frustration but silver-lining somewhere

Do you know what I hate?

People who don't take responsibility for themselves.......

Yes, we all have issues that we need to sort out for ourselves. But what I hate is people who tell you about their issues BUT then do NOTHING to sort out themselves.

I really needed to get that off my chest.

In other things - I have sorted out a number of projects that I have been avoiding for YEARS!

• I emptied the sewing box of all projects that have sat there for years......(talking 2 sheets sets, 5 pairs of pants and 5 skirts!)
  
• I have rearranged the study so that I can actually use in more ways.
• I have brought the wool box into the loungeroom to sort it out (jumpers, socks etc)
  
• I have looked my tax but think that I might put that off for a few more days.....
• Got a new pillow and have had some amazing nights sleep since.
• Had more dry-needling which is not the most comfortable thing to have done.
  

I am nearing the end of my holidays and wondering if the new teaching spaces will be ready for my staff and I to utilise with the kids next Monday. From what I understand - just! These rooms haunt me already. I was not involved in the design process. The guy who was left.....and left a mess.

No complaining any more but time to take the attitude of what can I do to change the situation...

Off to lunch with my neighbour and work colleague.

I am a sloth and proud.

I am so proud.

I spent an entire weekend on the couch - bar the party out on Saturday night.

I am about to attack a few things that need to be sorted - the study in particular.

Trouble is - virtual world, especially reading other blogs and farming, have taken a hold of my life. Woes me.

At some point I will take myself away from this screen. Nothing else to report......

holidays

I'm on holidays! I am so relieved that I made it. This term has been CRAZY to say the least. The last few weeks I have been so busy that I didn't know if I was Arthur or Martha.

So this is what I have planned for my holidays.......

• obligatory school work - teaching the number of kidlets that I do I decided that I need to plan my whole term during th holidays. I am planning on at least an hour a day. I'll see how I go.
• sorting out the financial part of buying property - speaking of which I will need to run now and look at another one very soon.
• getting my house sorted out - the study organised properly, cleaning through my clothes etc.
• catching up with friends and family
• hair appointment and other girly things
• go away with a friend for the night - a girly night or two away.
  

so that's it so far - in amongst sleeping and resting, reading etc. I might even blog a few more times.

busy week

So the last few days have been interesting.

Something that has been brewing came to a head - and I am much relieved that it is 'sorted'. Can almost deal with it.

Work has been hectic. I have a student teacher at the moment. She is very good and I feel terrible that I have not blogged about her. The first one in ages that has done the right thing and I haven't given her any space. She finishes pretty much at the end of next week. We have been asked to have another one in the school but I don't want another teacher yet. I have to use this time now to get to know my kidlets.

After going out with Frogdancer two weeks ago, I have been quite quiet on the weekends. Been out most other nights of the week though. Tired as a result of being out so often......must be getting old.

Been off to the gym at least once a week. Need to boost this to two times BUT I am quite stoked at the once a week commitment.

Had contact with someone I went to Primary school with. Been interesting emailing someone that I haven't spoken to in 25+ years. So much has happened and where do you start. Been fun.

I reopened my face book account. I had deactivated it due to the fact that I didn't like the regulations they had. When I reactivated it they had got rid of the changes. Quite pleased with that really. Main reason was to keep up with a traveling family member.

Off to look at property today. Also going to clean my place and do the grocery. Kids performing this afternoon down the road from here so off to see them strut their stuff. Brunch tomorrow so weekend filling quickly........

Apparantly it's a special day.

So it's Valentines day. Or, in my case, International QuirkyAlone day.

Today I shall:

• buy myself groceries - and the paper to get the housing list etc.
• toddle off to the gym to get a bit of a work out so that I keep my healthy promise to myself.
• iron my clothes, after doing a few loads of washing.....
• catch up with friends on the phone.
• grab a dvd - I am so tired this week after work that I cannot be bothered getting off the couch and I was out last night for a bit. (note to self "GO TO BED EARLY ON WEEKNIGHTS!")
  
• read some of the book I need to for book club - I doubt I am going to get that thing finished.....
• some preparation work for the kidlets.

enough procrastinating now - off and start. How will you spend today?

Ice cubes please

This is the temperature it reached according to The Age newspaper website (115.5F!). I spent the day lying on my bed in front of a fan sort of reading but listening to the radio.

Apparently it might even get hotter!

The sky is quite gray - I don't think from clouds but more likely smoke. There are fires everywhere in the state that I have lived and where friends and acquaintances live. It's crazy.

(the highlands of Victoria)

I have the curtains shut and the wind is howling round my unit. According to the people on the radio - many from the Fire Authorities, the weather bureau - these conditions are worse than what it was like before the Ash Wednesday fires of 1983 when a lot of houses and lives were lost. I remember that day and it felt like the earth stood still.

This time I feel like there is a bit more control. The aim of all the authorities is to get through without life loss. I hope we do. We have had 8 years of drought - no real rain so the land is right to burn.

There is a cool change on the way - 6pm tonight is the estimate.

At the other end of the country we have this....

(this is in Far North Queensland.)

Today might be the day to share verse 2 of Dorothy Mackellar's poem - that a lot of Australians know...My Country.

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me!

Every now and then I think - "yep, this is my home and I love it." when I see the amazing natural disasters over the land.

Hope your day wasn't as hot.....

Geraldton........

Hello from sunny Western Australia.

I am not using the term 'sunny' lightly. I have seen 2 days of rain since I got here. Amazing.

I have spent the last day and a half exploring the delights of Geraldton - a coastal town 5 hours drive north of Perth! why did I come here? Well I wanted to see the memorial that has been erected to HMAS Sydney that was loast some 2,500kms of the coast of Australia in the WWII. the exact location has only recently been located - March 2008.

I am travelling here on my own. I needed some 'time out'.

I have had a great time and I have learnt lots about WA as well as myself.

I have learnt:
*travelling with a young family can be highly entertaining as well as exhausting.
* sometimes it is better to smile and pretend that you're having fun when you really want to bop someone on the head! you get into less trouble that way.
*people have the most amazing stories if you ask them to explain themselves further.
*going solo can be awesome but daunting.
*restaurants often don't know how to deal with a single person on their own.
*wine makes me drunk faster than beer.
*I have eaten enough chocolate - until tomorrow.
*walking for 5 hours will make your feet ache.

Some of this is normal stuff but when you are doing nothing much then it can be an amazing thing to recognise.

I have taken well over 500 photos in 2 weeks and i am sure I will have more to take. some will be posted when i arrive back home and have the time to view all of these things properly.

Tomorrow I jump back on the bus and head back to Perth 5 hours on a bus 'hurrumph'. tonight I will watch the sun set (maybe) and eat fish and chips on the sea shore. this is all a maybe as the wind is amazing here and I have been 'blown' away in more senses than I can explain.

I trust all 10 of you had a lovely celebration at Christmas and that your New Year is just as awesome.

Just to say that i had a blogmeet with Laura (sorry not doing any links but will when i get back) and it was great.

ENJOY!

another day

Today:

• Hour walk on the beach. Sublime
• osteopathic appointment (20 crunches on the left, 30 on the right divided amongst the neck, middle back and lower back evenly). I am now tired.
• looked at the housework - banned for the day by the osteopath. Damn shame.
• cooked lunch for friend round corner. Yummo!
• dealt with trevor the terrorist cat! (shocking name I know but he is a ratbag and a half to my cat! he comes over the fence with his bell a ringing and then mews at her. She goes outside and he attacks her! He has been neutered, I think, and is a complete dweeb)
  
• looked up natural cat repellents - amazing what you can do with vinegar, pepper, soap etc. throw in a little orange essential oil and you might be onto something......
• wrote my shopping lists
• wrote my Christmas card lists.
• organised dinner for a few more nights
• knitted for Vanessa......it looks stunning
• washing
• collapsed on the couch
• ripped a few more cds for my ipod
• ironed the material for the back of my quilt then emailed frogdancer about the cutting out bit.
  

I think that is it! I am weary now. tonight might be an early one. it's amazing when you STOP completely (ha ha ha - looking at my list!) you get tired!

first day of nothing much

Yoga last night was fantastic. It was just what I needed. We choose virtue cards at the beginning of the session that we are going to focus on for the night. My card last night that I happened to get was 'uncomplicated'. It's exactly what I'm striving for.

It is really weird finishing work ahead of others. When I went into work yesterday I felt really stressed. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I couldn't get my reports to print out anywhere and I was on a schedule - I had a singing lesson at 1. But I realised that I need this time out.

This morning I went for a walk along the beach. As I walked from my house to my friends house I realised how quiet it is at the moment. There is very little movement of people - especially kids. It is a very different sensation.

Today I went shopping with my mother and we just had a quiet time getting a few things for her. Actually I showed her an in-chair massager with heat. She looked at it then asked what the price was. I found out and she said "Sold!" It was bizarre. When I left her to go to my singing lesson - rescheduled from yesterday - she was sitting in her chair "loving" the good vibrations into her lower back. I was quite amused.

Now I am sitting and pondering my navel. I've had a busy morning. Walk, put a 'hold' application on my mail, shopping with mum, singing. Its all been quite jolly but now I need to stop.

I realised as I drove home that I only really miss the last week of the school year with my trip but I think taking the last 3 weeks is a lovely thing to have done for myself.

I think of my colleagues at work there until the 19th and I snigger. It's downright rude but I love it!

They're in

I finally finished them and I handed them in - reports that is. Only 170 of them. My 'buddy' (proofreader) wrote 220. This is ridiculous. She teaches 4 classes more than me but works less time than I.

How is this possible? She only teaches junior classes who have 1 practical and 1 theory/classroom contact per week. I have 4 classes like this, 1 at 3 contacts per week and 2 at 5 contacts per week.

She's a great proof reader and an excellent report writer - I read all of hers!

Now I have some serious relaxing to do.

I went to the hairdresser yesterday and had my hair touched up. It looks great.

Yoga tonight.

Christmas shopping tomorrow after my morning walk and my singing lesson, which I had to put off today!

Next week - legs will be de-haired and I will also have a massage. I might also see if I can squeeze in a visit to my dentist. Then I am off to WA! Woo Hoo!

I'm starting to feel pretty good already.

Furniture together

I've just put together the two units I purchased.

The low line tv unit took 6 hours and intense concentration and still I have slightly wonky drawers.

AARGH!

The display unit took 2.5 hours this morning. No wonky drawers!

I am so proud of myself. I have a blistered hand but the units look great.

I am just starting to take the stuff down from the old unit which will be put into the garage on Saturday morning. At this stage I am surrounded by furniture. I am feeling a little overwhelmed.

This afternoon I will purchase the surround sound unit that I have promised myself. I am not going to spend a huge amount of money on it as I can't afford to do that and save for my own property.

Speaking of which I am very excited that by April next year I will have 10% saved. Woo Hoo! I am starting to look at auctions and properties. It is quite daunting going to auctions hence my turning up to a few. I am starting to get a good idea of what bang you can get for your dollar. I am trying, like many in the world, to work out if our market is back on the increase or will further decrease. There are so many conflicting views out it is enough to make your head spin.

I contemplated moving but if I am planning on moving into my own property that won't be happening - I can't believe the cost just to move from one place to another..........Ridiculous. I love this saving idea.......

Enjoy your day.

Thank god its friday.

Friday night couldn't have come soon enough. I am a bit stuffed after the week that has been. Alarm clock is switched off and I am ready for a sleep in.

In amongst the standard domestic goddess stuff that I have to do I will correct lots of work, plan for the upcoming week and I will knit some more. I will have dinner with some good friends tomorrow night and I might even get out and about on Sunday - maybe to a market somewhere. I might want to go and look at some new clothes!

Not much else to say really. Cold weather, cat asleep on my knee and even some knitting underway! Only downside is the silly shows on television. I haven't spent a Friday night home for a while and have not ever really known how uninteresting tv is......I won't be up that long.

Read back and think that I sound like a sad sack.....I'm not, just tired..... Night.

Just came back after a few minutes and realise that I am seeing Mama Mia on Sunday after I have gone off to a meet - up over coffee. Should be fun......

the weekend away

I have just come home from my weekend away and have just caught up on my blog reading - some of you out there have been very busy.

I might just tell you that I am officially exhausted - I did nothing over the weekend except catch up with some girls that I didn't know that well but got to know them a lot better over the weekend. I got up early this morning as K had to get back for uni and I was quite happy to travel with her as I do have to get some work done for school tomorrow.

I told you that it was going to be cold. That is an understatement if I think about yesterday morning. I was in Daylesford and it was about 3 degrees and the wind was blowing. Icy, bone numbing wind that you couldn't really get away from. We were staying a short walk from the main shopping strip but by the time you got to the shops your fingers were numb - even in gloves!

We wandered from shop to shop looking at bits and pieces and having a good girly time. We went to the Convent gallery, which is an old convent that has been transformed into an art gallery and reception centre. Some amazing art work there and also some that I scratched my head about - but that is the whole idea about art.

I had another 'interesting' moment at the gallery. I needed to use the public toilets there and walked up to the ladies. Seeing the "vacant" sign was on display, I opened the door, and there was this woman standing there playing with her hair. I immediately apologised and backed out of the room. I then spent a few minutes guarding the door in case she needed to use the amenities and someone else came past. Once she came out, I went in and made sure I locked the door. Very strange and I have no idea why she didn't lock the door herself.

So why am I so tired? It has a lot to do with my sleeping - or lack of it over the weekend. There were 11 of us all up in a place that comfortably bedded 8. Three were providing their own sleeping gear. Knowing it was going to be cold I took 2 sleeping bags and a foam roll up mattress thing. When I got there I discovered two large couches and a slightly smaller one in the lounge room. I could almost lie down on a large couch so I decided to sleep there. A few people suggested that I should take the cushions of the couch and put them on the floor.

We had a good night of sitting around and chatting but the week had worked it's magic on us all and we were tired from the drive and sitting in front of a wood fire.

I got out the sleeping bags and my pillow and placed them on a couch - the other girl I was in the lounge with did the same. (the third girl wasn't there that night). Once I popped into my bed I soon discovered that it was warm. I couldn't get comfortable but I put that down to being in a strange environment and having the sleeping sounds of others around me.

2 hours later I cracked it a bit. I decided to move the cushions onto the floor. (time now 2am) The cushions were stuck down with velcro! You know there are times when you try to be quiet because you don't want to wake those around you and no matter what happens you are just noisy. This was one of those times. I apologised to the other lounge room sleeper and she said dozily "it's ok".

Three leather cushions on polished floor boards does not bode well but I wasn't thinking that sensibly at that hour of the morning. Each and every time I rolled over the cushion under my head went one way and the one at my feet went the other. I tried this for about an hour then finally gave up. I put the cushions back on the couch - slowly, as I registered the velcro issue.

Having got back on the couch I did get to sleep. I think I had about 4 hours all up.

Now I might just tell you that we had, as a group, decided to keep the central heating on (noisy) and the fire had been stoked up so it burnt away happily until about 3 am. I was boiling in my fleecy pyjamas and in a high tech sleeping bag, under the other sleeping bag.

When I got up the next morning (8.30am) I asked the other lounge sleeper how she slept and her reply warmed my heart. "I didn't!" It sounds awful but I was thrilled that I was not alone in my lack of sleep.

Compare that to the second night. I slept on the floor (on top of my foam and rolled up sleeping bag) and did quite well. The room was much colder and there was an amazing snorer in the room. I had my earplugs in and only occasionally felt the cold. I think I slept for about 5 1/2 hours all up so I was much better to drive.

I will get some work done today but I need to get foods sorted out for the week ahead and really just get out of holiday mode and into work mode.

Recital night one.

I finished my reports yesterday - right after I had had a massage.......Nothing like being totally relaxed when you have to think about what a kid needs to improve. Good thing they were mainly good kids....I was quite liberal in my marking of them.

When I say I have finished my reports I should add this one clause. . . . I have year 11 recitals to sit through and mark. Then I have to add in those marks and a comment or two about their performance technique.

I have just come in from the first night of our Year 11 and 12 recital nights. We have SOOOOO many students in Year 11 doing Music performance that we need two nights. Each kid was required to present 3 songs for their performance - solo! So tonight we had 19 perform! At 10 minutes a pop that's 3 hours and 10 minutes worth of music right there. A few technical hitches and a slightly longer recital than others and you could have a blow out. We did quite well really - we started at 6.30pm, a 10 - 15 minute interval (I needed to stop and have a cuppa as my hand was getting sore and the melodic phrases were all rolling into one.....) and we finished at 10.12pm. One delightful looked at the time and said "We're only 45 minutes over! That's not too bad."

I have one more night to go - Wednesday night. Again there will be 19 kiddies strutting their stuff, well only 18 as one child has a medical (had an operation). My birthday happens to fall on Wednesday (bad timing or what - didn't push hard enough to change the day) and I told my students that if they did not wish me a happy birthday when they got up to perform I would fail them. Drastic I know but I have a point to make. My birthday - my rules. If you don't agree I don't care.

Judging by the kids reaction I am a little concerned about what they might really do - although they might do nothing really and I am just overreacting.

So now the slumber herbal tea has kicked in. Been on a little bit of non- sleeping pattern lately and after watching 60 minutes last night I want to sleep straight through the night.

friday night update

So I have almost got through all the correction. I am almost relieved. Well actually I am very relieved. I have a few year 8 assignments to correct (3 in total) and re correct a few year 7 assignments (up to 10) then I have 22 year 9 assignments to mark. Then I have year 11 assignments (compositions) and their explanations.

After this I have 2 exams to write - 1 for Styles and 1 for Performance. It won't take me that long to write them but I have to make a cd for each of them. How exciting! I will be recording my dulcet tones for the children to listen to while they are writing furiously. It should be fun to watch their faces.

Finally, reports!

What a fun weekend I have planned!

In amongst all of this I will go to the gym, have dinner with a good friend for her birthday (I have socks to finish) and I will go to the netball with a few other friends on Sunday afternoon. Sounds like a plan to me.

sunday sunday

I am having a really quiet weekend and I am loving it! I didn't plan on doing very little this weekend. I thought I might get up to lots but the opportunity to relax and refresh hit me and I took it with both hands and I ran with it as fast as I could. (well considering that I am trying to relax that is just a lie. I actually took the opportunity and vegged out on the couch).

I have done a few things that I wanted and needed to do - household shopping, some reading and lots of knitting. I have sat with the cat on my lap and I have looked at the seventh series of 'Red Dwarf' I have played with the cat in the sunshine. I have laughed at her while she engages the cat from next door - more like her belting it in the face.....

Today I might have to do some work for school but I might also catch up with a few friends for lunch somewhere. Just see how I feel. I will begin the day with a good walk and some nutritious food.

This is it

I have just read Joh's blog and Frogdancer's blog. Funny how all us teachers run on the same line. I was going to write about how it is the end of the holidays and that I have done this, not done this and that I feel that I should've done that. They seem to have covered that pretty well so I might have to go on a slightly different tangent.

I woke up this morning and realised that I was all out of kilter. I put the clocks back an hour before I went to bed and rolled over this morning to look at the time and thought 'Huh?' It looked like it was 7am outside (the time I have woken up most mornings - which is a sleep in for me!) but the clock said 6am. At least I know that I will be able to wake in time tomorrow morning.

I rearranged my bedroom yesterday. I just turned the bed around so that my feet are not facing towards the door. Apparently that is really good Feng Shui the way that I have my bed now. It was a little disconcerting waking up this morning and facing a different wall. Good thing about this was the fact that I could roll over and open the blinds without actually getting out of bed - lazy thing I know but it was a novelty this morning.

I decided that as it was early I would have a lie in and watch the world go by. I got up and fed the cat, also opening the back door so she could escape and do her thing, then made a cup of coffee which I took back to bed. I lay there looking at the world through the window and realised that you really don't see a lot when you are in the back unit in a large group of units. There isn't a cloud in the sky so I couldn't even watch the changing patterns of the clouds. So I read for a bit - 6 chapters later I got up. It was more the impact of watching the lady in the unit in front of mine weeding her garden. When my bed faced the other way I never saw such industrious people - that's the thing with vertical blinds, you can hide the working world.

As I have a student teacher starting tomorrow I think I might have to do some preparation for tomorrow. I have to look prepared. So that is my plan for the day - as well as a walk along the beach later this afternoon. I might sneak a little bit of knitting in and maybe even some more reading.

Enjoy your day - the weather here in Melbourne is glorious.

wednesday

Wednesday.

Hump day.

Day of reflection. Day of anticipation.

Reflecting on what I have achieved and anticipating what is in store for me in the next few days, especially the weekend.

I have come to realise that I love and loath Wednesday. There is something about getting to the end of the day and knowing that you have only 2 more sleeps until the weekend. The loathing is only around at the beginning of the day when you realise that you have to get through the day before you have those two sleeps.

Lucky I teach pretty cool kids on a Wednesday.

Mush brain fridays

Why is it that when you get to Fridays your brain seems to go to mush?

I don't think that there is much more to say on this....... Please help me write a blog with your comments.

This could be interpreted that I am taking the easy way out but I feel that I have given my all to the first question.