Project 365

Sunday, 26 September 2010

2010-09-25T16:30:00.000-07:00

We've had drizzly showery weather this week and the clover and bindi in my lawns are now flourishing madly. I'm wondering if there's any grass left in there? We've not been able to spray because there's been just enough rain for the spray not to work. Ah well, it will be shoes or thongs on feet this summer, no bare feet wandering on the grass!

I attempted to do some painting last night, but managed to seriously mess it up so it's back to the drawing board once again.

My best friend from school lost her step father early this morning. Norm has been unwell for a little while but had a ripe innings and said he was ready to go at 87. He will be sadly missed.

It's been a quiet week really. Jon assures me he has a working bee lined up for a little later this morning to help clear up the yard and do a few loads to the tip for me, so I'm looking forward to that.

I also have a new friend coming over sometime today, who will later be experiencing one of our family dinners!! They have been warned hehe.

I received a surprise birthday gift earlier this week from a dear friend who spoilt me rotten by giving me a digital camera to replace the one I broke recently. I've been trying it out and have yet to finish figuring it out, but all good so far. Of course, today's pic was taken on it :).

Sunday, 19 September 2010

2010-09-19T04:34:00.000-07:00

Well another week has flown by. Gee I seem to say that a lot. I must be getting old. Hmm...

So I've just had my first week back at work and it was a mix of quiet before getting busy late in the week. The weeknights, however, were a different story and it was busy all the way.

Wednesday I returned to my art classes after a 3 mth break and managed to finish a painting I'd been working on for a little while. Thursday was my fortnightly get together with my former school mates, made all the more entertaining by the crazy entrance of my friend Kath who pretended she knew one of my school friends and was gushing madly all over her, telling her how wonderful it was to see her etc etc, while Sharon looked on with that 'omg who the hell are you' type look on her face. Definitely a priceless moment!

Friday saw me take the scenic route (yes, I got lost again) to meet a friend in the city for coffee after work, then Saturday morning spent with a new friend having breakfast, followed by a walk along the jetty and a couple of hours together which was very enjoyable indeed.

Saturday I also looked after my little grandson for the afternoon and overnight while his parents attended a wedding. Very cute, lots of fun, but oh gosh, I am so glad I'm not raising little tiny ones now! Very tiring despite the loads of fun.

Well, that's about it for now as I can't think of anything else to add at this point in time. So I will attach a pic of my latest painting and finish off!

Sunday, 12 September 2010

2010-09-11T15:42:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been 4 weeks since my last post. Hasn't that time flown! I head back to work tomorrow after my time off. I can't say I achieved all I'd planned to achieve while off work, but I did walk more and I did a couple of belly casts, along with another cast, and I had a few days up at Caloundra.

The first week I did a little of the sorting out that I'd planned, which was a good start and I have a fair idea of the next steps with that.

My friend Washuntara had his final performances and I thoroughly enjoyed them. I will be a little sad to see him return to the US, but am very much looking forward to his new album when it's completed. I've had the pleasure of hearing some of his new songs and they're absolutely beautiful.

Last week was a sad week, following the death of my former stepson Jamie. There has been so much sadness and heartache this year, I'm hoping next year holds better things.

I've also had my friend Loraine stay with me for a few weeks while she fulfilled some work commitments, so it was great to see her again and be able to spend time with her. My little granddaughter sat on my lap and sung happy birthday to me all by herself - absolutely beautiful. Today's pic is of some of my family.

Sunday, 15 August 2010

2010-08-15T14:09:00.000-07:00

Hmm those last two weeks have flown by! I have just taken an enormous leap of faith and asked (and was granted) for one month's unpaid leave from work. I finished up on Friday. This year has been such a roller coaster and the challenges have been absolutely relentless, so I figured the time has come for some self care.

My aims for the coming month are to start eating properly by eating regularly and eating more fresh fruit and vegetables, get into a better sleeping pattern and actually get more sleep, get some regular fresh air by going for a walk each day, start meditating again even if it's just once a week and pull out my paints. Start painting again. After that, who knows?

Sunday, 1 August 2010

2010-08-01T13:16:00.000-07:00

I was awake early this morning, so headed into the markets to get some more of the beautiful flowers I got a couple of weeks ago. I had a wee nap when I came home, then made Josh's girlfriend Sarah a belated birthday cake to have with dinner tonight. Poor girl, for various reasons her birthday cake has been missed, so tonight we're making up for it. My friend Kath came over to join us as well.

I had a phone call from my brother today, always nice to hear from him and he sounds well.

It was an absolutely beautiful day today, one could have been forgiven for thinking it was spring rather than winter. The weather has been unseasonably warm the last couple of days, but will be no doubt followed by some more cooler weather.

That's about it for now. Today's pic is of Sarah's birthday cake and the flowers I bought at the markets in the background.

Saturday, 31 July 2010

2010-07-31T01:58:00.000-07:00

I've had a good week, a very full and somewhat tiring week, but a good one just the same. I attended a two day forum on Wed & Thu that provided some challenging days but also provided some steps towards some positive outcomes in my field of work. There are another two forums lined up, one in August and the other in November.

I went to my friend Kharlyn's place for dinner, she'd cooked a delicious curry, and then came home fairly early. How sad is that on a Friday night!!!

Today I took myself into the city to have a look at the Ron Mueck exhibition. His work is fantastic and very life like. Today was the last day of the exhibition so there were lots of people there but thankfully I arrived mid morning so didn't have to deal with the extra long queues.. I just had a long one. After a while it became very long, then extra long and out the doors along the footpath.

I took a stroll through the Southbank markets and enjoyed a walk along the Brisbane River while I was there. I sat for a while in the shade, called my Mum and had a chat to her for a while.

It's hard to choose just one photo for today, so I may even put two or three in.

Sunday, 25 July 2010

2010-07-24T15:40:00.000-07:00

Well another week has flown right by. Another week that has held some challenges, however, I have to believe that these are also the times that teach us resilience and remind us to have hope.

This week I have made or met a new online friend and I am thoroughly enjoying our email conversations. Isn't timing a wonderful thing? Serendipity or synchronicity or whatever you like to call it ~ the saying that people come into our lives for a reason comes to mind. Whatever the reason, I'm grateful for the smiles that new friend has given me this week.

Once again, I had the pleasure this week of listening to my friend Washuntara's beautiful music and a couple of new song's that have just been written. They always provide a mid-week lift. Only another 5-6 weeks of performances here before he gets ready to head off again, so again, I'm grateful for the opportunity I have to enjoy his music live.

I was thinking of doing some painting this weekend as I haven't done any for a while, but haven't got there yet. Although the day is still young so who knows? I may do some after all. I was planning to go into the city today to see an exhibition but it has rained over night and it still overcast now, so I'm kind of leaning towards a home day.

My friend Kath came over last night and we enjoyed dinner before settling in to watch the movie Mama Mia. I never seem to tire of that movie and I always enjoy the music.

I haven't done any decluttering for a little while, I've noticed places I want to get into, just haven't got there yet. Perhaps I should go back to setting a time or a corner to work on. Ah well, it won't happen overnight but it WILL happen.

I planted a few more seedlings yesterday so looking forward to seeing them bloom in the springtime.

I'm considering getting a kitten. For some obscure reason I seem to be really really drawn to this idea, yet it's not a logical or sensible one for me for a couple of reasons - one being that I'm allergic to them, so I would have to make sure I always have anti histamines on hand, plus it would have to mostly be an outdoor pet, and two being that I plan to move house in about 6 mths time, so it's always a question of whether pets are allowed. I've been thinking about this idea for some weeks now and had bit of a look yesterday for kittens but didn't find any, so obviously the time isn't right just yet if I am to have one.

In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy my son's baby budgie while he is away, noisy messy little critter that it is. It is awfully cute though, so that makes up for the noise and mess.

Well that's probably enough from me for now. I may come back and post more this evening. Today's pic is a slightly blurry image of a beautiful gerbera I got at last week's farmers markets.

Sunday, 18 July 2010

2010-07-17T21:15:00.000-07:00

Well you know how I mentioned in my previous post, that the week preceding had been really crappy and I was hoping for a better week? Didn't happen. There were some good parts, but oh my gosh, it made the previous week pale in comparison.

I guess the Universe has decided I need to be challenged. Boy oh boy, am I being challenged at the moment. My sister said yesterday that is seems to be a test of my resilience. I'm so glad she said that, because it gave me encouragement to keep on going. Things are likely to get worse before they improve, that's just the reality of what's happening here at the moment, but I'm also hopeful that it may not be as bad as we've been led to believe. So here's to hope!!

I'm not going to go into the challenges here because apart from acknowledging them in the way I have done here, I don't want to give them more 'air time' (for want of a better way to say it). I'd rather try and keep looking ahead. I know there is more to come and I know there will be more tough days, but I want to keep focusing on hope and being grateful for the good things that are happening in my life.

So talking about the good things, once again I enjoyed a lovely night listening to Washuntara sing and play last Wednesday night. It is such a joy to be around him while he is making such beautiful music. Actually, it's a joy to be around him anytime.

On Thursday night, I caught up with my friend Brett who I'd gone to school with. I've probably already mentioned that we have been catching up reasonably regularly, along with another friend Sharon who is currently overseas.

Thursday had been a truly awful day so it was good to spend time with a caring friend. He was kind enough to buy me dinner as well after realising I hadn't eaten all day.

Friday afternoon was a continuation of Thursday's events, so an out of the blue invitation to have dinner and watch a movie with another friend Kharlyn was greatly appreciated. We had dinner and we talked until late into the night on all kinds of subjects but we didn't get round to watching the movie.

Then yesterday, my dear friend Kath came and took me out for a drive. We had a couple of hours out in the sunshine near the water. Perfect for de-stressing!

An early trip to the farmers markets was the order of today and I've just had a quiet one since then. Very relaxing. I'm planning to do a little gardening too, although if I'm going to do that, I need to get out there fairly soon!

Sunday, 11 July 2010

2010-07-11T00:51:00.000-07:00

Well I have to say that this week was one of those weeks that steadily got crappier as the week went on. It started well and went downhill from there, with a couple of nice moments in there as well thankfully to keep my head above water so to speak. I usually enjoy my job and love returning after holidays, but unfortunately this time the joy was short lived. I'm hopeful things will improve as it won't be easy if they don't.

That aside, there were some good moments too. I enjoyed watching my friend sing on Wednesday night, although I was feeling quite emotional that night and his song lyrics touched some nerves. He writes beautiful songs with beautiful messages - a very talented man indeed. He is going to join one of our family dinners sometime soon, brave man!

On Friday night, my dear friend K, came along and took me out for a while. Just the medicine I needed! It was nice to get out of the house for a while.

The remainder of the weekend was fairly quiet until tonight when all the family were here for dinner. Those nights are never quiet but they are a lot of fun. I also looked after Xavier for a couple of hours last night and we enjoyed bopping to the music from Mama Mia.

That's if from me for now. Here's hoping for a better week!

Tuesday, 6 July 2010

2010-07-05T21:51:00.000-07:00

Today is my last day of holidays and I'm not sure if I'm ready to go back to work. I could quite easily handle another week off. Ah well, another time!

I had the pleasure of having coffee and great getting to know you type conversation with my musician friend Washuntara. It's the first time we've caught up outside of his work or mine. Two hours flew by very quickly! I'm very much liking this blossoming friendship I share with him.

Yesterday afternoon, I picked up my granddaughter Tiara from daycare and we did some cooking. She's such a delight and it's so much fun spending time with her.

I've been playing around with the sepia setting on my camera. I didn't realise it was on there until my niece informed me last week! Today's pic is of Wellington Point jetty.

Monday, 5 July 2010

2010-07-04T15:34:00.001-07:00

Heavens to Betsy! Two posts in a row!! :)

I've just made some scones for the first time in a long while - oh my gosh, they are delicious!! Served warm, with a little blackberry jam and some whipped cream.... scrumptious!!

A dear friend has just lost her mother and has been doing lots of reminiscing. The question has been asked, 'what naughty things did you get up to as a kid?' This simple little question has opened the floodgates on some memories.

Like 'accidentally' hosing people as they walked past the front gate. The grocer from across the road used to bring Mum's groceries over once a week and I'm told he used to keep a spare set of clothes at his shop at one stage.

When superglue first came out, we (siblings and I) super glued coins to the top of our gate and on the sidewalk to see how many people would try to pick them up.

There was a phone box outside our neighbour's house - making prank calls. Asking for Susie Wall, nope, John Wall, nope, Brian Wall, nope, any walls at all there? nope, then you better look out, your roof might cave in!

Picking people randomly from the phone book again, calling them and telling them it was the local radio station on behalf of Henny Penny chicken. There was a competition going and if they could cluck x amount of times in one minute, then they would win a free bbq chicken. Boy did we get into some trouble over that one! I'm told it made the local paper - oops!

My brother offering guests foaming sugar for their tea/coffee.

Around fire cracker time in the days when you were allowed to buy fire crackers, there used to be these little tiny sand filled ones called Tom Thumbs or throw downs. Not much bigger than the size of a pea and perfect for lobbing at the heels of unsuspecting pedestrians walking past the front yard.

The wooden spoon was the preferred method of punishment in our house and was kept in a drawer under the stove top. When Mum went into the shower, if the opportunity was there, we would take the wooden spoon, run up the back yard and hoik it over the back fence. Some years later my father put a back gate in, as our place backed onto a laneway.. he says he found a heap of wooden spoons!

When I was little tiny and just walking, my mother was on the phone and apparently I got into the fridge. She was waving at me to get out and I was waving back while I pulled a dozen eggs out and onto the floor.

Encouraging my little sister to pick up a bee.

I'm sure there are lots more, so I'll come back to add no doubt. Today's pic is of an icy willow tree taken between Rylstone and Mudgee last week.

Sunday, 4 July 2010

2010-07-04T01:51:00.000-07:00

.
Oops, it's been a little while since my last post. I'm recently back from a road trip interstate. I left on a Thursday, stayed a night with my parents in Tamworth, before heading off to Sydney for a couple of nights. On the way to Sydney, I stopped in Scone for coffee with my friend Querida, then stopped again in Newcastle for lunch with my aunt, uncle and cousins. I managed to get into Sydney right on peak hour which is great on a Friday afternoon!! Only took one wrong turn and with phone directions from my friend Gaby, I found it to her place safely.

I had a wonderful night at Gaby's place, good food, good company (we were joined by Sarah, her partner and Isabella), and good conversation. We had brunch the next day at a place called Flower Power, delicious! and we discussed what we might do at our upcoming palooza in October.

From Gaby's place, I went to Cronulla where I spent the night at my friend Tez's place. Another good night, enjoyed bit of an outing, good food and lively conversation. We slept late the next day and had brunch before a drive around Cronulla.

I decided against battling the Monday morning peak hour traffic and headed off to Rylstone in the afternoon, where I spent the next two nights with my brother in law and niece. It was so good to be back on the farm again and so very hard to leave. They've asked me to stay longer next time, so am definitely going to see if I can do something about that in the not too distant future.

It was rather cool down there with the morning temps around -3.5 degrees celcious and the daytime temps around 10 degrees. The drive back to Tamworth was cold, foggy and icy due to a very heavy frost but very beautiful.

I spent the next two nights in Tamworth with my parents. Helped Mum out with some chores, did some cooking and took her out for coffee at a friend's coffee shop. It was great to see Libby again as I haven't seen her for around 15 yrs or so. I also caught up with my friend Tracey who I've also known since school and I cooked indian curries for Trace and her partner before leaving for home the next day.

Good grief it was cold that morning though. It was -5 in Tamworth when I left and I don't think it was much warmer in Glen Innes when I got there. Glen Innes had experienced -10 degrees for the 3rd morning running! I think I was close to the Qld border before I started to warm up. The heater in my car had decided not to work, so that certainly didn't help.

Since returning home, I've enjoyed a couple of quiet days catching up with friends, doing a little shopping and a little gardening. I've taken so many lovely pics while I was away that it will be hard to choose just one to put in here, so you may see a few of them appear over the next little while. Today's pic is of my beautiful niece Elizabeth.

Monday, 14th June 2010

2010-06-13T17:56:00.000-07:00

It's a long weekend and wow, what a weekend so far! Plenty of sorting and purging of both the physical/material stuff along with some emotional stuff added to the mix.

I achieved enough sorting and clearing to do a tip run! I have my room done, may need a little tweaking but pretty much all done and dusted there. I tackled Mt Washalot and succeeded. I've even made a chocolate mint slice today ~ something I haven't done in years!!

I have another corner of the living room in my sights for today, not sure if I'll get there or leave it for another time. I'm kinda thinking I'd like to do a little knitting and some R & R would be good given that it's almost midday on the last day of this weekend.

I have a decent stash of wool but jeepers, for the life of me, I cannot find my knitting needles and crochet hooks. They were in a special container thingy and I remember putting them away from one precious little granddaughter, but heaven knows where that safe place is!

Well that's it from me for now. I may come back later and add to this.

Thursday, 10 June 2010

2010-06-09T13:05:00.000-07:00

It's been a big week so far which is kinda crazy really considering I had Tuesday off work with a migraine. Thankfully it didn't hang round as long as they usually do and I haven't had the after effects I usually have for a week or so later. Yesterday was a particularly long day at work where I ended up working 11 hours! It's rare that happens but boy you notice it when it does, more so when I haven't slept well for 2 nights beforehand.

I came home intending to have a bite to eat, followed by a shower and fall into bed. I even bailed on my art class. All went to plan until I got to the shower part. I jumped in and forgot about my hair, then realised I'd accidentally wet it all. Dang, it takes ages to dry. Oh well, change of plans then. Gave it a quick wash even though it didn't really need it, got dressed again in some decent gear and decided to go and see Washuntara sing again tonight.

I figured going out would do two things, my hair would be completely dry before I went to bed and I would sleep well after the outing. It worked too!

Music definitely soothes the soul. I so needed it last night. There's something special about sitting in a small room while someone plays guitar (or piano) and sings. So much nicer than listening to a cd if you have the opportunity to do so. Plus the hugs I had from Wash were a beautiful bonus.

I also saw one of my old college teachers there, so was lovely to see him again. He retired last year and went back to work this year. A bunch of his current students were also along to enjoy Wash's music.

Well that's about it from me for today. See you next time!

Monday, 7 June 2010

2010-06-06T14:54:00.000-07:00

What a fantastic weekend! I'll include Thursday even though it was before the weekend because it was the lead in. I caught up with my old school friends again for coffee which was a lot of fun and we're planning to try and make this a little more of a regular thing, so our next catch up is in two weeks.

Friday night saw me joining my former neighbours out in their cul-de-sac for a catch up. Lots of laughter, chat and fun, followed by pizza around the fire and more laughter chat and fun.

Saturday I started the day with some baking to use up some ripe banana's. We now have a banana cake and some banana/choc chip muffins. I had a long chat on the phone with Mum, got a little shopping done, had an afternoon nap, read John Grisham's new book from cover to cover and then went out to the movies with my friend Kath. We arrived a little early and as neither of us had eaten, we decided to stop in and try the sushi train. Yummo! After the movies it was a cuppa and dessert from fasta pasta where they do the best passionfruit gelato dipped in chocolate.

Sunday was a very productive day. I cleared out another corner of my room that has been bugging me, then tackled the big job of the day which was cleaning out and defrosting the upright freezer. Hmm, well that was bit of a drama. I'd been given the bright idea some time ago of using the hose to help get rid of the ice. The freezer is awkward to move, so I thought I might be able to do it at the back door if I lined it all up correctly. Wrong! I managed to flood all the tile floor. Oops! Over a dozen towels later, I had that mopped up. So I managed to get the freezer outside, broke a wheel, another oops before doing the hose out thing which worked wonderfully. Of course, then I remembered we had a trolley which would have made moving the freezer so much easier, so I used that to get it back inside. I've also managed to somehow get it off balance a little, I think there is a little foot at the bottom that needs adjusting but I can't get to it properly so will need some help with that one.

I decided to do some cooking and made some chilli, an indian curry and some little meatballs in gravy. All delicious. And I managed to fit in another nap, just a short one this time though.

This morning I've been up early and cleared off another little space in my room, on top of the little book case. It's getting there, only two more places to go and I'm done in here. Might even get that done one night.

Not sure what today's pic is... maybe another bad pic of me (I cant take self portraits for nuts!) with the curly hair version of my new hair cut.

Thursday, 2 June 2010

2010-06-02T15:15:00.000-07:00

Wow the week has flown by since I last posted. Saturday I did as promised and while I didn't start on the garage (because a son was busy doing some mechanic-ing in there, I did clear out one of the bookcases. I know have a large box of books to donate or give away and the books remaining fit neatly on the bookcase. I also counted up my stash of unread books and they number at 17! Cripes, I sure have some reading ahead of me.

Sunday was an awful day, one of the worst I've had for a while. Plenty of emotional stuff going on and lots and lots of tears. Think I cried a river of tears.

Thankfully since then, things have settled and I've had a busy, but productive and 'feel good' type of week at work. That always helps immensely.

I had my first decent haircut in years yesterday and it feels so much lighter. The hairdresser straightened it all to cut it (as it is crazy curly most of the time) and this morning I've washed it, so waiting to see what the curlies do now.

I went to watch my friend Washuntara sing again last night, after my haircut. My friend and I walked into a crowded room and I have to say I got a surprise when Wash stopped what he was doing to say (into the mic and all), wow Marika, your hair looks so hot tonight! I was a tad gobsmacked but it was also one of those feel good moments too.

Wash played the piano last night, it's the first time I've heard him and boy oh boy can he play the piano. I've always loved listening to someone play the piano and last night was no exception. It was fantastic! Can't wait to hear him at it again.

Today's pic is a rather bad pic of me, with the bed hair version of my straightened new do. It looked heaps better last night but this pic is just to give an idea of the change. Although the curly variety will be different again.

Friday, 28 May 2010

2010-05-28T04:44:00.000-07:00

Feeling a bit lost tonight so figured that's a good enough reason to update my blog. I've had a busy week with work which is always good as it makes the time go faster. I had my holiday leave approved, so I can seriously start planning my time off and a little road trip I have in mind. Actually, it's pretty much planned but just have a few details to tweak.

I've finally decided to get my butt into gear with this de-cluttering thing. Tomorrow is the starting point. Well the new starting point, seeing as how I started a few weeks back but didn't keep it up. I'm aiming to spend a minimum of one hour each weekend on this task. If I do more, that's a bonus, but the bare minimum of time dedicated to the job is one hour. Wish me luck, I may need it! Oh and if I don't surface for a month or two, then probably best to send in a search party.

Only a short post this time as I don't seem to have much to say tonight.

Sunday, 23 May 2010

2010-05-23T04:06:00.000-07:00

I do believe another weekend has just flown past ~ did anyone see it on it's way through? I'm quite convinced there are less hours in a weekend than there should be.

So what did I get up to this weekend? I had a long overdue massage on Saturday. I'd love to say it was relaxing, but alas, it was a tad bitey. I have to say I felt heaps better afterwards and yes, I ended up feeling very relaxed later on.

This morning I was up early and headed down the Gold Coast to meet up with my friend Emelisa. From there we went in the one car down over the border into NSW and onto Bangalow. Such a pretty little town! We had a wander around the little markets they host once a month, lots of beautiful stuff to be found there, so a very enjoyable morning and a great way to have a catch up.

One of these weekends I'm going to make a start on this decluttering thing. I think it'll be a shock to the system when I actually get to it ~ both for whomever is reading this blog as well
as me! It's just one of those horrid jobs, especially when it feels overwhelming and other people's stuff is in amongst it too. Ah well, it won't happen overnight, but it will happen!

I'm in the midst of planning a trip to see my parents, my niece and catch up with a few friends along the way as well. Now I've started planning it, I'm really looking forward to it.

Today's pic is of a lunar moth. I'd never heard of them until recently and I'm not even sure if they are found in Australia, but aren't they beautiful!

Thursday, 20 May 2010

2010-05-19T15:36:00.000-07:00

I've had a strange week because I've been feeling quite tired all week. I've been ready for the weekend since Tuesday!! So I've decided it might be time to start planning my next little break from work. Just a week but enough to recharge the batteries.

I met up with a college friend last night and went to an old local hotel to watch a singer/songwriter/musician friend play. It was lovely to spend a night in good company listening to great music and nice to get a couple of Washie hugs too.

I'm looking forward to hearing him play again before he heads back to the US for 6 mths. If you're interested in taking a peek at what he does, his website is www.washuntara.com

Just a short post today, maybe I'll have more to add later. Today's pic is of Washuntara.

Saturday, 15 May 2010

2010-05-15T05:32:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a few days longer than I thought it would be. My much loved father in law would have been 90 on the 13th if he were still with us. He was a very special man and one who has been sorely missed.

Today has been a special day here in Australia. It's been 210 days since 16 yr old Jessica Watson left our shores to sail solo and unassisted around the world. Today she accomplished her dream and arrived back to what she termed as an overwhelming welcome back. There was a huge flotilla of boats on the water and thousands of people who came to see her sail back into Sydney Harbour and dock at the Opera House. Being in a different state, I an armchair viewer of all the action. What an inspiring young woman she is!

One of the things she said really got to me here is a snippet of what she said about her achievement.

For Watson, it's not about accolades but personal fulfilment. "I am still just Jess," she said yesterday.

"That's really important to me because I am. I am completely ordinary. That's the thing. I just put a lot of effort in, had a great team around me and I think that goes to show you don't have to be anyone special to achieve something big. You just have to want it."

You don't have to be anyone special to achieve something big.

Quite profound in a simplistic way really. Makes me think about my life and the many things I've wanted to do and achieve. Yes I've done a few, but gee, there are still a couple of big dreams there that I've had on hold for a while. Why are they on hold? Good question and perhaps time I started to really look at them and do something about it, rather than just thinking!

That's it from me for now and today's pics will be a small collection of young Jessica Watson.

Tuesday, 11 May 2010

2010-05-10T14:26:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to my lovely Mum who is celebrating her 79th birthday today! I hope you have a wonderful day Mum and glad my little package arrived on time.

We had a busy but good weekend. On Saturday I took Bob to get a massage for his birthday, we then had some thai food for lunch, before heading off to the city to see the musical Dumped which was hilarious, and then went out for dinner in the evening!

Sunday was Mother's Day and we were up early and off to the markets. Came back home for some breakfast and a lazy morning. I received text messages from my youngest son, plus my second son and his wife, and my adopted daughter. My eldest son came around early afternoon to take me out for lunch ~delicious! All of this was topped off by a family dinner, so a lovely day!

Not much else happening in other news at the moment, so this is it for today's post!

Wednesday, 5 May 2010

2010-05-04T14:51:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday Bob! I hope you have a fantastic day and I wish for you a year that is
filled with many joys.

So apart from making happy birthday wishes, what have I been up to? Nothing majorly exciting in the last day or two. I had a quiet but good day at work yesterday and today will mostly be a non contact day with clients, but a full on day with staff meeting and later supervision.

I've seriously been thinking about counting up my stash ~ as in counting up the books I have waiting to be read. I'm worried there may be more than I think. My guess at the moment is there is around a dozen books waiting to be read. Might be interesting to see just how many there really is.

Anyways, that's about all for today, although I may come back later and add to this as it's only 8am, so the day is early.

Monday, 3 May 2010

2010-05-02T22:56:00.000-07:00

Here we are near the end of a long weekend and I can't say I've achieved a whole lot this weekend, however, I have enjoyed a very quiet relaxing weekend. I've done a little gardening, a little washing, a little baking, a few chores and watched a few dvd's.

Plenty of other things I thought about doing, but didn't get to them ~ they will wait for another day. I thought seriously about doing some more decluttering but the enthusiasm factor wasn't quite high enough, so that too will wait. I did consider where I was going to start next though and have it narrowed down to a choice of 3 places!

Seeing as my three previous posts have been of mammoth length, today I'll leave this one as a 'shorty'. My pic is of today's effort in the kitchen, some banana choc chip muffins. They were scrumptious too by the way.

Saturday, 1 May 2010

2010-04-30T22:52:00.000-07:00

I did think about posting yesterday, but I thought it might set a precedent if I kept posting so regularly. Yesterday was a good day, I went back to work and then got to finish a fraction early for the long weekend!

I'm on pet patrol this weekend, as my sons have all scattered for the the night. All except the one who doesn't have any pets. So I have umpteen fish spread through approximately 6-8 tanks, 2 guinea pigs and a dog to care for. The dog is by far the cutest and most affectionate.

So on this very quiet long weekend, I've decided to do a little gardening and plant a few seedlings. I haven't done that yet as I'm pacing myself. However, I did get one of those push type mowers, put it together and even managed to adjust the blades without losing any fingers! It works beautifully, or at least I'm sure it would if my grass wasn't so dang long. It's been a little over 2 mths since the last time it was mowed and we've had a little rain recently to help it along. However, I will conquer the jungle one way or another before the weekend is out.

Seeing as it's most likely just me myself and I here tonight, I have a chick flick hired from the dvd store, some food for a nice dinner should I feel like cooking and if not, then I'll either go without (my appetite is not yet back after the bug I had) or wander off and find something deliciously appetising.

I must be getting old because I picked up some more yarn this afternoon while I was out ~ I have more scarves than I need, but the yarn just calls me. I can't even knit or crochet well and it's not like I have an abundance of patience to learn how to do bigger projects, like socks or a jumper. I like the smallish basic projects, so that's what I'll stick to for now.

Talking about yarn though, I was thinking after I'd bought it (pity it wasn't before) that I really need to knit my stash so to speak. I don't need more wool, I need to use what I have before acquiring more. The same with books. I need to read my stash. My guess is that I would have around a dozen books waiting to be read. Possibly more but I'm not willing to actually go and have a count up at the moment. So I also need to read my stash. You know, I have overflowing bookshelves with enough books on them that a friend regularly comes around to borrow from me rather than the library. It's true! I have some decluttering in mind for my bookshelves too.

Well that's probably enough of my waffling for today. I might go and plant these seedlings and play with the dog for a while. Thanks for reading.

A 2nd Thursday, 29 April 2010 post!!

2010-04-29T05:52:00.000-07:00

Good grief, what on earth is going on here? Normally I can't manage to string two posts together on consecutive days, let alone two in one day!! Must be a full moon or something. Umm actually, I do believe it is a full moon, if not today then tomorrow if I remember rightly. Well perhaps that has something to do with it.

So the reason for this unexpected second post of the day? No major reason, a little insomnia to dislodge and I thought sitting up writing may help. I actually had a marginally productive day today, which is great considering I was home on sick leave (see previous post for way too much information on the reasons behind my sick leave).

If you happened to read my earlier long winded post, an Ernest post as a dear friend of mine might say, you would have read that I was planning a de-cluttering attempt near my desk area. I have to say I was successful in that endeavour. One small step for Marika and one big step for.... hmm, doesn't sound quite right does it?

It has, however, made me realise that my vision of completing an entire room in a single day might be a little more of a challenge than I'm up for, so I need to reframe that little vision of mine and perhaps look at something a little more realistic. Perhaps aim for certain parts of a room and maybe aim to complete a room within a time frame - a week or a fortnight or a month, depending on how much there is to be done.

I can be quite pernickety you know and quite ruthless when the mood finds me to declutter. All of this takes time too, I need to be sure I truly want what I'm deciding to keep and once I am, the remainder is gone! I guess that's the aim though isn't it?

Seeing as clutter is one of my least favourite things, yet one of the things I'm so good at accumulating, especially when living in house full of people which sounds kind of whacky as you'd think it would be the other way around, then it can become rather a chore this decluttering thing. One of those chores you continually put off for another day, as I've been doing for a number of months. I have no excuse now though as the summer is gone and the weather is slowly cooling, making it much more pleasant for doing these kind of chores. Well any kind of chores really. Summer and I do not get along, but that's a whole other story.

Earlier, while I was unsuccessfully trying to sleep, I was thinking about my friends. I read some beautiful posts today about a friend who died recently. These posts were all written by one of her close friends and were kind of a memory lane of their friendship. It was beautiful, poignant, heartbreaking, and inspiring. Inspiring in a way that makes me really treasure my friendships, which I've always done but this just reached me on another level.

And it made me remember some things I hadn't thought of in a while about a particular friend of mine that I met a few years back. We've been online friends for around 5 yrs and we've spent time together just once, but it was definitely memorable. He thinks the only thing I remember about my visit was the graveyards we visited. He continued my love of graveyards and reading headstones.. sigh. But no, that's not the only thing I remember.

I stayed in a motel for the first night of my trip as he was commuting for work and we had to drive the next afternoon to get to his place. He came in to where I was staying that night and brought me chocolates. I don't think anyone has done that for me before. And they were one of my favourites, so that definitely put him on the Christmas list!

He took me out for dinner, to some type of asian restaurant. I can't remember exactly where or what it was, although I do have a vague recall of it being in a street on a slight hill. We had some steamboat type of dish, something I've never had before but it was delicious. Talked and talked, he went to the bathroom, then later I went to the bathroom.

When I came back to the table, he says, are you ready? Lets go. So I'm not moving real fast thinking we were about to pay for our meal and he suddenly says quietly, c'mon, lets get out of here! And he kinda nods his head towards the door. As we get out the door, he starts running and says c'mon, hurry up and I'm trying to say.. but what about paying? And he's still running and laughing.. and I eventually realised that no one had seemed at all perturbed, no one was chasing us, and I was the only one concerned. He'd obviously paid while I was in the bathroom but boy did he put the wind up my sails for a moment there. I grin whenever I think about that still!

We also went to a little local pub one night, actually a couple of times but the first time we were there and were just yabbering on about all kinds of weird things and I don't know how but somehow we started talking about geology. Now anyone who knows me, knows I'm geographically challenged at times and once you start talking geology and rock formations, then I'm completely lost. But we had this in depth discussion on geology, by the time we left I could even remember a tiny amount of it, however, if he were to ask me now? Jeepers, I'd have to do a quick google search in attempt to get my facts straight!!

Ok, so I'm rambling and it's probably time to finish this post. Who knows? I might share more about some of my friendships during my blog. Reading the posts about Amy today made me want to preserve those memories somewhere, even if it's in an online blog, just in case my memory totally deserts me someday. I guess then I'd be unable to recall the blog anyway but perhaps someone else may enjoy it.

Not sure what pic I can add to this post, unfortunately I don't have any pics of my friend and I but I may be able to rustle up one from somewhere on my trip down there.

Thursday, 29 April 2010

2010-04-28T21:16:00.000-07:00

Well the rest of the long weekend was relaxing and uneventful, until Monday night, just after serving up dinner for my family, when I was hit with a bout of gastro which saw me spend much of the night in the relative safety of my bathroom, sitting on the toilet with a bucket on my knees! Such a delightful image that conjures up, but boy oh boy, was it a nasty little bug. It is now Thursday and I'm still off work, although I am much better today than I have been thankfully and I will definitely be going into work tomorrow. I thought I was today but my stomach had other plans. I've informed my stomach what it could do with those plans and so far, it seems to be heeding my warning.

Needless to say, nothing much else has happened this week. I wasn't well enough to attend my art class last night, although I did complete a 'repeat' painting over the weekend. I loved the one I did as a gift for my friend's wedding earlier this month, so I painted another for myself. So that could be today's pic.

I know I was recently thinking and talking about writing my story, but right after thinking and then deciding to actually do something about it, Bob decided to pick up the threads of his book idea again which has lain dormant for over 2 years and I got involved in putting together bit of a memory jogger for him. Unfortunately, in my enthusiasm, I also managed to stir up a hornet's nest. So while the hornets have been soothed somewhat, my involvement with his book writing is now firmly at an end and I wish him all the best on his book journey. He has plenty of material to work with, that's for sure.

As to mine? Well who knows? The ideas are still there and one day, I may regain my enthusiasm for doing something about it. I'm feeling as though I need to do things for me at the moment and in doing so, not feel I'm somehow in competition with others doing similar things. Obviously the time isn't right for me just yet and I'm sure when that time comes, the opportunity will present itself. Let's hope I'm listening and hear the message!!

The other project I've had in mind is sifting through the clutter. I've made a wee small start on that this morning and sifted through much paperwork and gatherings that were about the desk in my bedroom. I know, the bedroom is not the place for a desk, I totally agree but we seem to be pressed for space here at the moment and here is where a small desk fits, so here is where it lives at this point in time. There are good things and bad things about that though. Good is when I want to shut myself off and write as I'm doing here, I can do so without being interrupted usually. The bad is it makes it harder to switch off at night. I guess it's all about balance really and I know I need some more of that in my life at the moment.

Well this has proven to be a very long and reflective type of post. If you by some obscure chance, happen to be reading and you've actually made it to the end, then I thank you and I hope my writing has been at least mildly entertaining or amusing or even thought provoking.

Sunday, 25 April 2010

2010-04-24T15:20:00.000-07:00

Today is Anzac Day, one of those days that carries different emotional ties for different people. I haven't attended a service so far today and don't plan to this year, but it is in my thoughts and in my heart and I will go to the local memorial later in the date to have a look at the wreaths. I always enjoy the dawn service if I'm going to attend, something very beautiful and heartfelt about it. I have such mixed feelings about Anzac Day, I honour our forefathers and the young men and women who have represented our country in the most recent wars. I strongly believe they should be honoured for putting their lives on the line. However, I don't believe in war or in glorifying war, so it brings a mixed feeling about it.

In other goings on ~life is moving right along. Had a couple of yuck days but that's life isn't it? So we keep on keeping on and try to keep our heads up. This weekend is a long weekend, so gives time to take a breather and refresh. I might even make some Anzac biscuits today! I also plan to do bit of a clean up around the yard and at some stage between today and tomorrow, will do some painting.

Well that's about it from me for now. I will be back later if I think of anymore to add, otherwise I'll be back another day!

Today's pic is of one cheeky lovable little boy!

Tuesday, April 20th 2010

2010-04-20T05:46:00.000-07:00

Have had some of those whacky mixed up few days where you feel all over the place. The past couple of months have held lots of emotional turmoil in one way or another. Anyways, I decided on my way home from work that it was a good day to stop and hire a dvd to watch tonight as distraction can be a good thing.

So I found one with Uma Thurman and an actor I've seen before in something, not sure what but it would be another movie because I don't watch tv. This guy has dimples you could drown in and there's just something about him that really does it for me. So move on over Richard Gere, Colin Firth, George Clooney and Mathew McConaghy - Jeffrey Dean Morgan is coming on through!

Sunday 18 April 2010

2010-04-18T04:30:00.000-07:00

So it's Sunday evening and I'm here wondering where on earth does the time go? Although when I stop and think about the things I've done this weekend, it has been enjoyable. The weekend started off on Friday night looking after my beautiful grandchildren, Tiara and Xavier. Tiara had a sleepover and Xavier just stayed for a few hours.

Saturday morning we did a little shopping with Tiara before her parents came to pick her up, then we headed back out to get some salt for the pool and a few seedlings. Had a brief nap in the afternoon, went out for a quick birthday drink for Jon's girlfriend's birthday and then settled in to watch Mao's Last Dancer. What a fantastic movie - I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Had a slow start today, enjoyed a sleep in which almost never happens, a lazy breakfast before deciding I felt like cooking today. A zuchini slice, a sticky date pudding for tonight's dessert, some chocolate chip cookies and some brownies before putting a leg of lamb and some veggies on to roast. Played around with the pottery bells I made but I have them strung too far apart and they are heavier than anticipated, so I need to start over on that little project.

I'd planned to do some painting but didn't quite get there so perhaps tomorrow night. And that was my weekend. Still no progress on the decluttering, which I must seriously do something about deciding where to start - I do kind of have a thought or plan of how to go about it, so I guess that's a start isn't it? And no progress on the writing either.

Today's pic is my absolute favourite of my Tasmanian pics. It was taken at a lookout point between Strahan and Queenstown.

Tuesday, April 13th 2010.

2010-04-12T14:46:00.000-07:00

Wow, here I am two days running - I'm on bit of a roll don't you think?

This glorious photo is of Lake Rosebury in Tasmania. So many beautiful places to see down there and feel at peace.

The big boat that lives in our part of the canal left this morning. He seems to go away for 6 months of the year, following the warmer weather I imagine. The boat is big enough that it's quite an exercise to back it up the canal and turn at the end so it can go straight again. It's a rather majestic sight.

It kind of reminds me about how life continually moves on, sometimes we need to move one way, then another, turn around, before sailing on.

I sometimes have days where I feel life is sailing on by, leaving me behind. There is so much I want to do and achieve in this life, and I'm so aware of time passing that I'm fearful I will run out of time to follow my dreams.

I know there is an affordability factor to some of these things too, but a lot of it is getting bogged down in day to day life and putting off the things we really want to do. Perhaps it's time I started addressing some of those things.

Well that's it from me for today - a deep and meaningful start to the day. If you're reading this, I hope your day is a good one.

Monday, April 12th 2010

2010-04-11T14:07:00.000-07:00

Two posts in a week, that's got to be a good start! I've been contemplating blogs on other topics as I mentioned last time, but would that be manageable? Or should I keep it all here? Decisions decisions.

In the two years I've been in this house, it seems to have become more and more cluttered which just about drives me nuts. Probably something to do with the fact we've had 5 households move into one! Anyways, I don't like clutter at all yet I seem to be surrounded by it. I would like to sort and turf. Well perhaps even sell some unused, unwanted stuff, but most of all I want it to not be here.

My dilemma is that it's at overwhelming proportions. Possibly because not all of the stuff in this house is mine. But I find it all overwhelming because I'm unable to get to some of my gear easily which makes it that little harder to sort. So to do this would be bit of a mission and I'm thinking I may need to start by tackling one room at a time, starting with my bedroom and then doing the common areas of the house before ending up in the garage which is the stuff nightmares are made of.

So the de-cluttering is one line of thought for a blog. The other is writing a book. I've had one book part written for a few years now and haven't added anything for at least 6 yrs. I have another small one I wrote in that time that I sent off to one publisher and got a 'good' rejection letter (it's funny how they are kind of graded isn't it?). I think with some tweaking, it might be worth while sending out again so that's another project in it's self.

But the one that's been really playing on my mind of late, is a story that's been simmering away the last 5-6 years. I want to use some of my experiences as a springboard for a fiction. I knew it was a story I wasn't ready to write for quite a while and I think the readiness to write it, is almost here. It's been on my mind a lot lately. Characters, names, scenes are popping into my head and I need to jot them down.

And there we have it. Two blog possibilities - Decluttering and Writing up a Storm - or something like that. Would it be too much to have more than one blog on the go? Will that mean I'm spending all my time writing on blogs rather than book writing? Or can the blog writing be helpful with the book?

So back to the purpose of this particular blog - a photo a day. A photo journal if you will. We looked after my grandson Xavier this weekend. He's walking now, is ever so cute and has the cheekiest little grin. Today's pic is Xavier. It's not the clearest pic ever but you can get my drift on the cheeky grin.

April 9th

2010-04-08T15:03:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a while! Almost 5 months to be exact. Not sure whether to continue this as a daily post or what. I've been thinking about blogging on a totally different scale, but perhaps I need a separate blog for that rather than this one which is primarily about taking a photo a day.

So in view of the photo a day, I'll add a pic that was taken in Tasmania when I was visiting last week. This pic was taken in Strahan on the west coast.

November 17

2009-11-17T13:28:00.000-08:00

Had a humongeous day at work today mostly spent working with one particular client, but it was very productive so that felt really good and was very encouraging for her. I'd put the crock pot on this morning before work, so there was an enticing aroma when I walked in the door and a delicious dinner already cooked. Finished the day by heading off to pottery. Unfortunately I was in my work care and was in a minor accident only blocks away from my pottery class ~ the poor guy who ran up the back of me had only just got his car back after it had been stolen and crashed, then he aqua-planed in the wet and ran into me. We exchanged details just in case they were needed and I went on to have an enjoyable class which also happened to be the last one for the year.

November 16

2009-11-16T11:54:00.000-08:00

Monday rocks around so dang fast! Had a good day at work, although have to admit I enjoyed being in the air conditioning as much as possible rather than out and about in the heat. Tomorrow is going to be a scorcher!

Nothing startling happened today, finished the day with a yummy dinner and went to bed.

November 15

2009-11-15T13:03:00.000-08:00

Was awake early this morning, again!, so decided I may as well make use of the time, enjoy the early morning and go to the markets. I was home again by 8am, did a couple of chores, then did some chillaxing in the hammock. Jon and Sara-lee came round again for another swim and then all the boys, except for Dan who was here for a little while earlier in the day, came round for dinner last night. It made for a very noisy but enjoyable night.

November 14

2009-11-14T16:53:00.000-08:00

Woke at silly o'clock this morning (3.30am!), so did a little painting and generally pottered around until it was a civil hour. Took a drive into pottery supplies and picked up some clay, plus a turntable and mould so I can have some fun in the coming weeks.

Bob had some friends turn up for a massage and he was able to finally get a decent massage himself as his mate is also a masseur. It was strange to hear Bob letting out the yelps for a change instead of whoever he's working on. Hopefully he'll feel heaps better tomorrow.

Jon & Sara-lee came over for a swim and will no doubt be back tomorrow. Had a lazy afternoon, followed by a delicious dinner then a drive which ended up with a passionfruit delight dessert at Fasta Pasta. They are to die for! Bob had a Boci one which was a hazlenut variety.

And that was our Saturday.

November 13

2009-11-13T10:23:00.000-08:00

Today is my brother in law's birthday - Happy Birthday Barry! Feeling marginally better today so went into work for a while, lasted until around 11.30 so I guess that was a start. Had some serious hammock time for a while, then off to a supervision session that included a delicious hot chocolate! Omg it was so thick, the spoon could almost stand up by itself and it was only half strength!!! Caught up with a friend by phone and my cousin online, so a nice evening.

November 12

2009-11-12T02:06:00.000-08:00

Felt quite crappy this morning so had the day off work. Been drinking lots of hot water with lemon in it. Spent much of the day in the hammock snoozing and reading a book. Still feeling and sounding very 'coldy' but hoping I'm well enough to go back to work tomorrow.

November 11

2009-11-12T01:55:00.000-08:00

Went and saw Ranee this morning for a kinesiology treatment in the hope she can help me with that cough. It seemed to be in full swing today and I was horribly nauseous as well. I woke up this morning feeling very sinusy so that probably didn't help either. Ended up being sent home when it became apparent I was running a temperature. Wasn't well enough to go to art so a bit ticked about that. Next week!!

November 10

2009-11-12T01:48:00.000-08:00

Another day at work, busy as usual but still being bugged by that silly cough. Went to pottery tonight and thoroughly enjoyed the evening. Brought home a couple of completed projects. The blue bowl is made from terracotta and although wonky, isn't quite as wonky as it looks in the picture. The other one is a planter bowl.

November 9

2009-11-12T01:45:00.000-08:00

Back to work today. Still have that annoying cough and hoping it goes away soon. Mum is doing ok and is flying home tonight.

November 8

2009-11-12T01:40:00.000-08:00

Bob worked this morning, so I decided to head into the markets for a while and Lisa headed home to get Gav. I met them there a little later. Had a nice wander about, picked up some flowers, a few plants, some veggies, a new bag and another Christmas gift.

Jon & Sara-lee came over for a swim late morning and stayed for a bbq lunch. Daniel and his puppy came over to visit later in the day. His puppy is so cute! Watched a couple of dvds in the afternoon before Gav & Lisa plus Jon & Sara-lee came over for dinner and we enjoyed a delicious roast.

November 7

2009-11-12T01:38:00.000-08:00

Had a quiet-ish Saturday. Realised I already had about half of my Christmas shopping done, so decided to do a little more while we were out getting groceries. Spent the rest of the day not doing much at all really. Well at least not until the evening when Gav & Lisa brought Xavier over for us to babysit while they went out to dinner to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. Xavier was gorgeous of course and we had lots of fun with him.

November 6

2009-11-12T01:30:00.000-08:00

Late again with my post ~ how bizarre! (grinning from here)

Well I did go to work last Friday but only lasted about half a day. Felt quite unwell by lunchtime so ended up coming home.

Had a quiet night and went to bed reasonably early.

November 5

2009-11-05T01:19:00.000-08:00

Was supposed to return to work today but had a very unhappy tummy again, so thought it best not to share my germs.

Had a very quiet day otherwise, did a little washing and had a big sleep in the afternoon. Nothing much else to report really so may as well finish this here.

November 4

2009-11-04T19:06:00.001-08:00

Today is the 13th anniversary of my mother in law's passing. In some ways it seems longer and other ways it's flown. She would have loved her great grandchildren!

I didn't sleep well last night and wasn't feeling wonderfully well much of the day. Perhaps the whole nervous about flying thing again. I visited Mum for a while this morning before heading off to the airport. Had a reasonably smooth flight thankfully and it's good to be home again. After yesterday's heat in Sydney, it was only 19 degree's there today. Crazy weather!

Decided not to go to art class tonight as I was still feeling rather dodgy, but looking forward to next week. Yesterday's pic and todays were both taken in some of the Domain gardens.

November 3

2009-11-04T18:58:00.000-08:00

Mum seems to be doing ok today which is good. Her cousin Robyn and husband Walter perked Mum up with a visit. They'd come up from Woollongong to see her.

It's also Melbourne Cup day, so Bob & I decided to have bit of a flutter for only the 2nd time in my life. I managed to narrow down my choices to 7! and two of them ran 1st and 2nd place. Bob also backed my horses, so between us we got back the money we'd placed on the bets plus a little extra.

It was very hot this afternoon, a stinking 38 degrees in Sydney and although I enjoyed my walk back to my apartment through Hyde Park, I did stop for a while and enjoy a slight breeze under the tree's.

My friend Gaby came over this evening and we wandered down into Chinatown for dinner. Was so good to see and spend time with her. We were just getting back to my apartment when another friend who was staying in Sydney from Canberra called to say she had just got off the train nearby, so they both came up and we had a lovely time for an hour or two!

November 2

2009-11-02T13:32:00.000-08:00

Had an early start to the day. It's daylight savings time here in Sydney and Mum's flight arrived at 7.30am, so she's been up way earlier than me. She was dropped off to where I'm staying around 8am and we headed up to the hospital at 9am. She was eventually admitted around 11am and headed up to surgery just after 2pm. She was back in the ward and reasonably chirpy by 5pm, so a long day for both of us. Mum's surgery seemed to go well, so that's good.

I came back to my room and had a nap while she was in surgery and enjoyed walking back from the hospital both then and after I'd visited again following her surgery. I found a little Thai restaurant only 2 blocks down so I bought a curry from there for dinner.

I found out tonight that another friend is also staying in Sydney not far from where I am this week, so we plan to catch up tomorrow night.

Today's pic is of my tiny little balcony at the apartment I'm staying in. At least I have an opening door!

November 1

2009-11-01T03:13:00.000-08:00

Today is my niece Zari's 8th birthday. She called this evening to say she'd had a great day with lots of fun.

I flew down to Sydney today, managed to doze throughout most of the flight and pretend I was on a bus rather than in a plane. Was good to arrive safe n sound and I was able to check in as soon as I got to the resort even though I was a good half hour before check in time. Wandered off to get a few groceries and then settled in for a quiet one. Mum will arrive bright and early tomorrow morning and I imagine tomorrow will be a pretty full on day.

Today's pic is the view from my window.

October 31

2009-11-01T03:06:00.000-08:00

Aunty Monnie's birthday today ~ hope you have a lovely day! Did a bellycast for my friend, Suzi's daughter today while Bob gave Suzi a massage. Lea's cast came out well, she's very petite given that her baby is due in just two weeks time. We had some chinese food for dinner and then I was given a massage too. Lots of sore spots but they usually feel much better the next day. Dropped into Jon's place for a while this evening. He'd carved himself a halloween pumpkin and didn't do too bad a job of it. Butchery knives work well!

October 30

2009-11-01T03:03:00.001-08:00

Thank Goddess it's Friday!! Didn't think this week was ever going to end. A busy weekend lined up, so just a quiet night tonight with an easy dinner.

October 29

2009-11-01T02:58:00.000-08:00

Busy day at work and glad to get home without having somewhere else to go afterwards. The new guinea pig hutch we bought turned up so looking forward to putting that together for the little critters. Did a few chores seeing as how we have a rental inspection early next week and I'll be away for it. We had the carpets cleaned in a couple of rooms bright and early this morning, gotta say they look heaps better too.

October 28

2009-11-01T02:51:00.001-08:00

Well it seems neither my brother or sister can get down to Sydney with Mum while she has surgery, so I've been given the go ahead to take some unpaid leave from work to go down with her for a few days.

Went to art class tonight and had some fun with a new way of doing things. Still using watercolours but also using rock salt and cling wrap! I'll put pics up in a few weeks of the finished product, should it be worthy of a photo.

Today's pic still needs a little work or should I say fixing (a few unwanted water marks) but it gives you an idea of what it's meant to be.

October 27

2009-11-01T02:21:00.000-08:00

Ok, focus. Stop procrastinating and get on with this catching up!

Tuesday was a busy-ish one at work, followed by an enjoyable and somewhat productive night at pottery.

I've also been having some fun playing with flowers and watercolours, hence the pics that are being put up at the moment.

October 26

2009-11-01T02:14:00.000-08:00

Oops I did it again ~ gee that sounds like a song title! Perhaps I should be doing weekly posts rather than daily ones. I'd have more chance of keeping up at the rate I seem to be going.

Once again the weekend went wayyyy too fast and I went back to work with a moderate case of Mondayitis. Good thing I enjoy my job 9 times out of 10, otherwise I'd really be in trouble!

October 25

2009-10-25T12:59:00.001-07:00

Bob worked this morning, so I did a few chores then decided to wander off to the markets. Big mistake to not leave until around 9 am as it's impossible to get a park! We usually always head off before 7am, so I'll remember to stick to that in future. I gave up on finding a park and came back to the shopping centre to get a couple of things I missed yesterday. Ended up finding Jon's 21st birthday present and a couple of Christmas gifts, so that was a bonus.

Daniel came over at lunch time and brought his little puppy with him. She is sooo cute! She's about 10 weeks old now and is a blue heeler puppy named Missy. We had lots of fun with her and she eventually wore herself out.

October 24

2009-10-25T12:53:00.000-07:00

We had planned to go for a paddle over to Coochiemudlo Island today but didn't end up getting prepared (picnic stuff) when Jamie came over last night, so Bob organised that before we left this morning. Unfortunately by the time we got out to where we leave the mainland, it was 8.30am and the wind had picked up making it way too choppy for our little kayaks. Ah well, another day.

We came home and went for a paddle in the canals instead, but it was still windy enough to make it a little challenging at times.

We did a little shopping after that and were on our way home when we had a phone from Jon saying he needed me to take him to the Dr's as he had an infected leg. His trip to the doctor's turned into a trip to hospital for some IV antibiotics, followed by a trip to the pharmacy for some oral antibiotics as well. Hopefully they will settle the infection down soon.

October 23

2009-10-25T12:49:00.000-07:00

Ah Friday! I love Fridays ~ pity they disappear so fast though. Although every day seems to do that lately.

Bob's son Jamie turned up not long after I finished work and ended up staying the night. I watched a movie while the guys did some talking. Love Actually makes for a great start to the weekend.

Today's pic is of an underwater flower.

October 22

2009-10-22T14:56:00.000-07:00

Dad's 79th birthday today. He's doing well and will probably go out to lunch for his birthday. Tiara had a little birthday party at McDonalds this afternoon so went there after work. She had so much fun. Nick & Jess are getting excited as it's only 2 days until they're off to Vanuatu.

October 21

2009-10-22T14:33:00.000-07:00

Hump day. It's Wednesday and I can't wait for the weekend. It's Tiara's 3rd birthday today ~ where has that time gone! She's so cute and funny. Went to painting class tonight and as always, it was lots of fun. Don't think I've added a pic of the flowers finished, so will put that in for this post.

October 20

2009-10-20T00:10:00.001-07:00

Have taken a mental health day from work today. Didn't sleep well last night, felt tired and cranky, and had a niggly headache. Felt really bad taking the day off though so that probably hasn't helped me any when I have a guilt complex about it all.

I did go for a short paddle this morning, not far in light of the distances I have been going lately but it's still some exercise for the day.

Finally sorted out some paperwork that has been waiting for way too long for me to do something about, so there has been a little productivity for the day. I also have pottery tonight and haven't been for a couple of months, so looking forward to that.

October 19

2009-10-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

Gosh, where did the weekend go?? It seems to go faster and faster every weekend.

Today I went for a longer paddle than usual. I've been really good this last week and have gone out every day. I decided to paddle out to Cleveland Point ~ boy oh boy is that a long way when you're not used to going that far. Probably would be more fun to do with company than on your own though.

Bob met me out there when I arrived and helped me get the kayak out of the water, then told me by the way, we're locked in. Turns out the area is still blocked off after filming finished on the Narnia movie and it's now considered a construction zone while they put everything back how it was. Apparently the 100 m exclusion zone is still in force. Oops!! A security guard had to let us out and he gave us bit of a lecture while he did so. At least he wasn't too grumpy about it.

October 18

2009-10-19T23:58:00.000-07:00

We didn't even venture out of the house today! Well around the yard and I went for a kayak, but we didn't go anywhere. Actually, I tell a fib. Now I come to think of it, Bob went to work for a few hours and I stayed home! Poor guy but he seemed to enjoy his morning and said it was really productive. Nick & Jess came over for a while on their way out to dinner at Jess's parents place, so we were able to give Jess her birthday gift for yesterday and Tiara's for her birthday on the 21st.

October 17

2009-10-19T23:55:00.000-07:00

Enjoyed a lazy Saturday. Didn't do much in the way of housework, although we did wander off to get some groceries and buy Jess a birthday present as it is her 25th birthday today. We had chinese food for dinner and a reasonably early night.

October 16

2009-10-19T23:50:00.000-07:00

I caught up with a couple of my friends from college tonight. Beck and Shelley came over and we went over to Hogs Breath Cafe for dinner. Delicious food and lots of laughter ~ what more could one want!

October 15

2009-10-19T23:43:00.000-07:00

Went shopping for some shoes this evening as I don't have any decent or comfortable ones suitable for work now. Finally found a pair when I was about to give up.

I have a sunflower that has sprung up in the backyard where the guinea pigs spent some time. It's managed to survive the lawn mower and has now started flowering.

Can't really recall what else happened today, so mustn't have been anything rivetingly exciting!

October 6-14

2009-10-19T23:12:00.000-07:00

Hmm, so unlikely is this? Here I am, two weeks have passed this time since my last post and I'm wondering exactly how much am I going to remember? I'm guessing not a great deal apart from days where things stand out. I was thinking I might start from today and work back, so at least my postings will stay in some kind of chronological order but that could make for a mammoth post, so perhaps I'll do the first week all in one post and aim for daily updates after that.

October 14

We had group supervision at work today and it actually went really well. I think it was the most productive group session I've ever experienced.

I also had painting tonight and managed to start and finish a new watercolour. I'm very happy with the result and think I will do another similar one just because I can.

October 13

We had a student start at work today, I'll be here supervisor while she's on placement. Pottery was supposed to start back tonight but I didn't get there ~ oops!

October 12

Loraine is arriving in Brisbane today. She's flown up to spend some time with her Mum this week as her mother's alzheimers is progressing. I'm hoping to catch up with Loraine later in the week.

October 11

Had a quiet but nice Sunday and had all the family over for dinner. The little ones are growing so fast! Both of them are quite entertaining in their own little way.

October 10

Today is Murray's 45th birthday. I was unable to get him on the phone so have left him a message. Will hopefully hear from him soon.

October 9

Well, technically today is my 27th wedding anniversary seeing as how I'm still legally married. I've been separated 6.5 yrs now which seems to have flown. It still manages to bring up lots of emotions if I let it.

October 8

Today is my friend Loraine's birthday. Tried a couple of times to phone her, first time she was sleeping and the second time she was out for dinner. Will catch up with her soon, or if all else fails when she gets to Brisbane.

October 7

Can't remember much of what happened today other than going to art class in the evening where I finally finished my flowers in watercolour. I've been working on a second one at home for the practice and I think I prefer the second one. I'm planning to get one of them framed for Mum & Dad for Christmas.

October 6

I have no idea what happened as I can't quite remember that far back. I would have gone to work but other than that, it's anyone's guess!

October 5

2009-10-05T03:07:00.000-07:00

Had a full day at work and dropped in to visit my friend Kath on the way home.

Got home to find out that Josh was pulled over when driving home this afternoon. Apparently Sarah hasn't yet changed her address and her car registration (and insurance) has expired, so Josh is in trouble for driving an unregistered and uninsured car. Not exactly what he needs right now.

I feel like I've had about as much as I can handle right now.

October 4

2009-10-05T03:01:00.000-07:00

Another night of not sleeping well. I'm looking forward to the end of the bad sleep run!! Daylight savings started this morning here in NSW so we had to remember to get moving an hour earlier.

We went and checked out the markets for a while before heading home. Quite a nice little market with lots of lovely stuff. Would be a good place to do some Christmas shopping. Got drenched when it started to rain and we decided to continue looking because we only had 3 lanes to go ~ crazy! Grabbed some delicious thai fish cakes while Bob went to get the car. Poor guy slipped over on the way and got even more wet than he already was, plus he broke his thongs (aka flip flops not as in underwear!).

Decided we'd had enough of Byron and headed back home for a quiet afternoon before being joined by some of the boys for dinner.

October 3

2009-10-05T02:58:00.000-07:00

Was awake early so we wandered into town and had breakfast at a little coffee shop ~ very yummylicious. From there we went up to the Byron Bay lighthouse and managed to see a couple of whales playing. Would love to have seen more, but alas, they were all swimming underwater.

Had a nice day just wandering about and not doing too much at all. It was very busy down there, so probably wasn't the best choice of places to stay considering how I was feeling. Ah well, that happens.

October 2

2009-10-05T02:46:00.000-07:00

Didn't sleep well at all last night, too keyed up about today. About a half hour before leaving for court, I got that silly cough back.. the cough then puke one. Just what I don't need. Decided against breakfast for obvious reasons and finished getting ready. Went to back out of driveway and ran into Bob's car. Hmm, perhaps I shouldn't be driving. Bob kindly relieved me of driving duties!

Everything went as ok as it could in court today thankfully. But jeez, what a horrible horrible day. I hope I never have to experience a day like it again.

After all that nonsense was done and dusted, Bob & I headed down to Byron Bay for the weekend.

October 1

2009-10-05T02:43:00.000-07:00

Busy day at work. Dan & Sidonie stayed over as Dan has to attend court tomorrow. Almost locked keys in car.. thought I had actually but lock didn't catch properly, lucky me hey!

Talked with Mardi tonight. Nice to catch up with her. She's doing ok and hanging in there.

Hoping to get some sleep tonight.

September 30

2009-10-05T02:41:00.001-07:00

I know I went to work and I also attended my art class. Thoroughly enjoyed the art class as always, but was tired as I hadn't been sleeping well. Not sure what else happened though.

September 29

2009-10-05T02:34:00.000-07:00

Late again! What can I say, it was a crappy week.

To be honest, I can't even remember what happened last Tuesday other than I went to work, so it must have been just another day.

September 28

2009-09-28T12:48:00.000-07:00

Monday again! Boy that comes around fast. Attended some work training at Griffith Uni today, most of it was interesting and helpful with only a couple of sessions that were snooze worthy and very difficult to stay awake in. So a good day overall.

Josh attended court this morning and got a fairly good outcome all things considered. Up to him now, but have to say he's grown up and settled a lot over the last year or so. He's worked hard at sorting his life out so hopefully that progress will continue.

Talked with Mum today, received a text message from Murray and an email from Fiona ~ lots of family communication! It seems Murray has been ill again and has had a couple of kidney stones. He's been in lots of pain and will hopefully start to feel better soon. All good with Mum & Dad and Fiona's kids are about to start school holidays. We may catch up with Fiona this weekend in Byron Bay.

Today's pic is one that was taken of Nick & Jess on my birthday.

September 27

2009-09-27T14:32:00.001-07:00

Had a big day today. Finished cleaning up all the back area and it looks heaps better now. Did a heap of housework (blech), went to Bunnings to get a few things and spent some time in the garden.

Made a cheesecake for dessert and all the boys, except Dan, came for dinner with their partners and of course, Tiara and Xavier. A good night.

September 26

2009-09-27T14:27:00.000-07:00

Didn't do a great deal today, just pottered around the house and did a little shopping to get the things I missed yesterday.

Adam and Toni came over for a visit and I finally found out the name of the singer and the song I've been listening to on the radio that I like. It's Eric Hutchinson singing Rock n Roll.

Another quiet night with a dvd before toddling off to bed. We're like a couple of aged pensioners this weekend!

I couldn't sleep so got up and played around with my watercolours for a while. Bob woke up a little later and we decided to have a midnight snack of McDonald's of all things! Kinda funny when neither of us is a big Maccas fan.

Today's pic is one I took on Wednesday afternoon after work of the dust storm.

September 25

2009-09-27T14:26:00.000-07:00

Yayyy, it's Friday! Had a good day at work but gotta say I'm glad it's the end of the week. Got to finish work early, so did the grocery shopping on the way home and picked up some bright yellow crocs that were on sale for $20. We had some Chinese food for dinner tonight and settled in with a movie before having an early kind of night.

September 24

2009-09-27T14:23:00.001-07:00

Back in the office today, it's actually been 4 weeks since I spent a full day there. Good to be back. Unfortunately I won't be getting paid for all the time I had off sick as I didn't have enough leave ~ bugger. Explains why my pay seemed a little low! Ah well, you get that.

Not much else to add for today.

September 23

2009-09-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

We have babies!!! Two brand spanking new little guinea pigs, safely delivered by their 'middle aged' mama who all the experts say was unlikely to survive the birth. They are ever so cute.

Completed our first aid training today and enjoyed lunch at Montezuma's ~ very delicious.

A massive dust storm rolled in mid morning and was here for most of the day. Apparently 16000 tons of dust was travelling through an hour. Unfortunately I'd left windows open and didn't get onto Sarah until midday to close them, so it was choking at home. All you can see and taste is dust. Yuk!

Went back to my painting class tonight and started a watercolour. Going to try a new medium. So far, so good.

September 22

2009-09-27T13:42:00.000-07:00

Finally back to work! Well, not into the office but my co worker and I are on training today and tomorrow to re do our Senior First Aid certificates. Bit of a dry old course but we have a great trainer who manages to make it interesting and fun.

September 21

2009-09-27T13:40:00.000-07:00

Doing the catch up thing again! I'll add pics at a later date too.

Was supposed to go back to work today but still feeling rather unwell, so had today off too. Hopefully this virus thingy is just about done! The tiredness that goes with it is something else, so I'm into the vitamin B's.

Watched a couple of movies to while away the time between sleeping. A fairly uneventful day really.

September 20

2009-09-20T03:22:00.000-07:00

Had a quiet Sunday. Went to the shops to get stuff for dinner tonight and by the time we were half way around, I was totally exhausted! My energy levels seem to be so low at the moment. Didn't do much over the rest of the day, except lie in the hammock for a few hours.

Lisa and Xavier came over mid afternoon so Lisa could do my hair. Xavier had fun in his walker for a while before getting over tired. Bob walked him until he fell asleep.

Quiet night for dinner tonight, just us and Josh n Sarah as all the others couldn't make it. Maybe next weekend.

Hoping my energy levels are a bit better tomorrow.

September 19

2009-09-20T03:16:00.001-07:00

Had a little more energy this morning after a slow start. It's the weekend and Bob is home, so we set about tidying up the area out the back. Looks heaps better now.

Had a reasonably quiet day otherwise, did a little shopping, picked up our holiday pics and watched a couple of dvd's tonight. The Castle (Bob hadn't seen it before) and Chocolat. Thoroughly enjoyed both of them.

September 18

2009-09-20T03:13:00.001-07:00

Another day at home today, no energy at all and pretty much spent most of the day in bed. Of course that means there's nothing much to say about today other than I slept and read a book inbetween.

September 17

2009-09-20T03:09:00.000-07:00

Didn't sleep well last night due to coughing half the night, so felt pretty ordinary when I went to work. Was there about half an hour or so when the boss came in, took one look at me and basically asked if I felt as bad as I looked and if so, why was I there.

So it was back home for me. Told them I'd see them tomorrow and was corrected, no, we'll see you when you're better!

Came home and basically flaked for the rest of the day.

September 16

2009-09-20T02:57:00.000-07:00

Had an early start on my first day back to work, due to some training on the Gold Coast which made for a long day. Although a couple of hours overtime is always nice. The silly cough I picked up a couple of days ago seems to be in full swing today and I feel rather weary with it. Hopefully tomorrow is better. Decided not to go to painting class as I didn't have the energy.

September 15

2009-09-15T03:24:00.000-07:00

Felt really tired all day today, so didn't achieve a great deal. I went and saw my kinesiologist late this morning, so hopefully that helps a bit. Picked up a few seedlings on the way home but didn't end up getting them planted today, so hopefully they'll get in on the weekend.

The skip bin I ordered turned up today, so we've already put some stuff in it. Should help with the decluttering binge I'm on!

Our other package arrived today from Tasmania so I had fun unpacking it. Went for a paddle this afternoon and as usual, thoroughly enjoyed that too.

Adam & Toni came over for dinner tonight. They head off for Parkes on the weekend all being well. Kath also came over for a little visit after dinner.

That's about it for now.

September 14

2009-09-14T14:57:00.000-07:00

Bob headed out to do a 2 day course this morning, so it ended up being a reasonably quiet day. I pottered around home, did a little in the garden with Bob's help before he left this morning, and did some general sorting out.

One of the packages we'd sent home from Tasmania arrived today, so it was fun unpacking that. Hopefully the other one will arrive tomorrow.

I went to Bunnings to replace a few plants that died while we were away and also picked up a few more mosaic tiles for a project I've been going to start for a long time. I finally started the project and have laid out the tiles on another piece of board. I think I'm happy with it, so might start doing it seriously tomorrow.

Also took the opportunity of a nice afternoon to go for a paddle ~ it's lovely out on the water. Well that's about it from me for today.

September 13

2009-09-13T12:47:00.000-07:00

Woke up early for some reason, so made the most of a beautiful morning and went for a paddle. I always thoroughly enjoy it when I get out there. Bob has had a few problems with the backrest on his kayak popping off all the time, so he's going to glue it on and hopefully that will fix the problem.

Enjoyed a quiet day and spent a lot of time uploading holiday photos for printing. Cripes we had a lot of photos! They come with lots of wonderful memories too.

Jon and Sara-Lee came over this morning so Jon could pick up his fish as he now has his tank set up in the new place. He'd been expecting a care package from his mate in the UK and he'd been around on Friday to see if it had arrived. Anyways, his care package turned up on Saturday morning ~ in the form of his friend himself!! So my son from another mum is back. He was only gone a few months this time.

Our Sunday night dinner was a little quieter than usual, Gav & Lisa and Nick & Jess weren't here as they were all still recovering from Sarah & Chenza's wedding the night before. So it was just the other three boys, two partners plus Pommy Josh for dinner. Everyone was tired which made for an early night afterwards.

September 12

2009-09-12T15:39:00.000-07:00

Had a slow start to the day. I read a book from cover to cover before getting up at around 9am, then it was a day of laundry.

Gav & Nick's friends, Sarah and Chenza were married this afternoon, so hope all went well for them on their special day.

We met the people who have moored their boat at our jetty today. We ended up having a lovely evening and dinner with them on the boat. Then it was back inside and an early night.

I've added another Tassie pic for today's photo.

September 11

2009-09-12T15:38:00.001-07:00

Friday 11 September

Today is my birthday! Unfortunately our trip is also at an end, the time has just flown. I don’t feel ready to go home and I’d love to go back to Hobart for a while, however, we’re unable to do that. So we head off to Launceston bright and early, leaving Ringarooma at 6.45 am. We put our hire car through a carwash to get rid of the dirt we’d found along the way, then dropped the car off and they dropped us at the airport.

We had quite a smooth flight home which was good as I’m still not fussed on flying. Josh and Sarah came out to pick us up and I think we had the fasted trip home from the airport ever. Josh has found his lead foot it seems!

We had a quiet-ish afternoon then went out for dinner to a lovely Thai restaurant with all the boys and their partners, plus the little ones. Kath also joined us a little later in the evening.

So a good day and a wonderful trip.

September 10

2009-09-12T15:37:00.002-07:00

Thursday 10 September

We left Bridport this morning and decided to continue heading east towards Gladstone. Again some beautiful scenery along the way. I love that there are farms with cows and sheep and at the back of the paddock is the sand dunes and the beach. Bit of a dirt road for some of the way but it wasn’t too bad.

From Gladstone we headed down towards a place called Moorina where there was a historic Chinese Cemetery but alas, we were unable to find it. Well we did find a cemetery but we don’t think it was the right one.

From Moorina, it was to a little place called Pyengana where they have a cheese factory. They produce various cheddars and gotta say they were delicious, so of course, we had to get a few to bring home. They compliment the cheese we bought in Burnie you see.

We decided to go to the east coast and see the Bay of Fires, so it was off to St Helens and up to a little place called The Gardens. Absolutely beautiful. The water was a gorgeous clear light jade-ish green and the rocks were covered in bright orange lichen. The photos we took don’t do it justice at all. I could have sat there in awe for hours and found it very hard to leave.

We had some lunch back in at St Helens and then headed back towards Pyengana as it was a back road to Ringarooma. I have to say the road was pretty dodgy. It was a dirt road that seemed ok at first, but as you go further on there were lots of corrugations and potholes of various sizes.

We stopped at a place called Ralph Falls and walked about 10 minutes into the forest until we reached the falls. The falls go down a cliff face and were impressive although nowhere near as pretty as Russell Falls. The walk in and out to the falls was nice though, albeit one that gave you plenty of exercise.

We arrived back at Ringarooma around 4pm-ish and Loraine arrived back from Hobart around 6pm. We were able to spend a little more time with her tonight which was nice. Loraine and her daughter Shannon both gave me a gift for my birthday. Shannon gave me a little cow as a memento of Tasmania and Loraine gave me a beautiful crystal dish. Off to bed and then up early as tomorrow we fly home.

September 9

2009-09-12T15:37:00.001-07:00

Wednesday 9 September

It was time to leave the North West today. We set out from Burnie and headed towards Latrobe where we checked out the Anvers Chocolate Factory. We’d been told their chocolates and fudge were some of the best around and we have to say we agree.

From Latrobe, we drove until we found a turn off for a little place called Harford. The road leading to Harford was among some gorgeous countryside and sometimes it looked just like a patchwork quilt.

We drove from Harford to Frankford, then up to Beaconsfield and on to Beauty Point where we stopped at Platypus House and Seahorse World. These places were side by side and both were so very interesting. The platypus is smaller than I’d imagined them to be and the echidnas were a smidgeon bigger. What I didn’t know was that they are from the same family! Both are mammals and are the only mammals that lay eggs yet suckle their young. The echidnas were friendly and curious little characters too.

From there we headed off to Georgetown and Low Head where there was a beautiful view from the lighthouse area. We called Loraine to see if she needed anything only to find she’d gone to hospital to be put on an IV for a while as her blood pressure was quite low and she wasn’t getting enough nutrients.

We decided to keep driving to Bridport and we found a place to stay the night, rather than going to Loraine’s when she was unwell. Bridport is a quiet little place with some beautiful coastline. We had a delicious meal at the place where we’re staying too.

Well that’s it for today. Bob is already asleep and I might turn in soon too.

September 8

2009-09-12T15:36:00.002-07:00

Tuesday 8 September

Today we decided to go further along the north west coastline. Along the way we stopped at Wynyard where there were some beautiful views. While there we had a look through a vintage car display at the local information centre. Bob was in 7th heaven and thoroughly enjoyed the display.

From there we headed towards Stanley and The Nut. Wow what an interesting part of the landscape. I quite liked the little town of Stanley, some of the houses were quite old and gorgeous and the place had a nice atmosphere about it.

We decided we’d continue west and aim for the west coast seeing as it was only another hour away. We ended up in a little place called Marrawah where we turned off towards Ann Bay. We found a lookout on the way down to the bay which gave us a great view of the west coast. Now we’ve seen the north, west, south and east coasts of Tasmania!

We came back to Burnie where we took a look through the Creative Paper Mill. They had a fantastic display of paper people but unfortunately, I’d left my camera behind in the car. Bob has some on his phone though, so might be able to upload some of them later. They make paper out of all sorts of stuff from cotton to lavender to wombat and kangaroo poo, to plant material and stuff off the forest floor. Needless to say I ended up with a small stash to bring back home.

We went up the road to the Lactos Cheese Factory and enjoyed some cheese tasting. We’d been told they also make chocolate and strawberry cheese which is imported to Japan, but unfortunately, they stopped making it a little while ago so we weren’t able to try that. Bob bought us some chicken and camembert pies though, so we decided to go into Penguin to have them and enjoy a look about while we were there.

We found the Big Penguin and did the touristy thing of taking pics of ourselves with him. We also found the post office so posted a box of goodies back home while we were there.

Back to Burnie for bit of a rest and then we ventured to another Chinese restaurant. This time we ordered food to take back with us and the food was delicious! A massive improvement on last night’s effort.

Had a hello type phone call from Daniel ~ it was really nice to hear from him. He’d just called for a chat and to see how our holiday was going.

Now having a quiet night and will probably head off to bed soon.

September 7

2009-09-12T15:36:00.001-07:00

Monday 7 September

We enjoyed bit of a sleep in this morning and a slower start. We were going to have a proper catch up with Loraine this morning (when she’s not busy being a publican) but poor girl was up most of the night coughing and was feeling very unwell. So we’ll catch up with her some more when we get back later in the week.

We had bit of a chat with Elizabeth (one of her employee’s) beforehand and she was telling us how Ringarooma has only had 5 fine days during August and that’s all that’s predicted for September as well. Apparently they had 26 inches of rain in August too which is close to their usual annual rainfall. No wonder they are sick of the rain at the moment!

The scenery looked gorgeous this morning when we headed off and the clouds were so low in places that it looked as though you could almost reach up and touch them.
We caught up on some phone calls when we got to Launceston and kept going towards the west. We went through Deloraine and found it to be a nice little place.

From there we stopped in at a raspberry place before we went on to Sheffield, also known as the town of murals. Some of the murals are fantastic. There’s so much detail in them.

There’s an interesting story painted on the side of one of the stores about the founder of Coles supermarkets. A friend of Mr G J Coles owned this particular store called Slaters and one day, Mr Coles asked his friend would he go into business with him and his sons who were starting a store in Melbourne. Mr Slater couldn’t be persuaded and his store still stands in the little town of Sheffield today. Mr. Cole’s new business venture went on to become a national chain of supermarkets that turns over a colossal amount of money each year. I wonder how Mr Slater felt about that decision as Mr Coles business went ahead in leaps and bounds.

After Sheffield we went to Latrobe and had bit of a gander through a place called Reliquaire that had all kinds of dolls, clowns, mannequins, bears of all different types n shapes n breeds that you could imagine. There were ones that looked like old people, some that were of witches, goblins, skeletons, peter rabbit, and other various characters from books. They also had games of all descriptions, science stuff and some specialty foods from the area.

We decided we take a look at the Platypus House either tomorrow or on our way back to Ringarooma as it was getting later in the afternoon.

It didn’t take us long to get to Devonport as it’s only 13 kms from Latrobe, so we had a brief drive around there and when we couldn’t find anything we were looking for easily (and without a map) we decided to leave Devonport for another day too and headed for Burnie.

Burnie is only a half hour drive from Devonport and the highway runs alongside the ocean for much of the way, making it a very pretty drive. We found a place to stay for a couple of nights, downloaded a squillion emails and went out to find some dinner. I kinda felt like Chinese food and we eventually found a Chinese Restaurant.

A little tip ~ if you’re ever in Burnie TAS, do NOT go to Fortuna Garden for a meal. Omg, they had not only the worst Chinese food we’ve ever had, but they were also by far the most expensive. We couldn’t eat it all, so ended up leaving and heading to KFC instead. Ah well, such is life!

September 6

2009-09-12T15:35:00.001-07:00

Sunday 6 September

Today is Fathers Day but unfortunately, there is no mobile phone coverage here in Ringarooma so I’m unable to phone Dad or Gav or Nick to wish them Happy Fathers Day. I’ll just have to make a belated call once we get to Launceston.

Loraine was trialing Sunday roast lunches today for the first time. It seemed to work quite well and there were quite a few compliments on how it all went. She also had some live music for the afternoon and that probably helped too.

Bob & I went for bit of a walk in the afternoon but not too far because it was too dang cold outside! We did venture out again in the afternoon to take a peek through the old church across the road. It now holds all types of information about the history of Ringarooma. The old church had a beautiful timber ceiling and gorgeous stained glass windows too. Apparently the church and the house on the same block sold in the last year for $140 000 and the church was then leased for $10 a year!

Loraine is able to close the pub early on a Sunday night, so by 7.30pm everyone was gone and we all sat down to a game of cards, followed by a game of Eightball (kind of like snooker) with the jukebox going for background music. A nice way to end the day and we were up in bed before 9.30pm.

September 5

2009-09-12T15:34:00.003-07:00

Saturday 5 September

This week has flown. I think it’s safe to say I’ve fallen in love with Hobart and the surrounding area, so I’m a little sad to be leaving today.

This morning we checked out and went into the Salamanca Markets for a wander about and to get one last Hobart fix before leaving. They’re a lovely market, lots and lots of interesting things to look (and buy!), plenty of fresh and organic foods, and masses of beautiful spring flowers.

We were back on the road again by around 10.30-11am and started heading north to Launceston. Along the way we stopped briefly in Bagdad before heading to Jericho and crossing the Jordan River. Sounds like we’re in another country!! We also went through Cleveland and Perth a bit later on ~ which state are we in again?? 

We stopped at Ross for some lunch and to enjoy a little time in the historic town, before heading into the next little place called Campbell Town. It has some interesting tiles on the footpaths about some of the convicts and the reasons they were sent to Tasmania.

The countryside is very pretty up through the north, although they have had a lot of rain so it’s also greener than usual. We stopped at a lavender farm ~ I totally forgot that the lavender is out of season and wouldn’t be blooming doh! ~ but it was nice to have a wander inside their shop and see all the things they produce from their lavender.

There’s a little place just before Ringarooma called Legerwood that has some very impressive wood carvings on what I think could be their main street. The carvings all look to be from tree stumps and each branch holds a different carving. They’re quite big and beautiful.

And then we arrived in Ringarooma! It was sooooo good to see Loraine. Boy oh boy has she lost weight. She’s lost another 22 kgs since I saw her last and now 47 kgs in total. She’s enjoying running her little country pub and is slowly but surely building the business up again, but she’s finding it very tiring too. Gotta say it is a tad cool here though!

Tonight was a busy night in the pub as the local football team had come in after winning their game plus the final of the Eightball competition was on. I headed up to bed around midnight but I don’t think the pub closed until around 2am. Makes for a long day.

September 4

2009-09-12T15:34:00.001-07:00

Friday 4 September

Where has the time gone! Its flying way too fast. We check out of here tomorrow and it doesn’t really seem like a week since we got here, although that said, we’ve done and seen a lot in the week we’ve been here.

This morning started off with a nice warm bath that Bob ran for me, a little breakfast, then I attended an owner update with the time share mob and Bob went for a sauna and spa.

When all that was out of the way, we headed into Hobart to have a wander about the wharf area. We spent almost 2 hours wandering about and had a look in an Aboriginal Art Museum. There was some beautiful work in there.

My feet were kinda sore for some reason today, so we decided to head back to our resort for a while. However, along the way, we changed our mind and instead decided to keep going and head up to Bicheno. A little nutty considering it was already midday and we were facing a 2.5hr drive each way.

It was definitely worth the effort though. We saw more of the rocks covered in orange lichen near Bicheno’s impressive blowhole. Beautiful scenery! We went on into the little town of Bicheno to get a late lunch and then headed down near the water to enjoy it. We ended up sitting in the car to eat due to a cold wind and numerous seagulls who wanted to share. We were sitting there, I noticed something moving and we realized it was a big seal. So of course we had to go for a walk to see if we could see him a bit more up close and personal like. Alas, he didn’t want to see us up close and personal, so he went for a quick swim in the sea.

We spent probably around 1.5 hrs in Bicheno before heading back to Hobart again. Stopped along the way at a few scenic places for some photos and got back around 6pm. In time to pick up some more oysters .. and yes, they were just as yummy as the last lot.

September 3

2009-09-12T15:33:00.000-07:00

Thursday 3 September

Nick’s 25th birthday today, so we gave him a call to wish him happy birthday this morning. It doesn’t seem 25 yrs since he was born though.

Today we decided to head off in the general direction of Port Arthur. There were a few places we wanted to see along the way and I have to say, they didn’t disappoint.

We stopped and admired the view at Eaglehawk Neck and from there went on to the Tasman Arch. It’s a very impressive bit of scenery. We also did bit of a walk around the two little lookouts they had, as well as a little further around to the Devil’s Kitchen.

Back in the car and down the road a little to the Tasman Blowhole. It seemed to be fairly quiet today but I imagine it could be quite impressive if the conditions were right.

The name of the little town where the Tasman Arch, Devil’s Kitchen and the Tasman Blowhole are is called Doo Town and many of the houses are named with the word Doo in them. Some of the names we saw were Doo Good, Doo Little, Rum Doo, Xanadu, Do Me Doo, Do F*&^ All, Dr Doolittle, It’ll Doo For Now, How Doo, Doo Write, To Doo, Doo Me, Much A Doo are the ones that we can think of off the top. There’s also a little road sign on the way into town that says Penguins Crossing.

From there it was down to Port Arthur. There was lots of roadkill on the road, mostly wombats and possums. There were plenty of signs for Tasmanian Devils too and a sanctuary for them that we drove past. The town of Port Arthur is a pretty little place and we decided to go to the historic site to take a few pics. I didn’t feel comfortable going in to wander around the site, so we just went into the gift shop for a browse before leaving again.

We stopped a bit up the road at a restaurant/café in Port Arthur and had the most delicious meal. Bob had some flounder with garlic mushrooms that was served on top of orange slices ~ yummy. I had a marinated chicken breast with rice and satay sauce that was served with salad as well. Very very nice. We also enjoyed a chai latte while we were there.

While we were having lunch, we found a brochure for a wooden boat builder in Franklin, so we decided to go take a peek. It was the opposite side of Hobart to where we were, but we figured we still had half the afternoon. We stopped along the way to get some more oysters and dropped them off at our apartment, as it was on the way and before we got back into Hobart.

Quick stop there and then back on the road through, towards Huonville and on to the little town of Franklin where we found the boat builders. It was sooo interesting. They are the only place in Australia that trains people in building wooden boats. It costs students $1200 a month and it takes them approximately 18 months to complete a Diploma in Wooden Boat Building. One of the students we saw was a girl, so good to see the girls interested in such a trade. We saw two boats in the process of construction and saw a couple that were finished ready for sale. There were also some out the back near the jetty that belong to other people. Gorgeous! And ever so tempting.

On the way back home, we stopped in Huonville and picked up some meat at a local butcher, He was quite a character and was telling us that the walk to Wineglass Bay was hard work, especially the return and that his wife fainted the last time they went.

Back home again to enjoy our oysters that I made Kilpatrick. Absolutely delicious. Oh my gosh, they are so so good.