A farewell........

It has been a long while between posts here............. and so many things have happened that I don't even know where to begin.

Thursday 14th Jun - we were in Adelaide when the phone call came from the vet. My darling Champs has gone....... he is no longer suffering and we miss him sorely.

After a long period of not being well and being diagnosed with feline leukaemia and diabetes, they finally found out that he had cancer just the day before he left us forever.

I am still too upset to write at length about this. He will never be forgotten and always sorely missed. My little companion, demanding, precocious, beautiful and so well behaved...... we miss you darling......... no more bracing ourselves in bed while he walks over us to get to "his spot" in bed next to me........... he was only 8.5kg when he left us and that was just in 6 weeks from 11.5kg which was a sure sign something was terribly wrong but we didn't know what it was.

I am thankful he didn't go through a long period of sufferance (hopefully?) as he didn't show any signs of pain, some discomfort when we picked him up - probably from that awful tumor which was growing inside of him and the vet couldn't tell because there was so much fat all around him!

It couldn't have happened at a worse time - while we were away and yet maybe it was better that he was at the vet's because he wasn't alone when he went and they say it was very quick.

Can't write anymore for now - just a quick entry to let folks know why I have been so unproductive the last few months............ hopefully I will be able to get over this and get back into it.

Take care
Bea
Kangaroo Island

It was raining............

Well - we had everything ready to catch all that desperately needed rain which should have come in the last couple of days................ but.......... we only got a few passing squalls which helped anyway and some rain is better than none.........

Parts of the island had huge amounts of rain but I guess we are just on the verge of the rain bands because we didn't get all that much.

Had to make sure that the caravan was secure (I have a few leaky patches in the roof) yesterday when the first squall came through and I got absolutely soaked even though I used an umbrella. There's no protection from horizontal rain!!!!

Have just cleaned up another batch of beads - hearts this time for Valentine's Day so all I need now are some photos to post them up.

Well - just a short one for now.

hugs
Bea - Kangaroo Island

Back on the torch....... !!!!!!!

Well - that was a scare........... my oxygen concentrator was acting up a few weeks ago and I wasn't able to get a nice steady flame........ so I guessed it was the circuit board again.

We went to Adelaide last week for a few days of shopping and catching up with family and friends....... so the concentrator had a service and sure enough it was the circuit board.

Thanks (NOT) ETSA !!!!! The power spikes we have been having over the last few weeks were the most probable cause because that was like the last time a few months back when the circuit board went out on me........!

Now the concentrator is plugged in to a surge protector so hopefully it won't play up anymore. I might have to move my lampworking area in to the house just to make sure it doesn't get too hot in the caravan because that could be another reason the circuit board was damaged.

I got some new bead presses and am loving one of them especially so I guess you will be seeing more of that shape in my beads to come.

We also bought a new digital camera.......... one that fits into my bag and takes really snazzy photos........ so that will also help with the photos of my work.

All good toys - just got to find the time to play more.

stay tuned..........

hugs
SimplyBea - Kangaroo Island

2007 - hope it's better than 2006 !

Well, 2006 ended on a sombre note for us.

We should have spent Christmas in Adelaide with Paul's family as it was "our turn" since we did not take leave from work last Christmas but it was not to be...... when we submitted our leave application we were told that since the island was on high alert for the fire season, no leave was going to be approved for the period.

When the new roster came out there were noticeably a number of staff who had been allowed time off during the Christmas break - so we were understandably upset by that.

The double whammy came when we received a phone call on 23rd December from Paul's mum notifying us that Paul's grandfather, Larry, had passed away overnight. The shock plus the fact that we could have been there with them was horrible to us.

It was to have been an important Christmas with Larry and Paul's brother David who had just come back to live in Australia after a few tumultuous years in the UK. The first family Christmas together again - but we were denied the opportunity because of a "management decision" which was very discriminatory and which we will have to take up.

Of course that has impacted on me and I could not feel enthused before and after that period. Firstly because I did try to downplay the disappointment of not being able to get away for Paul's sake and there was no Christmas feel for us at all this year from the time we received the roster and saw what had happened.

Now my oxygen concentrator seems to be misbehaving, so I haven't been able to get to the torch on the rare occasions when the nights have been cool enough.

Off to Adelaide next week for some shopping and we will be taking the concentrator to be serviced while we are there. Then I will have to relocate my torching area inside the house so that the concentrator is not subjected to the extreme weather changes as in the caravan - it's probably the reason the circuit board seems to play up.

Here's looking forward to a better year ahead.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year.

Bea - Kangaroo Island

Happy Holidays.............. from Kangaroo Island

So Christmas is just around the corner and my list of "Things to do" for 2006 is still long and unfinished.

At least I managed to get some new glass and if my oxygen concentrator doesn't fail me I might get a chance yet to play with some of the new colours. The weather has been against me - too hot on the nights I can get out to torch in the caravan, even though they have been few and far between of late.

I have been playing with wire and trying out some new styles which I hope to be able to improve on so that I can start doing some serious pieces to post on to the site.

I have put up a page with some of the things we have been up to in 2006.

Hoping that 2007 will be a year of success and happiness for you and your family.

SimplyBea - Kangaroo Island

December already.........

It doesn't seem true but it is........... it's already December and I am so way behind with beading news and updates.



Christmas is just around the corner and I have some new glass to play with but no time to play.........



I am experimenting when I can and hopefully it won't be too long before I will be able to upload some pictures of "new" beads on my website.



Hopefully "Life" will settle and allow me to make the most of the time I have but for the moment it is still a mess.



Thanks for being patient and keep coming back for news.



hugs

Bea - Kangaroo Island

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KL to KI

Well - the end of our holiday in Malaysia has come to an end. I haven't had time to keep up with the blog but I have started on a page with pics and a "report" on what we did while we were in Malaysia.

I will post here when I upload that page.

Kangaroo Island - here we come! Clean air......... and NO HAZE!!!!!!

bea - Kuala Lumpur to Kangaroo Island

Penang - glitch @ Golden Sands

Well - Just finally unwinding in our hotel room at Golden Sands after a dramatic check-in!

I had already started having a slight headache from the early morning start, sitting around the airport waiting for the flight to board and then there was the delay in the flight departure because of the thick haze (from those awful forest fires in Indonesia - to clear land!!!)......... and then looking forward to relaxing in our room when we drove in to the hotel........ to be met by a rude shock at the check-in counter......

They could not "find us" in their reservation system!!! Oh well - I thought, this is Golden Sands....... they will sort it out......

*hmph* except of course, there always has to be ONE bad apple in every basket...... I don't know where Razak was trained but he sure could do with some retraining because his "customer service" is inexistent.

Thank goodness for the Duty manager (Ann) who sorted it out..... and was very polite and helpful. Razak just couldn't even have bothered to be helpful. It seemed we were a real nuisance to have created such a problem for him..... and today being Sunday he just bluntly told us that nothing could be done about it and gave us some halfhearted and incomprehensible "reason" about the whole scenario not being HIS problem!!!!

Anyway to cut the whole uhhappy encounter with him short and (shudder) get him out of my mind..... all I can suggest is that if you have the misfortune of Razak processing your check-in; ask for someone else.

He wouldn't even look at me when trying to reply to my questions - I was talking to him and he kept replying to Paul!!!!!! So....... not even man enough to talk to me!!!

Ask for ANYONE and you might get some real service!

I LOVE staying here at Golden Sands and come here even though there are newer and maybe better/more modern hotels........ but if you want a hotel which isn't all "closed up" with a really nice "feel" to it........ I recommend you book in here. Just be warned..... do NOT have any contact with THAT Razak fellow and you should have a good start!

Thank goodness Ann is efficient and I can certainly recommend her for a Customer Service award.......... !

Well - going to have a rest for now and will try to get some pics to post here.

catch you later
Bea (not on Kangaroo Island for now)

Wired up!!!!!!

Wow is all I can say for now!!!

Back in the "good old days" I was quite a techno wiz......... but in the last few years, I have been quite happy with minimal technology so long as I could get on the internet to buy my beading supplies and get in to my forums - that was good enough.

On this trip to Kuala Lumpur - I have been swamped with new techno awareness!!! First of all, I bought myself a new laptop which has wireless and the new chip (don't ask me what it's called - just know it is a heck of a lot faster than anything a few months back) and of course I have discovered wireless!!!

So this is my furst post here from a wireless network - at KLIA waiting for our flight to Penang.

So keep looking in - will be posting more often from now on.

hugs
Bea (off Kangaroo Island)

Holidays

September has flown by and I haven't been able to keep up. Made lots of beads but no time to take piccies....... just have to keep plugging away to make sure that I have enough stock in the gallery and stores whle I am away on holiday.

Will try to be more organised when I get back *keeping hopes up* but it has all been too quick and I have been too tired to keep up.

Will be back end of October from Malaysia, hope you are keeping well and will try to keep this more current when I get back.

hugs
Bea - Kangaroo Island

September on Kangaroo Island

Well - September has well and truly started and I am waaaay behind here....... !!!

Kangaroo Island is still waiting for winter and the winter rains... but it seems they won't be coming anymore.

We had a few wet and windy days but it's back to beautiful blue skies and glassy water for now.

Beading inspiration is fighting with lack of time - I have made up lots of new beads but just fighting with time to try and get them made up into pendants ready for sale.

I am pretty happy though with a special order which I finished last week for a 21st birthday present. Check it out here........ !!

We go away end of this month for a month to Malaysia for me to visit my family and have some time with mum. It will be good but between then and now - I have a very hectic schedule, so not sure if I will get a chance to post again before we leave.

Keep smiling and have a great month!

hugs from Kangaroo Island
Bea

We are moving .........

We will be moving hosts in the next few days (I hope) so hopefully you won't even notice the transfer...... if you do, please let me know by posting a comment here.

Catch you later
Bea - Kangaroo Island