There has been a lot of time spent in the kitchen.
The last few days have been productive .. 2 coconut lemon chicken meals, 3 lamb casserole meals, 3 butter chicken meals, 40 meatballs (chicken, pork and sausage mince GF), 1 beef stroganoff meal, 15 chicken broths, a dozen beef broths and chocolate coconut ice cream.
The ice cream is tasty .. though a sugar addict probably wouldn't like it because it's not very sweet. The other weird anomaly is that even after it has set and is frozen, it just doesn't feel cold in your mouth, the way that regular ice cream does.
Anyway, I have the container in the fridge right now, so it will slowly thaw overnight and I will eat a large chunk of it tomorrow!
One of our neighbours (and friend) celebrated his 65 birthday today and had a gathering of neighbours and friends at his back garden.
I arrived very late and everybody was there already, but I had a fabulous time. I got to talk to people who I have never shared stories with and got to catch up with others who I haven't seen in a while.
I drank a whole bottle of wine to myself between 6pm - 9.45pm. One particular guest cooked 4 gluten free meals for the two of us who cannot eat gluten.
Chicken and vegetable meatballs with a GF soy sauce, mini quiches, mini pavlovas and mini chocolate cakes. It was all delicious and I felt very grateful that she went to so much trouble for us.
I was not the last to leave, but there were only a couple of poeple left when I did decide it was time to go home.
It was a lovely night and I hope to catch up with people tomorrow night for New Year's Eve as well.
Nite all.
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
First Thought
Looking back on 2015, what is your first thought? What stands out the most?
There are a few things that come to mind immediately, for me.
There are a few things that come to mind immediately, for me.
- Changing our lifestyle to paleo and feeling the positive health benefits.
- Having the best road trip EVER with BGWLBH, during which we got to visit Bubbles.
- Losing three family members, including BGWLBH's Dad.
- Doing well with my studies but withdrawing due to extenuating circumstances.
- Having two weeks with Chicklet while Vegan Chickie travelled overseas.
- Vegan Chickie being in Paris when the terrorist tragedy occurred.
- Having my teeth fixed.
- Dipping my toes into Jeunesse.
- Creating great memories with the Burrum ladies over long lunches and delightful morning teas.
- Supporting Adoring Husband in his dream to make a difference in the SES.
- Getting back into my photography.
- Being more 'arty' and 'crafty'.
- Another road trip with BGWLBH.
- Attempting to set some life goals and making plans to reach them.
- Walking along our beach more often - bare foot.
- Work harder at promoting Jeunesse.
I made this ice cream tonight, but it's currently freezing, so I can't tell you if it is a success or not.
1 cup of pre-soaked cashews.
1 cup of coconut milk.
1 cup of shredded coconut.
1/2 cup maple syrup.
3T raw cacao powder
2t vanilla extract
Put it all in the blender and blend until it's all smooth and beautiful. Pour into a bowl (I shredded some premium organic dark chocolate to mix in at this point) and put in the freezer. Take it out every hour or so to stir the mixture. It should be ready in about 4 hours.
I hope it's as delicious as it looks!
Time is rapidly heading towards 1am, so I'm off to bed!
Nite all.
Monday, December 28, 2015
Forever Empowered
Who doesn't love Rod Stewart? Who knew that his daughter sounds just like him?
I've had a bit of a cooking day today. Chicken broth brewing in the slow cooker as we speak. I made a double batch of beef stroganoff and we ate some for lunch and froze the second batch. I did a big batch of lemon coconut chicken and froze it.
Tomorrow I plan on preparing and freezing meatballs, curried beef, beef casserole and butter chicken. Spaghetti bolognese might be on the cards too.
The morning will be spent having morning tea with the girls. I'm not sure how many of them will be here but I know that I won't be alone, so that's a good start.
My second word to consider for next year is 'Empower'
Empower - make (someone) stronger and more confident, especially in controlling their life and claiming their rights.
Some quotes from empowered women ...
“I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint – and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.” — Oprah Winfrey
“I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of ‘Wow, I’m not really sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough.” — Marissa Mayer (CEO of Yahoo)
"I always thought that people told you that you're beautiful--that this was a title that was bestowed upon you...I think that it's time to take this power into our own hands and to say, "You know what? I'm beautiful. I just am. And that's my light. I'm just a beautiful woman." — Margaret Cho
"You are more powerful than you know; you are beautiful just as you are." — Melissa Etheridge
"The question isn't who's going to let me; it's who's going to stop me." —Ayn Rand
"I believe that the rights of women and girls is the unfinished business of the 21st century." —Hillary Clinton
“Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” ― Nora Ephron
I've had a bit of a cooking day today. Chicken broth brewing in the slow cooker as we speak. I made a double batch of beef stroganoff and we ate some for lunch and froze the second batch. I did a big batch of lemon coconut chicken and froze it.
Tomorrow I plan on preparing and freezing meatballs, curried beef, beef casserole and butter chicken. Spaghetti bolognese might be on the cards too.
The morning will be spent having morning tea with the girls. I'm not sure how many of them will be here but I know that I won't be alone, so that's a good start.
My second word to consider for next year is 'Empower'
Empower - make (someone) stronger and more confident, especially in controlling their life and claiming their rights.
Some quotes from empowered women ...
“I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint – and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.” — Oprah Winfrey
I have three things that I need to do before Friday. Pack away the Christmas tree, clean out the fridge and groom the dogs (which was on my 'to do' list prior to Christmas but I ran out of time).
I've decided to make my 'to do' lists shorter, so they don't seem so intimidating!
It's just ticked over to 11pm so I'm off to bed.
Nite all.
Voices in my Head
This guy is pretty amazing. Jordan Smith won America's version of 'The Voice' this year (2015) and deservedly so. If this video of 'Somebody to Love' doesn't convince you, go to Youtube and watch his renditions of 'Halo' and 'Hallelujah'. You will soon be convinced.
I have to choose my new word for 2016.
Remember last year I chose the word 'peace'. I'm not sure that I generated as much peace as I'd planned, however, I now possess many peace symbols in the form of wall art, jewellery, decorations and even the new chook pen has a peace sign painted on the outside wall.
I have until 1st January to choose my new word. Right now I'm liking 'mindfulness'. Here are three links to sites explaining various techniques to becoming more mindful in your life.
Mindfulness - means maintaining a moment by moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and surrounding environment.
Mindfulness - “Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; On purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.”
Mindfulness
What I most want to be mindful of, are my thoughts and feelings of self-sabotage.
I have a very loud mind. I think a LOT. I make jokes all the time about the voices in my head but the number of thoughts that shoot through my mind every minute of the day is exhausting and I need to find a way to quiet my mind. Meditation and mindfulness might be able to do that.
I will further investigate and make my decision in the coming days.
Meanwhile, I have booked my flights to Griffith for the 1st January. I'm not sure how long I will be away, but a 'cheap as chips' road trip is on the cards and hopefully will end with BGWLBH here for some R&R and TLC.
I'm looking forward to dusting off the camera and practising my photography again, as I'm sure BGWLBH is too. It's been too long!
Right now, it's after midnight, so I'm off to bed.
Nite all.
I have to choose my new word for 2016.
Remember last year I chose the word 'peace'. I'm not sure that I generated as much peace as I'd planned, however, I now possess many peace symbols in the form of wall art, jewellery, decorations and even the new chook pen has a peace sign painted on the outside wall.
I have until 1st January to choose my new word. Right now I'm liking 'mindfulness'. Here are three links to sites explaining various techniques to becoming more mindful in your life.
Mindfulness - means maintaining a moment by moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and surrounding environment.
Mindfulness - “Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; On purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.”
Mindfulness
What I most want to be mindful of, are my thoughts and feelings of self-sabotage.
I have a very loud mind. I think a LOT. I make jokes all the time about the voices in my head but the number of thoughts that shoot through my mind every minute of the day is exhausting and I need to find a way to quiet my mind. Meditation and mindfulness might be able to do that.
I will further investigate and make my decision in the coming days.
Meanwhile, I have booked my flights to Griffith for the 1st January. I'm not sure how long I will be away, but a 'cheap as chips' road trip is on the cards and hopefully will end with BGWLBH here for some R&R and TLC.
I'm looking forward to dusting off the camera and practising my photography again, as I'm sure BGWLBH is too. It's been too long!
Right now, it's after midnight, so I'm off to bed.
Nite all.
Saturday, December 26, 2015
The Day After Christmas
So, it's the day after Christmas .. yes I know it's Boxing Day .. all is quiet on the home front, now that Chicklet and Vegan Chickie have departed .. and what a departure!
We arrived at the train station 25 minutes early. The last few times that I've caught the train, it has arrived at my station up to ten minutes early .. especially when it's the diesel engine. Unfortunately, this was not the case today!
We checked the 1800 information number, to discover that because there had been earth tremors off Fraser Island at approximately 4.30am today, the trains were running late by at least 45 minutes and it was expected delays could reach two hours.
*sigh*
You can imagine how difficult that was for a 4 year old, confined to one small square area of a waiting room! Forty five minutes passed and we continued to wait. Ninety minutes passed and we continued to wait.
We played I spy. We played tag. We played hide n seek (very difficult with nowhere to hide!). We played dinosaurs. We played 'what animal is this?'. We played rhyming words. We snacked. We coloured in and made Christmas cards.
.. and still we waited.
Just short of two hours late, we finally heard the train whistle. Chicklet was right on the verge of losing control, so it was a relief to finally have something positive happen and to know that the journey home was about to begin.
Because of the earth tremors and the risk to track damage, the passengers would be transferred to buses at Gympie. As luck would have it, Vegan Chickie was given the wrong bus number twice!! They almost ended up on a nonstop bus to Roma Street Station! THAT would have been a disaster for sure!
I'm expecting a text very shortly to advise me that they are home safe n sound.
Christmas was great!
Chicklet burst into my bedroom at 7.30am yelling "Happy Christmas!!"
We all had to sit down in the lounge room, while Chicklet selected gifts from under the tree, showing them to Vegan Chickie to find out whose name was on the tag. She handed everybody their gifts before sitting down to open her own.
She didn't seem terribly impressed with her gifts at first, but soon was keen to set up a craft area on the dining table, so that we could spend almost the entire day being creative and artistic and crafty.
After ham and eggs for breakfast, we got cracking on the craft.
She made Christmas decorations to hang on SEB's bird cage ...
She decorated Ruby (middle psychotic dog) ...
Obviously very serious about her craft ...
An Aussie Christmas tradition ... water fight in the back yard ...
I was heavily involved in this particular activity, while Vegan Chickie napped, and I have to say that it was one of the more exhausting activities of the day! I haven't done any running for a good many years ... which is why she caught me and drenched me many times over!!
A bit more craft after the water fight. Extra decorations for the tree ...
... a quick snack for dinner and an early night .. for ALL of us .. which is why there was no blog post last night. Exhaustion overtook the desire to blog :)
The best way to spend Boxing Day is with alcohol, seafood and junk food while plonked on the couch watching the Boxing Day Test.
I know that there are many families down south who have lost all of their possessions in the fires on the coast near the Great Ocean Road, Wye River and Separation Creek and my heart goes out to them all. What a dreadful end to 2015 and a horrible, struggling way to start 2016.
I hope they appreciate that their safety and their lives are more important than the possessions that they lost. I also hope that they recover from the emotional trauma that the power of mother nature has burdened them with. I know from experience, that helpless feeling of losing all power and control.
Life will never be the same for them, but I hope that out of tragedy, something new and positive develops in their lives. Friendships and bonds will form between strangers, with this shared experience, and life will go on. For some, it will be more difficult than for others.
Good luck to you all and out of this disaster, may 2016 bring fresh new beginnings and happiness to you.
Nite all.
PS Vegan Chickie and Chicklet have arrived home safe n sound!
We arrived at the train station 25 minutes early. The last few times that I've caught the train, it has arrived at my station up to ten minutes early .. especially when it's the diesel engine. Unfortunately, this was not the case today!
We checked the 1800 information number, to discover that because there had been earth tremors off Fraser Island at approximately 4.30am today, the trains were running late by at least 45 minutes and it was expected delays could reach two hours.
*sigh*
You can imagine how difficult that was for a 4 year old, confined to one small square area of a waiting room! Forty five minutes passed and we continued to wait. Ninety minutes passed and we continued to wait.
We played I spy. We played tag. We played hide n seek (very difficult with nowhere to hide!). We played dinosaurs. We played 'what animal is this?'. We played rhyming words. We snacked. We coloured in and made Christmas cards.
.. and still we waited.
Just short of two hours late, we finally heard the train whistle. Chicklet was right on the verge of losing control, so it was a relief to finally have something positive happen and to know that the journey home was about to begin.
Because of the earth tremors and the risk to track damage, the passengers would be transferred to buses at Gympie. As luck would have it, Vegan Chickie was given the wrong bus number twice!! They almost ended up on a nonstop bus to Roma Street Station! THAT would have been a disaster for sure!
I'm expecting a text very shortly to advise me that they are home safe n sound.
Christmas was great!
Chicklet burst into my bedroom at 7.30am yelling "Happy Christmas!!"
We all had to sit down in the lounge room, while Chicklet selected gifts from under the tree, showing them to Vegan Chickie to find out whose name was on the tag. She handed everybody their gifts before sitting down to open her own.
She didn't seem terribly impressed with her gifts at first, but soon was keen to set up a craft area on the dining table, so that we could spend almost the entire day being creative and artistic and crafty.
After ham and eggs for breakfast, we got cracking on the craft.
She made Christmas decorations to hang on SEB's bird cage ...
She decorated Ruby (middle psychotic dog) ...
Christmas lunch was a noisy affair, with twelve bonbons between four of us ...
Prawns, sand crab, Moreton Bay bugs, turkey and ham along with pasta salad and other salad items, mango, sun dried tomato, roasted capsicum and more. 'Christmas food' as requested by Chicklet. Chocolates shaped like christmas trees, elves, santa etc.
... and very imaginative and creative with her crocodile pretending to be santa ...
I was heavily involved in this particular activity, while Vegan Chickie napped, and I have to say that it was one of the more exhausting activities of the day! I haven't done any running for a good many years ... which is why she caught me and drenched me many times over!!
A bit more craft after the water fight. Extra decorations for the tree ...
... a quick snack for dinner and an early night .. for ALL of us .. which is why there was no blog post last night. Exhaustion overtook the desire to blog :)
The best way to spend Boxing Day is with alcohol, seafood and junk food while plonked on the couch watching the Boxing Day Test.
I know that there are many families down south who have lost all of their possessions in the fires on the coast near the Great Ocean Road, Wye River and Separation Creek and my heart goes out to them all. What a dreadful end to 2015 and a horrible, struggling way to start 2016.
I hope they appreciate that their safety and their lives are more important than the possessions that they lost. I also hope that they recover from the emotional trauma that the power of mother nature has burdened them with. I know from experience, that helpless feeling of losing all power and control.
Life will never be the same for them, but I hope that out of tragedy, something new and positive develops in their lives. Friendships and bonds will form between strangers, with this shared experience, and life will go on. For some, it will be more difficult than for others.
Good luck to you all and out of this disaster, may 2016 bring fresh new beginnings and happiness to you.
Nite all.
PS Vegan Chickie and Chicklet have arrived home safe n sound!
Friday, December 25, 2015
The Eve of Christmas
What sort of fool attempts grocery shopping on Christmas eve????
Adoring Husband and I kind of fools!!
We left bright and early this morning and drove for almost an hour to be at Urangan Fisheries by 8.30am - their apparent opening hours. They were already open and looked to have been open for some time. There was a long queue outside, which we joined, and it was moving quite fast, so we were in and served within ten minutes.
We had to cross town to Stocklands for the first part of our grocery shop. It was about 9am and the crowds hadn't built up yet, so we got that part of the shop done quite quickly and we were in the car by 9.45am and headed to the next supermarket in search of chocolate coated nuts and what Chicklet calls 'Christmas food'.. ie food in the shape of Christmas eg chocolate santas, chocolate christmas trees etc.
I could not find chocolate coated nuts anywhere!! I tried newsagents, supermarkets, chemists and even the cheapie shops to no avail.
This part of the shopping took the longest and we didn't leave The Bay until 10.45am. By the time we stopped for coffee at Foodworks, where we finally found some chocolate coated nuts, it was 11.15 when we arrived home.
Little Chicklet had been so patient waiting for me to return so that we could play, but it was lunch time, so she had to wait a little longer.
We made some christmas baubles for the tree, created some art with blank paper and stickers and then we watched the Madagascar movie. The last bit of fun for the afternoon was painting the chook pen. It's not quite a masterpiece, but we love it :)
Tonight, after I returned home from the club, I made butter chicken for dinner and finally Vegan Chickie and I got to sit down and watch 'Love Actually' together, in the same room, on the same TV.
It's our Christmas tradition and I felt so happy that I could almost burst, through the entire movie.
Now it's well after midnight and tomorrow is Christmas so I'm off to bed.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL. Have a wonderful day with your loved ones and enjoy the festivities.
Nite all.
Adoring Husband and I kind of fools!!
We left bright and early this morning and drove for almost an hour to be at Urangan Fisheries by 8.30am - their apparent opening hours. They were already open and looked to have been open for some time. There was a long queue outside, which we joined, and it was moving quite fast, so we were in and served within ten minutes.
We had to cross town to Stocklands for the first part of our grocery shop. It was about 9am and the crowds hadn't built up yet, so we got that part of the shop done quite quickly and we were in the car by 9.45am and headed to the next supermarket in search of chocolate coated nuts and what Chicklet calls 'Christmas food'.. ie food in the shape of Christmas eg chocolate santas, chocolate christmas trees etc.
I could not find chocolate coated nuts anywhere!! I tried newsagents, supermarkets, chemists and even the cheapie shops to no avail.
This part of the shopping took the longest and we didn't leave The Bay until 10.45am. By the time we stopped for coffee at Foodworks, where we finally found some chocolate coated nuts, it was 11.15 when we arrived home.
Little Chicklet had been so patient waiting for me to return so that we could play, but it was lunch time, so she had to wait a little longer.
We made some christmas baubles for the tree, created some art with blank paper and stickers and then we watched the Madagascar movie. The last bit of fun for the afternoon was painting the chook pen. It's not quite a masterpiece, but we love it :)
Tonight, after I returned home from the club, I made butter chicken for dinner and finally Vegan Chickie and I got to sit down and watch 'Love Actually' together, in the same room, on the same TV.
It's our Christmas tradition and I felt so happy that I could almost burst, through the entire movie.
Now it's well after midnight and tomorrow is Christmas so I'm off to bed.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL. Have a wonderful day with your loved ones and enjoy the festivities.
Nite all.
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Disturbing
Looking at this man makes me feel disturbed!! Therefore the band is appropriately named lol, but I do like this version of 'The Sound of Silence'. I'm also sure that some of you won't :)
It's been a big day.
We started with brunch at Noosa, then for Chicklet's pleasure, a short play on the beach. I had to go buy a hat before we traipsed across the sand because it was a very bright and warm sunshiny morning and even the sand was incredibly hot to walk on.
At 1pm, we (Chicklet, Vegan Chickie and I) climbed on board the tilt train at Cooroy Station for the 2 hour ride home. I've never seen carriage E so full!! I'm usually one of eight people on the carriage with two seats to myself, but the carriage was full and I had to sit beside someone! I believe that is only the second time in about 40 trips that I've been seated beside someone.
Adoring Husband was at Howard Station to pick us up and take us home.
Chicklet spent the afternoon removing all of the knick knacks from the middle two shelves of my cabinet .. mostly dragon ornaments and lizards .. and lining them up on the lounge room floor. Then she requested all of my stuffed toys, so I went on the search to drag them out of the bedrooms. The back yard was next in line so that we could remove all of the frog garden ornaments from their homes and have them congregate in the middle of the back yard.
I cooked dinner before we all climbed in the car to go in search of Christmas lights. I was pleasantly surprised to find so many people getting into the Christmas spirit this year. We spent about 30 minutes driving around town looking at the lights and even got out of the car to walk along the waterfront where there were quite a few houses lit up.
Dessert and a quick bath for Chicklet before bed time tonight. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep. I think exhaustion had set in!
It will be an early start for Adoring Husband and I tomorrow. We have some last minute food shopping to do in The Bay and we don't want to get caught in the Christmas Eve crowds, so we'll be in and out as quickly as is humanly possible!
Best get to bed then!
Nite all.
It's been a big day.
We started with brunch at Noosa, then for Chicklet's pleasure, a short play on the beach. I had to go buy a hat before we traipsed across the sand because it was a very bright and warm sunshiny morning and even the sand was incredibly hot to walk on.
At 1pm, we (Chicklet, Vegan Chickie and I) climbed on board the tilt train at Cooroy Station for the 2 hour ride home. I've never seen carriage E so full!! I'm usually one of eight people on the carriage with two seats to myself, but the carriage was full and I had to sit beside someone! I believe that is only the second time in about 40 trips that I've been seated beside someone.
Adoring Husband was at Howard Station to pick us up and take us home.
Chicklet spent the afternoon removing all of the knick knacks from the middle two shelves of my cabinet .. mostly dragon ornaments and lizards .. and lining them up on the lounge room floor. Then she requested all of my stuffed toys, so I went on the search to drag them out of the bedrooms. The back yard was next in line so that we could remove all of the frog garden ornaments from their homes and have them congregate in the middle of the back yard.
I cooked dinner before we all climbed in the car to go in search of Christmas lights. I was pleasantly surprised to find so many people getting into the Christmas spirit this year. We spent about 30 minutes driving around town looking at the lights and even got out of the car to walk along the waterfront where there were quite a few houses lit up.
Dessert and a quick bath for Chicklet before bed time tonight. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep. I think exhaustion had set in!
It will be an early start for Adoring Husband and I tomorrow. We have some last minute food shopping to do in The Bay and we don't want to get caught in the Christmas Eve crowds, so we'll be in and out as quickly as is humanly possible!
Best get to bed then!
Nite all.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Surprisingly Princessly
A truly amazing artist ...
Feeling really good today. I only got about 5 hours sleep last night, but breakfast was really good this morning .. bacon, eggs and avocado with an extra large coffee.
An hour or two in the children's playground, some grocery shopping and a stop in the children's shop for a princess dress and some shiny sparkly shoes for someone special!!
She's never been keen on dresses or girly stuff before, so I had to take lots of pics .. of course, I didn't bring my camera, so the phone camera had to do. Vegan Chickie has much better phone camera skills and Instagram skills than I, so her pics seems to be the best of the bunch. I definitely need some practise!
The dress and shoes were soon tossed on the floor and she was running around naked wearing a dinosaur mask not long after we got the pics. Gotta be quick!!
Chicklet and I played some games, but by 2pm, yesterday caught up with me and I had to have a nap. Much to Chicklet's disappointment, I slept for a bit over an hour, but I made up for it by sharing some sticker activities with her before I cooked dinner.
Mama had bath duty tonight, while I had kitchen duty. Luckily, I got story time with Chicklet before she fell asleep.
Tomorrow, we all head home on the train! Chicklet's first big train trip I think?!
I'm aiming for an earlier night tonight. It's just about 11pm and it's lights out for me.
Nite all.
Feeling really good today. I only got about 5 hours sleep last night, but breakfast was really good this morning .. bacon, eggs and avocado with an extra large coffee.
An hour or two in the children's playground, some grocery shopping and a stop in the children's shop for a princess dress and some shiny sparkly shoes for someone special!!
She's never been keen on dresses or girly stuff before, so I had to take lots of pics .. of course, I didn't bring my camera, so the phone camera had to do. Vegan Chickie has much better phone camera skills and Instagram skills than I, so her pics seems to be the best of the bunch. I definitely need some practise!
The dress and shoes were soon tossed on the floor and she was running around naked wearing a dinosaur mask not long after we got the pics. Gotta be quick!!
Chicklet and I played some games, but by 2pm, yesterday caught up with me and I had to have a nap. Much to Chicklet's disappointment, I slept for a bit over an hour, but I made up for it by sharing some sticker activities with her before I cooked dinner.
Mama had bath duty tonight, while I had kitchen duty. Luckily, I got story time with Chicklet before she fell asleep.
Tomorrow, we all head home on the train! Chicklet's first big train trip I think?!
I'm aiming for an earlier night tonight. It's just about 11pm and it's lights out for me.
Nite all.
Free From Amalgam
I guarantee that this will bring a tear to your eye .. in a good way!
Today I caught the 6am train to Cooroy, where the Bare-chested Chef picked me up and drove me to my dental appointment at Maroochydore.
I had four amalgam fillings removed. What started out as a 4 hour appointment, ended up being a 2.5 hour appointment because everything went so smoothly without a hitch.
It was an interesting experience where the anaesthetic numbed my face from the nose down. I couldn't feel my face, my lips or my tongue. The safety precautions used to protect the dentist, her assistant and me from the mercury and the vapours that were emitted were pretty amazing.
A rubber dam was used to protect me from ingesting any mercury/amalgam that was drilled from my teeth. It also covered my nose so that I didn't breathe in any of the vapours.
A large vacuum hose was beside my chair sucking any vapours or fragments away from me as they rose from my mouth.
Suction was used in my mouth to make sure that everything was immediately removed as it was drilled out.
The dentist and her assistant had special masks, gloves and protective clothing.
Once the amalgams were removed, all the protective gear was disposed of, including my bib, their masks and gloves, all the tools and the rubber dam. It was all replaced with fresh sterilised gear, to continue with the tooth restoration.
It was pretty intense!
I must say that the very back of my jaw is aching a little tonight from having my mouth open so wide for so long.
It was a painless exercise. Even the drilling, which I was most afraid of today, was a breeze and I barely noticed it.
The four teeth that had the amalgams are now restored and I'm feeling great.
My next visit, in February, is to have the gum disease in the bottom gum treated.
Vegan Chickie and I have spent the evening lying on my bed catching up and now it is rapidly approaching 1am!! I've been awake since 4am and I'm just beginning to feel a little weary.
My diet today has consisted of two cups of chicken bone broth, one cup of coffee and a pear. Tomorrow morning Vegan Chickie, Chicklet and I will be having breakfast at Civic and I'm looking forward to a big bacon and egg brekky!
Time now, for me to sleep.
Nite all.
Today I caught the 6am train to Cooroy, where the Bare-chested Chef picked me up and drove me to my dental appointment at Maroochydore.
I had four amalgam fillings removed. What started out as a 4 hour appointment, ended up being a 2.5 hour appointment because everything went so smoothly without a hitch.
It was an interesting experience where the anaesthetic numbed my face from the nose down. I couldn't feel my face, my lips or my tongue. The safety precautions used to protect the dentist, her assistant and me from the mercury and the vapours that were emitted were pretty amazing.
A rubber dam was used to protect me from ingesting any mercury/amalgam that was drilled from my teeth. It also covered my nose so that I didn't breathe in any of the vapours.
A large vacuum hose was beside my chair sucking any vapours or fragments away from me as they rose from my mouth.
Suction was used in my mouth to make sure that everything was immediately removed as it was drilled out.
The dentist and her assistant had special masks, gloves and protective clothing.
Once the amalgams were removed, all the protective gear was disposed of, including my bib, their masks and gloves, all the tools and the rubber dam. It was all replaced with fresh sterilised gear, to continue with the tooth restoration.
It was pretty intense!
I must say that the very back of my jaw is aching a little tonight from having my mouth open so wide for so long.
It was a painless exercise. Even the drilling, which I was most afraid of today, was a breeze and I barely noticed it.
The four teeth that had the amalgams are now restored and I'm feeling great.
My next visit, in February, is to have the gum disease in the bottom gum treated.
Vegan Chickie and I have spent the evening lying on my bed catching up and now it is rapidly approaching 1am!! I've been awake since 4am and I'm just beginning to feel a little weary.
My diet today has consisted of two cups of chicken bone broth, one cup of coffee and a pear. Tomorrow morning Vegan Chickie, Chicklet and I will be having breakfast at Civic and I'm looking forward to a big bacon and egg brekky!
Time now, for me to sleep.
Nite all.
Sunday, December 20, 2015
He's a bit sickly
Well, alas, Adoring Husband has become ill with some kind of respiratory virus.
When I first met him, he was a sickly character and spent a lot of time in hospital with chest infections that required strong antibiotics administered intravenously, often double doses. For the first six or seven years that we were together, it was a 'given' that he would be sick enough to need time off work, time in bed and time in hospital a few times a year.
Before we left Sydney, he had to have x-rays and tests on his lungs, because there were shadows, which turned out to be scarring from previous infections. The doctor had been concerned that the shadows were something more sinister. That was a lucky escape!
Then we moved to Queensland.
He became fit and lean and strong, working the lawn mower business. He spent time in the sunshine and built up his Vitamin D levels. From memory, he got the flu twice in the first two years and one of those times was because he shovelled mushroom compost in the garden without a mask and got spores in his lungs.
Since we changed our diet/lifestyle and stopped eating gluten, dairy and sugar (it's now 4 yrs gluten free and two years dairy and sugar free), it has now been more than four years since his last flu or virus. I believe that's a record for his entire life!
I'm surprised that his immune system was weak enough to let this one in, although it's that time of the year when people are festively hugging and kissing and passing on Christmas wishes, along with all their germs.
So we're using colloidal silver on the back of his throat, dosing up on super strength vitamin C capsules, antioxidants and multivitamins combined with probiotics, juicing up with oranges and pineapples, medicating with chicken broth and lots of water. He's been sleeping on and off in his chair - sleep is good.
Unfortunately, I have to go away tomorrow, for two nights, so I have to trust that he is going to be vigilant with my prescription for good health.
Hopefully, it won't deteriorate to a full blown infection and he will recover quickly while I'm away.
Thought you might enjoy this little video ...
An interesting read and includes stories from people who had amazing health success using oils.
Essential Oils
A story from the ABC about the health problems occurring in Australian hospitals and with doctors. The statistics for accidental deaths and permanent injuries, are quite shocking.
Medical errors in Australia
It's now 10pm .. I'd best go finish my chores before bed. I have a very early start tomorrow!
Nite all.
When I first met him, he was a sickly character and spent a lot of time in hospital with chest infections that required strong antibiotics administered intravenously, often double doses. For the first six or seven years that we were together, it was a 'given' that he would be sick enough to need time off work, time in bed and time in hospital a few times a year.
Before we left Sydney, he had to have x-rays and tests on his lungs, because there were shadows, which turned out to be scarring from previous infections. The doctor had been concerned that the shadows were something more sinister. That was a lucky escape!
Then we moved to Queensland.
He became fit and lean and strong, working the lawn mower business. He spent time in the sunshine and built up his Vitamin D levels. From memory, he got the flu twice in the first two years and one of those times was because he shovelled mushroom compost in the garden without a mask and got spores in his lungs.
Since we changed our diet/lifestyle and stopped eating gluten, dairy and sugar (it's now 4 yrs gluten free and two years dairy and sugar free), it has now been more than four years since his last flu or virus. I believe that's a record for his entire life!
I'm surprised that his immune system was weak enough to let this one in, although it's that time of the year when people are festively hugging and kissing and passing on Christmas wishes, along with all their germs.
So we're using colloidal silver on the back of his throat, dosing up on super strength vitamin C capsules, antioxidants and multivitamins combined with probiotics, juicing up with oranges and pineapples, medicating with chicken broth and lots of water. He's been sleeping on and off in his chair - sleep is good.
Unfortunately, I have to go away tomorrow, for two nights, so I have to trust that he is going to be vigilant with my prescription for good health.
Hopefully, it won't deteriorate to a full blown infection and he will recover quickly while I'm away.
Thought you might enjoy this little video ...
An interesting read and includes stories from people who had amazing health success using oils.
Essential Oils
A story from the ABC about the health problems occurring in Australian hospitals and with doctors. The statistics for accidental deaths and permanent injuries, are quite shocking.
Medical errors in Australia
It's now 10pm .. I'd best go finish my chores before bed. I have a very early start tomorrow!
Nite all.
Saturday, December 19, 2015
Party Time
So I finally provided the photos for the 70th birthday that I attended a few weeks ago.
I also sent through some of the photos of the town Christmas party to be published in the local newsletter, the rest will be published in the January newsletter.
Other than that, it's been a quietly productive day for Adoring Husband and myself.
Tonight AH attended his SES Christmas party, while I attended a different party at a friend's house. I had a nice time. Good food. Good friends.
AH came to my party after his finished, but we were both home just after 10pm.
It's a sign of our age, when two parties are over by 10pm!!
You will love this ... Every Child Should Have a Pet
That's it. I'm done. It's rapidly approaching midnight (as usual) and I feel the need to sleep.
Nite all.
I also sent through some of the photos of the town Christmas party to be published in the local newsletter, the rest will be published in the January newsletter.
Other than that, it's been a quietly productive day for Adoring Husband and myself.
Tonight AH attended his SES Christmas party, while I attended a different party at a friend's house. I had a nice time. Good food. Good friends.
AH came to my party after his finished, but we were both home just after 10pm.
It's a sign of our age, when two parties are over by 10pm!!
You will love this ... Every Child Should Have a Pet
That's it. I'm done. It's rapidly approaching midnight (as usual) and I feel the need to sleep.
Nite all.
Dreams Come True
It was a lot of fun catching up with The Sex Therapist tonight.
Surprisingly, dinner was very nice at the club restaurant .. again. That's twice in a row now.
It's very late and I'm very tired and I wish I'd taken a selfie with The Sex Therapist tonight.
Here is a very cute video.
Nite all.
Surprisingly, dinner was very nice at the club restaurant .. again. That's twice in a row now.
It's very late and I'm very tired and I wish I'd taken a selfie with The Sex Therapist tonight.
Here is a very cute video.
Nite all.
Friday, December 18, 2015
Last Minute Hey
Hey!
It's almost 1am and I've been watching many many episodes of 'New Girl' on my laptop. Time has passed so quickly and now I'm trying to decide between doing an 'all nighter' watching the entire two series, or going to bed now.
I think I'm ready for bed.
I can't say that I've ever been a One Direction fan. I've never really taken much notice of them, until this week.
I've watched three interviews with them and this video of carpool karaoke with James Corden and from what I've seen, they seem like nice boys. That probably makes me sound like an old lady, but I think I'd like to listen to some of their music.
I have my favourite .. I wonder if you can guess which one it is!!
Ok, one more episode of New Girl and I'm off to bed!
Nite all.
It's almost 1am and I've been watching many many episodes of 'New Girl' on my laptop. Time has passed so quickly and now I'm trying to decide between doing an 'all nighter' watching the entire two series, or going to bed now.
I think I'm ready for bed.
I can't say that I've ever been a One Direction fan. I've never really taken much notice of them, until this week.
I've watched three interviews with them and this video of carpool karaoke with James Corden and from what I've seen, they seem like nice boys. That probably makes me sound like an old lady, but I think I'd like to listen to some of their music.
I have my favourite .. I wonder if you can guess which one it is!!
Ok, one more episode of New Girl and I'm off to bed!
Nite all.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
The New Tuesday
Wednesday is the new Tuesday.
Morning tea with the girls on Tuesdays, has been changed to morning tea with the girls on Wednesdays. I know I'm not alone when I say .. I'm already feeling a bit discombobulated! How silly that such a small change in routine can have such a big impact!
Aside from the fact that Wednesday is delivery day for the butcher and a mega-sized semi-trailer pulled up near us, blocking the car parking spots and idling it's very loud engine for about fifteen minutes, it was a very pleasant morning .. as it always is with the girls!
From there, I rode to The Motivator's house with my second coffee for the day and we spent a couple of hours catching up with each other's news. She had been on holidays for a couple of weeks while I was on the Sunny Coast, and then she had business in Sydney, so there was much to talk about.
When it was time to head home, I remembered my meat order from the butcher, so I pedalled to the shops and returned Adoring Husband's call that I'd missed earlier. We decided to get a coffee (Yes! My third for the day!), so he met me at the shops and took the groceries home in the car.
Poor AH had to eat a late lunch (last night's leftovers) because it was almost 2pm. I had a text match with BGWLBH (I thought that I ALMOST convinced her to come up for Christmas, but alas no) while the pumpkin cooked for the dog food. By the time I got the dog food sorted it was after 3.30pm and then we had to clean up the kitchen. I sat down for an hour and it was time to start dinner!
During my hour break, I found this, which I thought was cute enough to make me giggle ... Dogs who have no understanding of personal space.
I've decided to make a 'to do' list of all the things I need/want to do before Christmas. It starts a little something like this ...
Now, if I could just rustle up some time management skills and some motivation from somewhere ... well, you know the rest. *rolls eyes*
I must admit that my solid eight hours of sleep last night has breathed some motivational fire in my belly .. hence the 'to do' list!
Now, to get another early night, to fan those motivational flames!
Nite all.
Morning tea with the girls on Tuesdays, has been changed to morning tea with the girls on Wednesdays. I know I'm not alone when I say .. I'm already feeling a bit discombobulated! How silly that such a small change in routine can have such a big impact!
Aside from the fact that Wednesday is delivery day for the butcher and a mega-sized semi-trailer pulled up near us, blocking the car parking spots and idling it's very loud engine for about fifteen minutes, it was a very pleasant morning .. as it always is with the girls!
From there, I rode to The Motivator's house with my second coffee for the day and we spent a couple of hours catching up with each other's news. She had been on holidays for a couple of weeks while I was on the Sunny Coast, and then she had business in Sydney, so there was much to talk about.
When it was time to head home, I remembered my meat order from the butcher, so I pedalled to the shops and returned Adoring Husband's call that I'd missed earlier. We decided to get a coffee (Yes! My third for the day!), so he met me at the shops and took the groceries home in the car.
Poor AH had to eat a late lunch (last night's leftovers) because it was almost 2pm. I had a text match with BGWLBH (I thought that I ALMOST convinced her to come up for Christmas, but alas no) while the pumpkin cooked for the dog food. By the time I got the dog food sorted it was after 3.30pm and then we had to clean up the kitchen. I sat down for an hour and it was time to start dinner!
During my hour break, I found this, which I thought was cute enough to make me giggle ... Dogs who have no understanding of personal space.
I've decided to make a 'to do' list of all the things I need/want to do before Christmas. It starts a little something like this ...
- Bath and groom the dogs
- Clean my office
- Wash the windows
- Get my ironing up-to-date
- Clear the back office ready for Vegan Chickie and Chicklet's visit for Christmas
- Wrap the Christmas gifts
- Mail some Christmas gifts
- Plan Christmas table decorations
Now, if I could just rustle up some time management skills and some motivation from somewhere ... well, you know the rest. *rolls eyes*
I must admit that my solid eight hours of sleep last night has breathed some motivational fire in my belly .. hence the 'to do' list!
Now, to get another early night, to fan those motivational flames!
Nite all.
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Going Solo
I had a great day on my own in The Bay, despite only having four hours of sleep last night!
It seems that raw cacao powder is something that I should avoid in the evenings. It is a natural stimulant and we had a nice dose of it in the chocolate brownies that I made yesterday and which we ate with dessert.
I went to bed at midnight, but was still wide awake at 1am, so I got out of bed and sat in the lounge room. I heard a knocking coming from the hallway and when I looked up, I saw a dirty stinking toad trying to jump up the wall!!! Ergh!!!!
So I threw a towel over him, picked him up and was intending on tossing him out the laundry door, but when I opened the door into the laundry, THERE WAS ANOTHER TOAD!!!!! ERGHHHH!!!
I had to go searching through the entire house then .. luckily, no more toads to be found .. whew!
Under normal circumstances I would have woken Adoring Husband and made him get out of bed to remove the disgusting creatures, but that raw cacao powder must have had a weird affect on me!
I finally climbed back into bed some time after 2.30am and still I lay there for about twenty minutes before drifting off to sleep. I woke just before 7am and knowing that they both had to work today, I sent texts to Woman of Many Talents and to Mardi asking them what time they were leaving.
I got my first response from Woman of Many Talents and she picked me up at 8.10am. We drove into The Bay and she dropped me at the ABC shop where I bought a 'make your own Christmas bauble' pack and a take away coffee.
Eventually, I found my way to the cinema and I bought a ticket to see The Dressmaker. Surprisingly, and considering that this is it's second last week of viewing, there were twenty other people seated in cinema 3 with me!
I enjoyed the movie very much.
Liam Hemsworth was oh so deliciously gentle and dreamy. Judy Davis was beyond superb (I adore her). Hugo Weaving was amazingly flamboyant. Kate Winslet was wonderfully strong and brave. Sarah Snook was delightfully plain AND splendidly glamorous. Shane Bourne was brilliantly evil. Rebecca Gibney was marvellously flaky. I was surprised by the number of well known Australian actors that filled all of the other roles perfectly.
I think I need to buy it on dvd when it's released.
Afterwards I did some more Christmas shopping and got myself another top (because I so desperately need more clothes!).
When I got to the bus stop to catch the bus home, I was lucky enough to run into Mum H. I say 'lucky enough' because the bus now stops at a completely different place than when I last caught it (which admittedly is about a year ago). Otherwise it may have driven off without me and I wouldn't have even known!
That was my day and now I'm feeling extremely tired .. my four hours of sleep has caught up with me and I'm ready to zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Nite all.
It seems that raw cacao powder is something that I should avoid in the evenings. It is a natural stimulant and we had a nice dose of it in the chocolate brownies that I made yesterday and which we ate with dessert.
I went to bed at midnight, but was still wide awake at 1am, so I got out of bed and sat in the lounge room. I heard a knocking coming from the hallway and when I looked up, I saw a dirty stinking toad trying to jump up the wall!!! Ergh!!!!
So I threw a towel over him, picked him up and was intending on tossing him out the laundry door, but when I opened the door into the laundry, THERE WAS ANOTHER TOAD!!!!! ERGHHHH!!!
I had to go searching through the entire house then .. luckily, no more toads to be found .. whew!
Under normal circumstances I would have woken Adoring Husband and made him get out of bed to remove the disgusting creatures, but that raw cacao powder must have had a weird affect on me!
I finally climbed back into bed some time after 2.30am and still I lay there for about twenty minutes before drifting off to sleep. I woke just before 7am and knowing that they both had to work today, I sent texts to Woman of Many Talents and to Mardi asking them what time they were leaving.
I got my first response from Woman of Many Talents and she picked me up at 8.10am. We drove into The Bay and she dropped me at the ABC shop where I bought a 'make your own Christmas bauble' pack and a take away coffee.
Eventually, I found my way to the cinema and I bought a ticket to see The Dressmaker. Surprisingly, and considering that this is it's second last week of viewing, there were twenty other people seated in cinema 3 with me!
I enjoyed the movie very much.
Liam Hemsworth was oh so deliciously gentle and dreamy. Judy Davis was beyond superb (I adore her). Hugo Weaving was amazingly flamboyant. Kate Winslet was wonderfully strong and brave. Sarah Snook was delightfully plain AND splendidly glamorous. Shane Bourne was brilliantly evil. Rebecca Gibney was marvellously flaky. I was surprised by the number of well known Australian actors that filled all of the other roles perfectly.
I think I need to buy it on dvd when it's released.
Afterwards I did some more Christmas shopping and got myself another top (because I so desperately need more clothes!).
When I got to the bus stop to catch the bus home, I was lucky enough to run into Mum H. I say 'lucky enough' because the bus now stops at a completely different place than when I last caught it (which admittedly is about a year ago). Otherwise it may have driven off without me and I wouldn't have even known!
That was my day and now I'm feeling extremely tired .. my four hours of sleep has caught up with me and I'm ready to zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Nite all.
Monday, December 14, 2015
Fast Work
I am a regular 'faster', but not on purpose! I didn't know that it was contributing to my health in a positive way. Sometimes I fast because I'm too lazy to go to the kitchen, or too lazy to prepare something. Sometimes I fast (especially since going Paleo) because I'm just not hungry, and Adoring Husband worries that I'm not eating enough.
Apparently, even a mini fast has a positive effect on your health. We eat dinner at 6pm most nights, sometimes earlier. Friday nights are the exception. Most days, I don't eat until midday or as late as 2pm, which means a minimum 18 hours without food.
Excluding refined carbs and sugar means that the good fats, proteins and nutrients that we eat, provide a long slow release of energy instead of the short quick bursts that carbs and sugars provide. For that reason, we can go for long periods without food and not experience any ill effects.
This TED talk, by the current Chief of the Laboratory of Neuroscience at the National Institute of Ageing, explains why fasting is good for you. He is also a professor of Neuroscience at The Johns Hopkins University, and one of the foremost researchers in the area of cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying multiple neurodegenerative disorders, like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, so sometimes it gets a little scientific, but don't give up on it .. it only goes for 15 minutes.
We had a quick trip into The Bay today because it's already time to make up another batch of dog food! The chooks needed some food too.
I made some gooey chocolate cupcakes that, unfortunately, didn't turn out gooey at all, but they taste good chopped up with blueberries, boysenberries, raspberries, strawberries and blackberries and then topped with chocolate cream :)
This tickled my fancy today ...
Apparently, even a mini fast has a positive effect on your health. We eat dinner at 6pm most nights, sometimes earlier. Friday nights are the exception. Most days, I don't eat until midday or as late as 2pm, which means a minimum 18 hours without food.
Excluding refined carbs and sugar means that the good fats, proteins and nutrients that we eat, provide a long slow release of energy instead of the short quick bursts that carbs and sugars provide. For that reason, we can go for long periods without food and not experience any ill effects.
This TED talk, by the current Chief of the Laboratory of Neuroscience at the National Institute of Ageing, explains why fasting is good for you. He is also a professor of Neuroscience at The Johns Hopkins University, and one of the foremost researchers in the area of cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying multiple neurodegenerative disorders, like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, so sometimes it gets a little scientific, but don't give up on it .. it only goes for 15 minutes.
We had a quick trip into The Bay today because it's already time to make up another batch of dog food! The chooks needed some food too.
I made some gooey chocolate cupcakes that, unfortunately, didn't turn out gooey at all, but they taste good chopped up with blueberries, boysenberries, raspberries, strawberries and blackberries and then topped with chocolate cream :)
This tickled my fancy today ...
I'm thinking about going to the movies tomorrow, by myself, to see the Dressmaker. I'm pretty sure that 23rd December is the last day that it's showing and tomorrow is probably the only chance I'll have to see it before it finishes at the cinema.
So I'd best get some sleep because it will mean an early start tomorrow!
Nite all.
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Forever Editing
Ugh!
I spent the entire day editing photos.
My joy and love for photography has definitely waned over the last year or so. I continue to offer my services for free. The Progress Association, Burrum Heads Newsletter, Village Voices, Volunteer Fire Brigade, Amateur Fishing Club, SES, ANZAC parades, the town Christmas party, local fund raising activities, birthday parties etc etc.
These things take a minimum one hour of my time, sometimes four or five hours, just to take the photos. These could mean very early mornings or very late nights.
Then comes the editing. Six hours today and I probably still have another two or three hours of editing left to do.
So before the recipient even sees these particular photos, from one of the shoots, you get a sneak peak.
I took so many photos of the grandkids all doing crazy things. They were a lot of fun. It was requested that I walk around the party and take candid shots as well.
There were a LOT of people gathered in the barbecue area, around the pool, in the large shed and inside the house, but the lighting (bright fluorescent yellow tube lights) was absolutely dreadful everywhere except in the shed, so I've had to do some really heavy editing to make them look even halfway respectable.
Anyway, that was my wasted Sunday, while Adoring Husband wandered around town with the SES selling Christmas cakes.
My brain is very tired, so I'm off to bed now, to be ready for more editing tomorrow.
Nite all
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Tis the Season
We are less than two weeks away from Christmas, so I thought I would post something 'Christmassy' every day until Christmas day.
I love this family. They look like they are having such a great time and getting right into the Christmas spirit!
I also was interested in this list of inspirational movies about extraordinary women. You've probably seen a few of them, but maybe you'd be interested in the others.
I decorated our tree today (finally) and will take a photo tomorrow (because I'm too lazy to do it right now).
This morning, our local markets were held for the final time this year, and I picked up some nice gifts for Christmas. One of the stall owners was very excited when she noticed my new teeth and rushed to my side of her stall to hug me and congratulate me!
The Motivator arrived home from Sydney yesterday and I stopped briefly at her place to say hello. She has been gone for almost a month, so we've got some catching up to do.
We've had some fabulous rain today. Nice heavy, steady rain for about three hours.
The rain made a good excuse for Adoring Husband and I to plant ourselves on the couch and watch movies all afternoon. We watched 'Definitely Maybe' (Ryan Reynolds and Abigail Bresolin), 'Ant-Man' (Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas) and 'Boyhood' (Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke).
Now, I'm watching, for about the 50th time (and that is no exaggeration), 'Crazy Stupid Love' (Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore and Emma Stone). I'm only waiting for my favourite Ryan Gosling scene before I head off to bed.
I might do some housework tomorrow .. if only I could wake up with the right level of motivation!
Nite all.
I love this family. They look like they are having such a great time and getting right into the Christmas spirit!
I also was interested in this list of inspirational movies about extraordinary women. You've probably seen a few of them, but maybe you'd be interested in the others.
I decorated our tree today (finally) and will take a photo tomorrow (because I'm too lazy to do it right now).
This morning, our local markets were held for the final time this year, and I picked up some nice gifts for Christmas. One of the stall owners was very excited when she noticed my new teeth and rushed to my side of her stall to hug me and congratulate me!
The Motivator arrived home from Sydney yesterday and I stopped briefly at her place to say hello. She has been gone for almost a month, so we've got some catching up to do.
We've had some fabulous rain today. Nice heavy, steady rain for about three hours.
The rain made a good excuse for Adoring Husband and I to plant ourselves on the couch and watch movies all afternoon. We watched 'Definitely Maybe' (Ryan Reynolds and Abigail Bresolin), 'Ant-Man' (Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas) and 'Boyhood' (Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke).
Now, I'm watching, for about the 50th time (and that is no exaggeration), 'Crazy Stupid Love' (Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore and Emma Stone). I'm only waiting for my favourite Ryan Gosling scene before I head off to bed.
I might do some housework tomorrow .. if only I could wake up with the right level of motivation!
Nite all.
Friday, December 11, 2015
Meals
Lady's lunch today was delicious.
Twelve of us met at Arkarra Tea Gardens for lunch. Even though it was a very hot day, the breeze blowing over the lagoon and through the trees, was absolutely perfect, and the food was wonderful.
I ordered the King Prawn and Mango salad, and for dessert, I had the strawberry tart.
There were a LOT of people seated at the tables, which were scattered throughout the gardens, so it took quite some time for our meals to be served. I think it was an hour between when the last person at our table ordered, to when it when the meal arrived at the table.
It was so worth the wait though, and I look forward to taking Adoring Husband and my camera to the gardens next time.
I arrived home with about 40 minutes to get ready for the club tonight and I was lucky enough to have Adoring Husband accompany me tonight!
Neither of us was lucky on the pokies or the raffles or the keno and at the end of the night, quite on the spur of the moment, we decided to eat dinner at the restaurant.
I ordered Chicken and King Prawns with salad and chips. I was pleasantly surprised! I haven't eaten at the club restaurant for at least 6 months and I knew that there was a new chef. I hadn't heard any rave reviews, so I wasn't expecting much.
We have a date with 'The Sex Therapist' and a bunch of other people, on 18th December, for dinner at the club, so I am looking forward to that now.
I've been very spoilt today with food and friends.
It's only 10.30pm and I've only had 3 glasses of wine tonight, but I feel quite tired, so I think I'll have an early night. There are a few storms about and some heavy rain heading in our direction. Adoring Husband has to be out of bed early to work at the markets with SES.
It's been a great day and I will lay my head on the pillow with a smile on my dial.
Nite all.
Twelve of us met at Arkarra Tea Gardens for lunch. Even though it was a very hot day, the breeze blowing over the lagoon and through the trees, was absolutely perfect, and the food was wonderful.
I ordered the King Prawn and Mango salad, and for dessert, I had the strawberry tart.
There were a LOT of people seated at the tables, which were scattered throughout the gardens, so it took quite some time for our meals to be served. I think it was an hour between when the last person at our table ordered, to when it when the meal arrived at the table.
It was so worth the wait though, and I look forward to taking Adoring Husband and my camera to the gardens next time.
I arrived home with about 40 minutes to get ready for the club tonight and I was lucky enough to have Adoring Husband accompany me tonight!
Neither of us was lucky on the pokies or the raffles or the keno and at the end of the night, quite on the spur of the moment, we decided to eat dinner at the restaurant.
I ordered Chicken and King Prawns with salad and chips. I was pleasantly surprised! I haven't eaten at the club restaurant for at least 6 months and I knew that there was a new chef. I hadn't heard any rave reviews, so I wasn't expecting much.
We have a date with 'The Sex Therapist' and a bunch of other people, on 18th December, for dinner at the club, so I am looking forward to that now.
I've been very spoilt today with food and friends.
It's only 10.30pm and I've only had 3 glasses of wine tonight, but I feel quite tired, so I think I'll have an early night. There are a few storms about and some heavy rain heading in our direction. Adoring Husband has to be out of bed early to work at the markets with SES.
It's been a great day and I will lay my head on the pillow with a smile on my dial.
Nite all.
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Bring on the Warm and Fuzzies
You know that scene in the movie 'Shall We Dance' where Richard Gere appears on the escalator wearing that beautiful smile and that delicious suit and carrying that long stemmed red rose *swoon* and then he dances with Susan Sarandon while her work colleagues take her rose and stand there shedding a tear?
I love that scene.
Yes, I just watched that movie and now I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy.
Adoring Husband set up our Christmas tree this afternoon and there is a giant box of decorations sitting in the lounge room waiting for me to find the motivation to decorate both the tree, and the house.
I don't think I'll have time to do it tomorrow because I have a lunch that I'm looking forward to and then it's club night .. so maybe on Saturday.
I even bought some new baubles today. A quick trip into The Bay to buy some organic chocolate chunks and peppermint extract turned into a much more expensive episode with a new car booster seat in preparation for Chicklet's visit at Christmas, some clothes, some pyjamas and some underpants for her, along with a bucket of Christmas baubles!
Adoring Husband and I are dangerous together when it comes to shopping!
Did you know that Kirk Douglas turned 99 years of age today?
Wow!
It's almost midnight, so I'm off to bed. Short and sweet tonight.
Nite all.
I love that scene.
Yes, I just watched that movie and now I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy.
Adoring Husband set up our Christmas tree this afternoon and there is a giant box of decorations sitting in the lounge room waiting for me to find the motivation to decorate both the tree, and the house.
I don't think I'll have time to do it tomorrow because I have a lunch that I'm looking forward to and then it's club night .. so maybe on Saturday.
I even bought some new baubles today. A quick trip into The Bay to buy some organic chocolate chunks and peppermint extract turned into a much more expensive episode with a new car booster seat in preparation for Chicklet's visit at Christmas, some clothes, some pyjamas and some underpants for her, along with a bucket of Christmas baubles!
Adoring Husband and I are dangerous together when it comes to shopping!
Did you know that Kirk Douglas turned 99 years of age today?
Wow!
It's almost midnight, so I'm off to bed. Short and sweet tonight.
Nite all.
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
A New Light
An interesting article about dentistry ... No Drill Dentistry
Check out these amazing photos ... Stunning Photographs
Today, I decided to take my first official 'smiling' photo to share publicly .. including on facebook. I set up the tripod and camera in my study and used my remote shutter to take photos of myself sitting in my pod chair, using the natural light from the window.
I know that Vegan Chickie will be disappointed that I photoshopped my moles out of the pic, but the rest is all me, wrinkles and all! I then changed it to black and white, and I softened the background because the three different patterns and textures behind me, were very distracting, and added some grain.
I'm pretty happy with it.
Now I need to sign off and spend some time in the kitchen .. Adoring Husband has been sleeping soundly in his recliner chair for the last two hours, after a long day of training and assessing with the SES. He usually stacks the dishwasher in the evening, but I think he may be 'done in' for the day, so I'll let him off tonight.
Nite all.
Check out these amazing photos ... Stunning Photographs
Today, I decided to take my first official 'smiling' photo to share publicly .. including on facebook. I set up the tripod and camera in my study and used my remote shutter to take photos of myself sitting in my pod chair, using the natural light from the window.
I know that Vegan Chickie will be disappointed that I photoshopped my moles out of the pic, but the rest is all me, wrinkles and all! I then changed it to black and white, and I softened the background because the three different patterns and textures behind me, were very distracting, and added some grain.
I'm pretty happy with it.
Now I need to sign off and spend some time in the kitchen .. Adoring Husband has been sleeping soundly in his recliner chair for the last two hours, after a long day of training and assessing with the SES. He usually stacks the dishwasher in the evening, but I think he may be 'done in' for the day, so I'll let him off tonight.
Nite all.
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Happy and Sad
This short video actually brought a tear to my eye. The looks of genuine shock or disbelief when the person who created the video tells them they are beautiful, triggered some serious emotions in me.
It reminded me of our last dinner party when I asked our guests to name something that they loved about themselves, and they became very uncomfortable and struggled to come up with a response.
Admittedly, it was not a planned question and while I was interested in what our friends had to say, I hadn't thought about my own response, and I too struggled to find an answer!
So I found some questions that I'm going to answer and perhaps you could think of your own answers...
1. The world needs? More kindness.
2. My first concert was Johnny Farnham 1972 (my second was The Jackson Five 1973)
3. What song reminds you of your childhood? 'Red Roses for a Blue Lady' which my father played over and over after he got caught having an affair and my mother left him, and my brother and I, for 6 months.
4. What is your favourite memory of your father? Fishing with him, two months before he died, and catching my first edible fish.
5. What do you want your friends and family to remember about you? That I am happy with my life.
6. If you could say something that the entire world would hear, what would it be? "Be kind to each other."
7. What are you excited about in your life right now? Having my teeth fixed to improve my oral health, which I hope in turn, will be the final key to improving my overall health.
8. If someone made a movie about your life, what would the title be? "The Great Escape" because for decades, my life was a series of escapes from the wrong people, stupid decisions and bad situations.
9. What is the hardest lesson you've had to learn? Opening your mind means that life and beliefs are ever changing and developing and growing. Nothing is set in stone.
10. What do you like to do first thing in the morning? Spend thirty minutes alone before facing the world.
11. If someone gave you $100 today, what would you spend it on? As much as I want to say 'something to help the less fortunate' .. I would spend it on professional cleaners to spring clean my house!
12. Who made you smile today and why? My girls over morning tea ... talking about life.
13. What do you know for sure? The only truth that I can know for sure, is my own truth.
14. What is your favourite smell? Fresh .. all things fresh .. fresh new baby or puppy, fresh herbs, freshly ground coffee beans, fresh lemons, fresh air etc etc.
15. What belief do you have, that you feel has held you back? That I'm not enough.
16. What is your favourite memory of your mother? When I was 17, she defended me to my father, who thought I was too young and stupid to make the right decision about a boy I wanted to go out with. She told him that I was a smart girl and that they had to give me the freedom to grow up.
17. If you could choose any career, what would it be? Healer.
18. What's your favourite colour? Yellow.
19. What is your biggest regret? Believing that I wasn't enough.
20. What do you wish you possessed? A better memory for names, faces and knowledge.
Some of that was a bit intense! Let's lighten the mood!!
I think I might go for a walk along the beach tomorrow and collect some driftwood to make this gorgeous tree to hang in the outdoor area. Such a clever idea!
Nite all.
It reminded me of our last dinner party when I asked our guests to name something that they loved about themselves, and they became very uncomfortable and struggled to come up with a response.
Admittedly, it was not a planned question and while I was interested in what our friends had to say, I hadn't thought about my own response, and I too struggled to find an answer!
So I found some questions that I'm going to answer and perhaps you could think of your own answers...
1. The world needs? More kindness.
2. My first concert was Johnny Farnham 1972 (my second was The Jackson Five 1973)
3. What song reminds you of your childhood? 'Red Roses for a Blue Lady' which my father played over and over after he got caught having an affair and my mother left him, and my brother and I, for 6 months.
4. What is your favourite memory of your father? Fishing with him, two months before he died, and catching my first edible fish.
5. What do you want your friends and family to remember about you? That I am happy with my life.
6. If you could say something that the entire world would hear, what would it be? "Be kind to each other."
7. What are you excited about in your life right now? Having my teeth fixed to improve my oral health, which I hope in turn, will be the final key to improving my overall health.
8. If someone made a movie about your life, what would the title be? "The Great Escape" because for decades, my life was a series of escapes from the wrong people, stupid decisions and bad situations.
9. What is the hardest lesson you've had to learn? Opening your mind means that life and beliefs are ever changing and developing and growing. Nothing is set in stone.
10. What do you like to do first thing in the morning? Spend thirty minutes alone before facing the world.
11. If someone gave you $100 today, what would you spend it on? As much as I want to say 'something to help the less fortunate' .. I would spend it on professional cleaners to spring clean my house!
12. Who made you smile today and why? My girls over morning tea ... talking about life.
13. What do you know for sure? The only truth that I can know for sure, is my own truth.
14. What is your favourite smell? Fresh .. all things fresh .. fresh new baby or puppy, fresh herbs, freshly ground coffee beans, fresh lemons, fresh air etc etc.
15. What belief do you have, that you feel has held you back? That I'm not enough.
16. What is your favourite memory of your mother? When I was 17, she defended me to my father, who thought I was too young and stupid to make the right decision about a boy I wanted to go out with. She told him that I was a smart girl and that they had to give me the freedom to grow up.
17. If you could choose any career, what would it be? Healer.
18. What's your favourite colour? Yellow.
19. What is your biggest regret? Believing that I wasn't enough.
20. What do you wish you possessed? A better memory for names, faces and knowledge.
Some of that was a bit intense! Let's lighten the mood!!
I think I might go for a walk along the beach tomorrow and collect some driftwood to make this gorgeous tree to hang in the outdoor area. Such a clever idea!
Nite all.
Monday, December 7, 2015
Childishly Christmas
I've always admired Annie Leibovitz's photography .. but this is just wonderful and awesome and perfect ... thank you to The Nikonian for bringing it to my attention!
As promised, here is some photographic evidence of our Christmas lights that Adoring Husband worked so hard to set up yesterday.
Because I have nothing else to say today ...
Nite all.
As promised, here is some photographic evidence of our Christmas lights that Adoring Husband worked so hard to set up yesterday.
Because I have nothing else to say today ...
Nite all.
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Christmas on our Lawn
I think my taste buds have changed since I had my teeth fixed, because I haven't enjoyed a coffee since I returned home. I even asked if they had changed their brand because it tastes so different, but apparently not.
I may just have to quit my caffeine addiction .. it's no good if I can't enjoy it!
Adoring Husband began to set up our outdoor Christmas lights this morning, but discovered that the plastic clips that hold the light strands to our guttering had become brittle, so we headed into The Bay to buy some replacements.
While we were there, we purchased a couple of new items for the Christmas display. We like to make one new addition every year, but this year we got two.
We also found some gifts for Chicklet. I'm permitted to buy two Christmas gifts for Chicklet this year, so I've created a craft box full of fun crafty stuff as one gift .. she loves craft and activities!
We haven't figured out what the second gift will be yet .. as much as I wanted to buy the giant inflatable jumping platform with an inflatable slide into an inflatable pool! I have some ideas that I'm working on.
I got a cover for my new phone, which I'm very happy with.
We returned home and AH spent about 5 hours in the front garden putting up all the decorations and lights, setting the timer to turn on the lights at 6pm and turn them off at 10pm. It is now 10.31pm and the lights are still flashing!! I guess I'll be flipping the switch off before I jump into bed.
Tomorrow night I'll take a photo of the display. The new decorations are solar powered and they didn't quite have enough time in the sun to generate the power to shine brightly tonight.
I watched this short TED talk today and thought you might find it interesting too.
Oh! The lights just turned off - 10.45pm!
That's my sign to head to bed.
Nite all.
I may just have to quit my caffeine addiction .. it's no good if I can't enjoy it!
Adoring Husband began to set up our outdoor Christmas lights this morning, but discovered that the plastic clips that hold the light strands to our guttering had become brittle, so we headed into The Bay to buy some replacements.
While we were there, we purchased a couple of new items for the Christmas display. We like to make one new addition every year, but this year we got two.
We also found some gifts for Chicklet. I'm permitted to buy two Christmas gifts for Chicklet this year, so I've created a craft box full of fun crafty stuff as one gift .. she loves craft and activities!
We haven't figured out what the second gift will be yet .. as much as I wanted to buy the giant inflatable jumping platform with an inflatable slide into an inflatable pool! I have some ideas that I'm working on.
I got a cover for my new phone, which I'm very happy with.
We returned home and AH spent about 5 hours in the front garden putting up all the decorations and lights, setting the timer to turn on the lights at 6pm and turn them off at 10pm. It is now 10.31pm and the lights are still flashing!! I guess I'll be flipping the switch off before I jump into bed.
Tomorrow night I'll take a photo of the display. The new decorations are solar powered and they didn't quite have enough time in the sun to generate the power to shine brightly tonight.
I watched this short TED talk today and thought you might find it interesting too.
Oh! The lights just turned off - 10.45pm!
That's my sign to head to bed.
Nite all.
Saturday, December 5, 2015
Christmas in Town
Adoring Husband arrived home before midday, but was here just briefly before heading off to fulfil SES duties for the town Christmas party.
I had been asked by the Progress Association to attend the event and take photos. My heart really wasn't in it. It gets tiresome when so many volunteer or town groups request photo shoots of events, only offering credit for the photography.
I think I might have to create a minimum fee for these groups, because the shoots are rarely fun and I have no control over where the events within the events take place, so the lighting is often harsh and difficult to work with, which then requires time to edit the photos to look presentable. It's a real chore and takes time that I resent losing.
More than two hours of my valuable time was spent waiting for something worth photographing, to take place.
At least I caught up with a few locals that I haven't seen in some time. I won a frozen chicken, which I donated to an elderly couple because it wasn't GF and we wouldn't be able to eat it.
Here are a couple of photos from the event.
Lamb shanks were on the menu tonight and I had them in the slow cooker for some time and served them with mashed sweet and regular potato, cauliflower, zucchini and a tomato and onion gravy. It was quite delicious and there's plenty left over for tomorrow's lunch.
It's now after 10pm and I'm ready for bed.
Nite all.
I had been asked by the Progress Association to attend the event and take photos. My heart really wasn't in it. It gets tiresome when so many volunteer or town groups request photo shoots of events, only offering credit for the photography.
I think I might have to create a minimum fee for these groups, because the shoots are rarely fun and I have no control over where the events within the events take place, so the lighting is often harsh and difficult to work with, which then requires time to edit the photos to look presentable. It's a real chore and takes time that I resent losing.
More than two hours of my valuable time was spent waiting for something worth photographing, to take place.
At least I caught up with a few locals that I haven't seen in some time. I won a frozen chicken, which I donated to an elderly couple because it wasn't GF and we wouldn't be able to eat it.
Here are a couple of photos from the event.
Lamb shanks were on the menu tonight and I had them in the slow cooker for some time and served them with mashed sweet and regular potato, cauliflower, zucchini and a tomato and onion gravy. It was quite delicious and there's plenty left over for tomorrow's lunch.
It's now after 10pm and I'm ready for bed.
Nite all.
Thursday, December 3, 2015
That's it from me.
Here it is 7.45pm and I am feeling quite done in.
Admittedly, I have spent a couple of hours at Woman of Many Talents' house and enjoyed a wine or two ... or three.
I believe, looking at the evening's TV that is on offer, tht I am going to be in bed incredibly early .. like in the next thirty minutes!
I have shown off my new teeth all over town today and the discussions that have ensued have worn me out completely.
My sincerest apologies to everyone who hoped for more from me tonight.
Nite all.
Admittedly, I have spent a couple of hours at Woman of Many Talents' house and enjoyed a wine or two ... or three.
I believe, looking at the evening's TV that is on offer, tht I am going to be in bed incredibly early .. like in the next thirty minutes!
I have shown off my new teeth all over town today and the discussions that have ensued have worn me out completely.
My sincerest apologies to everyone who hoped for more from me tonight.
Nite all.
Home and Smiling
What a day!
The Bare-chested Chef drove Vegan Chickie, Chicklet and I to Tewantin, where we girls shuffled into Zabe Espresso Bar for our morning coffee and some breakfast.
This cafe is a bit retro/nostalgic where the decor is all mismatched furniture, old lounge chairs that look like they came straight from Grandma's house, old leather sofas, distressed timber tables, wireless sets and radiograms from the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s, record players, timber cabinet stereo units and an old upright piano in the corner right in front of the window.
The numbers for the tables when you order are old 45 vinyl records in their covers. The walls are plastered with old news articles from every decade that you can imagine, one wall covered in different music sheets, while the floor is polished concrete.
We ordered coffee, a bacon and egg frittata for me and a reuben toasted sandwich for Vegan Chickie.
It was quite busy, so the only seats available for us were a couple of old two seater granny lounge chairs that were backed onto the music sheet wall and were separated by a small round timber table. It wasn't very conducive for chatting but was reasonably comfortable.
The coffee was DELICIOUS (just as it was the last time I was there) and the food was nice too, but I am unable to chew at the moment - having lost all of my back top teeth and the gums still stitched up.
Apparently, chewing with the front teeth covered in porcelain veneers is not an option - taking a bite is ok, but chewing is not, so I attempt to soften and mash my food with my tongue and the roof of my mouth. My food options are limited and it's quite possible that I will lose some weight over the next few weeks until my mouth is filled with usable teeth!
There was an elderly man sitting across from us who drew our attention to an even more elderly lady, who had just seated herself at the upright piano. He told us she was 94 years old and there she sat in a blue pants suit and a white crocheted beret with her granny trolley parked beside her.
Her first song was 'Keep Your Sunny Side Up' from way back in 1929 and almost immediately, my eyes filled with tears .. I have no idea why she affected me that way! Her next song was 'It Had to be You' and still I felt emotional.
She was so old and frail and hunched over that keyboard, yet her hands and fingers just glided over the keys so naturally.
I thought I remembered that there was a florist next door to the cafe, so as we left, I was relieved to see that I my memory hadn't failed me. I stepped inside and with Vegan Chickie's help selected the biggest brightest, sunniest yellow gerbera from the bucket. The woman behind the counter wrapped it in clear plastic and tied a bow around it and I returned to the cafe, waited til the old lady finished her song and then presented her with the gerbera.
I thanked her and told her that she played beautifully and that she had brought me such joy and had made my day (mind you, I said this fighting to hold back my tears!).
She was so pleasantly surprised and thanked me profusely, telling me that 'I' had made 'her' day. She told me that she almost hadn't made it there today because she had a terrible night of cramps in her legs. She said 'Lucky I don't need my legs to play the piano!'
We then walked across the road to a little boutique where Chicklet began to try on all the lady's shoes that were at her level. Vegan Chickie started to tell her to leave them alone, when I said "Leave her alone! That's MY girl!" (I'm passing on my shoe fetish!). Chicklet then piped up very loudly "Yeah Mama, leave me alone! I'm Bozzy Wozzy's girl!"
Every time she tried on a pair she would announce "These ones look good on me!"
So after a little retail therapy - read - buying Chicklet a thousand and one stickers from the cheapie shop - we headed up to the park that was being redesigned and constructed for three weeks, six weeks ago! It's still not ready!
We sat down at a picnic table and called the Bare-chested Chef to come pick us up.
There before us, slowly gathered a group of middle-aged people with musical instruments. Banjos, guitars, ukeleles etc setting up their music stands with iPads and soon they were all playing and singing together. There were about ten of them.
We gave them a round of applause at the end of their first song and them climbed into the car to head home.
The rest of the day was spent playing games with Chicklet, watching the 'Bolt' dvd, creating pictures with the newly acquired stickers.
The Bare-chested Chef drove me to the train station and kindly waited with me until the train arrived (5 minutes early!) and I had a very peaceful and relaxing trip home with only 5 of us in the end carriage.
Adoring Husband was waiting, as always, with open arms and now I am home safe n sound.
Boy, I sure fit a lot into three days. It's now 1am and I NEED to sleep!
Nite all.
The Bare-chested Chef drove Vegan Chickie, Chicklet and I to Tewantin, where we girls shuffled into Zabe Espresso Bar for our morning coffee and some breakfast.
This cafe is a bit retro/nostalgic where the decor is all mismatched furniture, old lounge chairs that look like they came straight from Grandma's house, old leather sofas, distressed timber tables, wireless sets and radiograms from the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s, record players, timber cabinet stereo units and an old upright piano in the corner right in front of the window.
The numbers for the tables when you order are old 45 vinyl records in their covers. The walls are plastered with old news articles from every decade that you can imagine, one wall covered in different music sheets, while the floor is polished concrete.
We ordered coffee, a bacon and egg frittata for me and a reuben toasted sandwich for Vegan Chickie.
It was quite busy, so the only seats available for us were a couple of old two seater granny lounge chairs that were backed onto the music sheet wall and were separated by a small round timber table. It wasn't very conducive for chatting but was reasonably comfortable.
The coffee was DELICIOUS (just as it was the last time I was there) and the food was nice too, but I am unable to chew at the moment - having lost all of my back top teeth and the gums still stitched up.
Apparently, chewing with the front teeth covered in porcelain veneers is not an option - taking a bite is ok, but chewing is not, so I attempt to soften and mash my food with my tongue and the roof of my mouth. My food options are limited and it's quite possible that I will lose some weight over the next few weeks until my mouth is filled with usable teeth!
There was an elderly man sitting across from us who drew our attention to an even more elderly lady, who had just seated herself at the upright piano. He told us she was 94 years old and there she sat in a blue pants suit and a white crocheted beret with her granny trolley parked beside her.
Her first song was 'Keep Your Sunny Side Up' from way back in 1929 and almost immediately, my eyes filled with tears .. I have no idea why she affected me that way! Her next song was 'It Had to be You' and still I felt emotional.
She was so old and frail and hunched over that keyboard, yet her hands and fingers just glided over the keys so naturally.
I thought I remembered that there was a florist next door to the cafe, so as we left, I was relieved to see that I my memory hadn't failed me. I stepped inside and with Vegan Chickie's help selected the biggest brightest, sunniest yellow gerbera from the bucket. The woman behind the counter wrapped it in clear plastic and tied a bow around it and I returned to the cafe, waited til the old lady finished her song and then presented her with the gerbera.
I thanked her and told her that she played beautifully and that she had brought me such joy and had made my day (mind you, I said this fighting to hold back my tears!).
She was so pleasantly surprised and thanked me profusely, telling me that 'I' had made 'her' day. She told me that she almost hadn't made it there today because she had a terrible night of cramps in her legs. She said 'Lucky I don't need my legs to play the piano!'
We then walked across the road to a little boutique where Chicklet began to try on all the lady's shoes that were at her level. Vegan Chickie started to tell her to leave them alone, when I said "Leave her alone! That's MY girl!" (I'm passing on my shoe fetish!). Chicklet then piped up very loudly "Yeah Mama, leave me alone! I'm Bozzy Wozzy's girl!"
Every time she tried on a pair she would announce "These ones look good on me!"
So after a little retail therapy - read - buying Chicklet a thousand and one stickers from the cheapie shop - we headed up to the park that was being redesigned and constructed for three weeks, six weeks ago! It's still not ready!
We sat down at a picnic table and called the Bare-chested Chef to come pick us up.
There before us, slowly gathered a group of middle-aged people with musical instruments. Banjos, guitars, ukeleles etc setting up their music stands with iPads and soon they were all playing and singing together. There were about ten of them.
We gave them a round of applause at the end of their first song and them climbed into the car to head home.
The rest of the day was spent playing games with Chicklet, watching the 'Bolt' dvd, creating pictures with the newly acquired stickers.
The Bare-chested Chef drove me to the train station and kindly waited with me until the train arrived (5 minutes early!) and I had a very peaceful and relaxing trip home with only 5 of us in the end carriage.
Adoring Husband was waiting, as always, with open arms and now I am home safe n sound.
Boy, I sure fit a lot into three days. It's now 1am and I NEED to sleep!
Nite all.
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Feelin' Done In
It has been a long, stressful, tiring two days of dentistry.
Happy that it's over. Happy with the results so far. Need to learn how to both smile, and talk, again.
Right now, I need to sleep.
So here I am in all my 'straight from the dentist' glory (I softened the pic to reduce my ragged look) ...
Now I really need to sleep.
Nite all.
Happy that it's over. Happy with the results so far. Need to learn how to both smile, and talk, again.
Right now, I need to sleep.
So here I am in all my 'straight from the dentist' glory (I softened the pic to reduce my ragged look) ...
Now I really need to sleep.
Nite all.
Monday, November 30, 2015
A Bit the Worse for Wear
Yes, after two hours in the dentist's chair and after the needles wore off, I'm feeling quite a bit the worse for wear tonight.
A complete clean and scrape, removal of some infected gum, two full teeth extractions and two surgically removed broken teeth roots and then a flushing cleanse of the gums. Five stitches and about fifteen needles later, I walked out feeling on top of the world!
I can't say that it was a pleasant experience, by any stretch of the imagination, but it was bearable and she was kind and patient and tolerant and understanding. She gave me a stress ball to play with at about the halfway mark after I held both of my hands up and they were trembling uncontrollably.
She was quick and efficient and kept me informed of everything that she was doing while letting me know as each tooth came out ... I couldn't feel a thing from the bottom of my eyelids to the bottom of my chin!
Just as I thought I was in the clear she asked "Will you still be here tomorrow?"
I told her that I was booked on the afternoon train to go home and she said "I've had a cancellation tomorrow afternoon, so I could fit you in for the next part of your plan."
I asked her if she thought my mouth and body would cope with so much work in such a short space of time and she told me that because I have removed gluten, dairy and sugar from my diet, my mouth and body will heal much faster AND because there is so much infection in my gums, getting rid of it as soon as possible will help my body to thrive.
That made sense to me, so I decided to change my travel arrangements and will return to the dentist's chair for a FOUR HOUR visit tomorrow (or today, as you are reading this).
I bought a bottle of very strong colloidal silver from her (because I left mine at home), and it was very reasonably priced at about half the price that the chemists charge for weaker strength. So I've been flushing my mouth with that and I've taken my Reserve which is full of antioxidants and my super strength vitamin C to promote healing.
Despite all of that, there is some swelling, tenderness and discomfort tonight. Vegan Chickie has given me a sheet of Nurofen Zavance, so if the pain gets worse during the night, I've got that to fall back on, but it will have to be pretty bad for me to resort to that.
I've already had a couple of naps that lasted about an hour each and hopefully by morning I'll be feeling ready to cope with the next leg!
I can't quite believe that I'm doing this!
I can only have cool fluids - nothing hot, and I have to stay out of the sun for a day because heat increases blood flow and can induce bleeding in the wounds. So I've had a fresh watermelon, pineapple and mint juice, courtesy of Vegan Chickie, some room temperature bone broth and lots of water. Surprisingly, I don't feel hungry.
My Chicklet family are taking very good care of me.
Now I need to sleep it off.
A big thank you to my friends and family for their messages of encouragement and support .. you know who you are. I truly appreciate you and you need to know that you helped keep my strength and determination on track.
Warm hugs to you all!
Nite all.
A complete clean and scrape, removal of some infected gum, two full teeth extractions and two surgically removed broken teeth roots and then a flushing cleanse of the gums. Five stitches and about fifteen needles later, I walked out feeling on top of the world!
I can't say that it was a pleasant experience, by any stretch of the imagination, but it was bearable and she was kind and patient and tolerant and understanding. She gave me a stress ball to play with at about the halfway mark after I held both of my hands up and they were trembling uncontrollably.
She was quick and efficient and kept me informed of everything that she was doing while letting me know as each tooth came out ... I couldn't feel a thing from the bottom of my eyelids to the bottom of my chin!
Just as I thought I was in the clear she asked "Will you still be here tomorrow?"
I told her that I was booked on the afternoon train to go home and she said "I've had a cancellation tomorrow afternoon, so I could fit you in for the next part of your plan."
I asked her if she thought my mouth and body would cope with so much work in such a short space of time and she told me that because I have removed gluten, dairy and sugar from my diet, my mouth and body will heal much faster AND because there is so much infection in my gums, getting rid of it as soon as possible will help my body to thrive.
That made sense to me, so I decided to change my travel arrangements and will return to the dentist's chair for a FOUR HOUR visit tomorrow (or today, as you are reading this).
I bought a bottle of very strong colloidal silver from her (because I left mine at home), and it was very reasonably priced at about half the price that the chemists charge for weaker strength. So I've been flushing my mouth with that and I've taken my Reserve which is full of antioxidants and my super strength vitamin C to promote healing.
Despite all of that, there is some swelling, tenderness and discomfort tonight. Vegan Chickie has given me a sheet of Nurofen Zavance, so if the pain gets worse during the night, I've got that to fall back on, but it will have to be pretty bad for me to resort to that.
I've already had a couple of naps that lasted about an hour each and hopefully by morning I'll be feeling ready to cope with the next leg!
I can't quite believe that I'm doing this!
I can only have cool fluids - nothing hot, and I have to stay out of the sun for a day because heat increases blood flow and can induce bleeding in the wounds. So I've had a fresh watermelon, pineapple and mint juice, courtesy of Vegan Chickie, some room temperature bone broth and lots of water. Surprisingly, I don't feel hungry.
My Chicklet family are taking very good care of me.
Now I need to sleep it off.
A big thank you to my friends and family for their messages of encouragement and support .. you know who you are. I truly appreciate you and you need to know that you helped keep my strength and determination on track.
Warm hugs to you all!
Nite all.
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Train Travel with a Difference
It was a fairly hectic morning, although I was able to do everything I needed to do, with time to spare.
I batched up about a dozen containers of chicken bone broth and then used the remainder to make a casserole for Adoring Husband, hopefully to keep him fed for the two nights that I'm away.
I packed a small backpack with some make-up and toiletries. I have almost everything that I need permanently based in my second home now, so I can travel light from now on.
I showered, washing, blow drying and straightening my hair and applied make-up .. all of which are fairly epic tasks that require about an hour to complete.
We arrived at the train station with about 15 minutes to spare, but the train arrived ten minutes early!! Unheard of!!
It was the old diesel train, which takes three hours to travel the same distance that it takes the tilt train two hours to complete.
This train is quite dark and dingy, with no TV screens for entertainment and quite a bit less leg room with their seats. I was seated beside a young man who was feasting on a train meal heated in a foil container, which smelled delicious but looked pretty dodgy.
I decided to head to the front of the train to get my free coffee, using the voucher that they issued when they checked my ticket. When I finally got there (and it's a hell of a hike along 5 carriages, opening four doors between each carriage and stepping over the old wobbly carriage connections), the club car was only partially filled, so I took ownership of a booth and set myself up with my ipad and settled in for the trip.
It was very spacious and very comfortable with big windows that let in plenty of light. I was having a wonderfully peaceful time, when the queue to the kiosk suddenly seemed to grow longer snaking through the carriage, past me and reaching the door at the other end. Everybody was talking and it was noisy and much less comfortable. The people standing in the queue had trouble keeping their footing as the train snaked around some tricky bends.
A woman, I guess in her late 60s (her oldest child was a 44 yr old son), requested permission to sit at my booth, just until she ate her meal. I welcomed her and even offered her the cake that came with my coffee, which she accepted with gratitude.
She was a woman 'of God' and her job was to assist recovering alcoholics and drug addicts. She had recently returned from six months working in China in an orphanage and had sole car of eleven children with Cerebral Palsy. One of her sons was a Pastor in the church (I'm not sure which religion) and she had many a tale to tell.
Once I got over my initial dread that I had to endure this woman for the entire trip, and opened my mind to what she was talking about, she really was a very interesting woman. Every so often she would preach a little and tell me about how the "Lord provides for us all" or "Lord heals us all" or "Lord blesses us with something special every day" etc etc etc., but generally she kept it about her experiences with broken young people and described many success stories and the sort of work that she does.
I was impressed with her enthusiasm and positive outlook (considering her work) and how strong her faith was. When it was time for me to disembark, I shook her hand and told her what a pleasure it was chatting with her. She promised to pray for the Lord to heal Adoring Husband of his Parkinsons .. so I expect his complete recovery by the time I return home on Tuesday!
The Bare-chested Chef was waiting for me at the station (he picked me up during his break from work) and I arrived at the house to find a very excited little Chicklet laughing with delight that I had returned so quickly. I got thirty minutes of chat in with Vegan Chickie, before it was time for Chicklet to get my undivided attention.
We had a lovely afternoon playing with the giant spider that I'd brought with me (a leftover decoration from Halloween). Vegan Chickie had made a delicious meat and veg casserole for dinner and after we ate, there was more play, bath time, story time and then sleep ... but only after Mama came to the bedroom!
Vegan Chickie and I then had some time together and now I am ready for sleep. Oh and VC fixed my new phone with all of my contacts and email!! It took her less than two minutes .. honestly *rolls eyes* .. it was so simple, I feel like a right doofus!
Tomorrow is the big day, and now I'm starting to feel nervous and anxious. Wish me luck!
Nite all.
I batched up about a dozen containers of chicken bone broth and then used the remainder to make a casserole for Adoring Husband, hopefully to keep him fed for the two nights that I'm away.
I packed a small backpack with some make-up and toiletries. I have almost everything that I need permanently based in my second home now, so I can travel light from now on.
I showered, washing, blow drying and straightening my hair and applied make-up .. all of which are fairly epic tasks that require about an hour to complete.
We arrived at the train station with about 15 minutes to spare, but the train arrived ten minutes early!! Unheard of!!
It was the old diesel train, which takes three hours to travel the same distance that it takes the tilt train two hours to complete.
This train is quite dark and dingy, with no TV screens for entertainment and quite a bit less leg room with their seats. I was seated beside a young man who was feasting on a train meal heated in a foil container, which smelled delicious but looked pretty dodgy.
I decided to head to the front of the train to get my free coffee, using the voucher that they issued when they checked my ticket. When I finally got there (and it's a hell of a hike along 5 carriages, opening four doors between each carriage and stepping over the old wobbly carriage connections), the club car was only partially filled, so I took ownership of a booth and set myself up with my ipad and settled in for the trip.
It was very spacious and very comfortable with big windows that let in plenty of light. I was having a wonderfully peaceful time, when the queue to the kiosk suddenly seemed to grow longer snaking through the carriage, past me and reaching the door at the other end. Everybody was talking and it was noisy and much less comfortable. The people standing in the queue had trouble keeping their footing as the train snaked around some tricky bends.
A woman, I guess in her late 60s (her oldest child was a 44 yr old son), requested permission to sit at my booth, just until she ate her meal. I welcomed her and even offered her the cake that came with my coffee, which she accepted with gratitude.
She was a woman 'of God' and her job was to assist recovering alcoholics and drug addicts. She had recently returned from six months working in China in an orphanage and had sole car of eleven children with Cerebral Palsy. One of her sons was a Pastor in the church (I'm not sure which religion) and she had many a tale to tell.
Once I got over my initial dread that I had to endure this woman for the entire trip, and opened my mind to what she was talking about, she really was a very interesting woman. Every so often she would preach a little and tell me about how the "Lord provides for us all" or "Lord heals us all" or "Lord blesses us with something special every day" etc etc etc., but generally she kept it about her experiences with broken young people and described many success stories and the sort of work that she does.
I was impressed with her enthusiasm and positive outlook (considering her work) and how strong her faith was. When it was time for me to disembark, I shook her hand and told her what a pleasure it was chatting with her. She promised to pray for the Lord to heal Adoring Husband of his Parkinsons .. so I expect his complete recovery by the time I return home on Tuesday!
The Bare-chested Chef was waiting for me at the station (he picked me up during his break from work) and I arrived at the house to find a very excited little Chicklet laughing with delight that I had returned so quickly. I got thirty minutes of chat in with Vegan Chickie, before it was time for Chicklet to get my undivided attention.
We had a lovely afternoon playing with the giant spider that I'd brought with me (a leftover decoration from Halloween). Vegan Chickie had made a delicious meat and veg casserole for dinner and after we ate, there was more play, bath time, story time and then sleep ... but only after Mama came to the bedroom!
Vegan Chickie and I then had some time together and now I am ready for sleep. Oh and VC fixed my new phone with all of my contacts and email!! It took her less than two minutes .. honestly *rolls eyes* .. it was so simple, I feel like a right doofus!
Tomorrow is the big day, and now I'm starting to feel nervous and anxious. Wish me luck!
Nite all.
Damaging Weather
So it seems that last night's storm caused a bit of damage on the river ...
This particular boat broke from it's mooring and wiped out three other boats which also came away from their moorings. The other boats were retrieved and had varying degrees of damage, but this one came off the worst for wear.
When I left, there were three cars on the river bank, all with ropes attached to the boat and all attempting to get the boat upright. I doubt that they would have been successful.
We've had another storm tonight, so it will be interesting to see or hear the outcome of this little debacle.
The other interesting thing that happened by the river today, was seeing a family of galahs teaching their babies how to get seeds from pods in the trees.
This little one seemed very curious about me and wasn't at all afraid.
He didn't move until the rest of the family took flight very loudly and rapidly, so he followed close behind.
Adoring Husband bought me an early Christmas present yesterday .. a new Apple iPhone 6 Plus. I spent this morning trying to back up my old phone and restore it to the new phone, but I was only partially successful and I can't seem to get my contacts or my email restored.
That is frustrating!
I'm counting on Vegan Chickie to press a couple of buttons for instant success when I get there tomorrow.
Luckily, I had organised to spend some time with Woman of Many Talents today, so I was able to ease my frustrations with some wine and a good old girlie chat for a few hours.
It was quite late when I finally made my way home, so I cooked a quick dinner and then made up a batch of dog food.
I leave at lunch time tomorrow for the dreaded dental trip to the Sunny Coast. I'm looking forward to my appointment, but with some trepidation .. I doubt that my long time fear of dentists will ever disappear completely, no matter how good the dentist is, but I haven't felt comfortable smiling for a long time now and my crooked loose front tooth has limited my food choices, so I'm excited about getting it all fixed and my mouth being healthy again.
This appointment is going to be the longest two hours of my life!
It has just ticked past midnight, so I'd best get some sleep!
Nite all.
This particular boat broke from it's mooring and wiped out three other boats which also came away from their moorings. The other boats were retrieved and had varying degrees of damage, but this one came off the worst for wear.
When I left, there were three cars on the river bank, all with ropes attached to the boat and all attempting to get the boat upright. I doubt that they would have been successful.
We've had another storm tonight, so it will be interesting to see or hear the outcome of this little debacle.
The other interesting thing that happened by the river today, was seeing a family of galahs teaching their babies how to get seeds from pods in the trees.
This little one seemed very curious about me and wasn't at all afraid.
He didn't move until the rest of the family took flight very loudly and rapidly, so he followed close behind.
Adoring Husband bought me an early Christmas present yesterday .. a new Apple iPhone 6 Plus. I spent this morning trying to back up my old phone and restore it to the new phone, but I was only partially successful and I can't seem to get my contacts or my email restored.
That is frustrating!
I'm counting on Vegan Chickie to press a couple of buttons for instant success when I get there tomorrow.
Luckily, I had organised to spend some time with Woman of Many Talents today, so I was able to ease my frustrations with some wine and a good old girlie chat for a few hours.
It was quite late when I finally made my way home, so I cooked a quick dinner and then made up a batch of dog food.
I leave at lunch time tomorrow for the dreaded dental trip to the Sunny Coast. I'm looking forward to my appointment, but with some trepidation .. I doubt that my long time fear of dentists will ever disappear completely, no matter how good the dentist is, but I haven't felt comfortable smiling for a long time now and my crooked loose front tooth has limited my food choices, so I'm excited about getting it all fixed and my mouth being healthy again.
This appointment is going to be the longest two hours of my life!
It has just ticked past midnight, so I'd best get some sleep!
Nite all.
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Counting Down
Just four more sleeps til the beginning of my oral adventure!
I booked the return train trip to the Sunny Coast this morning.
It's been a quiet day for me. Just some cooking and a little housework.
I am very distracted tonight! I have no idea why!
Nite all.
I booked the return train trip to the Sunny Coast this morning.
It's been a quiet day for me. Just some cooking and a little housework.
Nite all.
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