tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55359232024-03-13T12:01:27.256+11:00No Nose Smiley :)Thoughts and mutterings from @vontweeterYvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10089823394168762635noreply@blogger.comBlogger153125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535923.post-54739960541417894952022-01-02T16:51:00.001+11:002022-01-02T16:51:11.542+11:00A fresh start in a new town in a new year - hello 2022!<p>It's difficult to reflect on 2022 when 2021 ended on such a mixed way.</p><p>With the plandemic it seems that a government job isn't very secure if you want to care about your health more than a living. The Monday before Xmas break I was "stood down" as I supposedly am unwilling to work. Nothing seems to make any sense.</p><p>Here's an excerpt of the letter</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjfgvttvHUv8EYsZlKdWCGZHexGlPe_jpqAe7cnLJKMIHSj4hQ16vQlG5suGc1A52Zxeq77c9nspgBhIpB3s0oRNpE6cxV4RZWqDIeIYfuOwijP46JtG6RJ3QqD3TyxG_675ePpw-wLNlBK4xxK84hK6Th6Wj_b6zn_Uy3Ul-Koq7_eiEsK=s666" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="666" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjfgvttvHUv8EYsZlKdWCGZHexGlPe_jpqAe7cnLJKMIHSj4hQ16vQlG5suGc1A52Zxeq77c9nspgBhIpB3s0oRNpE6cxV4RZWqDIeIYfuOwijP46JtG6RJ3QqD3TyxG_675ePpw-wLNlBK4xxK84hK6Th6Wj_b6zn_Uy3Ul-Koq7_eiEsK=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>So I'm on forced leave till 7 February. I don't have much in the way of leave and as a fixed term contractor I don't have any long service leave. At this stage based on my No Regrets policy I'm still OK with my decision. I do not actually understand how this can be legal but unfortunately I am no lawyer.</p><p>The other bad news at the end of 2021 was the passing of Auntie Ivy. May she rest in peace. I was very saddened about the event but also somewhat mollified that she died doing something she loved. She loved abseiling and died from "falling" in an accident - the article - <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/disaster-and-emergency/woman-falls-to-her-death-from-cliff-face-while-abseiling-in-berowra-c-4469555">https://7news.com.au/news/disaster-and-emergency/woman-falls-to-her-death-from-cliff-face-while-abseiling-in-berowra-c-4469555</a>. She really did love her life - due to all the tributes that flowed in I realised she really knew how to live her life! Her dancing, her zest for life when learning to ride a bike, her gardening and so much more. We should all try and live life more fully and really understand the important things in life. Seeing Tom so heartbroken was very tragic.</p><p>As part of the leave I have taken advantage of the time to see if I will like Bowen QLD as a place to settle down! The family I'm staying with is so wonderful and has provided me a lot of useful tips and skills for the apocalyptic future I'm anticipating. Or at least I'll be more sustainable! Bowen boasts 8 beaches for the town and has a couple of supermarkets and I don't know what else as I haven't really explored. It's very hot which makes it even more difficult to explore!</p><p>The family have shown me a lot already with a trip down to Airlie Beach and a trip up to Townsville (to pick up Pepper!) In addition to all of that they have shown me how they set crab pots and check/collect them too! There's also the thought of learning to fish too! I may even have to become a fisher(wo)man! The other day I also participated in processing a few roosters!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivJmyvHRs3uXSavbmmHxA1GvpiEK5yDBKZF57XdAx1P-19OGjKwUXFaBta4GiZfptU3XQ37cT-FVK_Nxkvk7TkVNgMmhgdLYNbTwddeeduL4TBC_ZXRbDaHN60CbTfc_mOlEuuMy-qqThgNZcBtNDn4WF7es5dyYaOHtsfTRkp8f2NAKsU=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivJmyvHRs3uXSavbmmHxA1GvpiEK5yDBKZF57XdAx1P-19OGjKwUXFaBta4GiZfptU3XQ37cT-FVK_Nxkvk7TkVNgMmhgdLYNbTwddeeduL4TBC_ZXRbDaHN60CbTfc_mOlEuuMy-qqThgNZcBtNDn4WF7es5dyYaOHtsfTRkp8f2NAKsU=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Front Beach in Bowen</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_aXnTamyonj8EYjL8lLtpR8UKsWA6Ji48vB-z178w25IsKPu2CTF1rVpGI74qLj9eT10fQhrWFlGiBuycDuu0gcMGqVwLOiVvjQ8KhfwC6ElwJBGi1fyYOebnbOPZ65XZ2TJwXSHHhXo0GlGqBDv8oyJok61-aRNkSZvlwmjzl0eQUYO3=s3718" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3718" data-original-width="2529" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_aXnTamyonj8EYjL8lLtpR8UKsWA6Ji48vB-z178w25IsKPu2CTF1rVpGI74qLj9eT10fQhrWFlGiBuycDuu0gcMGqVwLOiVvjQ8KhfwC6ElwJBGi1fyYOebnbOPZ65XZ2TJwXSHHhXo0GlGqBDv8oyJok61-aRNkSZvlwmjzl0eQUYO3=s320" width="218" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The "Big" Mango</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjPus5a0nSWM3xM-BwWKO0WZmbPeBi_x75hrSJ_cVxbttdhBFoLdNBXSIW5a8Izb28-vrQFOUBLiyKYZByA41zfFlkMhNl2OrGMmN6a92daERd-5hrl3dB3KchY9nH61W6gWmGOLOmwks7DcsiJWoPMrXK_TNegHPUQ6M9HSC7tw6ZTbpu7=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjPus5a0nSWM3xM-BwWKO0WZmbPeBi_x75hrSJ_cVxbttdhBFoLdNBXSIW5a8Izb28-vrQFOUBLiyKYZByA41zfFlkMhNl2OrGMmN6a92daERd-5hrl3dB3KchY9nH61W6gWmGOLOmwks7DcsiJWoPMrXK_TNegHPUQ6M9HSC7tw6ZTbpu7=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Crab - caught and cooked by my hosts</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjsJ3RtCkcqKgdhcs6bnDx74T0DsBPdsDibxj8yb-2BRDttICyPLKSchFGy9XmW-bSTZoGHrKH5-VGvlarh6CojBMP4Dr5x9isUioocH45WdyWamzyAzpvoLkyM1uUnWwXgNkiDHkPTayr0BnOphQo2ch3iP48BIg-1OoSab-tOHcn3PSmC=s3947" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2960" data-original-width="3947" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjsJ3RtCkcqKgdhcs6bnDx74T0DsBPdsDibxj8yb-2BRDttICyPLKSchFGy9XmW-bSTZoGHrKH5-VGvlarh6CojBMP4Dr5x9isUioocH45WdyWamzyAzpvoLkyM1uUnWwXgNkiDHkPTayr0BnOphQo2ch3iP48BIg-1OoSab-tOHcn3PSmC=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">On the water to catch crabs!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqycmfbvjFG0l-2s9LhhuU9m9pT6YLv9VdYTqaoKuZGshZMEdX7qn36kibJb1BexP95TxNtUFFskMUsQQ6PMg5ICPKTGMVhQDJsZmj-F4x-zFWnqqlehUSgFXVufvTBOxDOjlC8PXHwprq09HcGJp0KUC6h0qbHOeLqNv-gDvn5lQKfiIp=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqycmfbvjFG0l-2s9LhhuU9m9pT6YLv9VdYTqaoKuZGshZMEdX7qn36kibJb1BexP95TxNtUFFskMUsQQ6PMg5ICPKTGMVhQDJsZmj-F4x-zFWnqqlehUSgFXVufvTBOxDOjlC8PXHwprq09HcGJp0KUC6h0qbHOeLqNv-gDvn5lQKfiIp=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Getting here was quite fancy with a railbed adventure</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQEDIba_cWy-UgjvH0SYvXuCoLMH-XXpb4MzqYIQ56mbTT1XrMmxt7UUdLt1kF6Unc1CrM3wzoJzwmgE3j5WSTgvFRRMQM0DlgMKVEj3HJ-TWghqwFXH-B6otyLBv5FFQ19VgZ5ByQE1JUNi4DdpkbjlzVzFa9kcXcyESPtMn1yipZENiw=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQEDIba_cWy-UgjvH0SYvXuCoLMH-XXpb4MzqYIQ56mbTT1XrMmxt7UUdLt1kF6Unc1CrM3wzoJzwmgE3j5WSTgvFRRMQM0DlgMKVEj3HJ-TWghqwFXH-B6otyLBv5FFQ19VgZ5ByQE1JUNi4DdpkbjlzVzFa9kcXcyESPtMn1yipZENiw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">During the day it just looks like a big leg room seat</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiCeGRxaJWwEl9fl3I6BkK_NF5EK5hU7cEe2XWmVD44uFxSAYqe6Hqe97dGXvP7jpBcJUN8uHRFmmUdG683_G-u527ITPn5paDwWc6XsIxqzL9KDaW2Z2zpZ8Egs9eP07u2BoiHFg17Bjygy5AxE5oB_Q_UNK6TRSCFdX6gwC227g0h-65T=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiCeGRxaJWwEl9fl3I6BkK_NF5EK5hU7cEe2XWmVD44uFxSAYqe6Hqe97dGXvP7jpBcJUN8uHRFmmUdG683_G-u527ITPn5paDwWc6XsIxqzL9KDaW2Z2zpZ8Egs9eP07u2BoiHFg17Bjygy5AxE5oB_Q_UNK6TRSCFdX6gwC227g0h-65T=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Peering in at Roma St Station Brisbane.</div><br /><p>So my arrival in Bowen was quite exciting and helped to try and make me not think about the job situation. At some point I will need to worry about the financial implications but I've pushed that aside for now.</p><p>In terms of what I anticipate 2022 will bring it's not great. More lockdowns, more restrictions for everyone and more control by the government. I know there are other more optimistic people saying that sanity will return but I'm realistic. I look at what China has been. And the novels I read when new conquerors win a war. The populace learn to live with the new authority. I just hope that I will have enough time to learn to become more self-sufficient. </p><p>I'm hoping for everyone's sake they are keeping as healthy as possible and detoxing from everything including screens and any additives including additives in foods and water. It's hard when I have been focusing on my health and then find the world turned upside down for something like a cold. I don't even want to take Codrals anymore or Panadol so my viewpoint on "vaccines" and other pharmaceuticals is very negative... </p><p>QLD is very different to NSW especially in terms of the heat. The question for me is will I get use to it??</p><p>I hope to blog a bit more with my extra time (when I'm on leave) and possibly set up a Feng Shui website under the <a href="http://smol.ltd" target="_blank">Smol brand</a> or I can focus on <a href="http://datascout.com.au" target="_blank">Datascout International</a> or <a href="http://geared.net.au">Geared</a> as a property investment coach. Property is what I love and that only requires me although I do need to get a bit of a presence so maybe it will require YouTube or something. Hmm.. More to think about. </p>Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10089823394168762635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535923.post-47685138612892928322021-10-24T12:37:00.002+11:002021-10-24T12:37:15.279+11:00Update February 2016<i>I never published this previously but found it in my drafts so doing a bit of a tidy and retrospectively publishing this in October 2021</i><br /><br /><br />Photo update of what I've been up to in February 2016<div><br /></div><div>Pepper in Peakhurst... obviously we were trying to do some paving in the courtyard:<br />
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<div><br /></div>Looks like the back fence was being fenced up a bit more... this was mainly to stop Pepper and Sprocket from barking so much... I don't know if it really helped in the end.<br />
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<div><br /></div><div>Must have been around Chinese New Year as I went to the temple in Glebe... </div><br />
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<div><br /></div>Steamboat or Hot Pot at Avelyn's. Definitely must have been for Chinese New Year!<br />
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<div><br /></div>Putting in garden beds in the front yard. This ended up being for a tree or two. Maybe my fig tree from memory.<br />
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<div><br /></div><div>Plane food... hmmm... where was I going? Ah the US! I think my Uncle Patrick had just passed and I was heading out with my Mum to be with family.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTHt7xSv0THCFmz8g7IUDR2pI5_en7HodtORjfOMSwEXKY6_yCH_uKP5et-knWDdhvAa5awRHi13um-UTtpI1MHgRQVICYIHgjyVGupuardCkIETk-uCvCuoLD2o2Y5R4OqmLD/s1600/IMG_20160215_185552.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTHt7xSv0THCFmz8g7IUDR2pI5_en7HodtORjfOMSwEXKY6_yCH_uKP5et-knWDdhvAa5awRHi13um-UTtpI1MHgRQVICYIHgjyVGupuardCkIETk-uCvCuoLD2o2Y5R4OqmLD/s320/IMG_20160215_185552.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div><br /></div><div><br /></div>This was in an outlet store in Long Beach sort of area. I just remember doing a lot of walking (by myself)<br />
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<div><br /></div>Yum Cha with my family in California... <br />
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<div><br /></div>Sprocket at the vet. I assume it was just a checkup!<br />
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<div><br /></div>Ah! Yes I bought the door lock set in the US and installed it on the day I got home! <br />
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Can we slow down Pepper's eating? yes we can... with a bowl like this.<br />
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<div><br /></div>I'm making kefir! Or at least there is a kit that Nikki bought me and I definitely made Coconut Kefir quite often for a while there... <br />
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<div><br /></div>Lovely view of the creek... this would have been on a walk from Peakhurst to my mum's place at Beauty Point.<br />
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<br /></div>Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10089823394168762635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535923.post-7249176864091525142021-10-24T12:29:00.004+11:002021-10-24T12:30:08.498+11:00No Regrets Policy<h1 style="text-align: left;">No Regrets </h1><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit378udVIZfS5mjw5Q_eFlXTgHWBWHtvWys6hIsvA8DhVUR7kfftHiXD2vg5y9ffaYUohHaqWrK_Oxjs07prsSVWF3TeLsyrXj_jfZGLb81eKt3MlGPZGsumzRt8yeDbGv4xWv/s4032/PXL_20211016_220557997.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="ducks in a river" border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit378udVIZfS5mjw5Q_eFlXTgHWBWHtvWys6hIsvA8DhVUR7kfftHiXD2vg5y9ffaYUohHaqWrK_Oxjs07prsSVWF3TeLsyrXj_jfZGLb81eKt3MlGPZGsumzRt8yeDbGv4xWv/w400-h300/PXL_20211016_220557997.MP.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div>At work, there were a bunch of "no regrets" initiatives and it prompted me to think about life and decisions or life choices. Big or small I realised you could attach a "no regrets" lens to things or at least decide based on less regret! But I also wanted to look at lens by taking responsibility for my decisions and have since adopted a No Regrets Policy.</div><p>At one stage I was thinking about writing a book. Not for anyone but for myself. It was going to be WWYD or What Would You Do? (Or in my case, What Would Yvonne Do?) This policy is part of the imaginary book.</p><p>What is a Policy? I work in government and I still don't really know what a policy is! But to me it's a principle or a framework in which to work within. So that's what I do with my No Regrets Policy.</p><p>I either make a decision with that in mind - should I buy x? Will I regret not getting it? Will I regret getting it and not using it? Will I regret missing out? Will I regret it after I purchase it because of the way people judge me? Will I regret spending the money on it? All of these factors play in my head. Some people intuitively do this. I suspect most people do not and just act on impulse especially when buying. </p><h4 style="text-align: left;">TCO and Financial Decisions</h4><p>Earlier this year I bought a new mobile phone. I was tempted by the salesperson to upgrade to the next phone up as it would be "free" if I signed up for a 24 month plan at $65 per month. The phone was going to cost me $599 or the upgraded one discounted from $799 to $700 with the voucher worth $799. I currently pay $25 per month on my plan and have no complaints about the data I get with it now.</p><p>$65 x 24 months = $1560</p><p>Phone is free (worth $799)</p><p>But I'm on $25 now = $600</p><p>The difference in the plan is almost $1000 ($960). Given the phone I was going to buy is only $599 I didn't think it was worth it. I was sat down with the salesperson who was signing me up on the $65 so I grabbed my calculator app to plug in the details. TCO is Total Cost of Ownership. </p><p>TCO on the upgraded phone = $1560</p><p>TCO on the $599 phone = $1199 (being $599 plus the $600 for the plan)</p><p>I knew I would regret being tied to a 24 month plan and paying "extra" for a phone for features I didn't need / want. </p><p>For financial matters it's fairly easy - as long as there is no regret for the 'thing' purchased! No regrets also means weighing up the opportunity cost of a decision too.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Responsible Decision Making</h2><p>For other things it may be more difficult but then by taking responsibility for my actions and decisions it takes care of the rest! The most difficult ones are the long term decisions that are hard to see any noticeable effects of. For example a tempting piece of cake or taking supplements. What is the long term effects of eating a piece of cake once? Negligible. But what if you knew that to deplete PUFAs from your fat stores it took 4 years? (Yeah I'm on an anti-PUFA bandwagon at the moment). Or what about 'investing' in crypto? At the moment it seems all the rage. I've even put some money into crypto as of November 2020... and the ROI has been pretty amazing. But I'm unwilling to put too much into it as I'm risk adverse. I'm only putting in $ (money) that I am willing to lose - at this stage I'm treating it as money spent rather than invested as I know it could definitely go south.</p><p>I've always had the thought of taking responsibility and that I "always have a choice" even if all the choices are horrible at least there is a choice. By making a decision, you also become responsible for the decision. I suspect that's why many people don't like making a decision. </p><h1 style="text-align: left;">Having a Policy</h1><p>I like having a policy to live by and to make decisions by. Rightly or wrongly it provides a framework when decisions need to be made. For me the No Regrets Policy helps ahead of time when making a decision and even after making a decision.</p><p>When trying to make up my mind about doing something I have to ask myself if I will regret <b>not</b> doing it or regret doing it. And then once my mind has been made up and things are actioned my policy disallows me from regretting any poor decision! By having that lens on it it makes me think of only the positive of a decision.</p><p>For example these days I am reminiscing about the days we owned a <a href="http://109acrewoods.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">109 acre block in Howes Valley</a>. How good would that place be now given remote working and having space but due to my No Regrets Policy I am just now allowing myself to regret. So I look back on it fondly and find only the positives of learning so much when establishing the property. (The link above is the blog for the journey). </p><p>Anyway this was a bit of a ramble as I had started it months ago but thought that I should finish this post (actually it had been that long that I had forgotten I started it!). As part of my No Regrets Policy I wanted to try and progress something "useful" this weekend. So this blog post was one part!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10089823394168762635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535923.post-53741281641989099722020-11-10T19:27:00.003+11:002020-11-10T19:27:43.648+11:00Malabar to Watsons Bay Hike - Mapping it out using Map My Run<p> When organising (I use that term super loosely!) a hike, I wanted to be able to see how many kilometres it was going to be. The tool I use to use when I would travel and map a possible jog / run I would use <a href="https://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/3581838322" target="_blank">Map My Run</a>, so I resurrected my account to map the hike from Malabar to Watsons Bay. Part of it will overlap the <a href="https://www.bonditomanly.com/" target="_blank">Bondi to Manly walk</a>. </p>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="570px" id="mapmyfitness_route" src="//snippets.mapmycdn.com/routes/view/embedded/3581838322?width=600&height=400&elevation=true&info=true&line_color=E60f0bdb&rgbhex=DB0B0E&distance_markers=1&unit_type=metric&map_mode=ROADMAP&last_updated=2020-11-10T02:16:25-06:00&show_marker_every=2" width="100%"></iframe><div style="padding-right: 20px; text-align: right;">
<a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/create/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Create Routes</a>
or <a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/">Search for a route</a>
from millions at <a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com">MapMyRun</a>
</div><div style="padding-right: 20px; text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="padding-right: 20px; text-align: left;">I'm sure there are web and normal apps that allow for hiking path drawing to follow but it's funny how the mind just wants a simple option and has a "go to".</div>Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10089823394168762635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535923.post-23431305529580710322020-09-22T21:30:00.002+10:002020-09-22T21:30:55.269+10:00The Croissant Diet Experience with a CGM - Sept 2020<p>I've been on the bandwagon of The Croissant Diet (TCD) for a little while. Maybe 6 weeks or so. And I thought I should document things a bit.</p><p>There was a great summary by Brad Marshall on Twitter on what The Croissant Diet actually is:</p><p></p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-theme="light"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Eat LOTS of long chain Saturated Fat and avoid PUFA like the plague. Also avoid MUFA. If you want to eat some starch, go for it! But smother them in SatFat. That’s the whole thing, really.</p>— FireInABottle (@fire_bottle) <a href="https://twitter.com/fire_bottle/status/1308190437757333505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<br /><p></p><p>What I'm eating:</p><p>Meat - beef or lamb mostly as this is low in PUFAs and high in stearic acid.</p><p>Fats for cooking - tallow or butter. Enhanced with stearic acid. </p><p>Eggs - cos they are a great whole food. Usually cooked in tallow or butter (enhanced with stearic acid if I remember).</p><p>Butter</p><p>Cream for tea</p><p>Coffee - usually black</p><p>Low carb "carbs" -- Atkins crispbread and Woolworths Macro bread. These have vegetable oils so not great but I try and overwhelm it with lots of butter. But generally not something I have a great amount but just eating butter is just not very satiating. </p><p>Berries - mulberries (home grown!), strawberries and blueberries.</p><p>Treats - Avalanche Hot Drinks. Keto ice cream. Chocolate (dark or Lindt Lindor White).</p><p>I currently have a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) which means I'm experimenting with starches - the theory behind the Croissant Diet seems to indicate that starches are great as a delivery mechanism of the saturated fat but also provides satiety and also the glucose created from the ingestion of carbs doesn't actually end up in fat IF you have enough saturated fat.</p><p>So since I have had my CGM I have had:</p><p>Croissant and even Ice Cream!! (Also walked 40,000 steps that day!)</p><p>Home made "croissants" with added stearic acid</p><p>A friend heard I was on TCD and got an apple galette and chocolate croissant as well as something else (I didn't have any of the something else as I thought I'd overload on treats/carbs!) - it was delish though!</p><p>Sourdough fruit bread! I think like a lot of fermented foods it seems to give me a reaction - I think in the form of itchy skin. But this could be starches or just gluten. I'm still experimenting to work this one out.</p><p>Pho (rice noodle soup) - normally I'd choose this as a keto meal and just ask for them to not add the noodles. But I thought I could indulge as the beef and tendons would surely help offset the carbs (yes I know it doesn't work that way but I was feeling confident as my blood glucose hadn't been going up too much even with the croissants and sourdough fruit bread). But alas my blood sugar spiked up! You can see it on the Tuesday 15th around 1pm.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS4BJa-2tyEw8LzIcZOTjaMDnO1OcWyhgefsXiSGLTKaNCrKP3XJUWURDZa1BfWNBYzf23TSTK9rq2irpXCtOaN42jXQrh123d0rrqXCQ5B6BUZ-DRZF9cyFt_TVUDlp5Ho6iB/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="306" data-original-width="1010" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS4BJa-2tyEw8LzIcZOTjaMDnO1OcWyhgefsXiSGLTKaNCrKP3XJUWURDZa1BfWNBYzf23TSTK9rq2irpXCtOaN42jXQrh123d0rrqXCQ5B6BUZ-DRZF9cyFt_TVUDlp5Ho6iB/w400-h121/image.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />The other significant bump/hill/mountain/spike is from an excess consumption of carbs in the form of two pieces of sourdough toast! Weirdly it spikes around 3 hours after eating :( (I still have no idea how bad that is!)<div><br /></div><div>I've also been trying to have some Cruskits - Rye Cruskits which are low carb (but not quite keto!) with lots of butter. Not sure this works as well as bread as with bread I can fry it in tallow or stearic acid enhanced butter... </div><div><br /></div><div>Result so far - I feel like I'm losing fat... as in things seem less flabby. But the scale has gone up... and come down... and is all over the place. But I've always been a difficult loser. And although I lose fat (seemingly!) I don't seem to lose weight. I'm hoping stearic acid and no PUFAs is the answer. Time will tell.<br /><p></p><p> </p></div>Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10089823394168762635noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535923.post-55466390755890037752020-04-10T08:56:00.001+10:002020-04-10T08:56:26.116+10:00Sauna at home and Vivid DreamingDue to the current situation where we are all at home and most public places are now closed I've invested and bought myself a sauna. I got a Valo 2 person sauna and it's been great so far. I purchased it for ~A$1600 (before a price rise due to the exchange rate). If you are reading this in early April 2020 they may still have stock here of the same model: <a href="https://www.luxoliving.com.au/Valo-2-Person-Canadian-Hemlock-Carbon-Fibre-Sauna-Cabin">https://www.luxoliving.com.au/Valo-2-Person-Canadian-Hemlock-Carbon-Fibre-Sauna-Cabin</a><br />
<br />
I had looked at a number of sites for a sauna that would fit into my 1 bedroom apartment and more specifically on my balcony. I briefly thought of a 1 person sauna but I'm so glad I got a bigger sauna as it's already a bit like a confinement space and to have a smaller space again I think would be a bit too claustrophobic. Originally I had thought to buy the sauna from Appliances Online due to my previous great experiences but the delivery timeframe was too far away so I cancelled my order and ended up buying it from Luxo Living (link above) since they had stock. It may not have had a known brand name but I'm glad I've received the sauna sooner rather than later as it's been good!<br />
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Here are some pics of my building of the sauna:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">My what big boxes you have!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">And heavy 'panels' - there were 6 in total.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLg5bkHT0uboC-6kz2FIdUUPy0dWhnB4rcwER32-OmyMgopom0weJdte8b1nztM5EzdvgSO021_OJnhZ7LqmLSWWy8J9mnIWNwiBot89-OPdaVhe3QWYtRkbaKaIbnay8ZIHdF/s1600/20200401_172656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLg5bkHT0uboC-6kz2FIdUUPy0dWhnB4rcwER32-OmyMgopom0weJdte8b1nztM5EzdvgSO021_OJnhZ7LqmLSWWy8J9mnIWNwiBot89-OPdaVhe3QWYtRkbaKaIbnay8ZIHdF/s320/20200401_172656.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">In tight quarters it does make it hard to get each panel out... esp when they are quire heavy and you have to do this by yourself because of Coronavirus meaning you can't get help from anyone you know. (at least no one I wanted to risk!) </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Each of the panels is easily slotted together... once you can move them into place.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPk356gpf93eoUvueNvMnb6JBnrcBVYiXeoxWlQVcG5raXThjzl_Ck74yzpO1rcd3JGWia2xWAWj4cKGTZ1FBQeq2I_nyzXoeIiRSi7GCwOcol3n8_8_d2il0hE7OKyEyGIiVe/s1600/20200401_182103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPk356gpf93eoUvueNvMnb6JBnrcBVYiXeoxWlQVcG5raXThjzl_Ck74yzpO1rcd3JGWia2xWAWj4cKGTZ1FBQeq2I_nyzXoeIiRSi7GCwOcol3n8_8_d2il0hE7OKyEyGIiVe/s320/20200401_182103.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Almost there except I had to take it apart again to get the bench seat thing in.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6Zb2-zOeNGZIHZc6O8LIpUmkTrWoOEMCsMmCF4xM_h3MNe0UZAG32SxRhtLrnD9L1xidZCuw-C1MDnjXLlFUVuBP9gfpqgSMij0cCDz2K-1BlPCQj3UB-AZJvctD-SLO0J9u/s1600/20200401_200439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6Zb2-zOeNGZIHZc6O8LIpUmkTrWoOEMCsMmCF4xM_h3MNe0UZAG32SxRhtLrnD9L1xidZCuw-C1MDnjXLlFUVuBP9gfpqgSMij0cCDz2K-1BlPCQj3UB-AZJvctD-SLO0J9u/s320/20200401_200439.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Finally built and ready to go! (And yes it was dark by this time)</td></tr>
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Prior to the 'lockdown' I had been taking advantage of the Fitness Passport and using my local swimming pool and dry sauna there. The main reason I even sauna'd in the first place was after doing a <a href="https://www.ajconsultingcompany.com/dna.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">DNA consultation with Dr Anthony Jay</a> - his analysis of my DNA suggested that I do saunas 3+ times a week. (Hmmm looking at this again I need to make sure I read the book too about artificial estrogen chemicals).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDQKbtTttDkykzOgpc-BsMHfemrRngBgKw-d9PRBpOD2LoCPXsCIH5Fh5-LFqk0s4-Hrh1eA5iM9SKolnHMoazWgLhAow2cScMSwUhZJ5sRoIOBKY1HAeI2JGC0ZaEx4t0_dT8/s1600/saunaestrogen.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="1448" height="102" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDQKbtTttDkykzOgpc-BsMHfemrRngBgKw-d9PRBpOD2LoCPXsCIH5Fh5-LFqk0s4-Hrh1eA5iM9SKolnHMoazWgLhAow2cScMSwUhZJ5sRoIOBKY1HAeI2JGC0ZaEx4t0_dT8/s400/saunaestrogen.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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I've also since done a further hormonal test (DUTCH test) which does indicate that while my estrogen (in this case estradiol) is in the 'normal' range, my progesterone and my testosterone is almost nil!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHjktVe000FYLDduCQG-1wbp0TWeFaJqi6iU16_sAcF4HcAsEMHGlyjMLE78ZX7zOjcZQoL0M-VyN49OjldfaZQpv28cm67OpYzSxyAJFTxa24XMX1h5ELyE6vxr7ljuyMC2G/s1600/Dutch+Test+-+sex+hormones.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="1600" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHjktVe000FYLDduCQG-1wbp0TWeFaJqi6iU16_sAcF4HcAsEMHGlyjMLE78ZX7zOjcZQoL0M-VyN49OjldfaZQpv28cm67OpYzSxyAJFTxa24XMX1h5ELyE6vxr7ljuyMC2G/s400/Dutch+Test+-+sex+hormones.png" width="400" /></a></div>
It's not a good thing and I'm not sure what the DUTCH test says about doing a sauna but I do find it interesting as I assume the DUTCH test would indicate I'm estrogen dominant (because I don't have the other two sex hormones at all!)<br />
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I digress. Back to saunas. So I'm not sure what the manifestation of my low testosterone and progesterone is although I still have other issues. I wasn't expecting anything particular about saunas except better sleep.<br />
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I had a great experience in early 2020 when I had gone to a spa place where I did an infrared sauna, sensory deprivation float and a salt room session. It was good but I didn't get a "aha" moment. Then the following morning I got an amazing feeling of contentment or happiness when I woke up. And it wasn't just one day. It lasted for about 2 weeks! Every morning I'd get up and have this feeling of "happiness".<br />
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Sleep, Dreams and Happiness</h4>
I wouldn't say I felt like I slept better just that I felt this amazing feeling in the morning when I woke up. I couldn't work out which of the therapies or combination of therapies worked. Now I know it was definitely the infrared sauna. As I've managed to replicate it with the sauna I have at home! I'm trying to remember if I had the same feeling with the dry sauna but now I can't recall. It's likely. The feeling of well being is pretty amazing. It's not something that is easily explained as I call it "happiness" but it's more a feeling of peace and wellbeing. <br />
My Oura ring stats do not seem to indicate my sauna gives me any better sleep than normal. Actually I do wish my sleep stats from the Oura ring had some sort of pattern but I haven't managed to discern one yet. <br />
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I'm also taking a lot of supplements to detox and fix my hormones so some of these could be affecting my sleep as I'm definitely not sleeping 'better' as I feel like I'm waking up more than usual. I say I'm not sleeping better but my Oura ring data isn't indicating my sleep is any worse than usual.<br />
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One thing I have noticed from a sauna is the vividness of my dreams! I'm not sure if it's more vivid than normal but I'm remembering them. From silly dreams that still make no sense (like rows of hedges!?) to scary ones where I wake up in the dream and see spooky signatures (mine!) all over my walls. Thank goodness it was all a dream. I have since Googled this and I'm consoling myself it's a symptom of detoxing. <br />
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Skin</h4>
My skin has seen a marked improvement from using my infrared sauna and the dry sauna from weeks ago. There was a difference that I could feel when I had the gap between the dry sauna and my sauna at home. The main thing was the "moisture" in the skin. I could feel that my skin felt older and more 'crepe-y' when I hadn't been in doing sauna therapy. I also found that when I did saunas and now I just don't need moisturiser. I know it's crazy but it's true. My skin somehow is creating it's own level of moisturiser so I don't need to add it to my face or hands. Not sure if this will last into our winter but I'm hoping so!<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEtAg4wac-AGGIFb3SsGJCy1DTcVFVaun2QdJKkq_FMPrRRsWNOok_IPZ7qVzAs8GsGLhu3tFE8_VLdVrTWIFnZzmTs_7-EtHkMati3dFmuBNjqm0LPUNqVZNDwUi_N0VFKo3/s1600/20200405_091457-COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEtAg4wac-AGGIFb3SsGJCy1DTcVFVaun2QdJKkq_FMPrRRsWNOok_IPZ7qVzAs8GsGLhu3tFE8_VLdVrTWIFnZzmTs_7-EtHkMati3dFmuBNjqm0LPUNqVZNDwUi_N0VFKo3/s400/20200405_091457-COLLAGE.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Not sure if you can tell which is the post sauna hand... but it's the bottom one which has a bit more moisture!</td></tr>
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Also when I first started the dry sauna experience I had a pimple. I know it doesn't sound great but I'm just going to assume it was my skin detoxing. As you may have guessed I haven't had a pimple for decades. <br />
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My mother also reckons my pores are not as huge as they were before and seems to think I now have better skin :).<br />
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So in conclusion I think saunas are great! The biggest benefit is the feeling of contentment and secondly it's my skin. If you don't feel comfortable in your skin, who will ;) <br />
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If you get down this far into the blog post I hope you are well. <i>It's 9 April 2020 and Sydney, Australia is in semi (stage 3) lockdown due to the Coronavirus (Covid-19). We can go out and shop and attend to essential services but can't meet with anymore than one other person. But that doesn't include visiting anyone. You can't visit anyone. Unless they are your partner or part of your family unit (as in your close family unit). But we're flattening the curve! So our daily case count isn't too bad -- 85 for Australia today and a total number of known cases of 6109.</i>Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10089823394168762635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535923.post-11352492601674849062020-02-08T11:48:00.001+11:002020-02-08T11:51:03.069+11:00Fitness Passport membership locations on a mapMy Fitness Passport membership is now live! Woohoo! So I get access to a heap of gyms and pools and classes. For someone who isn't interested in a gym membership I'm not quite sure why I have joined!! Peer pressure.<br />
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I'm very fortunate that I have the opportunity to join this type of membership as then I can go just about anywhere in NSW. The membership site gives you a list of them but I had no idea how close they would be to either work or home so I copied and pasted the details into a Google Sheet and then put them in a Google Map. I thought it may be useful for others too.<br />
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<iframe height="480" src="https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=10hH5PtKlBzeEzV6AoLev4vxqNoDxzR6y&hl=en" width="640"></iframe><br />
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You can access the map by this link too: <span class="gmail_default" style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span><a href="https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=10hH5PtKlBzeEzV6AoLev4vxqNoDxzR6y&hl=en&usp=sharing">https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=10hH5PtKlBzeEzV6AoLev4vxqNoDxzR6y&hl=en&usp=sharing</a>Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10089823394168762635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535923.post-55763303631907336872020-01-01T21:16:00.000+11:002020-01-01T21:16:25.586+11:00Air Quality in Sydney atm is awful and the affectsI know I know. The bushfires are terrible and here I am worrying about air quality. <br />
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From: <a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/news/outofcontrol-bushfires-burn-across-nsw-as-thousands-retreat-to-beaches/live-coverage/6fee9931c44965d7267b10f40aa17e96#31183" target="_blank">https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/news/outofcontrol-bushfires-burn-across-nsw-as-thousands-retreat-to-beaches/live-coverage/6fee9931c44965d7267b10f40aa17e96#31183</a></div>
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I'm really affected by the poor air quality. Probably a bit more so than others. I know I am already sensitive to VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) - you know the 'new car smell' that other people love? Well I don't love it. At all. It makes me ill. I get a headache and actually feel like vomiting. Poor air quality affects me the same way it seems. Not to the extent of VOCs but it definitely makes me feel not so well. Maybe I feel it more now that I've felt so good mentally on a ketogenic diet? Not sure. Regardless I get a headache and the tip of my tongue feels tingly when air quality is bad. And the air quality we have is based on bush fires and not on pollution so it is 'better' in some ways I suppose? I can't recall feeling bad when I'm next to an open fire (camping or at an outdoor space in a pub/restaurant) so I'm not sure if it needs to be a particular level for me to feel bad.</div>
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The air quality has prompted a few things. Firstly the building of an Air Quality level map. I was sick of looking at the NSW Environment site on my mobile which isn't responsive or friendly to a phone. So we put it on a map. We want the data anyway to mash together with other data points in the future to provide alerts through GARP. It's pretty cool although somewhat limited due to the lack of air quality meters in NSW and around me. </div>
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<a href="https://datascout.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/AQI-Datascout-Map-scaled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="air quality map by Datascout International" border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="800" height="148" src="https://datascout.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/AQI-Datascout-Map-scaled.png" title="Air Quality index on a map" width="320" /></a></div>
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Certainly I feel that I get a better gauge about the air quality by just looking out on the balcony and seeing if I can see Sydney. Here's the contrast from my balcony. One pic was just a 'normal day' in November. The other was New Years eve - 31 December 2019 when there were many bushfires blazing.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjIqI4pAFsKSh_X35WHeaOQ0sxTzqjwC2BoRG0dKRhPoIBzDa-o6P_Nytekurw8QexYhoHaxMPtfBhORX2YrQJkbK-HCVvQeQ4dnZNAmoOY7FNhvnV64fDNy0iz587IdIR6N1u/s1600/20191231_213836-COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjIqI4pAFsKSh_X35WHeaOQ0sxTzqjwC2BoRG0dKRhPoIBzDa-o6P_Nytekurw8QexYhoHaxMPtfBhORX2YrQJkbK-HCVvQeQ4dnZNAmoOY7FNhvnV64fDNy0iz587IdIR6N1u/s320/20191231_213836-COLLAGE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I've also been wearing a mask when I feel the air is bad. It's not the best mask in the world but does have a PM2.5 filter it in. The bad air can still get in the gaps but due to my inability for handling VOCs I can't go the whole <a href="https://datascout.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/RichardMask-1539x2048.jpg" target="_blank">apocalyptic mask like Richard can</a>! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg96iA-t3dfOOEkBiMnAISGllffXmm2rWe2FnxJ5YARxoJUtK0VeADspOrFHbW5NH3NBBtI-l58PWKyudxukrryS3Mbcdi68EQkgzzAqEtbONJCSnp-_ELK2BfWQP9fv6U0T5K/s1600/20191231_212250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg96iA-t3dfOOEkBiMnAISGllffXmm2rWe2FnxJ5YARxoJUtK0VeADspOrFHbW5NH3NBBtI-l58PWKyudxukrryS3Mbcdi68EQkgzzAqEtbONJCSnp-_ELK2BfWQP9fv6U0T5K/s320/20191231_212250.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As much as a feel a bit weird in the mask it's still better than having a headache and goodness knows what it's doing to me if I feel it as a headache!</div>
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I've also bought air filters for the office (a Breville Smart Air Purifier) and for home (a Ionmax ion390). It's better when it's on and when I have my doors closed and air conditioning on but I wish someone would tell Sprocket that. He still likes sitting and sleeping on the balcony in the bad air! And that means I leave the door open for him to go in and out. Yesterday when it was very smokey and hot I had my air conditioning going and the air filter and went out into the apartment corridor and felt the difference in air quality almost immediately. Urgh. (Today I went outside to visit my mum and had to double back to get my mask due to the smoke outside!).</div>
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I'm doing what I can do reduce the affects of smoke for immediate affects but I do wonder about the affects longer term for everyone with this bad air... there have been some articles indicating that bad air quality can affect health in the longer terms :(</div>
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What else can we do. We can't all move to Tasmania 😆. So air filter and mask it is!</div>
Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10089823394168762635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535923.post-88382517047751596722019-09-06T21:38:00.001+10:002019-09-06T21:38:06.767+10:00Is it Keto?<h2>
The keto diet</h2>
I have been eating in a ketogenic way since October or November 2018 (I've been saying October but think it's actually November!).<br />
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The main reasons are for general health given my mum and dad have both had cancer... and my mum and grandparents have/had diabetes. It also helps that generally the advice from many influencers whom I follow on social media and podcasts have adopted a ketogenic or low carb diet.<br />
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I've been on this way of eating for quite a few months and yet it still intimidates friends and family who ask what I can eat and still think "a bit of flour" is keto (cornflour or other flour in cooking). Or the other evening when my friend organised "pork ribs" which was precooked and prepared and COVERED in BBQ sauce. (Read the post I put up on Is it Keto about <a href="https://isitketo.info/2019/09/02/omg-im-having-a-keto-person-over-for-dinner/" target="_blank">what to serve a friend if they are keto</a>). <br />
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You may be aware I set up my <a href="http://keto4asians.com/" target="_blank">Keto 4 Asians site</a> as I wanted to adapt to eating foods I like but with a ketogenic mindset. It's not too hard to adapt but there are still substitutions or elimination of some ingredients. But recently on talking with a friend we decided to create a "Is it Keto?" site. Because often it's a phrase used to check if something is suitable to the ketogenic diet. "Is x keto?" we ask often. <br />
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<li><a href="https://isitketo.info/2019/08/31/vegetable-sweet-potato-2/" target="_blank">Is sweet potato keto?</a></li>
<li><a href="https://isitketo.info/2019/08/31/nut-or-seed-cashews-2/" target="_blank">Are cashews keto?</a></li>
<li>Is tofu keto?</li>
</ul>
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So I put together a website - <a href="http://isitketo.info/" target="_blank">Is it Keto?</a><br />
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I even added capability to <a href="https://isitketo.info/contribute-to-the-is-it-keto-knowledgebase/" target="_blank">easily add extra entries into the database.</a>.. as I had forgotten to add tofu to the list. (doh!). Anyone can contribute -- it creates a draft post for me to add in and the option for a link to the keto person's site or social media location.<br />
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If you are wondering - yes I still eat keto after 10 months or so. I haven't lost a heap of weight (boo!) but I feel great and my mental state is a lot better. I don't feel as tired and am able to take on a 30km hike without dramas! <br />
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<br />Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10089823394168762635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535923.post-40139168482264345472019-08-04T15:02:00.000+10:002019-08-04T15:02:00.103+10:00Best Privacy Policy and Terms of Service in an app<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I found one of the best examples of a privacy policy and terms of service in an app in a long time!</div>
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I downloaded and installed a Heart Rate Variability (HRV) app on my phone this morning and whilst the app won't work for me (more on this below) I was very impressed with their implementation of the terms of service and privacy policy. During the onboarding it was very clear what Terms of Service were as it was in simple plain English and not legalese. It was short and concise in a dot point format and clearly made sure that it was clear that they were going to use your data but it was still owned by you.</div>
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It was short enough I actually skimmed / read the Terms before pressing the Continue. Surprisingly there was no easy option to not continue. I suppose for me the phone back button would have been the option. </div>
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The next step was the Privacy Policy which was almost as easy to review as the Terms of Service. Again the summary was clear as to what the privacy policy was about.</div>
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I wish all app developers who are collecting data for use would simplify their terms and privacy policies. I'm sure there were more detailed versions of both somewhere on the Elite HRV app site and in app although I didn't attempt to read any more. </div>
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I can't understand the ridiculousness of expecting users to 'read' and agree to the terms when there are pages and pages and pages of information. Why bother? I wonder what percentage would have even gone past the first "page" of the terms of things like when you first load up an iPhone? I know they have the option of emailing the terms to yourself but you have already agreed at that point even if you do end up reading the 100+ (app) pages of terms! </div>
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Often called "clickwrap" there is the implication that you have read it if you click the button (in this case the "Continue" link. </div>
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We, as everyday users, have to rely on the good will of the organisations that build the app. What about the Face App (the one that creates an "older" version of people) which <a href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/online/security/app-behind-viral-trend-has-disturbing-terms-and-conditions/news-story/5f4bde7b01f8789c6b5883a686587683" target="_blank">seems to have terms indicating they can store and use the data - even after you have long deleted the app</a> -- and the developers are based in Russia?! Eeek! I got wrapped up in that too. </div>
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If everyone had to create simple English terms which were agreed to it would make the app world a better place!</div>
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One of my gripes about the user experience of the Elite HRV app which is where the above Terms and Privacy Policy are from is the 'compatibility" which indicated that as a Samsung Note 8 user it would be compatible (assuming that was going to be using the camera on my phone to measure my heart rate... ) and yet when I was trying to get a reading wanted to connect to a Bluetooth... something! (assume a heart rate monitor). Their site needs to be clearer that Android devices maybe compatible with ANT+ and other heart rate monitors but you still need the heart rate monitor to work!</div>
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<br />Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10089823394168762635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535923.post-19386223124830179602019-07-27T22:39:00.002+10:002019-07-27T22:39:57.867+10:00Bathing in Vitamin C and Water Dechlorination in an ApartmentIn the past I have had a home which had a whole of house filter. To filter out all the chlorine in the home and even the fluoride for drinking. Since I've moved to an apartment things have to be a bit different as the water that comes into the apartment for hot water is already hot. Which means any "whole" of apartment filter needs to be able to cope with hot water too. It's not that there isn't such a thing just that it was too hard to get the right plumber in for the job who knew what they were doing.<br />
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So I decided to just get an over the sink kitchen filter for drinking water (and cooking and cleaning fishtanks and watering plants) and for my shower I just got a shower filter. And I worked out that I could buy special vitamin c tablets to dechlorinate my bath water. <br />
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I've been using the dechorination tablets for over a year (you get about 20 tablets per tube and I got 5 tubes) when my mum was telling me about how she's going to start having baths again (since she moved into a new place). So I gave her a tube to try. She LOVED it. She raved how wonderfully it felt and how it meant her skin was no longer flaking and dry. That's a huge wrap from her! I had given her a new brand of tablets which I had bought from Amazon. Unfortunately getting them here in Australia was super expensive (as Amazon forces you to get it from Australian Amazon). So something that was A$18.99 became A$70! I ended up getting a set from US Amazon and sending it to a shipment fulfilment service. I paid a lot for the shipping but I think I still ended up slightly ahead (maybe $4...)<br />
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So this post is very much just sharing that I think Vitamin C tablets for a bath are great and does stop the flaky skin and the feeling of dry skin. <br />
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Now I'm wondering if just buying vitamin C powder will have the same effect as I think that will be a lot cheaper than buying tablets.<br />
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I'll post back after I give it a go :)<br />
<br />Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10089823394168762635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535923.post-26665859082878832642019-01-27T23:13:00.002+11:002019-01-27T23:17:41.101+11:00Transitioning to Apartment LivingI've now moved to Hurstville into a 1 bedroom apartment... with 2 dogs ... from a house for a year. And LOVE it.<br />
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In this post I talk about some of the things I love about apartment living. I also cover some of the gotchas and what I don't like about it.<br />
<h4>
1. Security</h4>
I love the secure feeling of living in this particular apartment block. I know it's not universal with all apartments but one of the things I was seeking was a feeling of security (or rather a lack of not feeling safe.) I live on a high floor which helps too. If I had all the same features but was on the first or ground floor I don't think it would be the same at all.<br />
My apartment block has a swipe card/fob access for the lobby door and then a further swipe is required to get to any floor on the lift. My apartment door then has a normal lock although I've seen other people install an additional lock I don't feel the need for this. My floor only has a handful of apartments so well seem to recognise each other.<br />
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2. Garbage Chute</h4>
I love, love, love having a garbage chute. What is this magical thing? Well it's a handle box thing which you pull open, throw your garbage (in a garbage or plastic bag please!!) close the box thing and voila... garbage is no longer in your life. Ever. (Don't throw out anything you want because goodness knows where it goes and I don't think you will ever see it again!) It's very cathartic. I believe there are lots of people who are watching the Marie Kondo Netflix series... and any decluttering person will tell you that you should not let your stuff own you.<br />
The garbage chute is inside a garbage room which has space for me to put my recycling. When I first moved in I had a lot of IKEA boxes. And I mean a LOT. The room was chockers full with my recycling and the next day I opened the door (probably to put more IKEA boxes into it!) and it was *poof* gone. I mean magically. It was an amazing feeling. And our apartment block has cleaners who keep the room nice and clean and tidy. It never smells funny or is left dirty.<br />
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3. Storage Cage and Parking Spot</h4>
In my last house, we had a double ++ garage. It was huge and we also had roof space and under house space where we could store stuff. I thought I would miss having a garage where my car was kept safe and away from the other 'stranger' cars. But the car space system works fine. It's good to have enough space on either side of the car to get in and out and good to know that all there is space for is the car. Once I get down to the car space I'm in the car and away! (but I do have to go up 4 ramps and two security doors before I can get out but I do have a remote opener so it's not too bad).<br />
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The storage cage is also good. It's good that it's far away in a sense and I do have enough storage in my apartment for most things so only the large things that I don't have space for or need for on a day to day basis goes down there. Things like suitcases and not yet used potting mix or dog food or if anyone is going to Costco and buying toilet paper! Mainly I put my suitcase and half worked on projects (I'm looking at you Big Mirror Project!) and my trolleys for big items. Oh and that giant rug I still hang onto cos I love it but my apartment is too small for. (I really should give it away... )<br />
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I lock the storage cage with a lock with chain - similar to a bicycle or motorcycle lock. People are able to see into my cage and I don't have anything special in there so I don't expect there to be any theft. It's good as it's not very dusty down there nor is it damp and it is well lit so all in all I think it's an improvement to most sheds or garages.<br />
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4. Low maintenance (although high costs)</h4>
Living in a small apartment is great! Dusting and vacuuming is minimal (well compared to a house!) and no lawns need mowing. I only have one bathroom to clean and I clean as I go (as in I don't have a dedicated cleaning schedule). My balcony is undercover so a sweep and mop is good to keep it clean even though I have two dogs.<br />
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The strata for the building is expensive especially since the only 'special' things is the two lifts our building has. But cleaning and maintenance isn't free so each of us have to pay our share. Having said that I believe maintenance for a house (time spent mowing, mowing, cleaning gutters etc) can add up over a year so for the < $5000 I pay per annum I think it's an OK trade.<br />
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5. Mod cons (modern conveniences)</h4>
I live in a fairly new apartment so have a lot of the modern conveniences. I installed an air conditioning unit when I moved in but probably only used it 10 times in the last year either for heating or cooling. But it's good to know it's there. The apartment comes with appliances such as the dishwasher, microwave and dryer (although I've had to replace the dryer). The place also comes with an intercom for security and access.<br />
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It's hard to think of anything that this apartment needs. Maybe one of those 3 in 1 things in the bathroom for winter.<br />
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I did replace all the halogen downlights with LEDs but as they were easily replaced.<br />
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<b>6. Convenience</b></h4>
There's little not to love about my apartment! The convenience most of all. The ability to lock up and go is great and the location makes it super handy for me to get public transport around Sydney and also in Hurstville I get access to a Westfields as well as lots of restaurants and banking services.<br />
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7. Views and breeze</h4>
How can I forget one of the selling points of this apartment? The view! The view from this apartment is phenomenal! And with it comes the breeze. I'm fortunate to have an east facing apartment. I originally looked at getting a north facing apartment but I actually think this is better! Views of the ocean, airport and city... sunrises that are so magical. Moon rises too! And all whilst being protected on the north and south by neigbour's properties! So I get a cooling breeze without the gale force winds.<br />
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<b>Things which are a little annoying:</b></h4>
<b>Lack of bathroom window for air </b>- the compact size means both my laundry and bathroom are "internal" and have no windows to the outside. Actually in my apartment I have NO windows! But I have two massive stacker doors that lead out to the balcony.<br />
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<b>Noise from upstairs - </b>the noise from neighbours can be annoying if they are stomping around in the middle of the night but I think that my neighbours above must be away most of the year as I only occasionally get a few nights of noise. And then silence for the rest of the year. So I'm happy when they are all away!<br />
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<b>Waiting for a lift</b> - if you are in rush this could be annoying. With two lifts servicing the building there are some times where you need to be patient and wait for the lift. Unfortunately you can't rush these things. If desperate there is always the stairs (although I have yet to work out how to get into the stairwell from downstairs).<br />
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<b>Keys! - don't forget them! </b>- every time I go out I double check for keys. Unless I'm holding the keys in my hand when I'm about to leave my apartment I don't walk away. The door self locks so I'm always worried one day I'll lock myself out.<br />
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That's it. I can't think of any other things that don't work for me. I'm sure there are small things but overall I just love it! Yay to apartment living!Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10089823394168762635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535923.post-73096123161757269362019-01-27T11:34:00.002+11:002019-01-27T11:34:54.907+11:00Startups - I can multitask right?One of my co-founders of <a href="https://crowdquests.com/" target="_blank">CrowdQuests</a> / <a href="https://hacksauce.com.au/" target="_blank">HackSauce</a> has rightly pointed out that my last post was saying I am only focusing on one Startup. Well I was. But then we did <a href="https://govhack.org/" target="_blank">GovHack</a> 2018... and started up a new startup CrowdQuests which is something I find we at Transport for NSW need and I'm sure other data hungry organisations also need. We've often talked about getting data more accurate and crowdsourced to keep costs low. So now there is such a company and app that does that. CrowdQuests :)<br />
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So CrowdQuests is the product and HackSauce is the organisation that has the four founders attached to it. I say attached as we have it currently as a partnership with the 4 companies that each of the founders is a sole director of as partners. I know confusing, right? But it works for us and we are likely to incorporate HackSauce to make things a bit easier when submitting tenders and quotes and proposals.<br />
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More about CrowdQuests and what we are doing in a different post when I have a bit more time... but I also started a new blog which may or may not become a 'thing'... because I've been following a ketogenic diet for the last couple of months. The blog is <a href="https://keto4asians.com/" target="_blank">Keto4Asians</a>. It's a resource for me to share my keto stuff and knowledge. And will obviously have a bent towards Asian related foods. But I just blog about whatever. I've also set up a matching <a href="https://twitter.com/keto4asians" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://instagram.com/keto4asians" target="_blank">Instagram</a> account. Let's see what happens with it but it's meant to be a low effort (mainly because of my interest) activity and also helps me keep motivated in following the keto-esque diet. I am doing what they call "lazy keto" as I am not tracking much except estimating in keeping my net carbs under 20 grams. Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10089823394168762635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535923.post-21239115129221569332018-08-06T22:07:00.000+10:002018-08-06T22:07:10.114+10:00Why I'm ditching all my startups<i>I wrote this in 2017 but never published it. Not for any real reason but just because it wasn't finished and I forgot about it. In August 2018 I'm resurrecting it and publishing it. Just in case it helps someone. </i><br />
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A few weeks ago we shut down 99interns 😢 after a few years in the market and good market recognition. I shut down oddswop a couple of years ago (well kinda shut down. I still need to deregister the company and finalise all the tax stuff). But I still had New Home Review which was setup relatively recently and BadgerMe which was a couple of years old. But even those are being shut down. The BadgerMe back end was closed out last week and New Home Review, I've advised Ciaran and other people working on things that I'm shutting it down as well. Because...<br />
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I'm going all in on one startup. Yes <b>ONE</b>. And it's not even mine. Well it is mine but I won't be the Founder. I'll be the co-founder. <br />
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It's definitely been a super busy time for me but also a time where due to the pressure my ideas and values have been made clearer. I've been super busy with work and moreso with GovHack. GovHack has been a gig I volunteered for and really enjoying but finding that I'm doing a lot more than I expected to. I would easily be spending 30+ hours on it.<br />
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But it's the energy and flow from working on GovHack which has made me realise that I need the right sort of person to work with on a startup. It's not something that I can carry alone. All my previous startups, I've had a co-founder because I was told I should. Or I thought it may be a good idea. But I need to have that energy inherent in the organisation before I get there. I can't bring it by myself. As much as I get passionate about things I'm an empath so I tend to reflect others. I need someone super committed and I'm happy to reflect that back. <br />
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When I met my now co-founder I was knee deep (or maybe neck deep?) in GovHack. We found the time to talk startups and form a deep bond -- despite the fact we haven't met in real life (IRL)! Which is kinda ironic as the new startup -- <strike>GoPlatnm.com</strike> now called HazTime so visit <a href="http://haztime.com/">haztime.com</a> -- is about IRL connections. My co-founder was enthused but it was only after we decided to go for an accelerator that we really had to get our skates on and get something going. So having met in May 2017 it's now early July and we've incorporated, built the site and are gearing up to apply for the accelerator all whilst being super busy everywhere. My husband unfortunately doesn't even get to see me as I'm usually on conference calls in the evening or fixing or building or creating something for GovHack or talking strategy with my new co-founder or closing stuff down!<br />
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But here's to a new era, where I focus on the one startup.<br />
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<i>Things which have changed since I first wrote this... I've deregistered Oddswop, my husband and I split up 😢, Platnm had a name change to HazTime, I've moved home to Hurstville, I didn't do GovHack this year so I could focus in on HazTime. </i>Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10089823394168762635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535923.post-53275930008235150792018-08-04T21:09:00.000+10:002018-08-04T21:09:10.280+10:00Mind Hacks and No Sugar and No WheatI spent about a month with minimal added sugar and wheat. And this is what happened... I'm sure that sounds familiar. Maybe some clickbait type headline? <br />
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I've been wanting to reduce my wheat and sugar intake a bit and do some experimentation. But needed a good way to force or convince myself to do it. A mind hack. <br />
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Mind Hacks</h4>
I love a good mind hack. To me it's something I setup as a quasi constraint (ie a constraint totally made up by me!) that helps me towards a goal or something I want to achieve. It's like setting artificial deadlines. <br />
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Fasting</h4>
One of my major mind hacks is fasting. Some of you may know that I've been doing my version of 5:2 where I fast two days a week and eat normally on the other 5 days. Usually a 5:2 diet will allow up to 500 calories on the fasting days. On Tuesdays and Thursdays (or days starting with "t"), I fast. This doesn't include any coffee or tea or hot chocolates even! And every so often I'd have a banana or yoghurt in the evening if I felt I needed it. I've been doing this well over a year now. And it's fairly easy. I love the binary nature of it. And I must have saved a tonne of money as I eat a lot less. And a lot more time is saved as I don't need to cook and clean up those days! But there was one stage where I would overeat ice cream and chocolate on my days where I wasn't fasting. Not good. The fasting is somewhat for weightloss but mainly because I'm trying to do little things that can help me not get cancer. My mum and dad have had cancer. So genetically I'm pretty screwed. But there are things I can do to minimise my chances of getting cancer. Fasting is one of them. <br />
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Not so good things about fasting:<br />
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<li>bad breath! Maybe due to ketosis?</li>
<li>feel cold. I think the lack of food makes my body just feel cold on the days I fast.</li>
<li>can get tremors -- I use to get this and feel really weak. Makes sense if I'm not eating that I feel that so often I will just a small something that day to tide me over. I'm not super strict as you can see. But I would say I'd only break a fast once every 4 fast days. </li>
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Good things about fasting:<br />
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<li>Save money and time on the days I fast!</li>
<li>mental clarity during the days I fast</li>
<li>generally I feel my health is better (more later)</li>
<li>I realise just how little food I need! Get a good sense of how much we generally overeat.</li>
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The big question I'm sure many people have when they hear I fast 2 days a week is if I have lost a tonne of weight. No. Whilst I will lose weight on those days when I fast I have pretty much stayed the same for ages. And yes I'm still overweight. ☹️⚖</div>
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Dry July</h4>
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Since I've been feeling that I overeat on the days I can and that I have a small ice cream addiction I wanted to try and break the habit. In May I decided that I would tell everyone that I would do "Dry July" by having no sugar and no wheat. That would eliminate things like ice cream and chocolate but also cakes. It's just too easy to snack on things or accept that piece of cake that is on offer. Normally people give up alcohol in July but since I don't drink giving up sugar and wheat seemed like a good idea. </div>
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The 'rules' were no sugar, no wheat and no sugar substitutes. So basically no 'sweet' food. Again I'm a non extremist so if there was a bit of sugar in a dish when eating out I would still eat it. But I would not seek it out. I was already such a foodtard I didn't want to make things worse for myself. </div>
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Thank goodness my work colleagues are foodtards too and tend to understand the crazy food options we all have eliminated from our diets. Our smallish team has an autoimmune diseased meat eater, a self induced vegan, a semi-vegan, a few dairy intolerant peeps, and a smattering of other special food needs. </div>
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The start date was also shifted to be 2nd July as the Sunday before hand I was going to a baby shower with lots of yummy sweet things! And I ended on 30 July. The 31st was a Tuesday when I was meant to be fasting which should be easy but in the evening I went out with Richard after work to Newtown and had a couple of tacos (that's OK) but then wanted to try the vegan ice cream place. Probably not worth it but at least I know I've tried it now. (The ice cream is fine but since I'm not that lactose intolerant and Messina is down the road...) </div>
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So all up I ended up doing no sugar, no wheat for 29 days! Yay me!</div>
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No Sugar No Wheat -- was it worth it?</h4>
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So what do I think? I think it was a success! I felt a lot better not eating wheat. I'm not sure why. I don't know if it's the wheat or the yeast that was eliminated from that side of things that made me feel better. I know I did feel better for it. More that I didn't feel bloated.</div>
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As for the sugar, I'm glad I did it because it broke a bit of an addiction. How do I know? Well I went to ALDI and didn't feel compelled to buy all the chocolate or ice cream! During July I also had a heap of fruit. I could tell that the lack of sweet foods was having an affect when I had to give away my pineapple to someone else because it was too sweet. Before it was just apples that would do that to me. But now pineapple too. </div>
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I don't know how long this control over sugar and wheat based products will last. But it's been a good experiment and I think I will try and incorporate it every so often if I feel that I'm getting addicted again or having excessive amounts of either sugar or wheat. </div>
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But to the ladies out there... you should try it out. Why do I say this? because I had the best red week ever! 3/4 days. Unheard of. And not heavy but not spotting either. I believe the culprit is sugar and not the wheat as much but I am not sure. All I know is that I do pretty much what I do normally but with a cup of raspberry leaf tea for the first two days of my period. But that's the only other 'different' thing I would do compared to normal. I have been on my other supplement regime for over 2 months so that wasn't it. Must be the sugar/wheat thing. </div>
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Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10089823394168762635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535923.post-71685234859253343552018-06-25T23:26:00.000+10:002018-06-25T23:26:22.095+10:00Magic Mirror - IKEA frame hackSomehow I stumbled on the Magic Mirror project and of course I wanted to build it. Forget that I was in the middle of another mirror project (still not finished) but this one is now built!<div>
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Here is the finished product (still a bit messy as I put a small console type table under the mirror): </div>
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The console table was added... as I needed to hide the power point from my dogs who like munching on power cables if too accessible. Before I mounted it on the wall I had it propped up on a dining room chair... </div>
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There are plenty of resources on how to get the magic mirror tech side of things done. The key resource is the Magic Mirror site: https://magicmirror.builders/ </div>
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I've also used Google a lot and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayenashar/" target="_blank">Jayen</a> helped me a lot too on various bits and pieces. </div>
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The main thing that is different is the way I put the frame/mirror component together. Here are the high level details (oxymoron?):</div>
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1. bought mirror tint from Aliexpress https://www.aliexpress.com/item/50x100cm-Window-Film-One-Way-Mirror-Silver-Insulation-Glass-Window-Film-Solar-Reflective-Home-privacy-Decoration/32658438220.html less than $5</div>
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2. bought monitor from MSY (and ended up using that as my monitor and using my old monitor for the magic mirror. Note I didn't strip it to just a screen but just mounted the IKEA picture frame onto the monitor with a combination of sticky tape! (special mirror sticky tape!) and screws. Samsung monitor 21.5" was $127.50 (for the new one). </div>
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Don't get this monitor (<strong style="background-color: #ebecee; color: #374953; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">Samsung 21.5" (LS22F355FHEX/XY) 1920x1080 5ms HDMI D-DUB VESA LED Backlight LCD monitor)</strong> for your project... you want one where the buttons and power outlet are not on the back... </div>
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3. bought a monitor wall mount from Target with an arm. https://www.target.com.au/p/target-full-motion-tv-wall-mount-small-to-medium/59877820 I needed to do this as otherwise there isn't enough space in behind the monitor to put cables etc. $29</div>
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4. bought a right angle cable for power - probably around $10</div>
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5. bought a right angle cable adapter for the HDMI cable - probably around $10</div>
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6. Raspberry pi (local supplier), case (Aliexpress), PIR sensor (Aliexpress), jumper cables (Aliexpress). Btw if you want jumper cables I now have 17 spare. (Needed 3 for the PIR sensor connection)</div>
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7. IKEA Viserum frame https://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/30268907/ - I got the 61 x 91 cm version</div>
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I think they are the main things I needed to build the physical mirror... I may have missed bits and pieces.</div>
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The main steps was to</div>
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1. add tint to frame 'glass' </div>
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2. put the monitor as flush as possible against the tinted 'glass'</div>
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3. add black cardboard around where the monitor screen is not... this adds to the mirror illusion</div>
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4. attach the monitor to the frame</div>
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5. mount the monitor to the wall mount</div>
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6. have the wall mount work</div>
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7. have the pi attach to the frame somehow</div>
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I also wanted to make it easy to remove/just have a normal mirror in that same spot if needed... (not as a back up plan in case I totally stuffed up of course!)</div>
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<b>Mirror Tint application</b></div>
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So the key thing for me to build it initially was to cover the plastic / glass from the frame (plastic in this case!) with the tint. This was mirror tint so it would look like a mirror on one side and could have light show through to the other side. My tip to those who haven't tinted before is to not crinkle the tint and to use an old credit card to smooth things over. I didn't have any special formula so just used detergent and water mixed into a spray bottle. I didn't use distilled water. My first few attempts looked awful. But that's because I was using a shower squegee. Don't do it. Use the hard edge of a credit card. Ideally get someone to help you so that the tint goes on in one go. </div>
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<b>Attach the frame to the monitor</b></div>
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This was relatively easy. But I still felt like Macgyver when I found the screws with the big 'edge' and the 'edge' on the monitor!</div>
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You'll see my bodgy Macgyver skills here... I have the monitor 'sitting' on a timber brace that is attached to the frame. Then the screws just lightly hold the screen against the frame. I also have some mirror sticky tape on the monitor to help it stick to the frame. </div>
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I've also just 'stuck' the Pi case using the 3M hooks for picture frames. This makes it almost like velcro but not quite. This worked better than expected!<br />
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You will see the monitor mount (VESA) on the back of my monitor and the 'right angle' cable and adapters I used. </div>
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<b>TV Mount on wall</b></div>
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I cheated. I used the wall anchors for plasterboard. As I couldn't find the battens in the wall. (Yep add your eyerolls here!!) </div>
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This is a side on view of the mirror -> wall. As you can see there is a significant amount of space between the wall and the frame. That's because I wanted to keep the monitor as whole as possible. </div>
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I was very excited when I could finally mount it on the wall! The project didn't take long. Could definitely do it as a one day (a few hours?) project. As long as you have all the bits. The tint took ages to get to me only because the post office didn't notify me of it and was sitting there for weeks. </div>
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So magic mirror... with newly installed PIR which is not placed optimally... who is the fairest of them all? (most likely Pepper... or Sprocket!)</div>
Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10089823394168762635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535923.post-87796281311845181972017-12-27T17:08:00.000+11:002017-12-27T17:08:15.190+11:00Android Head Unit for Honda JazzI recently bought a car! Yay me! It's a second hand 2008 Honda Jazz VTi Manual.<br />
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I bought the car via Carsales from a lovely lady based in Thornleigh. And dragged Patrick from work along with me to test drive the car. (Thanks Patrick... esp since we were stuck in traffic for such a long time!) It's my first car in a long time as usually the car ends up in W's name and I don't actually enjoy driving so... it's really not my call as to what car to get. But I was happy with my purchase. It put me back $6200 (was listed at $6500). I'm sure I could have probably gone down to $6000 but I don't like bargaining when it's for the sake of it. <br />
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The car however didn't have things like reverse sensors or Bluetooth for hands free calling. So I could get both of those things installed or go the whole hog and get something a bit fancy. I had been spoiled as I was driving my mum's Mazda 2 with all the bells and whistles which had a heads up display, nav, reversing camera and more. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGYVlRJ9zHqFjXfVpbOZlGL0n-4d2j9VkRWArlTxp0hJb3gLOnCUHU0ullg29I90obJdJXtHYFApIAv-AYlP-az7yDtLZKQUSps4-FoWT4rRHbzceKwdAz6b83Vzb634szq9pE/s1600/20171111_162703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGYVlRJ9zHqFjXfVpbOZlGL0n-4d2j9VkRWArlTxp0hJb3gLOnCUHU0ullg29I90obJdJXtHYFApIAv-AYlP-az7yDtLZKQUSps4-FoWT4rRHbzceKwdAz6b83Vzb634szq9pE/s320/20171111_162703.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My actual car interior</td></tr>
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After investigation I thought to get myself an Android Head Unit. <br />
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This was installed on 23rd December 2017 by someone I found on Gumtree (yes I'd recommend him!) I had contacted him ages ago to work out how much it would cost to install. I had at one stage thought about installing it myself (thanks to YouTube) but was brought back to my senses by my work colleagues :) The quote in getting a headunit installed with mic and reversing (back up) camera was $200. And he would come to me! (<i>Another quote I had was for $160 but wasn't going to be available till after 5 January.</i>) <br />
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All in the installation and the bits including head unit was less than $600. Breakdown below with suppliers detailed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-Gzlu3rQXrw6VOpaO_k5o-b6-L2TZQWCYckSlaRpRbvx6auJgciDtiFLQO0qLJ1m7hFCIrw6mEqpA3ROfKYi3MfZoN4EE7LkYCJF3-o2KkNgkrqQnc6miv6ZjlQ7tNU-_B01/s1600/20171223_153031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-Gzlu3rQXrw6VOpaO_k5o-b6-L2TZQWCYckSlaRpRbvx6auJgciDtiFLQO0qLJ1m7hFCIrw6mEqpA3ROfKYi3MfZoN4EE7LkYCJF3-o2KkNgkrqQnc6miv6ZjlQ7tNU-_B01/s320/20171223_153031.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what it looks like after being installed. Looks and works great!</td></tr>
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The stock standard stereo unit looks like this:</div>
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I like the fact it had a CD slot although I haven't listened to a CD for years. And years. And years. </div>
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So to make a 2 din (ie takes up 2 standard stereo units of space) work it needed a fascia. Then I found out that I would also need a wiring harness. I also wanted to include a reversing camera. So shopping was required.</div>
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The components and prices (in AUD) I ended up with are (none of the links are affiliate links or anything like that -- it just saves me from answering questions :) ):</div>
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Joying Android Head Unit (Quad Core, 2GB and Android 6.0) at $283.66 - <a href="https://www.aliexpress.com/item/New-JOYING-Android-5-1-1-Quad-Core-Universal-Car-Audio-Stereo-GPS-Navigation-Double-2/32749572213.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.MKtmU0" target="_blank">link to the product on Aliexpress</a>.</div>
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Reverse Camera via Aliexpress at $12.85 - <a href="https://www.aliexpress.com/item/HD-Waterproof-170-Car-Reverse-Backup-Night-Vision-Camera-Rear-View-Park-Cam/32686391021.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.MKtmU0" target="_blank">link to the product on Aliexpress</a>.</div>
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Fascia / Trim Kit for Honda Jazz GD RHD at $51.12 - <a href="https://www.aliexpress.com/item/High-Quality-Car-Radio-Fascia-for-Hondas-Jazz-One-Double-Din-DVD-Stereo-CD-Panel-Mount/32795864694.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.SlYsJh" target="_blank">link to the product on Aliexpress</a>.</div>
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Cables/Harness Kits totalling $35.99 via eBay. I got the following items 1. Car Side Iso Connection Harness Wiring Loom, 2. Antenna Adapter To Suit Honda Jazz (Fit) Gd 2002 - 2008, 3. Head Unit Car Stereo Iso Loom Connection Harness. I used <a href="http://myworld.ebay.com.au/brandbeast" target="_blank">link to the seller on eBay</a>.</div>
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Installation was $200 - <a href="https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/sydney-region/other-automotive/car-audio-installation-all-sydney-suburbs/1148256381" target="_blank">link to the service on Gumtree</a>. </div>
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Note the prices I listed above are what I paid (late 2017). YMMV as they are often affected by exchange rates or discounts I may have received.</div>
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The reason I selected that head unit against so many others? The reviews always influence me. Then I wanted Android 6.0 plus to make sure I could run Android Auto (although I have since switched back to the 'standard' nav product -- more below) and I wanted to change the backlit colour... </div>
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And how did I know what cables to order? A lot of googling and reading and watching YouTube. But to save you some trouble I listed what I needed above. If you happen to have and want the same setup :) If you have a different model / make car I am sure you can just use the same terms and your make/model.</div>
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Installation</h3>
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Anthony came and installed my unit after I contacted him on the 22nd... he was ready to install it at the pre-quoted price of $200 the following day! Booyah! He did a great job. None of the bits I got included any additional stickers (except an NFC one which wasn't installed). But it meant all the old stickers needed to be reused. I didn't think it was going to be a problem as all the dials etc stay the same but I assume it was because they need to be removed and readded back... so can get damaged in the meantime. The only thing that doesn't work quite as expected is my air cond LED no longer lights up.</div>
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<b>Navigation</b></h3>
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Just a note about navigation or the head unit and components themselves. The reverse camera works a treat and is quick to bring up. I thought I'd mention it as my neighbour who I demo'd it to was surprised at how quick it was as he had an aftermarket reverse camera installed and he thinks it takes 20 seconds to come up! I also have the reverse green, amber, red zones. This was demo'd to me after the installation was done so I realised how close the red zone is. Basically I can never use the red zone! The installer reckons the camera is a really good one. Great $12.85 spent I say! I chose this one over the blocky square ones that looked like they could fall off too easily. There are a lot of options on Aliexpress... so I'd suggest reading the descriptions and reviews.</div>
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As for the navigation itself that was also something the installation guy was impressed with. It's the iGo app. When I first drove off there were all these strange beeps that would come up and the volume levels for music vs navigation were all over the place. And the onscreen display didn't have all the things I wanted. But over the last few days I've tailored the settings to suit. </div>
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The beeps were warnings. Warnings about 40km speed zones (don't get me started on speed zone data!! *grrrrrr*), warnings about red light cameras and speed cameras. To stop the beeping I just need to tap the screen on the warning. It's pretty good. Also it warns me when I'm speeding. And it's obvious. It actually says "You are over the speed limit". It's quite sensitive too. 3-4kms over and it triggers it! </div>
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I've been using the radio (thank goodness I got the radio antenna thing!) a lot. Bluetooth music works but seems flakey but it could be just due to some other notification that is happening on my phone. I also transferred some music to the Head unit via a USB key. That works OK but for now I think I'll use the radio. It's my dose of reality. Or "reality". </div>
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I installed Android Auto as well as Waze. I haven't booted up Waze yet but I did try Android Auto. It's was my goto when I was recently in Melbourne and used it on my phone. But you know what? The iGo app is more feature rich. I now have estimated arrival time, a clock, speed zone I am in as well as direction and the map etc. And I can have the radio running in the background. I'm not sure what it does on a normal phone or a tablet but if you are curious this is the Play store link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nng.igo.primong.igoworld&hl=en</div>
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So for less than A$600 do I think it's worth it? Yep! Approx 10% value of the car but well worth the cost to have in car nav and handsfree phone calling! I've yet to work out if things like notifications work or anything else but I'm happy with what I've seen so far.</div>
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<br />Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10089823394168762635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535923.post-59745866960198506732017-05-02T22:53:00.001+10:002017-05-02T22:53:54.471+10:00Bread baking - my hacks to make it super easy!Since we got back from our latest holiday/vacation I've been baking bread.<br />
I'm not sure what caused my need to bake bread. Certainly I have tried it in the past but for whatever reason didn't really continue. Maybe it was because I was using a bread maker before... and maybe it's because it really isn't this hard... and I'm getting encouragement from colleagues and friends about how good the bread is. And it's not just empty flattery. Even <b>I </b>think the bread is good :)<br />
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It started with me watching this video on the plane:<br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_vVGq5V82pM/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_vVGq5V82pM?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
The key words "no sugar bread" were probably the reason I watched this one rather than another one. That and the promise (or advertising) of 8 minutes of prep time!<br />
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The day we got back I was trying to stay awake so thought to bake the bread. It was pretty amazing. Especially for attempt one!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bread in oven on pizza stone</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baked bread. Looks and smells so good!</td></tr>
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The issue with this first one was that... the sesame seeds fell off. But by the second loaf I had Googled a trick. Somehow I was to dip the dough in water and then dip it in sesame seeds. But since then I've found an even easier way.<br />
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The video indicated to make a batch of dough of 8 cups of flour. I don't have a "big homestead" so 4 cups or a half batch should be plenty. For the first batch I used the following quantities:<br />
4 cups of flour<br />
2 cups of warm/hot water<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
1 packet of yeast<br />
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Otherwise I followed the way shown on the video. Put all the ingredients together and mix. I used a dough hook and my food processor. That was ok until the food processor started smoking! Since then (just finished 3rd batch of dough) I think I've perfected the recipe and method. Or at least gotten it good enough for me!<br />
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The number of steps looks scary but honestly this is so easy. Watch the video and then look at my modified steps as I make it easier than the video!<br />
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Ingredients<br />
4 cups plain flour (I used the Woolworths brand that looks like White Wings)<br />
2 cups of warm water (I used one cup off the boil water and 1 cup cold out of the filtered water tap)<br />
2 teaspoons of salt (even I think it needed more flavour than my first batch!)<br />
1 teaspoon instant yeast (I bought the Lowan brand which can just go in the fridge)<br />
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Method<br />
1. In a large rounded container I mix all the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. The 4 cups of flour, the 2 teaspoons of salt and the 1 teaspoon of instant yeast. <br />
2. I then add the almost hot water. It was explained the water should be hot but at a comfortable level so you can dip a finger in and it shouldn't be too hot. I did the 1 cup hot almost boiling water to 1 cup cold water and it was fine. <br />
3. Mix with the wooden spoon until it all holds together in a ball<br />
4. Put the lid on the container loosely and let the dough rise (1 hour+ ). If your house is too cool just put it in the microwave -- no not to heat it. But you could heat some water first so the cavity is warm and then just put the tub in the microwave just to have a warm spot to put the dough.<br />
5. Have a look to see if it's all risen up and I just punch it down. I may give it a bit of a 'stir' with the wooden spoon.<br />
6. Stick the lid on again tightly and put it in the fridge until you want to bake.<br />
7. Take the container out and prepare a section of baking paper<br />
8. Take a handful (say about a third of whatever is in the container) of dough out. You may want to put flour on your hand/s when pulling out the dough.<br />
9. Smooth the dough into a ball by dragging the dough to tuck in all the extra dough under the ball. It makes more sense if you watch the video...<br />
10. Put it onto the baking sheet to rise. Again it's a wait of 40 minutes or so. I've done it in less... because I'm impatient!<br />
11. Preheat your oven to over 200 degrees. I'm never super accurate so just somewhere over 200 degrees C.<br />
12. Spray your now risen ball of dough with water. With a spritzer. Then sprinkle sesame seeds (optional!) onto the ball of dough. I then use the baking paper and fold it over the bread so I can smoosh the seeds into the ball of dough. Not super hard just enough so the sesame seeds stick!<br />
13. Slash your bread with 3 parallel lines. Use relatively deep cuts. Sometimes my bread listens and uses the slashes. Other times it doesn't. I'm not sure why!<br />
14. Put the bread in the oven. I've used a pizza stone and a cookie sheet. Both work equally well. The cookie sheet is easier to clean. I just put the whole baking paper which is already on the cookie sheet into the oven. Makes it easier!<br />
15. Put a small tray of water in the oven I just use a small loaf container and put about 1 cup of cold water (just from the tap) into the oven on a lower tray. <br />
16. Close up the oven and put a timer on for 30 to 40 minutes.<br />
17. Check on your bread. When it looks brown enough pull it out!<br />
18. Cool the bread -- ideally on a wire rack.<br />
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HOT BREAD. YUM!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dough rising in container (for mixing and storing the dough!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dough pretty much ready for the fridge - you can use it now as well but I like the fridge step</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look! It's almost like 'perfect' crumb (the holes and texture of the bread)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">smaller rolls don't take so long</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r5_rE80seoA/WQg9VE-9F8I/AAAAAAABZWc/R2YPy6j2_LAXqPjcqKoFiZTcXDeiC_CNgCPcB/s1600/IMG-20170502-WA0003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r5_rE80seoA/WQg9VE-9F8I/AAAAAAABZWc/R2YPy6j2_LAXqPjcqKoFiZTcXDeiC_CNgCPcB/s320/IMG-20170502-WA0003.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">one of my rolls which was taken home by a friend and had the following day after rebaking to freshen it up!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think this is in my tummy already. Sorry!</td></tr>
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I've been pulling the hot bread out of the oven and wrap it loosely in a tea towel to take to work. And it's been a hit at work! I've been asked for the recipe and requests for the bread to be brought in again. I even had a colleague who was not eating gluten (choice only for now!) who indulged in a bit and praised it! Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10089823394168762635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535923.post-17277051949342050702017-01-26T18:06:00.001+11:002017-01-26T18:06:27.394+11:00Square Foot GardeningI've been a fan of square foot gardening for years. Our first one was in Kellyville Ridge where we had one bed with the squares. The concept just makes sense. Break down the spacing based on a 1 square foot square. In metric terms that's a 30 cm (ish!) square. <br />
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This time I bought some garden beds from Bunnings and just used them. We have finally landed on a design we like incorporating our chicken coop and the 4 garden beds.<br />
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This is what we ended up with in the front yard.<br />
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One of the garden beds has been in storage so looks very new! Over time it will age. Each square is just a tad under 1.2m. It's actually about 1.140m on the inside. So each square will be around 28.5cm.<br />
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I just bought the equivalent of Mel's mix. It's expensive! But worth it as we have tried the mix before and it does work well.<br />
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The mix is 1/3 each of vermiculite, peat moss and a mixed compost.<br />
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I bought most of the mix from Enfield Produce because they sold 'bulk' sized vermiculite online. Other places to look are hydroponic shops. No one in NSW seems to sell the equivalent of Mel's mix premixed although I did find a WA supplier.<br />
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For the 4 beds, ideally I needed 1.452m3 of material. But I've settled for 1200L of material. I'll top up the rest with compost. I don't trust our home grown compost just yet so will just buy it in.<br />
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I bought:<br />
4 x 100L vermiculite<br />
2 x 200L peat moss<br />
9 bags of mixed compost and another 4 bags of mushroom compost and 2 bags of composted cow manure (total of 400L). <br />
Grand total of 1200L of Mel's Mix.<br />
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It should give a height of 23cm. I am hoping it's enough. The garden beds are 28cm tall and I was aiming to fill it as much as possible but it looks like it will be around 5 cm from the top. <br />
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That's a lot of bed space in any case. It's just the two of us and soon to be some chooks. I suspect most of it will be growing Chinese veges like bok choy and Chinese Broccoli. We've decided to ensure there is space for things like corn in the beds! Radical I know but where we were growing corn we're making that the main compost bay...<br />
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This was the corn patch in 2016 along the back there.... that will become the compost heap.<br />
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I suspect the mix will go in next weekend due to the public holiday. Would be nice to see the material delivered tomorrow.... just unlikely!Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10089823394168762635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535923.post-61515274163786249272017-01-15T14:37:00.000+11:002017-01-15T14:37:06.923+11:00A night in a tiny houseI'm big on tiny houses. I suspect it's a holdover from when I was a kid and loved cubby houses and dreamt of making a usable space out of things like a car (this was when I was really really small!) or a bus or a railway carriage. Or a shipping container. <br />
<br />
In the last 10 years or so the Tiny House movement has taken off. And I fell in love with the tiny houses being built by Jay Shaffer and <a href="https://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/" target="_blank">Tumbleweed</a> homes. Jay has since moved on and started <a href="http://www.fourlightshouses.com/" target="_blank">Four Lights Tiny House</a> homes. I've spent many hours looking at the houses, floor plans and investigating what is required to do something similar in Australia and the rules and regulations for building a tiny house. But it's been a bit of a dreaming only. <br />
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So when I saw there was a crowdfunding campaign for a flat packed tiny house in Australia I was in!<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9MxC86VtYThXr9_DvkQ3oaqypc06ROe42BIC2yYEo5UTvIfx42Q0oaw6brjFAqZvudfrT4kvmT4C6Vl6VSSDKNtZXm7reGeRk9zUeQDDSUD25mQ-fD3n2IA88hrzbxnVKWiNw/s1600/IMG_20170114_142711120_HDR-01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9MxC86VtYThXr9_DvkQ3oaqypc06ROe42BIC2yYEo5UTvIfx42Q0oaw6brjFAqZvudfrT4kvmT4C6Vl6VSSDKNtZXm7reGeRk9zUeQDDSUD25mQ-fD3n2IA88hrzbxnVKWiNw/s320/IMG_20170114_142711120_HDR-01.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Greetings from a flatpacked tiny home!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Articles about the home here:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://inhabitat.com/tiny-new-flat-packed-off-grid-homes-offer-affordable-housing-breakthrough/">http://inhabitat.com/tiny-new-flat-packed-off-grid-homes-offer-affordable-housing-breakthrough/</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-28/flat-pack-homes-to-bust-australia's-housing-shortage/7885696">http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-28/flat-pack-homes-to-bust-australia's-housing-shortage/7885696</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.domain.com.au/news/australias-first-flatpacked-offgrid-home-could-help-solve-housing-affordability-problem-20160929-grry6h/">http://www.domain.com.au/news/australias-first-flatpacked-offgrid-home-could-help-solve-housing-affordability-problem-20160929-grry6h/</a></li>
</ul>
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<br />
I contributed to the <a href="https://chuffed.org/project/bigworldhomes" target="_blank">Chuffed campaign</a> so we could spend a weekend in it and also support the cause. I'm always for trying to contribute to things I believe in and I know if there was an affordable flatpacked solution to get the shell up that would be the bulk of the work to get something towards a tiny home for most people. At scale this would work but I'm still concerned that the price point is still high. Perhaps, as Will has suggested, what is needed is the Tesla model. Where a high end version is demonstrated all kitted out but the 'from' price is the bare bones flat packed version.<br />
<br />
So this weekend (13 - 15 January 2016) Will and I packed our bags to live in the prototype tiny house! I dropped doggies off to dog sitters in the morning and headed out to Leichardt where the Tiny House was situated. The car was just going to be parked there whilst I went to work. The 'weekend' stay was going to start Friday evening and we'd checkout on Sunday morning.<br />
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This is what I saw in the morning:<br />
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<br />
It looked tiny from the street. <br />
<br />
In the evening I headed in from work by bus to the tiny house to be greeted by Joanne and Alex. They were still doing some maintenance of the tiny house, clearing up and making a few adjustments.<br />
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There was the equivalent of two tiny houses. One of them was fully built and kitted out and the other was acting as a verandah and deck area. The verandah makes a big difference to the feel of the house! <br />
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Especially Friday night. Friday night was the <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/environment/weather/sydney-weather-relief-in-sight-after-city-suffers-through-hot-night-20170113-gtrdis.html" target="_blank">hottest night on record</a> (good choice of night to stay in a non air conditioned tiny house... ) It was 30 degrees overnight. I'm consoling myself that this is the worst it can get in a tiny house. <i>I must admit the appeal of a tiny house has diminished since we've moved into our <a href="http://peakhurst.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Peakhurst home</a> and my thoughts about <a href="http://www.nonosesmiley.com/2016/12/retirement-property-thinking.html" target="_blank">moving to the Gold Coast</a> in the future!</i><br />
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We went out to grab a bite on Norton St (pretty much the first restaurant we walked past!) and had a delicious meal of pasta... followed by gelato (of course!)<br />
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Our evening was spent sweltering in the heat on a fold out sofa bed in front of a Dyson fan. The breeze from outside was fine but the mosquitoes were very bad. There was some sort of mosquito zapper plug in thing but I don't think it helped much especially as we had the doors open which had no fly screens. Both Will and I were up a lot of the evening due to the heat and the mozzies. We're both prone to mozzie bites so it was fairly unpleasant. But no worse than camping. The bedding was comfortable but very hot. <br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG_Ie1LofFluBfEKf1ixBrZ2QZrMFsRPT1PcY9mCki4GgY9ulkrrItNUhlAIHcrNuV0RjlCypivkoh7B5csXuGKl-q7wSg7qpTmxsBn72T961C_UBcoC8exGGDn8kAjlJ_-fLL/s1600/IMG_20170115_094010965_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG_Ie1LofFluBfEKf1ixBrZ2QZrMFsRPT1PcY9mCki4GgY9ulkrrItNUhlAIHcrNuV0RjlCypivkoh7B5csXuGKl-q7wSg7qpTmxsBn72T961C_UBcoC8exGGDn8kAjlJ_-fLL/s320/IMG_20170115_094010965_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Sofa converts to a bed</td></tr>
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<br /><br />
Before bed we both had cold showers hoping to cool down. The shower cubical was surprisingly good. The water pressure wasn't the best but it was adequate and it was more spacious than I thought it would be. The storage for shampoos and body wash etc is currently outside the cubicle but there is plenty of space in the cubical to install additional storage. <br />
<br />
Whilst we are in the bathroom, the big question about the loo can be answered. It's fine. It's good even. It's a cassette type and the flush is a foot pedal one and works quite well. No concerns from me except from an environmental cost one. Alex tells us he just ends up disposing of the waste down another loo. Which makes sense. But can't imagine doing that on a long term basis. They are considering putting in a composting loo system. I do like a 'flushing' loo so not sure how that would go although the concept is fine. I wish they made more 'foot' pedal flush mechanisms for normal toilets. <br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdL4peOrjp-J3t5mOCemJ984tUu0iEpeLP3JJfZm7DtyuDfH9ZgDaH2-Pnmq9I5CoholZwLCTMzj5Xp4Vk3bAxbjHaZKdWQEbhdGwr93p-AxyKg1vhr1QJbXptuTJlBelpBNF5/s1600/IMG_20170115_075633048_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdL4peOrjp-J3t5mOCemJ984tUu0iEpeLP3JJfZm7DtyuDfH9ZgDaH2-Pnmq9I5CoholZwLCTMzj5Xp4Vk3bAxbjHaZKdWQEbhdGwr93p-AxyKg1vhr1QJbXptuTJlBelpBNF5/s320/IMG_20170115_075633048_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Cassette Style Toilet</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyEiwBA-HCfRru3bk0-lnOsMNKXsEidJVVLTGRrYHJ2Pp0VYwyPtCBHsDPDnlIdstGJJeqXEyhAMu90DanqNFYei4lcixVfMC5tn4-DWpZQH9vmg4Vl1P0jYF2n8J-6w0I5ATa/s1600/IMG_20170115_075641293_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyEiwBA-HCfRru3bk0-lnOsMNKXsEidJVVLTGRrYHJ2Pp0VYwyPtCBHsDPDnlIdstGJJeqXEyhAMu90DanqNFYei4lcixVfMC5tn4-DWpZQH9vmg4Vl1P0jYF2n8J-6w0I5ATa/s320/IMG_20170115_075641293_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The toilet never smelled but there were these enzyme packs helping break things down.</td></tr>
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The tiny sink in the bathroom is serviceable but the sink in the kitchen is just as easy to use when brushing teeth and is just outside. <br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqWRxf9WhjGT5Q2U7i7dsL-RE1vQyDHVMEdr_E-8auIrBKucOW91zERNto6yZ7Wc_6wiJ1TQmiF2wMpdZsAewod6aZvN2-olrfM3nML6IETZ62ENFqUuDUfm2YxGgWHWgwtVf/s1600/IMG_20170115_075617172_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqWRxf9WhjGT5Q2U7i7dsL-RE1vQyDHVMEdr_E-8auIrBKucOW91zERNto6yZ7Wc_6wiJ1TQmiF2wMpdZsAewod6aZvN2-olrfM3nML6IETZ62ENFqUuDUfm2YxGgWHWgwtVf/s320/IMG_20170115_075617172_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Mini sink in bathroom</td></tr>
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<br />There is an exhaust fan in the bathroom which is solar powered. Which means it doesn't turn on when the sun doesn't shine. We had to kick start it this morning to get it to start spinning. I think an operable window would be much better and offer cross ventilation across the tiny house. There is a good amount of light in the bathroom due to the poly carbonate panel that is exposed. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4NjWzNm2nSsTV7pPA0lkaxdYIKnAuhp_t-IGuGavQy7mQqGNdelQjI1zdUsJcNEKVgxIzIzDtpmISqHv-o4sTlKTs3Eoe3CAKOTsIoqydf4WmZcxLc3haa4AkErR9ZxbMuIBq/s1600/IMG_20170115_075651033_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4NjWzNm2nSsTV7pPA0lkaxdYIKnAuhp_t-IGuGavQy7mQqGNdelQjI1zdUsJcNEKVgxIzIzDtpmISqHv-o4sTlKTs3Eoe3CAKOTsIoqydf4WmZcxLc3haa4AkErR9ZxbMuIBq/s320/IMG_20170115_075651033_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
There is definite need for cross ventilation and more light in the design. The great thing is that our feedback will help design the product. This is prototyping at it's best. Build a prototype, get people to actually live it in and get feedback. This is a product manager's dream. <br />
<br />
When we checked out on Sunday morning, Joanne interviewed us with specific questions and we also provided feedback about our thoughts about the experience and what could be improved.<br />
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The kitchen was functional although we didn't really use beyond making tea. It had a small bar fridge, sink and gas cooktop and even a grill! There is an electric element also that can be used if for some reason no gas was available. Given the inverter only allowed up to 800 watts that one element would be the only thing that could be used electricity wise. Needless to say we only used the gas. The gas stove worked better than the one we had in Howes Valley. It was LPG and very quick to take the spark and stayed on. Also had no LPG fumes into the tiny home. <br />
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The space under the stove could be used for more efficient storage although all the essential items were on hooks or on the shelves. There wasn't much more needed for basic cooking. The one thing that is missing is an oven. Or even the (inverter) capability to use something like a turbo oven. <br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWWzcJJKNt1kXnAkNou0ekguBG_FiZOo1HLFMmJJsZkmMScOeTC-2gpXUEWpxC6dkBiRXljneoDINMOGx12WBzhPGlpz5t_GdlvLdVJEplwEXm23bCrrAK-e-huPJVIZ-TLnyx/s1600/IMG_20170114_114158133_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWWzcJJKNt1kXnAkNou0ekguBG_FiZOo1HLFMmJJsZkmMScOeTC-2gpXUEWpxC6dkBiRXljneoDINMOGx12WBzhPGlpz5t_GdlvLdVJEplwEXm23bCrrAK-e-huPJVIZ-TLnyx/s320/IMG_20170114_114158133_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Stove with grill. Also a small 2.5kg washing machine.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisC6CCyjQWP3utXuLNWGjXiWtA3LtajM2uafb56njcAAs_bpAzB6FcJuEqUKsor7uehpKBAc-o9XWObiW9M_I09W6MuBaightBgXDC_6dPKr95blI_nztJd4RE2ha0rD_8r_4P/s1600/IMG_20170114_123810386_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisC6CCyjQWP3utXuLNWGjXiWtA3LtajM2uafb56njcAAs_bpAzB6FcJuEqUKsor7uehpKBAc-o9XWObiW9M_I09W6MuBaightBgXDC_6dPKr95blI_nztJd4RE2ha0rD_8r_4P/s320/IMG_20170114_123810386_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Single sink and bar fridge</td></tr>
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Some more photos:<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNpXhuUJ_EMAy1hNMWFvymNiKgccXDyEdwKJLyzOXW8v_OXvXfE5fBoc29YsElrGSzh6GQ7AMXR0H1FipjXIK0hprHBINX40zSUnBjqNXnhqELHkzggTNXNBT1NTRlQGZN-kQL/s1600/IMG_20170115_093937880_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNpXhuUJ_EMAy1hNMWFvymNiKgccXDyEdwKJLyzOXW8v_OXvXfE5fBoc29YsElrGSzh6GQ7AMXR0H1FipjXIK0hprHBINX40zSUnBjqNXnhqELHkzggTNXNBT1NTRlQGZN-kQL/s320/IMG_20170115_093937880_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Living space had some shelving built in. The heights were strange but as a prototype it is easy enough to adjust according to individual needs.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1xNmCg7sxRru3siOAzp3TMFxFjW3g9xciaDWP2FV9hnMArer4QW-KfowqUKsVcXM49_YgKYk0QzFVTBCZL9ljxhj_lN_4A9GxG1_SS8ijUb8nVCIHUyPoMlUCyTdpt1cIfm9r/s1600/IMG_20170115_093923369_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1xNmCg7sxRru3siOAzp3TMFxFjW3g9xciaDWP2FV9hnMArer4QW-KfowqUKsVcXM49_YgKYk0QzFVTBCZL9ljxhj_lN_4A9GxG1_SS8ijUb8nVCIHUyPoMlUCyTdpt1cIfm9r/s320/IMG_20170115_093923369_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Compact kitchen with stove, hanging storage and shelf storage.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6oeYMjN3UqdDQgYCiun3PFl51QSN8S88lrIp6Cuu2EPBp2L3wTZsDxS9ke7q7HlaePVMqac6LbFxKs64Hjz3nj5piVAkYdcFw-aL61ei8nqNMRZWoXeCDz_L4bQomFhCRkV1/s1600/IMG_20170115_093844959_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6oeYMjN3UqdDQgYCiun3PFl51QSN8S88lrIp6Cuu2EPBp2L3wTZsDxS9ke7q7HlaePVMqac6LbFxKs64Hjz3nj5piVAkYdcFw-aL61ei8nqNMRZWoXeCDz_L4bQomFhCRkV1/s320/IMG_20170115_093844959_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Under the bench height is a hanging rod for clothes</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFhGeUPRuWpwGDiz5GnOPMW5ZIrfiskUBbNRbL8e_KH3dfGmYEhvLI5X6m1BwHx6PchDyvdbzvdetLYTQENmq5GfEIx8eI9y11MmW32Od_8mXpMDAMhzQKoIVC6iCXr7jEQdGg/s1600/IMG_20170115_093802576_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFhGeUPRuWpwGDiz5GnOPMW5ZIrfiskUBbNRbL8e_KH3dfGmYEhvLI5X6m1BwHx6PchDyvdbzvdetLYTQENmq5GfEIx8eI9y11MmW32Od_8mXpMDAMhzQKoIVC6iCXr7jEQdGg/s320/IMG_20170115_093802576_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">View from the bathroom end down the stove side</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq4HEcqufx-jJJ32ZMzIDwh7vlgttuRTOpdgFiatxx_5IBbhZ9rsEwDl2SCn_eqDfo4KfPvhllIcrqy74Rt_J-er1SqXYHFP9ZlpuzUp3AzLniF3u_0cMn_QCDXMhKAbl_l9HT/s1600/IMG_20170115_093826600_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq4HEcqufx-jJJ32ZMzIDwh7vlgttuRTOpdgFiatxx_5IBbhZ9rsEwDl2SCn_eqDfo4KfPvhllIcrqy74Rt_J-er1SqXYHFP9ZlpuzUp3AzLniF3u_0cMn_QCDXMhKAbl_l9HT/s320/IMG_20170115_093826600_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">View from the door end down to the bathroom on the stove side</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikFa_BBuhYRV_oCgqB2TZzSc2u5-JCMkDFLHSeFREXiNebHuCgjaTWAUdcBXD_DNgYxnU7VeNQ0oNSlJgspRw1s2SftnS3tjgst22PE7-puibB4TRoPjHa0cJgL20SvfrjD-Hs/s1600/IMG_20170115_075504425_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikFa_BBuhYRV_oCgqB2TZzSc2u5-JCMkDFLHSeFREXiNebHuCgjaTWAUdcBXD_DNgYxnU7VeNQ0oNSlJgspRw1s2SftnS3tjgst22PE7-puibB4TRoPjHa0cJgL20SvfrjD-Hs/s320/IMG_20170115_075504425_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Shower cubicle was more usable than expected</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdMGI-ZLMdgWRiSw-WB1UqpTnejaNjUAXZgI-SrAwYKG_DGfXdIIilnGyFLTea1fGuskbKG-FCqazPyO0IYzJ6LDAmPcePiw2hJklRKJNS2onNrNWTI8H3RyMvIKyZBWUg9U1/s1600/IMG_20170115_075654798_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdMGI-ZLMdgWRiSw-WB1UqpTnejaNjUAXZgI-SrAwYKG_DGfXdIIilnGyFLTea1fGuskbKG-FCqazPyO0IYzJ6LDAmPcePiw2hJklRKJNS2onNrNWTI8H3RyMvIKyZBWUg9U1/s320/IMG_20170115_075654798_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Lights are 24V LEDs Super efficient! But just a bit too white.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMVOIn8dbIvgNnlw4QPw2s7_tedexx4dmaarHHmWGyvx5LjqKzdPO4VhcSXDQBG34cJxNMomLP1fRIqpL2u7Hnfh0EJiSgbFa4aCVDleQP7Jqln_5Ya0cI5GdH1x6ZvjBJtU11/s1600/IMG_20170114_115850971.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMVOIn8dbIvgNnlw4QPw2s7_tedexx4dmaarHHmWGyvx5LjqKzdPO4VhcSXDQBG34cJxNMomLP1fRIqpL2u7Hnfh0EJiSgbFa4aCVDleQP7Jqln_5Ya0cI5GdH1x6ZvjBJtU11/s320/IMG_20170114_115850971.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Nik naks on display make it cozy</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUfy1qWw1f33HdNVSXGOARtx7nyYTO1QTgd_BvNe0GA_ttdCAX0Sy9kldK7H_xokCWZtlU4NQwkBqApjCvgYHyh4xJBw9QmBH8nVt9nmO2R7KyjoOGHddcWJ3FauA0u2piRBVe/s1600/IMG_20170114_115859490.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUfy1qWw1f33HdNVSXGOARtx7nyYTO1QTgd_BvNe0GA_ttdCAX0Sy9kldK7H_xokCWZtlU4NQwkBqApjCvgYHyh4xJBw9QmBH8nVt9nmO2R7KyjoOGHddcWJ3FauA0u2piRBVe/s320/IMG_20170114_115859490.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">I do like hanging storage. </td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJsUPp64tUIPKOeULEPWjYi4_mgPihOp317sGCA24t-Lr6iaCa9AQeKv1IpiXppx9FbWiKrJX0_11_YTzXW1OEV-GMcCk5vP0v0lIsh1Jj3hahp0pSQBBVlo8FC_cOSFCLrGF/s1600/IMG_20170114_113609992_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyJsUPp64tUIPKOeULEPWjYi4_mgPihOp317sGCA24t-Lr6iaCa9AQeKv1IpiXppx9FbWiKrJX0_11_YTzXW1OEV-GMcCk5vP0v0lIsh1Jj3hahp0pSQBBVlo8FC_cOSFCLrGF/s320/IMG_20170114_113609992_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The walls are made from the multiwall product and the insulated bits as well as plywood</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYX1Hwhyphenhyphen-VDxJBbhbTDY1ML5xNRQ22HBkKGBKZNmvwt2-wvxvMv8uGxvAyAN9SclIv0vnobmmpVWRFppyY9MnA0czbCk2gWwFcv3TaQSrMmUZTPi46UEZV-6mJdc8vB0r_9tI/s1600/IMG_20170114_113642974_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDYX1Hwhyphenhyphen-VDxJBbhbTDY1ML5xNRQ22HBkKGBKZNmvwt2-wvxvMv8uGxvAyAN9SclIv0vnobmmpVWRFppyY9MnA0czbCk2gWwFcv3TaQSrMmUZTPi46UEZV-6mJdc8vB0r_9tI/s320/IMG_20170114_113642974_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Multiwall product. Really helps with insulation.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdW-RHD1_1wggWOjeUxeaxK2yq3OV44jXfFb8jUh6Z1QeoNaTy2uTWv-_2GlXtfXMKcWOUAbwe7jG0W1GzxNLugzq3YmZNicaL3lCqUCyzyZSitsiTgxceMhRutAVDMT8gR1L/s1600/IMG_20170114_114117966_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdW-RHD1_1wggWOjeUxeaxK2yq3OV44jXfFb8jUh6Z1QeoNaTy2uTWv-_2GlXtfXMKcWOUAbwe7jG0W1GzxNLugzq3YmZNicaL3lCqUCyzyZSitsiTgxceMhRutAVDMT8gR1L/s320/IMG_20170114_114117966_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Socially aware toilet paper! (Time to change the roll)</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMB3YmysN38xjJEvbSS8HgihvQJbD3K_zdvNsWOrp6bkcZY6I5TosaAYj6iw_vfuSR-aoFqwS9z8hmpy28I1OjAe4sJGJi9NNvTXurRe9rcxpQd4cDbnnh7rw0xrpiutZbQWH2/s1600/IMG_20170114_112202715_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMB3YmysN38xjJEvbSS8HgihvQJbD3K_zdvNsWOrp6bkcZY6I5TosaAYj6iw_vfuSR-aoFqwS9z8hmpy28I1OjAe4sJGJi9NNvTXurRe9rcxpQd4cDbnnh7rw0xrpiutZbQWH2/s320/IMG_20170114_112202715_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Outdoor living area helped a lot with coping with the heat</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWeqdy9ejyC1PNFq4lK7SEw8AN1E7KQI_8hhPsH508I2QT3n1jeG1PCmp2zqWRdykEwZgGjyjDnICNW2ZjTcUtpKeS3Fzsbj71oSjT2Xri-_8ZUvWvPbJ5tVzRcWf4txsHKgv0/s1600/IMG_20170114_112027182_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWeqdy9ejyC1PNFq4lK7SEw8AN1E7KQI_8hhPsH508I2QT3n1jeG1PCmp2zqWRdykEwZgGjyjDnICNW2ZjTcUtpKeS3Fzsbj71oSjT2Xri-_8ZUvWvPbJ5tVzRcWf4txsHKgv0/s320/IMG_20170114_112027182_HDR.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The school grounds were a perfect spot to park this prototype home.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpErWo2rwWaJTjcp5Q7L9mnvx3JBqrdzvvrqAR-RFKVbS7JGuY-Txk_j2hTLb9JTXeg6IywMUWTmvn3k_U0o65xlh8S6Oj6yPOj1cm-m3FLCbUwKu4gTYohl1YszFysvOdM_oE/s1600/IMG_20170114_112059126_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpErWo2rwWaJTjcp5Q7L9mnvx3JBqrdzvvrqAR-RFKVbS7JGuY-Txk_j2hTLb9JTXeg6IywMUWTmvn3k_U0o65xlh8S6Oj6yPOj1cm-m3FLCbUwKu4gTYohl1YszFysvOdM_oE/s320/IMG_20170114_112059126_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">The verandah space is a whole other tiny house in the making including a trailer</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwL4CV2p0t0V6o-EgsmVgXQNus3zadf4tD_AHzXwR3z1EXLyjyIiTl9X4oiANm9K1WhKV_DhiLsd4gFDSq4rl1h0j45qIP-jBaV3Y_3CHo-u1kXathp6jIqcBQaC0R1MO7AAfQ/s1600/IMG_20170114_090427953_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwL4CV2p0t0V6o-EgsmVgXQNus3zadf4tD_AHzXwR3z1EXLyjyIiTl9X4oiANm9K1WhKV_DhiLsd4gFDSq4rl1h0j45qIP-jBaV3Y_3CHo-u1kXathp6jIqcBQaC0R1MO7AAfQ/s320/IMG_20170114_090427953_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Breakfast after the hottest night ever. Tea and fruit cake!</td></tr>
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All in all we had a good stay. There were a few hiccups (like a door getting stuck and the mozzies) but overall it was a great weekend. We to got to stay in a tiny house so I could get it out of my system. The problem solving part of me wants to go and work out ways of making it cheaper, better, easier, but the practical part of me is just glad to be at home in air conditioned comfort. <br />
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Big World homes is looking for investment, support from local councils and land owners as well as other ways to help people get into a home of their own sooner. If you want to support them get in touch with Alex and Joanne via <a href="http://bigworldhomes.com/">bigworldhomes.com</a>.<br />
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Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10089823394168762635noreply@blogger.com0Leichhardt NSW 2040, Australia-33.8847 151.15729999999996-33.9110645 151.11695949999995 -33.8583355 151.19764049999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535923.post-90621796638538593382017-01-12T08:13:00.001+11:002017-01-12T08:13:32.398+11:00Robot Mould Popsicles - how little things matterIt's the little things that matter. The ones that make all the difference. One of my very good friends asked me what I wanted for my birthday. At first I was thinking something practical. In the end I requested some popsicle moulds. But I was specific and wanted the Tovolo Robot Pop moulds. <br />
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Each robot is different and were very cute.</div>
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But popsicles? I never eat them. So the question was posed why I wanted them. I love ice cream but usually scoopable stuff rather than popsicles. And never the icy frozen sugar water stuff. But by making my own I could make sugar free popsicles including a peanut butter one. </div>
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The delivery came on Monday</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLsh_1GTzQYgsZE4wqFF3eR0e-1F8-4X_QGzHreTu6UYwbZ_Vv55XmUNEK2LRWvaP3KOdsnJgBTIdMje4UPyLtPQdlSWyeLoa0MgOX603dvOUevTr3fLDAwcRPsgMDmJlZ2Wy/s1600/IMG_20170109_202448140_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLsh_1GTzQYgsZE4wqFF3eR0e-1F8-4X_QGzHreTu6UYwbZ_Vv55XmUNEK2LRWvaP3KOdsnJgBTIdMje4UPyLtPQdlSWyeLoa0MgOX603dvOUevTr3fLDAwcRPsgMDmJlZ2Wy/s320/IMG_20170109_202448140_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Yep you can start seeing why it was on my list of desirable items!</div>
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And of course I had a day at home yesterday and made up something. I had some Coconut Cream Keffir, some frozen mango and a spoonful of rice malt syrup and whizzed it up. I had no idea if it would work out but wasn't too concerned as I just wanted to try out the moulds.</div>
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Excuse the mess in the background but I was super excited when I unveiled the robots and just took the photos. </div>
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Super cute!! and tasty too! The robots were super creamy and tasted great! Not sure as a scoopable ice cream it would work. </div>
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I may have become a convert. These are now nicely portioned, easy to make and cute. The only issue is that I can only make 4. The 'legs' match each of the individual moulds and can't be replaced with something else. I suppose I could put popsicle sticks in but they would slide out when demoulding. The demoulding process is a bit of a peeling exercise and the the 'pop' in popsicle is apparent! </div>
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I've filled the two moulds we used yesterday with more of the same mix (except I added a banana to the mix in the meantime... the mix is in the fridge for easy filling... )</div>
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So Robot Pop Moulds are a winner!</div>
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<br />Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10089823394168762635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535923.post-21591788855607532112016-12-26T14:35:00.001+11:002016-12-30T13:32:04.559+11:00Retirement property thinkingI don't know why but I always enjoy looking at property and questioning where I would want to live if I was unfettered by employment requirements (ie need a job -- more on this later)) and family/friends commitment.<br />
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Somehow I've stumbled on a thought that won't let go. Whilst previously I have thought about moving to a lower cost city or area in the future including Hobart, Tasmania or overseas such as Montreal, Canada I had an epiphany about a location where the weather is good, it has definite lifestyle benefits and is still in Australia. <br />
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One of the big issues with Tasmania is that it has been off the mainland AND that I wouldn't have access to Chinese groceries and food easily. And then there was the weather. Whilst we like the cooler weather I think it may get to be too much. Especially as we age and have arthritis problems. In reality also do we want to be maintaining a property and yard as much? Probably not.<br />
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So where am I thinking? The Gold Coast. Yep. Not earth shattering a thought but for me it was amazing to even consider. We have an Investment Property (IP) there which is performing terribly we have been trying to exit it when the market picks up so we don't make such a huge loss. I was just examining the area of the property (Southport) when I read the words "Chinatown". Chinatown? In the Gold Coast? Apparently it's just around the corner from where we have the investment property. Along with that other services which caught my eye were:<br />
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<ul>
<li>light rail </li>
<li>shopping</li>
<li>walk to cafes</li>
</ul>
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AND there are amazing views. </div>
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The other benefit is that it's a LOT cheaper real estate wise. An amazing 3 bedroom apartment can cost less than $700k. <br />
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Here's an example of a property Under Offer so the price for a 3 bedroom apartment is apparent:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2dOncsu8y0ZU9FXLwMe8xdITv0xW040UgBzTyKkYAE2bP1zqVh-db4QtOFAFHtuCTDI1FEfvonvtCE9TEHbMtrZ_FvUh4G6k6whV43RoyupW-gLrrIhRryMJxNia-znZh4Ms_/s320/Southport+apartment+3+bedroom.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 bedroom property under $500k.</td></tr>
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If you want to see the property details here is a link to the <a href="http://www.realestate.com.au/property-apartment-qld-southport-122398046" target="_blank">sales page on realestate.com.au</a>.<br /><br />
But the problem with that are the strata fees. Which are horribly horrendous. As evidenced by our investment property.</div>
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BUT... renting there would be amazing. We could rent a lovely 2 or 3 bedroom apartment with a view for less than $600 pw. Yep! For $700 we can even get one fully furnished. And these are apartments with all the features you want. Pool, gym, lift, car parking, shops within walking distance etc. And someone else pays for the strata and maintenance. </div>
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I can think of very few downsides. Lack of culture is what I've heard. But I don't 'experience' the culture here in Sydney either. The climate was a bit of a worry as we really don't like the heat. But the good news is that although the overall average temperature is warmer it doesn't suffer the extremes of heat that Sydney (and Melbourne!) does. The highest high day isn't as high as Sydney. And the low is definitely nothing compared to most places in the world.</div>
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Here's some research I did and compared the two climates:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqmSrl_8uBWgiCR-0Oung1sh91s934_Uv7iC_uvjMcCfXGOzZgr0pH2ngJKLNlr1iMItKs6Rfx1FNKNtJU28QObcrIDxrjbvA8JNaovcLTFatGHp7PEphJrzGG1ejTvwnruce/s1600/2016-12-26_12h42_20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqmSrl_8uBWgiCR-0Oung1sh91s934_Uv7iC_uvjMcCfXGOzZgr0pH2ngJKLNlr1iMItKs6Rfx1FNKNtJU28QObcrIDxrjbvA8JNaovcLTFatGHp7PEphJrzGG1ejTvwnruce/s320/2016-12-26_12h42_20.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijeUHJh7eAmQsJL2U1XIJiUk3aJuX0d7hh6tcBDmRO18T4GgF4oj2_bokyBBv_o10G-lXwtTD4nOB9iWhCaDddy1ipw1e3-iIHGzLFQr5HZb0zeJmTnDAbrGHe5JL2LsRhl2Yp/s1600/2016-12-26_12h42_36.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijeUHJh7eAmQsJL2U1XIJiUk3aJuX0d7hh6tcBDmRO18T4GgF4oj2_bokyBBv_o10G-lXwtTD4nOB9iWhCaDddy1ipw1e3-iIHGzLFQr5HZb0zeJmTnDAbrGHe5JL2LsRhl2Yp/s320/2016-12-26_12h42_36.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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As you can see the daily and monthly records are higher in Sydney with tops of 45 degrees in Sydney!! and only a top of 38.5 in the Gold Coast. </div>
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The main thing is lack of friends and family there. And an apartment is a huge departure from what we are use to. I do love pottering in my yard but I don't think I couldn't give it up. I definitely need to enjoy our home and yard for a few more years but the Gold Coast is now number 1 on my 'retirement location' radar.</div>
Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10089823394168762635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535923.post-53127435542168939942016-10-16T10:22:00.001+11:002016-10-16T10:22:03.524+11:00Montreal trip and foodOur trip to Montreal has been great.<br />
We're already on a cruise ship to Quebec City and down to Boston. <br />
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In the meantime here are some of the photo highlights<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0pc31Y1kXO-Zz_O2GVHUeeOq1V9DoTanWjdBa2GYqOG5DUm6QeW6MgY4HfCXIDY-6D_A5Wj2P_J0aQ5y5c_0nwqY-zyRcpNm9NX43_V_tj5Gfe6qUzlLd-nabQcpGjTfFjXJ/s1600/IMG_20161013_134123733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0pc31Y1kXO-Zz_O2GVHUeeOq1V9DoTanWjdBa2GYqOG5DUm6QeW6MgY4HfCXIDY-6D_A5Wj2P_J0aQ5y5c_0nwqY-zyRcpNm9NX43_V_tj5Gfe6qUzlLd-nabQcpGjTfFjXJ/s320/IMG_20161013_134123733.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dunn's Famous Smoked meat window</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicISlChT9KaUBvmX-uUIT1D_f0Ta427oBP_gEf3AotdQ50GuyE3HVgbWosM1f10lymH5P5xj08I6iU8jL-sWZbmgeKIr9SozFqLDOBxJQUh1N0RJqu00NL8anDED6uHhNk6veQ/s1600/IMG_20161013_134120024_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicISlChT9KaUBvmX-uUIT1D_f0Ta427oBP_gEf3AotdQ50GuyE3HVgbWosM1f10lymH5P5xj08I6iU8jL-sWZbmgeKIr9SozFqLDOBxJQUh1N0RJqu00NL8anDED6uHhNk6veQ/s320/IMG_20161013_134120024_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dunn's Famous - Cake and dessert window</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsSKTlhd0k8594yq0pZ6wK-1I9xGHW9TBqc7HiRAFM249Z9qsERK39dApBAU1YVDi-cDz01vOBUo3MWtyt-_ZzPv32_kgliYcJF51Xqu2rPPkumwv72qwIZrAvtLh1HIbC8PCQ/s1600/IMG_20161013_134227008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsSKTlhd0k8594yq0pZ6wK-1I9xGHW9TBqc7HiRAFM249Z9qsERK39dApBAU1YVDi-cDz01vOBUo3MWtyt-_ZzPv32_kgliYcJF51Xqu2rPPkumwv72qwIZrAvtLh1HIbC8PCQ/s320/IMG_20161013_134227008.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dunn's Famous Diner (not the one downtown)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONhyphenhyphenNhywtWutO0F-f_GaCFIZne2cJhyj-3nWOjeeEHBgE-LvT4YTgrRy__v9wqOodkNTGgAUSCzQV7X_hMsvhQbu_JYvI5Ur12znPJ0MPnyxjs04a5VHJjcGKFqHtNeKW8y-Z/s1600/IMG_20161013_142140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONhyphenhyphenNhywtWutO0F-f_GaCFIZne2cJhyj-3nWOjeeEHBgE-LvT4YTgrRy__v9wqOodkNTGgAUSCzQV7X_hMsvhQbu_JYvI5Ur12znPJ0MPnyxjs04a5VHJjcGKFqHtNeKW8y-Z/s320/IMG_20161013_142140.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Half of what is left of Will's Smoked Meat sandwich (actually it was Club Roll)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQYQQzlDAfgXJRTSzIQI_HVd6BO73VOZLmZvOWu2baZRKeutOGlwkRxbafYWTYA4ufYhHbJb-wmKhYUALJAXFUJvVHE94TKaA5DpuTBAKhP43yqX4UeuJG0qoIPEqErh8sNlP/s1600/IMG_20161013_140509451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQYQQzlDAfgXJRTSzIQI_HVd6BO73VOZLmZvOWu2baZRKeutOGlwkRxbafYWTYA4ufYhHbJb-wmKhYUALJAXFUJvVHE94TKaA5DpuTBAKhP43yqX4UeuJG0qoIPEqErh8sNlP/s320/IMG_20161013_140509451.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I ordered the Smoked Meat Club sandwich-- yum!! But I asked for a side of something 'else' other than fries and ended up with rice. Which I didn't eat. Lesson learned - just order the club sandwich with no sides. The coleslaw and pickle weren't my thing although I ate most of the coleslaw.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8WDNEqrXFq2j6zEkXXCHtkHV93IRumCOlYV7T6VtxP6tIkUwQopIzyEr4dV7ygoRYuJqGNjSJPIUTyj2uU_xzh3zeuz0ikbc-uJADPjkv0r8djinC8g5Bzt5aYUe-1kCTUk4F/s1600/IMG_20161013_144007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8WDNEqrXFq2j6zEkXXCHtkHV93IRumCOlYV7T6VtxP6tIkUwQopIzyEr4dV7ygoRYuJqGNjSJPIUTyj2uU_xzh3zeuz0ikbc-uJADPjkv0r8djinC8g5Bzt5aYUe-1kCTUk4F/s320/IMG_20161013_144007.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carrot cake. I wanted the carrot cheesecake but there was no way we'd fit it in. This shared 4 ways was fine... after I took half my sandwich home in a doggy bag!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGryZA45fLxhaPS6yzj60GFhfCxoifC_hPj3K1diy-jnGIP8uQXosxENb2qMqodna8TB-PEjS6XNOGNajYLqOhwp2h9Vme0EoWEVvAMg0eXNY548Szs7M9fsyW_cNwwx36mM0/s1600/IMG_20161013_150312363.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGryZA45fLxhaPS6yzj60GFhfCxoifC_hPj3K1diy-jnGIP8uQXosxENb2qMqodna8TB-PEjS6XNOGNajYLqOhwp2h9Vme0EoWEVvAMg0eXNY548Szs7M9fsyW_cNwwx36mM0/s320/IMG_20161013_150312363.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 3 day metro pass was $18 and a bargain allowing us to catch the bus and metro. I used Google Maps and Transit App to get around town.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-6EWZqbdu-eY8AzZc-CaxXziQ8cWt9Xe9YSZcq8uRtShNNC1ToD6gDZ3NGRxlaZgV3T06WS5tHF8IQ6VMF4usj5swqWiBsnbzRSnzVaJOFJ2BqsnKV7pGLLhPrcp8u5D1fGzF/s1600/VID_20161013_150851620.mp4" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-6EWZqbdu-eY8AzZc-CaxXziQ8cWt9Xe9YSZcq8uRtShNNC1ToD6gDZ3NGRxlaZgV3T06WS5tHF8IQ6VMF4usj5swqWiBsnbzRSnzVaJOFJ2BqsnKV7pGLLhPrcp8u5D1fGzF/s320/VID_20161013_150851620.mp4" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Metro train. Just a quick video.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdEAOx8B4Ca1lCCG4KG4c2RohRjVfJecPO8-alIwkSk70jiioyctG59CbsjBlxikK7tjFVubWCEB6gYFiMoE9kcxT0QcH7XNcG4SfdeJBH2noQWt5OaBtW_UTyuIf6S7XV7S1/s1600/IMG_20161013_154514113_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdEAOx8B4Ca1lCCG4KG4c2RohRjVfJecPO8-alIwkSk70jiioyctG59CbsjBlxikK7tjFVubWCEB6gYFiMoE9kcxT0QcH7XNcG4SfdeJBH2noQWt5OaBtW_UTyuIf6S7XV7S1/s320/IMG_20161013_154514113_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OK I had a fascination with the Biosphere. It's an Environmental Museum. But it's the shape in the skyline I loved!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWQBF0ZTFjZYFl3PLXAAsSTCXNci9ZX43j0Tm5kQMWyMPEJ8txnnxW0fnTTyN5fSIVX0nULMXvM5GQweyCqx0EshgTkp8Q-P1MhD5MHDTyv96KqXhyRDvcjEgWTdpmHdFYuNUv/s1600/IMG_20161013_154844090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWQBF0ZTFjZYFl3PLXAAsSTCXNci9ZX43j0Tm5kQMWyMPEJ8txnnxW0fnTTyN5fSIVX0nULMXvM5GQweyCqx0EshgTkp8Q-P1MhD5MHDTyv96KqXhyRDvcjEgWTdpmHdFYuNUv/s320/IMG_20161013_154844090.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biosphere closer</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLkELeH7_W48gdRPr22RzyymEW3h1I7ZVJFmGRbiQufIrvn00esV_VTcVdTrjwjPVhbMBFdqi8amddjmjDS0A6xvLa9-WVZ-Q1Lhc4GCQPI4mPjvFW_dUdn4iYw1KYKvLS4fcl/s1600/IMG_20161013_160256106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLkELeH7_W48gdRPr22RzyymEW3h1I7ZVJFmGRbiQufIrvn00esV_VTcVdTrjwjPVhbMBFdqi8amddjmjDS0A6xvLa9-WVZ-Q1Lhc4GCQPI4mPjvFW_dUdn4iYw1KYKvLS4fcl/s320/IMG_20161013_160256106.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biosphere from the inside.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwpEjajGF-zrZ5NknG0TnVVoW2IYOJ3ObqNnHwCq4Y5FP5cAlIdlyXDPHr5qS_ZAOnGb4_PLWFtX7ewRPU3WuLm3NyBzPr2dFnCwUEsEj4F8ZYXe5M8UgrRXtFx3rVIM7CCUq/s1600/IMG_20161013_170633887_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwpEjajGF-zrZ5NknG0TnVVoW2IYOJ3ObqNnHwCq4Y5FP5cAlIdlyXDPHr5qS_ZAOnGb4_PLWFtX7ewRPU3WuLm3NyBzPr2dFnCwUEsEj4F8ZYXe5M8UgrRXtFx3rVIM7CCUq/s320/IMG_20161013_170633887_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We went and did a lap (walking lap) of the Grand Prix circuit.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUC5dE7MHdORZvvKFtCl_tml9gWhia6EcnvxUXpw8MDtsdpMxHbC5qUB2JU6FcSN5gVcJuYR-ZcDg2GuF_VuncTqeznJuC9GVDLn1ZFLEuBsuq3ULWuid9kCzYMYga2D-kFae/s1600/IMG_20161013_171314771_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEUC5dE7MHdORZvvKFtCl_tml9gWhia6EcnvxUXpw8MDtsdpMxHbC5qUB2JU6FcSN5gVcJuYR-ZcDg2GuF_VuncTqeznJuC9GVDLn1ZFLEuBsuq3ULWuid9kCzYMYga2D-kFae/s320/IMG_20161013_171314771_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty foliage on the walk...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQco3piFhzNrIkSOhVfp3zLQ8LHB92Z5H3UlIYOADm-taGmL9-Y7UvYeSxykCcxKbwmiozwpX3cjnYm2oesUNFxwa_dABqei8tECk9K8wv8DV0iGs1RFxvN8PuvA-iUq_fdpOH/s1600/IMG_20161013_171806645_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQco3piFhzNrIkSOhVfp3zLQ8LHB92Z5H3UlIYOADm-taGmL9-Y7UvYeSxykCcxKbwmiozwpX3cjnYm2oesUNFxwa_dABqei8tECk9K8wv8DV0iGs1RFxvN8PuvA-iUq_fdpOH/s320/IMG_20161013_171806645_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty trees!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIuJdO6O5AyW0p1a452JamAjGtRV4YTRq0F7NSE1XflHouGPypJNC4rmZK8Wit4gJRDoxXF7DoMqgnEeKVTlWMicPDBR_N4pC0B26Ud38DatXxodXy7wJmKBK7bhqBkTq31i3/s1600/IMG_20161013_181045476_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUIuJdO6O5AyW0p1a452JamAjGtRV4YTRq0F7NSE1XflHouGPypJNC4rmZK8Wit4gJRDoxXF7DoMqgnEeKVTlWMicPDBR_N4pC0B26Ud38DatXxodXy7wJmKBK7bhqBkTq31i3/s320/IMG_20161013_181045476_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Casino! Which didn't have the shortcut we wanted. But was somewhat resembling a UFO.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLdpRr2G1FNSP9dutstoCXwV9OYQ6QXs_zgcqhBAC_5dDs8ETLij90eomye9hGmDjKJsEvhN9rDnUUsAyS-N2CnWZr4bqnvqGwL80eZiADHKtyPfZgLnACUZ7rTZ6LZV8ARmTq/s1600/IMG_20161014_102830655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLdpRr2G1FNSP9dutstoCXwV9OYQ6QXs_zgcqhBAC_5dDs8ETLij90eomye9hGmDjKJsEvhN9rDnUUsAyS-N2CnWZr4bqnvqGwL80eZiADHKtyPfZgLnACUZ7rTZ6LZV8ARmTq/s320/IMG_20161014_102830655.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from my mother's place. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJOMVk2Lw1tlqXUUhCar3HARawDiGdXVDx2UpGCxvgoqhZsfsqeOg8ssai6_eXciI3k4XidbQlVT8m_Rl38h4vRN3z6fGPzfznh863G1rj-SxIv_qG3En92phmPGaECR9ULbL/s1600/IMG_20161014_121112186_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJOMVk2Lw1tlqXUUhCar3HARawDiGdXVDx2UpGCxvgoqhZsfsqeOg8ssai6_eXciI3k4XidbQlVT8m_Rl38h4vRN3z6fGPzfznh863G1rj-SxIv_qG3En92phmPGaECR9ULbL/s320/IMG_20161014_121112186_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We visited Old Montreal. Lovely spot even despite the construction works.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-hyPf5VQ3I4GpdNweR8dUmqKqmeAexKLhdf9lXAZgwj59aY7lhtx9TOM1bECGC0adu6Jd42uyrLFFzsKqswf6rTLxgRDP3NRgP8JgojJXgdY93PcyjwueiDSU_zEra_cGIoUD/s1600/IMG_20161014_123025754_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-hyPf5VQ3I4GpdNweR8dUmqKqmeAexKLhdf9lXAZgwj59aY7lhtx9TOM1bECGC0adu6Jd42uyrLFFzsKqswf6rTLxgRDP3NRgP8JgojJXgdY93PcyjwueiDSU_zEra_cGIoUD/s320/IMG_20161014_123025754_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just some of the funny t-shirts.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxjiWhywV4sm9v3mf2qSFpfsliuLWx6_YmOX-8tn_9JpOi_YBG5MhE1iplPMQJP64m4qiIk1S9-i4qrKbXpZaH2DhfCErz-wI0IRVu-lwcoZZU4adkGGy14_vb4Z8t3SVG8pA/s1600/IMG_20161014_124729272.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxjiWhywV4sm9v3mf2qSFpfsliuLWx6_YmOX-8tn_9JpOi_YBG5MhE1iplPMQJP64m4qiIk1S9-i4qrKbXpZaH2DhfCErz-wI0IRVu-lwcoZZU4adkGGy14_vb4Z8t3SVG8pA/s320/IMG_20161014_124729272.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Commune Street?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd2bEIkIOrfq6kyijoXV8AIQrg8LM-EPbp6ZczHMZbqOc6IWG7RDRoDgrYGnLst2Qj_IHbN7L0gHAF9wUKdq3Rtt8Bw77hb8llmp4uFVNj5Q3pjojGI_yQLTFKjP2mGeeKMviE/s1600/IMG_20161014_124927715_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd2bEIkIOrfq6kyijoXV8AIQrg8LM-EPbp6ZczHMZbqOc6IWG7RDRoDgrYGnLst2Qj_IHbN7L0gHAF9wUKdq3Rtt8Bw77hb8llmp4uFVNj5Q3pjojGI_yQLTFKjP2mGeeKMviE/s320/IMG_20161014_124927715_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horse drawn carriages</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtKLNN_58MPJKTyrjlxA_l2ph2KtAmcnYTdjtt6HbONwTFrZuQKwgYvGGFwvIGDLT-jyelUnAp2BdaqekVhvRXYn8PLEPa1XgGXrGJwsrDyi-7gyCqXq7ACdX1TYK5vRpNcmqY/s1600/IMG_20161014_125807327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtKLNN_58MPJKTyrjlxA_l2ph2KtAmcnYTdjtt6HbONwTFrZuQKwgYvGGFwvIGDLT-jyelUnAp2BdaqekVhvRXYn8PLEPa1XgGXrGJwsrDyi-7gyCqXq7ACdX1TYK5vRpNcmqY/s320/IMG_20161014_125807327.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Row houses behind an ornamental garden</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKY-frsNtOKBTg7uVakLLaP8GoJrPu1TytvTVk3PWXLpLhCNNP8VS2AZmcxYbHy42hVDT3MVsQEAbZs0oFaYTgu_mxj3Ch8b4V14ZL5E7BxLKbnhM1g-sgy1yZHHTR8sv5mFQd/s1600/IMG_20161014_130224733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKY-frsNtOKBTg7uVakLLaP8GoJrPu1TytvTVk3PWXLpLhCNNP8VS2AZmcxYbHy42hVDT3MVsQEAbZs0oFaYTgu_mxj3Ch8b4V14ZL5E7BxLKbnhM1g-sgy1yZHHTR8sv5mFQd/s320/IMG_20161014_130224733.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Such amazing buildings</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbtdvHS5TKGB1ow5Q_huVJQ3ncwIT3VFMGPsnnDFGFwL0yl3UqC9pzG9cyULrId9tk6t-BiO-g7lUoV_nD9URmryMZN2JJEKIbIqnZe6DHo93ZNUVZe5IQ5W6w8zBIeylULg9/s1600/IMG_20161014_130336690.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGbtdvHS5TKGB1ow5Q_huVJQ3ncwIT3VFMGPsnnDFGFwL0yl3UqC9pzG9cyULrId9tk6t-BiO-g7lUoV_nD9URmryMZN2JJEKIbIqnZe6DHo93ZNUVZe5IQ5W6w8zBIeylULg9/s320/IMG_20161014_130336690.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAG6djbGF0qAfdBCKQq6C-scCzW8EA-fsXMaF3a7SBoj-jgp1GSW7Aj1tp5M4E4MoW8b44MafwMNLM6RfB-IHwhj4PqhoAznNwcYjKIGPql1ofPvGR8sagrQtdmzLE5bPgx7Xx/s1600/IMG_20161014_132502958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAG6djbGF0qAfdBCKQq6C-scCzW8EA-fsXMaF3a7SBoj-jgp1GSW7Aj1tp5M4E4MoW8b44MafwMNLM6RfB-IHwhj4PqhoAznNwcYjKIGPql1ofPvGR8sagrQtdmzLE5bPgx7Xx/s320/IMG_20161014_132502958.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turret!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AJCrvdiM1unYRWna6UbEOTUxqxrOjf17JmnxZdtj1Hwh5FZzW_RZvNRIAPNv0eKTYsRCJ8zCgSrmDFAhcydnA0BQRChzkoNWbP0CPY8lwnV0Lrdqkx_pM0TSjuMZfq8g6xMd/s1600/IMG_20161014_132724510_TOP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AJCrvdiM1unYRWna6UbEOTUxqxrOjf17JmnxZdtj1Hwh5FZzW_RZvNRIAPNv0eKTYsRCJ8zCgSrmDFAhcydnA0BQRChzkoNWbP0CPY8lwnV0Lrdqkx_pM0TSjuMZfq8g6xMd/s320/IMG_20161014_132724510_TOP.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spotted this gate whilst walking around and went in and saw... </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyezsQsblsbS0ofVoLjTansi0RI_RJzVzVo27jQZnzUh1EwHV-RGvA1oYUtafHG7s2esc5_AZ56K4fCqb4qrVcB8vGCoqW5pv4rqGPxvvvzemCSc3kok7ikn7eG24DoNSN0FBO/s1600/IMG_20161014_132850208_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyezsQsblsbS0ofVoLjTansi0RI_RJzVzVo27jQZnzUh1EwHV-RGvA1oYUtafHG7s2esc5_AZ56K4fCqb4qrVcB8vGCoqW5pv4rqGPxvvvzemCSc3kok7ikn7eG24DoNSN0FBO/s320/IMG_20161014_132850208_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An amazing courtyard which use to be a stable.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHPA9Ujk6iuf7QqmT2t0Z_GDk7ZIfyMl1ogbwfGNPvetye688diFOcfsm_dKQ8qDbVif-goQdGeFzu4ZMigLvUpUl3u1rJSxJs5X9Iy0mWBQHMaF38jRdXy2A31uSWVsbG7yGo/s1600/IMG_20161014_132929460.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHPA9Ujk6iuf7QqmT2t0Z_GDk7ZIfyMl1ogbwfGNPvetye688diFOcfsm_dKQ8qDbVif-goQdGeFzu4ZMigLvUpUl3u1rJSxJs5X9Iy0mWBQHMaF38jRdXy2A31uSWVsbG7yGo/s320/IMG_20161014_132929460.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love this courtyard</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQelUwdHkn7fPUpIKWljRk9Kpe3kHBtunoFIpSWTXWleqKK0gFJzPYjatEcxIr1h6NJuZCGNM36sXj3ADT0Tw2pkz0I5yb04oj4fnplo6XIJYooAOVndh7tZ8-osPTidgzVxm/s1600/VID_20161014_133710964.mp4" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQelUwdHkn7fPUpIKWljRk9Kpe3kHBtunoFIpSWTXWleqKK0gFJzPYjatEcxIr1h6NJuZCGNM36sXj3ADT0Tw2pkz0I5yb04oj4fnplo6XIJYooAOVndh7tZ8-osPTidgzVxm/s320/VID_20161014_133710964.mp4" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside the museum someone was playing the piano!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj20sn4qLHBp6rk6U0C6v3kJ2ObGPWTsYfK6uxnXEzZxMh_BNbxoDwjahOH0ZxO6HeBPqzIKncSV4TI_RkSRxB8XfFelwAIvfVL9hF-UJ7oyblePlGHKr7LwlCWXfSeqpvHEibC/s1600/IMG_20161014_134229080.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj20sn4qLHBp6rk6U0C6v3kJ2ObGPWTsYfK6uxnXEzZxMh_BNbxoDwjahOH0ZxO6HeBPqzIKncSV4TI_RkSRxB8XfFelwAIvfVL9hF-UJ7oyblePlGHKr7LwlCWXfSeqpvHEibC/s320/IMG_20161014_134229080.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the port</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7m5LEwax8wIi6ntP7fqFgpA1lYc_06y-GVAgqweDBEXr_CHvVLTaRSffjExwowPTawbX3b0dHL8EIOY9hfSuUpva1gdwoKVPp_aK5OdqqUiJmkcWSF_oPM9Z-XhqzXGouSA5g/s1600/IMG_20161014_134526906_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7m5LEwax8wIi6ntP7fqFgpA1lYc_06y-GVAgqweDBEXr_CHvVLTaRSffjExwowPTawbX3b0dHL8EIOY9hfSuUpva1gdwoKVPp_aK5OdqqUiJmkcWSF_oPM9Z-XhqzXGouSA5g/s320/IMG_20161014_134526906_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Old Montreal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcJVGnH5KCwcXeE7gGckXRgmJZgXX2utWo_tOjYoyYPy49cPouUvYzbuEdu27t0ZE0ZrXgYijChyphenhyphen84ufUwK9zlWUoC-wYv7iEpUkj-8SOw0tY5PBiY5stF7oYbKyXFoZpyaCV/s1600/IMG_20161014_162404448_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVcJVGnH5KCwcXeE7gGckXRgmJZgXX2utWo_tOjYoyYPy49cPouUvYzbuEdu27t0ZE0ZrXgYijChyphenhyphen84ufUwK9zlWUoC-wYv7iEpUkj-8SOw0tY5PBiY5stF7oYbKyXFoZpyaCV/s320/IMG_20161014_162404448_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the fast food place where Will got some Poutine. And I had Dairy Queen for lunch (Not recommended!)</td></tr>
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All we are missing is a photo of the Bagel we had for breakfast :)</div>
Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10089823394168762635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535923.post-64008282672018684042016-10-16T09:59:00.001+11:002016-10-16T09:59:40.736+11:00How to get your AT&T GoPhone at SFO airport<h4>
So can you get a SIM card at SFO to use in both Canada and USA? </h4>
I thought I'd share as after lots of searching I wasn't able to get a good answer.<br />
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The answer is yes you can get a Prepaid SIM card kit in the international airport.<br />
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Just after security there are two vending machines, one for BestBuy and the other AT&T. The AT&T one has GoPhone kits and recharge Top ups. We got two starter kits for $10.98 each after taxes. The kits cater for nano, micro and standard size SIM card requirements.<br />
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We used the * and # type codes and the refill numbers we had organised previously.<br />
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Had we not already has the recharge amounts the vending machine would have been good to use. <br />
The instructions are in the Getting Started guide otherwise just use:<br />
<br />
Use the phone dialler and dial<br />
*888* + Refill card PIN number + # (example: *888*1234567899874#)<br />
Press Send.<br />
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To use the vending machines was just a matter of swiping a credit card so no need to get a US credit card. <br />
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Here's the robotic arm in the vending machine in action<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiobD_2rwLjgTh0toIRMyriVr5mu1suYkn1xckAA2TNgOAuZVTieBjd_aINso5A8qUnrgCcMFVweV1ARLfx9sfn_QF-pfDJSibzULxL5PHQDA3oF4nCIdJRZF2ZiuuhRr10-4IV/s1600/VID_20161012_100234615.mp4" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiobD_2rwLjgTh0toIRMyriVr5mu1suYkn1xckAA2TNgOAuZVTieBjd_aINso5A8qUnrgCcMFVweV1ARLfx9sfn_QF-pfDJSibzULxL5PHQDA3oF4nCIdJRZF2ZiuuhRr10-4IV/s320/VID_20161012_100234615.mp4" width="179" /></a></div>
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Whilst we did this at SFO I'm sure I've seen these machines at LAX as well but it could have been just the Best Buys machine. I know the last trip I did which was last minute I just bought an overseas pack from Telstra (an Australia carrier) as I was only in one city (LA) and wasn't planning to travel far. This time with us travelling to the US and Canada it made sense to get one SIM card which would cover both countries. <br />
<h3>
Why AT&T GoPhone</h3>
I did my research back in Sydney before hand and worked out for a $60 amount we would have 30 days, 6 GB of data to use as well as unlimited calls and text messages within US, Canada and Mexico. The only trick is that you have to activate it in the US (and use it in the US). So I texted a message or two when at SFO - mainly to advise others my number. So that worked well. <br />
The other networks don't seem to offer the ability to use the SIM card from both the US and Canada. This way I get data and calls pretty much more than I'd need. And with both myself and my husband having our own SIMs that would work well. <br />
<br />Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10089823394168762635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5535923.post-51154758361682603972016-09-27T07:34:00.001+10:002016-09-27T07:34:10.150+10:00Low Sugar Almond croissants<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjgG6FoUqAN1e_1AiDx_-g4Hm3Ish2axkFBHbDvfTadwTeXNbTZQXA9281jFXhXOhPs-vwCE-0Kf7q80kE6T92zJA1V2y2P1kmEnb0-ovePBTg63W0Y2ta_KgzdnCXsxtSfoEE/s1600/SugarFreeCroissants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjgG6FoUqAN1e_1AiDx_-g4Hm3Ish2axkFBHbDvfTadwTeXNbTZQXA9281jFXhXOhPs-vwCE-0Kf7q80kE6T92zJA1V2y2P1kmEnb0-ovePBTg63W0Y2ta_KgzdnCXsxtSfoEE/s320/SugarFreeCroissants.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Recently I've been really seeking out Almond Croissants. It started with an almond croissant at Sonoma Cafe in Alexandria. They had one in the glass cabinet and it was calling my name. I don't think I have had one prior to that for years. It was ah-mahzing! Flakey, a bit gooey and with lots of almond flake goodness. <br />
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Since then I've sought it out and had a mix of good and bad ones. But then I had a thought to make it myself. And so the internet uncovered a number of great looking recipes but I landed on one called <i>Almond Croissants Recipe (French Bakery Style)</i>. It was on Natasha's Kitchen's website (link to the actual recipe here <a href="http://natashaskitchen.com/2013/11/01/almond-croissants-french-bakery-style/">http://natashaskitchen.com/2013/11/01/almond-croissants-french-bakery-style/</a>). It's not a site I had frequented. I don't tend to follow food bloggers but do recognise when I've been to a site after a few times.<br />
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Whenever I follow a recipe I never follow it to a tee. I tend to modify it and cook very much what I consider "asian" style. In that I'm a bit loose with measuring things. With this recipe I modified it by substituting the sugar. In fact the only 'added' sugar I had to this recipe was the icing sugar I used to dust the croissants with. I don't think it would have been detrimental to leave it out altogether. <br />
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I have since managed to make a few batches of almond croissants with very little sugar involved. <br />
Don't these look amazing? <br />
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I have a fear of sugar having helped out at I Quit Sugar and watching a number of YouTube videos about the evils of sugar. It's unfortunate that the other part of me says that I shouldn't deprive myself and end up having another snack or bit of chocolate!<br />
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In any case I do try and reduce sugar where I can from cooking and baking. And my taste buds tend to like to be more bland than the mainstream. I tend to like things less salty and less sweet. So these were fantastic for me but I suspect were a bit on the bland side for most other people. If you are making these of course you can adjust the amount of sweetness to add in.<br />
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To get the croissants I used the following substitutes:<br />
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For the syrup<br />
Instead of <b>rum</b> I used Macadamia Royal Liqueur. Just because that's what I had. (Note this is quite sweet)<br />
Instead of sugar in the syrup and having to heat it I just used a half a dropper of Vanilla Creme Stevia. <br />
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For the almond paste, I just replaced the granulated sugar they wanted with Xylitol (I have at home Xyla) which is a sugar substitute that bakes like sugar and is safe for diabetics.</div>
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Pretty much the rest of it I followed the instructions for (don't worry I'll pop the whole recipe with my substitutes and my method below. The first batch was only 3 croissants so I easily did 1/2 the recipe and popped it in the Turbo oven for 18 minutes. The next batch was still easy and I prepared them overnight and baked them first thing in the morning (made the house smell amazing!). Details on exactly my method below.</div>
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1 batch can make 12 medium to large croissants. I bought 4 packs of croissants from Woolworths at $2.50 per pack. But I also went to Costco and saw their pack of 12 (huge!) croissants for (I think!) $9 which would have worked or the large packs of croissants from Woolworths. It doesn't matter and it can even be a day or two old. It works.<br />
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You can also keep the paste for later so you can even make them 2 at a time or 1 at a time if you aren't sharing!<br />
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<h4>
<span style="background-color: #cccccc; font-size: large;">Ingredients:</span></h4>
12 <b>croissants </b>(ready made and baked)<br />
1/2 cup <b>almond flakes</b><br />
<b>Icing sugar</b> for dusting (optional)<br />
<h4>
<span style="color: #eeeeee;">Syrup</span></h4>
1/2 dropper full of <b>liquid stevia </b>(I used Wisdom Natural, SweetLeaf Liquid Stevia, SweetDrops Sweetener, Vanilla Creme)<br />
Splash (10 - 30mL) of <b>sweet liqueur</b> -- I had Macadamia Royale. The original recipe called for <b>rum</b>. (optional) <br />
Up to 1 cup of <b>water</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><span style="color: #eeeeee;">Almond Paste</span></b><br />
1 cup of <b>Almond Meal</b><br />
1/2 cup of <b>Xylitol </b>(I used Xyla)<br />
6 tablespoons of <b>unsalted butter</b><br />
Pinch <b>salt</b><br />
2 large <b>eggs</b><br />
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<h4>
<span style="color: #cccccc; font-size: large;">Method:</span></h4>
Step 1. Make the paste<br />
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<ol>
<li>In a large bowl I just used a hand mixer), mix together the <b>Xylitol </b>and <b>Almond Meal</b> and <b>salt</b></li>
<li>Cut the <b>butter </b>into smaller chunks or slices and add to the mix. Mix well with hand mixer or in a stand mixer. You want to get rid of all the butter clumps so it's all blended together. Don't worry if you have small clumps as it will melt later anyway and we have one more mixing step.</li>
<li>Add the <b>eggs </b>one at a time. So add one egg, mix and then add the other egg and mix. </li>
<li>Mix so it's a creamy paste.</li>
</ol>
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Step 2. Cut open <b>croissant </b>as if you were making a sandwich out of them. <br />
Step 3. Make the syrup<br />
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<ol>
<li>In a dish or container (which will fit a croissant) mix together the <b>stevia</b>, <b>liqueur </b>and <b>water</b></li>
</ol>
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Step 4. Line a cookie sheet with <b>baking paper</b></div>
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Step 5. Construct</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Dip each half of <b>croissant </b>into the <b>syrup</b>. Cover both sides of each half. Don't soak them, just dip, turn over and dip. Do the same for the other half.</li>
<li>Spread the <b>almond paste</b> into the inside of each half. Sandwich it (ie put it together as if it were a whole croissant again).</li>
<li>Spread some more <b>paste </b>onto the top of the <b>croissant</b></li>
<li>Sprinkle the <b>almond flakes</b> on top. The paste helps it stick. I like lots of almond flakes so tend to go a bit heavy handed. YMMV.</li>
</ol>
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That's it. Other than baking. So I left mine overnight after construction but there is no drama to pop them in the oven at this point.</div>
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Step 6. Bake</div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Bake croissants for 20 - 25 minutes in a fan forced oven at 170 degrees Celcius (I don't even preheat the oven fully. I turn it on for a few minutes, prep the shelves and put in the baking trays). For those of you who do preheat, preheat to 180 degrees in non fan forced or 170 fan forced and then pop them in for 15-18 minutes or so.</li>
<li>Check to see if the almonds are slightly toasted and browned on top</li>
<li>Take them out of the oven and cool on a rack</li>
<li>Sprinkle <b>icing sugar </b>on top (mine was crumbly and I was lazy so I just sprinkled it on top and broke up the icing sugar by rubbing it between my finger and thumb when sprinkling. Professionals would tell you to sift)</li>
<li>Take a photo before digging in!</li>
</ol>
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I found they were crispier when left to cool rather than eating them warm. </div>
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That's it. I thought I'd share as it's easy to look at a recipe and wonder if you can prep them the night before (yes you can!) if you can keep the paste (yes you can!) if you can just do the syrup without heating it (yes you can since I used a liquid and didn't need to dissolve sugar) and if replacing the sugar works!!</div>
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Yvonnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10089823394168762635noreply@blogger.com0