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.

Democracy

Today we visited M.A.D.E I believe that stands for museum of Australia democracy at Eureka according my 9 year old visited this place this year and has been keen to show me since he went, and as we live about 800 metres from the place we thought on this rainy day perfect time to visit!

We saw the southern cross flag, very exciting - it's very old! 

For those that do not know the story google - Eureka rebellion Ballarat.  It's about the miners rights, the crooked Government rules, the death of men who stood up for their rights and probably the very beginnings on the union movements.

There was a bit about the suffragette woman - fairly sure I had female relatives in that in England.

There was fun stuff to do for the kids, we all got involved and made fortune cups.

Master 12 mused on what to call his.

While he loom band addict had no problems.

So far the fortune cup has been really accurate!

This week at my place

This week after deciding to lose weight and get fit just after Easter I jumped on the scales and did my measurements to be surprised with a 3.6 kg loss I think I took the measurements about 6 weeks back.  I've also lost 19 cm from chest/waist/hips with a good 9 cm from waist so very happy with that!  I cut back portion sizes, tried to get on my road bike to do 30-50 km a week just doing chores so bit of shopping, picking up medications, posting letters that sort of thing and the odd ride with my middle son.  I did not give up any of my daily chocolate addiction.

I also took up another days swimming so now swim 150-160 laps a week at the indoor pool, sometimes I have to go super early and walk the dog before light to fit it all in but worth it to feel fitter.

I think next I will try a Yoga challenge as there is a special deal at my local studio 2 weeks unlimited yoga for set price and I think I will try and do 5 classes a week, it won't be easy as my work is very busy too right now, to the point I've just worked 6 days straight.  I am not full time but 3 hours of remedial massage work in a really hot room so the clients comfy really does make you sweat and it's like a workout so possibly that's contributed too weight loss to I think it's certainly makes me tired at the end of the day anyway! I space my clients through out the day so it's not back to back either which helps me manage energy wise. Plus some days there is no time to eat lunch or snacks anymore.

I did manage to make this though from our school cook book

Delicious chicken curry.

I whipped this up between clients for one of my sons school class - he wasn't getting a party this year so I thought he should get sung too by group and so a cake was required. He doesn't love me coming into class, I can be embarrassing but he coped with that for the cake.

Last week when I went in to help with school gardening group one of the other helping mums gave me these which was a lovely suprise.   They were so well arranged and really beautiful design.  I was touched!

Today I brought this, a bit of a finishing touch to my dry garden bed area, a fire pit, which might turn into a pond in Summer.  I hope it doesn't rust as I am sure my male dogs have already peed on it!!

Around the Winter Garden

I have finally had a good long weekend out in the garden, with good weather and just about finished planting the veggie beds.  There is a still much colour to be had around my garden to the point people walking past stop and talk about the flowers, see my massage sign and end up texting me for an appointment! Win/win really! :)

This is the latest bed to be planted, I upcycled and old fence with wire we had lying around which will be used for the Snow peas just planted, I've put Coriander at the front and Bok Choy and Beetroot to either side.  This bed will eventually be used in Summer for my Strawberries.

This bed has Silverbeet self seeded from last year, and eldest child's Lettuce, he has done well as I've never had luck growing Lettuce from seed, we have Spinach seed sown at the end and some Mizuna - an Oriental salad veggie.

The third bed has some seedling brought Lettuce in the middle and Red Onions either side, I usually do well growing onions each year.

The final fourth bed has Rocket growing either end, Red Onions in the middle and a space for the Pak Choy I have in the green house that I am growing from seed.

My little Pak Choy seedlings are doing well, still away from being ready for the bed, but grown on seed tape and germinated well.

My seed grown Pansies came up well and I have been able to transplant to 4 long pots at the front of my clinic for some Winter colour.

Eldest child's bed is doing well and full of colour.

This is the other bed he made planted out with the bulbs all starting to pop up!

These bulbs are such a mix and planted out the front in an area where I didn't actually think they would thrive so well, even the Ranancula's look really healthy so far, can't wait for the colour!

My seed grown Calendula's are doing nicely and I have planted all along the front fence for some orange colour at the end of Winter.

This is my tree Dahlia give to me by my friend at Annies flower-garden blog, I wish I could link her blog, but I am not that clever, if you google that and Ballarat it will come up, lovely flower shots over there and very crafty too!  This literally stops people in the street and my kids have heard people talking about it!

Look at this happy Tree Dahlia flower!

Beautiful - Just Joey Rose.

I feel this Fucshia has gotten confused with the few days of sunshine we had!

Gorgeous Plectranthus on my back verandah.