J for JOY - Day 10 Alert Level Four

 Agh yes, JOY, there is so much JOY to be found at Alert Level Four. Today is no exception. The morning started with another fabulous FitOn session, then it was into online mahi.

Another awesome patch of the section was tidied by Grant. This area has been quite overgrown and we've never really seen the need to clear extra space. How good does it look though!

And a walk around the garden and I discovered this little treasure I purchased from Hokonui alpines last year. It's a little daphne. I absolutely love the colour. 

A real treat at this time of lockdown was a necessary essential service patrol out in the forest. Oh how exciting to get out and take a picnic lunch. Shame about the weather but it was such a JOYFUL time to be out and about. 

An end of the day catch up with my amazing friends from Teacher's College topped a truly JOYFUL day!

I for inspire - Day 9 Alert Level Four

 I for INSPIRE, inspiration, inspirational, interesting, intriguing...

What a day today, I've been online for many, many hours today. Taking regular breaks and walking around the garden has kept me sane-ish.

In these times, it really is so important to take these breaks, to get out of the office, the house and around the garden. 

Inspiration was everywhere to be found in the garden today... When I took a break and Grant and I walked around the garden, Grant noticed flowers on this newbie. This is a plant I purchased at the Larnach Garden plant sale. I seem to remember it was a Michaelia, but not sure. What ever it is, I LOVE it....

I love seeing all of the hyacinths popping up... can't wait to pick them and have hyacinth perfume through the house...

My trilliums are popping up everywhere.

Another highlight in my day today was working with our team to unpack our strengths. 

Identifying strengths using the VIA strength survey can really help in so many ways. 

Working adults that know their own strengths are 9 times as likely to be psychologically flourishing as those who are unaware of their own strengths. Those that often use their strengths are 19 times as likely to be psychologically flourishing as those who seldom use their strengths.

(Hone et al., 2015)

Have you identified your strengths?

H for Hope - Day 8 Alert Level 4

H for Hope, and happy, hedges, heroes, home

What a day! The day started with work online, then a midday break for a bike ride.

What a ride... 29kms in the stunning sunshine, and the not so stunning swirling wind... I swear we biked into far too many head winds today.

I'm absolutely loving the time to cycle, and breathe the fresh air, and the time to notice different sights. 

Looking back across the dairy farms...

Paused on the bridge over the silver stream... interesting cloud formation today...

Lunch on the lawn in the sun is a precious treat. I am just loving the time at home.

...and there it goes, 29km around the Taieri. That's about as far as we can go without going out onto the main roads... Looking forward to lots more rides...

So much hope as we continue in level 4, so much hope that we might change levels on Friday with still no cases of COVID in the South Island...

 

G for Golden - Day 7 Alert Level 4

G for Golden, glorious, glow, goodtimes 

What a Golden day - 20 degrees, and you really can feel spring in the air. 

Online again, and a whole lot of sorting in my office. So happy to have a sustainable set up.

Today was all about walking rather than biking...

What stunning walk on a glorious day. 

It is just so awesome to walk in the local area. It was great to see so many people out and about exercising on a glorious day. 

Stunning blossom displays on our walk...

Intriguing to see how much you notice when you are walking, things I've driven right past and not paid any attention to...

We had a great walk around the Grange, Mosgiel's newest retirement village. Maybe one day in the distant future, this is where we will reside....

Home for a walk around the garden and oh what a stunning display. My miniature daffodil clumps are amazing this year. And the hellebores are just starting to flower - much later than usual...

Rounded off a glorious day with a Roast chicken dinner and nice rose - glorious....

F for FOUR - Day six Alert Level 4

 F for FOUR - a continuation of level four... F is also for fiery skies, friends, fun, full moon, fast, and so much more. 

Monday, and the work day looms, but time for FitOn and Yoga before the onslaught of online meetings. 

The morning disappeared into Zoom land...

Lunch outside in the sun, then back into Zoom. 

Finally, the end of work day arrived and off we went for our, now daily, bike ride. Turns out we should each take a phone and / or make a detailed plan of where we are biking. Lost site of Grant at the 9 km mark... and didn't find him again til the 25 km mark... Actually, he found me as he made it home after searching for me for some time, and came looking in the ute. Turns out we were only one block apart... I should listen more closely to the 'plans'... and we should ride closer together... 

I saw a whole lot of riders in yellow, but none of them were him...

Home by 6 to listen to the news that the Alert Level 4 has been extended to the end of the week. 

An end of the day walk around the garden, and wow, spring really is springing.

Tired legs, at the end of the day! 

So so funny to see the memes appearing from Chris Hipkins blooper yesterday, stretch your legs became spread your legs... teehee

So many clumps of daffodils and mini daffodils flowering in the garden... and the promise of hyacinths just around the corner...

So awesome to pick a stunning bunch of very fragrant early cheer, in my birthday vase from Mary Anne...

Stunning skies tonight...

Another big day on the bike...

FitOn badges 22 August 2021

I truly can't rave enough about FitOn. I love the exercises, the workouts, and I love the ongoing motivation.  

Fifth toning workout - results starting to show.

Woohoo, that sure is a bit of consistency!!!!

E for Energetic - Day 5 Alert Level 4

 E for Energetic, and exhausted, energy, enthusiastic, easy, 

After another great sleep I decided today was a great opportunity to bake and cook and get some meals in the freezer for upcoming events.  I had soaked the fruit overnight and was interested to try Jenny's fruit loaf recipe. It was a bit of a mixed result. The small loaf was great, but I didn't cook the large one long enough, so the birds got a big lunch!

I also baked two sticky date puddings, and a large date loaf.

Great to get the freezer stacked. 

Then it was off for a bike ride. The sun had finally come out, and we decided to have a gentle ride. Check out some of the amazing footpath artwork, and games people are adding. Unreal! I didn't add the bears today as there was a bit of a drunken bear theme going on out there. 

I truly don't think I have ever seen so many people on Mosgiel streets! So great to see families out biking, walking, jogging...

So the last three days we've biked 11km, 12km, 13km, so why not up it a bit? 23km? Hmmmmm that was a big jump up and I sure am feeling that tonight. 

A nice rose with dinner, and for those of you that know the wine COVID testing video, yes, I took a couple of tests tonight... hahahaha

...and back in the kitchen, I round the night off with baking three batches of lasagne! And I am pleased to confirm it is delicious.

Energised to exhausted.... and it may indeed be an early night for me tonight... 

 

D for Delightful - Day 4 Level Four Alert

 D for Delightful, daffodils, dreamy, D as in Vitamin D, dramatic, duck, and dinner...

What a day! We started with a -6 frost, then the sun shone. We got out in the garden and managed to complete a task that has need attention for a very long time. We repaired the stone path around the vege garden and concreted it. What a delightful sight indeed. 

An afternoon in the garden was a real pleasure in the sunshine. I finally moved the reeds from the back and put my new rustaholic reeds in. 

Then it was off for another bike ride. We are gradually increasing the distance each day, and I have to admit, saddle seat is real.  So many incredible sites for Isolation - driveway drinks, bears back out and this incredible chalk hopscotch...

A trip to New World this evening was a very pleasant experience with no queues and shelves very well stocked. 

Roast Duck for dinner was another delight. 

The highlight of the delights though has to be FaceTime and the opportunity to read bedtime stories to lil guy!!!

Delightful day indeed!