Peanuts and Beer and Love

As this weekend draws closer I am feeling less and less like I am going to be able to cope with it.






It is my birthday on Sunday.







Sunday is Father's Day.











When I was a kid, I resented the fact that my birthday sometimes fell on Father's day, but as I got older, I cherished it. I ALWAYS saw my Dad on Father's Day. Even in the midst of 'The Missing Years' when I had barely anything to do with my family, I still went home on Father's Day. This year I want to be as far from home as possible. The furtherest the budget currently allows is Echuca, so that is where I will be, but if I had my way I'd be hiding under a rock in Morocco or Vladivostok.





I can feel myself crashing, but I don't know how to stop it. I have a wonderful husband who is trying so hard to understand, but he just... doesn't. He can't, no matter how hard he tries. It's not his fault and I don't blame him, but there is an irrational part of me that wishes he understood. I wish everyone understood, even though I know they can't, for they aren't ME and they haven't lost MY Dad.

Dad, I wish you were here to share the day with me, one more time.

Wherever you are on Sunday, from the bottom of my heart I hope you have a wonderful Father's Day, filled with peanuts and beer and love.

Bits and Bobs

Current ETA on the Castle is 3 weeks from now! Yay!


I lost 800 grams this week! Not sure how, but I do not question these things...




Have I told you how much I LOVE lolcats? Well, I do. A lot.

Here are my current two favourites. They come from here and here.

I hope they brighten up your day as much as they have brightened up mine.

If you liked these, you will LOVE the lolbible. It features such classics as 'Oh! Hai Mary!'


Hope you are having a great week and you have a wonderful weekend.

What Do Meatloaf And Teddy Ruxpin Have In Common?

I saw this on a blog somewhere, but I can't remember where. If it was yours, let me know and I will give you due credit.



The idea is to get your partner to answer questions about you, so without further ado, here are Chyken's...





1. What is something your wife always says to you?
I'll just get this one pimple.


2. What makes your wife happy?
Sleep.


3. What makes your wife sad?
Farts, snoring and not getting to pinch her husband.


4. How does your wife make you laugh?
She impersonates Teddy Ruxpin.


5. What was your wife like as a child?
Defiant.


6. What is her favourite thing to do?
Sleep, drive.


7. What does your wife do when you're not around?
Not sure - webcam is not working properly.


8. If your wife became famous, what would it be for?
Dancing.


9. What is your wife really good at?
Thinking she is entitled to pick pimples, making lasagne.


10. What is your wife not very good at?
Dancing.


11. What does your wife do for her job?
Listens to whingers and being called Doris.


12. What is your wife's favourite food?
Meatloaf.


13. What makes you proud of your wife?
Her intelligence, humour, generosity.


14. If your wife was a cartoon character, who would she be?
Garfield.


15. What do you and your wife do together?
Drive.


16. How are you and your wife the same?
Enjoy theatre, comedy


17. How are you and your wife different?
I'm a great singer.


18. How do you know your wife loves you?
She lets me think I'm the favourite parent.


19. Where is your wife's favourite place to go?
Lots: Salzburg, Glenaroua, York, Paris, Oklahoma.

Time To Get Serious!

Enough piss farting around, it is time to get serious. I need to get back on the WW bandwagon, and although I do not want to make this blog all about weight loss, since Chickens and Bees is about me, then it kinda already is by default.

In an attempt to help me do this, I am going to list some rewards for goals here, otherwise I will just continue to buy crap I don't really need to 'reward' myself, or worse still, reward myself with bad food, which is totally the wrong way to go about it!

Firstly, for every 100 grams I lose I will award myself $2. This will be put in a moneybox that I need a can opener to open and be used to fund a new wardrobe when I reach my goal weight.

So, these are the major milestones and how I plan to reward myself:

• When I lose 10 kilograms I will get myself a new handbag.


• When I lose 15 kilograms I will have my car professionally cleaned at one of those places where 800 people polish it at once. (Hey - stop knocking my dreams!!!)


• When I lose 20 kilograms I will get a complete set of new linen for our bed. Oh how I love new linen!


• When I lose 25 kilograms I will get $75 to spend at Snapfish however I like.


• When I lose 30 kilograms I will get a facial at a fancy day spa type place.


• When I lose 35 kilograms I will go away for a weekend with Chyken to somewhere amazing like Phillip Island, Echuca, Walhalla, Lakes Entrance or The Grampians.

When I have lost more than 35 kilograms I will be over half way and I will give myself a new set of goals and rewards.

In addition to this, I think I should be rewarded for % milestones:

• 10% - $50 to spend at Snapfish however I like.


• 20% - Boat cruise on the Yarra to Williamstown and/or St Kilda.


• 30% (this will just about coincide with going under 100kg!) - $100 Snapfish spend up.


• 40% - A nice wooden proper jewellery box.


• Goal Weight! - Something from Tiffany & co. (Made of silver, containing hardly any diamonds...)

This should keep me going for while I reckon. Wish me luck!

If you have any ideas on how I should reward myself I'd love to hear them!

THREE Weeks!

Howdy to all three of you that read this blog. Actually, while I'm here, if you read it, please leave me a comment so I know this isn't all a waste of time. Do you like my new background and stuff?



Anyway, I have news! We might be living in the Castle in just THREE weeks!!!



Yahoooooooooooooooooo!!!!


Here is what it looks like now. Garden needs some work!

The Box Set Exercise Plan

I bought a gym membership when we were living 2 minutes from the gym. We have since moved, and it has become a bit of a struggle to get there as often as I would like to.





We will be moving again soon, further still from said gym, and the membership will nearly be finished by then anyway, but I really need to exercise. Weight Watchers alone is not going to shift the large amount of extra weight I am carrying around.

This is my dilemma, do I shell out more money for a gym near the Castle? Do I give up on the whole thing because it costs so much and is too much effort? I could... but....

I have devised a plan.

We are getting a treadmill. I intend to set it up in front of a TV and to USE it.











More specifically, I intend to watch 'Friends' while I am on it. Every. Single. Episode.

When I run out of episodes of that, I will move onto 'Will and Grace'. When I've seen all those I will watch 'Sex and the City'. After that? 'McLeod's Daughter's'. After that? Who knows? (Your suggestions are very welcome!)

Perhaps when I have lost shitloads of weight I can write a book about it and publishers will pay me obscene amounts of money to travel around the world and talk about it? Perhaps not, but I'm going to give it a go anyway!!!

Bits Of My Weekend - Volume Seventeen

Here are some bits of my weekend...

Went to the Castle... The bathroom just needs a shower screen now...

Kitchen might need some more work...

Lunch with friends on Sunday...

Lemon Meringue Pie. Home grown lemons and eggs!

My current two favourite pictures of my second cousin, Oliver...

Found some puddles on the way home. Believe it or not, this is after we 'rinsed' some of the mud off...

What happened this weekend in your corner of the world?

Bits Of My Weekend is a concept stolen from Michelle at 6 in the City. She's had some stuff going on in her life that have meant she hasn't posted for a few weeks. If you have the time, please go over to her site and show her some support.

Let It Be

On Wednesday night Chyken and I went to Let It Be, a Beatles tribute concert. There was a 15 piece band that were great and the songs were performed by Jon Stevens, John Waters, Doug Parkinson and Jack Jones. They were all AMAZING, it was one of the best concerts I have ever been to. Chyken was impressed by the musicianship, I was mostly impressed by the tight pants. No, seriously, it was note perfect, and you could see how much each of the guys loved what they were doing.

They performed 32 (give or take) Lennon McCartney songs ranging from Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds to Yesterday. Jack Jones did a guitar solo during 'I Want You (She's So Heavy) that went on for about 10 minutes and literally sent shivers up and down my spine.

After the show Jack Jones and John Waters were in the foyer signing CD's. They were only too happy to have this photo taken with me!

If you ever see Let It Be advertised near you, do yourself a favour and go!!!!

Bits Of My Weekend - Volume Sixteen

I've been posting this for 16 weeks? Really? Fair enough, if you say so then it must be true.

Saturday we popped by the Castle.
We almost have bathrooms!

Close up of the feature strip...

Sunday night we caught up with Brian and Kristen one last time in Melbourne. We went to Mrs Parma's.

Chyken and Brian had the Parma-geddon.

Kristen had a Mexican parma.

I had the Kiev Parma. It was every bit as good as it looks!

Cheers Guys! We miss you already!!!

What did you get up to this weekend?

Bits Of My Weekend - Volume Fifteen

Another weekend has been and gone. A friend of Chyken's was visiting from America, so we took them out on Saturday to some of our favourite places.

Chyken met Brian when he was here at Uni in the olden days, so the first stop was to visit the old stomping ground - La Trobe Uni!

Here they are in front of their old college, Chisholm.

Next stop was the St Andrews Market. This man was dressed as a leopard. I'm not sure why, but he seemed to be enjoying it!

Then we went to the Clarkefield Pub for lunch. I always look at the menu in detail, but I always order the chicken kiev. It was, as always, delicious!

We then popped into the Castle. Hurrah for tradesmen that don't lock doors! Here is the kitchen.


Hallway...


The happy honeymooning couple, Brian and Kristen. You can read about their adventures in the Land of Oz here.


Stopped off at home for Chyken to change shirts and a quick squirt on his pride and joy.


Brian was very concerned about Kristen going on the bike... Didn't want to go on himself, we eventually talked him into it and he LOVED it. He is now trying to convince Kristen that he should get one when they get back home.


Then we went past Hanging Rock, but we were fast running out of light, so no picnic for us.


Finished up with a group shot at Chyken Snr's.

Brian is like an American Chyken, and we had a wonderful day out and about with them. We hope to be able to visit them in New York sometime soon!





What did YOU do this weekend?