here we go....

Well, back to work tomorrow, cant believe its the 5th January 2010 already....is this an indication its going to be another fast year?

The country's weather is going crazy...we are flooding here in Queensland and Northern NSW and Perth in WA is on fire...insane. We needed a bit of rain in Queensland but we didn't need as much as we got! It rained for about 6 hours straight! Now the humidity is blanketing everyone like a wet blanket!

I don't generally like the rain but the rain here is different, for those of you who have never experienced monsoon type rain, its really quite pleasant. The rain is warm and a welcome relief when it is so hot. I don't like the rain and cold weather combinations!

Anyway, I thought I would check in and say hi to those that read my blog, my holiday is over and now it is full steam ahead with work.

Its going to be a great year!

Heading towards New Year

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and spent the day in your own special way. As for the Boxing day sales.....well I think to myself, have people not had enough of shopping??? Obviously not!

I really missed the cold weather this Christmas, I cant get over how much this Christmas was different to the many I spent in USA! I can hear my friends in USA and UK saying I must be mad (and my Australian friends mumbling under their breath....well go back to USA)! I hope you are all OK with the terrible weather that you have been experiencing, according to our news channels you are all snowed in...especially Washington DC...hope your Harley is all tucked in, warm and dry BHD!! Be safe on the roads with the terrible weather, mother nature is a hard woman to deal with sometimes!

The next big thing to celebrate is the New Year. I have so many plans for the upcoming year, so many goals to reach and excited at the thought that 2010 will be the year I buy my new motorbike, my property, plant crops, become a personal trainer and touch many people's lives.....thats going to be my new years resolution...to touch people's lives in a positive way. When I think back I remember those people who touched my life and how they mad me feel, thankyou.

May the New Year be good to you all, may new friendships be formed, old ones rekindled and present ones strengthened. Be kind to yourselves and others, live life like its your last day here to make a difference to someone, and remember you are a beautiful person and loved dearly.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Well, tis the season and I am finding it very hard to get in the spirit.......it might be because it is 34C and sunny outside!

I must admit, I do find it hard to get in the Christmas spirit when it is so warm outside, it doesn't seem right!

I was just looking at one of my friend's blogs and he has photos of the snow and his beautiful house with his tree in the window and realised I am really missing the spirit of Christmas which I experienced when I was in the USA!

My sister also sent me photos of her garden covered in snow and her beautiful decorations.......then I look outside my apartment and see burnt brown grass and blinding sunshine!!! Not one Christmas tree or bauble in sight!! LOL

We had our company Christmas do last week, we went to the Summit restaurant at the top of Mount Cootha in Brisbane, fabulous view and food and wine, it was good to meet all the wives of the guys I work with. To save me driving all the way back to the Sunshine Coast I stayed in a cute little hotel in Brisbane run by a couple of guys who were absolutely delightful, the rooms were so tastefully decorated and the whole place had a really nice feel to it. I will certainly stay there again.

Anyway, Merry Christmas to everyone, stay safe, eat wisely and drink responsibly...and remember what Christmas is all about.

Busy Day

Spent a couple of hours at the beach today, I didn't plan on spending that much time there but I couldn't stop watching the Surf Life Savers. There was a bit of a wind today with temperatures around 31C so everyone was cooling off at the beach appreciative of the cool breeze coming off the ocean. Most people don't realise when there is a bit of wind there are some severe 'rips' in the ocean...there are quite a few people who learned that today!

Everyone is advised to swim within the flags, thats where the Life Savers patrol, but of course you get a smart ass, or two, who think that the warnings dont apply to them. There was a group of people who decided they wanted to swim out of the flagged area, the Surf Life Savers attracted their attention and advised them to swim within the flags, the group reluctantly wandered over to the flagged area but it wasn't long before they decided they wanted to body surf the big waves without a board.....we can all see what's coming, can't we? Yup, one of those idiots got caught in a rip and couldn't help himself, he was constantly pulled under and swept along underwater surfacing further out to sea. The group started panicking and yelling to the Life Savers for help, the Life Savers did what they had to do.....they are such strong swimmers.....they managed to get to the guy and bring him in, he was pretty shook up when he arrived back on the beach and somewhat embarrassed....those people should have to pay a fine for that as they were already warned, but thats not the way it goes unfortunately.

The Life savers were also dealing with little kids with their body boards who were drifting out of the flagged area and unable to get back in.

There were a few stingers around today, blown in from out at sea with the wind, and the Life Savers had to administer first aid to those people with stings. They had a busy day and I just lay there watching them......and burning in the sun, which I didn't realise until I got home and jumped in the shower!!

The Life Savers are volunteers, they run classes for kids to teach them to swim, they have the 'little nippers' club which is for young kids training to be Life savers. The majority of Life Savers are teenagers and young adults who donate their weekends to patrol the beaches. I witnessed first hand today what a great job they do and what fabulous bodies they have.....I might pop back to the beach tomorrow to see if they can help me with my sunburn!!!!!!!!

just think.......

Here I am in Moree NSW following up on referrals for therapy clients. I travelled down from the Sunshine Coast on Monday morning and it was a long trip, about 8 hours.

I have seen a few clients since I have been here, there certainly is a need for the therapy in this area. These small towns seem to miss out on a lot of services which the larger towns take for granted....there isn't even a physio in the town! I visited a woman today who recently had a stroke and hasn't been able to continue with any physio since being discharged from the larger hospital which is about 100kms down the road, as a result her recovery is not progressing well. Despite the lack of facilities, this woman's spirits were high and she was very grateful for how far she has come, she had just turned 56 and said she intends on being around a while.

I did a therapy treatment for this woman and there was significant improvement in her nerve-muscle communication, her muscles relaxed enough to enable her to unclench her fist and she was so happy to be able to open her hand which has been closed into a fist during her recovery since suffering her stroke. Being able to open her hand brought this woman so much happiness and joy that it made me realise how much we take for granted about our bodies.

Just remember when you decide to go for a walk, or drink a glass of water or have something to eat or take a shower, when you sigh because you cant find a car park close to where you want, or when you have to open a closed door......remember there are people who would be so grateful to be able to open the door, to go for a walk, feed and shower themselves and be able to drink a glass of water when they are thirsty. Remember that the things we take for granted are things some people may never get the chance to experience.....be thankful.

a dip in the ocean!

Today I took myself off to the beach, its been absolutely years since I went swimming in the ocean that I forgot what fun it is. I felt like a kid........jumping over the waves, getting dumped by them, ensuring my bathers were in place before I came up for air, body surfing and all that fun stuff....next I'll be riding a board! I was having so much fun that I was laughing out loud and squealing like a girl!!!

As I lay on my towel recovering from my activity I thought to myself, how lucky am I? I live in the best place on earth, I have a great job, I'm healthy and I'm excited about life!

Its amazing what a dip in the ocean can do.......

Almost 2 months

How time flies, its been almost 2 months since I last blogged!

I have been incredibly busy, I did not realise it would take so long to get myself organised.

Here's my accomplishments:

I am in the process of a career change, a fairly major one, I am finding out. I was a nurse/midwife for over 30 years for those of you that dont know, now I am venturing into selling. I am selling this fantastic therapy which uses the concept of cycloidal vibration, in a nut shell it gets your circulation going and keeps it going! The therapy is used in a range of disciplines which include sports science, physiotherapy, orthopaedics, neonatology, occupational health, aged care etc etc. It is used by individuals that have circulatory problems, sports injuries, arthritis, major surgery, emphysema, diabetes, high blood pressure, immobility, pain, swelling...the list goes on. I have been involved with health for so many years and I have never seen anything produce such amazing results as this therapy, as you can all tell I am very excited about it.

The next accomplishment is that I have found myself a nice little 2 bedroom unit within walking distance to the beach in Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast....just in time for a scorcher of a summer we are about to have! The great advantage of being on the Sunshine Coast rather than Brisbane is the fact that I can be in the area where I want to buy my property and become involved with the community and do some networking.

These 2 major steps in my life seem as though they were never going to arrive, I felt it took so long and I was becoming demoralised and wondering why I had chosen the path I did. The desire to change my career is happening, after many many years of talking about it and I am gaining insights into myself as it unfolds, maybe I will stay in sales, maybe I wont but at the moment I am enjoying it and helping people get the therapy they need to maintain or improve their quality of life is very satisfying for me.

I move this weekend, it will be wonderful to set up house again and have all my personal belongings around me...my stuff which I shipped from USA has been sitting in the warehouse for a few weeks now and I am looking forward to seeing my stuff again! I am hoping that when I see all my motorcycle gear I will put that purchase high on the priority list now, it has been very low on the list I must confess!

I am continuing this post today, Novmber 1st...so it must now be 2 months since I blogged!

I have unpacked most of my stuff and so far so good...no breakages, well done Allied Pickfords! It is great to sleep in my own bed with my own linens and pillows, its also great to have some different clothes!!!! My apartment is now starting to look homely with my personal touches added.

I walked up to the beach today and it was hopping, the cafes were bustling with healthy fit looking people and the atmosphere was holiday like! I was walking along the beach as the sun was going down and I felt great.......its good to be home.

flu....

Everyone has been asking "where have you been?", well I'll tell you....I've been sick, I never get sick and what's worse is the fact that I have the flu in 30 - 32 degree heat! The house I am staying in right now, the 2 girls both had the flu and then I went to Melbourne and Peter had the flu..I guess I didn't stand a chance.

I have been taking it easy for the last few days, haven't been able to exercise and I feel really weak and exhausted just walking up the stairs!

I made some soup my dad used to make, his mother's old recipe, it is a vegetable soup with tons of white vinegar in it. I forgot about it but remembered yesterday and made myself a pot and have been having bowls of it every time I regain consciousness, I know I am getting better because I can now taste the vinegar.....it's a terrible soup to have if you are well as it is basically vinegar but when you are sick it seems to clear everything out!!

Hopefully I'll be up and about tomorrow, I have plans to visit the Sunshine Coast...my favourite spot to relax.

What a winter!

As most of you know it is winter here in Queensland and I bet what you didn't know is that the temperature has not gone below 22C which translates to about 74F for those of you who do not use celsius.

Based on the temperatures this winter it is going to be a long hot summer which a lot of people are not looking forward to....not me, I love the heat and humidity, although my friends are telling me I have forgotten what it's like. If it gets too hot then it will be a good excuse for me to take another trip to Melbourne or Sydney. I have yet to visit my friends in Sydney, might have to time that visit around Mardi Gras...if I can wait that long. The Sydney Dykes on Bikes are having a ball sometime in September, so that could be another excuse to visit Sydney, although I would certainly need my bike before then as they have a little scoot around the city before the ball.

Tomorrow will be 33C, gonna be a hot one....ummm what shall I wear??

still in Melbourne

I must say, I am loving Melbourne despite the cold!! It helps to have wonderful hosts, thank you Peter and Andrew.

My first night here we went to Boxhill and ate at a great Chinese restaurant, then we went to St Kilda......and those of you that have been to St Kilda know what I am going to say next.....the cake shops!!!!!!!!! I could not choose one, so I had 2 cakes and a coffee! The only other place I have seen so many delicious cake shops lining the streets is in Europe. The little shops have rickety old floor boards and small wooden tables and chairs to add to the ambience, there are big glass display cases full of every imaginable cake.

Tuesday we went to Brunswick Street to all the neat shops and cafes the weather was a bit cool and it was nice to wrap up in a warm scarf and a beanie that my friend in Brisbane made for me before I left for my trip. We wandered around the shops, had lunch then headed off to Smith Street in Collingwood to look at some more shops. I'm not a great shopper but just to wander the streets among the amazing shops and admiring the work of little known artists is fun for me.

Last night we went to a great Vietnamese restaurant owned and run by a young vietnamese couple on Victoria St in Richmond, the wife does the cooking and the husband serves the meals, they have only had their business for 4 months and I wish them all the best...the food was superb and very reasonably priced. The name of the restaurant is Fiafi, so if you get the opportunity, go eat there, enjoy the delicious meals and give the young couple a go. The night didn't end after our meal, we then went on to Lygone Street in Carlton for some more coffee and cakes at Brunettis, the place was pumping it was just like being in a street in Italy. People sitting outside under the heaters enjoying coffee, the inside of the place was huge with beautifully tiled floors and big display cabinets displaying...yup, you guessed it...CAKES! The whole cafe was charged with an amazing energy that made you want to stay in there all night drinking coffee and eating cakes....thankfully Andrew had to go to work the next morning otherwise I would still be in there eating cakes!

Today we went into the city, walked through all the graffitied alleys and then on to the lanes full of cafes to eat lunch, we wandered around the city a bit more and then it was time to head to the airport.

It was a fleeting visit to Melbourne but it was enough to remind me of how wonderful that city is and how much I have missed that sort of culture and atmosphere.