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Susan - how are you feeling today? Do you still have your cold? I am glad it is not the flu! I hope you new site is not too noisy. Do you have all your sites picked out or do you just go from place to place so you are able to enjoy the scenery at a pleasant time?
Judith - it sounds like you are doing what you need to do with the extra calories. I wish they would work at a faster time. You body is using a lot of calories trying to heal too.
I am making yogurt today and am anxious to have it done. The yogurt in the stores are too "tangy" for me so I like to control the flavor of mine. I love how it is so creamy and can be used in so many ways besides eating with fruit. I use it in place of sour cream in recipies.1 -
Oooh, Linda, I always intended to make my own Yoghurt, but not in the van. Maybe I'll get some pointers from you when I get home. Mine would need to be lactose free. Yours sounds lovely. Yes, I am feeling better thank you and only have slight symptoms now. We had to book and pay for our sites before we came to Tasmania so we would have guaranteed spots. It's Christmas time AND sumner holidays for schools, so all places are booked out. We would have been trying to find free camps everywhere otherwise, which might or might not have worked out. So yes, we are on a schedule. We booked spots to stay to allow us to have a base from which we can explore. Today we are going to see some of the south east coast of Tasmania. It is supposed to be very beautiful.
Marilyn, yes, persistence is key! Don't stop trying!
Judith, it's good you are able to chat now. How wonderful you have a friend who gives you high calorie meals. I look forward to hearing you are re gaining your weight. Wow, the Neurologist is seeing you very soon. That's good. Yes, reacting to the scan probably does have something to do with being immuno compromised. I hope they don't ask you to do another scan with the dye. I think there is an alternative for people who react to that dye? I hope there is, in case you do need to go through another scan.
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Thank you Susan and Linda for your kindness! I was here early morning and now I’m here late night.
I see neurologist on Thursday and hoping for a good outcome from the CT Scan.
Years ago my husband and I camped, we had a family size tent with private bedroom for us and one for the kids, we had a Dining Tent attached and when it was rainy we could eat indoors. We had a portable chest type fridge that plugged into Car and we brought a smaller BBQ in case bad weather and we couldn’t cook on the open fire pit we made, I loved cooking on the open fire. Listening to you ladies camping brought back the kind of camping we did. So much fun. We went boating fishing and swimming!
Enjoy the new camp site Susan, thanks for sharing the lovely pictures.
Be back tomorrow morning. Good Night and God Bless. 😴❤️🤗🙏0 -
Tonight for our date time we went to see the Christmas lights around town. There is a wonderful place that we like to go to especially because there are huge houses that surround a lake and the lights are gorgeous. Not so much our house though. The outside of our house looks like Scrooge lives here. 😁 The inside look minimal but looks good to me.
Judith - it sounds like you had a wonderful tent to go camping in. We did not camp much with the kids but we were all in one tent when we did. We did camp a lot when we first got married though. The contrast they injected me with when they did CT scans after my kidney cancer did make me feel "strange" as they were injecting it but I did not have a reaction like you did. I am sorry and hope that they do have alternatives to use with you if you need it again.
Susan - I did try to make the yogurt with lactoce free milk once by mistake and it didnot firm up as I wished it had. I have not tried it with the other alternative milks like oat, almond, rice, etc.
I cut out the second apron so I will work on it tomorrow. The material is pretty but it really ravels so I will need to do a lot of stay stitching to keep the edges clean. I said I would send you a picture of my husband modeling the first one. My daughter-in-law wanted camping so I will attach the picture. I hope it works this time.
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Love the pictures of the apron - sort of reminds me of the ones we made when we were at school way back in the days
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Good thoughts, Marilyn.
Linda, the pictures worked perfectly! Thank you for posting them. It was nice to see Glen's face too. The apron looks wonderful. You did a great job!
Judith, my parents took us tent camping, and Col and I started out camping in tents too with our three kids. The whole family loved it. Now I would not try it! I would rather have our RV comfort, stay dry and warm and have an oven, fridge, water, etc. It's far less strenuous than tent camping! Glad to bring back all those memories for everyone though. Thi ki g of you for Thursday.
Yesterday we went for a coast drive up to Swansea. The beaches are gorgeous up there. It took us all day and we were all exhausted last night, dogs included, so we're having a quieter day today.
Favourite photo from yesterday was taken from Swansea's main street. There were shops and houses behind us.
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Susan - Yes, I prefer our trailer for sleeping and eating rather than roughing it over a campfire at my age. Even with an airmatress to sleep on, the gound was pretty hard as I remember. Lovely picture of where you went yesterday. Get rested up today - you probably have big plans for tomorrow.
Judith - Continuing prayers for this week. Will you be celebrating with family for Christmas?
Marilyn - I agree that if we put things off, it may never get done. I have a few projects I need to get done today and I am telling myself I can not go to sleep until one of the two are done. That is what gives me an incentive to get done.
We are late but finally getting our Christmas cards out today. We wrote our newsletter for the year and will add a personal note to it so it will be quicker to do. Some are also being send as a group e-mail to the students and faculty of the school as well as some friends who we get to see more often. Glenn is the one that does the writing of the letter and I proof read it or add to it. For some reason, I have a hard time deciding what to say and he can make that decision easier then I can. Of course, he is accustomed to writing lessons and articles for the school which I do not do.
I have pepper steak in the crock pot for dinner so I have more time this afternoon to work on the cards and my last apron. I like my "man"niquin I have to model my clothing. He only charges food and lodging so that is pretty cheap. Of course, modeling women's clothing was a little difficult for him to do. He did not particularily want his picture published so the world to see.0 -
Aww, reassure Glen that I won't be sharing his picture, Linda. I think of aprons as something anyone would wear to protect their clothing, but understand that one may not be his style! You are right, we're driving up Mt Wellington today. It's colder there too so I have layers of clothing at the ready. I get chilled very easily these days.
This trip was a bit like today's saying,
Marilyn.1 -
Linda, your Glenn is a Good Sport in modelling the Apron, It is an awesome apron, if I had one like the one you have made I would wear it all the time. Pictures turned out great! Thank you for sharing.
Susan, thank you for sharing your pretty picture of the place you are staying at. So nice. Where will you be staying for Christmas? Hard to believe we are just a few days away for Christmas.
I will be going to my daughters for a couple hours Christmas Eve. My daughter always does our Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve. I am hoping I can keep strong enough so I can go and be with my family.
Thank you Marilyn for the great quote! I agree and yes later sometimes doesn’t work so it’s best to do it now!0 -
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Marilyn, you're right, we are our own best motivators.
Judith glad you enjoyed the photos. We're staying where we are till the day after Christmas. We then go to another place for two days and return to this place for another two weeks. The Hobart Showgrounds only allows people to stay two weeks at a time but they can come back after a two day break.
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It is overcast today but I do not believe it will will rain or snow. We have snow predicted this weekend so hopefully we will have a white Christmas although I do not want to drive in it. I like to stay warm inside and watch it snow outside.
I did accompish one of my goals yesterday - sending out all our Christmas cards. I like to write notes on them so it take longer than just putting a picture of the family in a card as some people are fond of doing. We did include an aniversary picture in our newsletter.
I got all of the bias tape done around the neckline on the last apron yesterday but now I need to do the bias tape along the outside edges. I got a little waylaid because I discovered I had cut the pocket for the apron upside down. The material has a definite pattern of large coffee signs that makes it very obvioius if the material is not cut correctly. I had tried to be so careful and had picked out a special picture from the material to make sure it was in the center of the pocket. I did have extra material so I was able to correct it.
8 hours later -- l have finished the apron although I wish it could have been better. The material really frayed badly and when I would try to mend it, it would get worse so I tried to hide the spot as well as I could. I don't know that anyone one else will notice but I like to do things well.
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Evening Hello,
I had my appointment today at VGH.
Came home, so nauseous and not well so went to bed. Up now to share an incident below and ask you to pray for people directly involved.
When I arrived @ VGH I discovered there had been a Fire 🔥 and the section affected was sealed off in heavy plastic with air purifiers running, water and smoke damage being cleaned up. What a mess. A big section of main floor and second floor sealed off lots of water and smoke damage. The Doctors Theatre Teaching Lab sealed off, Cardiac Lab rerouted and their Drug Store sealed off with only access from outside around corner. All washrooms on that floor coffee and restaurants all closed and sealed off. The areas sealed off will be that way 2 weeks. It was
so crazy there. See you tomorrow my friends! 🙏0 -
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Judith - that is so scary to hear of all the fire damage. I hope no one was hurt during the fire. We used to have fire and tornado drills to help us get ready for potential threats so we could be organized to get the patients out of their rooms and to safety if the danger was a reality. It sounds like it was not patient rooms that were involved. I pray that you are feeling better today. I am so sorry that this trip made you so nauseous. You must have used all your spoons to be able to make it home and to bed. Rest well - praying for a better day today.
Today I am getting ready for the Christmas party at our house tomorrow for our Bible study group. I am making a pull apart Christmas tree. The tree is made of balls of dough with mozzarella cheese pieces inside then baked and topped with cheese, garlic butter and chopped parsley. The dough balls are then dipped in marinara sauce before eaten. I have not made it before so it will be interesting to see how it comes out.1 -
Oooo, Linda, your pull apart tree sounds delicious. Glad you also got your aprons finished after a little hiccup. I am sure they will be a big hit. Have a nice time at Bible study today. It feels good to get the Christmas cards done, doesn't it.
Judith, glad to see you here even though you had a tiring time yesterday with the added shock of a fire at the hospital. Like Linda, I do hope no one was hurt. (I wonder how it got started. 🤔) When will you get your results, hon? Praying for you 🙏 ❤️
Marilyn, sending big hugs back to you! 🫂 🤗
It's overcast and cool here. The construction workers are taking down the fences and say the new area for caravan sites will be open this afternoon. It should be nicer here with no construction and dust but it will mean more people will be here.
Here's a picture of a street we travelled along in Hobart with a big tour bus next to us.
A view of a Hobart University building in the city:
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Thank you Susan for the lovely pictures. The tour bus is big, actually looking at picture it’s a huge one. It does sound like it will be nice for your stay with out the Construction noise. It should be a peaceful stay for you.
Glad you finished the aprons and had enough material to fix the hiccup! Your pull apart tree sounds so scrumptious, wish Zi were there to try a piece, perhaps we could get Susan to Slice a piece down to us, don’t think Sly Mr Fox is around at least for now! Have a great Bible Study and Christmas luncheon Linda.
Marilyn thank you for the Hugs, sure appreciate them. I heard from one of the security officers a Homeless man who has been banned from the hospital as he has caused mega trouble, somehow he got in and past security and went up to the Information booth and threw liquid on the Information booth and counter and it went up in
flames. No one was physically harmed but emotionally and mentally it took a toll on everyone. That’s all I know now.
Well ladies I am exhausted so heading to bed now. So it’s Good Nite and God Bless! ❤️😴🤗1 -
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Susan - The university building is quite unique. The designer was excellent in trying to use geometric details in a beautiful way. The town of Hobard looks pretty busy. Do you know the population of the city? I am glad that the construction is over for you but as you say it will invite more people there so it might still be noisy.
Judith - I hope you are getting rested and your nausea has subsided. We certainly do not want you to loose any more weight.
Marilyn - unconditional love is the best kind!
The Christmas luncheon was a success. The bread Christmas tree was pretty but the cheese inside seemed to be absorbed by the bread so there was just a cheese coated empty spot in the middle of each ball. Maybe I needed to make the cheese bigger but I even had a ruler out measuring the cheese pieces to make sure they were all even and size the recipe said to make them. At the white elephant game I ended up with a cute Christmas mug with hot pads and a placemat. Glenn got a candle holder that I don't know what to do with it because I do not use many candles in the house. I heard that they give off soot that we breathe in which is not good for the sinuses or the lungs.
We will be leaving for Denver tomorrow to spend Christmas with family. The church here in Grand Junction needs a place to meet so they will be using our house while we are gone. We do not have our own building and the people who have the building that we meet in needed it during the time we usually meet. At least it is clean since I mopped and cleaned for the party. I will just keep the doors closed to the bedrooms that did not get cleaned up.
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Linda, sorry the Christmas tree bread didn't turn out but I bet it was still tasty. I believe candles made from bees wax and soy wax are considered non toxic? The population of Hobart in 2023 is 579,000. Oh how lovely of you to offer your home for the church, even though you won't be there. Have a fabulous time with your family and travel safely.
Marilyn, more hugs!
Judith, you are welcome for the bus picture. Yes, construction noise will be less but t g e whole new section of the caravan park has been booked out, so we are bound to have some partying noises here. Also, the huge hardware store next to us has forklifts packing and unpacking each night. We just have to be good at not listening. Lol! I was so sorry to hear about the arsonist at the hospital. No wonder people were shocked and saddened by it all. It must have been scary for those who put it out. Hugs, hon.
Are you ready for a couple more pictures?
Here is Mount Wellington from the Hobart Showgrounds this morning. They say we will have a wet Christmas.
A church made of sandstone in the city of Hobart.
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That's so true, Marilyn! The world's most powerful operating software is the human Brain.
We're off to see Salamanca Markets today. I hope to get some colourful photos.1 -
We made it over the mountains but the traffic was busy. I assume that people are traveling like we were to see family. The weekends are usually busy anyway but it just worked out that we had to leave today. There were some accidents on the road which also slowed us down.
We worked really hard and got the house presentable so it some people sneak a peak at the bedrooms, they will not be shocked. I did put some things on the side of the bed that can not been seen from the door but mostly it is cleaned up.
Judith - your house is beautiful decorated for Christmas. We do not have enough room to store that many items so our decorating is minimal.
We spent some time with our neighbor before we left to travel. They are having a really hard time because their son so sick right at Christmas time. He had colon cancer and had to have some really radical surgery this summer. He had radiation after that which caused more issues to his internal organs. Last week he had to come to Denver to have surgery to remove a fistula that had developed between his bladder and what is left of his intestines. He was in the hospital for 5 days because had really low blood pressure and nausea. They sent him home Tuesday. By Wednesday, he was back in the hospital in Grand Junction for an intestinal blockage and unable to eat. It is hard to watch your child having so many problems. They are becoming depressed and really need prayers. If you feel led to pray for them I would appreciate it.2 -
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Marilyn, that's right. Keep your eyes on the goal and on the Lord!
Linda, I prayed for your neighbours and for all of us just now. I feel so much for them, seeing their son go through such awful trials. May the Lord grant them much comfort and His deep, abiding joy even in the midst of this, the kind the Apostle Paul had when going through his own beatings, imprisonment, shipwrecks and ill health. Bless you, your church folk and your neighbours.
Judith, I, too, enjoyed seeing your house decorated for Christmas on Facebook.
Our own caravan decorating consists of the following:
A string of lights on the awning:
Crossed candy canes on the door:
Two handmade cards and a handmade star on the inside of the door:
A Merry Christmas sign on a hook (I couldn't find one without a Santa on it):
And a tiny handmade lantern from a friend:
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Susan - I love your Christmas decorations in your caravan. It is plenty for your space.
We spent quite a while this morning at a retirement home singing carols with my daughter's school that she has my grandchildren attend one day a week. It is called Classical Conversations and they have some great ways of teaching the children things about mathamatics and history that is done by singing songs. It seems so much easier to learn when something is attached to music. All the students are home schooled and so well behaved. This afternoon we spend buying last minute gifts for the Christmas family gathering tomorrow night. My oldest grandaughter went with me and helped me know what to buy the other grandchildren. She babysits the home schooled ones and knows what they like. It was so nice to have her point out what they would like. She is 16 and growing up so fast. I have all of the presents wrapped that I could. It got to a point that if we could not find what we wanted, we just ordered it from Amazon in the store. It is so much easier especially since my husband has a "prime" account and we do not have to pay for shipping. Some gifts will arrive a little late so we will just have to put an IOU in their stockings so say it is coming or something like that.
We are watching a Christmas movie tonight and I just heard that they are ready to start it so I must go. We will have popcorn with the movie tonight.
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Thank you Susan for sharing your decorations in your caravan, very nice. Thank you for your kindness on my home decorations. This year it took me almost 2 weeks to decorate my home, however in past years I had my place done in a day and half. Well, I sure beat the record this year with taking longer than I have ever done; yup this gal has slowed down. 😳
I have really enjoyed your pictures you have shared in your weather updates. The building made out of sandstone was wonderful, architect was spot on!
Thank you Linda for your kindness on my decorating. I will keep the family in prayer. Sorry your cheese bread didn’t turn out as planned but I am sure it tasted better than you thought. We are our worst critics. I am sure I would of loved the bread! Yum yum! 😋 so kind of you to let the
Church use your home to hold their Church services while you are away. Enjoy being with your family over Christmas! Safe travels!
Marilyn the last two quotes have been really good. I so agree Keeping our eyes on the Gial and especially on Jesus!
Blessings all, May you all have a Blessed Christmas and a Happy and Peaceful New Year. Not sure about being here Christmas Eve as I am with Family and not sure how early I will get back home, my Daughter and family live out of town but Lord willing I hope to be here on Christmas
Day! God Bless you! ❤️🙏0 -
We had snow last night but not the accumulation they had expected. The roads are wet now but the snow is still on the grassy areas so maybe we will have a white Christmas. We are celebrating with family tonight after our Candlelight service with our soup potluck meal. Tomorrow we will be with just us in the house and expect it to be a calm and peaceful day.
The service was very inspiring today at church. The minister and his wife shared a scripture and then a Christmas carol that went with the scripture then we would sing it. It was so good to see our friends again too. We have been gone a month but after we leave on the 3rd of Jamuary we will be back here in the Denver area for a week starting the 15th while my daughter has weight loss surgery. It is not the big involved one but just cutting her stomach down in size. She has been going to lots of classes and has had a medical and mental evaluation to make sure she is willing to do the work necessary to loose her weight. She is determined that she will be successful. It will be learning a whole new way of eating.
Judith - We are also slowing down a bit as we age. I think we were not appreciating things as much when we were younger and now that it is taking longer, we are slowing down to enjoy the season more. I think it is with life in general. The things that were bothersome as younger people, not do not seem as important. I do miss the ability to go up and down stairs running as I did but my joints remind me to slow down when I forget.
Susan - you are already celebrating Christmas in your part of the world. I pray that you feel the peace and calm that accompanies the true meaning of Christmas and continue to have good health as you travel.0
