well I’ve done it again

did you have a nice christmas?  ours wasn't bad but ...  I lost a present for my son on christmas day.  I put my son’s family's presents in one big gift bag and my daughter’s in another.  They were in my bedroom for ages as I shopped early this year.  When my son went to bali last year he bought some pierre cardin after shave and when I went this year he asked me to bring him some back.  I told him I couldn’t find it and I was going to surprise him.  After all the presents were opened it was nowhere to be found.  There was such a mess in the lounge room with paper and wrappings everywhere.  absolute bedlam.  So of course I worried about the lost present but finally found it after much searching.  You’ll never guess where I found it.  In my suitcase wrapped in a towel just as I brought them back from bali.  I could have sworn I’d wrapped them.  Oh dear.

a new discovery or rather some very old discoveries

i don't know how but i came across a youtube video the other day titled nicola white mudlarking.  she is a mudlarker and an artist.  i've never heard of it before and i must say it's fascinating.  this site has lead me to more and more similar youtube videos.  amazingly interesting stuff.  most of the videos are along the thames which, let's face it, must be loaded with historical artefacts.  some of them use metal detectors in country fields and river beds. i'd love to do it.  another interesting site is uk historical finds.  you can find pics of the finds on this site old father thames

oh dear

there i was, minding my own business, going outside to shift some stuff when i spied a large huntsman right on the doorstep.  i'm not too scared of spiders, most of the time.  this one rudely ran over the door step into the dining room and across the floor and then hid under the cupboard.  i'm sorry spider but i had to spray you.  then the room.  then a bit more.  i can't find it but i just know that it's going to appear when i least expect it.  i just know it. 

Man Reunites Baby Squirrel With Mom

it was magic

I went to bali again with my friend Linda from work and I had a very different holiday this time.  I managed to catch up with a few people I know over there which was good.  Our usual driver took us to tanah lot, the famous sea temple, and we were lucky that the weather was quite nice and there were hardly any tourists that day which is unusual.  We went to ubud for the day and our other driver got lost.  Nothing serious.  On the way to kintamani which is near the volcano and lake batur we stopped at the upside down house and saw a magic show which we really enjoyed.  We had lunch overlooking the crater and the air up there is beautiful.  We stopped at a coffee plantation and the royal family temple on the way back.  We missed the butterfly park (which I’ve seen before) and gave the waterfall a miss this time as we were hot and tired and had had enough for one day (I’m not getting any younger).  The hotel we stayed at is beautiful and close to everything.  We watched a balinese dance performance on the beach one night and released a baby turtle on our first day which was on Linda’s bucket list.  we ate some great food and Linda loves fruit and was happy to buy as much as possible as the prices were so cheap compared to australia.  We had a great time. 

it smells

my daughter and i cleaned the carpet in the lounge room the other day.  it came up so well i was extra pleased.  it was stained in places and i've been meaning to do it for ages so we hired a machine from bunnings and moved all the furniture.  a long and tiring day but with great results so it's ok.  however, i put the large mat over it to walk on and that was a huge mistake.  i came home from exercise yesterday and sniffed something bad by the front door.  i thought my grandson had left some food around but it turns out it got worse in the lounge room.  i went and bought some frebreeze and some vanish carpet deodoriser.  moved everything again and vacuumed it all up.  i was pooped by the end of it and fell asleep watching tv in bed last night.  it smells a bit today but not much and i'm hoping that with the doors and windows open it will get better.  the worst part is that my dear friend told me not to put the mat over a damp carpet because it will smell.  she was right and i was wrong.  oh dear

i found them

i have too many clothes but you already know that.  i sorted out my pants recently and gave a lot to the second hand shop.  the other day i was going somewhere, i forget where, and i went to get my favourite jeans.  you know what i'm going to say don't you?  yes, i thought i'd given them to the sh shop.  but thankfully after much searching i found them.  i'd hidden them under a quilt in the clothes basket.  i was much relieved. 

it's shocking

Have i mentioned that i have plantar fasciitis?  Heel pain.  I’m sure i have.  I was going to have an injection of cortisone in it but changed my mind and am having the shock wave treatment.  I’m having 3 sessions with the second one yesterday.  So far it’s pretty much the same which is worrying but my two friends who have had it recommended it highly.  i was worried that it isn't working but it can take a while to feel any improvement.  Last one next week.  They do it under the ultra scan and it only takes about 20 minutes.  the session yesterday was a bit uncomfortable but ok.  I really hope it works as i’m in a lot of pain and have been using a wheelchair or the mobility scooter to get around.  The operator said it can take time to take effect.  some podiatrists do it but the machine is quite expensive, i am having it done at benson's radiology.  Wish me luck J 

not my feet

the lottery

no, i didn't win although last week i won $10.40.  i didn't spend it all at once.  i get my weekly saturday lotto ticket online because sometimes i used to forget to get it, i'd buy several weeks at once and wasn't sure when it ran out.  anyway, online was easier.  they take the money, a very small amount by the way, out of my bank.  it usually works quite well and i get an email or two to tell me that i have a ticket for the next week and the transaction was successful.  well, this sunday there was an email telling me my account needed attention.  i logged in and my account was suspended.  i had to ring them.  it turns out that someone tried to log into my account for betting which i don't use.  the manager said it was most likely a robot.  so....  i had to change my password, see my post here about passwords.  i've just started using my new system for passwords and i'm not sure how successful it is but it seems to be working so far.  i must admit i did have the same password for a lot of sites which is not a good idea.  so beware, there are robots out there stealing your details.  the internet has a lot to answer to

i'm so brave

I am a very brave old lady if i do say so myself with my tongue firmly in my cheek of course.  I made an appointment the other week for the skin cancer clinic and was a tad surprised that i got an appointment for the following day as there is usually a bit of a wait.  I usually see a female doctor and was not concerned at all even though there was a mole on the back of leg that had changed recently.  My anxiety hit the roof however when they said my usual doctor was away and i was seeing a male doctor.  There goes my comfort zone.  I was going to make another appointment when dr female returned from leave but decided to be brave.  So in i went.  It went ok and i showed him the mole i was concerned about and he found another one on my face that needed removal too.  Ok, i can do this, make another appointment like last time and bring maz with me for support.  My son is not good with stuff like this and my daughter lives a way away and has the kids.  Then to my absolute horror he said he would do it now.  What?  Ok, so i sucked it up and went for it.  One on my face and the one i was concerned about on the back of my leg.  Well, it’s done.  All by myself, i’m so brave.  i waited the five days and went back for the results and thank goodness both were benign.  bandages are off and both well on the way to recovery.  

a tale of two cars

my golf has developed a problem with the central locking.  it locked everything except the back passenger door.  sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't.  quite inconvenient when you want to leave the car in the car park or the shopping centre when the back door is open.  it's at the mechanics.  he got the part but it didn't work and i'm not hopeful.  he's keeping it again tonight.  wish me luck that it's all good by tomorrow as i have a physio appointment tomorrow arvo.  and the other tale is that i bought my daughter a car the other day, that sounds good doesn't it but it was a cheap car and my mechanic went over it and said it's ok and roadworthy.  let's hope so as her old car was a lemon, it's certainly better than the old one.  she said she'll pay me back.  yeah right :( 

passwords

i absolutely hate passwords.  i used to use the same one for everything, it was easy and simple.  everyone said not to do this and i can understand why of course but it's a pain to use a different one for everything and let's face it, every site you go to now requires the dreaded password.  i especially hate the ones where you have to include a capital letter and symbols.  ahhhh  i got myself a little book and i enter all the passwords in it but have scribbled in it so much when the password has been changed that it looks a mess.  a woman i follow on blogger once suggested to use the site name and then the same password after it or something like that.  i might try it.  it would save me forgetting what i changed it to last time i forgot and my little book lets me down.  i have a password reminder on windows and one on chrome which helps with most of them but there is always an exception. 

my whiz bang extra speky coffee machine is getting old

you may or not remember that maz gave me a second hand delonghi coffee machine that does everything except the dishes several years ago.  it's my favourite machine in the house.  it makes delish coffee but isn't easy to maintain.  fill this, empty that and do such and such are regular messages that appear on it's electronic screen.  it's been playing up of late.  the coffee instead of coming out in a nice clean 'puck' (that's coffee machine talk) and falling into the grounds container as it should has been falling in a wet mess all over the place.  i was lucky enough to find a video on youtube that was very informative and may or may not explain the problem.  it shows you how to take the whole machine apart and put it back together whilst identifying faults.  there's also separate videos of how to fix the 'brew unit' (another coffee machine phrase).  but, and here's the problem, it looks extremely complicated and i'm not sure if i feel comfortable carrying out these tasks myself.  there are tiny springs and little valves etc.  now, to get a service is rather expensive and that's not surprising considering the original price of the machine.  i am undecided whether to lash out cash for this or not.  my visitors seem to enjoy my coffee more than me.  perhaps they only like me for my excellent coffee and perhaps i should consider charging per cup. 

a special treat for me

i studied art many years ago and painted for years but somehow i put it on the backburner since i retired.  today i treated myself to a wonderful exhibition at the adelaide art gallery.  the french impressionists.  one of my favourite artists is cezanne and there were three of his paintings included in the exhibition.  all i can say is wow.  i'm so glad i went.  i should make the effort and go again soon.  the pics are not very good.  it was hard to get good views as there were so many people. 

Berthe Morisot

a few pics of the cruise

which was too short.  we enjoyed it though and i would go again even though i got a little bit sea sick.  it didn't last long thank goodness and coming into sydney under the bridge was just spectacular.  i saw some dolphins and a beautiful sunrise too. 

cruising

i've never been on a cruise, although  i've been on the sydney harbour ferry once, and i'm so excited.  maz and i are going on a very short cruise this week, we have a balcony cabin.  melbourne cruising to sydney.  i must say i'm excited but the stuff up with the cost has been a pain.  i made a huge mistake with the return from sydney but most of the $ have been refunded so it's not too bad.  i'm travelling light with only carry on and can put anything i buy in maz's bag as she has check in luggage which is kind of her.  apparently there's so much to do on board that we won't have time to sleep. 

a special birthday

my granddaughter is turning 18 tomorrow.  we are going out to dinner and then back to mine for cake etc.  i got her a cheesecake as it's her favourite.  because it's a special birthday i've got some balloons, banners and other party favourites.  i can't believe she's 18, it seems like no time since she was born.  she was a prem baby with severe heart and other medical problems.  she had quite a few surgeries, the first when she was a tiny baby the last one a year or so ago on her palate.  that one wasn't successful unfortunately.  she's a gorgeous girl with a very kind heart and a loving nature although i have seen her put on a tantrum or two when she was little.  i'm sure we'll have a great day tomorrow

a very dirty job

my son came over yesterday to help me divide two massive elkhorns.  they belonged to my mother and she passed in 1982 i'm sure she had them long before then.  i didn't realize that i should have been feeding them more as i only gave them a banana occasionally.  of course i forgot to photograph them before we started cutting.  omg what a job.  it was more difficult than i thought it would be and a very dirty job at that but the best bit was when a gecko jumped out and ran behind some pots.  it gave me a heck of a surprise and i think my son was a bit surprised too and thank goodness it was a gecko and not something else.  then, we found a tiny egg and then another one.  we put them behind the pot on a large piece of old elkhorn hoping that the mum would find them.  probably not but you never know, and, of course i forgot to take a photo.  after all that my son put another solar light around the side for me.  he's a good kid.  :)  i am hoping they grow on their new boards.

this is an old photo of part of one of the elkhorns.  they were huge

i'm melting

we have been having another heatwave but it's only going to be 34 tomorrow. i took my friends to the airport this morning so that they can fly to melbourne to join their cruise to tassie.  sounds nice to me.  as my friend was returning home this morning after walking her little dog she saw what she thought was a long branch in the gutter outside her home.  it turned out to be a deadly brown snake that slithered off into the large school paddock across the road.  omg.  i would have died.  she rang the school to alert them.  whilst i was at the airport i called into the large aldi store nearby on the way home and did some shopping but when i got home and went to put it all away i had to leave an almost empty container of icecream out just to fit everything in the freezer.  my fridge is too small. 

a haircut

we took caiden in yesterday to get his hair cut and the girl did a great job.  he was fairly good and sat still most of the time.  she used the clippers for the first time and he coped with that as last time he didn't like them.  too noisy i suspect.  his hair seems to grow quite fast and he starts kindy next week so it was needed.  he got a lolly pop when it was finished.  he looks super cute of course :) he went to the dentist last week and got a good report then he had his immunisation needles.  such a good boy 

we're having a heatwave

a not so tropical, not so tropical heatwave.  the temperature's rising, it isn't surprising etc

a bit more pain and hospital

my back pain has moved to my hip but is getting better slowly.  it's a pain.  lol.  my dil had her thyroid removed the other day and she was doing fairly well but was taken back to hospital today with chest pain.  it's her meds which are difficult to regulate.  something to do with her heart and calcium.  she had an underactive thyroid and her sister an overactive one.  or visa versa.  i'm not sure.  my cousin had the same operation a month ago and is slowly recovering.