Treats at Ally’s Castle

Apart from special occasions I don’t do much baking. Today I made an Anzac Slice and Air fried Apple Slices.

ANZAC stands for Australia New Zealand Army Corps. Tomorrow is ÀNZAC Day.

I didn’t have any chocolate chips so I compromised and used Turkish Delight Chocolate, chopped it up. I am not expecting any visitors until next June so my stash should last me a few days. I found the recipe on Mr Google.

Air fried Apple Slices with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
A healthy snack

PS: It was Cherry Ripe Chocolate I used not Turkish Delight 🙂.

I Am Planning A Holiday

Hello my friendly blogger friends. I am planning an international holiday in September 2023.

This is my plan: Depart Brisbane , fly to Hong Kong and stay there for 2 nights and do some sightseeing tours. Board a cruise ship that will sail to Brisbane Sept 5th – 21st. Day excursions include Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City Singapore, Lombok and Darwin.

I need to make up my mind and secure my cruise ship booking by next Tuesday..April 19th.

I have all these questions running through my mind. I will be 73 , I will be a solo traveller, what about Covid, what about my safety ? What about the weather ? What about the monsoon season ?

I am fully vaccinated. I have previously travelled solo and never had a problem.

My son said to think seriously about it, but he didn’t say don’t do it Mum. I think my son is worried about my two nights in Hong Kong. My close friend said ‘I’m sure you will enjoy yourself.

I would be grateful and appreciate any comments you might have. I am limited to a tight budget, cruising is economical and I do have a passion for it.

Life Is Precious.

Yesterday my dearest friend passed away peacefully after an illness. It was sad but a happy release.

Rest In Peace Geoff ❤.

In a few days I will write and share my personal thoughts about my beloved friend.

Even though there are many tears I am ok.

Van Gogh Alive Exhibition.

November 2021 I was fortunate to see the Van Gogh Alive Exhibition here in Brisbane. I wasn’t  able to sit and watch the entire 40 minute screen projection of his life….numerous people there and no spare seats. I wandered around aimlessly and took  lots of photos, and treated myself to a souvenir book. I will show some of the photos I took but without an explanation  …enjoy.

My Official Program of Van Gogh Alive
Van Gogh’s Bedroom
Sunflowers in the gift shop.
Me taking photos and managed to get a shot of myself…LOL
Photo taken from the program book
Inside the Sunflower Room
Ally and the sunflowers
A great fire burns within me, but no one stops to warm themselves at it, and passers-by only see a wisp of smoke. I wish they would only take me as I am.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Van Gogh Exhibition. 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

Decluttering Challenge Almost Done.

No response from the quotes I requested for professional help. I did make phone contact with another service , not available until Friday February 4th and the fee would be $100 per hour.

I couldn’t wait that long with all this clutter in my living area.

The cluttered dump.room

Work in progress

I decided to get stuck in and rest whenever I needed to. I threw several bags into the rubbish, made some donations to charity and sold a couple of items on marketplace. I only kept what I reckon I might need for art and craft.

My little storeroom is looking so much better. I can now walk in there and access items on the shelves. I plan to get some hooks on the wall to hang some bags.

In my living area I still have several boxes of photos and DVDs to sort through . Even though my back is saying ouch I am happy with my effort so far. Plus I have saved myself $$$ 👍🙂.

Boxes of photos and DVD’s.

Months ago I bought these boxes for loose photos that haven’t made it to an album. That’s my task to do in the evening while watching TV.

Time to Declutter….again.

In May 2019 I moved into social housing for seniors. My single accommodation is compact and to be honest no room to hoard. I think who ever designed these units must have thought the potential tenant won’t need any room for treasures, hobbies etc.

This was my cluttered storeroom.
This is the contents from the storeroom.

They say that living in a cluttered environment can cause your mind to feel cluttered.

The empty storeroom.

I have requested quotes from a couple of professional declutter / organisers firms. Even though we are living in difficult times due to Covid we still have to live and can’t just sit and wait for a better time. I have decided there is no time like the present. I also have to accept that I need help due to my health issues. Meanwhile I will start to dispose of rubbish, advertise some items on marketplace.

Seasons Greetings

To all my WordPress family I hope your festive season is filled with love, joy, peace and happiness. Thankyou for your love and encouraging support throughout this year, much appreciated .Merry Christmas xo