Wednesday 25 September 2013

Pats on the back, and Facepalms. Miscellania.

On behalf of all of us in Melbourne, I would like to say "Go Home Melbourne Weather, You are Drunk".

Melbourne Weather. And Bins. Yuk and Yuk.

After a few days of sunshine, we are into blustery wintery weather. Gah.

I loved the comments on the last post. Naomi, you need your own magazine column (or indeed Magazine). Just like a chat over cocktails at a trendy bar. Apropos the boobs of Claire Danes, I agree, but I think that frock needs small boobage. Plus she is probably breastfeeding so more power to her.

But it just shows you, doesn't it, about how subjective fashion is. And it is good that we have women other than size zero in the public eye.

Anywho.

It is a bit of a habit of some of us (ie Me) to be self-denigrating. We have instilled in us not to be too big for our boots...no, that would be arrogant. And, sometimes, the only time we have our work fed back to us is when we stuff up rather than the times we did good.

So that causes a tendency towards focussing on the stuff we did wrong, or poorly (or even just feel we did wrong, even if in reality we did fine) rather than the stuff we do good.

It is important that we are reflective, that we learn from our cock-ups, and try and do better next time. It helps also to reflect on the stuff that we did good.

Especially given the...ahem...boat troubles I have...

So here are some good things I have done recently:

  • Started a weight training session, with a Personal Trainer, in a group (so it's less spenny). Seriously, all women should lift weights, and it is more important as one ages. It's important to do it properly and move in a functional manner. I can feel myself firming up. The arm-guns are a little way off though...
  • Eating good, healthy meals. Giving it attention. Enjoying cooking. It can be so tempting to have takeaway, or eat out. My fella is a bit of a fan of that. I am happily the wet blanket on that. I am happy to cook (more so since he does the washing up). I have mostly kept the alcohol out of the weekdays too - dry July helped in that sense.
  • Catching myself when I start getting down on myself. Looking at myself objectively, rather than through the "you are not good enough" lens.
  • I am slowly getting the hang of procrastinating less and getting a bit more organised. Check this article out. It's about the golden hour. I will try and have a to-do list ready on the Monday morning, going forward.
  • I am seriously thinking of using the money I earn from a lecture I give to buy a Thermomix. My friend has one, and she says it changed her life.


There are a couple of things - first is that these types of good things must be done consistently to have a benefit, and secondly, that the benefits will come gradually and I need to be patient.

Here are some dumb things I have done recently:

  • I ate wasabi peas before run training. Wasabi. Peas. Running. No.
  • I drank a red bull (sugarfree of course) at 4pm. At 12 midnight I reflected that this was not one of the brightest things I have done. 
In other, unrelated news, I baked a cake. It has a lot of butter in it. And a few bananas and walnuts. I got the recipe off SSG, her melt and mix banana cake.


















What positive changes have you made recently?
Do you own a thermomix?
What's the weather like where you reside?

7 comments:

  1. 1. I have been really good lately at shoving hurtful things out of my mind and refusing to think or get upset about them. I've also pruned my garden, booked self in for an eye test, booked the toddler into swimming lessons, done my tax, cleared out my filing cabinet and cleared my in tray at work. I am on FIRE!

    2.No, they aren't for me. I like the chopping and stirring!

    3.it is so so HOT!

    Love the blog x

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    Replies
    1. Say what you will about FF, she is indefatigable.

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    2. INDEFATIGABLE! Amazing, amazing word. Texting it to a friend as we speak.

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  2. Cilla!

    Glad the banana cake recipe worked.

    SSG xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the tip off. It tastes of butter and bananas. Very yommy.

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  3. Loved your last post too! Ta for your kind words but I suppose a blog will suffice for now! Sometimes I have to be careful not to really let rip...but thermomix apparently does change lives but I already have so much gadgetry I am worried it might end up like the rest of the other good ideas at the time...yes Melbourne weather but you also get bouts of sun. Think of poor us in London! And wasabi pease are weird I love them too but does nothing beneficial.

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  4. I'm tempted by the Thermomix, mainly for the jam and lemon curd creations I've seen by devotees. I've never desired to make jam OR lemon curd before, but I bet if I had a thermomix I'd wake up on sundays and think 'you know what would make Sunday more awesome? LEMON CURD' and, hey presto, it'd get done.

    I've made some really positive changes at work lately and it's going WELL. I have had so much great feedback as a result and I feel really valued. Tis nice.

    Weather was terrible for a few days here in Auckland. We even had what can only be described as a 'weather bomb' by forecasters. Now, sunny and lovely. Perhaps we swapped?

    ReplyDelete