Life of Bridey

May Goals

noreply@blogger.com (Bridey) — Mon, 07 May 2012 23:50:00 +0000

Please just ignore the fact that we're already one week into May (how did that happen?) while I belatedly make some new goals for the month. Since we're leaving the country in a matter of days (!) I'm only planning on completing a couple of goals in May:

Visit at least three new countries
Take a lot of photos
Read another book from my list (long plane trips mean lots of reading time)

And progress on my April goals was a little lacking this month, oh well!

Go on another date night (yes! We went to the Hunger Games movie)
Finish my travel photo book (not even close...)
Go to the gym at least twelve times (yes!)
Try another two new recipes (not that I remember)
Meditate for at least ten minutes three days each week (nope)

Current Obsession: Hunger Games

noreply@blogger.com (Bridey) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 23:03:00 +0000

I finally got my hands on a copy of the Hunger Games trilogy (thanks Katie!) and spent pretty much the whole weekend reading obsessively. I read the first book in one sitting and didn't finish til 3am, and then immediately started the second book... I had to force myself to stop and get some sleep, but the next morning I couldn't resist and got so caught up I forgot to eat until the afternoon! I started the final book last night and have a feeling it won't take me long to devour that either.

Now that I've read the first book I'm really looking forward to going to the movie, I'm planning a date night with Owen this week sometime. Though of course Donald Sutherland has to be in it - he's given me the heebie-jeebies ever since watching Invasion of the Body Snatchers (creepy, right?) and seems to make an appearance in just about everything!

Oh, I've also had to add another excuse to my not-going-to-the-gym list: reading a really good book!

A New Resolution

noreply@blogger.com (Bridey) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 04:11:00 +0000

Photo Credit

I'm starting to realise that I'm an all or nothing type of person - I'm not really that good at moderation! This is especially true when it comes to trying to make healthier decisions. I find it easier to completely stop eating something (like no sugar for a month) than to try and just eat less of it.

This insight has meant that I've set myself a new fitness goal. You may have noticed that one of my April goals is to go to the gym at least twelve times, but I've decided that I can do better. A lot better.

My new goal is to go to the gym first thing every day. When I was only aiming for three times a week it was too easy to come up with excuses and I'd keep putting it off. Now that I'm committed to going every day there's no way I can talk myself out of a visit to the gym. I am now only accepting two excuses:

Serious injury
Serious illness

This strategy has been working well so far (eight days in a row as of today!) and I plan to keep it up for three more weeks (until we leave the country and I won't have access to a gym for a month) and then I'll have to get back into it when we return!

Pizza Roulette

noreply@blogger.com (Bridey) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 18:00:00 +0000

In the weekend Owen and I went round to Kristan's house for dinner. We ordered pizza and were feeling brave so decided to try pizza roulette. This means that hot sauce is added to only one piece of pizza, and nobody has any idea which one.

And when I say hot sauce, I mean the hottest hot sauce you can imagine - the type that keeps getting worse even when you've stopped eating, the type that makes your eyes water and your nose run, the type that makes your lips burn and your mouth go a bit numb, the type that is made worse by drinking water (but you try doing it anyway).

How do I know? I lost!

My Favourite Husband

noreply@blogger.com (Bridey) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 00:30:00 +0000

A couple of days ago Owen surprised me with the new Black Keys album on vinyl. I've been talking about buying it for the last few weeks, so I was very excited! Much dancing has been happening around the house this weekend.

Owen went to a lot of effort to keep it quiet, including using some of his overtime money and buying the album through one of his workmates so I wouldn't know about it. He's definitely my favourite husband!

Blog Love

noreply@blogger.com (Bridey) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:41:00 +0000

Some more of my favourite blogs:

Bicycle, Bicycle

noreply@blogger.com (Bridey) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 05:03:00 +0000

Although I haven't made any progress on my restoration project (maybe this weekend?) I've been spending a lot of time thinking about bicycle accessories and paraphernalia. Some of the things that have caught my eye:

This chainguard, or maybe one of the head badges (from here)

A leather bicycle wine rack like this one (from here)

Some monogrammed leather handlebar grips in black (from here)

And a wicker basket that looks something like this (from here)

Dance-O-Mat

noreply@blogger.com (Bridey) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:00:00 +0000

With all the empty spaces around Christchurch from buildings being demolished a "creative urban regeneration initiative" has been set up to make use of some of them.

Gap Filler aims to temporarily activate vacant sites within Christchurch with creative projects, to make for a more interesting, dynamic and vibrant city. Site-specific projects can help us celebrate, mourn and criticise all that we’ve lost; can help us play, experiment and toy with ideas for the future; can make otherwise empty areas active; and can ultimately pave the way in the revitalisation of the city.

Some of the projects include a book exchange, a giant chess set, bicycle-powered cinema, and the Dance-O-Mat which was in use when I went into the city last Saturday.

The Dance-O-Mat is a dance floor with coin operated sound and lighting courtesy of a converted washing machine, and anyone can use it as long as they have an mp3 player to plug in to the system. It looks like so much fun!

April Goals

noreply@blogger.com (Bridey) — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 11:09:00 +0000

I can't believe it's April already! March was quite a busy month and May looks set to be the same, so I'm going to take it easy this month. So my goals for April:

Go on another date night
Finish my travel photo book
Go to the gym at least twelve times
Try another two new recipes
Meditate for at least ten minutes three days each week

Progress on my goals for March:

Send in the last assignments for the editing course (yes!)
Climb to the top of Mount Fyffe (yes!)
Go on another couple of date nights (no)
Finish reading Jane Eyre (yes!)
Buy a hammock (...no, I think I'll wait for next summer)
Buy another indoor plant (yes!)
Try three new recipes (yes!)

Goal Journal Update

noreply@blogger.com (Bridey) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 09:57:00 +0000

Four goals down, so things are pretty much on track! I like having a central place to keep track of everything and creating something visual of the goals I'm completing is pretty motivating. Plus I'm enjoying doing some basic scrap booking, my favourite element is these Complete! stickers (if you want some for yourself click here to download and print them on a sheet of label paper).

Even though the vanilla essence won't be mature til August, I've already used a little. It smells more like vanilla than vodka which is a good sign!

You may have noticed that February was quite a productive month on the blogging front! It's been a little quiet lately and since I enjoyed posting every day I'd like to get back to a more regular schedule again.

I'd been ignoring an every-growing pile of papers for months and it was such a relief to finally get them sorted! So far my new and improved filing system is working well, I just need to stay on top of things.

I'm so glad to cross Mt Fyffe off my list - it's been something I've been wanting to do for ages. The sore muscles were worth it!

And the other goals I'm working on at the moment:

Finish the proofreading and editing course (I'm waiting for my final results)
Buy more indoor plants (two so far)
Update photo albums (I'm making progress on one travel photo book)
Try new recipes (eight so far)
Read five books from my list (one finished and one more almost finished)

Stay tuned for more updates!

Travel Plans: Brussels

noreply@blogger.com (Bridey) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 23:02:00 +0000

For our first foray into Europe this trip we've booked train tickets from London to Brussels for Owen's birthday. Since we're only staying one night I want to try and fit in a lot, but not too much (I like having time for aimless wandering and loitering).

Photo Credits

I'm looking forward to exploring the Old Town (which is usually one of my favourite parts of visiting cities in Europe) and whatever else we do I'm sure there will also be much eating of chocolate!

Mt Fyffe

noreply@blogger.com (Bridey) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 09:14:00 +0000

I've been hobbling around all day today after climbing a mountain on the weekend! On Saturday I walked to the top of Mt Fyffe, along with my mama and my pup. The weather was perfect and I was happy to cross another goal off my list.

It took us most of the day and we agreed that going up was fine, but coming back down the steep road was torture! I now think that stairs are a terrible invention (Owen said I remind him of a crab since I've been walking down them sideways at the moment!) although I hope everything'll be back to normal by the end of the week when my legs have recovered.

Things I Need to Remember

noreply@blogger.com (Bridey) — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 03:53:00 +0000

There are a few things that I feel like I've finally got figured out, but for some reason I keep forgetting or ignoring my own advice! I thought writing everything down in one spot might be a good way to remind myself. So here are a list of things I need to remember:

A second game of ten pin bowling is always one too many.
Chocolate cake is only worth eating with raspberries.
The best ice cream is chocolate in a waffle cone, don't settle for the other types.
Doing the dishes at night might be a pain but it's better than waking up to a messy kitchen.
Going to the supermarket while hungry is a terrible idea.

Do any of these apply to you? What are the things you need to remember?

Snapshots: Quiet Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Bridey) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Green Smoothies - What's the Secret?

noreply@blogger.com (Bridey) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 06:20:00 +0000

Photo Credit

The one and only time I tried making a green smoothie was a dismal failure. I can't remember the combination, but it included cabbage and tasted awful. It was almost enough to put me off completely!

But I'd like to give green smoothies another try. I'm a little suspicious that they could ever taste any good though, and really need a successful recipe (and maybe some tips about the process too). We have heaps of silver beet going to waste in the garden so now seems like the perfect time for one more attempt.

So... what combinations have you tried and would recommend? How much green should actually go in to the smoothie? Do you think I could freeze batches? Do you solemnly swear that it tastes good?

Please share your wisdom!

March Goals

noreply@blogger.com (Bridey) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 03:37:00 +0000

Now that March is here it feels like the start of the year is definitely over (not to mention summer, it got cold so fast!). My plans for March include:

Send in the last assignments for the editing course
Climb to the top of Mount Fyffe (before it gets even colder)
Go on another couple of date nights
Finish reading Jane Eyre
Buy a hammock (I've talked enough now time for action!)
Buy another indoor plant
Try three new recipes

My progress with my February goals:

Post every day on my blog this month (yes!)
Buy another indoor plant (nope, I forgot about this)
Get my bike ready to be assembled (not even close)
Go to a meditation class (no)
Try another four new recipes (only one)
Finish the last two tutorials for the editing course(so close!)
Go on a couple more date nights (yes!)

Secret Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Bridey) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 10:30:00 +0000

We still have a lot of work to do on our garden (especially after neglecting it for the last few weeks). Some of the elements I would love to eventually include (via Pinterest):

Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3, Photo 4, Photo 5, Photo 6

Setting up a hammock in the backyard has now made it to the top of my list of things to do!

Current Obsession: Ultimate Sandwich

noreply@blogger.com (Bridey) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Photo Credit

Ever since reading this blog post I've become obsessed with the ultimate sandwich. So much so that about 80% of my diet currently consists of sandwiches or sandwich derivitives. When I tried to make a shopping list today I couldn't think of anything else we could have for a meal.

The key is to make a sandwich so big that you can only just manage to take a bite. I've been dreaming up the best combinations and our latest attempt included (from top to bottom):

Ciabata bread
Melted cheese
Avocado
Cos lettuce
Sundried tomoato
Chicken
Mushrooms fried in butter
Artichoke
More melted cheese
Ciabata bread

I can't wait for Thursday, which is officially ultimate sandwich night at our house!

Travel Plans: Rome

noreply@blogger.com (Bridey) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 21:00:00 +0000

I'll be in Rome for my birthday this year (how's that for good planning!) and I can't wait to explore the Eternal City.

I'm really looking forward to seeing the Pantheon, I studied classics and I'm interested in anything to do with mythology. The Colosseum is also high on my list of places to see. I've realised that I'd much rather visit historical sites (like this or this) than go to museums or galleries.

Photo Credits

Of course I'm also looking forward to the food, that was one of my favourite things about our first visit to Italy!

Snapshots: Secret Cinema

noreply@blogger.com (Bridey) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 10:30:00 +0000

Blog Love

noreply@blogger.com (Bridey) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 22:11:00 +0000

Some of my favourite blogs at the moment:

Secret Cinema

noreply@blogger.com (Bridey) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 09:50:00 +0000

Photo Credit

This weekend there's a portable secret cinema in town. Nobody has any idea of the location, the time, or the movie that will be playing - we only find out where we need to go a couple of hours in advance via text message. The series is called Back to the Eighties and so far they've screened the Goonies and ET, I can't wait to see what the next one will be!

So on Sunday I'll be packing up a picnic rug and a big bag of popcorn (no movie experience is complete without popcorn) and waiting for the top secret instructions. I'm so excited!

Down With Sugar

noreply@blogger.com (Bridey) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:37:00 +0000

Remember when I went a whole month without eating any sugar? I need to do that again.

Photo Credit

Tonight I ate enough cake to make myself feel sick (there was so much nice food at Book Swap Club and I got carried away) which is never a good move. This last week or so I've been out of control with my sugar consumption and something needs to change.

Obviously I'm not very good at moderation when it comes to sugar so I'm going to cut it all out again. And to make myself more accountable I'm going to let as many people as I can know about my latest challenge.

Hopefully I'll make it at least two months this time.

One Year Ago

noreply@blogger.com (Bridey) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:51:00 +0000

Photo Credit

It's an emotional day here in Christchurch today. Over 10,000 earthquakes so far and every day we hope for no more big ones.

Weird Dreams

noreply@blogger.com (Bridey) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:57:00 +0000

I often have pretty strange dreams (like these!) and these would have to be some of the weirdest:

Photo Credit

1
I'm not sure what I was doing in outer space, and I'm really not sure why my grandma was with me, but something went terribly wrong and we were somehow ejected from the space craft. And then we exploded (as you do!)

2
Probably the most disturbing dream I've had, I discovered that my palm was hollow and full of cobwebs since there were spiders living inside. I'm not usually bothered my spiders but in this case I definitely was!

3
In a recent dream I found out that the world was about to end. The thing I was most worried about? That I was going to lose my blog since it was only backed up on earth. I think that this month of daily blogging is starting to mess with my head...