Bitz 'N' Blogs with CJ Cross

Respite Day 2. HUBLANDER 2024 – Part 1.

April 21, 2024

***A/N This part of my blog is HUGE so I have decided to split it in to two parts. Part one will be posted today – Part 2 will be posted later on in the week. **

Our day began with both of our alarms going off at the ungodly hour of 5am . After a rather restless night of sleep due to the noisy aircon ( It was also permanently set on “Antarctica” mode it was that bloody cold!) and the random noises of other guests at 3am .. we ( My Support Worker Miss C and I) were up and began preparing for the day.

As a Platinum ticket holder, we had to be there early. ( And by early I mean 7.30am) as the VIP Platinum panel was to kick off at 8am sharp.

So, after we showered, dressed, packed our lunches, bottles of water and ate breakfast – we bundled Eleanor Whillie into the back of the car and set off to Port Melbourne to a venue called The Timber Yard for a day of fun, friends and fangirling (Well, I did. Miss C was like my cool offsider in her John Lennon-esk type sunglasses)

The Timber Yard is located in Port Melbourne – just 15 minutes from Melbourne CBD. It’s easily accessible by car and tram ( although that means an extra 5 minute walk from the tram stop) and, ironically, about a block away from a Restaurant called ‘Claire’s Castle’ ( which considering what was happening there on the day – I found hilariously funny!)

If you wish to check out The Timber Yard, you can do so here: https://thetimberyard.com.au/

We arrived at 7.20am. which meant there was still ample parking to be had. That said, the line for entry into the event was already snaking its way down the block and around the corner by the time we’d made our way to the entrance and joined the others in line.

It’s at this point dear Reader, that I’d like to point out that that the day before there had been another Convention – Hublander Sydney 2024.

That event spanned 2 days being the Friday night and the Saturday and when I tell you there were some bleary eyed travellers amongst the die hard fans there at the Timber Yard on Sunday morning, you’d be hard pressed to believe otherwise. Thankfully, the takeaway coffee was on hand and piping hot .. making all those red -eye travelers thankful for the pick-me-up.

Whilst waiting in line I met up with my friends Ziggy, Jo and Vanessa. Jo had bought everyone “Hublander Mugs” as a gift for all of us which was lovely. I also met Sandra and Leslie -Fellow fans and MPC Peakers. We’d been talking online for a long time so it was lovely to finally meet them in person.

And, just because this is my Blog and I can – Here is a picture of the Hublander Mug from Jo 😀

Hublander mug

Hublander Mug Front

Anyway….

Not only did Jo bring us all Hublander Mugs to celebrate Australia’s first ever official Outlander convention, she also blessed us with her PURPLE SLIPPERS! (IYKYK and if you don’t … Well, I’m sorry … That’s classified LOL ) .. but more about those later on!

Ziggy decided to rock a rainbow kilt for the occasion and she looked amazing. She also bought a special gift for me to give to Sam – which I was most excited about. Her Brother made it especially for me and well may I say it looked a million quid!

(Shout Out to Leatherman Jack on You Tube! He makes wonderful handcrafted leather goods. Check out his channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@LeathermanJack )

She had attended the Sydney event along with the others but despite being desperately tired, she was just as excited as I was.. not only because we’d be spending the day together but because it was the first time we’d seen each other in person since 2013 – when we both attended the Doug Anthony All Star reunion at the Melbourne Town Hall as part of that years Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

My outfit for the day was coordinated to match Eleanor’s colour scheme – A black shirt with light pink pants. Eleanor is black with pink side panels in the arms. So we matched perfectly!

As the line to enter the venue slowly began to move, I found myself under a tree .. and no sooner had I stopped there I was shat on by a bird!

Most people consider this a sign of good luck. In the Outlander fandom however, it is common knowledge that everywhere Sam Heughan goes – he is almost always shat on by a bird!

For those that know me ( and my history in this fandom) the fact that I was shat on by a bird, just moments before I was due to meet the Man in person – was no great surprise to anyone. That said, just about everyone rushed to clean me up which was hilarious and, after some Motherly magic ( You know who you are :P) any evidence that I’d been shat on by a bird had all but disappeared.

The panels were running late – Due to technical issues, the Cast running late and a mad dash to reorganise David Berry’s no show at the event as he had unfortunately come down with Covid, just prior to the Sydney event and could not attend the Sydney Hublander – let alone travel to Melbourne for his appearance at the Timber Yard – but the Platinum ticket holders and VIP’s were finally allowed to enter the building somewhere around 8.30am. Myself, Jo and my Support Worker Miss C had tickets down the very front in row A.

It’s fair to say that when you attend a convention, you’re bound to bump into all sorts of people. So, imagine my surprise when who should I see running the doors and keeping everything in an orderly, spit-spot and Bristol fashion – but my friends Rod and Sarah! I hadn’t seen them in years – Since we were part of a Pop Culture mash up show for the 2013 Melbourne International Comedy Festival / 2014 Melbourne Fringe Festival ( I am sensing a theme here somehow) It was in that moment I knew I was going to be OK. The convention was my first big “dose of peopling ” since before the Pandemic and truth be told – I wasn’t sure how well the day was going to pan out. Seeing Rod and Sarah gave me a sense of assurance and given there was about 800+ people in attendance on the day .. I was grateful for them being there.

We went inside and found our seats easy enough. The first panel was Sam and Duncan. That was the special VIP / Platinum panel for the day.

And the stage is set!

The panel was due to go for about an hour. With the first 5 minutes allowing the audience to take photos of the guests on the stage.

The MC was a lovely lady ( whose name escapes me at the moment) and she gave us a run down of the day and what to expect.

As the doors closed and the panel started .. I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face.

Thanks for reading,

Ceej
Respite. Day One. The Arrival.

April 14, 2024
Date: February 24th 2024.

Destination: The Quest Apartments Collingwood, Melbourne,Victoria

Before I begin this blog I want to tell you a bit about the NDIS process to arrange Respite.
1. IT TAKES FLIPPING AGES!! Months and months and months of planning and waiting and wondering and re-hashing plans and re-hashing plans and changing the where, when, why and how about 8,754 times before everything is sorted
2. Once everything is sorted and in place- You can have a nice relaxing time with everything paid for ( including food and transport if required)
There. That’s what I learnt regarding Respite paid for via the NDIS. Now then… Moving on.

My Respite was planned for a period of 4 days from Saturday February 24th to Tuesday February 27th. I had arranged the whole 4 days around HUBLANDER – Australia’s first ever Outlander Convention and given the event was to be held at The Timber yard in Port Melbourne, I had arranged to stay at the Quest Apartments in Collingwood- which was just a short 15 minute trip from the venue.

With my bags packed and Eleanor Wheelie fully charged, my Support Worker & Partner in crime ( for the next four days at least) Miss C came and collected me from my door at just a bit after lunch.

It was an easy drive with not much traffic on the road and we arrived in good time. After checking in and getting handed the keys, we made our way up to the 3rd floor to our home away from home for the next 4 days .

I had never stayed at a Quest apartment before, although, at the time, as we walked in and dropped off our bags – I remember thinking about a point in my life in 1996 when, in an effort to find suitable employment, I signed up to do a two week long course in Hospitality. I have vague memories of turning up to a Quest Apartment in the City and having to clean rooms and learn how to make Hospital corners on some of the whitest bedsheets known to man.

Suffice to say that didn’t pan out as after one particular day – I came face to face with vomit in the bathroom of one room after the occupant had …. ‘partied to excess’ the night before and, by the looks of the state of the room – had made a swift exit & check out so as not to be held accountable for any of the mess. (Unfortunately for them.. places like that have ways of finding people like them and so, I have no doubt in my mind they were caught out and dealt with accordingly.)

Anyway… Where was I? Oh yes! The Quest Apartment…

As I was saying, I had never stayed in a Quest apartment before .. let alone one that was disabled friendly.

I could easily get Eleanor into the room and there was plenty of space to move around in. I could even take her into the bedroom and pop her in a corner with ease. We were lucky to have a two bedroom apartment.

We had:

*A main bedroom with ensuite bathroom

*A second Bedroom

*A bathroom/ shower/ toilet area

*Dining and lounge area

*A washer/dryer machine ( I’d never seen one of them before . In fact, neither of us had .. so we had a time trying to figure out how it worked. I’ll tell you that much!)

*A Balcony with a little outdoor setting .

Speaking of the bedrooms, Here’s a picture of the Master Bedroom. As you can see – we were very spoilt and the beds were very comfortable ( Yes, that is me in the reflection!)

So, suffice to say we were pretty impressed.

The first order of business was grocery shopping to cover us for the days that we were going to be there. After much discussion with my Support Worker and those helping me arrange my Respite – It was decided that we’d prefer to make our own meals as opposed to living off take out.. (which neither myself or Miss C wanted to do anyway) so we got ourselves organised and set off to find the nearest Coles to grab what we needed.

Like all places, Collingwood is not without its interesting characters. Upon leaving the Quest Apartments, there was a rather unkempt looking shirtless gent who wished me to .. how shall we say … ‘Go like the clappers, make it go full speed and put some fire under those wheels!” in reference to Eleanor Wheelie .. a suggestion, I can assure you, I politely declined.

One of the things I’ve really began to notice as a semi ambulant wheelchair user is just how uneven the ground is. Now, don’t get me wrong Eleanor Wheelie (Model C2 Whill) is pretty much an all surface /terrain chair and can tackle just about anything.. but my gosh does she let you know just how crooked and angular everything is! Going along the side streets and then on to the infamous SMITH ST I cannot tell you the amount of times I felt like I was going to topple forward and or fall out of my chair because of uneven ground. It was an experience – that’s for sure!

We arrived at Coles, purchased our groceries and returned back to our lodgings with a minimum of fuss to set about getting ourselves ready to settle in for the night. Dinner was Fajitas and I discovered that Miss C was a rather good cook. We also decided that seeing that Sunday was going to be a BIG day (and it was .. believe me! But more on that later) that we’d make our own food and take bottles of water with us.

That night we watched the Simpsons on Netflix and then went to bed. Our alarms were set for the ungodly hour of 5am ( Not that this is an issue for me as I am used to getting up early – but on a Sunday? Yes.. Exactly!)

The next day was Hublander day … and as I drifted off to sleep that night I wondered excitedly what was to come.

Until next week,

Thanks for reading

Ceej

PS: The banner for this blog has nothing to do with the event.. I just thought it looked nice 😀
The Dust Has Settled

April 7, 2024
It has been a hot minute since I sat down to write a blog. The last time I wrote a blog was here: https://domainsaredumb.blog/2024/02/11/lets-talk-about-cats/

Feel free to read it if you wish. In fact, if you did read it, I would be most grateful. Some feedback would be appreciated.

As I promised some 874 years ago – I would write a blog once the dust had settled. I’m pleased to inform you, dear Reader, that the dust has indeed settled and the continuation of blogging can commence.

To begin with, Daylight savings has ended and after 6 glorious months of extended daylight ( and complaints that Western Australia is 3 hours behind the rest of the country) we have now resumed regularly scheduled AEST .. You’re welcome.

You may note the little header picture I have chosen for this blog. No, sadly I have not decided to become an avid explorer off to explore the all four corners of the world – I simply wish to give you a breakdown of where I have been the last few weeks during my community access days and a little person looking like they’re off on an adventure seemed to suit the situation.

I’ll be covering:
- My Respite Weekend / Hublander
- My Respite Weekend/ The Aquarium/ Work Visit
- The Melbourne Zoo
- The Botanical Gardens
- The Melbourne Highlander Games and Celtic Festival
- The Melbourne Museum /Exploring Carlton Gardens
And anything else that happens should another adventure arise before this series is finished.

On the homefront, since my Respite weekend ended, I have spent the last month or so tidying up all the loose ends since my last Support Coordinator – lets call her ‘G’ – up and disappeared just before Christmas. My current Support Coordinator – Miss K – is an absolute gun!

We’ve been plowing through the mountains of paperwork, getting stuff followed up with and signed off on and ensuring all things are ship-shape and Bristol fashion.

Now that all of that is done and dusted ( See? The dust HAS actually settled!) we can now focus on what the rest of my NDIS plan will look like till its review date in 2025.

Mr Jetson has been with us 9 weeks .. and I must say he is proving to be a very interesting experiment in Cat ownership. He is unlike any Cat I have ever owned. He only responds to food. That is it. If his tail is up in the “Happy” position – it’s because he thinks he’s going to get food. If he’s purring – it’s because of food. If he’s vocal .. again, it’s because of food.

He doesn’t like being petted or touched ( at least by me. Hubby can do so a little bit – but then, he’s the one who feeds him so there you go)

He won’t come when called (He’s not given us his name yet.. We’re still waiting)

He’s incredibly skittish. He doesn’t like loud noises or any sudden movements. He’s terrified of aluminum foil and hates the sound of motorbikes

That said, he does like raw chicken ( goes bonkers over it) and, as it turns out, spaghetti on toast.

He’s not destructive or rowdy – although he does have a penchant for digging his claws into the carpet – despite being told not to on a regular basis. He and Miss Floof are still working things out. For the moment it seems that despite being male and much larger Cat – he is abjectly terrified of the Floof. We’ll keep you updated on progress.

Speaking of Miss Floof, the other day we took her to the Vet. She’s been having issues with her ears for a few months now and so off to the Vet she went. Turns out our wee Miss had a slight yeast infection in both ears ( She needed her ears cleaned out something shocking!) and so she now has ear drops – which she hates but tolerates regardless – to help get rid of any infection and prevent any new ones from occurring.

In other news, my Aunty Bev who has been staying with my Dad since late November last year flew back home to Western Australia today. We’ve all loved having her here and it’s been great fun! Dad always loves her company and I think he’s really going to miss not having her there to spend time with.

I have a few things on this week but nothing to stressful thankfully . Lots of indoor activities since the weather is predicting rain all week!

Thanks for reading

Ceej
Let’s Talk About Cats

February 11, 2024

For most of my adult life, I’ve had Cats. The first kitten I ever owned was a black and white domestic short hair called Thomas .

When my Husband A and I had been dating around 2 years, (so, around the year 1999) he moved into my Father’s house ( and immediately into the spare bedroom) with my Father and I. He had just gotten himself an new job and, no yet having a car or a licence, it was decided that he would move in with us and thus cut the travel time in half getting to and from work.

Shortly thereafter, it was decided that we wanted a Cat. Naturally, my Father was against the idea but .. after much badgering ( erm, I mean asking nicely) we drove to a place giving away kittens for free and found Thomas.

Now, as much as I want to say that Thomas lived a long and healthy life as my furbaby.. I’m afraid that would be a lie .. For you see, Thomas became my Father’s best friend and for next 17 odd years, they were inseparable and it really was a lovely thing to watch and , if I’m honest, I think my Dad still misses him to this day.

In 2001, when A and I moved out and into a place of our own we weren’t planning on getting any pets. We’d just moved into a cheap rental and really didn’t want the responsibility of owning a pet.

That is, until the day we walked past Pets Paradise* in Forest Hill Chase and saw this beautiful little black and white kitten with a pink nose, push his paws against the glass and meow at us. It melted my heart and about a week later A got that little kitten for me as a surprise after work.

We named him Timozel -named after a character in the series of books we were reading at the time – The AXIS trilogy .

(His full name being Timozel Alexander P… for Puss Cat.. but moving on. )

We had him for 7 years. Over that 7 year period, Timozel became Timmy. Timmy became Timmy Puss and Timmy Puss became simply Puss-Wuss. Puss Wuss was largely an outdoor cat – but never went any further than our neighbours garden over the fence. In particular, her flower bed. From there he would while away the hours with his favourite pastime – watching her clean her house through the window.

Our neighbour enjoyed his company immensely and they became friends until our neighbour moved away to live closer to her Daughter.

A few years into the 7 years of Puss-Wuss – our little guy let us know he was lonely and really wanted a friend to play with ( Shut up! Cats can do that, you know) and so the hunt was on. We searched for weeks and weeks and weeks but to no avail.

Then, one Thursday night after work, we wandered into Pets Paradise in Eastland and decided to have a look at what was on offer. I had decided to choose from the little domestic shorthair kittens on display at the front of the store. I had almost made up my mind when my Husband called to me and said, “Hey Darl, come and have a look at this funny looking thing!”

So I did.

And there, up the back of the store, slightly off to one side, in a glass case were two very odd looking kittens. A white one and a black one. They were small, had oval shaped faces and their fur was short and curly. I almost turned away but then the little black one looked at me – His big moon eyes staring into my soul.. and in that moment my life changed forever.

“Do you want to hold him?” the store attendant asked as she opened the glass case

“Yes Please!” I said and as she handed me this little black Selkirk Rex kitten covered in his own poop – I knew he was mine. He started to purr and fell dead asleep in my arms. “You are coming home with me!” I stated matter of factly.

And he did.

Initially, I named him Snuffy after Mr Snuffleupagus on Sesame St because he waddled when he walked due to a broken tail. ( They told us he was the runt of the litter and the others walked all over him) but Snuffy ( Snuffington Cornelius Xavier III) made way for Mr Snuffles- when exactly, I can’t remember- and that was that.

It took a few months but it wasn’t long before Puss-Wuss and Mr Snuffles became best mates and did almost everything together. Played together, went outside together, slept together and more often than not, got into trouble together as well.

Dinner time became the “Me Me ” and “I want” show ( You had to be there) and it wasn’t long before we had a wonderful little family unit.

When Mr Snuffles was 5, Puss-Wuss became unwell with a blockage that made him unable to urinate. We took our little guy to the local 24 hour Vets and the only solution they gave us was to put our little man to sleep. They refused to do surgery unless we could pay $1300 there and then on the spot and even though we said we’d have the money – they just needed to give us till we got paid, they said no … and so.. We had to say goodbye.

The 5 years that followed, Mr Snuffles was largely on his own. Oh, how we spoiled him. With treats and toys. With cuddles and snacks. With adoration, love and affection. All day. Every day. Did Mr Snuffles miss Puss-Wuss? Of course he did! In the days that followed his passing, Mr Snuffles would sit at the back door and wait for Puss-Wuss to come inside. But ultimately, once he realised Puss-Wuss wasn’t coming back he kinda just got on with things and, in a way, so did we.

Facebook has been a thing in my life since 2007. From throwing farm animals at your friends – to never ending poking wars – Facebook has been at the forefront of just about everything there is . Facebook is how I found Miss Floof.

In 2016 I was browsing Selkirk Rex rescue pages on Facebook and I came across an ad for a female Selkirk Rex Tabby – 1 year of age and looking for a forever home. I immediately put my hand up to take her. She looked absolutely beautiful and her description said that she was well natured, gentle and loved to play.

The arrangements were made via FaceBook DM’s and about a week later, Miss Floof or “Casserole” as she was known at the time, was a welcome addition to our home.

Casserole took to our place like a duck to water and immediately began to act like she owned the place. Mr Snuffles was none too impressed to say the least and BOY did he let us know it!

The name “Miss Floof” wasn’t supposed to happen. We had decided to name her Isobelle ( Isobelle Prudence Guinevere to be precise) and despite weeks of trying, she just wasn’t responding to it. We tried “Miss” and “Little Miss” with limited degrees of success “Belle” fell on deaf ears entirely.

One day Casserole was wanting smooches and jumped up on the back of the couch to greet us. Her fur was mental and sticking up everywhere like she’d just has a run in with a fork in a power socket “Floof Nugget!” I exclaimed, thinking nothing of it ” How are you?”

Well, her tail went up and her ears did the same. She has ( finally) chosen her name and thus Miss Floof was and still is.

In the 6 years that followed, the relationship between Mr Snuffles and Miss Floof wasn’t exactly what you’d call easy going.

Many a times they’d play and chase each other around the house only to suddenly fight and get cross with each other. Mr Snuffles earned the name “Captain Clean Air” because whenever she got too close to him – he’d make like she was polluting his personal space.

Ultimately though, they figured it out and had the kind of relationship where they tolerated each other.. well, Mr Snuffles tolerated her anyway. Which was better than not at all.

Mr Snuffles passed away in November 2022 a few weeks shy of his 16th Birthday.

When he passed away, it left A and I bereft with grief. Our whole world shattered and fell apart because our little baby boy was gone. We loved him more than words. More than anything in the whole world.. and to move on without him seemed impossible.

The morning after Mr Snuffles passed I sat in my office and cried. I cried until I screamed. Then I screamed myself hoarse until I couldn’t anymore … and then I cried again until I had no tears left. **

To the credit of Miss Floof, she was right there for us being cute and fluffy and trying to make A and I laugh through our grief and sorrow. It was during this time the decision was made – No More Cats.

It hurt to much. Once it was time for Miss Floof to join her brother over the rainbow bridge – that was it. No more Cats. No more pets of any sort. It was to painful. Besides, pet food cost a fortune. We can hardly afford to feed one cat – let alone two! We’re a one Cat household! Miss Floof will be better off with just us!

Somehow, we managed to justify all that and more to ourselves and over the next 12 months we focused on making a family with just the three of us. It was odd and awkward at first as A and I missed Mr Snuffles terribly ( And I believe Miss Floof did as well in her own way) so, there was a very long adjustment period while we all got used to this new dynamic.

No More Cats Indeed!

Which brings me to the now and the reason I wanted to write this blog.

There comes a point where you have to not only admit – but accept – that you are better off with two cats in your life than just one. Not because you don’t love the one cat any less … It’s just… Two cats seem to complete you. Two cats make you feel safe. Two cats are just that ..Two cats.

You can’t describe why you feel better with two cats in your life … You just do. It works and somehow, you know, that everything will be OK.

We recently adopted an 8 year old long haired domestic Cat named Jet. We found him via Urban Feline Australia ( Shout out to Daniel from UFA for all your help) and immediately took to him. We were told he’d had a rough life – going from pillar to post, from adoption to adoption ( the last one dumping him at a Vets door all matted and messed up after deciding they didn’t want him.) and so, we discussed it and decided to take him in.

His full name is Jetson Oliver Periwinkle. He seems to answer to either Mr Jet, Jetson, Mr J, Little Man or Buddy but has yet to let us know he’s preferred name of choice. He’s such a chill little guy and in the four days since we’ve bought him home he’s settled in quite well.

Miss Floof is put out, obviously but… She’s slowly starting to come around and realise he’s no threat.

It’s early days but I must say things are progressing nicely. We are convinced our two kittens will soon become friends … or at the very least tolerate each other without the hissing.

At this point we’ll take either

Keep you updated as things progress

Ceej

*Pets Paradise was a pet store chain back in the late 90’s early 00’s . They were all closed down after struggling financially and went into receivership

** Even though it broke me to pieces, A was with Mr Snuffles when he was put to sleep.
How Can You Write – When You Don’t Read?

February 4, 2024

Is a question I get asked alot.

“You can’t be a writer – because you don’t read!” claim the avid book readers in my life. To them, because I’ve not a book in my hand at all times, I am considered a heathen. I am wrong. In order to fully understand my love of the written word, first I must devour every book ever written – regardless whether I like the genre or not. Because then and only then.. will I be able to write well enough to be taken seriously.

When I was a child, I loved writing poetry. I would spend hours and hours and hours writing poems about all manner of subjects. The fact I was 11, my favourite babysitter, the way my room looked. It didn’t matter. As long as I could write about it – it was worth it. Nobody taught me how to write poetry ..I just figured it out. Poetry is like song lyrics without music. As long as it rhymed and had a beat to it – I was proud of it.

I kept all of my poems in a purple plastic A4 folder. It had stars on it. Whenever we had guests, my Mother would ask me to bring it out and she would show everyone my silly little poems. (At the time I was embarrassed but, looking back on it – I can only assume she was proud of me as well)

Pretty soon poetry made way for story telling. My favourite time in school was when the class was asked to write a story (on anything they wanted) While most kids managed about 2 pages each – I would walk into class with 20+ pages, still incomplete, hoping that we’d be given time to work on it some more because I still had more chapters to go.

In fact, I wrote so much that my teachers said ” Can you shorten it a bit? I just won’t have time to read all that!”

When I started High School, English was my favourite subject and I always got fairly good grades. (Even managing an A one year – which to this day remains one of two A’s I have ever managed to receive throughout the entirety of my 12 years Public School education. The first being in 4th grade for a project on France and the second being of course, the A for completing year 10 English with flying colours – God bless you, Mr Walter .. wherever you are. I hope you and your glorious teaching hat are well!*)

That is, until my senior year, Year 12.

In my final year of highschool, any confidence I had with my ability to write was shot to pieces by my year 12 English Teacher. Mrs *B* { name redacted} was an old overweight woman with fat ankles who made wheezing noises when she walked. She also drank tea. A hell of a lot of tea. Whenever we had a doubles class – she would slurp away while we worked on whatever it was she’d prepared for us that lesson. The truth of it was though, no one liked her. So much so, that many of us, including myself, would get up and walk out of her classes and wander across to the school canteen to grab a bite to eat. She would complain that we were never attentive in class – we would complain that she never taught us anything so what was the point. By the second half of the school year however, all of our shenanigans came to a halt when the school principal told us to pull our heads in and knock it off – after it got back to him that Mrs B had been heard shrieking “If you don’t want to learn – You can get out and play in the trees!” Before locking half the class out of the room for the rest of the lesson which, as you can imagine, raised an eyebrow or two indeed.

From that point on, regardless of what I wrote – it wasn’t good enough. Mrs B found every excuse under the sun to belittle and humiliate me. ”What is this?” she’d say ” It’s rubbish!” or “Why can’t you write like *Insert authors name here* or, my favorite “* Person in class* can write better than you”

I can only imagine I wasn’t the only person she heaped shit on- but her criticism of the only thing I knew I was good at .. Cut me to the quick and I vowed to never write anything ever again.

In the *counts* almost 30 years ( Ye gads I’m old!) since I finished High School, I’ve dabbled here and there . Written other blogs on and off. The odd bit of fan fiction. Pieces for online publications and the like but never been able to fully commit to writing full time.

What would I write about? I haven’t a clue!

Would anyone read it? Probably not. ( But does it matter?)

Will I have to read a million books .. before anyone would bother with anything I put to paper?

The answer?

No. Because I don’t NEED to read anything to be able to write. Do those who read books need to be able to write an essay on the subject matter before they can read a word? No. No they do not. Why? Because it’s not required.

The answer to “How can I write – when I don’t read” is simple. I have a creative imagination. The only mistake I’ve made is allowing people to stomp on my creative ability and believing them when they’ve said ” In order to do this .. .You have to do that” and ” You can’t do this because it’s stupid!” Because I can! The thing with creativity is .. .There is no order by which you do things … because you just do it. It happens naturally. And that’s it. Creativity comes from within. It’s not taught in school ( although, if you find the right teacher- it can be polished till it shines – Thank you, again, Mr Walter!) and there’s no instruction booklet or how to guide.

Whether you write, paint, draw, play music, knit, sew, make things or sing.. It all comes from the heart first.

The sooner people figure that out - the better.

I love writing.

That is all

Ceej

*My year 10 English teacher had a white, wide brimmed hat. He would wear it whenever we ‘misbehaved’ or got to rowdy. He would silently put it on and wait. We would all just look at him and then he would lecture us on acting like two- year-olds. Truth be told he looked silly in that hat. But honestly, he was the coolest teacher ever and to this day remains one of my favorites. Thank you for believing in me Sir. It meant a lot.

** While the cover photo for this blog has nothing to do with the subject matter -They’re books I’ve actually read. 😛
That Time I Found A Thing In My Drafts Folder – So, I Used It For This Weeks Blog …

January 20, 2024

*Blinks*

Oh, it’s that time again.. OK.. Cool.. Where am I? Are we still in January?

We are?

Oh Good.

It’s currently just after 11am on Saturday morning and I’m absolutely exhausted.

The last couple of weeks have been a major turning point in my life in regards to socialising and frankly, while I am happy that I have done all these things – I need a break. I need a rest. I need a Bex and a good lie down.

First, there was my friends 50th Birthday party. M and I have been friends since we met in … 1997 while we were doing a short course in something .. Office Administration I think, and we kind of just hit it off from the moment we met. We’ve known each other for close to 30 years .. ( Bloody hell, that’s a long time!) M was my Matron of Honor at my Wedding – 3 weeks after giving birth to her first Child “Pixie Nose” ( IYKYK) and so, when she pinged me on FB with an invite to her Birthday – of course I said I’d go .

We went to a Cafe/ Bar/ Restaurant/ Function Room place called CRAVE in Boronia. A and I decided to take Eleanor Whillie and see how she’d handle moving about a room full of people. ( Mind you, I’d spent the day in Eleanor already at Hairhouse Warehouse in Knox getting my hair done for the occasion. Shout out to the team for being super helpful and lovely while I was in there!)

And you know what? Everything went OK. M’s Birthday bash was a success and a great time was had by all.

Yesterday afternoon, was my Niece’s Engagement- which turned out to be a surprise Wedding ( A/N: My Aunty B and I called it months ago when we first received the invite in the mail. It’s not hard to put two and two together when the invite reads “Formal Attire” you know?)

And well may I say, the Bride and Groom looked lovely and happy and the afternoon/ evening was a success. Again, A and I took Eleanor Whillie to see how she’d handle the terrain ( It was at Settlers Run Golf and Country Club in Botanic Ridge) and I have to say she took to the grass and things fairly well over all.

When all was said and done, A and I were home by around 10:30 pm. Once all the things were done and we’d scoffed a pot noodle – It was around 1am when we finally face planted into bed and fell dead to the world asleep.

I don’t think we’ve got much of anything else planned for the rest of the weekend -which is good.

Next weekend is a long weekend … As its Australia Day long weekend . Haven’t got much planned either – but we’ll see what happens

Thanks for reading

Ceej
When a Sunday becomes a Thursday

January 11, 2024
Look, to tell you truth, I’ve not had much in the way of spoons this week and so trying to do anything has been a monumental amount of effort and frankly, the word NO features heavily in my vocabulary ..

That said, I am here with this week’s promised blog – Albeit a short one.

Here it is in dot points:
- I have new clothes! Hooray!
- I am getting more confident using Eleanor Whillie – Yay!
- I have sent all the emails, text messages and made all the phonecalls
- Am watching the 2nd Season of ‘The Wheel of Time’ .. It’s OK. Not what I expected but it’s OK – watchable at least.
- I am currently a size 20. This is the biggest I have ever been . I need to work on that and get to at least a 16 by years end.
- Hubby goes back to work on Monday ( Where did those 3 weeks go?)
- I seem to have injured myself again – but what else is new?
And there we have it . One Dotty Dot points blog

Ceej
2023.. Goodbye, So long and Farewell (Though It’s not without its Thank You’s)

December 31, 2023

If there ever was a year that I am forever glad to see the back of – It’s 2023

I can’t speak for anyone else but for me the year 2023 was the most emotionally exhausting, mentally draining, stressful, upsetting, soul destroying year I’ve ever had

Highlights Include:

The never ending arguments and battles with the NDIS – just to get my basic needs met

The never ending battles with my body – just to get it to function on the most basic level

The constant anxiety attacks over showering ( Yeah, sounds weird right? Trust me, it ain’t when it’s one of the most painful experiences of your day)

My Grandfather passing away ( and finding out my Step-Grandmother on my Mother’s side is NOT the person I always thought she was)

At a point where my (Internet) life hit rock bottom and came crashing down around my ears – coming to terms with the fact that people who swore they were my BFF - when they were in fact not – was one of the hardest lessons I’ve ever had to learn. That said:

To Jo, Bonnie, Ginelle, Grace, Zig and Sharon (Shazza)

If any of you read this- I just want you to know that I appreciate you more than you know. When I needed someone to listen to me vent and sob – you guys were there for me. ( Time Zones and IRL things aside) and for that reason, I am forever your friend – and should you need me I will always be there for you.

Extra shout out to Jo and Bonnie who checked in on me nearly every single day. You two are the real MVP and even though I know I wasn’t exactly the easiest person to deal with at times - You still stood by me and for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Speaking of thank you’s –

I just want to thank my Husband, A. Without Him, this year would’ve been so, so much worse.

He has held my hand all throughout this year . Listened to me vent, scream and rant only to turn around and hold me while I cried.

He has been my Support (as frustrating, aggravating and downright exhausting as it is) and my rock. Been there when I needed him most and even when I don’t – been there with a reason to make me smile …. every day. So, too my Husband, I love you. Thank you x

To my Support workers – Miss B, Miss M and Miss C – Thank you for all your help and support this year. You lovely ladies are worth your weight in gold and your assistance in day to day tasks has been a Godsend! You have seriously gone above and beyond this year and We ( Hubby and I) cannot thank you enough for all that you’ve done!

To everyone who has simply stuck it out with me this year. Who has read my blog, who has interacted with me online ( regardless of the platform) - I thank you . For making me smile. For making me laugh. For making me think and for everything else in between. It’s been lovely interacting with you . I hope to continue to do so in 2024

As a final post for 2023 on FaceBook ( I refuse to call it META) I wrote:

“In 2024- I’m not setting out to accomplish any goals. Nor am I going to chase my dreams or exceed any expectations… I’m way beyond exhausted and I just don’t have any spoons left to give that an ounce of thought. Instead, I’m going to use it to lick my wounds and heal. To say no more often. Dedicate some time for self care and comfort.

I won’t be spending 2024 chasing after people or things that aren’t worth my time or effort and I certainly won’t be making an effort to rekindle any friendships lost over the last 12 months.

I won’t be apologising for existing. I’m done trying to justify my reasons for being. I’m done caring about whether or not what I do is right for others . 2024 will see me being openly selfish – and I am not ashamed to admit to that

I know some people will read this and they won’t like it one bit! And to those people I say.. as a wise woman once said “It’s not about you!”

Goodbye 2023 you absolute fuck hole of a year. May I never have another year like you in my lifetime”

And that’s all I have to say about that.

Ceej
In The (My) Interest of Being Disabled.

December 17, 2023

(Authors Note: Though I am a 46 year old Disabled person- I am not expert on anything. I do not have a degree or fancy letters next to my name. I simply aim to look at my situation (specifically) with the humor intended.

That said, not one Disabled person is the same. We are all different and each one of us has needs that must be met and it sucks balls that in the year 2023 (almost 2024) we’re all still here fighting for our right to be seen and heard. To be given basic access to day to day life. I hope one day that changes. I truly do. But for now I hope you’ll enjoy this blog and laugh along with me)

This morning I woke up. Like every morning I hurt all over. My hurt seemed to be amplified . Radiating like some kind of modern day pain beacon. Come to think of it – if my pain becon made a noise – it would probably be ” Ow! Ow! Fuck! Ow! Ow! Fuck” but I digress …

After grabbing hold of Penelope for support ( And before you lot get some idea – please get your mind out of the gutter! There is no Horizontal Blanky Dance afoot in my abode! Not for lack of wanting to mind! It’s simply due to the fact that my body is no longer able to perform accordingly *ahem* due to things hurting way to much) Penelope is my trusty bed pole that I use to help me turn over onto my side while in bed and, to help me sit up and get the legs out and the feet on to the floor in the mornings.

Next, I grab Bert and Ernie . Burt and Ernie ( called so because they’re always together) my trusty el cheapo ‘got em from the Chemist’ crutches that I’ve had since Moby Dick was a tadpole ( My Father’s expression – Not mine. Although, Moby Dick was written in 1851.. which was inspired by a whale who died in 1838 -Which presumably was a Beluga Whale, which according to Google can live upto 50 years … means that technically speaking- and it’s one HECK of a stretch- Moby dick was legitimately a tadpole in the year 1788)

Anyway…

I use Burt and Ernie to help me go to the toilet. Depending on how difficult things are, Hubby may need to help me. I find that I am at my stiffest in the morning – So does my Husband funnily enough ( No… Not like that! Do we remember what I said about gutters?) and the two of us struggle to get me sorted before things get to the point of no return.

As a rule Bert and Ernie are my main mobility aids to help me get around the house. I have Henry Rollins in reserve ( another pair of rather expensive, sleek, black , slimline, lightweight crutches) – but they’re no good when I need to open a door or turn a light switch on and off – as they have no cuff around the arm for support.

I also have a sparkly blue walking stick that I’ve named ‘ The Doctor’ but I’ve not been able to use him for quite a few years. Now that i think about it – I’ve not used him since the very beginning of 2020. I hope to be able to use him again one day. He was always fun. He took over after Edna ( my pink walking stick) was retired after many years of use.

(There’s also ‘Bernard- Brown McBlack’ my four pronged walking aid – but we never really gelled or got on so he just kinda sits in a corner gathering dust.)

Thankfully I am not going anywhere today – but when I do I either take my red manual Wheelchair ( Bernard Barge-Ass) or Eleanor Wheelie

One of the things I have noticed since becoming reliant on mobility aids ( and people) for support is the way society tends to treat you. You’re either invisible (not seen) talked at or over ( not heard) and it infuriates me when people assume I’m stupid because I’m sitting in a wheelchair. ( I plan to write a whole other blog on that subject soon. You have been warned)

Whenever I do go out – I’m either with my Support Worker ( who can fit me, my Wheelchair and crutches in their car) or I require a Maxi Taxi ( shout out to Roy at 13cabs) to go somewhere. I am also the proud owner of a Taxi Card and a Companion Card – which makes travelling a hell of a lot easier.

Currently, it’s 11:33am . Hubby has gone out to do the weekly grocery shop (I’ve tagged along a few times in Eleanor. So far I’ve not crashed into anything LOL) When he gets home he’ll make us both lunch. After which he’ll have to help me shower.

Relax folks! It’s not as kinky as you think. ( Hello? Gutter HAHA) I know that when we Married we spoke our vows ” In sickness and in health” ” For better or worse” Yadda Yadda Yadda – but no where in there did it state that “When your Wife gets to her mid 40s she’ll be permanently disabled and you’ll be stuck washing her Foo-Foo McGoo for all eternity!” and honestly, the Man needs some kind of reward for doing it. (THE FOO-FOO- McGOO Award? Anyone?)

Not many Men would wash their wives Foo-Foo-McGoo I’d wager. He is a wonderful help to me, (despite his constant complaints to Management that his role in things was to remove me of my clothes …Anyway, never mind! The way we do our laundry is none your business! LOL!) so in that respect, I’m very lucky.

Thankfully, thanks to my new NDIS plan, which comes into effect in January next year – I’ll have Support Workers in to take over helping me shower – so that’ll be one less thing he’ll have to do – which will hopefully mean we’ll no longer have to get up at 4am every day and get some extra sleep!

We’ve got a quiet day planned ( at least in theory anyway Most of the time my Husband is running around like a blue arsed fly getting all the things done.) Tonight we’ll have dinner, then watch another episode of LOKI -Se 2- while I sit with my feet on Mr. Wilson – The mean, green, peeing machine – for 30 minutes so I can work on improving the circulation in my legs.

Now, because I know you’re going to ask – Mr Wilson is my Revitive machine. It’s a Circular Disk that you can put your feet on and it sends electric currents up through your legs ( which are at a 30 degree angle mind) in order to stimulate circulation and stop your legs and feet from swelling. I got it on the advice of my Physiotherapist who suggested it might help and so far, he’s right. It certainly hasn’t solved all of my problems – but it has helped. The only drawback is that the electric current tap dances like Fred Astaire across your bladder and *Surprise!* You need to Pee! Hence my name for it.

You know, I had started out with wanting to write this blog with my thoughts regarding how I found Disabled Access to places and to start a discussion on whether it’s reasonable to discuss your needs with a venue or not – But this blog kinda went in a different direction and that’s OK .

I hope by reading this blog, people will have some understanding of what my day is like.

The other blogs will be happening over the coming weeks

Thanks for reading

Ceej
The One Where The Day Chair Finally Arrived (And Other Chaos This Week)

December 10, 2023

Like last week, the featured image I’m using for this week’s blog has nothing to do with anything – other than its something nice to look at. In fact, If memory serves me right – I took it from the 22nd floor from 180 Lonsdale St not long after my place of work moved in. It’d been raining all morning and when it stopped- a rainbow appeared thus the photo that’s currently the image for this blog.

Enjoy.

Where to begin?

My mental health fell into the toilet this week and has pretty much remained like an unflushed turd in the bottom of the bowl. With everything that’s been going on .. I simply wish to cease to exist for a bit, until everything goes away and/or I stop hurting.

Since losing my Psychologist from the NDIS ( and if you wish to read about that – you can do so here: https://domainsaredumb.blog/2023/12/03/the-one-where-the-ndis-was-still-taking-the-piss-regarding-my-allied-health-providers/)

I’ve not exactly been feeling like I could take on the world head on. It’s affecting my job ( I’m beginning to feel like I am a burden and am letting the team down) and I am constantly exhausted and tired. I’m finding it difficult to concentrate and want nothing more than to nap in the middle of the day. I take vitamins every day ( including extra Vit C and Vit D) and it makes little to no difference to my energy levels.

Even writing this blog is a struggle. I mean I just sat here for 15 minutes watching tik tok videos for no apparent reason. (And please, don’t throw “You’re Neurodivergent” at me. I’ve not had an official diagnosis of anything of the sort and if I’m being perfectly honest, the fact that people just throw that word around like it’s nothing or as an excuse to justify really shitty behaviour – really gives me the shits)

But yeah, I’m just not feeling much of anything at the moment and it’s really getting me down.

That said, I have taken steps to help myself by reaching out to E.A.P ( Employee Assist Program) which is the free counselling service provided by work . 6 sessions at no charge – at anytime you see fit. It’s not the first time I’ve used them and I very much doubt it’ll be the last .. But anything is better than nothing.

As well as my mental health being in the toilet – it’s entirely possible I have carpal tunnel syndrome in my right wrist. I’ve had a clicky weird thing going on in my right thumb and very recently pain began to radiate from my thumb down to my wrist so yeah.. That could be a thing.( From using the crutchers I suspect) I’ve also pulled/pinched a muscle in my back ( Right side – because of course) so that’s a thing as well. Thankfully, I am taking celecoxib.. A really strong anti inflammatory for all the things so hopefully it helps.

On the NDIS front – My DAY CHAIR arrived! I mean, it arrived out of the blue, with no warning after 6 months .. Completely the wrong colour and a slightly different design to the one that I ordered – But, it arrived nonetheless. And given that it took 6 months of asking, emailing back and forth, invoices being lost, found, lost and then found again, payment being made and finally have it turn up on my doorstep in a truck just before lunch on Wednesday – I was hardly going to complain about it.

The funny thing was, I was talking to my Support Coordinator about it that morning and we were discussing pulling the pin on my entire order as by that point, we’d both agreed that it was ridiculous and the company we were using had dicked us about long enough.

Funny how things work out huh?

As well as this, I’m still in discussions with my OT ( Occupational Therapist) regarding a lightweight wheelchair ramp and modifications to our bathroom. Will keep everyone posted about how that goes. As I’ve mentioned before, I live in a rental and anything that needs to be done requires permission from the Landlord .. Invisible man that he is.

On the homefront, the alternator went to god on Wednesday afternoon and so we had to get it replaced. It was all pretty easy – thanks to the RACV – but yeah, happening just after we’d paid rent? Not ideal to be sure. Oh well, what’s done is done and there we are.

Tonight we’ve invited my Dad and my Aunt over for a Roast Lamb. So that’ll be a nice way to end the week at least.

Until next time

Ceej

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