Nice to see you!

Three major events occurred for me last year (2010), all in the space of about 2 weeks. I turned 50. The following day I got married. Two weeks later, my oldest daughter became pregnant with her first child and my first grandchild.

Most middle-aged people will tell you that in their minds, they still feel 20 something. It's the same for me.

Wasn't it only yesterday that I was planning a night out with guys from the surf club? That gorgeous new perm. Flaired, cuffed denims and the red t-shirt with the off-the-shoulder frill. Corked platform wedgies. **sigh**

Suddenly I'm looking in the mirror and wondering how 30 years can flash by so damned quickly!

So here I am in cyberspace, sharing my genuine shock and horror with anyone who'll listen and maybe I'll even meet some other over 50s who find themselves in the same predicament!

Welcome to my dilemna!!

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Food for Thought

Just to give you an idea of what your body absorbs in a day and also what it tries to filter and eliminate using your precious organs, here is a short and basic list of (unnatural) ingredients in SIX everyday products that you use regularly.

A bar of soap:  Sodium Tallowate, Sodium Cocoate, Glycerin, Fragrance, Sodium Chloride, Titanium Dioxide, Etidronic Acid, Tetrasodium EDTA.

Toothpaste:  Calcium Carbonate, Sorbitol, Arginine, Bicarbonate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Monofluorophosphate, Flavour, Sodium Silicate, Carmellose Sodium, Sodium Bicarbonate, Titanium Dioxide, Acesulfame Potassium, Xanthan Gum, Sucralose (artificial sweetener) and Limonene.

Mouthwash:  Alcohol, Sorbitol, Flavours, Poloxamer 407, Benzoic Acid, Cineole, Sucralose, Zinc Chloride, Methyl Salicylate, Thymol, Sodium Saccharin, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Flouride, Menthol, FD&C Red 40 and FD&C Blue 1.

Deodorant:  Butane, Isobutane, Propane, Cyclomethicone, Aluminium Chlorohydrate, Isopropyl, Palmitate, Parfum, Bisabolol, Persea Gratissima Oil, Ocyldodecanol, Glycine Soja Oil, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Dimethicone, Propylene Carbonate, Dimethiconol, BHT, Linalool, Geraniol, Citronellol.

Hand Wash:  Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Chloride, Cocamide MEA, Frangrance, Glycol Distearate, Sodium Salicylate, Sodium Benzoate, Polyquaternium-7, Citric Acid, Tetrasodium EDTA, Benzophenone-4, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Chamilla Recutita Flower Extract.

Body Lotion:  Isopropylpalmitate, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Bisdiglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Caprylic/capric Triglyceride, Ceteareth-12, Tocopherol, Cetyl Alcohol, Sodium Hydroxide, Sorbic Acid, Carbomer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Glycine Soja, Beta Carotene, Wheat.

That is just SIX everyday products that we all use.

Consider, on top of this list, all the other products that you use eg hair conditioner, clothes washing detergent, dishwashing liquid, face toners/cleansers/moisturisers, make-up like foundation/mascara/eyeliner/blush/lipstick,  hair products like hairspray/styling gels/mousse, perfumes/after shave lotions, hair removal creams, nail polish/polish remover, eye drops, indigestion tablets, panadol/paracetamol/aspirin/ibuprofen/nurofen, and then there are all the cleaning products .. go and count how many bottles you have for cleaning your home!

Either your skin is absorbing, or you are inhaling the fumes of all, or some of these products, every single day of your life.

You also have to include what you eat and drink.  Coffee, alcohol, sugars, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, additives, herbicides, pesticides, chemicals, food dyes just to name a few.

Your kidneys, liver, small and large intestines, skin, lungs and lymphatic systems all filter the unwanted/unhealthy toxins that you introduce.

Just from these few products that I have mentioned .. your body is working overtime to keep you healthy, but as you get older, your organs just can't cope and health issues like heartburn, arthritis, allergies, blood pressure, back pain, gout, kidney stones, headaches, ulcers and angina, just to name a few, become common problems.

Now .. the point of me telling you all of this is because your body needs water to do all of this detoxing every day.

For every 60kg of weight, you need at least 2.5 litres of water each day, just to function at a normal level and stop those health issues from occurring.

***If you already have any of these health issues, it will take rehydration over a prolonged period, before your body will feel the positive effects.***

If, when you drink this amount of water, you find that you are spending much more time on the toilet, it's not because you are drinking too much water, it's because this is your body's way of removing unwanted toxins.

When the body doesn't receive a constant reliable supply of water, it has to ration what is available and it cuts back on certain functions to make the supply go round.  Essential systems like the brain are prioritised while others are impaired or cut back until the brain decides that it has enough water.

If you're not drinking enough water and your body becomes chronically dehydrated, the body's rationing system also turns off the signal of thirst, and dehydration continues unabated.

It's a vicious cycle.

So, just because you don't feel thirsty, it doesn't necessarily mean that you are drinking enough water, it may mean that you are chronically dehydrated.

You need water for brain, bone, nerve, cell and digestive functions.  The body will even go so far as to extract water from your fecal matter and send it to other parts of your body .. and as you can imagine, this is not good!

Those issues that we deal with, believing it's just a sign of 'old age', like arthritis, heartburn, diverticulitis, kidney stones, gout, blood pressure etc can all, at the very least, be eased, by drinking the right amount of good, clean, filtered water every day.

So I hope that I've summarised this into a short enough version to hold your interest and to help you understand a little bit more about your body.

The fascination, for me, continues.

Nite all.

I have returned!

It finally stopped raining and the way was clear for me to get home today.

There are flood warnings still current, so I consider myself very lucky!

During the trip, I had to sit across the aisle from a very strange and disturbing man, so I was pretty relieved when the train finally stopped at my destination.

As always, it was fabulous to see Adoring Husband's smiling face as I disembarked.




I found some great smoothie recipes that you might enjoy ...


It's after midnight, so I'm off to bed.

Nite all.


Thursday, March 27, 2014

Beyond Wet

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, we've had almost 3 inches of rain (approx 71mm) in the last 12 hours.

It has barely stopped all day and it has mostly ranged between steady and teeming.

There is a minor flood warning for the Mary River, which is between here and home, so hopefully it will be minor enough not to stop my train from getting me home tomorrow.

The sound of constant heavy rain for just this 24 hour period, has almost been a form of torture for me!  I feel like I'm going troppo!

The wind gusts have been over 45kph as well, but luckily, we are very well protected in this gated resort, so it hasn't been too much of a concern.

The other uncomfortable part of the whole situation is the 99% humidity.  It's almost oppressive.

Warm and uncomfortable and clammy and sticky.

I don't like Mother Nature when she gets loud.  She scares me.

I much prefer her when she is beautiful and at peace.

Ok, well that's my whinge for the night.  Thank you for listening.

I have taken a LOT of photos of my little Chicklet, but it will be Saturday before I get to look at them, so I'll post some then.  I hope that at least a couple of them will be ok .. she still gets a bit cranky with me when I get the camera out .. but with Vegan Chickie's help, I think we may have had some success.  Fingers crossed!

Time for me to attempt some sleep.  The sound of this rain is not so relaxing tonight.

Nite all.

  

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Are ya ready?

Here is another evening of 'fillers'.






... and on a sad note, our dearly loved chookie 'Helen' was put to rest on Tuesday.  The vet suggested  (without an expensive autopsy) that she had a large tumour inside her and poor Adoring Husband had to make the decision to end her pain as humanely as possible.

RIP lovely laying chook Helen.

Nite all.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

A bit of fun ...

If I don't have the time or the inclination to write a big post, you get facebook quotes, photos OR youtube presentations.

I really enjoyed this one and thought it worth sharing.



It's been raining since last night and has rained practically all day today.

Chicklet and I have been jumping in muddy puddles and searching (unsuccessfully) for frogs today.

We also had a trip to buy some new toys .. dinosaurs, crocodiles, turtles, frogs, lizards, books and a very large plush talking Wreckit Ralph!

Plenty of stories before bed tonight and now I hope to fall asleep to the sound of the rain.

Nite all.




Monday, March 24, 2014

I'm Here

After the usual 3 hours sleep the night before I travel to the Sunny Coast, I arrived here safe n sound just before 8am.

I was so exhausted that I slept for about 2.5 hours this afternoon and I woke up feeling just as tired!

Half an hour after I woke, my throat began to feel a bit sore, well, not actually sore, but you know that feeling, like you might be coming down with something?

I had a teaspoon of Byron Bay Honey and have been drinking plenty of water and it doesn't seem to have progressed any.

Just to be on the careful side, I am going to bed early and hopefully, my body will heal itself overnight.

It's been a few years since I had a cold or flu, so I guess I could be due for another one to build up my immunity levels.

Anyway, it's lovely to see my little Chicklet and we've been playing with dinosaurs and cars and octonauts and reading books.

She is my little treasure and I'm feeling the love.

Nite all.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Warm and Fuzzy

I loved this so much, I just had to share it.  Please click on this baby bump link and watch and listen.

Did you love it too?

That's all I'm sharing tonight because it's already late and I have to pack!  I'm leaving at 5.15am tomorrow!

Nite all.