Bunnies on the beach

Wednesday:

Our pool site foreman came this morning and we discussed various things, then we (we the family, not including Angelo the foreman) went off to chose the coping tiles. These are the tiles that are laid around the top of the pool edge. Not included in the contract price of course (although the laying is). We were sent to one particular company, I for one was happy to just go with their suggestion rather than visiting every tile showroom in Sydney. We picked some nice tiles, decided we'd be able to fit them in the car boot (trunk), got directions to the warehouse, missed the turn-off and got lost, found it with the help of the GPS. The tiles did indeed fit in the boot but the car certainly felt the weight! Scraped on the gutter on the way into our driveway later, never done that before. A workman has been here the past two days preparing the pool for the coping so hopefully they and the decorative rock bit can be done soon.

Then we went to the beach to have fish and chips with Tim's cousin and family. It was a cool cloudy day (lovely!), not one for swimming. The popular Cronulla beach was being set up for Australia Day celebrations tomorrow with a huge stage for live music, and rather oddly a cluster of giant inflatable white rabbits.

We had a very short walk before lunch, I was feeling extremely car sick for some reason and just wanted to sit and breathe the fresh sea air. I felt better after a while, especially after some fizzy soft drink which was always my mother's cure for nausea. Maybe because it makes you burp? We had lunch and a chat then we headed to a big shopping centre on the way home, Jasmine and I sat and had a cup of tea/iced chocolate while Tim and Aiden looked for birthday presents for Jasmine who unbelievably turns 13 next Monday. I can't have a teenage child! I'm too young!

I've been avidly watching 20/20 cricket for the past couple of months. Traditional cricket takes five whole days of play, but in the 1970s "one day" cricket (50 overs a side) became popular. A few years ago they brought in an even more restricted version of the game, 20 overs a side so it takes about three hours in total. It is much faster-paced and very exciting. There is an Australian competition called Big Bash, city vs city in a round robin that has been on almost every night, and my team is in tonight's semi-final. Hopefully they will make it through to the grand final on Saturday night! Go Sydney Sixers! (A six is hitting the ball over the fence for a score of six runs.) My women's team had their semi-final this afternoon and made it through to their final so who knows, maybe we'll get both trophies!

Visitors

Sunday:

We had Tim's family here this weekend, seven extra people (so eleven including us). Blow-up mattresses on every clear bit of floor!

I spent Friday in an extremely housewifely manner - shopping all morning (including finding these cushions to style our lounge):

And then I spend all afternoon cooking in preparation for the visitors. And cleaning the house, of course.

Saturday we went ten-pin bowling in the morning, and played board games in the afternoon and evening. Of course I also did a lot of cooking! I love cooking for the family.

Sunday they wanted to go to laser-zone (running around in a dark maze shooting pretend lasers at each other, hits get scored on the body armour but it doesn't hurt like paintball does) but it was booked out, so we walked to the school oval to play cricket.

It was utterly freezing so I turned straight around and came back home to the warm! It gave me a chance to get started on lunch, anyway. Everyone else returned when it started to rain, and we played another board game.

It was my birthday a few weeks ago so I was given a cake:

(This is the leftover quarter, not a slice!) We had it for dessert after lunch, then everyone settled into a stupor for an hour or so - except for my two year old niece Emma who ran around with a whistle and a toy sword stopping anyone from slipping into a coma. Then everyone went home (taking most of the leftover cake) and I packed the dishwasher for the billionth time, made dinner for the four of us, and finally got to relax! It was a really great weekend. Sometimes when they go I feel like I've been working the whole time and not enjoying the company, but this time I made time to join in the games.

You don't want to see my report card for the past couple of days, but my mental health is good!

** Just after I wrote this a Current Affairs program came on TV with the subject of how the citizens of Norfolk Island really really don't want to be taken over by Australia. They are nominally part of Australia now, but with their own laws etc. They don't pay taxes or get any government help. The job my husband applied for, and didn't get, was for part of the team to help the year-long transition to full Australian-ness, with our laws and taxes and health care. We knew that some people weren't keen on the idea, but this looks a bit more extreme than we thought. Maybe lucky we didn't go!

But

Monday:

My darling boy is 8 years old today. Still my baby.

I was awake from 5am coughing and blowing my nose so eventually I got up, sitting upright is slightly better when you are a snot machine. I was tired though, so after presents and breakfast and walking to the chemist near the school to buy more tissues, I settled in front of the TV to watch the second innings of last night's cricket match and fell asleep almost immediately. Cricket is awesome for sleeping to. A traditional match goes for five whole days, so you can have a nap and not miss anything. Then they invented one-day matches (controversial!). Last night's match between Australia and South Africa was the new exciting twenty/20 format that only takes around three hours and is much more dramatic. I'd watched the first half then gone to bed early last night, recording the second half so I could watch this morning.

I woke from my nap an hour later, right at the end, Australia close to winning but not assured. I watched for five minutes then the recording ended with only another five minutes to go! I had set it to run an extra 15 mins just in case but even that wasn't enough. Argh! I had to look up the ending online. (We won, but it was quite close.)

My three mouth ulcers have stopped me snacking on anything sweet, but that didn't prevent me getting into the leftover Burger Rings this morning. And my blood sugars went up to 12.5 mmol/L afterwards (225 mg/dl) which is completely unacceptable. I totally suck at looking after myself properly. I hope that result was influenced by being sick, otherwise it looks like a scary plunge towards full blown diabetes.

I have been sick so much all this year and I think the sleep apnoea has a lot to do with that, being constantly sleep deprived is a serious problem for the body. I need to get my weight under control to get rid of the sleep apnoea, or at least improve it. But losing weight would be so much easier if I didn't have sleep apnoea... yeah well this is where I am right now and I have to break the circle somehow. I am so sick of being sick all the time. Not just my usual "fat and tired" but actually catching every disease going around.

I have to stop thinking about losing weight for the wedding Christmas and start thinking about nourishing my body and getting healthier. Eating foods that promote wellness not illness. Moving my body. Do I sound like a broken record? Do anybody even use records anymore? A scratched CD, then.

But it's my baby's birthday and we are going out to dinner tonight.

But we have left over junk food from the party which I am raiding saving for tomorrow's games night.

But I am going to a wedding on the weekend and there will be fancy delicious food.

But

But

Dad

Saturday:

Dad just came to visit for a few days, as he does several times a year. We always struggle a bit to find things to talk about, so thank goodness it's cricket season. We were able to watch a couple of games together (on TV) and talk about that. It was too hot to go out anywhere, except one visit to a toyshop so he could get the kids something.

Nothing else to report. Too hot to exercise. Too hot to think.

Biggest Loser Australia starts tomorrow. Very excited. They are taking on a whole town.

Dozing in front of the cricket

Saturday:

Felt exhausted and a bit unwell all yesterday, even drove the two blocks to school to pick up the kids. And got take-away for dinner. Today still fatigued plus sore throat. I seem to have been sick an awful lot over these past six months or so, I guess it shows a pattern of general ill-health. Oh well, at least there is cricket!

One of the joys of summer is to doze in front of the TV with the cricket on. For those who don't know, a test match of cricket takes five whole days to play so there is plenty of time to nod off and not miss much. They also have one-day matches (very controversial when they started) and now even 20-20 matches (20 overs each team, only takes a couple of hours). Excellent for the long hot days.

I'm trying to enjoy a quiet weekend with the family and not let the unwellness get me down, we just spent a couple of hours playing D&D. Nice until my throat got too sore to continue talking.

TGIH

Friday:

Woo hoo, I'm done!

I just finished my current editing job -- at least as much of it as the client had given me up to this point -- and I'm on holidays! Kids are still at school next week but my husband will be home, we'll have time to prepare for Christmas and hopefully do some relaxing too.

My body is really suffering from the lack of decent exercise so I will get back into that. I'm not making any promises about eating better. That tray of mangoes by my side looks pretty good, but then so does the free box of chocolates my supermarket gave me today (they sent me a voucher, presumably for using my loyalty card a lot, they are good chocolates too not cheap junk). Some of each! Hmmm, you know it's hard to beat fruit dipped in chocolate ...

I managed to find the time to do a little clothes shopping this week, I only had one pair of shorts (that fit me) and I ripped them quite badly last week. Two new pairs of (long) shorts, four pretty blouses, and sunglasses that don't pinch my head -- the last ones left grooves in my brain. Still haven't got any sandals, they are next on my list. And I would like a dress for Christmas, but I find dresses tricky for my body shape. Not just that I am plump, but also very short. Maxi dresses drag on the ground, shorter dresses often become a very odd length on me, and I won't wear anything above the knee. Also my shoulder stiffness means I can't get in & out of anything too tight around the top or do up zippers by myself ... it is pretty hard to find the perfect dress. But I am happy with my new shorts and tops.

There is test cricket on the TV (each game takes five days, it is an acquired taste) and all is right with the world.

PS. Thank God It's Holidays