Just some random stuff

I have either realised the following things recently, or known them for a while, but I think all are worth sharing. That and I don’t really have enough for a proper post but some of these are cool enough that should be mentioned methinks 🙃

- All my towels are folded in thirds at some point in the folding sequence. 

- I leave my wardrobe doors ajar so the monsters don’t feel trapped. 

- Chocolate self saucing pudding is so much better if you use chocolate chips instead of cocoa in the pudding part (cocoa still in the sauce part).

- Bruising a bruise is never fun nor painless. 

- My hidden mural brings me more happiness than I was expecting it too (see pic below for the mural).

- It is entirely possible, and common in my house, to decide what to cook for dinner based purely on what condiment you want to have. 

- Coke and crepe paper aren’t friends, highly recommend not dropping the end of your Christmas decoration in your cup of coke while hanging them, leads to a shorter decoration than expected lol 

- When you are slightly addicted to your fav cafes bread it’s wonderful to discover they have a bread loyalty card (like a coffee one, I get a free loaf when I buy a certain number of loaves, yay). 

- One tap dancer might seem a bit meh, but a group of them performing to a symphony style piece of music is incredible and very moving. 

No idea where the time has gone...

This post was meant to be a pre-Christmas how is your year going kind of post, then it was going to be a pre-new year wow where has the year gone post, and then it was going to be a new year we made it post and now its a well and truely in the new year post.  Atlst to me we are well and truely in the new year.  I feel like I have been in my new role for ages (I started on Monday so it's been 3 days lol).  It's not that I know everything I need to know already, cos I sure don't.  It just feels like the routine of the year is already there.  Is that a bad thing...?  I don't know, but I hope not.

So my year ended with me still not being able to do a full week of work thanks to post-covid fatigue or whatever you wanna call it.  And ok so I wasn't diagnosed with anything cos that would have meant seeing my doc and I didn't wanna be 'that' person.  Thankfully the two long wknds (which I spent very chilled) and the two short weeks seem to have helped.  While I am not all better yet I am getting there, yay.  I am confident I will make it through this week without needing any time off which is awesome.  Am I napping every night after work then doing not much in the evening, ummm yes but I am making some great progress on some craft projects which is cool.  And so long as I ignore two which I started many moons ago and have been shelved then I am almost completely up to date so mega yay there lol.

Christmas saw me and Glenny just chilling here, with a book, tv series and a bottle of wine hehe.  It was actually a struggle to drink the whole bottle in the day and I had to stop partway through as I was rather drunk.  Seems that happens when you don't really drink any more... go figure lol.  Quite by accident I seem to have started drinking loads of water, and I actually really like it.  Am not really noticing any differences but others are and I've been told I am looking better and much healthier which is always lovely to hear.  Also has meant I can buy more treat food at the stupidmarket, that I am loving hehe, esp cos I can buy some of my expensive but amazingly tasty treats on a more regular basis, YAY lol.

New Years wknd Mum and Dad came over for a few nights, and Bro made a day trip over.  Did we do much, no not really but it was lovely all the same.  We did go out for dinner, to our fav Indian place in Havelock North om nom nom.  Dad and I got up for the sunrise on New Years morning as well.  Bit cloudy and probably not the best I've ever seen but it was quite cool in the sense it was very similar to the sunrise Mark got up and saw in Scotland.  I am taking that to be a sign that 2024 aint gonna suck lol.

Also here is my reading summary for 2023, with a lovely pic/graph with genres splits:
Total books - 54
Total pages read - 20,692
Shortest book - 105 pages
Longest book - 871 pages (Wilbur Smith, shock horror lol)
Average book length - 383 pages

Some other pics for your enjoyment :)

Work gave me a lovely bunch of flowers when I left the SMO Admin team 

Glenny and I celebrated 33 years together on Sunday, we have fun together as I'm sure the photo collage shows

Some rando watching the sunrise... (hehe I know its dad so not a total rando)

Another weirdness in my gluten free life

I have been reacting to the plasters that I wear in the last few months, and while it is annoying I didn't really think too much of it.  Then last night I decided to Google if they were gluten free, for a bit of a laugh cos come on why wouldn't they be.  Well it turns out that the brand I like is not gluten free!! I mean what on earth... How is that even possible??!!  But according to Google the companies response to is it gluten free is 'not gluten-free', and according to the celiac forums I am not the only one reacting to this brand.  The good news is that most others seem ok with other brands, just not Band-Aid brand, so I should be all good to just find another brand I like.  A few can only handle medical tape, though am guessing they are reacting to something else as well, not just gluten.

But yeah, just when you think life can't get any more complicated or weird something like this comes along and shows you that oh yes it can.

On the bright note I am finally back to my old average pace for 5km, being 6 minute kilometres.  So I am happy with that and it gives me to confidence to push for further :) just no falling over till I find me some new plasters lol.

Some creative goodness for your Sunday

I have been doing a bit of creative stuff lately, its the WI arts festival on Friday which is the main driver for most the stuff I've been making but I am also doing it cos I want to and its fun.  Thought I would share some of the things I am most proud of with you all :)

1: This is a dress that I finished off today, am very pleased with how it fits and looks on.  Cannot wait to wear it, so bring back some warm weather please lol.

2: This cloak/coat I made from two old woollen blankets.  It is the first time I have ever made bound buttonholes and while a couple of them leave room for improvement I am still very happy with my effort. And also can't wait to wear it though its very warm so need some cold weather for this one, that can wait tho I think, just for a little while...

3: It took me almost exactly 6 months to knit myself this jumper, then about another 6 weeks to get round to sewing it together lol.  I am not a fan of sewing up knitting or crocheting.

4: This is a vest I made for Henry, he's 1.  So I know he'll like it cos he's too young to know any different (atlst in my mind he is hehe).

5: And this jumper was made using leftover fabric from two jumpers I made myself last winter and is for the only small human I kinda like.  She has seen a photo and loves it which is cool.  She also can't believe her Aunty Jilly made it which is cooler lol.

A gluten free update you didn't know you needed

Late last year I went to see a celiac specialist, figured why not since no one else seems to have any idea why things are so wonky with me health wise, what's one more persons lack of ideas to add to the list, or wishful thinking maybe someone does have an idea, and how awesome would that be if that happened. 

Well she had an idea yet it was one I didn't really like the sound of... and that was to go back onto a strict gluten free diet.  Now I am sure some of you are sitting there thinking but you are good at being gluten free.  Haha yeah not so much sadly.  I am good at it for someone who is intolerant but not for someone with celiacs, as I learnt from Ana (the specialist).  Zero cross contamination is allowed so that means no eating out anywhere that doesn't have a seperate prep area and seperate cooking implements (pots, pans, bowls, stirring stuff, chopping boards etc) for my stuff.  And that includes friends and families places.  So big thanks to those family and friends that I told about this and went and got me my own set of stuff so they can cook for me, and bro who cooks for me at mine sometimes cos its just easier.  Gotta say it is weird basically saying to friends that they can't cook for you unless they buy this extra stuff and then don't use it for anything else but cooking for you.  Does make one feel loved when they don't even blink and just go of course and no you don't have to pay me back.

I didn't start this strict gluten free thing till this year, but I did start doing it a bit last year, kinda lol.  Now though I am about 3 weeks into the strict thing and just gotta say that I miss Jarks, and am over cooking so much.  It is hard work cooking most nights, and the hardest part is the what shall I have part I think.  So don't care what I eat most nights but still have to figure something out to cook.  

It will take about 3 months for any changes to really take effect (that's how long even trace amounts of gluten stay in your system), so still have a ways to go before I know if its working but my fingers are crossed.  Ana is pretty positive it will fix the energy issues and thinks it might even fix the hands issue (I did not know this till she sent me the info to read but constantly having small/trace amounts of gluten over a long period of time for a celiac can lead to arthritis like symptoms which when tested for that the tests come back negative, cos its not arthritis).  So fingers are def crossed for something to happen in the positive.

While I would love this to fix everything I am going to be a tad pissed if it does, but mostly cos in the last 5 odd years that I have been having these issues not one single doctor has asked how my gluten free diet is going and how strict it is.  In fact in the last decade of me being gluten free no one has asked me that in a medical sense.  If this could have been stopped sooner and with less stress on my part (waiting to see specialists with all the what-ifs going round your mind is not fun in my experience) that will be a bit annoying.  It will also be annoying to find out that I have been the one causing myself to not be able to do things I love... that will just be sucky as.

So yeah, the HB Gluten Free Fish & Chip Adventure has been called to a premature halt.  But on the bright note there are a couple places I can eat out so it's not a total end of the world.  And I've discovered that I can actually make a pretty good steak, and my wedges are pretty amazing (and will be even more so when I am patient enough to let the potatoes cook properly lol).  I can even make pretty good mashed potato these days (stop laughing ppl who have known me for ages and ages), so I guess its not all that bad... lol

2022 in books

As has become a thing in the last few years here is my last year in books (as according to GoodReads anyhow lol) 

Total books read - 70

Total pages read - 22,976

Shortest book - 71 pages (it was a play)

Longest book - 672 pages (surprisingly enough it wasn't either of the Wilbur Smith books I read)

Average Length of book - 328 pages

Here is the breakdown by genre (my genre grouping, not GoodReads so some might be grouped diff to how others would do it lol):

Fantasy - 24

Chick-Lit - 14

Non-Fic - 7

Sci-Fi - 6

Historic Fic - 6

Thriller - 5

Child/Gen Lit - 5

Classic - 3

A Before and an After

This was a joint project, with me and Doffy, that I actually remembered to take a before photo of before we started (purely cos Dof asked for one lol).  And thanks to that I can now do a before and after for you all :)

So Doffy was cool and he did the complicated part, the me going I want my bench seat to be a chair and a table can you make that happen?  And the answer was yes (like I suspected it would be if I asked hehe) and to me it wasn't all that complicated, prob cos I wasn't around for most of it lol.  Doffy might have another side to tell about how complicated/hard/frustrating it was to do... 

Once he had done his part I enjoyed sitting on it a few times, but then one day decided that it was a bit old and faded looking and the arms needed sanding anyhow cos the sun had made them dry and rough.  And if you are going to the effort of sanding you might as well then paint, cept I didn't want it painted cos that wouldn't be the look I wanted, then I found a tin of leftover stain in the shed and so that's what I used.  Used it all up in a couple coats on the chair so had to buy more, did I buy a logical amount... corse not, I bought a way bigger tin than I needed but then I wouldn't be me if I didn't over estimate when it comes to paint/stain lol.

Anyhow here is the finished product, it looks pretty cool I think <3 (ps that's a heart for those who don't speak old school emoji hehe). 

Some things I learnt last year...

Decorating a lemon tree is just an exercise in getting stabbed multiple times

Changing name by deed poll is basically just a scam, but I would still do it

Paying yourself to do chores makes them more fun

Busing to work is actually not too bad, and saves way more money than expected 

I like black olives, whoda thunked it lol

Peter Pan had the right idea, growing up comes with so many catches it’s prob best avoided (never ending dishes for one)

Even my bear thinks I’m amazing so it must be true hehe

Set building is super fun, esp when they let you loose on the big as table saw brrrrrmmm lol

Colouring btwn the lines is basically impossible when listening to Bruce Springsteen, and Dire Straits, and Steve Earle, and Cindi Lauper, and Eagles, and so many others 

So far, EIT looks real pretty any time of year 

Burning a Holden jacket is mega fun

Marshmallow with cheese on crackers is amazing (yes it is, don't just screw up your nose)

Christchurch has an amazing riverside market

Helicopters are fun things to ride in

Study is only fun when it’s a topic you chose to study 

Belonging to 3 book groups is fun till 2 decide to meet on the same night each month which is a pain and it makes you have to pick one

And I think I have already forgotten a fair chunk of last year..... (whoops)

Ken ain't a bad photographer....

Just thought I would share these pics with you, courtesy of Mr Ken Morrison and his handy camera of course :)
Note: both photos were taken in the last few days, just if you were wondering.  And yes I have been good enough to get a pressie from Santa this year, and no I was not working when the other one was taken lol

32nd trip around the sun

I have had a pretty sweet 32nd trip around the sun. The trip started off in Scotland, then after a couple months moved through Ireland, Wales, England and on to New Zealand for the last 8ish months of the trip. It's seen me hanging with my new friends in Edinburgh then making a bunch of new ones along my travels and finally home to my old friends and amazing family, all of who I've been lucky enough to catch up with since arriving home. It's seen me go back to study and get back into crochet and sewing, even betting mum at sewing a child's garment in the arts show :) that was very cool. This past year I have also discovered there is kid out there I am happy to tolerate, so not sure how that happened but it did. 

And I just wanna say a big thanks everyone who helped make the trip such an amazing one and bring on the next one :) 

(My) Inglewood in black and white

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday lunchtime treat :)