November

 Friday:

After a cool rainy spring, summer seems to be here with 30+ C days and cicadas screaming outside. One is clinging to the fly screen of the kitchen window, I can mostly see its belly but I think it is a 'Black Prince', much prized when I was at school due to their relative rarity. 'Greengrocer' is the one you see most often. Cicadas are a huge fat insect, size of a mouse without a tail and rather threatening beady eyes, but completely harmless. Except the for the ear-drum shattering calls. 

Jasmine finally got her L plates and is learning to drive (she passed the knowledge test first time, but we had delayed due to Covid). I do not enjoy teaching, I get nervous with even an experienced driver let alone a complete beginner! I hate not being in control of the car. She is actually quite careful and hasn't done anything bad, but every time she goes a bit close to a parked car or her speed creeps up to the limit instead of super slow I nearly have a heart attack. I'm going to have a stomach ulcer after this. My husband has done most of the teaching so far, but he isn't around after school. We just go round very quiet streets so far.

The pain in my foot got worse, I had an ultrasound and a blood test and the doctor thinks it was gout - I didn't even know that was still a thing but apparently it is quite common. I had a course of steroids - Prednisolone - to reduce the inflammation and that helped a lot with the pain in my heel/ankle but I still have pain and numbness along the outside of my foot. I need to go back and see the doctor but I've been confined with a bad cold (which I got from my family, I didn't get a Covid test this time but they did and were negative) which I don't want to spread to the doctor's office. I'll go next week. 

I'm back on the CSIRO total wellbeing diet, focus on whole foods and lots of vegetables, you count units (3 carbs, 3 dairy, 2 fruits per day etc) not calories and can have one indulgence per day. I lost weight in week 1, put it back on in week 2 with sickness comfort food plus Aiden's 14th birthday, back on track with week 3.

Speaking of Aiden, several days after he'd seemingly recovered from his cold he came home from school exhausted and napped all afternoon. Then the next morning he woke with bad chest pain and a racing heart rate. Our doctor sent us to the ER where we spent a lot of the day - in the children's area they were playing Despicable Me on a loop and didn't bother to change it, we were watching it for the third time when we got to leave - an ECG was normal and he was feeling a lot better by the afternoon. Probably a virus but we don't really know. So that was a worrying day. 

My uncle who had a stroke is almost back to normal he says except for a bit of dizziness, and he won a tennis tournament last weekend so that is great. My poppa is ok at home with regular care visits I think but haven't heard just lately. I want to visit but not with sickness running around the family. Even if not Covid, I don't want to pass it on!

Sluggish

Saturday:

I took the shell off my racing snail to make him go faster - but it just made him sluggish.

It will be my birthday on Tuesday. So I haven't started my diet yet. Or lifestyle change, or whatever you want to call it. My challenge to be healthier by 50. I have a little party tomorrow and then a dinner out on the day. Then I'll start...

Two weeks left at my current workplace, then a week off (it will be school holidays) then I start at the other Library, four weeks on then four weeks off then (hopefully) another 3 months. Another good opportunity has just come up elsewhere that I'm also applying for. It is a great job with the downside of a longer commute. I'm thinking if they offer me the job I will ask if I can go part-time, five days a week but shorter days so I can get home before dinnertime to see my kids - and avoid the worst of the traffic too. We'll see.

A really bad flu has been going around. I had it and was sick for two weeks although I only took two days off work. Then Aiden had it and now Jasmine. She had this whole week off school, very unusual for her. I left her home alone most days but left work early. Today she came with me to do the grocery shopping but had to go and sit outside the supermarket while I finished and went straight to bed when we got home. She started to get sick last Sunday during an Acrogymnastics competition, her trio managed to qualify for the State Final but were definitely not at their best. Luckily it's a few more weeks to the Final, she's missed a lot of training.

The house and yard are shambles at the moment. We get no time during the week, and precious little on the weekends. Welcome to the working world.

Winding down

Thursday:

Jasmine and I have been down for a few days with a horrible stomach bug. As usual, we probably caught it from one of the family kids who was here on Sunday and apparently up all the night before vomiting... 'but he's fine now, really, I wouldn't bring him if he wasn't.' Sigh. On the Tuesday Tim had to stay home and look after us both. Nearly recovered now, although Jas is home from school for her third day and she also isn't going tomorrow as there's an excursion that would get her back too late for another commitment. Nearly a whole week of school missed! But all exams are over and there is only a couple of weeks left of the school year so everything is winding down anyway.

There are a few end-of-year and Christmas parties the next two weeks. For the kids, not me. Aiden has his 'graduation' party tonight for the end of Primary School.

I've done almost all my Christmas shopping, quite a lot online this year, now I need to start thinking about the food - which is pretty much the same every year even though we're doing dinner (evening) this time instead of lunch. We host so I do the turkey and roast veges and a dessert and everyone brings something. The last two years there has been a war over who gets to bring the trifle. I don't even like trifle so I couldn't care less. I told them they can all bring trifle if they want. I'll just have the Toblerone cheesecake that I make! My husband's mother was English, so they all seem to like trifle and ham and mince pies and all that stuff.

Zumba

Tuesday:

I weighed 72.5kg yesterday, same as last week. I have my blood test for gluten tomorrow, so this is my last bread day. Except I might have it for breakfast tomorrow before the blood test, so that will be a half-bread day. I don't intent to give up bread/carbs entirely but eating four slices a day for a month has been more of a trial that you would think. I don't think I react to gluten, but I have been feeling heavier and more sluggish than when I eat mainly unprocessed/lower carb foods.

Jasmine and I were sick yet again over the weekend. It was a weird one, on Friday afternoon my heart rate went up over 100 even though I was sitting quietly, and stayed up for a couple of hours. I could feel it racing, and I felt trembly and weak. I was a bit worried. I blamed it on Duromine, although it's never had that effect before. But the next morning Jasmine's heart rate was over 110, lying in bed, and like me could feel her heart racing. Her normal rate is very low because she is athletic and fit - around 55 I think? My normal is an unfit 80. (We both wear fitness trackers, which is how we know our heartrate.) For both of us the heartrate went down and the illness moved on to headaches and tiredness for a couple of days. Clearly a virus.

I was supposed to start work yesterday, but I emailed them on Thursday (again me contacting them, should have been the other way around!) and they had no news, they still want me if the freeze lifts but in the meantime I should keep looking for other work. Lucky I'm not desperate for work/money! Nothing much else around at the moment, except Library Assistant jobs (below my training, but I'd do it for the experience) who want people who can work evenings, which I can't. Or jobs right over the other side of Sydney, with an impractical amount of travel time.

On the weekend I signed up for a 5 day free pass at my local gym, and received the confirmation by email. I didn't go on Monday because I still felt a little unwell, and they called me to ask when I was coming in! Now that is proactive. I went today, to a Zumba class. It was exhausting but fun. I am very unfit. I used to do some Zumba many years ago, all the routines were different of course. I am good at picking up choreography though. My old gym went more hip-hop, which I didn't like, this one was all Bollywood and Latin which was great. The gym has all the usual Les Mills classes, Body Pump, Body Step etc.

I has poured rain pretty solidly for a couple of weeks (all school holidays) and the garden has loved it after a long dry spell. I think columbines look like little fairy dresses.

Uncertainty

Monday:

My weight was 72.8kg this morning, up a little bit, but on the other hand my waist measurement was down a centimetre to the smallest it's been since I started measuring.

Aiden is home sick today. He has all the symptoms of what Tim and I had already been through over the past couple of weeks. I hope he bounces back quickly.

Unsettling news today, my future-employer let me know there has been a freeze on recruitment and my paperwork is sitting with HR. She seemed hopeful, I think...? I don't know if I should start looking for work again. I was supposed to start in four weeks when someone goes on maternity leave, but nothing was officially signed yet. I've already wasted six weeks if it falls through. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to send out applications if there is anything advertised, I'd hopefully know about this job by the time they were doing interviews. It's a bit disheartening, I thought I had this position lined up!

Interview!

Friday:

Aiden’s home sick from school today. He’s finally succumbed to the flu that the rest of us have already had. That makes a total of eight days we’ve taken off work and school between us. I don’t work on Fridays so I didn’t have to stress about missing another day.

I all in a tizzy this afternoon as I got a call to go for a job interview next week. Very exciting. It’s exactly the same position as I’m doing for my work experience, but in a different location. Still a TAFE library, so it should use the same computer system and more or less the same procedures. Every workplace is a little different of course. They are offering part time, and it’s about half an hour drive away. Pretty ideal. My main concern is they’ll probably want someone who can work evenings which - with two youngish children - I don’t want to do. I don’t like leaving them alone at night, and they have a lot of after school activities they would have to drop out of. I already missed out on one job because of that. I need to work out before the interview what lengths I’m prepared to go to to get the job.

Interviews are scary - so easy to get flustered and have a mental blank when you need to answer a simple question!

Library Week

Thursday:

I stayed home from work on Tuesday because Jasmine was sick. I didn’t feel great either. Obviously we’d caught whatever Tim had, he was home Monday. I was supposed to be setting up for my Storytime, but I sent an email and the others did it for me. Luckily everything was ready and organised and all in one place. Well, not “luckily”, of course, I made sure it was ready!

On Wednesday Jasmine was still sick and I felt worse than the day before. I lay in bed for quite a long time going back and forth in my mind. Do I go into work, feel awful, maybe infect 20 children with whatever I’ve got? Do I stay home, feel guilty about making someone else do the activity unprepared, maybe have my future referees think I’m unreliable? Eventually I dragged myself off to work. Tim stayed home with Jasmine.

I was glad I went in, in the end. I met the two staff who’d rotated in from the other branch of the library, they seemed nice. They’d set everything up for me. The National Simultaneous Storytime went smoothly and I didn’t feel too sick. I got the children’s attention with a game where we made our arms into clock time shapes while I moved the arms on my poster clock. Then I read the story - along with hundreds of other librarians around the country! - and then got the kids to colour in pictures from the story to make into finger puppets. Another small group of children came in, late for some reason, so I read the story again. It takes a bit of practice holding a book so an audience can see the pictures, and reading it more or less upside down!

I was kept busy the rest of my shift writing up the event for the website, and preparing for Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea (a fundraising event for the Cancer Council) which was the next day. I was feeling ok and stopped to do some quick shopping on the way home as I hadn’t gone out the day before and we were out of food. But as I was finishing that I started to feel really sick. I got myself home and was glad Tim was there to make me some tea and look after me. I had an early night. It was a big day for me! Jasmine seemed a lot better.

But today Jasmine was still sick. I decided to send her to school but she called me halfway there and got off the bus and I went and picked her up. I decided to leave her home alone while I went to work. She’s 14 and not so sick she needed constant attention so no big deal, but it’s the longest I’ve ever left her home by herself. I still didn’t feel completely well but it was another important day.

It’s such a quiet library usually but it was very crowded today! The hospitality students donated cakes and slices, we bought biscuits and tea and coffee, and it seemed like most of the students and staff of the TAFE came in during the morning. We had some quizzes and guessing comps, plus there was all the usual students needing help with borrowing and printing etc. It was fun. But it was nice to do some quiet cataloguing in the afternoon.

Next week I’m changing to the other branch of the library, which means I’ll be back with the librarians I know. Half my work placement time is over. With Library Week over, there will more time for normal library stuff.

I put in a job application last week for a job basically identical to what I’m doing now, in a different library but still quite close to home, they’ve acknowledged receiving it and said they’ll let me know when they are doing interviews. Does that mean I’ll be getting an interview?

Doctors

Thursday:

I took Aiden to the doctor yesterday for his persistent barking cough and he prescribed antibiotics and sent us across the road for a chest x-ray, which they did straight away. We went back to the doctor today for the results, all clear which is great. Also the cough seems a bit better. So Aiden has to keep taking the antibiotics (a thick sludgy liquid which he doesn't like much!) and it should clear up soon.

I also went to my doctor today, she is very pleased with my weight loss progress, nearly 4 kg in 3 weeks, and prescribed me another month of Duromine.

Jasmine's school did a colour run today, she came home covered in a rainbow of chalk or whatever they use. She loved it. But can't get the colour out from under her fingernails.

It's the day before Easter long weekend. I did the grocery shopping this morning and it was as busy as I've ever seen it. I had to park some distance away, and the meat shelves were nearly empty although they were refilling them as fast as they could. I managed to get everything I needed. We're having family over as usual.

We had planned to go to the Royal Easter Show this year (farm animals, rides, sideshows, displays of best fruitcake etc) but I'm not sure if we will with Aiden and I still not in peak form. It runs until Tuesday I think but we already have plans for some days. See how we're feeling over the next couple of days. The special bus almost goes past our front door, but it would be a tiring day.

Not up to my usual standard

Tuesday:

I submitted two assignments/exercises last week when sick. One, I uploaded the cover sheet twice and didn't include the actual assignment (which I had done). The other, I didn't even realise there was a part two until the teacher emailed me that I'd only done half the work. So, lesson is, don't try to do thinking work when you have the flu! If you have a choice. I have resubmitted both now but I don't know if they are up to my usual standard. I still feel rubbish.

I had a three hour workshop this afternoon that counted as a big part of my assessment for one subject. Digital Repository Management - I had to scan in some photos and documents, make a high quality archive version, a lower quality downloadable version, convert .wav files to .mp3, convert multiple .tif files to one .pdf, stuff like that. Not hard, but unfamiliar to me before this subject. Luckily we had a manual that we could refer to! I think I did ok. But it was a late day, got home exhausted well after my usual dinner time. Tim made yummy butter chicken which I was almost too tired to eat.

Aiden says he doesn't feel sick any more, but his cough has got worse. A nasty deep barking sound. I'll take him to the doctor tomorrow.

Halfway!

Monday:

This morning I weighed 71.4 kg, a massive loss of 1.6 kg but actually part of that belongs to the week before where I had a blip on Monday and didn’t show a loss. And my MyFitnessPal notified me that I’m halfway to my goal weight! OMG halfway! I don’t know if I ever believed I could get this far. Ive been on and off diets for years but I’m counting this attempt from 14 August 2017; so it’s taken 32 weeks, seven and a half months. Although I wasn’t “on a diet” all that time I was seriously trying for most of it. And taking Duromine most of that time. Yay Duromine!

Aiden and I continued to be unwell for the rest of last week. He still has a bit of a cough and I’m still a bit weak but we’re back to our normal routine. I haven’t exercised in so long, but I’m not about to get back into it yet. I still feel a bit fragile.

My sister-in-law Ping had her birthday party on Saturday, lunch at Yum Cha. If you haven’t tried Yum Cha, it’s where an endless stream of waitresses come past with trolleys of different Chinese food and you pick what you want and share with the table. Mainly things like spring rolls and dumplings. Pork belly. Sesame prawn toast. Lots of meat/seafood, lots of carbs, often deep fried, very little vegetable. I love it! Little portions of lots of different yummy things. But definitely special occasion only, not healthy. It’s usually pretty cheap too, but we were at a fancy expensive place. The only thing I didn’t like was that for some reason they chose a restaurant a long way away, so it was an hour each way sitting in traffic.

This morning I did my volunteer library work, which went smoothly. I wore my navy sailor dress.

I had an exciting phone call at the end of last week, the details of my work placement for next term. Three days a week for eight weeks at a local TAFE - not the one I go to which is in the city, the local one doesn’t teach library studies - so the main users of this library will be adult students like myself. I assume I’ll get experience in all different aspects of library work. I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve been told my main assessable task will be developing a children’s story time session (so obviously little kids use the library too). Dealing with children isn’t my dream job but I’m fine with it and I’ve taken my own children to a million library storytime sessions so I know how they work.

Tim's birthday

Thursday:

It was my lovely husband's birthday yesterday. He arranged for the day off work, it ended up being a quiet day at home as Aiden and I were still sick. I send Aiden to school on Tuesday but it turned out he was coughing all day, so he was home yesterday and today. He's not seriously sick, but coughing and sore throat and no energy. He isn't eating much, and as he has no body fat to spare he is looking rather thin in the face now. I've been headachy and fatigued with jelly legs, so there has been a lot of sitting around reading and watching TV! I missed TAFE this week.

We did go out to a fancy restaurant for dinner for Tim's birthday, Aiden and I had entrees (starters) instead of mains and then I had half a dessert and that was plenty. Aiden barely touched his but at least he ate some garlic bread. My poor baby, drooping at the table.

My weight gain on Monday was only temporary, the next day it had dropped back to Sunday's weight and has continued to go down. I'm making inroads into virgin fat again! I'm really glad I changed those black pants for the smaller size, my new khaki pants are already feeling a bit loose.

Cough cough

Monday:

73.0 kg this morning, which means my weight is actually UP by 0.1 kg this week. I lost half a kg early in the week then stayed at that weight until I pigged out yesterday while celebrating my husband's birthday. I'm hoping that the overnight gain is temporary.

It will be Tim's actual birthday on Wednesday and we'll go out to dinner then, but we celebrated with family yesterday. Had some friends over to lunch and a swim then family all afternoon and for dinner. Pizza, chips, cake etc. I'm ok with eating some treats on the weekend, especially at a birthday, but I ate way too much. Including half a bag of Burger Rings in the evening once everyone had gone. Blurg. Not ideal. With Tim's birthday dinner this week and then two other birthday parties next weekend I really need to tighten up what is an acceptable level of treats on 'special occasions'.

Aiden had a bit of a cough and a headache yesterday and ate very little despite all the kid-tempting food. He still had a cough today so I kept him home from school even though he said "it's like a headache, but with no pain" which I think is a very good description of that lacklustre feeling that I also have today. He just seemed a bit wilted. Tim was sneezing violently this morning, pulled his back again, but went to work anyway. Didn't we all just go through this a few weeks ago?

With Aiden home I couldn't go to my library volunteering, which is disappointing. Or grocery shopping. Lots of studying done though.

Spread of germs

Tuesday:

Well Tim was sneezing all morning before he left for work and Jasmine had a sore throat and runny nose... I'm still tired and headachy but better than yesterday.

Wednesday:

...and today both Tim and Jasmine were home sick. And Tim pulled a muscle in his back sneezing so now can hardly walk.

I continue to improve, although now my gums are really sore! It hurts when I floss.

Yesterday Jasmine’s school contacted me to say she had been marked absent at roll call and I hadn’t called to let them know she wasn’t coming in. Even though she’d gone to school as usual. The first time this happened last year I had a bit of a panic, but now after it’s happened a few times I just ask them to check as she is a quiet little person, easily missed. And they find her in class where she is supposed to be. So today it happened again, and I’m thinking “two days in a row? Of course she went to school.... oh yeah that’s right she didn’t.” Luckily this response only happened in my head!

Ear and throat

Thursday:

Aiden went to school today but Jasmine is still home, now with an ear and throat infection. I took her to the doctor this morning, but they just said to wait and see. If it's still bad tomorrow she'll start antibiotics. But of course if it's a virus then antibiotics can't help. It's not just school she's missing, but also all her after-school sports and activities. It's only two weeks until her first acrogym (acrobatic gymnastics) competition.

I'd already decided before I knew Jas was still sick that I wasn't going to TAFE today, I don't feel great but at least I'm better than yesterday. It's hard to be patient while my body recovers. Sitting around. At least I'm getting lots of study done! I got those two assignments in, so I feel a bit more relaxed about that.

One of my online subjects is so disorganised though. There have been a few issues, the most recent was that I couldn't access last week or this week's content, although weeks after that were open. I contacted the teacher who eventually fixed it. On Monday I started last week's work, and it was something I had to start then the teacher does something before I can continue. And she hasn't done her bit yet. So I'm still stuck half-way through last week's task with this week nearly over. Going by the forum, it's happening to everyone. I'd forgive if it was one-off (who knows, she may be sick too) but this sort of thing has been happening since the start of the Semester. To be fair, the original teacher left and this subject was dropped in this teacher's lap two weeks in (but everyone knew the other teacher was leaving so very bad organisation).

I also did a tiny bit of weeding and pruning, nothing strenuous. And of course watering the new turf twice a day! It still seems to be alive. I've only been getting in around 4,000 steps a day while sick (instead of 10-12,000 recently), but ironically that was a normal day for me "before". And in the past a sick day would mean about 1,500 steps!

Share it around

Wednesday:

I'm feeling a bit better than yesterday, but I have both kids home sick today. Looks like the flu has been shared around. Tim is achy too but went to work. Sydney is having a terrible flu season at the moment.

Not great

Monday:

Today is not going well. It started with an early morning because Aiden has his drumming lesson before school. He said he wasn't feeling well but I bundled him off anyway because I don't trust his judgement. Tim's car wouldn't start so I drove him to the station, through heavier than usual traffic. Someone tried to call me while I was driving but I couldn't answer it in time via the car system, and my phone didn't record who it was for some reason. I was worried it was Aiden's school. I got home and tried to get studying when the school called to say Aiden was sick and could I pick him up. Bad mother.

So I got him home and in bed, tiny bit of study, then time to watch Game on Thrones which is on at 11:00am here. But for some reason didn't start until 11:30 today which stressed me a lot as I wasn't sure if I was doing something wrong - we only get Foxtel for GoT so I'm not used to it. But it finally came on, I enjoyed watching it.

I'd planned to go grocery shopping today but that was out, so I 'made' some packet soup for us, Aiden was well enough to get up and have some. Soon after I started to feel sick. I assume from the same thing Aiden has, not the soup.

And I'm having trouble accessing all my study units online, not that I'm able to concentrate enough to learn anything.

So I'm feeling yuck, it's now pouring rain outside, and this afternoon I'll be expected to: drive Jasmine to a big further-away shopping centre to buy fabric for her sewing class tomorrow that we forgot to shop for over the past two weeks, get Jasmine to and from dance class, create dinner with no groceries, or find takeaway that can be tolerated by two upset tummies, and eventually pick up Tim from the station. Urg. One of those days I'd love to give up and go to bed.

On the weekend Tim was called in to work all day Saturday and didn't get home until after midnight. On Sunday we cleaned and had family over for lunch, this time my relatives from the country who I only see once a year or so now. It was nice to see my aunt and uncle, but we spent an hour looking at photos of people I don't know, hideous craftwork by people I don't know, the front and back porches and driveways of people I don't know, trees, a seagull, scoreboards of a bowls match my uncle officiated at, pictures of my uncle from all angles just before he had his hair cut, more people I don't know, pictures of their car parked outside their house, outside someone else's house, and at a park. At least there was the occasional photo of my cousins and their young children. Then my aunt convinced us to play 500 (card game), she is an addict of the game. I remember being a bit scared of her as a teenager, and her "but why did you play that card when he led a spade and you knew I bid diamonds" etc, she's mellowed a lot now and/or I'm an adult and/or I'm better at the game. But competitive is hardly a strong enough word once the cards come out. Anyway, it got us away from the endless photos (my uncle looked like he was willing to go on forever with those) and we ended up one game each so that was good, although she had to call their son to say they'd be late for dinner because she wasn't about to leave with the game unfinished.

I was telling Tim this morning that I had a million things to do today. Haven't done any of them.

Oh, and the pool guys were supposed to come back tomorrow to finish, they said, as long as the weather stayed clear. As I look out at pouring rain. And the tiler who said he'd call me tomorrow, a week ago? Yeah....

My aunt brought up that my dad's grave has now settled so it's time to get that finished. It's been two years. Headstone and slab I guess? I didn't realise I had to do anything, or where to begin. I've never had anything to do with a burial before, not even this time. Dad's girlfriend and dad's sister organised it as I live so far away. I just paid for everything, and was surprised it cost about the same as mum's cremation instead of a lot more. But now I suppose it didn't include everything. I guess I'll call Aunty Pat. But not today.

(Edit: when Jasmine got home from school she wasn't feeling well either so we're not going shopping or to dance. Easier for me but not good that we're all sick! I hope Tim is ok, he's the most busy and overworked of us. And btw my aunt was getting over being sick yesterday. Do germs take effect so fast?)

Fence

Thursday:

The pool fence is in!

The oven repairer also came, that was less conclusive. He turned on the oven, horrible burning smell again. He didn't seem to be able to smell it - but he was obviously a heavy smoker and emitted a horrible burning smell himself! He said I must have a very sensitive nose. I was quite annoyed about that - how can he do his job probably? I felt quite ill from the stench (from both sources). He left the oven on very high for a while, it did heat up successfully and the smell stopped after a while (still filled the kitchen, but no new fumes being generated). He thinks it was probably just something spilled on the element (it didn't smell like food burning to me) but it is a very old oven and it could be a loose wire somewhere that will require replacement parts - if he can find them for a 20 year old oven. And to call him if it happens again. I suppose he can't fix what doesn't seem broken but it was frustrating. I guess I will try using the oven and see what happens.

Not tonight though. I'm still feeling quite sick and I think Aiden has come down with it too. I'll grab take-away when I pick up Jasmine from gymnastics. I made her walk there so I didn't have to go out twice but I'll pick her up as it will be dark then.

It's been weird sitting at home doing nothing all day. Felt very purposeless. Computer games are boring when you are just killing time. Nothing on TV. I did manage to have a nap after both tradesmen had gone. I must be really be enjoying my studies if I'm lost when I can't do them! Of course feeling sick doesn't help my mood.

Tim has been away all week, home this evening. I hate when he is away. Be glad when he is home and I can just crawl into bed and sleep.

I haven't told him about the fence being in, they only called on Tuesday to say they could install it this week. I thought it would be a nice surprise. Except it will be dark when he gets home... maybe I'll tell him in the morning.

Trees

Wednesday:

Today I had vague plans of driving over to the beach for my walk and editing work. It's far enough that I hesitate to "waste" that much of my day in the car, but it was lovely weather for it. But Aiden was home sick so I stayed home.

I'm not always sure just how sick Aiden is when he doesn't want to go to school (unlike Jasmine who would drag herself there on two broken legs, although she did ask for a note to get out of sport yesterday), but today he stayed in bed until 11 then spent the afternoon on the lounge watching TV and hardly ate anything all day. Very unlike my boy. Considering also that I was feeling rotten last night, and Jasmine has been a bit unwell for days, I think I can safely conclude he really was sick.

I put in our application to the council for permission to have trees removed from our backyard so we can get our pool. I assume the ones where the pool will go will be approved, not so sure about the ones where I would like a paved/garden area next to it. I had to mark them on an aerial photo and I could see just about every house around us had a pool behind it! That makes me hopeful that there won't be any problems. They do have a rule that you have to plant new trees (not as many, 4:1) if you take out old ones. Our backyard is currently completely covered in trees and shrubs of all sizes, no lawn or much clear space. It is still native bushland, essentially. It is nice for the wildlife, but I would like something I can use and enjoy.

We were supposed to have our national census yesterday and for the first time it was online instead of paper (you could still ask for a paper form if you wanted) but the system crashed. Despite them apparently doing extensive tests to show their servers could cope with the whole of Australia logging on at once. Oh well. I assume it will be up eventually.

Pizza

Tuesday:

Aiden was home sick today. He stayed in bed until 11, watched TV until 2, then rapidly improved over the afternoon and had an enormous dinner. How can such a little person fit in so much food? He certainly made up for not eating all day.

Of course I couldn't go out anywhere today. I managed to get work done while he was resting but once he was feeling well again he was sitting next to me interrupting me every two seconds. He is not a keen reader so he doesn't have the same anti-boredom failsafe the rest of us do.

This evening for no good reason I ordered pizza. Now I need to drink a couple of litres of water before bed to flush out all the salt and carbs! I say "no good reason" but actually I have an excellent reason. It's that time of the month when I crave salt, fat, carbs, sugar, and smacking other people upside the head.

Forty two: weigh-in

Monday:

Weigh-in Monday, 80.5kg which is a little up from last Monday and doesn't reflect the significant weight loss and then regain that happened during the week. I have two weeks left of this eight-week cycle and commit to sticking to it... mostly. It is our wedding anniversary on Thursday and we are going out to dinner. That counts as a special occasion. Having people over to watch Eurovision on TV on Sunday does not.

Jasmine is in the runny nose and coughing stage of her cold, and stayed home from school today. I find it hard to work on my writing when I have people home - but I feel guilty if I don't work. I'm sure my kids think I do nothing all day while they are at school, because if they are home sick we take it easy and read, watch TV and play computer games. (Sounds like a great lifestyle, actually.) I have to prove I don't! Not all day anyway... I ended up getting some good writing done.

I was supposed to have a doctor's appointment today to follow up a few things but had to reschedule. I need to get this pelvic pain sorted. Adenomyosis (where the uterine lining migrates to surrounding muscles) showed up in my last two ultrasounds but my last doctor didn't seem to pursue that angle at all, assuming diverticulitis (intestine inflammation) even though I don't think I fit that profile at all. I will do whatever tests the new doctor thinks is appropriate to work it out. Either way, I don't know if they can do anything. But at least I'd know!

Cold rainy day.

B: yoghurt and raspberries, tea.
L: cauliflower soup.
S: apple, tea.
D: lemon chicken saltimbocca, a few bites of vegetables. I cooked some asparagus and broccolini with the chicken but it didn't work out. Had a tiny bit of salad.