Before the Rain

Another day in the bay.

Stocklands, Petbarn, Pialba to get everything on our lists.

Harley was the big winner today.

Home by 2pm and well before the rain set in. Instead of playing around the pool, I took Harley into the carport where we played soccer with his new tag ball. He LOVED it.

There was a parcel waiting at the front door when I arrived home and in it was an octopus for Harley that was supposed to be made with tough stuff for dogs that chew things to pieces. 

It lasted ten minutes 🫤

In my parcel was four cushion covers, 6 place mats, 4 white gel pens, a scarf, 2 art stencils, a sunflower floor mat and magnetic backed shelving.

Yes, I caved and got the Temu app 😩 big mistake.

It was nice to not cook dinner. Adoring Husband did the usual Friday night chicken wings and we’ve watched 2 games of footy. I have three correct from three games in the tipping comp.

Now I’m ready to sleep.

Nite all.

Thursday Already?!

Fragrant Thai Chicken Soup with Basil and Zesty Lime

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 lb (450g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, thinly sliced

4 cups chicken broth

1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk

1 stalk lemongrass, smashed and chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2 red Thai chilies, sliced (optional for heat)

1 tablespoon fish sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Juice of 2 limes

Zest of 1 lime

1 cup fresh Thai basil leaves

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Fresh cilantro and lime wedges, for garnish

Directions:

Heat sesame oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and garlic, sauté until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes until slightly browned and cooked through.

Pour in the chicken broth and coconut milk. Stir well.

Add lemongrass, ginger, Thai chilies, fish sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, lime zest, and sugar. Bring to a simmer.

Add mushrooms and continue to simmer for 10-12 minutes until mushrooms are tender and flavors have melded.

Stir in Thai basil leaves and cook for 1 more minute.

Remove from heat. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro and lime wedges.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes

Kcal: 310 kcal | Servings: 4 servings

An uneventful day for me.

I was supposed to attend coffee with my art girls, but I wasn’t inspired and stayed at home.

My new eating regime started with warm lemon water while I played with Harley.

Coconut yoghurt with papaya, strawberry, banana and grapes, then chopped cashews, grated Brazil nuts and a drizzle of pure maple syrup. Soursop tea.

For lunch, oven baked barramundi, with butter and lemon slices, wrapped in baking paper and served on a salad of cucumber, red onion, avocado, grapes and mushroom.

That was enough to fill me up for the day.

Chicken and salad for the others for dinner.

Tonight’s football was a good pick for me because Storm thrashed the Broncos who lost their two leading players to injury inside the first five minutes of the game. A sad and sorry state of affairs for them but good for my tipping.

Now it’s time to sleep.

Nite all.

Perfect Whale Day

A beautiful, albeit cold, day for whale watching today.

We arrived at the Boat Club right on time and joined the queue of people planning on joining the same whale cruise as us.

There were a lot.

There were people from France, India, England, America and New Zealand.

The water was mostly still, clear and very blue!

I didn’t bother taking any photos or videos after our first encounter…

This guy was cleaning himself in the shallows on a sand bar by rolling around on the sand and THEN moving to the deeper water to breach. The captain said that the whale loosens some of the barnacles by rolling on the sand and then breaching sometimes knocks them right off.

We had to boat through some sea fog to get to the whales and there were so many whales close to shore that we didn’t need to travel the usual 60-90 minutes to find them, which was a real bonus.

We saw whales doing absolutely everything that whales do including three that surrounded our boat for a whole hour spyhopping. That’s when they get very close to the boat and either lie on their backs looking at us on the boat or bob their heads straight up out of the water to look at us.

I must confess to feeling quite emotional 🥹 for that hour. They were so beautiful and gentle and amazing.

When the boat was moving, it was bitterly cold, but it was lovely in the sun when the boat was still.

On the way home, we stopped at the fisheries and bought some salmon, barramundi and crab meat. After that, we detoured to Go Natural and I bought lots of health foods, teas, oils, supplements and probiotics to help my new eating/health regime.

The day was quite exhausting and luckily I had leftover spaghetti bolognese sauce to feed the masses. I ate the crab meat.

Now it’s almost 11pm and I’m ready to sleep.

Nite all.

Whales Tomorrow

•Go to bed at 8:30. 

•Pass on the dessert everyone is raving about. 

•Turn your phone off for hours. 

•Snack on meat and raw veggies. 

•Don’t know what the latest celebrity gossip is. 

•Bring your own lunch. 

•Be the only one who hasn’t seen it - and don’t care. 

•Drink water at social events. 

•Walk barefoot outside. 

•Choose silence and stillness over scrolling. 

“It’s no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society” - Jiddu Krishnamurti

Stay weird my friends.

Monday was a day in the bay to stock up on some supplies for my new eating plan.

Brazil nuts for selenium to help metabolise my thyroid hormones.

Cashews, flaked almonds and tapioca flour, plenty of coconut yoghurt and lots of fresh fruit and veg. Berries, avocado, cucumber, pear, papaya and bananas. Oh and lemons for my warm lemon water every morning.

I was going to stock up on fresh fish, but the shop was closed due to refrigeration repairs.

However, tomorrow (Wednesday), we are going whale watching, so we’ll stop in at the fisheries and select from a wider range.

Today was meditation day. Only two in attendance but what a great class, with lots of sharing and laughter. The time (90mins) absolutely flew by! On top of that, The Gypsy and I had another two hours chatting outside.

I left my phone on the outside table at the hall and I didn’t realise until about 40 minutes after I’d left it there, so I sent Adoring Husband off in search of it!

Thankfully, somebody had handed it into the library. Whew 😰 

Tonight, I was very lucky again, because BGWLBH made a garden salad, coleslaw and potato salad for dinner, which they ate with leftover cold roast lamb.

Those salads are not allowed on my menu so I cooked a piece of snapper and made a salad of cucumber, pear, grape, red onion and avocado with a delicious dressing.

Just right for me.

Now it’s time to sleep so that I can rise bright and early for whale watching.

Nite all.

End of Weekend

Savory Ground Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry with Asian Flavors

Ingredients:

1 lb (450g) lean ground beef

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 small onion, finely diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated

4 cups green cabbage, shredded

1 large carrot, julienned

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce (optional for richer flavor)

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

2 green onions, chopped (for garnish)

Sesame seeds (optional, for garnish)

Directions:

Heat sesame oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add diced onion and sauté for 2–3 minutes until translucent.

Add garlic and ginger, cook for another minute until fragrant.

Add ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it up as it cooks—about 5–7 minutes.

Stir in soy sauce, oyster sauce (if using), rice vinegar, honey, and red pepper flakes. Mix well.

Add shredded cabbage and carrots. Stir-fry everything together for 5–6 minutes until the vegetables are tender but still crisp.

Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

Serve hot, garnished with green onions and sesame seeds.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes

Kcal: 280 kcal | Servings: 4 servings

A lovely quiet Sunday for me.

Adoring Husband cooked the most delicious lamb roast for a late lunch and we all sat down at the table to savour every mouthful before the footy started.

It was so nice to have a delicious meal cooked for me.

I didn’t even have to clean up and I got to sit down in time to watch the beginning of the football.

My footy tips were pretty good for the weekend and I’m still ten points in the lead.

I’m feeling good on my new eating regime.

It’s almost 10.30pm so I’m off to get some sleep.

Nite all.