And So I Don't Forget...

Mike Begins Walking: Everest Part 2

'Buddha's birthday today. The valley is echoing with an almighty ommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.' When I received that text message (Nepal has remarkedly good mobile phone reception!) I was quite envious and knew I was missing out on an amazing experience. But, you know, there was all that walking! ;) This is Mike's second guest post, documenting his trek in Nepal. You can find his first post here.   

After breakfast we got ourselves organised to start walking towards Phakding, our finishing point for the day. Starting altitute: 2840 metres / 9300 feet. 

We wandered through the valley with the river on our left, seeing sights that would become commonplace along the way. Porters with massive loads, horses, donkeys, all navigating their way around us bumbling tourists with ease.

We arrived at our first suspension bridge, the first of many. Any hesitation I had was relieved after seeing several tonne of animal wandering across. If it could hold them, it could hold us. 

By early afternoon we had arrived at Phakding (2610 metres / 8560 feet). We had some lunch then went for a wander around the town. Not much to see but a good view up the valley. 

Maski has warned us not to eat at the bakery, their window didn't convince me otherwise. ;)

On our walk, up and down the mountain, we stayed in a series of teahouses. The food was simple but good, the accommodation basic but did the job. Being our first teahouse, we didn't yet realise the menu that seemed interesting now was exactly the same at every teahouse. Fried rice with or without egg, chips with or without egg, potatoes with or without egg, pancakes, chapati and, the staple of many a seasoned hiker, dal bhat which is vegetable curry, rice and lentil soup. Oh, can't forget my favourite, fried dumplings called mo mo.   

After dinner we watched a 1960s documentary on the first successful English expedition to the Everest summit. 

The next day we continued through the valley where we officially entered the National Park. Maski took care of the paperwork while we admired the view. 

We reached the bottom of the valley then began the climb towards Namche Bazar. Along the way we came face to face with the highest pedestrian (and yak) suspension bridge that I have ever seen. 

We crossed the top bridge and if it looks high in the photo, it felt higher in real life!

It was hard slog uphill towards Namche Bazar. As I stopped to catch my breath, Maski approached with a big smile. 'Slow down, we've got 4 hours. And if you have a head torch, we've got all night.' :)

After slowing my pace we eventually turned the corner to reveal Namche Bazar.

I could feel the altitude (3440 metres / 11280 feet) with every uphill step, constantly reminding myself to slow down. I was glad we had an acclimatization day here for our bodies to catch up and adjust.

The next morning we woke up to an epic view out our window. After breakfast we left for a half-day walk up the mountain to acclimatize to the altitude. 

We came across this runway that made the Lukla airport seem quite civilized. Apparently it is only used by Russian helicopters these days, bringing in supplies. 

After admiring the views and a stop at a teahouse for a drink, we descended back into Namche Bazar to the sounds of Buddha's birthday celebrations.  

The parade progressed around the town, the sound of 'Ommmmmmmmm' ringing out across the valley. We were told how old Buddha was (would have been?), although I've managed to forget since. Safe to say, old.    

In the afternoon we went to 'Starbucks' for a cappuccino and lazily wandered around Namche Bazar.

Highest altitude reached: 3860 metres / 12660 feet.  

Mike's Kathmandu: Everest Part 1

After a little over two weeks in Nepal Mike, my hairy adventurer, is home safe and sound. He's agreed to tell us about his trip and today is his first guest post, sharing about the first few days in Nepal. Thank you BoyF!

Mid last year I received a call from friend Tanya, asking if I wanted to do the Everest Base Camp trek. A quick call to very supportive Delanie resulted in 'of course'. Delanie was welcome to attend, however she politely said 'no way, but have fun'. Between Tanya's wedding, a work trip to Singapore, our engagement, engagement party and wedding planning, the months disappeared and only a token effort in the training department was managed. Nonetheless, it was time to leave for Kathmandu, Nepal.  

A chaotic and crazy cab trip from the airport to the hotel had both Tanya and I looking out the window wondering what on earth we were in for. Our trek guide Maski had met us at the airport, telling us about Kathmandu, but then we were on our own to explore before a group meeting the next evening. 

After a quick walk around the local hotel area, Thamel, we decided it was time for an early dinner. The Lonely bible (Lonely Planet guide book) was consulted to find a restaurant. Walking up a laneway we were somewhat apprehensive, but headed through the gate to find a garden oasis. 

We liked the restaurant so much we went back the next day for lunch. (And brought the whole tour group back for the final goodbye dinner!)

We started the morning with a walk to Durbar Square, the centre of Kathmandu's old town. The route took us out of the tourist areas and we started seeing some of 'real Kathmandu'. There were temples and deities in the side streets, so many, everywhere we looked.

A temple of Durbar. No photos allowed inside, but amazing architecture and detailed carvings. 

In the evening we met the rest of our tour group. Scott, an Australian surf lifesaver from Sydney was my roommate for the next week. We had a chat and a beer before the meeting; I had a feeling this was going to be a good trip. A quick briefing from Maski - for every rule announced I couldn't wondering about the indiscretion that led to it's creation. ;)  

For dinner Maski took us to Rum Doodle, an iconic mountaineers bar. The walls are lined with the signatures of people who have summitted Everest, then come back to claim their night of free celebrations. We were given a plywood foot to take to Base Camp with us, the intent for it to be added to the roof with all the others. (In fact, the foot never made it back and is gracing the dining hall in Kyangjuma along the way.) 

Up before dawn, we headed to Kathmandu airport for our flight to Lukla. As soon as we got to the chaos of the domestic terminal, I was glad we had booked a tour and didn't have to navigate this on our own. Maski rushed us to the front to the line, through security and before we knew it we were on the first plane to Lukla.

I don't think the others knew quite what they were in for. The plane, a twin engine turbo prop Twin Otter, looks like a big Cessna that you would see at a country airport. Before the engines started, we had our safety briefing and were offered cotton wool for our ears and a sweet. The plane took off within what feels like 10 metres, making me wonder why they bother with runways when the taxiway is just as long. Soon we were watching the mountains glide past, some a lot closer than others. It felt like a Starwars TIE Fighter going through the valleys.

Then we saw the Lukla runway.

Most runways are flat, but this one runs uphill and is short. Very short. With a mountain backstop, no chance of a go-around. The pilot landed with ease; I don't think this was his first rodeo. With the engines still running we were whisked off the plane, our trek was about to begin.  

But first, breakfast.  

Wedding Planning: 5 Months to go

There are 152 days until our wedding. That's the first time I've calculated the days and I will not be doing it again any time soon. I prefer to live in denial.

With most of our vendors now organised (choosing a hair and makeup artist was the latest decision to drive me insane) we are in the stage of endless details. Last week I counted 15 different issues that need to be considered regarding the wedding cake, and don't even get me started on how many different types of cake toppers are now available!

Each day I seem to be fixated on another topic, but never really accomplishing anything. I'm very good at creating lists of things that need to be decided and organised, just not so good at the actual doing. It's a solid dose of overwhelm; I'll get through it but sooner rather than later would be helpful! ;)

Oh and while we're on the topic, who on earth thought an international honeymoon requiring multiple flight and hotel reservations leaving two days after the wedding was a good idea? All I'm seeing right now is more decisions!

One big decision we have made though - booking a musician for the wedding. I think music had me a lot more concerned than I realised as once we'd made the booking I suddenly felt much less angsty. (This was 4 weeks ago; the feeling might have worn off since.) Although I'm not generally a music person, for our wedding it felt important. We are aiming for a meaningful, relaxed and fun wedding, but for Mike wedding fun means people talking and laughing. I've come to realise for me wedding fun means dancing and singing, badly, to classic old songs. (My favourite memory as a bridesmaid at the wedding of friends Lucy and Chris was running about carrying her train as Lucy did the chicken dance, and dancing to La Bamba with my family at cousin Erin's wedding was a favourite moment from 2013.) We've chosen a musician that I think will be able to balance both those ideals with quieter acoustic music during dinner before raising the energy for dancing later. That's the plan at least.

Simple Scrapper: Knit

This is a 6x12 inch layout, created using a sketch template from Simple Scrapper's June Membership collection. To reduce the impact of journaling on the design, I printed my journaling onto vellum which I cut into strips.  

Journaling reads: My newest hobby; my latest fixation. Click clack of the knitting needles; it reminds me of Nanna, who tried to teach me when I was young. We couldn’t get over the left hand divide. Learning via YouTube videos, now I knit right handed; I wish we’d tried that then. Simple, soothing movements repeated again & again & again. A pair of needles and a ball of wool can create all manner of intricate thing. It’s kind of magic. Knit one, purl one.   

 

The Premium Membership at Simple Scrapper provides skills and shortcuts to help you simplify and find more meaning in your memory keeping.

30 Before Marriage: 5 Months To Go

With a little over 5 months left before my wedding (oih!) I thought it was probably time for a status check on my 30 Before Marriage goals.

1. Fly a kite. Done.

2. Landscape our front yard. Done.

3. Hold an engagement party. Done.

4. Buy a new (to me) car. Done.

5. Go climbing outside. There is definitely some scrambling up rocks outdoor in my future - I'll need to do some training hikes in preparation for our honeymoon Machu Picchu trek - but I'm not sure we'll manage real climbing. Maybe we should just disappear to Railay for a week. Mmmm, Railay.

6. Take an after-work trip to the beach. Done.

7. Cook a seafood dinner. This was BoyF's idea, so he's not escaping this cooking. I'm thinking a two course meal, maybe some shellfish or calamari for entree then a whole fish for main. Totally out of our comfort zone, but I might be up to the challenge. ;)

8. Fall in love with a wedding dress. Done.

9. Get to Everest base camp. In progress. Actually, from the last text message I received (Mt Everest seems to have remarkable phone coverage!) they'd made base camp and were heading back down, but I'm not ticking off this goal till he's back home and we've had a big squeezey hug. And he's written a blog post for us all to enjoy. ;)

10. Use a recipe from each of our cookbooks. In progress. The top right cube of the bookcase above contains the recipe books I've used, the bottom two cubes house the books still to go. Unfortunately my proportions are in the wrong direction, but it's a start. One problem I'm having, I keep gaining cookbooks!

11. Pick up three pieces of rubbish every day for two weeks. In progress. This goal ended up on the list after a discussion I heard on the radio that picking up a few pieces of rubbish can increase your happiness. Although I forgot on the weekend, I've 'made up' the days so I'm considering this task on track to finish on Sunday. If I manage to not forget on the weekend again! And, I think it's true - I'm getting a nice like altruistic action happiness buzz.

12. Bake hot cross buns. Done.

13. Volunteer time to a good cause. It is National Tree Day on Sunday 27th July and I'm planning on signing up to volunteer at a local event. Hopefully I can find a friend or two to join me.

14. Have fun at a water park. An easy one, but no plans yet.

15. Attend a summer twilight event. Summer has already passed so I might have missed my chance. Hmmm...trip to the northern hemisphere anyone?

16. Run 5km. I can currently run really slow jog...a lot less than 5km. This goal isn't getting ticked off any time soon, but I'm working on it. Slowly.

17. Watch an iconic Australian movie. Done.

18. Host a brunch. No plans as yet. I think I should find some brunch recipes in my recipe books a get some double duty action happening.

19. Offer an online class, tutorial or set of downloads. No plans as yet, although I did over a simple tip over at Simple Scrapper.

20. Give someone a handmade present. Ummm...we did this but I'm reappropriating the present to tick off another goal instead. ;)

21. Get the old 504 up running and registered. In progress. Also known as currently in pieces. Mike is still optimistic it might be ready for the wedding, I have a few doubts.

22. Bake a dessert pie. Done.

23. Have High Tea. I have reservations for Mum and I to partake on Sunday.

24. Make a piece of furniture. Done. BoyF had intended to make a new table for our CDA (cider drinking area) but that has zero chance of happening this year. However, he conveniently did make two pieces of furniture as a Christmas present. ;) Blog post coming.

25. Eat produce from our garden. In progress. I ate my first snow pea off the vine on the weekend! I think the basil is ready to harvest too. Lettuce, carrots, onion and peas all seem to be growing well.

26. Have a weekend at the beach. Done.

27. Enjoy Bucks and Hens parties in our honour. There's lots of discussion, plans are being hatched.

28. Participate in a motor sport event. Done.

29. Have cocktails on our deck. A perfect Spring, about one month till our wedding, celebration I think.

30. Decorate the front yard with fairy lights for Christmas. Done. I totally forgot this was on the list - thought try a new market made the cut instead. Handily I did put up Christmas lights, even if only in the tree. Blog post to come.

 

With 5 months to go, 13 goals are complete (with 2 blog posts owing) and 6 more goals are actively in progress. For a total of 19, and over half, that's the most on track I think I've ever been with my 30 Goals!

Of the 11 remaining goals, 1 will definitely happen (Hens and Bucks parties) and 6 more could be completed in a day. (Although not the same day.) Just 2, go climbing outdoors and attend a summer twilight event, it's unlikely we'll complete.

The Magic Behind Vignettes

On Friday evening I, together with two other women, made this vignette. Not too shabby for a first effort I'm thinking. ;) 

Our Vignette class began with refreshments - mulled wine and a bountiful table of antipasto, cheese and other goodies. The work of Firecracker Event, the table looked incredible, and I can't believe I didn't take a photo!   

Moving into the main studio space, we began our class with Kara Rosenlund who was lovely. She talked the language of objects and her 5 magic rules for vignettes. After she talked us through the making of her vignette, we had a question and answer session where Kara was remarkedly frank and honest. (And if she neglected to tell us something, her husband Timmy-O was there to share the goss. ;) )    

Later we split up into groups, helping ourselves to the table of objects to create a vignette of our own. It was an interesting process, lots of stepping back to consider, tiny adjustments one and way then another, and being mindful of the opinion of other group members.

It was an interesting evening and I'm glad I attended. One thing I know though, BoyF is never going to understand blutacking paper and leaves to the wall. ;) 

Currently

Missing Mike. He left Friday evening, on his way to climb to Everest Base Camp 1. When I last heard from him on Monday evening he had taken 147 photos, about 50 of those on the flight from Kathmandu to Lukla which he described as the 'best plane trip ever!' I'm proud, supportive and missing him.

Celebrating the news that I'm going to be an auntie again. With the baby due while Mike and I are still on honeymoon, I've announced we'll be stopping in on our way home from the airport. ;)

Reading The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling.

Anticipating the flowering of my tulip bulbs. I'm been watching them sprout up through the soil, counting eagerly as more and more tips appear.

Forgetting to fertilise my vegetable plants.

Attending a class about styling Vignettes on Friday evening. BoyF enquired if this meant I'd take longer to snap photos of his food. ;)

Booking a fancy schmancy hotel in Quito, Ecuador for our honeymoon. It's the first honeymoon hotel reservation we've made and I think I'll neglect to tell BoyF how much it's costing.

Knitting my multicoloured cowl and it's turning out well.

Eating lemon, chicken and rice soup.

Feeling sore after climbing last night.

On My Desk

30 Before Marriage: Hot Cross Buns

During my wonderful 10 days off work, I baked Hot Cross Buns.

I was sitting on the couch, BoyF about to head off to work, when I decided that baking hot cross buns was how I was going to spend my afternoon. I found a recipe online and, surprisingly, had all the ingredients I'd need in the pantry.

I soaked dried fruit in boiling water, put yeast to work and kneaded and kneaded and kneaded. I gave myself a baking injury too - dropping the camera on my hand as I tried to snap a one-handed photo. ;)

 

Mum happened to drop in for a cup of tea during the process and provided some welcome photographic support. ;)

 

The finished product, 18 hot cross buns warm from the oven, quite yummy with some melting butter.

Although I can't see myself making these again soon - store bought hot cross buns are also yummy and a whole lot less work - I'm proudly ticking off this 30 Before Marriage goal:

12. Bake hot cross buns.

11 tasks complete, 19 to go.

Simple Scrapper: Road Trip

Many of the details and happenings of my life - where I've been, what I've baked, the great weekend had - are recorded here on my blog. When I create a layout I like to document more than a single occasion, finding themes and patterns and connections. The why more than the what.

Journaling reads: Going camping, a weekend away, even just a daytrip somewhere – Mike and I have driven many a km together. I love setting off, music playing, maybe some snacks packed, that sense of anticipation. We’ve had some great conversations in the car. There’s something wonderful about a road trip.

I used a sketch template from Simple Scrapper's Premium Membership collection as the starting point for this layout. I saw the stacked circles on the sketch and imagined small, square photos working well. I'd thought of using a wood veneer car, an older Studio Calico item, around/in the title and when the Thicker set I was considering using had no 'a's left, it turned out very serendipitous. ;)

The Premium Membership at Simple Scrapper provides skills and shortcuts to help you simplify and find more meaning in your memory keeping.