OMG I'M PLAYING FRIGGIN BOWLS!

9.30 this morning will see me joining around 40-50 villagers on the bowling green.

We are playing a Tournament to raise money for Prostrate Cancer Awareness.

After the Tournament most players and spectators are having a special 'Burger and Chips' lunch in the Community Centre.  I have opted out of that lunch, but I will join them with my own lunch.

Which will be crackers, cheese, salami and grapes.   I have between 4 - 6 crackers and that's quite enough for me now.

I have a few more photos to share from our walk yesterday:

ABOVE: The first waterfall, which was on the main track.

ABOVE: The second waterfall, which was on the Waterworks Track, which was a side track. Doing that track added about 60 steps to our total.

ABOVE:  I just loved this tree trunk/branch...

ABOVE:  Lacy crawling along it for a photo op.

ABOVE:  Another lovely view.  That is Ngaruawahia in the foreground, with the Waikato River flowing through it.

ABOVE: There I was thinking I had done 1,359 steps all up.  NOPE.  1,496 PLUS the extra 60 odd steps we did on the Waterworks Track... taking the total up to:  1,556 !!!  I.  CAN'T.  BELIEVE.  I.  DID.  THAT.

I really can't.

I avoid stairs like they are poison.

When I do the 'bridges' walk from our village, there's 36 steps to get from the river bank to the top of Pukete Bridge, and I struggle to do them!  WTF?  I doubt I will ever struggle to do them again.

And that's enough waffling from me for now.  I better get myself up and ready for this bloody Bowls Tournament.  Playing bowls is also something I can't believe I am doing.  

ONWARD...

WHAT AM I THINKING????

 

Lacy has been doing the Hakarimata Summit Track for a while now.  She keeps saying I should go with her!

Like Lacy, it's a bloody mountain with over 1,300 steps, not to mention the rest of the trail is steep too. 

I have said NO NO NO, but... today we have agreed I'll join her and do as much as I can.  I think about 10 minutes into it will be my limit!  lol

I simply do not do hills, let alone 1,300 steps and a mountain trail!  

What am I thinking???

IF I survive, I'll come back and tell ya how I did.

IF I SURVIVE.  😂😅😖

After lunch today I have my second practise of lawn bowls, in readiness for tomorrow's Charity Tournament.  I can't wait (I'm bullshitting of course).  But it's raising money for a good cause, so I will do it.  It's for Blue September, Prostrate Cancer Awareness Month.  

After all that, I would like to think I will get some sewing done!  We will see, I might be knackered and need a Nana Nap!  lol

ABOVE: I finished two of the current six placemats last night.  Wave pattern.  Loving them.

ONWARD...

1.30 PM.

Lacy and I went out to Ngaruawahia to do 'some' of the Hararimata track.  

ABOVE:  The track takes around 3 hours return according to the sign.

No way was I doing that!

I wanted to just do up to the steps starting...

ABOVE:  Lacy suggested we do one of the smaller side tracks, that takes you to a water reservoir...

There were a FEW steps to get to it.

ABOVE: We saw two waterfalls, it was very pretty.  And not too arduous to get to.  There were a few steps, but I managed them OK.

I then decided I wanted to try doing a bit more.  Lacy has a gorgeous photo on her phone of a stunning view up the track... she told me it was 'about half way up'.  So, me being a bit of a stubborn tart, decided I'd try to get to it.

ABOVE: The steps were horrendous... they just kept on going, and going...

ABOVE:  Steps... but I kept stopping and resting, and just kept on going...

ABOVE:  And I MADE IT TO THAT VIEW!!!!   I was so proud of myself.

Every time I asked Lacy how much further it was, she cackled and said "Not much further".  The bitch lied.  That view was easily 3/4'ers of the way up that bloody mountain.

ABOVE: So after getting that far, it seemed silly not to go all the way!   So I did.

ABOVE: At the top!!!!!   Not only 1,356 steps, but quite a bit of mountain trail as well.

ABOVE:  I liked this sign.  

ABOVE: The lookout, which I climbed to see the view.

ABOVE:  LOVED this sign!  Best one on the trail.

ABOVE:  A gorgeous Totara tree.  

ABOVE:  Lacy can do the trail in about an hour.  It took me 3 hours.  And I am really proud of myself for actually doing it.

AND... I AM NEVER DOING IT AGAIN.  EVER.

It wasn't even on my bucket list.  Pfffft.

I have cancelled doing a bowls practise this afternoon, I need a bloody nap!

6.30 pm, and as you can imagine, I have had a quiet afternoon.  I tried to have a nap, but meh, that didn't happen.  So I just lay in bed with the electric blanket on and relaxed.   Later on I sat outside to encourage Coco to join me outside.

She was having none of it!  She doesn't like being in our backyard... she sits by the door begging to be let back inside.  Silly girl.

Stew is now home and we are about to have dinner.  I had a bacon hock and veges in the crock pot all day, so we are having that.  It's a bit like a soup.  Should be yummy.

10.05 pm.  Coronation Street just finished early, so I'm off to bed.  I've got another busy day tomorrow, so need some decent sleep.  Which should happen, considering how freakin' tired I am.  😊

Catch ya tomorrow.

TOP OF THE LIST

 

Top of my 'to do' list today?

Go to the Drs and get an appointment for this week.  I should have done it yesterday, but forgot.

I have to go every month to renew my WEGOVY prescription.

I still don't feel like it's doing a bloody thing for me... any weight loss up to now is due to my sheer will power.  Of that I am 100% certain.

It has been hard.  And frustrating.  I want the money I'm spending to feel like it's NOT being wasted.  It sure feels like that right now.

Maybe with the next dose, which will be 1.0 mgs, I will start to get some effect from it?

In the meantime....

ABOVE:  I am ONE KILO away from my lightest weight in almost 8 years.  While that feels good, it's not where I want to be at the end of the day.  

Minus THREE kilos from now, I will hit a magical number for me... I can almost see me getting there now.

I have decided, upon advice, to attend today's Coffee & Chat.  Not because I necessarily want to, but because I don't want anyone to know how much last week's 'racist fiasco' upset me.  I can attend a few times and if things are no nicer, I will slowly back out of them.

I'm going to give it a last chance.  If something is said that is upsetting, I can just exit the room.  Simple.

While I am at C & C, Lacy will be here doing some housework for me.  Just the basics that I hate doing... vacuuming, washing floors and the like.

After lunch I am joining a group of ladies from here and we are going on an 'Op Shop Hop', which means we will be visiting several Hamilton Op Shops.  I think I'm looking forward to that.  Not sure.  It's an outing if nothing else.

ABOVE:  I walk around my house holding this wooden measuring ruler.  Any guesses why???

ONWARD...

9 am.  I went down to the medical centre to get an appointment.  NONE available across all the Tui Clinics this week, except ONE for this afternoon.  So I took it, as I need my prescription before Friday.  Lesson learnt, make your appointment at least 2-3 weeks ahead of time.  If I'd wanted, I could have sat in their A & E department for 2+ hours and paid $150 to see a Dr today.  For a PRESCRIPTION.  Like... that wasn't happening.

So, as a consequence, I'm having to back out of the Op Shop Hop trip.  Grrrr.

Let's look at the positives, I can sew today after all.

11.30 and I'm home from C & C, which went very well!   I was happy with the groups conversations today, and I even got a word in.  JJ (Jabber Jaws) was there, and for once she didn't totally dominate the conversation.

Lacy is running late today, so I have no idea when she's going to be here.

I see no one is game enough to guess why I walk around with the wooden ruler.  Oh well... I might tell you eventually.

For now, I've just had an early lunch, and will go into Crabby Quarters and get some work done.

4.05 pm, and I've been to the Dr's to get my next WEGOVY prescription.  Then picked up said drug and came home.  

While I was out, I made an appointment for in a month's time, so I don't have to worry about not getting one in time.

I hate to think what happens if you are actually SICK and can't get  in to see a Doctor when you need to!  I suppose you just have to line up and wait at the A & E for hours, and pay through the nose.  UNLESS you go to the  hospital, where it's free.... and you could sit and wait hours and hours and drop dead in the toilet.  THAT has happened recently here in the Waikato!

Our health system is totally fucked up.  And it is down to MONEY.  Not enough nurses or doctors being employed to cover the health needs of people in this country.  I know it's a universal problem of course... but it is just so sad.  And wrong.

RANT OVER.

Before going out, I did get some sewing done.  Nothing is finished yet... I tend to do placemats in 'batches' of 6.  So the next 6 will be done tomorrow all going well.

I have decided not to attend the WW meeting this evening.  I'm just so cold, the thought of sitting in the large empty school hall, freezing my buns off for an hour.... NO THANKS.

6.45 pm, and because I didn't go to WW, I ended up going with Stew for his walk.  We knocked out the 2.6 kms in 30 minutes, so a good pace considering we have 'the hill' to get up right at the beginning.  Tonight I was yakking to Stew all the way up the hill and got to the top still talking!  That's progress for ya.  When I first started going up that hill I was gasping for breath by the time I got to the top.

And by the way, it's not a very long hill, just a bit steep.

Time to sign off... OH NO!  Hold on.

I need to explain the wooden ruler.

Yes, it is all about COCO.

She is very deaf and her sight isn't that good either.

So she walks in front of us when we are moving through the house, or she stands right smack bang behind you when you stop, then when you turn around she doesn't move.

She has tripped me up once too often, so now I walk holding on the the ruler and she gets a tap if she doesn't move!

The other day I started using the ruler and tapped her ONCE and since then?  She keeps right away from me.  I don't even have to be holding the ruler.

Poor girl, she didn't like being tapped with the ruler obviously.

All good as far as I'm concerned.  I'm sick of falling over her.  It's lucky I've not been hurt, or worse still, landed on top of her and injured her.

So there ya go.  Have wooden ruler... no more accidents.

ANOTHER CRAFT GROUP DAY

 

First up for today will be some more cutting out for my next project.

I'm going to make some placemats.  Thanks for the idea KarenAK.  Not sure what runners you referred to, I make a few 'blue beachy runners'.  Maybe you meant the wave runners?  I am going to make some as placemats sometime in the next month.

We do not have another market until Tamahere in October, so I've got plenty of time to build up a good stock of placemats in all different styles.

I've made them before and they did sell fairly well... so let's get to it!

ONWARD...

Midday and I've been here in the craft room for 2.5 hours. I had company for an hour or so, then Liz had to leave. So I'm on my own until the other ladies arrive at 1 pm.

It's nice as I can listen to my music when no one else is here.  

I must say... its quiet on the blog today. Where is everyone?  Needy me likes to hear from people   🤣😂😉.

4 pm.  Turned out I spent a lot of time on my own in the craft room today.  At around 1.30 a couple of other ladies arrived, and a afternoon tea time a couple of ladies in the Mosaic Room came over and joined us.

I got a bit done ...

ABOVE:  I got these six chook placemats completely finished.

ABOVE: And I got the quilting done on those paua shell ones.  I'll work on them again tomorrow.

After I left Craft Group, I went to Spotlight as I was running out of black and blue threads!  Crazy how much thread I go through.  

Now?  Just had some left overs from last night, and got my feet up.  I'm freakin' tired.

ABOVE:  Stew loves Monday nights.  He gets home to enjoy a little treat.  I bring home a little sweet treat from our Craft Group afternoon tea.  Today it was home made shortbread, dipped in chocolate.  I don't have any, mine goes to him.

I actually don't miss it.  Which is weird.

I'm pretty much done for the day, I just finished unpacking my sewing trolley.  Everything is just piled up on my work table, ready for tomorrow.

So,  A VERY EARLY sign off from me today.

Catch ya tomorrow.

TEMPTING FATE?

 

In almost every home we have owned, I've planted a passionfruit vine.

And EVERY time that vine has finally started to bear fruit, we have moved. 

So, would I be tempting fate by planting a passionfruit vine here I wonder???

Because, if I can find one today, that's what we are going to do.  I have a spot already sussed out for it.

The other thing on our agenda today is this:

ABOVE:   The lounge curtains need to come down.  And we have to add more hooks to the track and curtains, so it's not got all those gaps across the top.  The curtains also need to be pressed.  All of that should have been done 15 months ago, before they even went up, but we simply didn't get around to it.

I've looked at them like that long enough.  Time to fix them... TODAY.

ABOVE:  A fellow Stall Holder snapped this photo of me yesterday afternoon.   I was hanging on to the gazebo to stop it flying away in the wind.  Stew was taking the ground pegs out so we could fold it up.  I could only just reach the bloody top of it!  And to be honest, I doubt I could have stopped it flying away had a really big gust of wind whipped through.  Luckily that didn't happen. Flying gazebos as actually very dangerous.

And yes Darling, I can see you trying to give me rabbit ears!

Back to today, there's three things on the shopping list:

1. Passionfruit vine.

2. Curtains hooks.

3. 'Lady' handkerchiefs.

Cos I have NONE, and want some.  Tissues just don't cut it when you are out and about.  I used to use Stew's big 'man' hankies, but I want my own.  It's only taken 67 years to get me some hankies!

Oh and if we thought it was windy yesterday.... today it is even worse! And its raining too. I don't think I've seen it this windy in years. 

ONWARD...

10.41, and it stopped raining after we got out of bed.  But it's still bloody cold, and the wind is super strong and blustery.

We just got home from shopping.  We got a new curtain rod, hooks etc.  I will sort that out soon.

ABOVE: We found hankies at Farmers, and they are already washed and on the line outside.  I fully expect them to be dry in half an hour.  Hopefully they don't get blown away.

ABOVE: We also bought two passionfruit vines, but they won't be going outside until this wind settles down in a couple of days.

5.25 pm.  After OMG a shit load of huffing and puffing and swearing, Stew got the new curtain track up!  It took forever as he simply could not get the screw holder things into the wall!  But, finally, he did.  And then he put up the rail, and we both hung the curtains.

They look fantastic.  He put the rail up about 5 cm higher, so now the curtains don't drag on the floor.

I didn't iron them... I just didn't have the energy.

Why?

Because I'd spent a couple of hours this morning, and again this afternoon, cutting out the next sewing project.

I had a pork belly and lamb roast on all day in the crock pot, and OMG, they both came out beautifully.  I made sure to put plenty of liquid around them so they stayed moist.

So we had some of each with veges for our early dinner.

Now we are going to blob out and watch the telly until bedtime.

Catch ya tomorrow.

TAMAHERE IN SEPTEMBER

 

OK... it's 5.35 am.

We are up.

It's not too cold.

The weather is holding.

Let's get a move on, and have a nice day.

I'm hoping for some sales today... cos our last market was a DEAD LOSS, and that is very demoralising.  It makes you wonder if you should carry on doing what ya doing?  I know my runners etc are really lovely, but can people afford non-essentials now days?  It's a worry.

Only 'light at the end of the tunnel' is that CHRISTMAS is coming.  lol

Wallets free up a bit for Christmas right?

ONWARD...

ABOVE: And we have a PERFECT Spring day! First really lovely day in months. 

I'm sitting here with a hot chocolate and just enjoying the quiet before people start arriving.  

11.30 ... it is slow and steady today. Moderate sales. The WIND is being horrendous... super gusty. Everyone is struggling with it, things keep getting blown off stalls. It's awful.

2.30 pm.

We are home. We are freakin' tired.  It was a long day, made even more arduous due to the extremely windy conditions.  So many stall holders had thing blown over and damaged or broken!  And literally everyone started packing up early.

We did too, and that's saying something, because we almost never pack up early.

I was just so glad to get home out of the damn wind and cold.

I am now preparing our daily meal, which will be BBQ Spare Ribs and a lettuce salad.

Stew has gone to the supermarket to do the weekly shop, for diet coke and the stuff he needs for his lunches next week.

I have vowed to not buy another thing for our freezer until I have got the damn thing empty!  It's chockka block right now, I can't fit anything else in it.

So we could be having some interesting meals over the next few weeks.

10.31 pm.  We've had a most lazy afternoon/evening.  Just keeping warm, watching the telly bla bla bla.

Catch ya tomorrow.