fear

i've always been scared stiff of mice, rats, snakes and sharks.  it's fairly easy to avoid the snakes and sharks but unfortunately the former two have been plaguing me of late.  it started when i noticed poop on the back veranda.  could it be rats?  yes it could.  we have had a very wet winter in adelaide and as i live next door to a cemetery and a park my theory is that the vermin got flooded out and moved into my slightly dryer shed.  there's lots of poop in there too.  today, between loads of washing, i leaned on the couch and looked out the window into the back garden just thinking about nothing in particular.  it's a little courtyard garden with a pond and lots of pot plants.  then i saw it.  out of the corner of my eye.  was it my imagination?  no it wasn't.  a mouse (i hope it's not a baby rat) ran out of the shed and into the back garden and it was horrible.  it's out there now.  running around the pots.  very sneakily and quick.  omg.  what to do???  i can ask my dil to put more baits in the shed i suppose.  i wanted to go in there and get the lawnmower out today but now i don't think so.  i was out there last night to water.  did i mention that a month or so ago there was a large dead rat out there?  luckily my dil removed it for me.  she's from the country thank goodness and not a fraidy cat like me. telling me that they are more afraid of me than i am of them isn't helpful.  i know this to be true but it doesn't help.  in my defense, i am not afraid of spiders.  there are red backs in the front garden. 

the beetroot incident x 3

ahh, what can i say.  beetroot is a bitch to clean up.  esp. when it's all over the bench and most of the things on said bench.  luckily, it didn't go on the floor or cupboard doors.  phew.  firstly, i tipped a container of beetroot over in the fridge the other day.  you don't want to know about that cleanup.  :(  today, i was making a delish salad wrap for lunch when ...  i tipped over the container of beetroot.  it went everywhere.  but that's not the best bit.  i picked up the container and it slipped out of my hands and went all over my wrap.  another sad face :( lol. i think on reflection that it is the container that is at fault here.  i need one with a tighter lid.  so i cleaned it all up.  the dish washing water looked a bit ominous.  then, a very sharp knife got knocked off the bench and onto the floor.  this is where i think the accident fairies were looking after me (where were they before?).  it missed my foot by mere millimetres.  phew.  i had thongs on (my feet) and it could have been nasty.  so, it's all cleaned up and i've had a cup of coffee.  i don't know whether to go outside and sweep up some more or go up and have a shower.  my son and dil came over yesterday and we shifted some pot plants and garden stuff.  it's a mess but it's better than it was.  we did lots and were dirty and tired when we finished.  i was supposed to go up and see the kids for lunch today but my daughter couldn't make it so i went back to the garden.  might be time for a shower and a nana nap.  :)  enjoy your sunday

i found this lovely blue and white ball at the shop the other day

my son and g/daughter having a swing after gardening yesterday

lovely son and lovely dil Sharlene

remember the tree the council cut down recently?  it's growing again. my dil said i should have shade again in about 15 years. to be fair the tree is starting to rot from the inside.  it's not very healthy

me gardening.  i'm such a klutz at times

the beetroot mess, well some of it anyway

 

broken stuff and a dead fishy

january has not been a good month for me in a few ways.  nothing serious but things keep breaking.  and dying.  yes, another fish died this morning.  :(  he's fertilizing the lemon tree now.  a few things have broken lately:

1. my mouse.  it worked when i went into the kitchen and when i came back the left button wouldn't move.  broken.
2. my camera charger.  i plugged it in the other night to charge the battery for the wedding on saturday.  it exploded.  sparks, smoke (the smell was awful) and it made sizzling noises.  very broken. i ordered another one from ebay.
3. the other night i chucked the empty washing basket down the stairs (as is my habit. why take something downstairs when you can chuck it.  most things land safely and i'm usually careful) and my golden Buddha took a tumble.  he has a few holes in him but is otherwise intact so i put him in the garden.

my lovely son came for breakfast and fitted a blockout blind to the lounge room window for me.  it looks fab. he also put a suitcase (i have too many suitcases) up on the wardrobe shelf.  it's got my cables and electrical cords etc in it.  i've been going through mountains of stuff in the spare room and have a giant bag of donations for the second hand shop.  i've also gathered three large bags of rubbish.  good job but it's still not finished.  it's getting there though. oh no, i just reread that and it sounds like my house is really full of junk.  weather is pretty good here.  was a bit damp this morning, from dew me thinks.  i was a little bit cool and almost put a cardy on.  i woke up way too early so may need to take a small nana nap this arvo.  :)  on a positive note, i have three lemons and two chilies growing nicely.  the herbs are doing quite well too.  

from pinterest

tiny and very cute panda

awww.  a cute cat pic :)

it's raining

it's cool and has been steadily raining for hours.  i love it

i was excited to find a link to my favourite indonesian tv channel yesterday.  too cool.
no subtitles but lots of those crazy soap operas and i just love the commercials.  the music channel has awful reception so not really watchable.  sound is ok though.  the site also has some web cams of traffic around bali but it's fairly boring after the first minute.  it rained there yesterday apparently. and a bonus is the road traffic cams all over bali.  it's too fab

my son and i fixed the shadecloth out the back.  it's patchy but practical and shades the back of the house (not upstairs) quite well.  we are going to put some auto sprinklers in which will be good.

i'm going up to pick up cookie to stay for a day or two. we may bake a cake.  :)  i had nasty migraine last week and missed work.  much better now and i will go back to work on wednesday.  :(   i've been looking at old pics i've put on picasa over the years.  mostly of bali.  i've booked for 10 days in cairns for may and may not get to bali this year.  i'm missing it like mad.  yesterday, i watched the traffic cams, drank my bali coffee and sat outside waiting for my son and g/daughter to arrive.  someone close by started cooking and the most fabulous smells wafted my way.  garlic and chili frying.  just like bali.  :)  all i needed was the smell of clove cigarettes and incense, insane traffic, ten thousand scooters and i would have been set.

i've put these photos up before i know, but here they are again

enjoy your day wherever you are

presents and fish

i hope your Christmases were happy and safe.  i received a herb garden from my son and dil and various other pressies.  the g/kids were happy with their loot and lunch went without a hitch.  they all begged asked for dessert this year.  usually i have to persuade and coax them to have some.  i think we all had a good time.  the weather was certainly kind to us, 39 the day before and only 26 on the 24th (when we have our Christmas lunch) .  i'm off work for a week and am busy doing up my spare room coz i got a new bed.  there's so much stuff in there.  mostly books that i'll probably never read again, and sewing and painting stuff.  there's a mountain of it.  i don't know where it all comes from.  :)  my last fishy died the other day so i cleaned out the bowl and got some more.  i wasn't paying attention and the girl gave me five of the biggest fish.  hmmm.  i have a very small bowl.  they are a bit crowded and unfortunately my favourite, pinky, died the very next day. i haven't told the kids yet.  they are dirty little things too.  the water was like pea soup yesterday, i had to run the filter thingy all day, and that agitates the water like a washing machine.  i think their days are numbered.  sorry fishies

my herb garden, i hope i don't kill them.  i am growing some coriander from seed and it's doing well atm

                                     

jourdy and ants

michael and shar

                                                         

                                                             

a few things

i haven't posted anything for a while so thought i'd do a small catch up.  i had two procedures last wednesday and they went smoothly.  minor problem found, nothing serious.  i'm back at work now and nothing much changes there.  bedlam.  new staff, new positions, we are not holding our breaths.  supervisor comes back from europe soon, she's been away for a month.  we've been a little bit 'relaxed' at work while she's been gone.  they've put up the date for the start of the new library system.  no big surprises there.
i had lunch today with the g/kids and my daughter.  i bought the kids a mobile phone each.  they were half price and they are really nice little touch phones.  i sat at lunch with the three of them on their phones. i may as well have had lunch alone.  not quite.  i exaggerate just a tad.  i just made some pumpkin soup which isn't too bad so having that and some toast for dinner.  working tomorrow and you know how much i enjoy that.  :)  it's been our coldest june for 25 or so years.  lots of rain too.  i should have gotten some washing done today but it was too wet.  tomorrow maybe

lotus in friend's garden pond

i like the late afternoon sun reflected on the building and in the trees and clouds

Cookie made cupcakes last weekend. they were yum 

i saw a program on the teev the other day about people picking up old thongs (flip flops) from the beach and recycling them into sellable items.  it's a great way to increase their meagre income and they have a website - http://www.theffrc.com/  it's a program about the indian ocean and it's really good.  i think it's on sbs1

i'm back

https://picasaweb.google.com/princessyevisha/May272012

click link above for a few photos.  nice to be back actually.  three weeks in the same room/hotel with my sister was enough.  we should have stayed in a few hotels.  next time.  i had a fab time.  some highlights/lowlights:

• got my suitcase off the carousel and it had a broken wheel.  not good. bought a new one.  i hate it. it's too small
• broke my camera. bought a new one.  old one works perfectly now.  two cameras :)
• kuta is a building site.  a new modern hotel going up on every other corner
• i really miss having my washing/ironing done.  my meals cooked for me.  delicious food.  and someone coming in to clean my room.  
• we went up to git git waterfall which is spectacular.  clean gorgeous air.  so green.  noisy too.  :)
• bedugul, the water temple, is wonderful.  i had a pic of it on my computer, now i've seen it in person.
• gorgeous happy people everywhere.  i went shopping when i got back and no-one smiled at me and pulled me into their shop.  go figure?
• fab flight over.  smoothest landing ever.  thanks Bev
• lovely to get home and see the kids and grandchildren.  missed them so much
• got to save up for next time
• very small,  tiny motor bike incidence.  small graze.  i'm fine :)
• broke my glasses.  fixed my glasses.
• sister finally got prescription glasses.  two pairs
• shopping, lots of shopping
• we were underweight coming home  
• three hours shoe shopping with my sister was three hours too much.  
• juice.  fresh juice.  watermelon, avocado, mango etc etc
• noodles
• bali  coffee
• swimming and going to the beach most days
• oh i nearly forgot, massages and more massages.  i can't believe the price.  even the bad ones were good
• temples and culture so different from ours

now it's back to work on friday for me and the dreaming starts planning the next one.  maybe we should go to thailand next time :)

it's been a while

hello.  it's been a little while since i blogged.  nothing too much has happened.  i'm having a bit of a thing with my daughter atm.  i won't go into it but it's been quite upsetting. not for the first time or last i guess.  my aunt died on Thursday (my birthday) and the funeral is on tuesday.  she was elderly and went into hospital a few days before she died.  my cousin is coming over from canberrra with her family and i haven't seen them for many years.  we are not a close family really.  i'm going to bali next monday and although not really packed i'm mostly done.  i'm looking forward to a break as it's been a yucky time since my last trip.  what with the cancer and other things ahhhh. i'm hoping a tsunami/earthquake/bomb doesn't go off while we are there. my sister's health is not good either, her blood is too thick. she's worried about it too and is booked in to see a specialist.  her son broke his collar bone at football the other day.  first game of the season.  he was booked to go to bali too and will probably  have to cancel.  it's a very bad break.  they are coming to the hospital Tuesday.  ahhh again.  on a much brighter note i had a lovely birthday.  before  it went pear shaped (daughter problems) we went to breakfast and had a nice day.  son and family gave me a dwarf meyer lemon tree in a specky pot. i will attach a photo.  we went out to lunch yesterday to celebrate.  ???   i guess it's something to celebrate still being around at my age and so far surviving the big c.  should that be C?  lol.  sorry for such a down blog.  i hope you are not about to slash your wrists coz i've depressed you.   shall i tell you a joke to brighten up the mood?  yes?  ok.  q. why did the koala fall out of the tree?  ... scroll down for answer ....













a.  it was dead.   i hope you are laughing and not thinking what a bad taste joke to tell.  i'm laughing.  

at work bird of paradise came out in flower recently.  lovely

the girls plus beetle

dil planting the lemon tree.  i hope it thrives

back to work tomorrow

yuk, but at least it's a short day.  i don't know where the hols have gone.  christmas then new year and now it's back into the swing of it.  we have had a nasty heat wave which thank goodness is over for the time being. 41 degrees is too hot for me.  nice weather now except that it's windy.  garden has suffered and i got drenched this arvo when the hose exploded and went everywhere.  fish are still alive.  :)  i'm going to get a new mobile on the 27th of this month.  i can't make up my mind whether i'll stay with my plan or go prepaid.  probably stay on the plan while i'm working.  i can ring the kids/family for free, make overseas calls and go on fb all on my plan.  oh well, i suppose i should get ready for work tomorrow and have a shower (another one).  have a good one everyone  :)