Have a happy new year!! Have a happy new year!! Have a happy new year!!

Again, just really a place holder for today. I hope everyone has a happy new year this year.

I've been busy this morning. It's quite hot, but we went out to Flower Power and bought some more herbs. I've been using a lot of mint lately in drinks and homemade juices. So I planted some more in a tub on the back deck I also planted some basil, a summer essential for me. Somehow I let the last lot die.

Must fix my index page and latest entry thingy.

The new year has obviously not made any difference to my sleeping habits. Here it is, just after 3:00am and I'm up, writing. It's almost as if I made a resolution saying I will sleep all night, everynight. Doing that would be a surefire way of waking. Very annoying. The last few times I have been up early, I have actually been able to feel sleepy about 6:00 am and go back to sleep, so here's hoping.

I think problems with SIL woke me up. She and my brother took Edward to Canberra. Thay always go at this time every year. She was in no state to go at all, but absolutely insisted. I see it as another ritual she is fulfilling. She refused to stay at the hotel alone when they went out, so my brother actually used wheelchairs at the various venues for her. That in itself shows how bad she was. She certainly would refuse such attention.

Yesterday, I had a frantic phone call from my mother saying that SIL was very ill and insisting on returning home. We all were hoping she made it and that my brother would take her to hospital, the Sanitorium, where her records are and where she could get some pain relief. Then another phone call. She felt a bit better and now they are staying. Her behaviour is really quite selfish and very hard for my brother to cope with, but her mind has been distorted by the illness and by her determination not to acknowledge that anything is wrong. I was very concerned all yesterday and last night and I think this preyed on my mind and woke me up. In one sense I hope it all finishes soon, so Edward can have a bit of time before he goes back to school. My brother still has several weeks holiday left.

Not a very cheerful start to the new year I'm afraid.

I've been making quite healthy stirfries and salads for meals and have been enjoying them, even though it has been quite hot. I bought the series 1-3 of the Annette Syms cookbooks. Like I need another cookbook at all! I had some vouchers given me, so was able to buy these for a very small outlay. Certainly, all the dishes I have tried have been tasty and easy to prepare with no exotic ingredients. She gets many favourable mentions on the weightloss forums. Last night we had chicken with cashews. Very nice and I used a lot of vegetables with a small amount of chicken and have enough left for another meal for us. I even cooked enough rice to have some left over. As I serve, I deliberately serve onto our plates and then into a plastic container, counting the same spoonfuls. That way. it's evenly divided up.

Mind you, some of the things in my cupboard would have been regarded as exotic ten years ago, although I have always been an adventurous cook, trying out lots of recipes. I mean things like sushi rice, balsamic vinegar and mirin. I also have a fairly wide range of different herbs and spices, right down to wattleseed and lemon myrtle which is lovely on met for a BBQ.

Looks as if SIL has made it home from Canberra. I really don't know how she does it, particularly in this heat. Sheer determination, I guess.

My eldest grandson turns five tomorrow and starts big school in a couple of weeks. His party was on Saturday and although we were told we would be welcome, we were also told there would be about 20 young children there. However, early on Saturday my son rang to say that only half the people invited had even bothered to reply. I reckon that is pretty rude. We went out, intending to stay only a short while, but stayed much longer. Andrew was thrilled with all his presents and thanked everyone really well. Sam made lots of little cakes instead of one big one. Very easy for the small ones to eat. As you can probably see, they seemed to be a mudcake mix, but who's counting? I had only a couple of the chicken and cucumber sandwiches you can see in the picture and a light beer.

After we left, we went to Birkenhead Point. I needed to go to the Reject China Shop as I had broken my favourite jug the night before. It just slipped out of my hands into the dishwasher. It was lovely glass in an attractive design and was just right for the iced tea I have been making. I found one there which is just a jug, but it was glass and only $5 so I bought that. Then I looked in Bay Swisse and found a stainless steel one in a more attractive design and it had a strainer. Even at 20% off in the clearance store, it was a good deal more expensive, but as my husband pointed out, it won't break.

On the way home, we called at Ocean Foods which boasts the best fish in the universe. We bought a cold seafood platter and some really nice looking prawns. Prawns were $16/kg which was a good price and platter was $20. It had a very nice baby octopus salad in a container, 8 big oysters on shells, some big slices of smoked salmon, 15 enormous prawns and some seafood salad with seafood extender and prawns as well as vegetables. We took this down to the bay and found a seat in the shade and breeze. It was wonderful. We shelled the half kilo of prawns while we were there and put them in the container. I made a dressing today with a lot of lemon and lemon thyme and we had them for lunch with some salad. I've had lots of seafood lately. I really enjoy it, and it has been beautiful eating it beside the water.

Only one more week of husband's holidays. I had hoped we might have had something done aroud the house, but I'm not pushing it. I really can't be bothered fussing with it. I did get him to mow the back yard by appealing to his practical side. If he hadn't mown it then, the dandelion flowers would soon be seeds and they would be multiplying. He could see the logic in that, so did it. He also dug another row for more beans the other day, and they are now coming up, as are some "burpless" cucumbers. We are currently eating our own tomatoes each day now and also our own beans from the first row of dwarf beans. The climbing beans will last longer, but haven't started to flower yet.

It looks like a cooler day tomorrow, only about 27 degrees celsius. It's been a good deal more than that and the hottest temperature in the state today was 47 degrees celsius at White Cliffs. I'm glad I don't live there!

Gosh, almost a week since I was last here. I'm not too sure what's happened to the days. I've been spending some time at the WeightWatchers forums watching the latest kerfuffle there. There have been a lot of complaints about the new programme, perhaps not the programme, but the manner of its introduction. As I've said before, WW is a business and their primary aim is to make money. They are not a non-profit self-help company. That said, they do seem to have been remiss in their dealings with members. Leaders do not seem to be fully informed of changes and one leader contradicts what another has said. What has been posted from management has mostly ignored the questions members raised. It almost appears that they think that if they say the same thing often enough, then people accept it. Except it's not working. Those who bought calculators etc on special feel ripped off as the formula now appears to have changed and WW must have known about this beforehand.

It's all very well to say that people with problems can just keep on the old programme. That's true. However, WW need to do some thinking about their approach to their members who after all, are their bread and (no) butter. Unless they listen to them, their membership will decline.

It's been interesting to follow all this. As I've said before, I'm not a member. I have some of their tools for which I paid full retail price. I think their programme is a good idea, particularly for those who like structure. What I don't like about it, or anything else that sets down rules, is that people are terrified of change or of doing something wrong. I know it's easy to slip back into bad habits, but I don't believe that blind adherence to numbers etc is a good thing either. I find that by constantly counting points, my whole life is concentrated on food. And isn't this what we are trying to get away from? I find I am constantly calculating and recalculating points and how to crib from Peter to pay Paul. Is this the seventh glass of water or have I really had only six? Perhaps if I don't write down the slice of cheese, I didn't really eat it and I can cheat. After all, it's only myself I am cheating. Enough.

I've been eating very healthily this week. Small amounts of meat and lots and lots of salad or vegetables. Mostly salad for lunch and a light meal at night. I've done nothing exciting this week. Husband has been on holidays and has been working on his computer most of the time. I've spent quite a bit of time in the garden and we are getting great tomatoes and lots of fresh beans. Nothing quite like homegrown tomatoes for flavour. This is the best crop I've had for many years.

Another hot day, although there is a breeze. There are a lot of clouds around and it's humid, but it can't quite bring itself to rain. I watered the murraya out the front this morning with a few buckets of water. It was beginning to look a bit stressed.

I've been saving points carefully today. Husband's side of the family usually has a pre-Christmas gathering but this year it's tonight. His aunt makes all sorts of things but usually with little regard for fat content. I'll do the best I can with what's there. I'm not really looking forward to it. It would be one of the most boring evenings every year. Norm's mother and his cousin who is in his 40s spend the whole evening dragging up truly ancient family history. Was that really Uncle Cedric or perhaps it was Uncle Henry? No, it happened in 1915 so it must have been Alex. That sort of thing. The rest of us talk to each other and try to work out how quickly we can decently leave. The boys are lucky, they use the little ones as an excuse. I usually have to stay to the bitter end. I want to try to have a luncheon picnic next December. Far better for the little ones and we can spread out a bit and won't have to listen to the history lesson.

Last year, his mother forgot she was going out for dinner and had hers at the hostel. "Just give me a small plate, dear," she said to his aunt. She then proceeded to have something from every plate that ever went past her and to anchor one of the plates of prawns in front of her. One DIL and I eventually removed it with the excuse that we were passing plates to others. She really was a glutton with them. Then she had trifle, pavlova and something else for dessert and some fruitcake. DILs and I decided she ate more than than any of us did and she'd already eaten.

Things are not too wonderful here, but I'm determined not to eat as a reaction. Major problems on Sunday and then another explosion this morning in response to a perfectly innocent remark I made. Perhaps I'll not say anything ever at home. I could partly understand it if I were being sarcastic or angry or something like that, but I'm not. I'm just making ordinary remarks with no ulterior motives at all, and then, BOOM.

I need to go and look what I am going to wear tonight. I'd really like to have gone out this morning and bought something new and eyecatching. Anything to liven things up. However, I just couldn't summon the energy.

There was a lot of salad, with ham, pork chicken and turkey and PRAWNS. Several platefuls around a very large table. My son and I had two each from the plate near us and I offered some to husband. He refused, saying he didn't know how long they had been out. I don't think that was a real excuse. I think he was saving them for his mother. She hid the plate behind a bowl of salad and went for her life. DIL remarked today that it was embarrassing to watch her. She peeled them quickly and stuffed each one into her mouth with her whole hand pushing it in and looked to see who had seen her. No time to chew and in went another. She demolished a whole plateful in very short time. And I mean probably 20-30 prawns at least. Then had cheesecake, cream fruit, etc. etc.

I had Tora on my lap and we shared some ham and chicken. Each mouthful was accompanied by "Yay! Yum!" She had some of my bread roll and juice. Also a bit of salad. I had the same and a very small slice of cheesecake, no cream. No wine as they don't have it, although a chilled white would have been nice.

We are enjoying salads from the garden. The fresh tomatoes are so nice. I've planted a few more bushes to keep things going. Lst night I had Atlantic salmon baked, just a small but adequate piece each, some curried rice which was actually leftovers reheated and peas and salad. Even husband remarked how nice it was. He usually just eats. It could be porridge for all he notices.

Another blood pressure check today and it was the same as last time. Hopefully, it's beginning to settle down. Now to get back to some exercise. It's been too hot and sticky to do much. I haven't been sleeping well at all and certainly refuse to wake up early, just to go for a walk. I know some more exercise will help with the sleep but at the moment I neeed to sleep when I can sleep. I have done some gardening regularly, although nothing really heavy. I'm picking tomatoes every day now and we planted two pawpaws on Saturday. They don't take up much space and bear well here usually. I love the fruit although to many it is an acquired taste.

I made the spicy lamb with apricots recipe from one of the Annette Syms books tonight. It was quite nice, but I found it rather bland. I think I would have to try some more spices in it if I made it again. Made enough for twice and I didn't use as much meat as she suggests. Had it with couscous which I really like and haven't had for ages. I've made other recipes of hers and enjoyed them.

I'm still enjoying the homemade juice with the new juicer. I made green apple juice yesterday with some ginger and mint. I was a bit heavy handed with the ginger, but it was still nice. It is very refreshing. I rarely drink commercial juices as I find them very sweet often.

I minded Mya for a few hours last Thursday while her mother shopped for work clothes. She's a hairdresser and finds she gets splashes of colour or bleach, no matter how careful she is. Mya was pleased to be at my place. She hasn't been for ages. She played with my bargain table centrepiece Christmas tree for over an hour. I've been watching it at Woolworths for several weeks now. It was almost twenty dollars to start and has been coming down gradually. Last week it was $3.50 and I picked up the last one. When I reached the cash register, it was reduced from last price by 50%, so I paid $1.75 for it. She sorted the ornaments which came with it by colour and shape. Counted them, hung them on the tree and rearranged them. Then did it all again. The ornaments aren't glass but plastic so I didn't mind her playing with them. Took her ages. I've had my money's worth already. She gave me lots of cuddles and a big sloppy kiss when she left. Next morning she apparently wanted to come back.

This week is not as busy as last, thank goodness. There were two family meals for my husband's side of things which he had wanted to have before Christmas. I see his cousins about annually. The meal was glazed ham and lots of salad. MIL sat and ate everything she shouldn't and when I said something, she said "they," meaning the nursing staff, would never know as they had taken her blood sugar levels. She is totally unable to see that she is only putting herself in danger by acting like this and that the only person she is really fooling is herself. I was glad to get her back to the home. She had had dried fruit, pavlova, cake and over a dozen lollies.

It's been a lovely summery day here today. A pleasant breeze, quite warm. I sat outside and held the hose on the tomatoes for a while and almost went to sleep. I've been sleeping really badly although last night wasn't too bad. I was able to go back to sleep whenever I woke.

I feel like eating seafood again. Sometimes I just want fish. I had a bagel with some smoked salmon on it for lunch and that was nice. Tonight we were going to have a picnic by the water at Abbotsford. I made some rice paper rolls with some cold pork in them. Prawns would have been nicer, but I didn't have any and couldn't be bothered going out to get some. I packed the rolls, some sauce, some fruit and a water bottle. On the way down, husband stopped and bought some chips "just to go with them." Actually, they looked quite reasonable, a good colour and not greasy but I didn't have any. I'm not a chip eater at all. The rolls I made were really nice with mint and garlic chives as well as other salad stuff and rice vermicelli. They had a nice clean taste and I didn't want to spoil them with fried stuff.

It seemed a shame to come home but the light was going and I was almost too cold down by the wter. Even a few minutes away however, and things were quite different. It felt stuffy when I got out of the car.