'Nail it' November

Kek's idea - Nail it November is catching on! I think I'll jump on board too.
Things to 'Nail' in November are

1. NO more just hoping to 'wing it' for lunch! Preparation is the name of this game!
2. NO more avoidance of swimming- going to plan it into my fitness regime
3. NO more ultra late nights- try to get to bed a bit earlier so my alarm doesn't tell me I've only go 5 hrs 36 mins until the alarm sounds!

And I think that will be enough to start with!

weekend away

Quietly snuck away to Echuca for the weekend. I love these mini escapes- a real retreat from 'real life'! Didn't do a lot up there but enjoyed every minute of it! Went for a walk Sat. morning- just around the streets, checking out all the gardens. Always gets me inspired for about 2 mins!!!

Tafe is getting to the final stages for the year. It's this time you realise all the stuff you haven't done! I just love these students I've been teaching. I think of them and I smile! They have enriched my life and taught me lots- about their culture and an appreciation of what it must be like to try and learn a language that isn't your own. There is just a 'niceness' about many of them that simply fills me up and makes me smile:)))))

Suddenly 30

From this

to this...................took 30 years! Happy birthday Catherine!

We made it!!!! Couldn't go in the half marathon as it was fully booked, so we settled for the 10k instead. And jolly glad I was too!! lol. Had a great run, did it easy and pulled up well. Next goals- 'Run for kids' in March (15k) and hopefully next year- Half marathon in October! Catherine ( daughter) turns 30 on Wed- where did all that time go???? It was so special running with her- just delights me:)))

GRRRRR

You keep coming across a book that you don't need at that particular time- but you know it will come in useful eventually. That time has come- can you find it???? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Back to chaos!

The end of two weeks holiday ( from tafe) . I have really enjoyed a lessening of the pressure of preparation and teaching (it's actually been 4 weeks- 2 of them in PD) but now it's time to face it all over again! I love the teaching but always get that'school feeling' after having a break from it. You would think I'd get used to it- but no!! lol
We babysat the three girls on Thurs- it was lovely. I'm in the bathroom issuing toothbrushes to all and sundry. 13thmonth old is in my arms and holding her stubby brush- I'm brushing no. 2's teeth and no 1 is waiting. All very clean teeth here- with me singing my 'tooth cleaning ' song! Then it's off to bed for stories. Me in bed reading to no 2, Hubby listening to no 1 reading him a story and no 3 quietly 'reading' her story unpside down while sitting on the floor. She just tags along after the other girls- it was a lovely night. It still amazes me, thinking these beautiful girls are part of my son, part of us.

Zumba

Half of my 5o's class was dedicated to a beginners Zumba class today- as part of the gym's open day. So- it was also the first time I've tried Zumba! My hips don't wiggle, my back doesn't bend and I certainly don't shimmy!!! I just hope my ladies don't get the idea that they want me to put in Zumba moves- I have enough trouble not getting tangled up with a very gentle warm up!!

Emerging again!

Thought I'd better come out of my funk and start living again!! lol. Added some pics just to show you other Melbournites that while this part of Aus was shivering and freezing- other parts were not! For a short wonderful time I was a lizard on a rock. Now I'm hibernating again! lol

Not talking yet!

I'm back but sulking for a while:(((

eat my shorts!

heheheh- sitting here in shorts and t-shirt again! Yep- not in Melb at the moment. Hubby had a brainwave- he asked if I could put aside a few days so we could follow the sun- I thought if it for about a nanosecond- and here we are- in sunny Port Douglas. This place is starting to feel like another home.

weekend!! Yaaahhhhh

I'm so glad the weekend is here! It's been a busy week- like always and now I'm looking forward to doing my own thing! lol-not sure what that is exactly- but it involves doing what I want to do when I want to do it!
Haven't done much on the exercise front this week. On Wed I lifted some heavy containers and was duly impressed that I bent my knees ( squat) and kept my back straight ( deadlift) even so they were heavy. The later that morning I lifted a 20kg barbell from the bottom rack in an awkward position and then moved one of the gym benches. Felt my back with both of those manoevres- and had a few aches later in the day. Nursed myself like the good princess that I am and now am much better! Consequently- no exercise!!! Tomorrow though is a different matter! Got to get some kms under my belt for the half marathon in October. Still planning to walk and run it!!

YESSSS!!!!

A glimmer- albeit a small one- of a coming summer! Wasn't the weather, here in Melb, just lovely on Sunday! We had to go the beach of course, and although it wasn't shorts and t-shirt weather- it was lovely to see the sun. Didn't stay too long as it was very windy. However- this is a sign of things to come!!! YAAAAAHHHH

It doesn't get much better

After a long day- early start at the gym and tafe this arvo- we were then asked if we could babysit tonight. Haven't seen the grandchildren for about 10 days so I was really looking forward to it. Well.........we were greeted with a poster , lovingly made by the two elder girls. Nana and Pocky up a tree! And also greeted with a walking one year old. Had the best night. The girls are really well behaved and delightful. I got to play 'horpees' with the 5 year old ( i gave her a horse activity building sort of thing) and listen to the 8 year old read and just generally admire the 1 year olds new tricks. I looked at them all climbing over their 'Pocky' and it just amazes me at what we have helped to create. It truly is an amazing feeling. A very, very good way to start the weekend.

Feeling so good!

I'm feeling terrific! Partly, possibly, due to my now 'pain free foot' but also because of going back to do the 84 Day Body Challenge. I've followed this plan once before ( but not for the full time!) and lost a few kilos and felt much better. This time I've added in the supplements they suggest. I'm sure it's the ginseng and maybe the spirulina that is helping. I'm much fuller of energy and just feel better. Even getting only 2 hours sleep (grrrrr) last night hasn't flattened me!
Has anybody got any suggestions for sleeping? I get to sleep ok ( like- head hits the pillow and I'm gone) but wake 2-3hrs later and often have trouble getting back to sleep ( like last night- not at all!!) Prob menopausel stuff, but I'm thinking it's about time this sort of nonsense stopped!

I'm being so happy- hap, hap, hap, hap, HAPPY!

well....after 2 and half years it finally happened! My 'glass foot' is now no longer! After all that time of soreness and being sure something was in it- despite ultra sounds and digging by drs- and after the past couple of months having it 'shaved cos it was a corn ( dr no. 1) and burnt cos it was a wart ( dr no. 2) - at last I finally found it! Thinking it was a piece of skin I pulled and out came a shard of glass! About 1 cm long and reasonably wide. no wonder it had been hurting!!! It's onward and upward from no on. I'm just so happy- hap-hap-hap-hap happy!!!

My belated birthday pressie

Had the nicest day today- collected on my daughter's birthday pressie to me- time spent with her at whatever I wanted to do!! How good was that???
My choice- to walk along the boardwalk from Brighton ( near the sea) to the St Kilda Baths. This was about 7 kms I guess and the boardwalk follows the beach until you get to St Kilda ( close to Melb).
The weather was warm and sunny (????- it is WINTER here!!) the chat was warm and sunny ( always is with Catherine) and the Baths were HOT. We sat in the spa and bubbled with our chat as the bubbles pounded us- the spa is at the end of the Baths and looks out over the beach and sea. When we were bright red we decided it was time to leave. The it was lunch with hubby as well.
It was a lovely day- Catherine always leaves me with a smile on my dial!!!

what??

I've now got a total of 6 posts from indecipherable blogs!!! Where are they coming from and how do I stop it???
Is anyone else getting sick of the way all these politicians whitter away about how good they are, how poor the opposition is and very neatly avoid answering any incriminating questions that are being asked???? I feel like giving some of them a good shake and telling them to 'answer the bloody question!!" grrrrrr

at last!

Had the bestest sleep last night. Didn't have to get to work til 9am, so decided to have a sleep in for a change til 7am. Went to be relatively early - 10.30ish, so had a good 5 hours straight sleep before waking and then sleeping again on and off. Did me the 'power of good!'

I Made It!!

Made it through the first week of tafe! lol. It all turned out well and I had prepared enough work to not have to prepare too much for the coming week! Students were lovely and it was good to be back.
I've had a really sore glute for some time now and last weekend, while running, it felt very sore and a bit odd. I went to the myotherapist and she performed very painful 'magic' which ulitmately made it feel much better. Running this morning it was sore again so I only did a short run/walk. I find these injuries a real pain in the neck!!! However, on a better note, my hip is much improved and I think it's because of a fairly awkward, uncomfortable but effective stretch!
I'm tired of winter- I want the warmth back again! Maybe if I whinge loudly something will happen lol

Birthday

It would have been my mum's 90th birthday this week. I know I won't keep thinking of her being a different age than she was, but for the moment its nice to remember her day.
We took tea and biscuits up to the place where she and my dad are scattered. ( in a park overlooking Silvan Dam- in the Dandenong Mountains) It was beautiful and very cold! In some ways the passing of time makes it all the sadder- it's longer she hasn't been with us, but on the other hand it is lovely to have all those memories and that makes her seem not so far away.
I still feel as though she is just on a holiday or it was one of those times I hadn't rung her for a little while.
There is this part of life and then there is the birthday of my now 1 year old youngest granddaughter! The cycle of life- isn't it amazing.