MARCH ROUND UP

March did not get off to a good start and had been a roller coaster ride ever since. The things I did and got up to during this month are mind blowing!

 

I worked Sat 1st, and we had a lady collapse. We were kept busy keeping her well and alive until the ambulance arrived. To be honest I thought she was going to die, it was harrowing and scary. And of course even worse for the poor lady. It was a reaction to new medication, and she is ok. But boy, were we tested that day!

 

I lunched after with my good friend C, at Caves Beach Hotel, wasn't that hungry and in a bit of a state, but as always she made me feel heaps better.

 

The Oscars were held early in the month and as is my custom I took time off to watch it live. My sister A also had time off work and we had a celebratory afternoon with bubbles and seafood!

You can read all about my predictions, thoughts on the show, and wrap up of fashion.

 

As part of my Project Declutter and Revamp, my first new piece of furniture arrived. A lovely cabinet for the lounge room. This arriving set off a domino effect of clearing out and rearranging, but I'm pleased with the outcomes!

I've also been playing the guitar with my niece and nephew, who are having lessons. And I bought myself some Bongo Drums!!

And then things got really nuts.

 

Someone once said to me if you live large, large things happen, good and bad. And I guess bad happens to make us appreciate the finer things in our life. I have written about mental health moments before, and I am lucky to not suffer very much, but I do suffer them from time to time. Usually I can see warning signs and nip things in the bud, but this time it snuck up on me and I was down for the count but only briefly. The thing that pushed me over, was not how I was treated during an incident (which is to say not at all well!), but how others included in it were. Piss me off and upset me is one thing, but my friends, well that is a whole other thing and I admit my reaction to this was not at all classy. The combination brought me to my knees.

 

I've got a pretty tough exterior due to 'stuff', but that exists to protect a very fragile and sensitive interior. It takes a lot to break through to it, so kudos to the shitheads that get there!!! However, it's always pleasant to find out who one needs to avoid in life! I prefer to keep personal things private, but I see so many people suffering similarly or worse, I feel the need to share so they don't feel so isolated and alone.

 

But during all this I had a lot to be grateful for, things that jerked me right out of that bad head space. I attended a GenXWomen lunch at Noahs with the fantastic Joanne McCarthy as guest speaker, attended an literary dinner at Cooks Hill Hotel, talked Haruki Murakami at bookclub, and Marched in March. All the while supported and loved by fabulous friends and family, you all know who you are, godammit I love you guys!!!

And then I heard a song I loved and like that I got my mojo back.

 

Which was perfect timing, as I was entering one of the busiest fortnights I have ever had, in life and at work.

 

I have been organising for some months an author tour for my friend, Anita Heiss and her friend Lisa Heidke. It was a lot of work, but really can you call having so much fun at 5 events over 2 days work?

 

I also managed to squeeze in a Neil Finn concert, and celebrate what would have been my beloved Pop's 100th birthday.

 

My friend D, who I have known since I was 5 also dropped by with Vodka - now there's a friend that knows me well - for a catch up.

 

The second week brought the new Cardiff Library opening, a NAG Supporters public meeting, a large vintage fashion show and gardening talk and meetings at work, and a meeting with ABC about the Writer's Festival, of which I shall be part of. I lunched with D, bought a stack on vinyl, had another movie night at work, and then pretty much crashed.

In fact I literally crashed on the Thursday when I took quite the tumble in the rain, my mind was elsewhere and I think the universe wanted to bring me back to earth, lol. I did a fair bit of damage to some body parts but nothing broken, just my pride!

 

I got together with my beloved Tweeps, for another great Tweet Up, this time at The Edwards, as organised by C. And it was a fabulous night, of chatter, friendship, drinks, laughs, and funnily enough, not much tweeting! My lovely friend L stayed with me for the occasion and she finally got to meet a whole lot of people she had been conversing online with for years.

 

The following day, L and I headed into Frankies Place for a leisurely brunch and then checked out the latest exhibition at Newcastle Art Gallery. We then wandered the length of the mall, chatting art, photography, and politics. I also saw The Great Beauty, and Inside Llewyn Davis.

I am planning on some quieter months, I need to bury myself in some great literature, and catch up on some quality viewing.