To market to market.....made with love

I have been up for half an hour now, it’s Saturday morning 4.30am. Having waved my hubby goodbye, I now wait a little while allowing our youngest to sleep a couple more hours and then the two of us are off to join my hubby at my Saturday job……I have a handmade greeting card stall at one of our local markets. To say I enjoy my Saturday job would be a gross understatement…..let me make it clear to you all……I ABSOLUTELY LOVE GOING TO THE MARKET AND SELLING MY HANDMADE WARES! It’s absolutely true.

Let me take you back to where this love affair began. Hubby and I have always been ‘into’ buying our fruit and veg from the markets and have frequented many of them here in our fabulous city of Brisbane. I began protesting against the Big Two grocery chains due to the fact that media coverage was exposing the dubiousness of the freshness of their produce let alone the ridiculous prices they charge us all. Hence markets became the obvious choice and so the weekend consisted of a visit to the market for produce.

Along with these lovely weekend outings and it was about four years ago now, I had become pretty clever at making my own olive oil-based soaps. I went into this craft for the purpose of wanting to secure a soap that was going to be good for my family’s skin disorders. We have eczema, dermatitis and psoriasis in our family, certainly not bad cases of it I hasten to add. Regardless, I had been told by the medics over the years to ‘steer away from’ mass produced commercial soap and to use alternate products which I purchased in the local chemists. Sorbolene had been the recommended medical choice and is a fabulous product but in our hot summers, it felt like you were wearing a sheet of plastic on your skin at times and hence I wanted to find something more appropriate. After much and I mean MUCH researching and seeing the various soaps on offer at the markets and trying many of them, my research always pointed to olive oil soap though there was little of this type on offer so I found a recipe and off I went. Five years on, we haven’t looked back. Okay, I skipped a bit so let’s go back.

After about six months of positive results with my soap, my hubby and I decided to ‘get it out there’ and the markets seemed the obvious choice. By law we needed insurance to sell the soaps, packaging, labelling and it became a bit of a logistical nightmare. Regardless we went ahead with it, secured a stall at the market and enjoyed ourselves. The soaps became quite popular. However we were to be challenged by the ever increasing rent rates which seemed to be happening far too frequently for our liking and hence we ‘pulled the plug’ after looking at our books and realising we were not accomplishing our goal financially. By the way, hubby was and is gainfully employed so it wasn’t as if we were reliant on this product to survive. I, however, often dreamt that maybe one day we would be self-sufficient in our business. To date that hasn’t happened but wait there’s more..

Regardless, after a year or so of not holding a stall at the markets but continuing to support our local producers, I began researching stall availability. This time, it was my intent to sell my handmade greeting cards which I had been making off and on for years but had become a little more serious about them, giving them to family and friends and with the responses always so lovely and positive…..yes, the markets were calling me back!

So nearly a year on, we have been attending a market here in Brisbane each Saturday as a permanent stallholder. Hubby is absolutely marvellous and helps me tremendously by packing up his car with the trestle, boxes etc etc and leaves to be there in time to ‘clock in.’ I dutifully follow him, sometimes with child/ren in hand. We both ‘man’ the stall and have realised over time that hubby enjoys sitting under the sky as much as I do, in the fresh air and chatting to our customers and the passers-by and oh how it is good for the soul.

My cards have proven to be very popular. My aim was to create a card more attractive than you would purchase retail along with a handmade ‘feel’ about them, but also cheaper than retail too and I think I have achieved that. Leading up to Christmas we were selling 80-100 per Saturday, yep I am serious. I have many regular customers who give me so much positive feedback and I appreciate each and every comment. I am known interstate, well not me exactly but my cards, and I am known internationally, OK, again, not me but my cards. Yes, I work from home five days a week restocking, yes, I make them all by hand, yes, the work is extremely labour-intensive and yes they are all made with much love and buckets of it.

Oh well, it’s time to go and get ready for the day. The weather forecast is for a fine day which is great. What will the day bring? I have no idea but I know we will thoroughly enjoy it.

Let's have a chat and it'll be OK

I recall my nursing days where Psychology was a mandatory subject and as I stick my chest out now whilst typing away here, may I say I did extremely well in this subject (I wish I could say the same about some other subjects but hey we can’t all be good at everything right?) I found this subject fascinating. However I didn’t realise just how important this area of science really was back then and was to become today and to me. As a student it was simply a subject we were to utilise and apply to our patient’s situations as they confronted their illnesses and how to use psychology in being as supportive and understanding as possible. May I say that we also had qualified psychologists ‘on tap’ at the hospital and it was they who dealt with the ‘heavy’ stuff and I guess that is why I took a slightly laid-back attitude back then.  ‘Tis true, I loved to chat to my patients, and clearly still do love to chat and be supportive. There is no doubt in my mind that these amazingly helpful and interesting people have studied an area of human behavioural science with the intent to help others and, quite frankly, I take my hat off to them.

I have found it very interesting for years now, along with being a little sad too how some of the world still views psychologists, counsellors etc as people to fear. Well, they deal with ‘crazy’ people I hear some of you say, drug addicts and all of the really negative and bad situations in life. How wrong and toxic this attitude is. Why is it that there are a plethora of workplace psychologists now in existence? Is it that only ‘crazy’ people adorn the corridors of our workplaces? Absolutely not. There is clearly a legitimate need for these people or workplaces would not have the need for them.

It wasn’t until later in life I really came face to face myself with counsellor. For personal reasons I sought some advice when I was dealt a heavy blow and needed some help trying to find some answers to my many questions going through my mind. Friends and family were all too emotionally involved for me to really get to the ‘nitty gritty’ of my situation and give me unbiased opinions so I rang my GPs office. The lady kindly referred me to someone who was to become not only my helper but also a friend too. I had no hesitation in seeking out this lady and I guess I could thank my nursing training for my acceptance and my need to talk.

Dr V was a God-send to me. Not only was she a GP but also a counsellor and we ‘got along like a house on fire.’ Over a period of time she guided me through the realities of my life and gave me fabulous insight into my situation and ways to deal with the challenges that were to follow. I really looked forward to ‘dumping’ my woes on her lap each visit and remember walking out of her office each time feeling so much ‘lighter,’ content, happy and capable. My usually happy demeanour was constantly being attacked by an external source and I needed to regroup and get back to where I had been and knew I was heading there and in time all would be manageable. After my sessions with her and realising I had sufficient insight into my challenging situation, she asked if I would assist her with a research paper she was to present to her colleagues. I agreed with delight and then we parted ways as she moved to a new city.

 I met up with this wonderful lady socially not so long ago and thanked her for her assistance ‘way back when’ and she hugged me and assured me she enjoyed each visit too. Oh how sweet!

For years later I would talk much about this fabulous lady to friends and family, and some would shy away when I mentioned the word ‘counsellor’ or ‘psychologist’ whilst observing a little fear in their eyes. However I would also receive ‘secret’ phone calls from some, asking me the name and number of this lady as they had some things they would like to chat about or ‘had a friend’ who could use some guidance with a situation or two. Naturally I shared Dr Vs contact details with them with delight. Clearly I had helped open some eyes.

Some years later when, finding that this lovely lady had retired, I needed to find someone to do some more 'dumping,'  let’s say I needed a refresher course and 'tracked down' a very nice lady. I find it so reassuring knowing I can go to that neutral person who will listen to me, and offer some guidance in dealing with these situations and I can do nothing but praise these amazing people and the fantastic work they do.

The media and course consultants have made it clear that never has there been a more evident period in time when these wonderful human beings are in great demand. Schools now have on site psychologists.  Crises such as 9/11 and the Brisbane floods, the Victorian bushfires, the ever-increasing divorce rate and the affect it has on families have brought to fruition the need for human psychological assistance. I had even contemplated studying the subject as it fascinates me greatly.  I had bought the books and was about to enrol but decided against it.  I think it is one thing to have the gift for sitting and listening but to deal with the realities of some lives where children are affected by family issues or counselling people through the death of a loved one or dealing with criminals and their behaviour or toxic parenting etc. etc. is just too much for me to contemplate and hence I have left it to those who are very gifted in this area. I think I made a good choice.

The fear factor still very much exists with so many when it comes to the words psychologist and counsellor. I do feel however that this is also a generational problem and in time it will dissipate and it is doing so already. I understand that the fear comes from the thought of sitting in a room with a complete stranger and divulging your thoughts, fears and joys, needing to be open and honest with this person and I 'get' that. I, however, fear none of it and expose my 'warts and all' and it’s really OK. I have always liked chatting to anyone who would like to listen and I know people like chatting to me and that’s a good thing in my mind.

Ralph Lauren.....the designer and the gentleman

I have had one of those days, you know, when life has been so busy with so many things going on that you decide to take some ‘me’ time, some ‘time out’ and basically do nothing to try and rejuvenate mind, body and soul, albeit for just one afternoon.

While sitting and flicking through the TV channels, accompanied on the sofa by our West Highland Terrier, Gus, I was lucky enough to come across an interview by a well-known American lady and Mr Ralph Lauren, American fashion and home ware designer.

To say that I thoroughly enjoyed the interview is an understatement. So I will share some of what went on for that hour with you all.

Ralph Lauren (born Ralph Lifshitz, The Bronx, New York, 1939) is a gentleman and a very nice man. The interview took place at his ranch in Colorado and we were privy to various rooms of his house as well as the magnificent countryside surrounding, what he and his lovely wife Ricky claim is spiritual land. Having seen the wonderful filming of the countryside I can do nothing but agree.

Born to Russian-Jewish immigrants, his artist father painted houses. Ralph grew up in a middle class family who had little but the bare essentials. He attended the Camp Roosevelt (Monticello) where colleagues pronounced his clear talents when it came to colour and colour boards.

Ralph explained he commenced his world of creativity by making men’s ties and approached Bloomingdales (USA) and asked them if they would be interested in purchasing his creations. They communicated their interest in his fabulous ties and accepted the offer under the condition that they put their own Bloomingdale name to them. Ralph refused the offer and walked out. Six months later, Bloomingdales rang him and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse and that was the beginning of the beginning.

The father of three, two boys and a girl came across as an extremely caring and loving dad and a dedicated husband to his talented wife of forty-six years, Ricky. Their ranch in Colorado is magnificent including the homestead and guest areas, all adorned with Ralph Lauren Home wares. His sons, one a film producer, one working for Ralph Lauren and the daughter who has her own candy stores, all appeared as simply lovely adults.

What does Ralph Lauren wear? Yes, his own label but he has also been known to wear other labels, “I wear things I love” stated this talented and humble gentleman. What are you most proud of? “My family, my kids, my wife and the fact that I am still working.” Why a horse and polo player? Being a sports fan, he was more into basketball but he figured a basketball wasn’t international enough so he decided on the Polo player. What inspires you? “Team work, challenges, my wife and kids and the world around me.” What was your most serious purchase as your empire came to fruition? “My house, a car, sending my children to good schools and as I worked harder all of these things improved.” Ralph clearly stated that he wasn’t about fashion, he is about living and clearly this is when his home wares too came to fruition.

It hasn’t all been ‘lollipops and roses’ for this talented guru. He suffered a ‘benign brain tumour’ approximately half way through his now seventy-one years and to anyone who has experienced that frightening halt in what appears to be a healthy life, including me and mine, you can never take life for granted from that point and clearly he hasn’t.

To say I was impressed by this gentleman is an understatement. He sat surrounded by his family and it was very evident to me that these children respect and love their parents, are grateful for what they have been given and for what they have all achieved in life thus far and I could do nothing but feel the love that was emanating from that calm and spiritual room where they all sat, in that lovely ranch house in spectacular Colorado.

Lamborghini vs T-Model Ford

There has been much media coverage lately about the importance of men's health issues and indeed anyone who has lived with a male will know that most men, and I am not talking about all men, would rather put their heads in the sand than man-up and have an annual medical check-up.

Prostate cancer has come to the forefront when it comes to health concerns with the over forty-year-old men. I think it is fantastic how the medical world has seconded male celebrities to help spread the word through the media and of the seriousness of this killer disease and how, with early detection, this disease can be treated successfully.

The symptomatology of prostate cancer includes ‘waking frequently at night to urinate, sudden or urgent need to urinate, difficulty in starting to urinate, slow flow of urine and difficulty in stopping, discomfort when urinating, painful ejaculation, blood in the urine or semen, decrease in libido (sex urge) and reduced ability to get an erection’ (Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia website.)

The detection of prostatic cancer is usually achieved by a simple PSA (prostate-specific antigen) blood test. This is a protein produced by the prostate gland and found in the serum of men however it is elevated in cases of disease. Sometimes DRE (digital rectal examination) is undertaken by the doctor to detect enlargement of the prostate gland.

I recall in my nursing days, having my ‘stint’ in the male surgical ward and may I add that this was my favourite ward during my three years of training. Why? Because men seem to walk this earth with a mental attitude that hospitals are meant for extremely ill or dying people (ridiculous but true) and therefore you must get in and get out in the fastest possible time, a bit like being in the grand prix. It’s this ‘get the hell out of there’ and get home attitude that drives them to have an extremely short time in hospital and hey it seems to work for them in my opinion.

Many a day would TURP procedures be carried out in theatre on our male patients from this male surgical ward (transurethral resection of the prostate - the fancy medical name for the surgical removal of part of an enlarged prostate which has been blocking the flow of urine from the bladder.) My patient’s would return from surgery with a variety of fluid bags poised high on their steel stands five feet up. These would be ensuring they were receiving enough intravenous fluids compensating for their lack of oral fluid intake for the time being whilst being Nil By Mouth post-operatively and some bags would be helping flush out the bladder via a catheter (tube) which, I must admit, looked a little horrifying for those seeing this myriad of bag and tubes for the first time.

These ‘men of steel’ would want to show us that there was nothing wrong with them and seem to want to prove their manhood far too early in our nursing opinions. It was like being on holiday in the ward, ‘let me help you out of bed Mr Smith as it is only a few hours since your surgery” to which Mr Smith would reply, as he gingerly makes his way to the edge of the bed, looking pale and dizzy, determined to do it all solo “no thanks love, I’ve got it all under control.” Yes, I would stop and wait for the inevitable “oh, I feel a little odd” verbalised from ‘the terminator’ as he swayed on his feet and collapsing back onto his bed, finally asking for something to lean on……which would be me! Yep, it would happen just like clockwork and I would admire each one of them for their determination.

Recovery for these male procedures is pretty fast…. of course it is, it involves men in hospital wanting to ‘get the hell out of there.’ So with all the treatments out there to help our wonderful men, personally, I would opt for the regular check-ups and a PSA blood test for early detection if I was a guy.

Regardless, as much as I loved nursing this wonderful species of manhood, I really wish men would be more confident when it comes to being tested for medical conditions common to their sex. By having these tests and having you ‘sorted’ earlier in life instead of behaving like Neanderthal man with club in hand, searching for the next beast to kill and drag home to woman is so yesterday guys! Come on, prevention is better than cure, you know it, I know it. Let’s keep you looking like Lamborghini’s instead of you turning into old T-model Ford’s before your time just because you don’t like medical tests!

Girl power!

The definition of a woman is: - human adult female. A simple definition however I believe that this definition may have sold us a little short. I think maybe in the words of Freud it may be that simple, however in my eyes and in the eyes of many of us it is much more and let me tell you how I see the power of female friendship.

Recently, I had the privilege of catching up with many of my long term girlfriends some of whom I don’t see enough and some whom I see regularly. My excuse and though I dislike the word ‘excuse’ as it has an intentional ‘neglectful’ ring to it which is not the case, is that our lives are simply varied and very busy and catching up seems to sometimes involve a military manoeuvre and even then sometimes things don’t work out. Some of my girlfriends work full-time, part-time, or don’t work at all, have children who have completed their education and are now in the working world and some of us aren’t quite there yet and so our lives are scrambled a little however the intent to get together is always there.

Oh and don’t get me wrong, I have some great male friends too but there is a line you have to draw when it comes to discussing certain topics with them and sometimes it just comes down to a topic where they have absolutely no idea what I am even talking about, like……..brands of lipstick and lipstick colours. There has been many a social occasion where I have felt compelled to leave my circle of female acquaintances and meander to the male section of the room for some far more intellectually stimulating conversation whether the topic is football, the state of the economy, the stock market or whatever. I have no trouble contributing to any of these topics and at times find it far more exciting rather than discussing the price I would pay for the latest Givenchy dress seen in the latest magazine costing $3000 (of which I own none of and would rather sew up my own look alike – yes I do sew - than pay a king’s ransom for a piece of fabric who’s price could feed a small nation. Look I am the granddaughter of a Scottish lass and am married to a Scot……some would say ‘tight’……I say smart.)

Friendship is a self-chosen act and female friendships are incredibly powerful. I have had friends in my circle that I have moved on from due to choice and I think I can say that of most of the population. I have a dear friend in my circle of friends whom I started year one with and so it is what we are left with for the majority of our lives that we hold dear when it comes to true female friends. Those ones you can discuss just about everything with; you know like…….how the eldest child has just been given the old family car and how worried sick my girlfriend is every time he picks up those keys and the “oh, I know exactly what you mean” coming from the mouths of those who have experienced the same; or discussing who is going to which rellies (relatives) house for Christmas and how stressful that whole occasion can be and how we are sure that JC’s intentions were not to create such chaos at his birthday time (we Catholics are a funny lot); or how our hubbies spend so much time at work and are exhausted and can any of you suggest the best place to go for a weekend break, just the two of us, preferably where there is no internet connection so that work laptops have to be left behind etc etc. Ladies, you ‘get’ what I am talking about. Of course, our conversations get far deeper than these and some girlfriends will talk about anything and some of us do have a line that will be drawn and that is OK. It doesn’t matter what the topic is or whether the rest of us have had any experience in that area, we are all hear for each other and will offer the best solution we can, because we care and we are female and we give birth and we love our families and we are fearless and we are awesome.

I often say to my girls that boyfriends will come and boyfriends will go, but girlfriends, true girlfriends, will always be there for you. So nurture those friends and be choosy and if there are some who don’t give you the right ‘vibe’ then it is ok to move on from them because others will come along and join you through your life.

So to all of my gorgeous girlfriends out there, I just want you all to know that I do cherish our friendships, regardless of how often we catch up; I do treasure your honesty and love the individuality of each of you; I do appreciate your advice on a variety of so many of life’s situations from lipstick colours right up to dealing with hardships we all experience at some stage. For all of this, I say thank you for being at the end of that phone, or replying to those emails, or turning up when invited and making me laugh. There is nothing like the power of true female friendship, in my eyes anyway.

Textaholic, textiety and textaphrenia.....it's true....these words exist

Don’t you hate it (oh, a word I use reluctantly as I hear my darling father telling me as he has all my life, ‘you should never hate, you can dislike intensely darling but never hate’ and though I love you for it dad, sometimes it just feels better saying that word) when you remember certain situations in life when your parents or friends having previously warned you about something you are involved in having a negative outcome? Those words “I told you so” smugly fall out of their mouths much to you intensely disliking (for you dad) hearing it from them and knowing they were ‘right on the knocker’ with their warning? Well some time ago I gave my loved ones a premature warning about how I felt mobile phones and texting had the possibility of getting ‘out of hand’ and how right I was.

I remember chatting to a group of parents in our front yard one evening after waving our sixteen year old darlings off to their semi-formal. The subject was mobile phones. Yes, we had all ensured that each of them had ‘theirs’ on them for the ‘just in case’ situations which could occur during the evening and knowing we would be contactable. The conversation then turned into how reliant we as parents were becoming and how reliant our teens had already become on these pieces of technology. One parent said something which I totally agreed with and that was that these mobiles were, in his eyes, starting to cause anxiety in teens. Gosh how true that statement has become today.

On researching this topic I have since discovered that the words textaholic, textiety and textaphrenia exist now in this massive texting world. ‘Anxiety, insecurity, depression and low self-esteem have all been identified as symptoms common among text-addicted teenagers’ according to researchers.

‘A researcher at the RMIT in Melbourne stated that texting had become meshed into teenagers’ lives. The word textaphrenia is thinking you've heard a message come in or felt the device vibrate when it actually hasn't. Textiety is the anxious feeling of not receiving any texts or not being able to send any. "With textaphrenia and textiety there is the feeling that 'no one loves me, no one's contacted me,” Dr Jennie Carroll stated’ (information extracted from the Herald Sun, June 30, 2010.)

In different articles I have read on this disturbing topic, one teenager was found to have sent 4000 text messages over a nine day period. Another stated that she had to change her mobile plan as she had received a bill $800 one month.

Not only do we have some serious problems arising but also ‘repetitive thumb syndrome’ is also becoming a medical complaint from over-texting. Can you claim on your health insurance if you suffer from it? I will not be surprised if, in the future you can!

So what do we do from here? I wish I knew. I know that asking your teen to surrender mobile phones each evening to our kitchen bench to ensure a good night sleep for them though requested is often not adhered to. I have always used pre-paid plans and advised my teens how long I expect that amount of credit to last and should it be used up prior to the designated time then they are without credit on their mobile until the following month’s replenishment. As I have always made it clear to them that their mobile phones were purchased first and foremost so they could call me and vice versa at any time in any situation for safety reasons and not for the purpose of texting their friends five minutes after they have left their friends at school to tell them about the ‘hot’ boy they had just seen on the bus.

In my opinion the telco’s are no help to us caring parents as now they are offering unlimited texting plans and as far as I am concerned are simply escalating the problems.

I am wondering if in time legislation will be required, like age limits for alcohol accessibility, where plans are only obtainable for the over 25 year olds. Neuroscientists remind us constantly that the ‘reasoning’ part of the brain (prefrontal cortex) which is responsible for impulse-control, judgement, decision-making, planning, organisation and involved in other functions like emotion does not mature until 22-25 years of age. Let’s change the drinking laws and at the same time introduce mobile phone accessibility limits until these teens can indeed think reasonably.

Alternately, now I am feeling a bit James Bondish here so how about a self-destruct button we concerned parents/guardians only are privy to, where, due to excessive text usage by the teens, the adult can then press this magical button, destroying the phone and the only way the phone can be returned to normality is if, like a defensive driving course, the teens have to pass a self-control texting course.……hey I like it, I like it a lot. ‘It’s Bond, James Bond,’ oh and please bring the gorgeous Scotsman Sean Connery back while we’re at it!

Cyber world...hang on and enjoy the ride

In my younger days I thought I was pretty cool when it came to working our VHS video machine; I had a cassette player; read books printed on paper; had a Walkman (I hear Gen Y say a Walk what?) and loved buying my CD’s and always had a road atlas in my car. This was the world I lived in and I thought it was hip and happening back then.

Now, I download ITunes from my PC to my IPhone but need to convert these MP4 files to MP3 files and save them to my USB to play on my kitchen T-Hub enabling me to listen to my music whilst cooking in my kitchen (deep breath and…); I use a PC and a USB along with my internet to communicate with other humans; I have to remember to push the HDD or DVD button when using the DVD player and own three (TV/DVD/Foxtel) controls; I download personal photos and send them all over the world; listen to audiobooks on my IPhone; I say hi to my friends via Facebook and invite them for a coffee via Facebook too; I use a GPS navigation system in my car; I text or email my children and hubby if I can’t get hold of them on their mobile phones; I download recipes from the internet and seldom use my very expensive and very loved recipe books purchased with my hard earned money over many years; I use Google as my dictionary instead of my printed Oxford Concise; I sell any unwanted ‘stuff’ on EBay to anyone all over the world and write this blog and send it through the internet and have readers all over Australia, Alaska, USA as well as Europe which blows my mind and makes me smile all at the same time (hi to you all) and I know this because I can check my stats on my blog and it tells me this information. This is just AMAZING!!!!!!!!! I could go on and on and on but won’t for the time being (another deep breath). This is the world I live in now, Cyber world, oh and so do you.

I guess if my parents had told me in my younger years way back then that this is where we were heading I would have told them to get a grip on reality! Now I say to my two teenagers I have no idea where we are heading so just hold on and enjoy the ride girls!

You can find potential parents for your future children via dating websites without having to cruise bars and restaurants like the good ol’ days; buy food, alcohol and indeed houses without getting out of your chair not to mention book international flights, accommodation in oh let’s say Edinburgh, Scotland (guilty as charged) and order what I want to eat for breakfast there at the same time. My head spins whilst at the same time enjoy the fact I can do this all on my own without using the ‘middle man.’

The downside and let’s face it there has to be a downside to all of this and that is as the media has already advised us, welcoming complete strangers into your life as some have via social networks such as Facebook can have tragic results. This brings to mind the event the media brought to our attention of the young Australian lady who met up with a stranger who had befriended her on her Facebook only to fall into his deathly hands and lose her life. This makes me shudder.

As well, we have had the recent circumstances of emails arriving from Nigeria asking for your back details and wanting to deposit monies into your account, declaring that “you” have been chosen to be the recipient of large amounts of monies and if you send them your bank details………are you serious? Or that there is some sad little man somewhere in the world who wants you to save his life of misery if you send him X amount to the account he requests. Danger Will Robinson, Danger!

So as wonderful as our new Cyber world may appear at times, there, lurking around a corner, is a world of underhanded, criminal behaviour luring the unsuspecting into their webs of destruction and heartache which sadly many out there have experienced. You can never be too suspicious and trust me I am, in fact my motto is often ‘trust no man’ when it comes to the internet or for that matter any situation I may be in where I am receiving negative vibes. My youngest is also watched very closely when utilising her computer, as the media and schools constantly advise parents to do, and this I do vigilantly.

On the lighter side, buying perfume as cheaply as possible on the ‘net’ without leaving the house is, as any woman would admit, a fabulous and exciting event and it is these positive outcomes which I like to focus on in this new and ever advancing cyber world of ours. Oh and the time when I found a lipstick that I thought was no longer available, it arrived from USA to huge excitement and which I treasure very much. Not to mention sending my handmade greeting cards to, well, anyone anywhere in the world willing to pay me for my creations….and oh how this makes my heart sing.

Clearly there are ups and downs of this ever growing Cyber world and I for one have both embraced it and also question much which I think is essential.

Now, I am off to check out the best price on……now what was it…….oh never mind, I’ll just do some cyber surfing and I am sure it will come to me eventually.