Coffee Catch-Up #43

If we were having coffee I would tell you that I hope 2023 brings you fun, laughter, less stress and definitely more joy. For me 2022 was a mixed bag. I have never taken as much sick leave as I did last year. Fortunately that meant that had plenty. I’ve had covid twice, long covid as well as pneumonia. My husband and I were lucky enough to enjoy 2 holidays in Truby (our slide on camper.) We also rented a house for a weekend away with family to celebrate my 60th birthday. A lot of fun a was had and memories created.

If we were having coffee I would ask you about your Christmas. Our family has a colour-themed Christmas every year hosted by my sister. Last year was Copper. It proved to be a difficult colour for both decorations and clothes. But in the end everyone looked great and my sisters creativity shone through. It looked amazing and a great day was had by all.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that hubby and I are becoming grandparents. We got the exciting news at my 60th birthday weekend away. Due in February our bubba will soon be here.

If we were having coffee I would tell you my surprise at seeing a double rainbow outside my kitchen window. It happened on Wednesday evening 15 minutes after I posted by first blog in eight months. I smiled. And took it as a sign from the universe.

If we were having coffee I would tell you about my new toy. I bought myself a Cricut Maker 3 for my 60th. For those of you who don’t what one is, it is a die cutting machine that makes all kinds of crafting simple. It will certainly keep dementia away as there is so much to learn. This Christmas I started by making personalized glitter baubles. I then moved on to basic T-shirts. It is so much fun and I am really enjoying putting my creative hat back on.

If we were having coffee I would confess that I realize my planning for fun on my blog last year didn’t work out. Hindsight tells me that long covid brain fog and travel derailed it. However focusing on excuses won’t help. So now in 2023 I am getting back on track and making new habits. Lucky I have lots of inspiration and now I just have to do it.

If we were having coffee I would ask you what is happening in your world.

Thanks Natalie for hosting weekendcoffeeshare.


V: Victoria’s Sculptures

One of the things I loved about Victoria was its amazing sculptures. Every town seemed to have a theme some how connected to the area. Then local artists had created sculptures to blend it all together.

In some instances they have even created stunning children’s playgrounds using the same theme. a great example of this is in Cohuna. Here they have many cow sculptures as it is a dairy area. Then in the amazing children’s playground little cows are used as the seats and the play equipment. It brought a smile to my face.


Celebrating International Coffee Day

Today is International Coffee Day. So to honour my favourite coffee style, I have described my thoughts and what I love about coffee or in my case a cappuccino as an acrostic poem.

Connecting with others

Getting to know someone new or on a deeper level is best done over a cup of coffee. It is a safe way to spend time with someone be it at work, home or out and about in daily life. I personally also love to participate in Natalie the Explorer’s weekendcoffeeshare for the same reason.

Ageless

Coffee beans were first discovered in the 15th century. Today they are a world wide phenonium and can be enjoyed by everyone. Even if you choose not to drink caffeine you can order your coffee decaffinated. Little ones can also participate by enjoying a babyccino – a cup of frothy milk sometimes with the treat of chocolate on top like a regular cappuccino.

Protection from diseases

Regular drinking of coffee helps protect us from developing Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. It can also help protect against Type 2 Diabetes as well as other diseases including certain types of cancers.

Pay it forward

In many coffee shops in Australia you can purchase an extra cup of coffee which the coffee shop will then make at a later time for someone less fortunate than ourselves. At present with the current Delta outbreak you can also donate $5 to certain websites and buy a coffee for the nurses and doctors working tirelessly in our Covid wards and ICU’s.

Ubiquitous

I love that coffee is literally everywhere. Even driving out in the country if you need one it doesn’t take long to find somewhere selling coffee. We will often stop when traveling as it is a great way to support the locals and get to know what is around the area. We have never found anyone who wasn’t up for a chat.

Calming affects of caffeine

Coffee increases mood by increasing the dopamine levels in our brain. It also helps with focus and energy levels.

Choices

In Australia there are many choices when it comes to your favourite beverage. Although all are varieties of the same 3 ingredients -coffee, milk and milk froth, they are very different?

  • Expresso
  • Macchiato
  • Long Black
  • Cappuccino
  • Latte
  • Mochaccino
  • Affogato
  • Piccolo Latte
  • Ristretto
  • Irish Coffee
  • Babyccino

Improves my focus, fat burning ability as well as physical performance

Coffee’s impact on metabolism, focus and physical performance is well documented. It can also help increase pain thresholds and if I need to take Panadol, I will have it with a coffee as it increases its painkilling effect.

Nutrients and antioxidants

Coffee is a brain food and if full of essential nutrients and antioxidants. Like all good things however it is important to remember that moderation is key.

Oppurtunities open for all

I love that anyone who wants to become a barista in Australia can become one. It requires a course and to be good at it a passion for coffee. As a mental health nurse I have seen several of my patients been accepted by their communities despite their obvious disabilities because they made an excellent cup of coffee. In a non Covid world Australians in particular will travel for a good coffee.

I have enjoyed my daily takeaway cappuccino as I wrote this post. I hope you too get to celebrate International Coffee Day and enjoy your favourite coffee today.


Reflection

Spring has sprung. And just before it my 59th birthday. Both of these have recently helped drive my latest time of reflection. My final motivator is the news that to get out of lockdown we need to live with Covid -19. As Australia up until these last few months has been able to contain the virus this reality creates anxiety in most of us. The reality is however that I can only reflect on things in my life I can change and Covid isn’t one of them.

I’m a firm believer in the following quote:

My favourite way to break down powerful words is through the use of acrostic poems. So for me, reflection means:

Review where I am currently at

Explore where I want to be

Freely and honestly check my initial review

Look at what needs to be different

Enact a plan

Choose daily, weekly and monthly goals

Test and track my goals

Include in daily, weekly or monthly routines

Observe regularly what works and what doesn’t

Negotiate any changes that may be needed and enjoy the new me blossoming

For me the main areas of reflection involve:

  • My health
  • Blogging/Writing
  • Career/Retirement Planning

After reflecting on my health I realised daily tracking needs to be around my water intake, movement and sleep. I started doing this a few weeks ago and I have already noticed a huge increase in my energy levels.

Returning to blogging last month made me realise that over the years Inspiring Max has developed its own momentum. I was surprised that even when I haven’t been blogging, it is continuing to be read. This has inspired me to spend more time blogging. Not just writing posts but also engaging with the blogging community. Over the last few weeks I have been able to maintain 3 posts a week, which on refection is sustainable. Me getting better at planning posts will be the key.

Reflecting on this last area is in some ways out of my control. I am a mental health nurse who trained 40 years ago. I have obtained many skills over my career but have no general nursing experience. As we open up I have no idea what will be expected from me as I go about my work day. I have decided to follow my gut and see where the journey takes me. It is also tricky to plan for travel at the moment but it is certainly something I am hopeful to start in 2022.

What areas of your life are you currently reflecting on?


Christmas Calendar #9

When I started blogging I was petrified of being seen. I had lived my life in a bubble. I used this quote to help motivate me to post on Mother’s Day 2014 and I’m so glad I did. Now to get into a regular habit of showing up and take my writing to the next level. Is there somewhere you need courage to show up at the moment?


Celebrating 600

Today I am excited to announce that I have written 600 posts. When I started Inspiring Max I never dreamed this was possible. My first post was Mother’s Day 2014. When I reached 100 posts on my Mother’s birthday 30th October, 2014, I had 3,000 views. I was so happy. My 400th post occurred on 16th February, 2016 a few months before I took a break from blogging. Now 6 1/2 years after my first post, I have approximately 32,000 views. My goal for next year is to continue to grow inspiring Max, gaining momentum with every post.

To celebrate my six hundredth post I have created an acrostic poem:

Seeking new ideas

Interacting and inspiring is my goal

Xcited to be on this amazing journey

Honing my skills with

Unique and positive posts

Navigating my way

Determined to make a difference

Respecting and responding to others

Enjoying the journey

Driven by inspiration

Trusting my instincts

Happy others find my hard work helpful

Passion, persistence and positivity

Open the way for my original

Simple success

Thankful for Inspiring Max’s amazing community

Over the last week I had a forced lesson on how important my blogging community is. Due to technical details, I was unable to connect with anyone on my blog. And can I tell you it felt terrible. It was like giving a speech in a large empty stadium. A lot of effort went into the preparation, but as there was no feedback, I had no idea whether my audience liked it or not.


Christmas Calendar 2020 # 1

Back in 2016 I began what I hoped would be a tradition on Inspiring Max – my Christmas Calendar. A month of positive quotes. One for each day in the lead up to Christmas. My version of our family’s other Christmas tradition, chocolate advent calendars.

As we end this very difficult year let’s think about how we want 2021 to be. My plan is for it to involve more regular blogging and writing. What do you want to create in your future?


6 Years Young

Today Inspiring Max is 6. I can’t believe how much life has changed. My first blog post back in 2014 was titled Happy Mother’s Day.

Here is my 12 month celebratory post, my first blogiversary in 2015. I was excited by how far I’d come. In May 2014, I had 23 views and I didn’t care I had no followers, I had views and I began to believe in myself. I could do this. By May 2015, Inspiring Max was moving up with 12,567 views and 415 followers. This month, May 2020 I have created 574 posts, have had 16,106 visitors, 30,444 views and 1,108 followers.

I also love that after a year of blogging Inspiring Max had been read in 114 countries and in the following 5 years it continues to find new audiences and now has been read in 134 countries. Many of these countries I never knew existed.

One of the things that surprised me during my break from blogging is how my site kept growing even without me working it. Like our finances growing with compound interest for the approximately 800+ days I was absent Inspiring Max kept growing at 2-3 views per day without new content. This makes me wonder where I would have been if I had stayed.

When I returned to Inspiring Max, one of my favourite things was visiting my old blogging friends and seeing how much their blogs had grown. After all, blogging isn’t just about writing and posting good content. I believe it is a package. We are part of an ever growing community and no-one can blog alone.

To me, blogging is divided into four parts:

  • Blog hoping – going from one blog to another viewing and reading their sites
  • Joining in challenges created by other bloggers
  • Engaging with new and old blogs, by liking and commenting on their posts
  • Gaining knowledge by sharing experiences. Never has this been more relevant than now. We can all check on each other during this time of world lock down.

Coffee Catch-Up #25

If we were having coffee I would tell you how much I miss having real coffee dates. In Australia, we can buy takeaway coffee. But we can’t sit down anywhere to drink it. Mostly I enjoy my takeaway coffee alone. However, occasionally I share the experience with someone. Walking and drinking coffee isn’t the same luxury as sitting down together for a coffee catch-up.

Takeaway coffee doesn’t give you such amazing art.

If we were having coffee I would ask you if you did anything to celebrate Anzac Day last Saturday. Although I have always thought about attending a dawn service or Anzac Day march I never have. Some years I have gone to the pub to watch the Two-Up. This is a traditional Australian gambling game only legal on Anzac Day.

This year however was very different. No dawn services, no marches and no Two-Up. Instead families and individuals gathered on their driveways, social distancing and remembering our diggers at 0600. For me, it was very personal. I stood alone on my driveway. I was filled with emotion as I could hear the bugles playing The Last Post over the sounds of birds. Next year, I be on my driveway again. This time I will light the dawn with my candle.

If we were having coffee I would tell you how frustrated I have been over the past month with my blog not working as easily as it used to. The problem is everything needed updating and I am not computer friendly. Making the necessary changes has given me a lot of new knowledge about my blog and computer so my confidence has grown.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that I bought a subscription to Disney+for the family as an Easter present. My husband and I grew up in the 60’s watching the Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights. Our kids grew up with Disney channel, so there is something on it for everyone. We have all found many hidden gems and been entertained for hours.

If we were having coffee I would tell you I was pleased to complete this years A-Z blogging challenge. I stated a few days late but caught up and finished on time. It was a great way to retrain my brain into writing regularly and simplifying my words. Now the secret is to come up with a plan for Inspiring Max that helps my creativity develop.

If we were having coffee I would ask you how you have been filling in your days during the world’s lock down. Let me know in the comments.


Weekly Photo Challenge: Growth

On the 26th Nov, I was excited to finish planting my last vegetable garden before leaving on our holiday to Perth, the next day.

Two weeks later Dec on 10th, I returned from Perth and was surprised by the growth.

However, today Jan 6th the GROWTH is amazing. Who knew I had green thumbs.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/growth-2/