Goodness!  I've been so busy in this mad Christmas lead-up that I've barely had time to cook yummy Christmas treats let alone post on here!!

With the big day coming tomorrow, I'd just like to take this moment to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or however you prefer to hear it!

Summer!  Christmas!  BBQ Season!  Party Season!  New Years!

Pick any of the above, or add your own!  It's around this time of year that I start getting really excited about the upcoming festivities, reminiscing about the months behind, and posting more to my blog (yep, predictable...)!

Long hot days spent enjoying good wine and food with friends...  Camping and kayaking... Swimming at the river...  Why wouldn't I be excited?!

I've already started making mental lists of all the yummy things I get to cook next month to give away to friends and family.  Don't forget to check out my Recipes page to get your own ideas.  I've even got a few new ones up my sleeve to share closer to Christmas!!

Ideas for gifts are racing through my head, and where the heck did I put all the leftover Christmas Cards?!

A long time between posts again, but I've been busy - I promise!!

Since my last post:

• More riding lessons
• Pilates and Rider Wellbeing
• Got my Own Horse!
• Teaching my Beginners Group
• BIG Trail Ride!
• Trip to Hobart
• Work, Work, Work...

Horse Stuff

The lovely Andrea from Southern Tas Pilates made a trip to the North of the state in July, and I was lucky enough to get a spot in both the Pilates Mat Class and the Rider Wellbeing Class.  I learned a few things I didn't know about my body, and some techniques to deal with everyday 'problems'.  I also learned a lot about my posture and riding position, and the change in the ease of riding was almost instant!!

Later that weekend, I took a trip with Merry to visit a lovely old Thoroughbred named Gypsy.  Despite the freezing, howling wind, my tired, nervous body, and the slippery ground, she walked slowly around the roundyard with me on her bare back, in nothing but a rope halter.  From those first few moments, I know she and I would become friends.  So, the next day, Merry and I drove out with the float to pick Gypsy up, who called to me as I walked to her paddock to take her away from her friends and her son.

And so begins the story of Gypsy and I!  It's been almost a month now, and we have had a couple of short rides together, and are developing a great understanding.  She is kind, gentle and willing, and I know we will have a lot of fun together.

One of my new workmates - Amelia - is also a Horsey person, and was kind enough to invite me to the Tasmanian High Country Rider's Assoc. ride at Kimberley last month.  I rode her lovely 23-year-old boy Bundy and had a hell of a lot of fun!  Some of the downhill sections scared the pants off me, and I was sure I was coming off more than once.  But I didn't!!  Can't wait to do it again sometime.
Work

Well, I'm still there!!  Not much more to say aside from I am lucky to be working with a great group of thoughtful and supportive staff.  I'm still enjoying it, and leave every work-day with a smile.  It makes me laugh, makes me cry, but most of all it makes me feel whole.

Road Trip!

Had a bit of a trip to Hobart last weekend to catch up with friends and family, especially Emma & Charles Gregory and their spawn(!) to celebrate the impending birth of their third child!

One of the things attendees to the 'Blessingway' were asked to do was to knit or crochet a square to be added into a blanket for the baby.  I haven't knitted in years as it hurts my wrists, and have never learned to crochet, so that's what I did this week!  After only a few attempts, I managed to create a pretty square-ish looking patch to become part of the babys blanket.  Proud of myself!

I also managed to do a bit of shopping while down there.  But only a tiny bit, I promise!

Dogs

I'm still teaching my beginners group at training - only one more lesson next weekend, then the following week is their assesment!!  I'm really proud of the progress they have all made, and while I would like to think that it is due to my guidance, I would be more realistic to attribute it to each person and family's dedication to their dog.

Well, enough rambling for now... I'll try and write again soon!!

It's been so long since my last post, but as usual, I have a great excuse.

Since I last posted:

• School holidays
• Several riding lessons
• Lovely trail ride
• Back to school
• Started instructing at TDTC
• Two snow trips
• Three days of work experience at Mowbray Veterinary Clinic
• Started my new job at Mowbray Veterinary Clinic!
• Made plans for next years studies

Exciting huh?!

Horses

I've had some lovely lessons with Nan Catmur out at Longford, although this has been difficult due to the amount of rainfall lately.  I had been waiting to post about my riding experiences until I had a decent photo of me riding, but it seems that every photo of me atop a horse is accompanied by an idiotic grin because I'm having so much fun!  So here it is anyway.

I've also been lucky enough to do some work with with Merry and her lovely herd, including going on a breathtaking trail ride with her mares Eclipse and Kissaya.

Also been looking after my friend Lara's lovely horse Onyx when they have been away, and exercising him as often as I can get out there to help build his muscle tone back up.  He is a handsome and patient boy, but very cheeky!

Work & School

I started out doing just one day a week work experience for my Animal Studies Certificate II course at Mowbray Veterinary Clinic, where my family's animals have been patients for the last twenty-odd years.  Luckily for me, they were hoping to put on a new staff member, and I was asked to start!  My first day of paid work as a Vet Nurse was on the 10th of June, and I have enjoyed (almost) every moment of it.  When working with animals and people, you have to deal with some hard times, and support clients as best you can with some pretty difficult decisions.  The work is exciting, sad, happy, eye-opening and fulfilling all at once, and I finally feel like I have come home - this is what I am meant to do.

So much so that next year I plan on beginning Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing, with the view to going on to a Diploma of Veterinary Nursing once the Cert IV is completed.  Several of the units in my course this year will count towards my Level 4 Certification, as will many of the units I plan on taking at Polytechnic next year in either Animal Studies or Animal Management (once they decide which they are running!!).  I am ridiculously excited, and finally truly optimistic about the future.

I also have another job prospect, as a Demonstrator for a national pet food company, but more on that at a later date!

Gone to the dogs...

I have also recently started instructing with my Dog Obedience club, and am looking forward to taking my own obedience class next weekend!  As you all know, I am quite passionate about animals, behaviour and training are two of my favourite areas.

Snow Everywhere!

We've had some big, early dumps of snow in Tasmania this year, and we wasted no time in getting out amongst it!  On the 9th of June, we bundled the dogs into the car, and took to the roads in search of snow.  We didn't have to go far, and couldn't have gone further if we had tried, but managed to get to the picnic area on Mount Barrow and play in about a foot of snow and slush!  Also took a drive along the Sideling to see the snow there - absolutely mind blowing!!  We followed that up with another snow trip - to the Central Highlands this time, on Sunday the 12th June.  We took along extra's - Buffy and Naomi - for Buff's first snow trip!

Unfortunately, I forgot to take any photos the first trip, and the video camera was flat for the second one!  Although with that promising start, I'm sure there will be plenty more snow trips this year!

All the best for now, and thanks for reading!

Who knew that going back to school would change my days so much!

I may only be going two days a week, but I think it has really been the boost I've needed to become much more motivated and enthusiastic about everyday life.

Simple daily housework tasks that I struggled with even a few months ago are now much easier to stomach, I'm getting caught up with things I've been needing to do for months and years (but never had the time or inclination to do!), and I've had so much more time and a little more energy to focus on my real passion - animals!

Being on such a ride brings its lows too, and I have had some interesting extremes of self-confidence and energy, offset with anxiety and depression, which has really floored me.

I'm hoping that this is just my body and minds' way of adjusting to a new direction in life, and maybe a bit of seasonal depression rearing its' ugly head. Either way, I'm pressing on, because I'm enjoying myself!

Family
There have also been some changes in my family life. Around my Birthday, my Nan's health was sufficiently deteriorated to the point where she required hospitalisation for pain management, which later led to her moving into an aged care facility. It was not an unhappy move, and she is really loving the new experience, but it was a stressful time as far as paperwork and moving things went. It was also difficult for my Mum, who resides South of Hobart and spent many days here in Launceston organising my Nan's move and finalising things at her unit.

Another change has been my Sister in Law, Niece and Newphews moving away. It has been a verystressful and sad time, and I hope it has a happy ending, but I will leave it at that for now.


Going to the... Horses?

RSPCA Cattery

I am now well into my Animal Studies course, and really enjoying it. The material is more in-depth than I had expected, which really pleases me. At the moment we're working on Nutrition, and I will soon be starting my first work placement!

We've had some fantastic guest speakers from a pretty wide range of animal industries, and I can only hope we get to learn from many more interesting professionals over the coming months. Good outings too!

I have also spread my tentacles(?) into another area of animals that has always interested me, but that I've not had much of an oppourtunity to do anything in: Horses!

I've been on a few semi-instructed trail rides in the past, and always enjoyed them. I went on another a couple of weeks ago with Lara and Emily (thanks Janet!)

So, I have taken the plunge, and had my first formal one-on-one riding lesson today! Janet and Lara have also been kind enough to allow me to help out with their stunning Thoroughbred Onyx at event days, and I look forward to getting some more strapping experience in the future.

This Saturday, the 12th of February, is my 27th Birthday.  A little scary to be honest!  Well past the quarter-century mark, and only 3 more years until I turn 30.

Aside from being a great reason to share great food and wine with friends - not that I'm generally hard-pressed to find an excuse to do that anyway! - I find Birthdays a poignant time to selfishly reflect myself over the past year.  What have I done?  What didn't I do that I wanted to do?  What really sucked?  What am I looking forward to in my next year of life?

Over the past 12 months, I have made some pretty important decisions regarding my physical and mental/emotional health:

I resigned from my job, as it was just too physically, mentally and emotionally draining to continue with - a decision I probably should have made some time ago.
I decided not to pursue more work for the time-being.
I'm really enjoying being able to do housework at my leisure, bake and cook, and exercise without worrying about being too tired out to go to work.
Cutting down on junk food.  I'm only likely to have maybe one glass soft-drink a week!  I've cut down on coffee, down to around 2 cups a day!  In the last few months, I've also been handling my comfort eating a little better.
I decided early last year to go back to school.  Today I submitted my application and sat an interview for a course due to start next week.  I am so excited!
I'm spending more time outdoors and really loving it.  Walking and gardening really relax me, sometimes I'll just sit outside in the garden and dig for the hell of it.
Trying to make our lives more sustainable, by recycling more, growing some of our own produce, and sharing it with friends.  We now have Solar panels installed that feed back into the power grid, and we have drastically changed our power usage in the home for the better.
I'm training dogs again which is something I've always loved doing.  I've missed Obedience Club over the last several years, and it's really nice to get into it again.
I'm reading more books which I had all but stopped doing for a few years.  I've been managing to average one a month, and hope to ramp it up this year!
Spending more time with friends is one of the bigger positive changes.  I'm always happier when I can share my experiences with friends, and I've got some really positive and supportive people around me now.

But it's not all good.  There's a lot of things I wish I had done, or had done differently over the last year.  I've thought about those too, but I won't share them right now.

For now, I'm looking at the positives.  This year I'll be expanding on all the positive points above, because they all make me feel better about Me (I said this was a time for selfish reflection, right?!)!  But they're also positive for those around me; sharing experiences, happy times, and personal growth.

Most of those close to us know that, for the last couple of years at least, having children has been frequently in our thoughts.

I have suffered with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome since my early teens, and although I manage my symptoms fairly well, I do have flare-ups from time to time.  Most days, I appear to be a normal, healthy, 26-year-old woman.  Other days, I can be irritable, physically exhausted to the point of not being able to drag myself from bed, anxious and jumpy, mentally exhausted and unable to concentrate on the simplest of tasks or hold a conversation - or any combination of the above, just to name a few!  My symptoms are exacerbated by - among other things - stress and physical exertion, so the thought of what being pregnant, and then taking care of a baby would do to my health terrifies me!

We feel very strongly about not having children until we can provide the best life possible for them - otherwise we would have had them years ago, I'm sure!

There is still little known about the effect of pregnancy on sufferers of CFS.  What is known for certain, is that I would have to stop taking my medication.  I currently take an anti-depressant/anti-anxiety medication to help even out those symptoms, as they also help to exacerbate the physical side of the illness.  Although I am confident that I would be able to cope without them these days - under normal circumstances at least - I do not know how the hormones, and physical and emotional stresses of pregnancy would affect me mentally.  I have come to terms with the fact that there is a very high probability that I will suffer from Post-Natal Depression.

Friends assure me that we will cope - and yes, we have a fantastic support network of friends and family, but none of them suffer from Chronic Fatigue, so it's hard for them to think of the situation the way that I do, and I can't help but be scared.

I have been searching for the experiences of others in my position who have taken the plunge, and found a fantastic article on a blog.  A quote:

Here’s the thing, I am going to be sick whether I have kids or not......The thing is, the amount of joy we get from our kids WAY outweighs any hardship.

Reading the entire article, I feel much more at ease.

What do you think?  Especially to those who suffer from a chronic illness, how do you cope day-to-day taking care of your child/children?

I look forward to reading your responses!

Edit: PS: When you go and look at the linked article, make sure you check out the rest of the blog!  Some great reads there.

 As the title suggests, we've had a busy couple of weeks, and I've been a little quiet on the posting front!

We've had our lovely Niece Brittany and our cheeky Nephew Braedyn staying here a couple of days a week, and between having fun with them, housework, baking and catching up on other stuff, I've had very little time to sit at the PC let alone post!

But I have been up to a few interesting things that I will share with you...

First of all, Broc, Brittany and I took a trip out to the lovely Liffey Falls Reserve, staring in awe along the way at all the destruction and mayhem the recent flash flooding had caused, especially to the road surfaces and bridges...

We did the return walk from the main carpark to the bottom of the falls.  Always stunning!



 On the return drive via. Deloraine, we were lucky enough to spot a little Echidna foraging around on the roadside, so we stopped to introduce ourselves.

More from my afternoon of baking with Anita!

Neither of us had made Biscotti before, so we weren't quite sure how it would turn out.  And true to form, I changed the recipe to suit myself before we had even started!!

Here's the Original Recipe, and my adaptation is as follows:

Ingredients

• 2 1/3 cups plain flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

We followed the rest of the directions as per the original recipe:

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.
3. Beat eggs, egg whites, and vanilla in a separate bowl until frothy.
4. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients, mixing just until moist, using an electric mixer on medium speed.

The batter was so thick!!  I thought we were going to blow up the mixer!

5. Add almonds and cranberries; mix thoroughly.
6. On a floured surface, divide batter in half and pat each half into a log about 14 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide.
7. Place on a cookie sheet and bake in oven for 30 minutes.
8. Cool on wire rack.
9. Reduce oven temperature to 300ºF.
10. Cut biscotti into 1/2 inch slices. Stand upright on cookie sheet and bake another 20 minutes.

I think the most important part of making a good Biscotti is to let it cool well, and store it somewhere airy to keep it crunchy - almost letting it go stale-ish.  It was deliciously sweet, and I'll be making this again soon to eat all myself!!

These looked fantastic lined up in cellophane bags, tied with curling ribbon!

We had a lovely Christmas, with a Friends & Family BBQ at our home on Christmas eve, followed by a lovely buffet lunch at Villa Italiana at the Casino for Lunch, and a Family BBQ at my Nan's for Dinner!

Boxing Day was just as lovely, with a lovely cold 'Leftover' spread for Lunch with our friends the Wades, and another BBQ Dinner at Broc's Mum's!

A few snaps from the last few days, more to follow later...

Troy opening his present from Uncle Broc & Aunty Annette

Lateena gets just what she wanted!

Boys and their toys!

Abby with their Bumble Ball

Pussum unwrapping the Kong Kickeroo

Daisy knows just what to do with it...

After-food Bliss

Christmas Recipes will go up soon - I promise!

Broc, Harry and I had a fantastic day with all our friends - furry and human - at the end of year bash for the TDTC today!

Bobby, Nala and Harry

Seeing so many people come along to have a laugh, and dressing their dogs (and themselves!) up for the occasion was a real hoot.

Holly in her trendy red Christmas shirt!

There were a couple of doggy games - the Bone & Spoon Race and Musical Squares, as well as photos with Santa Claus, we all had a play with some of the agility equipment, lovely food, and general Merriment all-around.

Nala enjoys some Mutt Muffins

Denver gets his lean on with Glenn

Denver gets his lean on some more!

Group Shot

And there were Encouragement Awards!!  Alexander and Bobby got one...

Alexander and Bobby recieving their award

And Kelly, Gerard and Lucy too!

Kelly and Lucy recieve their award!

So to all my Dog Training friends, don't forget to practice, and see you all in the New Year!!  No doubt Tanya will have some more photos up later, and I'm sure Sean will put up some of his shots on the TDTC website too.

Edit:  No award for Harry, but he and 2 other doggies won the Fancy Dress competition, and I forgot to mention last week... We scored 140/150 in our test, and will be starting the new year in Grade 3!

Okay, so I've had a pretty boring week so far!

If you've been following me on Twitter, you'll know I've been suffering with terrible hayfever, which has been making me feel pretty ill.  I've spent a couple days in bed, and the others feeling terrible.

I did manage to get in to town to do some Christmas shopping yesterday though, and picked up some fantastic bargains at Toyworld for my niece and nephews!!  If you have any children to buy for, and don't have anything specific in mind (except a budget!), I highly recommend you take a wander through the store and have a good look around.

Aside from that, I've spent some time thinking about what Christmas yummies I'm going to make for friends and family!!  So far I've found a lovely Biscotti recipe, and have dug up a couple of old favorites - but more on that when I actually make them!

Well, I certainly do feel Christmassy now! Tanya & family invited Broc and I to go along to the Longford Christmas Carols last night, and despite a slightly cool breeze and angry clouds, it didn't rain, and we didn't freeze too bad. Lots of Aussie Christmas songs, and a few traditional carols too - a nice mix.  Enough talking, time for some pictures!!

Bobby

Tanya & I

Alexander, Sausage & Glenn

Random group shot

My darling Broc

Glenn & Tanya - awww

Cute primary school kids in their santa hats!

Nick, Claire & Zander

Harry and I had a wonderful day today, spent with our friends Tanya, Alexander and Nicholas over at Zannick : Our Home Ed Journey creating Christmas Crafts!!

Next weekend is our last day at our Dog Training Club for the year, and they're having a break up BBQ, complete with Fancy Dress!  Alexander's dog Bobby and my big boy Harry will be going together as Santa and his trusty Reindeer, so the majority of today was spent creating their costumes.  The boys also worked on some beautiful felt Christmas Stockings for their pets: Zander for his Ratties, and Nick for his new ferret Hagrid (when he arrives!).
Great Photos of the day over at their blog.  Craft (and everything else for that matter) seems to take that much longer when five dogs are trying to 'help'!

Yoda, she is!  Molly, her name!  Helping, she was!

On arriving home, a suprise was waiting for me in the mailbox - the Santa Paws DVD I won from Just Us Kids blog competition.  A big thankyou to Norlin!


An even bigger surprise was waiting for Broc when he took the dogs outside a few minutes ago...  A great big stick insect - for your viewing pleasure.

Well, a busy weekend awaits.  Here's hoping I can find some more time to work on those frugal Christmas tips!

Had to work half a day today in lovely <68% humidity and a top temp of 24°C (but much warmer in the shop!), but I did manage to spare a minute to take a couple of photos while I was there, and I had some helpers aswell!!

So kind of a boring day, but I wanted to blog the photos I took.

Cheeky Tomato Clowns took off every time I tried to focus!

The Dwarf Lop boys - I woke them from their nap

The Ocellaris Clown didn't want his photo taken either!

Glenn  sporting his Awesome Mo and chatting to a Sun Conure

Nick, brushing an Angora Dwarf Lop - fuzzy little buggers they are!