Sunday, 21 May, 2017

Another week pretty much the same as last week - from Monday to Friday, anyway.  Dad continued on with his course - another exam with all passing - and only having to prep a short time each night.  I continued on with my knitting group and exercise groups.

Yesterday, we went geocaching - it was so nice to be able to get out in nature and do some treasure hunting at the same time.  It was a bit of a windy day, but the sky was blue and the sun was shining, so it was a really good day to be out and about.  Dad had downloaded four geocache locations for us to find.  We didn't have any luck with the first two even though we spent quite a bit of time searching for them.  We found the third one which was a bit of an easy one and we also found the fourth one, although we think that the co-ordinates might have been off a bit.  The co-ordinates led us to a stone wall and I checked in every crevice with no luck.  Dad then read the clue and it said something about a hinge - there was a gate to the parking lot which was near the wall, so we checked out the hinge area on the gate, but couldn't find anything.  We then thought to look at the other end of the gate and we found the geocache inside a part at the end of the gate.  It was listed as a micro geocache and was it ever micro - it was magnetic and was about 1/2" x 1/4"!  Even though we didn't find all four, we had a great time being outside together!

 The orange stuff on the tree is sap - I have never seen sap like that

Me pointing to where we found the easy geocache

We went out to dinner last night with Niles.  We wanted to try some Middle Eastern food which had been listed on our eating plan and so we headed off to a Lebanese restaurant close to where we are staying here.  It turns out that we both really like Lebanese food - we had lamb and chicken shawarma (basically cooked and shaved meat in a sauce) served over rice, with tabouli (parsley, tomato, mint, bulgur and onion with an oil and lemon juice dressing), chicken and sausage shish kabobs, falafels (deep fried chick pea balls) and pitas.  All of the food was so yummy and we will definitely be heading back there again next time we are in Melbourne.

 Dad holding our iced chocolate which we shared - it was really really nice :-)

 Me with our dinner which we shared

The brown goodie on this plate is a falafel

Sunday, 14 May, 2016

Not much to report this week actually.  Dad's course continues to go well and he only has been spending a couple of hours each night preparing for the next day's class.  The guys had another exam this week and they all passed.

I went to my Aquafit, Body Balance, Tai Chi and Body Basics classes again this week.  The Body Basics one this week was interesting - our teacher had us doing Tae Bo which, according to Google, is an exercise system combining elements of aerobics and kick-boxing.  I can tell you that it is a really good aerobics workout - I was sweating a lot (dripping) by the time we were finished the class! :-)

We spent yesterday morning working (Dad on his course and me on the cleaning the house) and then we just just relaxed for the rest of the day.  We had thought about going geocaching, but we just never got ourselves in gear to get going.  We did get take-out for dinner - on the eating plan we are doing, it was suggested to have Tandoori chicken.  After checking with Niles (the other instructor staying here) if it was spicy or not (it's NOT), we decided to go and buy it at a local Indian take-away restaurant.  We had the chicken with rice, raita (yogurt with cucumber and carrot), dhal (lentils and kidney beans in a sauce) and naan bread - Dad also tried a mango lassi (like a smoothie) - all of the food was so delicious and we are definitely going to put it on our menu plan for the future.

Today is Mother's Day and all the women at church were given a lovely corsage when we came in to the chapel.  We were also given a homemade cookie which the Bishop actually made himself - it was very yummy. :-)

Me wearing the lovely corsage given to all the women at church today - Mother's Day

Sunday, 7 May, 2017

It's been a good week here in Melbourne - and Wagga Wagga....more about that last one later.

We are sharing the house with Niles, another one of QAC's instructors, who is teaching a different course at the same location as Dad.  We have shared with Niles before and we all get along really well.  Dad's course is going well so far - there are 14 guys on the course - and they all passed the first exam, although one guy made it right on the least amount he could get before he would have had to sit it again.  Dad has only had to do about an hour of work each night, so we have been able to go for a walk every day when he gets home from work.  It's nice for us to be able to walk together for health reasons, but it's also good for us to be able to chat and get caught up on each other's day.

I went to the Leisure Centre on Monday and signed up for the four weeks we are going to be here.  I started classes on Monday and have been able to go to a class every weekday: Aquafit twice a week, Body Balance, Tai Chi and a Back to Basics class which is a very easy aerobics class for over 50's.  I have enjoyed the classes so far - people who met me last time we were here welcomed me back which was really nice, too.

On Friday night, Dad and I drove to Wagga so that we could spend some time over the weekend visiting with Auntie Norma - she is still in the nursing home and will be for good.  She isn't happy being in the there, or rather she isn't happy with her body which has let her down and the cause of her having to be in there.  She has been such an independent woman all her life and it's hard to go from being like that to having to depend on someone for everything.  She can move her arms a little, but not even enough to change the channels on the tv or take a drink - it's sad to see actually.

The beautiful sunset nearing Wagga Wagga

It turned out that my cousin, Rosie, and her daughter, Lauren, came in from Sydney earlier on Friday as they both had time off work and wanted to come and see Auntie Norma again.  Dad and I got to Wagga around 6:30pm (a five hour drive with one stop) on Friday so, after grabbing some dinner, we went and got in a 90 minute visit with Auntie Norma.  She had already seen Rosie and Lauren twice that day and then a visit from us in the evening, so that really made her day.  Auntie Norma is very quick witted and there is definitely nothing wrong with her mind. 😊  It was sometimes hard to understand what she was saying - I am not sure if she just isn't able to open her mouth bigger or if something else is causing her to not speak clearly all the time.  So, sometimes, I asked her to repeat what she said and sometimes I just nodded or laughed if she was laughing - I just didn't want to keep asking her to repeat everything and have her get frustrated.

We stayed at my cousin, Beth's  place - she is Auntie Norma's daughter and lives down the street from the nursing home.  I really didn't know Beth when we were growing up in Wagga as she is four years younger than me, so it's nice to be able to get to know her better now that we have both grown up and we get to spend time together when we go to Wagga.  Beth is really nice and we have some things in common, so it was really easy to talk with her.

Me and my cousin, Beth

Yesterday morning, we went and spent another 90 minutes visiting with Auntie Norma - she was much more animated this morning - I guess having a good night's sleep made her feel more alert.  When the nurse brought Auntie Norma her lunch (the nurse has to feed it to her), Dad and I drove downtown and met up with Rosie and Lauren for lunch.  Rosie suggested a Thai restaurant - I remember Terri-Ann saying that she liked Pad Thai and so we decided to give it a go.  I loved my Pad Thai - it came with noodles - not sure if that is 'normal', but it was delicious!!!  Dad had a different meal and he enjoyed his as well.  We had a great time chatting with Rosie and Lauren while we ate - they are both easy going people and very easy to talk with.  After our meal, they wanted to go for a coffee, so we joined them and had an iced chocolate.

 Lauren, me and Rosie eating Thai

Dad with his iced chocolate

On the way back from lunch, Dad and I stopped at the Wagga Showground where the Rotary Club was having a book fair - you know I can't resist books, especially those at great prices.  We stayed for about 45 minutes - I would have loved to have stayed longer, but that's about as long as we could stay since I wanted to get in another visit with Auntie Norma.  I only bought 8 books - pretty good, eh?  😊  I would have bought more if we had been in Hervey Bay, but there is only so much room in our suitcases to take books back. 😊 Dad went to the 'Health' section at the book fair and actually found a book we have been looking for - it's a Low GI Diet book - our chiropractor suggested we look into going on that I had found one in a bookstore, but it was $25.  I have been humming and hahing about buying it after looking at a copy from the library and finding it very useful.  Dad's find meant we only had to pay $2.50 for it - pretty good find, eh?

Dad needed to get some work done during the weekend, so I suggested he drop me off at the nursing home after lunch and then go back to Beth's to work.  Rosie and Lauren were there when I got there, so we all four visited for about 90 minutes before they had to meet a friend for dinner.  I stayed on for another hour and chatted with Auntie Norma - I think she enjoyed all this attention she was getting.  She does get visitors occasionally during the week, but never this many people or for such long visits, either.

 Me, Auntie Norma, Rosie, Lauren at the nursing home

Close-up of the four of us

Dad and Beth picked me up at dinner time and we went out for dinner - we wanted to take Beth out to thank her for letting us stay at her place.  We went to a local club which has a bistro with yummy comfort food.  I got a chicken parmagiana meal and Beth got Bangers and Mash and then Dad shared with both of us. 😊  The food was as good as we remembered it from the last time we went there and we had another nice time chatting with Beth and getting to know her better.

Today, we got in another hour long visit with Auntie Norma before we had to leave to get back to Melbourne.  It was so nice being able to spend the time in Wagga with my rellies (Aussie slang for 'relatives' 😊) and especially to spend time with Auntie Norma.

Sunday, 30 April, 2017

This week was our last week off before Dad starts work again.  It was, as usual, full of activities....haircuts, doctor's visit, missionaries for dinner, chiropractor appointment and a facial.

 My new haircut - I decided to go quite short and I really like it!

There were also two social outings (for me, of course 😊)....the first was with my friend, Maureen - she is the same age as Nana and we just clicked when we met each other in Hervey Bay years ago.  Every time I get back to the Bay, she and I do lunch and a movie.  We ended up going to a little cafe in town, 'Chatters on the Bay', which Dad and I had checked out on Monday (and we loved it) and Maureen and I really enjoyed our meal as well.  Maureen chose the movie which was 'Beauty and the Beast' and I wasn't really looking forward to it, but it turned out to be really good - I was surprised.  I wouldn't take Sienna, Juliette or Kendall to see it until they are a little older as it's a bit scary in parts (especially the beast), but I think it would be suitable once they are about 8 years old.

Me and Maureen at 'Chatters on the Bay' 

My second outing was with my teacher friends - six of us met for morning tea (another iced chocolate for me 😊) and we had a nice yak together - it's always great to catch up with them (most of whom are retired and very happy to be so).  The one teacher who isn't retired and teaches grade one told us that there are a few behaviour issues in her class and she is tired of it all.  I definitely got out when the going was good.

Dad and I ate lunch out on Thursday at a new place called the 'Happy Days Diner' - it is pretty much like its name says .... a diner which basically serves hamburgers, hot dogs and shakes (among other things).  Dad and I shared a hot dog and fries and they were quite good.  I took tons of pics of the place as it really has a 50's vibe.

 Dad with our hot dog and french fries - that's my iced chocolate in the pic 😊

 Me in a booth at the 'Happy Days Diner' - 50s/60s music actually plays on the jukebox

 Decorations on one of the walls

 Large jukebox in the diner

 Another wall

 Just inside the front of the diner

 Where you place your order

 One of the employees in 50s garb

 One of the creations at the 'Happy Days Diner' - it was made for a young boy and I asked him if I could take a pic of it - it's an iced chocolate with chocolate, candy, a donut and candy floss added - sugar high to be sure

Mural painted on the outside of the diner

On Friday, Dad and I flew to Melbourne and stayed the night in an airport hotel as one of Dad's colleagues and his family were staying in the unit.  Dad is teaching a four week course here on the A320 - it will be nice for him (and for me) to be teaching this course as he has taught it a number of times before and he won't have to spend a ton of time prepping.  After the number of hours he had to put in each day on the course when we were in Brisbane, it's nice to be teaching a familiar course.  

Today, we went to the Glenroy ward - the one we always go to when we are here - and we received our usual warm welcome from the members.  Our Canadian friends, the Bishop and his wife, Colin and Debbie Coates, were still there so it was nice to sit and chat with Debbie again.

Sunday, 23 April, 2017

What a wonderful week it's been!  It started out with me having an aromatherapy hot stone massage with the lovely Helen - she always does such an amazing job and I am always so relaxed afterwards.  That was followed by dinner with Robyn and the missionaries.  We love having them all over and especially love the spiritual message which the missionaries leave with us each time they come.

Tuesday, we drove to Nambour (about 2 1/2 hours south of HB) and set up our new camping trailer (which we have named 'Sylvester') for the first time.  Can I tell you that we LOVE our new camping trailer!!!  It's so spacious and we especially love the couch (which is separate from the seats we sit on at the table - we used it a few times while we were away (from Tuesday afternoon to Friday morning) and it was so relaxing and comfortable.  The best part of our time away was that Dad completely relaxed once we got the camping trailer set up.  The campground was pretty average, but clean and situated in the middle of lots of beautiful vegetation.  There was a pool there, but it wasn't heated and it was too cool to go in - I was disappointed about that as we had planned on doing some aquafit exercises in there.

Our first stop on the way to Nambour - we stopped to have a snack here

We spent most of our time at the campground reading, playing games, doing puzzles, knitting (me 😊) and playing on our ipads.  While we were sitting outside one of the days (in our luxurious new camping chairs), a woman who was camped in a bus up the road from our campsite, came over to chat with us.  She saw me knitting and mentioned that she does a lot of knitting, so I asked her if I could come up to her campsite and she could show me how to sew up something I had finished knitting - she said 'sure'.  I have been knitting a lot, but haven't been happy with the way I have been taught by a few people how to sew up my creations.  Camping people are quite friendly and we said 'hi' to a few people at the campground and waved to a few as they were driving in and out of the campground.

Rainforest Holiday Village - our first campground with our new camping trailer

 Dad sitting eating our lunch at the campground before we set up the camping trailer

 Our camping trailer set up and me reading (I am wearing my bathing suit as we had gone down to the pool to do some aquafit exercises, but the water was way too cold)

 Dad eating our first dinner at the campground - Dad insisted that we had to have weiners and beans 😊

Dad eating breakfast outside - note the beautiful rainforest behind him

 Me knitting (doesn't it all look so relaxing) in our new luxurious chairs

 Dad relaxing doing a puzzle in our new luxurious chairs

 Wild turkey in the campsite next to ours

 There were three wild turkeys there

 Dad cooking bacon and eggs for breakfast on the cooktop in the camping trailer

 The final product

Dad, the scruffbucket - he forgot his shaver and so went the whole three days without shaving

While we were camping, we drove in to Maroochydore (on the coast) to visit with our previous Bishop and his wife, Diana (the Browns).  They moved from HB while we were in Canada last year.  Last week, we ran into them at a mall here in town (they had come up just for the day) and they told us to call them when we got to the campground so that we could come and visit with them in their new place.  They live in a cute little unit right across the road from the Paynter River - what a magnificent view!  We chatted and they served us a delicious lunch (curried egg salad sandwiches - yummy!).  It was great to catch up with them again.

 Diana, me and Bishop Brown

The view from the Brown's unit - isn't it beautiful

It poured rain the night before we were leaving which meant that the camping trailer wasn't conpletely dry before we had to pack it up to come home.  Fortunately, yesterday was a decent enough day that we were able to put it up in the backyard and dry it out before we packed it away again.  It is now parked in our back yard up on cement paving stones until we figure out how we are going to permanently store it.  We were going to go away camping again this coming week, but the forecast is for more rain and, since we are going to Melbourne on Friday and the trailer has to be completely dry before we come home from camping, we didn't want to take a chance on it.  So, it looks like we won't be taking Sylvester out again until August.

As soon as we got home from camping and we had brought our stuff into the house, it was time for me to go to see Helen again for a facial.  It has been seven weeks since my last one - way too long! 😊  It was as heavenly as always and I am looking forward to having another one next week which will have to do me for three months.

Yesterday, I met up with my teacher friend, Luise, for another iced chocolate and catch-up time.  Both of us can yak up a storm, so we had no problem filling up the hour and a half we were together.  I am meeting up with her and some other teacher friends again on Thursday. 😊

Me and Luise

Today at church, I saw Scarlett who is one of the little girls who I babysat just before we went to Melbourne - that was the day I jumped on the trampoline, made cookies and read with her and her sister, Indiana.  Scarlett's mom, Lisa, is pregnant with twins and I was just talking with her last night and let her know that I will be here this week if she and her hubby, Ben, would like to go out or if she would like me to take the girls while she rests.  I told Scarlett that I had asked her mummy about looking after them this week.  She was quite happy about that, so hopefully Lisa will call and I can go over there to hang out with the girls again - it was nice that Scarlett wants me to come over and do that.

Sunday, 16 April, 2017

What would a week look like for us if it wasn't full - haha.  First, our big news.............we picked up our new Jayco camping trailer last Monday and we are so excited - it looks beautiful set up in our back yard - we can't wait to set it up in a campground. 😊  That afternoon, we went to a local camping store and checked out some supplies we knew we would need.  When we were in the store, we saw the manager of the store who we had talked with at a prior visit and I told him we were there to get a ton of stuff and would be coming to him to see what kind of a deal he would give us (yeah, I know, a little assertive of me, eh?). 😊  He readily agreed and told us to come to him once we had completed our list.  We ended up buying over $1,200. worth of stuff and we got a really good deal from the manager which we were thrilled about.  We went to a number of other stores to complete our list of items we think we will need.  There will likely be more things to buy once we have gone on our first camping trip in our new trailer.

 Our brand new Jayco Swan camping trailer at the Jayco Service Centre

Dad and Tim (the Service Centre Rep) - Tim showed Dad how to set up the trailer and use all of the items in the trailer

 Dad winding up the trailer

 Dad pulling out one of the beds on the trailer

 The couch in the trailer - we love the colours we chose

 Dad checking out the cook-top -- there is a grill and a microwave as well, but no oven

 Dad and Tim putting up the door of the trailer

 Dad hooking up the trailer to the car

 Dad in front of the trailer on our driveway

Our car and trailer in our driveway

Dad and I need to get our temple recommends renewed and so we decided that our first camping trip would be to a place near our Stake Centre called Nambour.  That way, we can get our temple recommend interviews and try out our new camping trailer at the same time.  We are going for three days (Tues., Wed., and Thurs.) and it is just what Dad especially needs - camping is so relaxing and there is no work to be done while we are there.  We are also planning on taking another three day camping trip the following week up to a beautiful little place called Woodgate which is not far from Hervey Bay.

I only got to go to one exercise class this week - an aquafit class - but, I thoroughly enjoyed being back in Ann's class - she is such a great instructor.  While we are camping, I want to continue to get some exercise and so I am going to get an aquafit routine off the internet which I can use in the pool at the campground.  Dad and I bought pool noodles (long floating tubes) to float on in the pool (and which I can use to do some of the aquafit exercises).

I had two social visits this week - both at the "Coffee Club" - one with my teacher friend, Brownyn and one with my church friend, Haidi.  Two iced chocolates in one week - yummy! 😊  It was great catching up with my two friends and I have a couple more catch-ups next week which I am looking forward to.

Haidi and me

On Thursday, I went over to Robyn's place for lunch and to try out her new hot tub - I was her first official guest! 😊  It is a really beautiful one - big enough for five people - we had a wonderful time soaking in it and chatting away - I am hoping to get in more visits each time we are back in Hervey Bay.  Thursday was a busy day - I also had a facial (it's been way too long - seven weeks 😊) and it was as fabulous as I remembered.  We also had the missionaries over for dinner (along with Robyn) which is always a favourite thing of ours to do.

 Robyn's new hot tub

Look at all the bubbles 😊

Me in Robyn's hot tub

On Saturday, we had our friends, Bill and Faye over for dinner (Bill used work with Dad at QAC) and it was great to catch up with them again.  They also bought a Jayco camping trailer exactly like ours (except their's is an outback model which is built with a stronger frame, bigger tires and suspension so that it can be towed by a four-wheel drive off-road).  They have taken it out a couple of times already and so we talked a lot about their experiences and they shared some of their ideas with us on changes/improvements we can make to our trailer to make it better.

Dad gave a talk in church today - he was the final speaker - and spoke on the Atonement.  As usual, he did a great job of delivering his talk and received a number of compliments after the meeting on how good it was.  It is always nice to have your long hours of research, preparation and practice of the talk be appreciated.