Xmas of Good Food, Friends and Fans!

Hi!

Well. Here we are. Saturday afternoon instead of Sunday.......! The only reason for that is that tomorrow it's supposed to be 95-98 degrees with the usual 60-70% humidity, so I thought I'd get in early because you know how agonizingly intolerant the little laptop is of Queensland's summers.......... So we're here now, it's been hot today but not like it will be tomorrow, thankfully there's kind of been a breeze, and it's been overcast most of the day, which sort of helps....... The birds have all been a bit quiet today (tho one was pretty busy pooping all over mah clean sheets!) - they must be trying to hide from the gross hot and muggy day (I wonder if they know what's coming tomorrow??), but we have, as always, some hip n' cool jazz tunes, and a very cool glass of champagne, in keeping with the spirit of the holidays and all - ahhhhhhh yes, life is good!

So work. Yep. Is good. I was the only one there last week - everyone else left on vacation (and most won't be back until the second or third week of January). And I'll be the only one there on January 2nd and 3rd! That's OK tho, I don't really mind - I actually get tons done and can think in a straight line for longer than 5 minutes - it's great! Besides, am trying to save my vacation time for later in the year, so that's why I'm not taking the month + off like all the locals do. And really, I've never understood why take your whole chunk of vacation time off at the same time of year the entire country does? And they love to go camping over the Xmas break, which again I don't understand because you only end up jam-packed into a camp ground with everyone you were trying to get away from (maybe they like being with each other for four weeks?????)?! No, if I go away, the last place I'd like to be is in a crowded camp ground. Frankly, I can't imagine a worse way to spend four weeks....... Guess I'll never make it as a 'true blue' Aussie (as the locals would say)! Otherwise, work is fine. Yay for continuing gainful employment!

And then there was, well, Xmas week! I spent a little bit of Xmas eve with my neighbors downstairs from me - it was their first Xmas as new parents and their son Zaphod (I know, I know, parents today. His name is from that book Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy) had just turned one on the 18th. So I watched them open presents and then Zaphod and I played with a couple of his new toys - he was pretty pleased. For the most part he's a pretty happy and contented little kid. Unlike the one in the apartment building right next door - he's six months older than Zaphod and to hear the mother go on and on, squealing and cooing in that annoying, grating, high-pitched voice, man oh man, but that little rat does more crying, wailing and whining than anything I've ever heard. I hate that kid. And from the sounds of it, the kid just hates being. Surely they're going to have to move out soon because they'll need more room............. Surely.

And then Xmas morning was up early and out the door and on the road for the two hour drive to Toowoomba and the Adcock Foster Family Xmas! Oooooh it was a lovely day. Very low key, easy going. We sat and drank and ate and ate and talked and talked for most of the day. And it was really just their family - Paul and Margret, their son Russ and his wife Kim, her sister Terri, and Margret's niece and her husband (oooops, totally forgotten their names. But man they were funny, nice and excellent story-tellers!), and me, the token orphan. It was nice. And in the evening, as is customary, we watched one of Margret's action movies that she gets every year for Xmas - this year's pick was Elysium, which actually wasn't too bad. A bit violent and the action bits seemed to go on a while longer than needed to get the point across..... Still, it had neat special effects and it moved fairly quickly..... Overall, it wasn't too bad. If you're in need of an action movie with a decent story and pretty good actors, and you don't really want to hurt yourself thinking, this is the movie for you! And then I stayed the night because Xmas with them doesn't really end until 11 or so. Then we were up sort of early the next day to get ready to go our separate ways - Russ and Kim and Terri were off to their Grandma's down on the Gold Coast and I came home! So I think a nice Xmas was had by all. It's always a nice day with them and every year I'm pleased they have me around. And that was Xmas!

And then the weekend so far has been good, productive. Busted out all the chores and laundry very first thing today because I knew it was going to get hot and gross, and it is. Am in super clear out mode where all kinds of stuff in cupboards and everywhere is marked for the donation bin...... And am only maybe half-way through that little task and I already have a good pile going.........! I love clean out time, it's so liberating and frees up so much space, even if I can't see it (hiding in cupboards or the little closet, or one of the thousand boxes under mah bed), I can feel it, that the little apartment is that much more clutter-free. It's great! But all that will have to go on hold tomorrow because it's going to be such a righteous stinker of a summer's day. And looking at the forecast, the end of next week looks just as bad...... Bummer. But it is summer, this is what it does, and we've been pretty lucky so far......... I just hope this will be the worst of the heat wave tho the locals always say "Wait until February!", which is always the worst month to get through. Ahhhh well. Maybe instead of coming up there during northern hemisphere's summer, I'll come up during my summer! 'Course, my luck, I'll miss the freak cool weather here and arrive back just in time for a blistering heat wave!

And really, that's about it! So, seeing as tomorrow's going to be so hot and disgusting, I think it'll be a perfect time to catch up on movie watching in front of the fan with the water spray bottle (on "mist" of course - white trash air-conditioning)! Hope you all had a nice Xmas! And now that the holidays are over with, (one to go, but that's the easy one), now you can get planning that big trip down thisaway! Errrrr, one day, hopefully!!!!! And like I always say, if you need a few planning tips, lemme know!

BYE!
J!

Weekends of Fridays, Impending Holidays and Champagne!

Hi!

Well. Here we are. The sun is shining, it's a bit hot and humid but not nearly as bad as it was last weekend - whew! There's a little bit of a breeze blowing..... The birds are all out there running their errands - thankfully the Lorikeets (and at night, the bats) have eaten most of the seeds the palms put out so there hasn't been the usual frantic sunrise freakout we've had over the last couple of months - handy on days one would like to sleep in! The laundry is happily blowing around in the breeze, as so happens every Sunday...... Also have the very nice cool glass of standby white wine (soooooo nice on a day like today - not too hot or humid), most of the chores are done, and, as always, have the hip n' groovy jazz tunes from SkyFM........ Yes, life is good!

So work. Yep. Is good. Not as busy as it's been, which is nice, but I can always find stuff to do. Although tomorrow and Tuesday will be kind of a struggle as I'll be the only one there - everyone else has taken time off for Xmas! Ooooooh the attention-span will be sorely challenged! But, again, I can always find stuff to do. I'd take the time off too but am saving all my vacation time to come up there for a visit this coming July.......... And they're already forcing us to take three days off between Xmas and New Year's, which really burns my hide............! Three days is like three little gold bars for me - precious and they take forever to accrue! And no further word about the PR application. They have all my stuff except for one little thing, word is they're waiting on HR to get their info together - typical. This is exactly what happened last time, and at this same time of year too. Here's hoping they don't drop it again now that I've held up my end of the bargain - again. Sigh. HR. Never a more useless department existed........... Ahhhhhh, will quit complaining - am just happy to have a decent job that even comes with paid vacation time! Otherwise, work is good! Yay for gainful employment!  

And then there were a few weekends in there........... I know they've been quiet for the most part...... Fridays have been fun..... A couple Fridays ago we had our teeny little group's Xmas lunch - we went on a tour of the XXXX Brewery followed by lunch in their restaurant. Man, the tour was actually really good and interesting (tho no cameras allowed) - the facts just flew by! When you come down thisaway, we're totally going! And the lunch was really good too, but then by the time the tour finished I was starving. I actually cleaned my plate (I had the steak and mashed potatoes - nom)! Although I didn't finish the unscheduled little French-themed "garnish".... Poor little guy/gal must've been caught up in the bag of spinach and got steamed with everything else. I didn't see it and somehow mistakenly ate some of its shell and its head! Eeeeeeek! Well, I didn't notice until a little bit later when my fork hit its shell and I had a look for it, but by then I was kinda full anyways.............. We all took it in good humor, even if the waiter and kitchen staff were a little put off. I didn't mind........ Although will forever be checking those "wilted greens" before diving in! Then the few of us continued on to the Caxton Hotel which was, amazingly, dead quiet (if you look at the photo in the link - yeah, it looked a lot like that - and on a Friday night!). That place is usually overflowing with people and music - a place I generally avoid at all costs like the plague (unless peer-pressured to go). But the evening we went, the place was a morgue. Weird. So we stayed for one drink, or maybe it was three......... And then we headed to our homes and that was that! And the rest of that weekend, from hazy memory, was rather quiet....... Literally..........

And then that next weekend was much the same.... Friday we all headed out to another lunch at a really cool little place called O Bar/Restaurant, which happens to be the bar/restaurant of a really nice little boutique hotel called Diamant, (which is coincidentally right next door to where my hand therapist is!) to celebrate Phil's non-birthday - he swears he's never having another birthday ever again. I guess that can happen when you hit 62............ Me, I don't mind - one more year of successfully dodging life's hazards! But this time we were all much more responsible and headed home before the sun even went down. Hooray! And yet the weekend was still quiet. And super hot and humid, which was the main reason I didn't/couldn't check in - poor little laptop. And it was hot and gross until well after 5pm......... Which is kind of unusual and really disgusting.

But here we are now...... This weekend has followed the same pattern as the previous few - Friday afternoon I met a couple gals at the really nice bar/restaurant at the Hilton for a few too many glasses of champagne and a good long gossip session. It was really nice and even made it home at the respectable hour of 8pm! And then it's just been the usual chores with the odd nap thrown it. Yesterday was hot and gross but today is thankfully a bit cooler......... I really need to investigate a better/more efficient cooling pad for the little laptop.....................

And there you have it! Xmas is upon us tho, so that means I will be spending the day (or maybe two) with the Adcock family - my foster family over these last, what, 6 Xmas'? Last year I spent it with my friend Jan and her family (it was lovely and perfectly low-key despite the kids, dogs and a pool!), but the previous years, bar my first one, have all been spent with my former boss from my days at Fire and his very nice, and equally low-key family. This year will be a little different tho in that they've moved about an hour and a half south-west of Brisbane to Toowoomba, where they originally lived for like 30-some years. So that'll be a lovely excuse to give the poor car a good run! And Toowoomba is nice, though I've only been there once, briefly........... Been meaning to get out there to see them anyways (and their newly-built house!) ........... So that will be Xmas and probably Boxing Day (it's a holiday here, no idea why, really. But hey, who am I to argue with a national day off???!)

So here's hoping those of you who give a rat's backside about Xmas, have a good one! Eat lots of ham and pie for me! And down here, seeing as it's the middle of summer, we'll throw another shrimp on the barbie! Yay!

BYE!

J!

P.S. Forgot to mention, the poor little wrist is doing better, slowly but surely. The scar is looking better, more or less, still a little red, and with the regular visits to the hand therapist, the range of motion is gradually improving. Tho most of the time the tendon is stiff as a branch in wintertime. Ultimately, the original problem is gone (YAY!), but this recovery business sure is taking forever! But hey, at least it's getting better!

P.P.S. I like to hyperlink the hotels we go to for drinks juuuuuuuust as a hint of where to stay whenever you guys get down thisaway....! Hint hint!

A Bit of Work, Rain and Movies.......

Hi!

Well. Here we are on another sunny Sunday afternoon. My goodness it's the first of December - that was quick! Thankfully the weather this weekend has been good - not too stinking hot and humid like it has been.... In fact, yesterday, it rained all day and was actually kinda cool....... It was really nice. If we could have one or two breaks like that every month during summer it would be almost bearable! But we're here now, got a lovely breeze blowing the laundry around on the good ol' hills hoist in the backyard, the birds are all happily running their errands, and from the sounds of it, teaching their kids how to run errands and get something to eat. Cuuuute. Kona is asleep at his post on the couch, I have a very nice, cool glass of the ol' reliable standby white wine, also have of course the hip n' groovy jazz tunes - ahhhhh yes, life is good!

So work. Yep. Is good. First half-week back this past Wednesday. Was busy.

Bless 'em they saved as much of the work as they could, then promptly harassed me to get through it immediately. Meh, most of it isn't urrrrrgent, they just want to finish it all before Xmas, which, now that I look at the calendar, is like next week (or so it feels)! Yeah, yeah fellas, it'll get done, hold yer horses! But it was good to be back. Well. As good to be back at having to work for a living can be! Wrist felt ok, just have to watch the repetitive stuff and keep it up for a bit so it doesn't swell up and get cranky. And no further word on either the job or the PR - I think everyone is waiting on me to get the rest of the info through, and am just waiting on two police checks and the health check and then my part is done! Well, until they want money that is....... And then this coming Friday we have our little group's Xmas "party" - all the nine of us are doing is going to the XXXX Brewery (which is thankfully walking distance from my house - yay! My idea of course!) where six of us are going to do the tour then we'll all have lunch in their restaurant, and then decide from there what we'll do next. Some usually go home (like the bank usually thinks I should), some sometimes have a free pass from their wives to stay out. Last year at the little place we went to, the Ship Inn, turned into a fairly late and very boozy affair, which was good fun of course, all in the name of kicking off the holidays! Otherwise, work is good. Always happy to have a place to be with a paycheck!

And then there's been the weekend. Quiet. Like I said, yesterday rained and was cool all day so was best suited to watching movies (hey, I'm still recovering from surgery.............. kinda............). Watched Julie and Julia (cute, with a really good script, tho it kinda falls flat in the third act) and was then immediately inspired to do some serious French cooking. Thankfully, I have no proper French cookbooks and the grocery store was closed. So I made spaghetti instead. Then I watched The Perfect Storm, which I'd never seen before but have wanted to since catching up with an old high school friend (while I was briefly in Las Vegas this past August) who was actually a fairly new recruit with the Coast Guard unit that was out there in it (eeeeeeeek!). Eh, the movie was ok, actors were all great, did the best job they could with a crappy script. The effects were neat. It was ok. I might rather read the book tho. And that was Saturday! 

And today has been the usual laundry and fluffing around. Pretty dull stuff really. But honestly, who works full-time and has time or money for Adventures every weekend??? Maybe in the new year will investigate cleaning agencies and get someone to come in once a month and do all this for me, that way the little apartment won't be dirty and I won't feel guilty for running around having Adventures! Yay! We'll see. Some big bills wanting to be paid here (car, surgery, PR....), Adventures usually cost monies....... Hmmmm. Anyways, hope you're all well up there! All is well here! C'mon down any ol' time!!!!!

BYE!
J!