End of Financial Year

STRANGE ADVICE FROM A GRANDMOTHER THAT WILL HEAL YOU FASTER THAN THERAPY:

HEAL YOUR BODY 🌿

1. Stop drinking. Even "just socially." Alcohol is a trauma response in a bottle. What you're numbing deserves to be felt, not dissolved.

2. Move your body every single day. Not to look better. Because your nervous system is storing every emotion you refuse to process. Move to release, not to perform.

3. Sleep in complete darkness. Buy blackout curtains. Your brain heals most between 10 PM and 2 AM. Most people miss the entire window scrolling.

4. Eat one hot meal a day you cooked yourself. Not for health trends. Because preparing your own food is the oldest act of self-love humans have forgotten.

5. Go outside within 10 minutes of waking. Let sunlight hit your eyes before a screen does. This one habit resets your cortisol, mood, and energy without a single supplement.

6. Touch grass. Literally. Walk barefoot on earth for 10 minutes. It's how humans regulated their nervous system before concrete covered everything.

HEAL YOUR MIND 🧠

7. Stop explaining yourself to people who have already decided who you are. Spend your energy on people still curious about you.

8. Write the letter you'll never send. To the person who hurt you. To the version of you who didn't know better. Writing it is the release. Sending it is optional.

9. Learn the difference between a feeling and a fact. "I feel worthless" is a feeling, not your identity. Name it and it loses its power.

10. Spend 30 minutes in complete silence every day. Not meditation. Not journaling. Just sitting. Your thoughts will surface. Let them. You can't heal what you keep interrupting.

11. Stop googling your symptoms. Medical anxiety is a spiral disguised as responsibility. Call a doctor or don't. But stop feeding the worst-case machine.

12. Read one page of something wise every morning. Not Instagram quotes. An actual book. Your brain takes the shape of what you pour into it consistently.

HEAL YOUR RELATIONSHIPS 🖤

13. Have one honest conversation you've been avoiding. The unexpressed truth is why you feel stuck. Say the thing. Gently. Clearly. Without editing yourself into silence.

14. Stop waiting for apologies that are never coming. Waiting for them is giving them continued power over your present.

15. Spend less time with people who consistently make you feel small after you leave. This isn't being difficult. This is protecting your emotional immune system.

16. Text someone you've been thinking about but haven't reached out to. That impulse exists for a reason. Act on it today.

17. Let yourself be helped. You've been so self-sufficient for so long that you've forgotten receiving is also an act of connection. Let people in. It makes you human, not weak.

18. Forgive someone. Not for them, but to free yourself from the weight of carrying the anger.

HEAL YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOURSELF 💫

19. Stop using the word "lazy" to describe yourself. Laziness is almost never the real issue. It's usually depletion, fear, or disconnection from meaning. Name what's actually happening.

20. Make one decision every day that your future self would be proud of. Just one. Small right decisions are how character is built.

21. Celebrate something small every single day. "I drank water today." "I went outside." Small wins compound into self-respect.

22. Stop abandoning yourself when things get hard. The version of you that quits during difficulty is a habit, not a personality. You can build a different response.

23. Write down three things you did right today before you sleep. Not gratitude. Acknowledgment. Your brain needs evidence that you're capable. Give it some.

24. Dress for the person you're becoming, not the one you're hiding from. Even if no one sees you today. Especially if no one sees you today.

25. Ask yourself once a week: "Am I becoming someone I respect?" If the answer is no, that's not failure. That's information.

26. Stop outsourcing your self-worth to other people's opinions.

27. Learn to apologize without making it about you.

28. Say I love you more. To people who deserve it. To yourself in the mirror even when it feels ridiculous.

29. Grieve what didn't work out. Give it a proper mourning. Then let it go.

30. Decide you deserve a good life. Not someday. Now.

I woke quite late (8.15am) and as usual, I rose late (10am) and took Harley straight out to play for about 30 minutes.

My trike was calling to me, so I made myself presentable and took to the streets. Bought myself a coffee and rode to the beach where I sat on a bench seat in the warm sun and watched the world go by …

As you can see, the tide was at its lowest.

When I’d had enough sitting and enough riding, I bought Adoring Husband some hot chips for lunch and as I headed home, I met an 81 year old lady by the name of Lucy. She was riding a red mobility cart and was taking one of her dogs for a walk. She was up for a chat so by the time I arrived home, the hot chips were not quite so hot!

AH was still appreciative.

For dinner tonight, I reheated some lamb and rice out of the freezer for AH. BGWLBH received beef sausages in onion gravy, with boiled potato and Asian salad.

I’ve been taking the USNEA that I purchased from the witches markets on Sunday. I can feel it easing my gut issues, but let me tell you, it tastes disgusting!!!

Ugh 😩 

I can’t wait for this woman to start her herbal classes so that I can learn how to create her concoctions.

Now I’m going to fall asleep to the sound of tennis. Yay! Wimbledon has begun!

Nite all.

We Profited

Saturday’s Art and Craft Expo was a fabulous success!

We had prime position with two tables jutting out from a corner, which meant there was lots of room for people to stop without bottlenecking and blocking the flow of the crowds.

I sold these …

As well as 4 pairs of earrings.

BGWLBH sold two pieces of art, a heap of cards, book marks and painted rocks.

The people who booked the table beside us, didn’t turn up, so the organisers offered it to us and luckily, BGWLBH had a stack of extra art pieces to fill that table. The organisers were very appreciative because an empty table in the middle of everything looks bad.

We had a great day with lots of friendly, happy, positive interactions, as well as great catch ups with locals, old friends and old customers of my shop.

The final hour of the day went very slowly because the customers dwindled away prior to that. It was agreed that next year the Expo would be open from 8.30am - 1pm instead of 2pm.

So we were very excited to finish with a good profit each and to have our egos massaged by people who loved our art enough to spend their money!

By the time we packed up at the hall, unpacked at home, made an early ‘fend for yourself’ meal, we were exhausted and all in bed before 6pm!

THEN we were up at 6am this morning to head into the Bay for the “Witches Market”.

What we didn’t realise, was that it didn’t even start until 9.30am! Note to self - read the information thoroughly before making plans!

It was a chilly, but beautiful morning and we found a little cafe on the esplanade to kill time with breakfast. BGWLBH had bacon and eggs with a pot of tea and I ordered a fresh pineapple and orange juice.

It was still too early, so we found a lovely spot to sit for 20 minutes …

The Witches Market was great.

I could easily have spent $1000 but I restrained my spending somewhat.

I purchased some Moringa tincture, USNEA tincture, home made Apple Cider Vinegar (with the mother), some gifts for my kids and grandkids and a Shungite necklace for myself. Oh and a slate coaster with a skeleton engraved and the words “Yes, but did you die?” for Adoring Husband.

The reason for this gift is because he is ALWAYS injuring himself and sometimes very badly, but never to the point of death (obviously).

We were home, and once again feeling exhausted, by 1pm.

I made some lunch and headed straight to bed where I watched an episode of the new Jet Lag series and then napped for an hour.

Luckily, it is ‘Spaghetti Sunday” so dinner was quick and easy.

Straight back to bed and now I’m ready to sleep again.

Nite all.

A Bit of Productivity

I’ve had a decently productive day.

I slid out of bed at 9.45am, washed my hair, took Harley out to play and then sorted through my art for tomorrow’s art/craft expo.

These are some of the pieces that I will attempt to sell…

There are another 5 or 6.

I made two more bracelets …

I spent two hours with The Gypsy.

I packed up all the goodies to take to the expo and we piled it into the cars.

I’m feeling very weary now.

Time to sleep.

Nite all.

Midweek Meander

A week ago, I made a date for this morning (Thursday) with my art girls.

On Wednesday, I made plans with The Gypsy to spend a couple of hours with her on Thursday morning from around 9am.

BUT THEN I REMEMBERED … It’s Thursday morning! I already have a date at the Lions Park with the art girls!

Until I don’t!

I set my alarm for 7am because I wanted time to play with Harley before I left, but by the time I climbed out of bed (7.45am), had a shower, figured out what to wear on this cool morning, selected my jewellery, put on my make up and gathered everything I needed to take, it was 8.45am.

On the way to the park, I had to drop some newspaper and some sunlight soap off at The Gypsy’s address, but Adoring Husband didn’t fulfill my request to get newspapers from the shop this morning, so I had to hightail it to the shops first, come all the way back to The Gypsy and then go all the way back to the park - in less than 15 minutes.

It was a stretch. Thanks AH.

Before I even left home, one of the art girls advised that she wouldn’t be attending.

Within 30 minutes, another withdrew.

I asked the other two if they were coming. One didn’t respond, but The Stylish One suggested that we all gather NEXT week on Thursday.

So I’d cancelled a visit with The Gypsy for a nonexistent visit with my art girls.

I purchased a coffee from the shops and found a comfortable seat by the river to sit and enjoy this blustery Winter morning. I was harassed by two magpies, a noisy mynah and two bin chickens until they realised that I had no food and then they deserted me.

At 10.30am I rode back home to say goodbye to AH as he headed off to golf.

BGWLBH was at work.

I sat in silence, in my bedroom, with Harley, for 3 hours.

No devices.

No TV.

Just me and my thoughts.

It was divine.

Those three hours passed surprisingly fast and before I knew it, BGWLBH was home.

For dinner, I made stuffed chicken thigh rollups with boiled, then baked butter potatoes and steamed beans, carrots and snow peas. 

The plates were scraped clean.

It’s now after 9pm and I have football, golf and Wimbledon qualifying tennis to fall asleep to.

Nite all.

Nothing Changed

For the first time in 2 yrs, I ordered grilled fish and chips from our local takeaway. 

Nothing has changed.

The fish (cod) was small and over cooked. The chips had the potential to be amazing, but they were so dry, I needed tomato sauce to be able to swallow them.

I won’t go there again.

It was another late start for me this morning. I didn’t even wake up until 8.30am, rolled out of bed at 10am, had a shower, played with Harley for 30 minutes and took myself for a short ride.

Adoring Husband wanted fish and chips for lunch, BGWLBH had a request from the supermarket and I needed some feta cheese for dinner and some Double Sarsaparilla.

I was only gone for 45 minutes, but I did enjoy my ride. I dropped a Grandma cup into The Motivator’s house. She was out, but her other half was at home to accept it.

I love my trike.

The man who owns the takeaway shop even admired it today and enquired how I felt about it.

After I arrived home, I watched an enjoyable fluffy Netflix movie.

Dinner was crumbed chicken from my freezer stash, garden salad and a baked sweet potato with creamed feta, avocado, pine nuts and a honey, lemon, cranberry, chilly drizzle sauce.

It must have been well received because the plates were left bare.

I came straight to bed after dinner.

Feeling a touch weary.

Nite all.