Category: Wednesday W’s (Page 1 of 14)

What’s top of my mind: Bugger!

Remember my new greenhouse? I had the forethought to zip tie the frame to the verandah rails, but what I didn’t think to do was to zip tie the inner shelves to the frame. It came with plastic snap-on clips, so it was all good, right?

It was a very windy day yesterday. I came home to this. The top right shelf had tipped, leaving a mess of potting mix and suddenly unnamed seedlings on the ground.

I’ve salvaged what I can, but you’d better believe that those shelves are all tightly secured to the frame now. I have a few pots that have either beetroot, tomato or something else in them. It’ll be a surprise for when I get back from my next trip.

Where I’m going: Nepal and Bhutan!

Apparently, the tour I booked in Nepal goes nowhere near the disaster zone, so it hasn’t been cancelled. At first, I felt a little weird at the thought of going over there for a holiday after what’s happened, but I guess they need tourist dollars more than ever.

Anyway, I’ll be heading to the airport a week from today.

Where I’ve been: Close to home.

I’m enjoying puddling around in the garden and spending tme with the dogs, just chilling.

What I’m reading: My Grandmother asked me to tell you she’s sorry – Backman.

It’s taking me a little longer to get into this novel, but I really love how Backman puts a story together. There’s always so much heart and gentle humour.

What I’m watching: I’m still watching junk tv.

Though by the time I get back, Slow Horses will be out on AppleTV. I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to this.

The novels by Mick Herron are amazing. If you haven’t tried them, you’re doing yourself a disservice.

What I’m listening to: Birds.

It’s so peaceful being retired.

What I’m eating: Things out of the freezer.

I’ve realised that I have a few months to make room in the freezer before I start harvesting tomatoes etc from my summer crop. I love using up things that I worked to preserve. I feel like Ma Ingalls.

What I’m planning: How to get a couple of lounge chairs out of Mum’s room.

The nursing home has bought a new chair for her, so the room is getting crowded. I think I’ll download Airtasker…?

Who deserves a thumbs-up: Evan29, or Conk.

Evan29 is coming away from the Edinburgh Comedy Festival with a couple of awards. This one, compiled by The List, is The Best Comedy Show of the festival!!!!

I’m so pleased and proud. He’s worked so hard for this. He has 3 shows in London before he comes home.

He’s performing in Melbourne in October. 🙂

What has made me smile: Life.

Things are pretty good here. Tom34 and Sophie have bought a house; Evan29 is killing it in Edinburgh; Georgia31 has decided what she’ll be doing in the future; Hazel hasn’t chewed any more power cords, and I’m enjoying my quiet days.

Dad joke of the day:

What’s top of my mind: Getting back into gardening.

Look at what I bought! Now that my 3 years of Crazy Travel are coming to an end… though I still have Nepal/Bhutan and Egypt to go… my thoughts are turning to my neglected veggie garden.

Last week, my sister Kate and I sat down with my seeds and went through them all. Lots were well over 10 years old and were discarded, but there were enough to plant in lots of little punnets. It’s like growing free food, which as you know, is my favourite flavour.

Yesterday, I was thrilled to see that the mustard greens have already sprouted.

Where I’m going: to Bunnings again.

I need chook manure and mushroom compost to rev up the veggie patch again, so later today I’ll be heading in. I jumped on their website to see how much home delivery would be, and it was $55!!!

Not on my watch.

Where I’ve been: in the backyard.

Three years ago, David32 gave me a couple of punnets of spring onions. This is what happens when you simply let them grow.

I picked one and used it in a pasta sauce instead of using a regular onion, as a test. It was delicious. So I pulled out one patch and spent the morning listening to a podcast and chopping them up into little bags for the freezer.

I still have another patch to go.

What I’m reading: The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

This was hard going at times, with lots of Maths and Physics. I may have skimmed over some paragraphs that were too dense for my brain. However, the basic storyline kept me going, and I hear that the next 2 books in this series get better and better.

There’s a TV series on Netflix, so once I finish the novel, I’ll see how they treated it.

What I’m watching: Reality TV.

I’m leaving in 2 weeks, so I really can’t seem to settle down for a good, meaty drama. Instead, I’m watching Alone, Alone Australia, Love is Blind UK and Ru Paul’s Drag Race Down Under. And The Block.

Once I come back from Egypt, I think I’ll have the bandwidth to dive back into “proper” TV shows and movies. Today on breakfast television, I saw an interview with Simon Pegg about a spy show called “The Undeclared War” which looks good. I’ve popped it on my list on Stan so I don’t forget about it.

What I’m listening to: Joe Jackson.

He’s touring in February. I’ve seen him once, decades ago, on his ‘Big World’ tour. When I was a teenager, my cousin gave me a tape of his first album, with the song “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” on it.

So yes. I’m looking forward to this one.

What I’m eating: Lemon cake.

I gave Tom34 and Sophie some lemons from my tree, and last night she gave me a chunk of lemon cake that she’d made.

She and Tom34 have just bought a house, so I’m storing a lot of their things while they have Tom34’s unit up for sale.

What I’m planning: The next two weeks.

There are a lot of things I want to cross off the list, ranging from getting a haircut to sending the desk I inherited from Dad away to get dipped. It’s a dream to think I’ll get to all of them, but I’d like to leave the country feeling that at least some of the jobs have been tackled.

Who deserves a thumbs-up: NOT Hazel.

Last Saturday, I left the dogs at home for 7 hours while we had a family working bee at Tom34’s unit to get the garden ready for real estate photos.

Remember how I said Hazel suffers from separation anxiety?

She shredded a plant in the lounge room, but the big surprise was when I switched on the TV that night, dinner on a plate on my lap, and sat down to relax.

BANG! The TV went black, and the grim smell of burning wires filled the air.

The little bugger had chewed a tiny bit of the power cord to the TV, not enough to be noticeable, but enough to ruin my plans for the evening.

Luckily, Fortunate Frogdancer has another TV in the second living room, so all was not lost. A few days later, Tom34 brought around the power cord to his TV, and we tested it. All I need to replace is the actual power cord, not the whole TV.

Phew!

Since then, I’ve been putting the dogs in the second living room and closing the hall door when I leave the house without them. Touch wood… so far it’s working well.

What has made me smile: Having 6 months at home next year.

Don’t get me wrong – I’ll still be travelling! But the hectic pace of the last 3 years will be slowing down. I’ve booked Uganda for winter next year, and unless something irresistible turns up in the meantime, I’m not intending to go anywhere. After that? Who knows?

I’m looking forward to getting some things done around here, and simply puddling around, enjoying my quiet life.

Dad joke of the day:

What’s top of my mind: Having a rest.

It’s been almost 3 weeks since I got home from the South America trip. Man, I was tired. There were 16 flights, 4 countries, and it was often at a pretty fast clip. I also needed a little blogging break. It was a big trip to have to be posting every day. I know, I know… it’s a job I gave myself.

So I’ve been blobbing around for the past couple of weeks, just taking things slow. It’s been nice.

Where I’m going: To see Mum later today.

Mum is not doing well. She is completely immobile now, and has trouble using her arms. Her voice has all but disappeared, so it’s difficult to have conversations.

She likes seeing Scout, so most days I take the dogs in with me to see her. Hazel is so good – she knows to be calm and quiet.

Mum’s days are spent parked in front of the tv, watching free-to-air. She has a new chair now, like an armchair on wheels, so we can take her outside when the weather is good.

It’s not a great way for her extroverted, bubbly life to come to a close.

Where I’ve been: to Bunnings (see photo.)

It was a nice day yesterday, so I decided to bring the girls with me to Mum’s, then we stopped off at Bunnings.

For overseas readers, Bunnings is a huge hardware chain which allows dogs to visit their stores – which is unusual in Australia. So Hazel and Scout got lots of pats, while Hazel got called a cocker spaniel and Scout was called a terrier. The nerve of some people!

What I’m reading: LOTS.

I read 15 books while I was away. All of that time sitting in airports, and then flying on small planes with no screens on the back of the seats means plenty of book time. I always take my iPad and use my local library’s Borrowbox to make sure I have something to read.

Because Borrowbox is far more limited than the usual library, I find books that I would probably never come across before. This can be bad, but is often surprisingly good.

*The Other Bennet Sister – Hadlow. Just as good as the tv series. So wonderful.

*Lady Macbeth – Reid.

*I Remember Everything – Wilkes. This is about the AIDS era. So sad, and as the mother of a trans woman, this is one story I’ll never forget.

*Iluka – Stroud. A family saga type novel.

These were the stand-outs.

What I’m watching: The Traitors.

I’ve watched UK, UK Celebrity, US, Australia ad now I’m on the second NZ season.

I needed something entertaining, yet easy to watch while I got over jet lag.

What I’m listening to: The rain pounding on my tin roof.

It’s such a lovely sound.

What I’m eating: a chicken.

I defrosted a Costco chook two days ago. I’ve had 2 roast dinners, and one of today’s jobs is to make a chicken pizza, and then make a huge chicken and veggie soup to have for lunches. I have heaps of frozen beans, green cubes and chillies from last year’s garden to use.

What I’m planning: to get my routine back in order.

Productivity is at an all-time low. I need to get back into the garden and the sewing room.

Who deserves a thumbs-up: My kids.

All 4 of them have put their lives on hold to watch the dogs for me this year while I’ve been travelling. Georgia31 has looked after the small Taiwan and Balkans trips, and will be moving back here to cover Nepal/Bhutan and Egypt. The other three shared out this long Sth American trip between themselves.

They’ve allowed me to finish this crazy three years of constant travel without the added expense of boarding kennels. How lucky am I?

Hazel was a huge bundle of anxiety while I was gone, which didn’t make her easy to live with, by all accounts. Scout took all of the changes in her stride, because she has enough experience to know that Mum always comes back, but Hazel is yet to learn this.

Hazel is fine with Georgia31, probably because Georgia31 lets her sleep on the bed with her. Evan29 said, “On the last night, we gave up and said, “OK, come up on the bed ‘”, and we all had the BEST night’s sleep!”

In my head, I was like, ‘That’s what I told you all to do…’

What has made me smile: Today’s Dad joke.

Dad joke of the day:

What’s top of my mind: Only a week to go!

Yes, this time next week Blogless Sandy and I will be in the air, heading for the Balkans. I realised that I should probably start to get ready, so I dug out my euros. I thought I had heaps… turns out I only had 35, which isn’t even enough for the tip to the tour guide.

After visiting Mum, with my brother, sister-in-law and their Golden puppy, I bought some euros and compression socks. (I should start looking after myself more.)

I’m also chipping away at the veggie garden and a quilt top.

Where I’m going: April’s Little Adventure.

I’ve just booked a ticket for tomorrow night. Stay tuned…

Where I’ve been: A baby shower.

Haven’t been to one of these in decades! My niece and her partner are expecting.

What I’m reading: ‘Like, Follow, Die’ by Blunt.

This is a thriller set in Sydney. I’m nearly finished. It’s a good read for a holiday – it’s a shame I didn’t get a digital copy for The Balkans.

What I’m watching: The Man in the High Castle.

This has gotten much better – I’ve saved the very last episode for tonight.

What I’m listening to: Into the Austenverse.

This is a terrific podcast about all things Jane Austen. David Campbell (Jimmy Barnes’ son) and his wife Lisa, are the hosts. It was originally meant to be 6 episodes long, just talking about her novels, but almost immediately it began looking at the movie and TV adaptations, etc.

Today I listened to an interesting episode where Lisa interviewed a Regency fashion expert. I now know what body type Jane Austen had. Amazing, the things you can learn.

I like the banter between the two of them, too. It’s clearly a good marriage. They enjoy each other so much.

What I’m eating: a crusty baguette.

I usually make my own bread rolls, but yesterday I saw a baguette in the supermarket. Mmmmm. Nothing like a crusty baguette with butter and Vegemite.

What I’m planning: the rest of my day.

A bit of patchwork, watering the garden, schnitzel and mashed potatoes for dinner – what a life!

Who deserves a thumbs-up: Jimmy Kimmel.

That joke about Melania “glowing like an expectant widow…”

Hilarious.

What has made me smile: Seeing that Carolin Bingley from The Other Bennet Sister is going to be in the latest season of Ted Lasso.

I’m here for it.

Dad joke of the day:

What’s top of my mind: Hazel.

Hazel is now 8 months old, and she is an absolute winner. Once she got her head around house training, she has fitted in around here like a hand in a glove. I was laughing to the kids, saying that last week I was getting out of the shower when I saw her with one of my discarded socks in her mouth. She looked like one of those old-style paintings you see of spaniels retrieving dead birds.

If that’s the naughtiest thing she does, I’m happy. We missed the mark with getting her spayed – she came into season when I was in Taiwan, so after I get back from the Balkans later this month, she’ll be having her op. No more litters for Frogdancer!

Where I’m going: to the hairdresser.

I’ve spaced out the time in between hircuts, so that my hair will be reasonably short when I’m away. It’s driving me mad though. My hair is TOO LONG.

Where I’ve been: to Evan29’s last show at the 2026 Melbourne Comedy Festival.

As luck would have it, Scott was in Melbourne with a tour group, so he, Dimitra and I met at Fed Square and saw his show. It was the 4th time for me, but it’s so fresh and funny that I was still laughing.

Next time he performs “Man Sings The Same Song Over and Over Again For An Hour” will be at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival, where he is booked for a month. If you’re going to be in the area, go and see it!

What I’m reading: Lucinda Brayford.

The ABC made a series of this when I was a kid, and Mum had a copy of the novel. It was published in 1946, and Mum’s copy has a RRP of $4.50, so that shows you how old it is. I rescued it when we were clearing out the house.

It’s a family saga. I’ve reached Part 2, but I’m yet to be really gripped by it (yet.)

What I’m watching: The Man in the High Tower. AND THE OTHER BENNET SISTER.

I remember reading this novel when I was away with the boys when they were little. It’s an alternate history story… what would the world be like if the Nazis and the Japanese won WWII?

I’ve already watched The Other Bennet Sister twice, and I’m seriously contemplating going back for a third time. It’s from the Pride and Prejudice universe, but it’s told from the third sister – Mary Bennet’s perspective.

Honestly, every single detail of this series is perfection. The first 2 episodes deal with the Pride and Prejudice happenings, but then we move forward with Mary’s story. I’m watching it on Binge, and it’s worth getting a Binge subscription for this series alone. (Although while you’re there, you should also watch The White Lotus…)

What I’m listening to: next door’s lawn mower.

What I’m eating: store-bought sourdough bread.

I bought a tiny loaf and I had bread and butter for lunch. Delicious!

What I’m planning: nothing.

Who deserves a thumbs-up: ME!

In the last few weeks I’ve done a lot of quilting.

Baby quilts… one for a St Kilda supporter and the other for my niece. She’s a science teacher, so the DNA double helix one is for her.

The quilt with the green stars is for Tom34’s fiancée, Sophie.

What has made me smile: nothing and everything.

A guy I went out with 20 years ago rang out of the blue and we talked for an hour or so. When he asked how I was, I said, “Living my best life.”

And so I am.

Dad joke of the day:

What’s top of my mind: Packing for Taiwan!

I’m writing this on Tuesday, as Wednesday is a travel day, Melbourne to Taiwan, with a 3-hour stopover in Hong Kong. I’m excited – I’ve wanted to visit Taiwan for a while now, and this kicks off 2026’s travels.

Blogless Sandy is on the same tour. She saw that I’d booked, checked it out and asked if she could come along, so this time we’ll have separate rooms. You can see by the diagram that we’ll see quite a bit of the island.

Where I’m going: to buy dog food.

Scout doesn’t have quite enough food to last until I get home, so I’ll be jumping in the car to get a bag of kibble. Scout is sensing that something’s up. She saw me put my carry-on case on the table, and she’s keeping an eye on me. Hazel, meanwhile, is in blissful ignorance.

Where I’ve been: Hospital appointments with Mum.

It’s quite shocking how quickly Mum’s health has deteriorated over the past year.

She’s gone from happily walking around with her walker, to being immobile, relying on being in a wheelchair to get around. She is still in a brace for her broken humerus. On Friday, she was diagnosed with kidney cancer.

She’s too frail for any surgery etc. Fortunately, kidney cancers are incredibly slow-moving, which means that she’s likely to die of something else before her kidney gets around to becoming lethal. She chose to “let nature take its course”, to use her own words.

It all makes me more determined to get out and see the world while I can.

What I’m reading:

I can recommend both.

What I’m watching: The Dinosaurs on Netflix.

They’re so realistic that Hazel LOST HER MIND.

What I’m listening to: The Rest is History and The Book Club.

I saw a post on Twitter about a new pod about literature, with the first one being about Wuthering Heights. I listened, enjoyed it very much and saw that one of the presenters has a history podcast. I selected which topics I was interested in… it’s been going for about 6 years and I am but one woman, after all.

What I’m eating: I’m using up things from the cupboards.

I’ve bought a few things for Georgia31 to use while she’s here looking after Scout and Hazel, but I think I want to eat the cheese and crackers myself…

What I’m planning: what to do if our Balkans trip in May gets cancelled.

Yeah, thanks very much, Trump.

Our trip has a stopover in Doha, which obviously isn’t a great place to visit right now. Thanks, Trump.

Our tour is booked with TripaDeal, and they’re offering refunds or credits for any tours that they have to cancel, which is awesome. I’ll just grab a credit if the trip is cancelled, and go somewhere else.

Who deserves a thumbs-up: my kids.

They’ve all come together to promise that they’ll share the load to make sure the dogs are looked after here in their own home while I go travelling this year. The short trips will probably be just one person, but my 5-week South America/Galapagos holiday will require a bit of baton-changing.

What has made me smile: Retirement.

When I’m travelling, I’m happy. I love to see new things.

When I’m at home, I’m happy. My dogs, my gardens, my people… what’s there not to like?

Being able to choose exactly how I spend my time is a wonderful thing. I don’t take it for granted.

Dad joke of the day:

What’s top of my mind: Mum.

Mum was taken to hospital in the middle of the night a few days ago, (not for anything particularly urgent) and while she was there, a routine scan picked up a possible malignancy on one of her kidneys.

Poor thing! Ever since Dad tripped over her walker a year ago and broke his hip, their lives have turned to shit. It’s just one thing after another. Tomorrow we’ll be back at the hospital for another X-ray to see how well her humerus is knitting together after she broke it in December. We’ll be back in a couple of weeks for a scan to zero in on the kidneys to see what’s going on.

I tell you, if they say that her arm brace has to be kept on for more weeks, she’ll probably have to be kept on suicide watch. (I’m only half-joking about that one…)

It’s incredible how life can change in the blink of an eye.

Where I’m NOT going: to Bonbeach today.

I go and see Mum every day, unless someone else lets me know that they’re visiting her, in which case I treat myself to a day off. My niece Morgan is going in to see her.

Where I’ve been: to the beach with the dogs.

It’s such a beautiful morning. Hazel is horrible on lead, so I’m hell-bent on teaching her some manners.

What I’m reading: My Friends by Fredrik Backman

I read his novel ‘Anxious People’ last year and fell in love with this man’s writing. I know I’m late to the party.

I also fell in love with this speech.

What I’m watching: Bridgerton, Australian ‘The Traitors’ and Love is Blind.

A mishmash of junk tv.

What I’m listening to: Within the Wires podcast.

This is fabulous. It’s set in an alternate universe, and each season is a separate story, set anywhere from the 1950’s to current times. I’m spending a lot of time in my sewing room, so I have this on as I’m patiently piecing away.

I’m onto season 6 now.

What I’m eating: baked zucchini.

I was about to pull a dusty zucchini plant out. It wasn’t producing anything, or so I thought. In the shadows, right up against the wooden wall of the wicking bed, I saw a massive zucchini longer than my forearm.

omg.

I’ve decided that it’ll make 3 dinners for me. I defrosted a serve of bolognaise sauce and popped a third of the zucchini in the oven, with a bit of the middle scooped out, the bolognaise on top and some Aldi pizza cheese to finish it all off.

It was so delicious. I’m having the same dinner tonight, because 2 of the bolgnaise sauce packs had frozen themselves together and were inextricably linked. Thank goodness I enjoyed it… imagine if it was just ‘meh’?

What I’m planning: the same as last week.

The Seaglass quilt is now one row of blocks longer. I have 2 more rows to go before it’s finished. I’m determined to get it done before my last sewing machine class next Tuesday.

Each block is 1.5″ square, and with seam allowances, they end up as 1″ square. It takes a lot of time to make a quilt this size with such small blocks.

I’m not a patient person, but this is teaching me.

Who deserves a thumbs-up: Tom34 and Georgia31.

My Capricorns both came to visit me last week. While she was here, Georgia31 noticed that the back sliding door wasn’t working, so she took it off the tracks, sprayed some WD40 on it and it was all good again.

The next day, Tom33 and Sophie came over, and while Sophie and I chatted, Tom34 test-drove one of the power tools that they got me for Christmas. He got into the zone, and did all of the edging around the front lawn, weeded most of the garden and used the tool to clean up the weeds in the brick paving in the driveway.

What good kids I have!

What has made me smile: only a month to go for the Taiwan trip!

I really have to get my suitcase fixed.

Dad joke of the day:

What’s top of my mind: Quilting.

This is the finished quilt top for Tom33’s girlfriend Sophie. When I was on a bus in Borneo, I was scrolling on my phone, and I saw a very pretty bundle of fabric from Cutting Cloth. On a whim, I ordered it.

When I got back home, I was a little disappointed to see that they weren’t really ‘my’ colours. But when I was finishing up the baby quilt for Georgia’s friend, I realised that they were actually Sophie’s colours.

How lucky is that?

Hazel is there, convinced that she’s helping. She’s so big now.

Where I’m going: to an auction house.

Today I’m taking Dad’s model car collection to be assessed for sale. Yes, I finally got around to it. The actual auction won’t be until June/July, but today they’ll take photos and decide which lots to put them in.

After this, there’s an indigenous bark painting, my old car and Dad’s watch collection to go.

Where I’ve been: To Cutting Cloth again.

I’ve had the second of my 3 lessons in how to drive my new sewing machine. Yesterday’s lesson was full of dressmaking tips; things like buttonholes, hems, gathering, etc. I’ll probably never use them, but it was interesting to see what my new baby can do.

What I’m reading: What We Can Know – McEwan.

This is a slow-burning kind of novel, but I’m really enjoying it. It’s set in the future, after climate change and human aggression have radically changed the planet.

The protagonist is a university lecturer. on the hunt for a lost poem that was written in our time, was read aloud once and then was never seen again.

What I’m watching: ‘The Old Man’ on SBS.

They had me at John Lithgow.

What I’m listening to: ‘Within The Wires’ podcast.

I tried listening to this when it first came out, but that was when I was travelling to work on the train, and I couldn’t get into it. I gave it another go, and I’m loving it.

Basically, every season is a different story, told totally within a sound format. Series 1 was relaxation cassettes, and season 2 is audio guides from an art gallery. They appear to be from an alternate universe to ours.

It’s made by the ‘Welcome to Nightvale’ people, which is a podcast I’ve been listening to for YEARS.

What I’m eating: out of the pantry.

Now that I’m living on my own, I have so much food here. With Georgia taking her hormones, her body was burning up uel like a teenager, so she was eating a lot.

I’m hardly going to the supermarket, except for a few fresh things.

What I’m planning: To finish the Seaglass quilt.

Around 3 years ago, I started a quilt with 5,000 pieces, all 1.5″ squares. It is a beautiful Isish Chain pattern, devised by Kellie, the owner of Cutting Cloth.

My last lesson is in 2 weeks, and I have 3 rows of blocks to complete. It’s a big ask, but it’ll be nice to turn up to the last lesson with the completed quilt top. I’m a finisher, after all!

Who deserves a ‘thumbs-up’: The Seaglass quilt.

I threw the quilt into a drawer when I put a dark square in the wrong place, then had to unpick row upon row to fix it. I thought my ‘fix-it’ job was terrible, and I couldn’t bear to look at it.

Two and a half years later, when I finally got it out, I couldn’t see where the repair was.

Kate says that my standards must have slipped. I prefer to think that the quilt quietly got better in the darkness of the drawer…

I’ll be working on it for the next two weeks.

What has made me smile: the baby arrived.

Marcus is now a Dad! Baby Leon finally decided to make an appearance a few days ago. Georgia31 already has the quilt to give them when she goes to visit the new little family soon.

Dad joke of the day:

What’s top of my mind: Georgia31 and Evan29.

Two weeks ago, I sent them a message, giving them 2 weeks’ notice to get all of their things out of my house. It’s not that I mind terribly about having their things here as such… I just want to get the back part of the house looking how I want it to. Also, it would be nice to have actual guest bedrooms that are immediately ready for guests.

Yesterday I sent them this:

Do you two realise that I gave you a two-week deadline to collect all of your belongings… a week and a half ago????

I’ve heard back from Georgia. She’s coming around today.

Where I’m going: to a winery on the Mornington Peninsula.

Scott and his friend Dimitra are picking me up soon. We’re going to the winery with the sculpture walk. I guess Scott is giving me February’s Little Adventure! What a helpful friend.

Where I’ve been: to the Cutting Cloth quilting shop.

Yesterday was the first sewing machine tutorial. I wish it weren’t so far away. Driving 90 minutes in peak hour morning traffic isn’t much fun.

Still, I learned a lot, and took pages of notes. Two more lessons to go!

What I’m reading: What We Can Know: Ian McEwan

Just started it, so the jury’s still out.

What I’m watching: Dexter New Blood and Bridgerton.

Bridgerton is getting sillier and sillier, just like the novels.

What I’m listening to: Welcome to Nightvale.

I had a year’s worth of episodes to catch up on, and after the drive to Alphington and back, I’m nearly up to date.

What I’m eating: garden produce!

Sadly, this year is a shocker for tomatoes. By this time, I’ve usually got TRAYS of tomatoes ripening in the kitchen, but 2026 is not the year for abundance. Beans are slow, but chillies and zucchinis are going gangbusters.

My sister popped in for dinner a couple of days ago, and I made a lasagne with my tomatoes, basil, oregano, silver beet and green chilli. She raved about how good it was, which is nice. I always say that she’s a better cook than I am.

What I’m planning: dog boarding for 2026.

I have 5 trips booked for this year, and with Georgia moving out, I don’t have my live-in dog sitter.

Who deserves a ‘thumbs-up’: Me.

Because why not?

What has made me smile: Memories of Iceland.

I snapped this shot from my front verandah and sent it to the Iceland people. I love how little things will remind me of my travels for the rest of my life.

Dad joke of the day:

What’s top of my mind: Fortunate Frogdancer strikes again!

Last September, I travelled to Iceland and Greenland, determined to see the Northern Lights. That didn’t happen. Ah well… given a choice of seeing polar bears or the Northern Lights, I would choose the bears every time, so I wasn’t too upset.

Two nights ago, there was a huge solar storm, and when I woke at 2 AM and saw on FB that people were seeing the Southern Lights from beaches in Melbourne, I knew I had to act. Much to Hazel and Scout’s confusion, I threw on some clothes, left them alone in the house and drove 1 minute to my Backyard Beach.

There, I found a small group of Swiss tourists who taught me what I had to do to get the photos. Success!

Green and purple lights. Considering I was taking these shots in a major city, I was pleased with the outcome. How funny that I ended up seeing them so close to home! I was telling Tom34 about it yesterday, and he smiled and said, “You really do get what you want, don’t you?”

It seems that I do. I’m definitely not complaining about it.

Where I’m going: To Frankston hospital with Mum.

Exciting times. She’s being taken by non-emergency ambulance to get an x-ray on her broken arm to track if/how much it’s knitting together. She’s hoping the brace will come off. I’m less optimistic about that happening, but we’ll see.

Where I’ve been: to Mum’s place.

Georgia31 and Evan29 have moved in, and I’ve been listing Dad’s model car collection. I found an auction place in Dingley that handles collections like this, so I’ve sent them the list. I’ve got my fingers crossed that Mum will be able to earn some coin from them.

What I’m reading: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil – V.E. Schwab

I can’t remember who recommended this novel, but I’m enjoying it.

What I’m watching – Stranger Things and The Traitors UK.

Tonight I’m going to watch the series finale. I’ve heard mixed reports about it, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it won’t be another Game of Thrones debacle.

What I’m listening to: the sound of silence.

I had no true idea of how much the ‘clickety clack’ of the keyboard as Georgia31 plays her games was annoying me so much. Not EVER hearing it now is pretty nice.

What I’m eating: whatever I want.

Not having to consider anyone else for meals is delightful.

What I’m planning: Nothing much.

I should be planning for Taiwan. Blogless Sandy brought it to my attention that we only have 6 weeks to go.

Who deserves a ‘thumbs-up’: Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada.

When you compare Carney’s speech yesterday – where he pretty much makes it plain that Canada is divorcing the US – with Trump’s rambling, insane speech where he mixes up Iceland and Greenland, among many other things… oof.

It appears as if European leaders, along with Canada, have had a gutful of trying to work with Trump and are now backing away.

Like this.

On the other hand, a Danish politician came right out and told Trump to fuck off.

What has made me smile: Hazel and Scout.

Hazel’s now almost 5 months old. They’re playing together over possession of a toy, and making the weirdest ‘play-fight’ noises.

The best thing I ever did for Scout was bring home Hazel. That puppy has barely put a foot wrong, and Scout (mostly) likes the company. Haha!

Dad joke of the day: