2018 in review

I used to do this review every single year but then I sort of fell out of the habit. But maybe this is a good way to get back into it?

1. What did you do in 2018 that you’d never done before?

I went to Africa.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don’t make resolutions.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Nope, no new babies this year.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Sadly, yes. My friend Phil died in February. He was 36 and had bowel cancer. He left behind a wife and two young boys. Probably the saddest funeral I’ve ever had to attend.

Also, the boy’s Grandmother died in October. However, she was 92 so it was neither unexpected or quite as sad, although we miss her terribly of course.

5. What countries did you visit?

SO MANY! South Africa, Zambia, Namibia, Angola, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Ascension Island, St Helena, Ethiopia (briefly), Egypt, UAE and Jordan. Oh and we went to Japan as well.

6. What would you like to have in 2019 that you lacked in 2018?

Better health.

7. What dates from 2018 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

February 5, the day Phil died.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Surprise event for my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary (not massive but they loved it)

9. What was your biggest failure?

Staying well!

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Far too much. I had a cold that lasted about seven weeks, and I developed De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis first in my left wrist and then in my right wrist. The right one is still not healed.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Um… nothing very exciting I have to say.

12. Where did most of your money go?

The mortgage, probably. And that holiday.

13. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Going on holidays, we were very spoiled by going to so many wonderful places.

14. What song will always remind you of 2018?

Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepson, it wasn’t released in 2018 but became our go-to song for fun for the year. She’s getting a lot of royalties from Spotify from us!

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder?

About the same.

b) thinner or fatter?

About the same.

c) richer or poorer?

About the same.

16. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Not much really.

17. What do you wish you’d done less of?

I do what I want most of the time, so…

18. How did you spend Christmas?

The usual Christmas Eve with my family. For Christmas Day we had lunch with the boy’s parents and aunt and uncle at the RACV Resort in Inverloch, which was very different and very enjoyable.

19. Did you fall in love in 2018?

No.

20. What was your favorite TV program?

The Missing. I also binged the entire series of Brooklyn 99 on Netflix which made me very happy.

21. What was the best book you read?

I always enjoy a new Clive Cussler.

22. What was your favourite film of this year?

Avengers Infinity War or Black Panther.

23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

45, and we went to dinner at Il Bacaro and then saw Michael Palin live in stage.

24. What kept you sane?

My doggy.

25. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Look, my bestie Chris Hemsworth is pretty fine.

26. Who did you miss?

Phil.

27. Who was the best new person you met?

Did I make any new friends last year? I think maybe not.

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2017: the year in review

It has been about 27 years since I remembered the login for my blog. I thought this would be a good way to get back up to speed.

1. What did you do in 2017  that you’d never done before?

What I did do, was NOT go on a holiday. Which was hard.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don’t make resolutions.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

We aren’t close, but my sister-in-law had her second baby.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No.

5. What countries did you visit?

None. Not one. Not even part of my own country!

6. What would you like to have in 2018 that you lacked in 2017?

HOLIDAYS.

7. What dates from 2017 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Um, none really.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I would say that 2017 was a very average year and therefore there were no big achievements.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Conversely, no big failures either. So that’s something.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Yes. God I was sick. For about two months with a stupid throat thing that made me sound like a serial killer. I was also diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my right big toe which was devastating as I am now not able to wear about 85% of my shoes.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

My iPhone X.

12. Where did most of your money go?

The mortgage, probably.

13. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

The holiday we are taking in 2018. EPIC.

14. What song will always remind you of 2017?

I don’t know. It was a pretty nondescript year.

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder?

About the same.

b) thinner or fatter?

About the same.

c) richer or poorer?

Slightly poorer but for a good reason.

16. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Not much really.

17. What do you wish you’d done less of?

I do what I want most of the time, so…

18. How did you spend Christmas?

The usual. Christmas Eve with my family. Although for Christmas Day we actually had lunch in the nursing home with the Boy’s grandmother, which was surprisingly good.

19. Did you fall in love in 2017?

No.

20. What was your favorite TV program?

Westworld. Or The Kettering Incident. Or The Night Manager. SO spoilt for good TV.

21. What was the best book you read?

I always enjoy a new Clive Cussler.

22. What was your favourite film of this year?

The Martian (was that this year???)

23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I was  44. We went to lunch at The Lakehouse in Daylesford and it was amazing.

24. What kept you sane?

My doggy.

25. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Look, my bestie Chris Hemsworth is pretty fine.

26. Who did you miss?

Nobody.

27. Who was the best new person you met?

Did I make any new friends last year? I think maybe not.

2014: the year in review

Click here to see last year’s answers for comparison.  And feel free to do this on your own blogs!   Let me know if you do so I can see your answers.

1. What did you do in 2014  that you’d never done before?

I had to wash poop out of Teddy’s pantaloons.  And that sets the tone for the rest of this blog post!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don’t make resolutions.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Three new babies this year!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Thankfully no!

5. What countries did you visit?

The USA again.  Photos here.

6. What would you like to have in 2015 that you lacked in 2014?

Nothing.  I am a very lucky girl.

7. What dates from 2014 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

1 December, the Boy (who has gone back to university this year) got his results and achieved straight High Distinctions for the whole year.  I’m very proud.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

The really sad thing is, I can’t think of one.

9. What was your biggest failure?

On the bright side, I can’t think of one of these either.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Strained my hip flexor.  That is quite a debilitating injury, I have to say.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

My iPhone 6.

12. Where did most of your money go?

Teddy’s trips to the emergency vet 🙂

13. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Being in Hawaii in the middle of our winter was exciting.

14. What song will always remind you of 2014?

Happy by Pharell.

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder?

Happier

b) thinner or fatter?

About the same

c) richer or poorer?

Richer

16. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Swim in my pool!

17. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Work.

18. How did you spend Christmas?

The same as always: Christmas Eve with my family, Christmas Day with the Boy’s family.

19. Did you fall in love in 2014?

I am still in love with my Boy.

20. What was your favorite TV program?

The Michael McIntyre Chat Show has me laughing every time.  We got on the Modern Family bandwagon too – Phil is definitely my favourite character.

21. What was the best book you read?

Superstorm: Nine Days Inside Hurricane Sandy was really interesting.

22. What was your favourite film of this year?

The Railway Man was exceptional.  August Osage County was pretty good too.

23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 41.  We went to Vue de Monde for dinner on my actual birthday, and it was spectacular.  Then we spent the weekend down at Port Fairy, which is a lovely spot.

24. What kept you sane?

I’m not sure, I think I may have gone a little mad this year. 🙂

25. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Robert Downey Jr.  I still adore George Clooney.  I can’t believe he’s married now.

26. Who did you miss?

Huffle Mawson.  She was the best cat ever.

27. Who was the best new person you met?

I am not sure I met any new people this year.  I told you it was an average year!

The latest

I am being a very bad blogger these days.  In my defense, I was overseas for two weeks.  You can read all about that here.

But recently I have made a couple of cakes.

A marscapone meringue layer cake for a friend who was leaving work:

And some neapolitan cupcakes just because:

(extremely tasty – I ate four)

Catching up

Wow, I didn’t realise it’s been so long since I wrote anything here!

In case you were wondering, Teddy survived his weekend with my parents so that’s all good.  We had a lovely time in Lakes Entrance.  We specifically went to see the Buchan Caves, and they were quite amazing.

If you click on the photo you’ll be taken to my FlickR photostream where you can see more photos.

Brave

This weekend is a long one in Melbourne.  The boy and I are off to the beach for the weekend.

My parents have offered to look after Teddy.  Which is terribly brave of them, considering that when we went to Papua New Guinea in November last year they were looking after both Huffle and Teddy, and Huffle sadly died.  It was totally not their fault.  But seven years previously, as the boy and I were about to head off to Queensland for a holiday… my rottie Max was staying with mum and dad.  The day before we got on the plane, I got a phone call to say Max had died.  Also totally not their fault.

My parents do not have good history in pet-sitting.  And yet they still offer.  I think they are really brave.

It will be different this time.  Instead of Teddy going to their house, they are coming to stay at our house.  It will be totally different.

Really.

In or out?

Are you an introvert or extrovert? I used to think I was an extrovert: outgoing, talkative and energetic. And to some degree I still am. But now I think I could be part introvert as well: reserved, quiet and shy. Actually I’m not that reserved once you get to know me, and truthfully I’m not entirely shy either. I can’t be bothered with small talk a lot of the time though. Does that count? I have no idea. Maybe I’m just not patient.

The general theory is this: an introvert will be delighted at the thought of spending the night in, possibly alone.  The extrovert will hate that idea.  I love and hate it in equal measures.

So what I think is this: I am an extrovert, with introverted tendencies.

Which are you?

Why do I blog?

Right now, I can’t think of a good answer to this question.  Over the past year, instead of just rambling about stuff that rattles around my brain, I’ve focused on shoes and clothers.  And the occasional recipe.  But I’m not inspired at all.

Tell me why you blog.  Please?

It’s been a while…

Howdy everyone!  Happy new year to you!  Yes, I know it was ages ago but it’s been a while since I thought about coming here to write something.  To be fair, it has been a very busy time for us in the past few weeks.  We moved house right before Christmas, then had the usual festival of eating over the Christmas break.  Plus we had to unpack a million boxes.  Okay maybe not a million, but it seemed like it some days.

Happily, the hard work is behind us now and we are settling in to our new and fabulous home.  We’ve ordered a new couch (6 – 8 weeks delivery, pffft) then life will be complete.

I posted a photo of my new kitchen on Facebook, but for those of you who aren’t friends with me there, here it is:

And the walk-in pantry:

And over the past three weeks we have had a steady stream of visitors, which is fun but exhausting. I’m back at work properly next week, so I’m sure it will feel like getting back to normal life then.

You may have noticed (or not) that I have removed the shoe and wardrobe challenge counters from the sidebar.  I decided last week that I would stop the challenge.  When we moved, I got rid of some more shoes and some dresses and other clothes, so what I have in my wardrobe are clothes (and shoes) that I actually wear.  I’m actually happy about stopping the challenge, as I can go back to wearing what I want, instead of always thinking about things that I maybe haven’t worn for a while, and that may require saving.

And just to make you all jealous, here is my pool:

No, I don’t know why you need a pool in Melbourne but it came with the house. It’s heated, so at least we’ll be able to use it for more than 3 days a year.

The year in review

Click here to see last year’s answers for comparison.  And feel free to do this on your own blogs!   Let me know if you do so I can see your answers.

1. What did you do in 2012  that you’d never done before?

I decided that, with one particular friend, I would stop making all the effort and see if she stepped up to the plate.  She did not, for the record.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don’t make resolutions.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

My friend Melissa had her second child just last week, but I don’t know if it counts as she and her family live in Singapore and we’ve only seen them once this year.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

We lost Huffle Mawson while we were away in Papua New Guinea.  Horrible time.

5. What countries did you visit?

Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Papua New Guinea.

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?

Room to move in my house.

7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

October 25, we bought our new house!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Buying a new house.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Getting our (now sacked) builder to actually finish the job he started.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I had a throat infection and an eye infection at the same time.  That was especially unfun.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Our new house!

12. Where did most of your money go?

The new house 😦

13. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Moving into our new house.  It’s pathetic, you would think no-one had ever bought a new house before in the history of the world.  But it is our dream house.

14. What song will always remind you of 2012?

Anything by Adele.

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder?

Happier

b) thinner or fatter?

About the same

c) richer or poorer?

Poorer (have I mentioned a new house yet?)

16. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Relax

17. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Listen to the builder’s excuses for why things weren’t getting done.

18. How did you spend Christmas?

Christmas Eve with my family, Christmas Day with the boy’s family.  Same as always.

19. Did you fall in love in 2012?

Nope, I already have my boy.

20. What was your favorite TV program?

The Big Bang Theory.  It’s amazing that I’m not bored of it yet.

21. What was the best book you read?

I really enjoyed Rob Lowe’s autobiography, Stories I Only Tell My Friends.  The Help by Katherine Stockett was good too, but needed a serious edit to be truly great.

22. What was your favourite film of this year?

I haven’t seen it yet as I’m writing this before it’s released in Australia, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to be The Hobbit.  Checking back in my archives, I didn’t do any movie reviews this year so obviously I’ve seen nothing that good.

23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 39, and went to dinner at Rockpool.  It was delightful, as always.

24. What kept you sane?

Knowing that this year would be over, eventually.

25. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

I am very faithful.  My man George Clooney never lets me down.  In other news, how does he keep getting better looking?

26. Who did you miss?

I have missed seeing my friends Carol and Andy.  We have both been slack about keeping in touch this year and I’m going to remedy that very soon.

27. Who was the best new person you met?

A new girl at work, I can see us becoming quite good friends.

Shoe Challenge 24

This week I have been very, very bad.  Not only did I not save any shoes, I only saved one dress and bought TWO more.  Bad.

Leona Edmiston dress; Wittner wedges
Worn to: work

I did indeed buy the navy dress mentioned last week, and then I bought this dress too.

My dear boy is having a small procedure in hospital tomorrow. It’s nothing serious but he will be knocked out for it; some good vibes would be appreciated!

Shoe Challenge 23

I know, it’s a bit late this week but better late than never.

I have managed to save both one pair of shoes AND one dress this week – quite proud of myself really.

Diana Ferrari copper ballet flats; navy jeans
Worn to: dinner

Autograph print dress; Fillipo Rafael boots
Worn to: work

Also, yes I did buy the navy dress. Of course I did. And it is gorgeous. I will photograph it with your shoe suggestions and you can tell me what you think.

Shoe Challenge 22

Here are some I prepared earlier.

I haven’t worn any new dresses or shoes this week.  I am so sick of winter!  However, I noticed that when I posted my very first week of shoes challenge saves, I didn’t bother with the dresses.  So here they are.  Sadly, they do not count towards my total as I’ve already counted them.

Capture navy and white print dress; worn with Sandler tan wedges
Worn to: work

Leona Edmiston “Lauren” pink wrap dress with cutout sleeves; worn with Salvatore Ferragamo mushroom heels
Worn to: my friend Richard’s wedding.

I’m going to try very hard this week to wear a dress that has not been saved yet.

Sick leave

When I was at primary school, I don’t remember ever taking a day off school because I was sick.  If I wasn’t hospitalised, I went to school.  When my parents visited northern Victoria for a week during the school term, I had a week off from my school, but I went to the local primary school in Robinvale for a week.  So I still claim I didn’t have a day off school just for the hell of it.

When I was in high school, I remember having three days off school.  One was when I had an ingrown toenail operated on and I stayed home for two days, mostly because I couldn’t wear a shoe on that foot.  Another time, I had stepped on a carpet needle and had to have emergency surgery to have it removed, as it went through a joint in my foot and broke off.  Unbelievably, my mother sent me to school the day after the operation (on crutches) and was called by the principal to come and get me.  I stayed home for a week that time.

The final time I remember having a day off was in Year 11, in December after all our exams were done.  My friends and I convinced our mothers to write us a note each for one day off sick.  We all went to the movies and to Luna Park for the day.  It was awesome.  No-one ever questioned why all nine of us were sick on the same day.

This habit of not taking sick days just because I felt like it has carried through to my work life.  I take a day off if I have a migraine, mostly because the work bathroom is too far from my desk when I need to throw up, or if I have a really bad cold (or anything more serious, obviously.  Like when I was 23 and had a stroke.  I needed a month off then).  As a result of this dedication to actually getting out of bed every morning, I have so many sick leave hours banked up that I could take four months off at once if I needed to.

Hopefully I never need to.

Shoe Challenge 14

Only one dress save and no shoe saves this week! Very poor.

Capture wrap dress; Target cardigan (already saved); Joanne Mercer suede wedges (already saved)
Worn to: work

I also bought one new pair of shoes this week. Oops.