Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Getting Busy Again

I've decided this year to not do the markets. The reason for this is because I didn't make any money last year; and I want to figure out why. I also want to make new things to add to it when I pull the old gear from it. I'll be saving my money for this year until I have enough money to work with. 

So, this year, I'm going to work on my Bucket List and get in some reading, lose a bit of weight and get my butt back into working on myself. I'm not fat, I've just put on a bit of weight that's all; and I want to look after myself better. Yeah, life is getting better, but I do have a few little things I wish to get done around my place which seem to be held up by my landlord.

I need my kitchen tap fixed and a some power points needed around the place as well another phone line (the latter is a new thing I've only thought of today). I also want to buy another vacuum cleaner because my old one doesn't clean as well as it should and the retractable cord pulls itself in while the machine is going... yep, not safe. So, I've been hunting around for another vacuum - as my Dad's told me to, only to have him turn around and tell me that it's not going to happen.  I hope to get in and work on him to get a vacuum I want instead of one he thinks is good enough. 

Anyway, I've been working on getting back into the arts and am taking part in an art display at the gallery and I'm also hoping to get some work put in at the Logan Central Library - it's a book-based works I hope to sell some of - and then I'm going to my 25 year class reunion. Some of the people who couldn't make it 5 years ago are going to be there. It's going to be so good to catch up with them.

Anyway, I'm hoping to get in and talk to my folks about some things before next week. So, what have guys been up to? Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Thursday, February 18, 2016

I Got Inked

As my title says, I've been inked... yep, I got my first big tattoo done. My brother's so proud of me. He thought the little tattoo on my wrist was cool, but then he got a photo of my one on my shoulder and thought they were wicked.

I got Angel Wings tattooed to the back of my left shoulder. Now, I've wanted them for a long time - over 6 months - and have saved up money from my shopping since I got home from Brunswick Heads. 

So, now, I'm here at home a week later waiting for it to heal properly. This means I can't go out in the sun, I'm sleeping only on my right side (which isn't easy) and am wearing my strapless bra - which has an underwire and is very uncomfortable. But I'm surviving it. So long I keep applying the Bepanthan/nappy rash cream to it three times a day, I'll be sweet. I've already washed the sheets twice and changed the pillow cases three times because that stuff gets everywhere!

I am enjoying the quieter life of staying indoors - and thank god I am as it's been such a hot week! I'm hoping to be able to get myself dressing better in the coming weeks; once it's healed better. 

The good thing is that the redness is gone, it's not as itchy as it was on Sunday and it's starting to scab up (which is a good thing). It's been so damned hot over the last week, I can't wait for it to heal up and get better so I can dress normally again. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember I'm always here.

Oh! And here's photo of it the day after it was done: 

Angel Wings - the day after

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Making Yoghurt is Easi...Yo!

Last week was busy and fun.

It was a shopping week and so I had that $50 gift voucher for Woolworths to spend - yay! I had a lot of fun looking around Woolworths to see what I wanted to buy that was normally a luxury in my life... and I bought an Easi-yo Yoghurt Maker.


Now, this isn't a plug-in unit or anything, and it's made in New Zealand. It also has a range of sachets you can choose from to make your yoghurt with water! Yes, water! And the sugar content is so much lower than the yoghurt you buy in the stores (so there's a plus right there for me). And don't get me started on the flavours! I picked out 2 mango flavours, but should have picked out more - as they were 2 for $7.00. Why didn't I pick out more flavours? Really, why didn't I? 


Well, I did the rest of my shopping, got it home and made my first lot of yoghurt - as per the instructions. I left the little time capsule-like thing alone for 9 hours and looked at it... and it looked set. So, I put it in the fridge. However, it didn't set properly. There wasn't anything wrong with it, as it tasted like yoghurt. But I found in the instructions that if the water isn't cold enough, it won't set to a good consistency. So, I threw out the watery stuff (which looked like I hadn't put it into the maker at all!) and tried the second satchel of powder with colder water. And this time, I left it for 14 hours - as I started it at 5pm at night.


I have to say that the next morning, when I pulled the little 1kg tub out of its red maker, wiped it clean and opened it, I was pleased! I put it straight in the fridge for a few hours for it to chill and found four hours later that yes! My yoghurt was exactly how I liked it - set solid and yummy, tangy mango yoghurt! That was easi..... yo! I do recommend trying one of these particular makers out. Easi-yo have a huge range of yoghurt satchels in the shops, but a bigger range online. And seeing I bought mine at Woolworths for half price ($11.99 when it normally was $22.99 for the big one and the small one $19.99) I thought it would do me well as I do eat a lot of yoghurt. Just follow the instructions and you can't go wrong! And remember, if you're in a hot climate, make up the mixture with chilled water. I used half water from the fridge, put the satchel in, shook it up, then filled the rest of it up with tap water.

Then, I filled the Easi-yo maker with boiling water from the kettle to the 1kg mark (the higher point in the red section, not the lower point) to make it work, and left it for 14 hours. Normally it's 12 hours, but if you're not going to be awake for the time it's finished, it's okay to leave it for those extra 2 hours. Putting it into the fridge stops it from making more culture.

So, there you are, making home made yoghurt. I never thought I'd do it... Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Busy Sunday

This morning, I woke to a nice coolish day; which is a change to how the days have been lately. After going out for the paper and eating my pancakes, it was time to get in and do some gardening before it started to rain again.

The lawn got a good mowing and I pulled out the weeds that had wrapped themselves around some of the pot plants in my shade area. Then, I did my edges and threw all the bits and weeds in the bin. After putting everything away, I locked up yard again and washed my hands. The garden looks less like a jungle and more lovely - and the birds can get to the lawn grubs better now.

Once inside, I ate the rest of the fruit from breakfast and drank my coffee, packed up all the dishes on the sink and pulled everything out from under the sink and onto the counter again. I thought to put the really big Lazy-Susan under there so the washing up detergents can fit better. I also found that I have more than I need in the way of cleaning up things... so I won't be buying so much at my next shop. This is good!

I took the smaller, home-made lazy-susans upstairs and put them under that sink. They house the some of the cleaning detergents there on the bottom shelf and the containers of refiller soaps on the top shelf and some shampoo that my visitors would use. This has cleaned up some of the shelf space in my vanity. It looks so much better now.

I still have so much more to do in the way of cleaning out bags of paper work; but that can wait for another day. This has been something I've wanted to work on for some time - and now it's all done, I can move onto bigger things to tidy up. In my last post, I have shown you a link to a youtube video on how to make lazy-susans yourself... they're not expensive and fun to do. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Wet Days and Lazy Susans

Last night, I didn't get much sleep. I had some horrible nightmares about demons exploding from my friends' faces and woke in a sweat at 4am; unable to get to sleep all that easily again. 

I put it down to the amount of caffeine I drank and chocolate I ate the night before at Dad's birthday dinner at Runcorn... silly me.

However, today, I got in and started looking at how much room I had under my kitchen sink; and what I could do about it. You see, I have had a wooden box under there housing all my sink stuff since around 2005; and it's high time for a change. 
So, I pulled it out, cleaned up the shelf with the cleaner housed under there and some paper towel and made myself some Lazy Susans from cheap baking tins and marbles. I found the youtube video where there's two ways of making a Lazy Susan - a shallow tray and a deep tray. I have made a couple of deep tray ones so things don't fall over.

I also have found an original one from the 1970's at a charity store for $5.00. Today, in between showers of rain, I sanded it down, painted it with stain and brought it inside just in time for it to pour rain again! I'm waiting for it to dry completely before I use it in my house somewhere... I'm not sure where yet, but it will be good to use it; as it's a large one. 

Well, I do have a box I have to do something with and other things to clean out around the house over the coming year. Until my next post, take care, stay safe and remember, I'm always here.

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Some Like It Hot

It's been a long hot Summer. But over the last few days, Brisbane and Australia has seen one of the worst heatwaves it's ever been through since around 2000. Today, we hit 38 Degrees Celsius (that's 100.4F for you guys in the States and Europe and the UK). We have been sweltering through the nights and really hanging out anywhere there is air conditioning.

For me, it's my home office where there is a window air-con which has been going since around 10am this morning on the refrigeration mode. And do you really blame me? I've quit eating anything because I sweat like you wouldn't believe when I do eat anything; and I've been having 3 showers a day instead of 3 meals a day - just to keep cool.

So, I hope you're all keeping an eye on your loved ones and pets (yep, pets are your family members who can't tell you how hot they are). 

Make sure any elderly friends or neighbours are okay.

Drink plenty of water. And if you're sick of water, drinking Cranberry Juice diluted half with mineral water is a wonderful thing to do; as it's great for your liver and kidneys. And it'll keep you hydrated better than any of those fizzy drinks you're currently drinking (aka: Fanta, Lemonade, Coke, Pepsi). And Pepsi-Max and Diet Coke are included in the bad things to drink in this weather.

Stay cool. Even if you hang out in your shower or bath tub filled with water. I have a public pool (but have never swum in it as it's just not clean! I have seen people bathe in it; so I'm not swimming in that!). So, I'm having cool showers and keeping wet handkerchiefs nearby to put around my neck, wipe my arms and face with and just to keep myself cool with.

Eat when you feel like it, not because you have to. You may not feel very hungry in this heat - and that's understandable. I have eaten breakfast and now I'm not going to eat anything until I'm ready to. The heat makes me feel disgusting and if I was to eat at this time of day (at the hottest time of the day), I'd be sick as hell. Only eat what you feel like and when you feel like.

Rain dancing... okay, this sounds like a weird thing to do. But I've been waiting for the rain to happen. When it does, I go out into it (no matter what time it is of the day or night) and run around in it. For one thing, it's wonderful to have nice cool water from Mother Nature on your face. And if you do it at night, it's nice to go back to bed without having turned on the shower. But wait about 2 minutes before you do this so the first lot of pollution hanging around the air is flushed out... if the rain goes away within that time, well, hit the shower and cool off that way. Yep, I've gotten up and had a 2am shower just to get some decent sleep. 

But then, some people love the heat. If you're one of those people, well, okay, that's great. I hate it. You can't eat anything without sweating your guts out. Feel sick all the time. You can only drink so much water before feeling sick. And you can only take off so much clothing before you offend somebody... anybody. Well, keep cool everyone. If you're in an area of the world where you're under 4 - 6 feet of snow, please send some this way... we really need it. Until my next post, take care, stay cool and safe and remember, I'm always here.