I could never live in Canada

Not that there's anything wrong with Canada. Land of sexy Mounties and yummy maple syrup, I'm sure it's great. But not for me - I couldn't stand the cold.

 

After a few decidedly chilly mornings last week it was with relief this AM that I actually took off my winter coat upon arriving at the train station. Not needed, huzzah!

No woolen scarf or gloves required either. When they are deployed, I know I'm too cold. 

It's ironic really, because I was brought up in one of the coldest places in Qld. Winter mornings were regularly below zero and we often walked the kilometer to the bus stop against what could only be described as Arctic winds. We put our clothes on or next to the wood heater to warm them before dressing. Sometimes the pipes froze. 

It was a few weeks in South East Asia's heat and humidity and returning to a Darling Downs winter that influenced my decision to move to Brisbane, and my family now teases me about being completely acclimatized. 

I don't care. Three or four truly cold days a year is an ok price to pay for "Beautiful One Day Perfect The Next" weather for the rest. 

Do you love or loathe the cold? Has weather influenced where you live?

Helper

I started the weekend with a plan. I even had a list - I was going to Get Stuff Done. The kind of stuff you keep putting off or can't do during the week. 

Instead, I got coerced into helping with one of my hubby's car projects. In the end I didn't mind, because it's always good to be learning and doing new things. And he bought me Japanese for lunch!

Basically we spent a few hours cleaning and prepping car interior panels for paint. It was not hard work and I got to stand in the warm sun doing it, which was nice. I've been missing some Vitamin D lately!

It was interesting being in a workshop that specializes in custom interior fit-outs - you never really think about the work that goes into these things. Lots of making, measuring, spraying, gluing and fitting going on. The workshop is owned by our friend and I like going there because he usually blasts opera and classical music while they're working, though today was all dance - disappointed!

We got a few panels done then called it a day. I'm now relaxing with my feet up having a cuppa, congratulating myself on being such a good helper. 

How's your weekend going?

Avoiding colds and flu - thank-you Kate Winslet

I'm hardly an expert, but I will say after changing a few simple habits last winter I escaped both colds and the dreaded flu for the whole season. And I have Kate Winslet to thank for it. 

Let me explain. 

Did you ever see the movie Contagion? It was a film that made you feel like never leaving the house again for fear of deadly viruses. Anyway, one scene stuck in my mind. The characters are talking about disease vectors and how the titular contagion spreads. She explains if people would just stop touching their faces, the virus wouldn't have as good an opportunity to enter the body. 

So simple. After that I made a great effort to stop touching my mouth, nose and eyes so much, particularly during/after being out in public. 

The one other thing that I started doing was paying attention to hand washing. Really. I now wash my hands whenever I enter a new building or before eating, in addition to post-lavatorial visits. 

And I wash them properly. Not doctor-level fussiness but I take at least ten seconds to scrub with soap (or just water if no soap available- I'm told it's nearly as effective?). And then I take the same amount of time to rinse. Dry thoroughly. Damp hands are not hygienic, probably. 

Thus it is I am now horrified when people literally dash their hands under the tap, shake and leave. 

Anyways, there are of course many other things you can do to help avoid the winter lurgy and stay healthy, most of which I'm sure you are aware. 

- Eat heaps of fresh fruit and veges. 

- If you need to sneeze, do it into a tissue or the crook of your elbow. 

- Minimise contact with door handles if possible. 

- Cover your mouth when you cough (and don't touch your face after!)

- Get the flu shot!

As I said, I'm no doctor but I was very surprised the difference these simple changes of habit made to my health in winter, am I'll be doing them again this year!

What do you do to avoid colds and flu?

Getting Serious about Money

Yesterday afternoon, C and I had a conversation about money, jobs and life, not unusual when we are on a long car trip. This one was different though.

This one was less "I wish" and more "we should". It was about how other people seem to be getting ahead in this crap economy and we aren't. About how different decisions made earlier in our lives could have made a big difference to our current finances. And about how big decisions now could help change things for the better.

Basically, we both decided that it's time to pull our finger out and stop settling. Stop settling for our white- and blue-collar wages. Start focusing on how we can earn more, and sow the seeds of some future passive income.

"But it all sounds so greedy!" I said at one point, stricken with conscience because striving for more money seemed a little Wall Street when people less fortunate than us are struggling to keep the power and water on.

But hubby pointed out that there is no shame in wanting something better for ourselves, and our future family. Plus we're both totally sick of being poor. Poverty being relative of course - I am not living on the breadline, or below it. But the constant worry about money is just exhausting. And I don't want to be a billionaire. I just want to be able to buy a magazine when I fancy it and not feel guilty.

So now remains to be seen whether we will actually take action, or keep talking about taking action. I'm a very hard girl to get out of my comfortable rut, so stay tuned. Will we look at the mining sector? Will we consider 2nd jobs? Will we start up a side hustle? Who knows.

Do you want more income? Have you done any of the above and how has it turned out?

Why I Like Going to Camp

Every year, Mum and I and our scrapbooking “mob” go to Camp. Well, strictly it’s cabins in the woods (minus the horrible dying) but it’s at lovely Lake Perseverance.

  

As it’s June, it’s usually cold, so we take along electric blankets, scarves and fluffy socks. The accommodation is basic (bunk beds with foam mattresses and an ensuite) and we share three to a room but it’s clean and sufficient for our needs. When we leave, we sweep and mop the floor, though this doesn’t take long.

Because we’re not there to sleep! We’re there to scrapbook. For two nights and two days. Some ladies are there to escape their families for a few days. Some are there to socialize and chat with their friends. But all of us are there to just Get Shit Done.

Because when you’re a scrapbooker, blocking out time at home to do it can be tricky – without a dedicated space, it is very hard to get motivated to get all your stuff out, then tidy it away again afterwards.

But at camp, you get an entire table to yourself, and you can leave your stuff lying around all weekend. You can borrow other people’s tools, and walk around chatting and getting inspiration by having a Nosey Parker at what they’re doing. Sometimes they run quick talks or classes, so we can learn a new technique too.

And one of the best parts? Once every few hours, someone cooks and serves us food. And then washes up everything. Paradise.

Mum and I like to walk in the mornings – she bullies me awake at dawn and out we go into the crisp (well, sometimes freezing) morning air. The bush is quiet, the air is clean and the scenery amazing. It’s so nice, even though generally I hate walking.

So, to sum up – scrapbook camp is awesome because:

• You get to do heaps of scrapbooking with people who also love it. It’s like therapy.
• You don’t have to cook or clean up afterward
•  It’s surprisingly cheap, given what you get
•  It’s a weekend in the country, with very little mobile service

Do you ever go on any “retreats”? What for?

It's Oh So Quiet

It's oh so still...


After six weeks, our house guests are now gone. It was a long stay by anyone's standards - but a good one all the same. However, I am ecstatic about one thing - the quiet.

The house is quiet again. When I get up, there's no noise. No one talking to me. When I come home, the same, unless hubby is there and he doesn't say too much most of the time. It's pretty amazing how much the noise level goes down when the number of people in a small house decreases. Or maybe not so amazing at all, when you think about it.

It's kind of the same feeling I get when I go to the farm, where the absence of traffic and background noise becomes noticable. When you can stand under a clear sky and marvel at the stars shining above so clear and bright and absolutely silent above.

I'm not comparing my house to the silence of a still winter's night in the country, but I never realised how much I missed the quiet until the noise was gone.

Are you a seeker of quiet moments? How do you achieve it in your life, noisy or not?

Being the Older Woman

My dear husband celebrates his 30th birthday this week. He had a party on the weekend, the first since he was 21. (I'd never really thought about throwing him one before, as I dislike having people over so much!)

He hasn't really confided in me whether this milestone and the start of a new decade of his life bothers him, but it did serve to remind me that I am 33. 

Yes, I'm the Older Woman. Cradle-snatcher. Cougar. Ha! 

Which doesn't really bother me at all. It's never been an issue really, except for when that measley 3-year age gap means he can't remember things like Fraggle Rock or I have no cultural reference for kids tv of the early 90s. Or I remember that my little brother is older than him. 

What other people think of it I have no idea. Perhaps I have been lucky in that friends and family have offered no unsolicited opinion!

Are you the eldest in your relationship? At what point does the gap become odd or creepy?