weekly wrap up

progress on wedding planning: nil (to backward)

progress on finding 'house of dreams': nil - well, we've eliminated another 5 houses in newcastle

progress transforming myself from peasant type to sylph like creature: negligible - although at least not backwards on this one. i actually bought a push bike this week (a new, old style one with basket. unfortunately i feel alot more 'wicked witch of the west' than the envisaged 'glamorous european woman' when i am on it. i blame the helmet - although at least it keeps me safe from flying monkeys.)

this is getting a bit bridget jones isnt it?...

well, i am at home alone again tonight (rohan in sydney for a bucks). it is really, truly hot today -37 degrees but feels like 39 (the website helpfully points out) which is pretty much as hot as it gets here. so me and the fan have been keeping good company today. i braved going outside a while ago to go to the shops...there was nothing to eat or drink and you need to drink to stay sane in this weather - food not so essential. so, along with the fan, a bottle of gin is keeping me company tonight. oh, and junebug the movie. good times.

its austraya day weekend this weekend. i was reflecting on my last post saying how i had never felt more australian. ..i dont really know what i was on about there. i think i meant that i am appreciating the unique countryside and flora (not fauna particuarly) alot more than i used to - because i dont really know what 'being australian' is or - for that matter - what being the dreaded unaustralian involves (not liking beer & sport i think).

i've noticed since being back that there is a very strong nationalistic undertow around - every second person seems to have the southern cross tattooed along their calf -and it makes me uneasy. i think when countries/people start getting too nationalistic and feeling superior - or 'heaps good' as it might be here - is when the trouble can start. and while australia is a good country and has alot to be grateful for - i dont know if there is alot to feel superior about? certainly not doing too well at the cricket! ; ) anyway...i dont think we're about to start WWIII (or is it IV now?) but something to keep an eye on.

ooh - a big storm is coming through now- shaking things up. thank god.

Photos of the week this week come from the wonderful wedding of pete and al (rohans friend from school) which was in a national park on Sydney Harbour...

the beautiful bride

the school gang + WAGs - Sydney Harbour Bridge is hidden by that darn branch

a great wedding to start the married life of an awesome couple...

in other news...is any one else enjoying that bread with pumpkin seeds in it? man, that is good stuff.

have a good week!

2009 txt

i've been umming and ahhing and umming and ahhing about whether or not to keep writing this blog. i started it to keep friends and family up to date with our trip abroad (almost 4 years ago!) and now, well, we're not abroad anymore...but...we may as well be really -we're in newcastle not really near anyone we know - except rohan's brother lee, who has taken up residence in our second and third bedrooms ; ) so maybe i keep writing it? - it should be an exciting year -weddings, first home buying, etc and maybe i should face it - i'm an egotistical maniac deep down. maybe not so deep.

so enough with the justification.

its summer in newcastle. its been hot. the kind of hot that i b*tch and moan about but secretly love. it appeals to that masochistic gene that i picked up from the parrs...or maybe the frazers. quite possibly both. i havent got to sleep before 2am the last couple of nights so this could well be a sleep deprived ramble...

i have never felt more australian since being back - i dont know if its the heat or newcastle or what. possibly it is that i've watched more cricket in the last few weeks than i have in my entire life. yes, that could well be it. although i want south africa to win.

we drove back to adelaide for christmas. we drove down in 2 days stopping by our friends james and mirandah in dubbo on the way for a night which was good. We were in adles for something like 6 days and took it pretty easy - did a bit of swimming - mostly in pools - i think rohan had had enough at one stage and swam out to the end of brighton jetty (shark infested waters). he got bitten by something but luckily not a shark. trip to adelaide also involved lots of eating, drinking, hiking up mt lofty (of course).

we drove back to newie along the ailing murray. to be honest, maybe i was looking in the wrong places, but i didnt see alot of evidence of these 'hard done by' farmers who arent getting enough water for their crops. i saw alot of water being turned into wine and abundant, green vines - some still being sprayed with water in the midday sun. its of course not the same story for the downstream end of the murray, which is tragic...but then that is in south australia/mexico. i think it is most likely greed and not the drought that is to blame for the state the murray is in.

but aaanyway, here are some pics

oh ok...just remembered why i stopped blogging - because our rubbish internet wont let me add photos. i hate australia : (