More Thought Bubbles......

[elcie]

link removed

 

This is where we're going this afternoon to walk our dog Billy. It will get Lauren out of her room. She's just sent a facebook message to John saying that they needed to breakup and I thought it would be a good idea for her to take a good walk rather than stay in her room waiting for his reply.

[Silverbirch]

Hi Elcie,

Hope you and your daughter are well. Yes, this guy has messed her around a lot. She is so much better off without him. Whereabouts is Wilson Botanic Park? I saw the link to Myuna Farm too. Have you been to Collingwood City Farm. I love that place!

 

I've got the 31st firmly in my diary and looking forward to it. Was told at work I had to go to compulsory training. I told them, sorry no, I have an appointment I have to attend on that day and can't be changed. Hehehe. They were initially so adamant it had to be on that day, but then conceded there had been others too who couldn't make it that day so putting on a second training day.

 

It's been very hectic with things happening at work and also Little Black Pony who I've had to move to a dirt paddock as he is dangerously fat. Thing is that the surface of the paddock is more uncomfortable for him to walk on because of not being padded by grass so poor little darling is spending a lot of time sitting and lying down. Farrier coming Wednesday so we will discuss the options. I know of a rehab centre where they have a type of paddock which is padded in rubber. I was thinking of looking around for some carpet being put out for tip collection and placing to make pathways for him to walk as it's also important for him to get some walking in. He's turning out to be a dear little fellow, much friendlier. He now follows me and smooches me, and it's hard to believe that he has so little handling. He's very clever too. I've started desensitising him to the halter, and it seems to be working. There's lots I'm going to start doing with him from tomorrow to desensitise and eventually "bomb-proof" him. He's going to eventually make an excellent child's lead rein pony. I won't let him go away anywhere, and double I will ever let a child (unless they are super experienced and gentle) ride him, but I can see myself putting kids on his back, and me leading them around. Installiing some software tomorrow and then post some pics of him. Poor little darling.

 

Catch you soon and sorry I've been slack with posting and writing. xxx

[elcie]

Hi silver, It's good to hear from you again. Must admit I was hoping that your absence from the Journal section meant that you were being super busy and enjoying yourself- glad to find out that that was indeed the case.

 

Lauren seems to be coping much better this time round, In fact, we had a talk last night when she came back from work, and she told me that she'd just found out that two friends of a co-worker had a 'crush' on her. She thinks one of them is cute but is not interested in taking it further until some time has passed. The ego boost was just what she needed, though.

 

I am so looking forward to Wednesday week. I hope the good weather lasts. Hasn't it been absolutely glorious!!!

 

Oh! by the way......Wilson Botanic Park is in Berwick on the Princes Highway. It used to be a quarry and they have created a truly wonderful oasis, right in the middle of suburbia. There are two lakes, a walkway lined with aromatic plants and a lookout that gives views to the southern suburbs.

[Silverbirch]

Hi Elcie,

 

Glad to hear that things sound good with you. I'm sure Lauren will fall in love again soon - being young is like that!

 

Yep, I'm pretty good. Going to write again in my own journal tonight. Not sure if I'm repeating myself, but I meant to say to you that if you are up to meeting at the beach - say anywhere between Mentone and Seaford during the nice weather, I'm off work every second weekend. I will be available some Wednesdays, but David might be coming every second Wednesday to trim Jet's hooves. I also have some days where I finish at around 9.30am at Boronia, so could meet you at the beach for lunch if you like. Narre Warren isn't all that far from Edithvale is it? Had another full day today, and I'm pretty pooped.

[elcie]

Hi silver,

 

Lunch at the beach sounds like fun when the weather warms up. Ironically, I'm posting this to the sounds of a downfall outside!!!

[Silverbirch]

Yes, should be good. I could kick myself for not having gone over the last couple of years due to distance, but it's not that far, especially if I work it in with other things. Which beaches do you like Elc? Btw, I'm going to Fabrizio's on Saturday. Plenty of vacancies if you want to come. Looks like it will be Fab and Leonora, another girl named Lisa and me - so a quieter night unless there has been a rush of people deciding to come.

[elcie]

Hi silver, I'm not going to be able to make Fabrizio's unfortunately. About the beaches; I'm not that familiar with any beaches city-side of Frankston so I'm open to whatever beach you want to visit or what is most convenient to you. I might ask around for other people opinions.

[Silverbirch]

The further south you go towards Frankston, the softer and whiter the sand. Once you get south of Mordialloc though there are not so many great places to eat, but Mordialloc isn't far to drive to from any of the beaches from Chelsea to Carrum.

[elcie]

Sounds like the best thing to do would be to find a good place to eat around Mordialloc and then walk it off at a nearby beach?

[Silverbirch]

Yeah, Mordialloc is good!

[elcie]

Wow!! I was just sitting in the lounge-room looking at ENA posts on my laptop when my daughter just walked past me to go to the front door. She opened it and picked up a box that had been left on the mat.

 

"John's just dropped off the stuff that I had at his house!" she said to me as she looked in the box, "He texted me that he had just done it"

 

"Are you OK?" , I asked her. She looked a bit teary.

 

"I'm fine, but my heart was pounding when I got the text. I think NC is really the way to go for me. It's going to be easier to move on if he doesn't contact me."

 

We talked some more about how she was feeling. After talking to her friends she's realizing that he is a very self-absorbed person, who didn't really love her or treat her as well as she should have been. Being her first boyfriend, she had no-one to compare him to. I was glad to hear her say this. I'm starting to become confident that this is the final curtain for that relationship. Of course, I've been careful not to be too vocal about my opinions......just in case!!!

[Silverbirch]

It's good that she wants to go NC. A very positive sign I think.

[elcie]

I agree! She's actually doing really well so far....much better than last time. I think she has definitely decided to move on and has no intention of getting back with John, (even if he begged her to, like last time) Of course that doesn't mean that her heart is not hurting. She has more friends to support her this time too!

[Silverbirch]

Good on her!:strawberry:

[elcie]

How long has it been since I wrote? It's seems an eternity.........

 

Menopause has crashed onto me like an unexpected king wave!! Damn, damn, damn.....I thought I'd dodged that bullet. After I'd had an ovary removed a few years ago, my periods had just stopped. BANG, GONE....I felt wonderful.....I felt like I knew what it was like to be a man and not worry about all that woman's stuff. Bad luck, girl, it's not to be.

 

OMG,......hot flashes!!!!!!.....night sweats!!!!.....unexpected tears!!!!.....forgetfulness!!!-well, I had that, anyway, ha!

 

I told Paul about it and also told him that I may as well make the most of it.....

 

"Whatever I do or say that's wrong from now on, I'm going to blame it on the menopause!!!, so it will be useful for something, at least!"

 

He smiled a little at my comment.....he also looked a little worried....and maybe he should......

[Silverbirch]

Hugs Elcie,

I thought you must have gone on the cruise. Have you been yet? Sorry to hear about the menopause giving you problems. My periods seem to have almost stopped. I had the blood tests done last year which showed that I am in menopause, but my problems were eratic and some VERY heavy periods. Hope I'm not going to get the hot flushes. I'm sure my Mum told me she didn't get them. One lady told me that she got up one morning and was all bent over and thought she had somehow injured herself, but it just turned out to be the change of life. I'm feeling remarkably young and fit right now and thank God that the virus seems to be gone. I'm taking hayfever tablets though some days with all this windy weather and gown up and wear a special mask when I have to handle hay. Those things make a big difference. Are you taking any herbal treatments or supplements for the menopausal symptoms. I hear they make a big difference for a lot of women.

 

Hey, the nice weather is coming although it's been windy hasn't it. Still looking forward to meeting up at the beach soon. xxxx

[Silverbirch]

Hugs Elcie,

I thought you must have gone on the cruise. Have you been yet? Sorry to hear about the menopause giving you problems. My periods seem to have almost stopped. I had the blood tests done last year which showed that I am in menopause, but my problems were eratic and some VERY heavy periods. Hope I'm not going to get the hot flushes. I'm sure my Mum told me she didn't get them. One lady told me that she got up one morning and was all bent over and thought she had somehow injured herself, but it just turned out to be the change of life. I'm feeling remarkably young and fit right now and thank God that the virus seems to be gone. I'm taking hayfever tablets though some days with all this windy weather and gown up and wear a special mask when I have to handle hay. Those things make a big difference. Are you taking any herbal treatments or supplements for the menopausal symptoms. I hear they make a big difference for a lot of women.

 

Hey, the nice weather is coming although it's been windy hasn't it. Still looking forward to meeting up at the beach soon. xxxx

[elcie]

Hi silver, I'm going on the cruise at the end of November. One of my sisters has bowed out, unfortunately, so that makes us a party of three! One good thing about that is that Mum will get her cabin to herself and not have to worry about keeping anyone awake, (she goes to the toilet about twice a night and she snores!)

 

I'll definitely be looking into what I can do to minimize the symptoms of menopause......I'll check it out today.

 

Also looking forward to the beach but if you find yourself too busy with David, I'll certainly understand that......as I said in your journal, you go girl!!!!!......

[elcie]

I feel like skipping and jumping up and down for joy at the moment........but my near and dear ones would probably think that I'd gone bonkers!!!!

 

You see, I had been in a bit of a predicament. Apparently, you have to get dressed up to go to dinner on this cruise, and I had nothing good enough to wear. So I was faced with the prospect of spending a lot of money on dresses that I might never wear again once I got back. I hate that sort of waste of money. And things are getting a bit tight, financially!

 

I went to a shopping centre last week and the sort of dresses that were appropriate were about $250.......yikes!!!

 

Yesterday, I drove to DFO, to see if I could find any discounted dresses. Yes, they were definitely cheaper.....by about $100.....still a lot of money, though.

 

And then I found this wonderful shop. It was full of exactly the sort of dresses I was looking for. And they had a rack of clothes that were severely discounted for a number of reasons.

 

I spotted one dress. It seemed to be calling out to me. I looked at the size.....yes, my size! I looked at the price tag.....it had been discounted from $289 to $20!!!!!

 

I asked the shop attendant, "Why has this dress been discounted so much?"

 

She examined the tag, "There are a couple of pulled threads on the front of the dress.....you know there's a 25% discount on all merchandise in the shop?...so that would take this dress down to $15"

 

I put the dress on. It fitted like a glove.....it was perfect. The pulled threads were small and easily fixed......it was a bargain!!!!

 

There was another dress that was $22.50....because there was a slight puckering at the zip at the back. I didn't notice it until the attendant pointed it out to me......another bargain!!!

 

A beautiful pale pink top with black lace over it for $35. Original price was $199!! I already owned some black pants that would go with it.

 

I feel like I have struck gold! And to top it all off......they looked good!!!!! Nearly two years of body pump have not been wasted!! I'm in better shape now than when I was 25.

 

Maybe I'll even buy a swimsuit!!! Whoa!....steady on, girl!

[elcie]

I know the opposite of choco-holic would be choco-phobic, but what about the choca-hoarder?........

 

My husband is one of those. He has his stash of Cadbury Favourites, Club, Lindt Chili chocolate etc., given to him as Father's Day and Birthday presents, and he has ONE piece a day!!!!

 

Given, he is very generous and he'll approach the rest of the family with his open box of Favourites and offer us one. I look at his face suspiciously before my hand dives down to grab my favorite Boost. Is there a hint of smugness there? Is this a way of showing off, of saying, "Look how strong my will power is", or even, "Ha ha, I've got chocolates and you haven't!"?

 

What I want to know is.....how does he do it??? How can he limit himself to one piece a day???

 

I can't do it. As soon as I receive some chocolate it's gone, in a matter of days at the most.

 

My sister, Lucy was also a choco-hoarder. When she was a child her Easter eggs lasted for ages, and she DID show off about it! Eventually, after months and months, the remainder of her chocolate bunnies and eggs would have to be thrown away because they had gone white with age. "What a waste!", the rest of the family would tell her, but she never changed her habit.

 

Is the way we eat our chocolate an indication of our approach to life? If that's so, then my motto in life would be 'carpe diem' ,or should I say, 'seize the chocolate'!

[Silverbirch]

Hugs Elcie,

Hope you have a great time on the cruise. I'd love to check out that clothing store for sure. Definitely still want to come to Mordialloc and meet you soon especially as the weather is becoming nice too. No way I will find myself too busy with David or any other man to let my friendships go by the by. I so regret that I have done that in the past - not that I ever meant to - but I know now what a huge mistake that it. David really wouldn't want me to either. He's a bit paranoid about women making him their "hobby" as that has happened to him in the past, and needless to say, it didn't work out. I can even meet you on a Saturday or Sunday if you prefer that to a Tuesday or Wednesday or even a Friday.

 

Oh, I'm a self-confessed chocoholic, but having lost some weight recently, I really don't want to put it back on so I'm going to save chocolates for special occasions and go the full way. LOL Wonder what that means about me - I choose the occasions carefully to let my hair down, but when I do, I really enjoy myself.

 

I am planning to post a photo of David (for a short time), and accidently put on the wrong thread - on this one and I'm trying to delete it so sorry if that doesn't work.

 

Speak soon. xxxx

[elcie]

Just touching base here.....it's been such a long time.

 

For the last five months I've been training to become a Bodypump instructor. I'm now certified and have four permanent classes. Life is so different now. Many new friends, always busy, dealing with different situations in the best way I know how.

 

I'm glad I took the chance. I feel like my life is starting again. If there's anything I can share with anyone it's that the cliches are true....it's never too late to try something new.

 

My very best wishes to everyone at this festive time of year.

[elcie]

It's Christmas Eve and all is quiet in the house. I'm sitting in front of the computer, Irish cream and vodka in hand and finally relaxing after a hectic day.

 

It started with my final Bodypump class of the year; no mistakes and cheerful smiles beaming back at me as I wished everyone a Merry Christmas and a healthy New Year. Long drive back to my local shopping centre for some last minute Christmas shopping - absolute bedlam!!!

 

Back home for frantic housework, getting the house clean for our guests tomorrow. And finally, cooking the chickens so that all I have to do tomorrow is roast the vegetables. The chickens turned out beautifully and so far everything is going well.....hopefully no dramas tomorrow!

 

2012 has been a funny sort of year. I feel like I've reinvented myself. I know I have to continue to challenge myself so that I don't slip into my old habit of taking the easy option.

 

I wonder what sort of year 2013 will be...

[redrose85]

Hi Elcie, I just discovered your journal and found myself giggling over your dress excitement. I love that feeling when you find a true bargain

 

For years I wanted a red pea coat but they just weren't available, or they were really pricey and from high end shops. I was in a discount chain one day and I found this beautiful long, soft London Fog peacoat --in red. It was the last one, and it fit like a glove. It was marked down from $120 or so to $70. As a student, even $70 was a thinker for me... I hummed and hawed until I decided that I should just go for it and that would be my treat for the month. I got to the till and it was reduced another $35 and it was tax free. I practically skipped home.

 

I really admire fitness instructors. They just seem to have such a balance in life and in health. Merry christmas to you and yours

[elcie]

Hi redrose, love that moment at the counter when a reduced item is reduced even more!! I had the same experience a few days ago Christmas shopping. . . Two cutlery sets ended up costing me $10. . .yes!!

 

Anyway, Christmas lunch went off without a hitch, I actually lost half a kilo, (probably because I was running on adrenalin all day), and now I'm relaxing on Boxing Day with plenty of food in the fridge, no cooking tonight!! Think I'll head off to the gym for the spin class!