Thursday late again

I am often asked if I want to go back to HongKong. I went there as a 4 year old in early '61 and left as a 15 year old in late '71. This is why I never want to go back. The top photo is what I remember.

For those who wanted to se my loom. This is an Ashford Rigid Heddle Loom. Actually it is two. I clamp the smaller one onto the larger one.

It's another late post because we played two games of scrabble and he won them both (which makes for very long games as he thinks every strategy). With the tiles I had below (same game but over several rounds) you can see why I lost the first game, at least!!

And I am now going to cook dinner with veges from the garden. Pork steaks in a sauce made with cider vinegar, seeded mustard and creme freche. And the parsley in the sauce also came from the garden.

Catch you tomorrow.

 

Witless Wednesday

A late post today. I didn't do much but I did warp my loom with some yarn I fell in love with yesterday. After doing it I had a thought that it might not work. Oh well, win some lose some and if you don't try you don't learn.

Two games of scrabble (one all) and a yummy dinner of chicken with satay sauce and salad.

So in lieu of anything from my brain I give you some snaps from my phone.

On Saturday I cooked a beef rendang and while I was chopping the meat I had Murphy on my left ...

... and Max on my right. They have learned that there are often little bits that fall on the floor when I cook!

The sunsets have been spectacular. 

My friend in Junee very kindly has agreed to put me up when I travel to NSW. She has a pool and being February in central NSW it will be hot. Today I bit the bullet and ordered a swimsuit. I have no idea if it will fit but nothing ventured nothing gained. I have enough time to get another if necessary and it wasn't that expensive compared to many. I will look nothing like this but you get the idea~

And finally I leave you with the TWENTY DOLLAR BUCKS grin.

 Hopefully tomorrow I will have make the time to write something decent.

Blue

I went to my favourite yarn store today with J and C. We had a wonderful time chatting and knitting and then we had lunch and then we went back and knitted some more. I am making good progress on the colour work jumper I have started for Billie. Audrey's and Henry's will be next. The fabulous Mel helped me work out where I had gone wrong and showed me an easier way to knit colour work (all about holding the yarn) so I am racing along (must remember that thing about pride and falls!). 

I also bought some really interesting yarn to try weaving. It wasn't cheap but I'm worth it! I should get two scarves out of it so that's not bad.

When I came home there was a jacaranda tree sitting in a pot on the front porch.

I had shown Himself a garden nearby which is full of the glorious blues of jacarandas and agapanthus and I said I wanted that look in the back garden with some hydrangeas thrown in for good measure.

He listened and heard me (two different things!)

So next summer I should have one of these

Some of these (if I can work out how to keep the dogs from trampling them)

And of course lots of these. We have them all over the place and Dr Teacher has heaps for me to take as well. Some consider them an invasive weed but until the local council removes them from their own plantings and says no one else can have them I will continue to enjoy their glorious colour - they are everywhere in my suburb.

It is now gin o'clock and scrabble time and I am hot and bothered because it's summer in Melbourne.

I heard back from Two and it is all systems go for my trip to NSW in Feb. Just need to arrange accommodation on the trips up and back and plan what to take. It will be hot and humid. Just my kind of weather. Thank goodness for airconditioning!

Happy Birthday to Knee

3 years ago today I got a total knee replacement. I started to write a post about the experience but it was getting long and scrabble called so I shall finish it later and keep if it I need a post when I am away.

Sally and her Dad went away over the weekend with a group of blokes (including her other grandfather, Gramps). They had a wonderful time and she lost her first tooth.

Three showed great initiative and quick thinking as the tooth was not expected to drop just yet. He told her that they couldn't put the tooth under her pillow as the tree fairies might take it to confuse the tooth fairy so they had better wait until they were home and then she could also show mummy. 

The tooth was duly placed with a note and some precious things to show said tooth fairy (her idea) and in the morning she woke up to, and I quote from her voice message to me, "TWENTY DOLLAR BUCKS!" 

I think the tooth fairy has been hit by inflation. Apparently the first tooth gets the most. Some parents pay $50. More money than sense and setting such a sad precedent for those with less cash to splash.

It was another warm day. We did the supermarket shop and I had to lie down because my back was killing me. I might have fallen asleep for an hour or so. Before we went out we set the oven to cremate and Himself finished the cleaning process while I lay down.

It is now late, again, and we are about to sit down to dinner. 

I'll get my act together one day!

Look forwards not backwards

Thank you everyone, for your input and comments on retirement.

I am not unhappy with retirement (although officially I have until 4th March before I can claim the age pension and get off the jobseeking treadmill). I just find dealing with Himself who does struggle at times, a bit of a challenge. I have some ideas from all the comments. Now to make a plan. A cunning plan.

I think that working people heading towards retirement could do with some education on what to expect. Suggestions on how to plan for it. Not financial - there is plenty of that - but more what changes to expect, how to look after your mental health, how to tap into groups, that sort of thing. Retirement is NOT just one long weekend as so many seem to think it will be. Many people (mainly men) have their entire social network revolve around work and when that stops they are left stranded. I know women work more these days and I'm sure many women find themselves in a similar boat but we seem better at creating and keeping those social networks outside and beyond work.

My issue when we moved here in 2017 was that I left my network behind and although it wasn't that far away it was far enough. Thanks to the internet and craft I have made some good friends but I was horribly lonely here for a while. Funnily enough, one of my dearest new friends has moved to the area we used to live in and we still catch up. I guess our friendship is more about things we have in common rather than where we live.

I weighed myself this morning and I have lost 2.9kgs which isn't bad. I do realise most of this is water as our bodies use our glycogen stores as a first resort for energy when calories are reduced and every glycogen molecule is linked with a water molecule so those molecules have to go somewhere once released from the glycogen (usually down the loo and the weight goes with it!) - at least that is what I remember from my uni days!

**********

We had a couple of games of scrabble - one all. I have touched base with Mads to lock in a time to head up there so things are settling into place.

Chicken pesto tray bake for dinner. 

Life really isn't that bad, is it?

Saturday

Although it could be any damn day of the week.

How many people had an image of retirement that didn't happen.

We did.

I don't know what I expected but knowing Himself I should have known that it wouldn't turn out the way I thought it might.

I thought we would travel. Not much and not far but explore the country a bit. Himself balked at the cost of kennelling the dogs. I told him that you include that in the cost of the trip.

To date. No trips. We do have Stepson's 50th coming up in April and we were going to do a quick fly up and back and I was going to keep going North to visit the aunt. I am now thinking that if the Mermaid will come and stay and look after the beasts for a week or 10 days, we can get the dogs professionally walked two or three times (they are too much for the Mermaid) and we could drive up and back. Himself loves a good drive. I can visit the aunt later. Wish me luck as I plan to plant the seed.

I thought we would go out more. We don't. 

I thought we would entertain. We need friends to entertain and we only have family (a whole post there!).

I thought Himself would indulge in the hobbies he always complained about never having time for. We moved here because the previous place didn't have the space. We have lots of space but he just keeps moving shit  tools and equipment around the garage (which serves as his workshop). He will do a job (usually maintenance - not hobby related) and not put his things away which means when I finally convince him to go and actually do something enjoyable he has to clean and tidy the space up first. 

Yes. I am in a whingy mood today. My back is giving me gyp but then I did stand in the kitchen for a couple of hours today preparing tonight's dinner (Beef Rendang) and then making asparagus, pea and mint muffins for brunch. They were OK. My muffin tins were too small so I got Himself to buy me ones with a bigger hole and I will try them one more time. Considering I have gone from doing no shopping or cooking other than baking to full on menu planning, shopping and preparation I'm not doing too badly.

He has gone to put petrol in his car and then we will have our regular scrabble game. I shall have a gin and soda (or 3) and maybe even some cheese and pickled onions. I am sure I will get over my bad mood then. I let him win yesterday because I had been thrashing him (I read way more than he does and have always loved language) and I could see him getting down-hearted. 

See, I can be nice.

I caught up with just J today for a light brunch and some nattering and knitting. We find it easier with just the two of us. C has a lot of issues and depending on the day can be a bit prickly. We love her to bits and do enjoy her company but sometimes it's nice to be able to chat without having to second guess ourselves.

I then went to the supermarket. All. By. Myself. Which meant I was able to buy a couple of toys for the girls (I've invited Lily to come over next week when we have Sally) without being asked if they were necessary, some decent gin that was only a few dollars more than the cheap shit stuff and could spend time just looking and seeing what's around. I did forget to check out brussels sprouts. They are a winter veg but I don't think anyone knows what the seasons are at the moment, including the produce.

It is quite a pleasant day. Not too hot and not too windy. 

Sally has been playing games on her ipad and sending me messages about the game and asking me to guess what she's drawing. Yesterday she facetimed me and I got to see Alice who waved when she saw my face and heard my voice. These are the good things about technology. It is why the NSW girls know who we are even though they barely see us twice a year in person.

After dealing with some annoying pain issues and the ever increasing weight I bit the bullet this week and went back onto the Fast 800 program designed by Michael Mosely. I lost weight and felt so much better back in 2021 using this. Looking back at my entries at the time I can see why I went off the rails. Covid, isolation and a deteriorating mother in law for starters. 

Anyway, I have written out the meals for a couple of weeks and so far so good. I still have a couple of gins and soda in the evening and scrabble food is a small piece of cheese, some pickled onions, a small handful of nuts, some berries - that sort of thing. Not the large amounts of cheese, biscuits, nuts and crisps. And the wine is a treat for now and again. I know, I know.

I have a very all or nothing personality and this has been my downfall in many endeavours. If I can't do it 100% first time it will toss it in. Oh, the negative self talk I have subjected myself to over the years. I am learning to not stress over things not being perfect. As long as the finished product looks good and does the job, only I will know if it isn't perfect. And isn't that one of the joys of handmade stuff? If I choose to not have wine and cheese today that doesn't mean I won't have it down the track. During past efforts at weight loss I have been known to throw out recipe books because I will never cook that food again. Rabbit food for me forever. Welcome to the crazy that is my mind.

When we started the quick lockdown that was going to save us back in 2020 I shaved my hair and coloured it pink. It was a bit of a giggle that I thought would last a month at the most. Over the next 2 years I kept it very short as it was easy to do at home and I wasn't game to go to a hairdresser - not going to wear a mask for that amount of time! I went to local cheap cut place the day before nephew's wedding and ended up very short again. I haven't touched it since and Himself says he prefers it with some length. I will get it tidied up soon as I am feeling a bit like an old English sheepdog. This morning I was running late to meet and J and my hair really needed a wash. No problem until I couldn't find the hairdryer and remembered it had ended up in the garage as a tool for something or other. I met her looking like I'd just come out of the swimming pool (in my dreams nightmares). Had we not spent more time than planned nattering I would have popped into BigW and grabbed one but I had just about reached my limit of people and still had to go to the supermarket.

I am now waiting for Himself to come back from the Shed. 

Chicken fajitas for dinner in lettuce leaves. Last night's dinner was really tasty and it made enough to have freeze. I love having frozen meals on standby.