The first piece of good news that I received today, was at 5am when Adoring Husband advised me that little Chloe Campbell had been found alive and well at 1am in her home town.
Chloe's reappearance.
The second piece of good news I received today, was at 8am when the Vet gave our psychotic dog, Jack, a couple of needles and some tablets and sent us home with a happy and much improved baby.
The third piece of good news I received today, was around 3pm this afternoon, when Little Miss Happy called me to say that she had just heard from my brother and he was alive and well .. though a little wind swept, and he'd asked her to call me.
Such a huge relief!!
Typically, all of the things that were driving me to distraction with worry, have all turned out with happy endings.
*happy dance*
Nite all.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Friday, April 11, 2014
Bad Start
It's a bad start to the weekend.
My brother, 'The Convenient Greenie', lives near Cooktown, where there is currently the second worst cyclone since 1918 bearing down on him.
He lives in a valley.
At this stage, he can hear the winds blowing above him and over the mountains, but rarely reaching low enough to affect him.
Unfortunately, there is still a couple of hours before the cyclone will be directly over him.
His plan B was to head towards his neighbour, 1 km away, who has a cyclone shelter, but apparently, the winds there are very bad and it would be impossible to reach them at this stage.
This does not please me one little bit. That was my one reason to stop being concerned .. knowing that there was a safe place nearby. That is gone and now there is nothing left but to worry.
It's been 47 minutes since my brother last posted on facebook.
When life gets so stressful, that I struggle to cope, my body shuts down .. meaning .. I sleep. I have no choice but to sleep. It just happens.
Adoring Husband has spent all day searching cane fields and the surrounding areas of Childers for the little 3 year old girl who went missing from her home in the early hours of yesterday morning. Many volunteer members of SES from surrounding towns have joined in the search .. so far with no success.
Missing 3 yr old, Chloe Campbell, from Childers.
Then to top it off, one of our psychotic dogs has been very unwell for two days now. We'll be taking him to the vet tomorrow. He's not eating and is also having trouble keeping fluids down.
So, it's been a pretty stressful day today. I can feel my body shutting down .. I sleep when I can't cope with what's happening around me. I have no choice.
It's been an hour since he last posted.
It's going to be a long, long weekend full of worry.
I wish he'd just jumped in the car and driven south like I asked. I could have given him a safe place to stay.
Ugh.
Nite all.
My brother, 'The Convenient Greenie', lives near Cooktown, where there is currently the second worst cyclone since 1918 bearing down on him.
He lives in a valley.
At this stage, he can hear the winds blowing above him and over the mountains, but rarely reaching low enough to affect him.
Unfortunately, there is still a couple of hours before the cyclone will be directly over him.
His plan B was to head towards his neighbour, 1 km away, who has a cyclone shelter, but apparently, the winds there are very bad and it would be impossible to reach them at this stage.
This does not please me one little bit. That was my one reason to stop being concerned .. knowing that there was a safe place nearby. That is gone and now there is nothing left but to worry.
It's been 47 minutes since my brother last posted on facebook.
When life gets so stressful, that I struggle to cope, my body shuts down .. meaning .. I sleep. I have no choice but to sleep. It just happens.
Adoring Husband has spent all day searching cane fields and the surrounding areas of Childers for the little 3 year old girl who went missing from her home in the early hours of yesterday morning. Many volunteer members of SES from surrounding towns have joined in the search .. so far with no success.
Missing 3 yr old, Chloe Campbell, from Childers.
Then to top it off, one of our psychotic dogs has been very unwell for two days now. We'll be taking him to the vet tomorrow. He's not eating and is also having trouble keeping fluids down.
So, it's been a pretty stressful day today. I can feel my body shutting down .. I sleep when I can't cope with what's happening around me. I have no choice.
It's been an hour since he last posted.
It's going to be a long, long weekend full of worry.
I wish he'd just jumped in the car and driven south like I asked. I could have given him a safe place to stay.
Ugh.
Nite all.
Two of my special girls.
It has just turned midnight, so I'm simply going to share some photos of two of my beautiful girls (and Dadoo).
Nite all.
Nite all.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Steady Pace
If you want to know something, you need to ask the right people the right questions.
I got brave and posted in the online student common room, asking the other students for advice on how to deal with this online studying and whether they had ideas to make it a bit easier for someone who hasn't studied for many years.
So far, I've had two excellent replies, with fantastic and helpful tips.
One of them told me about 'mind maps'.
I have NEVER heard of mind maps!
So I googled it!
WOW!
Hundreds of images of mind maps in all different colours and styles. Hand drawn. Computer generated. There are youtube videos showing how to create a mind map. There are even apps for mind maps!
While searching youtube, I discovered a whole series of video tutorials on how to write essays and how to complete assignments.
Things have certainly changed in the 25 years since I studied.
My first essay for Naturopathic Philosophy needs to be 500 words in length. My first incomplete draft is already 600 words!
Clearly, I need to hone my essay writing skills.
I posted this revelation on Facebook which triggered some more helpful advice.
By the end of the day, I had gained new insights into methods of planning study and writing essays and creating assignments and sitting exams.
This is now a whole new ballgame!
I do, now, feel better prepared and I have some great ideas to put into practise.
I also made a 'to do' list yesterday and actually completed everything on the list. Sometimes I amaze myself.
What a roller coaster ride this experience has already been, and I haven't even completed my first assignment yet.
They do tell me that it gets easier. I just have to ride the wave of self discovery!
Nite all.
I got brave and posted in the online student common room, asking the other students for advice on how to deal with this online studying and whether they had ideas to make it a bit easier for someone who hasn't studied for many years.
So far, I've had two excellent replies, with fantastic and helpful tips.
One of them told me about 'mind maps'.
I have NEVER heard of mind maps!
So I googled it!
WOW!
Hundreds of images of mind maps in all different colours and styles. Hand drawn. Computer generated. There are youtube videos showing how to create a mind map. There are even apps for mind maps!
While searching youtube, I discovered a whole series of video tutorials on how to write essays and how to complete assignments.
Things have certainly changed in the 25 years since I studied.
My first essay for Naturopathic Philosophy needs to be 500 words in length. My first incomplete draft is already 600 words!
Clearly, I need to hone my essay writing skills.
I posted this revelation on Facebook which triggered some more helpful advice.
By the end of the day, I had gained new insights into methods of planning study and writing essays and creating assignments and sitting exams.
This is now a whole new ballgame!
I do, now, feel better prepared and I have some great ideas to put into practise.
I also made a 'to do' list yesterday and actually completed everything on the list. Sometimes I amaze myself.
What a roller coaster ride this experience has already been, and I haven't even completed my first assignment yet.
They do tell me that it gets easier. I just have to ride the wave of self discovery!
Nite all.
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
*sigh*
Another afternoon of study.
Far out.
Some of it, I'm excited to get started on and other parts, I'm scared witless .. and I'm not even at the scary bit yet .. like Anatomy and Physiology and Chemistry and Biochemistry!
It's a constant battle with myself to block the negative self talk.
I think I need to post some positive affirmations around my work area .. something that will keep my mind clear to focus on the studying, and not on failing, falling behind or losing my way.
There are moments that I am completely paralysed with fear, and I have to snap myself out of it.
Those are the moments that I move on to something else that is less paralysing!
I just watched an episode of 'Parenthood' and somebody there quoted "You're not in over your head, you're just out of your comfort zone."
That's pretty appropriate for my situation ... I might write that on a post-it note and stick it on my monitor.
It'll be ok.
I will be ok.
Really!
I've got this!
Nite all.
Far out.
Some of it, I'm excited to get started on and other parts, I'm scared witless .. and I'm not even at the scary bit yet .. like Anatomy and Physiology and Chemistry and Biochemistry!
It's a constant battle with myself to block the negative self talk.
I think I need to post some positive affirmations around my work area .. something that will keep my mind clear to focus on the studying, and not on failing, falling behind or losing my way.
There are moments that I am completely paralysed with fear, and I have to snap myself out of it.
Those are the moments that I move on to something else that is less paralysing!
I just watched an episode of 'Parenthood' and somebody there quoted "You're not in over your head, you're just out of your comfort zone."
That's pretty appropriate for my situation ... I might write that on a post-it note and stick it on my monitor.
It'll be ok.
I will be ok.
Really!
I've got this!
Nite all.
Monday, April 7, 2014
The Right Direction
I feel that this day has been very successful for me.
Adoring Husband spent 6 hours at the SES shed today, and I filled 5 of those hours in full study mode.
I had to change the web browser on my imac to accommodate the video streaming requirements for the study site.
I had to update the Adobe Flash Player.
I also had to order the third and final text book for the first semester - the tricky part was finding somewhere in Australia that stocked it, so that I could receive it within 1-2 weeks, instead of 6-8 weeks from overseas!
I printed masses of information (because I am 'old school' and need to 'feel' the reading material - I also like a change of scenery, so I can read while sitting on the garden swing, or down by the river).
I completed the five tasks that are required prior to commencing Lesson One.
I watched two video tutorials.
I read the three chapters plus the sheet material, making lots of notes, for Lesson One and then completed the review activities.
I tagged the chapters in the order that I have to read them in my 'Counselling' text book.
That just about covers it.
As much as I feel like I accomplished a lot today, I still don't feel confident with my organisational skills and my ability to keep up .. especially after reading the student forums for my group.
There are over 200 people studying this course online, 50 in my group, (I didn't see any traditional male names in the list - though quite a few non-gender specific names were there) and their information sharing and feedback is very comprehensive and full of naturopathic and medical jargon.
I feel a little out of my depth and very much an outsider, but I won't allow it to deter me.
Onward and upward!
After today, I feel like I've almost caught up - once I have, I'll need to commit about 3 hours per day so that I can complete the assignments by their deadlines (or perhaps my old brain will require an extra hour or two during the week???)
Anyway, it's been therapeutic for me to write all of this down. Your boredom has been invaluable to me :D Thank you for listening!
Nite all.
Adoring Husband spent 6 hours at the SES shed today, and I filled 5 of those hours in full study mode.
I had to change the web browser on my imac to accommodate the video streaming requirements for the study site.
I had to update the Adobe Flash Player.
I also had to order the third and final text book for the first semester - the tricky part was finding somewhere in Australia that stocked it, so that I could receive it within 1-2 weeks, instead of 6-8 weeks from overseas!
I printed masses of information (because I am 'old school' and need to 'feel' the reading material - I also like a change of scenery, so I can read while sitting on the garden swing, or down by the river).
I completed the five tasks that are required prior to commencing Lesson One.
I watched two video tutorials.
I read the three chapters plus the sheet material, making lots of notes, for Lesson One and then completed the review activities.
I tagged the chapters in the order that I have to read them in my 'Counselling' text book.
That just about covers it.
As much as I feel like I accomplished a lot today, I still don't feel confident with my organisational skills and my ability to keep up .. especially after reading the student forums for my group.
There are over 200 people studying this course online, 50 in my group, (I didn't see any traditional male names in the list - though quite a few non-gender specific names were there) and their information sharing and feedback is very comprehensive and full of naturopathic and medical jargon.
I feel a little out of my depth and very much an outsider, but I won't allow it to deter me.
Onward and upward!
After today, I feel like I've almost caught up - once I have, I'll need to commit about 3 hours per day so that I can complete the assignments by their deadlines (or perhaps my old brain will require an extra hour or two during the week???)
Anyway, it's been therapeutic for me to write all of this down. Your boredom has been invaluable to me :D Thank you for listening!
Nite all.
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Believe in good
I loved this ...
Despite an incredible sleep-in until 8.30am, I got a good session of study in today, as well as making some banana bread and also starting the fermentation process on some organic apples (yes, on purpose).
I found this beautiful specimen along the riverbank this morning ..
He was getting a bountiful feed of huge brown grubs from the front lawns of two houses! He sniffed around the clumps of grass and then dug his nose right under the roots, coming up with these big grubs every time! Amazing to watch.
Adoring Husband arrived home, safe n sound, from his course in Gympie this afternoon. It's good to have him home.
We've just experienced a bit of a storm - nothing to get stressed about. Some wind and rain. I watched it, on the BOM site, move all the way from south of the Sunny Coast. It took about four hours to get here, but I think it had just about exhausted all of it's fury by the time it arrived.
Down south there was minor flooding and some pretty spectacular cloud formations - lots of photos were posted on facebook, which I can't share here, unfortunately.
But I can share this!!
Nite all.
Despite an incredible sleep-in until 8.30am, I got a good session of study in today, as well as making some banana bread and also starting the fermentation process on some organic apples (yes, on purpose).
I found this beautiful specimen along the riverbank this morning ..
He was getting a bountiful feed of huge brown grubs from the front lawns of two houses! He sniffed around the clumps of grass and then dug his nose right under the roots, coming up with these big grubs every time! Amazing to watch.
Adoring Husband arrived home, safe n sound, from his course in Gympie this afternoon. It's good to have him home.
We've just experienced a bit of a storm - nothing to get stressed about. Some wind and rain. I watched it, on the BOM site, move all the way from south of the Sunny Coast. It took about four hours to get here, but I think it had just about exhausted all of it's fury by the time it arrived.
Down south there was minor flooding and some pretty spectacular cloud formations - lots of photos were posted on facebook, which I can't share here, unfortunately.
But I can share this!!
Nite all.
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