MESSAGE RECALL: super-easy

apparently, I overlooked the optional definition that may be perceived when reading "super-easy"

please insert whichever word works for you better:

• unfazed
• opposite of bridezilla
• easy going

it's all about perception, people.

whoopsie.

super-easy Bride to Be

I am super-easy Bride to Be. This is my new title and I will not speak to anyone who does not refer to me in this way.

I received this most noble and modest status by bring home two beautiful bridesmaid dresses, from the same store, different location. It was great. They were put on coat hangers, and into special bags for safe keeping.

And, they were different colours. Not on purpose!

Except, now it is on purpose. Because my response was, "hmmmm, this isn't so bad, it's funky, let's go with different colours."

Super-easy.

Actually, I did make a few calls, stressing the whole "they're bridesmaid dresses" line, but in all honesty, I knew none of the stores would have a spare size eight lying around, and I had already resigned myself to be super-easy Bride to Be and go with the flow

It just comes to me naturally, what can I say?

(I am well aware, for those of you laughing at this, that my super-easy wonder woman approach is not consistent across every area of my life, namly cleaning, life-organisation, planning etc)

Ok, so here is some fun stuff about my most recent life, for those of you procastinating:

Went here for lunch with family and Gran/Grandad yesterday
Went here for a beautiful wedding on Saturday night, which was highly enjoyable and very special
Going here for team Christmas drinks and dinner tonight. Going to be super fun!
Sam's unit is for sale here. Manly anyone?

Today, our team received a chocolate christmas tree. Round balls of chocolate are stuck to a chocolate dome (tree) and inside each ball is different flavoured thick cream/nougat thing ie strawberry, mint, orange, fudge.

And you know what type of ball it is, because there are pink coloured sprinkles, or a little cute sugary orange lolly. This tree came in the post, in a box, from South Australia. Yes people, South Australia.

So, we're gearing up for Christmas ... and all the wonderful things that come with Christmas, including family, other people's family and gritting your teeth.

I am praying for a generous, patient and loving spirit. Which I hope will arrive very quickly ie by Wednesday evening.

observations back on the horse

It has taken me a while to get back into the swing of things at work. After a week off and two ‘short’ days so that I can ease myself back in, I’m still spending a fair deal of time catching up with work mates and entertaining myself with non-work related tasks.

So you can see what I do at work, when I work, you can check out the new organisational website I have developed together with my team. It’s only been live for a week, and took a solid 10 months of work, including thousands of hours of matching up BCS services with the postcodes we deliver services to.

This week I was called a fancy friend. How funny! Interestingly, in the same blog I was noted as someone who talks about bowel habits etc. This does appear to be a contradiction of character.

Last night I made the BEST garlic bread ever, just the way Sam likes it. Buttery, garlicky and on soft yummy bread. In a daze of award-winning cooking, I got caught up with the pasta, and the garlic bread died a smoky and fiery death, and the f-word was used. Twice. Pasta remained award-winning despite ill-fated outcome for bread.

And because I’m so organised, I had made some extra garlic bread for a second dinner, so we had back up.

The graphic designer at work keeps using the word uber-trendy. Uber is the German word for over, and so uber-trendy means over-the-top trendy.

And an update for those of you who care … we’re hoping for a momentous bowel movement sometime in the next 36 hours. Keep your fingers crossed.

Weekend update coming soon …

day 3 in hospital

The only solution/reward for being in hospital is daytime televsion. And really good ricotta filled canneloni apparently.

morphine at sunrise

I can hear Sunrise on TV in the background, and a south african doctor is using the word 'persists' a lot. It's quite funny.

Off to hospital today for surgery. I have never been so nervous. Am trying to contain it. Forced myself to sleep in for as long as is humanly possible when your stomach is turning (8.00am).

Watched the news, pretended to eat my beloved porridge (I'm fasting) and saw a world in pain, which put things slightly into perspective, until a Mumbai bombing victim was flown into Sydney and said to be recuperating at North Shore Private - which is where I'm going to spend the next four days.

I hate the inevitable wait that something bad is going to happen. I'm not assuming the badness will be death; the badness is surgery, stitches, morphine, cathaters (?), anaesthetic, not eating etc.

Also, to top off the beginning of what I assume will be an awful week, on Sunday night I saw a news break with the following: second twin toddler dies after near drowning, bombs and Mumbai, dead Australian solider in Afghanistan.

I was immediately prompted to read Job.

Spell check didn't work for me on this post - excuse the poor spelling.

I need to remember, if the morphine doesn't fry my brain, to wrap Jess' christmas gift and ask her about googledocs, before and on Saturday. Someone please remind me.

And get Human Nature off my TV. I thought Sunrise were over stupid music men.

The Hike

So, the big walk! Done and dusted! 32kms.

We left Sydney at 5.00am on Thursday morning, and arrived in Jindy at about 11.00am. We went via McDonald's at Goulburn (obligatory stop).

A quick stop at Paddy Pallin (adventure store, so an appropriate stop for adventure girl) where I bought a Camelbak, as we realised we hadn't gotten around to grabbing me one!

We arrived at Lake Crackenback resort, and it was lovely. We checked into our own Studio, which was part of a bigger Chalet with shared laundry and cloakroom facilities (because this is officially adventure-land accommodation)

The room was lovely, and we unpacked, but were then confused about what to do. We didn't want to do too much before our big walk the next day, we had little energy from a big drive and early morning.

Our choices were

• Golf (nine holes)
• Archery (puh, if you don't do it in normal land, why does it appear in adventure land?)
• Paddle boating on the lack
• Canoeing
• Trampolining
• Confidence Course
• Hiking
• Mountain bike riding
• Sleeping

I was a bit perplexed, because you think of resorts as lying around, beaching, cocktailing etc, but this was a ski/adventure resort. But it was summer, so we weren't skiing. But we weren't relaxing either, because it was not hot and there was no pool or cocktails. The bar didn't even open until 5pm. Strange.

Finally we worked it out. We were there for The Hike (summer alternative to skiing), and while waiting for this time to come, our options included the above. I chose paddle boating, which I subsequently realised hurt my knee (which I've just received three weeks of physio for, in time for The Hike) and Sam chose golf. Yes, I played golf. To be fair, I smacked the living crap out of a few golf balls, and pretended to call it golf.

Anyway, The Hike day arrived. Our briefing was firm - we had chosen the hardest hike there was. There was no time for dwalding, if we wanted to get to our (already prepared with food/beds ready and waiting) campsite before 10pm that night. "But you all look super fit to me," our Guide said, "so let's go!"

We put our day packs on and packed our overnight gear for the 'porter' to carry into our campsite ahead of us. We had wet weather gear, cold weather gear, aqua booties for crossing the Snowy River with, lunch, baby wipes [me only] etc etc the list goes on.

We travelled 40 mins by car and were dropped off on the side of a deserted ski resort in Guthega.

Something that made this hike special was the passion which our Guide had of the alpine region. Our Guide was a self-confessed environmentalist. We hiked by the law of 'leave no trace'. We left nothing, not even our toileting deposits. We learned about the winter skiers who 'bury' their toilet matter and paper in the snow, for it to reappear in summer when the snow has melted, and thereby polluting the alpine region. We learned about leaving a minimal impact, not camping near fresh water resources and walking in 'harder' areas rather than wet or spongy areas, so as not to destroy the plant life. We learned every type of flower, grass, tree and insect, and to respect the alpine environment as a very special and unique part of Australia's land.

This is a long story ... and it will get much longer. I've decided to not write in too detail about The Hike. I can't describe the scenery, the pain, the weather and the alpine region in such a way as to do it justice. Check out the photos (with more to come from our Guide, who was the only one to take the photos throughout). Here are the dot points

• Wild flowers galore during the first part of the day, many of which are endemic (can only be found in this alpine region, and no where else in the world) and include buttercups (four varieties)
• Start climbing first mountain. About 1800m above ground. Need to cross steep cliff of snow. Guide goes first, leaving foot steps for us to use. Again, 1800m above ground. Falling means you land on rocks 20m below, and then continue down the next 1780m. I slip. Scared, no confidence, Guide grabs my hand and hauls me up cliff.
• Lunch - smoked salmon sandwich. Sam and I don't eat smoked salmon.
• Climb, climb, climb. Day pack is heaving, boots are heavy, it's warm but the wind is amazing, you can't hear anything and the gusts are huge. If I was ten kilos lighter, I swear I could be forced off my feet Mary Poppins style.
• We get to the top of our first mountain, and see Blue Lake, a glacier. It is beautiful. Everyone makes a trip out onto a ledge, but I know myself enough to know that my fear of heights will kick in, and I'll be shaking for the rest of trip. I stay on the grass (soft, spongy alpine grass - there are no trees as we are too high for any trees to grow now) and re strap my knee.
• I fall down, roll a bit, and enjoy the soft spongy grass. Quickly get up before anyone sees, and decide to make use of the walking pole we were given.
• Crossing the Snowy River, the stepping stones are exposed, so we are successful in keeping dry. Up heartbreak hill, and the final 2kms to the campsite.
• A majestic evening. We're camping on the site of a mountain, overlooking Mt Kos in the background, Mt Clark and Mt Etheridge. We've freshened up, changed into thermals and trackies and beanies and gloves. We're drinking vanilla bean lattes out of mugs, and eating antipasto. We don't use the 'lounge room' tent, but bring out our comfy chairs to sit outside the kitchen tent, while Guide keeps the stove going. We chat and watch the sun set over the mountains. It's two hours later before we remember we haven't eaten dinner, and the Guide bar-be-ques dinner: salmon steaks (we learn to love these) with chutney and fresh salad. Cheese cake for dessert, more vanilla coffees.
• In bed by 10am, the wind has picked up and with the wind chill, it's 0 degrees. We're glad to be in our super strength tents (made in NZ, for climbers of Everest!) and it's too hot to sleep with thermals etc. Crazy. I go to bed thinking, I have to do this all over again tomorrow. It's hard ... I'm tired ... but surely it will be an easier walk.
• We wake with a view from nowhere, eat muesli, fresh fruit and pancakes and use the poo tent. I'll tell you about this another time.
• Walking, 16 kms to go. We get to the top of Mt Kos, highest peak in Australia, and the view is again amazing. I'm worried about the increasing wind. I'm seriously worried about being blown off the mountain (I never said being scared of heights involves a reasonable thought process). We then walk off the southern side of Mt Kos. I'm scared. I keep seeing large amounts of snow drifts along the edge, and I'm worried how I will get off the mountain without falling. We go right to the edge of the mountain, where a snow cornice can be seen, and I loose it. The wind is blowing, Sam is near the edge, and I can't stop the fear of height consuming me. Although I'm sitting on a rock, I walk away from the group and Sam helps me to calm down after 5 or so minutes.
• During the day, I realise my ears are very sore. I had forgotten to put sunscreen on my ears during Day 1, and with the serious medication I am taking, my skin is overly sensitive and my ears have burned severely. I end up with a huge blister on my right ear, and wind burn across my face.
• We walk down the mountain, find a plaque among the rocks commemorating the death of a climber (Seaman, which only approx 100 Australians have ever noticed) and we play in a river at the bottom of the mountain.
• We walk up the side of the neighbouring mountains, using an old cattle track, which may have been a track used originally by Aboriginals. We spot a bird's nest in the side of the track, with eggs ready to hatch.
• The rest of the walk is through kilometres of grass, soft and spongy, vast stretches of rocks, grass, snow drifts and little running creeks nestled among patches of alpine bush and flowers.
• We take the Dead Horse Gap track, through acres of burnt out Snow Gums (from the 2004 fires that destroyed the alpine region) and beautiful flowers.
• The final stairs take us down a steep track into Thredbo, where our ride is waiting to take us back to the resort.

We celebrate the walk with a shower followed by a ridiculously expensive meal at nearby Crackenback Cottage, cooked by an award-winning and former chef of Bathers Pavilion. We're full, tired and fall asleep as soon as we get into bed.

the great hope

Yesterday I witnessed an important moment in history. It was great, and interesting and something to be thoughtful about.

It's funny how the leading country of the 'free world' can be so far behind.
And the whole world stood by and cheered as they woke up.

Just one hint of 'Hmm, I'm not sure' keeps haunting me.

Why do we care so much about what happens in America? I don't mean this question to be simplistic either. America is in debt up to its eyeballs and at war in two countries. What America does here on in is important, for itself, and the world.

But what do Australian's see as important about yesterday? A day in political history? Implications that this may have on Australia? On our lifestyle? On our government? Our world?

Do we care as much about a change in government in other countries?

Zimbabwe?

Countries whose people are devastated by more than just economic crisis alone, but the crises of health, poverty, human rights abuse and corrupt dictatorships.

It's a challenge to me. If I'm going to care about the world changing, as a whole, I need to pay attention to the state (and politics) of all countries, not just the exciting, 'once in a life-time', media-driven moments of one, albeit, large country.

I care that there is great hope in America today, and even in Australia.

It would be good to see that hope spread around a bit.

Zimbabwe would be grateful, I'm sure.

3 o'clock

I have a 3 o'clock afternoon rant. But parts of it are good. It's not a rant, more like a collection of thoughts. It's just that at 3 o'clock, I stop doing work and start doing stuff.

1. I don't want to look for a wedding dress. I can't be bothered. I don't want to trawl through shops looking at lovely, but over priced gowns. I don't want to fall in love with more than one gown and have to make a choice. I have found a dress I like. It's not probably not the dress that will look the most stunning on me, if we're going to compare it to every dress in the world, but it is a dress and I like it, and it will do, and really, I quite love it. Mum insists we keep looking.

2. I should have a piece of fruit, but I really like toast. Am going to compromise with apricot jam on toast.

3. This is kind of like plagiarising, but it's open slather for anyone visiting the Kodak site so check this out. Super Elizabeth. It made 2.45 pm today seem less un-fun.

4. I have to give up my personal trainer in two weeks ... and then I'll be on my own again. So sad. Until next year, when I will recommence, perhaps 3 months before the wedding, so I can maintain my Super Elizabeth body of steel.

5. I watched the Sex & the City movie a few nights ago, and really enjoyed it. I always get sucked in with princess love stories, particularly when it involves great clothes and good looking blondes, and also, I'm just as heart broken when loves goes wrong. There were a lot of tears during the movie. Sam has learned to stop asking what's wrong when I cry during movies, because I generally respond, through sobs, with "Don't you have a heart????"

6. To the person who threw brown liquid off their balcony and onto ours, almost ruining our funky outdoor furniture and cushions: Don't do it again. Or my boyfriend will beat you up.

7. Today I'm wearning a silk scarf tied around my neck ... with a nice bow to the side, like in France. I love it. I am also wearing other clothes with this scarf, which was a good move. I will try to put a picture up if I can ...

Salute!

when champagne makes it all worth while

Today marks two weeks of officially spending Thursdays to Sundays in the company of more than a few bottles of champagne.

Last week, a quiet afternoon drink at the manly wharf bar with friends led to the 8.30pm decision to cook a lamb roast for dinner. Perhaps something that could have been planned a teeny bit earlier. Tasted fantastic though!

We went to a beautiful late morning wedding yesterday in Vaucluse, in gardens next to a beach. The reception was an intimate lunch at the kiosk right on the beach ... and the day was beautiful.

Back home, we had a Nana nap, to prepare for a big night with our companion champagne at the Argyle in the Rocks. More wedding celebrations!

Instead, my five and seven year old neighbours thought it the perfect time to practice their version of "three blind mice" on their out-of-tune piano.

(They are possibly paying me back for four solid hours of karaoke/sing star the night before, when some girlfriends helped me sing through to midnight.)

My Nana nap was unsuccessful.

We left the Argyle at a time not worth remembering, and waited for a taxi. And then my favourite thing of all time happened!!!

Sam spotted his ex-girlfriend just down the road from us. Oh what joy to see her! They exchanged hellos, hugs and kisses (more joy!) and then she ran off to catch her taxi. I was introduced as Liz.

Liz.

I'm not at all trying to be nasty with this next comment. It is only a comment.
It is not intended to devalue her, or her hairstyle - blond airy waves/curls.

This is simply an observation.


She looked like a Labra-Doodle.


So I say cheers, and raise a toast to all Labra-Doodles around Sydney.

Hey, why stop there?

To Labra-Doodles ALL AROUND THE WORLD!

Cheers.

question

Question. If you say something to someone, and they don't hear it, did you really say it?

Apparently not.

good morning - or not

I'm not sure about 'good mornings'.

I don't like the pressure that each morning, when you get to work, you have to say good morning.

And not to one person. You need to say it to each person's desk that you walk past.

Even if you don't speak to this person for the rest of the day, or ever speak to them as a general rule, it is expected that when entering the office for the first time that day, a 'good morning' will be released from your lips.

Firstly, the greeting does not convey necessarily convey reality. It may be a bad morning. It may be a glorious meeting. It is most likely not a good morning.

Secondly, are we acknowledging it is morning? If so, why not say "It is morning. "

Thirdly, would hello suffice? Is good morning a greeting or an acknowledgement? Assuming it is a greeting, I'm good with just a quick 'hi' and let's move along. No need to discuss what we ate for dinner last night.

However, point three is not relevant to a similar issue that hinders me when out and about in walking land. It is expected that when passing people along the way, who are also walking, a 'good morning' or a 'hello' will again be required. This is crazy.

These people are strangers. In some version of 'fate' (not the hippy version) two people have decided to go for a walk and have chosen the same road at the same time to be walking along.

This does not require any sort of acknowledgement, unless you're about to stand there and discuss the level of coincidence that this concrete sharing may hold in various other areas of your life ie. do you brush your teeth too? do you breathe also? are you a human as well?

And refer to points 1 to 2 above for more reasons why this good morning/hello business while taking a morning stroll is ludicrous.

I have taken to the theory that I am an introverted extrovert, and, my mum taught me never to speak to strangers.

Sam says I'm just rude.

today

Today I am bad at my job.

A (unknown) mistake made earlier in the year has come back to haunt me, and I am both disappointed in myself and feeling very frustrated that such an absurd mistake could cause such chaos in one person's world ... when it possibly not need to. Therefore, I have given up working today and will instead concentrate on my next task - see below.

Today I am organised.

I have gotten excited about upcoming nuptials and organised for myself a wedding notebook complete with information on all facets, each with a heading (using the DYMO!) and a print out of information from my trusty source www.i-do.com.au

Today I am visiting my physio.

Being Adventure Girl has consequences which I am not fond of, including twisted, strained and torn muscles. This time my knee cap has decided it is not interested in sitting/moving in its delegated area.

Tomorrow I am excited!

Mum is throwing us a small family/bridal party engagement party and it will be super fun and I'm very excited. More champagne!

and so it begins

The flowers, followed with another two dozen red roses, a proposal and an engagement, continue to flourish.

The day after our engagement, I received another bunch of yellow daisies, 'because I don't want you to think I'll ever stop being romantic ...' He is Super Sweet.

So, the wedding planning begins. I'm a planner, so this will be fun, even if my bridezilla (Sam) wants the unnecessary!

The weekend has been an enjoyable one of celebrations and champagne, lunches and catch ups, and for Sam, golf and cricket!

This afternoon, a visit to the beach will be in order, and a pizza/wine picnic with friends at Blues Point reserve, looking out over Sydney Harbour. How romantic.

floral-ity

While this sounds crass, it looks like a death has happened in the family at my house.

Sam arrived home on Tuesday with a beautiful bunch of flowers for me, and last night he arrived home with four bunches of flowers (iris, tiger lilies and oriental lilies) !!!

I have ran out of vases, there are flowers in every room, and the apartment smells wonderful!

What is going on you ask? I have no idea!

cycle

I'm paying for a personal trainer, a gym membership, and I can barely bring myself to spend 30 minutes on the exercise bike this afternoon ... even though if I don't, I'll beat myself up until 6.15am tomorrow morning, when I'll begin cursing myself for having to meet my personal trainer at 6.15 in the morning.

THIS CYCLE IS EVIL!

I don't mean the bike (although, that is also evil) but more so the cycle of guilt and frustration accompanying my exercise, and to a lesser extent, my eating regime.

Blah I say. Why can't I just eat forever, get fat and stay in bed with bed sores, pop tarts and a good book?!

Adventure Girl is on strike. Or is at least pretending to be, because I'll feel guilty if I go on strike.

dot points

I'm obsessed with...

• Talking like Elmo
• Porridge
• Learning to accessorise
• Dove Summer Glow (looking ahead, the future is bright. We're predicting early summer highs right across the country, thanks to Dove Summer Glow...)
• Crowded House
• Meeting friends for dinner
• Not sharing dishes when meeting friends for dinner
• Cleaning
• Vaccuming (Sam says a different dot point is required for this)
• My skin (You'll get this J)
• Good coffee and tea
• Drinking lots of water to flush out the coffee
• Sunny days, the beach, the water as ultimate relaxation
• Europe (more specifically, getting there!)
• Adventure Girl (the aura that is)

And! Congratulations to me! I have one official follower of my blog! You know who you are! Didn't even know you could 'follow', but if you're feeling sheepish, click the follow button (wherever that is located).

saving day

I have decided that Daylight Savings makes Sydney bounce. It's kind of magical and you can see it in the city, on the streets and in the people.

nothingness part II

So, owning a coffee machine does have merit. Yay. I spent the rest of the long weekend, rain and shine, drinking coffee, sitting and eating on our new outdoor furniture! Keep reading and I'll explain.

Nothingness snuck quietly out of my weekend when Sunday's trip to be a cafe couple turned into a lovely stroll through Mosman and the discovery of some fantastic clothes boutiques with some of my favourite clothing labels including Sunny Girl and Wish! Sam patiently helped me to find dresses (because, this summer is all about not worrying about to what to wear, and throwing on a dress for the beach, pub or dinner!)

In the end, I settled for some great skirts, a couple of tops, a dress (all items on super sale*) and placed an order on some shoes. I'm actually wearing one of the shirts today (bought specifically for work) and I am very happy with the purchase!

Anyway, we enjoyed some lunch at a cafe (how cool does a roast pork, apple, rocket and jarlsberg sandwich sound!?) and continued the cafe couple paper reading tradition.

Half way home, it was decided we must get some outdoor furniture for our balcony (which realistically, only just fits two people and two pots of grass - more on this later)

Bunnings had the perfect solution (don't they everytime?) and Sam found his inner-interior decorator and grabbed some matching cushions, place mats and candles from Freedom (this is reading like an ad!)

And hence, the espresso machine was rediscovered, and the balcony. The Frangipani tree directly outside our bedroom window and balcony is about to bloom, so we're looking forward to this momentous occassion.

Lastly, our new neighbours downstairs, another young couple, moved in to their newly renovated apartment a few weekends ago, and while we've not seen much of them (and I am very curious) a gift bag with chocolates was left hanging on our door handle over the weekend, saying sorry for the noise while the renovations took place. That was nice.

We trekked downstairs yesterday afternoon and knocked on their door to say thank you. They seemed lovely, and we had a quick chat. Perhaps in some sort of balancing act, they asked us if we had enjoyed our karoke the night before, of which they heard every note. We apologised, of course, and were mildly embarrased that our singing could be heard, despite Sam nailing Delta's 'I was born to try', twice.

Do do do.

*super sale = less than $25 an item.

weekend of nothingness

Ta da! A weekend of nothingness. This is not like me, and it's a teensy weensy bit BORING!

A long weekend, without an endless supply of catch ups, restaurant and cafe visits is like a long weekend that isn't really a long weekend. Great metaphor Liz.

Actually, I shouldn't complain really. Cricket was cancelled yesterday due to rain, so we hung out in a cafe in Cammeray, reading the paper and eating pastries we really didn't need. And here's the thing with cafe couples. All other groups of cafe-going patrons (in groups) chat and catch up. But many cafe couples read the paper. And they might read a whole section each of the SMH, and not even acknowledge the other person is there in between sections. Of course, such cafe couples (including myself and Sam) continue to educate ourselves (even if my preferred section is Spectrum!) and therefore, I console myself that we will have incredibly intelligent conversation later in the day.

Later that night, our dinner date with another friendly couple was cancelled, so we trekked up to Crows Nest for Thai. After a combination of beer, wine and cocktails, conversation was in full flow. Not. I was yawning. About 10 yawns a minute. And Sam was very unimpressed. Apparently the high level of carbon dioxide in my blood was making me sleepy. But remembering our cafe couple paper reading, I decided we really should talk. So we discussed what lifestyle means to each other, and whether we are happy, or not, with ours. And we chatted out what our future might look like from career perspectives, and with Sam as a stay-at-home dad.

But back to our weekend of nothingness ... we have no plans for today or Monday (except maybe the comeback of Adventure Girl if the weather clears) and I've resorted to seeing what exhibitions are on at various Sydney museums. Dreary, wet, nothingness weekend. Do do do.

Am off to find something to do - let's hope it doesn't involve spending money or more cafe couple newspaper reading ... though, wouldn't mind sitting down with the Sun Herald if I'm honest.

** Next blog will discuss the point of owning an espresso machine - when one clearly spends a lot of time in cafes.

highlights

Whoops! It’s been over 3 weeks and I’ve been a little bit slack with my blogging. Naughty me.

Given this much time has lapsed, here’s the ‘highlights’ of what’s happened over the past three weeks:

Visit to hospital for day surgery (you don’t need the details, trust me. It has been confirmed however that I’m one of the ‘chatty’ patients, after waking up from anesthetic!) Further investigations into this medical mystery are being undertaken, by a second specialist.

13.5km hike from Berowra to Cowan on Sunday, in 31 degree heat, via Berowra Waters (many, many, many mountains) and wearing new hiking boots. Read about my life as ‘adventure girl’ for the reasons why I did this. Actually, it was a huge challenge for me, and very satisfying to buy some beer and lemonade at the end and celebrate with a shandy at Cowan train station! Photos to appear on FB shortly.

Baptist denominational conference at Homebush, which my organisation was the major partner in. I was privileged to work three fifteen hour days in a hot marquee, packing and unpacking a mini house exhibit and did some major preparation leading up to the conference before my manager returned from Europe (the day before the conference!) Big week that one! The week also involved the hysterical driving of a 3 tonne truck with my manager, who might be (putting it politely) a little bit incompetent in this area. In his defense, neither of our PDs mentions truck driving to begin with!

Birthday dinner with a certain Zo Zo at a funky café in Manly, with Asian food, tapas, and live music! And birthday dinner at Radio Cairo for my brother … yummo!

Signing up with a personal trainer and being put to the test every Wednesday at 6.15am. Think of me, when you’re doing that lazy 6am turn in your bed, relishing in how much more sleep you have to enjoy! While I need a small nap at 10am those days, I’m invigorated and feeling pretty fit.

Cricket has officially started. I’m now called ‘Ms Cricket’ by the team.

So there you go.

Also of note, a great friend started work with me last week, another friend returned from Europe and more friends got engaged.

One last tidbit (love that word!) of information. Tonight I made a salad (alongside some baked Portuguese chicken tenderloins) of baby spinach, avocado, shallots, asparagus, grilled haloumi cheese and a dressing of lemon juice, oil and fresh chives, and if I don’t say so myself, it was award winning.

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go. Promise to not be lazy and write again soon. Off to read my new Donna Hay magazine ... thinking of changing career (you can have more than one!) to amazing chef.

busy bee

I'm getting prepared for a busy weekend, in what seems like the beginning of the end of empty weekends for a while (or at least for September)

On Friday, dinner party! And I'm not hosting it, which is a nice change and something to look forward to! I'll be taking my infamous cheese platter, and as I don't want give to away the surprise ingredients for making a successful cheese platter, that's all you'll be hearing about it!

There will have to be some monitored levels of alcohol intake on Friday evening, because I plan on making up for all of this food with a gym visit first thing on Saturday morning, followed by cricket all afternoon with Sam. Somewhere in here will be grocery shopping and housework, of course!

Yes, the cricket season has started, and all Saturdays here on in are sacrificed for the love of cricket. Yay (partial sarcasm - I love my cricket, perhaps just not as much as some!)

Saturday evening; more food and celebrating a friend's birthday, while Sunday, you guessed it - food! Brunch with friends in the lovely suburb of Balmain.

So, if I don't have time to blog over the weekend, you'll know it's because I'm stuffing my face with food!

Yay.

Adventure Girl strikes again

Today it feels like I'm just writing for the sake of writing, but hey, I wouldn't want to disappoint the cast of thousands that hold their breath until each time I post!

A strange weekend, that started with rain, included the purchase of some rather unfashionable looking hiking boots (for hiking 32 kms up and down Mt Kosciusko in November) and thermals, and ended with the most fantastic Indian I have ever eaten.

Yes, Saturday became another expensive day of shopping so that I can fall more seriously into the role of 'Adventure Girl'.

Since meeting Sam, I have spent some time reconnecting with my sporting/adventure self (left behind in my mid high school years). I am now known as 'Adventure Girl', and I try to keep up with Sam's stamina and endurance as we run together, gym together, hike together, kayak together and do all sorts of adventure-type things together.

NB There is a touch of sarcasm and cartoon-like intimation that should occur when pronouncing the title 'Adventure Girl'.

I need to point out that being 'Adventure Girl' is expensive. When 'adventuring', one needs equipment.

We're talking water resistant shoes, hiking shoes, hiking boots (different from shoes, they support your ankle). We're talking clothing - 3 pairs of thermals, 3 pairs of hiking socks (different from normal socks, they 'wick' the moisture away), non-cotton pants and shirts, gloves, backpacks, head torches, wet weather gear, things made of gortex, and if you're Sam (I'm about to have a go here darling) - a heart rate monitor (because it's important to know your pulse when you're climbing up a big hill, just in case you're not sure HOW HARD IT IS TO CLIMB UP A BIG HILL!).

What annoys me about this, is that what seems a simple enough recreational activity seems to be a huge money-making opportunity for those in the know (the money makers) .

You want to hike, go for a long walk, do a little overnight camp (or in my situation, glamp = glamour camping) and there is list as long as my walking pole, of things you have to have.

And there are shops for this. Kent St, Sydney, is outdoor adventure heaven - there are at least ten stores within 100 metres, all making a lot of money from what appears to be overpriced adventure, perhaps?

And I'm beginning to ask myself - the risk involved in being 'Adventure Girl' (being eaten by a bear, falling off a cliff, getting frost bite, or a tick) - and now they want you to pay a motza for the privilege?

Yes, I've made a choice to be 'Adventure Girl', but all I'm saying is that it seems that spending time in the great outdoors and checking out the wonder that is God's creation, while wearing $800 worth of layered clothing (excluding boots), seems a little bit like a opportunistic marketing on Mr and Mrs Adventure's behalf.

That's my concern of the day. Look out for my upcoming 'Why does every visit to Medicare / the RTA involve wasting 60 minutes of my life' - which also happened this weekend!

This is 'Adventure Girl', signing off.

Down in Fraggle Rock

Late at night on Monday, out of the blue, Sam asked me if I remembered Fraggle Rock.

I have been waiting for at least fifteen years for someone to ask me that question ... and I fell in love with Sam all over again when he asked me the Fraggle Rock question.

You know when you have childhood memories of books, tv programs, movies etc, and every now and then you think about them, and wonder who else remembers?

I've been like that with Fraggle Rock. My memory of the tv program is limited. I remember the Fraggles, hanging out in their underground cave/rock, and occasionally, they would venture out of the cave ... and it would be scary.

One of the exploring Fraggles, Uncle Matt used to wear a khaki coloured jungle outfit, and he would often leave the rock for days at a time to visit our world, "Outer Space" (I think ... as I say, my memories of the Fraggles are a bit like a half finished jigsaw)

Also, I remember a small part of the theme song: "Down in Fraggle Rock ...."

Sam seems to think the Muppets visited the Fraggles one day. I don't remember that.

Interestingly, Fraggle Rock will be shown this in Australia on Boomerang (whatever channel that is). I will make it my Fraggle-mission to check this out.

You can read about Fraggle Rock here if you like ... and hopefully you've been waiting for as long as I have for someone to ask you if you remember the Fraggles ... do you?


** And there is going to be a Fraggle Rock movie in 2009, according to IMDB! **

Morning, afternoon & night glory

It has been an exciting and taxing 48 hours, following my partner on a 100km trailwalk/run from Sydney's Central Coast through to Sydney Harbour (Mosman) as he ran for both personal triumph and to raise funds for Oxfam.

The Oxfam trailwalker (teams of four, walk/run 100km within 48 hours) involves some super-human endurance from the walker's point of view, and from mine, no sleep and lots of patience.

Sam's (probably time you met my 'partner' - meet Sam) team completed the walk in just over an unbelievable 22 hours - AND - came 50th out of 519 teams! That means his team basically overtook every team that started at 8.30am on Friday, and came first in their group which left at 10.00am on Friday.

As support crew, we met the team at each checkpoint, eight in total, with fresh food, clothing, chairs, camping utilities including hot water for soup, lighting, first aid, and encouragement. Try doing all of this under Roseville Bridge at 3am, after no sleep when it's 3 degrees! It is completely impressive that they ran for 22 hours throughout the day and night.

My advantage was coffee. I can't begin to tell you how many coffee and toilet stops (too many portaloos!) there was from the Hawkesbury to Mosman during that 22 hours! I drank coffee at 3am that I wasn't even sure was coffee ... but at that time of the morning I didn't care. Note; the best coffee stop was at Apple Tree bay, in the beautiful National Park as the sun set, from a coffee cart!

The support team's adventures started by missing the most timeliest train from the Hawkesbury to our first checkpoint (we were in the cutest cafe with our first coffee and some fantastically fresh scones!), and having to ask an Oxfam employee to drive us up the coast. We had time to kill, so indulged in hours of self-entertainment with a hackey sack.

When the boys arrived at each checkpoint, half delusional, we convinced them that food and water/powerade was critical to their success. We packed and unpacked a mini campsite eight times, mixed sport drinks and soups by candlelight, and Kirsten massaged the boy's legs to much relief.

And you get to know what really goes on inside boy's heads when they're pushed to the limit, cold, sleep deprived and in pain. It includes a lot of talk about each other's bodily gas and toilet stops, discussions on where the best place to rub Vaseline is, and how many blisters each person has, and whose hurt the most.

Sam now has chaffing, blisters, black toenails and some severe muscular issues! But it was an awesome accomplishment, and something to be very proud of.

It was great to support a team as they pushed their bodies and minds to their limits and although it will take more than a weekend for everyone to recover, it was an experience I will never forget.

It's back to bed for the sleepless.

acting boss

With my boss overseas on his honeymoon this week (another three to go), I've become the 'second best' answer to my organisation's media/communication/advertising needs. This hasn't been such a steep learning curve in terms of practical knowledge, but has shown me how my boss manages to get nothing done all day, while doing so much!

In our area of work, we are everyone's 'go-to', everyone's answer, and there are many things to approve! I've enjoyed taking a bit more responsibility, even if it means ending up in the CEOs office to bring to fruition an idea she has had overnight!

I'm also enjoying the management side of things, as I work alongside two colleagues/friends who are relying on me a little more to assist them with their day to day tasks/issues. I'm not sure I will have the solution they might need at any time ... but I'm learning to listen and be present for them ... having knowledge of the frustration that is a too-busy boss.

This week (all three days of it) has also featured an unexpected doctor's visit followed by a specialist referral (always fun...), not enough dreaded gym visits, and the lead up to 24-hours of trailwalker running/walking for crazy athlete-partner, and 24-hours of 'support crew' preparation for me, officially starting at 10am on Friday morning. More on this next time.

It has also been a week of chicken caeser salad (really should remember to ask for dressing on the side so that the salad becomes less dressing, more salad), licorice allsorts and not enough water.

I've just finished reading my friend's fantastic 'tour of Italy' blog.

There are no wine-infused sunsets here people.

new beginnings and toenails

I went to an intimate and lovely wedding on the weekend. The weather said otherwise.

It was supposed to be a beach wedding in Newcastle, followed by nibbles/drinks back at the house of the couple being married. The house sits on a cliff top overlooking Merewether Beach, and the view, had it not been affected by gale force winds and rain, would have been spectacular.

The ceremony was relocated to the cliff top house (a large three storey house sleeping five children and two adults now!) and we squashed cosily into the living room, which would later become the celebration/reception area.

During the ceremony, the Minister spoke of something that was particularly poignant for me: that God does not give second chances.

Instead, He gives new beginnings. Both people getting married had been married before, and had had a family, so this was a special message for both the couple, and the children.

If God were to give us second chances, it could almost be expected that we may repeat the same behaviour performed the first time, and possibly fail.

A new beginning is something quite different from a second chance.

The wedding itself was followed by some great food, drink and conversation about politics (Iemma will survive despite selling all of Sydney’s power!), cricket, rugby and other forms of extreme exercise.

Speaking of, this week my crazy partner will work himself up for a 100km walk/run through bush for charity … starting on Friday at 10am. It is expected he and his team will finish at Mosman at around 8am on Saturday morning, and I’ll be part of the support crew, driving to each checkpoint with food, fresh clothing and support. Big weekend!

Let’s hope for sunshine and toenails that stay attached to toes!

sogging friday

I didn’t want today to be a day of whinges … but I knew when it started raining at 4.00am this morning I wasn’t going to be happy-clappy Liz.

And true to form, every silly question/comment/person that could come via my desk today has. And it’s only 11.17am!

Rain on Friday’s is almost as bad as rain on Mondays.

Fridays are the beginning of the long-awaited weekend. They symbolise two and a half (if you tend to end your working week just after lunchtime!) days of fitting in as much fun, socialising, eating, exercising, exploring, spending and lazing as you can. When it starts with rain, it just takes the fizz out of it all.

We’ll leave rain on Mondays to another blog.

Earlier this morning a colleague emailed me a video ... and I have to say, it doesn't get more coincidental than this!

On another note, tonight I am looking forward to beer and hot greasy pub food (charged at prices that only North Sydney can) to celebrate a new friend and employee joining forces with me in my daily fight on behalf of the elderly and people living on the margins of society (yes, people in charity head offices do contribute)

So, after six paragraphs of sarcasm, I think I can safely say I’ve almost got this out of my system … and I’m going to make a self-promise that I try to improve my attitude and my next blog will be full of sunshine and sparkles.

Yay for wet Fridays.

copy cat

A certain friend of mine has apparently been 'blogging' for a lot longer than I gave her credit for ... and here I am, about to 'copy'.

I hate copying ... shows lack on individuality, expression, creativity etc etc ... but then realised by now at least, I dunno, a tenth of internet users (of which there are many) are blogging, and I can probably get over myself and my 'copying' ways.

Again, I'm with formerly 'in secret blogging friend' and her theory that perhaps this is about censored reflection for oneself, and possibly letting a few other friends in on another side of the story of my life.

I'm assuming, as with most internet-based technologies/programs, that this wont be too difficult to teach myself ... and as with all big technology-related mistakes, I am possibly wrong. Let's see.

In today's story, my working day began from home as a time in lieu sacrifice. So far I've been alternating between doing the work I am paid to do, looking out the window to see if the postman has come, housework, beginning preparation on the pumpkin soup and chocolate cake Donna Hay is going to help me make as part of a romantic dinner tonight, and considering, and reconsidering, what time I will grace the gym with my appearance this afternoon.

It's one of my favourite types of days ... doing things that I don't have to, I want to and I need to, all in one day, without any pressure to have it done by a certain time (though I suspect a certain partner may expect dinner sometime before 10pm tonight)

I bring forth no more reflections for my first post ... and will see how far this goes ...