I'm blogging from my car, in Leura this afternoon. Sam, Dan, Emma, Lulu and I are on our way to Lithgow/Wang/Wolgon Valley for the weekend. Dan (not by himeslef!) is building the first Emirates resort outside of Dubai, in the valley, so we're visiting him and hopefully checking out some wines in Orange.

So I'm forced to do nothing while I wait in my car for the rest of the gang (I'm leaving my car at a nursing home in Leura - join the dots) and I don't do nothing, so I blog.

Also of note, I'm considering a career change, which could be just a whim but sounds like a good and do-able idea this week. Hmmm.

My ears feel funny - I know they are clean, so it could just be the altitide of the mountains?

I've been sick this week with a pathetic cold which seemed to take the steam out of me - dr said no exercise, which I listened to until last night when I did an hour of pilates. I have to do something with the hot cross bun issues I've been having at night - Mr Ferguson would not be impressed.

This is Elizabeth Gorham, reporting from her car in Leura.

the one about two girls locking themselves out of their apartments

Yesterday afternoon, while feeling very unwell and home from work, I decided that I would put to use the fresh eggs and butter I had purchased, and make my Sammy a cake. Yes, even on death’s door (not quite, but I’m going to make this a dramatic story), I was in the kitchen, baking away!

And then, I went even further, and decided to get the washing in (Sam’s job). Off I went down stairs at about 5.00pm. When I came back into the stairwell, I heard a door click, so I raced upstairs, and it was my door – which I had forgotten to ensure wouldn’t lock behind me. Sam was due home at 6.30pm.
At this stage, the cake had 4 minutes left to cook.

One of my friends has told me I am good in an emergency – and it’s true! I calculated that I needed to come up with some viable options for getting back into the flat, in about 30 seconds, and these options needed to include our first floor balcony door, which was open.

I knocked on the apartment door next to ours in the hope that I could climb across their balcony – not home. I knocked on the door below ours, in the hope that Ben who lives there could hoist me up onto the balcony – also not home.

All the while visions of my banana cake burning (made from a scratch, not even a packet mix!) fueled my adrenaline and I was determined to find an answer in the sun-lit stairwell which I was pacing.

Finally, I went to another neighbour’s door who I had not yet met, and asked to borrow her phone, explaining my predicament. Sam told me he would have been 30 minutes away even if he left work immediately.

I thanked her for the phone use, and told her I was going to scale up the frangipani tree, outside our balcony, to save the cake. Adventure Girl, though unwell, is in form, so while I didn’t actually believe I could do it, it was worth a try.

My neighbour turned her deadlock, so as not to lock herself out (I watched her do this!) and closed the door to come and watch my athletic ability. She did a quick rethink and thought to bring her phone, but turned the knob on her door to find that she was now locked out also.

I was sooooo sorry and told her never to answer the door to me again, but by now, I only had 2 minutes until the cake burned so it was back to problem solving.

Shaking the entire way up, I climbed the frangipani tree as I high as I could on some very bendy branches, and lunged at our balcony, grabbing hold of the rail, and hoisting myself up.

I then met my new-found friend (who at this stage, I was promising bottles of wine and fresh cake to, for complicating her afternoon) downstairs, and climbed onto her ground floor balcony using a chair, to find that her balcony door was sadly locked.

So, we retired to my unlocked apartment, watched some of The Holiday, and got to know each other. While her partner was due home in 15 mins, he was actually late, and so 45 minutes later, both boys arrived home, and we told them our very embarrassing story – the one about two girls locking themselves out of their apartments – but I got to add the bit about me being a super-hero Adventure Girl, which was fun.

Incidentally, our new neighbours Aly and Stefan are our age or thereabouts, and Stefan is from Germany, and thus speaks German, so Sam was very happy to meet him and perhaps we’ll all go out for a drink soon to a German pub.

By the way, in the next week, Adventure Girl will be making a HUGE announcement. HUGE.

happy mediums

There is a funny smell near my desk today ... it's like musty shoes from someone who has smelly feet - but, there is noone sitting near me to today, and I'm wearing jandals.

Every now and then I just get a wiff of this mustiness, and it distracts me. I'm a very smell-orientated person.

I'm very good with smells. If I've smelt the perfume you're wearing before, I'll always get it right - or at least the brand of perfume! Some smells remind me intensely of memories, esp winter smells, which remind me of home (NZ).

Food smells have a love/hate relationship with me at the moment, given I'm on the Tony Ferg. diet. Ben's toast with butter smelt beyond delicious today.

Lately, in the last 1.5 weeks, I've been cutting myself a bit of slack. I'm at a weight I really enjoy at the moment (1-2 ks more to loose by August), and I know the trick to stay at this weight is with sensible eating and exercise.

But I get a bit excited and start over-eating (not just eating, we're talking M&Ms, lots of them, and Liz's special hot cross buns - recipe at bottom). I wish I could do 'happy mediums'.

I do find that watching the Biggest Loser every night, which I have been doing, is very motivating and inspirational. I do like that show*.

*when will all the shows I onced love get rid of their overused formulaes and start being cool again?

Not sure if you can have a happy medium smell - they tend to be either offensive or lovely?

RECIPE - Liz's special hot cross buns.

Buy fruit or plain hot cross buns.
Cut each bun in half, and place inside bun two diary milk chocolate oblongs, or, if you're working with squares, use three.
Place bun in foil, and put in oven, about 150 degrees, for 7-10 mins max.
Take out bun, open foil, use knife to spread melted chocolate around.
Lick knife. Eat bun.

fake blogger

It's been soooooo long since I blogged, that I almost feel like a fake blogger.

When I do finally press the 'new post' button, the best I can come up with is ... 'this weekend, ...'

So, here comes some random thoughts that I'm going to be too lazy to delve into, but may as well type anyway ...

I'm frustrated I might have to go back on Roaccutane (evil acne drug) shortly

I'm going to try and get a few massages in the next month, thanks to NIB and the local remedial masseuse. It's a bitter sweat experience, pain for gain.

I'm doing dinner and a movie with Aly tonight. This will be fun and special and girly, but not too girly.

I got an award at the cricket presentation today 'Ms Cricket' - Best All Round Supporter. I am the award! Sam got three awards.

My car is in need of a wash, in and out. If you know anything about the link between being in control and my OCD cleaning habits, it will make sense when I tell you that everytime I have gotten into my car this week I have felt awful and yucky.

That's all. Make up and hair needed before braving Marcarthur Square.