Oot’n’aboot

I rose earlier than usual, 7.30am, showered, washed my hair, dressed, applied make up, took Harley out to play and then decided to go for a ride. Out and about.

I packed my bag and my water bottle into the trike basket and rode to the river, along the path to the shops where I did a small shop and also purchased a coffee, which I took to the beach and sat on a bench seat for over an hour enjoying the morning.

The tide was on its way out and the sunshine was glistening on the water, people were walking their dogs, fishing and tossing bait nets. It was another perfectly glorious Spring day.

After I got tired of the view, I hopped back on my trike and rode along the new path (it’s a few yrs old but still known as the new path) out to the Bowls Club and back home. 

Just in time to watch the quarter final of Us Open tennis between Alcaraz and Shelton. Four and a half hours later Ben Shelton was victorious and it was his first win against a top 3 player.

It was a great match and a perfect way to spend an afternoon.

I reheated the chicken and vegetable pastries for Adoring Husband’s dinner and made chicken soup for BGWLBH, who is feeling a little under the weather.

I had a little soup and then filled up on my leftover smoothie that I’d made earlier. Strawberries, blueberries, banana, salt, Brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, coconut ice cream and LF milk.

That was my day and I’m pretty tired - all that riding and sunshine and playing and cooking and exciting tennis!

Nite all.

Picking Fruit

I tried to make it to meditation class on time. I was sitting down at approximately the 5th word uttered from The Gypsy’s mouth. I walked into the hall before she started talking. Technically, I didn’t quite make it, but I was close.

My reason for being so marginally late, was because I was road blocked by the biggest kangaroo buck I have ever seen in my life! I stopped my trike some distance from him and waited for ‘something’ to either distract him or cause him to move on.

Thankfully, two cars came around the bend and he bounded into the bushes. I blame that giant roo!!!

Nonetheless, it was a great class.

Afterwards, I had 2 hours by the river with The Gypsy and it was a beautiful day again.

The tide was low, there were heaps of pelicans gliding in and landing gracefully upon the water, a few people on trikes riding in the sunshine and not too many tradies taking up all the seats in the park.

I had to be home before midday because I had booked a mulberry picking date!

On the weekend, JJJ had invited me for mulberry picking, but then disappeared from messenger so when I suggested a time, she never responded … until this morning … so we agreed on noon.

Adoring Husband drove me out there and between 4 of us, we picked 3/4 of a large Chinese container worth of ripe berries. There were much less than JJJ thought, so she felt a little disappointed for me. I was very happy with what I got, but she also gave me a dozen fresh eggs to appease her conscience.

I came home and made myself a large bowl of mulberries, banana, passionfruit, meringue and fresh whipped cream …

Delicious!

I was lucky enough to turn on the tennis and catch the last set of the Sverev match at the US Open.

Because the tennis finished earlier than planned, they aired an amazing program on ancient castles, fortresses, military strongholds, royal residences etc.

Oh the opulence, the grandeur, the enormity, the architecture, the design and my amazement at the skills of the old master builders and how some of these structures took 100 years to build!

Absolutely stunning.

I decided on GF pies with vegetables for dinner, so I chucked the pies in the oven and took Harley out for his afternoon play before making mashed potatoes, steamed snow peas, beans and carrots.

No current plans for tomorrow, so I’m considering journaling and perhaps finishing the patchwork jeans, going for a ride and enjoying a coffee by the river. All good options.

Nite all.

Partly Productive

I was awake early this morning - 5am - so I turned on the tennis.

While I watched the tennis, I started a list of everything I want to clean/do in the house - because it’s Spring.

I wrote down rooms in the house and then listed every small chore separately. That’s a LOT of chores! I thought it would seem less intimidating if I did it that way, and I could just tick off the chores as I did them.

Thing was, I felt overwhelmed before I’d even finished the list!

I need to convince myself that the world will not end if I don’t complete ALL the chores. It will be an achievement if I even get half of it done.

Just start. See what happens.

I got out of bed at 9am and played with Harley.

I emptied the slow cooker of broth, batched it and loaded it into the freezer.

I took my washing off the line, folded it and put it away.

I made myself some creamy, cheesy, prawn and mushroom crepes for brunch. They were delicious!

I sat down to watch more tennis but the ‘free to air’ signal got lost so Adoring Husband found something else to watch. That was my cue to go to my room and wait for the signal to return so that I could continue watching the tennis.

After the tennis, I watched a Netflix movie “What a Girl Wants” - an oldie but a goodie.

I made chicken and vegetable pastries with a garden salad for dinner.

I made myself a smoothie with strawberries, blueberries, banana, pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, a pinch of sea salt and a generous scoop of coconut dairy free ice cream. I used lactose free milk. That was my dinner and it was deliciously filling!

I did not do one single thing on my Spring cleaning list.

Tomorrow is meditation day and catch up with The Gypsy, followed by some fresh mulberry picking! 

Time to sleep.

Nite all.

Lazy For All

None of us could be arsed to do anything productive today.

BGWLBH and I each did a load of washing, sat under the Bali hut reading, drinking coffee (thanks to Adoring Husband) and playing with Harley.

I set up the new slow cooker with a big batch of chicken bone broth which is still cooking right now.

Most of my day was spent watching tennis, followed by the football.

Easy ‘spaghetti Sunday’ for dinner.

Sunday done and dusted.

Nothing planned for tomorrow and I’m hoping that I can sleep soundly all night - there is no tennis capturing my attention tonight so I shall turn off the TV and my room will remain in darkness until the sun rises.

Nite all.

We Love Marketing

What a lovely morning we had at the Howard markets! 

We left home around 6.50am and arrived at 7.10am immediately finding a rock star car park.

More than 200 stalls, apparently!

Today I purchased a coffee, a Christmas present for BGWLBH, a bracelet, 3 cap sleeved t-shirts, a cotton top, some borax capsules (for human consumption), some zeolite capsules, a soap, a lemongrass drawer deodoriser, a jade facial roller, magnesium spray, dog treats for Harley, GF pita breads and GF hamburger buns. I think that’s all.

We had good chats with some stall holders and were in the car heading home at 8.50am.

We dropped off all our goodies, wrote a note for Adoring Husband who was out on his coffee date, gave Harley one of his new treats and headed into the Bay.

We stopped at Arkarra Tea Gardens for breakfast where we share food with the bird life. The magpies and blue cheeked honey eaters are very friendly but we shoo the bin chickens away because they are big and cumbersome and clumsy! They have a habit of breaking crockery!

We did a grocery shop, a butcher shop, Choice and fresh juice. Just those few shops seemed to take forever, with long slow queues that had us waiting and waiting and waiting! Lucky we weren’t in a hurry to be anywhere!

Home before 2pm.

Unpacked the groceries, got changed into slobberdog clothes, took a hamburger patty out of the freezer for my ‘fend for yourself’ dinner - I wanted to try one of the new GF hamburger buns, hung out some washing and took Harley out to play.

I waited for AH and BGWLBH to make their chicken burgers and BLT so that I could make my hamburger with the lot.

Patty, onion, cheese, tomato, beetroot, lettuce, pineapple, bacon and runny egg. Of course it was too big to wrap my mouth and weak teeth around, so I used a knife and fork. Not quite as messy or as enjoyable, but it was still delicious.

Three games of footy this afternoon. I’m in bed watching the Sharks vs Storm game and the score is 18 all.

I have to set my alarm for 3am to watch the last Aussie standing at US Open tennis, Dane Sweeny, play the 21st seed Luciano Darderi. Dane has a good chance, but it depends on how his nerves hold out. 

Time for me to get comfy under the covers now.

Nite all.