No 12 of 12 for May 2010...

Hi everyone, yes it's me again. I know I don't post regularly and I'm sure what few readers I had have dropped me as part of their regular blog reading but I will keep posting when I can and hope someone will read what I write. It was inevitable to lose a few readers but in the end I am comfortable with that outcome. However, I did decide a few months back that maybe this blog will become more of a photo blog and using the 12 of 12 project, that was the brainchild of this man, gives me the opportunity to present to those that are interested, a look into my life through the lens of my camera. I truly enjoy taking the pictures each month and have the hardest time picking out the just 12 pictures to submit each month. I usually take around 160 pictures so the filter process is a bit difficult but I think that it also is part the fun for me doing the project.

Anyway, the main point of this latest entry is to very sadly tell you that I won't be able to do the 12 of 12 for May 2010. But, there is a very good reason for this unfortunate event. "What is that good reason you ask?" My answer is "I got a job!" Yes that's right, after 15 long months and more then 70 applications sent out of looking for gainful employment, I finally snared myself a job. I will be working for a company called International SOS. I am so looking forward to starting, which is on the 10th of May. Maybe my new work environment will provide me with some raw material for a few good post. We will wait and see. I want to thank everyone that supported me through the job hunting process. I really appreciate all of your kind words and encouragement. It meant a lot to me.

There is one more reason for this post and that is to show you the two pictures from last months 12 of 12 that will show you where I got the close up shots of the parts of the two different fountains. So here there are...

This fountain sits in the middle of Sydney's Hyde Park. You cab see the two horse head on eacj side that I took the closed up of one of them.

This fountain sits in the courtyard of Sydney Hospital, which is the oldest hospital in Australia. A note of interest the hospital is still in service and will continue to do so as long as there is a need. In fact my husband just got a new job there working in the Emergency Department. Anyway, I'll keep in touch so I hope that you will keep watching this space and I'll definitely see you for the 12 of 12 for June 2010. See ya...

12 of 12 for April 2010

It's that time of the month again and no it's not the visit from my special friend. What it is, is time for the 12 of 12 photo blog post. I took these photos from around the city and by city I mean Sydney. I'm going to let the photos speak for themselves. So, to you I say enjoy. Oh and as for the mystery photo from last month the photo is that of a close up of a glass block. anyway as I said enjoy the photos. I hope you like them as much as I liked taking them...

OH! A huge apology to Chad Darnell, the man who started this project. I feel terrible for forgetting to tell everyone about him. Anyway. the 12 of 12 is Chad's idea and if you want to know more about the project or about Chad himself you can find everything you wanted to know right here.

Just part of a very colourful fountain

A very old gas lamp that has been converted to electric

Artwork carved into some sandstone

One of many street fruit and flower vendors

Did you forget something for your work day, do you just need a quick snack, or want the latest gossip magazine? Whatever it may be these downtown street vendors probably have it.

This is a very cool piece of artwork that hangs from the side of a building and I liked the way it looks like it is floating over the coffee shop

This is this months mystery photo. so take a guess and as usually I'll let you know the answer next month

Another cool piece of artwork hanging in the lobby of an office tower

I have lived in this city on and off for approximately six years and i have never seen this sculpture but how could I have missed that colour?

Part of a very large fountain that sits in the middle of Hyde Park

Another piece of the same fountain. I have a thing for fountains this month. I'll make a separate post to show you the entire fountains that these partial pictures were taken

I think these guys are hilarious. They are lawyers and that is what they wear in court. some of them are judges and depending on their experience the bigger the white wig. Well that's it. I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you next month.

Lookee here...

Well, it's been a month to the day and guess what today is??? That's right it's the 12th and you know what that means. Right again, it's time for the monthly 12 of 12 photo post. Maybe, I should rename my blog to to "Being Normal - Pictures" I'll have to think about that one for awhile. Anyway, I really love taking the pictures for this monthly endeavour and can't wait to see what I find today to feed into the lens of my camera. We will just have to wait and see. It's early morning on this the 12th day of April and I am about to head in to the city (Sydney, Australia) to take this months photos. So, stay tuned and I'll see you later today. Wish me luck...

12 of 12 for March 2010

Well, I haven't been posting very well as of late but I hope this post will makes up for that. I also have not posted a 12 of 12 for some time so I'm really excited and happy to finally be able to share these photos with you. I took 162 photos so it was really hard to pick just 12, but I did pick some. All of these photos are from around our new home back in Sydney. We moved from Tasmania back to Sydney in January. Actually we are just on the north side of Sydney in a suburb called Freshwater. We kept our house down in Tassie and have leased it out who knows maybe when retirement time rolls around it will make a nice place to go to for those golden years. Anyway, as I said these pictures have all been taken either around our new home or around the area that we now live. So, without further adieu here are this months photos. I hope you like them and with that I say...Enjoy

We planted this Frangipani right after we moved back and we are extremely happy that it is blooming and doing well.

Just and interesting picture of a plant we replanted and placed in the garden.

This is a spider called a Golden Orb Spider. They are everywhere in our garden. This one has been in this same place for over a month. It is a female as they are bigger than the males. They can bite and are a bit venomous but not enough to kill you. I'm going to find out.

This is the mystery photo so you can guess what it is.

Just a bit of greenery which I believe is a Christmas cactus.

A very beautiful plant of which we have several in our garden. I don't know what they are but this one is actually about four times bigger than what I have shown you here.

I took this picture from the car on a trip back to the house from running errands. I wanted a picture of the beach that holds the name of the suburb in which we live AKA Freshwater Beach. However, inadvertently I got more than I bargained for and I'm sure you can figure out what I mean. I actually thought it was quite funny.

A better picture of our beach.

This was taken at my brother-in-laws. they live about five minutes awy, literally around the corner.

We don't know the name of this tree but I just think it's beautiful.

These are my brother-in-laws dogs. The older one is named Diesel and the puppy is namec Bronte.

And last but not least I saw this bug which I identified as a stink bug. However, the only stink bugs I can remember when I lived in the states were all green. As you can see this one is definitely not just green. Anyway, that it for this month I hope you liked some of the photos and I hope very much to take some next month. See you then...

My how time flies...

...when you're doing other things besides writing in your blog. Hey there everyone, believe it or not I'm still alive and well. I'm sure some of you have given up the ghost and decided to stop coming by to read this blog and that's okay. As for those of you who do check in every once in a while, I admire your will of conviction to stay with something and I thank you. I understand that this venue is my space and it lives when I say it lives, it breathes when I say it breathes and sleeps for as long as I want it to sleep. I quit promising that I would actively keep writing in this blog because I hate breaking promises. So now that I'm comfortable with posting when I want, or at least as comfortable as I'm going to get with not posting except when I want to post; I am then able to come here when the urge hits and today the urge hit.

My life has been one huge roller coaster ever since a fateful day back in April 1986. That was the day that I found out that my life would change forever. That was the day I thought I was going to die sooner rather than later. That was the day I found out that I was HIV positive. A lot has happened since that day and hence why I said my life has been a roller coaster ride and sometimes the ride from hell. There have been many twist and turns, a few big loops, a couple of really long drops and one to many bumps. Non the less I continue on this roller coaster I now call my life, twist, turns, loops, bumps and all.

Since that day I fought tooth and nail to stay with the program but at times I felt like giving up as it is/has been all too much. I have been so sick that I was at deaths door one to many times. The disease took me there on a few occasions and other times I took myself there by abusing my body with one too many drinks and a lot of other substances that I should have stayed away from. After all of that I'm still here and sometimes I can't believe that I am because technically I should have been gone so long ago just by way of abuse not to mention giving the disease a leg up.

Oddly enough during all of this time I have been able to love and be loved. Now, I have loved many times in my life but specifically I found love three times since that day. I never thought I would be able to have love and live long enough to engage in relationship with another person but I did. Unfortunately for me of those three loves I lost two of them I did not lose them due to incompatibility in the relationship. I lost them to a demon that I could not battle nor win against Those two loves/lives were taken from me by the angel of death.

After the first death I never thought I would be able to love again. I had my heart torn out of my chest the day he died and that hole took a lot of time before it filled back in. The second time death stole love from me it not only ripped out my heart but it took a large part of my soul with it also. I knew then that I was never going to love again as I could not bear the thought of enduring that type of pain and emotional heartbreak ever again. Love on the other hand is a a funny thing and it had different plans for me. Whilst I was grieving the lose of my second love I met a very kind soul who put out the hand of friendship and understanding. This person allowed me to pour out my heart and all the time whilst I relieved my pain they just sat there and listened and listened and listened and then they listened some more. They allowed me to talk for hours on end and at the end of each emotional dumping on my part they where still there to tell me that I/it would be okay and eventually I believed them. What surprised me the most about this friendship is that I found out that I could also love again. Love was something that I had forgotten and it had dropped completely off my radar but even though i didn't see it love was till there waiting for me and waiting for the right moment for me to let it back into my heart.

I not only found that I could love again but I found a person to love and as I said love is a funny thing because I found love when I was least expecting it. I found love within the person who lent me a gentle hand and a non-judgmental ear. That man allowed me to pour my guts out and to talk days on end about the great lose of love I had with another man and yet in the end he was still willing to open his heart and allow me to feel so loved that at first it was a bit overwhelming. I was not sure I could or want to love again. The contrast between the warmth and kindness I felt for this man combined with the terrible agony that tore at my heart and soul from the lose of another man made my head spin. In the end I decided to throw caution to the wind and gave love another chance. I realised after all of those hours of talking that love is what you make it and sometime you fall out of love and sometimes love is taken from you but no matter what, you will always be able to love if you choose to do so. So as I said I chose to love again and because I did I have just celebrated the eleventh year of being in love with the most caring, kind, compassionate, warm, giving, and sometimes intense but always loving man I have been so blessed to meet. Oh and did I mention he's not bad on the eye either.

So, I say Happy Anniversary to my most wonderful husband and to him I say thank you for helping me find love again.