I'm having a festive moment - just thought I'd get in early!

Ha ha!

I may not keep it - let me know if it takes a gazillion years to load....

Since Captain Snot Box is off work with the flu and hogging the desktop - I have been posting on the laptop unable to scan photos to do my Small Man post......just yet...

G
xx

Ups and Downs

So, another week almost over.

Edging closer to Christmas........eeek!

I am still struggling physically.

I can't seem to shake it off.

Everything feels too hard at the moment - and I hate it.

I have all the stamina of a bowl of jelly - big time.

Big A has the flu - again.

Picked up at work from 'those that go to work with anything, and spread it around like wildfire'.
Don't they think?

It will be a miracle if I don't get it - poor thing has been coughing, and coughing, and coughing......all night.
Which probably has a lot to do with my current state - but then again it's been hanging around for the last few weeks.

I took Z17 to the GP on Tuesday - he informs me he is away next week - bugger - I'll ring and make an appointment for the following week anyway - but I'm SO used to being told there's nothing that can be done it's really off putting.
I will get the allergy tests done though - if I could ever get an appointment.

Mums retirement morning tea was lovely.
She was given a beautiful gold watch with a subtle touch of 'bling' (a few tiny diamonds - truly gorgeous and just the right choice for her), and a stunning gold bracelet also perfect for her.
The room was full - almost all of the staff came to the tea room to wish her well - some took it in turns manning the front desk.
Some of the ladies were in tears....it was really touching.
Her boss gave a short speech and said she was 'like a mother to everyone' that was sweet.

Mum gave a short speech also - she didn't need to use much of my speech as she had been and spoken with everyone she wanted to the day before, and thanked them personally.
In lieu of flowers she requested a donation to Ronald McDonald house in Victoria (they took such loving care of our family when Steph was in Melbourne Royal Children's Hospital) - I thought that was lovely - and very 'Mum'.

Small Man has had a slight weight gain this week - I knew it would be a gain - so was at least able to prepare him for it.
He seemed o.k. about it - I expected this after his Birthday, Pizza and Cheesecake! But then the gain may well have been greater without the Xenical.
Until this weigh in he had lost between 5 - 6kg (11 - 13lb) - which is pretty impressive!
That's o.k. - we are going to try harder this week, and catch up!

On the work front - BBB (big, big boss) has promised our region a huge party if we can exceed $60,000 in sales any week before Christmas - and....shhh it's not official yet.....we may well have cracked it this week - WOO HOO!!
Since I have already organised a big Christmas party for half of the state on the 19th December I would be happy with a contribution towards that!
And for BBB to attend of course - now that would be very special!
He is a lovely, lovely man - and our people would feel very privileged to be able to meet him.

Fingers crossed!

So that's about it from me - I'm hoping to find my spark somewhere.....SOON.

G
xxx

Very Mixed Messages.....

It occured to me last night whilst watching my usual gamut of programs on Austar just what mixed messages the collection of some of these shows are sending!

Starting with Supersize versus Superskinny - o.k. a good concept to pair up a supersize with a superskinny person - swap their diets for a few days and see what they can learn from each other. I watched this for the first time last night and thought it was pretty good.

Then there is that annoying 'poo' obsessed woman on 'You Are What You Eat' that in my opinion doesn't look that healthy. Yes the show is quite good and any change in lifestyle for some of these people is great - their diets are beyond ridiculous. There is much to be learnt about a healthy diet and exercise from watching this.

BUT THEN......

You get the "How To Look Good Naked" series - showing you how to dress regardless of your size and encouraging you to flaunt it.....hmmm.....in public....uh nuh!

AND THEN...

'Trinny and Susannah' and their series of shows on 'What Not To Wear' - also very imformative programmes on how to dress for you body type - what to wear to look slimmer etc. I like this show and have learnt a lot from it.......

BUT....

At the end of it I'm confused - am I meant to be losing weight.....or just throwing on some slimming undies and forgetting about it?????


Has anyone else noticed this....or do I just watch WAY too much Austar when I should be in bed??

G
xxx

p.s. Small Man had a lovely 14th Birthday Saturday - I didn't forget to post I just didn't have time to scan photos and do the post I wanted to - so will do a very special birthday post in the next few days xx

Would You....??

I was sitting in the car park at Hungry Jacks last week, after dropping Z17 off to work and was waiting for one of my ladies.

Two young girls were sitting in their car straight opposite me.
They finished their HJ's and sat there for a few minutes giggling and tooting the horn occasionally just be be annoying.
The next thing they wind down the passenger window and proceed to drop two HJ's paper bags full of rubbish onto the ground next to their car.
They then sit there a few minutes longer before driving off.

I was livid!!!

I took the registration number, make/model/colour of the car.

Don't people realise someone has to come along and pick that up?

Namely the young people that are actually getting off their arses and working,
this is the first job they have in the morning - to pick up all of the rubbish that slack, lazy, thoughtless idiots have dumped overnight.

I remember hearing about 'dob in a litterbug' so after much googling found a link, and emailed the correct contact.
They have replied with a form for me to fill out and submit electronically.
The only catch is that I have to agree to go to court if the need should arise, and sign an affidavit - which is fine, but court????
I haven't submitted the form yet.

Would you??

I would actually prefer to make them pick up rubbish for the council for a day/morning/whatever than a fine - that doesn't teach them much - lazy little cows.

The thing that got me the most is that there is a rubbish bin less than ten metres away.

Grrr!

G
xxx

Allergy....Intolerance...whatever...

The last few days have been terrible.

These food intolerances are getting worse, and the trouble is I have no idea what the latest culprit is.

The definite list is: Almonds - allergic: Eggs, Coffee, Avocado - intolerant :( I love avocado......

Wednesday night we had grilled steak, mashed potato, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots for tea.

An hour and a half later I tried to pack my order.

Within 20 minutes I was ill.

Sweating, pale, shaking, horrible pain in my stomach and really nauseous.

I had to stop packing or risk throwing up in one of their boxes!

So after lying down for an hour and a half, then picking Z17 up from work I managed to get it done by midnight.

This is getting ridiculous.

I felt like this only not as bad on Monday and Tuesday as well.

Now no-one can say it's stress, as my major stresser has gone, we are a bit better off financially, Small Man is doing well at distance ed, Z17 has finished college and next year is all worked out, work couldn't be better....

It can't/shouldn't be wheat, I had toast late Wednesday night after I started to feel better (bugger the weight I felt sooooo unwell), and have had chicken burritos twice this week (I had them last night knowing I was o.k. with them last time) and nothing happened.
Cheese must be o.k.
Lettuce and tomato must be o.k.

So.

I guess I'll have to give in and go and get allergy testing done.
I'm assuming my GP can organise this.

I felt so bad Wednesday night I was too scared to eat Thursday just in case (luckily I had a few meal replacement shakes left) - well, I could only do that for so long eh!

Whinge whinge......

It's just an awful feeling, like Russian roulette.....just eating tea - I don't do living on the edge - no thanks!!!

So there's another appointment for me to make - bah - have made a Paed appointment for Z17, a GP appointment for Z17, dentist appointments for both boys and organised a prescription repeat over the phone AGAIN (they hadn't done this one from over a week ago when I first rang....) and that's just this week.

Moan moan!

G
xxx

Speech......less

Mum has asked me to write a speech for her retirement - next Friday!

I have the basic gist of what I want to say - but I'm stuck on an opening.....

I know the opening should be some sort of welcome/thank you/good morning type thing but...how do I put it best?

I want to then go on to say something along the lines of "When faced with the challenge of summing up my time here in a few words I was....."

"I feel fortunate to have had such an amazing, diverse group of people to work with over the years, especially Mary/Joe/Bob etc for their humour/patience/entertainment etc and Brenda/Kath/Jim etc for being supportive/kind/thoughtful etc and so on.....

I'm not going to fill it all in, some of it needs to be Mums words.
I show/say how I feel a bit more than Mum does.
When AW left my team a few months ago I was hardly able to speak with emotion!
Mum is sweet, kind, gentle and caring but doesn't wear her heart on her sleeve if you know what I mean.


So any ideas would be greatly appreciated.......!

G
xxx

Home Alone

That right!

Yep

I'm here - all by myself!

And have been since 11am.

No big deal you say?

It is when it's the first time in months!

Big A is at work and not home until 8.30pm,
Z17 is also at work and not home until 7pm,
Small Man has gone to the lakes with Grandma until Sunday.....

And haven't I 'got some stuff done'

Many, many small jobs and extras that I need a clear mind to achieve.

I do miss my 'baby' though......and would never wish him away - but the break will be good for both of us.

He'll be 14 next Saturday.

I hope 14 is going to be luckier for him than 13 has been......

G
xx

Worrying

This week has been a major whirlwind - thankfully the lethargy didn't catch up with me until this afternoon.

Tuesday was all planned - new boss was due to arrive at around 11am - long story short her flight was cancelled and she didn't arrive here until 8.30pm - the team were all here and I'd organised the xmas function already - which she was thrilled about.
I then spent the rest of the evening with her, her luggage had been lost as well so she drove me to pick Z17 up from work at 11pm - we then ducked into Coles to buy her a toothbrush and toothpaste!
My order was delayed by 24hours on top of it all.

Wednesday morning I spent with new boss, then came home to wait for the courier while she went to Wynyard for the day.
Order arrived at midday.
It was pretty hot by then in my garage!

I was half way through sorting the order when the Big A came out to the garage with the phone in his hand - in tears.

His Dad has a brain tumour.

It's an acoustic neuroma - located in the ear region - and from what I can gather a 'better' place to get a tumour if you're going to get a brain tumour - BUT any brain surgery is a worry.
We won't know any more until next week when he meets with the surgeon.

While I'm not exactly close to his family (not by my choice) - I'm probably closest to his Dad, as is Big A.
This has dredged up a lot of emotions for Big A - and it hurts me to see him struggling with them.
Big A has planned to go over if his Dad is to have surgery (they are in Melbourne)- to keep things with his mother and sister 'under control'.


Wednesday night I met with new boss again - she took me out for tea and we finished everything we were supposed to do Tuesday. It's nice to have my opinion valued and to be able to just 'get on with it'. I stayed until 10.45pm last night - then went and picked up Z17 from work - he was running 3/4 of an hour late so it was another late night.

This morning was my usual trip to see my ladies for their weekly meeting.
By the time I got home I was hungry, tired and could feel a migraine coming (it's very overcast/muggy/trying to rain here today).
So I slept, and slept from 2.30pm til 5.30pm.

Small Man is going up to Mum and SF's shack at the lakes for the weekend.
It will be good for him to get out of the house for a few days.
Big A is on day shift - so it'll be just Z17 and I.
The xenical appears to have decreased Small Man's appetite (either that or it's that the weather has warmed up) - I can see that he is losing weight just by looking at him - weigh in day tomorrow - I am hoping for even a small loss weekly to keep him motivated....we'll see...

G
xx

I just saw a shooting star.....

Haven't seen one of those in a long time.....

G
xxx

Well...!

I managed to be up before 8am yesterday (Saturday) - and was up at 7am this morning - I know.....the horror! It's almost unheard of for me to be up this early on the weekend.....

I had one of my ladies coming to pick her order up yesterday - and it had to be by 9am...so....

I then spent a few hours tackling the wilderness that is my garden.
I managed to get a lot done (not that anyone else would probably notice), I worked flat out and was pleased I didn't get ravaged by snakes in the process.

Our block is almost an acre, it is only partly landscaped.
We have a large fenced off section at the top of the block which used to be home to Banjo - our sheep.
We aren't planning on getting another sheep - so we are looking at our options for the area.
Three block slopes upwards and is on three levels - I'd like to dig into the top level far back enough to make a nice flat good sized area that could be decked or paved for 'outdoor living'.
We don't have a 'back lawn' only a front one - the back yard is currently a paved area between the house and a rock retaining wall - the yard then slopes up to the fenced sheep area, which is relatively flat.
This will take a lot of work to achieve - but that's o.k. with me!
Not to mention the excavation costs....

I am hosting a meeting Tuesday night for work, to plan our Christmas function etc.
So I have been having a little 'spring clean' catch up on dusting and bathrooms - just the vacuuming and a few little jobs to go - my most hated chore - vacuuming (even with a Dyson) where are those fairies when you need them?
At least I don't have to cook for two days prior to the meeting this time.
New boss thought my idea of Chinese takeaway or something was an excellent one,
and having the meeting at night time when people are actually available equally good.
We're going to get along fine.
It is so good to work with someone as like minded, realistic and flexible as she is.

This morning I was up early as Z17 started work at 9am - we leave home 25 minutes before he starts to ensure we are there 10 minutes before his start time, as they request.
He's finishing at 2pm today - so no late night trips out tonight for a change!

We have a few things to chase up for college tomorrow.
So we'll have a trip in there tomorrow to drop things off and enquire about next year.
Then Z17 can relax for a minute.
I am actually a lot more relaxed knowing that he's finished - just the report to be received - and I have no idea what to expect.......

So that's it for me, just the usual!

G
xxx

An erection...and things

Indeed!

We erected a fabulous new green 5m x 5m shade sail in the back yard today....
It will be great for summer!

I canned my last post....about naughty boys and websites about principals that caused a whole lot of trouble earlier this year....only for said websites to be resurrected within the last 24 hours.....I should add that Z17 was not involved this time.....

Small Man has now lost at least 2kg.
I say 'at least' because I had only weighed him about 10 - 14 days before the Xenical arrived, but hadn't weighed him since then, or actually on the first day he started the Xenical....so he may have lost more.
I will be happy if he continues at this rate - he's only taken it for 8 full days and two half days....
it says in the directions that weight loss doesn't usually start for approx two weeks!

Aside from erecting the shade sail I've had a much easier day today......


G
xxx

Arduous...

It's been a long and challenging day.

The phones haven't stopped, mobile, home phone, work phone - including an hour talking to one of Z17's teachers about 'things'....*sigh*

In the middle of this I had three meetings with team members, delivered and collected Z17 to and from college, dropped in to his work placement to collect his folder (which they hadn't filled in), read and replied to emails, got some groceries, did washing, made bed, talked to a friend of the boys that they hadn't seen in ages - he called around today in the middle of the chaos, returned a phone call that I wasn't able to take with one of my ladies here, cooked dinner (a few times - Big A day shift today gets home at 8.30pm), took friend home, went to post office to collect parcel, cleaned kitchen - not all necessarily in that order!....and am now cooking a late dinner for Small Man.......

I may go to bed early.
I think I've earnt myself an easier day tomorrow.

G
xxx

To finish the day on a good note.....(or it may actually be start the day as it's after midnight)....

Z17 was given a CA (commendable achievement) for his major project in 3D Computer Graphics today.

So it was well worth the 22 hours or so 'rendering' his ummm thing he'd made into a video.....with some subtle pushing from me to get it finished.

'Night All

G
xx

Off With Yer Head....

I should be updating more often....

But with frantic pre-Christmas sales, recruiting, mapping, Christmas functions to organise, meetings next week AND a stressed out 17 year old in his final week of college who leaves things to the last minute AND becoming a full time dietitian/executive chef....on top of the usual workload I'm finding reading everyone elses blogs enough to keep up with.

My reptilian friend (a several foot long Tiger Snake in fact) made another appearance on the Saturday.
Then he disappeared.
Big A went to try and find him.
Gone.
Sunday afternoon Zara (our Blue Heeler) was scratching around near a railway sleeper we have as a garden border.
I knew what she was trying to tell me.
She started trying to dig under the gravel.
If she had managed to get under the sleeper it would have been a disaster - the venom from a Tiger snake bite can kill in 15 - 20 minutes.
We would have Buckley's hope of getting a vet here within 15 minutes on a Sunday.

So it was going to be the snake or the dog.

These are a protected species unless they are a threat - I would consider this a threat, especially as it was only several metres from the house.
I bet Big A 'any money' if he went out and lifted up the railway sleeper the snake would be there - he didn't believe me of course but went armed with a shovel anyway.

Turns out I was right.

We no longer have a snake problem!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Small Man is still going well with the Xenical,
he is happy to take it and is enjoying the new menu of food I have been preparing for him.
This week he has had:
grilled beef kebabs with pepper sauce (the stuff that's like gravy with peppercorns in it),
chicken tortillas with ranch dressing and light cheese,
weight watchers oven baked chips with pepper sauce (he would never eat oven baked chips before, but loves them with pepper sauce)
Salami, light cheese and ranch dressing wraps
Butter less toast with Nutella

I'm not going to weigh him again until Friday morning - once a week is best I think.

So that's it for me today - I'm just waiting on my order to be delivered - and it's a bigger one.....and it's a day late due to the public holiday we had here Monday (so they reckon).....so I have to get it packed, go to the bank, meet one of my ladies, pick Z17 up from college with his work gear ready, drop him off at work, come home and pay my account and pack the car, deliver another of my ladies orders, come home and cook Small Man's dinner, cook Big A's dinner by 8.30pm, then go and pick Z17 up from work at 11pm - not bad for a fat lazy cow eh! Ha ha!

Love
G
xxx