For anyone who is not aware the #AtoZChallenge is held every year in April. Bloggers are challenged to chose a theme and write a post everyday except Sunday. The posts start at A and go through until Z. The other fun part is also blog hopping and visiting new and friends blogs.
During this years #AtoZChallenge I will share with you some of the interesting things, places and people I have discovered as I travel the states of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
I hope that you find my theme interesting. Australia is a very unique and varied country that can be very different. It is not unusual to hear the phrase “only in Australia.” On our travels in Truby (our blue Iveco truck and her red slide on camper) we mostly visit small towns. Nearly all are filled with history and have found some way to reinvent themselves using creativity. At the beginning of the day it is not unusual for us to have no idea what we will find on our journey. I love it. I hope that you find my selections interesting and that they give you an insight into our Australian culture.
For any of my #weekendcoffeeshare friends who are also joining in the fun I will attempt to keep up with your posts. Thanks for hosting Natalie.
If we were having coffee I would tell you about our trip to Windsor a few weeks ago. Our purpose was to win a trip to Disneyland. I had won a golden ticket in a chocolate bar just like Charlie. Winners were then registered and put in a lucky draw barrel. By attending the special event, if we won we received extra spending money. Why not we thought. The local lolly shop held the event. All 40 staff were dressed in Disney costumes and acted in character. Unfortunately, we didn’t win but had a great time anyway. By the way Mickey sends his love.
If we were having coffee I would tell you how pleased my husband and I were to find an old fashioned All You Can Eat Pizza Hut. These are rare in Australia these days. However, when our kids were little we would often go and celebrate our special events at the local one near our home. Just being at one always brings back many happy memories. We were also pleased that the pizza and salad bar options hadn’t changed much in the last 30+ years.
If we were having coffee I would tell you how much I am enjoying blogging again. Not only writing and creating the posts but also blog hopping. I love visiting other blogs and seeing how they interpret the same themes. I am really looking forward to joining this years A-Z blogging challenge next month. It will be my 4th time but for the first I am the most organised this year.
If we were having coffee I would tell you how pleased I was to discover the cause of my hip pain. It has been going on for about 5 years. Initially, it was thought to be osteoarthritis, something I couldn’t do much about. Fortunately, it turned out to be a form of bursitis and was fixed by a simple cortisone injection. I love being able to walk without a limp again.
If we were having coffee I would tell you about our work Paint and Sip social last year. It was a lot of fun. Our theme was The Grinch. He was fairly easy as we could trace him rather than draw him freehand. It was a fun way to spend a Saturday morning and despite a few sips, I think my painting turned out well. Me being me of course had to change his background colour from black to one that I made up myself.
If we were having coffee I would ask you what is happening in your world?
If we were having coffee I would tell you that my virtual coffee dates are very similar to my real life coffee dates. I love them but they are often a long time coming. That aside, I was happy to see that Natalie is still hosting our #weekend coffee share. Thank you. I find it welcoming to catch up with old friends as well as make new ones. I was surprised however to realise today that I had been MIA for nearly 12 months. How quickly that time has gone. I am hopeful that 2024 is the year that I get my blogging act together.
If we were having coffee I would tell you that I am still working 3 days a week despite giving a lot of thought into retirement. It’s weird. I know that I am ready but part of me doesn’t know who I am when I’m not a mental health nurse. At present I am on long service leave and not missing work at all. We have a few big trips planned for the next 12 months so I am thinking I have about 18 months left in me. Who knows, whichever way it goes I will definitely be taking Dolly Parton’s advice.
“Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”
If we were having coffee I would tell you that my husband and I have become cruisers. Last year we went on 2 cruises to various parts of the South Pacific. Our first one was to New Caledonia and Vanuatu onboard the Carnival Splendor. It was a lot of fun. We visited Noumea, Mystery Island and Lifou.
In October, we joined The Mutiny On The Bounty cruise with P&O’s Pacific Adventure which followed the journey of Willliam Blythe. During the cruise we visited places associated with the mutiny including stopping for half an hour on the exact spot it occurred. We also stopped at Norfolk Island, Nukualoka and Vava’u (both part of Tonga) as well as Fiji’s Dravuni Island and Lautoka.
We found both cruises very relaxing however we were very unhappy with P& O’s food. It was lacking inspiration, very repetitive and you had to pay for choices such as pizza and burgers. Both of which were included on Carnival six months earlier.
If we were having coffee I would tell you that X (our grandson) turned one a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, we couldn’t spend the day with him as he was in Japan with his other grandmother. Despite this my daughter and I celebrated in our own way. We had Australian party food, party pies and sausage rolls as well as our family favourite cheese dip. Unfortunately, hubby was away minding X’s rabbits. To add to our enjoyment we had a few celebratory drinks and watched Shrek 1 & 2.
If we were having coffee I would tell you that I lost my mother just before Christmas. Unfortunately her death was a long goodbye as her body slowly shut down. Like every thing she did in life, her death was in her time. Looking back I think it is very interesting that my first and last visit to the nursing home were on the night shift. At least the first time I was returning her after a family celebration.
If we were having coffee I would tell you that I am continuing to enjoy my creative side again learning more about my Cricut cutting machine. I Love it when the items I design turn out well even if they aren’t perfect. My favourite things recently have been personalised chocolate wraps, my glitter baubles wall chart using our Christmas family colours of the last 20 years. Last year was Ice Christmas – white, silver and pale blue. I also created the gift boxes for the table settings. To complete this I also learnt to create stickers.
If we were having coffee I would ask you what is happening in your world?
During our recent holiday around the Eyre Peninsula coast, one day we took a trip inland. For some reason we randomly decided to visit the small town of Cleve. We had no reason to, but we were definitely rewarded.
BONNIE- The ClydesdaleBONNIE’S Friend – The Blue Tongue Lizard
In the centre of town we found this amazing sculpture of a Clydesdale horse. As hubby and I stood admiring it, a local man stopped by for a chat. He was a very proud dad. His son, ‘Turtle’ was the creator of the masterpiece and he told us many stories about it. In short, his son is a farmer and was messing about with old tools when he created his first horse sculpture, Clyde which now permanently stand at the entrance to his property.
CLYDE – The original Clydesdale horse sculptureCLYDE’S friend is a Frill Neck Lizard.
Turtle’s latest sculpture is a wedge-tail eagle. This sculpture is currently on a trailer as it is being tried out the front of a few local locations to see which fits best for his permanent home.
The sculptures are all made from scrap metal and engines given to him or bought cheaply at local clearance sales.
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.
Ifwe 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.
Ifwe were having coffee I would ask you what is happening in your world.
If we were having coffee I would tell you that it has been very quiet over the last month as our family has recovered from covid. For me getting healthy has taken a lot longer than most people. The upside is that I have had a month to consider my options for my twilight years. Oh and I have been able to binge watch Desperate housewives on Disney +. With 8 sessions it got me through the brain fog and required no thinking. It also make me laugh.
If we were having coffee I would ask you if you saw the 4 planets lined up in the night sky late in April. Just before sunrise was the best time to view them. From the end of our driveway we got a good view on the Saturday and Monday mornings. On the best viewing day Sunday however the sky was full of cloud and they were not visible.
The 4 planets that lined up were Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. It is said to have been 1000 years since these planets had aligned. I was grateful to have seen them.
If we were having coffee I would tell you last weekend was my mother-in-law’s 92nd birthday. Most family members traveled to Newcastle to surprise her on this special day. She had no idea and seeing the grandchildren in particular put a smile on her face, something that is rare these days.
If we were having coffee I would tell you last weekend was both Mother’s Day and the 8th anniversary of Inspiring Max. I can’t believe it has been so long. Blogging is the gift that keeps on giving. I find I have learnt a lot about myself, my community and the world. After reviewing my anniversary yesterday I wrote a blogpost about planning for fun where I make a plan to be more proactive in the next 2 years.
If we were having coffee I would tell you that I nearly completed this years Blogging From A-Z challenge. I missed Y and Z as my brain fog was too much. I enjoyed it although I would have liked to have blog hopped more. Next year I will start my planning early particularly for the back end of the alphabet.
Ifwe were having coffee I would ask you what is happening in your world.
If we were having coffee I would tell you that I can’t believe it has been nearly 3 months since our last chat. To be honest this is very similar to my real life coffee catch-ups that aren’t very regular. As you possibly know by now for 4 weeks of this year my husband and I went touring in Truby. ( Our slide on camper and Iveco. ) On many other weekends before and after, I was working to make up my shifts. After work I mean to blog but often don’t make it to the computer.
If we were having coffee I would tell you that I am again participating in Blogging from A to Z. Writing a blogpost daily is helping get my mojo back. Also, having a theme, our recent holiday, makes the decision of what to write easy. So, it is simply a matter of writing it. Each day I find this to get quicker. Just like when I started blogging in 2014 and I was following the daily word prompts. I have also realsied that when April is finished I still have a lot of other topics to write about.
If we were having coffee I would tell you that my daughter has moved home after living in regional NSW. She is easy to live with so beside the extra stuff around, everything is going smoothly.
If we were having coffee I would tell you that I have spent a lot of time covering my new secondhand books in contact. One of the things I love about traveling is going to second hand book shops. It is a great way to support the local communities and increase my library. Sometimes I have specific books that I am looking for, otherwise I accidently find new authors. My husband can now work out my book style based on the artwork on the front cover. We were even able to find some of his much rarer books at reasonable prices. Below is a photo of most of the novels I found.
If we were having coffee I would tell you how surprised I was back in January to hear our most famous children’s group had won the Triple JJJ’s Hottest 100. This countdown features the most popular song for the previous year. It the classic example of doing what you love and success will follow.
If we were having coffee I would ask you what is happening in your world.
Thanks to Natalie for hosting #weekend coffee share
If we were having coffee I would tell you how excited I was last Thursday to escape town for a few days. As I was finishing work on Wednesday afternoon I felt a little manic. My husband and I took a road trip to Tamworth, 3.5 hours northwest of Newcastle. It felt so weird when we crossed the imaginary line of our LGA (Newcastle Council) because during restrictions it was the limit we could travel to. We had planned to have lunch at an historic pub at Wingen many times and Thursday was the day.
To celebrate the first trip to a pub since lockdown ended I did what most Aussies did and ordered a beer on tap. I don’t often drink beer but thought why not. It was so cold, fresh and memorable. The food was also pretty good. I would have loved another beer but time did not permit. It was great to be out of the city connecting with the country again.
View from back verandah of The Durham Hotel
If we were having coffee I ask you if you picked the winner of last Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup. In Australia it is known as the race that stops the nation and is Australia’s most famous house race. As it is over 3200 metres it is particularly hard to pick a winner for and this year proved no exception. The favourite, Incentivise was leading with 400m to go when suddenly Verry Elleegant swept in and won.
If we were having coffee I would tell you about the hydofoil surfer I enjoyed watching this morning at the beach. He was difficult to photograph but mesmerising to watch. The beach was high tide and only the surfers were out because of the conditions.
If we were having coffee I would ask you what is happening in your world.
Thanks to Natalie The Explorer for hosting our weekendcoffeeshare.
Today on my walk around the suburb my attention was drawn to an usual sight. A Banksia plant was displaying several stages of the Banksia cycle all at once. There are over a 170 species of Banksias ranging in size and shape, with all but one of them native to Australia. They were first discovered by and consequently named after Sir Joseph Banks when Captain Cook discovered Australia in 1770. They are a truly an Australian original.
The photo below shows the flower in bloom. This flower was one of the last for the season.
This photograph shows the cone after the flowers have dropped off. It is here that the seeds are stored in pods until opening up. For many Banksia species this is triggered by heat – bushfires or drying out.
I love the contradiction in this photo as it shows a new cone with pods developing as well as a dried out empty cone.
In Australia the dried out cone has inspired many craft and woodwork creations. However, in many ways their greatest claim to fame is being the inspiration for May Gibbs’s Big Bad Banksia Men in her Snugglepot and Cuddlepie books. The Banksia men were the villians. They were always out to create trouble. Owing to the commonness of the species, dried cone can be found everywhere so growing up every child could relate to them. I’m sure my family wasn’t the only one to create their own Banksia boys adventures.
If we were having coffee I would tell you about the fun map of Newcastle I found today. It is on the side of the old Maritime museum and incorporates Newcastle’s history over the years. It isn’t to scale but was very detailed and reminded me of many things that I had forgotten.
If we were having coffee I would tell you my osteoarthritis flared up for the first time this week. I was diagnosed with a small amount of it in my hip 2 years ago but I’m guessing it has gotten worse. For no reason I woke up on Tuesday morning in a lot of pain and with a fever. In this day and age of course having a fever means you need a covid test which was negative. So with rest and pain relief it returned to normal. Eventually I will be able to have a new scan and see how much it has deteriorated but at present that will have to wait as our doctors live in Sydney and we cannot travel there yet.
If we were having coffee I would tell you that I walked past Cooks Hill Spoonville on my walk this morning. I was excited to see that the family of spoons had grown.
If we were having coffee I would ask you what is happening in your world.
