~ City Driving ~

My biggest fear is driving in the city - I have only done it a couple of times and only because I had to!! but yeserday I did it again and yes it was another case of the "have to's" We had to go to go to Camberwell yesterday to pick up our new car - long long story but this Nissan dealership in Melbourne was the only one in Vic. with the exact car DH wanted - that too is a long story - the car is a Nissan Maxima but it was all about the colour & optional extras and of course he wanted a 2006 model so that is why we ended up there......and of course to get there we had to drive so we then had 2 cars to get back home!!!!!........sooooooooo I had to drive in the city....oh my!! my heart was pounding in Burke road congested with trams, cars and shoppers crossing the road oblivious to the traffic.....but I did it!!! and I feel quite a sense of achievement not just because I survived the ordeal of driving but I did it feeling so crappy - yesterday was one of my bad days I had the tremors really bad and my head was thumping and that was before we even left home....I gather my nerves probably didn't help these symptoms. What's that saying?? - you can do anything if you set your mind to it" I'm going to try and apply that theory to today as well - I am currently in my PJ's not feeling 100% but with a heap of things to do today DH is working, my eldest DD is at the Footy ( she is a sports trainer ) and my 14 year old DD is not in the mood to help her mother - I have a heap of housework to catchup on and then a few things to finish making for a Scrapbooking Retreat I am co-hosting in just a few weeks - so wish me luck - I think I can do it!!!

~ A Renewed Passion ~

Whenever I am asked to list my hobbies, I always include reading . When I was young the library in our little town (then with a population less than 1000 people) was my favourite hangout, especially during school holidays. I also shared a room with my younger sister so spent many nights under the covers with a torch, in order to read my favourite books - Milly Molly Mandy, Little Woman, Trixie Belden and of course a string of Enid Blyton novels. As I got older my reading topics varied from autobiographies, crime and anything with a historical reference.....and my bookshelves were straining under my ever growing book collection. I have been in a bookclub for a number of years, athough we are a social wine & cheese group we are also very serious about our book choices & discussions. However over the past couple of years I have struggled to read the monthly selection in time for our get togethers let alone anything else..........but this all changed the minute I became sick ( something good had to come from it!! ) because I was having trouble sleeping and found myself bright eyed & busy tailed at 2am every morning, my frustration of trying to get to sleep was really getting to me. A friend suggested I find something to do at this hour rather than lie in bed tossing and turning, the most logical thing to do was read ( it would be the less distrubing avtivity for the rest of the household ). Wow I am so glad I took her advice.....I finding the insomnia so much easier to tolerate and in the meantime renewed my passion for reading......I have read 3 books in 3 days this week.......2 autobiographies and a novel that I just couldn't put down.........to say it enthralled me is an understatement!!. So what is this book you ask??? - it is a historically based novel by Jeanne Kalogridis called "Painting Mona Lisa".... it is of course a love story but it is also so much more, a mystery, a betrayal and a beautifully retold story of turbulent Florence during the Renaissance period........and the intriguing story of da Vinci's Mona Lisa. When I finished this book I did something way way out of my comfort zone I emailed her to congratulate her on the novel and to say how much I enjoyed it. This morning I woke to an email back from her thrilled that she had replied but even more excited by some of what she had to say.....mine was the first feedback she has had on this novel - it has only just been released in Australia and it will be a few months before it is hits the bookshops in the UK & US. I am off tomorrow to purchase another of her novels "The Borgia Bride" and will be waiting in anticipation for the novel she is currently researching on Catherine de Medici another heroine from the Renaissance period.
So if you want a good read - I can highly recommend "Painting Mona Lisa" - enjoy!!

~ The Diagnosis ~

well finally I have some validation for my array of strange symptoms - tests have come back revealling I have auto-immune disease - well two actually! - I have done it good!!!!!!!!......I have Hyperthryroidism and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus........both of which can't be cured but can be managed. My thyroid is overactive ( the opposite of what most people have ) it means I have an increased metabolism which in turn means loss of weight - well whoa is me! - I'm the 10% who put on weight so I have even been robbed of the one positive ( for me ) that this disease brings....at this stage I am not sure of where I am headed but it looks like some sort of radiation type treatment........but......it all depends on the management of the lupus which by all accounts is a very complex disease and SLE can be different for every sufferer..........anyway it is proven time and again that a positive attitude can cure most things.....so that is where I am headed I am working hard on accepting the facts and working to beat this illness or at least manage it in such a way that it does not change my quality of life. I have taken the 1st steps by cutting back to just 2 days of work a week.......rest plays a big part in these illnesses....and I have great bosses who are willing to be flexible in my needs............so no more dwelling in self pity - its time to move forward.