The anger builds

The anger I feel for the people who lit the bushfires is immense. I understand natural disasters, 2/3 the state I live in is flooded at present. That’s right 2/3. This is part of life in the tropics even if it hasn’t been experienced for a while and maybe not quite this extent but flooding is natural. No one can set a flood. While fire, fire is totally different. Whole towns have been totally destroyed. Gone. Because someone decided to light a fire for fun or someone flicked a cigarette butt out their window.
why? What is the point of all the death and destruction. Although I wish no one dead part of me hopes that out of those who have been lost the arsonist has lost a house or a loved one so they know the pain they caused. I wish it had never happened but still…
The renovations are going slowly. The lounge has now been done. And I have carefully, very carefully selected what is coming back into the room.
It looks emptier and I am enjoying the feel of less.
The study is the hardest room. It is a multi-use room and stores many things but I will work on it slowly as well and clear it all out leavng only what I truly want.

Decluttering & Decorating

The house is upheaval.  I am decluttering trying to decide what I really like and want to keep.

Bags and bags have disappeared from the  house, but still there doesn’t seem to be much of a dent in it all.  I am not going to have much choice very soon as we are hauling furniture out to tile the floor.  The girls have made it easier by deciding to have a smashing good time.  I was a little upset when my crystal was destroyed and I almost kept the pieces as a man had come to town that would have repaired it.

The thing was I didn’t get to him in time and he left and I wanted to keep it for next time.  But reality took over and I put it in the bin.  If I didn’t get it repaired then I know that I wouldn’t ever get it repaired and it would sit gathering dust  for years to come.

I have learnt in my time as a carer I am not going to hold onto items that are damaged.  I walk into houses where people’s treasures are covered in dust and lie forgotten and broken.  i don’t want that for myself.  I don’t want sparseness either.  i like my house cosy but not overwhelming and it has over the last few years gotten overwhelming.

I am very proud of myself as I was offered a vegetable steamer, brand new in the box but I refused it.  I won’t use it.  It will sit in the cupboard and do nothing so I just said “no thankyou”.

Decluttering isn’t just a matter of removing stuf from the house it is also preventing stuff coming in.

Now this doesn’t mean nothing coming in just being selective.  I would like to redecorate my bedroom.  So things will come in but slowly, selectively and thoughtfully.

Anyone have an Ark handy?

Anyone?  No?  Oh well that’s all right.

Tonight I am sleeping in a house with half the carpet ripped up.  Water came through our place last night and our insurance company sent someone out today to ensure that the place was livable.

It is.

I am actually feeling quite blessed considering the damage that has been occuring this past week in the area.  Last night i went to bed quite early but couldn’t stay there.  In fact I was driven up out of bed and made to tidy the rooms.  Not by anyone but my own nagging feelings.  The storms had passed and it was raining but nothing dreadful but still I couldn’t rest.

And when I say tidy it really means getting everything off the floor.  At 11pm it poured and I watched as the water rose.  I woke DH up but the water receded and at 11:30pm I went to bed.   At 1am I was up and wandered to the front door only to get that sinking, wet feeling.

Water came through 3 bedrooms and the lounge but nothing was damaged due to my madness earlier.At 3am we had to go rescue our truck from going under as our driver couldn’t get out of his 2 storey house as the water was lapping at his door on his upper storey.  Everything under his house was destroyed as was our neighbours.

So I will sleep well tonight as I am thankful for the minimal damage and the chance to get the tiles we have had for 2 years down to replace the carpet.  There always is a silver lining.

Storm Chasers

You really need to add the sound effect *snort*

On Sunday we went to Lamington National Park. It is such a pretty area and we have been there previously.  Photo to come when my batteries are charged *sigh*.

At this particular park there is a treetop walk that is about 15 metres (49 feet) in the air and a deck 30m (98.5 feet) up. Well the walk wasn’t so bad although the creaking of the boards and swaying was a little hard to swallow.  The problem came when it came to going up to the deck.  The Miss T, Miss N and DH who was carrying Miss 3 scampered up ahead on the ladder and I gulped.  Miss 5 started climbing ahead of me and we got about 8 steps up the ladder (check the second picture on the page) and her little foot slipped.  the thing with the ladder although there is a cage over the top of the ladder there is nothing to stop skiiny minnies like my girls slipping through and down.  And that was it.  i had to stop myself from screaming and very calmly ask Miss 5 to come back down.  I felt ill and dizzy just thinking about what could happen to her and the others.  DH brought Miss 3 back down and took Miss 5 up.

I led Miss 3 to the end of the walk with much baulking from her as she had looked down this stage and realised that we were really high up.  I couldn’t carry her she had to walk.

We then wandered through the gardens and had lunch after lunch we decided to go for another walk BUT it decided to rain.  It poured, so we changed our minds as we drove home we saw trees down and so much damage we couldn’t believe it.  But just as we got home we saw another storm had been following us and hit just as we walked in the door.

Go here for pictures.  Amazingly we had no damage either.  We were really really lucky.

Such a great day.

Hot Air Rises

I’m not an early morning person, heck if I could I would sleep most the day to be up all night.  But it was important as we went Hot Air Ballooning.  2.30am I woke up. 3.30am out of the house and by 6am we were watching the balloons be prepared.

Early Morning Mist

It took longer then I thought it would.  With the rolling it out.

Preparing the balloon

Using a fan to get it going

And then the heat

My camera didn’t catch the flames.

Then we were in and up.

Our balloon was the Koala

Disappearing Fast

I loved it, breathtaking views, peace and quiet and once the total awe wore off, the chatter and laughter in the group.  Most of which were our friends.

Pretty View

Another Pretty View

A washout (close view)

The tree we almost hit

See… just missed

The tree we did hit

The bottom of the basket hit the upper most leaves.  After his no more photos for a while as we had to assume our landing positions.  We then helped pack the balloon up.

The day was fabulous driven to a champagne breakfast (not that I drink champagne), easy trip home and a BBQ with friends and family collapsing on the lounge to sleep.  Well DH anyway.  I am lagging now.  Up almost 20 hours can do that to some.  I would recommend it to anyone and before you say “I am afraid of heights” let me tell you this, standing on a chair can have me dizzy and put me on a ladder I panic.  But this, this was something really special.

Hope you enjoyed.

Mary Mary How does your Garden Grow?

Wonderfully!

We grew the beds although DH did the second bed and planted it traditionally.  My bed seems to have turned into a permanent patch… herbs… silverbeet… celery.

And for 2 meals we have eaten from the garden.  Homemade tomato pasta sauce, onion and herbs for spaghetti and lettuce, tomato, onion (used the tops like shallots), celery and rocket to eat with enchilada.  The garden i far from being able to support us properly BUT and it s a big BUT it has started.  The longest journey starts with the smallest step.

Rosemea - Flickr

My apple trees have defied DH the horticulturalist and have apples (6 months after planting and growing in the wrong spot).  My blueberries suffered a set back recently (being stepped on by a dog will do that) but the raspberry is going great guns as are the strawberries.  The peach tree also has fruit I am so thrilled.  It is all a start.  I will sneak more fruit out th front over time.  We seem to have another pumpkin growing wild so it will be interesting to see what sort this vine is.  I will have to buy a pumpkin to carry me till this vine fruits.  But I haven’t had to buy pumpkin for 5 or so months so I can’t complain.

Pippolata - Flickr

On Saturday morning I am going to fulfil a dream I am going Hot Air Ballooning.

Anna and Andy - Flickr

I am really excited about this.  Really looking forward to this someone asked me if I was fearful and it surprised me.  Why would I be fearful?  I want to be up high and experience the air, maybe the silence although there will be others so I’m not sure if there will be much silence LOL.

The only down side is getting up at 3.00am.  But it will be worth it.

Here ‘Tis

Two wavy Sasha's

See I wasn’t lying.

Miss 6 got the benefit of the first dress but Miss 8 is really happy as she got to choose what she wanted.  The girls are really happy with them.  PLease note i used the overlocker for the first time with these lovelies.

So pleased with how they turned out.

Sewing Disaster!

Well for Miss 8 anyway.  Poor Miss 8 I carefully measured her, cut the pattern and even remembered to add the seam allowance.  Sewing it though I looked and lined it up and somehow I have made it too small.  Disaster!  She looked so upset when we realised tha it was too small even though I haven’t figured out what went wrong with my measurements exactly.

So Miss 5 will gain and Miss 8 will have to wait.  Most likely till tomorrow.  this time I will use the largest size of the pattern and mak adjustments as I go.

Photos to follow.

So many Patterns!

One of my lovely dears is having trouble buying clothes that fit her.  She likes seersucker pedal pushers.  So I have pulled out the patterns and found a pattern that should suit her.  I am going to take measurements tomorrow to ensure a good fit.

The material is washed and read to go.  The pattern is a girls size 14.  Yes that is right a GIRLS sie 14.  She is petite and very slender, My concern is that her hips may not slot into a pattern designed for girl hips which is why I need to take her measurements.  I don’t think there will be a problem but I want to be sure.

And as I was flicking through the patterns I thought about what my girls would like to have.  And voila I started having urges. Shock! Horror!

And the best thing is this weekend I’m not working and so will do some sewing.  A couple of lovely dresses, a top or two and maybe even go looking for some material.

Here’s the one I think I will try

Click on the picture for a better look!

Organisation, organisation, organisation.

The job is settling well.  I can’t believe I have only been there a couple of months.  I feel well and truly at home with a couple of very scary moments.  Not too serious, no one hurt but I thought I may be.  I find myself a campaigner of the elderly’s rights, trying to make sure they are taken care of properly and sometimes I think the office dreads calls from me LOL.

The trouble is organising.  My roster changes slightly from week to week and what with other things on my plate I was overwhelmed.  DH has been pretty extraordinarily supportive and hasn’t complained as he fished through mountains of (clean) washing, jumped over piles of toys and cooked meals for me as I hid.

But it has to change.  So over the last few weekends my bedroom was tidied, junk removed and things sorted, Miss11 got a new loft bed with shelves and desk giving her smallish room alot more space. Her bed went to Miss (almost) 4 and the cot well the cot is sitting in limbo but I think it will go under our bed for now.  I just can’t bring myself to give it away yet.

The washing is back to a load a day.  Soak in the evening, wash in the morning and hang out in the afternoon after bringing in the day before’s load and a new load soaks overnight.  Sunday is often a break but not this one I got it all up to date ready for the cycle to begin.

 The girls are prepared for school the day before, uniforms out and lunches made.  That way in the morning I don’t need to worry about anything.  I also prepare myself the night before.  Now all this takes time.  So I need to fit in study, craft, shopping, othe life things and writing.  This is the hard bit.  i need to figure it all out.  I will but it will need to thought about.  I’ll let you know what I come up with!