Day 190 in a Year of my Life

I almost sold my old trike today.

I haven't advertised it yet, but a man stopped and asked me about my new trike when I was at the park this morning, so when I told him that I had an old one to sell, he was very keen and took my phone number.

He and his wife came to the house this afternoon to look at it and although he was very keen - he wants it to transport his fishing gear to the river and likes the rod holders on the back, as well as the large basket - but his wife was not keen.

They both had a ride of the old trike as well as the new trike and she preferred the new trike.  I'm not sure why she gets to choose what he rides, however, they said they'd get back to me.

While they were looking at at, I was feeling a bit reluctant anyway.  It's my baby, and even though I have every intention of selling it, I wasn't expecting it to happen this soon!

So, I told them about the trike that's advertised on the notice board at our local shops.  $450 brand new.  They are going to follow that up, so I should get to keep my baby for a bit longer.

I met another man at the beach today.  He was with his friend Reggie...

Reggie is a 13 week old male Eclectus Parrot.  He is a beautiful bird, but if he was mine, I don't think I'd take him out on the beach, especially at low tide when all the Kites and Eagles are out hunting.  He would make a delicious meal for them if they swooped from behind and snatched him from the man's shoulder!

Notice how I got the parrot's name but not his owner's?

I have seen this Grey Heron out and about lately.  He was catching fish in the little streams left as the tide went out, but as I tried to sneak closer to get a good shot, he took off!

He flew high into the trees and annoyed the smaller birds.

So my mission tonight is to finish watching 'The Man from Snowy River' on dvd, so that I can return it to it's rightful owner tomorrow.  I borrowed it from one of my boys, a week before the tornado hit and then it got packed away with all of our belongings while the house got repaired.

He reminded me about it today.  Luckily we just unpacked all the dvds last week, so it was easy to find.

The movie is better than I remembered it.

Today, I am grateful for the sounds of silence.  No TV and no radio.  Just the silence that surrounds us at night when the residents all go inside and close their doors til morning.  Feeling the serenity.

Nite all.

Day 189 in a Year of my Life

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ Happy Birthday to you! ♥¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ Happy Birthday to you! ♥¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ Happy Birthday dear Kaz ♥¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ Happy Birthday to yewwwwww ♥¸¸.•*¨*•♫♪

Sung to the tune of 'Happy Birthday' and in my very best Operatic Soprano singing voice!

In honour of your birthday (knowing how disappointed you are in the fact that I use your real name here instead of a nickname), I now dub thee ... *drum roll*

"Sparkles" due to your beautiful sparkling eyes.

Lef to right - Hopalong, Sparkles, Lady Lynn and Bev4now

So ... it was Sparkles' birthday today!  Quite a large group of us congregated at the Lions Park for a birthday barbecue.

I was in charge of the birthday cake because Sparkles and I are both gluten free and therefore we have easier access to good gluten free recipes.

This is a very old recipe that I haven't even used for over twenty years, long before I became aware of my gluten intolerance. 

It was more delicious than I remember!

Almost all of the dishes were gluten free and every one of them were mouth wateringly (I think I just made that word up) good!  

Our friends are so wonderful to put such an effort into providing nice food to meet our dietary requirements on occasions like this.  It's usually difficult at social events, but they go out of their way for us and today, that's what I am grateful for.  Thank you friends :)

Nite all.

Day 188 in a Year of my Life

While I was taking photos on the beach, a local gentleman riding a scooter, came looking for me to tell me about some kangaroos fighting on the edge of the national park near where he lives.

Apparently, there were originally eight fighting bucks, but by the time I arrived there were only four left and only two of them were fighting.

They were huge and I estimate that the biggest ones were about 8 feet tall when they were standing upright.

I kept a safe distance.  I've seen the sort of damage that an angry buck can do to a person, so I wasn't going to take any risks.

These guys were very close to where I almost stood on the Red Belly Black snake last week, so I was being doubly cautious.

I've got a big day planned for tomorrow and after two glasses of wine tonight, I am feeling decidedly weary, so I'm off to get some beauty sleep.

Today, I am grateful for locals who come to find me when they see something that they think is worthy of photographing.  50% of the time, it's definitely worth following up!

Nite all.

Day 187 in a Year of my Life

Three whole months after the tornado, Adoring Husband brought all of my jewellery making paraphernalia in from the container, for me to sort, clean, clear, dispose of and/or store in my new work area.

Sadly, one whole large box of it had to be disposed of due to water damage - rust, mould, swelling, staining etc.

There was JUST enough room to store the remainder in my work area!  Whew!

That job took about 6 hours!  I'm so glad that it's done.

I did wake early this morning - before the alarm even went off - hoping for a sunrise to photograph, but there was not a cloud in the sky and no colour to speak of.  I decided to save myself for a prettier morning .. perhaps it will be tomorrow morning?!

Another photo from the Bubbles collection ...

and this gave me a bit of a giggle today...

Ten minutes to midnight - best hit the hay!  Last but not least is a photo from the Vegan Chickie collection ...

How cute is that???

Today I am grateful to be yet another step closer to normality.

Nite all.

Day 186 in a Year of my Life

Well ... another big day!

Our trip took about thirty minutes longer than usual, due to many, many road works along the way.  The trip is going to be a breeze when the roads have improved with more passing lanes.

The Specialist in Bundaberg was able to confirm that Adoring Husband's Parkinsons hasn't deteriorated in the last 3 months, which, I guess, is a good sign.  We travelled a long way and paid him a lot of money to give us that little jewel!

Anyway, we had a lovely lunch at Brother's Sports Club and they had some good gluten free options.  My choice was Atlantic Salmon with prawns and a glazed honey dressing.  Delicious!

Adoring Husband ate half a cow!

We visited Spotlight to replace all of my jewellery making tools that I lost when the tornado hit, and then tried to find an oddly sized chest of drawers for AH.  Most chests of drawers are one of three standard sizes - none of which are good for his requirements.

He may have to use his ingenius brain and excellent cabinet making skills to create his own masterpiece!

We arrived home safe n sound late this afternoon and discovered that our male psychotic dog is still feeling a little off.  I think we'll take him to the vet tomorrow to have him checked.  He hasn't been himself for about a week now and I must admit that even 'I' am feeling a little concerned.

There was no chance for photography today, so here is a shot that I took while Bubbles was here.

If I get to bed at a reasonable hour tonight, I may even wake up early enough for a sunrise ... we all know how successful my sunrise plans usually are!  However .. it is now 7pm and I am signing off.  Surely that's a good sign!

Nite all.

Day 185 in a Year of my Life

What a lovely day I've had today.

It started with my early morning ride to the boys at the new Seat of Knowledge, which was followed by a very pleasant morning tea with the girls.

I spent ninety minutes playing with my photos, which then gave me 30 minutes to get ready for the monthly 'Lady's Luncheon'!  It was held at the local watering hole today and there were about fifteen of us in attendance.

I actually ate at home before I left, because the pub's 'gluten free' options aren't strictly 'gluten free', and I have been caught out there before.

Basically, I went for the social aspect and I now have a morning tea date with one of the ladies next week!  We've talked about it many times before this, but never made any solid plans til now, so I'm really looking forward to that.

I've been taking a lot of photos lately, but my success rate has been pretty low.  I have a sunset shot from last Saturday.

and a 'before' and 'after' shot of one of Bubbles' photos.  I think she composed this photo very well. I just added my own bit of editing.  I know it won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I like it.

Another big day tomorrow, so I'm off to bed.  Have a lovely 'hump day' (Wednesday) everybody.

Nite all.

Day 184 in a Year of my Life

There's nothing nicer than the feel of soft new carpet under your feet, the smell of freshly washed walls and the clear light that bursts through thoroughly cleaned windows.

Spring cleaning doesn't just clean your house.  It cleans your mind, your heart and your soul.

We haven't finished spring (should I say Autumn?) cleaning yet, but it already feels pretty good!

We have a fairly busy week ahead of us, so I should go slide between the fresh clean sheets that are gracing our bed right now.

I have lots of photos on my camera, awaiting my perusal, but just haven't had a chance to look at them - therefore I have none to share with you tonight.

Short post *yawn*

Nite all.

Day 183 in a Year of my Life

What a day!

Bubbles was driven to the airport by Kaz's husband, who I now dub 'The Lifesaver', because he has come to our rescue on so many occasions for emergencies and other moments of need.

He is a good and kind man and we regard him (and Kaz) as valued and cherished friends.

Anyway, as I was saying ...

Bubbles left for the airport at 10.30am and when she had gone, I sat quietly for an hour contemplating my next move.

We have carpet layers coming tomorrow morning to lay new carpet in our bedroom, so the plan of action was to clear as much furniture and belongings out of the room as possible, so that by morning, we would only need to remove the bed.

I began clearing my dressing table.

I'm not sure that you understand the enormity of this task.

I possess two very large, very full jewellery boxes.  They contain very little of value.  Mostly dress and junk jewellery, but there is a LOT of it.

Beside my jewellery boxes, are 3 wire jewellery racks, which I initially bought to display jewellery at my market stall.  When I withdrew from the markets, these racks found a new home on my dressing table, displaying my own jewellery.

My large dressing table mirror also acts as a rack for my larger beaded necklaces to drape over.

On the edge of the dressing table, there is space for a very small television screen.

It took me one hour to clear the mess.  This does NOT include tidying the jewellery boxes, which are in desperate need of exactly that.  One hour just to make the dressing table top clean.

Adoring Husband arrived home from his trip to the Gold Coast just as I was finishing this job and he immediately joined me in the massive bedroom clearing task.

Five hours later, we had cleared and cleaned all of the timber furniture (except the bed), washed the walls down with sugar soap, cleaned the windows, cleaned the ensuite bathroom, vacuumed the carpet, cleaned our large bedside lamps (this was a chore all on it's own), cleared what was left out of the walk in robe and removed the door.

I cooked dinner while AH began assembling the furniture that we'd bought on Friday.  He assembled all but one cupboard.

Every muscle, every bone and every joint in my body is aching.  I imagine that a body might feel like this after running a marathon!  I don't ever intend to find out for sure!

This evening, I sat back in our new recliner lounge and watched The Voice and the end of the final of My Kitchen Rules.

I don't mind telling you that it took quite a bit of loud effort to remove myself from said lounge.  I grunted and groaned my way to the desk to write this post and I'm feeling every bit of my 53 years.

Another bee shot from yesterday.

I hear my pillows calling my name.

Today, I am grateful to The Lifesaver, for once again coming to our rescue.

Nite all.    

Day 182 in a Year of my Life

This is a photo that Bubbles took while in Hervey Bay.  This is her original shot ...

This is after I edited it...

The bees were having a fine time in my passionfruit vine this afternoon, so Bubbles and I spent some time trying to get shots with multiple bees in them ...

Sadly, Bubbles returns to Sydney tomorrow, but she now takes possession of my old Sony camera, so I hope she is motivated and enthusiastic enough to get out there and take all sorts of photos.

Practise, practise, practise is the key to improvement!

I found this photo floating around facebook - if you're a camera buff at all, you might find it interesting.

Well, it's been a very pleasant and relaxing day.

Bubbles and I went to the park by the river to try for a sunset shot this afternoon.  It was a bit of a fizzer, but we got some interesting shots anyway.  I'll download them tomorrow and choose which ones to share in here tomorrow night.

My NRL and AFL teams both won their games tonight.  Bubbles and I had an easy dinner and watched Breaking Dawn Part II on the big screen.  Then we packed her suitcase.  She is, surprisingly, only 1kg over the weight limit!

We might even try for a sunrise shot tomorrow morning!  Now, getting Bubbles out of bed for a sunrise???  THAT would be a miracle!

Today, I am grateful for a nice relaxing final day to Bubbles' holiday.  I will be sad to see her go, but I have really loved having her here.  The time just went too quickly.

Nite all.

Day 181 in a Year of my Life

Today I am grateful that you will forgive me for having nothing to write about tonight.

Nite all.

Day 180 in a Year of my Life

Psychotic dog number one is ok.  He eventually settled well last night and caused no more worry.

We got lots of unpacking done today and the container is almost empty.

We can see light at the end of the tunnel.

It will be another month before everything is back to normal.

Some new furniture is still a month away, as is the campervan and we'll be having a garage sale to get rid of some stuff that we don't need any more, or had minor damage from January.

Still there are people in town whose houses are exactly the same now, as they were the day after the tornado hit.

Insurance companies are taking their time and have sent 7, 8 and even 9 different assessors to look at the damage and still there is no decision about what needs to be done.

The town still has a path of orange tarps on roofs and it's now 3 months since the disaster.

Something should be done about it.  Who monitors these situations?  Who is there to champion the cause?  Why aren't the insurance companies being held accountable?  Where is the media now?

Anyway, don't get me started!

I saw my first turtle since the tornado and was lucky enough to catch him coming to the surface for a breath this morning.

... and a lone paddle boarder just off our beach.

So now I'm off to catch up on some sleep that the sick dog deprived me of last night.

Today, I am grateful for beautiful Autumn days that bring cleaner air to breathe, clearer water in the river and an abundance of wildlife to observe.

Nite all.

Day 179 in a Year of my Life

Adoring Husband and I had the BEST WEDDING EVER, three years ago today.

To celebrate, my combined birthday and anniversary present, was a trip down to the Sunny Coast to spend time with the family and partake of some retail therapy, which is a sure winner for any occasion!

It was a long day - 12 hours from when we left, to when we arrived back home, but it was a great day and I had a good time.

A big day for Adoring Husband who had to do all the driving ... but we all know that he enjoys retail therapy as much as the rest of us!

It was lovely to see little Chicklet again who is growing up so quickly, it scares me!  I think she had some fun with her Aunty Bubbles and with Poppy Bawwy.

Eumundi Markets are always fun to attend and today was no exception.  I'd love to go there one day with no time limit and no spending limit!!

Anyway, I was going to write a much longer post, but I've been interrupted a few times by a dog that seems to be a little 'out of sorts' tonight, so I think I will take him to bed and see how much sleep I can get before he disturbs us.

He had us up three times last night, but seemed ok this morning.  He was even ok this evening when we arrived home, but has appeared to be a bit restless tonight.

Best go give him some TLC.

Today, I am grateful for my lovely family and for Adoring Husband who hasn't been feeling 100%, but who still wanted to make my birthday wish complete.

Nite all.

Day 178 in a Year of my Life

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ Happy birthday to meeeeee ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ Happy birthday to meeeeee ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ Happy birthday dear meeee ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥

♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥ Happy birthday to meeeeee ♪♫•*¨*•.¸¸♥

Far out, I can't believe I'm 53.  That seems like such a big number to me!  I remember when my Mum turned 32 (I was twelve) and I thought to myself that I never wanted to get THAT old!  Crazy.

I've had a really really nice day today.

No big presents, but a steady stream of visitors and phone calls.  Beautiful birthday cards and some lovely little gifts.  Morning tea with the girls down by the river, where the gale force winds almost blew us INTO the river.

I must photograph and post the photo, of the lovely little piece of art work that Bubbles made for me to hang in my new work space.  It's perfect.

Some of my birds came to wish me happy birthday as I pedalled along the river this morning, which was such a thrill!

The Osprey dive bombed from very high in the sky, straight into the water and came up with the tiniest morsel to eat!

Just before the dive bombing.

The White Breasted Eagle visited me just as I was about to put my camera away.  It felt like a 'happy birthday' moment!

Adoring Husband cooked a delicious leg of lamb with baked vegetables for dinner tonight and is driving us to the Sunny Coast tomorrow to meet up with the Chicklet family and have a look at Eumundi markets.

I also received heaps of birthday messages from my facebook friends, which is always good for the soul.

I honestly couldn't have asked for a better day for my birthday!

Today, I am grateful to have so many caring friends and family, who went even a little bit out of their way to bring me kind birthday wishes.  Tonight, I end the day feeling all warm and fuzzy and loved.

Nite all.

Day 177 in a Year of my Life

A busy day for us today!

We spent the morning moving the furniture out of the lounge room so that the new carpet could be laid, then moving it back again after the carpet layer left.

The next step was bringing the big screen TV from the back bedroom and setting it up with the blue ray surround system and Foxtel IQ.

That was Adoring Husband's job, although Bubbles, who is physically, the strongest female I know, helped him carry the monstrous thing from one end of the house to the other!

I replaced everything in the side cabinet and spent an hour cleaning out the drawers of old receipts and obsolete business cards.

AH filled the new DVD unit with all of our DVDs, which all fit very nicely.

While all of this was happening, the roofer arrived to finish the job he should have completed last week, so he was making a hell of a racket on the roof.

Suddenly it was 3.30pm!

Bubbles and I had decided yesterday that we would do a photo shoot on the beach this afternoon, so she made herself beautiful while I gathered my camera gear and here are the results ...

I took about 300 photos and Bubbles loved 117 of them, so that's a pretty good success rate.  I'll work on some more of them, but certainly not all 117!

AH cooked dinner for us when we returned home and then Bubbles and I went through all the photos.

I'm pretty exhausted after such a big day and tomorrow will also be a big day, so I'm off to get my beauty sleep.

Tomorrow is my birthday and I'm having morning tea with the girls at the park.

When Adoring Husband asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I asked him to drive Bubbles and I to the Sunshine Coast to visit Vegan Chickie, the Bare-chested Chef and Chicklet for the day.  So we've decided to do that on Wednesday.

Today, I am grateful to have reached the age of 53 intact.  I say this as the clock ticks past midnight, so it is official!  Bubbles has just handed me my birthday gift, so I shall sign off for the night.

Nite all.

Day 176 in a Year of my Life

Bubbles cooked dinner tonight!

Tacos - with an abundant choice of fillings.  Lettuce, tomato, onion, grated carrot, grated cheese, tomato salsa sauce and sour cream.

It's been so long since I had tacos, about 3 years I think, and I thoroughly enjoyed them!  I've also never tried them with sour cream or grated carrot, but I will definitely be having them like that in the future.

Thanks Bubbles :)

Adoring Husband and I had another morning of shopping, replacing a broken kettle, toaster and vacuum cleaner.

The afternoon was then spent grooming the psychotic dogs.

Hair cuts and baths all round.

Here is a photo, compliments of Bubbles ...

I think it took more than 2 hours to do all three of them.  A big job, but so worth it!  Now they look and smell like clean dogs, instead of like nobody owns them!

We have to do some furniture moving early tomorrow morning before the carpet layers arrive, so I might unpack the side board tonight before I go to bed.

So to take up a bit of space tonight, I will share some more quotes ...

I think I really need to start taking better notice of some of these quotes myself :)

Today, I am grateful for a full, happy, sunshiny day of sharing the family love.

Nite all.