Steaks and Patio Cushions, One Weekend at a Time.......

Hi!

Well. Here we are on a very lovely Sunday afternoon. The sun is shining and there's not a cloud in the sky, it's not too cool or breezy (Spring is just around the corner after all) - yes, it's a beautiful Sunday! The chores are all mainly done, the kittehs are out guarding the balcony, we got jazz tunes from the old standby RadioTunes because AccuRadio started running ads, like, local insurance ads, movie ads, etc! And of course, just when I think I've got it beat, RadioTunes start running the same ads! What the?! I thought maybe it was through the app(s) on my phone (which I just plug into speakers or my crappy old stereo) but no - the ads have trickled through on the website too. Damn. There is no peace from ads, apparently. That sucks. If I need stuff, I know where to go to get it - I don't need some yappy chick yammering on about small business insurance every other song. So. If anyone can recommend a good streaming radio service without freakin' ads, do tell! Otherwise, we have a very nice glass of the standby red standing by for just a little bit later, went to the store and now the fridge is stocked for the week (or two) because I am determined to eat better by mastering cooking steaks on the grill like a pro - yes, life is good!

So work. Yep. Is good. Still have stuff to do but again it's not so much I go home in zombie-mode, which is nice. We just had our second (and probably last for a long while) guy retire this year - that was a good afternoon of lunch and drinks and folks telling stories. On one hand, I'd LOVE to retire, on the other, I sure don't want to speed up the clock. Heck, at this rate, I'll drop dead in the break room of whatever job I'm doing at 90..... What I'd ideally like to happen is to win the lottery. And we try (with our little work pool of four). No potatoes, yet! Otherwise, all is well - always happy to have somewhere to be that pays me better than some of the jobs I've had!

And then there were a few weekends in there. Apologies for not checking in - the usual not much has been happening and I didn't want you to drop dead of boredom every weekend! I've actually been chipping away at making new cushion covers for the patio chairs - watch this space! I thought I'd go all fanceee on them and put stuff like tassels on the corners of the pillows but I just know Lola will eat them, and instead of costing me $10 for tassels, it'll cost me over $2,000 in vet fees. So, no. Am nearly there, just have to figure out how to stitch the zippers on and we're good to go! Now, I can't say I'm a dab hand with the sewing machine, straight lines are still a bit of a challenge, but geez, once you get the hang of it, you can make just about anything, and it's cheaper and better made than most mass-produced store-bought stuff (errrr, more or less)! But, seeing as I work 5 days a week and am usually out of brain power by the time I get home, they're taking a bit longer over a couple weekends. Still, I made good progress this weekend. Yay for home improvement!

And what else........... Nope, nothing. My friend Glen is coming into town for the week for his work, so we'll catch up once or twice, hopefully. In a couple weekends is the Scandinavian Festival - really looking forward to that (the foooooooood!); will have to freeze the credit cards in some blocks of ice tho, just to be on the safe side as my travel company will be there too..........!

And that's about it! I hear tickets with Qantas from LA to here are still craaaazy cheap..... Just let me know when you're coming (but don't forget, 2 weeks in Dec are booked-out already!)!!!! Mi casa es su casa - and you're welcome to house-sit while I'm away, complete with super nice Rav4!!!!

BYE!

~ J!

Quiet Weekends with a Birthday and Good Friends (and Pups)!

Hi!

Well. Here we are on another lovely sunny Sunday afternoon. The sun is shining, the breeze is breezing, the birds are birding, the clouds are clouding, etc, etc, etc. It's a bit cool, 66 degrees by my temperature gage (chilly for us sub-tropical dwellers), but it's bright and sunny and that's what you like for mid-winter. The chores are all mostly done (vacuuming is my big thing.... am tempted to buy one of those robot vacuums tho....), the laundry is just about dry, the kittehs are doing what they do - one is guarding the balcony and the other is road-testing one of their favorite kitteh beds, got the hip n' groovy jazz tunes from the old standby RadioTunes (nice to see they've dialed down the amount of ads they used to play), it's a bit early for the wine, but when I finish writing, while loading up the photos, will celebrate with a glass of the standby red, so yes, life is good!

So work. Yep. Is good. I finally have a couple things to do, nothing major or rush, but it's nice to have stuff to do. We're in August and still waiting for the wave of work that was meant to come last Nov/Dec and every week since...... That's OK, it's great for the collective stress levels to not be run off our feet considering we don't quite have the staff numbers anymore and with one more retiring in two weeks. I just really wish that when work is genuinely slow, you could bring in a book or knitting or painting, whatever hobby you always wish you had more time for. That would be great - fun! Otherwise, all is well, which is nice, but then again, as I always say, am just happy to have a decent job to go to everyday that pays me!

And then there were a few weekends in there..... Many apologies for the delay. Last weekend it was cloudy, rainy and cold, and for some reason the only energy I had was to sit here and surf the 'net. I honestly couldn't even motivate myself to do the chores. And the weekend before, I ran errands... I have some friends in Seattle who are expecting their first baby(!), and since I don't know anyone that I like as much as them who're having a baby (or anyone, period), I'm trying to put together a little box of bits from Australia for them and the new baby. So, last weekend was running around finding things like tank tops in three age ranges, a teether (sure, they can get them there, but surely it's good to have more than one or five?), the cutest turtle bath thermometer, stuff like that and all made in Australia! Next on the list is a CD of Australian "Bush" sounds - birds twittering, and..... other..... sounds from the outback (??). I thought a CD like that might be nicer for everyone to listen to instead of lullabies? Don't know, never shopped for baby things before!

And speaking of babies, the weekend before that was my birthday! Woooohoooooo! And I didn't even have to take the day off from work! I hadn't planned anything since I've decided my big present to myself is this Big Nordic Adventure, but my friend Jan, being the gracious organizer that she is, organized a picnic up at Shorncliffe Pier with a few of our friends (Shorncliffe is a really, really lovely suburb where no one can afford to live, about 30 minutes north-east of Brisbane/my house). It was GREAT! The weather was unbelievably excellent (in the mid-80s!), we got a picnic spot (veranda/pavilion with two tables/benches and lots of room) right near the water with lovely views of the pier and across the bay. And everyone brought something - Jan made corned beef sandwiches and donated a few bottles of champagne, and brought along her two cuuuute little dogs Milo and Molly; I made mini strawberry-rhubarb pies, brownies and deviled eggs (note for future picnics - deviled eggs don't travel so well presentation-wise. Still they were good and folks had a few) along with champagne and white wine; Joey, Jada and Amber brought yummy Red Velvet cupcakes and their lovely mini-Border Collie Meeko; and Trich and Barry brought fruits and bread sticks (sounds silly but they were so, so goooood - a great picnic idea!). It was a great mix and so much food! I also remembered to bring party hats and sparklers, and a fun little game someone had given me yeeeears ago called Tabletop Charades, so we played that towards the end of the afternoon. Man, it was great. I honestly couldn't have had a better day. YAY!

And that is about that! I think the next festival on my list is the Scandinavian Festival over in the 'hood of Newstead in September.... I've been to that the last few years, it's pretty good, free (can't argue with that), tho my word they need to move it to a bigger venue. Still they manage to pack in a lot of great food and craft stalls, not to mention a big stage with live acts that play traditional songs from all over Scandinavia, complete with national costumes! Really looking forward to it. And it should be good for any last-minute tips and hints for mah trip....? Will do my best not to shop..............! Other than that, I expect the weekends will be quiet, full of planning for The Trip and trying my hardest not to spend money. And speaking of trips, have I mentioned that folks are actually coming here for a visit??!? Yes, friends from AZ are coming here, to my house, for a visit - imagine that! I've been down thisaway for going on 15 years now and finally someone comes to visit (not looking at you Sheldon and Scarlett, or Mom......)! Woooohoooo! Too bad I'll only be here for two or so days before I head off, but like I always say, you folks are moooore than welcome to c'mon down and hang out any ol' time you want, whether am here or not (but I usually always am) - mi casa es su casa! Anyways, hope you're all well up there, staying cool and safe from any crazy wildfires - c'mon down here where it's winter with no humidity or wildfires!

BYE!
~ J!