Family

Monday:

I weighed 75.7 kg this morning. Up 0.5 kg. Definitely time to rein it in! I’ve still got a month until Christmas, time to lose a little or at least maintain. So I’ve started tracking calories again, which I haven’t done for a couple of weeks. And I went for a walk this morning despite a light rain. Pretty tired today after the big weekend. I watched the Miss Universe competition (Earth won again, the rest of the Universe needs to get its act together) and had a nap and just enjoyed not having to study!

On Saturday another person noticed my weight loss, only the second person to say anything. And I think she was shocked when I said I’d lost 9 kg! It really doesn’t look like I’ve lost that much. Clothes that were tight are now looser, but I haven’t gone down a size. I do have one pair of shorts in a smaller size that look good, but the smaller jeans I bought are skin tight and I’m scared to wash them because I know they will shrink a bit and I won’t be able to get them on. And I just got board shorts to go over my swimming cossie and I had to get my old size and they are still snug! I know that different designers use different measurements for their sizes, and also it depends where on the body you lose/gain weight, but I guess I thought 9 kg would be enough for a size down.

I just had a look online, a lot of people were saying it took around 10 kg for them to drop a clothing size, but a couple of short people said 5 kg (I’m short!) and others said they’d lost 16 or more kg and hadn’t needed new clothes! So it varies a lot! It’s not the number on tag that I’m after, exactly, except it’s an affirmation; it’s more that I want to buy some new clothes but I don’t want to waste money if I’ll soon need a lower size. Well without Duromine I’m unlikely to lose as quickly as I was, so I’ll just buy whatever fits me now. I don’t buy a lot of clothes, but I always like to have something new for Christmas. I’d buy more if I felt I look good in them, and I’m getting there.

Was I bemoaning only yesterday that I don’t get the family gossip any more? I miss those peaceful days already. I contacted my favourite cousin Kimberley about visiting our Poppa at the same time, she has passed on that my brother isn’t going to be invited to another cousin’s wedding. He’s frequently very late everywhere and sometimes drops out entirely (he didn’t come to the last wedding or even to our father’s funeral - he has OCD and finds socialising very difficult) and apparently they are worried about spending all that money on his place when it will likely be wasted. He arrived at this person’s engagement party after just about everyone else (including me) had left. And this wedding reception will be on a boat, if he misses it there is no way to join it late. I can understand their point, but also, well, it doesn’t seem very family to exclude him. Kimberley is angry about it, but then her side of the family is a bit at odds with the groom’s side at the moment due to the groom buying land from Poppa at what her side thinks was an unfairly low price (I disagree, the land was valued and I thought it was fair, and anyway we were all offered the same deal) ... I don’t want to be involved in that feud! But do I have to say something about excluding Darren because he is my brother? He probably wouldn’t even hear about it except through me. I haven’t got my invitation yet but the groom just checked my address with me so I assume it’s in the mail. Not even sure if I want to go. On a boat (I assume a harbour cruise) I won't be able to leave when I want to, I'll be tired and trapped, and I might get seasick. But this will be the last family wedding for my generation - unless someone has a second go later on! Everyone else is married, except Darren. He's the oldest, he'll be 50 next year.

Several guests yesterday brought gifts of wine or champagne which I know is a fairly safe hostess present for people you don't know well (there were some people from Tim's work, and some friends of a relative who was spending the day with them), but I don't drink much, so the gift I really appreciate was these beautiful flowers - peonies I think. Just lovely. I don't often buy myself flowers, maybe I should. I enjoy them growing in the garden though.

Turf

Saturday:

This morning the rolls of turf arrived. We didn't know what time they would come, and it turned out to be while we were still in bed! I put on ugg boots and a jumper over my pjs and went out to direct the guy with the little forklift. He got them up the slope of our front yard, but Tim still had to carry them one by one to the backyard - and they weighed at least 10 kg each. Some a lot more, it depended how much dirt was attached to the grass.

Tim took Aiden to his tennis lesson and I measured the width of the grass rolls - the website had said 45 cm but they were 60 cm! This threw out all my levelling/smoothing calculations and I spent the next hour moving more dirt around.

When Tim got home we got stuck into the turf laying. It took about three hours. The grass is mainly a two-roll-wide strip around the pool, with an extra area in one corner for seating.

Before:

Neat rolls waiting in the shade:

And after:

Doesn't it look great! I was getting sick of looking at bare dirt. There is more than you can see in that picture as it goes around three sides of the pool, and Tim had to do a lot of cutting to fit them around the curves so it was a lot of work. Tim did all the carrying and cutting, I just helped place them, but I was still utterly exhausted by the time we finished!

The bare patches next to the fence will be filled with tropical plants, but we should probably wait until there is no danger of cold nights so they have a year to establish before they have to deal with winter. You can grow select tropical plants in Sydney ok but it does get a bit cold for them in winter so not a good time to plant.

While we were still working outside the heater guy came - luckily I had warned him that we might be out the back and if no one answered the door to come through the gate. He replaced the bits that needed replacing so we have a working heater again - although I don't know if we'll need it, it was beautiful today and is going to be 28C tomorrow! It will probably get cold again for a little while though before spring really kicks in.

I don't know if the plants are worried though, we have beautiful freesias popping up all over the place:

And our little peach tree in a pot is in flower:

Spring is a beautiful thing.

Days in the sun

Tuesday:

I got out to the park and did some good editing in the lovely winter sunshine. Then I walked around a bit. It's a shame that there are no paths along the river, houses are right next to it or else it is native bushland. The roads are set further back and have only very narrow footpaths. I did a lap of the park and over the little footbridge and back. The ground wasn't muddy today so at least I was able to walk on the grass right to the other end of the sports field. It was lovely to be out and I also felt that I got some work done and achieved something for the day.

Wednesday:

You wouldn't think this simple piece of furniture could be the cause of eight months of phone calls and annoyance, would you?

Well it was. But huzzah! This morning the handyman arrived with the correct piece (they ordered the wrong one twice) and it took 5 minutes for him to put the last drawer together and Aiden now has a complete chest of drawers! Yay!

It seems that Skinky has learned to read. I was about to pick up a book from the floor when I saw a little brown head poking out from under the front cover. I lifted it up, and there he was. He has an interest in science fiction apparently, it's Asimov's The Robots of Dawn.

It was another warm sunny day and my foot was feeling good so I decided to go on the longest walk I've attempted for ages. There is a Thai restaurant opposite Jasmine's dance school and I fancied trying it for lunch, so I walked there. Nearly 30 minutes. I took my takeaway to a nearby park and ate it, then escaped from the heat into the nearby shopping centre for a while, then walked home again. All up it must have been an hour walking, with a break in the middle.

My foot was fine but I don't know about the rest of me! My legs and hips are aching! Just not used to all this movement. And it was so hot! I could hardly believe it was still winter. Everyone else seemed confused too, clothing choices ranged from shorts and T-shirts to heavy winter coats. I always get hot walking, I was suffering in my jeans and light-but-long-sleeve top.

I took my backpack with my manuscript, planning to sit in the park and edit after lunch but there wasn't a table with shade available, I ate my lunch (which was delicious) on a bench with a tiny bit of dappled shade under a small tree.

The shady way home...

An amazing array of plants seemed to be in bloom considering it is still winter here, I took photos of wattle, roses, violets, iris, lavender, and other things I have no name for.

What on earth is this thing?

A more recognisable camellia.

A rather exotic and aggressive bird of paradise.

I've been having a bit of pain in my left hip for some years now, it never occurred to me it was arthritis (I'm not old!) until I had that recent scan. I'm not sure I like knowing, I think it was easier to dismiss as transitory and unimportant before I had a name for it. But today I was researching a bit about it especially regarding diet and they talk about avoiding foods that trigger inflammation. Guess what number one is? Sugar. Sugar, then saturated and trans fats, refined foods, gluten. They recommend increasing fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, olive oil, dairy... sound familiar? Sound a bit Mediterranean? I keep getting shoved towards this same healthy diet that will apparently cure everything wrong with me, so why can't I stick to it? How come other people can? Is there a switch somewhere I can flip to turn on the will power?

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.

First day of spring

Tuesday:

As you can see, I actually went out for a walk today! The air was full of the scents of wattle and freshly cut grass. Sunny but still a bit cool - but I warmed up enough to take off my jumper. Actually I went for three walks because I also went up to the school in the afternoon, and walked my friend's children home after a play-date here. Total of around an hour today.

That was the only time I spent moving my body, though. I was on the computer the rest of the day; organising a conveyancer (lawyer for house buying and selling), carpet cleaning, real estate agent etc. Not even any packing today!

Strolling

Tuesday:

It was a lovely almost-spring day today and when it came time to exercise I really didn't feel like dancing so instead I went for a walk. I didn't take my music, I just wanted to immerse myself in the day. There were beautiful smells all round from jonquils and wattle and plum blossoms. Pretty but raucous sulphur-crested cockatoos were nesting in the hollows in old trees, the wind was light and playful instead of being straight from the snow fields, it was a great day for a brisk stroll.

I mailed a letter and bought some milk and a couple of other things, and ended up carrying about 6kg of stuff in my backpack. I had thought the day still a little chilly on my way out, with no jumper, but I didn't think that on the way home, uphill and carrying a backpack! It seemed very warm indeed.