Cinque and LJ, my Sunday fasting buddies just like old times!

CalifD, our friends in S. California say the beaches were packed with ‘half-crazed, half-naked loons from Arizona and LA’ over the 4th July weekend. One friend says he’s scared to leave the house, another says he’s moving inland from La Jolla to La Mesa.

LJ, we’d never overstay a visa, that’s an instant black mark and grounds for not being allowed back. They’re very efficient here, it takes about 12 weeks but, if granted, we must spend most of our time during the ‘leave to remain’ period in the UK (which we wouldn’t want to do once it’s safe to travel as seeing Europe was another of the reasons for selling up in Oz) and, if denied, we’d have to leave instantly. Having had a visa denied is also a black mark against future returns. The alternative is putting the boat in a marina and flying off into the covid unknown. Seems reckless. We must decide soon. Ho hum.

Anzac, I hope that’s a minor issue. Please keep us up to date.

P.S. Betsy, didn’t see your post. That’s good that you had a good FD and could walk inside. EU countries are allowing us in, that’s not a problem. But it’s a moving feast and any country could go back into lock-down at any time. Why on earth would anyone refuse testing?

Good morning,
I didn’t managed a walk yesterday, or henna my hair, but I did have a good fast day. I feel great this morning, and what a yummy breakfast (2 serves of veg 😉 good start to the day).

Anzac, sending SO many good wishes. I do hope the pain is less this morning and that it turns out to be something easily fixed. Hooray for lying down and snug with work to keep your mind off it and Mr Anzac’s care and superb soup!
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Ooh Cali, belated 4th of July wishes, I hope you found a way to celebrate in style.

LJoyce, Cheers for a fast day, done and dusted. I’m hoping you are having a great day babysitting. And that the lovely bakery expedition isn’t too challenging for you.
Yum yum rhubarb! There were gorgeous stems in my market last week, hence the stew (it took me a bit to find a recipe with no added sugar, and I found a beaut!).

The ‘shutdown’ suburbs are at stage three restrictions, so while residents must work at home if they possibly can, they are allowed to go to their work places if necessary. Considering the numbers in those suburbs aren’t that high (cf the rest of the world) I presume a large part of the restrictions is that they will make tracing contacts much easier, should it be needed. And hopefully the BIG REMINDER that everyone needs to behave covidsafely will mean that the spread will be limited to the point where it is contained again. Fingers crossed.

I was at the shopping centre yesterday and it was very busy, but felt much safer than it did a few weeks ago, thanks to everyone being more aware of distancing, including while queuing.

Haha Betsy, I’ll fight you for Mr Anzac 😉 He’s a winner.
55 mins of walking in your own home is great work, and much more comfortable than being outside. Brr it is miserable at the moment!

Miso is behaving exactly as Wilbur is, sensible cats.

Good luck with those new thesis guidelines!

And yes, avoiding those low nutrient treats is such a gift to your precious body.
I do relate to how a big container can be used more wisely than a small container. Maybe that will be your reward for reaching your next goal.

Thin, yes! The gang got back together 🙂 (Including you, Intesha!) I am sure you have just polished off an excellent fast day.
Oh dear, yes, how to pick the place that isn’t just about to have a covid flare up. And the best places will have the most closed borders. Catch 22. I do hope a good option comes up.

Intesha, I hope you have had a wonderful pilates session, and a good rest of the day. Hello from cold Melbourne, to your dad.
Wow, lovely to have that 9kg gone (well, 8.9). Yes, it is a mind game! You are so right. Ooh you might be down into the 61’s by the end of the week.

Well, I’ve had my lovely catch up with you lot, a delicious post fast day breakfast, and a pot of coffee. So I am off to get things done. Maybe I’ll get the walk and henna in today.

You are such a lovely lot. Best wishes all.

Afternoon all.

My day is working out so well. Good FD yesterday, good TDEE today, so far. Rosy is asleep at my feet, and I’ve just submitted the invoice for my master’s editing, so I’m feeling pretty good.

Anzac all best wishes for a minor ailment that a good rest on the sofa has put to rights. Let us know when you have the scan, won’t you. How painful and worrying.

LJ you are kinder than I am. I was surprised a higher degree student hadn’t picked up on the new APA, given that she would have needed to be on the library site often, and reading a lot of recent literature. I guess it slipped through the net, because she wasn’t having face to face meetings with her supervisor. Anyway, I tracked the changes for her, she showed it to her supervisor, and he was happy with the editing and advised her to follow every suggestion. It was good to hear, because this may be a new string to my bow, if I am not back on campus until next year.

Betsy, there are some changes to referencing, but not too onerous…eg in text citations use ‘et al’ for 3 or more authors, from the first citation. No need to use ‘retrieved from’ in the References, unless its a transitory work, eg Twitter. There is a huge new section on bias-free language. This link from my library gives you a quick intro. https://www.griffith.edu.au/library/study/referencing/apa-7

Cinque hope the family situation has calmed. Henna in, and feeling soft and bouncy? The bar shampoo I used comes from shampoowithapurpose.com I got the one for volume (5 months without a haircut and I needed a bit of oomph), and I also got the little conditioning bar too. I am so very happy. I got my DD a bar for coloured hair …I may try that next.

How’s the holiday going Neil? Hope it’s warmed up a bit and you’re having sunshine to go with the cool weather.

Thin, Cali, I’m with you both on grocery stores. I’m avoiding shopping as much as I can, but we popped into Aldi on Saturday because they had boots that I thought might help with OH’s poor feet. An arrogant chappie walked straight up to where we were standing, and grabbed a pair to try. I suggested (politely) that we social distance. He didn’t even turn his head towards me. Pig, was the thought that I kept to myself.

Thin I don’t get the need to feed wildlife. There are big signs at our little pier at Straddie asking people not to feed the dolphins, and why, but they still do.
Sorry your dream trip is plagued with visa worries now.

Quacka, What a amazing experience – almost spiritual, the way you described it. Your mum will be loving being with you, and you both (and your niece) supporting each other.

Happy day all.

Hi all from a very wet and grey Whakatane Monday afternoon.

So sorry to hear you are not feeling so good Anzac, hope you are somewhat better today after a restful weekend, your hubby sounds like a real gem. Well done on your career to, it sounds quite fascinating and very niche, you are obviously not only very good at it but enjoy it too? Maxx is so adorable, that look just says it all.

Awful news of your fathers passing Quacka, my condolences to you and your family, I hope you took some strength and found comfort from the sea eagle. I am with you on the acid reflux, I have suffered with it on and off for years and mine is worse if I don’t eat, I find water is one of the main things that makes it more painful, and black coffee of course! Touch wood, not had it for a while. Good luck with the bacteria results.

I hope your weather has warmed up a little bit for the holidays Neil, looks like you could be getting through a few movies otherwise? I have been to so many so-called ‘Farmers Markets’ whilst we have been travelling around the country and I haven’t found one yet that comes anywhere remotely close to Dunedin, I love it there, at any time of the year. We visited the one here the first Sunday we arrived and it was about six stalls and none of them were fresh produce!!! So disappointed. Did manage to pick up some avo’s yesterday on the roadside for a dollar each!

I certainly don’t see the need to feed wildlife on our travels either Thin, in fact during lock down in Kaikoura I bought seeds to feed the birds! There are a couple of HUGE rabbits that live on this site, one is black, fun to watch, but plenty of grass here for them to live on, don’t think they need any other food, kinda suspect they get it though, haha. Your visa decisions must be worrying, I can understand how they are spoiling things for you presently, I do hope you find the correct outcome that you are both happy with soon.

Great to hear you had a very satisfying fast day Yesterday Cinque even though your plans for the day didn’t materialize! Two serves of veggies to break the fast, you are so good. I had half a grapefruit and a cheese & mushroom omelette today, does that count as two? (Definitely more mushrooms than cheese!) Good to hear you felt safer in the supermarket too, I find I am more relaxed with every visit, but do still tend to keep my distance, especially from the elderly. I have always believed that a cat will always find somewhere warm in the winter, either inside or out. Born survivors! I hope you get your walk in today and your henna in!

Good on you for getting rid of that ice cream Betsy, one of my downfalls so know how you feel, our freezer is now devoid of it so don’t have to worry anymore. Wilbur sounds pretty sensible too, these cats are certainly not daft. Good luck with the weight loss this week, I am sure you will be down to 67’s in no time.

I haven’t really been up to much, out for a walk most days, in between the heavy showers, last night was something else, horrific strong winds and heavy sheeting rain, it’s really affecting our sleep! There are massive puddles everywhere on the site. Not much point in us going anywhere at present, especially North, it’s even wetter! We did enjoy a wonderful sunny day on Friday however, and made the most of it by hiking over the heads to another beach and town, then finding we had missed the bus by quarter of an hour so had to walk back home, up and over the same heads but on a different route as the tide was high so couldn’t take the beach route we had earlier! Well dark when we got home, but such an amazing sunset. Managed to lose a total of 1.5kgs over the week but put 300gms back on over the weekend due to a bit of a relax, so really pleased with the overall figures. Let’s see if I can do the same this week? So pleased to finally be moving in the right direction. Sitting in the van listening to the rain on the roof again, planning my menus for the week, putting off going to the supermarket for shopping really, I think I’ll use what we have in the freezer and pantry for a couple more days.

Stay safe everyone, wherever you are,

Turn

Quacka, my deepest sympathy on the loss of your father. Losing a parent is so painful. You have so many years of beautiful memories of him that I hope will sustain you now. Please take care of yourself. You don’t have to be fasting to post here. Goodness knows that there are many of us struggling with diet during these stressful times. We miss you.

Anzac, I’ll be thinking of you getting that CT scan tomorrow and hoping it’s nothing serious that’s causing the pain. Glad to hear that you’re relaxing and that OH’s therapeutic chicken soup is making you feel better. It does sound good. You’re still working from home now, right? I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. She was a part of your life for a long time and I know you will miss her.

Thin, I hope you get the visa thing sorted out quickly. It’s amazing that spousal visas applications are often denied. What are they trying to do, keep the British people from marrying outside of the UK? Is it just now because of the pandemic that they’re being so strict?
My grocery store trips are like yours, in and out as quickly as I can, without taking a lot of time to compare prices. It’s nice that we have a couple stores where the face mask mandate is enforced for employees and customers alike. People are getting a little better about wearing them but there is still a large number that think the masks violate their freedom of choice. Several people have posted on social media that this whole virus thing is political and a hoax and will disappear right after our November elections. I know all of you will be delighted to hear that! Sheesh! Some days my patience runs very thin.

Cinque and Betsy, it’s so disturbing to hear about the Covid outbreak in a couple of your suburbs and the resulting lockdown. Your government is doing the right thing in getting it under control before it spreads further. That just goes to show how contagious it can be. But I worry for those people in the highrise apartment buildings, that it could spread through the ventilation systems, although I don’t think there is evidence of that. It wouldn’t be pleasant to be locked down in a small apartment without access to the outdoors.

Cinque, I’m glad you were able to sort out the family matters with your sisters over Zoom. I used Zoom for the first time this last week for a birthday party for a close friend in the Bay Area. Her husband and sister in Florida set it up as a surprise for her. 76 people from all over the country and other parts of the world attended. It went on for an hour and a half with music, a couple slide shows of old photos and serial people had balloons and party hats. I logged on with my iPad Mini which was quite limited in seeing people without a lot of scrolling, but I was still impressed with the application and features. My DS was working in our office room upstairs where my desktop is which is why I used the iPad. Wouldn’t it be fun to have a Zoom meeting with some of our forum members?

Penguin, how are things going with your house sale and buying a new one? I am surprised at how quickly homes are selling in our area. I would have thought that people would be hesitant to move house with the pandemic disruption, but that doesn’t seem to be the case at all. Maybe people who weren’t happy with their homes realized how much they needed a change after being cooped up in them for a few months.

LJ, thank you for the 4th of July greetings and text. We ended up celebrating with pizza and watching the movie of the Broadway play, Hamilton. It was streaming on the Disney+ channel which we subscribed to for a month, just to see that play. It was really good, but 2 hours and 33 minutes long. Miranda played the lead role and he was quite impressive. Our local fireworks were canceled this year. We usually watch them from an upstairs window. We did watch other cities’ displays on TV.

Fast day for me tomorrow.

Hi to Lindsay, Neil, Turn, Intesha and everyone who is lurking. Please keep an eye on the world while I get some sleep.

Gosh, quiet Monday. A couple just cruised by and, having a brief chat as is custom, they said, “Mmmm, your dinner smells really good!” Guess what it was, Cinque? Mung Bean Soup.

Hi everyone

I am running a workshop in 5 minutes so a quick post. Had the scan yesterday – very confronting. I had to have a cannula and have dye injected. I am getting the results late this afternoon and very anxious. Wish me luck!

Good news is I’m in the 80’s but only because I haven’t been eating much.

Take care

Good luck with the results Anzac, hoping it’s nothing too serious. Congratulations on reaching the 80’s, am sure you will be able to continue downward form there soon.

Cheers, Turn

Sorry, just a very quick post.

Betsy & Cinque: I just saw the news about the whole of Melbourne going into lockdown for 6 weeks. I’m so sorry that you have to go through that again. Take care, be thinking of you.

Anzac, wonderful news, very glad you have had serious issues ruled out.

Good evening,
I had a busy morning, but I’ll write now before heading off to bed. I’ve got a purring cat on my knee and I am just waiting for my lovely evening meal (not soup today, delicious lamb and salad wrap) to reach my belly and assure me I have eaten enough for the night. It will!

Quacka, I am so glad to hear from you, and to know you are having such precious time with your mum and niece. Loved ones and wonderful nature, the best things.
I am very happy that you loved the flowers.
Fingers crossed your test can lead to reflux recovery. So glad those little meals are keeping it under control.

Lindsay, still no henna. Tomorrow! Yesterday got taken up with helping a neighbour and then today I had two long telephone calls (enough to knock me out for the day 😉 ) (especially because I forgot to lie down while talking).
And then all the waiting to hear about numbers and how locked down we would become.
And then a trip to my daughters for a porch drop (dropped off two empty compost buckets, a bag of apples and a piece of pumpkin, picked up two full compost buckets a container of pulled lamb and a container of dal). Also dropped off my attempt at these: https://www.facebook.com/atelierdayhome/photos/pcb.2760317520921675/2760316334255127/?type=3&theater which the girls are very excited about.

I’m keen to order bar shampoo and conditioner, thankyou!

Turn, your mushroomy omelette sounds delicious. I bet you got two serves of veg in that! Wow, 1.5kg loss over the week is triple average! You kiwis, you sure rip through this weightloss business when you put your minds to it. Well done.
https://asset.holidaycardsapp.com/assets/card/Congratulations06-a2e71f086cc4f56151d43a6486e5be45.png

Cali, aren’t you gracious for being so concerned for us dealing with this spike of covid. It has made me think of your situation when we had such tiny numbers, no new cases even one day, and now are battling to stop it swamping us.
There you are hunkering in the middle of a hurricane, and we have a hailstorm.

The pandemic has shown up the physical limitations of being covidsafe in the old public housing highrises. They weren’t being properly cleaned, only one lift was working and they only put hand sanitiser at one entrance and then didn’t replace it when it ran out. No wonder the residents were worried.

On the good side, there has been such a wonderful community response. A Sikh charity and the Asylum Resource Support Centre have provided thousands of freshly made meals. As Betsy said, the Unions have raised money to help: over a quarter of a million dollars.
Local radio has people recording messages of support.
A nearby bakery had a sign up saying ‘No bread today, we have donated it all to the highrises’
People within the highrise managed to translate information into ten written languages and five oral ones (not quite sure how that worked, but I am impressed). The kids are getting activity packs.
It has been mayhem but it is sorting out, and as soon as they have tested everyone they will move to the same lockdown conditions the rest of Melbourne is under.

Just getting a sparkling water and I will write part two.

Gosh it’s only been a couple of days since I posted, and so much has happened.

Cinque and Betsy, I hope you manage this new lockdown. Six weeks seems such a long time. I think it is necessary, but I hope it can end sooner for you.

Cinque, heartening to see the community response to the towers lockdown. Reading the comments section of the Australian, you’d swear there was no compassion left in the world. Good to know that isn’t true.

Betsy, if there is an upside, it is that you will be able to power away with your thesis, uninterrupted. I found this link that may help with the new style.https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/whats-new-7e-guide.pdf
My PhD was also told he could use APA6 only if he submitted this year…but he’s moving to 7, as a precaution .

Thin I was surprised to hear your DD had to go through the palaver of getting her British passport back. I must check my kids have kept theirs current…they too have dual citizenship, courtesy of their father. I have permanent right of abode, but have to go through the expensive and time consuming reapplication each time I get a new Australian passport. I must say Thin I admire your foresight – you and Mr Thin deciding 30 years ago you were going to reside in the UK, and getting married just to smooth the process. (no, not really funny is it?)

Cinque, how clever you are. I can imagine the little girls loved their flower art.

Anzac, Cinque may be on to something, with the possibility of a gallstone. So very very painful. I know that sometimes (experience) they can trigger if you’ve been eating a low fat diet, followed by something fatty. Hope the pain has gone, and there are no residual symptoms. Let us know how the other tests go.

I had my first day looking after Ms 7 yesterday while her Mum went to work. She’s juggled marvellously, but her job really needs her presence and with no community transmission, felt quite comfortable having my little one. It was marvellous – I doubt she let go of my hand the whole day – except to sit on my lap. We watched Len and Ainsley’s Great Cooking Adventure (or something like that) Missy loves cooking programs “Nothing bad ever happens, and in the end you get a delicious dish’. I’d not seen it before, but it wasn’t bad.

OK on that note, back to my appointment with OH’s tax return. It’s pretty easy, but still has to be finished and submitted.

Enjoy your day all, and best wishes to everyone – Neil, Penguin, Cali, Intesha, Turn, Quacka, G’day and all others whose names will come to me once I sign off.

Eek, accidentally tapped something wrong and lost a long post. Will summarise.

Anzac65, glad it was unremarkable, and maybe follow up Cinque’s suggestion re gall stones?

Thin, hope there’s resolution of OH’s visa situation soon

Turnabout, poor you with the rain. At least the weight is coming off, and the drought really seems to have broken.

CalifDreamer, good to hear from you and to know that you’re all right and being sensible.

LindsayL, thanks for the APA 7 book synopsis. I have a college subsidy which I may use to purchase it.

Cinque, we’re back into lockdown. Well, been there, done that, so just more of the same.

My news – I’ve been having a reaction to a pneumonia vaccine given last Thursday, with reddened upper arm, etc., only gradually developing. Woke this morning and the redness was worse, plus I felt “flu-ey”, so called my doctors’ surgery for advice – had to attend the surgery and in addition to advice for the arm, had to have a Covid-19 test. Sigh!
Now in complete isolation at home till the result comes back. Expect it to be negative, but that doesn’t allow me to break quarantine. The dr said 24-48 hours, but with all the testing going on? Expect it to be longer. Still, it will keep me at home doing needed study. Fortunately I did a big weekly shop yesterday, so am well supplied with fresh produce.

Keep well, keep safe everyone!

Good morning all from a sunny whakatane at last!!!

We had a 3’c night but oh, how lovely to see blue cloudless skies and no wind!!! It makes my heart sing. It seems so long ago since we have had any good weather and this is forecast up until late Sunday so hope to make the most of it.

Your arm sounds quite sore Betsy, then to have flue symptoms on top must be even worse for you, hope it all clears up soon. At least you won’t have to worry about going out for any food with having stocked up, how fortunate for you?

Thank you so much for the beautiful flowers Cinque, Yes, I do feel quite chuffed with myself, finally shifting that little bit has definitely given me the encouragement I needed. The community support around the towers episode sounds great, we have heard similar stories and acts of kindness here throughout our brief lock down and isolation episode, some of them are very humbling. The situation certainly does bring out the worst and also the best in people! Have you managed to get your henna in yet?

Lindsay, the day spent with Miss 7 sounds wonderful, I love the summary of the cooking adventure programme, if only it were true, haha?! So envious of your 19’c, I think our high today is about 12’c! But I’ll take it. I always used to say ‘the things you do’ when we had our wee dog, as we would sit outside cafes in all weathers for coffee, lunch etc. when we were out as we would take him with us and not leave him in the car, life is different with a fur child. Looks like we’re here until Tuesday next week at least, we’ll take a rain check from there and decide whether to stay or move on.

Glad you are keeping well and safe Cali, it must be such a scary time for you, it certainly sounds like it with what we hear over hear? I have a friend here in NZ who is American, from California and over the last few years has spent some time over there as her mother’s health deteriorated and she finally passed, her last stint would have been around six months. She has said how relieved it happened back then and not now. You used Zoom too, well done, not something I have tried yet, we usually Whats App with Mum & Dad and friends.

How are you doing Anzac, feeling OK? How’s work this week, still manic? How is Maxx reacting to you being sick? Hope the weight is still going down.

Enjoying your holidays with the boys Neil, sounds like you’re having some wet weather too? Getting any cycling in?

How’s it going Penguin, feeling OK? See the cricket test with the West Indies stuttered to a start and then got rained off, nothing like the British summer for a complete game of cricket eh? Sold the house yet? Found another one? Hope all is well.

You too Thin, I do hope everything is going well for you and your visa issues are sorting themselves out. Are you still moving about or stationery atm? Are you going to visit a hairdresser or stay with your new found boat hair?

Enough of my waffling, sorry to those I’ve missed. New weight for me this year, 75.2kgs so happy with that, so close to my first mini goal of 75! Best get out and enjoy this sunshine, stay safe everyone, hope you all get to see some sun today,

Turn

Hi all, not much to say today. It’s been an overall quiet day. Wilbur currently sleeping draped along my legs – warmest place in the house, in his estimation.

No results yet, but upper arm inflammation has reduced, which is good. Rubbing the area with a cortisone cream 3X/ day for a couple of days.

Anzac65, how are you doing now?

Penguin, how’s the house-selling/ buying progressing? Could be a bit challenging with the chemo happening as well.

Neilithicman, hope the weather has improved a bit so you and your boys can enjoy the holiday this week.

LindsayL, lucky you with doors open and not too cold, but that Rosy! Hope OH’s glasses were undamaged.

CalifDreamer, stay wise, stay safe there. The numbers are scary.

Thin, likewise, shop safely. Have you had a haircut yet?

Intesha, thinking of you and hoping you’re doing well.

Turnabout, Couldn’t you have a (small) fur friend to travel with? Or is it just easier not?

LJoyce, are you doing okay? You haven’t been online a lot lately, so I hope everything is all right.

Cinque, thank you for your kind offer of availability if needed. I should be okay. Neighbours across the street and various church friends who live local to me have offered help if I need anything, which is very kind of everyone. I expect a negative result, so once I get it, I’ll be allowed to go out again to do shopping, etc.

Quacka, GDayfromSA, Merryme, crazyartist, Klondi, thinking of you and hope you’re all doing okay.

Keep safe, keep well everyone.

Nice to hear from you LJ. Not like you to go MIA….but nice to have a busy week.

How are you managing, Cinque and Betsy? I haven’t seen the news this morning, so hoping the Victorian numbers are down. Good to hear most of the towers are now out of total lockdown.

A very good FD for me yesterday ….around 600 cals (it feels a bit odd going over 500, but I needed a little extra, and Dr Michael says 800 is the new norm, and who am I to argue?). Anyway, success….I was down by .9 this morning.

Oh Cinque, I am so so waiting for breakfast. A boiled egg and some lovely toast with promite on one half, and a little homemade marmalade on the other half (and a slice for the egg, of course).

Off to the island tomorrow, and Woolies will deliver our groceries late today so they can go straight into the boot of the car, with only the cold and frozen food to pack tomorrow before we leave home before 7. DD and family are over there, and my SIL has installed our wood burner, so we will be very toasty.

Betsy, OH’s glasses were damaged beyond repair. Not the glass, but the frames are all twisted. I hope this phase doesn’t last much longer. She is just 9 days off being one … but the setters do stay in puppy phase for a very long time.

Turn, congratulations on shifting those scales. Nothing like success to trigger more motivation. Glad too that you have had a perfect sunny day ….lifts the spirits, doesn’t it?

Betsy how is the inflammation? Any results back from your test?

Anzac, is work crazy busy again?

OK off to kindly request Miss Rose takes her bone outside, and not gnaw it on the rug. Yikes! She knows the rules …but also knows if I am typing, she can get away with murder.

Enjoy your day all.

Good morning all

Phew, what a week. Sorry for my absence and this is probably going to be a long post as I have so much to catch up on.

The last three days have been around 11 hours and I’ve been on the phone for 7-8 of those. I was running a ‘proof of concept’ where we test the solution that I have designed to make sure it holds up against real life scenarios that we run through our test environment. So I used my time wisely last Sunday and spent all day writing up the scenarios. The execution is for one of our senior testers to share his screen with me while he processes various transactions and then does edge-case things like cancellations, amendments etc. I have to sit and watch like a hawk to see if I spot any nuances or issues. Talk about a headache at the end of each day. So I haven’t fasted but I tried not to stress eat and the scales tipped up just a little. I’m happy with that given the circumstances. Now I am neck-deep in data that I need to analyse and I couldn’t be happier. That is the work I love – working on my own with more data than you can poke a stick at. I can almost hear you licking your lips LJ! I know you love this sort of detailed work too

Today – zero meetings as the product owners, project managers and other management have a 6 hour think-tank to replan. There are two words that send chills through a contractor: Replan and Restructure. If you have budget issues the first thing you do is get rid of your foc’s (filthy overpaid contractors LOL). Here’s hoping they continue to need my skills

Cinque, I am so sorry – I haven’t thanked you for those beautiful roses. How did you know that roses are my favourite flower? Glad you have had some sunshine before the rain. Same up here – yesterday was 18 and so warm and sunny. The rain is coming this afternoon and there is a deluge coming next week: Mon-Wed we are supposed to get around 100mm. Yikes! Must dig out the ark

Lindsay, my good sunglasses no longer fit snugly behind my left ear and there is a scratch on the glass. It seems glasses are a lovely fit in a large pooch’s mouth. Sigh. I have to say we are seeing almost daily improvements though. I’m probably about to jinx myself but I’ve had a hand-towel hanging on the oven since yesterday afternoon and he hasn’t nicked it. He did nick a tea towel off the bench last night but somehow it seems to have sunk in that he must not take them from the oven. He is 2 years and 9 months old so not much longer for you to wait if Rosy has the same maturity pattern (SORRY!!!!). Enjoy your island break and I’m so glad you have been able to have time with Ms 7. I am so looking forward to seeing my family for the first time this year (except for my Dad) next weekend

Thanks for the info about gall stones Lindsay, Cinque and Betsy. I think (not sure) that the abdominal CT scan checked for those but I will double check today as I’m going back to the doctor for the results of my urine test. I fear he is going to send me for a colonoscopy as I am still having some tummy issues. However the pain is mostly gone and I can only feel it when I turn a certain way.

Turn, yikes, 3 degrees! It was 7 this morning when we set off for our walk and that was cold enough thank you very much! Your adventures sound so amazing and congrats on getting so close to your next goal.

Hope you are having a nice holiday Neil and I hope the weather improved for you.

Cali that is an interesting thought about stress causing my tummy issues. Seeing that we can’t seem to find a cause it could really be that. Glad you are ok

Thin, I had to laugh at the couple that cruised by and were dazzled by the aroma of your mung bean soup. Too funny. I hope you get the visa sorted out soon

Thanks again everyone for your good wishes and healing thoughts for my recent tummy problems. It helped so much to know that you were all thinking of me.

Take care and enjoy the rest of your Friday

Good morning this cold grey Saturday,

Anzac, I am so glad I chose roses for you 🙂 I love roses too (infact my daughter’s name is Rose).

What a shocker of a week you have had, in terms of your time and energy, and hard for your health. But I don’t know that it is possible that you are overpaid. Good work! The management should know your worth. Enjoy that analysis.

Special congratulations for limiting stress eating. Such a powerful, and difficult, thing to do.

Betsy, sigh, yes, and another big number today. And, so sadly, another death.
I am glad that mask wearing is being encouraged. I didn’t make mine, I got them from here: https://www.alpersteindesigns.com.au/products/100-cotton-face-masks but I see they are sold out again. I recommend the style though.

Dauntingly, our high number of cases this week is what the U.S. is getting every 10 minutes.

Hooray to get that pruning done. You’ll enjoy their blossom soon, and hopefully their fruit, later on.

I’m girding up for a fasty fast day tomorrow. Cheers to anyone fasting today.

Good afternoon friends, from a grey and drizzly Sydney

I’m sorry to see the worsening situation in Victoria Betsy and Cinque. Please stay safe

Thanks for your kind words Cinque, I do hope I’m not overpaid! I love cooking African meals too – always so full of flavour and spice. I haven’t made one for ages so you are inspiring me to try soon – maybe tomorrow. Mr A is cooking tonight and we are having eye fillet with a mushroom and peppercorn sauce. I’m having a salad and he is having an evil hot green vegetable of some description.

I’ve just finished a big few hours of gruelling housework and whilst feeling tired I’m so glad to have a clean-ish house. As soon as I finished Maxx bounced up to me, all waggy, and wanted play time. Then Mr A came to the rescue and put the Rugby League on so of course Maxx hopped up on the couch next to him to watch. Hooray!! Peace and quiet for me and a moment to catch up with you all. Not that I don’t love playing with him but I am beat!

My latest test results show a slight infection somewhere so yep, I need to have a colonoscopy. I’ve never had one and not looking forward to it but what must be done must be done. It will be in a few weeks

Lindsay, life on your island sounds so relaxing and idyllic and you and I share a love of reading I see. However I read novels as I feel like I read enough ‘non fiction’ at work so I love to get lost in a really good story.

So glad about your negative test Betsy and that your arm is feeling better. Well done with the pruning and don’t worry about the EFS, they happen and that’s the beauty of this WOL. One or two FD’s will knock it on the head

We had a positive covid test in the suburb next to ours yesterday which is a bit scary. A Victorian visiting NSW apparently. There is also one in the Blue Mountains where my sister and nieces live. I just hope they don’t slam the visitor numbers down again before I can get up there to see them all and meet my great-nephew next Sunday.

LJ, dining out is almost impossible – I know I can never resist whatever catches my eye. I’m very glad we hardly ever go out; even pre-covid. I hope you enjoyed your day off yesterday.

Have a lovely rest of the weekend all and hi to everyone I haven’t mentioned

Evening all,

I had a good few days away and returned home to snow. The week off has gone too fast and now I’m starting to come down with a cold. I feel like crap so I’m going to try to sleep through tomorrow and hopefully I’ll be feeling well enough to go to work. It would look pretty bad if I just finished a week of holiday and then called in sick on Monday.

I missed my weigh in so I’m just skipping that week and I’ll weigh in next Wednesday. The week was up and down food-wise. Had fish and chips for my boy’s birthday and plenty of biscuits and snacks for the first three days, but the last three days I’ve eaten well and exercised for an hour a day at the gym, so hopefully it balances out.

Have a good one everyone

Good afternoon all.

For those who asked, my arm is fine now, and the flu-ey feeling went away after two days. And a kind friend bought the Thursday Age for me while I was banned from going out (against her husband arguing that I could find everything online 🙂 ) so I got my “Green Guide” for TV programs.

Quick-ish post today as there is some sun, and the garden still needs work. There are just some things which have to be done mid-winter. Before I prune the roses, I need to cover a steel frame with bird wire so it can go over one of the roses, to protect it from the possums, and fix the wiring over the others so it protects them better. I might even prune them today, even though my green bin is full. Once that and the final peach tree is pruned, I feel like I’ll be more relaxed and better able to settle to doctorate work (which has sadly not been happening yet).

LindsayL, have a lovely time again on the island. Did DD’s dinner with thyme work out okay?

Cinque, yes, sigh, back into lockdown plus masks. I actually have 2 cloth masks I brought back from China, so I’ll probably use one each time I go out, alternating them. Should work okay. I’ll only wear them when actually interacting with others, e.g., in shops, banks, etc.
Doubt if I’ll get much fruit this year, as I pruned quite rigorously. The birds and possums usually get it anyway. I did get some peaches last spring because I covered half the tree with gauze. The rest got stripped, but the peaches on the covered side were small but delicious. That’s one reason I’ve pruned hard – to ensure the tree is low enough for me to cover part of it.

Neilithicman, welcome back, but sorry you’ve caught a nasty cold. Hope it clears quickly so you can return to work.

Anzac65, great to have a clean house! And whew! Good distraction for Maxx so you could rest a bit.
Sorry to read that you’ve an infection brewing somewhere. Like Cinque, I’ve had a couple of colonoscopies. It’s the preparation beforehand that I don’t like, but it will be good for your weight loss 🙂 The colonoscopy itself? Well, you’re doped up and shouldn’t even be aware of anything.

LJoyce, lovely cake, and delicious-looking strawberries. Hope it tastes as good as it looks (I’m sure it will).

Had a NFD yesterday, so today will be a TDEE day, then back to FD on Monday. weigh-in on Saturday morning had me 100 gms over the previous Saturday so no loss but no real gain either. Will do better this coming week.

Stay safe and well everyone – especially you, CalifDreamer!

Hi Betsy, our posts crossed. Very glad to hear you are getting some sun too. Enjoy.

LJ our posts crossed. Yes, Jane Hutcheon was delightful. Such a gentle, well spoken presenter. A former foreign correspondent, if my memory serves me.

Good morning,
Yay, I made it to breakfast time, and enjoyed every bite.
Miso soup last night, but ooh African soups! (Culinary globe trotter that I am, it is Afghan soup tonight: mung bean soup out of the freezer).

Hoping you are well enough to be at work, Neil, and snuggled up at home if you are still ill.

Betsy, another cold day. What a lovely friend to bring you your green guide! How good you will feel if you got more pruning done, the branches will just sit politely until the green bin is ready for them.

Brilliant to have your masks from your time in China. Did you wear them there much? I am watching News Breakfast as I write and they have a lovely segment on people making them, and talking about which ones suit different people etc. A lovely promotion.
I’ve also been reading abut the appalling pollution coming from disposable masks. Another worry!

LJoyce, you have built yourself a birthday cake reputation that will inspire your nephews and nieces all their lives, no doubt. If you fail, it will make a wonderful family story. And lucky you have a sense of humour, as you might never hear the end of it. But you really are a good cook (it’s obvious) so let’s see at what point you have to start saying no.

Ooh yes, Jane Hutcheon’s One Plus One was such a pleasure. I especially remember her making hummus for Yotam Ottolenghi

All power to you babysitting today. Fresh activities, hooray!

Haha Lindsay, the things pets (and children) make us do! I hope the washing all got dry. Woo hoo .1 down. Is it worth a bunch of flowers? Maybe this: https://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large-5/single-white-greater-stitchwort-flower-jacky-parker-photography.jpg

Yes, I also can only bear so much news these days.

Oh dear I got my factoid wrong the other day. Big numbers do my head in.

Hoping it is not such big numbers for Melbourne today, and all my fingers and toes crossed that cases outside Melbourne don’t spread.

Thin, cheers to DD looking after herself, as well as all the precious animals. And cheers to you for keeping trim, taut and terrific.

Well, I have eaten enough breakfast, savouring every mouthful. No locks to winch to keep me occupied, but I am hoping to have a little walk today, and to re-pot the mint if it is not too cold. And wouldn’t it be nice if I started (at least) to clear my desk.

Coffee first!

Cheers all.

Good (late) evening all.

Great to read the recent posts. Miserly flower there, Cinque, for LindsayL – will you add a couple of extra flowers if she loses 0.3 kg? 🙂

Re the masks, I think I got them when I was there during the SARS epidemic, though I’m not sure that I wore them then. The main time I’ve worn them has been in the last 2 years, each time when I had the flu and had to go to the doctors’ and the ER at the local hospital, mainly to protect others. Not sure why I kept them, but having them now is useful.

LindsayL and thin, I think your DDs must have picked things up from you both even though you weren’t aware, just as we did from our mothers.

Thin, so you’ll be moving on again soon? Sounds like the waterways are busier, so will you have to book to go through specific locks, etc.?

Turnabout, surprising (not!) to read that it’s still raining there. You know that the weather fairy spotted you coming and decided it was just the time to break the drought, don’t you?! I can appreciate that in the rain, wet, smelly dog would not appeal in a small space, and re cats – very difficult to find one that enjoys travelling and isn’t likely to escape and then get lost.
By the way, I can’t imagine having to prune 100 rosebushes. My 10 are enough.

Cinque, you’re right, and I’ve actually been thinking – with Melbourne expected to be dry till Saturday, it’s a good idea to finish the pruning during this week. After the green bin is emptied on Friday, I can just fill it up again. And then the outside will be done and dusted. I’ll be very relieved.

LJoyce, I’m sure, as the cake “guru” of the family, you would be able to rise to any cake occasion. Other cooking exploits – pass them on to others 🙂

Slight decrease in Covid-19 cases today compared with the previous 3 days, so let’s hope the trend is downward, and that the outbreak in Sydney is quickly brought under control.

Okay, already late. Enjoy the week ahead.