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!