Online Shopping Deliveries With A Twist - A Lovely Twist

Due to my arthritis, this year I have done pretty much all my Christmas shopping online at JBs, Borders, Dymocks, as well as some clothes shopping for me at MySize and some moisturiser from Strawberry Net and some FootKiss products from OKme. Plus quite a few online Australia Toy Stores (but not too much about that in case a certain little grand-daughter finds out).

It has been such fun getting parcels, although the queuing at the Post Office, not so much fun for my hubby.

Anyway, cutting to the chase, on Tuesday night I got home from work, tired and cranky and just looked at the pile of items, but didn't check them. I was just not in the mood.

So imagine my utter delight when last night I opened a box that I thought was the FootKiss products

to find lots of those polystyrene thingys

and hidden beneath them was not my FootKiss products but this!!!

A Grosvenor Fine Bone China set - and believe me,

these photos do not do this justice.

Isn't it beautiful - tears swelled in my eyes as I knew even before reading the note, who this was from - the beautiful Tanya at MadMother.

Earlier this year I posted about getting me some pretty. Tanya had recently lost her Mum and she generously offered to send me something of her Mums (Wise Woman). I had all but forgotten the offer with every else going on in my life, but not MM. She has struggled with Wise Woman's death and it is only now she is finding the strength to return to her Mother's house and start to pack up all the memories. Something I know that I too will struggle with when my Mum leaves this earth. And yet, she remembered me and her promise, even with all she is dealing with ...

So Tanya, from the bottom of my heart I thank you, not only for sharing part of Wise Woman with me by sending me this generous gift but for these words as well ....

I chose this set because it reminded me of you, bright and beautiful, fragile and yet strong.

Much love to you, Big Boy, Boy 1 and Boy 2 and may you have a Christmas and New Year filled with all things wonderful xxxx

p.s. I think I used a box of tissues writing this post, that is how much my heart is touched by your beautiful spirit.

I Nearly Blogged About ....

On Monday, I nearly blogged about the results of The Block, had the post written in my head as I lay in bed on Sunday night. Then life got in the way.

On Tuesday, I nearly blogged about the antics of Max, my hayfever and just stuff and nonsense.

On Wednesday, I nearly blogged about, well now I come to think about it - I didn't even turn the computer on - lol

On Thursday, I nearly blogged about a day in the country with work.

On Friday (today) I finally blogged about - well nothing really.

It has just been one of those weeks.

On the weekend I will be blogging about sharing some bloggy love, some personal stuff and maybe my 450th post, because this one is 449!!

Hope you week has been more 'blog productive'. Off to read some of what you have been saying now.

The Interwebs, One Of The Things I Love

I have noticed lately, when popping around commenting, how many people that I know through following them and commenting on their blogs are now following and commenting on blogs that I have followed since the beginning.

It is sort of nice, that other bloggers either see people in my 'Sharing the Love' section, or when they comment on my blog and go off to find them too. Just like I do when visiting.

The physical space that divides us, seems so small when we connect and weave interwebs in cyberspace. How nice if one day I got to meet every single one of you. It sort of feels like some of you I know very very well and yet we have never ever met.

I'm Off Tomorrow

So, pain or no pain, I am off to Melbourne tomorrow for Blogopolis on Saturday. Made the decision that I can not let this beat me - so got some stronger pain killers and we will see how I go.

Will get to meet up with some special people in my life on Friday and then some old and hopefully new friends on Saturday.

Watch out Melbourne, here I come with an empty credit card (even have more than the card is worth as I accidentally made too many payments - lol).

Flying home Sunday Business Class (courtesy of hubby's frequent flyer points) so hopefully will arrive in a rested condition.

Sometimes The Real World Gets In The Way

Thank you to everyone who has left comments on my last blog post, hoping that I am okay and letting me know they miss me. I am really humbled that you care so much.

Thanks to My Baby John for the award, I will pop over and pick it up soon.

I have been absent from here for a few different reasons,

1. I have been so busy at work and doing some work for my daughter at night that I have been too tired to put my thinking cap on and write something meaningful here. I promise that will change soon.

2. Because I work on my computer all day, sometimes the last thing I want to do is turn this one on and sit in front of it ... this has been happening a lot of late ... mostly because I am busy I think, so really a part of number 1.

3. I haven't been doing anything too exciting so not sure how much everyone wants to hear about just the normal stuff.

With regard to my pain levels, well the injection sort of took the edge off, so in that way it has been good - yippee. But it is certainly not a total cure, or even close, so it will be back onto the other drugs soon, side effects and all. I really feel blessed that so many of you care, thank you again for this ... it blows me away the connections made in cyberspace.

I have pottered around some blogs, but not left many comments, apologies for that, I promise I will get better.

Thanks again and I will be back here soon!

Its the Small Things

As mentioned many times previously, I have a Charles Brunner climbing rose right outside my study window. On Sunday I looked out, daydreaming while doing some work and this little haloed flower caught my eye.

Soft pink bud, caught in the sunlight, softly glowing - just beautiful. The leaves and branches of the rose, softly swaying in the light breeze, the bright blue sky, the backdrop to all that is refreshing, soothing and lovely. A lovely winter's day.

What do you see out your window?

A Thankfulness Post - The Things That Keep Me Going

As previously written, there have been some dark days here of late, I am so over the pain my body suffers, I am over looking in the mirror and seeing my aging face looking tired and drawn with no energy. To be honest there are days when it all seems to much ... knowing that this is the beginning of this journey, I am no where near the end ... and the endless years stretch before me ... years and years of just this. My new meds are making no difference, their side effects more often than not ravage me ... I know the saying no pain, no gain, but too be truthful ... there is no gain here at all, zero.

Today is actually a good day, so I thought it might be good to write a thankfulness post, a way of keeping my glass half full.

So here are some of the things that keep me going ...

the love of my hubby, his caring, warmth and love surround me ... the soft and gentle kisses he gives me during the day, the way he rubs my back, the things he does every single day that keep me free of pain ... the housework, the cooking, so much each and every day

the love and laughter of my grand-daughters and the many, many photos of them I have that I can look at when ever my heart pleases, which is does often. They have no expectations of me, they love me just for who I am

the love of my children, my pride in how they are living their lives, the strength I see in them and knowing that I have had something to do with that

the warmth of Max, cuddling against my feet as I blog, he follows me from room to room, snuggling with me every chance he gets

these lovely autumn days, allowing me to lay on my bed in the afternoon (on the days I am not working), with the blinds open and the sun warming me softly while reading a book or taking a nap.

unexpected things, like a workmate acquaintance who looked at me the other day and really saw me, and told me he just wanted to give me a hug, and so I let him. He does not work closely with me, but he could see the pain and the tired eyes, and he reached out ... what a wonderful person

the support of the blogging community, all the lovely people who take the time to visit and comment that let me know I am connecting in some way to people. Who would have thought that all my regular visitors would mean so much to me, most of you I have not met In Real Life, but nevertheless, we all reach out to each other when something we blog touches a cord in our hearts.

So, I give thanks for all of the above and for the good days, maybe just maybe they will start outnumbering the bad ones and the smile will come back into my eyes and my heart.

Blog Post 401

Who would have thought that when I started this blog in November 2008 that I would still be blogging now, I certainly didn't have any expectations of where this would go and how long for. My Anzac Day post was post 400 - sort of fitting as the day has special meaning for me.

So this is post 401, will I get to 500 or even 600 - maybe all the way to 800 doubling where I am now. Seem strange to celebrate 401 instead of 500? Well I suppose that is just me being me - a little odd that way.

There have been more than 401 posts written, but only 401 that I have hit the publish button on. There are some still sitting in my drafts and I have not included these in the total and they may or may not get published, only time will tell.

There are some that after writing them were deleted, for the act of writing them was what I needed, not sending them out to cyberspace, but just the act of writing - letting me let go of some negative stuff I have dealt with.

There are some still in my head which might eventually see the light of day - or maybe not.

The one thing I have always believed is that this blog is for me, not to please anyone else, but I am still tempered by what I feel I can disclose - which is a shame, but my aim is not to really cause any controversy, not to deliberately hurt anyone's feelings - even if mine have been hurt. But to portray a little bit of me, some of my memories for my family and sometimes to vent in a forum that for the most part is supportive.

Thanks to my very first followers and all that have followed since then, thanks for hanging in there even when I have my quiet time, for supporting me with your great comments and for allowing me to share a little bit of your lives too.

A Typical Blogging Day

Here I sit at my desk, trying to type while Max tries to:

lie on the keyboard

puts his tail over the keyboard

climb up the front of me to cuddle on my shoulder or sit on my boobs

taps at my fingers as they type

walks on the keyboard

tries to steal the pens off my desk

walks over and rubs his wet nose all over my screen

taps at the screen with his paw as he tries to catch the letters as they appear

walks behind my iMac and up onto the windowsill and tries to climb on top of my iMac

sits behind my iMac and pops his head around playing peek a boo

This is all after I have already put him on the floor at least 5 times before even attempting to blog.

What interruptions happen to you when you try to blog?

And here he sits looking all innocent with the 'who me' face

Its Sort Of Like A School Reunion At A School You Never Went To

So, Wednesday I fly to Sydney to attend the Aussie Bloggers Conference which is being held on Saturday. It's sort of like a school reunion at a school you never attended, you have met some of the people online, but a lot you haven't.

Or maybe it is more like when I changed school the year I turned 12, and knew no-one and had the worst year of my life.

There's the whole, 'will they really like me?' and the 'I'm so fat' and the 'I really just want to vomit because I hate crowds and I hate meeting new people and so why am I doing this to myself?'. And the 'God I wish I was part of the cool group over there' and 'hey someone is smiling at me, oh no it is the person behind me'. You know, all the negative self-talk that regularly happens in my head (and maybe other people's too).

Then I have the whole what will I wear thing ... well really I sort of know what I will wear, black pants - I wear black pants pretty much every day of my life, so why should that day be any different. Black comfortable shoes, because I pretty much wear them everyday of my life too. Boring - huh? I think I will wear my black and white striped top because I feel good when I wear that. And I have some pretty gorgeous new silver earrings which also make me feel good, so got to make sure I pack them. Then there is my bling ... rings, lots to choose from.

I will probably sit at the back, because then I can sneak out if it all gets too much - I really am an introvert, one who acts like she is extroverted because she has too at work, but at great cost.

So again, I ask myself, why am I going? Well I thought it would be great to meet some of the wonderful bloggers who I follow (unfortunately quite a few I had hoped would attend are not, so I will have to work out some other way to meet them, bit hard when I live on the other side of the country) - so I can't really answer that question.

If you see me there, I will be the one looking terrified, but hey, I bet there will be a lot of others feeling the same as well.

Off I Go Again

I am on the road again (and the air as well) for work, off to Karratha early tomorrow morning, back on Thursday afternoon.

Will look forward to reading all your blogs when I return, and hopefully sharing some more photos of this great State of Western Australia.

xxx

I May Not Be Here, But I Am Elsewhere

Today I am guest blogging @ Childhood 101 - my daughter's blog and I have posted the weekly Sunday Citar on my other blog The Glass Half Full. If you have the time pop over and visit.

The Sisterhood

I am simply posing a question - what happened to the Sisterhood - you know the one where women supported other women (even strangers), the one where you showed admiration for other women who achieved, the one where you where proud of the way women showed solidarity - you know the one - right?

So why is it that there is a growing number of women bloggers worldwide that stab each other in the back, get jealous of another women's blog success and start vicious rumours and smear campaigns. Apparently there is a new type of bullying happening - cyber-bullying - and not it is not kids it is grown women who seem to be jealous of other women's success and popularity.

Surely I am not alone in thinking that this is a worrying trend.

I am thankful that the blogs I visit and the great friends and followers that I have still seem to be part of the Sisterhood for it gives me faith that these cyber-bullies are a small percentage of the women bloggers out there.

Do Followers = Popularity and Should It Matter

When I started my blog, I didn't really think about gathering followers - other than my family and friends - and even then there was no pressure on them to follow me - I just put it out there that I was blogging and left it at that.

So I wonder, is there a number that means your blog is popular? Should it even matter when, if like me, you blog for yourself. I certainly have never blogged with the thought that any given post might increase the number of followers I have. Should I be thinking that - is that the goal of blogging?

The first time someone that I did not personally know started to follow me was weird. For a short time it put all sorts of pressure on me. You know like finding a new friend and the tentative relationship you can sometimes have - will I say something they don't like - that sort of thing.

Slowly a few more people appeared and my numbers on this blog sat around 15 for ages. Some of these earlier followers I now count as cyber-friends, I have built a friendship with them - without ever having met face to face. I suppose it is a little bit like the old days of having pen-friends. There are a few I would love to personally met, but then would that be even more weird? I know for me it would be hard, I am always filled with self-doubt when meeting someone for the first time.

Last night I noticed my numbers were at 40 (and 20 on my other blog) and it got me thinking. In real life I have a handful of friends, most who have been friends for a long time. I am not a friend/acquaintance gatherer as such. I have a girlfriend who has so many friends/acquaintances it overwhelms me - I'm like how can you give so much of yourself to all these people - but she thrives on it as she is an extrovert. Being the introvert that I am, I don't have the confidence to boldly go up to someone and start talking and bonding with them. I find it draining to have too many people around me, it can be overwhelming. I am never the life of the party, rather prefer small gatherings with people I know. I am not good at circulating and making idle chat with strangers. So I tend to stay in a corner and watch.

Even in the blog world, I tend to be a watcher - I try and read all the blogs I follow every day - or every second day when I am busy. I remember the last post I read and will start from there and work my way up to the newest one. But I don't always comment - just like I don't make idle chat in real life. So is that okay in blog etiquette - should you always comment?

Whenever a new follower appears, I always go to their blogs to see who they are and to follow them. But some people I can't actually find a link to their blogs - so I don't know if they have a blog or just read other people's blogs. Can you do that, just follow and not blog?

I notice as I go around the blog world that some people have hundreds of followers, so does having 40 (20) mean I am less popular, and should that really matter? For me it doesn't and I am happy with that.

So welcome to my newest follower, I am about to pop over and check out your blog. To those that have been following me for longer - thank you for taking time in your busy days to drop in and visit. Your comments are always welcome, but please don't feel you have to comment - I leave that totally up to you.

Someone Missed Me

I have been really busy at work recently with unrealistic deadlines and priorities all because my boss dumped me in it - so to speak. My job is already full on, but to have deadlines suddenly rearranged with little notice means one tired although not grumpy Mumma.

I have been popping over to read the lovely blogs I follow and occasionally commenting, but I have not had the energy to blog myself. Until now!!

I just happened to pop over here and look what I found. Someone (maybe even more than just one) missed me. I just don't know what to say, I am so honoured to think that Madmother thought to post about me.

I will be back here blogging much more regularly as soon as I can. Looking at my schedule I may be away from home a fair bit - I have a trip to Esperance already booked in late April, then another probably in May to Shark Bay and then driving down to Walpole as well. Oh and Albany want me there too. If I thought the world would cope I would attempt to clone myself.

Why am I so busy I hear you ask (well probably not but I will tell you anyway)

I am part way through implementing a total change of look for the Boundary and Site ID signage for all the National Parks, Marine Parks and Nature Reserves in Western Australia. No longer will there be routed timber signs in just three tenure based colour schemes. No, now we are moving to metal sign plates on aluminium and steel supports. There will be different colours to reflect the landscape across this large State. My job now, after being part of the team undertaking the initial trial period in Walpole, which also involved translating the procedure into a Manual and then creating and designing the internal website, is now to assess the various landscape and come up with colour palettes.

Phew - no wonder I am tired. The original trial area has now been endorsed and approved and it only took 3 years. Others are following much more quickly now the initial trials and tribulations (pun intended) have been sorted. I have two more that are close to final approval - which I hope to wrap up by June 30th. So there are probably only 15 - 20 to go. Only, she says laughing hysterically. When was I going to retire?

Sharing Some Sugar with Madmother

Sharing some sugar today and sending it to Madmother 'cause we can all do with a little extra love.

Reading Madmother is often the highlight of my day. There are days when her posts make me laugh until tears run down my face. There are days when her posts make me cry because they touch my heart and soul. I always love it when a little star appears on my screen to show me Madmother has posted again (I use Safari on an Apple Mac in case you are wondering).

Madmother is one of the star's of the blog world (in my humble opinion). She is open and honest, she bares her soul, she waves the flag of awareness for ASD, she occasionally rants (but always in a good way and for a good cause) and she always makes me smile.

So Madmother - here is a little sugar to get you through your disappointment and cheer you up while you are still a little unwell.

Hugs from Perth xxx

The Written Word

Oh how the written word can be used as a sword to cut someone down to size just as it can be used to raise someone up and give them encouragement. What we need to be careful of is how we use the written word and how we ourselves read the written word.

All of us learn in different manners, all of us read the same words and understand in different ways - one can write a message to try and help someone avoid making the same mistake over and over again, and yet the recipient of the message sees only that someone is passing judgement. Doesn't matter how well you write, when you take the body language or the voice expression out the equation - then the preset mind takes over. Then the swordplay can really begin and all over what was written and what was read. Both people may have the best intentions but nevertheless harm is done. This is especially so if the 'reader' has a pre-perception about the person sending the email, or writing the blog, or what is said on Facebook.

So do we give up using the written word, I don't think so, but maybe we should occasionally go back to picking up the phone and talking - at least that way we have voice expression as part of the equation.

Here is an example - My mother said to me the other day when I bought her flowers - "oh these are fresh the last lot your bought were on their way out" - or something similar. My comment to her was 'isn't it lucky I don't have thin skin or I could have taken that as a insult' - but being face to face with her I could read her body language and she could then read mine. But what if she had just sent that to me in an email. I would have been righteously offended. What she was trying to say was that the shop keeper shouldn't be selling flowers that only have a day or so's life left in them as there is no way that I as the buyer of the flowers would know how long they had sat in the shop. Obviously if they were dead or totally wilted I could have seen that, but flowers quite often look good one day and then not the next.

Another example is a letter I received from my much-loved grandmother not long after my 21st birthday. This letter was sent supposedly with love - well it was signed that way, but it was in fact heart-breaking for me and meant we did not speak for a long time. I read it as her judging me, while how she had written it (her perspective) was that she was trying to encourage me to be a better person.

Hence my qualifier in my welcome message - no offence is ever meant, but that does not mean that none will be taken - that unfortunately is the humanness in all of us.