It’s been awhile …
Somehow, I stopped posting almost five months ago. It’s not that I haven’t had anything to say but procrastinated about it for too long.
When I last posted, we were waiting for our new car. We got it on March 29th, and it’s been going well so far. Our only complaint about it is the multimedia system. It has digital radio, which is great. But the display for the stations doesn’t have space to show the full title and it doesn’t scroll either. It’s just a poorly done system which is outdone by the one we installed in our old car. That’s not the whole of it but it is our main issue with it. Also, we can’t connect both our phones at the same time, which we could do with the old system. But we really have been doing well in the new car and it’s got all the bells and whistles that make driving easier. Well, there are a few sounds that we haven’t worked out yet but one day we will figure it all out. :)
We sold our old car to a family friend who somehow got into an accident not long after. I’ve seen it once since then and there’s a big dent on the back bumper. Not the fault of the family friend though. It is weird to have the old car still showing up once in a while.
Related to the new car, it’s supposed to support wireless Car play but my phone often doesn’t connect. This not specific to the system as I have issues with other Bluetooth devices not connecting much of the time. Currently if I turn off Bluetooth and turn it back on, it will usually connect but not always. Once it stopped connecting at all and I went to the Apple store where it was sort of fixed. The staff member ran some sort of diagnostic program, and it was supposed to be fixed. I never saw the staff member again and I ended up leaving. It all worked fine for a while but has shifted back into the same issues. I just know I will be back at the Apple store at some point to deal with this further. This phone is less than a year old and this shouldn’t be an issue.
In early May, I realised I wasn’t making much use of my gym membership, so I decided to suspend it for a few months. I seem to have hit a roadblock earlier in the year than usual. Mostly I have a lot of trouble during the winter, which makes sense since it’s cold and less appealing to do exercise much of the time. Anyway, this turned out to be a good solution because it gave me the break I needed to get back my motivation. In April I had done a trial membership with a Pilates studio with a voucher from a friend. I had two weeks of classes, and I did like it. Unfortunately, that studio is too far away to use regularly. But there is a studio in our suburb, and I did a trial with that one and liked it even better. After that I started a regular membership. That gives me two reformer classes a week and up to four non-reformer classes. I think I’ve been going for seven weeks now and it’s going really well. I felt really, really out of shape when I began there. I’m referring mostly to my core muscles which have been pretty neglected, made worse after having children. It’s hard work but I feel like I’m making tiny bits of progress and maybe one day I will be able to roll up to sitting from lying down. The other classes are mat Pilates, barre, yoga and strength and conditioning. This last class is not at all Pilates, but it’s been great for building up strength and getting fitter. I’m still on the weaker side of those in the class I attend but I can tell I am getting a bit better there too. I haven’t tried the barre or yoga classes. I am still doing tai chi regularly and sometimes I join the yoga class that is at the same location just after that. I do like the class but it is bit much to do both on the same night. It looks like our tai chi going to change nights in the future so I will need to use up the classes for the yoga before then. It’s just a bit far to go there two nights a week. I also have access to yoga through my Pilates and gym memberships.
My gym membership restarted early last month, and I have mostly been doing cardio work there. But Monday I tried out a class that is similar to the strength and conditioning class at the Pilates studio. It was really tough going and my arms were still sore today. I plan to do this class every Monday and hopefully get stronger. My gym membership finishes in April next year so it will complement the Pilates work I am doing until then. Overall, I have been more active this winter than I have ever been.
The Scientist and I went to Melbourne for a few days in May to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. We mostly had a good trip once we got there. Our original flight was cancelled at the last minute and rescheduled for the following afternoon. We missed one day of our holiday because of that, which is a common occurrence right now. Melbourne was lovely and we walked and walked all over the place. We didn’t see all we wanted to see, but we definitely got a feel for the local vibe. Not to mention experienced the trams that make city driving a bit crazy. After the worst walking day, my feet were done for and we had a tour scheduled, to see the 12 Apostles and the Great Ocean Road. That worked out really well since we didn’t have to drive or do anything but sit most of the time. The 12 Apostles was pretty awesome to see. I did try to lose my wallet and phone on a couple occasions along the way. One of the great things about travelling with the Scientist and doing all the walking is that we have a good time, through the easy and difficult times. Sure, my feet were in pain, but I got through it with the Scientist beside me. I’d like to go back one day but suspect we might try visits to other parts of the country before then. So far, we’ve seen Brisbane and Melbourne. I guess Sydney, Adelaide and maybe even Hobart (in the summer) would be good places to visit.
This is in no way a proper update, but it does cover some of the major points in the last few months. Maybe now that I am back, I will get here to post more frequently.
