Just Work It Out!

Hi Readers, 

A bright and sunny day for a change after a few weeks of pretty crappy weather here where we live. Not complaining though, as there is diddly squat we can do about it, so why worry? Still, I'll appreciate the good days when they come!!

I find it amazing still that I get an idea for a post, and for the next few days I just keep getting new ideas to add to that post or things happen that relate directly to what I want to write about. 

Maybe it's because my mind is more alert to things related to the post and that's why they resonate with me. It's like when I have been looking for a new car (and hasn't that happened a lot over the past 3 years!!) and I set my mind on a particular make and model. Then whenever I am driving around I keep seeing that type of car everywhere!

The opposite also happens.

When I had my motorbike I would always be checking out other bikes I'd see in the street or passing by. Now that I've sold mine I only give other bikes a fleeting glance as they go by. As much as I loved having mine, because I know that I can't ride one safely anymore it has taken away the yearning and longing to have one again. I had my time in the sun with my motorbikes, now it's time for something else.

Which brings me to the inspiration for this post, which came from our 5 year old Grandson, Henry.

A year or so ago I bought him a bike for Christmas. He'd get along on it fine with his trainer wheels, and was always keen to get them off and start riding solo.

Due to where they lived it wasn't always a safe place to learn to ride a bike, and their property didn't have enough space. Then they spent much of this year living overseas while the bike stayed at home. A few weeks ago I was up in Qld visiting and was able to get him on his bike a few times in their backyard that had been landscaped to include enough space to start riding a bike in. It was frustrating for him at first as he hadn't been on it for so long, so I didn't push him. If he wanted to have a crack we'd do it, and if he didn't want to, then we didn't.

Imagine my surprise when I get sent a video clip last week showing him scooting around the front of their house as if he'd been doing it for years.

Our son said that Henry just decided one day that he was going to ride his bike on his own, and after minimal trial and error he just nailed it so quickly. Even they were amazed at how quickly he mastered the art of riding without the trainers on.

This clip may or may not work! Sorry!!!

What impressed me the most was that he wasn't pushed or forced into it, he just made up his mind that he was ready to do it. Sure, he needed some help at the start, but as he had made up his mind to do it he was well on the way to success already. He was just ready and able to work it out.

I remember when I was teaching his dad to ride a bike many, many years ago. Sam got on a bit of a roll and was pedalling away from me, but there was a large tree looming ahead and it didn't look as if he was going to miss it. Rather than rush ahead and save hime from the impending collision, I just let him decide for himself what to do. I thought he might veer left or right to go around it. WRONG!!

He just kept pedalling right into the tree.

He might have been just a little bit hurt, but he got over it.  I think. (He still reminds me about it to this day though!!!) But the main thing was that he never did it again as he realised he needed to work it out so that it wouldn't happen again.

It might have been a harsh lesson, but it wasn't repeated by his two younger brothers as he complained constantly about it when we were teaching them to ride their bikes.

Surprisingly, neither of them crashed into a tree!!!

Henry learning to master the skill of riding a bike was the impetus for this post, then as I was browsing the book section in a store last week I came across this book.

I have always admired Travis Boak as a sportsman long before I found out even more about him. I heard him in a podcast and was really touched by the way he has understood how the things that have happened in his life have helped him to become who he is. This book was just screaming out at me to buy, so I did.

I'm only 40 or so pages in, and as I said in a former post, when I read and come across something that really gets me thinking I often re-read it a few times, or stop there for the day just so that I can reflect upon it. That's why it takes me so long to read books!!!

Anyway, he relates a story about how he was playing cricket in an important game when he was about 15. He was usually one of their best bowlers, but on this day he just felt like he bowled rubbish all day, and at the end of the game was really down on himself.

His Dad had been watching all day but said nothing. As they got to the car Travis said "I want to go to the nets to practice", so his Dad took him there. Dad set up some cones and just said "Aim for these" and then did nothing else for the next 2 hours while Travis bowled at the cones and tried to work it out. No barking of instructions from his Dad, just encouragement.

At the end of the session Travis realised he had worked out what he needed to do, and that although his Dad seemed to do very little, he had in fact done so much. He enabled Travis to work it out himself, which always makes the learning become embedded.

This is just what Henry's parents had done, gave lots of encouragement and support rather than overpowering him with instructions. They let him work out what works for him.

Having had this epiphany after seeing how both Henry and Travis both achieved success purely by having a crack and trying to work things out for themselves, I started wondering how I could do the same.

Being retired now I have a bit of time on my hands, but there are still lots of things to do that don't get done because I just don't know how to do them, or are just too lazy to actually try and work them out.

There is a tap in my yard that drips endlessly, but I just couldn't get it off the wall. I went and picked out a tap to replace it, then thought "What if it's not the whole tap, just something else?" So after fossicking around in the toolboxes and a bit of googling, I had the tap off, tested a few washers and Bingo!! Tap fixed and that constant puddle has not been seen for days.

In a recent post I mentioned how the World's Worst Gardener (ie, me) had actually started planting things. Well, it has been a few weeks now and nothing has died. Quite the opposite, the garden is flourishing. Today I managed to figure out how to feed the plants properly! I know that sounds mediocre to all of you, but for me it has been huge!!!

The best part of this has been that Jen has been getting fresh roses on her grave every day now. Rather than just let the roses wilt on the vine and drop away, I'm making sure that a fresh bunch from her garden is placed with her every day while they are still around. Just this small act gives me such incentive to honour the rest of the garden that she lovingly put so much work into, I'd hate to disrespect this work.

Admittedly, my flower arranging skills were pretty pathetic with this first effort, but things are looking so much better a week or so later!!

 One thing that challenges me at the moment is trying to reach the crimson and white roses at the top as they are just the best. I've had a few near misses with my dodgy legs, I just don't want to risk damaging them again!!

I can't speak for you, but for me, just kicking these little goals feels like I have climbed Mt Everest some days! Especially when i work out a few 'minor' things in the same day!

I had quite a few tap issues in the yard with sprinklers and watering systems, but rather than 'calling in the man' I decided to have a crack on my own first, and I did it. This just gave me extra incentive to have a crack at other tasks, and you guessed it, nailed them too!!

Giving yourself the time to try and solve things before giving in to them is so self rewarding, I might even keep trying to do it!!

The first part of Travis Boak's book goes into great detail about the relationship that he had with his Dad, and how he coped with losing him over a two year period to cancer, and how he copes now. I found this very hard to read, but appreciated his openness and honesty so much as it had so many parallels to what we went through with Jen when she was sick. Just like Travis, I have learnt so much about myself, especially since retiring and there still so many things I am trying to work out. As he experienced, the loss never stops, it just gets different, and trying to adapt to it and make meaning from it is what I just need to keep trying to work out.

Another thing that I have been working out lately is how to teach again!!

Yep, I have been back in the classroom over the past few weeks after deciding to make myself available for relief work at my old school. I ran into one of Jen's old colleagues who had retired, but decided to do a bit of CRT work just to see if she'd regret not giving it a try. This struck a chord with me, as I had also been thinking if I'd regret not giving it a try. After 38 years of teaching it is not as easy as it sounds to go cold turkey, well, not for me anyway. I did have to stay in Bendigo quite a bit these few months due to various doctor appointments and tests that I've been having, so I decided to have a crack at a few days. These few days have grown into quite a few days, and I'm actually enjoying it. 

But in the space of less than a year, the method of teaching has changed dramatically so I really had to work it out even though I was still getting lots of support from other teachers at the school. If anything, the kids were probably teaching me, rather than the opposite!!

So Readers, not only have I been trying to work out whether I still wanted to teach or not, having made that decision, I now have to try and work out how teaching is being done now!!

Regardless of the changes though, it has been overwhelmingly positive with the welcoming back from the kids and staff that have made the transition so rewarding. I'll power through to the end of the year and when 2026 comes around I'll see how I feel about continuing on with it.

Perhaps the funniest thing happened yesterday when I was collecting a Gr 1 class from their teacher who I get on so well with, and we were ribbing each other and teasing each other a bit in a fun way in front of his class. After I left, one of the kids asked him "Is Mr K your Dad?"

He couldn't find me quick enough to tell me!! 😂

Not a very lengthy post this week Readers, as I'm going to work out how to cut off some of those high roses and take them to Jen. I'll make sure that I do it carefully, but I'll work it out!!

Until my next post,

Cheers 😁

 Giving Time

Hi Readers,

Another post and you might be wondering what the prompt was this time. 

Or you just might not give a toss!!

I'm a shocker for using post-it notes all the time. I use them as constant reminders for everything from my shopping list, to reminders to do things around the house and even reminders about what to do each day! There is a post-it note pad in my car in case I need to jot something down before I forget it, one beside my bed in case I wake up and think of something and need to write it down in case I forget about it in the morning.

As a result there are often notes all around the place with scribble on them, some very important, but in most cases it's just mickey-mouse stuff that in the bigger scheme of things is very insignificant. I've just created a habit of doing it.

So a few moments ago I was cleaning up the kitchen bench and I found a note that I had scribbled on last week sometime. I'd glance at it so often in the past few days and made a mental note "I should check what I have written on that note", and it wasn't until I picked it up just now that I read it again, and thought it might be a good prompt for a post.

As I have to kill just a few hours this morning as I have to head off to work later today (more about that later) what better opportunity than to belt out a post?

As I have the radio going nearly all the time when I'm driving or doing stuff around the house, I listen to lots of talkback and podcasts. On one last week there was some discussion around the topic of "What do you give time to?"

It wasn't pointed in any particular direction, it was just asking people to describe the things that they give time to, be it super important or mediocre. Having said that, to me, anything that you choose to give time to must be important, and it's only the perceptions of others that diminish it.

An example of people giving time was described by a representative of a tourist organisation. Overseas Readers, there is a tourist attraction on the coast here in Victoria called The Twelve Apostles, a rock formation in the ocean not far from the cliffs. Most have fallen down over time, leaving just a few, definitely not twelve anymore!!

Anyway, this representative shared some data about the number of visitors per month, year etc, but the one bit that really caught my attention was when he said that a majority of people will travel up to 5 hours to visit this attraction and that the average stay was only 12 minutes!!!!

I presume that this is mainly foreign tourists doing a day trip from Melbourne, but isn't that a huge investment of time for only 12 minutes? Of course there would be so many others who travel for less, or spend more than 12 minutes there, but that is a big commitment still.

Which got me thinking.

What things have I, and do I freely give time to?

I can relate to some similar travel stories as Jen and I travelled extensively together and have so many memories and stories to share.

I remember when we were in Paris and we stood under the Eiffel Tower for the first time. I was totally mesmerised by its sheer size and just couldn't comprehend it even though I was there. I could have stood under it and marvelled at it for ages until I got my arm grabbed by Jen with a bit of a hurry up to go up the lift.

By the time we got to the top level my amazement just went ballistic. Being terrified of heights, I still managed to have a look around and I was content to just lean on the rails and soak up looking over Paris, and realising that I was actually standing on the Eiffel Tower!! I could have spent hours there, but then my arm was grabbed again and I'm being told "Come on, we've got things to do and places to see!" Clearly Jen wasn't loving it as much as I was, I just lost all sense of time while I was up there, I could have given it all the time in the world.

A slightly different experience for both of us when we visited the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

We had really been looking forward to seeing this, and I don't want to sound ungrateful for having the chance to do it in the first place, but after looking at it, we both then looked at each other as if to say "Is that it??" then just laughed.

In all our travels we found places that we could have just spent ages there just soaking it all up. This includes famous attractions as we would just consider ourselves so lucky to have the opportunity to experience them.

But some of our greatest memories came from just sitting in a quaint piazza, or along a riverbank or just on a balcony of where we might have been staying and we would just absorb the atmosphere and try to experience life as a local.

In my recent travels I have just loved having time to sit at a coffee shop or hotel and just watch how people from another country go about their business. I thought I'd be a person who'd always go for the big attractions, but over the years I've found that I just love giving time to doing the things that aren't as rushed or well known. Earlier this year I was in New York, and I just loved the time wandering the streets and taking in the sights, sounds and smells of such a vibrant city. Not what I'd say was relaxing, but a time when I would lose all sense of time.

Sorry to harp on overseas travel Readers, but it is something I had yearned to do since I was about 18, and it wasn't until many, many years later that I have been lucky enough to do it.

There is one place that I have been to twice, and I still consider it to be the most beautiful place I have seen anywhere. Not just the beauty of the place, but how it made me feel.

On both occasions I just found myself finding a quiet place to myself and just soaking up the atmosphere and sheer beauty, I'm sure I'll go back there again!

And this place?

Lake Louise in Canada. 

When I came back from my first trip there I was constantly banging on to Jen about this lake that I had visited, and how we must go there together one day. As she hadn't been there, she'd just nod politely and let me finish gushing about a place that had no relevance to her whatsoever.

Fast forward a few years and one of our sons is working in Banff, just down the road from Lake Louise. Of course, one of the first things I did was drag her up there and instead of me talking all about it it I just let Jen make up her own mind.

And then she says to me, "I get what you were saying about this place"

We then just took a slow walk around the lake, taking in all the sounds, the quiet, the smells and the incredible scenery. Nothing needed to be said, and for one of those rare times, neither of us was in a rush to go and do other things.

Jen had taken me to Reggio Emilia in Italy on a previous trip, a place that had such special memories for her, and it wasn't until then that I began to understand her love and passion for what she experienced there.

We would often just sit in the Piazza and watch the world go by, and time meant nothing to us at all.

As I mentioned earlier when we at the Eiffel Tower and Jen rushed me off to see other things (we'd probably been there for ages, I was just so absorbed!) I am so guilty of doing the same to her.

We love our coffees, so every day we'd sit somewhere and have one. Now Readers, it is a bit of a joke in our family that I just chug my coffees too quickly, and as soon as they are served they are gulped down, no matter how hot they are.

This always happened when we'd go somewhere. No sooner after sitting down, my coffee would be demolished then I'd get 'The Stare' from Jen as she might not have even had her first sip!! I learnt to understand the stare as soon as I'd finish mine I'd be fidgeting and shuffling about trying to give her the hurry on as "We have places to go and things to see". Sound familiar???

The first few times this happened I foolishly asked her to hurry up, but over time she developed 'the stare' which I very quickly learnt to understand!!!!

Then 'the stare' became a wry smile, as she knew she had me on her leash!!!

It has only been in the past few years that I fully realised this was her "giving time" moments. Just because I didn't value the pleasure of really sitting back and enjoying the coffee and soaking up the atmosphere, I was denying her the opportunity to do what she valued. Now I get it.

Let's get away from travel, as I could bang on about so many occasions where I could 'give time', but that would bore you to tears as it is only really relevant to me, and you would just be thinking "Meh!!"

But having said that Readers, here's something for you to think about.What do you love "giving time" to? 

What are the things that mesmerise you, entrap you and make you lose all sense of time?

In a way, when I'm doing these posts I lose track of all time as I just love the way that it gets me thinking about things that matter to me. But probably not to you!!!

There are things we do when one eye is constantly on the clock as we just hope it will finish, while there are other times when we look at the clock and think "Where did those 3 hours go??" When does this apply to you? 

And more importantly, do we give ourselves the chance to do them, or do we let the other things overrun them?

I know it's an old saying, "I don't have the time", but when one commits to making the time it is such a joy to experience.

Back in the day when I was able to do the thing that I just loved so much, going for runs I would experience this so much. Of course there were days when I'd grind out a run as I knew I had to maintain the training in order to achieve certain goals. 

But on other days I'd get out on the road and everything just clicked. The legs were moving, the breathing was steady and the hills felt even less steeper than they did before. I'd stop looking at the watch and just run for the love of it, and before too long I'd have 20-30km under the belt and still feeling as fresh as a daisy.

How I'd long for those days again as just walking around the block at the moments stuffs me up for a day or two!!!! Still, I'm so grateful for what I was able to do, I'll just find other ways to get the same feeling.

Now, as I mentioned earlier in this post, I mentioned about heading off to work later today, so I better finish this post and start getting ready.

For the overseas readers, I had been a teacher for 38 years then retired at the end of last year. However, there is still the opportunity here to do be a Casual Relief Teacher, or CRT, where you are hired for a day here and there to fill in for teachers who are away for different reasons. 

All this year I have tossed the idea about and whether or not I would be up to it, do I want to do it or if I'd be any good at it.

Anyway, a few weeks ago I contacted my previous school and said I'd be available for CRT work if needed. In some ways I might have been thinking "There, I've put my name forward, but I hope they don't contact me"!!!  But I was also thinking that I was keen to give it a try just to see if I was absolutely finished, and I didn't want to regret not giving it a crack.

Well, lo and behold I have done a few days this week, and guess what? I've loved it!!!

I went in and took Indonesian for a few classes (Okay, stop laughing!!) and because I don't know any Indonesian I can't really say if I was successful or not. The kids didn't cry or run away so at least that was a win!! At one point I was thinking if my Indonesian was failing I'd slip into Japanese mode, as I taught Japanese back in the day.

Then the next day I took a class for the day in the room that I'd taught in for the past two years, it felt very comfortable. And the icing on the cake was taking 4 classes for a combined sports session. Talk about living the dream!!

Today I'm going in for the last part of the day, so anything could happen.

I know I've only been out of the game for 10 months, but things have changed dramatically since I retired so I was constantly asking the kids "Am I doing this right?" I'm not to proud to do that I can tell you.

A funny moment was when I was doing something on the screen and was once again not knowing what I was doing and I glanced up and a student obviously read the situation and just gave me an approving nod, as if to say "You've got this". In the end I just told the kids to tell me when I was in the wrong, and to their credit they didn't wind me up or prank me, they were just the best. Bless them!!! 

I have been so nervous about going back to work part time, there's a part of me that says "You don't need to do this", but also another part that is saying "You want to do this"

So the experiences of the days back in the classroom this week have made me give a bit more time to thinking about the approach I will take as a CRT, as it is quite different from going in as the usual teacher. And whether I'll continue as a CRT next year is up in the air, I don't know which way I will go, but for the moment it has been just the tonic for my wellbeing as the past few months have been a real challenge.

Readers, I have loved 'giving time' to doing this post as it has given me clarity about making some recent decisions, and for something I'll be doing in the coming days that I'm still uncertain about. In recent posts I spoke about not spending too much time dwelling on decisions, so in the next few days I hope that I can find out if this decision is going to be good for me or just something where people will say "Yep, he's losing it again!"

Time will tell!!

Readers, In the coming days I hope you can identify at least one thing that you'd love to give time to, and treat yourself to it. Forget mowing the lawns or doing work related tasks. Do something for YOU!!

Until my next post,

Cheers 😁

p.s. I actually love mowing the lawns, and weeding the gardens! It gives me time!!!!!

 Nailing It !

Hi Readers,

I already had an idea for a post planned for today, but something that started my day has caused me to write about it instead. At least I still have a prompt for my next post!!

Each morning I get up pretty early as I have quite a bit of rehab to do on my hands, shoulders and ankles so that I can move about as much as I can. Over the past 3 years as the number of ops has increased, so has the amount of rehab and that means my sessions are getting longer and longer!! Still, I've always been diligent at being an early riser over the years so it's no big deal. But by mid afternoon I'm ready to create some 💤💤💤💤 so I'm careful not to sit down otherwise I'll be in the land of nod!!

This morning was pretty cool by the time I got into the shower. As usual I just turned on both the hot and cold water taps, hoping that I'd get the temp right. Nine times out of ten I'll get in and need to adjust either tap, or both, rarely do I get it right first time.

But this morning was different.

When I got in it was just perfect!!! For a moment I thought about adjusting one or the other, but then realised that I'd actually nailed it!!!

You must be thinking that I must be totally nuts when something so trivial got my juices going, but it did get me thinking.

What are the things that are so mundane and pedantic, that when we nail them perfectly we feel like a million dollars???

The times when we just snag something perfectly?

This was all prompted by my shower this morning, and as I soaked up the warmth I started to think about other things that I do all the time, but rarely do I get them done perfectly, or close to perfection each time?

Warning!!

I'm going to venture down the path of pedantism, but at the same time I hope I get you thinking about similar things in your own lives that you celebrate with private gusto when you nail them!!!

As I prepare to mow the lawns later today, it's always in the back of my mind if the battery life in the mower will go the distance. Usually it does last, but only if I push quickly, something that is a bit of a challenge with my leg at the moment. Other factors are the length of the grass, and how quickly I can do my neighbour's nature strip as well.

So many times I've been left with a strip about 15-20m long as the battery dies, needing a recharge. And that means coming back later and starting again, all for just 2-3 minutes.

But later today I am anticipating getting it all done in one hit, just because I nailed the shower this morning.

It's amazing how just that one little success this morning has created such a positive mindset for the rest of the day!!

Even just having breakfast can bring its own little challenges.

When I make my coffee I always put the milk in first before I add the coffee from the coffee machine. As I use lots of different sized cups, I never measure the milk, I just guess. Most times I put in either just a bit too much or too little, but on the times I just nail it I just stop and figuratively pat myself on the back.

The same goes for making toast. We all know the trials and tribulations involved when breaking in a new toaster and finally settling on the level that does your toast just right. 

Until you start using different types of bread and with different thicknesses.

One of my bugbears is having to dip back into the butter for more when you are buttering your toast. If I can get enough on the knife in the first go, then life is good. It sort of feels like I'm double dipping if I have to go back for more. Worse still when you have taken too much and are still left with a blob on your blade. What do you do now? Wipe it on the edge of the container for someone else to use?? I hate it when I open a butter container and I see the dregs of jam, vegemite, peanut butter etc lining the edges.

I suppose my habit of always trying not to have to go back to the container stems from my wife Jenny being Coeliac, and even a crumb or two would be enough to cause her serious reactions. At some times we even had seperate containers of butter and our own jars of spreads just to eliminate contamination. We definitely had seperate toasters.

As we continue our stroll down Pedantic Street, how many of you suffer from toothpaste rage?

You have just eaten your perfectly buttered toast, drained your perfectly milked coffee and are now nicking into the bathroom to give your fangs a wipe.

But whoever used the toothpaste last (in our house it's always just me now, so I can't blame anyone! 😖) has left just enough for half of what you need, but not enough for what you need for a proper clean.

But today is different!! You squeeze out the last dollop and it is 100% perfect for your needs. No mangling of the tube to grind out the last micron of toothpaste, just what you need, and no need to question if you need to leave the tube there for perhaps one last attempt. You are content that it has done its job and a new tube will be opened next visit.

On these occasions even my teeth feel cleaner and I'm not stressed about having to have rolled around on the bathroom floor trying to coax out that last bit of toothpaste that I need.

The same applies for shampoo in the shower. Who gets in and finds that the previous person has left only the tiniest bit in the bottle jus so they don't get lumbered with the responsibility of changing it over or refilling it. The joy of squeezing out that last bit and knowing thatit is all that you need. But please replace or refill it!!!!

Putting on socks and then not having to fiddle around making them feel comfortable once you put your shoes on. That seam that often runs along the toe line really bugs me if I can feel it, it just has to be perfect for me. So many times I've needed to take my shoe off again and adjust, but on those days I nail it, I just glide out of the house!!

Putting on a jumper over a shirt and not having to fiddle with the sleeves if they have scrunched up, especially with long sleeved shirts. Back in the day it never bothered me as much, but with all my recent shoulder issues I just can't reach and stretch as much as I'd like and one does need flexibility to adjust opposite sleeves. When I'm doing this in public I swear I must look like someone trying to change the wheel on a moving car!!

Cooking rice or pasta to add to a dish.

I'm not one to rely on measurements, I usually cook by sight ( and sometimes taste!)

Most of the time I just pour in what I think will look like enough once it is cooked, but more often than not I'm left over with an amount that is not enough for another meal the next day, and if I added it to what I was eating at the time it would just be that little too much.

Which is why I tend to overcook, meaning a dish might last me 3 nights!! By then I'm over it, but on the nights when I just nail the quantities, just call me Masterchef!!

Ever put on sunscreen and are left with way too much still on your hands that just won't be absorbed by your skin? You are so covered because you may have been a tad exuberant in squirting/pumping from the bottle that even after rubbing it in everywhere, you still have a few litres of it still in your hand? I'm not for a minute discouraging the use of sunscreen, heaven forbid, but on those times when you just get the right amount for what you need to cover one gets that feeling of invincibility against the UV Rays. We all end up with a bit extra on our hands that can be wiped away, but when we have totally covered ourselves and our hands look like they have just been painted white, perhaps we may have taken just a bit too much to start with. Just nail it!!

Buying clothes that fit perfectly first time. One of my pet hates is trying on new clothes at shops and trying to get the right size. Just because a Medium fits at one store does not necessarily mean that all Mediums are the same. Which means going to the change rooms with 2 or even more sizes of the same item just to see which one fits best. And being a pedantic beast, even if I am buying more than one of something as I want another colour, I try on EVERYTHING!!! 

On my recent trip overseas earlier this year I had some hours to kill at Singapore Airport, so I wandered among the shops. Imagine my surprise when I discovered some pants that were just perfect for travelling, at a great price, and when I tried them on they fitted perfectly!!!! Usually I'll require adjustments, but these were just perfect. So perfect in fact that I bought 3 pairs there and then. I was only 8 hours out of Australia and already my luggage was getting harder to pack, but when I buy something that fits perfectly first go, that feeling of nailing it is so good.

As I drive into town most days there are a number of intersections to go through that have traffic lights. If you are like me, don't you hate it when they change to red just as you are approaching?

But yesterday I drove like the Grandpa that I am, right on the limit and didn't care about the driver who was right up my arse trying to push me to go faster. This car did a drastic overtaking move into the next lane as if the world was ending, then settled down in front of me at the same speed that I was doing. That was a big move!! Then it did the same thing to another car and ended up in the lane beside me behind another car that was going slightly slower. I kept going at Grandpa speed and caught every green light while this very impatient and erratic driver got caught behind an even slower driver, ending up way behind me.

And as I approached a major intersection I caught sight of two motorcycle police parked behind some trees waiting to catch drivers just like the one I had experienced. These lights turned red, and just by chance I pulled up right next o them, and as I knew one of them well we managed to have a quick chat while waiting for the lights to turn green.

On those days when I just nail the green lights, life is so good!!!

By now Readers you must be thinking that I have way too much time on my hands if I am writing about such boring things like the ones that I have mentioned, but often when I don't get them right they are the things that can bug me intensely. They become the ants that I turn into elephants, when in fact they are so purile they needn't cause me any alarm at all.

Dressing perfectly for the weather.

I don't know if you are like me, but I can't stand it if I dress badly for the weather. I know it's easy for me now, if I get too hot or cold I just go and change. But when I was working, and a nice day was predicted, I'd be wondering whether to wear shorts or not, would I be too cold or too warm etc. So pedantic would I be that I'd wear shorts even if most of the day was too cool for shorts, but if it got warmer in the last hours of the day then I felt just justified. I'd nailed it!! I may have suffered in the cold for most of the day, but that one hour or two when shorts were best meant that I'd made the right decision. Funny how our brains work isn't it!

Travelling overseas causes me the most challenges with dressing, for although the temp might be cooler, I'm usually very active and on the go, so I tend not to pack too many warm clothes. I have been caught out on a few occasions, but generally I nail it.

And now the best for last.

Have you ever poured the perfect beer? The one that uses every drop from the bottle?

As I make my own beer I have a very vested interest in this and take a lot of notice in how they pour.

If there is too much head, that means I still have a few mouthfuls left in the bottle, and being home brew I won't just guzzle it as there is a bit of sediment left in the bottom of every bottle. But if I pour it perfectly it uses up just about every drop and just leaves a little bit in the bottom with the sediment.

Then there is the size of the glass that one uses. 

For me, a beer needs to come to the rim of the glass, and not only fill the glass 3/4 or near the top. Many would argue against this, but for me it has to be full, so when I pour one that uses just the right amount from the bottle and looks perfect in the glass, then I know that I have nailed it.

Well Readers, a very pedantic and light hearted look at the piddly little things that cross our paths across our days, but although being somewhat minor, they can still dictate the way in which we might approach the day.

Who knows, the very grumpy person you encounter later today might not just have nailed something that we all might consider an ant, but for this person it has become an elephant. On the other hand, it might be the person who didn't have to break stride to go up a step and just glided up it gracefully. We've all been there.

So Readers, I hope that you get to nail something today, and that you might even reflect momentarily on it and see how it can change the course of what you do next.

Until my next post,

Cheers 😁

 Changeover

Hi Readers,

I don't know about you but every year around this time I get those nervous itches to change a few things, or get the things done that have constantly been nagging at me.

Why this time of the year?

For my overseas readers, we had the Grand Final on Saturday, the last game of the Australian Rules Football season. Sort of like our version of the Superbowl.

As soon as the game ended my first thoughts were "Well, there's nothing on tv for the next 6 months!!", so I may as well start getting some things done around the home.

Many use the crossover to Daylight Saving as the impetus for spring cleaning etc, but as we have a bit of a wait until that starts I thought I'd get a head start.

Hang on, just after writing that last comment I went and checked when it starts and it is in 5 days!!! I had it in my mind that we had a month or two to wait. Just shows how on the ball I am!!

Well, I've been busier than a mosquito at a nudist camp the past few days, just getting so many piddly tasks done, that in the end made me feel as if I'd conquered the world!!

For instance, there are a few windows in the house that I keep slightly open at times to let fresh air in, but even with the flywire screens covering them, levels of dust and dirt still get in on the ledges, especially when I have the sprinklers on. Every time I look at them I make a mental note to clean them, but of course many months later I was still to do it. Until these past few days!!! And it took all of 5 minutes as I ended up vacuuming the entire rooms afterwards for good measure.

Now I was on a roll!

A strip on the exterior of the oven had worked its way loose. Another 3 minute job that had been put off repeatedly. Glue, done!

That was enough for that day so I went back to my relaxed lifestyle.

I watched the Grand Final and had the obligatory beers and rubbish food. I held out for the first half, but then cracked a beer and some of those horrid (but very tasty!) mini hot dogs.

                              

Later that night after enjoying the junk, then starting to regret it I decided that tomorrow would be more changes and jobs done. The body would be a temple once more!!

As I was laying in bed on Sunday morning, having a very rare sleep in, for some reason I had a sudden urge to have some soft boiled eggs and toast fingers (with a layer of butter of course - hello heart attack!!) I hadn't had them for over 3 years, and why I suddenly thought about them is anyone's guess. 

A quick google search on how long to cook them for and I was ready. At this point I should have possibly looked at more than one website for cooking times, as when they were ready they were only slightly runny, and not far off being hard boiled. Rather than dunk my toast fingers in I was stabbing the egg instead!!

While they were cooking, I searched for an egg cup. Surely we had some in the house as I'd seen them before. But was that in one of the other 4 houses we have owned?

Despite turning the kitchen upside down I just couldn't find one, so I sufficed with a coffee cup with a scrunched up paper towel inserted to hold the egg.

So I sort of enjoyed my sort of soft boiled egg but decided there and then that I needed to go and buy some cups. That took visits to so many shops, doesn't anyone stock them anymore??

But as I was rummaging through the cupboards and pantry, I noticed that there were a lot of food items that I either didn't use or were just out of date. When various people come to stay they invariably add items to my pantry when they are cooking, but many of these I just don't use. When one discovers things that have a Use By date that goes back to when I was still in my 50's, alarm bells start to go off.

Recently one of my sisters stayed here while I was away in Qld. On the day I returned she very generously offered to cook a roast, something that I rarely if ever do as it is too much for me. When I came back into the kitchen after a session on the bike in the shed, she was nowhere to be seen, but there was a can of tomatoes laying on its side with half the contents on the bench. Strangely, the lid was only slightly off and the top of the can was bulging slightly.

When she returned she explained that as soon as she started to open the can it just exploded everywhere. It turns out that the expiry date was 2022 and these cans had been hiding in the back of my pantry since then!!!

So what other dangers were also there?

After realising that I needed to do something that I'd been putting off for 3 years, I decided to empty the pantry and be ruthless in throwing out anything that was way out of date, or was something that I just wouldn't use, or didn't know how it got there in the first place. 

There were so many packets of various sorts of flour so they all got emptied into the green waste bin. I kid you not when I say that this amounted to nearly 3-4 buckets as so many had been opened and only a bit used, while others were in sealed ice cream containers that you couldn't see into or weren't labelled so they were just never used.

I wasn't risking using anything that had been opened and didn't have a use by date, so out they went.

I was blown away by the amount of crap I tossed out, but it has given me new incentive to shop more economically and sensibly.

I was however worried about my green waste bin getting emptied the next day as there was bound to be a fair bit of flour etc causing a bit of ruckus.

I hope this video opens, it shows the green waste bin getting emptied while I hide behind the gate hoping that I don't get into strife!

Anyway Readers, after more than three hours I was done, the pantry was spotless and all I have to do is try and keep it his way and try to remember where everything is stacked as I put everything into new spaces.

Early into the battle

Wondering why I started this in the first place!

Done!!!

Now that this was done, I had some containers that needed to go through the dishwasher after I pried out the previous contents that had well and truly moved in and were not ready to leave!

So where would all these containers go, as my container drawers were well and truly areas that should only be entered at your own risk.

You guessed it Readers, I jumped out of the fire and into another frying pan immediately and started on the container draw.

Surely each container must have a corresponding lid?

After making two big piles, one of containers and one of lids I began the process of making partners, and ended up with only 6-7 spare lids.

That was just he first part of his problem, as I now had to get them back into the draw, and in a manner which would prompt and encourage me to keep it this organised. So far so good, and if any visitors stuff it up, look out!!!

Every container has a lid, they are kept in the same pile and they all fit in the drawer!!

Ask me for a photo in 3 weeks and see if I stick with it.

After reading through what I've just banged on about, you must be thinking that I have the most boring existence if something like this gets my juices going. I agree! 

But it is amazing how getting those little things done can change one's perspective on so many other things, and change your mindset towards all other things that you do.

Sometimes we just need to stop and focus on the little things in order to get the bigger things done.

How is this for you??

My next venture took me into the laundry where another clean up occurred, but by this time I'd spent all my enthusiasm tickets, so the poor old laundry will have to wait for the real makeover.

Speaking of the laundry, a question that someone might help me with. Please feel free to post a response in the comments section at the bottom of the post.

I have been really putting in an effort to keep my whites seperate from my colours ("Derrr" I hear you all saying) but this one thing has been bugging me for ages.

I have a blue and white striped rugby top.

Should it go in with the whites, or the colours? It's a sort of 50/50 option, so which way should I go? Earth shattering problem I'm facing I'm sure you'll agree.

And while sorting out and discovering the various things in my pantry, I discovered a cake mix for a chocolate cake, and to my surprise it was well within its use by date. 

I haven't baked a cake in years, so I've decided I just might give it a crack this week.

If you hear about me being in hospital again, it just might be because of this cake!

And while on the subject of cooking, while I was in QLD recently I went down to the Tallebudgera Creek kiosk and bought one of their unbelievably delicious bolognaise sausage rolls. These are to die for, and are a must on every trip up there.

Maybe I could make some sausage rolls?

Rather than googling it, I decided to go commando and see if I could do it myself.

After buying the pastry (as if I was going to make my own!!) and making the bog sauce I dutifully filled some sheets of pastry, rolled, cut and basted them and gothem ready for the oven.

But hang on, this is a great opportunity for Sausage Roll Surprise! (See previous posts where I make "Surprise" dishes 😳)

So in the remaining bog sauce went some cannellini and kidney beans, god only knows what type and amount of spices and just like that some 'other' sausage rolls.

Not only was the making of these a load of fun, it was the anticipation of altering the recipe and then looking forward to tasting them that had me on tenterhooks.

Readers, I'm on a winner!!!!!

Speaking of hospital, and getting things done that I've been putting off, I contacted my doctor yesterday to make an appointment to get a referral for my shoulder that I hurt last year when I crashed my bike when visiting Jen at the cemetery. Thinking that I wouldn't get an appointment for a week or so, I was booked in straight away and she saw me yesterday. 

Next it was off with my referral to the reception of the surgeon who did my other shoulder a year or so ago as well as my hands to make an appointment. Imagine my surprise when the reception rang me before I could even get there, as the reception at my doctor had already emailed the referral through.

Normally it takes months to get in to see him, so I wasn't too flustered, but they said they'd had a late withdrawal and would see me next week.

Bloody hell!!! Here is me thinking that I'd have a few months grace before going through the potential surgery merry-go-round again, and suddenly it's all happening at warp speed.

I'd had some shots into the shoulder three weeks ago, all to no avail, and with past experiences I'm not crossing my fingers about this one (not that I can cross my fingers now anyway 🤞

That teaches me to try and be so organised, I end up getting more than I expected.

Not complaining though, I'm extremely fortunate to be in the situation I am in to get these things done.

Two funny things happened when I was at the surgery reception this morning though.

While at the desk, the surgeon who did my ankle walked past and greeted me and had a quick chat. He then says "Am I seeing you today?" to which I reply "No, I'm booking in for this" pointing to my shoulder, and is done by another surgeon at the practice. He just rolled his eyes and started to laugh before apologising at my predicament. Didn't worry me a bit as it is what it is. I'm not sick, just a bit sore whereas others are doing it so much tougher.

Then when I was finalising my appointment, the receptionist says "We also have a new specialist here. He does knees and hips. Do you need anything done there?"

OMG!! Do I look that bad?? My hips are good (touch wood) and I've had more than enough knee ops, I'm sure they will be okay for now!

So this week, which is only a few days old I've managed to get things done in the house, jobs that are apin in the arse but give a huge sense of achievement once done.

Then I've started the ball rolling with some more panel beating of the body that needs doing, but I've been putting off. Admittedly I had to wait to get off the crutches and walking stick, but the sooner it is sorted the better.

And I've saved the best for last.

I freely admit that I'm the worst gardener. Jen looked after that job here, I was just the free labour. Being more mobile now I decided that I need to try and do more in the garden, especially as we are blessed with such a nice one and I want it to stay that way.

What I did yesterday looks so purile and mediocre, but to me it was a big goal being kicked.

I actually went and bought some seedlings and planted them!!!!

I don't know what prompted me, perhaps an ad on tv for Bunnings (overseas Readers, that's a home and hardware superstore here in Australia) and I saw tomato seedlings being advertised. So down I went, bought a few different ones as well as some soil mix and duly inserted them into a spare section in our garden that I'd prepared.

Just three random tomato seedlings, but it gives me more purpose out in the yard now to see them through to harvesting and proving to myself that maybe I do have some gardening skills after all. And I have been out to check them more than once today!!!

Well Readers, a glorious morning sitting in the swinging chair in our garden and realising how lucky I am to be doing this today. I also realise that I tend to let little things be perceived as big things, and unnecessarily so. How refreshing it is to just make that effort to knock some of them over, as the big things then seem to be so much smaller.

So what piddly little things do you keep putting off, when in reality you could knock them over in the next 15 minutes? Go and try one and see if you get a similar reaction as I did. And then you might get on a roll and end up cursing me for strating you off in the first place 🤣

Just another totally 'nothing' sort of post today Readers, but one that always finds me relaxing as I ponder the things that have been happening lately. The next two weeks have something significant possibly occurring, I just have to wait and see if I'll follow through with it, so I won't say anything yet. Physio this afternoon, which means another step forward in my recovery (pun not intended) which really puts me in a positive frame of mind.

Until my next post,

Cheers 😁

p.s. Help me out with the rugby top washing!!!