Hi Everyone,

Happy New Year and all that.  I hope that you all are well and happy.

Life with me goes on.  I had my Lap Band surgery in November and since mid October have lost about 10 kilos. It has been an interesting experience and not that hard at all.   I don't know why I was so worried about having the procedure done, even the pain was minimal.  I have had 2 fills of the band and am due another one tommorrow.  The dietician has set an amount of 150-250 grams per week of weight loss.

Mood-wise things have been more interesting. My bi polar journey continues.  I had to stop taking the anti-depressant I was on and the withdrawal from it and the time before the new one worked was very hard.  Now I am on another one and life is much easier and I am back to a relatively normal state.

Last year I completed two uni subjects and got a CREDIT for both of them.  I am very proud of myself and now have eight more to do before I finish my degree.

My son finished highschool at the end of last year and now my second son is in his last year of primary school. My girl is now a senior in highschool.  Where does the time go!?

Thats all from me for now.

Hi All,

This is just a short note to let you know that I have shifted my blog to Bigpond.  It came free with our new broadband service, so I thought, why not have a go at it. Hope you all check it out.  cheers, jo.

Hi All,

Back again after a short break.  It is actually been good for me that Max and GOAGM have overtaken me in the hits list as it has taken the pressure off me to try and maintain my standing by blogging frequently.  Now I just do it when I actually feel like it.

Illness has been the main event here in my house.  All the kids have had head colds and coughs.  My DH and I thankfully haven't succumbed.  The weather has turned cold and wet, so that hasn't helped either. 

I am progressing  well with my studies.  This week we are 'doing' Wordsworth.   I like his poems alot.  The old time language is difficult to understand sometime though.

My writing for the newspaper is going well.  I am earning an average of $60 a week which is good pocket money for me. I am enjoying it as welll.

I went to the local Maize Festival parade last night.  All of the family was involved bar me. DD16, DH and DS 11 all walked behind floats, and DS17 was on the superheroes float.

I have been changing around my medication since I was feeling so much better, bad move...!  I had a week of feeling off the planet and so miserable, so am now back on the meds I had stopped taking. My doctor and I thought it was worth a try, but I just have to realise that I am on this stuff for the rest of my life.

The diet is going well, I have a plan to lost 14.4 kilos by the end of November.  That is 10% of my weight.  WIsh me luck!

Yes, I have decided not to go through with it.  I am ringing to cancel the surgery today.  I just don't want to live that way for the rest of my life.  So what now about the weight etc.  Well, I have to do something, so maybe I will just walk and eat sensibly, got to start somewhere.

My DH wasn't really keen on the surgery as he was frightened about the aneasthetic and the very real risk of infection afterwards.  We haven't got private health insurance either to help if that happens.  So there you are.  My big news for the day.

I am not going to sit here for long.  It is a lovely warm, still day up here in paradise, and I am going to go for a walk with the dog.  She will think all her Christmas's have come at once.!  Talk again later.

jo

Isn't all this sport good on tv.  I almost feel like getting up and doing something, but notice I said almost!

My surgery has been put back until the 19th of September.  This is to give me more time to order the band. We didn't realise we had this responsibility. You would think that the doctor would do this wouldn't you, but no.  So the next date was the 19th.

It will work in better probably, as the parent's will be back in the country by then.  They are having a great time, and reckon cruising is the best way to see Europe.  They can't believe how clean everything was and then they got to Amsterdam, which is disgustingly dirty they say.  They have hired a  car and are planning to go out into the countryside.  You can take the farmer out of the bush, but you can't take the bush out of him!

Yesterday was my DH and my 18th Wedding anniversary.  We gave each other lovely cards as per usual and last Friday night had a pizza together with the kids, to mark the occasion.  Then we went to watch Friday night soccer. Nothing too exciting, but just the way we wanted it.

I have started back at uni, doing a subject involving Romantic Literature.  We have started off with poetry, which I haven't studied in about 20 years, since senior English.  I am liking it though, we are doing William Blake this week ie.  "Tyger Tyger, burning bright, in the forest of the night etc. "

That is all for now. Congrats Max for topping me in the hit list, well done.

jo

Lately I am thinking that my life is turning around, for the better.  It is like my stars are all aligned just right or something.  Everything is going right, and I love it, I am enjoying it so much.  I am not even really thinking, 'oh this is so good, when is the bottom of my world going to drop out again. So in other words, everything is cool in my world and I am energetic enough and well enough to make it work.  Hasn't happenned for  a while and I am going to lap it all up while it lasts.

 I spent the day taking songs on CDs and putting them on my new iPod that I won. I helped name the new Country Hour email newsletter, and was one of three people nationwide who picked the same name. I got an 8 gig iPod worth about $250.  I am stoked. I would have bought an iPod shuffle eventually, but this one even has a video screen.

I have put around 250 songs on it already and will put more when DS16 gets home from Gladstone with all my CDs.  He took them to listen to on my discman, on the train.  He put his shuffle through the washing when he put some washing on the other night. Don't think he will make the same mistake twice.

This weekend I am to see the surgeon who is to do the lap band surgery.  I am looking forward to asking him all the questions I have been thinking about.  I will have to write them down so I don't forget.

that's all from me today. jo.

Today I checked my bank balance and I have been paid for my stories I have contributed to the local paper. It came to $60 for four stories!! Got to love being paid for doing something you love, nothing beats the feeling.

I am feeling ok mood-wise these days.  I am still craving carbs and feeling very guilty about it. But not so guilty that I feel bad enough to stop eating them.  I have been sensible and only eaten wholemeal bread buns when the munchies begin. That and porridge.  I mean there is only so much porridge a person can eat before they are full.  For me it is about a cereal bowl and a half.  I am set to see the doctor doing the procedure on Saturday.  He will be annoyed that I am having any carbs at all. I will deal with it and him when I have to I guess.

I spent today with my granny. I had errands to do so she and my little dog tagged along.  It was a beautiful day weather-wise as well so we had a nice picnic under a tree and had a nice chat.  The nights here have been brisk, but during the day it warms up to the mid-20's which is nice.

Study has begun and it is fascinating stuff, no seriously!  I have been doing some research into what England was like in the early 1800's.  And it was a great place to be if you were rich and aristocratic, but not so if you were poor or ill.  It turns out though that the rich of this time did not patronise literature much and were remarkably uneducated compared with aristocrats in times before them.  Huge efforts were made by the upper-middle class to educate the poor and working classes, whose literature choices determined what was popular and therefore what was printed.  Therefore the book I was reading says this is why the literature of the Romantic era is more basic and down to earth than any before it.  Because it had to be.

I had better go now.  DS11 needs to go to Soccer practice.  DH is not going tonight, he has elected to go to the info night about the sex ed classes the school is running this week.  Nice of him to step up to the plate about this, I was in charge of educating the first two and dealing with their questions, it is nice of my husband to elect himself to do it with child no. 3.  I didn't even have to ask, which is even more amazing considering.

Today we went for a drive up Ravenshoe way.  I grew up there and it was interesting to see the changes.  The town looks busy and all of the shops seem to be full.  The paddocks around the town are all brown from frost so winter is in full force up there.  We had lunch there; got some sandwiches from the Foodworks supermarket and ate them under a tree near the railway station. On the way home we went passed the old farm where I spent my teenage years and it was a bittersweet moment to see the neglect of the place since it was sold on.  I am pleased though that the parents don't own it though, as it would really be too much responsibility for them now.

Speaking of parents, they are now on their cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam.  Haven't heard much from them, but several family members are starting to get postcards. They are having lots of fun which is good, and my dad is feeling much better after his bout of 'bus flu'.  After their cruise they are going to meet my brother in Amsterdam for a weekend, then they fly to the USA for 2 weeks with their friends in Ohio.

My DS16.75 is away at the moment.  He took the tilt train to Gladstone the other day, and by the daily phone calls we are getting, he is having a good time with his grandparents, aunties and uncles and cousins. Today they were off to Tannum Sands which is a lovely beachside town about 20 mins south of Gladstone.  We have always said that if we won lotto we would buy a block of land up on the cliffs there. It is a brilliant view to watch all the big container ships coming into Gladstone harbour as well, which is the big interest to my DH.

That is all my news today.  Not being very good about my diet, but trying as hard as I can.  jo.

The optifast shakes are well and truly gone.  I have a new diet plan from the dietician and it is great.  It is easy to follow and stick to.  I have fruit and a glass of milk for breakfast, soup and some milk for lunch and for dinner some fish with vegetables and then a piece of fruit before bedtime.  Simple but effective as I have already lost 2 kilos.

I am staying steady on the medication regime I have been on for a week.  I am feeling very well.  Sleeping well, every night which is a new thing for me, normally I am a chronic insomniac.  Life is good. I will have to change the form of some of the meds though in time for the operation, as not all can be crushed as they need to be once I have the lap band surgery.

The parents are now in Budepest waiting to board the boat that will take them to Amsterdam.  It will be the boats maiden voyage which is exciting for them.  Today we received a post card from Zurich which was a nice surprise.  Haven't managed to get a phone call from them, but have had several texts, mum has certainly got the hang of it now.

I am continuing on with the book.  It is hard to get past the first chapter though as I keep going back to edit it.  I will keep at it though not on such a scale as I have been.  Uni has started and I have to focus on that. 

bye, jo.  

I have just had the most beautiful pineapple and  paw paw.  I also had some strawberries but they weren't crash hot.  Looked wonderful, but were tasteless. How can that be?

I got my lap top today and I feel great about it. I will be able to take it into the bedroom and do my uni work or my writing without any interuptions.  My daughter is giving up the desk that has been in her room so I will have somewhere level to write.

I put in four pieces to local newspaper that I hope they will publish.  They are paying me for the articles which are about what is happenning around the district.  I didn't realise how much you can write about your own hometown that others who live elsewhere find interesting.

Take this blog for instance.  I have had over 48 000 hits since my blog collapsed last year, and a further 3500 before that.  Over 50 000 people checking out my life and how I live it.  Then there are the comments, of which there have been dozens.  All of these bar a couple have been complimentary and helpful. 

It amazes me also how  little people know about mental illness generally, let alone what it feels like to have a mental illness like bi polar disorder.  I would have thought that given how much it is talked about in the media these days that these things would be much be widely understood.  It is with this in mind that I am putting together a book about my experiences.  

When I became very ill back in 2005, there was no book that explained what bi polar disorder meant to someone like me.  There were plenty of books from celebrities and sports stars, but not about an ordinary mum and wife like me.  There was also no guide book about how to get your life back on track again. I want to write that book; it will be part memoir, part self-help.

That's all for now from here.  jo.

Well, I was right to be scared yesterday about the Optifast diet I am starting today. I have three weeks of it until the 18th of August when I have my lap band surgery. The Optifast chocolate bar I tried to eat this morning tasted like a stale "chokita" bar. I took 2 small bites and I am afraid that was it for me. For lunch I  made up a big batch of mixed vege soup instead and am enjoying it.  I plan to have some tinned pears for afters. I didn't have a good start as I woke up and had some cereal as normal.  Wasn't supposed to do that. Cereal is now banned as is the sugar and milk I had with it. But what can you do except soldier on and start again. 

I rang the dietician and said to her that my medications changes were playing around with my sugar levels and appetite control.  She was sympathetic, and said to add some spuds and a carrot to the soup to circumvent the carb cravings.  It certainly made the soup thicker.  She also said to start viewing food only as fuel, not as an end in itself.  So that is that.

The kids got their report cards and they did very well. Two B's and an A respectively.  Nice work I think.  These are for the subjects they do at school, plus they do they do their traineeships and the associated theory at work. 

It is the most beautiful day up here in paradise.  Nice sunny, warm day with a gentle cool breeze.  What more could you want? Must fly have to go and pick up DS11. jo.

Tommorrow marks the start of the 3 week low calorie meal replacement diet that I have to do as preparation for the lap band surgery I will be undergoing on August 18th. I am not looking forward to it, not so much because it is very low in calories, about 800 per day, but because of the meal replacements.  Surely I could do the same with ordinary, good food?  Also I am not allowed to have any caffeine as well. Talk about hell on Earth, and not just for me; I pity anyone around me in the next week or so that's for sure.

I was feeling quite panicky about it all today, but I had a talk to my DH and he calmed me down.  I know I have to do this, but I wonder if I am still too fragile to cope.  The thing is I have to be strong as I cannot let myself put anymore weight on, my body just couldn't handle it. So this operation has to happen now whether I am mentally ready for it or not. Full stop.

To get out of the house after our big talk, we went out to Lake Tinaroo for a walk. In the late sunny afternoon, it was absolutely what I needed.  We even went out on the jetty pontoon and sat there listening to the waves lapping against it. Very therapeutic it was. Today has been the third in a row of those lovely sunny winter days so we will probably get a frost tonight, I love cold nights!

We managed to get a factory reconditioned laptop from the local computer shop for around $500.  This is with a 30 guarantee and fully loaded with all the software needed.  I am so looking forward to having it all to myself.  I am setting up the roll top desk my mum gave to me, in our bedroom, and hopefully I will be able to get the internet phone line into there as well.  I will have more privacy and peace and quiet there.

That is all my news. jo.   

Devil's Chocolate Cake (gluten free)

by Alison Bristow on page 21 of The Australian Coeliac Society's magazine. June 2008

• 150g butter, softened
• 1 cup water
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups of gluten free SR flour (available in the health food section of most supermarkets)
• 1 teaspoon of bicarb soda
• 2/3 cup of cocoa
• 1 3/4 cup castor sugar

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Grease a deep 20cm round cake tin and line base with baking paper.

1. Put butter, water and eggs into a large mixing bowl.
2. Add sifted flour, bicarb soda and cocoa, stir in surgar.
3. Beat with an electric mixer for 3 minutes or until mixture is changed in colour. Pour into prepared tin.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted ino the centre comes out clean.
5. Leave the cake in the tin to cool.

Chocolate Icing

• 2 cups of pure icing sugar (gluten free)
• 2 tablespoons of cocoa
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• approximately 3 tablespoons hot water
• grated dark chocolate to decorate

1. Place icing sugar and cocoa into a bowl and stir.
2. Place butter into mixture. Stir in water slowly to thicken the icing to your liking.
3. Spread on cake and decorate top with dark chocolate shavings.

Today my DD15 and I went to the sports day for my nieces.  Both girls go to a little school which has only 38 students and today was the Interschool sports day for all such small schools in the area.  The girls both got ribbons with the elder girl simply flying down the straight, coming from behind to win the relay for her school.  Their school didn't come first, but even so, a great time was had by all.

I found it very hard to go to sleep last night. I am still in a manic mood and sleep is hard to come by with them.  I have been racing around taxi-ing not only my kids, but my sisters and now I have just stopped and want a rest.  I hope I can sleep tonight and sleep without the weird dreams I have been having.  You name it, I have dreamt it. Last night's was centred around a mental aslyum and considering I have never been to one my imagination dreamt up a good one.  I even put my own surreal twist to it and put in a love story between the main characters, one of which I think was me except I looked like Audrey Hepburn!  You would think I would wake up at this point wouldn't you? But no it seems my brain is quite happy putting two and two together and getting five.  Who needs illicit drugs to space out when the legal ones do it so much better!

Seriously though I have been getting quite a few side effects from the new drug regime.  Nothing that will put me off taking the pills, as the mental benefit has been wonderful; but enough for me to take note and not want to increase the dosages.  Being on the high side of normal functioning is something I always prefer than being depressed.  I just have to make sure I don't go too high and develope psychosis or any other manic tendancy.  There is enough noise around me without me having voices going off inside of my head as well.

It is official. When I went to the doctors the other day, I had put on 6 kilos of weight in 3 weeks!!! The zyprexa is playing havoc with my appetite and what I do eat is put onto my body super efficiently. I know it helps my head, but this extra weight is killing me. I am actually looking forward to the lap band surgery in order to feel full and not be challenged by my recent constant hunger.

Tonight we are having a kind of Beef Casserole I have made up.  It has a chopped up blade roast in it which I browned before putting the meat in a deep dish. I then added a jar of passata (italian tomato juice-y sauce), then a couple of handfuls of mushrooms, an onion, and then a big spoon of vegetable stock powder.  I have put it in the oven at around 190 degrees celcius and will let it cook for about 2 hours to make sure the meat tenderises.  That is also when the hoards with be home from soccer practice.  The meat will then have some sour cream stirred through it and it will be served with creamy mashed spuds and green beans. 

Tommorrow is pay day, please God let the tax money have come through.  I have layby all the Christmas presents and I would like to pay a few off.  Also there is going to be a Transport Drivers strike next week, and I would like to be able to stock up on tinned, packaged and frozen goods in preparation for it.  Milk as well.  Must go and mash the spuds and watch the news in complete and utter peace.  jo.

Hi everyone,

Well, there have been some gray, overcast days here weather-wise, but I am feeling ok.  I had a couple of days being 'out of sorts' after my long manic period ended, but nothing too depressed. The new medication regime is still being fine tuned however; this week the Doc and I decided to reduce the anti-depressant as it seemed to be influencing my manic mood by raising it too high. The Zyprexa dose has also been increased 2.5mg to 7.5 and the Epilim left at 1700mg.  I have still got high blood pressure, so I have another pill for that as well. Its a wonder I don't jingle when I walk!

I have been reading a couple of books on bi polar this week in my research for my book.  One is by Penelope and Jessica Rowe.  Jessica is a newsreader and was actually on the 'Sunrise' programme this morning talking about her mother Penelope and her battle with bi-polar.  It makes sobering reading and has shown me how far medical professional has come in their treatment of this disease.  Penelope has had to endure terrible hospitalisations over the years, and the book tells of some of the extreme measures her doctor has had to resort to, in order to stabilise her condition. If you go to the "Sunrise" website you can read a blog entry there from Jessica as well as other info about bi polar disorder.

I am fully immersed in my writing at the moment.  Not only am I getting my former blog posts ready to put into book form, I have also won the right to be the correspondant from my town in the local newspaper.  I am very proud and have already submitted a piece as well as a book review.  I get paid around 10 cents a word, which is around the normal range, but I don't care really about that.  I am so pleased that someone wants to pay me for something I love doing.

My sons are absolutely driving me insane.  They have bought themselves a Playstation 2 and since then have played it incessantly.  As it is set up in the lounge room it is loud or if isn't they are.  So now I have just cracked the biggest whammy and made them put it in their room.  I figure they were safer there because if I heard the theme from the Athen's Olympics ONE MORE TIME, I swear I am going to CRACK Argh.........!

I had better go now.  My sister and her girls are coming for dinner and I haven't started it yet.  It is going to be satay chicken with vegetables, all served with basmati rice.

Bye, jo

If you think life is busy, try writing a book on top of everything else you do!  My life is very full at the moment.  I have to get 60 pages up to scratch and because I am on limited caffeine because of the operation, I am a bit sleepy with only one cup of coffee a day. It is exciting though being able to just sit down and write as it is something I enjoy immensely.

Many thanks Max for your helpful tips and links.  I have followed all of them up and they look helpful.  I tried to call you at home today to thankyou personlly, but there was no answer. Maybe you are still away on your trip.

The parents will have arrived in Switzerland now and hopefully are enjoying themselves.  They were quite tearful towards the end and were definitely not looking forward to going.  The long plane trips put them off travel as Dad's knee and back were hurting and of course Mum hates flying at the best of times.  But the travel at the end should be worth it.

Nothing much else happenning. It is grey, wet and cold; just the weather for staying inside, but in 1 hour I will be out in it taking the boys to soccer. Well I will be if no. 1 son gets his act together and does the washing up.  It is his turn and now with less than an hour to go he is still on his bed playing x-box.  Urgh!!!!!

Mood-wise I had a real downer yesterday, but I am back to nearly normal today. Also could not get to sleep last night which has been caused I think by the fact thatI have decreased the mania medicine too soon.  More mixing around the stuff is in the offing I think.  But things aren't too bad.  That's all for now.  jo.

The weather here is drizzly, and it is cold to boot.  But I don't mind, it is great weather to do some writing whilst listening to the radio. Later on I might even take to my bed and burrow under the doona and read the growing pile of books and magazines that I keep getting from the libaray and not finding time to read.  Such is the life of this SAHM. 

I am going well so far on cutting down on my caffeine in preparation for my surgery next month.  This week I have to cut my intake by half, then next week half again and finally zero.  After that I have to follow an Optislim diet for 3 weeks until I have the surgery on the 18th of August.  The diet is to shrink my liver so it isn't so hard for the surgeon to get to my stomach.  It is also to get rid of the fat from within the liver as well. 

I don't know how I will go on a diet of 3 meal replacements per day, plus limited veges and fruit; as I hate artificial sweeteners at the best of times.  Anyway I have ordered the soup and the bars in at the chemist in preparation.  It is only 3 weeks in my life, so I will grin and bear it.  The afters part of the operation sounds easy in comparison to me, at least you get to eat real food.

The parents left yesterday for their big tour in Europe and the USA.  I miss them already and it is 4 weeks or so until they return on the 22nd of August.  But I know that they will have fun, so that cheers me. 

Mood wise I am really good.  Still a bit manic but that's ok still.  It gives me energy to do stuff and I don't really need an afternoon sleep either which means I am sleeping better at night.  I stopped taking the metformin with the zyprexa, as I was getting the shakes each lunchtime and craving sugery foods.  I am not getting the urge to eat a whole box of cereal now, so I guess I was right to discontinue the metformin.

My book writing is going well Max.  I have thousands and thousands of words at my disposal thanks to this blog.  It is an interesting experience too, and if no body buys it, it won't matter because I will have done something great.  My kids and extended family will benefit anyway. I am presently listening to "The Book Show" on the ABC's Radio National; who knows maybe one day you might hear me on there! But I am getting away with myself here, suffiet to say I am enjoying the process of writing this book and watch this space in the next year or so for the actual birth of it.

cheers for now, jo.

Hi Everyone,

Yes well as you can see by the title of this blog, another big thing is about to happen in my life.  I have decided to have Lap Band surgery.  I am booked in for the 18th of August and the past week has been a  busy one getting ready for it all.  It is a multi-stage process with visits to the dietician, psychologist, surgeon etc.  It is also expensive, but with my weight going up hugely in the past couple of weeks since starting the new mood stabiliser, it is something I have to do, or face an early death.

This new development in my life has made me feel more in control of my life.  I feel confident that I am doing the right thing as well. I know it will be hard until I get used to a new lifestyle of only eating an entree sized meal for the rest of my life, but NOT being 140kg plus will be the payoff.

My other news is that I got a credit for my uni subject. The marks came out today.  I am please with this result.  I did the best I could and I passed with flying colours.  What more can you ask of yourself?  I am enrolled in a subject about literature from the so-called 'romantic' period of English lit.  I will be studying Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein" and Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice."  I have read the second and am not really looking forward to the first.  I hate any sort of horror stuff.  But we shall see how it all goes.

Everything else is normal around here.  School started again for my youngest boy.  The other two had a pupil free day, but both went to work instead.  Thanks for checking in and having a read.  Jo.

How to eat more vegies

by Cathy Johnson

Getting more vegies into your day isn't as hard as you think.  We're always being told to eat more vegies. They help ward off heart attacks and strokes they're good for your eyes, strengthen your bones, keep your waistline in check and probably protect against certain cancers too. But around half of all Australians don't get enough of them.

Is it really mission impossible to get more greens into your day?

Actually, there's an array of colours and varieties. We've come a long way from bland and tasteless overcooked cabbage!

The key to eating more vegies is to slip them into meals whenever you can. Add chopped mushrooms and carrots to a pasta sauce. Stir leafy greens like rocket into mashed potato. And learn to love stir fries. They're a great way to pack in more vegetables.

Don't shy away from frozen vegies. These days, they're mostly snap frozen close to where they're picked and often contain more nutrients than the ones you buy fresh.

As long as your freezer's really cold – around minus 18 degrees Celcius is best – frozen veg will keep their nutrients for a year. In contrast, some fresh greens can lose up to half their vitamin C after just a week in your fridge.

Even tinned vegies are a healthy option so long as there isn't added salt. And there's no rule that says you can't eat vegies at breakfast. Try sautéed mushrooms instead of bacon with your eggs, or pile spinach and cooked tomato on ricotta on your toast.

All up, aim for five serves a day – that's the minimum recommended for good health. A serve is half a cup of cooked veg or one cup of salad.

Another simple rule of thumb is to fill half to two thirds of your plate with vegies at both lunch and dinner. And the more colourful your plate the better. And no, filling your plate with hot chips doesn't count! For one thing they're almost certainly fried in unhealthy fats.

But more to the point, it's variety that's really important, because what makes one type of vegie healthy might be different from the next. The more kinds you eat, the broader the health benefits.

(from the ABC radio health newsletter)

Thanks to Coles supermarket for filming assistance.

Hi Everyone,

I have had a busy week, with the show, school holidays etc but have finally found time to sit down and update my  blog. 

I am feeling so good.  Just a touch manic, but hey I'm not complaining.  I get more done when I'm manic, it gives me more energy.  This morning I have been up at Big W laybying presents for Christmas for all the nephews and nieces.  Big W has no deposit layby and you don't have to pick it up until Christmas.  I also laybyed heaps of books that were discounted as well.  Let's hope the tax return is a good one this year and can pay for all of this!!!!! 

We went to the show on Monday afternoon/night. It was great, and must take heaps of hours and volunteers to get it that way.  There was misty rain, and it was very cold, ut the turnout was excellent, and the exhibits and everything were wonderful as well.   My daughter didn't get a place with her floral  arrangment but then we found out that she was competing against florists with years of experience, so she didn't take it hard.

Both of my older kids are working heaps of hours during the school holidays.  They are earning lots of money, some of which we will see in fuel money, but most will go to saving. Well, let's hoping ;) I am quite sure that the show took a bit of it though!

The youngest boy is a bit of a whizz at shooting. I don't know how he got so good, as we don't own guns, he must just have the knack.  My DH shoots quite well though, having learnt whilst on Patrol boats in the RAN and taught our kids, but they only shoot at the annual show.  Whatever it was, it resulted in armfuls of toys, won totally by my DS, thats all I know.

The weather fined up two days after the show, (isn't that always the way) and we are now having cool, clear days and nights again.  Definitely brass monkey weather now, Max!  This house has no insulation and is made all of wood.  I wouldn't be surprised if the wind comes up through the cracks in the floor boards.  We don't really mind, though an open fire would be nice), we just dress warmly and add more blankets to the bed. 

Molly the dog has taken to wearing her fleecy coat all day and night.  It keeps not only her bare little tummy warm,  but all the around her round little torso as well.  At present she is fast asleep curled up under a blanket.  She burrows into them like she is digging into soil, then lifts them up with her nose and slides underneath.  Sometimes you can see just her black little nose poking out, at others nothing is displayed as she is fully under.  I don't know how she manages to breathe under there then. 

The cats are all outside sunbathing at the moment.  They have selected a warm spot where no wind can get at them, and have made little beds in the hay in my herb bed where they can sleep all day.  In my next life I want to come back as a pet in this household I can tell you!

So that is what my life has entailed for the last whatever it is since I was here.  Except that I am working hard to put together a book using my blog posts.  It will be a Mental Illness Survival Handbook.  So if anyone has anything suggestions or hint just put them in the comments section of my blog.  Nothing stupid or insulting or negative or frankly I will just get really shitty and insulting back.  I am a creature to be feared when I am just a little manic afterall! LOL

Cheers, Jo.