Backyard Harvest

 My tomatoes continue to produce prolifically.  I've picked over four kilos of cherry tomatoes in the past week.  They have a delicious flavour and it is such a joy to simply wander out the laundry door and pick what I need for dinner. With the excess, because really just how many tomatoes can Sophie and I eat, I am doing a tomato run today and dropping off bags full to neighbours and family. 

 Yesterday's harvest. I stopped picking when my large salad bowl was full.

 A large green tree frog lives in a bucket tucked within the tomatoes and in an effort to provide him/her with a better living environment and as I move to expand the biodiversity of my little yard, I am building a frog hotel to place near the clothes line.  I'll do another post of the process and finished product once I have gathered the materials and am ready to start.

My Chinese greens continue to flourish as do my herbs, lettuce and citrus.  I'm endlessly amazed at how much food I can grow for myself in such a small space and I really could grow more as I'm not utilising the space as effectively as I could. I've been restricted by finances and time really. Now that uni has finished I plan to make gradual progress to expand my garden to include more food and to purposely integrate flowering plants to bring in butterflies and insects both for the pleasure of having them in my garden and for their role in pollination and pest control. 

Sandy xx

Two posts in one day....uni must be finished.

 Oh my, I have certainly proved that I have this superpower. Disrespected, depersonalised, degraded, abused, mentally tortured. It takes a long time to heal from it no matter how calm you are in the face of it.

Rachel's Birthday

 We celebrated my niece Rachel's 15th birthday a few days ago.  She's a darling girl and so very loved.  I wish that the world is kind to her and that she is always surrounded by love.

Rachel hates chocolate so was very excited by this rainbow cake that my sister got for her.  It was terribly sweet so I shared mine with the dog! :)

Here she is oh so long ago, painting in my old studio.

Not so long ago on a special day out with me at the hairdressers where she enjoyed being pampered (having autism means Rachel struggles with the sensation of washing her hair so this was a BIG day).

💗

Love Has Many Faces

What a beautiful day today has been. Sophie and I sat on the back deck and watched the dawn as it gently rose between the trees. We played in the garden and then I headed into the kitchen to prepare lunch for some family and friends.   My sister came with her two children. My friends Heilala and Mario came with their daughter Serena, Heilala's mum Joyce and cousin Ma'ata (both from Tonga).  Also in attendance were my friends Susana and Rodrigo.  Around my table sat people from Spain, Uruguay, Argentina, Tonga, Tonga, Tonga/New Zealand/Australia.  So many different faces, languages and customs yet such similar hearts and souls.  Kindness, love and friendship are the same in any language.  This is how it should be.

Our two beautiful tomato pickers in my wild, rambling cherry tomatoes.  Miss Serena and Miss Rachel, who is now taller than her mother and I.  Gorgeous girls.

Another lovely event this week has been the birthday of my eldest nephew.  You may remember our little red head from long ago blog posts.

Well, he turned old enough to get his learners this week so he's driving and has grown in to such a level headed, good natured young man.  We are still so close and that is so very special to me.  As I tell him, I'll always love him past the last star....

 

Sorry, I completely forgot to take photos of our gathering today. 

Watched Over and Busy

Life is pretty busy at the moment.  I've recently had to replace my car due to a catastrophic failure of two major components of my X-trail. Other than sounding a little different (which is why I took it to the mechanic), nothing seemed wrong.  I was quite shocked when the manager came out and told me that it was unsafe to drive and it's a miracle that I hadn't been killed or badly injured.  Thanking my lucky stars there. The lady in the waiting room with me remarked that 'someone was watching over you', and she may well be right. Within 3 days I had a new-to-me little car that I'm actually really loving.  It is so easy to get Sophie into as well so getting her to the vet is easier and taking her out to the dog park or beach is possible again. Further to my good fortune, my little car was 7 years old with 41000kms on the odometer.  How awesome is that!

Sophie has been spending her days lying in the sun sleeping...

You can see her industriously dug holes behind her. Grrrr.

She has also been licking her paw constantly so I've resorted to making her wear a sock, which seems to be working so far.  The cone of shame stops her licking but she can only walk backwards in it which is hilarious but not great for her.  She's getting older but still as cute as a button.

 

Uni is entering the stage of semester where assessments all seem to come due at once and class content seems to increase simultaneously.  At present I'm researching the efficacy of using art therapy to promote positive mental health outcomes for children hospitalised in paediatric wards.  It's a very interesting area and is something that I may be able to do my Masters and PhD research on.  In addition to my Masters I am also studying to be a Clinical Play Therapist.  This is done through a private training organisation and will be completed by November.  Having a background in education I am loving this are of therapeutic intervention.  I have three full days of training this week as well as a written assessment for uni.  I seem to read, write and nap at present with very little in between! :) 

I made a huge pot of vegetable and herb soup on the weekend to help get me through the busy week.  Most of the veggies came from either my garden or my Mum's which I love.  I don't know why I was surprised but the soup was delicious.  

My brother and I faced the cold winds and went to the local markets on Sunday morning.  We were both after seedlings for our vegetable gardens.  It was a beautiful day even though it was chilly and I particularly loved how quiet the markets were. I managed to get a good assortment of seedlings for $9 and came home and filled the empty spots in my veggie garden as well as underplanting my potted dwarf citrus trees with the remaining herbs and chinese vegetables.  At least Sophie and I won't starve.

There are so many very healthy plants at the market and for such good prices.  My garden is already well landscaped and easy to care for. It needs no more ornamental or landscaping plants so for now I am focusing on growing food in pots and in a raised garden.  Growing your own food is such a pleasurable thing to do. It is such a joy to be able to provide food for yourself and to be able to generously share with neighbours and loved ones, even if you have little money.  People always leave here with a posy of herbs and a few cherry tomatoes or whatever else is ready from the garden.  Such a good feeling.  My garden gives me such feelings of peace, happiness, security and abundance.

Stay well and happy everyone and if you don't hear from me over the next week or so it's because I am sitting here with my head in the books.  :)

Sandy xx

Repairing myself with gold.....

 

Today I was reflecting on just how beautifully my university studies, my art, my meditation, journal writing, and other self-care practices are intertwining and integrating so naturally and powerfully to heal me. To 'put me back together' but in a form that while familiar is so much more beautiful and powerful than I ever was before.  I am loving this time immensely and so very, very grateful.

Thought for Today.

First Use of Lush Hair Product

Today I used the Lush shampoo and conditioner bars for the first time.  They were really easy to use and I loved the shampoo bar particularly. It lathered quickly and well and has a divine smell too.  The conditioning bar was more difficult to use and I'm not sure that I used the right amount.  I'll try to get more of it into my hair next time.  My hair is soft, silky, shiny and feels beautifully clean.  By this afternoon (I washed my hair this morning),  my hair had started to frizz up, which is usually does.  Hopefully the use of more conditioner will reduce the frizz in future.  So far, a thumbs up!

Lush Hair

As I was heading out today to visit a friend from uni I decided to call into the Lush near her and buy a shampoo and conditioner in solid form.  I've been looking at ways to decrease my carbon footprint and reducing the packaging that I purchase is an area I am focusing on at present.  After some Youtube research I decided to try Honey I washed my Hair for the Shampoo and Big for the conditioner. Having dry, curly hair prone to frizz and chaos I went for ones that were nourishing and moisturising - according to Youtube vloggers.  The assistant at the Lush store suggested the same ones so I am giving them a try.

Supposedly these should last for about 80 washes which is a few plastic bottles of shampoo.  I think these would be great for travelling too as they wouldn't contribute to your liquids amount so fit nicely in your carry on luggage.   This is my hair at present with product in it to control the frizz and with some attempt made this morning to smooth out the frizz and curls.  It's afternoon so returning to it's wild state. :)

We'll see what my hair looks like after a few washes with these new products.  I'll keep you posted.  They smell divine but if I use them and they make me look like Yahoo Serious I'll be taking them back.

My uni semester finished 2 weeks ago.  I finished the semester early as I had no exams, all my assessments were written assignments. Some of my friends are still studying for exams and will be doing them over the next week.  I've filled my time ensuring that all my notes are up to date, that I have downloaded all the learning materials and readings, just in case I've missed the odd thing here and there in the business of the semester. I'm usually pretty good but had missed some updated notes that were put up on Blackboard after our workshops.  In addition to this I did a lot of sleeping in the first week of the holidays.  My body needed rest.  This has been my best semester so far as far as my health and energy goes.  I've been on low-dose Naltrexone for 6 months now and it has definitely helped with my ability to cope physically as well as assisting my cognition.  I'll write a post specifically about Naltrexone over the next few days.

As I've mentioned previously, taking care of myself, in addition to taking all of my medication, is vital to me being able to be independent and to cope with uni. With that in mind I regularly prep food so that I always have healthy, nutritious food on hand so it takes little to no effort to throw together a healthy meal or snack for myself. I've been gifted some food this week. An abundance of oranges from Mum's tree, lemons, limes, mandarins, lettuce, English spinach, an avocado and a custard apple.  I cut the oranges into pieces and store them in old jam jars in the fridge as a ready snack or to add to Sophie's dinner - yes she eats well too which is why she is in such good shape at 13.5 years old. There is a 9 year old lab called Sally who lives near my parents and she looks considerably older than Sophie, can barely walk and has lived on dry food all her life.  I really think nutrition makes a huge difference.  I've always raw fed my dogs.  Anyway, back to the food prep.  In the fridge I have a salad made up (blue bowl), carrot sticks and cut up cucumber stored in water in jars at the back, orange slices cut up and stored in jam jars at the front and a bottle of homemade hummus made with my friend Tiia's recipe.  I also have a container of berries washed and ready for when I feel like a sweet snack or to sprinkle over my porridge of a morning.

 

It makes it so easy to throw together a healthy meal.  To the salad below I added some parsley and tomatoes from my garden. My tomato plants here grow with wild abandon and I am rarely without cherry tomatoes.  As I'd been gifted so much food I splurged and picked up some smoked salmon which I added to the salad.

Sophie and I take our regular walks most days.  Some days she's a bit wobbly and stiff so I keep her at home but we both love getting out. It keeps us healthy too. That and doing yoga and pilates here at home.  Sophie joins in to these at times which makes some sessions more of a wrestle and giggle fest than an exercise session.

Another aspect of my lifestyle is to reduce my carbon footprint further and I'm very happy to be able to recycle my coffee pods.  I have a Nespresso machine as I knew that Nespresso provided a recycling program.  As there is no collection centre for the pods close to me I can use the Nespresso postal service by putting my pods in their postal bag and simply popping it in the post box.  Very convenient.

Catching up with friends in person has been on the agenda too which seemed odd after being so isolated during the Covid lockdown.  Everyone's lives have been so different, each with their unique challenges.  Today I am visiting my friend Susanna who is one of my friends from uni. Susanna and her husband moved to Australia this year.  Sadly she lost her father during Covid and was unable to return home to his funeral due to the restrictions.  I felt so deeply for her so far away in a new country, in lockdown, navigating her grief.

While I'm out today I'll call into the bulk food store and get the ingredients that I need to make gluten free flour.  Far cheaper than purchasing the same mix at a local health food store and containing far more nutrients than the regular gluten free flours commonly found in our supermarkets.  I'll share some more about being gluten free and the flour mix I use when I write about low-dose Naltrexone.

Blessings of the day to you my friends. xxx

My Orchid is Blooming!!

Transpersonal Psychology

Yesterday in our Zoom class we spent a number of hours exploring the world of Transpersonal Psychology.  It was both fascinating and extremely validating for me.  My long held interests in the transpersonal have in the past, particularly during my marriage, been tolerated, met with intolerance or disbelief, and diminished and maligned as my 'witchiness'.  It was something to see me as less than because of my interest in it and, to quote, was just 'given air time to'.  Yet here was this luminous lecturer with a PhD, articulate, enthusiastic, talking about prophetic dreaming, meditation, chakras, holotropic breath work, near-death experiences, the clair's (clairvoyance etc), eastern belief systems, working with energy, altered states of consciousness and much, much more.  All supported by credible research.  All being on the front line of mental health treatment, wellbeing and also opening up into  the field of medicine with the study of the energetic field of the body (aura, etheric layers etc).  The validation has been very healing for me.  I was diminished, dismissed and disrespected so much that it broke something deep within me under the hurt. Now seeing my beliefs, my way of viewing and engaging with the world so substantially supported and validated I feel something over my heart knitting back together, returning to wholeness.  The possibility that I might discover the answer to how I dream things that come true, have clairsentient, clairvoyant and clairaudient experiences, have had communications with those who have passed....it something that I'm eager to learn.

Here is little peak at some of my class notes for you - just a summary section.  There was so much information in this class, it was really full on.  Three of my lecturers are trained in Transpersonal Psychology so I'm sure I'll learn much more by the end of the course.

Last night I sat down with my meditation journals and my synchronicity journal (which contains my experiences of synchronicity or 'unable to be explained' experiences) and started to read back over them.  I started reading entries from 2015 and basically had my mind blown.  The gift of hindsight shows me just how clear the guidance and messages I was receiving were - and that is not trying to fit information to how things have turned out.  I was given direct quotes of things that would be said to me years later for example.  How do you wrap your head around that, let alone explain it?  I'll continue to read them today after I have worked on my critical reflection and attended my last class for the semester.  What a journey.  If you meditate, I highly recommend that you record your experiences in a journal to be read over later.

This is a possible area for me to investigate for my final Master's research project and my PhD.  I already have a notebook dedicated to these where I am starting to jot down resources, questions, and information to possibly explore.

I have two boxes of journals full of the journals I have written in daily for a good 25 years now.  These three however are the ones that I would grab in the even of a fire or some such calamity.  The two on the right contain the records of my meditations and the one on the left has the record of all those amazingly synchronous experiences that I've had and struggled to explain and understand.

Do you journal?  Do you meditate or practice mindfulness?  Have any of you experienced non-ordinary states of consciousness or unexplained events?  I'd love to hear about it.

Lazy Sunday

I'm tired today.  I've done some food prep which took little time or energy thank goodness and washed my sheets with is rather more tiring. The bed is yet to be made...  My bins are out at the curb and full of garden waste which is another win for the weekend.

Mini frittatas made with leftover roasted capsicum, chorizo, haloumi and spinach.  I think I'll freeze at least half of these.  I have them for breakfast or with a salad for lunch.  A giant bowl of cut rockmelon, watermelon and red pawpaw.  Finally a big Greek salad that I grated some carrot into -very odd but it bulked it out and added another veg.  They'll keep me going for awhile and hopefully help me manage feeling so tired.

I had a box of fresh dates that needed using too so I whipped up some bliss balls.  My kitchen light blew before I took a photo of them so I nabbed this one off Pinterest. Mine look very similar but rolled in coconut.  I'll freeze half of this batch too. 

Two weeks of uni to go and 4000 words to write then I have a breather for a little while. 

Hope you are all staying well and happy.

Garden

Some time ago I headed off to Bunnings and bought myself two raised garden bed kits which I put together then filled lasagne style with sugar cane mulch, compost, manure, blood and bone.  This is what it looked like then...

It's been awhile and the capsicums and zucchinis never survived the grub plague that ate it's way through our community.  Here are photos of the garden taken today.

 The strawberries have been prolific but Sophie helps herself to them so I have had not a one from the crop. :) I still have rocket, lettuce, chives, tomatoes (a few different types now) and have added wombok and bok choy as I was given seedlings that my uncle had in surplus.  As you can see the top layer of cane mulch is decomposing nicely and the plants are all very happy. What amazes me is how low the soil has sunk.

 The soil was right to the top when I first set the garden up and it's down a good 15cm now.  It's such an easy way to garden that I'd recommend it to anyone.  The soil stays moist too reducing the amount of watering that needs to be done.

Letting one of the lettuce go to seed so it will produce it's own little ones. A new planting of wombok at the empty end.  This is a good photo to see how much the soil has subsided.

My brother was here earlier and we were talking about doubling the size of the garden by purchasing another kit and adding it to the length of the present garden.  That will give me room to plant asparagus which I LOVE growing.  I also have seeds for wild garlic, viroflay spinach and daikon radishes (these were a gift). I have two pineapple plants and a variety of herbs on the other side of the tank. Being a bit more self sufficient in fresh produce is something that is important to me and I enjoy time in the garden.  There is something so joyful and comforting about growing your own produce.

My miniature citrus trees are in pots around the side of the house and have not grown well, largely due to gross negligence on my part.  I think when I take my next study break I'll move them around and put them in a better position. Maybe in Sophie's holes to prevent her digging..... 

A Sign of Good Things to Come?

Today I had to venture out and head to Caboolture for an appointment.  As I drove past the Show Grounds I saw a double rainbow appearing to end right where I was headed.  It feels like years since I've seen a rainbow and how special to see a double. 

Hopefully a sign of good things to come....

Studying with Long-term Illness

I've been asked lately how I manage to cope with the demands of uni while living with chronic health conditions.  It made me pause and reflect as after 20 plus years living with autoimmune diseases I don't give much thought to it, I just do it. The 'how' I do it is what needs to be pondered.  Firstly, my conditions mean that I get very tired and I can be in terrible pain (although this has reduced significantly since being placed on Low-dose naltrexone).  Studying means sitting for long periods and this is an issue for me regarding both pain and fatigue.  I am on lots of medication to help me in lots of different ways and without these uni would definitely not be possible.

My bag of morning medications.  A total of 8 tablets and 1 troche.

My bag of evening medications, including the magical low-dose naltrexone which has been life changing.

While the medication is essential I see how I live my life as being my first line of management and maintenance of the best health possible, which in turn allows me to study.  I make sure that I get enough sleep. I eat healthily, clean, nutritious food made at home.  I live a quiet life as my energy needs to go into uni and looking after myself.   This doesn't mean that I am isolated and do nothing. I have wonderful friendships and I do go out and do things but I consider if any outings will impact my ability to have the energy to care for myself or if it will negatively impact my body and thus my studies.  Not ideal but it is what it is.  My routines are coming back after being blown to pieces with the rest of me when J left and they are very helpful in helping me to look after my home and keep on top of things like the washing, housework, cooking, groceries and garden.  I use a modified version of the Flylady system.  These routines were a lifesaver and life-changing when I found Flylady maybe 12 years or so ago.  Caring for the house when you are not well is so much easier if you have daily routines and zones. 

When studying, I use the Pomodoro system which is where you study for 25 minutes then have a break for 5 minutes. There are timers on youtube that I use and in my 5 minutes I get up and stretch my body, go outside and do whatever my body needs to be able to sit back at the books for another 25 minutes.  I also make sure that I have a comfortable office chair and sometimes move to the couch to do readings as it supports my body better.  In my longer breaks I use the massage equipment that I purchased on sale because it was not affordable for me to continue with regular physio or therapeutic massage to manage my pain and maintain my mobility. They both have a 15 minute setting so I sit down and get massaged regularly.

The foot massager was excruciating for the first two weeks, but after that it became tolerable and now my feet no longer feel as though they are full of glass when I walk and if I use it regularly I can get out of bed in the morning and have normal mobility in my feet.  Fabulous! Gotta be happy with that.  By making sure that I use these regularly and doing yoga daily, I haven't had to pay for massages or physio.  After spending $2000 in one year on a frozen shoulder that greatly inhibited my ability to dress myself, wash my hair, to make the bed etc I think these have been a brilliant investment.

At uni I have a learning access plan via Student Support and my doctor.  It means that I have automatic extensions (which I very rarely apply for), sit my exams in a small room with a comfortable chair and have my own comfy chair in my classrooms.  Little things that make a difference.

I'll write another post on Low-dose naltrexone and the wonderful Dr Holloway but right now I have to log on to my afternoon class via Zoom.  

Stay well and safe everyone.

Creamy Broccoli Soup

Yesterday was a good day.  I tackled some of my large pile of uni work and was happy with my progress. These last 4-5 weeks of semester are always pretty full on. I have four assessments due.  A slide show on Gender Dysphoria (transgender), and three essays totalling about 6000 words.  One of the essays is a critical reflection where we have to analyse ourselves basically.  Self analysis is a huge part of our degree and we do it frequently in class and as part of assessments. We also have mini counselling sessions at least once per week, sometimes more and there is no hiding anything from yourself or others.  Some students find it confronting but it is done in a very respectful, understanding and supportive way and I am finding it to be very worthwhile and interesting.

Anyway, back to yesterday.  After spending the morning on uni I then got out of isolation - gasp!  I drove down to Caloundra and had my hair done.  It was so strange but lovely to be doing something so normal yet rare.  The day was beautiful and I so appreciated it.  Sophie was ready for some love and a play when I got home so we had some fun before I got in and cooked my dinner.  Oh my goodness, it was divine.  Creamy Broccoli soup from Nagi at RecipeTinEats. So very easy to make.

You add butter to your pot and cook down some onion and garlic before adding 4 cups of vegetable stock and 1.5 cups of water.  To this add 2 cut up potatoes and two heads of broccoli florets. Put the lid on and let it bubble away for about 20 minutes.

Turn off the heat and use a stick blender to blitz it before stirring through 2/3 cup of cream (I used less and used the low-fat cooking cream), then stir in some grated cheese. I think the recipe called for 1.5 cups of cheese but I used less too and it still tasted lovely. Oh salt and pepper too. An easy, healthy dinner.

I'm tired today and out of step with my routine.  My day usually starts around 5.30am with my study day beginning between 7 and 8.  I read too late last night and this morning I am feeling the consequences. Sophie woke me at 6am and then again at almost 8 as I'd fallen back to sleep after letting her out. It's not a problem though, I just adjust my plans to fit and I'll still get everything done.  This morning I've been organising my application to return to teaching.  My teacher registration renewal came through this morning so I can get that underway.  I'll look at relief teaching or permanent part-time work with either Education Queensland or in the private sector.  I know one private school looking to fill a permanent part-time position so I'll apply for that and see if it fits around my uni commitments.  It's a bit difficult when I don't know my timetable for next semester yet.

Coffee sounds like a good option right about now. It may perk me up enough to get back into my study.

Stay well and safe everyone.

xx
Sandy