Motivated Monday

The daily PWYC thread, where we gather to keep in touch, keep accountable and keep motivating each other.
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Nancy
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Re: Motivated Monday

Postby Nancy » Mon Jan 15, 2018 5:13 pm

I did my paper sorting then went on my walk w ddog. :idea: Tossed the trash I like doing paper sorting the day before trash pick up.

Dishes are going now.
Hens are on their free range time.

Watching a guy paint racoons thinking I ca try one on a rock. The new ones should be dry. Left an owl rock I painted for kidN to find!
Last edited by Nancy on Mon Jan 15, 2018 5:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

blessedw2
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Re: Motivated Monday

Postby blessedw2 » Mon Jan 15, 2018 5:14 pm

d cathy - wonderful - you made bread, had a lovely lunch with your dh, worked on the house and then having fun with new groups. Happy for you!

d nancy great job on the paper shuffle too!
it is always a joy to be here with you!

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Re: Motivated Monday

Postby blessedw2 » Mon Jan 15, 2018 5:23 pm

I feel like noshing but won't - I know what I have to do but I am hitting that 3:00 bog down - remember do only one thing at a time and I don't have to do everything. choose one door only!

I need to add a charge - groceries to my list of spending for January that I have to pay off February 1. Groceries put away. Beets are out for tonight.

I know what I had planned:
go through the box of bathroom things so that dd older can go through when she comes (separate dd youngers stuff) It is bothering me but I could put it to another day. I will be working in the bathrooms tomorrow so I can do it then.

what looks like it should be done
a quick put away in dining room, front room, family room, front hall and vacuum and swiffer rinse (surface only)

I definitely am hitting the I don't wanna's

whites are washing
I think I am making the next job harder than it should be. I will put 15 minutes on the timer and see what happens- I did 20 minutes of tossing and going through the box of misc stuff from the girls bathroom - I threw out 1/2 as it was old or garbage. I left the rest on the table in the dining room for dd older to go through and see what she wants to keep. boy did I make this a horrible job and it was sticky with old cream or lip gloss but once I touched and wiped of the remainder it wasn't so bad. done :D

straightened my cards - put the bedroom reminder in March
Next make dinner and soup for this week - pull cook book for soup - hitting another tired spot. :roll:
Last edited by blessedw2 on Mon Jan 15, 2018 7:08 pm, edited 5 times in total.
it is always a joy to be here with you!

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Kathryn-in-Canada
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Re: Motivated Monday

Postby Kathryn-in-Canada » Mon Jan 15, 2018 5:47 pm

I'm up (Tuesday here!)

I put away the finally dry laundry, made the bed and had tea and chocolate before walking dh to work for 8. I walked back a slightly longer way and picked up a nice postcard for my senior friend since she isn't on email.

Came back to the room and finished writing Sunday's travelogue (I got Saturday done before bed last night.) Had my breakfast while I proofread.

That is now sent, the breakfast dishes are cleaned up, the bathroom is wiped down and the dirty towels are waiting for housekeeping to come. I just want the garbage emptied and fresh towels. A bit more tea, sugar and dishwashing liquid would be helpful but that can wait another day if necessary.

Next up, update the google photo album and post the travelogues here.

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Re: Motivated Monday

Postby blessedw2 » Mon Jan 15, 2018 5:48 pm

Happy Tuesday d Kathryn!!!
it is always a joy to be here with you!

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Re: Motivated Monday

Postby Kathryn-in-Canada » Mon Jan 15, 2018 6:35 pm

I've uploaded more pictures to the photo album:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/RnXU5aLSzSbuAmmZ2

Here's Saturday and Sunday's travelogues to go with the pictures:

Wellington, Saturday the 13th and Sunday the 14th


We slept about 9 hours so caught up on a bit of the lost sleep from the previous two nights. Then it was a lazy start to the day. Breakfast was in the room this time, so lighter and possibly more healthy. I then showered and eventually we headed off.

First stop was to the waterfront ferry to remind ourselves where it and the ticket office were. We would need that the next day.

Then we walked along the waterfront. Last time we were here in Wellington the weather was pretty nasty most days. It was a lovely walk along and we got to see this great slide. There's little scale in this picture but I saw an adult on the middle level and the top window was 2x his height.

On Saturdays there is a craft market that pops up in an covered parking lot and so we wandered through that admiring the crafts. I was sorely tempted by a number of items but refrained except for a very small (used) gift for Malcolm.

We then walked down to the information site to get a map (our hotel didn't have any out and while we have data on our phones, I like getting the big picture from a map.)

It wasn't where it was 4 years ago. Instead of a big welcoming place, it was a cramped hole in the wall. The old location was in one of the buildings damaged by the November 2016 earthquake. It was then we realized that the construction around the waterfront wasn't new build but repairs (or in some places getting ready to demolish.) The damage was extensive, especially to government buildings, whole departments have had to move.

I needed some lunch so we walked to a grocery store that was recommended but it didn't have what I wanted. So I went back to a branch of the same chain from the rail station and picked up a salad and some chips. We then sat for a very long time listening to a very good guitarist street musician. A very long time - I think we both would have been happy to stay until he stopped. He was an interesting character trying to make money as a model, film extra (he's in the Hobbit) and as a musician. I checked him out online as I listened to the music!

Eventually we moved on and took the cable car up to the Botanic Gardens. We enjoyed the cable car museum and then walked down to the city through the gardens. At the museum there was a video on the private cable cars of Wellington since many people live up steep, steep slopes (hold that thought until the next travelogue!)

The flowers were fascinating:

The walk down was very difficult on my knees and feet despite me having on my walking shoes. So it was a very slow walk back.

As soon as we were back in the hotel, we called for ice to be sent up and I set our two upholstered chairs up as a recliner and iced my knees and feet for quite a while. That did a good job at easing the pain.

Then we headed back to the waterfront for dinner at a German Restaurant. It was fine but the schnitzel is much better in MF's town up the valley. And cheaper. Everything here is between 1.5 and 2x as much as home.

We were in bed reasonably early because Sunday was to be another big day.

Sunday was one of those perfect travel days. This is why, as much as I hate flying, as much as sitting for 15 hours in one plane in nuts, I still do it. Since we don't have to work every day, there's always the chance of a day like last Sunday.

The day dawned sunny, promising to be hot and humid. My knees and feet didn't hurt when I got up which was a relief since this was hiking day.

We were at the harbour by 9:40. We bought one-way tickets for the first ferry of the day. There were lots of people mulling about but the ferry wasn't overfull when it left.

The harbour was smooth and it was a lovely run over to Somes Island, the destination for the majority of the people on the ferry. Just before we arrived at the Somes jetty, there was a ripple of surprise and excitement from the people on one side of the ferry. Dolphins! Lots of dolphins. Quite quickly, the announcement was made that there were dolphins off the right side but PLEASE DON'T move to that side or the ferry will be unstable. Thankfully, one group of dolphins heard the announcement and swam straight for the ferry diving under it so those on the other side could see the show too.

No clear pictures, you'll just have to trust us that there were dolphins under the water of this shot. The white water in the photo gives you a sense of how close they were to us before diving under the ferry.

On the way from Somes Island to Days Bay, a jet skier played in the wake of the ferry. His jumping, while impressive, was nothing as exciting as seeing the dolphins!

Our friends Juerg and Marcita met us on the jetty and drove us up into the hills to an excellent hiking spot. There had been a lot of discussion as to whether or not I'd be able to handle the hike.

The first issue is my heart/breathing. I'm waiting for my cardiologist appointment (end of Feb) to find out the results of all the testing I had done over the fall. Fortunately my family doctor met with me after the bulk of the tests and said that nothing critical was appearing although one test was halted due to high heart rate (that was the one that finally mimicked what I experience when walking up short hills or stairs.) He was sure asthma was part of the issue so changed my inhaler to a different style and stressed that I should use that 30 minutes before heading out walking (even the slight hills in our neighbourhood leave me breathless although I can walk for hours on flat surfaces.) With it being winter, I haven't been out walking that much but so far this trip I sense things were better with the inhaler.

I took the inhaler before heading off for the day and the others were willing to go as slow as necessary on the uphill section so that first issue was handled.

The second issue would be my knees and downhill since what goes up must come down. Given the previous day, I was quite concerned but had my hiking poles. For general walking they provide balance so the knees don't have to work as hard, on the uphill they help provide lift and on the downhill they spread the pressure to my arms as well, providing a bit of a break to the knees. As well, I had on my hiking boots instead of my walking shoes. They offer a lot more support of my feet.

The final issue is heights. I'm afraid of them but live with them because that's where the wonderful views are often found. Still, I can become frozen with fear if the walking track is too narrow and I'm close to a drop-off. Juerg assured me that would not be the case on this hike which was up a dirt road and then up fields along a fence line with no drop-offs near by.

I've included a google map in the photos for a rough idea of where we hiked. The lighthouse is the Baring Head Light. Up and back was roughly 5 km (3 miles), total elevation was 166 metres.

The hike went very well. My heart rate never went too fast and I only had one time towards the end (inhaler wearing off) when I experience the fluid on the lungs that warns me to stop and rest.

One thing about hiking along the top of a sloping meadow is that there is no shade so I was thankful for my hat and sunscreen. I missed one part of the back of my arm, though, so that did get burned. After 10 days in the southern sun, I finally have a demarcation line at my neck but no burn there.

The views were stunning all the way.

Once we left the dirt 'road' we were hiking along the fence line of a field where sheep were grazing.
Sheep were everywhere as were their droppings!

We made it to the top, a geodetic marker and abandoned WWII bunkers.

We took a break at this point and had wonderful homemade granola bars.

The vegetation at the top was very coarse needing to stand up to the wind and weather the ocean throws at it.

My poles worked for me on the way down and I made it without any pain.

Along the way down Ken noted the wool caught in the fence had been spun into yarn by the wind. I immediately thought of Nancy and the other crafting SHEs when I saw that.

Back at the car we had long drinks of water while the opened up car cooled down enough to get inside. Then we drove a few minutes over to the coast where the Orongorongo River meets the sea.

From there we drove into one of the nature preserves to see the old growth forest. Just a few miles from the sea, the hills are lush with growth.

We could have hiked there, it certainly would have been cooler, but we would not have had the views that we had on our hike.

There was another quick stop at a scenic look-out over the harbour and Lower Hutt and then we were back to Juerg and Marcita's home.

They live on the side of the hills overlooking the harbour and Wellington. The hills around the harbour are full of walking trails and from the look-out to their home would be about a 20 minute walk (as opposed to a 6 minute drive down to sea-level and back up into the hill.) It takes about a minute to drive up their shared driveway and then it is 46 stairs up to their home from their parking spot.

Juerg is Swiss and he has built a lovely home that evokes the feel of a Swiss Chalet but is completely modern. To get it built, the frame of the house was actually brought in by helicopter since trucks could not get up (or down from the ridge) to the building lot.

The personal cable cars I mentioned in the last travelogue are something that they might consider when they can no longer physically get up to their home. Or they will have to move. There are some of them already installed in this area.

We rehydrated and cooled down a bit before changing into our swim suits and walking down the steep driveway to 'their' beach (it is used by all the neighbours along that part of the road.) It was high tide so the water was up to the retaining wall but it was a lovely swim.

Finally we walked back up (that was hard for me because I had forgotten to take my inhaler again, plus I was plum tired!), showered, and then had a lovely dinner. The sun sets late here (almost 9) so it was too hot to eat the main course outside on the sunny deck but we enjoyed a dessert of fresh fruit there while watching the beautiful sunset over Wellington.

It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

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Twins' Mom
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Re: Motivated Monday

Postby Twins' Mom » Mon Jan 15, 2018 8:00 pm

I think bw2's donwannas have infected me.

I did get to the Y and had a good workout, but since getting home - about an hour ago - I've been just sitting here. Well, I did enter my workout online which generated the next one. I think I'll have to go alone on Wed or Thurs because M has other stuff so she is going Friday and Sunday. I'm leaving early Sunday a.m. for SLC.

And speaking of snow, bw2: All the schools here are cancelled for tomorrow - we have up to two inches of snow predicted and the schools don't want to be transporting kids in it. Still gives me a little thrill to hear that schools are cancelled, tho. I don't think I need to leave the house - not like it used to be during tax season!

I need to get busy:
-get shoes back on and walk the dog around the block (just realized I didn't get my Fitbit when I changed before working out.)
-supper for me
-update planner
-stretch and do a little tai chi practice

That's it.

Just texted dd, who got back from an out of town weekend trip taking three teens to a convention in Charlotte NC. She needs to return the rental car in the a.m. and I suspect she will want my help. I suggested she do it tonight and use the key drop, and call them in the a.m. I don't really want to go out there at 9 a.m. tomorrow with her. :(

Edited to add: I need to put my shoes back on, apparently. :lol:
Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better [wo]man. Ben Franklin

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Kathryn-in-Canada
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Re: Motivated Monday

Postby Kathryn-in-Canada » Mon Jan 15, 2018 8:10 pm

Just got word from Saudi Arabia. My next family have got the request for their passports. That means they'll be arriving in about 40 days! (This is the big one, 4 kids plus the two adults.)

I'm dancing around the hotel room but also feeling sick about all the work I have ahead of me! Lucylee, you are not the only one whose stomach does backflips when it gets good news.

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Nancy
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Re: Motivated Monday

Postby Nancy » Mon Jan 15, 2018 8:21 pm

Windering if the wool 8n the fence was white! I unloaded the dishwasher. H is home. Hens are back in. We had a lovely day. I found some tabs and put them on my new binder pages. This new one I have yet to use and a diff larger lined journal for this year white and gold one are getting used the 1st part of ths year.

I am concerned that I may have gotten the wrong bottle when I took my 3 pm insulin longer acting so I have a plan for higher carb if needed of oear and pasta salad with chicken. Havd some yougart.

Bed is made just before dinner better late than never.

I have been trying to add in more veg. This week.
I finished a hand knit dish cloth.
I painted an eglet on a stone.

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Re: Motivated Monday

Postby blessedw2 » Mon Jan 15, 2018 9:04 pm

dinner eaten but not cleaned up yet. Thats next.
it is always a joy to be here with you!


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