This week has been a busy one, with lots of good things. There has been a lot of watching the Olympics on TV. We’ve had some fun outings/celebrations, and this will be a short work week for me, so I’m rushing to get everything done before we head to Sydney. Another thing that has brought me joy throughout this week is writing my France recaps. They say that with something like travel, you get to experience pleasure three times: once when you are planning and preparing, again when you are travelling, and thirdly, once you get home and relive it. I try to squeeze the maximum out of each stage.

Fri 2.8.2024

• I went to the physiotherapist, and my foot is gradually improving. I am now able to do double-legged jumps! In the next two weeks, I need to do a walking test to see how far I can walk in a day without pain, and I get to test out some running. And I’ll be continuing to build strength with some assisted hopping and single-leg calf raises, which I can now do mostly pain-free.
• I had a fun solo outing to this year’s Winter Masterpieces NGV Exhibition – Pharaoh.
• The girls came over, and we had some yummy takeaway from one of our favourite local Vietnamese restaurants that we don’t normally get when there are more of us because it’s more expensive than our usual takeaway joints.

---

Sat 3.8.2024

• I woke up just before 4:30 am this morning—not the good thing—and decided not to bother trying to go to sleep because the swimming finals were on TV at that time. I was just in time to see two Australian gold medals in the pool and then a gold in the BMX. There was no going back to sleep after that excitement.
• Just before 7 am there was a knock on the window—G was home.

---

SUN 4.8.2024

• My Mum’s 80th birthday celebration. The food was great, and only one glass of wine was spilt. My brother made a lovely speech on behalf of us kids. We caught up with relatives and family friends that we hadn’t seen in ages. Afterwards, my siblings, their partners, and some of the kids went to the Builder’s Arms for kick-ons. It was the perfect catch-up and we were home by 8 pm.

---

MON 5.8.2024

• This week, we had more new families at mainly music. I’m not sure what we would do if they all turned up on the same day!
• Family dinner tonight. We worked on the puzzle, watched an episode of House of the Dragon and ate chicken schnitzels with veggies and salad.
• H is very excited about our current puzzle lineup. In addition to the two I found last week, Mum found a 2000-piece puzzle in an Op shop while she was in Queensland. The one we’re working on now has proven to be quite tricky, as I’d hoped, even though it’s only 1000 pieces.

---

TUES 6.8.2024

• Seven daily habits to improve your gut health and boost brain power.
• I’ve been enjoying the flower arrangement I bought home from Mum’s party. These were the ones placed down the centre of the tables. I don’t usually buy them because of the environment, but I’m happy to enjoy them if they land in my lap.

---

WED 7.8.2024

• Today, I had my follow-up appointment with the neurologist for my migraines. He checked out my headache diary, and after discussing it, I decided to see how I go now that I have the Mirena in. If I get a run of months like last May, we will revisit it. He is happy with the way I’m using the medication when I get them and said it is all OK to continue taking it as I am now.
• I picked up a stack of new library books. Three are the inspirations for our trip, which is approaching fast. I love browsing through travel books. I also picked up a little book called Historic Brighton: Walking in Brighton’s Past so I can learn a bit more about the things I see as I walk every street in Brighton.

---

THURS 8.8.2024

• I RAN! I did my test run today. Walking warm-up, then 8x30s jog with 30s walk between, finished with a walk cool down. There was the old twinge, although not at the break site, so I’m happy with that.
• I dropped an egg on the floor while I was making lunch. The good news is that I hadn’t mopped the floor yet. I had it on my list for today and, luckily, hadn’t got around to it. Yay!
• Good bread. We are very lucky to be able to get good bread from the shop that is 400 m from our house. Most of the time I get wholegrain breads but I do like to get a good ciabatta or white sourdough occasionally. It’s a little treat. Yum!

Do you like a nice crusty loaf of fresh bread? When you make a mess, are you inordinately happy when you realise you need to clean it anyway? Have you been watching the Olympics when you should have been doing something else (like sleeping)?