Coffee, Bills and a holiday

It's early Sunday morning but I am already onto my second cup of coffee, paid and filed our bills, checked my Facebook for updates and have also gone through copious amounts of emails. Yep, great start to my day. The weather is predictably very hot and although I remain indoors in air conditioned comfort, by mid afternoon it is getting uncomfortable inside.

                                                     Rossiter Bay, Esperance W.A

In recent news the bloke and I had a small trip to the coast. We left on a Friday after lunch and arrived early evening in time for a takeaway dinner from the local Chinese restaurant. Now, we have eaten from this place numerous times over the years we have been visiting Esperance, but the food this time was terrible. It really put a dampener on our first evening. Then to bed thank goodness I thought, well no. For some reason the bed was really high and I was unable to sit back far enough on the bed to lift my legs onto it. So picture this if you wish-Me perched precariously on the very edge of said bed. The bloke half crouching over me, ready to lift my legs as I swing up and onto it. He also has  two of the beds wheels chocked up with his thongs to prevent it taking off through the wall. He then expertly hooks my legs up and onto the bed and I'm in for the night. Unfortuantley in the early hours of the morning I needed to use the toilet so after that there was no way I was going through all that again, so I sat on his single bed and he climbed into my bed. 

The following day we drove around to the shops and out to the beaches which were stunning, and the weather was very nice for us. Deciding that we would do chicken and salad for dinner that night we had bought the ingredients for the salad and the bloke would go to the local chicken franchise to buy some chook. Of he went and about twenty minutes later he calls to tell me that the chicken shop has run out of chicken so it was fish and chips and salad. Seriously how does a chicken shop run out of chicken? 

On the Sunday we drove out to the beautiful Cape Le Grand National Park, about a 1/2 hour to forty minute drive out of Esperance. Spectacular coastline and the water was such a gorgeous shade of deep blue. However there were people everywhere and I didn't feel comfortable getting out in front of them and sitting in my wheelchair so we drove further along a mostly dirt, bone rattling track to Rossiter Bay, a more quieter location to eat our picnic lunch. We had the place to ourselves and even though it was very windy we didn't mind as it was such a change from where we live in the dry, dusty Goldfields.
Funnily enough mid way through lunch along came another car, and would you believe given that the whole area was vacant except us they parked just one car width away from us! Now I am no snob, but heck why do people do this? It also happens in car parks. You can be the only car parked but come out and someone has parked so close to your car that you need a can opener to get in.

On this trip away we did something we have never done before. Now before you get too alarmed it was ordering room service. Yep, in all of our 31 years together we have never indulged in this 'treat'. Of course it was more expensive than we would normally spend on a meal, but we never go out for a meal and it is one more  thing ticked off our bucket list. Studying the menu was exciting, and the thought of the delicious foods made our mouths water. In the end the bloke chose surf n turf  and beer battered chips and I had a rump steak with Diane sauce, beer battered chips and salad. It was delivered within half an hour of us ordering. Verdict was that is was great and a must do thing again. 

On the Monday we packed up the van and headed for home. I love coming home again. sigh...

Does anyone have any memorable stories of a trip away?

Keep well, 

Keeping it Simple

 

Simple food is often the best. Recently out fourth daughter was visiting us and cooked a lovely meal (see above picture) including her delicious potato bake. It tasted even better than before, and then she discovered she had used custard powder instead of cornflour in the sauce. It was a tad yellow but it tasted awesome. Maybe a secret ingredient?

What cooking mistakes have you made that enhanced a dish rather than ruined it?

With Christmas fast approaching and I say that with total denial, I am hoping my eldest daughter gets motivated and energised to do the baking required. I don’t have one inch of Christmas spirit in me. I feel flat, exhausted, sad, a little bit grinchy, (is that even a word) anxious-oh I could just go on but I’m not, for all our sakes. So many people tell me that I have a grandchild now, who will be 4 months old when the big day rolls around, so I have to be happy. Well I cannot be happier with him and I am trying to do my grandmother job well. This year he will like the paper much more than what the toy is. But in future years I will most certainly enjoy seeing his delight at the arrival of Father Christmas.

So now back to simple foods. Christmas this year will be just the bloke and I and three of the girls, my newly minted SIL and of course our darling little Jacob. The plan is to go to Jacob’s home for a nice light breakfast, maybe fruit, toast and whatever else we choose, then come back here for a lunch of cold meats including baked glazed ham, roast chicken, maybe a roast beef, German potato salad, garden salad, pasta salad with trifle and a nice refreshing homemade cheesecake for dessert. Leftovers will be consumed throughout the evening and even next day. See simple and delicious and easily prepared.

I know that I have been quiet here again and I can’t promise things will change, but I do value all of my readers and your comments really cheer me up.

Baby Shower

This past Saturday we held a baby shower for our eldest who is expecting her baby in about 
5 weeks. Her sisters organised it and it turned out very well. Lots of food-as is the custom in this family. All home made and delicious. The theme was blue, seeing as she is having a boy.


This was the first baby shower I have ever been to. I think they were around in my day, but I never had anyone offer to have one for me. Is it to late to have one if your child is 27 years old?
And the presents! Oh lord, there was heaps of them. This child has so many beautiful things. There were clothes including a little weeny flanno shirt, and the cutest little tuxedo onsie. This will be worn to the wedding in October. The toys looked interesting and I'm sure there repetitive sounds will eventually drive the parents a little crazy.


My daughters' MIL and SIL and her daughter traveled a long way just for this occasion. It was a really big effort on their part and nice to see them again as they are lovely people. 


Unfortunately my girl was feeling a bit crook on the day so she took it easy and rested on the bean bag. I always know when she is sick because her lovely blue eyes look all washed out. Happily she was okay by the next day. 
During the party we played a few games and it was nice to see everyone get into the swing of things. There was a lot of laughter, funny stories and great advice. Although we asked attendees not to discuss horror childbirth stories as they are terrible for a new mum to be to hear. Sadly, a few women have already regaled her with their dreadful experiences and she is now feeling a little worried. 
I enjoyed the afternoon not only because it was nice to have company in the house but also because I think how wonderful it is that before this child is even born he has people waiting  for his arrival with excitement and love. 
How wonderful it is to be born into such a welcoming and loving environment. I wish this for every baby. 
Once everyone had left I gazed around the empty room and thought about the future when this room would have a newborn baby in it. And then later on when a little, toddler boy will be running around the room. Or even better giving his nana big hugs. 
I am excited. Just five more weeks. Yep I know!

Confessions of an Over-eater

I feel like I am on a runaway train. Yep, not stopping at any stations, just full steam ahead, and get out of the way. It is making me feel insane with it's ferocity. The more I think about it the more I anxious I become.

Yes I reckon it's all based on my high levels of anxiety. Oh did I tell you what it is? No? Well it is the same thing I have often mentioned here and everywhere else in my life. Well, it is all consuming. Gawd, that's a  funny term of words considering the subject. It's the issue of my eating. Well more my overeating!

Four months on from my serious brush with death, I am in the predictable situation of regaining the weight I had shed. I haven't weighed myself for about four weeks, but I know I feel heavier. I knew at the onset when they put me on the very restrictive caloric diet that I was being set up for a fail. For over thirty years I had been on the weight loss wagon. I lost some and then regained it, each time. I have undergone weight loss surgery (WLS) and lost and regained over thirty kg's plus much, much more. I've tried the food replacement, psychology, you get the picture. The result is always the same-I lose some but regain more.

I have no go slow button. No moderation, it's all go for me.

I feel for my family. I really do. I often think how hard it must be for them living with me and the consequences of my poor choices. That's the bloody maddening thing about this particular issue, it does impact others. 

From the time I wake up at about 5am until I go to bed at night I crave food. I no sooner eat one thing and I'm thinking about the next thing I can eat. I experience it as a deep, empty hunger feeling, although there is the another part of me that thinks/knows that this is is not a real need for food hunger, but an anxiety led frenzy. Okay, so then let's control the anxiety. Would seem fairly simple really. Well I certainly have my go to tools for that, after all, in another life I used to assist people with anxieties. I use them, sometimes it works, other times not so much.

 How frustrating this makes me feel. My youngest daughter has even put calming music onto my iPad (listed as "Mum's Calming Music") to use when necessary. 

So when I do eat what am I eating? Everything. Fruit, vegetables, bread, meat, cheese, cold meats, yogurts, and lots of extra 'empty' calories such as *cringing in shame* potato chips, cake, lollies, takeaway foods. Now I am really disappointed that I went back to the TA's as I had been able to refrain from eating them for a good while. 

So why have I gone backwards? Many reasons, some easily explained some not so. 

There are many things at play in my life which contribute to the whole situation, but I wont be able to discuss them all as it directly effects my loved ones.

Suffice to say I am in trouble. I feel so heavy, sad, desperate and hopeless. Feelings that I am sure are shared by the bloke and my kids, some of my siblings, and of course my good friends. 

I am so terrified of ending up in the same situation I was in earlier in the year. So scared of dying that I don't     fully live. 

Wow this has been a heavy post. When I came to the blog I had not real topic in mind, but this just seemed to flow out of me. Guess I needed to release it. 

*Note: I want to let anyone reading this that I am not asking for help or miracles, actually miracle will be acceptable. I know that some people feel that they want to help in this situation, but really is there anything that can be done? I will also say that if anyone does read this post and wants to ask questions, please do do and I will try and answer them.

So that's it for now, 

Sharing some pics

A few posts back I wrote about my girls cooking for me and making my Mother's day the best they could think of. I finally found the energy to download those pics and I present them here for your viewing pleasure. They show scones with jam and cream and a pot of tea, which my daughter Katie wanted to do as a special treat. Well the scones were beautiful, but the tea was less nice, but I am a coffee drinker. :)

The last four pictures were taken last Thursday at a small one pub town called Broadarrow, 38km's North of Kalgoorlie, W.A.
The bloke, myself and two of our daughters decided to do something different for lunch and headed up there around 11am, intending to beat the lunch time rush from the hungry hoards who come from all the surrounding mite sites that surround this town.

We were too late, 3 cars were already lined up in the sparse red dirt. But no matter we listened to the car stereo and read our papers whilst we waited for our famous Broady Burger & chips! My oh my it was worth the wait. That burger had everything in it and was cooked well, and the chips were the best we had tasted. My tip is if your ever in the vicinity call in for lunch, but make sure you take cash, as they don't have EFTPOS. :)

I have some more news and pics to post soon so stay tuned.
Jan