Ready to start posting again.

I know there are a few people who have been missing my posts, and I want to apologise for my absence.  It has been an interesting year, but I think I might have my head back in order enough to keep the poor old blog active.

A lot has happened since my last post over a year ago - including more than a dozen half-written posts that I couldn't bring myself to complete.

I'm still working my dream at the Mowbray Veterinary Clinic as a Vet Nurse, and loving every moment of it - through the good times and bad.  One of the bad times was in September when I was barbed by a Platypus and spent 8 days in hospital, 5 of those on a Fentanyl pump (push button, get pain relief) due to the intense pain Platypus venom inflicts on the human body, and a further 4 weeks off work, and another 4 weeks of reduced hours - more of that on another post (that's one of the longer unfinished ones).

We have added a new animal to the family - a handsome Standardbred (that's a Horse to those not in the know) named Captain, who has become almost as much a part of Broc as Gypsy is of me.

There have been camping trips, trail rides, parties and dinners.

Broc has been a dutiful house husband the past few months, keeping it all together while my work hours slowly increase.

I have struggled with some weight gain, and struggled more with trying to lose it.

We have been looking at property on and off over the last several months, and while there are a few prospects, nothing concrete yet.

That's it for now, starting work at 12 for a 7 hour shift, so I need to head off and get organised.  See you again soon!

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!

"Nanna O'Brien"
16th February 1918 - 17th November 2011

My Great Grandmother on my fathers side - passed away on the 17th November, aged 93 Years and 9 Months.  Yesterday I, along with my Grandfather and loads of family, friends and former colleagues, attended her funeral service.  I shed many tears while remembering what an amazing part of my childhood she had been.  Though I had lost touch with her in recent years, she was in my thoughts often.  May she now have eternal rest with her loving husband.  I am not sad for her - she lived a long and amazing life.  I am only sad for myself, my family and her devoted frineds, who will miss her kindness, loyalty and warmth.

Always loved, Never forgotten, Forever in my Heart.  Goodbye Nanna.

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!!

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.

Things have been a little crazy around here the last couple of weeks!!

First to the sad part - Broc's Grandmother passed away earlier in the week.  Although it was not unexpected as she has been unwell for quite some time, there has still been a profound sense of loss in the house.  His Mum is taking it pretty hard, and we share in her grief while we help to support her through this process.

My Nan has also been unwell, which has been a little stressful, although it's nothing serious -  Just another stage of growing old!

Last but not least, I went back to school for the first time since I finished College!  I'm super excited, but it was a little daunting at first.  Now I'm just busting to get into the real work!  No prizes for guessing the subject matter... Yep, Animal Studies!  More on that later on.

Anyway, I really wanted to share this recipe with you!  No pictures, as I really suck at remembering to do that, but just make it for yourself and you can drool over your own real life specimen!  Goes great with soup or stew, and would go awesomely with a hearty curry aswell!


Ingredients

• 1 Cup Plain Flour * See Note 1
• 3 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 Cup Sugar * See Note 2
• 350mL Beer (most of a stubby, drink the remainder!)
• 1/4 Cup Butter

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F) and grease a loaf pan.
2. Sift Flour & Baking Powder well, and mix in other dry ingredients.
3. Mix in Beer - lots of froth happens so be careful!
4. Pour into loaf pan, and then pour the melted butter over the mixture.
5. Bake for 1 hour - the first time you make this, put a flat pan under your loaf tin incase there are any drips!
6. Remove from pan and cool for 15 mins before consuming.

Note 1:  A mix of Plain and Wholemeal flour can be used.  I used 1/3 C Wholemeal and 2/3 C Plain, and added a little extra beer (so I used a whole 375 mL stubby) so it wouldn't dry out.  You could also mix some melted butter in the batter.

Note 2: I found that the 1/4 C Sugar makes the bread almost sweet, but this would change depending on what type of beer you use.  Experiment!!

The original recipe can be found Here.

Edit: While this recipe is FANTASTIC fresh out of the oven, it's hardly even worth eating once cooled.

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.

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!

Yesterday I was lucky enough to have my Niece, Brittany here with me for the day again!

After a quick rush in to town to get my nails done (they look very Christmassy!), we came home and started making salt dough ornaments!  They're so easy and so much fun...

The basic recipe is Half a cup of Salt, Half a cup of Water, and One cup of Plain Flour.

Mix the Flour and Salt together in a bowl, and slowly add in the Water, mixing with your hands to form a dough.  Add extra Water in small amounts if your dough is too dry, or extra Flour if it is too wet, then...

You have to knead the dough for about 10 minutes, until it's nice and soft!

After your dough is nice and smooth, you can put a little Vegetable Oil on your hands to stop the dough from drying out.

Then roll it out flat...

And cut out any shape you like!!!

Don't forget to poke holes so you can hang your ornaments on the tree!

I had seen on a TV show where they used the microwave to dry them out quicker.  We tried this with little success, so put the rest in a low oven for about half an hour, turning twice.

Once they're mostly dried out, paint and decorate them any way you want!  We used Watercolor paints, Glitter, Glitter Glue and Nailpolish on ours.

Drying off.  Half Bamboo Skewers made it really easy to hold onto the ornaments while decorating

Thanks to Kirstie's Homemade Christmas for the Salt Dough idea!

Yesterday we had our Niece Brittany (ten) and our eldest Nephew, Braedyn (seven) for the day!

What to do with two bored kids on a rainy day in December?  Why, make Christmas cards of course!

Craft in Progress with Abby supervising in the background, and the cat on the table!

It was really lovely to see them let their creativity flow and create these beautiful cards for friends and family.


We decorated the envelopes too!

Inside of Braedyn's card

You can make cards with pretty much anything - they only thing that is a must is Imagination!!

More craft on the cards today... after I get my nails done of course!

Updated: Added Pictures


We awoke to a gloriously sunny, calm morning - what a horrible day to leave!

A drive down to Bicheno, with a beach stop along the way to feel my toes squidge through the sand.  We made our way to the Sealife Centre, which no longer has an aquarium, but does have a lovely gift store and restaurant.  We continued on to the Blowhole.  Even on a calm day, it didn't dissapoint!



The abundance and variety of sealife inhabiting the rocks around the Blowhole area was just fascinating!  Seaweeds, starfish, molluscs, crabs - even a freshwater pool in the rocks near the car park with resident frogs!!



We managed to spend quite some time wandering around on the rocks down there, then headed back to the Sealife Centre for some lunch.  I was gobsmacked by the view as I pulled up again in the carpark:


We chose the Sea Life Special to share for lunch - and wow!  What a feast.



I decided I just had to brave the water before leaving the coast behind, and was rewarded with watching a large school of fish feed just in front of me.



All in all, I had a lovely trip away with my Mum.  All the places we visited were absolutely fantastic, but the highlight was definitely our trip to East Coast Natureworld!  If you're passing through or near Bicheno, do yourself a favor and go visit!

Woke up this morning to the sound of rain, and the waves crashing in the distance.  Ahh...

First up, we drove out to St Helens Point, and walked along Beer Barrel Beach, and took in the scenery, plants and wildlife...

Pretty sure these guys thought I was there to eat them!

This little guy had attitude.

We stopped off in St Helens for some lovely lunch at the Village Store and More cafe - Mum describes the soup with accompanying sourdough bread as 'just sensational', and my over-sized sausage roll was pretty damn good too!  We checked in at the Tourist Information Centre to see exactly how far away our next destination was, and happened upon the St Helens History room.  If you're in St Helens, it's certainly worth a look - even if you're not really into history, there's bound to be something in there to interest you!

Then a drive out to the Pyengana Dairy Company to sample some yummies from their cafe, and their cheese of course!

On the return drive, we couldn't resist doing the Halls Falls walk (11km short of The Blue Tier when heading out of Pyengana), and boy am I glad we made the slight detour...



Back at the hotel after a long day of trekking and sightseeing, we had a 'leftover buffet' of Leavenbank Potato Sourdough, fetta-stuffed peppers and chilli mussels from Pasini's, fresh tomatoes, parsley, Smoked Salmon, Pyengana 'Devilish cheese and Eureka Farm Tomato Chutney.  Mmmm.....


Homeward bound tomorrow, with a stop in Bicheno to check out the Sealife Centre and have some lunch.  See you tomorrow!

Awoke this morning to a perfect, calm sunny day - Wow!!

So today, we took a trip down to Bicheno to visit the Natureworld Wildlife Park.  I took LOTS of photos, but have only selected a few to put up here.

Not a lot of blogging from me again - I'm still pretty sick, typical for a holiday right?! - but again, the pictures tell their own story.

I so cute!

Duuude...

Beautiful Fallow Deer

I pissed off the Emu, making funny noises at him - this is him all puffed up!

Might make a trip to the Bicheno Sealife Centre tomorrow, or maybe a drive up to St Helens and Binalong Bay - who knows!

Well, here I am, safe and sound in Scamander!
I'm here for 3 nights, having a well-deserved break with my dear Mummy. After arriving late yesterday afternoon, we took a long stroll to check out our immediate area around the Scamander Beach Resort Hotel, and take some photos of course!

Enough from me, I think the photos themselves speak volumes about how gorgeous this place is.

Part of the view from our room on the Second Floor

Random driftwood structures on the beach - they looked amazing

Breakwater at the river inlet

Managed a snap of Mum - Shhh, don't tell her!  Looking South along the beach

Seaweed - Close up!

Little tiny sand goby

Little bitty Invertebrate of some description

Looking back to the bridge, out hotel on the left

Today we're off to the wildlife park in Bicheno, and for a bit of a look around. Yep, more pictures there!!