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Tokyo Itinerary: City Highlights and Travel Recap

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Hi friends, happy Monday. It’s time for part two of our Japan trip recap, and today I’m covering our Tokyo itinerary. Our time in Tokyo included two days in the city on either side of DisneySea and Tokyo Disneyland (but I’ll share all about those two amazing days separately in upcoming posts). I thought I would recap our Japan trip mostly by city rather than by day. Hopefully, this way it will be easier to follow, since we moved around quite a bit, packed in so many sights and experiences, and didn’t stay in one single place for long. So, let’s go to Tokyo 😊 Tokyo Itinerary: City Highlights and Travel Recap Ueno Park First stop on our very flexible Tokyo itinerary was Ueno Park. What a perfect way to start, because it was calm and exactly what we needed. Oh boy, I didn’t know it at the time, but over the days we spent there, my senses got a major workout in colourful, bustling Tokyo! How lucky were we to be there and catch the end of cherry blossom season? This was the first week when we saw a few of them — so pretty, aren’t they? By the second week, the blooms were mostly floating away in the wind. After that calm start, Tokyo quickly shifted gears as we made our way into busier parts of the city, including Shibuya. Onitsuka Tiger Before our trip, I made a mental wishlist of places I would love to visit. If I saw them, it was a bonus, and if I didn’t, that was all ok too. Visiting Onitsuka Tiger was one of them, but I didn’t want to waste time hunting for the store, especially knowing how busy it got. When I did spot it (I couldn’t believe my eyes!) I cleared it with the group and went in. I love travelling with my cousins, and one of the reasons we work so well is that we give each other time and space. We mostly stayed together on this trip, but occasionally we split up to visit places or do things we were individually interested in. If one of us spotted a place or shop we liked, we went in while the others did their own thing, then we met up again or dropped a location pin to find each other again. Inside the Store Experience It was crazy busy inside, with people trying on shoes and waiting to pay. The upstairs section, where they stocked the sneakers I wanted, had a queue for the cashier wrapped around about three times. It was nuts! Luckily, I already knew exactly what I wanted and in what size. Then the stars aligned, and I found a lovely sales assistant who helped me try them on and let me pay downstairs, where it wasn’t so busy. If that hadn’t happened, I would have had to wait well over an hour and probably wouldn’t have bought them. It was a total madhouse in there, full of tourists like me, all hoping to get their hands on a pair of iconic Onitsuka Tigers at a better price than I could ever find in Australia. I still can’t believe I got the pair I wanted — the same style Uma Thurman wore in Kill Bill. What a win! Shibuya Crossing Later, we ended up at the iconic Shibuya Crossing, one of the busiest intersections in the world. We crossed the crossing a couple of times while we were there. On one of them, I saw my husband trying to get a photo, so I ran right into the middle and struck a pose. Bucket list wish ticked! I’m more on the reserved side (less so as I get older), and my family have said they can clearly see my mum comes out in me when we are overseas. She wasn’t reserved, she was a riot! Akihabara On another day in our Tokyo itinerary, we visited Akihabara, the district known for everything to do with anime, consoles, retro gaming, and Pokémon cards. Oh my goodness, the streets were lined with endless shops going up so many levels, absolutely packed with it all. The gacha machines were everywhere, and the choice was incredible! We also came across a whole mix of animal cafés, from cat cafés and reptile cafés to owl cafés and even hedgehog cafés. There were also so many maid cafés, where staff dress in costumes and create a playful, fantasy-like, over-the-top experience for guests. Outside almost every one I saw, there was a maid standing out front waving and trying to encourage people to come in. I was so curious because I’d read about them when we were doing our Tokyo itinerary, and truly, where else in the world do you see anything like that? I really wanted to go in, but we ran out of time. Friends in Tokyo Sam is so friendly, and I’m not just saying that because he’s my son; he really is. He met some Japanese students when they were living in Sydney last year, and they had since returned to Japan, so he got in contact with them before our trip. They spent a couple of days with us and were such lovely guys. This is them with Sam when it was time to say goodbye. They had travelled three hours just to meet us in Tokyo. Even though I had only known them briefly, I felt sad watching them leave. Don Quixote In this building is a shop called Don Quixote,and again it was on my mental Wishlist as I had seen it on Instagram. So in we went but what I did not know was how overwhelming it was going to be! Inside, there are rows and rows of everything you can think of. Souvenirs, keychains, shoes, bags, clothes, food, sweets, games, you name it, it’s there. The lighting is also quite strong, and the music is loud and constant, including the Don Quijote jingle on

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Singapore on the Way to Japan and Back

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Hi friends, and happy Friday! Today I’m doing my first travel recap, and I thought I’d cover Singapore. We spent roughly 20 hours there on the way to Japan. And about 15 hours on the way back, I think that’s right. But I have to admit, the time difference and catching red-eye flights to and from our destinations had me all sorts of confused. Anyway, we definitely spent enough time to explore, discover and enjoy some amazing sights. We booked hotel rooms so we had somewhere to shower and leave our things, but sleep was not on our agenda. So, although we may have been walking zombies, we still made the most of every minute. So I thought today I would just share all about Singapore. Hope this makes sense. This is trip number two for our group of 7. Just like our USA trip, we travelled with my husband, younger son, and my cousin, her husband and their two teenage kids. The magnificent 7, haha. Singapore on the Way to Japan We “stayed” right near Changi Airport at YOTEL The room reminded me of a space capsule. Nice fluro lights, aye! We had a quick shower and changed into some cooler clothes because, oh my goodness, the humidity! I will never complain about the humidity we get here in Sydney again because Singapore is on a whole other level. Changi Airport sure is beautiful! It was bright and sunny, and our first stop was Gardens by the Bay. So far, so good, and my keratin-treated hair was working hard to stay relatively smooth in the overwhelming humidity. Then it got cloudier and cloudier. Until it started raining on and off for the rest of the day. We kept going and ended up in Chinatown street market. We actually met up with a friend of Sam’s who lives in Singapore but spent a year in Sydney, where he met Sam through mutual friends. He was a lovely guy and showed us around. I asked him if the humidity was always like this, and he said it felt pretty much like this all year round, which was one of the things he didn’t love about Singapore. He said he missed Australia. We had the most delicious Hainanese chicken rice right here at Tian Tian, where Anthony Bourdain also visited. After lunch, we kept exploring and found a shop dedicated to Tintin. I’m not quite sure how Tintin is associated with Singapore, but it was a great shop! Next stop–a visit to a temple. Then I found a shop that sold foldable rain hats, and I was very happy! That was a wrap on our first day in Singapore, and the next few photos are from our return trip after we had visited Japan. Singapore on Our Way Home We stayed at YOTEL, but this one was on Orchard Road, and in the foyer, there was a robot cleaner. I had to take a photo of it because its name was Yolanda. My cousin and I are related to an aunt called Yolanda, who was very strict, clean and tidy, so we thought it was funny. This time our group split up — some went to the pool, others had a business meeting, and Steve, Sam and I went to tick off Steve’s bucket list wish of eating Singapore chilli crab. According to Google, The Fullerton Hotel in Singapore served up one of the best chilli crab spots. Well, the crab was delicious, but I can’t say the staff were very friendly; they were a bit on the snobby side. But oh well, we had a lovely time. Now this was our first time eating a whole crab, and when they served it up, it looked amazing but very daunting. All I could think was how on earth we were going to eat this and not look like cave people. I started googling and searching YouTube frantically, and it confirmed what I suspected. You just had to go for it with your hands, sauce and all. Luckily, we were given aprons. But they failed to tell us about the gloves. When we arrived at the restaurant as eager beavers, we were the first customers. After a while, other diners came in, and we overheard the nicer waiter explaining to the couple next to us that they could use the gloves the restaurant supplied. Well, it was too late by then. We had sauce all over us, and Steve was tucking in like there was no tomorrow. And oh my goodness, we looked down and saw the gloves on our table still neatly in their packets. We had all assumed they were wet wipes. So messy, and look at the tablecloth! I felt better when I looked around, and everyone’s tablecloth looked the same. Phew! After lunch, we stopped to look at the view outside the restaurant. There was a dragon spouting water nearby, and it must have been famous because it was so crowded, with people filming themselves doing unusual things. I’m not sure what that was all about, so we moved a bit further away from the chaos and took some photos. Then we walked about 20 minutes to a waffle place. We went back to the hotel, where Steve had a nap, Sam went to the pool, and although I could have easily curled up and fallen asleep, I thought no way! Sleeping is for the plane; Singapore is for shopping. I raced out to find the nearest shopping centre. The shopping centre was called ION, and I had Google Maps guiding me. My sense of direction, even with Google Maps, is interesting. I was looking for Zara as I had seen a few people carrying Zara bags. Then I turned a corner and gasped out loud when I saw a Massimo Dutti shop! We don’t have them over here, and I’ve seen so many of their clothes on Instagram that I love. I had actually looked up the

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Getting Ready for our Trip: Work, Lists and Flying Anxiety

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Hi friends! It’s been a long minute since I’ve posted, but I’m very happy to be back today linking up with Holly and Sarah for Hello Monday. A Quick Update Wow, life sure got very busy during the last couple of weeks of March at work with writing Learning Outcome Summaries and parent-teacher interviews. Once that was all finished, I finally had the brain space to really start concentrating on getting ready for our trip to Singapore and Japan. Luckily, I took an extra week of leave before our trip so I could get organised. This was probably the best decision ever. While I was still working, I just couldn’t focus on anything except work. My brain doesn’t seem to multitask big things like work and trips. I need to compartmentalise them. It’s funny because I can handle the day-to-day things just fine. But when I’ve got something big coming up, everything else just takes a back seat. I end up needing to fully focus on one thing at a time. Am I the only one like this? Switching Off From Work Once my leave actually started, though, I had no trouble forgetting all about work. I flipped that switch and got straight into holiday mode, no worries at all. I was excited about going away, but at the same time, I was anxious about the flying part. Thankfully, this time I wasn’t as bad as I was for our trip to the USA in 2025, when I felt physically ill every time I thought about getting on a plane. Instead, I found myself getting anxious about why I wasn’t as anxious. Oh my goodness, this brain of mine! Flying Anxiety I’ve worked out that the anticipation of taking off is worse than the actual event. Once we’re in the air, I’m usually fine and just pretend I’m on a train, but that initial moment just freaks me out! The good news is that it all went well, and although I quietly cried at every take off, I didn’t on our return flight. I think by then we’d done three flights and I was too tired to be scared. Or maybe I was getting the hang of it. Go me! Trip Prep I made so many lists. Lists for what to pack, outfit possibilities, places to visit, what to eat, what not to forget, shopping lists, and lists to remember where I put my lists. You get the picture. I tried the Sudoku packing method, and while it looked and sounded great on Instagram (doesn’t everything?), I couldn’t stick to the three grids. I added another grid, and then another, so in the end, I guess my method was more crossword puzzle than Sudoku. Maths was never my favourite subject anyway. Staycation Before We Left We knew this holiday was going to be very full on and that we would be packing in as many sights as possible in 13 days. So Steve and I decided to do an overnight staycation in the city four days before we flew out. The Fullerton Hotel Sydney We stayed at the Fullerton Hotel Sydney in Martin Place, which was the perfect way to relax before we walked those daily gazillion steps. Haha, I had that song by The Proclaimers in my head on loop for most of the trip. “And I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more…” Well, we sure did! So it was a good thing we got to enjoy some calm, peaceful times in such a beautiful hotel. What a great view of the GPO Clock Tower. This was the view from our table at the restaurant. It reminded me of the concert hall scene from The Sound of Music, and I half expected the Von Trapp children to come out singing at any minute. More To Come I’ll be sharing a few travel recaps over the next few posts. I’ve also shared some photos and reels on Instagram. But I’m not great at keeping up with social media, so I’m still catching up on those. Better late than never, right? Haha. Thanks for reading today. I hope you have a lovely day, and I’ll be back soon with more. Happy Monday!

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My Watches, My Memories

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After getting my new Swatch recently, I started thinking about all the watches I’ve owned over the years. Each one holds a special memory. Not just because they were all gifts from family, but also because they mark important phases in my life. They do more than tell the time (and show how late I’m running). Every watch has marked a special moment for me. So I thought I’d take you on a little museum tour of the watches that have ticked along with me over the years. Let’s go! My Watches, My Memories 1982 Casio My uncle bought me my first ever grown-up watch for Christmas way back in 1982. It was a Casio digital watch, and  I remember being super excited to own such a high-tech watch! Being a kid and not having to worry about confusing old-fashioned clock faces was also a bonus. I wore it everywhere for years… and then I lost it. It just disappeared, and I looked everywhere but couldn’t find it. One day, I was helping my mum defrost the old-fashioned freezer section in the fridge. There it was, right at the back. Go figure. Swatch By the time I was 15, Swatch watches were all the rage, and almost everyone at school had one. Fashion and trends ruled, so I said goodbye to my high-tech digital watch and happily went back to a traditional one. For my 15th birthday, my mum let me choose my very own Swatch, and I couldn’t have been more excited. If you’re from my era, the good old 80s, you might remember how colourful everything was. Neon and bold prints were everywhere. I remember standing at the Grace Bros counter trying to decide which Swatch to buy. There were so many to choose from! But even then, I preferred safer, neutral colours, so in the end I chose a grey one with colourful hands. Seiko I’ve owned my silver Seiko since I was 23, and more than 30 years later, it’s still my favourite watch. My mum gave it to me for Christmas all those years ago, and I’ve treasured it ever since. Wearing it feels like carrying a little piece of her with me. I’ve even attached a silver bracelet, a gift from another uncle, and I wear them together. I love how the watch feels on my wrist. It’s loose enough to be comfortable but secure enough that I never worry about losing it. Apple Watch I didn’t rush out to buy an Apple Watch when they first came out. I love new technology, but I usually only invest in it if I know it will make a real difference to my life. That turned out to be the case when my mum was living with us, and age was sadly catching up with her. There were times when she was home by herself, so to make sure she was safe, we got her a personal alarm that she wore around her neck on a lanyard. If she had a fall, it would automatically alert me through my mobile phone. The tricky part was that I wasn’t allowed to carry a mobile phone with me at work. So the perfect solution was an Apple Watch, which my husband bought for me. Any alerts could come straight to my wrist. It worked well, and I clearly remember the time my watch started buzzing to tell me that my mum had fallen, sending me into instant panic. Luckily, I live only a short three-minute drive away, so I raced home and found her completely safe. Phew! Turns out she’d had a moment and, annoyed at the alarm dangling around her neck, threw it onto the bed, setting it off. What a relief to see her perfectly okay, even if she was a bit miffed about the whole thing. 2026 Swatch In 2026, new child safety regulations mean we aren’t allowed to wear smart watches at work anymore. My Apple Watch had to retire. I was sad to say goodbye because I also liked seeing how many steps I got in each day, usually well over 10,000, because we really are on the go, go, go. Then, when my birthday came up, I was feeling nostalgic about my long-gone teen years. I decided the cure for nostalgia was to revisit a fun time and go all out with a colourful Swatch I never would have had the courage to pick back then. I was so shy, I didn’t even want to draw attention to my wrists! Bright, Bold and Beyond And now I’ve come full circle and am the happy owner of a very bright pink Swatch watch that my boys bought me. Picking a bright colour like this is a big deal for me. It kind of signals a new phase in my life, when I’m feeling braver and going outside my comfort zone. I’ve always played it safe, and while I’m not booking any bungee jumping experiences anytime soon, I know that since last year, I’ve been much more open to trying new things and embracing new adventures. I’ll always be on the reserved side, at least until I get to know someone, but I’m totally okay with drawing attention to my wrists now. And that sums up all the watches I’ve owned. These days, my bright pink Swatch is my everyday watch, the Seiko comes out for special occasions, and the Apple Watch is mostly a weekend watch. If I remember, I will sometimes wear it to and from work to track steps. Each one of my watches reminds me of a different time in my life, the people who gave it to me, and the moments that made it special. Wearing them now feels like I’m carrying a little piece of my past, my present, and a hint of the fun times and adventures ahead—yay! Who knew watches could be little time machines of memories?    

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Friday Favourites

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Hi friends! This week did not exactly sparkle, but there were still many bright spots that got me through. One of the great things about joining this link-up is that it makes you pause and notice the good things instead of dwelling on everything that didn’t go quite right. So here are a few of my Friday favourites. Autumn is Coming Just this week, I’ve noticed a change in the weather. The mornings and evenings are getting cooler, although the days are still very warm and the humidity is hanging around. My personal humidity indicator, which just so happens to be my hair, confirms this. Even after a keratin treatment, when it’s humid, my fringe still curls and pokes directly into my left eye (very annoying). Thankfully, it’s nowhere near as bad as the pre-keratin days when my hair would boof out completely. Small wins. It’s also getting darker a little earlier, and for the first time ever, I’m not sad about the shift from summer to winter. My recent run-in with a giant cockroach, along with the relentless humidity, has definitely made me a lot more open to cooler weather. Or maybe it’s just that our trip is coming up soon, and we’re heading into spring in Singapore and Japan. That’s definitely helping me not grumble about the change. I Found a New Show Monday night, I was home by myself, so I ate my dinner while watching another episode of Happy Valley. Have you seen this fantastic British crime show? It’s so good. For some reason, I thought it was a comedy because of the name. And as I was flicking around on Binge trying to find something to watch, I figured I’d give this “comedy” a go. Well, it’s far from a comedy, but it’s definitely the best crime show I’ve watched in ages, and I’m hooked. Oh, and my cottage pie with salad was pretty good too. Mid-Week Dinner Catch-Up Our friends invited us over for dinner on Wednesday night, and I loved having a little midweek plan to look forward to. To start, we had olives grown and pickled by them, with taramasalata and crackers. I asked where the crackers came from because they were so delicious, and would you believe they were homemade? Our friends not only pickle their own olives, they also make sourdough. The crackers were made from leftover sourdough mix, with a few seeds added. Wow! They surprised me with a belated birthday present. I said, “Let’s open it now,” and we sure did! Dinner Out Thursday night, we had a staff meeting, and it was hard to concentrate because I was hungry and already looking forward to dinner out with my husband at a local Japanese restaurant. Ramen and gyozas for us, all “research” to compare when we go to Japan 😉 Cockatoos One day, when I really needed a laugh, I saw this crazy cockatoo hanging upside down on the electricity line outside my house. It almost did a full 360 trying to nibble at the wire. It made me LOL, and it felt so good. Positive Vibes And I got another belated birthday present from my son. He tidied his gaming room and came out with this positive peas (well, technically one tiny crocheted pea, but the sign says “positive peas”). He said he bought it to go with the Swatch watch he and his brother gave me, and then forgot. I really needed this little positive pea in my life. Isn’t it the cutest? She now lives on my desk, and I love her. And those were a few of my small, simple, but much-needed highlights from the week. This positive pea is signing off and wishing you all the happiest of weekends! Linking up with Andrea and Erika

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Friday Favourites

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Hi friends! I can hardly believe it’s FRIDAY, and it truly feels like I blinked and the week just whooshed by. I always have the best intentions to write this post throughout the week, kind of like a little diary of favourite things from each day. The sensible, easiest way to do it, right? Yet here I am like the high schooler I once was, leaving my assignment to the last minute. Not that blogging is an assignment I have to complete. No, not at all. But I would love to be more organised and consistent like I used to be. Anyway, it’s Friday afternoon, I’ve just gotten home from work, and I can see I’ve only taken a couple of blurry photos this week. Which is all ok because I’m sure I can remember some of this week’s highlights without as many visual prompts as I wish I had. Hmm, let’s test the old noggin, shall we… Monday Monday is a blur, but I do remember getting my Share Our Lives post written. It was fun to talk about some of the things I frequently buy at the supermarket. I also enjoyed reading what everyone else shared in the link-up. Grocery item talk is my love language. Tuesday Tuesday was a work-from-home day, which always makes me feel like a grown-up. Hi, I’m Ruth, and yes, I’m a grown-up who worked from home on Tuesday. I guess working in preschool makes me feel like an eternal kid. But twice a year, when we have to write up developmental summaries, I get to do it at home in the quiet, without the constant noise and hustle and bustle. It was so quiet my ears were ringing, and I also felt like I was jigging school. Wednesday Wednesday was a treat because I had an appointment at the hairdresser’s for a proper colour treatment. I usually do it myself, and the last time I had my hair professionally coloured was about 20 years ago. My mum and I would go together, and I loved those times spent getting colour and highlights with her. I really miss those days. You know what they say about the good old days. You don’t realise you are living them while they are happening. Treasure every minute with your favourite people! I was very happy with my glossy brown hair and sooo happy to say goodbye to the brassy post-keratin-treated hair. Thursday I had been looking forward to Thursday all week. I discovered that my favourite restaurant, No Names, which closed down about 10 years ago, was actually operating at the Erskineville Bowling Club. Let me backtrack a few decades and explain a little about this iconic Sydney restaurant. A Little Backstory No Names was a tiny Italian restaurant tucked away in Darlinghurst. The tables were crammed together, and the décor was completely non-existent. Think 1970s Formica tables with mismatched chairs. A bit like the Brady Bunch kitchen table gone wrong. Then there were the grumpiest waiters in the universe. They would slide the cutlery across the table with such force, and I’m convinced they secretly wanted to throw it at the customers. The menu was simple. Spaghetti bolognese, veal or chicken schnitzel, a half-and-half combo of spaghetti and schnitzel, and oh yes, they also offered fried liver with onion. I always had the, you guessed it…bolognese! This was no ordinary bolognese sauce. It was pure magic, probably made from a recipe passed down from many Nonnas. They also gave you free chunky bread with butter and red or green cordial to drink. Oh my gosh, I loved this place so much, and I’m so happy I got to enjoy it from childhood into adulthood. If I ever had a choice between a fancy-hatted restaurant or No Names in Darlinghurst, it would have been a no-brainer. No Names would have gotten my vote hands down. So you can understand my excitement for Thursday night. And then, like all good memories, mine probably should have stayed back there with my last visit a month or so before it closed in Darlinghurst. I missed the waiters. These were too smiley. The décor was dated but still too fancy, and the spaghetti wasn’t as saucy as it used to be. The bread was different, and there was no cordial. I was forced to drink wine 😜 I know for sure I don’t want to go back, and even though I feel sad about times gone by, I’m glad that I was able to enjoy a piece of history and have great memories. So it was still a nice Thursday evening out with my non-bolognese-loving family. Haha, Steve ordered the schnitzel, and Sam ordered the burger. Yep, they expanded the menu. Wrapping Up And those were some of my highlights and favourites from the week. They were a bit nostalgic, weren’t they? Now it’s time for me to sign off and go unpack my groceries that arrived. Don’t worry, I dashed up mid-post and put the refrigerator and freezer items away. Then I’m going to have a shower, eat dinner in front of the TV, and make sure to make the most of the current good old days. How was your week? I hope it was a good one. Linking up with Andrea and Erika

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Grocery List Frequent Buys

9 Comments / Health and Well Being, Home

Hi friends, it’s time to link up with Adrienne, Dara, Joanne and Jen to share our grocery list frequent buys. I do the bulk of my shopping online, but every three weeks or so, I go to Aldi because I love trying some of their special food finds. Oh, and also to stock up on toilet paper — theirs is the best. Just don’t tell anyone, or it will be sold out. So, for this post, I consulted my Woolworths app, which told me these are my frequent buys. Grocery List Frequent Buys Protein and Dairy My gym-loving, weight-lifting, healthy-eating son is all about protein, so these are our regular grocery list buys: High protein milk Eggs Greek yoghurt High protein cheese Turkey mince Salmon Oat milk for me because I like it in coffee Bread and Pantry Staples Bread (high protein bread) Corn thins Rice Canned tomatoes (Mutti) Vegetables Tomatoes Mushrooms Potatoes Green beans Zuchinni Carrots Avocados Butter lettuce Asian salad kits (perfect with salmon) Fruit Bananas Apples Fruit that’s in season–at the moment we are eating lots of nectarines, grapes and watermelon Extras Sour cream Orange juice Pickles–We love our pickles! Our cousin Connect group is divided into two camps: Team Pickle and Team No Pickle. In our house, we are Team Pickle all the way! Cashew nuts for snacking Cat food These are my grocery list frequent buys. Oh yes — and I also buy the Cadbury Hazelnut Chocolate when it’s half price at $4.00. Ain’t no way I’m paying $8.00 for a block of chocolate now that my monthly cravings are a thing of the past, thanks to menopause. Now it’s your turn. What’s on your frequent buys list? Share in the link-up so we can compare. Have a great day! In Case You Missed It In January, we shared ways to stay warm in winter, and in February, we shared binge-worthy shows.  

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Friday Favourites

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Hi friends, it’s time to link up with Andrea and Erika to share some favourites and a tiny not-so-favourite. Thanks so much for stopping by. MONDAY NIGHT DINNER On the first Monday of every month, we meet up at our local RSL with a small group of friends. One couple we have known for over 30 years, and we are besties. The others we met years ago when we were all part of a community group rallying to save the local pool. They are nice people, but they are more the once-a-month-dinner kind of friends rather than the share everything type. The actual dinner, grilled fish, chips and salad I ordered, was a favourite. But just as we were wrapping up the night and saying goodbye. One of them asked when we were going to Singapore and Japan. I said, In about five weeks and he replied, “Oh… but with the war, your plane could get shot out of the sky. I wouldn’t go if I were you.” It’s funny, well, not really funny, but you know what I mean, how people casually drop fear into conversations, like it’s nothing. The dinner was my favourite part of the night.That comment…not so much. I was rattled and now really need everyone’s positive vibes only. Flying is scary enough for me, and there’s no need for extra commentary like that. Geez Louise! Anyway, now that I got that off my chest, let’s get onto some favourites. NOODLES These noodles are so delicious and easy. All you need to do is rinse them and add them to whatever you like. I love that they are low-carb, fat-free and guilt-free. My son, the diet-conscious young man that he is, introduced them to me when he added them to our online food order. We share the grocery app, so I often see the things he puts in the cart. Sometimes I edit a few things, but this one made the final cut and turned out to be a winner. I have no clue what the ingredient konjac is, though. ICED COFFEE GLASS A preschooler gave me this glass for Christmas, and I love using it for iced coffees. It feels kind of fancy drinking from a glass straw. Hehe. HOT CHOCOLATE Time for more of our favourite hot chocolate, Swiss Miss. That big tin has lasted a while. I top up the container we keep in the tea and coffee cupboard. It’s not quite hot chocolate weather yet, but we still had some the other night. Soon it’ll be cold enough to really enjoy it. CITY NIGHT OUT Steve and I went out to the city on Wednesday to return some Skechers I accidentally ordered for him online—a women’s size 11, oops! Anyway, we decided to make it a fun night. After exchanging the shoes at Myer, we went to The Arthouse Hotel for drinks and dinner. They also had live music, which was lovely and added to the whole atmosphere. A young girl played the guitar and sang some popular cover songs. Every time we hear live music, we always say, “Don’t you wish we could sing?” My singing is really only fit for 3–5-year-olds who are very forgiving. That’s a wrap for some favourites! Excited for the weekend, extra sleep, and a little sunshine would be nice too. The humidity has kept the skies grey almost all week. Happy Friday

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Hello Monday

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Hi friends, happy Monday! I’m back with a quick weekend recap, and I’m so glad you stopped by. The calendar flipped over so fast—now it’s autumn, even if the weather hasn’t quite caught up yet. Here’s what we got up to before the week took off… We went to Flower Power in Enfield. Flower Power is a huge garden centre with indoor and outdoor plants, flowers and seeds for planting, pots, some home décor, candles, cushions, and a little outdoor furniture. And to top it off, they even have a café. Wow, could my world get any better than this discovery? I’d heard about Flower Power before, but I’d never been. I usually go to Bunnings because it’s closer to home, so this was my first visit, and I loved it. Usually, I’m counting down the days till spring to buy a few colourful flowers for the front of our house, and that’s exactly what I did last year. It was so nice to see the flowers (I think they were petunias) bloom all spring and summer, but they’re seasonal, I think (can you tell I don’t really know what I’m talking about?), and now they’re looking a bit scraggly. So I wanted to plant some new ones that will grow through Autumn and winter. I did a bit of research, and Google told me that marigolds were the answer. While I was at Flower Power, I picked up three pots of marigolds and two pots of a pretty plant with little blue flowers. Autumn is for planting! Couldn’t agree more. Then we had lunch at the cafe. Breakfast burger for me with egg, bacon, halloumi, a hash brown and relish— all my favourites! Steve had a chicken schnitzel with chips and salad. We shared a mango smoothie. And finished off with an orange cake, hot chocolate for Steve and flat white for me. We had the best time, and now we want to go back even more often, maybe next Saturday! After lunch, we wandered around and looked at the home décor. I spotted some glasses like the ones I’ve read about on blogs, and it was the first time I’d seen them over here. We went home, and I got stuck into some gardening. First, I pulled out the pesky weeds and then grabbed a big shovel to dig up some annoying bulb root things that looked like Vecna from Stranger Things. Then I planted these pretties. It was such a lovely Saturday. Then on Sunday, we had dinner at my cousin’s house and talked more about our upcoming trip. Only 35 days to go, yikes! We had a delicious roast beef with mashed potatoes, carrots, onions and gravy, so good. My cousin served me a delicious and rather huge glass of Pinot Noir. We started talking about trips for 2027 and beyond. I’m scared of flying, but after that glass, I was ready to get on the next space shuttle. You want to fly to space? Sure, why not, ha! And that was my weekend. How was yours? Hope you have a great week! Linking up with Holly and Sarah

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Friday Favourites

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Hi friends, it’s time to link up with Andrea and Erika to share a few of my favourite things from the week. Let’s go! Preschool Moments Do you know how good it feels to go to work and actually enjoy the day? I had forgotten what that was like. But now that I have two great classes across the week, I remember! It’s week five, and I’m getting to know the new kids, and I can tell they’re feeling the same way about me. On Tuesday, I sat on the deck with a couple of them just chatting, and soon a few more joined in. We talked about their pets, favourite colours, and how many siblings they have. I loved how comfortable they felt sitting next to me, flopping against me and sharing their stories. It’s been a long minute since that happened, and it felt so good. Back in the classroom, I’ve been sitting on the floor helping the kids with puzzles. Some of them are such clever cookies! On Wednesday, I was amazed by a tiny three-year-old. She persevered until she mastered a complicated 24-piece layered puzzle and could do it by herself. That darn puzzle is hard! After surviving last year, when we were all on constant patrol to keep everyone, including ourselves, safe. Now, being able to enjoy chunks of time playing and just being with the kids is the best. I’m also not spending the whole day mentally begging for the clock to go faster. Now I don’t even count the minutes till the end of the day, and time just flies! I even have time to be creative with classroom displays. I’m in the process of cutting out what feels like a hundred thousand leaves for a family tree where we’ll display their family photos. I have a vision of adding fairy lights to sprinkle a little magic. Hopefully, it turns out as good as it looks in my head. Quick edit: I wrote this last night when I hadn’t spent a whole day stuck inside due to wet weather, and I was feeling all la-di-da. Today it rained, so it was a different story. Although we don’t have the behaviour issues like we did last year, by the end of the day, I was very ready to be outta there. Wet weather days are never a favourite, but luckily, the weather’s rarely bad enough to keep us indoors for long. Phew! Favourite Things Now, onto some other favourite things from my week… My lovely friend gave me some mugs for my birthday, and I love them! When we renovated the kitchen a few years ago, I went into full minimal mode and made sure almost everything we bought was white. I did keep a few special pieces—a pink mug from my cousin, a red teacup and saucer from another friend, and my blue and white Johnson Brothers dinner plates in ‘Indies’ pattern, which I love. Apart from those, everything is mostly white. My friend, who knows me very well, made me laugh when she told me all the effort she put into tracking down white mugs from my favourite shop, Country Road. A New Watch I got a fun new watch! A few weeks ago, I was reminiscing about my teen years and remembered how much I loved my old Swatch. Steve, Sam, and I went into the city on Tuesday to pick up my birthday Swatch. We’re not very good at deciding what we want for birthdays or Christmas. We always fall back on the old line, “I’ll have a think and let you know,” and then end up scrambling at the last minute. This time, I knew exactly what I wanted, but we hadn’t had a chance to go and buy it. We could have ordered it online, but I wanted to try it on first, and this week was the first chance we got. I can’t believe I picked out a fuchsia one. Even my original Swatch back in the 80s was grey. I always go for neutrals, but not this time and nobody is more surprised than I am! Keratin Treatment Time Time for a keratin treatment to fight the frizz. It had been over a year since my last treatment, so I was well overdue. With the weather so humid lately, my hair was really bad. It was so nice to sit in the air-conditioned salon after work on Wednesday, and this time, the two hours it took to get the treatment flew by. I love how they treat you with a coffee, a Tim Tam and a heart-shaped chocolate. Now I’m in that awful in-between stage, waiting for the keratin to do its thing. I have to wait three days to wash my hair (tomorrow is the third day, hallelujah) and two weeks to colour it. The keratin has made my hair a bit orange, and it’s so flat it’s practically glued to my scalp. I was tempted to wear a baseball cap to work since Wednesday, but you’re supposed to let it be and not even tie it up to avoid kinks. In the end, I had to tie it back anyway because I didn’t want to scare the children. And just like that, it’s the weekend. How did the week go by so fast? I hope you have an amazing weekend, and I look forward to being back here on Monday.

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