Tinkerblue

Girls Night Out

Not long after I moved up to Sechelt, Michelle came to visit and to treat me to a birthday weekend.  I've known Michelle for 7 (?) years now. She used to live in the same complex as me, then she moved across the road.

Over the last 8 months Michelle has been an awesome friend.  She's listened to me cry, rant, and worry, and she's made me laugh.  She's dropped everything to meet me for coffee so I can talk thing through when I've been so confused I can't think straight. We've traded texts at 2am when we've both been struggling with insomnia.  We've drunk more beer and wine and consumed more ginger gems that is healthy.

When she heard I was alone for birthday, she packed her bag and got on the ferry and came over the following weekend to celebrate. Michelle decided we were having girls night out complete with curly hair and dresses.

Two beers, some tequila shooters, a glass of baileys and who knows whatelse later, the photos were not quite in focus...

But we were still able to get up bright and early the next morning to serve breakfast to the guests, clean the room, shop at the Farmers' Market and bounce on the trampoline. I cannot remember the last time I was on a trampoline. The '80s?

Thanks for a great weekend Michelle.

 

First Paddle of the Summer

In fact that was the first time I've been kayaking in years.

We used to go all the time. We'd take sandwiches and go after work, we'd pack up the tent and go camping almost every weekend in the summer. Then we bought an airplane (or two) and the kayaks were neglected.

They've been hanging from the ceiling of the hangar for years. Yesterday I brought them up to Sechelt. (Dave kindly lent me his - it's more fun with two).

I'm walking distance to the beach, so this afternoon. I strapped the wheels on the kayak and walked down the side of the highway to the beach. Caught a few funny looks from the passing traffic, but mostly beeps and friendly waves.

The hardest part was hauling 52lbs of kayak over the driftwood and rocks to get from the road to the water. But once I was on the water it was worth the effort.

It's a beautiful sunny day, a little breeze, small rolling waves and quite. Just the noise of the ocean and the birds flying overhead.

I spent about an hour out in the water paddling and floating and enjoying the day.

While I don't mind going on my own, it's better than not going at all, I can't wait until someone else wants to come kayaking. There's two small islands (Trail Islands) opposite us, I'd like to pack a lunch and paddle out to them and back.

I'm looking forward to kayaking fairly often over the summer. I need to buy a dry bag of some sort for my iPhone. Today I used a ziplock bag, not very effective - the last photo was taken with the phone in the zip lock bag, it's a tad out of focus. Also a ziplock bag doesn't float.

Anyone want to come kayaking with me?

My To Do List

In the process of cleaning up the house, I found an old piece of paper that had been folded many many times, it had holes in the fold, and the ink was almost worn away.  

It was a To Do List that I started way back when. Given some of the items on it, it was started when I was a cute little kid at Lindisfarne North Primary School.  

I have added to it over the years, but not recently. It hasn't seen the light of day for years, I didn't even know I still had it. It was stashed inside a book, that I was about to giveway.

I think at one point it was going to be 100 things to do, but I never added anything past 59.

1. Get Scuba certified
2. Ride a camel (I did this at Ayers Rock and at the Pyramids in Egypt)
3. Pyramids at sunrise or sunset
4. Hot chocolate and croissant in France
5. Drink a pint of Guiness at a pub in Ireland
6. Go on a multi day kayaking trip
7. Hike the overland track
8. Blow bubbles off the Sydney Harbour Bridge
9. Learn to roll a kayak
10. Be conversational in another language. Greek? French? (At one point French, Spanish and Japanese. I wish I had continued to study languages and actually become fluent in a second language)
11. Live in a foreign country for a year (I lived in Japan for a year, England for 3, Mexico for just under a year, and Canada for 15)
12. Set foot on all seven continents
13. Stand on the Great Wall of China
14. Stand in the Taj Mahal
15. Ride the Rails - Trans Siberian Express
16. See the ballet in St Petersberg
17. Give $100 to a busker
18. Live in a house with a view of the ocean
19. Wear a fancy dress and hat to the Melbourne Cup
20. Go parasailing
21. Attend a service at Westminster Abbey or St Pauls Cathedral (Both were Christmas Eve services)
22. Roast a chicken
23. Sleep in a tree house
24. Adopt a wombat or a penguin
25. Run a half marathon (The Victoria 1/2 in 2003, Disney World 1/2 in 2005 and Disneyland 1/2 in 2006)
26. Learn to use my camera
27. Spend a night on the Great Barrier Reef
28. Fly a plane (who knew that one day I would marry a pilot)
29. See a Broadway show in New York
30. See a musical in London
31. Buy a christmas decoration from the Christmas Markets in Germany
32. Sing do rei mi on the Sound of Music steps
33. Eat sushi in Japan
34. Ride on a double decker bus and in a black cab in London
35. Drink a stein of beer and eat a pretzel at Octoberfest in Munich
36. Cheer loudly for Aussies at a Summer or Winter Olympics (live, not on TV) Barcelona 92, Lillehammer 94, Sydney 2000 as a spectator and Vancouver 2010 as an employee
37. Learn to do a flip turn
38. Design a piece of jewelry
39. Dance to a Mariachi Band in Mexico
40. Have champagne and chocolates for breakfast
41. Ride the Matterhorn in Disneyland
42. Buy a house
43. Ride a horse along the beach
44. Write $1000 cheque to charity
45. Go skinny dipping in the ocean
46. Sew an outfit and wear it in public
47. Knit a jumper
48. Use chopsticks on a regular basis
49. Get my driver’s license
50. Swim with stingrays
51. Get my ears pierced
52. Watch fireworks on Sydney Harbour
53. Stand up on a surfboard
54. Step foot in every State and Territory
55. See the Aurora Australis
56. Visit all 4 World Centres - Olave House (London), Sangam (India), Our Chalet (Switzerland),  and Our Cabana (Mexico) Olave House no longer exists but I did visit in 1984, Pax Lodge is now the World Centre in London, and I have also been there. The only World Centre I have not visited is Sangam in India
57. Earn my BP and Queens Guide Award
58. Meet my pen pals in real life. Heather in England, Jenny in US, Scott in Brisbane and David in Goulburn. Heather and David I lost contact with before I finished high school, Jenny is now Jen and I still keep in touch but I have not seen her since she spent a year at primary school with me, I met Scott and his family in 1988 but have since lost touch with.
59. Learn to walk in high heels

 

I can't believe I've never had champagne and chocolate for breakfast.  I know I've had champagne, and I've definately had chocolate for breakfast but not together!

 

Some Days

I just feel like curling up in a ball:

 

Others I feel bright and cheery:

 

I get lots of messages from friends asking how I'm doing post DQ. I am doing well, Thank you.  Sure there are days where I miss Dave. We were together for 15 years, so it's going to take awhile to adjust to being on my own again.  BUT... In general, my life is good.

Thanks to a really great group of friends, both here and overseas I have muddled through the last 8 months. I have come out the other side in one piece.  My friends and family have held my hands, propped me up, answered my phone calls and listened to me cry, answered hundreds of text, made me laugh with their dating stories, sent me letters and care packages, and read and answered my long and rambling emails. They've fed me, made me soup, bought me numerous cups of coffee, given me places to stay, taken me shopping, and given me hug after hug after hug.

I'd name them all, but I'm afraid I'll miss someone.  

So a quick update:

Our townhouse is for sale. We have reached a tentative agreement on how we will split our assets and debits. Dave is living in the hangar.  Right now I am living in Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast. A friend had a spare room and I needed to get away from Pitt Meadows, from everything that reminded me daily of the life I had with Dave. 

I know a few people disagreed with my choice to come to Sechelt. They think I'm making the wrong choice, that I should have found a job on my career path in Vancouver or Sydney. They may be right, they may be wrong, who knows. I know they are just worried about me.  Don't be.  The move, although temporary has been good for me.  My IBS has stopped flaring up, my skin has stopped breaking out, I'm finally sleeping at night (I've been battling insomnia since September), I've stopped having sobbing fits for no apparent reason, I am looking forward to what the future has in store.

I will admit it's not all roses and chocolates. There is still the odd day or two where I can barely function, they are times when I am reminded out of the blue of Dave - a scent, a taste, a movie, a place,  a piece of clothing, a restaurant, something a friend says etc etc. But they are getting easier and easier to cope with.  They are less frequent, less intense, less lengthy, less everything.

So what's next? Where will I live? Where will I work? Will I change my name back to my maiden name? What will I do?  In short...No idea, Canada or Australia or maybe somewhere else, again no idea, probably, again no idea.  One day at a time people, one day at a time. 

That's all for now. Feel free to ask any questions, I don't mind. Friends ask if there is anything I need. Hugs. Seriously, hugs make me feel better.

 

Polli Made A Pendant

My Mum and Dad sent me this pendant for my birthday.  Isn't it pretty?

 

 

It's made by an Australian company called Polli.  According to their website my pendant is inspired by the floral embroidery in traditional Mexican fabrics.  I have some Mexican fabrics stashed in boxes in the garage I should check and see how alike they are.

Mum and Dad also sent me chocolate  and vegemite. The chocolate has long since been inhaled. I like these little packs of vegemite, they can go in my bag for when I eat out or am at a friends house and want vegemite on my toast.

 

Things That Make Me Cranky

Lack of water:
I drink a lot of water over the course of a day. If for whatever reason I don't drink any I get all headachy and then I get cranky.

Lack of food:
I eat at least 3x a day. If I skip a meal or it's delayed for some reason (out and about, waiting for friends etc), I notice it. You'll also notice it because I get cranky!

Lack of sleep:
I don't need 8 hours a night, although that would be nice. I survive quite nicely on 6 hours. Any less than that and guess what? Yep, I get cranky. Watch out when I'm suffering from a bout of insomnia. Not good.

The last thing that makes me cranky? This is new to me. Apparently lack of exercise makes me cranky. For the last month I've been working out pretty much 6 days a week. Either running or swimming or cycling. I somehow managed to hurt my knee, (just a minor injury, nothing exciting) so I took yesterday and today as rest days. Now I'm cranky. I feel blah and gross because I haven't done anything - cleaning, gardening, walking - but that's it.

Previously if I took a day off it never worried me. I never thought I'd be irritable just because I couldn't go for a run or a swim. It's a good thing, right?

Hopefully my knee will be back to normal tomorrow.

Black Banana Bread

There's been a lot of laughter at my expense lately about my inability to cook. Yes, I can bake. But not so much cook.

What's the difference? Baking is an exact science - I follow the directions. If it the recipe says 1/2 a cup, then I put 1/2 a cup. If It says bake at 350F for 30 mins then I bake for 30 mins at 350F.

Cooking is more a dash of this, a splash of that, chop enough for two, cook on medium until almost set. It never works out!

It's not that I can't cook. It's just that I don't do it very well. I did make chicken lasagna last week, and it seems to have been a hit.

But keeping with what I know, I also baked banana bread because there were some really really ripe bananas hanging out in the kitchen. I used a recipe from Barb's cookbook, Stir Well and Season to Taste. Black Banana Bread, which Barb got from The Beaver Club at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal.

At the top of the recipe it says "There are NO typos in this recipe!". Even so I had to double check with Barb about baking for 2 1/2 hours. After an hour it was looking particularly dark and almost burnt. But, no, 2 1/2 hours is correct. It is called Black Banana Bread after all.

It is very delicious. Very moist. Very rich. Very good after a 4km run up a very big hill.

Birthday Greeting From Jo

 

I think I've finally worked out how to share the audio greeting that Jo sent me on Whatsapp. Just click on the button thingy below.

 

 

Birthday Greeting from Jo

 

Cinnamon and Cardamon Buns

When I'm mulling something over, when I have a big decision to make, I bake. I find the process of baking, following the recipe, takes my mind off whatever I'm fixated on. By the time I'm done baking I've made a decision.

I had a bit of a baking binge last weekend. Maple pecan scones, lemon raspberry loaf and cinnamon & Cardamon buns.

I've made the buns before but it's been awhile. They are from a cookbook called Falling Cloudberries by Tessa Kiros. It's one of my favourite recipe books because of the stories and the photos.

The recipe for the buns is quite time consuming, the dough needs to rise etc etc. but it's easy enough.

My two complaints? The recipe calls for fresh cake yeast. Try finding that in Pitt Meadows. I substituted active dry yeast. I needed to make more of the cinnamon butter, there wasn't enough to cover all the buns.

The recipe makes 35. That's a lot of buns. They freeze okay, or you can give some away like I did. They are good nuked in the microwave and served with hot chocolate.

Lemon Raspberry Loaf - Starbucks Vs Me

The Starbucks loaf is more evenly shaped and the raspberry swirls are prettier.

Mine was also smaller because it lost about 1/2 an inch or so of the bottom that was stuck in the pan.

The Starbucks one is $2.45 a slice this year, my cost per slice was a lot cheaper.

Taste wise? I'm partial to mine. But that's because I put time and effort into it and I'm biased!