Around here - November 2025

Well it's been officially 3 months since I downsized and moved into my townhouse and honestly it feels like I've only been here for a month.  I think mainly because my couch and dining table and chairs only arrived a couple of weeks ago so downstairs feels more like a lounge/dining room now.  The room itself is only 4.9mt x 4.2mt so had to fit in a TV unit, couch, dining table and a walk way to the outside area.

I still have stuff on the floor and slowing trying to work out where to put things.  Downsizing is quite difficult to be honest in terms of you are not packing up your things and moving to a new house and putting those things exactly where they were.  After selling my big furniture like my TV cabinet which had heaps of storage creates the problem of where does that stuff go now you don't own it ie like books and photo albums etc. had somewhere to live now they don't.

On the whole I'm thrilled with my new place and each day I get a couple of things ticked off the list.  Yesterday I hung a picture up and also put little felt furniture pads under my 8 new dining chairs so they don't make a noise when moving them and/or scratch the floor.  I ended up getting these from Bunnings because the actual legs have small feet so to speak and are not square so I had to get the small size.  With 8 chairs and 4 legs a chair I need 32 pieces.  It took me about 10 minutes to put them on and now there is no noise when pulling out the chair and my floors won't get scratched.  The table looks a little bit orange in the photo but it's more blonde, it's just the lighting at that time of the day.  Beautiful Australian hardwood timber so special to have such lovely pieces of furniture.  I love the detail at the top of the legs, such a beautiful piece.  I've got a large mirror to go above the console however I need to get an electrician to move the light switch over first and I also need a powerpoint in the garage for the garage fridge which is currently running off an extension lead.

Last weekend I did 3 trips to the dump and 2 trips to Bunnings as I had huge boxes from the furniture delivery and whilst I have kept quite a bit of cardboard to go into the veggie boxes I couldn't move in my small backyard from all the large boxes.  I had 4 big ones from the chairs, a huge 2 mt table top box, a console box.  I also finally got my pizza oven out of it's original box after moving so I had that box and I bought a new BBQ which came with 2 large boxes.  My recyle bin was full and it was the only way to get some order back into the outside area as it's so small and with the rain we had and Teddy trying to walk around it was impossible.

My next outside project is to dig out 5 plants and move them to the other side of the garden so my veggie boxes can go in the one area.  The boxes are 2mt x half a mt and I have 2 of them and I'm so excited to get this underway.  This week I joined The Diggers Club Annual Membership and have ordered heritage seeds for my veggie garden and this really does bring me joy thinking about what veggies to grow and get all my herbs underway.

Last weekend I potted my dwarf lemon tree, dwarf lime tree and a grafted small avocado tree [type A].  New to me was type A does not need a mate to pollinate but type B needs A+B.  It says it can be in a pot which is what I have done for the time being however I might end up planting it in the garden at the back.  Apparently it can take 3-4 years to get avocados however it will be an interesting experiement.  I also bought some what I like to call Christmas Tree flowers which I always plant at this time of the year as they are so pretty.  They come in red, yellow and orange but this time I just got the punnet of red ones.

I was originally going to get a new BBQ when I moved house as my other one was 14 years old and looking a bit worse for wear.  I had picked one out from Bunnings that I wanted and it also had a wok burner on the side.  Once I moved here and realized the brick wall at the end of the alfresco wasn't as long as I thought I decided not to buy it.  The BBQ was cleaned before I moved however with the dust from the construction site next door I gave it a good clean and then looking at the BBQ plate realized it was a bit rusty and not looking great so I thought I would just outlay the money for a new plate.

Since it's 14 years old Everdue have changed the shape of their BBQ's and you can't get one to fit so I sold that on marketplace with the extra spare grill plate [I never used that as I needed a flat plate on one side and the grill on the other side] and bought myself a new BBQ.  Came home and put the stand together with my sister and as we ran out of light finished it off the next morning.  The good thing is it has 4 wheels [last one had 2 which went straight so it was difficult to move to clean etc] and this one it's so easy to move.  I think when having BBQ's I'll pop the clothesline down and put it over there so it's out of the under cover area and more room for guests.  I'm very keen to have a BBQ so I just need to season the plates first.  This is my new BBQ which I also bought a baking tray that sits inside the BBQ for roasts etc. 

Until next time, I would say I am content here and each day trying to get more organized.  Upstairs has not been touched since the day I moved in and I have boxes in the study area and also my bedroom however downstairs is the priority and to be honest I've got all the time in the world.  I will be hosting Christmas as usual so want to make sure downstairs has no extra items laying around so people can get around.  

Around here - 25th September, 2025

I'm back from my amazing holiday in Italy which honestly felt so surreal when I was there [a word that gets thrown around a lot] however we were pinching ourselves swimming in the ocean with the Italian scenery all around like we were on the set of a movie or something.  There were 7 ladies plus the host and our photographer so 9 of us altogether staying in a renovated monastery and we were the first guests in over 200 years.  The monastery has taken 6 years to renovate to this stage and it's not finished yet however we were the first guests and had the whole place to ourselves which was very special.

Italy is a long long away and it takes forever to get there with flight times and in between.  I left Brisbane at 2.00 am in the morning having to arrive at the airport at 10.00 pm and the first leg to Dubai was 14 hours which after 7.5 I thought we had 1 hour to go and I asked the hostess how long to go and she said 6.5 hours to which I thought OMG how am I going to sit in this position for another 6.5 hours.  We were actually very lucky because the plane was half full so the middle section of 4 seats where I was seated, I was on the right isle and there were 2 spare seats and then another passenger was on the left isle side.

Once I got off the plane in Dubai I just followed the crowd including catching the internal airport train to the correct terminal to head off to Rome and I had about 5 hours or so until I boarded the next plane.  The flight to Rome was about 6.5 hours and then went through customs and I got in the wrong passport queue so was in a queue for about 45 mins [following the crowd] when in fact I could have gone to the other self service line for the Aussies.  I had been travelling for over 30 hours by this stage and given I haven't been out of the country for 23 year this was all new to me and could have saved me standing in that queue.  When I got to the top of the queue the lady pointed to the right to the self service passport machines and I said I'm here now can they just stamp it for me which they did.

I then collected my luggage and got pulled up about 4 metres from the front of the airport - show me your passport, how long are you here for, how much money do you have.  After a couple of minutes I left the airport terminal and waited in the taxi queue to go to my hotel.   As the hotel was in the inner city the taxi is a set fee of 55 Euro [$98 AUD].  I finally arrived and checked into my hotel and I think it was around 9.45 pm Rome time.

I had a sleep in and went upstairs to the breakfast room which was lovely and had a meal and then headed out to the Spanish Steps which was half a km from my hotel.  This was the only thing I had planned and knew it was near my hotel so I did that first.  Here's a few photos to start with.

  

Around here - September 2025

The last 3 months have been a huge effort getting my house ready to sell and getting rid of all my furniture as it was going be too big for my new townhouse.  There were many stressful days of making sure everything was gone in time.  Downsizing is a huge task as it's not just as easy as pack everything up in your house and move to your new place as most of it won't fit.  I sold a lot on FBMP and gave a lot away for free, also charity and many trips to the local tip as well.  I still have way too much stuff in my now single car garage and not much has been unpacked even though I moved 3.5 weeks ago due to being in bed with the flu for 2 weeks.  I don't think I have been that sick ever.  I got a fever for 24 hrs then no energy and a cough and literally just lay in bed day in and day out so the place looks like I just moved in with boxes everywhere.

However today is the most exciting day as I'm off to Italy on a holiday which still seems so surreal a word that gets thrown around a lot.  Raising my kids on my own we didn't get to go on holidays because I valued being a stay at home Mum and being around for my kids so holidays were not in the budget.  Now both kids are living their best lives, I've downsized and I get to do something really special for myself.  I'm flying out tonight at 2am to Rome, Italy and meeting my son for 3 days as he has been travelling abroad for the past 2.5 months.  Then on the Sunday I'll be flying down to Brindisi and getting picked up at the airport for a 7 day "slow retreat" with 8 other ladies.  The 2nd day of the retreat it will be my birthday so how wonderful is it to be spending it in Italy.  

It's called a "slow retreat" for a reason and we are doing one activity a day like learning how to make pasta, going to an olive oil farm, cooking class, visiting a ceramics factory that exports the most Italian ceramics around the world.  You can bet your life I will be buying some Italian cermamics to adorn my table when I return.  The whole thing doesn't seem real and of course I had to get a new passport as the last time I left the country was in 2002 so it was expired.  I did have a mild, well serious panic attack when I unpacked a box where I thought my passport was and I couldn't find it a few days out from my trip.  Luckily it was in the box but it was behind something else but for 24 hrs I was panacking thinking I would have to get an urgent passport redone not to mention where on earth all my documents like birth certificates etc are in which box in my bedroom.  Thank goodness I found it and all was well again.

When I get back from my trip I will have to get stuck into unpacking boxes as my new couch and dining table should be ready a couple of weeks on my return and my lounge room will have to be clear of boxes.  Looking forward to having a nice new leather couch and beautiful timber dining table and chairs.

Here's a few photos from the last few weeks and until then....stay tuned for some Italy spam when I get back.

Two lovely kookaburra's visited me when I moved in which was go great.

My flowering petunias which I brought from my old house are thriving.

This a fabulous book and I would have loved this 10 years ago when I was cooking for my kids however I read it from cover to cover and loved everything in it from reading labels, meal prepping, how to pick the best fruit and veg etc.  I was so excited when I got notification that the book was coming and as I was in bed sick ande I thought it would be a good distraction until I realized they had shipped it to my old address as it was a pre-order from 3 months ago....my neighbour went and grabbed the book and then my daughter collected it on her way over but I so wanted it the day it was delivered.

After being so sick and not really eating much I craved

meat, salad and veggies so I had this 3 nights in a row.

Teddy getting used to his new surroundings.

A few days after I moved in, we went to see a Fleetwood Mac tribute band from Melbourne called "Fleetwood Max" at our local RSL.  We saw them 18 months ago when they were here and when we heard they were coming back to Qld we booked to see them again and had a great night out.

Around here June 2025 edition

I do miss the days of blogging and taking lots of photos of my kids [aka young adults now] on my good camera however today I've just got some good old iPhone pics for you.

My big news is I'm downsizing from my big house to a townhouse about 15 minutes away from here.  It's a brand new build which will be ready in 2 months time so I'm selling my house.  We have been here for 14 years and it's been an amazing home with the best neighbours.  Let me tell you when you currently have a double car garage and look at the actual size of a single car garage the true sense of "downsizing" comes into play.  For the next 4 weeks I'll be focusing on decluttering and reducing the stuff I have in my garage which by the way I did in February this year however now I need to get very serious.

I'm actually very excited about this new chapter as the kids are off with their own lives so it's time to reset and build a new life for myself.  Most of my furniture will be sold as it won't fit in the townhouse and it was all purchased new 19 years ago when we built our family home.  I'm going for a different decor at this house with natural timbers, linen etc. to make it cosy and warm.  It's exciting going shopping for new furniture and I've already preliminary picked what I'm after.  I'll have an appointment with the Stylist from Freedom Furniture where you pay $150 for the appointment and she measures everything up and offers advice for the look you are trying to achieve and the $150 is deducted from your furniture purchase so basically it's free if you buy furniture from them.  It's so important to measure entrance ways, doorways to make sure the couch you want to buy will actually be able to get into the room you want it in.  I'll be going for another leather couch again as they are so comfortable and long lasting.

Let me tell you getting your house ready to sell is a marathon as we [my sister and I and also a friend] have washed every wall, skirting, window, screen in this place so it's spotless.  Decluttering to get rid of stuff you have around the house so that the place looks amazing.  I even redid my outdoor table by staining it with 2 coats of stain and a stain varnish top coat and honestly that transformation was so simple yet the table looks great.

Both kids are going overseas at the end of June, early July to separate countries and they are both living the dream travelling and experiencing life which I'm so proud of.

Here's some pics of the last few months:-

Home grown basil from the garden.

Home made pesto.

Lounge room with a new $79 rug from Bunnings to make it more cosy.

This is my table after I stained it again - looks so good now.

End of an era with the height chart on the kitchen wall.

I took a photo with the kids next to it and then it got washed this off.

Beautiful sunset the other night over our house.

Sunset reflection on the side of our house.

Flowers in pots out the back with my morning coffee and slippers.

Ricky is having a holiday at my sisters while I have open house.

Hello from Teddy.

He loves being nursed and putting his head over

my shoulder but wanted to know what I was doing.

This is $5.99 from Pet Barn and the little treats

I have in my bag when I go to the dog park.

This is always at the end of the morning playdate at the park.  The 3 on the right are Nandi [chocolate brown], Teddy [Poodle] and my Teddy [Cavoodle] and Osha who is not normally there in the morning.

Every morning after the play in the dog park they know to come and sit in front of me for 3 treats each.  They are tiny little treats and they get one each then I go back and give them a 2nd and then a 3rd then we all go home....it's so funny as they know this little ritual.  I'll miss the company of their owners as we catch up every morning.

Around here - March 2025

Last week in South East Queensland we prepared for Cyclone Alfred with Brisbane and Northern NSW shutting up shop for a couple of days with schools closed, ferry and bus services cancelled and everyone bunkering down just like the old days of 5 years ago due to Covid.

The Gold Coast copped a huge amount of rain and wind as did Northern NSW and Bribie and Redcliffe.  Lots of areas of Brisbane flooded with power out for days and trees down however we were very lucky that by the time it got to us it was downgraded to Ex Tropical Cyclone.  Queensland is known for Cyclones however up North.  It had been 50 years since a Cyclone was in Brisbane so this was going to be quite the event.

I did ended up packing some precious photo albums, hard disk drives and camera gear into some plastic crates just in case.  I wasn't worried about flooding where I am however I was more worried about the 100-150km expected winds and with some tall gum trees behind my house if they fell on the roof then that would be the end and water would mostly definitely come inside.  Thankfully it was very mild at my place and Sunday night was the only concerning rain event however we were all good.  Parts of my suburb ended up with no power for a few days however we didn't loose power which was great.  Apart from the inconvenience of no power you loose everything in your fridge and freezer as well and with the cost of groceries that is never good.

I did do a big cook up on the Friday of some chickens in the slow cooker, happy pantry slice, focaccia and banana bread just in case we lost power.  It all felt very much like Covid with the shops out of most things, toilet paper, milk, bread, eggs, canned veggies, meats etc. the shelves were bare and are only just restocking shelves now a week later.  Here's a few pics.

Banana Bread

I premade some coffee shots and put them in the freezer in case the power went out and the largest ice cube tray happened to be this Christmas Tree one.  Add milk and you have yourself an ice coffee.

Ice Coffee

Homemade fresh ham and salad sandwich

Teddy on the couch

I loved this pic that was posted - honestly if you were in flood waters this would be totally necessary.

We all know about the cost of living with everything going up, petrol, groceries, electricity, insurances [even more so now with another natural disaster event].  I use Microsoft Windows and the annual fee went from $109 to $159 AUD which is insane.  Lightroom Software which I use for editing my photos is going up from $14 to $25 AUD.  I find that everything we do now has to be a subscription so there's annual or monthly fees.  Just to have your email storage there's a fee, a fee to keep your iCloud so your phone is backed up.  It's actually quite hard to reduce costs in 2025.

As for groceries I spent $99.55 today at Coles and apart from the $18 worth of organic chicken I didn't really buy anything as I had to stock up on some spices etc.  I ended up with 2 lots of toilet paper as they were on sale from $13.60 to $11.00 so I saved $5.20 by purchasing 2 lots.  I bought 2 lots of milk as it's the first time in 2 weeks I have been able to buy it from the supermarket as it was in stock.  Take a look at my trolley there is nothing in it and this is $100.  You can see why the cost of living is an issue if this is $100 worth of groceries with only 1kg of chicken.

Hope you have a great week, I'm needing to mow the lawn, weed the veggie patch and get some veggies in the ground.  I've ordered some garlic which should come in the next week and the variety is Glen Large which is good for our Sub Tropical Climate so we will see.  Rhonda from Down To Earth grows this one so I'll give it a whirl.  I've tried to grow garlic twice before with not that much success.