Cupcake decoration

Wednesday:

The unrelenting heat is set to continue through the rest of the week at least. I went out for a walk this morning as soon as I'd got the kids off to school and nearly melted. Luckily I don't have to go out again, it's going to get a lot hotter. Poor Jas on the crowded school bus on the way home!

One of Jasmine's school subjects is Cooking or Home Science or whatever they call it (it was Home Economics back at my school which is a weird name for a cooking class, as far as I recall there was no budgeting or anything like that). They've been doing mostly healthy food but they have an assessment task of icing cupcakes. She's chosen an animal theme with a sheep (mini marshmallow wool) turtles (spearmint leaf lolly shell) and paw prints (oreo cookie and brown m&ms) - all researched on the internet by herself - so I walked up to the shops and bought a truckload of sugary junk for her. This afternoon she did a practice batch.

Not bad! Not sure about the sheep's head. And she used pink marshmallows for practise, saving the white ones for the real thing.

These (banksias I think?) are just outside our front door, in full bloom. I think this variety is called "birthday candles".

And these grevilleas are overgrowing our mailbox. Both plants attract lots of native birds. And some interlopers. I got dive bombed by a pestiferous Indian Minah Bird on Monday. Little bastard. It's early autumn, not even the season for making nests from my hair or protecting nests, unless he had late chicks.

Storm

Thursday:

Feeling much more cheerful today.

Today was the "hotter than the devil's armpit" one forecast. We stayed inside with the air conditioner struggling. Tim tried to do some washing up (our dishwasher is being professionally examined tomorrow) but hot water on a hot day was too unbearable. We spent a lot of time on computer games.

Around 2:30 it got darker and darker, then we had a nice little storm which cooled things down. We thought it was over and Tim drove the kids over to grandad's, around 10 mins away, and the main part of the storm caught him on the way there (and back again). I was a little worried but they got home safely. Some parts of Sydney are having rather severe weather.

Most of the birds don't visit any more. I stopped feeding the magpies and even shooed the persistent adolescent one away because he was making a mess on my outdoor furniture. The kookaburras just stopped visiting, I don't know whether I wasn't putting out food regularly enough (I didn't like to leave it rotting in the sun) or whether they just didn't need me anymore once nesting season was over, or if they've moved away. Sam the butcher bird does still visit every couple of days, if I have something handy I'll feed him but I don't buy meat especially for him and have it cut and ready like I did at first. And I haven't seen Boris the lizard. I wonder if everyone will be back in Spring?

Today I had some chocolate with my afternoon cup of tea. It wasn't a lapse, it was a planned indulgence. I'll see if it has any negative effect but it seems fine, hasn't sent me into a downward binge spiral. Otherwise healthy food all day. Of more concern to me is the upcoming Sunday, we'll have visitors in the afternoon and then family dinner here, so I'll be providing food. Mostly healthy, but some not. Do I buy any treats that I like, or only things that won't tempt me? Last weekend I wasn't able to stick to just a small amount when we had friends over. Maybe nothing unhealthy I like in the afternoon (when I don't need to be eating anyway), healthy dinner, then have a little bit of dessert right at the end.

My weight has daily fluctuations, as you would expect, but the overall pattern is downward. I don't want to do anything that will sabotage that.

Bird Wars

Friday:

Kookaburras on the roof.

I decided I'm not going to feed the magpies any more. The butcher bill is getting a bit expensive! I was excited at first because they would take food from my hand, but actually I don't like magpies very much, they are common and can be aggressive and just not glamorous enough! And they poo all over everything, they seem to be the worst culprits by far. This morning the two adults and noisy adolescent came and stared at me through the kitchen window for a long time, I went out and shooed them off every time they got on the table. I don't mind them sitting on the chair backs so much although it can still get messy. Eventually they gave up, for the moment.

Last night one of the three kookaburras acted differently to usual. He'd take a piece of meat and fly away, but moments later be back for another one. He made nine trips in all, until it ran out I guess. Usually they just eat their fill and leave. This morning there were FOUR kookaburras! So I'm thinking he has a girlfriend and was showing what a great provider he is and/or teaching her to trust the nice lady who feeds them. (I assign gender randomly, they all look the same to me.) The four came and chatted to each other and had a nice breakfast, then sat up on the roof. And one magpie snuck in (walking, not flying) and took the last piece of meat. Oh, there was a fuss! He was chased under the table and verbally abused. They are similar size but kookaburras have a wicked beak for spear-fishing and I think the magpie dad was very intimidated. He's a deadbeat dad anyway, he's often skulking around without his family and the poor mother looks harassed with her feathers all messy. No time to herself with a cranky child to feed!

I did a huge grocery shop today, how could I fill a whole trolley just for the weekend?? I guess I am feeding ten people on Sunday night. But still. At least a lot of it was fruit and veges!

I haven't been feeling great physically the past few days. My diverticulitis is a bit worse again - if that is what the pelvic pain is, my doctor seemed to rule everything else out after the blood test and ultrasound showed nothing, I need to find a new doctor now we've moved and get a colonoscopy to confirm, urg - and also my sciatica with shooting pains down my left hip. And the wart on the sole of my foot that makes it hurt to walk. Today with the pelvic pain it was uncomfortable even standing for any period of time. Sigh. Well I've started increasing my fruit and veges to get more fibre (recommended for diverticulitis) but I'm not sure how much weight I'll lose over Christmas! And I've realised it isn't practical to join the gym now as the kids get six weeks summer holiday after their final two weeks of school and I wouldn't be able to go. My old gym had classes for kids for a while but then stopped, and I think most gyms won't let people under 16 in the doors except to the crèche which my kids are bit old for - and anyway they don't have crèche during school holidays. At least my old gym didn't. Who came up with that brilliant decision? Like we don't need childcare somehow during holidays? We need it more! So anyway I'll need an alternative for the next couple of months until school goes back. Walking in the morning before it gets too hot, dancing in the lounge room maybe. I know I have to push through this discomfort, but also need to find a local doctor and get it sorted out. Except there is no cure if it is diverticulitis (except surgery in really severe cases), the treatment is to avoid a Western-style diet and get lots of fibre.

Honestly, it seems like every time I turn around something is telling me to eat less junk food and more plant food. Will the universe shut up already? Do you really think it's worth changing my whole diet and sedentary lifestyle just to avoid diabetes and get rid of sleep apnoea and pelvic pain and look better and not die young and fat? Hmm. Maybe you've got something there.

American cheese

Wednesday:

I was out and about today, and at lunchtime I found myself with a choice between KFC or an American-style burger place. I went with the burger place but ordered nachos, and specified no sour cream (not for any virtuous reason, I just don't like it). When it came out it had pale orange stuff squeezed all over it and I wasn't sure what it was at first. Had they given me sour cream after all, and it had orange mould in it which had changed the colour and made it go runny, and someone had scraped it into a squeeze bottle and forgotten to throw it away? No, tasted kind of like... nothing much really... maybe mayonnaise with a bit of cheese powder mixed in? OMG it was supposed to be cheese! WTF? Is this really what "American cheese" is like? I'd say it was horrible but it didn't have enough flavour for that. Bland and cold, nothing like the bubbling melted cheese I'm used to. It wasn't the worst nachos I've ever had, but it was certainly the strangest. Melted cheese (real cheese, can't believe I have to specify that) is the best bit of nachos. It was an interesting experience and I don't regret it although I didn't eat much of my lunch, all knowledge is worth having. I guess I tried a new "food" today lol.

When I make nachos I top the meat and corn chips with two kinds of cheese, and jalapenos, and salsa, and chopped tomatoes, capsicum, cucumber and lettuce. Delicious!

It was too hot today for Jasmine to ride her bike to school (Aiden was ok, his school is much closer) so she caught the bus for the first time alone! She's probably been on a bus ten times in her whole life. I walked her to the bus stop and made sure she got on ok. At the end of the day I walked to the bus stop so she could see me and be sure she was getting off at the right stop - but she was already off and walking towards me before I got there. She did great.

My family of visiting birds keeps getting bigger, or else they visited all at different times before so I didn't realise how many. They come and call me at all different times but I'm restricting feeding to morning and evening or it will get too expensive in meat! There is one butcher bird, three kookaburras (one might be a large baby, it's the end of spring here), and three magpies, one of which is definitely a big baby. The two adults will take food from my hand, the baby will sit and screech and wait for mummy to put the food in his mouth. Even if it's right in front of him. I also put out discarded fruit for the parrots but that is out the back rather than the side kitchen window so I don't often see who comes to eat that. Still, finally a use for all of Aiden's half eaten apples and nectarines gone bad in the heat! Fruit doesn't last as long in Sydney's humidity, I might have to start refrigerating some of it. Canberra got hot too, but never humid. We have to put the rubbish out pretty quick here too or it starts to smell.

A man is coming tomorrow to assess our block for a pool, an in-ground one may not be possible within a reasonable budget due to narrow access at the sides and rocky ground to dig up. But we'll see. Like with the dining tables, the pool fashion of the moment seems to be solid clumpy rectangles. We want swoops and curves. I chose this place because it does still have a model like that. Crossed fingers.

Photos

Tuesday:

We finally got internet last night! So I'm spending some time this morning catching up on Facebook and blogs and emails - in my own home! I find I haven't taken a lot of photos of the house as such, particularly since it is still pretty chaotic with full and empty boxes everywhere, but here is some of our friendly wildlife.

This is one of the two kookaburras (Australia's famous laughing bird, a type of kingfisher, its call really does sound a lot like a laugh and also like its name: koo-koo-ka-ka-ka-ka) that visits regularly. The previous owners put out meat for them and apple coated in sugar for the parrot types (not sure how healthy that is!), I hadn't planned to feed the birds but how can I resist when they come and ask?

 A magpie, very common bird which can get a bit aggressive in breeding season. Tim often gets swooped at when on his bike. I do like this one because it will take food right from my hand.

 Sulphur-crested cockatoos just outside my back door.

 A butcher bird, another meat-eater who comes to the window and calls me.

My children ready for their new schools. They are going to different schools, for the first week I drove/walked them but from yesterday they rode their bikes alone. Aiden's school is only one long block away so I shouldn't worry, Jasmine has my old phone and texts me when she gets to school. I still had a nightmare Sunday night about it though! I dreamed Aiden was only five (he is nine now) and separated from me in a crowd and I couldn't follow into the lecture theatre because I wasn't registered... woke feeling very anxious!

We spent most of Sunday furniture shopping. We came home with a couple of very bright fluffy rugs.

We were actually looking for a new kitchen table. Ours only seats four and is looks very small in the big room. We will be hosting Sunday dinner for Tim's family every second week, alternating with Nick and Ping (grandpa gets free food every week!) which means eight people plus a toddler in a high chair - and she is growing up fast. So we need an eight seat table minimum. Ten is huge but maybe an extendable one? I really liked this table:

but it's too French Provincial for Tim. It's my favourite style, but I agree it's a bit girly. Most other tables that we didn't hate were more solid respectable things. Nice enough, but not exactly exciting. We really need one before Christmas so it will have to be next weekend.

We went to Nick and Ping's this past Sunday for dinner. Lovely to have family so close.

Another thing we want is a pool! I need to get someone to come out and assess our backyard. I'm worried that it is expensively rocky, with lots of trees to clear (and I think there are laws about planting new ones when you remove native trees) and difficult access up the narrow side of the house. Have to see what they quote.

The previous owners left lots of the quirky little elements they had in their garden, which I love. I'm surprised they left this one, which apparently represented their four grandchildren:

There are lots of others, like this chicken.

I've been for a couple of walks around the neighbourhood. There are some very impressive houses. Like this one:

But think of all the cleaning! No, wait, if you had a house like that you would have a maid or something. Anyway, I'm happy with our house.

My desk looks out into that courtyard next to the kitchen (the same angle as that first photo), so I just went out to feed to kookaburra who came and sat on the roof and laughed at me. I hope it's not a problem that I am giving them cooked meat - leftover roast beef with various spices. They don't seem to be complaining. It is a lovely spot here at my desk.

I am still a tiny bit unnerved here alone sometimes when all is quiet and there are little noises around the house or outside. I've planned my escape route for it a homicidal maniac breaks in.

Well I do have other things to do today, so I'd better get on with it. More unpacking awaits!

Caramel pie and napping

Wednesday:

I'm going to put a positive spin on a negative action. Yesterday at the usual games night I had carefully planned what I was going to eat for my extra 200 calorie treat but then someone brought a caramel pie. I knew it would be super sweet and not really my kind of thing, not on my plan and not special enough to make an exception for, and probably a million calories (I had no way of knowing) so I declined. But then a slice was cut and put in front of me and I decided to try it. It was very sweet but pretty nice, so over the next couple of hours I slowly nibbled at the whole slice.

I am not justifying this decision, it was a bad one. But here is the good bit. I haven't done a diabetes test for a while, the doctor said I didn't need the official one yet and I don't test myself at home regularly. I thought all that sugar would sent my glucose levels sky high. But I tested myself and it was 6.9 mmol/L, completely normal! It's not a definitive test under controlled conditions, but it is a pretty good indicator that my pre-diabetes is under control. As long as I keep eating healthily most of the time, I think I'll continue to improve and who knows, maybe next year the test will show I'm back to normal.

The other bad bit is increased cravings this morning. Bitterly cold day doesn't help.

I read and commented on a couple of short stories this morning and did a little bit of my own writing, then could hear that the women's gymnastics was showing on TV as part of the Commonwealth Games, one of my favourite sports to watch. My son used to do gymnastics until they tried to push him from three afternoons a week up to four. Too much for a then-six year old. Maybe he was showing promise but he got sick of the whole thing. His Russian coach was pretty shouty, too.

I get confused between artistic gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics because they both sound dance-y, but this was the athletic one with beam and swinging around bars and all that (artistic gymnastics, I think), not the slightly less athletic-looking one with ribbons and balls. But that one is still pretty athletic. Anyway, they said that Australia had hopes of a gold medal in the team event. So I sat down to watch with the puppy on my lap. And went to sleep for 40 mins. It was still going when I woke up but we had dropped to a probably-silver (which we got). I watched the end while I had lunch. I was a bit cranky I had slept through most of it.

Unless it is actually raining, Thor's lunch is a chicken neck or two (depending on size) which he eats outside. He's mostly given up trying to bring them inside, banging on the back door with a bone in his mouth. I don't stay out with him, but he finishes so fast that I was getting worried the bones were being stolen by the local currawongs (bird similar to a crow), Aiden did see it happen one time out the window. Today I started to walk away and heard currawong calls so went back. Thor was standing guard and two birds were watching from out roof. I stood over him while he ate, but he crunched them down unbelievably fast - without even seeming to chew half of it - so I still don't know if they have been stolen in the past or if he just inhales them.

My tiredness isn't just making me miss TV. My husband is taking a week off work soon and I can't think of anything I want to do other than stay home. Jasmine has frequent rehearsals for an upcoming dance concert, but we could take a few days. Of course having a young puppy makes going away difficult, and we'd have to go a long way to get away from the cold, but I think problems wouldn't seem so insurmountable if I had some energy. Travelling, and uncomfortable beds, and deciding what to do with Thor, and being away from home, it all just seems too difficult and unappealing.

I often write these posts in stages throughout the day as inspiration hits or to avoid working. During that last paragraph I guess I was feeling a bit down, and that the morning had been very unproductive. But after that I put my head down and got a decent session of writing done and then I took Thor out for a good brisk walk - my leg hurt again but not as much - and now I feel a lot better. Writing and exercise are my two big priorities each day and if I get them done I feel good about myself. If I don't I feel guilty. I love ticking off the boxes on my to do list.