A bit grumpy

Today is the last day of Summer. Although we may still have some hot days to come at least I know that the worst is behind us - to be fair, though, we haven't had a really hot summer so I can't complain. Autumn is my favourite time of year. Warm, still, clear sunny days with chilly nights. Bliss.

We decided Jinx needs a playmate so I have arranged for a long haired boy from Queensland. Hopefully with all the Covid shit we will be able to get him shipped down on the 10th April when he is 8 weeks old.

Weight loss is still on track. My blood pressure was plummeting so my GP has dropped my meds which is fantastic.

On the down side I have had a horrid run of migraines. We cannot work out what could be triggering them other than a very stiff neck so if heat rub and heat packs don't help I shall try a professional massage (as opposed the local Chinese ones in the shopping arcades) and see if that helps. It's a damn nuisance cos I lose my vision and don't want to be driving when one hits - not to mention the awful headache after my vision clears. I take meds which help reduce the severity but not the frequency. Add that to the cough from hell and I am a miserable cow at the moment. It's not Covid - I get this once every couple of years and it's almost like asthma so I try ventolin and if that doesn't work I'll trot on back to my GP and she can try antibiotics and steroids. 

On that less than cheerful note I shall go and plan my meals for the week and write my shopping list. 

Ticking along

 

I nicked the saying but it pretty much describes life at the moment. I used to get slightly irritated with my parents and other retirees who ALWAYS shopped on a certain day, cleaned their house on a certain day, did the washing etc etc. Now I realise it was a way of knowing what day of the week it was!

Whilst I call myself retired, thanks to the powers that are Centrelink, I have to look for work to qualify for benefits for another 2 years until I reach the age where I qualify for the age pension. Himself was eligible when he turned 65 in 2014. I have to wait until I'm 66 and 6 months. So I dutifully check the job sites and apply for the ones I could do but hopefully won't get. So far so good. I did get a call back for one which sounded exactly like the wife from hell of the pain specialist I used to work for. Just hearing her voice sent me into a massive anxiety attack so that was a no. And I also applied for a position that I applied for 3 years ago and didn't get (didn't really look at the ad properly) and got an email saying they would interview. I had a procedure at this place late 2019 and if the way they treat their patients is anything to go by it explains why they advertise for staff on a very regular basis - so another no. In the meantime I continue with my english tutoring and donate plasma every fortnight so don't feel I'm not doing anything for the community in return for the not terribly generous allowance from the government. 

A friend lost a lot of weight (yes that old chestnut) on the Fast800 program. Seeing as I was about the heaviest I have ever been (again) I thought I'd give it a go. Win win. I started with the Time Restricted Eating (TRE) and initally lost a couple of kilos then started the actual 800 calories a day last Sunday. The weight is still coming off, cms have gone from the middle (I can't call it a waist) and I feel great. My joints ache less and I generally feel much better in myself. Apart from sleep which happens to me every so often so I took a sleeping tablet last night and will again tonight and that should get me back into a better routine.

Alcohol has always been my downfall. High in calories and completely removes all self control as well as giving me the munchies. But I really enjoy a G&T and a glass of wine or few of an evening. I discovered SansDrinks, an online business devoted to selling alcohol free spirits, beer and wine that don't taste disgusting. And they are very low in sugar/calories. I love the gin and the italian spritz with a sugar free tonic. The spritz is also lovely with an AF sparkling wine. The wines are OK. Definitely not the same as the alcohol version but more than palatable. The sparkling is my favourite as I really can't tell the difference. There is also a rose out there that, served chilled, is very quaffable. I took a couple of bottles to One's place for a family bbq and didn't miss the boozy version at all. I am looking forward to going to other friends' places and taking my bottles. Not to say I won't have a drink ever again but at the moment I am enjoying the feeling of not missing out and not stalling the weight loss. And waking up with a clear head - THAT is a feeling worth bottling!!

She's growing up so fast.

 

Today our eldest granddaughter started kindergarten. She's 4 and looks so excited and grown up in her kinder windcheater. 

The Sydney lot have left to stay with Mads' parents until they head back to NSW on Monday. We shall catch up at One's on Saturday for a family get together. I must say it is quite a relief to have the house back. I don't mind kids at all. I understand they are noisy and like to play and siblings can be rough but these two are completely undisciplined. In fact the more Audrey is asked to not do something the more she does it with a look on her face that says she knows exactly what she is doing. According her mother, 3 year olds don't know that they are doing anything wrong so you shouldn't tell them off - just praise them for good behaviour. Well THAT ain't working! And my table drawn on, broken toys, food and toys thrown around the place, walls kicked and thumped and a constantly crying younger sibling are evidence of this. But I am just the grandmother and the mother in law so keep my lips sealed. It's just as well that when not being feral they are actually delightful kids.

Gave plasma again today. Every second Thursday for the forseeable future. 

Mother in Law turned 90 today. Himself went to see her with Jinx this afternoon. Two and Himself went yesterday and she was pleased to see Two but is still very much in lala land. Confused as to where her husband is (dead but she thinks he's living in the same facility, going to work and ignoring her), where the movie theatre has gone (it was opposite Coles in Melbourne when she worked at Coles decades ago but she seems to think it was opposite her house) and so on. The facility gave her a cake for her birthday for morning tea. She rang Himself upset that they were making such a fuss and wouldn't let her pay for the cake!!

I'm still here

I have thought so much about what I want to write here. I have written so many lines in my head. 

20 years ago I first started blogging and the main content was weight loss as were many other blogs at that time. 

Over the past 20 years I have lost and gained and lost and gained. My self esteem has gone up and down and up and down. My mental health has been all over the place. I self medicate with food and alcohol. 

So in many ways nothing has changed over 20 years (obviously lots has changed but you know what I mean).

We have Two and his family staying with us for the next week (first time we have seen them in over 12 months thanks to Covid) and I am so looking forward to catching up with them. 

Once they have gone home I shall take myself in hand. I am 65 this year. I have had a knee replacement and am looking at another. I have other health issues. 

Yes, it's same old same old and I think that's why I have been reluctant to write about it.

Some things change and some stay the same

 

It looks as if mask wearing will be with us for the foreseeable future. Our Northern neighbours (in Australia) are now experiencing what Victoria went through last year. Lockdowns, compulsory mask wearing, signing in at venues and businesses, limits on numbers in private houses ... the list goes on.

Hopefully the vaccine roll out will continue and before too long we will have developed a herd immunity (which comes from vaccinations NOT from contracting the disease - think measles in the 50s and 60s). That is as long as enough people get vaccinated and don't jump on the conspiracy bandwagons.

We are experiencing some very warm days at the moment. My veges are going gangbusters. I just hope I didn't wait too late to plant so we can get some decent crops before the cooler weather arrives. 

Last week ended up being quite a busy week for me with something on everyday. This is not good for my mental health - even though they were all pleasurable things I need days to just sit and be. Hopefully this week will be quieter. Monday is forecast to be super hot so definitely a day indoors with the aircon on. Painting, crocheting or reading will be on the agenda. It's the dog I feel for as we won't walk her when it's too hot. She's got a black coat and heats up very quickly and even though she is getting soooo big she is only 5 and a half months old so her body regulatory systems are still developing.

Time for an icy cold gin and soda. 

Listen to the pouring rain, listen to it pour.

 

I "borrowed" this image from the BoM site. Lovely, lovely rain with some thunder and hail. I love me a good storm. 

Today Himself went to Ikea to buy a new bed base (on special YAY) for the guest room. We had a big old timber queen bed that had been passed around various family members but it really overwhelmed the smallish guest room. I like my guests to have a queen bed so this one will be ideal. The Mermaid's daughter (she's now 34 aaargh!) and her partner are coming on Monday to check out the area with a view to buy and will stay the night. So the main bathroom got a thorough cleaning today. The rest of the house looks like a bomb has hit it (or 5 month old German Shepherd - same thing) but it will be an easy tidy up and Elyse is a major dog person.

Himself is cooking prawn dumplings with Asian veges and our latest mindless British quiz show is on. A good evening.

Happy New Year

 

Last night I went to bed around 10.30. read for a bit and was sound asleep when the old year dragged its sorry arse out of the door.

Today I finished a painting and just pottered. 

Dinner tonight will be gourmet snags, potato salad and coleslaw and a salad with leaves and radishes from my garden. Sadly my tomatoes are taking their time. I probably should have planted sooner but had no choice.

I am trying so hard to stop nibbling my nails and cuticles so I can give myself a manicure with a product I bought a few months ago. Sisteco. It's so easy to use and the colours are amazing. Maybe I will get around to it tomorrow.

Lots of gardens have bowls of water at the front for dogs. I told Himself we should reciprocate seeing as Jinx loves using them. I assumed he would get a bowl, fill it with water and leave it out the front. I should have known better!! He built a platform to surround the tap and water meter and provide a stable surface for the bowl. I hope our canine neighbours appreciate it!