit them.  And then, I want to get in and clean up the lounge room and make up and bed, vacuum, dust and make the place look at least a little bit presentable before Thursday where I want to get my butt to my folks' house to clean it up, change the sheets over and clean their house up a little.

Yeah, a busy week for me - and all at home.  Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Saturday, June 21, 2014

At the Movies: Two John Hughes Classics

Tonight, I picked out two movies that I loved from the 1980's.  They weren't from my index book and I didn't want to have to concentrate on anything major.  So, I chose 'Some Kind of Wonderful' and 'Sixteen Candles'.  Both of these films were written and produced the late, great John Hughes; and had some of Hollywood's 80's Brat Pack in them.  I love these films and do want to collect a few more of them as they're so teenaged, high school-angst-like and I don't think they can ever be remade now as there's just too much technology around.

'Some Kind of Wonderful' is about two friends who are outcasts at school.  One is Watt who is a tomboy.  She's a drummer, wears boxers, has short hair and really doesn't fit into the girly-girl way of life at high school.  Everyone at her school thinks she's into girls; when really she's into her best friend... a guy!  He a nice guy who's a mechanic after school and is saving up to go to university, but is a fantastic artist.  
Watt loves her best friend, but he doesn't know it.  He loves the most popular girl in school, who's going out with a really big jock (who is a dickhead and treats her like dirt).  So, when the most popular girl in school finds her boyfriend cheating on her and dumps him for the ordinary poor guy, everything in Watt's life is turned upside down.  Is it time to tell her best friend how she feels?  Or should she wait until it's almost too late?

The next movie is a funny movie in a stupid kind of way.  'Sixteen Candles' is about a teenager who wakes up on her 16th birthday and her whole family forgets her birthday... all because it's the day before her older sister's wedding.  She waits all day, all afternoon, all night for them to remember; but it's not until it's almost midnight when her Dad finally wakes her up that he tells her that they forgot.
But it's what happens during her birthday that makes her 16th the funniest birthday I've seen on film.  She finds out the most popular guy in school - who isn't that bad, but is going out with a bitch - likes her.  He doesn't know she likes him (and there's a big communication problem throughout the movie).  Then there's a geek who like her and tells everyone they're 'going out' when they're not!  Then, there's a party at to end all parties where a house gets trashed, the most popular girl gets with the geek - and likes it - and the popular guy is told false information about the birthday girl... that she's getting married!  Which she's not, but then, this wouldn't be a John Hughes' film without a few problems with communications, would it?  Anyway, everything turns out in the end happily.  The birthday girl gets her cake... and her wish... and the guy she was wishing for.  But it took a long time to get him and her on the same page - but doesn't that always happen that way?

Yeah, a John Hughes film duet... loved it!  Even when I had to turn off the second film while I waited out a big storm that hit my area for around half an hour... but then it was worth the wait! 

Saturday.... Already?

Man, oh, man!  What happened to this week?  On minute it was Monday, and the next?  Well, I opened my eyes to my alarm on my phone and it's Saturday again!  Woah!

Is it me or is this year zippin'  on by faster than I want it to?  

Well, I've gotten a lot done this week; and today was no different.  Yesterday was fun though... trying to find my way to Mt Coot-tha to meet up with Susan - a friend from college - and the GPS telling me to take the round-a-bout when it had been dug up by the Brisbane City Council!  Um... yeah, real smart move there!  Plus getting there is a lot more complicated than it used to be when I last drove there.  I mean, it is a tourist destination, right?  We are trying to get tourists to actually go there, right?  Okay... then why are we making the roads completely impossible to use?

Anyway, it's just how things are I guess.  Susan and I had a wonderful lunch and we hung around, took a lot of photos and enjoyed ourselves completely before she saw my car (as she had only seen photos of it on Facebook) and then we had to take off to do our own things.  For her, it was to pick up her kids from school; for me, I had a chiropractor's appointment on the other side of town... which took almost an hour to get to because of roadworks, bad drivers and people texting all the time while they were driving (jeez, if the adverts on the tv and the net aren't bad enough, why would you even think about texting in a massive huge truck of a vehicle in peek hour!  It's beyond me!).  

Today, I was out and gone early - by around 9:15am - to get to Vinnies along the service road to pick up some ties there.  I'm making a craft thing for a Secret Santa gift for my craft group.  It ought to be great, I can't wait to start on it.  But I'm hoping to get into it this afternoon while the sunlight is good before I start hand-stitching the ties onto a large cushion.  
After I bought the ties, I was off to the Logan North Library where Karen Tyrrell was launching her book titled 'Stop the Bully'.  It's about how to put a halt to schoolyard bullying early so it doesn't carry on into high schools and adult life.  It was a great and wonderful launch with quite a few spokespersons talking for her cause; as so many people are affected by bullying in their lifetime and nobody ever helped them.  

Anyway, I'm home now, and am hoping to get in and work on a few things around the house soon.  The computer is slowly getting back to normal and working its way through the configurations as it settles into its new tower and programmings.  I'm being patient; and when it does work well, finding it's very fast, but it does have its moments where it's slow... but right now it's scanning the whole hard drive to make sure there's nothing untoward hiding in it.... and this will help it along to work better.  Well until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Busy Week

It's Thursday and today I've been able to sit down and write this - for once - because my week has been go, go, go for the whole time!  Honestly it has!

On Monday, I was at my craft group and we all chatted about what we got done over the last few weeks, seeing last week was a public holiday, and I showed the ladies my new hall table and the terrariums I worked on.  And then they cheered me on for getting myself into clearing out my house more too.

And then on Tuesday, I was inspecting some gardening I did when my neighbours asked how my computer was going.  I said it was a little on the slow side.  Well, Rickie said for me to bring it on over and I hesitated saying I didn't know which plug went where.  So, he jumped at the chance of getting in and fixing it where it sat, grabbing his box of stuff and landing on my doorstep in a minute!  His girlfriend came over too and we all hung out for the whole day chatting drinking tea and laughing over things.
Vanessa loved my place, saying it was cosy and very retro because of the old-fashioned furniture you don't find anymore; and it was cool I enjoyed having it around me.  I told her how I got all the pieces and then Rickie showed me the mother board he wanted to give me!  It was gamers mother board he didn't use, but it didn't fit into my HP Pavilion... so I said I'd save up for a new tower.  But, nope!  He wanted to go out and get one now... that day!  I looked at Vanessa asking if they were sure.

While we were standing in Game Dude on the service road, I asked why they were doing this for me.  She smiled saying that Rickie likes helping people out with their computers.  And she appreciated what I did for her and him by standing up for them when a certain resident cut back a shrub in the Body Corporate garden right back to a stump, making it look terrible - and making my neighbours look out at a horrible view.  This was their way of thanking me for doing something most people wouldn't.  And Rickie just wants to make sure my computer doesn't blow up on me, seeing I'm a writer and artist, I'll be needing it all the time.  Very cool!

Well, we spent a good part of the day hanging out while Rickie installed the computer and Vanessa saw the rest of my place all set out.  She loved the library of books in my spare room, saying it's wonderful that there's people out there who do love the real written word instead of the iPad or e-readers.  And then she saw my bedroom suite and said it's good to make sure you get something you like... and that one day she hopes to get something like mine because it's a matter of making yourself happy in life.  

I told my older brother about my day last night and he thought it was sweet!  He said there's nothin'  like having great neighbours who you really do get along with; and it's wonderful when you can just sit down and be yourself with them without wondering if they're being nice to get something out of you... and it sounds like mine are great people.  And they are.  

Yesterday, for me, it was shopping day.  I bought some things from Woodys'  and then went to K-Mart and bought two storage boxes - which were lined - for my scarves and shawls and sarongs, and then got some hangers which clipped onto my jeans for the wardrobe.  It was very cool.  When I got home, I found I didn't have an original copy of Windows7 and the computer wouldn't boot up properly.  So, Rickie came over and installed Windows - after I backed up everything on my external hard drive.  

Tomorrow, I'm out and about again.  This time, I'm having lunch at Mt Coot-tha with my great friend, Susan.  And what a place to have lunch!  Even if it's raining, we ought to have a wonderful time!  I can't wait to see her.  It'll be the first time she's seen my new car. 
This morning, I got the car washed, two loads of laundry done (and hung out on the clothes horse) and then I had to fiddle on the computer again... I'm still wondering how to get the Windows7 working.  Looks like I'll have to get Rickie or Vanessa over to help me with it as it's not working the way it did the last time.  Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Sunday, June 15, 2014

At the Movies: Blade Runner - The Director's Cut

2019 - Deckard is a cop in the special forces unit.  He's a Blade Runner.  He can track down Replicants who have gone rogue; and his type are in great demand.  However, Blade Runners are a dying breed, so Deckard retired before he was killed in the line of duty.
However, his boss has tracked him down and found him in Chinatown, LA enjoying his dinner to tell him that four Replicants have broken free on an off-Earth ship and escaped to live here on Earth - in LA in fact - and he's needed to track them down.

Crap!

So, he begrudgingly starts looking for them by going to the company which started making them in the beginning.  They have made better model Replicants since the Nexus 6 model.  The newer models are harder to spot, more difficult to figure out and are more likely to pass as humans and less violent when they come to the end of their lives - which by the way is only 4 years.  The newer models are given background memories, a mind, feelings and other things the Nexus 6 models never had.

Deckard is struck at the newer model he's encountered... it's not at how hard it was to make her as a Replicant, it was how human she was to begin with.  He has definitely been out of the game too long to realise things have advanced faster than he expected.

During his investigation, he comes across clues as to where the others are.  He finds one working as a stripper, and succeeds in 'retiring' her.  But her other friends, who are watching out for her, hate the fact a Blade Runner is looking for them.  Leon (the Replicant who started the whole investigation by killing the Blade Runner testing him), tries to kill Deckard, and he nearly does when the newer model of Replicant grabs Deckard's gun and shoot Leon, 'retiring' him.
She can't go back to her owner now, not after she's committed a crime like this against her own.  So, she goes home with Deckard.  And this is where it really gets complex!
As the movie progresses, the there's only two Nexus 6 model Replicants left for Deckard to find and 'retire'... and it doesn't take long for him to find them; as there's a report that the creator and the programmer of the Replicants are both found dead at their places of residence.

I love this movie.  It's gritty, fantastically filmed and is based on a short shorty by Philip K Dick... and I could watch it over and over and never get sick of it.  I think it's one of the reasons why I love to write sci-fi and horror as well as read it.  Harrison Ford plays Deckard and is brilliantly cast as the Blade Runner; and it's well worth getting in and watching the Director's Cut as there's a few things that are cut out you'll like - just a few touches that make the film worthwhile.    

Sunday Afternoon

I'm normally busy on Sundays doing something to do with the house or the garden or the car... but today I'm not.  And that's a change.  

Today, I was up later than usual, went out and bought the paper and some milk then cooked up some pancakes and read some of the paper while I listened to classical music on the radio - yeah I like to really chill out to something slow on my weekends.  By the time breakfast was finished, I looked at the clock and found it was almost 10am.  I had a few things to get done and they wouldn't take very long to do.

Firstly, I pulled in the laundry off the clothes horse and put the bulky thing away in my storage facility, put the peg box away and took the laundry upstairs to fold and put away.
Then, I jumped online to check my mail, see who and how many people had read my latest installment of flash fiction on 'Terrible Minds' (and I found it had 22 people had hit my blog and 1 comment - very cool, seeing it hadn't been up 24 hours yet).  Then, I downloaded all the photos on my camera onto my hard drive in its own folder so I can clear the card on the camera without thinking I may have forgotten to upload something... yeah I do that sometimes, forget to upload photos, then they're lost.

By around midday or so, the day was still coolish.  So, I turned the computer off and went downstairs.  I had a few things I wanted to get done around the place - just small stuff really - but I'd feel better getting them done.  
I vacuumed the car out with the dust buster - and now it looks so much cleaner.  Once that was done, I found the power on it was still a bit low, so I put it back on charge again.  Then, I went to my new hall table and looked at the new picture frames to see which photos I'll change over into them.  I pulled up Little Miss Stevie's photo and put her cute little picture into a nicer frame.  And her photo looks so much better now - and the frame now matches the hall table so well!  How cool!
After that, I went out into my backyard through the side gate and looked at the plant in the hanging half-pot to find that the possums have been at it again... damn!  So, I pulled the rest of it off the main root, transplanted what I could of the foliage that does have roots down into another pot and then grabbed some shade mesh and covered the whole thing - tucking it down the back and sides, using the weight of the pot against the fence to hold it down - to keep the damned possums off it.  I have a feeling they were eating the flowers and seeds off it... and now all of those are gone, they're eating the foliage as it's full of water and sweet-tasting.  Here's hoping I've saved the plant.... wish me luck.

Anyway, I still have another few things to get done in my bedroom to go through.  So, tonight, I might get in and do some work on the office; start on cleaning this place out while I'm waiting for pay day to arrive.  On Wednesday, I'll be getting two woven boxes from K-Mart to put my scarves into and shawls into.  Then, I'll be buying a few more hangers for my jeans as well to put into my wardrobe so all my skirts and jeans aren't going to be folded up anymore, they're all going to be hung up - nice and neat.  

I still have my handbag collection to go through and my books to organise - yet again - but that will take time and effort on my part.  I will not be throwing or giving any away.  I do wish to read these books I've bought and collected.  And once I do read at least some of them, I will then put them into a book exchange or bookcross them (if they're bookcrossing books).  
My office is the very last room I'm going to face as it's the worse-organised out of my house.  I'm not ashamed to say that my office is one of the junkiest rooms around - we all have that one room which is filled with junk and at least three collections of things we don't know what to do with... well, my office is just that.  I just hope I can do something about this room and make it a permanent change rather than the few other times I've attempted working on this room... I really have to be brutal with my choices of what is to stay and what must leave.

Well, how was your weekend?  Mine was good, busy and tiring all at once.  Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Friday, June 13, 2014

Black Friday... or is it?

Today turned out pretty good.  Yeah, it's overcast, looking like rain and the hall table was a shit of the thing to put together when it arrived, but it turned out good.

I had my laundry overloading the indoor clothes horse this afternoon - but it was mostly dry, with only the sleeves and waistbands of the clothes being damp.  So, it didn't rain as much as was forcast... this is something I'm happy about.  

I got some organising done too.  The skirts in my closet are now hanging up in my wardrobe... all of them... they have made room for the scarves and shawls that were in my tall boy set of drawers in my bedroom.  However, there weren't enough hangers for my jeans; so next week, I'll have to get some more and two wicker boxes.  The boxes are for the scarves and shawls and I'll label them as such so I know what's in them.  

Yep, today wasn't that bad.  I still have a long way to go.  There's still a lot of cleaning up to do, a lot of doing out do and a fair few charity store runs to to be done as well; but I'm happy with the stuff I've donated, thrown out and bought.  The house is looking and feeling good.
And I've left the last room - the toughest room - to take the longest.  It's my office.  There's so much in here, I will take my time and see how I do.  And seeing I have transformed the rest of the house into a lovely home with my taste throughout, I'll have to do the same with my office.  Right now, it looks and feels like just another junk room filled with books and handbags; but I want it to be an inviting room so I want to be here... anyone can be in here.  And I want to put in a lounge chair... a nice retro one where I can curl up and read a book.  However, there are a few things I'll have to get rid of before I do that... and that will be next year's big purchase, as it'll be something old, something I can't find in just any furniture store and something I'll spend a lot of time using in here... and it's gotta be comfortable too - like I said - so I can sort through my books, enjoy my collection and make sure this room stays the way it is... my library with a few collectables. 

These are my plans for my place.  What are yours?  Mine have been a long time coming, and I've had to kick myself in the butt to get them going lately... and it's been fun to work on such old-fashioned things to have them work out so well!  Over the next year, I'll be working on making sure I get the look I want and working hard on making sure everything works out... and that will take time to do.  Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Thursday, June 12, 2014

All Day Outing

I was out from around 10am until 3:30pm today... but it was worth every moment.  I took my time doing everything I needed to do... which was good.

The first thing I did was give Little Miss Stevie's blankets and cuttlefish to the RSPCA World at Springwood.  It was the second time I've been there, and I made myself go this time and not leave until I took the bag in.  Well, I ended up walking around the place with the bag in my hands for about half an hour... I must have looked like a bag lady, but I still ended up at the counter with it, crying my eyes out trying to let them know I wanted to give the covers away.  But the longer I hold onto them, the harder it will be to give them away - I know this.  And I know they will be going to the shelters for a puppy or a kitten to curl up on this Winter.  And the cuttlefish will be scratched on by a parrot who really wants something to chew on.  I felt so sad and when I got back to the car, I felt so lost because I thought I had let go of the last of my bird... I haven't.  

After I had a cry in the car, I got going to Mum and Dad's house after the post office and paid some bills, watered some plants and emptied some things out of the fridge... I also wrote down some messages and stuck around the place in case the birds came to visit for a feed.  But they didn't... so I left and went about my day.

The next place was over at Woodridge.  I had some things to get done at K-Mart.  I put in some photos to get developed and then looked around Woodys and bought some sheet music there for $2.00ea.  Then, seeing I was sticking around for a bit, I thought to have some lunch at Venus' Cafe and look at some stuff at the 'Dollars & Sense' place before going to the chemist and then picking up the photos and finding some things to use for my clean up around the house.  
After Logan Central Plaza, I went to Endoes and donated three bags of stuff I didn't want anymore from my house.  It felt so good to let go of my stuff that I no longer needed but it was good to use.  Then I was off to the Art Gallery and I had a look around there and chatted to the ladies there.  

I looked at my watch and it was almost 3:15pm!  Wow!  Where did the day go?  Well, I jumped in my car and took off home.  It was time get the things I had bought home and get dinner under way.  

And tomorrow?  Well, I have some cleaning out and phone calls to make after I go to the post office to send something off to Toowoomba to a good friend of mine, who doesn't have the net.  Such a pity, because it'd be easier to keep in touch with her.  Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here. 

Monday, June 9, 2014

Bill Murray's Advice

I read an interesting article on The Huffington Post today and found it to be true.  They interviewed Bill Murray... now he's a funny guy, and there's people in this world who I wonder how they get to be the people they are. 

Okay, I collect biographies and autobiographies, but some of those books are so darned thick, I'm better off using them as doorstops than reading them - no matter how thrilling they are.  
So, I scrolled through his 8 things he swears by which has made his life better for himself; and you know, I can see a lot of his advice working out for a lot of people if we just take a step back and work things better for ourselves.  Now, you can read his 8 Things that make his life better here... but I'm going to write down what makes my life better; and it's only begun to be better over the last few years.

1.  No Daytime Television

Yep... turn that damn boob-tube off.  I don't have it switched on at the wall even so I'm not tempted to find out what's on with the remote.  This way, I'm forced to look for other forms of entertainment, other things to do around the place that need doing and to get in and work on projects that I want to do that will get done and make me feel accomplished - even if they take a long time.

2.  Read Books

Okay, I'm a reader.  But you don't have to read vampire or sci-fi action to enjoy reading.  You can read whatever you're into and make it your passion.  If you love historical fiction, well read it.  If you're into tim travel, okay, go out and get the entire collection of Jack Finney... who's stopping you?  Just get into reading, it's a great thing for your brain.

3.  Random Act of Kindness

I do random acts of kindness all the time.  It doesn't matter what it is.  I could hold the door open for the next person at the post office or pick up a child's pacifier for their Mum at the shops, it's something that's small, nice and doesn't cost me anything to do.  

4.  Give to Charities

This is something that I started doing in high school... and my fellow classmates thought I was a dork for doing.  Of course I didn't care, because there's people out there who are less fortunate than me and well, if I didn't who else would do it?  I door-knocked for MS... and this is where it started.  Now, I do The World's Greatest Shave (colouring my hair instead of shaving it) and raise money for blood cancers.  If only people knew how common it is, they'd give more to the cause.  
Not only do I raise money for great causes, but when I want to get rid of stuff around my house, and it's still in good working order, I pack the car and take it to a charity store.  Somebody out there is struggling more than I am; and they'll use it when I no longer have a use for it in my life.

5.  Love the Small Things

I've spent time watching the small things in my garden burst into flower, spiders spin their webs, butterflies flutter around in circles before leaving my garden and taking their wandering path into the next.  Yes, the small things in life are wonderful; and when I've had a huge, busy week, there's nothing more satisfying than being able to pull the weeds out in my garden and knowing I created this little bit of heaven... it's just great. 
You don't have enough room for a garden?  Create a terrarium.  This is a garden inside a bottle... doesn't cost much and if it's a sealed one, it needs little to no care and you can watch it as it cares for itself... wonderful stuff.

6.  Make Your Inner You Happy

Okay, I left the most difficult until last.  This might take years to accomplish.  However, it's not that hard to do really.  What you do is:  ask yourself exactly what made you happy the last time you were totally blissed out?  Was it music?  Was it fashion?  Gardening?  Cooking?  Art?  Then, figure out what part of that made you happy... was the creating part of it or the end product?  Was it the modern music or the old music you loved - or a mix of both?  Why do you love gardening?  What makes you want to cook?  Is it the flavours, the idea of creating that ultimately-one-and-only-creation-that's-purely-yours?  Or is it learning new things?  Once you've figured out what has made you happy (it'll be a few things - not just one), go out and find that happiness again... it's not hard to find it.  There's record stores that stock only vinyl.  There's book exchanges popping up everywhere.  There's art stores that sell good quality supplies dirt cheap... and there's websites galore that will assist you in anything you want to learn.  Making your inner YOU happy is something of an on-going project; and you'll find that once you start on making yourself happy, everyone around you will notice you're changing externally.  Some will embrace this new you, some won't... this is where you'll figure out who your real friends are.  Believe me, this happened to me when I started doing this happiness trip... it's not a bad thing to lose a few friends.  And you know?  I have found that I love the 1970's era - just when everyone else is catching onto it... 

Well, there you go... my rendition of Bill Murray's advice.  So, do tell.  What are your steps in your life where you've made yourself happy?  Or are you still a work in progress and you're not ready to tell us yet? 

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Big Clean Out - The Beginnings Of It Anyway!

My house is beginning to really look good.  Downstairs looks very 1970's and I'm very pleased with it.  It still needs work, but nothing too drastic.  Devil's in the details, you know.

This afternoon, I worked on upstairs stuff.  I organised a bucket of gear to be used in cleaning the bathroom... and only use that bucket to have my cleaning gear in it to do just that.

First thing I did was start on cleaning the bathroom.  I cleaned the toilet.  Then, I got an old pair of socks, sprayed all-purpose cleaner on the blinds and wiped them down with the socks.  Oh, wow!  So much crap came off those blinds!  The place looked so much brighter because they were so much cleaner.
Then, I moved everything off the vanity and cleaned it with the Jif spray stuff and then did the mirror.  Before I put anything back, I went through everything!  This meant I went through the linen closet and pulled out all the little buckets of stuff that I had there - from salts to soaps and everything in between that's smelly for a bath I don't have - and tossed them all into a bag for a charity.  It all looks great!

The next place I attacked was my bedroom.  I put every last piece of laundry away... I'm not kidding.  It's all put away now and the dirty laundry is downstairs in the hamper awaiting washing.  
When I got 95% of it put away, I pulled all the socks out of my sock drawer and sorted through them... what I wear, what I don't and what wasn't worth saving.
I did the same with my underwear, bras and nightwear drawer.  It all fits well now.  And there was so much I tossed out that I won't miss - I just won't miss it, I swear.  

So, now I have one bag of towels I'll be giving to Mum.  One bag of clothes for a charity and one bag of toiletries that will go to a charity too.  I think I got a lot done in a few hours.  I still have quite a bit to get done.  However, I'm proud of how far I've gone so far.  What I do need to pick up is a broom with rubber bristels to go around the bathroom with... to pick up all the dust and crap from around the place before I wash the floor... I can use it downstairs around the front door and in the hall to the kitchen too... saves me getting onto my knees with a dustpan and brush.  I may yet go to Bunnings and have a look around at their brooms and see their prices tomorrow.  But first, I'll see if they're open; as it's a public holiday.  Well, until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Groovy Sunday Afternoon

Well, it's a normal Sunday afternoon.  

This morning, I didn't want to get out of bed.  It wasn't because it was cold.  It was I'm a bit more than disappointed about something that happened last night.  

Never mind... I won't go into here; it's too personal, and I promised that this isn't a personal, private, put out my dirty laundry kinda blog... and besides, you don't want to know.

So, once I did get up this morning, I was off to the service station to pick up some milk, toilet cleaner and a paper.  And so, once home, I made pancakes and read the paper.  But soon enough, it was time to get my butt into gear and work on the place again (as it will be soon to do this arvo).
I went outside and tipped over the sun-loving Bromiliad.  It was time to uproot the mother plant and pull the pup off it.  I had to repot it now, or this plant would never work itself out next Summer.  So, I did and now, the mother plant is in the huge recycling bin up the back of the complex - with a bit of help from one of my neighbour's friends.  I had to warn him that the leaves were razor sharp... and he looked at them and nodded.

Well, once I got that done, I found a spare bucket in the cabinets outside, washed it out and picked up some cleaning gear for that bathroom and toilets.  I'm going to work out what I need in the way to clean the bathroom and just keep that bucket handy to be the cleaning bucket - and that's it for both upstairs and downstairs... and not have two of everything.  I buy one lot of toilet cleaner and spray'n'wipe and that's it to clean both toilets.  There's one pair of gloves... you get the idea.  I'm not spending money I don't have; and thus I'm saving money in the longrun.

Then, later on this afternoon, I'll be going through the first part of my wardrobe.  I'll start really small and go through my socks and delicates; and throw out what I don't need and give away the socks I don't want or use.  It's the best way I know how to start on cleaning out my bedroom of clothes.  Then, it'll be easier to put things away after doing the laundry or getting changed.

These things won't take long...  and it's a start on it all.  So, what are you doing this weekend that's different?  Being a long weekend, are you doing something with family?  Or are you just hanging out at home?  Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here. 

Saturday, June 7, 2014

At the Movies: 'Before Midnight'

Jessie and Celine are back, this time they're in Southern Greece on a holiday with their twin girls, who were conceived on that one night fling when Jessie was late for his plane in Paris in the last movie!  
So!  Jessie's wife gets pissed off, she divorces him gets their son - Henry - and the movie starts out with Jessie seeing 14 year old Henry off to Chicago at the end of his Summer Holidays.  Things are tense, but he promises to come and see his son's piano rehearsals and soccor game; but Henry says not to because it'll just piss off Mum... jeez, things really aren't looking good, are they?

Celine and him drive back through a winding road from the Kalamata Airport to a little township where they pick up some food at a grocer with their daughters.  On the way, they get back into their usual routine of chatting about things; it's like old times.  You feel as though they're back in Vienna and Paris, and that old zing is there in their relationship.  And soon, we're transported to this gorgeous old villa where they've been staying for the Summer, owned by a writer friend of Jessie.  This place has an orchard, organic vegetable garden, beautiful stone work and gardens where they all hang out, eat and drink and enjoy the shade while talking about life, sex, the past and the future of the human race.  Then, some friends tell Jessie and Celine that the hotel they've reserved was under Jessie's name, and Celine tries to get them out of it; to get back to Paris sooner, but they insist that they need time alone.

This is where the movie turns really tense.  Jessie and Celine are alone for the first time in over 7 years.  They have time alone to be just with each other without worrying about two little adventurer running amok!  They really begin to talk about everything that's been going on in their lives - just like they used to.  However, Celine is feeling old, she doesn't feel great about herself; and when they get to the hotel room, the shit really hits the fan and she lets out her frustrations on Jessie.  All the crap that she's been holding in for the whole time they've been together is being thrown at him, and incredibly, he just sits there and takes it... when any other guy would have walked out leaving her to simmer.

He takes her walking out twice after she screams at him about leaving her alone while he was away on book tours, accusing him of cheating when he 'supposedly broke his phone'... which he never really answered, but then when you think about it, he did.  She storms out, claiming she no longer loves him, leaving him alone with two glasses of untouched red wine, a half-drunk cup of tea and a bed which is not slept in.  

He finds her out at a pier restaurant overlooking a bay near the hotel, sits down and introduces himself as though it's the first time they've met.  She's still pissed off and tells him to go away.  Exactly how he gets her into his good graces again is well-done and very truthful.  

I found this movie wonderfully thought out and well-written.  Both of the characters are well-played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, and I noticed the music that's used in it, was also used in their previous movie 'Before Sunset' but it was given a Greek twist... how cool is that?  I wonder where they'll take us next, and what will happen next?  It's still left up in the air about Jessie's son, their relationship and if they will truly work out to be together for the next one or not.

Friday, June 6, 2014

A Weekend Full of Housework

I have a weekend full of housework and cleaning up.  Yep, seeing I spent most of my week out on the road, I have mostly neglected tidying up the house, putting away the laundry and cleaning the bathroom and washing the floors.

So, I'm going to do just that this weekend.  I'm doing all the usual housework as well as the bigger stuff I was supposed to do on Thursday when I was out all day looking for a cork for the terrarium at Bardon and having lunch at Mt Coot-tha.

Tomorrow, I'm up at sparrow-fart to catch the guys at Harvey Norman to pick up the hall table I picked up today.  
Okay, I'll start at the beginning with this one.  I ordered in a gorgeous, solid timber hall table for the top of my stairs.  I had been looking for something like this for about a year now, and I finally found one at Harvey Norman at Garden City.  So, on Tuesday, I ordered it in and yesterday, when I arrived home, I found a message on my machine letting me know it had arrived.  So, today, I took my time and got there to pick it up.  I had other things to get done, but I didn't rush.  I paid the rest of the money off on it ($200) and drove up there, backed my car in, popped the boot open and the guy put it in... no probs.  When I got home, I got it up the stairs and into my bedroom safely on my two-wheel trolley and gently laid it down, opened it, pulled all the stuffing from around it only to find one end was broken clean in half!  I was stunned!  It's a good solid table, and something must have hit it bloody hard to break the end of it as it was hanging by the screws.  I called the place and told them, got photos (as they asked me to for evidence for the supplier - because Harvey Norman was as upset about this as I was/am) and then I had to move the thing into my office.  As I did, the broken bit dropped off into the box... man, it just didn't have chance.  So, the guys are coming tomorrow morning at 7:30am, because I'm the first job on the list.  They did try to come tonight, as they put me on the last job of the night, but they got held up longer at their previous job and asked if it was okay for them to come tomorrow... hey, no probs, I'm going to be home for most of the weekend.

So there was my Friday.  Not rushed, but upsetting to say the least.  I hated what happened to my table, but am happy something is being done about it.

Anyway, tomorrow and Sunday, I'm going to get the lawn mowed, the car washed, one of my sun-loving plants repotted (and it's spiney too).  Then, I'm going to do out my wardrobe completely, vacuum, dust, clean the bathroom and toilets and then measure up the bathroom window for a curtain.  I have the rod and holders that will be on the window, but I just need a few more things and it'll be done.  I want my bathroom to look more like it's part of my home and less like it's part of a hotel... I know that sound terrible, but it's how it feels to me.  My bathroom has a very cold feel to it; and yet outside it, it's my home.

Monday is going to be a day of me catching up with reading, writing and critiquing some works... I hope I get more work in the garden done too if it's not raining too much.  I might even get some varnishing done on Tuesday or Wednesday.  Truthfully, I don't want my week next week to be filled up too much.  I just want to be home most of the time to chill out and enjoy my new terrarium and be here for when the new hall table is delivered.

So, what are the plans for your long weekend?  Partying?  Chilling out or just plain old working around the house?  Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Thursday's Day Outing

It's been a huge day out with my Little Green Machine, a terrarium and me behind the wheel following the directions of a Tom-Tom all over Brisbane city... and what a gorgeous day for me to be doing just that!

First off, I received a phone call from my folks, on holidays, that Mum needed some things she forgot to pack.  No probs!  I dropped over there to check on the place as well as do this little thing for Mum; only to get locked out of a bank account they have control over... damn... so I couldn't post the things she needed off and left them on the kitchen table all folded up and ready to go.  

I hate that.

Well, it was time to leave, so I jumped in the car, drove to Spotlight at Upper Mt Gravatt and looked around for a tapestry I could do... a nice simple one that didn't cost the Earth.  However, there's no such thing as nice and simple anymore, and they all cost the Earth.... sooo, I'll have to rethink my approach to my cushion design for the Secret Santa this year at my craft group.

I left Spotlight with a wooden 'kitchen' word to paint up for my stall and organised myself with the Tom-Tom to take me to Bardon where I had to get the cork for the terrarium.  

Well!  What a drive!  I knew where I was going right up until it took me off on to Moggil Road and got me totally lost!!!  I had no clue where it was taking me until I found myself about 5 minutes from the Mt Coot-tha Lookout.  And so much has changed there that I used the Tom-Tom to  get me up there.  This is where I took a well-earned break and sat down in the restaurant there to just have a coffee and ended up staying for lunch.
I mean, who wouldn't want to?  I had a near-perfect view of Brisbane City, Archerfield Airbase and could just see Moreton Bay.  And all the while I was eating pumpking gnokki - a pasta that was made with pumpkin and flour then boiled in rolling water for only a few minutes (or until it floated) and it was put with parsnips crisps and blistered cherry tomatoes... mmmmmm.... yummo!  It was delectible!  Such a gorgeous meal and it sounded like it should have cost the universe, but it only cost me $20... okay, $24.00 with my latte on top of that.  Pretty good for a five star restaurant on top of a mountain, don't you think?  And I mean, I was there for around an hour, taking a break from driving, with around 50 other people!  The place was packed with sight-seers who just wanted to see this great city from afar!  I live here, and I wanted to see my home city from afar too... such a pretty little city; and it's growing so fast.

Before I knew it, I was on the road again.  Little Green Machine took the twists and turns of the road down Mt Coot-tha so well!  And I nearly got stuck on Milton Road - but found my way to the Wesley Hospital through Eagle Terrace (where I used to live with a horrible man years ago) and then onto Coronation Drive and onto the freeway... traffic wasn't too bad all the way to Logan; actually it was pretty good.
I got off at Springwood, drove straight to the large Bunnings store at Underwood and bought 3 plants, some sphagnum moss and stones for my terrarium.  I already had the rest of the stuff at home.  While I was there, I ran into Kym Foxx, who used to live in my unit complex, and I showed her my new little car.  She was so please I got something so cute!  And said it must be great on the fuel.  I told her where I had been today and she was amazed that it was going so well, then I told her what I needed to get and what for.  She loved that I was making a terrarium; and thought it was the best thing for small houses.  

Well!  I got home, unpacked everything, cleared a space on the coffee table and organised myself to get the terrarium working!  Within the hour, my little garden in a bottle was planted out, decorated and watered in... err, had a little spray from the bottle... and then?  I put the cork on it and took photos!  It's such a cutie!  I looked around and wanted to do another one immediately!  Yes... I'm hooked on these things.  
But after the day I've had, I'm tired.  Mum phoned me before, letting me know that she's unlocked the account needed to let me in.  I pick up my hall table tomorrow and post off Mum's stuff to her on the way too.  I can't wait to get home, move some furniture and get the hall table looking great!  That will all be done in the morning... so I have the rest of the day to myself.  And then?  It will be the end of a very, very busy week!  Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Shopping Day

Today was filled with a lot of fiddly stuff.  First off, I checked the post office, went to the pet store and then to the charity store; the last one mainly to look for glass containers with lids, but found none.

So, I went to Go-Fabrics to look for a tapetry to make for the Secret Santa for my Craft Group this year... however, they don't stock them anymore.  The man there advised me to go to Spotlight - so after looking online and coming up with nothing, I'll be heading out to that store before I go to Bardon tomorrow morning.  Yep, get everything done in one hit... and pick up the terrarium on the way through, so I don't have the unfortunate chance of somebody breaking into my car to steal the terrarium just when I'm planning on using it.

Anyway, I got in and did my shopping, finding that a lot on my list wasn't needed - so I deleted a fair bit of what I had written down while I was in Coles without buying it.  My shopping came to around $130 instead of something a lot more. Which I'm very proud of.  I even cut back on a few things, making sure I do eat and use everything before I go and buy it again... this is a part of my cleaning out the house process.  
Okay, cleaning it out not only means throwing out the stuff I don't need, it also means using up all the food in the house I buy each fortnight.  So, when I went through all my pantry and fridge, I found that there was food that I bought but didn't eat.  For example, there's pasta I've bought but haven't finished.  So, until I finish all the pasta in my pantry, I won't be buying any.  It's just something I think is something I'll waste if I keep buying it and then throwing it out just because there's only a cup left.  It's still a meal or two, even if it's just for me.

I also took my time today.  Now I have a car, I don't feel I have to rush to get things done anymore.  If it takes me all day, well, let my shopping take me all day... that's what shopping day is all about, isn't it?  Anyway, until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here. 

Monday, June 2, 2014

Dressing 'Right' Is Wrong

I just read an article about a teenager in the States who was ordered to change her shorts because they were too short by her Principal.  She was ordered to do so in front of her classmates and peers as well as her teacher, and without a proper explanation; just that she had to because it was the rules, that if her shorts didn't reach her fingertips, she wasn't allowed to wear them.

This was to supposedly protect her from the boys in her school from ogling her and other girls wearing similar items of clothes.  So, now, girls can't wear something in Summer when it's too hot to wear anything else, while boys can wear pretty much what they want - or not want?  Very much a double standard if you ask me.

I can relate to this very thing here in Australia - as it does get very hot here in Summer as well.  Us women here wear shorts and mini-skirts to keep cool, and yet we've been told by the some that we're just screaming to be raped or beaten up.  However, I have found that if it's too hot to wear anything else, I will wear a pair of shorts and a singlet top; and I don't care what people think - no matter who they are.

Earlier this year, we had about a week of extremely hot weather.  It was disgustingly hot day and night - and nobody really got any sleep or wanted to go outside.  I dressed in a mini-skirt and a very light top to do some painting when I went outside my townhouse to check on some new Islamic neighbours of mine who immediately glared at me.  They told me I will get raped if a man came outside and saw me and ordered me to change my clothes.  I refused, saying it was far too hot to cover up... and asked if they were hot because of how many layers they had on.  They refused to answer, and kept on saying I looked cheap.

Now, I don't judge people on what they wear, tattoos, hair styles, what music they listen to, movies they watch, books they read, religious beliefs or who they love and live with.  However, for these people to tell me how to live my life and dress in the middle of a disgustingly hot lot of days in the middle of Summer when I had every right to keep cool the way I know how... well, they had no right to say such things.  I didn't tell them to strip off and wear a mini-skirt and to 'get with it' because they're in my country.  It's not my place to say that to them.  

But telling women to cover up because it might entice men to rape them or ogle them is just crap.  Men have to learn to be gentlemen.  They have to learn restraint on how they act and realise that we can't be nuns for the whole of our lives in public and wildcats in the bedroom.  So, if you men out there think us women are just sex objects, you have another thing coming; either that, or you were brought up wrong.

Teenager told to change her shorts 

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

It's been a busy weekend for me, so today, I thought to take it easy and chill out on the net.  Yesterday, I was out all day at my Romance Writer's Group and ended up having lunch with the girls at the Hyperdome food court.  It was great to not have to worry about when to come home because I was driving the Little Green Machine and not Mum's car.

But when I did get home so much was going on here, it was amazing.  Somebody was moving in or out of unit 5 and blocking most of the driveway in and out of the complex; making it difficult to get past one of their vehicles.  Then there was a guy running around here on a motorcycle.  Now, there's been some dude - a learner rider - running around here on his bike without his helmet.  But he's been not only using the main drive ways around the place, but also the walkway thoroughfares too.  I did report him to Darryl, but I'm not sure what's been going on with him about it.  I know Darryl went to talk to him about keeping to the driveways and away from the walkways.

Anyway, this arvo, I'm hoping to clear away the lounge room completely and permanently.  There's also some big stuff I have to get done in the corner next to the stereo system where there's some bags and boxes blocking the use of the cabinet there.  So, I really have to get in and do some serious throwing out and sorting of my stuff.  
Along with all that, there's my shopping list to get done, the newspapers to throw out from last week and my wardrobe to go through to figure out what I'm wearing and what I'm not from the last year or so.  I'm also hoping to get in the buy a new hall table after I get the terrarium done over the next three weeks; once I get the cork cut for it over at Bardon.  It shouldn't take me long to get there and back one day this week; then after that, I'll get some nice little plants, figure out what kind of stuff I need for it and work out the rest of it all... and before I know it, I'll have my terrarium ready.  This will take some time - some weeks - to pull together because the plants I'm looking at getting aren't going to be cheap and I'll buy the stuff I need for it bit by bit.  I'm also hoping to make a few for around the house too - like I'm looking at making one for the bathroom and one for my bedroom as well, just to bring some life to the house.  Anyway.  I'll see how I go with the big one first and then, I'll look around for cheap glass containers at charity stores in my travels and work with those. 

Yeah, this week is going to be busy.  But I'm hoping to see how well my house goes today and how much more I get done before the week is through.  I'm being brutal and honest about my place; now I have something to work towards; and that's to make a large terrarium a centrepiece in my livingroom.  And to make that happen - and pull it off right - the living room has to work right, look right and be tidy enough to have the terrarium be exactly what I want it to be.  Well, what projects have you been up to lately?  Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.