Small trip and renovations.

This year for the first time ever we went away for a few days for Christmas.  We went to a cottage at Freshwater creek for 4 days and loved it, I barely saw my kids as they were always on the farm or riding the bikes around.  We had my Dad over and his partner.  I learn something new and surprising about him that I never knew.

We went into Geelong to checkout the Christmas tree on the water.

Then had a go on the very large Ferris wheel it was tons of fun and although 2 of the kids were pretty boisterous on the whole it was just Christmas Eve excitement and so bearable. 

We stayed up until 12.30 to see Santa had come.

Marissa our host had left a beautiful Christmas tree for us to enjoy with a pressie under it and candy canes all over it.  A few less candy canes when we left though.

We took the dogs but poor Monty spend a few days in the cattery, one I hadn't used before and he HATED it.  I didn't love it either he is used to so much space, he was very clingy when we got home.

But now, back home and unpacked it's back to work and oh what a job ahead of us.  We are painting the entire front of the house indoors in what hubby feels can be achieved in 4 days.

It was this bright apricot colour.

Now everything is off white cream type colour.  I really hope it goes ok with my boys! This room is my massage clinic so clearly no clients for a few weeks!

I decided I no longer could cope with the 1960's bricks and this heater.

So if I can find a decent plasterer soon I will be covering the bricks with plaster facade and replacing the heater with this.

We are also getting a new reverse cycle air con for that part of the house, so lucky I am back at work on the 19th as I will need to earn some money to pay for it all! 

Stuff in December

I have been really slack posting but this blog is my record really so I know that it won't be hugely noticed, still it's good to note what's been happening in my garden.

The flowering Marigolds have self seeded from last year the others I grew in the hot house, the are going to be the huge puffy ones I think so maybe won't match too well!

Lots of bee action happening here with the Poppies.  Thanks Annie. 

Foxies are starting to come out.

Beautiful colour, thanks worms for your healthy tea.

My meditation chair right in the middle of my gorgeous fruit trees.

A new addition, I want the kids to use the paddock more and be around me while I am pottering in the veggie garden.

Sometime so keen to use it they can't be bothered getting dressed!

I don't usually use a net.  Or have many Strawberries....this is the way to go, I love that I was able to use the old gate and wire from the Snowpeas, then as my eldest took so long to band stakes in for me, I stumbled across his old dis-used soccer goal.  I took it apart and used as ends for my frame here.

Yum!

The beginnings of Pumpkin soup.

Zucchini's and Capsicums.

Kale for my healthy morning smoothies.

Gazillions of Peaches.

And Apricots.

I have been busing sealing, priming, painting, potting, planting pressies!

I am sad my middle boy is leaving Primary school, he is sad too, it's been a tough and rewarding journey though. This year has been up and down for us but primary school have given him many wonderful opportunities.  My little boy's best friend is leaving him, and for the first time he will be alone no brothers at school.  He is worried about what his life will be next year.  That breaks my heart a bit. This year has been a write off for him and grade 4 he needs to start taking school seriously.

Monty doesn't care of these life issues.

Too busy sleeping.

Baking goods and new chooks

I haven't posted for awhile, things have been busy and a bit tricky here but lots happening.  Recently on the holidays my eldest and I had some time alone to create yummy food.

We made some delicious dumplings

We had some left over mince from the dumplings and made a stir fry.

I started my Christmas fudge, this is vanila chocolate and caramel, but since have done a Black Forest,  marshmallow and crunchie fudge.  Have a white chocolate left to do and I am all set for my fudge packages.

We had a supervisor the whole time....

Most of the time he just tried to pinch the food!

This weekend I brought some new chooks.  They are Barnevelders which a sturdy chicken that lay lovely dark brown eggs.

I have 3 one is hiding, they will integrate with the others in about 2 weeks time or when they get a little older.  I have 2 Cochins, a Cochin rooster a Barnevelder, and a Wyandotte already so they should fit in well.  I look forward to getting lots of eggs my boys eat like sumo wrestlers.

Eventually they should look like this;

I will post my Spring garden pictures next, I love my Spring garden.

Reading and riding.

When you are on forced rest books seem the likely option but for myself I need to employ a few techniques as I am very active so it isn't in my nature to keep still.

I have been doing some reading of late. When you can't move much, have to do something.

This one is hard to take in and now I am only needing painkillers a couple of times a week I might have more of a chance of getting it! It's a Brahma Kumaris book and usually they are easy to take in and uplifting but I do find Mike George rambles a bit,  I need more to the point books.

This one I am enjoying immensity, the author is bringing up her children how I would like too, it has tips on how to get more connected to your children, slow cooking, growing things from scratch and community connecting, teaching your children good values.  

This, I just received from Book Depository, prior to injuring my back this month I had been really starting to get very fit and doing a good 5 yoga classes per week.  I will admit I was avoding my family a little by doing this but yoga interests me hugely.  It quietens my busy mind and makes my muscles and joints feel flexible.  There is a section on sore backs so I am focusing on these asanas at home. I hope to get back to the studio very soon though.

Right now this would be my favorite parenting book, it's more geared towards reaching kids to get I touch with nature, be outdoors and for parents to show kids how to slow down and have unscheduled time just being in the moment.  I am very much enjoying this one.  Of late I have started to play some more board games and card games with my boys.  I often wish the wii fii would blow up and never work again so we can get back to fun things and time will slow down.

I do read many fictional books but right now I just have a strong urge to read about how I can make my home life more positive and bearable living with 3 boys that seem to dislike each other and try to create a calm haven for them to be happy in.

On an upbeat note I can walk around the block now.  My beautiful dog is doing ok, he came totally off antibiotics 2 days ago, I am watching him closely ready to make the trip to Melbourne should he need it. 5 more days and if he stays the same he will be in the clear.  Fingers crossed.

As part of my back rehabilitation I brought a vintage bike, it was down from $539 to $239 and I will add baskets to both the front and back to ride up and get groceries, maybe to yoga and library. The suspension means my back remains very stable while riding, this isn't the case on my mountain or road bikes. There are no gears so it will be a leg workout but last year I managed to save a good $100 per month by walking the kids to school and riding everywhere else.   How cool is this red devil....?

The effects of stress.

This year I think our family has dealt with more stress than ever in my life.  Still it's taken me a good week to realise my realise health issues just may have been caused or much exacerbated by stress.

Earlier in the year my husband business an online weather metre set up had the domain name challenged and the eventual result meant the business folded, this was deveststing for him as it was 10 year old and doing nicely. It involved costly Lawyers and much uncertainty.

I am involved in stressing situation that has been safely tucked away in my closed memories for 30 years.  I finally decided as my eldest son reached 14 it must be resolved. It began when I was 14 It's taken 18 months and is nearly at it's end.  But either way the resolution is something adding stress.

The final straw my dog, a few weeks ago we think he inhailed a shard on bone which became stuck in his oropharangeal area (above the roof of the mouth) he became sick fast and had excellent treatment meaning he is now well - whilst on anti inflammatories and anti biotics, when he comes off if the shard is still there he will get sick fast and require another emergency trip to Melbourne.  Very soon I must accept that it's time to forge ahead and stop his medication.  Maybe he will be ok after the op I feel by now 3 weeks later the tissue will actually have thread into the shard and the flush they will do will not be enough to save him, but we can only try he's our family.

Brahma - Rhodesian Ridgeback - 4.5 years. August 2014

I have always had back soreness periodically, I know I cannot lift much with out pain and I'm pretty good at not doing that however as a massage therapist I am constantly bending to assist others when treating but 2 days after we returned from the Melbourne Vet trip I could barely walk, I did continue to treat clients until my GP gave me strong medication so I could get through the day, ordered me to lie for 48 hours in bed and not to do much at all for 1 week.  I had a MRI & x-ray both showed facet damage scoliosis and a disc bulge in the lower vertebrae however I now seem to have myofascial pain (the fine sheath of muscle that covers a muscle) and it's flaring up constantly.

Monty my constant companion.

Monty helping Brahma too while he has been sick.

By the 7th day I could barely sit, walking hurt and still does and I think I spend way more time in bed that I should have as my back was starting to seize up.  By the 5th day I hated the effect the painkillers had on me I was very flat so I reduced then stopped them.  I looked up rehab exercises for disc issues and began them.

I started googling my symptoms and the effects stress can have and how it can switch on illness that may never have happened without the stress!

I used a lot of heat on my body now I am using ice too, I've made a new essential oil mix for the tender areas using Eucalyptus, Rosemary and Peppermint, I am using massage balls to try and stretch the fascia. I've researched a list of anti inflammatory foods and will begin a diet of these next week. I've started a cognative bias therapy to try and become more positve and a new mindfulness app to try and tap into a more relaxed state.  I'm going to switch this illness off whatever it may be. The disc will heal eventually. 

I've often said to my clients if you do not slow down your physical body will make you.  I cannot believe it's taken me so long to apply that logic for myself!

It may mean reducing my work hours which is a shame because for the past 2 year things had gotten really busy but I have a loyal group of clients and was touched when I cancelled appointments and advised of a different therapist they could use people are happy to wait for me to heal. One even sent a lovely card, such a kind gesture and the poor man had no idea who was actually ill in the family as I had not said.

I became pretty down so tried to focus on positive mantras.

So, for now I will focus on getting well, I am in charge of that no one else,  I love research and am not afraid to try anything, sure I can use the assistance of doctors I can choose alternate medicine too, I have already found an excellent myotherapist who happens to also be one of my yoga teachers.   I have learnt my lesson and I did too much.  Never underestimate the power of stress, at the same time never underestimate your intuition, your ability to take charge and heal yourself. 

Garden of St.Erth

Today I took some time off work, after many phone calls to clients to let them know I wasn't working and took my youngest two children to the Garden of St.Erth.

My eldest would not come with me, I realised I have now partially lost him to these sort of family events, so it was a bittersweet day really.

This is homestead that is part of the Diggers gardens, it has the most magnificent garden surroundings and I am blessed to know one of the horticulturalists that work there.

Grrr, sorry about the blurred photos must be part of the case on the iPad is over the lense!  

Occasionally you can find a Hellebore that isn't facing downwards.

Or two if you are really lucky.

The boys

I love the drystone walls around the place.

And the beautiful sculptures.

Lovely pond.

I wasn't actually waving, there was a branch in my face.

They grow veggies here too.

Wish I had some of these covers.

An old piece of equipment that I will find the name of.

Best gate ever!

Finished at the cafe....of course!  Look it up if you've not been, it's on Blackwood and part of the diggers club gardens but you don't have to be a member, only $10 to get in and kids free, I cannot wait to return in Spring as I saw many bulbs shooting up.

On the way home we stopped for a lovely bushwalk, I noticed many alarming similarities in my youngest child to my middle one.  I realised I have noticed this before, other family members have told me and I have stuck my head in the sand.  I've been sidetracked with work and my own priorities, I need to fight now and get his assessed and helped or at least start giving this child more of my time.  I won't be posting so much anymore, I need to step back now and try and do something right.