August had me feeling abit of discomfort. Lots of different things going on as well as my own efficiency which results in poor boundaries and work compounded. The fire season kept me busy too over the past month, with navigation training over three days, hazard reduction patrol at Maraylya and being a scribe at the hazard reeducation at Sackville North. It was a full month, though I did manage to prioritise my trip to Europe and booked flights, hotels and a car for Albania, North Macedonia and Kosovo. I started packing and realised my travel kit needs a whole refresh. All old medication, travel wear and even toiletries went and it is time to go shopping to replenish the stock.

Listening to - 

* Renovation Ready podcast - been binge listening to gather all the knowledge preparing for our real renovation work to start

* The Tony Robins Podcast - I always like the ones hosted by Tony, not so much a fan of the ones with his wife, Sage, and friend Mary B.

* The Truth For Teachers Podcast - a good one to keep me in the loop with all things teaching

* The Marie Forleo Podcast - I have been enjoying her three-part joy series

 Read - 

* The Seven-Day Stress Prescription by Dr Elissa Epel - some good reminders but I feel like we have heard it all before

* I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy - really liked this one. Very well written

Splurged on - 

* an Apple watch. Not sure I’m a fan of being shocked each time I get a notification but gradually growing on me

Watching - 

* Barbie Movie - went gold class for National Cinema Day. Shocker of a movie. Not sure what I was expecting but wasn’t my cup of tea.

* Gran Turismo - went solo to see this and loved it. Totally predictable but loved the idea.

* Australian Renovation - on Sunday nights. Good for some inspiration

* Renovation Online Masterclass - with Belinda Smith. Few takeaways, not so impactful

Went to - 

* Ettamogh for dinner

* Kashi Indian Restaurant to celebrate five years with my bf

* get my liver ultrasound and all results came back good. No fatty liver, no cancer, no concern. Good results overall

* drinks at Bella Vista Hotel with a good friend who is helping keep me accountable for work. I love her support and commitment

Booked - 

* Enimen Remastered for November

Cooked - 

* Butter Chicken Pie, Vegie Pizza, Lentil Bolognese, Beef Curry, Beef Ragu, Smoked Salmon Noodle Pancake.

* Choc caramel brownie

What's new - 

* house reno - bit of movement on the reno this month. FINALLY my bf decided on timber for the flooring. A huge ten month process. He purchased brush box from the renovator’s auctions. It’s now sitting in our backyard ready to go in, in September. We planted all the plants my brother gave us so the garden looks great. We ripped down a wall in the shed, making one larger space and had a huge clean-out. We also took down the fencing that surrounded the carport out the back. The dishwasher got a fault a few months ago and I finally complained enough and we got a dishwasher guy to come out, it was just the pipe blocked so the dishwasher is fine and back working. We had the kitchen guy come out to measure up and go over our kitchen plans. Going to be a big couple of months as it all starts happening

* clover has taken over both the front and back yard so I called Coochie and signed up to get it sprayed and all cleaned up. Looking forward to a nice patch of lawn again.

* blog - scheduled a few blog posts, more than usual so was pumped for that

* joined the Converge challenge trying to get my steps up but two girls on the team haven’t logged in so their steps haven’t counted which doesn’t sit well with competitive me, so haven’t been trying that hard

* got my blood test and liver ultrasound results. All good. No concerns or worries, so that’s a big tick

 Looking for - 

* baking tray for the oven

 Sold -

* scrap metal

Started - 

* doing a twenty minute cycle each day

Attempting to -

* set better boundaries at work

Is anyone else ready for a break or a holiday? I’m counting down big time!. 17 days to go till I fly. Feel free to join the conversation and leave a comment below.

For other months in hindsight click here