Archive for the Journal Category
Written on March 4, 2010 by Jen
Filed Under: Journal
photo credit: Gustavo (lu7frb)
I hung out my washing this evening at dusk. I would have hung it out earlier but my son was in the shower as the washing machine was filling up with water and of course that affects the shower temperature. So I turned the washing machine off.
While hanging out the washing I could feel myself being bitten my mosquitos but I needed to hang it out so I had to put up with it. I tried keeping moving and brushing my legs against each other to hopefully brush any blood sucking bugs off but they still bit my ankles.
I hung out as much washing as I could handle and ran inside and hung the last little bit on the clothes horse.
The bites were itching lots so I rubbed some Stingose onto them. When Stingose dries it has a consistency of a home made mosquito bite recipe using a cupboard ingredient most people have. My Nana told me about this at least 20 years ago as that’s how long since she’s been gone. That is bi-carbonate of soda, or bicarb soda, mixed with a bit of water to make a paste – about the consistency of cake icing if you’ve ever made that.
Once you’ve made the paste you dob it onto the bites and it really helps take the sting away.
The other thing I’ve used which helps, but I don’t have any at the moment, is a little dab of pure lavender oil essence. Not only does it smell great, it helps take the sting away also.
I don’t know that the Stingose is working. I’m going to dig out the bicarb soda and see how it goes.
What natural remedy or remedies do you use?
Written on February 20, 2010 by Jen
Filed Under: Journal, Parenting, Photos
When he starts complaining that I never do anything for him I’m going to point him to this post I’m about to write and to the last one about going fishing.
After a particularly late and overindulgent night out at an Elvis party I drove us up to the foothills to see our cousins baby rats. I knew of their existence thanks to Facebook and commented that JJ would love to see them. It was so arranged and off we went. Remember that I was feeling quite tired and a little bit seedy and he was lucky I didn’t cancel and just stay in front of the tv or lie in bed.
Once we got there, however, it was good to see the baby rats. They hadn’t quite opened their eyes yet and all they do is sleep on top of each other and feed.
Their mum and her mate were quite cute too and very inquisitive. This one loved my camera case.
JJ loved observing them and holding them and didn’t hassle me as much as I thought he might to take one or two home. I’ve nothing against pet rats, I just don’t want any more responsibility for living creatures. And I don’t know how Monty would take it.
Once these little ones are old enough they’ll go back to the pet shop. Lots of people must have rats as pets.
Written on February 18, 2010 by Jen
Filed Under: Journal, Parenting, Photos
JJ still continues to really enjoy cub scouts and the other night they went on a fishing excursion. I realised a few days beforehand that our $7 fishing rod was broken so with a borrowed fishing rod off we went.
The aim was to have a bit of fun and to earn a badge so with a bit of extra homework JJ has to do hopefully he will have earned his first badge. I’m not a very pushy scout mum when it comes to badge earning.
Fishing doesn’t really do it for me but I must admit it was lovely to spend a warm evening down by the beach. I wish I’d taken my bathers to go in for a dip though – a bit further down from the fishing crowd of course.
Even Scout Larry came along and enjoyed himself despite being tied up.
I even had a bit of a go at casting out myself and all of them were at an angle.
While observing JJ I could see how at peace he was while standing there holding his fishing rod. Looking at him be at peace made me realise what the fishing fascination is with so many people. I’m kind of getting it.
Unfortunately we didn’t catch anything but them’s the breaks.
Even though all he wants is money to buy electronic games for his birthday I reckon a fishing rod would be just the ticket too.
Written on February 9, 2010 by Jen
Filed Under: Journal
JJ has been at school and I’ve been back at work for two weeks now. Bring back the holidays!!
Why do busy routines get me down so much? Is it because if they don’t go according to plan I feel like I’m losing control for a moment? I don’t really know.
We’ve had a few days of quite warm weather and the accompanying lack of sleep doesn’t help myself or himself. On top of that we had a parent acquaintance evening tonight which meant coming home from work, quickly doing his spelling words, having an argument about lost lunchboxes and missing things, and gulping some dinner down far too quickly before going along to the teacher’s talk.
Tomorrow evening JJ’s scout group has a fishing excursion which means I have to take him there, hang around and try to help even though I don’t really like fishing and don’t know anything about it. I will try to be enthusiastic because it will be a good bonding experience for him and me.. But I really just want that hour or so to myself to decompress, and pop into the library as I have a book on hold. Now I won’t be able to get it until Friday or Saturday.
But wait. Cricket starts on Saturday. Or it might if there are enough year 2/3’s who want to play. Apparently there aren’t. Last year there were too many kids for the team and now there aren’t enough. Maybe the year 2’s don’t know about it yet. While I like him to play sport, the Saturday morning lie-in instead of sport is quite alluring. That and not having to worry about him having an early enough night so he’s not too grumpy the next morning.
Over the next two weeks at work I have to go five days worth of training the other side of town. This means I’ll have to drive to work (I normally catch the bus) and the journey will take a good 40 minutes each way (it currently takes me about 20). I’ll also be showing someone the ropes of my job because I’ll be acting in another position for four weeks and someone else will be backfilling mine.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. It’s just busy.
I miss the carefree times of being able to go to bed pretty much whenever I want because I didn’t have to be rudely awoken by my alarm clock at a certain time like I was this morning. My sleep was so deep it took me a while to realise what was happening.
In other news I dropped in, and paid for, the passport applications for JJ and myself. $312 to be exact. Hopefully JJ’s will be processed okay as I haven’t got, and don’t think I need to get, his father’s consent. I was just relieved that I managed to finally find our birth certificates and that I had everything I needed today. I hate filling in forms.
Written on February 6, 2010 by Jen
Filed Under: Journal
I’ve had a severe case of blogger’s block here recently. It’s not really helped by lots of things going through my head that prevent me from thinking about content for this website. As I’ve been blogging for nearly six years I thought I’d share some snippets of this blog back through those years and I’ll focus on posts I created on 6 Feb, or the closest date to it.
My first February on Semantically driven was in 2005. Around this time of year the Big Day Out festival happens in Australia. I haven’t been for ten years and in 2005 I kind of really wanted to go but for various reasons didn’t. Therefore I had a Big Day In.
In February 2006 was the last time we were over in Kangaroo Island. As you’ll see from the photo in this post the beach near where we stayed was absolutely gorgeous and the photo is one of my most viewed on Flickr.
On 6 February 2007 I wrote about an entry I wrote for Blogging for Books. I don’t think this competition exists any more and I rarely write for online competitions any more probably because my imagination seems to have left the building.
This time two years ago I spoke at my first conference. It was really scary but all the same I’m glad it’s something I’ve now done.
This time last year I was thinking of taking action. The action I was thinking of taking hasn’t really happened but I’m quite okay with that.
This year, a new school year has just started and we’re well and truly back into the routine of school lunches, drop-offs, pick-ups, working, Scouts, sport (nearly) and the social whirl that is February and March around these parts with various events.
JJ has a friend around at the moment whom he met at the Gold Coast last July. He and his mum have moved back to Adelaide where her family is. His mum was here for a bit earlier but she has gone to visit her brother. I recommended leaving her son here while she does that. Him and JJ will be fine, although I’d better get them some lunch. And so it goes on.
Written on January 26, 2010 by Jen
Filed Under: Journal, Photos, Travel
A week or so ago after we walked through the Festival Centre Plaza in Adelaide we made our way down to the banks of the River Torrens and hired a paddleboat for half an hour. I haven’t done this for a long time and JJ has never done it.
The swans are very friendly, probably because lots of people take food to feed them. They were disappointed with us, however, as we had no food.
If you’re not paddle boating on the Torrens you can go on one of the Popeye’s for an hour’s cruise.
It was a lovely day and Adelaide can look quite pretty and inviting sometimes. This is looking towards the Festival Centre.
It’s Australia Day today which means a public holiday for most people. I’ve made some lamingtons – a traditional Australian cake (my first ever batch) and we’re off to an Australia day barbeque later. Tomorrow is my first day back at work after nearly seven weeks. Sob.
Written on January 22, 2010 by Jen
Filed Under: Journal
I’ve got less than one week of my long holidays left although I’m already looking forward to the next one as I’ve paid a deposit to go to Bali in the middle of the year!
Last week a couple of friends and I (and associated kids) hired a holiday house on Yorke Peninsula for a few days. It was a bit windy the first couple of days but then the wind dropped and the weather was lovely for the last two.
I’m not sure what it is about staying near the beach that makes you tired, but it does. I think packing for the holiday, driving to the destination and then settling in has a bit to do with it.
One afternoon we went to a local swimming beach and the kids had lots of fun jumping off rocks while I photographed them.
I love that my camera will let me take continuous photos. It works really well in capturing a sequence like the above, and like this.
See the rest of the photos here.
It’s going to be hard to get up next Wednesday morning, see my son safely off into grade 3, and then toddle off to work to trawl through a whole bunch of mostly meaningless emails. I’m going to have to put on a good act to make it look like I’m happy to be back at work. At least it will only be a two day week for me before the weekend.
Any tips on how I can motivate myself are very welcome.