Broken Sleep

I climbed into bed early last night and switched on the telly just for some background noise, only to discover that the movie 'Sleepless in Seattle' was on!

I forced myself to stay awake and watched it to the end, but fell asleep the instant it finished.

Unfortunately I was woken by a barking dog at 2.20am.  Colli was in the laundry barking, so I got up to see what she barking at.  I couldn't see anything, so I told her to get back into bed and I too, went back to bed.

Within 10 minutes she was barking again, so I got up and checked again.  Nothing.

I opened the laundry door to let her outside, so that she could either do her 'business', or satisfy herself that there was nothing to bark at anymore.

I put her back to bed and then went to do some of my own 'business' before climbing back into bed.

Of course Colli started again, so I got up and brought her into the bedroom with me.  I figured that if there was something or somebody outside, she would continue to bark in the bedroom and then I could take some kind of action, otherwise she would go to sleep and then so could I!

Well, she went to sleep alright, but by now, I was wide awake!  It was almost 4am when I finally fell asleep and then the alarm went off at 5.15am for me to go to work.  There was absolutely no way I could get out of bed, so I reset the alarm for 6am and went back to sleep.

Needless to say, I am feeling decidedly lethargic today.

I did make some poached pears for lunch ...

... and I've boiled up some organic eggshells and then put them in the oven to dry them out properly.  The next step is grinding them in the coffee grinder to make my own calcium.

I'll put it in my smoothies and in my cooking.

I have one photo to share from yesterday.  While I took all of the photos of the creatures IN the water, these butterflies were dancing OVER the water ...

I did have an hour at the Seat of Knowledge this morning and there were two turtles swimming around the boat ramp, as well as a lot of different fish.

The Captain was out on his yacht this morning and spotted a small shark in the water, chasing the smaller fish.

It's Super Saturday, so I am perched on the couch watching the football - I could quite possible doze off as last night's broken sleep catches up with me!

Nite all.    

Clean and Healthy

The Seat of Knowledge.

As you face the river, to the right of the Seat of Knowledge is a boat ramp.

To the left is a set of white timber steps (approx 12 steps to the ground).

At low tide, they lead to the sandy/rocky beach.

At high tide, they lead directly into the river, which comes about halfway up the set of steps.

This morning I sat on those steps and took these photos of the marine life.  It was better than Underwater World!

See the four cuttle fish?  Butter Bream and fish of unknown origin that look like floating sticks and leaves until you look closer!  There were 4 turtles around the boat ramp this morning.  Herrings and Mackerel and Zebra Fish.

We have lived here for almost 6 years and I have never seen so much life in this river, even at it's cleanest.  The river is cleaner and healthier than I've ever seen it.

A shark was spotted closer to the mouth of the river yesterday.  There have been a few sightings in the last couple of weeks.

Except for the sharks, I'd have given anything to grow a tail and become a mermaid so that I could slip into the water and join the other sea creatures this morning.

I was overwhelmed and my ride along the path that hugs the river was very slow and very enjoyable this morning.

Life is good.

Nite all.

Autumn Day

I love the month of March.

That fading out time.

Summer fading into Autumn.

The cooler temperatures that make for perfect sleeping weather.

The cleaner, clearer morning air that makes you breathe deeper.

The brighter and more vibrant colours of nature, that capture your attention.

The water is clearer and the wildlife is friendlier ...

... and the fish are freaking, as they are chased by the bigger fish .. mackerel, in this case...

It was a perfect morning and I almost didn't want to go home.  I could have pedalled around town for hours, soaking up the sunshine.

When I got home from my lovely morning, I made some blueberry crepes for breakfast, which were nice, but I didn't fancy the blueberries.  Apples next time I think.

Then it was time for some study, some housework, some more study, some facebook time, some more study and then I crumbed some fish for dinner and drenched it in lime juice - delicious with a side salad of baby spinach, cucumber and watermelon.

Chocolate muffin with strawberries and cream for dessert.

The day couldn't be much better.

An early night tonight I think, so that I can get an early start to another glorious morning tomorrow.

Nite all.

Leaky Boat

Nah, this is not about leaky boats.

It's about 'leaky gut'.

The 'gut' is the key to good health. If your gut is healthy, chances are that you are in good health, but there’s a condition called 'leaky gut'.

When your gut is leaky, things like toxins, microbes, undigested food particles, and other yukky stuff can escape from your intestines and travel throughout your body via your bloodstream.  Your immune system marks these “foreign invaders” as pathogens and attacks them and THAT can lead to all kinds of health problems like ...

• Digestive issues such as bloating, diarrhoea and Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
• Seasonal allergies and asthma.
• Autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid conditions, lupus, psoriasis, or celiac disease.
• Diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue or Fybromyalgia.
• Mood and mental issues like anxiety, depression, ADD & ADHD.
• Skin issues like acne and eczema.
• Candida overgrowth.
• Food allergies or intolerances.

Food, infections and toxins cause leaky gut.  Gluten is the number one food that causes leaky gut.  Inflammatory and toxic foods like dairy (homogenised and pasteurised, but not raw), sugar and excess alcohol are other culprits.

The most common infectious causes are parasites and small intestine bacterial overgrowths.

Toxins that cause leaky gut come in the form of medications, including NSAIDS (like Aspirin, Naprosin, Motrin and Advil), steroids, antibiotics, and acid-reducing/heartburn drugs (both over the counter and prescription).

There are also environmental toxins like mercury, pesticides and BPA from plastics.

Stress and age also contribute to a leaky gut.

So, if you suffer from any of those conditions mentioned, it’s possible that you have a leaky gut.

To heal, you obviously need to remove the toxic and inflammatory foods from your diet, add good bacteria to help fight the bad, by using nutrients and supplements like L-glutamine, an amino acid that helps rejuvenate the lining of the gut wall, or good probiotics and my favourite ... good old fashioned home made bone broths.

See, no leaky boat :)

This is a photo, from the archives, that I took a couple of years ago at Apple Tree Creek.

I've always liked it.

I have to get up early in the morning to work, so I'd best get some sleep.

Nite all.

Let's Quote

Just because I'm feeling lazy tonight ... for your viewing pleasure ...

Nite all.

Greyish day

After a late night, I slept til about 7am and then lay in bed for over an hour, so I missed my morning time with the boys at the Seat of Knowledge.

I made some juice with the acid free pineapples that I bought at the markets yesterday.  It was VERY sweet!  I think it needs some lime juice to balance it a bit.  I still have a jug of it in the fridge ready for tomorrow morning.

I did a bit of studying and then went for a ride to check the mail and do a grocery shop .. meat and veggies.

I pedalled to the water, where I saw some Bar Tailed Godwits on the beach ...

After I got home, I made some Sushi for lunch for something different, but my goodness I made a hell of a mess in the kitchen doing it!

Once I got all that cleaned up, I made some of Adoring Husband's favourite muffins.  Chocolate Hazelnut Zucchini muffins with a chocolate ganache frosting.

They are pretty nice .. even if I do say so myself.  In fact, I might have one as soon as I finish this post!

AH and I are watching the last NRL game of the round, which is between AH's team, Cronulla Sharks and Gold Coast Titans.  The score is currently 12-12, so it's a good game!

Oh, I unexpectedly received another of my text books in the mail today .. I wasn't expecting it for at least another week.  I only need one more book for this semester and I'm all set.

So I'm off to watch the footy while eating chocolate muffins.

Nite all.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant that plays a critical role in helping the immune system, joints, and arteries heal and function properly.

The health benefits of Vitamin C:

• Vitamin C plays an important role in the health and function of the immune cells.
• White blood cells depend upon Vitamin C in order to survive and withstand the attack of pathogens and free radicals.
• Vitamin C also plays an important role as an antihistamine and reduces inflammatory conditions associated with colds, fevers, flus and allergies.
• Vitamin C plays an important role in the production of collagen, which is the major constituent in ligaments, bones, discs, tendons and skin.
• Vitamin C has been shown to improve the healing process of burns, cuts, wounds, sprains/strains and broken bones.
• Vitamin C is also extremely important for the health of eyes and many experts believe that as little as 1000mg of liposomal Vitamin C, daily, may stop cataracts altogether.

This is just the tip of the ice berg.  

There is so much more information about Vitamin C and how it can be used to fight cancers and heart disease, and also how to find the best way to take Vitamin C, and in what form, plus a whole lot of links to even more information, if you go here.

I have never been a big believer in Vitamin C, but the more I read about it, the more interested I am becoming.  I don't think I'll be buying the orange flavoured, sugar filled Vitamin C tablets from the supermarkets, but I'll investigate further and follow my instincts.

I'm keen to learn more and I'll share the best stuff here in the near future.

I had a big sleep in this morning .. even after going to bed almost 2 hours earlier than usual!

I woke just after 2am to use the bathroom and noticed that it was raining very heavily, but immediately went back to sleep and then didn't wake again until my alarm went off at 8.20am!

I set the alarm to remind myself of an appointment for a photo shoot, so it was lucky I did, or I may have missed it.

Adoring Husband and I enjoyed a pleasant morning with the people involved, whom we have known for a few years now, but with whom we have never spent a lot of time.  It was a nice way to start the day.

After we arrived home, we enjoyed a very late breakfast of bacon, eggs and tomato and then, with a full belly, AH spent the afternoon in the garden, mowing and whipper snipping and making our garden look like somebody lives here, instead of like the abandoned home that it was beginning to look like!

I'm looking forward to spending tomorrow morning on some solid study while AH is at the SES shed.  

There is lots to be done!

I just had to share this .. it made me laugh out loud, because I have days where I want to do this ...

Nite all