Tag: Gardening

Coffee Catch-Up #36

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If we were having coffee we would still be walking and drinking as our region is still locked down. The government is saying it will end only when 70% of the adults are double vaxxed. The catch is that this freedom will only be for the double vaxxed population. If you haven’t been able to have your first or second dose or you are an antivaxer you will not be able to travel, go to the pub or get your haircut. It will be interesting to see how these new freedom will impact the severity of Delta as we learn to live with it.

If we were having coffee I would tell you how excited I am with how our garden is growing. I have a never ending supply of rocket, chillies and several varieties of lettuce. Our wild cherry tomatoes are tasting great. Yesterday I was excited to eat my first snacking capsicum. I was also pleased to grow my first cos lettuce that formed a complete head. Usually I just have multiple leave and I don’t care as they taste great anyway.

If we were having coffee I would tell you about Wacky Wednesday a few weeks ago. The idea was relieve the frustrations for the staff and patients of the lock down. All staff wore their clothes in some sort of wacky manner. It was great fun and brought a smile to everyone faces. All of the staff on our ward had their hair coloured with hairspray. This was a first for me, as my hair had ever been pink, green, blue and yellow. In choosing my outfit I put together things that I didn’t think go together. However, to my surprise everything did go so I now have a alternate winter outfit.

If we were having coffee I would tell you how much fun I have been having this week getting out our original Wii. It has been many years since I last played it and I was pleasantly surprised when my Fitbit age was 41. My actual age is 59. Now to keep working at it and see how low I can make it go.

If we were having coffee I would tell you able the mask tree I found on my walk yesterday. It’s on a public walkway next to the harbour. To remind everyone to wear a mask and keep safe it has been decorated with multi-coloured disposable masks. The tree looks great but I don’t know where they got the masks from as I’ve only seen them in blue.

If we were having coffee I would ask you what has been happening in your world?

Thanks to Natalie for hosting #weekendcoffeeshare

Coffee Catch-Up #34

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If we were having coffee I would tell you that this week is 7 years since I started Inspiring Max. My first blog post was Mother’s Day 11th May, 2014. Initially a slow start, it gathered momentum in 2015 and 2016. Now I need to regain my mojo and write consistently. No excuses. I just need to do it.

If we were having coffee I would wish mothers everywhere a happy Mother’s Day. This year mine was quiet as both my children live in different cities and couldn’t make it home. I did spend an hour with my mother which we both enjoyed.

If we were having coffee I would tell you on one of our recent road trips to Sydney we were stopped on the way back with the opening of the Swansea bridge. Lucky for me we were in the first row of traffic and therefore I could get some close up photos. The Swansea bridge opens to allow boats to pass through the channel either into or out of Lake Macquarie.

If we were having coffee I would tell you how well with our newest crops are growing. The ginger, my husband grew from a cutting and our never ending supply of long red chillies came from a small chilli bush. Both taste amazing and are perfect for the Asian style meals I like to cook.

If we were having coffee I would tell you about our family friend’s son’s wedding. It was held in the North Sydney area and the walk to and from gave us a different prospective of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The wedding itself was held in a room with a view at eye level of the bridge. It was special.

If we were having coffee I would ask you what has been happening in your world?

Thanks to Natalie for hosting Weekend Coffee Share so we can all get to know each other better.

Coffee Catch-Up # 32

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If we were having coffee I would tell you that I am not really sure where the last moth has gone. I worked up to Christmas Eve and then I was on leave. During this time I relaxed well reading and doing jigsaw puzzles. It wasn’t until returning to work this week that I returned to my routines including blogging.

If we were having coffee I would tell you about our family Christmas. At the previous Christmas the colour/theme is decided by popular vote. At times it can get interesting as all family members have equal voting rights. This year the theme was flamingo, anything pink or flamingo print. As this year we were on trend there were plenty of flamingo accessories to choose from. Christmas is always hosted by my sister and she and her family go to great efforts to make the day beautiful and memorable for all. I wish I had her level of creativity.

If we were having coffee I would tell you about my Sunday walk and coffee this morning. We walk around the local area randomly with no real direction and see what we can find. Today we hit the jackpot. We wandered across a brand new coffee shop that officially opens tomorrow. They opened today for foot traffic only but were happy to set tables and chairs up for us in the café. We were excited to be one of their first customers. By the way the coffee was amazing and we’ll definitely be back.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that over the summer I have been working on improving my Charcuterie board presentations. My last one was my best yet and I am beginning to feel more confident. No wonder they are so popular once you understand the principles of how to make them work there is no limit to options.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that the recent rain has helped the garden grow. Just after the new year I was down looking around for some salad vegies when I discovered our cucumbers had grown. I couldn’t believe it they were huge and tasted amazing. So fresh and crisp. And the good news is that I just finish one cucumber and there is another one to take its place. There is nothing like fresh garden vegies.

If we were having coffee I would ask you what has been happening in your world?

Thankyou to Natalie The Explorer for hosting this weeks Weekend Coffee Share.

Coffee Catch-Up #31

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If we were having coffee I would tell you how much I enjoy picking my salad vegetables every morning and night. Our vegetable gardens are growing well. My fresh baby spinach, rocket, parsley, various styles of lettuce and self growing tomatoes taste amazing. Who knew my husband and I have green thumbs.

If we were having coffee I would ask you how you eat your gingerbread men. Head or legs first? I am a leg person. This special man created for me by one of my young clients is awesome. She said she made him herself and he smells divine. I wanted to name him but didn’t because then I couldn’t eat him. Taste verdict. Perfect.

If we were having coffee I would ask you if you have any idea why my hair is turning yellow in places. It has been totally grey for about 3 years now and today I noticed the changes. I hope its temporary as I’m not a fan. I love having grey hair. It’s on trend and that you can’t purchase in a bottle

If we were having coffee I would tell you how much fun I had running around the ward last Monday with a French chicken on my head. Why you ask? The company I work for has set a 12 days of Christmas challenge. The aim to get staff and patients into the Christmas spirit. Last Monday was the 3rd day and we needed to either dress or decorate with chickens, eggs or French. Every ward or area did it differently. Our 3 staff wore chicken hats with the wings painted red, white and blue. They made everyone smile and laugh. Tomorrow is cow day. Who knew work could be so much fun!

If we were having coffee I would tell you how much fun we had celebrating my husband’s 60th birthday. He never wanted a big party so COVID restrictions weren’t a problem to him. We had 2 smaller parties. One for each side of the family. A joint one with my sister’s husband who was turning 50, and a surprise one with his brother and family. It was the Beatles themed. We all wore a Beatles T-shirts, most of which came from hubby’s supply.

Both were great nights filled with fun, laughter and memories.

If we were having coffee I would tell you how frustrated I was last week when my blog didn’t work. The problem was my Jetpack plug-in. By disabling it, my blog worked. But it was useless. I couldn’t connect with anyone or receive any feedback. It was weird, like giving a speech to an empty stadium. I didn’t like it. So I stopped blogging until it was fixed. Lucky, as the posts I wrote during this time remain in limbo. Not recognised in the official count.

If we were having coffee I would ask you what has been happening in your world?

Coffee Catch-Up #22

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If we were having coffee I would tell you that I can’t believe it has been six months since our last coffee catch up. Wow how quickly that time has flown. Life has a funny way of changing sometimes. When I started Inspiring Max it seemed all I did was work and blog. These days I work half as much but I am having so much fun, I haven’t been prioritizing my blogging. Fortunately for me, my blog has continued to work without my input so I am inspired to get organised and make 2018 my best blogging year yet.

If we were having coffee I would tell you how excited I am my veggie garden is complete. I finished the last garden just hours before departing for my holiday to Perth. It took months to do all 4 gardens as they were all created from scratch or given a total revamp with the help of my husband. I have been enjoying some of the herbs and lettuces that I planted earlier on a daily basis as I prepare my salads for lunch. I can’t wait to see how much they have grown while we are away.

If we were having coffee I would tell you about my last trip to Bunnings (a very large hardware/gardening store.) While I was gathering my gardening soil I suddenly felt eyes staring at me. I looked ahead and much to my surprise was a waterdragon sitting on the pallets like he owned the store.

If we were having coffee I would tell you about Kellie. Kellie is the name my daughter gave to the kookaburras who come to visit our backyard. They seem to enjoy being there, as they come often in groups of 2 or 3. Their laughter is very infectious and never fails to bring a smile to my face.

If we were having coffee I would tell you we are having a wonderful trip to Perth, Western Australia. According to the fridge magnet I bought yesterday it is the the most isolated city in the world. This could easily be true as it is nearly a 5 hour flight from Sydney.

To have a bit of fun with the distance my husband and I decided to allow the Pacific and Indian Oceans to meet. At 7am we went to Bar Beach (Newcastle) and walked into the Pacific Ocean. We gather some of the Pacific Ocean in a bottle and took it on the plane to Perth. At 7pm the same night we walked into the Indian Ocean at Bathers Beach (Freemantle). We then poured our bottle of the Pacific Ocean water into the Indian Ocean. Bucket list item complete.

P.S We didn’t wash our feet or legs between oceans so they were also mixed together on us.

If we were having coffee I would tell you how weird it felt to see the sunset over the ocean in Australia. Living on the east coast, we always see the sun rise over the ocean. I am hoping to view the sunset again, with more vivid colours next time.

If we were having coffee I would how amazing the Paul McCartney concert was on Saturday night. Prior to the concert I wasn’t a huge fan but I am now. What a show! I would have to say it was the best concert I have ever been to. https://www.inspiringmax.com/the-ageless-paul-mccartney 


If we were having coffee I would ask you what is happening in your world? Let me know in the comments.

Coffee Catch-Up #21

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If we were having coffee I would tell you that instead of coffee today we were having champagne to celebrate Inspiring Max turning 3 recently. Wow! I can’t believe how quickly that time has flown. When I started I knew nothing about blogging or where this journey would take me but I am so glad I took the plunge and dived head first into the deep blogging pool. I have learnt so much and love the sense of community out there in the blogosphere.

I love it when I connect with new blogs. My geography has also improved as I discover someone from a small country or island I didn’t know existed has visited Inspiring Max. Thanks for being part of my world and I hope our journey continues to deepen.

If we were having coffee I would tell you about our recent visit to Copeland Tops State Conservation Area, just outside Barrington Tops National Park. We walked the Hidden Treasure Loop Track, a 2 hour bush walk through a dry rain forest. The area is an old gold field and is scattered with old mine shafts throughout, so it is essential to stick to the path or risk serious harm or death. The highlight of our walk was Hidden Treasure mine entrance. Despite it being sealed up, with the help of flash photography we could see the old quartz seams that had once held gold. It was quite spectacular in its natural forest surroundings, but I wouldn’t have wanted to walk that distance to work every day.

If we were having coffee I would tell you how much I am enjoying working in my garden at our new house. I have always wanted to develop a vegetable and herb garden, but I’ve never had the time to devote to it. Now with only working part-time and not having children to run around my time is my own so I’m hoping to prove I have green thumbs. This week I began by making a herb garden, which so far is going well. I also bought a modern version of the Yates gardening guide to help me prepare for Spring planting. As Winter starts in Australia next week I’ll be planting soon enough. I am interested in any advice you may have of things to do or not do when growing my produce.

If we were having coffee I would tell you about King Street Boutique Motel, the accommodation my husband and I stayed at on our recent trip to Gloucester. It was created from one of the old homes of the area and contained a communal lounge, dining and kitchen area with 4 rooms on each side of the communal real. It was great value and our fellow travelers were friendly. Our room also had a little verandah that overlooked the driveway and from which you could see the  mountains in the background.

 

If we were having coffee I would ask you what is happening in your world? Let me know in the comments.