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 21, 2015

A Fast Ride

The trip on the train this morning seemed to fly by!

I ordered lunch on the train. A gluten free roast chicken with veg and a creamy mushroom sauce.

I've had the roast chicken twice before and really enjoyed it, so much that I felt quite excited to be having it for a third time.

That was before I chose the Paleo lifestyle.

I'd only eaten half of it when I began to feel bloated and uncomfortable, so I checked the ingredients list.

Well, that was an eye opener! So many additives and the mashed potato (the last two times the potato was baked) was powdered potato. Preservatives, flavours, numbers, whey powder, protein powder, salt, sugar .. you name it.

I felt quite uncomfortable for about 3 hours. So disappointing and a hard lesson learned.

Once your body becomes accustomed to only, fresh real food, as soon as you put something into it that ISN'T fresh or real, it really lets you know about it!

The man sitting in front of me ordered the roast lamb with veg and gravy. He spent the next 30 minutes belching uncontrollably! I don't mean burping, I mean full force belching that echoed throughout the carriage! He must have been incredibly uncomfortable.

Anyway, I shared a taxi from the station with another lady, who was travelling to the next suburb. She was very nice and we chatted for the 20 minute ride, which made it go fast too.

I've spent the afternoon playing with my little Chicklet and every so often she stops and looks at me and says "I love you Bozzy Wozzy" or "I've missed you Bozzy Wozzy".

Makes my heart melt.

No photos taken today, but I will make a concerted effort tomorrow.

It's raining as I write this and I think we may be in for some more for the next couple of hours...

Good sleeping weather :)

Nite all.


Friday, March 20, 2015

Done and Dusted

Exams done and dusted! Yay!!

Had a couple of wines tonight at the club. Had a nice time.

Making a list in my head of everything that I have to pack to take away tomorrow.

Looking at the clock and thinking that I should get to bed.

So I'll leave you with this ...



Now that it's all over, my brain is mush and there are no words forming in my brain to transfer to this page.

I will be with the Chicklet family tomorrow night. Maybe I'll have photos by then! Or maybe you'll have to wait until Sunday. Let's see what the weekend brings.

Nite all.

Happy Friday

After tomorrow morning (Friday), when this exam hell is over, I am going to look forward to a wine or two tomorrow night .. not too many though, because I will have to pack my bags on Saturday morning and then travel on a train for over 2 hours.

Hangovers are not pleasant at the best of times, let alone on a train!

I'm looking forward to a couple of weeks study free, spending a few days with the Chicklet family, then a day with the girls going across the river for lunch at Woodgate and then the following day attending The Paleo Way cooking show in Bundaberg.

Such a lot to look forward to in the coming week!

In the midst of cramming today, I made Weiner Schnitzel for lunch, a double batch of Butter Chicken for dinner (leftovers in the freezer for AH while I'm away) and I currently have pork in the slow cooker to make Pulled Pork tomorrow, which will be for dinner tomorrow night and leftovers for AH's lunch the next day.

I hope to find time to make some energy balls, some of which I'll take with me down south.

So much to do, so little time!

Meanwhile, Cyclone Nathan is edging his way closer to my brother in Cooktown.


I worry about him, but I must say, I'd rather him be dealing with this weather event, in his laid back hippified kind of way, than me dealing with it in my stressed to the max, pathetic old lady kind of way!

Anyway, it's midnight. I'm off to bed.

Nite all.

 

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Two More Sleeps

I've been cramming all day, so of course there is no news.

I was going to share some links to some short youtube videos about sugar, gluten, health and paleo but it's almost 11pm and I couldn't be bothered finding them. Not that I don't think you're special enough to bother for! I'm simply done for the day.


Two more sleeps til exam time. BIG day of study tomorrow!

Enough of this frivolity.

Nite all.


Overwhelmed .. again.

Yes.

I know.

The usual lead up to exam time.

Stressing to the max.

Wondering how I'm going to remember everything.

Feeling like I'm not prepared.

It only takes one wrong answer in a practise test, for me to believe that I'm going to fail.

My heart skips a beat every time I think about sitting these exams on Friday.

The problem with that is .. anything that I try to recap on now, gets lost in the splodgy (yes I made up that word) part of my brain.

It's possible that, at crisis point, some of that information will find itself where it should be .. on my answer sheet, in the correct position.

It's also possible, that it is lost forever, never to be found, never to see the light of day again, to spend eternity in the darkest annals of my grey matter.

Freaking me out!


I also want to share this exerpt from an online health and fitness magazine. Click on the links to read more information about the books mentioned.

********

Eating Fat Doesn't Make You Fat

Neurologist Dr. David Perlmutter, author of Grain Brain, told me the low-carb ketogenic diet prevents — and in some instances reverses — Alzheimer's disease and ADHD. "Carbs are devastating for the brain," said Dr. Perlmutter. "Even slight elevations in blood sugar have been shown to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease."

Dr. Jeff Volek, author of The Art and Science of Low-Carbohydrate Living, told me the ketogenic diet reverses type 2 diabetes, prevents heart disease, and causes fast weight loss without hunger. "There are very few people that a ketogenic diet could not help," said Dr. Volek.

Dr. Westman, director of the Duke University Obesity Clinic, is pleased that mainstream media is finally debunking the myth that eating fat makes you fat and sick. To the contrary, he said: Eating fat makes you skinny and healthy.

"I tell my patients not to fear the fat," said Westman, author of Keto Clarity. "Eat lots of fat. Fat makes you feel full. There's no problem with fat. In fact, saturated fat, the fat that we've been taught not to eat, raises your good cholesterol best of all the foods you can eat."

********
It's after midnight. Must go to bed. 

Nite all.

Monday, March 16, 2015

No News is Good News

Nothing to report. Studied all day.

Made Vietnamese Chicken Wings for lunch, served with a salad.

Made Lamb Rack with roasted vegetables - sweet potato, zucchini, onion and tomato - for dinner.

It's almost 11pm and I now only have 4 days left to study and as usual, I am beginning to panic and wondering if I've done enough for both exams.



Think positive!

Nite all.

Sunday, March 15, 2015

I Am Brilliant!

I understand Stoichiometry!

I can do stoichiometry calculations! AND come up with the correct answer!! AWESOME!

I was so excited, I was going to show you the problem and then show you all the steps to solving it, but lucky for you, I forgot to post here last night, and in the following 24 hours, I realised that you wouldn't find my calculations even the slightest bit exciting.

I hear you sigh with relief :)

So, I have been studying all day and aside from a great breakfast of bacon, eggs, mushrooms and tomato, I cooked a very disappointing dinner.

All I can do is share some inspirational quotes ...





More study tomorrow ... so much to learn in so little time! Just 5 days left to cram it all in.

Nite all.