More dull weather, but temperatures to match it today so the fire was a welcome addition (rather than a guest I forgot I had invited and had forgotten to cater for ...). So I spent a while downloading useful apps onto the new smart phone (banking, skype etc) and then googled around for shed designs and found one I fancy. I have been struggling with the need to have a pitched roof and trying to work out how to do it when it is me doing the building. This one gives me the result I was looking for and should be possible to argue past Council. It is basically a skillion with a fairly steep pitch, similar to the small chicken shed I built before. The high wall will face the neighbour (SE) and have the windows in it up high - so I get what is effectively south-facing light into the shed. Since there are sheds between her place and this proposed shed there is little risk a complaint of light pollution would be upheld. This also frees up the roof of the shed for possible future use for solar panels instead of having them on the house roof (there is underground electrical cabling to within four metres of the proposed shed footprint). The back wall, for reasons of economy and vernacular impact would be recycled galvanised iron I suspect. Likewise the two side walls which have no openings. The front wall, facing into the yard and with the two doorways, will probably be easier to do in cladding of some sort (vertical board and cover-strip perhaps, oiled black). The lower wall would, obviously, face into the yard. There would be two doorways - one of which lacks a door as that section (3x3m) will be for firewood storage. The other opening would have two doors of unequal width (800 and 400). The narrower one will be more frequently fixed in position but available for wider stuff. If I pour a slab for the main shed (4x3m), and have a gravel floor in the other - use recycled materials all round (bar the roof) then I should get out of it fairly cheaply I hope (apart from labour to help with erection). So that is now drawn onto the plans for the yard (which so far only get half way down the yard - I need another A3 sheet of graph paper). Elevations and specs are also on the drawing. That vast blank wall some of you will be envisaging between the two doors will possibly become the home of one of those lean-to greenhouses (with ample shadecloth) for winter seedling propagation. Or for the barbecue. Or for an outdoor sink ... or a solar wax melter and dehydrator ... who knows. I have downloaded the plans to help me draw up plans for building approval at the same time. This can be achieved if I get that part time work I mentioned yesterday, but otherwise may have to wait for the Herbalife to start generating a realistic income. The 'shed' part would be lined with ply and insulated throughout. Once I have the rest of the yard mapped out, I will see if I can photograph it with sufficient detail so you can see the overall plan ... There is a lot of truth in the thought that you have to live in a place for a while before you can work out what will work best where ...

well that was fairly randon - I just fielded a call from my former employers about a grant program I started roughing out while working there. Seem they may run with it so wanted to know if I will work for them if it gets off the ground. I feel some negotiation will be in order before I accept but it is good to know they feel they can pick me up and dump me with gay abandon as it suits their needs. Fortunately the new business is one that can be fitted around part time work at least, and if this gets of the ground (it is to do with rural buildings) hopefully there will not be a requirement for too much office time. Fingers crossed. I am sure the dog will be happy anyway as he does love his daycare! The rain continued in fits and starts today but only a total of about 12 mm so far over both days so nothing to write home about. The neighbour's funeral was today so the street is stuffed with cars presumably all attending the wake. I sent a letter of condolence (as opposed to a shop-bought card) so hopefully that will count as my duty done. The kids talk to me about it from time to time which I presume is therapeutic for them, so I just listen to what they have to say, bite my tongue and fume out of sight. Delivered advertising flyers to the hair dresser and the local supermarket - will see what, if any interest this draws, as well as local newsletter which, by all appearances, should be in circulation tomorrow or early next week (our quilting group meets in the same building it is published from). Now to move onto flyers to recruit people who may be interested in working from home ... it never ends really.

When your tanks are as close to dry as mine are, it is not necessarily a disappointment when your forecast 27 degrees becomes 16 degrees with a radar reading like this: At least I was not disappointed at any rate. The dog and cats were initially put out, but then smidgen found a new form of entertainment which has kept him amused and me annoyed all day. It involves sitting in the hall staring at the wall and making loud complaints of frustration - something like this: and giving the evil eye, like this: until eventually my frustrated curiosity cause me to find this: at the top of the curtain. Unfortunately for the mouse, he found my attention a little more un-nerving than that of the cat, so leapt to his doom on the floor. Since all three animals were, by this stage, intrigued, it really didn't stand a chance! Just listening to the rain .... ahhhhhhhhhhh

Having gone to enormous lengths to perfect the wording on the fliers I went into the Post Office today to find out how many people there are in our mail district. 850+ households... So I guess I won't be bothering with fliers after all. They can save a gum tree or six and I will run off some tear-strip sheets to distribute in appropriate locations. Sigh. There are up and down sides to living in the country - this appears to be a down-side. Of course the other down-side is that the cost of distribution is prohibitive - they charge the same per flyer as they would for a letter - $0.60 each. So it would technically be cheaper for me to deliver them myself - all the way to Tunbridge and Levendale and Swanston ... Silliness. And no. I am not that dedicated. I was wandering by the kitchen table this morning when I heard this little chirruping sound like a cricket - turns out this is the Smart-phones way of letting me know I have messages. Despite upgrading the technology, this phone does not appear to receive a sufficient signal to work around here. Good thing I designated it the work phone. So it will be a daily trip to Oatlands for sufficient signal to communicate from now on. The good news is that I have to do that anyway to listen to the daily training session. And by Wednesday I will have someone to teach me how to program it to receive my emails while I am out and about. The messages themselves were a surprise. It turns out that either my google-maps entry or my free listing with a (who is where type of thing) directory has resulted in dozens of people wanting me to advertise with them too. Two of the calls were Search Engine Optimisation offers (asked to send an email and told I would get back to them when I had an income) and one was a chap canvassing to advertised in the Australasian Police Magazine which comes out in June and goes to all police stations, state and federal as well as to the NZ Feds. Since I can service all of this area, I have suggested he make me his sole Herbalife advertiser lol. It would be a great market to crack as we all know how many fat police men there are. The main attraction of this option is that this quarter's magazine will focus on health and fitness, so the ad fits perfectly. I have no idea how he got my name, given all the Herbalife distributors that swarm around the place, but there you go!! I am happy. Now just waiting for it to cool down a bit to more moderate climes.

Ooo, how naughty am I? I have just created a Facebook Page!! For the Herbalife business. Get in there and 'like' it for me to raise my profile, please ... Search Herbalife Tasmania and you will find me if you are not already on my 'friends' list. It's all been business today - sorting through templates for flyers (and re-wording them so they are not so 'cheap and nasty' sounding - 'Lose Weight Safely and quickly' instead of 'lose up to 15 kg FAST' - you get the idea. That would be about my only complaint about the program to date -I feel it undervalues what is a good quality product - may be I am just a snob ...? The neighbours almost got a horse today, but fortunately it went back to where it came from. So relieved! They had been planning to bring it into the yard over the lowest, most collapsed bit of fence!! (here horsey - you want to get in and out easily? Well this is where to do it). Sigh. Still unclear when the funeral is, though Wednesday still seems firm - just have to get the time established. Never mind - the Catholic network is alive and well and despite not belonging, I get to hear the news. So that will be severe black to Quilting on Wednesday then... Tonight will be marinara mix done in a tomato-based pasta sauce served on pre-cooked rice noodles which apparently are made of air for all their content ... With a green salad on the side. They actually have advertising options on Facebook- who knew?! I can access over 1 million people in Oz, NZ and the UK just by clicking a button. Every time my ad is seen my budget is diminished accordingly - you get to allocate how much you are willing to spend. Details on how much each individual sighting costs are, of course, obscure, but it will be good to do this later when I actually have a few sales under my belt and some money in the bank to pay for this option. Interesting to see if it works...

I trotted down to Hobart today to an all-day training session for Herbalife which involved vast quantities of food (which I am assured will not adversely impact my diet) and a lot of talking. This was also an ideal opportunity to look into smart phones and get a new battery for my wristwatch which died yesterday. SO I am now the proud owner of a Samsung Galaxy smartphone that I have no idea how to drive, but it looks smart. It is also a separate phone number to my home number so I can keep the two things separate for both tax-tracking reasons and also for voicemail messages - once i work out how to do that on this thing. It has apps and widgets and all manner of scary doo-daddies on it. This may take a while. It was good timing though as I was about to get business cards printed and place ads and get flyers made up and such like and being able to use a separate number will be most helpful in that regard. Shadow spent the day in day-care and had such a good time he has yet to wake up. The cats are rather less rested and demanding immediate attention. They can wait till I have had dinner thanks. The girl at the Kennels is using a bog-standard diet shake so I have sent her info on Herbalife and will also send her some samples to try. She is presently working two jobs so may also be interested in the work-from-home option which would kill two birds with one stone for me and get me started in business - fingers crossed. Off to surf the net, and work out how come the phone is smarter than me. ETA - forgot to mention - the neighbour has finally died. Naturally he had not invested in funeral insurance, so his widow (mother of 7 kids still at home) is left carrying the bill. Feeling very angry right now as that is the least of his offences in the last few days.

Yes, I know. I've been fiddling again. A lean start to the day with fasting bloods to be taken early, then home as it was short and sweet, then back into town once again to have the hair shaved (well all those split ends trimmed off to the tune of about 2 inches of hair). Then I sauntered around town with the camera and undertook a small photographic essay of some of the newer businesses so that I could post it on Facebook. Once that was done, of course, I had to find the websites for the businesses so they too could be posted on Facebook (I wonder if I get commission on this ... lol). The hairdresser seemed keen to have business cards, flyers and info on the Herbalife stuff, so I have arranged to drop some in next Wednesday once I check out what I can and can not use (company rules to be obeyed) and she is also willing to consider stocking the shampoo for clients - wow! So I have told her I will order a couple of bottles for us each to try and she can decide then. Obviously she would be a wholesale client, but hey - its all business really and spreads the word around the district in a favourable manner. The official weigh-in was a day early as tomorrow I am heading down to town early, but it was encouraging once more. Another kilo I don't have to carry around with me!! And while taking the pix I of course, succumbed to some of the products so am now the proud owner of a bottle of tasmanian-grown olive oil. Mild and subtle - ideal for dukkah, bread dunking and pouring over a salad.

So the plan today was to go see the doctor at 11:20, and the hairdresser at 12:15, stroll along the main street to take some photos since it was a nice day, and come home. Right. Come 12:10 I had yet to see the doctor, and when I was finally called in was confronted with two learner doctors who happily cross-questioned me for a further 15 minutes before the actual doctor arrived. Not that i would have minded any of this if I was not supposed to be somewhere else. So I phoned the hairdresser from the surgery and am now seeing her tomorrow. Sigh. Still, since i forgot to take the camera with me, this is possibly not such a bad thing as now I have a reason to go in and take photos. Assuming the light is good. Which it may not be as rain is forecast for tomorrow (I will believe it when I see it). The doctor/s and I agree that I have an allergy rash. The cause seems to be moot and the cure is a nasty sticky ointment. So now I have to wait for it to go away, meanwhile trimming out all potential allergens from the diet. So there goes milk, tomatoes, bananas and nuts, all of which have at some time of my life caused an allergic response. I suppose I should also cut out capsicums as these are related to toms. And no topical applications (sunscreen, moisturisers etc) until it all goes away. Then introduce each of them back into the lineup, one at a time, with a 24 hours pause between them to find out which is the offending item. Sigh. Meanwhile, since they had so much time on their hands, the beginner doctors decided to order various fasting bloods for me tomorrow morning. I usually rise between 5 and 6. The surgery opens at 9. Could be interesting seeing if I can hang in there for that long ... Still. Now I can have the bloods, wander around taking photos and then see the hairdresser, so just a reprise of today really. My neighbour-of-many-children was carted off to hospital last week. I understand he is dying (but then that has been the report every time he has gone in the last four years, so I was not too concerned). It seems this time he really may be dying as the entire clan has uprooted itself and gone to Hobart. This probably explains the absence of children for the last few days. The animals, apparently, have been left to fend for themselves. This afternoon I spotted two people wandering around their back yard peering into sheds and such like so wandered over to see who they were, since I did not recognise them. They evaded my several requests for their names and identities, but claimed to be the neighbour's friends (though I have never seen them before, anything is possible). But to me they looked dodgy. So I have called the neighbour and left a message asking her to confirm they were there with permission. I guess if I do not hear back within 24 hours I will have to assume it is OK... It's a worry though, since these two said they were bringing in two horses to keep the grass down. I pointed out the fences were not stockproof and they assured me they would see to that (unlikely). So more fun and games with stray livestock it seems - compounded by the moral dilemma associated with the neighbour's imminent death ...

The chilly theme continued today though the sun broke through from time to time. I suspect we reached our maximum about an hour ago and it is back downhill once more. The quilting group had one of its spontaneous lunches this week (we dip into local businesses to check out the quality of the offering). This time it was the turn of the Stables. Once a thriving business it closed, and then re-opened with limited success due to poor service. Today the service and the food were excellent (you may recall Barb and I went there while she was up). I had the smoked salmon salad which was luscious - with capers, croutons, all manner of interesting shredded veges and such like. So good and filling there seemed little point in returning to more sewing as I was in danger of falling asleep. So home i came and have just lit the fire once more to survive the cooler night we are expecting. Warm again tomorrow - around 25 they tell me... More than usually changeable weather for these parts

Apparently the gods decided we needed a change of pace, so today's maximum was reached shortly after midnight and it has been downhill since then. The promised rain arrived bang on schedule with a nice big thunderstorm at 6:03 this morning and accompanying rain. Only 5 mm all up unfortunately, but better than nothing I guess. The new load of firewood has proven itself a good investment today and the cats stopped complaining about the weather shortly after the fire was lit. Tonight I am treating myself to a cup of marinara mix, stir fried with garlic, ginger and sesame oil on top of the salad. I noted it had started to show signs of freezer burn - bother. I may even bung on two or three prawns for good luck! Tomorrow will be somewhat milder weather then we return to the heat once more. Give me a climate where it is 22 degrees max all year around and I will be a happy woman ... lol

We don't seem to have cracked that 31 temp they forecast though there is plenty of time yet. The skies are cloudless (maybe a smear of smoke off to the north ...) and the winds are blowing up a storm. That heavy rain they forecast for tomorrow will be sneaking in overnight, one assumes... In anticipation of this, and the ceremonial deconstruction of the old shed this coming weekend, I finally cleared a track to the newer shed through the rather exuberant mallow that has taken over the orchard, and started to stow stuff in that. So the 44 has gone in first, with fencing wire rolls gone inside it, and a few more stuck on top. Then the whipper snipper which only works once in a blue moon, and there is ample space for the lawn mower when the sun goes down and I can bear to be outdoors once more. Other contents of the larger shed were beehive bits and pieces. These, and the empty hives have now been relocated up by the house temporarily, pending the construction of the new chicken run (which may be some time away). Once that is in position, the hives will be strategically placed so I can attend them without being monstered by Miss Congeniality, and restocked with a fresh swarm or two. Plenty of work to be done to clean up the frames, and replace the wax in the interim - another winter's day job methinks, with a double-boiler over the wood heater. Still to be removed from inside the shed are two more lengths of fencing wire which will be useful for the new runs, and a slightly damaged blue clam shell pond which is too good to throw out but quite useless for its designed purpose...It might hold water securely for ducks if I place black plastic under it - the harder plastic would protect the black stuff from eager toenails ... Then there are the three fuel jerry cans, but they can go into the small shed, and some garden tools ditto. More wood was stacked before my arms started to warn me the sun was a bit strong and I retreated indoors once again. Unfortunately the long spell of hot weather means the bedroom is going to be about 28 tonight, so another night of the fan running all night. At least it will be cooler tomorrow...

A bit of a warm one today. Seems to have peaked at 27 but may yet climb to the forecast 29. Rather an odd day to be getting the winter firewood delivered, I have to say. They said late afternoon, but the guys very sensible got out into the bush early this morning and delivered it at noon. I sent them off with their money and a cabbage. Have to use them up somehow ... The wood remains in a heap beside the stacked wood from last year and will continue to remain in a heap until the weather returns to more acceptable temperatures. They say it will be 16 on Tuesday but that it will also rain so maybe I will, maybe i won't. ooooo more changes to the blog system - the photo-upload has altered... Given the excess heat, the rest of the day was spent considering the problem of an additional tank. The next one, being larger, will have a higher inlet than the one i have ... so do I put it where I was planning to put a shed, closer to the house, or do I move the one I have down onto the next level and put the new one where the current one is (thereby losing all my water, but I suspect that will happen when the new tank is coupled in anyway ... Decisions, decisions. At least, since i have no money, it is not one I will have to make in the immediate future!! The large sheet of black plastic is now consigned to the tip, and the next stage is to weatherproof the small chook shed I built, so the lawnmower and whipper snipper have somewhere to live once the shed is demolished. If it sounds like i am going in circles... well yes I am. But I think they are fairly constructive circles now as I can see the picture of the grounds more clearly in my head than has been possible while the container was in position and I was stuck in a bedsit in Hobart working full time.

Too confusing - the blog asked me to log in this afternoon, but when I clicked on the button it took me to the 'new post' option ... go figure. These foggy mornings, while presaging autumn rather too soon, are a blessing when the temp creeps up to the high 20s early 30s as it has done today. I was off to the tip and getting rid of two loads before nine this morning and now have another load ready to go tomorrow afternoon. Basically this is because I finally gave up on the 3m wide black plastic that has covered the lumber for the last four years and decided to replace it. It had become brittle and, clearly at various times during my absence had blown out of control and someone has bunged it back together as best they could, but with little regard for the amount of space it was beginning to consume. So now it has been re-covered with some 2m wide black plastic that I happened to have in the spare room. Part of this frenzy of activity is an attempt to get rid of all that 'stuff' I have accumulated in case it comes in handy. I have decided that it will rarely come in handy and if it does I will either forget I have it or not be able to get to it for the amount of other stuff, so I am having a hoarders 'intervention' with myself and disposing of all bar some obviously useful stuff like hardwood 4x2s and such like. Once that was done the fog had burned off so I retreated indoors and did a couple of loads of washing (collecting and distributing the water as I went) with the result the veges and the front garden have now been watered. I got adventurous with my protein shakes today - I am sure I read that you could mix them up with a cuppa-soup, so I tried it for lunch. Never again. The combination of artificial sweeteners in both products was ... shall we say 'interesting'...... I discovered my very first hollyhock today. Reason I had missed it was because it is only about 8 inches high. But it has two large double white flowers open and more to come ... Hope it is not crushed under the weight of its own enthusiasm. Will be picking a cabbage tomorrow morning with a view to fine shredding and salady uses (of half of it, the rest will go in the freezer). The tomatoes still look good, if rather green so I have some hope of getting a crop off before the first frost arrives (or if not, the darn things will be covered with frost blanket so they survive). Not much risk of that at present though with 31 forecast for tomorrow and more warm weather after that (though heavy rain on Tuesday, which will be nice!!)

The weather is warming up once more so I took advantage of this morning's fog to get a bit more mowing done and to clear up some of the stuff lying around. The back of the ute is now loaded with the carcase of the 'cow' fridge that served me while I was in the caravan before the stuff arrived from England. It is accompanied by some polystyrene boxes that did have strawberry plants in them until I resumed work once more. The fruit trees have been given emergency water supplies and generally inspected. The result of the inspection was disheartening as the parrots have eaten all the apples now. The prune plums seem to be lurking safely amongst their leaves and will be ready for harvest soonish, so hopefully they are not discovered until then. The dog supervised operations but complained it was too hot so we retreated indoors for some computer time on the new income source and sorting out tax stuff associated with that. Time to ease the tops of the ginger beer once more as the new batch is starting to pop!!

The day started chasing a stray dog out of the yard. No idea where it belongs, it looks as if it may have malemute in its background. We do tend to get more than a few dogs apparently dumped out this way. Last seen befriending a dog up the road through their fence. Hope it finds its way home. After that bit of excitement I got the mower out and did a few laps of the yard with the result that I am now clear back to the midline fence. Then dug a hole or three and finally planted out the native hops that have been demonstrating their drought-hardiness in pots while waiting for a place in the garden. Turns out they may not actually need to be all that drought hardy as, having dug down through the gravel, I found moist soil. I can but assume that the jerry-rigged rainwater tank next door is leaking into the groundwater - nice for these plants at least!! That is all the planting I did as I reminded myself we are in for a hot spell over the next few days so I retreated indoors to prove to myself that a career in weaving is not on the cards. Two mangled looking lavender wands later and I have decided to bung the rest of the two bunches into a paper bag and wait till the flowers fall off. Then they can be accommodated in embroidered bags in a more civilised manner... lol. I tried out a different flavour shake today. they do vanilla, chocolate, berry and cookies'n'cream. I decided I can make chocolate and berry for myself from the vanilla, but the cookies and cream had me intrigued. Judging from the dark brown crumbs, the cookies in question are oreos, in very fine grind. But add a half a banana and it really does taste like a banana cream pie!! So apparently this is for those who crave their indulgences while on a diet. I am actually getting along quite nicely on the 'diet' food, but my self-control will be tested to the limit tonight. I have bought a roast chicken and I have a real weak spot for roasted chicken skin which, in this instance, must be culled for the dog and cats to enjoy. Not sure I can trust myself... Was also cruising Backyardpoultry and found reference to these sets of plans: http://www.thegardencoop.com/ which seem to effectively resolve the poultry housing issue if combined with the 2mx2m original hen run and perhaps a lower extension in more rigid materials like cattle panels. Simple but stylish, with a rain water tank fixed along the back (those narrow long ones for suburban gardens) for protection from insane neighbours flapping their arms at them and scaring the living daylights out of them, it should work very nicely I think (albeit not so nice for the chooks who will lack the opportunity for free range, But extensions of the sort mentioned which are opened up and closed off from time to time might mitigate this to some extent. To build this from new would cost about $900 according to the poster, but would be considerably cheaper if built from predominantly second-hand materials methinks. new wire of course...

Well, my first shipment of Herbalife arrived today so I am now set to take orders even on short notice An ad is going in the local newsletter once it has been approved by my sponsors. Also a bunch of flyers to be distributed around the district with the website address on it. Oh. And business cards (again). So the day at quilting was fun with lots of samples to play with, though I seem to have muddled my order and ordered some cleanser for oily-normal skin, when I thought I had ordered moisturiser for dry to normal skin. Doh. Oh well, it will be a useful sample. Di brought in a basket full of lavender so I have two large bunches to play with. I thought I would dry most of it for lavender bags and play with some to see if I can make those little lavender sachets made out of folder lavender stems and ribbons (I have a lot of pale blue ribbon I have no particular use for so can play with it a bit. The worms do not appear to have moved into the rockmelon love-shack yet which is a bit disappointing, but never mind. I understand that Animal Tuckerbox does a good line in worms for $6.00 so I will pick some up when I am in Hobart next and bung them in to liven things up.

Another day, another training session and I also set up a bank account so I can keep Herbalife transactions separate from my personal activities. Essentially I can not draw money back from the account until I start to get things moving. So the idea is that for the first three months, any income (what income?) will be redirected back into advertising for the business. Wish me luck. The day was another still and coolishly warm day. Quite autumnal really. But never mind it will be 30 in the next few days so no chance of settling into cooler weather just yet.

I inherited a worm farm today! Poor wee wormies are not too healthy at present and not too many of them in residence either... The lower tray was covered in vinegar flies (I assume that is what those tiny shiny insects were) and the upper tray had slimy lettuce and other unpleasantness sitting under a dry bit of nylon carpet!!! So I googled around and found that sprinkling wood ash would help - no problems there, since there is all that stuff in the woodburner. That done, I picked out the least desirable looking veges and threw over a layer of potting mix with sheep poo mixed in. This seems to have dried things out a little too effectively, along with the wicking effect of the damp hessian bag I had put on it, so this afternoon the lot received a light spraying from a spray bottle onto the drier bits to maintain an acceptable level of damp, without drenching everything once more. It remains unclear as to whether the tap is 'on' or 'off' so I have hung a small yoghurt bucket under it to catch any drips when and if they emerge. I expect I will need to check on them daily for a while to ensure they are going OK and the food quantities they presently have are sufficient unto their needs, without being excessive. Between worms and diet shakes, I think I will need to invest in a blender as the stick mixer does not seem likely to cope long-term... No idea what a compost worm is supposed to look like but these look surprisingly like my garden worms (what few there are). Though I think I caught a glimpse of something leaner and redder burrowing into the more appealing parts of the lower tray, so perhaps it is a mix of both. Given the lack of adequate care, I have to assume the previous owner is capable of having done all manner of things wrong so there may be two species in there together! Whatever they are, there are not enough of them. Anyway, the worm wee can be bottled and sold at markets and the droppings can go straight into the garden beds to build up the soil levels and hopefully make things more moisture retentive. This is of course, once the worms have bred up their numbers so I can spot them easily (now I have to dig for them) and are heaving around the place and exploring more than one tray at a time. This excitement arrived shortly after I finished doing the rounds of the yard with the ROundup wand. The day was, for once, both sunny and still, if not terribly warm, so all regrowth has been knocked on the head. The worms disrupted the mind-set so the mowing was not done, but perhaps tomorrow ... Sat on the back terrace and fantasized about garden rooms and shade canopies for a while, before heading indoors to let pressure out of the ginger beer bottles (a daily activity at present) and read a bit more of my book..., checked the worm farm again, and again, thinking of dinner now ...

Barbara was up today for lunch and we went into Oatlands to have a look at the results of the archaeological excavations. The only area that showed some interesting material was one they had not intended to dig at the beginning of the three-week season - but that did show some interesting stuff. The site of the former gaol shows something, but what it is remains unclear. Still, a nice excuse to wander the town, enter areas more commonly closed to the public and chat to people of interest. We decided to eat in town which rather shot the diet program to pieces, but at least the large steak and kidney pie was accompanied by a salad, lol. I decided it would be downright antisocial to have a shake, so lunch became dinner and the shake is for dinner tonight. Sent some samples home with Barb and Emilie is presently using diet shakes from the supermarket (eeek!) and we agreed these might be a little more nutritious. So we will see what happens. That deferred training has now been deferred until Tuesday so I will have a chance to catch up with the garden between now and then. The weather should be good for mowing tomorrow too, so I will see what I can do to re-do the areas already done and perhaps venture into the meaner, wilder parts of the orchard (if I don't accidentally run down a tiger snake). I have found a website (English) which sells various greenhouses and other garden structures and am presently looking at their porches and garden rooms as a means of sheltering the back door from the horizontal weather in winter which swells it and makes it difficult to close. Have a look at their website norfolk-greenhouses.co.uk.The structures are u-PVC so should be cheap to ship and easy to erect if I were to send for some. And quite remarkably inexpensive when you consider the cost of building one from scratch and paying for labour. Will have to think it through of course, and consider the impact of the local winds on these things, but Norfolk can get pretty breezy too so I assume they are reasonably sturdy. The ones with glass panels would, of course, be heavier, but I suppose you could ask them to leave the glass out of the package and just get some cut locally ... Anyway, a possible solution to explore methinks. Meanwhile I have a lot of yard to clear of accumulated rubbish and useless sheds that are about to fall down, so I won't be doing anything rash.

It's been a bit of a muddledy day today. First off I had expected to be skyping a training session this morning at nine, so after sitting in the ute beside the lake (for good signal) for 15 minutes I phoned to check what was happening. Turns out I was supposed to have submitted my business plan before the conversation - no plan, no conversation. We will reschedule after the weekend. So I picked up some groceries and headed home via the tip. At the tip I ran into a friend and mentioned the business and he expressed interest in the joint repair supplement so I arranged to call around this afternoon. Meanwhile I tried to start the mower just on the off-chance it might work (it didn't last time i tried) before putting it away in preparation for my friend's visit tomorrow. Darned if the thing didn't start, and there's me in the wrong sort of shoes to be doing that sort of thing, but with an operational mower. Too good a chance to miss so I knocked down some of the bits and bobs that were getting above themselves before stopping it once more. Still got all my toes which is always a good thing! Then a bit of online training and filling out that business plan (not really a business plan, but a helpful exercise in getting more focussed about 'next steps' and sent it off. Then off to the potential client who bought nothing but asked for more information (duly emailed) and home once more to my repeat of Moroccan chicken with a salad to wash it down with. Also got a bit of cleaning done which is always a good thing when visitors are expected...

A considerably better night's sleep last night courtesy of the fan running all night and a bright and early start to the day. Called in on Di to see if she had some mint (I seem to manage to kill mine regularly) for tonight's dinner and while we were gassing away at the car, Jean pulled up to throw bags of cherries at us. So now the fruit count in the house is beyond ridiculous and the apricots have all been stewed for consumption later. 5 Kg of apricots goes a fair way so there are some tasty pies and other delectables in my future (once I have lost weight, of course!). Just the right temperature today - sunny with occasional wind gusts, but fairly calm at present. So, Raspberry and peach and orange-juice shake for breakfast, banana shake for lunch, greengages for afternoon tea and tonight's dinner is Moroccan Chicken which is currently marinating in the fridge. Dead easy marinade: ! chilli, 2 crushed garlic cloves, juice of one lemon, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 3tsp ground cumin, 4 tbsp sultanas, 4 tbsp pine nuts and a tbsp olive oil. mmmmmmmmmm Cook tossing meat (I have cubed the chicken, but you can just bung in breasts and turn them once if you prefer) and halfway to done, throw in a whole orange cut in half and then thinly sliced, as well as 4 tbsp of chopped mint. Serve with couscous and yoghurt, though in my case the cous cous is off the menu and the yoghurt is lo-fat (ewgh). To be served at 6ish... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Bit warm once again today, though fortunately not as warm as Molesworth!! The day was setting fair for a bit of on-line training, cooking the moroccan chicken and so forth, but rapidly deteriorated as I realised I was about to run out of shake mix (ooops). The order takes about five days to be delivered so an APB was sent out for local distributors and I spent a happy hour in Richmond feeding ducks with a new-found friend and her husband (from Jamaica via London) and gossiping about familiar places elsewhere. En route I called in and collected some jamming apricots, plums, greengages and raspberries from various farm-gate places, which I duly shared with this person who had altered her three year old's birthday plans to meet me in Richmond (they live at Midway Point, so not that far out of their way, and the birthday girl seemed thrilled with the venue, so no major pain), and so home once more. In the heat. Wondering if I can earn enough for a car with air conditioning that works, and oil sumps that do not run out halfway home (fortunately I carry a bottle with me these days). Hopefully I will sleep better tonight than last night, but with this heat, I doubt it. My eyes are beginning to feel they are pinned open...

Quite a warm one today with the thermometer at 29 degrees at present. Odd the way the temp starts so low and builds so that by bedtime is the hottest time of the day, almost (actually around 6 seems to be the peak). I off to quilting today and took some free samples and the catalogue information but only one of them was interested and I did not have a spare brochure to give her, nor the price list to answer her questions. Oh well, live and learn. They did like the herbal beverage which is my favourite product for sure - tea with lemongrass seems to be the flavour of choice. We have been offered the chance to exhibit a couple of quilts for sale in the local gallery and so I plan to drop in the one I did for the hall raffle that never was. It is not the right size for my bed and so is not much use to me. Someone may find it handy for a double bed or as a full cover for a king-size single however and it should appeal to either gender as well. On my return home I popped a chicken jalfrezi on the stove and this should be done in time for dinner. Smells good anyway and the chilli is making my eyes smart!! There seems to be a lot of sauce for the quantity of meat in it, so may reserve some of the sauce for a side-serving at a later date (being mainly tomatoes, broad beans and capsicum) when the weather is a little cooler. In the mean time I will be serving this little lot with salad to keep me cool(ish). Tomorrow is another hot day and I am skyping once more. So I think I will run the car into Oatlands and park under a tree by the lake!!

Today started a little slowly as i was up during the night, and so slept in this morning. Smidgen did his best to wake me up, but i was not playing, lol. So it was a bit of a shock when I suddenly realised i was still in my PJs and with a training call to take. So we deferred it for half an hour so I could shower, dress and run the ute up to the Andover turnoff for better reception (we decided Skype was more cost-effective, so now i know how to use the darn thing!). That done it was home to have my breakfast shake and start mowing. Well. That was the plan, but the mower failed to cooperate. No idea why - will take it in for Andrew to fiddle with it tomorrow. So I spent some time doing some on-line training and feeling smug that yes, I have actually lost some weight here, and trying to work out how to finance the initial stages of this business. I may have to wait till I have lost weight and go sell my self on the wharves at this rate... The last three days my body has apparently been adjusting to the new diet, so I have had tummy upsets, restless nights and yesterday slept most of the day. Today, on the other hand, I feel fit as a mallee bull, so presumably I am back in tune with my body once more. Glad to hear it as i would hate to be trying to sell something that made you feel that rotten (though the handful of almonds may have contributed since I am mildly allergic to them). Anyway, tomorrow is quilting so I have to work out how to handle my lunch arrangements, make up some salads (I was thinking pear and walnuts for morning tea and perhaps some ryvita and tomatoes for afternoon tea, with a mocha shake for lunchtime), and organise my sewing bag to ensure I have everything I need - perhaps I should take a catalogue and some samples in case someone is interested ... Tonight's dinner is some steak with salad.

Punctuality is apparently very important in this house. I can not sit down at 3 - I am obliged to be serving the dog his dinner (apparently). Once fed, exercised and watered he is quite happy to lie back down and loaf for the rest of the day... I had a little ginger beer alarm last night - noticed the bottles were looking a little wonky and discovered the pressure had turned their bases convex. So spent a happy few minutes undoing screw tops and relieving the pressure until they sat straight once more. Had to do it again today. Wednesday, which will be 29 and is also my day out, I will leave them in the laundry trough I think, just in case. The next batch is due for processing today so it will be interesting to see how it goes. The following batch will be made to a different recipe. I find it very helpful for episodes of indigestion - the ginger works a treat! Library day today so all the books were returned and replaced and a new stack awaits my indulgence on the coffee table in the lounge. Two loads of washing to take advantage of the full tank, and tank-envy as I saw Gordon getting a new 20000 litre tank delivered this morning. Must save up for one - going on my consumption experiences since getting here, another 20k tank should be sufficient except in drought conditions. And when I build a new shed I can add another to it as well so there is water down the bottom for the orchard (gravity feed). Tonight will see the end of the Thai Chicken, so tomorrow night will be Moroccan chicken (also from Taste.com) with slices of orange and sultanas through the mix. Yum. Pity the couscous is off the menu, but it will be good with a salad tomorrow night (and the night after in all that heat!).

wooohoo, that change of browser really does work! I had an early start this morning - got out and weeded the raspberries (what is left of them) and the asparagus which had become so choked with grass in my absence that I had to wait for a day when the soil was moist to make any progress. While i was down there I investigated why my pile of building stuff had diminished to such an extent. Basically the gardener has been whipper snipping but not clearing after the job was done, so much of it was buried under dead grass! That has now been remedied and I will actually have some edges to cut to when I get the mower out tomorrow. This weather we are having is very weird and I have been trying to get motivated, but the mornings have been very chilly indoors with the consequent need to light a fire Then, as the day gets warmer (as it is right now) it gets so warm that I lapse into a stupor, lol. Had a three hour nap this afternoon! Went into the market also this morning. I am supposed to be going to a fund-raising barbecue tonight, but that is not going to happen. The market produced some freesia bulbs and also some from Dutch iris - both favourite flowers They are in brown paper in the cupboard for planting in autumn. That chicken with chilli and lemongrass was so nice I am having it tonight too! The recipe was on Taste.com if anyone is interested. You will notice that i have yet again fiddled with the blog list - the 'middle class' one is rather self-indulgent but has some great recipes on it. It is relatively new (only started last December) so not too much effort required to catch up from scratch. Deb, I love your photos - hope the dolly finds her owner.

Last night I tried to log on to a website that basically crashed everything - email kaphooey, internet connections kaphooey and even programs on the computer. So in desperation I uninstalled Google Chrome and installed Firefox, as well as updating and adding to my virus protection. No idea what it was all about as the new virus protection could not find anything odd either (so that makes Windows Firewall, Malware Bytes and the top of the range ESET which has just now identified and quashed an attack from outside ... Anyway, the change to firefox has at least made this blog work more usefully as I can now click on things on my dashboard and actually get to the link I am aiming for instead of stalling part way through, so some good has come of it all. Started the diet regime with shakes for breakfast and lunch - flavoured with a handful of frozen mixed berries from a packet I found in the freezer. Sorting out all the various capsules was a bit of a worry first thing in the morning as my brain was not working too well, but I read the instructions on the bottles and have made a promise to myself that these will be set out the night before in future. There is a beverage powder which is actually quite tasty - bit like black tea with lemon. That actually does perk you up and get your brain operating more effectively, so I had another one this afternoon. In between the shakes I am permitted salads and other snacks, so had the tomato and pesto salad I found in Stonesoup for morning tea. Still not hungry so will probably hang around for dinner now. I found a recipe for lemon and chilli chicken which sounds very tasty so have the chicken marinating at present to toss onto the salad I will be making from mixed leaves, blanched snow peas and tomatoes (with a dash of fetta as well). I may become a little obsessed with food over the coming days, lol. The weather has been very changeable today but downright chilly for most of it, so the fire is chugging away gently in the loungeroom, to the great pleasure of the animals.

Well my Herbalife kit arrived today so I have had a fun day unpacking that and chatting to my supervisor on the phone. This between rain showers - the tanks are full!! The kit contains not only a bunch of paperwork but a quantity of product so I can try it out for myself. Starting tomorrow I will be doing this - two meal replacement shakes a day (aaaargh) and a proper dinner at night. I am also allowed two snacks during the course of the day so hopefully it will not prove too stringent. I will report on the results (and the flavours!) as we go along so we can work out if it works. I also got to set up my own on-line store which is accessible at mygreatshapetoday.com/jobain if you are interested. I have had to cheat with the photo as I do not have any recent images of me that are fit for publication. Must do something about that. The present pic was taken on the river at North Haven in 2006 while fishing with the late great Eric Rolls. As I mentioned, last night's rain was sufficient to top up the tanks. Today's has been an added bonus - not too heavy, not too light, so the garden is looking refreshed and happy.