Spiffy

Yesterday, I had my final dentist visit.
It’s been a bit grey and rainy lately.
I had to go in early if I wanted a lift in, so I turned up for my appointment nearly two hours early – I didn’t want to be out if it rained, so I thought I could just sit in a corner and read.
Instead, I got in straight away, and was finished well before my actual appointment time 😁
My teeth got a final polish, as well, so they’re (almost) white…certainly shiny!

Then, off to the shops.

Still a bit grey…

Treated myself to a cinnamon scroll for lunch.
And brushed my teeth after!

Glad to be this side of my appointments 🙂

And my desert rose is rioting colourfully.

Absolutely spiffing!

Published in: on October 17, 2026 at 11:18 pm  Leave a Comment  

Filling In My Day

Another beautiful morning, with a cool breeze and rising sunshine…

Then coffee (tea 🙂 ) and cake, since it was my Babe’s birthday!

I’m glad to be this side of the afternoon, though.
Somehow, in 57 years of life, I have managed to dodge having to get a filling. This afternoon, I got one tooth sorted, with another one booked for Friday.
I was dreading it – I’ve never been good with tongue depressors, and I don’t like things touching my face (which is why I don’t wear makeup, or use contact lenses).
In the end, all went well. There was no pain and the numbness went away fairly quickly. The experience was mostly just…weird. But over quickly!
The dentist knew I was a bit nervous. That might be why she kept saying “You’re doing really well”, or “Good work!”, as though I were about five years old 😂

But – yes – I did do well! 😊

And then home for a relaxing evening, under purpling stormclouds, with a hint of jacaranda blooms…

💜

Published in: on October 14, 2026 at 10:11 pm  Leave a Comment  

Honest

I’ve had a bit of a sniffle the last few days.
Not one of the big 3 (4?) – Covid, Flus A & B, or RSV – I checked 🙂
I thought I’d have to cancel much of my week, but I’ve been steadily feeling better.

Lots of books to read! 😀

In the times when I don’t feel up to going out into the world (which have been many, over the last years) I can sometimes feel useless and a bit dimmed…but sometimes I’m happy and enjoying my uninterrupted reading time.
I used to just feel…icky. Dark. Sad.
Still do, from time to time.
Then I need to look at myself, work out what’s going on, and remember that I’ve been through it before.
Be honest about where I am.
Where I’ve been.
Where I’m going.
And then, just…persevere!

Pretty soon the sun will come out again.

Honest!
❤

Published in: on September 22, 2026 at 11:17 pm  Leave a Comment  
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The Evidence In The Teeth

There’s a Lord Peter Wimsey book called “In The Teeth Of The Evidence“. It’s a collection of short stories by Dorothy L. Sayers, where the title story is centred around a dentist. I was thinking about it yesterday…

I had my teeth looked at yesterday – not something I enjoyed.
I haven’t seen a dentist for something like ten years, but my name finally reached the top of the free dental register.
I don’t really like to have my face touched – I don’t wear make-up, and have never been able to contemplate contact lenses. Poking around my teeth and gums was quite upsetting, and I felt a bit weepy after.
One of the surprising things (at least to me) was the big TV screen attached to the ceiling. The penguins soothed me somewhat 🙂

I took a calming wander after round the nearby Salvos store, and had a little smile to myself when I looked up and –

😀

I’m hoping to be able to get away with just a clean.
Can’t see any gaping holes on the x-ray, but I don’t really know what to look for…

Still, there are cute penguins in this world.
And flowers.
For no reason!

💖

Published in: on September 19, 2026 at 11:44 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Pummelled

Well – not quite…
Just felt like it!

The other day I went to my physio appointment.
Usually the soft tissue mobilisations (I think that’s what they’re called?) are some form of painful, but I can still function OK the next day.
This time was easily the worst pain I’ve had, although I can see it was necessary – I must have moved wrong, or picked up something without proper technique at some point, because everything was just…not right 😦
I didn’t sleep well after, and didn’t bounce back the next day as usual.
Mostly, I just felt like someone had been whacking me with a blunt object 😆

Planning on getting stuff done tomorrow, though.
Yay! 🙂

Here are some little bright spots I captured over the week (and a bit)

Originally placed on slice of cheesecake 🙂

This was just after my physio appointment – the shopping centre had a mural competition for their car park.
I’ll have to have a closer look next time.

Lots of curls!
I picked up the feather somewhere, but it had been hanging around in the car for a while.
Now it’s living in my random still life 😀

And because the days are suddenly colder…

Published in: on August 13, 2026 at 11:36 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Cyborg, Sleeping

At least, that was the plan.

Here is my morning coffee.

Lovely.
And much appreciated.

I was recommended for a sleep study recently, just to check some things.
I’d never had one before and as far as I knew they were done in a clinic where you stayed overnight, wired up and monitored.
These are the days of outsourcing – in other words – home testing! Yay!
I picked up a kit with leads, sticky dot things, and devices to read and store the data. Also – a manual to explain how to work everything.

I was on a Zoom call last night.
The whole rigmarole had to be set up and running for at least eight hours, and I thought I would have tons of time after the call to put it all together.
The call ran way past time…

I turned my camera off, pulled the headphones out so I could still hear the call, and attached wires to my face. No mirror to help the process, so I just had to “feel” where to attach it all.

Not impressed.

There are leads you can’t see. And I somehow managed to stick down more hair than I’d planned, which made the de-sticking this morning a bit more painful than I’d anticipated.

I slept surprisingly well.
Not at any length.
And of undetermined quality.
But I was more comfortable than I expected to be, and didn’t notice it too much.
Still – it’s done, and everything’s returned. I will get the results in a few weeks, apparently.

Until then, I will feel renewed appreciation for my disconnection from the Borg collective, and enjoy unencumbered sleep.

Published in: on June 10, 2026 at 10:58 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Over It

Not the rainbow!

There’s always a place for those. 😀

I haven’t been doing too great the last few days.
Enjoying the cold and the rain, though!

I had my Covid/flu shots on Tuesday, and expected that to be that, with perhaps a bit of an ache here and there…
What I got was a painful arm (only the Covid side) that hurt when I even thought of moving it, nausea and vomiting, and high temperatures (although not quite ambulance/brain-melting levels. That’s a plus.).
Wednesday was a bit of a blur. And I couldn’t even manage to hold a book, let alone read!!
Still not quite there, arm still painful, and temperature fluctuating, but much better overall 🙂

So, perhaps that’s a reason to not get the vaccinations, I hear you say?
I wouldn’t say so…
I haven’t kept up with my Covid vaccinations, and have never had the flu one, but it seemed like the right time to get them. I didn’t react at all before, so all this has been unexpected.

And having had time to stop and think, I remember sitting on the plane on my way to England in 1994. I’d had the recommended basic travel vaccinations (can’t remember which ones), and my arm from shoulder to elbow was hot, swollen and red.
Seems like my immune system just likes to throw a tantrum now and then.
(Somewhere in the back of my brain I see it sneaking up behind me, waggling eyebrows, twirling a moustache, and saying, “A ha!”)

It’s possible that my temperature hasn’t quite gone down far enough…

Well, I still have books to read.
Possibly even sleep to have.
And here is a little heat pack I saw the other day (I didn’t buy it), just to leave on a cheerful note.

🙂

Published in: on May 15, 2026 at 10:50 pm  Leave a Comment  

Dressing For A Purpose

It’s been a resting kind of day.
Yesterday, I had an appointment in Brisbane.
With trains, transfers, and walking, it was a nearly four hour round trip. All for a ten minute meeting that could have been done on the phone.
Enjoyed the travelling, though.

Today was OK first thing in the morning, but the tiredness caught up with me.
Rested. Read. Drank coffee (and tea).

This was part of my reading the other day –

“Your strength, God, is the king’s strength.
Helped, he’s hollering Hosannas.
You gave him exactly what he wanted;
you didn’t hold back.
You filled his arms with gifts;
you gave him a right royal welcome.
He wanted a good life; you gave it to him,
and then made it a long life as a bonus.
You lifted him high and bright as a cumulus cloud,
then dressed him in rainbow colours.
You pile blessings on him;
you make him glad when you smile.
Is it any wonder the king loves God?
that he’s sticking with the Best?”
– Psalm 21:1-7 (MSG)

There are the clothes that we put on every day.

And there are the clothes we are given when we need them.

Long journeys? Strength needed?
Seems I’m dressed for whatever the day brings!
❤

Published in: on March 24, 2026 at 11:42 pm  Leave a Comment  

Taking In The Terpenes

…in other words – the vast array of compounds found in plants and flowers, some of which are the primary constituents of essential oils.

I have been reading about the effect of nature on our health, mood and longevity.
That also relates to the colour and form of plants, as well as natural landscapes.
We all live in some sort of environment. Maybe if we take a “sense walk” we might be able to work out how to add some nature to our urbanisation 🙂

I don’t have much of a garden.
Just stepping outside seems to be a start, though.

Here’s a tiny little spider who might agree.

I don’t think it’s there for the aromatherapy.

I planted out the sage – it’s taken ages to put out one root, so I’ll see how it likes a potted existence.

It’s surrounded by three of the rosemary sprigs I planted around Christmas. Those ones have grown to about three times the size they were. There was another one that suddenly dried up and died. I have no idea why – it got the same water as the others, and there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with the roots when I pulled them up to check.
Oh well.
Three out of four ain’t bad!

I also picked up a leaf the other day.
Pretty sure it wouldn’t be part of the nature/turpene etc. study, as it was dead.
Still beautiful.

I don’t know why some things call to me, and others don’t.
There were other leaves on the ground, but this was the right one for me.

Here’s the other side.

You can also see most of the ingredients of our washing powder…

I’ve started looking at perfume oils, and have found some I like.
Roses are good!
And my peppermint tea shows promise.
Time to get back to (more) nature!
❤

Published in: on February 24, 2026 at 10:52 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Colour Matching And Global Musing

Sometimes I find that I have matched my food to my clothing.

Although, looking at it again – it’s not an exact match.
More like picking out the “brights” in my oatmeal…

I have had a bit of a cough lately.
This is partly annoying me because I am making an effort to eat better (hence the oats and berries 🙂 )
Coincidentally, I have also been reading this book.

😆

It’s an interesting and confronting read.
Far from being a long-ago illness of fainting poets and drooping Victorian ladies, tuberculosis is still taking many lives – over 1.2 million last year alone.
John Green discusses the “beautiful disease” trope, as well as the historic and geopolitical effects on tuberculosis incidence globally. He weaves the story of a young man he met through the book, illustrating the personal challenges and tragedies of contracting tuberculosis. That man (Henry Reider) was able to access treatment, and now uses his YouTube channel to help his community with health and other issues.
We spent a (very) short amount of time, 30 years ago, in a community that was (and is) rife with tuberculosis.
It’s not pretty.
I appreciated being reminded that the world is bigger than my four walls, and that I am called to look at it and see what my role is there…
Have a read. I found this copy at my local library – always worth a visit 🙂

…and here is a song for the weekend ❤

Published in: on February 21, 2026 at 11:43 pm  Leave a Comment  
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