Friends

Last night Scott and I went to the Hotel Warrnambool for a farewell drinks/dinner evening.  We were spoilt with a lovely turnout of some of our amazing workmates and friends!  I have been in Warrnambool for 13 years now, and working in the operating theatres for 10!  It is the hardest thing right now, to see the friends I work with and know that very soon, they will no longer be around my daily life.  That's not to say I won't hear from them or visit, but, it's not going to be the same, and I will miss them all terribly.  It has been an honour and a privilege to be a part of such a dynamic, passionate and professional team, and who I am lucky enough to call my dear friends. SES friends, hard working farm staff, Surgeons, Anaesthetists, office staff, orderlies, CSSD, cleaners, and nurses all!!  Everyone has a special place in my heart and have profoundly effected my very happy life.........

Keep in touch dear people......

On a happier note! Here's my 'Jumbleberry' jam! Seriously delish!!

The Final Countdown

Thanks to my friend Barry for providing me with many giggles and cringes this morning at work!  he posted on facebook, 4 videos including the original version of 'The Final Countdown' by Europe!

The funniest was the 'Kazookeylele - Ukulele' version of the final countdown, and the cringeworthy one was the 'worst cover ever' of the final countdown!  The orchestral & cello version was rather good though!  I recommend looking them up on YouTube, particularly if you are an 80's era child like me and remember the band Europe!!  Priceless!!

So, it really is the final countdown for Scott and I!  I have 4 more shifts left at work before I go on 4 months of long service leave!  One and a half weeks before the big trucks come to take us away! Lots still to do and many friends to catch up with in the little time left!

The house is a minefield of boxes, and each day I pack a little thing or two more that I think we can live without for a couple of weeks.

Last night Scott and I loaded the chook cage and a big load of garage/shed contents.  Today he dropped them off at Shepherd's way and went to a Bull sale!  One big item moved!  That chook cage is really heavy!

Last Sunday I went to watch a couple of the Whale Boat races on the Hopkins river.  It was a really hot day but a beautiful fresh breeze under the marquee, cheering on our SES boat (Including Bernie Northeast) and Matt Northeast who was rowing for his Rotary team!  Both boats did really well! Here's Edward enjoying the day!

the SES crew in front of the Proudfoots Boathouse

Some of the fruit from my garden is ripening as we speak, such as these beautiful pears!  The pear tree was heavily pruned last year, and I did not hope to get fruit, but a little handful have popped up!  Hopefully we'll get to eat them before we leave!  The crabapple in the front yard will not be ripe, so I may come back and pick them. They make fabulous jelly to go with cheese & biscuits!  The Ballerina apple tree in the back yard is laden, so that will be another job for this weekend.  Might have another go at apple sauce! Mmmmm!

Scott and I had our last day at SES when we attended the first meeting of the year in February.  We are tremendously sorry to have to leave a great team and years of amazing experiences behind us in Warrnambool.  We will drop in whenever we are in Warrnambool on a Tuesday training night!  Thank you to all who wished us well, it was an honour to serve with you all!  Best wishes to Giorgio who is taking over from Scott as our new Controller!

Charlie seems unfazed so far with all the preparations. He is enjoying the supreme pleasure of so many fun boxes about!!

Little does he know that he is about to embark on a three hour car journey (horror!) and totally new territory to conquer with local snakes into the bargain!

Passing the packet cake mix section (I know....shudder!) my eye couldn't go past these Salted Caramel Macarons by Adriano Zumbo!  So, naturally, I gave in to my stomach and I had a go at making these last week.  They were DELISH!!!!!  Next week, passionfruit macaroons!! Drool!

It's a good thing that I'm off work for a while, as my amazing MBT shoes are dying! You can put your hand right through the sole where the spongy rubber used to be and the back strap is wearing out and has to be tapped up with 'sleek' tape to stop it scraping my heels!  They have served me so well for probably over 5 years at least! Like hopping into slippers each day at work! My legs have never been tired after a longgggggg day in theatre!  Fabulous shoes!!

To try to ease the packing of food a little, I am trying to only prepare meals that use up as many freezer/pantry items as possible, and tonight I made 'Jumbleberry Jam'!!  Using 1kg raspberries, 300g of cranberries and 500g of blueberries!  Absolutely to die for!!! There is something so satisfying about making and eating homemade jam!!!

off to bed now to gather my energy so I can continue with the packing another day!!

February

Time is ticking away now!  What seemed ages away is now upon us and the serious packing begins!

In between packing I have been working and plodding around trying to make some sense of organisation to the packing, but I am intrinsically, an unorganised person, taking tangents everytime I embark on one job.  Started today in the living room packing vases and sideboard items, then ran out of packing paper, so switched to the kitchen, got some un-essential items packed and washed up others, which then led me to strip the bed (cat vomited on it last night), and headed off to the laundrette to wash the duvet, loads of washing at home and a pause for a chocolate paddle pop and some computer time.

Catching up with my favourite blogs, my friend and constant inspiration Luciandjoe, Ali Edwards, and a new one twoandsix.  Just wish I could knit! 

I have also done my One Little Word page for February.  A 'vision' board!  Loads of fun! Took me back to high school, but usually had a pop star involved!

It was our 11th wedding anniversary on Saturday (02/02/02)!  Scott requested delicious red velvet cupcakes for the day and we went out to dinner.  Happy Anniversary Honey! XXX

Meanwhile, more work continues on the house.  Scott has ripped up and re-set the front path and is just trimming the corner brick pieces to finish it.

Shirley brought me a large bag of home grown tomatoes and so I made my favourite relish!  Delish!  Had a lovely (but brief!) visit from Angus and Josie and Angus happily helped me dispose of a jar for his larder.

And on with the packing...........