Sunday, December 8, 2013

Stop along the way to smell the flowers.. or look at the moon!

It seems to me that we all rush around every day fighting to fit as much into each day as we can. Sometimes; you need to stop to smell the flowers. Take time out to be still as Mark says.

And tonight Mark had me out the front looking at the moon. He was a keen amateur astronomer as a child and is still mesmerised by the moon. So I stood with him on the steps tonight and looked to the heavens. It really is an amazing sight to behold.. the moon in all of its glory.

And of course.. he had a camera with him!

Now to get back to work tomorrow!


The moon as seen from our home tonight!

Monday, November 11, 2013

Love your sister.

Samuel Johnston is riding a unicycle around to Australia to raise money for breast cancer research. His sister is terminally ill with the disease. Tragically she has two small children who are going to lose their mother. This morning he was in town.. and our local bank, Bendigo Bank, who are our bank and one of his sponsors organised a fund raising sausage sizzle to welcome him to Ascot! Mark and I attended with Mark being our official photographer. Samuel is a great young man and is really starting to look a bit worn out. His cause is a worthwhile one though and I would encourage you to donate to this fine cause!


Debra and Vova (Bendigo staff) flogging sausages!

With Samuel and his unicycle!

The man himself!

Staff from The Lido and Vagellis Restaurants!

Bendigo Bank Staff!
Our local fire fighters turned out to support Samuel!

Samuel and our bank manager, Bruce!



Tuesday, October 15, 2013

A lot of new styles of pretty bras.

Over the past few weeks we have increased our large range of pretty mastectomy bras yet again. Too many to list here.. check out mastectomy bras on our website and see for yourself!

A new bundle of joy in the house! (Mark learns house training 101)

A new bundle of joy has arrived at home. Chloe! She is a miniature labradoodle and she has made our house home for the past month. Now 3 months old she has at last been house trained by Mark. Little pups have bladders the size of a medicine glass.. so a lot of sleepless nights for Mark as he constantly has his dressing gown on taking her for a toilet break. This picture of Chloe was taken the day she arrived.. she fitted into one of Mark's motorcycle boots!

Friday, October 11, 2013

It's October! It's Think Pink Month!

October means Think Pink Month.. it's all about raising awareness about breast cancer and raising funds for research into this terrible disease. This morning I was happy to attend the Brisbane North Chamber of Commerce Think Pink Breakfast. A good fiund raising event and a time to catch up with old friends. This morning we heard of one brave young mother and her breast cancer journey and how she has met the challenge head on and made her life better after her treatment. While there I had a chance ot catch up with Leonie Young from Kim Walters Choces at the Wes;ey hospital. And as usual.. M
ark was there with one of his cameras!

Monday, September 30, 2013

Wow.. where did the past few months go?

Cannot believe it is nearly 6 months since I took time to write on my blog. Time goes so fast. Today we have just finished our best September ever and in fact one of our best months in business. This past month we have welcomed a lot of new customers who have found our specialist mastectomy store at Clayfield to have the widest variety of mastectomy products on offer and we're now easier to get to... and they have also discovered a great coffee shop/cafe nearby for a coffee and cake after their visit. Yes, what a busy month and as I closed up the shop tonight I looked around and realised we have never before had such a variety of mastectomy bras and swimwear to offer to our special ladies. On a personal level this has been a tough year with the loss of our family dog dorothy to cancer and also to have to members of my family fighting the good fight with their own cancer journeys. But onwards and upwards.... as we move towards the Christmas Holiday season we have still more new pretty mastectomy bras and swimsuits coming into the Boutique. Do drop by and have a look for yourself. We have a single car park behind our shop in Drane Street, it is signposted but if it is occupied there are always vacant spots on the street itself. Debra

Monday, April 22, 2013

Amonea Leisure Wear

Amoena have released a range of leisure wear. Fresh into the boutique and it is a big hit. Tops with prosthesis pockets (no need to wear a bra) and matching pants to go with them. Apart from exercise, these are ideal to wear on long plane trips. They are slowly being added to our website under Mastectomy Bra. Have a look.. you'll love them!

Some sad days in April

During April Mark & I lost our little dog Dorothy to liver cancer. Over a period of 5 weeks, she just went off her food a little bit, Mark noticed it and took her to the vet. An ultrasound and biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. She did enjoy a couple of good weeks after diagnosis, but went down hill very fast about 2 weeks ago. We had to make that hard decision to have her put to sleep. Lots of tears from us both and we do miss her so much. But Dorothy will live on in our newsletter and on our blog sire. We had her nearly 12 years, she brought so much joy into our lives and in fact saved mark's life when the house nearly burnt down.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

A well needed break!

After an amazing month at the Boutique with our March newsletter and its promotion, Mark and I are enjoying a well earned break. He has had a few good jobs of late and so surprised me with an Easter treat at Anantara Spar resort in Phuket. This place is amazing. The best massages I have ever had. The Thai girls are so gentle and have a heat compress system to relax your muscles before the massage. Apart from that we have been floating around the pool and sleeping. Mark found a deal where the breakfast was included.. so we have a big breakfast and save some money by skipping lunch. (He needs to skip lunch for about 10 years I think!) In my absence Christina has been running the boutique with help from Glena from Amoena. My heartfelt thanks to both of them. Tomorrow, Friday we start our trip back home with a flight to Singapore and then the midnight special back to Brisbane. If you need time out to relax and heal, then this is the spot. While not the cheapest place to stay... it is certainly a "spiritual recharge" as Mark calls it. My thanks to our travel agent Kim Ross from Ross & Turner Travel Associates and also to all the wonderful staff here at Anantara Phuket. See you all next week. Debra

Thursday, March 7, 2013

My prosthesis has a hole in it!

Sadly we get this call at least once a day. Amoena breast prostheses are beautifully made by hand by ladies working in their German factory. The are soft and designed to mimic a real breast, especially in feel. If someone hugs a prosthesis wearer, they won't know you're wearing one. They are that good. However, the same qualities that make them like this also mean that you need to take lots of care of them. One area that catches some ladies out is this: Amoena warrants their prostheses against manufacturing faults for 2 years. If you manage to puncture the prosthesis, then that is not a warranty item. Much like getting a nail in your car tyre. The tyre shop will not replace your tyre because it is punctured. It is an area that is outside the control of the manufacturer. Here are a couple of pictures of a punctured prosthesis. In this case, the damage was done by the pin on a corsage of flowers. Other causes of punctures can be carrying thorny cuttings when you are gardening, or wearing brooches or name pins etc. One of the "natural enemies" of the breast prosthesis is the domestic cat. We have lost count of the number of punctured prostheses we have seen with multiple holes from a cat's claws. Can you see the tiny dark spot that is the puncture? Below is a close up of the puncture in the prosthesis. As you can see.. the smallest hole in them causes an immediate leak of the whipped silicone oil inside the prosthesis. While prostheses are robust, one puncture can be the ending of them. Also if you like swimming, you should use a swim form, especially if diving deep in the pool. They are designed for water immersion and have special grooves in them to allow water to drain away quickly when you get out of the pool. So remember, keep all sharp objects away from your prosthesis and it will give you a good service life. It is also very important to wash it every second day at least to keep skin oils form ageing the envelope material. We have seen some really dirty prostheses come into the shop.. keeping them clean extends their life. Catch up again soon. Debra

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Stuck in Melbourne

So I flew to Melbourne last week to attend the breast care nurses conference. Learned a lot. As I have elderly relatives here i thought I would spend the weekend with them. Head off to the airport tonight and my flight isn't on the departure board. So what's going on? Well Virgin have cancelled my flight. Excellent customer service in not advising me earlier. To their credit they have put me up for the night.. but now I won't be back at the boutique until late tomorrow morning. Virgin have all my contact details.. one short phone call earlier in the day and I could have made other arrangements. You need to lift your game Virgin! Not good enough! Some of us have small businesses to run.. and our homes depend on it! Cheesed off Debra

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

In your letter box soon!

Yes look for our new newsletter in your letter box in the first week of march. We have some great new products to tell you about and we're sure you are going to love them! Debra.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

A joyous, yet humbling afternoon.

This afternoon I was asked to be MC at a function held at Karuna Hospice Centre in Brisbane. Around 35 women gathered to hear from a few speakers. One a lady from Zimbabwe told how she escaped a destructive marriage where her husband would hit her violently. She brought her 5 children to Australia and is empowering other women in abusive relationships to leave and find a better life for themselves. Also there was the Honourable Teresa Gambaro MP and the Honourable Bronwyn Bishop MP. Bronwyn spoke at length for the need for equality for women especially in foreign countries where husbands (and their families) have murdered wives for dowry issues. Just awful. Karuna helps those who are at life's end need palliative care. A wonderful organisation indeed.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

You wouldn't believe it... flooding again!

So we just cannot believe that the people of QLD are being subjected to heart breaking floods again. So soon after the last lot. This time we weren't affected (apart from water under our house) and our shop at Clayfield remained high and dry. My heart goes out to all those affected by this flood. Ev en Jan one of my staff cannot make it to work today as a tree is blocking her exit from her home. Stay safe out there... and if the authorities ask you to evacuate... go! If you stay and need to be evacuated later, you put yourself and the the EMQ people at considerable risk. Debra