Feeling Poorly

I missed the First Aid course today.

I woke up feeling very much under the weather and decided to stay at home.  I went back to bed and slept until almost 11am!  I spent most of the day, after I woke, on the couch and when I thought I was feeling better, decided to cook some muffins, but halfway through the process, realised that I wasn't feeling better at all!

So I'm off to bed early and hopefully, by tomorrow, I'll be 100%.

My second photo for the 100happydays challenge ...

My chickens running amok in the back garden make me happy .. although I would be even happier if they laid me an egg!

Nite all.

New Challenge

I've started a new photography challenge.

It's called 100 Happy Days.

Every day, for 100 days, I have to take a photo of something that makes me happy.

I've already cheated, because my first photo is of Chicklet, which was taken during my last visit, but I couldn't wait til next week!

The website states that 71% of all people who attempt this challenge fail.

Let's see if I can succeed.

Nite all.

Alive and Well

Gentleman Jim is alive and well.  He apologised profusely for worrying me as he did .. but he was out with a woman!  *gasp*

The boys all enjoyed their chicken broth too.

I got a lot of study done today and I finished one of my assignments :)  It's not yet submitted, but it's a relief to have the first one complete, thanks to some incredibly helpful advice from someone special.

The second assignment is already underway!

This weekend is already booked with a First Aid course, so I won't get much study done over those two days.  Tomorrow looks like it might be solidly booked with .. yes .. study!

I need to finish the second assignment so that I can book my trip to the Sunny Coast next week!

My other good news for the day is that my youngest daughter, Bubbles, has confirmed her holiday dates and will be here in August!

This is where I must talk about how precious and wonderful she is and how much I love her!

She is precious and wonderful and I love her very very much, full stop, no returns (private joke).

Now, to plan the theme party!

Nothing else to report for today.  No photos.  No quotes.  I'm done.

Nite all.

The Bird is Gone!

Yesterday, we noticed that SEB (Someone Else's Bird) had a completely bald head!  She rarely comes out of the nesting box, so we don't get to see her very often .. which is why we hadn't noticed her balding appearance.

OB (Our Bird) has been a bit aggressive with SEB lately, so I watched during the day and every time SEB tried to eat or drink, OB attacked her.

I told Adoring Husband that "enough was enough!" and that it was time to get rid of OB.  OB has been a pain in the 'you-know-what' ever since we got her.  She is loud, aggressive, anti-social and constantly annoying.  It's time to go OB!

We've had two offers in the last few months.  One from a pet shop in Hervey Bay and one from a plant nursery on the outskirts of Hervey Bay that has a large aviary on the grounds, filled with cockatiels.

While I was out this morning, Adoring Husband decided to get OB out of the cage and take her to the plant nursery.

Unfortunately, he got OB into the box, but the lid slipped and OB escaped!

Meanwhile ... SEB has not set foot out of the nesting box ALL DAY!

We know that there are 5 eggs in the box.  Three on SEB's side of the box and two on OB's side of the box.  Every time I open the box to have a look, SEB is sitting there guarding her eggs.

I wonder if she is stressed or fretting over the lost OB?

The other strange thing that occurred today was down at the Seat of Knowledge.

I took some containers of the chicken broth that I made yesterday down for the boys, but Gentleman Jim wasn't there .. which was unusual, because he usually tells us if he isn't going to be there.

So I rode to his van at the park.  His car was parked there, his shoes and socks were at the steps of the van, his slip on shoes were outside the front door of the annexe, his bath towel was draped over the chair outside, but there was no sign of Gentleman Jim.

I knocked twice and called out his name .. nothing.

I tried to look inside his bedroom window, but I'm too short and couldn't see anything.

I walked over to the caravan park office, which isn't very far from his van and asked the lady if she knew where he was.  She came over to the van and knocked on the sliding door quite loudly, but there was no answer.  She said he should have been there.

She offered to take the soup to keep it in the freezer for him and would take it to him later in the day.

I left, still feeling a little worried, but there wasn't anything else that I could do.

I assume that since nobody has knocked on my door with bad news today, it means that nothing 'untoward' has happened.

From there I rode to the shops to get my morning coffee (I can't believe I'm drinking coffee every day again!  Just one.)  and checked the mail box to find a parcel slip.  It was a big box from BGWLBH!  My birthday box, full of surprises!

Three pieces of beautiful jewellery, charms for wine glasses, some chocolate moulds with a mini spatula, a set of 3 colourful candle holders, a set of red and white striped ice cream cups.  I love our birthday tradition of sending a box full of lots of presents, all wrapped separately.  They are such fun to open!

I submitted this photo in the flickr Black & White challenge today ...

I also got a little study in today, but I need to intensify my effort tomorrow .. no distractions!

Nite all.

Write Off

I did a lot of cooking today!

I should have been studying, but I've been studying so much, I feel like our diet was beginning to suffer and I needed some time in the kitchen to make something nutritious.

I was given some small frozen chickens that were freshly killed from the farm .. plucked and cleaned, so I used one of them, plus the livers from all of them to make a delicious broth.  I simmered celery, carrot, garlic, capsicum, onion and chilli with the chicken for about 10 hours.

I strained the broth into containers and then cooked up some diced carrot, onion, silverbeet, spinach and zucchini and added that to the broth, along with the livers diced up.

Chicken livers are high in protein and are a rich source of Iron, Vitamin B12 and Vitamin A.

I got a dozen containers of broth out of that chicken, so I'll take a few containers down to the Seat of Knowledge in the morning and give them to the boys.  The Little Gnome will get a couple of containers, because he gave me the chickens.

While the broth was simmering, I made the Four Cheese Spinach Tart for our lunch to accompany a Prawn, Avocado and Grape salad.

Then for dinner I made Sweet Potato Chips and a Baby Spinach Salad to have with the Four Cheese Tart.

I got a bit of housework done today too, so even though I didn't study, I still had a productive day.

I want to finish two of my assignments by the end of this weekend, so that I can plan to spend a few days down the Sunny Coast to visit my Chicklet family.

I'm also doing a First Aid course at the SES shed on the weekend too, so that will take up some of my study time.

There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to do everything that needs to be done around here.  How the hell did I ever work full time?

Nite all.

A question asked of me recently .. the difference between regular table salt and Himalayan Pink salt .. in a nutshell 

I did a stupid thing today .. I had a coffee at 3pm.  It's now almost midnight and I think I'm wide awake .. I mean REALLY wide awake!  Ugh!

So I've played with a couple of old photos while watching a movie ...

... and now before I get involved in the next movie, I am going to attempt to sleep.

Nite all.

Study Free Day

I took today, Sunday, as a day of rest and spent most of it on the couch watching movies and the football.

I woke up to the smell of chicken stock still on the heat after almost 24 hours gently simmering, so I had to spend some time packaging that and loading it into the freezer, before heading off to the Seat of Knowledge.

I returned home to find Adoring Husband making a delicious bacon and egg breakfast for us, which was a good way to start a lazy day.

I've decided to make a 'vision' board for my work space.  A vision board to inspire and encourage me to study hard and fulfil the dream and plan that was in my head when I chose this course.  I still feel out of my depth, though every day gets a bit easier and I'm feeling more comfortable, so a vision board will be just the thing to help keep me focussed and enthusiastic.

I'll take a photo of it when I'm finished.

This is an old photo from a shoot that I did with some photographer friends at Coolum Beach last year, The Nikonian being one of them .. the same lovely people have invited me to Bunya Mountains in June for a weekend of friendship and photography and I'm really looking forward to that .. I always learn a lot from them when we are together.

I've missed my photography a bit lately .. I may have to rearrange my study schedule to include a couple of hours out and about with my camera.  I'd very much like to do some portrait photography of some of our local characters around town, but I know I don't have time for that right now.  If I can get ahead with my assignments .. that could be my reward!

Meanwhile, a friend suggested that I turn off my computer an hour before I go to bed .. to help me fall asleep easier at night.  So I'm doing that tonight and will turn off all technology while I sit and read one of my text books .. if that doesn't put me to sleep, nothing will!

Nite all.