Reboot

Ok, it's been so long since I updated this blog, it's time I really start posting more regularly. Given everything that was going on in my personal life I was in no mood to write as it has not been an easy few months to say the least. Glen moved out of the house a couple of months ago and we have tried to maintain a friendship, which isn't always easy, but in my view it's a lot better than hate and anger. It sounds like a cliche but each day gets a little easier. Not always smoothly though; there are still times when I am happy and then all of a sudden a pang of loss hits, and I'll miss him, and I just start crying. But I'm getting there...

So anyway I'm going to try and post more regularly in general like I used to do when I was a good blogger. Uni is keeping me busy but I am loving my subjects this semester because they both involve lots of writing, so it doesn't seem like such a chore. Nothing much has changed at all with my family since my more regular posts, still just dealing with my Dad's addiction and my Mum is still being amazing. I am still reading as much as possible amidst the studying and drama and will try and start posting reviews again soon.

One thing that has made me feel more like myself lately is that I am starting to furnish the house again. After Glen moved out I bought a new lounge and TV straight away but the rest of the house has been looking half-empty and as sad as I was feeling. I didn't know what to do with the spare room but as it seems to be a popular retreat for interstate visitors I decided to put my old bedroom furniture into there and get myself a new bed etc. On the weekend Mum helped me rearrange everything and put the new pieces together and for the first time since I've lived out of home I have proper bedside tables and lamps. I love my new bedroom. Amazing how rearranging a room to make it feel more like 'mine' has been so emotionally refreshing.

Anyway will leave it here for now. More to come in the next few days, surely :)

Highs and lows

Obviously a lot has happened since the last update. There have been small rays of good, but mostly it's been a lot of pain and trying to figure out who I can actually trust. It's certainly been a real eye opener for me.

When you're the person who instigated a separation, people tend to forget that despite the mistakes you've made, the actual break up of your marriage is still painful to you. Don't get me wrong, I am not playing the victim and I am well aware of my mistakes, but people tend to forget that you're hurting too. Not everyone, of course. I've had some fantastic family and friends stand by me, even if they don't agree with my decisions, they have supported me and helped through the hurt, and for that I am grateful, because without them I probably would have gone a bit nuts.

For those who seem to say they will stick by me and not pick sides, but then invariably do by their actions (whether intentional or not), I just wish they would remember that no matter how things appeared on the surface, no one knows what actually went on in our relationship except for me and Glen.

We have generally kept things amicable and civil but this last week has been the lowest of the low. As a result my self esteem is once again absolutely shattered and it will probably take me a long time to try and rebuild it. But that's for me to work through, I'm not writing it to engender sympathy or pity, but this is my blog and I just want to say what I'm feeling right now.

So what, in all this, could possibly have been the highs mentioned in the title, you ask?

Well my Mum, on the spur of the moment, suggested that for the January long weekend her and I drive to Victoria to visit my Uncle and Aunt in Warrnambool, as well as my cousin in Melbourne. It was a fantastic suggestion, and something that was desperately needed. Mum and I shared the drive, had no dramas, and took it easy. We first went to Melbourne to spend time with my favourite cousin and her gorgeous family which was just fantastic. The next day we drove to Warrnambool where we spent the next few nights at my Uncle's house. He showed us the sights of Warrnambool (surprisingly awesome beaches) and then took us along the Great Ocean Road to see all the tourist spots. It was beautiful. Mum and I drove home on Tuesday morning and stopped off at Mt Gambier to see the Blue Lake, and returned home exhausted from the drive but refreshed mentally. So, a glimmer of positive in all this crap.

Today Glen gets the keys to his new place, and tomorrow is the big moving day. I don't pretend that it will be easy, but logically I know it needs to be done. Then we need to sort out the legal stuff, and I'm not sure how easy any of that will be as we've already had some disagreements, but alas, it needs to be done...

So that's the update in a very small nutshell. Hopefully, with Uni starting again in a couple of weeks and my life getting into another routine I'll have something else to write about. But for now, this is all consuming.

2013: A time of change indeed

So, readers of my blog who don't personally know me are probably wondering why I haven't posted for a while. Late last year, one of my good friends who writes her own blog called thecookingchook nominated me for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. Shortly after that, my personal life became a shambles, and so I am feeling like the least inspiring person I know right now.

Obviously I will not publicly go into details, but my husband and I are currently going through a separation, so we are both all over the shop right now. I was the instigator, I was to blame, and although it's been almost 4 weeks since I ruined his life I am still struggling to cope with the guilt, inability to forgive myself, and the grieving for what has been lost. It is difficult to walk away from the marriage and shared hopes and dreams, but it's something I need to learn to do. I regret that I didn't handle situations that came up a long time ago better, obviously. When I accepted his proposal obviously it was not my intention that we go down this path when only married less than two years. But I am trying to remain hopeful that this doesn't mean the end of my life goals to be happy and to have a family. I need to believe that I can still achieve those and find my true happiness.

So much crammed into a fortnight

It's been a topsy turvy couple of weeks around our household. There have been more of what seem to be endless blood tests, and a couple of appointments coming up to keep us moving in the 'please let us have a child' quest. The longer this goes on, the harder I'm finding it to stay positive...

We've had a BBQ with some online gaming friends which involved an interstate visitor staying with us a night, which was a genuinely fantastic weekend. The weather was perfect, the company was fun, and the house guest was so easy to take care of. My cat, Kira, made a new best friend, and since he left she's spent a bit of time wandering around the house looking for him.

In much sadder news, some friends of the family had to face the death of their 24 year old son, who died in a motorcycle accident. The funeral was yesterday and it was touching and heart wrenching. I wish I had known him as an adult as he sounds like he was an incredible young man who'd made such an impact on the lives of those he knew. Gone too soon, most definitely. I have noticed that the older I get, the more likely I am to catch up with people at funerals rather than weddings or birthdays or other things. It's happened twice in a month now. Quite a shame, that. Anyway, just an observation...

Today I have my last class at Uni for the year and next week I have my last assignment for the year due. I am looking forward to some time without worrying about homework, to be honest. This weekend we have some friends from Brisbane coming to the Barossa so we'll be spending a day there with them which I am looking forward to. Bring on the Rockford's Black Shiraz!!!

Just like that

Just like that, two weeks seem to have flown by. I don't know where the time has gone to be honest, so a brief summary of what's been happening.

I recently got a new tattoo. I love it so, so much! It's almost fully healed already and is beautiful. I cannot recommend Andy from Tattoo Gallery highly enough, he's such a great artist particularly for work involving fine lines and shading. It was a very early Christmas present to myself, courtesy of my tax return.

Recently it was Glen's birthday. I took the day off work and despite me still having Uni in the morning, we had a great day. The weather was gorgeous so we went to Carisbrooke Reserve and walked around a bit, then we had some pizzas for dinner and a night on the couch watching some shows. Nice and relaxing. The family birthday lunch also went off without incident, which was a relief.

Last Friday night my Dad asked me if I wanted to go to a bonsai show with him on the Sunday. I can't begin to describe how happy I was that he had asked me to something. We used to do things together all the time, and I couldn't remember the last time he actually wanted to spend some time with me. I would have dropped any other plans to go to this bonsai show as a result, as long as I got to be with my Dad. My natural reaction following this initial phone call then would normally be one of constant worry. It would not be surprising for me to look forward to something only to have it ruined by my Dad's alcoholism.

Thankfully this group therapy stuff seems to be helping. I have been going regularly for the past 3 weeks and, although I did still worry a bit and came up with a backup plan just in case, there was definite improvement in my state of mind. It'll be a slow process, but it seems to be working for me in any case. The best part was that Sunday rolled around and Dad picked me up and we had a fantastic afternoon together. I really am going to remember that for a long time, and am grateful for it.

As for the family planning thing, that's still an ongoing saga. I got my latest test results back and everything is normal, so now I'm booked in for another set of tests, as well as a visit to a fertility clinic. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't getting me down...

Relief already

As I was off sick with a stupid cold on Monday, I didn't get to that support group I mentioned in my previous blog post. But, I still thought going along was really important for me, and it turns out they had a lunch time session yesterday, so I booked it into my calendar and went along. I have to admit, I was a bit apprehensive prior to the start time, and considered just not going, but I am genuinely glad I didn't listen to that negative little voice in my head.

I've been to one of these groups once before, about a year ago, and at the time I didn't think it was for me. I am so glad I gave it another go though, looking up a different session and consequently finding a group that I feel comfortable with. There was a warm feeling as soon as I entered the room, and the stories told by other people there really spoke to me, as did some of the readings and discussions we had about choices and detachment. I know this will be a long process for me, as I do have major difficulties with detaching and guilt associated with my Dad, but I am feeling more confident about doing it now. I'll definitely be going to these sessions at least once a week.

It's something I think my Mum would really benefit from, but I can't force her to go along, all I can do is tell her I'm going and try and encourage her, and share some of the reading material with her. One of the ladies who spoke yesterday sounded so much like my Mum, I think she could really relate if she gave it a go. But she will when she's ready to.

The only downside is that there's a spiritual focus, and I find myself a bit lost spiritually at the moment. The focus is expected as it stems from AA so has similar 12 steps and has the serenity prayer, but they are very quick to point out that it is non denominational and the spiritual side can work for you no matter what your belief, you just find a way to apply it to your life and your beliefs.

It's only been one session but the happiness and relief I already feel are massive, despite knowing there's a very long way to go.

When to seek support

Well it's no secret to those who know me, or to those who have been reading my blogs for a while, that my father is an alcoholic and has gotten progressively worse over the last couple of years. This year started off quite well, with him being sober for about four months, but I always knew that because he is a stubborn European male who refuses to seek help or admit that it's a problem, he would slip back. Unfortunately, that's been the case. It started off again in April but things weren't so bad. Maybe once a month he would slip up. But now things have gone back to how they were a year ago, and it's awful.

What I struggle the most with is the fact that before, my Dad and I were always really close. He would come into town and have lunch with me, and we'd do a lot of things together like go see motorsport races or go to the Royal Show. So what I struggle the most with is that I really miss him. He's not the same person any more. Even when he doesn't have a drink in his hand, his depression is obvious. It's so sad to see him sitting in a room with his family and yet looking so distant and alone. Breaks my heart to see that look in his eyes.

August/September in particular have been back to the old ways. If we're lucky, he goes a couple of days without a drink. He's back to falling over and hurting himself, and Mum is left to clean up after him. I feel so sorry for her, and really want her to do things for herself and get out of that environment, but she's also a lot like me. No matter how angry we might get with him, we know he's sick, and we've loved him for so long we just want to help him.

I've lost count of the number of times I have been awake at night thinking of him, or the amount of bad dreams I've had that involve him. As things are, I can not see an end to this problem. I just don't see how things will ever get better. I feel like, over the last couple of years, I have tried everything I can to get him to see how his addiction effects the rest of us. I truly don't think there is anything more I, or anyone else in my family, can do. It really is up to him now. Which is why I can't see things ever getting better.

We've offered our home to Mum so that she has somewhere to go should she feel like getting out of that house. She is a bit stubborn though, and getting her to come over can be a struggle (who would have though, a Kovac woman being stubborn). But what it all comes down to is the fact that I'm really not coping. So on Monday I think I'm going to go to a family support group. I know that, logically, I can't feel responsible for his addiction and yet my stupid brain, despite knowing this, won't let me come to terms with what has been happening (and what continues to happen). Hopefully this support group helps a bit...

A slightly healthier Mel

I feel so much better today than I have the last few days. It's amazing how much of a better mood I'm in when I've had a good night's sleep, this virus seems to be passing, and last night I finished off one of my assignments. Such a relief! Today I treated myself to a lymphatic facial at Face It! Massage It! Nail It! at lunch time which my skin desperately needed after all the sugar and dehydration recently.

So tonight, post assignment, I plan on loading up Lord of the Rings Online, my current gaming addiction, and finishing off reading No Country for Old Men, and have a night away from textbooks. It really is the little things that make me happy! Now if only the weather would get back to what we had on the weekend, that would be perfect.

In other news, I decided to buy a cross stitch pattern that I could make for a friend's birthday coming up in November, but this was considered intermediate level rather than beginner. A couple of nights ago I opened up the pattern and then wondered what the hell I'd done. The jump from beginner to intermediate in these patterns is a huge one, I've found. So I decided to give it a crack, and after an hour I think I've only completed 30 stitches and have already stuffed up. Hmm, maybe I can give it to her next year for her birthday instead...

What to do when stuck on an assignment? Blog!

Well the weekend was crazy busy! On Saturday I got the food in the slow cooker, we did some housework and went grocery shopping, I managed to squeeze in some studying, and then before we knew it Ivan and Miyuki had arrived for dinner and a catchup. Felt like ages since we'd seen them, and I was trying out a beef and red wine casserole in the slow cooker so who better to have as our taste testers. Thankfully the food was a hit, as was the chocolate cake I'd made for dessert, and we cracked open the yummy wine they'd brought around and sat back and watched a couple of movies, Blood Diamond and Howl's Moving Castle. The night flew and at 1am the guests left and we crawled into bed. We are so old, that's the latest we've been awake for a very long time!

Sunday was Father's Day here in Australia and we were invited over to Mum and Dad's house for lunch. In the morning I did the weekly laundry, tried to study some more, and then we headed over to their house. What looked like it would be a bit of an anxious day due to my Dad actually turned out to be a really lovely afternoon. After dropping Glen home I went to the nursing home to visit Grandma, and then after dinner tried to catch up on a bit more study.

Unfortunately this virus/cold that's been floating around finally got me and I've been at home sick the last two days. What sucks about it is the time off should be conducive to getting lots done, unless ofcourse you're not feeling well and struggling to concentrate. So I have an assignment due Friday and I've only managed 113 words so far. Hoping I can get it done and so that it actually makes sense. There's little point in asking for an extension as I have an even bigger assignment due next week and so this weekend will be spent working on that one instead.

Anyway yesterday I got my fertility test results back. Everything is normal except they need to re-check my progesterone levels so that means more blood tests. Because 4 vials of blood last time just wasn't enough it seems :P

Ok too tiring to sit at the PC much longer. Think it's time to go flop onto the couch and pester my cats...

Upcoming Father's Day

Father's Day is this Sunday and I am seriously struggling to know what to get my Dad this year. His birthday was just a month ago so getting him another gift so soon after his birthday is tricky. He's hard enough to buy for regularly but with his only interest these days being alcohol, it's proving even more difficult than usual. I wandered around the shops for ages yesterday trying to find something he might like and came out with zero ideas. It was hard enough picking a card to be honest. They all say 'you're the best Dad', or, 'you're a great role model', or, 'you're my best friend' and none of that seems true anymore. I feel bad saying that because I know what he has is an illness but it's how I feel.

In happier news, I can't wait to get my tax return so I can get my next tattoo. At this stage it's looking like happening at the end of September. YAY! Not telling Mum this time lol. How silly, being 33 and still not wanting to tell my mother something.

The joys of family?

It's been a while since my last post. I guess it's hard to re-form this habit of writing more regularly. Besides which my life is really boring at the moment, just working and studying, and playing the occasional bit of LOTRO when I can.

Family issues are up and down at the moment. A couple of weekends ago we had a horrid time, with Dad taking another bad turn. It really was horrible and I still can't get those images out of my head. The whole situation still effects me so badly despite it having been around for years, that I think I might need to seek some counselling or another support group. I still fall into the trap of thinking things are going well and then being surprised when he has another setback. I don't know why, it isn't logical, but it's something I constantly do.

As for the family planning stuff, last week I went for a few tests and now am waiting for my GP to come back from a conference to find out the results and see where to from here. Fingers crossed...

Aside from that, I've still had no luck in finding time to cross-stitch but have some projects I want to work on for upcoming birthdays and babies so better make time. I'm still reading when I can, having recently read an unpublished manuscript called Fade In by Michael Pillar. I'm part-way through A Beautiful Mind and Blood Meridian, two books from complete opposite ends of the spectrum!

Time is lacking

I can't believe we're already into August. I honestly think there just aren't enough hours in the day! I wake up at bullshit o'clock to get to work, then get home when it's already dark, and by the time we have dinner and watch a little TV there are only a couple of hours before bedtime in which I should be studying. I'm also trying to get back into cross stitching though, as well as reading for pleasure, not just homework. So I was glad we had a relatively quiet weekend planned.

The only plan we had was to go to Mum and Dad's for lunch on Saturday for my Dad's 62nd birthday. Given recent events I was nervous about what we might find when we arrived but I was pleasantly surprised. We turned out to have a great lunch and stayed for a few hours. It was nice to just sit and chat with them.

Aside from the usual weekly chores, the rest of my weekend was really quiet so I got heaps of studying done. Plus the weather was crap so despite the garden needing some attention, that wasn't going to happen. I actually had the time to read ahead a bit, which I think is probably the first time that's ever actually happened lol. I have an assignment to do by Friday but should be able to finish that by tomorrow night as it isn't a big one and I've done the prep work.

So on Sunday I had time to try out one of my new recipes in my new slow cooker, Steak and Stout. The beef and veggies turned out so yummy and soft, although the sauce was a little strong. In future I think I'll strain it out. It added great flavours to the meat but was too strong on it's own without some bread to soak it up. The plan is that I'll do a different slow cooker meal every weekend until we find some favourites :)

As for the baby planning stuff, tomorrow I'm off to the Drs to discuss some tests so time will tell with that one. Fingers crossed!

A mixed bag

We had a pretty busy weekend just gone, mixed with some good and some bad. Always seems to be the case with us!

On Saturday morning I did the usual weekly washing and then got stuck into my homework now that Uni has started. Unfortunately there's no easing into it seeing as I have to keep working so the weekends are the only time I get to focus for a few hours at a time. Before we knew it, 2:30pm had rolled around and we were off to Ivan and Miyuki's house to meet them before the Pizza Night was due to start. After a chat and waiting for other people, we headed off to Willunga to the Best Pizza Place EVER! This couple has transformed part of their home to host a kitchen, pizza oven and restaurant area and do home made all-you-can-eat gourmet pizzas for $10. Everything was delicious! They grow their own vegetables and make a lot of their own ingredients, with the guy making pizzas of every flavour imaginable and the lady bringing out pizzas constantly so in the end we were all full of lots of delicious pizzas and there were still whole ones untouched. My favourite was the tuna mornay :) But the best thing about the place was the atmosphere. A little family business, really friendly people, and located on a gorgeous property surrounded by rolling hills and views all the way out to the ocean. I can see why Ivan and Miyuki love coming here!

Sunday was the crash back down to Earth. The day started off ok - more homework done, grocery shopping, and a visit to Grandma's. In the evening my Aunt and Uncle from Victoria arrived (they're visiting for a few days) so we had dinner at Mum and Dad's which in itself is a good thing, but unfortunately Dad's returned to the alcohol and wasn't exactly sober. Mind you, he was nowhere near as bad as he has been in the past so that was a blessing I guess. Still, it's hard not to worry (for me, anyway). I already have it in my nature to worry about things I can't control, and so with him I worry constantly. Anyway we'll see how things go in that respect. Despite all that, it's been excellent seeing my Aunt and Uncle, as I always love catching up with them. They were also kind enough to buy us a slow cooker which is awesome as I've wanted one for ages! Can't wait to try it out soon! I already bought a recipe book in my excitement :)

So now it's back to the weekdays and we're plodding along. Tonight we're catching up with the rellies over a cuppa and some cake which will be nice. In other crappy news, I'm not 100% ready to share exactly what's been happening, but we're seeing the Dr about my not getting pregnant yet and news has been mixed thus far, but tests are continuing, so that's been weighing on my mind too. I just want things to work out...

Bye bye, free time

We haven't been up to much since my last update aside from going to work and having quiet weekends at home, but it has given me the opportunity to get back into doing some cross stitching. I love cross stitching for something that takes my mind off other things, although I hadn't done any for over 2 years. But when one of the ladies at work was showing me this craft magazine she gets and I saw all these beautiful cross stitching patterns, I was inspired to do some more. I wasn't able to afford a massive pattern so just bought my niece and nephew some little wall hangings and have been working on those during the evenings while I watch TV.

Aside from that, the rest of my free time has been spent quietly reading or watching stuff. Glen and I went to see The Dark Knight Rises last weekend on the spur of the moment. Those who know me know I love comic books and their associated cartoons, TV shows and films, and I love these newer Batman movies. Needless to say I wasn't disappointed. I thought the film was brilliant.

The books I've finished recently are Prohibited Zone by Alastair Sarre and just today on my lunch break I finally finished 11.22.63 by Stephen King. I had started reading this a while ago and then took a break partway through, read 6 other books, and just got back into it on the weekend. I didn't stop reading it because I wasn't enjoying it, just that I'd borrowed some books off other people and thought I should get through those first. I was able to pick it up and keep going from where I'd left off without any hassles. I love Stephen King and this book is definitely up there as his best. What always frustrates me with his horror is an amazingly evil character which is so unstoppable that the endings to those books sometimes feel rushed and disappointing, like he himself didn't know what to do about the monster because he'd made it too powerful. But his recent books seem a lot better, and this one was just fantastic. The pacing and suspense towards the end was done really well, so I just wanted to keep reading even if it meant not sleeping much.

Anyway this week Uni went back so I daresay by time to read will diminish a bit. Just another 18 months of Uni to go! So apart from seeing some friends for a pizza night on Saturday, the rest of my weekend will be spent doing homework. Joy!

Our trip to Tasmania

Well this update is well and truly long overdue but I still wanted to post up something about our holiday in Tasmania at the end of June/early July. The trip started off quietly as we had a stupidly early flight to Melbourne and then Hobart on the Thursday morning. After a short delay in Melbourne, we finally arrived to a cold day in Hobart (4 degrees C!) although thankfully at least the sun was out. We were greeted by my sister and my nephew and she then took us on a bit of a scenic drive on the way to their home in New Norfolk. South Australia is definitely a very flat place to live in comparison as we had beautiful mountain views during the whole drive, and the Derwent River was absolutely gorgeous (puts the Murray to shame). We had a quiet day and night apart from playing with my niece and nephew, since we were so tired after getting up at bullshit o'clock, so apart from checking out the town of New Norfolk we didn't get up to very much.

On Friday my sister kindly let Glen and I use her car so in the afternoon we took a drive into Hobart to the Cascade Brewery for a late lunch and some yummy beer. As we walked around the gardens taking photos, dark clouds started to roll in but we decided to still attempt to reach the pinnacle of Mount Wellington given we were only a short drive from there and didn't know if we would get another chance. We had been warned about the narrow and winding road but honestly, after driving around New Zealand, it was nothing to worry about. As the car made its way up the mountain, we saw more and more patches of snow and the rain really came in. We made it to the top without any problems but then proceeded to freeze our arses off as we got out of the car and dealt with the blustery winds and freezing rain. But I just had to touch some snow! For some reason that escapes me, I thought I'd be able to walk on a patch of snow without trouble and forgot that it's soft, so I managed to escape an ankle injury as my foot dropped deep into the snow and Glen and I had a laugh at my expense. Can't take me anywhere... Anyway, after a couple of very quick snaps and a quick admiration of the scenic views, we headed back down the mountain and home to warm up.

On Saturday my niece had her 5th birthday party so there were about 8 kids in total over. We had so much fun though! The kids were all great and played nicely, and we (the adults) had set up some games for them like balloon popping, pass the parcel, and the very popular pinata. The best thing about kids parties seems to be that you get the kids all hyped up and full of sugar, and then after a couple of hours their parents take them home. Win! Saturday night was a quiet one as we cleaned up after the party and watched some movies.

On Sunday morning we all piled in the car and went to the markets held at the Hobart Showgrounds. The markets themselves are fantastic and a great place for people to go who collect things, with heaps of comics and toys on sale. I somehow managed to escape there without buying any second hand books though. After that we grabbed a quick lunch and then headed off to Mount Field National Park, predominantly for the Russell Falls walk. It was the first time I had seen a pademelon before and we saw a total of 3 running around in the wild. It was also great to see such massive and old Australian trees in the rainforest and it was a gorgeous walk. There were a couple of other walks nearby that sounded like they'd be great, but by the time we finished seeing Russell Falls the kids were pretty tired so we headed back to the car and got home in the early evening.

Monday was our last day in Tasmania so my sister let us use her car again. This time we went to Pulpit Rock lookout which gives amazing views of the Derwent River and valley. We then headed off to Bonorong Wildlife Park, definitely my kind of trip as I love animals. We randomly picked a good time to go, too, as the keepers were feeding the Tasmanian Devils, so we got to see them eat and fight over food and other behaviour I hadn't seen before. Was very cool. By the time we got back the sun had set and it wasn't long before we went out to Glenorchy for dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Before we knew it, Tuesday had arrived and we were flying back home again.

While I loved Tasmania I have to admit I've been spoiled by visiting New Zealand which was much more beautiful, but it is still a gorgeous place to live and travel. There are definitely some places I'd like to go that we didn't get a chance to during this short visit, but next time we won't be travelling in winter. It was too damn cold! Being home now I really miss my niece and nephew. I loved playing with them, getting lots of hugs, reading to them before bed and being greeted with their excited smiles and hugs in the mornings. Ah well, we will see them again soon I suppose :)

Books, writing and gaming

Well again I'm not too sure where the last three weeks have gone. This time though I haven't been doing much exciting because Uni finishes on June 8th and I have had assignments to work on (and looks like that's all I'll be doing for the next two weeks too). I've had to write and submit another short story which I'm super happy I got another High Distinction for, and am hoping my final story due next Friday also ends up with a good grade. It's so nice to be able to write and I guess I'm not too bad at it after all which is nice. Next step is to try and get published somewhere I guess!

The long bus trips mean I still have time to read and I recently borrowed and finished a couple of books from the library. I recently read Three Dollars by Elliot Perlman which I really enjoyed, and Play Abandoned by Garry Disher which, although well written, I didn't think was that great. I think I just find it difficult to get into a story when there isn't a single character I like.

Glen and I are also frantically trying to use up some free movie tickets we got for Christmas which expire on June 30 so we've recently been to see The Avengers (which I LOVED) and Dark Shadows, which was better than I thought it would be.

And my free time is very limited at the moment which is killing me because Diablo 3 has finally been released and I have only been able to play a little bit of it! Looking forward to the end of semester so I can sink many, many hours into it lol.

Hmm I think that's pretty much been it aside from a quiet Mother's Day with the family, not that it matters as I think my readership has dried up!

Non-stop madness

Wow it has been a busy 3 weeks since my last update! A quick run down of what's been going on follows.

First off my sister and her family visited for 5 days at the end of April. It was so fantastic to see them all! My niece and nephew were, ofcourse, gorgeous, and I absolutely loved all the hugs I got from them and getting the chance to play with them again. They had quite a few people they wanted to catch up with though, so I only really got to spend Friday and Monday with them, and before we knew it Wednesday morning had rolled around and they were headed back to Tasmania. In that time though I got to take them to the park, have a 'party' with them, read to them, paint their nails and play a whole lot. And, as I mentioned, get awesome hugs! Was so fantastic to see them :) Glen and I will be going over to visit them on Jun 28th for a few days so I'm looking forward to that already.

Since they left my studies have gotten crazy busy again since the end of semester is only 4 weeks away (eek!) so not much free time at the moment. Glen and I went to see a couple of live podcast recordings both of which were fantastic and hilarious! Kevin Smith came to town and seeing as I love his movies and have been listening to lots of his podcasts for a while now I didn't want to miss him coming to Adelaide for once. So the night started off with him and Scott Mosier doing Smodcast, and then him and Jason Mewes doing Jay and Silent Bob Get Old. Loved, loved, loved the night!

The other thing that's been happening is we've had my aunt and uncle from QLD staying with us since 3rd of May and they leave this afternoon. They were here for my Grandma's 86th birthday so Gran was very happy to see them and we went out to lunch as a family to celebrate (well, all except Dad but that's another story).

I think that's been about it really! At the moment work is crazy busy so that makes the days fly, and at nights I'm trying to get my homework done. At the moment I'm in the midst of writing my next short story. I was heaps happy because my first one, the fairytale adaptation, earned me a High Distinction so I hope I do well in this next story too :)

Easter 2012

I hope everyone had a nice Easter weekend!  Ours was really quiet.  It was the first year that we haven't had my niece and nephew here since they moved to Tasmania so no kids with which to have an Easter egg hunt made it much more quiet than usual, but they're visiting in 2 weeks so I can't wait.  We still had a nice relaxing Easter though; it was very quiet and we had very few plans so plenty of time to do things like read and play on the computer, which is my kind of weekend.

I have to admit to being a bit worried as to how the weekend would pan out after learning that Dad had bought himself a couple of casks of wine, as he hasn't had any for 4 months.  He has the occasional beer but seems to be able to control himself with that, whereas wine he knocks back as if he's guzzling water. So I wasn't sure what kind of weekend we'd end up having.

Thank God though that when we arrived for lunch on Saturday at my parent's house he was fine, and remained that way all day. In fact I had a really nice afternoon there. Grandma had the afternoon out of the nursing home so we had lunch with the five of us, although she grew tired after a short time and was keen to get back home.

That was about the extent of our Easter celebrations actually! I went to church with Mum on Sunday but aside from that and the usual weekly chores we did nothing constructive all weekend. Loved it!

I hope everyone had a nice relaxing weekend :)

Second Honeymoon

For our first anniversary, Glen shouted me to a few days away at Victor Harbor. Karen called it our second honeymoon but I'm not so sure, might be a bit soon for a second honeymoon! Anyway we left at about midday on Monday 2nd April and arrived at Victor a couple of hours later and were greeted with absolutely gorgeous weather.

We stayed at the Beachfront Caravan Park in a really nice waterview villa cabin.  The last time I stayed in a cabin at this caravan park was with Natasha when I was 17 and our accommodation then was pretty basic but comfortable.  This time was camping like I'd never experienced before. The cabin had Foxtel, a great big shower, air conditioning, a fancy toilet where there was a handbasin in the top, and the best thing of all, a dishwasher!  I'd never used a dishwasher before, now I really want one!

Anyway that first afternoon we went for a few walks.  The beach was only a short walk across a path so we sat on the mountains of seaweed and relaxed while patting the occasional dog that was being walked by its owner. We then walked to the town centre (about a 15 minute walk, not far) and looked around a bit before grabbing some Chinese takeaway for dinner and heading back to the cabin to relax in the air conditioned comfort.

The next day, our actual anniversary, Glen gave me a beautiful silver bracelet that he'd had engraved.  On the front it says 'To my wife Melinda' and on the back it says 'On our First Anniversary'. We then headed off to Granite Island, walking across the bridge as the horse-drawn tram wasn't working (a shame, never been on that before).  We had lunch at the Granite Island Cafe and as we sat outside having our lunch we noticed a dolphin just off the shore having a play and a feed.  So gorgeous!  We then did the walk around the island before heading back to the cafe for a coffee.  This time as we sat outside we saw a seal having a feed.  Amazing seeing these animals out in the wild! We then headed to the Penguin Centre for the 2:30pm feeding session.  Definitely my kind of trip, I loved seeing the penguins, sooooo cute!  I took about 50 photos just of the same penguins lol. We then headed back to the town centre for a little more of a look around, stopping at the local chocolate shop to buy some goodies and then stumbling upon a book exchange.  I could have spent ages here and a lot of money but walked out with only 2 Kate Grenville books while Glen bought a Raymond E Feist book.  It was then time to return to the cabin to relax for a couple of hours before dinner, when we went to this Italian place called Nino's.  I definitely recommend this place if you go to Victor Harbor, the food was great and pretty reasonably priced.

The next morning we checked out and headed on home, sad to be leaving behind such a peaceful place. I could definitely get used to being so close to the beach and such beautiful animals!  I leave you with just one of my penguin photos.

Our first anniversary

April 3rd marks our first anniversary, and I still can't quite believe the year has gone so quickly. To celebrate, Glen's taking me to Victor Harbor for a few days this week so it'll be nice to get away and hopefully have some mornings where I can sleep in without being woken by an alarm clock or a cat.

Last night we went to 1877 Restaurant at Sfera's (the place we got married) and it was fantastic. I love Italian food! Plus because it was our anniversary we got a free bottle of some Rockford's Alicante Bouchard Rose and a complimentary seafood antipasto platter.  For once I ate oysters and didn't feel like vomiting afterwards! Our meals were awesome and we decided to treat ourselves to dessert too, so my calorie counting went out the window yesterday. When we returned home we watched The Road, which was a great film but very much a downer (probably not the best choice after a romantic dinner).

Aside from that we haven't been up to much else in the last week. I managed to finish my short story and hand it up but I really don't feel it was any good. Very predictable ending and I have no idea if I included enough of the original fairytale's themes like we were supposed to. Now I have to wait 4 weeks before I get it back. I might post it up here then, not sure. A three week break from classes will be great, perhaps I can even get ahead in some of my next assignments!

That said, on Friday I went and collected the next books for my work book club from the library and one of the books is True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey. I've wanted to read this book for a long time and I have been reading it non-stop at the expense of reading anything else, so not sure how much I'll actually achieve with the time off classes. It's written from the perspective of Ned Kelly and I'm loving it!

Anyway better get back to the dreariness of housework and go put some laundry on...