Day Four - Something Green

Quote for the day:  "I am not what happened to me.  I am what I choose to become." - Carl Gustav Jung

Day Four - Something Green

Teeny baby plover chick wearing a green leprechaun's hat.

Well, half of the Christmas decorating is complete.

I arrived home from my morning ride to find that Adoring Husband had put up all of the decorations inside the house and on the doors.  The box of decorations for the tree was placed on the floor beside it, waiting for me to arrive home and we decorated it together.

Pretty huh?

I had quite an uneventful ride this morning and got a couple of passable shots to share.

Happy to Share :o)

Makeshift Boat Trailer

Market day tomorrow.  The last local market before Christmas.  The weather forecast is not good, but they've been known to be wrong in the past ... let's hope they are wrong again!  Although I do like this milder weather since the rain came.

Sixteen sleeps til Christmas!

Nite all.

Day Three - Clouds

Day Three - Clouds

I did a lot of pedalling today!

Adoring Husband had a golf break-up lunch, so I had the whole day to myself.

I pedalled for about three hours and took photos of owls, kookaburras, peewees, butcher birds and a grey heron.

None of them were spectacular, but I posted a couple onto my flickr photostream.

Then I visited Buster's Mum and we discussed the photo shoot and took a couple of practise shots with her sitting in front of the window.

We chose a time for me to return, after dark, so that she could make herself all pretty as my subject.

It didn't take very long to get the shot I wanted.  The lighting wasn't as good as I would have liked, but Kas and Lucy's Man had a fabulous free-standing lamp that provided a nice ambient light and helped provide a reasonable reflection in the window.

Buster's Mum was a very co-operative model and it was all over in about twenty minutes!

The real Buster's Mum

I promised that I would also photoshop a photo to make her look younger as well.

The younger Buster's Mum

I prefer the REAL Buster's Mum to the photoshopped younger version :o)

So I'm very happy with our efforts today and it feels good to have my challenge entry already lodged.  The closing date is 20th December, so I'm nice and early!

Adoring Husband had a good time at his golf lunch and is now sleeping like a baby.

The plan for tomorrow is to decorate the christmas tree and hang the lights around the exterior of the house.  Let's hope the weather co-operates!

Today was another good day :o)

Nite all.

 

Day Two - What you wore today.

Day Two - What I wore today.

Good soaking rain all day today.

I woke up to find that it had been raining during the night and when I left for the Seat of Knowledge, there was a soft spray of rain falling.

I met Lady Lynne and Kaz for coffee at our usual meeting place.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Lady Lynne isn't ALWAYS a lady and that Kaz has a teensy touch of 'evil' within :o)

In my eyes, that just makes them even more special.

During our morning tea, many, many locals stopped to chat.  It was difficult to finish any one conversation, because we were constantly interrupted.

Of course, I'm not going to complain about that, because 'local chat' is one of my favourite pastimes!

The hot topic of 'local chat' is the wonderful rain.

Afterwards, when I was waiting for the rain to ease, I met a holiday maker named Shirley.  She, apparently, comes to our town every year for holidays and this year is here with two of her grand daughters.

She is from Maleny and we stood and chatted for about twenty minutes.  Very nice lady.

I then pedalled home in the rain, because it didn't look like it was going to ease at all.  By the time I arrived home, it was even heavier.  By the time I got inside and sat down on my couch, it was even heavier!

We received two inches of rain in the twenty four hours up to 3 pm.

Great for the locals.  Not so great for the holiday makers.

While I was out, Adoring Husband had pulled the Christmas tree, decorations and lights from the shed, so that when the rain stops, we can  make some Christmas magic around the house.

This afternoon I created four bracelets to fill one of the Christmas orders.

So it's been quite a productive day.

Tomorrow, I am going to visit Buster's Mum and hopefully use her as a model for our next photography challenge.

The theme this month is 'Window' and I hope to capture Buster's Mum's reflection in a window.  Not sure how I'm going to manage that yet, but I'm working on it!

I feel myself turning into a pumpkin because it's after midnight.  I need to get some sleep so that my body can heal the crick in my neck.  Extra healing power would be wonderful.

Nite all

Day One - Self Portrait

Day One - Self Portrait

Today was a good day :)

I awoke bright and early, before the alarm sounded, which gave me plenty of time to get ready for my day out.

Woman of Many Talents was giving me a lift into town and arrived right on time.  It's always a pleasant drive with her.  She's a good egg.

A McCafe coffee was my preferred beverage to start the day and then some browsing through some dvds of which I bought three.

Soon it was time to meet Vegan Chickie, so I made the ten minute walk to the cinema, bought our tickets and some mandetory junk food.

I was just in the nick of time because a whole bus load of school kids suddenly appeared and queued up for junk food themselves!

Luckily, they were going to a different movie :)

The whole Chicklet family suddenly appeared and I got to see my baby before the movie too!

Vegan Chickie and I entered Cinema 3 and enjoyed Breaking Dawn Part 1 for the second time.

Thank goodness the Bare-chested Chef and Chicklet were waiting when we emerged from the cinema, because Vegan Chickie was missing them so much, I don't think she could have waited another 5 minutes to see them!

We drove home, stopping at the takeaway cafe to get fish and chips for lunch.

I was pleasantly surprised to find Adoring Husband had already returned home from his golf function.

After lunch, Vegan Chickie and Chicklet went for a nap, and the rest of us watched one of my new dvds.  'The Muppet Movie'  an oldie but a goodie.

When Chicklet woke up, I got lots of cuddles and we visited the lovely layers at the chook pen, talked to the puppies and did a tour of the veggie garden.

Then it was time for them to go home.

I received a phone call from Lady Lynne inviting me to morning tea tomorrow and then Number One Son phoned and we chatted for about half an hour.

He has just commenced a new job in Townsville, so he's feeling motivated and happy at the prospect of a fresh start after his divorce was finalised recently.

So, I've completed my day one photograph challenge - self portrait, and all in all, it's been a happy day.

Nite all.  

All I can feel is BLAH BLAH BLAH

This is becoming monotonous for you, I know!

I've had a bit of a 'blah' day.

I've been trying to figure out a way to get myself out of the 'blahs' because I'm wading deeper and deeper into the 'blahs', and I don't like it.

So I came up with a couple of ideas.

Firstly, I'm going to the movies with Vegan Chickie tomorrow, to see 'Breaking Dawn' (again).

Secondly, I'm giving myself a thirty day photography challenge, which, effectively forces me to get up and do something different every day, and photography is what I love, so it shouldn't be too difficult to get motivated.

These are the things that I have to photograph.  A different subject for every day.

Day    Subject

1. Self portrait
2. What you wore today
3. Clouds
4. Something green
5. From a high angle
6. From a low angle
7. Fruit
8. A bad habit
9. Someone you love
10. A childhood memory
11. Something blue
12. Sunset
13. Yourself with 13 things
14. Eyes
15. Silhouette
16. Long exposure
17. Technology
18. Your shoes
19. Something orange
20. Bokeh
21. Faceless self portrait
22. Hands
23. Sunflare
24. Animal
25. Something pink
26. Close up
27. From a distance
28. Flowers
29. Black and White
30. Self portrait

A couple of photos from yesterday ...

Buff Banded Rail

White Heron

... and a couple of photos from today ... some kookaburras ...

It seems that my owl families have all moved on now.  Rupert is nowhere to be found, so I'll have to wait til next year to, hopefully, see him again.

Adoring Husband's Mum was admitted to hospital again on Saturday night.  They are doing scans to determine whether she has a bowel blockage/infection.  Hoping she recovers quickly and can return to the nursing home, where she wants to be.

So here's hoping the blah blah blah feelings dissipate soon.

Nite all.

Old Treasures

A few days ago at the Seat of Knowledge, The Kids,  (he's 82 and she's 78) asked me if I wanted to see a photo of them as teenagers.

If my memory serves me correctly, their next wedding anniversary will be their 60th.

I was eager to see a photo of them in their youth, so I urged them to bring the photo with them one morning for me to look at.

This morning was the morning.

He reached into his top pocket and pulled out a small photo, about the size of a mobile phone.

It was black and white, of course.

They were standing in front of a corrugated iron shed, all dressed up ready to go to some social event - they don't remember where they were going at the time.

He was wearing a dark, double breasted suit with a starched, white, collared shirt, a tie, and clean, shiny black shoes.

His hair was slicked back with a quiff ...

For you young people reading this, the above is an example of the 'quiff' hairstyle.

'She' was wearing a cream dress similar to this style but with small sleeves ...

Her hair was long and dark but she wore it in an up-style similar to this ...

She also wore shiny black shoes with a small heel.

They stood close beside each other with their hands by their side, and she had her little finger entwined in his.

He was 22 and she was 18.  So young.

Sixty years ago!  That's an eternity! Here they are, still together and living less than 100 kms from where they were born and bred.  Still happy and taking care of each other.

I sat staring at the photo for a long time trying to imagine how they were feeling, what they were thinking.

Trying to imagine their 60 yrs of life together and how they had grown from a young, happy, innocent couple to the wise, confident, loving couple that they are today.  

Trying to imagine the joys and woes that they had struggled through together.

Trying to imagine the hardships of living in the bush during an era with few of the comforts that we enjoy today.

Trying to imagine the memories that they must have.  Always a story to tell.

Having to keep up with the technological advances that happened so rapidly during their era, must have been daunting.

So much life experience between them.

I could easily have stared at their photo for much longer, but thought it might seem a bit strange to them, so I grudgingly returned the photo to him.

All of the boys from The Seat of Knowledge have shown me photos of themselves and their wives when they were much younger, mostly their early twenties.  They always seemed to stand proud and tall back then.

They often tell stories from their childhood and their youth.  Mostly funny stories.  I love to listen to them.  Sometimes they unknowingly repeat stories, but it doesn't matter to me.

My boys are oldies but goodies and so are their stories.

Perhaps I should start writing down their stories and one day create a book entitled 'Old Treasures'!

I could scan all of their photos so that I could record them in the book.

Imagine what a priceless treasure that book would be to their families.

Perhaps that is something that I can look at more seriously after the Art Exhibit next year.  A new goal for 2013.

Nite all.

Fragile Me

It's a week today since Adoring Husband's Mum took ill.  She was so ill, that we thought we'd lose her.

Happily, that was not the case, however, it was still very traumatic.

I was sad to be losing our Nellie and sad for Adoring Husband that he had to go through this and worried that I wasn't going to be with him to help him deal with it.

This event also triggered the residue sadness that I felt after the loss of my brother's wife and also my dear friend, Di, in the previous month.

In the midst of this, we had a financial concern, which I won't go into here, but it was stressful at the time.  It has since been resolved, but was an added unwanted stress to handle.

On Thursday, I had a lovely day with a couple of girlfriends, but in doing so, upset another friend who is now acting a little coolly toward me.

So, with all of that in mind, today, I topped off an overwhelming week, with a trip on a bus that did NOT go as planned.

I caught the bus into the Bay, as I do on a Saturday morning, so that I could visit Vegan Chickie and Chicklet.

My bus driver was unable to work the computer to give me a ticket for the trip I wanted to take, so he wrote one out for me to show the next driver, for the second leg of my trip.

When I arrived at the depot, the connecting bus had gone (it left earlier than it should have), so I asked my bus driver which bus I could catch, to take me to the pier.

He told me the number 5, which was the Maryborough bus.  It was pulling into the depot as he spoke.

He jumped off the bus, telling me that he would explain the 'situation' to the other driver, which he did, while I stood in the queue to board the number 5.

So I'm on the bus, and it appears to me that it has taken the route directly to Maryborough.

I'm thinking that it's a real pain in the butt that I have to go all the way to Maryborough (a one hour round trip) to get to the pier, which was only fifteen minutes from where I boarded the bus!

We arrive at a bus stop where the last of the passengers alighted and the driver turns around to look at me and says "This is the last stop".

I reply "Excellent!", thinking that it meant we would now be returning to The Bay.

He said "No, I mean this is it.  I don't return to the Bay for two and a half hours.  What stop did you want?"

When I told him that I wanted to go to the pier, he explained that he had already been to the pier before he picked me up.

Obviously, my original driver was new and inexperienced and when he said he was explaining the 'situation' to this bus driver, he was explaining about the written ticket, NOT explaining that I wanted to go to the pier!

Well, with that, I very uncharacteristically, burst into tears!

The bus driver was very sympathetic, but obviously couldn't drive me all the way back into the Bay.  He kindly went out of his way to drive me back into the CBD of Maryborough, so that I would have something to do for two and a half hours.

When I alighted the bus, I sat down on a brick fence and sobbed like a baby for about ten minutes.

I think it was just the accumulation of everything that's happened in the past couple of months that sent me over the edge.  I struggled to pull myself together and even now, am feeling a little discombobulated.

I'm pretty sure, that some time soon in the future, I will be able to tell this story filled with mocking laughter, but today I felt so anxious and fragile that I didn't even recognise myself.

I'm happy to report that when I finally returned to the Bay, I still got to spend some quality time with Vegan Chickie and Chicklet.

It gave me a happy ending to my miserable day.  Smiles and cuddles from my Chicklet - enough to heal the tender wounds of fragile me.

Tomorrow will be a better day.

Nite all.

Easy Breezy

It's so nice to feel a cool breeze.

The heat has been building for weeks now, with weekly promises from the weather bureau, of rain and storms to ease the pressure.  Finally, the rain and storms arrived yesterday!

We didn't get much here, but it sure dropped the temperature by about 8C and my comfort level is where it should be.

Adoring Husband and I drove into town today to get food for our animals, do some Christmas shopping and shop for groceries.

While we were there, we looked in the ABC shop for a book that Vegan Chickie has been after - "Twas The Night Before Christmas" - which we found, in a nice hard cover version.

For me, it was the perfect excuse to go visit them to deliver the book!

I got to spend almost an hour with my little cherub, who was as happy as ever!

These photos were sent through by Vegan Chickie this afternoon.  Chicklet and I were mucking around with the book in the photos, this morning, and she had a very serious frown on her face as she listened to me trying to make various cat sounds.

When my kids were little, one of their favourite books to have read to them at bed time was "The Boy With The Drum", which was a 'Little Golden Book'.

I have searched for a copy of the book around various book stores and at markets, but haven't found one yet.

This evening, I searched online for a copy and was horrified to discover that, a 'used' copy of the book will cost me anywhere from $14 - $20 plus postage and if I want a 'new' copy, $100!!!!!!

Sheesh!  I'd have kept ALL of our Little Golden Books, if I'd known they were going to be that valuable in my future!  We had such a wonderful collection!

Ah well, no doubt she'll be using an E-reader any minute and paper books will be redundant!  Oh the times, they are a changin'.

This morning I attempted to get a shot of the new owl family.  All four of them are huddled in the tree amid quite thick foliage, so it was very difficult to get a clear view.

It was also very windy, so there was a lot of movement in the leaves.

Considering the tricky conditions, I'm pretty pleased with the shot.

So that was my day.  Pretty easy breezy in more than one sense.  Going to visit Vegan Chickie and Chicklet again tomorrow :o)

Nite all.

A Big Day Out

"Learn how to be happy with what you have, while you pursue all that you want" - Jim Rohn

**********

A section of the Bundabert Post Office building

There are few things interesting or attractive about Bundaberg, but the facade of the Post Office is interesting.

I did see some Art Deco buildings that look like they might be worth a second look.

I visited the Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery, while Woman of Many Talents worked and Mrs Bucket was doing her own thing.

They currently have an exhibit in Gallery One entitled "Ranamok Glass Prize".

http://brag-brc.org.au/

Gallery Two has an exhibit with pieces by three art groups from the local area who interpreted and responded to the word "cracked".

Lunch at the local RSL Club was delicious.

The weather was oppressively hot and humid, and as we left late this afternoon, a storm was rolling in from the West.

Thankfully, it rained most of the way home, which reduced the temperature a little.

I had a really nice day with Mrs Bucket and Woman of Many Talents.

We once had regular lunches, movie days and shopping trips together, but this is only our second outing together this year.  There was lots to catch up on and even though Woman of Many Talents had to work a couple of hours, it was a nice 'girlie' day.

It's been a big day.  We left at 8am and returned after 6.30pm and I'm feeling a little brain dead tonight - perhaps you can tell by these vague ramblings!

So, I'm off to bed.

Nite all.

Blogger's Block

Since February this year, I have posted on this blog 323 times!

I've updated here every day, although sometimes it's been after midnight, so some days show no posts and others show two.

Some nights I sit here for hours trying to think of something to write.  Sometimes, my imagination escapes me and sometimes, it's my motivation that escapes me, however, I continue to post every day, even if it's a small token update.

Tonight is one of those difficult nights.

It's very hot and humid.

Adoring Husband is watching a movie at full volume, which hurts my ears but is obviously just right for him.  It's very distracting.

I spent hours this afternoon completing the second module of my degree, so my brain has been over-used already today.

My photography this morning, was disappointing.  I did find a new owl family, but they were camouflaged behind so much foliage, that I couldn't get a clear shot.

I did get a shot of my favourite little owl, who today, I named Rupert :o)

Rupert.

He was very high in another tree with sunlight behind him, so the conditions weren't good for the shot.

I'm sure that he's beginning to recognise me when I appear with my camera!

Anyway, tomorrow I'm off to Bundaberg with friends, for a bit of shopping and a bit of lunch.  Maybe there will be interesting stories to tell tomorrow evening.

Blogger's block BE GONE!!

Nite all.

Out of the Loop

I am surprised!  I suppose I shouldn't be.

Adoring Husband and I have been 'out of the loop' for a few months now.  I can safely say, for most of this year.

Due to a number of circumstances, we've missed most of the parties, dinners, functions and gatherings that our large group of friends have organised this year.

There have been a few Friday nights at the Bowls Club where we have caught up with people, from time to time, but nothing regular.

So, this week, after our dramas with Adoring Husband's Mum, and us having to withdraw, once again, from another group party, I have been surprised by the number of phone calls we have received.

People who care about us and who are concerned about how we are coping with our seemingly endless dramas just recently, have called to check in and offer assistance if needed.

I think I expected that being out of sight, meant being out of mind, and that people would forget about us and allow us to disappear into the dark abyss of lost friendships.

So ... thank you to those who phoned, or dropped in to check on us.  Thank you for your offers of help and your voices of concern.  We appreciate you more than you know.

It is comforting to know that so many people care and reassuring to know that we can call upon them in times of need.

On a cheery note, Adoring Husband arrived home safe and sound today and in a much happier frame of mind than when he left.  His Mum is doing well and we can allow ourselves the luxury of resting easy for little while longer.

Cheerier still, was family lunch with my lovely Vegan Chickie, the Bare-chested Chef and Chicklet!

As promised, I had the camera on hand and took a few happy snaps at the lunch table.

Who couldn't love a face like that?

My lovely little hippy baby.

She is so happy and brings joy to my world.

So, even though we have been 'out of the loop' for such a long time, and even though we have experienced deep sadness these past six weeks, we are feeling thankful for good friends and our sweet little granddaughter who melts away all our worries with just one smile.

Nite all.

Good News!

Big smiles all round!

Adoring Husband's Mum is a tough old bird, and today, was well enough to leave the hospital and go back to the nursing home!

She is much happier back in her own environment and this outcome is so much better than we ever expected.  Adoring Husband is a happy chappy!

I love a good news story :o)

Had a good morning on my trike ...

King of the World!

This guy is parallel with the ground looking straight down on me.  I took this looking directly up!

Amazing clouds that I watched all day, hoping they would hang around for a sunset.

... and then this afternoon, the cloud formations were still looking good for a beautiful sunset...

The potential is there!

The dirty big black cloud came scuttling from behind me and parked itself right in the middle of my beautiful sunset!

I thought I would try a different setting for the sunset.  I chose Cheelii Lagoon for a change, instead of the river or the beach.  

Aren't I lucky to have such wonderful options for sunset shots!

Vegan chickie, the Bare-chested Chef and Chicklet will be picking up Adoring Husband from the airport tomorrow morning, and then coming here for lunch.

So the camera will be out for some Chicklet snaps!

Tonight, I go to bed feeling happy about our good news :o)

Nite all.

  

Ok on the Southern Front

Adoring Husband's Mum is doing as well as can be expected and Adoring Husband is coping well under pressure.

I have no photos to share today and I had a very quiet day after Adoring Husband left for the airport.

I did drop in on Mrs Bucket and Woman of Many Talents this afternoon and we had a couple of drinks together.  It's been a few months since we got together, so it was nice to catch up.

I also got a phone call from Vegan Chickie tonight, which was nice.  Little Chicklet was in the background gargling water and goo-ing and gaa-ing, as she does.  It was cute.

Actually, I have some photos of Chicklet to share with you.

It must be a month since I shared!  These wonderful shots were all taken by Vegan Chickie.  What a happy little vegemite she is and just look at her happy parents!  Who couldn't be happy with that much cuteness in the room!?

While it's a relief that things are going ok on the southern front, and Adoring Husband is managing well, it's now time for me to sleep.

Nite all

What a Year!

So let's start by saying a big "Happy Birthday" to my little sister, Squirt, who turned 40 yesterday.

I'm sorry that I couldn't be there to share the fun last night, but I'm glad that you had a good time with your friends.  I'm glad that your head wasn't sore this morning too lol.

Luvyalotsxxooxx

**********

Yesterday, I mentioned Baddow House in Maryborough.  The home is Heritage listed.

http://www.greatsoutheast.com.au/gsec2cqw/story.asp?weekID=587&storyID=2861

It doesn't have a dedicated website, unfortunately.

The Artist and I crept around the property like a pair of 'would-be' thieves, casing the joint!  We didn't go inside.  

We circumnavigated the property, trying to find a good angle to get a photo and this required some hiking through bushland, a little mountain climbing and some tricky navigation ... and all in heels, thank you very much!

The Rear Entrance. 

Picture Perfect

It is a pretty spectacular home.

This morning during my ride to the Seat of Knowledge, I rode past my owl family, but the tree was bare!

As I scanned the nearby trees, hoping to catch a glimpse of the family, I noticed two babies and an adult sitting high in a tree, about 20 feet away from their nest.  

While I was wondering where the other baby was, I happened to glance down at the fish scaling table at the base of the tree.

There, trying really hard to look like a branch, was the third baby.

I found it difficult to leave him alone there, because I was worried that some kids would find him and harass him.  I will be visiting him first thing in the morning!

Adoring Husband's Mum has taken ill down in Sydney, so he will be flying down to be with her tomorrow.  My love goes with you my darling.  We need to be prepared for the worst, but at the same time, let's hope for the best.

What a year!  The highest of highs and the lowest of lows.  A never ending challenge.

Nite all.

Arty Farty Friends

Finally!  After two postponements and a false start, I got to Maryborough with my arty farty friend, The Artist.

She was right on time, and on this very hot day, we drove to Maryborough and straight to the Art Gallery, which is called Gatakers Artspace and is situated on Kent Street.

http://www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/web/guest/gatakers-artspace

The Artist introduced me to all of the staff and then showed me around the floor space.  We then made inquiries as to what props and other resources were available to us for the exhibition.

We discussed some ideas over coffee and scones in a little coffee house/book store.

The Artist took me to the art supplies store where I met an incredibly talented artist by the name of Bette Phillips.  She creates the most amazing pastel paintings.  The photos of her art on the website really do not do them justice.

http://www.bettephillipsartist.com.au/index.html

In particular, I love her Wine and Music collection.

Then we drove around Maryborough looking at some Art Deco architecture and taking a few shots before heading to The Muddy Waters Cafe for lunch where we shared a smoked salmon pizza and wine and discussed some more ideas for the exhibition.

There were some fabulous photo opportunities on the old wharf there.  After the floods in January, there is only a small section of the old wharf left, which is fenced off for safety reasons

Part of the old wharf on the Mary River.

An old rusty mooring ballard.

We visited the Golf Club, where one of The Artist's works is hanging in the entrance and then drove around some more for other photo opportunities.

Art Deco style home.

Topiary

On the way home, we drove past the cemetery and decided that there would be some Art Deco headstones that I could photograph, but decided to do that another time because it was getting quite late and it was VERY hot.

All in all, I had a really good day.  I met some lovely people.  I saw some fabulous pieces of art.  I learnt a lot about my friend, the Artist.  I discovered some parts of Maryborough that I didn't know existed, including Baddow House, which I will talk more about in tomorrow's post.

It's just the start, of what I expect to be, a big year ahead.  So much to do, so little time!

Thank you, Universe, for my arty farty friend.

Nite all.

14 Years Already

Today is the fourteenth anniversary of my Father's death.

Fourteen years ago today, my family and I had to make the decision to turn off my father's life support.

The decision was not a difficult one, because all of his organs had shut down, after his brown snake bite had been incorrectly treated, at the Gladstone Hospital.

My father had applied the correct first-aid to his snake bite wound, which was confirmed by the ambulance paramedics who met him halfway to the hospital.

When he arrived at the hospital, it was like a comedy of errors, from the second he was wheeled through their door.

He knew, after the staff's first mistake, that he was going to die.  He told my mother as much.  Such was the enormity of that first mistake.

The hospital staff told my mother not to worry because they had never lost a snake bite victim.

He was, after more mistakes, put into an induced coma and flown to Royal Brisbane Hospital.

He never woke from that coma and two weeks after he was bitten, we made the decision to let him go.

He was 57 years of age.

After a lengthy court case, my mother was paid a large compensation payment, after it was proved that he had died as a result of the hospital staff incorrectly treating him.

It didn't bring him back and it didn't take away her anger, but it did allow her to have a comfortable lifestyle during the eight years that she lived after his death.

One of the conditions of that compensation settlement was that Mum wasn't allowed to discuss the case with the media or speak publicly about it.

However, 'I' can tell you ... don't go to the Gladstone Base Hospital if you are bitten by a brown snake!

I think we will always feel a little bit angry about the unnecessary loss of our Dad.

There has been too much sadness in my blog over the last month, so I would like to end this post on a more happy note.

I went to visit the original three baby owls, whose photos I posted here a few weeks ago and they are almost all grown up!

The third baby was further along the branch pretending to be just that .. a branch!  They are growing so fast!

After I left there, I headed to Cheelii Lagoon and discovered a little hidden patch of bank where many species of bird were congregating.

There were Heron, Spoonbills, Cormorants, Ducks, Water Fowl and Ibis.  They were the birds that I could see.  There were smaller birds but I couldn't determine what they were from that distance.

Cheelii Lagoon and a little hidden pocket of birdlife.

It was very very hot today and the weather bureau has promised rain and storms for days now, but they never eventuate.  It just gets hotter!

I'm ok in the air conditioned comfort of the house, but tomorrow is the big trip to Maryborough and it's always hotter there by a couple of degrees.

We have survived the fourteenth anniversary and I can't believe it's been that long.  I wonder how he would have felt about being a great grandfather?

Wish me luck for tomorrow!

Nite all.    

False Start

Thought it was my big day today.

I got all dressed up, ready to meet with The Artist, and head to Maryborough to check out the exhibit space at the Art Gallery and meet important people.

I noticed that she was online and forwarding jokes via email at around 9am, so I sent an email asking if the agreed time today was 10am.

She replied that our date is Friday, not today!

**forehead slap**

So I changed into casual clothes, loaded my camera bag into the basket of my trike and headed towards the river.

I have recently been spoken to, rather tersely, by the man who runs the council caravan park.  He chastised me for riding my trike on the walkway beside the park, after he put signs up which banned bikes, skateboards, roller blades and scooters.

Locals told me that he shouldn't have put the signs up and that the path was not part of the caravan park, but I needed the 'official' word on the matter before I felt comfortable riding on the path.  (I must admit that the rebellious teenager in me rode on the path a couple of times after he had chastised me lol)

Anyway, there was a meeting last night in the town hall and I have since been informed that council will be telling him to remove the signs from that path, as well as other signs that he erected without permission.

So, this morning, when I found out that today wasn't my date day, I hopped on my trike and rode down to the path to gleefully ride along it.

The signs are still there.  Obviously, council haven't taken action yet, but at least I know that I am within my rights to ride the path.

I visited my owls again ...

This photograph is terribly over-exposed, but I thought it amazing that the owl's eyes still stand out clearly!

This is Mum in the tree opposite.  I learned today that Dad stays with the chicks during the day, and the mother does it at night.

Cute little chickie with Dad protecting from behind.

So today was a false start for arty farty adventure/challenge.  We'll have another try on Friday!

Nite all.

Babysitting Gig

First of all, I'll get today's photo out of the way.  This afternoon I had my camera out because there were a large number of magpies in the back yard and I was hoping to catch a shot of Jack (one of our psychotic dogs) chasing them from the yard ...

... when all of a sudden, I heard a very angry sound coming from the rear neighbour's roof!  When I looked up, this is what I saw ..

It's ON!  Two kookaburras ready to rumble!

************

Today, I got to spend two wonderful hours with my little Chicklet, while Vegan Chickie and the Bare-chested Chef had a movie date.

We went shopping together.

We had coffee and mango.

OK 'I' had coffee and Chicklet had mango.

We tried on clothes.

OK 'I' tried on clothes and Chicklet offered helpful advice.

We collected our lotto winnings.

OK 'I' collected our winnings, while Chicklet threw her toys on the floor.

We paid for some new swimmers and a top.

OK 'I' paid for the goods while Chicklet charmed the salesperson.

We had Chinese chicken and vegetables for lunch.

OK 'I' had Chinese chicken and vegetables while Chicklet gargled and dribbled about 300 mls of water down her shirt.

We had a long conversation.

OK 'I' thought we were finished after a short conversation and got ready to move on, and Chicklet yelled at me because she wasn't finished yet.  So really, we had two short conversations, which equal one long conversation :)

We went for a long walk from the shopping centre to the movie cinemas to wait for Mum n Dad and as soon as we sat down to wait, Chicklet fell asleep in her pram, and was still asleep when Adoring Husband arrived and still asleep when Mum n Dad came out of the movies.

I thought it would be nice for Vegan Chickie to find us alive, happy and well, waiting for her when she came out.

I also thought it would be nice for Chicklet to wake up from her nap to see her Mum's face smiling down at her, so I was praying that she wouldn't wake up before they came out!

Just one thing though, I have strained my back from trying to steer the pram ... which I liken to a shopping trolley with a wonky wheel in the supermarket.

It actually didn't hurt until I sat down for dinner tonight, when I felt a slight twinge, but it has gradually got worse during the night.

If I can get a solid night of sleep, my body might just heal itself.

I was wondering if I can claim compo???   ***moan***  ***groan***  ***whinge***

But REALLY, of course I'd do it all again and I am looking forward to my next babysitting gig, whenever that may be.

Nite all.

It's a Wonderful Life!

Another goanna sighting today ...

Honestly!  They are everywhere!

Everybody loves Spring right?  The beautiful weather, the flowers blooming, the birds singing, little animal babies being born, bees buzzing, butterflies fluttering by and the Winter woollies get packed away for another year.

I have always been a big fan of Spring, but until I got my camera and began my daily search for photographic opportunities, I just didn't comprehend the 'vastness' of Spring.  

Every day I am surprised by what Mother Nature has to offer.  The sheer volume of certain species inhabiting the local area, and then when you travel even 100kms, there is a whole new range of species to discover.

Just when I think I've run out of things to photograph, somebody will stop me in the street and point me in a new direction.

It's wonderful!

What else is wonderful, is the fact that I will be babysitting my little Chicklet tomorrow while Vegan Chickie and the Bare-chested Chef go to the movies.

My first babysitting gig.  How exciting is that!?

I will tell you all about it tomorrow night, but for now, I need a big nana nap!

Nite all.

Beat the Heat

It seemed, this morning, that even nature was in hiding to beat the heat.

I left the Seat of Knowledge just before 9am and headed out to the beach flats, as the tide was still making it's way out.

Hoping to find some treasures trapped in the rock pools, like the time that Adoring Husband and I went exploring a few months ago.

That day, we found a large turtle hiding under some rocks and a sting ray trapped in a pool of water, as well as fish, crabs, coral and shell fish.

As I walked across the flats today, I could already feel a bite in the sun, so I knew that I shouldn't linger too long.

In thirty minutes, all I found was a seagull resting in the rocks, a shrimp (whose camouflage was so good, I couldn't see it in the photo!) and some more soldier crabs.

The First Marker 

Resting Gull

Low Tide Stroll

So I arrived home quite disappointed with my photographic opportunities today, although, on my ride home, a huge goanna raced across the road in front of me and hid on somebody's front porch.   I just wasn't quick enough to grab my camera!

Today, I have consciously changed my eating habits and am keeping a food diary.

In three years, I have gained over 17 kgs!!  I am feeling very unhealthy and lethargic, my clothes don't fit me and I'm losing any enthusiasm for socialising, withdrawing into myself and my home.

Aside from those reasons, the sudden deaths of two young women in my life, in the last month have motivated me to look more closely at my health and lifestyle.

Without going overboard, I am going to look more closely at the food that goes into my mouth and make sure it is healthful and that my diet is more balanced.

Although I ride for at least 30 minutes to an hour every day, I am going to find other ways to increase my fitness level - must ask Adoring Husband to get my mini trampoline out of the shed!  Morning walks along the beach would also be beneficial!

So that's the plan!  I know I had this plan earlier in the year, and it kind of fell by the wayside, but my motivation is high right now.  My future involves beating the heat and battling the bulge, so, once again ... wish me luck!

Nite all.