Category: Home & Family TO BE FIXED

I have now officially been awake for 20 hours on the trot … after getting 2 hours sleep last night I was rudely awakened by a incredibly high-pitched and desperate lot of female screaming downstairs just outside our apartment.  After considering it could be a female in distress, I decided to get out of bed and see if I could find out what all the commotion was about … only to see two cops wandering around around the garages, which is directly below my bedroom window.  The screaming still continued, however, out the front of the apartment so I then wandered round to the front just in time to see a young female being escorted/supported up the driveway by another cop and what appeared to be her father.  At this stage she was screaming at the top of her lungs at full pitch, “oh my God, he’s dead, he’s dead” … at which point my eyes starting widening!

This was now 2.45am, and the next couple of hours were spent by me playing computer games while watching the show playing out below me – the garage was turned into a crime scene, with cops coming and going out of the back corner garage.  Lights came on and went off, the garage went up and went down … eventually crime scene tape went up, and the forensics team turned up in their navy blue “Police” suits, donning sexy blue rubber gloves, and in they went into the garage with their flashlights and cameras to begin documenting the crime scene.  This basically went on for a few hours, with them finally finishing their tasks at approx 5.45am.

At this point I wasn’t sure whether to go back to bed and try to get 1 more hour of sleep before work or whether to jump into the shower … in the end I figured I’d probably feel worse for having a mini sleep, so jumped into the shower instead – I got out just in time to see the coroner’s ‘hearse’ pulling into the driveway up in front of the garage.  The next 15-20 minutes was spent watching them set up the gurney, and load the body bag up, then tighten up the straps, cover up with a cloth cover, then whisk the body off into the hearse.  At 6.30am you wouldn’t have known anything had happened – except for the tiny bit of crime scene tape that is still tied to one of the garage doors.

That’s not the way I had expected to spend my Thursday night, that’s for sure!  Initially it was very shocking, but eventually it just became fascinating to me – we’ve now nicknamed our apartment block CSI: Sydney.  While I’m not in a hurry to view a repeat performance, it was certainly interesting to watch the event play out during the wee small hours of the morning.

There still hasn’t been anything in the news yet, so unsure whether it was a suicide or homicide – there was actually a brief spurt of fireworks at about 11.30pm last night (inbetween the thunder and lightning), then there was a break and one lone big “bang” that seemed different and a lot closer than the rest, so Katie and I have been wondering whether it was a muffled gunshot from within the garage.  I certainly didn’t hear any running footsteps or anything afterwards, so perhaps it was a suicide … either way, it was very very sad to see that body rolling out of the garage 😦

Anyway, after surviving a full day’s work (well, actually 10 hours of it) after 2 hours sleep, my eyes are now little slits, and I think it’s time to hit the hay for the night!  Katie and I celebrated our own version of Christmas tonight, and had our Christmas gifts as today is the last day we’d spend together until after Christmas – it was a really lovely night, as it always is when I have a night in with Katie, and I’ve been very very spoilt with some lovely presents tonight.  I’m definitely very blessed having the flatmate and friend that I have now … I’ve had some shockers, to say the least, in the past, so this is a real treat! 😀

Crikey, every little noise outside is making me jump tonight … I think for a short time we will be more aware of our surroundings out here – and we’ll be ensuring our doors and windows are triple-locked.  I just can’t believe that so far I seem to have been the only one at our end of the block who woke up to the screaming – both Katie and our bottom neighbour slept through the entire thing! :O

I forgot to send myself the photo that I wanted to post along with this note, but I forgot, so I’ll add it tomorrow.  In the meantime I have used one of Erin on her wedding day, just a few years ago.  The following was just posted on my Facebook status.

“R.I.P. dear sweet Erin – you were taken from us way too early in life – you will be missed here on earth, while those on the other side will have the opportunity to bask in your sweet smile and gentle personality.  My heart breaks for loved ones left behind, and I wish Carl and the boys all the strength you need to endure these emotional days, also to all other members of the family – I love you …”

Mid-morning today I received an email from Carl to say that Erin passed away just before 5pm UK-time yesterday.  I am still a bit shell-shocked by the news, and wish I could do something for Carl and the two boys – no words can truly express how I’m feeling today, and this is nothing compared to what Carl and Erin’s family are going through. 

Along with many other people who have suffered greatly over the course of this year, I personally can’t wait for this hideous year to end!  There have been way too many tragedies and trials this year … bring on 2010 and some brighter days …

A very close friend of the family has been in hospital over the last couple of weeks after finding a tumour on her brain.  They had difficulties operating due to a major blood vessel in the way.  They managed to remove most of it, and were going to then have her undergo radiotherapy sessions.  Unfortunately, though, she has since had a stroke, and then developed fluid on the brain – and yesterday took a turn for the worst and is now on life support.  I am incredibly saddened by this whole thing – she is so young, only being in her 30’s.  It wasn’t so very long ago I was visiting them in Auckland for their wedding – I was really touched at the time, because they wanted me to do a reading for them as part of the ceremony – something I felt incredibly honoured to do for them.

Earlier today I received the email you wouldn’t ever want to receive – that she has very little brain function left, and that they are expecting to pull her off life support at the end of this week.  I’ve been in tears off and on all day today, and couldn’t stop shaking when I first heard the news.  Unfortunately this is all unfolding in the UK, where they’re currently working, so now the families are making the dreadful journey across the oceans to be at their side.

Tonight I’ll be going back to sewing my Christmas outfit, if for no other reason than to take my mind off it for the night.  I don’t feel like stitching, so this will have to do as far as soothing the soul tonight … on top of having a stiff cognac in a few minutes!

Anyway, I doubt I’ll be online too much this week.  I presume eventually the body will be brought back to Auckland for her to be laid to rest … so it seems there will be two trips back home this year – one for Christmas and one for a totally different, totally excruciating other reason …

Yep, today really does suck!!!  My thoughts are with the two sets of parents and siblings who are going through all this on the front line – my heart aches for them all, not the least baby Cameron who will have to grow up without his Mum.

Seeing as I love Halloween so much, I thought I’d build a new blog header just for this month – these are probably my favourite Halloween pieces that I’ve stitched to date … love, love, love those bright colours!

I attempted to kit up two small Halloween projects yesterday ready for stitching (Just Nan’s Scream Girls and Lizzie*Kate’s Hocus Pocus), but it turns out I’ve ‘mislaid’ half of the DMC that I need.  I basically thought “oh, sod it” last night, and just put a few stitches into Just Nan’s Winter in the Square instead.  I think perhaps if I hurry up and stitch up those things I’ve already kitted up, my DMC will miraculously appear again!  Either that or I’m going to have to do a stocktake and take a run out to Spotlight to stock up again 😦

I must say I did leave the house for an hour today, for the first time in a week – even my old neighbour on the bottom floor climbed up the stairs to see if I was OK ‘cos she hadn’t seen me out and about for so long … anyway, I did a ‘quick’ trip to the Post Office to pick up my mail and send a few more little parcels off to their new homes, and popped into the bank to deposit a couple of cheques, finishing off with a spot of ‘healthy’ food shopping for a few bits of fruit and salad items, plus 4 litres of fresh orange juice.  I’d forgotten to eat anything (although I haven’t been eating too well for the last two weeks since being ill), so I called through the McD’s drive-through on the way home to get a small burger to tide me over …  Well, within an hour of eating it I’ve had intense stomach cramps and basically been in and out of the bathroom ‘clearing it out of my system’ ever since.  I’m now looking at all this lovely healthy fibre-rich food/drink and thinking “hmmmm”…

I am supposed to be doing my final unpacking of boxes etc this week on a week off work, and I still have barely any energy to do anything – I’ve been lucky that I’ve been able to stitch, as that’s all I’ve managed.  The house is a pig-sty, and every room I walk into just depresses me more.  Bless my Mum, after talking to her on the phone this afternoon after my ‘gastric attack’ she’s offered to fly over to help me out for a few days until Katie returns home (she’s been overseas for the last couple of weeks) – I have to make my decision whether I need her to do that by tomorrow … 

In the meantime, I’m going to take it easy again for yet another day – I have to admit I don’t even have the energy to really stitch now, so I may just end up taking my fed-up body into bed and cuddling up for an early night …