HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Getting Ready For My Off-Grid Experience

I went shopping today to augment my fast dwindling supplies of what I call my *candle night do-dads*. Meaning I went out in search of batteries and more lights, basically.

Next week, during my four day hiatus from the Energy Gods, I will be trialling a few new lighting methods, as well as seeing just how well my house copes in various temperatures without any external help (i.e., no fans, no air con etc). The Powers That Be say it is likely to reach 30 C here on Wednesday, so I'm glad I won't have my PC on!

I've also fished out some books to read (if I am able) for the evenings, one of which is "Great Expectations", by Charles Dickens, another being "Pygmalion", by George Bernard Shaw. So I have the *things to do* box firmly ticked now :-)

As to food and drink - well that's a bit more difficult, because while my fridge/freezer will be plugged in and turned on, under the rules I have set out for myself - that being NO ELECTRICAL POWER USAGE BY ME AT ALL FOR FOUR DAYS - I won't be able to use them. Which means no cold milk for iced coffee (it was an option to replace my morning coffees for a few days), no fridge to store butter in (so if I have sandwiches, they have to be without much at all on them, but given I'm having a bread-free month as well, that's also not an option), no freezer to store other food stuffs in. I will be doing my food shopping on Tuesday (my first day of my experiment), because that's when I get paid, and I think I might stop by the Golden Arches for one of their cheapy small coffees (it being likely to be my only way of having a hot coffee for the next four days), before I descend into the depths of despair as I realise just how much I rely on electricity to help me have a decent meal every day. Even stuff like a home made salad needs electricity, because unless you plan on eating every single thing you bought (even if it IS only one of everything), you will need somewhere to store the rest of it. I don't know about you, but I'm not really up to eating an entire head of lettuce in one sitting :(

Anyway, there are always options, and this coming week is about finding nutritious, healthy versions of them, without breaking the bank!

In short, I am going camping in my own house. The only real differences seem to be indoor plumbing and not sleeping under the stars (well I am, only there's a roof in the way, so no nice views).

So if you imagine a tent with an indoor loo, and cold running water, no lights, no way to cook anything (or heat anything), and the only way to get cool is by opening a window or door....well that's pretty much what I am doing for four days. :-)

It also occurred to me that it isn't just lighting, food, coffee, and something to do in the days & evenings that I have to think about. It's all the other little things in our lives that use electricity. Clocks, fans, radios and the like.

While rummaging through my own supplies, to find out what still worked, what needed replacing, and what I needed to add to, I found my old battery-operated, waterproof bathroom clock. He's fish-shaped, and green, but he's been a God-send on more than one occasion. He was the clock I brought up to my new house before the power was put on, so that I would know what time it was, he's the clock I generally fish out (pardon the pun) from the hall cupboard when the power goes out so that I have a vague idea of what time it is, and he ticks, so at least I have that wonderful "old ticking clock" noise to go to sleep to at night, which I actually find very soothing.

I also have a wind up radio with built-in lantern. The radio isn't that great, and to be honest, neither is the lantern, but if all my batteries were to die at the same time, and the sun for some reason refused to charge my little solar shed light, I could at least give this a wind for a few minutes and get many half an hour of light out it. Enough to go check the circuit breaker box with anyway!

Through my days, when I have sunlight, I plan on giving my house a thorough spring cleaning, in time for Christmas, which I intend on celebrating to the full this year, given last year's Christmas-New Year period was pretty upsetting. It will be interesting to see if I get as much done as I hope, despite not having electronic goodies to play with (laptop, tv, games console etc), and also to see if my sleep patterns improve (they've been terrible of late).

Anyway, it's only four days, when you think about it. It's not the end of the world (yet), and it's not like it will be a "forever" thing. It's just a chance to try a bit of 'emergency survival' in a controlled environment, where if things get a bit too tough, it's just a matter of turning on the light, or boiling the kettle (for when I just can't go a minute longer without a cup of coffee, and I don't want to have to actually go to Maccas to pay for it!).

See you in a week, guys...

Going Off-Grid for a week....

This isn't a new thing for me - this idea of no power. It's something I indulge in regularly. Two to three times a week, in fact! Though rarely is it for an entire day. Mostly it encompasses the time from when the sun sets, around 5pm, to when I go to bed at 10pm.

But next week, from when I wake up first thing, bright and early Tuesday morning, until first thing Saturday morning, four days later, I will, for all intents and purposes, be going without any power whatsoever, with the exception of leaving my fridge/freezer plugged in and turned on, plus my cable TV box, so it can record my shows for me. Other than that, everything else, including my TV, computer, and all my lights, are going off. Also, everything (other than fridge/freezer & cable box) will be unplugged from the power points, so they don't drain any power while not being used.

Normally, my week includes two days a week (of about two hours at a time) where I catch up on my recorded TV programs (the rest of the week being a no-TV zone), and two to three nights a week, where I just don't bother to turn on the lights at all, preferring to use battery-powered camping lanterns, candles, or to just go to bed earlier than usual and be done with it.

But next week, I am planning an extended power outage (by choice). Given that the days are getting longer here (we have only one month of Spring left, after all), I have more sunlight to play with than I do during the winter months, and given also that it is now officially Storm Season here in sunny Queensland, it makes for good sense to practice survival without power, because now is the season when we are most likely to find ourselves in the dark.

It will be an interesting experiment, because it means going without coffee, tea, or any hot beverage, plus no cooking, no hot showers (I've run out of gas for heating my hot water anyway currently, so no biggie there as I've been making do for over a month now on that score), no internet....

I will charge my mobile on Monday, and see if it lasts the week, as I won't recharge it again until Saturday. It will be good to find out just how long my mobile battery lasts!

I plan on getting certain things done during the week, and keeping a written record of what I accomplish each day in my physical journal, and I hopefully will get to put some of my thoughts up here during the week that follows my experiment.

But in case you think me a little loopy, there is a method to my madness, so to speak!

My reasons for doing this:

1. it saves quite a lot on my electricity bill (I know from experience when I've been lax on my no-power nights, and when I've been a good girl just by looking at my electricity bill).

2. it allows me to get things done that are necessary and very much need to be done but get put by the wayside because I get interested in other things (generally chatting to a certain person on the net - you know who you are!), or watching TV.

3. it allows me to (or rather, FORCES me to) spend more time with my beloved pets.

4. I get to reconnect with the world again....

and....

5. I get to do stuff I don't normally "have time for", like watching the sun rise, having dinner on the back deck at sunset, or even boring things like weeding in my garden.

Over the years I have done many things to help alleviate the general cost of living, from growing some of my own food, to willingly changing over primarily to no-frills labels in the shops, to even thrift store shopping for clothes and bedding, but the one that makes the biggest difference to me are my nights without power. I know that by doing so, I am helping the environment and all that, but to me, it's my own little chance to step back in time to a gentler way of life, or at the very least, a less hectic way of life.

So with that in mind, I've been looking into ways to stop myself going stir-crazy next week, without being *on the grid*. I don't see why I cannot still have lights of one sort or another, for example. My usual nights without power still include candles and battery-operated camping lanterns and the like, but even so, they have a cost that must be included when working out how much you save on your power bill. So I've been looking for alternatives.

Recently, while looking for a way to bring light to my library-shed, I came across a wonderfully simple little device. A solar-powered shed light. Yes, it's not the brightest light in the world. It's not even book-reading quality. But it is free light, and it is constant light for about eight hours at a time, and is more than suitable to find your way up a hall in the dark by. (I know, because I bought a cheap one a few weeks ago and have been trialling it in different rooms in my house ever since). It comes with a separate solar panel that I just prop up in a window that gets sufficient light, and then the light itself sits on a desk near by (but inside).

I read tonight about a woman who has those outside solar garden lights that you get in a pack of four or so. She brings them in each night for free background lighting in her house! And then each morning takes them back outside to charge. I'm thinking it might be worth a try.

As to noise - I play a handful of musical instruments that don't need electricity to run, and I can sing (well I sang in enough choirs over the years to think I can sing) - so I have no worries about being bored (although the neighbours might complain when my silly sooky puppy starts singing along!)

Anyway, I will keep a record of what I do, and what works for me. I will say this now, though - at night, I don't plan on lighting more than one room. I have a guest room that has a single bed and a couch in it. It is big enough to play doubles as a bedroom and lounge room for a week, and small enough to light sufficiently (I hope!).

So here's hoping I can do what I do every week for an entire week (if that makes sense!). Wish me luck, as I (temporarily) step off the national grid for a few days....

From the annals of history.....

The things you find, when you should be doing other things! I mean, really! :)

Anyway, your "Strange but true" file for today (okay, so it might well be the first, and possibly ONLY one you ever get, but at least you are getting one) comes from the March 1932 edition of Popular Science Magazine, and is an advertisement better suited to a really bad B-Grade (and probably rather tacky) monster movie/sci-fi flick of the 1950s and 1960s, but nevertheless, here it is in glorious technicolour black and white:

(and don't you just love the title of the ad itself? How very fitting for a bad film, and utterly scary for an advertisement!)

Monday-itis

Pretty much says it all....

Be Afraid...Be Very Very Afraid.... :-)

It's amazing what you can find on the 'net if you look hard enough. Today I am posting just a small handful of things I have discovered about the truly bizarre (cyber)world we live in.

(NB. All headlines and comments are my own!)

---------------------------------------

GODZILLA SHRINKS IN THE WASH AND WALKS THE STREETS OF JAPAN WITH HIS (UNNAMED) GIRLFRIEND!

or:

GODZILLA SEEN IN JAPAN WITH SCARILY TALL JAPANESE GIRLFRIEND!

(pretty parasol, Godzilla! Very fashionable indeed!)

--------------------------------

Ah....that lovely feeling of a stretch on a good lazy sunny Queensland day

- oh wait....

IT'S RAINING!!!!!!!!!!!

WAAAAAAAAA :-(

------------------------

To all my friends (and family) in the cyberworld, this one's for you!

------------------------------------

DISNEY TO MODERNISE MARY POPPINS!

(a MALE Mary Poppins? How very PC!)

or

HOW TO END THE CURRENT SPATE OF WARS

- WITH CACKLES OF LAUGHTER

(wouldn't you laugh if this fella dropped in from above???)

(Am I the only one, or is this just WRONG on so many levels???)

---------------------

And my favourite by far.....

(it just makes my head hurt thinking about it!)

--------------------

Greetings from the Deep Woods.....

It's been awhile since I last posted, I know. Bad me!

May I say in my defence that I have a whole plethora of reasons for having been absent for the last two months?

Not that I'm gonna tell you any of them, just know that they are there :-)

Well, perhaps, just maybe, I might admit to at least one of them. I have the 'flu. There - I've said it. The 'flu. Influenza. A general malaise. An Illness. A feeling of being terribly unwilling to communicate with the outside world when there's a nice warm coocoon called a bed to snuggle up in, with DVDs to watch from the safety and warmth of said bed....

So there you go. I have other reasons for the month and a half prior to that, but they are mostly to do with flooding rain and family matters.

Now...onto other things.

While being ill, I seem to have had a bit of time on my hands, so I started re-reading my Phantom comics. (Yes, I collect comic books, sad as it sounds)

The Phantom - The Ghost Who Walks - The Man Who Cannot Die - Guardian Of The Eastern Dark, etc....

He's my favourite of all *superheroes*, and it's been a lot of fun to delve back into the depths of my comic book collection. (all from the warmth and seclusion of my own little Skull Cave, known to others as my bed)...

Anyway....Australia's own Frew Publications hit 60 years of non-stop publishing of the Phantom last year. The longest run for any comic book in the world. The creater of the Phantom (Lee Falk) is also the creater of the world's first ever superhero - Mandrake The Magician (another comic I collect, when I can find it). Mandrake started out in the early 1930s, and is still going strong, along with the Phantom (also started in the 1930s), despite the death of Lee Falk in 1999.

Here's to a belated 'nother 60 years of non-stop publishing!

Yay!

Passionfruit A-Plenty

Found these growing on my back fence this morning. Got told it was worth blogging about....

Beware All Chickenhawks!!

This is what happens if you are a Chickenhawk and decide to come and steal one of Dad's chooks.....

So....

If you are one of these:



And you try to take one of these:



This is what happens to you when you are stopped:



You have been warned!

:-)

Dear Sir.....to whom it may concern....

This is an open letter to the God of Rain.....

Please - PLEASE - Bugger off!

I've had more than enough rain to last me a lifetime, and seriously could do with a month or so break from the torrential downpours you have been sending my way of late.

And yes - I DID see the flood down the back today!

Please make it go away before it washes me, my dog, my cats and all my possessions away.

With kind regards,

One very annoyed (and decidedly WET) resident of Queensland.

Happy Easter and all that...

Yep, it's Easter again.

Somewhere about I have a story I wrote (with an Aussie twist) just for Easter a year or so ago. One of these days I might just find it again, and publish it....or not.

Now....Ceramix has asked me to do the "Are you Right Brained or Left Brained?" quiz thing from his blog, so I have, and here are the results (no surprise, really):

You Are 20% Left Brained, 80% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

If you want the link for the site it comes from, go to Ceramix's blog because he's got it on there!

I Made This!

Dam-per, (n):
Australian - a round, flat cake made of flour and water, and cooked over a campfire.

Obviously I didn't have a handy campfire around on which to cook this (which is done in the ashes, rather than on the fire itself), but it still came out a treat. Also, I am ashamed to say, I had no "cocky's joy" handy with which to spread it, either, but butter works just fine, so long as you don't forget the billy tea!

Either way, it is decidedly tasty, and made a very yummy lunch (only had a small wedge, meaning I have more left for dinner - yum!). I have a feeling, though, thst this is yet another Aussie thing that is likely to be unpalatable to the rest of the world, given I found one definition of it that described it as an "inedible lump of floury dough". Obviously not made by an Aussie, then! :)

NB: "Cocky's Joy" is what Golden Syrup is called in the Bush - NOT Maple Syrup - GOLDEN Syrup.

Things...

This is Petrie Train Station. I ended up here today, through no fault of my own. I went to Caboolture to do my shopping, as Morayfield shops (where I normally go) was flooded in from yesterday's downpour and I couldn't get through. Anyway...having done my shopping, and taken a chance to go to the library quickly, I went back to the train station to come home - not very far by train. The machine at the top of the stairwell told me that the train on Platform two, which was due to leave in less than one minute, was a Brisbane City All Stations train, meaning IT IS SUPPOSED TO STOP AT ALL STATIONS. Grrr. Bloody thing didn't, of course. So I had to wait until it DID stop, which turned out to be Petrie. Nowhere near where I live - in a totally different Shire even (though we don't call them Shires anymore).

When I got there, I ended up on the platform you can see in the photos. What you can't see is that the nice pretty stairwell with the elevator shaft and the sign that says Petrie (look at the top pic) is damn near invisible if you get off on the wrong side of it (the elevator, that is) and the stairwell is still being built.

Last year, a goods train plowed into Petrie Station, taking out one of the overhead walkways, half a platform, and most of the lines going in both directions. They've been rebuilding ever since. I was lucky enough to find a very nice young bloke who worked for Queensland Rail. After I explained my situation, and asked him where I needed to be and how to get there, he was more than willing to walk me to where the elevator was, and even told me when the next train going my way was due to arrive. Good Old QR! :-)

This station, before its little "accident" with the Goods Train, was very similar to Buranda Station before the fire of last Sunday. Although, I think the building at Petrie is probably older. You can see the little seating area fenced off in the last picture. All up and down the Sunshine Coast, the train stations look like that. Old and quaint. The side I had to change to is all new though now. None of the old buildings remain on the northbound side. Shame.

Either way, it made an interesting detour in an otherwise seriously stressy day....

:(

The Demise of Buranda Railway Station

Due to a stupid act of thoughtless selfish arson, Brisbane has lost one of its older-style railway stations. Buranda Railway Station, on the southern side of Brisbane, was burnt down on Sunday night by a teenage boy of 17 who lives at Loganlea. When he was up in court today, the judge (and rightly so) did not give him any leniency, and remanded him without bail.

I've been through Buranda Station. It was a lovely sweet older-style station. The railway line first went through Buranda station and others like it, weaving its way down to Cleveland in 1888. While I doubt that the timber and iron construction Stationmaster's Office, loos and sheltered seating area date back to that time, they are still old enough have been built back in the 1950s or earlier.

To have them destroyed in a raging fire is not only criminal, but also such a waste of what little bits of heritage Brisbane still has. Not to mention the total disruption it has caused commuters on an already heaving and overworked train network.

A new station will be a long time in the coming, although according to Queensland Rail, there will be a temporary structure on the platform by the weekend, and port-a-loos are already in place, as are railway staff to help commuters who have no other option but to use the station. It goes without saying that Queensland Rail have done a fantastic job in this situation (where others would no doubt have failed), and should be commended for such quick action in getting the station up and running again, even if only in the most rudimentary manner.

I hope the little shit who did this gets more than a fine and a slap on the wrist. Perhaps making him pay the cost that will inevitably fall to the taxpayers for the construction of a new station and replacement of everything lost would be a good start?

Grrrr...

The Cuteness That Is My Dalmatian

I had plans of posting an update on my current doings, but then as I was doing a bit of a clean up of old files, I came across some of my silly dalmatian when he was just a tiny puppy. Seriously, they are too cute NOT to share. But if this type of thing bores you, please feel free to skip this entry :-)

These pics were taken, for the most part, at the breeders, the day I went out to pick which puppy I wanted. In the end, he picked me, but that's another story! The only picture not taken at the breeders is the one of him asleep in his bed. Please note - he was so small when he first arrived, that the bed he is sleeping in belongs to my cats! He was smaller than they are, and they were quite happy to let him know that with the odd beating going on when I wasnt there to protect him. Only one of my cats (Female Velcro Twin) chose to befriend him and look after him, and they remain firm friends to this day. The rest of the cats just put up with his company, or, when they think I'm not looking, try and attack him (Mr Vampire Teeth), tease him with promises of sharing toys (Male Velcro Twin), or just plain do a battle of wits against him (She Who Must Be Obeyed).

Either way, enjoy the pics (or not!)

Is It St Patrick's Day (and March) Already???

Right about now, I'm struggling to even remember what day of the week it is, let alone the date...

But apparently it is St Patrick's Day - has been all day, in fact! So to those of Irish descent (and I am one of them), blah blah blah etc etc etc....

Sorry - just too tired to think straight at the moment.

I'm into my third week of university, my second week of having a skin allergy caused by something in my yard, and my first week of serious storms (in a while). The university studies are keeping me busy - doing a language, especially a foreign one, involves conjugating verbs among other things....

My itchy extremities aren't quite so itchy as they were last week, and are now mostly to be found on my hands....

And the dog (big sook that he is) came in last night due to the ripper storm we had. But he's in a sulk with me because he thinks I've been keeping him outside because I had another dog inside. What that translates as is - he saw his reflection in the mirror inside the display cabinet, and took it to be another dalmatian. Silly pup. He also saw himself on my webcam last night and thought it was yet another dog...

Dad tells me this is quite normal - he has a horse that spends inordinate amounts of time looking at his reflection in the window.

Animals are odd creatures :-)

Various things that come to mind...

This blog entry proves to be more about various things that come to mind, than about one particular thing in, well, particular.

But before we start....just a point of note - this is my 100th blog entry - apparently....

And now, without further adieu:

So, firstly....

Who We Need To Say Goodbye To (a.k.a remembering those who have passed recently):

• Majel Barrett Rodenberry, who died December 18th, 2008.

Will Wheaton did a very nice blog entry about it here:

http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/wwdnbackup/2008/12/a-moment-of-sil.html

She will be sorely missed, that's for sure.

• Philip Jose Farmer, who died February 25th, 2009

A very good Sci-Fi writer - one I am still reading through. He was 91 when he died, so not a bad innings, all told.

• Wendy Richard, who died February 26th, 2009

Good ol' Pauline Fowler, from "Eastenders". Also Miss Brahms from "Are You Being Served?" I for one enjoyed watching her on the telly, and will miss her, as she was always one of my favourite actors in both those shows.

So now, secondly,

Neil Gaiman, where did you go???? I was getting worried!

As you might well have noticed, I tend to follow a lot of writer's blogs, one of them being Neil Gaiman's. Thing is...he stopped blogging for a while there (about a fortnight), and even though I've not met him in person (though I would love to), I was starting to worry that something had happened to him, as he is a very regular blogger. Nice to see he's back now though...

Words of wisdom (yet again) from John Scalzi:

I like this man. I really do. I like the way he thinks, I like the way he writes. I like the way he "sensibly" dishes out commentary on what it's like to be a writer, and puts readers in their place, without (I think, anyway) stepping on too many toes. I just plain like him.

So, from his blog, I will point you to a few favourite reads, and mention (perhaps, or perhaps not), why I like them, and why I chose to include them:

PISSY FANS:

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2009/02/23/pissy-fans/

Yep, he definitely has a point here. It can be a real pain in the arse when people want you to get stuff done NOW, just because they have the patience of a gnat. Yes, a G-N-A-T. It will get done, when it gets done. Humans have this thing called "a life", and it's not just a thing that normal, boring people do. It's something that everyone on the planet does - writers, actors, politicians, teachers, even the milk man. Live with it, and learn to chill.....

10 THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT AUTHORS:

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2009/02/26/10-things-to-remember-about-authors/

Oh I love this man! Read this, and understand me - finally. Why I take forever to get stuff done, why sometimes I just DON'T finish a story etc. Again, can I say I LOVE THIS MAN! :-)

10 THINGS TEENAGE WRITERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT WRITING:

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2006/04/27/10-things-teenage-writers-should-know-about-writing/

Been there, done that. All I can say is, thank God I'm not a teenage writer any more. Though what he says is also applicable to newbie writers. Everyone is bad at stuff when they first start out. It just takes time and PRACTICE.

And now, thirdly,

Ceramix has been on his soapbox, and very well spoken he is too. Go check out his blog NOW.

TOLERANCE:

http://ukceramix.blogspot.com/2009/02/tolerance.html

I sat and listened to the BBC2 radio broadcast about this woman. Having grown up with an injury to one of my arms that left me in a position where I regularly got called all manner of names from both students and teachers alike, I feel for her. And I don't at all like the narrowmindedness of certain people (who call themselves parents, no less!) in their total disregard for her feelings, let alone for the simple fact that there is nothing wrong with her as such. So she's missing a bit of an arm. So what? It hasn't stopped her living a normal life, why should it affect her ability to be a television presenter? Grrrr....

AM I MISSING SOMETHING OBVIOUS?:

http://ukceramix.blogspot.com/2009/02/am-i-missing-something-obvious.html

Umm....no....you aren't missing anything that I can see. It's your government that seems to be missing the plot. Add to this I read an article this week stating that your rail prices will go down next year, but that there is also the possibility that some of the privatised stations and lines and such will have to be handed back to the government as they aren't making a profit. Sorry, but what about basic services for the masses? Or doesn't Britain condone that anymore? You know, simple things like a public postal service, a public transport network (that actually works), even the right to be intelligent and bright and demure (see the results for the University Challenge last week where Oxford's Corpus Christie College wiped the board with the other team, and their leader was a women who single-handedly answered over 800 of the 1200+ questions BY HERSELF. And boy, is she wearing it now!).

Right...end of post.

The Invasion of the Gekko Lords....

It's almost Autumn here. I can feel it. And besides which, the calender states that Autumn is due to begin this coming Sunday, 1st March. Our seasons, are, apparently, somewhat unique. For over here, in this Great Southern Land, our seasons last exactly three months each. For example, Autumn goes from 1st March - 31st May.

Every. Single. Year.

Winter, the season I was born in, goes from 1st June - 31st August, with Spring right after it. The only season that has changeable days is Summer because it finishes in February, and so every four years, our Summer is one day longer.

Now, I've grown up with this system, so it's normal to me, but in a conversation recently with an overseas friend, they seemed rather surprised by our system. They thought it a tad ludicrous that we have, as they put it, "regimented seasons". But it works for us. At least we don't have to worry about what day a season will start on, because we know already. Just as we have always known, since Australia was settled by the British, anyway.

But seasons do odd things to people and pets alike. My dog, for example. He's getting into his third winter this year, and it makes me wonder if this year will be the one in which he decides he likes the idea of the nice warm dog coat I bought him last year, and will actually wear it when the weather gets cold. That said, he's not quite two yet, so he's still got a lot of growing to do.



As you can see from the pictures, he's growing up fast, but still loves to play with his toys. He's a good boy though, and being a dalmatian, he'll never really mature, and become serious and dependable and *proper*, like other dogs, for dalmatians are known the world over as being larrikins, jokesters, and generally a hell of a lot of fun to be around. He's good at protecting the yard and the cats, and barking at me when I come into the property, or out of one of my doors, but I'm sure he'll figure it all out in the end.



These gekkos, though, seem to be the scouts for an invasion. Everywhere I look these days, I see gekkos. Hundreds of the little buggers. On my windows, running across my walls, trying to look inconspicuous on the ceiling. I just hope that when they invade, their terms for surrender are acceptable....

That said, I've had a sick cat recently. One of the velcro twins has been less than well, and so she's been getting a bit of extra love and attention. Dad thinks it's probably worms, and so with some careful planning, and help from a friend, we attempted to worm the cats on the weekend. Needless to say, Mr Vampire Teeth didn't take it too well, and promptly started to shred both of us, and then proceeded to froth at the mouth in an attempt to rid himself of the yucky worming paste we squirted down the back of his throat. She Who Must Be Obeyed (Or She'll Rip Your Furniture To Shreds) actually chose to lick her dose off the end of the syringe (good little girl that she is), while my sick Velcro Twin got enough of a dosage to do the job. Her brother managed to avoid all the fuss by hiding, so he's the only one who didn't get dosed. But his day will come....in a fortnight....

But the velcro twin in question has been having extra love and kisses recently, which includes bringing her out of the cat room (now that they are inside), and sitting with her on my lap in front of the tv, or at the computer of an evening, and sometimes through the day. The other night, though, we were sitting where we could, apparently, see the kitchen windows, because despite being so ill she's currently just a bag of bones, she was well enough to launch herself at the windows to have a go at those pesky gekkos in the photo above. So she can't be TOO bad....

Anyway, university calls, and I must be off!

Storms, trains, and the like.....

I was down in Oxley on Brisbane's south side today, visiting two of my grandmother's cousins and got caught in a rather nasty little storm on my way home. As you can see, it wasn't the friendliest sort of storm....

While I was waiting at the station, the rain started, and shortly after the train arrived and we set off, the storm hit with full intensity. I have to admit, it's a very odd experience to be stuck on a train when lightening hits. Very scary too. But despite all that, I did somehow manage to fall asleep a few times along my three hour journey home. I know we were delayed at two different stations along the route, due to trains having to be removed from the lines where they died (their electrics not tending to like rain and lightening and such), and so it delayed my normally two hour train ride by an hour.

That said....it was a good visit, and an interesting ride home.

He's got a "Man Cold".....almost! :-)

It seems poor Ceramix in Berkshire is down with a cold (a "man-cold"?). Hope he feels better soon! Mind you, with the weather that Britain (and his part in particular) has been suffering through, it's no real surprise that he's a bit poorly at the moment.

That said, university starts again in just over a week, so I am likely to be ill as well in about a month's time, if my normal university record is anything to go by.

This Semester I am stuyding a language. Hopefully a useful one, but only time will tell. I like learning languages. There's something *calming* about learning everything in a foreign tongue. Or at least, there is for me! :-)

Anyway...this post is just a marker. Not really a post at all. But just something to keep all my readers (like there's SO many of you!) happy.

Anything else going on? Oh yeah - its HOT. And MUGGY. And a fair bit WET.

Right then - that's me done.

the ever-present NSW vs QLD discussion

It's early here still, and Autumn is definitely on its way. The mornings are getting cooler, which is nice indeed, though the days are still exceedingly warm.

Up here in Queensland, we've been suffering from major calamitous floods, with the northern half of our wonderful state still cut off from the southern half by a small ocean of water. Victoria might have its bushfires, but we have part of one of the many oceans that surrounds our country, trying to cut our state in half.

Last week's flooding here in the Caboolture Shire wasn't the first such flood I've had recently. This Summer season has been very much hotter than we've had in a long time, and while New South Wales certainly has heat, it is, at least, a DRY heat. Unlike our sticky, muggy, awful heat that we have here in Queensland.

Leading up to last week's flood, we'd had a good few weeks of pretty much constant rain, too, and we are in for more as of today. Between last week and this, we will have had about two days of sunshine. I just hope that my back yard has had time to drain a little.

Here in Queensland, we have one of the highest levels of humidity. It causes many cyclones and much horrific storms.

Rain down south (ie south of the Queensland border) is nothing, compared to what we get up here in what is supposed to be the Sunshine State.

That said, our lovely state is 150 years old this year. One Hundred And Fifty Years of NOT being under New South Wales rule. Now that is definitely something to celebrate!

Roll on party time!

The Nature of Blogging

Must I blog EVERY day? It really is a bore sometimes, not to mention a chore. Sometimes I enjoy it, and sometimes, like today, I am only doing it because I've been told I have to.

Granted, I'm not a little kid anymore, and so I don't really have to listen to the people who tell me I need to blog EVERY day, even if what I have to blog about is seriously boring to anyone who isn't me.

And yet, strangely, I feel compelled to be a good little blogger, and do what I'm told. Even if I don't wanna :(

*pout*

But here I am. This is me blogging. Boring, huh? Told you.

So for all those who really don't care, and who aren't interested AT ALL, here's what I've been up to:

1. moved the cats inside due to extreme heat. One of the velcro twins is ill. So she's getting sooked on a lot by the other three. Even Mr Vampire Teeth, who tries to make out he's still a bit of a loner, when he's the biggest sook of the lot.

2. moved my computer table to the other side of the lounge room (TOLD you this would be boring. Feel free to stop reading now if you wish), because I have new neighbours in the rent-a-house next door, and they seem to be teenage boys with skate boards who like to have parties every night, and quite frankly - I couldn't hear myself think, and I no longer have any privacy through the front windows, so I switched my computer table and my two display cupboards around. If I can't have my curtains and window open due to nosey teenagers next door who can see through my curtains anyway, I might as well put a cupboard or two in front of the windows - at least I get SOME privacy that way.

3. my other next door neighbour (the ones on the other side) came and mowed my yard for me yesterday. Big job, but he and his wife were worried about me as they haven't seen me all year, and to be honest - it was starting to look derelict. For a minimal sum, he's happy to keep cutting it regularly. And I'm happy to pay him.

4. My dog gets madder and madder every day. Nothing new there. He's a dalmatian.

5. It's been damn hot here, when it hasn't been raining and flooding the place.

6. Along with Ceramix over in England, I've started a story blog. AND sent requests to my sister, her partner, and Frog In A Sock to come join us in the fun. But so far, no luck. It's a blog called Campfire Tales, and you can find the link in my Good Places To Be (when you're not here) list. But as Ceramix has said, if it ends up just us, then so be it. We can have fun all by our little lonesomes.

*pout*

There. Another boring blog written. Happy now?

Happy Valentines Day!

This happy little vegemite got a Valentines Card today :-)

While I do know who it's from, I'm not at liberty to say, and especially not on here, but may I say to the gent who sent me this wonderful card and the lovely present that came with it, thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart, and the feeling is very much reciprocated!

There - that's me done.

Happy Valentines, to everyone, everywhere!

Rainy Day Almost-Autumn-Land Part 3

Okay, updated pics, taken just this minute.

The first one shows what is normally just a green hill. This hill and the little path along the fence, lead to the highway behind me. As you can see, it is currently a river.

The second pic, is directly behind me. It shows the little bridge that goes over the council easement, plus the path that leads to it from the other side. You can also see just how close to my back fence that easement is.....

Normally I can see the bridge, but never the easement. It's a fair way down. Normally quite deep in fact. So that might give you an idea of just how much water is going through it at the moment.

Seriously not good. And this all in about 10 minutes.

Grrr...

Will keep my blog updated today I think.

Rainy Day Almost-Autumn-Land Part 2

What started out as a nice bit of rain has turned into the beginnings of a flood. All that water behind my fence? That's the council easement behind me in flood, yet again. So no going out today, as it is heading rapidly towards my place. No guarantees I'd get home from Brisbane, for one, either. If it's like that behind me, it will be worse a bit down south of me where all the streams and rivers combine. Weather like this makes for bad trains in my neck of the woods, anyway.

I know it doesn't necessarily look that bad in the pic, but given that that easement is a fair way off, and generally can't be seen from my place.... and normally there is a pathway as well, but its currently under water. Oh and since I took that pic about 10 minutes ago, the water has come closer to my back fence. :-(

Oh and I have a sooky dog who doesn't like the rain, and generally wants his paw held through bad weather!

Grrrr.....

Rainy Day Almost-Autumn-Land

It's raining here today, and while I love that kind of weather (within reason), I don't like having to travel in it. But travel I must today. At least it's not also stinking hot, as it has been recently. That's a good thing. Travelling in HOT rain isn't much fun. Believe me. :-(

But I like the wet. It's rainy day reading weather. Which is what I did yesterday. I sat and read. Something I haven't done in ages, and yet it's something I seriously need to do, if only for my own sanity.

Though it's nice, this rain. Comforting. Something I could happily curl up in my rocking chair and listen to all day. With a handmade rug made for me by my Grandma, wrapped around me and a copy of Tolkein's Lord of the Ring in my lap. It's that kind of weather. Winter kind of weather.

But it's nice and I like it. I don't mind going out in it. Honesty I don't. It's just that's it's more stay at home kind of weather :-)

That said.....best start getting ready. Stay safe, warm, dry, etc...wherever you are in the world!

Welcome to My World

This is what greeted me this morning around 5am, when I looked out my back windows. For one, it means that cooler weather is finally on its way if the sun is slow in rising these days. For another, it means I'm due some rain potentially. Not necessarily the best of news, given that a great big swathe of Queensland is already currently being washed off the map in torrential flooding, but it might help the heat-wave temperatures we've been suffering in South East Queensland of late.

Nice view though, yeah? And the bird calls.....mmmmmm.....

There's something to be said about being woken to Kookaburras serenading you from your own back yard. That is something that rarely ever happens in Brisbane, and yet here in the Caboolture Shire, I get it every single day. It's one of the best things about living here, actually.

Anyway, stuff to do! Toodles. :-)

Choices.....

I have a decision to make, and fairly soon. I'm supposed to be a writer, afterall, so I should be writing, right? So how come I spend an inordinate amount of time doing everything and anything other than writing these days?

Is it from fear? From inability to find writing jobs that actually pay, or is it something else?

Granted, it's been a pretty shit year so far, but it's February now. Time to move on, surely?

And so, tonight, out of sheer frustration at myself for sitting on my bum for a month longer than I had originally planned, (plus also it might have something to do with a few bills that need paying, and the lack thereof when it comes to ready cash with which to pay said bills), I started looking at the prospect of doing paid jobs.

It's a bit scary out there, to be honest. But venture forth, I must. Especially if I want to go overseas any time this year....

I'm still unsure which path to follow at the moment, but I'm lucky to have people around me, willing to give their opinions, suggestions, and support in general.

Here's hoping the rest of the year gets better.

A Quick Post About Not Much At All...

I'm doing this blog post only because I was told to. So there. :(

I'm tired. I've been searching for a missing external hard drive that belongs to my friend who went to England last year, because he's over for a visit, and up until about four months ago, I knew EXACTLY where it was, only now it's vanished. So I'm searching for it. I've found loads of neat stuff, lots of crap (to put it bluntly, but not of the actual brown icky and rather smelly variety), heaps of memories (I did kind of wonder where my brain cells had been seeping to of late), plus way too much *stuff*.

Far too many dust bunnies in the back bedroom, for one. Too many scary boxes in that room all told, in actual fact. And I know that the boxes in the garage leave that back room for dead, in sheer numbers....

Gonna have to take care of all of that, aren't I?

So apart from looking through the Black Hole that is my house contents for something I should rightly know the location of, what else have I been up to? Hmm...lots of things in fact.

1. Australia Day - yeah, I know, that was LAST WEEK....but I get there in the end. I went out with a friend of mine to celebrate (supposedly) Australia's National Day. Yeah. Supposedly. What we did, in fact, was watch lots of people walk around with Australian Flag tattoos (temporary ones) all over their bodies, most of whom were also wearing Aussie Flags like capes, and lots of Aussie Flag tops. I felt rather out of place in my Australian t-shirt depicting Ayers Rock (Uluru, now), and a bunch of Australian wildlife. It also seems that because Australia Day fell on a Monday this year, the normal concerts and live bands and such that are always a big part of Australia Day festivities....happened on the weekend. So I was hard-pressed to find anything *live*. Eventually we wandered down to South Bank (and I got a good close up of the Brisbane Eye, or whatever it's being touted as), plus we saw a few live acts here and there, but no music as such. All in all, for me at least, this year's Australia Day was a fair bit dismal compared to what I am used to.

2. I'm being brutal and going through all my posessions, with the eye to a possible move (yet again). After the last time, back in 2007, I know I never want to go through that kind of hell again, so I'm being ruthless this time. Truly and honestly ruthless. And anyway, I have to be, if what I have planned eventuates. (More on that in later posts).

3. I'm going back to university at the end of February - one last time. Whether I finish the subject or not remains to be seen.

4. I'm in the process of realising a (somewhat) lifelong dream. I'm planning a trip abroad at the end of the year, so many things need to be organised for that. Including a passport. Eeep!

5. My writing has yet to start for this year, but I will. I promise! It's been a bad start to the year, all told, so I can only hope it gets better.

6. The weather here has been shocking. Parts of Australia are experiencing Heat Waves, other parts are in flood, yet more places are back in drought.....and then I see on the news that England has been hit with more snow than they've seen in 18 years! Oh for a little cold snap here in Oz just about now :-)

Anyway....best be off and looking for this damn hard drive again.

Grrrr....

Wish me luck!