Seasons

Tuesday will be the first day of Autumn.

Autumn is my favorite time of year in Melbourne. We still get a lovely warmth that does not carry with it the bite of the Summer heat.

I got up early this morning. Went outside to pick up the Saturday newspaper that I get delivered.

The morning smelt like Autumn.

What does that smell like? Fresh and earthy. And it looks beautiful. A heavy dew had fallen on everything and the sun was shining on the wetness. Twinkling and lush.

I had an early exercise class and it was a large group. We were divided up into four groups and did a circuit class. Lots of running between cones, up hills and jumping over hurdles. Wet grass made me cautious when I ran. There have been times where I have slipped over and I have learnt that being of a certain age means a fall hurts more than it did twenty years ago.

The toast I had for breakfast gave me energy for about fifteen minutes and then I felt myself flagging a bit. By the end of the class I was soaked in sweat and very tired. I know it was a hard session because the class was fairly silent. No breath for social chatter until the class ended.

In the afternoon K and I did some food shopping before having a cup of coffee in a local cafe. Although I had bookwork to do I kept putting it off. I felt like I needed a mental break. It will only take me a couple of hours so I will do it later today.

Today I have been very conscious of the passing of time. I wonder if having a blog just makes me more aware of things like that. I mean, it is five years now that I have been blogging. And suddenly I am realising that while some things stay the same, most things change.

I post about day to day things that I would forget normally. But writing about those days sets them in some sort of time limbo. Or is it a cyber time capsule? I don't know. But it's there. In writing. Stuff that I have done. Or thought. Or felt. Small conversations I have had. Things I recalled on certain days that I may well have let pass by without much thought.

I'm a bit, well, not sure of the word actually. Is it aimless? No, not that word. Kind of in between something I know and something I don't.

Maybe there isn't a word for it.

Maybe it is just that feeling you get when one season is about to end and another one is about to start. That confirmation that the world just keeps on spinning and time keeps passing no matter what happens or does not happen.

It feels sad. But not in a negative way. It's like that sad thing that you feel when you open up a box with things in it that take you back to somewhere that seems so far away.

Sort of like a sigh that is taken out of your mouth without you actually knowing it was going to happen.

Just surprising.

That's all.

Ciao
LC

Letter To....

Letter to Man In Porsche.


Dear Man In Porsche

Yes, you.

I saw you on the way to work today. You were driving along in your very flash silver Porsche.

Wearing your white shirt that looked all crisp and stylish behind the tinted windows.

Your tie had been tied in a Windsor Knot. I could tell by the thickness of it.

Hot sunglasses Mr Porsche Man. Aviator's by the look of it. All black. I bet they are designer ones. They looked so groovy.

Cool hair. Sharp cut.

I bet you had some funky music playing as you sat in the car because your fingers were tapping on the steering wheel to some unknown rhythm.

Dude, you were young and hot.

That is until......

You picked your nose.

You didn't just pick it.

You dug into it.

Explored it like a person digging for treasure.

Dig, dig and dig.

Can I just remind you that although you feel safe inside the cocoon of your car and don't really notice anyone outside of your own ego, well, you are not safe and we can all see in.

So, use a hanky.

Or a tissue (a hanky is more eco friendly though - you can wash and reuse it).

Or wait until you get somewhere more private before you pick your nose.

Don't do it when you are stopped at the traffic lights.

It's not a good look no matter what car you drive.

Regards

Middle aged woman in black station wagon (not picking her nose).

Ciao
LC

Hmmmm

At our work we have a foreman who basically oversees all of our jobs.

He is about 56 years old and an unhealthy 56 years old at that. Not that his health is what this post is about but it kind of intrigues me how people continue to abuse their bodies despite having significant health issues.

He has the classic "I've abused my body all my life" health problems, including type 2 diabetes.

Anyway, he still smokes and drinks and eats. All three to excess.

He is a bit of a chauvinist. His wife does everything for him. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and getting his clothes ready. This is despite the fact that, until recently, she also worked full time.

I should not really say he is a chauvinist because that implies that he thinks that women are a lesser species than men. Perhaps if I just say he has very old fashioned expectations of male and female roles within a modern marriage.

We have had a couple of female clients who refuse to deal with him saying that he is a "patronising prick" or a "chauvinistic and patronising dickhead". These terms are possibly accurate.

Plus he is a know all. And always has a gossip about the boys on site. Or the clients. I think he is a bit of what is sometimes called an "old woman". It's not the best expression, but it is the one that gets bandied about now and then.

Anyway, a rather unfortunate health issue has arisen in relation to his wife. She has a non cancerous tumour near her ear and is now completely deaf in one ear and sixty percent deaf in the other ear. It is just so awful for her because she has had to learn to lip read and it has made her world rather isolating.

The tumour cannot be operated on but it is slow growing and non life threatening which is a fortunate thing.

Recently they babysat their baby grand daughter for the first time. Three nights they had her sleeping over at their house. She is only about six months old so she did wake up a few times in the night.

The foreman and I had a brief dialogue about this event.

It went like this;

Me: How did your little grand daughter sleep while she stayed with you?

Him: Oh, you know, she woke up a few times and the wife could not hear her. I had to wake her up three times each night to go and check the baby when it woke up. Had to elbow her awake she was in such a deep sleep. She couldn't hear a thing with being deaf now.

Me: Oh, that is not good.

But I was really thinking "why didn't you get up and feed the baby you lazy shit".

Ciao
LC

Health Food

I've done it again.

Fallen for the old "if it's from a health food store it must be good" mantra.

On Saturday after I went to the hairdresser's I did the meander down the street looking for a few food treats.

I reached the health food shop and made the very bad decision to go into it and have a look around.

Nearly everything is beige in a health food shop. Brown, beige, oatmeal, sage green and other fashionably healthy colours. Have you noticed that?

Anyway, they sell home made foods that you can take away. Both vegan and vegetarian. I have done the vegan thing once. For a few months I stuck to it religiously but had to stop for three reasons. Firstly, I farted non stop. Secondly, I was legume and soy intolerant and had a stomach ache every day. Thirdly, I was always bloated. So it was a bad combination to deal with for those months. Being bloated, feeling sick and farting.

So, back to the shop. I decide to buy a few things for myself to eat for dinner over the next couple of nights. And some sweet treats. One of the items was a very tasty Indian vegetable thing that I guess you would call a vegetable burger if it weren't so huge and baked fat free in an oven. That was really delicious.

The next thing was called a Nutri Ball. It was a big round thing covered in sesame seeds. And I mean big AND round. Like a baseball or something. I should have guessed it would be a bit horrible because the two main ingredients were brown rice and seaweed. Goodness knows what else they put in there to hold it together. Some sort of faux egg thing because it was vegan so no real eggs. I saw a bit of carrot too.

I ate that giant Nutri Ball for lunch today. Lots of chewing involved. I think it was tasty but not so tasty that I would buy it again. Interesting would be a better word. I actually had taken a bite out of it on Saturday evening but found I could not face the effort of eating it because I had actually eaten the sweet treat I got from the same shop and it had made me feel a bit awful.

Which brings me to what is classified as a treat when you go to a health food cafe/supermarket.

You know when you go to a cafe you can get a cake with your coffee? You know, a bit of chocolate cake, or a vanilla slice, a sweet pastry or some other tasty treat. At this health food shop you get things like vegan brownies (made with carob) or muesli bars. Maybe a bit of carrot cake. They all taste great but not quite the same really.

So, on Saturday I decide to lash out and get six little things that are about the size of a golf ball. They were a mix of tahini paste, chia seeds, flax seeds, vanilla and some apple sauce to bind them. Then rolled into a ball and smothered in coconut. Oh, there was some honey in there to make them sweet and a few currants for fibre or something sensible like that.

I ate all six over three days. Two each day. I will never, ever eat them again. They were not only the size of golf balls, they sat like golf balls in my stomach for ages. I cannot, for the love of me, work out why I actually ate the remaining five of them after consuming the first one and thinking it was a bit disgusting.

Perhaps it is because I felt I was being healthyish.

Well, they may well have given me a bit more energy to do my walk yesterday so I can say that is jolly good. One thing for sure, they gave me reflux.

But the whole lot of that uber healthy food has been hard work for my stomach and the entire digestive system has been working overtime to pass those chia seeds, flax seeds, seaweed, brown rice, tahini paste, coconut and whatever other beige and brown ingredients were in the mix.

Just reading it makes me sick.

Hopefully my health food phase won't last much longer.

It's quite disgusting.

I don't even know why I need to post about it. Perhaps it is to remind me never, ever to do that healthy thing again.

Honestly, why would anyone eat anything called a Nutri Ball?

Oh, and what did I bring home for the boys? Lemon custard tarts. I was told they were delicious.

Ciao
LC

Sunday Big Walk

Today I did the biggest walk I have done for, well, for ever I am sure.

Our Oxfam team walked just on about 43kms. We started at 6.40 am and were back at the cars at 2.56pm.

Sounds just so easy doesn't it?

Well, it wasn't.

It started with me having to get out of bed at 5.30am. Wasn't that a horrid start to any day? I had my clothes ready, my camel back ready to pack with food and my rain jacket on hand. I was picked up at 6.30 am. It was dark when I stepped out of the front door. A dark sky in the morning and me being out of bed to view that darkness is a rare event indeed.

As I stood waiting for my pick up, I could hear the rustling noises of possums making there way back to trees and morning calls of birds. It was weird. On the odd occasion I am out of bed at this time I always say to myself that from that day onwards I will get out of bed early to enjoy that solitude.

But I never follow through. The cosiness of a bed is far more appealing.

So we arrived at the beach and headed off down the path which would meander and take us to a place just over four hours away.

At the 15km mark we decided to stop for coffee and something to eat. The cafe was full of people and we sat outside. I took some photos with the IPhone. It was windy and the sound of the beach was so close.

I had coffee and a bowl of the most delicious bircher muesli. I was so hungry and it was just what I needed.

Below is a very fuzzy photo of all of us. I think my sweaty hand fogged up the lens or something. No matter, nothing like a soft lens after the age of forty. The girl with the cap on did the walk with us despite having pneumonia. She had been sick all week and was diagnosed on Thursday. Still, can't keep a good person down. Although, she did cough a fair bit towards the end of the walk.

After tanking up on some food we had a stretch, checked for blisters and then headed on further.

The weather was a bit wild as we reached the point where we were to turn back. At that point my rain coat came into use. But the rain did not last long which was great.

The walk back was not comfortable. I had another blister and had to have a sock change. The lactic acid in my legs was causing some pain and stretching was not offering much use.

During the walk home the four of us had moved apart. There was maybe about 50 metres between each of us as we settled into a silent kind of stride. I had my Ipod going and listened to some music as I walked.

Now and then we would collect together and talk for a minute before walking again. At the 30km mark we stopped for another coffee. It was at that point we realised how stiff we were going to be. Getting up after the coffee and walking again was quite painful. It took a good ten minutes for the joints to limber up a bit.

At this stage I had some pain killers. Plus more food.

About 3kms from the end I stopped and picked up a sports drink from a beach side cafe. Normally I would never drink them as they are so disgusting to me but I had to as my muscles were aching not from fitness but from loss of salts. Within ten minutes of downing the drink I felt relief in my legs which kind of amazed me.

Getting into the car was a relief, getting out was painful. I got home to an empty house as K and S were at the movies. Once sitting down I took of my shoes and inspected the damage. Three blisters, one of which was so fantastically huge that I just touched it and it burst. It was quite enjoyable (sad to say).

Now, as I type this, I am aware that my hips are a bit sore. I will have a hot bath and a stretch followed by an early night.

The beach is the most beautiful place to be near. The sound of the water, the wind in the trees and the smell of the salty air is beautiful. We were not the only people walking. Quite a few Oxfam people were out and about. When you see a group of four people with back packs walking along you know they are on the same mission.

Initially we had planned to actually walk the 40km but the track had been just down due to damage from the weather in the past few weeks.

It's important for us to do these long walks before the big on on April 1st. Not only for fitness but to work out where injuries may occur, or blisters, or when to do a sock change, or what and when to eat and how each team member functions when tired. It was interesting.

Another thing we realised is that the longer the rest the worse the pain of getting going again. So it is unlikely we will stop for sleep when we do the 100km walk on the day.

During the walk we met a couple of girls who had done it each year for four years. They run the 100km's and last year did it in 17 hours. Good luck to them. There is no way I would run it. Too hard and I am too old and not interested. Both girls, however, had great running form and they were doing 35kms today.

Next big walk will be about 60km and on the track. We will need support crew to help us out on that day. But that is not until Sunday week. In the meantime we will do a couple of 20km walks next weekend.

Right now, still shuffling a bit.

Think I might go and run that hot bath.

Ciao

LC

Weekend And Life

Friday again and all I can say is wooohooo.

Things are settling down a bit after our flood episode two weeks ago.

My car was was written off as was my husband's. It took a week to get the cars picked up and another week to get official notice of the write off. Water damaged cars are considered not repairable.

So, I just organised a broker to get me the best price on a new Mazda 3 version of my last car. It costs me $400 for him to do it but he saves me about $5000.00 on the price of the car and I don't have to go to a car dealership and be hassled by any young gun in a suit who thinks a female buyer is a soft touch. Been there, done that and not doing it again.

Anyway, the deal has been done (all via phone and email) and I will pick up the new car mid week. Have not even looked at one but know it will be what I want. I find it interesting that I have just done a car deal without actually meeting anyone or looking at the car.

The house is still in a state of chaos but we are okay with it. We are still waiting for the insurance assessor to arrive but in the meantime we have been getting quotes for things that need replacing.

All new carpet and new heating are the biggest expenses. Lots of things in the garage and studio were water damaged. Our garden looks very, very untidy having not had a mow for weeks. Here, when a house looks like that we call it a "divorce house". In our case it is just a "no lawn mower" house. K will pick up a mower from my brother on the weekend and give the place a tidy up.

One great thing that is happening is that the music room (shack) is being pulled down and then a new and larger studio being built for me. My little studio is too small and we will use that to store our rather large collection of push bikes instead.

Our dining room is now the music room. When I say music room it just means we have the piano in there and no dining table. I never have dinner parties and would rather go out and eat instead of entertaining (as any friends would also prefer I am sure since I am a shite cook).

I am excited about a bigger space and this time some careful planning is going into it to allow for what I now know I need. And this one will have a built in air conditioner in it so that I can go in there no matter the weather. Plus the space will be so much bigger. So looking forward to it.

This evening I have spent quite a lot of time organising things in relation to the Oxfam walk that is happening in about six weeks. Lots of walks to be done as well as a fund raising BBQ coming up during March. I have really had to pull my finger out and get onto it.

And one week after the walk we will be on a plane heading for New York. We are extending the holiday by a few days so that we do 7 nights in New York and 7 nights in San Francisco. Won't be long before that holiday is upon me.

It seems as though a lot is happening and I guess it is. I am just taking it one day at a time and not looking to intently ahead otherwise I will get overwhelmed.

Tomorrow will see me having three lovely hours at the hairdressers. My favorite place to be. I always look better on the way out of there than I do on the way in. It's like magic.

On Sunday I have a 40km walk so that is that day gobbled up. I expect I shall have the most sensational thighs after all these training walks.

So, that is my week.

And I am still so madly in love with my tattoo.

Ciao
LC

Food Fact

I don't care how "healthy" my salad was purported to be when I bought it from a very overpriced and wanky food shop, it was vile.

Buck wheat noodles with coriander, seaweed, capsicum, sesame seeds, chili covered in some weird slimy dressing tastes like shite.

I ate it anyway with the mistaken belief that I would feel better for eating such a healthy dish.

You know how you get these "let's be healthy" mindsets. And you think that a professional food shop will be able to deliver such food without compromising on taste.

I should have known by the very colour of the noodles that it would be gross.

Food should not be taupe in colour.

Sadly, it was as foul as I expected it to be and is sitting like a pile of compost in my stomach.

And I was forced to eat a biscuit to wash down the particularly unpleasant after taste.

Blech.

Ciao
LC

Monday

I took the day off work today.

And got my tattoo.

Here I am with my naked arm. The last few moments of unblemished skin. My niece came with me. She got her first tattoo here. It was a great bonding experience for us both.

First the tattoo artist works the design a little to get an idea of what he will be working with and if it needs to be modified at all. He uses this image as a guide during the tattoo process.

The design is copied onto a special carbon type of paper. My arm is then shaved, sprayed with methylated spirits and and antiseptic. After that the design is placed onto my arm. This gives the tattooist a clear outline to work with. Once the pattern is dry he will start the tattoo.

I was nervous. Can't lie about that. Nervous about the fact I was getting a permanent picture on my body. Nervous about the pain. The nervousness was a good feeling. Not an anxious feeling, just anticipatory kind of nerves.

The pain was no big deal. Not as bad as getting teeth cleaned. More like pinching or something. It sounds like a dentist drill.

The job almost done. It took three hours. The best three hours I can say. When I left there I felt so happy with the end result.

It feels a little bit like a sunburn tonight, but not even that bad. I keep looking at the little girl and think "yeah, she's my little girl" and feel great about it.

The tattoo artist was called "Woody". He works from a tattoo parlour (love that term - it's kind of seedy) in Elsternwick. The name of it is Ire-Zumi Ink. Irezumi being the traditional Japanese style of tattoo. Very rich in colour and design.

Below is a photo of me and my finished arm. Woody was very reluctant to have his photo taken I think. It looks like I had to grab him to stop him moving away.

His tattoo work is beautiful and he specialises in very fine line work. Adorning the walk of the premises were examples of his own personal art work. Just fantastic.

For me, the day was so fulfilling. The three of us chatted the entire time with a short fifteen minute break in the middle of it all.

Before I left the tattoo was covered in plastic which had to be left on for an hour. Once I peeled it off and gently cleaned it up I could not take my eyes from it. My niece and I discussed the feeling of wanting more tattoos once you get one. She has four and is getting another one in May. Who knows, I may or may not get another.

Both my son and husband love it.

And so do I.

She's all mine.

Ciao

LC

Valentine's Day

Today is Monday 14th February.

Valentine's Day.

I am not very good at the whole Valentine's Day thing but I have, in the past, shown a bit of romance.

One time I sent a giant posse of heart shaped helium balloons to my husband and that night we sat sucking out the helium air and talking in high voices to each other.

I personally think Valentine's Day is for the young and free who are in love for the first time ever. It's all part of that incredibly special time when love is new and fresh. Traditionally it was a way of letting someone know that they had a secret admirer.

Long term love requires a different type of input. Not the sort that appears once a year. A bunch of flowers and a bottle of perfume on Valentine's Day is just not going to cut it.

Long term love requires a great deal of emotional support, positive compromise, forgiveness and caring. It requires all of these things from both partners even when things get pretty mundane and even tough.

So, because I know that my husband reads my blog now and because he knows that I am about as awkward as a person can be when it comes to expressing my emotions or gratitude in person, here are a few words for him for Valentine's Day. An almost public expression of my love for him I suppose. Which, if you knew me well, you would know that the chances of me saying such a thing face to face are, well, almost nil. The written word is my way of expression.


Cup of tea?
Your words to me each day
More than once
And more than twice.
Whatever I ask you do for me
Even when I ask too much
Or not enough.
When I am silent
You hear the silence
And leave me to my thoughts.
Then when I talk
You listen to my ramblings
Even when they are mixed
And confused.
When in the same room
And I seem so far away
You are always there
Waiting for me to come back
From where ever my head is.
Twenty years
Or maybe a bit more
And still you love that I surprise you
Most days.
And that you love me
Unconditionally
Makes me happy
And gives me peace.
Thank you for your patience.
And your Love.


Ciao
LC

Therapy

As you may know, I have been going to therapy since November of last year.

I needed to go and I continue to need to go.

Initially it was every week and is now every two weeks. Stretching it to three weeks is way too long.

I am a noticeably different person to live with, or so I am told, since going to therapy. Living with my head space is easier in between visits.

It is interesting how one hour with my therapist has an impact on me for the following two weeks. By the time the next visit rolls around I am ready for it.

Sometimes I go in there in a highly agitated mood and he shits me. It might take a while to pin point what is going on in my head.

Other times I think I have nothing to say and then talk non stop and he only has to say a few things and something in my head shifts just enough to have an impact on me.

He has said things that make me really, really angry.

He has also said things that make me feel calm.

I am always amazed that he recalls so much of what I have discussed with him despite never taking notes or referring to them during the session.

It is fortunate that I "bonded" with him almost straight away. I think that was because I was ready and open for therapy and the timing was right.

However, by going to therapy I feel my blogging has taken a back seat which suggests that blogging was therapy in itself. But that is okay, and blogging will take its own form when I feel right.

I had, for the first time in my life, almost two weeks without anxiety. I have it now because I am tired and the whole flood damage thing of last week has caught up with me so I can rationalise that anxiety.

Now I understand why Woody Allen has been going to his therapist for decades.

It's not a short term fix I am after when I go to my therapist, it is a desire to really get to the core of what makes me who I am.

Or something kind of vague like that.

Sometimes when I am struggling with something in my head I am now able to say to myself "oh, I will talk about that when I get to therapy next" and I put it aside and get on with things. Then I bring it up and we talk it out. It makes a difference.

It has been a worthwhile thing for me to get into.

Ciao
LC

Weekend Walking

I am posting on a Sunday despite my decision not to do so.

It's about 4.30pm and I figure the day is all but over so why not.

Yesterday I did my 7km run in the morning. I came home, ate, showered and then went and did a walk that was over 20km but under 25km. It took around 4.5 hours, allowing for a coffee break at the half way mark.

I was so tired last night that I was over tired. Plus I was so hungry that I ate a lot more than usual By the time I went to bed I was ready to crash.

This morning two other girls and myself went for a 20km walk down along the beach. It took about three hours as we set a good pace.

By the time I got back before lunch I really felt very weary.

Now I am just bad tempered and tired. You know that shitful and teary kind of tired that kids have when they have been up too late? Well, that is me today.

Next Sunday we are doing a 45km walk on the actual track.

You see, when you commit to doing a 100km walk you do have to train up for it. Not only for fitness but to get the body used to moving for the period of time.

During a long walk, especially one that will go through the night, you can bet that your mind and body will be out of sync more than once. And when you are walking together as a team you will have to work out how each of you handles fatigue.

I babble when tired. Then get snaky and irrational. Sometimes downright silly.

My muscles are a bit sore today as are my hips. But all in all I am feeling very good.

Next Saturday I will walk to the hairdressers which will take about an hour and then back. During the week I hope to do another two 10km walks.

The next six weeks or so will see my legs working very, very hard to build up strength and to get my mind into the groove.

People often think I have been a sporty person all my life and are always surprised when I say that I loathed all forms of exercise before the age of forty. I did have moments of inspiration where I joined a gym, went for a month or so and that was it. More than once that happened. I walked and sometimes rode a pushbike, but overall, too much physical effort was never embraced.

I just do it now and have lots of enjoyment out of taking on different challenges.

On March 5th I am doing a thing called "The Tough Chick Challenge" with a couple of other girls from my exercise group. It should be interesting and lots of fun.

When I went to school there were loads of sporty guys and gals who just dropped it as they got older and now just watch sport and talk about what they used to do thirty years beforehand.

I only got into it later in life and do wish I had started a bit earlier. The benefits are just fantastic and keep my fit and, more importantly, sane. But, better late than never for exercise, even if it is just walking.

You only get one body, best to look after it.

Ciao
LC

End Of The Week

It is the end of the week again and I wonder at how the days raced by like a child slipping out the back door to play.

Gone, just like that and I seemed too busy to notice.

This time last week the rain was falling and the water rising out in the street. Now all that remains as evidence anything happened are piles of carpet and furniture piled up outside homes nearby.

Our house is minus nearly all water damaged carpet. We have pulled it up. The musty smell of water damage is still around. Our house is a mess of misplaced furniture and won't be resolved until we get new carpet put down.

We have no heating as it was flooded underneath the house. Well, we have a little heater that does a couple of rooms. But it is just easier to put a jumper on. The first couple days we used it and then just forgot.

Our cars were picked up and towed away today. They are both to be written off and are fortunately fully insured. I feel a bit sad because I loved my little car. It was not even four years old and had only done 35,000 which is nothing really. Seems such a waste of resources.

I know it is only inconvenient and many other people really have suffered terribly during the floods, but you know what else it is? A huge amount of incredible loss of stuff. Cars, homes, furniture, appliances, carpets, curtains and goodness knows what else. Just so much waste and refuse to consider once you get past the emotional trauma. I wonder where they will put it all?

Although, I guess there will be more things purchased which, in a strange way, helps with employment. I guess good comes out of bad. Or something like that.

My weekend is busy and I am mentally prepared for it because otherwise I will go boo hoo.

Tomorrow is a 7km morning run.

Then a 20km afternoon walk.

Then Sunday I am doing another 20km walk.

Training for the Oxfam 100km walk is all mapped out until April 1st. I shall be so fit by the time that date rolls up.

On Monday I have the day off work because I have some other things planned in the middle of the day.

In between it all I need to get some serious food shopping done. The cupboard is almost bare.

Considering the upheaval this week I am feeling pretty relaxed.

I think I should last very well until Wednesday when I go to therapy and offload to him.

Then I will feel recharged for another fortnight.

Ciao
LC

Your Tube - Not Mine

Do you watch You Tube?

My son is a You Tube baby as well as a Test Tube baby.

My husband likes watching You Tube as well.

My brother and his gang are You Tube addicts.

I sometimes go through stages where I might watch something on it and then I lose interest.

Besides, if you think the computer is a time waster then add You Tube watching to it and there goes an easy four hours. I don't need that sort of distraction at all.

Anyway, good for you if you like You Tube. It is indeed a wonderful way to entertain oneself. Taking trips down memory lane. Watching people do silly things. Looking up music, movies and documentaries. Fantastic. I even watched Food Inc on it and loved it despite the fact it ate into my broadband allowance hugely.

But do me a favour, don't come to my house and then want to show me the great You Tube stuff you like to watch.

Send me a link to it by all means but do not visit me and then want to spend fifteen minutes showing me what amused you. If you send me the link I will look at it and say thanks.

I am the same about movies, dreams and books and did a post about it here.

You see, every time my brother comes over to my house he wants to show me something he saw on You Tube. Not just that, he wants either myself or my husband to sit through it with him and then he gives a running commentary along with wanting our opinion.

At least when he comes here I can just be rude and say I have something to do but when I go to his house I am trapped like an animal in front of the computer screen.

His son does the same and, believe me, I do not want to watch an eight minute You Tube video of something that is targeted towards a ten year old.

Even my son subjects me to the same torturous activity. Wants me to watch some really weird thing on You Tube that he subscribes to. Only I have no problem saying to him "Seriously, that is not funny. It is gross" and then walking off. Also, he now knows what I think of tandem You Tube watching and just likes to call me over to watch You Tube to give me the shits.

So, yeah, that is my rant for Sunday.

And, yes, it is Sunday and I have jumped on the computer because I wanted to post this while it was fresh in my head.

It is my reward for having to be subjected to the sound of my brother forcing my husband to watch You Tube this morning.

Oh, wait, just one more thing.

Yesterday my sister in law came around with her son. Her son poached on of my son's friends from Xbox to watch something on You Tube.

Must be in the gene pool. Part of the DNA.

Ciao
LC

Wet Wet Wet

You know that expression "when it rains, it pours"? Friday evening our street felt the truth of that statement.

I came home from work at about 5.30pm and after snuffling around the fridge for food I sat down to veg out a bit for the night. I even put my pyjamas on to embrace the end of the week.

As I sat reading and watching television I could hear lots of noise out in the street. Kids laughing and grown ups shouting things. I wondered if there was a party going on. It was raining heavily so perhaps that is what brought on the loud voices.

We had a knock at the door and it was my neighbour. She brought over a plate of beautiful home made cakes. They were some traditional Yugoslavian sugary treat that my son loves. At the same time she asked my husband if he had seen what was happening outside. Off he went to look and then came back and suggested I also have a look at what was happening in the street.

"It's a river down our street," he said as I made my way outside (in pj's).

And wasn't it just a river. Just outside our house the water was ankle deep. I laughed at the sight because our area never floods. Or has not done so for at least thirty years. I made my way further down the street to the corner which is only two houses away and the water was up to my knees at that point.

I went back home to get the camera. We took a few photos. The photo below is at the end of the street. The white car had stalled in the water and was stuck there.

I was not particularly worried. Watched a bit more television. Did some pointless things and then went outside again to look at how things were going.

Now, you know that expression that parents used when you were about to get into trouble? That one that goes "I'll wipe that smile off your face". It was usually followed by a hiding.

Well, in my case, that smile was wiped off my face when the water got deeper and deeper. Where previously the water swirled around my ankles, it had now moved to my knees in about half an hour.

It was about now that we decided that we should move the cars further up the driveway where the water was not so deep.

Across the road from us we could see that the water was rising.

After this photo things just went downhill. The water rose and lapped up and over our front and back verandah. It seeped into the carpet at the front door. It rushed underneath the house like a torrent and flooded our ducted heating and made its way through the timber floors and into the carpet.

It raced through the backyard to a depth of about 24 inches. Into our cars where it left inches of water. Through the garage and flooded my husband's Rover. Into the music room where it tossed everything around like little boats. Speakers, computer and other things ruined by water. Carpet soaked.

My studio was flooded to about ten inches up the wall. Although I had to throw out things it was mostly paper so I was not too upset. I spent over an hour cleaning it late into the evening. Outside the rain was falling heavily. As I turned off the light in the studio, shut the door behind me and started walking back in the pitch black to the house I noticed two things. The first being how noisy the ground was as I squelched across it and secondly how rotten it is to step in very wet dog poo when one has bare feet.

The flooded water receded once they (whoever they are) opened two sewage outlets not far from us and diverted the excess storm water. But not before a lot of damage had been done to quite a few homes and cars.

At the rear of us they were waist deep in water in the house. This morning they were piling carpet, furniture and beds onto the nature strip. A lot of mess to clean up.

We woke up this morning to the stench of wet carpet. The windows were fogged up with our breathing in the damp and warm air. The first thing to do was to get onto the insurance company to facilitate the claim. I was not the only one online and it took an hour before I spoke to someone. Having never made an insurance claim before I was unsure what to expect but they were very helpful and organised so that helped.

Since then we have pulled up carpet in two bedrooms and the hallway. It was soggy and smelly. Tomorrow we have to tackle the music room and garage. The music room is a big job and more carpet to pull up only much more sodden I think. Thank goodness that the piano is inside the house these days.

My son's room is sans carpet. The rest of his furniture and stuff is around the house.

Where to pile everything? One thing I realised is how much crappity crap my son has. And how a lot of it is not going back into that bedroom. Honestly, he has stuff there that he has not laid eyes upon in years.

So that appears to be my weekend for now. Very different to last weekend. No big walk or exercise happening either. That will have to wait until next week.

When I woke up this morning I was actually still shocked at what had suddenly happened. Large parts of Melbourne were subject to flash flooding last night so we were not the only ones.

It took me a while to get the whole thing sorted in my head as to what had transpired. Once I showered and dressed I felt I could get on with things. I cannot imagine how traumatic things would be for other people who have experienced very serious flood damage. In my case it is inconvenient and mildly upsetting but that is it.

Now I shall clean up the kitchen. I just made a lovely roast eye fillet with potatoes and will feed the two men.

Ciao

LC

My Weekend

It's Tuesday and I am at work. I don't like to blog from work but this morning I am so tired and am having a strong coffee while I do so.

Not sure why you need to know I am blogging from work and why I even have to explain or justify why I am. It must be some deep rooted guilt thing about work ethics or something. Plus, sometimes I just need to write at a certain time of the day and today it is this time.

Anyway, no matter. Last night was hot. The air was suffocating in the house despite windows being open. I lay in bed in the dark with my eyes shut and listened to the sounds that come with night. I like doing that, especially when the windows are open and the world has a secretive feel to it. Leaves rustling, night birds making noises, possums making their way from tree to tree, little sounds coming from the ground cover.

I can hear the sound of traffic drifting from the end of the street. It's not like the morning traffic which is harsh and loud. Night time traffic has a low hum that is spaced by silence as the intermittent traffic passes. Now and then I might here something like a drag race. Young, testosterone filled young guys out showing off their cars. Filling the night time air with excitement and aggression no doubt. It always fills me with a vague fear which is completely unjustified.

Eventually I drift off to sleep. I usually dream but I don't always recall them. Often I have the same dream over and over and it usually indicates some sort of inner turmoil. Recently I had a constant dream that I was at my own funeral. Everyone had their back to me as they looked down the hole into which the coffin had no doubt been dropped. In the dream I was saying "It's okay. I am fine" or something like that. I have not had that dream for a while so I figure that whatever was bothering me then has settled.

I want to talk about my weekend. It was just such a lovely one. Relaxing. Peaceful.

K and I went down to a place called Lygon Street in Carlton. Well, to say it is "called" that suggests an official name. It just happens to be a beautiful street on the edge of the city and it is Lygon Street. I have not been there for almost 15 years. I don't know why exactly because it is just such a great place. Maybe I just got caught up in that whole life thing. You know how it is.

Lygon Street is the absolute beginning of the cafe culture in Melbourne. Lined with beautiful old buildings and trees it has a truly European feel to it. The precinct is Italian. Fantastically Italian as well. There are restaurants everywhere and the wide footpaths and deep verandah overhang on the shops allows for all year round dining, Summer being the busiest month no doubt.

The street is also well know for some spectacular gangland shootings over the years. I know that sounds as though it would be dangerous, but it isn't. It just happens to be one of those weird things that happen in the least expected places. For a long time Melbourne had a serious underworld gang thing happening. Lots of revenge killings and it was actually made into a very realistic series called Underbelly. It was freaky to think all this was happening around town.

We had a late lunch there sheltered from the heat of the day as we sat under the verandah of the restaurant. There was a lovely warm breeze that moved around and made me feel relaxed as I watched the people walk by. One thing about Lygon Street, it is a great place for people watching. Lots of lovely long legged young girls in shorts walking with their equally lovely boyfriends. The beautiful youth. Families, old couples and lots of edgy sorts making their way down the street.

The food was delicious, the service friendly. We took our time.

After lunch we went for a walk to see the shops. Delicatessen's with their display of tempting foods, a shop dedicated solely to the sale of herbs, spices and interesting kitchen items including a range of very 1950's aprons, a Readings book shop full of interesting books and music (where I spent money), quirky clothes shops that were very different and some upmarket ones that were as boring as could be.

In the evening we had tickets to see Billy Connolly. We bought the tickets on impulse the day beforehand. And we got the last three left for the performance. Amazingly they were front row seats on the upper level which gave us a clear view. It was two and a half hours of absolute entertainment. My son said that seeing him was better than any Xbox or computer game. We all laughed so much that I had a stomach ache that had nothing to do with the food I ate for lunch.

Before we went to the performance we went out for a quick snack and made our way to Federation Square which is the big meeting place for everyone. There a lots of little places to eat and many tourists and backpackers hang out in the square watching sport being played on the big screen television. Recently we had the Australian Tennis Open and things were very busy in the square because of it.

Food was delicious. I washed it all down with a freshly squeezed orange juice. I love dips and turkish bread.

On Sunday we just hung out at home. The weather was hideously hot and inside was the place to be. The three of us watched The Shining on dvd. Jack Nicholson never fails to thrill me when I see his performance in this movie. Stanley Kubrick does it again with the music and horror factor. My son agreed it was a good classic horror movie.

Later on I did some painting and drawing.

I also went food shopping and if you look in the photo you can see the fridge is stacked to the gills with food. Did some laundry. Tidied the bedroom. Read the newspaper. It was very nice.

I did not work on my big painting. It is in "think" mode right now but I will finish it soon.

As for computer use on Sunday, well, I only jumped on it for half an hour at the end of the day to load some things on Facebook. That was it.

On Sunday night I went to sleep feeling that I had accomplished a lot.

Went to sleep feeling pleased.

Ciao

LC