a cold, wet day on the Gold Coast

Well, I am now considered competent to be a Civil Marriage Celebrant in Australia. Now I need to go through the bureaucratic paperwork to become registered. It will happen all in good time. So, I'm telling people that if they know of any couple who is planning to tie the knot in 2009 - and they would like me to officiate - just put them in touch!

Oh! and you know that warmer weather I was hoping for on the Gold Coast? Well, today it's blowing a gale, freezing cold and pouring with rain! It's probably warmer at home in Wollongong. I haven't poked my nose outside the door today - but I have finished one book and started another! Talk again soon.....

So far, so good

Hi everyone. Hope life is going as well for you as it is for me. Tomorrow I'm leaving home to go north for a little over 3 weeks to house sit on the Gold Coast. I'll be glad to get away from the winter chills - do hope that it's going to be a bit warmer up there.

I have completed the course I've been doing which will qualify me to become a Civil Marriage Celebrant in Australia. That is - I've submitted all the assignments and am now waiting for the final assessment results to come. So far, so good. Once I receive my Certificate of Achievement I need to submit an application for registration to the Attorney General's Dept. They review registration applications every 3 months, so I'm not sure exactly when I will officially be a CMC! One thing at a time, though. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Today I had my regular fortnightly visit with the Chinese Herbalist for a consultation and acupuncture. He says I'm doing very well. Because I'll be away for a while I have a small acupuncture needle in my left ear that will stay in for 10 days. It's to give me energy to substitute for the session I'll miss in 2 weeks time. I feel well and have been walking and riding my bike regularly to keep up my fitness level. Yesterday I even had a game of tennis - it's been a long time, and it felt great. Golf will come next, but I'm still working up to that.

Well, off to pack my bag for the trip north. Thanks for reading. Talk again soon.

all still going well

Hello my friends

I just want to let you know that everything is going well still. I'm feeling very healthy, I'm building up my fitness by doing lots of long, strenuous walks and I'm very busy working through all the reading, research and assignments for my course.

My next appointment with the oncologist is on 13 August and before that I need to have a blood test. When I see him he'll have the results and hopefully all will still be well.

My course to become a qualified Civil Marriage Celebrant is very interesting and challenging. There is so much legal information that you need to be aware of and to inform the bride and groom about. It's interesting, but the legal language needs to be waded through carefully to fully understand it all. That part is heavy going.

On 13th July I will have a practical assessment for my presentation of a mock marriage ceremony. The 'stand and deliver' part does not worry me, of course, as my POWERtalk training has given me confidence for that; but the content of the ceremony and making sure I have included all that needs to be included requires real attention to detail and is a real challenge. I'm working on it now. I'm sure I'll be fine, as I've passed every assessment thus far, but I'm still a little nervous about it. Having nerves is healthy, of course.

A few days following that assessment I'm off to the Gold Coast in Queensland for 3 weeks to house sit for a friend. It will be nice to exchange the icy winds of winter in Wollongong with the warmer temperatures of the Gold Coast for those few weeks. It will still be cool, but not as cold as here at home.

I love this method of talking to all my friends around the world who go to the trouble of reading my blog. Thank you for reading and for the messages you send me in various ways. they keep me strong. XXXX