We are spending this
Christmas in Sydney for a change. We enjoyed Christmas lunch in Marigold
Chinese Restaurant in the heart of Chinatown.
We had Peking Duck
which was the best alternative to Roast Turkey we could find. In the end it was
quite a feast.
I'm still working
out how to use my new Apple Watch but I'm loving how it regularly taps me to
stand up and move. I'm also a fan of the stats it produces.
We returned to our
apartment, threw on sports gear and decided to get out amongst the superb
Sydney weather. It was a cracker of a day - not a cloud in the sky and 27
degrees.
Here's Hyde Park
looking lovely.
And then through the
Botantic Gardens until we found this view.
Back in the car on
Boxing Day and headed south to the seaside town of Batemans Bay. On the way we
visited Bald Hill Lookout and the view was spectacular.
Batemans Bay we
pretty chilled and we took to the beach as you should.
We decided this year on a road trip down south to Sydney and surrounding areas. First stop was Port Macquarie. It's about 6 hours' drive south of Brisbane. It's a wonderful seaside holiday spot. We visited the Tacking Point Lighthouse.
And Lake Cathie Beach.
And the convict-built St Thomas Anglican Church.
On day 2 we arrived into Sydney just after midday. We checked into our room and then started exploring.
First stop was Darling Harbour where we enjoyed some sangria and sharing plates.
We headed into Martin Place and through the main shopping district.
We picked up a few drinks and items for Christmas Day snacking.
I confess I'm a girl who has a nasty Mean Girl inside ready to tell me things I don't want to hear like, "You're not good enough, you're a slack Mum, you're not a good enough friend, wife" etc. You know the kind of inner talk that's not at all helpful.
I watched Melissa Ambrosini being interviewed by Jules Sebastian (Guy Sebastian's wife) about her new book on Tea with Jules and was intrigued.
What I learnt
To think about every decision, in every day, to be based on love not fear. For example, going to the gym because of love - how it makes my body feel strong and flexible, not because of fear - because I'll get fat and flabby. Basically it's about having a different mindset and making decisions based on positive factors rather than focusing on doing things out of fear.
I also learnt about saying no, letting go of things (often from the past) that I still get hung up over. I learnt to surround myself only with people that make me feel good and stop wasting time on those that don't.
Another frustration is expectations - expecting others to do things to the standard that I expect. We are all working on a different operating system and by dropping my expectations I will be more satisfied with interactions with others.
I try to spend at least a small part of every day things about the things in my life for which I am grateful (normally on my morning bus commute). There are lots of things to be grateful for - health, family, love, food, job, safety, living in beautiful Brisbane and the choice to live my life the way I want to.
I'm also realising that I need to believe that I'm worth it before others will think the same thing.
It got me thinking about who my top 5 friends are and why I love them so much - love you Mr P, Anita, Susannah, Angela and Amy (you know who you are)!
And finally I started thinking about what legacy I want to leave behind. I think for me to be considered a good Mum by my kids would be the ultimate compliment. Oh and of course to be a loving wife would be great too. I also want to be known as a good friend, good employee and someone that's always trying to do their best and keep on improving. What's your legacy? Maybe one this blog will be mine.
If you want a read that can help you think about how life is a rollercoaster that we can all take control of, this might be the book for you. There's lots of exercises at the end of each section to help you cement and practise your new learnings. The book also covers meditation and mindfulness (both of which I was already a massive fan of).
Melissa's book is available on iBooks or at any good bookstore.
I picked up this dress last season from Portmans. I first wore it out to dinner with Mr P. Miss P took some great photos and I uploaded them to Instagram.
Portmans saw the post and re-posted the look on their Instagram page - how cool. Miss P, you did a great job!!
I decided to wear it again, this time to work on Melbourne Cup Day. Any excuse to dress up I say.
I paired it with my trusty white Novo heels and got lots of comments. It really is a stunning dress.
Portmans does seem to be the shop that's been ticking lots of boxes for me.
I kept my accessories to a minimum because the dress has a lot going on. I pulled my hair back in what can only be described as a very low maintenance.
Here's a light, healthy meal for a warm spring/summer night when you don't feel like anything too heavy. It took Miss P and I just 25 minutes to go from start to wow.
Ingredients
500g spaghetti
Olive oil cooking spray
4 short-cut bacon rashes, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon lemon zest
6 green shallots, white part only thinly sliced
2 zucchini, grated
1/3 cup of Philly Cream for Cooking
100g baby rocket leaves
Method
Cook spaghetti according to packet instructions.
Meanwhile, spray frying pan with oil and place over medium-high heat. Cook bacon stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes until golden. Add garlic, lemon zest and shallots.
Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add zucchini and cook for 2-3 minutes, until zucchini is tender.
Add Cream for Cooking and stir to combine.
Add bacon mixture to hot pasta with 3/4 of the rocket and toss to combine.
Season with black pepper.
Divide pasta between serving bowls and top with remaining rocket to serve.
Rocket can be replaced with spinach or watercress leaves.
