Welcome. Put your umbrella by the door and come in to the warm and dry off. What would you like to drink? It will have to be hot as it is too cold to go for anything else. I can’t offer you anything to eat today as the roll of chocolate chip biscuit I’d been saving in the fridge has miraculously disappeared, saving me from myself, but meaning you go hungry.
If we were having coffee I’d tell you that the severe weather was severe but not as bad as predicted. Rainfall although heavy at times was only half what they had promised and the wind was strong but felt friendly. Some winds are quite malevolent but this was an amiable one. The king tide happened as promised but we didn’t get to the beach to see it. Talking to someone who works on Hastings Street overlooking the beach said the sea was BiG but no-one was out to see it in the deserted street. I think it has gone from us as it moves its way down the coast. I hope they have our experience as well. We had a bit of flooding in the park which the birds and Muffin enjoyed splashing about in.
© irene waters 2016
© irene waters 2016
If we were having coffee I’d tell you that the new Times Past Challenge is out. This month it is about favourite child hood foods and the wonderful stories already posted in the comments sections is prompting even more memories for me at least. I have had a productive week both blogging (with numerous creative pieces written and illustrated) plus I have managed to do some visiting and outside of blogging my thesis is almost there. Just doing the final touch ups to the references – a boring job but one that can’t be neglected.
If we were having coffee I’d tell you that I watched a show on television which tested which type of exercise showed the most beneficial effects. They had a control group which did only their normal activity, a group in a gym with a personal trainer, and a group who were given some exercises which could be done while they cleaned their teeth, washed the dishes, dried themselves after a shower and on passing a door (and a few that I can’t recall). The test convincingly showed that this group gained the most benefit. So I have been doing it at those times and I tell you what, I know I have been doing something. For a few days I had difficulty sitting down as the muscles in my thighs and buttocks were protesting so much. And here I was thinking they were muscles that got a good workout because of my dancing. Obviously not so. I’m going to continue doing this and see what the result is after a month or two. It may be my new thing to be fanatical about.
Already I am planning my time post thesis and have booked up for a private dance lesson once a fortnight. To tell you the truth it is not so much to get a lesson although I know I will benefit from that but it is to have the opportunity to really dance, stretch my legs and float or fly around the floor. Rarely do I get the opportunity to be pushed to my limit and beyond and I know in this lesson I will be.
Well, that’s enough about me for this week. What about you? What have you been up to? What are you reading? What is the weather like where you are? I feel really sorry for my girlfriend who was given the surprise holiday to Switzerland. If it is like the rest of Europe they will have had rain almost the entire time. Oh well. Nothing you can do about the weather. Back to you. Seen any good films, eaten any good food.
Thanks to Diana for hosting our coffee mornings. Drop over and say hi.Someone else may have something to nibble on.
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
Lots to nibble on over here as well 🙂 The photos are picture perfect, as usual
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If you’ve got nibblies I’m coming to visit. Thanks.
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Sure, any time! 😀
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Do tell more about the exercises! Ones I can do while brushing my teeth,etc sound like something I could stick with. I’m not really much into working for 45 minutes…who has that kind of “free” time?!
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Hi Deb, Cleaning the teeth – stand with legs apart, feet turned outwards squat making sure knees go over feet and backside tucked in. Go up and down for 10 then stay down count for 20. Can repeat if you clean your teeth a long time. In the shower the same only legs together and on squatting make sure backside goes back but top stays upright. Do the 10 then down for 20. Vacuuming do lunges. I do these whilst towelling dry as I don’t vacuum. Dry back with towel held in one hand at front and grabbed with opposite hand from the back Washing up sideways stretches with the legs. A bit like a stationary lunge. Extra – when passing a closed door do 5 pushups on it as you pass.
Let me know how it goes for you. It probably still takes some motivation but it beats going to a gym.
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Thanks for the info. I do need motivation that’s for sure! But those sound easy enough to do. I’ll let you know how it goes. 😉
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Good luck.
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Irene, I love the post-rain photos and wish we had some. Dry and very hot here, a promise I fear of another extremely hot and arid summer. Do you worry about Muffin drinking the flood water?
Nothing special about food here except that our son BBQ’d ribs the other day and they were fall off the bone delicious.
We used to love going to the movies but in the last five years or so have become frustrated with attending with teens and those in their twenties. They are rudely chatty and constantly have their phones going, so the endless noise and lights are a distraction. However, we took our grands to see Zootopia a few weeks ago and this past weekend to see Jungle Book. It’s been years since I read Jungle Book and I’m going to read it again to see if all the social and political commentary is actually there. Both movies spoke to friendship and welcoming diversity but also standing up for what’s right, qualities I’m glad to see the grands exposed to. Though the films are intended for kids and are suitable for all but the youngest, they speak to adults as well and were thoroughly engaging. I think also we went early enough to avoid the teen patrons.
Zootopia’s animation was spectacular and Jungle Book’s computer generated imagery is better than anything similar we’ve seen in other films. The artistry of both films surpasses everything ever done, and not just because they are the newest on the screen, but because they are exceptionally well done.
Really, I’m not getting paid to promote these two movies, just found them wonderful.
Good to hear that you’ve found a workout you like.
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Listening to you talk here Sharon it is as if you are in the same room. Lovely.
I don’t worry about Muffin drinking the flood water – it goes down so quickly as the sand is a great drain that it doesn’t lie around long enough for it to be a problem. I wonder if dogs get cholera although that is not a problem we have here. What she was playing in was beautifully fresh rainwater that I wish we could send your way.
I had heard jungle book was good and have been contemplating going to see it. The movies I tend to see these days tend to be ones that my Mum wants to see. It is a nice outing for her but the movies tend to be feel good ones with all the old suspects in them like Helen Mirren, Judy Dench and Maggie Smith. We always go during the day. I don’t know whether the teens are a problem here as well.
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It’s nice to catch glimpses of lifes so far away from me with posts like this 🙂 Over here in Japan where I’m temporarily staying, we’re still enjoying the last few days of pre-summer before the rainy season kicks in
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I’d love to visit Japan. Living there for awhile would be even better. I didn’t realise Japan had summer rains. We do normally as well but this storm was the rare one we get in winter. Thanks for dropping by.
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What, no chocolate chip biscuits? That’s it, I’m leaving… Looks like too much rain! At least it doesn’t sound as bad as France and other parts of Europe with their major flooding. It’s raining here now, but will be done by tomorrow and then back to summer. We actually need the rain. I hope the final touches on your thesis go well and are over soon! Have a great week!
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Sorry about the cookies. Yes France got it really bad. Actually some people got our storm badly as well with a number being killed in Sydney and houses being lost to the sea. They had predicted 300mm in less than 24 hours – we were lucky we got a little under half that amount – others got the lot. Enjoy the sunny weather you will by now have.
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I read BBC so I get more European news than Australian news – I didn’t realize it was so bad there. I hope good weather is headed your way!
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Your weather is just the opposite on mine Hot heat for the next week. Glad the storms were not as strong as predicted. Good luck with doing the fi al touch up with your thesis.
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thanks Betty. Unfortunately some people copped the storm more severely than we did. Glad you are having good weather.
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We are cooling off. It was only in the mid 90’s today (as I cough to spit out the “only”). Tomorrow we will be in the mid to upper 80’s. Yay! Of course, it will be awhile before my house cools off inside. It has not gotten below 87 degrees since last Thursday. Today is Monday night. So it has been a while of high heat and will be for at least another couple of days, indoors at least.
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Hope you managed to cool down a little.
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Yes! Yesterday was in the 70s. Today it is raining and barely 60. Tomorrow will be in the 50s with rain.
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Hi Irene,
Great to catch up again. I’ve been a bit quiet on the blogging front after the huge effort I put into the A-Z Challenge. Had to catch up on everything else at home. Not sure if I’ll ever catch up on things at home but I live in hope!
We also had your storm. We were fine although down in Sydney, Collaroy was hit very hard and a house lost about 15 metres or more of backyard and their swimming pool fell into the sea. How awful!
We also had a Great White spotted off Caves Beach and 4.0 magnitude earthquake 100km off the coast here.
It’s been a busy week but I did catch a glimpse of a rainbow this morning. So, perhaps Mother nature is going to be nice for awhile.
Hope you’re having a great week!
xx Rowena
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I think you got our storm a lot worse than we did. Just amazing the effect it had in Sydney and in Tasmania also.
I didn’t hear about the earthquake. Did you feel it?
Good luck with catching up at home and hope your week has been good. Ours has been perfect winter weather. Warm to hot during the day and cool of a night. Love it.
Cheers Irene
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The weather is looking lovely and sunny outside and I’ll be heading out shortly. My husband and son and both in short sleeves. Inside dog blankets have been vacated and I suspect they’re out the back sunning themselves. It is lovely! xx Ro
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