Having fun with clothes that don't fit.

Life is good!

I have been having fun with my wardrobe, there are clothes that have to go, but not for the reasons they had in the past.

THEY ARE TOO BIG!!!

It is a real buzz. However the problem is what to do with them.

This week I will be creating outfits.

Combining clothes with accessories, all in great condition, but just no longer me.

I love scarves, necklaces, and wraps, but sometimes they were bought to boost an outfit that fit, but didn't make me feel confident.

The sacks are leaving the wardrobe.

The colourless and drab is going as well.

EBay here they come. Some have never been worn.

It is the catharsis that needed to happen.

I will provide the pics, wish I had a mannequin hangers make things look flat, shapeless and uninteresting. The clothes were not my problem, I was. So they deserve to go to others who will enjoy the colour and style.

Most of my new purchases have been for exercise clothing. I now fit into the regular range, even if it is at the large end.

My initial goal will be a size 14. I do look and feel good at that size, but you never know and Christmas 2011 is 10 months away, and this is going better than I expected.

Will keep you posted,

Kez.

New Year, New Me!

Well its been a while since my last post.

Since then I have lost a stone and am about to attack my wardrobe. Its time to get rid of the shapeless sacks and find those things I have tucked away because they were too small.

I will be donating them to the second had store, however I won't be doing any serious shopping for clothes until I've shed a few more kilos.

My biggest treat (apparel wise) is to buy accessories, as my reward for weight loss. It will be more than just weight loss for me, I am re-fashioning my life.

I go to the pool 3 to 5 times a week for about an hour. The water makes my jogging low impact, (I have to refrain from impact exercise due to my skull base surgery last year). My butt is getting smaller and so is my waist.

Its funny how many times I have half heartedly started a weight loss program, only to fail at the first sign of upset. You do have to have your head in the right place, losing weight won't take away your problems, but you will feel healthier. This must be the year for it, there are alot of people who have started the year well, (there are 8 in my own family).

2011 the year for me to be the best I can be and to enjoy the journey getting there.

Once You Op, You Can't Stop: Lifeline Loot

Once You Op, You Can't Stop: Lifeline Loot

If you have a blog like this one I would love to connect with you.

There is nothing better than finding something pre-loved that you can use or pass on. One of the most depressing aspects of society today is revisited at least once a week when the trash goes out.

We recycle as much as possible and donate anything of use. It makes our household feel like they are working toward a better future. My daughter (almost 21) loves to op shop. She is the label queen and finds alot of her wardrobe second hand. It can be done, and she is stylish, quirky and individual.

I've had some great finds lately will post pics soon.


Kez.

Artfest began today....

So this weekend I'll see m humble offering for 8 x 8 competition on display with all the other entries. Milton is a lovely place and rather than go the pseudo olde village route, it has kept the country town charm and embraced the arts.

Not only will the visitor be accorded a visual pleasure, the associated music festival, gives an aural one as well. Food also plays with the senses, chefs of the area exceeding expectations for the tastebuds of the customer. For the more discerning there is poetry, and those more literate short stories.

For me there are craft markets.......

If you need to know more go to http://www.escapeartfest.info/

Bye for now...

My throat is still sore....

I still have a sore throat.

That doesn't mean that I've forgotten or forgiven, I just have other things to think of.

My first entry in a local art festival goes off today. It is only an 8 inch square, but it is mine and it will be a thrill to see it part of the display. There were 300 entries in the same category last year and they hope to have more this year. I will have a photographic collage of what I see at the festival in early October.

Have just got back from Milton. It really is a pretty town. Rolling green hills in the west and the blue waters of the South Coast to the East. It has a collection of boutique stores, galleries and cafes. You can get 'Good Coffee' in Milton. Scratch a little of the Artistic flare from this gem on the coast, and you find a quaint country town that revels in its history. Berry was once like this before Sydney discovered it. Milton deserves its success but not at the price of its overall ambiance.

Enough with the traveloge.

So the painting is in. The town is cute. My throat is still sore....

And that's all for now folks.

To whom it may concern.....

I know you're out there.

You know who you are.

At sometime during the last few weeks you were infected.

You didn't think of the consequences, who else would you could infect.

It starts slowly...

You knew it was a risk but you just couldn't stop, contact contamination, airborn and (yuck) bodily fluids.

There were ways to prevent the spread, but then, you think its nothing.....

I am looking for you and when I find the person who has given me this *$%#@* cold I am going to drown you in antibacterial handwash, suffocate you with Glen 20 and wrap you up in 2000 tissues.

You deserve more for sharing something no one wants. I hate having a sore throat!!!

The last word......then back to everyday life.

Prior to the last state election in NSW, while I still lived in Port Macquarie, Joe Tripodi, power broker for the NSW Labor party, visited Port Macquarie on the quiet.

The NSW Labor Government were not sure they would win, the prospect of a possible hung parliament had the backroom boys scrambling, looking for support amongst Independent candidates. One receptive ear belonged to Mr Rob Oakeshott. The rumour at the time was that Mr Oakeshott had agreed to side with the Labor Government for a position in the ministry.

Fast forward to yesterday. He has been at it again. The human equivalent of a glass of warm milk has cemented his place in the running of the Federal Government. The crap he has been spouting has been exactly that, crap. Tony Windsor has been snowed by a master of misdirection. The Hastings were always busy watching boyish, guileless Rob with the surf club or in a triathlon, not seeing the shady deals he was facilitating with the State government and foreshore developers.


Regional Australia got shafted yesterday. I call on all Conservative candidates to inundate all Federal Government departments with the problems of their constituents. Encourage their electorates to complain, write, phone, compile petitions, go to the media, peacefully protest, and let Canberra know that they are accountable and they are being paid to find solutions and not create more problems.

Bob Katter for all his bluster, is an honest man. He has his electorate's welfare at heart. I might find him a bit overboard, but he doesn't mince his words or try to justify his decisions.

I'm glad that the NSW State Labor government will be out next March. Go get those Members and Candidates working Bazza show the rest of the Country how its done.

Back to normal tomorrow.........Well unless the government does something else to stir me up.

Superfast Broadband, useless without electricity!

If you are like many of the people living on the South Coast of NSW, the North-East of Victoria or Christchurch New Zealand, you could be forgiven for feeling a bit upset over the continuing fixation that some people have with High-speed Broadband, especially when you don't have power or water, or a home to live in that's safe.

Within the next 24 hours three men will decide on Australia's future for at least the next three years, and many won't have power to see the results on television.

We have trees and tree limbs down everywhere on the South Coast, many will not have power till later in the week. Above ground powerlines are the bane of our existence. Wouldn't a subsidy for solar power for all homes, or having the powerlines moved underground be a better way to spend 43 Billion dollars? Time to get our priorities straightened out.

Will rant on later....

Never too late too learn something new.

All us 40+ women know that our kids know things we don't. They might not be great at cleaning (anything), often their lives are one chaotic event after the next, but there is a fact that we as parents have to admit, they often have skills we didn't expect.

I gave birth to a Networking Queen. She has the ability to bring together peers from her many contact groups, and finds common ground for almost all.

Sometimes, in her teenage years she had to handle the disappointments that come with friends, but she has come out of that period with the realisation that true friends are rare and that you can't change your friends values to match your own.

But this is not what I want to write about, The Girl (from her blog "The Girl Writes Life") has always been into Retro Chic, she has some classic clothes and has the knack of combining her finds into the quirky style that is fast becoming her own trademark.
I am also a retro fiend, but more from a homewares perspective. The Girl has sent me a number of links to great retro and op-shop diva sites, I've listed my favourites.

This is a fun way to not only shop for style, but have fun with it. Take note some of these people have thriving businesses from revamping recycled clothes, furniture, books and homewares.

Will update you soon.........

2010 A New Start

About July last year I made the mistake of saying "Never".

If you have a drop of Irish blood anywhere in your family tree you'd be familiar with "Murphy's Law". My brush with this paradox had me in St Vincent's Hospital this year, (It must have been bad I was in within two days of contacting the ENT team there.)

My gross operation from last June (the one I was told would fix the problem failed). My leak was worse and I was working up to a third bout of Bacterial Meningitis. I cannot praise the team that looked after me and my surgeon (Dr Richard Gallagher) too highly. St Vincents is now my hospital of choice and I am on the mend.

I have started painting and drawing again and will be entering my first competition this month. It only an 8 inch square, but I am working on some larger projects.

Funny being with my family on the coast, where I grew up the weather is good, but I miss the markets in Canberra and the galleries. My daughter is still there and we are not far, just a couple of hours by road.

I will be posting with a bit more regularity, sort of a self imposed therapy, it makes me use my language skills and gives me a chance to vent.

Keep watching.....

Post Op

I never want to have surgery through my nose again. That said I hope it is never necessary. The operation was a success. I no longer have a leak of CSF from my left sinus and I am on the mend.

Nobody knew I was walking around with this potentially deadly defect. I cannot praise the care I received from the Doctors, Nurses and Staff of the Canberra Hospital, moving to Canberra did save my life.

It is still a strange feeling knowing that all this has been linked, but I hope this will be the end of it. Family and friends have been so supportive and I am humbled by the kindness and understanding I have received from total strangers while I have been ill.

My thanks are not enough, but I will continue to praise and thank those who have had a hand in my recovery.

Not just another Women's Rights post.....

Ok, I guess there are people out there that believe that violence can be provoked. However, over 200 stab wounds is just a tad of an exaggerated response.

I would hate to think that an archaic defence like the one exploited in New Zealand could exist in the Australian legal system. The accused had the power in their relationship, being a tutor at the Institution the victim attended. Was this his way of punishing her disobedience?

Crime against women is taken for granted. As a society are we becoming desensitised to what is happening everyday? A man can beat a woman everyday and often the crime is not reported because the system has some fatal flaws.

If that battered woman kills her offender 9 times out of 10 she is imprisoned.

So lets get back to this trial in New Zealand....

A 33 year old man has murdered a 22 year old student and his method has left over 200 stab wounds in the victim.

The defence has been allowed, by the court, to deem the victim's mother an unreliable witness, while the murderer has been filmed giggling, all the while using the "She deserved it, she pushed me to it.." defence. He felt he was justified and they were not reprimanded for this line of defence.

As I have mentioned earlier, I hope this defence is not available in Australia or there will be more social unrest than the justice system can cope with,if it is ever used, and the Police may decide to take their RDO's on mass that day.

I just used up my Lotto Luck!!!!!

What a time to use up all the accumulated luck I have been saving for 43 years!

50 Million OzLotto! 20 Million Saturday Lotto!

I guess being alive out-weighs the prospect of obscene wealth.

The fates have been kind over the last month and I feel the need to pass on my experience so others might benefit.

I am currently recovering from my SECOND bout of bacterial Meningitis, and pneumonia.

Before anyone asks, no you are not supposed to get it a second time.

The lucky part is that I was with the two people who knew what to do and that I had moved to Canberra since my first run in with the disease.

My hospital experience was vastly different. They acted straight away and I wasn't warehoused in a corridor until they had time to treat me.

The Prof and his team from infectious diseases were not giving up till they had an answer.

And they now have one.

I have been booked to have an operation to repair a small hole in the bone above my sinuses.

Post a comment if you want to know more.

This is rare but it does happen.

The most amazing part is that I really could have been killed during the first bout. The level of care I received this time was so far superior and it wasn't as bad as the first.

'tis the season and all that........

So here goes another Christmas, over spending, over eating, and for some - over the limit.

Some of my early Christmas memories, are of adult relatives; drinking too much, falling over, and fighting amongst themselves.

Funny how we think it is our right to drink to excess on a day that families and friends are supposed to be spending quality time together.

A glass or two of something you wouldn't normally afford is one thing, but finishing a slab because you have the next day off, is....well....OFF!

This is especially not on if your kids are there to witness and absorb your behaviour. Just the sort of role model all kids hope for....NOT!

So Boxing day my girls and I are hitting the Sales and having a picnic in the park. Christmas Day will be spent with the family on the coast. The first Christmas there since the last of my childhood. I'm hoping my generation comes off better that the one before and that our kids have a day filled with fun, laughter and sharing.

Have a safe and Happy holiday.

See you on the other side.


Kez

It looked so gooood but so wrong.......

The Farmers' Market in Canberra is brilliant.

Two weekends ago we were treated to one of the coldest and foggiest Saturday mornings this year so far. Everyone resembled the Michelan Man/Woman, scarves wound around neck and heads, shoppers fumbling for money because gloves were in the way. Woolly hats of all colours shapes and form had been dug out of wardrobes and the tourists had decided to give the early start a miss.

There were only the locals and a few die hard visitors. It was Magic.

The hot food outlet was doing a roaring trade and the key item on their menu were these enormous Kransky sausages on rolls with onion and sauce. Having joined the breakfast queue after having done the bulk of my shopping, I seriously contemplated having a Kranksy Roll, however as I waited I noticed one very telling thing about them, only the real 'he' men were buying them.

I suddenly thought a Bacon & Egg Roll looked really good. The sight of so many manly men devouring these long thick juicy red sausages was a bit off putting. Add the sizzling, and the fat dripping from the Kranksies as the staff made the rolls, it was all a little too Phallic and testosterone charged for me at that time on a cold Saturday morning.

Its funny how we worry about how things look. I don't know how long it will take me to build the courage to order a Kransky roll. It seems stupid to miss out on something that probably tastes great, because of what it looks like.

Caving to public opinion is something we all do from time to time. And anyway, isn't more appropriate for a hetrosexual woman to eat a Kransky roll than those he-men who were devouring them?

Life in the Big City

So, you might ask, what is it like living somewhere where you are suddenly anonymous?

To be honest? Refreshing. I still miss my friends and some of the comfort of familiarity, however, being out of my comfort zone is proving to be a growth experience. Confidence I didn't even know I had lost, is growing.

Two years ago tomorrow I almost died. After twelve months of hell I got back to work, (with the help of family, friends and three people, Sue, Stephanie and my doctor Mark). Two years ago I didn't know I had a future, let alone one that had me moving myself and my 18yr old to a major city, re-starting a career and thinking about my post-grad study program.

Canberra is a very interesting place to live. Just passing parliament house on the way into the city still has me in awe. I hope I never loose that.

The weather is crisp, especially this time of year. I can knit as much as I want and I will get to wear what I produce. The farmers market is huge and I am starting to network amongst the producers.

M and I are going to hit the garage sales and the museum this long weekend and see what we can find for the house.

Will Keep you posted,

Kez.

What is it about running Red Lights in the ACT?

Have you ever run a red/stop light?

Was it intentional?

Since moving to the Nation's Capitol I have seen some of the most blatent law breaking in this regard.

It doesn't usually happen on intersections with red light cameras, though I do see the occassional flash from those.

Tailgating is another notable passtime. This little country mouse is used to have more personal space. And lets face it no one gets that close to my rear end without a decent meal and a movie.

There is a great radio ad here at the moment that states our traffic jams last 15 minutes not 3 hours, and its true.

So what is the rush? Set the alarm twenty minutes earlier.

Have a leisurely trip into work, grab a latte to takeaway and listen to Scotty and Nigel. Chill, you'll get there safely and have the opportunity to see all the other idiots on the road without joining their ranks.