Our new cold-weather cycling gear arrived (hurrah!) and we planned a ride this morning to test it out. 0-2mm rain was forecast and it was pretty cloudy, but we decided to chance it.

It had been a few weeks since we’d taken our favourite route and we encountered several diversions due to path improvements under construction . This took us along us along the footpath of a pretty busy main road for a bit, rather than the lovely river-side path.

I think the weather kept most people at home because there were very few people about – which was great! But it was cold. So, so, so cold. My torso and legs were warm, but my arms, hands (despite gloves) and face were just frozen. I could barely form words and had to speak Very Slowly in order to be (barely) understood.

When we got to the turn-around point, it started to rain – rather a lot more than the 0-2mm forecast. It bucketed down most of the 20km home and we were completely soaked. At various points I could barely see. Thankfully the bikes were up to it and we arrived home unscathed to possibly the best hot shower I’ve ever had! It took quite a long time to defrost.

And then it was back to the InformationSuperhighway to grab a long-sleeved thermal base layer, some winter gloves and a merino necktube that I should be able to pull over my face.

Before the torrential ran, I managed a couple of photos:

All geared up!

I was really skeptical of padded cycling pants. I was wrong, they are genius to ride in, though when standing up feel rather like wearing a really giant sanitary pad. I bought the kind with a bib – this is REALLY great. I have a long torso and shirts tend to ride up and show my back and belly, which no-one needs to see, plus excellent for keeping toasty.

I probably need a more racy helmet, but spending is on hold for a little while.

xxx

Botany Bay all bleak and beautiful and deserted. So different to the summer.

A super-quiet night and peaceful evening for me and the kitties while everyone is out watching the ducks.

We have a bike ride tomorrow, so I was carb loading at dinner – penne with a teaspoon of stir-through chili sauce. Yikes! I am a big fan of spicy food, but this was insanely hot. Fortunately there was enough milk and chocolate in the house to soothe my burned palate.

There was chocolate in the house because I’ve been eating way, way too much over the past couple of weeks – mostly as a wine alternative. It has been pretty action packed at SML, we’ve been getting home late, it has been cold &etc. And I’m totally fine with that BUT this is my last weekend of indulgence – the chocolate thing is getting way out of hand and has the potential to unravel all my good health. I do kind of enjoy a deprivation challenge.

Otherwise this evening, I pottered, watched old episodes of Midsomer Murders and prepared a terribly pedestrian, but satisfying Action Items list:

✚ Bike ride
✚ Sugru: glove holder, vacuum
✚ Fix table on top balcony
✚ Run: 5km
✚ Vacuum stairs
✚ Tidy
✚ Dye eye-brows
✚ Water outdoor plants
✚ Knit couple of pattern repeats of scarf
✚ Buy kitty food
✚ Face scrub / face mask
✚ Worky-work
✚ Read 2hrs War and Peace
✚ Grab last of Joan’s belongings
✚ Fold laundry / ironing
✚ Write that list of blog posts (there’s a bunch of stuff I keep meaning to post, but the recent very late-night posting means I have very little left in the brain when the time comes to write)
✚ Stop eating chocolate
✚ Make ikea bread (I have no idea why I impulse bought bread mix while at ikea with Joan last weekend)
✚ Complete 1 chapter of cross-word for dummies book
✚ There was something else, but it has escaped me – I think this should be enough to be going on with.

babykitty plans her attack

I mentioned here that I realised I’d really bought into the whole “productivity as validation of my worth” thing and so was planning to try going through last weekend without an Action Items list.

I really was not a huge fan of this unstructured time at all, I’ve discovered I find having a list and planning really quite satisfying and kind of comforting. But it was definitely worth the experiment. The only time I don’t enjoy having a plan is when on holiday – then I just want to drift.

This weekend I am going to make All The Lists and do All The Things. I have the evening to myself on Friday night – Joe/Frank working at, and Don, Joan and Bessie going to the Duck’s game – so I can make even more lists!

xxx

This is totally the worst time of year for exercise. I want to sleep more, it is cold and dark – I have no will to get outside during the week. 

I’m still managing the daily push-ups (59 – woo!), but the 100 sit-ups and squats have been in absentia for a couple of weeks and I’m only getting in one run and a cycle or pilates class on the weekend. Of course this is having the expected grumpifying effect. 

So to counter it a bit, I did my 100 sit-ups this evening and will try to make getting some exercise in the evening a priority if I can’t squeeze it in first thing. I have a fun run next weekend which I am woefully under-prepared for, so I’d best try and squeeze in some cardio during the week too.

hopscotch appears to be the thing in the ‘hood

I’m typing this on a tiny bluetooth keyboard attached to my adorable ipad mini – apart from my fingers getting accustomed to slightly condensed key positions, I think it will prove much superior for posting from bed (as is my recent habit) than the onscreen keyboard. The combination of mini and keyboard is roughly 80,000 times lighter than my laptop, so I can see myself using this quite a bit. The fingers keep reaching for the non-existent trackpad, but will adjust soon enough, I’m sure.

Oooh! I wonder if I could also pair this with my phone? Will report back.

xxx

Winterish weather has finally made an appearance – I actually had to wear track-pants, socks and a jumper to bed last night because it was so cold. Of course this meant that I woke up in the middle of the night with a core temperature of around 150oC and had to divest myself of all the layers so I could sleep.

I’ve busted out the coat, scarf and gloves in the last two days – and have been resoundingly mocked by a certain nameless boss (“it’s not that cold”, “you ladies … ” &etc). But hey, I thankfully no longer have much body fat to keep me warm, plus I’m an old lady and they’re always cold. 

Next stop – the heaters. And maybe some thick curtains for the dining area, because despite the thick walls the cold seeps in quite a bit.

Until today, I think it had been a bit over five months since I took my kindle and sat in the park at lunch for a good read.

Bobs is a bit of a tyrant, so lengthy lunches are kind of frowned on and mostly I’ve been using my time to undertake personal admin tasks or to shop, which my bank account probably does not thank me for.

I was surprised to find the park is all sorts of torn up with trucks and diggers everywhere, so it was not the most soothing of environments, but Holy!Goodness! it was so nice to get away and bury myself in a book. And I think very good for my mental health.

I’ve been wondering why I powered through dozens of books last year and I think I have my answer – setting aside an hour(ish) a day for uninterrupted reading really makes a difference.

I’ve resolved to try and do this at least once a week – which will be quite the challenge now that the (relatively) colder weather is upon us.

neighbourhood games

Our fantastic electrician¹ popped around this afternoon to check out the melted outlet and the rest of the wiring and such. Fortunately everything is all good and he installed a lovely 4 plug outlet in place of the melted 2 plug one.

PSA: don’t plug your clothes dryer into a powerboard / powerstrip, folks!

Ours had been plugged into the same powerboard for almost 4 years, but it was one of those ticking timebomb style situations. Fortunately ThePalace(OfLove) is made from brick and not wood (or straw) or it could have ended quite nastily. Eeeep!

Of course now I’m on the lookout for potential hazards and with my usual over the top approach figure we could probably do with having another fire blanket or two around the place given we have so many floors.

¹seriously, hit me up if you’re in the inner west and need a recommendation

Today Don and I took in another Pilates class – which was a little more challenging than our first. Same class, same teacher, but the combination of exercises was killer.

Did a bunch of tidying and laundry, packed the fans away and grabbed the heaters out. Don scrubbed the bathroom to within an inch of its life.

I cooked a rather nice slow cooked  Mexican beef from an ABC delicious book the name of which currently escapes me and which I am not going downstairs right now to identify (will fill in the blanks later). <edited to add> it is ABC delicious: love to eat (great book!)

I workly worked for a good few hours to try to catch up on admin tasks (currently is quite mad, though when is it not?).

And I are way too much ikea chocolate.

And this happened:

Why yes, that is a melted power outlet. Fortunately the circuit breaker did its job!

It looks like the clothes dryer was the culprit, most probably because it was plugged into a power board and not directly into the outlet.

Will organise our lovely electrician to come and diagnose.

In other news, I survived the weekend without an Action Items list, but I can’t say I’m a fan.

Back when we were in Hobart in 2014, we bought an amazing tin of hot paprika and have not been able to locate another.

The tin did have an importer label on it and it was in Fitzroy, so when we were in Melbourne made the very pleasant (and lengthy) walk to casa iberica.

Holy!Goodness! it was paradise! Why have we nothing like this in Sydney anymore?. We restrained ourselves quite a bit and came back with a wee haul (that tapatio sauce is crazy-good):

And now we have a full set of los novios! I love these containers to death.

But sadly no replacement for the picante. In the interim we’ll have to full that container with another brand.

I’ve still got that brooding tension headache. So I’ve escaped upstairs away from Don and Bessie who have spent the last couple of hours screaming at the television (Joe/Frank has contained his yelling to typing on the InformationSuperhighway) – it’s a very, very tight game – go ducks!

I have no idea the source of the headache. It does coincide with the teetotalling, Don’s theory is that perhaps my body is re-finding equilibrium. If that is it, I do wish it would hurry up and get there.

I’m thrilled it is the weekend, it has been a bit of a crazy week (aren’t they all?)

xxx

Before we left for our weekend in Melbourne, Bessie gave me this excellent book for mother’s day. The series fills me with delight.

From my favourite page:

“Don’t forget your scarf, Scott,” says his mum.
Scott has not forgotten his scarf in years. He is 46.

Of course I absolutely don’t know anyone at all like that.

Bessie discovered this intriguing piece of I’m-not-sure-what in the letterbox today.

One one side is what looks like a colour printout of a scanned newspaper photograph of a pod of dolphins

And on the other side, well …

18 May

I already have got the inner conviction and deep gut feeling – even though I’m 21 years old that Mr Malcolm Turnbull is going to win the July 2016 election by a very small lead. I feel disappointed but I bet this inner conviction will come true! Next day he’ll be seen grinning widely in newspapers.

Just. What?

(Dear possibly unhinged old person, you’re fooling no-one with your claims of being 21)

Also. What?

xxx

For the uninitiated, we have a federal election coming in July. Malcolm Turnbull is the current prime minister, and is from the conservative* party. Our electorate is quite the opposite of conservative and will be an extremely tight contest between Labor and the Greens.

*conservative is relative, I suspect he could possibly be considered quite liberal in the US