Spring brings hope, joy and new beginnings #WBOYC?

Spring is here in Australia. The mornings and evenings are cool and crisp and the days full of sunshine. You just can’t help but be grateful to be alive and living well. Spring, to me always has a sense of new beginnings and after my recent health issues, I’m back to feeling good and ready to start living life to the full.

We are also in Countdown mode – it is only 5 weeks until we leave for our European holiday – I’m excited!!! We are flying to Amsterdam for 5 nights then taking a 7 night Viking Rhine Getaway River cruise down to Basel in Switzerland. We then travel to Milan for 6 nights. I’m hoping to get to some Christmas markets although most won’t be starting until the week after we leave.

It will be our first River Cruise so looking forward to a change of cruising at a gentler pace. For many years we have opted for ocean cruises and have cruised many parts of the world. However, times change and people change and both Mike and I are feeling that the ships are getting way to big now with passenger numbers between 5,000 and 6,000.

What’s Been On My Calendar in September?

September was a great month – I achieved something I didn’t think I was capable of after my recent illness, I had time with my grandsons during the school holidays and caught up with a special blogging friend.

So what did I get up to?

One of the many highlights for me in September was running another Half Marathon. From previous posts you would have read that I had some cardio issues in July/August. My stress test results were excellent and I was able start running again. My problem is genetic so I will need to be on medication to lower my already low cholesterol levels and to keep my blood pressure in check.

My friend and I had entered the Run100 Half Marathon about six months ago but due to not being able to run for 8 weeks I thought I would have to miss the event, or at least drop back to the 10km. Having had the all clear to run from the cardio I decided on the morning of the event to ‘just go for it’.

I’m so glad I tried because I completed the Half Marathon and felt so good physically and mentally. Mindset is a powerful thing and I proved to myself that if my mindset is strong I can achieve. It also showed, that despite not being able to run, the daily walks had kept my fitness level up.

Daily walks

I’m addicted to them now and the day just doesn’t feel complete unless I’ve had my walk. I love listening to audiobooks or just taking in the surroundings.

Social Connection

I caught up with my good friend, Debbie Harris from Deb’s World. Deb was in Brisbane visiting her daughter and family and she is always good value for a catch up. We both opted for colour in our dresses because that’s how we are – living life in full on colour and fun.

I treasure our friendship and despite not living in the same State we always seem to fall easily back into spending time together. We met up at the Full Moon Hotel at Sandgate and enjoyed a delicious lunch of Beetroot, Pumpkin, Walnut Salad with Goat’s Cheese. After lunch we went for a walk along the esplanade.

School Holiday Fun with my grandsons

School holiday fun with my grandsons Ethan & Elliot – cooking, playing board games, exploring. On Day 1 we visited the Mt Cootha precinct in Brisbane on a picture perfect day.

First stop the Mount Cootha Lookout for fabulous views of Brisbane and surrounds

Exploring the Brisbane Botanic Gardens

Explored space at the Planetarium

Back to the MtCootha Summit Cafe for lunch and an ice cream

Day 2 was devoted to being creative

We spent the day downloading the photos Ethan had taken of birds and spent time finding facts about each bird. We then printed them off and made ‘Ethan’s Bird Book’ complete with an About the Author page 🙂

Elliot made his own book which was a picture book about Captain Underpants by American author and illustrator Dav Pilkey.

Both boys have a love of reading which has been fostered by their Mum and Dad.

In the Kitchen

Ethan made his first holy communion in September, so I made a cake for morning tea. Elliot and I had a baking day in the school holidays making corn fritters and meusli slice. I also experimented with a recipe Pasta with garlic, chilli tuna, mushrooms, olives in a sauce made of water, tomato paste and crumbled feta which melted into the sauce. I roasted mini tomatoes drizzled with olive oil, rosemary and oregano from my garden. Then garnished the dish with the tomatoes. I will post the recipe next month and will definitely be trying it again.

Fashion & Beauty

I was very fortunate to be asked to collaborate on a regular with Fella Hamilton. An Australian family-owned business who have boutiques around Australia. the quality is excellent and their fashion is my style. The best part is they are true to size so their Size 6 is a perfect fit for me. I like using the Enhance Pro Age Multisticks for a quick makeup in under 5 minutes because they are quick and easy to use and add colour without going overboard. If you would like to try remember to use the code SUE15 for a discount.

• Being Pampered – as part of my birthday gift, my husband treated me to a facial at L’Occitaine – it was heaven and my skin felt glowing. It was also time for a visit to the hair salon.
• Reading – read and listened to some fabulous books and shared my top picks for the month for the What’s On Your Bookshelf? link up. (see link to blog post below).
• Looking after Wallis the Pooch – we are always delighted to take care of our granddog, Wallis . This month we had her for a two-night stay whilst her human family were away camping.
  

Pressing Pause on the Podcast – life works in mysterious ways!

Life certainly works in mysterious ways. Last month, I wrote that I had decided to press the pause on the Podcast for a time. I love my Podcast and really enjoy interviewing Women from all over the world. However, I’ve needed a break and had been contemplating finishing the project or pausing.

What is so mysterious about that? Well, I happy to announce that the Podcast can now be heard on a the Bay & Basin Community Radio Station Radio 92.7FM each Saturday afternoon. You can read about this opportunity in the post below but I’m very excited to be able to give back to the community in this way.

My interviews are being broadcast and it means I can take a rest from the podcast until next year. It’s a win/win.

Posts for the Month

September was another great month for posts and extending my creative writing process. Here are my posts from September in case you missed them.

Determined to live well and enjoy life – are you?
Self Care September – Action for Happiness Calendar
Passport to Spy – My ARC review for Book Sirens
Exciting news! The Women Living Well After 50 Podcast is now on Radio 92.7FM
How I maintain healthy joints & relieve osteoarthritis Over 60
What’s On Your Bookshelf? – My top ranking books for September 2023
What will my legacy be? Have you thought about yours?

I linked up with

• Gail from Is this Mutton? for the monthly Tell Us About link up – this month’s prompt was Legacy. A prompt we all struggled with but our posts came up trumps.
• Denyse Whelan for her Wednesdays Words & Pics
• Hosted What’s On Your Bookshelf? with my lovely friends Debbie, Donna & Jo

Quotes for the Month

Well, that’s what’s been on my calendar and I Iook forward hearing what you’ve been up to. I’m sharing my co-hosts’ links as well so remember to pop over and visit to see how their month progressed.

Debbie Harris
Donna Connolly
Jo Tracey

Enjoy your month!

What’s Been On Your Calendar? #WBOYC

What: 2023 Monthly Wrap-Up Link Party.
When: Last Thursday PM (Northern Hemisphere)/ Last Friday AM (Southern Hemisphere). The link will be open for 7 days
Why: A space to share highlights from your past month.
Where: Link Party, Blog, Blog Comments, Instagram or other social media.
Who: This linkup is open to everyone.
How: You can share in the comments, with a blog post, or on other social media of your choice. Include the hashtag so that we can find you and include your link in our posts.

The next #WBOYC will be Thursday October 28th /Friday October 29th. I’m looking forward to seeing and reading What’s Been on your Calendar? during the month.