Barramundi, Busses and Beaches - Merry Xmas!

Hi!

Well. Apologies for not checking in last week. It has been absolutely gogogogogo since, well, last week. Sunday was Denise's games barbecue (an excellent and long-awaited evening), then later that same evening Caroline and Neil arrived from Bristol, England and it's been nuts busy since. So yeah, am sorry, but time got away from me!

So yeah. Last week (and the week before, as hazy as that is) was good, but busybusybusy. I'm trying to cast my memory back to the week prior............I know we at work had our Xmas Lawn Bowls party, it was fun.............. Nahhhh, I think I pretty much covered it last entry and if not, well, not a lot went on that was different from allllll the other weeks! But last week, well, it was really really good! Started Monday off a bit tired - from meeting Caroline&Neil in the City for dinner and drinks; was up waaaaaay past my school night bedtime, but it was worth it. Haven't seen her in a few years now. Always good to catch up and they're only in town a day or so. And Monday, yeah, that was a struggle but managed to get through it. Had to go to work for half the day... then a few of us went out to lunch and a teeny bit of last-minute shopping. It was a nice way to end work for the year!

And Tuesday, well, that was Xmas, now that I remember! I was cordially invited to my boss Paul and his wife Marg's house to be their Xmas Orphan. I hate being the Token Orphan, but I just couldn't say no to the Boss. And do you know what? It was a really nice day. I had a very lovely time, they were so nice and the fooood! YUM! Fresh seafood (prawns, coral trout, calamari, and Moreton Bay Bug (which is kinda like a cross between a lobster and a crab)) and about 5 different salads. It was one of the best Xmas dinners I've had yet! His son is a chef, so need I say more. It was very simple and low-key. Paul came to pick me up around 10.30am and they fixed breakfast, then they opened presents (they gave me a nice candle and a little box of chocolate! I gave them my wine glass charms, a bottle of my nice dessert wine and a bottle of my nice vineyard-tour white wine), then they slowly got lunch ready and threw that on the bbq, we ate (it was an absolute feast!), then we chatted for a bit and his son and his girlfriend had to go down to the Gold Coast to be with her parents, then we chatted some more and went for a walk along the River (they live in Newstead, which is pretty nice and quiet and right on the River), then we came back and chatted some more, then we watched "Babe" as Marg hadn't seen it and then, my god it was after 7.30pm! So I told them I had to get out of their way and they brought me home! It was most excellent! It has, for now, restored my faith in the role of Xmas Orphan!

And Wednesday..... Oh yeah, I recovered and cleaned the house (you can avoid chores only so long, no matter how teeny and dumpy the little apartment is). About half-way through that Caroline and Neil called and demanded I go with them down the coast (of New South Wales) on their way to Sydney. Well, how could I say no, really. So they picked me up in their MASSIVE 6 berth motor home and off we went! The first night we stayed in Byron Bay, had a wander around and an extremely lovely seafood dinner right near the sea (Fish Heads restaurant - I highly recommend it if you ever get the chance). The next morning we were off to Coffs Harbour, about 3 hours further south. It was a most lovely spot. We got settled and headed right for the beach. It was excellent just to lie on the sand and just be still (covered in spray-on factor 15 sunblock of course). Then we went for a swim - darn chilly getting in, perfect once you got used to it. And I didn't see one shark or get carried out by a rip! See what happens when you swim between the flags?! The next day they were headed further south and I just couldn't keep going as I have the four-legged monster to feed (has to have his fresh lettuce!) and an already nasty 6 hour bus ride back to Brissy. So they dropped me off at the bus station in the late morning and they continued on. I dropped my bag with the Info Centre gals and headed into town to check it out. Man. I walked and walked and walked, I had the place well covered by the time I got back to the bus station for my 5pm bus! I checked out all the shops (same as everywhere else), discovered the little local museum (always interesting), walked to and around in the Botanical Gardens (veryvery lovely), wandered around the cemetery next door, walked back towards town stopping to check out the Regional Gallery, and then I finally decided I was hungry and stopped into a little sidewalk cafe for a Barramundi Burger (Barramundi - just a white, light, flaky fish - it's yummy) which was done really well, chargrilled, with an interesting macadamia, lemon, olive oil and avocado dressing. Man. I couldn't tell if I was starving or if it was just really good. I'm gonna go with really good. Then headed over to the bus stop, pausing in the Coffs Harbour Hotel for a quick glass of wine to finish off the adventure. It was a really good, adventurous day. I haven't had a day like that in ages. Excellent! Have a look: www.coffscoast.com.au I didn't get to do the really adventurous stuff, but planes fly there often and I'm gonna go again, that's for sure!

So got back late the other night (see, I've lost track of the days, tho I do know its Sunday - Cindy helped me with that, even tho it took her a minute too) and spent yesterday doing absolutely nothing. Ok, did one load of laundry. But read my book most of the day. Am now onto Stephen King's "The Stand" - my absolute favorite of his.

And today was also really chilled-out. Cindy came around and we had a wander just up the road for something to eat and then had a nice long walk around the hilly 'hood. And now here I am! I must say, I just picked up a 6pack of beer, which I don't drink much of anymore (gotta watch this Office Flab), but it just seemed like the kind of thing you do on vacation during the summer; and I have to say, I think I've found my new favorite beer (until they start shipping Sierra Nevada Pale Ale here, that is) - Little Creatures Pale Ale. Yeah. Yum!

So there you are! WHEW! That's why I haven't checked in! Good excuse, huh? Hooray! Adventures were had! Excellent meals eaten! HOORAY! So now you know, am getting better at checking places out, the rare times when I do, so you can rest assured we won't get lost - if so, there'll be an adventure in it! C'mon down! Gives me the best excuse to get out!!!!!!

BYE!
J!
Weekly: One Good Thing About Little Apartment #20: It's pretty central and straightforward to get to - easy for cabs to drop me off/pick me up and for friends trying to find me!

Bowling for Necks!

Hi!

Well. Again, sorry for the delay. Got home waaaaay too late on the school night to be able to make any sense. But here it is!

So yeah. The week was good. Individual days absolutely dragged, but strangely, the week on the whole flew past. I think because we’re getting into the home stretch that the days are crawling. But not this week! Last week before xmas break! Check this coming week out – today (Monday) is a real day of work, Tues is our xmas lawn bowls fiesta starting at noon, so you know no work will get done that day, and then Wed, Thurs and Fri I’m in a course in the City all day 9-5pm and then the weekend and then a half day on the 24th and then a break!!!!!!! HOORAY!!!!!

So work is good. Yep. Been entertaining myself by building an Access database from scratch, never done it before. It all seems to be doing what I want it to, so, bonus! Otherwise, all’s well – still so happy to have a nice gig!!!

And then there was the weekend. Friday I caught up with Jan and Cindy, who’s just returned from almost 3 weeks in Thailand. She and her husband had never been before. They loved it! They went and saw elephants and monkeys and Thai dancing girls/guys, all kinds of stuff they did. They have a friend who’s been living there for something like 7 or 9 years, so it doesn’t get any better than that as far as tour guides go!

And then Saturday, well, that was an easy day. Sinuses acted up and it was gross hot and humid, so all I had the energy for, besides sneezing my head right off my neck, was really to just sit around and read all day. Picked up "Misery" for a buck at the thrift shop on the corner; haven’t read that for yeeeeeears! It’s pretty good! Funny thing is, for the characters I can only picture James Cann and Kathy Bates – perfect casting!

And then Sunday. Well, we know how that ended up. Went with a guy from work here on a tiki tour up to the suburbs of Scarborough and Redcliffe – two up-and-coming ‘hoods who’s real estate is going through the roof – it’s on the water of course. Very pretty, but some strange houses in that there’d be an ultra-modern house next to a kind of restored Queenslander (a style of wooden, Victorian-looking house, usually up on stilts with a tin roof, etc), next to a 60’s brick house, and on like that through most of the ‘hoods. Still tho, always neat to go for a wander around other ‘burbs! Then we had fish and chips near the little wharf and watched a couple of fishermen try to untangle some really long wire lines. Then we went and played lawn bowls at this nice little bowls club (Bramble Bay Bowls Club) sort of near the water, which was nice as the breeze made bowling in the sun a little more bearable. And then we took a drive up to Mt. Cootha to check out the city lights at night because ain’t no way am I gonna haul myself up there on the little scooter at night. Very pretty. Very spread out city. Lots of black patches (parks, river, forests and, well, stuff I suppose). Not a lot of neon I noticed. And a little further down south you could see the glow of the lights from the Gold Coast! But I have to say, am partial to Mt. Soledad – best city view ever. So yeah, got home far too late to be able to write with any coherence. But it was a pretty good weekend if I do say so myself! Always good to get out, even better when people take pity on me and the fact that I haven’t been to many other suburbs and drive me around on little sightseeing tours. I mean, it’s nice to get out and see how other folks live, but when I tell folks "No, haven’t been there yet…" they’re kind of surprised and say "Well, you need to get out more!" Yeah, perhaps, but why on earth would I go to Mt. Gravatt or The Gap to go to the grocery store when I have one a block from my house????? So yeah. Bless ‘em for taking me around, trying to broaden my horizons for me!!!!!!!

And that’s about that! The weather is pretty interesting. I mean, its gross hot and humid (ahhhh summertime), but the scary black clouds that build up through the day are pretty impressive, even if it doesn’t rain or thunder and lightning. And because of said scary clouds and threat of rain, I don’t ride the little scooter. And I gotta say, it’s been threatening rain for almost a month now. Poor scooter. Poor me for having to endure public transport all the time!

So there you are. Sorry for being late – but it was all for a good cause! Hope you’re all well up there!

BYE!
J!
Weekly: One Good Thing About Little Apartment #19:
It’s a pretty small little place, so it only takes one little lamp to light up the living-room & kitchen!

Head Down in Dullsville

Hi!

Well. There it went. Another week. Man, it's really been feeling like Groundhog Day. I think because there's a week off of work coming, so maybe that's it. Am looking forward to it even if it means no money. A whole week to do what I want, when I want - waahhooooo!!!! But ooooooh, a week with no air-conditioning. The summer is settling in. It's been in the high 80's with 80% humidity. And it wants to rain, looks like rain, but no rain, only the joy of high humidity! So hopefully for the week off, even though it's been notoriously, disgustingly hot and humid at xmas, maybe it won't be as bad. Apparently it's been a cool summer so far, that it's supposed to have been way more gross earlier, like in November. Hmmm. Delayed Florida summer weather is fine with me!

So yeah. Work. Very good. Sorta kinda busy, but not like real busy. People crack me up - why do they wait until most people have left town until January to try to get stuff done? And they all want it like yesterday. Hmmm. Nothing like waiting until after the last minute. But hey, it's those quick flashes of busy that helps keep my days motoring past!And the weekend. Kept my head down, trying not to spend money.

So Friday was here watching old movies ("Dark Passage" Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall). Saturday was bust out the chores day. Then in the afternoon Natasha and Denise came by to visit and check out the little apartment (Denise hadn't seen it yet). It seems everyone has lived in a place "a lot like this one" at some point in their lives. Tho it was usually in their early 20's. Hmmm. And today, well, am supposed to go to the pub to meet Natasha and Juliette for the $4.95 roast lunch. Hmmm. Real food sounds pretty good, but I just know I'll spend more money than I should.

And that's that. Pretty sad, I know. This is what trying to save money is all about - dull. But, it's all for a good cause, even if it makes for incredibly dull reading. Apologies, but unless someone wants to deposit a few grand into my bank account, dull is what you get. So I hope you're all well up there and drop an email sometime!

BYE!
J!
Weekly: One Good Thing About Little Apartment #18: Apartment doesn't come with a stove - no stove to clean when I move out!

Ferry for Xmas

Hi!

Well. That week's gone. Good week. Good weekend. But here we are again at Sunday. Sigh. That's ok though. I don't mind Sundays 'cos I like my job. It's the long wait until the next weekend that gets me down! Ahhhhh, nevermind, always happy to be employed!

So yeah. Work. It's really good. My boss is away on a month's vacation. Sigh. Yeah, I know, a month............. I don't have lots and lots to do, and certainly none of what I do have is all that taxing, so to speak. And things at work will only get quieter as people start their Xmas exodus out of the city. But my god, it's only 3 weeks or so until the week off for Xmas. Hooray! Bad for the bank, good for me! I really want a day off, like now, but I will resist. Ahhh well. Again, happy to be employed!!!!! So yeah, work is still pretty good. I'm still really digging it. And hey, get this - my boss, above my boss, asked me to come to his and his wife's house for Xmas as their sons will be at their respective homes in Sydney and Melbourne and they wondered if I'd like to join them seeing as I don't have family and stuff here. Awwwwww, I said "Of course! I'd love to be your Xmas Orphan!". Well geez, I can't really say no, can I? And he's cool, really interesting and a good sense of humor. I met his wife once, briefly, and she seems really neat as well. So I'm looking forward to it. Even tho this year I made a strict promise to myself to be no one's Xmas Orphan, but hell, when the boss asks....... It should be a really nice day/evening though. But I must say, I'm struggling a bit as to what to bring besides the requisite bottle of wine...... I thought of making half-sized pies... apple and cherry, or something. Hell, I don't know what to contribute... I have a coupla weeks to think about it.............

And then the weekend. Friday...... got the laundry and shopping done - excellent! Less chores for the real weekend! Saturday was most excellent. Lazed around the house until it was time to go to my biiiiig pre-xmas splurge - a Bryan Ferry concert! http://www.bryanferry.com/bf_site.html I had one of the best seats in the house - dead center, just at the beginning of the slope up! Ended up meeting Deb (she's our Head Finance lady at work) and her husband and friends of theirs beforehand in the City for a couple of drinks, then we walked to the Botanical Gardens where there's a reallyreally cool open-air ampitheatre that seats, roughly 2,000? And we sat in the grassey area (which was the tickets they bought) and listened to Joan Armatrading (opening act). She positively rocked! Now I have to go out and get a couple of her CD's because she was that damn good. And then when it was time for Mr. Ferry, I went to my fancypants expensive seat. I kinda wanted to stay with Deb and gang, but hell, when you spent as much as I did on the ticket, you'd wanna keep that seat warm too! It was absolutely fantastic. I love outdoor venues. The sound was awesome, the view perfect, the weather beautiful...... ahhh, it was a reallyreally great show. He's still got it. Man, I had The Best Night! Waaahhoooo!

And today was an easy day. Went to the movies and saw "Death at a Funeral". Hilarious. Really damn funny. I highly recommend it. So well-written, very clever. Will see it again. I'm sure it's out on DVD up there by now, get it!

And that's pretty much that! Was a most excellent weekend if I do say so myself. Ok, so I didn't really have an adventure, but it was still a pretty high-ranking weekend. And I didn't take the camera to the concert, I really didn't feel like dragging it around feeling like a total geek. I've got my memories - like days before digital everything!

So there you are. I'd say c'mon down for a spontaneous visit, but I've seen how much plane tickets are. I don't blame you. But hope you're all well up there!!!! Drop a line sometime!

BYE!
J!
Weekly: One Good Thing About Little Apartment #17: For as little and close together as these apartments are, it's really quiet (aside from Monster Boy upstairs with his lead shoes)!