More Food

After making two batches of ice cream in 3 days, each requiring 5 egg yolks, I had 10 egg whites sitting in the fridge waiting to be used.

Since Adoring Husband and I are both sugar free, the usual pavlova was out of the question, so I went on the hunt for something else.

This is what I found - Coconut Flour Tortillas.  A batch of 5 tortillas, uses 5 egg whites.  It's gluten free, grain free, sugar free, dairy free and actually delicious!

Ingredients:

5 egg whites
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (my almond milk was out of date, so I used raw milk instead)
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Put all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix for about 30 seconds.  Let it sit for at least 10 minutes so that the coconut flour can hydrate.

This mixture sticks to the pan, so you either need a good non-stick pan or use oil.

Once the pan is hot, pour some batter into the centre and tilt the pan so that the mixture spreads evenly over the bottom - about 7 inches in diameter.

Put the pan back on the hotplate and let it cook until the top is no longer shiny.  Flip the tortilla and let it cook for about another minute.

Take it out and place on paper towel, while you cook the others.  Try not to let them sweat, or they go soggy.

Fill them with whatever you like.  I made this filling:

Tortilla Filling Ingredients

1 cup of finely shredded cabbage
1 medium carrot - grated
1 small onion - cut into fine rings
1 chicken breast - cut into fine strips
2 T GF soy sauce
2 T pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon of chilli paste (I make my own)
Salt and pepper to taste

Fry it all up in a pan with a little butter.  If it gets too dry, add about a 1/4 cup water.

Spoon the mixture into the tortilla, so that it looks like this ...

I had two for lunch yesterday and then 3 for dinner last night (which made me uncomfortably full!).  They are very filling

I also made some banana bread during my cooking frenzy ...

It's quite nice, but if I used this recipe again, I'd add more walnuts and I wouldn't use chocolate chips.  It's very heavy and very filling.

If you're interested in the recipe, leave a comment and I will post it on here for you.

Yesterday morning, Adoring Husband came with me to see the Tawny chicks.  My favourite, who I have named 'Ethel', didn't like his visit and showed her discontent!

Don't you agree, they have the most interesting and amazing mouth?

It seems AH has just arrived home from his SES training, so I'm off to give him a warm welcome.

Nite all.

TGIF

It's Friday.

You know how I struggle with Fridays.

So this is for you, to make it easier on me *insert smiley face here*

Nite all.

Cherry Ripe Delights

One food that I have really missed in the last two years since I went gluten free, is Cherry Ripes.

So, today, I decided to create my own Cherry Ripe.

Here is the recipe for my Cherry Ripe Delights.

For the Chocolate

1 Cup of solid cacao butter
1 Cup of cocoa powder
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup of liquid sweetener, like raw honey, pure maple syrup or coconut nectar

For the Cherry Ripe Filling

250 g Glace Cherries (mine had no sugar and were organic, but not sure what brand because I threw the packet away)
1/2 Cup of raw cashews, soaked in water for 4 hours (then drain the water off)
1/2 Cup of dessicated coconut
1/4 Cup coconut oil
1/4 Cup of water

You will need a high powered blender or food processor.  Mini patty papers.  Tray or plate that will fit in the freezer.

Method

Chocolate

1. Gently melt the cacao butter in a pot or double boiler.
2. Once melted, add the cacao powder and vanilla essence to the pot and stir to combine.
3. Next, add your liquid sweetener of choice.  Stir
4. Set aside.

Cherry filling

1. Put the cashews, coconut oil and water in the blender and blend until creamy (it doesn't matter if there are a few chunky bits - that just adds more texture).
2. Add the cherries and dessicated coconut and 'pulse' a few times until the cherries are well chopped, but still a bit chunky.
3. Put mixture in a bowl.

Take your patty pans and place them on the tray.   Use a spoon to pour chocolate into the patties to about quarter the way up.

Once done, put the tray in the freezer for about 10 minutes, until the chocolate is set.

Remove from the freezer and spoon a small amount of cherry mixture onto the chocolate, then pour more chocolate over the top until the cherry mixture is covered.

Place the tray in the freezer until set.  Store the cherry ripes in the fridge.

This is the healthiest form of chocolate that you can eat, but it melts easily in your hands and also when they are out of the fridge.  That's the price you pay for healthy stuff.

What a shame (she says with a sarcastic tone) that Adoring Husband is on a liquid diet and can't eat any of these delicious little treats!

It's ok, I made him some apple and blueberry ice cream for his liquid treat.

It's been a rainy stormy day today and now it's after midnight!

I climbed into bed last night, 3 hours earlier than usual, and then woke up at 3am, which is 3 hours earlier than usual!  I can't believe that I am still awake now!

Must be the magic Maca Powder that I'm taking.  I'll tell you about that one day soon.

Nite all.

Sneak Peeks

A rare tropical cyclone hits Somalia - the deadliest in it's history.

Somalia experienced one of the deadliest tropical cyclones in its history. Tropical Cyclone 3A made landfall in north-eastern Somali region of Puntland on November 10–11, 2013. Tropical Cyclone 3A hit the Eyl, Beyla, Dangorayo and Hafun districts along the eastern coast and across to Alula at the tip of the Horn of Africa. Strong winds, heavy rains and flash floods caused more than 100 deaths. Hundreds of homes were destroyed and thousands of livestock killed. According to the International Disaster Database, EM-DAT, this is the deadliest tropical cyclone in Somalia's history.

The typhoon in the Philippines, the most catastrophic of them all, seems to have the spotlight and mainstream news hasn't covered this dreadful disaster in Somalia.

I wonder what is causing these 'deadliest/worst/biggest/strongest in history' tornados, typhoons, cyclones and other disasters, if it's not, as our Prime Minister insists, global warming?

but don't get me started ...

... on a happier note  

I'm excited to be able to share some photos from the wedding that I attended with The Nikonian on the first weekend of November.

These are The Nikonian's edited photos.

I LOVE her work.

These are photos that she has already shared on facebook with the bride and groom, and she gave me permission to share them with you too.

One from mine ..

This is my workspace.  It's too cluttered and I'm struggling to stay focussed on my work, so it needs cleaning ... I think it will be my priority tomorrow morning.

The first photo is how my workspace looked when it was shiny and new.  The second photo is taken 6 months later .. I need to make it look shiny and new again!

There are a lot of nasty storms all over Queensland tonight.  None in this area, thankfully, but I am thinking of our friends down south who are in the paths of some of the storms.  There have been some terrible damaging storms lately, containing mini tornados.  Heart breaking for those affected.

Nite all.

Busy Kitchen

I began cooking yesterday at lunch time.

Yesterday, I made Bombay Honey Chicken, Sweet Potato Chips, Jacket Potatoes, Herbed Feta Cheese, and Chilli Feta Cheese.

This morning I made a big batch of Tropical Fruit Smoothie and then I was busy for the first half of today with the girls.

From 2pm I made Tomato Soup, Apple Pie Ice Cream, Chilli Paste (with help from Adoring Husband) and Veggie Soup.

The kitchen is now closed *wipes sweat from brow*.

Adoring Husband is on fluids for the next week or so.

This means fresh juices, fresh fruit smoothies, home made soups and delicious sugar-free ice creams.

The Apple Pie Ice Cream really does taste like apple pie!  (One that you don't have to chew)

Delicious!

The first half of my day was filled with time at the Seat of Knowledge, the usual Tuesday morning tea with the girls and then a lovely lunch at Goody's in Toogoom.

On Friday nights at the Club, the girls and I each contribute $2 and then buy a keno ticket, choosing two numbers each.  A few weeks ago, we won a nice sum of money and decided to use the winnings for a lunch together.

Our original choice of restaurant advised us today, that they are no longer open for lunch, because there aren't enough people around.  We were very disappointed and headed over the road to Goody's, the only other choice in Toogoom.

It was a lovely day and there was a pleasant breeze blowing in the outdoor eating area, so we chose our table and made ourselves comfortable.

The service was warm and friendly too.

The food was average.

Two of us had gluten free Pork Belly with fries and red capsicum chutney.  One of us had Twice Cooked Duck Salad.  One of us had Roast Pumpkin Salad.  One of us had Chicken and Mushroom Pie.

The chicken in the pie was not cooked properly, so it was returned and replaced with Twice Cooked Duck Salad, which apparently was very nice.

My Pork Belly was very dry.

I don't think I will go back in a hurry.

The company was fabulous and I really enjoyed myself.

I dub thee 'Red Velvet' (because she makes the BEST red velvet cupcakes!)

Adoring Husband played golf and then had a busy afternoon helping a friend and then doing a chore for the SES.

So it's been a pretty full day for both of us.

Oh and look what I found this morning!

Warm and fuzzy ... I'm certain that they recognise me!

Nite all.

Tested

I had my eyes tested today.

My distance vision hasn't changed, but my reading vision has deteriorated slightly, so I need new reading glasses.

I also ordered some new prescription sunglasses ... I'm so tired of having my current sunglasses repaired every month!

After we finished with OPSM, we did the tour of the organic and health shops in town and spent quite a lot of money on some more organic health foods that I didn't think were even available in Australia.

In tomorrow's post, I'll share some details of what we bought, why we bought it and some recipes in which to use them.

I would have shared the information tonight, but I am feeling pretty tired, so please accept a rain check :)

We arrived home just before lunch and then after lunch, Adoring Husband had to leave for a Drs appointment.

After he left, I had to pedal to the Post Office to mail a prize to the 104 group's monthly winner (a necklace with a camera charm) and after returning home, I began the long cheese making process - which reminds me - I must turn it before I head off to bed.

I took some scissors out to the garden and picked all the chillies off the plants to make some chilli paste.

After the Drs, AH had to go to the gym to begin a special exercise plan which will hopefully help ease his Parkinson's symptoms.

So I started to prepare dinner and he arrived home to advised me, that he is on a liquid diet for the next week or more.

He had pumpkin, cauliflower and garlic soup, while I enjoyed my Honey Bombay Chicken with home-made sweet potato chips and potato in it's jacket.

By the time I cleaned the kitchen after dinner and finally sat down, my body told me that I had done enough for the day.

I am now too pooped to pop.

Nite all.

Recovery

I think I'm almost back to normal after 2 weeks away from home.

A couple of days of 'down time' has rejuvenated me, along with some freshly squeezed juice and a big meal of veggies, as well as lots of water and some morning sunshine.

I spent a little time on the wedding photos today and really wanted to share this one that I took of the bride as her make up was being applied.

She looks so radiant and her eyes are sparkling and clear.  I really love this photo of her.

I've decided to spend some time clearing my desk so that I can work on the photos without feeling so cramped and cluttered.

I'm not sure how it happened but it's difficult to see the desk for the mess that I have spread all over it .. a before and after shot is in order I think!

I must also endeavour to keep it clear every day.

I forgot to mention that I won the 'Macro' flickr challenge with this photo ...

... bit of a surprise!

I'm having my eyes tested tomorrow, and my appointment is quite early, so I'd best go get some sleep.

Thinking about The Nikonian whose house was very close to a large bushfire raging in the area.  I hope the danger has passed and everybody is safe.

Nite all.

Exhaustipation

Yeah, I know, no such word as 'exhaustipation', but it describes how I feel.

I was just too tired to even post here last night and was in bed by 8.30pm.  I was awake for two hours between 12.30am and 2.30am, so I probably should have attempted a blog post then, instead of desperately trying to get back to sleep!

We had a 60th birthday party to attend tonight and I even had a short nap on the couch before we left.

I got a late start to the Seat of Knowledge this morning and stopped on the way to see how my Tawnies were faring.

To my surprise, they are out of their nest and sitting in the tree that their Mum used to frequent .. nice and low for me to get a good shot.

The only other thing I did today, was make some home-made muesli for Adoring Husband's breakfast tomorrow .. although I couldn't find my recipe anywhere, so I just had to wing it.  It turned out ok, because AH snacked on a bowl of it when we came home tonight.

We shopped at an Organic Supermarket in Gympie on the way home from the Sunny Coast yesterday and bought all sorts of delicious goodies.   Unfortunately, our supply of nuts and seeds is now somewhat depleted, so we will have to make a trip into The Bay to restock.

I have an appointment to have my 2 yearly eye check on Monday in The Bay, so we'll restock then.   I think I'll need new glasses .. I can feel that my eyesight is weaker now.

Anyway, I'm off to bed .. another early night.  I hope I'll be much more alive and spritely tomorrow.

Nite all.

Homeward Bound

Adoring Husband is driving here tomorrow so that we can travel home together.

It has been a long time away from home and quite busy with photography and grandmothering, so I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tomorrow night, and then spending some quiet time working on the photos from the wedding last weekend.

I'll be back again in two weeks and then again two weeks after that.  I think we'll be in need of a quiet Christmas!

Chicklet and I had a little 'incident' today while we were out and about in the stroller, and her arm got quite badly pinched by a part of the stroller.

I think it was more distressing for me than her, although she did let out a pretty good squeal!  The promise of a cuddle from mama and a bandaid for her 'owie' helped calm her a little til we arrived home.

She's growing up so fast.

While The Nikonian and I were in Coffs Harbour on the weekend and exploring the resort grounds for locations to shoot the 'before' and 'after' ceremony shots, she took a few practise photos with me in frame.

Some of them were taken at just at the right distance to make me look 'acceptable' in my eyes.

... and some of them were dreadful, as were some of the shots that I took of her ... so they will never be shared with anyone and never shared on here!

 It seems that our SEB (the cockatiel) laid seven eggs!  I could only see three between the wood shavings before I left, so I'm surprised that there were seven.  None of them were fertile, so this season, at least, there will be no bubbies.

I must say that I'm relieved!

Seems I'll be having an earlier night than usual tonight!

Nite all.

Top 3

As I was washing the dishes tonight, I could see through the window that the cloud formations were looking pretty special and that an amazing sunset was on the cards.

Before I knew it, the sky began to change colour, so I grabbed my camera and an extra lens, choosing not to carry my camera bag, because it's so heavy and I knew I had to move pretty fast so as not to miss the sunset completely.

I partly power walked and shuffled a jog to get across the road to the river bank as quickly as possible!

The tide was low and on the turn, so the water was still and smooth, almost like glass.

The clouds were rippling across the sky, just as water does when you throw a pebble into it's stillness, and the colour from the setting sun was moving across the ripples and filling the sky with pinks, reds, purples and orange.

All of this was reflecting beautifully onto the still water as a pelican glided toward me, it's reflection also glistening perfectly in the colour.

A flock of birds flew above me and silhouetted against the golden light of the setting sun, and that golden light shone onto a beautiful yacht rocking gently on the still water.

As my mind tried to figure out which direction to photograph first, I tried to check what my settings were on the camera, when it didn't respond to my button pushing.

I turned it off and then on again, realising suddenly that the battery was flat and my 2 spares were in my camera bag, which was on my bed at Vegan Chickie's house.

*insert sad face here*

I almost came home in a huff, when I realised that the very least I could do, was watch it and enjoy it's beauty .. which surprisingly, is a very difficult thing to do, when bitter disappointment is surging through your veins.

Just to rub salt in the wound, it turned out to be spectacular enough to earn a place in my top 3 sunsets of all time.

It didn't matter which direction I looked, the sky, the light, the view was breath taking and I could see at least half a dozen spectacular shots going to waste.

People were pointing their little cameras and capturing this beauty, while I stood on the wet sand, my camera swinging around my neck and the spare lens in my hand, unable to do a thing.  I did get some strange looks from a couple of people.

Hopefully, my visits in the future will be filled with more sunset opportunities, just as special, or more so ... my lesson learned, is always take the camera bag ... it is full of all the resources that I need, should anything like this ever happen again!

*sigh*

Nite all.

More Pain!

Just when the pain from the weekend's marathon effort had eased, I jarred my back and shoulder while playing with Chicklet today and I'm feeling a little the worst for wear tonight.

I don't want to wait any longer to mention the wedding shoot, because I'm already forgetting so much of it.

The Nikonian is an amazing photographer, a brilliant organiser and so generous with her knowledge, skills and expertise.

I can't begin to explain how much she has taught me.  She has a freakishly absorbent brain for technical and artistic details, which she happily shares with me and it's thanks to her critique and advice, that my photography has improved so quickly since I've known her.

I am useless with technical details, but she has a way of explaining, in plain English, so that my brain accepts more than it rejects.

On the weekend for the wedding, she worked so well under pressure.

We tried so hard to be organised, with lists of all that we wanted to achieve, but the Gods worked against us ... or should I say, the hairdressers and the make-up artists and people worked against us.

With so many people coming and going from the room, it was difficult to get the detail shots on our list - we did get them all, but it wasn't easy.

The hair and make-up began at approximately 9am and lasted for 5 hours!

We were left with very little time to spend with the girls prior to the wedding, to get those special shots.

Cutting it very fine, we had only 30 minutes with the boys, pre-wedding for their special shots.

Finally, we only had one hour to get all the group shots with the Bride, the groom and the wedding party ... and such a large area to cover at the resort.

We really were under pressure, especially in the 90 minutes prior to the ceremony and the 90 minutes straight after.

Taking all of that into consideration, the number of great photos that we took is pretty darned impressive and by the time we've finished editing them and are ready to pass them onto the bride and groom, I think they will be over the moon with the results.

I won't be sharing any more photos from the wedding, until we've finished editing and processing and have passed them on to the bride and groom.

After that, you'll get to see the results of the fabulous teamwork that The Nikonian and I had together.

I'll take this opportunity to thank The Nikonian for sharing with me the experience of a lifetime.  One that has given me a whole new respect for professional wedding photographers and also provided me with valuable new skills that can only be an asset to my future photography.

Your generosity and friendship is priceless.

Please feel free to call on me again if you need assistance - it can only get easier!  Surely!

I had a great weekend.  The families were lovely, warm and welcoming.  They were so appreciative of our efforts and I never once felt like an outsider.

It was a beautiful ceremony in beautiful surroundings and the speeches during the reception were a highlight of the evening for me.

We were utterly exhausted by the end of the day, but knew we'd done well.

So that was our weekend, but the work is not over yet - hundreds of photos to scour through and edit - a lot more hours involved.

I will never question a wedding photographer's value again.

It's like having a baby .. you can never fully understand, until you experience it yourself.

Now I'm off to sleep my pain away.

Nite all

Oh the pain!

Yes, I am still in pain ... not as much pain as yesterday, however, it is still uncomfortable and I struggle to get out of a chair, or climb the stairs!!

Ugh!

I thought I was reasonably fit and I am very surprised that we are hurting so much.

Anyway, it's after midnight, so here are a couple of photos to fill some space ... the two most loved granddaughters on the planet.

Mine ...

and The Nikonian's

One of these days soon, I hope to find the time and the energy to write about the weekend and the 'wedding photography' experience.

Every photographer should experience it at least once in their lifetime.

Intense.

Nite all.

Marathon Girls

The Nikonian and I feel like we have run a marathon.

We can hardly walk due to all the walking, running, climbing, bending, carrying, moving furniture etc that we did yesterday for the wedding shoot.

So I have no mental or physical energy for writing long blog posts tonight - maybe tomorrow.

Here is one of my photos from the wedding.  The second photo that I've processed so far, and this is Lizzie, one of the beautiful bridesmaids.

She is amazing.

I am exhausted... still.

Nite all.

The Fat Lady has Sung!

It's over!

Fifteen hours of wedding photography is over.

Gym membership is a definite must to take on this kind of work.

It's absolutely exhausting!

Imagine how difficult it must be for a sole photographer without any help!

The Nikonian and I make a great team.

We both make up for what the other lacks, we understand each other, we watch out for each other and we cover each other's backs.

Having the Nikonian there, made my job so easy.  She is a wonderful organiser and knows exactly how to pose people in group situations .. especially weddings!

A sneak peek at what today was all about...

I had a fabulous time.

The family were wonderful and loving and welcoming and friendly.

With anything up to fifteen people in the penthouse apartment at a time, it was quite difficult to get all the shots that we planned, however we still managed to get a good deal of photos done in the allotted time frame.

Anyway, I will chat further about it in the coming days.

It's well after midnight and we've been at work for fifteen long, fun, but arduous hours.  Time to regenerate.

Just want to mention .. VERY happy with the outcome of today (so far).

Nite all.

Is it time to panic yet?

Making a list.  Checking it twice.  Adding to the list.  Crossing out some of the list.  Adding something else to the list.

Re-writing the list neater.

Losing the list.

Finding the list.

Taking two hours to photograph the first thing on the list and running out of time to do the other 6 things that we planned for that two hours.

Checking what we've done so far and crossing that off the list (one thing).

Realising the list is too long.

Wondering how the heck we are going to get through the list, in the very short time available tomorrow.

Thinking that we've got it all under control .. then realising that I haven't even factored in the reception yet - luckily The Nikonian has factored in everything - it's just me who has been way too calm for way too long because I only had half the information stored in the vacuum where my brain should reside.

Packing the camera gear.

Writing another list of the extra things that we have to take tomorrow.

Trying to figure out how to stop the list from running through my head all night, so that I can actually get some sleep.

Wondering how The Nikonian can sleep so silently.  I can't even hear her breathing!  Should give her a kick, just to make sure she is alive!

Thinking .. we are among friends.  It will all work out on the day.  It will be fun.  The bride, groom, friends and family will be very happy with our work and at the end of the day, we will give each other a high five and enjoy a couple of vinos to celebrate.

Wish us luck!

Nite all

Coff Coff

Here we are in Coffs Harbour, after travelling through so many roadworks!!

Didn't even recognise the place!

Surprisingly, we are staying in the same resort (Pacific Bay Resort) where Adoring Husband and I stayed, the last time we were in Coffs Harbour.

The Nikonian and I spent the afternoon walking around the resort, which has a 9 hole, par 3 golf course on offer, so the grounds are nicely manicured.

There are lots of places to get all kinds of shots, so we should do ok on the day.

We met up with the bride and groom for a drink this afternoon and they are a lovely couple.

I also met The Nikonian's oldest son, his wife and little grand daughter "Buggy", who is as cute as a button with the most amazing eyes.

So now I've met all of her kids (who are actually adults, not kids lol) and they really are the nicest, friendly and most down to earth family.

They all have some of their mother's charm, which is pretty special.  This is The Nikonian and her little Buggy, doing what they both love to do best .. read books.

Now I need to get some sleep.

Looking forward to another fun filled and exhausting day tomorrow.

Nite all.

Parasauralophus

A morning stroll to the local shopping centre brought with it, the addition of four new dinosaurs to the Chicklet household.

One of them, we had to research, because none of us knew it's name.

PARASAURALOPHUS:

Parasaurolophus is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur that lived in what is now North America during the Late Cretaceous Period, about 76.5–73 million years ago. It was a herbivore that walked both as a biped and a quadruped.

If you google it, you will see a picture.

It was easy to say goodbye to my lovely family this morning, knowing that I would be back in a few days.

Vegan Chickie and Chicklet walked me to The Nikonian's car and Chicklet was in a giggly mood when we said goodbye.  Apparently it didn't take long, after she returned home, to fall asleep in the oddest of places - her makeshift cave, under the dining table!

After a bit of shoe shopping, The Nikonian and I had lunch at Thomas Corner Eatery - Smoked Atlantic Salmon Salad, which was very light and very delicious.

We've spent the afternoon discussing the upcoming wedding shoot and generally being a bit silly.

Now we are in bed for an early night, so that we can head off bright and early in the morning.  

The drive will take about 6 hours.

It's going to be FUN!

So this is yet another short post, because I'm off to sleep.

Nite all. 

Day 365 in a Year of my Life

This is it!  The final day of "A year in my life".

What better way to celebrate it than to share some photos of my precious little possum?  I know you've been waiting for them!

We had a great day today!

This morning we walked to the supermarket and bought all the ingredients for chicken and roast veggie soup, and some flowers for Mama .. oh and a Mickey Mouse doll.

Then we came home and cooked the soup together.

Then Chicklet went down for a nap and Vegan Chickie and the Bare-chested Chef had some quality time together and enjoyed a movie at the cinema.

After Chicklet woke up, after a very long nap, we had a picnic in the lounge room and ate nuts and grapes and strawberries and Sakata crackers.

We cut up a sheet of baking paper into tiny little pieces and then threw them in the air and watched them flutter to the ground like birds, for about an hour!

We played with Mickey Mouse and made a swing out of wool and a pom pom, for Mickey to swing on.

Mama and Dadoo came home with a surprise present .. Peppa Pig!  How very exciting!  So the pieces of paper then became mud puddles for Peppa Pig and Mickey Mouse to jump in, for another hour.

Of course the chicken soup was for dinner and went down a treat.

Now, everyone is in bed and there are storms all about with lightning and crashing thunder and rain and winds.  I think the worst is over, but it was pretty noisy there for a while.

So it's been a full day.

The best news is that I'm not half as exhausted as I usually am on day two of my visit, so I'm thinking that my changed eating habits and small weight loss has contributed to improving my energy levels.   I'm also sleeping better and I imagine that helps too.

That makes me very happy!

Tomorrow I am off for the next leg of my break.  Excited!

Today I'm grateful for an amazing time with Chicklet.  There simply are no words.

Nite all.

Day 364 in a Year of my Life

There are simply no words to express the joy and love that exploded from my heart when my train pulled up at the railway station this morning.

I was standing in the doorway of my carriage waiting for the train to stop.  I was in the very last carriage of the train, so I was going to have to disembark at the far end of the station.

As it slowly pulled up to a stop, there before me, squatting on the platform with Chicklet standing in front of him, was The Bare-chested Chef.

The door to my carriage was in perfect alignment with the two of them.

As the door opened and Chicklet saw me standing there, the biggest brightest smile lit up her face!

Oh the joyous pain of overwhelming love!  It took all of my will to hold my emotions together.

Such a precious moment in time that I will remember clearly forever.

I have tears welling as I type these words.

She looked at me and said "Hullo Bozzy Wozzy.  Is that the train where you live?"

The Bare-chested Chef took my luggage and I took Chicklet's warm little hand in mine and we walked to the car together.

In the car on the drive home, I kept looking at her via the mirror on the back of the sun visor and every so often, I would lift my sunglasses up so that she could see my eyes and I would smile at her.  Her face would light up with the brightest little smile.

She kept asking "What's in your suitcase Bozzy Wozzy?" knowing full well that there would be a surprise in it for her!

Later in the day, we were sitting on the couch together and she was eating strawberries, and she just started chatting out of the blue.

"Dinosaurs that eat plants and trees are herbivores but if they eat dead meat, they are carnivores."

You just never know what she's going to come out with next.

So today, I've been an elephant and a skunk and we've done a few laps of the lounge room.  We've played with the cars on the play mat and we've balanced dinosaurs around the edge of a box, hung rubber snakes over the handle bar of her trampoline, checked out the sensory box and read a book.

Tomorrow will be a big day while Mama and Dadoo go to the movies.

I think we'll make some chicken and vegetable soup together.

There will definitely be photos tomorrow!

Today I'm grateful for warm and delicious family love.  Feelin' it.

Nite all.

Day 363 in a Year of my Life

I spent a solitary morning watching "An Affair to Remember", a movie made three years before I was even born!  A classic.

Thoroughly enjoyed it.  I love old movies.  Thanks to Lady Lynn for loaning me her favourite movie.

Now to find a copy of Waterloo Bridge.

The rest of my day was spent washing, ironing, packing, cleaning, cooking and checking all of my camera gear, so that I can leave for my eleven day sojourn in the Sunny Coast and Coffs Harbour tomorrow.

I get to see my little Chicklet!!!  Squeeeeeeeee!!!!

Stay tuned for new updated photos!

Today, I'm grateful to be pretty well organised with my packing and preparations.  Stress levels, low.  Procrastination level, a touch below average.  All batteries charged and checklist complete.

Nite all.