Feeling Weary

What a day!

Meditation was two short of a full house and was a fairly intense class that had me struggling to stay focussed. 

My mind often wandered to examples in my life of what The Gypsy was teaching and I had to make a concerted effort to bring my wandering mind back to the present to hear her message.

Afterwards, some of the ladies remained in the room for a chat, while I had a chat with The Gypsy at my desk.

A regular customer of both The Gypsy and myself came in and entertained us with some very animated conversation.

The moment that she and TG left, a sales rep came through the door ... right on time ... but I had forgotten he was coming. This meant that I had to ask the girls to leave the training room so that I could set the table up to display his many wares.

Before the ladies left, I invited one of them to take on the cleaning position that became available last week. She very happily accepted and we agreed for her to return this afternoon.

The next 2.5 hours was filled with selecting from a range of men’s and lady’s leather wallets, handbags and backpacks, fine jewellery (rings, pendants & bracelets) pewter figurines and more.

A small selection of what I’ve ordered ...

The cleaner arrived before the rep had left so I had to shuffle him out the door so that I could show Middle-aged Hippy what her tasks were.

No sooner had I finished giving her instructions when a delivery of giftware arrived.

I chased my tail for the last 45 minutes of the day and I was feeling very grateful when it was time to close the shop.

I started to write a ‘to do’ list because there were some important tasks that I didn’t get to and I’ll need to complete first thing tomorrow.

My budget has gone out the window for this month and now I need to quickly manifest a measure of wealth to cover all of my expenses - expected, unexpected, planned and unplanned!

I’m not concerned because the universe always takes care of me.

We had a mighty storm during the night that woke me before it even hit but the sound of heavy rain on the roof soon put me to sleep. Since Monday, our rain gauge shows 70ml. The pool is VERY full!

I am worn out so I think I’ll go to bed to watch MAFS.

It will be another big day tomorrow with more stock due to arrive.

At least the weather should be fine so the rain won’t scare people away.

Nite all.

Mentally Pushed

All of my girls were busy this morning and there was no coffee morning.

In 3.5 yrs, I’m pretty sure that has only happened once before.

It gave me an opportunity to get a few things done.

My trip to the post office netted three parcels which were NOT stock, but clothes that I’d ordered from three different online stores.

I bought this top in charcoal, navy and olive from Rubyyaya ...

I got these bootleg beauties from Exoticathletica ...

I purchased these crazy leggings from Natopia ...

The bottom pic is actually of full length leggings.

I have seven more items coming in the mail to complete my Winter wardrobe.

A couple of hours later, some new stock was delivered, but at the same time I was in a meeting organising digital advertising with a rep.

It was a really pleasant meeting and I really liked the rep a lot, but I was very focused on the task at hand and could not financially commit to the level of advertising that I really wanted so after some negotiating, we agreed on a different level with the option to upgrade later.

That was hard work for my brain and I felt a little drained by the end of the meeting.

I had to snap out of it pretty quickly because I had 15 minutes til the journaling class was to commence!

It was a great creative class which went by really fast.

Adoring Husband and I folded the tables and set up for meditation in the morning and took the easy way out for dinner (for me) and AH did his Friday night special for us.

It’s been a big day, and starting with meditation, tomorrow will also be huge because I’m expecting another delivery AND a rep will be visiting after lunch.

I guess that means I should go to bed and get some sleep!

But before I go, here is some of the art from the weekend workshop ...

Nite all.

I Love Monday

Eight hours of very interrupted sleep. 

I don’t know why it was interrupted but at least I immediately fell back to sleep each time I stirred.

While I planned to remain in bed all day, I actually got up at 9am to put food in the oven and once it was ready, I stayed up and watched Netflix movies. 

Adoring Husband dozed on and off in the chair beside me.

We drove to the shop at 3pm and spent an hour clearing the art from the training room, folding up the tables and setting the room for both morning tea and the journaling class.

Since I had to vacuum the art room, I took the opportunity to do the entire shop.

I prepared Barramundi and salsa salad for dinner.

Now it’s 7pm and I’m already yawning.

I’m looking forward to an abundant week with some new clothing arriving, some giftware and possibly some jewellery. I ordered some glassware, but for some reason they returned my payment and cancelled the order ... must connect with them tomorrow to find out why.

There are a couple of reps visiting this week too. They’ll keep me on my toes!

I wonder what the weather will do?

The rest of eastern Australia is being ravaged by disastrous floods but we are still hoping for some drenching rain!

Theses floods might have a huge effect on our Easter tourist season too.

There is always something.

Bushfires, Covid 19, drought, cyclones and floods.

Anyway, I hear my pillow calling me.

Nite all.

A Day of Frivolity

For a Sunday, it was an early start for me.

That didn’t matter though because Adoring Husband was kind enough to sleep in the back bedroom last night and I enjoyed 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep!

It was a frantic morning preparing for my Lorraine Lea party and making sure the pool area was presentable, the food platters were prepared, the cocktails were mixed and the toilet and bathroom were spick and span. 

At 10.30am the party presenter arrived and set up around the pool.

At 11am the girls all began arriving.

There were 11 of us all squeezed in for the presentation ...

Four hours, a platter of food, a pitcher of Margarita mix, a jug of pina colada and 4 bottles of wine, with some of us swimming in the pool and some sitting on the edge and just dangling their legs.

There was lots of laughter, some spicy and loud conversations, some arty plans for the next class and some retail therapy purchasing Lorraine Lea products.

AH and I shared the second fruit, cheese and cracker platter for dinner because there was no way either of us was in the mood for cooking.

After we cleared the pool area of party fare and mess, we watched the football in air conditioned comfort.

Now I get to choose a free set of towels, $100 worth of product and 25% off any purchase over $200. I know exactly what I want!

I’ll be attending another party next weekend - I still have a list that is slowly reducing. I love Lorraine Lea products.

I think it’s sleep time for me now. It’s been a big day.

Nite all.

One Down

I am exhausted!

I had a fantastic day of sales and the wet weather held off right until closing time so people were out and about and looking for some retail therapy.

Two of my art girls came in early and helped me set up for the art class. It was a big job and took well over an hour for 3 of us to prepare the room. Adoring Husband had set up the tables and we had already covered them in the protective sheets.

It was a great crowd of girls but three had already left when I took this photo.

We had a blast and we finished early so after the clean up, we all sat around drinking wine and laughing our heads off. It was a special afternoon, but jeez it wore me right out!

I’ve spent the remainder of the afternoon watching football but as soon as I finish this post, I’m off to bed.

Peking duck for dinner.

I have to be awake bright and early tomorrow to prepare for my 11am Lorraine Lea party. I hope I’m not speaking too soon, but it looks like the weather might be kind for the duration of the party.

I have a couple of big platters to prepare as well as some cocktails to mix up and I’m expecting about 10 or 12 girls so it should noisy and fun!

Wish me luck!

Nite all.

Unproductively Social

My shop was a social hub today ... ALL day.

It started when Adoring Husband and his mate Sideshow Bob bought themselves a coffee and used my training room as their meeting place. 

While they were doing that, I had a visit from Mini J who spent about 30 minutes getting me up to speed with the goings on in the BHPA and local community.

She had not long gone when a crowd favourite The Brains Trust walked through the door and I invited her to sit and chat.

We chatted for an hour and I noticed that I had a message from The Welch Wonder who advised me that she would be visiting shortly ... 5 minutes later she joined us and we three chatted for another 30+ minutes.

The Brains Trust departed and WW remained for 30 minutes before making a purchase and then taking her leave. 

By now it was 1.20pm and I had 20 minutes to actually do some quick necessary chores before AH turned up to help me close the shop.

The day passed quickly and most enjoyably but productivity was minimal to say the least!

In between all of that, sales were very good and I was happy to calculate my budget to successfully cover the recently received rates notice, security bill, rent, stock payments and soon to come power bill! The never ending outflow of cash!

We came home and I spent a spirited 30 minutes doing some tidying up in preparation for my Lorraine Lea party on Sunday. 

Following that AH mowed the lawn and tidied the yard for the same reason.

While I’m not confident that my pool party will go ahead, I’m hopeful that the weather forecast is wrong (which is usually the case) and we can enjoy the outdoor area on Sunday. 

At this point I would like to lodge my dismay at AH’s continued snoring issue. I would like to dob him in and complain profusely that even after all my whingeing, he is not using the salt pipe as directed and is therefore, indirectly telling me that he doesn’t care if I’m losing sleep because of him.

I am quietly calculating the financial costs of setting up the back bedroom as my new happy space where I can get a good nights sleep.

If this public declaration has no positive outcome, look forward to photos of my new room 🤗🌻☮️

I fully expect to receive a stern ‘speaking to’ for making this public declaration!

Desperate situations call for desperate measures. 🤪

My new grandchild is due to enter this world any day now and after a checkup today is doing all the right things in preparation for the big event. No signs of labor yet and I will win the pool if 31st March becomes the birth day. I’m not feeling confident.

I have a feeling that Vegan Chickie might be sharing her birthday.

I think I’ll go to bed to watch the second half of the football. My team is losing. *sigh*

Nite all.

Time Flies

It’s already time for my next Lorraine Lea linen party! 

That crept up quickly!

Anyone out there who might like to order (you can have it mailed directly to your address), here is the link 

https://lorrainelea.com/events/4fxkkC

Of course I had planned for it to be a pool party and now the forecast is for rain so I have to formulate a Plan B just in case.

I had a good steady day of sales today. There are a lot of groups of women on holidays at the moment. Three sisters, all in their 80s. Four female friends from Brisbane. Three female friends from Sunshine Coast. Five women, whose husbands were out fishing.

There’s not much else to do in this weather except practice some retail therapy!

I received some bills, ordered more stock, banked some cash, talked to some reps, rearranged some displays, made my lunch and accepted my cleaner’s resignation because she successfully applied for her dream placement in a facility for people with disabilities.

Adoring Husband went to SES training tonight so I spent some time switching between channels to see the AFL and NRL games. Both of my teams lost 😞 

It’s way past 11pm so it’s sleep time for me.

Nite all.

Oh Yeah It’s Raining Again

Everybody is carrying an umbrella.

It’s wet, wet, wet.

It’s lovely, lovely, lovely.

We had four empty seats in meditation so the rain kept a few away.

I enjoyed a good chat with The Gypsy before and after the class and we had plenty to talk about.

There was also plenty of news within the group so everyone was very chatty afterwards.

I had a steady day of sales - I guess there’s not much else to do on a rainy day!

I had two deliveries of stock arrive so between customers I was unpacking, checking, pricing, photographing and displaying.

Again, the day passed very quickly and I was surprised when Adoring Husband appeared to help me close the shop. While I finished pricing the last few items, he set up the tables in the back room ready for Saturday’s art workshop.

There’s always something going on.

I’ve had a lazy afternoon and now I’m going to bed to watch MAFS.

Nite all.

The Rain in ...

It’s raining!

It’s still raining!

We’ve had 20mm of rain and it’s been lovely!

The weather certainly kept the customers at bay so sales were below average, but it was a really nice morning with the girls and because customers were sparse, I got to spend extra time with the girls.

I paid bills.

I ordered stock.

I did some filing.

I checked emails.

I watched the rain.

I made tea.

I was down one in the journaling class but it was a great class and time absolutely flew! What felt like 20 minutes, was actually 90 minutes.

Adoring Husband and I took the tables down and set out the room for meditation before driving home.

I relaxed for an hour and then made an unusual dinner (for us) of lamb cutlets, eggs, hash browns & tomato. It took me 20 minutes.

I am in bed as I write this and I’m hoping AH’s snoring doesn’t keep me awake tonight because I have an early start tomorrow.

It’s been a good day and the lovely rain should hang around for the week - fingers crossed.

Nite all.

Same Same

Today was the same as yesterday.

No motivation.

Just needed to rest my brain and my body.

I thought about cleaning the windows AND I thought about painting my turtle on the outside wall.

But they were just thoughts.

I took a phone call from a supplier and paid for an order over the phone - I try not to do that on my day off normally but I really want to receive this jewellery quickly so I made an exception.

An email arrived giving me access to a new clothing supplier and I’ve already written out an order for them, which I’ll send through at the end of the week.

We began watching a new series on Netflix called ‘The One’. It’s not bad.

I’m still in my pyjamas as I write this.

The predicted ominous weather that we postponed our trip to Bundaberg for has only just arrived and appears not to be the big event that was predicted, however, the rain sounds lovely, and I think it’s going to last all night.

So I shall sign off and head to bed to listen to this lovely weather.

Nite all

Move Along

Nothing to see here.

I found a surprising photo of me before we changed our diet and lifestyle.

When we moved here from Sydney, I weighed a frail 55kgs.

I had been very sick with a thyroid condition that I had waited too long to have diagnosed. I lost about 12kgs in 6 weeks and developed a heart murmur. My specialist advised me that my heart could literally explode in my chest without medical intervention.

I was also struggling with vertigo, was recovering from diagnosed depression and had just commenced menopause 😳

That was in 2008. This photo was taken 5 months after we moved here. I had gained a few kgs by this time ...

This photo was taken 5 years later and I think I weighed around 75kgs ...

The result of too much partying. Too much alcohol. Too much party food. Too much pub food. Too much stress (from the tornado and Barry’s health diagnosis). Too much complacency.

It was around this time that we changed our diet and lifestyle to create better health for both of us.

Adoring Husband lost 17kgs and was able to stop blood pressure medication and GERD meds.

I lost 13kgs and have maintained the weight loss for 7 years, fluctuating a couple of kgs here and there.

The most recent full length photo of me...

My Sunday has been lazily indulgent. Lots of screen time - iPad and TV.

It has been nice.

AH and I were planning a trip to Bundaberg tomorrow (Monday) but the weather forecast is looking pretty ominous and even the storm chasers are heading to this area for some action. We’ve decided to play safe and remain at home.

I’ll be interested to see what my motivation levels will be like. Could be another lazy one OR I might get productive. Wait and see.

Nite all.

Town Markets

Our local markets were held in the grounds of the hall today.

Our markets are small and nondescript and most newcomers leave feeling disappointed 😞 

The one redeeming feature is the SES barbecue that serves bacon and eggs and sausages & onion on bread or rolls.

I could smell the onions cooking from my shop driveway this morning.

Yum.

Thanks to those markets, I was able to welcome a convoy of ten women into the shop around mid morning. Ten women disappointed in the markets and who wanted to spend some money.

Not all of them spent money and the sales did not break records, but were enough for me to feel good about the day.

I had a nice visit from Aggie.

Other than that, the morning was uneventful.

I came home at 1pm and had a swim in the pool and I must say I was feeling hyper vigilant after Adoring Husband spotted a baby brown snake in our back yard this morning.

While I was in the pool, I found some snake poo on the concrete edging - I know what snake poo looks like because I once owned a carpet python - this is not good!

AH came out to get help taking his footy jersey off and stood in the pool on the first step so that I could reach over his head to pull the shirt off. It was so clever of me to yank it over his ear and send one of his hearing aids flying into the water!

I tried diving under the water to pick it up, but they are so light that any movement of the water sent it scuttling in different directions before I could grab it. The creepy crawly snuck up behind me and seemed to know that there was a foreign object on the floor of the pool that required sucking up!!

AH was standing on the sidelines in a panic cursing and i stopped Wally (my name for the creepy crawly) in his tracks before he could eat the hearing aid. In the end it was easier for me to put my foot on the hearing aid and pick it up with my toes.

It survived the ordeal and is still working. I’m pretty sure AH survived as well.

Eventually, I came inside, changed into some dry clothes and settled in for an afternoon of football. I was much more successful with today’s tips than yesterday’s but Adoring Husband has a perfect score so far!

Dinner was a ‘fend for yourself’ affair.

It’s now well after midnight and time for me to sleep.

Nite all.