Drifting through life

Whimsical Wednesday is 12 weeks old already. as always, picture via google images.

Years ago, I bought a skirt that was so breezy and comfortable, I wanted to wear it forever. I did wear it for about five years, then in 2004 or 2005, the kilos started piling on and the skirt was put away in a drawer until I lost the weight again. Well, the weight loss didn't happen. In fact I just kept expanding and buying ever larger jeans and shorts and t-shirts. This year, I'm making a more determined effort. The skirt. Knee length and comfortably loose around my waist. Well, it used to be. And I'm hoping it will be again. The challenge. See what I'm up against? Years of chocolates and pastries and second helpings. With gravy. And mashed potatoes. Let's not mention the icecream, since I only discovered a brand that I could eat without digestive upset a couple of summers ago.

I'd eaten all the fruit and was getting bored with opening cupboards looking for snacks that weren't there, so out I went in the noon-day sun, to the nearest supermarket. Yesterday. Because on Sundays, shops don't open until 11am. Now my fridge looks like this >>> Something on every shelf. Watermelon. I'll explain the plastic bag in a minute... Grapes, uh oh, another plastic bag... These bags are not new ones. I needed a couple to hold things that might be a little drippy when I first moved in here, and I've been rinsing and drying and reusing them ever since. I don't willy-nilly get plastic bags each week for my purchases. Most of my fruit and veg is placed in little net bags that I've made or bought. Washable, reusable, environmentally friendly. Bananas, nectarines, apples. Yum. Apricots, tomatoes, capsicum and lettuce mix. In a cellophane bag. Is cellophane plastic? oh dear.. This lot should keep me going for...

It's Sunday Selections time again! Time to post photos that have been hiding away in your computer files, photos that you may have completely forgotten about. Have a hunt through your files and find some. Or just one. This idea was brought to us by Kim from Frog Ponds Rock, who realised one day that she takes many more photos than she uses, as we all do, and wanted to post some of the older ones on her blog. A once a week meme seemed like a good idea, so Sunday Selections was born and anyone at all can join in. (I was just having a trawl through my Sunday Selections for the past year and noticed that I'd got some of the numbers mixed up, missed a couple of Sundays here and there, but I wrote down everything I'd posted so far, to be sure I don't get confused and post something that's already been up). This week, I've chosen to feature a  FENCE  that's in my new(ish) neighbourhood. I love this fence. Made of bluestone and bricks (with a few ce...

....when "damn it" was considered unladylike and "bloody hell, not another one", was positively wicked, conversations were a little more like this.... Child: muuuum, there's a hole in my sock. Mum: wear a different pair. Child: there's holes in all of them. Mum: oh, DARN it!! Or so I'm led to believe... Then she did. Darn the socks. Do any of you remember darning socks?  I used to, up until about 6-8 years ago, when I could no longer see well enough to darn black on black. I remember my mum darning socks and the elbows of jumpers (sweaters) and cardigans. I remember a friend's mum who did what she called preventive darning. This is when weak places on socks, like heels and balls of feet, were reinforced by darning before the holes actually appeared. When I darned my own kids socks, preventive darning is the one I did most.  Especially on my husband's army socks. I remember when darning thinner, modern day socks, ...

Week two of no snacking finds me roaming the kitchen, opening the fridge, the freezer, every single cupboard, searching for snacks that I know I don't have, because I haven't bought any. oh, woe is me, life is so hard..... Just kidding, I know my life is easy.

Have you noticed? When cleaning glass, whether it be doors, panels, partitions, no matter which side you begin cleaning first, the smudges are always on the other side. Waiting at a bus top?  Doesn't matter which side of the road you're on, doesn't matter which dorection you want to travel, the bus on the other side of the road, going in the opposite direction, always arrives first. Supermarket checkout queue?  Wander along behind each one, watch to see which is moving along the fastest and join that one with your overloaded trolley. Immediately, or soon after, the queue on the other side will start to move along much faster than the glacier-slow queue that you are now stuck in. Libraries. When you're after a particular book, or series of stories by a particular author, you'll visit every library within bus trip range, only to discover your city only has one copy (set) of the book(s) you want and it's in another library on the other side of town. S...

I've had a little wander through my settings and removed the word verification that you're all having so much trouble with. I don't seem to have a problem with it, I'm able to leave my comments on other blogs with only one try, it takes a little longer to make out the word...... Anyway, here's the deal.......I'll leave it off for now, but if I start getting lots of "unwelcome" (you know...nasty) comments, I'll be turning the WV back on.

Here we are with yet another Whimsical Wednesday. We all know by now that the images I use here are via google, so I won't mention it again. A Banana Dolphin.

It's Shrove Tuesday and we all know what that means, don 't we? It's time to eat--------> PANCAKES!!   Today, and today only, you are officially allowed to stuff your face with pancakes. Of course you can eat them on other days, but you should probably control your intake a little. No face stuffing. That's only for Shrove Tuesday. And broken hearts. And recovering from the mumps. Do you eat yours with butter and maple syrup?

First small pleasure ....on Saturday, I took myself to the cinema . I'd been seeing advertisements for the movie "One For The Money" an adaptation of a book I've enjoyed reading several times; written by Janet Evanovich, it's one of the "Stephanie Plum, Bounty Hunter" series. It's not a "spectacular" movie, if you're used to watching the big blockbusters with lots of action and special effects, you might be disappointed. But I wasn't. I loved the book, so I enjoyed the movie. When it's released on dvd, I'll buy it. Katherine Heigl plays Stephanie Plum and does it very well. I don't remember most of the other actors names, but I remember Grandma Mazur is played by Debbie Reynolds.   The actor who plays Ranger is seriously cute, studly even, (hubba hubba), although shorter than the Ranger in the books. In the books, Grandma Mazur is small and feisty, with "slack skin over spindle bones".  Debbie R...

It's Sunday Selections time again! Time to post photos that have been hiding away in your computer files, photos that you may have completely forgotten about. Have a hunt through your files and find some. This idea comes to us from Kim at Frog Ponds Rock, who realised one day that she takes many more photos than she uses, as we all do, and wanted to post some of the older ones on her blog. A once a week meme seemed like a good idea, so Sunday Selections was born and anyone at all can join in. I often choose a theme for my Sunday Selections , although you don't have to, this week my theme is SOME OF MY FAVOURITE FOODS Here we are, back at Adelaide's Central Market. Okay, this isn't a food, but it is one of my favourite stall signs, so I've included it. Shiny apples. Mmmm, apple pie, apple teacake..... Bright yellow lemons...lemon meringue pie anyone? There's oranges there too and grapefruits, down in the right hand corner are banan...

This afternoon I was visited by Don, (I guess "Anthony" was occupied elsewhere), to measure my window and give me a quote on the cost of the awning and the installation. We introduced ourselves and I put my hand out to shake, which Don clearly wasn't expecting. His handshake was a bit weak, as if he hadn't had nearly enough practice. Maybe I should have told him his handshake could use a little more firmness? I've noticed not many people do handshakes anymore. And just when I was getting used to it too. I'm not a touchy/feely type and usually avoid physical contact from strangers. (I've only ever been comfortable with L touching me. And my kids, which is an entirely different thing). Back on topic....Don measured the window, then we sat down to discuss awning colours and whether or not I'd like a scalloped edge. Yes, of course, all the other awnings in the complex have scalloped edges. Although they all have plain colours and I've cho...

......I saw this charming fellow >>> clinging to the flyscreen I'd put on my back porch gate.  The screen doesn't stop the insects so much, (there are gaps around the edges of the gate), but it does stop whichever small animal was getting in and peeing on my cabinet. Well naturally I put down the basket of clothes and went back inside for the camera. I like the way these insects enjoy watching us as much as we enjoy watching them. He turned his head left and right, copying my moves as I took photos. Then I opened the gate and put my hand close so he could climb onto my fingers. I released him onto the ivy which is hanging all along the back fence, the photo is a little blurry because he started climbing straight away. He was quite large, about six inches long and he looked like he'd recently shed or was about to. I left him in peace and hung my washing to dry. 

I don't pay a lot of attention to television advertisements, using that time to make a cuppa, take out some garbage, work on my crossword puzzle........but when I hear something that makes me look up at the screen, I'll take notice. For instance the dance beat on the Dodo "there's no limit" ad has me watching it, I love that little cartoon bird dancing! Some weeks ago, I heard an annoying "aaaah!" and then again "aaaah!", once more "aaaah!".... well I looked up to see what that annoying sound was and saw that it was an insurance advertisement. Now, I don't mind most insurance advertisements, I can ignore them just like I do most other ads, but the voice tones on those aaaah's really irritated me. (The ad is for Allianz insurance). As soon as I hear the first aaah now, I mute the TV. Another ad that irritates the heck out of me is the Quibids one. Have you all seen it? The ad itself isn't so bad, it's for insur...

10 weeks of Whimsical Wednesday already! These images I've borrowed from google should put a smile on your dial. French Toast!

Phrase >>> As happy as Larry My question >>> Who the heck is Larry and why is he so happy?

I've been saying for years that I need to lose weight. But not making too much effort, the time just wasn't right. Not because I'm fat, although I am quite plump in areas that shouldn't be, but because I'm carrying too much weight for my smallish bones. The strain on the joints is showing up as arthritis in too many places to be comfortable with. The trouble with dieting is that I just love to eat . And eat and eat...you get the picture. Every now and again though, I lose that urge to stuff myself.  (Last time this happened was sometime back in the 80's) I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, but in smaller portions and don't go back for seconds. Dessert holds no appeal. Snacking? Pfft! This magical moment arrived last Friday. All weekend I haven't eaten as much as I have been for the last eight or so years. The stomach is feeling a little hollow, but I'm not at all hungry. There is no chocolate in my house and when I shopped this mornin...

Edited to add:  This was supposed to go up tomorrow morning at 8:05am, but here it is at 8:20pm on Saturday... It's Sunday Selections time again! Time to post photos that have been languishing in your files, just waiting for their chance to shine. This wondeful concept was brought to us by Kim of Frog Ponds Rock, so if you join us, link back to Kim, then hop on over to her site and add your name to the linky list. And leave her a comment. This week, I take you back to Adelaide's Central Market. Specifically, the Coffee Stall. Called The Grind @central, it sells a wide range of different coffee beans, also coffee pots, mugs and other accessories. You can take the beans as they come, or The Grind will grind them for you. I love walking past when beans are grinding, the aroma is one of the best on earth to your specifications. This would be my flavour choice if I had a coffee maker. I thought I had more photos of the coffees.... Re...