Sun, snow, rain, 90 mile winds!

Hello to all my lovely family and friends xx What a week it has been! From nice crisp sunny days to gale force winds, rain, hail and then snow and then sun again and then oh no not one, but two storm's coming right off the Atlantic! Talk about having to be prepared and dress accordingly. I have learnt though, never trust when you look outside and see sun, always take brolley, gloves, coat and scarf - just in case.

I am relatively protected from all the flooding area, although they are very closeby (within 30 mins) some area's near me there are land slides and roads closed. my boss lives closer to work than I do and she is near Charter House and she cuts through to Peasedown St John and one of the Bath Roads is closed off because of a landslide :(

This was one day this week when Lizzie and I from work were on our lunchtime walk, when the sun was actually shining :) as you can she it was a very crisp day though, I definitely needed the beenie, to keep the wind out of my ears. I know it's a tad geeky, but I'm over worrying what I look like when it's freezing outside. I have noticed quite a number of people this month have dragged the hats out, so I'm not the only one! This day Lizzie and I took the steep walk, usually one and half miles and most of it is manageable, but there is a section of the hill that is soooo steep, we can't talk, even young Lizzie keeps quiet then and most times I am huffing and puffing and normally have to stop to have my puffer halfway up. Didn't need it today, yayyyyy!

Some of the country near work :)

The beautiful scenery in the background. I must say it is really pleasurable walking at lunch time and not having to walk along the street taking in petrol fumes.

This little fella was scratching him backside on the barb wire and as I tried to get the phone camera out, he quickly turned around as we came up to him, we will have to bring a carrot or two next week's walk's I can see :)

I forget most days to put my run keeper on when we walk, but I'm really pleased with myself now, I am walking at least three to four days a week during my lunch hour and we walk for about 45 mins :) but if the weather is raining and blowing a gale, we don't go, if it's just raining, it's fine, the umbrella will cope, but add gale force winds to that and it can fe t a bit tricky with the brolley. Mary Poppins eat your heart out, bet I can fly higher than you!

This week many of you may have seen my post about Dad. I must say I had rather a shock this week to find out that he was in Fremantle hospital with a perforated bowel :( I didn't hear from the kids or my sister for several days after, so I didn't really know how bad it was, but I can say now that he is back home and recovering well, thank you for all you love and support xxxxx it was lovely to know I have so many friends that were sending there loving support and positive thought to my dear 90 yr old Dad, if I couldn't be there, it felt like you all were :) Helen and Rob saw him in hospital and said he looked good and was ready to go home, so that was a good sign. I feel a little helpless from here, I knew that coming away, this may happen, but I also knew that if I didn't make a decision to come away when I did, it may never have the opportunity again to travel and work away for so long.

This Thursday at work, much excitement for this one Aussie in the office, my colleague across the room yells, hey Alana, it's snowing outside :) they all know I'm hanging out for it to snow :) Next minute, Mary says come on, outside you go, I'll take your photo in the snow. It was lovely, but melting as soon as it hit the ground, got a few picks of me looking silly, with a few specks of snow on me!

 

It was snowing! I was screwing my face up as it was snowing on my face, brrr hurry up, bit cold out here.

Snowflakes on my car.

 

That same morning when it snowed in Peasedown St John, I got home Thursday night and this is what I had missed about an hour after I had left for work outside my loungeroom.

Even on the steps down to my flat :) My neighbour got snowed in at Shepton Mallet, apparently there was about 2ft of snow there.

The weekend was a busy one, Saturday was a trip to Wells to the shops, I had a call from the hairdressers, totally forgot I had an appointment to beautify thine self, oh well the hair will have to till next week, although my neighbour got hers done and I just looked on. We did the usual window shopping, I tried to keep the blinkers on, my neighbour went into her favourite shop, I don't honestly know how the average person here can afford such luxury's, god I miss Lauren doing my hair back home. Karan if your reading this, you can tell her that they charge like wounded bulls here for hair cuts and colour etc.

Driving home from Wells, I saw the most beautiful sky, what do they say about red sky, shepherd's delight, it seems so strange to see pink skies when it's so cold, usually at home it means heat coming and with the Easterly winds more of the same, but here in the Northern hemisphere it's quite the opposite!

Nice blue sky, crisp day and the end of a beautiful day out.

Sunday morning sleep in :) mmmm I love waking up when I don't have to hear the damn alarm, I was really naughty today, woke up at eight and I was going to get up, but it was a bit chilly, so I went back to bed and read some of my book, and before I knew it, two hours had gone bye. It's a very special day today :) my baby girl is 26 today. Happy Birthday to my beautiful Helen xxxxoxoxoox Mummy misses you and thanks for the phone msg, I'm glad you got your card and pressie.

it's time for brunch I think :)

Yes Mum! I am looking after myself!

Doesn't look that exciting, Kippers and spinach, but very very good for this girl :) I'm doing ever so well with my blood sugar, it's going down and down, hopefully soon it will be within the normal range :)

After a lovely long video face time call with Helen for her Birthday, I decided to take a run in the car, as the weather is lovely today, nice and sunny outside. Driving through through the country, radio on BBC Somerset, listening to the Jazz session for the afternoon and then turning it up and singing away when they put some real oldies on, I was having a great old time! Funny little things amuse me at times lol I guess it's about being happy in my own skin or happy with my own company :) I love all other company as you know very much, but that doesn't always present itself, so I find ways of amusing myself or making the most of a weekend day by myself. I drove all the way over to Glastonbury and found the Organic shop and bought some cooking things, got a bit of cooking to crank up when I get back home, plan all the weeks meals, lunches etc.

Well it's now quite late and I have had the cook up, had a bit of a disaster in the kitchen, burnt the soup! But cooked great chicken for lunches and I have got some pork marinating to go in the slow cooker, with all the other chopped veggies I have already prepared :) Fridge full of fruit and veggies for this week, so all good to go :)

I think now I shall say goodnight as my eyes are getting a bit tired and there doing the blinking thing lol so until next week my beautiful family and friends xoxoxo xox love to you all xxxxxxx

 

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A Cosy Day In ...

Hello to all my beautiful family and friends xxxx I hope this week finds you all fit and well. I am sitting here in my loungeroom, looking out through the windows at the weather which has changed dramatically in the last hour. It has been raining for most of the day, and also lots of hail, but it seems to be very gentle, not like the hail storms I remember back home. I have sat down with a nice cuppa and cut myself a nice sweet apple to sit and watch the rain and in between the rain, I decide to take a run outside to take the rubbish out and at the same time pick up the bins that are now laying all over the ground. It is freezing outside, there is very little wind, quite overcast, but I can see sunshine in parts, so it looks like it will fine up for some of the day. I have also made today cleaning day as well as it's rental inspection day, come Tuesday, but not to worry too much, the unit is pretty clean really.

After taking out the rubbish, I'm downstairs, so reach for the vacuum cleaner in the cupboard downstairs and vac all the entry (got what a mess!) think I need a nice big mat, something that will hide all the dirt that I bring in from outsides. Most houses over here have a in built mat inside, so you brush your feet outside and then get inside, brush them again and then when you get inside my place, I only have a tiny mat, so you have to juggle on one foot whilst you take your shoes off, so as not to leave crap on the "light apricot" carpet. Vac all up the stairs, all the hallway and then the spare room and the loungeroom, time for another rest!

Omg it's actually snowing! White fluffy stuff floating down and it's not ice/hail like earlier. It's not much and it's actually melting almost as it hits the roof and the ground, but it's so lovely to watch :) so I sit by the window and just watch it float down and dance and land on the roof below.

The Hail/ice settling on the roof below my window.

Today whilst I am busy doing the cleaning for the rental inspection, I'm also getting into some cooking for my week ahead :) I am right into my new cook book, my new healthy regime Paleo Cooking, which simply means Caveman diet, but it's not really a diet, it's just a healthy way of eating and I'm loving it, been on it now about three weeks and already I'm feeling lots of positive changes to my body! Yayyyyyy Just good old fruit and veg and meat and I'm leaving the grains alone as they seem to be causing me lots of grief :( anyway the outcome so far, this week my blood sugars have halved! So I know I'm on track.

So I must show you today's culinary effort's :) I must say the soup doesn't look great, but tasted delish!

Broccoli and Parsnip Soup

Lemon Chicken Paleo style :)

So now you can see what will be for my lunches for the next few days. Something else I have been having, is amazing smoothies for breakfast, the greener the better! I figure the better they are for me, at least. I'm experimenting, so lots of veggies and a piece of fruit, some almond milk or Cocunut milk, yummmm. I can see you screwing your nose up from here! Lol Honestly, they are nice.

This is a bit like a cooking blog this week! But what else can you do when the weather is miserable outside :) this is what I made for Brunch on sat, although I made too much, so I had some left over for today. Spinach and mushroom omelette.

Ok, changing the topic, I will not bore you with my cooking any longer! I have been offered two months work after March. :) I received an email last week from my boss confirming this and she said I should hear something soon from the BANES Council, so it looks like I will be there to help with the transition over to the council in April. That is of course after I have my holiday.

Speaking of the holiday, some good news and some bad! The good news is that I will be extending my stay in Paris for a few days and the bad news is due to the lack of funds, I have had to postpone Venice as I will not have the money to get there at this time :( With my car being sick this week and having to put it in for servicing tomorrow and my water bill coming unexpectedly, there goes £200 at least, which I had saved, so it's back to the drawing board. I still have 8 weeks, so I'm hopeful of saving enough for a few days in Paris at least :) Venice might have to wait a little while.

Well it is my bed time already and where has the weekend gone? After a busy day cleaning and cooking and yesterday wondering around Wells, doing a spot of window shopping, I feel like I haven't had a weekend off at all! Just listening to the weather on the telly, looks like I will have to get out the ice pick tomorrow! As well as get up at the crack o Dawn to get "Lizzie" as my car is affectionately known now, to start! The last week, at least three or four attempt to start every time I start it! Oh well hopefully after tomorrow it will start first go :)

Have a wonderful week everyone and I want to send lots of love to my friend Jan who is awaiting a very big operation hopefully today, will be sending you lots of positive thought for it to all go ahead as planned and love you heaps xxx Until next blog people xxxxx take good care and love to you all xxx

 

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Where did January go?

Hello to my beautiful family and friends xxx Talk about blink and you'll miss it! Can anyone please tell me where January went? Wow how the time has flown, no sooner have we put away all the Christmas decorations it seems that in the shops, the little Easter bunny is trying to poke his nose out, as if there weren't enough goodies still sitting in the cupboards :) I have enjoyed far too many treats over Christmas when Cate and Simon were with me, now the cupboards are void of anything that resembles chocolate, sweet = sugar or fat or any combination of them both!

I have made a few personal new year resolutions for myself, one was to get my health back on track and that means treating and following my gut feelings about what I feel my body needs to eat in order to be healthier. A few of you know that I have been unwell with my diabetes and IBS the last few months, nothing I have done has helped, diet, exercise, omitting sugar and fat. I have had a dreadful cold that hung on, the infection took weeks to go. But ... Finally I have to say, things are turning around for me I think :) after more tablets, new regime with food and I have stepped up my exercise, have been walking most days, for a good 40 mins, come rain, hail or shine. I have to tell you, that walking in the middle do winter is far more invigorating than walking anywhere in Australia on a hot summers day :( I never thought I would still feel cold, even after having my maxi coat on, my beenie, my gloves, my scarf and my Switzerland boots :) the only part of me though that gets cold is really my face and yes Deb WebsterI need one of those things you have for running :)

To Start Feb off, I just want to a very big Happy Birthday to two very special people, Sue McGrath in Sydney xx and Suzy Ivankovich, two beautiful friends that share the same birthday :) that sounds like Angela and I, a friend I met whilst over here :) I have decided that Feb and March is all about love, as not only on Feb 14 where all declarations of love are given (well to those who have been blessed with a loving partner :) but it's also my gorgeous girl's birthday as well in Feb xxx Not too far behind we have a whole family (including my Rob) whos birthday' are in March! Making sure I don't forget my dear friend Lita and several other lovely friends who's names are in the grey matter at the moment and your birthdays will spring to mind, come a couple of days before :) Hard to believe that my Rob is 29 this March and Helen 26, god where did those years go! Rob is the age I was when I fell pregnant with him. that seems a life time ago now, but sometimes when I look at their beautiful faces and it just takes me back instantly to when they were babies when I held them in my arms :) I couldn't be prouder of my kids more then I am right now, seeing the beautiful adults they have become and the lives they want for themselves and the journey's they are about to take. I see now their independent lives and am thankful that they are experiencing life and travelling a little and broadening their outlook on life. Taking some pointers from their "Gypsy" Mother about believing in their dream and going for it. I need to take a leaf out of their book's and value my work that I do and know what my worth is and allow abundance into my life :) I am also truly truly grateful xxxxx

Now to my week :) it has been a long one, lots of work, deadlines etc but I managed to get through hump day and suddenly it was Friday yayyyy I had a meeting with my Line Manager, so it seems there maybe an extended contract for me into April, but I still haven't had the confirmation from the Council or Agency yet. I will be very happy when I do get it, as it means I will have my holiday to Paris and Venice and then come home to a job :) Keep everything crossed.

This weekend's adventure for me included a day out in Glastonbury :) (hippy town) haha I was going to go to Wells Markets, but went to Glastonbury to the organic markets instead with Rani, we got swept along the Main Street with the rain and ducked in and out of a few of the great crystal type spiritual shops, did our usual inspection of items and compared prices. decided I wasn't bringing my purse out for anyone! Blinker's Alana, remember Paris and Venice! We did find this cute little cafe which was hidden down the back of a shop, think it was called End of The Rainbow Cafe or something like that, it was a typical vegan style caf's lots of mung beans, lentils and alph alpha sprouts. I was happy as they had Gluten free options which I seem to go for these days :) we both had an awesome broccoli and cheese quiche with a side salad and a coffee for two which was strong enough to stand the spoon up in. OMG was it strong! After our look around it was time to head to Wells for some grocery items, which we decided today was going to be at Lidl, which I have to say is truly amazing value :) I'm afraid Tesco's you are too expensive and Lidl has one the comparison test out of Tesco's, Aldi and Lidl. I quite liked Aldi as well, after all they are both German Companies. You can definitately save half your grocery bill by taking a "Lidl" (enjoy the pun?) care in the choice of your shopping vendor.

Woke up early Sunday morning, can you believe it! Stomach ache, no chance of getting back to bed now! So I make myself a Chai tea and decided to try a recipe of my new regime (Paleo) caveman diet. I am not aloud any grains, so I have an alternative, which is coconut flour, (never heard of it, I hear you say!) eggs and I used Almond milk and some agave syrup and some Cocunut oil. They weren't bad, considering I didn't have any baking powder, that might have made them rise a bit more. Very cocunutty! Then I made a fish pie, but without any pastry or top, looks like something the cat just dragged in, but tasted unbelievable!

 

Doesn't look fancy, but this could be my new curried fish recipe :) adding more curry paste next time!

I quickly decide that it's a beautiful day outside and not as it was meant to be, so I quickly get dressed and off I go on a nice long country drive, I just turn on the Gps and go fill up the petrol, water, apple, check, I'm good to go :) I have no idea where I will end up haha but the countryside is beautiful today, it's actually very mild today, sun is out, I half expect that I will run into the flooding soon enough as they are not far from us, 30 mins, down to the Somerset flats, I took a wrong road somewhere, all of a sudden all I could see was a blanket of water, yep that's the flooded area! I realised I was heading towards Longport but I had a few diverted roads and I ended up in a place called Long Sutton and saw Sutton's Farm, kind of felt like I was back in Mandurah for a minute. Wow what a mess the water has made down here. I saw a sign saying that the bridge was closed, so I started to walk the main road towards it.

The road towards the bridge or Martock that is flooded.

 

 

No, this is not the ocean! It is Farmland.

Moments after taking this, another Fireman walked out of a tent, wearing the exact same suit, of course the words slipped out of my mouth before I could retrench them, "The suit definately looks better on :)" and it did believe me :)

 

Hello Mr Fireman :)

Can you spot the two white swans out in the middle, having a swim :)

 

 

I love looking at these beautiful trees, they look a bit naked in winter, stripped of all there comfort (leaves) but they are still awesome!

Well it's time to finish up for another blog, but just before I go, must show you my first sighting of SNOW this week, couldn't believe my eyes when I walked outsid, unfortunately the rain had started to melt it, but on my car it was still about 3 inches thick on the roof and windscreen!

 

 

Was finally melting, after some drizzle :(

Even at my front door!

Until next week and the next blog, love to you all! Xxxxxxxxxxx

 

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