Is this thing still on?

*tap tap tap*

 

Boo!!

Today I remembered I have/had a blog. I came to make sure it still existed.

October was the last time I update it. I’m terrible, Muriel.

Life’s been remarkably good and lovely and fun. I celebrated my 1 year anniversary with the boy at the start of this month. I love him to bits. Honestly, I never thought I could love someone so much. Aaaw, gross.

The flat is still awesome, I’ve been here 15 months now. Boy has that time flown too.

We went to Hobart last week and fell in love with everything there. Honestly it was the perfect little getaway. We both want to move there now, but realistically, that may not happen!! One can dream!

Life marches on. I turned 42 this year. 42!!!!!!!!!! Shut the front door.

Anyway, I’m still kicking, enjoying life, smelling the roses. I hope you are too x

October!

Blimey hasn’t this year just disappeared up its own bits!

Still same old same old here. Well kinda. I do have a shiny new job of 2 weeks that I am enjoying very much. It’s funny how it all came about. I was home sick for a couple of days. I had a friend who was applying for another job and she had asked me to have a look at her application. So I searched out the original ad. Whilst doing this I perused a few others. This one caught my eye and I fired off an application, thinking nothing much would come of it. I got a phone call for an interview and a week and a half later had a new job! I’m very pleased 🙂

I’ve been seeing my boy thing for 5 months now, it’s wonderful. He makes me so very happy. Even the cats adore him!

The flat is still going very well and with Spring here my little balcony  has some flowers and new growth. I’m looking forward to spending more time in the park too, we’ve already spent a couple of sunny afternoons over there, lying on the grass.

Absent

Apologies for being quite awful with blogging. I don’t really have any good excuses to be honest. Life has just been busy.

I’m pushing to gain more clients in my own business, with a view to drop one day a week at my full time job. I’ve joined a local counselling rooms, which are close to home and lovely and cosy. I’ve got clients booked in already, which is fabulous.

My little flat is still delightful. I spend many enjoyable hours here. Most often I’m accompanied by my boy thing who is one of the most lovely people I have had the pleasure of meeting. I feel like I’ve been searching for someone like him all my life. I’m utterly smitten.

The mental health sector is woeful. I’m not enjoying my job too much at the moment, thank goodness for my own business. Soldier on!

Lots has happened I guess. Nothing stops. I just don’t find the time to blog anymore. I read and comment on others blogs when I can, but even that can be difficult.

Winter Solstice Sunset

Tamika & Alex watch the election coverage

A sunny winter day in the city

pillow talk

Here’s some words that came out of my mouth. It’s easier than typing things.

 

Redirection

I have moved!

Finally settled into my new digs and am enjoying my new surrounds immensely. It was an epic move, but it’s all done and dusted now. They’ll have to take me out of here in a coffin, I’m never doing that again!

I think I need Highriser to come on an exploration tour with me. I’m fairly sure he knows a hell of a lot more about this area than I do. I have found a delicious Greek restaurant on Glenferrie Rd, run by a greek nonna. I’ll need to find the perfect pizza and some other decent take aways. The park over the road from my has a symphony on next weekend, which I can’t wait to hear! So much to see around here.

I don’t have much else to share, my life has been so consumed by this move that little else has registered!

I’ll leave you with some pics, mostly the view from my new balcony. I have resurrected my From A Balcony Series on flickr now that I have a view again. Saturdays picture went mental, at last count it had over 250 favourites.

Monday sunrise

Monday sunrise 5 mins later

Saturday sunrise

A sunset

Cats exploring the balcony

My favourite tree in the park – lemon scented

 

Breaking Point

They say everyone has their breaking point. Not sure who ‘they’ are, but I do agree.

Recently I hit mine.

As most of you would know, the last part of 2015 was difficult for me. But I was doing okay, still functioning and feeling well. I even purchased myself a shoebox to live in, which was a definite highlight.

However around Christmas I started to feel extremely tired and run down. Things that normally wouldn’t have bothered me started to get on my nerves. I found myself withdrawing from the world a little. 2016 arrived and with it a shit storm of things that weighed upon my mind. I had a couple of really difficult clients that just didn’t let up, and I felt that the environment at work wasn’t wonderful. Then one of my client visits included a surprise death whilst I was there. I knew at the time that I was at risk for vicarious trauma, but I honestly thought I would be okay. I am resilient after all, I have been through some awful times recently and I’ve bounced back well.

A few days ago, when I should have been packing and making plans I was instead crying and hiding in my bed. I couldn’t go to work and I didn’t want to deal with the outside world, or the packing I so desperately needed to do. I knew things had come undone in a big way.  I’ve had a lot of things going on (not just what happened at work) and I felt suddenly so overwhelmed I just couldn’t deal. I wasn’t eating and I didn’t want to do anything. I hadn’t felt this way since my Mum died. Even acknowledging that now makes me cry.

So I contacted my work and told them what was going on for me and that I couldn’t come to work. They have been really good. I am getting counselling from our EAP, hopefully this will help a little. I am resting and doing things that make me feel okay. I know if I don’t do this properly then I will damage myself long term. I need to give myself time and space for my mental health to improve. I need to get this house move out of the way and to feel settled again. I need to stop sabotaging my world.

I know things will improve, they always do.

Day 1, 2016

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you all had a fabulous night, whatever you decided to do.

I caught up with friends and was home in bed by just after 11pm. It had been 41 degrees (105.8F) during the day and I had to work, so I was fairly wrecked by about 10pm. Nonetheless I had a gorgeous evening on the Yarra River with my friends, consuming some wonderful food and lounging about.

2015 was a very average year for me, with a lot of really testing times. I survived. When I die, I want them to write one line to describe me – Resilient as Fuck!

Anyway, looking forward, I move in just over 5 weeks and I am nervous and super pleased to be doing so. Apologies in advance if I am quiet on here (though you never know, I do procrastinate a lot). I have a lot of packing and downsizing to be done!

Much love to you all x

Christmas 2015

Merry Christmas to everyone who still bothers with reading this disjointed ol’ blog!

Christmas came early for me and I purchased myself a tiny new flat in Malvern. I am going to have to downsize a hell of a lot over the next two months, but I can’t wait to move in. The flat is in a great area, with a beautiful park over the road. I’m looking forward to making it mine.

Christmas was lovely, as usual. It was a smaller affair this year for lunch, with various people off at their other halves events. I had breakfast at my sister’s and that was wonderful. Christmas often makes me feel a little sad, but spending it with my awesome family is just the antidote for that.

Today, Boxing Day, has been quiet. I’ve been culling my wardrobe and other things. I also found cheap flights to Sydney and booked myself a ticket to go up in late April, for my birthday. I will be dead broke by then, so it will be good to look forward to that.

I hope that whatever you did for the day, that you had a fabulous day filled with good food and love.

tidbits

I’ve got a blog post in my brain to do with internet dating. Complete with screen caps for your amusement. But it requires sitting and putting it all together. Aka time. Some day I shall get there.

I have to downsize. Quite a bit. I need to get started with selling some things. My radiogram, a queen sized bed frame, a single bed and mattress amongst other things. I also need to find me a new flat. Or shoebox. They’re much the same thing these days I think.

I can’t wait to tell my landlord I’m leaving.  I hope their next tenant is a proper pain in the ‘arris. I might pull more of the already falling fence down before I leave. Just to make a point!

This time of the year leaves me exhausted by the end of every day. Today I was in court with a client who has no off switch. Next week I’m in court again. Different client thank goodness.

I’ve been booking in a few photography jobs which has been wonderful. One is a repeat client from this time last year. My sex therapy business stuff is pretty much on hold for now, until I move and get established again.

I’ve been watching Jessica Jones and have been enjoying it. David Tennant is delicious, as usual.

I’ve actually started my Christmas shopping. Rare for me. All online thus far, it’s so much easier. Then it’s like Christmas for me when the parcels show up!

These two idiots are okay, though Tamika had a stress induced UTI this week. Hello vet bills. She’s such a highly strung cat at times.