Oh dear ... ebay

I think I might have got a bit carried away! I have bought rather a lot of fabric and the odd book or 3. Some arrived today and it looks great. Now I have to work out where to store it all.

And how to sew bloody patchwork! I spent more time yesterday unpicking that I did stitching and I spent a lot of time stitching. Oh well, I guess that's what happens when you try to teach yourself and you pick a design that requires a reasonable level of experience in getting seams to match! I have to keep reminding myself that I'm making a couple of throws for the CATS to lie on when they're on the couch. They don't have to be perfect. Yeah. Right.

Himself and I got up at sparrow's fart and went for a walk to the beach and back with Sooz. Very pleasant way to start the day once I'd got over the shock of being vertical at that time of the morning. We will repeat the exercise (haha) tomorrow. And maybe every morning this week. He has really taken this whole exercise thing to heart. Has had nothing to drink since last Wednesday (apart from a couple of bevvies at the club on Friday) and is making a real effort to eat well.

Me? Not so much.

But I'm drinking a bit less and am easing into this whole thing ... for the umpteenth time. I think he still has the novelty factor which ran out eons ago for me.

Work today was good. Everything happened at the end of the day resulting in me having to work back an hour as everyone else had gone (aaaaaaah - poor me) but it was challenging and I got a real buzz out of it. Can't really go into things (confidentiality and all that) but enough to say that health care workers experience far more violence and aggression than they should. And some doctors are idiots.

Himself is dishing up dinner (pork chop and cabbage ... mmmmmmmmm)

See ya!

Friday dot points

• had the hair cut - love it
• the book on convergence quilts has arrived - can't wait to start
• spent the afternoon with sooz. We spent money :) I bought a new handbag but we also bought birthday presents and anniversary presents.
• Went with Three to Southland to look at some suits. That young man always gets really good, prompt service ... I wonder why!!!! Nothing to do with how he looks, I'm sure.
• Now I need to shower (hair cut) and get ready for a night at the club.

And tomorrow is Sattdy. Yeah.

A better day

Not as much of the anxiety today.

I caught up with the Mermaid for lunch. She really is doing it tough but hopefully there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I have sewn 5 of the remaining 10 blocks I need before I can start assembling the quilts. That will be something new and challenging and then I have to work out how to put the whole thing together. I think I'll need help for that.

I have been rebitten by the ebay bug. I have bought a couple of quilting books (including one on convergence quilts - thank you CHRIS!!!) and heaps of fabric. Heaps and heaps of fabric! Here's hoping the books inspire me. I'd love to make quilts for christmas pressies. I have a couple of things still being bid for (yet more fabric!) and have found some interesting looking quilts made with charm squares (had to google them to find out what they were after a friend mentioned them and then found some goooorrrgeous quilts.)

I am still such a novice at this quilting game and I really should actually finish something -haha.

Oh well. It's relaxing and creative.

Himself seems to have taken over the creativity in the kitchen so I need something. Well, that's my excuse.

And speaking of which ... dinner is nearly ready - tuna patties. I WAS going to cook tonight but Three requested tuna patties and although I can make them (and used to when the kiddles were little) Three likes Himself's. And Himself likes cooking so I guess that's good.

Getting the hair degreyed and trimmed tomorrow. Wish it was as easy to get the old bod fixed and made presentable.

The Cast

Chris left a comment which had me a bit confused. I don't have a daughter. 3 sons and two cats (one female but she doesn't count!). Then I realised that she must have thought the Mermaid was a daughter.

So.

Me.

Himself (the husband)

One, Two and Three (the sons)

Ebs (belongs to One)

GGF (Giggling girlfriend belongs to Two)

Dr. Teacher (my brother)

Mrs Teacher (his currently estranged wife)

Cousin It (their eldest)

Other cousin (their youngest)

Other Brother (my other brother)

Mrs Other (his wife - they have no kids)

Mother and Father (self explanatory as is MIL, FIL and BIL - I have two BILs but rarely mention them).

The Mermaid is my closest, oldest friend. Her life is like a soap opera. One day I should write it all down. You wouldn't believe it.

Sooz is my next closest friend.

And sundry others.

Tom and Sheba are my cats.

The fish don't have names

*sigh*

Or should that be *woof woof*. The black dog is scratching at my mind and I won't let him in but, lordy, it's wearing.

I know that a lot of my life style choices encourage him and I am addressing them. These last three days I have cut the wine consumption waaaaaaay back (to almost that of a 'normal' person!), I am going to gym twice a week and really enjoying it and I am trying to look at work as a job and nothing else.

But I still get antsy when I don't have my day planned or if I have it overplanned! The latter is often the norm. I cherish my days off and want to cram as much into them as possible so over commit and then freak out there is little time left for what I really want to do (sew, read, walk, cross stitch, sit!).

I gave myself permission to have a good sleep in this morning after Himself and Three had left. I did (snuggled up with Tom who smelt of rain - love the smell of cats who have just come in from the weather) and had a really strange, vivid dream which is very common when one goes back to sleep in the mornings. I then got up with plans to go for a walk down to the beach, clean and tidy the house, catch up with the Mermaid, check out a day spa for a pedicure (need to look after my poor old feet), go to the gym to pay for Himself (he's giving the PT a 12 sessions trial), go to the supermarket and get something (don't know what) for dinner and come home and cook said dinner. And sew, cross stitch, read and sit!!!!! Oh, and do the washing!

Needless to say my anxiety levels hit the roof.

So I have decided that I will potter around the place and clean and tidy. I have had breakfast (porridge with dates) and will go for a walk if I have time. Cleaning the house will certainly get me moving and the old heart rate up. I do need to work out what to do for dinner but that can be done later in the afternoon. I will ring the Mermaid to make sure she's OK (she had an important, potentially life changing dinner last night) but will go and see her tomorrow or Friday.

And the anxiety levels are falling.

So on that note I shall go and get stuck into the place.

I'd rather be here ...

But I'm back at work in windy Melbourne with rain and hail!!

Oh well. At least work will help pay for the trip next year.

We had the boys and girlfriends over for dinner last night and The Mermaid came for dinner on Saturday. One and Ebs are here again tonight because he is dropping a book off that we promised to send to someone we met up North. Only he forgot to bring the book!

I haven't been feeling well lately but I fear that I know the cause only too well. The grape. Only not in its natural form, if you get my drift.

Something for me to think about, face up to and address.

But for now, I'm going to enjoy the added bonus of One and Ebs for dinner.

The highlight ...

This was taken just after I had been hauled back into the boat by the guide. I am the yellow helmet at the back below everybody else!! You can see why it wasn't a particularly good place to fall out of the boat!

We received the CD of photos today and they are fantastic. I didn't realise how scary (from the novice point of view!) some of the rapids were and there are some very good shots of all the boats.

I can't wait to do it all again. I could check out white water rafting in Victoria but it would be bloody cold. I think I'll wait for next year in Port Douglas.

Back to earth with a bump!

*sigh* ... this time last week we were basking in the sun and strolling on the beach. This picture was taken at Cape Tribulation where they boast that the rain forest meets the reef - and they are so right. The rainforest comes right down to the beach and it is spectacular.

Himself has not been himself (or maybe he has been himself - a grumpy old bugger!) His knee is playing up, his neck is sore and he's just been a pain. He had an MRI this evening so hopefully something will happen with the neck. He's been a bit better today and I hope his mood continues to improve.

I don't usually feel the cold but since coming home I have been decidedly chilly. I went back to the gym today and my fitness has dropped off a bit (to be expected I suppose) but the strength is still there (such as it is). We have promised ourselves we will go back to Port Douglas next year so that should be an incentive for me to get trim, taut and terrific by then so I can really enjoy the place without feeling self conscious.

And now I'm going to watch some telly and veg for the evening.

There's no place like home!!

I'm back.

We got home around midnight last night.

The first week and a half were very challenging being with The Aunt and I didn't relax or really enjoy myself at all. It got worse when Himself arrived. Fortunately he was only there for 3 full days but never ever again. More on that later.

Port Douglas was everything we imagined it to be and then some.

This photo was taken from a boat trip we undertook through the inlet at sunset.

This photo was taken on a beach somewhere between Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation and is indicative of most of the beaches up north. Way up north.
Blue sky, sand, clear water and bright sunshine. And hardly anyone around even though it was peak season. I guess there are just so many beaches!

No doubt I will prattle on about things that happened when we were away but the highlight would be white water rafting down the Barron River. I came too close to falling out of the raft going over a rapid and was pulled back by the guide. But I would do it again in a heart beat.

So after 2 and a half weeks of temps in the high 20s (centigrade!) and brilliant sunshine we came home to howling gales and rain. Aahhhh, Melbourne!

It is bliss to be home with the boys and the cats.