I cannot even express how wonderful having alternate Fridays off is. Really the only thing more wonderful would be having every Friday off**. I’m hoping to transition to that in maybe 2024. Maybe. 2025 would be okay too.

Tomorrow I’m having the annual not-boozy lunch with Dishy Ex-Boss. I may go into the city early and buy that decent back-pack I’ve been over-researching for our week of Swiss hikes next year. Hikes makes it sound much more grand and active than it will likely be. I suspect they’ll more akin to lengthy strolls.

I have absolutely no plans for the weekend. Don is at golf both Saturday and Sunday mornings. I therefore will have much time available to me.

In those acres of time, I’ll finally attempt to wrangle photos and write some of those very much delayed crafting posts.

Otherwise extreme pottering and indolence will be my north stars.

Glorious!

♥

** of course having Monday to Friday off would be the wonderfulest of all.

Brain a little overdone after an in-office day, so enjoy this small slice of pool from Thailand.

I really would like to do more swimming this year, but despite swimming competitively in my formative years have really quite dire form these days. I’ve thought for a while now that I’d benefit from a stroke correction class, but perhaps that would kill the enjoyment I get swimming with my lazy old-lady breast-stroke.

I will ponder.

My first day back in the office for a few weeks and I managed to ignore the plentiful and delicious chocolate biscuits, which is definitely a win.

I was beginning to develop a tiny bit of an afternoon eat-my-feelings habit. May this continue tomorrow.

I saw SuperHappyFunGP today and to my surprise I was not lectured on lifestyle changes. I did come out with a prescription for thyroid medication though – a very small daily dose.

I’ll be observing the impact (or not-impact) very closely – hopefully this will not have the same crazifying effects of the steroids. Hopefully it will resolve all of my health issues – though that could be just a touch wishful.

Recording observations would possibly be a good use of those books I’ve made! The making of which I should will totally blog about.

Don and I took 8km hike this morning in the Royal National Park. The weather was overcast and slightly humid, and it was very excellent to be out amongst it and to get some walking practice in.

magnificent

We took along our hiking sticks, but the trail was quite over-grown and we frequently became tangled. They are still extremely useful to hold back vegetation and help scramble up rocks.

I was certain we’d taken part of the trail before, so when we arrived home I trawled through the blog archives and old photos and realised it was in 2009!

November 2022 vs March 2009

Little had changed in almost 14 years – though there was quite a bit more erosion in some sections and definitely more water in the ponds after the insane rains of recent seasons. And almost 14 years later I still yelled out “Miranda!”** when Don climbed those pictured rocks, because it will never get tired.

Next time we hike we need to take along (at a minimum) snacks, more water and insect repellent. We were fortunate not to be attacked by flies and bugs – but that’s surely not going to continue through summer.

♥

** Picnic at Hanging Rock

I spent a little time today on the InformationSuperhighway investigating what creative classes I might undertake in 2023.

Maybe it’s that “don’t plan, relax!” thing that my brain has going on right now, but I didn’t find much that appealed to or inspired me. I suspect this is because I’ve smashed quite a few things in this year and have now done almost everything on offer around me.

I’d like to investigate weaving (fabric and possibly basket)**, possibly slip casting pottery (or maybe have another crack at wheel at a different studio), maybe stained glass (definitely only maybe). I’d like to make a quilt, but does that really need a class?

I’m sure things will reveal themselves eventually.

What I did find and utterly adored the idea of was ace camps. I never ever in a billion years thought I would want to do any sort of group travel (in a trillion years!) but dyeing in Bali or block printing and embroidery in Jaipur both look absolutely incredible.

While this is not something for next year, maybe my excitement is telling me that I need to think bigger than I am currently thinking.

♥

** not easy to find either of these

We arrived home this morning with a complete absence of fuss.

While we were away in paradise, I received a letter from the National Cervical Screening Program that was full of “our records show it has been more than 5 years since your last pap smear! it is really important to have one! make an appointment today!”. So I logged onto the government health portal this afternoon to request that they please stop sending me reminders as it’s now over 10 years since I’ve actually had a cervix to torture.

While on the portal I noticed the results of my recent blood tests had been uploaded by the pathology company.

So of course, rather than wait for an appointment SuperHappyFunGP, I plunged in! There was a quite a bit of interpretation required across the 12 documents, and some recourse to Dr Google, which is always a dangerous thing.

In excellent news:
+ I’m not allergic to anything I was tested for
+ I don’t have h.pylori

In rather less excellent news:
+ I have elevated TSH (sluggish thyroid)
+ I have high good and high bad cholesterol
+ I have low transferrin (something iron-y?)
+ I have high eGFR (though pathologist notes to exercise caution when interpreting the number)

I see SuperHappyFunGP on Monday to discuss. I see some lifestyle changes in my future.

Currently on plane waiting for take-off – so this will be rather quick.

During my 2 hour massage (!) on Monday I’d planned to use the time reflecting on my intentions for 2023 and the rapidly approaching big 55 – can’t escape that I’m now in the mid-50s!

The reflection didn’t happen – my brain resisted and wanted quiet.

Quite an astonishing development!

And just like that, it’s the last night of our holiday!

What a lovely, nourishing and peaceful break it has been.

Today while Don golfed, I breakfasted (I’m really going to miss cakes for breakfast), swam in the pool, tooled around the shops and lunched with Vincenzo (former protege – lovely to see him).

I then lazed around the room until dinner reading A visit from the Goon Squad – which I am absolutely loving.** I slightly regret not going to the pool in the afternoon, but I’ll attempt to get another visit in before I leave.

another excellent pool

Don is coming down with a-cold-hopefully-not-covid. I am putting my scratchy throat down to pollution and air-conditioning.

♥

** I started reading The Candy House first, but a couple of chapters in realised my experience would be better if I read Goon Squad before it. Recommend!

I completed my first (and only) sashiko project the last time we were in Thailand.

I found it a really fun holiday project, so had acquired a couple more printed panels intended to take along on the 2020 holiday – which of course did not go ahead. And they sat in the cupboard almost forgotten for a few years.

Fortunately by some small miracle I remembered they were there and brought one along on this trip.

It’s definitely still a nice quick project with a pleasing outcome, but perhaps not as fun as my first. I think I’d prefer something with a little more room for a little more creative expression – but perhaps that is a bit of a stretch for a short beachside holiday!

♥

** sung to the tune of the dire straits song