Tag: Memories

Coffee Catch-Up #23

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If we were having coffee I would tell you that I finished my Christmas shopping last Tuesday. What a relief. And yesterday I  finished wrapping all of the presents, which I always get excited about. Unfortunately, this year we won’t have a big Christmas tree to put them under as we are currently between trees. The one from our old house is broken from too much loving and I don’t want to buy a new one until we extend next year.  So in the interium it will be back to the small fibre optic tree that changes colours.

If we were having coffee I would tell you about how much fun the family of magpies that has taken up residence in our garden are having playing under the water sprinkler when Rod puts it on to water my garden each evening. They run around under the water in an attempt to cool off and then enjoy looking for worms in the soil. They are too quick for us however, so every time we go to take a photo they run away and play somewhere else.

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If we were having coffee I would tell you that I really enjoyed flying into Sydney from Perth last week. As we flew overnight from the west coast to the east coast of Australia we saw a different flight path and to my surprise we also flew over our old suburb. I loved seeing the sunrise from the sky and an aerial view of what I think is the Parramatta River.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that I made my own baked beans this week and was very pleased with how tasty they were. Motivated by having had some when we were in Perth, I was on a mission to give them a go. I have since found some other recipes so I think I might give them all a try and then rank my results. Do you have a favourite baked beans recipe you’d like to share?

If we were having coffee I would probably ask you if you want some Christmas bush. Our tree has once again produced a bumper crop and sharing it with family and friends makes it feel like an Aussie Christmas. We have 2 vases in our house, the one below in the entry to our house and one in the kitchen, the hub of the home.

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

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.

The Ageless Paul McCartney

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Yesterday my life was changed forever. I attended Paul McCartney’s first Australian concert in Perth. Initially, I was unsure how much I would enjoy it. But hey I’m a good wife, so I’ll travel across Australia just so my husband can see his hero on his birthday.

Wow! What a great night it was and Paul even sang happy birthday to him and several others.

Titled One on One, Sir Paul’s plan was to engage with all 23,000 of us individually. Mission accomplished. For 3 hours he played and sang a well put together mix of 40 of his old, new and in between songs. He joked with us about how “he knows what we like” the old songs but he was playing his new songs and “he doesn’t care.”

His segways between songs with historical stories about them fascinated the crowd and gave us great insight into his early life. He was a master at seamlessly switching between instruments bass, guitar and piano as well as a special dedication to George Harrison on his ukulele. His other dedications were to John Lennon, George Martin, Jimi Hendrix as well as his first wife, Linda and current wife, Nancy.

Described by the media as Maccamania, everyone in the audience, young or old , felt touched by his performance. It really was like he was playing to you. The video and other special effects were like nothing I had ever seen at a concert before and for that matter I doubt I’ll ever experience again.

To make the night even more special he allowed a young man to propose to his girlfriend on stage at the end of the concert. The young couple had bonded on a Contiki tour 10 years ago because of their love for Beatles music. The ultimate in intimacy in a sell out crowd.

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https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/age/

Family Traditions

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What I love about family traditions is that they are unique. Every family, even families within families have their own traditions and there is no end to the options. Big or small to start a new tradition the only need to enjoy the experience and do it regularly. My husband and my latest tradition is to prepare breakfast on the weekend and eat it together on the front verandah, watching the world go by. The only thing missing is a newspaper but we haven’t added that to our traditions yet.

Some times of the year like Christmas and birthdays involve more traditions than others. Being part of a large extended family this means the tradition of celebrating is never far away. The hardest part is setting the date, time and place and from there on the organisation of  a party for a special occasion isn’t difficult. Everyone knows what to do and our family traditions that always involve FOOD – GLORIOUS FOOD continue.

COLOUR THEMED CHRISTMAS last year you guessed right – GREEN.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/traditional/

Weekly Photo Challenge: Heritage

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Here in Australia shipwrecks form part of the heritage of many coastal towns. The jagged rocks, unpredictable storms and ocean currents have sent many mariners to an early grave. It is estimated that since the 1600’s there have been approximately 8,000 shipwrecks off the Australian coast with only around 2,000 being found.

To help protect lives, ships and cargo, lighthouses were built to help warn of the dangers ahead. Our most famous  — The Cape Byron lighthouse is on Australia’s most easterly point with its light sending out its warning all over the Byron Bay hinterland and a long way out to sea. It was built in the 19th century and manned by resident lighthouse keepers until 1989 when it became automated.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/heritage/

Christmas Calendar 2016 #25

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Day 25

Merry Christmas Everyone! Thank you for being a part of Inspiring Max’s family and helping to create lasting memories and traditions in the blogosphere.

Let’s spread the love, kindness and joy that is the Christmas spirit with people everywhere and remember,

“Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn’t come from a store.” Dr. Seuss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Calendar 2016 # 8

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day-8

Share Your World – 2016 Week 46

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Are you a traveler or a homebody? 

I love travelling. I find exploring new places, their history and culture fascinating. Unfortunately, the longest time I have traveled is 6 weeks. However, I look forward to spending my long service leave travelling to far off lands in the next few years.

PS. Most of the world is far off when you live in Australia.

What kind of TV commercial would you like to make? Describe it.

I don’t think I would want to make a TV commercial, although I have been in two and not actually paid for either. The first was planned and I was shopping for baby goods in my friends’ parents baby shop. I was young and it was fun making it.

The second commercial I was in was for the first season of The Voice in Australia. I had seen the battles being taped live and as we were leaving they asked for our opinions. I must have done a great job as suddenly people were telling me I was on TV advertising The Voice. Personally, I was never lucky enough to see me on TV but it had my family, friends, colleagues and patients talking for weeks.  Fortunately, one of my friends sent me a photo of it on her TV. Gotta love technology these days. I think that I look okay for midnight. 532702_10150695973679053_427701941_n

Describe yourself in a word that starts with the first letter of your name.

Maternal, mindful, motivated

List some fun things for a rainy day.

  • Skipping in the rain
  • Jumping in puddles
  • Sitting by an open fire reading a book
  • Playing board or card games with the family
  • Sleeping especially under a metal roof
  • Baking
  • Planning my next holiday
  • Mindful colouring-in
  • Art and craft work
  • Spending the day in a museum
  • Blogging
  • Writing
  • Playing Wi games with the family
  • Swimming but only if there is no lightening

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up? 

Last week I was grateful for family time celebrating my son’s birthday.  Even though he was overseas, my husband, daughter and I went out and enjoyed his favourite food.

This week I hope to finish painting my kitchen cupboards and finally decide where things will belong permanently in my new home.

Share Your World – 2016 Week 46

Share Your World 2016 – Week 36

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If you were given a boat or yacht today, what would you name it?  (You can always sell the yacht later)

Choosing a name for a boat or yacht depends on it type. My father used to have a Hood 23, which he cleverly named Child. The rowing boat attached was called Baby. I loved it.

Photo Credit: Google Images

Photo Credit: Google Images

Which of Snow White’s 7 dwarfs describes you best?  (Doc, Happy, Bashful, Sleepy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey) Plus what would the 8th dwarf’s name be?

I think I am a mixture of Doc and Happy although there are times when I am tired that I could definitely be called Dopey. In my world the 8th dwarf would be called Techno. Although just for fun I asked my girls and their suggestions was Attitudy.

Name a song or two which are included on the soundtrack to your life?

I find music very powerful and the following soundtracks have been with me since they first hit the charts in the 1970’s. They have both gotten me through many hard times and remind me that I can do anything I set my mind to and to keep moving forward.

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Complete this sentence:  I like watching…

PEOPLE! They are so interesting.

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up? 

Last week I was grateful that the transition from Sydney to Newcastle is going so well with few hiccups. This week I am looking forward to getting some ideas for our home renovations from the Better Home and Gardens Show.

Share Your World – 2016 Week 36

 

Feedback Sandwich

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When I think about a sandwich I don’t think about food but a way to deliver difficult feedback. I start by telling the person something they do well. Where possible I try to make it as close to the topic we are discussing. After we have discussed this for a minute or two I then introduce my difficult feedback. Where possible I look at the big picture of the issue discussing how the problem impacts the person and others. If appropriate, I will also give some ideas to help the person to move forward and make the changes required. To complete my feedback I would ask the person if they needed anything from me and remind them of the positives of what they are doing.

Often feedback is very difficult to hear but I find the more open the discussion, the better the outcome. By using the feedback sandwich, the person becomes less defensive because the news has been softened by positive feedback. It is a system that works well and has an overflowing impact of developing respect between the people involved.

A win/win for everyone, the feedback sandwich is:

POSITIVE FEEDBACK

DIFFICULT CONVERSATION

POSITIVE FEEDBACK

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/sandwich/