Oh dear!

It seems that 6 months of no blogging means you come back to an entirely new way on how to post things.  I think I will have to experiment.

Six months is a long time to be offline.  I gave up for a while due to issues with loading photos.  I couldn't seem to load any at all.  Hopefully I will be able to load images with ease now that blogger appears to have changed.

What have I done in 6 months?  Not much at all to be honest.  My health is not that good.  I am not sick, just tired and cranky all the time, and of course there is always that inevitable person(s) who like to make life even more hellish for you when you are down. 

A consequence of this is my weight ballooning again.  I am almost back to the same weight I was before I got the stomach band.  It seems that sometimes in life, the only good thing is chocolate.  Unfortunately chocolate is still something that I can eat with ease and therefore keep eating it.

I made a good friend on Facebook this year via another friend.  Mel lived in America and was going to come out and visit in November.  I was really looking forward to showing her around Western Australia.  I hadn't heard from her for a 3 weeks (she was normally on Facebook every day), and had not answered my messages.  One day at work I logged on and I had an email from someone close to her.  She had passed away.  I don't know what happened, just that she had been on life support. 

That is the risk we take now days, making friends on Facebook.  Their close friends and family have no way to contact you in cases like this.  My friends were horrified that I had found out that way and started blaming Facebook.  I don't blame Facebook.  Facebook has allowed me to be in contact with people I would never otherwise meet.  If it wasn't for Facebook I would never have met and made such a wonderful person.

Mel was looking forward to going to an Aussie beach, so it was only fitting that I said my goodbyes at one.  My family came with me and we went to watch the sun set at Scarborough Beach.

Enough of my issues though (starting to sound like Oprah Winfrey), a new year is dawning and I am hoping to make it my year.  I want to get fit and healthy, both physically and mentally.

In previous posts I may have mentioned that I have (thanks to some friends of mine) developed a love of Blythe dolls.  I have 3 now and I am starting to make some clothes that I want to sell on etsy.  I purchased some patterns but the instructions were all in Chinese.  Luckily for me, I work with a couple of Chinese girls who speak very good English.  One of them kindly took the patterns home and translated it for me.  Her translation is so cute: 'stitch' was translated into suture; and 'gather' was translated into ruffle.  I feel like a surgeon every time I suture.  :)

So far I have made a Japanese type outfit.  I am hoping to get started on something else soon as well.  Hope to have photos soon.

My dear friend Ruth and her family are moving country.  Alas they are not moving back to Australia, and if they did it would be over east and not here.  Luckily for me, they will be spending a few days in Perth to see family and will spend their last few days with me before they fly out.  Can't wait to see my little 'niece' Minty. 

I have kept all the Christmas decorations and the lights up so that Minty can have a Christmas (she probably will get Christmas Days).  Ruth loves Chicken Treat (its a West Aussie thing) so that is what we will have for our belated Christmas Dinner.

Speaking of Christmas, I did the annual dog photo shoot again.  Still need to do Napoleons though.  I haven't finished his top hat yet.  :)

Hmm starting to like the new blogger.  Makes posting photos so much easier.  YAY!  Will take photo's soon of what I have been up to craft wise.

Have a happy new year.