Back to a Routine.

I was so looking forward to sleeping in my own bed last night, but alas, sleep eluded me til the early hours of the morning.

We have builders next door (right beside our bedroom), who start work at 6.30am, so I woke to the sound of hammers banging loudly.  *sigh*

It was nice, though, to go for a ride on my trike to The Seat of Knowledge this morning and spend an hour with my boys.

I then went to meet the girls for morning tea, but they didn't turn up (you know who you are!), but that was ok because I've been away and hadn't made any real arrangements to meet them.

I got myself a coffee and sat for half an hour.

A few people stopped for a chat, so it was a pleasant way to spend the morning.

I followed that up with a ride to the lagoon where I met up with three of the locals ...

The rest of the day was pretty lazy.

I spent some time in the kitchen (of course) and some time in my workspace editing a couple of photos.

I had a phone call from AIAS about the Diploma in Medical Nutrition.  I'm strongly considering this study option.  It means a four year commitment to study and the end result will be a qualification as a Nutritionist.  I have ten days to make a decision.

This is the result of a sunset shoot with the Nikonian while I was at the Sunny Coast...

Time to attempt sleep again.

Nite all.

Home again, home again, jiggedy jig!

Home sweet home.

Instead of rising early for a sunrise photo shoot, The Nikonian and I chose (with unspoken words), to have a lazy morning at home.

We kind of had a weekend debriefing session, a bit of brekky and a cuppa.

Her partner arrived home from his weekend at Tuan and not long after that, The Nikonian drove me to the train station.

It was a really hot day with a warm and uncomfortable wind blowing, so it wasn't pleasant on the station platform, but thankfully, I didn't have to wait too long until the lovely air conditioned tilt train arrived and I could escape the heat.

There weren't many on the train, so I had a double seat to myself and directly across the aisle was a lady from my town, so we chatted for the entire trip, which made it go a lot faster.

Adoring Husband was waiting at the station to pick me up and it was great to see his welcoming smiling face.

I unpacked, we grocery shopped, I spent some time in my kitchen concentrating on a good home-cooked hearty meal full of vegetables, a home made buttery gravy and lots of raw onion to help fight off any flu-ey germs that The Nikonian was trying to fight off all weekend.

Now I'm all relaxed, with my feet up, watching My Kitchen Rules and the new series 'Love Child'.

It's good to be home and already, my brain is working over what I'm going to cook in the kitchen this week!

Nite all.

Bellbird Cafe

The Nikonian and I went on a photo shoot with another photographer buddy, Karlbobsky, this morning.

We left at 6am, though we think an earlier start may have produced some successful morning light photos.

Our aim for the day was to spot a Wedge Tailed Eagle.

The first raptor that we spotted, thanks to The Nikonian, was a Spotted Harrier ...

I was farthest away from where the bird was perched on a fence post, so rather than try to get closer and disturb it, I left it to The Nikonian and Karlbobsky, who were much closer and getting some good shots.

I made my way down the road towards a bit of a bridge, where I thought there might be a nice stream, or something of interest.

As I got there, I suddenly heard a commotion behind me, and as I turned to figure out what was going on, in my peripheral sight, I noticed a large bird soaring above me!

It was the Spotted Harrier that the others had been photographing, and the commotion was them, trying to attract my attention, to tell me to 'LOOK UP!'

Just in the nick of time!  This was the only good shot I got.

It was quite a successful day, with a Kingfisher, Grey Heron, King Parrot, some honey eaters. a Bassian Thrush, a Peaceful Dove, a Spangled Drongo and way, way up in the sky was a Wedge Tailed Eagle .. too far away to photograph.

We stopped at the Bellbird Cafe near Kenilworth and had a delicious breakfast and coffee.  The service was very friendly and efficient.  The food was delicious.  The coffee, a bit weak - next time I'll ask for a double shot - and the location was lovely, with a big lily pond which attracted all sorts of different birds.

We spend quite a bit of time there, but the heat beat us in the end.  It kept most birds away and made birdwatching a little uncomfortable.

I'd definitely like to return there in the Spring, when the weather is nicer and the bird life more active.

We were home by lunch time and then enjoyed sharing our photos with each other on facebook.

The Nikonian and I watched a really bad movie this afternoon as we relaxed in the air conditioned comfort of the lounge room.  We don't recommend watching 'American Hustle'.

A nice glass of wine to finish the day off and now an early night.

I'm looking forward to a good night of sleep .. we both drank coffee in the afternoon yesterday, and consequently struggled to get any sound sleep last night, so the combination of lack of sleep and the heat of the day, was quite taxing.

I hope to share more photos from today, during the week.

Time to head home tomorrow.  I'm looking forward to getting back into my kitchen and sleeping in my bed, but most of all to seeing Adoring Husband.  Ten days is too long.

Nite all.

I've got nothin'

The Nikonian and I attended a 33rd birthday party tonight.

We didn't take our cameras.

We didn't drink too much.

The food was divine, although not all GF.

The live music was great, and the star of the show had a lovely night in her beautiful new dress and shiny red shoes.

I think a good time was had by all.

We have an early start tomorrow morning for some bird photography, so I am off to get some sleep.

Fingers crossed we have a successful day with the birds!

Nite all.

Until next time

I'm missing my little Chicklet very much.

It was difficult saying goodbye this morning and then it was difficult talking to The Nikonian about how wonderful Chicklet is.  I don't like the welling of emotions that the conversation triggered!

Not at all.

We'll see each other again soon.

I've had a really lovely day with The Nikonian.  We did some shopping at the Plaza and had a delicious lunch in Cotton Tree and she even dragged me into Bunnings .. of all places!

We tried our luck for a sunset at Sunrise Beach this evening, to no avail, and then also had a failed attempt at steel wool spinning.

We wanted something along the lines of this ...

... but what we got was this ...

and this ...

I can almost hear The Nikonian giggling to herself as she reads this.

We have both made better attempts in the past.

So we came to the conclusion that we need better planning for these outings.

A checklist might be a good idea:

• wearing clothes that are NOT flammable
• wearing a hat to protect our hair
• choosing a still night instead of gale force conditions
• buying the right sized steel wool
• remembering to bring the torch from the car

just to name a few!

It doesn't matter .. for every failed attempt, it makes us better prepared for the next successful attempt.

I'm now 'done' for the day.

Nite all.

Birthday Number Three

It's been a full, happy, and tiring day!

Starting bright and early when the birthday girl climbed out of bed to find her surprise Sea Creature lounge room awaiting her arrival.

She loved all the balloons, and it didn't take long to figure out that it was easier to wade through them, rather than step over them!

Finding all the hidden little sea creatures was definitely a highlight.

Adding to her collection of Octonauts also brought a big smile to her face.

Phone calls from special friends and family was fun too.

The traditional breakfast rainbow platter went down a treat.

Then it was full-on private party time!  Not a 'still' moment to be had.  So much to do.  So much to see.  So many things to play with.  So many new friends to talk to.  Delicious food and cake.

At the end of the day, a relaxing shower and some story time with Bozzy Wozzy, then off to bed.

Another very special birthday done and dusted.  I have loved every minute of this week, even with all of it's ups and downs .. a bit of a roller coaster .. but the love is ALWAYS there.

Oh!  Another highlight of the day was taking possession of a new car!!

Chicklet has named it GUP D (for those of you ignorant of important information - a GUP is what Octonauts use for transportation).

It's now time for me to collapse into a deep sleep.

Nite all.  

Deep Slumber

I slept solidly last night for 8 hours.

It has been about 7 years since I slept for 8 straight hours without waking during the night!  It was amazing!

Today has been a good day.

Tomorrow is Chicklet's third birthday and tonight we spent a couple of hours decorating the living room and stairway.

I blew up 160 balloons .. my mouth tastes very powdery and rubbery!

Here is what Chicklet will see when she wakes up tomorrow morning ...

She is having a Sea Creature party.

There are sea creatures stuck on the walls, hanging from the curtain rod, hanging from the ceiling fan and the rafter, on every step leading to the living room, on some of the balloons, sea creature confetti on the table around her gift bags, tiny sea creatures hiding all over the place for her to find during the day.

She has lots of Octonaut gifts to open, among other things.

I can't wait to see her face tomorrow morning.  She will be so excited!

So I'm off to attempt another 8 hours sleep tonight.  I don't fancy my chances, but I'll let you know.

Nite all.

When it Rains, it Pours.

The Bare-chested Chef and Vegan Chickie have had a rough week.

Things that I can't, (and won't) go into here, have gone from bad to worse and they struggle on valiantly, trying always, to keep a positive outlook and an open mind.

Today has been a particularly bad day.

However, we are all in good health (touch wood), with a roof over our heads and food on the table and love in our hearts.  We soldier on and hope that the bad energy disperses and life gets back on an even keel.

My day with Chicklet has been quite joyous with the continuous reading of a book all about SLIME.

Slime on amphibians, molluscs and fish/eels.  Frogs, toads, snails, slugs, eels, newts, salamanders, worms etc etc.  All of the things that little girls are renowned for loving!

We've kept it a quiet day.

I slept badly last night .. perhaps subconsciously knowing that something was in the air????

So tonight, I will try to make up for last night's 3 and a bit hours sleep, by attempting to sleep earlier.

Nite all.

Just a little hiccup

It all started out so well ... when Chicklet woke from her afternoon nap, she shouted "It's Palmersaur time!!"

We did Underwater World on Saturday and planned Palmersaurus Dinosaur Park today.

Just as we reached Coolum, where the attraction is situated (almost 30 minutes from home), the car told us, in no uncertain terms, to stop!  It had suddenly overheated to 'smelly' stage and it was necessary to turn the engine off completely.

We were in a bad spot, but at least we were able to pull off the road to a 'reasonably' safe position.

The Bare-chested Chef lifted the bonnet and took a look.  He's a great chef :)

After about 10 minutes, when the car still wouldn't start and didn't even sound like it would EVER start again, we decided to make a plan.

Vegan Chickie did a search online for the nearest mechanic or automotive place .. there was one very close!

We got out of the car and walked in the direction of said place.

We found it .. across a very busy road, which was the turnoff from the motorway, where there was also a large and busy roundabout.  So rather than risk our lives attempting to cross the road, BCC phoned them.

They were too short staffed to send someone over to us but gave us a phone number for a tow truck and also suggested that if we waited a while and let the car cool down, it may start again.

So BCC walked back to the car, while VC, C and I sat on a nice shady grassy spot and waited.

Within 10 minutes, BCC appeared, in the car.

We all scrambled into the car and we drove on, towards home.

Within 10 minutes, the car began to heat up again, so we found the nearest, safest spot to stop and played the waiting game again.

The challenge was keeping Chicklet amused.  She was already upset that we couldn't go to the Dinosaur Park and she was itching to get out of the car.  I think VC and I did pretty well to keep her distracted.  It was a recipe for the perfect meltdown, but we managed to avoid it.

Fifteen minutes later, the car decided to start again, so we continued on.

Ten minutes later, another stop.

We finally made it home safe n sound.  Whew.

I guess the Dinosaur Park will have to wait for another day.  At least Chicklet has been there before, so it wasn't a failed first visit and there is hope for future visits!

Our adventures, in the near future, at least, will need to be closer to home.

We were just discussing this afternoon that there had been a few hiccups since my arrival.  Things going wrong, receiving bad news,  scheduling problems, breakages ... things just don't seem to be on an 'even keel' right now.

We may need to do some 'cleansing' of our space!

Here is a pic of Chicklet when we were sitting on our grassy area waiting for BCC to come back with the car.  I think she's a bit excited about what Mama has in her bag for her.

Things look pretty calm hey?

Tomorrow will be a better day.

Nite all.

A Big Day In

What a wonderfully sound sleep I had last night and then woke to the sound of steady rain on the roof.  It was almost 8am when I opened my eyes!

I received a lovely happy greeting from my little Chicklet as I walked down the staircase as well, so it was a perfect start to the day.

The landlord will be doing one of his regular inspections here this Tuesday, so Vegan Chickie, The Bare-chested Chef and I chose which areas of the unit we wanted to clean and rolled up our sleeves for cleaning duty today.

After a few hours of cleaning and then a few hours of heavy duty playing, my joints and muscles are beginning to seize up, so hopefully I can sleep soundly again tonight and allow my poor old body to rejuvenate ready for another big day of Chicklet play tomorrow.

Here's one of the few front view photos I got of Chicklet yesterday .. mostly I got photos of her back as she raced off to see the next sea creature!!

Loving my time with her and the family :)

Nite all.

Bozzy Wozzy Returns

After an uneventful, but less than comfortable journey on the train, I arrived at the Cooroy train station to the beautiful sight and sound of my little Chicklet, with a smile in her voice calling "Bozzy Wozzy!  You're here!  I'm so excited!"

She makes my heart sing!

She knows that there is always a surprise in my suitcase for her, so when we arrived home, we opened the outside zipper to find some "Octonauts", which have taken over from dinosaurs as her favourite toys, at the moment.

We played Octonauts while Mama and Dadoo went shopping and had a peaceful breakfast date together.

After the regulation afternoon nap, we all headed off to 'Underwater World', which has been revamped since I was there last!

It was a great afternoon, until we began to drive home and I realised that I didn't have my camera!!

What a heart stopping moment THAT was! (as I'm sure it is for Adoring Husband as he reads this!)

We did a quick u-turn and headed back to Underwater World, while Vegan Chickie got on the phone to them, so that they could begin the search.

Luckily, it was exactly where I thought it would be.

Earlier in the afternoon, when we had arrived, their official photographer took a photo of the four of us together.  Then, just before the exit, there is a wall showcasing the photos, and a counter area to pay for it.  Well, I had stopped to buy the photo, and had placed my camera on the counter, but forgot to pick it up again, as we left!

Fortunately, the girls had found it and placed it behind the counter.  Whew!

I can't begin to describe that panicked feeling when I realised I'd left it behind.  The adrenalin was pumping, but I felt like my heart had stopped beating.  I couldn't breathe properly, the car couldn't drive fast enough and the my legs couldn't carry me fast enough to that counter.

Oh the relief when the young girl said "Yes" and reached behind the counter to pick it up and hand it to me!  I could have hugged her.  I SHOULD have hugged her!

Here is my little Chicklet after she called "Follow me everyone!"

This was my favourite thing at Underwater World today ...

This is my amazingly talented son-in-law, the Bare-chested Chef, creating a masterpiece...

... and that was my day!

Now I need sleep, so that I can be bright eyed and bushy tailed for Chicklet fun tomorrow!

Nite all.

On the Rebound

There was once a time in my life when sports and fitness were a slight obsession of mine, but these days, I'm not, by any stretch of the imagination, a fitness freak.

I like to ride my trike every day, but I do it with little effort, and only for about 30 minutes most days, 60 minutes sometimes, but it's a very leisurely hour.

I don't care much for walking, unless it's strolling along the the beach or wandering along the river path with my little Chicklet.

The idea of the gym scares the life out of me!

I only run if I am in danger.

I always wanted to try Tai Chi, but it wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

I have owned a rebounder for a few years now and it has spent most of it's time stored in the shed out the back - HOWEVER - it will be making an appearance upon my return from the Sunny Coast next week.

Rebounding:

• provides an increased G-force (gravitational load), which benefits the body by strengthening the musculoskeletal systems.
• benefits lymphatic circulation by stimulating the millions of one-way valves in the lymphatic system. This benefits the body's immune capacity for fighting current disease, destroying cancer cells, eliminating antigens and preventing future illness.
• circulates more oxygen to the tissues.
• increases capacity for respiration.
• strengthens the heart and other muscles in the body so that they work more efficiently.
• lowers circulating cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
• lowers low-density lipoprotein (bad) in the blood and increases high-density lipoprotein (good) holding off the incidence of coronary artery disease.
• promotes tissue repair.
• improves the brain’s responsiveness to the vestibular apparatus within the inner ear, thus improving balance.
• offers relief from neck and back pains, headaches, and other pain caused by lack of exercise. Rebound Exercise has been shown to benefit body alignment and posture.
• enhances digestion and elimination processes.
• allows for deeper and easier relaxation and sleep.
• results in better mental performance, with keener learning processes.
• minimises the number of colds, allergies, digestive disturbances, and abdominal problems.
• tends to slow down atrophy in the ageing process.

These are the three rebounding exercises:

The Health Bounce is gently bouncing up and down on a rebounder without your feet leaving the mat. It is very low impact and very effective at moving your lymphatic system. Most folks can easily do this for an hour or more while watching tv.

The Strength Bounce is jumping as high as you can. It strengthens primary and stabilizer muscles throughout your body, improves your balance, and moves your lymphatic system like nothing else. That’s what you want to work up to.

Aerobic Bouncing is jumping jacks, twisting, running in place, bouncing on one leg at a time, dancing, and any other crazy manoeuvres you can think of. Doing these high intensity aerobic exercises will get your blood pumping and your sweat on.

Do it outside in the sunshine before 10am to get your daily dose of Vitamin D at the same time.

Otherwise, there is this ...

That looks relatively easy!

Nite all.

Change of Plans

We woke up to steady rain this morning, so we decided that it was a good day to go to the movies.

We saw 'Last Vegas' today.

LOVED IT!  Hilarious and relatable .. especially for those of us over 50 yrs of age.  Great cast and I'll definitely buy a copy of the dvd when it's released.

So that meant that my cooking plans went out the window - although I did cook a chicken curry of sorts .. which I made up in my head .. which was very tricky because I've probably only cooked 3 curries in my life .. but Adoring Husband went for seconds, so I guess I did ok!

I also roasted a chicken.

I'm about to go cook some bread and make the Chocolate Hazelnut Pie as soon as I sign off here.

That will give me all of tomorrow to do my chores and pack my bags!

Being organised is not a good thing for me .. I always forget something important when I'm organised, so I need to make sure and procrastinate between now and then, just to put a bit of pressure on myself.

I do my best work under pressure.

It's been a while since I shared some quotes ...

Sniffing Rosemary improves memory

Now ... if only I could remember where I planted the rosemary!

We can't all do everything, but we can all do 'something'.

Ok I'm off to the kitchen!

Nite all.

 

My Kitchen Ruled

After a brief visit to the Seat of Knowledge this morning, I rolled up my sleeves, put my hair in a very fashionable green scrunchy and started a full day in the kitchen!

I made

• Braised Steak and Onions
• Beef Stroganoff
• Sweet Chilli Chicken Casserole
• Hot n Spicy Tomato Sauce
• Vermicelli Salad with Lemongrass Chicken

Tomorrow, I plan to make

• Chicken and Vegetable Casserole
• Chocolate Hazelnut Pie
• Coconut Love Cake
• Seedy Bread

After all of that, I have a few chores that need to be done before I go away on Saturday, as well as packing, as well as a movie date with Adoring Husband on Friday morning.

I'm looking forward to seeing the movie "Last Vegas" with Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline and Mary Steenburgen.  It looks hilarious!

This morning I got to meet our new neighbour, The Lecky, who is currently in the process of building a home on the block next door.  For the short time that I spoke with him, he seemed like a nice man, which is a relief!

I also had a surprise visit from Woman of Many Talents this afternoon and we spent an hour catching up.  I got to see the latest pics of her beautiful little grand daughters, and we've made plans to do lunch when I return from the Sunny Coast.

So it was a day full of all things good and now I think I'm ready for a long nap!

Nite all.

Go the Girlies

I caught the bus into The Bay this morning to meet the girls for a movie date.

I think today's bus driver got lessons from the other driver, Rocket Rod, because it was another hair-raising trip into town!

Luckily, one of my neighbours caught the bus too, so we had lots to chat about, which made the trip go a lot faster.

I met the girls at the shopping centre, where we all partook in some retail therapy, before making our way to the cinema.

We watched 'The Book Thief'.

What a great movie.  A drama set in Germany, during WWII, and the story told from a different angle than the usual war movie.

We all wished that we had read the book first.

It was very moving, heart wrenching at times, but so full of warmth and compassion and love.

Emily Watson and Geoffrey Rush were brilliant, as was the main actor, Sophie Nelisse.

I think I'd like to watch it again, at home, alone .. which will give me the freedom to sob uncontrollably during the parts that tugged at my heart strings.

A photo from the archives ...

Nite all.

Plans

I had big plans for the kitchen today.  I even made a list.  Then I got all involved in this movie on TV and time slipped away, so I only got a few things on my cooking list done.

I have to say that it was all pretty delicious and even Adoring Husband commented favourably!

Now I'm all involved in another movie on TV, called 'The Words' with Bradley Cooper and Jeremy Irons, so this is just a short post, so that I can continue to indulge in this movie.

Here is a photo that I took in December last year.  The delicious looking drumsticks of an Osprey!

I hope to go to the Cinema tomorrow with the girls to see 'The Book Thief', so an early night is on the cards.

Nite all.

Afternoon Light

We spent our Sunday in The Bay and then at home setting up a new TV.

Adoring Husband did some calculations and it seems that our Plasma TV has been the cause of our high power bills.

What's more, the older a Plasma TV is, the more power it consumes!  Calculations for a new Plasma, shows an added $50-$100 per quarter on the power bill.  It seems that our 6 yr old Plasma was adding about $300 per quarter to our bill .. mind you, it's on for a LOT of hours in the day.

So, we are hoping that our new 6 star LCD TV will reduce our bill considerably .. it should only cost $75 per YEAR .. if Adoring Husband's calculations are correct.  If that's the case, it should pay for itself in a year. 

This afternoon, I pedalled over to the lagoon hoping to catch a decent sunset.  I got there early enough to see the local bird life in full swing, so I captured this ..

Within 20 minutes, the sky had changed to this..

So I think it was worth the effort.  Not a masterpiece, but nice enough to share.

Tomorrow will be a day in the kitchen, to make up for today 'out' of the kitchen!

Nite all.

Strawberry Cream Pie recipe

I made this Pie yesterday, before lunch.  I had a piece for lunch, then a piece for afternoon tea, then a piece for dessert and then a piece for morning tea today.  That's how much I like it!

It's light and creamy and melts in your mouth.  It is also super healthy!!  You can eat as much as you want 'guilt' free :)

For the crust:

• 3/4 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup almonds (I used blanched) - I think you could use any combination of different nuts.
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut
• 3 T butter softened

Grind all of these ingredients in your food processor until they are like a crumble, then press into the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate, building up the sides slightly.

For the Filling:

• 2 cups of fresh strawberries
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1 T vanilla extract (not essence)
• 1/2 cup raw honey
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 cup coconut oil

Place all the filling ingredients into your blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.  Carefully pour on top of the crust and refrigerate for 3 hours.  (I put it in the freezer for an hour and it was set)

Serve with fresh whipped pure cream.

I have two other pies that I'm going to try in the next couple of days.

A Chocolate Hazelnut Pie and a Lemon Slice.  I'll keep you posted.

Before I went to bed last night, I took the dogs out through the laundry door to do their business, and look who was waiting for me on the fence!!

Aren't his eyes amazing?

Well, I'm off to do some cooking .. my kitchen awaits!

Nite all.

Lazy Friday

High tide was interesting this morning.

Even though the cyclone isn't even near us, this morning's high tide, to me, seemed worse than last year when the cyclone was much closer.

This is what our waterfront looked like ...

The weather bureau has predicted three cyclones forming next week.

One in Western Australia and two in the Coral Sea, which will affect Queensland and it will, apparently, be an extreme weather event.  *insert worried face here*

Let's think positive.  Let's hope for the best.

After I came home this morning, I made a strawberry tart, which I will show you tomorrow.  Adoring Husband thought it was a bit rich, but I LOVED it and I'm not even a strawberry fan .. unless they are cold and fresh in my bowl with freshly whipped cream!

I will post a photo and the recipe tomorrow .. it's so easy to make!

Off to bed for me.

Nite all.

Fracking Cyclones

Ever heard of 'fracking'?

It's been in the news a bit lately.

Don't worry, Adoring Husband hadn't even heard of it.

If you're interested, go here, and slowly scroll down the page to follow the story with just enough detail that is very easy to understand.  The information you read, is from USA stats, but it happens in Australia too, and Queensland is the worst affected state.

Go here to see some interesting maps and read some interesting information provided by SBS about CSG and fracking and broken rules.

On the weather front at the moment, we have a cyclone to the north which should be crossing the coast between Townsville and Mackay in the early hours of tomorrow morning (by the time you read this, it will have already crossed).

To give you an idea of where Adoring Husband and I are, in the big picture ...

We should get some nice rain out of it .. which we need, but the cyclone is playing havoc with the tides, which are much bigger than normal and it's even possible that we could get our feet a little wet at the Seat of Knowledge tomorrow morning as the tide reaches it's peak.

The spiel with this map warned of impending water spouts and tornadoes between Townsville and Mackay and also on the western edge of the cyclone .. which kind of puts a chill up my spine .. for obvious reasons.

My sister lives in the area to the west.  She is annoyed that the people in her town have begun panic buying, because the shelves were bare in her local supermarket.  I just hope that she will be ok.

My brother is on the northern edge of the cyclone and has received approx 350ml of rain in the past few days and currently has storms rolling through to the north.  He seems to think that he won't be any more affected than that.

A cousin is on Magnetic Island and right in the thick of it.  Uncles, Aunties and cousins in Mackay and Townsville.

Good luck to you all and I hope that you will be safe and secure during the next couple of days.  I know that it's of no use to you, but you will be in my thoughts!

I got to have a little chat on the phone with my Chicklet today.  She will celebrate her 3rd birthday next month, so I'll be heading down that way at the end of next week to be there for the big party!

That also means that this blog will celebrate it's third birthday on 10th February!  Who'da thunk I'd still be committed to writing here after three years?!  Amazing.

Nite all.

Positively Great

I was introduced to a blog, ages ago (and by ages, I mean at least 2 yrs ago), by Vegan Chickie.

The blog is called 'Yes and Yes - because yes is more fun than no'

If I recall correctly, one of Vegan Chickie's photos was selected for the 'Yes and Yes' calendar that they issue every year.

Admittedly, as my life has filled with lots of other interesting things like photography, cooking, health and nutrition, visiting the Sunny Coast regularly,  I haven't followed the blog for over a year, even though I still receive the posts through my RSS feed.  I kind of just ignore it.

HOWEVER .. today I just happened to have a look, and Sarah Von, the writer, shared something that she does every day, and which I think is a great idea.

She keeps a note book beside her bed and at night before she goes to sleep, she writes down five great things that happened to her that day.

It could be something as small as enjoying a take-away coffee from the local cafe or as big as the birth of a grandchild or something like 'I bought a nice sharp pair of scissors today'!

Then on the opposite page, she writes a list of five things that she has to do tomorrow.  It could be cleaning the toilet, attending an important meeting, paying a bill, climbing a mountain, visiting a friend .. whatever!

She says that it makes her feel good about the day that she just had and helps her relax about tomorrow so that she can sleep more soundly.  She even mentioned that her brain conjures up ideas in her sleep, so that things run more smoothly the next day!

It just so happens that I bought myself a lovely little notepad while shopping with Adoring Husband yesterday.  It has a black cover with three words #EAT #PRAY #WRITE written on the front.  I have a bit of a 'thing' for stationery .. much the same as my 'thing' for shoes and handbags lol.

I buy notepads and journals and diaries, but don't like to write in them, because that would spoil their crisp, clean beauty!

I bought this one, telling myself that I would use it .. for something!  Now I've found the 'something' that I'm going to use it for and it will go on my bedside table, starting tonight!

I logged into Google+ today and look what I discovered!!  Google+ played with the Mickey photo to make it snow!

Pretty cool huh?

While I was sitting at the Seat of Knowledge this morning, I noticed a husband and wife walking along the river path, when they stopped, and were looking intently up between two houses nearby.  They edged closer and closer to the houses and kept whispering to each other.

After about 10 minutes, they continued on their walk, and as they got closer to the SOK, I caught their attention and asked what they had noticed between the houses.

They told me that there was a large goanna standing on it's hind legs, so I grabbed my camera and went investigating.

He was a mighty find specimen!

I think he liked the feel of the warm concrete on his belly.

An interesting thing happened today.  A facebook friend, from my 104 photography group, requested, via a facebook post,  a volunteer to help her with an assignment.

She is studying the Higher Dip in Nutritional Medicine and needed a volunteer to provide their diet details via a daily diary, which she made up and emailed through to me.

It will be interesting for me to see exactly what I consume in a week too, so I'm very keen to help her.

She also gave me a couple of recommendations for nutrition courses that were not on my list, so I will follow them up too.

I might get to bed before midnight tonight!  Wish me luck.

Nite all.

Another Date Day

We had the choice of five movies at the cinema this morning.

The 9.30am screenings included two animated children's movies, two very emotionally intense dramas and an action movie that had terrible reviews, which Adoring Husband had read to me a couple of nights ago.

There were a LOT of children at the cinema for the two animated movies .. it seems that not all ages returned to school today .. so those movies were quickly crossed off the list.

I really didn't want to start my day in emotional turmoil and with tears streaming down my cheeks, so the dramas were crossed off the list.

Movie critics annoy me, and more often than not, they are way off the mark, so I was willing to give the action movie a chance.

I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit"  It had me sitting on the edge of my seat for most of the movie and one of it's stars is one of my favourites, Kevin Costner.

Chris Pine and Keira Knightley were great, and Kenneth Brannagh acted in it, as well as Directed it!

We relaxed with a coffee in the cafe before the cinema opened and then during the movie, we enjoyed some popcorn, water and a nice little bag of grapes that I snuck in my handbag.

Afterwards, we had some heavy duty shopping to do because the stores in my pantry were very low, so a trip to 'Nana's Pantry' and 'Go Natural Foods' just about emptied our bank account!  But now I'm all set for a couple of marathon cooking days!

The most exciting part of my shopping day, was finding some Kefir Grains!

I've read so much about Kefir and I just wasn't confident about making my own, but now I have a starter and I should be able to keep up a regular supply!

Kefir is a drink made from kefir grains and it has the consistency of a drinkable yogurt but is much more tart and is actually effervescent.

Kefir has 35 different strains of beneficial bacteria and yeasts which actually colonize our digestive tracts and therefore boosts our immune system by keeping the healthy bacteria there.

Next on my list is finding a Kombucha 'Scoby'.  I'll explain that another day!

On the way home, we had to make way for a couple of Rural Fire Brigade trucks and we could see that they were headed for a rather large fire, but by the time we got home, there were warnings on the radio telling people in the area that if they didn't have a plan, they should get out of their homes now!

The warning was being repeated every ten minutes on the radio for at least two hours.

We've had such terrible winds, including today, so I imagine that the fire got out of control pretty quickly.  It's classed as 'A Major Fire Incident' on the Rural Fire Service website.

I hope that no property has been damaged or destroyed and that nobody has been hurt.

In case you're wondering, it's nowhere near here and it's heading in a direction away from our place, so we are in no danger.

That's my day in a nutshell and now I need to catch up on some recorded TV shows!

Nite all.

Good and Bad

Table Salt = BAD!

Table salt, which is 97% Sodium Chloride (NaCl) is chemically produced, bleached and devoid of most other nutrients. It also contains Aluminium, which has been linked to Alzheimer's disease and other problems in the body.

This type of salt is not naturally occurring and in fact, when salt-water fish are placed in salt water made with table salt… they die.

This type of salt is also devoid of the many trace minerals that the body needs… so it is a wise decision to avoid it.

If you have any of this type of table salt around your house, I’d recommend that you stop using it immediately. Don’t throw it out though… you can use it in natural cleaning and stain treatment. (Just don’t eat it!)

Real Salt = Good!

To the degree that table salt is bad, real salt is healthy, necessary and good.

Consider this: the body contains high concentrations of many minerals and nutrients, and while it needs water, it also must have the proper concentration of these nutrients in bones, blood and organs to function properly.

A person can’t be given an IV of plain water- it must contain a careful balance of minerals, including salt!

Here are five reasons I personally make sure I consume enough healthy salt each day:

1. For Insulin Sensitivity:  Research is showing a link between low salt consumption and insulin resistance (and moderate/high salt intake and insulin sensitivity).  With the rising rates of blood sugar related problems, this is an important factor to consider.
2. Hydration:  Drinking 'Sole' (a specially hydrated salt water) every morning for an energy boost, a reduction in allergy symptoms and for hydration, will give your body lots of trace minerals which are essential for proper hydration.
3. Longevity:  Low salt intake is actually linked to shorter life expectancy.
4. Hormones:  Real salt clears cortisol from the blood, which takes your stress away.
5. Digestion:  Salt activates an enzyme in the mouth, called 'salivary amylase'.  At this point, the salt allows your taste buds to taste the food.  Salt also plays a role in digestion, by helping to break down food.  Salt also creates hydrochloric acid which is a very important digestive secretion, which lines the stomach walls.

Himalayan Pink salt is my favourite.  It has a milder flavour and has 84 trace elements and iron.  So toss that table and cooking salt away and be kind to your body with some nice healthy pink Himalayan salt.

We've got a double challenge in flickr again this month.  

I haven't been out and about with my camera much this month, except for the road trip, and to be honest, I didn't even think about using those photos *forehead slap* so I've used a couple of 'desperate situations, call for desperate measures' photos.

The first challenge is "Can you hear this sound" and I used the Village Voices photo for that ...

The second challenge is 'Weather'.  The only weather we've had for some time is WIND!  So, this morning, I got this photo, of the sand blowing erratically across the beach ...

I don't expect that either of my photos will do any good this month, but it's good to submit photos, to keep the numbers up, and to keep the competition honest.

I've started compiling a list of 'Questions that you should ask your parents before it's too late'.

The reason for this compilation is because of a conversation with some friends yesterday morning.  A couple of us no longer have our parents living, so when we have questions, there is nobody to ask.

I'll probably post a few questions each day, because there will be too many to post in one day!  Stay tuned.

I'm off to watch "MKR" - first episode of the season.

Nite all.

Australia Day 2014

My goodness, the weather wants to remind us about last year, by providing us with 48kph winds and 70kph gusts!

There are strong wind warnings all along the Queensland coast from as far north as Townsville, all the way south to the Gold Coast.

As if we need to be reminded!

During the week, I got a call from 'The Artist', advising me that our friend 'The Beauty' would be presented with a special Australia Day gift from the town of Burrum Heads to acknowledge and recognise her value in our community and to thank her for her friendship and continued involvement in community activities.

This presentation was to remain a secret and my job was to contact her husband 'The Beast' to make sure she attended the Australia Day celebrations at the Community Hall.

So I conspired with 'our group' and we planned to all go together, inviting 'Beauty and the Beast', for the Australia Day sausage sizzle breakfast, the raising of the flag and then the entertainment in the hall afterwards .. which would include the presentation for 'The Beauty'.

I must say, it's a little bit stressful trying to organise surprises like this, without letting the cat out of the bag!

But we were successful and The Beauty appeared to be very surprised and very happy.

It was an interesting morning and I got to meet our local member, Cr Rolf Light and the Fraser Coast, Mayor Gerard O'Connell.  They were very friendly, making small talk about the weather, comparing it to last year, and Rolf Light even shared photos of his beloved dog wearing a diamonte tiara!

These are just a few photos from our morning at the Community Hall.  A pleasant time was had by all.

Adoring Husband and I visited some other friends for a couple of hours after lunch.  By the time we got there, everybody was very merry with a few drinks already under their belts and then we left just before they went over the edge with drunken festivities.

I enjoyed catching up with a few people .. those that we only get to see three or four times each year.

Tonight we met friends at the local Bowls Club for dinner.  Unfortunately, half an hour after we'd placed our orders, one of the kitchen staff came out to tell me that they couldn't provide that meal gluten free and would I like to choose another meal.

That was annoying, because then I had to wait for another 40 minutes for my meal, by which time, everybody else had received and eaten theirs.  So they were all waiting for me to finish before they went home.

Still, it was a nice meal which I enjoyed and the company was special.  I sat with two of the most polite, courteous and genuinely friendly teenagers that I've ever had the pleasure to meet.  So I thoroughly enjoyed that part of the evening.

So our Australia Day was full of friendship and smiles .. just the way Australia Day should be.

Nite all.