Hitting the beach.. and the kitchen

As the weather in Newcastle is heading towards winter, the temperatures are slowly getting lower, but yesterday, the sun was out and slightly warmer. I thought I’d take the opportunity to go to my local beach and take a walk. I’ve been sitting around writing emails and not doing a whole lot of anything physical really! So I head out to my beach and enjoy the sunshine, the not-so-cold water. I was actually surprised that the water was not very cold! Had it been a warmer day, I would have gone swimming! Of all the beaches I've seen around the world, to me, none can rival the Aussi beaches. One of my favorite parts is that the sand is so fine, that your feet squeak when you walk.. nothing can compare to a summer day on the beach, the smell of salt, sand, sun cream mixed with the smell of hot chips and meat pies... So about half way into my walk, I realize that the last time I was on that beach it was with three of my closest friends one colder September days! Oh the memories from that day... how so much can happen in 18 months!

Jen and I at Redhead Beach- Sept 08

The end of this week will see me being home now for 4 weeks... technically a third way through my furlough! I’ve been trying to keep myself occupied with meeting up with friends, family and organising to see supporters. I’ve got one speaking engagement in a couple of weeks, I’ll be taking the entire speaking time for the evening which I’m a bit nervous about. I’ll need to work on that in the coming days too.
Despite different stresses trying to raise support, I’ve had a lot of fun in the kitchen. Baking, cooking and learning to feed myself and friends! J I’ve started with the classic family dishes that we have often in the home and then maybe move on to more unknown territory! (and perhaps use up some of the stacks of pumpkin my mum bought- there are only a few ways I’ll eat it.) Menu tonight: Indian beans with Chapatti bread....