Mama Mia......... here I go again.....

I made a momentous decision yesterday.

Life-changing.

It may well affect others perception of me, including Beloved & my children.

I'm not sure of the ramifications on a professional level.

My identity as a woman, a vital, sexual being is on the line.

My sanity will be questioned: my ability to think coherently and make valid, considered decisions.

I am not having a midlife crisis.

I have been considering this for quite some time now, but was unsure of how to make the first step.

I have decided to.....................................

Let my hair grow out into it's natural grey and brown colouring.............

"Duh", you say. I have no idea what the natural colour of my hair is, as I have been colouring, dying, foiling & tiniting my hair since I was 15. So that's quite a while. I am plain tired if it all. I have never been a good customer at the hairdressers: none have ever been able to take holidays based upon my my repeat visits. I have ordinary hair; just wavy, yet I struggle to find a decent cutter up here. My lovely friend, Kathy, used to cut it beautifully, then she moved away. Her eldest girl & my Vboy are the same age: we met at playgroup. She loved to cut my hair (madwoman), and told me that it was difficult to find someone that was able to cut wavy hair well. How right she was.

Then Colleen moved in next door, and she would cut my locks & whack on a colour in between me putting in the roast & the veges that I would wash off before making the gravy..... then she moved away. We would have some lovely Friday night chardies together. It never mattered that I was the same age as her mum. I actually hadn't really met her, when she called out to GG over the fence that she needed to see me, & did I have some time after tea? So I rocked over after tea, in my houseclothes, grotty bare feet and unwashed body, concerned about my new neighbour. She gave me a lovely pedicure while we got to know each other........ Initially mortified, I soon realised how warm & genuine this young woman is. And, boy, is she a good hairdresser. That is why she had her own very successful salon at the age of 21.

Finally, after wasting money on haircuts & colours that I never liked, I started getting my friend Maxine to cut it, but she lives in Newcastle, so it's difficult to get to her when she's at work. She will cut it at home, but won't take any money for her excellent services, then won't let me pay for the pizzas that we devour afterwards...... I love the way she does it, & she loves my hair. Actually, I just love Max. She's gorgeous. We met through a mutual friend when our girls were wee babes, and have been friends ever since.

I had foils put in by a lovely girl in a salon at Belmont at the beginning of the year, but it's too much effort to maintain them. I bit the bullet & had a trim at a salon in Muswellbrook earlier this month. $34 poorer after the quickest trim (no wash) and a straightening blow-dry, I had a cut that... guess what? I don't like..............

I chatted with the new salon owner, Nell, here in Denman yesterday. She made sense when she advised me to not strip the colour out of my hair, as it may damage it, but rather to just colour it with semi's until it grows out. And she suggested that I try the woman who cuts her own wavy hair, as she is happy with her. So on Wednesday, Denice gets a go...........

I am going to have to be very, very patient. Hmmmmmmm.......

So there you go.

Really, truely, a post about nothing. A bit like "Seinfeld", the self-confessed show about nothing. But still a bit of fun.......

I'll be Blogging AWOL again for the next 5 days or so: shifts do that to you, don't they?

Poppy Don's funeral service is on Monday morning. I hope the weather is nice for his send-off. Work has been brilliant in accomodating my needs over the past few weeks. I have dubbed myself the "Claytons's Trainee". You know: "the Trainee you have when you're not having a Trainee......". Now my age is showing.... Some will probably not remember where that came from.....

I think I'll stop watching the news....... never any good news, is there?

Have a good one.

Love, Cyndy ;0)

Everyone around, love him, love him.............

Hi. I am home.

PoppyDon passed away this evening (Tuesday) at just after 7pm. He managed to stay around so that his sisters & brother could all say their goodbyes, which I'm sure was a comfort to them, even though PoppyDon has probably been unconscious since yesterday.

It is sad, but a blessed relief for him.

Life will never be the same.

He was spirited individual, with a kind & generous heart, and an amazing positive outlook on life & it's many foibles.

Rest in peace, lovely man. xoxoxoxo

i'M FOREVER BLOWING BUBBLES, PRETTY BUBBLES IN THE AIR....

Well that's what I would prefer to be doing, anyway.

The family has been backwards & forwards & now simply staying put with PoppyDon at the hospital.

It's been a torturous time. On Wednesday of this week, we convinced him not to have the surgery that was, more than likely, going to end his life, based upon the promise that we could provide him with a painless and peaceful passing if that was what he wanted.

It turns out, that this was way more difficult than planned, and it has taken until last night to have some appropriate and effective pain management put in place, as the doctor in charge thought that we wanted Pop lucid throughout the proceedings........ and was taking the softly softly approach in medication. After an interesting discussion, whereby the doctor accused us of asking him to perform euthanasia (which he said that he was neither comfortable, nor happy with ... give the man a gold star), we asked him to just DO HIS JOB and provide Pop with the peace that he so desperately wanted, as we had been assured would be the case. To us, this was a happily snoring Pop until his poor, worn-out body just gives up, rather than the pale man in excrutiating pain who almost needed to be scraped off the ceiling.

Finally, last night, the intravenous line filled with opiates, relaxants and antipsychotics was finally put inplace that I had suggested at 11am yesterday. The result is the happily snoring Pop that we all wanted......

So now we wait. His daughters are paranoid and insisting upon silence lest we wake him....... Understandable, but an over-reaction.

That will do for now. I'm not sure how much time I have left at the internet cafe here at the hospital.

Be well & happy people.

Love, Cyndy ;0)

And the beat goes on......

Good Morning.

Life goes on.

I was in Newie on Friday & Saturday visiting unwell family members.

Poppy Don remains in hospital, and will be unwell for some time. I actually believe that he isn't going to become well, but is now in a place where he will improve from how he is now, until he becomes unwell again. Poor darling. There doesn't seem to be anything that can be done to fix his "problems", which are now multiple in numbers, just manage them as best as possible.

Favourite Uncle has tests today with a neurologist. It was decided that his last couple of funny turns were mini-strokes, so he's on a necessary 'go-slow' at the moment. He'll be ok I think, and a few lifestyle changes probably won't go astray anyway.

Beloved will be home from his weekend in Victoria tonight. He struggled with going in the first place with his dad being unwell, and Beloved has had a throat-flu as well. He seems to have enjoyed himself, but will be glad to be home, he said. He wants to drive down to see his dad tomorrow. I'm going to see if I can change my shift so I can go with him, but I'm not sure whether this can happen.

The young Blogmuggles are all well. GG has finally started on paid shifts at the service station yesterday, and works on Tuesday evening as well. Sboy starts his HSC exams on Friday. KFC has him rostered on to work every night this week........ He is to inform them that this is not possible, especially Thursday night. Mind you, I don't think that it will make all that much difference, given the amount of preparation that he has done (read this as minimal folks). VBoy headed off out the door this morning to catch the bus at 7.30am; its the first morning that he's been out of bed before 11am in 2 weeks...... He's a good boy....

I'm off folks. Washing to hang, paperwork to sort out before I head off to work at 11am. I want to go to see school & sort out some things before work as well. I won't be here much this week, as I'm scheduled for evening shift tonight, then 5 mornings..... gah......

Bye ;0)

Big boys don't cry........

Just dropping in to say hello.

Life is good. I returned to work on Monday (public holiday pay; yay!). So far so good there. I have an ADO on Friday, so somebody somewhere loves me, but the roster is a bit on the weird side. I work 6 days straight next week, which is ok, but then there are 10 days of unscheduled leave followed by another ADO, 4 days of quick shifts then goodness knows how many days on a new roster on my next rotation at Muswellbrook. I think someone messed up somewhere.....

I will have to go into Mussie before I start work this afternoon, see if their roster is out, then try to sort it out when there is time at work with the acting NUM,when she has time..... good luck with that. Staffing is a huge issue at the moment as school holidays are always a juggle, and lots of people are sick at the moment. It seems that illness is always an issue in the healthcare industry. It must have something to do with the "aura" of the sick people in hospital (the professional term for this is Infection Control...), stress & shiftwork, I suppose.

All is well in the family up here in Wattle Grove. Kids are enjoying their holidays. GG has worked a few shifts (unpaid until today's shift, but that is ok: she's got to start somewhere & they have appreciated her committment). She has missed her Newie social life, though. Sboy is busy preparing for his exams: NOT. He's very relaxed, though. "Being a kid", he calls it. Vboy has been sleeping until midday & "just hangin'".......

Beloved heads off to Victoria tomorrow with his mate, Pete. He should have fun....

I'm happy as I've managed to cut $65 off our weekly expenditure at home this week. I wonder if I'll ever find it????????

Sad note: The fabulous Poppy Don is back in hospital this week, and the divine Uncle Al (the one that lovely Lisa & I share) has been in & out over the past few weeks, & is not a well boy either. (Maybe this was the cranky bloke in a dressing gown that you saw in your dream, Lisa? He hates being unwell: it frustrates him no end...). Some healing energies would be appreciated for these luvverlies please.... I know that everyone is fairly stretched at the moment....

Anyway, I'm off. Things to do.

Have a good one!

Love, Muggle ;0)