Wk 21 of ’23

 

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An update of the week that was.
Week 21 of 2023

Monday

– I did some canning while on a FaceTime call with our Daughter-In-Law as she has a new pressure canner and has no experience using it, so we did a live ‘walk-through’ and canned together.
She did some home-grown apples from their little Farmlet, that she had puréed for their little boy, and I canned some beef mince.

Once we were done with that call, I cooked some dog food as well, then did the usual Monday things like laundry and tidying up the house following the weekend.

Still have diarrhoea.

Tuesday

– Our garden guy (the Mighty MG) came today and he finished off building the hoop-house that we’ve been ‘going to get around to‘ for about a year.
It looks bloody great!

I did some weeding and garden tidying, but am feeling quite weak and foggy and despite trying I haven’t managed to do very well with hydrating today.
Less than a litre.

Still have diarrhoea.

Wednesday

– Heath ( a civil engineer) came over to preview the job we’re hoping he will do to fix some of the drainage issues along the eastern fenceline, and he will send us through a quote later in the week.
Seems like a nice young guy.

Its been cold and rainy today – definitely an inside kind of day!
Wearing long sleeves and long pants and closed in shoes.

Blogged.

Day 8 of diarrhoea.

Thursday

– somehow corked my shoulder in my sleep last night.
I think it was because I was so exhausted and run-down from the diarrhoea that I slept for five hours straight without moving.
Unheard of for me – I am usually a rotisserie.

Raining and cold again.

Our eldest Daughter arrived on a spur of the moment visit for two nights, today.

Friday

– laundry day again!
Got most of the stuff packed that we will want for our trip away this weekend.
We’re leaving Saturday morning and coming back Monday afternoon.

The pain I’m having in my arm has made sleeping very difficult overnight, and I can’t use my arm, or raise it at all.

I’m in lot of pain.
Getting more than a little concerned tbh…

Saturday

– I ended up at the hospital Emergency Room overnight with the uncontrolled pain the I just couldn’t get on top of, and was at the point where I couldn’t sleep and also couldn’t move around in bed or even get up easily, without assistance.

After some observations and history etc I ended up having some more Panadol and some Oxycodone and was released to see how I fared.
The diagnosis was a probable pinched nerve.

I was discharged with some extra meds and a script for more in case I needed them.

Woke up in a lot less pain – thankfully!!
It makes a big difference when you can finally break the pain loop…

My Love was not terribly keen to still go away, but after much discussion she agreed that we could still go, as it was obvious I was a lot better than I had been overnight – plus I had the extra medication in case things got ‘exciting’ again – so off we headed – away to palm cove in the bus for two nights!

Yippee!!

Sunday

– We spent the day relaxing and reading and hanging out in the gazebo beside our bus, then wandered up to Esplanade to have lunch at the surf club.

We decided to have dinner at our favourite pizza place – Il Forna – so wandered up there just on dusk, and were spoilt as always, by the wonderful staff.

It was a really lovely day, and neither of us is wildly keen to go home tomorrow.

I always sleep so well in our bus!
For some reason I feel really safe and cocooned when I’m snuggled up in there in my bed at night.
Truely one of my absolute happy places…

So that’s it for this week!

 

The revamped Hoop-House that our Mighty MG Garden-Guy whipped back into shape in a matter of hours.
Road-Trip ready!!
The picturesque Esplanade at Palm Cove.
Its a little messy in this pic, but its my happy place. Snug, safe and warm in our bus.

Wk 20 of ’23

 

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An update of the week that was.
Week 20 of 2023

Monday

– grocery shopped, cooked dog food, did laundry, watered big veg garden, cleaned.
Mowed the houseyard and some of the paddock.
Mondays are usually a pretty standard day of catch-up around the house, from the weekend.

Tuesday

– started out with an interview with Hannah from ‘Good Times’ about their products and wanting my ideas and feedback.
Did some weeding and garden tidying and finished up a blog for another site.

Our garden guy worked today and did some poisoning, and we planned out next weeks job of rebuilding the hoop-house.

Went and got some fuel for the mower and took back some glue I got last week that didn’t work, and bought another brand.

Our New Zealand SIM cards need to be topped up every six month to stay active, so I also did that today.
We like to keep them active rather than getting a new number every time, and it’s easier to just swap over to a working sim when we hit the ground, than faffing about setting up a new number each and every time.

Wednesday

– I awoke to early morning loose bowels, so am wondering if it is the seed bar I had as my snack last night that have ‘set things in motion’.
Its days like today that I am very glad that I built a secondary composting toilet out in the shipping container / laundry!

The day started overcast again, but the rain mostly held off.

I planted a couple of trees and mulched them – out the front near the roundabout garden – in the hope that they will suck up some of the rainy-season run-off next year.
They look good!

As I was in need of some extra protein, so I had a small tin of tuna for lunch – but ended up vomiting it back up.
The feeling of tuna chunks stuck in my neck where the hernia is, was freakin’ horrendous!!

Thursday

– early trip to the grocery store before all the other folks arrive after school drop-off and such.
Picked up my Formulite parcel from the post office with 4 tubs in it.

My Wife spoilt me and got a pizza which we had up on the hill for dinner, in the bus.
The one slice I had was just blisssssss!

Friday

– Our poor surrogate daughter just keeps drowning under more and more shit.
Her uncle died this morning… 😔

I had a zoom call with our Daughter-in-Law this morning, as she has a new pressure canner and is wanting to do her first ever round of canning on Monday, so we chatted for a while so that she could have everything ready and in order, and we plan to link up again on Monday for another video chat so that I can help to walk her through the steps she needs to do.
Hopefully it will help her feel more confident for next time.

Lunch with the ex-work colleagues crew was also in the calendar for today, and was held at one of the Cafes at the top on the Range and near the Lake, about a 40 minute drive from our Farm.

There was no soup on the menu, and no small meals, so I got a hot chocolate made on skim and a protein ball.

Only ate ⅛ of the ball and about half of the small hot chocolate, which was barely Luke-warm. Ugh!
Didn’t stay too long – just long enough to not be too rude.

On the way home I stopped off at the second hand store, and found some things that I think my Love will be interested in putting into the garden, so took photos so that I could send to her and she can go to the shop and have a look if she’s interested.
I also bought an old broken fountain that I think will make a nice piece of garden art.

Ended up with diarrhoea again when I got home.
Felt icky at dinner time, so just had yoghurt.

Saturday

– couldn’t stomach breakfast so the dog got to have it.
Still feeling pretty rough…

Sunny again today – makes me feel better.

I have been sorting my goodies box for a trip away that we are planning for next weekend.
Protein, fibre, vitamins, soup, shaker and shakes, cordial, insulted shaker cup etc etc
I swear I take more with me now that when I had babies!

Sunday

– we went to an out of town market this morning, then to one of the nurseries we haven’t been to in years, then to bunnings to get my Wife an extra garden bed.

The afternoon consisted of mostly watch a weightlifting competition on television that our son was competing in, in Adelaide.

I’ve mostly had diarrhoea for 5 days now, and feeling pretty nauseous when I do try to consume anything.

Other than that I feel mostly ok until about 5mins before the next bout arrives.

Makes it very difficult to eat anything of any substance, which just compounds the issue…

As the old saying goes: liquid in, liquid out!

Fingers crossed it doesn’t keep going for much longer as whilst I prefer it to vomiting – because at least my body has a chance a small chance to get some nutrients in on its way through – I’d rather just be able to eat small amounts as usual!

So that’s it for this week!

pizza up on lookout hill was one of the highlights of my week, and definitely something that I needed to help me relax and get out of my own way for a bit!
I didn’t ever believed that I would willingly watch a weight-lifting competition!
the old broken fountain I ended up buying at the second-hand store. I will use in the garden as decor.
my view when I do my dishes each morning – helps me to start my day in a very grateful mood!

 

Wk 19 of ’23

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An update of the week that was.
Week 19 of 2023

Monday

– grocery shopped, cooked dog food, did laundry, watered big veg garden, cleaned.

Tuesday

– I want to redo the fence-line between the house and the house-yard double gates and put in a wooden paling picket fence – only abut a metre high – so I need to move the nursery as it is currently along that fenceline, so today I spent most of the day going through the first half of the plants, weeding them, sorting them etc and getting them packed into the gorilla cart so that I can tow them down to the new location next to the hoop-house.

My Love kindly came home early and took the trailer to the raw materials yard and got me another trailer load of soil.

I am hoping to get the other half of the nursery sorted through tomorrow and then I’ll be able to get down to the business of tidying up the ground in that area ready for the fencing works.

Wednesday

– We woke up to a very cold morning and day.
The coldest night and day this year so far.

I’ve moved the first load of plants down to new nursery.
The way the weather looks like its going to be wet for the rest of the week, so I don’t think I’ll get to the other half of the nursery done for a while yet…
My Love had takeaway Chinese for dinner. I had soup.

Thursday

– I took the Mazda back to Charlie the mechanic as the knock-sensor had arrived and he’s going to fit it before he has a week off on holidays.
He’s been such a joy to work with since we found him!

When I was heading out to the road to meet my Love when she was coming to pick me back up to collect my car, I got to meet our new eastern-side neighbours.
They seem like a sweet pair, and are probably in their 70s.

Had a fairly quiet blah rest-of-the day for the most part…

Friday

– it rained overnight and most of today.
Had planned to mow and the garden guy was going to come around, but that’s all being postponed.

I went into town and ran into my friend MB at Bunnings.
We stood around and chatted for ages, and I really loved our little mini catchup.
I wish that I got to spend time with her more often…

In the afternoon, my coffee-buddy friend LC visited on her way home from having her bloods done.
Always a catchup I enjoy.

Saturday

– this morning we were taken out to breakfast by our surrogate daughter and friend, for an early mothers day pressie.

It was the first time we had been to the new cafe, and we were both quite underwhelmed; but it was nice to be out, and very kind and loving of C to think of us and treat us.

My Love had to go work after we were done, and I spent the morning cleaning up, doing dishes and reading.

Once my Love was home for the day, we did a bit of pot-gardening, and rearranging until the cold and rain came back in.

Sunday

– Mothers Day.
we had breakfast at home then my Love had an early appointment out near the lake, so we decided that we would take the bus and both go, then afterwards we headed off to one of the next towns over and went to the hardware stores there, and to the nursery.

After that we went to Coles and bought some fixings for lunch, which we ate in the park at the Heritage Centre.

On the way back home we stopped off at Woolworths to pick up a few groceries including some meat for the dogs, which I cooked when we got home.

In the afternoon, I mowed around ⅔ of the paddock while my Love planted the last of the flowers in the #2 monument bed.

Hopefully I’ll get the rest of the paddock and the house yard mowed tomorrow if the rain holds off, and I manage to get my other chores out of the way enough to make the time!

So that’s it for this week!

picnic in the park for 2 on Mothers Day

 

breakfast time!

 

CaraCara orange – we’ve been waiting for this baby for what feels like eons!

 

We’ve been so delighted to have ‘our’ kookaburras living back on Farm.

 

Beee-u-tifulll

Wk 18 of ’23

 

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An update of the week that was.
Week 18 of 2023

Monday

– A public holiday (Labour Day) so my Love was home for most of the day but worked for a while in the morning so that we had been able to have all day Sunday together for a change.

I did the majority of the paddock mowing, (even managing to get bogged once!) and my Love finished up the planting out of the #1 monument bed that she rebuilt last week, as I had topped up the soil in the bed before I mowed.

It’s looking really pretty, and I’m looking forward to the second one being filled up later in the week, so it can be planted out too.
It’s going to be a lovely visual welcome as you come down the driveway, and will give us a smile on the daily.

Tuesday

– we had to go down to the City as I had follow-up appointments with my Dietician and Surgeon.

I am tracking well with my weightloss as far as the Dietician is concerned, and I won’t be having another appointment with her – unless I feel the need – for another six months, as I feel that I am going well for the time being and the money that I am spending with her I feel could be better used elsewhere.
I’ll go back if I feel like I need it – but for the time being – I’m doing well.

Had the followup with my Surgeon and we went through the results of the ultrasound and CT that I had a couple of weeks ago.
It turns out I have a gallbladder full of stones, and a ‘well-developed’ hiatus hernia.

He will do the removal and repair of both at the same time, through the public system, so that it won’t cost me a fortune and also because he understands that I don’t want to go back to the same private hospital that I had my last surgery at, as I really was very uncomfortable with the total lack of care that I felt was practiced in that facility.

While we were down the hill, our Garden Guy came and filled our #2 monument bed, ready for us to plant into on the weekend, and did some other cleanup work around the Farm.

Wednesday

– I went into town to the local Showgrounds where the mobile Mammogram Clinic is currently in residence until the end of the month, for my annual mammogram.

I spent the rest of the day reorganising where our linen chest is going to go, as we have realised that when we moved it away from the end of the bed last week during a big cleanup under the bed, we liked the extra visual space that was there when the linen chest wasn’t!

The area that I am moving it to is also the place in our home where the internet cables come in and go out through the wall, and the broadband box and router ‘hang’, so I also had to move and reroute the boxes and associated wires, to get them out of the way of the linen chest.

We needed to get some extra pavers to put the linen chest on, as that corner of our home has been known to flood in serious rain deluges, and whilst that hasn’t happened in the last three plus years; we still like to keep things off the ground on that side of the house, just to be in the ‘better safe than sorry’ category!

Thursday

– I grocery shopped early as my Friend L was coming around lunchtime for a cuppa and catchup.
She is SO excited about the upcoming Coronation of King Charles that she is almost beside herself!

My Love dropped off and picked up our two older dogs, as they went to the salon for their last haircut until winter is done with, and to have their toenails clipped.

The rest of the day I spent finishing off the furniture moving and cleaning up from the previous day.

Friday

– I spent the morning working in the vegie garden – weeded, watered and planted.

In the afternoon I was a ‘hair model’ for an apprentice, which wasn’t something I had ever done before, and to be honest – I would not recommend!

Being the guinea-pig for a third year hair-dressing apprentice, and I feel like my hair got yanked a lot!

She had to wash, massage, and blow-dry my hair; and she was also required to put big curls in my hair.
The wash and massage was ok, but when she tried to brush my wet hair once that bit was done, that was when I first voiced my concern.

I have very long hair – as in ‘past-my-bum long’, and a brush on long wet hair is anything but ideal!
I requested she use a wide-toothed comb, and it threw her for a bit of a loop – which was a bit of a concern.

We made it through though, and an hour or so later it was eventually blow-dried, curled and sprayed to within an inch of its life, and I was free to go.

Unfortunately though, by the time I made it home – which was less than nine minutes from the time I got up from the salon chair to walking in the door of our home – the curls had entirely fallen out, so there is no photographic proof of the afternoons events.

I never did get asked for feedback!
Weird…

Saturday

– My Love and I made an early trip down the hill to the City before she had to go to work, as we’d been notified by the mechanic that our bus Noah was ‘fixed’ and would be taken around to their affiliate car-yard so we could pick it up from there, as the workshop isn’t open on Saturdays.

I took a 400ml protein shake and a bottle of prepped cordial with me, and I managed to drink all of the shake by the time we got to the car yard, and had a few slugs from the cordial bottle on the way home.

The bus drove like a dream on the way home, which made for me being a very happy girl.

Sunday

– We did some chores around the Farm during the morning which included my Love setting out some plants in the new monument garden (still in their pots) to see how they all looked.
Having perused the handiwork, we decided that we wanted to get a few extra pops of colour, so we went to the nursery on our way to the Lake, but they have increased their prices ridiculously exponentially, so we purchased nothing.

After the disappointing nursery visit, we then headed to the lake with our pre-packed lunch, which we enjoyed lake-side whilst sitting sheltered from the wind by the bus.
After lunch, we read for a bit whilst lying in the bus bed, and my Love ended up having a nap.

It was so lovely to just enjoy actually being able to be in it and going somewhere, and to enjoy being beside the lake as well.
The breeze was cool enough that both needed to get a blankie!

We dropped into Bunnings on the way home, and in a stroke of good luck they had a couple of cheap pots of colour, so we grabbed them and took them home.
they’ll be planted in the #2 monument bed later in the week.

Weight-loss to date: 19.9kg
So that’s it for this week!

Wk 17 of ’23

 

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An update of the week that was.
Week 17 of 2023

Monday – I blogged and spent most of the morning doing up a timeline for our busted bus Noah.
Planted some broccoli and red cabbage, and netted the entire garden that I put them in.

Noah (the bus) was collected by the tow truck late afternoon, and I then had a shower and washed my hair once that was done.

Prepaid $35 on the electricity account.
This is something that I do every fortnight, and it has resulted in some lovely surprises of occasionally not having anything to pay when the bill arrives, or only needing to pay a minimal amount.

I started doing this after I got a horrendous bill-shock when we first had the air-conditioner installed.
I knew it as going to be extra, but I was soooo excited to not be sweating bullets 24hours a day that I used it far more than was actually necessary.
Lesson learnt!

Tuesday – Anzac Day and my Love was home from work as it’s one of the days that she can’t legally work.
Did a trip to the grocery store to get some bread as she was hankering for cheese on toast for lunch.
I had rice crackers with tomato and cheese.
Fertilised the vegie gardens, and sold 3 books on Marketplace.

Wednesday – I delivered my car to the mechanic and my Love dropped me back home whilst it was being looked at.
I spent the morning pruning some trees, and doing weeding in the vegetable garden
After lunch I started cleaning up inside, as I wanted to do a deep-clean on the bedroom and lounge room area of our little home.
Mid-afternoon my car was ready to be collected, but hadn’t been fixed as it needs a new part which the mechanic has to order.
He has assured us though that it is fine to drive until the part turns up, and he’ll call us as soon as it does. 😬
Pleaseeee don’t let him be wrong!

Thursday – I did more of the bedroom and lounge room deep-clean.
I also did a click & collect grocery order and went and picked it up.

Our garden guy came and snipped the eastern fence line, and ended up doing the whole Farm, before it again started to rain quite heavily, so he headed off home with his son who had had the day off school, pleading illness.

I got the house yard and about ¼ of the paddock mowed in the afternoon.
We went out for Dinner at the International Club with our friend CW and had some nice fish.

Friday – early run to replace the mop-head as we bought the wrong one last night.
Another full day of laundry, housework and podcasts.
Also changed the sheets and put on some snuggly lovely new flannel ones, as the nights are starting to cool down.
They’re so soft!!

Saturday – My love came home for lunch and bought fish and chips with her.
I had four chips, and a small bit off the end of her piece of fish, which I peeled all the batter off as it makes me feel icky these days.

In the afternoon after my Love came home from her after-lunch appointments, we filled the last of the new monument garden bed alongside the driveway, and put a pile of mixed flowers into it, and a tibouchina in an old rusty bottomless fire pit that we sat upon the end of the bed.

Sunday – the day went quite quickly with my Love and I spending a big part of it in the garden.
Apart from a couple of hours in the very warm middle of the day after we had lunch, we watched a bit of tele and precooked a satay for dinner.
After we had done more yard work, I had a shower and washed my hair.

I’ve started back on eating a kiwi-fruit a day again, as I had become quite constipated when I slacked off and stopped eating them.
The results within 24 hours were gratifyingly ‘easy’ – for those who’d like to know. lol

Tomorrow is a public holiday and then the next day I have to go to cairns for follow-up appointments with the Dietician and Surgeon.
Its going to be a busy week!

little weeny grasshopper. its hard to be cranky at them when they’re this cute!
mower with trolley attached, to cart soil and plants
a little lunch of ‘fish pie’. a bit like cottage pie but with fish!
the most beautiful dog in the world!

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