🕷️🕸️🫣🕸️🕷️🫣🕸️🕷️🫣🕸️🕷️🫣. . Let’s play my favourite game . WHAT SPIDER AM I ? . Her abdomen is approximately 3cm long by 2cm wide. She is pale grey in colour She has a bright white stripe the entire length of her abdomen She’s covered in fine hair She weaves webs up high She’s docile (I actually gently slipped the pink cardboard under her, then carried her outside & she just sat still the whole time). . I’m not entirely sure what species she is but I’ve ruled out. Huntsman & Wolf Spiders (they don’t weave webs across doorways and she’d spent the night weaving a beautiful web across the top half of my study doorway.) . The fact she’s none aggressive & covered in fine hair makes me think she’s not a Northern Tree Funnel Web. They tend to be hyper aggressive & will run at you if you try slipping a bit of cardboard under them. They also don’t have hair on their face. . My best guess is that she’s a very young Orb Weaver. They tend to be docile & have a fondness for weaving webs across spaces light shines through at nigh. She’d built her web right in front of where the light from my WiFi Booster Pod shines brightly at night. It’s also the same location the house geckos 🦎 like to hang out after dark. . I say she’s very young because a fully grown orb weaver would be twice her size. Despite having a plethora of orb weavers in my garden I’ve never seen one who looks like this. The fact she decided to set up home inside my house proves even the wildlife is fed up with the constant rain. Out of the first 93 days of 2024, it’s rain for 67.5 of them on the Sunshine Coast. . And no the fact wild animals feel safe in my house does not prove the idiotic idea I’m really a Disney Princess 👑 . #spider #spiders #australian #australianspiders #orbweaver #native #nativespecies #wildlife #wildlifephotography #cute #furry #arachnid #weaver #webspinner #largespider #spidersofinstagram #onlyinaustralia #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #actualwitch #witch #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess
💅🏻💅🏻💅🏻💅🏻💅🏻💅🏻💅🏻💅🏻💅🏻💅🏻💅🏻💅🏻 . I decided now I’ve figured out what size, length and shape of Press On Nails fit me perfectly to make myself some sets using different colours & accessories. . Since fine motor skills, spacial awareness & so on are all problems for me working with small individual sparkly rhinestones & rhinestones resin glue does not end well. I’m likely to glue the tweezers I’m holding the rhinestone with to the nail or glue the tweezers to my fingers or my fingers to the table (you get the drift). And me trying to paint fine lines is like watching an incredible drunk person walk a straight line, they zigzag all over the place (entertaining & cringe worthy at the same time). . So I’m exploring other decorating options like decorative nail stickers, self adhesive lace, foils and anything else that looks fun. Nail stickers are still difficult to peel of and place correctly but they’re way easier to work with & for me safer than playing with rhinestones & resin glue. . For a first attempt at creating wearable art with nail stickers I don’t think I did to bad. . #pressonnails #pressons #nailart #nailartaddict #nailstickers #elegant #elegantnails #gothic #gothicnails #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #actuallyautistic #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess
🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝. . Finally got a good sunny day to do the Pink Hive Inspection. . Honey production is a little slow but considering the humid wet conditions I’m not surprised. Honey is a high calorie food supplement for adult bees to use when resources are limited (think snow covered landscape, which has zero pollen & death by freezing if you try to leave the hive). . Right now where I live everything is flowering so between showers the bees are busy gathering pollen which is their actual nutrient rich food source. Since Queen Pinky is doing some seriously large amount of egg laying lots of pollen is needed to feed everyone & keep Pinky’s Queendom healthy. . High humidity & lots of rain is NOT good for bees because biologically they are not built for humid, wet environments. . Fun fact: bees don’t have lungs! Nope not kidding like most insects they breath through small holes in their skin. These holes, called spiracles. In bees, the thorax has three pairs of spiracles and the abdomen has seven. Once air gets in, it is pushed through the body with balloon-like air sacs. But if to much water gets into those air sacs the bee 🐝 quickly suffer oxygen deprivation & dies. So an extremely wet or humid environment isn’t actually good for bees because breathing to much humidity means they’re breathing liquid not air & they drown despite being no where near water. . #bees #beesofinstagram #backyardbeekeeping #beekeeper #beekeeping #honeybee #keepingitreal #apiarist #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #actuallyautistic #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess
Autistic, ADHD, Neurodivergent - Is it just me or is this fairly common for us? . For as long as I can remember (which is to about 2 years old) I’ve had what I always assumed was an odd habit to do with what I now realise is a Sensory Processing Problem. . To make one of my primary sensors (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste) dominate I have to take as many of the other ones as possible offline. . For example: when I’m driving & looking out for something like a businesses signage I have to turn anything that makes noise off or I can’t process what I’m visually looking at. I often close my eyes if I’m trying to listen to something because I can’t process what I’m hearing if I’m visually distracted by my surroundings. When I’m walking or swimming to process the thoughts tumbling around my head I close my eyes. Strangely I walk into more stuff with my eyes open than I do with them shut becomes I’ve got shockingly bad visual spacial awareness issues 🤷🏻♀️. When I’m concentrating on what people are saying to me I have zero facial expressions & my vocal tone goes monotone because I can’t process auditory or visual information & think about what facial expressions I need to use or to put tonal variations into my speech patterns (medically it’s called Flat Effect & apparently it very common for Autistic Males but for Females they don’t have enough statistical information 🙄). . #isitjustme #sensory #sensoryprocessingdisorder #sensoryprocessing #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #actuallyautistic #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess
😳😳😳😳😳😳. . Subtle Straight Prejudice! . I downloaded Family Tree Builder (free version) as a way to keep track of the Characters in my books. . I needed to link Blade & Geladreel as “spouses” because end of book 1 Blade ends up with the chunk of the shattered Angel Crystal containing Geladreels heart imbedded in his heart. So in Holding The Demon’s Heart they find themselves falling in love (both gay to start with). . Anyway I finally figured out how to change the Gender to MALE on Blades record and the message I got made me go WTF. . Message: ⚠️ Warning: . Blade McGraw & Ripley Dwayne (Geladreel) Scott (spouse) are both Male. . Are you sure you want to make changes to Blade McGraw? . The program also doesn’t list “divorce” as a fact and makes it extremely difficult to list a second spouse (post divorce) & has no category for Step-Child. . It’s subtle discrimination but still discrimination & sooner or later it’s going to get them slapped with a lawsuit from someone who has bought the full package! . #discrimination #discriminacion #discriminación #keepingitreal #subtle #prejudice #prejuicios #familytrees #worldbuilding #character #ancestory #tracking #bad #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #actuallyautistic #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess #familytreebuilder #database
⚡️⚡️🌩️🌩️⛈️⛈️🌩️🌩️⚡️⚡️. . As much as the buildup season & wet season are hot, humid & half the time you feel like your breathing liquid not air. . Moments like this are one of the upsides of both the climate & the fact I live on the very top of Buderim Mountain. For storms that start slightly north of us they move inland before they swing around and head out to sea. To get to the sea those storms either have to go around my mountain home or right over the top of us. . Carlotta Page - here’s some truely planet building storm pics I could imagine happening on Rainland 🙃. (Go read her books if you want to know what I’m talking about) @carlottapageauthor . . The gasp has nothing to do with the storm & everything to do with me leaning to hard on a slowly rotting second story porch rail & feeling it wobble 🥺. . #thunderstorm # #lightning #mountainliving #storm #thunder #lightening #tropical #tropicalstorm #mothernature #naturephotography #rainland #alien #alienromancereader #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #actuallyautistic #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess #buderim
😊💅🏻💅🏻☺️. . TEMU First Ever Temu Perches. . Having browsed through the TEMU app for close to a year I finally decided to actually buy stuff. I used to shop on Ali Express until they joined forces with Choice & the prices went up, shipping went to per item & the quality declined dramatically. I do a lot of shopping on SHEIN because the clothes in their Curvy Women category actually fit me but they have a flat rate shipping fee if your order doesn’t hit A$89 (that used to be A$39, two years ago). . Then I noticed the same products from the same sellers on SHEIN popping up on TEMU for the same price …. FREE SHIPPING! . So I started small with Press On Nails & nail art stuff. I’ve become a tad obsessed with Press On Nail Art & the amazing artist who make them. A lot of whom have generously shared their knowledge on YouTube about how to set up & run a Custom Design Press On Mail Order Business. Best example of successful business women helping other business women in the Beauty Industry survive the COVID shutdowns. I’m chalking up my YouTube binge watching of “How to make & sell custom press on nails” as research because I’m already mapping a Custom Designed Press-On Nail runaway TikTok success book for the Green Marble Series I’m writing. I count Emily Susanah YouTube channel as mental health assistant’s because she always makes me laugh. . Anyway back to TEMU. For the price it’s actually good quality. Arrived in the delivery timeframe intact & undamaged. If my older sister used Press-Ons I’d send her a pack of the nails in pic 3 because they are so her style & colour. The only reason I haven’t taken my current Semi Cured Gel Stickers off & put a set of Press-Ons on is because I was bad and pulled a hang nail out with my teeth resulting in a painful, bleeding & slightly infected nail gutter (Mistress Crystal will be very cranky when she sees this because I promised her I wouldn’t do that anymore 🫣). . The ONLY thing I’m bummed about was my package didn’t come in the bright orange TEMU packaging everyone on Social Media shows in their Temu Haul Unboxing videos 😖. . @temu @temu_au @emilysusanah . . #temu #pressonnails #nailhaul #firstorder #nailart #girly
❤️ Love this nail polish 💅🏻. . Hit The Bottle ~ To Great Lengths (Air dry, water based polish) . So in love with this nail polish. . Backstory ~ I bought a really lovely set of cats eye blinged out short press on nails from Ali Express. However it turned out there was only 10 cats eye blinked out nails in the box, the rest are flimsy pinkish plan boring undecorated full tips (pic 3). Thursday night I took off the Semi-Cured stickers I had on, cleaned up my nails & put Jello Jello Peel Of Base Coat on. Being super careful not to use to much glue, pressing any bubbles out & so on I attached my precious 10 cats eye blinged out nails. . All was good until Friday evening when I went to Coles for Milk & toilet paper. Somewhere in my frenzied dash around Coles because I had a migraine brewing & just wanted to get home, the pinky nails charm snagged on something & the nail popped off. I didn’t notice until much later at which point I had a bit of a freak out because there was no cats eye blinged out nails left to replace it with. . But then I remembered I had To Great Lengths a shimmering holographic blue-purple-green polish from Hit The Bottle. “Excellent” I thought smiling 😈. . Following the advice of the million YouTube tutorials I watched, I took the shine off the thin boring beige full tip & then wipe it off with nail polish remover. I also used a quick dry base coat because I found in my polish tub. Then I did two coats of To Great Lengths giving each coat time to fully dry. Before applying a no chip high shine no wipe topcoat that was in my polish tub. I cleaned my natural nail, redid my Jello Jello Peel Of Base coat & then glued my newly created replacement press on in place. . Totally going to use the other boring beige full tips with To Great Length to make my own press on set 😊. . @hit_the_bottle . #instanails #nails #hitthebottle #holographic #holographicnails #bluenails #purplenails #productreview #keepingitreal #pretty #girly #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #actuallyautistic #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess #pressonnails #custommade
THIS IS NOT A BRANDED CONTENT POST. IT IS NOT A PAID PARTNERSHIP OR PAID CONTENT Instagram thinks I was paid to do an Honest Book Review. . The Escapades Of Tribulation Johnson by Karen Brooks. . I’m a huge fan of this time period in English history & from the first page I knew I was going to enjoy this book & fall in love with the cast of characters. Once I’d started it I had to finish it so I kept picking it up & reading a few chapters because I wanted to know all the small details that slowly get revealed as the book progresses. Like why would you call your youngest daughter Tribulation? Was William Scott to be trusted? Would the theatre be reopened? . I started reading this at the beginning of September & finished it tonight 23 November. I’m not normally a slow reader but two things slowed me down. Firstly the rich descriptive details of life in England from 1679 to about 1689 made skim reading impossible. Secondly the book is big & heavy …. The book is 541 pages & weighs 696g *that’s over half a Kg*. For anyone that doesn’t know I have both hyper mobility & arthritis so holding this book to read it was actually physically painful. Why didn’t I buy the Kindle version? (Coughs & looks sheepish) I acquired this book by accident while I was at Australian Romance Writers conference in Sydney in August. I’m not entirely sure I didn’t accidentally steal it because it was on the table in The Quiet Room which was sponsored by Harlequin. I’d flipped it open to see if I liked the writing style & when I walked out of the room to go do a Pitch I was reading page 3 & walked out reading it (ops). . @kbrooks1662 @harlequinaus @rwaustralia . #harlequinaus #harpercollinspublishers #book #bookreview #bookgram #historicalfiction #englishhistory #keepingitreal #historicalromanceauthors #romancewriters #romancereader #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess
☠️☠️☠️🤦🏻♀️☠️☠️☠️🤦🏻♀️ . The Writers Hangover Is A Real Thing. . Despite the fact I have not drunk enough alcohol to get a hangover in nearly 10 years I woke up today feeling like I had a level 10 Hangover. …… . I’d rushed writing the section of Releasing The Kraken I’d been working on since 7pm because the NHL Boston Bruins v Tampa Bay Lightning match on ESPN started at 9pm and the NHL Ice Hockey is one of the few things I will stop writing to watch. So I knew that chapter would need heavy editing but I was done writing for the day, or at least that’s what I kept telling my autistically hyper-focused brain. . And then I made the epically stupid mistake of sitting down at my desk at midnight because the last sentence I’d written at 9pm was nagging at my brain. Something about it just didn’t feel right so I was going to have a really quick look then go to bed. . Sigh 😔 at 3am I crawled into bed & had a bad nights sleep. At 7am I crawled out of bed to let the chickens out and I feel like I have a hangover. All my muscles are tense, my joints hurt, my eyes are red and puffy. Every time I blink it feels like I’ve got sandpaper glued to the inside of my eyelids & I’ve got a dehydration headache 🤕. . I’d say “I’m never doing that again” but I know I’ll do it again because autistic hyper focus is both a blessings that means I can write several books at once & write over 60 000 words in 4 weeks while recovering from a concussion. And a curse because I can’t switch the obsessive need to write off & my hyper focus will override my brain’s ability to say “no go to bed & edit in the morning”. It will also switch off my ability to realise I’m exhausted, dehydrated, hungry, need to pee or that I’m in pain from sitting at my desk for hours without a break. . @nhl @rwaustralia . #hangover #bookhangover #romancewriter #romancewritersofinstagram #romancewriters #bookstagram #writergram #keepingitreal #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess #hyperfocus #neveragain #nanowrimo
Peel Off Base Coat Update. . Pic 1. My last two nails done with Hit The Bottle - Keepin It Peel. My claws lasted until Wednesday 15/11/23 and they all peeled off clean. This photo is literally right after the pinky nail detached. Quick swipe with none acetone polish remover & my nails were perfect. . Pic 2. Jello Jello One Kill Peel Of Base Coat System. They did stay on longer despite me fixing a pool filter (immersion in a pool I’d just dumped a shit load of chemicals in) doing some “light” gardening (I wear leather riggers gloves for gardening because my version of “light” gardening includes cutting down trees & scrape out storm drains with an x-army trenching shovel & my hands), doing my nightly dish washing in hot soapy water without remembering to put gloves on & other life shit that tends to damage my nails. I did have to reglue some because the Base Coat stayed in place but the nail glue failed to keep the nail in place (you know like when you slam the car door on the nail tip 🤷🏻♀️). Getting the nails of wasn’t to hard but my natural nail tips did get a bit bent & tatted. However getting all the “peel off base coat” off was hard work, took an hour of scraping with the wooden nail tool & I’m not sure it’s all off. The One Kill Oil has a heavy chemical smell which my sensitive nose identified as Acetone. To start with my fingers felt super sticky. I’m not sure how much absorbed into my nails but some did. The stickiness came off my nails & hands when I washed them. . However I don’t think I’ll be able to reuse my claws. As you can see in the video the One Kill Oil has affected them the same way Nail Polish Remove affect’s Acrylic (fake) nails. Basically because they are plastic it starts to dissolve them & makes them sticky. . @emilysusanah @hitthebottlenails @jellojello_official . #instanails #nailsofinstagram #peeloffnailpolish #acrylicnails #fakenails #keepingitreal #girly #honestreview #trending #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess
Juvenile Delinquents. . Meet the newest gang of Juvenile Delinquents to be left in my front yard by the adult flock. . These are Galahs & like their bigger cousins Cockatoos when the fledglings are fully feathered, can fly & are quite capable of feeding themselves the adults boot them out of the nest but don’t totally abandon them. These guys are still to young to keep up with the adults for distance & speed so they’d slow down the adults daily foraging & attracted predators by making the “feeeeed meeeeeee” racetrack you can hear in the video. Their basically at the point that they’re voices are no longer baby calls but they’re not quite adults yet so they’re learning new vocalisations. . The adults have spent weeks finding safe trees with easy access to food & water to leave the fledglings in for increasingly longer periods of time. Eventually these guys will either form their own flock or join their parents flock. . . Cockatoos do the same thing & Juvenile Cockatoos are assholes, they steel anything they can & quickly learn the most annoying word or sounds to mimic. . #galah #galahcockatoo #pink #socute #juveniles #australian #australianwildlifephotography #birdstagram #keepingitreal #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess #australiananimal
Why I don’t use old fashioned “Nail Stickers”. . Before Semi-Cured Gel Nail Stickers revolutionise the at home nail market you could either paint your nails with base coat (let it dry), first coat of colour (let it dry), second coat of colour (let it dry), top coat (let it dry) …. So 30 min x 4 = 2 hours minimum of sitting still & not using your hands (not something I can do) . Or if you were in a hurry or like me a fidgety 😬 little squirrel 🐿️ that can’t sit still & is constantly moving their hands. You could use Base Coat (let dry), Nail Sticker (smooth out air bubbles, snip ends, file end to wrap natural nail), top coat (let it dry) …. So 30 min + 20 min + 30 min = 1 hour 20 min. Technically with nail stickers you don’t have to base & top coat but they’ll last longer if you do. . At 1pm on Saturday (11/11/23) I put Rimmle Nail Nurse on as my Base Coat, then added some Nail Stickers I accidentally bought off SHEIN, then 2 coats of Rimmle Nail Nurse to seal them in place. . By 6pm on Saturday (11/11/23) the left thumbnail had a chunk missing no clue how 🤷🏻♀️. By 1pm on Sunday (12/11/23) the blue sticker left had was missing a chunk & so were my pinky & ring figures on my right hand. By the time I got back from Bunnings at 4pm the blue one ring finger right hand totally vanished. . So tonight they all come off & I’ll try the Peel Off Base Coat with Acrylics. . If you’re wondering the Semi-Cured Stickers lasted 12 days. I pulled them off planing to do Peel Off Base with Acrylics & then remembered I still had the Blue Hive to Inspect, not something I wanted to do with claws on. . #nails #nailstickers #nailaddict #girly #keepingitreal #slowliving #nailgram #nailsofinstagram #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess
“Anyone Can Write A Book” is oft said & actually true. . But not everyone who writes a book can get it published & develop a loyal reader base. So here’s my 3 bits of advice for “after I’ve written the book I want to read.” . 1. Be a Goonie. Find your loyal tribe of friends willing to go on the adventure with you because they believe in you & who when you need it will remind you that Goonies Never Say Die & that One-Eyed-Will & his Pirate Booty really did exist! . 2. Name Recognition & nailing a pitch in under 7 minutes. Hello my name is Inigo Montoya (polite greeting with unique pen name). You killed my father (basic plot outline & genre information without over explaining anything). Prepare to die (to the point gives a rough idea of your books ending but doesn’t make the Pitch recipient feel like they have to ask questions if it’s not something they’re interested in). . 3. It’s all about the brand. Carlotta Page is possibly the beast example of this I’ve ever seen. If you go to her page (link below) there’s no mixed message, everything on her page is 100% about her books. She sends out regular posts that are always & only ever about her books & so on. Why is this good? We (readers) are a strange lot and although we might absolutely adore how an author writes if we’re reading a social media post with their personal opinion on something & it’s the total opposite to our core belief or we find it offensive, from that point on we will have lost the enjoyment of reading that author’s work and stop being a loyal reader. So NEVER use your personal social media account as your platform for your brand! . @carlottapageauthor <~ she has written an awesome Alien Romance series & no I don’t get free books I just like her books & think her brand promotion is fantastic. . #keepingitreal #writing #romancewritersofinstagram #writingadvice #goonies #inigomontoya #gooniesneversaydie #pitching #publishing #whatnext #disabledwriter #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth
NOT SPONSORED, NOT FREE & NOT A COLLABORATION! . Unboxing (yes more nail products 😊) . My package from Aurora Nail Supplies arrived today (very excited). Aurora are a web based store but I think they have an actual physical location in Victoria (Australia) you can collect your order from. Aurora Nail Supplies are the place to go if you’re after Korean Nail Brands like Jello Jello. . Having watched Emily Susanah YouTube Review of Jello Jello One Kill Peel Off Nail System I was inspired & intrigued enough to go searching for it. . Basically according Emily Susanah & a bunch of other YouTube Product Testers I should with Peel-Off-Base Coat be able to indulge my love of Acrylic (Fake) nails & have them last longer than Press-Ons but less time than the Super-Glued On Acrylic System & be able to peel the Acrylic off with minimal to zero damage to my natural nails. . Press-Ons use double sided tape to stick the Acrylic in place & on me they peep off within minutes of sticking them on. . Super-Glue-On stay put but getting them off requires grinding them down to a thin layer, then soaking your fingers in Acetone to loosen the glue before prying them off. Last time I had this done I reacted really badly to the Acetone & part of my natural nail peeled off because it was still firmly attached to the Acrylic (Fake) nail remnant. . So once my current set of Semi-Cured Wraps fall off I’ll try the Peel-Off-Base Coat semi permanent Acrylic System. Since I now have 2 different brands I’ll do Jello Jello on one hand and Hit The Bottle on the other & let you know how it goes 😊 . @emilysusanah @auroranailsupply @jellojello_official . #unboxing #nails #peeloffnailpolish #jellojello #koreannails #emilysusanah #excited #keepingitreal #acrylicnails #auroranails #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess #girly
Concussion Update 🤪. . Pic 1 was taken at 7pm last night. . Pic 2,3,4 were taken at 11:40am today. . The bruising was so deep that it’s taken nearly a week for the dinosaur egg size lump I had on my hairline to dissipate & the bruising to start to become visible on the surface. . I still have a mild headache, my balance, depth perception & short term memory are worse than normal & I’m still super tired. Since my cheekbone hurts like hell if I sneeze or blow my nose I suspect I’ve cracked it but there’s no point in getting X-rays because only time will heel that type of fracture (not the first time I’ve fractured bones in my face.) . But …… I work up yesterday & today without the dizzy feeling & when I walk I no longer feel like I’m on a ships deck that’s rolling beneath my feet. So I’m very slowly getting better. . #update #concussion #concussionrecovery #bruise #facialbruising #keepingitreal #recovery #spacialawareness #balance #hurts #opps #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess
So what links these pictures that demonstrates why Autism + ADHD is a neurological disability? . Autism effects my balance, spacial awareness, ability process information about my surroundings if I’m hyper-focused on something & coordination. . ADHD affects my ability to slow down, think about what I’m doing & plan how to do it slowly & safely. . Yesterday having decluttered my front veranda I used the High Pressure Water machine to clean off all the accumulated grot, grime, dirt & mould (that was fine). Having disconnected the hose I bolted down my front stairs to rush outside & turn the hose off before it flooded the new herb garden. My brain failed to register the fact that because the front door was open the tiles at the front door were covered in water & fine grit particles. As I swung around & off the last step my whole body weight was balanced on the toes of my right foot at an angle which was not designed to work with very slippery tiles. As my foot slid out from under me my instinct was to swivel sideways so my left hip not my spine would hit the edge of the step. Because if I dislocate my spine again I’m probably going to lose my ability to walk. . BUT……. . What my brain failed to do was calculate the fact I was in an extremely small space. So when I twisted sideways it not only increased momentum it meant the left side of my face was slammed hard into the door frame with my full body weight behind it. I’m incredibly lucky that the brass latch-plate didn’t go through my temple or shatter the hinge joint in my jaw. It left a nasty indentation roughly halfway between both spots. And I’ve got a dinosaur eggs size lump that’s slowly decreasing as deep bruises start to creep out of my hairline & across my face. . Unfortunately I did knock myself out & scared the crap out of dad. I have a mild concussion, which is making me fuzzy brained & a bit dizzy. Plus a killer headache and muscle pain if I move my face (good thing I don’t have natural facial expressions because smiling hurts like hell). But I’m not in hospital & not dead so overall annoying but not catastrophic. . #opps #knockout #youdidwhat #accident #notagain #keepingitreal #accidentprone
As of today I’ve decided a few things need to change. The growth may be uncomfortable for me & will be painful for people around me but it is necessary because I do not wish to continue repeating the patterns of my past. . I’m going to practice saying NO until I no longer feel guilty for saying it. This will remove a weapon that’s been used against me my entire life to manipulate me into doing things I find stressful, painful or just don’t want to do. . I’ll learn to say “I’ll check my schedule & get back to you” before agreeing to things & if it doesn’t fit my schedule I’ll say No! . I’m locking the word “sorry” in a bomb proof box and burning it in a concrete lead lined tomb. That way as I’m slowly digging to exhume it, I have time to think “should I actually be saying (that word) or am I saying it because I’ve been trained to think everything is my fault & there for I must apologise so the other person doesn’t get angry”. . I’m going to look hard at organisations & groups I belong to & ask myself “Do I like, need or enjoy being part of this organisation or group” & if the answer is No I’ll remove myself from it. If the answer is maybe I’ll keep a better eye on how my engagement makes me feel & reevaluate in 6 months. If it’s yes I’ll make more effort to be engaged & attend things. . All appointments shall be scheduled for after 10am & I’m remove from my brain the “you’ve wasted half the day already” mantra my grandfather programmed my mother to believe who then programmed me. Since I never go to bed before 1am getting up at 10am leaves me plenty of time to get stuff done. . I’m going to stop writing To Do Lists & start scheduling in Do Nothing time until just going with the flow of the day seems natural. That way I won’t spend 90% of my mental energy arguing with myself that whatever I’m doing isn’t what I SHOULD be doing which triggers extreme anxiety & sucks the chilled, relaxed, happy vibe out of my life every day & it’s exhausting. . For the first time EVER I’m going to make all my life choices based on how I feel & what I want instead of on how others feel, what others want me to do or how others might react to MY decision & MY choices. . #nebula
🐝 🌸 🐝 🌺 🐝 🌹 . Bee Identification Lesson. . One of the biggest mistakes new beekeepers make is seeing a Drone & thinking it’s the Hive Queen. . Why? Because you’re told that The Queen is larger than normal bees, all other bees get out of her way & constantly clean up after her & she can fly but won’t unless she needs to lead her family away from danger (bush fires, cyclone, floods). . When you look at the size of Boofer (the massive fat Drone) compared to his sisters it’s understandable that unless you’ve marked the Hive Queen or known what she looks like you could easily assume the bee that’s twice the size of the bees around him, everyone moves out of his way when he’s on the move, the other bees constantly cleans up after him & due to his size unless ordered out of the hive by The Queen to mate a new Queen & pass on his mothers DNA will NEVER fly is The Queen. . Boofer can fly but it’s not graceful & hard work because he’s not aerodynamic designed so flying takes a lot of effort. I picked him up & made him fly all of 5cm from my finger to the frame where he gracelessly crash landed before stomping off because I’d annoyed him. . Even for Drones my guys are massive. The Blue Hive Drones are at least 1/3 bigger than the Pink Hive Drones. Bluebell (the Queen) also breeds big girls as well. . #bees #beesofinstagram #bee #beepic #backyardbeekeeping #backyardbees #apiary #apiarist #naturephotography #nature #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess #honey
Pink Hive Inspection. . Back at the beginning of August I was waiting for my foundation mould to arrive but needed a foundation sheet ASAP. . So I made a wax sheet that didn’t have the hexagonal embossed imprint it was just smooth wax. I asked every beekeeper I know “does it matter if it’s not embossed with hexagonal patterns?” & no one actually knew what would happen because EVERYONE buys embossed wax foundation sheets. . The answer is NO it doesn’t matter if the foundation sheet is hexagonal embossed the bees will still build comb & the Queen will still lay eggs in that comb. . However …. The bees might get artistically creative on size & shapes of the hexagons & the comb. . Pic 1. (Side A) Somewhat normal hexagon size, shape & comb pattern. . Pic 2 (Side B) the girls pretended to be wild bees & build triangle comb & hexagons of various sizes. . The video is bees hatching. . #bees #beesofinstagram #beeswax #backyardbees #backyardbeekeeper #apiary #apiarist #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess #keepingitreal #honeybee #socute #naturephotography
Right now mint & ginger seem to be my go to food. . I’m not pregnant I’m just going through an autistic food hyper focus. And before anyone comments “are you sure you’re not pregnant” …… very sure I had an emergency hysterectomy at 33 because of endometrial cancer so even if I had a partner getting pregnant would be the least of my worries. . Craving Grandma Ginger Biscuits is simply to fix. Drive to The Ginger Factory in Yandina, buy some ginger come home & make cookies. Doing that today. . However to make old fashioned Mint Slice or a healthier Keto version of it I need to have “peppermint essence” in my pantry. Guess what I keep forgetting to buy ….. peppermint essence. . While looking up ratios for using fresh mint Vs peppermint essence in baking I stumbled across The Prairie Homestead blog on DIY Mint Extract. Read through it & had a💡moment. . I grow at least 4 different types of mint. I have a very large bottle of distilled once alcohol that you most definitely do not want to try drinking. Clean & sterilised jars 🫙 because it’s honey season. . So following the recipe I have put Peppermint leaves & Chocolate Mint leaves (yes it’s an actual mint plant) in jars & filled with Do Not Drink This Vodka to steep. Placed the jars in a cool, dry & dark spot in my house. I’ll shake the jars up every couple of days & in about 3 weeks I’ll check how Minty they taste. Once they’re Minty enough I’ll strain to remove the plant bits & rebottle. . @jill.winger (The Prairie Homestead) @buderimginger @ginger_factory . #peppermint #dyi #theprairiehomestead #recipe #mint #chocolatemint #moonshine #vodka #keepingitreal #homemade #selfsufficient #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess
🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆. . Ethel & Burt are back. . For the last two breeding seasons Ethel & Bert have used my pool as a place to rest & paddle around while they checkout the hood for a safe tree to nest in. . No that is not a typo. I did not accidentally type tree instead of spot. . These guys are Pacific Black Ducks & around here they have a preference for nesting in trees rather than in long grass. I’m going to assume they’ve worked out tree nests make it harder for predators to eat them, their eggs or the hatchlings. . I’m hoping since Burt’s now asleep in the pool that they’ve nested in my yard & around about Halloween there will be baby ducks 🦆 in my yard. . The fact I don’t care if they make a poopy 💩 mess in my pool, the lack of dogs/cats & high calorie nutritious free food thanks to the chicken feeder makes my yard highly likely to be a “safe” nesting area. . #pacificblackduck #duck #ducks #nativeanimals #australian #australiananimal #nature #naturephotography #backyard #backyardpools #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess #cute
What to do with actual money in an almost cashless society? . I don’t know about anyone else but when I was little I learnt off both my grandmothers to collect any lose change from purses, pockets, seat cushions, the washing machine, the car or wherever & put it in money boxes. There was no specific THING they were saving to buy it was just firstly good housekeeping & secondly it was the “break in case of emergency” cash stash. When the money boxes were full they went to the local bank & deposited the money into the bank account wholly & solely in their name. . However it’s become increasingly difficult to go to an actual bank & deposit large amount of lose change into an account. Especially if you’re banks online or they closed the branch & left an cash-out ONLY machine in its place. . The answer …. Groceries! . This takes a bit of time but it can be worth the effort. Count up all the change so you know how much you have. Go to one of the big grocery stores that has cash & card “self-serve” checkouts. Do your grocery shop & go through the cash & card self-serve checkout. Pick the cash option & then at a fairly even pace feed your coins into the machine (don’t go to fast or it spits them back out). If you’re super thrifty the coins will pay your entire bill. If you run out of coins you can hit the little box that’s says “pay remaining by card” & then tap your card to complete the purchase. . Don’t think it’s worth it …… I recently collected all the lose change in my house, including the cash from my front yard honesty stall, counted it up & went grocery shopping. My groceries came to $198, there was $60 in my bank account 😳. I slowly feed all my loose change into the self-serve machine and watched the amount I’d paid tick up to $152.85 & then I paid the remaining $45.15 on card knowing I had enough in the account & would still have a little bit left to get me through to payday. . With everything other than my Disability Pension going up my Honesty Stall & loose change are increasing paying for my groceries, chicken food & anything else where actually MONEY is still accepted as payment. . #cash #cashflow #thrifty #broke #poverty #keepingitreal #loosechange
Asked to ‘play the part’ for a children’s birthday party.... I do miss & enjoy having reasons to dress up! :))))) Because OF COURSE I just happen to have these things lying around. Like you do. 🖤 #tistheseason #actualwitch #notastretch #spookyseason #everydayishalloween
Christmas Beatles 😁 . I have no idea what these Beatles are actually called but in my family we call them Christmas Beatles because they usually start invading the house in December. . This year they’re invading early. My dogs hated these Beatles because the Beatles feet all have hooks 🪝 at the end so they can cling onto things really well & if they landed on the dogs it was really hard to get them out of Nano or Toby’s fur. The only time they annoy me is if they land in my hair because removing them is really hard. . #beatles #beatle #christmas #christmasbeatle #australianwildlife #bug #summer #keepingitreal #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess
Accommodations Melbourne. . City Square Motel (67 Swanston St Melbourne) is a bit of a hidden gem for budget travellers. . Yes it’s old, the rooms are small, the pillow was basically flat, the TV remote in my room has vanished & never been replaced & yes the grouting in the bathroom needs to be sprayed with a couple of bottles of Mould Killer to make it sparkly white. . But 3 nights cost me $264! The linens were crisp & clean, the staff are really nice, the internet works (most of the time) & best of all there’s tram stops right outside the front door. And around the corner is the Town Hall (Collins street tram line) that is free to/from Southern Cross Station where the SkyBus from-to the airport terminates so it’s surprisingly easy to get to the City Square Motel by SkyBus & 1 tram (3 stops only). . #solotravel #solotraveler #budgettraveller #citysquaremotel #cheap #melbourne #hidengem #citycentre #easyaccess #keepingitreal #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess #worthit
Food glorious food. . Before stopping in at The Boilermaker House (bar) I went to Wang’s Crispy Pancakes on Swanston St for a Red Bean Paste Crispy Pancake (I’d forgotten how yummy they are). . Now I’m sitting in Mr Bo on Little Lonsdale St (heart of China Town) enjoying a massive plate of flat noodles & beef. . God I’m going to miss the food, the multiculturalism & the walking friendly layout of Melbourne. . @mrbomelbourne . #melbourne #food #foodlover #longweekend #mrbomelbourne #wangscrispypancake #keepingitreal #tired #worthit #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess
Last night in Melbourne ☹️ . Stoped in at The Boilermaker House for an old fashioned Side Car (or 2). . The bar staff are friendly, the drinks are reasonably priced & their knowledge & collection of spirits (hard liquor) is amazing. . Not sure which I was more impressed with, the alcohol collection or the librarian ladder they use to get to the top shelves. . Now off to find food in China Town before heading back to my motel to pack for my trip home tomorrow. . @boilermakerhouse . #sidecar #cocktail #melbourne #hiddengems #boilermakerhouse #longweekend #keepinitreal #solotravel #solotraveler #nhl #nhlglobalseries #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess
🥅⛸️⛸️🏒🏒🏒🏒🏒⛸️⛸️🥅. . NHL GLOBAL SERIES between Arizona Coyotes & LA Kings at Rod Laver Arena. . The NHL has done and amazing job of building a temporary top notch ice hockey rink that tomorrow will be dismantled to be shipped back the the USA. . This complex is the home of The Australian Open Tennis & under that ice is a very expensive tennis court. . BTW the organists is a living breathing human not taped. . And now I’m putting my phone away. . I’m freezing & I’m a polar bear who loves the cold. . @nhl @nhlaus @arizonacoyotes @lakings . #nhl #nhlglobalseries #lakings #arizonacoyotes #keepingitreal #melbourne #happy #icehockey #freezing #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess
WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO. . NHL GLOBAL SERIES The Arizona Coyotes beat the LA Kings in yesterday game so today should be a good grudge match. Grudge marchers are my favourite kind (yes I’m a terrible person for enjoying the modern equivalent of an arena full of Gladiators on ice 😁). . The only bummer is the organisers seriously underestimated the popularity of ice hockey in Australia & failed to ensure there would be team jerseys & t-shirts available for todays game & the available hats & scarves are in limited supply. So there’s a lot of pissed off NHL fans who had put money aside to by a jersey’s or t-shirt only to discover bad planning means they’re left cranky & disappointed. . I’m hoping my makeup, sparkly top, holographic pink sneakers & fluffy fluro pink Muppet Jacket mean people don’t look to closely at my face or try talking to me. I walked here hoping to get my lungs clear enough to breath a bit better (it didn’t work). I’m still fighting the Cystic Fibrosis lung infection I got 3 weeks ago so I’m super tired & my cough is horrendous but I made it to the NHL Global Series. . @nhl @nhlaus @arizonacoyotes @lakings . #nhl #arizonacoyotes #lakingshockey #lakings #nhlglobalseries #badplanning #soldout #disapointed #nhljerseys #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess #hotday #cysticfibrosis
It’s 16:30 (4:30pm) & I’m sitting in Storyville drinking the Down The Rabbit Hole Cocktail. . Yes technical this cocktail is supposed to be shared between 2 people so walking back down the not well lite stairs could be hazardous but I don’t care. It’s been a long time since I gave myself permission to relax & enjoy a drink in a funky bar that currently has only a sprinkling of patrons. . What’s in The Rabbit Hole Tea Pot …. Alcohol & 🤷🏻♀️ no matter how charming I was I couldn’t get either Mixologist to tell me. . @storyvillemelbourne . #melbourne #cocktails #fun #funky #aliceinwonderland #keepingitreal #relaxing #longweekend #worthit #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess
Breakfast at Black Star Pastry . It’s tiny with limited seating but OMFG the food & coffee is amazing. . The coffee is a Spicy Gingerbread Latte & yes that’s a teeny-tiny ginger bread man floating on top (he was delicious & as per family tradition I bit his head off first) . Being an avid people watcher & professional eavesdropper I had a blast listening to & eventually talking to the trio at the table next to me. . They gave me the absolute Worst Boyfriend Ever story & permission to use it as a why she or he or both are soooooooo never trusting a “Instar-Influencer celebrity boyfriend” ever again. They even said I could use real names because the guy in question would love the fact a romance writer has made him The Player-Bad Boyfriend. The scene I’ll use, the names I’ll change. . @blackstarpastry . #melbourne #breakfast #blackstarpastry #soyummy #worthit #coffee #cake #keepingitreal #hiddengem #foodies #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess
If the Sunshine Coast is the place that holds my heart, Melbourne is the place that rejuvenates my soul. . I absolutely love Melbourne it’s the only city in Australia I get excited about visiting & would voluntarily move back to if I could afford it. . It’s a vibrant, multicultural, coffee, food & sports obsessed city that for the most part has some of the friendliest city dwellers I’ve ever met. . However Melbourne IS NOT Disability Friendly. To get a cab from the airport I firstly had to walk nearly 1km to the cab pickup, wait while someone called a cab, it cost me $83 😵 & he couldn’t actually drop me at my motel so I had to roll my suitcase over cobblestones & bumpy pavements and around groups of people until I eventually found the entrance to my accommodation. My other option was catch the Skybus to Southern Cross Station & then find the correct tram to take me down Collin Street & figure out where to get off & then find my accommodation in peak hour transport with a suitcase …. Oh and I might or might not have to buy a transport card & load it with cash BEFORE getting on the tram (3 different officials told me 3 very different things in responses to “how do I get the tram from Southern Cross Station to Swanson Street). Considering I left home at 10am & arrived in Melbourne after 6pm as it was getting dark & cold I was VERY ANNOYED at the lack of Disability & Neurodivergent Friendly transport options. When you so exhausted & sensory overwhelmed that you’re one stress trigger away from full brain shutdown being expected to figure out a strange new public transport system packed full of commuters while wheeling a suitcase or paying nearly $100 in cab fares just to get from the airport to your accommodation is NOT Disability or Neurodivergent Friendly. . #melbourne #melbournefood #disabilityawareness #keepingitreal #expensive #transportdesign #baddesign #rethink #realfood #longweekend #nhl #nhlglobalseries #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess
And we are off at the speed of a turtle 🐢 wading through a pond of molasses. (Yes that is the Royal we since I’m a perpetual single solo traveler) . I’m heading down to Melbourne for a long weekend of good food, amazing coffee, quirky laneways, hole-in-the-wall eateries where you can sit to do some serious people watching AND ……. . NHL GLOBAL SERIES ICE-HOCKEY match between The Arizona Coyotes @arizonacoyotes & The L.A Kings @lakings . But first I have to survive a flight from Maroochydore to Sydney. A 2 hour layover in Sydney & then a flight from Sydney to Melbourne 🤯. . Why not fly direct …… because direct flights either started at $450 (carry on baggage only) or arrive at Avalon Airport between 9pm & 11pm & still cost $100 more than I paid for the two-stepper flight through Sydney. Avalon Airfield is small so late at night there’s a good possibility of ZERO cabs waiting to collect passengers & would cost almost double to travel into the CBD where I’m staying. . The selfie doesn’t show how tired I am because I’m still sick but at least the goop I’m coughing up of my lungs is clear rather than shades of camouflage green. . @nhl @nhlaus #nhl #nhlaus #lakingshockey #arizonacoyotes #melbourne #nhlglobalseries #longweekend #stillsick #layover #tired #keepingitreal #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess
Here we go again (sigh) . Life with Cystic Fibrosis is like a high wire balancing act above sharp swords all pointing up. If you don’t keep the balance perfectly you’ll fall. If you’re lucky you end up with cuts that will take time & medical attention to fix. If you’re unlucky you die a slow & painful death as your lungs fill with fluid & you drown. . On Sunday I had a runny nose & sore ears. . On Monday I had a runny nose & very sore throat. . On Tuesday I had a runny nose, sore throat, breathing hurt & I started coughing up sticky green mucus. . Today Wednesday I have fluid on both lungs top to bottom, it hurts to breathe & I can’t actually take a deep breath. And I have the distinctive crackling sound that indicates I have a nasty bacterial infection in both lungs that’s a heartbeat away from turning into a full blown pneumonic infection that could kill me. . So today I start an aggressive antibiotic regiment, along with using my nebuliser every 4 to 6 hours & the joy of coughing up as much sticky mucus as possible 🤮. . If I’m lucky I’ll be sick for a few weeks & then spend months rebuilding my lung function. If I’m unlucky the antibiotics will at first kill the infection but then also kill my immune system so the infection will come back hard & fast with the very real possibility I’ll die by drowning without being anywhere near a body of water. . You’ve now had a glimpse into life with Cystic Fibrosis & the very real danger of how quickly we can get sick & potentially die. . #cysticfibrosis #cysticfibrosisawareness #chronicillness #lungdisease #keepingitreal #sick #cf #65roses #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess
. Breaking Old Habits . Pic 1. Basically sums up my life until now. My grandfather’s pathological fear of people outside the family finding out we were not PERFECT infected our entire family. Add in the fact he had the Spartan philosophy of any type of illness is weakness & the weak should be left to die because they are a burden & looking after them is an inconvenience to the healthy. And you start to get some idea of why I did not tell people I am neurologically different, chronically ill & physically disabled, instead I smiled through teeth gritted in pain & learnt to say “I’m fine” & to never say no or cancel an appointment because then my “weakness” would inconvenience others & that was BAD! . Today for the first time in my entire 49 years of life I put me first. I’ve cancelled all my appointments this week & next week. I organised my car repairs to happen when it suited me. Giving me time & space to organise a rental car through my insurance & ensure I have enough to pay my excess saved up, instead of agreeing to the first available date & then freaking out about it all. . In some ways it’s liberating to take back my power & stop viewing myself through my grandfathers twisted lens. But it’s also sad that it’s taken 49 years to learn that it’s ok to say NO and to put your needs front & centre of every decision you make rather than worrying about if your decision Will inconvenience others! . #selfcare #selflove #mefirst #breaking #badhabits #keepingitreal #breakinghabits #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess #notselfish #putingmefirst
🤔🫤😑🤬. . I am completely and utterly baffled as to why people rave about this book! I was struggling to click with her writing style and then I got to page 22 and went “WTF Seriously that is straight up insulting” . Why …. Let me quote her exact words “Fearlessness means not even understanding what the word scary means…..If your goal in life is to become fearless then I believe you’re already on the wrong path because the only truely fearless people I’ve met were straight up sociopaths and a few exceptionally reckless three year olds —- and those aren’t good role models for anyone”. . Hi I’m Dominique & my autistic wired brain is incapable of feeling true fear! I can & do get worried, nervous, extremely anxious but when my brain hits critical overload where the Fight/Flight/Freeze switch should be triggered & my amygdala should light up like a NYE fireworks display before flooding my brain with chemical signals to RUUUUUUNNNNNN! My brain switches the power off and quickly reboots flooding the areas for critical thinking, motion control, memory etc with extra juice resulting in me being cool, calm & a lot more likely to survive the event that has triggered everyone else to flip out from true fear. The only part of my brain that gets zero power in crisis mode is the amygdala (yes I have seen the scans of my brain doing this & it’s fascinating to watch). . I 100% know what “scary” is. I’m neither a sociopath nor am I an exceptional reckless three year old. As a Disabled Positive Romance Writer & Disability Inclusive Sensitivity Reader I’m an excellent role model for Autistic girls & women. If the publisher had asked my opinion on this book I would have suggested either removing or rewording that passage because it’s not only insulting to people who are born fearless or have an acquired brain injury that disrupts their fear response. It’s potential harmful to younger readers who already feel “different” because their brain doesn’t work like everyone else’s. . @elizabeth_gilbert_writer @bloomsburypublishing #bigmagic #bloomsburygroup #elizabethgilbert #review #keepingitreal #notimpressed #bookreview #booklovers #romancewritersofinstagram #disabilityinclusion
If you had to describe yourself as a building what would you be? . Me ….. I think I’d be a very old railway station that will eventually be abandoned completely. . Why ….. once long ago the train station had lots of people coming & going. Some for short one off visits but others would come and go for years getting to know the station so well it was almost a second home. The station master & his family lived on site so everything was kept neat & tidy. And the station always had the sounds of peoples lives echoing through its cavernous space. There was laughter, tears, squeals of joy and heart reaching sobs of final goodbyes. . But eventually time marched on & less & less people come to the old station. No one lives permanently here anymore & those that come pass through quickly because the space feels to big, to empty & just a little melancholy. They’re afraid to stay because the space echoes back their own voices to loudly for them to feel comfortable. . Eventually the last of the old commuters will die & the trains will stop coming & people will avoid the old train station because without lots of other people to blend in with, all hurrying through but never staying, they feel exposed. They’re frightened that the old train station can clearly see their motives for entering its cavernous space without crowds to hide their true identity. Or worse that it will collapse around them trapping them in it’s loneliness. . The old train station never changed, it never objected to the transient nature of the people who came & went. It never tried to make anyone stay and age alongside it. And it still doesn’t expect anyone to permanently stay because it is & always has been a train station not a home or a cemetery where people take up permanent residence. But the less crowded the old train station is the more it frightens people so eventually people stop coming to spend time with the old train station. Until one day it simply vanished leaving an echo but no permanent reminder that it ever existed at all. . #keepingitreal #feelings #melancholy #feeling #feelingsad😔 #tired #lonely #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent
Help! . Does anyone know what this plant or possibly root stock rose is? . I can’t tell if it’s a striker from below the grafting point or if it’s some other plant that managed to grow through the root system of the rose. . I’m reluctant to try and remove it because there’s a solid risk it kill or badly damaged the grafted climbing rose I’ve managed to keep alive despite flooding rains, a grasshopper invasion, leaf rust, black spot mould, aphids & a caterpillar that ate every leaf before I found it. . #rose #plantidentification #plantid #help #botanist #rootstock #sucker #striker #thebotanist #keepingitreal #whatami #garden #backyardgarden #backyard #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess
Since the passing of Nano The Great I randomly look up Puppies For Adoption or Sale in my local area. I’m not looking to buy I just like to look a pictures of cute puppies. It’s the same reason I watch The Pet Collective on Fetch or pat random strangers dogs. I get the warm fuzzy glow without the vet bills, worry & eventually 🐾 print holes in my heart when the cross the rainbow bridge. . Today I found this on Gumtree & went WTF HOOOOOOW! . Guarantee you’ll look at pick two and also go WTF HOOOOW! . The puppies are super cute. . #wtf #how #puppies #puppiesofinstagram #husky #huskies #pomeranian #socute #keepingitreal #nautre #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess
Hive inspections done. . This is my blue hive that had been struggling because the spot I originally set it up in now doesn’t get any Sun because the neighbours trees have grown above the fence line. So at the beginning of August I moved it to a sunnier location & boom 💥 Bluebell (The Queen) tripled her egg production so the hive is now at full capacity & they’re out doing their Pink Hive Cousins in honey production & free combing work inside the lid. . Pic 1 - impressive free combing for a hive that 3 weeks ago had 1/3 less worker bees. . Vid 1 - baby bee emerging from her cocoon cell. She’s cleaning up as she goes & every now & again the older girls stop to check she’s ok and to wipe Bluebells pheromone onto her so no one thinks she’s an intruder once she’s fully out. . Pic 2 - boofy fuzzy bum Drone (boy bee). Drones in my hive are easy to spot because they’re massive & are the only ones with fuzzy bums. The most common misconception about bees is that boy bees (drones) are worker bees. They are not! The Queen signals the hive to create Drone Cells that she lays boy bees in only in the mating season. They do absolutely no work and only exist as “just in case” genetic carriers. If forager bees report that there is a newly hatched Queen in the area doing her mating flight The Queen will send out the pheromone signal that all Drones in her hive must leave to go mate & pass on her genes. Drone that leave can’t return home manly because mating kills them. Come winter if Drones are still in the hive The Queen orders their execution because they’re a drain on resources who contribute nothing to the hives communal system of existence. . Pic 4 & 5 - Honey frames & comb to now process, filter & bottle (sigh). . Vid 2 - Honey drunk bees. Bees are inherently lazy & if they can steal honey rather than make it they will. They’ll also over indulge & get a honey buzz which makes them stupidly happy & fun to watch. Come sundown 95% will go home & the remainder will spend the night in the tub in my lounge room & have to do the walk of shame home the next morning when I carefully scoop them up in my hands and take them outside. . #backyardbees #honeybees #bee #apiarist #bees
Little witchy magic . I’ve spent 2 days & nights in a cavernous ballroom full of people, noise, glittering sparkling outfits Or pitching my books to agents & publishers. And doing a lot of hugging, handshaking, chatting & social stuff that I find incredibly tiring. So by the time the Australian Romance Writers Annual Conference & AGM was done & finished packing, I was shattered. . However I still had to eat dinner so I headed down to Sorrier Cocktail Bar in the lobby of the Sofitel Wentworth, which unfortunately is also a cavernous noisy people filled place 🥺. . I decided to celebrate surviving the conference without having a sensory meltdown & the fact my Pitching went well by having a cocktail while I waited for my Wagyu Burger. I randomly picked one that had Spiced Rum because I like Spiced Rum. When it turned up the love French bartender said “do be careful of the cinnamon stick it will be hot because we light them.” I laughed & said “excellent the perfect little smudge stick” he looked confused until I tapped my gold & coloured sapphire pentagram pendent. He then also laughed and said “aha a true witch” in French so I replied “yes I am” in French & the poor guy nearly dropped his tray full of drinks in surprise (guess he wasn’t expecting a chick with a beach bum Ozzy accent to reply in perfect French). . #sofitel #sorrie #cocktail #magic #keepingitreal #improvisation #smudgesticks #cinnamon #spicedrum #romancereader #romancewriter #romancewritersofinstagram #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #goddess
I made it! . ALL THAT GLITTERS Romance Writers Australia - Writer Conference 2023 in Sydney. . I got here, registered, met a few people, found some free food, bought Book 1 of The Outlaws of Deep Space series by Indi-author Carlotta Page, bought a huge coffee & some chocolate & then settled in to prepare for my pitching session tomorrow, before frocking up & going full sparkly unicorn 🦄 for the Newbies meet & great before attending the All That Glitters Cocktail Party. . I’m am now a very tired but my autistic brain is in hyper alert because I’m seriously sensory overloaded. Time to eat something more substantial than cocktail nibbles, take my meds & do something to calm my brain down so I can sleep because tomorrow will be a long & stressful day. . But I’m here putting myself out there as a neurodivergent, disabled romance writer & that’s a huge thing for me to do because positive representation matters. . @rwaustralia @rwaaus #romancewritersofinstagram #romancebooks #romancewriters #romancewriter #allthatglitters #keepingitreal #disabilityinclusion #disabilityrepresentation #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess #writersconference #sofitel #sydney
And just like that my chickens, bees 🐝 and gardens have decided Winter is over. . As humans have moved further & further away from nature. We’ve come to rely on dates on a human created calendar to tell us when to plant things, when to harvest things & if nature doesn’t agree we manipulate things so our ideas of “seasons” stays the way WE not nature wants it. . Humans are so invested in our invented seasonal time lines that we’ve financially crippled farmers from changing when they plant and harvest. Government assistance, bank loans, taxation & large scale grocery chains supplier contracts all have strict dates for lodgement, supply & payments. . I wonder what’s going to happen when nature decides to radically change the game by radically changing the heating & cooling cycles & starts adjusting the sunlight-rain cycles plants need to grow. . #slowlife #backyardchickens #backyardbees #nature #homeharvest #keepingitreal #eggs #honey #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess #backyardharvest #winter #spring
As one chapter in my book of life closes another one is about to start. . Heading off to the Romance Writers Australia Writers Conference in Sydney in August where I’ll be handing out my new business cards. . Reinventing myself & going in a complete different direction to the career I spent 20 years building as an Information Management Specialists & then walked away from because of autistic burn out is a little scary but my new path as a Disability Positive Romance Writer & Disability Inclusive Sensitivity Reader fells comfortable in a way my other career never did. . #newchapter #newdirection #careerchanger #sensativityreader #inclusion #keepingitreal #romance #romancewriter #romancewritersofinstagram #newpath #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess #love
And so it begins….. . The long slow process of uncapping & scrapping the now 6 frames of honey in the big tub at the bottom. Before I hang the stickies (scraped frames) to drain any left over honey so they can be re-used when I start pulling the winter honey in the next few weeks. Each batch of honey goes through 1 large particle removal strain via the strainer & purple bucket. Before it’ll go through a fine particle removal strain into the Yellow bucket (not in photos). And then I hand pour it into serialised bottles. Considering I have 3 novels to finish writing in 26 days I’ve either got to give up sleeping or start using dictation so I can write & honey work at the same time. . Why not leave the honey work till later I hear you ask? . Pics 4,5,6 & 7 are Gum Trees within 2km of my house already in flower. Pic 8 & 9 are the Valley of Gum Trees less than 2km from my house that are starting to flower. Pic 10 is the over 100 year old Gum Tree in my front yard so not even 1km from my hives which looks like it’ll flower soon. If the Valley of Gums does a full winter flower & my ancient lady flowers up I’ll be doing hive inspections every 2 weeks & praying like hell I can keep up with the honey run so my girls don’t get over crowded & decide to swarm. The swarm collectors for the Sunshine Coast Beekeepers Association have been incredibly busy thanks to the warm dry winter weather we’re having this year. . #honey #honeybeeireland #honeyproducts #bees #backyardbeekeeping #winterflower #gumtrees #australian #warmwinters #keepingitreal #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess #magic
Australian Romance Writer Conference is 28 days away & this years theme is: . ALL THAT GLITTERS . Luckily for me it coincided with me needing to up date my wardrobe. So I got to indulge my love of glittery, shiny, sparkly stuff & ridiculously high heels 😁. . Believe it or not those 6 inch tall platform heels are easier for me to stand comfortably & walk in than the sneakers because they correct my pelvic tilt taking pressure off my lower spinal joints. I used to have a collection of shoes like that when I was Pole Dancing. . Unfortunately hyper mobility + extremely bad special awareness (autism) tends to make Pole Dancing a hazardous activity. So after a variety of injuries like dislocating my spine for the second time, dislocating my ribs from my spine down my back, knocking myself out when I accidentally head butted the pole & ripping my right shoulder joint completely apart my Physio band me from Pole Dancing. . Sadly I had to also stop wearing my heels to work every day due to damage to my toe, foot & ankle joints. The final straw for my physio was when I chipped my Tibia (technically breaking my knee) went to work for three days wearing 5 inch platforms & didn’t notice I’d badly injured myself until my knee swelled to the size of a football & I literally couldn’t walk. Autism brain wiring means my pain receptors don’t work properly so I’m constantly covered in bruises with no idea how I got them 🤷🏻♀️ @rwaustralia @rwaaus @sheinofficial @shein_au . #shiny #sparkly #glitter #poledance #shoes #highheels #shoes #romancewriter # #rwaconference #allthatglitters #countdown #keepingitreal #platformheels #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess
The pool is freezing but it looks incredibly pretty & the nasturtium are making my bees 🐝 supper happy. . I’m fairly sure the honeysuckle is holding my sheds together. If it ever dies the sheds will collapse inwards because the roofs are more plant than rusted out galvanised iron. . #nasturtiums #pool #honeysuckle #honeysuckles #happybees #honeybees #winter #backyard #backyardgarden #shed #backyardshed #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess
Original Art . Artist: Dale Smith @dalesmithtattoo . #art #artist #artistsoninstagram #tattoo #tattooartist #tattooart #inkdrawing #ink #original #collectables #keepingitreal #disabilityawareness #disability #invisibleillness #neurodivergent #neurodiversity #greenwitch #wiccan #actualwitch #witch #autisticwoman #autisticadults #actuallyautistic #actuallyautisticadult #autistic #autism #adhd #mentalhealth #sunshinecoast #goddess