Crash Hot Not

What a rainy start to the day!

I didn't even get out on my trike until about 9.30am and then I got caught in a couple of light showers before I returned home.

I bought my coffee (and one for Adoring Husband) and made a quick visit to the markets where I bought the desk organiser that I had admired last month.

I may have had a touch too much wine last night .. to drown my dental woes .. and I wasn't feeling fabulous today, so I crashed on the couch where I watched a few movies before the football finals started.

For lunch I created a couple of plates full of fruit and veg with guacamole dip. Celery, capsicum, cucumber, carrot, pear, strawberries, boiled egg, cherry tomatoes, sauerkraut and smoked salmon. It was delicious and full of healthy goodness. All of it, except the pear and salmon was organic.

After that we munched on something less healthy .. store bought pork crackle. As delicious as it was, it left me feeling decidedly unwell and bloated and uncomfortable for about four hours afterwards. So bad that I couldn't eat dinner and all I wanted was water and sleep.

I had a power nap for about twenty minutes before the footy started this afternoon and then prepared dinner for AH. Crispy skinned chicken with salad.

Both footy games tonight were exciting games and happily for me, my team, the Brisbane Broncos won theirs against the Cowboys. AH's team plays tomorrow.

I played with a couple of photos from Fraser Island ... the first is a Scarlett Honeyeater and the second is a White Cheeked Honeyeater.

It's 10.30pm and I think I'll head to bed now. A good night's sleep will energise me for tomorrow. I have to edit the photos from my trip to Griffith and people are waiting for them. I also have a few more from Fraser Island .. family pics that need to be edited.

Happy birthday to the Nikonian for today too!

Nite all.

Dental Dilemma

Today, for the first time in twenty years, I had a dental appointment.

Approximately ten years ago, when Adoring Husband and I first began spending our holidays in The Bay, we would walk past this dental surgery and make fun of the name, wondering who the hell would go to a dentist by the name of Spike Jan?

Funnily enough, all these years later, this same dentist came highly recommended by people I trust, so even though I originally selected a different doctor, I changed my mind and made an appointment with Spike.

When I phoned to make the appointment, I was given a 'long' appointment to fix whatever problem I had and to make a long term dental plan.

Knowing that I would have to fill out forms for my first time there, I turned up twenty minutes early.

There at the reception desk was a mother and her young son, who was about ten years of age. This young boy had been slotted into my long appointment as an emergency. The mother was filling in the same forms that I would be soon be completing, so obviously, this was their first visit too!

One of the questions is 'Are you afraid of dentists?' and then it gives you the choice of a rating from one to ten and the spot after ten is the rating 'petrified'. The mother asked the boy if he was scared of the dentist and he laughed at her and said 'no' like she was a fool for asking.

I said to him 'you are very brave' and his mother said 'I think dentists aren't half as scary as they were when we were kids'. I agreed with her and began to fill in my own form.

Forty minutes later, I could hear that same boy yelling from the room down the hallway and then the dentist apologising.  Soon after, the boy emerged with a mouth full of cotton wadding, very red eyes and a pained expression on his face. He looked at me. I looked at him. No words were required.

I considered leaving right then and there.

The reason it has been twenty years since I saw a dentist is because I am terrified of them. I hate the smell. I hate the sound of all those tools they use to drill, fill, clean, scrape, suck, blow and polish teeth. I hate the taste of everything that they put into your mouth .. the tools, the rinse, the cleaning fluids, the filling material. I hate the feel of the scraping and drilling and yanking. I hate the pain. I hate the cost.

There is nothing even remotely pleasant about a visit to the dentist.

It was now my turn.

I was called into a different room and was then asked to sit in a large spongy blue chair. He assumed that I was there for a check up, a clean and to repair a tooth.

So I explained that it had been twenty years, that I disliked him and 'his kind' and that I was there to have my front tooth looked at because it was loose, crooked, ugly and likely to fall out any minute.

He checked my mouth and discovered all kinds of ugliness there.

I have serious gum disease that needs to be rectified before my teeth can be touched. The two crooked teeth at the front will definitely need to be removed once the gum disease has been seen to. There are three other loose teeth that MAY correct themselves once the gum disease is fixed. All of my fillings are amalgam and need to removed and replaced. There is one broken tooth at the back that will need to be removed.

The teeth on the bottom jaw are ok, which is great, because apparently it is almost impossible to fit a denture properly on the bottom jaw. He told me to always try to keep the teeth on the bottom.

So now I have a referral to a Periodontist in Brisbane. He is, apparently, the best in Australia, so I hope that he can perform miracles with my mouth. I also need to have an x-ray before I go.

The dentist spent about twenty minutes scraping, scratching, pulling, gouging, polishing, sucking and blowing at my teeth to clean them and then explained the process that I would need to endure to get to the 'maintenance' stage.

He also told me that my serious gum disease was bad enough to negatively impact on my over all health and that it was imperative that I see to it quickly.

Surprisingly, with my private health cover, that visit only put me $100 out of pocket.

So that's it! My dental visit in a nutshell.

I'm not pleased, but it's pretty much what I expected.

It's now after midnight, so I'd best head to bed.

Nite all.

A Fraser Kind of Day

It's been a lovely day!

Adoring Husband and I drove to River Heads early this morning and caught the 9am ferry across to Fraser Island.

The weather fluctuated between warm and sunny, cool and cloudy then cold and windy. I didn't dress for that sort of weather, so for some of the day I felt quite chilled! When the sun was out, it was enough to thaw the chill, but then the clouds would form and the wind would blow .. meanwhile, the children were in the swimming pool oblivious to the weather!

We arrived more than an hour before we were due to meet the family at Kingfisher, so we got ourselves a coffee, then went for a walk to the store so that AH could buy presents for the kids. He doesn't get to spoil his grandies very often, so he had fun picking out a couple of gifts for each of them.

Suddenly we found the family which numbered thirteen! What a crowd!

We headed to one resort area where there is a restaurant and shallow pools for the littlies, but it was closed for the day, so we had to return to the Kingfisher resort and the deeper pools.

We took over a large shaded area with tables and chairs dragged from all directions and ordered lunch. There were only two GF options, so AH and I ordered one of each. Everybody else seemed to go for the burgers and chips.

There were tag teams happening as the boys cared for the kids in the pool and a couple of the girls went for massages at the Natural Healing Centre. Everybody chatted together and AH spent time with the grandies, who were a little shy of him because we don't get to spend much time with them.

The food arrived in a timely manner, but was nothing special. I had a couple of glasses of wine and went for a stroll with my camera to photograph some gorgeous birds in the native bushes around the pools.

After about 2 1/2 hours, the kids had had enough, so the adults began the process of gathering all of their belongings .. what a shamozzel! It was crazy watching a group of young parents attempting to make decisions and then turn those decisions into reality. Their organisational skills left quite a bit to be desired!

So that was AH's and my cue to gather our own goods and head back to the pier to catch the 2pm ferry back to River Heads.

It was a really nice day, with just the right amount of socialising with each member of the family. We had a few laughs and the kids were very entertaining. They all head home on Saturday, so they are making the most of the last couple of days of holiday time.

I got quite a few pics, but only one to share tonight ...

AH and his lovely family :)

I'm off to the dentist tomorrow.

Terrified.

Wish me luck.

Nite all.

Wrinkles Be Gone!

Years ago, in the mid 90s, I used a beauty product that smoothed away wrinkles .. not that I had serious wrinkles back then, but in my mid 30s I felt that I had some fine lines that I wasn't too happy with .. oh to have those fine lines now!

The particular product was from a well known brand and it tightened the skin around the eyes which caused the lines to disappear. It was quite magical, however, after about 2-3 hours it became quite noticeably powdery around the eyes which kind of highlighted the lines even more. So I stopped using it.

A few months ago, I discovered a similar product, but was unable to purchase it, due to company limits on international orders. Recently those rules and limits changed, so I ordered some, which arrived today.

I dabbed it around one eye only, so that I could compare the 'before' and 'after'. How stupid of me NOT to take a photo! Ok, I'm going to go into the bathroom right now and conduct the experiment again and take a photo, so that you can see how it works.

Be right back ...

I only used my iphone to take the photo, so the quality isn't very good. Perhaps I'll have another go on Friday and use my camera to get a clearer pic.

So, yes, it removes the wrinkles, but unfortunately it does exactly the same thing that the cream I used in the 90s did. The skin goes powdery after a few hours. It probably took about 4 hours for it to happen this time, but it still happens.

I will use it on Friday night and get some friendly critique from the girls.

Anyway, thought I would share a few quotes. Tomorrow, I hope to have some photos of Adoring Husband's family and the grandies to share here. Fraser Island is on the agenda!

Got an early start, so I'd best hit the sack.

Nite all.

Read All About It!

I found a very interesting article today about Alzheimer's Disease and a pioneering doctor, by the name of Dale E Bredesen, who is currently in the middle of intensive research and has made some interesting discoveries.

He has made some suggestions, the practise of which, have already improved the health of some of the subjects in his studies. 

His suggestions are ...

1. Eliminate or greatly reduce simple carbohydrates and processed foods from your diet, including sugar, grains and other starches, since they can stir up inflammation in the brain.
2. Add probiotics to your diet
3. Take 5,000 IUs of Vitamin D3 daily.
4. Take a good multivitamin daily.
5. Take Vitamin B6 daily.
6. Take Vitamin B12 daily.
7. Take CoQ10 daily.
8. Add fish oil to your diet.
9. Take coconut oil daily.
10. Exercise rigorously, 30 to 45 minutes, 5 days a week
11. Sleep 8 hours a night.
12. Fast for a minimum 3 hours between dinner and going to bed.
13. Fast a minimum 12 hours between dinner and breakfast
14. Take turmeric daily. Consider taking Ashwagandha and Bacopa monniera daily.
15. If you eat meat, make it chicken, non-farmed fish, and occasional grass-fed beef.
16. Floss your teeth at least twice daily.
17. Meditate daily: adequate sleep and exercise improve blood flow to the brain and instigate neuron generation.
18. Hormone replacement therapy is indicated for women who have a hormonal imbalance that may be affecting brain function.

... and if you're interested in some of his research so far go here.

There is a lot there, but it's quite an easy read .. especially near the bottom where you can read the results of his case studies.

We saw the movie "Ricki and The Flash" today. We all enjoyed it, but we also agreed that we wouldn't recommend that you rush out to see it. It was an interesting storyline that flowed quite well and finished with a 'feel good' ending, albeit predictable. The acting was great and the characters both likeable and loveable. A couple of us got teary in parts. Wait for it to come on TV :)

A couple of photos of the Ringneck Parrot that I forgot to share last week ...

For the first time in twenty years (almost to the day), I have made an appointment with a dentist.

EEP!!

I am terrified of both the experience AND the costs that will be involved! My mouth has a lot of problems including crooked, loose and broken teeth as well as gum problems which I fear, after discussions with a few family members, may be genetic.

However, I expect that once I have my mouth repaired, the last of my niggling health issues may disappear. We all know that problems with gums and teeth affects other areas of our health, so fingers crossed I'll be ready to climb mountains, swim oceans and jump canyons with rejuvenated and abundant health after my final dental visit.

Let the games begin!

Nite all.

How it Feels

I don't know about you, but this is how it feels for me ...

It's always shocking when someone makes an 'old' comment, or I see a photo of myself, or I see an old friend after a long period of time or when I have to tick the 'over 50' box on a questionnaire.

How my body looks and how my brain thinks, are two completely different things!

My cold symptoms seem to have withdrawn again today. I've coughed a couple of times, but no runny nose and no congestion and I've felt more energised. 

I spent an hour pedalling around in the warm Winter sunshine searching for Tawny nests again, without any luck. I found a Crested Pigeon nest but it was inside somebody's front yard and there was no clear view for my camera to get a good shot. I could see one little baby poking it's head out from under the parent but just couldn't get close enough for a shot.

I also found a Noisy Mynah nest with chicks, but it was just a little too high for me to reach for a shot. If it was a more interesting bird, I might drag a ladder to the tree for a better angle.

That was the only luck I had in the hour.

Tomorrow, I'm off to the movies with a couple of my girls to see Ricki and The Flash starring Meryl Streep, her real life daughter Mamie Gummer and one of many heart throbs from my youth, Rick Springfield. I'm looking forward to it.

Still no adventure in the kitchen. Twice now, I've sat down to search my recipes, but got side tracked by emails and facebook and links to interesting stories. Before I know it, a couple of hours have passed and I get side tracked by something else like hanging washing on the line or cleaning the toilet or helping Adoring Husband with something. 

The procrastination queen strikes again!

Nite all

Into the Future

Four or five years ago, Vegan Chickie introduced me to a site where you can write a letter to your future self and then select a date in the future where they return the letter to your email address.

I've been writing to myself every year, talking about my fears, my accomplishments, my hopes and dreams, my disappointments, my celebrations, my highs and my lows.

Every year, I forget that I've done it and every year, I get excited when I see my letter appear in my inbox.

It's always exciting for me to read about my life from just one short year ago and how things have changed in that time. How I've recovered from the low times like the tornado, and how I've coped with challenges like Adoring Husband's and my health issues. How my kid's lives have changed and how they follow their own paths into their future. The new people I meet and how they affect my life.

So I thought I would share the link here and perhaps you would like to try this yourself. Go to this link ...

Dear Future Me

When you've finished your letter, you can choose to make it 'public and anonymous' or 'private' - I always select 'private' and then hit send. They request verification by sending you an email to verify your email address. Upon completion of the process, a box will appear asking you to donate to the site but you don't have to donate at all, just close the page.

That's it!

One of our lovely neighbours dropped by with a packet of fresh fish that he had caught this morning, so I crumbed it with almond meal and shallow fried in coconut oil for lunch. I've never had mackerel before, which is a bit scary because I thought it was mullet, which I know is safe for me to eat. By the time I found out it was mackerel, I had already eaten one fillet.

It's been four hours since lunch with no ill effects, so hopefully, I now have another 'safe' fish to add to my 'non-allergic' list!

My cold is still lingering, but not taking control. I'm putting up a good fight! It's been a pretty lazy Sunday because I figure I should not overdo it to give my body the best chance to keep this cold at bay.

Not so lazy for AH who has been in the garden again working extremely hard!

Oops! It's after 6pm and I haven't even started dinner so I'd best sign off.

Nite all.    

Spoke Too Soon

After bragging in last night's short post about beating my cold with my natural remedies, I woke up this morning with a cough and bit of congestion! Not happy Jan!

So today, I've pumped the chicken broth into me (3 cups of it) and made a chicken and vegetable soup (one bowl), two deliciously sweet crisp red apples and a rich savoury mince (grass fed mince) full of organic onion, garlic, carrot, celery, zucchini, cherry tomatoes and mushrooms.

I haven't had any honey and lemon yet, but will make myself a big mug of it before I go to bed tonight. I've also been drinking lots of filtered water.

I made enough for twelve containers of chicken broth with this batch which I completed this morning after about 36 hours in the slow cooker.

I finally made up the dog food and got 15 feeds each out of today's concoction. I used 2 kgs chicken mince, 2 kgs of beef mince, 1 whole jap pumpkin (cooked), a large bunch of silverbeet, 3 sticks of celery, 1 large carrot, 4 eggs (shell and all), 4 Tablespoons of coconut oil, 2 Tablespoons of Cod Liver Oil and 4 teaspoons of spirulina.

My new hair curler is amazing! I curled my hair yesterday afternoon before going out to the club. I'm pretty pleased with my first effort and I'm sure, with practise, I will get better at it.

Number One Son called me today. It's always nice to hear from him and I can always count on him for regular phone calls to keep me posted on his happenings.

Adoring Husband has had a busy couple of days in the garden doing lots of maintenance work ... like spring cleaning outdoors ... and it's all looking very good.

Our peach and mulberry trees are bountiful right now, and the avocado trees are full of flowers, the citrus trees have new blossoms, there are delicious cherry tomatoes all ripening beautifully on the vine and the chooks are laying well. I haven't checked the grapes, pomegranate, mango or banana trees. The new sapota tree seems to have established itself well in the back corner.

I'd like to plant lots of green leafy vegetables like baby spinach, rocket, pak choy, silverbeet, kale and chard. I'd like some cucumbers, zucchini, snow peas, radishes and beetroot. That should do it I reckon. I think I have all of those seeds in my fridge waiting to be used.

Well, it might be time to go make my hot lemon and honey drink. Hopefully tomorrow, I will be feeling enthusiastic enough to get some cooking done. I've been collecting some delicious looking sweet recipes because I know how much AH likes the chocolate sweets after dinner.

May tomorrow find me bursting with energetic health!

Nite all.

Quickie

There is no blog tonight. I've had too much wine and I'm off to bed.

I just wanted to let you know that I beat the flu/cold that was trying to get me on my last day in Griffith.

I had fresh honey from the bees, fresh lemon from the trees, fresh garlic from the ground and fresh ginger from The Nikonian. That combination helped me fight the germs and I have recovered well. Three doses of honey, lemon, ginger and garlic was enough to fight the virus. I also had a tablespoon of fresh honey for breakfast, lunch, dinner and just before bed.

When your diet is pure, it only takes some added freshness like honey, lemon, garlic and honey to put up a good fight and win.

Thank you nature.

Nite all.

Weather Event

I woke at about 4am to the sound of rain on the roof.

So there was no trike ride to the fire station this morning .. maybe tomorrow morning.

Adoring Husband brought my coffee to my bedside so that I could spend a lazy couple of hours reading and easing my way into the morning.

I ordered a new hair straightener (because my old one sucks) and a hair curler online from Harvey Norman. Once they confirmed the order, we headed into The Bay at lunch time to pick them up. I really love the 'order and pay online and pick it up in store' idea!! I wish all shops did that!

Unfortunately, though storms were only predicted for Maryborough and further south, as we were heading home, a huge storm followed us. We were pelted with heavy rain that fluctuated between a smashing downpour and soft spray for about 20 minutes.

There were huge puddles across the road that made for some tricky driving and I even made AH pull into a shopping centre car park under some sails to wait for one heavy downpour to finish.

We made it home safe n sound and soon after that, after a couple more heavy showers, the sky cleared and the rain was gone.

Our rain gauge showed 28 mm, but AH hadn't emptied it since the rain last week while I was away, so I don't know how much rain fell today.

I won the flickr challenge this month with my Mallee Ringtail Parrot shot that I took in Griffith while I was there. Now I have to think of a theme for this month and I really have no idea!

Anyway, it was a slow day. I have some chicken bone broth in the slow cooker and tomorrow I need to make up a batch of dog food.

I'm also going to practise with my new hair curler! That should be interesting!

I've reached my midnight deadline, so I'm off to bed.

Nite all.

Photo Shoot Out

I think it's funny .. maybe.

About 8 weeks ago, I was asked by a member of the volunteer fire brigade, if I would go to the station and take photos of their new vehicles and equipment.

He said to me "You're AH's wife aren't you?" I replied "Yes"

He then asked "You're a photographer?" I replied "Yes"

His next question was "Would you come to the station and take some photos of our new equipment?"

My response was "Yes"

I was about to leave for BGWLBH and my road trip, but he was happy to wait for two weeks. We agreed that I would go to the station the first Wednesday after I returned from the holiday.

By the time I returned, I'd forgotten all about it so I missed going there on that first Wednesday.

I ran into him at the local shops and he asked me what had happened. I admitted to my poor memory and said that I would be there the following Wednesday, forgetting (there's that memory problem again) that I was already busy and wouldn't be available. I didn't have a contact phone number, so I couldn't tell him what was happening.

I eventually saw him again and HE was going away, so we arranged it for when he returned.

In the meantime, I had to head south for Dad W's funeral, hence missing the agreed date yet again.

He saw AH during my absence and mentioned that I still hadn't attended the shed, so AH filled him in on my situation and the man said not to worry and to just turn up on a Wednesday after I returned to town.

So today was that Wednesday.

I arrived on my trike with coffee and camera in hand.

He said to me "We've just been looking at the photos. Come through and I'll show you them on the computer in the back room."

I wondered what photos he was talking about, but didn't say anything, and followed him through to the office.

He sat down at a desk top, inserted a USB stick and there appeared a set of photos of the three vehicles he wanted me to photograph.

I commented on the photos and how they needed to be taken in better light at a different time of the day. He then told me that he would like me to get on the roof and take the photos from a higher level.

That was when I asked him who took the photos.

He looked at me and said "I thought you did".

I shook my head and said "No, this is my first visit here. I haven't taken any photos yet."

So he asked a couple of men who were talking to each other nearby. "Who took these photos?"

Their reply was "AH's wife."

I said "I am AH's wife and I didn't take these pics."

"OH? Well we don't know then."

We walked outside and asked two more men and their response was "AH's wife". I repeated my answer.

We walked to the shed and asked another two men. They had the same answer "AH's wife."

When I told them that I was AH's wife, they said "No it was AH McGovern's wife."

It seems that there is another AH whose wife is also a photographer!

So here is how I believe this whole situation occurred, from beginning to end...

All of those weeks ago, at a meeting, after they had taken receipt of the new vehicles, somebody suggested that they get some good photos to put in their newsletter.

One person probably suggested that AH's wife would do it, meaning AH McGovern's wife. Another person, the man who originally asked me, got his wires crossed and thought they meant 'my' AH and me. So I was asked by one person and AH McGovern's wife was asked by another person.

She got there to take the photos before I did!

Now none of this bothers me in the slightest, but that man still wants me to go and take photos from the roof of the shed and I said that I would go take a look at the light in the early morning to figure out where and how to get the shots.

I'm now having second thoughts because, one, I don't want to step on AH McGovern's wife's toes and two, because I don't believe that I was ever the intended photographer in the first place!

Talk about confusing! I think I will withdraw my services.

I did get to spend a little time searching for more Tawny Frogmouth nests, to no avail. There are no nests in the other locations from last year. One of the trees now has a magpie nest in it, so the maggies will scare off any other birds that try to nest there.

Another tree is missing the branch where they nested last year, so they've probably gone searching elsewhere.

I'm on a mission.

Nite all.

Thawed Out

The warm Queensland Winter sunshine has today thawed my bones.

I saw my boys at the Seat of Knowledge and sat in the sun with them for about half an hour before meeting the girls for coffee at our usual haunt. There were only four of us. Mardi, Maid Marian, Reality TV Queen and myself. We had plenty to talk about because we didn't leave our table until well after 10am.

Afterwards, I really wanted to pedal around town to search out the Tawny Frogmouth nests, but I'd bought some meat from the butcher, so I had to get home with that, plus Adoring Husband was only going to be home for a few hours, so we were having our main meal as a late lunch. Food preparation was the order of the morning.

I have to mention here that I am liking my new skin care products very much! I've used all of the products now and I really like the feel of it on my skin. I'm not sure how long it's supposed to take before I'm supposed to notice any difference. I've been on the website this evening and there are pages and pages to read about so many different aspects of skincare .. including diet and exercise, organics, naturopathy, ageing etc.

I think that I may have to dedicate some reading time to that site.

Our monthly barbecue at the river was tonight, but AH had a meeting out of town, so I pedalled down to a very windy and uncomfortable evening with some very cold friends, each wearing about 3 layers of clothes. Of course, I told them to toughen up and that they had no idea what 'cold' really was!! Our barbecue lasted all of 75 minutes .. well actually, I pedalled off after 75 minutes, I guess the others may have stayed longer, but I doubt it!

I did, however, discover a new Tawny nest on the way to the barbecue *insert beaming smile here*. These Tawnies attempted to nest in the same tree for the last two years, but something caused them to toss the eggs out of the nest before they hatched. They usually do that when something happens to one of the parents .. the remaining parent knows that they can't care for the chicks on their own and so they toss the eggs.

I will be watching closely and hoping for the best this year, because the nest is quite low and I think I can get some great photos of the little chicks when they hatch. Fingers crossed!

I will do some more searching tomorrow.

My plan was to go to the movies tomorrow, but I think the movies can wait. I have other things that need to be done.

Can you believe that it's almost midnight .. again?

Nite all.

Perfect Flights

My two flights today were perfect

Both take-offs.

Both landings.

Smooth flying in perfect skies with a tail wind to bring us home early.

I peered out the window for the entire trip, both flights, and watched the ground as it changed from farmland with the long morning shadows of the trees, to mountains with misty fog undulating in the gullies, to cityscapes with sunlight glistening on the opera house and harbour bridge, the river full of ferries and thousands of small boats and yachts as it snaked toward the sea and then finally to the ocean which was the deepest cleanest blue that I've ever seen.

Heading north, on the way home from Sydney, we followed the coastline all the way. The long sandy beaches, the river mouths opening into the ocean. The small towns and the bigger cities changing the landscape. The huge cargo ships out to sea. The thick heavy cloud way out on the horizon. Then recognition as we passed over Fraser Island which was our cue to descend for landing.

The only time I looked away from the view, was when I accepted a glass of water from the flight attendant.

We landed in The Bay ten minutes earlier than expected and Adoring Husband was waiting with a big smile and open arms.

I was starving by the time we landed, so AH took us to 'Eat @ Dan & Steph's' for lunch, where we each thoroughly enjoyed a Cumin Spiced Chicken Salad and a coffee. It's the first time that we've eaten at this restaurant which is owned by the 2013 MKR winners.

The seating is not very comfortable, so we wouldn't go there for a long leisurely lunch, but the service was very friendly, the food was delicious, reasonably priced and it was served promptly.

After some grocery shopping, we came home to be greeted by three very happy and excited psychotic dogs. I think they were happy to see me :)

My head cold still hasn't set in ... I'm hoping that a miracle will occur tonight and I will wake in the morning with a completely clear head!

I've ordered our FROG box for this week.

Another exciting thing that happened today, was me being pounced upon (not literally) by a beautiful Arabic-Canadian man who was selling an organic skincare range at the airport.  He was an excellent salesman and I bought some of his product. It's an Australian made and owned company as well. I guess you'll have to watch this space to get my review in about a month.

I'm about to go use it for the first time right now before bed.

Griffith farewelled me with a chilly zero degree morning ... that's bloody cold.

It was extremely hard to say goodbye to BGWLBH this morning. It was our most difficult goodbye yet. Ugh.

So in the words of BGWLBH ...

Good Bloody Nite.    

Health Check

My health has obviously been compromised somewhere in the last two weeks.

It could have been when we got drenched at the funeral. It could be because I haven't had any bone broth or fermented veg or sunshine or exercise for the last two weeks. It could be because the temperature has ranged from 2C - 15C for almost the entire two weeks that I've been here.

Who knows?

I have that niggling raw feeling at the back of my throat, which started yesterday evening.  I've sneezed about a dozen times today and my nose has been just a touch runny.

Luckily BGWLBH had a large jar of fresh honey from the bees and bowl full of fresh lemons from her trees at hand for me to mix up a batch of hot honey and lemon. I've taken a teaspoon of honey every few hours.

I can feel my body fighting it, but I'm not sure I will win this one. Fingers crossed.

Uncle Polly Waffle arrived tonight for a few days with the family, so with everything in the fridge, we scraped together enough to prepare a feast to feed six people with leftovers for tomorrow night as well.

My bags are packed and I'm ready to go ... there is a song in that! My bag weighed 14 kgs on the way here, but I think it will weigh about 18 kgs on the way home! I did a little shopping while I was here, and yes that is unusual isn't it?????? Ha ha!

I'm NOT looking forward to climbing out of bed at 5.30am when I know it will be an icy cold predicted 1 degree Celsius!

I AM looking forward to landing in 24C and sunshine at home!

Believe it or not, it is only 9.40pm and I am already sitting up in bed as I write this, feeling snug and warm. I will attempt to sleep early in preparation for my big day of travel tomorrow so ...

Nite all.

Two More Sleeps

The time has come to bid a fond farewell and I will be flying out early Monday morning.

It's kind of bittersweet.

I'm looking forward to seeing Adoring Husband and sleeping in my own bed and cooking in my own kitchen and triking in the warm Winter sunshine, but I feel really sad to be leaving BGWLBH. I know that she has some tough times ahead of her and I wish that I lived closer so that I could visit more often.

We don't even need to talk. It's just about 'being there'. It's difficult to 'be there' when you live 1500 kilometres away!

We had a good day today. We picked up my new car ... because I'M BATMAN!

BGWLBH drew out a winner's name from the barrel ...

I submitted my photo for the flickr challenge "Australian Wildlife". This is a male 'Mallee Ringneck Parrot'. Very prolific in this area, but highly sought after in my neck of the woods.

I think BGWLBH is planning on waking me early in the morning so that we can get photos of mist on the lake, so I'd best get some sleep .. it is, once again, almost midnight!

Nite all.  

Oh The Juicy Stuff

It was a beautiful day here today. It started off a little bit cold at 4C but warmed up to a sunny 15C. A sunny 15 is much nicer and easier to handle than a cloudy or wet 15, believe me!

So I had lunch with my old workmate today.

Oh the juicy gossip! There was something for everybody! Extra-marital affairs, marriage breakups, alcoholics, children whose paternity is questionable, forced out of town transfers, divorces, overseas drug use leading to psychosis, sexual assault charges, serious medical conditions, boss and supervisor troubles and the list goes on.

We barely took a breath for the entire lunch hour. I don't even know how we ate our lunch! A most thoroughly enjoyable hour where I spent a lot of time lifting my jaw off the ground. I simply was not expecting ANY of that and loved every second of it!

It's a shame we only had an hour.

Here is a photo of BGWLBH and I, taken by her brother, with my camera, at Dad W's wake...

She bought me a beautiful silver frame, so I will print this one out and put it in the frame.

I can't believe it's almost 11.30pm .. it was only 9pm what seemed like a minute ago! Best go climb into my cocoon.

Nite all.

X-work visit

Just want to express how much I appreciate that BGWLBH has gone out of her way to provide me with takeaway coffee every morning while I've been here. Not only does my body, brain and heart appreciate the early morning caffeine hit, but it starts my day with an explosion of happiness and love that is difficult to express!

Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!

BGWLBH had some business at my old place of work today, so I tagged along and bumped into a few X-workmates, one of whom I've booked a lunch date with tomorrow.

This works out well, because BGWLBH has an appointment nearby around the same time.

I spent the morning with Mum W, and ninety minutes of that time on the phone checking out what sort of aged care packages were available with the new changes that came into effect in July this year. I spoke to a young lady, who informed me that she was 6' 4" tall .. I only assume that she was young.

After that, we had some business in town and of course .. coffee!

I'm feeling very self conscious about my teeth and have made the decision to do something about them upon my return home. My front left incisor is very crooked, very deformed, very loose and makes it difficult for me to bite anything, because there is pain when I put pressure on it. It's definitely time to take action.

I've also been day dreaming of my inner hippy and the lifestyle in my imagination ...

It's getting late, so I'm off to bed.

Nite all.

Newbie Maybe

I spent a lot of today browsing through a gozillion old photographs of Mum & Dad W's families, going WAY back. Great Great Grandparents and maybe even further back.

I love seeing the old photos and hearing stories about family members from the past. Almost everybody has at least one juicy story to tell about somebody from the family tree!

It makes me want to delve further into my own family tree. I know that there are some interesting mysteries out there about family on my Dad's side that nobody has solved and I'd really love to follow the few clues that I have and fill in the blanks.

One day maybe.

Tonight, BGWLBH and I went out to dinner with a bunch of her workmates. It was a great night. There are some crazy personalities in the group and a few good belly laughs were had by all as they told some funny work stories. I always enjoy myself when I get to spend coffee mornings or dinners with those girls (and sometimes a boy or two).

I gave these blog details to one of those girls tonight and maybe she'll log in one day .. or maybe she won't .. but here are some things you need to know if you have found your way here...

I never name names. Everybody has a pseudonym. Sometimes you will figure out who I'm talking about and sometimes you will have no idea who I'm talking about. So be prepared to be confused.

Sometimes I get very motivated and share great recipes here with step by step photos taken in my kitchen .. they will always be healthy recipes, reasonably quick to prepare and generally fairly easy.

On other motivated days, I'll share health information.

Now that I'm no longer studying, I expect to get out more often with my camera again, so I'll share photos here.

On my lazy, unmotivated days, you will be bored out of your brain with what I write. A blow by blow explanation of my very boring day from what time I get out of bed, to what I eat for each meal of the day and what time I'm going to bed.

So don't get excited about what you might find here each day. It's very hit and miss!

I have a nice cosy little audience of about 25-30 readers (that I know of) each day. Dad W was one of those readers. He hated it when I put recipes here because they were too healthy for his liking.

He wanted me to share more photos and he especially liked it when BGWLBH and I had our road trips and he would follow the blog carefully to see where we were and what we were up to and loved to see those photos.

I always thought of him as I wrote the blog each night and I already miss his presence in my cyber life.

So, to the girl (she will love that I call her a 'girl') who may or may not be joining my readers, your pseudonym, in future, will be 'Little Pattie'. I can see the confused look on your face and that's the way I like it :)

It's well after midnight so ..

Nite all

Much Ado About Everything

So much to do, so little time.

It's cold. The maximum temperature did not go higher than 10C today. The air was still damp with the heavy rains that we experienced over the last few days and the humidity was over 90% all day. I can feel the cold in my bones .. the girl who doesn't feel the cold, is DEFINITELY feeling the cold!

At least the temperature is predicted to reach 16C tomorrow!

I saw my old hairdresser today .. I could tell that he was disappointed in my current hair situation and he advised me to put a special shampoo in my hair. I wish I could remember what he said. Maybe BGWLBH will remember .. maybe 'silver' shampoo??

Back in the day, 'Magic Silver White' or 'Magic Silver Rose' were popular after putting blond in your hair, so I wonder if that's what he is talking about? I should have asked more questions, but I felt embarrassed. Not necessarily because I've let my hair go 'a la natural', but because it got rained on yesterday and it's fuzzy from the humidity and I didn't straighten it the last time I washed it, so it's very messy and fly-away and kinky.

At least I got some washing done today. Some of it I dried in the clothes dryer and the rest is hanging up in my bedroom .. the weather certainly is not conducive for drying the washing on the line.

More beautiful flowers arrived today.

Tomorrow is going to be a big day, and then we have a date with some friends tomorrow night so I'm off to bed.

It's time to start thinking about returning home. I'll make my decision tomorrow.

Nite all.

The Sky Cried

We knew as soon as we opened our eyes this morning, that the weather was NOT going to be kind.

BGWLBH and a couple of family members left the house early for a 'viewing' before the funeral and being the saint that she is, she stopped on her way back home and bought me a large take away coffee! Just what I needed to help kickstart this emotional day.

The thunder rolled in the distance, the rain steadily increased during the morning, from a light mist to a heavy downpour, the clouds grew darker and as we drove toward the cemetery, the lightning flashed across the sky.

By the time we reached the cemetery, the heavy rain had created thick red clay mud, and it was difficult to find solid footing between the mud, the puddles and tiny clumps of grass as we walked the 50 metres from where the car was parked to where the service would be held.

I think that the worst part, was the fear of being struck while walking across the grounds with an umbrella as the light show continued above us.

There were two gazebos set up on the lawn. One with Dad W's coffin and a dozen folding chairs. The other right beside it with some matting on the ground and with enough room to shelter about fifteen people standing very close together.

Water poured through the gap between the two gazebos splashing onto the ground and creating a very moist atmosphere.

A couple of minutes before the service was due to start, about 60 people emerged from their parked cars, all opening their umbrellas as more lightning flashed across the sky and the sound of booming thunder followed immediately after.

There simply wasn't enough room under the gazebos, so everybody stood in the rain for the service, some sharing umbrellas, some very elderly, some in work uniforms and all looking very sombre.

The service was wonderful and the celebrant did a great job of reading the eulogy and the tributes. People laughed at some of the stories that were shared as they recognised Dad W's silly sense of humour within them.

There were moments for all of us where we struggled to hold it together, but 25 minutes later, it was all over and everybody was rushing to their car to find shelter from the weather. It did not let up for the entire service and in fact, I think it got heavier during that time. The only thing missing was wind!

BGWLBH requested that instead of receiving people in the wet, that they all go to the Leagues Club to pay their respects, so we were all able to get to dry ground as soon as possible. I think that was a suggestion appreciated by everyone.

When we arrived at the wake, there was one wall adorned with photos of Dad W, the staff with whom he had worked over 30+ years as Manager of the Griffith Leagues Club, as well as photos of the renovations and new buildings that he oversaw during his time. There were a number of gentlemen all looking at the photos and recognising old friends and telling a few tales about the history of the club.

The Leagues Club generously gave the family, the use of the auditorium and provided all of the food and drinks for the wake, as their token of respect for the man that Dad W was, and for two hours, his friends and family shared stories and we all felt the love.

One elderly man asked me to take a photo of him standing beside the oil painted portrait of Dad W and he told me stories of Dad W's generosity and friendship over the years. He was obviously sad to have lost his friend and if the weather had been better, he would have given his own tribute at the service. I have promised to send him a copy of the photo.

BGWLBH gave a thank you speech, which was a bit emotional and well received.

I met up with some people from my past and caught up on lots of news.

About two hours later, the crowd had dwindled to just a few family members, so they all took Mum W home and BGWLBH and I spent some quiet time together debriefing and going over our perceptions of the funeral and the people who attended.

We arrived home later to find the living room lined with chairs and family were all in little groups and filling the room with chatter. Tea and coffee had been served and the strong scent of the many bouquets of flowers filled the room.

By now, I was beginning to feel quite exhausted and as we all made our way next door to brother W's house for another barbecue to use up all the meat and salads that had accumulated over the weekend, I was grateful for the opportunity to sit quietly in a corner and eat my dinner, then sneak out and head back to the main house to have some alone time.

At 7.30pm I was struggling to keep my eyes open and BGWLBH decided to get an early night herself, so I washed all the tea and coffee cups and headed to my room.

It's been an exhausting, emotional and full day.

Now I need to close my eyes.

Nite all.