An Antipodean from the Antipodes

The year was 1990. It was spring time in England. The best time. I had arrived from Australia just weeks before on a one-way ticket with five hundred quid in my pocket.

I was 22 years old and not very wordly-wise. I thought I was. But I really wasn’t.

An old mate of mine from my early teens was getting married to quite a well-to-do young man from a ‘good’ family. They were almost society folk. Almost.

The marquee was in the garden of the groom’s rambling family estate near Windsor. It was stunning. And oh so frightfully English.

I found myself seated with all the other singles, including another girl from Australia. She was quite ocker, bless her, and she had arrived in the UK a few months before me. She was ‘bloody stoked’ to be able to share with me (very loudly) the details of all the ‘mint’ places she’d been to so far.

She reckoned her favourite place, by far, was the Tower of London. I asked her why.

“Because of them Meat Eater blokes, in them funny costumes they wear. They’re bloody hysterical, they are.”

If my memory serves me correctly, I believe she may have even slapped her thigh at that point.

Meat Eater blokes?

It took a second or two for the penny to drop. She was talking about the Beefeaters.
The Warders of the Tower of London.

One of ‘them Meat Eater Blokes’ aka a Beefeater in his ‘funny costume’
(Image credit <- click through to a fun 2 minute quiz on London)

Unfortunately, the six English toffs, also seated at our table, heard her mistake and collapsed into fits of raucous laughter. They were laughing at her too. And pointing. The poor girl. (I laugh about it now, but at the time I just wanted the ground to open up and swallow us both.)

One of the toffs, a jolly nice chap whose claim to fame was that his Dad was apparently the publisher of ‘The Joy of Sex’ (impressive back then), raised his glass and loudly cheers’d the Antipodeans.

Antipodeans?

I assumed he meant me and my new friend, MeatEaterGirl.

Antipodeans?

Was that a good thing? Or was he insulting us? I had absolutely no idea.

Predictably, neither did MeatEaterGirl.

::

Last Friday night I went out to dinner with two of my girlie friends. We ordered a bottle of sparkling mineral water.

When it arrived, I picked up the funky bottle to check it out.

“Now there’s a word I haven’t seen or heard in a very long time,” I said.

I showed the bottle to one friend, who smiled knowingly and nodded in agreement. She too has lived in the UK for extended periods.

My other friend, who is both well-travelled and very knowledgeable on a vast array of diverse subjects (she’s quite the clever clogs, to be honest), looked blankly at me. The look on her face told me that she had absolutely no idea what the word on the bottle meant.

I recognised that look.

::

According to the authority that is the Oxford Dictionary online, this is what it means …

Antipodes
NOUN

1. (the Antipodes) Australia and New Zealand (used by inhabitants of the northern hemisphere)
2. the direct opposite of something

The key phrase there being, of course …

“used by inhabitants of the northern hemisphere”

Namely, the Brits.

No wonder NotVeryWorldlyMe and MeatEaterGirl – two fresh-off-the-boat Aussies – had been so clueless all those years before. And no wonder my clever clogs friend was scratching her head the other night too. (She actually suggested I write this blog post to ensure more Antipodeans are given the heads up and not caught off guard in future!).

Well I never. I can’t believe this even exists! 
There’s not much you can’t find on YouTube these days, huh?

Aussies and Kiwis don’t call each other Antipodeans. Because we’re not. Not to each other. Not while we’re here, on this side of the world anyway. Generally speaking, we only become an Antipodean from the Antipodes when we’re being talked about by a Brit on the (direct) opposite side of the world.

I actually really like the sound of it.

An Antipodean from the Antipodes

Apart from being a shining example of alliteration, it also makes us sound all swashbuckley and adventurous, doesn’t it?

It is definitely a lot more exciting and courageous sounding than Meat Eater ‘Beefeater’.

Has a word you’ve never heard of before ever caught you off guard?
What score did you get on the London quiz? (I managed 9)

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The 52 Project … 4 / 52

A portrait of my daughter Kate, once a week, every week, in 2014

It is Australia Day today.
Nothing says Australia more to me than clear, blue water and sunshine.
We are so very, very lucky to live here.
In the last two weeks you have morphed into a little fish.
We struggle to keep you out of the pool now that you’ve discovered the wonders of the water. I suspect it will always be that way from now on.

::

Linking up again this week with Jodi.

Hormonally speaking …

I have second guessed myself all week about writing this blog post.

It’s a personal subject, and I’ve been wondering whether I should go ‘there’. Or not. Plus, I can be a bit of a worry-wart, and I would hate to think that I am seen as being self-indulgent, or an over-sharer. Because that is so not my style at all.

My reason behind writing this post is a simple one. I hope, hope, hope that it might help someone. Either you, or someone you know. Now, or perhaps further down the track. I love that the blogosphere provides such an accessible platform to share information.

A blog post I read earlier this week was the catalyst that finally got me writing today. If you haven’t had the pleasure of discovering Amy Crawford from The Holistic Ingredient yet, please check her out. She is fabulous. And oh so incredibly inspiring.

Her blog post in question is entitled, ‘How to be your most fertile self.’

It is relevant to women of all ages. Not just those wanting to fall pregnant. Amy says in her introduction …

“Being fertile is a whole lot more than kids –
it’s about being at your optimum health.”

So much of Amy’s post resonated with me, which is why I stopped second guessing myself, took a big deep breath, pulled up my superhero-brave-girl-pants (on the outside, of course), and started writing …

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I am a long-standing advocate of alternative therapies. Since my early 30’s I have had great success using a variety of natural treatments to heal and manage a diverse assortment of different issues. Most notably, I can unreservedly credit a wonderful naturopath I was treated by with the arrival of our darling daughter Kate.

In traditional medical terms, Kate’s conception was ‘unassisted’. Meaning I didn’t undergo IVF treatment or use fertility drugs. I was very much assisted though, by a highly trained professional who prescribed me a carefully tailored blend of supplements and essences that balanced my hormones and prepared my body for pregnancy. She also insisted that I follow a fairly strict gluten free diet.

Having suffered through the physical and emotional pain of a miscarriage only weeks earlier, I must admit, I was a tad sceptical at first. I mean, I was very much the wrong side of 40. The odds of me falling pregnant again were not good. Right?

Within five short months, two little blue lines appeared on the pregnancy test.

I was pregnant. Naturally. At the grand old age of 42.

My faith in the abilities of professional naturopathy practitioners is therefore, understandably, very strong.

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I have already blogged about how 2013 was far from a stellar year for me (here). It was around October that I pretty much hit rock bottom, and a lovely friend of mine recommended a Melbourne-based naturopath to me.

There was no hesitation on my part. I contacted her straight away.

She tested my saliva and my urine for hormonal imbalances. My oestrogens and progesterone, and my serotonin and dopamine levels were checked (amongst many, many others). Via blood tests, my GP had already established that I’m not pre-menopausal just yet. The very precise saliva and urine test results confirmed this, but they still came back showing imbalances all over the place. No wonder I was feeling so hideously out of whack. No wonder I felt so miserable and I looked like such a mess.
No wonder.

I started taking my daily handful of hormone-targeting supplements on January 2^nd. I felt no real change during the first week. Although I did notice that I was sleeping better than I had done in ages.

It was last week that I started to notice a tangible difference.

My skin seemed to clear up overnight. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I have been suffering with acne and rosacea quite badly since Kate was born. It’s been painful and very distressing. Particularly for someone who has never had to deal with it before, even as a teenager.

I also felt much less agitated and aggro. I felt so much more calm and better able to cope with, well, everything. My mood lifted. My stress levels dropped. I suddenly had more energy. I actually felt like smiling. Genuine smiles too. Not just because it was the polite thing to do.

The best way to describe it, I guess, is to say that I felt like me again.

Me. Not some miserable imposter my body was playing host to.

I cannot tell you the relief I felt. Such blissful, overwhelming relief.

A massive part of balancing my hormones also involves restoring my gut health. One of the comments in Amy Crawford’s post that resonated with me the most was this one …

“If we can figure out what our bodies are actually telling us, then we can treat
the root cause – which is most often gut health.  i.e acne, period pain, irregular
menstrual cycles, PMS etc are all signs the body’s hormones are imbalanced.”

It’s not simply about swallowing a handful of naturopathic supplements each day either. It’s about making sure that I nourish myself with the right nutrients through the foods I eat. Whenever possible, it is whole foods and clean eating all the way for me now. Intuitively I have eliminated coffee, gluten, most dairy and refined sugars, and already I’m feeling so much better for it.

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I think it’s important that I point out that I am also working closely in conjunction with my GP. Along with the supplements, it is necessary for me to take a low dose hormone prescription medication as well at this stage, but I’m hoping that won’t be for long.

Since I turned the corner last week, I keep asking myself the same question. How many poor women are there out there who feel miserable and unhappy for no obvious reason? Women who are struggling to cope? Who feel agitated and aggro all the time? All because their hormones are dancing to the beat of a very different and wrong kind of drum. How many? I wonder how many relationships and marriages suffer unnecessarily because hormones are wreaking their insidious havoc? I honestly dread to think.

If you (or someone you know) is struggling with what you think might be hormonal issues, please get help from whichever type of practitioner you feel most comfortable with. I strongly recommend involving your GP too.

Because you don’t have to feel the way you do. You honestly don’t.

Have you had success with natural therapies in the past?

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The 52 Project … 3 / 52

A portrait of my daughter Kate, once a week, every week, in 2014

Such a happy little kid. In your favourite rainbow dress, with your favourite dolly, Lucy.
“I am the Mama,” you tell me proudly, as you cuddle her close to you.
“Yes you are, darlin’,” I reply, “Lucy is a very lucky baby to have you as her Mama.”
“Shhhhhhhh Mummy. She is sleeping.”

::

Linking up again this week with Jodi.

Permission Granted

It’s Thursday night.

My husband has gone to the cricket.

My daughter has been fed and watered, and is now fast asleep in her bed.

Darcy, our silky terrier is on guard duty. He gets all officious when Tony’s not here. He likes to be the big man around the house. All five kilos of him. It’s hilarious.

I should be unpacking the dishwasher and stacking the already full sink of dirty dishes back into it. I should be tidying up the scattered mess that is lying around the floor (thanks to the aforementioned sleeping daughter). I should be folding the pile of laundry that seems to live permanently on my dining room table at the moment.

And after that, I should be writing the blog post that I didn’t write last night.

Instead though, I have decided to be a little bit rebellious – and a lot lazy – tonight. I have decided that what I should be doing can wait. And instead, I’m going to savour and enjoy these few rare hours of solitude. I’m going to put my feet up, and I’m going to relax.

I might watch a movie, or I might read my new book. I’m not sure yet. I’ll decide once I’ve finished processing the fact that I’ve given myself permission to take the night off.

So, my lovely readers, my sincere apologies for today’s lame excuse for a blog post, but I’m afraid the call of the couch tonight was just too loud and persistent for this tired Mama to resist.

Please excuse me, while I take up my languid position. Right after I deal with the dishwasher.

Sadly, it seems I can’t be that lazy all in one go.

Do you ever give yourself permission to take the night off?

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The 52 Project … 2 / 52

A portrait of my daughter Kate, once a week, every week, in 2014

You are always on the move. Usually giggling.
So this is a rare moment of stillness and seriousness for you, Minxie.
Your little face has changed so much recently. The baby-ness is gone.
Except when you’re asleep. You still look like a newborn to me, when you’re
sleeping.

::

Linking up again this week with Jodi.

CHANNELLING JAMIE: Curry in a Hurry

When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time on the weekends at my older sister’s house. Some of my happiest memories are of waking up on Sunday mornings and having tea and biccies in bed. It was such a treat.

Her (then) husband loved to get in the kitchen and cook up a storm. It would be an all day affair. And I mean, ALL day.

Plus most of the evening too.

His speciality was Indian curry feasts. They were amazing. But seriously, we would just about starve waiting for the food to get to the table. Average time of arrival was usually in the vicinity of 10pm. If we were lucky.

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When I lived in the UK, I was spoilt forever by the incredible Indian food there. It’s everywhere.

I have had some good Indian meals here in Australia, but honestly, none were a patch on English Indian food. When I first moved back here I used to dream of having my favourite Karahi Chicken dish airlifted over to me from the tiny little restaurant in Windsor that made it like nowhere else.

These days we mainly eat Thai and Malaysian curries at home, but occasionally I’ll get a hankering for those unmistakable Indian flavours. Unlike my former brother-in-law, I just don’t have all day to spend in the kitchen making them. Unfortunately. Especially during the week.

Which is why I came up with this super quick and easy ‘Curry in a Hurry’ recipe. It takes no time at all to make, and it can be made using any type of meat and / or vegetables you like. Fast and versatile. Nice.

In this version I’ve used a firm white fish – some sweet lip snapper – but I’ve also made it with chicken. Prawns, beef or lamb would work equally as well too. And adding a handful of sliced red capsicum and a chopped tomato is delish.

CURRY IN A HURRY

Here’s what you need …

500g firm white fish cut into bite sized chunks (or chicken or prawns or lamb etc etc)
2 – 3 generous tablespoons tandoori paste (or other indian curry paste, depending on how intense you want the flavour)
270ml can of coconut milk
1 small – medium sized onion, chopped (I used 3 shallots that I had left over from another recipe)
2 – 3 garlic gloves, crushed
Red chilli – optional (use as much or as little as you like to add some spicy heat)
Oil of choice
Fresh herbs to garnish (coriander or parsley)

Here’s what you do …

In a bowl mix together the tandoori paste with the coconut milk

Add the fish. Mix well to coat, and set aside

Add a decent glug of oil to a large frypan and lightly fry the onion and garlic (and chilli, if using) on a medium heat until golden

Reduce heat slightly and add the fish mixture to the pan

Cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately 5 – 8 minutes (or until the meat is cooked to your liking)

Serve with (brown) rice and salad

NOTE: These quantities made enough curry to feed two for dinner, plus leftovers for a decent lunch for one the next day.

Are you a curry lover too?
Do you know a great Indian restaurant you can recommend?

The 52 Project … 1 / 52

A portrait of my daughter Kate, once a week, every week, in 2014.

“Happy New ‘Ear, Mummy,” she said.
“Happy New Year to you too, my darling girl. I love you,” I replied.
“I love you too, Mama. Very, very, VERY much.”

::

I’m no photographer, but I do love to take photographs. I love to capture moments.

At a photography workshop I did a while back, I learnt that the best camera to have is the one you’ve got in your hands at the time. It could be a fancy DSLR. Or it could be a mobile phone. It doesn’t matter. As long as precious moments aren’t missed.

Some of my most treasured photographs have been captured on my iPhone. The images are imperfect and grainy – like today’s one – but I couldn’t care less, because I have them. Forever.

On the flipside, I’ve also blown myself away with some of the photos I’ve fluked with my whizz-bang Nikon DSLR. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve asked myself, “Did you really take that, Jo? Really?”

When I discovered The 52 Project a week or so ago – over on Jodi’s lovely blog – I knew straight away that I wanted to commit to it.

Fifty two weeks, 52 portraits. All of them including my daughter Katie. It’s a big commitment, but I’m really excited about it. I cannot wait to see how it all unfolds.

This quote appeared in my FaceBook newsfeed today …

Parenting: The days are long, but the years are short.

It is so true. In the blink of an eye, our babies aren’t babies any more. Every moment is so very, very precious. The 52 moments I capture for this project, of the beautiful little person that is our daughter, will be treasured by her Daddy and I forever.

It had to be two …

So. There I was. All fired up and gung ho about finding my word for 2014. My one word to sum up everything that I’m aiming to achieve this year.

One word is all I needed.

Just one.

I began with quite the extensive list. Then, over the last week, I managed to whittle it down to a couple of really strong contenders.

On New Year’s Eve eve (aka the 30^th), I went to sleep with my two remaining words swirling round and around in my head. I told myself that whichever word was the first one I thought of when I woke up, was THE ONE.

It worked a treat. I found my one word easy peasy. Piece of cake.

It is <drumroll> …

FOCUS

(FYI ‘Positive’ came in as runner up.)

I was really happy with that. I liked my new word a lot. It’s no secret that I need to focus more. And I need to get better at finding and maintaining my focus.

Between you and me, I have a tendency to be a bit scattered. It’s because I try to do too many things at once. I know that. I’ve always been like it. So naming this year, FOCUS 2014 was right on the money.

I had it all sorted.

Or so I thought.

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On New Year’s actual Eve, after our guests had left, and after my husband and my party animal daughter had crashed out on the couch together, I sat down at the computer to see what the rest of the world was up to.

I checked out the latest headlines, and I scrolled through my FaceBook newsfeed. Then I logged in to my blog to see what had been happening over there.

A new comment had been posted on my 2014 … Bring it on, I say! post. It was written by Kelly, whose fab blog – A Life Less Frantic – I follow (she’s from Perth too).

The first and the last sentences Kelly wrote bopped me fair and square between the eyes …

“Gosh I love you Jo and the energy you bring to everything you do!”
“Can’t wait to see where your energy takes you in 2014 xx”

It was around about then that I did my very best ever stunned mullet impersonation.

<blink blink>

Who, me?

The one thing I have probably struggled with the most in 2013 is low energy. Not just the obvious, tangible physical energy, but the intangibles too. The metaphysical energies; emotional, spiritual and mental. It’s been upsetting and frustrating and also quite debilitating. A big part of my 2014 plan is to work hard on restoring my health and my energy levels – all of them – to where they should be.

He’s a bit of a clever clogs that Anthony Robbins
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I eventually went to bed on New Year’s morning with another word doing the swirly thing in my head.

Energy.

When I woke up it was still there. And so too, was Focus.

I like them both. I am unable to choose just one over the other. So I am going to have them both.

It had to be two …
#FocusEnergy2014

Kelly’s timing, and her choice of words, could not have been more perfect. Or ironic, really. I am so chuffed that despite my body’s physical lack of energy, I haven’t lost it completely in the metaphysical sense. I figure I can’t have. Not if Kelly’s felt it through my written bloggy words, right? You have no idea how inspiring and how encouraging that is for me. Because I honestly felt like I’ve been zapped of absolutely everything.

She’s a bit of a clever clogs too, Kelly is. Without knowing it, she has helped to set me fair and square on my path for the next 12 months. Combining Focus with Energy can only equal greatness. And flow. Thank you so much Kelly. Your lovely words were the catalyst I didn’t even realise I needed :o)x

Ok, so, where to from here?

Well, my starting point for #FocusEnergy2014 is to use the 31 days of January to develop a few new habits. These are my Monthly Mini Goals for January:

Firstly, I will be taking myself off to the gym three mornings a week for either a power walk or a bike ride. I need to establish a gym attendance routine as a matter of priority. So I’m gonna get me one.

Next, I will be focusing closely on my nutrition, my water intake and my sleep patterns. So, nothing major there then. Much.

And lastly, I want to tie up all the loose ends and unfinished business left over from 2013. You know. That pile of stuff that you never quite got to in December because Christmas was breathing down your neck? Yeah. That. I need it gone. (Note to self: Dumping it all in the bin is not an option.)

Right then. Let’s get this #FocusEnergy2014 show on the road. You are more than welcome to jump on my bandwagon with me, with your own set of Monthly Mini Goals, and come along for the ride.

Go on. I dare ya ;o)x

What will you be focusing on this month / year?
All hints tips and advice for boosting energy will be most gratefully received.

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