Fab Finish

It was a fab finish to the week.

A slow start to the day but a fab finish to that as well.

Today I found out that the local cafe is going to be closed in the last week of February so that confirmed to me that it’s the right time for me to close as well. I rely a bit (not heavily) on their customers killing time while they wait for their food to be prepared.

February is traditionally quiet and the caravan parks are pretty empty at the moment so there’s not a lot of holiday traffic.

Having said that, I’ve already had higher sales in the first two weeks of this month than all of last February so that’s comforting.

Despite lockdown, Chicklet seems to have had a good birthday and received a beautiful bicycle as her main gift.

I FaceTimed her this afternoon and I think it’s the first time in months that I’ve spoken to her face to face. It was lovely and she showed me her birthday gifts before going off to ice her cake - she promised to eat an extra piece each for Poppy and I.

Tonight I got very carried away online shopping and purchased a bundle of baby clothes and accessories for my new grandchild. Fingers crossed that I actually get there to deliver them!

Now I’m in bed watching the Aussie, Alex de Minaur play against the Italian, Fabio Fognini in the Aussie Open. The Aussie will put up a good fight but I doubt that he will win. You never know.

I’m looking forward to my self care day tomorrow. No plans. I’ll just take it as it comes.

Nite all.

It’s a Sign

Very very quiet today.

Only two customers all day.

Surprisingly, the time still passed quickly and I still got quite a bit done.

I put the first two coats of varnish on four of my paintings ...

which is pretty tricky because it takes some doing to brush it on evenly with non stop quick brush strokes - so if someone walks in the door mid varnish layer, I’m in strife because I can’t stop or I’ll ruin it 😳

My gorgeous girl turns 10 tomorrow (13th) and Melbourne goes into lockdown at midnight tonight so all the birthday plans have gone out the window.

A quickly organised Plan B was dinner at Pancake Parlour tonight before lockdown is enforced.

Meanwhile I am pleading with the Universe to make a visit to meet my new grandchild happen in March.

I’ve had a lazy afternoon and evening watching New Girl while Adoring Husband cooked the usual Friday night fare. 

Right now, I’m in bed watching Kyrgios play the No 3 in the world, Dominic Thiem, in the Aussie Open tennis. He is winning 2 sets to one right now and is playing well. Fingers crossed he has the stamina to finish on a winning note.

I’m also contemplating closing the shop for a week from around 21st - 27th Feb. I think this week has been a sign that now is the right time.

Pop Master is about to start which means that I need to sign off.

Nite all.

Productive

I had a very productive day at the shop.

Paying bills, ordering stock, speaking to reps, filing, steaming clothes (still never ending), taking delivery of all the Lorraine Lea goodies that everyone ordered ten days ago, photocopying, budgeting, pricing, displaying, mailing out online purchases and starting my February newsletter.

By 1.30pm I was feeling a bit worn out.

My cleaner did a lovely job of cleaning the shop kitchen which was a bit of a disaster area after Saturday’s art class and she squeezed in a bit of dusting as well.

My guilty pleasure took precedence when I arrived home and I watched a few more episodes of New Girl before preparing stuffed giant mushrooms and salad for dinner. I stuffed them with onion, spinach, bacon, finely chopped sweet potato and chicken. Salt, lots of white pepper, a pinch of coconut sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Adoring Husband ate all of his mushroom and half of mine. They were almost as big as a bread and butter plate!

I’m watching the tennis tonight and so far, a mixed bag for the Aussies. Stosur is playing right now and I don’t hold out much hope for her. She is easily psyched out.

I slept really well last night - a solid 7 hours. I hope to repeat that tonight.

Our bird has flown the nest! AH said that it was sitting up on the edge of the nest this afternoon and by the time we arrived home from the shop, it had disappeared! In past years, the chicks have spent the day running around on the ground making annoying chirping sounds for hours, so I hope it didn’t meet an untimely end by getting swept up by a raptor or something equally horrific.

Sales were average in the shop today, so February is looking pretty good for me to take some time off. I might take a week near the end. We’ll see.

That’s it for my news.

Nite all.

Light On

It was another night, light on sleep.

I was out of bed at 5.15am making warm lemon water and showering to prepare for my early start.

Adoring Husband and I left the house at 6.30am and The Gypsy arrived at the shop at 6.45am. We got to catch up before the hordes arrived for meditation.

We were two short of a full house for meditation and she had us all mesmerised for more than an hour. Many individuals felt that the class was tailored specifically for them and we all got such a lot out of the theme which was “Mind Over Matter”.

There were four ladies who stayed afterwards for a chat.

It was a very slow sales day which gave me a chance to steam some more clothes and display them, photograph some stock and post it to Facebook, do some filing and experiment with embellishing some art.

I’m still trying to get through 7 seasons of New Girl on Netflix and am part way through season 5, so that was my guilty pleasure this afternoon.

AH cooked some snags on the barbecue which we had with salad and now I’m watching Nick Kyrgios play against Ugo Humbert in the Aussie Open tennis.

I’m feeling pretty weary so I hope that helps me sleep more soundly tonight.

Nite all.

Juicy Beginning & End

Our bed seems to be letting me down. 

I struggle to get comfortable and my lower back hurts during the night. I’m hoping that my new Lorraine Lea pillows will make a difference.

I tried Valerian Forte and it seemed to work for the first 3 nights but the following 10 days were a fail.

Valerian Forte is a natural remedy that helps reduce the time it takes you fall asleep, supports refreshing sleep, reduces restless sleep while helping you wake up feeling clear headed.

So in an attempt to improve my energy levels after such a restless sleep, I made a morning smoothie with blueberries, kiwi fruit, banana and dragon fruit. It was refreshingly delicious.

We were pretty light on in numbers for morning tea with just four of us in attendance and I got about 30 minutes with the girls before those pesky customers rained on my morning tea.

There was a steady flow of customers with good sales for the day.

I could have lay down for a nap at about 1pm but I made a cup of tea instead.

There was a customer in the shop until 2.05pm. Adoring Husband was closing up and I was preparing for the journaling class. Luckily that customer was in obvious need of retail therapy so it wasn’t at all painful to delay the class.

It was a great class. I’m really enjoying the journaling and the girls who participate.

After the class, AH and I folded all the tables, removed Saturday’s art, vacuumed the floors in the shop and the training room, then set out the chairs for meditation. 

We did a quick grocery shop before heading home and I dipped my toes in the pool contemplating whether to get changed for a swim but decided to plant my butt on the couch for an hour before preparing dinner.

But first I made a pineapple, pear and mint smoothie. I’d bought a fresh bunch of mint from the supermarket and it was so deliciously fragrant I just HAD to find a way to use some of it immediately! It was perfect 💕

Barramundi with sweet potato chips and salad for dinner. It was delicious!!

I am now in bed watching the tennis. The Aussie, Gavrilova, is winning.

Our bird is getting closer to leaving the nest ...

Some more wedding pics ...

Time for sleep.

Nite all.

Wisdom of Ageing

I saw this on Facebook and I’m not sure if I’ve shared it before, but I really like it so I apologise if it’s not the first time you’ve seen it here...

***I asked a friend who has crossed 70 and is heading towards 80 what sort of changes she is feeling in herself? She sent me the following:

1. After loving my parents, my siblings, my spouse, my children and my friends, I have now started loving myself.

2. I have realized that I am not “Atlas”. The world does not rest on my shoulders.

3. I have stopped bargaining with vegetable and fruit vendors. A few pennies more is not going to break me, but it might help the poor fellow save for his daughter’s school fees.

4. I leave my waitress a big tip. The extra money might bring a smile to her face. She is toiling much harder for a living than I am.

5. I stopped telling the elderly that they've already narrated that story many times. The story makes them walk down memory lane & relive their past.

6. I have learned not to correct people even when I know they are wrong. The onus of making everyone perfect is not on me. Peace is more precious than perfection.

7. I give compliments freely & generously. Compliments are a mood enhancer not only for the recipient, but also for me. And a small tip for the recipient of a compliment, never, NEVER turn it down, just say "Thank You.”

8. I have learned not to bother about a crease or a spot on my shirt. Personality speaks louder than appearances.

9. I walk away from people who don't value me. They might not know my worth, but I do.

10. I remain cool when someone plays dirty to outrun me in the rat race. I am not a rat & neither am I in any race.

11. I am learning not to be embarrassed by my emotions. It’s my emotions that make me human.

12. I have learned that it's better to drop the ego than to break a relationship. My ego will keep me aloof, whereas with relationships, I will never be alone.

13. I have learned to live each day as if it's the last. After all, it might be the last.

14. I am doing what makes me happy. I am responsible for my happiness, and I owe it to myself. Happiness is a choice. You can be happy at any time, just choose to be! ***

I have enjoyed a fairly productive Monday.

• I caught up with my washing.
• Chopped, bagged and froze enough fruit for a dozen smoothies.
• Cooked up 8 meals to freeze for psychotic dog Colli.
• Drove to the shop and cleared the training room of the art paraphernalia, setting up for morning coffee and the journaling class.
• Gift wrapped Chicklet’s birthday present and mailed it.
• Made an online interstate transaction swapping details ready to mail the customer’s purchase on Tuesday morning.
• Returned home and made a smoothie for a late lunch.
• Made myself presentable to attend another Lorraine Lea party at Raintree Acres.
• Returned from that and made Peking Duck with salad for dinner.
• Now sitting up in bed watching the tennis.

It’s amazing what gets done when I make a “to do” list.

The bird (I must think of a name) is doing well ...

Nite all.

Mindless Drivel

Clearly, Saturday took it all out of me because I was asleep by about 9pm and this blog did not even enter my mind!

It was an average Saturday for sales but most of those sales happened before 10.30am so I spent the remainder of the morning practicing the paint pouring technique that I was planning for the class. One of the art girls arrived right on 9am to help me set up the room which was incredibly helpful.

I received a surprise visit from The Motivator during the morning. We didn’t get much time together but we had a quick catch up and a couple of good squeezy hugs.

Everybody arrived on time for the class and we had, as usual, a lot of fun!

It was 4pm by the time everybody left and I was absolutely exhausted! Hence the early bedtime, missed blog post and instant sleep!

Sunday has been a day full of mindless drivel.

Binge watching New Girl, catching the second half of a Jumanji movie followed by the silliness of Holey Moley.

I considered swimming in the pool but just couldn’t be bothered changing into my swimmers or walking out to the pool!

I was motivated enough to make mushrooms, spinach and shallots for breakfast and then add some extras to last nights leftovers to create a nutritious dinner for tonight.

That’s my weekend!

Now I sleep again!

Nite all.