Simply Saturday

I woke to the sound of rain blowing against the windows this morning.

So instead of going for my morning ride, I made myself comfortable and enjoyed some morning reading in bed until around 8.30am.

As much as I wanted to go straight to my workspace, I decided that the housework had been neglected for long enough and so I spent the morning cleaning the main bathroom and toilet, sweeping floors, clearing clutter and finding homes for the shoes and handbags that I've scattered throughout the house in the last couple of weeks.

I did some washing and returned all of my journals, books and art pens to my workspace from the lounge room (which was beginning to look like an office!).

During my decluttering, I found some paperwork from the financial advisor that still needed to be read before we sign off next week, so I sat at my desk and read half of it before I decided to prepare lunch.

Adoring Husband and I watched the Aussies defeat Pakistan in the Test Cricket over lunch and then I returned to the kitchen to create some deliciousness.

Lime cheesecake with raspberry gel topping ...

It's an adapted recipe from one that I made for my LeReve party a few weeks ago. I've made my own version so that I can use it on my site, which is why it took so long to create today. Writing down every step and taking photos .. you know the drill.

I finished in the kitchen and Adoring Husband did the tag team thing and swapped places with me. He cleaned the kitchen so that I could start again and cook dinner!

Duck breast and salad, followed by Lime Cheesecake of course!

So having performed my wifely duties today (and by that I mean 'housework'), I intend to spend the next two days at my workspace. I have a very long 'to do' list that needs attention.

10.30pm and I'm off to bed.

Nite all.

Time Flies!

I received a text message from Reality TV Queen early this morning, inviting me into The Bay for a bit of gambling and some lunch. It's been about 6 weeks or more since I had a gambling hit, so I jumped at the chance to join her for the day.

We stopped at Aldi first where I bought some fruit and veg. I found a newsagent to check my Powerball ticket - alas I did not win $55million - but I did find some lovely new journals (and you can never have too many journals).

We then headed to the RSL club, where we gambled to our heart's content and suffered through a roast pork lunch with very dry pork and very chewy crackle, then gambled some more before heading home. We were home by 2.30pm.

On the drive home, I received a phone call from Adoring Husband to say that he was called to work because there was a snake and he had to organise the snake catcher to come remove it. It was only a green tree snake, but it was quite large and scared a few people, including AH!

I spent the afternoon planning and booking and organising a trip down to Canberra in February for a two day conference that I'm keen to attend. I spent forty minutes figuring out the least expensive way to get there and another forty minutes organising accommodation.

By the time I'd finished, it was almost 5.30pm, so I jumped up to prepare dinner. As I sat down to eat it, I looked at my watch and saw that it was 6.20pm and suddenly realised that it was Friday night and I should have been at the club!!

Adoring Husband had asked me much earlier in the afternoon if I was going to the club, but somewhere between his question and the time that I should have been getting ready, my brain pushed the information into a dark corner where I couldn't see it!

Looking on the bright side, I got to see this lovely sunset from my front door ...

Apologies to the girls who were expecting me at the club tonight, but I bet there were a billion tourists there taking all the chairs and being noisy! Haha.

Well it's after 10.30pm. I'm off to bed.

Nite all.

Creating Recipes

I pedalled down to visit the boys at the Seat of Knowledge this morning, but they had all made a run for it due to the rain - not that I would call it rain - it was really just a very fine mist.

So with nobody to sit with, I decided to take a long ride. I rode to the beach, parked the trike, kicked off my thongs at the bottom of the stairs and headed out to the waterline.

The tide was quite low, but was on it's way in, so I didn't have far to walk. I splashed through the shallows in my bare feet and walked for about 20 minutes. I didn't want to go too far because the skies were looking very ominous!

This was taken with my phone camera. I walked back to my thongs and decided to trike around town until 9am when the Post Office was due to open.

I checked for mail, bought a couple of groceries and pedalled the long way home. My completed activities for today are 4,124 steps walking and 7kms riding, but my watch is not happy with that. It tells me I need to do more. If my watch doesn't stop harassing me, I'm going to turn that button off permanently!

I wasn't feeling very motivated for working on the website today, so instead, I decided to create a recipe which I will eventually post on my new recipe page when it's up and running.

I made smoked cod and sweet potato patties. The first batch were a bit bland because I forgot to season them, but I added the seasoning before cooking the second batch and they were delicious.

As you can see, I served them with rocket, pear and walnut salad topped with my special green dressing and some kimchi on the side. The mix made 24 patties and there are only six left, so I guess that's a good indication of their taste.

It took me quite a bit longer to make them, having to write down all the ingredients and measurements as I went and remembering to stop and write down each step of the method is tricky too! Oh and I had to stop and take a photo of each step as well!

After we ate lunch, I sat on the couch and watched the cricket in between writing some more notes and adding to the outline of the new book idea.

I added another ten recipes to the list for posting on the website over the coming months, and I browsed through my recipe books to find some that I'd converted or adapted over the years.

I scoured through Pinterest and found some stuff to add to my Romance Your Life Pinterest page ... one day I will be motivated to finish that too lol.

So even though I didn't work on my actual website, I did a lot of stuff to contribute to it later, and that's ok.

Anyway it's after 10pm so I'm off to bed!

Nite all.

 

Getting Trivial

Well, unfortunately, my art class did not happen.

The teacher runs the classes in a shed in her back yard and she says it's just too hot to run classes at this time of the year, so she has gone away for a month and the classes will commence near the end of February.

It kind of suited me. It gives me a chance to focus on the website (and hopefully finish it) before I have to focus on sculpting!

Since I'd psyched myself into a day of art, I wasn't sure what to do with my time, so I rode down to see the boys at the Seat of Knowledge, bought some tomatoes for our lamb shank dinner, then went for a 6km trike ride.

I had taken a book to read down by the river, but there were too many people around (bloody tourists), so I rode home feeling a bit discombobulated.

While I was gone, Adoring Husband had returned from The Bay and was busy in the shed, finishing his new work station.

I spent an hour at my desk attaching my logo to all of my social media sites and pages, which took me to lunchtime.

Sausages were on the menu for lunch and I made an avocado mixture with chopped onion and capsicum and the yummy dressing from last night's dinner. I piled that into a lettuce cup and served it with some kimchi alongside the sausages.

After lunch I prepared the lamb shanks for the slow cooker so that we would have an easy meal before going to trivia tonight.

The website wasn't calling to me today, so I wrote in my journal, added my three notes of gratitude to my Appreciation journal and then decided to scribble some notes about a book idea that I have. I tell you, I have so many ideas spinning around in my head! Is it any wonder that I can't get to full speed on the website!

Late this afternoon we got ready for trivia, picked up The Blonde Bombshell from her house and drove to the club to meet Tweedledee and her husband The Garden Guru.

I don't think I've ever seen so many people in the club! There was a long line of people, almost all tourists, queuing to order their meals and they had filled all the tables in the room.

One of the Burrum ladies from our luncheons was sitting at a table with her family and they were finishing off their meals, so they promised us their table. In the meantime we sat with other friends chatting until the table was free.

It was loud and crowded and busy. Almost all of the tourists stayed to play trivia. There are usually about 6 or 7 teams for trivia, but tonight, there were 16!! The couple who run it, Nobody's Fool and The Cheeky Goblin, did a fantastic job, really keeping their cool under difficult circumstances and keeping everybody entertained and happy.

It was a good night and we came 7th out of the 16 teams. None of us were really on the ball tonight, and it was difficult to hear each other over the noise. I didn't answer many questions at all and of the ones I did answer, I got quite a few wrong!! Ah well, February is another month. We'll smash it in February!

Here I am breaking my New Year's Resolution ... it's almost midnight! I should have been in bed at least an hour ago!

Nite all.

Too Many Tourists

Honestly! They're everywhere!

It's tourist season and there is no escaping them. As much as I want to rant ... and I have this big spiel in my head ... I will show restraint, but I just needed to put it out there!

It was a pleasant coffee with the girls this morning, although there were only four of us.

Adoring Husband and I drove into to town for a spot of grocery shopping, where we were greeted by another overwhelming wave of tourists. Ugh.

I restocked my coconut ice cream supply, went to a closing down sale and got some bargains, bought four tops for $43 - gotta love this time of year for sales! Checked my lotto tickets and it seems my dream of becoming a multimillionaire didn't come to fruition.

We were home before 3pm and the psychotic dogs were very excited to see us .. probably because the house was like a sauna and they just wanted to get outside!

I was excited to receive my finished logos for Romance Your Life.

There are different sizes and different configurations for all the social media sites and for the website itself. These are just a few. I'm very happy with the results, especially because I got input from a couple of friends and between the designer, my friends and myself, we came up with something that I love.

It's been described as a "lush, green, fertile planet full of life, passion and fun" and "like looking into the depths of a beautiful green ocean" Those descriptions bring a smile to my heart.

I hope to be attending my first art class tomorrow, although I haven't heard from my lift, and I don't have her phone number, so I hope she hasn't forgotten me!

Now I need to get to bed, so that I can be fresh and alert and creative and artistic tomorrow!

Nite all.

Surge to a Stop

Thank goodness for a solid night of sleep!

I visited the boys at the Seat of Knowledge this morning, which was fun. They were in fine form and we had some good giggles.

From there I shopped for some vegetables to have with dinner tonight and then returned home to get started on the website.

I had a fabulously productive morning, working solidly until noon, at which time I prepared our lunch and sat with Adoring Husband while we ate.

I returned to my desk and was feeling very pleased with myself until I had to update a plugin.

I clicked the update button and up popped a message.

Computer:  'Make sure to backup before upgrading. Files and settings may get lost or changed.'
My brain:  "What?"

So I google search "How do I backup my website before performing updates?"

Twenty minutes later I'm following the instructions and another question appears, which seems totally unrelated to my current workflow.

Computer:  'Would you like to point your Domain?'
My brain:  "What?"

So I google "What does 'point your domain' mean?"

After thirty minutes of reading, I decided that I did not need to point my domain - but I still don't understand what the heck it means!

I move on. But not for long. The next question appears.

Computer:  'Do you wish to configure the account to work with a mail client?'
My brain:  "What?"

I check on my host's site to figure out if I need to do this. Twenty minutes later, I decide that I don't need to configure my account and I'm not 100% sure what that means either!

Finally I backup my website and then go to update the plugin.

I click on the update button and it takes me to a sign in screen for the plugin. It asks me for a username and password.

I open my book of usernames and passwords and there is nothing there for this particular plugin.

My brain:  "What now?"

I look at the clock and it's 4.30pm. Nothing!  That's what!  I give up for the day!

I now have a 'to do' list for tomorrow that contains twelve items and not one of them is going to be easy. I certainly hope that my caffeine withdrawals don't peak tomorrow, or I'll be in big trouble.

There is one thing I can do tonight that I will appreciate tomorrow. Go to bed early.

It's almost 10pm, so this is where I will leave you.

Nite all.

First of the Year

"I plan on starting the new year on a high, with plenty of motivation to get things done."

That is what I declared on New Year's Eve. It's now New Year's Day. How motivated do you think I was?

For a start, I was in bed last night before 11.30pm and I lay in the dark, with my eyes closed, but feeling VERY awake, until 2.30am.

I tried all of my tricks for falling asleep and obviously, none of them were successful. I didn't even have any thoughts running through my head to keep me awake. I have no idea why sleep eluded me, but the longer it took, the more annoyed I became.

I knew that my New Year's Day motivation was draining away and my energy levels would be very low with so little sleep.

Some time after 2.30am, I finally fell asleep, but strangely, I was wide awake again at 7am!

Of course, it was not helpful that I made the decision yesterday to quit coffee again, so I didn't even have the support of a nice hit of caffeine.

So I climbed out of bed and decided that a refreshing shower might help. It did. Briefly.

Pacing myself over 90 minutes, I drank my warm lemon water, followed by my beetroot, radish, carrot, raw honey, black seed oil, powdered pawpaw seed, coconut water and ginger kombucha drink of which I'd made a big batch yesterday and still had a glass leftover for this morning, and finally a large glass of filtered water.

We had leftovers from last night for lunch.

When Adoring Husband drove off to get his afternoon coffee, I threw beetroot, radish, carrot, pawpaw, ground pawpaw seed, black seed oil, coconut water and kombucha in the blender and then  poured it into a tall glass with lots of ice.

Try as I might, there was nil motivation for website work today, so instead of feeling guilty and annoyed, I decided to just write the day off and pretend it was a recovery day.

I did liaise with my logo designer and tested the designs that she sent me for Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Flickr. I wrote in my journal. I filled out some of January and February on my wall planner. I answered some emails and deleted a lot. That's about all that I accomplished today, but I'm not going to beat myself up about it.

The other problem with today, was the oppressive heat. I'd just finished telling The Motivator yesterday morning, that the weather here had been bearable, and ever since I opened my mouth, the weather has been stifling!

I tried to nap on the couch this afternoon and I think I had about 30 minute dozing on and off, but it was hot and Adoring Husband had the TV on full volume. That half hour helped a little.

The good thing about today (and we can always find something good), is that I've had no coffee, and as of 8.30pm, there is no sign of a headache! I may be speaking too soon, but I've been keeping myself well hydrated and making sure to consume plenty of nutrients. Let's see what tomorrow brings!

In the meantime, I'd really like to fall asleep quickly tonight and catch up from last night.

So this is where I leave you.

Happy New Year!

Nite all.

Seeing In The New Year

I'll probably be seeing the new year in behind closed eyelids!

Adoring Husband is still awake, which is very surprising considering that he has been working hard in the shed on a very hot day, making a useable workspace for himself. I expected that he would be unconscious by 7.30pm.

It is currently 10.30pm and we are watching "Singing in the Rain". It finishes at 11.30pm so we may be awake for the stroke of midnight .. though I doubt it lol.

I struggled to do anything constructive at my desk today. It was very hot (our air conditioner is still on the blink) so I found lots to do other than working on my website. I did contact my logo designer and approved her revision work on my logo.

Vegan Chickie recommended a documentary which I watched on Netflix today called "Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things." Very interesting. I am definitely not a minimalist .. you only have to look at my large pile of shoes to know that!

I repurposed an old New Years meme that I originally created in 2014 ...

... and posted it on Facebook.

Adoring Husband and I drove to the shops to get coffee this afternoon and the queue for ice creams was VERY long. Our town is filled with tourists at the moment and the caravan parks are full ... I'm guessing it's not too pleasant in those tents and camper vans!

I plan on starting the New Year on a high, with plenty of motivation to get things done!

My new year's resolution is to get more sleep. I plan on going to bed earlier and getting between 7-8 hours of sleep every night. It's probably the one bad habit that has caused me the most grief this year - 5-6 hours of sleep is not conducive to good health, so that's what I will focus on in 2017.

Having said that ... it's already after 11pm!! That's not a good start! So I'm off.

Happy New Year everybody!

Nite all.

Friday Frenzy

Today was certainly not as productive as the last two days.

I came across a couple of obstacles that brought me to a sudden stop and it took me a while to figure out what to do each time, so it was slow going.

If I'd been on as good a roll as yesterday and Wednesday, I might have foregone my Friday night at the Bowls Club and continued working, but as it was, I needed the time out as well as a couple of drinks with the girls to wind down.

We were all unlucky in the raffles, the 100 club, the lotsapots and the membership draws.

When I arrived at the club tonight, and before I walked inside to greet the girls, I decided to go take a look at the renovations that are going on at the other end of the club.

Apparently the builders are almost two weeks ahead of schedule and right now, it's easy to figure out the floor plan and layout. I estimate that it should be ready to open inside 6 weeks, if all goes well.

So here we are at 9.15pm and I am well and truly ready for bed.

Adoring Husband didn't go for the afternoon coffee run today, so there is no caffeine pumping though my veins to keep me awake until after midnight.

I'm feeling decidedly weary and I have no news, no memes, no quotes, no videos and no photos to share.

This will be very light Saturday morning reading for some.

Having an early night might mean that I can go visit my boys at the boat ramp early tomorrow.

I'm even going to beat Adoring Husband to bed!!

Nite all.

On A Roll

Another good day at the office.

I've written the first post for each of my pages on the site, ie 5 posts. I've made some more changes to the website .. I guess that's the good thing about it taking so long to complete, I get to make improvements before people even see it.

I completed a few pages of my business workbook.

Adoring Husband and I both walked along the beach this afternoon and that helped me complete my watch's bossy health check for the day. I fulfilled the exercises, the movement and the breathing requirements. Yes, I am still breathing lol.

Tonight, I stood in the kitchen for almost two hours cooking 60 chicken and pork meatballs. If I was smarter, I'd have used two frypans, which is what I would normally do, but I was a bit brain dead after my day at the desk, so like a dazed and confused stupid person, I only used one frypan and spent half of my evening in the freaking kitchen, cooking six or seven meatballs at a time.

What a doofus! They tasted pretty good though and now AH has lunch prepared for tomorrow and I can work through the lunch period.

We watched a fantastic Big Bash 20/20 game of cricket tonight. The result came down to the wire and the game was won with the very last ball bowled. The Perth Scorchers needed 3 runs off the final ball to defeat the Melbourne Renegades and Ashton Agar hit a massive six off the final ball.

We are really enjoying the Big Bash cricket every night. Television viewing is not great at this time of the year, but the cricket is holding our interest.

Even better, the tennis will be starting in a couple of weeks!!

I've just realised that it's after midnight! Gotta go!!

Nite all.

  

Good Day at the Office

Today was a good day.

I still didn't get as much done as I wanted, but I'd probably say 80% of my 'to do' list was completed.

I've changed my website address slightly, asked my designer to change one small aspect of my logo, tweaked a couple of things on my site, updated some plugins, changed some passwords, had some discussions with my domain host, used my rebounder four times, made lunch, cooked dinner, done three loads of washing and brought Adoring Husband's washing in off the line and folded it, answered and deleted many, many emails and written out tomorrow's 'to do' list.

If the next two days can be as productive as today, which they SHOULD because I don't have to do any washing AND I feel like I'm on a roll, I'm certain that the site can be live by Monday. Who knows what new obstacle will fall in front of me between now and then?  Fingers crossed it's clear sailing from here!

I only completed about half of the health activities requested of me by the bossy watch today.

Such sad news about both George Michael and Carrie Fisher this week. We've lost so many talented well known names this year. I truly admired Carrie Fisher and I really hoped that she would pull through after they announced that she was in a stable condition in hospital. I almost feel like I've lost a friend and ally.

As we edge closer to the end of 2016 and look forward to a fresh new start in 2017, I thought I'd share the last Christmassy, festive meme before the season comes to an end.

... and on that note, at 11.30pm, it's bed time for me.

Nite all.  

My Vision

Well! There is one more thing crossed off my 'to do' list for 2016.

Finally! I've completed my 2017 vision board - actually I have three more things that I want to add to it, but I don't have them at hand just yet - hopefully in the next couple of days, however, it is complete enough to remove from my desk and hang on the wall, where my eyes can view it, my brain can process it and I can both consciously and subconsciously begin to fulfil my visions for 2017.

This morning I received the first draft of my new logo from a very talented artist/graphic designer from the Canary Islands. She has done a terrific job and I love it! That should be finalised by the new year (maybe even Friday) and I'll share it here as soon as I receive it!

Coffee with the girls was fun this morning. The Blonde Bombshell brought her little granddaughter along and Tweedle Dee arrived a bit later because she had been at work.

We had some good laughs, especially at The Old Speckled Hen's expense. I wish that I could re-tell the story here, but it's not my story to tell. Just know that it was jaw dropping, gasp inducing and even brought on a squeal of horror!

I put my Apple Watch to good use today, by going for a long trike ride and spending four x ten minute stretches on the rebounder, which means that I completed over 100% of my required movement for the day. I walked for 2kms, triked for 5kms, rebounded for 40 mins and was on my feet often enough that the watch did not once tell me that it was time to stand up.

I doubt that I will put as much effort into tomorrow's activity requirements.

While I fed Adoring Husband beef casserole that I had in the freezer for dinner, I finished off the bag of lychees that the J half of The Inveterate Travellers offered me yesterday. OMG so sweet and juicy and delicious. A little bag of heaven right there.

We've had some crazy rain this afternoon, and according to a story on the NEWS tonight, we are likely to receive a few more downpours like that over the next few days.

That's fine with me, because I intend to spend the next 3 days in my workspace (while pleading with the workspace gods to not throw any interruptions my way) and I plan on making my way through my 'to do' list in the most regimented way possible.

I am absolutely determined to make some serious headway this week!

Here we are, not even 10pm and I am off to bed for an early night. If the psychotic dogs allow it, I will get a good night's sleep and be up bright an early to start a good day's work.

Nite all.

A Day Boxed Up

I wish I'd taken photos today.

I took my camera, but it sat in the ute all day.

The scenery was beautiful, the weather was cloudy and mild, the water divine, the company warm and friendly, the food delicious and the wine was just right.

Aside from the short stretch of sand driving (my second least favourite thing to do) and the also short stretch of 4WDing over hill and dale (my absolutely least favourite thing to do), it was a most pleasant way to spend Boxing Day.

We sat our chairs in the shallows of the fast flowing Mary River and let the water flow freely through the legs of our chairs and around our own feet and legs. It was cleansing and grounding and cooling and therapeutic.

Adoring Husband had a successful go on a kayak, rowing around in circles for a little while.

We really couldn't have asked for a better day, as far as weather goes, and until today, I hadn't met half of the people there, but they were pretty easy going and good for a laugh.

It was nice to catch up with The Inveterate Travellers - J&P - it's only been six years but J and I have kept in contact in our own small way, reading each other's blogs and commenting on the special events as they occur.

We chatted about her Mum in Toowoomba - I shall call her the Pearl of Wisdom *waves frantically* I know you're reading this!! I will visit you next time I am in Toowoomba!

After about five hours of fun and relaxation, it was time for Adoring Husband and I to pack up and head home.

We left with enough time to stop at Sexie Coffie before it closed at 6pm. We arrived there at 5.45pm - just in the nick of time!

The drive home this afternoon, was much more pleasant than the drive to Evergreen this morning, with much less traffic on the road this afternoon, nevertheless, I was relieved to pull into our driveway and be out of the holiday traffic altogether.

So many idiots on the road. I swear that Queensland drivers go to 'Special Risks' school. It's almost as if there is a competition giving a prize to the person who takes the biggest risk which can potentially cause the most damage and death possible.

The stretch of road between Tiaro and our turnoff has the worst statistics in QLD for car accidents and road deaths, so you can understand my discomfort, especially in holiday season.

We made it home safe n sound and are both feeling pretty relaxed after such a pleasant day. So a big thank you to The Best Cousin in the World for inviting us to your river for the day. We loved it.

My pillow is now calling me so ...

Nite all.

A Very Movie Christmas

There are two ways that I enjoy spending Christmas.

The very best Christmases are spent with family, but unfortunately, they are very few and far between.

The next best Christmases are spent at home with Adoring Husband, doing absolutely nothing.

He kindly allowed me to sleep past stupid o'clock this morning. He brought my coffee to me and then brought all the gifts from under the tree, to the bed, so we sat up in bed tearing paper off presents and making animated sounds in appreciation of our haul!

My favourite gift was ten mini metal tongs and two large stainless steel tongs. I am forever losing tongs! They disappear from my kitchen utensil drawer and I blame Adoring Husband all the time, lecturing him incessantly and practising my best nagging techniques on him.

I shouldn't run out of tongs for a while.

I also received from Adoring Husband, "Bridget Jones' Baby" dvd, an Apple Watch and a charging station. Bubbles and Knight in Shining Armour gave us money, with which we bought the complete original series of Batman and Robin (for me) and some Star Trek rubbish for AH.

I bought AH a garden blower and vacuum.

So we did very well for ourselves!

It took a while to set up my watch and sync all of my devices, then I had to complete an update on my MacBook Pro.

Finally, we made ourselves presentable and went visiting. A local man in town, whom we like to label "The Major" has been inviting us around for a Christmas drink ever since we moved here, and today, for the first time ever, we knocked on his door.

He was very surprised! We were invited in and he was trying to put together his Christmas present, but had reached the point that triggered the stress hormones, so Adoring Husband followed him into the work shed and helped him. It only took ten minutes and The Mayor was very grateful.

We spent about an hour chatting with him and his wife The Happy Holidayer, before returning home for lunch.

It was a huge spread of seafood and fruit ... messy, but delicious!

After lunch, we watched the Bridget Jones movie.

The remainder of the day has been spent on the phone having Christmas chats with Bubbles and with Number One Son, and watching Christmas movies and some Batman and Robin.

Dinner was leftover seafood and salad.

And now, the day is done. Another Christmas done and dusted.

It must be time for bed.

Nite all.

The Eve of Christmas

You know what it's like when you set your alarm and you know you have to wake up early?

It's impossible to sleep soundly. I tossed and turned and the dogs got me up once during the night (what sort of a stupid habit are they developing?), and I was wide awake, long before my alarm sounded.

We were on the other side of The Bay before the clock even reached 6.30am.

We found a little fresh seafood place around the corner from Urangan Fisheries, but they only took cash, so we drove around the corner to our original destination, but the queue was a mile long (already!), so we drove to the marina, found an ATM and returned to our first stop.

By the time we pulled away from the curb, our esky was chock-a-block full of seafood - for just the two of us!

The pier markets were our next stop. We found coffee and I spent money on stuff that I did not need (as you do at markets). A couple of crystals for the frangipani trees in our front yard. A lucky golden cat with a waving arm. A little leather purse for club nights. A bag of tomatoes. A big bouquet of flowers.

We returned to the car and still, it was not even 8am.

I needed to replenish my supply of peppermint chocolate chip coconut ice cream, but Go Natural didn't open until 8.30am.

The decision was made to go eat breakfast at Aquavue, but as we rounded the corner to the eating area, there were about 50 bicycles lined up along the fence and the 50 riders were all seated in the cafe. We took an immediate U-turn and decided instead to go for a walk along the beach.

It was a stunningly beautiful morning ...

We didn't get very far along the beach before my body decided that it needed to rid itself of some coffee, so once again, we took a U-turn and walked back to the public amenities.

They were disgustingly filthy and I had to do some heavy duty cleaning before using the loo. Ew. Gross!!

Finally, we could get my ice cream!

From there, Dan Murphy's was our next stop. Another 30 minute wait for 9am to arrive. There was a very long queue of people waiting in both directions, including impatient children and teenagers. When the doors opened, we were in and out very quickly.

We arrived home at 9.30am and unpacked the car.

Once again I attempted to do some website work, but the brain couldn't focus, so instead I worked on my vision board and did some artwork to add to it. I wrote my story of what I want for 'me' in 2017 and recruited a young lady to create a logo for Romance Your Life.

I joined Adoring Husband in the lounge room but he was watching a Dr Who Christmas Special marathon on the Syfy channel on Foxtel. Not my cup of tea at all. So I had a whinge and waited until 4.30pm for my 'Love Actually' date with Vegan Chickie and Chicklet (who insisted that she is a "G" girl and should be included in this tradition).

One large packet of potato chips and half a tub of peppermint choc chip ice cream later, the movie was over for another year, but thoroughly enjoyable, as always!

Now, I am going to wrap Adoring Husband's Christmas presents before I head to bed.

Adoring Husband is like a small child on Christmas morning and always wakes me up at stupid o'clock to open what's under the tree.

It's already 10.45pm and will be much later when I've wrapped the presents. So this is your warning my darling!!! Stupid o'clock is not an option!!

From Adoring Husband and I ...

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Nite all.

Merry Service

Last night, I enjoyed an unusually early night. I was in bed before 8pm reading, and asleep by 9.15pm, only to be woken by two of the psychotic dogs at 12.15am and again at 2.30am for a trip outside for toileting requirements. Just a little bit annoying!

At 3.30am, Adoring Husband got out of bed to calm the other psychotic dog who was carrying on like a pork chop. She has PTSD since the tornado, so every time it rains, she panics and cries and howls if left alone. I know how she feels!! So the rain disturbed her during the night and she disturbed AH.

AH served my coffee bedside at about 6am and I sat up in bed reading until it was time to get ready for a trip to the Bay.

We headed into town at 9am to have some photos developed and from there, Adoring Husband dropped me off at Stocklands Shopping Mall while he went shopping at my least favourite place in town, Bunnings.

I desperately needed some retail therapy, and there were heaps of 50% off sales, so I bought myself number of tops at a couple of different shops and a lovely mint coloured bath mat.

The girls serving in the shops were all very happy and friendly. Considering how busy the centre was, it was nice to receive such friendly service. Well done to them!

We bought a couple of large take away coffees before braving the supermarket, where we needed to buy dog food. It was crazy busy in there!

We ran into Lady Lynn also bustling her way through the throngs of crazy trolly pushers.

Luckily, by the time we reached the checkouts, there were a couple of self serve spots free, so we quickly scanned our groceries and made a hasty escape to the car park. From there it took us ten to fifteen minutes to get through ridiculous traffic to the street.

AH was clever enough to take the back road, so we avoided the traffic lights and long queues and rather quickly found ourselves on the road home.

It was good to be home before lunch and after unpacking the groceries, I attempted to get some work done at my desk but it was still difficult to focus, so I gave up and decided to watch a movie instead. "Finding Dory" was my movie of choice and I really enjoyed it.

AH accompanied me to the club tonight, which was nice, and for the first time in a while, I drank wine with the girls. There were only three of the usuals there tonight and we were not the slightest bit lucky. It was a pleasant evening.

We need to be up bright and early to drive into Urangan to buy our fresh seafood for Christmas Day and the pier markets are on tomorrow, so we'll stop there for a quick look. The last time I bought fresh flowers from the markets, they lasted about two weeks, so I hope that stall is open again tomorrow.

I need to replace the Peppermint and Choc Chip coconut ice cream that I've eaten over the last two days. I think I like it even more than the salted caramel!

So on that note, I should head to bed. Much sleep is required!

Nite all.

Done for the Day

I am off to bed for an early, early night.



Tomorrow is going to be a better day.

I won't have it any other way.

Nite all.

Topsy Turvy

"Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get." Forest Gump

The twists and turns in life sure keeps us on our toes! What a year it's been for the family. More on that another time.

Our appointment with the financial advisor was long and overwhelming with so much information to take in and lots of paperwork to read at our leisure over the Christmas break. It was an interesting 80 minutes that we were pleased to be finished with!

We met Best Cousin in the World and Marco Polo at Aquavue and enjoyed a relaxing early lunch talking and laughing about family quirks (for want of a better word). We met her friend, The Peaceful Warrior, who was also a lot of fun and who willingly joined in our conversation.

From there, we were originally going to the movies to see "Rogue One" but Adoring Husband decided that he wasn't in the mood to sit down for another two hours, so we went on a shopping spree instead.

Go Natural was our first stop where I bought three tubs of coconut ice cream to keep me satisfied over the Christmas/NewYear break. I plan on eating at least an entire 500ml tub while watching "Love Actually" on Christmas Eve with Vegan Chickie.

JB Hifi was next where I considered buying the latest Bridget Jones move, but AH, much to his frustration, told me that I didn't need it (I guess it's one of the gifts under our tree!). I got 'Finding Dory' and 'The Secret Life of Pets' - for ME, not Chicklet lol.

I also paid for a Star Trek dvd that AH was going to buy himself - but now he's not allowed to watch it til Christmas Day. Haha.

We considered buying a portable air conditioner to keep us covered until our new unit is installed in February, but decided that $700-$800 was a bit too much to spend on something that we would only use for two months.

Instead, we opted for a good quality pedestal fan and now we each have one to blow a cool breeze directly on us in the lounge room.

Grocery shopping and lotto tickets. I'm either going to win $25million tomorrow night, or $31million on New Years Eve. That will be a nice way to start 2017 and of course, I'll share with my favourite people!

I also bought myself two more journals. I've lost count now!

We had an amazing sunset tonight - right on dinner time - so I only got a quick pic with my phone.

I am looking at tomorrow optimistically with the expectation of having a satisfying and productive day at my desk. It's now 9pm so it's even possible that I'll get an early night!

May Thursday be kind to you!

Nite all.
  

Energised

Can you feel the energy in the air?

For various reasons, 2016 has not been a good year for a lot of people. It has been so bad, in fact, that the positive energy building for people's expectations for 2017 is palpable!

I have lost count of how many locals are having huge family gatherings for Christmas. The last few years have been different, with many people "having a quiet one".

Adoring Husband and I are having a "quiet one" this year.

The energy in our town is charged with vibrant, positive happiness. It's lovely!

So I was thinking of things that we can do to start 2017 in a way that brings you happiness and self love. Changing the way that we care for ourselves proactively.

Make a list of all the small things that do, or could, bring you pleasure.

• Eating lunch outside
• Taking 15 minutes during the morning for coffee and a good book
• Sliding in between crisp clean sheets
• A long relaxing bubble bath
• Spend 15 minutes playing your favourite music and dancing around the room
• Baking your favourite muffins
• Writing a letter or receiving a hand written letter
• Singing REALLY loud when you're alone in your car
• Watching your favourite movie on dvd or Netflix
• Buying yourself fresh flowers to display in your favourite vase
• Enjoying an afternoon nap
• Phoning a friend for a leisurely catch up
• Watching a sunset or sunrise
• Bringing a smile to somebody's face
• Walking along the beach with bare feet and splashing in the shallows
• Picnic at the park
• Talking to the dog (or cat)
• Creating art with the grandkids
• Relaxing in bed after you wake up and planning your happy day
• Meditate
• Stretch
• Start a 'gratitude' journal
• Plan a trip with friends
• Stroll around your garden 
• Go through your old photo albums
• Visit a friend or neighbour
• Browse your recipe books and find something easy and delicious to make
• Go for a swim
• Take yourself on a solo date
• Tell somebody you care about, what makes them special to you
• Be kind to yourself - look in the mirror and tell yourself what makes YOU special
• Doodling
• Have a 'no housework' day
• Give yourself a manicure or pedicure (or shout yourself a professional one)
• Go to the markets
• Walk around the block
• Make a jug of water infused with your favourite fruit and drink it during the day
• Eat your favourite dessert (any time of the day)
• Diffuse your favourite essential oil
• Spend time on your favourite craft or hobby

Those are 40 things that I could come up with off the top of my head. You may only come up with 20, or you might have 50 or even more!

For the next 100 days, do ONE thing off your list every day. It might be the same thing three days in a row - it doesn't matter - as long as you do something that makes YOU happy.

It might only be for ten minutes of the day.

It might be an entire day for just you.

Be mindful. Be in the moment. Feel your happiness. No ... I mean REALLY FEEL it!

It's easy to take those happy, self indulgent moments for granted and they pass by without even being acknowledged. They are much more enjoyable and much more therapeutic when you soak it up.

I enjoyed a relaxed and happy coffee morning with the girls today, was productive at my desk and this afternoon Adoring Husband and I soaked up some sunshine, felt the sand between our toes and the wind in our hair as we walked along the beach hand in hand.

It was a glorious afternoon with lots of people swimming in the warm water and we were greeted by plenty of friendly dogs and puppies along the way.

I was grateful for some more time at my desk before preparing an easy dinner of leftover lamb shanks for Adoring Husband, while I enjoyed a toasted ham and salad sandwich. We opened and sliced our Christmas ham at lunch today. Yum!

A nice early night for me tonight. We have a BIG day planned for tomorrow, including an appointment with the financial advisor, lunch with the Best Cousin in the World and a movie date with AH to see 'Rogue One', among other things.

Have a lovely Wednesday!

Nite all.

Compassion and Individuality

The first card that I drew from my affirmation box:

"Compassion"

When you show greater compassion towards yourself, the universe automatically responds by showering you with greater blessings.

The second card I drew was from my Oracle Cards:

"Individuality"

We may all look superficially the same at first glance, but we each carry a unique genetic blueprint. You need to combat your fear and insecurities and acknowledge your personal gifts and power. Engage fully in your journey and integrate the lessons that you've experienced along the way. Don't embark on the journey if you plan on following the same way as everybody else. Add your own flavour to it and make it yours. Stop pretending that you're happy being just one of the crowd and begin seeing yourself as worthy of being heard. You have something to offer. You can, and will make a difference because you hold within your heart sacred knowledge that no-one else has, and now is the time to remember it, unveil it and share it with the world.

Kind of weird and appropriate don't you think?

Before I drew these cards, I had spent a frantic hour at the Post Office trying to figure out the cheapest and fastest way to send parcels to four different people in four very different locations.

It's not that I was poorly organised.

I had ordered some extra goodies online about a month ago and was waiting for them to arrive so that I could add them to the gifts that I'd already bought. Two weeks ago, I received an email to say that they've been shipped, BUT they are sill in transit as we speak and I just couldn't wait any longer! I should have known better than to order anything from overseas.

So today was as far as I could stretch the wait and I sent everything by Express Post. Now I have all my body parts crossed, hoping that they arrive at their destinations before Christmas!

I really worked up a sweat at the PO, so I figured I deserved another coffee haha.  From there, I stopped at The Motivator's house to get the address of one of the ladies who attended the Le Reve party. I wished her a Happy Christmas with her family, gave her partner, The Fisher King, some advice about being happy while surrounded by noisy family and headed home.

I threw some lamb shanks in the slow cooker with lamb and chicken stock from the freezer. 

There was little time to spend at my desk before the air conditioning guy came to measure up for a quote for the new AC system. He was here for about 45 minutes, climbing in the roof to quote for the ducted AC and then measuring walls, both inside and out, to quote for split system ACs.

The insurance company called and will send somebody else out to quote. We will get a couple of other quotes too. Whatever happens, it will be, at the very earliest, the beginning of February before anything gets done. We are preparing for a long hot Summer. 

I filled out more of my workbook and completed my list of 100 things to do in 2017. It was much easier to fill out this year, than it was last year. I don't think I even came up with 100 things last year! I must have a look at that list and see how many of them I actually completed.

Ok, I just checked the list ... I only thought of 78 things to put on the list last year and I completed 46 of them. Funnily enough, I have already listed the things that I didn't do last year, on this year's list!

We were supposed to attend a Christmas party at Cheelii lagoon this afternoon. It was organised by the people who live in that section of town, but the rain came down twice in the hour that the party was supposed to start and we decided that we didn't want to contend with the rain AND the sandflies. We must be getting old.

Well, our Christmas lights have gone to bed, so that's my cue to do the same.

Nite all.