Chocolate is good for your health

Yesterday afternoon I read the best article EVER!!  Well, maybe that is a slight exaggeration, but I was quite excited about it.  The article was saying that research has shown (still gotta love that statement) that eating chocolate regularly appears to be beneficial to health.  Now, this is all very qualified – obviously – but is still quite interesting and maybe fits into my current modus operandi which is that I eat small amounts of the food that I love (of which chocolate is one!).   

My perfect world would have chocolate as one of the food groups - and preferably at the bottom of the pyramid.   I am already contemplating how old I need to be before I can throw away healthy eating and have dessert for lunch everyday!!  Unfortunately, we aren't in a perfect world and I want to ensure that my body is healthy for a long time to come.  I think my grandmother was about 90 before she started eating cake for lunch. 

So what is it about chocolate?  Is it that it actually has some nutritional value that is yet unquantified, or is it that eating chocolate just makes you feel happier and therefore you are more prepared to forgo eating other food.   The study wasn't able to say what it was about the chocolate intake that seemed to help for BMI - more research will be needed.

Ultimately it is irrelevant for me, because I will always like chocolate, but I will always limit my intake on the basis that it has a lot of fat and is high in kilojoules.   

Which brings me to another issue - chocolate snobs.  I know many chocolate snobs.  They say that the only real chocolate is dark - at least 70% cocoa.  I'm not a chocolate snob.  I like WHITE chocolate more than dark.  And, yes, I know that white chocolate isn't even chocolate, but I don't care!  I am a bit fussy about the brand, but even then, I'm happy with Aldi chocolate!!!  (On the weekend I went to Haig's - and they have really good chocolate, so maybe I'm more snobby than I think!)

In any case, I am, and will remain, grateful for chocolate.

Great Ocean Road

I returned yesterday from our trip to Victoria.   Two days in Melbourne and 3 days walking along the Great Ocean Road!  I had a wonderful time with Liz, Nadine and Simone.  We laughed a lot!  There was a lot to laugh about.  We walked a lot, but could have walked further!  We ate and drank a lot, but I didn't put on any weight!  So all very pleasant.  The above photo was taken almost at the end of the second day looking at the ground we'd covered during the day - 23kms from Cape Otway Lightstation.  It looks a long way!  The funny thing was that I had been to the Great Ocean Road, but this experience was so different to my previous visit.  The trip seemed to take place on secluded paths and deserted beaches.  Just amazing! It was very weird to end up at the 12 Apostles and see tourists!  Australia is so beautiful and varied.  We are very lucky to live in such a wonderful country.  And I'm very lucky to have friends like Simone, Nadine and Liz to share fun times with!!!

We're going on a walk

I'm flying to Melbourne tomorrow, with Liz and Simone.  We're meeting up with Nadine and spending the day shopping.  Then it's off to Cape Otway, and the Great Ocean Walk.  I'm really looking forward to spending time with my three friends and getting some exercise is a beautiful part of Australia.  I'm so grateful that I am able to do this.

Marriage

I love being married.  It’s so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.  Rita Rudner

Today marks 19 years of Ian and I annoying each other.  It’s been a pretty great 19 years.  We’ve had three lovely children, moved house three times, had copious number of holidays, laughed quite a bit, cried a few times and only claimed once on the car insurance (that was me!).  I am so grateful that I am married.  I've only scanned a couple of photos from our wedding, but below is one of us lying on the Church floor!!!!   

Having enjoyed being married, I find it so ridiculous that there are homosexual people in our society, in loving, normal relationships, who would like to be married but are prevented by law to do so.  I firmly believe that laws should be changed to enable gay and lesbian marriages.  I'm really sick of the small but vocal group that seems to have a big problem with this.  I watched one of the many videos produced to show how terrible these people think it would be.  Quotes such as: "our marriage would be affected by 'those' people being allowed to marry" (REALLY - you don't think that maybe your marriage is already affected by the fact that nearly half of marriages end in divorce.  And how sad that your marriage is affected by the quality of marriages of other people.)  Or: "if we allow 'those' people to get married, then pedophiles will be able to get married (REALLY - what planet are you living on, thinking that allowing consenting adults to marry will suddenly lead to old people marrying 4 year old children.)  Allowing any adult to marry another adult is a matter of social justice.  And I'd better finish before I get cross (well, crosser than I already am!!).

Happy anniversary Ian!  (Are you excited about being married to me!!!)

A minor miracle

Something totally and utterly amazing has happened in our house this evening.  I can't remember it happening for a very long time.  But, all our children are in bed (and two are asleep) and it isn't even 10pm.  I am so very grateful for them going to bed with no fuss.  Of course the reason for the tired bodies is that they didn't sleep very well last night whilst participating in the Relay for Life ("I only got three hours sleep" was Rachel's cry - but she wasn't too tired to go to a friends birthday party this evening).  In any case, the house is quiet - aside from Ian's various noises - and I'm thinking it might be a good opportunity for me to head to bed as well.  Maybe...

It's raining...

We have seen quite a lot of rain in the last month.  But I really like the rain so I don't generally mind.  However, tonight, my 3 children are out in the rain.  They are participating the Relay for Life at the AIS.  It is such a great event and I know they'll have fun - but they will also be getting wet.  So I'm thinking of them, and trying not to worry.  I can't help worry about them.  That's why when I think about the optimal age to have children (that is younger or older), I think older is slightly better.  You then have a larger amount of time that you don't worry about anyone.  Anyway, I'm grateful for the lovely rain, and grateful that I am lucky enough to be able to worry about them!!!

Mint Patties

Have I mentioned how much I enjoy my Mint Patties.  I have made them twice now and they are GOOD!! So I'm grateful that I can find recipes on the web and have fun making lovely food.  And yes, I know that I'm still trying to lose a little bit more weight, but I like having "treats" and I like knowing exactly what I am eating.  This way, I can prepare food that I like and enjoy eating it!  Next time I'm thinking that I'll actually completely coat them in chocolate - but they are good the way they are!!!  So, below are firstly two pictures from our Saturday walk (which was 35kms and covered lots of ups and down), followed by my mint patties (which you can eat 'guilt free' so long as you've walked 35kms!).

Our Friends Belinda, Andrew, Liana and Emma

Ian and I are very lucky to have been and remain friends with Andrew and Belinda.  We announced our engagements around the same time and we married two weeks before them.  We played mixed netball together for many years; and enjoyed great holidays as couples.  We really enjoy their company and we like doing many of the same things.  We are especially lucky that they also had girls that fit age-wise between our three.  It's so lovely to have friends like them.
We have just spent two days with Belinda, Andrew, Liana and Emma at the coast.  Saturday was a great day - we went swimming and walking and ate lovely food.  Today we didn't do very much (seeing that we had to be home by 5:15 for netball) but we had a lovely lunch overlooking Mollymook Beach.
I'm so grateful for friends like them.

Canberra - the Bush Capital

Today I went on a walk around Canberra.  We started at the base (or halfway up) Mount Taylor; walked to the top, went through Torrens, Mawson and O'Malley to Red Hill Ridge and the top of Red Hill; down Melbourne Avenue and along King's Avenue to the top of Mount Ainslie; before walking down Anzac Parade, around the lake, through the Botanic Gardens and up to the top of Black Mountain.  I would have been able to tell exactly how far we'd gone, but my iPhone ran out of battery.  I think that my phone wasn't fully charged to start with and the GPS chews a fair bit of battery.  Pip worked out it was 35km - so a fair hike!  It was a beautiful day.  No breeze - although some would have been pleasant - clear skies and sunny.  Canberra is a beautiful city.  It was a wonderful day.  So many things to be grateful for on a day like today!

At the start of the day - from Mt Taylor towards Mount Stromlo

A 'selfie' at the top of Black Mountain - finished

Child Protection

The story of the day is of Kony.  A man who has been pretty horrible over a long period of time and is basically a wanted man!  Child exploitation is just about the worst crime you can undertake.  The story of Kony has captured the public's attention, but it's an issue that has plagued Africa for some time.  I think it's good that the issue of child slavery has been bought to the public's attention but to rid the world of the problem will involve more than the capture of one man.  

I'm grateful that practices like child slavery are considered abhorrent in Australia and most parts of the world.  However, let's not forget that abuse of children still occurs throughout the world, in many different forms and everyone should be aware of that.  

(And I'm keeping it short because I still can't type properly, but I've got a lot of opinions about this issue!)

Hot Weather

It was really cold today.  I mean, this weather is ridiculous.  I know it's not summer any more but we've gone from a cold summer to a colder autumn.

I can't remember a colder summer - although the BOM tells us that it wasn't the coldest summer ever!!

I like being hot.  I am happy to have sweat pouring down my face just from sitting.  I like wearing singlet tops and shorts - and still feeling hot.  I like going to bed and being so hot I can't even bear to have a sheet over me.  I like really hot weather.  I'm grateful for every hot day.  (So I was only grateful for about two days this summer!)   I think I need to go on holidays to the tropics!

RIP Brenda

Today I found out that one of the mother's from Natasha's netball team last year died suddenly.  It made me feel sad, because Brenda was a very nice person.  She was exceedingly devoted to Andrea and watched just about every netball game she played as well as attending Little Athletics.  I got to know her quite well sitting on the sidelines whilst we watched the girls play.

Life can be taken away from you quickly.  Whilst Brenda wouldn't have had the opportunity to say good bye to her children, I hope that they realised how deeply she loved them.  

So today I am grateful for time spent with the people that I love.  I left work early today so I could spend some time with Sam.  We went to a little Cafe for late lunch before I took her on a driving lesson.  Ian, Sam and I then went to Bunnings to buy some plants.  It was a nice way to spend a couple of hours.

And tonight I've got a few people that I need to talk to - just to say "I love you!"

Groundhog day

It's raining again tonight after a marvellous day.  But I didn't get to enjoy the day at all because I was working.  I am going to try and leave work early tomorrow to spend time with Sam.  However, I may need to go to the Doctor and get my finger looked at because it is infected.  Hopefully it will improve overnight (and I've soaked it in hot salt water!).  Oh well, I'm grateful that whilst my work is busy, I am still able to escape when I absolutely need to.  Sam has been learning about the Burma Railway.  I have been to Kanchanaburi and remember how absolutely hot it was and how the terrain is so hilly.  Being a prisoner of war in that place was not nice.  I can't write more because I can't type properly - but I have lots of thoughts about the Burma Railway...

The Garden

I've got a really sore finger tonight.  I was trying to rearrange the water feature - the little waterfall into the pond, and my hand slipped and I cut my index finger at the joint.  It's really swollen now, but I think I've cleaned it enough!!  But it is hampering my typing...

We spent the afternoon in the garden.  It was mainly Ian and I, but Tash and Rachel helped as well (Sam was doing homework!).  It's amazing how much you can achieve when there are a few of you doing the work.  Our garden is very pretty and we like spending time in it.  I didn't think we'd enjoy looking after it as much as we have.  So I'm very grateful that we've had time and assistance to keep it looking nice.  Ian particularly has really got into it!  But gardening is relaxing and good exercise.  After seeing so much rain and spending so much time inside, it was fantastic to be outside.  I should have taken a photo...

Sitting around eating

Today it rained most of the day.  It's still raining.  This meant that lots of the activities that were organised for the week-end were cancelled.  Lois, Martin, Maddison and Chelsea have come for a visit.  So it's great to be able to sit and talk.  After lunch we had tea from lovely fine china tea cups, along with slice and chocolate.  It was very civilised and I'm so grateful that I could sit and talk with my wonderful sisters.   I was also able to go on the machine that is changing my life twice today!  Always good.  Because I had dessert after both lunch and dinner!!

Oh, today I made an Amish Friendship Cake using some "goop" given to me by Cara.  The cake that is made from this "goop" is absolutely amazing.  However, now I have three lots of goop to give away (Ruth took one home).

Penny and Alison

We have a very close extended family.   And this is a wonderful thing (most of the time - I'm being honest here!).   Ian is the youngest of 4 and I'm the eldest of three.  We each have 5 nieces and nephews (well, Ian has the nephews) and we are very fond of all of them.  I'm not going to be grateful for them all at once - because each of them has special qualities.  Today I want to specifically talk about Penny and Alison.

Penny and Alison are beautiful people and I'm very grateful for the things that they do for us.  They are wonderful role models and they are also great friends - to all of us!  I am so proud that they are part of our family and we love them dearly!

Tonight the rest of the family is at a Trivia Night that Penny and Alison have organised to raise money for the Relay for Life (I'm not there because I had to finish some work, plus I'm pretty hopeless at trivia!).  The Youth Group generally has three teams entered for this event, it's always great fun and they always raise lots of money.  Penny and Alison are fantastic with their dedication to the Youth Group - and to the special events that the youth takes part in, particularly the Relay for Life.

We really are very lucky to have them around.

Tash made me laugh :)

I've been sitting here for a few minutes wondering what I'll write tonight.  There are so many beautiful things in the world to be grateful for and I can't think of anything I feel like writing about.

So instead I'll write about something that made me laugh today.  This afternoon Ian had to pick up Tash at 3pm from Erindale College and Rachel from school at 3:15pm.   He couldn't contact either of them so called me to ask me to keep trying to call Tash to tell her that if she wasn't on time he was going to get Rachel first.  Anyway, I was really busy so I didn't call exactly on time.  When I did call it was about 3:25 and Ian hadn't yet picked up Tash.  Now, she was waiting with Lianna, so she wasn't on her own.  "Mum", she says, "I really need Dad to pick me up now.  Because there are some scary College kids here.  They are big and some of them are smoking."  You would have thought that she was waiting in a seedy location - which Erindale is not!  When I spoke to her a little later she told me that it had been "a near death experience".  Even she was laughing about it then!!!  She's such a cutie!