Category: Lessons Learnt

#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!

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.

#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?

The bubble has burst

I’m wearing a mask handmade by a family member that felt like overkill when it arrived, but now that I’m wearing it my anxiety has hit overdrive.

It’s here, the virus we’ve been reading and hearing about from the sanctuary of our ‘bubble’ has finally found a way in and I am quietly terrified.

It wasn’t until I left home this morning that reality hit.

Driving through the back streets on my way into work, the majority of the dog walkers and tradies I passed were wearing masks.

There were very few cars on the road, and a bus I passed was eerily empty.

I’ve already had a conversation with a work colleague who, after complaining that the mask made her feel dizzy, proceeded to tell me that it’s all a conspiracy and she’s very angry.

I’m angry too, because it’s people like her not taking it seriously that will be most likely to cause the virus to spread even more.

Beyond the current epicentre in Maylands, where my daughter lives. She and her housemates have been queueing since the crack of dawn for testing, because it’s the right thing to do.

Wearing a mask of course, and preparing to wait as long as it takes to get to the front of the line.

Because if you choose not to wear a mask because it feels uncomfortable, or fogs your glasses, or makes you feel dizzy or you think it looks silly then please stay home.

But please don’t go to the shopping centre and vent at the service assistant because you had to queue outside in the heat for hours and there’s no toilet paper left on the shelves.

Because that’s just wrong and you will look silly.

Waiting for a Wave

News just in from the WA Premier, the hard border that has been closed since April will finally be opened for travellers from NSW and Victoria from midnight tonight!

Good news, right?

I certainly hope so.

Because from what I’ve seen recently, the coronvirus crisis isn’t being taken seriously, and there is a frightening sense of complacency that has settled into the WA community.

It’s certainly felt like one of the safest places in the world to be, and yes I know that for those who have been ‘stuck outside’ it has been a long wait.

The Premier turned us into an island within an island, and we’ve had months to get ourselves ready for the opening but are we really ready?

Just in time for Christmas shopping queues, and the silly season when after a few drinks everyone is a friend.

Is it just me or do we all need to stop and think and remind ourselves that yes we have been lucky to not have had any community transmission in this state, yet.

And do whatever we can to prevent a second wave.

It may not impact you personally but think about the implications of you passing the virus onto someone else, who has an elderly friend or relative, or whose immunity is compromised, and the impact on our health workers and health system.

Maybe I am a glass half empty ‘negative Nancy’, but I’m feeling a lot of anxiety while waiting for the wave.

So download the SafeWA app, avoid close contact with others, avoid shaking hands, stay home if you are not well, cover your mouth/nose when you cough/sneeze and wash your hands.

Please 🥺🙏

Not a ‘sickie’, just a cold

I’m not at work today, I’m sick.

Not a ‘sickie’, just a cold.

Probably still okay to be at work, just feels like a ‘normal’ cold but I did the ‘right thing’ and went to a respiratory clinic for a Covid test earlier today.

And yes it wasn’t pleasant.

I did the biggest loudest sneeze of my life after the nostril swab! And it’s true, your glasses fog up when you wear a mask.

And I’m annoyed I’m stuck at home until the test results are confirmed, because we’re heading away this weekend and I still need to sort out my outfit for the wedding, and was planning to catch up with the girls on my rostered day off tomorrow.

But that’s a small price to pay at the end of the day.

First World Problem as they say?

On a day I heard Doctors Without Borders are on their way to the US to help deal with the pandemic.

Because it’s people like me, who assumed it was ‘just a cold’ but actually had the virus, who helped spread it and we can all see how that is panning out overseas.

Because I heard on the radio that we need to think of the virus like the smell of cigarettes you breathe in even after the smoker has stopped smoking.

It’s in the air you breathe.

Yes we’re lucky here in Western Australia that we’ve not had any community transmission yet. But it feels like it’s only a matter of time.

Just look at how fast it’s spread in South Australia. From one person.

So maybe think about having Christmas outside this year, or a smaller family gathering than usual, or if you have to be inside have a fan circulating air.

And if you feel like you’ve ‘just got a cold’ go and get a Covid test.

It’s just the right thing to do.

Lessons learnt from camping

According to my phone the forecast minimum in Porongurup tonight is 6 degrees, and there is talk of snow on Bluff Knoll being possible.

I’ve never seen snow, but am thankful the temperature didn’t dip so low when we were down that way last weekend.

This time last week we were on our way there for our first camping experience, with the car packed to the brim and my mind full of fear of the unknown.

I am pleased to report that the experience was successful and enjoyable, but there were some lessons learnt that I’m sharing for myself more than anything.

Prepare for the worst and hope for the best so byo cooking, eating and washing up supplies because camp kitchen facilities vary.

We were pleasantly surprised to find a microwave oven as well as a fridge, toaster, kettle, stove and crockery in the camp kitchen but it can’t be assumed that these will be provided every time.

Don’t rely on technology.

Our CB Radio inexplicably randomly stopped working on the day we left, which would have made it difficult to stay in contact with the car club convoy en route to our destination.

Thankfully we had a spare set but have made a note to check and double check they are both working well before our next trip.

We also had issues with maintaining power for the portable fridge, which could have been managed with the solar panel we decided not to take.

Next trip the panel will be second on the list.

First on the list will be earplugs, which after our first mostly sleepless night we headed to Mount Barker to purchase due to the snore symphony being transmitted from most of the tents.

The self inflating mattress was worth the money as well as the space it took up in the car, but we need to invest in new sleeping bags because the ones we have simply wouldn’t cut it if the overnight temperature dipped as low as it is forecast to tonight.

The long drive home was borderline dangerous because we were both so tired, so anything we can do to improve our sleep quality will be worth the investment.

Tips from other campers I’ll be using include a stove top coffee percolator for that essential morning brew, a thermos for cuppas on the road, and lots of towels for wiping down the tent before it’s rolled up on pack down day.

The biggest lesson from our first camping experience is that the comforts of home and especially our bed have never been more appreciated since we have returned.

I have been sleeping better all week so we are already planning our next trip, but in the meantime I’m researching sleeping bags so any tips would be appreciated.

I’m looking forward to seeing news about snow on Bluff Knoll, but good luck to the campers down there this weekend.

Hopefully they’ve prepared for the worst!