Cleaning Obsession

Of late I have been rather obsessed with cleaning our bathroom tiles, shower box, long bath and kitchen floor tiles with a hospital grade cleaner. I do it once a fortnight or once every 3 weeks. I like the after effect of a smooth to the touch tile, clean corners, the knowledge that it is germ free and also to a certain extent, the sterile smell after a thorough clean.

Sterile scents doesn't sound too appealing does it? :) But I have discovered that the hospital grade cleaner does do a fantastic job so I'm willing to forego citrusy or fresh scents for the sake a germ free environment.

The cleaner is rather harsh on the hands though. I will have to be more generous with moisturisers and hand cream to make up for my loss :)

cheryl

Unwell

I am seated upright with my legs folded on the sofa and the laptop on my lap but strangely enough I feel as though I am seated on the sofa placed on a slope and with me leaning at a 45 degree angle to the left.

Slightly spinning but I hope I am not having a vertigo moment. Have not felt like this before. Oh help.

cheryl

Canberra SkyFire21 2009

I had such a lovely time tonight at the Canberra SkyFire! SkyFire is an annual event organised by FM 104.7, a massive show of fireworks even bigger than the one at New Years Eve and it’s held at the centre basin of Lake Burley Griffin. It’s a great picturesque setting for the event. Imagine the serene shores of a manmade lake surrounded by green slopes and national monuments on each side.

What's a description without photos to add to the imagination? I took some pictures before the sun set.

Old Parliament House with the current Parliament House in the background

Federation Place with its slopes filling up with party goers

Another side of Lake Burley Griffin with Australian War Memorial in the background. See the little people dotting the shoreline?

There was a short aerial show while we waited for the sun to go down and the show to begin.

Parachutists displaying their aerial skills with colored gas tanks

Helicopter ala 'Air Wolf'

We got to our chosen location at 5.30pm and we could see that all sides of the lake were jam packed with people bar our side. Hallelujah! I was told people had started arriving to secure a good vantage point as early as 12 noon and the show was only to start at 8.30pm! We quickly secured a good spot and plonked our picnic ware on a tarp on the ground. Alex and I recently invested in some outdoor foldable seats for occasions like these and they sure were comfy.

Our blue tarp with a flowery centre mat

Our comfy green seats - comes with a cup holder.. and only for AUD 8 each!!

We were about to sit down when two lovely ladies in red outfits came up to us and offered to take a photo of us for free. They were sponsored by good ol' McDonalds and with the free photo came a voucher for buy one get one free breakfast at McD. Freebies always make my day!

Two red ladies armed with SLR

Our complimentary shot

I took the shot below after the sun set. Federation Place has a lake side front with some world flags lining the walk. The night breeze was blowing nicely, making the flags look rather majestic against the dark skies. And of course, the seeing the Malaysian flag flying high sealed the shot.

The first of the fireworks

Second shot

The show this year was fantastic. I recorded the whole event to share it with you guys. Do click pause after clicking on the link to allow for the entire clip to load before you watch the video. Do look for the short appearance of boxes and hearts midway through the show. I thought that was such a surprise. And I love the finale best. Enjoy!

cheryl

A Nice Surprise

Alex picked me up from work today and I was nicely surprised when presented with the below. :) It came with a purple heart choccie.

The giving of flowers is never too old a trick to change a girls day from regular to wonderful. The flowers also reminded me of a certain girl friend's wedding bouquet :)

This is what I did with the gerberas. As you can see, still no proper vase. :) I have some short vases around the house but each one is already filled with dried flowers. So jars will have to do for now.

And, according to the Sydney Markets: Flower Meanings webpage, an orange gerbera means

'You are the sunshine of my life'

Say it together now," Awwwww......" :)

Thank you hubby. You made my day brighter too.

cheryl

Last Chance Harvey

Alex and I caught a movie today. Last Chance Harvey is a movie about Harvey (played by Dustin Hoffman) a jingle composer at the verge of losing his job. He travels to London to attend his daughter's wedding only to find out that she wants her stepfather to give her away at the wedding. As he struggles to keep his job and his composure at each family meeting, he gets thrown the final curveball when his boss informs him that he has lost his job.

Defeated and disappointed, he heads to the airport bar for a drink when he meets Kate (played by Emma Thompson) This was Harvey's second time meeting Kate. In their first meeting which was brief and not altogether pleasant, he was approached by Kate to participate in a survey as he got off the plane and as most passengers would, he brushed her off, citing exhaustion and a lack of time. At their second meeting, they become friends. With a little proding and witty banter, they get off to a slow but good start.

This is a nice show about new beginnings. Its about mature love where the emphasis of a relationship is more about companionship, warm presence and wholesome banter. Not young love which is heady, all about the rush of emotions and a fixation on physical attraction.

My favourite part was at the end of the show when Harvey seeks Kate out at her weekly book reading class to show her he was serious about embarking on their relationship. After a teary effort to reject change at this point of her life, Kate says, " So how is this going to work?"

"Well I don't know. I really have no idea," says Harvey.

After a thoughtful pause.... Kate says, "Let's take a walk.."

And a walk it is. After all isn't a relationship really about walking with your partner, having a warm, comfortable conversation until the sunset of life?

This was a feel good show... A nice and refreshing change from the usual love plot.

cheryl

In the Obituary..

She passed on before the weekend. Read about the previous post here.

I can only imagine the pain of her relative who was there during her collapse. To be relieved and happy that she was brought back from the brink of death only to experience the loss all over again in 3 days-a roller coaster of the worst of emotions.

Life can be short. I'm thankful for everything I have.

cheryl