Sunday 25 March 2018

Marching into April (Update)


Well, well, well ...

Forgive me for not posting any news on Lupey Loops since January.
(Yes, January! [shock, horror] I can hardly believe it myself.)

Today's blog entry is as much to remind myself of news to share as it is to reassure you that I am, indeed, still alive!


Apart from the unforgiving summer heat which takes so much out of me, the demands of other activities forced a temporary break from blogging.

Petitioning to save my community's access to public transport required much focus and determination.  I have received much support from the community and dare I suggest a 'slight win' – the offending project which was flagged in June 2017 as "underway" and due to begin in "mid 2017"'  has been set back so that it's status is now "in planning" and the new start schedule is "mid 2018." I will never know if this is pure coincidence or whether my hard work has influenced that.  The petition (found online here) will remain open until further notice.

Everything was complicated by a State Election on 17 March 2018. Local candidates took on the transport issue for their own ends. It was a very busy time filled with meetings, phone calls, correspondence etc. I seriously don't know how politicians and candidates can sustain that level of activity.  Now I have a better comprehension of the adage, "24 hours is a long time in politics."

South Australia saw a change of government this month but I cannot help thinking, "New circus tent, same clowns inside."  I pray I am wrong but how does one bolster hope against a domineering cynic?

School re-opened after the summer break.  The amount of energy expended on 'doing the school run' was almost tangible.  Accordingly, I had less energy to deal with correspondence etc. 

My health has suffered.  Despite efforts to prevent sliding to pre-Christmas lows, there has been a toll all the same.

Other health challenges include the discovery that my GP retired and sold the practice without any formal notification to patients (and patients are not impressed).  The new GP owner has not impressed me much either so that's another vital health support gone right at the time when I need support to navigate a whole new bureaucratic system - the NDIS (National Disability Support Scheme*).  Sometimes it feels like the universe is conspiring against me.

My NDIS paperwork is submitted and it is now a waiting game for a 'planning meeting'.  I had dropped the urgency of this matter while busy with the petitioning (because it was all too much at once) but my current services close on 30 June 2018 so I need to step up the pressure again to get it sorted.

Murphy's Law has been in effect during February and March. During this time, one of my elderly neighbours had a major health crisis. They live alone and don't have much family support in the local area.  We have been friends for over 20 years.  Naturally, I became involved in supporting my neighbour and the family during the time of need so I was up at the hospital visiting my neighbour in addition to all of my own appointments.  It was a very demanding time.  I wish I were able to do more for my neighbour and my own family and friends.   It is frustrating when my illness limits my physical capacity to express my care for friends and family in practical way. It has been a psychological and emotional struggle for me personally trying to reconcile that.

Meanwhile, there's the never-ending juggle of a family household – meals, housework, mum's taxi service, admin. and other demands – plus a new season's Autumn food garden calling out to be prepared and planted if we want to eat well and affordably over the cooler months.

It's left little time for crochet. When a spare moment presented itself, the fatigue was too great.  Either I could not keep my eyes open or my brain was too exhausted to think. 

Have you ever felt like your brain would explode?  That's how it felt with all the reading and correspondence. As the stress built up, I desperately needed to find my 'happy place' –  to pick up my hooks, the antidote to stress. It was extremely difficult to find a balance – to not get so exhausted that even crochet was out of the question.

Somehow, I managed to do some simple crochet, much of it unfinished.  The brain has been too tired for that but I hope to share the results with you over the coming weeks.


     WIP list
  • broomstick beanie
  • ripple stashbuster
  • log cabin stashbuster
  • garden motifs
  • jug covers
  • baby blanket

The latter has been unfinished for a long time, because I'm still on the search for just the right solution to create the desired effect.  This weekend would have been perfect for investigation.

South Australia had its very first "Fibre Feast" market on the weekend – so exciting!  My plans to go (of which I was so looking forward!) were thwarted by ill health and last minute circumstances and transport hassles.  Just another thing to add to the building resentment of having a chronic illness that limits so many activities. 

This is not a healthy state of existence. As 'Mad March' comes to a close, it marks the passing of deadlines met, the end of certain obligations, the comfort of settling into the new school year routines and the welcome, welcome arrival of refreshing Autumn weather.


My intention now is to have a rest, reconnect with the crochet world and catch up on Lupey Loops and the blogosphere!


What have you been doing during February and March?

What crafty projects are you working on?

What are you looking forward to, in April?





Related Posts on Lupey Loops


"Lost and Found", 27 January 2018: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2018/01/lost-and-found.html

"Access All Areas: Petition Power (Part 1)", 24 November 2017: https://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2017/11/access-all-areas-petition-power-part-1.html

"Battling Bureaucracy", 3 November 2017: https://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2017/11/battling-bureaucracy.html  

*References


Fibre Feast SA: https://www.facebook.com/FibreFeastSA/

National Disability Insurance Agency: http://www.australia.gov.au/directories/australia/ndia

National Disability Insurance Scheme: https://ndis.gov.au/

6 comments:

  1. I know how easy it is for time to pass by without blogging. Summer is drawing closer here which means it is just getting hotter and that, of course, doesn't make me happy because it means spending quality time outdoors is coming to an end. Conservation and care for the environment is becoming more important, so why would a community not want public transport? Many cities encourage it because it means less cars on the road and finding parking is proving difficult (here it is a huge problem). Kudos on what you are doing to fight back and for doing what you can to help others. I've not been crocheting lately. Need to buy yarn to finish some projects. And otherwise just not feeling inspired at the moment. I need to get my crojo mojo back. :)

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    1. Dear Tammy,

      I'm sorry that you are not feeling particularly inspired with your crochet. Is the wait for yarn the only reason? I suspect the garden is beckoning more loudly than your crochet hook when the weather is nice. After a scorching summer, I am quite pleased to have cooler weather. I can empathise with you about the ferocity of the summer heat. I used to be able to do some summer gardening but the climate is changing and now summer gardening is reduced to making sure everything has enough water and shelter. Despite those efforts, I still lost a native tree and almost lost my lavender to the baking heat. Straightaway I tried to nurture it, hoping the roots can be saved and maybe some new shoots might come in the next growing season but it doesn't look good. Do you just give up on the garden in summer and start again later, or do you try to maintain whatever is there during the summer?

      As for the train station, the authorities are playing games with semantics. They keep saying they are 'moving' my station and building a new one but the new one is an upgrade of the next station along the line and in the same location as the next station along the line. When a suburb has 3 stations and it gets reduced to 2 stations, it is 'removing' one of them. Maths doesn't lie!

      That is what our neighbourhood is up against. A recent election voted the old government out so we will have to wait and see what the new government has to offer.

      I hope you get your crojo back, Tammy. Once I am rested, I will endeavour to post more of my crochet to try and help with your inspiration trail.

      Do you celebrate Easter where you are? This weekend will be an Easter holiday. Wishing you a good break this weekend and Happy Easter xx

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  2. Jodie, I am so sorry you have had more difficult times with your health and all the government issues needing you focus and attention. The transportation issues is put aside yet that means you have to work on it a lot longer. I so hope they reconsider. IT seems they all want to make environmentally correct choices yet then cut back on stops to make it accessible for everyone. I hope your new changes in officials will help and that your dear country will never be the mess we are over here. Yes, it continues on an hourly basis, day after day, it is exhausting. I am so happy March is coming to a close. The weather has been beautiful yet I have been stuck inside working and doing paperwork all month. I hope you feel stronger and stronger and can fight the fight you need to. And a special thanks for taking care of your neighbors, you are such a kind person.

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    1. Hi Meredith,

      How are you going with the paperwork? (I keep hearing the monster voice from the movie "Monsters Inc." - "Paaaperwoorrrk!"
      I can certainly relate to paperwork (onto NDIS stuff now) - you really do not want to see my desk at the moment! (Actually, I don't think you can - there is a desk under that pile of papers somewhere!). If it weren't for kitchen tables, I wouldn't be able to sit at the computer to reply here! ;-)

      Let's celebrate the end of March. March had so many demands and now that they are out of the way, I am looking forward to April with a rest over Easter, the start of football season (Crows' first home game tonight) and perhaps a slower pace with more blogging time.

      This week, the new government ministries were announced. There are people in my neighbourhood eager to pick up the torch and I found out that neighbours have been ringing the new incumbents before they were even sworn in! It is good timing on the neighbours' parts because I need a break and am looking forward to the Easter Weekend to catch up with family and friends.

      May you find a light at the end of your paperwork tunnel and have a
      Happy Easter! xx

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  3. Good to hear your update Jodie. Sorry to hear that it has been a tough few months for you but congratulations on the slight win with your petitioning. I hope you start to feel better now the weather is cooling down. Hope all goes well with you NDIS submission. Wishing you all the best with that.

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    1. Hi Tamara,

      The cooler weather makes such a difference. Some energy has returned but I think I got too excited and overdid all the things that were overdue having been left to wait for cooler weather!

      While I have been running around with everything but crochet, I have been following your activities as best I can and found myself wishing I had the luxury to crochet as much as you do! Your progress has been awesome.

      Thanks for your well wishes. Fingers crossed on all fronts! I will be so glad to get this stage over and done with. It feels like my life and goals have been on hold for 18 months, maybe more.

      So much to do, so few resources! Taking one day at a time - the only way to cope. Take care Tamara and keep up the great work with your designs and classes. Texas is lucky to have you.

      Have a Happy Easter xx

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