Another Day Out.

I had a lovely day out today with daughter T and granddaughter J.   Saturday morning means soccer for J and I had recently sold a bag on Facebook and knowing I could be over in her area I said I'd deliver it.  It was a chance to watch the little kids kick a ball around and I thought we'd be able to have a picnic on the beach before doing the bag drop-off.  It didn't turn out that way though.   It was raining this morning when I was picked up, It rained while we were driving, it rained before the game...It wasn't so bad during the game but rained on and off throughout the afternoon so the beach picnic was called off.  It was a good game though.  It is strange watching these young kids play, some of them look tiny they are so young.  Maybe 5.  Maybe only 4.  Small anyway.  J is 6 so that age and under.
  
While waiting for the game to start I realise what an old grumpy bum I am...T is always on time, at the oval well before the game is due to start and I must say, I don't understand why she is the only one from her team that can manage that.  One family is late every week.  So get yourself a clock!   One week J's game started 20 minutes late.  You'd think by then that all her team-mates would be there right.  No, J's team borrows some kids from the other team to have even sides and they are 10 min into the game before the late players get there.  So if the game had of started on time they would have been 30 mins late.  And that is not a once-off.  Makes me cranky.   The kids are young so the halves go for only 20 min.   Why then do the parents let the kids come off during play for a drink.  Instead of sending them back on they hand them a can of cooldrink.  I reckon they should send the kids back on until half time, don't teach them it's OK to just walk off from the game.  If they need a drink then give them water but if they have a drink before the game started they wouldn't need one 10 mins in.  What kid wouldn't come off for a can of cooldrink.   Makes me cranky!  
Anyway, the game ends, it's raining again so the planned photos don't happen...We head to the car then to the shops.   I should not go shopping with this pair!    They want to spend money, buy stuff, sook when someone says no...Though T is getting better with that! haha T.   I spent too much money, bought too much crap food so ate too much crap food...And that makes me cranky.

We eventually head away from the shops and towards the meeting place.  That's near the water and there is a playground so a nice way to spend half an hour.

Just before the meeting time we see dolphins.  Four dolphins and half a dozen pelicans.  Looks like they are chasing fish and one of the dolphins comes in quite close and puts on a show for us so that was great.   We exchange the bag for some money, walk along the waters edge following the dolphins, back for a bit more of a play then home.  I found out that going high on a swing now makes me feel ill and going around on a swirly thing does the same...I enjoyed the day despite my crankiness and dizzinesss  so thanks T and J, 'twas nice.

And like I said in the title, it was *another* day out.  The other, first for the month, one being last Tuesday when I needed to go to Mandurah for a scan on my back.  It is still not better and I shouldn't have to take pills every day just so I can do stuff.   But forking out a few hundred dollars for a scan that after it was done they said wouldn't show them what they needed so I needed an x-ray as well, another $100...Makes me cranky  There better be something fixable found or...wait for it...I'll be cranky!

Before the day my sister rang and we arranged to meet in Mandurah for our monthly lunch with Mum so I was looking forward to that.  However Tuesday gets here and it's raining, forecast storms...Sister rings and we cancel Mandurah lunch and arrange it for next week in Bunbury.    I ask husband to come with me, he says no, he didn't want to.  Oh OK.  No lunch, scan then home.  But I wanted lunch out, no-one wanted lunch with me...I understood the sister cancelling, that just made good sense but husband!  I was cranky hurt  p'off bigtime.!  I had been looking forward to a nice day out with people I love and all I was going to get was a scan then home again, wow what fun that would be...HoHum, stupid thinking there.  I'm a big girl now surely I could have lunch by myself.  No, not lunch.  Coffee and cake at Cicerellos like I have been wanting to for close on 12 months.  BY MYSELF!!  So that's what I did.  After the scan I went to the shops for a look at rainbow stuff for granddaughters' birthday party that's coming up then drive down to Mandurah foreshore, parked then walked over to the water.  It was windy so I grabbed my beanie, not my jacket though, get to Cicerellos and it is busy, no empty tables inside.  A few outside so I order my c and c and sit down to wait, watch the sky darken and hope it doesn't rain.  I see some people come out so I go inside and sit at the table they have just vacated.   I can see the water and boats from there and it is much warmer than outside.  My beeper goes off and I go to the counter hoping no-one will pinch my seat while I am gone.  What do you do there, do you leave something so people know that seat is taken or just hope it is still there when you get back to it?   I get back to it and there is someone sitting there but only on 1 seat so mine was still empty as were 2 others as it was a table with 4 chairs...Had yummy cake and coffee that wasn't hot enough but it was nice sitting there and watching the people and looking out at the water.  I had called in to the information centre which is close to here so I would have something to read while I waited, you know, so I didn't look like a loser that had to eat by herself...and while looking through it I saw that it was only a short 12min walk over to the marina s decided to do that.  But it was going to rain.  I had to walk back to the car to get my raincoat and umbrella then back to here before I could start the walk over to the marina.  It did rain, a lot and my umbrella was blown inside out, my shoes got soaked as did my trousers...but I had fun and have decided to do it again one day when the weather is not quite so dismal.  I need to remember that I don't need other people before I do anything, I can do stuff by myself.   I need to get rid of the SookyLaLaness 'cause I'm a big girl now and that's what big girls do. 

Clothing Cull.

Yep, again.  It should be a weekly thing until I get it under control but I wait until I can no longer close the door properly and stuff falls out when I try and cram the clean washing in.  HoHum, I have too much stuff..

But!  As of now I am down to only 6 pairs of black pull on pants.  Trousers, slacks, longin's, call them what you will.  Six!   They all fit, I wear them...Mind you the 5 pairs that I have bagged up for the op-shop also fitted and have been worn this year but really, 11 pair of the same thing is really not right.  Not good and not happening here any more.   I now have *only* 10 pair of trousers in the cupboard.
6 black.   My go to trousers for most days.
1 cream,  Summer time.
1 brown.  Warmer type
1 patterned.  Summer wearing
1 jeans.  Might go as I am not a jeans wearing type.  But they fit!   I am giving them a chance until the next cull.

I am wearing a pair...of black and I think there is a pair (black) in the wash.  

And of course this is not counting what is in the basket of yard stuff under the bed.  I know there is a pair of black trackies and a pair of black pants in there.  Or should be, I can't seem to pull the too full basket out to cram 'em in.   I will get to this basket sometime over the week as it is too full again. 

Why is there so much?  Because I hate throwing good stuff away and when Vinnies wants to get rid of it because they have enough already in the shop I feel sorry for it and bring it home where it will be loved.    The 2 bags I have here to go will be taken to the other op-shop where I wont know what happens to it but I'm pretty sure they will put in in their shop and not waste it.

I did the shirt shelf last week but there might still be too many in there too and I now have 4 jumpers less than I did a week ago...Four less pairs of knickers than yesterday but still probably a dozen pair too many and way too many socks...HoHum...back into it.

How many is too many?  How many is enough?

Oranges and Lemons. And Mandarins.

Citrus time again and I know I say/write it every year but...Is there anything yummier than an Orange plucked from the tree on a sunny Winters day and eaten outside with the juice running down your chin?  Or is that just me...We lost a lot of Oranges this year due to them splitting for some reason but as always there are still lots left for us.   And enough for the daughters to take a bag away with them when they are here and the son and his girlfriend...We have emptied the first tree and have started on the second main tree.  We have had a dozen or so off a young tree in the chookpen but I won't count that until next year when it can hold it's own with the 3 main ones in the yard.   Though there is a big one in the chookpen which will be ready to eat by the time these next 2 are empty.    And the Valencia is full too but they wont ripen until November...I lurve Oranges and want at least 1 more Summer ripening one but am yet to convince the husband that we need another one.  He thinks 6 is enough...I scoff at that and one day we will have at least 1 more...


The Bush Lemon is chockers too.

 

 

Husband doesn't like this tree as it has huge thorns/spines throughout and can be quite dangerous when out there and not paying attention.  He is often out there not paying attention and not wearing shoes so I get to hear his thoughts on this tree throughout the year.  He has recently given it a prune but we didn't lose many fruit this time.  Last year he cut it right back and wasn't at all concerned with all the lemons that came off with the branches but this year the fruit is mainly on the bottom half and he only pruned off the top so we have heaps.   I will be taking a lot to the markets on Sunday if daughter and I decide to go and I have put an ad up on Facebook too.   I managed to sell some Chokoes and beeswax from there so will see how we go with these.



They are juicy but don't seem as sour as the usual Lemon that is sold in the shops.  Lemon drinks throughout Winter are one of my ways to ward off colds and other Winter lurgies and this week I am adding chopped up lemons to water kefir and drinking it throughout the day.  So far so good, no sniffs or sniffles and if I do happen to get a sore throat I will add honey and drink more.   Natures own medicine.

I am yet to juice some but will need to do that so we have juice for Summer cordial.  We now have an Eureka lemon tree too and that is also full with branches touching the ground from the weight of the fruit.  I think husband needs to drink lots more cordial instead of buying Coke but he scoffs at that idea...There seems to be too much scoffing at ideas of others and not enough scoffing of fruit happening here...  



Over the last month or so I have been hearing of people eating Mandarins and wondering why ours weren't ready yet, started thinking we might not get any...but they are here now, ripe and ready to eat.  Unfortunately the tree has scale which means sooty mould on the leaves and fruit.  It doesn't affect the taste though and we just wash it off before we eat them but I will need to get out there and deal with the stuff on the tree.  I usually just squirt the branches soapy water and wipe over with a rag.  Some people say to spray but I never remember with what or when so it doesn't get done.