my plans

SO I have a few days off - and well you really need a plan don't ya? So here they are ..my plans for the next few days

• fill the mini skip - yes we have a mini skip again - the yard has overgrown from all of the rain
• advance a bit more on my C25k plan - maybe even try running outside..OMG
• do some meditations from the Iphone app I have
• gym it up
• catch up with 'people'
• maybe go to the movies - I must be the only person on the planet who hasn't seen avatar
  

I'll keep you posted on how I go with these things.

Also this photo is using an iphone app that turns your pictures into lego - cool hey.

GT2150's

I have new gym shoes...fancy hey! I went all out and my foot tested on the machine etc. I have put my faith in the 15 year old who served me, and let them tell me what i needed and what was wrong with my foot. The only problem is now I think they are too big, the slip ..is this normal? Is it? Regardless they have been getting a work out each morning. The twelve week challenge has not started yet, next week. So with that information in mind I have been living it up on the carbs front because I think they are not going to be a part of my life for a little while.

hump day

How can it be Wednesday already? How? This means that there are only 2 more days until the weekend. Seriously the weeks are flying by me. I feel like if I blink i will miss it. You'll notice I am still getting the help of a photographer each day. I am rushing off to the gym this afternoon for a mad step class, and the it is off to Dad's for dinner and no doubt some dessert - always a Sara Lee Danish (pretty sure I have mentioned that before) Have I also mentioned that I am doing the 12 week challenge at the gym? OMG...it is gonna be scareeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

I heart jacaranda's

I love this time of the year. I love the Jacaranda's. I went for a walk this afternoon and took a photo of every Jacaranda I saw. This walk wasn'tlong - it was around my block - that was it nothing major - but this is how many Jacaranda's there are in my hood. I can never remember what they look like without the flowers - my sister thinks they are ugly. I don't think they are - because well surely you would notice if there were this many ugly trees surrounding you? Wouldn't you?

Not a fan

of what I call the Seinfeld look. I don't like jeans and 'joggers' however in this shot I was off for a walk with my "Wednesday Walking Group". We head off straight after work on ...a....wednesday!!! Although work keeps interfering at the moment so we may just have to change that. I think it is a great idea generally speaking because you sort of unwind from the day, talk 'shop' etc, and exercise at the same time. What more could a girl ask for?

PS Well I'm sure this girl could ask for a lot more - and quite often does. LOL

owww my legs

are really hurting after a really big walk on the weekend. We signed up for an adventure bush walk with friends. It was a 2 hour walk in which we were meant to circumnavigate the earth - sorry I meant a reservoir. About an hour into the walk we discovered that we were not going to make it before dark so we went back from whence we came - well not exactly the same way. These are the shoes of my sister and I enjoying some delightful cupcakes, after we had had delicious minestrone soup , and some yummy wine. Apparently we walked 8000 steps and also burnt 988 calories - during the walk. Exciting hey. I'm not sure that everyone in the walking group knew that I am scared of walking down gravelly, rocky things - I don't mind walking up - but I just have this fear that on the way down my feet will fall out from under me and the next thing you know I am at the bottom - in a heap. Not good. But all in all it was SUPER FUN, and something I would do again- as long as I have my gandalf the great walking stick

go go gadget

My latest favourite thing is this watch. You know it really is too ugly for me to wear under just any circumstances. It is my gym watch. I call it the polar express. It is a special Heart Rate monitor and well I love it. It tells me

• how long I have worked out for
• what my heart rate is
• if i am working in the targeted zone
• and how many calories I have burnt

I love it - I never go to the gym any more without it. I bought it on the holidays and since then would you like to know my totals...would you...in the last 3 weeks I have

• worked out for 17.50 hours and 43 seconds
• and at these work outs burned - 7024 calories

Mind you - I have also probably sat on the couch for many more hours than that and eaten way more calories than I have burnt off...but I still love it.

A girl's gotta have goals

So my new latest thing - (I know - I constantly have latest things), well it's not really 'new' but I have set a goal for myself for the next 2-3 month period. I have a big fancy celebratory work party in September, and I desperately want to wear the pictured dress. Now I committed a big no-no - and when I bought the dress it did not fit me , but I knew that one day it would. It was an absolute bargain - which I know is a false economy but I also thought it would never go out of style. I think it is a classic. So no surprise it still does not fit me - it was giggles galore last night when I was trying it on - but I will wear it. I will, and now that it is in cyberspace I really have no other option do I?

Also you can see my new bedspread - I haven't had one for ages. So really the best thing to do when you're saving for an overseas trip is to spend money ...isn't it?

PS. You might notice I have started to label/tag my posts - I don't know why - just thought I would, but it means I have to go back through all of the old posts and add labels to them - it will without doubt be a process...

sticker chart

who said reward stickers are just for kids? who said it? A friend and I at work have been keeping track of our fitness regime. WE set ourselves a goal - we started about mid May and decided that if we got 50 stickers each by the end of June then there would be a reward. As you can see I am only 3 stickers off success - in fact I will meet the goal before the end of the week. 1 sticker represents at least 1/2 an hour of exercise. This could also explain why I am so tired of late - luckily I am on holidays at the end of the week. Realising that I would meet my goal I purchased my reward on the weekend. Can you guess what my reward might have been?

old fashion remedy

AS you would know if you are a regular reader of this blog - I am on a fitness challenge - well at least I think I have mentioned it. This has meant that I have fully amped up my attendance at the gym. I have been going at least 5 times a week - sometimes more. I also have a personal trainer at 6am on Monday mornings. This has meant that sometimes - like today - my muscles are PAIN-IN!! So as I type this i have the bath running and am about to partake of a lovely radox bath. I remember Mum having radox baths - to soak away the troubles of the day. ( The act of MUM having a bath totally deserves an entry of it's own) It was actually difficult to find on the shelves - and I had nearly given up, when the friend I was with it at the time spotted it. Oh what joy! SO without further adieu...

frolicking

The river 'precinct' near my place has recently been done up - it involves walkways along the river a fountain and this great installation of children in togs frolicking. I have always loved this piece - it used to be in the centre of town and they took it away and I was upset because I thought it was great. I think it captures memories of summer when we used to run around in our togs all day. I was very happy when I rediscovered it down at the river.

morning glory

as mentioned previously I have been going to the gym, really early in the morning. My housemate and I get picked up at 5.45. So we wait on the side of the road - and it's dark and cold, and this morning foggy. I am still commited to it.

Team Margie

Yesterday a group of us entered the Mother's Day Classic - walk for Breast cancer research. WE had T-shirts made - and by made I mean my cousin and I slaved on my dining room table like a sweat shop to get 15 of the suckers finished.

Then we had a big family lunch - with some of the gang - and of course I made cupcakes.

Of course nothing could ever actually replace my mum being here with me on Mother's Day - but hey.

gym junkie

I am on a new health kick - AGAIN!!! This time I for real...AGAIN :) Anyway you know how they always say that the gym is somewhere you can pick up. Well what do you think my chances are - when I look like this after a workout...



sans beard of course! But my hair does do crazy fuzzy things and well what else can I say.

we're not in Kansas anymore

A friend bought me these new shoes and well they are everything I love in a shoe. Red and pointy and also comfy.

The last few days have been full on. Visiting friends, family, shopping you know how it gets. Today I started with a personal trainer at the gym - so watch out - not only will I be getting pumped but I could also be tired and cranky because it is at 6am every Monday morning. It is all part of Operation Fab, so fingers crossed there will be some visible changes in the next few weeks/months. Hey maybe some before and after photos are needed. AS IF!!!

made me chuckle

I have finally dragged myself out the 'chocolate and hot cross bun' haze I have been living in the past 4 days - and my waistline says "thanks not a minute too soon" ...

I read this on one of my daily Internet reads and well it made me chuckle.



http://gawker.com/5210451/suri-cruise-goes-to-alien-school


I am heading off for a walk - gotta shift some hot cross buns.

Miss Joanne

and her wonderful world of ballroom dancing! Yes this is how I spent my Friday night - for the princely sum of just 8 dollars you get to touch a multitude of unknown sweaty men. Sounds enticing doesn't it. It was actually a little bit fun and I probably will go again - but there were some unfun bits...like

• having to wait on the chairs til a boy comes and asks you to dance ( seriously think 1950's)
• being told off by some of the boys because you looked down at your feet - apparently this is a big no no in the ballroom dancing world
• seriously the sweat on some of the boys was just too too much . yech!

fun bits...

• learning the cha cha, quick step, jive
• exercising for a few hours
• having the same sorta cute boy ask you to dance a few times
• the Mexican for dinner before we went

It was seriously like a step back in time - or onto the strictly ballroom dance set...

another year older...

another year wiser - or so the story goes.

I had my birthday on the weekend and accordingly spend the whole weekend with friends and family eating truly delicious things.

In summary it went a little something like this...

• went to Cat Empire on Friday night - had Mexican on the way - Chimi changa's I love them


• Saturday got up early to make cupcakes for the family lunch


• Sat night went out to Viet with girlfriends - ordered the banquet which had some yummy things that I would never normally try but are now on my list of fav things...they are tamarind fish and the salt and pepper stuffed chicken wings. Also had nice champagne - Zibbio Pink - I love that


• Also went to the Bowery bar for a cocktail - it was yummy too


• Sunday Krispy Kreme donuts for brekkie- I know they are unhealthy but they were a gift


• Sunday lunch with Dad and Jo was meant to be at a restaurant called Monsoon - but even though they took our booking the weren't open - RUDE. So we went to the always yummy Watt at the powerhouse where I had one of my all time fav cocktails - a Vodka Mule


• Did some walking around the valley to work off lunch and then went to freestyle for dessert where I had the yummiest brioche dumplings filled with white chocolate..YUM


• Oh also I had oreo's they were on my birthday list and some American chocolates - a butterfinger it was tasty and crumbly and sort of had cornflakes and peanuts in it...nice.

I did tell you it was all about the food and this week should henceforth also be all about the gym :)

Post Traumatic Stress

AS i mentioned in yesterday's post - I went to a wedding on the weekend. These were the shoes that I did approximately 3 hours worth of non stop dancing in. And you know I would never ever ever take my shoes off when my feet started hurting because well mum always, always said that that just isn't proper and not what ladies should do. So you soldier through the pain with a beguiling smile on your face. And then continue to feel the pain for days and days and days - I have just gotten back from the gym and how can it be possible that gym shoes are not comfy and are hurting my two little toes on my left foot- or could it possibly be post traumtaic stress on my feet from Saturday night?

blue skies

have you ever seen a sky so blue? I went to Byron Bay on the weekend - I really do like the place. Not sure if I have mentioned before but I could totally get in the groove of the bay. ( although I'm pretty sure that I would never like the Mung Bean cake that was on offer at the markets yesterday) maybe I just like the thought of being on holidays or a mini break as they are called in Bridgette Jones. The weekend was spent pottering around, going to the beach, going to eat, going to the shops etc. We didn't need our car at all - walked everywhere - except up to the cape where this pic was taken. It was extremely hot. I have been going to Byron for a long long long time and may just work on a little photo montage over the next few days to demonstrate. On another note I'm back into the gym ( well if you count going on a Monday and planning on going tomorrow back in to it )