Practise Makes Perfect

I say that with hope in my voice!

Most of you know that I have never been a fan of photoshop. It's a complex editing program that takes a long time to master. Especially for me.

My closed mind has only made it more difficult to learn - it was the same for me, years ago, when I was learning to work a computer for the first time. I believed that I wasn't smart enough ... and so became the self fulfilling prophecy ... until one day, I believed that computers weren't THAT difficult to use ... and so my mind opened up to the possibilities.

My mind has now opened to the possibilities of photoshop, which is kind of funny because I think that most professional portrait photographers use photoshop for very basic editing.  Presets, filters and actions are the popular way to go, to enhance photography these days.

I guess I'm falling behind the times and need to catch up!

The most frustrating thing, is that I want to know it all NOW and I lose patience when there are so many steps to each process!

Anyway, just to keep Rebel Mardi happy, I am sharing one more photo from the shoot, which includes her beautiful grandson ...

I hope that one will keep her happy while I work on the remaining photos. Three fabulous smiles!

Even though there were only four of us, morning tea with the girls was very enjoyable today.

It's date day with Adoring Husband tomorrow, so I need to get to bed. It will be an early start!

Nite all.

Govt Fail

Well! What a big hullabaloo over the ABS website going down while everybody was attempting to complete their census online!

My Facebook feed is full of very angry people, all over Australia, complaining very loudly about the site going down before they had a chance to do it.

I went online at 6.45pm and had it completed and submitted by 7pm without a hitch. I would have completed it faster, except I had to call Adoring Husband into the room to ask where his parents were born and what his ancestry was.

I've had a fairly crappy day today (pardon the pun) ... meaning that I spent a good deal of it on the royal throne. My tummy has been very unhappy since yesterday afternoon and it has made it very difficult to concentrate on the fabulous videos that I selected for my photoshop tutorials.

It could be my body detoxing since I commenced taking some very strong probiotics. It usually takes about two weeks for the body to release all the nasties in the gut, and I may have to cut back and take one every second day, instead of one daily.

I guess it could be a tummy bug, but it doesn't feel like any tummy bug that I've had before.

Whatever.  It's not pleasant at all.

I did get a little practical work done with the photoshop tutorials and I found a really great guy on youtube whose channel is called Phlearn. His name is Aaron Nace and I really like him a lot. He explains photoshop in a way that I can understand, and that means a lot because my brain puts up a big barrier to photoshop. I don't know why!

The Flickr challenge this month is 'head and shoulders portrait'. It must be an adult human portrait. So I will put my photoshop skills to good use and create something worthy of submitting into the challenge.

I'll be able to practise on Bubbles and Knight in Shining Armour while they're here next week. I might even talk the boys at The Seat of Knowledge into sitting for me. A wrinkly face with a bit of age to it, might make for an interesting portrait!

I wanted to stay awake to see how the Australians perform in the equestrian event tonight. The Aussies are in first place at this stage of the three day event and are looking good for the gold medal, but I don't think I can stay awake for much longer.

I guess I'll have to catch the news in the morning.

I'm looking forward to morning tea with the girls, so I'd best get my beauty sleep!

Nite all.

Forgotten Skills

Oh my gosh.

I spent quite a bit of time sorting through the MANY photos that I took yesterday and selecting the best shots for editing, but I'm feeling a bit pressured to do a 'better than usual' job, so I spent some time this afternoon watching some youtube videos on editing in photoshop.

I've created a list of short tutorials to watch tomorrow before I begin the task of editing, so hopefully, by the end of the week, I will have them ready to share with the Mardi family!

I have to say, I don't think I've ever seen a more photogenic family. It almost seems silly to edit them at all.

Pork belly was on the menu for lunch today, and for the first time in my life, the entire crackling was crunchy! The meat was tender too and it wasn't even marinated! I did a fried rice with the basic bacon, egg and onion plus home made sweet potato chips, roasted beetroot, feta cheese and balsamic dressing.

That was for Adoring Husband. I ate a section of the crackling, and for dinner tonight, I toasted some Paleo Bread and had some pork belly sliced onto it with raw onion. I can guarantee that tomorrow, I will be craving vegetables, so luckily, I have a crisper full of bok choy, cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, cabbage and sweet potato. I feel a veg nosh up coming on!

I think I'm all done with my Olympic viewing for today, so I'm off to bed. I'm feeling a bit weary tonight .. brain weary, rather than body weary.

Nite all.  

Welcoming

This morning I woke to the sound of rain on the roof.

It was a lovely way to start the day, and to make it even better, I had my coffee from yesterday, in the fridge ready to heat up, so that I didn't have to pedal to the shop in the rain!

I sat up in bed until 10.30am, drinking coffee, reading, Facebooking, checking my emails and listening to the rain. I couldn't even imagine a better way to spend a wet Sunday morning.

At about the same time that Adoring Husband would have been boarding his plane in Sydney, I decided it was time to get out of bed and do something productive, like housework - ugh.

The ironing board had been set up in the family room since last Wednesday, so I decided that this morning would be a good time to do the ironing that I'd planned on doing last week, so that I could put the board and iron away with a clear conscience.

I made the bed, tidied the kitchen and did a couple of loads of washing, fed the chooks, put my camera gear away and put lunch in the oven so that it would be ready when Adoring Husband arrived home.

AH's lift stopped in the driveway at about 1pm. The psychotic dogs were very excited to see him and they all did their crazy bark and ran around in circles. Ruby was even squealing, she was so happy!

I was happy to see him too, but I didn't put on the same show as the dogs.

By the time we ate lunch, and caught up with all the news, the Sunday football had started, so we spent the afternoon watching TV and complaining loudly about the results! The only saving grace is that everybody else picked the favourites to win too, so even though they lost, there is no change to the positions on the tipping score card.

Tomorrow's plan includes editing the photos from yesterday, so I'm really looking forward to seeing them all on the big monitor and then sharing the best ones with Mardi and her family.

The countdown has begun for Vegan Chickie's trip overseas and she is preparing Chicklet with a bat countdown ...

... and care packages for each day she's away, which I assume are full of activities and ideas to fill our days ...

The ideas that Vegan Chickie comes up with, really make babysitting a breeze. Even 'I' get excited about what each day has in store for us!

Meanwhile, we are just one week away from a Bubbles and Knight in Shining Armour visit! It's all happening!

Time for me to sleep.

Nite all.  

Shootfest

I did NOT want to get out of bed this morning, but I had to go to work, so I hit 'snooze' twice before reluctantly climbing out of bed and fulfilling my duties.

From there, I bought a coffee and visited my boys on The Seat of Knowledge.

Upon my return home, I contemplated climbing back into bed, but opted instead to take the chicken wings, which had been marinating overnight, and put them in the oven to cook for lunch. Then I fed the chookies, checked the water for the chooks and SEB, watered the outdoor plants, hung out some washing, swept the floor and then parked myself in Adoring Husband's recliner to watch some of my recorded TV programs.

I was booked this afternoon for a photo shoot with Rebel Mardi and her family. Her lovely kids arranged to surprise her for a belated 60th birthday present and have some family photos taken. I was very honoured when they asked me to be their photographer.

We were to meet at a prearranged location at 3pm, so I filled the back of my trike with a tripod, monopod, light reflector, camera bag full of my camera with assorted lenses, a bottle of water, a thermos cup full of wine and ice, a towel and then I stopped at the shops to buy two cups of coffee! One to drink immediately and one to bring home so that I can reheat it tomorrow morning. That way, I can have a lazy Sunday morning in bed!

While I was waiting for my coffee, the heavens opened! I couldn't believe how heavy the rain fell and even though it was only a small cloud moving above us, it took it's time and had me very concerned about not having a Plan B!

Eventually, the skies cleared and I headed to the shoot location, where I took a few photos to test the light and checked out the different spots that I had in mind.

There is one small grassy area with tall trees, a bridge over a little creek full of mangroves, a kids park with play equipment and through a small walkway is the beach which has fallen trees and driftwood, a concrete pipe with timber framing which makes it look like a small jetty and a long sandy beach.

Unfortunately, the tide was out, so there was no beautiful blue water as a back drop, but instead, miles of grey, wet, sandy flats. However, our beaches have beautiful golden sands and stretch for hundreds of metres, so we took advantage of that.

Each shot, in each of the spots that I mentioned, took all of two minutes. Rebel Mardi and her family were pretty amazing, incredibly photogenic, and perfect subjects for posing while all smiling at the same time when instructed.

This was the very first photo taken within 5 minutes of them arriving on location ...

I asked each couple to choose a tree and stand on either side of it. Then I asked that they lean across, on the count of three and in their own unique way, give each other a kiss. This is pretty much what I had in mind when I planned the photo, and I had an inkling that 'The Circus Duo' would attempt an acrobatic kiss using the tree as a prop.

This photo epitomises each couple so well and I'm very happy with it.

I've had a quick look at the other shots and I'm really looking forward to editing the remaining photos tomorrow. There are some good ones there!

I had allotted 2.5 hours for the shoot, but I had all the shots that I wanted in less than an hour, so, much to the joy of the family, they spent a good thirty minutes playing with all the circus toys - hula hoops, spinning plates, juggling balls, colourful flowing fans and an acrylic sphere, among other unusual props.

These provided a few good candid shots, as well as a couple of set acrobatic shots to add to the mix.

It was a really fun afternoon. A beautiful, loving and happy family who made a shoot that I was quite nervous about, so easy and enjoyable. It has been a very long time between shoots (about 18 months), so my confidence was low, but I think they helped me find my mojo! Or my phojo!!

Thank you Mardi's family. Big hugs and kisses to you.

Adoring Husband returns home tomorrow. It's been a long four days, and knowing what he's had to endure while in Sydney this trip, I've really missed him and I'm looking forward to getting him home.

So I'm off to bed.

I remember when we first moved here, in 2008, for the first two years, every Saturday night was party time at somebody's house. It was exhausting!! Even though we had a fabulous time, and made some great memories, I'm so glad that Saturdays are now non-events. I love staying home and watching the footy instead of partying.

Nite all.  

Just Quietly

It has been a cold and windy Wintry day, and I had to pedal to work during the coldest part of the morning. I even wore my gloves!

It was so cold, that I returned home and climbed straight back into my bed!

I stayed there til 11am, at which point I figured it was time to go check the mail and buy myself a coffee.

I need to give thanks to two lovely friends.

Thank you Rebel Mardi and Lifesaver for buying and delivering my chookie food today. The girls were very grateful and asked me to pass on a 'cluck bukark' to you!

Thank you also, to The Blonde Bombshell for offering your taxi services to me for when Knight in Shining Armour arrives in the big silver bird in just over a week. I appreciate your kindness.

My sister, Squirt, shared this video on Facebook today and it brought a big smile to my face. I reckon, with a bit of practise, Adoring Husband and I would be able to do this dance together. I might have to lose about 10kg to be light enough for him to lift me for that end move though! He also might need to do some weight training lol.



... and it's good night from me.

Nite all.

Movie Marathon

There is a Twilight movie marathon on Foxtel tonight. I am onto the fourth movie of five, but I doubt that I'll stay up to watch the final one.

I am in total relaxation mode tonight, so this blog post will be short.

I'm adding the links to the ABC's Catalyst shows about gut health. I put the links here last year, but they have just been replayed on the ABC, and I believe they are worth reposting here.

Gut Reaction: Part 1

Gut Reaction: Part 2

I hope you learn something from them. I picked up on a few things that I missed last year when I watched it. Adoring Husband even watched them with me!

Nite all.

Almost a Bradman

RIP Nellie Smithurst 1917 - 2016

We received the phone call at 12.30am advising us that our Nellie had passed away.

I didn't meet Nellie until she had already displayed signs of dementia, so I wasn't able to get to know her the way I'd have liked.

There are so many questions that I would have loved to ask her. About her life. About Adoring Husband and his childhood.

The only information that I have, is what AH has told me about her. We've spent a lot of time poring over old photographs with AH sharing the details that he could remember, of Nellie's early life in England and as a young woman when she first arrived in Australia.

It seems to me, from the many and varied stories that AH has shared, that Nellie was a strong woman, who stood up for herself and demanded what was rightfully hers, so that she could provide a stable life for her son.

Her life, as for most of us, was not so easy and she was dealt some nasty cards. Her husband left her, and took with him, one of their adopted sons, leaving AH with Nellie. That was during an era where there was no pension available and the stigma attached to the title 'single mother', put women in a class that was looked down upon in the community.

She had to make do with a very small weekly allowance that was paid to her by her X-husband. I can only imagine how she must have struggled to get by.

During her very long life, she watched all of her family members and friends pass on, so that in the end, there was only her. That must have been a lonely feeling.

She was a strong, robust woman, who lived alone until the ripe old age of 93, when sadly, after an 'episode', we had to admit her into the nursing home just around the corner from her house. I believe that being so close to her street, made the transition easier for her.

What I DO know, for certain, is that she did an amazing job raising Adoring Husband on her own, because he is the most honest, hard working, generous, warm and loving person I know, with a heart of pure gold. These values are even more amazing considering the many hardships that they endured together.

This is the last pic taken of Nellie, with AH's phone.

She is frail and unlike herself. I prefer to remember her wide eyed radiant smile that she used to greet us with, when we visited her, as if we were her entire world.

I hope she has awakened in her next world, with all of her wonderful faculties, feeling physically strong and surrounded by all of her loved ones, in the happiest of peaceful surroundings.

That's how I imagine the end to be.

Nellie didn't quite reach 100. She was 99 and 5 months. That's almost the Don Bradman batting average!

It was her time and may she now rest in peace.

Nite all.

Groovy Grooming

I had a late start to my day - what else is new?

Adoring Husband had SES duties today, so I decided to groom one of the psychotic dogs. My plan of spending a little time grooming Colli every week, never came to fruition, so of course she was in dire need of a full groom.

It took me about 40 minutes to trim her torso and legs with scissors. All of that fur filled a plastic grocery bag, but then she wouldn't let me near her face, so I took her to the laundry tub and saturated her head so that I could easily clean the muck around her eyes and then snip the fur all around her head, face and neck. That took another 40 minutes.

Even though she hates every minute of her grooming (as do I), Colli always smiles widely when it's over and runs around like a loopy creature on speed. Once she's dry, she struts around like she's Lady Muck showing off her new 'do'. I'm sure that all dog owners can relate to this description because I'm pretty certain that all canines display these crazy traits!

I don't even have 'before' and 'after' shots!

By the time I cleaned up the aftermath of such a grooming, it was lunch time, so I made my paleo version of Nachos. Sweet potato chips to replace the corn chips, mashed avocado, spaghetti bolognese mince (which I already had in the freezer) and just for Adoring Husband, some grated parmesan cheese over the top. No sour cream.

I did a few more mundane chores before spending some time in my new workspace .. it felt like a million years since I was there last! I listened to Taylor Swift and researched some more stuff on chalk painting, which I hope to find time to practise tomorrow.

There WILL be 'before' and 'after' photos!

Nite all.

Festive Fun

Ya gotta be quick!

Of course, before we could head to the Multicultural Festival, we had to stop for coffee, so the car's clock displayed 7am as we drove out of town.

There was no traffic and we had a clear run through.

We were the second car to park in the closest car park to the main street of Childers. This is how it looked when we arrived ...

... and this is how it looked when we left. It was completely full and the gates were locked to all entering vehicles.

It was about 7.45am when we walked to the main street, which, every year is closed off to traffic and becomes the temporary home to hundreds of street stalls. I didn't take any other photos, because I was too involved in seeking out that which required my complete attention!

Other than the stall holders, there was barely a soul to be seen, so Adoring Husband and I had the perfect opportunity to see everything without fighting the crowds.

I bought an oil infuser pendant.

I bought another beautiful pendant, which I absolutely love, made with a silver spoon, the inner workings of an old clock and some kind of clear resin.

I bought an aqua pottery fish with a giant mouth - it's purpose is to burn mosquito coils (but I won't be using it for that) - it will sit on one of my new white side tables.

I bought an infinite scarf that can be twisted and shaped to become a bolero - that's the purpose for which I bought it, but now I have to go into the shop's Facebook page to learn how to twist and shape it, because even though the lovely lady showed me how to do it, I cannot, for the life of me, figure it out from memory!

I bought two fermented drinks, quite a bit stronger than the drinks that I buy regularly through FROG or Go Natural. The stall was owned by the 'Bottoms Up Colonic Clinic' in Bundaberg and they were selling jars of fermented vegetables and two different types of kombucha fermented drinks. These are strong enough that 1/4 cup per day is the recommended daily intake.

Their Facebook page is advertising the inaugural 'Colon Hydrotherapy & Gut Health 2016 Conference' which is being held on the Gold Coast at the end of August.

I absolutely would have booked my spot at this conference, except the dates fall at the very worst possible time for me. I would miss the last two days of Bubble's and Knight in Shining Armour's visit AND it is four days before I leave to babysit Chicklet for 3 weeks.

At the moment, I'm completely obsessed with the concept of gut health and the effect it has on the body, from the brain, the immune system, all of our organs and even our personality. The fact that mainstream media and the medical industry are finally taking notice of current scientific studies means something, and I am intrigued.

I can only hope that the conference is a huge success, so that they organise another one for next year, because I'll definitely be signing up for that one!

We found the one stall that we were searching for and stocked up on our curry mixes.

There was great music playing at the usual location where the bandstand was constructed. It's the one thing we didn't do this year, that we usually do ... sit down and enjoy the musical entertainment.

There was an Asian food stall there selling gluten free dumplings and rice paper rolls, among other things, so Adoring Husband and I filled our bellies with these delicious goodies and then went back for seconds before we left for home.

By 10.30am, it was difficult to even move through the swarming crowds. The queue for the loo was fifteen deep. The food stalls were beginning to draw queues. It was impossible to see the products in each stall. People were blocking the walkways. The seating for each of the stage shows were filling up fast.

It was time for us to get the hell out of there.

We drove out of our car park and made our way onto the highway, to discover the biggest line of traffic coming into town. It stretched further than the eye could see. Probably 2-3 kms of cars moving at at snail's pace, either trying to get through town to head north, or attempting to find a park, so that they could attend the festival.

I have never seen so many cars. They were parked at least two deep on both sides of the road for kilometres. Crowds of people were making the long hike towards town.

Our side of the road, southbound out of Childers, was completely clear as we drove past the hundreds of cars going in the opposite direction. By the time we got home, unpacked the car and put away our purchases, it was 11.30am and we were sitting down on our couch wondering what to do for lunch!

I realised that I hadn't made up the dog food, so that was my chore for the next couple of hours, while AH mowed the lawn and whipper snipped the edges.

So, all in all, it was a very productive and fun day for us!

I'm not sure how I will spend my Monday, but I'm off to bed now, before the stroke of midnight!

Nite all.      

Withdrawn from the World

I enjoyed many hours sitting up in bed this morning, reading and playing solitaire on my iPad. I didn't rise until after 11am!! Adoring Husband bought my coffee, and then delivered it to my bedside, so I had no need to leave the house.

The rest of the day was spent doing a few mundane chores.

Tomorrow is going to be a fun day at Childers for the Multicultural Festival. We missed it last year, due to AH's SES commitments.  It was the first festival that we'd missed since we moved here.

We will be specifically looking for the Mudgeeraba Spices Pty Ltd stall. A couple of years ago, we bought a trial box of a dozen different curry flavours, so that we could choose our favourites and then come back and buy the larger jars the following year.

They were all delicious, so it's still going to be difficult to choose!

I'll also be looking for hemp hats and hopefully buying one just like my favourite. The hat that I wear now, is becoming a little threadbare. It's about four years old and I wear it every day, so it has lasted well, and I would love to find another one.

I'm not doing very well with my footy tips this weekend. I held a solid position on the ladder until this week, but I feel that I am slowly sliding in the wrong direction and there are only five weeks remaining .. no time to make up for poor choices.

It's an early night for me, so that I'm refreshed and energised for a big day tomorrow.

I thought you might enjoy starting your day with some memories, while listening to some great music ...

80s celebrities - now and then - part 1

80s celebrities - now and then - part 2

80s celebrities - now and then - part 3

Nite all.

Who Knew?

Who knew that having a poster sized photo professionally framed, would be so expensive???

It's been almost four years since we dealt with a picture framer, and that was when a lovely lady bought one of my photos during my photography exhibit (I can't believe it's been four years!) in Maryborough and she asked for it to be professionally framed. So in our minds, we had an approximate price figured out.

Admittedly, we DID select a nice white, shabby chic style frame, and the photo IS 30 inches X 40 inches, but the quote was a LOT more than we expected .. and that was with the less expensive glass. The latest 'you beaut' clear, non-reflective glass would have cost an extra $120 on top of the quote that we accepted!

This is the photo.

So, this will be our one and only oddly sized photo framing exercise. From now on, we will select standard sized frames for standard sized photos ... unless I take THE MOST AMAZING photo of a lightning strike or an eagle swooping on prey or something extraordinary!

Watch this space in ten days time, when I show you the result!

I had a good night at the club tonight, with a bit of luck on the keno and the pokies. We ladies all turned up wearing black and white. Completely unplanned.

It's well after midnight, so I'm off to bed.

Nite all.

Feeling Homely

I did nothing today .. aside from cook a late lunch, early dinner.

I really needed a lazy day of doing nothing. The last two or three weeks have been pretty full on, with spring cleaning, visitors, birthday parties, moving the house around, movie dates with Adoring Husband and I think we've been into The Bay about ten times in the last two weeks and then the lady's luncheon yesterday. I feel like we haven't stopped.

Adoring Husband asked me if I wanted to go with him into The Bay to buy a plant and to have one of my photos printed. I declined his offer. I didn't want to have to think about anything today. I just lazed around all day in my slobber dog clothes.

There is a series on Netflix called Grace & Frankie, starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. It's had amazing reviews and I've considered signing up for Netflix just to see it, but have held off. There is another reason to sign up, and that is for The Gilmore Girls ... they have made four new shows of the girls all grown up, that will be aired in November ... but only on Netflix.

Anyway, I thought I would share this 8 minutes from Grace & Frankie. Watch it til the end. You should get a good giggle.



There will be no lazing tomorrow, but there will be yet another trip into The Bay, so that I can choose the frame to go with my poster sized photo. When it's framed and up on the wall, I'll take a photo and share it here. It will probably be a few weeks.

I can't believe it's already 11pm. I'm off to bed.

Nite all.

Done in!

I had a very late night and a very early morning and a fabulous lunch with a select number of ladies and four glasses of wine, which has left me feeling decidedly buggered tonight!

I didn't take any pics today, but we ate at Cafe Tapas and it was just as good as when Adoring Husband and I were there last week.

The Reality TV Queen did not like it and won't return ... but nobody is surprised by that, because she is very difficult to please when it comes to food! I think everybody else was happy, although I think a couple of the dishes were a bit bland, but my three tapas choices were delicious, as were my desserts, which Rebel Mardi and I shared.

As usual, after lunch, we stopped for a couple of drinks at The Speckled Hen's house, but The Blonde Bombshell and I didn't stay long.

I discovered this video this afternoon, will a helpful tip to putting doona covers on a doona. I'll try it next time I wash my bedding. It's gotta be easier that my current strategy, which is similar to a gym workout! I may have posted something similar in the past, but I forgot all about it and never put it to the test. Hopefully, I will remember to try it next time!



It's almost 8pm and I am well and truly ready for bed. I'm certain that I can hear my soft fluffy pillows calling my name, so ...

Nite all.

Retail Therapy Like a Pro!

It's very tricky shopping for furniture on a tight budget and when you only have a vague idea of what you want. Putting colours and styles together in your mind, creates a vision that may, or may not, be everything that you imagined, once it's all placed in the space.

In approximately five weeks, our furniture will be delivered, but during that five weeks, my vision will succeed and fail in a hundred different ways as my imagination spirals out of control!

It's going to be a long five weeks.

The hall table will go in the dining room, but the other furniture will fill the family room. A couple of throw rugs and some cushions will hopefully create a nice space.

The experience was pain free. Adoring Husband and I selected the styles and colours without incident and I only had to say 'NO' once!

We killed it! We retail therapied like pros! What a team!

It was after 4pm when we arrived home. I didn't get to spend any time in my study today and there have been no further developments there, nor will there be any tomorrow, because it's lady's luncheon day!

I love lady's luncheon days.

It's midnight. I'm off to bed.

Nite all.

On Monday She Rested

I spent almost the entire day in my workspace today. Twenty minutes was spent organising and the remainder of my day was spent listening to music, training the dogs to stay OUT ...

... researching how to create a website, clearing out my emails, taking photos, editing photos ... 

and thoroughly enjoying the ambience of my new space. As you can see, on the floor in the basket and in a pile on the bottom left, is the stuff that still needs to be homed. Once I've cleared out the cupboards of my beads, there will be room for all of this.

I only surfaced from the room to make lunch, and then reluctantly, when it was time to make dinner and actually join Adoring Husband in the land of the living. He even sent me a text during the day to enquire as to whether I was actually still in the house. I replied that I was, but that he couldn't be certain unless he ventured to my end of the house, because a text didn't actually prove anything!

Tomorrow is another date day for us. We'll spend the morning at the cinema, and we need to furnish the empty space in our family room, so we'll be searching for something comfortable and stylish and inexpensive. 

Wish us luck!

Nite all. 

Se7en Hours

Yes, seven hours of emptying, filling, moving, rearranging, cleaning, pushing, pulling, sliding, hanging, deconstructing, reconstructing and debating.

We moved the bedroom to the garage, the study to the bedroom, the dining room to the old study and the leftovers to the old dining room.

Adoring Husband and I are struggling to get our moving body parts to move right now.

I should have worn a pedometer today, because we walked from one end of the house to the other, hundreds of times, and in bare feet on the tiled floor, which isn't very good for the feet, knees, hips and back!

I stopped briefly at 3pm to eat 3 chicken wings, but we powered on for 7 hours.

My original plan for today was to spend some quality time learning how to chalk paint and creating strings of beads to hang on my bohemian curtain.

But AH had other ideas.

He brought my coffee into the bedroom this morning and then disappeared. By the time I got out of bed at about 9am, he had emptied all of the furniture out of the back bedroom and that meant we were committed to completing the room switch.

Here are some photos of our progress. Firstly the study converted into the dining room ...

Secondly, the bedroom almost converted to a study. I have progressed further than this, but there is still quite a way to go yet. It will take me all day tomorrow to finish, so the final photos will be posted here tomorrow.

I pulled the plug at 4.50pm and refused to do any more, but sitting down was a big mistake because every part of my body seized up and I still had to make dinner! Luckily, we had some leftover chicken wings, so I made up a salad to go with them and then we had strawberries and leftover choc avocado mousse for dessert.

Of course, an alcoholic beverage was well deserved after such a labour intensive day!

I'm pretty sure that we'll both sleep well tonight. As you can see, it's just after 9.30pm as I finish this post and we are currently watching the end of the original Ghostbusters movie ... I have to say that the latest movie with Melissa McCarthy, for me, is far better than the original.

I thought you might enjoy some Celine Dion fun ...



On that note, I'm outta here.

Nite all.

Late Lunch

If you read yesterday's post, you may have noticed that it was almost 1am when I hit the 'publish' button, which meant that by the time I finished my pre-bedtime routine and climbed into bed, it was well after 1.30am, and close to 2am before I closed my book and turned out the light.

I fell asleep instantly! As I do most nights.

Much to my surprise, it was after 9am when I opened my eyes this morning, but for a change, I didn't hang around in bed for too long.

I actually went for a trike ride. It has been a few days since I've been for a ride and as I was riding over a small rise, I was struggling to pedal and wondered how it could be so difficult after just a few days away from the trike. I was riding into the wind, so I used that as an excuse. Then I arrived at my destination and discovered that one of my brakes had been on for the entire journey! No wonder it was hard work!

My first stop was to deliver a storage container to the Mini Farmer. She had made a batch of olives for me to try .. even though I told her that I didn't eat olives .. she claimed that home made olives were very different from the shop bought olives. So I trusted her judgement and took a container of them from her.

Even Adoring Husband, who enjoys olives, didn't like them. They tasted even more olive-y than normal!! blurgh I was honest and told her my opinion of her olives (in the nicest way possible).

Coffee was my next stop. While I was there I bought some avocados to make chocolate mousse to have with fresh strawberries.

On my way home I delivered some photos to Old Yellow Hat. He'd asked me to take a photo of his block of land, which he'd sold, before the new owners began to build on it. I had all sorts of trouble trying to print it at home - our printer obviously doesn't like glossy photo paper - then I kept forgetting to take the usb stick into town to have it printed, so it's been a while coming for him. Unfortunately he wasn't home, so I left it on the chair beside his front door.

I stopped at The Motivator's (who is currently in Sydney), because her partner, The Fisher King, had the crab sign displayed on the front lawn and I bought 5 crabs.

It must have been around 11am when I arrived home, and I began quite a productive day.

• I shelled the 5 crabs and put the meat into a container in the fridge.
• Cleaned the main bathroom and toilet and then used my new Lorraine Lea bathmats (they look lovely!)
• Did 3 loads of washing, including all of the old bathmats.
• Swept the floors.
• Made a baked dinner with a leg of lamb, sweet potato, potato, pumpkin, carrot, onion, snow peas, beans and home made gravy. A late lunch at 3pm.
• Made chocolate mousse to have with our strawberries.
• Did some screwing with Adoring Husband - nuts and bolts (get your mind out of the gutter!)
• Sprayed some peppermint oil in an attempt to get rid of the ants (must be going to rain, because the ants are back!)

The football started at 3pm and that's my signal to sit down and relax! It's super Saturday and there are three games of footy today. So far, the only blemish on my footy tipping week, has been my own team, Broncos, losing to Penrith Panthers. Luckily, everybody else in the tipping comp selected Broncos too, so their loss makes no difference to the standings.

Tonight, while I'm watching the footy, I need to make a list of all the plans I have for my office, and then tomorrow, I hope to begin marking off some of those items. I still need to make the strings of beads and hang some crystals and hearts between the scarves.

I also have to practise the chalk painting on the photo frames and then plan the wall gallery, which will include some of my photos, family pics, quotes and other artwork.

My dinner tonight was coffee and crab meat and I'm feeling rather sleepy ... funnily enough, that usually happens when I eat crab or prawns. I must research that and find out why. It's possible I won't get to see all of the footy tonight.

I'm done.

Nite all.  

A Ghostly date

I just want to declare that I LOVED 'GHOSTBUSTERS'!

I don't remember the original movie very well, because I was never a big fan. I certainly didn't hate it, but I could never understand the hype that surrounded it. We bought the original movie on dvd today and will watch it over the weekend. That should trigger my memory and I can make some comparisons.

This new movie makes me want to BE a ghostbuster! If it wasn't already way after midnight, I would write a full review here, but it's late and I'm tired and I'm off to bed.

I just want to make it clear that the preview of the movie does not do it justice!

Nite all.

Another Date!

Another date day with Adoring Husband today.

We watched the new Star Trek Beyond movie and loved it. AH is a huge Trekky (although he doesn't dress up like the real Trekkies) and he declared it to be the best Star Trek movie yet!! I thought it was a touch long, but I enjoyed it very much ... and I am NOT a Star Trek fan.

Afterwards, we had a couple of hours to kill before picking up our FROG box, so we decided to lunch at Aquavue, not realising that their renovations have moved into the kitchen area, so there is only basic food available, like sandwiches and wraps and such.

We moved on and because we had such a a good car park, decided to check out the cafes and restaurants across the road.

We stumbled upon Cafe Tapas, which looked interesting from the outside, with mood lighting and a variety of seating areas to choose from. The menu showed that there were GF options, so we took the plunge and tried something new!

We chose three dishes. Lamb cutlets with pesto sauce, skewered king prawns and button mushrooms stuffed with blue cheese.

Absolutely delicious. The male waiter who served us was very efficient and friendly. The seating was comfortable. The atmosphere was very relaxed and the background music was easy listening. We were pretty happy with our choice and will probably return for future lunches. It won't be our favourite, the way Aquavue is, but it will certainly go on the 'good option' page.

We were home by 2.30pm and I put Hanain Chicken on for dinner. We spent the next couple of hours in separate areas of the house, reading! Adoring Husband sat in the Alfresco area drinking coffee and reading a book, while I sat up in bed with coffee and a good book! We've never done that before, but the peace was lovely ... AH usually has the TV blaring most days.

While AH was at SES training tonight, I got to chat briefly with Chicklet and Vegan Chickie. We talked about the movie 'Ghostbusters', which AH and I are going to see tomorrow. VC has given it an excellent review, so I'm looking forward to it.

Meanwhile, AH's Mum was admitted to hospital with a twisted bowel earlier in the week. They seem to have fixed the problem, but she has not coped well with being there. She panics and her dementia becomes considerably worse, so it is difficult, if not impossible, to treat her because she cannot communicate and she becomes aggressive toward the staff. It's a very tricky situation.

Well, we have another early start tomorrow, with yet another list of errands to run, so I'm off to bed.

Nite all.

Awesome Hump Day

We were out of bed by 5am, in the car by 6.10am, and on our way in the dawn darkness.

Sexie Coffee was our first stop where Adoring Husband is on a first name basis with the girls behind the counter and was greeted with splendiferous joy by them all!

We left there with our heart starters, which was a good thing, because, for the next hour, we had some pretty thick fog to contend with on the drive.

We arrived near our destination earlier than expected, so we continued on to Kunara Organic Marketplace, where I stocked up on my Super Multibiotics. I didn't even look sideways at the rest of the store, otherwise I would have wanted to grab a trolley and begin filling it! I pretended to be wearing blinkers and exited the building with my two bottles of life saving capsules before I could be sidetracked.

I was ten minutes early for my dental appointment and only waited for five when the dental assistant called me into the room.

My shoe broke on the way down the hallway. Brand new pair of shoes only worn once, and that was yesterday! Luckily, I had taken a spare pair of shoes, because I was worried that I might get blisters, wearing new shoes two days running ... how lucky was that!?

The dentist and I spent ten minutes relating shoe stories to each other before she began cleaning my teeth. She showed me, with her tiny camera, the little bit of plaque that I had inside my bottom teeth and also showed me how healthy my gums were. She said that there was no sign of the chronic gum disease that I had carried into her office 8 months ago.

It took her about ten minutes to clean and scrape my teeth. I showed her my dentures, explained how uncomfortable they were, and showed her where they caused pain. She set up her little filing drill and filed down both sides of the denture until they fit in my mouth without causing pain.

My appointment was for 9.30am (I was called in 5 mins early) and I was paying the receptionist by 9.50am. Very efficient.

Next, we drove to Noosa Civic, where we bought a small saucepan, which was the final piece to our set, and which the original shop didn't have on hand when we bought our set more than a year ago.

Three takeaway coffees, two lemon meringue tarts, a french coconut meringue and a raspberry petit four later, we loaded the goodies into the car and headed to the Chicklet family's house.

One of the gifts that we brought down for Chicklet this visit, was a Batman costume. She put it on straight away and spent quite a bit of time admiring her reflection in the mirror, flexing her muscles and flapping the cape behind her. I think it was a hit because I just received a text from Vegan Chickie telling me that Chicklet wore her Batman costume to bed.

We only stayed for two hours today, but in that time, we ate our goodies, played Batman and Batwoman (that was me), played hide n seek, played tag and I got a short lesson on the game of Minecraft on the iPad.

The Library Guy (who is actually a woman and also my x-sister-in-law) was there too, enjoying her last day of holidays. I didn't get to spend much time with her, but it was nice to catch up, even if it was brief.

We said our goodbyes. I had to peel Chicklet off me to leave and then headed to Gundiah where we were dropping in to visit Best Cousin in the World on their new property.

What a nice drive in a very picturesque part of the world. Their driveway was very easy to spot and it was just a short drive to the house. We met a few family members along the way ... ones that go 'moo' ...  and by the time we reached the house, BCITW had locked the 11 (I think) dogs away, so they wouldn't jump on us.

She showed us around the grounds - the ginger crop, the shed, the old railway station building and pointed out the approximate boundary lines of their rather large property.

By this time, Marco Polo had returned to the house, so he filled the ute with a bag of beer and took us for a 4WD bash around the property to show us the best bits .. such as the view from the highest point, the resident Wedge Tail Eagle, the amazing rocks and boulders, picturesque dams and water holes, the river frontage and the beautiful old abandoned disused bridge.

We saw LOTS of bunnies hopping around. Plenty of birdlife and wildlife. It's a beautiful spot and it's understandable why they call it their 'happy place'.

I'll definitely take my camera on the next visit.

Next, we got a tour of the ageing house. It's obvious, at first glance, that the house is very old and it's been a long time since any real work has been done to it. Peeling paint, broken windows etc., but it's a solid old home with some fabulous original features.

The panes in the in old timber framed windows are just gorgeous and I doubt that you could ever replace them, with their unusual patterns and ridges - even the huge sliding room divider in the lounge room has the same panes except on a much larger scale. Gorgeous old bathroom with fabulous tiles and the original old vanity unit and bathtub.

Lovely high ceilings, solid timber floor boards and the bedrooms are all cosy but generous. The front verandah is even a comfortable size - enough for the barbecue and plenty of seating, but there is heaps of room to extend and renovate, which they intend on doing once they are properly established.

We enjoyed a drink on the verandah and were introduced to some of the furry friends. We fell deeply in love with Libby and apparently we would need to go on a long, long list of possible future homes for this precious pet. What a beautiful and gentle soul she is. Everybody falls in love with her.

Two hours later, we were once again in the car and heading in the direction of home. The drive was made all the more enjoyable with Mother Nature putting on a spectacular show at sunset ...

I'd forgotten to get anything out of the freezer for dinner, so we stopped at the supermarket on the way home and bought some lamb loin chops. It was after 6pm when we pulled in our driveway. Our fur babies were happy to see us, though not as noisy as usual. I made a quick salsa salad to have with the chops and by 7.30pm Adoring Husband was dozing off in his chair.

It's been a pretty big day, full of fun and excitement and now it's almost midnight!

I believe that I will sleep well tonight.

Nite all.

Tidying Up a Little

I bought some hooks today, to hang over my dressing table mirror, to drape 'some' of my necklaces in a more orderly fashion.

Originally, they were tangled in masses over each end of the mirror, ridiculously strewn in messy piles on top of both of my jewellery boxes and sadly looped over stands that were meant for short necklaces.

Something had to be done!

Retail therapy doesn't seem to be working for me. I could just about open my own dress jewellery store! Seriously!

Now that I have the long necklaces sorted, I need to spend some quality time sorting through the rest of my jewellery and tidying my dressing table ... again!

Thought I'd share this 15 minute video with you. Adoring Husband should take the time to watch this too because it has some interesting references to Parkinson's.



Mark P. Mattson is Chief of the Laboratory of Neurosciences at the National Institute on Aging Intramural Research Program National Institute on Aging. He is also Professor of Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University.

I'd best head to bed. We've got an early start tomorrow. Sorry girls, to be missing our morning tea. Have a lovely morning.

Nite all.

I'm on a Mission

Adoring Husband and I recently discussed changing our ageing bedroom furniture. It's quite outdated, much darker than any other furniture in the house and doesn't go with the beachy decor of everything else in the room.

I did a bit of research and found a style that I quite liked, though it wasn't perfect.

When I related this to my cousin Nellie, she told me about a fairly new craft item in the market place called chalk paint. She is currently chalk painting her bed and has already completed a side table that she inherited from her grandmother.

Because our current furniture is still strong and is good quality, I've decided that a facelift with chalk paint is the way to go. It will cost a fraction of the price of new furniture, will hopefully look amazing and will be a creative outlet for my itching fingers!

Chalk paint is easily accessible from places like Spotlight or other craft stores, but there is a better quality brand available, called Annie Sloan. Stockists in Australia are limited, so I have to order on line and wait for delivery.

Using this paint is an easier way to create the shabby chic or the distressed look on furniture. Where you once had to prepare your furniture with sanding and undercoating and then paint and then use sandpaper to remove the dry paint .. with this, the only preparation is cleaning the furniture.

The paint itself is so soft that you mostly use a rag to create the look. Sometimes, very soft sanding is required, but with little effort. The wax mixing and coating is what sets the paint.

It's also non toxic and has no smell.

I found a few videos to show some techniques and here is one



... and go here to see the finished product

This is what I'm going to do with my bedroom furniture, except mine will be more of a distressed, almost shabby chic look. I'm not sure what colours I'm going to use yet, but these will give you an idea of how imagination and effort can create something special ...

... or maybe a bit more colour and imagination

I'm going to buy some of the cheaper craft paint and practise my technique on some picture frames before I do the furniture. I'll also change the knobs on the drawers, if I can find something suitable or interesting or unique.

I will take 'before' and 'after' pics!

So that is my mission, which I hope to have completed by the end of August.

Thanks for reading.

Nite all.

Slow Sunday

It was a slow start to the day for me on this lovely, damp Sunday morning. Adoring Husband bought my coffee and then made me breakfast in bed ...

I got out of bed at lunch time and made lunch which was rib fillet with a red wine jus, caramelised onion and served with broccoli and kimchi...

I bought this meat a couple of weeks ago at the markets in The Bay. Organic beef and quite delicious! Unlike the beef cheek that I got from the same place, which turned out like shoe leather ... which may have been my fault in the way that I cooked it!

Instead of using the slow cooker, I did it in the oven, on a very low temperature for almost 3.5 hours. My recipe stated 10 hours in the slow cooker or 3 hours in the oven. I think my oven runs a bit hot. Perhaps I'll try the slow cooker next time.

My Sunday has been very slow and unproductive. I watched the football and 'thought' about all the things that I'd like to get productive with ... like chalk painting, ceramics, beaded strands for my bohemian curtains, catching up on reading all of the health books that I've bought in the last two years and have only skimmed over the pages, finishing my Susan Howatch novel 'Cashelmara', playing my guitar and so much more.

Hopefully, by the end of the month, I will have moved my studio/office to the back room and I can get started on a few of these things. When we go into The Bay on Thursday, I'll have to check out the craft shops to see if they have the chalk paint that I need, otherwise I'll have to buy it online. That's something that I'm really looking forward to!

So, as you can tell, my brain has been very active, but my body has been very inactive, however, I have thoroughly enjoyed my lazy Sunday and I'm looking forward to a busy week!

Just before I go ...

This video is frighteningly awesome! The power of Mother Nature!



Nite all.

Tasty Tastings

A bunch of us had a nice afternoon at The Blonde Bombshell's house for some tasting of delicious balsamic vinegars, flavoured olive oils, dukkahs, spice mixes and other such deliciousness.

I'm not a fan of adding anything, that's not fresh, to my food and quite a few of these blends had added sugars, but everything else in the mixes seemed pretty safe. I must admit that the balsamic vinegars have taken my fancy.

I already have the Raspberry Chocolate Caramelised and Coconut Mango Lime vinegars. Today I ordered the Coconut Caramelised & Spiced Rum Balsamic Vinegar. I could drink that one by the glassful!! I also ordered the Wild Lime Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I currently use the Asian oil from that selection.

The consultant, prepared a number of dishes in the Bombshell's kitchen, but I found some of them a bit bland. Her kitchen skills were left wanting and she neglected to add any basic seasoning like salt and pepper to the savoury dishes, or sweeteners to the sweet dishes. This meant that the food didn't do justice to the mixes.

I agreed to have a tasting afternoon in October, on the proviso that the consultant stay out of my kitchen (only because I don't like anyone else using my kitchen or appliances), and I get to prepare the dishes myself. She seemed pretty happy with my suggestion and will email me with some of her recipes and ideas. I'll attempt to tweak them and hopefully I won't stuff up!

Overall, it was a really nice afternoon, where I met a couple of new faces and spent time with good friends. A pretty decent way to spend a windy, rainy, Wintery afternoon.

I found some funny tweets made my husbands and wives and thought that I'd share the good ones here.

*My wife wanted two kittens, but I'm the man of this house so we got two kittens.

*My husband still talks about that one time he loaded the dishwasher correctly, like it's going to get our kids into Harvard!

*Sorry. I was late because I had to find all the things that were in plain sight for my husband.

*My husband is home sick from work today and it's like having 1000 babies!

*Know those adorable little idiosyncrasies you loved when first dating? After 20 years of marriage, they become what the police refer to as 'motive'.

*MARRIED SEXTING: I'm not wearing any underwear ... because you didn't put the laundry in the dryer like I asked you a hundred bloody times!

*My husband is on the roof - only a few inches away from an insurance claim that could completely change my life!

Finally, this very quick and easy recipe looks delicious and healthful ...



It's still raining. It's quite heavy at the moment. I'm told it will clear tomorrow and we will have sunshine again, but the weather app on my iPad tells me that the rain won't clear til Monday. I guess we will wait and see!

The rain is lovely and as Adoring Husband said this afternoon, it's nice to have some days that actually feel Wintery - they don't happen too often in this neck of the woods. Falling asleep to the sound of rain on our roof is also lovely.

I'm off to watch 'Sex and the City'.

Nite all.

It's Wet

It's very wet. I can hear the rain hitting the front windows of the house and the wind sounds a little gusty out there.

It's also well after midnight, so this is a short post with nothing much to report. Have I ever??

The Romance channel on Foxtel is having a Twilight marathon tonight. The first movie started at about 10.30pm and the final movie in the series will finish at 8.30am tomorrow. Tempting though it is, to stay up all night watching it, I won't. I have them all on dvd, so if I want to watch them all, I can at any time.

I believe tomorrow will be another long lazy morning in bed, especially if it's still raining!

I bought some bananas with the FROG box order last week and found these recipes today. I think they might be my project for the weekend!

Frozen Superfoods

That's it from me.

Nite all.

Movie + Therapy

I had a very good day today, with Adoring Husband.

"Independence Day: Resurgence" was a great movie! I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially Liam Hemsworth, and even though I was never a fan of Jeff Goldblum, in my eyes, he has improved with age and having seen a couple of his interviews, I have definitely warmed to him.

The special effects were pretty amazing too.

My bucket list of movies has grown somewhat:

• Ghostbusters
• The Legend of Tarzan
• Star Trek Beyond
• Central Intelligence
• Bad Moms
• Bridget Jones' Baby
• Dr Strange
• Finding Dory

Half of these haven't even been released yet, but there are four from the list that I need to see in the next couple of weeks before they finish.


My retail therapist called after the movie, so AH dropped me off at Stocklands, while he visited the dreaded Bunnings, and I enjoyed an hour of therapy.

We picked up the FROG box on the way home and I cooked a late lunch/early dinner because AH has SES training tonight.

Sadly, Queensland lost the State of Origin game last night. Some controversial decisions were made by the refs, which are still being discussed by various media outlets today, but to me, it really doesn't matter, because QLD won the series and the game meant little. Apologies to any NSW supporters out there who are basking in the glory (that would be Adoring Husband!).

How many of these videos have you watched? Check out how they were made and how you got tricked!!



Gotta get to bed before I turn into a pumpkin.

Nite all.

SOO Finale

I am sitting on my couch, wearing my State of Origin t-shirt, my Queensland necklace and my maroon dressing gown. I decided against wearing my State of Origin dreadlocks.

I don't know why, but I'm feeling incredibly tired tonight and could possibly end up in bed by half time .. unless of course, I get my second wind .. which has been known to happen.

It was a great morning with the girls for our weekly morning tea. Only three of us missing, but it seemed like a much bigger gap than that. There were a LOT of tourists about, filling the tables and all drinking coffee, which made for a noisy atmosphere and meant that we had to lean forward to hear each other and talk loudly to be heard!

The girls making our coffee were wearing interesting costumes. The NSW supporters were very animated in their giant cockroach outfit and cheer leader colours. It makes me wonder where they can find their enthusiasm every year, when their team gives them nothing to cheer about.

I thought the same thing tonight, when they showed the blues supporters in the crowd at the stadium. There have been so many losses, yet the fans turn up on a freezing cold night, wearing their blue wigs and their jerseys. That's dedication for you.

Queensland has already scored, just 8 minutes into the game.

I bought and downloaded a new app today called 'Minecraft'. Chicklet is obsessed with this game and has called me twice to excitedly explain everything that happens in the game. I said that I would get it so that we could play together, but now I have no idea what to do next!! This will be interesting!! I may need to google it, to learn how to play.

Adoring Husband and I have a movie date tomorrow to see 'Independence Day'. BGWLBH saw it last night and gave it a good review, so I'm looking forward to it.

Bubbles gave a good review for the movie 'The Legend of Tarzan' too, so I might need to squeeze that one in somewhere. Next Thursday, our date will be to see 'Star Trek Beyond'.

One might ask ... what has my life become??? Haha.

Anyway, I'm off to focus on the game.

Nite all.

Midday Rising

Yes, that's what time I chose to start my day.

My good intentions of going to bed at the early hour that I announced last night, kind of fell by the wayside, when I got all involved in the idiot box and those TV shows that I mentioned. It was almost 1am when the TV screen went black and I immediately fell into a deep sleep.

So, it was 8.15am when I opened my eyes and Adoring Husband kindly heated up a cup of chicken bone broth for me, so that I could sit in bed reading and facebooking and youtubing and generally having a gloriously lazy and blissful start to my day.

At midday, I showered and dressed and hopped on my trike for a ride in the sunshine ... and oh what a perfectly wonderful day it was outside! The temperature was mild, the breeze was slight and the sun was putting a sparkle in my world.

I took the long way to the shops where I bought a few items, including a coffee, and then I took the long way home. While I was riding, I closed my eyes and raised my face to the sunshine ... how lucky that I live in a quiet little town, where I can do that with a low degree of risk! It felt good.

Adoring Husband and I watched the two Miss Congeniality movies this afternoon. They were a bit of fun.

I thought you might find this story an interesting read ... My Story ... it's one of those 'let food be thy medicine' success stories. I love reading them. They are inspiring and give me hope for our future.

Well, again, it's after midnight. Adoring Husband doesn't like it when I post after midnight. He gets confused with the dates!

Nite all.

On The Down Side

Well, I didn't quite get to bed as early as I'd planned last night, but it was still well before midnight when I finally got there. I didn't even get to see the entire first set of the Andy Murray final.

I decided last night that I was going to make a concerted effort to quit coffee and alcohol for the duration of my second attempt at the Paleo 10 week program. So, this morning, I heated up a nice big mug of chicken bone broth and after drinking some lemon water, I sat up in bed sipping my broth while watching a movie length video "Ethos Time to Unslave Humanity" .

It was a nice slow and comfortable way to start the day.

Soon, I realised that I hadn't made up this fortnight's dog food, and I had no pumpkin, so off I pedalled in search of the vegetable.

There are two farmers in town who sell their pumpkins from home. One usually has a timber box full of pumpkins and pineapples, stationed on his front lawn, but of course, it was nowhere to be seen today. The other has a wheel barrow full of pumpkins on his front porch, but it appears that he is away indefinitely .. he has a hessian bag covering his sign.

This meant the local supermarket was my only option. I was in luck! Quite reasonably priced too.

By the time I'd finished making the dog food, filling the containers and cleaning up the mess, I had a headache that would kill an elephant!! I'd only made it to 3pm and I pleaded with Adoring Husband to fetch me a coffee. I would prefer to drink a coffee to ease the pain, than take a pain killer.

Funnily enough, I could physically feel my body responding to the caffeine with the first mouthful and by the second mouthful, the pain had eased significantly. It was a very strange feeling.

I still plan on quitting coffee, but I won't go cold turkey, as I did the last two times. I'll increase the time between coffees a little each day, over the period of a week, and see if that makes it easier.

Recently, I saved a recipe from my Facebook feed, called 'Gluten Free Brazilian Chicken with Coconut Milk Reduction'. It came from the Inspired Eats website, but the site is having problems and the recipe cannot be accessed through any link or even directly from the site.

I found the same recipe in Pinterest, but the site could still not be accessed. The photo in Pinterest had the ingredients listed below it, but no method or instructions ... so I had to make it up, using the photo, the ingredients and my imagination.

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of ground turmeric
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
pepper
4 boneless chicken thighs
2 Tablespoons of coconut oil
1 onion chopped
1 Tablespoon minced ginger
2 garlic cloves minced
1 can coconut milk
1 cup chopped broccoli

So ... I mixed the first 5 ingredients to make a rub for the chicken, coated each piece and rubbed it into the flesh. I heated the oil and browned the chicken on both sides, partially cooking it.

I removed the chicken from the pan and gently fried the onion, garlic and ginger, then poured in the coconut milk and simmered it gently for about 20 minutes until it reduced somewhat. I added the chicken to the coconut milk and simmered for another 10 minutes until the chicken was cooked through.

I steamed the broccoli separately and then stirred it through the sauce at the end.

It was nice, but I think it needed more heat, so I'll add some chilli and maybe cayenne pepper next time. Adoring Husband seems to think that it would be nice with duck, so I'll try that too.

I'll also keep trying to get into the site to see how this dish should be cooked. Hopefully,  they will iron out their problems soon.

I forgot to mention that I made chicken liver pate on Sunday after everybody had left. I'd taken the chicken livers out of the freezer on Friday, but didn't have time to make it for the party. I didn't want to waste 1kg of organic chicken livers.

It's the first time I've made it and it's quite delicious! I added some white port to the mix. It was supposed to be Brandy, but I didn't have any, so I improvised!

I'm disappointed that Murray defeated Raonic in the Wimbledon final last night, but I'm glad that the tournament is finished. Two weeks on minimal sleep is quite enough for me.

The US Open starts at the end of August and goes til the 11th September, but I'll be babysitting, so I won't be watching any of that one. My sleep will be valuable and I will need my wits about me! I'll definitely watch the results with interest.

I wonder how successful I will be, in getting to bed early tonight? Two of my favourite shows are on tonight 'Love Child' and 'Grey's Anatomy'. I guess I could try that modern idea of 'recording' the shows and watching them tomorrow. Just a thought.

A couple of bad Dad jokes ...

So what if I can't spell Armageddon? It's not the end of the world.

What sort of exercises do lazy people do? Diddly Squats.

Sorry :)

Nite all.  

Empty Nest

It's very quiet in our house now.

Our visitors are sleeping in their own beds tonight and I'm happy to report that they all arrived home safe n sound.

Needless to say, we'll be eating leftovers for a week!

We fed them a good hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs, tomato and mushrooms before they headed off. Let me rephrase that ... Adoring Husband fed them AND he bought everybody a coffee this morning. I spent the morning relaxing and chatting with everyone while he did all the hard work. He's a good man.

Right now, I'm tossing up between climbing into bed for an early night, or staying up to watch the Wimbledon final between Andy Murray and Milos Raonic.

I'm looking forward to this movie being released in Australia in August! It looks like a lot of fun.

Ok, I've decided. I'm off to bed.

Nite all.

Party Time

I woke up at 8am, to discover a coffee on my bedside table ... thank you Adoring Husband.

Even though I had a stack of things to do, I didn't get out of bed til after 9am and decided at 9.30am that I had to attend the local markets to get some more coconut mango lime balsamic vinegar. The woman on the stall had a LOT more stock to show this week, and I bought some Asian oil and some Wasabi Dukkah.

There was a new stall in the hall where I bought some Aloe Vera juice too.

I picked up a couple more groceries from the local shop and headed home at about 10.20am.

I had four hours to complete my set tasks, but ran out of time and the last two things on my list didn't get done.

• Pear, rocket, feta and walnut salad
• Garden salad
• Moroccan carrot salad
• Rice Salad
• Potato Salad
• Guacamole with vegetable sticks - capsicum, celery, cucumber and carrot
• Cheese platter with strawberries and smoked salmon
• Smoked salmon & cream cheese roll ups on cucumber discs
• One plate of GF crackers and dip
• One bowl of potato chips
• Cabanossi
• 20 Red velvet cupcakes, iced and topped with toffeed pecans 
• Pork & chicken meatballs
• Chicken liver pate

I didn't get photos of everything but here's a couple ...

I blew up 3 red balloons and set Best Cousin in the World's present (a good bottle of Merlot) on the table with her card and party hat. I set both the dining table and the outside table because we weren't sure how the temperature would hold out for the evening.

We ended up staying outside for the entire night. Everyone, except BCITW and I, were in bed by about 10pm. We sat up til midnight solving some of the world's problems.

The food went down a treat and Adoring Husband did a cracker of a job cooking all our meat on the barbecue.

Between us all, we drank five bottles of wine and about ten stubbies of beer. That's not bad for six adults! Only one of us was a little the worse for wear by bed time .. and it wasn't me!

I had a really nice night. BCITW and I decided it was bed time at about 12.30am, but it's now almost 1.30am!

Chunky's team made it into the Grand Final today, but unfortunately lost it 7-5. Thankfully, he wasn't too upset about it, but Mum needed a stiff drink to drown her sorrows!

It's time for me to get some much needed sleep.

Nite all.