April is a month of celebrations in our family with birthdays and also our own wedding anniversary as well as taking time out for the long Easter break. It is also school holiday time and that means spending more time with my grandsons.
Autumn has finally arrived with cool, crips mornings and glorious sunny days here in Brisbane. It is such a perfect time of year with gorgeous sunsets and the garden is blooming.
Date Days: Mike and I enjoyed a spontaneous trip to the Gold Coast for lunch and also a drive to Manly for lunch. We also celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary (32 years together) with a special dinner at home.
School Holiday Fun – it was time to make more memories with E1 & E2. We went fishing, played a round of mini golf, went to the movies and make some protein balls. Ethan is 11 on 28th and is growing up so I’m making the most of the times we are together.
Our regular house guest was back – Wallis the Pooch, visited us for three nights over Easter whilst her family went camping. Regular daily walks and lots of cuddles were on the agenda.
In the kitchen – I was busy making birthday cakes for my daughter Rachel, and grandson Ethan and also a special anniversary dinner for Mike and I. I actually used Chat GPT for a Lindt Ball Cheesecake recipe for Rachel’s birthday morning tea and it was a great success. I shared my experience with AI and also the recipe in my post Sparks of Joy #28 -The Lindt Ball Cheesecake That Came from a Chat.
The menu for our anniversary dinner was again sourced through Chat GPT my new friend in the kitchen:
- Caramalised Onion & Goat’s Cheese Tartlets
- Slow Cooked Lamb shanks in Red Wine served with Garlic Mash and Green Beans
- Individual Tiramisu
Ethan has requested a soccer ball cake and I will share that next month as it wasn’t finished in time for this post.
I’m hoping that this will turn out like this!
Publicity Officer for the Chatsworth-Carindale Probus group . I attended my first committee meeting and was tasked with developing a plan to promote the club and increase membership.
Podcast and Blogging – I interviewed more interesting and inspiring women for the Women Living Well After 50 podcast, continued my weekly Newsletter in Substack called ‘Your Weekly Boost – Living Life in Full Bloom’ as well as preparing for my guest speaker presentation at the Redefining Ageing Event in Brisbane next month. I co-hosted The Wellness Reimagined Link Up, What’s On Your Bookshelf?, the weekly Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot and the monthly Tell Us About. You can find the post links below if you missed them.
No Social Media I’ve continued with my NSM Sundays. No computer or phone checking of Facebook and Instagram.
Regular workouts were maintained and we cracked the 20km for a run in preparation for the Brisbane Half Marathon in June. We also ran in The Run Army event on 31st March and I came second in my age group 65-69 which I was pretty happy with. I did overdo a strength workout which resulted in a very sore neck so I listened to my body and didn’t lift weights for a week.
Social connection – I enjoyed a long walk with a friend who I haven’t seen in person for some time. Mike and I attended the monthly Probus Meeting as well as the Men’s Lunch and the Ladies Lunch and the monthly Coffee and Chat. Since joining Probus we have both enjoyed meeting new people and making new friends.
Book Clubbing – Our regular Stunners Online Classics Book Club met to discuss ‘My Brilliant Career’ by Miles Franklin. The book was my choice and it was as always a lively discussion. You can find what else I’ve been reading in my #WOYBS? What’s On Your Bookshelf? – April 2025 post.
Promoting my favourite hair care products
Something to make you laugh because we can all do with more laughter in our lives.
I saw this scrolling through FB and it made me laugh because it is so true!
Podcasts for the Month
Thriving Beyond MS – I catch up with a childhood friend
Creating Your Space for a Life Well Lived
Blog Posts you may have missed
What’s On Your Bookshelf? April Edition
Living Well in the Season You’re In: Finding Joy in Every Stage of Life
Wellness Reimagined: Cultivating Harmony for a Life in Full Bloom
Active April – 10 ways staying active brings happiness
Sparks of Joy #27 – First run event for 2025
Lindt Ball Cheesecake – thanks Chat GPT
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 and I look forward to next month’s WBOYC? edition. Please note link up dates below.
What’s Been On Your Calendar? #WBOYC
What: 2024 Monthly Wrap-Up Link Party.
When: Last Thursday PM (Northern Hemisphere)/ Last Friday AM (Southern Hemisphere). The link will be open for 48 hours
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.
Dates for the Diary in 2025:
Last Thursday, 2 pm (PST)/Last Friday, 8 am (AEST). Please note dates slightly different for July and December – aren’t we organised! LOL 🙂
April 24/25
May 29/30
June 27/28
*July 31/August 01
August 28/29
September 26/27
October 30/31
November 27/28
*January 01/02 2025
18 Comments
What a blooming fantastic month you had. Busy, but in all the right ways. And yes, I can so identify with that meme…
I see what you did there, Jo with ‘Blooming’ LOL:). It was a lovely month and although busy I loved every minute. x
What a great month Sue! You’re blooming just like your beautiful garden! The cake will be perfect I’m sure as you’re a consummate professional now, what a special gift you give to your family this way. Great to have you as a stunning co-host.
Thank you my friend. It was such a wonderful month although busy and at times I felt like wilting but looking back I’m very grateful for all I have in life. x
You’ve had such a rich and full month Sue. I loved reading about your April celebrations. Your adventures in the kitchen sound absolutely delicious. Congratulations on your wedding anniversary and on your excellent placement in your age group—what a fantastic achievement! Your energy and enthusiasm for life are inspiring. It’s always so motivating to see how you embrace each season with warmth and intention. Wishing you a wonderful May ahead!
I have to admit, Donna, April seems to have been a blur so I’m pleased that I could document what I did during the month. Wishing you a lovely May also. x
You’ve had a fabulous and happy month Sue. Congratulations to your both on your wedding anniversary. Your garden looks gorgeous as do your photos.
Thanks, Jen. Mike has to take the credit for the garden but I’m enjoying the blooms and flourishing plants. x
Your Aprils sound like our Mays, Sue! What fun and what beautiful moments you’ve had for making memories! Happy anniversary to you and your love! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Laura, yes my May has two birthdays so more birthday cakes to make plus Mother’s Day. I love every minute of it and as you said making memories. x
Hi Sue, Congratulations to you and Mike on your wedding anniversary. You’ve had a great April. Wishing you a marvellous May! #WBOYC
Thanks Natalie and I’m looking forward to seeing what you get up to in May. x
April is definitely one to celebrate for you, Sue! Happy anniversary and happy birthdays! I think it’s so cool you used AI to come up with that cake!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
I love AI Marsha and I’m using it for quite a few things now. x
What a great April you had – I love the sound of the menu for that anniversary meal – delicious! I haven’t experimented with AI just yet, but it seems like it can be really useful.
Hi Deb, AI has it’s uses although like any technology I suppose it is up to the user to be responsible. The dinner menu was delicious and I would use AI again for recipe ideas. Have a lovely May x
Congrats on second place in the race! I admire anyone who can run. You had such a busy and productive month! Mine pales by comparison. Here’s to May, we have 2 weeks in Scotland.
Congratultions on the race, and the anniversary – we’re 26 years married, 33 together. So weird when you think about it but you can’t really remember the before! Looks like a great April, esp with your grandkids. Always brings a smile!