So this week, our little pocket of South East Queensland has been entirely focused on Cyclone Alfred and the trouble he created! Cyclones are not very common in our neck of the woods, so the attention around this one was kind of full on! I have to confess that my anxiety has been elevated because of it all. Having gone through the floods in 2011 and clearing out my entire house, and then again in 2022, weather events are kind of a thing now. .. let’s face it tho, most things cause me some anxiety!

We did have plenty of warning with this one, so with that in mind I set off – along with just about every other person in Brisbane, to get sandbags. My house has a couple of spots that let water in when the rain pelts down super hard, so I wanted to get some stuff in place to minimise all that. 6 hours I waited in line one afternoon after work, only to get near the front of the line and find out that they had run out of sand!… the scene in my car at that point was not a pretty one! Lucky for me I had some fabulous people help me out with getting some the next day!

I managed, eventually, to get the boys involved with preparations, which meant outdoor furniture got moved, pot plants were relocated and the sandbags and tarpaulins were placed…. And then we waited…. And waited … and waited! Old Alfred was in no hurry to actually cross the coast until several days after his predicted arrival, and luckily for us (less lucky in other parts of South East Qld) when he did arrive, it was all a bit of a fizz.

For me, it meant a very quiet weekend and home. I cleaned out a bunch of cupboards and made a very healthy donation to charity, I read a couple of books and listened to music; and I worked on my anxiety blanket! I started to crochet not long before Claytie died, and it was something that helped to keep me sane in the aftermath. I have learned that granny squares are the perfect sized project to keep my brain occupied for just long enough to reset the anxiety.

A 10×10 square is easy enough to start and finish without feeling overwhelmed, and I now have a bag full, with about half of what I need to make a queen sized blanket – eventually. Every time I feel like my brain is racing, I will sit down and pull out the crochet. … some of the squares I have made are pretty damn ugly – and I question my sanity at the time that I chose and paid for some of the wool that I am using, but I am hopeful that once it’s all put together, it won’t look so bad!

For now tho, the wool has been put back where it lives. It’s back to work and business as usual, until the weekend when I try and find some enthusiasm -both for myself and the boys, to tidy up outside and restore some order. … and I can now say I have survived another first without Claytie!