I'm Committed!

Well!  I've done it!

This afternoon I enrolled in a Diploma in Photography course!

Adoring Husband and I discussed it a while ago.  He did some research.  I did some investigation into the Professional Photographers who are involved in the course and one of them impressed me so much that I made the decision based on the fact that he is a Guest Tutor with the Institute and runs International Travel Photography Tours.

His name is Chris Mclennan and his photography is amazing and spectacular!  I can only dream about taking photos at his level, but that is my goal!

I actually have two goals.

The other one is to be able to have an intelligent conversation with other photographers using language and jargon that only true photographers can understand!

So I've made the commitment and now I must focus on completing twelve modules and twelve interactive assignments over the coming months.

Speaking of photography... this was the sky about twenty minutes after I signed up for the course.

Such a fiery sky 

If you didn't know any better, you would swear it was a bushfire behind the line of trees.

The crows were cawing to each other 

In actual fact it was a sunset combined with a late afternoon storm.  Quite spectacular!

So now I am committed and hopefully it will only be to study in this course and not into some funny farm sometime down the track!

Wish me luck!

MARVIN GAYE & TAMMI TERRELL "Ain't no Mountain High Enough"

Day 3 - A song that makes me happy!

Some Simple Joys

One of the greatest simple joys in life is sliding between crisp clean sheets when you go to bed at night :o)

I got to experience that joy last night.

For three days, Adoring Husband was confined to bed with a mild flu.  I wanted him to keep his germs away from the rest of the family and he needed to get well quickly so that he could attend a photography workshop in Maleny this weekend.

After he left yesterday morning, I stripped the bed of his germy bedding and replaced it with fresh, crisp, clean bedding.

I had a whole, huge, king-sized bed with clean bedding all to myself last night.  The cold night breeze floating through the windows while I was snuggled up with the doona pulled up to my chin, surrounded by nine pillows and cushions and the serenity of a snore-free environment.

Pure bliss :o)

I should clarify that Adoring Husband's very loud snoring DOESN'T keep me awake at night.  It kind of lulls me to sleep with it's rhythmic vibrations!

Adoring Husband might even comment about some snoring coming out of somebody else's nose and mouth in the bedroom!

As we speak, Adoring Husband is on the road and returning home from his successful workshop weekend and the Bare-chested Chef is preparing to cook dinner tonight ... another of life's simple pleasures ... for me anyway.

One more simple joy experienced today was watching Chicklet laughing and talking with her Mum and Dad.

She is such a happy little girl and the love just bubbles up in everyone when she smiles and talks and does her cute baby stuff.  So cute and pink and chubby!

So, tonight, my sheets will no longer be crisp and fresh and the environment will no longer be snore-free but I hope to have Adoring Husband home safe and sound and I still have the simple joy of Chicklet's happy, sparkling smile :o)  

tammy wynette stand by your man

Day 2 - My least favourite song.

Old vs New

A year ago, and through a good friend,  I met an elderly couple, Toots and Dochs.  Toots is about to turn 80 and Dochs is a couple of years younger.  They are a wonderful couple who I really like a lot.

Their friends and family convinced them to buy a computer and learn about the internet, emailing and Skype.

So they bought themselves a Dell computer and decided to use a pre-paid wireless USB for their internet connection.

They bought all of this in October last year.  Three months later I saw them at our Bowls Club and they asked me if I could visit them and teach them how to send emails and set up Skype for them.

I agreed to this, thinking that it would take me about an hour to show them the basics.

When I arrived at 3pm on a Friday afternoon in January, I discovered that nobody had yet set up an email account for them, nor had their internet connection device been installed.

In the three months since they had purchased everything, they had misplaced some of the information required to set it all up,  so it took some time just to gather that information.

They had prior plans for 4.30 pm that same day, so I arranged to return the following day to finish the job.

I dragged Adoring Husband along the following day, because he is much faster at setting these things up than I.

A few phone calls and a few hours later, we had set up their email accounts and their internet access and downloaded Skype for them.  They invited us to stay for dinner as a 'thank you' and we had a lovely evening getting to know each other.

We gave them a very basic lesson on creating and sending an email and departed, giving them our phone number and telling them to contact us to set up another day for us to visit and give some more lessons on emails and Skyping.

FOUR MONTHS LATER I ran into them again and they told me that they were having trouble sending an email and that it kept giving them an error message.

They had lost our phone number.  So I promised to visit them the following morning (this morning) and check it out for them.

They had attempted to send this email two months ago!

It took ninety minutes over the phone, for the internet service provider to discover that the USB stick provided for the internet connection was faulty!  Luckily, it's still under warrantee and they will get a replacement.

So next week, I will be paying them ANOTHER visit to get this sorted.  ***sigh***

It's such a shame that they have encountered so many problems along the way.  We tell them how simple it all is and how happy they will be to have easy access to their friends and family through emails and Skype ... but then it takes months of obstacles along the way.

I can understand why the older generation are afraid of this technology.

Toots found great pleasure in the fact that the new connection is being sent via snail mail ... "because it's a good old fashioned service that doesn't let you down!"

If it was painful for you to read this post ... imagine how painful this task has been for me!!  Just wanted to share the load and I'd really appreciate some positive energy to be sent in my direction so that next week, it will all be finished without any more challenges to overcome!

Thank you for your time :o)

Queen - 'Bohemian Rhapsody'

Day 1  -  My Favourite Song

More Difficult Than You'd Imagine

Because I have spent the last few hours of my time trying to find a song for Day 15 on this list, my brain is too tired to focus on a new post, so at the suggestion of Vegan Chickie, I am sharing this challenge with you, so that you can share it with your friends and family, or just challenge yourself!

The thirty day song challenge.

Find the YouTube video as well as listing the name of the song and the name of the band.

Day 1     - Your favourite song.
Day 2     - Your least favourite song.
Day 3     - A song that makes you happy.
Day 4     - A song that makes you sad.
Day 5     - A song that reminds you of someone.
Day 6     - A song that reminds you of somewhere.
Day 7     - A song that reminds you of a certain event.
Day 8     - A song that you know all the words to.
Day 9     - A song that you can dance to.
Day 10   - A song that makes you fall asleep.
Day 11   - A song from your favourite band.
Day 12   - A song from a band that you hate.
Day 13   - A song that is a guilty pleasure.
Day 14   - A song that no-one would expect you to love.
Day 15   - A song that describes you.
Day 16   - A song that you used to love but now hate.
Day 17   - A song that you hear often on the radio.
Day 18   - A song that you wish you heard on the radio.
Day 19   - A song from your favourite album.
Day 20   - A song that you listen to when you're angry.
Day 21   - A song that you listen to when you're happy.
Day 22   - A song that you listen to when you're sad.
Day 23   - A song that you want to play at your wedding.
Day 24   - A song that you want to play at your funeral.
Day 25   - A song that makes you laugh.
Day 26   - A song that you can play on an instrument.
Day 27   - A song that you wish you could play.
Day 28   - A song that makes you feel guilty.
Day 29   - A song from your childhood.
Day 30   - Your favourite song at this time last year.

At first glance, this challenge looks fun and interesting, but on closer inspection and under pressure, some of these songs are really quite difficult to think of!

So, I challenge you ... it's more difficult than you'd imagine!

QUEENSLANDER!!!

Wahoo!!  My team won State of Origin last night!!  CHAMPIONS!  One game down, two to go!

Adoring Husband had spent the day in bed with flu and just to make it worse, he barracks for the opposition!

I fed him up on home-made chicken soup, hot honey and lemon, freshly squeezed orange juice, olive leaf extract and Vitamin C tablets.  He is improving quickly :o)

I would like to take this opportunity to offer my commiserations **snigger snigger** and I wish you the best of luck in the next game.

Although he should be familiar with that losing feeling ... after all, we have won five years in a row now **cheesy grin**

My morning at the 'Seat of Knowledge' was quite glorious.  I thought the weather was beautiful, but the locals were all wearing gloves, jackets, scarves and beanies.  I was wearing a sleeveless top and three-quarter length shorts.  I am often questioned about my unusual body temperature.

The tide going out created a beautiful sand tree on the shore.

In the early morning light, some fishermen preparing to go out for a day of fishing.

The old 'Moon River' boat, usually moored up river, but out for the day for the first time in three years.  Looking in need of some TLC!

But more importantly .. QUEENSLAND WON STATE OF ORIGIN LAST NIGHT!!  CHAMPIONS!!

QUEENSLANDER!!!!

(Sorry Darling.  I hope your health is back to normal soon.)

That Time Again

Today does not just mark the first State of Origin football game.  It also marks the sixth anniversary of my Mum's passing.  She would have been 71 yrs old this year.

She was a HUGE football fan and followed her beloved Brisbane Broncos team with a lot of passion.  She was an even bigger fan of State of Origin football and was a 'true blue' Queenslander.

We all lived hundreds of kilometres apart, so if we weren't at the stadium watching the game live, Mum, Squirt (my little sister) and I were in our respective living rooms watching it live on telly and texting vigorously every time our team scored or whenever we were annoyed at the referee decisions.

At the end of the games, we would phone each other and squeal and cheer loudly if we'd won or we'd moan and groan with disgust if we'd lost.

It was at the very end of the first State of Origin game in 2005 that my mother died suddenly of a heart attack in her lounge chair.  There was no phone call that night and no response to my last text message.

Our favourite photo of Mum when she was about 16 yrs old.

So, as much as we love State of Origin time, the first game every year is tinged with sadness as we remember our lovely Mum.

This year, for me, is even sadder and I've struggled with my emotions today.

I miss her more than ever because we have little Chicklet.  Mum would have loved being a Great Grandmother and would be spoiling Chicklet rotten by now.

I imagine that she would have been here in my living room this year for the first State of Origin game, because Vegan Chickie, the Bare-chested Chef and Chicklet have just moved back to Australia and she would have been here quick smart to cuddle our new baby.

So, since it's that time again, I'll be wearing my State of Origin gear tonight and, as usual, waving the flag for Queensland, but wishing we were all together as a big happy family sharing the love for the game and for each other.

Me, flying the flag 

A Plethora of Parties

I had a movie day with the ladies today.  Four of us (Beauty, Mrs V,  Lady Lynne and I) went to aqua aerobics and then met Kaz afterwards for morning tea, before making our way to the cinema.

(left to right) Lady Lynne, Age, Aussie H, Kaz and Beauty (No Mrs V in this one)

We watched 'Water For Elephants', which stars one of my favourite actors, Rob Pattinson, and we really enjoyed it, although we were all very disturbed by the animal cruelty and the evil main character.

There seems to be a run of good movies coming to the cinema, so I might be spending a bit of time there in the next few weeks.

We're looking forward to a couple of parties coming up in our near future.

I thought I would post some photos of parties that we've held or attended over the last two years.  The first party that Adoring Husband and I hosted was a 'P' party, four months after we moved here.

We had a pirate, pyjama girl, pregnant school girl, priest, painter, proctologist, pensioner, punk and a princess among others.

We've had dinner parties, a karaoke party, New Years Eve parties etc etc etc.

Aussie H and I at Karaoke

A sixties/seventies party.

A bit of effort for 60s/70s (that's me with the margarita!)

A sports party.

Woman of Many Talents and I pretending to be at the race track and bowling.

Christmas party

Kaz and her Mum having fun with Santa (who looks suspiciously like Adoring Husband)

A dinner party.

A dinner party that turned musical as the alcohol flowed.

A sixtieth birthday party.

The one with the tiara turned 60.

That's just a few of our parties.  Generally speaking, a good time was had by all.  We drank, we ate, we danced, we laughed, we sang and we got to know each other.

After such a plethora of parties, I'm starting to believe that less is more, because I just don't have the energy to keep up with the weekly parties anymore.

Lady Musgrave Recommendation

Last year, for my honeymoon, I went to Agnes Water with my girlfriends for four days.

It was kind of a work trip, come honeymoon, come girly weekend.  I got to take a couple of tours and I was there to take photos for a tourism website.  We did two tours.  One of them was to Lady Musgrave Island.  

Lady Musgrave is a small, but beautiful island approximately two hours boat ride from the town of 1770, which is about ten minutes from Agnes Water.

There are no buildings or structures on the island.  Just a walking track through a mini forest of Pisonia trees, beautiful white sandy beaches and it's surrounded by the bluest, cleanest water I've ever seen.  

It is also surrounded by a magnificent reef which is home to numerous varieties of fish,  sea turtles and giant clams among other amazing sea creatures.

For a few months of the year, the mini forest is full of thousands of birds in the form of gulls and terns that mate and nest on the island.  Apparently the noise of the birds is deafening and you have to wear protective clothing because the bird droppings are like rain showers.

I was there the week after the birds had left, so the island was beautifully silent and surprisingly clean.

Green and Loggerhead turtles nest on the island from November to February each year and the island is closed to campers in February and March to protect the hatchlings.

The tours include guided walks on the island, snorkelling, reef fishing and rides on a glass bottom boat to view the reef.  A delicious lunch is also included.

We had a fabulous day and even though I am not a big fan of boat travel that far from land, it was so worth it and I highly recommend the tours to anybody, young or old. 

I think I might take Adoring Husband up there.  He would love it and the photo opportunities are so worth it!

So, if you're wondering what to do for your next holiday and want something different, try a Lady Musgrave Island tour!

Like a Shag on a Rock.

Apparently, when the Shags start flying along the river out to sea, it means the Winter Whiting are biting.

Shags flying out to sea.  At least twenty flocks like this flew out this morning.

Last year, Adoring Husband and I took the boat out to check what all the fuss was about with the Winter Whiting.  We had heard about people fishing for thirty minutes to each bring their quota of fifty Winter Whiting home.

So we motored out of the mouth of the river and along the coast line for what seemed like forever, until we saw, way off in the distance, a gathering of boats.

We headed towards the gathering and soon came across about thirty boats, ranging from small tinnies to larger craft with about six people on board and all with a line over the side.

The boats were so close to each other, that they were almost touching and the fishing frenzy was amazing!  No sooner had they dropped the baited line over the side, than they were bringing it straight back up with a Winter Whiting on the hook!

We anchored our boat about twenty feet away from the group and threw our line over the side.

NOTHING.

So we moved a bit closer and tried again.

NOTHING.

We discovered that the patch of water where the Winter Whiting bite is very small and you must be inside that small patch to catch anything.  You need to squeeze your boat in between all the other boats and become a part of the crowd.

I can't remember how many fish we caught that day.  Maybe only five.  Our boat kept floating outside of the fishing patch.  The other boats only stayed for a short time because each person was catching fifty Whiting in a short time and then had to leave.

Every time one boat left, another was there to take it's place.  It was quite a spectacle to watch!  I had never seen anything like it in my life and I spent days animatedly regaling the story to anyone who would listen.

We won't be going out again this year.  We only needed to experience it once.  But the race is now on again for everyone else to find that little fishing patch and boats are offloaded at the boat ramp in large numbers and they all head towards the mouth of the river in rapid succession.

I sit at The Seat of Knowledge like a Shag on a rock watching all the action unfold.  I'm happy to watch them leave and listen to the fishing tales when they return thirty minutes later.

Fifty til you're sixty

Tonight was birthday dinner night for the youngest of our group, 'Woman of Many Talents'.  There was  a bit of fun, a few laughs, many drinks, a couple of D&Ms, cake and candles, a short ride home on the courtesy bus and it was all over by 9.30pm!

Woman of Many Talents looking FABULOUS at 50!

The times, they are a changing!

Remember the times, that don't seem THAT long ago, when we could party for three days and then after one night of sleep, begin partying all over again?

These days, if we party til after 10pm, we need three days to recover!  Another sad side-effect to the ageing process :o(

Still, as my sister-in-law once told me ... think about the only alternative to ageing and what would you choose???

Speaking of the alternative to ageing ... today was supposed to be the end of the world!  Somebody on facebook suggested that today was actually 'Judgement Day' and that the end of the world is next year in December.

Somebody else then asked 'How do I know if I've been saved?'  Good question.

So far, in my fifty one years on this earth, there have been approximately eleven 'end of the world' dates that I can recall, off the top of my head.  I am still here.

I promised a photo of my little Chicklet with her new toy.

Hours of fun for the whole family!

I can't begin to describe the overwhelming joy that fills my heart every day, spending this time with her and Vegan Chickie and the Bare-chested Chef.

I never dreamed that being a grandmother could be so amazing.  It's one of those experiences that you simply cannot comprehend until you live it.

In the meantime ... the new rule is ... YOU ARE FIFTY TIL YOU ARE SIXTY so I have another nine years of being a fifty year old grandmother.

Ya gotta love that!

Check! Check! Check!

We've planted more veggies in the garden and bought some corn seeds and zucchini seedlings today.  In a couple of months, we hope, our garden will be abundant with goodness and deliciousness!  There will be photos!

I hope I can find lots of recipes for beans because Adoring Husband has gone a little overboard with beans in the garden this season.  I hope he loves them as much as he thinks he loves them!

The second thing checked off my 'fifty two things to do before I turn fifty two' list is watching all of the Twilight movies in one day.  Vegan Chickie and I had a Twilight marathon last week and I think we might even do that again some time in the near future.  You can never get too much Twilight!

Last but not least, today I visited the Optometrist and had my eyes tested for reading glasses.  I have worn distance glasses since I was aged thirty, but now, alas, I require reading glasses ***sad face***.

In a good deal, I got distance glasses, reading glasses and two pairs of prescription sunglasses.  I haven't worn sunglasses for about twenty years, so I am looking forward to having better protection for my eyes ... especially now that we are living in Queensland where the sun is a bit bright and harsher than down south.

Clothes fade on the washing line in the Summer.  I spend about twenty minutes in the morning sunshine every day when I ride my tricycle to the boat ramp and I have a suntan just from doing that.  So I figure, the bright morning sunshine can't be doing my eyes too much good either.

The trusty trike was taken in for a long overdue service today.  I have ridden it every day for almost three years and it has never been checked.  Today it was given some TLC and I hope to get another couple of years worth of safe pedalling.

Chicklet has a new toy as of today so that she can lie on her back and practise her hand/eye co-ordination skills with lots of bright colours and sounds ... I will add a photo tomorrow.

She also has a bit of a 'thing' for Zac Efron.  We watched 'High School Musical' today and when Zac came on the screen, she talked very loudly to him!  It was so cute :o)

So, my 'Fifty two things' list is being checked off nicely and I am ahead of schedule.  The tougher items on the list are yet to come :o)

Perfect as it is!

This is our local dog whisperer.  His name is Chris.  He and his partner own a local B&B in town, which overlooks the river.  They bought it last year,  renovated,  added a deck and were open for business before Christmas.

These are his dogs that paddle with him every morning like this!

His partner does Yoga and Zumba classes in the local hall, while he does his dog training here, in The Bay and in another town thirty minutes from here.

Unfortunately, my mission to get Adoring Husband to the dog whisperer at the next session, has already failed.  He will be away doing a photography workshop that weekend, so I have to aim for the fortnight after that instead.

Our town is very small but there are so many activities available for all age groups.

As I've mentioned already, there is dog training, Zumba and Yoga.  We also have indoor bowls, lawn bowls, tennis, tai chi, cards, mahjong, bingo, dancing (tap and jazz ballet), singing, tae kwon do, craft, out rigging, two fishing clubs (amateur and blue water), darts, quilting, aerobics and three golf courses within fifteen minutes from town.

There are 'Grey Nomads' who regularly come to town in their camper vans and caravans to stay for the Winter, and who come join the groups every week to play.   They travel from all over Australia because our Winter is so mild compared to the southern States.

It just occurred to me that I really shouldn't be hitting the sales pitch for our town, because I don't want more people coming to live here and pushing the population to the limits.

I love our small town just the way it is!

State of Origin

First of all, our Sushi last night, was delicious!

Healthy and delicious!

Next week is the first 'State of Origin' match between New South Wales and Queensland.  For those of you who don't follow the football, Queensland have won the series for five years in a row!

This makes me very happy because I was born in Queensland and I love football!

So my reasoning goes like this.  Because Chicklet's first address in Australia is in Queensland, THAT makes her an honorary QUEENSLANDER!!

The Dreaded Dynamos!

Adoring Husband bought me some State of Origin dreadlocks made with Queensland colours today and they looked pretty darn good on little Chicklet!  Now she has dreadlocks just like her Mum!

Next week she will be dressed in full Queensland State of Origin regalia and there WILL be photos!

Grandmotherly Duties

Sushi for dinner tonight :o)

It's been a very enjoyable day for me today.  It started with water aerobics which was most invigorating.

Morning tea afterwards with Aussie H, Beauty and Lady Lynne.  We sat in our usual spot soaking up the Winter sunshine, sharing some laughs and welcoming Aussie H home from her caring duties with big loving hugs.

A bit of house keeping and then Vegan Chickie and the Bare-chested Chef gathered all of their courage and, for the first time, left their beautiful little Chicklet in the very capable hands of .... MEEEEEEEE!

They only went to the local supermarket, which is approximately a four minute drive from home, but I checked my watch when they left and expected that they would return in about ten minutes.

To my delight and surprise, they were gone for an entire twenty five minutes!  Chicklet and I got a nice dose of Vitamin D while we wandered around the garden for ten minutes.

I showed her the plants and flowers in the alfresco area.  We watched the builders across the road where they are starting construction on a new home.  Lastly we watched the puppies chasing each other around the back yard.

She intently took everything in and was still very happy and relaxed when her Mum and Dad came home from the supermarket.

As they began to make their lunch, little Chicklet fell asleep in my arms, so I crept into the lounge room and slid down onto the couch.

Vegan Chickie handed me a little packet of lollies and a bottle of water.  Adoring Husband handed me the baby blanket so that I could protect her from the cool breeze blowing through the front window and I settled down to thirty minutes of pure grandmotherly bliss as she slept soundly with her head resting on my shoulder.

This is what being a grandmother is all about.  Feeling the love and soaking up the happiness.

Quality vs Quantity

In short, my day consisted of twenty minutes of excellent quality cuddling time with Adoring Husband while I gathered the courage to leave the warm bed to prepare for nine holes of low quality golf.

Short, but high quality, hammock time.

Two medium quality dvds - being 'The Lake House' and 'A Star is Born' (Barbra & Kris), which created lovely quality Vegan Chickie time.  

A number of brief, but top quality, Chicklet times.

Poor quality kitchen time, which in turn produced poor quality food.

Proof of a genuinely high quality son-in-law who ate all of the poor quality food.

Good quality fun and giggling around the dining table triggered by hysteria from low quality sleep.

Toss of a coin quality junk food for after dinner.

Sad quality attempt to post something here at almost 11.30pm when I have to get some sleep before an early start tomorrow morning for water aerobics.

I can't even stay awake long enough to replace quality for quantity.  Let's try this again tomorrow :o)

  

A Milestone!

Chicklet rolled over for the first time this morning from her tummy to her back!  It was a most exciting moment.  She did it twice, just to prove that the first time wasn't a fluke!

Now she's sleeping against her Dad's chest while he reads.  They look so perfect together :o)

She loves her Daddy :o)

One of our neighbours just dropped off a bag of different types of chillies and two chilli plants.  There will be cooking with chilli over the coming weeks I feel.  Good for the metabolism!

Adoring Husband planted the chilli plants in the herb garden and then climbed into the hammock with Psychotic Dogs, who appear to look so 'unpsychotic' in photos!

Have heard nothing but glowing reports about our free dog whisperer in town.  I spoke to four different people with dogs yesterday at the markets, after they had been to the park to check him out.  They all raved about how great he was.

Some of them had uncontrollable dogs on the leash, others wouldn't take their dogs OFF the lead while on the beach because the dog would run off and not return when called, others needed advice about barking, digging and other various problems.

Next fortnight, I'm going to make it my mission to get Adoring Husband and Psychotic Dogs to the dog whisperer.  I do believe Adoring Husband requires some training as well!

They DO say that it's the owners who require training more than the dogs!  If I can get Adoring Husband there, it will be another milestone!!

Making the small pleasures guilt-free

I spent a whole hour, yesterday, laying in my hammock in the Winter sunshine.  Pure bliss!  I didn't read or listen to music or focus on anything except the warmth of the sun and the sound of the chooks and their quiet contented clucking.

By the end of an hour, I felt guilty for having been so self indulgent and I came inside the house.  It's very strange that I should feel guilty for enjoying something so simple and I wonder, from where, that guilt stems.

I even looked at the hammock this afternoon and considered spending some more time in it, but denied myself the pleasure, opting instead to unpack my market gear and do a little tidying of the house.

Must rid myself of this unnecessary guilt!  Must enjoy more time in my hammock!  It's on my "Fifty two things to do before I turn fifty two" list!

Enjoying the hammock with Psychotic Dogs

Played a good nine holes of golf yesterday too.  I must say that it was quite chilly on the golf course at 6.30am but once we got moving, we soon warmed up.

It was even too cold for the kangaroos!  We usually see a mob of kangaroos sunning themselves in the paddock beside the golf course, but there were none to be seen yesterday!

To get to the golf course, there is a bridge crossing over a river and when we looked out over the edge of the bridge,  the water was so still, that it looked like a mirror reflecting the perfectly blue sky and the trees lining the banks.  There was a soft mist floating above the water which made it look so pretty and peaceful.  Alas, no camera :o(

I hope that my description is enough to help you conjure the picture in your mind.

Today was market day and I set up my stall alone because my usual off-sider, the lovely Aussie H, is away caring for her grandchildren while her son and his wife are on holidays, and Adoring Husband played golf.

The weather was spectacular!  One of those days where the sunlight glistens off everything and the air is so clean that the colours are vibrant and crisp.  There was a cool breeze and I found myself lifting my face to the sky and closing my eyes to feel the warmth on my skin.

I only had two sales for the day, but I met another stall holder who was lovely and I got to talk to so many locals who are now in the habit of stopping by to say hello on their way through the markets.  With so much socialising happening, it makes the morning go by so quickly!

Little Chicklet visited me briefly with Vegan Chickie and The Bare-chested Chef on their way into The Bay.

On my way home, I pedalled down by the river and just sat for a while looking at the water and watching people bring their boats in and out on the boat ramp.  A very pleasant twenty minutes.

A beautiful sunshiny day

Bubbles phoned me this afternoon to find out how Grandmotherly life was treating me.  We had an interesting conversation over the noise of traffic as she walked home from work along the busy main street in Sydney where she lives.  I miss her :o(

I declare, from this day forward, that my small pleasures in life will be enjoyed GUILT-FREE!

       

Beautiful one day ... perfect the next!

What a glorious day in our patch of paradise today!  It started out quite chilly, because Adoring Husband who had to go to work at 5.30am, came home and pulled the doona tight around my chin saying "Stay in bed!  It's only 8 degrees outside!"

I don't usually feel the cold but I did wear a vest over my sleeveless dress today.  The sun was shining all day and there was a slight breeze blowing which gave the locals a bit of a chill but this is perfect weather for me!  It reached a healthy 23C degrees.

I've had some lovely play times with little Chicklet today.  We explored the front and back gardens again,  talked to the lovely laying chookies, checked out the jewellery making area, discussed the issue of world peace and told each other some little secrets.

We are getting along very nicely!  Thank you for asking!

Adoring Husband played golf today and got to use his new cart, which we have now named "Carter".  Not the fastest cart on the course, especially with two big lugs like Adoring Husband and his golfing buddy 'Green Door' in tow.

Soon, Carter will have a few new accessories to spruce him up and he will be the envy of many!

Adoring Husband with the beloved 'Carter'

Tomorrow the weather will continue to be glorious and I will be playing golf Carter-less because I play golf for the exercise and don't require a cart :o)  (for now)

The bare-chested chef has been having a wonderful time in our kitchen almost all day and is preparing a super delicious pasta dish with freshly made pasta - OF which I will take photos later - OVER which I am sure you will drool with envy!

No words can describe how delightful this meal was!

It's not just the weather that's beautiful one day, perfect the next!

Drinkies!

Yesterday morning, my Aqua-aerobic ladies and I didn't go to Aqua-aerobics, for various reasons, but still met at 9am for our usual morning tea.  

Our 'usual' morning tea turned into an 'unusual' morning tea because the Bakery was unexpectedly closed due to illness, and we had to move along the footpath to another place for our coffee.

While we were there, one of the ladies (I'll call her 'Beauty') invited us all to her house the next afternoon for drinks.  The first questions everybody asked was "What's the occasion?"  and "Whose birthday is it?".

"No occasion" she replied "It's just a gathering of friends.  Bring your own drinks and yourselves, but don't bring anything else".

There have been so many celebrations lately, like Easter, Mother's Day, May Day, Australia Day, ANZAC Day and numerous birthdays that it feels like there has to be a reason for all gatherings now.

When we first moved to this town, there were parties every few weeks for no particular reason except to get to know each other.  It was 'Party Central' and by the end of the first year, we were EXHAUSTED!

So, this afternoon at 3.30, we carried our esky full of beer and sarsaparilla down the street (about five houses down) to Beauty & the Beast's house.  

It was my first time in their home and I felt welcome immediately.  They have a lovely home and there were delicious cooking smells wafting around as we walked through to the back deck.

A couple of the ladies were already there with their husbands and we all made ourselves comfortable outside and chatted among ourselves. 

After about 20 minutes, Beauty appeared from inside, with plates of food.  Every 20-30 minutes, she suddenly re-appeared with even MORE food ... all home cooked with an Asian feel ... all absolutely delicious! 

All I could do was take small samples, knowing full well that The Bare-chested Chef was working away in my kitchen preparing my favourite of his specialty dishes!  

So we ate and drank and laughed and chatted as the sun set behind us through the trees.  After a while I bragged to everyone that we had our own personal chef at home cooking our dinner, and we had to make our excuses and leave after more than two hours of very pleasant company and wonderful hospitality.

***Excuse me ... my dinner is served***

My goodness!  Home made Fajitas with every filling known to mankind and even home made wraps!  My chef is the BEST chef in town - maybe in all of Queensland!

I am so full **rubs belly**

I feel like I'm a bit of a failure ... I should have taken photos at Beauty and the Beast's place and I definitely should have taken a photo of our dinner table tonight ... it was a spectacular sight! 

There are enough leftovers to have fajitas for lunch tomorrow - yummo - and there'll be no drinkies at anyone's house tomorrow, so I can stuff my face with whatever my personal chef cares to make for dinner. 

The camera will definitely be out and ready for action, so I'll share the visual with anyone who cares! 

Blogger Bombed Briefly!

I try so hard to post something new every single day, but for the last twenty four hours, Blogger has had a known problem that has prevented me from communicating via my blog.  Boo hiss :o(

Yesterday was my first full day with the family.  Chicklet was a little unsettled, but even feeling unsettled, she was perfectly fine and hardly made a sound.

The psychotic dogs are still just as psychotic as ever - very jumpy - every little sound sets them off.  People walking by the house sets them off.  Adoring Husband talking loudly on the phone (why do men do that?) sets them off.

They've even begun to fight among themselves because the new dog (Chicklet) in the house seems to have forced a change in the pecking order.  The oldest and the youngest dogs have decided to fight for the role of Alpha dog.  Quite disturbing really.  They'll get over it eventually.

As The Bare-chested Chef asked "Who is actually behind bars?  Chicklet or the Psychotic Dogs?"

Curiouser and Curiouser

Vegan Chickie, Chicklet and I had a lovely few hours together today while The Bare-chested Chef and Adoring Husband drove down south to pick up a second hand car.  Now the new family have a safe family car in which to  travel about.

We took Chicklet outside for some Vitamin D and introduced her to the veggie garden and the Lovely Laying Chooks.  It was all very interesting for her and very tiring, so she has had a few short naps today.  She missed her Daddy and was very happy to see him when he returned home.

Adoring Husband came home with a second hand golf cart so he is also very happy and is currently researching,  investigating and trolling the internet for all of the information available for his particular brand of cart.

All I know is that it's maroon ... so the Queenslander in me is pretty happy :o)

So tomorrow will be a big day for the new family when they go into The Bay to begin establishing themselves as residents of Australia again.  New bank accounts, medicare, driver's licence etc etc.

For the next two nights,  The Bare-chested Chef will be practising his culinary skills in our kitchen, so dinner will be exciting and different!  Yummo!

Except for a day without Blogger, all is right with the world and I am a happy Bella :o)

All Is Right With The World!

Three psychotic dogs are very confused!  They can see this little 'thing' that makes funny noises and gets passed from person to person and they just aren't quite sure what to make of it.  They scuttle around our feet looking up and making strange whiny sounds.

They've never seen or heard a baby before!

They sit in the hallway outside the bedroom listening and then give a little 'woof' when they hear Chicklet make a noise.  It's quite amusing.

Chicklet, as we speak is lying on her Dad's chest, sleeping like a baby.  She is exhausted after two days of travelling and seeing so many strange faces.

It sounded like she was barking in her sleep a little while ago.

She has never seen or heard a dog before.

Photos and more Chicklet news tomorrow.

So ... my lovely family arrived today, safe n sound, and all is right with the world :o)

19 Hours to go, but who's counting???

I'm feeling surprisingly emotional about the family arriving tomorrow!

Youngest daughter, Bubbles and her Knight in Shining Armour, made their way to Sydney Airport this afternoon to meet Chicklet for the first time.

Vegan Chickie, The Bare-chested Chef and Chicklet had a very short stopover of forty minutes in Sydney, before their flight to Brisbane, so Bubbles, who was desperate to meet her first niece, made it her 'mission' to get there.

She sent me a text as they left the airport that read 'SHE'S PERFECT!'

I already knew that :o)

Here is our little girl looking decidedly exhausted after an already big day!

Don't ya just wanna pinch those chubby cheeks!?

I imagine that they will all be exhausted tonight and I hope they sleep well in the motel bed so that they can be fresh for another big day tomorrow.

Whenever I imagine myself seeing them walk through the terminal gates tomorrow, the tears well in my eyes, so I'm afraid I have become a pathetically and uncontrollably emotional grandmother who will soon be an embarrassment to her family.

In seven years I have gone from 'The Terminator' to 'Sooky La La' and I shake my head in disbelief.  It just goes to show that nothing is forever.

Less than nineteen hours to go now, and yes, it's ME who's counting!

Working Bee

Adoring Husband worked his butt off today to prepare two of our rooms for the impending arrival of our family.

He had to, because he is now playing golf for most of the weekend and won't have any other time to do it!

So now, we are ready and waiting and counting the hours.

I'm feeling a bit low on energy tonight so this post is short, and I'm leaving some photos that I took last year at Preston Peaks Winery, which is near Toowoomba in southern Queensland.

Even though Adoring Husband did most of the work, the working bee has taken it out of me today and I need to rest my brain and my body :o)

'Honorary Placenta Tree' Planting Day

It was an emotional moment for Vegan Chickie and The Bare-chested Chef.  Across the Tasman, at the same time that they were burying Chicklet's placenta, Adoring Husband and I were planting the Honorary Placenta Tree together in our back yard.

Because they are leaving New Zealand much sooner than originally planned, it is too soon to plant a tree with the placenta before they leave (it's necessary to wait a year before burying a placenta under a tree), so for them to ask us to share the moment with this symbolic gesture, it was a huge honour!

For us, it felt like we were welcoming new life into the world and it was an invigorating and happy moment.

They have one night left in the house where their little Chicklet was born and they are feeling a little sad.  We, on the other hand, are feeling very excited that they will arrive in less than three days and we will get to spend quality time with them and with our little grand daughter.

I get a little teary every time I think about it!

Vegan Chickie and Chicklet burying the placenta

The Bare-chested Chef (not so bare-chested) burying the placenta.

The honorary placenta tree (avocado)

Adoring Husband doing some extra landscaping

... and a little bit more landscaping.

The finished product with decorative froggies .. because we all love froggies!

Me, presenting the honorary placenta tree :o)

It's been a good day!

One more time with feeling!

Today was vegan peanut butter cupcakes day and they are now Adoring Husband's new favourites.  These vegan recipes are so delicious, it's difficult to choose which one to try next!  Coconut and lime look nice, as do the lemon and macadamia nut.  Yummo!

 

Did some bartering today and swapped a dozen eggs for a lovely big home-grown pumpkin.  Time for a big batch of pumpkin soup to freeze, in preparation for Winter!

Tonight we had a birthday dinner for one of our more loveable friends at the local hotel.  She turned fifty six.  There were about twenty five of us and even though we were only out for just over two hours, it was loud and happy with lots of laughter.  

Kaz is very much loved by her friends and even her acquaintances, because she is kind, caring, generous with her time and is a great listener.  

She is beautiful and exudes a warmth that makes you smile the minute that you meet her.  I consider her a close friend and I wish we had more opportunities to spend time together.

It was a lovely evening and I think she enjoyed herself.  She looked happy. 

May 5th is the final voting day for the photo contest in which I've submitted my feeding bird photo so I just thought I would post the link one more time.  My photo is on page three.  If you go to the site, find my photo and then click on the word 'vote' under the photo, it would cause me to ***happy dance***!

http://www.discoverwildlife.com/wildlife-nature-photography/photo-contest/april%202011%20photo%20contest%3A%20baby%20animals

Shopped Til We Dropped!

What started out this morning at 9am, as a short trip into The Bay to get a few plants, some vegan ingredients and a nappy bucket, turned into an epic shopping trip that ended with slowing down for school traffic this afternoon!

Veggie garden is under way at last!  After a short drive to the plant nursery on the edge of town, we acquired egg plant, snow peas, beans, rocket, spinach, a few varieties of tomatoes, cucumber, leek, a massive birds eye chilli plant and a STACK of new herbs like basil, sage, parsley, rosemary, thyme and dill, among others!

One honorary placenta tree in the form of an avocado, now waiting for the 'placenta burying date' on Thursday :o)

We decided to have lunch at our favourite lunch spot.  Aquavue, on the water.  The tide was in and sun was glistening on the water and there was a gentle sea breeze.  Perfect.

A visit to Adoring Husband's favourite store ... yes, you guessed it ... Bunnings Hardware, to get tomato stakes and to look for some more veggie seedlings.  Unfortunately, the seedlings arrive on Thursday, so we were two days too early.

It took trips to two different supermarkets, miles apart, to find all of the ten remaining ingredients for the vegan cupcake bonanza baking fest, which now has to be postponed for twenty four hours because we used up the whole day doing other things!  The boys at The Seat of Knowledge will be very disappointed!

Not to mention Adoring Husband, who has been harassing me all night, to go into the kitchen and knock up a batch of the same cookies and cream chocolate cupcakes that I made yesterday!

One more dvd to add to the already massive collection.  Little Fokkers.  One nappy bucket and one changing mat for one very precious little Chicklet.  Six kilos of fresh dog mince.  An unsuccessful visit to a car yard or two, looking for the perfect used car for the perfect new family.

When we arrived home, I sat down to watch the ABC news and the best part of the coverage was a story about the early arrival of the whales at the Gold Coast on their migration north for the Winter!  They are about a month early!  Very exciting!

While a massive black thunderstorm built up over our heads, I made a delicious vegetable quiche for dinner with a crispy skinned baked potato.

I was hoping to capture some lightning shots with the camera, but the storm was too close and too scary looking and I didn't dare set up the tripod on the front porch for fear of getting struck down!

To finish off an already great day, one of my favourite TV shows started a new season tonight.  Australia's Got Talent.

So, we shopped til we dropped and wowsers, Australia has definitely got some talent!!

Vegan Cookies and Cream Chocolate Cupcakes

For my birthday, Vegan Chickie, The Bare-chested Chef and Chicklet gave me a a book called "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero.

This afternoon, I baked my first vegan cupcakes using a recipe from this book.  Cookies and cream chocolate cupcakes with dark chocolate icing with almonds and topped with a mini Oreo.

Easily the most delicious cupcake that I have EVER baked.  So rich that it's impossible to eat too many. I ate two and felt like I'd eaten a dozen!!

Cookies and cream chocolate cupcakes with dark chocolate icing with whole almonds and topped with a mini Oreo

I just can't wait to try another recipe out of the book and I think I might take some of the chocolate cupcakes down to the Seat of Knowledge tomorrow and share them with the boys.

This will give me the perfect excuse to bake up a new batch tomorrow!  Perhaps the carrot cupcakes, coconut & lime cupcakes or peanut butter cupcakes!  Decisions, decisions!

Of the hundred or so recipe books that I have, it could very easily slide into my top five!  I can't wait to share them with people who think that any food with the word 'vegan' attached must taste bad!

THE PROOF WILL BE IN THE PUDDING!

Such indulgence!  It almost feels sinful!  Adoring Husband said to me after his first cupcake "You couldn't eat more than one.  They are too rich".  Ten minutes later, he walked into the lounge room with a saucer holding two more, which he gobbled down faster than I could blink!

Tomorrow, I will share with you the next indulgent episode of cupcake mania, and I would appreciate it if we all understood the fact that they are vegan, which makes them SUPER healthy!

The author's decision is final!  No correspondence will be entered into!

Honorary Placenta Tree and Organic Vegetables

Adoring Husband has spent a few hours in the garden today and prepared the veggie beds for planting.

The herb garden now has an orange tree in it!  There is also the asparagus that has been cut back and looks like it's about to explode with regrowth.

The rosemary, basil, mint and comfrey are all doing very nicely.  The parsley, sadly, has passed on and will have to be replaced.

Two strawberry plants have survived the Summer of neglect along with a chilli plant and there is plenty of room in the bed to plant some new herbs.

 The Lovely Laying Chookies have been given their own garden bed to play in and will hopefully remove a years worth of weedy grasses that have been trying to take over that particular bed and have almost succeeded!

Hopefully, while they eat the grasses, they will also fertilize the ground at the same time, but that bed will need to be rested for a while.

So far on the list for planting, we have corn, tomatoes, beans, cucumber, zucchini, lettuce, snow peas, capsicum and egg plant.

We haven't had any luck with the traditional Winter crops like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage here in Queensland because it's too warm and the bugs and worms take over!

Thursday afternoon this week has been set aside for planting.  There will be an avocado tree planted in honour of Chicklet's placenta, which is being buried in NZ at the same time.

Avocado, Pears - Womb & Cervix
These Foods target the health and function of the Womb and Cervix of the Female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats 1 Avocado a Week, it Balances Hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and Prevents Cervical Cancers. 
   And how profound is this?
It takes exactly 9 Months to grow an Avocado from blossom to ripened fruit.

Appropriate I think!

Then the vegetables will be planted after that and in a few weeks we can start eating fresh organic food from the garden again.  I think it's been about a year since we grew anything!  Now that the beds have all been rested and composted with lots of delicious stuff, the garden should thrive again!  I can't wait!

So this week is 'honorary placenta tree and organic veggie' week!  Bring it on!