The things you see...

I was enjoying a run at about 5pm tonight when I came across this unusual sight

Four large fish lined up across the track.

Who caught these fish?

Who lined them up and left them there?

No-one else was around, it was cold and getting dark and I did I double take then kept going.

How bizarre.

edited to add:
Consensus amongst the facebook experts is that the fish are carp. Carp is not a nice fish. They are in the same family as goldfish were introduced from Europe & Asia. By feeding on the bottom of our waterways they destroy the environment and push out the native fish.

It seems that you can eat the fish but they are not popular, except in Asia, and if you catch them you cannot throw them back but should dispose of them humanely.

Not sure if lining them up on the track is humane or a warning to other carp to beware. Some of the jokes about carp-eting the track were well received but I like Marianna's comment about candy the best.



Running...

Tonight I was running in the rain. It felt really good after a busy day at work to hit the pavement and the puddles. Surprisingly I was on my pat malone on the track. My Lorna Jane long sleeved top kept me warm and the tunes were propelling me along.

Only a few days left before the 5km along a different river...the Maribynong with the Vic Road Runners.
I'm thinking of doing the 10km in the Melbourne Marathon held in October, any one want to come with?

And I just heard that the Color Run might be coming to Australia, I'll definitely do that one if I can.

While it is cold...

I have been productive.  Being productive at home while it is cold and wet outside keeps my mind off the cost of heating the house. I am mindful of the bills these days so I'm keeping the thermostat low and not using the dryer etc, now that the carbon tax is here I'm trying to cut costs if I can.

We have been having so much rain it made me think back to the last few years of the drought where we despaired that it would never rain again. It still startles me to see water laying in the paddocks and roadways and overfull dams where previously there was only an indent in the landscape

winter warmers from Coles

But I did get some layouts completed and made a new recipe from the latest Coles Winter handout. I made the pull apart spicy beef & beans in the slow cooker,
and then made these little cherry puddings.



This is week 27 of the year and here are a few more layouts towards the 50 total

number 23

number 24

number 25

I have 2 more to photograph and I am still on track.

Scully's...

We went to visit a new cafe that opened this week in Beaconsfield.

Not close by but well worth the 80 minute drive from our place. This new establishment has been opened by Chris' sisters, Colette in front of house and Yvonne doing the cooking. They have worked tirelessly to renovate the existing space (which was an italian restaurant) beautifully. Colette has filled the white interior with quirky pieces from her homewares shop and it has a peaceful, fresh feel.

The food was lovely as well, we filled up on an omelette for Chris and I had a delicious chicken salad washed down with a glass of wine. After we had caught up with the family I had a yummy chocolate caramel tart and good coffee.

I'm kickin myself that I didn't take any photos of any of the food or the cafe while I was there, I was just enjoying the moment. I'd put the link in here but Colette has been having problems with the web page so hopefully she'll get it sorted quickly and they will do really well working together in partnership.

While we were there I popped next door to Colettes' first business venture, her lovely shop called Cebu fashion & home.

Full of trendy clothes and interesting pieces I managed to pick up 2 new things for my winter wardrobe ( that I wasn't going to add to, I know, I remember I said that but I couldn't resist a bargain).




As it was a surprise visit from us we were also surprised to find Colettes 2 daughters working in her shop while she waitressed next door. Our nieces are lovely girls and they squealed with delight when they saw us come in, it was a lovely reception.

Now that Scully's is up & running Colette has big plans for extensions out the back to make a summer courtyard and room for a family celebration of their mothers' 80th birthday in January. She sure is a power house of get up & go.

Erin's birthday...

Erin turns 15 today and becoming a young lady before our eyes.

We celebrated with cake and gifts and she tells me she had a good day.

I am particularly proud of this cake, we made it together yesterday and had fun building this rainbow masterpiece.

 Trying to get a smile out of Erin these days a bit harder than building the cake.

Wet holidays...

Erin's first day of her 3 week school holidays and I had to go into the city for a forum.

Not any old forum but the 10th anniversary celebration of Transfusion Nurses in Vic/Tas health services through the Blood Matters program.

I had agreed to make a poster of my own achievements and it was well received. I had a lot of help from the graphic designer in our marketing dept which sits within the IT department. I felt a bit silly on the train and walking the city streets carrying the large cardboard tube.

I did get to start another book on the train, and I have realised why I havent done much scrapping might be due to the fact this book is the 27th for the year. No wonder my recent eye test showed a slight deterioration in my vision. 'Address Book' is by Jane Clifton and is about the 34 houses she lived in during the first 60 years of her life, quite well written and I'm enjoying it thus far.

Also I had booked up on Foxtel the telemovie called 'Sisters of War' and watched it the other day. Such a good story which was based on true accounts of 2 women caught up in terrible circumstances in New Guinea during WW2. I was sobbing by the end and keep thinking about their stories. See it if you can but keep your hanky close by.

I am having the next 2 days off with Erin as she turns 15. Today while I was gone she died her hair black as she has been nagging to do and did a good job. No mess left behind and because she has so much thick hair and I only bought one pack, her hair looks black without the whole 'goth' effect. Tomorrow we will make a special cake to celebrate her birthday on Wednesday and then I have to go back to work.Hopefully we will get to do a few things on my regular days off.

If I was a school nurse I could have the same holidays with her.

Wintery...

maybe this cold weather is sapping my creativeness. Or my ability to write blog posts. Or maybe it is just that nothing very interesting is happening.

Work has been fairly busy and consistent. I am attending the 10th anniversary forum since the Transfusion Nurse role was created. I agreed to submit a poster outlining my achievements in the role since 2008. A few months ago that seemed like a harmless request and in my usual style I left it almost to the last minute to create it. Thankfully we have a graphic artist employed within the 'marketing' department and he has been extremely helpful with the creative ideas which have deserted me at the moment. The A0 size poster needs to be ready for next Monday and Rob assures me he will send it off to the printer...tomorrow.
I have also volunteered for a position on a working party with the Health Dept. When I got the agenda for tomorrows first meeting I was very daunted by the others in the group. I hope to be able to have some intelligent contribution but I am not confident. I think I will be in waaaay over my head.

50% of us felt the tremor last night, I was one of them. It was quite startling.

On a bright note I found an actual real-life scrapbooking shop in Ballarat. I was at a loose end on Monday and googled the Yellow Pages to see if a bricks & mortar store was nearby. Since our local shop closed its doors I have really missed browsing the aisles of an actual shop. The other shop that was not too far away (Werribee) has also closed and if Mornington was a bit closer I'd love to get lost in Paper 2 but that was 4 hours of driving I couldn't be bothered with. So I was surprised when I came across The Imagination Factory in the listings. I was a bit trepidatious as I travelled there wondering if the store would be any good and was thrilled when I got there and it was WONDERFUL!
The store was loaded with stock and I had a lovely browse and picked up the odd thing or twenty. As I said to Tracey while on line shopping is good there is nothing like picking up some new paper and seeing things up close. I'll still shop at Chandon in Geelong when I'm down that way but this new find sparked my enthusiasm. I'll share the goodies as I use them.

Look at that, I didn't think I had anything to say.

Queens birthday...

Today has been a public holiday for us. Nice to have a bonus sleep in but it always throws our routine off.  Instead of going to tennis and guitar lessons and school, Erin has been studying for exams that will happen over the next few days.

I have been recovering from another bout of mastitis and am booked for a mammogram on Friday to see what's going on. Haven't breast fed for a loooong time but I dont want the girls to let me down now.

I completed 3 more layouts but am not entirely happy with one so I am going to add a bit more before declaring it finished.

number 21



number 22

I have 4 to finish so am feeling on top of this challenge at the moment.

It has been very cold and wet lately so it was nice to sweep up the leaves in some sunshine today. We did not venture out on the bike today even though the sunshine was enticing, we heard on the news tonight a pillion died in a crash with a car nearby on a route we often take. Our thoughts go out to that family whilst remembering to be careful following our passions.

What to do...

when its raining cats and dogs, raining buckets, raining like we might need an ark.

Scrapping of course, between dashing in and out to the library, school, work for a short while and the shops. I managed 3 more layouts but it has been way too grey to capture them.

So I am caught up with one layout a week, with more ideas swirling around in my head. Hope to get  more done while I am in the mood.

Goodbye May...

First day of winter!

But we have already had scarf and coat weather. And needed our umbrellas. And had the heater running hot.

When the first day of winter is sunny and mild what does that mean for the rest of the season?