Home of Slightly Cracked Dreams

My good friend Lightening has in the past given herself “permission to potter”. It’s one of those concepts that those “hyper focused” among us reject as useless. Until one day… I had a huge pile of ironing to do. Probably 2-3 baskets. I decided I would iron for 30 minutes, not full on, I would let myself be sidetracked, and at the end of 30 minutes I could stop for the day. I read email, posted on groups and even did some dishes in that 30 minutes. But at the end of it, I had 2 shirts left to iron. Needless to say I finished those two shirts, and caught up on the ironing in 30 minutes, without pushing myself.

I am currently attacking my dining room. It became the dumping ground earlier this week when the carpets in all the bedrooms and the lounge room were being cleaned. And when I say dumping ground, I mean dumping ground. Here’s a couple of pics

I don’t watch a lot of TV these days. I’d rather spend my nights on the computer. But I do love my House. So tonight, during the ads, I gave myself “permission to potter”. The focus was the dining room, and the list I had of things I wanted to get done today, but I would allow myself to potter and see where I got to. Just during the ads mind.

After an hour of “pottering” during the ads (about 20 minutes in roughly 3 minute increments) this is what the dining room now looks like:

As you can see, definitely still a work in progress. A pile of rubbish at the front there to take to the tip tomorrow, and a fair bit of work to do, but 100 times better than what it was just an hour earlier. I also managed to cross another 3 things off my list in that time as well.

As a mother of 2.5 children, a law student, and a participator in the
Australian Economy, the main area’s I look for as far as policy goes in an election campaign are:

• Health and Aged Care
• Education
• Economy
• Environment

As I contemplated what sort of election coverage to do on my blog, I immediately ruled out Environment and the Economy, because they are such highly specialised areas, I don’t have the understanding to rationalise policy, and there are plenty of other people who are, and are doing the hard work for me.

I read ABC News online, and was struck today by a story which hubby thinks, shows someone is bugging our bedroom.

Before I go any further I will disclaim my political leanings: I am a swinging voter, but swing more towards Nationals/Liberals at a federal level, and Labor at a state level. When given the opportunity, I invariably end up voting Democrat. Does that help at all? LOL. In other words, where possible I vote Democrat, with preferences to Libs/Nats at federal elections, and Labor at state elections. What it also means is that I can and do vote labor at a federal level, and libs/nats at a state level, but they need to work harder to earn my vote.

The article that piqued my interest today is this one. Not two weeks ago, Hubby and I had a vigorous debate (read: argument) about the cause of the problem in the health system. We are in Queensland, which has suffered some high profile failures in the system over the last few years (Jayant Patel, Mohamed Haneef, Mohammed Asif Ali ) mostly relating to overseas trained doctors. We are also in a regional area of Queensland. Apparently not quite rural, despite the difficulties with attracting doctors.

When we first moved to town 4.5 years ago, there were two doctors surgeries. One was made up entirely of overseas trained doctors. The other, was roughly half and half. In the last 4.5 years, one other surgery has opened, made entirely of overseas trained doctors. But it is not fully staffed. Our hospital in the next nearest town has 3 doctors: one head doctor, and two junior doctors there for rotations. Some junior doctors are also overseas trained.

But it appears we’ve reached our “limit” of overseas trained doctors. Which begs the question: if they’re the same standard as Australian trained doctors, which we all hope they are, since we’re placing our families health in their hands, why is there a limit at all? The obvious answer is our inherant belief that Australian trained doctors meet stricter standards than those trained overseas.

Don’t let that fool you, Hubby sees a Iranian doctor, my kids and I for routine jabs and illnesses see an American. But the trouble is there aren’t enough doctors to meet the demand of this booming shire. And judging by what we hear, it’s a common state of affairs. What’s also telling is I can get in to see any overseas trained doctor the same day, but to see an Australian trained doctor I usually have to wait 3-4 days. There is obviously at the very least, a perceived difference in standards.

So while Hubby and I argued the cause of the problems affecting our health system (him: states and federal government blaming each other, me: lack of training places for doctors) we also solved the problem: The federal government needs to suck it up and fund the health system properly, and stop blaming the states for ballsing it up, the states need to reform health and try to eliminate beaurocracy, and the federal government needs to fund more places at tertiary institutions to get more doctors graduating.

It appears that the federal government heard us, and decided to run with our policy:

Under the four-year plan Prime Minister John Howard says the number of
university medical graduates will more than double to 3,000 by 2012.

Well that’ll certainly help.

He has committed more than $100 million so that by 2011 there will be 900 GP
training places each year.

That’ll help too. What the flow on effects will be is anyone’s guess: small towns like mine having adequate access to GP’s, a fall in waiting times for surgeries, specialist appointments and who knows what else. Of course, this is 4 and 5 years away. What is also needed is a short term solution and reform.

And the waiting game begins for Labor’s counter offer. Although they have already pledged $600 million to cut waiting lists, part of a larger $2.5 billion plan to reform health and hospitals. Despite large promises and proposed outcomes, the policies are light on details, and don’t seem to address the fundamental failure, rather they are throwing more money at a system on the verge of collapse, and taking responsibility’s away from the Labor governed states that have failed to adequately meet the challenge, while ignoring the impact they can have constitutionally through funding educational places to increase the number of professionals.

Maybe I’m looking at it the wrong way, feel free to leave your views on the issue if you think I’m not looking at it the right way.

The empty spaces were filled with “stuff” which has all now been packed away and taken by the nice removalists who came this week. When I finished this is what it looked like:

Well, there’s not much to update really. The baby’s still there, and still moving. Hopefully for another 96 days or so (not that I’m counting or anything. Really). I did have a tough time this morning. I did a party at a local Playgroup - 10 mum’s, 20 kids. It was hot, and by the time I finished I couldn’t stop shaking. I managed to make it home before depositing the contents of my stomach in the toilet, several times. Thankfully I managed to spend most of the afternoon quietly and am now feeling much improved, although very fragile and tender.

Of course I played this up and got out of cooking dinner and most of the cleaning up. Hey, I’ve got to use it while I can!

I just hope I’m presentable when both the carpet cleaner and pressure cleaner turn up on my doorstep at 9am tomorrow. Maybe sleep would help?

We have another busy week this week, so once again the menu is simple.

Spaghetti Bolognaise is a favourite in this house. Actually in most houses I know of that contain anyone who’s ever being under 10. Even my girls, who dislike tomato with an intensity only matched by their dislike of, say, going to bed, doing what they’re told, or brussel sprouts, love the tomatoey goodness of Spaghetti Bolognaise. Even better, according to M&M, is when I make it with “Wiggly Spaghetti” (known to those NOT under 10 as Curly Fettuccine).

Kin’s Spaghetti Bolognaise
Serves 4 (with some for the dog or lunch tomorrow)

1 onion, diced
500g mince
tin condensed tomato soup
tin diced tomato’s
2 carrots, grated
1 zucchini, grated
2 sticks celery, thinly sliced
herbs and spices (I usually use: mixed spice, basil, oregano, parsley)

1. Brown the onion in a hot frying pan (I use my big electric one, then I can make a double batch, sometimes triple). Remove from pan
2. Brown the mince in the same pan. Add onion and mix. Add soup and diced tomatos and stir to combine. If necessary add half a tin of water.
3. Add vegetables, herbs and spices to taste. Simmer until sauce thickens.

As with any recipe, if it has 3 or fewer steps I’m a fan. But my favourite part of this recipe is I don’t just use it to make spaghetti bolognaise. I use this bas all.e for a lasagne, cottage pie and one time, when I was really desperate, I used it for taco’s. The tomato soup definitely adds a creamy flavour to the sauce, without being too naughty.

Things are rather hectic around here at the moment, and with my impending exam coming up really quick, blogging is getting pushed further and further down the priority list.

I have been keeping up with everyone’s writing, but not necessarily feeling up to contributing. I am putting in a plan of attack for the next week to ensure you don’t miss out on my pearls of wisdom you’ve all come to know and love (let a girl live her delusions ok?, thanks).

I’ll be doing many updates over the next few days, on things like the $250 savings challenge (bet you thought I’d forgotten!), the status of the move, baby, kids and their swimming lessons (oh the drama’s) and the general non-tidyness of my house.

I may also be inspired to write my views on the, so far rather uninspiring, election campaign. You just never know your luck.

In the meantime, enjoy your weekend.

Let me just say that that is an improvement. I cleaned out clothes that don’t fit, and shoes that aren’t wearable anymore, and that is what I was left with. Actually, to be honest, if you can see the white sleeve in the middle, I can only fit into things on the righ to fit. Everything to the left could probably have gone away too.

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Wow, the month is nearly over. My freezer is bursting at the seams, so living out of it this week. I seem to be nesting, so hoping I can manage to actually cook something this week: