Taking Stock June 2022

Hello friends 🙂

It’s been a while since I did a “Taking Stock” post (respectfully borrowed from Pip Lincolne’s blog Meet Me at Mike‘s) and now is as good a time as any.

Getting: A haircut. As per my routine, I let it grow throughout the warmer months, so it is easier to pull back into a pony tail. Then, come Winter, I chop it all off into a short bob. Just got it cut this past weekend. About 4 inches were chopped off. No one at work noticed. Either that means they literally didn’t notice, or it looks bad and they don’t want to say anything

Making: Library displays. I get to do that now, at my new job. Happy days!

Liking: Our new Prime Minister. So far. It’s early days 🙂

Loving: My cats, Atticus and Harper. They are so affectionate and sweet and mischievous and funny. They make me laugh and they bring me joy and love. I am officially the Crazy Old Cat Lady now. Atticus recently had a bit of a health wobble, but I think he’s ok now. Crazy Old Cat Lady had a minor nervous breakdown, however…. On another note, I can recommend getting your pet an anti-anxiety bed. My two love theirs and I really do feel it has lowered any anxiety they feel (they’re both very timid, nervous cats) and given them a warm, comfortable place to chill out. The beds are available everywhere – shop around to get a decent price. Mine were under $20 each. I found some similar ones here, if you’re interested.

Cooking: Crackers. Five-seeded ones to be exact. I’ve been using this recipe.

Sipping: At the moment I am drinking Fennel Tea. It’s supposed to help tummy problems. The jury is still out on that one but I am giving it a go….

Reading: Lots of books! I have been reading so much more, now I have a regular lunch break. At the moment, I am nearing the end of “Mercy Street” by Tess Evans. It’s delightful.

Thinking: Way too much. Overthinking should be an Olympic sport.

Remembering: My Uncle who passed away from dementia last month. His funeral was a celebration of his life and how loved he was. Tears were shed, but there was a lot of laughter too. No one can wish for anything more in life than having friends and family who loved them right up to the end.

Looking: For an Estate Sale. I never see these advertised here in Perth. They must exist, dammit! I shall look harder…

Listening: To lots of podcasts when I walk. I still like Desert Island Discs and Walking the Dog with Emily Dean, but I also tune into a few others. Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain keeps me amused and Take 5 offers some interesting insights into people’s musical choices and inspirations. I am open to any recommendations!

Wishing: For peace in the Ukraine.

Enjoying: Wordle. Yep, I hopped on that bandwagon without a second thought.

Appreciating: My new job. I always wanted to work in a school library and now here I am. It’s not perfect, and I am still getting my head around things, but it is a million times better than where I was. Less stress and chaos. More creativity and calm. I am so grateful.

Wanting: The Winter to be over. It just officially started today (*cries*)

Eating: Too much. I recently had an amazing Okonomiyaki at Taylor’s in the Valley. SO GOOD. You should go there.

Finishing: Some craft projects, but not many, if I am honest. Life has been busy.

Buying: A fortnightly cup of coffee. I avoid coffee as it is not good for my kidneys but allow myself one good cup every fortnight now. It is bliss.

Watching: Lots of Jane Austen (or any kind of period drama) movies. They’re very relaxing and calming. On the other hand, I also find myself watching true crime stories on Youtube. Nothing too horrible. I enjoy the courtroom stuff, the interrogations and how the police solve the crime. I love a good, dumb criminal who gets their comeuppance.

Hoping: I will get my house sorted out. I’m in such a mess. I may just move.

Wearing: Anything baggy. Middle-aged spread is a thing. It’s less of a spread and more of a downward, melting spiral of hell. Also, leggings. In public. I am trying to be less self-conscious and wear things that everybody else wears without giving a s@*t what anyone else thinks. But I wear a really baggy, long t-shirt. I don’t want to frighten people.

Walking: Not nearly enough. But when I do, I enjoy a stroll around the local reserve (in leggings!) where I can watch the antics of happy dogs playing and running about. It makes me happy 🙂

Following: The Johnny Depp / Amber Heard trial. I know, I know, it’s dreadful but I am fascinated by courtroom stuff, regardless of the people involved. I have to say I found much of it (and the subsequent media / social media storm) quite sickening. I am neither Team Depp nor Heard, but I am quite horrified by the public’s reaction to Amber. Did we not just go through the whole #METOO thing? People are so judgemental of a situation that they know nothing about. I don’t think either party is completely innocent in this case – I think it was toxic all round – but booing someone outside a courtroom who has, at this stage, NOT been found guilty and is possibly the victim of domestic abuse is a bit s@*tty. It sends a bad message to anyone who has been abused. We don’t KNOW, we weren’t THERE. Regardless of the outcome, there are no real winners here. We have a very long way to go in terms of gender equality and bias. And the end of the day, I have one thing to say : DON’T DO DRUGS, KIDS! THEY MAKES PEOPLE DO DUMB THINGS!!!

Noticing: Beautiful sunsets / sunrises lately. The sky can be so beautiful.

Saving: My cats’ whiskers. What for? I don’t know. But I can’t throw them out!

Feeling: Anxious. All the time. I recently tried a few sessions of hypnotherapy in the hope it would help me calm my farm. But I didn’t get any benefit from it at all. So I am back to the drawing board. I think Hypnotherapy is an excellent tool and would work really well for most people. I’m just not most people 😦

Hearing: Silence. After 18 months of listening to a VERY LOUD whirlybird (ventilation thingy) on our neighbour’s roof, there are signs that they may be having it replaced/repaired. I was literally in the process of putting a “Dear Neighbour” letter in their mailbox yesterday, when I looked up and saw that the top of the whirlybird was gone and replaced with a sheet of plastic. Which, hopefully (please God!), means they are doing something about it. It has seriously been driving me bonkers.

So I think that’s it. It does seem mental that it is June already. Why is time speeding up? Why am I nearing 50 and clueless as to what I’m supposed to be doing? Why are people so excited about the new Top Gun movie when I haven’t even seen the first one? (and don’t plan on doing so). Speaking of guns, when will appropriate gun laws finally be introduced in the U.S?

On that controversial note, I will bid you adieu. Have a glorious day wherever you are! 🙂

Bookmarks

Hello friends 🙂

What a strange week it has been. That Oscar’s ceremony – woo! I’m going to stay out of that one and keep my opinions to myself! I have been indulging in some self-soothing by watching lots of Jane Austen movies and dreaming about more genteel times. Except for when I sat through the 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. That made me want to punch someone. It really was quite dreadful.

This week I have been making some little bookmarks to give out in the library. It’s always surprising to me how much people still use bookmarks (well, those people who haven’t turned to the Dark Side and only use e-books!) and how quickly they are snapped up when I make a new batch.

With these ones, I simply added my own drawings to each bookmark in Publisher and finished off with a quote related to reading, books and literature. I’m rather pleased with how they turned out. The crisp, clean images show up nicely against the white card and, for the most part, I don’t think you can tell that they were originally coloured with marker pens.

So, are you a bookmark user? And is that bookmark a scrap piece of paper or a folded up tissue, bank receipt or bus ticket? Or do you favour the dreaded dog-ear method of marking your page? As far as I’m concerned, I couldn’t care less if you mark your page with a slab of steak or a handful of grass clippings, as long as you are reading in the first place 🙂

Hope your week has been calm and drama free, and involved lots of lovely books and time to be creative.

Take care and be kind to one another x

Taking Stock : October

I have been meaning to do a “Taking Stock” list for ages.  Pip Lincolne posts them on her lovely blog Meet Me at Mike’s and they always inspire me to do the same.  But I have yet to do it.  So here goes…..

Cooking : Curries – I am trying to make a decent one.  I have a delightful library volunteer (she’s Indian) who brings me equally delightful meals and I am pretty sure she uses some kind of witchcraft on them because they are SO GOOD.

Drinking : Yorkshire Tea.  I always drink tea but am finding I need an extra strong brew these days, so Yorkshire Tea it is.  That, or I dunk two regular teabags in my cup. And then walk away, forget about it, and come back to a cup of tea that is so strong the spoon stands up in it.

Listening to: Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton John Seriously – two of my fave artists combined?  Hello!?  Awesomeness. Have you never been mellow, indeed.

Reading: The Little Paris Bookshop  It’s a lovely story about a floating bookshop in Paris and the owner who “possesses a rare gift for sensing which books will soothe the troubled souls of his customers”.

Next read: Haven’t made my mid up yet, because I have SO MANY books to read at home.  But I think I will tackle The Wonder by Emma Donoghue.

Making: Lots of collages.  Which, in turn, means I am making lots of mess.

Wanting: An electric drill.  It is time I made the commitment to proper DIY projects and got myself some power tools.  It will probably end in disaster, let’s face it.

Looking: For old drawers.  Of the furniture / storage variety.  I don’t mean knickers.  I want to make some groovy storage / shelving thingies from them.  Have a look at some of the ideas HERE

Deciding: On what to do with my life.  This is a recurring theme for me.  But I feel very anxious about it all.  I am thinking about going to a career counsellor.  I can’t work out if they are a load of nonsense or actually quite a good idea.

Wishing: For world peace, obviously.  But also a Lotto win, a flatter stomach, reliable hair and comfortable (yet fabulous) shoes.  Mostly the Lotto win – I really need that.

Enjoying: Strawberries.  We’re in the midst of a bit of strawberry scare at the moment in Australia (some fool has been putting needles in them as some sort of disgruntled-ex-employee protest) but I have been bravely soldiering on and enjoying these luscious little bites of sweetness.  They are so tasty right now.  I could eat a whole punnet in one sitting.

Waiting: For Spring to really kick in.  We’ve had some lovely sunny days, but they’ve been interspersed with very rainy, cold, miserable, ugh kind of days that make me ache and want to hide under a blanket.

Loving: A new discovery, The Rustic Gallery  Full of lovely old and not-so-old STUFF.  Rusty yumminess – everything from furniture to homewares, garden pieces, hardware, tools etc.  Beautifully set out, really well organised and very reasonably priced.  There are treasures around every corner.  You must visit!

Considering: Joining a gym.  It’s a ridiculously scary idea for me.  My physio wants me to start strengthening up and is encouraging me to go to the gym to work on this.  It is freaking me out.  I am not a gym person.  If I could work out in the dark, with no one else around, I would be ok.

Buying: DIY stuff.  Spray paint and house paint and staple guns (!) and all manner of handyman-esque items.  Injury is imminent.

Watching: That should read “binge-watching”.  Because I am overdosing on episodes of Lee Mack’s hilarious sitcom Not Going Out.  I admit to loving him just a little bit.  I have several years of the show to catch up on so it’s nightly viewing for me at the moment.  I’m also watching Jamie Ray Vintage on Youtube.  Her videos make me want to paint and upcycle everything in sight.

Cringing: At my thighs.  Sigh.  I don’t know how they happened.  And also at Donald Trump.  I don’t know how he happened either.

Needing: A hug.  I am not a touchy-feely person and everyone who knows me knows I am not a hugger, so when I say I need a hug, things must be getting tricky.

Smelling: The last remnants of my favourite perfume from Somethin Special.  It’s called Butt Naked.  Which is a horrible name that I am embarrassed to tell people about, but it smells like heaven on a stick.  I must order some more directly.

Wearing: Trousers and jeans.  Ugh, I hate them.  But I have put on weight and none of my skirts fit right now so I have to wear pants.  Many of them with elastic waists.  Which make me cry and want to hide in a cave somewhere.

Worrying: About the future.  A LOT.  Everything seems so unstable and scary, both personally and around the world in general.  I don’t remember there being a time like this, where nothing makes sense and everything seems crazy and upsetting.  The wrong people are in power and it frightens me.  We seem to be evolving backwards.

Knowing: I need a haircut.  Every day I have the same conversation with myself about booking an appointment, but do I do anything about it?  No.  I do not.  I am starting to look like a bedraggled yeti.

Thinking: Way too much.  How do you switch your brain off?  I am attending a Mindfulness workshop next week to see if I can learn to be more “in the moment” and all that stuff.  Most of my health issues are connected to my inability to relax, both physically and mentally so I have to try and do something about it.  Fingers crossed! (and then uncrossed…and relaxed…) 🙂

Sorting: Lots of sorting!  I have just gone through three ENORMOUS boxes of paperwork and shredded/sorted/filed it.  It’s a job I had been meaning to do for YEARS.  Like, why did I have receipts from car repairs I had done 15 years ago?  Why???  I am culling books and clothes and STUFF as well.  Just trying to get in some sort of order.

Getting: Into meditation and mindfulness.  I am trying so hard to calm my mind and stop being so anxious, panicky and sad (usually all at the same time).  I have bought a new little CD player, so I can do some guided meditation at night before bed and I am trying really hard to stay mindful and BREATHE during the day.  It’s not easy.  But at least I am trying.

Coveting: Phil Collins tickets.  I tried to book tickets (the crappiest, cheapest seats I could get) and they had all sold out within minutes.  The next class of tickets was too rich for my blood so I had to bow out.  So sad. *cries*

Disliking: The way people behave on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram.  Who are these people who like to troll and abuse folks they don’t even know?

Feeling: Tired.  Tired.  Tired.  And middle-aged.  That one crept up on me…

Admiring: My dear friend for packing up her unsatisfying life and moving on to bigger and better things in a faraway location where she will know no one and have to fend for herself in an isolated location.  She is so much braver than me.  But I will miss her 😦

Snacking: Way too much.  I recently made these three-ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies and it wasn’t so much snacking as a cram-them-all-in-my-gob-at-once kinda scenario. They. Are. Delicious.

Giggling: At the antics of my temporary lodger, Ella the guinea pig.  She’s my niece’s little piggy and she’s adorable.  I am looking after her while her “people” are away.  She never stops eating.  I believe we are kindred spirits.

 

So, that’s my October.  What are your plans?  Are you looking forward to Spring cleaning, Halloween and the start of Christmas shopping?  Or is October just another month to you – one that flies by like the rest of them?  Whatever you are doing, I hope your month is creative and happy.

Thanks for dropping in x