Age is just a number, plus a few new wrinkles

I turned 46 on the weekend. I don't feel 46. Well, now that I think about it,  there may be some days...like when I look in the mirror. A few extra lines, that grey streak in my hair (which I recently fixed with a trip to the hairdresser), not to mention the saggy skin starting to form around my jaw and neck region! What does one do about that?!

I actually had a really good day, some shopping by myself in the morning, a bit of gardening, a visit from a friend who arrived with a bag of lemons (yes!) and then out to dinner with Boggy and the kids. Getting a decent photo of the kids altogether proved a little hard. I don't what is so hard about "smile, look at the camera".

The clincher for my birthday was when I walked into the servo to pay for fuel. A nice (charming local) bloke I've known for years turned around to leave and he said to me "You look younger every time I see you!", which was about the best thing you could say to a 46 year old on her birthday. I put my hand on his arm and said, " Do you know what Bert? It's my birthday today and that's a wonderful thing to for you to say". I got a kiss on the cheek as well.

When I was at the supermarket earlier in the day, it took me twice as long with the conversations it created when I saw people, who without good old Facebook wouldn't have known it was my birthday. I bumped into a mate who I share a birthday with and it was hugs all around. He actually saw my car out the front and came in looking for me. How wonderful!

Looking back on my week, there has been some good things, I am always reminding myself to be grateful (most of the time I fail miserably).

Spur of the moment the girls and I hit Target for cheap white t-shirts to paint for footy colours day. Thank goodness they were happy with them. I was happy with them! It felt good to be creative in this way. I hadn't printed a t shirt since high school in art class ( a midnight oil t-shirt). I made a stencil from clear contact and went to work with fabric paint. I'll be doing some more tshirt printing for one of my tiny tots classes to wear for the gymnastics annual concert.

There's a tree flowering at the entrance gate at work and it smells divine! It's a great time of year, and that smell reminds me of sunny warm days.

The term is nearly over, two weeks left. I am so proud of myself getting through my first term coaching school groups, it's been a learning curve and I guess some experience up my sleeve.

Super happy too today, as when I get home from work (I have Kindergym and Tiny Tots), my September Bella Box should be waiting for me at the back door. Woop woop! 

Crows and Port shirts. Not to shabby.

Beautiful free lemons! 

Birthday lunch, roasted veg with lentils, spinach and feta. Yum, yum!

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Preserving lemons while trying to get over life lemons

Did you catch 60 Minutes last night? How brave is Imran Khan? When I was a younger, I remember watching him play cricket. I enjoy watching cricket. 

When I was younger I remember having crushes on all sorts of different cricketers, him being one. So handsome and worldly.

This story made me appreciate our country. It made me appreciate the freedom my children have to an education. The security of a safe classroom and school.

So confronting to watch the images of bloodied classrooms and school bombings. God bless him in his plight to save his country from the terrors of the Taliban. I cannot see him being assassinated without an uproar from the entire nation, let alone the world.

I usually don't like to watch 60 minutes and shows like it. Too much real, and mostly the bad stuff. I am way too sensitive, and sometimes would rather not know.

I makes the life lemons that get thrown my way sometimes seem trivial.

I did have a bowl full of real lemons in my kitchen I had to use up. I still have an open jar of lemon curd in the fridge which I dip into sometimes with a teaspoon.

I preserved these lemons. Salt, lemons and a cut finger. Was fun.

I am not even sure how I am going to use them, in couscous maybe?

The recipe is on the SAXA cooking salt packet. It's basically quartering 10 lemons and juicing two more. Rub salt on the lemons and then squash them into jars with the leftover of a cup of salt, the juice and some pepper and bay leaves.

The bottom shelf in my pantry is full of preserves. As if I needed to add to it. I need to start giving stuff away.

I keep a cooking salt pig on my kitchen bench. My brother in law even used it instead of sugar in his coffee one time. I dunno how he managed to do that, considering it is no where near the kettle, where the actual sugar is. The salt pig is on a tray where the salt and pepper mills, olive oil and garlic lives.

It would have been funny if it wasn't so dumb.

See. No where near the sugar.

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When life gives you lemons......

I had a bit of a shit day. Long story short. I got no thanks for building the greenhouse, which I did do amazingly well.

I paved a path down the centre, made a garden bed in there, went on the scab at our local hardware shop for unused shelving in their graveyard out the back and set up three shelving units. I worked hard.

The first thing I heard from the co ordinator was "It'll have to be moved". Well fuck me, if there is nothing wrong where it is, she's just being an old mole (she's really not that old). I told her I am not moving it. I saw her having a whinge about it to someone else and I lost my lolly. Lots of ef words. Lots of them. Probably too many. 

That kit sat in the shed for two years and now it's erected, it's in the wrong spot. Fuck off. As far as I am concerned, it's been in the wrong spot sitting in the shed for the past two years!

Enough about that. I might just not stop! She's going to have to move it herself, if she can find someone to help her. I'll be interested to see if it will take her another two years. 

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