Grandchildren, baking, beach

The little girls got dropped off early this morning as their Mum had a days work training and had to leave at 7 am and their Dad, Ross worked last night and doesn't get home until 9am. So Hollie looked after the two littlies until I returned from the gym and what a marvelous job she did. Both had been fed breakfast and were happy playing when I got home.

I did some baking with Annika, who once again pinched the cookie dough to eat raw. I also cleaned out the inside of my car - it had rather a build up of sand, etc in it. Trouble is, I then had to find homes for all the things I took out of it; still a job worth doing. I find it quite amazing how much 'stuff' I end up with in the glove box, centre console and under the seats. Annika got quite a haul of 10, 20 and even 50 cent coins, which she quietly put in her "special" box the fairies left for her last night. She tells me her Daddy told her she needs to get some money and learn how to save it, so she thought it would be a good idea to take what I had found and put on the bench to deal with when I had finished cleaning the car. Hmmmmm ....... 

Hollie and I went to the beach this afternoon. We did some sunbathing and swimming; the water was a bit chilly, but we still got in once, then we chickened out the second time and decided we'd just sunbath a bit more. After lying in the sun for about for a while, we decided we'd had enough sun for the day and got an ice cream each. Hollie's was enormous. I just had one scoop. Half way through eating hers, the cone broke in half - I thought it was really funny watching her try and eat it - she got rainbow coloured ice cream all over her hand. She finished it all though.

Back home it was time for a shower to wash sand off places sand just does not belong! I had my body scan at the gym as it is the end of the 12 week challenge. I'm fairly happy with my results, just need to get rid of the visceral body fat - it's the stuff that will cause heart attacks etc. Back to cutting out sugar (pouting lip here), no more ice cream or cakes. Healthy eating here I come again, well, until Xmas Day - calories, sugar, fat. consumed on Xmas Day do NOT count.

4 comments Baking, Beach, family, leisure

Snapshot of my Week

Another week done and dusted.  Have achieved quite a bit at home, at my son's and in the community garden. Also spent time with my Aunt who had to have some surgery on Tuesday.

Monday: Animal Flow and a 4 km walk/jog along the beach. Another beautiful day in a beautiful setting. Did some weeding at Ross's, played with Tamara for a bit and then home to make Mango and Vanilla Jam. Tea at Aunty Marienne's - my cousin and his partner became engaged while on a cruise last week, so we had a celebratory dinner for them.

Tuesday: PT, helped Ross get washing out, dishes done and got Tamara down for her morning sleep, before heading off for acupuncture. Then I took my Aunt to have her day surgery, spent time at Currimundi Lake with Ross and the girls, even had a swim with Annika in the outflow of the lake to the sea. We had fun floating down in the current and then pretending to be some sort of fish with giant 'hand claws' that dug in to the bottom to pull ourselves back up to the starting point and begin all over again. Annika loves the water and Tamara even had a play which she enjoyed, until she decided to take a big mouthful of salty water - she was not impressed. As with most babies, Tamara managed to find the empty beer bottle Ross's mate who was with us had had. Spent the night with Aunty as she wasn't allowed to be left on her own after her surgery.

Wednesday: Animal Flow and Move class at Moffat. Back to Aunty's until 10.30 ish then off to see Leslee. She is doing really well, has even put on 4 kg in 2 weeks - the benefit of steroids to keep the swelling of the tumours in her brain down as long as possible. The steroids have given her an appetite and if you sit still too long, she may just start munching on you. This weekend she is having her "wake" which will be fun, and very sad all at the same time. Easy tea of eggy banana pancakes topped with Quark and Mango/vanilla jam.

Tomatoes ripening at community garden

Thursday: HIIT class at the gym, where my lower back gave me grief. It's been sore for two or three weeks now, stupid thing. I've lived with an "iffy" back since my late teens. Working in horticulture for 18 years didn't help. I went to water the community gardens and picked some of the beetroot which I preserved. I also made more jam.  Back up to Aunty M's for the night. She is recovering well. We had a couple of games of Rummikub, won 1 each.

Friday: I gave Beach class a miss today. I actually listened to my back for a change. Instead I went to my son's and mowed their lawns, feed and watered the chooks. Mulched my vegetable with sugar cane mulch. Spent an hour of the afternoon watching Episode one of Big Little Lies and finished knitting another dish cloth. before meeting a friend at our local tapas bar/cafe for a drink and tea.

Saturday: Gym, housework and then off to Indoor Rock climbing with the 12 week challenge crew, but more about that later. Then it was Leslee's "living wake". Lots of people there and she enjoyed catching up with friends and family. I left early to pick up a teenager who is having family issues at present and brought her home to mine for the night.

Me up the top of the wall. 

Sunday: Chill out day. Picked Purple King Beans from the self seeded ones in my garden.

Leave a Comment Beach, family, leisure, Vegetable Garden

View from the Balcony

I am very fortunate to have access to my Aunt's wonderful apartment on the Sunshine Coast where I can sit on her balcony and watch the ever changing view.  I stay there with her once a week and two mornings I go to her place after my Animal Flow classes to have breakfast and shower on my way to work.  Today I took my Mum and Dad up to see her and her apartment - the first time they've visited from New Zealand since Aunty moved there. She is my Dad's youngest sister.

                                                                                                    The sunrises are different every morning I am there to view them. Some are through the clouds, others on clear sunny days. The reflection of the sun rising in the water is stunning. The camera does not do them justice.  I find each and every one beautiful and marvel at how beautiful nature is.  There is something magical about watching the sun rise and greeting a new day.  


Pelicans, Stand-up Paddle-boarders, kayakers and double canoes are regular sights that I get to see, when sitting on the balcony.   I intend taking my SUP up there when the weather warms up a bit more. I just need to get a trolley to pull it on to where I can put it in the water - it's a bit heavy for me to carry on my own too far.

Changing tides alter the view and at the moment a sand dredge is working away, taking the build up of sand from the                                                                 river to the open beach.                  

Stand-up Paddle-boarding

A Pelican gliding by. 

Leave a Comment Beach, family, leisure, Sunrise

Beach Exercise

Yesterday morning, as I do most Friday morning's I attended a HIIT style on the beach exercise class. The sunrise is gorgeous to watch happening, however, the sand is rather cold and our feet, well for those of us who go barefoot, hurt madly and then went totally numb. I'd like to point out that mine are the bare feet :)


The warming up process at the end of the session is a tad painful too. Enjoy the photos of the beauty of a sunrise.

People enjoy walking their dogs on the beach and often the dogs come and visit us as we do run up and down, do planks jumps or whatever else our PT instructor directs us to do.  The sun is just beginning to peak above the horizon. I had to stop exercising and run and get my phone so I could take photos of the sun ascent. 

I love the reflection of the sun on the sea. The dog below was having a wonderful time running in and out of the waves, trying to catch them as they came up to the shore and then stop them retreating. 

A panorama of the view from the car park.  

2 comments Beach, Exercise, Sunrise