Cate's Diary

hey cate,
glad to hear that you're able to calm down faster now...you've had one busy weekend i see...those stone steps must be beautiful. Please do take a picture and post it up...I would love to see some nature...i'm just surrounded by buildings and more buildings. Anyway, do rest that finger. Have a beautiful Monday, my friend.

georgina
 
Hello Geo & anyone else reading my diary. You want nature? OK- This is not "natural" nature but my version. It's a work in progress. The 4th photo shows the gap that I need to fill, where once I thought the steps should be but I will take some more photos tomorrow, including one of the steps & post them. These ones I had on file. I need to get some more of the beautiful red shrub & the big rock (2nd photo) was the one that bent my wheelbarrow. I need to buy some more plants before I continue I think. The ferns have come up on their own. The spores must have been in the soil. Our land had never been built on as far as we know. It probably did not have Aborigines living on it as it does not have natural water.
I have had a nice day today. I took my MIL for a walk along the river & then a little supermarket shopping, dropped her off home & came home & had a relaxing, non gardening day. I have been reading, sat outside in the sun & had lunch, have cooked a lovely roast chicken & vegetable dinner & am about to have a glass of wine. I feel really good. :D Cheers for now, Cate.
 
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cate, now i understand what you mean when you say you are surrounded by nature...it's beautiful...i wish i lived there...it must be beautiful having lunch outdoors. i live in an apartment so i sound deprived of nature... :p
 
Cutting out body talk & fat talk-
Now, that's a challenge. It is about time we stopped this absolute obsession with body talk & body image. I thought I was looking great & I felt great until I weighed myself this morning & for 2 hours I let it make me feel bad about myself.
That is sad & wrong!
What was different about the Cate of yesterday & the Cate today? 1.5kg! So?
I actually have had 2 weeks off weighing myself to give myself a break from the obsession. It felt really good but it also had me eating what I felt like, when I felt like it. It was a holiday from obsessing.

I choose to feel good about myself.

Steps-
I still have lots of "work" to do to improve the steps but thought I would post some photos to show you how they are at the moment. See my previous post as well for my landscaping efforts so far. The bare patch is my next project & it is between the steps & the rest. I love stone work. Ha ha I have probably told you all that a squillion times already. I know I tell everyone else over & over. I get so enthusiastic about rocks!
I am strong & fit & active & really proud of my stone work. (Telling myself!)
How many 56 year old women(whoops almost 57-in May!) would be carting such big rocks around & loving every minute. I don't get stiff any more & I feel so strong. I also won't ever run out of things to do with 50 acres!
Take care folks. Sending you lots of love & strength. Believe in yourselves!
Be your own best friend.
PS Geo- I took so long to post these photos & type this post that I missed yours. It is truly wonderful to live where I do. Never a day goes by that I don't count myself very fortunate. I used to live in a city & still visit it 2-3 times a year. You have to be ready to live in the country & I truly am. I wasn't ready in my 20's or even 30's. I think that I appreciate it the more because of that time though. Cities are usually where you need to be to make money. I don't need so much any more. Have a look at some of the photos I have on my profile. I think, from memory that I have some of our views etc. xo Cate


 
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Brrr!!!!! It has got so cold today that my LH just lit the fire. When he thinks it's cold it really is cold!
 
Friends-
I just got the most delightful phone call from an old friend. Her brother died this week of cancer & I had sent her a friend request on facebook with a personal message. I am going to the funeral tomorrow. I really liked her brother & one of her sisters & I were also close when we had the pub when she ended up working for us. We got on so well. The woman that rang this morning her husband built our home. We hardly see them as they have been so busy but when we do it's lovely. I have felt like ringing but they have had a horrible thing happen in their family & I didn't want it to seem associated with that. Another sister's son is in detention on a murder charge.
It was lovely that she called. She saw I was on FB & had said something in chat to her but her computer is not working well & I had gone offline so she rang me instead. We talked for half an hour & we are going to go op-shop shopping together some time soon. How nice!

I am going to stop being so hard on myself. I can't believe that I beat myself up so much for something that was inevitable & also so minor. I am down .5kg today so it seems even sillier! Why would you love yourself less over 1kg. That is just plain silly!

Tai Chi today & I'm really looking forward to that & lunch after. I always have quiche & salad & am drinking herbal tea instead of coffee now. I might wean myself off coffee altogether. Maybe.LOL.

I think Winter will see me getting out more instead of my usual sitting & reading a book in front of the fire. I had better make the most of the sunny days to finish my garden before it sets in! Perhaps I will just rug up & garden anyway!

Time is flying & in 5 weeks we fly to Cairns for my birthday. I am looking forward to it but will have to try not to worry about my MIL. It's only 4 days & nights. Thank goodness she is not having chemo. Fingers crossed that she will be ok when we leave.

I have work to do tidying up our place some more. I have our OGS & his best friend for the night Thursday & will have to strip the beds & re-make them as we now have our YS, his GF (yay!) & 2 friends (father & son) staying with us Fri & Sat nights. They are coming up from Hobart for the 8-ball calcutta that we are going to on Saturday. My LH has the w/e off. Yay! What a fun w/e this will be. We all get on well.

OK- time to get a wiggle on. I have been getting up early with my LH & staying up so I can get so much more done in a day. I might just get used to it & become a morning person. If I choose to be I can.

Bye for now, xoxo Cate

 
i love those steps, cate. I can understand the amount of hardwork and effort put into that...
 
I love them too Georgina(pretty name- I'm going to use that unless you prefer Geo) . They really make me feel good. I can't take the credit for them really as my BIL & SIL did most of the work as a surprise while we were away. Thank you for visiting my diary G. I love it when people do.
I agree with you about a bowl of soup being so good at the end of the day. I make a delicious Pho Bo and we often just have that for our evening meal. It's time I made another one. I ate so many chicken soups on Cohen's. Try it sometime with some canned asparagus & use the juice for extra flavour. Just be careful there's no sugar in the brand you buy. I used to have a cooking blitz & weigh out about 10 soups separately. Each would be a little different. I would cook them all separately but would have 3-4 pots going at once. Some I would blitz with a hand held blender, but most I would not. Then I would freeze most of them & label them "Meal 3." If you knew that you would be having them for lunch then you could make them all "Meal 2" portions. Each would have some onion, celery, asparagus, garlic salt or fresh garlic, coriander, ginger, pepper & salt, a little of the asparagus "water" plus water of course & a splash of Balsamic added at the end of cooking. It was a great stand-by & excellent to take to work.
If you find a standby that you love I think it's worth making quite a few, even though you have to cook them separately. Casseroles for example freeze really well. I used to make it simple by making one thing in Meal 3 portions & freezing it, another thing in Meal 2 portions etc so that I never got confused. It's the old K.I.S.S. principle.(Keep it simple, stupid-LOL) You never have the excuse of not being prepared & having to eat something off plan. You sound so well prepared though Georgina that I'm sure that won't happen to you. It used to really worry me so I was super-prepared! xoxoCate


Yesterday-
Was not a good day for many reasons but today I'm fine. It's a long story & I can't be bothered. Because I feel better now & have it out of my system I won't go over it as I have a funeral to go to at 2pm. My LH is going to knock off work 4 hours early & come home & go with me. We discussed it last night & I said I thought that this funeral was one worth giving a days work away for. He agreed & tried but no-one else could work & he decided that half a day would be ok as there are sufficient people working already. It's often over-staffed during the week & then really understaffed at w/e's. He has worked 6 out of the last 7 w/e's on his own, cooking meals for about 45 people. His hours will drop soon and I think he is looking forward to it. Money is def. not everything! He has been working full-time hours now for about 18 months & he has had enough of it. They have someone new starting soon F/T. I need to ring Centrelink to see if we can get something organised for when his hours drop back to about 1-2 days a week. we can't live on that. I'll ring now & get the ball rolling I think. I've been putting it off.


We have to be home by 4pm when our OGS is being dropped off. I then take him to Taekwondo & his best friend will come home with him & stay at our place. My husband is going to make pizzas & that is a part of the reason his friend is coming. Apparently there is much envy on Friday's when our GS opens up his school lunch. I often pop something in for his best friend but they are not meant to share anything. I probably won't get back on my computer until tomorrow afternoon as they'll probably claim it tonight. They don't have school tomorrow. I'll keep track of what they are looking at.

The funeral today will be very sad as there is his lovely wife & 3 young children left behind. They have known their dad was dying for many years but the reality will hit hard. The oldest is 13 now. I'm so glad my LH is coming with me now. So many of our good friends will be there & so many of them are part of his extended family.

Time to get moving. Bye for now, Cate
 
Yesterday-
The funeral was huge & it was lovely but so sad. The family has had so much stress. There was so much love at that funeral. More so than any I can remember. We are both so glad that we went together. It would have been awful on my own.

I now have a date with 2 sisters to go op-shopping together. I was able to re-establish our friendship yesterday. Friendship is worth the effort. We both caught up with so many people that we love yesterday. Yes, love. There are so many degrees of friendship & love but with me a friend is someone I love. It's good when you recognise that I think. If you love someone you should make an effort for them. Ego or being busy or not wanting to disturb their lives should not come into the equation. I was met yesterday with strong feelings of friendship & love & must remember that, instead of talking myself down.

Last night-
Our OS took the 2 A's (our OGS & his best friend have the same 1st name- how confusing!) to Taekwondo & I went in & brought them home for the night. My LH made pizzas & when we got home I put together some salads. I probably should say that whenever we eat pizza it is not a big serve. We use McCain's pizza bases & we share one. They are not big & they are quite healthy. Our salad is always as big as the pizza. The boys had ice-cream with Milo after & some chocolates & we had a bottle of red wine & some fruit later. They had just done 1.5hrs of Taekwondo & are very fit. BF A is about to go for his black belt!

Weight this morning-
Down 2kgs, so 2.5 over my GW range. Just by concentrating on feeling better about myself & not turning to sweet things when stressed I have dropped 2kg this week. It's mostly how we feel about ourselves that decides what we weigh. I have had a very stressful week & struggled Wed with self-esteem but have kept eating really healthily & feel so much stronger for doing so.

Today-
The boys are entertaining themselves as they are trying to stretch out the time that they stay up here. They are such good kids. Both are real characters but are really nice boys. Our GS could not have picked a better best friend. I can see it lasting forever.

I had better get on the move & do some vacuuming, bed changing, vegetable cooking etc. My LH made lasagne last night. Our visitors are not arriving until about 8.30 so we will eat much earlier than that & are having home-made rissoles & vegies. We will freeze some for us another time.

Bye for now. I may be back this afternoon, depending on how I go. I will be away tomorrow all day at an 8-ball event & won't be in here at all.
Cheers,xoxo Cate

 
hey cate,
sorry to hear about your stressful week..good that you chose to eat healthy...today and tomorrow are going to be stressful for me...i have to send my students for a competition that lasts the entire day...i packed my meals and i really hope not to give in to stress and feed myself rubbish...i printed out my goal and stuck to my lunch box, just in case the competition gets stressful and i crave for sugar...anyway, have fun with the 2 A s. They sound cute.. :p
 
Hi Geo- Cute is the word for them. They are such sweet kids! You will not resort to anything off plan. This I feel sure of. I can tell that your resolve is strong but it would be best to reinforce it in your own head. I love the Yoda saying "Do or do not, there is no try." I think that is so true. Have any doubt that you may fail & you are setting yourself up to fail. Now is the time to strengthen your resolve Georgina. Be strong my friend. Sugar, shmugar! Fruitis your new sugar! :D. Stress, scmesh. You can rise above it. You are strong & capable! xoxo Cate
 
thanks my friend! well i did not feel like sugar at all today! in fact, i was sitting with my pupils in the canteen while they gobbled down their cookies and i was not tempted at all...not even when we saw the ice-cream man! i am amazed with myself cate. this is day 5 and i feel great....every day is an accomplishment and i'm proud of that, cate...you have a good weekend. send my hugs to the lil ones...

cheers,
georgina
 
thanks my friend! well i did not feel like sugar at all today! in fact, i was sitting with my pupils in the canteen while they gobbled down their cookies and i was not tempted at all...not even when we saw the ice-cream man! i am amazed with myself cate. this is day 5 and i feel great....every day is an accomplishment and i'm proud of that, cate...you have a good weekend. send my hugs to the lil ones...
cheers, georgina
Georgina,That feeling you get when you first start Cohen's should be able to be bottled & drawn on when needed. I am enjoying it along with you. Every day is indeed an accomplishment & something to be very proud of and so you should be. Well done you!! xoxo Cate

Saturday-
Was a huge day & so exhausting. I spent a lot of the day with our YS's GF. She went with me to return the set top box that I had been trying to get tuned in since last July. She told me it was def. dodgy so we returned it & got a new one to replace it free. She is so firm. I really enjoy her company but don't need to fuss over her either. It's a very easy relationship between us. Our YS ended up quite drunk & irritating. It's a long story but he's 27 & thinks the world revolves around him. I love him but am grateful that he does not live at home any more. Our OS won the State 8-ball calcutta in a thrilling final. He had to beat another player twice, both matches best of 9 & played as well as I have ever seen him play. It was awesome. The money will be very handy as they are having bathroom renovations happening today!

Yesterday-
Because my LH was having a day at home we decided to have the grand-kids to give our DIL a break mainly as the kids have not been well. We had a lovely morning with them but I got her to pick them up before 2pm as we were both so tired.

I think that we have a cold or something as we have blocked noses, heavy heads etc & are feeling really exhausted. I have also been aching quite a bit. I slept well last night though so feel much better today. It's cold & I had better go shower & rug up I think. I had put off keeping the fire going 24 hrs a day but may have to start tonight. It's a lot of work but at least the wheelbarrow will help considerably. I would love to have the veranda done so that we have a sheltered spot outside the door where we could keep a barrow load of wood nice & dry all of the time. I shouldn't be always wishing as we are lucky with what we have. We have the concrete ready but have been waiting on the builders to come up & measure up & give us a quote. At least we're a chance as they are at our son & DIL's place this week.

Time to go get warm. Bye for now, Cate.




 
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My day-
Changed from feeling like a blank canvas to a very stressful one. My DIL arrived early, without warning & stayed here until 2.45. They are having renovations done, which will be really good but a day of her anxiety & stress had me feeling really strung out. I won't go into too much detail but I'm still fairly stressed. I did talk her into having a nap while our GS napped so that gave me a breather. While she was asleep I rang my mum & found out she had collapsed whilst gardening. Mum obviously is going senile but lives alone at home. My brother who lives nearby did not bother ringing to tell me. Then my husband got home from work, after visiting his mum & told me that he has not been given any hours for the next two weeks. Not a good day!

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day!
Whether my DIL turns up again tomorrow or not I will try very hard to protect myself by going for a walk. I am going to cook a Vietnamese soup in the morning (Pho Bo) and do some housework & then head out.

Bye for now, cate.
 
Dear Cate,
i hope today will be better for you. Hope you managed to head out for that walk.. *hugs*

lots of love,
georgina
 
cate, i have a silly question. When you pre-cook your soups, do you add your veggies to the soup and refridgerate them? or do you prepare your veggies just before you have your soup? I've been preparing the veggies just before my meals. Just want to know if it can be cooked and stored in the fridge for days before the meals.

georgina
 
Geo, Thanks for that hug! Nice! Not a silly question. I weighed the vegies, cooked them with the meat & liquid & either froze them or kept a few in the fridge, to be taken out & heated up quickly & easily.
My LH & I have colds I think so that doesn't help. MY DIL & the 2 little grand-kids are here again as it's hard for them to stay in their home with the builders there. I just took our GS off for "a nap with Nan" & just left him sound asleep in our bed. He was so sweet. My DIL says they are so different up here. I am really tired but can't sleep when I can hear anyone talking. Our GD is such a chatterbox. Like her Nan in that respect!

I'm cooking a great big Pho Bo on top of our wood heater. The Star Anise & ginger in it should help ward off any bugs. (hi to Niyah if you're reading this :)) My LH is playing golf today but will get home about 3.30 & they will still be here. He'll like that. I am trying not to worry about his job or not having much of an income. The more you worry, the more you worry.

Weight-
This morning was good. Stable at 3kg over GW. That's doable & much better than being stable at 5kg over for months. If I keep feeling good about myself I should be able to drop a little bit more before we go to Cairns next month. I'm fine anyway. I'm still very proud of what I have done & where I am in life.
I might go outside for a while & potter around the garden. I can't really get out for a walk with the GK's & my DIL here but I can get outside & get some fresh air. I feel very snuffly & headachy.
Bye for now, Cate
 
Folks, I'm having a bit of a rough trot but don't feel up to telling you all about it. I'm trying to tune out instead. It's mostly about my mum. I'm sure she has dementia & am having trouble getting this through to my brother & SIL who seem to be getting cranky with her instead. I live a long way away. I feel that I'm banging my head against a brick wall. I have to give it lots of thought. I emailed a page on dementia & hopefully they will see what I'm talking about & recognise what's happening to her. I can't believe that they won't acknowledge it. They see her all the time & it is so obvious. It's very worrisome.

I'm fighting a head cold & don't feel good at all. I haven't been turning to food as comfort. I feel that I have that under control thank goodness. I have eaten very healthily again today. It's time to make a hot lemon drink for the 2 of us so will say goodnight. Thanks for the hugs my friends, xoxo Cate
 
hey dear friend,
i hope you're all feeling better today....we do hot lemon with honey in this part of the world...and i would usually burn the eucalyptus oil in the burner...anyway, take care.

with love,
georgina
 
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