It's a Fine Art

Yes, that procrastination thing again .. it's a fine art that I have honed to perfection.

Surely there is a way to make it an asset or a money maker or something more positive than just for avoiding study or housework!

I spent more than 2 hours sitting at the cafe with coffee this morning.

I had five different people sit at my table for a chat and I spent some time chatting online with The Nikonian. It was a really pleasant way to spend the morning. I have my favourite table, which is fast becoming known as my office .. as suggested by some people who see me there almost every day!

It's a great source of comfort for me to have that familiarity with people and the friendly contact every day, even if it's just a happy 'good morning' or a smile and a nod.

Adoring Husband spent the day selling Christmas cakes to raise money for the SES, but came home for lunch, so after I cooked quite a delicious meal and he left for the second half of the day, I spent some time going through some old photos and checking my study site, to make sure I wasn't missing anything while I procrastinate.

I got a phone call from the 'Sex Therapist' (just to be clear, not a REAL sex therapist, just someone who got carried away with talking about sex at a party once, so we gave her that nickname) who I haven't seen or spoken to for a few months, so that was nice and we'll be catching up in person soon.

Tomorrow, I need to phone Vegan Chickie .. I feel like it's been 'forever' since we talked on the phone, or had any contact at all! It's definitely time for a visit at the end of this month.

Here is my best effort for the day ..

Happy Sunday everybody.

Nite all.

Simple Vision

I have spent most of my day creating my vision board.

I have had most of the pictures for well over a year and I bought the board about 6 months ago, but being the expert procrastinator that I am, it has all been sitting and gathering dust.

For some unknown reason, my brain chose today to create the masterpiece .. probably as a way of avoiding study, because that was my first thought when I woke this morning.

My visions for my future are pretty simple.

Elle Macpherson in the bottom right corner represents me ... because until I see myself in the mirror, that is how my imagination creates my image. I also have admiration for her achievements in both her chosen career and for her business decisions.

The other two females who I chose to share my board, Taylor Swift and Julia Gillard, are also strong women who I admire greatly and who have worked damned hard to get to where they are in their chosen fields and continually fight battles to stay strong and stay on top. A reminder to not rely on luck for any successes that I strive for.

These three women are not my idols, but I do admire them for the strengths that they not only possess but seem to use wisely.

The car represents my wish to some day get my driver's licence .. in my own time .. and not when other people think it's time.

The lap pool .. because everybody knows that one day, I plan on having one in my yard!

The lady in the top right is twice my age, still living at home and healthy as an ox .. I would like to reach that milestone and be as fit, healthy and alert as she is. This would mean that I am only halfway through my life! Perhaps my vision board needs to be extended!

Special mention about the love I have for Adoring Husband, my family and my friendships.

My hopes and plans for continued financial fitness and security.

Also special mention for my health, environmental health, organics, nutrition, fresh fruit n veg and positivity.

All of those smiles winding down the right hand side of the board to convince myself that one day I will be brave enough to visit a dentist and fix my teeth so that I can keep on smiling.

So you see, I don't ask much. There are still a few little gaps in there that I need to fill. All in good time.

It's now hanging on the wall where I will see it every day and seeds of creation will germinate and grow.

Here is the link to last night's episode of Catalyst on the ABC. Well worth watching.

I'm off to get ready .. raffle night at the club awaits.

Nite all.



 

Blah

That's how I have been feeling all day today.

I was awake most of last night with what felt like food poisoning, but Adoring Husband and I ate the same food for the last two days and he has been fine, so I'm not sure.

It's been a while since I spent the night with a bucket and a toilet bowl and I hope it will be a long time til that happens again!

So my food intake has been limited today and I've kept my fluids up and had a long nap this morning trying to catch up on some sleep. A good night's sleep tonight should have me back to normal tomorrow.

Meanwhile, I played with one of my bug photos this afternoon ...

Definitely need to get out with my macro lens and search out some more bugs!

Thank you Judi for your advice for pork crackle and pork belly .. I will put it to the test next time for sure!

Now I have a couple of hours of reality TV to watch, so I'm reclining in my chair and having a relaxing evening with Adoring Husband at SES training.

Nite all.

A Day of Nothing

I attempted, for I believe the fifth time, to cook a crispy skinned pork belly for lunch today.

I am yet to succeed in this area. The same with roast pork. I simply cannot get the crunchy crackling right.

I've tried various recipes without success. I scour the skin. I dry the skin. I rub the salt. I cook it on high for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat for 2 hours. In the first 30 minutes, it looks promising, but then nothing happens.

So if anybody out there has a good fool proof recipe that they want to share with lil ol me .. please feel free .. I would be most appreciative.

I did baked veggies with it .. kipfler potatoes (yes I know they are not paleo), pumpkin, carrot and sweet potato. Then blanced greens. Asparagus, broccoli and beans blanched in water, lime and butter.

My belly was so full, I felt like a big fat pussycat all afternoon and just wanted to curl up in a corner and purr myself to sleep!

Tonight, for a light dinner, I rolled out some GF bread with a rolling pin until is was very thin and very flat, scraped a thin layer of butter on them and then lined a muffin tray with them (butter side down), added some baby spinach to the base and then filled them with a mixture of leftover chopped silverside, tomato, onion, mushroom and egg. Added a thin slice of cheese on top and baked them in the oven for 30 minutes on high.

That was our nice light dinner.

I've taken lots of photos of bugs and bees today, attempting to get a photo for this month's flickr challenge "A Bug's Life", but they are all still on camera. I will share them eventually.

I am also still procrastinating with studying and with reading my book about procrastination.

There is no hope for me.

Nite all.

 

Vitamin D

I was very concerned today when there was a news item on television about the great Australian cricket player and commentator of international cricket, Richie Benaud, and his battle with skin cancer.

His advice was for everyone to 'stay out of the sun'!

The reason he has skin cancer is because he played cricket for probably more than 20 years without a hat. This means that for every test match, he stood in the sun for about 7 hours a day when the team was fielding, and depending on how well he was batting, for a few hours when the team was batting.

He played cricket before sunscreen was invented and he NEVER wore a hat.

Taking all of that into consideration .. a good recipe for disaster.

Of all the advice that I would give to anyone who wants to stay healthy or get healthy by any natural means necessary, vitamin D from sunshine would be in my top three pieces of advice.

Firstly, one of the most preeminent Vitamin D researchers in the world today has identified that vitamin D helps produce the antimicrobial peptides that protect against the flu. This is why people are more prone to the flu in winter when Vitamin D producing sunshine is minimal or nonexistent at some latitudes, or people are too bundled up to get enough skin exposed in the first place.

Supporting Dr. Cannell’s suggestion that vitamin D deficiency is why people get the flu, a study published in the journal Nature Immunology further explains how vitamin D protects us by properly activating T cells, an important part of the immune system.

Bear with me for a moment:

“When a T cell is exposed to a foreign pathogen, it extends a signaling device or ‘antenna’ known as a vitamin D receptor, with which it searches for vitamin D.

This means the T cell must have vitamin D or activation of the cell will stop. If the T cells can't find enough vitamin D in the blood, they won’t even begin to mobilize.”

Vitamin D levels have plummeted for every single age, race, and ethnic group over the past two decades.

Vitamin D deficiency can lurk unnoticed until it is too late and you are already sick. The problem is that it takes time, usually several weeks, to raise vitamin D levels, so taking supplements when you're already sick is not going to help.

Here are 10 signs that vitamin D is probably already a serious deficiency that needs to be addressed immediately.

(The best whole food based supplement to bring vitamin D levels into optimal range without the danger of overdosing (like with prescription vitamin D drops) is fermented cod liver oil.)

1. Chronic Pain

Bone pain and chronic pain in general is a subtle symptom of serious vitamin D deficiency. Get your vitamin D levels checked and address the problem.

(A study conducted by Greg Plotnikoff, MD, senior consultant with the Allina Center for Health Care Innovations, makes the point. 150 people living in Minneapolis who came to a health clinic complaining of chronic pain were tested for vitamin D levels. Virtually every single one, 93%, suffered from extremely low vitamin D. “The group with the lowest levels of vitamin D were white women of childbearing age,” Plotnikoff says.)

2. Muscle Weakness

Something that people don’t realise is that most muscle weakness issues are related to low vitamin D levels. The National Institute of Health reports that a person suffering from a vitamin D deficiency will have trouble with proper muscle function.

3. Psoriasis

This is a common skin issue and is an autoimmune disorder that can be vitamin D related. Good doses of pure sunshine or Cod Liver Oil will, at the very least, ease this condition.

4. Constant Fatigue

Vitamin D is necessary for the body to produce energy. If you are constantly tired or struggling to get going in the morning, get your vitamin D levels checked or just start getting regular/daily doses of sunshine.

5. Depression

Feelings of hopelessness can be related to simple nutritional deficiencies. Vitamin D is critical for the brain to produce the happy hormone seratonin. Some people only suffer from depression during winter months, known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which is caused by lack of sun exposure and hence vitamin D during this time of year.

6. Sweaty Head

This is probably the weirdest symptom of vitamin D deficiency. Back in the 'olden days', doctors used to ask new mothers if their heads were sweatier than normal, to pinpoint a probable vitamin D deficiency. A sweaty head is also a subclinical symptom of rickets, possibly the most prominent and dangerous form of vitamin D deficiency in children.

7. Constant Respiratory Problems

This warning symptom is related to flu as a vitamin D deficiency disease. If low vitamin D puts people at risk for flu, it stands to reason they would be at risk for other respiratory problems too. Studies have demonstrated that vitamin D protects against respiratory illness, particularly in children.

8. Hypertension and/or Cardiovascular Disease

The Vitamin D Council recommends adequate vitamin D levels in order to avoid this silent, symptomless killer which afflicts 4 in 10 people worldwide.

The American National Institute of Health has identified vitamin D deficiency as a risk factor which can lead to congestive heart failure.

9. Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease is a growing health concern and a primary and powerful predictor for premature cardiovascular disease.

Not surprisingly, given that cardiovascular disease itself indicates a likely vitamin D deficit, research indicates that those that suffer from chronic kidney disease are also vitamin D deficient.

10. You are an Infection Magnet

If you suffer from one infection after another, it would be wise to get your vitamin D levels checked as soon as possible. As I mentioned, T cells, which are an important part of the immune system, are properly activated by vitamin D. So, if levels are low or even undetectable, adequate and effective immune response to any infection in the body will be severely hampered.

I know that's a lot to take in, and some of you probably just skimmed over the top or skipped the whole thing, but you really need to know that VITAMIN D IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT FOR GOOD PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH.

Don't stay out of the sun. It's the worst thing you can do.

I just wanted to mention that I went to bed at 7.30 last night! I woke up thinking that it was about midnight, but when I checked my phone, it was 8.30!!!! It didn't matter because I fell straight back to sleep and didn't wake up until 6.30 this morning. I must have really needed that sleep!

I feel good for it today.

Nite all.

It Caught Me!

So I think exhaustion has caught up to me today. I thought I was exhausted on Saturday night and took Sunday to recuperate, but I felt a lot more lethargic and unmotivated today.

All I've done today, apart from my normal morning routine, is some cooking and two loads of washing.

So, I share this with you before I head off to bed for an incredibly early night.

Nite all.

Procrastinating with Rest

Today, I posted this in facebook ...

"PROCRASTINATION comes from the Latin 'pro', which means "forward, forth or in favour of", and 'crastinus', which means "of tomorrow".

I should be either, doing housework OR studying, however, I am procrastinating by reading a book about 'PROCRASTINATION".

I thought of procrastinating about reading the book on procrastination, but everything I need to do is already on my procrastination list.

By the end of the day, I hope to have finished the book and have the new title of 'go-getter' and 'winner'

PS This is me procrastinating instead of reading the book about procrastination."

Nobody asked me the name of the book, but plenty of people could relate to my dilemma, because it seems we all procrastinate .. some do it more than others and some, like me, are so bad, that it has a huge effect on their lives.

I'm hoping this book will help me overcome this problem and change my life in a positive way ... if only I could stop procrastinating and sit down and read it from cover to cover!!

*****

Here is a short excerpt from the book ...

University students are the biggest procrastinators of all and often miss deadlines for essays and assignments.

Their most infamous excuse for missing deadlines is to claim the death of a grandparent. Mortality of grandparents increases several hundredfold during final exams, a statistic that, if taken seriously, suggests that seeing the grandkids being tested is extremely stressful for the elderly!

*****

Anyway, today was a day of rest for me. After such a big day on Saturday, I needed to kick back and take it easy. Lucky for me, my life allows me to do that.

So after our ride down to the Seat of Knowledge and coffee at the 'local' while reading the Sunday papers, Adoring Husband and I came home and I went straight to the bedroom to continue reading my book about 'Procrastination'.

After about an hour, I cooked our lunch, which was Snapper and eggs, poached in chilli, lemon and coconut milk with kale, then sprinkled with coriander, chives and toasted pine nuts. It was something that I made up on the spur of the moment because I had absolutely nothing planned for lunch, but AH loved it and wanted seconds .. unfortunately, there wasn't any seconds left!

Back to the bedroom for some more reading, but I lasted about 30 minutes and then napped for about an hour.

Even though I planned on finishing the book on procrastination, I decided to procrastinate and do some cooking in the kitchen instead. As you do! 

I made some chocolate/hazelnut fudge and some chocolate seedy bliss balls, both of which are very very rich, so they can only be eaten in moderation, which is a good thing for AH, who likes to eat everything to excess! They are incredibly healthy, so it really doesn't matter if he wishes to eat these to excess.

So that was my day. I did get photos of the Tawny chicks out of the nest, but they are still in camera, so I'll share them some time during the week .. unless I procrastinate too much .. but you'll see them eventually!

Nite all.

  

Exhaustion Sets In

We set our alarms for 4am, arrived in Maryborough at 5.30am and were on the train to Brisvegas at 6am.

Luckily, the train was running right on time because the appointment with Professor Silburn was for 10.30am, which gave us 40 minutes to labour our way up the numerous steps and the steep hills to get to his room on time.

Thirty minutes later, we were back out on the streets looking for somewhere to get a coffee and something to eat.

Adoring Husband asked 'Siri' on his iphone to find us some gluten free food nearby and it just so happened that the restaurant directly across the road from where were standing, was about to open for drinks and snacks!

It was a great restaurant attached to a bar, with an outdoor area to eat and drink. There was a cool breeze blowing and the outdoor area overlooked the Roma Street Parklands, there was relaxing music playing in the background, the coffee was 'to die for' and the food was fresh and delicious. The service was friendly and the furnishings were very comfortable. Personally, I could have spent the whole afternoon there.

Once our bodies were fuelled up, we took a decent walk through the park and down a lot of stairs towards Queen Street Mall, but stopped at the Town Hall when we saw that there were markets inside. Adoring Husband bought me a beautiful resin bracelet.

We found Myers, where I tried on a billion tops but didn't buy anything.

We found the ABC shop where AH spent a gozillion dollars (ok so I exaggerate a little).

While we were in Myers we were contacted by QLD Rail to tell us that our train home would be delayed by 2 hours. It was supposed to leave at 3.45pm but now it was leaving at 5.45pm and we had to be at the station by 5pm.

So we found a pub close to the station where AH had a couple of beers and I had a glass of wine while we waited for 5pm.

At least the train (The Spirit of Queensland) left dead on 5.45pm and we had our own TV screen to choose from movies or TV shows or music videos. They took orders for dinner and we both had roast chicken and vegetables, which was delicious.

Before we reached Gympie, we could hear (over our headphones) a commotion at the end of our carriage and a female was loudly abusing rail staff. By the time we reached Gympie, we saw the police on the platform and the woman was escorted from the train .. it was not her planned destination, so she was complaining loudly about how she would get home. I have no idea what the whole thing was about or how it started, but it made the train fall another 15 minutes behind schedule.

At one stage I looked up to see a tall thin gentleman dressed in dark jeans and shirt, heavy black boots with a heel, an ankle length black coat and a leather cowboy style hat. He had shoulder length white/grey hair and a shiny badge pinned to his shirt with a name tag attached to it.

I didn't see his face and I didn't get to read the name on the tag but I'm wondering if it read 'Wyatt Earp' or something similar! He certainly had an interesting and mysterious air about him as he walked very slowly up and down the carriage a couple of times.

During the trip, we watched a Jack Black movie "Bernie" which also starred Shirley Maclaine and Matthew McConaughey. It was a strange and interesting movie that left us with a bemused frown on our faces.

We finally arrived in Maryborough at 9.45pm and pulled into our own driveway at 10.30pm.

It's been a long day and we are exhausted. It's taken an hour for us to wind down and I can hear my bed calling my name, so I'm off!

Oh and the Professor has prescribed a new and different medication for AH, so hopefully that will provide some relief. If not, we've got another appointment in 4 months to discuss other options.

Interestingly, there were 9 Neurologists in the one building!

Nite all.