Dry July

I never thought I would say this but............

I'm off the Grog!!!

Well, for the month of July I am anyway.
I'll be raising money for cancer patients in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Oncology Ward here in S. A., to buy things for there immediate comfort like beds, wheelchairs, facilities for relaxation and comfort while undergoing treatment - things like that.
I'm really excited about the challenge and looking forward to raising money for the hospital, so if any of you would like to make a donation just go to
https://dryjuly.com/profiles/fayefarnden
You can also leave me an encouraging message!!
I hope you'll all consider helping this really good cause.
Don't forget that any donation over $2 is tax deductible.
Thanks in advance everyone!

Almost Pain Free........ Almost

I didn't realise how bad I felt till I didn't any more.

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned in earlier posts about how much my life has changed in the last 18 months, I don't really want to bore you with all the "why's & wherefore's" again. Let's just agree that when I say "change" I mean "CHANGE!!!!!", like a complete 180!

I used to be really fit. I would workout regularly - Pilates, Yoga, Body-Balance, Yogalates, Walking, Cycling, Jogging, Weight-Training........... I'm sure you know someone who is like I used to be. Then came "The Turn Around".........

In the last 18 months I've done hardly any of those things and my body has siezed up. Quite literally siezed up. With the end result being incredible pain in my back, legs, feet, shoulder and neck.

I've started going to the chiropractor again, but at $42 week, it's not going to be able to be a regular, on-going thing for me. Anyway, the results haven't been that good (not as good as I was hoping for anyway).

So I decided to get a bit pro-active here (instead of re-active) and try to take back control of my body again. My weight-gain is totally out-of-control and my fitness & flexibility seem to no longer exist. If I can't seem to get motivated to do this for my health and appearance I'm at the point where I'm ready to do it for the pain relief.

I've been doing the Leslie Sansone 2 mile (all I can handle in my present state - a far cry from my previous fitness levels!) for the last couple of weeks, and yesterday I did some back strengthening Yoga. Well...........

You should've heard the sound effects!!

I had so much crackin' & clickin' & crunchin' going on in my spine - it sounded like it was cracker night!!

The relief was so amazing and instant and intense -I simply couldn't believe it!

Usually when I get home from work I can barely get up the two front steps because my hammies are so tight and my legs and feet are aching so much. I can hardly get my arms above my head to take my top off and get my jammies on. I am so completely exhausted and drained that I can hardly make a cup of tea.

But Yesterday..............

The awful pressure behind my eyes was gone, the rushing in my ears was gone, I actually got to the end of the day and still felt like I had something left in me. I got home and actually thought about baking a cake (I didn't bake it, but I did complete another little project). I made it up the front steps ok and was probably about 80% pain free ALL DAY!!!

This morning when I woke up I bounded out of bed like a regular person instead of like a crippled-up wreck. I've just done my 2-mile walk and some posture pilates and I'm about to do the back strengthening yoga workout as soon as I finish this.

I've still got a ways to go but Oh God.. I'm so optimisic that I might be able to get back to where I was fitness and flexibility wise.

Will keep you posted.

RIP Farrah and Michael.

There goes my youth

Ho-Hum

Well, another un-eventful week. Just work and not much else. Am getting really bored with this place.

I cut my hair again.

My budget isn't doing too good iether, $250 short for the month already. It's going to be hard to get 'in advance' with phone and lights while rego is looming and still manage my 10% savings, but I've got 3 more paydays for the month (2 bakery and 1 take-away) so hopefully I'll be able to catch it all up. $700/month off the bloody credit card is a big ask too, but that's what is required if I'm going to have it paid out by the end of the year.

Am having a really lazy day today, well till 4 o'clock anyway, that's when I go to work. Got plenty I should be doing but just can't get motivated. Got a brew that needs to be bottled, spare room needs sorting out and tidying up, need to do some MAJOR hair removal, bed sheets need to be changed, and yet I'm still sitting around in my jammies at 12.45 with no energy to do any of it!

Too Bad, I say. The hair removal doesn't really matter because nobody is going to be feeling my hairy legs anyway, being too slack to bottle the brew is probably going to be really good for my waistline, and I'm pretty sure spare rooms that look like mine are the reason why doors were invented. LOL

So stuff everything... I'm off to raid the fridge

Seeya

My Trip Home

Went home to Wallaroo for a 5 day break. I hate the 4 1/2 hour drive. This is me just leaving....
and this is me after a really revolting latte...........
and this is me after about 3 hours....... A bit Grumpy!

But once I get past Port August and start heading down the other side of Spencers Gulf things start looking up. My beautiful Flinders Ranges...............

And around about Mambray Creek is my favourite section of the whole drive - Spencers Gulf on the right and the Flinders Ranges on the left......... Both so close you can practically lean out the window of the car and touch them...... I love it!


I called into Port Pirie to visit an old school friend, Stacey, stayed and had a couple of beers and a bit of a catch up. I also went to the cemetary and visited my Dad. Did some shopping - got a couple really good bargains, like a FREE HAIR COLOUR!! It was the checkout chicks fault (she wasn't concentrating) and NO! I did'nt say anything - I got out of there as quick as I could. I figured KMart could absorb my $30 hair colour and not even notice. WOOHOO





Payed a visit to my former belly-dancing teacher, Nita. Can you believe she's 62 years old?!?! What a woman! She's so vibrant and interested in everything and a bit of a health nut....... Probably a few lessons to be learnt there Faye....Ya think?!







Visited my friend Karyn and her kids Kara and Damon. Poor Damon had broken his ankle the day before I got there and was in a fair bit of pain, poor bugger. Kara, Karyn & I played wii all night and Kara took this "diet before-shot" of me....I didn't realise just how fat I really was till I saw this pic. OMG

Karyn has been on Tony Ferguson and lost about 20kg, and looks bloody terrific! Am jealous



My special buddy Warren came up from Adelaide to see me. That was lovely of him





Plenty more happened too. There was a birth, Hello Chiara, Declan and Tahlia and new baby Miley, I even got to have a lovely long nurse of her!
Spending time with Aunty Pat and Uncle Graham was really special, one part of the piece she was even tucking a blanky around me as I was laying on the lounge watching tv..... definitely going back for more of that. Catching up with Andrea was great, even though she is punishingly busy with the business she still found time to have a couple drinks and a bit of a chinwag... that meant a lot to me too.

I went past the house I used to live in, the one that had all the overwhelming and powerful memories that I could no longer live with, the one that I had to leave........... I also visited a few other special places and laid an old ghost to rest. It was 9 months coming, but it was time. All I have to do now is get the guts to delete his number from my phone and stop answering his texts and calls.......... I think I'm nearly ready.

So that old saying really is true:
If something doesn't kill you, maybe it really does make you stronger.
I've made a lot of really dumb decisions and bad choices over the last 18 months or so..... but I don't think coming to the Eyre peninsula was one of them. The Yorke Peninsula was really good to me, I was there for 15 years. There's no reason why that can't happen again over here on the Eyre Peninsula - I just have to give it time.

I miss my friends but visiting is really good and who knows....... maybe they will come and visit me!! That would be BRILL!!! And there's always next year to go home again. WOOHOO!! I love Holidays!

My Bathroom Just Keeps Getting Cheaper!!

I can't believe how much money I'm saving in the bathroom. I'm going to have to work out exactly how much I am actually saving on a fortnightly basis and start actively SAVING that money by putting it into my land account.
Since I moved here to Arno Bay I have:
* used a crystal deodorant for an initial outlay of $7 and it looks hardly gone at all.......will last years I reckon
* been using cornflour as talcum powder for an initial outlay of $6 for 5kg and $2.50 for shaker..................again, will last years & years, don't reckon I will EVER have to buy it again
* using microfibre cloth as cleanser and exfoliater for an initial outlay of $1.50 for 2...........I bought spares but keep giving them away LOL
* using witchazel as a toner for an initial outlay of $4 for 250ml.........I put it into an old Dermalogica atomiser and it just keeps going on & on & on
* ditched all my exxy moisturisers and now use Cetaphyl exclusively for an initial outlay of $20 for 500 ml.........bottle is only about 2 cm down, I reckon it'll be good for at least a year
* Emjoi for hair removal for an initial outlay of $120............a smooth finish identical to waxing from the beautician (not that there are any around here anyway so also factor in the fuel to get to town for the waxing!!)
* cutting and colouring my own hair for a cost of about $30 every 2 months

This weekend I have made shower gel. I found a cake of Body Shop pink grapefruit soap. So I grated it in the food processor, then added it to just a bit less than 1 litre of water and 2 tablespoons of glycerine and melted it altogether over low heat. I also added some sorbolene cream and a tiny drop of red food colour. Then I put it into my 1 litre pumppack and VOILA!! Shower Gel!!
I looked it all up on line and the cake of soap costs $4.95 from the body shop and for 250mls of pink grapefruit showergel they want $12.95 I made 1 litre for a hair over $5
WOOHOO
I also made a body scrub. 1 cup of olive oil, 1 cup of cooking salt, 1/2 cup of lemon juice and some food colouring. Just step out from under the direct flow of the water and appy, then rinse off. Luscious! Am going to add some essential oil when I get some nice ones.
AND I made some vanilla oil .......... just added some vanilla pods to baby oil.... flick as much water off your body as possible then apply a small amount, then blot yourself dry with a towel. Skin feels so soft
A-A-AND I also added some vanilla pods to a bottle of sorbolene cream and the smell is absolutely divine.
So these are all tried and tested money savers that really do work. You can all go ahead and try any of these tips with absolute confidence. Enjoy the extra cash you will have in your pocket!
Next time I'll tell you all about my laundry
Cheers

A Decision Has Been Made!

Phew!!!
What a busy week!
Have done 72 hours. Wish I could again too because next week I'm back to a boring 30 hours for the week.
I'm really lucky to have 2 jobs that I enjoy doing and 2 bosses that I really like and respect and admire. Not many people can say that about ONE job, let alone two.

Busy Days - Quiet Nights

Nothing to blog about.
Boss is away again so am "minding the store".......... Literally! LOL
Long days.
Strangely tho, am having a lot of trouble sleeping, despite being exhausted at night. Hmmmm, don't know what's going on there.
Till next week

my current hairdo

I just realised I haven't put up any pics of my new head.

Am so sick of straightening every day, I've decided to go 'au naturale' and rock the curls for a while

I can't believe how old and matronly I look

I know I'm 47, but Jeez........... Do I hafta look it?!?!?!?

Go the Vego!!!!

In my never ending quest for the ultimate diet food I have come up with -
Soynuts
1 cup soya beans soaked in at least 3 cups water for 8 - 12 hours
Drain & rinse, then blot with paper towel to remove excess moisture
Put into large freezer bag and add
1 tsp oil
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
salt 'n' pepper
Combine
Poor onto baking sheet in a single layer and bake at moderately high (375 - 390 degrees) for 15 minutes then stir
Bake for 5 more minutes then stir again.
Continue baking and stirring at 5 minute intervals for up to 45 minutes or so.
The length of cooking time depends on the amount of fluid the bean absorbs, this is all very variable, just make sure you mind the 5 minute intervals and don't let the beans burn.
Cool, divide into 40g servings and enjoy!!
A Warning
Be sure to cook the beans till they are crunchy as they are not very nice if they are under-done and chewy
This is NOT a warning!!
I bought several 1kg bags of soya beans for $2 a bag
Not taking into account the beans I wasted while experimenting to get this recipe right - a really, REALLY cheap and EXTREMELY healthy snack
Tomorrow.............. My cheap equivalent to weightwatchers 'Roasties'
Cya

Sunday Drive

I went for a little drive today. Did you know that May Gibbs (author of the Gumnut Babies) lived around here? The Gibbs family migrated here from England in June, 1881, when May was 4 years old. They settled on a property near Franklin River. Times were hard though, with the area being in the grip of a crippling drought. In 1885, when May was 8, the family walked off their property and moved to Norwood in Adelaide, then later that same year they moved to Harvey in Western Australia; then when she was 10, to Perth. It was during these formative years that the Gumnut Babies were starting to born.

A memorial cairn is on the Birdseye Highway just outside of Cowell, on the way to Cleve.

This is the cairn

and this is the area surrounding the memorial -

A bit further along, still heading towards Cleve, you can see the Mount Millar Wind Farm

The wind farm, previously called Yabmana, is between Cowell and Cleve, with 35 turbines covering a stretch of hilltops about 7km's in length. The farm can generate enough electricity to meet the needs of 36,000 average households. The turbines at Mt Millar are different to other windfarms because they don't have gearboxes and that is why they are larger than at other farms.

I love this stuff - it's so interesting!

Next weekend I might go to Darke Peakand see if I can get to the top of Carrapee Hill (aka Crappy Hill LOL). There is a fair bit to see around here, so I guess I better get my skates on and start looking at it!!

My Other Job

Started my 2nd job today, at the bakery/cafe/deli in Cleve, 25 km away from Arno Bay.
LU-U-URVED IT!!!
I worked in a very busy, top-class bakery when I was in Wallaroo on the Yorke Peninsula.
While this bakery is not on quite as big a scale, I gotta hand it to Trudy (my new boss) - bloody hell..... she's doin' a shit-hot job of it all!!!!
Everything is baked on site.
I had one of her pasties today, as good as what I'm used to on the other side.
She also has a really good menu for the cafe style meals - wraps, foccacias & burgers as well as sandwiches and rolls (and, of course, the pastries). She even has bbq chickens!! All the bread, rolls, foccacia, etc. is all baked on site as well. AND HER BUNS................. OMIGOD!! They look bloody fantastic. Hope I never weaken & eat one LOL!!!!
So here's to working 7 days a week (my goal - Hey! I have no life & nothing better to do!!)
Cheers

Coffin Bay & Gallipoli Beach

A friend and her kids came from Moonta (Yorke Peninsula) to Coffin Bay (Eyre Peninsula) for a holiday last week. I managed to spend the day with them on Friday. I haven't seen them for 8 months. It was really great to catch up and hang out together for a while.

Coffin Bay is about 45 km's northwest of Port Lincoln, with a permanent population of 600, that swells to about 4,000 in the summer months. Main industries are professional fishing and the famous Oyster Leases within the bay system.

We went for a drive to Farm Beach

It was quite cold and very windy. Perfect conditions for...............

From there we went on to Gallipili Beach, where the film Gallipoli (starring Mel Gibson) was made.

It was so breathtakingly beautiful, and I couldn't believe how high the cliffs were. I know it wasn't the REAL Gallipoli, but we did pause and we were all quite thoughtful about what the real thing must have been like. It was all quite timely, as it was the day before Anzac Day.

The day was finished off with some Arno Bay snapper that was cooked to perfection by Karyn, some red-hot local wine, and a really good game of Uno with Kara and Damon. Then a very late night with lots of giggling and plenty of fart-humour between me and the kids. LOL
Thanks Kayleen, Dimitri and Karrissima - alias Karyn, Damon & Kara for sharing your holiday with me. I had a top day. XOXOXO

No Cause For Celebration

Day off today and I did Nothing

That's right.......
Absolutely NOTHING

Didn't even crawl out of my jammies, much less the front door.

And you know what?

It feels great!!!!!!!!

Hair Update

I wasn't very happy with the back of my hair so I had another go at it today

And now I think I am happy with it

Wanted to keep a bit more length than I have, but it will grow quickly enough

So, a before shot

Now - After

That's all for now

Bye

Some Photos

Here it is, as promised, a pic of my VERY CHEAP hairstyle!!

The back is a little bit scruffy, but I reckon I did a bloody good job!

These pics are of my one of my favourite spots, the Creek Mouth, taken at sunrise. All this is just a 10 minute stroll from my house.

And this is what I see frommy front door .

And that's all I have time for today.

Off to work now

Bye

It's Make-Over Time!!

Yeah, yeah....... I know!!
It's been a while.
Not much has been happening though, so nobody's missing anything. Haha
I've been continuing with my ss efforts tho, AND HOW!
I had a massive bake-up and filled my freezer with lots of healthy, portion-controlled Too Good to be True meals (about 6 weeks worth!!) And I've done a meal plan. And I'm getting by on 10 bucks a week. And today I'm making some sweet and savoury snacks, also STGTBT. I've already made a batch of mini quiches (75 cals each) and I'm not done yet. Just gotta go thru my pantry and figure out what I have on hand to make my next creation.
I also have written up a freezer and pantry inventory so I can go shopping from there instead of the supermarket, especially for this month (my $10 challenge month). I'm actually very surprised at how much I do have on hand, t'is a very good feeling because I won't be getting as many hours after Easter when things go quiet.
Speaking of work, the boss took a week off and left me in charge!! I was so flattered that they asked me and trusted me enough to do it. I haven't been there that long really, only 6 months. So I guess it's all working out for me on that front.
I've done a very un-ss thing and hired a treadmill for 3 months. The reason? I'M GOING HOME!!! Only for a few days, at the end of May. And a very special friend is going to come to Wallaroo from Adelaide to spend the weekend with me. He hasn't seen me since I left and I certainly don't want him to see me like this (20 odd kg overweight), so I'm busy dieting like a mad thing and treadmilling and doing abs and all that. So that's why the expense of the treadmill - I know that when Warren and I hmhmm...... you know (winkwink), it'll be worth EVERY penny. LOL
I got a little crazy last night. I started out colouring my hair, then I streaked it. Looking good so far. Then I got REALLY crazy and didn't just trim the ends - I FULLY CUT IT ALL OFF!!!! I've gone from bra-length to a just above the collar bob. OMG!!! It looks fantastic, I just can't believe how great it turned out. Tomorrow when I've got some make-up on and look a bit better than I do just now, I'll take a pic and post it.
Okay, I think that's about it for now, been going on long enough. Hope you're all well and healthy and happy.
If I don't get a chance to post again this week, would just like to wish you all a very happy Easter. Drive safe everyone.

She's BA-A-A-ACK!!!

After almost 5 long weeks and $3000, my little car has finally come home!!!
I had to get nasty to get a result though, which is a pretty bad state of affairs.
I rang the mechanic (read Bloody No-Hoper!!) on Monday and told him 'enough is enough already!' and that if I didn't have the car back by Friday I was going to ring Consumer Affairs. So 2 days later........... she's miraculously fixed! The bastards.
Anyway, she's home and I don't feel so trapped.
And I tell you what...... They're going to be waiting 4 weeks for their money! See how THEY like it!!!
WOOHOO
Cheers
Faye

I Feel Radiant!!

Yep! Like I said........ I Feel Really Bloody Good today!
For the first time in ages my back doesn't hurt.
To make a short story long (hehe), it's been a pretty crummy year for me. In March last year I broke up with the love-of-my-life (a mutual decision but seriously painful none-the-less), I quit a job that was probably really good, but I was restless, took another job that I thought would be exciting and fun but turned out to be an absolute nightmare (was the worst 6 months of my life). Moved to Cleve. Then after about 5, moved here to Arno Bay. See a pattern here people?!
Oh, and I also quit smoking.
So consequently it's been a year since I've felt any good about myself. I've not exercised in all that time, I've eaten and drunk a whole pile of crappy stuff, I've forgotten how healthy and fit I used to be. And my body has slowly but surely been shutting down.
This last couple of weeks I've started walking again and been eating a lot healthier. This morning I started doing some basic pilates again (just the 'series of 5') and did a serious stretch workout like I used to do a year ago.
And Lo! The vertebra have parted!! My lower back feels the free-est it has in months and I feel like I can actually breath again!
I've been menu planning with my Symply Too Good to be True cook books and keeping a food diary and counting calories and feel so good again. I've lost a lot of weight before and I know it's not rocket science, it really IS just basic maths - Calories In v Calories Out.
I'm hoping too that some regular walking and a dramatic weightloss will help my poor sore knees (remember the fall down the stairs in January? Well, they still hurt, A LOT!)
Have a day off tomorrow so I'm going to set up my gym equipment to a mini circuit in the spare room. I can't do the fit balls yet because WITHOUT A CAR (STILL !) I can't get them pumped up. But thats okay, I've got plenty of stuff that I can use in the meantime.
So, Cheers everyone, Have a good day

Welcome

Hello cat from simple savings aka Little Miss.
And hello to you too Nutmeg.
Welcome to my blog.
Most of it pretty mundane stuff, but hey......... it's my life and it is what it is.
I hope you both will make comments and have some input.
Little Miss - do you have a family? Where are you from? If you're doing the $21 Challenge or the No Spending in March Challenge let me know. It would be good to have some input from other like-minded souls. I wouldn't mind having some-one in my corner for this too. It's my first one and I've gone the double-whammy with both of them at once.
It's going to be a long 6 months till I get these car repairs paid for.
Cheers