Friday, September 19, 2014

Spring Has Sprung



A couple of Lorikeets
Spring has sprung at last and the warmer weather is here... Or coming along slowly yet surely. Balmy air hit my face today as I was walking down the street and also the wind seemed to be less cold as well. There were a lot of people about in the local shops with a certain energy as well where everything seems to be waking up slowly after a very wet and extremely cold winter.


Today I was walking the animals in the beautiful suburb of Ingelside and I saw some amazing bits and pieces of nature.. I saw a few very amazing birds which left me awestruck. A dog and I were just sitting near a pond in a bit of a clear area near some type of paddock, field or grass land. We were sitting in the sun when a most amazing spectacle unfolded before us... From out of nowhere came a sudden flash of blue almost like lightening landing on a branch just across the pond less then 15 to 20 feet away. Of all birds it was a Blue Kingfisher snatching up a Dragonfly in mid flight then landing on a branch. It did a usual thing of what they do to kill prey by hitting it against the branch until there is no movement. I was so surprised to see how small this beautiful little creature was and how agile and quick it was.. I didn't have my mobile phone on me as I couldn't quickly take a picture. As I was looking it up on the internet I found it could be found by several different names which I'm also going to includes links to. Here's a link to a picture of what it looks like... 

http://www.feathersandphotos.com.au/forum/showthread.php?3142-Small-Blue-Kingfisher-(Cerulean-Kingfisher)

http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Todiramphus-macleayii

http://www.birdsinbackyards.net/species/Todiramphus-sanctus

A Black Swan close up
 Also what I'm trying to say is that I'm not sure about all the different types of birds out there yet I do know what I saw. I tell you what it was nature at it's best this afternoon because we also saw 2 ducks swimming on the pond, a Kookaburra flying over, the yellow Wattle flowers were out on the trees with the sun shining down with a bit of a brisk breeze. Suddenly the dog I was sitting and patting jumped up with a start because she heard a noise near the pond, poor thing, I was trying to let her relax in the sun. Around about this time another cute little bird landed on a branch only about 7 to 15 feet away from us near the pond... The bird of all birds was what looked like a little Blue Wren pitter pattering about on the branch. The blue looked so bright and he looked so sprightly as I was in awe once again... Here's a link to a picture of what it looks like... 

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2007/10/24/2068938.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superb_fairywren

Lorikeets playing & and eating
So as the Australian spring warms up the ground after a cold wet winter we remember those in the Northern climates where fall or autumn is happening heading into winter. Yet I'm giving you all the temptation to all be like birds and fly south (to Australia). The land down under that's if you can afford to and see for yourself the beautiful birds, nature, land and animals of this beautiful country. Spring has sprung and heaps new adventures await those springbabies... My birthday month September which I will blog about soon.... So I hope you enjoy your spring everyone... May you have a bounce and spring in your step....


A Cockatoo or Cocky
Dog statue down at Balmoral












Saturday, September 6, 2014

Reflections



I woke up this morning with a very distinct sense and feeling which has made me think. It's like I have been stopped in my tracks and been confronted with the past. A past that I walked away from a couple of years ago for my own health. I don't talk about God and my Christianity in my blog that much I don't think yet I have a personal faith also relationship with God. God has protected me all my life and throughout all my years even though I've been stubborn as well. I've given my parents, family, friends and my Guardian Angel many nearly heart attacks. If it wasn't for God I wouldn't be here today..... I would have been dead at least 10 times over. Also how with My Asperger's I've put myself in very potentially dangerous situations without realizing or understanding it at all. I may be intelligent yet when it comes to people reading skills I am not good at all. This is one of the times I find having Asperger's annoying...

When I saw my Mum yesterday on our girls day or afternoon out we spoke about many different things. I was also telling her how Debbie my partner had only just finished reading my book a day or two before. Deb liked my book and found it very moving indeed. We were reflecting on past times in my life and our families life as well as the writing of my book. Even with me writing my book there were a few things that my Mum didn't find out about me until she read it. I was also telling her how great Deb is for me and how much she means to me. It's such a blessing that Deb and I share a Christian faith and it means so much to me. Talking with my Mum it brought back home the fact how far I've actually come along with God's help even with all the silly mistakes I've done in the past because of whatever reasons.

Last night when Deb and I got home from work I took her to a place to eat where there are memories for me. We also caught up with someone I hadn't seen in many months which was interesting. I thought I'd be alright yet a couple of things were coming up for me which I found hard. There were also a couple of other people that we bumped into as well which I hadn't seen in a very long time. Talking to them I was getting lightbulb moments where I was re- realizing and remembering different things. It is really hard for me to put it into words and to express it yet the best way to describe it is.... There are some things that aren't really for me and I've tried to fit in yet it has never worked. I've bowed down to peer type of pressure things instead of standing up for myself. Last night I found I had a new type of different type of strength on some things and it was like I was seeing them in my eyes which weren't blinded anymore. Yes sure I have my weakness's like everyone else and in no way am I perfect. It was like I was kind of revisiting my past and seeing how far I've come along. I'm so grateful to God for all the work and care he's put into me and has always been there for me no matter what came along. This may not make much sense to you my readers yet it makes big sense to me very big time.

I saying to Mum yesterday and Deb last night... "There is no way I can change the past... Yet I can change the present and future because I have learnt"
That about sums it up for me... So here's a bit of food for thought for you all.... May God be with you...


Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Helping Move

Empty Boxes In My Car...
Moving can be a bigger stress as death, separation or divorce believe it or not.... It also tests peoples communication skills with one another as well. So when my girlfriend Deb had to move closer to where I live it involved a whole lot of work and preparation for about a month leading up to it. For me living in the same place for years it was an eye-opening experience because of several different reasons. One of them being the signing of leases and how much information there is these days. For instance a whole plastic folder of different things. It also reminded me of my past moves and what happened there with ex flat mates, ex partners and other stuff that happened.

Being there for Deb and trying to support her as best as I could was quite challenging for me having Asperger's. Along with having a few hot flushes was different as well. I was constantly trying to put myself in her shoes and think how she would be feeling etc... Sure she was the main one finding a place to live, finding and booking removalists, finding a couple of items of furniture, redirecting her post amongst a lot of other things. All this while holding down a full-time job as well which is an amazing thing to do and am so proud of her. For me I helped with storage of quite a few things of hers including a sofa bed she bought. I also helped her with packing, buying storage or moving boxes, taking things places, unpacking, sorting out amongst other things as well. We also discovered a few new different ways of packing and unpacking which was quite fun....
Empty Boxes In My Car...

I'm not going to include photo's in this post as I'm not sure as to how Deb would feel about it. Moving is a personal thing to do and having photo's posted about one of life's transition online is up to her and not me. Yet all I can say is that we had our laughs, very long days and everything else concerned with moving. We managed to get through a whole day of moving without any type of words except for in the evening as a misunderstanding. Yet that's a different story again...

The point being is Deb is all moved in well to where she is living and I packed her a survival pack she could keep for the first few days we were there. They included cutlery, tea towels, soap, bath mats, washers amongst a few other things as well... So there you have it... Another one of our adventures..... With one of many still yet to be told... So stay tuned for more....

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Winter




Sydney Winter
Well winter has truly struck with a vengeance big time.  Especially over the past couple of days with the really bad cold front coming through to NSW. It's snowing up in the Snowy Mountains and feels like it could be snowing in other areas as well. Yet winter can also be a time of keeping warm with heaters, blankets, hot showers, warm food and snuggling. This winter is good for me because I've been snuggling with my loved one and have been loving it. We've been keeping warm on these very cold, long winter nights and it has been great.

Yet we have been getting colds and recovering from colds and the flu. That is one thing about winter and that is all the bugs that there are about.  I think last year I don't think I got sick at all and now this year I've been getting a lot of different things. It has been one after another, after another, after another which seems ongoing.... I hope that the immunity is building up because of all this as well as Deb's. We've been eating healthy yet we've also had a lot of different things going on and been really busy.

Sydney Winter
Sydney Winter
Sydney WinterWe have also had one hell of a busy weekend doing a whole lot of different things and going to different places. It seems to be a marathon of a weekend where we packed so much in that it wasn't funny. I remember on Sunday night feeling so tired and exhausted yet it was only the beginning of the week. On Friday last week I added up that Deb and I did at least between 15 to 20 things that day. Also we ate out or at least had something to eat for 3 times that day with the third time in the evening where our eye's were bigger then our stomach's... After getting back here it was revenge of the tummies or stomach's big time... Yet you live and learn. I will write about the past weekend on a blogpost soon and tell you what we did that was so busy... Even just thinking about it makes me tired because so far we've had a very busy week so far... It's also my Deb's birthday coming up on the 17th of July this coming Thursday.... Which happens to be the fact or day that my Dad is having his double knee replacement that very same day... If you think winter is meant to be a quiet time to relax and it is so tired... Then you've got another thing coming.... It can get big as my next blog post will attest... So see you soon... Another thing... Keep warm until then....

Sunday, June 22, 2014

First Dates ~ Part Two

Custom's House
Saturday night quickly came around where I was meeting up with Deb's on our second date where we met at a place in Chatswood which we both knew. As it so happens I chose the place which was outside Chatswood Seventh Day Adventist Church because it was the only place I knew which didn't have parking that you didn't have to pay. Also it was a bit of a blast from the past which was interesting... So I met Deb's on time and she drove us into the city to see the VIVID Festival. I found it amazing how she dealt with all the city traffic and the extra crowds because of show as well as numerous roads closures and still keeping her cool.... We tried one parking station that turned out to be all "Reserved" car spaces... So why have a parking station when they are all "Reserved" hey?! I suggested we try the Opera House Parking and I wanted to pay to help out with the night. The cost didn't matter because she was kind enough to drive us both in.

One of first pic's of Deb & I
After finding a park finally we arrived from the lower levels of the Opera House Car Park to the lights of VIVID. I'd never been before and this was a totally new experience for me. With my Asperger's I felt like a very big kid on a huge adventure and also on a 2nd date which was exciting... I had no idea what to really expect and I knew that we were supposed to meet a few of Deb's friends somewhere amongst the huge crowds near the Rocks. As we were walking it was like almost the most packed day at the Royal Easter Show with people everywhere and I know that I didn't want to lose Deb in that huge crowd of people. After a few phone calls and text messages we did catch up with two friends of hers who were a couple. I felt a bit strange to meet some of Deb's friends on a second date yet I just went with the flow... They were really nice the pair and somehow we were getting pictures taken together which I wasn't expecting. It was nice and also different because I hadn't been on a proper date in more than 5 years..
The markets

Deb
After the pictures and the introductions we walked through the markets where Deb wanted to take another picture of me out the front. So I took one of her also as well.  We went to this little organic healthy cafe place and had something to eat and drink which I ended up knowing as well. While we were there we ended up seeing quite a few more of Deb's friends which was interesting.... I had no idea whether it was normal to meet a whole heaps of her friends on a second date yet I didn't mind.. I also had no real idea what she thought of me although I had gone all shy around her in a real goofy way.. We ended up tagging along with the gang wandering around the festival taking pictures and video on my mobile phone. Also Deb took a few pics of me and I of her which was cool.. She was seeing my photographic side come out big time that night.. I also felt Deb was paying a lot of attention to me which was nice and also I wasn't used to it. I know that I felt a strong attraction to her yet was trying to act cool big time. We were talking away to eachother and found ourselves following the others further into the city which was further away from where the car was parked... I think we were both distracted from the sheer excitement of the night and we bid farewell to her friends. We meandered the way we came and saw this performer with a didgeridoo  and keyboards. I liked the music and told her I was in two minds to buy the CD for myself which was only $10..... Next thing I knew to my great surprise she went and bought me the CD that I wasn't expecting. I thanked her big time and was in awe. We then went to the Opera Bar to get a drink and I was so determined to pay for my own drink before Deb paid for it.... I ordered my drink and forgot to ask what she wanted as well until the bartender came back. It was to my horror and very great embarrassment that I forgot her because I was so used to being single and doing things for myself. Looking over at her after finally ordering a drink for  Deb I felt so bad because I accidentally hurt her without realizing it. I felt that it was "Foot in mouth" time for me with a classic Aspie social blunder. We found a seat to have the drink and talk about the night with what we saw.. It was getting well after midnight and I didn't know what time the parking closed or risk getting locked out so we finally left. I tried to show us the way down to the car park and I took us the wrong way.... I was trying to impress Deb with my good sense of direction yet failed miserably... lol... It was Deb who found the right way which put me in my place. I got distracted because of the night.
A flower man an I

Anyway Deb drove us back to Chatswood where we ended up talking in the car until about 2am in the morning which was really different. I was so surprised at how much we talked and all the the things we talked about. We seemed to click big time and I could relate to her as well. It was like I was a bit nervous as well whether to hold hand with her or simple stuff like that. Even at the end of the night didn't know whether to give her a quick kiss goodnight or a hug or what was appropriate. This was all new to me and I felt like a total novice as to what to do because it had been years of non dating or dates.  So we hugged "Goodnight" twice which was nice and it was so surprising because Deb gave me the most gentle hug. We agreed to text each other when we both got home to our separate houses to make sure we both got home safely. About half hour to 40 minutes later we texted each other then kept texting until about 3 to 4am in the morning or some unearthly hour... I was worried because Deb had a big day of making a cheesecake and other stuff... So there you have it... the story of our first two dates.... Little did we know that since then we have had and still experiencing many new adventures together.... With plenty more new stuff to come.... Just watch this space you all...


The Impressionist people

Deb's

MCA

MCA

Light Artwork

Deb at Opera Bar

Me at Opera Bar



Saturday, June 14, 2014

A First Dates ~ Part One

The Rotunda





Picture I took of Dog statue
Deb's meal
Wow. The past month or so has been totally amazing with a lot of different things have been happening. I was emailing someone online who I liked and we seemed very similar with interests and most importantly beliefs. Being a Christian as well was something which I was very happy about to find. So after emailing and talking for a bit that way which was great I was then asked out to meet at Balmoral for breakfast one Friday morning. To which of course I said "Yes. I would love to!"
My meal

Balmoral
The Friday morning soon came up and I was feeling really nervous because I had not been on a first date in about 5 to 7 years which is a very long time. So I prayed for me, the safe journey there and also for my date about getting there. I was a bit early which was good and it took me about 5 minutes to try to work out how to pay the parking metres..  I walked up to the rotunda and saw no-one there so I thought I was the first one there and was going to sit down. Yet I saw a statue of a little dog I liked and went over to take a picture of it to which I saw someone sitting on the steps of the rotunda which was on the opposite side where I was going to sit. I took a picture and realized that there was my date where we introduced ourselves to each other in person. At this time I felt a mixture of great excitement and also nerves about not really knowing what to do or say at last. I was also so surprised to see that we were almost the same height because I'm normally the tall one. My date's name was Debbie and she seemed a bit nervous as well. So we found a cafe to have something to eat and drink which was good.

From then on sitting in front of each other both our lives changed forever where we talked and got along really well. Also we are similar in a lot of different ways which was great. Over the next 2 hours or so we both found it easy to talk and it also went so fast. We also had a bit of a wander down the front path near the beach which was so nice because it was a really warm autumn day. There were quite a few people about doing there thing yet it was such a beautiful place to meet for the first time face to face. Deb had to go to work and wanted to stay longer to talk so we gave each other a hug I think and said "Goodbye" for now. She also invited me to go to VIVID with her and a few of her friends the next night on Saturday night after she worked which was nice of her...

As I was walking up back to my car my Mum gave me a call on my mobile phone which was cool... I told her that we went on a date and how we met. I think my Mum was quite surprised to hear that and also she had a Christian faith also... We spoke for a couple of minutes and Mum was interested in what happened..

As I walked up to the car I felt really happy, relieved and peaceful which was great... I saw a Bird Of Paradise flower and decided to take a picture of it which I liked. I knew the next day was going to be a big day with possibly a lot of things going on..

So after a big day on the Saturday I did meet up with Deb's and going to the city to see VIVID which I had never seen before... Also meeting a few new people as well... Yet that is the next blog post to come up with more pictures....

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Royal Easter Show

This may be a bit late yet I've just uploaded all my pictures from my camera so expect quite a few blog posts in the near future....

The Lovely Ladies
Good Friday this year at The Royal Easter Show was a bit of a nightmare if you wanted a quietish day out. To be honest it was anything but because we had some special real life Royal family visitors called Prince William and his beautiful wife Catherine AKA Kate. I was fortunate enough to go with a friend of mine and another friend of hers. I was the one who ended up driving to the train station to pick up her friend then drive to the show. Now once we got there... Do you think we could find a park?! No we couldn't. It was like a magical mystery tour where we went down a couple of dead ends and did a circuit or two of the whole road length of the show grounds. However we did manage to find a park then caught a bus to the gates...

A Cheeky Selfie
Walked in the gates where about  5 to 10 minutes in we were confronted with a barricade of some sort and heaps of people just standing there kind of waiting. We had no choice yet to stop as well. Yet we found ourselves near one of those little petrol railway circuits where we leant against the barrier. I took a lot of photo's on my mobile phone which I haven't uploaded yet. I contacted my other friend who we all was going to meet up with yet she was stuck with the crowds in from of this media type of scrum thing... Fast forward about one hour to one hour and forty minutes we just had to stand there... The most I got to see of the Royals was someones head and I'd accepted the fact that there was no way to see them... Then another half hour or so all the barricades were packed up and put away.. Now to find my friend which was another hassle... In a space or area of 100 or so metres or so... with many hundreds of people... it took about 15 minutes and heaps of texts to find each-other...

Amina
I think well after mid day and morning tea time everything started coming together really slowly. All of us united at last we went to near the food hall where I promptly had 2 Cheese-on-a-sticks which I had been hanging out for all year... We all also had a coffee, chai or hot beverage as well which was much needed. Then we went into the food hall to start looking at the show at last....

After the food hall I accompanied a friend of mine to get show bags for her parents which she needed to do. Going into the Showbag pavilion was so claustrophobic  because everyone was packed in like a bunch of Sardines... Even getting into the place was a nightmare... We were both not too happy about that.. So after getting the bags my friend decided to go home which was understandable... I went to the meeting point where the other 2 were supposed to be yet couldn't find them at this food venue... I managed to find a seat and text them.. Yet just after I did that I only saw them about 10 to 15 metres away at another table...Lol.. So I went to them and told them what had happened. It was very funny indeed.

Amina and I
The rest of the day consisted of looking at different things and seeing Masterchef's Amina El Shafe do a food cooking demonstration which was good because we had a comfy seat which us 3 needed. The tasting of the food was nice as well...

At this time the sunshine faded into a nice quite warm evening where it seemed we wouldn't see it to see the fireworks or stuff like that. As well all day I wasn't feeling the best and had to have some painkillers to keep pain at bay. I also didn't get much sleep the night before so I was exhausted. We ended up doing things in reverse catching bus back to parking spot, driving friends friend to railway station then driving my other friend home. I was offered a cup of tea which I so greatly needed and she heated up my heat pack which I needed. I swear I was so tired that I felt like falling asleep then and there on the lounge. She offered I could stay the night yet I declined for some reason.. Looking back on it now I should have stayed over and caught up on my sleep... lol...

I drove home and got home safely which felt so good. Yet what a day at the show where we were all so close rubbing shoulders and breathing the same air as the Royals.. What a day to remember hey in more ways then one... I hope you all had a Happy and Safe Easter... God bless..



Amina's food



Amina and the mc

Saturday, April 19, 2014

APR 11 Blueprint - Unique Perspectives

A little over a week ago on Friday night was a very big night for 16 artists and myself. The occasion was the opening gala night  of Blueprint - Unique Perspectives   

The venue was at Gallery Red in Glebe which is a small yet well known gallery displaying all out works of writing and photography over a 6 week photography or writing course (Whatever group we were in). With a mentor for the photography and a mentor for the writers. I chose to be in the photography group because as most of you know I've written my book and had it published as well as released.. Yet with the 6 week part time course was really intense because our project was to take a photo a day for 6 weeks then choose the best of the 6 weeks to put in the exhibition. The course was run through ASPECT http://www.autismspectrum.org.au/

To cut a long story short that Friday night was the first time that all of us had ever seen all our works together as one. I felt so very honoured to be part of this totally amazing group of people all on the Autism / Asperger's Spectrum. Not only have we achieved and overcome great obstacles in all our lives yet through the course we were each discovering our true creative potential I a very safe and supportive environment. Sure it wasn't an easy time for most of us including me because we all had our different battles to face... Even in the week leading up to the exhibition I and a couple of other people weren't sure whether we'd make it for the opening... Yet by hook or by crook I think all of did manage to turn up to the gallery that night... Each in their own way.

So here are the details of the exhibition...

The exhibition goes  from 11 April until the 29 April 2014.

Gallery Red is a commercial, contemporary gallery located in the heart of Glebe, showcasing emerging and established artists.
Opening Hours:
Monday-Friday: 10am-5pm
Saturdays: 10am-4pm
Sundays: Closed
This is also the address.. 
Gallery RedShop 11, 131-145, Glebe Point Road, Glebe, New South Wales 2037

Website and Facebook page...

https://www.facebook.com/events/502944806476853/

https://www.facebook.com/events/502944806476853/

http://www.galleryred.com.au/

It was a night of so many different surprises including myself... That night a person I had invited and I hadn't seen them in 20 odd years came. I was not expecting they'd come yet they accepted which was nice. Also it was so great to see my brother and fiance there as well.. The night came off without a hitch I must say due to everyone hard work involved in it.... 

You also have the opportunity  to buy any artworks to take home from most of the artists that are displaying. So you can take home a little keepsake or memento for yourself to have forever... Also it will be a great way to get Autism and Asperger's out there to the wider community Just by supporting this... Because out of one stone thrown into a lake it causes heaps of ripples to expand forth bringing a new and different wave on outlooks.. So come on down to Gallery Red to see the Blueprint Exhibition before it's too late and it's gone forever.... Believe me when I say you won't be disappointed...

Here's also a few pictures of the night I took... Sorry about the quality of some of them... It was quite difficult lighting...