Wish List

Today I started a book of Wish Lists.

Not for me personally, but for the shop.

There are so many new products presenting themselves that I definitely want in the shop, but of course I have to build on my funds and I have to pace my spending.

So I found a nice big fat notebook and sectioned it out for each supplier, then began listing the items that I want to order and wrote down their codes and minimum order values so that when I’m ready, I can email the info directly through to the rep or supplier.

I sent through an order today which included body lotion, room spray, incense, essential oils and mini diffusers.

I almost finished steaming the pants today. Three pairs to go!

I was considering opening the shop on Sunday because there are so many people about, but today convinced me that it’s not worth sacrificing my day off for no guarantee of sales. There were a LOT of people on the street and in the shops near me today, but very few came to me.

It was an average day of sales.

My Sunday will be spent creating and emailing my newsletter as well as finishing my first journaling lesson ready for Tuesday.

I’m excited about my day in bed AND about the journaling sessions!

In case you didn’t know, Sean Connery recently turned 90 yrs old!

I hope that fact makes you feel a little younger today haha. Here’s another fact ...

Sleep time for me.

Nite all.

Frantic Friday

There are so many people in town!

It was so busy today that I didn’t finish steaming the new clothes and I began that chore just after I vacuumed the floors first thing in the morning!

I paid my rent early and spoke to a new rep who emailed some catalogues which included a new jewellery line and some other great gift ideas, made contact with one of my ladies who’s hats I have on consignment so that I could pay her, arranged for one of my artists (also on consignment) to pick up his art and I made a LONG ‘to do’ list for next week.

This is my fourth August in business and before it’s even over, it’s the best August yet for sales. I’m very happy about that.

With a combination of the emotional distress from the loss of Ruby and Jack and the busy workload at the shop over the last two weeks, I’m feeling fairly drained and I’m looking forward to a weekend of rest and relaxation.

I’ve also been working on the first lesson of the journaling class and doing printouts ready for Tuesday.

I had to order more coat hangers to accommodate all of my new pants!

I’ve planned the next art lesson for 5th September.

I’m beginning to feel far too efficient for my own good!

My only concern at this moment in time, is getting my ‘Roz’s Happy Place’ newsletter finished and sent out by Monday. I have all the ideas for content but haven’t started creating it yet.

If I don’t sign off here, it’ll be midnight before I know it so ...

Nite all.

Huggy Day

We had a power outage last night which happened at 11.30pm and the power reconnected at 1.08am - which woke me because the TV came on, as did the bedside light and the pedestal fan. So much for getting a solid night of sleep!

I had a really busy day in the shop and between customers, I had lovely visitors to give me warm healing hugs.

The first was Aggie, followed by The Brains Trust, then Lady Lynn and last of all The Fairy Queen.

It’s amazing how an unexpected hug can bring some lightness and ease the pain.

Thanks girls 😘

I steamed some of the new pants and hung them up for sale, but I need to source the right kind of coat hangers to accommodate ALL 48 pairs of those pants!

I recruited two more people for the journaling class.

I took photos of some of the new jewellery and posted onto the FB page.

It was almost a record breaking sales day.

It’s almost 11.30 pm and I’m exhausted.

I believe it’s sleep time for me.

Nite all.

A New Day

It’s a new day, but we are still struggling with the loss of our Jack.

Adoring Husband buried Jack beside Ruby in the back yard today and as you can imagine, it was no easy task for him.

I slept poorly last night with recurring visions of Jack’s last moments. The tears well at unexpected times and sometimes the emptiness seems vast and all consuming. I know that this will pass and it’s important to feel the feelings and go through the process, but I was not expecting it to feel quite like this.

Colli wanders through the house looking along the hallway or circling the dining table where Jack and Ruby usually slept. She seems confused, although she is certainly enjoying the extra attention and the fact that she now is the sole occupant of the big chair in the lounge room.

We had meditation this morning which helped me start my day on solid footing and in a peaceful space.

Even though it was busy in the shop, the day, especially the afternoon, seemed to drag on forever.

Sales were fantastic and there were a lot of people through the doors. The last two days have been big jewellery days - especially the more expensive pieces - so I will soon have to find some new pieces to fill the gaps.

I sent emails to the 20-ish people in the blue book who expressed an interest in journaling over the past 2 years.

I priced and displayed the new brooches that arrived in today’s mail and sold three of them this afternoon.

I priced and displayed SOME of the Melanie Woods jewellery pieces which are just lovely and sold 2 of them before they even reached the display cabinet.

I’ve sold four fascinators - which also haven’t been displayed yet.

I did some banking.

So it was very productive but still long.

AH purchased a small leg of lamb from the butcher and we had a baked dinner tonight which was delicious. No dessert.

I am in bed early again and I hope to get some decent sleep tonight (although AH is snoring very loudly!)

My title would be “The Best of Luck”.

Tomorrow will be a better day.

Nite all.

Deeply Sad

It’s only been a week since we lost little Ruby and today we had to say goodbye to cranky Jack.

He was our special boy, the ugliest in the litter and I chose him because he looked ‘broken’. It took some convincing to get Adoring Husband to agree to him coming home with us but they quickly became besties which made today absolutely heartbreaking.

Jack was a sick little boy with the vet telling us she suspected brain lesions. Just like Ruby, he deteriorated rapidly and we had to call the vet out to the house. He passed quickly and peacefully.

I’m grateful that he’s at peace and even though he was mostly noisy and cranky for his 15 years on this earth, there is a huge gaping hole in this house without him. Such a big presence for such a little dog.

That’s all I have to share about today.

I’ll fill this post with some proof of how effective and healthy the paleo diet is to help you avoid Or heal chronic illness and lose weight ...

When will the DAA, the Australian media and the Australian people be aware of the plethora of recent scientific studies supporting the Paleo concept.  Most recently, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the highest impact factor nutrition journal in the world, just published a meta analysis of randomized controlled trials and concluded that the Paleo Diet is one of the most effective dietary strategies to reduce body weight and prevent the risk of chronic disease.  Will the media ask the DAA to respond to this study?

Below is a comprehensive list of scientific studies evaluating the Paleo Diet.  It is simply irresponsible for the DAA and the Australian media to ignore this data. Will the media stand up and do an investigative story or will they regurgitate the OPINIONS of out of date Dietary Associations as the health of millions of Australians could be positively impacted with this information?

Paleo Diet References:

Direct Human/Animal Experimental and Epidemiological Studies

Chronological Order (Oldest to most recent)

1984
1. O'Dea K: Marked improvement in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in diabetic Australian aborigines after temporary reversion to traditional lifestyle. Diabetes 1984, 33(6):596-603.
2006
2. Jonsson T, Ahren B, Pacini G, Sundler F, Wierup N, Steen S, Sjoberg T, Ugander M, Frostegard J, Goransson Lindeberg S: A Paleolithic diet confers higher insulin sensitivity, lower C-reactive protein and lower blood pressure than a cereal-based diet in domestic pigs. Nutr Metab (Lond) 2006, 3:39.
2007
3. Lindeberg S, Jonsson T, Granfeldt Y, Borgstrand E, Soffman J, Sjostrom K, Ahren B: A Palaeolithic diet improves glucose tolerance more than a Mediterranean-like diet in individuals with ischaemic heart disease. Diabetologia 2007, 50(9):1795-1807.
2008
4. Osterdahl M, Kocturk T, Koochek A, Wandell PE: Effects of a short-term intervention with a paleolithic diet in healthy volunteers. Eur J Clin Nutr 2008, 62(5):682-685.
2009
5. Jönsson T, Granfeldt Y, Ahrén B, Branell UC, Pålsson G, Hansson A, Söderström M, Lindeberg S. Beneficial effects of a Paleolithic diet on cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes: a randomized cross-over pilot study. Cardiovasc Diabetol. 2009;8:35
6. Frassetto LA, Schloetter M, Mietus-Synder M, Morris RC, Jr., Sebastian A: Metabolic and physiologic improvements from consuming a paleolithic, hunter-gatherer type diet. Eur J Clin Nutr 2009.
2010
7. Jonsson T, Granfeldt Y, Erlanson-Albertsson C, Ahren B, Lindeberg S. A Paleolithic diet is more satiating per calorie than a Mediterranean-like diet in individuals with ischemic heart disease. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2010 Nov 30;7(1):85
2013
8. Carter P, Achana F, Troughton J, Gray LJ, Khunti K, Davies MJ. A Mediterranean diet improves HbA1c but not fasting blood glucose compared to alternative dietary strategies: a network meta-analysis. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2014 Jun;27(3):280-97
9. Jönsson T, Granfeldt Y, Lindeberg S, Hallberg AC.Subjective satiety and other experiences of a Paleolithic diet compared to a diabetes diet in patients with type 2 diabetes. Nutr J. 2013 Jul 29;12:105. doi: 10.1186/1475-2891-12-105.
10. Ryberg M, Sandberg S, Mellberg C, Stegle O, Lindahl B, Larsson C, Hauksson J, Olsson T. A Palaeolithic-type diet causes strong tissue-specific effects on ectopic fat deposition in obese postmenopausal women. J Intern Med. 2013 Jul;274(1):67-76
11. Frassetto LA, Shi L, Schloetter M, Sebastian A, Remer T. Established dietary estimates of net acid production do not predict measured net acid excretion in patients with Type 2 diabetes on Paleolithic-Hunter-Gatherer-type diets. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2013 Sep;67(9):899-903
2014
12. Fontes-Villalba M, Jönsson T, Granfeldt Y, Frassetto LA, Sundquist J, Sundquist K, Carrera-Bastos P, Fika-Hernándo M, Picazo Ó, Lindeberg S. A healthy diet with and without cereal grains and dairy products in patients with type 2 diabetes: study protocol for a random-order cross-over pilot study--Alimentation and Diabetes in Lanzarote--ADILAN.Trials. 2014 Jan 2;15:2. doi: 10.1186/1745-6215-15-2.
13. Bisht B, Darling WG, Grossmann RE, Shivapour ET, Lutgendorf SK, Snetselaar LG, Hall MJ, Zimmerman MB, Wahls TL. A multimodal intervention for patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis: Feasibility and effect on fatigue. J Altern Complement Med. 2014 Jan 29. [Epub ahead of print]
14. Mellberg C, Sandberg S, Ryberg M, Eriksson M, Brage S, Larsson C, Olsson T, Lindahl B. Long-term effects of a Palaeolithic-type diet in obese postmenopausal women: a 2-year randomized trial. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2014 Mar;68(3):350-7.
15. Smith, M, Trexler E, Sommer A, Starkoff B, Devor S.teven (2014) Unrestricted Paleolithic Diet is associated with unfavorable changes to blood lipids in healthy subjects. Int J Exer Sci 2014, 7(2) : 128-139.
16. Talreja D, Buchanan H, Talreja R, Heiby L, Thomas B, Wetmore J, Pourfarzib R, Winegar D. Impact of a Paleolithic diet on modifiable CV risk factors. Journal of Clinical Lipidology, Volume 8, Issue3, Page 341, May 2014.
17. Boers I, Muskiet FA, Berkelaar E, Schur E, Penders R, Hoenderdos K, Wichers HJ, Jong MC.  Favourable effects of consuming a Palaeolithic-type diet on characteristics of the metabolic syndrom. A randomized controlled pilot-study. Lipids Health Dis. 2014 Oct 11;13:160. doi: 10.1186/1476-511X-13-160.
18. Stomby A, Simonyte K, Mellberg C, Ryberg M, Stimson RH, Larsson C, Lindahl B, Andrew R, Walker BR, Olsson T. Diet-induced weight loss has chronic tissue-specific effects on glucocorticoid metabolism in overweight postmenopausal women. Int J Obes (Lond). 2014 Oct 28. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2014.188. [Epub ahead of print]
19. Whalen KA, McCullough M, Flanders WD, Hartman TJ, Judd S, Bostick RM. Paleolithic and mediterranean diet pattern scores and risk of incident, sporadic colorectal adenomas. Am J Epidemiol. 2014 Dec 1;180(11):1088-97. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwu235. Epub 2014 Oct 17.
20. Toth C, Clemens Z.  Type 1 diabetes mellitus successfully managed with the Paleolithic ketogenic diet. Int J Case Pep Images. 2014 5(10):699-703.

2015
21. Talreja A, Talreja S, Talreja R,Talreja D. The VA Beach Diet Study: An investigation  of  the effects  of plant-based, Mediterranean, Paleolithic, and Dash Diets on cardiovascular disease risk. J Am Coll Cardiol Intv. 2015;8(2_S):S41-S41.  doi:10.1016/j.jcin.2014.12.161
22. Bligh HF, Godsland IF, Frost G, Hunter KJ, Murray P, MacAulay K, Hyliands D, Talbot DC, Casey J, Mulder TP, Berry MJ.Plant-rich mixed meals based on Palaeolithic diet principles have a dramatic impact on incretin, peptide YY and satiety response, but show little effect on glucose and insulin homeostasis: an acute-effects randomised study.Br J Nutr. 2015 Feb 28;113(4):574-84.
23. London DS, Beezhold B. A phytochemical-rich diet may explain the absence of age-related decline in visual acuity of Amazonian hunter-gatherers in Ecuador. Nutr Res. 2015 Feb;35(2):107-17.
24. Masharani U, Sherchan P, Schloetter M, Stratford S, Xiao A, Sebastian A, Nolte Kennedy M, Frassetto L. Metabolic and physiologic effects from consuming a hunter-gatherer (Paleolithic)-type diet in type 2 diabetes. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2015 Apr 1. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2015.39. [Epub ahead of print]
25. Tóth, C, and Zsófia, C.  “Gilbert’s Syndrome successfully treated with the Paleolithic ketogenic diet.” Am J Med Case Reports. 2015 3(4). http://pubs.sciepub.com/ajmcr/3/4/9/
26. Pastore RL, Brooks JT, Carbone JW.  Paleolithic nutrition improves plasma lipid concentrations of hypercholesterolemic adults to a greater extent than traditional heart-healthy dietary recommendations. Nutr Res. 2015; 35:474-479.
27. Manheimer EW, van Zuuren EJ, Fedorowicz Z, Pijl H. Paleolithic nutrition for metabolic syndrome: systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015 Aug 12. pii: ajcn113613. [Epub ahead of print]

An early night for me. I am mentally and emotionally exhausted.

Nite all.

Repeat Repeat

We had to visit our vet this morning with psychotic dog Jack.

Psychotic dog Colli caused such a hoohaa, howling and stamping her feet because she refused to be left behind, that we had to load her into the back seat as well and she accompanied us masquerading as Jack’s moral support.

Adoring Husband acted as vehicular puppy crèche supervisor while I popped into Officeworks to pick up my “click and collect” order.

We stopped at Su Jus Bar Cafe to grab 5 sweets, 2 coffees and a large green juice.

I then minded the dogs while AH picked up Ruby’s plaque that was supposed to be engraved last Wednesday. After much searching and a phone call, they couldn’t find it so AH told them to shove it (in much nicer words than I would have used) and since he hadn’t paid for it yet, it was easy to walk away.

We made our way home, dropped the dogs off and then delivered the Officeworks package to my shop.

It took us over an hour to clear the training room of the workshop mess and we waited for a delivery of stock, picked up the mail (which included more stock), shooed away a prospective customer who walked into the shop (even though the CLOSED sign was up, there were no flags out, no seats at the door, no A-frame on the footpath and no OPEN sign outside the door) and then got narky because we told her we were closed.

She was a local so might possibly hold a grudge. Ah well.

I was able to do some washing this afternoon before putting my feet up for a couple of hours to watch my favourites - Tipping Point and The Chase - we put together a team effort to make pork loin chops with poached egg, fried onion and salad for dinner.

Now I’m watching Farmer Wants a Wife and I may even go to bed to watch the end of it.

I’m done for the day.

Nite all.

What day is it?

Oh that’s right! It’s Sunday! My day of rest 🤗

It’s 4pm as I write this and I’ve been in bed all day. I’m STILL in bed!

 I’ve been creating my journaling course and have so much great content that I’m excited to get started.

I already had 200+ questions and today I’ve added 300 more.

The questions are not compulsory to answer. They are there for you to use as a guide - especially for those who have no idea where to start.

Things like ‘firsts’ ... talk about your first:

• Pet
• Friend
• Car
• Job
• Kiss
• Concert
• Holiday
• Loss

There are at least 75+ ‘firsts’.

Talk about your favourite:

• Teacher
• Relative
• School
• Movie
• Band
• Concert
• Food
• Flower

There are 50+ ‘favourites’.

There are “Chinese Whispers” exercises, “Getting Started” exercises, “Finding Memories” exercises, “Imperfectly You” exercises, “Creative Design” exercises for your pages and title plus much more.

I’ve completed some of the exercises and I’m inspired ... time could be an issue, but perhaps my time management skills require some honing!

I’ve purchased and ordered folders, notebooks and paper. I’m keen to get started.

It’s now 10pm and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my Sunday in bed. I made my way into the kitchen to prepare of salmon steak with salad for dinner and watched Farmer Wants a Wife before climbing back into bed.

Life is good.

Tomorrow will be busy with a trip into The Bay and a trip to the shop to finish clearing the training room and I need to do some housework.

Best get some sleep.

Nite all.

Sassy Saturday

I’m exhausted!

It was another busy sales day in the shop which hindered my efforts to finish setting up for the art workshop, so I was a little flustered by the time the workshop was due to begin and to top it off there was a flurry of customers in the last 15 minutes before closing.

The workshop participants all arrived at different times and a touch early too which only added to my discomfort.

Eventually, the shop was closed, I changed into my casual attire and I was seated with the girls ready to play.

At the beginning of the week I had 9 people confirmed for the class, which dropped to 8 by Tuesday and then 4 just didn’t turn up today - no communication at all. In future, I’ll get everybody to pay in advance.

It really didn’t matter because the four who attended were a great little group and they were a lot of fun and very enthusiastic.

We were all so involved and so deep in concentration that before we knew it, it was after 3pm and we hadn’t even begun to clean our messes!

It was all very busy as we finished our art pieces, cleaned the mess and shuffled out the door much later than usual!

I forgot to take photos!! 😮

I will take photos of the dried art on Monday, but the group photo opportunity has well and truly passed. Bugger.

I signed up the first person for my journaling course which starts on Tuesday week and the local newsletter where I’ve advertised hasn’t even been published yet! Wahoo!

It has been a great week. I feel like it was productive and fruitful and I’m definitely ready for a day in bed to recover from all that fabulous juju.

Nite all.

A Blinder

Today was full on.

A fabulous day of sales and in between customers I partially set up the training room for Saturday’s workshop, finished pricing the fascinators, created folders for two new suppliers, put together an order for the new range of Jenny Jazz clothing (OMG some gorgeous stuff there but that’s on hold until I can afford it!), checked my emails, paid some consignment money and I actually ate some lunch!

I was quite frazzled for most of the day and literally fumbled my way through it.

It started when I ordered my morning coffee and discovered that there were 9 coffees ordered before me. I had left the house ten minutes later than usual so it was slightly inconvenient to wait. I was lucky to have Adoring Husband opening the shop for me.

I picked up my mail and arrived at the shop to find AH setting up the tables for the art class, so I immediately went to his assistance, arranging the tables, moving chairs out of the room, putting the plastic sheets over the tables etc until my first customer came through the door.

I was about to make the first sale and found the iPad with my square reader checkout was dead flat. It was a big sale so I was incredibly lucky that the customer had enough cash in her wallet to pay for it!

After she left, I had to find the cord to charge the iPad. Usually I take it home overnight to charge it, so I was certain that there was no cord at the shop. I remembered that the last time, I charged it using AH’s cord at home so it was pure luck that, having searched all the drawers, I eventually found the cord in my laptop bag!

For the third sale, I misplaced the little white square reader, which is essential for making the sales. I eventually found it on the corner of the desk hiding between the cash tin and the little set of drawers. It took me ages to find it, but I was lucky that the ladies were very good natured and not in a hurry to go anywhere.

The next sale was for essential oils and I accidentally undercharged for one of the oils, not realising it until after she left. Too late. Too bad.

Another customer, who purchased a Himalayan salt lamp, asked for some spare bulbs for it. I have them in a box in the cupboard. They have always been there. I have not moved them. Could I locate them??? Noooooo.

So I searched in all the places where I knew they couldn’t be until the customer said to message her on Facebook when I found them and she would come back. Not ten minutes later I found them exactly where they have always been, but I had placed a box over the top of them which hid them from my view.

Ugh.

Just a whole bunch of silly little things one after the other to frustrate and frazzle my usually organised brain. I had a good night’s sleep so my brain should have been sharp!

I was embarrassed but I survived.

Tomorrow will be better!

It’s almost midnight so I’d best get some sleep.

Nite all.

Moving On

I love this ...

“I ain’t draft dodging. I ain’t burning no flag. I ain’t running to Canada. I’m staying right here. You want to send me to jail? Fine, you go right ahead. I’ve been in jail for 400 years. I could be there for 4 or 5 more, but I ain’t going no 10,000 miles to help murder and kill other poor people.

If I want to die, I’ll die right here, right now, fightin’ you, if I want to die. You my enemy, not no Chinese, no Vietcong, no Japanese. You my opposer when I want freedom. You my opposer when I want justice. You my opposer when I want equality. Want me to go somewhere and fight for you? You won’t even stand up for me right here in America, for my rights and my religious beliefs. You won’t even stand up for me right here at home. “

- Muhammad Ali

If only we could all be so forthright, honest and assertive.

I had a nice day.

Adoring Husband swapped the fence flags so now I have green and gold satin flapping for people’s attention along the fence.

It was an average sales day.

I ordered some clothes which I think will be here tomorrow.

I took a stack of photos of the new stock and posted them on Facebook.

I priced and displayed 4 dozen pairs of socks.

I attempted to delete 7000 emails but they kept bouncing back into my inbox.

All but 2 of my customers paid with $50 notes so by lunch time I had to get change from the post office.

My back was giving me a hard time after yesterday’s effort of unpacking and displaying the new stock - also I only slept for 4 hours - so I’m signing off now to get some sleep.

There will be more stock arriving tomorrow and I have to set up the training room for Saturday’s workshop.

Nite all.

Improving

Today was certainly better than yesterday.

But I do miss my little Ruby Booby.

Meditation helped me start the day on a positive note. It ran over time because we were all so deeply involved in the subject matter.

The Gypsy could only stay for 15 minutes afterwards so we filled that time with chatter and then I joined the ladies in the back room to finish my coffee and listen to their silly banter.

I was interrupted often by customers so my involvement in the banter was limited.

It was a good day for sales.

My Ivy’s order arrived so I have new crossbody bags, beach bags, scarves, purses and enough fascinators for EVERYONE in town!!

The new flags arrived so Adoring Husband will get them sorted tomorrow.

It felt like a long day, but I got a lot done and served a lot of people ... even a customer in Ballarat VIC who would normally be here for holidays right now but as you all know, the borders are closed, so she chose to shop with me over the phone!

That’s three interstate customers now, who have phoned to purchase something because they can’t get here in person.

I received a fabulous catalogue full of new fashion pieces that I drooled over for about 45 minutes. This means I need to stop purchasing stock long enough to build a strong bank balance that will allow me to order freely!

AH arrived with plenty of time to help me close the shop, mail off the customer order and head home to unpack this week’s FROG box which he had picked up earlier.

Waiting for us at the front door was a big box of hemp kombucha which I haven’t opened yet. I’ll give you my review of the product in the next few days.

Now it’s time for me to sleep. I have to say that I slept soundly last night for a solid 7.5 hours and woke up feeling refreshed and energised. I think I was emotionally exhausted!

Happy Thursday to you!

Nite all.

Morning Mourning

Yesterday afternoon I noticed that psychotic dog Ruby’s health had deteriorated.

We knew the time was coming but I figured as long as she came running for a pat whenever I arrived home, she was still ok.

Yesterday she remained in her bed, her breathing was shallow and there was no ‘happy’ left.

When Adoring Husband picked her up, her breathing became laboured, almost like her lungs were being crushed, so I made him put her down and she sat quietly in her bed.

I phoned the vet and she offered to come out to our house today to put Ruby to sleep, so I agreed to that.

Sadly, Ruby’s health deteriorated rapidly and she didn’t make it through the night.

Adoring Husband was inconsolable and I have to say that the first 4 hours of today were incredibly painful - mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. I went to work with a very heavy heart and my eyes were red and puffy. Every so often I would remember my happy little girl and my eyes would fill with tears, but I got through the day in one piece.

AH buried her in the back yard and we will have a plaque engraved to place beside her resting place.

The other two dogs have been a blessing. Their wagging tails and wiggling bums have eased the pain a little and right now, aside from a little arthritis, they are both healthy.

I slept poorly last night and I’m feeling exhausted after this very emotional day, so it’s sleep time for me.

Nite all.

Application

I used a website today, where freelance professionals look at what you need and apply for the job you have available eg I want someone to create a simple, easy to navigate website that will be easy for me to manage and maintain after its completed.

So I described in detail what I wanted, and just like a job interview, I gave 5 questions that they need to answer before I choose the successful applicant.

I haven’t posted the job description yet, but it’s all created and ready to go ... whenever I’m ready to go!

I had a nice time in bed today, although I had to close the bedroom window early this morning because the breeze was strong and cold!

Adoring Husband waited on me, providing lemon water, broth and coffee.

I made a salad for lunch while he provided some cold ham from the butcher.

Dinner was lamb loin chops with roasted cauliflower steaks, baked sweet potato, tomato and onion.

In the food processor I chucked an avocado, a frozen banana, coconut cream, maple syrup, melted 85% dark chocolate and some salt. I served it with blueberries and maple toffee crunch.

That was my nutrition for the day.

Sleep time and work tomorrow.

Nite all

Worthy Recipient

I sacrificed my Sunday in bed.

It was worth it.

It was to celebrate The Brains Trust’s birthday and we all drove together to her favourite eating place where we could sit together outside, in nature, eat good food, talk loudly, laugh even louder and bond more over our silliness.

We learnt valuable information about discarding hand towels when leaving the public toilet area, performing wifely duties (cake baking), how important our partner’s 69th birthday is and how South Korea can teach the world a thing or two about hands free toileting 😳 (you had to be there).

We enjoyed our meal, received excellent service, the weather was lovely and we ended the day with a walk around the grounds.

Five hours of fun and frivolity - even Adoring Husband sent me a text 6 minutes before I arrived home wondering where we were!

My nutrition for the day: lemon water, chicken broth, coffee x 2, filtered water. Lunch - chicken, avocado, cheese, half of half a GF bread roll, lettuce, onion, beetroot, carrot. Dinner - half of a scotch fillet steak, tomato, cucumber, beetroot, avocado, lettuce.

I’m hungry right now! I could eat a family block of chocolate! I should have brought home a GF citrus tart from our lunch location!

Well I hope that tomorrow I’ll get to spend some extra time in bed, although I have a feeling that there will be a couple of deliveries at the shop that I may need to open up for. That would be annoying.

Welcome to a new week!

Nite all.

Feeling Elderly

What a huge day!

As you know, I had to fend for myself this morning. Good Lord! I had to make my own lemon water and heat up my own chicken broth! What is my world coming to!?!? 🤔

I gave psychotic dog Jack his medication before getting ready for work and loading my trike basket to the hilt with all of my paraphernalia including a change of clothes to wear at the retreat in the afternoon.

There was plenty of time for me to grab a coffee before opening the shop, but as I returned with my coffee, Adoring Husband appeared! Wearing the mask all morning at First Aid training had left him feeling decidedly unwell. He pulled out of the training but still helped me open the shop.

There were a LOT of people in town today and I almost considered putting a sign up to limit the numbers allowed in at any one time!

The first two hours of visitors were mostly tyre kickers which gave me the chance to design and order a new banner to replace the one near the butcher shop and then order and pay for some new Bali flags and replace the broken flag poles.

The second two hours were nonstop paying customers who kept me on my toes for the entire afternoon!

It was an excellent day of sales and the last customer walked out the door 5 minutes before closing time.

There was just enough time to get changed and prepare a platter of vegetable sticks and guacamole to take with me to the retreat.

Adoring Husband appeared once again to help me close the shop and load the car with all of my paraphernalia so that I didn’t have to take it with me.

I pedalled my trike to the hall where the retreat had been moved to because of forecast rain and storms - it was originally to be held in the outdoor area of the property where The Gypsy resides.

The Women’s Healing Retreat was fantastic. Very emotional in parts but mostly joyful and full of love. We danced, we meditated, we moved and stretched, we smudged, we drishti-ed, we shared nutrition and we supported each other through our own private and personal healing.

I’m very happy to have participated and I knew all fifteen women in attendance.

I pedalled home at 5.15pm as the dark clouds loomed and threatened to dump some heavy rain.

AH was supposed to be out for dinner so I hadn’t planned much. Now that he was home, I threw together a chicken concoction and put it in the oven for 45 minutes.

AH went back for seconds!

For dessert, I melted 85% dark chocolate with some coconut cream and we dipped fresh strawberries into it. I also made up a batch of maple toffee to sprinkle over it. Delicious.

After all of that, I have to say my body is feeling very elderly and there are bits hurting all over the place.

My nutrition for the day (besides what I’ve already mentioned): tomato, onion, cucumber, carrot, celery, avocado, shallots, hummus, apple, pear, water.

Far out, it’s 9.30pm and feels like midnight!

Nite all.

Making Sense

As some of you well know, I have never ever been a fan of Alan Jones. I have found him to be divisive and bigoted, misogynistic, cruel and a hypocritical.

Right now though, for the first time, he is speaking my language and as much as it irks me, I totally agree with his stance on this so-called pandemic.



I have made a LONG list of all the ‘things’ that just don’t make sense, but I’m saving that list for another post which you can either open your mind and read OR choose to ignore, which of course, is your right.

I’m going to slot some short videos of Drs, scientists, nurses and frontline workers into my blog every week or so, just to give you a taste and perhaps show you a different perspective to what mainstream media are forcing down our throats.

Here is the first and it goes for three minutes ...

Dr Tamper of Nebraska

It was another great day at the shop for me today.

Even though I haven’t had a chance to even browse through it, my “Cleanse to Heal” book arrived in the mail today and I hope to spend some time reading it in bed on Monday.

There were lots of customers today, half being tyre kickers and the other half gladly opening their wallets. This week has seen lots of snap jewellery going to new homes, mostly to returning holiday makers who purchased some this time last year.

Aggie came for a visit and we stood and chatted for some time ... when I SHOULD have invited her to sit! Sometimes I’m too vague for my own good.

I sold some more art - not mine this time.

I banked some cash - wahoo!

I’ve made an extensive list of suppliers that I want to order from in the coming months.

I ordered some new stickers and created a new banner to replace the one near the butcher.

I printed some postcards to cover me until the new ones arrive.

My last customer left at 2.55pm and Adoring Husband and I packed up in a flash so that we could enjoy some down time at home.

Instead, I spent quite some time trying to get psychotic dog Jack to take two lots of medication with his dinner. Every time he yawned, he shrieked a little because obviously his mouth is still a little tender after his ten extractions.

Hopefully he will improve rapidly - as long as I can trick him into taking his drugs every day 😳

AH cooked dinner and I prepared dessert.

My nutrition for today: water, lemon water, chicken broth, coffee. Chicken wings, tomato and avocado. Chocado - avocado, natural dark chocolate, coconut cream, maple syrup blended and served with a mountain of blueberries and strawberries, sprinkled with flaked almond maple toffee.

I bathed psychotic dog Ruby’s eye this evening before climbing into bed to watch the footy and now I’m listening to AH snore his head off beside me.

AH is attending the SES First Aid training all weekend so I’ll be fending for myself.

Work in the morning followed by a Women’s Healing Retreat in the afternoon and on Sunday a fabulous lunch to look forward to. Monday will be my day of rest.

Just before I go ...

Have a great weekend!

Nite all.

Broke a Record

Not me.

Psychotic dog Jack broke the record.

Remember how psychotic dog Colli had 9 teeth removed?

Jack had TEN teeth removed!

$850 later 😳

Lucky it was Dental Discount month or it would have cost almost $1300! She clipped his nails for free too.

Jack is much happier, is drinking easily and ate two meals tonight! No cramps so far but he’s only been home for 5 hours.

Even though Adoring Husband was feeling stressed when he dropped our boy at the vets this morning, he was feeling a lot better with the outcome of Jack’s treatment when he picked him up.

I rode my trike to work this morning with the rear basket full of my wheelie case which contained my laptop, my iPad and notebooks and paperwork, a bag full of the cash tin, my lunch and my water bottle plus my handbag.

It used to be so easy to pedal that trike ... like ... no effort at all! Today, after more than a year NOT riding it, I struggled! My butt kept sliding off the seat, my right knee felt under pressure and I felt a little bit puffed when I arrived at my destination!

Back when I was riding regularly, I was obviously fitter than I realised.

It was a great day of sales AND I sold a piece of my art!! My seahorse ...

for $140.00! 🤭

Weirdsville huh?

I paid MORE bills (they seem to be never ending).

My business cards FINALLY arrived ... the first box got lost in transit, so Vistaprint had to make some more and send them express post.

I stapled a heap of cards to the small handled bags.

I’ve ordered postcards from Harvey Norman to put on the large bags.

I sent through the ads for the local newsletter and at the last minute created a half page ad for the journaling classes and even set a date!

I had an interstate customer phone and ask me to find her a stack of silk scarves - my usual supplier has no silk scarves anymore, so it was a task and a half to find some at a reasonable price and it took me a good 90 minutes including sending numbered photos so that she can easily select the ones she wants.

I closed the shop on my own and collected our ordered meat from the butcher before finally pedalling home after 4pm.

Jack got most of my attention for the first hour and AH offered to cook dinner which I gratefully accepted.

Tonight I’ve watched The Bachelor and Celebrity Gogglebox. Now we’re catching the end of the football and I’m happy because I tipped Melbourne Storm to win.

Bed time for me.

Nite all.