Park Life

I've had a very busy, productive but good weekend. This has facilitated by the fantastic weather we have experienced considering it's still winter. On Saturday it was 21degrees. I had what I consider to be a Ferris Day on Saturday, I got so much done, you can look at it and think, how!? especially as I didn't even get up until just gone 10am.

I took some lovely photos of the family, see ‘Back to Front’ below.

I went into town to pick up a camera flash; I’m still replacing bits from when my bag was stolen in Kenya. Cara got to walk on George Street and didn’t freak out.

We went for a walk in Lane Cove National Park, well next door really as dogs aren’t allowed in the park. We relaxed and chilled for about half an hour.


We popped into Eden Gardens for some garden stakes.

Went home and started digging a veggie patch. CatTV got to eat fresh worms, Cara got to roll in cow manure and Oren stalked the chooks. Puss, being wise old man that her is, just lay in the sun and supervised.

I wasn’t feeling great on Sunday, but pottered about in the veggie patch and planted the seedlings I had. About four o’clock I went inside, showered and sat and watched Food Inc. while I was eating a sandwich. This is a disturbing documentary about the food industry in the US. While it isn’t directly related to what goes on in Australia, I’m sure there are some similarities.

Footage of cows being unable to stand and being folk lifted to the killing floor made my think of the recent ‘live export’ footage of Malaysia and the uproar that that caused. Do similar things happen here in a bid to grow food fatter, faster, and cheaper? I’m sure they do.

One thing the movie did do, was reinforce my choice to buy meat from my local butcher and fruit and veggies from my local market. I really don’t need images of thousands of naked hanging chooks flying about an air-hanger sized warehouse on a conveyer belt, in my mind when I tuck into my grilled chicken salad. And did you know, that much raw meat in America is treated with ammonia or chlorine to kill off any potentially harmful bacteria, such as e-coli and salmonella (at least it was in 2008 when the film was made).

After the movie I gave Cara a bath, and then we cuddled up in the warm house and watched the evening movie, Iron Man 2. It was a good weekend.

Big Weekend

I know it’s Wednesday and really I should have done this before, but frankly I’ve been too busy catching up on my sleep. I did so much at the weekend I felt like I didn’t have any.

Saturday went something like this; Up early, walk dog, get waxed, go home for shower and dress before picking up S, drive 80km to wedding, sit through wedding (bride looked spectacular, i was the only guest wearing a hat), vote for someone I didn’t really want to vote for but was the better option in my opinion, drive around the Mountain to the tune of 66kms, take dog for walk, go to reception, play a little bit of ping pong, take some photos, drink the drink of a designated driver, take some more picture, make casual conversation with strangers, eat some food when it appears, help the bride pin up her train, take some more photos, listen to speeches, drive the 80kms home thinking about how hungry you are because the caterers disappointed the bride by going back on their promise to ‘keep the food coming’, get home after 11 and fall into bed.

Sunday went something like this: Up early, pack car with stuff, drive the 285kms to Melba in the Australian Capital Territory for a photographic club meeting, stop midway to buy food supplies, unload the car, settle the dog, take some pictures, set up another photo, take some more picture, be the model for a recreation of the ‘Birth of Venus’ (this will remain in the private collection), put clothes back on, set up another shot, take some pictures, eat some food, have a chat, have a laugh, more pictures, load the car, drive to Goulburn, eat a 6inch Subway, drive the rest of the way home, get home at 10pm.

Don't get me wrong, it was fun, just exhausting.

I need a cream tea to replenish my used up energy stores. Ohh...perfect, an executive morning tea, see ya later!

Weekend

I had a very relaxing but productive weekend. Washing was done, the groceries were purchased, the ironing was done. I had dinner guests on both Saturday and Sunday. I had several telephone conversations with mates that lastest up to and beyond twenty minutes. I even did some cleaning.

It was the busiest weekend I've had in quite sometime.

Last night I went to bed straight after the 8.30 movie (The Heartbreak Kid), read about four pages of my book then passed out. I slept so heavily I managed to completely ignor my alarm until ten past seven. I was late for work and I don't care because I felt healthy for the first time in weeks, nope scratch that, months!

Nothing, Nothing Relax

I've done nothing but household chores all weekend. It's been great and I bloody hate housework. I have had two very brief interludes;

Yesterday I had to vote (how democratic is it really when you get fined $250 for not voting?) Kevin Rudd and Labour got in. I mean what kind of a name is Kevin for a Prime Minister. PM’s should have distinguished like George, John or Margaret, they shouldn’t have names from a Croydon council estate, it’s almost as bad as Tony! Anyway…

Today I met T. for a drink and a spot of people watching at The Colombian on Oxford Street. God that place is so gay, it’s FABULOUS! On the way I brought myself an amazing new pair of summer shoes.

Meat on A Stick

I had a really long sleep. Puss finally got me moving on Sunday morning with a paw in the face and a meow. He was wasting away clearly. I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed and stopped dead. My legs hurt, my arms and shoulders ached and my boobs felt like they’d been thumped. I hurt all over. That god damn boat trip!

As I walked past the mirror I caught sight of my legs. The gentlemen amongst you please help me by telling me how attractive purple legs are? I suppose i be thankful that I heal quickly. I spent the day on the sofa with Puss, watching telly from the week (House, NCIS and Life on Mars) before getting in the shower and getting ready to go to dinner.

Todd had booked Wildfire for Rachel, him and I. I’d never been before and believing it to be posh I put on a skirt. It was fairly posh…an amazing fit-out with unique lights and private rooms above. We had a nice spot looking out over the Opera House. But I got the feeling it was more about the tourist than the local. We were one of the few tables that seemed to have made an effort when getting ready and many looked they had just pooped in after a day of the tourist trail. The prices kept out the true riffraff.

The food was amazing, as was the wine and the desserts. It was another evening of chatting and we all came to the conclusion that not enough people experience fine dining as a form of entertainment. To most people eating is something you have to do to survive, so it is not something that should be the only thing you do all night. We arrived at six and left just before ten. It was a beautiful evening.

I got the bus home, Todd and Rachel went for final coffee.

(photos to come)

Harbour Cruise - My Bruised Arse

Saturday morning saw me making melba toasts (cut up bread, place on baking sheet in 200O oven until crisp) for Todd’s harbour cruise while I waited for the real estate guy to come round and do a house inspection. Far too much to deal with a Saturday morning if you want my opinion!

Around noon I left the house with my new red shopping trolley loaded with pate, melba toasts, wine, ice and my camera. I was going to get the bus, but after waiting twenty minutes I jumped in a cab. Once again the taxi won the Taxi V Bus race. I met Todd and some friends at King Street Wharf and we waited for the boat.

Now please bear in mind I was expecting something big and stable to CRUISE around the harbour in. You can imagine my surprise when a sail boat slipped into the pick up position. We all climbed aboard, and settled in as we motored out into the harbour under the bridge. It was actually very relaxing and I took heaps of photos to remember the day, Todd eating nibbles, drinking wine and generally being the hostess with the mostest.

We (there were 11 of us on the boat and the skipper) drank, laughed and chatted. Some of us reminisced about the bad habits we had picked up from Todd and some just listened and thanked their lucky stars they hadn’t known him long enough to pick them up. We stopped and put down the anchor and a few went for a swim. I was happy on board taking pictures.

Once the swimming was over the skipper suggested we go for a little sail. He informed us that because it was a little windy we would only use the little sail at the front. The anchor was pulled up, the sail was unwrapped. It flapped about for a bit then it caught. We took off like a bullet from a gun and the boat tipped. From 0 -15knots (17mph/27kph) like a racing car.

I slipped of my perch, thinking first and for most about the camera I flipped my right arm over the edge of the galley as my legs vanished over the edge of the boat and into the water. My left hand grabbed onto anything (turned out to be a rope winder), my legs bounced about on the edge of the boat as I pulled myself up and finally got a foothold on the little wooden plinth on the side. I wasn’t near anyone, so I didn’t have help like a couple of others that also experienced the pleasures of sailing. I’m told it only took a few minutes to right us again, but it felt like an hour. I was soaked. The only dry thing about me was my camera hand.


The rest of the ‘cruise’ I hardly moved. As the saying goes ‘It’s all good fun until someone get hurt, then it’s bloody hilarious’ I was the butt of jokes. But weirdly enough I didn’t care. If we tipped again I was secure and oddly I was having fun. The adrenaline had kicked in and I was what can only be described as high.

I was however, really glad to be back on dry land when it was over. If it hadn’t of been over dramatic I would have kissed the ground. I went home to shower before our dinner to find a few purple masses gathering under the skin on my legs and arms.

Dinner at IThai on King Street Wharf was lovely, more reminiscing, good food and wine and an early night for all. After the drama of the boat I think everyone was completely knackered.

Sickity Do-Dah!

I have neglected you. I haven’t written since Monday and even then it was only brief. I have failed to notify you of what a cracking concert The Basics did on Friday. I have neglected to wax lyrical about my hangover and brunch with Todd on Saturday. I haven’t given you the low down on the student BBQ I went to on Sunday evening.

Why you ask.

I’ve been sick. I slept until 3.30 yesterday (like the sloth I am) but woke felling much better. Today I am still feeling a bit crappy with a runny nose, stuffed up head and minor aching bones. It’s giving my motivation issues with work, but I’ll get there.

Live long and prosper!

Weekend Festivities

So I fitted most of what was on into one weekend. I did however, miss out on Supanova ‘cause I was too knackered form the day before. I stayed home and relaxed on Sunday with a little telly and some uni homework.

How many bands are too many to see in one day? This is the question I asked myself on Friday night when planning out my Saturday. I was off the Price Alfred Park and the Surry Hills Festival to see Watussi and bLuejuice before wandering up the road to the Hopetoun Hotel for the Slip into the Sun Festival. In total I had ten bands to see, eight of them I had never seen before.

Watussi played Jamaican influenced jazz that fitted perfectly with the sun, beer and outdoor style of the gig. I can imagine that at an indoor gig it would get annoying really quickly, but outdoors it was just chillin’ man.

bLuejuice came out to a very appreciative crowd wearing their trademark checked shirts, jeans and t-shirts and other random accessory. This time it was a leather face mask. They rocked the marquee and had a little help from a drunken audience member how insisted on getting onstage on three occasions. Finally, she was escorted from the premises just as the boys were finishing their sixty minute set.

After a quick walk up the road I arrived at a very quiet Hopetoun Hotel. There was the door Punk with attitude, the bar staff and a couple of others watching the first band of the day. It was broad daylight outside, being only four fifteen in the afternoon, and natural flooded the bar. It was actually quite pretty.

Dead Farmers was a three piece local band that played a classic Aussie rock set, loads of drum sounds and overbearing guitar. I can’t say I remember any lyrics, but that was because I couldn’t really hear the vocals.

Hand Me my Jet Pack the second three piece of the day. They had an odd mic set up. Rather than facing out to the audience they faced into toward each other, it gave the impression they were singing to each other and left little room for engagement with the audience. The drummer had impeccable comic timing, but that was ruined by the bands reliance of feedback, guitar shaking and tap tap of strings. Shame really because I would have liked to have heard ‘Our Cars Run on Maths’.

The Sky Falling was under prepared for their slot as three out of eight. The lead singer /guitar player had issues with both his six string and twelve string being out of tune as well as his singing. He was terrible. They didn’t even look like they played together. A mixture of jeans and t-shirts was highlighted by the good-looking guy dressed in head to toe ivory cotton wear (could have been hemp) with wooden beads around his neck. He looked like he was off to the ashram straight after the gig. Afterwards the lead singer said to me, ‘we’re normally better than that’, Punk with Attitude said, ‘No, they’re not.’

Skull Squadron looked the part and sounded better than any of the proceeding three. All three members were dressed in black, good, they looked they were together. They liked instrumental sections and there were plenty, heaps of waha’s and lots of kneeling resulting in pedal fiddling. Their songs all blended into one, but that may have been clever segues or just that they all sounded the same.

I didn’t like Sound like Sunset at all…it’s forty-five minutes of my life that I will never get back. All I could hear were the drums. I felt like Quasimodo and that’s never a good feeling to instil in your audience.

The place had filled up a bit.

Richard in Your Mind came on about 9pm. I had been watching bands since just after one. But this was a band I actually wanted to see. I’d seen back in June when I first saw bLuejuice and I wanted to see if they had changed. They had, they were even better than I remembered. With mixture of bird song, folky electro-pop and Indian soul they worked their way through their set. A strobe light lite up Richards Buddy Holy glasses very well and it was at that point that I realised every member of the band was wearing similar glasses. They were good.

Up next was Holy Soul. The lead singer was geeky looking but somehow it worked with the Pink Floyd crossed with Squeeze psychedelic sound. I’d had enough by this point and had stopped taking notes. I had decided to go with the flow and enjoy myself and the last two bands of the evening. The Punk with Attitude was having a time of it too, he’d been up since Friday morning and was hanging out til midnight for a couple of cans of Redbull before heading off to his second job, DJing at a club on Oxford Street.

The final band of the evening was Red Sun Band. They were good.

(844 words)

Weekend Plans

As of this morning I had no real plans for this coming weekend. Maybe a drink with Sally on Friday night, maybe not. Maybe a walk in centennial park with David (my camera), may be not. The weekend was my wandering oyster.

This afternoon I took a look through Drum Media and The Brag, both free sheets and both about the music and things to do about Sydney.

Now the list of stuff I want to do looks like this;

Friday Night – Ghostwood with supports at the Hopetoun (I could still do this with Sally)
Saturday – Surry Hills Festival (actually an all day event 9am – 6pm, with live music including the Falls and bLuejuice, food, stalls and the normal festival to-do)
Saturday – Slip into the Sun Festival at the Hopetoun (3pm til late), live music all day from the likes of Richard on my Mind, Hand me my Jetpack and The Dead Farmer amongst many others.
Sunday – Supanova 2007 out at Homebush, it’s a comic book convention and Nicolas Brandon from Buffy will be there. Always fancied going and checking out a nerd comicbook/sci-fi convertion ... sorry a pop culture expo. (timetable)

What to do, What to do!

Monday Decadence

After a day off from drinking ridiculously expensive, but delicious, wine Todd and I got together again for a whole day of decadence. We started at 11.15 at Manly Ferry wharf with fruit juice at Circular Quays City Extra Café before boarding the ferry with 600 plus other day trippers.

After battling our way thought the throng of people getting of the ferry and instantly ordering Thai take-away in the terminal (don’t ask;-) we made our way across the street to Copenhagen Ice Cream. This was the start of the Ice Cream Challenge. The challenge is to buy a two scoop cone and eat it all by the time you get to the beach at the other end of the Corso. Of course I forgot Todd could suck start a jet engine and his ice cream and cone was completely gone just halfway into the walk. Meanwhile I enjoyed my double scoop of Maple Macadamia and Boysenberry Ripple.

- Todd adds nuts to his Ice Cream, he couldn't enjoy it if it didn't have nuts

At the beach we found a nice spot in the shade to lay out our towel. After Todd’s little accident on Sunday, his hip and thigh were feeling a little tender so we didn’t want to push things. In case you’re wondering, he came off his mountain bike while riding a 38km trial and landed on rocks, causing one of those bruises that you know is there, but you can’t see it yet. I just know in three of four days his arse will be yellow!

Anyway we sat and people watched. Trust me with it being a beautiful Spring day (29degree and not a cloud in the sky) and a Public Holiday there was plenty to watch. The old guy with skin like leather and white chest hair, the lady on the larger side of size 22 wearing a bikini and the family that descended on us and proceeded to set up a fold out table complete with table cloth, three eskies of food (including salt and pepper pots) and socks with sandals.

At three we decided to move onto the food portion of the day. We had booked a table at Ribs and Rumps and they had given us a seat by the window. More talent spotting took place while we ordered and ate, then we talked about things important to us. Okay, we talked a lot of old crap too, but the whole day was about relaxing, having fun and enjoying the food on offer. At six we had to move on again ‘cause the evening diners where due, so we walked back to the wharf got a McDonalds soft drink and sat on the pier while we waited for the ferry to arrive.

- Manly Promenade taken on a thrity second exposure.

We rounded the evening off by going to see a friend of mine perform at the Lansdowne. Wyatt was great, funny and impressive to watch as he played his guitar. The whole set was covers of songs by women from a woman perspective. He started with Carol Kings ‘Natural Woman’ and went on to sing about period pains, abuse and he even did a rather cute, sweet version of ‘Milkshake’ by Kelis.

- Wyatt tells us 'You're All Out of Love'

I went home and slept, knowing that I could not have possibly had a more fulfilling and enjoyable weekend despite less than twenty four hours later not being able to remember more than a couple of snippets of what Todd and I talked about, but that’s not the point to a great weekend is it?

Cosmo of Shame

There is much talk in the media and around the water coolers at the moment of Sydney’s ‘Wall of Shame’ that is being erected to protect the APEC summit that is happening later in the week. At this rate the protesters aren’t going to give a damn about the Summit, just the fact that they are being told off for even taking photos of the five kilometre, three metre high fence.

Yesterday in my hung-over stupor I took a walk thinking the fresh air would do me good, I ended up having a little barny with a policeman when he told me to delete the amazing arty shot I took. I was very disappointed as I was surprised I could even see after all the Cosmopolitans I drank at Todd’s place on Saturday night at his 70’s Karaoke night. The worst thing about the party was that I went out wearing a fuchsia pink polyester jump-suit with a yellow sash and a blond afro wig before I had even consumed any booze. Worst still, I had to stop off at a petrol station to get ice!

Apart from my little trip out, I spent the rest of the day trying to do the ironing and watching Sex and the City.

This week I will be braving the alpaca industry for the last time and putting on the display at the Australian Springtime Flora Festival in Gosford. It looks like it’s going to suck due to lack of volunteers and stuff to display! ;-)

Weekend Review

The last couple of weeks have been very full on and pressure filled. So this weekend I cancelled plans (Swannies on Saturday and City2Surf on Sunday) and kept it to myself.

But things still had to be done. On Saturday, Ikea finally decided they would deliver my bookshelves (after I’d paid again) between ten am and two pm. Of course, as usual with a time window such as this, they turned up at 1.55. After they had gone I caught a bus (yes Edna, you read right, a bus) into town and walked into JB HiFi were I procured myself a complete set of Sex and The City.

Then I wandered over to Oxford Street through Hyde Park and got my hair cut at three. The hairdresser took a bit too much off my fringe, but as Grandad Pops always said ‘the difference between a good and a bad hair, about two weeks.’ It’ll grow back and hair gel works wonders.

After that I went home and tried to plumb in the DVD player. Turns out I didn’t have the right cables. D’oh! Hubby saved the day by raiding his cable collection and plugging it all in via the Foxtel box. It seems I have an old DVD player, but a new telly, who would have guessed.

I spent the evening reading with the telly on in the background.

Sunday I spent with Hubby putting the finishing touches to the 2008 Alpaca Calendar, even if I do say so myself, it looks pretty good.

I did the ironing while watching Alias Season 4 before going to bed nice and early to read my book.

All in all my weekend was a tad relaxing.

Congratulations to Edna and Sally for completeing the City2Surf in two and a half hours!

Ammonia

Over 500 kilometres and seven hours in the drivers seat I got home after picking up the girls from Canyonleigh and driving them to Ourimbah. Only ten minutes to go and Wispa, Arabella and Bertie decided that it was time to have a pee.

It was seven degrees outside and I had forgotten my coat earlier so I was driving in shirt sleeves, but still I drove with the windows down!

- Bertie (foreground), Arabella and Wispa are unimpressed by the prospect of a couple of hour in teh back of a van

Sailors, Surfing and Driving

I woke up on Saturday morning before nine thirty with that ‘you’re awake and no matter how much you lie here you’ll stay that way’ feeling. Hubby was asleep so I got in the shower, then dressed and went for a walk, all before ten. Maybe it was because I wanted to play with my camera or maybe I was fuelled by the beautiful weather and the prospect of seeing the USS Kitty Hawk in the Harbour. Actually I think it was a bit of both.

- The Archibald Fountain at the North end of Hyde Park

So I walked down my street, across Liverpool Street, slowly through Hyde Park and even slower through Sydney Botanical Gardens, taking pictures all the way (where I took pictures of some of the last flowers of the season and flying foxes). I was very reserved and only took sixty or so. Even when I saw the plethora of people all heading the same direction as me I was undeterred.

- Sleeping Fruit Bats (aka Flying Foxes) in the Botanical Gardens

- Bumble Bee on Daisys

- Flying Fox, ehh flying...

- Just a few of the crowds going to see the USS Kitty Hawk

I took more pictures and even ended up taken some wedding photos for a small group that had no official photograph person. I also got a shot of a gaggle of US sailors showing zero respect for Mrs Macquarie’s sandstone, but having fun. How did I know they were sailors, you ask? Well, they had American accents, they were chewing gum and they seemed to be wearing clothes out of sync with Aussie fashions.

- Hero's from the USS Kitty Hawk

- The USS Kitty Hawk

The ship itself was a little disappointing. It was grey! And OK, it had jet planes and helicopters and tanks and all sorts of other high tech gadgets and bells and whistles but you couldn’t really see any of it and it all looked (I may have said this before) grey.

A walk home with a detour into David Jones and a new shirt or two later, Hubby picked me and we went to Sara and Pete’s place for the viewing of the wedding videos and looking of the wedding pictures. After a few hours of that accompanied by curry and traditional Indian sweets we left and went to the movies.

Fantastic Four – Rise of the Silver Surfer was exactly what I needed. Mindless entertainment with good-looking hero’s and bad guys all dressed in tight fitting costumes and lame dialog. A simple story with plenty of action and nice locations meant that the hundred and twenty odd minutes passed with very few brain waves interfering with the enjoyment. Marvellous!

This morning I had a slightly harder time waking up. Puss had disturbed my sleep a bit and I had ended up sleeping head to toe with Hubby. But Edna was driving me in her new Mazda 3 Neo today and I had to be ready.

We drove out of Sydney over the bridge (first 1) and then out to Hornsby shopping centre (first 2 – car park) then onto the freeway (first 3 – 110kph). A brief stop at the Brooklyn Bridge rest stop for a photo shoot (first 4) then onto Bucketty. On the nice long straight stretch near Peats Ridge, Edna developed lead foot for a brief time (first 5 – over 110kph) before pulling it back for the 60 zone. First 6 was when we drove up my driveway which happens to be a dirt track. The final first was filling him up with fuel. You'll have to go to Edna's blog for pictures!

All in all a good day.

Today wasn't a pretty weather wise, as yesterday, so I thought include this pretty hibiscus flower ;-)

Never Too Far

After a leisurely waking on Saturday morning, and a laid-back packing of an overnight bag I got into a taxi with Hubby and asked to be taken to the airport. We were off to Melbourne for the next 36 hours. Crazy I hear you say! But this was my chance to prove that I really do like the music of an elemental band so much I was willing to travel to them rather than waiting for them to come to me all the time. I had of course proved it a bit by driving to Newcastle last Friday, but to take a flight was the next step.

We arrived at Avalon Airport after what I’m told was a seventy-five minute flight. I slept the entire trip, so I have to believe what I’m told. The drive into the city was uneventful except for the wrong turn which took us about ten kilometres out of the way, but seeing as nothing about the weekend was planned (except the concert at 8pm) we really didn’t mind.

We met a friend of Hubby’s for a drink in the same pub as about a million rugby fans waiting for the Bledislow Cup to begin. She was nice, her hubby was pleasant and their friend was very odd. He thought it would be appropriate to start off by slagging off technology to a group of IT people. Good job I don’t work in IT really.

After the drink and chat we went for dinner. We had planned to go to Tappenyaki, but it was fully booked and we weren’t on the list, so we went to the Bistrot de’Orcy (yes, the sign on the window said Bistrot, not my bad spelling) next door. It was like stepping into a Parisian café with its little burgundy shaded lights, painted ceilings, Moulin Rough posters and smell of great cooking. It was very good. Pork medallion with haricot beans and spinach followed by vanilla crème brulee for me. Gnocchi with beef ragout followed by white chocolate panne cotta for Hubby. I also had a glass, okay, two of a divine Coonawarra Cab Sav.

With tickets for seats A19, A20 and A21 we made our way into the theatre at about twenty to eight. Dave Bramble was playing the grand piano in the foyer and surprisingly everyone was ignoring him. The either A) had no idea who he was B) didn’t want to disturb, or C) all of the above. I on the other hand, knew who he was and knew he wouldn’t mind if I said Hi. As it turns out, he was quite chatty.

The concert started on time and was amazing. Due to the detail I wish to go into there is a whole separate entry about it called The Concert. I will say for now thought that it was (let me just swallow the thesaurus) great, excellent, wonderful, terrific, the best, top value, stand out and momentous.

After a leisurely waking on Sunday morning, breakfast was consumed at the Rydges breakfast bar at 10.30. It was a busy weekend and they failed to live up to the expectations of a five star hotel. I think all the miserable All Blacks fans had eaten all the eggs at the ‘world famous egg bar’.

A walk round the ‘best shopping in Australia’ lead me to believe that maybe it would be better if more of it was open on a Sunday. I did get to go into a Swatch shop and purchase the 2007 Valentine watch so It wasn’t all bad. I had a Trinidad White Hot chocolate in Max Brenner’s and I brought a sexy red scarf. Ohh… and I forgot to mention, yesterday I got the best t-shirt in the world.

We met up with a friend of mine that I haven’t seen for about a year and his new wife. It was short but really lovely and as it turns out they’re coming to Sydney in late July, so maybe we’ll see each other again then.

Hubby and I then collected the car and took a drive down to St Kilda. There was one more groupie activity to be done while down in Melbourne before we could leave. This is where you get to play ‘where’s Jodie’.

A walk along the jetty and breakwater left us reminiscing about the UK and impromptu walks along the beach in the middle of winter. As our ears lost all feeling we talked about my mum suggesting taking the dog for a walk at West Wittering. As the feeling in our toes disappeared we talked about Brighton Pier and how no-one should ever be 50 metres out to sea on a wooden jetty in the freezing cold without a cone of steaming hot chips covered in ketchup. Shortly after we jumped in the car and drove to the airport for our flight back to Sydney.

While in the car we decided that Melbourne is nice to visit, but despite the land be cheap and plentiful, the public transport being fairly efficient and the music being kick arse, we couldn’t live there. Thanks for a great weekend Melbourne!





PS. Incidentally the Wallabies won 20 – 15. Bad luck All Blacks.