After so much time away from home during the last 2 months, I'm slowly easing my way back into my life.
Adoring Husband and I spent the day watching all the TV shows that he recorded for me while I was away ... well ... SOME of them anyway.
I did make a conscious effort to pedal to the river this morning before making my way to the shops to check the mail and buy a coffee.
I haven't even unpacked my suitcase yet.
It's sitting on the floor in the dining room.
I've removed my dirty washing and washed it.
I've removed my toiletry bag and emptied it.
That's it.
Even dinner was an easy lamb shanks in red wine, tomato and onion sauce, cooked in the slow cooker. Little effort, but plenty of flavour.
I have my art class tomorrow, which I'm excited about!
On Sunday, I hope to groom the dogs ... they've waited long enough!
On Monday, I hope to sink my teeth back into my new business. Head down, bum up and no more dilly dallying!
I've just watched the first two episodes of the new season of Grace and Frankie. As much as I want to binge watch the entire series, I would like to be bright and awake for tomorrow's art class, so I'm off to bed.
Nite all.
Saturday, March 25, 2017
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Hell on Rails
My day began so perfectly.
I experienced a delicious night of sleep in a very comfortable bed. The weather was just right, with the window open and the ceiling fan on low.
Upon waking, I was able to spend 20 minutes in bed, enjoying the solitude and easing myself into the day. I showered, dressed and repacked my suitcase so that I was ready to leave at a moment's notice.
I walked out of the bedroom to find Rebel Mardi sitting in the kitchen, so I greeted her with a happy good morning and she offered to make me a delicious 'real' coffee. She made my coffee with lots of love and it was quite delicious!
The Lifesaver shared with me, his junk mail ... oh how I miss junk mail!! All of those lovely catalogues with all of those lovely sales!
Rebel Mardi and I spent a leisurely hour or so sitting on the deck talking, talking, talking and talking (we are pretty good at that).
Eventually, we packed all of my gear into the car and headed of for a morning of adventure.
The Lifesaver took me to a shop that he was certain I would love. He was right!! I could easily have spent a couple of hours wandering around that huge warehouse sized gift store and thanks to his generous offer of looking after a big item that I wanted to buy, and bringing it to me on their next visit, I bought a gorgeous big 'abundance' buddha which is now sitting in a box in the boot of their car!
From there, we drove to my favourite organic marketplace, Kunara, where we all enjoyed an early lunch and more talking. Before we left, I bought 3 delicious sweets to take on the train. I got a raw mars bar, a beetroot chocolate cake and a key lime tart.
Rebel Mardi and The Lifesaver were kind enough to not only drive me to the train station, but wait with me until the train arrived. They made me feel very special!
A big thank you for making me feel so welcome in your home and for being so generous with your time. Even though we only had 24 hours together, it was quality time and I really enjoyed myself.
Thank goodness I had such a wonderful start to my day.
I climbed onto the train and had nowhere to store my suitcase. The luggage compartment was overflowing with backpacks, suitcases, folding prams, walkers (for the elderly) and other assorted travelling paraphernalia. The two of us who boarded the train, had to leave our luggage in the walkway.
I walked to the end of the carriage where my seat was located, to discover that it was already taken. There were seats spare, but the people who were sitting there had only gone to the food kiosk which was located about 4 carriages away.
I decided to walk into the next carriage and discovered that there were only 6 people in that one, so I sat in a seat there and made myself comfortable ... for about 10 minutes ... until the conductor came along and said "This carriage will be filled to the brim at the next stop. I'm sorry madam, but you will have to return to your carriage."
So I told him of my dilemma and pleaded with him to NOT send me back to that carriage. He apologised, stating that they were unusually busy today and that all of the carriages were very full. He took me back to my carriage and sat me in a spare seat beside an older lady, who I discovered later, was also going to Howard.
I sat down and was surrounded by young people. There were eight of them in one group, plus a grandmother to one of the babies.
Young people drinking rum and coke from cans.
Young people who smelled of alcohol, cigarettes and sweat (body odour).
Young people who were talking loudly and using language that even made ME blush!
Young people who had young babies - one about 4 weeks old and another about 6 months old.
Young people who were either stalking people in Facebook who they didn't like, or were watching offensive videos in Youtube.
Young people who were bragging about their friends (or 'bros') who drive on the highway at 180kph while texting, or who spin out on roundabouts five times in a row, or who turn off their headlights while speeding down mountain roads to scare their passengers, or intentionally 'drift' on the road in competition with their mates.
Young people who were complaining loudly about Centrelink and their payments, and how they were breached for not attending interviews.
One young man (who I guessed to be 16 or 17, but was buying alcohol, so must have been at least 18) said to his 16yr old girlfriend (with the 4 week old baby) "I'm just going to buy one more rum and coke and then I'll give you the keycard so that you can buy stuff for Bub okay babe?"
She asked him to buy her a rum and coke too and he replied with "No babe! There is only $16 left."
On the trip between Nambour and Cooroy, which takes less than 30 minutes, he drank 4 cans of rum and coke. Who knows how many he'd had before I boarded?
The 16 yr old girl then began talking to her baby. Oh the language and the threats that came out of that mouth. It made me feel nauseous.
Meanwhile, at the front of my carriage, there was another young girl. She looked to be about 18 yrs old. She was sitting on the very front seat with twin babies, a boy and a girl, about 3 months old and she had her top off and was breast feeding them (which is not a problem for me) and she also had two other children. A girl of 4 and a boy 2.5yrs.
The boy was out of control. If he wasn't climbing all over his seat or other passengers, he was running up and down the carriage or he was having a tantrum, for no particular reason that I could tell. This poor girl was doing her best in very difficult circumstances, but didn't appear to be stressed at all!
There were two other men sitting together, one of them with particularly evil looking eyes (in my opinion) and he was playing what appeared to be 'mind control' games with the other. He was chanting in a low voice and clicking his fingers in his friend's face and telling him to repeat certain words and feel certain emotions.
It was at this moment, I had an epiphany! I was feeling so stressed and so uncomfortable in this environment .. and knowing that I was going to be on the train for 4 hours, I couldn't bear the thought of sitting in that seat and listening to this for another moment.
I remembered that these old diesel trains have a club car!!
I gathered up my gear and began walking. It's quite a hike to walk the length of 4 carriages!
Then I saw it.
It was as if the heavens opened and these beautiful rays of light shone down to reveal that beautiful club car with those comfortable booths and the sound of peace and quiet. You know the sound of angels singing? I heard those angels.
Just as I opened the door, a lady stood up and left, leaving just one booth available ... for me.
Oh the relief.
I sat down and opened my little box of sweets from Kunara, then opened my iPad and found Netflix, which automatically opened to 'Grace and Frankie'.
I sat back and breathed a sigh of contentment.
For the remaining 3 hours, I giggled my way through three episodes of Grace and Frankie, shared my booth with an older couple for about 20 minutes and eventually found my way back to my seat for the last 20 minutes of the journey.
That's when I had a conversation with the lady sitting in the seat beside me.
I was SO happy to reach Howard and see Adoring Husband waiting on the platform for me.
I was SO happy to finally get home.
Today, in Australia, it is Vegan Chickie's birthday, but in USA where she is, it's not yet her birthday. So ... HAPPY BIRTHDAY VEGAN CHICKIE! I hope this is your best birthday ever! Big hugs and love from your mother in the Southern Hemisphere!
I think I need to sleep now.
Nite all.
I experienced a delicious night of sleep in a very comfortable bed. The weather was just right, with the window open and the ceiling fan on low.
Upon waking, I was able to spend 20 minutes in bed, enjoying the solitude and easing myself into the day. I showered, dressed and repacked my suitcase so that I was ready to leave at a moment's notice.
I walked out of the bedroom to find Rebel Mardi sitting in the kitchen, so I greeted her with a happy good morning and she offered to make me a delicious 'real' coffee. She made my coffee with lots of love and it was quite delicious!
The Lifesaver shared with me, his junk mail ... oh how I miss junk mail!! All of those lovely catalogues with all of those lovely sales!
Rebel Mardi and I spent a leisurely hour or so sitting on the deck talking, talking, talking and talking (we are pretty good at that).
Eventually, we packed all of my gear into the car and headed of for a morning of adventure.
The Lifesaver took me to a shop that he was certain I would love. He was right!! I could easily have spent a couple of hours wandering around that huge warehouse sized gift store and thanks to his generous offer of looking after a big item that I wanted to buy, and bringing it to me on their next visit, I bought a gorgeous big 'abundance' buddha which is now sitting in a box in the boot of their car!
From there, we drove to my favourite organic marketplace, Kunara, where we all enjoyed an early lunch and more talking. Before we left, I bought 3 delicious sweets to take on the train. I got a raw mars bar, a beetroot chocolate cake and a key lime tart.
Rebel Mardi and The Lifesaver were kind enough to not only drive me to the train station, but wait with me until the train arrived. They made me feel very special!
A big thank you for making me feel so welcome in your home and for being so generous with your time. Even though we only had 24 hours together, it was quality time and I really enjoyed myself.
Thank goodness I had such a wonderful start to my day.
I climbed onto the train and had nowhere to store my suitcase. The luggage compartment was overflowing with backpacks, suitcases, folding prams, walkers (for the elderly) and other assorted travelling paraphernalia. The two of us who boarded the train, had to leave our luggage in the walkway.
I walked to the end of the carriage where my seat was located, to discover that it was already taken. There were seats spare, but the people who were sitting there had only gone to the food kiosk which was located about 4 carriages away.
I decided to walk into the next carriage and discovered that there were only 6 people in that one, so I sat in a seat there and made myself comfortable ... for about 10 minutes ... until the conductor came along and said "This carriage will be filled to the brim at the next stop. I'm sorry madam, but you will have to return to your carriage."
So I told him of my dilemma and pleaded with him to NOT send me back to that carriage. He apologised, stating that they were unusually busy today and that all of the carriages were very full. He took me back to my carriage and sat me in a spare seat beside an older lady, who I discovered later, was also going to Howard.
I sat down and was surrounded by young people. There were eight of them in one group, plus a grandmother to one of the babies.
Young people drinking rum and coke from cans.
Young people who smelled of alcohol, cigarettes and sweat (body odour).
Young people who were talking loudly and using language that even made ME blush!
Young people who had young babies - one about 4 weeks old and another about 6 months old.
Young people who were either stalking people in Facebook who they didn't like, or were watching offensive videos in Youtube.
Young people who were bragging about their friends (or 'bros') who drive on the highway at 180kph while texting, or who spin out on roundabouts five times in a row, or who turn off their headlights while speeding down mountain roads to scare their passengers, or intentionally 'drift' on the road in competition with their mates.
Young people who were complaining loudly about Centrelink and their payments, and how they were breached for not attending interviews.
One young man (who I guessed to be 16 or 17, but was buying alcohol, so must have been at least 18) said to his 16yr old girlfriend (with the 4 week old baby) "I'm just going to buy one more rum and coke and then I'll give you the keycard so that you can buy stuff for Bub okay babe?"
She asked him to buy her a rum and coke too and he replied with "No babe! There is only $16 left."
On the trip between Nambour and Cooroy, which takes less than 30 minutes, he drank 4 cans of rum and coke. Who knows how many he'd had before I boarded?
The 16 yr old girl then began talking to her baby. Oh the language and the threats that came out of that mouth. It made me feel nauseous.
Meanwhile, at the front of my carriage, there was another young girl. She looked to be about 18 yrs old. She was sitting on the very front seat with twin babies, a boy and a girl, about 3 months old and she had her top off and was breast feeding them (which is not a problem for me) and she also had two other children. A girl of 4 and a boy 2.5yrs.
The boy was out of control. If he wasn't climbing all over his seat or other passengers, he was running up and down the carriage or he was having a tantrum, for no particular reason that I could tell. This poor girl was doing her best in very difficult circumstances, but didn't appear to be stressed at all!
There were two other men sitting together, one of them with particularly evil looking eyes (in my opinion) and he was playing what appeared to be 'mind control' games with the other. He was chanting in a low voice and clicking his fingers in his friend's face and telling him to repeat certain words and feel certain emotions.
It was at this moment, I had an epiphany! I was feeling so stressed and so uncomfortable in this environment .. and knowing that I was going to be on the train for 4 hours, I couldn't bear the thought of sitting in that seat and listening to this for another moment.
I remembered that these old diesel trains have a club car!!
I gathered up my gear and began walking. It's quite a hike to walk the length of 4 carriages!
Then I saw it.
It was as if the heavens opened and these beautiful rays of light shone down to reveal that beautiful club car with those comfortable booths and the sound of peace and quiet. You know the sound of angels singing? I heard those angels.
Just as I opened the door, a lady stood up and left, leaving just one booth available ... for me.
Oh the relief.
I sat down and opened my little box of sweets from Kunara, then opened my iPad and found Netflix, which automatically opened to 'Grace and Frankie'.
I sat back and breathed a sigh of contentment.
For the remaining 3 hours, I giggled my way through three episodes of Grace and Frankie, shared my booth with an older couple for about 20 minutes and eventually found my way back to my seat for the last 20 minutes of the journey.
That's when I had a conversation with the lady sitting in the seat beside me.
I was SO happy to reach Howard and see Adoring Husband waiting on the platform for me.
I was SO happy to finally get home.
Today, in Australia, it is Vegan Chickie's birthday, but in USA where she is, it's not yet her birthday. So ... HAPPY BIRTHDAY VEGAN CHICKIE! I hope this is your best birthday ever! Big hugs and love from your mother in the Southern Hemisphere!
I think I need to sleep now.
Nite all.
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
Terra Firma
Thank goodness my feet a firmly planted on terra firma.
I'm done with flying for a while I think!
I slept very poorly last night.
After the fire brigade arrived at our doorstep with two trucks and sirens sounding, it took a while to settle the nerves and by the time I tidied and cleaned the apartment (to make it look as good as when I entered - as the instruction sheet requested), and by the time I set both of my electronic devices to wake me five minutes apart, I still couldn't seem to settle.
I was so worried that I would sleep through the alarms and miss my flight, that I just couldn't relax!
It was 1.30am when I fell asleep the first time. I woke at 3.30am and my alarms were set for 4.30am and 4.35am, so dozed restlessly for the last hour.
The shuttle was booked for 6am and I had to be waiting on the footpath in front of my building by 5.50am. It didn't arrive until 6.30am.
By the time we picked up other passengers, we didn't get on the road to the airport until quite late. It was raining steadily and the traffic was heavy. The last 7kms took 21 minutes. We were crawling.
Melbourne airport is not as straight forward as every other airport in the land and at first I was a little confused about where to go, but I finally got it sorted and then found myself a morning coffee.
There was nothing gluten free for me to eat at any of the cafes and I hadn't eaten dinner the night before, so I was feeling peckish. The coffee seemed to fill the void and I still had 2 hours until boarding, so I bought myself a magazine and made myself comfortable. This was my view ...
At 8.40am I went to the gate that was printed on my boarding pass, but the TV screen said that it was a Sydney flight boarding there. I went looking for the big screen to discover that I was boarding at gate 5 now and that the flight was delayed by 30 minutes and not boarding until 9.35am.
My flight actually took off at 10.20am.
It was a turbulent flight, like a roller coaster ride and the trolley service was even suspended for 20 minutes because it was too dangerous. I practiced meditation to drown out both the fear and the screaming children. This also made the 2 hours go much faster.
I was very grateful to plant my feet firmly on the ground and even happier that an Uber driver was only two minutes away and was able to drive me directly to Rebel Mardi's and The Lifesaver's home.
And what a beautiful home it is! I love these guys and they made me feel welcome as soon I stepped on their driveway.
Rebel Mardi had to work this afternoon, so I hitched a ride with her, and while she worked, I stepped into the first hair salon that I saw and got my hair washed and blow dried. I hadn't washed it for eleven days!! It really didn't look that bad, but was starting to feel a bit oily on my scalp.
I made up for my lack of shopping in Melbourne, by doing a Boutique crawl in Buderim. Gorgeous little boutiques just waiting for my money. When I was almost broke, I walked to the top of the hill to the tavern and ordered myself a vodka and tonic. A perfectly relaxing way to spend an afternoon!
We came home and made ourselves presentable for dinner at the Creek Tavern. Rebel Mardi and I enjoyed a GF chicken breast wrapped in prosciutto and served on a bed of sweet potato mash with asparagus ...
... The Lifesaver enjoyed a "sensational" Aloha Parmigiana! (sorry, no pics of that one).
Rebel Mardi and I talked and talked and talked and talked and then talked some more, until we were both exhausted and excused ourselves for bed.
Here it is, 11pm and I am in desperate need of sleep!
So ...
Nite all.
I'm done with flying for a while I think!
I slept very poorly last night.
After the fire brigade arrived at our doorstep with two trucks and sirens sounding, it took a while to settle the nerves and by the time I tidied and cleaned the apartment (to make it look as good as when I entered - as the instruction sheet requested), and by the time I set both of my electronic devices to wake me five minutes apart, I still couldn't seem to settle.
I was so worried that I would sleep through the alarms and miss my flight, that I just couldn't relax!
It was 1.30am when I fell asleep the first time. I woke at 3.30am and my alarms were set for 4.30am and 4.35am, so dozed restlessly for the last hour.
The shuttle was booked for 6am and I had to be waiting on the footpath in front of my building by 5.50am. It didn't arrive until 6.30am.
By the time we picked up other passengers, we didn't get on the road to the airport until quite late. It was raining steadily and the traffic was heavy. The last 7kms took 21 minutes. We were crawling.
Melbourne airport is not as straight forward as every other airport in the land and at first I was a little confused about where to go, but I finally got it sorted and then found myself a morning coffee.
There was nothing gluten free for me to eat at any of the cafes and I hadn't eaten dinner the night before, so I was feeling peckish. The coffee seemed to fill the void and I still had 2 hours until boarding, so I bought myself a magazine and made myself comfortable. This was my view ...
At 8.40am I went to the gate that was printed on my boarding pass, but the TV screen said that it was a Sydney flight boarding there. I went looking for the big screen to discover that I was boarding at gate 5 now and that the flight was delayed by 30 minutes and not boarding until 9.35am.
My flight actually took off at 10.20am.
It was a turbulent flight, like a roller coaster ride and the trolley service was even suspended for 20 minutes because it was too dangerous. I practiced meditation to drown out both the fear and the screaming children. This also made the 2 hours go much faster.
I was very grateful to plant my feet firmly on the ground and even happier that an Uber driver was only two minutes away and was able to drive me directly to Rebel Mardi's and The Lifesaver's home.
And what a beautiful home it is! I love these guys and they made me feel welcome as soon I stepped on their driveway.
Rebel Mardi had to work this afternoon, so I hitched a ride with her, and while she worked, I stepped into the first hair salon that I saw and got my hair washed and blow dried. I hadn't washed it for eleven days!! It really didn't look that bad, but was starting to feel a bit oily on my scalp.
I made up for my lack of shopping in Melbourne, by doing a Boutique crawl in Buderim. Gorgeous little boutiques just waiting for my money. When I was almost broke, I walked to the top of the hill to the tavern and ordered myself a vodka and tonic. A perfectly relaxing way to spend an afternoon!
We came home and made ourselves presentable for dinner at the Creek Tavern. Rebel Mardi and I enjoyed a GF chicken breast wrapped in prosciutto and served on a bed of sweet potato mash with asparagus ...
... The Lifesaver enjoyed a "sensational" Aloha Parmigiana! (sorry, no pics of that one).
Rebel Mardi and I talked and talked and talked and talked and then talked some more, until we were both exhausted and excused ourselves for bed.
Here it is, 11pm and I am in desperate need of sleep!
So ...
Nite all.
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
One More Sleep
Even though the day started out very rainy, I've had a lovely solitary day in Melbourne.
I've walked a lot (without being lost) and I window shopped. Yes you read that correctly.
'Window shopped'
Not one single solitary thing was bought, except for coffee and food.
I'm considering visiting the casino this evening. I did go there briefly after lunch, but I was feeling overwhelmed by the city and I also felt a little tired, so I've spent the afternoon in my apartment, which has been very quiet and very calming and very relaxing.
My shuttle bus is booked for tomorrow morning and unfortunately the 7am bus was full, so I'm on the earlier 6am shuttle. That will give me plenty of time to play with once I'm at the airport, so I'm ok with that. A leisurely breakfast might be in order.
I'm looking forward to catching up with Rebel Mardi and The Lifesaver tomorrow. It's been FOREVER!!
I'm also looking forward to getting home and sleeping in my own bed.
It's 7.30pm and I'm feeling a bit peckish. I didn't think I would want dinner after a decent lunch, but my tummy tells me otherwise.
I think I will steer clear of the casino and order in .. apparently there are restaurants nearby that deliver!
Have a happy hump day!
Nite all.
I've walked a lot (without being lost) and I window shopped. Yes you read that correctly.
'Window shopped'
Not one single solitary thing was bought, except for coffee and food.
I'm considering visiting the casino this evening. I did go there briefly after lunch, but I was feeling overwhelmed by the city and I also felt a little tired, so I've spent the afternoon in my apartment, which has been very quiet and very calming and very relaxing.
My shuttle bus is booked for tomorrow morning and unfortunately the 7am bus was full, so I'm on the earlier 6am shuttle. That will give me plenty of time to play with once I'm at the airport, so I'm ok with that. A leisurely breakfast might be in order.
I'm looking forward to catching up with Rebel Mardi and The Lifesaver tomorrow. It's been FOREVER!!
I'm also looking forward to getting home and sleeping in my own bed.
It's 7.30pm and I'm feeling a bit peckish. I didn't think I would want dinner after a decent lunch, but my tummy tells me otherwise.
I think I will steer clear of the casino and order in .. apparently there are restaurants nearby that deliver!
Have a happy hump day!
Nite all.
Monday, March 20, 2017
Time's Up
Well, Dadu arrived today, to take over Chicklet caring duties.
Chicklet was so excited to see her Dadu, that Bozzy Wozzy was able to leave with a fond farewell - no tears from either of us!
It warmed my heart to see them getting on so well. They were both glowing with happiness and there was laughter and animation.
Chicklet was getting annoyed that I was taking Dadu's attention away from her, so that was when I figured it was my best opportunity to depart without there being a scene.
I left notes regarding everything, as well as explaining everything, but Chicklet has a handle on it all anyway, so she will issue the necessary instructions.
Here I am in a 17th floor apartment overlooking the city, the river and the casino. This is the view from my bed - I was lying in bed as I took this photo.
It's almost midnight on a Monday and looking at the traffic on the road and the people walking the streets, you would think it was the weekend. It's crazy busy down there.
It's almost midnight and I am exhausted.
When I wake in the morning, I will have 24 hours to myself. What to do. What to do.
Nite all.
Chicklet was so excited to see her Dadu, that Bozzy Wozzy was able to leave with a fond farewell - no tears from either of us!
It warmed my heart to see them getting on so well. They were both glowing with happiness and there was laughter and animation.
Chicklet was getting annoyed that I was taking Dadu's attention away from her, so that was when I figured it was my best opportunity to depart without there being a scene.
I left notes regarding everything, as well as explaining everything, but Chicklet has a handle on it all anyway, so she will issue the necessary instructions.
Here I am in a 17th floor apartment overlooking the city, the river and the casino. This is the view from my bed - I was lying in bed as I took this photo.
It's almost midnight on a Monday and looking at the traffic on the road and the people walking the streets, you would think it was the weekend. It's crazy busy down there.
It's almost midnight and I am exhausted.
When I wake in the morning, I will have 24 hours to myself. What to do. What to do.
Nite all.
Sunday, March 19, 2017
East is West and West is East
Google maps told me to head East.
I searched for 'Melbourne Aquarium' and Google Maps told me to go East.
So, of course, I headed West.
Why? You ask.
Beats me.
I KNOW which direction East is, from our front door. I have no idea why I chose to go in the opposite direction.
I have no idea why I kept walking in the wrong direction for fifteen minutes!
I have no idea why it took me that long to double check Google maps to discover that I was on the wrong side of town.
Chicklet and I have now named ourselves 'Team Lost'.
We gave up and walked the lesser distance to the Vic Markets and bought some Pokemon miniatures. Then we walked home and played Pokemon battles all afternoon. I believe that made for a more successful afternoon that the aquarium would have been anyway!
Chicket's challenge for the day was to draw a picture of her favourite activity with Bozzy Wozzy for the week that I've been here.
She drew a picture of us having Pokemon battles in the lounge room.
I didn't eat until dinner time today and I'm feeling very weary ... not enough energy going in, for the energy that I used up.
Bed time for me.
Nite all.
I searched for 'Melbourne Aquarium' and Google Maps told me to go East.
So, of course, I headed West.
Why? You ask.
Beats me.
I KNOW which direction East is, from our front door. I have no idea why I chose to go in the opposite direction.
I have no idea why I kept walking in the wrong direction for fifteen minutes!
I have no idea why it took me that long to double check Google maps to discover that I was on the wrong side of town.
Chicklet and I have now named ourselves 'Team Lost'.
We gave up and walked the lesser distance to the Vic Markets and bought some Pokemon miniatures. Then we walked home and played Pokemon battles all afternoon. I believe that made for a more successful afternoon that the aquarium would have been anyway!
Chicket's challenge for the day was to draw a picture of her favourite activity with Bozzy Wozzy for the week that I've been here.
She drew a picture of us having Pokemon battles in the lounge room.
I didn't eat until dinner time today and I'm feeling very weary ... not enough energy going in, for the energy that I used up.
Bed time for me.
Nite all.
Saturday, March 18, 2017
The Colour Grey
This is where Vegan Chickie is right now ...
Remind you of Grey's Anatomy? Haha!
Her train ride took her right past the forest where Twilight was filmed!
Here is the bubble gum wall ...
... and that's your little taste of Vegan Chickie's travels so far.
We are having a quiet day today, which is kind of strange, because it's probably the quietest day of all in Melbourne City and it would be to our advantage to be out and about with so few people around!
We've watched an educational video and now 'Puss in Boots' is the movie of choice.
We've talked to Mama on the phone, as well as Poppy B. We've battled in the lounge room with our Pokemon miniatures, we've done some school work - practising the letters K, L, P and Q, as well as some work with numbers and addition.
Tomorrow Chicklet wants to show me her most favourite parts of Melbourne, which should be interesting .. the odds are pretty good that we will get lost .. her sense of direction is as appalling as mine .. must be genetic! Even Google maps struggles to get us out of trouble!
Our neighbouring coffee shop was closed this morning, so we walked further up the street and got coffee from a charming gentleman, whose establishment is usually (and obviously) a bar. He had a very long queue of people waiting for his coffee, which I must say is the best coffee that I've had in Melbourne so far.
He asked me if I wanted a small or medium coffee. I told him that I needed the biggest coffee that he could provide! So he got his secret stash of jumbo cups out. I told him that they were a much more appropriate size for carers of small children! He laughed and then hoped that his coffee did the trick. It did!
It's only mid afternoon and we are about to have some 'quiet time'. I've completed this blog post in spits and spurts throughout the day, hoping that I might get to watch some football this evening on Foxtel Go. It's Super Saturday!
Chicklet required some assistance during the night to find her blankets that had fallen on the floor and then later in the night she pleaded for cuddles. However much I enjoy Chicklet cuddles, I may require a short Nana nap this afternoon to make up for broken sleep.
I hope you all have a fabulous Sunday.
Nite all.
Remind you of Grey's Anatomy? Haha!
Her train ride took her right past the forest where Twilight was filmed!
Here is the bubble gum wall ...
... and that's your little taste of Vegan Chickie's travels so far.
We are having a quiet day today, which is kind of strange, because it's probably the quietest day of all in Melbourne City and it would be to our advantage to be out and about with so few people around!
We've watched an educational video and now 'Puss in Boots' is the movie of choice.
We've talked to Mama on the phone, as well as Poppy B. We've battled in the lounge room with our Pokemon miniatures, we've done some school work - practising the letters K, L, P and Q, as well as some work with numbers and addition.
Tomorrow Chicklet wants to show me her most favourite parts of Melbourne, which should be interesting .. the odds are pretty good that we will get lost .. her sense of direction is as appalling as mine .. must be genetic! Even Google maps struggles to get us out of trouble!
Our neighbouring coffee shop was closed this morning, so we walked further up the street and got coffee from a charming gentleman, whose establishment is usually (and obviously) a bar. He had a very long queue of people waiting for his coffee, which I must say is the best coffee that I've had in Melbourne so far.
He asked me if I wanted a small or medium coffee. I told him that I needed the biggest coffee that he could provide! So he got his secret stash of jumbo cups out. I told him that they were a much more appropriate size for carers of small children! He laughed and then hoped that his coffee did the trick. It did!
It's only mid afternoon and we are about to have some 'quiet time'. I've completed this blog post in spits and spurts throughout the day, hoping that I might get to watch some football this evening on Foxtel Go. It's Super Saturday!
Chicklet required some assistance during the night to find her blankets that had fallen on the floor and then later in the night she pleaded for cuddles. However much I enjoy Chicklet cuddles, I may require a short Nana nap this afternoon to make up for broken sleep.
I hope you all have a fabulous Sunday.
Nite all.
Friday, March 17, 2017
City Life
To each his own, but the city life is NOT for me.
It's busy, dirty, fast and loud.
I see the smog hanging in the air as I look out over the horizon. I hear the constant howl of sirens. I feel the impersonal rush of people in suits in a hurry. My attention is grabbed every time I hear an impatient driver blast his car horn. I am shocked at how many people toss their litter on the ground in front of them. I am saddened by the number of homeless people sitting on the ground with explanatory signs in front of them. I am astonished at the number of people wearing ear pieces and staring at their phones.
I am, however, heartened by the vast number of nationalities living in this city, in harmony. I am warmed by the friendly welcome of shops owners and workers when I enter their establishment. I am amused at the giggles and grins when people look at Chicklet in her weird and wonderful outfits every day. I love the variety of inexpensive cafes and restaurants that cater to my dietary requirements.
BUT ... I will leave here with a renewed love and respect for my little town and it's quiet streets, friendly community, clean river and beaches, slow lifestyle and old people who have smart phones but don't stare at them all day (because most don't even know how to use them!).
Today, was an interesting day.
Chicklet kindly 'allowed' me to sleep in.
She sleeps in the same room as me, but in her own bed and she has a clock that tells her when she's allowed to wake the adult and make morning noises, which is 7.30am. She gave me an extra 30 mins this morning and woke me with the message "I gave you some extra time this morning Bozzy Wozzy".
I was very grateful for that, because I was sleeping soundly at 7.30am.
We had breakfast and instead of heading next door to the coffee shop, Chicklet asked if we could visit Erin. Erin works at another coffee shop up the road and around a few corners. It took a little while to find it because google maps tricked me a bit.
Even when we were close, Chicklet was insistent that we were on the wrong street!
We eventually found Erin and the cafe called 'Larder Section'.
The coffee was wonderful! Chicklet ordered her usual apple juice, but as I went to leave, she gave me a horrified look and said "We NEVER leave Erin this soon! We can't leave yet!"
So I ordered two more drinks and then decided to have an early lunch of a GF Pulled Pork toastie with the house barbecue sauce and coleslaw. It was absolutely delicious but way too big for my belly!
Erin was a delight and gave Chicklet lots of time and attention.
During this morning adventure, we also caught lots of Pokemon! This street was particularly fruitful for us!
It was about 1pm by the time we arrived home and I made some lunch for Chicklet (who didn't want to eat at the cafe) and we made happy hands over lunch ...
We also made some Minecraft sticker pictures until 'quiet time'. Following 'quiet time' we went in search of the 7-11 shop to buy a Kinder Surprise, but we couldn't find it, so we walked to Coles instead.
Friday afternoon is crazy busy in Melbourne and I felt quite stressed by the time we returned home!
Dinner time, bath time, story time and bed time.
What a day.
I have the windows open and the city sounds full of life tonight.
My bed is calling me.
Nite all.
It's busy, dirty, fast and loud.
I see the smog hanging in the air as I look out over the horizon. I hear the constant howl of sirens. I feel the impersonal rush of people in suits in a hurry. My attention is grabbed every time I hear an impatient driver blast his car horn. I am shocked at how many people toss their litter on the ground in front of them. I am saddened by the number of homeless people sitting on the ground with explanatory signs in front of them. I am astonished at the number of people wearing ear pieces and staring at their phones.
I am, however, heartened by the vast number of nationalities living in this city, in harmony. I am warmed by the friendly welcome of shops owners and workers when I enter their establishment. I am amused at the giggles and grins when people look at Chicklet in her weird and wonderful outfits every day. I love the variety of inexpensive cafes and restaurants that cater to my dietary requirements.
BUT ... I will leave here with a renewed love and respect for my little town and it's quiet streets, friendly community, clean river and beaches, slow lifestyle and old people who have smart phones but don't stare at them all day (because most don't even know how to use them!).
Today, was an interesting day.
Chicklet kindly 'allowed' me to sleep in.
She sleeps in the same room as me, but in her own bed and she has a clock that tells her when she's allowed to wake the adult and make morning noises, which is 7.30am. She gave me an extra 30 mins this morning and woke me with the message "I gave you some extra time this morning Bozzy Wozzy".
I was very grateful for that, because I was sleeping soundly at 7.30am.
We had breakfast and instead of heading next door to the coffee shop, Chicklet asked if we could visit Erin. Erin works at another coffee shop up the road and around a few corners. It took a little while to find it because google maps tricked me a bit.
Even when we were close, Chicklet was insistent that we were on the wrong street!
We eventually found Erin and the cafe called 'Larder Section'.
The coffee was wonderful! Chicklet ordered her usual apple juice, but as I went to leave, she gave me a horrified look and said "We NEVER leave Erin this soon! We can't leave yet!"
So I ordered two more drinks and then decided to have an early lunch of a GF Pulled Pork toastie with the house barbecue sauce and coleslaw. It was absolutely delicious but way too big for my belly!
Erin was a delight and gave Chicklet lots of time and attention.
During this morning adventure, we also caught lots of Pokemon! This street was particularly fruitful for us!
It was about 1pm by the time we arrived home and I made some lunch for Chicklet (who didn't want to eat at the cafe) and we made happy hands over lunch ...
We also made some Minecraft sticker pictures until 'quiet time'. Following 'quiet time' we went in search of the 7-11 shop to buy a Kinder Surprise, but we couldn't find it, so we walked to Coles instead.
Friday afternoon is crazy busy in Melbourne and I felt quite stressed by the time we returned home!
Dinner time, bath time, story time and bed time.
What a day.
I have the windows open and the city sounds full of life tonight.
My bed is calling me.
Nite all.
Thursday, March 16, 2017
Footy Fail
Oh the temptation was there!
I am training Chicklet to get excited about the football.
She is "voting for" (as she calls it) the Sharks ... because she LOVES sharks.
Last weekend, she made me change my footy tips from Eels to Dragons (because, YES, she loves dragons) .. needless to say, I dropped two points in my tipping because of it.
She asked if there were any teams called the T-Rexers? Because YES she loves dinosaurs, and in particular, her favourite dinosaur, the T-Rex.
So, despite her Mama trying to convince her to "vote for" the Melbourne Storm, because they live in Melbourne, she has her top three teams in this order ... Sharks Broncos Storm.
She is also keen for Tigers, Panthers and Dragons to win.
Truth be told, she doesn't even know what football/NRL is and probably imagines a school of sharks attacking other animals or something. There is no TV in this house, so she would never even see an ad for football.
Yesterday, we discussed attending the football tonight, because Storm and Broncos are playing. She was very keen and her eyes lit up. After some thought, I decided that it might not be a good idea, for a number of reasons.
Her bed time is 7.30pm and the game doesn't even start until after 8pm .. a break in her routine could have disastrous results.
We would be wandering the streets of Melbourne at 10.30pm or later with a bunch of either happy drunks because their team won, or angry drunks because their team lost.
From experience, the language and behaviour of footy fans can leave a lot to be desired and I didn't want to be the one to expose her to that. Not at this tender age.
So I told her a little white lie. I told her that the tickets were all sold out. Sorry Chicklet :) I'm sure there will be opportunities in the future to experience a footy match!
Etihad Stadium is just a 10 minute walk from here. *sigh*
It was a pretty hairy night here, as far as weather goes. 40kph winds and driving rains ... all against the wall of windows of this apartment. The wind whistled through the windows and made loud cracking noises during the night and this morning I woke to the sound of Niagara Falls against the windows.
I honestly thought we were flooding and that a pipe had burst somewhere! What a relief to see the rain pouring down the 'outside' of the windows!
So we made the decision not to leave the house today, except to get coffee mid morning. We enjoyed the usual morning welcome of hugs and delighted laughter. A coffee and an apple juice later, we were snug inside our apartment playing with lego again.
This afternoon, we decided to go searching for a newsagent to stock up on some craft resources. Google told me that the nearest newsagent was about half a kilometre away, but as we walked out of the front door of the building, there, in giant letters across the road, was a NEWSAGENT!
They didn't have a lot on offer, but we got some sticky tape, a glue stick, a sheet of cardboard, some crayon/pens, some Minecraft stickers and a magazine to cut pictures out of, oh and a Kinder Surprise.
Our list of achievements today are ...
We have big plans for tomorrow in the way of activities, so I'd best get some sleep!
Nite all.
I am training Chicklet to get excited about the football.
She is "voting for" (as she calls it) the Sharks ... because she LOVES sharks.
Last weekend, she made me change my footy tips from Eels to Dragons (because, YES, she loves dragons) .. needless to say, I dropped two points in my tipping because of it.
She asked if there were any teams called the T-Rexers? Because YES she loves dinosaurs, and in particular, her favourite dinosaur, the T-Rex.
So, despite her Mama trying to convince her to "vote for" the Melbourne Storm, because they live in Melbourne, she has her top three teams in this order ... Sharks Broncos Storm.
She is also keen for Tigers, Panthers and Dragons to win.
Truth be told, she doesn't even know what football/NRL is and probably imagines a school of sharks attacking other animals or something. There is no TV in this house, so she would never even see an ad for football.
Yesterday, we discussed attending the football tonight, because Storm and Broncos are playing. She was very keen and her eyes lit up. After some thought, I decided that it might not be a good idea, for a number of reasons.
Her bed time is 7.30pm and the game doesn't even start until after 8pm .. a break in her routine could have disastrous results.
We would be wandering the streets of Melbourne at 10.30pm or later with a bunch of either happy drunks because their team won, or angry drunks because their team lost.
From experience, the language and behaviour of footy fans can leave a lot to be desired and I didn't want to be the one to expose her to that. Not at this tender age.
So I told her a little white lie. I told her that the tickets were all sold out. Sorry Chicklet :) I'm sure there will be opportunities in the future to experience a footy match!
Etihad Stadium is just a 10 minute walk from here. *sigh*
It was a pretty hairy night here, as far as weather goes. 40kph winds and driving rains ... all against the wall of windows of this apartment. The wind whistled through the windows and made loud cracking noises during the night and this morning I woke to the sound of Niagara Falls against the windows.
I honestly thought we were flooding and that a pipe had burst somewhere! What a relief to see the rain pouring down the 'outside' of the windows!
So we made the decision not to leave the house today, except to get coffee mid morning. We enjoyed the usual morning welcome of hugs and delighted laughter. A coffee and an apple juice later, we were snug inside our apartment playing with lego again.
This afternoon, we decided to go searching for a newsagent to stock up on some craft resources. Google told me that the nearest newsagent was about half a kilometre away, but as we walked out of the front door of the building, there, in giant letters across the road, was a NEWSAGENT!
They didn't have a lot on offer, but we got some sticky tape, a glue stick, a sheet of cardboard, some crayon/pens, some Minecraft stickers and a magazine to cut pictures out of, oh and a Kinder Surprise.
Our list of achievements today are ...
- We designed some ads for our magazine that we are going to create.
- We wrote a list of reasons why we love each other
- We started to draw some happy hands.
Nite all.
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Easy Peasy
Chicklet has owned her Pikachu costume for 36 hours and she has worn it for 35.5 of those hours!
She takes it off to shower.
This morning, when we visited next door for coffee and apple juice, she was very excited to parade her new Pikachu outfit for Kula and Marina (I hope the spelling is correct for those names). They pretended that they didn't recognise her at first and Chicklet giggled crazily when they suddenly realised it was her.
She spun around and danced in her outfit singing Pikachu! Pikachu! Pikachu!
I love sitting at the back of the shop watching the customers come in to get their regular orders and listening to their animated conversations with Kula and Marina. There is Indian music playing in the background and the ambience is warm and welcoming.
We didn't go anywhere else today.
I drew some more Pokemon characters and we coloured in.
We made a lego house for some miniature toys and played in that imaginary world for quite some time.
We watched Pokemon videos on youtube.
We watched Pokemon Minecraft videos on youtube!
We played Minecraft and Plants vs Zombies.
We read books.
It was a nice quiet uneventful day.
I have some ideas in my head for tomorrow, but we'll see how the day pans out.
I slept like a log last night! I hope to repeat that tonight!
Nite all.
She takes it off to shower.
This morning, when we visited next door for coffee and apple juice, she was very excited to parade her new Pikachu outfit for Kula and Marina (I hope the spelling is correct for those names). They pretended that they didn't recognise her at first and Chicklet giggled crazily when they suddenly realised it was her.
She spun around and danced in her outfit singing Pikachu! Pikachu! Pikachu!
I love sitting at the back of the shop watching the customers come in to get their regular orders and listening to their animated conversations with Kula and Marina. There is Indian music playing in the background and the ambience is warm and welcoming.
We didn't go anywhere else today.
I drew some more Pokemon characters and we coloured in.
We made a lego house for some miniature toys and played in that imaginary world for quite some time.
We watched Pokemon videos on youtube.
We watched Pokemon Minecraft videos on youtube!
We played Minecraft and Plants vs Zombies.
We read books.
It was a nice quiet uneventful day.
I have some ideas in my head for tomorrow, but we'll see how the day pans out.
I slept like a log last night! I hope to repeat that tonight!
Nite all.
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Park and the Markets
Well, last night was an epic fail on the sleep front!
I slept from about 11.30pm until 2.30am and suddenly, for reasons unknown to me, I was wide awake. There were no thoughts running through my head, but I couldn't find a sleepy cell anywhere in my body onto which I could latch and wind down.
So I came out to the lounge room and watched the world go by from the wall of windows. I watched the cleaners in the office block across from us. I watched the vehicles in the distance as their headlights weaved between the amber street lights. I listened to sirens blaring from all directions .. mostly ambulances. I heard people calling out to each other in the street below.
I don't believe there is ever silence in the city.
Chicklet staggered out of bed at 7.45am and still I had not slept. I definitely required a caffeine hit to kick start my day.
After a shower to freshen up, we visited the coffee shop next door, where Chicklet was greeted with warm happy and friendly hugs from the girls behind the counter who appeared to be super excited to see her!
We ordered an apple juice and a latte and sat at the back of the shop for a little while. Chicklet guzzled down her juice, had some more conversations with the girls about dragon tails and danced wildly on the floor space in front of the counter until it was time to return home.
We had some serious colouring in time before we decided to head to the park. It was a miserable walk directly into the sun, so after about 30 minutes playing in the park, swinging, seesawing, climbing and running, we took the short walk to the Vic Markets.
First on the list, was a hat for Chicklet. She informed me that all of her hats were still with Dadu in QLD (this may or may not be true), so we bought a blue hat with a stretching brim that can be tightened or stretched to suit the size head that is wearing it.
We then found the fruit and veg section where I bought some tomatoes and onions. Across the road was the deli section where I found some coconut yoghurt and some fresh seafood. I bought some king tiger prawns and some salmon steaks. A Pikachu costume was a 'must' as we traced our footsteps back to where we entered and a beautiful big bunch of fresh sunflowers for $9.
Our hands were very full and we had to stop for a short break on the way home, but we finally made it without incident.
According to my watch, I've only walked 7kms so that gives you an indication of how close everything is to the apartment.
We made some lunch, coloured in some more and then it was 'quiet time'.
Chicklet watched dvds in the bedroom, while I curled up on the couch and napped for over an hour. It was so nice with the sun on my feet and the air conditioner blowing on the rest of my body.
We played Plants VS Zombies all afternoon until it was time to cook dinner. We chatted with Mama, who had finally landed in Vancouver after one cancelled flight and a delayed flight. I chatted with Adoring Husband as I watched the big storm approaching our home on the BOM.
Dinner time, bath time, story time and bed time ... smooth sailing as always.
I'm not sure if I should attempt an early bed time or not. I think I'll wait until I'm feeling sleepy.
Come to think of it, I am feeling a little weary now.
Nite all.
I slept from about 11.30pm until 2.30am and suddenly, for reasons unknown to me, I was wide awake. There were no thoughts running through my head, but I couldn't find a sleepy cell anywhere in my body onto which I could latch and wind down.
So I came out to the lounge room and watched the world go by from the wall of windows. I watched the cleaners in the office block across from us. I watched the vehicles in the distance as their headlights weaved between the amber street lights. I listened to sirens blaring from all directions .. mostly ambulances. I heard people calling out to each other in the street below.
I don't believe there is ever silence in the city.
Chicklet staggered out of bed at 7.45am and still I had not slept. I definitely required a caffeine hit to kick start my day.
After a shower to freshen up, we visited the coffee shop next door, where Chicklet was greeted with warm happy and friendly hugs from the girls behind the counter who appeared to be super excited to see her!
We ordered an apple juice and a latte and sat at the back of the shop for a little while. Chicklet guzzled down her juice, had some more conversations with the girls about dragon tails and danced wildly on the floor space in front of the counter until it was time to return home.
We had some serious colouring in time before we decided to head to the park. It was a miserable walk directly into the sun, so after about 30 minutes playing in the park, swinging, seesawing, climbing and running, we took the short walk to the Vic Markets.
First on the list, was a hat for Chicklet. She informed me that all of her hats were still with Dadu in QLD (this may or may not be true), so we bought a blue hat with a stretching brim that can be tightened or stretched to suit the size head that is wearing it.
We then found the fruit and veg section where I bought some tomatoes and onions. Across the road was the deli section where I found some coconut yoghurt and some fresh seafood. I bought some king tiger prawns and some salmon steaks. A Pikachu costume was a 'must' as we traced our footsteps back to where we entered and a beautiful big bunch of fresh sunflowers for $9.
Our hands were very full and we had to stop for a short break on the way home, but we finally made it without incident.
According to my watch, I've only walked 7kms so that gives you an indication of how close everything is to the apartment.
We made some lunch, coloured in some more and then it was 'quiet time'.
Chicklet watched dvds in the bedroom, while I curled up on the couch and napped for over an hour. It was so nice with the sun on my feet and the air conditioner blowing on the rest of my body.
We played Plants VS Zombies all afternoon until it was time to cook dinner. We chatted with Mama, who had finally landed in Vancouver after one cancelled flight and a delayed flight. I chatted with Adoring Husband as I watched the big storm approaching our home on the BOM.
Dinner time, bath time, story time and bed time ... smooth sailing as always.
I'm not sure if I should attempt an early bed time or not. I think I'll wait until I'm feeling sleepy.
Come to think of it, I am feeling a little weary now.
Nite all.
Monday, March 13, 2017
Monday Holiday
Vegan Chickie left for her world adventure at 7am ... and so MY adventure begins with Chicklet.
Today is Labour Day in Victoria, which means of course, it's a public holiday.
The excitement of having a coffee shop right next door to this building soon waned when we got to the front door and saw the "closed" sign.
Chicklet said "Don't worry Bozzy Wozzy, there is one across the road!"
Also closed.
She dragged me to six more shops on the street, all closed due to the public holiday.
We finally found an open coffee shop two blocks away and around the corner, but so did a lot of other people! We were about 6th in the queue and had to wait about fifteen minutes for coffee. I didn't mind the wait, but Chicklet wasn't very happy about it.
I'd only had three mouthfuls of coffee in the last 48 hours and I am by no means addicted to caffeine these days, so it wasn't such a bother.
Chicklet and I spent the morning being Arty Farty ...
I drew the Pokemons and she coloured them in.
When she got bored with colouring in, she decided to make the miniature lego style T-Rex that I'd brought with me yesterday. I have to say that she did make a solid attempt, but eventually decided that I should do it!
Me! Of all people!
The instructions were painful and I definitely required reading glasses to see the diagrams properly!
In the middle of my construction, Chicklet had a face time lunch date with her Dadu, so I set her up at my laptop and she chatted away while I completed the T-Rex.
I was quite proud of myself for my persistence and the blossoming of this hidden talent!
Once that job was done, and Chicklet finished her call with Dadu, we put our shoes on and went for a walk to Coles, which is only about 5 minutes away. Chicklet was annoyed that I wanted to walk the 5 minutes to Coles, instead of the 2 minutes to the 7-11, but she soon got over it.
What a busy little supermarket that one is! The Asian supermarket directly across the walkway just adds the congestion. It only has four assisted checkouts, the remainder are self serve. I stood in a queue for an assisted checkout, when a young lady came up to me and asked me to follow her to her checkout, which was all the way at the other end of the shop!
I got some unhappy glances from other shoppers who were also waiting in line. I don't know why she singled me out. Maybe it was because I had the only child within a 15 km radius???? She had a lovely conversation with Chicklet as she served us, so perhaps that really was the attraction.
We returned home and munched on some chippies while we did some more sticker pictures, planned our Tuesday and then decided it was time to play Minions in the bedroom. Minions were soon followed by Minecraft until, thank goodness, the batteries went flat on my devices!
By now it was dinner time and bath time and book time and bed time.
Now I sit here at Vegan Chickie's desk, at 10pm, watching people STILL working in the office block across the road and feeling like a fish in a fish bowl. Yes, there are curtains to close, but when everything is shut, I must admit to feeling a little claustrophobic.
When the blinds are open, in the day time, I feel like I'm flying, or floating ... or something. I love that one wall is completely covered with glass. There is so much light! It's long way down from the 22nd floor.
Now I'm off to bed. We have another big day planned for tomorrow.
Nite all.
Today is Labour Day in Victoria, which means of course, it's a public holiday.
The excitement of having a coffee shop right next door to this building soon waned when we got to the front door and saw the "closed" sign.
Chicklet said "Don't worry Bozzy Wozzy, there is one across the road!"
Also closed.
She dragged me to six more shops on the street, all closed due to the public holiday.
We finally found an open coffee shop two blocks away and around the corner, but so did a lot of other people! We were about 6th in the queue and had to wait about fifteen minutes for coffee. I didn't mind the wait, but Chicklet wasn't very happy about it.
I'd only had three mouthfuls of coffee in the last 48 hours and I am by no means addicted to caffeine these days, so it wasn't such a bother.
Chicklet and I spent the morning being Arty Farty ...
I drew the Pokemons and she coloured them in.
When she got bored with colouring in, she decided to make the miniature lego style T-Rex that I'd brought with me yesterday. I have to say that she did make a solid attempt, but eventually decided that I should do it!
Me! Of all people!
The instructions were painful and I definitely required reading glasses to see the diagrams properly!
In the middle of my construction, Chicklet had a face time lunch date with her Dadu, so I set her up at my laptop and she chatted away while I completed the T-Rex.
I was quite proud of myself for my persistence and the blossoming of this hidden talent!
Once that job was done, and Chicklet finished her call with Dadu, we put our shoes on and went for a walk to Coles, which is only about 5 minutes away. Chicklet was annoyed that I wanted to walk the 5 minutes to Coles, instead of the 2 minutes to the 7-11, but she soon got over it.
What a busy little supermarket that one is! The Asian supermarket directly across the walkway just adds the congestion. It only has four assisted checkouts, the remainder are self serve. I stood in a queue for an assisted checkout, when a young lady came up to me and asked me to follow her to her checkout, which was all the way at the other end of the shop!
I got some unhappy glances from other shoppers who were also waiting in line. I don't know why she singled me out. Maybe it was because I had the only child within a 15 km radius???? She had a lovely conversation with Chicklet as she served us, so perhaps that really was the attraction.
We returned home and munched on some chippies while we did some more sticker pictures, planned our Tuesday and then decided it was time to play Minions in the bedroom. Minions were soon followed by Minecraft until, thank goodness, the batteries went flat on my devices!
By now it was dinner time and bath time and book time and bed time.
Now I sit here at Vegan Chickie's desk, at 10pm, watching people STILL working in the office block across the road and feeling like a fish in a fish bowl. Yes, there are curtains to close, but when everything is shut, I must admit to feeling a little claustrophobic.
When the blinds are open, in the day time, I feel like I'm flying, or floating ... or something. I love that one wall is completely covered with glass. There is so much light! It's long way down from the 22nd floor.
Now I'm off to bed. We have another big day planned for tomorrow.
Nite all.
Sunday, March 12, 2017
Happy Landings
I had a fabulous night's sleep in the motel.
I set the air conditioner on 22C AND I turned the fan on low, pulled the doona up to my chin and settled in for a deliciously cozy night.
After about 7 hours of solid sleep, I lazed in bed with my iPad for an hour before preparing for my long day of travel. It was a pretty cruisy start to the day.
When I was ready, the motel manager drove me to the airport, which was a bonus I wasn't expecting!
Sunshine Coast Airport was surprisingly busy. I browsed the shops and saw lots of things that I wanted, but I didn't buy any of it. I think some of my "Journey" work in Byron Bay, may have had a positive effect on my spending.
The plane was pretty packed, and unfortunately, there were a LOT of children ranging in ages from about 6 months to about 12 years. Most of them were loud and cranky for the entire trip.
I tried to drown out their noise by opening the Virgin entertainment app, but it told me that entertainment was not available on this flight .. ugh!
My other dilemma was that my seat was 3 seats from the back of the plane, where the toilet was, so for the entire trip, I had a queue of people standing beside me as they waited their turn to use the dunny. The continual flushing was most off putting.
It was a smooth flight all the way until it was time to land. The pilot warned that the winds were in excess of 25knots, but oh what a ride it was til we hit the ground! I looked along the aisle and saw that at least ten men had their hands firmly grasping the back of the seat in front of them, and the closest three to me, gave an audible sigh of relief when we touched down safely.
While I waited for my luggage to appear on the carousel, I downloaded the Starbus app and ordered a bus that would take me directly to Vegan Chickie's front door. $18 for the 20km trip was definitely good value, even though my anorexic Indian bus driver spent most of the drive looking at his phone or talking on it. I felt less safe in the bus than I did on the plane during our hairy landing!
Vegan Chickie didn't tell Chicklet that I was here and as the lift doors opened and she saw me, I got the best greeting EVER! She yelled "BOZZY WOZZY!!!!" and ran into my arms. What an emotional moment for me!
We had about 90 minutes catching up before we walked to a nearby Vietnamese restaurant and ate the most delicious bowl of noodle soup with chicken and beef. So much flavour! Chilli oil on the table and fresh herbs in pots to cut and add to our bowls. So yummy and only $10!
Chicklet and I had a bedtime story and then Vegan Chickie and I sat up talking until 10.30pm. She has to be off early in the morning for her flight, so it's time to sleep now.
I love their little cuddle house. Very small and compact, but has everything they need and there is lots of light and windows and fresh air here on the 22nd floor. I think I'm going to be very comfortable here for the next week or so.
Nite all.
I set the air conditioner on 22C AND I turned the fan on low, pulled the doona up to my chin and settled in for a deliciously cozy night.
After about 7 hours of solid sleep, I lazed in bed with my iPad for an hour before preparing for my long day of travel. It was a pretty cruisy start to the day.
When I was ready, the motel manager drove me to the airport, which was a bonus I wasn't expecting!
Sunshine Coast Airport was surprisingly busy. I browsed the shops and saw lots of things that I wanted, but I didn't buy any of it. I think some of my "Journey" work in Byron Bay, may have had a positive effect on my spending.
The plane was pretty packed, and unfortunately, there were a LOT of children ranging in ages from about 6 months to about 12 years. Most of them were loud and cranky for the entire trip.
I tried to drown out their noise by opening the Virgin entertainment app, but it told me that entertainment was not available on this flight .. ugh!
My other dilemma was that my seat was 3 seats from the back of the plane, where the toilet was, so for the entire trip, I had a queue of people standing beside me as they waited their turn to use the dunny. The continual flushing was most off putting.
It was a smooth flight all the way until it was time to land. The pilot warned that the winds were in excess of 25knots, but oh what a ride it was til we hit the ground! I looked along the aisle and saw that at least ten men had their hands firmly grasping the back of the seat in front of them, and the closest three to me, gave an audible sigh of relief when we touched down safely.
While I waited for my luggage to appear on the carousel, I downloaded the Starbus app and ordered a bus that would take me directly to Vegan Chickie's front door. $18 for the 20km trip was definitely good value, even though my anorexic Indian bus driver spent most of the drive looking at his phone or talking on it. I felt less safe in the bus than I did on the plane during our hairy landing!
Vegan Chickie didn't tell Chicklet that I was here and as the lift doors opened and she saw me, I got the best greeting EVER! She yelled "BOZZY WOZZY!!!!" and ran into my arms. What an emotional moment for me!
We had about 90 minutes catching up before we walked to a nearby Vietnamese restaurant and ate the most delicious bowl of noodle soup with chicken and beef. So much flavour! Chilli oil on the table and fresh herbs in pots to cut and add to our bowls. So yummy and only $10!
Chicklet and I had a bedtime story and then Vegan Chickie and I sat up talking until 10.30pm. She has to be off early in the morning for her flight, so it's time to sleep now.
I love their little cuddle house. Very small and compact, but has everything they need and there is lots of light and windows and fresh air here on the 22nd floor. I think I'm going to be very comfortable here for the next week or so.
Nite all.
Saturday, March 11, 2017
Uphill Climb
Worst night's sleep ever - stoopid psychotic dogs had us up 3 or 4 times - I've threatened them with losing their prize position in our bedroom if they keep it up.
Our car got us to the train station on time and Adoring Husband made it home safely. Whew.
There weren't many on the train today, so it was a peaceful trip and the 2.5 hours seemed to fly by.
When I arrived at Nambour Train Station, I checked google maps and it told me that the hospital was only 1.2kms from the station, so I stopped at McCafe for a coffee and instead of calling a cab, I decided to walk the short distance to the hospital.
BIG mistake!
I planned on visiting Mum H before making my way to my motel near the airport.
It was hot today. It's always hot in Nambour. I was dragging my full suitcase, my laptop, my handbag, my half litre water bottle full of water and a small bag of food. Combined, it probably weighed 20kgs.
I walked 1/3 of the distance on reasonably flat ground and some even went downhill, but then I reached the little bridge and looked ahead of me.
By this time, perspiration was dripping from my face and body. I stopped in the shade and looked up the hill. I could see the hospital and I knew that if I called a taxi or Uber, the fare would cost about $4 and I doubted whether any of them would even accept the fare.
It seemed that my only option was to attempt the hike, so I tossed my coffee away after only 3 mouthfuls, took a deep breath and moved forward.
I figured that if I had a heart attack half way up the hill, or even once I reached the summit, I was in the right place to get help!
That is an effing steep hill. So steep that I couldn't pull my suitcase behind me. I had to push it ever so slowly, in front of me, stopping about 5 times in the shade to catch my breath and cool down a little.
Half way up the hill, a bunch of teenage boys passed me going in the opposite direction. One of them came back to me and asked if I had a spare $2 so that he could catch the bus. If I'd had my wits about me, I'd have offered him $10 or $20 to walk my suitcase to the top of the hill! But by then, I was in the survival zone, so I was grateful to stop in the shade and actually found $5 to give to him. He was very grateful and thanked me profusely.
By the time I reached the hospital, I was huffing and puffing and was drenched with sweat. I walked inside and found a bathroom. I was literally glowing - almost fluorescent red! The last time I looked like that, was after a 2 hour squash grand final that went to five sets!
I decided that I needed to sit down in the air conditioning, catch my breath and bring my body temperature back to normal, so I found a comfortable seat in a quiet corner and sat down for ten minutes.
Eventually, I walked what seemed like another kilometre inside the hospital until I reached Mum H's room and there she was sitting on the bed talking on the phone. All things considered, she looked very well! She showed me the bruising from where the paramedics had resuscitated her. This is day 9 and she is still black and blue and lots of other colours.
She was giving the medical staff and other patients lots of cheek, so this tells me that she is doing ok. We chatted for about 90 minutes before I said my goodbyes and called an Uber driver to come pick me up.
A very friendly young Indian gentleman picked me up in his Mazda 2 and drove me the 18 kms to my motel for the very reasonable price of $27. The last time I caught a taxi from Tewantin to Cooroy (15kms), it cost me $45. Uber ROCKS!
My motel room is very nice. The owner, Michael, had just had a run in with one of his customers because the customer was a smoker and this motel is a non-smoking establishment - NO SMOKING ANYWHERE ON THE GROUNDS.
The customer complained long enough and loud enough, that Michael offered him an ash tray and a patch of ground as far away from the rooms as possible. When I arrived, Michael was still a bit ruffled by the altercation so we shared our dislike of nasty people and he debriefed.
He showed me to my room and carried my suitcase, lifting it onto the luggage rack for me. He gave me directions to the Ramada Hotel, where I could get an alcoholic beverage and a nice meal and then returned later with a little jug of milk for my tea/coffee.
I walked the 100m to the Ramada where I was immediately accosted by a tutu wearing, glittery faced gentleman holding a cork board with a list of 'dares' on it. It was his buck's night and he had 20 dares that he had to complete by the end of the evening.
His dares included riding a male like a bucking bull, smashing a shot glass after drinking the contents, chatting up 6 different men and getting their phone numbers, singing 'It's Raining Men' at karaoke and getting 20 women to sign their names somewhere on his body. I can't remember the other dares.
I signed my name on his arm under the tattooed name of his son. He told me that his 10 yr old son was going to be part of the wedding party and he was very excited about it.
Later I heard him singing 'It's Raining Men' in the karaoke bar.
I feel that he is going to be pretty much under the weather tomorrow morning!
Now I am sitting in my motel room, about to climb under the covers and make up for last night's lost sleep!
The weather in Melbourne is looking ominous for tomorrow, so I'm not looking forward to the flight. Fingers crossed, that it clears by the time my flight arrives!
Nite all.
Our car got us to the train station on time and Adoring Husband made it home safely. Whew.
There weren't many on the train today, so it was a peaceful trip and the 2.5 hours seemed to fly by.
When I arrived at Nambour Train Station, I checked google maps and it told me that the hospital was only 1.2kms from the station, so I stopped at McCafe for a coffee and instead of calling a cab, I decided to walk the short distance to the hospital.
BIG mistake!
I planned on visiting Mum H before making my way to my motel near the airport.
It was hot today. It's always hot in Nambour. I was dragging my full suitcase, my laptop, my handbag, my half litre water bottle full of water and a small bag of food. Combined, it probably weighed 20kgs.
I walked 1/3 of the distance on reasonably flat ground and some even went downhill, but then I reached the little bridge and looked ahead of me.
By this time, perspiration was dripping from my face and body. I stopped in the shade and looked up the hill. I could see the hospital and I knew that if I called a taxi or Uber, the fare would cost about $4 and I doubted whether any of them would even accept the fare.
It seemed that my only option was to attempt the hike, so I tossed my coffee away after only 3 mouthfuls, took a deep breath and moved forward.
I figured that if I had a heart attack half way up the hill, or even once I reached the summit, I was in the right place to get help!
That is an effing steep hill. So steep that I couldn't pull my suitcase behind me. I had to push it ever so slowly, in front of me, stopping about 5 times in the shade to catch my breath and cool down a little.
Half way up the hill, a bunch of teenage boys passed me going in the opposite direction. One of them came back to me and asked if I had a spare $2 so that he could catch the bus. If I'd had my wits about me, I'd have offered him $10 or $20 to walk my suitcase to the top of the hill! But by then, I was in the survival zone, so I was grateful to stop in the shade and actually found $5 to give to him. He was very grateful and thanked me profusely.
By the time I reached the hospital, I was huffing and puffing and was drenched with sweat. I walked inside and found a bathroom. I was literally glowing - almost fluorescent red! The last time I looked like that, was after a 2 hour squash grand final that went to five sets!
I decided that I needed to sit down in the air conditioning, catch my breath and bring my body temperature back to normal, so I found a comfortable seat in a quiet corner and sat down for ten minutes.
Eventually, I walked what seemed like another kilometre inside the hospital until I reached Mum H's room and there she was sitting on the bed talking on the phone. All things considered, she looked very well! She showed me the bruising from where the paramedics had resuscitated her. This is day 9 and she is still black and blue and lots of other colours.
She was giving the medical staff and other patients lots of cheek, so this tells me that she is doing ok. We chatted for about 90 minutes before I said my goodbyes and called an Uber driver to come pick me up.
A very friendly young Indian gentleman picked me up in his Mazda 2 and drove me the 18 kms to my motel for the very reasonable price of $27. The last time I caught a taxi from Tewantin to Cooroy (15kms), it cost me $45. Uber ROCKS!
My motel room is very nice. The owner, Michael, had just had a run in with one of his customers because the customer was a smoker and this motel is a non-smoking establishment - NO SMOKING ANYWHERE ON THE GROUNDS.
The customer complained long enough and loud enough, that Michael offered him an ash tray and a patch of ground as far away from the rooms as possible. When I arrived, Michael was still a bit ruffled by the altercation so we shared our dislike of nasty people and he debriefed.
He showed me to my room and carried my suitcase, lifting it onto the luggage rack for me. He gave me directions to the Ramada Hotel, where I could get an alcoholic beverage and a nice meal and then returned later with a little jug of milk for my tea/coffee.
I walked the 100m to the Ramada where I was immediately accosted by a tutu wearing, glittery faced gentleman holding a cork board with a list of 'dares' on it. It was his buck's night and he had 20 dares that he had to complete by the end of the evening.
His dares included riding a male like a bucking bull, smashing a shot glass after drinking the contents, chatting up 6 different men and getting their phone numbers, singing 'It's Raining Men' at karaoke and getting 20 women to sign their names somewhere on his body. I can't remember the other dares.
I signed my name on his arm under the tattooed name of his son. He told me that his 10 yr old son was going to be part of the wedding party and he was very excited about it.
Later I heard him singing 'It's Raining Men' in the karaoke bar.
I feel that he is going to be pretty much under the weather tomorrow morning!
Now I am sitting in my motel room, about to climb under the covers and make up for last night's lost sleep!
The weather in Melbourne is looking ominous for tomorrow, so I'm not looking forward to the flight. Fingers crossed, that it clears by the time my flight arrives!
Nite all.
Friday, March 10, 2017
Fabulous Friday
So much to do, so little time.
Our original plan was for Adoring Husband to drive me to the Sunshine Coast on Sunday morning so that I could catch my plane to Melbourne at 11am.
This week, our car had a hiccup and requires a new part that will not be available for about a month. In the meantime, we are not allowed to drive long distances and have been advised to use the car sparingly.
At first I figured that it didn't matter much because I could catch the early train on Sunday morning and still be on the Sunny Coast with plenty of time to get to the airport for my flight.
Then I discovered that there is no early train on Sunday morning.
New plan.
I now have to miss my art class on Saturday morning *sobbing tears of devastation* and catch the 10.40am train to the Sunny Coast, stay overnight in a motel, and then catch my flight on Sunday morning.
Sheesh. These things are sent to test us.
So I have made all the bookings, and as it happens, Mum H, after suffering a serious heart attack a week ago, is in hospital on the Sunny Coast, so I will get to visit her before I fly to Melbourne.
My original 'to do' list had to be modified and prioritised.
Adoring Husband has no meals prepared. One psychotic dog did not get groomed and will have to walk around blind for another 2 weeks.
I'm sure they will survive.
This is what it looked like at the Seat of Knowledge this morning...
Adoring Husband attached my rod to the wall in my workspace. I can now hang my vision board and other bits and pieces as I see fit.
The Bowls Club opened the new renovated area this week and this is what it looks like ...
I got to play poker machines for the first time in four months and had a very successful night haha!
My bags are partially packed and now I should get a good night's sleep in readiness for a big day tomorrow.
Nite all.
Our original plan was for Adoring Husband to drive me to the Sunshine Coast on Sunday morning so that I could catch my plane to Melbourne at 11am.
This week, our car had a hiccup and requires a new part that will not be available for about a month. In the meantime, we are not allowed to drive long distances and have been advised to use the car sparingly.
At first I figured that it didn't matter much because I could catch the early train on Sunday morning and still be on the Sunny Coast with plenty of time to get to the airport for my flight.
Then I discovered that there is no early train on Sunday morning.
New plan.
I now have to miss my art class on Saturday morning *sobbing tears of devastation* and catch the 10.40am train to the Sunny Coast, stay overnight in a motel, and then catch my flight on Sunday morning.
Sheesh. These things are sent to test us.
So I have made all the bookings, and as it happens, Mum H, after suffering a serious heart attack a week ago, is in hospital on the Sunny Coast, so I will get to visit her before I fly to Melbourne.
My original 'to do' list had to be modified and prioritised.
Adoring Husband has no meals prepared. One psychotic dog did not get groomed and will have to walk around blind for another 2 weeks.
I'm sure they will survive.
This is what it looked like at the Seat of Knowledge this morning...
Adoring Husband attached my rod to the wall in my workspace. I can now hang my vision board and other bits and pieces as I see fit.
The Bowls Club opened the new renovated area this week and this is what it looks like ...
I got to play poker machines for the first time in four months and had a very successful night haha!
My bags are partially packed and now I should get a good night's sleep in readiness for a big day tomorrow.
Nite all.
Thursday, March 9, 2017
Back Breaker
I'm annoyed that I forgot to take a 'before' shot of my workspace before I started the decluttering and clearing today.
I moved my mess into the next room, vacuumed the floor and then Adoring Husband helped move some chests of drawers into the room. One small chest is inside the wardrobe, and now holds the wallets and purses, the games, and the top of it is now home to my Photography magazines and an assortment of books.
We started at about 9.30am.
AH used his time to clean out the double garage while I worked on my room. We stopped for an hour at lunch, then AH cleaned the kitchen while I continued in my room.
I got myself into a really good rhythm and made some great headway before The Motivator arrived at 2pm. She was surprised at how much I had been able to get done, but there was still a lot to do. She was head down and bum up almost immediately, and between us, we worked for a further 3+ hours.
It's STILL not completely finished, but it shouldn't take long to find a home for what's left on the floor in the other room.
My back and my feet are suffering considerably with all that lifting and bending and walking through the house with bare feet on the tiled floor.
The family room is now full of empty boxes, a broken clothes basket and two bags of rubbish, all ready to be tossed tomorrow. The recycle bin is 'chockers' full of old magazines, recipe books, out of date paperwork and printouts of no longer required recipes.
I think I deserve an early night after all of that.
So ...
Nite all
I moved my mess into the next room, vacuumed the floor and then Adoring Husband helped move some chests of drawers into the room. One small chest is inside the wardrobe, and now holds the wallets and purses, the games, and the top of it is now home to my Photography magazines and an assortment of books.
We started at about 9.30am.
AH used his time to clean out the double garage while I worked on my room. We stopped for an hour at lunch, then AH cleaned the kitchen while I continued in my room.
I got myself into a really good rhythm and made some great headway before The Motivator arrived at 2pm. She was surprised at how much I had been able to get done, but there was still a lot to do. She was head down and bum up almost immediately, and between us, we worked for a further 3+ hours.
It's STILL not completely finished, but it shouldn't take long to find a home for what's left on the floor in the other room.
My back and my feet are suffering considerably with all that lifting and bending and walking through the house with bare feet on the tiled floor.
The family room is now full of empty boxes, a broken clothes basket and two bags of rubbish, all ready to be tossed tomorrow. The recycle bin is 'chockers' full of old magazines, recipe books, out of date paperwork and printouts of no longer required recipes.
I think I deserve an early night after all of that.
So ...
Nite all
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
If The Cap Fits
I put my 'business' cap on today!
I managed emails and made phone calls and paid invoices.
I checked some invoices against some of the stock I've receive, which was pretty exciting.
I love all of the journals, notebooks and books that I ordered at the gift fair and today I discovered for the first time that I received a free package with one of my orders, which I know I can use in a positive way.
I haven't even touched my website since I returned from my trip away, because there is so much OTHER stuff to do! I will save the best for last.
I have accepted The Motivator's offer of help to get my workspace organised. She is the storage master and with all the extra stock and paperwork in my life now, I need all the help that I can get!
I hope that by the end of tomorrow, I'll be feeling less cluttered and more organised, which will give me the motivation to move forward at a more rapid pace than I have in the last week!
I have successfully begun very paragraph in this post with 'I'.
I now need to go to bed.
Nite all
I managed emails and made phone calls and paid invoices.
I checked some invoices against some of the stock I've receive, which was pretty exciting.
I love all of the journals, notebooks and books that I ordered at the gift fair and today I discovered for the first time that I received a free package with one of my orders, which I know I can use in a positive way.
I haven't even touched my website since I returned from my trip away, because there is so much OTHER stuff to do! I will save the best for last.
I have accepted The Motivator's offer of help to get my workspace organised. She is the storage master and with all the extra stock and paperwork in my life now, I need all the help that I can get!
I hope that by the end of tomorrow, I'll be feeling less cluttered and more organised, which will give me the motivation to move forward at a more rapid pace than I have in the last week!
I have successfully begun very paragraph in this post with 'I'.
I now need to go to bed.
Nite all
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
Another Fun-filled Day
It all started with the bloody vacuum cleaner not working when I needed it the most!
GRRRRRR
I had a well scripted, well co-ordinated plan to get some 'stuff' done before I went for coffee this morning, but the first hurdle caused the whole plan to go out the window.
My frustration was overwhelming. My rage was excessive. My demands on Adoring Husband were unreasonable.
I was a bitch on wheels. Bitter, twisted and ugly.
I'm certain that Adoring Husband was feeling monumental relief as I left the house to meet the girls for coffee.
All of the girls, except the lovely snorting Tweedle Dee, were unavailable for coffee, but we had a great time and we both felt quite disappointed when I had to leave for an 11am appointment.
I really must stop making arrangements for Tuesday mornings, so that I can spent time lavishly enjoying good coffee, good conversation and good snorting laughter!
At 11am, the Narellan Pool guy arrived at our doorstep to take a look at the back yard and give us a quote for a ... yes you guessed it ... POOL!! The quote was as expected and now the discussions and negotiations begin (between AH and myself).
Watch this space.
AH and I enjoyed a quick lunch of leftovers before The Motivator came for a visit.
We had much to discuss and plans to make for the resurrection and reconditioning of my workspace. It's a big job ahead of me and a big job ahead of her to supervise me in this huge task! I must take a 'before' photo tomorrow ... I feel that the changes will be like Adoring Husband's relief ... monumental!
I'm off to bed.
Nite all.
GRRRRRR
I had a well scripted, well co-ordinated plan to get some 'stuff' done before I went for coffee this morning, but the first hurdle caused the whole plan to go out the window.
My frustration was overwhelming. My rage was excessive. My demands on Adoring Husband were unreasonable.
I was a bitch on wheels. Bitter, twisted and ugly.
I'm certain that Adoring Husband was feeling monumental relief as I left the house to meet the girls for coffee.
All of the girls, except the lovely snorting Tweedle Dee, were unavailable for coffee, but we had a great time and we both felt quite disappointed when I had to leave for an 11am appointment.
I really must stop making arrangements for Tuesday mornings, so that I can spent time lavishly enjoying good coffee, good conversation and good snorting laughter!
At 11am, the Narellan Pool guy arrived at our doorstep to take a look at the back yard and give us a quote for a ... yes you guessed it ... POOL!! The quote was as expected and now the discussions and negotiations begin (between AH and myself).
Watch this space.
AH and I enjoyed a quick lunch of leftovers before The Motivator came for a visit.
We had much to discuss and plans to make for the resurrection and reconditioning of my workspace. It's a big job ahead of me and a big job ahead of her to supervise me in this huge task! I must take a 'before' photo tomorrow ... I feel that the changes will be like Adoring Husband's relief ... monumental!
I'm off to bed.
Nite all.
Monday, March 6, 2017
Gave Myself a Kick (You-know-where)
After a great trike ride this morning, I checked the mail, made a withdrawal from my bank, got some groceries and then visited The Motivator for two hours!
It didn't seem like it at the time, but it turned out to be a motivational visit, because I returned home in full productivity mode!
Do you remember the 'to do' cards that I made last year (one year ago to the day!) and pinned on the cork board? Adoring Husband and I selected a card every day or two and completed one chore each time. Within a month, we had finished all the major chores and the house was happy, decluttered and cleansed.
Well, today I made some more 'to do' cards for myself. There are 28 cards at this point, although I have completed some of them this afternoon, so that number has already reduced.
After I made the cards, I emptied my coloured drawers of jewellery making paraphernalia, gave the drawers a good wash and then filled them with gift boxes and the new jewellery that I bought at the gift fair last week.
The dining table was cleared of all my crap, but is now covered with the tackle boxes full of jewellery making gear, which I am going to bag and sell ... somehow.
I filed my catalogues and price lists, although not alphabetically or in any order. I threw them into a mini concertina file to get them out of the way, so that chore is only partially complete.
At least I feel a small sense of achievement at the end of today, and that puts me in a much better place than the last few days!
I'm looking forward to coffee with the girls tomorrow, although I'm not sure how many of them will even be available. There is a lot happening in all of our lives right now! Whoever turns up, I'll be happy!
Early to bed tonight.
Nite all.
It didn't seem like it at the time, but it turned out to be a motivational visit, because I returned home in full productivity mode!
Do you remember the 'to do' cards that I made last year (one year ago to the day!) and pinned on the cork board? Adoring Husband and I selected a card every day or two and completed one chore each time. Within a month, we had finished all the major chores and the house was happy, decluttered and cleansed.
Well, today I made some more 'to do' cards for myself. There are 28 cards at this point, although I have completed some of them this afternoon, so that number has already reduced.
After I made the cards, I emptied my coloured drawers of jewellery making paraphernalia, gave the drawers a good wash and then filled them with gift boxes and the new jewellery that I bought at the gift fair last week.
The dining table was cleared of all my crap, but is now covered with the tackle boxes full of jewellery making gear, which I am going to bag and sell ... somehow.
I filed my catalogues and price lists, although not alphabetically or in any order. I threw them into a mini concertina file to get them out of the way, so that chore is only partially complete.
At least I feel a small sense of achievement at the end of today, and that puts me in a much better place than the last few days!
I'm looking forward to coffee with the girls tomorrow, although I'm not sure how many of them will even be available. There is a lot happening in all of our lives right now! Whoever turns up, I'll be happy!
Early to bed tonight.
Nite all.
Sunday, March 5, 2017
Sunday Bloody Sunday
I started out with big plans for today.
Those plans did not come to fruition! I can tell that you're not surprised!
My 'to do' list is somewhat overwhelming and I am intimidated by the enormity of it. I don't know where to start and most tasks will take time ... hours in fact.
I sat down on the couch to drink my coffee this morning and Adoring Husband asked me what my plans were for the day. I recited what I wanted to get done today ... and then proceeded to sit on the couch watching more of the recorded TV shows from while I was away.
There I stayed until it was time to get ready for a Le Reve party that I had to attend at 2pm.
So, another day wasted where none of my tasks were completed.
I've had an offer of help, which I have accepted, so hopefully, by Wednesday night I will be feeling a lot more positive about my progress.
The Motivator and I spent a pleasant afternoon at Sirenia Beach attending a Le Reve party. We sat outside where there was a beautiful cool sea breeze blowing and our hostess provided healthful snacks and refreshing drinks. We laughed a lot and got to know some new people and spent a little money.
I've booked another Le Reve party for the end of March, so expect an invitation.
You know who you are :)
I'm going to bed now, The storm last night kept me awake until about 2am .. mostly because the psychotic dog's PTSD kicked in and there was much barking and panicking going on.
I need to catch up on missed sleep.
Nite all.
Those plans did not come to fruition! I can tell that you're not surprised!
My 'to do' list is somewhat overwhelming and I am intimidated by the enormity of it. I don't know where to start and most tasks will take time ... hours in fact.
I sat down on the couch to drink my coffee this morning and Adoring Husband asked me what my plans were for the day. I recited what I wanted to get done today ... and then proceeded to sit on the couch watching more of the recorded TV shows from while I was away.
There I stayed until it was time to get ready for a Le Reve party that I had to attend at 2pm.
So, another day wasted where none of my tasks were completed.
I've had an offer of help, which I have accepted, so hopefully, by Wednesday night I will be feeling a lot more positive about my progress.
The Motivator and I spent a pleasant afternoon at Sirenia Beach attending a Le Reve party. We sat outside where there was a beautiful cool sea breeze blowing and our hostess provided healthful snacks and refreshing drinks. We laughed a lot and got to know some new people and spent a little money.
I've booked another Le Reve party for the end of March, so expect an invitation.
You know who you are :)
I'm going to bed now, The storm last night kept me awake until about 2am .. mostly because the psychotic dog's PTSD kicked in and there was much barking and panicking going on.
I need to catch up on missed sleep.
Nite all.
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