Last of the summer blouses

Today I finished sewing what I have decided will be the last of the summer blouses. When I was in Brisbane a few weeks ago I made flying visit to Gardam's in Edward street and bought the last of the roll of this beautiful rose pattern broderie anglaise. And I decided that I would make one last of what has become my standard sleeveless summer blouse. I think I have made about 8 of these since the sewing bug bit me last birthday. They have been awesome with pants and skirts all summer. But with autumn around the corner it's time to start sewing things with sleeves. Here is the finished product. No doubt I will be able to wear it for a while yet in what passes for Queensland's change of seasons.

Virtuously hungry

I'm starring in my very own, home-made version of The Biggest Loser at the moment. We're just reaching the end of the first week. Unlike the TV version there have been no tears, no fights with other contestants and nobody has screamed at me while making me do ridiculous physical challenges. It's all a lot more sedate than that. It started last Saturday night when the parents and I snap-decided to go to Tasmania in May. After booking the flights we all looked at each and realised we were terrifically unfit, and let's face it, if we're being honest, fatter than we should be. If we were going to trek about on a proper holiday we had to increase our general fitness. We have 11 weeks. I knew weight had crept on over the past two years. Since August 2010 when I had surgery I hadn't got back into any kind of exercise routine. Work involves lots of sitting down and long days meant I wasn't making time for physical activity. So, I took a deep breath and weighed myself for the first time in years. EEEEK. It was worse than I had imagined. I am the heaviest I have ever been in my whole life. This called for action. Within half an hour I joined Weight Watchers Online and started making a plan. The first step was to throw out all the unhealthy food in the house because if it's there I'll probably eat it. When I say unhealthy food I'm not talking soft drink, chips, lollies, cake, buns, pies or junk food. I don't buy those things and really don't eat them very often. There was a packet of bought biscuits that went in the bin. Then I made a big list of good food and hit the grocery shop on Sunday morning. Recipes in hand I spent the day cutting up fruit, celery and carrot for snacks, and cooking meals for the freezer in acceptable portions. I made some raspberry and banana muffins from the WW site and froze them in ones. I also made lite jelly and started planning my menu for the next day. So after a week of following the WW points plan I have been virtuously hungry some of the time. I have exercised every day - either walking or cycling for between 20 and 30 minutes - I'm starting slowly. I have realised that it wasn't that I was eating bad food, I was just eating too much of it at certain key meals. Breakfast has changed the most. I'm eating about a third of the cereal/muesli I was having but I'm eating way more fruit. The other thing to go is the daily takeaway coffee as even though it was skim milk, one coffee a day was blowing my dairy intake over the top. And bread has become a sometimes food instead of an every day food. This is sad because I love bread. I'm allowed a treat once a week which I had this morning in a large chai latte and delicious BLT. Any results? Well I decided I would measure my waist and weigh myself once a week. I measured my waist today and have lost 2cm. I haven't weighed myself yet today, but I cheated and snuck in a "weigh in" on Thursday. I had lost 1.7 kilos. Hurrah.

reality sets in....and bites a little

I had every good intention to write a post about what I read in 2012. But now it is evening and I am tired and would not do it justice. I also realised that I haven't kept track of my reading in 2012 very well. I can however, write a post about the way my reading has changed since I bought my Kindle in early 2011. So I will do that on Saturday. Today was all about the second day back at work, or as I like to call it - the day when reality started to set in...as well as starting to bite a little bit. My to do list for tomorrow is overblown...and I have started to write things down in my diary for months in advance. That's all okay but I don't yet feel like I have a good handle over the role. Cut myself some slack you say? It's only been two days! Oh, alright then. I staggered home this afternoon and slumped on the sofa, watched some telly, managed to go out to get takeaway and then realised I hadn't done my #blog12daysxmas for today. So this is it. It's not exciting. I just took advantage of the fact that QI came on so I could leave the television and not feel like I was missing anything. I am going to watch Judith Lucy on ABC2 later because she's one of my Australian comedy idols. Then I am going to go to bed and be full of gladness, Pollyanna style, that tomorrow is Friday.

a place for everything

I have spent the morning as I mean to continue the rest of 2013 - catching up with a friend in person! We worked out we hadn't done this for the whole of 2012 and we live in the same town. I need to do much better this year with the whole work-life balance situation. Determination is what it will take. And I am determined. Yesterday was a day of sewing - a dress and a skirt. The skirt needs some altering as the pattern was not quite right. That is the job for this afternoon as well as some other sewing. I also plan to eat some watermelon. Clearly, it's a big afternoon ahead. Later the current dining table and chairs will be moved into the music room and all the sewing things will be finally put away in the big cupboard. Tomorrow the new dining table arrives together with some shelves for my study. I am excited about this as it means the house is in order with a place for everything and everything in its place for the start of 2013. Tomorrow is also back to work Wednesday. The only decision I am going to make about that before tomorrow morning is what I will wear. Stay tuned.

Christmas Countdown: the nativity scene from days of yore version

Inspired by @georgianoakes twit pic of her childhood handmade nativity scene I present to you this. Behold its wonder for it is a nativity scene made some 33 years ago when I was in Year 2 at West Bundaberg State School. It has been the pride and joy of the Davis family Christmas decorations for every year since. (Excepting the years when my brother refused to let my mother get it out the cupboard because it was too crappy). I can still remember the joy of making it. I was especially attentive to making the angel's hair a beautiful brown with my felt pens. She also got the glitter (now much faded) on her gown. I still have trouble telling the difference between the three wise men, Joseph and the shepherd so you are excused if you have the same problem. The sheep is covered in real 1980s cotton wool and held on with Clag glue. And you will notice at the back of the manger (ice block box from the tuckshop) there is a "window" of cellophane. I think you're supposed to shine a torch back there to provide some light. So put away your fancy schmancy Christmas decorations and enjoy the delights of children's craft from days of yore (yore being 1980).

Christmas Countdown: the Gangnam style Xmas lights version

I suppose this was inevitable. I am inspired to drag my paltry single string of fairy lights out of the cupboard and plug them in.

trimming all over the place

In an attempt to make lemonade out of lemons I finished this white top to take to Rockhampton tomorrow and added some daisy chain trim to the hem. (The lemons are Rockhampton. The lemonade is the daisy chain trimmed top that I will wear while there). I also whipped up a skirt to wear tomorrow and added red rick rack to its hem. I am trimming all over the place.

"the build"

It's not quite Grand Designs. The budget and scale of the project are minute. I'm not turning an abandoned chicken shed into a three storey, eco-friendly family home made of straw bales. I'm just turning my unused garage which usually stands empty except for a few cleaning bits and pieces, an old silky oak wardrobe and the cat food into a room. That's right - a whole new room in which I will put the piano, a decent sized table for sewing, teaching theory and other bits and pieces and perhaps a couch of some kind. There will hopefully be enough in the budget for an air conditioner. There will be floor covering and new paint. I may have a feature wall. Last week the first step in "the build" occurred when the cruddy roller door was replaced by a shiny new sliding door with a security screen. Yesterday, my project manager (my father) started on the inside. The plan is an internal wall that cuts the garage in two unequal sizes - one that will give me access to the back door, with enough spaces to keep all the brooms, vacuum cleaner, cat food, litter box etc and then the big room which will be the proper room. Here's how it was looking by the afternoon.

Looking out the front.

Looking towards the back. See the wall frame. It should have the sheeting on it by today. Sheeting? Is that what it's called? I don't really know.

The project manager.

All in all it's very exciting. It means that there will be more than one room in my tiny house to do things in!

I scared myself a little bit stupid

After days of hay fever I finally managed to get to the doctor and get a prescription for my heavy duty nasal spray. Almost instant relief. Of course the doctor's visit was for something else. Two weeks ago I tripped up the stairs at work and gave myself a monster bruise on my shin. It turned a beautiful shade of purple almost immediately and grew a big lump. I dutifully treated it with ice and congratulated myself on being 1. brave 2. first aid literate (thank you Girl Guide training). It was sore to touch but I figured it was a big bruise so it would take some time to disappear. Last Thursday I was teaching at Innes Park and afterwards looked down at my foot which was significantly swollen and there was bruising where there had been no bruising before. Resisting the urge to panic (just) and pacified by my good friend ringing her husband who is a cardiologist to check if I should be worried (worry if both feet are swollen - heart or kidney problems) I went home but decided to go to the doctor the next day. Just to be on the safe side. I also scared myself a little bit stupid by googling "bruised shin swollen foot". You'd be surprised how many results pop up.

"Hmmm" she said. And then swiftly booked me in for the last ultrasound of the day at the medical imaging place. I do not have fond memories of ultrasounds given that the last one picked up the monstrous ovarian cyst. I was slightly disconcerted on arrival at the ultrasound place when the nice lady at the desk told me "Because we're looking for a DVT that's an emergency so you'll go in straight away". Long story short, I was very brave, the gooey stuff was warm, the ultrasound lady was nice and finished up by telling me to "have a good weekend". I figured if there had been something wrong she would have picked up the bat phone and whisked me into emergency. The report clarified my amateur diagnosis. All's well that ends well. I slept well on Friday night for sure.

the sewing frenzy continues

The sewing frenzy continues. I spent every day at work wishing I was at home sewing. That is strange isn't it? Yesterday I made two things. This top and this skirt.

I am very happy with the top. It is better than last week's effort with the same pattern where I didn't take enough notice and got the bird pattern upside down on the back. And I managed to cut the skirt material so that the little horses were the right way up on the front and the back. It's the simple things that are the achievements! My seams were also much neater yesterday than last week. I was more confident at cutting and snipping and adjusting slightly to fit me. I am the "pear shape" so most shop clothes - especially dresses - rarely fit me properly. I am going to attempt a simple shift dress today and I have material for one more top. I also bought a pattern for an A line skirt with a zip in the side. I am saving some lovely material that has been in the patchwork cupboard for many years for that. I have to trace the pattern off for my size with that one. That might be my challenge for next weekend. It's lovely to have a project going. I am using it as an incentive. If I do all my yucky house jobs then I am allowed to sew. Yucky house jobs include washing, folding, tidying, cooking, very light cleaning, remembering that it's bin day, putting all my shoes away neatly. You get the picture. I am hoping the same incentive scheme works for my last assignment for the term which is due at the end of the month. Study first....then sewing.

saccharine promos make me ill

Sunday again? Already?
Sadly, I have no tales of incident-packed personal grooming for you today. I managed to shave my legs again yesterday without any leftover salad hijinks. It's been a week of busy busy busy.

Next weekend my piano students have their AMEB exams. For the first time in many years I have more than about three students sitting. This time I have a student sitting for her AMus.A diploma which has meant many hours of extra lessons. I also have 7 other students ranging from preliminary to grade three. Some of them have done more practice than others which makes for interesting lessons as well. Two of them I have not seen for a fortnight as they have been on a holiday to the Seychelles. They will get one lesson before their exam on Sunday. I'm really hoping there was a piano in the hotel they stayed at and that the guests didn't mind two kids playing a few scales now and then. Thankfully, the students who I accompanied for their instrumental exams are now all done. The last two were yesterday. I like accompanying a lot. It's just the fitting in of the rehearsals with them into an already jam-packed week that is the tricky part. So I have been working at my actual job all day and then coming home every afternoon and doing lessons and accompanying until 7pm. As you might imagine I am a little bit brain-fried after that. As a result I am behind on my marking and on my study. However, yesterday I did manage to set up the new printer that I bought two weekends ago. It only took an hour and a half. Yes, I am a technical genius after all. ;-)

In between all of this I have been trying to find at least 20 minutes a day to play my violin. Next weekend the Bundaberg Youth Orchestra is having a 40th anniversary concert and past members are going to join in and play in the concert. Here is evidence that I was once in the orchestra.

This means a three hour rehearsal on Saturday afternoon and then the concert on Saturday night. Given that I barely play my violin for more than 15 minutes at a time, sometimes with months in between, I thought I should do some playing beforehand so I don't look like a total fail. The program is Beethoven's Egmont Overture, Death of Ase, Night on Bare Mountain and Finlandia. During the week I realised it had been nearly ten years since I had put new strings on my violin. Probably dumb to change them so close to a concert but I did it anyway. They are settling pretty well after a day.

The TV has been rubbish lately. While the Olympics coverage from Channel Nine was pretty darn hopeless I did enjoying that I could turn on the telly and have something to watch. I am looking forward to the Paralympics now. I have returned to my DVD cupboard over the last week or so. I finished watching Lark Rise to Candleford, rewatched all three series of the IT Crowd, revisited Standing in the Shadows of Motown ( I never tire of that) and watched Gigantic (the TMBG doco) again. Last night I recorded the 25 years of Rage early 1990s so will do some reminiscing when I get to that. The only thing on the actual television I watched was I Will Survive a second rate, yet mesmerising reality TV, singing competition based on Priscilla Queen of the Desert. From this I learned that both Jason Donovan and Stephan Elliot must be pretty hard up for a gig. I also learned that I had no idea who the host was because I refuse to watch Packed to the Rafters on the grounds the saccharine promos make me ill so why would I watch an actual episode? Oh..of course I watched Rockwiz. That goes without saying because it is the best thing on the teev at the moment. Mary Wilson from the Supremes last week was truly inspirational. When I grow up I want to be Julie Zemiro.

And in my spare time I worry about the Kath and Kim movie. I love Kath and Kim. Before it moved the Channel Seven it was wonderful telly. I wrote a PhD chapter about it. I still use "noice, different and un-ewe-usal" in daily conversation. But I think it was of its time. And that time is gone. So I worry that the movie is going to be bad-cringeful rather than good-cringeful.

cucumber-leg hair surprise

I shaved my legs this week for the first time since around the beginning of June. That's right. You heard me. JUNE. It's been too cold to bother with them. I've been wearing winter clothes so no-one could see the increasing hairiness and be shocked into speechlessness. I was not frightening any horses. That was until I happened to be visiting my parents and the topic strayed to the fact my sister had just bought a new lady shaver kind of thing that she thought was fabulous. "Oh" I said nonchalantly, pulling up the leg of my jeans, "I should probably shave my legs sometime soon". My parents both gasped in horror at my lack of ladylikeness. As the young, cool people say, they were full of disappoint in me.

Later that week my Mum rang to see if I wanted to come up and eat dinner with them. I was teaching late so I declined but she tried to entice me with the promise of a present. "What is it", I demanded, wondering if it was worth my while after all. "A lady shaver". Hmmmmm. I decided to go up and see them the next evening.

We ate dinner and then like an excited child my Dad raced off to get the new shaving device. "I'll put it together for you". (This entailed getting it out of the ridiculous packaging and putting in the two triple A batteries). I pushed my plate away and decided to try out my gift. Note: (and this will be very important in a moment) I had not finished up my salad. There was a slice of cucumber and some lettuce still on my plate. Once again I pushed up the leg of my jeans and attacked a path of my yeti-like leg. It was only a minute until I needed to clean out the hair. So I got the little brush that came with the shaver and scraped the hair out. What to do with this. I didn't want to put it on my mother's clean floor, so I deposited it on my plate on top of a slice of cucumber. I returned to my leg when suddenly all was disturbance and mayhem and my father was hacking and spitting into his hand. Oh yes, gentle readers, as is his habit of polishing off everyone's leftover food, he had decided to help himself to my slice of cucumber which was now garnished with some leg hair shavings.

Laugh? My mother and sister and I were nearly sick with laughter.

Now I realise nobody emerges from this tale looking particularly classy or genteel. Shaving legs at the table? Eating cucumber covered in leg hair shavings? Finding that uproariously amusing? It's not exactly champagne comedy. But these are the things that life is made of. The incident has been added to the time my father got really cranky because the TV remote wasn't working until someone pointed out to him that he was using his mobile phone as well as the time he was watching (*sleeping*) Billy Elliot and half an hour from the end asked "Does this boy dance?". The list goes on but he asked me not to tell anyone about the cucumber/leg hair surprise. So I have just written a post about it instead.

winter afternoon

This is what is wonderful about Queensland winters. Blue skies, cool air, no breeze. Perfect.

something profound tomorrow

That's it my friends. No sooner did it begin than the mid-year break is over. Five weeks between the end of Term 1 and the start of Term 2 sped by in a flurry of finalising grades, marking, preparing for a Moodle upgrade, recovering from a Moodle upgrade, finishing my own assignments, preparing for a conference and trip to Adelaide, going to Adelaide and a conference, getting back with three days to get ready for teaching this term. Luckily I have had the #blogjune challenge to keep me motivated or I fear there would have been precious little posting here at The Spiralling Shape. Many days it has been a scramble to post something. I had grand visions of one substantial post after another but it has not turned out that way. I shall try for something profound tomorrow.

Lucky for you and your nine lives

Dear Harrison

I know I went away and left you alone in the house for a week. I'm very sorry. I would remind you that I did organise for a very nice lady to come in and feed you and fill up your water every day. She even told me that you sat with her on the lounge while she did some reading and kept you company. With all that in mind, I do not see why you chose to throw up on my lounge at some point today while I was at work as some kind of weird punishment for perceived neglectfulness on my part. Lucky for you and your nine lives I have a throw over aforementioned lounge. I am now washing it and I would appreciate it if such behaviour could cease and desist immediately. So I went away for a while. Build a bridge young man. Build a bridge.

Sincerely
Wendy
(your "owner")

Things I ate today that I probably shouldn't have

Banana bread on the plane
Cheese and crackers on the plane
Pie and mash
the rest of my sister's nachos
two so called "healthy muesli bars"
two pieces of pizza

We even saw a rainbow

It was another cold and rainy start to the day here in Adelaide. Still we powered on and ventured out of the city to Hahndorf. The car thermometer said it was around 4-5degrees...and this was at midday. We were glad of our brollies because the rain continued the whole time we were there (except for when were inside eating lunch when we thought we saw the sun!). I'm pretty sure Hahndorf would be beautiful on a sunny day. We were desperate to get warm so the car seemed the best option. A leisurely drive to Victor Harbor was broken up with a couple of stops at a cheesery and wineries. We exclaimed rather enthusiastically when the sun emerged as we got closer to the coast. We even saw a rainbow. But by the time we hit the city in peak hour the bleakness had returned. Home to the heating, bed socks and a nice warm cup of tea.

Thursday in Adelaide

Got up late, showered, soup, tea, rain, went to Glenelg, ambled up and down the main street, stopped for a chai latte and a rather gigantic piece of carrot cake, bought an excellent pair of green leather ankle boots, back through town, marveled at the many umbrellas, hoped it might stop raining tomorrow, home for tea, pasta and plans for Friday.

Wednesday's post is full of travel

Wednesday was a day of travel. We left Bundaberg at 6.30 in the morning and it was a shivery 6 degrees. One pit stop at sexie coffee just outside of maryborough was our only break before Brisbane airport where we made it in nice time catch the 1pm flight to Adelaide. It was bright sunshine all the way until we were 10 minutes out from our destination. The clouds looked like the end of the world approaching over the plane. It was rainy and grey by the time we landed and has been ever since. We found our cottage, walked to the nearest grocery shop, stocked the fridge, watched a bit of Telly and fell into bed. Thank goodness for beautiful snuggly doonas. They kept us all warm all night!

Bound for South Australia

It's my last day of work for nearly a week. Yes that's right. At what has turned out to be the most hectic time of year I am going away on holidays and to a conference. In some ways it will be a relief to set my out of office messages and lock the door behind me this afternoon. All the nuttiness of new course profile and Learning Management Systems will be behind me. On the other hand, it will mean I land back here next Tuesday evening with a day full of Orientation on Wednesday, and three or so days to get ready to teach the new term. Swings and roundabouts.

In the meantime, I am deciding what to pack to take to Adelaide. I have been reliably informed that to fit in I should call it "Radelaide"? I hope that's correct. I mean I wouldn't want to look like an idiot.

 I am very bad at packing. I am filled with angst that I will pack the wrong things, not enough things, too many things, etc etc. You get the picture. I'm also not really a fan of travelling. Well, that's not strictly true. I like seeing new places. It's the boredom of the planes, trains and automobiles that I really don't like. I like to get where I'm going as quickly as possible. Then, and only then, can I feel like I'm actually on holiday.

And that is the disadvantage of living in regional Queensland. To fly to Brisbane to connect to any other capital cities is Expensive with a capital E. Here in Bundaberg we only have the choice (ahem!) of Qantaslink to get to Brisvegas (as the "cool" kids call it). Unless you book months in advance and catch a sale price, you are looking at a minimum of around 300-500 dollars ONE WAY. That's right, a 40 minute plane journey where the cabin crew throw a plastic pack of prepackaged food at you and then land miles away from the terminal in Brisbane is ridiculously overpriced. This means that to fly out of Brisbane at 1pm to get to Adelaide tomorrow requires getting up at 6am to drive the 4 and a half hours to the airport. Imagine my joy and delight at this prospect if you will.

So providing my iPad keeps working the next edition of The Spiralling Shape will be coming to you from South Australia.