Morning Person? Not really

I am not a morning person.  I love sunrise and I love being up at that time of day but it is something that really doesnt come naturally to me hence this picture

I dont know where this picture comes from, maybe Jen, but I remember sending it to my boss as a warning and it really does sum up me in the morning.

I used to be a night owl but that too is changing.  The highlight of my day now is going to bed with my book and reading.  So so sad.

I had a bad weekend last week.  I had to have a glucose tolerance test down which meant that I had to carb up for 3 days beforehand and then fast.  Carbing up when you are wheat free can be a bit of a challenge but I just ate more fruit, visited the gluten free lady stall at the farmers markets etc etc.  BUT it really played havoc with my insides.  Having that test also required me to have blood tests, drink a really really sweet liquid and then wait two years hours in their waiting room then they took more blood and set me free.  Eventually made work at 11:30 with my breakfast in my hand and a lovely boss having my coffee waiting for me.  Boy does he know me well.

Will get results next week but I dont think I have a problem in that regard yet.  It was just that diabetes runs in my family so I think my new "hormone" doctor was just being careful.  Still havent had MRIs on ankles and I dont think it will be next week either as I already have two doctor appointments.  Just doing my best to keep the medical system ticking along.

The cold is settling in here now.  I know it is going to get colder but am feeling it in my joints for the second year in a row already.  But it is not constant just burst of pain that last for a couple of seconds.

And talking about pain, I got a second piercing in my ears 4 weeks ago so I was able to take out the earrings last night but I think today I will be buying extra sleepers because trying to put in the studs again this morning was difficult and painful.  For someone who doesnt heal easily usually, my ears tried to  comply last night.  Must put earrings on my shopping list for today.

Other than that, there is nothing much to report.  Got a new Nano yesterday (bright orange) which apparently hooks up with the Nike training program without anything else.  When I have time I will work it all out.  Lucy and I have managed two walks this week.  The gym is going to send out a search party soon if I dont return to the fold but I have decided that at the moment I want to walk her.  She is starting to resemble a fluffy keg on legs.  The vet will kill me if she puts on any more weight.

New deck roof not progressing because when they took down the old one, the builder saw what a poor job the previous builder had done on the brickwork around the window we had moved about 20 years ago and promptly demolished that brickwork and has redone it.  I must admit it looks so much better and as the deck roof is being lifted the cr*p brickwork would have really stood out.

J has about 3 weeks I guess before she goes to Papua New Guinea to walk the Kokoda Track.  I think she has finally finished splitting everything with her ex but she still hasnt found someone to share her apartment.  We will miss him but she seems a lot happier now.  It's funny with this generation, how could he not see what playing computer games was doing to their relationship and although he did try to limit it I dont think he quite managed it.

Wheatfree living is progressing well. 
The gluten free lady I mentioned above told me that they dont have any wheat products in their kitchens at all so that there cant be any slip ups.  Going back today to buy some more stuff. She told me what she uses and it seems okay.
Have been building up recipes on my iPad so that I can have them with me at all times.  Am about to try and master Readiris which is a program that takes pdfs and converts them because I want to change recipes without having to retype them.  Also would be handy to add notes and observations to recipes.  I am going to have to read the application instructions unless I can talk a co-worker into explaining it to me - again.

Havent been able to keep up with blogs yet again mainly because I am reading books again.  You know when you are reading a book you are really enjoying and you dont want to put it down.  I have been known to cook while reading.

I hope all of you in the southern hemisphere are settling into hibernation time - winter is nearly here and those in the northern hemisphere getting ready for summer.  Both lovely times of the year.  Take care and blessed be.

He is The Eggman, he is the egg man...

The iPad and I are having issues today so don't blame me if this makes no sense. 

I typed this post on the iPad and have now opened it on the computer and it just looks like one big sentence.  Oh, well some editing to do.

When I went to the markets on Thursday the egg man asked me if I wanted double yokers at no extra cost. Asked how he could tell and I think he said because they were bigger. All the doubters (insert men) I told looked at me like I was a bit gullible but as they didn't cost anymore I thought why not. Well the proof is in the picture. My breakfast this morning.

Damn it is coming over cloudy and I have gardening to do. At the same markets I bought 5 more pots of violas. M just rolls his eyes now when I come home with them but I think they are such classy little flowers and I have planted them in most of the pots around the larger plants. They will flower for ages as long as I keep watering them.

Egg shell scattered around them to discourage snails and slugs.  Seems to work.

I also bought some common mint as the mint I have has gone woody. This stuff used to grow weed like at home when I was growing up but I don't have much luck with it. Hopefully this time will prove lucky. Everything has settled down in Js life. They have just about sorted everything out financially. She still hasn't found a flat mate but hopefully soon. Not a psycho please. Her M is moving the last of his things out next Sunday. I have lent her some more money to pay out her half of the credit card debt so she can start afresh.

 Have not exercised for over two weeks. Bronchitis or whatever it was has nearly gone. A bit surprised because normally it hangs around for at least six weeks but hit it this time with antibiotics, puffer, cough medicine, tablets to help me sleep at night and Fess. Will start walking again this week. Lucy and I are definitely getting a waddle up.

 Have been going okay with no wheat, very little sugar and no dairy. BUT had some feta cheese on Friday night and paid the price on Saturday. Serves me right. I am going to have to watch my portion sizes too I think. A bit of a problem there. Still can't believe the difference in the swelling in my ankles. Still have to have MRIs on both of them but they hardly swell at all anymore. Two months ago it looked like I had a cricket ball strapped to one and a baseball strapped to the other. Most of the time I am also feeling a deep-seeded contentment too. One of my strange little joys is the fact that my fridge is slowly emptying of stuff. The pantry too. I try to shop at the farmers markets when I can get off work early (thank you gorgeous boss), plan our meals for the week and only buy the produce I need. It has cut down on wastage and the amount of money I spend. That in itself makes me happy.

Mothers Day breakfast with the children at Echo on the Marina at Roseville was so nice plus I got the bonus of a lovely card plus a gardenia scented candle. I had eggs benedict with smoked salmon and J ate the sourdough that it came on for me.  Selfless daughter.

G and S have moved back to her parents home to save money and at the moment he seems to have settled in quite well. They are off to Alaska in a couple of months for a wedding. J is off to Kokoda in 4-5 weeks. I will be asking you all to focus you thought on her when she is away to help guard her. I am such a worrywart and I can't tell her how worried I am that she is doing this. Worried and extremely proud. It never stops does it?

Discovery of the week:  there is a kindle app for the iPad and I can access all my books on my kindle on my iPad as well.  How cool is that.

Anyway my morning coffee is finished, those scrumptious eggs gone, M has gone to golf and I have the glorious whole day stretching out on front of me to potter before the dreaded ironing tonight.

Although M has gone to golf he has been ill all week and in a lot of pain.  He was really focussed on what was happening to him to the point if he didn't stop talking about it I would have smothered him.  I had lots of yukky things to do such as change dressings, inspect problem etc etc.  Thank goodness, for all concerned, he seems to be getting better.  Still on antibiotics and back to the doctor tomorrow.  He is very sweet, even bought me a cup of green tea this morning at 5:30 before he headed off and as much as I love him I am over it.  Heartless trollop aren't I?

 Have a wonderful day and week and blessed be.

A bit late

I'm a bit late this week posting.

It has been really hectic at work lately. So much so that early in the week I resorted to sitting in the print room chanting "om" to try and recentre myself and stop the rising sense of panic that was threatening to engulf me.

Everything is trundling along quite well except I have developed a really bad cough. My boss has one which he caught from his young children. One of the joys of working with young people. I had thought that I was passed this phase. Can only get worse as the staff at work gets younger. Have nearly lost my voice and sound like I am still smoking a packet a day. Have started taking cough mixture and will see the doctor soon if it doesnt improve as it has moved down to my chest. 

A couple of good things this week. On at least two or three occasions I have actually said I have eaten enough and not finished my meal. If you know how I eat, it is usually eat until that plate is empty. This feeling of fullness is an unfamiliar feeling for me.

Went to see the ankle surgeon on Thursday night but he can't really tell if the subtalar joint has collapsed from the X-ray so it is off to get a ctscan on both my ankles when I can. The ankle replacement or pacman (because that's what it looks like in the X-rays) is okay though which is good news.

 I love Spencer and Ruthford handbags etc. So it may come as a surprise to some who know one of my fetishes is handbags/purses that I actually went to buy another purse the other night and suddenly thought I don't need this what the hell am I doing. I was so proud of myself. Another milestone I hope.

On a different note, there was an article in the Sydney Morning Herald this week by Kasey Edwards about Jenny Craig and them having Dame Edna as their spokesperson now. It is worth reading and the link below should take you there. If not perhaps cut and paste it.  A sentence in it really hit home with me and it was "''Their profitability depends upon failure and their programs ensure that failure happens.'' 
and also this paragraph 
"With such damning rates it is extraordinary that we still blame individuals for ''failing'' at weight loss programs rather than accusing the diet companies of selling snake oil. Can you imagine buying any other product with a 95 per cent failure rate and then blaming yourself when it didn't deliver on its promise?"

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/all-diet-customers-are-losing-is-their-dignity-possums-20120429-1xspw.html#ixzz1u3m5hY5q

On another positive note, I have finally decided to get rid of some of my shoes. There are rather a lot of pairs in the wardrobe (to put it mildly) and believe me, this is a major step for me. Even though I can't wear high heels anymore because of the ankle replacement I have kept all my high heeled shoes. Time to move on I think. Meant to mention that when I saw the surgeon I told him about that fact that I had stopped eating wheat and the swelling in my ankles had virtually disappeared. He said that a number of his patients had told him a similar story.

Exercise has been at least 30 mins 6 days a week which I am happy with although some days had been a struggle. Went to a memorial service today for the mother of one of G's friends. She lost her battle with breast cancer last Monday. She was the same age as me. I had only met her once but know her daughter really well. She sounded like a truly remarkable woman and I am sad that I didn't know her better.

Now family roundup:
M is still as grumpy as ever although he did vacuum for me on Friday for which I am grateful.
G&S have now moved back home with her parents to try and save some money.
J&M have finally split up. For good this time. Amicable but lots of tears. She is looking for someone to share the apartment with her. So far she has been offered 4 children and a cat.

And lastly I have discovered the joy of dropbox.  Using it mainly at the moment to move recipes between iMac and iPad but it seems to work really well.

 I hope everyone is having a great weekend. I'm off to bed.

PS: This was written yesterday and today I have had a fairly easy day due to the fact that I am having trouble breathing but I feel like I have been given a leave pass.  M has gone off to caddy for someone at golf and I am just pottering around like old times.
Blessed be everyone.