I honestly have no idea about this prompt. I don’t think I’m really scared of anything to do. I think if I was that scared, I just wouldn’t be doing it.

I am nervous about going back to my teaching role tomorrow but I know it will be fine once I get the first day over with. Thinking of the students, the money and job satisfaction will get me through the nerves this evening and knowing that everything will be ok once the day is over. There will be light at the end of the tunnel, the world will not end (yet).

Well done to everyone for making it to the end of Bloganuary. We have done it, one blog post every day for one whole month! I have to say, the prompts have been pretty good compared to the last couple of years (there were a few dodgy ones before) so thank you to whoever created them. I hope it inspires me to keep blogging often in the coming weeks / months.

Have a great day everyone and enjoy the last day of January.

Wayne

The price of everything! The cost of living has risen so much over the past couple of years with wages not rising to match. This is very much evident in Northern Ireland post Brexit, obviously there are other factors at play, Covid, wars happening around the world etc but it’s sad to see people struggling to buy the basics or worried about heating their homes.

I do find I complain about this less in Australia but it’s still happening here too. The weather can be a big thing to complain about as it has been very humid here of late, however, I don’t like to complain about it as I left Northern Ireland because of it being too cold!

I complain about the injustice in the world, the sadness from the wars raging on and the suffering of innocent people. I also complain about how the environment is suffering and global warming. We can make little changes to make a difference but it’s the people in power who ultimately have to take action.

I think that’s it really. I’m sure I complain about other things too, we have a tendency to do that if you’re from Northern Ireland 🤣. We love a good moan!

Wayne

This is easy for me as I don’t play any sports, nor do I watch them.

Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy watching big matches on tv with friends in a social gathering, like football and rugby. I also enjoy watching the Olympics and tennis but I wouldn’t be following sports daily, it’s just not my cup of tea.

I used to play sports when I was younger but haven’t really found anything that I enjoy enough to play regularly as I have grown older. I love the gym, walking, running, hiking etc but I’m just not really into sports. Maybe it’s the competitiveness that I don’t like or the fact that I wasn’t great at sports when I was a kid at school. Who knows but it doesn’t really bother me. As long as I’m active, healthy and happy, that’s good enough for me.

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all have a great week and for those participating in Bloganuary, I hope you enjoy the last few days.

Wayne

I don’t even play the lottery at the moment so my chances of winning are nil / nada / zero / zilch.

However, if I were to play and happened to win I would, first of all, quit my job…or at least take a long time off.

I would help my family with their mortgages and / or divide some money out to them (although I am well aware that money causes a lot of problems with others, why did they get so much, I only received this amount etc etc).

I would go on a long vacation, maybe a world cruise, although that could be too long. Maybe just a couple of weeks somewhere interesting or a relaxing holiday to the Maldives. I would love to travel around Australia for a few months, that would be a dream come true.

I would buy a house or two. Perhaps one in Australia and one in Northern Ireland so that I can travel back and forth and follow the spring / summer seasons.

I would love to do some charity work, not necessarily donating money to charity but I could give my time and volunteer, hopefully make a difference to the world somehow. It would be lovely to be in a position to help others, no strings attached.

What are your thoughts on winning the lottery?

Wayne

My brother in law gave me this book to read on our flight over to Australia, however, we were exhausted and too tired to read. I am looking forward to reading this on my train journeys to and from work. I remember reading George Orwell’s Animal Farm in school and being mesmerised by the language and context. It was so relevant and accurate of the times both past and present. I hope this book will be just as fascinating. Have any of you read this book or any book from George Orwell?

I am heading to work today so I will make a start en route…

Wayne

I don’t think we really have any family traditions except for Christmas Eve when we have raclette.

Raclette

This is a Swiss style of cooking on a small grill in the centre of the table. Under the grill you can place your little dish of food and cover with cheese (we normally have some veggies or shrimp) and on top you have a hot plate where you can grill your meats and potatoes. we have this a couple of times a year but always on Christmas Eve. Does anyone else do this?

Wayne

I was a little underwhelmed reading this prompt to be honest, only because I feel we had a very similar question two days ago about what we do for fun. Personally, fun and leisure time are interchangeable 🤷🏼‍♂️.

Anyway, in my leisure time I like to walk and see new places, especially with my partner. I finally have a day off tomorrow and we will take a walk to the E.G. Waterhouse National Camellia Gardens that I mentioned yesterday. I have been here before but my partner hasn’t so I’m exited to show him around. There’s lots of nature and water views and I find this extremely good for the mind and soul.

Also we will be joining a gym tomorrow!!! This is another thing I love to do in my leisure time. I haven’t had the time to train at a gym in about 3 weeks and it’s really upsetting my normal routine. I really miss that feeling of being alive after the gym and my weight gain has went completely in reverse. I’m hoping 2024 will be my comeback year and I will be stronger and fitter than ever.

Have a great day everyone.

Wayne

As most of you will know, we have just recently moved house. We are currently living in an area called the Sutherland Shire, about half an hours drive from Sydney by car. We have always considered living here before but never had the courage to take that leap and leave the eastern suburbs. The housing crisis in Sydney has actually propelled us to live further afield now and so we have chosen to come here, where you can get more value for your money.

An attraction close to here is the E.G. Waterhouse National Camellia Gardens and we are looking forward to visiting here this weekend. We haven’t got around to it yet as we have only been here for two days, however, I did visit here back in 2021 with the hope of one day returning. You can see my previous blog post on this attraction here. It’s a wonderful place with gardens, wildlife and beautiful scenery. I will be intrigued to see if it has changed much. Thankfully, it’s only a 20 minute walk from where we are living and I look forward to keeping you updated with this.

Happy hump day to you all.

Wayne

Sorry I tried to narrow it to five but best I could do were six things I do for fun!

1 – Walking 🚶🏼‍♂️

2 – Gym 🏋🏼‍♀️

3 – Coffee dates ☕️

4 – Drinks with friends / family 🍸

5 – Road trips / travel 🧳

6 – Socials including blogging. 📱

These things all provide me with fun / amusement / pleasure / entertainment. The list goes on and on, it’s the little things in life for me.

What do you do for fun?

Wayne

To pee and poo outside! Today is our last day of dog sitting and I think it has genuinely put us off having our own dog.

Now in the dog’s defence, he is pretty blind and has a neurological disorder. Maybe he hasn’t been shown to do his business outdoors, it doesn’t really matter the reason but it’s not pretty when he urinates or defecates in the house.

We have started to keep him outdoors more and walk him straight away after he has eaten. This has helped massively and we can’t blame the dog at all, it is what it is. However, if we could make him understand the importance of peeing and pooing outdoors, that would be lovely!

Happy Monday everyone! Today is officially our moving day. Yippee!!

Wayne

I love this question. This is something I used to think about a lot as I feel I have a very random name that doesn’t really match my personality. If you look up the definition of Wayne, it means “wagon maker” in Old English. That has to be the complete opposite of me. I would not have a clue how to make a wagon! I’m not even very practical with my hands at all.

I feel that I was given the name Wayne as it was a very popular name in my town when I was born in the early eighties. I grew up in a small town and there were five kids (including me) there with the name Wayne!

I moved to Belfast, the capital city of Northern Ireland in my late teens and I never met another Wayne for years! Actually, people found it strange to meet someone with my name.

When I moved to Australia, it seemed to be a popular name again there and I believe it’s a very popular name in America too. I used to try to think of what celebrities were called Wayne to see who I could have possibly been named after but the only person I could think of was John Wayne. Quite often, if older people don’t comprehend my name, I will say my name is Wayne, like John Wayne and they often have a laugh about it and reply – “is your horse parked out the back!?” – it’s a running joke.

I will also get referred to as Wayne’s World (party on) also as this was a huge movie when I was growing up. I like to think yes, it is my world haha.

I do quite like my name now as it is quite unusual and I don’t often meet people with my name, for instance, I have no friends called Wayne so it’s very easy for people. The only issue is that I have to change the way my name is pronounced as every country seems to say it differently. If I could insert a voice clip here I would, to be able to show you what I mean. Quite often people will think my name is Win due to my Northern Irish accent.

It’s also an easy name for friends / family and work colleagues to create nicknames from and I quite like that. For example, I have been known as Wayney, Wayners and Waynebow throughout the last twenty five years or so.

I wonder if there are any Wayne’s out there reading my blog or do you know someone called Wayne?

Have a great Sunday everyone,

Wayne

I’m not sure if a dream job exists but if there does, please let me know!

I would love a job that would let you have a lie in and also finish early. So if I could work maybe 11 – 2pm with an hour lunch break haha, that would be amazing.

I actually wouldn’t mind what I do, perhaps I could be available to give out money to people, like a competition winner announcer. So you are able to make people happy, help them, tell them the good news and feel good for doing it, all while not being tired or stressed yourself. That would be a lovely job. Do you know if this job exists anywhere?

I’m writing this at 5.30 am on my way to work. Although, I’m grateful to have a job that I actually enjoy and still have the ability to work, so I can’t complain too much.

Wayne

I have seen many good and bad leaders in my time so I feel I can definitely comment on this. If you have a boss / manager at work or a teacher at school / college, it doesn’t automatically make them a good leader. I learned that along the way. The qualities that I feel a good leader should have are :

– Leading by example, if you do a good job and help others, your followers will strive to do the same. Don’t ask someone to do something that you yourself would not be prepared to do. Delegate appropriately. If you’re a good leader, people will want to help you.

– Be kind but be firm. You don’t need to rule with an iron fist, however, you can’t be a walkover either. You need to stand up for what is right and look after your followers / employees / students.

– Be approachable. This is very important to build a good rapport and communication. You want everyone to feel at ease and know they can come to you with any issue / problem. It creates a good atmosphere and builds strong relationships.

– Be open and honest. Be authentic. You don’t have to put yourself on a pedestal, we are all human beings. No one is better than anyone else.

That’s my list for now. I really strive to have these qualities when I’m nursing / teaching. I always say to my students, “treat people how you would like to be treated and if someone is not kind to you, think how you will never be that person”. I will have a lot of respect for a good leader. I don’t expect them to be perfect, nobody is but if they have these qualities, we’re onto a winner.

Enjoy your Friday everyone.

Wayne

PLASTIC! I know it has its many uses and has been a great commodity for humans but it is destroying the planet. When I see and hear of animals being trapped in plastic or eating it, it just breaks your heart. The amount of water and environmental pollution from plastics is horrendous. It doesn’t break down so it’s taking up space in landfill and now it’s causing microplastics that we can also be consuming from animals / water etc.

Let’s go back to simpler times. Anyone remember when milk would be delivered in glass bottles from the milkman? Does that still exist I wonder? I’m glad we are making some changes like reusing carrier bags and making use of reusable bottles / bags etc. I just hope it’s not too late.

Wayne

To be honest I don’t really have much clutter at the moment. As I’m still living out of a suitcase and I don’t own many things at the moment. That is one good thing about moving countries, you de-clutter a lot and it’s actually very refreshing to free yourself from all the material things you gather up. It feels good for the soul.

I don’t really like clutter and I find it makes me less productive and sluggish. If I clear away the clutter, I instantly feel better and more productive. It’s like that saying “clean home, clean mind” or something to that effect.

The one thing I could maybe de-clutter is my email inbox. I really hate when it becomes cluttered with unnecessary emails, for example, rental listings that I am still receiving. I like to turn off notifications, unsubscribe to emails and delete anything not needed. I will also move emails to the junk folder. I do this on a regular basis and could do another clear out today. It’s the same with unwanted texts from companies such as gyms trying to get you to sign up. They can be full on, not taking no for an answer. I like to delete these messages and block the sender so I can have some peace from these companies and have a nice, ‘clean’ inbox.

Where can you reduce clutter?

Wayne

It has to be a dog! It’s probably the animal I know and trust the best. I can’t say I love every breed of dog out there but any dogs we have ever had as pets, have been truly amazing.

Why do I love dogs? (generally speaking)

– They are friendly and unassuming.

– They are non judgemental.

– They are kind hearted, warm and friendly.

– They are loyal and obedient.

– They are caring. We grew up with a Labrador at home and anytime you had been reprimanded by your parents or were sad for any reason, he would always know and try to console you with a nudge of his nose or a paw on your shoulder.

– They are cute!

– They are super intelligent. I love how they can detect if you are unwell, they can guide you if you cannot see, they can work, be it a police dog, therapy dog or simply chasing away pesky seagulls (as can be seen at the Opera Bar in Sydney).

– They love to walk (not the dog we are currently dog sitting, much to my dismay) which in turn is good for us.

– They release happy chemicals in our bodies just by being with us, such as endorphins, dopamine and serotonin, making us feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

– They like to clean our dinner plates 😜 (pre dishwasher of course).

– They love receiving affection and also love to give affection, be it licking your ears or legs!

Ok so my list could actually go on and on but you get the idea. They provide a lot of good things for us humans. Whether I want one right now, is another matter but I do love dogs. There are of course exceptions to my list, just like humans, dogs are not all the same.

Do you have a favourite animal?

Wayne

Communicate online? So that rules out talking on the telephone, in person, sending text messages etc.

I have just woken up and having my morning coffee, thinking about how I communicate online. Here are my thoughts:

– email

– social media apps such as Facebook & Instagram

– WhatsApp (I think that’s online). I use this for sending messages to friends and family over the internet as it is free. It’s very handy for living in a different country.

– Oh and I almost forgot about here on my blog! This is a very enjoyable method of communicating.

I think that’s my lot. I don’t play games with others online and I don’t participate in chat rooms any more, actually do they still exist?

What about you? How do you communicate online?

Have a great Sunday everyone. I’m looking forward to recharging today.

Wayne

A banana! Which I will be eating in about 15 minutes. It’s 0540 here in Sydney and I’m on my way to work via the light rail (tram). I always have a banana before I start work, it really keeps me going for a couple of hours before I have breakfast. Without it, I’m a mess. I don’t think I could eat anything else right now. How about you?

Wayne

What about this for a crazy idea. A store where you can buy furniture online, they deliver it to your house and assemble it for you. That would be absolutely amazing for me right now.

In good news, we have found a beautiful apartment to rent just out of the city. I have to call this morning to pay the deposit and secure the deal.

Next steps will be to buy the furniture and other bits and pieces. I really enjoy buying new furniture etc. but I really hate having to build them. The big items are the worst like a bed and sofa. If the retail store could have their staff assemble them for me, I would be absolutely delighted!

I wonder does this already exist somewhere? I am yet to hear about it.

Wayne

I used to love playing with little cartoon figures / figurines and using my imagination to create a world for them. I played with and collected many of these over the years (mostly Disney characters) and it was a great way to play on your own and become lost in a fantasy world. I would make homes for them in my coat and pretend they were living in a den. It sounds funny now but I could have done this for hours. My sister would sometimes play too but her imagination just didn’t quite fit mine most of the time!

Recently my niece and nephew have really enjoyed playing with these type of figures also and so I gave my collection from my youth for them to enjoy over the next few years. My nephew was especially delighted and I hope it brings him the same joy they brought me.

Wayne

Wow this topic is so HUGE! You could write for hours about ‘your mission’…but I won’t. I wouldn’t want to bore you all.

My mission for now is to find a house to call home for the next six months at least. Today my mission is simply to get through a 12 hour shift that I’m about to start here. I have already dropped my electric toothbrush on my uniform, toothpaste everywhere and stained my uniform for the day ahead, oh dear!

Long term, my mission is to be healthy and happy in life. My mission is to be a good friend / husband / son / brother / uncle / nurse and be a kind person to people I meet on a daily basis. Life is tough, we should be kind to each other. Also life is short so we need to make the most of our time on earth (cliché I know but so true).

That’s it, short, sweet and to the point.

Have a great day everyone. See you this evening, or morning, depending where you are in the world.

Wayne

I think it’s only good to live a long life if you have a good quality of life. For example, I’m happy to live a long life if I have all my faculties. I would like to be “compos mentis” but also physically well enough to do things like going for a walk, doing the daily chores. I would hate to be a burden on someone or dependent on someone to help me.

I have met so many older people in my career as a nurse that have simply had enough and would prefer to pass away due to living a poor quality life, either physically, mentally, financially, being dependent or being in pain. It’s excruciatingly sad, especially when you see people praying to God to “take them home” as they are in so much pain and no longer wish to be on earth.

Therefore, I think a good quality life is important, not how long it is. What do you think?

Wayne

Worry less! I have a tendency to over worry. I am currently doing this with regard to finding somewhere to live. However, I recently met a couple of friends for coffee and they advised about checking out airbnb. I had never thought of this. Upon having a look on the app, I found many places to stay that are the same price as paying rent. I couldn’t believe it. Absolutely amazing and it really takes the pressure of now with having to find somewhere soon. We can simply book a nice room / house for as long as we want and it will be fully furnished. Such a relief. All that worrying for nothing. I never learn 😅.

Wayne

“Be a decent human being!” – that’s what it would say. Just be kind to others and if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all.

Wayne

Hmm this is a tricky question. I would say that I spend time thinking of both equally. I don’t like thinking too hard into the future and I don’t like to wish my life away. However, sometimes it’s good to look ahead and try to plan your future somewhat. I would say I probably worry more about the future than dwelling on the past.

I do like to think of the past, either to look back in fondness or as a way of reflection. The past isn’t always easy to look back on with certain things so I try not to dwell on it too much, instead I try to concern myself more about the present.

I want to be in the present, appreciate what’s around me, my family and friends etc. and try to enjoy myself. I need to learn not to stress so much about every day life as things normally will work out in the end ☺️.

Wayne

Their time. I know how precious it can be and how little of it we have these days.

Wayne

I think in America, colleges mean universities. Back in Northern Ireland a college is an academic school that you can attend from 11 years old until you’re 18, or in my case, from 15 – 18 years. However, I will write about the university that I attended as I think that is what this prompt is referring to.

I attended Queen’s University Belfast, not once but twice. I feel extremely blessed to have studied here (especially on 2 occasions) as it is the most prestigious university in the country, has a great reputation in the UK and is ranked within the top 200 universities in the world.

It is a very historic building with fantastic architecture and you can’t help but feel like you’re studying at Hogwarts. It is situated in a beautiful part of Belfast with lots of bars, restaurants and a botanical garden nearby.

I lived in Belfast whilst studying, pretty close to the university (as many students do) and was fortunate enough to be able to work in the students’ union. You really have a sense of belonging to part of the university here and it provided me with the best opportunity for making the most amazing life long friends.

I studied a geography degree firstly as I had no idea what I wanted to study and this seemed like the perfect fit. Although enjoyable, it was extremely difficult to find a job relevant to my degree. After a few years of working in minimum wage jobs, I decided to return to university to study nursing. I was thrilled to return to Queens’s and thoroughly enjoyed my nursing degree. The teaching and clinical skills learned here were fantastic and I have nothing but good things to say. If you study nursing you do not have to pay any fees and they pay you a small subsidy to help with your everyday living costs (as you have 9 placements to carry out as well as studying). The course was full on with a lot of assignments, clinical hours, studying to do etc., however, when you enjoy the course, that is half the battle.

If you are ever in Belfast, this has to be on your list of places to visit!

Have you attended any colleges / universities? I appreciate they aren’t for everyone and there are so many amazing careers that can be achieved without needing to attend university. The other thing is that they can be extremely pricey. I was looking at studying in Australia before and the fees were extortionate. Even in America, I don’t know how people can afford university. There are extremely expensive to attend. Maybe some of you can enlighten me, I would be intrigued to know your thoughts.

Wayne

I’m not sure what this means at my age, I guess it could be anything that provides enjoyment in your life. When I think of play, my immediate reaction would be to think of the games I play on my phone. I play these games not to pass the time but more to relax and take my mind of other things. I have been playing the same couple of games for years now (at least 10 years). They started off as a distraction from studying but now they are something I enjoy to do if I have some free time. I may only play these for 15 minutes a day or it could be more if I am procrastinating.

I’m not ashamed to say I play Pet Rescue (this started off as a game on Facebook many years ago) and Pokemon (which I know is often associated with younger people). I find them entertaining, somewhat stimulating and a good distraction from any responsibilities I have.

Am I the only one who plays these? Do you have a favourite game on your phone? Candy crush? Tetris perhaps? Or does anyone remember Snake on the old Nokia phones??

Wayne

Happy New Year everyone. We have just woken up on the first day of 2024 whilst the rest of the world will be counting down now until midnight (it’s 2340 in Ireland). I hope you all enjoy the celebrations and if not, at least have a good nights sleep.

This will be my third year participating in Bloganuary, a writing challenge where you are prompted to blog every day of January. I usually look forward to these prompts, even just to write something simple, it gives me the encouragement and motivation to keep blogging. I could definitely use this of late as my mojo has been waning. Will anyone else be partaking in this daily writing challenge?

My biggest challenges at the moment are;

1 – to keep up with this blogging challenge. I hope the prompts will be interesting (there can be some dodgy ones).

2 – as most of you will know, we have just returned to Australia. Therefore my biggest challenge is to find a new home to rent. This is difficult due to housing shortages and high rental prices.

3 – to return to my jobs and make a positive impact.

4 – find a new gym that I will love and can afford.

That’s it for now. Not too bad really, as long as I find somewhere to live, everything else will fall into place. What are some of your current challenges?

All the best,

Wayne