Merry Christmas!!!

I've just made myself a cup of tea, so I thought I would take this moment to quickly churn out a Merry Christmas blog post! It's come around so quickly, one moment you're just plodding along..... and the next thing you know, Christmas is on your doorstep.

So I just want to say Merry Christmas to those of you who read my blog :) Whatever you are doing and whoever you are spending it with, I hope that you have a great day! Also if you're traveling, travel safely! One more thing before I go, remember that Christmas isn't all about what's under the tree for you, it's also about what you can give or do for others. Okay and one more thing, yes I promise this is the last 'one more thing' lol Spare a thought for those in our communities who are away from their families due to work, ie The Nurses, The Police, The Paramedics, The Fire Fighters and The Military Personnel. My wife for one is a nurse, and she's working right through Christmas.

Okay, I'm outta here! I've got things to get organised for tomorrow. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Have a Great Day!!  

Are Spirit Guides Real?

I've been to quite a few medium presentations, read quite a few books on spirituality and watched a lot of YouTube videos regarding this topic. But at the end of the day, I still ask myself, are spirit guides real? I guess it would be a nice thought to know for certain, that there is one particular spiritual being that is watching over you.

The drawing of 'Chi' I received.

When I attended a Body, Mind and Soul Festival, I had a drawing done of my spirit guide. The artist told me that he said that his name was 'Chi'. Don't get me wrong, I love the drawing, but is it my spirit guide? Maybe she's just a really good artist who can draw a set of images freehand, and churns the same images out over and over again.... I have no idea?

A friend of mine, someone that I have known for a long time has recently become quite spiritual. She has embarked on a number of courses and has begun doing her own research, as one day she remembered that when she was a child, she had an imaginary friend..... She's trying to find out, if her 'imaginary friend' is/was in fact her spirit guide. Personally I never had an imaginary friend as a child, I did however see two spirits/ghosts in one house we lived in and heard another in the next house we lived in.

The video above was made by Steve Huff, it's almost 18 minutes long. He talks about spirit guides. If you just want to get to the bit where he talks about how to contact you're own spirit guide, skip the video along to 7.30 minutes. The technique he describes is very similar to those that I have read about in books. I've not done this exercise personally, so I cannot comment on that. What I can say is that, Steve records a lot of EVP's and will often ask if his spirit guide is present.... Either a 'yes' will be heard, or her name.

I guess one of the reasons I've never tried this exercise is that, I'm partially concerned that if a name does pop into my head, it'll just be my mind generating some random name that I've perhaps heard on TV or it's the name of someone I know or is from my past.... I don't know.    

Echovox And New Technology.... Argh!!!

Yes readers I'm back and I have another Echovox EVP clip for you! lol It's only 20 seconds long, so it wont take you all day to listen to. I recorded it yesterday, but I only put it together this morning. I've also inserted a picture of my neighbourhood in the clip, just to give you an idea of what the voice may have been saying....

It took me a while to figure out how to put a 3rd image into the audio clip, but with some trial and error..... And holding my head in my hands for a while lol I finally got it.... I think??? I still have some way to go when it comes to fading images in and out like the pros do. :) :)

I've also started my own YouTube Channel, where I will also load my clips. In the past I have often watched a lot of videos on there, but I hadn't set up my own channel, so it's a work in progress, my channel can be found Here.

I haven't just been recording EVP's :o) My wife and I went out for breakfast yesterday morning, rather than going out for lunch as it has been so hot here, and then we went to the local markets which were just across from where we had breakfast. I purchased a couple of soy candles and 2 crystals.

It was my birthday last month, and I received some money from my Mum. I had no idea what I wanted to buy with it..... Anyway, yesterday, a whole month after my birthday, I decided to buy a video camera. It's nothing fancy at all, after all I'm not a professional, I just wanted something that I could use for everyday stuff - that was no fuss and easy to use. OMG.... I 'used' to be sooo tech savvy.... The older I get, the easier I want things to be, because it's all just too much, and does my head in lol.... Is this a sign that I'm getting old? Am I turning into the kind of person that needs a 3 year old to program their TV? lol

So I did my research and picked out what I wanted, I found a store that was selling it for the lowest price, but when I got to the store, I noticed that the price on the camera was $80 dearer than was it was advertised for! I was thinking that maybe I had missed a sale or maybe read the wrong model number. Anyway, the sales guy came over and I told him that the camera I wanted was advertised online for $80 less...... He looked a bit perplexed. So he went online and confirmed that I was right, and then gave me an extra $10 off! lol So I guess at the end of the day, check your prices and don't worry about asking questions... And yes, when I left the store, the original price tag displaying the added $80, was still being displayed.... Shoppers beware!

I let the camera charge last night, now I have never owned a video camera for a couple of reasons. The main reason is that I really dislike the sound of my own voice when I hear it recorded. I don't even record my own message on my mobile phone voice mail! lol My friends have video cameras, and when they bring them out, I hardly say 2 words. The other reason is that a lot of people have cameras because they have kids or are into sport etc. I don't fit into either of those categories.

After I read the manual this morning, I made my first 'video'. I haven't used any editing software, I just recorded it and then transferred it to the computer, so I hope that you are able to view it. If you can't it's on my YouTube channel and I know works there :o)

Echovox - Church

Yes, I'm still playing around with the Echovox app lol. I did a couple of recordings yesterday, both on my tablet and on my phone. As I'm still experimenting, I'm not sure if I prefer the tablet version or the phone version. After I listened to two of the recordings that I made on my phone, they both had a high pitched 'sonar' type noise in the background, which was quite annoying. However in saying that, I haven't experimented enough with the phone version settings. So I will need to have a bit of a play around with it, to try and figure out if I'm the problem or if it's my phone :o)

The Echovox home screen.

So here's one that I cleaned up this morning, I took some of the background noise out, so I hope that it's clear enough for you to hear. Speakers make the world of difference!! All of the recordings that I've made so far, all sound different - depending on whether I listen to them on my tablet, phone or laptop, and all three of those, with or without headphones. So what might sound clear to me, might just be busy noise to you. 

So could you hear what I could hear? Did you hear something I missed? There are other 'noises' in there, but I simply just couldn't detect what was being said, which is why there isn't any text to accompany them. You'll also notice that the background isn't black!!!! lol It's actually a photo taken at sunset, from my front door. I've also started to upload my clips to my own YouTube Channel:- Click Here

Before I sign off, I just want to give Ryan O'Neill a huge shout out! He has been so helpful! Seriously, no question is too big or small for this guy. He has offered me so many tips in the last few days! So Thank You Ryan!

This is his website:- Haunted Scotland Investigates this is his YouTube Channel:- Ryan O'Neill this is his Twitter page:- TrueInuitive and finally, this is his Facebook page. So pop along and have a look :o)

EchoVox Take Two

I watched a few more clips online and had a chat to a great guy in Scotland - via Facebook, his name is Ryan O'Neill and he also uses Echovox. He has videos on his website and links to other great information. 

So I have two short clips for you today.... The first one is a lady. Sorry the background is black. I don't have a video camera to record myself using the app, as I have never had the need for one, and I am still trying to figure out how to at least insert an image, other than just one colour, into the background. Bear with me..... I will get better at this lol

This clip below is a male. He mentions my surname....Yes! My surname!

There was a bunch of stuff that I just couldn't understand, that's why you'll hear 'noise' but you won't see any text. I especially had trouble around the 'Repent' comment. It kind of sounded like 'Gibson Repent'. I could be wrong, lol it does happen (more often than I would like to admit lol) Perhaps some of you may detect something that I've missed. 

Ryan kindly sent me a link to some audio software, so it's going to be a case of trial and error, as I have never used audio software or video software before. It's a whole new learning curve!!! Actually, so is the Echovox :)

Another great site to check out is Steve Huff. He also uses Echovox as well as a ghost box, he has some really interesting videos! 

EchoVox - My First Recording Of Two Ghostly Voices

So this morning I downloaded an EVP app for my tablet.... Yeah crazy huh? Okay, I watched a couple of youtube videos, where people were using this app and I was pretty amazed! There are quite a few 'professional paranormal hunters' who use and swear by this app, it's called EchoVox. So I fired it up, and this is what I heard:-

This is just the audio below, without subtitles.

I say 'hello' then I hear 2 voices say 'help'. I ask 'do you need help?' Then I hear 'yes **pause** we need'. After this, the audio becomes quite garbled. This is my first attempt at 'catching' a voice, if you like. 

I had some trouble attaching the file to this post, so I hope that you are able to hear it.

A Ghostly Encounter Of The Shadowy Kind

In November I was invited to join a 'Personal Ghost Stories' group, on Facebook by a friend. This friend isn't someone I know in real life, we met via Facebook - she lives in the USA and I'm in Australia. I've been meaning to post some of my own stories to this group, I just hadn't gotten around to it. So I've decided that I'll type my stories up, and post them both here on my blog and in the Facebook group. So here's the first one:-

Approximately 20 years ago, I had come to a cross road in my life. I was sitting on a lounge chair with my knees pulled up to my chest, I was pretty much 'asking' my own mind 'what should I do'? As I was doing this, over the top of my knees I saw, what looked like a dark shadowy curtain, blowing in the wind, except where I was sitting there wasn't window or curtain - it was also daytime. When I looked up I saw a dark shadowy human figure, he slowly moved across the room and disappeared, I 'heard' that his name was 'Mr B'. He was also floating about 50 cms off the floor. The best way I can think to describe his appearance, is that of the funeral directors from Oliver Twist. He had a long cape, top hat and some kind of staff.

I had no idea what I had just encountered! At the time of this event, I was sharing a house with a friend. I told her what had happened. She didn't like this at all, the fact that I had said that he was dark and shadowy, really concerned her. (My friend is also quite religious) I didn't have any further experiences for a few weeks. Then one day I began to see him out of the corner of my eyes on a regular basis, but always in his 'shadowy, billowing curtain' form.

My friend had not seen him when we lived at that house. At some point we decided to move closer to the city and that's when my friend started seeing him. We'd both see him in mirrors, we'd see him flit across the ceiling and one day another friend saw him - we had not told this friend about him. The new house we lived in was double storey, I was upstairs and my friend went downstairs to make a phone call. The next thing I know my friend was screaming! I raced downstairs to find my friend pointing to a corner in the room, she started saying that she was on the phone and saw a dark man in the corner, she described him with a top hat, cape and staff..... Exactly the way I had first seen him! So I told her all about Mr B.

My housemate started telling me that the house would smell bad during the day while I was at work (my housemate worked from home). I didn't know what to think, as I had never smelt it/him. Mr B had never frightened me in any way, but I was aware of his presence. Around the same time, we'd both seen something at different times, travel very quickly along the upstairs hallway, and then out the window of the room at the end of the hall. My friend said it was Mr B, but to me it just didn't feel like him. As we rented privately, the owner used to come around uninvited. One day my housemate asked the owner if she knew any of the history of the house? Specifically if someone had died there. The owner said that she inherited the property from her Grand Parents, and they had told her that apparently someone jumped out of a window before they owned it - the house was over 100 years old.

Then one day my housemate told me that she felt 'something' try and shove her down the stairs. That was the last straw for her! So during the day for one week while I was at work, she would pace the house reading the Bible out loud. I didn't know she was doing this, until after the week had passed. Neither of us saw Mr B again.

To this day I have no idea who Mr B was, I don't know what the 'B' stood for, I don’t know if he was good or bad. . . I don't know if it was Mr B who tried to push my friend down the stairs. All I know is he appeared in my life, when I was looking for direction.... 

(Ugh! I tried to add more pics, but blogger was acting up and wouldn't let me!! Grrrrr)

Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation

My wife started the Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation challenge about a month ago, and she has lost weight, however in saying that, she also goes to the gym six out of seven days. I have been eating the same diet and have not seen any change.... Not that I was expecting too! lol You can't just eat without exercise and expect to lose weight.

So where am I going with this post I hear you ask? lol Okay, Could I eat MB's food for the rest of my life? No. Does it taste any good? Most of it... Yes you're correct if you're hearing a 'but'.... lol The easiest way I can put this is that, say for example, you only eat 'light ice cream', you wouldn't want the regular stuff. However if you're one of those people who eats regular ice cream occasionally, then has a mouth full of the light stuff, you will immediately notice a change in both the taste and the texture. This is the best way I can describe MB's food.

Now I consider that what we have always eaten, to be considered as healthy food. The reason my wife started this challenge, was because she had plateaued with her weight loss, and thought that a change of diet/food might get things moving again, which it has. 

One of my curries.

So why do I have a 'but' when it comes to how does it taste? lol Okay here's another example. We don't eat curries all the time, remember... Eat in moderation... Curries are often high in calories as they usually contain coconut milk or cream, plus they are served with rice. MB's curries exchange the coconut milk/cream for stock. So again, in that first mouthful you immediately notice a difference in taste and texture. Yes, it kind of tastes like a curry, but it doesn't taste like a 'true' curry. 

Another example is, that instead of serving a dish such as a stir fry or a curry, that would normally be served with rice, it's served with pureed cauliflower. Now there's nothing wrong with pureed cauliflower, it tastes fine with some cracked pepper thrown in, but it isn't an adequate substitute for a carbohydrate, and I find that about an hour after dinner..... I'm starving!! Instead serve the pureed cauliflower as a side dish, but not part of the main meal, otherwise - like me, you'll be raiding the pantry, an hour after dinner and probably eat something you shouldn't.

Most dishes are also served with a side of steamed beans, asparagus etc. Again, I don't have a problem with steamed veg. I have a bamboo steamer and use it often, however the steamed veg I make usually accompanies a dish that has either rice or coconut milk/cream or a moderate dressing or sauce. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you can cook, good healthy meals without compromising the flavour. Use your commonsense, don't eat seven curries in seven days or pasta or rice seven out of seven days. Look at the size of your portions? How big are they? It is possible to cook and eat healthily without sacrificing the flavour of your meals.

I guess this MB challenge, due to cooking a whole bunch of new foods can be hit and miss when it comes to what you like the taste of. I'm sure that once this challenge is over, there will be some recipes that we will keep and some we may modify. I will be the first to admit that I love food, and I will also be the first to say, that I can taste 'diet' food straight away. It's like the old TV commercial, where they would blindfold people ask them if they could taste the difference between Coke and Pepsi..     

Transsexuals Can Not Give Birth!

I read an article yesterday and it really annoyed the hell out of me!!! This post will probably offend someone, but I'm sorry, I really don't care. The article was titled "In Argentia, pregnant groom weds in a legal first". Firstly I want to say I'm all for equal rights, I have gay friends and I have friends who are transsexuals. Transsexuals have a hard time getting to where they want to be in life, they virtually have to start their life from scratch. A 'true' transsexual, undergoes hormone replacement therapy, psychotherapy and irreversible surgery.

Anyway, back to the article.... The article describes a 'transsexual' couple:- one male to female and one female to male. It goes on to say:- "Alexis Taborda, who legally is male as he self-identifies as, is 36 weeks pregnant, with the couple's first child. Neither had sex reassignment surgery".

Alexis Taborda and Karen Bruselario

So what's wrong with that paragraph? Firstly that in the full length article, they refer to themselves as transsexuals. Secondly, a true female to male transsexual would Never want to give birth! Sure a female to male transsexual may want children, but wanting children and giving birth are two entirely different things! The point of being a transsexual is to become the opposite gender to which you were born..... Completely. So if you're born a female and want to become a male, then you become a male.... You cannot 'self-identify as a male and be 36 weeks pregnant", sorry, it just doesn't work like that. Males do not give birth.... In any country.

If you're a boy that likes to wear girls clothes, or you're a girl who likes to wear boys clothes, fine! Good for you! I don't have a problem with that, go for it..... But I hate to explain this to you... Without hormone replacement therapy, psychotherapy or surgery, you're a cross dresser, not a transsexual.

It's no wonder that the general public is sooo bloody confused when it comes to transsexuals and how to treat them. People like these two, truly make a mockery out of those who are real transsexuals. Rant over!

The Death Penalty

Years ago, before I met my wife (yeah it was a while ago lol) I used to have a website solely dedicated to the abolishment of the death penalty. I also had a number of pen pals who were on death row or sentenced to life. A lot of people think, that people who write to inmates are crazy. I wasn't a 'groupie', I used to just write to people who had no one to talk to. Were they guilty of their crime? I don't know, I wasn't there.... I didn't write to them to judge them or try and save their souls. Nor did I jump all around waving a flag trying to get the American Presidents attention, because I believed that my penpal 'Joe Smith' was innocent because, he had such lovely penmanship and a fantastic sense of humour. This isn't my point, the point of the website I had, was to educate people regarding capital punishment.

It has been proven time and time again, that killing people to teach people not to kill, simply does not work. There is also the other issue where a number of inmates have been executed and then only after their execution, they have discovered that the inmate was actually innocent. Or how about those inmates on death row who have some form of mental health issue or intellectual disabilty? In any other country they would be sentenced to serve time in a psychiatric facility, but not in America. In America they lock them up then strap them to a table and stick a fatal needle in their arm. 

Some readers may think that I'm anti-American or an United States basher. I'm not, America, like all countries has some very good points. America is also one of the world leaders, other countries look to America for direction. It's just a real shame that America can't lead the world in capital punishment reform. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against prisons or locking offenders up. I believe if you do the crime, you do the time, I don't believe in execution. I've heard many non-victims say it brings closure, however there are many victims of crime organisations out there that state that even after viewing an execution, it brought no closure to them. Some of these victims of crime organisations are actually against capital punishment, as they have found that it's a total falicy to believe, that to take a life because another life was taken simply doesn't work. I've also heard people say 'if it happened to you, you'd want them executed'. Actually I wouldn't. I'd want them locked in their cell, I'd want them to loose their freedom.   

So why am I writing about capital punishment now? Well I just recently decided to write to an inmate on death row. Again is he innocent? I don't know, I wasn't there. What I can say is that I have looked at his legal paperwork and he wasn't given a fair trial from the get go. He was coerced by the police when he was arrested - this is documented, the police also threatened to harm his family if he didn't admit guilt - this is also documented. He was also denied access to a lawyer, despite requesting a lawyer twice - again this is also documented. 

He's been on death row for 10 years, some inmates are on death row from anywhere between 10 - 20+ years. I don't know if he'll get off death row, transferred to a life sentence or executed. But in the meantime I'll keep replying to his letters, and try and stay as positive as him and hope that the American President calls for a moratorium on capital punishment. Killing is wrong, it doesn't matter who's doing it.

I have started a separate blog in which I will continue to discuss my thoughts and feelings on Capital Punishment. It can be found here.

Clean Garages and Disco Inferno

Okay, I'm confessing that I haven't completed the painting that I said I would in my last post. I've patched and sanded, so that's one thing right...? In all fairness, my wife and I have been busy doing other things, which I will leave for another blog post and it has kept us busy. So I am banking on finishing the painting next week, fingers crossed, because believe me when I say, that I do want it done!!!!!

Photo bombed by Bob the dog!

I am happy about one thing! My garage is now clean and tidy!! We put a load of junk out for council collection and I can now move around in the garage without becoming lost or dying under an avalanche of junk. My work table is under the window, and a friend of mine who also likes ceramics as a hobby, comes around and she uses the table in the middle of the garage. Given that it's a trestle table, I used to fold it up and un-fold it when I knew she was coming around, but now I just leave it there. It's a good large space to unpack new stock when I get it.

You wouldn't believe it, after I put the junk out for collection.... I found some more stuff that could also go. So we're going to book another collection for next week. Those items on the table are just a couple of the bits that I found when I was cleaning. Just when you think you've gotten to the bottom of the clutter, you find some more hiding lol

Anyway onto another topic lol Last night I was watching a show and whenever they cut to a commercial they play some random song.... So last night they played The Trammps - Disco Inferno (Burn Baby Burn). It gave me a great idea! I didn't know who sung this song, so of course I Googled it lol You see every year that I have a Halloween party, it's themed.... The last one I had was a murder mystery party where everyone had a role to play and the theme was Zombie Town. It was a hoot!! 

So even though I didn't have a party this year, I still had no idea what kind of theme I would have for next year... Then I heard this song and I thought "Disco Inferno - Burn Baby Burn - Wow! A perfect theme!!" A Halloween party for disco zombies and ghouls!! I watched the above youtube clip and I had images of zombies with afros, bell bottoms and platform shoes! lol I can't wait for Halloween next year!! I've already planned what I'm going to wear lol Yes, I know... What can I say? I'm a sad case :o)

The Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Woo Hoo for me! lol I've finished having all of my dental work done for this year! I thought I may have needed more visits, but after my trip this week, I don't have to go back until early January. That's when I'll have one wisdom tooth removed, and a couple of implants put in. I've never had anything drilled into my skull/jaw..... So I'm just going to stay optimistic that it wont hurt too much :o) But I can see the finish line in sight and that makes me happy!! 

So now that I wont be spending every 2-3 weeks in pain, what on earth am I going to do with myself? Well, I still have two rooms to paint and then I'm done. OMG! Done.... The painting was put on hold because of the dental work and the pain... If I had climbed a ladder taking pain medication, I can guarantee I would have fallen right off and landed on my backside lol

My old paint tray has seen better days lol

So starting next week - providing that it isn't too hot, I will paint the last two rooms:- one spare room and the laundry. The laundry is going to be a royal pain in the butt!!! Our laundry is soooo small, you couldn't swing a cat - so to speak. Plus I have to pull the washing machine out, and take the dryer off the wall, and they both weigh a ton! The spare room will be easy as we don't use it and it's empty. I'm hoping to get both rooms done in one week. As you would have gathered, from reading my previous posts regarding me painting the house... I dislike house painting with an absolute passion, so I really want those rooms done and dusted, it's been an epic job.

As I've been painting, we've been having a spring clean as I go, we've given away a lot of stuff to charity and a lot of junk has been put into the garage for council collection. As I will be running my small business from the garage, I am looking forward to finishing the house, as there is one last cupboard in the laundry which is being thrown out. At the moment, my garage is an absolute mess!! Prior to when I started painting and we started piling the junk in there, my garage was always tidy as it diminished the prospects of my ceramic stock being damaged. Plus I just didn't like it looking like a dumping ground....Which is what it resembles now.

Some of my work:- cat themed drink coasters, a knitting bowl and various condiment dipping bowls.

So bring on next week! Fingers and toes crossed that I can get it done in one week, and have the junk taken away. Then I can start my business.... It's been a long time in the planning and there have been a number of starts and stops along the way, but now it's my time.  

A Week Of Flames

Well we've had a shocker of a few days in NSW, fires have ravaged through parts of our state leaving hundreds of people without homes to return to.

In the map above, I have underlined our suburb in red. The pink dot I have added is where the fired started. The wind was blowing the fire towards us...

This is what it looked like from my backdoor. All we could see was plumes of smoke rising into the air.

We were lucky, the wind changed and blew it back the other way. But if you look at the burn pattern and size.... If the wind hadn't changed direction - that fire would have engulfed our suburb.

We have friends in other parts of the state, namely The Blue Mountains area where they are on high alert and have been warned that they need to be prepared to evacuate.

Some of these fires were lit by hot and windy conditions where power lines arced. However, unfortunately other fires were lit by firebugs. The fire in our area was lit by a 26 year old male who was charged with arson, he confessed to lighting 21 other fires. He was also part of the Rural Fire Service! The fire was under control for a period of time, then two 16 year old males were charged with arson after they re-lit the area....

In another part of Sydney a 12 year old girl and a 13 year old girl were also charged with arson after being caught trying to light a fire in a public nature reserve. 

There isn't any rain predicted for a while, and tomorrow is supposed to be hotter with more windy conditions. I can't believe that we are experiencing such fires so early. It's true that Australia has some shocking fires every year due to the large amount of bush land that we have. However, most of our fires occur in Summer..... It's only the start of Spring and we've already had days that have broken temperature records..... I don't want to think about what Summer may bring. 

Roadside Memorials

I saw a video clip this morning on Facebook regarding roadside memorials. It was originally aired on 15/10/13 on Today Tonight, which I don't actually watch. The segment discusses that the state of Queensland will be removing all roadside memorials, and that the Shepparton Council in Victoria would place a 12 month time limit on these memorials. The Shepparton Council has also stated, that if the family of the deceased member wants the memorial to stay in place longer than 12 months, they need to apply for a permit.

I have to say I have always been in two minds over these memorials. . . I don't know if these are just an Australian thing or if families and friends of people killed in vehicle accidents across the globe erect them.

I guess the easiest way for me to explain why I am in two minds regarding these memorials is to list both sides of the coin:-

For The Memorials

- Perhaps to some degree, they do indicate a certain piece of road that is potentially dangerous, especially to drivers unfamiliar with that part of the road....?

Against The Memorials

- I understand that they are erected due to a tragic death. However in saying this, if a family member died tragically or suddenly at home ie drowned in a pool or fell from a roof, would the family of the deceased person erect a memorial where they died in the house or property? I'm guessing not.

- Family and friends who have erected these memorials, say that it's a place to visit and remember their loved one.... I don't want to sound harsh, but isn't that the purpose cemeteries?

- One argument is that they are distracting to drivers. Personally, this has happened to me. I remember not so long ago driving down a local road, when all of a sudden I noticed one of these white crosses had been newly erected, and yes I turned my head, this was my own fault. However, if they want to use the 'it's a distraction drivers' card..... Then remove all of the roadside advertising that drivers are bombarded with everyday.

So I guess I'm more against, than for the memorials. I've never had a family member or friend die in a road accident (and I hope I never do), so it's hard for me to walk their shoes. But if I were to try an imagine it, I couldn't see myself erecting something on the roadside. In fact I would probably do the opposite and avoid driving down that road so that I didn't have to be constantly reminded. 

In saying all of this, yes we all deal with grief in our own ways. Some of us cry, get angry, withdraw, and some people erect memorials. Who's to say what's right and what's wrong? 

This is the Today Tonight video clip if anyone wishes to view the segment. 

No Halloween For Me This Year :o(

This is just a bit of a mish mash of a blog post. As not much has been happening around here of late for two reasons, the first being that I'm on cloud nine from my pain killers, and the second because my wife is working night shift, so she's asleep during the day.

Yesterday my sister got a really cool Halloween cup from Woolworths (An Australian supermarket chain) so I thought I'd duck up to our local Woolworths this morning before my pills kicked in, which would make driving a little dangerous.... Of course they didn't have any of those cups.... What a bummer! They had hardly any Halloween stock at all, it was mostly Christmas stock. I did however pick up this cute little Jack-o-lantern full of gummy body parts lol. :o)

Today's purchase

Every year I have a Halloween party, except I'm not having one this year :o( I have too many dental appointments in October and they will probably stretch into November, and I just know that I wont be in the mood to have a bunch of people over. So I'll just have to have a killer Halloween party next year to make up for it lol Halloween is my favourite time of year, I love it more than Christmas, so for me to decide to cancel Halloween is a big deal.

A photo from our last party

It takes me about two weeks to decorate our house for Halloween lol I don't just decorate the house, but I also build a graveyard - complete with a smoke machine in the garage lol I also buy new props and decorations every year, which I shouldn't - because half of my garage is already full of tubs and boxes of Halloween decorations.

Some graves and a coffin in the garage

I just can't help myself! I see something new or impressive and I just have to add it to my collection lol. It's always funny when we have a tradesman come around or pest control guy, and they see this great big coffin standing upright in the garage lol

Hanging screamer

The little guy above was one of my best buys for our last party!! I hung him just inside the bathroom.... He's motion activated, so when someone opened the bathroom door he would start screaming, his eyes flashed red and he would start thrashing about. It was hilarious! I couldn't wait for people to go the bathroom lol

Anyway, I guess the upside to not having a Halloween party this year is that, I'll have a bit more room in my garage for another year lol If you are having a Halloween party I'd love to hear about it!

Dentists and Shopping

I'd like to apologise in advance if this post is disjointed or makes no sense... well no more than usual lol. I went back to the dentist on Tuesday and the pain killers kind of leave me floating in no mans land, so to speak :o). I had a 2.5 hour appointment at 8am, which meant we got up at 4.50am in order to get ready and get there on time. After the dentist worked on me for just over 2.5 hours, he said that he wanted to get more work done, and asked if I could come back at 1.30pm. So my wife and I wandered down to the shopping centre for a bit, but I had to go back to the car for the rest of the time, as I was quite doped up and feeling uncomfortable.

At 1.30pm we went back into the dental clinic for my second round in one day. In total he extracted a number of teeth and restored and filled six teeth. I can now see some progress, rather than just extraction holes. I didn't need to take antibiotics last time, but this time he prescribed some as the extraction holes were quite large. As a result of taking pain killers, antibiotics and probably not eating enough, I felt quite ill last night, so I will make sure I try and eat some more today. 

My next appointment is in just under three weeks, and the dentist said I will need an x-ray of my lower jaw before he begins, so he can work out which teeth will need extracting and which teeth he can save. Ohhh, more fun and more fuzzy pain killer days ahead!  

Apart from dental stuff, my wife and I went shopping the day before the dentist and bought some new furnishings for the house. One of the things we bought were new cushions for our dining room chairs. The dining room suite looks nice..... But after sitting there for a while, the chairs do get uncomfortable. Naturally when you have cats, they have to try everything out that is either new or has been moved. So Millie decided that she would be the first to test the cushions lol.

I also received a delivery yesterday! I made a ridiculous offer on a 1920's Art Deco Lady Diana lamp on ebay, and it was accepted! I honestly thought the guy would tell me to go jump lol, but hey - if you don't try, you'll never know lol. I had been looking for one of these for ages! The problem is that they were either too ratty and tatty due to their age, or way over priced because they were in good condition. 

I remember when I was in high school, I chose art as an elective subject. However, most of the theory was Historical Australian art. Yes, Australian art is nice, but honestly - you can only look at so many paintings of broken down farms..... One day we went to the Art Museum in Canberra, and that was when I first discovered Art Deco and I was in love! I purchased a couple of art theory books from the museum, and one of them was The Encyclopedia of Art Deco - I read it from cover to cover.

It's one of my favourite books, it's actually the only book I have on Art Deco... I don't know why I don't have a few more lol. I love the imagery, the style... I love absolutely everything about this period in history and art. It was after I read this book, that I wanted a Lady Diana lamp, but I was about 15 years old... Where was I going to find one of those things, let alone afford it..... and yes, when I was 15 years old, there was no internet lol I guess this is why I love Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries so much (which I wrote a little bit about here), as it is set in the 1920's. It's on again tomorrow night, and I can't wait! :o)

My Other Busy Bits

So apart from painting the house, what else have I been doing that's kept me so busy? Well, since my wife was on holidays I didn't spend everyday painting, simply because some days it would rain or it was too hot... Plus she was on holidays, so we used these non-painting days for outings.

We went out for lunch a couple of times, this particular photo was taken at our favourite place called Gnostic Mana Cafe at Woy Woy. These two ducks just wandered up to where we were sitting lol they were quite friendly. It was strange that we had never seen them there before.

                                 

I also purchased some greenware on a day that was just ridiculously too hot to paint. I also stocked up on some more underglazes and glazes for when I start my small business, which I mentioned in this post.

I also had some dental work done.... Ouch! For about 18 months I have been researching dental work... I have shocking teeth. Infact, everyone on my Mums side of the family have dental issues - except my sister, she got Dad's teeth, thanks Dad! lol. My teeth are chalky and break constantly, I have had sooo much work done in the past and I simply got to a point where I wanted all of my teeth ripped out.

I knew it was going to cost a small fortune to sort my mouth out, but I have put up with dental pain for so long, something had to be done. Some people my wife works with, recommended getting the work done in Thailand. So I did some research and spoke to the recommended clinic in Thailand regarding what I wanted done.... After weighing up the costs of two separate trips, plus accommodation x 2, plus the dental work, I came to the conclusion that it would cost around the same to have the work done in Australia..... Plus I could be in pain in my own home afterwards lol

So I went and saw a local dentist who had a look at my mouth and listened to what I wanted done, he suggested that I go to another dental clinic in Sydney where they could offer me the same treatment, but at a lower cost than he could because it was their specialty. How wonderfully honest was he? He joked that he would make a rubbish car salesman for sending work away lol

So off to Sydney we went! We met with the dentist... The downside to him to be quite honest, was that he was a completely arrogant piece of work! At one point I thought to myself "If I hadn't driven so far to see you, I would get up and walk out!!". The upside was that he believed that I didn't need all of my teeth taken out. You see what I wanted was for all of my teeth to be removed and to be replaced with what is called an All-On-Four implant.

I know it sounds drastic, but after years of pain and spending money having broken teeth repaired constantly, I really just wanted them all gone. Anyway, the dentist inspected my mouth and drew up a plan of attack. He advised me that I would need 3-4 sessions, where he would begin to extract teeth that were too damaged to repair and that he would work from right to left. He would also fill any teeth that needed fillings, then after a three month healing period he would insert implants into the extraction sites and crowns on the other teeth. 

Two weeks ago I had my first session of extractions, it took 1.5 hours.... When I was at home and the anesthetic wore off.... Man did it hurt!!! I have my next session in 2 weeks and it will take 2.5 hours. I am dreading the anesthetic wearing off that day!! But I know that in the end it will be worth the pain. I won't be self conscious of smiling, I won't have to worry about what I eat - as I am always so worried that food might be too hard and I'll chip or break another tooth. 

                           

Both of the dentists that I saw explained that I had a high acid level in my mouth, which is what has caused the damage. When you have bad teeth, you're constantly thinking that other people will think your teeth are bad because you don't brush... So I'm glad that I know why my teeth are the way they are.... I just don't know why any previous dentists haven't told me this? The reason I ask this is because, even though I can't stop the amount of acid being produced in my mouth, a treatment plan of special toothpaste which is only available from either a dentist or the pharmacy and surprisingly, a special type of dental chewing gum can counteract this.

Anyway, I'll catch you all again soon :o)