Bad luck comes in threes

They say these things come in threes.

Well today they sure did!

I was diagnosed with Eustachian tube dysfunction by my GP today – that is causing my right ear to feel full and blocked and why I have a sore ear and neck and even the sore throat that I thought was the start of Covid earlier this week.

Being a mouth breather and wearing a mask is one of the things that cause it to become an issue apparently.

The solution is a new nightly regime of Nasonex, for up to three months.

Lucky me!

Anyway, number two was hearing that my Mum has Covid.

She’s doing OK, but as a ‘lonely only’ child I’m on call for any help she needs over the next week or so.

And number three? Officially a tie.

I received a call from a work colleague who is recovering from a brain aneurysm this afternoon.

He’s been told he’s lucky to be alive after having a seizure and collapsing at home, being put in an induced coma, suffering from constant headaches and apart from being very very tired he’s come out the other side relatively unscathed.

Then a call from my son, on his birthday, about his cat that needs emergency surgery for an abcess.

Distressing, and expensive.

What a day!

That’s it, I’m done.

#perm A lesson learnt

So I hear that perms are back.

All I can say is, don’t go there.

I made that mistake at the end of Year 12 when mum let me go wild at Maurice Meade. I spent hours in a chair getting a spiral perm, and years growing it out.

My hair went from long, luscious healthy shiny and smooth, to frizzy short and ridiculously curly in one fell swoop.

Shirley Temple style curls, not what I was aiming for, obviously.

I cried for hours when the curls wouldn’t wash out, and scraped my hair back into a tight plait until the perm started to ‘drop’, about a year later, I kid you not.

Thank goodness for the lack of social media to document my epic mistake. One of many I made over the years in the name of ‘fashion’.

Big hair was all the rage in my day, the bigger the better eg this messy ‘do at the ball. No idea what I was thinking with that dress either though. And this photo was taken BEFORE the perm.

In my defence, it was the 80’s.

I now know that heated curlers are a much better way to experiment with curls and the results can be easily washed out.

All this 80’s nostalgia has me wondering what’s next though.

Spending thousands to live like a homeless person

Every time we go on a car club camping trip there’s another lesson to learn.

The big lesson from last weekends trip to Northcliffe was … don’t always trust online reviews when it comes to camping essentials.

Especially sleeping bags!

We invested what we thought was a reasonable amount of money in a well known and highly recommended brand that simply did not feel warm in any way.

Clear skies overnight made for wonderful star gazing but it was absolutely freezing in our tent.

I went to bed with a thermal top, fleecy hoodie and pants, a beanie and my jumper hood on my head, and warm socks on my feet, but was still so cold I barely slept.

The sleeping bag had high ratings and feedback, apparently for temperatures from minus 12.

I estimate it was probably about five degrees that night so it should have been fine.

Hmm

After that experience I need more feedback from people I actually know.

Hit me!

Wonderful and Wild women

So I hear that all the ‘Stranger Things’ fans are just discovering Kate Bush. ‘Running up that Hill’ is trending and maybe they’re starting to explore her other songs.

‘Wuthering Heights’ is an all time classic for me, as is ‘Babooshka’. I mean, the video of her interpretive dance with the double bass? Damn sexy in my humble opinion. But also a bit … scary.

I have a memory of watching a documentary about her in a hotel room in Swindon of all places. It revealed that she was in her early teens when she penned ‘The man with the child in his eyes’, another favourite of mine.

And taught herself to play the piano. What an amazingly talented musician!

A wonderful and wild woman who I’d love to have seen perform live back in the day.

On reflection I’ve always been drawn to the music of wonderful and wild women. Like Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Bjerk, and Tori Amos.

All such talented musicians in different ways.

No chance of me watching the latest series of ‘Stranger Things’ though sorry.

That stuff is very scary!

On the road again

I know it’s been a long time between posts. No excuses, just …life.

Planning and packing for our next big adventure is in progress, a car club trip to Northcliffe this weekend.

Our first time leading a car club trip, and to say I’m nervous is an understatement.

It’s going to be very cold, probably wet, and I’m working right up until close of business Friday so there’s not much time to pack.

Wish me luck!

Cheers to Covid.

Just like that it’s 2022!

Seriously, how fast did the last year fly by? Well it certainly seemed to for me.

Maybe that’s a middle-aged thing.

I’ve got a monster headache but it’s not from celebrating new year’s eve. The side effects of the Pfizer booster have hit and I’m feeling like an old car that has been left out in the paddock to rust.

In the words of the late great Leonard Cohen ‘I ache in the places where I used to play’ but it’s a small price to pay at the end of the day.

Right now I am so thankful and grateful for the silver linings that covid has brought for me.

I can hardly believe it’s been nearly two years since my milestone birthday celebration at the Cottesloe hotel!

Way back at the start of 2020 when covid was something I was only starting to hear about and didn’t think would impact my big birthday holiday.

In the past year I’ve gone from cruising to camping and can honestly say it’s been exactly what I needed to do.

Joining a car club and making new friends while heading off exploring amazing WA.

I’ve survived the heat, dust, dingoes, donkeys and flies, and days without running water and lived out of my car all with my best friend by my side.

Yes we’ve bickered and ranted and played the blame game, but ending a day by the side of a fire after watching the sun set has helped heal most wounds.

Covid is coming but we’re as prepared as we can be, both double dosed and boosted and trying to get used to accessorising with masks every time we leave home.

The bubble is set to burst at the start of February, but in the meantime another birthday is on the horizon and we’ve got one more car trip to complete.

Who’s with me?

Life on the road

It’s Saturday today which means we’ve been living out of our car for more than a week.

A milestone for me especially, and also our relationship.

Lessons I’ve learnt already include that a self inflating mattress, a dual battery and a good fridge are worth the money. Invest in a good tent, trust me that’s not something you want to scrimp on, and a collapsible bucket from Kmart has multiple uses.

That red dirt is a bugger to wash off so a good thick flannel is essential, and also a nail brush to get it out from under any nails you have left after rolling up that mattress.

Nothing beats the feeling of watching the sun set on the horizon in a bush camp, and the stars are better than anything you can watch on the idiot box.

Karijini is a magic place so if you have the time to get there it’s a must, and the people you meet on the way there are worth the long drive.

Yep there’s been more than a couple of arguments along the way, but navigating our way through the biggest road trip we’ve ever done is bringing us together in more ways than anything else we’ve ever done until now.

And right now I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be.

Chasing the sun

One more sleep before we hit the road! Who would have thought I’d be so excited about a camping trip?

A two week road trip that has been planned for months, and I’m so happy that tomorrow is finally the day!

The car is packed to the brim with everything we think we’re going to need. Knowing me I’ve probably packed too many clothes but with no guarantee of when I’ll next shower I figure it’s better to be safe than sorry.

One more sleep then it’s two full days of driving until we arrive in Newman before heading off exploring the Pilbara and Karijini.

Week two will be in Exmouth, with swimming and snorkelling and soaking up the sunshine on the agenda.

Feeling so very thankful and grateful that Covid hasn’t stopped us being able to head away.

Certainly feels like we’ve had some close calls, and every time I’ve got wind of an announcement from the Premier I’ve been crossing my fingers that its not a lock down.

Two weeks of living out of the car and sleeping in a tent is certainly the biggest challenge our relationship has faced.

But it’s something hubby has always wanted to do, and after the wettest winter we’ve had in years I’m just happy to be chasing the sun.

Chances are my updates will be limited but a break from social media and Covid news feels like exactly what we both need.

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?

#flashbackfriday Thirteen

I’ve just watched a movie on Disney Star, Thirteen.

I’ve seen it before, about ten years ago when my own daughter was in high school, and it scared the crap out of me how realistic and relatable it was.

Watching it made me flash back to the early 80s when I was thirteen years old and started pushing the boundaries and experimenting.

One particularly memorable night my ‘bestie’ and I snuck out of her house after her parents went to bed. She lived near a main road so we thought it’d be fun to stick our thumbs out and ‘pretend’ to hitch.

Two young girls, out alone at night … Wasn’t long before two guys pulled over and offered us a ride.

We thought it was a laugh, and lucky for us the guys didn’t take advantage of us in any way, and we were proud of ourselves for being so ‘naughty’.

I’ve been writing in a journal as long as I can remember, and it was reading my journal that Mum found out what we’d been up to and my friendship with my bestie was banned.

At the time I was angry at her for violating my privacy under the pretense of checking when my music lesson was scheduled. And of course devastated that my friendship with my bestie had to end.

What the movie shows is just how quickly things can go awry, and the games and lies teenagers play to manipulate and get their way.

Highly recommended viewing for anyone with pre-teens, even if only to get an insight into how peer pressure can potentially play out.

Two years after my naughty night out a friend of mine also hitched a ride and ended up being a victim of David and Catherine Birnie. For those not familiar with the story you can find out more online … Every Mother’s nightmare.

Who knows what other risks I may have taken if my friendship wasn’t banned and my boundary pushing and experimentation had been allowed to escalate.

Thankfully my own children didn’t end up pushing and experimenting too much and they’re still here and love to share their stories of what they got away with in their teens now they’re adults.

I can only imagine what the parents of my friend who wasn’t so lucky go through every time they think of her.

So in a way I guess I’m saying thanks Mum.

But I’ll still never forgive you for reading my journal.

30,000 kms in three years

Today is a public holiday in Western Australia, and right now there’s a lot of people heading home after a long weekend away.

We opted out of a road trip this weekend for a few reasons, but it feels appropriate to reflect on how far we have travelled since purchasing my ‘G.I. Jane’ Subaru Outback at the end of June in 2018.

Having just returned from an overseas holiday and with plans in place to celebrate a milestone birthday in 2020, the EOFY purchase was more about the trade-in value of my previous car and the fact I fell in love with the colour than anything else.

30,000 kms later we’ve hit the road more often and seen more of our state than we would ever have intended if Covid hadn’t put paid to our original plans.

The money we would have spent overseas has instead been invested in ‘pimping’ my car, purchasing camping supplies and sampling local bakeries from Coolgardie to the Porongorups.

Driving G.I. Jane on and off-road, along with seeing more of our state, we’ve had the opportunity to expand our circle of friends and realise how the small things mean so much along the way.

Fingers crossed Covid won’t impact our plan to see Karijini and Exmouth in a couple of months, and I’m envious of friends who recently sold everything and headed for the horizon with no set plan; one Powerball and we’ll meet them somewhere on the road.

In the meantime I’m so grateful to be able to see more of amazing WA as well as to appreciate how lucky we are to be here right now.

Who knows where the next 30,000 and three kms will take us?