This is why:
It is well known that you can not disturb a cat when he looks this comfy and cosy! As soon as I get my workspace back writing will recommence.
Currently In ... May
I thought I would just sneak this in here while I'm preparing the next installment of China Adventures!
Reading: I'm still reading Beowulf, I took an enforced break from it while someone else had the copy requested and checked out. It's such a chore though, but I'm determined to get through it! I'm also reading Better than Before by Gretchen Rubin but I'm feeling the need for some light, fluffy, fiction - any recommendations?
Watching: Just finished Jessica Jones season 2 then I caught the first 2 episodes of Cobra Kai and I'm on the second season of The Expanse.
Feeling: Brain Drain!
Thinking: I'm doing really well with my focus on weight loss, running and health in general.
Anticipating: My choirs concert at the end of the month. It'll be bitter sweet though because the choir leader is moving away so it will be the last time singing with these wonderful people.
Listening to: Headspace and meditating about 4 times a week.
Planning: All the running plans, schedules and workouts in preparation for the half marathon at the end of October.
Working: I'm stripping wall paper in the little room that will be our gym area.
Wanting: A large bock of time where I can do nothing but read easy fiction and play video games.
Needing: A running backpack. I used to have a camelbak, but I seem to have lost it :( I've been researching running backpacks but I'm stuck on trying to make the right choice. Any recommendations?
Grateful: So grateful for my beautiful life. Just the other day, after Kane and I had arrived home for the day and as I was turning the key to my house, I was swallowed up by the beautiful feeling of luck and gratitude for all that I have.
Wishing: I was back on holiday in China!
Reading: I'm still reading Beowulf, I took an enforced break from it while someone else had the copy requested and checked out. It's such a chore though, but I'm determined to get through it! I'm also reading Better than Before by Gretchen Rubin but I'm feeling the need for some light, fluffy, fiction - any recommendations?
Watching: Just finished Jessica Jones season 2 then I caught the first 2 episodes of Cobra Kai and I'm on the second season of The Expanse.
Feeling: Brain Drain!
Thinking: I'm doing really well with my focus on weight loss, running and health in general.
Anticipating: My choirs concert at the end of the month. It'll be bitter sweet though because the choir leader is moving away so it will be the last time singing with these wonderful people.
Listening to: Headspace and meditating about 4 times a week.
Planning: All the running plans, schedules and workouts in preparation for the half marathon at the end of October.
Working: I'm stripping wall paper in the little room that will be our gym area.
Wanting: A large bock of time where I can do nothing but read easy fiction and play video games.
Needing: A running backpack. I used to have a camelbak, but I seem to have lost it :( I've been researching running backpacks but I'm stuck on trying to make the right choice. Any recommendations?
Grateful: So grateful for my beautiful life. Just the other day, after Kane and I had arrived home for the day and as I was turning the key to my house, I was swallowed up by the beautiful feeling of luck and gratitude for all that I have.
Wishing: I was back on holiday in China!
China Anniversary Trip: Day 1
We flew from Auckland, NZ to Sydney, Australia and then had a long wait at the airport for our flight to Beijing, China but we kept ourselves entertained. I didn't quite realise how long the flight to China would be, anything less than the 30 hour journeys to visit family in Scotland seems short! I also didn't realise just how big Australia is, it took hours to fly over it.
We arrived at Beijing airport quite late at night and the trains stop running about 11pm but we had planned to get a taxi anyway. Happily the signs were in English as well as Chinese so we followed the directions to get the official taxi ranks. We had the name of the hotel written down in Chinese so we could show the driver and we were able to just relax and enjoy our midnight ride into Beijing CBD.
Our hotel was amazing and modernly fancy with big LCD screens in lobby. This was definitely a very special vacation.
The next day, feeling refreshed and ready to start our adventure, we decided to take a walk around and get to know our surroundings a bit better.
Our hotel is part of the World Trade Centre, with a fancy shopping mall underneath and lots of nice restaurants and eateries. And right outside is the CCTV building.
We came across a figure skating competition happening in the ice rink that was in the mall. The kids were so cute and Kane and I were reminded of our own ice skating lessons.
People (family members, I presume) would through teddy bears and other stuffed toys onto the ice as the skater took their bows.
We found a grocery store and picked up some breakfast and light meal supplies then after dropping them off in our room we went to the Temple of the Sun Park.
The road along to the Temple of the Sun houses lots and lots of embassies and Kane and I had fun identifying all the flags.
Turns out you're not supposed to take pictures.
Being here made me so happy; listening to the sounds of music and watching people having fun.
After wandering around fully soaking up the sights and sounds we headed back to our hotel and the pub to have a nice beer and get ready for our first tour the following day.
We arrived at Beijing airport quite late at night and the trains stop running about 11pm but we had planned to get a taxi anyway. Happily the signs were in English as well as Chinese so we followed the directions to get the official taxi ranks. We had the name of the hotel written down in Chinese so we could show the driver and we were able to just relax and enjoy our midnight ride into Beijing CBD.
The next day, feeling refreshed and ready to start our adventure, we decided to take a walk around and get to know our surroundings a bit better.
Our hotel is part of the World Trade Centre, with a fancy shopping mall underneath and lots of nice restaurants and eateries. And right outside is the CCTV building.
We found a grocery store and picked up some breakfast and light meal supplies then after dropping them off in our room we went to the Temple of the Sun Park.
The road along to the Temple of the Sun houses lots and lots of embassies and Kane and I had fun identifying all the flags.
I found out that this bird is a type of magpie and I just loved its colours.
The park was full of different activities, from these ladies dancing, to people singing to playing mahjong, cards, chess, table tennis to using the exercise equipment and climbing wall.
20th Wedding Anniversary
It was our 20th wedding anniversary on the 4th of April and we wanted to mark the occasion in a special way. I looked up what the traditional gift for this anniversary is and it turns out it is china. I'm pretty happy with my crockery, however it's been a long time dream of mine to visit the Great Wall of China and for the whole time I've known Kane he has always had a love of Chinese historical culture, martial arts and of course food! It was the perfect gift to give ourselves!
We were there for 11 days, and we had the best holiday. I still can't believe how great it was and I'm grateful to have those wonderful memories.
Be prepared for an onslaught of photos in the next post!
February: Meals, Miles, Books and Looks
Meals:
I had some really nice meals this month and I wish I had taken a photo of Kane's most excellent vegetarian fish spaghetti and his new creation vege chow mein. Oh well I suppose he'll just to make them again so I can photograph :D |
| //February Meals// |
1. Waffles: I love making making waffles in the waffle iron I got for Christmas!
2. Greek Salad: We've had lots of hot and humid days where salad has been the order of the day.
3. Minestrone Soup: This is a great dinner for getting more fluids in.
4. Grilled Veg Ciabatta and Salad: One of my favourite meals this summer.
Kane and I set up a processing line and made a very large batch of vegetarian ham and mustard sandwiches to freeze and have for lunches. This has saved us so much time!
 |
| //Vegetarian Ham and Mustard Sandwiches Batch for Freezer// |
I thought I'd jump on the coconut band wagon haha!
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| //Coconut Rum// |
Miles: 7.9km
Running has been a bit pathetic for me this month and I only totalled 7.9km. I really must try harder in March! |
| //Sunset// |
Books:
I finished 2 books this month. The first was Horrstor by Grady Hendrix. This was my first horror novel and it was actually quite fun and not as scary as I was expecting. I'm probably not going to be converted to a fan but I but wouldn't be against reading something like this again. |
| //Feb Reads// |
A Killer Crop by Sheila Connolly is part of a series that I'm reading and it was nice to check back in with characters. It is set during the late summer early autumn and has really put me in the mood for the changing of the leaves and low sunny evenings. This book was only available from the library in large print so I felt like a very old lady reading it haha.
 |
| //Azzy and the large print// |
Looks:
I bought a new Lapis Lazuli necklace from Etsy because it matched the logo on my business card. I'm an IT contractor and I named my business Lazuli IT after my cat Lazuli. Lazuli is Azzys uncle. |
| //Lapis Lazuli Necklace// |
 |
| //Who wore it best// |
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| //Gilmore Girls DVDs// |
Happy March! What was the best meals and books for you in February?
TGIF!
Yay, it's Friday! And it's sunny so I'm going to the beach this evening - life is good :)
The high of my week was having a fun time back at Choir and then catching the end of the Leafs v Red Wings game.
The low of my week was having a really low day where I was feeling totally overwhelmed. I had to take medication and it totally spaced me out - but I did get a fantastic night sleep!
A book I'm reading is The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom. Several bloggers I follow have given this book good reviews. I've finished the first chapter and I'm hooked.
For my workouts, I completed nothing. It's probably no coincidence that my low mood came along after not working out for a few days. Its time to revamp my routines.
The best money I spent was on Sushi. Kane and I had a very pleasant lunch date.
My plans this weekend include going to the farmers market (which I haven't been to in ages), going to the cinema to see Black Panther, and doing some work around the house and garden.
Currently In ... February
Reading: I'm reading 2 books at the moment. Beowulf is slow going as I'm reading it in short busts at lunch times. The language requires a lot of concentration, but it's something I've been wanting to read for a while. A Killer Crop by Sheila Connolly is a cosy mystery in a series that I enjoy. The light fiction is a perfect read after some translated Old English epic poetry! I'm particularly enjoying this one as it is set during apple harvest season and I love reading about the autumnal colours.
Watching: Like the rest of the world, I'm watching the Olympics. I'm also catching up on Elementary. I previously watched up to season 3 and have binge watched half of season 4 so far. I'm clearly in the mood for cosy mysteries! I recently bought the complete series of Gilmore Girls second hand, so that will be due a rewatch sometime soon.
Feeling: Definitely feeling the benefits of regular stretching. I've added in clams, calf raises and squats to my Stretch and Strength Mondays and so far I'm running pain free - yippee!
Thinking: Maybe I should have a go at writing a cosy mystery?
Anticipating: I'm so excited for our anniversary holiday to China. We picked up our visas earlier this week *squee*
Listening to: In the car, it's learn Mandarin in 40 minutes - Its a lie, it's taking way longer than 40 minutes. At home, I've been listening to a lot of Moby on Spotify recently.
Planning: I'm now planning my next knitting project. I've finished with the bandana cowl and I'm ready to start something new, I just don't know what yet - time to visit Ravelry and indulge in photos of gorgeous creations.
Working: I am Decluttering all the things! I have got rid of so much stuff it's unreal. We used to live in such a small place that we had to be ruthless and discerning about what we keep, but since moving to a house it has become a magnet for clutter.
Wanting: I'd like to do something fun outside of the house this weekend but I don't know what yet.
Needing: I need to reboot my morning and night-time routines. I've gotten a bit lazy of late and I think I need to institute a tech free hour right after I wake and before I go to sleep.
Grateful: So grateful for my beautiful life. Just the other day, after Kane and I had arrived home for the day and as I was turning the key to my house, I was swallowed up by the beautiful feeling of luck and gratitude for all that I have.
Wishing: Really wishing my cats would stop bringing bugs into the house. They don't kill the bugs, they just bring them in to play with them and then Kane and I have to keep the cats out of the way while escorting the bug back outside. Cicadas and Mantid are current favourites.
 |
| // Azzy Cat on my book // |
Watching: Like the rest of the world, I'm watching the Olympics. I'm also catching up on Elementary. I previously watched up to season 3 and have binge watched half of season 4 so far. I'm clearly in the mood for cosy mysteries! I recently bought the complete series of Gilmore Girls second hand, so that will be due a rewatch sometime soon.
Feeling: Definitely feeling the benefits of regular stretching. I've added in clams, calf raises and squats to my Stretch and Strength Mondays and so far I'm running pain free - yippee!
Thinking: Maybe I should have a go at writing a cosy mystery?
 |
| //Murder, She Wrote // |
Anticipating: I'm so excited for our anniversary holiday to China. We picked up our visas earlier this week *squee*
Listening to: In the car, it's learn Mandarin in 40 minutes - Its a lie, it's taking way longer than 40 minutes. At home, I've been listening to a lot of Moby on Spotify recently.
Planning: I'm now planning my next knitting project. I've finished with the bandana cowl and I'm ready to start something new, I just don't know what yet - time to visit Ravelry and indulge in photos of gorgeous creations.
 |
| // Knitting // |
Working: I am Decluttering all the things! I have got rid of so much stuff it's unreal. We used to live in such a small place that we had to be ruthless and discerning about what we keep, but since moving to a house it has become a magnet for clutter.
Wanting: I'd like to do something fun outside of the house this weekend but I don't know what yet.
Needing: I need to reboot my morning and night-time routines. I've gotten a bit lazy of late and I think I need to institute a tech free hour right after I wake and before I go to sleep.
Grateful: So grateful for my beautiful life. Just the other day, after Kane and I had arrived home for the day and as I was turning the key to my house, I was swallowed up by the beautiful feeling of luck and gratitude for all that I have.
Wishing: Really wishing my cats would stop bringing bugs into the house. They don't kill the bugs, they just bring them in to play with them and then Kane and I have to keep the cats out of the way while escorting the bug back outside. Cicadas and Mantid are current favourites.
 |
| // Mantis // |
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