I see a horizon

Scotty too hottie and me. I met my husband at the "Winchester" Karaoke Bar in Lower Hutt, it was literally LOVE at first sight.

My favourite food is pumpkin, spinach and cauliflower boiled and mashed with sour cream

I own four pairs of sneakers, average prices $8 each, two pairs of jandals (flip flops) and a pair of slippers my daughter bought me for christmas.

I am obessed with the interior design of tiny spaces...

I love the sea although I am terrified of it since seeing jaws when I was a kid, although I made myself swim in it but only with my husband. I always stay on the shore side from him reasoning that if there is a great white shark Scotty will go first...he knows this and still loves me.

The first movie that scared the crap outta me was "Hush Hush sweet Charlotte with Bette David and Olivia DeHavilland, and the song still creeps me the hell out *shudder*

My first full on crush was 'Scott' from the Thunderbirds - it took me a long looooooong time to figure out he was a puppet.

When I was pregnant with my eldest daughter Megan I was addicted to Pixi caramal bars.

My son Nathan was breach and when he was born his feet came out in the taxi on the way to the hospital.

When I was pregnant with Jenna-Rose I ate Watties Baked Beans, apple sauce and pork sausages for almost every meal.

My childhood nickname is bullet, not because I was especially fast but I was bald until I was about three.

I was once a dolly bird back up singer in a band and was on TV, I hope to hell that Video tape has been completely destroyed, but I did look hot.

I see a horizon

Posted by Olivia Giles on Sunday, July 1, 2018

My best mate, my love, my fulla :)

OMG. it has been two months since I've had the ability to touch this blog.
I have been stuck in a black dog of depression and couldn't find the way out.
I felt as if I was swathed in bubble wrap and I couldn't feel, hear, see, smell or taste anything but cold and grey. I didn't have the energy to fall out of bed. I didn't have the ability to concentrate. I couldn't create anything worthwhile. I fully had to drag my arse through each day, moment by moment. My longest spell of activity lasted ten minutes at the most before I had to sit down and regroup.
Never EVER in my life has anything felt so stifling, unrelenting and heavy, like I was caught under a landslide of shingle.
I would rather be slapped stupid into a pulverized bloody mess than endure this vat of nothingness every day.

But now finally, FINALLY, I can see a chink in the darkness, a direction I can crawl to get the hell outta here.

What happened you ask to spiral me into hell in a hand basket.
I don't know. In fact I never know. It just hits outta nowhere whether things are shit or amazing. Its a thing I have to go through every once in a while. It usually happens in the winter, my doctor thinks it may be a form of SAD or seasonal affective disorder.

Good day today (Sunday 1 July 2018) driving around aimlessly with the hubby and ended
up in Waitarere Beach. What a cool place.

I haven't snapped out of it yet but I can see the exit yay...its off in the distance and at least now I know I will get there.

Shame...I have suffered from manic depression since I was a child and the worst thing about it is the shame and guilt I feel when I can't function. Or worse, the aftermath of the crazy mad shit I do when I'm manic. The shame this time was much worse, and I don't know why, I havn't done anything unforgivable lately. I hope.
I locked myself away most days, hiding from the world and not wanting to see anyone except Scotty my sibs and kids. Everyone else causes me unbelievable anxiety and I couldn't deal with it. It's not anyone's fault, in fact its not got anything to do with what other people do, its all about me. I get spiraling anxiety which is hard enough to live with but depression is something else altogether. It is paralysis.   I am not dead but I feel it. I am alive, but in cold grey storage and every day I wake up thinking 'Oh fuck, its still here.'

Life went on...

My guy Cobra Kai :)
he is gonna hate that
1: I took this pic and 2: I put it on my blog

Scotty is back in Martial Arts, something that he had always loved and it really good at, although it is a long time since he's done it. He loves it and I am so happy that he is happy although his 40-something year old body is not being as cooperative as his 20-something body was. Also the smell of deep heat hasn't gotten any sweeter. Reminds me of 'grassroots' rugby that I HATED watching on a Saturday morning in Wanuiomata crunching over the frosty winter grass. YUK.
I love that he loves what he is doing, and I love that he has a place to go and hang out with similar minded people but Tamati and I are annoyed that our schedule is being upset by his selfish acts of happiness. We simply have no idea what to do when we have to fend for ourselves. Yeah we're pathetic.

Dumbarseness had caught me again. I have done some really dumb things in my life, one of them was telling a group of people at my first book launch that the book was the first in a trilogy, that stupid arse spur of the moment blab cost me about six years of my life. My latest stupid thing is to decide I am going to have an exhibition of small art works in three months. The reason I blurt these things out is so that I am forced to do them.
Nothing gets me motivated faster than being caught in an act of bullshit-ery :)
So I am doing a narrative of art and words...I actually don't know how this is all gonna work out, but my Dad said I'm good at drawing and so-like the guy on american idol who told the panel his Mama said he could sing - I am gonna believe my father and get on with it :)

My baby sister Lynda just turned 50. My brother Johnny had just brought her a string of pearls and a black pearl on a gold chain at auction for her birthday.
Here is a story. Many many years ago my late husband David and I brought Lynda a ring in Singapore, it was 24 carat gold (I think) with a black pearl and a white pearl...she lost it,
My brother Johnny and brother in law brought her house off her 4 years ago to renovate. Well, my brother in law Robbie just found that ring, in the ring box, under the carpet in her old wardrobe. My brother was able to give her the pearls and my pearl ring at the same time and they matched.
I mean that is WOW freaky.

Lynda showing off her ring on her 'Kai Maori'
cooking live demo...risotto, roasted chicken and rapid rise buns

That didn't get me out of getting her a birthday present though :)

Nathan Astwood aka Naffa my son has left the building...not only the building but the safety of Te Ika a Maui, the north island to move down SOUTH to feck'n Timaru. I know it is a huge opportunity for him and we wants to move there but geez. Timaru feels further away than when he moved to Melbourne or even Perth.
As far as I am concerned he still looks like this...

Although he is 36 and looks like this...

My darling eldest son whom I adore so much it is
embarrassing, and probably the reason he moved away
*sniffs*
"why you leeeeeeeeeeeave me!!!!!!!!!!!!"
*pulls self together*

Right now I am not tying myself up in any work that will stress me out. This is a no stress environment apart from the stress trapped in here already. It does drive me a bit stir crazy not having stuff to do. I almost volunteered for a job today that I shouldn't have and I regret willy-nilly throwing out offers.
Thank God my daughter Jenna-Rose said 'No,' to me. The thing is, I don't want to start something for someone and not finish the job to my usual standards which are stupidly high I have to say. Id rather do nothing and not disappoint anyone, especially myself.

But I have been thinking of starting a project. These are the Taniwha and hineAtua on my gift cards. I am going to get envelopes for them and make a tiny book explaining the stories of the images to go with the cards. And put them together in gift boxes. I think they deserve better than a cellophane bag, they are precious.