things that make you go February 28, 2009

Aahhhhh.

It's never fun waking up in the middle of the night with a leg cramp. There's no gradual, gentle waking. One minute you're asleep, and the next second you're wide awake with this vice like grip on your leg. So you do a little lest and try to move your foot in the right direction to stretch it out. But one move in the wrong direction and you're stuffed. You're a goner. I had a shocker last night. Right in the calf muscle. And after it had released it's grip I tried to stand up to get a drink and every time I put that foot on the ground it just wanted to go again. This morning when I got up it felt as if someone had given my leg a good beating with a metal pole.

I didn't think I would be able to climb up and down a ladder all day so I thought I'd have to put off the painting.

I don't think I've complained about painting for a couple of days. So I'll do that now as well. Although I'm not really complaining because the end is in sight. I think I'll finish tomorrow. It's been a massive job. So I won't bother complaining, I'll just say that gripping a paintbrush for 5 or 6 hours every day for 5 weeks is not good for arthritic fingers. I think my pinkie is permanently paralysed into a curled position.

But the three bedrooms are looking spectacular. Lizzies in particular. She's just waiting on her blinds now and she's done. Photos coming when I can lift my arms to use the camera.

It looks much better than it did at this stage. When it was like this and she was in there laying on her matress she looked a bit like Cinderalla. Looked like we might lock her in there each night. Mind you, she could've put a sheet on. That would've looked much better.

 

Cinderella

 

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

QotD: Unexpected Dinner Guests February 26, 2009

You have four unexpected guests showing up for dinner in less than an hour, you haven't been to the store in days, and you want to impress them with a delicious meal. What do you serve them?

Well I'd serve them a slab of mexican bean lasagne, with some corn and avacado salad and their choice of garlic or cheese and herb bread. Then they could have a slice of frozen praline meringue torte. (Sorry I finished the lemon meringue pie off yesterday).

On Tuesday, when I cooked daz his birthday dinner, I made enough lasagne for roughly 200 people. Jem supplied enough garlic bread to match. ( I keep finding little foil parcels of leftover bread in my fridge and freezer.)

So we had leftover lasagne for dinner on Wednesday and Thursday, but this morning I said to Daz, I don't think I can eat it another night. (Although I just did have a spoonful while standing at the fridge).

So come on over. The torte is especially delicious.

By the way – what is Monterey Jack cheese? My lasagne recipe has it in it as well as parmeson and tasty cheddar. But I've always just used mozzarella instead of the jack. What would I replace it with?

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

The Painting Game

Have I mentioned that I hate painting ceilings?

Patterned tin ceilings. That you have to dab dab dab the paint into. With undercoat, then two coats of colour.

Sigh.

I've done my room, Lizzies room and now I'm onto Lloyds room.

And while I've been painting I've been listening to the television. And I can not believe the shit that is on day time tv. And all those informercials. Does anyone even buy any of that stuff?

Today I was on the ladder painting and I started laughing so hard I had to get down.

It was an advert for a skin care range called meaningful beauty. (As opposed to the unmeaningful type I suppose). And there is a doctor, who is such an expert in the beauty industry that he is called the youth guru. And apparently he is so good that you can spend three hours sitting in his waiting room, waiting to see him. If you were so inclined. I guess he doesn't make appointments.

But I know his secret.

It's a melon.

A rare melon mind you. Grown in the south of France. With SUPER antioxiants. And they have taken these super melon antioxiants, and put them in a cream that you only have to pay a small fortune for, to put on your face.

And it's funny. Because last night I was watching Rick Steins French Oddyssey cooking show. And he was in France as well.

Eating melon.

Just standing in the melon field, with a knife, slicing the fresh melon and eating it.

And he took a melon back to the farmhouse and he made a salad. With melon, tomato, bocconcini cheese and fresh herbs, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

And I reckon it was ten times, fifty times, better for your skin than any cream could be.

And even though I was laughing, I felt sorry for all those women who believe the hype.

 

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

my name is cat February 24, 2009

Yep, my name is Cat, and I am an addict.

Ahh, there, I feel better already.

Yes, I have an addiction. An addiction to eye drops.

I don't know how it all started, but like most things I guess one thing just led to another and now here I am, twenty years on, hooked.

I think it started with Visine, then I moved on to Naphcon-A. Once I even found a prescription in the cupboard that belonged to one of the kids when they had conjunctivitis and I had it filled and used them. UntilI found myself dropping four or five times a day.

I had little bottles in my bag and a special container in the fridge to hold all the varieties I had.

But last week I decided enough was enough. Come Monday I said, I will not use eyedrops again. And I haven't. Two and a half days – no eyedrops. I did buy some Genteal drops which are just a saline solution, just in case I felt the need. But I haven't so far. Anyway, thats like going on the methadone programme. Replacing one addiction with another one.

My eyes just always feel so dry. And itchy sometimes. The optometerist told me I don't produce enough tears. I am dry eyed. And I got a splinter in my eyeball once and I think the dropping increased after that.

And once when I was about 14, I was at a softball gala day and my eyeballs got really badly sun burnt. I did a lot of sun damage to myself back then. And now I have pterygium (have had for about 20 years now). It's like scar tissue that grows from the corner of your eye towards the cornea. And although they're not dangerous, they can get red and dry.

So from now on I'm saving the drops for special occasions only.

Just another reason people why you should stay out of the sun.

And wear a good pair of sunnies. 

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

born to be wild February 23, 2009

You know who the craziest freaks on the road are?

Those old people who drive scooters.

They really shouldn't just be set loose on those things. They should have to pass a test. My father drives one and the thought of him out there crossing highways makes me laugh. In a slightly manic way.

I was just driving straight through the car park and I saw this guy coming on an angle from my right – and I could tell he was trying to beat me to the stop sign. Don't worry, I didn't let him.

Last week I was sitting at the pub and saw a guy on his come flying up the one way street, the wrong way of course. And they never stop to check for cars reversing out of driveways.

They fly that little flag on the back as if it gives them total road rights. They seem to think everyone has to give way to them.

Crazy crazy dudes.

Well I'm off to cook my first dinner party meal – Frozen Praline Meringue Torte. Lucky the ice cream has to be softened – had to wait so long in the post office line it should be right to go.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

weekend review

Well I'm back, and I'm 45. Which actually doesn't feel much different than 44 did.

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes – much appreciated.

I am only slightly sunburnt. That bit in the centre of your back that you can't reach. You sort of get sunburnt with scraggly finger marks on you.

We went with Jem and her crew because her husbands birthday is today and my husbands birthday is tomorrow, so we try to make a weekend out of it each year.

This is the beach we were at, it's good for kids. We were at the central coast (about an hours drive south of Sydney).

 

Beach

 

Now I know it looks like you have to swim half way to China to get some water past your knees, but when they take a couple of more steps they'll be in over their heads. Drops away very suddenly to deep water.

 

Swimming

 

Here I am with Lloyd. Who has turned into some kind of camera slut. He just can't have enough photos taken of himself. A couple of Jems gang in the background.

 

With-lloyd

 

Then we went to the pub for lunch. Where several people walked past and said – Do you own that little boy out there?

 

Anyone-own-this-boy

 

Thats Jems son,  he was wet and cold so we told him to go out and sit in the sun to warm up. But we were told that The Bar Staff said he couldn't sit there on his own. Well he wasn't really sitting, but we could see him and he wasn't running around. Actually the way she said it we thought she said The Master said he couldn't lie out there. But we went and joined him anyway.

 

Watching-the-boy

 

Then I don't know what we did. But we went out for dinner that night at the Club. Here I am with Lizzie ready to roll.

 

Ready-for-dinner

 

And here is Lloyds pizza. It was called the Outback Meatlovers. But when I was reading the menu I thought it said Outback Leftovers. Thought it was some kind of roadkill diner we were in.

 

Outback-meatlovers

 

And to wash it down, some slushies. I think they were blue lagoon, margarita and fruit tingle. Mine was the margarita, I always try to go for the least colourful drink – not so sweet. They weren't bad actually, except there were a few brain freezes.

 

Brain-freeze

 

Then we ended the night on cake. 

 

Cake

 

The next night we had curry for dinner. Daz tried to be a smarty pants and ordered his curry extra hot. This is him when he was eating his dinner. After he went blind.

 

Curry-night

 

Kimba couldn't come with us this year. She had to stay home and look after Chicken Little. Seen here realxing upside down on the lounge.

 

Chickie

So its out for dinner again tonight, then dinner party here tomorrow night, then we're all done and dusted for another year. 

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Happy Birthday February 19, 2009

 

 

Birthday-girl

 

And don't forget it's national Hoodie Hoo day everyone. Yep, Later on tonight I'll be waving my hands in the air, like I just don't care, hoodie hooing.

I'm off for what looks like it could be a wet weekend by the sea. But that doesn't bother me because I'm more of a walker by the sea and a watcher of the sea than a swimmer in the sea.

Off to buy snacks.

Hip Hip Hooray.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

rose coloured glasses February 18, 2009

A long time ago I knew this girl. She was a heroin addict, a runaway and a prostitute, so she was kind of messed up. And she always wore these rose coloured glasses with very strong prescription lens in them that she found somewhere. And when you put them on, all you could see was a pink coloured fuzziness. And thats how she liked to see the world. And I've been thinking of her lately. Ever since I got myself a pair of progressive lens to put in my frames. My god, they take some getting used to. The first day you have them on you feel like you're moon walking. Taking these huge high slow steps. I said to the optomoterist – so I can drive in these, and she's all, yes, yes. But there's no way I'd be game. I had a woman here last week to measure the windows for blinds and she turned around and walked straight into the door. Bloody new glasses she said. Are they progressive lens, said I? So I went back to the optometerist and said, I want my reading lens put back in, I'll put the others in some cheap frames until I get used to them. So now I wear my reading glasses all the time. And when I look at anything further than arms distance away every thing is fuzzy. Funny how quickly you become used to it. My own rose coloured glasses.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Vox Hunt: I Love… February 16, 2009

Show us someone you love.

Here are my parents on their weding day. Fifty something years ago.  And really you can't help but love them. Actually they should do a reality tv show on them. I don't know what will finally kill them but it will be something piffling and ridiculous. An infected ingrown hair or something. Because you can't kill them with the big ones. Cancer, strokes, replaced hips and knees, major surgeries – bring 'em on. They are the toughest old pair of buzzards you will ever meet. And I can only kneel down and kiss the ground in thanks that I have their genes running through me.

I often wonder what it is that they have in common. But I guess thats it. Determination, grit, pigheadedness. And a sense of humour. Definitely a sense of humour.

 

Wedding

 

And here they are at their grandsons wedding last year. Walkers, wheelchairs – no stopping them. lol, what a pair. And always a drink. I don't know anyone else that loves a scotch or a wine more than my parents. Every day at noon, it's drink time. It comes around again at 5pm. 

 

Wedding-2

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

the dowagers hump February 15, 2009

I saw a woman today with the most pronounced dowagers hump I've ever seen. And I hang around with a lot of old people.

Her body was a hairpin bend.

Her head was trying to do a U turn.

She was crossing the road and I'm not sure how she could even see it was safe to cross. She couldn't possibly look straight ahead.

And I sat there watching her sending a message to myself

eat more calcium

eat more calcium

eat more calcium

Because I don't eat dairy. It aggravates The Wierd Undiagnosed Throat Problem that I have. (Which has been particularly bad this weekend I'm sure due to the consumption of a chocolate sundae on friday night).

However I do have calcium supplements. The bottle sits on my kitchen bench where I forget to take them every day. And I know I just have to get into the habit of taking them. It just has to become a habit. A teacher once told Lizzie you have to do something 50 times before it becomes a habit. I guess unless it's heroin or crack, then I'd seriously reduce that number.

Although a doctor once told me that calcium is only a very small part of bone health. Exercise is more important. Weight bearing exercise. When you work your muscles, they pull on the bones and that makes the bones strengthen. I will be highly suprised if I ever break a leg bone. My thigh muscles are huge. I've been cycling a lot and the other day I tried on a pair of jeans that hadn't fit me for a while and although they now fit me around the waist, they are very snug around the thighs.

And I did drink a lot of milk as a child. And they say thats important. We had a guernsey cow that Dad used to milk every morning. He used to set off with the dog, with some fat wrapped in a tissue. He'd rub the fat on the teats of the cow – who's name was Guernsey – then throw the tissue with the smeared fat on it to the dog. Then he'd fill a large silver pail with milk and brink it back. We used to let it sit overnight so the cream rose to the top. And then we drank it. No homogenised, pasturised in our house. Just fresh milk. So I hope I banked up a fair slab of calcium from that.

But yes, ladies, exercise, up the calcium intake and remember,

SQUEEZE your shoulders back every time you think of it.

SQUEEZE.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend