Late night thoughts and photos

The finer arts of lawn bowls . . . were never really discovered by us.

I think it'd be fair to say that victories by each opposing team were generally more a matter of luck than anything else. This maybe contended by some *cough* nerds!

Some fine young things enjoying beverages and the sight of many an untrained yet enthusiastic lawn bowler novice.

Oh!! How I shall miss Jess Jess when she leaves us for Sydney oh too soon!

Sair's expression is the look of a lady in the throes of conquering the mammoth list of TO DOs in preparation for those planning a wedding.

I try to explain the concept of a bias to Teagan Harris
my little second cousin or is that my first cousin once removed ?

She was my second shadow as her mum nursed the results of celebrating her wedding anniversary the night before. Ahhh Adoration! How I bask in the glory!


No, Jess Jess, I don't think we're winning on any techinicalities at all . . .

Think it's time to resort to plan #2 - Kneecapping!

We now have plans afoot to get more organised about Night Owls!

That who ever so shall maketh Lord of The Rings where the walking is surplanted by a whole lot of bike riding shall engender much happiness in the world and great fortune shall rain upon them.

My world is one in great flux. As is my mind.
Things are changing - they always do.

This seems to me a particularly unsettled time.

I'm not sure where I'm heading - where doorways will open next

and which of those I will choose ?

I'm trying not to think about any of it too closely at present.

Running with the fun.

And loving it.

So many inspirational things have happened since I have returned to Atown.

Many difficult things have also happened too

These mould me in the most subtle but keen of ways

Still I think of those people:

And I knew that you were a truth I would rather lose
than to have never have lain beside at all

Back with avengence

The joy of wireless LAN!

I'm posting from the comfort of the expense of clear floorspace in my room~~!!

I will also finally be able to access all of my Japanese langauge correspondence for the first time in weeks!

Thanks muchly to the efforts of Pooj and James.

Happy Birthday to Midge!!
Much fun was had as I was drugged up the eyeballs yesterday.
Lawn Balls, curry and lovely company.
Photos to follow now that it's my weekend!!

Also much fun had at Martine's Catholic themed party on Saturday night - just a pity I was so flat with the beginnings of my cold/flu - ick! I hate being sick!!















Night!

My jumbled and chaotic week in review

Thank gog (yes, gog . . . remember those cat books?) it's the weekend!!
My weekend anyway.
I have had two most hellish days.
Sunday I finally got out of work after 6, long past the scheduled 5pm!
Yesterday I finally was on my way at 7:30 - having topped the night off with missing pilates and locking my keys in the boot just as I was ready to leave the nightmare of the day behind me to go help celebrate Geet's b'day with her.

Like Sunday, yesterday people just wouldn't stop coming in with their framing orders in a steady stream from about 2 onwards. Just before that I managed to make a huge sale of stuff that unwittingly included works that the lovely lady from the shop next door's relatives were considering buying. She came in as the sale was finalizing to borrow our ladder and said "oh, you put them away for me?" I was completely shattered from having to deal with so many people by this point that I just didn't know what to do. I had been vaguely aware of the prices on offer for the sale but didn't have a clue what works they were looking at - still felt terrible about it. And I then couldn't bare to go and ask for her to mind the shop while I went to the loo . . . Eventually I begged a couple to let me pop to the toilet before I burst . . .

It was only of those days when everybody wants to look at all the mouldings on the wall and the desk ends up a complete shambles - littered with a multitude of matt board samples and frame mouldings.

The dopey young couple with the giant pink toned photo, presumably of their daughter with a massive pink teddy. We spent about half an hour pulling half the mouldings of the wall

There were the weird rude guys - I thought one of them had spoken to me earlier so I said "Oh, you're back!" and he looked at me like I was nuts so I had to do a quick back up. Then we messed around with ideas and colours but when I gave him a quote he just said "Wellllll PASS then! I've had much cheaper quotes than that" and stared at me accusingly. Ughhhh.

The woman who kept changing her mind about which five massive works she wanted to buy . . . First she wanted an APRO but then didn't want us to take an imprint of her card so she decided to buy. But then her card declined because she'd already spent $300 with us the previous day and it wouldn't cover the $1000 plus of this sale so I had to take a cheque . . . when my boss came in to save me at 5pm after my mercy plea and was doing the money 2 hours later she said that we're not to take cheques anymore - soooo there's me feeling stupid.
Apparently we've had two bounce already.

There was the couple with their icky oil canvas who spent agggggess messing about with frames as I had to leave them to it and deal with a million other customers - when they finally chose and I gave them a quote they were shocked at the price and had to start all over again. In the end I found them a cheap and nasty composite silver and black moulding that they were happy with, only to hit the stumbling block that she wanted it by the 24th. Not only that but she initially expected that it would be ready by tomorrow!!!!! Are people mad ? I rang my boss - No Deal on the 24th but could get it done by the 2nd of Feb. Still the woman sooked around saying "But I wanted it for my birthday!"

The guy with his banal Grecian seascape canvasses who I tried to overcharge by $100 on a mounted print because I was so frazzled and misread the pricetag. He was quite friendly but I was wayyyy passed saving.

Then the lovely couple who were the evening's saving grace. They let me dash off to the toilet! They had the sweetest little girl who was so well-behaved and demonstrated that common baby trait of a love of keys. Their watercolours were really quite nice, but it was slightly irksome that I had to full half of the mouldings off the wall before they agreed that I was right with my first suggestion!
Further to this story is that I gave up at 6:30 and never got around to writing up their invoice and then the guy came back in last night when I was back at Sefton and I still didn't have it done for him - bugger. Didn't get it done either because I had another demanding customer who just wouldn't leave and meant that I didn't get out on time yet again and was late for dinner. By 10:30 neither of us felt like the yumminess Ying Chow overly much. Zannen

My Monday night mayhem was topped off by my muddled mind allowing me to lock the keys in the boot so I was even later for Geet's B'day dinner but it all worked out in the end. And we all lazed about and enjoyed a most beautiful Indian banquet.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GEETY!

So now it's Friday and I've achieved little but get up, buy phone credit, have lunch, tidy up and do a little washing - feels very Sunday. Ugh - working weekends messes with my mind. It also means that it's hard to schedule hanging out with people - sighhhh.
I've had such a busy social calendar too . . . Tuesday (my Saturday) was crazy.
Pilates.
Lunch on Hutt St.
Bumped into Richard, whom I hadn't seen in such a long time - we spent hours in an impromptu chat over coffee. Always such wonderful conversations to be had in his company. Just lovely.
Then I popped over to the market and bought lovely things from Geet and spoke to Leo.
Saw Peach hanging out in WISH - Here comes Dumpling-Off #2 . . .
Bumped into Midge as I was going to visit her and then we had a tea together and a chat.
As I was taking off on my Deadly to go home I had another chance encounter with Tori, who was as Shudo for the last 6 months of my time there.

Wednesday was spent in the most entrancing company of RPG. We went to THEA for lunch and then went off in search of flowers for March. Such a lot of fun.
And how many times do you get to hang out with your lady friends and measure your bust?
I was struggling to stay awake by the time A got home so I rode home, had a Vegie Wrap and crashed at 9:30 - oh so early!
Only to be woken for a very dopey and dazed (on my part) chat at 10:30pm - but can't complain when it resulted in having a plan for not eating alone after working a split shift day and late night shopping hours - always makes me feel so lonely.

I love Death Cab!
I think, MikeyG, that we have impeccable taste - end of debate!
I love the feel of listening to a rollicking thrumming bassline. Noiiiice.

And so I now I ought to go do my boxes-have-arrive-from-Japan-unpacking and getting ready for pilates and then the loveliness of hanging with my peeps that should be SimonGray's partei.

Then Saturday it's Tamara's and Sunday dawns the day of Dumpling-Off #1.

Being so popular is killing me.
Sleep is such a wonderful commodity.

Next weekend proper it'll be Martine's Birthday and Midge's Non-Birthday parties respectively.
And I have so many nice dresses for the airing!

New Year's Eve in a thousand words, or two

Right on the somewhat confused dot of 12 sparklers were enjoyed with enthusiasm as a substitute for the more raucous fireworks experienced elsewhere. Anna's party was top notch event - all props to her, her lovely house and present housie Owen-the-comics-guy.













Note the lovely Karenski before she started mixing cocktails in her mouth.
And the ever sweet and charming Michelle was unable to enjoy the moment in any state other than sobre due to having to drive her boss' son down the coast the next day - WHAT ?

It was a totally danctastic event - Simon Gray is the sweatiest man on earth!
But he waayyy has the moves especially when it comes to East End Girls and West End Boys.


Michelle was looking amazing in her barely there outfit.
Always such a pleasure to bump into her.
So we decided to celebrate the occasion with some classy dance moves.


There are so many other fan piccies just waiting for your viewing pleasure at Two Degrees - cheecccck it out.


Today was spent in a peaceful fashion. More tidying, washing of sand from hair, shopping for groceries, making of salad for Sair, much chatting with Sair and shopping down the street with Sair.
I got the most awesomest dress - it's orange!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBORRRDY

It was nice to get back to A-town after the family overload at Xmas.
Busy weekend of work, now less enjoyable because I no longer have the lovely company of Liisa to be an ear when we're bored and I'm practising for my stand-up/radio show routine - just TRY and shut me up!
Had a few random funny moments.
Caught for with S&A for some quality time in the post-Xmas period . . . dinner and chocolate with the RPG posse - what could be finer ?
Escorted them home - and we're all so flash and fast now that Sair has her brand new Chrissie-present bike and A forked out big bucks for an overhaul of his treddly.

Rode to work and had people clamouring to get in early - nutcases!
Deadly slow arvo allowed me to rush off and get supplies for the NYE festivities, the thought of which were getting me through the day.
Cycle home, couple of hours to relax and get on the clobber and it was off again to Clarence Park for a terribly civilised BBQ with fantastic mango punch. School crowd that I never associated with consisted the majority of party-goers so it was an odd affair which I left for the more boisterous event going down at Anna's in Hughes St.
Adelaide turned it on and reminded me just what a small town it is.
Yet again I have been AdelaideD well and good.

MikeyG and I finished the night with some heady G&Ts and heavy consideration of double suicide prompted by third time repeats of some already initially dodgey music choices.
Then it was a inebriated wobble to crash out at 4am to awake again at 6am seized with an urge to tidy.
Hopefully photos will follow, curtesy of Wiz.

Spent the afternoon hours at Semaphore lazing on the beach and pondering the smallness of this town, wishing for mayonnaise.
Went for another catch up with Al - a lovely dinner at her parent's while she's on a whirlwind visit back from Perth. Think I will have to make this the year of random short holidays about the nation to discover and reacquaint myself with it's wonders.

Time to catch up on some Zzzzzs.