Blood Red .. or not

Bombarded all day long.

The radio. The television. Conversations between strangers.

A lunar eclipse.

Tonight, the moon would turn blood red as the eclipse reached it's peak. It promised to be a spectacular sight as the sun, the earth and the moon became perfectly aligned.

So Adoring Husband kept watch and as the moon began to change, I set my tripod up outside and began taking photos.

Very soon, the scattered cloud floated across the sky and the moon decided to hide for longer and longer periods of time. Every so often there would be a brief clear patch of sky and I would hurriedly take a couple more shots.

In the end, the clouds won and this is the best I could do.

Quite disappointing really. Certainly NOT blood red, as they promised. Less than spectacular.

There have been quite a few photos of tonight's moon posted on facebook and some of them are brilliant red and orange .. obviously tweaked with some extra saturated colour during editing.

There have also been lots of complaints about thick cloud cover over Cooktown to the north, and on the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane to the south, so there are quite a few disappointed photographers scattered about the place.

Meanwhile, today, Adoring Husband and I spent a good part of the day in The Bay researching blenders, food processors and discussing the pros and cons of the Thermomix.

We had a delicious lunch at Aquavue and then popped in to the Go Natural Health food store, where I found a copy of a book that I've been wanting for some time. Now the I have it permanently in my hot little hands, I will be sharing snippets from it here in future posts.

I know you'll love it :)

While we were out, I got phone calls from Number One Son AND Vegan Chickie!

Number One Son is moving to Adelaide next week to start a new exciting and challenging job.

Vegan Chickie and Chicklet have been getting to know the families in their new neighbourhood, which, by the sounds of it, has also been exciting and challenging!

We bought a ticket to win $40 million in Thursday night's Powerball .. stay posted for THAT one!

A visit to Adoring Husband's Dr, who called me AH's 'Bodyguard'.

I admit that I like that title and I can also tell that the doctor struggles to do the right thing when I'm present .. AH left with only one prescription for his usual Parkinson's medication and for a change, no other prescriptions, although the doctor did attempt to issue more.

*sigh*

It's now after midnight and my eyelids are feeling a touch heavy, so ...

Nite all.

Bloggone it!

Oops!

I went to bed last night, quite late, and just as I was about to doze off, my eyes sprung open and I realised ... I forgot to do my blog!

Ah well, too late she cried!!

Yesterday afternoon, Adoring Husband and I did a barefoot walk on the beach which was really nice and I carried my camera with me (of course).

I began to study for the new term today.

This is going to be very interesting .. and quite a bit more intense than last term .. although I am not going to procrastinate for the first three months like I did last term! And then panic for the last three months!

This evening we gathered with a group of friends down at the Lions Park for a barbecue dinner, with each of us contributing a food plate.

There was a roast pumpkin, pine nut and spinach salad, garden salad, potato bake, coleslaw and four cheese tart. We each took our own meat and drinks.

Good food, good wine, good friends gathered at a perfect location for a really pleasant evening together. We are going to make it a regular event.

Nite all.

Go the Bunnies!

Fantastic NRL Grand Final game tonight between South Sydney Rabbitohs and Canterbury Bulldogs.

Rabbitohs won 30 - 6.

First Premiership in 43 years!

Rabbitohs have been the underdogs for so many years that I think all other club fans were so happy to see them win (all except the Bulldogs fans of course).

Made a delicious Roasted Sweet Potato and Chickpea salad for lunch today. It was the dressing that really made it. It had lemon, honey, coriander, thyme, olive oil, salt, pepper and chilli in it. The salad had roasted sweet potato, chickpeas, flat leaf parsley, baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, onion, red capsicum and feta cheese.

For dinner I made a savoury turkey mince, using one of my home made pumpkin and cauliflower soups as a base and I added mushrooms, onion and spinach, as well as some sauerkraut. I also added half a cup of the green smoothie left over from today. It had spinach, silverbeet, lettuce, orange, apple, carrot and hemp protein powder.

So much healthful goodness ending with chocolate zucchini muffins accompanied with strawberries, blueberries and cream.

The best part of my day was searching for and finding bargains for my text books for this term.

The first book I searched for came up at two different prices .. $245 and $189 .. I searched on Gumtree and found it for $30!!!! Secondhand but like new. Hardcover. Very happy.

The second book gave me an even bigger scare! Three different prices .. $390!!! $360!!! and $330!!!

I found it in Booktopia for $138 + $7 postage.

How is that for bargain shopping???!!  Impressive I'd say :)

Well, I think I've settled from the Grand Final excitement. Time for bed.

Nite all.

Hearty Eating

Sausages, eggs, mushrooms, tomato and toast for breakfast.

Freshly juiced orange/apple/coconut water.

Chocolate zucchini muffins with leftover juice for lunch.

Leftover sausages with potato/sweet potato bake and roasted cauliflower for dinner.

Chocolate muffins for dessert.

Tomorrow will be a green day. Lots of green leafy vegetables in smoothies and as part of our meals and maybe some turkey mince. I also have quite a few berries to use up. My mouth is watering just thinking about tomorrow's meals!

Aside from baking chocolate zucchini muffins today, I have also cleaned my work area, so I have a fresh clean start to my studies on Monday. Let me tell you THAT was a job and a half!!

This afternoon I caught a juvenile koel steeling cherry tomatoes from my garden! Unfortunately, by the time I got my camera, she had flown into my mulberry tree, so it was difficult to get a clear shot. It took her a while to figure out how to swallow the very large cherry tomato, but after squashing it slighty, she swallowed it whole!

Big NRL football Grand Final on tomorrow night. South Sydney Rabbitohs v Canterbury Bulldogs. I'm barracking for South Sydney, who haven't made it to a Grand Final in over 40 years. Fingers crossed.

Adoring Husband and I are watching 'Moonraker', a crappy James Bond movie, but it seems that Saturday nights mustn't generate much of an audience, because every channel has a pretty unfortunate line up of crappy shows and movies.

Perhaps an early night is in order.

Nite all.

The Week End

Happy Friday!

It's been an interesting day.

I cleaned off my desk .. which is a mighty task in itself. It has not been tidied properly since my studies began, so it's been six months since my desk was cleared and cleaned properly.

It's amazing how cleansing it is for your body and soul when you clean something that you use often, so thoroughly.

My desk is now shiny and sparkly and ready for a new term of heavy duty study.

I distributed our excess pantry items among the boys at the Seat of Knowledge this morning. Everybody took something, so I didn't have to throw anything in the garbage.

I had coffee with The Bird Woman this morning too. She chose a couple of things from my grocery items and was hesitant to walk home carrying them because they were heavy, so I offered to drop them off later in the morning.

I got my take away coffee and then triked to her house, where I spent an hour chatting about stuff like grandchildren and dogs and mothers-in-law.

I didn't even get a chance to order my text books today!

I'm going to make some munchies for Adoring Husband tomorrow, like zucchini chocolate cupcakes, banana and pecan muffins, chocolate mousse and chocolate bark.

I'm watching some recorded episodes of Big Brother and I will be in bed early tonight. Ten o'clock will be my limit.

No photos.

Facebook shares ..

Oh my, I am so tired!

Nite all.

Pantry Love

I know that you are going to be so envious when I tell you how I spent my day!

I have been gluten free for over 3 years now, and we have been refined sugar free and processed food free for a year.

So it was time to clear out the pantry.

I had saved some food stuffs in one corner of the pantry, just in case we couldn't commit to the challenge, or just in case we had visitors who couldn't do without certain products.

Today, I threw away vegemite, ozimite, peanut butter, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, mint sauce, sundried tomatoes, tinned beetroot, 4 tins of four bean mix, a can of lite coconut milk, a can of condensed milk, two tins of red curry paste, hoisin sauce, tinned mushrooms in butter sauce, wheat spaghetti, a packet of GF crackers, 6 packets of trident spicy soups and a few other things.

All of those things, aside from the spaghetti, contained sugar.

It still surprises me, how many common foodstuffs have sugar in them.

While I was on holidays, if we ate out, I just couldn't avoid sugar, except when we ate two meals at a Paleo cafe in Townsville. Paleo meals don't contain refined sugar. In other restaurants, I couldn't tell if my meals contained sugar, nor could I tell how much was in them.

The best I could do was to avoid gluten.

I could feel the sugar having an affect on my body.

I really thought that if I was as careful as possible, a little sugar here or there wouldn't hurt. But it did hurt. I could physically feel it. I could feel the changes in my mood, from extreme highs to dull lows. I could feel the changes in my energy levels. I struggled to stay awake mid afternoon. The joints in my fingers and my knees began to ache almost immediately and it probably contributed to my inability to sleep.

These things all happened to my body before I quit sugar, but I didn't recognise it as a side effect of sugar, I put it down to everything else from overwork, stress, ageing, being overweight .. any number of reasons.

So now my pantry is clear of food that contains sugar. Here is the 'before' shot ...

... and here is the 'after' ...

I just noticed a jar of peanut butter in the 'after' shot that shouldn't be there!

Tomorrow I have to order some text books for this term's subjects. I have a sneaking suspicion that they may be quite expensive ... and scary looking!

Meanwhile, it's time for sleep.

Nite all.

Where is Spring?

Even though the weather is glorious and the air is clear and the colours are vibrant, the usual signs of Spring are non-existent this far north of Australia.

It's something that BGWLBH mentioned when she was here a couple of years ago.

In NSW, you know instantly what season of the year it is, just by looking out the window.

In Autumn the leaves change colour and the trees are covered in vibrant reds, yellows and orange.  In Winter, the leaves fall and everything becomes grey and dull. When Spring arrives, there are vibrant bursts of colour everywhere, and everything, including birds and wildlife, comes to life. Summer makes everything golden, dusty and dry - the sun, the fields, the soil, the air.

This far north, everything stays the same.  Well, except my orchids flower in Spring and vegetables are virtually impossible to grow in the heat and humidity of Summer. The change of seasons is almost indefinable.

It was most noticeable for me today because I went triking around town for 2 hours trying to find nests and wildflowers and wildlife.

I found a Butcher Bird nest. Nothing else (aside from the Tawnies and the Bee Eaters).

Disappointing.

I took quite a few hopeful photos but I haven't looked at them yet .. which is an indication that there is nothing there that I'm excited to see!

Here is a lovely pelican that I photographed a couple of days ago..

I had a great phone call with Chicklet and Vegan Chickie today.

Tonight, I got adventurous in the kitchen and cooked some venison,  a whole baked cauliflower and beans and broccoli. The venison was surprisingly delicious. The butcher told us that to prevent toughness, we should cook it on a very high heat quickly, so that's what I did and it was lovely and tender.

The cauliflower was the highlight, with it's deliciously spicy marinade coating.

Spicy Whole Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower
1½ cups plain Greek yogurt
1 lime, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons chile powder (I was intimidated by this & only used 3/4 T. It was still spicy enough)
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400° and line a small baking dish with baking paper. Set aside.

2. Trim the base of the cauliflower to remove any green leaves and the woody stem.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt with the lime zest and juice, chile powder, cumin, garlic powder, curry powder, salt and pepper.

4. Dunk the cauliflower into the bowl and use a brush or your hands to smear the marinade evenly over its surface. (Excess marinade can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days and used with meat, fish or other veggies.)

5. Place the cauliflower on the prepared baking sheet and roast until the surface is dry and lightly browned, about 40 minutes. The marinade will make a crust on the surface of the cauliflower.

6. Let the cauliflower cool for 10 minutes before cutting it into wedges and serving.

Sharing is caring.

Nite all.

Touching Spring

This month's challenge for the flickr photography group is "A Touch of Spring"

I desperately tried to think of something different for this challenge, but the month has been full of study and exams and holidays, so I didn't find the time to put enough effort into it and with a last ditch effort in a moment of desperation, I came up with this ...

... once again, I don't stand a chance of winning, but at least I've contributed and hopefully next month, I can be more imaginative.

Another lovely morning tea with the girls today.

Adoring Husband and I spent a long day in The Bay. What I thought would be a quick trip in for groceries turned out to be quite a bit more than that, so we didn't get home til almost 4pm and then it took a while to unpack everything.

After a ride down to the beach and creating the "Touch of Spring" photo, a quick steak and salad for dinner and then a Big Brother hit, it's now 10.30pm and time for me to sleep.

Nite all.

Birds Have It

Ok, firstly, the Sunbird as promised ..

Sadly, in the ten days that I've been gone, there have been two deaths in town and so a couple of elderly Mums are no longer with us. Condolences to my friends at this time.

Also sadly .. remember the Tawny Frogmouth on the nest that I showed you a couple of weeks ago?

Well, the nest AND the Tawny are gone. Gentleman Jim, from the Seat of Knowledge, found a dead Tawny in the Lions Park last week and the next day when the boys checked the nest, the Tawny was gone and eggs were on the ground.

When one Tawny of a pair dies, the other will toss the eggs, knowing that he/she cannot raise them on their own.

On a happier note, I found two other nests today! I think I have an idea where there are another two nests as well .. and I will take photos of them all tomorrow. Unfortunately, none of them are at the perfect height in the trees for great photos of chicks, but they are there and that's what counts.

I have morning tea with the girls tomorrow morning and then Adoring Husband and I will be heading into town to shop and restock the pantry and fridge now that I'm back.

The final piece of good news for today is that I got the results for my Naturopathic Philosophy exam and I passed! 93.75% is a result worth celebrating! Wahoo!

My subjects for next term are 'Anatomy and Physiology 1' and 'Chemistry'.

Ugh!

I think I can handle it.

I'm confident.

Ha!

How difficult can it be?

No matter .. it's good to be home.

Nite all.

Home at Last

I feel like I've been away for months.

It's so good to be home.

I even enjoyed the four hour train trip .. it was like savouring each moment as I got closer to home, knowing that soon I would be where I should be.

So I've already unpacked and settled into my comfy spot on the couch, watched the X-Factor and now doing a short version of this blog post before I head off to my beautiful, comfortable welcoming bed.

Aside from arriving home safe and sound, the highlight of the day was finding a Sunbird and actually getting some photos .. which I will share in tomorrow's post.

Can you hear or sense my satisfied sigh of genuine happiness?

Nite all.

Family Love

I woke up this morning realising that I had forgotten to do last night's blog post .. woops!

Tonight I'm posting a quickie.

I caught up with a younger cousin this morning, who lives on the island, and who I haven't seen for 34 years.

I spoke to his mum on the phone. She was always my favourite aunty.

We had 4 hours together and had a lot to catch up on, but it was like no time had passed at all. I really enjoyed our time together and I'm so pleased that I made the effort.

Tomorrow, Woman of Many Talents and I are heading home. I originally wasn't due home until next Friday, but I am well and truly ready to go home and am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and also seeing Adoring Husband again.

It's been a nice holiday, but I'm done.

... and now I'm ready to sleep.

Nite all.

In Flight

Look what I got today!!

We drove over to Arcadia today to have lunch at the pub and afterwards we walked across the road to the beach to walk along the sand.

The eagle suddenly appeared above, soared for a little while and then down he swooped!

It was a nice way to end the day.

I had a quiet morning by myself while the others did their own thing.

I walked down to the little coffee van to get my morning coffee and only took my purse with me. As I walked back to the unit, there sitting out in the open on a tree branch, preening itself for all the world to see, was a Sunbird!!

The first one I've seen all week and of course, I did NOT have my camera with me! Ugh!

Tomorrow morning, we are all getting up early for the sunrise. Maybe the Sunbird will be out again when it's time to come home.

The sky was overcast this morning, so we decided to stay indoors, but the forecast is good for tomorrow morning.

We threw together a roast pumpkin and greens dish tonight with parmesan zucchinis and some of last night's leftover rice and frittata. The Reality TV Queen and I make a good team in the kitchen.

A couple of wines later and everyone is in bed and snoring by 8.30pm .. except me .. of course.

Time for me to do the same now.

Nite all.

Not Myself

I felt a little 'out of it' today.

I haven't slept well since I left home, so lack of sleep is not helping.

We four girls have been together for 6 days.  Living in close quarters with three other people, dealing with their habits and taking their individual needs and wants into consideration, compromising and cushioning and sacrificing .. well it can be quite draining.

We've done very well with meals so far. We are preparing our meals in the unit. Everything has been gluten free and we all pitch in together with the preparations. The food has been delicious and satisfying, however, I REALLY miss my own food and my pantry full of special ingredients that I can call on for all of my favourite recipes.

I miss my town and my house and my routine and my Adoring Husband.

Just a little glitch in the middle of a long holiday.

Tomorrow, I will feel better and more myself.

Meanwhile, some photos from the trip so far.

I'm yet to find a Sunbird to photograph.  I've found LOTS of nests, but no birds. That is my mission tomorrow! I've also set my alarm and Di and I are waking early to catch the sunrise over the ocean and the infinite pool in the morning.

The click-clack sofa has been set up in the lounge room for me to attempt to get some sound sleep tonight. The single bed isn't cutting it for me.

A quick pic with the phone tonight at 'wine o'clock' ...

... and now I will watch the last of Big Brother and then hopefully doze into slumberland.

Nite all.

Bay Hopping

Woman of Many Talents and The Reality TV Queen left early this morning, intending to do a decent trek through the mountainous bushland, by following a walking trail to Arcadia.

Mrs Bucket and I planned on catching the bus later and meeting them there for a swim at the beach and morning tea. So the two of us had a leisurely morning at home. We had breakfast, did some washing, ironing and a little housework.

At 9am, we were sitting in the bus waiting for it to leave the depot, when the girls phoned to let us know that they were actually at Horseshoe Bay .. which is quite a bit further than Arcadia.

You have to realise that any walk over the island is a 'trek' because it is rugged and mountainous and not easily navigated.

To hear The Reality TV Queen tell the story of their trek this morning, is hilariously funny and even though she has told it three times already today, I still laughed just as loud the third time, as I did the first time.

They are both regular walkers and both very fit, so to hear how difficult this walk was and how it affected their bodies, made me grateful that I didn't join them!

I planned on doing a walk or two through the trails with my camera, to hopefully get some bird and wildlife pics, but I am quite hesitant now that I've seen the terrain.

So, Mrs Bucket and I eventually met them at Horseshoe Bay, where we enjoyed a smoothie and I bought a gluten free strawberry cheesecake tart for later. We did a short walk along the main thoroughfare, and then found our way to the bus stop, planning to bus it to Picnic Bay, which is across the other side of the island.

It took a while to get there, and Mrs Bucket left us when the bus reached Nellie Bay. We looked through the shops and little art gallery, took some photos of the big old trees and the bay itself, then went into the pub for a drink.

Woman of Many Talents bought some take away lunch and by 1pm we were on the bus heading back to Nellie Bay.

At one stop, there was a large number of back packers who boarded the bus and very soon, the bus was so full that there was standing room only.

It was heartening to see, that every time an elderly person boarded the bus, a young person, without question, stood up and offered their seat to them. It must have happened eight times and I have to admit that I felt quite emotional and surprised by so many respectful gestures.

Eventually, the fully loaded bus arrived at Nellie Bay and the girls and I made a quick trip to the supermarket to get some supplies for dinner.

We made a great team this evening. Mrs Bucket made her famous fried rice. The Reality TV Queen made kale chips with roasted pumpkin. Woman of Many Talents fired up the barbecue and cooked the chicken that I had marinated earlier in the day and I made a garden salad.

It was all very delicious and we washed it down with a couple of glasses of wine before settling down in front of the TV to watch 'X Factor' and 'Winners and Losers'.

It's been a very grey day, as far as the weather is concerned, but all in all, it's been a fabulous day.

I did take a few photos .. not a lot because I didn't think the greyness of the day did justice to the beauty of the area, but I will take more as the holiday wears on. If I have time to go through them tomorrow, I will share some here tomorrow night.

Now, hopefully, I will have better luck falling asleep tonight than I did last night!

Nite all.

Wish You Were Here

First full day on the island and we are having a lovely relaxing time.

Today is Mrs Bucket's birthday, so we started the day with a "Happy Birthday" song and a small gift, then went for a long walk.

Mrs Bucket and I then stopped for coffee and juice at Peppers Resort, while the other two went on their marathon walk. The two of us had a lovely long chat about all the things that have been happening in our lives lately .. it was a pleasant way to spend the morning .. before heading back to our unit.

When the others arrived back, we all decided to go to Peppers for their lunch time special which cost $25 per head and included a main meal, dessert and a glass of wine, beer or soft drink.

Two of us had salt and pepper calamari and the other two had beer battered fish and chips. Dessert was the choice of pavlova or trio of sorbets. I had the sorbets and it was delicious. The whole lunch was delicious.

Here we are just as we arrived ...

We have a pool on the roof, so after lunch, Mrs Bucket and Woman of Many Talents headed up there for a swim. I did some photo editing while Reality TV Queen lay down and watched some telly in her bedroom.

Right now, it's 'wine o'clock', so we are kicking back with a glass of vino and are definitely in holiday mode.

Yesterday afternoon as we were settling into our unit, we were briefly entertained by a wedding party having part of their photo shoot on the helipad across the water.

The view from our room ..

Now I'm off to enjoy my wine.

Nite all

Food for Thought

Not much time for blogging again, but today we shopped til we dropped.

I got some new swimmers (or togs as they call them in Queensland), a pair of shorts, two tops, some junk jewellery, a new bag, a phone case and a couple of singlet tops.

We came back to the room for a one hour rest stop, then got ready for the casino! We all played the pokies for a little while, then had an 'all you can eat' buffet for $42 per head. I think I ate three plates of seafood and then a big bowl of dessert. We ALL pigged out big time!

Home by 8pm and now ready for a good sleep before we hit the markets bright and early tomorrow morning.

We catch the barge over to the island at lunch time.

Here is the view from our room in Townsville .. the Holiday Inn.

Please excuse the quality of the pics .. they are taken with my phone.

Time for sleeping.

Nite all.

Brief Blogging

I'm just here to say that I'm alive and having a good time!

It seemed like a long long long trip from Mackay to Townsville today, but we finally made it safe n sound.

We spent the evening at the Cowboys Leagues Club tonight, which was very crowded with Cowboys supporters for their semi final game, but unfortunately they lost by one point.

The club was pumping right til the end and then it suddenly went silent, and people left in droves. A sad end to a great night.

We waited for an hour and twenty minutes for our meals tonight, but the meals were worth the wait. Delicious!

While we were waiting for our meal, there was an elderly gentleman looking for somewhere to sit, so the 'Reality TV Queen' invited him to sit with us at our table .. which had the only spare seat in the house! He welcomed the invitation and then introduced himself as one of the directors of the club.

When our meal took so long, he spoke to the kitchen staff to move things along and then organised a free drink for us, which was lovely.

So now, at 10.25pm, we are home and ready to climb into bed.

There are markets on the street outside out motel room tomorrow morning, so we will be up bright and early, ready to spend money :)

We have a whole day in Townsville tomorrow so the Casino will also be on the cards.

Anyway, just thought I'd touch base with any of you who care. Can you tell that I've had a few wines tonight??

Nite all.

Kitchen Antics

I calculate that I spent 8 hours cooking in the kitchen today - preparing meals to freeze for Adoring Husband to eat while I'm away.

Curried Sausages x 2
Chicken & Vegetable Curry x 2
Bolognese Sauce x 2
Savoury Chicken Mince x 3
Potato Bake x 3
Cut and seasoned vegetables bagged x 6
Coriander Lemon Chicken Meatballs x 35
Roast Chicken x 1

I did some washing.

I cleared over one thousand emails.

Wednesday is now available for me to be productive, so I have a list of chores to do, as well as packing.

I enjoyed a lovely morning tea with the girls today. It's good to have Maid Marian back in town .. permanently. I feel as if we are 'complete' again.

It was also nice to have a good coffee. I missed my coffee while I was away.

Tomorrow I plan on making some sweet treats for Adoring Husband. Chocolate cupcakes. Banana and walnut muffins. Chocolate bark.

I guess I'll be doing some photo editing while I'm on holidays! Lot's of Chicklet photos to play with :)

Once again, it's after midnight. Time to sleep.

Nite all.

In Between

Home safe n sound and now preparing for the next leg!

I've unpacked, done my washing and now planning, in my mind, everything that needs to be done before I leave on Thursday .. considering Wednesday is no longer viable for me, I have to do everything tomorrow!

I need to make a list! My time management skills will certainly be stretched.

It was good to see Adoring Husband but it feels weird to be leaving so soon and I'm not sure about spending two weeks away from him. I hope he will be ok. I hope I will be ok!

Despite those concerns, I'm looking forward to having a break. Between my studies and everything else that has happened this year, it will be nice just to 'be' and regenerate, rejuvenate and come back ready to take on the world!

I've just received the new Study Smart format for my study site, so I began exploring that and methodically going through the steps, but time has passed so quickly that I now notice it's almost midnight! I've been in bed with lights out before 9.30pm for the last 3 nights!

Thank you to my lovely Chicklet family for a great 3 days *LOVE* Little Chicklet wore me out again .. but the 90 minute walk this morning was the killer!

So here I end my post, once again without photos. Where does the time go?

Nite all.

Another Visit Over

When will I learn? Walking around in bare feet on a tiled floor all day is NOT good for your back!! Ugh!

I think that if I wore a pedometer while playing with Chicklet all day, it would be interesting to see how many steps I take.

Between my bare feet on the tiled floor and running around with Chicklet, I feel like I've run a marathon.

I got some more photos today of Chicklet with a clean face, but I'm afraid you will have to wait, because my laptop seems to be heating up more than usual and I'm not going to risk overheating it.

Tomorrow, I am heading home again. It's been a quick three days and it feels like it's flown by. I will be sad to say goodbye again to my Chicklet family, but looking forward to seeing Adoring Husband for a few days before heading off to Magnetic Island with the girls for 2 weeks of fun and frivolity.

I also hope to catch up with The Nikonian before I leave tomorrow!

I've now yawned 5 times in the last 5 minutes so I think that's my cue to turn out the lights and lay my weary head upon the pillow. Yup 9pm and I'm done.

Nite all.

Still happy.

Well my little Tassie Devil lasted approximately 20 minutes in my bed!

We did our usual story time and read 6 books. She had her own blanket and pillow in here and lay down to attempt sleep. Tossed and turned. Asked me a few questions. Asked if she could play the muppet game on my iPad and when I told her "No. It's sleep time now." she replied with "Can I sleep in the big bed with Mama?"

And that was that.

Small steps lol.

I took lots of photos today and had intended putting some on here tonight, but because every single one of them has a very messy peanut butter face, they are going to take a bit of work to clean up.

Note to self - clean Chicklet's face before taking 200 photos.

So, instead, I will share a photo taken yesterday, with my iphone, of Chicklet taking a break on the path that we took through the bush.

It's just after 9.30pm and I have a sneaking suspicion that I will be woken up early tomorrow morning by a smiley face planting kisses along my arm, so I'm off to get some much needed sleep.

Nite all.

Happiness is ...

Well, after another late and restless night at home, and after 3 hours of sleep, I was awake at 4am preparing to leave on the train for the Sunny Coast. Taking into consideration the other restless nights I've had this week, and how I'm no longer used to that kind of broken sleep, I am feeling decidedly tired tonight .. even though I had a nana nap this afternoon!

This is my new bed and bedding at the new house - it was very comfortable this afternoon, so I anticipate a good night's sleep tonight.

Little Chicklet wanted to sleep in bed with me tonight .. and that's the reason I chose a double bed, specifically because I hoped she would want to do that .. but knowing how restless she is, and knowing how desperately in need of sleep I am tonight, we made a deal that she could do it tomorrow night.

It's been a good day. Chicklet has been like a mini Tassie Devil and it's been difficult keeping up with her, but it's great to be here. The new house is lovely and set in beautiful bushland surroundings that have walking paths, so they couldn't ask for a nicer environment.

It's 8pm and I am about to settle into an exhausted sleep.

Nite all.

A Joyful Day

Retail therapy is always fun.

Today, we bought a bed for me to sleep on at the Chicklet family house on the Sunny Coast and it's being delivered there tomorrow. Then I got to choose some bright colourful bedding, so I'm really looking forward to my first night at the new house.

It's only been a month since I saw the Chicklet family, but it feels like forever! I can't wait to see my little Chicklet. I miss her.

I planned on getting a pedicure today and I can usually walk straight in to any nail salon without an appointment and not have to wait, but today, the first two salons that I tried couldn't fit me in for a couple of hours! I didn't want to hang around, so I declined both of them and then found another salon where I least expected and luckily got straight in.

The young girl was brilliant and she massaged my calves and feet beautifully, in between the pedicure and painting my nails. The chair had massaging vibration in it, which gave me an almost deep tissue massage as I sat there.

It was heavenly, it took almost an hour and I was only charged $35! Bonus!

This afternoon, we 'Island getaway girls' had a meeting with a bottle of wine to discuss departure times and plan our drive up north which will be happening next week. I think we are all getting very excited as it draws closer.

So it seems that I have a very busy and full month ahead of me!

It will be football grand final time when I return and my little sis will hopefully be popping down for a visit for grand final weekend.

It will also be time to start the next stage of my studies!

So much happening!

I'm exhausted just writing about it!

There are so many exclamation marks at the end of all of my sentences!

Now it's time to sleep.

Nite all.

Done and Dusted

It's OVER!

The exam is finished and that officially puts an end to my first semester.

Hear my audible sigh of relief!

I would like to apologise to anyone reading this who got sick and tired of my incessant study chatter.

I would like to apologise to my friends and family who I'm sure got sick and tired of my incessant worrying and stressing over my inability to retain information.

I would also like to apologise to Adoring Husband who has been living in a silent world for 6 months, wearing headphones while watching television and spending lots of time out of the house while I crammed.

Now that I know what to expect for future studies, I'm sure that I won't stress so much and it will be much easier for all of you! Thank you for your tolerance and patience and support and encouragement.

Feel the love!

The exam wasn't too difficult. I feel like I may not have given as much detail as they were expecting, so there may be some points lost for my brevity, but I 'think' I will pass .. fingers crossed.

Now I can think about, plan, and look forward to other things like visiting my little Chicklet family and then an island getaway!

Meanwhile in Tawny Frogmouth world .. there is a new nest! This is the same bird that made such a flimsy nest last year that all of the eggs fell to the ground.

This nest looks much more secure, and is in the perfect spot for me to get some good shots of chicks when they hatch. It's quite low in the tree, so let's hope she has better luck this year and we get to see some babies!

Adoring Husband and I went for our barefoot walk along the beach this afternoon. The tide was way out and it was a beautiful afternoon. We only walked half the distance that we planned, because the sand was quite soft as we attempted to walk to the 2nd marker and we were fast sinking deep into the sand, almost up to our knees!

The further we walked, the more broken shells there were, and other partially buried debris to navigate, so we decided not to take the risk

By the time we returned, we were both feeling leg weary!

Anyway, it's been a great day and now I can sleep with peace of mind.

Nite all.

Last Time

This is the last time that I will complain about my studying for the big exam .. tomorrow is the day .. go hard or go home!

By mid afternoon tomorrow, it will all be over and I can relax for a couple of weeks.

If I fail, I only have my old brain to blame .. because I have studied with a vengeance .. it just seems that no matter how much I cover, there seems to be more and more that I haven't covered!!

Today, I looked on YouTube for study hints and ways to remember stuff for tests. Surprisingly, there were quite a lot of videos to watch and I wasted 90 minutes learning to do stuff that I am already doing and which I feel isn't working for me.

HOWEVER ...

One of the teachers on one of the videos described perfectly how my brain is working at the moment and how it feels to me like all the information is flying out of my brain as quickly as it comes in. He said that once I sit down for the exam, I will be surprised by how much my brain has actually retained.

I can only hope that he is right. It gave me the boost that I needed to keep powering on regardless of my doubts.

I think I'll be studying late into the night and then I will squeeze in some more for a couple of hours before I sit the exam tomorrow.

I know that I will be able to say, that no matter what, I tried my best, and have given myself the best chance possible.

On that note ..

Nite all.

Signs of Spring

I always know that Spring has arrived, when the Tawny Frogmouths appear.

This guy was very low on a branch and alone .. which usually means that there is a nest nearby .. so my next trick is to find the nest!

Then there was this pair .. no nest yet for them ..

There is one other, but I don't have a photograph of him yet because he was high in a tree and well obscured by foliage, but I'll keep trying.

By the time I get back from holidays at the end of the month, there should be chicks to photograph!

Still studying. Ugh!

Nite all.

Under the Weather

So I was a little under the weather last night, hence, no blog post.

I just discovered this on youtube and thought I'd share it. It's an oldie but a goodie!



YouTube can be so much fun sometimes! I get lots of study information in YouTube too .. you name it, YouTube has it!

Speaking of study, I squeezed in a few hours of study today, but I'm still feeling a little panicked over the exam on Tuesday. I hate exams! Don't we all?

So, obviously, while I'm studying so voraciously, not much else is happening to share with you.

Nite all.

Counting Down

Five more days of study left til the exam.  Feeling pressured.  Brain won't retain the information long enough!  So much to remember!  Ugh!

I wish there was a way to change my brain from being a reflective surface bouncing all the information back to where it came from .. to a sponge soaking up and retaining everything that I need to know.

Ageing brains are not our friends.  Well, not mine anyway.

I actually did some cooking today too. A chicken and vegetable stew, a roast chicken and some honey and lemon chicken wings.  I planned on making an apple tart this evening too, but then a very long phone call with 'best cousin in the world' put an end to that idea.

Adoring Husband had some SES training tonight, so I had a few hours at home alone, but a very unproductive few hours!

Once again, it's after midnight.

Sleep is my friend.

Nite all.

Sleep and Food

It was a late and slow start to the day.

I had a very late night last night, because sometimes life gets in the way.

Eventually, after coffee and a trike ride, by late morning, I started to study.

I stopped briefly for lunch when Adoring Husband was good enough to bring some delicious fresh sand crab home. I devoured it over the kitchen sink, making a fabulous splashy juicy mess everywhere!

Facebook provided me with this great recipe that I modified (as I do) and had with dinner tonight.

Ingredients:

4 zucchinis quartered lengthways
1/2 cup of grated parmesan
1/2 teaspoon dried Thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried Oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried Basil (or 5 fresh leaves finely chopped)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 fresh cloves minced)
salt and pepper to taste
2 T coconut oil
2 T fresh chopped parsley

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C.
Line a flat pan with baking paper.
Combine everything except the zucchini, parsley and oil, in a bowl.
Place the zucchini on the prepared pan, drizzle with oil and sprinkle the parmesan mixture over the top.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Put under the grill for 2-3 minutes until golden brown (be careful the paper doesn't catch alight).
Serve immediately, sprinkled with parsley.

I really loved the flavour of this, except I accidentally mixed the parsley with the mixture and it got a little burnt under the grill .. so I'll leave that out and sprinkle it last next time, like the recipe states!

We had it with crispy skinned salmon, sweet potato chips, snow peas and broccoli.

Dessert was chocolate zucchini cupcake with blueberries, strawberries and cream.

I'm soooooo full!

Nite all.

Study Mode

Yep, study mode again. I was actually quite productive with my study today, so I'm feeling happy with today's achievements.

Morning tea with the girls was a great start to the day and Adoring Husband spent a lot of time at the SES shed, which gave me the quiet time that I needed, to get focused.

We didn't go for our walk along the beach this afternoon because we had gale force winds attempting to blow the town away. If the weather improves tomorrow, we'll try again.

I love these cups ...

... and here are my favourite quotes from Facebook this week ...

Psychotic dogs are a bit restless tonight, so I think I'll get them to bed early.

Nite all.

After my Heart

So ... I've known this woman in town for about 18 months. We have never had a long conversation, but have lunched in a group situation a couple of times and always say hello when we pass in the street or the supermarket. We probably wouldn't even qualify as acquaintances.

Yesterday, I stopped at her house to buy something that she had for sale and we began to chat.

Almost immediately, we discovered that we have a similar dislike for, and mistrust of, doctors, and the conversation became much more animated about our health and the various methods of healing that we use.

Well ... you all know how passionate I am about nutrition and how I find it difficult to control my, for want of a better word, 'enthusiasm' for my recent lifestyle change. I discovered that she too, was equally enthusiastic and showed me a book that she had recently acquired called "Take Control of Your Health and Escape the Sickness Industry" by Elaine Hollingsworth.

I guess she sensed my keen interest, because she hesitantly offered to loan it to me for 'a couple of days'. I accepted her offer and spent yesterday afternoon devouring as much information from the book as I could and took copious notes.

This afternoon, I went to return the book and told her how excited I was to read it and that I would definitely order one for myself from the website. She then offered for me to keep the book for another week! I almost snatched it back from her! So now I am taking my time with long leisurely reads (between my studying sessions of course).

There is so much interesting information in the book. Some of the advice, I have been putting into practice for almost a year already, but there is more information that I wasn't aware of, but which makes so much sense to me. Some of it I will share here during the week.

If you're interested in the book or the website from where I will be ordering it, go here.

Meanwhile, I finally got to take Adoring Husband to the beach for our bare foot walk on the sand this afternoon. We walked for about 50 minutes and it was really nice to have the time together in the fresh air, with time to talk and no distractions like TV or phones or dogs and to feel the sand between our toes and slosh through the puddles and shallow channels.

We've decided to make it a habit.

It's been difficult to get into my studies this week. There are two houses being built behind us and they are at the 'nail gun' stage. The wind is blowing from that direction, straight into our back door, so the sound seems amplified and pierces my tranquility. Every time I feel focussed, there is a sudden series of loud bangs as the builders get on a role.

I'm not sure how I'm going to combat this problem, but I'll work on it.

Once again, it's almost midnight, so I'm outta here!

Nite all.

Perfect Sunday

Today was THE MOST PERFECTLY BEAUTIFUL DAY! I took this photo with my phone.

I spent an hour walking along the beach and another hour sitting on the bank of the river, just enjoying the fresh air, the clear water and the blue skies.

I had to come home eventually and do some studying.

Adoring Husband arrived home safe n sound from Marburg after successfully completing his SES training. He's a happy chappy and now in bed snoring his happy little head off!

I am following his lead.

Nite all.

Saturday Bliss

I set my alarm for 6am this morning, so that I could go to work. The alarm went off right on cue, so I switched it off and promptly went back to sleep!

Despite the scrambled start to the morning, I did get my work done and then spent some time at the Seat of Knowledge. Later, I kicked my shoes off and went for a long walk along the beach as the tide came in.

I sloshed, ankle deep, through the shallow water which was icy cold in patches, but comfortable in others.

There were quite a few pelicans resting on the beach, so I took a few quick snaps of them, until a lady stopped to chat. Her name was Christine and she was in her early 60s and a self proclaimed hippie.

She had lived in Gladstone for 39 years, then sold her house and bought one for $20000 in Cracow, which is about 300 km west of here. It's a very small and old gold mining town with a population of about 120 people.

She was travelling in an old 4WD, but was planning on getting a small camper and painting it bright colours and then travelling wherever life wanted to take her. She makes dream catchers out of the bird feathers that she collects on her long walks.

She did confess to stopping for road kill .. a dead Wedge-tailed Eagle on the road, to steal it's feathers for her dream catchers! I told her that I thought that was pretty sick .. and not in a good way! She laughed and said "Well, it's not like I killed it for the feathers. It was already dead!" We both laughed.

We shared a little of our life history and then went our separate ways. She is taking a sick friend to Brisbane for surgery and then they are coming back here for recovery time and then home to Cracow.

I walked for another 45 minutes and then pedalled to my local haunt, got my usual take-away coffee and sat outside in the sunshine for about an hour.  A few locals stopped by for a chat and finally, I arrived home at about 11.30am.

I had some lunch and then set myself up in bed with my laptop and study material, ready to spend a couple of hours studying before the football started. Yes, it probably seems strange to do this in bed, when I have a perfectly good desk to sit at .. but the air and light in the bedroom was so lovely, it just seemed like the right place to be.

After a while, I got a phone call from Vegan Chickie, who has been very ill for a couple of weeks with every ailment known to mankind, from the flu to food poisoning to infections to serious allergies!

The poor thing. Luckily, she is on the mend now, but it might take a while for her poor body to fully recover from such an onslaught! It was really nice to hear from her and I loved listening to Chicklet chatting in the background. I miss them and need to get down there for a visit soon.

I decided to go for another ride before the football started and as I rode along the path beside the river, there was a Whistling Kite floating above me ...

I waited patiently for the White Breasted Sea Eagle that was soaring in the skies across the river, to head in my direction, but even though he teased me a couple of times, he never got close enough to photograph and eventually I gave up and rushed home to watch the football.

There were 3 games today and I tipped the losing teams in all three games .. not happy Jan!

I think I will now climb into bed and watch the end of the movie "Armageddon". It's highly possible that I will fall asleep before it finishes, considering it's now 10.40pm and it doesn't finish til midnight!

So, nite all.  

A Good Time

It was a good night tonight at the club.

I won a raffle prize and it was nice to have some fun with the girls.

We discussed that I would be brief in my blog post tonight because I planned on coming home to have some more wine and then fall into bed.

I haven't had any more wine since I arrived home and I only had 3 glasses at the club, but I am decidedly tired so am climbing into bed as soon as I sign out.

My footy team won tonight, so they are still in with a small chance of making the finals. Fingers crossed.

Congratulations to my friend The Nikonian, on the birth of her first Grandson, Flynn Cheyne. I can feel the overwhelming love from here! He looks so peaceful and perfect and I know that everyone is over the moon with happiness.

On that note .. my bed is calling.

Nite all.

The Joy of Sales

Firstly, a photo of our lady's lunch yesterday ...

... and my neighbour asked me if I'd like some herbs, namely Dill and Parsley, from her garden. I accepted her offer because my herbs are failing in their tiny little dried up pots. Her brand new garden is flourishing, as ours did when we first moved here and she gave me this lovely big bouquet of herbs.

Remember the wonderful walls of herbs that Adoring Husband created for me in April? Well, it seems that the herbs don't like such tiny pots because the soil dries out so quickly, it's impossible to keep enough water up to them. So we have to rethink our herb situation.

Just recently, the Rainbow Bee Eaters have returned to our area. They have always nested, by tunnelling into the ground, next door on what was once an empty block of land, but now our neighbours have built on the block and the birds have had to find a new nesting spot.

Luckily for us, there are still a couple of empty blocks nearby, so they are still nesting quite close and they sit in the branches of our young Jacaranda trees on our footpath.

Tomorrow, I plan on sitting on the garden seat in our front yard, camera in hand, attempting to get some good shots of the Bee Eaters as they feed on the bees from our garden! I hope they co-operate!

Adoring Husband and I spent a lot of time in The Bay today. I got some great clothes and jewellery on sale .. which of course, means that I have to toss some old clothes out of my wardrobe .. that's the rule! Out with the old. In with the new.

I also bought a book called 'I Quit Sugar for Life' by Sarah Wilson. Sarah's facebook page was the first page I joined when I quit sugar in September last year and I have seen a few excerpts from her book, so I was interested to see more. The first shop was selling it for $39 and then we looked in BigW and there it was for $18!! Bargain!!

So, as usual, retail therapy cured many ills today.

Good grief!  It's after midnight!!

Nite all.


 

Lady's Lunch

Had a great day today.

Caught up with a couple of friends as I drank coffee at my local haunt, then came home and made myself presentable for the lady's lunch, which I really enjoyed. The food was good and the company was funny and interesting.

Fabulous storms all afternoon dropped 15mm of rain on our garden and then a quiet evening at home while Adoring Husband attended an SES meeting.

I have photos from today .. but they have to wait til tomorrow's post.

It's almost midnight and I think the pumpkin thing is going to happen any minute!!

Nite all.

People

People suck.

Why do people have such an aggressive and negative attitude about other people's food choices?

How does it affect them?

Is it because they feel guilty about their own food choices?

I know that vegans, vegetarians, fruitarians and raw foodies, as well as Celiacs and their 'gluten free' requirements, all have the same kind of responses and I've had the discussion with Vegan Chickie before.

You only have to look at some of the recent negativity in the media, surrounding Pete Evans and his Paleo lifestyle.

If the Paleo diet gets people to choose real food over junk, take away and processed food, then I'm all for it! If Pete Evans' improved health status is any indication of how effective the diet is, then that's another reason to be all for it.

I like to follow a lot of paleo recipes, but our only real restrictions are on refined sugar, processed foods and gluten.

Anyway, after a pleasant morning enjoying two morning teas and then pedalling around town for about 45 minutes, I came home for another cookathon.

I finished off the tomato sauce and then made a spaghetti bolognese with the leftover sauce and used chicken mince. It was so full of flavour!

Time sure gets away. I'm off to bed because we have the big lady's luncheon tomorrow, so I need to be bright eyed and bushy tailed!

Nite all.