Words of Wisdom 4

Wednesday's are now my Words of Wisdom posts. These will be brief posts (as opposed to my normal long ramblings). In essence I will share with you something I've discovered, read or learnt during the week.

This weeks interesting snippet is Mercer's survey of The World's Most Liveable Cities 2011. I was quite excited that my home town of Adelaide is rated as the 8th most liveable city in the world.

Important criteria that were taken into consideration in this survey was safety/crime, international connectivity, climate/sunshine, quality of architecture, public transportation, tolerance, environmental issues and access to nature, urban design, business conditions, pro-active policy developments and medical care.

and if you're interested, I wrote this post for my Land Down Under tab which is some of the things that I love about Adelaide.

Cheers, Fi

The long and short of it

Long or short - it's a hot topic on the World Moms Blog forum today. Of course I'm talking about the length of blog posts - what did you think I was talking about?

Seriously the general consensus from the comments I've read is that shorter is better - people are busy and don't have time to read lengthy posts, especially when they visit numerous blogs. So where does that leave me, when I can't say anything quickly and consisely, and can I help it that I like to let the words flow?

I'm in two minds about this because yes I sometimes prefer shorter posts but I still want to get something from reading the post. Well written, lengthy posts which are interesting will still hold my attention. It's as much about the way it's written as it is the subject, length to me is secondary (with blog posts at least). Can I write that, of course I can - because it's my blog.

I'm attempting to keep this post brief - I can do that when I put my mind to it. However, I'm providing a link to a post I found this week and which was beautifully worded, it's worth a look and it starts like this

What are you doing right now?
Does it feel small and insignificant? Does if feel like you are really doing (being) something worthwhile, worthy?
Perhaps.
Or…perhaps not

click here to read more......

That's my 'short' post for today.

Cheers, Fi

Finally feeling normal

Woohoo - first day in three weeks where I've felt a little bit normal and haven't needed a nana nap when I get home from work. I still have a cough but it's finally bearable.

It also means that maybe I won't have to bore you all stupid with stories of being unwell - because honestly, how boring is that?

Work is set to be crazy busy this week - the countdown is on to the arrival of the project team next Monday. I'm also trying to figure out how you fit another 50 - 60 people into a building which is already comfortably filled. We've actually got down to measuring desk and floor space because it's going to be that tight.

The full timers are not so much the problem, but finding space for the additional people we'll be bringing in from the businesses for workshops in the first three months is going to be challenging.

Here's something amazing which I've discovered and please refrain from laughing at my expense when you realise you already know this is possible. I've discovered I can have songs playing on Youtube open on one tab, whilst I'm writing posts on another tab.

Okay so I'm probably a bit behind the times, but this was a monumental discovery for me. I now have the favourites tab full of songs from Youtube which I can play as background music whilst I'm writing. Is this showing a complete lack of technical savvy.....it probably is, which makes it even more laughable that I'm working on an IT project. Ssssshh - don't tell anyone.

So here's my favourite song of all time.....

Spring is coming, I'm starting to feel better and things are looking up - have a great week all.

Cheers, Fi

We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. ~ Mother Teresa

Say goodbye to winter - hurry up spring

August has been a hard month - so roll on September and the beginning of Spring. For me, August has been a month better forgotten, a month of wasted days, in fact a frustrating month.

My breathing had deteriorated so badly on Thursday night and into Friday, that despite putting in an appearance at work on Friday morning, I probably shouldn't have bothered.

I was back at the doctor on Friday afternoon (my third visit in as many weeks) and basically I sat in her office and cried because that's how bad I felt.

The doctor has now put me on a super dooper strength antibiotic and also steroids - Ticklebear mentioned that over a week ago (I should have listened then). Friday night I had 14 hours of broken sleep and then another 3 hour nanna nap yesterday afternoon. Eight hours of broken sleep last night and finally today I'm feeling a little bit normal, aside from the fact that if you shake me I now rattle from the number of medications I'm taking.
 
I'm hoping to actually sleep in my own bed tonight, after three weeks of sleeping upright on the lounge, it will be a treat. It's amazing the things we take for granted - like our health. I never normally get sick; a slight sniffle, a bit of a headache occasionally but never wiped out enough to stay in bed sick or with anything which takes 3 weeks to get on top of.
 
I've always pushed on through, which I'm sure many of us do and I've always bounced back before. This time I was finally forced to listen to my body which in truth has been screeching loudly for weeks. It's been a big wake up call, a lesson in paying attention to what my body is saying.
 
Today is a go slow day, I'm resting and doing very little else. The truth is I feel like all I've done for the last few weeks is rest and go slow. My youngest MM is an absolute treasure and if I could bottle his blood and sell it I would. He's done most of the clothes washing and housework for the last 3 weeks, how do you get lucky enough to get a child like that?
 
I feel like my positivity is coming back in some small measure. Spring is rapidly approaching and our new office building has beautiful outdoor areas, plus there's a library right next door which I have yet to explore, the project team will come together a week from tomorrow and my communication role looks set to kick into high gear. Lots of things to look forward to, including my returning good health.
 
I'm looking at options for a whole new healthier me because I'm listening to my body. Kicking the smoking habit was the beginning, now it's about developing healthier eating options (not that I eat badly anyway) but lots of wholesome good food. 
 
I even went and bought myself a blender so I can make fruit smoothies, my three week giving up smoking gift to myself. With all the medication and illness, I know that my body is desperately in need of some detoxing. But slowly does it, I know.
 
Hope you're all staying healthy. My thoughts are with those of you who are battening down the hatches this weekend with hurricane Irene approaching the east coast of the US. Stay safe and be healthy everyone.
 
Cheers, Fi
 
I love feeling the crispness of fall and the sensuality of spring. ~ Christopher Meloni

Someone has to do it

Have you heard that song 'Every day I'm shuffling' - well that's very much how I feel at the moment. It's one foot in front of the other every day at the moment.

I just want my health and my energy back. Today thankfully was a really relaxed day which was much needed in my present state.

I spent some time this morning with our new Change Manager and I'm very impressed with his philosophy on change and his take on what we need to do going forward.

I think I can learn a huge amount from him and I think we're on the same page on how to deal with things. I'm really looking forward to getting stuck into my new role now that he's on board.

I then had a business lunch with our consultants today. It was a luncheon date that was meant to happen back in June following approval for our project and just for the core project team who have put in the work for the last 12 months leading up to approval. For a number of reasons the lunch was postponed until today.

A two hour lunch break is totally decadent but I guess someone has to do it. We went to a restaurant in the city called Concubine. It was one of the best meals I've ever eaten (and I'm sure the price matched the quality of the food) There were seven of us and I was the only female, which was a bit disconcerting - where the heck are all the females in this project?

It was an asian influenced menu but I couldn't pin it down to being Thai or Chinese or any specific country. Five different entrees and then ten different main courses, all placed in the centre of the table so that you could sample small bits of everything. I tried everything and it was all amazing. It was a little bit scary sitting at a table with all these males and the only eating implements were chopsticks.

I'm certain I could have asked for a knife and fork but sometimes you go with the flow (or you feel too out of your comfort zone to do something different). By the end of the meal my piece of the tablecloth was the only part that didn't have mess on it - victory to me and yes I still ate. In fact I probably ate more today than I've eaten in the last three weeks.

After two hours of good company and fine conversation I rolled out of the restaurant with a very full belly. The boss had told us to take the rest of the afternoon off so I headed for home and a two hour nanna nap. Except for Monday when my parents were down, I'm still having an hour or two sleep every day when I get home from work. My energy levels are still so limited and I'm beyond frustrated with my body.

That's all my news for now

Cheers, Fi

Enjoy when you can, and endure when you must.~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Words of Wisdom 3

Wednesday's are now my Words of Wisdom posts (despite their absence the last couple of weeks with me being sick).

These will be brief posts (as opposed to my normal long ramblings). In essence I will share with you something I've discovered, read or learnt during the week.

So with the crazy busy weeks I am enduring at the moment - this seemed a fitting tip to share.

Sneaky Health Tip - source Australian Woman's Day

Does your mind race with thoughts about what you've got to do tomorrow and what you didn't do yesterday? Then you need to be more mindful, says David Michie, who wrote Buddhism for Busy People (Allen Unwin).

Mindfulness can make you feel more in control 'Give yourself five minutes each day to calm down,' David says. 'During lunch, or while you're in the car waiting for kids, switch off. Focus on the feeling of breath entering and leaving your body.'

When your mind starts to feel overwhelmed again, ask yourself if those thoughts are really important. If they're not, forget them.

We all need to take time to simply enjoy the moment for what it is. Maybe I need to practice my breath entering and leaving my body on my extended drive to and from work each day. Probably not a good idea to totally switch off when I'm driving, but definitely a good time to relax, reflect and release the stress.

Cheers, Fi

Mindfulness is simply being aware of what is happening right now without wishing it were different; enjoying the pleasant without holding on when it changes (which it will); being with the unpleasant without fearing it will always be this way (which it won’t) ~ James Baraz

Controlled Chaos

Yesterday was controlled chaos with the move into the new offices. The building has a nice feel about it, lots of room, no mouldy old building smell and a balcony to sit on so we can enjoy the sunshine at lunch.

There were a few hiccups and still plenty of workmen swarming across three floors fixing things that haven't been finished. We're all settling in though, so not too bad at all. The drive to and from is the most torturous part of the move - with an additional 15 - 20 minutes travel time each way for me.

Mum and Dad were down from Renmark last night, so despite none of us feeling 100% it was nice to see them and great that they got to finally meet their new great grandchild at our family dinner. Here's a pic of the GG's (Great Grandparents) with our beautiful boy.

The Change Manager started at work today, he arrived to more organised chaos with my boss going home sick with the dreaded lurgey. I'm into my third week of feeling like crap (admittedly an improved sort of crap) and the boss and the new administrator are both into their second week of being sick. It just won't bloody go away - I've never known anything like it. Just when you think you're coming good and it comes back.

Short and sweet today - don't have the energy to write any more.

Cheers, Fi

Soul Journey

There's something about spring days and sunshine, after so many wet, cold and grey days. Sunshine always energises me and makes me believe anything is possible. Okay so my energy levels are not back to their normal levels, but I'm slowly getting there - as frustrating as it is.

Do you ever feel like some things happen for a reason; you meet someone new, you read a book, watch a movie, hear something that resonates within you. I often have moments like this - I guess because I look for them as well.

Getting sick -  as painful and frustrating as it has been, has helped me give up smoking. A goal I've had for a long time but one which I've never actively pursued. See I liked smoking, I didn't really want to give up, but my body knew I needed to. I've given up before but strangely this time was easy, I was too sick too care and achieved what I wanted with no effort on my part.

I borrowed a book ages ago from the library and only sat down to read it last night. I haven't been reading a lot lately but with flagging energy levels, reading works for me at the moment. The book is called "Soul in my shoes". I'm up to page 49 and already the correlation between what the author Robyn writes about and my life prior to going to university are so similar that it's eerie.

Robyn writes about her life and her spiritual journey and it's almost like now is the time I need to be reading this book. There's a quote on the back of the book which says "You have brought to this life all the knowledge and wisdom your soul has gathered since it's inception. Do not limit self with life's perceptions. Know whatever your inner voice tells you, you can do. Also know there will always be the means to do it. Seek and you shall find. Ask, and it shall be yours"

Everything happens for a reason, even if we can't figure out the why or the how of it. Life is about making the most of those unexplained events and using them to our advantage.

One last thing before I go - in my sick mushy brain fog last week I forgot all about my personal interview going up on World Moms Blog. All of us who write for WMB are doing bios to re-introduce ourselves to new followers on the site. If you're interested you can read my interview here.

Have a great week all

Cheers, Fi

The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination ~ Don Williams Jnr

Taking my medicine - laughter's the cure

I've been sick for two weeks now with the flu and bronchitis - worse than I've ever been sick in my life. I'm sitting here on the lounge tonight watching 'Funniest Home Videos' and I'm laughing my head off, taking the best possible medicine in the world. It's also the first time I've felt like laughing in days. The research shows:

• Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.
• Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.
• Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.
• Laughter protects the heart. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.

Here's something I found that you've gotta laugh at. There's something about a laughing baby that cracks me up - but 10 different laughing babies, absolutely gold. Hope this gives you something to giggle about.

Have a great weekend everyone

Cheers, Fi

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A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book. ~ Irish Proverb

Tiny moments of nostalgia

Nostalgia is a funny thing and I'm sure we all experience moments of nostalgia - the dictionary defines nostalgia as "a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life, to one's home or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time".

Today was definitely one of those days, the last day in the old corporate office was full of nostalgic moments and reminiscing. For me the pain of change is not as great as for some, I've only been at this site for 12 months, so I don't have a lot of the memories. Some people have been at the same site for 35 years. The changes ahead for them are considerable.

For fifty seven years our company has operated from this site and during the reminiscing today, the owner of the company told lots of stories which made us all laugh. At its peak there were 2800 employees working at this site, today only 150 remain. The company has expanded and grown and manufacturing and distribution now operate from numerous other sites.

All of the manufacturing plants have been bulldozed and it's only the corporate office which remains, albeit in a rundown and decrepit state. The building is waiting to fall down. The offices will be bulldozed in the coming weeks and months to make way for an extension to the local shopping centre. Today employees armed themselves with cans of spray paint and graffittied the internal walls of the offices with signatures and well wishes for the future.

Despite my newness to the corporate office, I can appreciate the history and nostalgia that surrounds the site. Everywhere in the building there are memories and indication of that history. Change management is a huge part of the project I'm working on and we have a short two weeks until the whole project team assembles in the brand new corporate building.

Aside from the needs of the project team, I wonder whether more consideration needed to be taken for the sheer level of change that will affect many of the corporate employees moving to the new building. I expect next week to be quite chaotic as we all adapt to the new building and ironically our new change manager for the project commences work on Tuesday - boy what a start he will have to his new role.

I think a healthy amount of nostalgia is always good, as are healthy memories of good times from the past. It's also good to have a focus on what we want to achieve in the future but in reality, living in the here and now is what it's all about.

Making each day count and building those magical moments that we can look back on and know that we are living life to the full is what we all should be focusing on.

At the moment my nostalgic moment is remembering the joy of a full nights sleep without coughing - I will get there again soon.

Have a great weekend all

Cheers, Fiona

Nostalgia is a file that removes the rough edges from the good old days. ~ Doug Larson

Sick of being sick!

I've been a no-show around here for a couple of days because I'm sick of talking about being sick, I'm sick of thinking about being sick and feeling so crap.

Quite frankly I'm over it and I didn't want to torture you all with my whining. Any time this 'sick' is ready to take a walk, I'm happy to let it go.

Tonight I'm feeling a little more on the normal side. I went back to the doctors last night because the cough is that bad that I haven't been sleeping and yesterday my voice started disappearing. He's put me on antibiotics. My family aren't complaining about me not being able to talk mind you.

So my flu has morphed into bronchitis, I'm surviving on a cocktail of cough medicine, pain relief and sleeping upright on the lounge to get a few moments of sleep each night. I have a nap each afternoon when I walk in the door from work to keep me going.

On to more interesting things, we did our site visit to the new building today. It's all a little exciting and daunting. The contrast between the old, rundown falling apart building and the new, state of the art building is fairly extreme.

We have new security swipe cards to allow us to access the carpark, move between floors in the building and also use the printers. Basically if we lose our security cards we may as well stay home. That's going to take a bit of getting used to, a lot of getting used to actually. Our little iconic Australian company has finally moved into the 21st century.

Tomorrow is going to be kicked back a notch, final packing of the old building and then wrapping up the work day at lunchtime for a 'farewell the old building' lunch. A quiet, half day will be welcome and then a weekend of rest and recovery. I'm doing everything in my power to get back to healthy.

Mum and Dad are meant to be down from Renmark Monday night and staying with us. They have to take care of some business in the city and also want to meet their new great grandchild. I'm also extremely conscious of not wanting to make them sick, so I'll have to see how we go.

Today is day 10 of no smoking and I've had 2 or 3 coffees since I first fell sick. Can't believe how disgusting coffee tastes and smells at the moment. I think that's the problem, no nicotine or caffeine and my body has gone into shock. I live with hope that I'll be absolutely awesome when I finally beat all this rubbish.

This is my one in ten year illness - because I absolutely do not get sick, I just don't have the time or energy to be sick and usually I can keep ahead of all the nasty bugs. How bloody frustrating is being sick?

Cheers, Fi

Everyone needs someone

Another one of those days - I worked, I coughed, I worked some more and then I coughed some more. The boys in the project team had had enough of me by lunchtime and virtually ordered me to go home.

I wasn't exactly up to arguing so I took myself and my stupid cough home and worked from home this afternoon. The boss and my replacement were also both out today with the flu.

This stupid flu has got all of us and we simply don't have time to be stuffing around with being sick - arrgghh I hate being sick. Thank you Karen for the Vicks suggestion (I used to do this with my kids) and Larissa, the cough medicine is definitely an option for hubby and the boys but my body and any opiate based drugs do not mix - good thing I never considered drug taking as an option - it would have killed me straight up.

I watched a documentary tonight which I wanted to share (some of you may have seen it - but the story is so darn cute - this is a 4.38 min snippet from the doco but is worth watching) This story reinforces the fact that everyone needs someone, even animals - we all need a friend, someone to lean on, someone to share with.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnXYiSY99yw

Sometimes we need to be able to reach out to someone who may be suffering, just to let them know they're not alone. To have a friend you need to be a friend - no-one should have to be lonely, yet sadly too many people are lonely or alone because someone hasn't bothered to reach out.

The elephant and the sheep who became best friends, just goes to prove that even the most unlikely matches can be true and enduring friendships.

Cheers, Fi

Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget

Energy bubbles needed

Hubby dragged me out of the house today for some fresh air, I went under protest and moaned and groaned about it all the way there - well some of the way there.

My energy levels are extremely low at the moment because I haven't been sleeping too well with this shitty cough.

I'm sure youngest mm, hubby and I attracted some attention today with the rib breaking coughs that we all have.

We ventured to the fresh produce outdoor markets at Port Adelaide. Today was a beautiful spring day (even though we're still a few weeks away from the end of winter), the sun was shining and there was a nice breeze. I got most of my fruit and veg shopping done - strangely this is all I feel like eating at the moment. My body obviously knows what it needs.

We then had lunch at a nice harbourside pub and sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather. By the time we got home I was grumpy, tired and barking like a dog with this stupid cough. Swallowed a batch of medicine (nothing with codeine in it mum so you can relax) and had a couple of puffs on a ventolin inhaler (which seems to be making some difference)

I slept solidly for two hours, fresh air did what it needed to do and gave me some much needed sleep. Finally!

I have a huge week ahead and I just wish I could summon some energy from somewhere. This week will be our last week in the old corporate building. The company I work for has been in this building for 50 odd years and in truth the building is falling down around our ears. That means this week also needs to incorporate packing up desks and ensuring we're all ready for the move on Friday.

We have induction visits to the new corporate offices, celebratory and farewell to the old building events, plus the week of work that I'm behind after having last week off. Son is also at tech college this week which will mean being out of the house by 7am this week as well.

Energy - if only I could drink a big glass of it at the moment, no in truth I probably need to immerse myself in it. A big bathtub of energy - hmm sounds delightful.

Have a great week all

Cheers, Fi

The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have. ~ Norman Vincent Peale

Feeling proud - ditched a bad habit

It's before 9pm on a Saturday night and everyone is home and tucked up in bed (including 16 year old middle son -  Mr 'I want to go out'). This is a true indication of just how sick with the flu we've all been this week.

It did assist me with kicking my dirty smoking habit, so at least one good thing came out of the week. Now I'm just waiting for the hideous cough to go away, I'm desperate for a full nights sleep. If anyone knows of a sure fire way to get rid of a dry cough - I'm open to any suggestions.

It's been a huge week in the news with the riots in London and the stock market on a roller coaster ride and I've followed very little of any of it. My brain has felt like mush for most of the week and reading and writing has been difficult, so my post is short and sweet tonight.

Below is something to keep in mind for the coming week.

 

Another little treat from Nubia

Hope everyone has a great week.

Cheers, Fi

Want to play along with Six Word Saturday, it's easy? All that's necessary to participate is to describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words. For more information, try clicking here. Feel free to explain or not explain. Add an image, a video, a song, nothing.

Watch out world - woman on a mission

Long day today - back at work after 3 1/2 days of feeling icky, no forget icky - I felt like absolute crap. Today was the test of whether I could keep up the non-smoking game and yeah me - I passed with flying colours. I even sat with the girls at lunchtime (all smokers) and had no desire to have one.

I've read all the quit smoking material and they say the worst time is 24 - 72 hours after giving up in terms of withdrawal symptoms, with headaches, mood swings and sleep disturbances being the worst complaints.

What a fantastic time to give up smoking, when you've had the flu and can sleep those first 72 hours away, you can also blame all the feeling yuck on the flu.

I actually feel really good today, lighter, happier - mainly because I'm starting to feel better (horrendous cough remains, but I can live with that for now) I was getting head spins today, not sure if it was because of a lack of food this week, limited caffeine intake, or no nicotine. Probably a combination of all of them. Could also have something to do with being vertical after so long being horizontal.

I've given up smoking before and stayed away from them for 5 years before starting up again but last time was really, really difficult - this time it's almost too easy and quite a bizarre feeling really. I know I still have weeks to go before I get through the danger zone, but for me the first week is the toughest and I've done it.

To that darling friend of mine who made a bet that if I lasted a month he'd buy me a carton of vodka pre-mix cans - you're off the hook because alcohol is not conducive to not smoking. But I'm going to do it anyway without the incentive.

Day 5 of the flu, day 4 of not smoking and my nose can smell everything (good and bad smelling) in a 100 mile radius. The flu is meant to mess up your sense of smell for ages, so all of this is a bit strange. The other thing, I'll now have to get back on that damn treadmill that is gathering dust in hubby's shed and gives all his mates a chuckle because I haven't been using it. Otherwise I'll end up looking like the side of a house.

How stupid is that, it's one of the things that has caused me to hestitate in giving up smoking previously, the worry of gaining weight - because I put on heaps of weight last time I quit. Vain, stupid and irrational reason to not give up something that's not healthy, but the mind works in dumb ways.

The difference this time (or what I'm reinforcing in my own mind anyway) is that I'm in a better head space this time and I've got plenty happening at work which helps motivate me. No weight gain will occur and I will be back on the treadmill as soon as my lungs have recovered enough from the flu that I can breathe properly without coughing up a lung.

So there's my grand plan of attack for the next few weeks - wish me luck. Hope you're climbing mountains and conquering obstacles.

Cheers, Fi

I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday. ~ Author Unknown

I used to have this saying below on my wall in my office and when I found it tonight, it seemed kinda fitting with my mood.
 

On the road to recovery

Today is the first time I've been out of bed, or off the lounge, since Monday lunch time. So basically I have spent the last two and a half days in my pyjamas and sleeping. I don't think I've ever been so sick in my life or felt so disgusting.

Youngest MM succumbed and woke up Tuesday morning with the dreaded bug, so he who can't survive a day without the x-box, is now into his third day of laying on a mattress on the lounge room floor. He has not made one move towards the computer or the x-box. All he's done is sleep.

Hubby came home last night and fell in a heap on the other lounge, so he's in bed today. I have never known a flu to be so bad or spread so rapidly. I'm going to have to fumigate the whole house and wash mountains of bedding once everyone is healthy again.

This week the walls could have fallen in or the house could of blown away and I wouldn't have been able to do a thing, no energy, zip, nada, nothing. Two good things did come from being sick (always a positive side to everything) that's alright I'll slap myself so you don't feel the need to, because this week was far from being about positive thinking. The truth is I just felt too crap to do anything.

Anyway they were good things - because today is my third day without a cigarette - yes my dirty little habit that I've been talking about giving up for ages (and for which I even have nicotine patches in the cupboard for when I decide I'm ready) is done and dusted. I haven't felt like a cigarette and having got through the first few days well that's the hardest part. Yeah me! Yes mum I know you'll be happy.

My other out of control habit is caffeine, yet this week I've probably had two cups all week. Me who normally has about 10 cups a day. Appetite is totally gone, so I'm working on restoring that and getting rid of the rib busting cough that I have. I could tell you exactly how many muscles there are in my back, sides and ribs because everyone of them screams when I cough.

I'm not a good patient and I hate being sick (not that I think anyone really likes being sick). The thing is usually when I'm sick I can still usually half function and do some stuff around the house. Not this time. Well this post has just about depleted my energy levels, so I think its time for a nap.

Cheers, Fi

Slowed down for just a fraction too long

Took my foot off the pedal of life just for a second and the dreaded flu bug mowed me down in the process. I felt disgusting this morning but dragged myself into work - by lunchtime I was home on the lounge. I should be thankful that middle MM was nice enough to share his bug with me.

Tonight he's on one lounge and I'm on the other. I haven't had the flu for years and I thought that I'd been doing a really good job of avoiding the others who had succumbed. It seems not. I slept all afternoon and I think I'll be staying in much the same place tomorrow - so I may be here the next day or two, I may not.

Rest and recovery - my body obviously needs it. It's a good thing flu germs can't be transferred through cyberspace - it means you're all safe and that I'm not sharing my bug. Stay healthy!

Cheers, Fi

The only time it counts

Following on from my post about inner and outer beauty yesterday - there's only one time that external beauty counts and that's when you're talking about babies.

All babies are gorgeous on the inside and the outside (well some of them look like monkeys at first - but they're still gorgeous)

Here's an updated photo of my beautiful grandson - now 6 weeks old. Still adorable and finally starting to grow into his skin, so now he doesn't look so scrawny.

I'm sure if babies could speak he would tell you his Nani is a freak. I took about 20 photos of him this afternoon, all pretty much the same but I think he was getting a kick out of turning his head or waving his arms in front of his face every time I clicked the button on the camera.

At least his eyes were open and he was looking at me - which is an improvement on him always being asleep when I visit.

Hubby's mate is here and my tranquil Sunday evening has just been shattered by the revving of a Harley Davidson - damn those bikes are loud. Boys, cars, bikes, noise and grease - there's no escaping it in my house, no matter where I hide. The more noise and mess it makes, the better it seems to be.

I'm off to cook dinner, have a great week all

Cheers, Fi

May you find serenity and tranquility in a world you may not always understand

Inner or outer beauty - which one?

As I begin the downhill run to the big 4..0, I'm aware that I'm taking my wrinkles and my few extra kilos with me. To me that's life, that's who I am and while they're a reminder of the fact that I'm ........gasp....... getting 'older', they're there and I'm not going to change them, well not through un-natural means anyway.

The news this week is full of pictures of Shane Warne, who some of you may not know (famous for his cricket playing for Australia and also for his not so private antics) and the 'amazing' transformation he's undergone. Well sorry but - yuck - the guy looks so plastic and disgusting that I can't begin to imagine who actually thinks he looks good.

He's not alone though, too many people across the world 'transform' their exterior with the belief that they look better and more attractive. Now before everyone jumps on me, let me point out that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' and I understand that everyone has a different view of what is attractive - so maybe my opinion of him is wrong.

The thing is I'm a huge believer in beauty coming from within. People who have inner beauty shine and will outdo a physically attractive person in the long run. Sadly society puts too much importance on appearance and too little on what's inside.

A person who cares about others, is honest, self respecting and confident in themselves will be on my list of people I want to know better, rather than someone who looks plastic and cares more about what others think and doesn't give two hoots about other people's feelings.

So to Mr Plastic Fantastic who is world renowned for having cheated on his wife and for sending lewd text messages to numerous women - perhaps you should have started on the inner you rather than the outer you.

Personally (and it's my personal view, so no-one has to necessarily agree with me) I like my man to be a man, the tan comes from being in the great outdoors and the healthy build from genuine physical work not some diet shake. How he treats me, his family and his friends, his sense of fairness and his work ethic are ten times more important anyway.

I'll let you be the judge (because I've been known to get it wrong) - the before and after photos of Shane Warne are below. Personally, I think there was absolutely nothing wrong with the way he looked previously - as I say, what's on the inside counts for more in the long run anyway.

My final thought - I'm proud to be me, with my wrinkles and my few extra kilos because I'm keeping it real and working on the beauty within. What about you?

Cheers, Fi

It's [beauty] a kind of radiance. People who possess a true inner beauty, their eyes are a little brighter, their skin a little more dewy. They vibrate at a different frequency ~ Cameron Diaz

Want to play along with Six Word Saturday, it's easy? All that's necessary to participate is to describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words. For more information, try clicking here. Feel free to explain or not explain. Add an image, a video, a song, nothing.

Tired eyes

Sigh...... today was one of those days where I seemed to run around doing lots of nothing and by the end of the day inevitably felt like I'd accomplished 'nothing'. Crazy days on the project trying to get everything established for the arrival date of our project team and I'm trying to fight my way through the mountain of unknowns.

Never has a project of this size been attempted and there are so many things to consider and organise. Yes I'm doing more communications work but there's still so much administration work to do and a new person to train (and she's doing an awesome job) but I can still see myself enmeshed in this role for a while to come yet.

Yesterday 25C and the warmest August day on record in Adelaide, today non-stop rain and back to 16C. Crazy days with crazy weather patterns. Wet weather brings out the loons on the road, so my normal 25 minute drive to work this morning took 45 minutes which was a great start to the day - not!

After work I took myself off to the optometrist for an eye check up and to order more contact lenses and all I got for my efforts was a smack on the wrist because my left cornea is swollen and my eyes aren't getting enough oxygen - arrrgggh!

Staring at a computer screen for hours on end and straining my brain trying to work out unknowns is probably not helping. So two days of wearing my glasses and another check up before he'll let me order more contacts. Not happy!

It's days like these when my positive thinking is truly tested and I just want to curl up and sleep for a week. Tomorrow is another day though and the last day of the week, so onward and upward.

Cheers, Fi

When your eyes are tired the world is tired also. When your vision has gone no part of the world can find you. Time to go into the dark where the night has eyes to recognize its own ~ David Whyte

Words of Wisdom 2

Wednesday's are now my Words of Wisdom posts. These will be brief posts (as opposed to my normal long ramblings). In essence I will share with you something I've discovered, read or learnt during the week.

I've been talking a lot about enthusiasm this week and the need to surround yourself with positive people, so when I found this post during the week, it made sense to share it.

We all need to know how to recognise and avoid toxic personalities. I've provided a snippet from the post - there's another 6 to discover (or avoid) on Brett's Blog if you want to go check them out.

Manipulative Mary: These individuals are experts at manipulation tactics. Is a matter of fact, you may not even realize you have been manipulated until it is too late. These individuals figure out what your ‘buttons’ are, and push them to get what they want.

Why they are toxic: These people have a way of eating away at your belief system and self-esteem. They find ways to make you do things that you don’t necessarily want to do and before you know it, you lose your sense of identity, your personal priorities and your ability to see the reality of the situation. The world all of a sudden becomes centered on their needs and their priorities.

Debbie Downers: These people can’t appreciate the positive in life. If you tell them that it is a beautiful day, they will tell you about the impending dreary forecast. If you tell them you aced a mid-term, they’ll tell you about how difficult the final is going to be.

Why they are toxic: They take the joy out of everything. Your rosy outlook on life continues to get squashed with negativity. Before you know it, their negativity consumes you and you start looking at things with gray colored glasses yourself.

I'm doing everything within my power to avoid ever being one of these toxic personalities - maybe I'll settle for being a 'Fabulous Fi' instead. What about you?

Cheers, Fi

Realise that toxic people can drain your health, energy, well being and sanity. It helps to move away from toxic people and move towards people who are positive and uplifting. Positive people are a blessing. ~ Danielle Barone

Take control of change

My new role as the Communications Lead for the project means I’m now a part of the Change Management group.

The thing I’m rapidly discovering is that managing change on a project is very similar to managing change in your life. The reality is that any change is unsettling and any change needs to follow the same rules

• You can’t make people accept changes.
• You can’t ‘sell’ them on the idea of change as a way of accelerating 'agreement' and acceptance.
• People affected by the change need to agree to the changes, or at least understand why the changes are happening
• Those affected need to be involved in the planning of the change
• Face-to-face communications are needed to handle sensitive aspects, don't rely on phone, text message or email 
• Quick change prevents proper understanding and involvement, which leads to difficulties that take time to resolve. Does change really need to happen immediately, or can time be taken to plan?

The solution to minimise the impact is by involving and informing people of the change. This creates opportunities for others to participate in planning and implementing the changes, which lightens your burden, spreads the load, and creates a sense of ownership and familiarity among the people affected.

Can you think of a major change in your life which the above rules would apply to? Think of a house move which affects the whole family, or a change to family dynamics – marriage break up or a new baby.

Sometimes the changes are necessary and unavoidable, but involving those affected in the decisions must surely assist in limiting the impact. It won’t remove the pain of change but it will improve the situation by removing some of the uncertainty and fear.

Cheers, Fi

Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts. ~ Arnold Bennett

The slumber zone

All the statistics point to the fact that we spend one third of our life sleeping. Does that mean if we live to be 80 that we spend 26.6 years of our life sleeping - egads that's a long time sleeping. Sleeping is on my mind because hubby and I went and bought a new bedroom suite yesterday.

I love the bed that we currently have, in fact the truth is hubby and I have had the same bed for 18 years. Now before you screw up your face and go eewww! it's a water bed and we have replaced the bladder several times over the years, but not the bed so not so eeww after all. Our room is a bit of a hodge podge of mixed pieces and a new bed or bedroom suite has not been high on the priority list.

The thing is old bones need more support, hence the move from a full wave waterbed to a real mattress. I'm not sure how we're going to go with the change but I'm sure we'll adjust. Not sure when it will be delivered yet but I do know that it will require a massive clean out of the room which I'm not looking forward to.

My favourite time of the day is when I climb into bed at night and I can switch off my mind and just simply be. When I was younger I had a habit of saving up all of my special thoughts during the day and then when I climbed into bed at night I would let them all tumble forward. It was my dreaming time (before I actually went to sleep)

It was a time when I considered my goals, my progress, the things I wanted for my life. It's not the most recommended way for having a sound sleep, especially when sleep specialists recommend that you free your mind when you get into bed so you can sleep soundly - but I've never been one to follow the rules. It worked for me and it's why I used to love climbing into bed. These days I simply get into bed and shut off my mind, I'm too exhausted to think about anything by that stage.

I'm a little bit excited by the thought of a new bedroom suite and a little bit worried that I may not like my bed as much. Sleeping in a waterbed is a little bit like climbing into a warm cloud and being surrounded by softness. Dumb explanantion but that's how I've always felt. Of course the cloud is cooler in summer as well.

Now I might have to go out and invest in an electric blanket because I like warm beds, not to mention all new bedding because we've gone kingsize. Life is about stepping out of your comfort zone but I'm not so sure sleeping outside of your comfort zone is the same thing. We'll see.

Cheers, Fi

May sleep envelop you as a bed sheet floating gently down, tickling your skin and removing every worry.  Reminding you to consider only this moment.  ~ Jeb Dickerson