Nothing much to say really!

I'm having an ordinary sort of a week - not doing anything too bad but not exactly setting the world on fire. Good old TOM showed up after a 6 week break and while I don't really suffer, I do find that I tend to feel a bit mediocre for want of a better expression. So weight wise nothing too exciting just been really maintaining but need to lose some more before I get too settled into maintaining but like so many of you I seem to be turning the handle but the motor refuses to crank. However come the weekend I'm sure I'll start to spark up - need to finish packing as I'm working till Wednesday and have evening appointments at beauticians, hairdressers and kennels with Zanna every night and then we have to leave here at 6.30am on Thursday to drive to the airport and then we're up, up and away to New Zealand and then early the following week I have my first live blogger meeting with Chris and Anne and then hopefully Lee-anne - I'm so excited but nervous too. But it will be good practice as I plan to do more of it when I'm in Scotland. Hoping to get to Edinburgh one day to catch up with Lainey and Shauna. My other hope while I'm there is to meet up with a guy I went to school with. There were 3 of us in the Higher Latin class - two boys and I and I think I used to lead them terribly astray. Anyway after leaving school I saw and heard nothing of this guy - Al for many many years then about 3 or 4 years ago we got in touch through Friends Reunited and we've been emailing reasonably regularly ever since. I had originally thought that I might be able to catch up for a night on the way home to Oz as I passed through Heathrow but of course I've now got a flight direct to Glasgow from Amsterdam so won't be at Heathrow. So then I emailed him telling him I was coming and wondering if he was going to be up in Scotland seeing his Mum (who lives only about 10 miles from my Mum) while I was there. Unfortunately he leaves to go back to London from Scotland on 28 December - the same day as I leave Australia. Anyway we're both really keen to meet up so I might have a quick jaunt to London for the weekend - there's some nice shops there!!! (major understatement) and I should be able to pick up a cheap flight there and back. But it's going to be so strange meeting up with someone I once knew well - and last saw 36 years ago!! when I was 16. We've both changed heaps - we exchange photos (think I've improved out of sight since then and he's now drop dead gorgeous! - I'm a granny and his children are 12 and 16.) - but I think underneath the silly 16 year olds are still lurking! So there could be an interesting post about the reunion coming up in early January. Right, can't think of anything else worth mentioning. My next post will probably be from 'The Land of the Long White Cloud' and I'll make sure we capture plenty of photos of the Kiwi/Kiwi Scot/ Oz Scot meeting. Have a brilliant week good people. Love Zanna xx ps Thinking that since Chris and Anne have always thought of as my blog name Zanna - they'll probably keep calling me that instead of my real name Anne. And every time they say Zanna, Bloss will probably look round thinking that they're talking to the dog!!! pps And for someone who didn't have much to say I've managed quite a lengthy post!!

Lynched by Livy

Well I've been nobbled again - this time by the Lovely Livy. Today I have to share with you 5 random facts about me that you don't already know. Now since I am one of those menopausal ladies whose memory has run off with a younger man/woman and I've been blogging for a couple of years - the bottom line is I've no idea what I've already told you all. But I'll try to dig down in the memory bank and find something you just might not already know. 1. I wasn't a virgin until I got married! There now .... that got you all sitting up straight. And what's more it's true. My maiden name was Brown but I married a guy whose surname was Virgin - absolutely true - I have a marriage certificate to prove it. So hence I wasn't a virgin until after I got married. Just for your interest we actually changed it to something similar but more normal when I was pregnant with our eldest son. 2. Nowadays I come across now as a very feminine sort of a person who enjoys things like perfume, mascara, false nails, jewellery and high heels. But I was an incredible tomboy as a child - spent many hours riding my pony through the forests behind our home with only my dog as additional company. I also acquired many farming skills and spent many school holidays helping in the milking parlour at my uncle's farm - so yes, I can milk a cow. 3. I was one of the first two woman in Scotland to achieve a Certificate of Professional Competence in National Road Haulage Operations (a Transport Manager). The ensuing article and photo in several national newspapers several months later (while I was still known as A. Virgin) resulted in a series of obscene phone calls from a bit of a filthy smooth talker. What he didn't know was that while he was making all these suggestions about the underwear I was wearing, in actual fact I was nine months pregnant with my eldest, absolutely huge and definitely not wearing brief undies as he fondly imagined! 4. I said in my last 'tag' that I'm not a swearer - just something I don't do - might think it occasionally but don't usually verbalise. However I got rid of the above smooth talker by letting rip one day with everything I'd ever learned while working in the transport industry - not pretty I can tell you..... and the funny thing ... he never did call back!!! 5. At one stage of my life when we were rather short of funds, I took up part time market research to earn a few extra dollars. This was a fascinating experience where you have to sell yourself rather than a particular item or concept so that people will talk to you. One particular survey I was involved in was looking at Australian woman and the lives they had led. It could have been a really invasive survey but was incredibly well written and designed so that the participants usually ended up quite happily giving the required information (which was all anonymous anyway). But I was asking women about the relationships they had had, pregnancies they had had, contraception they had used etc. Very personal stuff. It was mind blowing stuff and amazing to find how many people had a story - which you would never have guessed on first meeting them. What was intensely gratifying to me was the number of these woman who after participating in this interview with me, said that they had unearthed emotions, thoughts and feelings that they had buried for years and actually ended up thanking me for letting them talk to me. A very humbling experience for me and one which gave me much more understanding of my 'sisters' in this world. Well chaps, that was a big story - hope you enjoyed it and now who can I tag? Maria - you thrive on this! and I need to keep nurturing my little flower. Cat - you have far too much time on your hands and I need to stop you getting up to mischief! Betty - I've just stumbled across your blog and you've got lots of interesting ideas and thoughts. And I think you're nowhere near as tough as you make out to be! Joc - because I know you're special but you still haven't realised it yet! Anne - because I suspect we're very alike in lots of ways and I'm going to be lucky enough to meet you in the next couple of weeks to find out just how much! Go girls go!! Love Z xx

Caught by a Cat!!

Cat has tagged me so here goes: Four dishes I like to cook (actually I'm over cooking - used to do it lots but now it's just a means of fuelling the body) Baked Atlantic Salmon Lamb Loin Chops in Mint Seafood Delight Shortbread (the real stuff) Four qualities I love in people Fun and laughter Self honesty Caring Personal pride Four places I have been Marrakesh, Morocco Seville, Spain Tokyo, Japan Havana, Cuba Four things in my bedroom Bloss (he's chained to the bed!!!!) Full length mirror - how can anyone leave the house without looking in one?? A glamour pic of me taken when I was 40 A sheepskin rug (Beck will understand the significance of this!) Four dirty words I like to use Bugger Shit Filthy Grotty (I'm not a swearer - don't shrivel up and die when I hear swearing but it's just not my style.) Four people I'm tagging (all the L's cos I've learned an "L" of a lot from all of them) Livy (who lives in my part of the world and is a bit of a rebel like me - or what I used to be) Lainey (who I get to meet in about 7 weeks and who talks funny like I do) Lee-anne- private (who I might meet in about 3 weeks who likes the same wines as I do) Lyn (who I'd love to meet in a couple of weeks but might run out of time, but is one of the reasons I got hooked on blogging several years ago) Love Z xxx

Big Things Happening!

But not much on the weight loss front. However I have got into exercise much more this week - actually went running on Saturday - first time for about four months and did enjoy it though have a bit to do to get back to where I was. I've also walked for the last three days too, so feeling good about that. Food has been rather good but still a smidgin of alcohol creeping in!!

But the big news .... I have yet another overseas trip planned for this year - I fly out on 28th December for three weeks in Scotland with my family there. That will make four overseas trips in the same year - what a gadabout!!

The story behind this latest trip is that my Mum has to have hip replacement surgery - this all flared up about 6 months ago and she's now in constant pain and unable to stay actively involved in her usual social life which revolves around lawn bowling. She's been waiting for a date to come through for her surgery but in the meantime I could hear that the whole business was dragging her down and the feedback from my brother and sister was that the last few months had aged her considerably. She's normally an incredibly active, positive, progressive and youthful thinking lady despite being about to celebrate her 75th birthday in January. So after a recent phone call when she sounded quite down, I had a discussion with Bloss and said that I thought I should try and schedule a quick trip back to see her and cheer her up. Obviously I wanted to try and plan this around such things as being there after her op rather than during, trying to go when I already had public holiday leave and getting a reasonably priced airfare. It all came together beautifully with my travel agent finding me the last remaining seats on some great priced flights, the date for Mum's op coming through to line up with those dates perfectly, and my boss allowing me to have leave.

Then I had the lovely task of telling Mum on Sunday night that I was coming. She's over the moon and it sounds like it's just given her the pep up she needed. Needless to say I'm very excited too - I haven't seen her for 3 years and although I saw my sister 2 years ago when she and her husband were here, I also haven't seen my brother, wife and 2 little nephews for 3 years either.

So on 28 December (only 7 weeks away), I fly from Brisbane, to Singapore, Amsterdam and then Glasgow and then leave to come back again on 16 January. So I get New Year's Eve (Hogmanay to us Scots) and also Mum's 75th birthday on 11 January while I'm there - how good is that!

So will spend a lot of my time there driving Mum round as she won't be able to drive. I'm sure we'll have lots of lunches, morning teas and visits to the old Aunties and other relies, who will all be so excited that "Anne from Australia" is back. But what a great incentive for me to get my act together and really focus on getting a few more kilos off before then.

We went to one of my company's Christmas party on Saturday night. We picked up my friend Shaz on the way - and shared a couple of champagnes with her - she was celebrating as she had just heard that her son, DIL and 3 grandchildren were coming back from the US to spend Christmas. Anyway a selection of silly photos followed and like a good little blogger I'm sharing them with you all.


Shaz and I posing like the couple of charlies we are

Shaz and Bloss

Bloss and I doing the gooey look on the settee

Bloss's fault - managed the 'soft focus' on this one.

Having major dramas at work this week, nothing I can't solve but time consuming nonetheless - still trying to support another area through process issues, support one of my people who is having to move across the country with her husband and family and really doesn't want to leave her job with me, farewell another one who has scored a job closer to home on many thousands of dollars a year more money, and so recruit three new team members in total since I 've had a vacancy since before I went on leave when another one had to leave and move back to Darwin for family reasons. Then the one remaining one who has been having major problems with her knee has to go in for surgery on that in two weeks time. The joys of being a team leader! (and wondering if I'm wearing the wrong perfume!)

OK that's my news for the week - a big 'un but a good'un. Hope all is well in your world.

Take care and live every day like it might be your last.

Love Z xxx

Jamming wth JibJab

Thanks to Maria and Christine for posting their movies and the link on their sites - loved theirs - and have had so much fun and laughs doing these!!
Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!
Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!
Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free! And lastly one of Bloss and his mate.....
Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!