It’s weird that a room that I was in for hours on my days of work, I’m hardly ever in anymore. I hadn’t fired up my desktop in weeks, nor had any need to go into this room since resigning from work. It’s made me realise that when Andrew retires as well, that home office […]
Work Around The House & Yard
I’m slowly going through my long list of tasks around the house that need to be fixed, repaired, built, painted or replaced. We have this old timber and iron bench on our verandah that has the timber splintered and weathered. Sitting on it you could be assured on a splinter on your legs. Andrew said […]
Schools Suing Social Media Companies
I’d hope to hear more schools and other institutions be able to do the same. This school district in Seattle is suing TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat for ‘exploiting the vulnerable brains of youth’ creating a mental health crisis for their practices that allow for addiction to their platforms. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/08/seattle-public-schools-sue-social-media-platforms-youth-mental-health-crisis I used to like social media […]
A Lesson For Me on Posts Written By ChatGPT
Argh. 🤣🤔 I read this post by David Hopkins and it resonated with me wholeheartedly. Until I read the bottom line that it was written by ChatGPT. 😳 Geez. It was good. It pulled at me heart strings because it resonated with my own experiences with blog writing! My lesson? Despite the sentiment and similar […]
A Trip to East Malvern
Going Through The To Do List
This year started well. Once we got back from Canberra and the Christmas and New Year festivities, it was time to create a list of things I needed to do around the house. But before I did that, I bought some books from Helena’s Curiosity & Book Shoppe in Bentleigh. ($3 each, BARGAIN!) We have […]
50 Goals to Achieve In Life According to AI
So I continue to ask ChatGPT some questions to see what answers it returns to me for a bit of fun. I’m fast becoming aware that AI is like that nerdy and logical person that we all meet in life that takes things as they are. Never questioning, never taking risks, never enjoying life, never […]
AI Tells Me What To Do With My Life
I asked ChatGPT (I should just give it a name because I’ve been asking it all sorts of questions) about what to do with my life before I “formally” retire at 65. I’ve still got about 12-13 years to go before society deems me retired in the formal sense. It’s also the time the filter […]
What’s Your Own Amsterdam?
When I think of Amsterdam, I think of the great (and mostly wonderful) memories for me. The Netherlands will always be a country near and dear to my heart because of the friendships made during my time on a Vocational Exchange but also in recent times, meeting a friend there in person at a time […]
When You Cannot Read One Page of a Book, Time to Revisit Your Relationship with Social Media
Yesterday I overheard my husband watching Snapchat stories. What I overheard were the voices of people I used to watch and interact with online through the platform. “Wow, are they STILL on that?” I asked him. When you’ve been off social media for a while now (since June 2022), it’s difficult to reconcile in your […]
Well Hello 2023
Welcome 2023! I’m sitting here in bed tapping out this post on my phone and wondering what to write. This morning, Andrew says to me that “isn’t it a tradition that you end the year in a way that you want it to start?” So end it with a celebration or something memorable to ensure […]
What Books Will You Read in 2023?
It’s difficult to predict which books will be published and become popular in 2023, as the publishing industry is constantly evolving and new titles are being released all the time. However, here are a few suggestions for books that you may enjoy in 2023: These are just a few examples, and of course there will […]
Walk Around Lake Tuggeranong
This morning was a beautiful day which had to be enjoyed with a long walk around the lake before breakfast. Some people were out and about doing the same thing.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Yuletide & Zarathost!
To my friends, family and readers, Christians, Jewish, Pagans and Zoroastrians. Have I left anyone out? 🤣 Thank you for taking the time to read my rambles and rants on this blog, sharing your feedback and comments through the year. I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas or a wonderful festival of lights, […]
What’s Wrong With Knitting in Public? Nothing!
This is what happens sometimes when you knit in public. Just watch what some commuters do. For me, I’ve had a couple take photos, others start conversations with me. Kids always ask their mums what I’m doing. Most just continue to look down at their phones. These shorts came up in my YouTube feed and […]
Protected: The Blundens Christmas Letter 2022
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Our New Backyard Is Finally Finished!
Check out the video of the transformation. Finally, after waiting for more than a year for this work to start due to covid restrictions and then the work delayed through three months of inclement weather, we have our new back yard. If you want to see the BEFORE and AFTER of the project and everything […]
Happy New Year!
I don’t do new year resolutions. No, I plan them in my head – and then promptly forget them for the rest of the year. However there’s nothing like a fresh new year to start planning what you’d like the year ahead to be about. A new year is a new start. A line in […]
We’re Drowning in Old Books!
This post on the Washington Post was amusing to me. What are we to do with our flooded shelves?— Read on www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/12/19/used-books-stores-donation-fran-lebowitz/ “They’re more like friends than objects,” one passionate bookseller says. Now that’s something I understand. As much as I try not to buy too many books (those I do buy are specifically for […]
2022 Goodreads Reading Challenge
I have been doing the Goodreads Reading challenge since 2012 and this year, I had set myself the challenge to read 70 books which I achieved. The books I read this year were heavily focussed on authors from other countries (mainly Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Spain, Argentina and Japan) and a spattering of literature. There […]