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| a sprinkle of wellness dust |
My Brave Man asked me what I wanted for Christmas this year, all I could think of was a just a simple box of “wellness dust”. I would sprinkle it over my mum, my brave friend Son and my new brave friend Sarah, of course I’d save some for me too.
Just when things were going swimmingly, and I felt like I was getting my ‘mojo’ back, I noticed some strange things happening…… that were just not me!
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our sad little christmas tree only managed a star made by sienna
and a tired angel that couldn’t quite make it to the top |
My Christmas tree was not decorated, the Bing Crosby carols were not being played relentlessly like they would usually be at this time of year, and there wasn’t one signed and sealed Christmas card in sight, waiting to be posted.
My Christmas mojo was slipping away. I just knew something was just not right. Was the Grinch stealing my Christmas?
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so many strange things were happening, I just wasn’t being myself
Photo I took of Sienna’s dinner after I realised that I poured Merlot instead of Milk? |
My little fairyhad her 7th Birthday Party, with the help of kind friends and a little bit of outsourcing, I gathered up the energy and summoned my inner ‘Martha Stewart’ to put on a fun birthday party for her.
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| every 7 year old little girl needs a flashing disco floor |
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| disco party bags |
She asked for a disco party, although I felt a bit of a neglectlful mother when her disco music requests were Mama Mia and various hits from the eighties. I was determined to make her a great party, even though I was feeling so sick and not my normal self, my girl was going to have a party to remember.
I even made her own disco ball birthday cake.I spent most of the day before, cooking, sparkling and moulding a chocolate,glitter covered disco ball, which I was quite proud of, only to be asked bySienna, as she looked at the finished product….., “Why did you make me an Igloo cake?”….. Nevertheless, I powered on, and even though my kitchen looked like it had been stomped through by a gay pride march, the disco ball was complete and I was a happy mum!
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| ta da! |
My 7 year old Fairy had funand so did her friends, and thankfully the flashing disco floor light didn’tset off any epileptic fits or seizures amongst the kidlets.
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| working on the disco hair |
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| december 2011 |
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saturday afternoon fever!
7th birthday party december 2011 |
So after thel ast of the edible disco glitter had been swept away. I slowed down and realised that still, this lung infection that I was told I had was not clearing. I had taken the a-z of anitbiotics, which had been about as ‘useful as an ashtray on a motor bike.’
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| my fairy having fun with her new birthday present |
Still feeling lousy, we checked into hospital for a 5 day stay of the hardcore antibiotics. I wished so hard that they were working but I still felt like the Grinch had come and not only stolen my Christmas but taken one of my lungs along with him.
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december 2011
a couple of hospital visitors
maybe future doctors? |
Things were looking up when I was able to have my own private room. But I soon learnt, never to underestimate the “shared bathroom situation”. Seeing a Russian woman’s pantaloons spread across the ‘shared’ basin was not a sight to behold. And although I tried to muster up all the empathetic and compassionate energy inside of me, I still could not get passed the impressive acoustics that my hospital had to offer, as my Russian neighbour struggled with her accute conspitation issues.
Hearing the moaning in the dead of the night, would bring my thoughts into centre court as if listening to a world ranking tennis player, groaning every time she would brace herself for another grand slam….. if you know what I mean.
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december 2011
fairy and I having a good-night skype
me in my hospital bed……her in bed at home |
My little fairy was sad that I was back in the place I had promised her I was never going back to, especially so soon. At night when she was in her bed, she would sneak the phone whilst the Brave Man was downstairs eating his dinner and she’d ring my mobile. In her hushed sweet voice, I’d hear her little sobs, telling me she wanted me. I would try and cheer her up by planning things we’d do when I would get out, like cartwheels and monkey bars. God knows how I’d do these well or unwell, still it seemed to calm her down and make her happy again. Then we’d play the “you hang up first” game, which would go on for ages.
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July 2011
creating our ‘happily ever after’ |
One thing that we had all been very focused on was the fact that we had bought a little farmhouse during the year. It’s about a 2 ½ hour drive from Melbourne along the Great Ocean Road in a little place called Johanna. It’s set amongst green rolling hills and a valley and it is so picturesque and serene.
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December 2011
our little slice of heaven |
Johanna is very special to us because it’s where the Brave Man and I had our first romantic triste. We spent many weekends here in the early days, the Brave Man trying to woo me with his country boy charm, me trying to fake that I loved jumping farm fences and running as ‘one’ amongst the cows. The only “moo moo”, I knew at the time was the high fashioned brand “Miu Miu” which probably makes its products out of those very cows, I was trying to be ‘one’ with.
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| the barn with the big red door |
Surfice to say,it worked for us and amongst these green valleys and beautiful Cape Otway sunsets, we fell in love both with each other and Johanna.
So 13 years later we find ourselves here again on a weekend away soothing our bodies from the relentless medical appointments and our minds from the ongoing worry of thef uture. Where we discovered this gorgeous country hideaway. Set on seven acres amongst the gum trees and overlooking the beautiful Otway State Forest. As we drive down the gravel windy driveway, a wild deer skips passed us, up into the ferny fairlyland that surrounds part of the property.
The barn withthe big red door welcomes us as we drive up to the main house.
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November 2011
farmer girl |
We spend a weekend breathing the fresh air, listening to the birds melodic whistlings and we know how good this is for our souls. We know that this is what we need to keep the happy memories continuing.
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December 2011
good morning Johanna from my bedroom window |
A week later the Brave Man puts on his ‘dealmaker’ hat and buys the property. We know that for us, the house with the barn with the big red door in Johanna is an investment into our happily ever after. Somewhere to go when everything in the city becomes too much, somewhere to soothe our souls.
We clean, we measure, we buy and we get organised to move into our farmhouse retreat, we’re excited!
Meanwhile, I get out of hospital, Sienna officially turns 7 and my mum gets a second opinion. Things are looking up but something is still not quite right.
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December 11, 2011
waking up 7 |
Sprinkle that wellness dust all over yourself, right now!