Well. Here we are, another Sunday afternoon. The sun is piercing, the heat blazing - apparently we hit 31.6 degrees (that's 88.8 in Fahrenheit) at 10.45am with 47% humidity, which is thankfully low compared to what it usually is, and that's made it bearable, but it's only Spring! Summer isn't due for another two months! I suppose this is just Summer's way of saying "Get ready cos it's gonna suck, like always". Sigh. Oh well, like the winters in NYC, it's the summers here I don't dig. Well, at least with the summers here I'm certainly not deprived of blue skies and sunshine. Brisbane: 1, NYC: 0! Thankfully tho, over the last half-hour it seems the temp has dropped a little and a breeze has picked up - whew! But hot or not, it hasn't stopped the jazz tunes, tho it has delayed the excitable and chatty lorikeets...... in fact, there isn't much happening out there in the trees at all really..... Guess even the locals were taken a little by surprise by the sudden heatwave. But, we're here now, got a delightfully cool glass of a new stand-by white wine - Lana's Bike Sauv Blanc (from NZ and it's not bad at all) - life is good!
So work. Yep. Overall is good........ learning isn't as much fun as it's cracked up to be, unfortunately. Turns out they've erroneously judged my new skills-
in-progress on a publication I was working on with another guy - it was written poorly to begin with through no fault or intervention of ours/my own, yet they seem to think I'm responsible for it's terrible quality (??!?). Hrm. Poor communication amongst the troops is ultimately to blame...... Long story that I won't bore you with....... Ultimately, a girl can only do her best with the limited assistance she's got on hand and that's all a job can ask. But, am always happy to have gainful employment while I can - fingers crossed this little communication/learning bump in the road is just that and it'll be smooth sailing to March when my contract is due to be renewed.....!?
in-progress on a publication I was working on with another guy - it was written poorly to begin with through no fault or intervention of ours/my own, yet they seem to think I'm responsible for it's terrible quality (??!?). Hrm. Poor communication amongst the troops is ultimately to blame...... Long story that I won't bore you with....... Ultimately, a girl can only do her best with the limited assistance she's got on hand and that's all a job can ask. But, am always happy to have gainful employment while I can - fingers crossed this little communication/learning bump in the road is just that and it'll be smooth sailing to March when my contract is due to be renewed.....!?
And then there was the weekend. Well, really, last weekend was nice and 
super long in that I had those extra days off, which was dangerously fantastic! Dangerous to the bank account and the fact I could totally get used to a two-day work week! So, leading up to the "invasion" by the rental agency, I took mahself and mah chipped glasses back to Ikea, where we can never just go and do one thing or god-forbid leave empty-handed.... but I needed that extra rug, tablecloth and 10,000 tea lights (storm season is coming after all)..... And to think, there's still one more thing am thinking of getting tho I can't bring myself to do it just yet - my entire sofa cover comes off through the magic of Velcro (aren't they clever at Ikea - not only do you have to put the entire thing together you have to 
cover it as well, although you do eventually finish with a new-found respect for professional furniture builders) and I'm thinking of "refreshing" with a new cover. Thing is, what goes on must come off in order to go back on....... which means un-building the whole sofa just to recover it. And you have to pay $189 (for the tan cover) for the fun and the new covers aren't washable like the one I have now is. Who dry cleans sofa upholstery??? Needless to say, I haven't decided yet...... Or maybe I'll just run out and get that leather sofa I've always wanted..................... It's these serious, pressing world dilemmas I fret over during the weekends..........!
super long in that I had those extra days off, which was dangerously fantastic! Dangerous to the bank account and the fact I could totally get used to a two-day work week! So, leading up to the "invasion" by the rental agency, I took mahself and mah chipped glasses back to Ikea, where we can never just go and do one thing or god-forbid leave empty-handed.... but I needed that extra rug, tablecloth and 10,000 tea lights (storm season is coming after all)..... And to think, there's still one more thing am thinking of getting tho I can't bring myself to do it just yet - my entire sofa cover comes off through the magic of Velcro (aren't they clever at Ikea - not only do you have to put the entire thing together you have to 
cover it as well, although you do eventually finish with a new-found respect for professional furniture builders) and I'm thinking of "refreshing" with a new cover. Thing is, what goes on must come off in order to go back on....... which means un-building the whole sofa just to recover it. And you have to pay $189 (for the tan cover) for the fun and the new covers aren't washable like the one I have now is. Who dry cleans sofa upholstery??? Needless to say, I haven't decided yet...... Or maybe I'll just run out and get that leather sofa I've always wanted..................... It's these serious, pressing world dilemmas I fret over during the weekends..........!
Then it was Invasion Day, which is always an exercise in futility - I ask for stuff and they say no. This time I asked for screens for my kitchen windows to stop possums breaking in at night during the summer so I can sleep with the windows open. The agent's response - "probably not". Nice. She must have air-conditioning (or screens) she gets to use during the summer. Then I asked to have an exterminator do the whole place to stop the four types of ants that always move in with me over the summer. She really said no then and kinda made fun of me for not 
knowing that "everyone in Queensland struggles with ants over the summer." She must not get four breeds of ants all at once in her house all summer long. May get an exterminator in to do just my place on my own dime if that's her attitude........ So I hate these "inspections". I mean, I get why they do them, but when I've lived here for so long and been told numerous times my little apartment "is the best out of all of them", why can't they leave me alone? Why must they force me to take a day off work to supervise them? Ok, so I don't have to take the day off, but who likes strangers coming in to their house to poke around while you're not home??????!
But once she thankfully left I quickly got to work with mah new sewing machine (don't laugh) to hem the curtains I've had for years that've needed hemming something desperate. Coooooooooooool! No idea what am doing really, but how hard can it be? It's why they make seam rippers (which I haven't had to use.... yet)! My ultimate goal is to get good enough, through making a few curtains for
the little place and whatever else I can think of, to make mahself some work clothes from 1950's patterns. Crazy? Yes. Certainly I have better things to do with my two precious days off? Definitely. But who doesn't love learning a useful new skill that could ultimately save lots of money in the long run? I ask you!
And then there was this weekend. Haven't got up to much unfortunately (or 
fortunately if you're my bank). The most exciting thing I managed to do is to make my first "meal" from the Ikea cookbook I've had for yeeears and never was brave enough to give a go. Well. Yesterday I made "Noggin Salad" (with crispbread), which is really just a very fishy Swedish version of potato salad (it even has red caviar!). It's not bad tho I think I misunderstood what they meant by "two small onions" and "one bunch of fresh dill"........ Still, I've
never made potato salad before for any country and the potatoes came out perfect if I do say so mahself! It's not baaaaaaaad if you love onions and dill...... Tho I must say I have discovered I rather like Mackerel and red caviar........ If I make this again, a few alternations will have to be made. Overall, not bad tho. Oh - one thing I will say, I got to use my new stick mixer for more than just scrambling eggs..... Did that save years off my life or what not having to cut up those onions! I have seen the light and it is called Sunbeam StickMaster Pro (+ whisk, + chopper)! Hooray for modern conveniences/appliances! I feel like a 1950s housewife stepped into the 2000s! Will never chop stuff by hand again! Wooot!
fortunately if you're my bank). The most exciting thing I managed to do is to make my first "meal" from the Ikea cookbook I've had for yeeears and never was brave enough to give a go. Well. Yesterday I made "Noggin Salad" (with crispbread), which is really just a very fishy Swedish version of potato salad (it even has red caviar!). It's not bad tho I think I misunderstood what they meant by "two small onions" and "one bunch of fresh dill"........ Still, I've
never made potato salad before for any country and the potatoes came out perfect if I do say so mahself! It's not baaaaaaaad if you love onions and dill...... Tho I must say I have discovered I rather like Mackerel and red caviar........ If I make this again, a few alternations will have to be made. Overall, not bad tho. Oh - one thing I will say, I got to use my new stick mixer for more than just scrambling eggs..... Did that save years off my life or what not having to cut up those onions! I have seen the light and it is called Sunbeam StickMaster Pro (+ whisk, + chopper)! Hooray for modern conveniences/appliances! I feel like a 1950s housewife stepped into the 2000s! Will never chop stuff by hand again! Wooot!
And, well, there it is. That's what's been happening here. As dull as it is at times, I'm happy that it's the little things in life that can make me so happy - like learning a new skill to fix some drapes, or having a new appliance that saves hours of time in the kitchen...... Imagine if the only things that made me happy were regular vacations to faraway islands and lots of expensive jewelery? Well, I'd be dead broke for starters........ But with a fantastic tan and glittering accessories at least.............
So there you have it. Hope you're all well up there and if you need annnnnny tips in planning your trip to visit when summer's furnace shuts off in March, let me know........!
BYE!
J!
P.S. So I changed the template for the little blog - thoughts? Yes? No?
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