Saturday Night Dull

Do they make Saturday night TV dull for a reason?

Now that the football season is over, we are left to contend with movies that have been shown at least a dozen times over and repeats of every TV series from every decade since the 60s.

So Adoring Husband and I have watched The Muppet Movie and now we're watching an old 1943 Western called 'Desperadoes' starring Randolph Scott, Glenn Ford and Claire Trevor.

It's probably a good thing, since we are rising bright and early for a drive down to the Sunny Coast to visit the Chicklet family tomorrow.

The best thing about tonight is that I changed the sheets on the bed today, so I'll be sliding into nice crisp clean bedding. That's one of life's special pleasures.

For anybody who cares, Jack (the dog) is home and doing very well. The whites of his eyes are blood red as a side effect of the inflammation and high temperature of his condition, which makes him a little bit freaky to look at, but other than that, he is happily barking at the dog next door, so that's gotta be a good sign.

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

My bed is calling me, so ...

Nite all.

Sick as a Dog

We rushed our dog Jack into the Vets yesterday afternoon.

We feed our dogs at 3pm every day and usually, all three dogs come running. They bark and jump up and down, and run around in circles like circus animals full of excitement.

Jack is obsessed with the dog next door (Reb), and sometimes plants himself at the fence peering through the gaps at him. When he doesn't appear at feed time, we call out 'dinner' and he's at our feet in an instant!

Yesterday, Jack did not appear.

We found him cowering in a dog bed behind the ottoman near my study. He wouldn't (or couldn't) get up. When I demanded that he 'come here' (he usually walks to my feet when I make that demand), he attempted to move forward, but slumped back down with an apologetic look in his eyes.

Even though he cringed, I picked him up and he was very tense in the body. When I put him back down on the ground, he could barely stand up and when he tried to walk, he staggered and his back legs seemed uncoordinated.

He staggered outside for a pee and then struggled to get back up the one step into the house.

Adoring Husband offered him a mouthful of food and Jack turned away. We offered him some water and he turned away.

Wishing that I had some Valium to feed Adoring Husband, who by this time was panicking and talking in a very high pitched voice demanding to know what could be wrong with Jack - as if I'm the expert - we decided to take him into the Vets.

AH phoned the Vet to let them know that we were coming and told them that we thought perhaps Jack had a tick because he was displaying some of the symptoms .. like partial paralysis of the hind legs.

On the way into town Jack had a loss of bodily functions from both ends .. of course, in AH's panicked state, he didn't want to take the time to put anything down under Jack in the car, so he had a nice smelly mess to clean up later!

Luckily there was a towel in the back of the car, so we wrapped Jack in it and as we walked into the Vet's clinic, the reception area was full of people and their dogs and the receptionist looked up and asked if we had Jack.

She took him straight out the back and they did an immediate check for ticks .. which turned out to be clear.

Then we had to wait for a room to be free to take Jack for further investigation.

Finally the Vet came in and took Jack's temperature, which was a whopping 41C, took a sample of his stools (which by now were splattered all over his rear end!) and disappeared into the back rooms to do some tests on it.

He returned with the unpleasant news that Jack had pancreatitis, that he was in a very bad way and needed to stay there overnight with a saline drip, antibiotics and to be monitored closely overnight.

He said that this is caused by too much fat in the diet. We have always fed our dogs a raw meat diet and for the past few years have fed them heart smart mince from the butchers, so I'm not sure where the 'too much fat' comes from. We never feed our dogs scraps from our plates or anything OTHER than the mince.

You know me .. I am sceptical of this reasoning .. and having done a little research online last night, couldn't find any reference to too much fat EXCEPT where people feed their dogs the fatty scraps from their own plates, and that the highest incidences of pancreatitis in dogs usually occurs in the holiday seasons when humans tend to eat more junk or fatty foods and share it with their dogs.

However, we are now changing their diets from raw meat to processed dry food, on the Vet's advice and we'll see if that makes any difference to Jack's health.

The reason that I am sceptical of this Vet's advice, is that we have taken one of our other dogs to this same Vet twice in the last few months, with the same symptoms/complaint and have been given a different reason each time. She still suffers from the same complaint. If the change of diet doesn't make a difference to both of the dogs, I will be changing Vets (after I take a few months convincing Adoring Husband).

So the Vet phoned AH this morning to advise how Jack was doing and his temperature has dropped to 39C and he is doing well. The Vet wants us to leave Jack there until late this afternoon.

Wish us luck!

Adoring Husband has been on a special diet since he had his tumour removed in August. Something similar to the ketogenic diet to reduce the acidity in his body, which means removing, or considerably reducing, his intake of milk (which was getting close to 2 litres per day).

We've done this hoping that his PSA readings will either drop, or at the very least, steady off.

This has caused a bit of a dilemma for AH who loved his cereal in the mornings (which I made gluten free and sugar free) and now has to find a replacement breakfast.

AH is a creature of habit and abhors change of any kind, so it's been a struggle for him to change his thought processes for breakfast meals.

I was very pleased to see him take the initiative and create a healthful breakfast for himself ...

An egg wrap filled with mushroom, baby spinach, smoked salmon and feta cheese with a side of fresh asparagus out of the garden and some rocket. I was almost disappointed that I had declined his offer to make it for me too!

I am on nest watch at the moment.

There are two nests that I'm watching, but this one is the lowest and I'm hoping to get some nice shots of the chick/s when they hatch.

Can you believe it's just after midday! I'm twelve hours early!!

Afternoon all!

Playing on my Mind

This is going to be a bit of a rant, so if you disagree with my stance on doctors, or you are sick of listening to me harp on about what I consider to be dubious or questionable medical practises, then you should probably log out now.

After yesterday's visit to Adoring Husband's doctor, there are a couple of things that have really been playing on my mind.

First of all, while AH was taking antibiotics to prevent further infection after his dental procedure PLUS taking a steroid based nasal spray to help open his nasal passages that he was having trouble with, he began to experience chest pain and had trouble breathing.

Naturally, this was highly concerning for him and caused a bit of a panic.

I researched a bit more about Parkinson's Disease and there was some information about this being symptomatic of the disease, however, it doesn't usually just appear, it happens gradually and there are breathing and posture exercises that can help, as well as building strength in the core by exercising regularly .. cycling, walking etc.

It didn't seem to me that this sudden onset was anything to do with the Parkinsons, so I then checked the list of side effects for both of the medications that AH was taking and BOTH of them listed 'breathing difficulties' as side effects and both stated that he should either consult his doctor or stop taking it.

He stopped taking both immediately and soon the symptoms subsided .. not completely, because he still has a dull ache across his chest that we are investigating further.

So we tell his doctor this story about the side effects and he makes this scrunched up face and shakes his head stating "you know you can read the side effects for any medication and they will all list the same things".

He says it as if this list should be ignored and that we have to take the drugs and are going to suffer the side effects anyway, so why bother?

Seriously?

So what he is telling us, is that to stop feeling like s&*t, we have to take drugs (sometimes indefinitely) that make us feel like s&*t in a different way, and that we shouldn't question it.

NEXT ..

He tells AH that he thinks there may be an infection in his chest.  Just a minor infection and that this is causing the dull ache that he is experiencing.

He makes this announcement after firstly listening to AH's chest and then reading AH's history which showed that in 2011 he had a chest x-ray highlighting some scarring from previous bronchial/lung problems in his life.

He then proceeds to explain that a prescription for antibiotics will soon clear that up.

Silence from Adoring Husband .. quite willing to accept some more drugs.

I said "He has just taken two rounds of antibiotics for the tooth abscess that he had. One round to get rid of the infections and then a second lot to prevent further infection after the dental procedure, which he only stopped taking 2 days ago. Shouldn't THAT have cleared any infection in his chest IF he had one?"

"Oh really?" was his response. "Yes *insert name of antibiotic here* should clear any general infections in the body. Ok, well, let's get an x-ray to rule out anything else and then we'll consider our next steps."

I'm sure you can tell that by now, I am seething.

I'm sitting in the chair beside Adoring Husband with my new book "Take Control of Your Health and Escape the Sickness Industry" on my lap, and at this moment, I would like very much to take an almighty swing and belt him over the head with it!

He knew that AH had just had dental work because of an abscess .. surely common sense would tell this health professional that drugs would have been involved.

It seems to me that Adoring Husband needs his 'Body Guard' with him for every visit.

You see, I always thought that a doctor was supposed to help us feel good.

I don't see any of my friends, who take ongoing medications, feeling good or feeling alive, energetic, vibrant, alert, healthy or healed.

Since AH has been seeing this particular doctor, I have seen him get sicker and sicker and every time he returns from a doctor's visit, he has at least one new prescription to have filled for yet more toxic drugs.

Every year there is a new diagnosis for a new disease or condition that was probably caused by one of the many toxic drugs that he has ingested over the years anyway.

What amazes me more than anything else .. is his pure and unadulterated scepticism of Naturopathy and the Natural Health industry which supports and facilitates the body's natural ability to heal without toxic drugs or invasive treatments.

The problem is, that there is so much damage already done by the medical and pharmaceutical industries, that it seriously takes a LOT of time and a lot of work to bring the human body back to a healthful state, by removing the toxins and healing everything from the inside out.

I don't believe that supplements are the answer .. for example, you can't take fish oil tablets and expect them to override all the toxic debris that you have in your body, to fix your aches and pains. You also can't abuse your body with poor diet, lack of activity, ingestion of toxic drugs for 30, 40 or 50 years and then expect to fix it overnight.

I believe that it's all about your attitude.

You can believe in your doctor 100% and continue taking the drugs on offer, but as your health continues to deteriorate and your mind becomes more and more negative about your 'lot' in life, nothing will ever change.

I've said it before .. and I'll say it again .. we have to take charge ourselves and be an active advocate for our own healthcare. Don't be ridden into the ground.

Meanwhile, this 'bodyguard' will be on permanent duty from here on in.

Nite all.

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.