As Bella Luna, my next Nana Technologies workshop is coming up next week, Thursday evening, 7 – 9pm at Highbury House, 110 Hinemoa Street, Birkenhead, Auckland, more details, including how to book, are available here.

I’ll have some samples for you to look at, raw ingredients, and we’ll talk about some of my favourite raw ingredients, and how you can tailor your skin creams to suit your own needs and preferences.

On the theme of favourite things, this doll has been with me since I was eight years old. She came with a big bunch of flowers my dad sent me when I was hospitalised with meningitis.  It was a weird time and I felt quite special receiving my very own bouquet of flowers, with a little doll on the front too!

I think having a serious illness as a young child can have a strange affect on a person, it was a surreal time, lonely, and frightening, very disconnected in a way.  I remember telling my mum not to worry, that I wasn’t going to die.  It was a very hard time for my family, my Nana Shirley, dads mum, had recently died of cancer after being ill for some time, and it was the first time I saw my father weep.  Mum said that it was probably Nana dying that made me succumb to an illness.

My memories are very fragmented, I was in hospital for several weeks, I had mumps first, and I understand that is not so uncommon.  I was so ill at home, with the worst headaches and just wanted to sleep so badly.  When I arrived at the hospital, with unconfirmed meningitis, I was initially on a ward with other children, at Princess Mary’s Children’s Hospital.  One night I awoke when doctors and nurses (I assumed) wanted to take me to have a lumbar puncture, but I got upset and wouldn’t go, I also remember an older boy in the bed next to mine siding with me and saying that shouldn’t try and do anything and that I was too upset.  This was so weird, as an adult I have wondered if it was a dream, but I don’t think so, some part of me knew it would not be a good idea for me to go with them, it felt unsafe.  I’m glad there was that other boy at the time.

The next day I had the lumbar puncture, and mum was there with me, it was awful, the procedure involves taking spinal fluid by inserting large syringe between your vertebrae in your lower back.  I had to curl up, knees to chin, for a long time, motionless, and it was scary. The needle was massive, but I was also having blood tests every day, so needles were really not a big deal, they used to take my blood with those fingertip prickers in the morning.

Also I had a brain scan, which was awful, worse than the lumbar puncture as I was nil by mouth and had an injection with iodine solution which made me want to vomit the whole time.  So I had to hold it until it!

After sometime on the ward with the other kids I was moved into my own room while I was infectious.  This was a room with, I think, double doors, VERY sterile, and visitors had to wear gowns and masks when they came into see me.  I was also visited by student doctors, several at a time, strange to be the subject of observation and study.  This was particularly unpleasant.

I have fond memories of playing cards with Nana Joy, we played Canasta and did jigsaw puzzles.  My Auntie Teresa sent me a package with puzzles and other goodies.  My mum and dad used to visit, my dad used to come most days, I think, but my mum not so frequently.

Once I was home, things were much better, no more headaches of death, though I do still get migraines and headaches.  I was supposed to drink this electrolyte drink, which was disgusting, I drank it all of course.

I also had my eyes tested afterwards which picked up myopia, though I was already shortsighted.  Looking back over my school reports I’m not sure why this hadn’t showed up earlier.. but it was quite amazing, I had these, ‘Oh that’s what so-and-so’s face really looks like!’ moments.

Then I was one of those kids with glasses.

Maybe you read my previous posts about my big new venture, Bella Luna, making skin care products from local ingredients, lovely local ingredients, with no nasty petrochemicals, good for people and good for our planet..

Big news is I have applied for an AMP Do Your Thing Scholarship, I’m so excited, if I can get some extra $$ it will make it all happen faster, I have been working on it over the last couple of years, and I’d love to get it out there for people to use.

So watch this space, and if you like, you could even vote for me in the people’s choice award!  Oh and swing by my Facebook page, I’ll be looking for peeps to try some samples…

Last week I went and had some blood tests at my local Medlab, I had to go nice and early and I didn’t anticipate having to wait long… when I got there, argh no seats! But a kindly gentleman gave me his, so that’s ok.

Then, damn! In my rush I forgot my cellphone, so no Tetrus to get me through the wait! No book either! That’s ok I suppose I’ll just flip through some trashy waiting room magazines… But wait there are none! There’s this bright yellow notice on the tables where the magazines would be declaring:

“Code Yellow Alert.”

“The magazines have been removed for your safety..” WTF??

“Magazines can transfer viruses..etc etc” and some such hysterical nonsense.

I mean, in the words of Jimmy the Crip, “Come ON!”

Again I wished I had brought my cellphone, I needed to record this insanity! I mused to myself that trashy magazines actually ARE pretty bad for your health, twisting reality, feeding low self-esteem, wasting away our precious brain cells with their vacuous articles and fostering our consumerist lifestyle. But I think we are spreading more hysteria about swine flu than bacteria. It’s ridiculous. 

It seems that some places are more dangerous than others, in my GP’s waiting room and the A & M waiting room (where SURELY there would be bacteria and germs a plenty) there were magazines AND children’s books all innocently piled up, just waiting to pass on deadly diseases!

We live in a dangerous world! We should probably all invest in face masks and gloves to go about our day to day activities.