Blacksmiths Were the Original Mixed Business

Published May 12, 2025 by helentastic67

I know, my posts have been so cryptic lately, why’s that? There has just been so much happening and going on, it’s hard to keep things simple. Remember, simple can be boring.

I purchased some Billy’s at the Swedish Warehouse to store my DVDs in my new home.
Billy’s, a type of slim shelving units purpose built for CD’s or DVD’s, conveniently. Swedish Warehouse? IKEA. You are welcome.

Even getting a project like this to completion is a multi-faceted project. Who has the muscle, who has the appropriate method of transport? Also, who can put it together?

Eventually, it came together and a few extra hours over a few weeks for the right carer to unpack boxes and build. Four Billie’s leaning against my bookcases in my study. Looking weirdly like coffins in an old blacksmiths business. I will hope the Meme Queen can bring the image to us here.

One of my older carers, I explained my intention for storing two pieces of carpet off cuts so I could store them elsewhere, and she opened the last box, everyone pitching in to the best of their abilities and physical capacities. Sometimes, I explain my plan for world domination and over time they see said “Plan” coming together they understand how I work and if they can do anything to get the plan to come together, they will help. I came from my bathroom after my shower to see this.

Bloody nearly died. I hadn’t expected her to make it happen, I only told her what I planned to try and achieve, so she just pitched in and got it done. I told her it looked like a Dead Body. She didn’t disagree. I should totally put it in my storage cage in the undercover car park and if anyone wants to imagine it’s a D.B. and it sends the message not to mess with me. This could work to my advantage. Maybe this post should have been called “D.B.?”

Legendary

Published February 20, 2022 by helentastic67

Legendary

There are times, few but worthy when I fall over. Now again, I seem like despite my disabilities you may think I wouldn’t fall over like a toddler or a chick. But I can, I do and I will.

It just always depends on where I am and the circumstances. Some years ago, I was standing beside my bed and fell over. No reason just went sideways to my left and landed like a sack of potatoes.

You may ask, you were so close to your bed, why not throw yourself at the bed, why not throw yourself at the bed? Yes, because that’s how it happens. When you fall, it’s usually a bit of a surprise, so in a way I’m lucky I didn’t land on the bed as I would have collected the hard timber on the side, which would have hurt despite not being as far away as the hard floor I landed on.

However, this Sunday night I had a bit of a tricky stumble. Tripping up on a slipper (it is tragic) and I stumbled backward. Have I mentioned if all I have to do is put my left foot back I won’t fall. Yeah so, I fall because I can’t trigger that response quick enough. But on this occasion, I landed with my back against the kitchen pantry door and made a slow slide downward to sit on the floor. It was like a slow slide, however halfway down I thought, “oh, I’ve got a plastic jug of cold water in my hand.” I briefly contemplated throwing it away from me onto the floor but ended up still holding it as I sat on the floor.

Beside me was a three tier Ikea trolley and I collected it under my right arm. The jug of water jiggled a little water out onto the floor. As I sat there thinking the jug was mostly still full, in my hand and I was dry.

I’M A LEGEND RIGHT.

My carers all agree. Hit like if you do too.

Today’s Lunch – 14th November 2018

Published November 14, 2018 by helentastic67

Todays lunch

Today’s Lunch

Good Mental Health Day

First, I want to mention with great sadness while America has mass shootings and it’s really awful, Melbourne last Friday had an incident of our own. When some ass-hat who decided because they couldn’t deal with, whatever issues they couldn’t deal with, to take it out on others and a well loved and respected Melbourne icon is now without a hero and beloved kind soul.

https://junkee.com/bourke-street-attack-sisto-malaspina/181642

Pellegrini’s is a place I used to go for great coffee in the top of the city back in the 90’s after dinner and before clubbing and could always be relied on for great coffee to help get me through. My uncle when in town from Queensland, I know would go there. I will go once again. Sit at the counter to enjoy my medicine.

Pellegrinis

Now, on a lighter note. I had a dinner party on Saturday night and number 1 reasons why I shouldn’t go on Instagram?

Lasagne

Food arrives and forget to take a photo before eating/serving dinner, in all fairness, my guests arrived in time to take my lasagne from the oven. I usually take it out after I’ve let the top brown I put on the foil and after another hour or so it’s a safety hazard for me to take it out one-handed. So, timing is of the essence. Threw together a salad. (Not pictured) and my guests provided a baked cheesecake. Which was delicious! It is just so rare to have company at home and it’s even better to be able to be relaxed. Better than going out.

Dinner Party

Crazy day Monday, with my NDIS review, mum was here over night and when she is here, we smash out ‘all the things that don’t get done unless she is here’. You picture those crazy crime scene maps with the red string?

Crime Scene

That’s what we did to Melbourne in my mums little racing car. Think mum was a rally car driver in a previous life. Her, Mazda and Google Helen (I’ve recently been called) and a Sally the GPS (after Sally the over-locker!) totally writing that post later! We even got to the Swedish warehouse.

After exactly a year of apartment living, I have worked out the best place to hang out to ‘accidentally’ run into my neighbours. While hanging out in B1 (the basement level where my scooter shed resides) while mum went to get the racing car, my neighbours came down for whatever reasons, one I even got to give him the light globe I had bought for him when I got some for myself, the other neighbour who was heading off for work. She is a night shift nurse and some grumpy guy who parks next to my shed. He was really friendly, (note sarcasm)

Basement

Now back to normal programming, have slotted back into normal Wednesday programming with the assistance of a carer, I’m getting to my favourite cafe in Clifton Hill, then my standard punchy/stabby day.

Accupuncture

Today’s offering, a chicken and turmeric salad and my medicine.

Chicken Latte

Cheers,
H

Motion Sickness

Published August 23, 2017 by helentastic67

Motion Sickness

I never understood why, but I was always plagued by motion sickness as a kid. Family road trips always started with me in the seat behind the driver with my head turned towards the side window (on the right) and my knees turned towards the centre of the vehicle. Did not allow for much room when the family car, growing up was a Valiant Charger.

Valiant Charger

Car trips usually ended with my mum in my seat and me in the front passenger seat!

These days any family car ride it becomes automatic that I ‘bags’ the front seat. While it’s been a long time since I’ve been ill in a car. With the exception of having a migraine once while back in the country for a brief visit and a trip in mum’s ‘Racing car” to the closest staffed emergency room, that day I needed a bucket, but that was extreme circumstances.

Front seat

Over the last few years, living where I now live mum an I have had many an adventure to the Swedish warehouse to get ‘storage solutions’, to the point we not only avoid the showroom, but we even drive up the exit (a spiral design) and park next to the pick-up area to go straight into the warehouse where we make a snatch and grab before getting the hell outta there.

Swedish Warehouse

One painful day, I was feeling more than a bit ‘seedy’. Lack of sleep, too busy, too stressed, migraine, whatever it was. Mum told me as we arrived at the spiral exit to get ready.

Reaching across my body, I held on to the handle above the door on the roof. I swear my mum was a rally car driver in a previous life.

Sitting in the front

Of course, I told her to take it easy. To which she chose to mention the sick bag in the pocket in the door beside me INSIDE A SNAPLOCK BAG!

Sick bag

I suggested if I was going to be sick I would not have time to deal with a snaplock bag one handed. I cannot tell you how quickly I was made to give her that bag so she could get it out.

Even at the time and no matter how many times I share that story it gets a laugh.

Sometimes, you just have to laugh…

Laughing

Swedish Warehouse

Published August 18, 2017 by helentastic67

Swedish Warehouse

This week I had to deliver some paperwork to Stupidlink, inconvenient as that is, as I refuse to go to my local office, I have to go by car to an office in another area. Clearly, I don’t have to go very often, but as I refuse to do this stuff on-line (wanting people to have actual jobs) I had to go in.

My friend (not sure she wishes to be named) Jane told me she would read her book (while seated in her car directly in front of the office) Handicapped parking permit finally something about a permanent disability that pays off.

Stupidlink on Monday around 2.30pm was rather spartan in this neighbourhood and has undergone renovations at front of house since last, I was there.

Centrelink

There is no longer a reception desk and a queue. There is now a staff who comes out with an iPad to take your CRN (Customer Reference Number) and to put you in an electronic queue. There is just one woman standing to one side at the lectern type desk, who literally does the same thing on an iPad on the desk.

As I was discussing whether it was worth waiting an hour to give my forms to someone else and book my JCA (Job Capacity Assessment) appointment or just give her the forms and be on hold later in the week.

JCA

The argument internally, was that I could be much more productive at home on hold to Stupidlink on speaker than sitting there when Jane came in from behind and cuddled up behind me.

There was a time friends would do this a lot and get away with it. But at first, I wasn’t sure who it actually was. The voice said “Just wondering how long you would be?”

The staff member looked at me strangely, Jane moved around to my right side so I could see her and she repeated her question stating she needed to go to Ikea as it was close by.

Ikea

I think my eyes very much expressed how little I wanted to wait there when she would be visiting my favourite shop to visit in that vicinity.

I told her I would go with her. Because as I said to the staff member “you cannot say the word Ikea and expect me not to want to go too.”

Visitin Ikea

Of course, we left and three days later, of course they had not yet scanned in the entered documents I had delivered and they had damn well better. (I did keep copies, just in case obviously).

Off to the Swedish Warehouse we go. I no longer do the showroom, if I can help it. What’s the point? Noelle states it perfectly, she hates any shop she can’t find her way out of. We entered through the checkouts (they must hate us.) and headed into the “scratch and dirt seconds’ area” and after a little browsing we found an orchid.

Lost in Ikea

They were practically giving them away. Jane had picked it up, discovered one flower stalk was broken and had put it down and moved on. I had indicated I really wanted it. There were a few other people quietly moving around checking out the other great finds.

Orchids

In controlled areas that are not busy I will walk without relying on my walking stick, leaning it to dangle by my wrist. I called after Jane and said “What’s that? I can have it if I can carry it?”

She and the other people (not that many) had a little chuckle. I confess to say I do like to rescue plants from their gardening level as it’s completely indoors with no natural light.

So that orchid now lives on my kitchen window ledge. Jane bought some doors and bookcases and I really hope she didn’t require an Alan-Key.

Ikea assembly