New Year's Resolutions

1.  Do not eat meat this year and attempt to give up all dairy (cheese is my weakness!)

2.  Go to Church more often - I really feel at peace with the world after service.  Also offer to take Sunday school once at month (there is not one now)

3.  Make time to go to the gym every second day - ideally every day

4.  Do not take on work on my days off - I deserve a rest!

5.  Save $50 a week for my wedding

6.  Do my university  work at least a few days before it's due

7.  Try and let the little things go that annoy me.

Over the next few days I hope to look at each point individually in depth and see if I can stick with them longer than a week.

Happy New Year

Vegetarian/Vegan

I am now a vegetarian - sort of.  I have been researching the way animals are brought up and then slaughtered and I have decided it's not for me.  I love meat as much as the next person and a black and blue new york strip was my idea of culinary heaven.

i have been toying with  the idea of being macrobiotic for a while. I don't think I can do that just yet as it takes some time to get your head around the yin/yang thing... so I will be a vegetarian (but will still have to cook meat for the boy and brother - still living with me).  I also don't know how my Grandma will react an I think that I shouldn't expect people to cook me different food when I go to their house for dinner or something.

Eventually I hope to be vegan - I have given up milk- cheese is the hard thing.  people say that you should have cheese instead of meat for protein but I am trying to have legumes instead.  I have to watch my iron, I know that but I am also worried about calcium.  But have read recently that calcium is not ll it is made out to be.

The books I am reading that have given my this information are:

Skinny Bitch,

Skinny Bitch in the Kitch,

Practically Macrobiotic,

Eat Me Know.

Is this the loneliest time of the year?

Christmas and the holiday season, is lonely hen you have everyone in your life involved with someone else and your partner has to work.  The boy had Christmas Day off and Boxing Day off but now is back at work.  I know this is only the second day on may own but the days seem to stretch on forever.  It's 8.50 am on Sunday morning and already i have cleaned the kitchen, made the bed, made the boy his lunch, had breakfast, put together my new worm farm, read 30 pages of my book and called Mum to take her to the organic food market!

I can just imagine how is must be for people who don't have someone in their lives to start off with.  maybe I'm just being like this because I'm on holidays and normally have 10 000 things to do.  I still haven't gone to the gym though.

Kylie

Tonight I am taking my Mum to see Kylie Minogue for her Christmas present.

I am very excited as every Kylie concert I go to is a lot of fun and an excellent show (not just singing but a spectacular!).

Outside our place at the moment is a Christmas Carols service but they have not yet played nay carols.  But the band is good.  They are a little bit funk/soul/swing.  Their Baritone player is excellent.

Oh they just started a swing version of Ruldoph.  I will post a picture of the crowd.

I will also post later what Mum and I wear to Kylie.  I'm going to hers to get ready!  I feel like a school girl!

Band Parties and Presentation Days

I heard an interesting term at one of the Presentation Days I went to .  The Principal of the school referred to the children who were receiving awards as the ones wearing "the white suit".

They were being different, standing out and being proud of what they have done.

I am glad that they are encouraging children to be proud of their work and to be happy to be different but it seems to me that it's a bit the opposite of what we had when I was at school.

You still won awards ad it was celebrated but it wasn't pushed at anyone and whenever I got an award I always felt that I deserved it but that there were others who deserved one as well.  Maybe what I was taught got taken too far and now they have to go back the other way.

Everyone is always saying that Australians have a tall poppy syndrome.  I guess maybe we do.

This week is not so busy as there are not too many presentation night/day let but we do move into Christmas Carol territory.

My favourites are:

O Holy Night (not the Cartman version boy)

Mary's Child

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

Westminster Carol

I also remember singing some Australian ones in Church one year but I cannot remember what they were.  I know that we didn't sing "Orana for Christmas Day" (which is actually a poem set to words) but that's Mum's favourite.

Here are some pictures from the Birthday weekend, Coco Chanel (the Cat) and dinner.

Engaged!

I can't believe it...

On Saturday night at the boys birthday dinner he asked me in front of 15 people to marry him.

I still don't feel quite back to normal.  I'm almost dreading having to talk about it to everyone.  I want to have it to ourselves for awhile.  Is that normal?

The boy is asleep after driving back from the Hunter Valley.  Maybe he's trying to avoid me?  

I still don't believe it's real.

Here are some pictures (not very in focus pictures)

Boy's Birthday

Today my boy is 30!

We are having about 20 people for birthday dinner and then going t the Hunter with another 15 for a whole weekend.

For his dinner tonight I am cooking Paella, Chinese Chicken Wings (mums recipe) and Fried Rice.  Dessert will be two Chocolate Pavlova's a la Nigella Lawson.

So today Im off to the fish markets which I love and running around like a crazy the rest of the day cooking and cleaning.  It's amazing how much untidier you apartment can look with more furniture.

For his present I got him the a Manly Sea Eagles jersey signer by all the 2008 premiers and a 1950's mens vanity with all of the cases beautifully preserved.

The Beautiful vanity

2008 Manly Jersey

The last time we were at the Hunter at the Bimbadgen Winery and Restaurant

Performing

I have just come home from a performance with one of the school's I work with.

Everything seemed to go off really well.  The student's all played well and most behaved well for most of the night.

For children to make the program they had to audition for myself.  They were then given a mark out of ten.  The top ten scores for each band made it to the program.  However some students forgot to look at the program on monday so tonight the fact that they had not made the cut came as something of a shock to themselves and all the family they brought with them.  What's a teacher to do.  Let those that whine to you play.  Let everyone play and be there to midnight (9.30 pm is already pretty late for some primaries).

I felt really mean.  I remember when I was little everyone had to do a solo and solo night began at 4 pm and went through until about 7 with solid soloing!  I would  not have a problem with it but the school does.

So to all my lovely students who didn't get to play I'm sorry and I do understand.  Hopefully next time.

On the Downhill Run

Last night my boy and I went to a farewell for a friend who is heading Thailand today... Just hours after the Australian Government upgraded their travel warning.  Hope everything goes well for him.

Here is what I wore last night...

I am a little sunburnt from the a swim yesterday.  The water was freezing (well 19).

I'm also a count down to school holidays, lets see... ahh... 10 more school days left!!!

In that time I have 5 presentations days, three different carol services, my boys 30th weekend (in the Hunter Valley), to finish Christmas shopping and to organise all my teaching for next year!

Most people who come over to our place say how lovely the view is.  I have to agree and so will post a photo of the view every day I post.

Busy Weekend

I had a very busy weekend, so not surprisingly did not complete aforementioned list!

Here is a picture of the weather on Saturday:

I performed with the ensemble I am part of (Sydney Northern Beaches Symphonic Wind Ensemble).  The other groups that played were the NSW Ambulance Band and the Mona Tones. We played four works:

The Hornet Nest - Ralph Hultgren

Colonial Song- Percy Grainger

Kurrajong - Adrian Hallam

Kosiosko - Brendan Collins 

We sounded pretty well.  I ran the canteen as usual so I could sip tea throughout the performance!

Sunday night we went out to our favourite Japanese resturant in Manly (Izumi) and tried things we had never had before (we usually always get the banquet with is lovely).

We had:

Sashimi for 2

Yakitori chicken

Kushiage

Tempura Prawn Roll and

Warm Sake

then Copenhagen!

Here is a picture of my hair after trying SKM wonderful hair tutorial, as you can see the result not so glamourous.