Monday, March 03, 2008

Finding Focus (and the sun protection factor)

Publicly:

I have stopped myself from whining.
I have stopped myself from being a grump.
I have stopped screaming and collapsing from small speedbumps life throws.

You will also note this means I have stopped blogging!

Ah - this is the week we take special note of in this house (if we are very smart). This is the week that is whispered about in our shared folklore here, folks. V and 'Salina conspire and then put on their special innocent faces when I walk around corners.

This is the week where, if we were smarter, we would learn to harness the power of the PMT and sell it to warring countries.

However, until we have the technology, the smartest solution is to aim it at a worthy cause.

Start with one neglected patch of garden. Observe and then lather up in sunscreen in anticipation.

Try to remember to take the blog photo before you actually start - it makes a greater contrast.

Attack with vigour. All that frustration and anger at anything does well with a weed theme. Especially those *&$^%$ weeds that break off at ground level and pretend they are pretty and all that carp. Use prongs and cusses to try and get the potential of them excavated from the ground.


If necessary, harness V power - not only does he possess brute force and a trowel, he has OCD tendencies which meld well with the really nasty beggars.

Apply lime, water and mulch. Repeat on all other garden beds (except the one around the side because its hideable). Don't take pictures because you forget.


Collapse - and then scream in agony.

Absolute proof that sunscreen really works - when you find that bit you missed...

17 comments:

BB said...

OK - firstly I would NEVER think to put sunscreen on my lower back! Secondly, I think some after photos in the next blog are required (PMT-allowing). Thirdly, OUCH!!!!!!

Tracey said...

Firstly... OWWWWWW! But was that where the sunscreen missed or where the shirt and pants/skirt failed to meet when you were bent over going ballistic on that garden?

Good on you for harnessing the power for good. I tend to sit around and mope!

jeanie said...

Ah - but I should have considered the lower back sunscreen, as this is not the first time that the shirt shortfall has taken its toll.

I shall take after shots!

Anonymous said...

OUCH!!!!

We did that to our DD when she was about 18 months old. We'd sunscreened all the bits that we thought were visible but sitting in the pram her pants rode up and left a gap between the bottom of her pants and her socks. She burnt really BADLY and I felt like the WORST parent in the world. :(

Well done on putting all that angst to good use though!!!! :)

Anonymous said...

OWWW!!! Blimey! Lucky you don't have a tat there, you'd be shedding coloured skin for a week!

Impressive gardening effort :-)

Alison said...

I keep meaning to comment and having to go back to re read your post - I just can't get past the OUCH!!
Hope you've got an aloe plant somewhere!

Anonymous said...

Jeanie how fantastic that you used sun protection at all. CONGRATULATIONS to you. Sun burn is sun damage so you only damaged a wee bit of your skin.

Now, about V and his OCD coming around to my garden....any time he's willing, so is my garden.

Debby said...

Really clever and artistic idea. Just a bit overdone.

Yeeowza!

shishyboo said...

ok your sunburn beats mine, that looks extra painful :( I hope you recovered quickly

using PMT power for good not evil is a completely foreign concept to me, must give it a try ;)

Julie Pippert said...

Oh your back!

And you do not always whine on your blog!

Impressive project here!

Debby said...

Jeanie - I thought that the sun and moon was part of your tan...I realized that's a pattern on your clothing not your skin. The red strip is the the focus of the picture. OOOOOOhhh. Looking at the picture again, you have my sympathy.

Melody said...

Ouch!! Ouch!!!!!! OUCH!!!!! Hope it is feeling a touch better today...

jeanie said...

Still aloeing up and still in pain two days later! It hasn't blistered yet - which means it went in deep.

I too am glad it was not a tattoo - apparently that is exceptionally dangerous (mind you, when you can get really cool henna ones why would you go for anything permanent?)

Megan - V advises me that he only has OCD for me. Isn't he sweet?

The Brave said...

Oh, thats gotta hurt. I hate getting sun burnt. Enjoy the peel in days to come.

♥.Trish.♥ Drumboys said...

my first thought too was ouch !!! been there done that ...
hopefully you will reap the results soon.

Cathy, Amy and Kristina said...

OWWW!

I did that once, only the body part in agony was the back of my neck. I had just gotten my hair cut and didn't even think about the fact that my neck was newly exposed. It was awful.

Unknown said...

Oh my, that looks sore. I hope you didn't peeel!