Burn your name

Powderfinger - Burn your name

Like most *(not all) Aussies who were right into the music scene in the late 90's early 2000's I have a special spot for powderfinger. I LOVE lots of their stuff but this is a special one. My, our wedding song. 

I want every single soul to know that I love you for what you are.

6 years this week.  Love you babe. 

An important message for you on World Environment Day

Please. Take your canvas bags to the supermarket. 

http://www.unep.org/wed/

G.I.N.G.E.R.

Love this guy. 

Standing in the way of control

I thought I'd post some live Gossip after talking about them last week.

Your arms around me

This song introduced me to Jens Lekman. 

This version was played live on Triple J - well over 7 years ago now.  Another - I "MUST know everything about this guy NOW" moment. 

Best gig I ever saw - Jens and what ultimately turned out to be Gossip on a little boat out on the Sydney Harbour - we had no idea who Beth Ditto was - she was just being this loud obnoxious cow during the warm up act - poor guy - I don't even remember who he was.  The she got up and took control of the microphone and I turned to my boyfriend and said something like "oh boy - here we go" and she opened her mouth and ...  Beth Ditto'ed us. 

Love this guy.  

Don't I make you laugh?

Hi'ya.

I'm back!

The work placement report has been submitted - and I have passed. It's always a shame when you literally pour your heart & soul into something which has a pass/fail grade on it.  Dang it - I want super-amazing high distinctions please!

So what's new. Lots & nothing. 

I'm still job hunting. I can sum it up like this: 

I've got another assignment due in 10 days - need to get cracking on that one. I dropped a unit - I was feeling overwhelmed. 

I've started a dog walking business - it's going OK. It's generating a tiny bit of income - which is mainly going towards the coffee I buy on the way to the walk - but it's getting me out of the house 2-3 times a week. So all is good. 

We got a lawn mower - this is huge as we were borrowing one and it was a pain in the butt. This one mulches and it's pretty incredible. Back yard looks amazing after we poured hours into it over Easter - moving, edging, weeding...  we're now at the point where we've gotten rid of the excess grass and it's mulching back in. It's really something - no more piles of grass or trips to the green waste either.

There's really not much else. I'm not sure what else to say. I'll try to catch up on my photos - they've been happening. The cooking challenge is off at the moment - not much new or creative cooking at the moment. I hope to be back in full force after the 26th and another assignment is out of the way  - we'll see. Job hunting is all consuming & pretty depressing at the moment. 

Bat for Lashes.

I will follow you into the dark

Some songs take you to a time and place.

This cover takes me to the Spiegal tent, Melbourne, 2007 or 2008.  My fist interstate trip on my own - to see Amanda Palmer. It was this series of concerts which made me fall head over heels for her.

I'd seen her band, the Dresden Dolls a few years ago with my boyfriend at the time. Fast forward, the guy and I had split, Amanda was coming to Australia - I wanted to see her, I wanted to see the Spiegal tent

The rest is history - I've seen Amanda countless times - in the Spiegal tent in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide.  I've seen her in marrickville and the opera house.  But it's that first run - in the tent - a full troupe of performers that I go back to in my head most often.

In an aeroplane over the sea

There are a few live versions of this song - but if you're new to Jason or Neutral Milk Hotel you need to hear a nice clear version.

PS: As I said - I'm scheduling these and being lazy - these few weeks while I'm in full uni mode are likely to be very indulgent.

Sunday driver: Foxton

We went for a bit of an explore today and took ourselves to Foxton & Foxton Beach. 

It was really lovely. 

http://www.foxton.org.nz/

Your Dictionary

I adore this band - xTc (clicky click for a link to wiki). 

This song, is a favourite - although I have a few others that I love too.

Anyhow - Please enjoy this heartbreaker. 

There's sugar in them there ... sauces...

A lazy re-blog.  Sorry, not sorry. 

Read the words which go with it here.

I'm alive + week 11

Still here.

Not quite through the bad period of study.

Also - have just realised I need to blog for uni through to the end of session - so I will probably hang at my uni blog until that's over - not a lot of mental capacity to blog at two places for the time being.

Also - here's week 11 - a phone snap.

"The fixer"

This made me laugh too hard. The number of times I've heard "It's OK he's friendly".

Go and love yourself

I'm a little ashamed to say I really love this song.

10/52

Another stock piled image scheduled for posting. Placement will be all but over by the time this goes live. Has been sensational. Exhausting but good. 

So here is #10 - a place I've not seen since I've been on placement. Can't wait to get back. The start of one of our favourite dog walks. 

Really exciting amazing innovative invention. AKA: Random Handy Tip.

So two things: 

1. According to amanda I can't call this a "life hack".

2. I do not do mornings. So in an attempt to make mornings easier while I'm on placement I'm trialing this handy "life hack", um, tip. Full acknowledgement - I got this tip from a working mum, on a forum I subscribe to. 

So what are we looking at here?

Step one: 

5 Hangers - each with a colourful tag and the day of the week on it. Yep - Monday through Friday. 

Step two:

The labelled hangers each have a shirt on them, as well as a pair of knickers. the extra hangers in the mix have my black work pants (I usually get two wears from a pair of work pants) and some jeans in case there is casual Friday. There are also two extra tops with longer sleeves in case it gets cool. 

The only thing that needs to be added are bras - most of which need a wash.  There is one in there - a nude one on the peach and white stripe shirt towards the beginning of the week. 

I'll report back at the end of self imposed study related blog break - or what ever I've called it. 

From the sea

You know when you go down a youtube rabbit hole?  One song leads to another and hours later you log off - bleary eyed.  I do that. A lot. 

Here's an old fav.  I actually got there from Beibs - one of his new songs started autoplaying and it reminded me of the into to this. 

Eskimo Joe - From the Sea. 

9/52

We went to "bark in the park" a few weeks ago. Sponsored by a dog food brand as you might be able to tell. We don't eat that brand - we eat grain free foods here.

But we did avail ourselves of this wonderful pool O balls. We took two - we have no shame.

*Yawn*

One of those mundane, boring posts about boring, mundane things. 

I got up the other day and wrote the list.  You know the one full of gross things you half avoid, half forget - usually forgetting because it's better than doing.  Anyhow - this day it all needed to be done. 

So the list was (completely out of order):

Email the health insurance company
Email the family accountant 
Set up a new super fund 
Call NZ post - I have a missing parcel :(
Check the uni website
Finish the photography MOOC (less than 24 hours to complete)
Write a letter to a pen pal 
Start drafting my placement report 
Start reading for one unit
Find a GP
Find old Group Certificates

As you can see can see - a horrible list of really yuck things. 

But... My big whinge is, while the list is yucky it needs to be done but of course it's never just straight forward. 

** The health insurance company is based in Western Australia - so they're 5 hours behind me - so I wont get an answer today. 

** I've emailed the accountant to tell him my situation - I'm not expecting an answer from him any time soon but he wont be able to assist until I've followed up with other actions from the list. 

** Whinge: Set up a kiwisaver: I went to do this the other day. The fund I picked was glitchy - which gave me the shits. Then I tried to call them - and couldn't find a phone number. Like I said to hubby - if I can't complete my business online and easily speak to a person they just don't get my business. So frustrating! So this morning I jumped on the banks website and went to set up an account with the bank I do my day to day banking with ...  start filling in the form...  "Are you an NZ citizen or permanent resident?" Np. Not technically - so I need to call.  Long story short - I'm on the phone for yonks (that's a standard international unit of measurement there) and end up with a massive headache because the (really very lovely) lady had to read about 5 pages of text to me and she was loud. Then of course I had to update my tax number with the bank ... anyhow - that should have taken 5 minutes took forever. Grumble. 

**Call NZ post - I have a missing parcel :( - Once again - too complicated. Aus Post says it was scanned in Auckland on the 20th Of Jan. NZ post says it hasn't arrived in NZ yet.  The ebay seller says he posted it 15 Jan. I just want my fancy dog comb. I know I should have bought one from the shop and supported the local economy and not worried about post at all but I paid $50 for it on ebay (inclusive of post) and they retail here in the pet shop for over $110 - so it seemed like a no brainer. Also - I think I'm consuming my dogs weight in dog hair on a daily basis. 

**Check the uni website - easy. Unfortunately the info I'm really hanging out for isn't published yet. It doesn't have to be published for another week but all the other teachers have done it. Once I have the unit outline I can make some serious choices about which unit will keep and which one I'll drop - I'm enrolled in more than a full time load at the moment - hoping that this last unit will have slightly skewed due dates. Otherwise I have 3 assignments all due 11th April - one worth 100%, and two others worth 50% each. 

**Finish the photography MOOC (less than 24 hours to complete) - Slipping further and further down the list :) 

**Write a letter to a pen pal - not a whinge thing at all. :) 

**Find a GP -Another which looks like it might be more complicated than I assumed and really costly as I can't rely on medicare.  Oh well - needs to be done. 

**Find old Group Certificates -  Unfortunately - the study really needs a good organise before this can happen. It looks like a bomb has gone off in there. Hopefully they're easy to locate - I'll swear until I'm blue in the face if I have to contact my old employers to get copies. 

**Start drafting my placement report - Yuck but I'll feel better for starting. As above - study needs a good tidy and I'll feel better once it's done. 

**Start reading for one unit- ditto - as above.

So that's my HUGE whinge.  Sorry for such a negative post - I just wish things were as simple as they "should" be sometimes. Seriously!

Eleven

I don't even know where to start with Jason Webley.

I came to Jason through the Dolls. He played the UNSW Roundhouse at the first Dolls gig I saw ...A quick google tells me that was September 2006.

http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/gallery/the_dresden_dolls_160906/

Again, in a similar way to the Giants - you'll either get it or you wont. But he's amazing.  Word's can't express how much I adore this artist.

Bonus points for the accordion.

#thatsugarfilm

We got around to watching this a few weeks ago (yes - this is a scheduled post).

I'm still thinking about it. I mean personally, if you've decided to go down the path of cutting refined sugar from your diet it's probably not going to teach you anything new. But it was still enjoyable in it's own way. 

Hubby joined me, despite saying he didn't want to - so that was good because he's having trouble fully committing to kicking sugar.We paused it a few times and chatted about things - mainly around the 65 levels of sweetness thing - he told me about a really interesting thing in the States where they have whole teams of biochemists who are employed to find molecules which will get you addicted to things. 

Anyhow, if you haven't seen the film here are some links.  

https://www.facebook.com/thatsugarfilm/

http://thatsugarfilm.com/

No matter what you think about the whole 'quitting sugar' thing I think it's a great movie to watch. It was interesting to see how tired he looked at certain points - that said - you've got to remember there was a touch of the 'hollywoods' in there. I found it funny that he kind of grew his hair and looked disheveled in the middle of the film but in the post sugar closer he'd had quite a noticeable hair cut - which made him look a lot better on it's own. Oh well  - what can you do?

I want a ...I want a ... I want. A.....

I still remember exactly where I was when I first heard this song.  I adore Amanda and the Dolls.

Shhh....

Things might be a bit quiet here for the next 3-7 weeks. I'm on three weeks full time work placement for uni - which will be a shock after not actually working a day since late November last year!  This is backed up with a full report on the placement and 2 assignments for two other units all due 11th April.  So...

Anything here between now and then is either scheduled or me procrastinating. 

8/52 -My first hedgehog!

8/52 plus bonuses. 

That's right - my first live, wild hedgehog.  

Too cute & gosh they move fast.  Hence my early week 8 post. 

52 Foods - #7: Coconut and berry muffins - little tarts

This was a goodie.  And yes, another one from Sarah Wilson.

We tried some sugar free muffins the other day and they were gross. So gross they didn't make it here - the only place they made it was the bin to be honest.

So I went into these ...  feeling unsure - but they were great. The full, official recipe is here: triple coconut blueberry muffins, but I made some changes and will have another crack with a few more variations - I think these could be amazing as a Portuguese style tart - which is how ours kind of came out.

So.  Here's what I did - as I said - entirely based on the linked IQS recipe above.

Ingredients

3 eggs.
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted.
2 teaspoons rice malt syrup. Left it out - I didn't have any
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. I used essence 
3/4 cups coconut milk. I used 200ml - because that was a full pack
1/2 cup coconut flour, sifted. I used plain - I didn't have coconut + added about 1/4 cup more as the mix was a bit wet 
1/2 teaspoon baking powder. Left it out - I didn't have any
1/2 cup fresh blueberries, plus more for topping. I used frozen - which was a bad idea - it solidified my coconut oil! ***


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4 and grease a six-hole muffin tray with coconut oil or line with baking paper.

2. Whisk together the eggs, coconut oil, rice malt syrup, vanilla and coconut milk together in a mixing bowl. Stir through the remaining ingredients. I stuffed up here and added in the wrong order - bad I know. Which is where I think the tarty taste came from.

3. Scoop the mixture evenly between the muffin holes and push a few more blueberries on top. Place in the oven to cook for 25-30 minutes or until slightly browned on top.

Mine rose - then dropped completely but they were so good - they were so "custardy" they were amazing - we ate them hot, straight out of the oven for afternoon tea and as hubbys post gym snack. Yum.  We'll be making them again - we have one more punnet of berries in the freezer (they were $2 a pack! woo hoo!) and working on getting them more tart like. A word: I don't think this version would be much good stored or frozen.  I'll look at making some texas or savory muffins soon - or maybe even try some of Sarah's "Meffins" (Meat Muffins) - I do have an amazing Stephanie Alexander base for muffins which is basically fail proof.


*** I'm also thinking some yoghurt or chocolate, coconut oil and frozen blueberries might make a really yummy desert.

Now reading*:The Alchemyst

Yes, a kids book, well, young adult fiction. Really enjoying it.  Have moved on to book two

I'm really hoping to scream through the full series before uni goes back.  

*Also - Not reading, I'm listening. 

Chicks really dig it.

Sorry.  Can't help myself.  Lets blame autoplay on youtube. 

Shake & quake

A quickie - I will revisit this one in a few weeks. 

So the other day, before the period which shall be known as self imposed university based torture started (*SIUBT for short?) I was thinking about earth quakes - ya know - as you do. 

Being Aussie - they've not been a big part of my life. I'm told we felt the quake in Gloucester (NSW) when the 1989 quake hit Newcastle - we were visiting my paternal grandparents AND I have very clear memories of driving on to visit my maternal grandfather who lived in red head (newcastle) after the quake. He lost his entire front wall - yes - to the house.

So this leads me to - being prepared for a quake. I've decided to come up with a system and "go bag" (or a few) which means I will be able to leave the house with the dog super quickly if I need to. *edit: Since writing this up and scheduling it the Christchurch quakes happened.  While I'm on the North Island and didn't feel it - it's strengthened my resolve to get a kit made up. 

Obviously there are a number of constraints on what you would take, where you would go etc - but at the most part I want to be able to say "I need X from the garage, Y from the laundry and his bed which doubles as a secure crate."  

Ideally this would mean we could grab our personal files with passports etc, a change of clothes*, clip the lead on the dog and walk out the door. 

So I've asked on some forums I tend to hang about on, I also asked on a facebook page I'm a member of and I'll report back, after "S.I.U.B.T" to report on what makes it on the list. 

Bonus photo: The boy. Road tripping at Christmas time. 

*change of clothes - would be packed in a human go bag. 

7/52

Believe it or not - this is the main road into town.

Revisiting post #1 - one month in.

Excuse me?  How are we half way through February?

I thought I'd revisit the 5 goals I  mentioned in post one - mainly because the first post popped up in my feedly the other day and I'd already forgotten what I'd said - so lets have a quick look back.

But, before that  - I hate Feedly.  I really hate it - I wish google reader would come back.  Blurgh - I use feedly on an android and feedly is always doing strange things - like spitting up really old posts. Anyhow - engugh whinging. 

1. I have said yes to a 52 photo challenge.
2. I will cook (or prepare) a new recipe ever week. 
3. This year we're hoping...I  can study a little more and work a little less. I'll let you know how that goes for me. 
4. Sew more is self explanatory. I missed my machine which "she" was in storage. 
5. New skills - polish up the sewing, learn more about photography, take some "moocs" (Massive Open Online Courses) I participated in a few last year and loved them.  This year I am determined to get this one done!

So where am I on this?

1. The photo thing is progressing well.  The dog has not featured too heavily yet.  Winter may change that. 
2. The food challenge is going along OK - some weeks I cook 2 or 3 new things and save them up & forward post.  I think this is OK - I'm going to change the parameters to 52 new foods in the year.  Honestly there are weeks when we eat the same or a similar meal multiple times.  Last week for example was steak and potato bake, steak and salad and beef enchiladas followed by chicken and salad - so not ground breaking - but the week before that we had 2 new things. So it all averages out. 
3. Uni isn't back yet.  I'm trying to rev myself up and get a head start. I keep promising "today" or "tomorrow"  I know starting ASAP - which I can do - will pay off.  Maybe today!
4. No sewing is happening :( I've cut some patterns, and matched some fabric but I need a little bit of batting and some more interfacing and some other notions - money is tight and I'm just not into cracking out the machine at the moment. 
5. New skills - slowly. I'm working on the MOOCs.  I've kind of fizzed on the photography. There is a book which is about to be released (the 4th ed) it comes highly recommended - maybe it will help re-invigorate - or maybe the "personal study" will have to go on hold while uni takes front and centre. 

Other points: Lots of E books are being listened to -  I'm enjoying that and the quitting sugar thing is going well.    

Having less.

I'm enjoying having less, this isn't usual for me - I love having stuff.  I still do love having stuff. I have stuff in boxes in the garage which won't be unpacked - but I have it.  Just because. It is special, I'd love to pull some of it out but there isn't enough space. Also things (like 3M hooks) don't stick to the walls in this house. 

However....we've got a lot less of other things. Two bath mats - down from who knows how many - one in use, one in the wash. Three sets of sheets and matching pillow cases. It makes things less complicated and I'm loving it. Even more than that, I'm loving having less food in the house. I love getting to the end of the week and having next to nothing in the kitchen. 

It's been a kind of tight few weeks financially, right now there is no veg in the fridge.  We've got some wraps, a lemon, chili, some garlic, ginger, mayo, mustard, eggs, butter and bacon from the freezer. The freezer is... um...  well.  In terms of actual consumable human food there is one chop, a bag of peas, some bread. The rest is dog food. 

So tonight will be bacon and eggs.  Maybe with beans. Probably in wraps. But it's not a bad thing. It's great. 

We've pulled meals together from very little this week.  An old family staple - curried tuna on rice one night.  A big curry (different kind - don't worry we weren't "over curried" this week). Mashed veg - which I was going to turn into pumpkin soup but I enjoyed it too much on toast. Roasted pumpkin and cauliflower slow roasted in a pan with lots of chili, garlic and ginger. It was sooooo good. Left over curry on toast for one of us last night. 

Point is, not much is going to waste, we're buying just enough to get us through the week. Because we're trying to be sugar free most of it is fresh and used up within the week or fortnight.  Lots of fresh meat, wraps, salads. It's not all good healthy meals - we've found a reasonably decent frozen pizza. There was copious "meals" which included lots of toast and butter.  

Not sure what this week will bring. 

But all in all it's good. It's healthy, it's tasty and I'm really loving it. 

An "original" by me. Basic curry.

Kind of based on a vindaloo - this was super yummy and fast to make. I mentioned this in an earlier post - it was so good and sugar free. 

I call it an original because I didn't follow any particular recipe - but lets face it - a curry is a curry and I'm sure this has been made countless times in countless homes. 

Curry paste
*** Please note I eyeballed all of these measurements. 

1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon Cumin
"a good crack" of pepper
2 teaspoons of minced ginger from a jar
2 generous teaspoons of minced garlic - also from a jar
2 generous teaspoons greek yoghurt (can use more if you need or want)
1 heaped teaspoon coconut oil - very soft but still solid.  You could probably use olive oil or omit if you want. 
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix everything together in a cup - it will be a very wet paste.

We added this to three whole chicken breasts and let them simmer til they were done.  2 were removed and sliced and eaten for dinner. 

The third was sliced, added back to the pan with the pan juices (there was a lot). 

We added a can of chick peas, a small handful of rice and a can of crushed tomatoes. This was left on the lowest setting until the rice was soft. 


A nice, almost too bitey curry.  

Absolutely yummo!

Chicks dig it

Yes - two from me today.  I really wanted to talk about the MOOCs earlier but I didn't want to miss my Tuesday Tune either - especially because I rarely say "oh this is my favourite band/song/version". 

The Foos are in my top 5 but I can say - this is my fav Foo Fighters song  -  I adore it!  

Again, I give my age away but I had this taped onto VHS and watched it over and over and over. 

Ah... vintage foos.  *sigh*

Generator.  Foo Fighters. Live at the Chapel. 

MOOC - It's educational!

A quick one from me this morning - and a Tuesday Tune from me this evening. 

One of my 'not resolutions' this year was a bit of extra personal study  - specifically to finish one 'Massive Open Online Course' (a MOOC) on conflict resolution.  https://www.open2study.com/courses/negotiation-and-conflict-resolution

I'll be honest - this is my third attempt at this course - I tired once in September last year and ran out of time, then enrolled again over Christmas and just didn't bother and this time around I was sat on the laptop frantically cramming the last two modules in - I power through two units then kind of loose steam.  Oh well.  It's free, there are no ramifications :) 

But what I will say is that the content is really interesting and I highly recommend the course. I've learnt a lot. I could have taken a lot more on board but it's been a good place to start exploring the theme. 

At the end of the course you get a little certificate which lists your grades.  It's not worth much, but it shows you're committed to learning more on the topic and I suppose that's a good thing. 

I've also completed courses on writing for the web and user experience for the web and Indigenous Studies for Australia and New Zealand which was really fabulous.  I found it really interesting and did it just before the move to NZ - I really wanted to try and get a basic feel for Maori culture. I also found it really interesting to read along with the subtitles and pause and practice some of the Maori words  - I don't think it helped too much - my grasp of the language is appalling - but it was the only place I could access that kind of resource at the time. 

I'm also trying to finish up the photography class - which I have thoroughly enjoyed. I've certainly learnt a lot from it - and I enjoyed Shane's delivery too. The art of photography.

The next round of classes kicks off on the 15th Feb (2016) and I really urge you to jump on board and give something new a try - https://www.open2study.com/courses

Full disclosure:  You can also 'earn badges' - little drawings earned for posting on the forums, completing courses, doing quizzes, getting 100% in a course. I ill admit - this is totally my thing. I love it! I really wish I could crack that elusive 100% !!!

Finally, this is just one of many providers or suppliers - if you don't find something that interests you have a look for another provider. 

6 of 52

I spent a few hours in the rose garden this week.  It was a lovely way to recharge. 

Yuck. I broke.

I broke.

I didn't cave in to some amazing looking temptation.  I just broke. We had a lazy night - fish and chips - which isn't great but is totally OK sugar wise. Then we had ice cream.  That was planned.  Unfortunately it wasn't rich and creamy and amazing - it was average. 

I went into it knowing it was 20% sugar and I actually didn't enjoy it all that much because I was so overfull from dinner  - our local chippy - Mr. JJ's does a $6 meal with a piece of fish, battered sausage, scallops, crab stick and a heap of chips -  usually share one and top up with salad but last night we got one each and we didn't (actually couldn't) finish our meals!

Anyhow I went to bed with a head ache and woke up feeling all cold and flu-y and gross.  Could have been a coincidence but yeh.  All in all a huge waste of a 'cheat meal'.  :(

I'm glad I felt shitty because I've not really noticed much improvement otherwise.  I don't feel energised, my skin doesn't feel better, I'm not noticing much change at all - and yes I am being careful.  No I'm not consuming copious amounts of hidden sugar in other forms - I'm not stacking each meal with sauce or other hidden sugars.

Images taken from THIS BLOG. which is a good read.

Also - who only has a teaspoon or one tablespoon of sauce on their food?  Not me!  My chips usually swim in sauce.  I love it.  I do miss it. 

Point is - close to one month in - not feeling any amazing, startling, great results - but like a few other things I've tried maybe it's a case of feeling worse if I went back to my old ways. Pretty impressed that I can count the times I've broken.

Two occasions I've had like 1/4 spoon of sugar in my coffee,

I licked a bit of condensed milk off my finger the other day - on purpose

I had that sports drink - which was gross - as I mentioned here a few days?  weeks? ago

I had two kiwi fruit the other day - they needed eating up

and last nights not great ice cream :( Interestingly the ice cream didn't make me sick - which I've long thought might be the case - I don't think I'm actually lactose intolerant - I've just thought it was a coincidence / there was something more complex there.  I've always known that I get more of a flair up from lactose if I've been eating poorly - and I think this is more evidence of this. 

Still craving cordial and sweet drinks like no one's business.  Actually think the cravings are getting worse but I'm still staying the path.

This week we're trying a coconut and blueberry muffin which is apparently very yummy.  We'll see

Another one from 52 photos That makes this image # 5.3 & so dog stuff

Sorry. Not sorry. 

Here's your third image for the week. This is why I promised my friends that he'd be in 50% or less of my images for this challenge. Otherwise it would be the #356dogchallenge

Can't help myself. I love this little face more than anything in the entire world. 

Here he is just being cute with his chew treat in a kong. I'm trying to teach him that kongs are fun and good things come from them. We're also trying to teach him that it's totally ok to hang out in the backyard on your own for extended periods of time. All the cool kids, eh, dogs do it. Seem's he's conveniently forgotten this fact.  

My freezer is currently full of doggy treats.  Honestly - I could start a weekly post all about that - This week we've got an old icecream container full of water and some kibble - with one of his favourite toys - a rubber ball frozen into it - I'm hoping he realises what the ball is and tries to get it out. There's about 1/3 of the ball sticking out from the ice. 

We also have 3 or 4 "pupsicles" -in there at any stage at the moment.  I think these ones are all tuna, "tuna juice", kibble and some have peas in them. They're just a different way to deliver breakfast and give some enrichment. 

I also have the above shown kong, in 1/2 of an old milk bottle - I cut the bottle up to hold the kong upright while I froze a bully stick into it - the bottle also provided a clean vessel to put in the freezer - I do try to limit dog slobber possibilities in my freezer.Problem is I don't exactly know how I'll get the kong out of the bottle to give it to him. Enrichment for Mumsy that one.

So much other dog stuff going on in my life. I will share but I am cautious about writing too much - I'm not an expert - just documenting what is and isn't working for us. 

An outtake

We live about 10 minutes out of town - in a place where it's not really safe for the dog to be let off leash for his walks. 

In town we have some lovely spaces for walking, but the off leash parts are a little hair raising. It's always jam packed with runners, cyclists and other dogs. 

Last week we discovered this little gem, 10 minutes further on from us.  Just over a council boundary. It's off leash, well maintained and so far we've only seen one other family, and some yoga students there. 

It's not perfect - there is a major road on the other side of those buildings and if a naughty little dog ducked under that wind break - which surrounds the other three sides this dog mum would have no hope in getting him back - but it works for us.  We let him off well away from the road, we keep him close and the first sign of naughtyness is met with being put back on leash.  It's amazing how quickly he tows the line when he knows I'll follow through on my threats of being the fun police.  Also, it's not as big as it looks in the photo - the full lap is only 500 meters - but it's full of good smells and it's perfect for a big romp for a little dog. 

He gets home and just zonks out.  Such a shame we can't get there in the mornings.

Fried Cauliflower - Another one from 'I quit sugar"

A quickie from me for this weeks 52 foods. 

This: https://iquitsugar.com/recipe/cauliflower-fried-rice-with-chicken/

Simply amazing. 

We ate it two days in a row - day one: No chicken but added mushrooms and bacon as we had some to use up. Day two - just added bacon.  Yes - we often buy mushys with good intentions. Then don't quite get to eating them and they need to be urgently used up.

As a side note - I didn't enjoy it reheated. Nothing else to add -  it was simply sensational.

Not my image. Link

Sheena

The Ramones. Sheena is a punk rocker. 

I came to the Remones late.  Very late. Triple J used to have a weekly show called the J files (still available occasionally on double J). Some weeks I enjoyed the content, some weeks I switched off. The week Joey died they played a Ramones special and I was hooked. The went on to colour some of my other choices - Mach Pelican who I have featured here and the Spazzys mainly. 

I also love then I discover bands weaving in and out past each other - and younger me adored the fact that both the Ramones and They Might be Giants had played CBGBs at times. 

Hey! Dat's my photo! 5/52

"Moosey" the $0.50 christmas reindeer jumps in on the action this week.  Scottie would have been peeved - but you know - there was a moosey to catch. 

The "amazing" thing about Moosey is that he's over 12 months old now.  He has lost an arm and he does need one of his antlers patched up  (again). He has had some other surgery - but all in all for 50 cents he's lasted very well - AND much MUCH longer than most other toys - including most special pet toys we've tried out. 

Currently reading: The art of racing in the rain.

The Art of Racing in the Rain.

Thoroughly enjoyable - I'm not the whole way through as I post this but, you can really tell Stein understands dogs like only a lifelong dog lover can. There was some genuinely laugh out loud moments.

The Katering Show.

Full credit  & a language warning - while I've seen this before I did lift it from Kate Quit Sugar earlier in the week.  Don't watch if you don't like swearing. 

Homity Pie

A facebook friend posted a delicious looking photo of home made pies yesterday, when asked what they were we were told they were 'Homity Pies'.  She went on to explain they were "popular in the second world war" and were "still popular in Devon because we never caught up with time." He he he.  

Anyhow, they looked delicious - similar to quiche but potato and cream, not egg based. So I gave it a crack (pardon the pun).


I googled, there are SOOO many versions out there - but here's one you could use 
http://the1940sexperiment.com/2014/06/05/homity-pie-recipe-no-134/

We filled ours with potato and cream - as is required.  But we also had mushrooms and left over corn beef to use up. I added onion, peas and cheese.  So we had something I could imagine my Mum calling "Bubble and Squeak Pie".

Thoroughly delicious - it'll be a great way to use up left overs in winter.  

Hey Ho Mach Pelican

These guys hold a special place in my heart for personal reasons. A really great band, I was lucky enough to see them a few times in Sydney during their time. 

She's a Mod - Mach Pelican

4/25 - You spin me right round baby.

Also - I get asked when ever I share photos with these guys in them - so: 
http://www.windenergy.org.nz/te-apiti-wind-farm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Te_Apiti_Wind_Farm

Day 16(?) - no sugar

Sugar wise, this week has been ok.  I made a few slips, but I think all in all OK.

Positives / Good points

• Hubby got home from a work trip 2 weeks early.
• I've only added sugar to my tea or coffee once since the start and it was like 1/4 of a tea spoon.
• I have driven past both the hungry jacks and the service station with really awesome ice cream on multiple occasions - when I thought I might actually willingly kill someone for a cheeseburger or ice cream *(I can't actually eat ice cream but still often do)
• We had a meal this week which was out of this world good - it's the next 52 foods. It was phenomenal
• I've been walking the dog more - it's become a chore I don't enjoy - poor pup but I'm trying to get back into good habits for him so I've had a decent walk most days this week. 

Negatives / not such good points.

• Hubby came home bearing all kinds of sugary crap - 2 bars of chocolate, some sports drink mixes - I gave in to both.  Well - I had one mouthful of chocolate before I told him he was a bad influence and gave it back to him and the sports drink wasn't actually *too* sugary - which is why I allowed myself - but it was gross.  It was actually one of those salty sports ones so that was a waste of being naughty.
• We had spag bol this week - I don't think it was all that bad - the canned tomato sauce was a bit higher than the recommended / aimed 5g or less of sugar per 100g *1: Links below, plus we served it on pasta one night and a sweet potato the other night.  We had it in fridge/cupboard/freezer and it needed to be used up.  Plus I was feeding hubby earlier than I had planned.
• I used the salad dressing that came with the bag of salad last night - and went back for seconds.  No idea how much sugar is in it.  Way too much I suspect - but I can only go on what's on the back of the packet and I wanted it. 
• my eating habits are all out of whack.  I've never been into breakfast - I'm trying to make myself eat it more often.  I am eating dinner at the normal time but I'm finding I'm *starving* late evening. 
• Hubby is struggling.  He's said he's really feeling the significant cut back in junk in the house. 

Kind of not a positive or a negative: 

• No change to my skin.  I noticed the first time I dabbled in quitting sugar, about 12 months ago my skin just started glowing immediately. Not this time.  Not that there is anything really wrong with my skin but I was looking forward to it feeling nicer.
• No weight loss that I can tell.  We don't own scales so I can't say for sure - but I would have hoped for some thing kind of obvious. Not the whole reason I'm doing this but it would have been nice. 

Next week is supposed to be cold turkey week. 

We'll see.  We need a better meal plan - especially now Hub is home. I was hoping to have 3 weeks to navigate this and figure it out before he came home.  Moral support is great, but I really was looking forward to just dealing with the first few weeks in isolation. 

So the plan is to read the Sarah Wilson books for weeks 3 and 4, then to nut out a plan using the CSIRO books we have here. I'd really love to sign up to the 8 week plan which kicks off in feb but we just can't afford it at the moment - so we'll figure it out. But that's this weeks goal:  a solid meal plan. 

Links / references. 

https://livelighter.com.au/top-tips/cut-back-on-sugar

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-2612225/Sarah-Wilsons-I-Quit-Sugar-Life-Lets-gist-again.html

http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/teach-me/75116166/can-you-eat-fruit-on-a-sugarfree-diet