I'm going great guns accomplishing my new weekly blog regime....second one in.  I love January, it's so achievable.


Godley Head is 7.4km from home, a 13 minute drive.  On  Monday we drove our campervan there for the night.  "Why", you say? "Why not", I say. We called on our fellow campers and drove over around late afternoon after almost bailing due to wild and wet weather plaguing our fair city that day.

It turned out to be a 'great call at the intersection' as the sun shone brightly in the sheltered spot we chose beneath some lofty aged pines at the end of the road. We called the phone number on the DOC signpost and got an email sent which gave us the code to open the lock. 

Serious drinking ensued as we enjoyed the last of the sun from our tiny mobile homes.  I had packed a pre made curry and we warmed it up on the stove and served it in the bigger camper with salads from their van.

The next morning, we woke with heavy heads around 8am! Our fellow campers were up and about and chatting surreptitiously near our window.  The day was sunny and the view spectacular. We took a stroll around the camp end of the Godley Head Loop Track just for shits and giggles.

$13 a head, 7.4km travel and views 'you'd save a lifetime for'! "Why wouldnt ya?!"

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I'm introducing a lot of indoor plants.  Spurred on by a book borrowed from our local library; Matuku Takotako.  'Plant Society' is
a visually pleasing, easy read almost worth buying.  Great
tips on plant care, plant types and plant propagation.  So easy and so rewarding.  According to Mr Google indoor plants:

*give an assist in breathing.  Inhaling brings oxygen into the body, exhaling releases carbon dioxide...
*help deter illness...
*clean the air...
*boost healing...
*help you work better

AND, they bring you joy, Maria Kondo!

2019

A new year and a return to old loves....this blog....not past bfs.  My 'word' for the year.....CONSUMPTION.  This is my mission word. This means I will live my life this year deferring back to this word. How much am I consuming in this world and how is it affecting this world?

Inspired by Suzanne Berens, our 30+ Dutch relative who lives in Amsterdam, I have committed to NOT buy/swap/beg/borrow/steal any item of clothing/adornment for 12 months.  This means I will have to 'make do' with what I have got.

This will clearly not be difficult....as I have a vast personal adornment collection at my disposal.  I am fifteen days in and quietly confident.

That brings me to CRAFT...something I am keen to explore this year.  I have recently bought a trestle table for this specific reason and am contemplating holding a monthly meeting of fellow Crafters around this table.  If I need variety in my appearance, I could upcycle an existing item. #genius #sustainable #consumption

IKIGAI, I'm loving the capitals, aren't you? It really speaks to you. Lessons on how to live a long and happy life. One of my favourite reads this Christmas. Inspired by the villagers of Okinawa, who have an inordinate number of supercentenarians, I am going to fill my stomach to 80% full.  I am not sure, how you can tell, but I do know when I have overeaten,  as I am prone to regular bouts of gluttony.

I've also started some daily regimes....and lasted fifteen days so far. Morning Yoga with Adrienne, five minutes of stretching to begin the day. That's about as long as I can stay interested.  Loving it so far.  5-Minute standing flat belly workout sure beats laying on the floor and wrenching your back.  Gravity can be your friend in this instance. And finally, meditation; Headspace meditation app is good but I have not committed to it and need to set an alarm or something to remind me. Also, 10 press ups daily and thirty minutes of random movements, like cleaning, walking, gardening, cycling or running. #ocd

Sri Lanka is on the radar for travel. A new and uncharted territory for the nuclear family to explore.  We're thinking of booking a one way ticket, which means we can get traction and also add other travel onto it while in Asia. #awaywiththefairies #familyfuntimes #SEA

I have also committed to XERO to centre myself financially and to introduce serenity to all matters concerning money and timely bill paying.  If you Watch the cents, the dollars will take care of themselves. That's the theory anyway. I had a lesson with Sidekick accountants before Christmas and promptly forgot the lot on my return from holiday.  I stared blankly at the 120 reconciliations I had built up, with no idea what to do with them.  A quick call to Ashleigh and Emily fixed that and they had me reconciling like a pro in no time. #nailedit

NOOK tiny homes are the way of the future. A bold statement you say?  I have an ongoing fascination with tiny houses.  Does this hark back to my childhood and doll house play or is it a part of my irrevocable draw towards my mission word; CONSUMPTION.  I am passionate about not buying into the current housing market.  It is inflated, unsustainable, dangerous (mortgage rates are low now, what happens if they soar?) and downright dumb.  Why burden yourself with a 'death grip' AKA 'mortgage' on a property that is average, uninsulated, uninspired and expensive to run? Like I say, dumb!

Imagine a world full of these gorgeous, stylish, inexpensive to buy and run homes.  #affordablehousing #inspired #travelmore

That gets me onto garages....why pay big bucks to house vehicles? Why have vehicles? OMG Ebikes!
This is worthy of another photo....
MATEX e bikes.  Currently under construction via Indigogo, crowdfunding. I'm in the market for one this year.  Not sure which one yet, but I'm liking this one and it's multiuse.  Stick it in the boot of your 'gas guzzler' and bike one way and cadge a ride home. It folds up, so you can.  Go down to one car and one ebike.  #coveryourbases

#hashtags I'm still not over them. So amusing and so succinct.

PHEW.