Spur Me On............

Well my sore foot has finally caught up with me. Turning 50 brings the odd health problem including joints and bone issues. My issue is with my heel. You see, the tissue that forms the arch of my foot is called the plantar fascia.It is a ligiment that connects the tissue that runs from your heel bone down to the ball of the foot. Apparently its job is to transmit weight across the foot when a person walks or runs. With time this tissue can become worn out which is what happened to me. Over the years for various reasons ranging from a broken leg to a weakened ankle and gout this tissue became inflamed and irritated. Of course, standing constantly each day doesn't help and between the two I developed a calcaneus spur, which is the formation of a hook on the end of the heel bone and because the tissue is worn out there is nothing there to pad the pointed bone from sticking into the muscle and skin. So with all of this in mind I don't feel so bad complaining that my foot does indeed hurt. I am currently trying ice packs when the pain is extremely severe, anti-inflamatories which I really would prefer not to have to take each day, and complete rest. I am hoping that the orthapedic surgeon will have some better ideas when I go to see him. I am told that it takes between 3 months and 12 months to get any sort of permanent relief. Just goes to prove how vital decent impact shoes are. Have a good day everyone.

Time for us......

Christmas time, my favourite time of year. It is time to write out my recipe menu for this season, what will we have for Christmas Day when J's family comes together? What will we have on Christmas Eve when the six of us share dinner together and toast the wonderful season of Christmas together. Some years ago when our Children were very little, we choose to have a bit of that old fashioned Christmas, of enjoying the true meaning of the festive season and of understanding what it’s like to wake up in a house filled with love on Christmas morning. Our immediate family Christmas’ have long ago stepped back to a pace where we look forward to Christmas together by giving what we could make and bake and share amidst the four of us; now the six of us. How lucky are we to have tow very special people join our family who share these same values. It certainly makes life less stressful when one is not consumed by the latest gismos, or worrying about spending more than we have. I can remember my grandmother telling me stories about sewing clothes and dolls for the children on Christmas Eve. Credit cards were not available then, people spent what they could afford and not what they were pressured into buying for their children. There was little media bombardment to buy, buy, buy! And Christmas Day was filled with the enjoyment of being together; not whether the house you visited had the latest x-box or Kinnect games. It gave us all a greater sense of community back then; a sense of family and fellowship I guess you could call it.
And so J and I have tried to instill in our next generation this same concept. I believe it has worked well for all of us. We must be the odd family out at Christmas and birthday times when we choose to spend little on material things and instead spend hours making and baking for each other. LA simpler life isn’t necessarily perfect in fact sometimes I think it can be quite hard but there are fewer demands on your spending ability, fewer avenues to take you down the wrong road. One simply needs to choose to move in this direction. Keeping up with the Joneses is left for those who feel that particular need and in place of all of this we have peace of mind. I once read a book by the Dalai Lama who wrote that “true happiness comes from a sense of peace and contentment, which in turn will be achieved through the cultivation of love and compassion and the elimination of materialism and greed.” How true is that.
So what did J and I find in our recipe hunt? Some wonderful Aussie recipes to enjoy during the summer. Garlic bacon and chilli potato salad, pumpkin and pinenut salad, Avacado and Mango salad, a gorgeous greek feta salad that made my mouth water and deserts galore. I have a recipe for rum balls that a lady once gave me. Her great grandmother made them and passed the recipe down through the generation. Oh wonderful to be able to plan ahead.
Have a great evening everyone

Summer has arrived.....

November has turned Spring into Summer here in Sydney. Last week I wondered when the cooler weather was eventually going to leave us and before I knew it the humidity of summer hit with a vengence. In the garden the flowers are still in bloom but beginning to look tired; their leaves are a flourishing gleen but appear wilted in the heat of the day. Yesterday here in Sydney the temperature reached a high of 30 degrees and brought with it some very high humidity indeed. Today will be the same again. It is damp and hot already, a wind blows that is warm, foretelling of a change to come later this evening. Flox and pansies are in bloom, along with dainty baby's breath. The garden is full of new life from the recent rains, making it look a heathy green, yet this extreme heat is taking it's toll on them. Right now, Miss K and I are thinking about takinga dip in the pool to cool off.
Yesterday I left Jervis Bay at 4:30am and decided to take the Grand Pacific Drive via Kiama to come home. One can often catch some magnivicent sunrises out over the Pacific Ocean whilst driving along here. On approach to Bolang, which is just past Bomaderry' an old country rail track crosses the road and continues throuh a group of factories. The train was moving slowly across the roadway and appeared to be moving slow enough through the factories so as the staff could fill the huge freight wagons and trucks with their cargo. I am still not sure exactly what that way. A number of carriages passed when the train came to a hult and a shunter which is a man who breaks apart and joins the carriages, stood and unhooked two of the wagons. The train continued to move and a break appreared for the traffic to drive through. It was not until I began to cross that I looked along to the remainder of the train yet to cross the road, and realized that there were several dozen carriages yet to be filled. Indeed, this train must be a kilometer long or possibly more. It was fascinating to watch. I hope that everyone stays cool today and has a relaxing Sunday.