Hello Everyone and Merry Christmas
Well, how are you enjoying the mad race ‘to the finish’! This time of year can be crazy and fun all wrapped into one.
I love all the frenzy, it’s exhilarating. I know I must be nuts to enjoy the hype, but there is so much focus on the goodness and niceness of life which I adore.
And guess what!!!! I am on holidays. Oh the joy. And I am looking forward to my after Christmas weight loss program, believe me I need it!
WISEWOMEN UPDATE
Janice is on the left
Congratulations Janice
Doing everything in her power to change the age stereotyping, Janice has triumphed yet again.
At the age of 66 she entered the Olympia Natural Body Building competition in Queensland in October 2009, winning a Gold and a Bronze.
Janice is truly amazing and she positively proves, is if you are passionate and committed, you can rise to the top no matter what age.
Read our interview with Janice here 
THE REMEMBERING
Lana handed me Gail’s book the other day so I finally read it. This subject about child abuse is totally foreign to me. I could never have imagined this sort of thing goes on in other peoples homes. You just don’t know. In fact, I almost felt guilty of my loving upbringing.
What can I say about this book? It was harrowing and it made me wonder how the perpetrators get away with mishandling these precious human beings. It beggars belief that those that know about it, most often the mothers, don’t stop it. There are so many questions that could never be answered. There are no answers at all.
It seems to me that the problem is on a far greater scale than we can imagine and it is only now, with more discussion and insight that I am finding I know of many women who were harmed when they were small and this has really bowled me over.
But the thing that really scares me, while the over 20’s are revealing that they have been abused as youngsters and demanding retribution, what is happening to the little ones now living within abusive families.
- Who is helping them?
- Who is stopping the perpetrators?
- Who is teaching our children to speak out if someone is damaging them?
Whilst ‘The Remembering’ filled me with an admiration of how Gail has found a way through her deepest and darkest moments and is helping those who have been harmed, I was also left with a hopelessness towards what is going on now, this very minute, and what measurers are being taken to stop future suffering.
Lana’s interview with Gail here
AVATAR
I was given a small colourful card the other day and on the front it said:
Avatar, the Compassion project.
Inside was a Compassion Exercise . ‘Honesty with one’s self leads to compassion for others’ it says and its objective is to ‘Increase the amount of compassion in the world’. Now what could be a better objective!
It is from the wider Avatar Group and is among one of the thirty exercises that can be found in “Resurfacing? Techniques for Exploring Consciousness by Harry Palmer.
If you would like to read about Avatar, click on my review here.
If you would like to receive on one of these cards let me know and I will make sure you receive one.
I JUST CAN’T STOP EATING!!!
The Christmas parties have been manic. I had a few more at work to attend and each weekend has been full of friend ‘catch me ups’ and I am quite aware I am eating way too much.
And these eating events just happen out of the blue. For instance, at work on Thursday, the lovely Irish doctor who sits nearby brought in morning tea. If it was me, I would have bought a packet of biscuits and a cake, but she actually made things. That’s right! She went home after work and spent the evening making delicious Irish wholemeal damper with butter and jam, and shop quality brownies and friands.
Having polished off this gorgeous fair, I received a surprise invitation to join a lunch at a pleasant Italian restaurant in honour of a visiting Professor and the ‘Lab’ group. I was already having trouble sucking in my expanding stomach from the Irish bakehouse, so I opted for the entrée size vegetarian pasta. A mixed entrée was ordered for everyone which turned out to be a huge amount of food and I waddled out of the restaurant feeling completely stuffed!
Even though I was full to the brim I forced myself to go to the gym. I know, it shows I have real mental self control!!! I want you to know that even though I have been eating frightfully, my fitness and endurance have not waned. I might be a stone heavier!!! but I’m still full of energy. It’s probably all the carbs and sugar though!
Last weekend we went to my husbands Christmas party and what an enjoyable event it was. Usually, when you attend spouse work dos, you have the most hideous evening trying to look inconspicuous, hoping not to get drunk or saying anything that will get your spouse sacked!!!
Held at his employers home, I must say I was more than impressed. The home, the food and the hospitality were awesome. I did not over imbibe, and I don’t believe I said anything outrageous, but inconspicuous I was not!
When the belly dancer got into full swing, many of us were lured to the floor to shake our bellies. Oh such fun as I truly have a belly to shake!!!! Trying to suck it in and shake it at the same time is quite an art! I did especially love the beautiful belt covered in little bells that was secured tightly under it!
The next day I rose from my bed to organise lunch for friends. I made a rich Jamie Oliver chocolate caramel fudge pudding (why did I not choose fruit) and we had a BBQ.
Honestly, though I am so over food that I will have to stop eating before Christmas Day so I can enjoy stuffing myself then. But tonight I am off to the Phoenix Chinese Restaurant yet again for another get together with different friends.
All I can say, it is lucky I have a caste iron stomach.
THE DOG’S SICK
Whilst my stomach is just a joy to own, my daughters dog, Kojak is in the bad books at the moment.
Old, half blind and half deaf he has a stomach that has him walking on very thin ice!! Two mornings this week, yes, that’s right, two, a hideous aroma met Mr G and I as we moved towards the back end of the house.
Good old Kojaks bowels have let him down badly.
Whilst he does very commendable small, heaped dollops of poo outside, when his bowels give way inside, his stomach decides to off load its cargo in a different way. Yes, it sprays what must be ten kilos of thick liquid golden paste onto every surface. ‘Not happy’ hardly describes how I feel.
As you move through the room with newspaper and plastic bags, with the stuff plastered all over your feet and on your hands, you think to yourself ‘is this pet really giving me joy’!
So far we have had a few days of poo free fiascos but his awful breaking of wind is a constant reminder of what could be!!!!
LET’S GET FIT
Christmas is a time of eating excesses but that shouldn’t stop you from moving that body of yours. Keeping your body in full working order, and that includes your digestive tract, is now critical. You will be filling it with rich foods that it is not used to, followed by glasses of alcohol or fizzy drinks.
Your insides are about to tell you just how fit they are!!!!!! Yes, you are going to find out one way or the other. Will it mean frightening sprints to the bathroom or will you be swilling down the Senokot and living in hope! Well, let me tell you, keeping your insides limber and in good working order will now pay dividends.
And there is also something else you can do to keep on top of things, drink lashings of water. By keeping things diluted and moving will ensure you can keep eating and remain standing!!!!
So don’t just sit back and soak up the food. If exercise is not part of your regime, you need to get to the gym, take a walk, swim or race after the grandkids. Anything you can do to keep yourself moving will be the key to a healthy and pain free Christmas.
Enjoy your food and drink, but help your body to cope by keeping on the go.
SAN DIEGO ZOO
Mr G and I visited the fabulous San Diego Zoo recently and while at this zoo we saw something very Christmassy…..yes it was a fine looking reindeer.
It got me thinking about the enormous contribution reindeers make to Christmas Day. They are a most majestic and regal beast and see them in the role of pulling Santa’s sleigh is something quite amazing. Reindeers are always part and parcel of the Christmas show.
But while roaming around this zoo we saw some other fantastic animals. The Panda was one. This was especially exciting for Mr G and me as it was the first time we had ever seen one in real life. Take a look here to see some of the other animals we glimpsed.
FRANGIPANIS
The frangipanis (Plumeria) are out and they go so beautifully with a hot Christmas. Their white and yellow or pinky tones sing of a summer freshness and their perfume is divine. We are lucky enough to have one in our back yard and the flowers are ready to pick for the Christmas festivities.
They are native to Central America and grow up to 24 feet tall. They love the tropical climates and can easily be propagated. You can do this yourself in Spring by sniping off the leafless stem tips, drying the base and then planting. Make sure you have good drainage to prevent root rot.
And something I found out while researching this flower, Frangipanis are related to oleanders. Both boast glorious blooms but possess a poisonous milky sap.
There are over 300 named varieties of Plumeria.
LANA’S WISE WEEK
Lana has been busy over the last few weeks and I know she would welcome you to her Wise Week.
QUOTATION OF THE WEEK
Of course, Christmas is the topic of the week…and is a Leigh Hunt quote:
Fail not to call to mind, in the course of the twenty-fifth of this month,
that the Divinest Heart that ever walked the earth was born on that day;
and then smile and enjoy yourselves for the rest of it;
for mirth is also of Heaven's making.
Let us hug our families close this year, for they are the most important people in our lives.
Have a joyful and fabulous feast on Christmas Day.
Make sure you have your New Year’s resolutions on the ready as we burst forth into 2010. This year, I know, is going to bring tidings of great joy.
Be the shining
in your family this Christmas
